Updates on Pastor Tim

Good Morning!

I am so thankful for such a wonderful church family at Faith Baptist! What a gift they are!

But do you know.... God has doubly blessed me, Steve, and the kids. He has placed multiple people, from the Chetek Alliance church, into our lives, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I have grown spiritually with the help of these friends. I just love them!

For those of you that don't know, their pastor was injured a week ago in a snowmobile accident. He is currently at St. Mary's in Duluth, with multiple injuries. The worst of which is paralysis from the chest down. Please join me in lifting Tim & Penny up in prayer, as the coming days will be so difficult.

I've included a link to the Alliance church website, which then links to Pastor Tim's Caring Bridge site. You can read updates on his condition, as well as leave them notes of encouragement in their guestbook. Please take a moment to let them know that you are praying for them.

Thank you so much.

Chetek Alliance Church

Breakfast With Friends

Today was supposed to be "Winter Hike" day.

I was so excited at the prospect of hiking through the woods, taking in the scenery, the smells, the sounds. With friends no less! Yay!!!! No small children asking, "when are we going back?" or stating that their legs hurt, yada-yada-yada.

But then God said, "let there be cold!" And somehow it is good, you know, because God did it and all! Brrrrrr. Aren't you glad for long underwear & wool socks on a day like today?!

So, Plan B was put into action. Meet with said friends for breakfast. What a blessing!! Unlimited coffee, breakfast, and conversation with like-minded mommies. Only way it could've been better was if we'd been tromping through the woods too!

Thanks you guys for jumpstarting my Saturday! Hope you enjoyed it as much as me! Hope your '80's evening is a blast. See you tomorrow.

Better Late Than Never

And this is SO worth the wait!

In keeping with the recipe post per month idea, I give you....

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Now these are only allowed in our house once a year, they are that decadent. Consider yourself warned.

ps: I just use frozen rhubarb, works great.

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Crust:
2 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. sugar
1 C. cold butter or margarine

Filling:
2 C. sugar
7 T. all-pupose flour
1 C. whipping cream
3 Eggs, beaten
5 C. finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb, thawed and drained if needed.

Topping:
2 pkgs. cream cheese (3 oz. each), softened
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C. whipping cream, whipped

In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13 X 9 baking pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in cream and eggs. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until custard is set. Cool.
For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; fold in whipped cream. Spread over top. Cover and chill. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
Yield: 3 doz.

Enjoy.

Yummmmm...... unless you eat too many, and then it's, "ughhhhh." Very rich and sweet.

Grin and Bear It

You know those days when you feel like the sky is falling, and nothing else could possibly go wrong?!! Well, I have a secret weapon for those days. It's a little pick-me-up that I allow myself. I walk over to the refridgerator and take a look at a picture of my brother-in-law, as a child. It has NEVER failed to give me a chuckle. Come to think of it, he's still like that as an adult. He can always make me laugh. Thanks Joe!

ps: I know I said I'd never blog this photo........

I lied.

A Ride With Dad

I don't post nearly enough pictures of Steve (or me for that matter). This is one of my favorites! This is Steve and his dad Ron. I sure wish I could have known him. I have a feeling he was a lot like Steve. How can you miss someone you never met?

A Snug Bug

For the sake of my sanity, I've instituted something at our house simply called "quiet time". This occurs every afternoon when Mudge goes down for her afternoon nap. This generally starts at 3:30 and lasts until 5. The rules are simple: no talking, grab some books, lay down, stare at the ceiling, do a puzzle, etc. Did I mention no talking? Sis takes her quiet time on our bed and this is how I found her yesterday. Snug as a bug. She woke up in time for supper and told us, "I was just so comfy!"

Ear Candy

Overheard at our house last night:

Dad, I have a ball of cotton candy in my ear!

This from the girl with an earache, eardrops, and a ball of cotton in her ear.

Interesting Perspective

Thank you Thicket Dweller at Today's Lessons for posting Bono's speech from the National Prayer Breakfast. I found it all very interesting, especially this part:

Bono:
A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord's blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it. I have a family, please look after them. I have this crazy idea...


And this wise man said: stop.


He said, stop asking God to bless what you're doing.


Get involved in what God is doing - because it's already blessed.


Isn't that an interesting perspective? At this very moment God is doing something and if we would just jump right in, and be a part of the blessing..... really makes me think.

If you'd like to read his whole speech click here.

This was the first of, what I hope to be, many outings for some of the young moms from our church. We met at Applebees, ate 1/2 price appetizers, and talked smart. It was fun, and the waitress was patient. We plan on trying to meet once a month. Suggestions for activities are welcome. I mentioned the skating rink, but no one seconded. What's up with that?

Mudge had a great time riding bike with the big kids at Sis' b-day party. There were some close calls on collisions, but no major injuries.

The pinata was a big hit, (get it? big hit? okay nevermind)

Doodle (lower left) was the one who finally brought down the pinata, and I believe he had the biggest haul on candy!

The caterwauler.

Sis loves her magnadoodle. She drew me a moom, I mean moon. Cutie-patootie.

This is frownie-face. Sorry 'bout the nose. This is the look I frequently get when I say "no".

This is our queenie, watching Sis head out to the bus.

And caterwauler, I mean Tina, watching her girl run out to the bus.

No-Name post

*Warning * potentially rambling post ahead!

It occurred to me, somewhere between wiping Mudge's nose for the bazillionth time and re-warming my coffee in the microwave (how many times can you do that to one cup before it alters the molecular structure, hmmmm?), that I have a blog, and that I haven't posted anything of substance lately. I get so wrapped up in reading my blog subscriptions that I totally forget to post to my own.

So, here's what's on my mind (in no particular order of importance):

What's with the weather? I don't ever remember a January like this in Wisconsin. Bring on the snow!! I mean the kind of flakes as big as silver dollars, that mount up in no time, that make it hard to see across the field, and that soak up all the sound when you go out afterwards to take it all in. Sorry to all of you that hate snow, but hey Lord..... this is Wisconsin! BTW, when I moved here (20 years ago?, wow times flies) someone said to me, "oh, you won't believe winters in Wisconsin!" I wish I could remember who that was, 'cuz they have some explaining to do.

I had an interesting conversation with someone last night. They shared with me that someone they love is having a hard time dealing with things happening in their church. This person is frustrated by some of the same things I had found myself getting hung up on months ago. This led to a very hard time for me spiritually. I didn't want to go to church, I didn't want to fellowship. My focus was totally skewed. There was no joy, and I was blaming it on those "things" I'd been stewing about, when really it was because I wasn't seeking the Lord. That simple. Now I'm wondering if I should talk to this person. I certainly don't have all the answers, but I am certain that Satan was using that time in my life to further his cause. It was absolutely a spiritual battle, that I'm happy to say the Lord gave me a victory in! That dark, oppressing time is just a memory now. PTL! So, please join me in lifting this person up in prayer.

Steve has been working a temp. job at Jennie-O, for almost a month now. It's been a nice break from the norm. I haven't been cooking 3 meals a day for almost a month now, and it's sure nice to be out of the kitchen. This will be coming to an end tomorrow though, as the fellow he's been filling in for is supposed to be coming back Monday. Then it's back to our business for Steve. He's restoring a couple of old military Jeeps for customers who would like them this spring, and that will be here before you know it.

I met a single mom through the director of our public library. She's fairly new to the area, homeschools her 6-yr old daughter, and is looking for other moms to fellowship with. She and Savannah attended CHAMPS (our homeschool group) last Friday and seemed to really enjoy it. I think they'll be joining. Savannah is here for the day, as Sharon was called into work and is having a hard time finding a decent sitter. Our kids are totally enjoying the playtime. Savannah just cracks me up! She's 6 going on a very sophisticated 30. I hope this is the beginning of a good thing, this budding friendship.

For you cat lovers, who've gone through those miserable times before getting them "fixed", you'll understand when I say, "I'm not liking this new kitten right now!" She has had Steve and I up with her caterwauling (yes, caterwauling, look it up, it's exactly the noise she makes) for the last 3 nights. Yesterday I called and made her appointment. No claws, and no caterwauling one week from today! Just when Mudge started sleeping through the night the kitty took over with the night waking. Good grief.

For those easily grossed out, turn back now...
You know those orange spongy earplugs that you squeeze and then insert into your ear canal? Well, Mudge just handed me a pair. A used pair. That she'd had in her mouth. ewwww.

Well, this blog time is going to have to close for now. There's housework and homeschool to conquer. Have a great day!

ps: there should be a picture post in the near future, for you family members who are wondering what's new.