Happy New Year!

The Ending of Another Year

When we look back and contemplate
What we’ve been through this year,
We’ll praise You, Lord, for all You’ve done!
Your faithfulness is clear.

~ Sper

Sausage Cheese Muffins & Ham Cheddar Biscuits

Kathy and I made these yummy breakfast items for church last month. They are super easy and super delicious!

Sausage Cheese Muffins
1lb bulk sage pork sausage
1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
½ cup milk
3 cups biscuit/baking mix

Cook sausage, drain. Combine all and add biscuit mix until moistened. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen muffins

Ham Cheddar Biscuits
2 ¼ cups biscuit/baking mix
¾ cup milk
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup chopped fully cooked ham

Mix all together and drop by roundfulls on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.
Makes 20 biscuits.

Christmas Weekend

I feel like it has been forever since I really shared what is going on in my life right now. Here is a little glimpse of this weekend and then maybe later this week I will post random pictures of things I have been wanting to share but just never got around to sharing them.

Mom and Dad arrived Thursday night. Mom spent most of her weekend under 3 blankets and sleeping. That is so unusual for her so you know how sick she was. Since Dad was at the house I put him and Paul to work. They got all the items on my to do list done and I am so thankful for that. It was a huge blessing to me because it helps me get better organized and settled in at the house. Mike's antler fan was hung up in my bedroom and I love it! The pot rack was hung which allowed me to unpack all the pots. The magnetic knife block got put up and my good knives unpacked. I can't say it felt like Christmas because honestly it just didn't. But on a positive note, it was a great weekend of getting things accomplished.
We went to church Sunday morning and had a wonderful time. Mom was able to bless us with her piano playing which was a huge blessing to our normal piano player who was able to stay home and take care of her sick husband. After church we got something quick to eat and off to the airport we went to drop Mom and Dad off for their flight.
After that we went to Mandalay Bay to walk around. We took lots of pictures while we walked around. It was fun doing some window shopping.
The reason we went to Mandalay Bay is because Kathy and Paul bought me Lion King tickets for Christmas. They were excellent seats...front and center. The show was spectacular. Whoever thought up all those costumes is very creative. The performers were so talented. My favorite actor was the young Simba... that little boy was adorable but really everyone did a fabulous job! Now it is time to get myself organized to start a new year. I am striving to become more organized like Mike was. He had a special gift for organization. It came so naturally to him. I hope to one day achieve half of his organizational skills.

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Thanks to Kathy for flying Mom and Dad out. Thanks to Dad and Paul for working so hard to get my to do list done! And thanks to Mom for playing the piano on Sunday on such short notice and especially since you weren't feeling well.

Surprise!

Kathy surprised me and bought tickets for Mom and Dad to fly in tonight. Isn't she the greatest! Looking forward to seeing them and spending some time together. Thank you Kathy!

DPP ~ Day 18

This is a very different Christmas season and to be honest I am ready for it to be over. Kathy, Paul and I decided we would go ahead and open gifts today. We are all ready to get the decorations put away and the house back in order. Kathy is showing Paul her cool new gloves I bought for her stocking. They have special little pads on the tips of the fingers so she can use her iPhone with her gloves on. Hopefully these gloves will keep her hand nice and warm.

Poem

I found this poem in a stack of Mike's papers. I don't know who wrote the poem but I wanted to share it.

This morning when I awakened and saw the sun above, I softly said "Good morning Lord. Bless everyone I love."
Right away I thought of you and said a loving prayer, that He would bless you specially and keep you free from care.
I thought of all the happiness a day could hold in store, I wished it all for you because no one deserves it more.
I felt so warm and good inside, my heart was all aglow,
I know God heard my prayer for you, He hears them all you know.
I thought of all the happiness that you have given me, I thanked my Lord for giving you to our family.
They say memories are golden, well maybe that is true,
I never wanted memories, I only wanted you.
A million times I'll need you; a million times I'll cry
If love could have saved you, you never would have died.
If I could have a lifetime wish, a dream that would come true,
I'd pray to God with all my heart, for yesterday and you.
...I'll be seeing you.

DPP ~ Day 16

I am sorry I am doing such a horrible job at keeping up with the December Photo Project. To be honest I just have not gotten into the Christmas spirit like I normally would.
Today was a long day at work. Paul had to come over after work and fix a computer. After the computer got fixed we went out to eat at Kona Grill. It was delicious! On the way out of the plaza I noticed these candy cane decorations. I thought they really made everything look so bright and Christmasy.

The Meaning of the Christmas Wreath

Every Christmas wreath is more than just a decoration...

it's a special reminder of Jesus, the reason for our celebration.

The circle of a Christmas wreath is a never-ending ring,

a reminder of eternal love from our Lord and King.

The Christmas wreath is a sign of welcome, inviting all to enter in...

a reminder of Christ's invitation for all to come to Him.

The middle of a Christmas wreath is a bare and empty space,

a reminder of what life would be without Christ's love and grace.

So each time you see a Christmas wreath hanging from a door,

may your heart rejoice in the One that Christmas is truly for! ~Holley Gerth

Say Thank You!

If you go to this Xerox site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/ you can pick out a thank you card, Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq.

You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!

It is FREE and it only takes a few minutes of your time. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. This is a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time to do this and to pass it on for others to do. We can never say thank you enough.

Thanks for taking the time to support our military!

DPP ~ Day 13

Thursday a coworker of mine came into work and gave me a gift... I was so touched...it actually brought back a flood of memories when Mike got together a 12 days of Christmas for me. He had worked so hard to get everything created and organized for me to have gifts each day that coordinated with the 12 days of Christmas song.

These gifts from my coworker are called 12 work days before Christmas. So I got a gift on Thursday, Friday and today. Thanks Dee Ann for thinking of me and brightening my days!

DPP ~ Day 8

Every time I look at these cute little snowmen I think of the precious family that gave them to me. I am also reminded of a picture I took of Betsy right after we were given the snowmen... Betsy sat in the middle between the snowmen and she was this cute little puppy then. Oh how time flies!

Frozen Blueberry Muffins

Took these to church on Sunday and got lots of great reviews!

Frozen Blueberry Muffins
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups frozen blueberries, unthawed

Topping
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl. Mix all together and pour into muffin tins. Sprinkle with topping and bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Makes 2 dozen

DPP ~ Day 6 & 7

Day 6

I love listening to music while I work in the kitchen but the stereo in the living room is broken so... Merry Christmas to me! Sunday afternoon we were at the outlet mall and I found the Bose store. I wasn't planning on buying anything but they had a great deal on refurbished units. I am so happy! Now Kathy and I are working on a new project of getting all of our CDs put into our iTunes account so we can eventually get rid of all of our CDs.

Day 7

Work has been crazy busy and because of this my desk has piles of work all over it.

DPP ~ Day 5

I love it when a plan comes together!

After my baking day yesterday I was concerned about today. See, my wonderful sister signed us up to bring refreshments to church today.

I had gotten three recipes from a Taste of Home magazine that my Mom had so I was ready with a plan.

I am so glad that everything turned out this morning. Thank you Lord for that little blessing!

I will post the recipes later this week so be on the lookout.

DPP ~ Day 4

What a day!

Let's just say I was having an off day! Kathy volunteered us to bring dessert for our church Christmas banquet. We were suppose to make enough dessert for 60+ people. I got in the kitchen this morning and it seemed like everything I touched got messed up. The plan was to make 2 lemon bundt cakes, 2 double layer chocolate cakes and 2 batches of chocolate chip cookies. The lemon cake cooked beautiful but when it was time to take it out of the oven and flip it onto the cooling rack some of the cake got stuck in the bundt pan. I pulled out the 2 round chocolate cakes out of the oven. One came out great, the other one crumbles to pieces (see picture above).

The second round of cakes weren't any better. This time half the lemon bundt cake stayed in the pan. The chocolate cakes came out of the oven and they looked amazing! They came right out of the pan nice and clean but then they got stuck on the cooling rack. I was able to get the one flipped around and everything was ok but when I tried to flip the second one it split in half and one half crumbled all to pieces. I was worried to even try to make the cookies after the morning I was having but how can you mess up chocolate chip cookies. I had a few issues with spilling things and getting water all over the place when I was washing dishes but atleast the cookies turned out good.

Although the morning turned out to be such a mess the evening was fabulous. The church banquet was alot of fun. The food was delicious and the fellowship wonderful. I am really enjoying this church that God has lead us to. Below is a picture of the beautiful table setting at the banquet. Kathy and I made the "name tags" on Friday night. I think they turned out great.

By the way - we ended up buying cakes to take for dessert along with our cookies for the children.

DPP ~ Day 3

I put up the Christmas tree today... I didn't get the lights on it and it isn't decorated but at least the tree is up. I think this is the latest in the year I have ever put up my Christmas tree. I am one of those people that like to put it up before Thanksgiving. I just enjoy sitting on the couch looking at the white lights on the tree and listening to Christmas music. I can't wait to finish decorated this year so that I can do just that!

DPP ~ Day 2

Today was Paul's 35th birthday... since we all had to work we decided to go out to dinner after work. Of course we went to one of Paul's favorite restaurants ~ Panevino. Everything was so delicious. Kathy told our waiter that it was Paul's birthday and for dessert this is what they brought out to Paul. Isn't that clown the cutest thing ever?

2010 December Photo Project

Last year I participated in the December Photo Project (DPP) and I really enjoyed it. Since I haven't been blogging much lately I thought this was the perfect encouragement that I needed.

One of the ladies I work with decorated her office for each season of the year. This week she put her Christmas decorations and I thought I would share the cute decoration she hung on the door. I love the little red bird peeking out.

Looking forward to seeing all the other photos posted for DPP2010.

Warning

In today's devotional (from the Oct-Dec 2010 Feature – A Daily Bible Study Guide) was a warning and reminder for me. I am going to try and just give little snips of the devotional but I may end up just sharing it all because it is a warning for all Christians to heed.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

In today’s text, note the command to not be led astray: “Be not deceived” – refrain from acting in a manner that reflects the opposite of what God commands – “evil communications corrupt good manners.” Detrimental friendships likely had developed in the church in Corinth. We must not deceive ourselves into thinking something good or beneficial can come from wicked relationships. God wants us to have good friends, and He has instructed us as to how those are to be established.

Truth is in the old maxim, “A man is know by the company he keeps.” The obvious exception was the Savior during the days of His flesh. Instead, His disciples were known by the company they kept with Him as they followed Him; they were known as “Jesus’ disciples.” Nevertheless, companions and friendships are important in our daily lives. Even our Lord chose twelve men to be His followers, providing Him with companionship and support, on occasion. He did not “go it alone.” We need friends, and when we stop and consider those with whom we associate, surely we can see the impact they have on our life. Their effect on us encompasses not just the assistance they may provide; in truth, our friends help to formulate our character and influence us in the various circumstances we face. Whether we will admit it or not, the type of people who surround us can have a tremendous impact on the kind of person we are.

Do you ever stop for a few moments each day to reflect on the day’s events and your subsequent responses to those events as they transpired? Who has the greatest impact on your thoughts and actions? Take care when it comes to the company you keep.

To God Be The Glory

Thanks to Amy @ Signs, Miracles, Wonders for hosting Then Sings My Soul Saturdays. Now go check out her blog and all the other participants.

Happy Thanksgiving

Count your blessings this holiday season and through the new year. Even in times of tragedy there is much to be thankful for!

To God be the glory, great things He has done;
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

Urgent Prayer Request - Update

Update - God called Gabriel Jeffries home to Heaven. He is now with Mike walking the streets of gold. Keep the Jeffries family in your prayers as they grieve the loss of their son/brother. May they find peace in knowing Gabe is worshiping at Jesus' feet.

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Please pray for a dear friend of mine whose son just got in a very serious car accident. I don't know many details right now but I will update as soon as I hear more.

Please pray that her son's life may be spared.

Special Moments To Treasure

Since Mike's passing I've been learning to appreciate the little things in life more. This visit to family has been a special one that I will cherish forever.

I have been able to spend some time alone with Rachel which has made it that much more special for me. She spent the night Friday night... so after a shower to get ready for bed we sat on the bed and she read to me.

It is amazing how much she has grown/changed since the last time I saw her. She does a great job reading. I am really proud of her and how well she does in school.Saturday morning Rachel and I made breakfast for Grandpa. Rachel read the recipe and did most of the measuring and stirring. The pancakes were delicious! This isn't the best quality picture but I still wanted to share it. When we were in the van Rachel put her hand on the window. The window had condensation on it so her palm print stayed on the window. When we drove by the light I saw it and I thought it was a great picture moment.

Let us take pleasure in the little things in life and remember what really matters - Family!

Work Potluck

To celebrate Thanksgiving and 2 birthdays in the office we had a potluck.

Aren't these the cutest plates and napkins you have ever seen?

Everything was so yummy! We ended the meal with a fabulous fudge cake.

I am looking forward to planning more potlucks next year at work.

Happy Birthday to Lou and Dee Ann! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Fun Fellowship

Saturday we went to a church picnic. Although it was cold and windy we had a wonderful time getting to know the people. The children learned how to fish and everyone had a great time.

The park we had the picnic was beautiful!

There were even some trees with changing leaf colors.

I am really excited about this church that God has directed us too. I look forward to getting to know each family that is part of this church.

The Warrior Is A Child

Thanks to Amy @ Signs, Miracles, Wonders for hosting Then Sings My Soul Saturdays. Now go check out her blog and all the other participants.

Where I've Been

Things have been busy and with the holiday's quickly approaching things will only get busier but I wanted to take the time to give y'all an update.

I just completed my second week at work. I am the receptionist at the office that Kathy manages. I enjoy working to help make things easier for Kathy. I still have alot to learn but Lord willing little by little I will be able to take more off of Kathy's plate so that she isn't so stressed.

I wanted to post a few pictures I have taken over the past 2 weeks but haven't had the chance to share.

Kathy bought me a new camera and I love it! Just look at how amazing this picture is that I took.

I have been trying to get things unpacked and its a slow process since I am working at the office. I came across Mike's Coca-Cola hat so I thought it would be appropriate to add it to our Coca-Cola kitchen decor. And one last picture to share with y'all today is this calendar. Paul came running down the stairs with this old 2005 calendar. He had kept this calendar all these years because he liked the pictures but now he has it hanging in the living room because the dates fall just right for us to use for 2011. Just a little step to going green!

I hope to get into a schedule were I am able to post more often on my blog but for now please be patient with me as I adjust to working, unpacking and helping to do the house work.

Have a blessed weekend!

Veterans Day 2011

Honoring All Who Have Served

Thank You!

Q&A

Here is a fun meme that Kathy tagged me to complete.

Here are the questions she had for me to answer:

1. What is your favorite holiday and why? I would have to say it's Thanksgiving

2. Where did you go on your last vacation? On a cruise to Ensenada Mexico

3. What do you enjoy doing on your free time? making greeting cards

4. What is your favorite Bible verse? Philippians 4:8

5. Have you ever been to Las Vegas if so what did you think? I live in Vegas now...at first I would tell people I don't really like Vegas but I moved here because that is where my sister lives... but this morning at church I was convicted when the pastor's son gave a testimony of thanksgiving... he said he is thankful to live in Las Vegas because that is where God has put them... so now I realize that I need to be grateful for where God has placed me during this season in my life.

6. What is your favorite easiest recipe that people really enjoy when you make? that is a tough one... let me think... I would have to say Taco Salad

7. What do you like most of your occupation? well I start a job tomorrow so I will let you know what I like most after a week of work.

I'm tagging anyone interested in participating. If you don't blog but want to join in on this fun, just leave your answers in the comments section.

Here are the seven questions to answer:

1) What are you most thankful for?
2) What has God been teaching you these last few months/weeks/days?
3) What is your favorite Bible verse and why?
4) What is your favorite hymn?
5) What do you most appreciate about your parents?
6) If you had to share one piece of advice what would it be?
7) What is your favorite day of the week?

Hope some are able to join in and share!

Have a blessed week everyone!

Cross Country Trip

It has taken me forever to post the rest of the pictures from our cross country trip but I do want to share all the great pictures.
Since I posted lots of pictures on Facebook I am going to try and link to all those pictures. (let me know if the links don't work)

Oct 19th - New Mexico

Quarter Horse Museum - Amarillo TX

Oct 20th - Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

Oct 21st - Grand Canyon

Wax Museum

It's A Winner!

I am pleased to announce that we have a new recipe. Kathy brought home a pork tenderloin yesterday, I called Mom this morning to get a recipe and tonight Paul, Kathy and I enjoyed eating it!

Here is the recipe... I am not sure where Mom got the recipe but I wanted to blog about it so I can keep it handy.

Slow Cooker Pork

Dry Rub:
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp paprika

Mix dry rub together and cover entire pork loin. Wrap in plastic and place in fridge for 2 hours.

Wet Mix:
2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
garlic

Take pork out of fridge and place in slow cooker. Pour wet mixture over pork and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.

Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

First Two Travel Days

Our trip started early Sunday morning. We have hotels already planned out for our entire trip so we know each day where and when we are stopping. Our first day was to drive to Memphis. For me when I hear Memphis I think BBQ and Elvis. So we found a local hole in the wall. The food was delicious however we felt like we had to eat fast and leave because we had to illegally park in the McDonald's parking lot next to Corky's because there was no parking at Corky's. After our stomachs were full, we headed to Graceland. We didn't really do any research on it so we didn't know what to expect. We got their 45 minutes before closing...paid $10 for parking and when we asked about touring the house, we found out it cost $30 a person. Wow... that was a shocker... especially since none of us were big Elvis fans. So instead we walked around in the gift shops and took some pictures to prove we made it to Graceland.
Our second day driving took us as far as Oklahoma City. This drive was around 7 hours and when we arrived we were all tired and hungry. We stayed at a Wyndham Garden Hotel and we were impressed. It had a beautiful atrium were we played one game of hand and foot before we decided to go to bed.
We ate lunch/dinner at Kona Ranch Restaurant which was right next to the hotel.

The food was delicious. I had to take a picture of the coconut shrimp because I thought it was so cool how they put the K in the sauce.

Thank you all for praying for us as we travel. God has blessed us with little traffic and beautiful weather.

Gold Rush Days

Since I don't like to drive (although I have been driving for the past few weeks) Kathy and Aunt Judy flew in to help me make the cross country trip to Las Vegas. Mom and I took the MARTA down to meet them at the airport. Let me just tell you, when we all get together there is never a dull moment... we are constantly laughing and enjoying life.

Aunt Judy is really enjoying driving the truck. I don't think Kathy is going to have a chance to drive it during this trip.Our first stop was to go to Canton to show Kathy and Aunt Judy the cemetery where Mike's ashes are.I also wanted to get a picture of the engraving on the marble. Saturday morning we got ready to go to Gold Rush Days in Dahlonega... of course we had to wear the matching shirts that Kathy got us.

I was too busy shopping to remember to take pictures so the only one I ended up taking was this one of all the Mr and Mrs Gold Rush contestants. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed walking around so much that we ended up buying more stuff than we ever planned to. To solve that problem we went to Walmart and bought a container to put everything in and strap it in the back while we travel cross country. Since the container was empty and we didn't want it to fly away while we drove to the hotel, we tried to stuff it in the back seat where Mom and I were sitting. Lets just say that didn't work too well. I had to snap the picture though because of course it made us all laugh to see how Mom ended up sitting to get the container to fit it.
On a serious note, I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family who is always willing to sacrifice for each other. I love how closely knit my family is. Thank you God for each one of them!
Tomorrow morning we start our cross country trip to move me to Las Vegas. Please pray for safety as we are on the road.