Thanksgiving Pictures

Here are some of the pictures from our Thanksgiving. My mom out did herself!! The whole meal was wonderful!!

Beautifully set table

Roses from my parents garden.

The best turkey ever!!



My pumpkin pie, which did turn out really good...if I do say so myself :)

The maple leaf cut out made of extra pie dough

Five Minute Fudge, fresh out of the dish (Thanks for the tip, Stacey!)

Cut up and ready to go.

All and all we had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I am very very blessed!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I LOVE Thanksgiving, and not just because it doesn’t have any pagan origins! Although that is a pretty good reason. :) I love Thanksgiving because it is a reminder of how grateful we are to God for His protection over our Nation. We have been unbelievably blessed to live here. The fact that I can practice my religious beliefs without fear of persecution or death at this time is a testament to the blessings we have.

I know I should be thankful every day, but it is nice to have this day to remind me every year of all I have in friends and family!

And what would Thanksgiving me without food???? This year I am making a pumpkin pie and some fudge. The pie is easy, but the fudge is a new recipe, so we will see how that goes. I got this really beautiful cookie cutter that is in the shape of a maple leaf, so I am going to try to bake the pie and a “cookie” made out of pie dough and put it on top of the pie. We will see how that works. I figure if I coat the “cookie” in egg and sprinkle it with sugar it should work out good. Hopefully I will have some pictures to share.

In case anyone needs more recipes...

Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
Pinch of salt
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.

Five Minute Fudge

12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

9 oz. butterscotch chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Heat chips and milk in a saucepan until completely melted, when it is smooth add vanilla. Pour into a lightly buttered pan, cover and store if fridgerator until set.

The Year 1908

I found this very interesting..and then I realized by these standards I would be passed middle age. Then it was just depressing. LOL

THE YEAR 1908

One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1908 :

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower

The average wage in 1908 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a
veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write. Only 6 percent of all Americans had
graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.'

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

Arrested

This quote has been on my mind the last few days.

"If being a Christian was against the law....could you get arrested?"

In other words, is it plain to other people that you are a Christian, or would they have no idea? And I am not talking about getting on a soupbox on a corner somewhere, I am talking about how we live our lives everyday.

I hope and pray that people can tell just by seeing my interaction with others that I am different and a devout follower of Christ. I don't want people to see me in the Kingdom, recognize me and think, "what in the world is she doing here?". Ouch!

Carpentry and Bloggin

I had planned to give up my blog, but after talking to some wise people I have decided not too. But I will be more careful in the future not to mention people by their full name. I had the best of intentions, but to be honest my delivery sucked.

I will be following the wise counsel of someone that I think is amazing… “Blogging is like carpentry. A carpenter always measures twice and therefore only has to cut once. As a responsible blogger the same logic holds true, compose twice and post once.”

Great advice, huh?

A Guy's Guide

I came across this booklet called A Guy's Guide, and I wish I could pass it out to all my guy friends! There are so many great points and things I think they would like to read.

There are so many books available to Christian women telling them do this, or do that until marriage, bu this is one of the few books (booklet) that I have seen for men.

Boundless really has some great articles and book link for Christians.

Poem

I don't know who wrote this poem or what it is called, but it is one of my favorites. It seems even more appropriate with the economy the way it is and the way it is going, as that makes it so much easier to get caught up in the cares of this world. I am so grateful that God is unflawed and merciful.

I knelt to pray but not for Long.
I had too much to do.

I had to hurry and get to work
For bills would soon be due.

So I knelt and said a hurried prayer,
And jumped up off my knees.

My Christian duty was now done
My soul could rest at ease…All day long I had no time

To spread a word of cheer
No time to speak of Christ to friends,
They’d laugh at me I’d fear.

No Time, no time, too much to do.
That was my constant cry,
No time to give to souls in need

But at last the time, the time to die.

I went before the Lord.
I came, I stood with downcast eyes.
For in His hands God held a book,

It was the Book of Life.
God looked into his book and
said“Your name I cannot find.
I once was going to write it down…But never found the time.”

Thank You

I got this in an e-mail from my friend Rob.

DEAR GOD,

I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank you right now.

I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking you right now.

I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking you right now.

I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me.

Mea Culpa

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Ugg…sometimes I hate when my dad is right, which is pretty often…okay, almost all the time.

You see, I have found myself to be very worked up about the election. Yeah, you might have noticed that an tiny bit. :) Not because I thought McCain was better than Obama (see earlier posts), but because of the abortion issue. To be dramatic about it…it hurts my heart. The idea of so many people being without regard for human life floors me.

The knowledge that come January we will have a President that isn’t just pro-choice, but is PRO-abortion, was painful to me. As someone wrote, “Our next president has the most liberal views and voting record on abortion of any president in American history. As a state senator in Illinois, he led opposition three years in a row (2001-2003) to a bill similar to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which prevents the killing of babies unintentionally left alive by abortions. He also opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion and strongly disapproved of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the partial-birth ban. He also voted to block a bill that would have required a doctor to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor from another state. He does not support the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion through Medicaid. Before a Planned Parenthood Action Fund last year, Obama promised to give first priority as president to the signing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would make partial-birth abortion legal again. Strangely, Obama even once said he would not want his daughters to be "punished with a baby" caused by an unwanted pregnancy. With the next president likely adding two justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, it is clear that as president, Obama would appoint and support the most liberal judges and legal eagles, resulting in a pro-abortion advantage in our courts that would push abortion liberties to every extent of the law and land.”

To see church member’s status updates on Facebook touting how wonderful it was that he was elected shocked me. On some level I understand their excitement, and that this is history making in our time, but I couldn’t help wondering if they understood who this man is that they are excited about. Yes, he is the first black president, which is amazing…but his stance on abortion alone should have brethren disgusted to their gut!

So, there I was writhing with indignation and confusion, and then I talked to my dad. Leave it to the daddy to put things in perspective. He said, “We are NOT of this world! We are not to be involved or worry about the things of this world. We are called out, and need to act like it.”

As simple as that. Whether or not Obama is the president is not something we need to worry about. Worry is for people that do not trust in God. Just as we need to make sure that we are not being deceived into taking too much interest, or placing too much value on someone of any race being president.

I was allowing myself to get worked up and fooled by Satan. I was so upset about the abortion issue that I started to worry, and that is not right. This is not our world, and we are to be striving for the Kingdom. I am sorry that I got so caught up in the moment that I forgot that God’s will was being done. God knows that Obama is pro-abortion, and he was elected anyway. God has a plan for all mankind, innocent babies included. They will have their chance, just as all people will.

I needed to be concentrating on the coming Kingdom and a lot less on the things of this world. I pray I don’t forget this lesson. I could have gotten through this period in our history with a way better attitude and I feel like I squandered it a bit. Sigh.

We live to learn, right?

My friend Stacey also pointed out that when she gets caught up in the moment and things that are happening in her life she thinks of Peter’s conversation with Christ about John’s future. Christ told Peter, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” We are to follow Him regardless of anyone else’s doings or goings on. Our place is in the Kingdom of God, not this world.

I will be praying fervently for our president-elect Obama, as we are commanded to do. That God might reveal to him the truth about abortion, but also that he might be given the wisdom to lead our country forward. He is going to need all prayers he can get, if this article called President Elect Obama’s Honeymoon In A Hurricane is anything to go by.

Some other things of interest:

Aaron Booth pointed out this really great article called Does God Ever Determine Election Outcomes.

This is from the church’s study paper on Voting and Involvement in Politics.

Colossians 1:12-13: “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.”

The Greek for “conveyed” (methistemi) means “‘to change,’ remove (meta, implying ‘change,’ histemi, ‘to cause to stand’), is rendered ‘hath translated’ in Col 1:13” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, “translate, translation,” 1985). Formerly we may have supported a candidate who chose to run for elective office as president. Now we support the Candidate of the Kingdom of God. Christians are not alone in switching to another candidate and party. Politicians switch to another political party when they become disenchanted with the beliefs and practices of the first party. They no longer give their allegiance to or support the first party. That’s what a Christian does.

There are many things that can preoccupy our minds and even become divisive elements in God’s Church. Secular political systems can easily cause one to be mindful of the things of men. Church unity concerns the things of God and is of primary importance. God has called us to be part of His Church and His government.

I Corinthians 14:33: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the
churches of the saints.”...

Does it make sense to give voting support to a political leader whose “faith-based” programs oppose those of God’s Church? For instance, both Democrats and Republicans have official organizations that support the gay lifestyle—National Stonewall Democrats and Log Cabin Republicans. What political fellowship does righteousness have with lawlessness (2 Corinthians 6:14)? It seems as though for every positive political view there is one or more views contrary to God’s way of life. A vote for a politician is applied toward everything he endorses, despite the voter’s preference.

Verses that caught my attention:

Hebrews 11:13-16: “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”

I Timothy 2:1-2: "Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence"

John 18:36: “‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’”

Aprons!!!

Okay, I love aprons almost as much as I love tea cup...well, maybe more :) Here is a site called Marie-Madeline Studio. I LOVE their aprons!!! I will have to add at least one of them to my wish list. I am leaning towards this one or this one.

It makes me want to get back to my sewing!!

**Edited to Add: I am getting this one after payday!! They are having a sale of 20% off which takes care of the shipping and then some. Yippee.

LaShawn Barber's Corner (Blog)

I have been reading LaShawn Barber's blog for maybe two years now. In my opinion she is one of the best conservation Christian bloggers out there. She is passionate about pro-life and about clearing away the propoganda in the world, especially concerning the black community.

And well...I just like her :)

Dog Love

My dog, Baby.

A woman at work sent this around. I love dogs. I love my dog! Anyone that says they don't remember or love their owners is crazy. :)

Goodies

I thought I would share some of the goodies I got in Scotland. :) I love tea cups. I am not sure why, but I think on some level they represent femininity and home to me. I was a latch-key kid growing up, so I think I have a craving for all things domestic.

I got this one at Scone Palace, it is by Orchard

I got this one when we were on our way back from Glencoe and before we went to Scone Palace.

You will see that in my excitement, I failed to notice one of them is a mini tea cup! Opps. Okay, it's still cute, but a little small.

Scottish recipe books I picked up in Loch Ness. Please note the Scotch Whisky cookbook...what kind of great wife am I going to be, huh?!?! LOL

Feminist Outrage

Okay, I must have a more perverse sense of humor than I thought because this totally cracked me up! Can you imagine the following, "lingerie combination set consists of lace bodice, bikini bottom and faux pearl collar, with the GPS device nestled in the see-through part of the bodice next to the waist."

And the feminists are outraged! LOL. They feel that this underwear maker is and I quote, "a modern-day slaver and urged women to boycott the GPS underwear."

Can you feel the feminist hysteria yet? I need to get out more, cause this cracked me up!!!

New Blogs

Okay, so you know I love blogs. I seem to be drawn to blogs that are by Christian women, because they are very edifying and just downright funny for the most part. I just came across this one.

Projects Anyone?

Our pastor has decided that our women's bible study group should take a break for a year. Today, was our annual tea party and that will be it for the next year. We do want to have at least a couple of service projects, but we are stumped for what exactly to do. Some of the suggestions were:

Making baby blankets for charity
Cake auction

I was trying to think of something to do what was a baking idea, but am stumped. I am hoping some ideas come to me!! :)

Allergic?

I think I may be allergic to white flour and sugar. I have always loved bread, sourdough in particular, and since we didn't have a lot of it while we were in Scotland I came home and have eaten a lot of it. I have noticed a very distinctive ebbing in my energy levels and more frequent headaches.

I am not positive that the flour and sugar are the culprits, but I think it is a good place to start. So, for the next two weeks (possibly the next 30 days) I am cutting out all white flour and sugar.

I am hoping it won't be ask hard as I think it will be. I am definitely a bread and sweets girl :) Yikes. I don't believe it is good to be addict to anything, so this will probably be good for me.

Yeah, I will just keep telling myself that. :)