Then Sings My Soul Saturday

Not sure if ya'll have noticed but it seems lately all I can blog is memes.  Something I don't really have to think about.  It's not that I don't have anythng to blog about, I have two reviews I need to post.  I wanted to do a post weekly from the book A Wife After God's Own Heart, and have only done that once.   I haven't even read that many of everyone elses posts much less comment on them.  I know, I miss that interaction, but most of the time I just don't feel like responding to anything.
I don't know if it's burnout, a slump, or depression.  But I am so ready to get back into the swing of things. 
Anyways  with all that said, I had been seeing this meme for a while and joined in last week and so enjoyed it.  So join Amy and the rest of us  and post your favorite song, or just one that may touch your heart today.  When I began looking for a song to post today I thought I had it all figured out and then I came across this one.
My heart breaks when I watch the news of Haiti.  But amidst it all the miracles that we are all still seeing happening over there.  People being rescued after ten days is just unheard of.  But it happened.  I'm not sure which one I was watching late last night but showing the orphan children.  Laying there in pain and just needing someone to hold them and love them.  I pray that they can feel God's love surrounding them. 

Random Dozen

1. So I was thinking about how Jon Bon Jovi never seems to age much. His hair is smaller nowadays, but he still manages to look like a boy somehow. And then that made me think of the story of Dorian Gray. Question: If you physically lock in one age for yourself, which would you choose and why? 
24 , I was at a wonderful weight.  And grey hair hadn't started showing up yet. 



2. What is the best dish that you cook or bake (your piece de resistance?)  That's a hard one because I love to bake from scratch.   But my favorite would be cake for someone's birthday.  Because it's whatever kind they have requested so I know it's going to make them happy.


3. When you feel blue, what is one strategy you use to help yourself back to normal?  CHOCOLATE,  good worship music

4. When was the last time you danced in public?  LOL  Years ago, at least twenty.


5. Do you consider yourself a realist or dreamer?  Definetly a dreamer. 


6. As a parent, what is one thing that you have done well?    Always been there for them.  There's not much that I can think of that any of them couldn't come to me and talk to me about. 


7. Which is your favorite character on the Andy Griffith show?  Aunt Bea, because she's always in the kitchen.


8. On a scale of 1-10, how much do you know about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.?  2  Probably not very much.

9. Have you never been mellow? Have you never tried … to find a comfort from in side you? (Sorry, Jorge was singing that song just now, and it just seemed to be perfect timing as I was creating this week’s questions.) REAL question: What is your #1 driving pet peeve?
Just one.  LOL  I guess the worse one is when you want to pass someone and both lanes are going the same speed.  If you get in the fast lane then pass whoever is in the slow lane, don't drive right beside them.

10. Which color best represents your mood today? Care to elaborate?  Blue,  I have been in a slump since the New Year and can't seem to get myself out of it.  No motivation to do anything other than the bare essentials.  Memes, and review/giveaway blogs, can't seem to blog about anything I have to think of myself.
11. If your spouse were an animal, which would he/she be?  Depends on which day of the week it is.  I will say a bear because if he could he would hibernate for the winter.

12. What activity takes up the bulk of your time on an average day?  laundry, doesn't seem like I will ever get caught up.

Winner of Football Gift Pack

Using random.org   # 3  Diana is the winner of the foolball gift pack given by blogspark. 

Congratulations Diana, I hope you enjoy it.  Also I hope ya'll have enjoyed finding and will continue to find new recipes from Mary .
I hope ya'll will visit her often.  She has some really awesome recipes. 

Thank you to all who entered.

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays "Jeff and Sheri Easter"

I have been seeing this meme for a while now.  But for lack of much to say this week.  I thought I would join in on this one.  Because the song says it all for me.  I choose this one because the first time I heard it was Sunday night.  I had the chance to see Jeff and Sheri Easter in concert.  They are so awesome.  My kind of people you know the ones they're the same whether on stage singing, or in a Wal-Mart. 

Random Dozen

It's time for another random dozen.  If you want to join in just, click over to Linda's for the linky and the rest of us that answer these questions.  It's a great way of getting to know each other better.

1. When was the last time you craved a food--what was it, and did you cave?   Yesterday morning, I wanted a chocolate Krispy Kreme doughnut.  But luckily we don't have a Krispy Kreme so I didn't have one.           

2. M & M's or Skittles?   M & M's

3. Have you ever read the Bible completely through?  shamefully no

4. How long does it take you to really wake up in the morning? When the alarm goes off I'm out of the bed ready to start the day.  The rest of the family hates it because I get up singing.

5. Have you ever been on a cruise? If not, would you like to?  No, I haven't but would love to.

6. Who is your favorite actress?  First one to come to mind is Sandra Bulloch, but there is several.

7. ______ is something that I will just never understand.  People that lies

8. How much of a technology junkie are you?  Not much at all.  It amazes me when I learn something new on here.

9. Do you enjoy selecting greeting cards for people, or is it more of a cultural "have to" for you?  I would send and buy more of them, if they weren't so expensive. 

10. When was the last time you got a new style/haircut?  Right before Christmas

11. What do you enjoy shopping for most?   clothes, or either anything for my daughters or grandaughter

12. What's the last thing you think of before you leave the house?  I make sure I have my keys before I close the door and become locked out.

Key Lime Cake

Michael tasted a Key Lime cake during the Christmas holidays.  So for his birthday he decided that's what kind he wanted.  Well I wasn't sure about a recipe for it so I looked online.   Then while at Wal-mart picking up what I needed.  There was a lady in there buying 20-30 boxes of cake mix.  I was thinking I only need one box just leave me one.  I must have had a look on my face because she said don't ask.  I said okay.  But she continued to tell me what cakes she had to make over the weekend.  So I asked her had she ever made a Key Lime Cake and she said sure this is what you need.  Same as what I had found online but so I thought I would share it with ya'll.  It reminds me of lime sherbert, and maybe that's why he like it so well.  I remember eating lime sherbert with diet sprite in it while I was pregnant with him.  Guess I wanted to watch my calories better the second time around.  With Megan they told me I needed more calcium so I ate ice cream with milk in it alot.  But paid dearly, by gaining 50 lbs while I was pregnant with her.


Key Lime Cake

1 box lemon cake mix
1 box instant lemon pudding
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cooking oil
4 egg3-4 drops green food coloring

Mix it all together,  Bake in two round pans at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.

The recipe online called for a glaze but I used a cream cheese icing so I've put the recipe for both.

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
Mix until smooth and drizzle over cake.


Icing
1 stick butter
1 box cream cheese
1/4 cup lime juice or enough for right consistency

Beat until smooth and spread on the top and sides of the two layers.

Chicken white bean chili and a giveaway

I love finding new recipes for the crockpot.  And I also love getting stuff for free, but who doesn't?  So when blogspark offered me the chance to do a giveaway and I needed a recipe to go with it.  I came up with the great idea of letting someone else come up with the recipe. So this giveaway will feature Mary.  She has some wonderful southern recipes on her blog.  I don't remember how I found her blog but I go back often to print out some of her recipes.  So if you love southern cooking that's quick and easy go check her out.  This one also tells that it only has 3 weight watcher points per serving without the extra garnishes.  And as we all know it's a new year and most of us are looking for ways to eat healthier.
So for the recipe you must visit Mary's  blog .
Now the giveaway.   It is for ONE Old El Paso “Tackle the Taste” gift pack that includes two free cans of Green Chiles, as well as a football-shaped ceramic serving platter, two sets of football-themed plates, cocktail napkins, and a themed table runner.

It can also be used after football is over if you have a football themed birthday party.    In the meantime here is a coupon you can use towards your own purchase of  Old El Paso green chiles.

First mandatory entry, you must visit Mary's  blog and then leave me a comment with the name of one of her other recipes.

This giveaway will end Monday January 18th.

Disclosure :  I received no compensation for the giveaway other than the gift pack fro Old El Paso through Blogspark.

Chapter 1..............Growing in the Lord

One of my goals this year is to be a better wife and mother.  I've started reading A Wife After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George  again.  So I thought I would share it with ya'll.   I hope to cover a chapter a week, but we will see how it goes.    I've also linked the scripture to Bible Gateway.com  Whether you are married, or hoping to be married in the future.  I feel this book will help us if we truly obey and listen to what God is telling us through it.                          The first thing we have to do each and every day is to put the Lord first.  For months after my divorce, eight years ago.   I wondered if there was something more I could have done.  Had I not prayed hard enough or forgiven enough.  But we and God can only do so much.   The person we're praying for has to be willing to change.  God's not going to force himself on anyone.  We decide, whether the things of the Lord are really that important to us..or not.  We decide whether we schedule in the time it takes to grow, to meet with God regularly, to stop, look, and listen to Him by reading our Bibles.....or not.    We grow by putting God first.  That's how spiritual growth occurs.  The most tried and true way to put God first is by reading His word daily and obeying.  Also by spending time with Him through prayer.  My biggest fault is venting to everyone else instead of God. 

Step #1  Discover through reading the Bible what God says about your life and how He wants you to live it.   By reading His word we learn more about Him and His standards for righteousness.

Step#2  Discern through studying the Bible the meaning and implications of what you are reading.  Praying and seeking God to understand what He has said in His word.

Step#3  Through heartfelt obedience what we have read and learned, discovered and discerned.  This is where we put our knowledge into action into our lives.

How is your heart?  Is it strong in faith....or weak?  A woman and a wife after God's own heart is someone who follows after Him and close behind Him.   (Psalms 63:8)  The awareness of weak or sinful areas in our walk with God can be the beginning of even greater growth.  

Are you satisfied with your current condition, spiritual maturity, and rate of growth?  If so, you will grow no more.   If not, if there is a holy desire to grow in the Lord, to know God in a deeper, more intimate way, to be a woman after His heart, to strive toward His standards, to please Him, to be more Christlike, to identify, attack, and triumph over ungodly conduct and practices ........then yours is the soft, responsive-to-God heart that will grow in the Lord.

First is commitment, there is a commitment section throughout the book.  In which it will ask us to determine to grow, to determine to move out, to determine to take action, to determine to do the "putting off and putting on" of the practices and attitudes God calls us to , to determine to pay the price to follow after God...........to put Him first, whatever that cost may be and however high it may soar, no matter what.

Second, we are to write in our own way, in our own words, and from our heart, our personal commitment to God.  Make a commitment------a decision-----and determine to grow into the woman------and wife-----you yearn to be-----a woman after God's own heart, one who will do all His will.  Acts 13:22

There is also a Heart Response at the end of each chapter.  It's little things that make a big difference..

1.  Read your Bible every day.

Something is better than nothing.  Here are her suggestions of our Bible reading to go along with the book.

Day 1...............................Genesis 1

Day 2................................Genesis 2

Day 3................................Genesis 3

Day 4 ............................Ephesians 5

Day 5............................Colossians 3

Then go back and begin at Genesis 4 and finish the book of Genesis.

2.  Pray for your husband three times every day.

Pray before he wakes up, at noon, and right before he comes home. 

3.  Plan to go to church this week.

If your a little rusty on your church attendance, or haven't been going at all.  Place this all-imporant date on your calendar. 

4.  Sign up for a Bible class or Bible study.  Another great way of experiencing the joy of growing in the Lord.

5.  Purchase or borrow a Christian book on any topic.  As you learn from others sharing their knowledge and their passion for God and His son, you too will grow in knowledge.

The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans Review

There's not many books that interest me enough to stay awake late at night trying to finish them, or have a hard time putting them down.  But this one did.  I truly enjoyed reading it, and hope to read the other three of her books in this series. 
The book itself is about a girl "Jade" and growing up in a family feeling unloved.  Her Dad left when she was eight years old and her Mom was always off traveling with the latest fling.  Maybe her Mom was trying to find her own love also.  Jade was the oldest of three children and had to help her Granny raise her younger brother and sister.  But her Granny built the foundation that would later come back to Jade when tormented about her past mistakes.  Granny was a true christian lady that showed them love and compassion.
I myself can't relate to growing up the way Jade did but I'm sure there is plenty out there these days that can.  Families just seem to be torn apart more lately.
In later years Jade finally comes to grips with what has truly been eating away at her for so many years.  It's not so much the way her Mom treated her, but more her forgiving herself.   Several people comes into her life and show her what it's truly like to be loved and not condemned.   Just like Christ himself he came to love and forgive, not condemn us for the mistakes we make. 
Overall the book was contradictory to any other romance novel, or chick flick.  The girl meets the guy they fall in love and get married.  But it has it's twists and turns a long the way.  Jade coundn't move forward until she forgot the past and was forgiven for the mistakes she had made.  When she finally asked for forgiveness, Christ was there with open arms.  Just as He is with us, he's there waiting for us to come to Him.  He's there for us but he's not going to force himself on anyone.
Would I recommend this book?  Yes I would.  It's a christian romance story of true forgiveness.  I think it would be encouraging to anyone that is finding it hard to forgive themselves for past mistakes.  Also for those that may been looking for love by making bad choices.  We've all made mistakes but it shares the truth that Christ is there to love and forgive us.


You can purchase the book online at Thomas Nelson or through  Amazon .

Disclosure:  I received this book through Thomas Nelson to read and review it.  There was no other compensation.

A New Year, and New Beginnings

Everyone seems to blogging about resolutions and goals for the new year.  I can't remember the last itme I made any resolutions.  Probably when I realized that I don't stick to them so why bother.
But I do feel like the new year brings a chance for a new beginning.

One --- To spend more time reading my Bible.  One of the blogs I read, is suggesting in 90 days.  But that seems like quite a bit.  But then I'm also reminded of what my Sunday School teacher said a few Sundays ago.  She asked if we were reading a good novel about the same thickness as our Bible it wouldn't take us a year to read it.  Just a thought.  Not sure how fast I will read it.  My goal right now is just to read it more than I have in the past.

Two ---  I want to eat healthier.  I've lost weight in the pass by drinking water, and watching my sugar and bread intake and no fried foods.  For exercise I walked or either did the Biggest Loser 1 Workout.    It doesn't take any special foods, it's about portion control, and the way it is cooked.  My pitfall is I'm not a big fruit and vegetable eater, more of a meat and potato.  Definetly not one to eat salads of any kind.  I can still hear my Dad say when my Mom offered him a salad that he wasn't eating rabbit food.  My goal is to lose 10 lbs a month.  It's overwhelming when I look at the big picture so I'm focusing on smaller goals.  I also hope to share recipes that I find that I enjoy and are healthy.

Three  ---  I want to be a better wife and mother.  I have a bad habit of venting my problems to other family members and it leaves them with negative thoughts and feelings.  Also I'm reading the book by Elizabeth George  "A Wife After God's Own Heart", and I will be blogging once a week about it.

Four ---  I want to spend less time on the computer.  Makayla is at  school from 8:00 to 2:00, so no more than an hour of computer time in the evenings.    December was a blur with all the giveaways and trying to build my blog up.  I added followers but where are ya'll now that the giveaways are over.  Speaking of giveaways there is one coming up in the next week or so.  But that's the only one I know of for now.  I have worried about making my blog professional looking.  But came to the conclusion, that's not who I am.  I am what I am.  I received awards in December I haven't even taken the time to blog about.  Blogging to me is about friends and encouragement.  If I can encourage just one person through something I blog about or better yet lead someone to Christ that is priceless.  That is worth more to me than any amount of money I may or may not make one day blogging.

Five --- Last but not least exercise, in which it goes right along with the eating healthy.  It's one thing to watch the Biggest Loser every week.  But it's another to exercise, and not to be eating ice cream, or some other high calorie food while watching it.