Thank you God for giving me something to be thankful about and for giving me the ability to choose to be so thankful! Thank you for helping me to see how to love more like You and to be more like You and to bring You into other people's lives! Thank you for helping me to share your Word and the Truth to everyone that I do. Thank you for helping me to accept the things that I can not control and to control the things that I can...mainly me...lol.
Thank you for helping me to stay the ground and to rely on you for my peace and defense. Exodus 14:14 says that The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace. You are teaching me that. When I decide to follow your word and let you fight for me, it always turns out better than I could have imagined. I am excited to continue to make letting you fight for me a deeply rooted habit in my life! Thank you God for everything you have given me Lord!
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Thursday, June 28, 2012
What do you do with a mouthy girl? mouthy mate?
What do you do when your daughter just mouths off all of the time and gets so pissy for no real reason? Mine gets so literal and nit picky and just plain nasty that it is unbelievable sometimes. I used to act a little like her in the past. But Praise GOD he fixed that for me. It has been years since I have been like that. My mom and I keep praying for her and doing our best to put it into God's hands.
Putting a situation you are constantly in, into God's hands and leaving it can be difficult at times. I do not always ask for God's guidance when dealing with her, like I should. I do not always give grace as I should. I am still learning about grace and how to give it to others. I was not taught that by my parents, or anyone I knew really, that I can remember anyhow.
I am looking forward to a time where my daughter does not yell at me and where she will actually react to life in a calm and confident in God manner. All I can do now is do my best with God inside of me to be the best example I can.
This week has been trying. I have won some battles and lost some minor ones. God really helped me with my husband this week. He has every night this week gotten angry/irritated/upset/argumentative (whatever adjective you want to use, just plain negative and nasty some times) with me. He says he is tired but for some reason will not go to bed early in order to feel better. I do not understand this. But that is his decision.
Yesterday, when I was nursing our son during his late afternoon nap on the couch, hubby wanted me to tell him about the dog kennel I had talked to. He was talking very rudely to me and had attitude. I was being very patient with him. I would wait unil after he asked me something and give myself a moment to not be offended by his attitude. I would then start to answer him and he would cut me off being rude again. He kept badgering me about why I was not answering him and when I would try to answer his questions he kept cutting me off. He then got really upset and stormed off.
He kept this as his excuse to be angry with me the entire night. He fussed all through doing the dishes after dinner. He would not talk to our daughter at dinner. He complained about me to my daughter and told her why I was doing what I was doing. When God said in the bible you are not supposed to judge another's motives. You do not know why someone ever does what they do, or what obstacles they have in their hearts that they must overcome. I do not know why hubby was so upset with me last night. He says it is because I did not answer his question. But I tried to, many times, and I later talked to him about it when he seemed to have calmed down. But then he stayed upset. Even after I apologized for hurting his feelings. I did not feel I did anything wrong but I wanted to make him feel better. I do not like seeing him so upset and hurting.
I was very thankful that I did not engage his attitude and let it steal my joy! I did not argue with him or do much to defend myself either. Now I am so excited to make progress more in this same area with my daughter, as well! That will be even more awesome to see God work that in me, too!
Just keep good bible verses in your mind and heart, thanks to the Holy Spirit bringing them to your remembrance John 14:26. I really like 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 1 Corinthians 13 has a lot about God's kind of love.... And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. God's kind of love is what we are supposed to show other people. John 13:34 says that A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Putting a situation you are constantly in, into God's hands and leaving it can be difficult at times. I do not always ask for God's guidance when dealing with her, like I should. I do not always give grace as I should. I am still learning about grace and how to give it to others. I was not taught that by my parents, or anyone I knew really, that I can remember anyhow.
I am looking forward to a time where my daughter does not yell at me and where she will actually react to life in a calm and confident in God manner. All I can do now is do my best with God inside of me to be the best example I can.
This week has been trying. I have won some battles and lost some minor ones. God really helped me with my husband this week. He has every night this week gotten angry/irritated/upset/argumentative (whatever adjective you want to use, just plain negative and nasty some times) with me. He says he is tired but for some reason will not go to bed early in order to feel better. I do not understand this. But that is his decision.
Yesterday, when I was nursing our son during his late afternoon nap on the couch, hubby wanted me to tell him about the dog kennel I had talked to. He was talking very rudely to me and had attitude. I was being very patient with him. I would wait unil after he asked me something and give myself a moment to not be offended by his attitude. I would then start to answer him and he would cut me off being rude again. He kept badgering me about why I was not answering him and when I would try to answer his questions he kept cutting me off. He then got really upset and stormed off.
He kept this as his excuse to be angry with me the entire night. He fussed all through doing the dishes after dinner. He would not talk to our daughter at dinner. He complained about me to my daughter and told her why I was doing what I was doing. When God said in the bible you are not supposed to judge another's motives. You do not know why someone ever does what they do, or what obstacles they have in their hearts that they must overcome. I do not know why hubby was so upset with me last night. He says it is because I did not answer his question. But I tried to, many times, and I later talked to him about it when he seemed to have calmed down. But then he stayed upset. Even after I apologized for hurting his feelings. I did not feel I did anything wrong but I wanted to make him feel better. I do not like seeing him so upset and hurting.
I was very thankful that I did not engage his attitude and let it steal my joy! I did not argue with him or do much to defend myself either. Now I am so excited to make progress more in this same area with my daughter, as well! That will be even more awesome to see God work that in me, too!
Just keep good bible verses in your mind and heart, thanks to the Holy Spirit bringing them to your remembrance John 14:26. I really like 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear: but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. And Exodus 14:14 The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 1 Corinthians 13 has a lot about God's kind of love.... And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. God's kind of love is what we are supposed to show other people. John 13:34 says that A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Review of Dirt Road BBQ in Trinity, AL
I usually review restaurants on Google, urban spoon, or yelp, but they do not have this place listed. So I will do that here now. First it is a small place in a colorful shopping center on Hwy 24. The people are nice and friendly and they did their best to get the order accurate. The restaurant is very clean and neat and tidy. The menu is easy to understand and read.
How about the food? Well it was ok. My husband had the beef brisket. He said it was alright. It did not stand out to him. It tasted like roast with bbq sauce. My daughter had the grilled chicken with white sauce. She liked the white sauce. I had the fried catfish. I liked the catfish's taste but not the portions. Way too small. Only one fillet for a charge of $12.99! I was very disappointed in that! I expected left over fillets. Way too pricey for what I received.
The sides were disappointing, as well. I wanted them to be good! I ordered almost all of them hoping they would be awesome. But they were not. The 'loaded potato salad' was red potato salad with ranch dressing. I expected cheese and bacon. Not ranch dressing. Gross. Ranch and red potatoes are not two things I would ever make at home. Red potatoes taste so good with rosemary, garlic, butter, ...but ranch!
The baked beans were not bad. But they were not memorable either. I do not like canned baked beans at all. So these were a little better but not much. The fried potatoes and onions were cold and hard. Like they had sat there waiting to be served for over an hour. Not at all appetizing. They are actually shredded hashbrown potatoes with diced onions. I was not impressed with those. I LOVE potatoes, my favorite food, but these were too bland and ice cold to be edible.
The mac and cheese was better than most places. It appears that they use real cheese and not pasteurized processed cheese food. So that is a plus for sure. Those seemed to be the most edible out of all of the sides we tried. The fried okra was not fresh battered and fried. It was a really generic frozen version of fried okra and not even one of the good frozen kinds. This kind was bland. We ordered it well done. But the okra on the outside was still blonde brown. It was crunchy, but that brand really sucks. I hate to say that, but it does. Get a new brand of okra or make it yourself. It tastes way better from scratch and use our wonderful local produce. I paid enough for the fish to deserve better sides.
I ordered a side salad because the menu said all of the salads were made of romaine lettuce. I had iceberg at home but wanted romaine. When we got home we noticed the salad was iceberg 100% and not one piece of romaine. That is false advertising. That really bothered me. I do not like being misled like that...at all.
The brunswick stew had great potential...if they knew how to season brunswick stew. The owners need to travel to Coweta County Georgia to a barbecue place called Sprayberrys and try their brunswick stew. Then they will understand what I am talking about. Or even corporate Williamson Brothers BBQ in Marietta would show something different.
Overall, the food is ok. The mac and cheese and baked beans are your best side bets. The brunswick stew is better than Big Bob Gibson's, but theirs (BBG) is the worst I have had in Alabama. The entrees are overpriced. The people are friendly and nice. But they are expanding too quickly after opening and will probably end up going under like so many around us have who have done the same. I wish them the best. But unless the quality and price get in line we will not be back.
Oh, and offer something besides plain white sunbeam processed garbage bread with the meal. Offer wheat, or garlic butter wheat, or make the bread homemade. My husband wanted me to add that, *chuckles*.
How about the food? Well it was ok. My husband had the beef brisket. He said it was alright. It did not stand out to him. It tasted like roast with bbq sauce. My daughter had the grilled chicken with white sauce. She liked the white sauce. I had the fried catfish. I liked the catfish's taste but not the portions. Way too small. Only one fillet for a charge of $12.99! I was very disappointed in that! I expected left over fillets. Way too pricey for what I received.
The sides were disappointing, as well. I wanted them to be good! I ordered almost all of them hoping they would be awesome. But they were not. The 'loaded potato salad' was red potato salad with ranch dressing. I expected cheese and bacon. Not ranch dressing. Gross. Ranch and red potatoes are not two things I would ever make at home. Red potatoes taste so good with rosemary, garlic, butter, ...but ranch!
The baked beans were not bad. But they were not memorable either. I do not like canned baked beans at all. So these were a little better but not much. The fried potatoes and onions were cold and hard. Like they had sat there waiting to be served for over an hour. Not at all appetizing. They are actually shredded hashbrown potatoes with diced onions. I was not impressed with those. I LOVE potatoes, my favorite food, but these were too bland and ice cold to be edible.
The mac and cheese was better than most places. It appears that they use real cheese and not pasteurized processed cheese food. So that is a plus for sure. Those seemed to be the most edible out of all of the sides we tried. The fried okra was not fresh battered and fried. It was a really generic frozen version of fried okra and not even one of the good frozen kinds. This kind was bland. We ordered it well done. But the okra on the outside was still blonde brown. It was crunchy, but that brand really sucks. I hate to say that, but it does. Get a new brand of okra or make it yourself. It tastes way better from scratch and use our wonderful local produce. I paid enough for the fish to deserve better sides.
I ordered a side salad because the menu said all of the salads were made of romaine lettuce. I had iceberg at home but wanted romaine. When we got home we noticed the salad was iceberg 100% and not one piece of romaine. That is false advertising. That really bothered me. I do not like being misled like that...at all.
The brunswick stew had great potential...if they knew how to season brunswick stew. The owners need to travel to Coweta County Georgia to a barbecue place called Sprayberrys and try their brunswick stew. Then they will understand what I am talking about. Or even corporate Williamson Brothers BBQ in Marietta would show something different.
Overall, the food is ok. The mac and cheese and baked beans are your best side bets. The brunswick stew is better than Big Bob Gibson's, but theirs (BBG) is the worst I have had in Alabama. The entrees are overpriced. The people are friendly and nice. But they are expanding too quickly after opening and will probably end up going under like so many around us have who have done the same. I wish them the best. But unless the quality and price get in line we will not be back.
Oh, and offer something besides plain white sunbeam processed garbage bread with the meal. Offer wheat, or garlic butter wheat, or make the bread homemade. My husband wanted me to add that, *chuckles*.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Awesome Mexican Casserole
There are no pictures because it all got eaten...lol. But I made a really awesome mexican casserole yesterday for dinner. Here is the run down of what it was made of.
Buttered 13 by 9 dish
2 cans of salsa or petite diced tomatoes (no salt added kind) made into salsa, see below
over 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese shredded (shred the block yourself tastes better than pre shredded)
fajita size flour tortillas
seasoned ground beef about one pound to 1.5lbs, recipe below
I took one can of the petite diced tomatoes and put in my food processor (use blender if needed) and added about 1/3 to a half of a sweet onion that has been diced. Then I added about a teaspoon of salt. I added the juice of one lime and a little cilantro and about 1/3 of a can of green chiles. I did a little shake of garlic powder and onion powder and oregano. Then I blended it until it was pureed. Wahlah! Awesome salsa!
So I put the salsa on the bottom of the pan. A nice even layer. Then I add the tortillas. Nicely lay them out over the salsa. Then I layer all of the ground meat. That is listed below. Then I added 1/3 of the chiles and about a cup and a half of cheese maybe one cup. Then I added more salsa. I top with 6 flour tortillas and the rest of the salsa and the cheese. I made sure the top was totally covered in cheese! It was awesome!
To season the meat I adapted a recipe for a chorizo casserole in a mexican cookbook. I often use this for taco seasoning as well.
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1tsp ground clove (to taste)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
a couple of tablespoons of anejo tequila or cognac or whisky
2 or 3 crushed cloves of garlic
Basically, you cook your meat (I don't have to drain mine because it is pasture raised but drain and rinse your beef if you use some from the grocery store. Rinsing is important! Rinse it in the strainer/collander.) then you add about a half of a cup of water and the the seasonings and mix it and simmer it until it has almost no liquid. You do not want to burn it. A tiny amount of liquid is ok and will thicken upon standing. Awesome meat!
I went ahead and made an extra thing of salsa and I ended up putting it on my salad it was so good! Instead of salad dressing! It tasted so good with the shredded cheese on my lettuce! Yummy Num Num!
Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!
God bless!
Buttered 13 by 9 dish
2 cans of salsa or petite diced tomatoes (no salt added kind) made into salsa, see below
over 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese shredded (shred the block yourself tastes better than pre shredded)
fajita size flour tortillas
seasoned ground beef about one pound to 1.5lbs, recipe below
I took one can of the petite diced tomatoes and put in my food processor (use blender if needed) and added about 1/3 to a half of a sweet onion that has been diced. Then I added about a teaspoon of salt. I added the juice of one lime and a little cilantro and about 1/3 of a can of green chiles. I did a little shake of garlic powder and onion powder and oregano. Then I blended it until it was pureed. Wahlah! Awesome salsa!
So I put the salsa on the bottom of the pan. A nice even layer. Then I add the tortillas. Nicely lay them out over the salsa. Then I layer all of the ground meat. That is listed below. Then I added 1/3 of the chiles and about a cup and a half of cheese maybe one cup. Then I added more salsa. I top with 6 flour tortillas and the rest of the salsa and the cheese. I made sure the top was totally covered in cheese! It was awesome!
To season the meat I adapted a recipe for a chorizo casserole in a mexican cookbook. I often use this for taco seasoning as well.
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 to 1tsp ground clove (to taste)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
a couple of tablespoons of anejo tequila or cognac or whisky
2 or 3 crushed cloves of garlic
Basically, you cook your meat (I don't have to drain mine because it is pasture raised but drain and rinse your beef if you use some from the grocery store. Rinsing is important! Rinse it in the strainer/collander.) then you add about a half of a cup of water and the the seasonings and mix it and simmer it until it has almost no liquid. You do not want to burn it. A tiny amount of liquid is ok and will thicken upon standing. Awesome meat!
I went ahead and made an extra thing of salsa and I ended up putting it on my salad it was so good! Instead of salad dressing! It tasted so good with the shredded cheese on my lettuce! Yummy Num Num!
Let me know if you try the recipe and how you like it!
God bless!
Ephesians 1
I had been taught some on Ephesians 1 before. But I did not remember the prayer that Paul had prayed in that chapter. But this prayer really does sum up what I have been asking God for. I love the way Paul put it. Here it is...
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..."
I am looking forward to knowing what God's hope is for me and my life! I know He formed me and chose me before I was even born! That simple fact is amazing, but to find out that He was happy and glad to sacrifice his son in order to save me, the one He had chosen from a ton of people, is amazing! Just a miracle that He loves me so so so very much! I am so thankful for that love from my God! My Abba! I love you Lord! Thank you for being so thoughtful and kind!
I am so thankful for the fellowship I get now in our bible studies. I am just so thankful for the learning and the love that you get from other believers! God is so awesome to set this all up for us!
This is how amazing God is! The other couple is not originally from this area, just like us. They have been married 13 years, us 10. They have two kids, us, too. They have a good gap in their kids ages. we do too. Our daughters are a week or two apart in birthdays! They have a giving heart like us. We seem to compliment one another, too. I am just so thankful and excited to see this work! God is doing something great here and I am so thrilled to share it!
"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power..."
I am looking forward to knowing what God's hope is for me and my life! I know He formed me and chose me before I was even born! That simple fact is amazing, but to find out that He was happy and glad to sacrifice his son in order to save me, the one He had chosen from a ton of people, is amazing! Just a miracle that He loves me so so so very much! I am so thankful for that love from my God! My Abba! I love you Lord! Thank you for being so thoughtful and kind!
I am so thankful for the fellowship I get now in our bible studies. I am just so thankful for the learning and the love that you get from other believers! God is so awesome to set this all up for us!
This is how amazing God is! The other couple is not originally from this area, just like us. They have been married 13 years, us 10. They have two kids, us, too. They have a good gap in their kids ages. we do too. Our daughters are a week or two apart in birthdays! They have a giving heart like us. We seem to compliment one another, too. I am just so thankful and excited to see this work! God is doing something great here and I am so thrilled to share it!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
2 Corinthians 3 Lesson
This whole chapter talks about who we are in Christ (New man), once you are born again. It is a really wonderful lesson if you take the time to slow down and read it well. Chew on the verses and really get it! I woke up at 3am and listened to the first half of the lesson and then chewed on it in my sleep. I really like Mr. Curry Blake's teaching style and his true teachings of the gospel. Below is the teaching. I hope you enjoy it. I really liked the last verse, 18, and how it talks about looking into the mirror at yourself identical to Christ in the spirit. Mr. Blake talked about how you have to let go of the past and your past sins if you are to grow with Christ. This is totally something I needed to hear and decided to make a commitment to not bring up my close family's past mistakes and to allow them to be free from that, as well, from me. I want to let go of my own, too. He makes some really good points.
You can go to their website at www.jglm.org for other free teachings and to order manuals of teachings.
Video streaming by Ustream
You can go to their website at www.jglm.org for other free teachings and to order manuals of teachings.
Video streaming by Ustream
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Stop the new agent orange! NOW!
This is about a chemical that Dow wants to use. It is a part of Agent Orange. Agent Orange killed my father in law when my husband was 15. I never got to meet the man that my husband looks just like thanks to Agent Orange. Please follow the link and tell the EPA to NOT allow this chemical to be used!
Sign the petition at the above link or paste this to your browser. http://bit.ly/EPA24D
I am writing to urge you to deny Dow’s new use applications to register 2,4-D and/or glyphosate on “Enlist” genetically engineered 2,4-D-resistant corn and soybeans (Dockets EPA–HQ–OPP–2011–0835 and EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0306). Use of 2,4-D in Enlist systems raises serious issues that fully justify EPA denial.
Dow’s Enlist systems would lead to a dramatic increase in usage of this toxic herbicide in American agriculture, with adverse impacts on human health, the environment, farmers’ welfare, and U.S. agriculture as a whole. Under FIFRA, EPA has a mandate to consider both environmental and economic costs in decisions about pesticides.
If approved for use on Enlist crops, 2,4-D would be used more frequently, at higher rates, on much greater acreage of cropland, and later in the season. Current overall agricultural usage of 2,4-D of 27 million lbs. per year would increase to well over 100 million lbs.
2,4-D exposure has been linked to numerous adverse health effects, including cancer (especially non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, reduced sperm counts, and birth anomalies in the children of exposed farmers. Increased use would exacerbate these impacts, particularly for exposed farmers.
Industry’s own tests show that 2,4-D is still contaminated with dioxins. In fact, 2,4-D is the seventh largest source of dioxins in the U.S. Although EPA recently set strict new dioxin exposure standards, it has not evaluated the health impacts of increased dioxin exposure from the massive increase in 2,4-D use anticipated with 2,4-D resistant crops.
2,4-D is a volatile herbicide that is prone to drift beyond the field of application to damage wild plants and crops. Current use of 2,4-D in agriculture already poses risks to several endangered species – the Pacific salmon, California red-legged frog and Alameda whipsnake – via adverse impacts on their habitat and prey.
EPA will soon begin a registration review of 2,4-D, the first since 2005. This review will give EPA the opportunity to assess Dow’s proposed uses in light of the issues raised above, the latest science on 2,4-D, as well as the EPA’s ongoing analysis of dioxin toxicity. The agency’s current decision specific to the Dow Enlist crops should be halted until the agency completes its wholesale registration review process for 2,4-D.
For all the above reasons, I urge you to deny Dow’s proposed registrations. At the very least, defer any decision until completion of EPA’s registration review of 2,4-D.
Tell the EPA NO here http://bit.ly/EPA24D
Thank you! And my children thank you!
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