Noodles and More Noodles

Me: "How much do I love you?"

A-Cake: "Noodles and Noodles Mommy!"

Target's Roast Chicken

This week Target.com has coupons for $1.00 off their deli roast chicken. Now, we have a particular affinity for Target around here anyway.... but Target's roast chicken blows all other grocery stores away. It is tender, moist, and the blessings always ask for more. We usually embellish our meal with some green beans and perhaps some fruit or something from the bread category. Even at full price, Target's roast chicken is only $4.99. So... if you are looking for a decent meal - with a super price - don't hesitate to check out the Target.com grocery coupons this week.

Blessings!

Rmom

Boston Market Deals

If you happen to have Boston Market in your area and if you are a fan of their chicken - then you should check out their deals at www.bostonmarket.com. From now until October 31, 2009... up to 2 kids eat free with an adult purchase. Boston Market also has a coupon for an adult meal for $1.00. I know a family who all ate for only $2.00 tonight!

I continue to be on a frugal kick ---- so while the winter storms have been blizzarding around our home, I am endeavoring to learn how to buy HUNDREDS of dollars worth of groceries for pennies on the dollar. (I am NOT there yet.... but I am getting there). Attached you will find some great websites to begin or extend your frugality.....while grocery shopping.

www.smartsource.com

www.coupons.com

As always we here at ATH welcome suggestions for increased frugality as well as healthy home living.

Precious Blessings!

Rmom

Frugal Holiday and Living Ideas

Okay Friends, I am still on a frugal kick. We have endeavored to be into wise living in the past, but it has become even more of a priority to us in recent years. We want to live life the way GOD encouraged us to, but we also want to be Godly in the way we do it.

Today I am including several frugal tips that we like to use here at ATH.

Rmom's Fifteen Frugal Tips

1. Trimming hair/bangs ourselves whenever possible - ( I haven't mastered this art with the littlest blessings yet they are just a little to wiggly- ahhh - perhaps someday).

2. Cooking in bulk- We always try to make extra and freeze what's left so we can either bless others or have an evening where the meal just requires reheating.

3. Crumple Bows - (My Twin turned me on to this years ago) - save select portions of wrapping paper and when wrapping gifts for others.... use the crumpled portions to make beautiful bows. (I always receive compliments on this technique and depending on the wrapping paper this often has a beautiful effect).

4. Purchasing in Bulk at Superstores, Clubs, or Farmer's Markets and then dividing with friends. I have done this with others before, we split the cost... and take advantage of the price savings.

5. Trade for coupons on items your family uses. This is even easier online these days. Offer things you don't want to use and ask for those coupons your family truly uses!

6. Utilize Craigslist/Ebay and other such sites for family needs before buying new. There are some things that just aren't used enough to warrant buying new. (some items we here at ATH might consider in this category would be dress shoes, coats, snow boots, ballet and tap shoes, books (after all used books tell the same story as new), doll clothes for our dolls, even some of the dolls themselves for the younger Blessings.... etc. )

7. Never buy a new car. As BELOVED likes to say.... "once you drive it around the block once - it isn't NEW anymore." Even better pay for vehicles with cash whenever possible.

8. Shop for holiday or other decor after the holiday or at resale shops. I have one friend who buys all her family's art for their home at resale shops. (Personally, I have a little different taste and I tend to like places like Hobby Lobby, Pier One, Kirklands, and Joann's for home decor). But... that is not to say that I haven't found some great things second hand. I found a precious Snowman for the PINKIFIED room for the blessings this summer which is sooo cute.... I can hardly wait to put it out this Christmas. I have another friend who has perfected buying for the next school year.... at the sales the year before... she is able to do this with school clothes and school items such as backpacks all of which she gets for a fraction of the cost.

9. Remove extra clutter. Live with only what you need. (We are still working on this one here at ATH.)

10. Learn how to do specialty tasks yourselves. I am currently wanting to learn how to reupholster furniture - I have a chair in the master bedroom - I am wanting to tweak and make more up to date with our room color scheme. Some places will teach specialty techniques --- or teach yourself. I have a friend who took cake decorating classes - she has become so good at what she does that she has been able to turn her talent into a side business. I began making hairbows for the girls several years ago. The savings may not initially seem like a lot... but even the little savings add up!

11. Make gifts for others during the holidays. This can be food or otherwise. I have found a really yummy crockpot recipe - that I am wanting to try this holiday. It involves CHOCOLATE... so it can't be all bad right?

12. Make dinner at home CHEAPLY --- a friend alerted me to a new blog where most meals cost only $5.00 per family meal. Check it out! http://www.5dollardinners.com/.

13. Find things that you love to use and buy some to share with others. One year.... I gifted family and friends with a pair of scissors. They were Swiss Army scissors and in my humble "O" the best scissors around. At the time... I am not sure everyone was "THRILLED" - but even years later --- I would recieve compliments about how really great those scissors were. I have already found an item for this year... that I think is super great... and BELOVED and I were talking - just this morning about what a great gift it would be for family and friends.

14. Stock up when the things you use are on sale! Now sometimes it can be a little cumbersome when you have to store 24 rolls of paper towels... but financially it can really be worth it.

15. Buy solid wood furniture (could be antique)- USED - this will last longer than newer more cheaply made furniture and you can often get it for a fraction of the price. This is another place where craigslist and garage sales may benefit you.

Now it is your turn dear ones. Share with us.... some of your best frugal tips!

Cream Soup Mix

I am still on a crockpot/slow cooker kick. I have been for quite some time. There is just nothing like coming home to the deliciously warm smell of a homemade crockpot meal. We here at ATH are finding this vitally important on certain days when dance and other activities keep us away from our homestead until dinnertime.

Years ago... I was intrigued by a lovely woman with the gift of frugality..... Amy Dacyczyn..... and her TIGHTWAD GAZETTE.... of course back then I was young, single, and really didn't know the real value of what I was reading. Now... married with 3 little blessings later.... I am again.... learning the TRUE value.... of that which peaked my interest years ago. In light of the recent recession.... I am seeing an increased interest in frugality. Resale shopping seems to have hit an all time high... as evidenced by the number of filled parking spots I see at Goodwill and other such shops.

Today... I was looking for a crockpot recipe.... and was slighty daunted when I read about the requirement of cream soup... the weather is bad and travel is not recommended. Then... I remembered THE TIGHTWAD GAZETTE....and a recipe for cream soup mix. I took that recipe and tweaked it to come up with the following. This mix can be used as a base for anything requiring cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, or cream of celery.

Cream Soup Base

2 cups dry milk

2.5 cups flour

1/4 cup boullion powder

2 tbs. dried onion flakes

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Mix ingredients and store in an AIRTIGHT container. When ready to make a recipe.... for soup... mix 1/2 cup of the cream soup base with 2.5 cups of water and for a casserole mix 1/2 cup 1.25 cups of water.

The crock pot is currently warming our dinner. We will be ready to eat something hot and yummy when Beloved gets home.

Precious Blessings To All,

Rmom

Update.......

Pictures coming soon.

S-girl is officially 2 and full of vim and vigor.

H-Bear is officially a big K student.

A-Cake is officially a preschooler.

And Beloved and I are just trying to keep up.

G-J still could use a few prayers if you are of the mind to do so!

We officially had our first snow on the last day of summer. How ironic is that?

Blessings to all!

R-mom

Psalm 121:1-3

" I lift up my eyes to the hills -

where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD

the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

He will not let your foot slip

He who watches over you will not slumber. "

Today....

G. J. with H-Bear a few years ago

My heart is with my mom (G. J.) whose is currently receiving her 4th round of chemo for lymphoma and my friend Amy http://www.amyponce2.blogspot.com/ who is in the process of surviving stage 3 breast cancer. If you have a chance, please add them to your prayer list.

Blessings!

Rmom

Overheard......

"Momma, does it take a REALLY BIG SEED for GOD to plant a mountain?"

Blessings!

Rmom

Happy 7 YEARS Beloved!

One of these days.....

I will get back to blogging again!

We hope you are having a blessed summer!

Blessings!

Rmom

Art in life...........

I bought this a few years ago - it is antique and not so fancy as the contemporary ones, but I fell in love with it and it was cheap..... so I bought it. I use it constantly. I love this colander.........

Today A-Cake, S-Girl, and I were reading this book

and this is what I saw........

Sweet Blessings.

R.

The Irony of It All.......

I can sew ..... really, I can ..... I have made shorts, skirts, hemmed pants, put on buttons that have fallen off, etc. But.... I am not very confident.... which is the reason I found myself today at JoAnn's buying a form of STITCH WITCHERY.... to use to hem up some curtains I recently bought AND buying fabric squares for H-Bear who desperately wants to sew a quilt. I guess my sewing skills will be increasing drastically in the near future right?

ATH Personal Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe ~ AKA For Stephanie

Items you will need: chicken or chicken breasts (4-6 breasts - depending on size and how meaty you want your soup)

shredded carrots / carrot chips work too

onions, green onions, onion flakes (for flavoring)

celery

egg noodles (found in the frozen section of your local store)

Magee (powdered) Chicken flavoring - comes in a can by the soup section

seasoned salt

dash of pepper

dash of regular table salt

crock pot

one stock pan - for boiling chicken

large pan for boiling noodles

optional: mushrooms (sliced or diced)

Step 1: boil chicken in large stock pan - make sure it is cooked all the way, by cutting into the chicken - it should be white inside. Diced or shred chicken into bite size pieces.

Step 2: While the chicken is boiling - fill 3/4 of your crock pot with water , chicken flavoring - I never measure - I just dump about 2 tablespoons full - (less is better than more b/c you can always add MORE later if it is bland),also put in about 1 tablespoon full of seasoned salt, a dash of pepper, and a dash of salt, mix in the entire package of shredded carrots, diced celery -add as much as you like - I normally use 4-6 in a large crock pot, dice one small onion (or cut about half of a large onion or about half of the green onion bunch diced into your pot, you can also use onion flakes in a pinch I probably put about 2 -4 tablespoons when I use this method), sometimes I add mushrooms (again I never measure - so I just about about 6-8 diced mushrooms in the pot). Turn the crock pot on high and begin to simmer.

Step 3: Once the chicken is finished cooking, cut into bite size pieces and add to the crockpot, again keeping it on high for about 2 hours. Stirring occasionally.

Step 4: Turn crockpot down to low and cook for the rest of the day. Occasionally stir and when the water level seems low, add a cup or 2 of water. Taste occasionally - if the broth doesn't seem right then add a little more Magee seasoning, - try a tablespoon first and then allow at least 30 minutes for it to simmer and mix into the soup. Taste again - until the broth is to your desired taste.

Step 5: One hour before eating - begin to boil water for noodles on stove. Cook noodles according to directions. Noodles normally take 20-30 minutes to cook - stir occaisionally.

Step 6: By this time, my crock pot is very full and can not take any more contents inside of it. So... we put the noodles in each person's bowl and then ladel the soup on top, you can then gently take a spoon and mix it all together. Once I have ladeled all ATH members soup bowls, my crockpot is then empty enough for me to put the remaining noodles into the crockpot and stir, sometimes, I need to add more noodles later , but most of the time I have more than enough noodles for the rest of the soup. (Hint: I tend to buy the LARGE noodles package at the store - for the purpose of only having to boil noodles once).

Step 7: Since there are lots of veggies in the soup, we tend to serve this with a fruit of some sort. Sometimes it is applesauce, but cantaloupe, peaches, or fruit salad wouldn't be out of the question. We also sometimes serve it with a piece of french bread.

Step 8: Eat and enjoy!

(P.S. This recipe works great for leftover turkey as well. In our house turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving, but is eaten all year round - and I have read several studies over the years about how turkey is healthier than chicken - just a little FYI). -R.

Easter 2009

He is Risen!

By His Grace The Tomb Is Empty!

May You Be Blessed today and always!

Happy Easter!

R.

A-Cake's Life Celebration!

It's official - Our little blessing - A-cake is NOW a big girl!

Happy Birthday Precious - there is not a day that goes by that we don't thank our precious Heavenly Father for the blessing of you!

(While we "unofficially" celebrated at WDW, for her actual day - per her request we ate at McD's and went to the Aquarium! She wore her WDW Birthday badge - also per request - who are we to say no?) When all was said and done - A-Cake claimed it was a great day!

Sweet blessings!

R.

How Big (or Little) Does The Difference Need to Be?

If you are supposed to add something to come up with a specific number like 3000 for example but you add your numbers and ACTUALLY come up with 3500 - but then report that number to be "3000 to 3500" - would you call that a lie or truth. Suffice it to say there has been a debate this week (NOT among are ATH home - but rather ATH members saying one thing and fellow HOA members saying another) - regarding this issue. I will not persuade you one way or the other, but I am just curious.

Okay, maybe I will persuade you ---- isn't that like telling your child that 1+1= 1.5 to 2 instead of just 2? Isn't that like a pharmacist saying there are 180 to 200 pills in your bottle? I mean really.... are BELOVED and I truly amiss to claim that this is a lie rather than truth? I mean wouldn't even 3499 to 3500 be a lie in an of itself? And who in their right mind can call that TRUTH instead of a lie? And what do you do with someone who is adamant that 3000 to 3500 IS truth? And is this just another point to the incredibly SAD state of the moral and ethical decline of our nation and it's people? I am just curious.

What you think?

The more responses the better... so please post.

Sweet Blessings!

R.

The Basketball Bride.......

This might seem like a conflict of interests...... but not to A-Cake!

Blessings!

R.

What ATH has been Reading!

If you haven't read this delightful book you are missing out. Our ATH family all read this over the past week! It is a delightful tale of a painter from Stillwater who has a fascination with penguins! Beloved and I became so enthralled with this story that we often found ourselves chuckling at the penguins antics, not to mention the Poppers extremes to help the penguins thrive. How I missed this precious book as a kid, I'll never know! If you have the chance, and if you desire a good laugh or two... Mr. Popper's Penguin's won't disappoint!

It's NOT just about the Mouse...... ANYMORE!

Beloved and I at Epcot!

We had a wonderful time at Walt Disney World.

We arrived to rain - which was rather SAD.... but the great thing about the rain was it drove tourists away - so the first day we were able to ride most rides at Magic Kingdom with little to no wait! Often times we would finish a ride and the WDW patrons would ask if we wanted to ride again - and if we said YES.... then they just passed us on through without making us get out and get in another car - which for parents of 3 little ones was GREAT! The rain subsided about an hour or two after we first arrived in MAGIC KINGDOM......but the crowds didn't arrive until just before the fireworks. Some differences between LAND and WORLD were disheartening to Beloved and I --- Small World.... is much more impressive at LAND. The Haunted Mansion was different too - though we had a tough time deciding which one of those we liked better. Of course, to be honest we only rode this ride ONCE... at WORLD - and the whole time I was prepping our kids by saying "Isn't that silly.... there are no such thing as ghosts!" LOL! NOBODY cried - for which we were thankful and S-girl made us laugh by falling asleep in the HM - which is the same thing H-Bear did at the same age at LAND a few years ago! The castle of course, is more impressive at WORLD.... Main Street seemed essentially the same, The Pooh Ride is in probably in a better location to attract the little ones at World, but we find the LAND building sooo much more impressive. Epcot was great - but we would have liked to explore it more. And The Animal Kingdom was fabulous - even S-Girl loved the safari ride - though she did NOT like the Lion King show as it was too loud for her. I found the Nemo ride at Epcot not as impressive as DW made it out to be - but the girls loved traveling to the various countries at Epcot and making crafts at each station! Our best meal by far was at the Castle - it was a bonus meal because the Blessings were able to see all the Princesses and they received wands and stars. The reservations for eating at the Castle are booked up sometimes 6 months in advance - but even if you have boys - it is well worth it to attempt to do during your visit. We didn't find the Disney Meal plan to be worth it! The Pirate Ride was one our family favorites as were Pooh, Small World, and Peter Pan! We liked the Jungle Cruise, Aladdin's magic carpet, and the Dumbo ride too.... but we rode those less than the others. We found 8 days to probably be too many with Blessings so young - and yet we were all sad to leave! More later!

Enjoy the photos ( more to come)! The characters were all fabulous! And... of course nothing compares to Disney's style!

Blessings to all!

Renee
H- Belle, A-Cake, and I with Cinderella!

H-Belle and Minnie

Mickey and Minnie with H-Belle and A-Cake!

A-Cake and Mickey

H-Belle at Epcot

H-Belle and A-Cinderella after their up-dos and makeover!

Princess Belle with her Twin Belle (I mean H-Belle)!

A-Cake with Belle!

A-Cake with Princess Aurora!

Beloved and I at the Castle!

H-Bear and A-Cake with Princess Jasmine!

S-Girl wasn't sure she liked any of the characters!

A-Cake with Pooh!

H-Bear with Tigger!

A Glimpse of WDW 2009 ........

after going here:

Life turned practically upside down. Here are a few photos ... more later.... enjoy!

Obviously with more than a week to cover.... we have much more to show and tell!

Sweet blessings!

Renee

Croup-i-fied 2009

Why in the world our little Blessings are prone to CROUP - is beyond me! But, never the less here we are AGAIN in the same spot we were last June. Ugh!

I am so wanting to tell you all about our recent trip, but suffice it to say that it will have to wait until the BLESSINGS are feeling better!

Wishing upon a star.......

for a while!

Sweet blessings!

Rmom

When the Lord calls me home......

I hope that He blesses me with Julie Andrews' voice.

As, we have been preparing for a certain visit to:

we have found ourselves listening to many things which contain Ms. Andrews voice, but the appreciation began decades (did I really write that?) ago, on a summer afternoon.

As a young child, my mother took me to my first movie theater movie one summer afternoon. It was a theater reprisal of THE SOUND OF MUSIC! My initial reaction to mom's proposal was less than thrilled as I had seen "The SOUND of music" at school - it was a boring film highlighting each instrument and the sounds that the instruments make. But.... oh..... in that cold theater on that HOT summer day in Texas, I was exhuberant - this was not your run of the mill educational SOUND OF MUSICal (instruments) show! It was then, that I first began to appreciate Julie Andrews!

Over the years, my appreciation for Ms. Andrews (yes, I do know she is married - but I don't think her husband's last name is the same hence the Ms. ) and her voice has only blossomed. I remember the heartbreak, I felt upon finding out that a surgeon had butchered her vocal folds and thus impeded her spectacular singing voice forever. Even now, I shudder to think of the fact that a doctor would have masticated such a magnificent rarity. Suffice it to say, that if I'm going to covet, I might as well admit that I wouldn't mind the LORD blessing me with that fabulous singing voice as well. But.... that's not really what I am speaking of at this point.

I love the overall tone, the quality, the way she flows from one word to another, the emphasis that she places on certain syllables, and of course her distinctly British accent which largely suffocates our own American dialect by comparison. There are certain Andrews phrases which are forever ingrained in me. She has a way with the words, "GOOD EVENING!" - which I am certain, she probably never even thinks about - but, I do. I can spot her voice in a second, in Shrek III, in the Princess Diaries 1 sand 2, on the Disneyland 50th anniversary cd, The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and on and on it goes. Her voice is soothing in a way such as only hers could be. (I wonder if she has ever been approached about reading the Bible for cds. I know I would buy one. Infact, I wonder if others would be likely to do the same thing! I have no knowledge of her beliefs, but what a fabulous way share the gospel with millions.) Her voice is familiar and welcoming, a bit like coming home to a warm dinner simmering on the stove as it permeates through the house. I find listening to her a peaceful experience, the likes of which I could listen to forever. Yes, my friends, I want the accent, the tone, the quality, the freshness, the exhuberance for life!

Please don't get me wrong, I know that there will be many more important issues than the sound and quality of my voice (like the Savior) to focus on when the LORD calls me home . But.... if we believe God's word, and we here at ATH do....then we will look, appear, talk, and be different in Heaven and I, for one, wouldn't complain one bit if HE saw to bestow upon me, Julie Andrews voice!

Sweet blessings!

R.

Better than the hydrangea.........

The hunt has been on at ATH for a desk, specifically for H-Bear - at the moment. As we plunge further into the educational realm - I have been questing towards the right educational items to spurn the Blessings on towards educational greatness. Since there is a predominant princess-i-fied theme admist these ATH walls, I thought surely I might find a wonderful structure with just the right regal qualities to be considered ideal.... but... I am also a bargain hunter - so even though the structure might look sound on an item I would often dismiss it due to a hefty price which I considered to be UNREASONABLE. A few months ago, I found myself in a particular fancy for antique desks ( you know the kind, slanted desk with the lift top lid), and I began to pursue yet another desk hunt - vowing to stop whenever I found EITHER the right princess looking structure or..... the right antique desk for our beloved little H-Bear. But.... antique desks with a lift top lid are expensive! Just incase you haven't priced them lately they tend to start somewhere around the $75.00 range and move up from there. I didn't want to pay $75.00 - I wanted a deal. Well, my friends, I found one............

You see, G.R. and G.J. gifted me with a monetary gift for a certain life celebration recently. G.R. and G.J. were very specific... use it now..... not later...... before you go here:

Well, far be it from me to argue.... so yesterday... I went on a venture to wisely usurp that which had bestowed upon me! Now, I would not necessarily call myself the shrewdest shopper in the universe... but I must say that I did quite well yesterday..... b/c this:

is what I came home with AND.... there is still some of my gift left over.

But....... back to the desk - I mean desks............ So I left the house in the early afternoon and returned at bathtime. But of course, there were several stops in between. On a whim.... my final stop was to a second hand shop (which happens to have the initials of G.W. - ahem!) - I walked around looked at books, found a sweater, and then as a lark, decided to go outside in the BITTER COLD to look at the all the lawn and garden items. I walked down the small aisle - seeing nothing particular of interest. I traipsed back and paused by the bikes, there was a box paritally covering something - what was it? I lifted the box lid and looked, then I looked again, not one but 2 desks (the ones above), but what was there price.... 9.99 on one - the other was upside down and it was dark out there - what exactly was the price, I lifted the box lid a little higher $9.99 for that one too! WOW! At that instant I knew these desks were coming home with me, I wasn't sure how, but there was no question about it! I quickly examined the contents of my cart, I looked around to make sure nobody else was coming outside to rob me of my purchase before I processed how to make it all happen, and I started breathing heavily with glee at the delight of my fabulous find. I pushed my cart back, I pulled desk number one 2 feet, then I pulled desk number two 2 feet, I opened the door back to the building, I pushed the cart 2 feet, dragged number 1, pulled number 2 on and on until I was back inside. I had barely gotten the desks inside before I started drawing attention from other patrons. I received comments like.... "they will really be able to study now with those" and "$9.99 that's a really great price, those are selling online for $75.00 or more" to questions like "Are there any more out there?" (there weren't) to a lady even sitting in one of the desks and telling me that she was "ready to learn now!" The sweet older couple in front of me was quite jealous at the FIND I had found and I felt bad, almost apologetic, that there were no others for them to buy.

At last it was my turn in line, I told the cashier, that I wanted to purchase these desks and wondered if there might be somebody to help me put them in my car. She asked the price, I said $9.99 - she asked"Are those green tags?" They were, so I replied to the affirmative, internally wishing that they were either red at 50% off or white at 30% off. What the cashier did next I could scarcely believe, it came in the form of a statement " Ma'am, they're two fifty" she said. "They're what?" "They're two fifty" she replied again. Shocked I stuttered and asked "Are you telling me these desks are TWO DOLLARS and FIFTY CENTS?" "Yes," she replied, "they are marked down to $2.50!" And, I think I about fainted right there on the GW floor, but, of course, not before I plunked my $ down, less somebody swipe these bargains away from me.

True, they will not last forever, the blessings will outgrow these precious finds far sooner than I would like. But, for now, they are ours and they are a delight in our home. And, if.... in a few years.... I chance upon a regal desk for one or all of the blessings, I will still be forever thankful for the blessing of these precious little treasures and what they meant to our ATH family!

Sweet blessings one and all!

Renee

* With minimal elbow grease I was able to clean off all the unwanted markings from the tops of the desks!*

The Value of a Crock Pot......

Lately... I have (AGAIN) noted how valuable this precious little item is! It enables me to focus on the blessings or Beloved and not worry about starting to cook dinner at 4 pm. I have made breakfast, lunch, and dinner from this little contraption. It has become one of the most treasured cooking utensils at ATH! I am acquiring more and more recipes to use with this fabulous invention! I had 2 of these until recently when the handle on one .....this one....

broke in a non-fixable way! Broke....... does not even begin to describe my heartfelt saddness at the fact that I was now down to one and well... a useless inner part that didn't fit in the other. So... I am now scouring high and low ( b/c of course they quit making the size I need) .... to find another one of these - thus giving me two outer shells and three inner parts with which to create healthy meals for our little ATH family each week! No... I am not being materialisic.... I am really just trying to be practical - after all the purchase of the whole enchilada will be less than a dinner out for our ATH family. And... it will likely keep us in at times we might otherwise be tempted to visit one of our local favorites!

Sweet blessings one and all! And.... happy crock potting!

Renee

Accepting the Challenge......

I was at Mari's here: http://marislittlecorner.blogspot.com/ and she had a PICTURE TAG challenge that she was participating in to go to the 6th folder and the 6th picture - so I accepted the challenge. This is H-Bear's picture from a few years ago. Doesn't she look so little here? Thanks for giving me the opportunity to remember the days gone by Mari!

Sweet blessings one and all!

R.

P.S. And just as an aside.... the hydrangea plant is still going strong - BEAUTIFUL as ever.... I am most certainly getting the most I can from my two dollar purchase.

A Time to Dance......

G.R. and G.J. with the blessings in December.

Life has been a little hectic lately. Beloved and I still have a decision looming about with no clear direction.


School has resumed. Dance has resumed. S-Girl is walking. The weather has been nice. Life celebrations are abounding in the blessings circle of friends. We attended a revival at our church recently. We are working on several projects around our little ATH home. We are preparing for here:

I realize I never told about Christmas or the Blessings dance recital. I will endeavor to play catch up with Christmas soon. Here are a few pictures of the Blessings from their recital!

H-Bear and A-Cake back stage
H-Bear on Stage


A-Cake

H-Bear with Sweet A

A-Cake and A-Cake's Twin - who happens to be Sweet A's little sister (yes, some of you who know our ATH family might not think it possible - but it is) and

A-Cake with A-Cake's Twin - sister Sweet A -are you confused yet?????

Our Little Candy Cane - sugary sweet!

Sweet blessings!

Renee

Seeking Advice.......

Beloved and I would like to implore to all of you ATH readers! We are asking each of you to send us your insight. We ask you to send respected others here to give us their insight. We are at a loss! We have sat on the middle of the fence on this one for a while. We aren't sure we have any better insight today than we did when we began this perplexing issue.

So here are the questions:

When faced with a decision such as this - what would you do. If you are a part of something and EVERYONE in the FAMILY is generally happy with it, would you leave that something you are happy with to TRY another something - that YOU THINK- you might be happier than you are now - or would you stay where you are and be content?

2nd question: If one of you leans one way on a decision (but is willing to yield) and one leans another way ( but is willing to yield) and after an extended period of time - you each still feel the same way (in other words SPLIT) - what would you do? Now suppose that one of you feels the LORD has given clear direction to you but not to your spouse - even after repetitive prayers on both your part for clear and AGREED direction - do you go with the one who feels the LORD spoke directly about this issue - do you go with what the male (Head of the House) - feels or is inclined to believe to be right regardless of whether he is the one the LORD spoke to or not?

Or is there no pat answer - b/c each scenario might bring about different circumstances.

Do you recommend that we just flip a coin.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the insight!

We look forward to reading your wisdom and responses!

Blessings!

Do you remember......

that I once (or twice, or a billion times) have said that I LOVE hydrangeas? Well I found this LIVE plant at a local grocery store - IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COLDEST WINTER HERE ON RECORD - MIND YOU - for $2.00. How could I resist?

We are attending a week long NEW YEAR revival at our church and as always life is busy with the blessings.... More soon!

Sweet blessings one and all!

Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas from our family to you and yours!

Original artwork by H-Bear 12/2008 - Christmas Tree above and Nativity below!

May you and your family have a truly blessed holiday this year!

The ATH family