Coconut Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 1/3 cups of brown sugar (packed)
2/3 cup of white sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 can (15oz.) pumpkin
1 cup oil
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnut
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees
*Grease and flour two 8x4 loaf pans.

In a small mixing bowl, mix with a fork the flour, white sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla extract.
Blend well.
Add dry ingredients to mixture. Stir with a spoon. Fold in coconuts and walnuts.
Pour into 2 pans.
Bake for about 1hr. 15mins.

A Productive Day?

Yesterday was one of those days. When I laid down last night I asked myself' "What all did I accomplish today? Did I do anything productive?" Right away I had to change my train of thought. It's so easy to walk in condemnation when I feel like I didn't do all that I should have done in a 24 hour period.

Yesterday Trae (17) was sick and wanted momma to take care of him. Ruthie (18) called from college saying that she was so sick that she's going to the doctor. She wanted momma to take care of her too. As a mom I felt like I should have been able to come up with a quick solution to make my kids feel better no matter how old they are.

I started thinking about when they were toddlers and there I was pregnant again. People thought we had lost our minds and didn't have a problem saying it to our faces either. Boy, did we learn how to control our tongues.

One day in particular Ruthie & Trae were just trying my patience. I didn't have much energy. I was pregnant and I looked like I was carrying twins. Clothes were piled up in the hallway waiting to be washed. I had a sink full of dishes that were there from the night before. Then I realized the juice from the sippy cup found it's way onto the kitchen floor. Oatmeal was all over the tray on the high chair.

I finally stopped in the middle of the hall way, sat down in the pile of dirty clothes and started to cry. The kids were running and dancing around me saying "you ok mommy?" No I wasn't ok. I needed to get it all out. So I kept crying. It felt so good to feel sorry for myself. After all, whoa is me who already has small kids, pregnant again, feet swollen (by this time my nose was even swollen), house that needed tending to, etc.

Why was I feeling sorry for myself and having a pity party? Could it be that I was so self-centered at that moment that I didn't realize that everyday is not going to be like this. I had to remember that my kids are a blessing from God. I needed to see them through the eyes of Christ. I didn't have to be the perfect mom. I didn't have to have the house immaculate. I didn't have to have an elaborate meal on the table that night. What I did need was to cherish this day, this time that I have with my children.

When I finally pulled myself together, I looked up and Trae's nose had been running and he used his sleeve to clean it. I then took a deep breathe, smiled and proceeded to cherish my kids.

That was a productive day. I was producing children that will someday impact the world. Now today my children are impacting the world around them and it's only the beginning. They are world changers. During the early days of mothering and still today, I always tell them, "You're not a follower, you're a leader. You don't follow the trend, you set it."

So if you're sitting in a rocking chair nursing a baby, you're being productive. If you're changing your 10th diaper of the day, you're being productive. If you decide to cuddle up and watch a movie or read a book to your kids, you're being productive. If you're cooking that same casserole dish for the 2nd time this week, you're being productive. If you're home alone during the day keeping house, you've being productive.

Never under estimate your productivity. Who knows, you just might be producing the next Billy Graham.

The Hospital Bill

On January 19, Don and I went to Boise because I had to be admitted to the hospital. I've known for months that I would be going into the hospital. The problem I had was the hospital bill because I don't have health insurance. We applied for medicaid, but I was denied because we made too much money. I didn't know that custodian can make too much money.

Don't get me wrong I'm thankful for the job Don has. Actually he has 2. He works full time as a custodian for the church we attend. This job has been a blessing to our family. The church board gave him a raise about a year ago and we are still amazed by their generosity. His other job is part-time custodian as well.

Don and I would lay in bed at night talking and praying about whether or not we should go to Boise. He said yes and I said no. I told him that I feel so guilty knowing that we would be taking on that kind of debt. He told me that I was priceless. He was willing to do what ever he had to to make sure I got proper medical care. He said we are going no matter what and God's going to provide. I said, "Okay, I trust you and I know you love me." Then he started a 21 day fast.

We didn't know how we were going to get down there. We didn't have money for gas and food. The people in our church and the church board were generous to us. We've never seen so many "anonymous" donations in our lives.

The hospital staff at in Boise was amazing. I had to endure a lot while I was there. Having my husband there, knowing that so many people love me and prayers never ceased on my behalf helped me make it through.

While we were there we talked to a financial counselor about financial aid. They couldn't promise us anything, but were willing to work with us on monthly payments, etc. They mailed a financial packet to our home while we were still there. Don was so confident that the Lord was going to provide. I asked him how does he think the Lord is going to provide? Don said he didn't know, but His Word says that He will. Well, I knew that, but I wanted something laid out in front of me because I'm a visual learner. Walking by faith sometimes is so hard for me to do. You'd think I was from the "show me state" because I want to see how it's going to work.

When that hospital bill arrived I was like okay Lord. I called Don and told him that the hospital bill was $11,200. He said, "God will provide." The bill came a second time and we still hadn't heard from financial aid. By this time I'm trying to figure out monthly payments on this bill. Don told me to just put it away and not stress about it and "God will provide."

Got a letter Thursday from the financial aid at the hospital. In big read letters it said that we qualified for full financial aid. I then looked at the balance and it said $0.00. I sat there and looked at it. Read it again. Look at it some more and by this time Don was coming home from work. I showed him the letter and asked him, "Does that say what I think it says?"
He said, "Yes."

We rejoiced!

Sometimes in life we go through things we don't understand, but just know that God is there with you.

Freindships

Today I had lunch with some dear friends. Two of the elderly ladies that were there had been friends for a long time. As I sat there and watch how these two ladies interacted with each other, I asked myself a question. "Why is it that women can't have friendships like that these days?"

These dear ladies are both widows now. Both are home bound and rely on friends and family to help them get around town. They shared a story of how they first met. Right away there was an instant connection. Years of camping, fishing, taking food to each other if one was ill and raising children together......After all these years that connection is still there. They wanted to wait on each other during lunch, but they needed to be waited on.

The conversation between the two of them centered around the Lord. Maybe that's why women don't have friendships like that anymore. Could it be that when we get together, we converse about everything and everybody else that we forget about who should be at the center of our conversations? When young people get married, we quickly tell them to let God be the center of their marriage. When marital conflict arises, we remind the couple to make sure God is at the center of the marriage. In our friendships, a vital part is missing, the Lord. God wants to be at the center of our friendships if we let Him. But do we really want Him being the center if we are doing and saying things that we shouldn't? First things first, if you have a friend, I don't care how long you all have been friends or who she is.....if she is talking negative about other people, I'm 99.99% sure she's doing the same thing to you. I think in our hearts we know that.

I think I may have answered my question.

Some woman may think that they don't need any friends. Some women may not trust other women. Some say, "I get along better with guys." First of all, we all need friends and we need to trust. It's great if we get along better with guys, but there's a need in our life for friendships with other women. When you're sick and take care of things around the house, you need a friend to help you. You won't share about what's "really' wrong with you cause you don't trust women. This can cause us to isolate ourselves. When we are in isolation, we don't have backup when the enemy is telling us lies. A friend will have your back, stand with you as you face the enemy and start swinging (praying) if she needs to.

One day, 40 years from now, I will sit with my dear friends and reflect. We will talk about the Lord and all the things we did together as families.

To all the women who want to have God as the center of their friendships, I say "hello" and "welcome to my life, my friend."

Phone Call

I just got off the phone with Don. I had to call him to let him know about the cookies I just baked. ~Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies~ This was my first time baking them. I'm always trying new cookie recipes because Don likes homemade cookies. So, what's the big deal in baking cookies?

The big deal in baking cookies is that it blesses my husband. One thing you should know about me is that I firmly believe that I was created to be his helpmeet. By baking him cookies, it's helping to meet a want of his. I'm not sure who gets more satisfaction out of those cookies, me or him. I'm satisfied just seeing the look on his face when he comes home and the cookies are waiting for him on my best plate. For him, it satisfies his stomach and touches his heart.

Tomorrow's a New Day

It's Saturday evening and it's been a long day. This morning Sarah came running to me to tell me that brown water is coming out of the sink. When I looked, to my amazement yes the water was brown. At that time I had clothes in the washer. The washer was on the rinse cycle and I took a clear plastic cup to see if the water in the washer was brown. Yes it was brown. Yuck!

The first thought that came to my mind was "how am I going to get all my laundry and housework done with brown water?" Immediately I started to murmur. The murmuring went on for some time. Each time I walked pass those clothes I my heart started to change.

When my kids complain about something, I always ask them to remember what God's Word says. It says in everything give thanks. I am thankful that I do have running water, but..... And it continues, my murmuring.

How can I have a thankful heart, murmur and complain at the same time? I needed the Lord to help me with my mouth and change my heart. Don found the Scripture that I should have read hours ago.....Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

As my day comes to a close and it's close to my bedtime (8:00pm), I think about tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day. The clothes that are left from today can wait until Monday. Tomorrow is going to be a great day. I'm preparing a wondeful Sunday dinner for the family:

Barbeque Ribs (Cooked in the crockpot while we are at church.)
Potato Salad (My friend Chrissy bought some red potatoes and had extra.)
Baked Beans
Apple Pie

First Time Blogging

This is my very first time blogging. I have enjoyed reading the blogs of other Christian women for years. So I thought I give blogging a try. There's so much that I want to share here on my blog. This blog will consist of things about my family, church and being a homemaker.