Merry Christmas!

Hoping all my friends out in blogland a very Blessed and Merry Christmas!


I will be without internet for a few days... post again soon!

Christmas Pictures..... Decorating

Trimming the Tree.....



Jed wants to help....



Eric puts the topper on.....




Stringing the popcorn....




Travis too...


Big sister helps teach Jed.




More pictures to follow soon!

Friday's Fixins ~ Chicken-n-Dumplins

Comfort Food. That is what Chicken-n-Dumplins are..... pure comfort food.

Now, I make my dumplins just a bit different than most.... so here goes.

First, cook your chicken until it is ready to come off the bone (I am using chicken breasts here.)



Then, after the chicken has cooled enough it can be handled take all the meat off the bones and pull the meat apart into bite sized pieces. Then return the chicken to the stock.






Now, while the chicken is going into a boil, make your dumplin mix..... this is where my recipe differs from others.... see, I make a drop dumplin mix and do not roll them out and cut them.... just drop the mix by spoonfuls into the stock and chicken. This makes for a thick and fluffy dumplin.

Dumplin Mix:
Mix 2 cups self-rising flour, 1 egg, 3/4 cup of milk, and 1 tblsp of oil together (the dough mixture should be wet.... can add more milk if needed.) Drop by spoonfuls into chicken and stock at a rolling boil. .



Add a touch of milk to help to thicken it and salt and pepper to taste......




Talk about some good eating on a cold winter night!



The cost of this meal was just about 7 dollars..... I did cook extra chicken and put the meat back for a meal later in the week..... Chicken Enchiladas!

Getting into the Role.....

Okay, so..... I must really LOVE my mother. Truly. Love Her. Cause I let her talk me into doing this.....................
Yep. That's me as Mrs Santa Claus..... I went with several from the Senior Center and read a story, handed out presents and gave "healthy snacks" to 3 headstart classes yesterday.Then we walked down to the pre-k class and I had one student that was a bit too interested in what Mrs Santa keeps under her skirts..... (I was so glad I had knickers on!) .......... maybe he thought I was keeping some presents under there??? Who knows what goes on in the mind of a 4 year old.....LOL.

Wednesday's Word

Luk 1:3-49 (NLT) Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught. It all begins with a Jewish priest, Zechariah, who lived when Herod was king of Judea. Zechariah was a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was barren, and now they were both very old. One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary and burn incense in the Lord's presence. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. Zechariah was in the sanctuary when an angel of the Lord appeared, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was overwhelmed with fear. But the angel said, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John. You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or hard liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. And he will persuade many Israelites to turn to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah, the prophet of old. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom." Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I know this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years." Then the angel said, "I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! And now, since you didn't believe what I said, you won't be able to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly come true at the proper time." Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn't speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures that he must have seen a vision in the Temple sanctuary. He stayed at the Temple until his term of service was over, and then he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. "How kind the Lord is!" she exclaimed. "He has taken away my disgrace of having no children!" In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!" Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. "Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" Mary asked the angel, "But how can I have a baby? I am a virgin." The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby born to you will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she's already in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God. Mary responded, "I am the Lord's servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants. May everything you have said come true." And then the angel left. A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. At the sound of Mary's greeting, Elizabeth's child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "You are blessed by God above all other women, and your child is blessed. What an honor this is, that the mother of my Lord should visit me! When you came in and greeted me, my baby jumped for joy the instant I heard your voice! You are blessed, because you believed that the Lord would do what he said." Mary responded, "Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation will call me blessed. For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me.

Thinking of hard times.......

So, Denita had this quiz and I just had to take it too! Looks like we are neck and neck on the survival rate.Perhaps if we ever find ourselves in the middle of another depression we can put our heads together .........

You Are 72% Likely to Survive Another Great Depression

Even though you may not be expecting the worst, you're the type of person who prepares for the worst. You live a relatively modest life. You don't overspend, and you aren't very materialistic. You are also quite self sufficient and independent. You have many useful skills. You can take care of yourself and those you love... which is crucial to surviving another Great Depression.

Could You Survive Another Great Depression?

Okay, Confession Time.....

I have been throwing myself a big o'l pity party. There I said it. I have become sister pout! Like a tantrum throwing toddler I have been BAD.



See, Eric has been dealing with some health issues.... for a few years now..... and he finally decided he needed to see a doctor about it. So, over the last couple of months he has been seeing a physician and had several tests run. His blood-work showed up Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever..... not like he has it now mind... but that in the last few years he has had it (we think we remember when too) and now it shows up in his blood-work..... but that is just a side issue at this point. See, the doctor is treating Eric for Fibromyalgia. Yes, men can get it too. Its a bit rarer to see a man with it, but it does happen. Now, Eric is taking meds to help with the pain he has just been dealing with for the last few years. He has only been on them a very short while, but already he says he is seeing a small difference. (Thank You, Lord!) So, we are hoping that with ongoing treatment he will be able to live more comfortably that he has in the last few years.

Now, the part about me being BAD......... see, with this all going on with Eric and not knowing how it may all turn out..... we had to discuss the thought of me going back into the work force. ( Now, see, I was our main support for the first few years of our marriage.... while Eric was tossed about from job loss to job loss then in school after the Levi's plant closed and he got a severence package to do so that the company paid for.) I worked long hard hours for several years in a high stress job that although I was well suited for and overall I did like..... well, lets just say I got a bad burnout. ..........................................................................................................................................................
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....................................................................... so, after having the whole "we might have to look at you going back to work" talk that we had ...... I have been a very bad girl. Like a kid throwing a bit of a tantrum..... I have been taking out my fears, frustrations, and bad attitude out on those around me that I love best. (Sorry, Eric, Kids and many friends) I let Satan get a hold of me and bring me down and it has taken a few good kicks in the rear over the last few days to make me realize that God has been patiently waiting for me to take all that to HIM. To ask that He take all my worries, fears and frustrations and hold me close and tell me that He is working it all out for the best. I don't know what the future may hold for us..... but, I do know that whatever direction we find our family going in will be because we are following HIS will for our lives.


Please keep our family in prayer.