Libby Made It!

Dear Student,

Congratulations on making the yearbook team! The staff and I would like to say that we were very impressed by your application and the effort you put forth in your portfolio. We feel that you would be an excellent contributor to our team, and we are looking forward to working closely with you.

That's an excerpt from the letter that Libby got at school today! We are so excited! Not all of the kids who turned in a "portfolio" made it. In fact, one of Libby's best friends didn't. :-( She had to submit an essay, a sample "yearbook page" and several samples of pictures she has taken, preferrably of people. Below are a couple of the photos she submitted (because I thought Claudia and BaBa would like to know their beautiful faces helped Libby!)

YAY LIBBY!!!!!! Woo hoo!!!! Yipppeeee! You go girl!

Fall Decorating

I love Fall and couldn't wait for it to get here... so I have already put out my Fall Decor (including a few new things I bought for cheap....)

My budding Interior Decorator, Libby, decorated the top of the piano with some hand-made confetti....

Achan .... From Joshua 7-8

From my recent bible reading.....Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites are conquering the land that God has promised them and one of the first cities to go is Jericho. After marching around it once a day for 6 days and 7 times on the 7th day, they blow their trumpets and shout and the walls "come tumbling down" ... and a man named Achan decides that God was probably only half-serious when he said, "Destroy everything in the city. Don't keep ANYTHING". He steals some things and hides them in the ground under his tent.

When they go next to fight Ai, they are defeated and end up running away! God reveals to Joshua that the reason for the defeat is because there is sin in the camp... and once it is discovered that Achan is the guilty party... and he and his whole family are dragged outside the city and stoned (guess God was fully serious).... God tells Joshua to go and fight Ai again. This time God turns the whole "Achan fiasco" into a strategy. He sends half the army to pick a fight and run away again. While the enemy army pursues them thinking, "They're running away again! Those losers!", the other half of the Israelite army will attack from the other side of the city (where they have secretly camped) and while the city is unguarded, conquer the city. Of course... it works.

Isn't that so like God? How often has He taken a big mess in your life and turned it around, USED IT, and made something awesome out of it? I don't know why or how He does it most of the time, but He is the Master at it.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

1000 Gifts

I've reached (and exceeded) number 100 in my list of 1,000 Gifts! That went by so fast and so easily!! God is everywhere! And I bought Libby a journal and she has been enjoying journaling, too. Her journal is precious, listing "bubble gum" and "education" among her gifts. :-)

Here's another way I make journaling interesting for myself... I buy pretty stickers and stick them on the pages.....

And I leave you with some of my gifts from the past 2 weeks..... air conditioning.... nice pens.....clean sheets.... fresh, ripe pineapple.... the quiet stillness of 4:00 a.m..... good fiction.... the smell of freshly cut grass...musical instruments.... open windows in the evening.....

Sunset With God

Last Christmas, SOMEONE (Elsie?) gave me this little devotional book subtitled "Meditations to End Your Day God's Way" and it took me until this past week to start reading it. I love the cover and found out that this book can be judged by its cover! Each devotional is just a page or two long and I have found them all to be very interesting and a nice way to end the day, so I have placed it on the stand beside my bed.

A couple nights ago... the devo was entitled "Evening and Morning". Here are some excerpts:

In the Book of Genesis, each day of creation is concluded with the phrase, "and there was evening, and there was morning." From the Hebrew perspective, the day begins at evening, specifically with the setting of the sun.... Consider the priorities evidenced by their way of life:

First, a focus on prayer and one's relationship with God

Second, an emphasis on family life.

Third, a daily study of Scripture, making God's Word the last thoughts of the day.

Fourth, rest and sleep.

It was only after a Hebrew talked with God, enjoyed the love and fellowship of family, studied the Scriptures, and rested, that work was undertaken! What would happen in your life if you adopted this strategy for your evening hours?

(This is my second post today... don't miss my de-lish recipe below!)

Pizza in Pyrex

Trying to be efficient and use my slow cooker every Monday, and wishing to do something other than throw in potatoes and meat, I bought a Taste of Home slow cooker cookbook for cheap. This week I had plans to make PIZZA IN A POT... but realized the 3-4 hours it needs to cook in the slow cooker is both too short (to do in the morning) and too long (to do in the afternoon)... so I adapted the recipe and cooked it in the oven.... with awesome results. This is very, very yummy.....I renamed it PIZZA IN PYREX.

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (brown extra and freeze some for another use!)

1 medium green pepper, chopped (big if you want your kids to be able to pick them out, really small if you don't want them to even notice they are there)

1 medium onion (I always use onion powder, although a fresh onion would be healthier)

1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 jar (14 oz.) pizza sauce

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

3 cups spiral pasta, cooked and drained

2 packages (3.5 oz. each) sliced pepperoni

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

* In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, pizza sauce and tomato paste.

* In a 5-qt. slow cooker, layer the pasta, beef mixture, pepperoni and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through.

* Brenda's variation: Layer as directed (except I put the pepperoni on top to give it a "pizza" look) in a 9 x 13 pan. Do not cover. Cook for 30-40 minutes on 350 in a preheated oven until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Soccer Saturday

This is how our Saturdays will look for the next few weeks:

Sarah went straight to the goal and scored her third one just after I shot this picture. (After the third goal, the coach told her they needed to give someone else a chance and moved her to mid field!) And I should mention she was stung by a bee in the temple of her head just before the game... Libby commented that maybe she needs to be stung every week! ;-)

This is Sarah's game from the hill behind it.... (that's her with the ball).....

Jacob plays so hard and always has a good time, it's fun to watch him.

Here's me, as I generally look on the sidelines:

Here's Libby, as she generally looks on the sidelines (she comes prepared with snacks!):

When your child plays on Field 5... (as Sarah usually does)... you get a direct view of this awesome and very old tree that has been respected (i.e. not chopped down) as the park has expanded around it. God's creation is incredible.