Top 10 predictions...

TOP 10 PREDICTIONS...

NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION...

•            1. The Bible will still have all the answers.



•            2. Prayer will still work.



•            3. The Holy Spirit will still move.



•            4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.



•           5. There will still be God-anointed teaching and preaching.



•            6. There will still be singing of praise to God.



•            7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.



•            8. There will still be room at the Cross.



•            9. Jesus will still love His own.



•           10. Jesus will still save the lost.

 ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW

 WHO IS REALLY IN CONTROL?!!!!  

God Bless America!

Broken Bone Brigade...

Before noon, I brought my brave, boys, with their broken bones, to Blu**ton, for some beneficial-bandaging-business.

Zach's broken thumb, has been declared, bendable and beautiful!

James's broken leg, has been declared braced and bruised.

...basically, if you bring up broken bones... we've been blessed...

oh, boy... 

Both boys, uhg... injuries, while involving broken bones, could have been so much worse!  Zach has been playing without his splint for some time, has no pain and full mobility of his thumb.

James injury seems to be solely to his bone and the bruise of being hit.  An injury like this didn't hurt his ankle.  (probably because he was laying down when he was hit, and not standing on it)  The doctor is hopeful that in the next couple of weeks he will be pain free and able to walk on it.  He thinks that getting in the pool and swimming will be doable in 2 weeks too.   Not pushing off the wall yet, but at least working on the strokes and getting ready to compete.

They tried putting James in a walking brace that would let him wear a shoe, but the brace was painful against the bruise of the hit.  So, he will go back in next week to see about getting that brace on.

When I called the doctor, they told me that we could come at 9 am. and bring both boys.  It was 8:15.  I was taking J & K to preschool.  I also had to call James regular doctor and tell them what was going on and get a referral done before 9.

I prayed for the Lord's favor.

I dropped off J & K. @ 8:30

Picked up J & Z. @ 8:35.

Drove to Blu**ton.  Arrived @ 8:55

Left the Doctor's office @ 9:45.

Zach complained that it didn't take long enough, and that he'd be back for 3rd hour now.

Took them to the drive through at Mc.D's... because they didn't already eat a huge breakfast out with my dad this morning... nope, not them.  (oops, wrong post).

Took them back to school by 10:05.

Drove to Walmart.

Did my grocery shopping.

Returned to preschool to get Kiahna by 10:50... time to spare.

I think we got God's favor.

I needed a nap by noon.

Pam

Not Me Monday

Well, it’s Monday once again!  Time for all of us who play Not Me Monday, to join together and  confess all the things that DIDN’T happen in our lives and families this past week… Who wants to do that??  NOT ME!  NOPE! 

I hope you all got to read some of MckMamma's story this past week.  Her baby was born perfectly healthy, and has went home from the hospital already!  Her baby that was not going to live 20 weeks ago!  PRAISING GOD with you MckMamma!! 

It was not me that placed an order online, for my sister’s shower gift, over a week ago.  It wasn’t me who finally, after the shower, realized that I never received a confirmation on the order, discovered that I never finished placing the order.  It was not me at my sister’s wedding shower, without a gift.  Nope, that wasn’t me.

My 10- year-old son did not read a sign that said “Please Pray for the Election” and ask my dad, “Why do you have a sign in your yard that says ‘Please pay the electrician’?”  It sure doesn’t still make me laugh every time I drive past one of these signs.

There is not glitter all over my basement.  Because no one got into it while I was gone the other night.  Nope, not here.  I love glitter, don’t you?

I most definitely didn’t send my son to preschool in a filthy dirty Buzz Light Year costume.  I didn’t tell him we needed to make sure that it didn’t need washed, and forget to check.  Nope, Not me!

No one in my house has ever flushed foreign objects down the toilet, like little toy piggies… nope.  And my dad has never had to come and disassemble our toilet, turn it upside down, and shake it to remove poor little piggies from the potty… Nope.  Didn’t happen.

Zach didn't bring a friend home on Friday, who declared he had never seen more leaves in a yard than ours.  And we didn't spend hours this weekend working on these leaves...and the boys had no fun at all playing with them.

After months of procrastination, I don't finally have some Items for sale on E-BAY!  And I sure hope that the auction's don't go really high!  Nope!  Don't hope that!!

I didn't wake up Sunday morning, wishing I could sleep a little longer, and I wasn't up for over an hour, before I noticed the time on my cell phone, and remembered that it was day-light-savings Sunday.  Nope.  I didn't forget.  And I didn't feel a little unsure about it and make any phone calls just to make sure I had the right time.  No.  I'm a confident mother of 6.  I'd never drop a ball.

I am still not hoping that more people will decide to play along with the blog carnival that I host, YOUR gonna miss this...moment.  No, I hope you don’t check that out and decide to join us in treasuring these fleeting moments in our lives… that would just be awful if you decided to do that!

In the football game on Friday Night, with 2 minutes left in the game, James did not get hit in the calf with a helmet, hard enough to break his small bone in his lower left leg.  Nope.  We didn't go to the ER again.  He isn't hobbling around on crutches.  And we aren't going to the orthopedic doctor today to find out what has to be done with his leg.  Nope.  Didn't happen. 

James didn't go ahead and go to the Purdue/Michigan game, and hobble around West Layfette, on Saturday with a broken leg. 

Zach didn't wear his Michigan shirt and hat and sit in the Purdue section.  He didn't cheer for Michigan from the Purdue section.  I didn't advise James to protect his brother, and to use his crutches if he had to... and Purdue sure didn't beat Michigan!  Nope, didn't happen!

And I sure don't wish that my life was dull... and that I could spent time trying to make up these events, instead of living them all out on the pavement of life!  That would just be silly. 

NOPE, NOT ME!

Pam

Menu Plan Monday #9

Wow! We have a quiet week coming up!  Football being officially over, for more than one reason... and basketball only in the practice mode... guess James won't be starting swimming now, will he?  Guess there goes him bringing Zach home from practice for me...  oh well!  I am going to enjoy the quiet weeks, because I have read the basketball schedule!

So here we go...

Monday:  Gourmet Chicken and Rice,  (see recipe below)  Green Beans, Bread

Tuesday:  Beef Enchiladas, chips, salsa, salad.

Wednesday:  Roast in the crock pot, potatoes, carrots, onions.  Muffins

Thursday:  Spaghetti w/meat.  Salad.  Bread

Friday:  Sausage, potatoes, sour kraut, green beans.

Weekend:  Chili Soup, grilled cheese.  and left-overs.

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Gourmet Chicken and Rice

1- 3 lb. package of chicken breasts

1 can cream of mushroom

1 can cream of chicken

1 can cream of celery

Add 1/3 cup water to mixture of three soups. 

1 box of Uncle Bens Original Rice Mix.

Take 1/2 of the seasoning mix and add to the soups.

Place 1/3 of the soup mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13.  Sprinkle dry rice (from mix) over top of soup.  Lay chicken breasts over top of rice.  Put rest of soup mix over chicken.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup of parmesan, cover. 

Bake covered 2 1/2 hours.  @ 275.  Last 45 minutes uncover.

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Pam

Read more menus, or play along at Organized Junkies!

Friday*Football*Fun?

Remember when your mom used to tell you things like...it's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt... well... not really my mom... we were all girls in our house... and we didn't have the joy of boys (until we were older LOL!!)  and didn't get too rowdy or in too much physical danger...

Well, with two boys playing football... yeah.

Remember This Wordless Wednesday Post from awhile back?

Let me take you on another wordless journey...

This time it's James.

This time it's not just a thumb.

This time it's a leg.

This time I know what Orthopedic Doctor to go to.

There were 2 minutes left in the game.  One of our players went down and didn't get up.  I saw he was kind of rolling around on the ground.  I saw the "8" then I saw the "1"... then about 2 hours past... and he finally got up.  Walking, with help, off the field. 

He sat on a bench with the team doctor and ice for the rest of the game.

We lost.

Then the doctor found me. 

He said it was a freak injury.  Not what he normally sees.  He didn't think it was broken, but James wasn't willing to put weight on it, so that was a concern.

We should go to the ER.

James' girlfriend Alisen was there with me.

My parents took home the kids that I was going to take home (none of mine).

Alisen and I waited for him to change and drove him to the ER.

He was being so goofy and silly.  I really thought that there was no way he had a broken bone. 

He did.

What happened was that he tackled someone, and then was on the ground.  Then someone else's helmet drilled the back of his left leg. 

He described it as feeling like "I got chazzed with a jack hammer".

I guess that the helmet hit hard enough to break the smaller bone in his leg. 

The Tibia.

I have to make him an appointment with the Ortho Doctor tomorrow.  I really don't know what happens next.

Coincidentally, I take Zach back into the Ortho Doctor for his thumb this week too.  Maybe I can do that at the same time?

Pam

YOUR gonna miss this… moment… week 9

Welcome to WEEK 9 of YOUR gonna miss this, moment!  I hope that many new people join the faithful few this week and play along.  It truly is a blessing to take the time each week to find things to treasure.  Because, many times we get to busy, and, well… we miss them.

If you are new to this blog carnival, this link will take you back to the Your Gonna Miss This...Moment Original post.  E-mail me any other questions you may have!

I’ve had a couple things I’ve thought about writing today.  But, after going out into the beautiful, warm, last-day-of-October sunshine today, I’ve decided that I am going to really miss fall.  I know it will be back again every year.  ;0)  But, it is truly my favorite time of the year.  I’ve even got this strange desire to go rake up some leaves just so I can smell them burning.  I know, weird.

The color is almost gone here in Indiana.  Leaving us with bare trees, barren fields, and colorless days for the next 5 months… so yes, I’ll miss October…

Make a Smilebox photobook

Tonight is round 2 of sectional action here in Indiana!  GO JETS!!!  James is looking forward to being on the starting offence for about the 4th game in a row!  It should be a beautiful weekend for football.  James and Zach are going with some friends to the Michigan/Purdue game tomorrow too!

Have a gorgeous weekend everyone!  And I hope you all take time to capture these moments with us!

Confessions of a Blessed and Busy mom…

I’ve missed you all!  I’ve been gone for the past, oh 24 hours or so… gone to the totally frustrating and maddening world of e-bay that is…  Have you ever sold anything on e-bay?  I love to sell things on e-bay (and BUY things!!).  I  hate to list things on e-bay.  I have had some things that I have been procrastinating for MONTHS (okay, almost a year) on listing.  And yesterday became the day that I bit the bullet.  It took me most of the day, but I did get 3… countem’, yes, three things listed.

Grrrrrr…

It’s my computer’s fault. 

It doesn’t like the 1000’s of pictures that I have saved on it.  So it complains to me about the size of the picture files by stubbornly refusing to do what I want it to do in a timely manner.

I need to work on the picture file thing.  But, guess what… that takes time too.

Grrrrrr….

So.  After being completely kicked off and losing all my work once.  After waiting for pictures to upload and finding they refused, and having to shut it down… I finally got 3 things listed.

This morning I listed the last two.  So if you want to see what I have listed, here is a list…

1. A like new pair of size 6.5 dyed Truffle shoes, from David's Bridal.  Because, they were a great buy.  But they didn’t fit my feet.  It was something about having my toes turn purple after having them on for 5 minutes.
2. A Speedo Jammer Racing Suit.  Size 28.  Because Zach decided not to swim, but he had already ordered the suit.  Who wears these things??  Not Zach.
3. Beth Moore's A Woman's Heart, God's Dwelling Place Bible Study.  With DVD's!  Because we have been done with this for , oh, 9 months, and I promised myself I would resell it to get my money back out of it. 
4. 18" American Girl Doll KIT.  With bonus clothing!  Because Leah has been asking me for MONTHS to sell this for her, so she could use the money to get some other things.  And we are planning to go to Chicago to the American Girl Store in November, and this will give her some spending money for the trip.
5. American Girl Doll, Kit's Christmas Dress

So, there you have it.  My work of the past 24 hours. 

Grrrr….

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Now, to address those of you who believe that I am “super-mom”.

(Insert hysterical laughter here)

I suppose if you visit me on Tackle it Tuesday, it may seem that I somehow give the delusion of a supermom of sorts… but if I gave you a list of the things that are completely out of control, neglected, and procrastinated upon (see above e-bay procrastination confession)  you would think otherwise!

SERIOUSLY!  One of the things that I used to say after HSSH left was that “super-mom died”. 

I began to see the person that I was, who I called “super-mom” and many of the things and attitudes (mostly the attitudes) of that person NEEDED to die!

Me, being the strong-willed, woman I am, needed to have a hurricane hit my life in order to see this.

Have you heard that song that was just released?  Hurricane by Jimmy Needham.  Part of my doesn’t want to hear that song.  And part of me knows how true it is.  I’ll search for it, and try to get it playing on my player.  (it seems to be down at the moment)

I need You like a hurricane
Thunder crashing, wind and rain
To tear my walls down
I’m only Yours now
I need you like a burning flame
A wild fire untamed
To burn these walls down
I’m only Yours now

Nope… I’m not super-mom… I used to be… I don’t want to be.  I want to be “fun-mom, in-the-moment-mom, completely-conscious-of-the-speed-of-time-mom, don’t-miss-the-joy-through-the-dirt-mom…  you know what I mean? 

Super-mom wants to rise up and resurrect herself sometimes.  She wants to do it all.  But, her circumstances keep her pretty much where she needs to be.  And you know, maybe that is a better place anyway… obviously, my kids could care-less about how clean thing are… maybe I could try to care-less too.

Except on Tuesday.

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Did you notice my blog has a different look?? 

I recently signed up for “Blogher” ads.  One of their requirements is that it be in the top 700 or so pixels on the blog.  So, I needed to rearrange. 

I confess, I don’t really understand quite how the Blogher ads work yet.  They are supposed to be clean and appropriate.  Hoping they always are.  But, I actually get paid for the amount of traffic that the ads get!

So, I think, if you click on something on the blogher ad, then I get credit for it, and they send me a check!

I’ll let you know how that all turns out… someone can enlighten me if they have experience with this.

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My sister, Lana, and Ben had their first wedding shower last night! 

Ben giving a very nice thank you speech…

 

I am so amazed at God.

I am amazed at the miracle and the blessing that Ben is to Lana and her 4 kids.

What Lana and the kids have been through for the past 14 years… and too see them all so happy now.  It does nothing but warm my heart.

I know that I could be jealous and angry about this all.  I could let this time go by and not be a part of it.  Not have the joy of sharing in their happiness.  I am surprised at the state of my own heart and mind.   I am surprised that there isn’t some jealousy or anger there.  I am so overwhelmed that there isn’t.

God is truly who HE says HE is…

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
       to bestow on them a crown of beauty
       instead of ashes,
       the oil of gladness
       instead of mourning,
       and a garment of praise
       instead of a spirit of despair.
       They will be called oaks of righteousness,
       a planting of the LORD
       for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
       and restore the places long devastated;
       they will renew the ruined cities
       that have been devastated for generations.  --Isaiah 61: 3-4

And I will wait on HIM as HE does HIS work in my life and family.

God you are so Good…

And SO worthy of our PRAISE!!

Pam

 

Not exactly Wordless Wednesday

UPDATED:  We are back from our counseling session… and it went really well.  In fact we only stayed for 1/2 of the time we were scheduled.  Things were just so peaceful and it became very obvious that both kids are really improving.  GLORY TO GOD!!  It really just struck me today how much better things truly are.  Kiahna hasn’t thrown a fit in a couple of weeks!  And Jadon is just going to be fine the next couple of days, I KNOW IT!!

Oh, and if you haven't went over to check out MckMamma's Blog and read that their baby, Stellan, who was supposed to die, IS NOT EVEN IN THE ICU UNIT!!  Then you have got to do that!  I have never seen a post with so many comments!  It is over 1000 already!  And the blog that was holding the prayer vigil for them today, it was overwhelming to see the love and support given to them mostly by complete strangers… but then not really…

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Go over and read about this miracle birth...

Don’t we just need to hear stories of miracles… because sometimes things can just look too hard.

Our friend Jeremy is home and did not have an aneurism last week… I saw him and Sarah sneak into the back of church Sunday morning and I assume they also snuck back out again…  I’d love to hear their story.

The single mom who was having some surgery to test for cancer last week… doesn’t have cancer…

Kiahna is doing really well in preschool!  My dad went along for a few weeks now, and this week they told him that she was fine and he didn’t need to stay!  They said she is cooperating and they are pleased… I am pleased!  A few weeks ago I wondered if she was capable of functioning in a normal class room… looks like she just may be!

Jadon has had a better couple of weeks…today we are going to counseling.  He struggles after counseling.  Struggles so bad that I can’t even describe the nightmare we have lived in after he gets home.  Today we are praying for break through, so we don’t have to keep having these horrendous days in order to get to the better days… I don’t know if that makes sense, but that’s how I feel.

In the van this morning on the way to preschool, I overheard Jadon telling Kiahna, “we are going to have a good day at preschool, Kiahna.  We are going to listen to Jesus and be good.  We are not going to listen to that nasty devil and be bad.”

I praise God for these miracles, but I also praise God just because He’s God, even if what I thought should happen-- hasn’t happened…  He is still Good, All the time.

Now, on to my Wordless Wednesday pictures…

Pam

To see more Wordless Wednesday blogs, or to play along click here.

Tackle it Tuesday

I’d better hurry… Tuesday is just about over!! 

As you saw earlier today, there was this strange finding in my laundry room this morning...  Well, it is after 10 pm… but guess what… it’s back again… and you know, I think I could grow accustomed to having it around… it’s kinda pretty, in a concrety sort of way…

Sadly, I confess… it isn’t done… there is a partial load in the hamper.. a load in the dryer and washer… adn I just pulled that basket in the left corner out before I sat down to type this…  But!  All of the hampers are empty!  I suppose they must wear clothing tomorrow and ruin all my wonderful accomplishments??  Yeah, your probably right…

I also, not only washed it all… but it is all (ya know, minus what I already confessed) put away too!!

Before: 

After:

Those clothes on the end of the table don’t count by the way.. they belong to two teen age boys who are lucky that I get it that far for them!! 

Oh, and guess what I found when I cleaned off all those clothes that live on this table?  A perfectly useable ping-pong table!  Who would have thought?  A floor and a table, all in one day!

Oh I can also strike these off my list for the day…

Babysitting my cousin’s girls all day.

Cooking dinner.

Working on my sister’s wedding picture project.

Working on another secret wedding project!

Carving Pumpkins.

Cleaning floor after carving pumpkins… twice.

Can I go to bed now??

Thanks.

Pam

Click here to play along with Tackle it Tuesday

The strangest thing just happened…

I was busy doing laundry this morning, and I found the strangest thing…

It took me a few moments… and I decided to take a picture of it…

So, what do you think?  Have you ever seen anything like this before??

Well… like I said… it took me awhile… and then I remembered about 10 years ago, before we moved in to this house… the laundry room was supposed to come with a floor.

Well… it had been so long since I had seen my laundry room floor… I kinda panicked!  So, I ran upstairs, grabbed all the laundry hampers and quickly returned the laundry room to it’s comfortable, chaotic, state…

Whew…

Pam