Overwhelmed? or Overjoyed?

Matthew 2:10  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Is there great joy in our hearts and homes as we celebrate the birth of Christ?

Are we OVERJOYED or…OVER WHELMED??

It seems to me that December can be a Blurrrrrr…if we aren't careful! So much to DO! Family...Friends...School...Church...

Baking...Christmas cookies, Grandmas recipe for fudge_

Decorating… the perfect Christmas tree, lights, ornaments_

Shopping… finding bargains and waiting in line to get them . Spending hours wrapping.

Programs… Choir, school, singing, learning lines, costuming (finding 3 bathrobes for the wisemen!)

Although Christmas is meant to be a joyous season, many struggle with depression and discouragement during this time of the year. Let's take time each day to focus on how much we are valued and loved as children of God. The holidays are merely a season, but God's love and compassion for us are permanent. It is a great time to share with others the LOVE of Christ and the true meaning of Christmas as well!

We all know that “Jesus is the reason for the season”!  Do not let it just be a line we see on a Christmas card.

1. Let's spend as much time seeking God's heart as we do shopping for the perfect gifts.

2. Let's take as much time preparing our hearts to be aware of others and their needs as we do decorating our homes to make Martha Stewart proud!

3. Let's  be OVERWHELMED by His goodness to us and not by all that has to be done!

Remember way back in the 70's when everything was decoupaged? I remember making many "treasures" by burning around the edges of pictures or wedding announcements, They would then be glued to wood and coated with decoupage! Viola' a masterpiece! (these can be found at most any thrift store!)

I was thinking of that today and wondering if we shouldn't "burn" some of our EDGES.....bitterness, unforgiveness, stress, worry....and then "decoupage" it! Once the decoupage was painted on...it was pretty much sealed forever!

Thanksgiving is Thanksliving!

Thanksgiving! What a wonderful time of the year....a time to reflect on all that we are grateful for as the year draws to a close.

May previous Thanksgivings may flood to our minds as we smell the turkey roasting or the pumpkin pie cooling on the counter....of grandma's house, relatives that we only see at holidays and fun catching up!

No matter whether the turkey is moist or dry...whether the pies and cookies were the best...even if Aunt Helen forgot to make her infamous fruit salad.....its the gathering of family and friends that make the holidays!

As we gather together, spend time enjoying each other...for many that were with us last Thanksgiving are no longer here. Lets give thanks and spend time showing our heartfelt love for friends and family!

How Do You Beat the Heat?

Dry Powder
Some women seem to be incapable of sweating. It’s true! They get really red in the face when it’s hot, but don’t sweat. Some, on the other hand, do. Are you ashamed of seeing sweat marks show through my clothes? And when you wear skirts, do the backs of your legs stick to the seat, making a horrible shrieking noise when you stand up! Try sprinkling baby powder in the crease under your breasts, behind your knees and on your inner thighs—and you wont have that problem anymore. It helps keep you cool and confident, and sweat less.
You can also use a deodrant stick under arms ...of course! but not limited to under arms. Use it around waist, top of thighs, wherever you seem to sweat. Everyone sweats in different places! But the sad results are the same....B.O.!!

You can beat the heat by remembering to drink plenty of fluids. This is not talking coffee which takes the water out of your body!

Keep blinds closed in the morning hours when sun comes in and retain the cooler temps from the night. Keep garage closed. Limit going in and out, especially by children!
Your airconditioner, if you have one, was not meant to keep the entire back yard cool!
Plan meals that do NOT include cranking up the oven! It will heat your entire house! Make a salad or something that can be warmed in the microwave or better yet...grilled outside on the grill.
Keep plenty of popcicles and freeze pops. This will help keep the children cool. I love the ICEE Freezer pops. They stay slushy...Yummmmm!

Enjoy your summer and try to stay cool!

JUNE

School is out, but it doesnt mean you have to feel like you are losing your marbles because there is the pitter patter of little feet all aound. Listed below are some ideas to get your summer off to a great start!

SCHOOL IS OUT!

School is officially out! The little angels are home for the summer....are you ready for them? I hear moms say..."I have to get things organized. I need chores for my children so they arent sitting plating video games or sleeping their life away."
Summer can be a fun time for the entire family or a long time to wish that school would hurry up and start! Your children are only young for such a short period of time. I remember a young mother asking me one time if she should be worried because her son was wetting the bed still at three. I told her that if he wet the bed until he was ten, but he lived to be 80...he would enjoy 70 dry years!!! :)
Get busy thinking of some fun activites to enjoy with your children, as well as, projects they they can help you do around the house. What a wonderful time to clean out closets and discard items that wont fit for school in the fall. Assign drawers that need to be cleaned, closets, porches, and garages. Make it a group effort. No one minds working if everyone is joining in....DAD too! Lets make this the best summer yet!

The Meanest Mother

I had the meanest mother in the world! While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to eat : eggs , bacon , and toast. When others had a Cokes and cookies for lunch, I had to eat a sandwich and drink milk. As you can probably guess, my dinner was much different too. But at least I wasn't alone in my sufferings, I had a brother and two sisters that had the same mean mother that I did.
My mother insisted upon knowing where we were at all times. You'd thinkwe were part of a chain gang. She had to know our friends and what we were doing. She insisted if we said we would be gone an hour- then we were to be back in an hour or less. Not an hour and one minute!
I am nearly ashamed to admit it, but she actually struck us. Not once, but each time that we decided to do as we pleased! Can you imagine someone hitting a child for disobeying? Now you can see just how mean she really was!
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by nine oclock each night and up early the next day. We couldnt sleep until noon like some of our friends. So while they slept, my mother actually had the nerve to break the child labor law. She made us WORK! We had to do dishes, make beds, learn to cook and all sorts of cruel things! I believe she laid awake at night trying to think of ways to be mean to us. She always insisted on the truth, even if it killed us, and sometimes it nearly did!
By the time we were teenagers, she was much wiser and our life became even more unbearable. None of this tooting the horn of a car for us to come running. She embarrassed us to no end making our dates and friends come to the door for us. I forgot to mention that while my friends were dating at the mature age of 13 & 14, my old fashioned mother refused to let me date until the age of 15. That was only to go to school or church functions. That was maybe twice a year!
My mother was a complete failure. None of us has ever been arrested, divorced, or beaten his mate! Each of my brothers served in the military. Who do you think we can blame for the terrible way we turned out? Youre right...our mother! Look at all the things we missed. WE never got to march in a protest parade, take part in a riot, burn draft cards, or a million and one things that our friends did. She forced us to grow up God-fearing, educated and honest adults.
Using this as a background, I am trying to rear my children. I can stand a little taller and I am filled with pride when my children call me mean. Because you see, I thank God He gave me the meanest mother in the world.

submitted by: Pastor Doug DeNeul

Mother Loves Peanutbutter Cups

Makes 12 large peanut butter cups

About 1/2 cup powdered sugar (more or less)

1 cup creamy peanut butter (if you use "natural," which means it has nothing added, you'll have to stir the oil in first)

1 bag chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli, whose bags oddly weigh 11.5 ounces, but most brands offer 12-ounce bags. Milk chocolate is softest and tastes most like Reese's)

12 paper muffin cups, halved (so they're only half as high)

Stir the powdered sugar into the peanut butter. The amount you use will depend on how runny your peanut butter is and on how stiff or gooey you want the inside of your cups to be. (More sugar makes it stiffer; less keeps it gooey.) Stir in a couple of tablespoons of sugar at a time; once you have the texture you're looking for, set this mixture aside.

Microwave three-quarters of the chocolate chips at one-minute intervals, stirring after each minute until it's warm enough that it will melt if you stir it for another minute. This should take about three minutes. Then add in the last quarter of the chips and stir until they're melted.

Spread the chocolate over the bottom and sides of the halved muffin papers, making sure to cover all the paper. This tends to get a little messy, but there are worse things than getting chocolate on your fingers, right? Put the paper cups in a muffin tin so they'll harden in the right shape. Freeze the chocolate-coated papers in the muffin tin for 5 minutes.

Take them out of the freezer and spoon the peanut butter mixture into the chocolate cups, spreading it around so it covers the bottom of the cups but still leaves enough space for the top coating of chocolate.

Use the rest of the melted chocolate to cover completely.

Store in the fridge. Once they're set, peel off the muffin paper.

Serve at room temperature so they're soft and luscious.