Home Invasion!

HELP, WE'RE BEING INVADED!

Living in the country has it's perks. The perks are not as noticeable however, when the weather turns chilly. This means we get all kinds of little "roommates" whether we like it or not. A few weeks I woke up to an awful scratching, clawing sound right outside my window. I kept banging on the wall and it would stop, for a minute, and then the persistent clawing continued until it eventually ceased. The next morning I'm guessing what ever "it" was the morning before, finally found a way in as I heard the horrid sound of sharp nails on metal from our heat and air vents in our crawl space.

Then, this week we've had 3 mice that we know of, all of which we've caught. We're not mice lovers by any means (Ohhh, trust me on this one!) but our son begged us not to hurt the poor creatures. So... for some unknown reason we thought it a good idea to just toss the mouse out in the front yard! We've probably been chasing the same stinkin mouse all week! I think his time was up tonight though if it's the same one. Yep, Mr. Frisker's chased the mouse under the sofa, my husband tipped over the sofa so he could shew the mouse out, but he wasn't there. We looked everywhere in the living room and started to give up. Hubby lowered the couch back down and there it was... one small crushed mouse. Eeewww, nasty! I think I need to go sanitize my sofa cushions now. Oh I can't wait until the little vermin hibernate, so bring on the cold weather! Wait, DO mice hibernate?

WFW- Peace

It's Word Filled Wednesday's again! Today I would like to focus on the amazing peace and quietness that our soul can be filled with by trusting fully on God!

I'm sure I'm not alone in this but often times we can get comfortable in our faith. We can be so comfortable in our faith that we can say we trust God and even trust Him completely even through a trial... until a trial comes that is and we REALLY have to trust Him!  Well that's where I have been the past week.  There has been trial after trial and not just tiny ones like losing car keys or spilled milk!  But God has been amazingly faithful in putting certain individuals around me to remind me that He is in control and that my actions speak louder than words.  I learned that through my actions last week, which I can now admit were NOT God honoring, were a result of not trusting in God.  By not trusting in the Lord what I was really saying, God is not a good God, He doesn't love me, and He's not a merciful enough or powerful enough God to give me the grace to get through this.

As you can see my pastor's wife did not sugar coat things when she was counseling me on this. Thank you so much for being straight forward Janet!  So once she got this into my thick skull, I realized how prideful and sinful I was being and repented.  

As I was seated in court Monday (sorry, I shouldn't discuss details) I could honestly believe and live Phil 4:7.  Thank you Jesus!  

It was just one of the greatest feelings in the world to sit there and honestly and truly be at peace with whatever the judge through our way.  The hardest part was knowing our innocence and knowing that even with that truth she may not let things fall in our favor despite our innocence.  Trusting God was crucial through this and knowing that whatever the judge's decision was was what God was allowing and would use it.  The peace in my heart that I felt was like receiving a BIG HUG from the Lord himself.

I feel like my trust in Him was good but now it's more than I could ever have imagined.

I pray that everyone can and will know this kind of peace, it's amazing!

Go visit 160 Acre Woods for more inspiring photos and verses.

Fall Fave Recipe- Loaded Baked Potato Soup

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kim at a Homesteader's Heart is hosting a giveaway for a Gooseberry Patch Cookbook. One of the ways to enter is to post one of your favorite fall recipes on your blog and let Kim know about it.

One of my fave's that we have quite often in cold weather is Loaded Baked Potato Soup! I can't remember where I found it but thank you to whomever or what ever site I got it from, it's so good and easy!

Please keep in mind that the amount of ingredients listed is a good amount if you have a small family or want no leftovers. I usually double this since we usually have seconds and I like to take it to work for lunch!

Ingredients:
Soup:
1 can cream of potato soup
3-4 cups milk (depends on how creamy and thick you like your soup)
2 cups of home style (cubed) frozen hash browns
1/2 stick of butter
salt & pepper to taste

Topping:
2-3 tbsp bacon bits
2-3 green onions chopped
Shredded cheese to your liking

Directions:
Mix soup, milk, frozen taters, and butter in a medium to large saucepan and preferably non-stick. Heat until a slow boil (watch carefully so it doesn't scald the milk) and simmer for about 10 minutes or until frozen taters are heated through and tender.

Top with bacon, onions, and cheese. Viola!!! A delicious semi-homemade potato soup in less than 15 minutes. We like to eat this with grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches and dip them. Hmmm, so good! I hope you gals like this one.

My First Blog Award

This is my first award and feel blessed that Kim would nominate my blog because most of my posts are just me rambling! Kim over at Home Steader's Heart gave this award to me, thank you Kim. I love Kim's blog for her candidness, her love for the Lord and her love for homemaking so show her some love by paying her a visit!

So I'm told this award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values every day.

The rules are:

1. Accept the award and post it on your blog along with a link to the person who has awarded you.
2. Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.So here are my nominees for this award:

1. Bethany- Happy to Be Called Mommy

2. Blue Yonder

3. Stacy- Mom in Training

4. Katy Lin- The Great Adventure

5. Kim- Coffee in the Morning

5. Lori- Beyond the Garden

6. Little Missy Homemaker

7. Monica- Beautiful Ordinary

8. Tamy- 3 Sides of Crazy

9. Chelsey- Joyfully Living

10. Jenn- Country's Girl's Ramblings

11. Joyful Living

12. Ashley- Putting God First Place

13. Alexis- Talse from Back Acher

14. Sunny- A Damsel No Longer in Distress

15. Little Toes & Cheerios

So go visit all of these wonderful gals and tell em I sent ya!

Thanks Kim,

Stef

At the Well Mondays-Getting to Know Me

Chelsey over at Joyful Living hosts Living at The Well Mondays and this week is all about getting to know one another. So I thought I'd join in and tell a few random things about myself.

I love to cook comfort food on dreary and rainy days.

I'm a lover not a fighter.

I appreciate those who are honest with me , even if it's brutal. I find it hard to do the same though, being brutal that is.

My sister teasingly calls me Polyanna.

I strive to find the best in people (hence my nickname!).

I'm rarely negative unless it's with money.

I like lavender and vanilla fabric softener.

We eat spaghetti here at least once a month.

We do not eat out much.

My favorite candles are baked apple pie, vanilla, and any other candle that smells like dessert.

My feet get extremely cold at night, even in the summer so I usually where socks.

I love to pray while taking a shower.

One of my first Bible verses I memorized was 1 Corinthians 10:13.

I currently work outside the home as I have been before becoming a believer and follower of Christ. I once felt as if my place was at home and still do, it is impossible at this point financially though but is a goal of mine and my husband's.

I consider my work place a mission field God has given me.

I have two believing co-workers I fellowship with and we pray once a week for co-workers, the economy, our boss, etc.

I am beginning to really loathe TV and would get rid of it if hubby was all for it.

I love it when hubby puts his hand on my back while we're singing on Sundays in church.

I have a fear of worms and they send a shiver up my spine when i have to tiptoe over them after a hearty spring rain...eeewww!

I LOOOVE to blog!

Okay, now it's your turn!

Lessons In Love- Be Transparent

So I found another blog that hosts Lessons In Love Saturdays. Yes it's becoming a sickness, blogofever! This one is yet another great tool for me though to honor my husband

and the Lord by sharing what I have learned from my three years married, but nearly nine years total with my wonderful man!

This week's topic for me is to be transparent. We continue to hear that a secret to a great marriage is that yucky word for us who are challenged in this, yep you guessed it....Communication!!! One thing I've learned in my own marriage is that I can't expect my husband to communicate with me if I'm not open and honest with him, hence being transparent.

So what does being transparent look like in a marriage? A wise pastor's wife at church told me if I want to honor God by being a Godly wife I have to help my husband be the leader. Most men I've been told, have a built in or God given desire to lead, but that desire diminishes each time a wife criticizes, belittles (even if you think you're just joking, it's not a joke to him), continually nags (which really means you don't have faith in or no trust in your husband) or under appreciates her husband.

A way to nurture his God given desire to lead is by being his biggest supporter and helper. Ironically enough one of the best ways, my pastor's wife told me, to help him to lead is by showing him how to help you. Weird huh? Now I'm not talking help as in having him do your honey do list! I'm talking emotionally and then yes we're back to my point of being transparent. Most men cannot confidently lead his wife if he doesn't feel he knows what makes her tick. If he doesn't really know his wife then he'll be less likely to be secure in making big decisions in the home. He may feel as if he'll be criticized by you and so on.

So see ladies... Our men feel secure when we gently help them to see what we need from them which makes us better helpers! I sure hope I didn't just confuse everyone and if I did, then just shoot me an email.

Happy Communicating!

My Husband Rocks-Taking Charge!

Okay, so I know it's not Friday but I really wanted to participate in this. I stumbled upon

Katy Lin's blog, who started My Husband Rocks Fridays! I thought, what a great idea! Learning to appreciate and support my husband positively is an area the Lord has been asking me to grow in. This is a great tool to help me get there. Each Friday you list an attribute of your husband that you're thankful for that day or from the week and how it impacts you and your family.

I would like to say My Husband Rocks in growing to be a better leader of our home! My husband will tell you that he and I are not on the same level spiritually and admits he still has a lot of growth. But really though, who is ever done growing, spiritually? I know that I am definitely a work in progress. So therefore he really, until recently, didn't quite understand God's role for him as a husband in the area of leadership in our home. To my hubby's defense, it doesn't help matters to have a wife who can be overbearing and has the "Oh, just let me do it!", attitude. I am thankful that the Lord is also working on my role as his wife which includes having a gentle spirit who helps him to lead.

So anyway, the past two week's have been very trying with multiple family issues and to top things off, our septic tank backed up in our tub and toilets! Talk about NASTY! David handled it like a champ though. The old David probably would have gotten very angry and maybe even put it off and procrastinated until he got tired of bathing and doo dooing at someone else's house. Nope, he was calm. cool, and collected! he made all the phone calls, shopped around for the best price(I was so proud), asked my Dad to find and dig up the septic cover, and cleaned out all the tubs and stand up shower before I got home so I wouldn't have to clean it.

I love that he handled the stress of all this in a way that honored God. I think that was great for Eian to see what problem solving and honoring God at the same time look like.

What a guy, you ROCK Honey!

Gooseberry Patch Giveaway!

I wanted to share with all of you a giveaway Kim over at the Homesteader's Heart is having. She is giving away a book from the Gooseberry Patch. You are missing out if you've never read one of their cookbooks or craft books. They are actually two Midwest gals who were neighbors and started the business while talking over their fence in the backyard! How cool is that? They have down home, pratical recipes that use most items you already have on hand. I've also used a lot of their crafts for Christmas gift ideas.

So go visit Kim's blog and get signed up today!

Word Filled Wednesdays

I know Wednesday's almost over but I've been wanting to participate in Word Filled Wednesday's for awhile. A blogger hosts it over at 160acrewoods .

I chose this verse because I think it's so easy for us to get caught up in everyday happenings, good or bad, and forget to just simply rejoice in the Lord! I also think we take the wonderful gift of our undeserved salvation for granted. We should be doubly rejoicing of the hope and joy of our salvation is in our Lord Jesus Christ!

This verse helps me put all the "crud" we're dealing with right now into perfect perspective.

Election Thoughts

Isn't it nice to know that God's in control and can use all things? Well I had to remind myself of that today with the election results being as they were. If God didn't want Obama in office then he wouldn't be there. Plain & Simple!

I read an analogy today on one of my email daily devotionals. Politicians are like ants on a log in a river. You get one who scrambles to get up front and thinks they're steering the log downstream. However, the log is just floating along no matter what the ant does and the log's going to end up in the place it was meant to anyway. God's the captain, not the politicians.

Just food for thought!