Making sense of a dream…

The other day, I was reminded of a dream I had 11 years ago. I dreamt it was thundering and I went out on my front porch to see where it was at. In the distance I saw the land crumbling with each thunderous boom. Pretty soon the ground was falling out from under my front porch. I grabbed my youngest son and pulled him in the house and woke up.
Every time I hear thunder in a distance I think of that dream and the end of the world…but I just realized that that dream wasn’t about the end of the world it was telling me that something in my world was going to end. Shortly after the dream I found out my dad had cancer. I don’t know why that didn’t hit me until now, maybe I wasn’t supposed figure that out until now.

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Photo Friday

Merry Christmas

Karalyn, Matthew, and Andrew

With Uncle Karl and his girlfriend CrystalThe kids with EmmaKarl, Kevin, Mom and I.Had to get a picture in with the shirt my mom gave Kevin…his little girl loves Elmo…so guess what?  I tickled Elmo today, was pretty funny…and then Kevin had to go to work, he wore the Elmo shirt.

On Christmas Eve we went to church and then went to my mom’s house for a Mexican dinner.  Kevin wasn’t able to come because he had to work,  so it was a little strange without him and his family.

On Christmas Day, we went to church to see two of my baby cousins baptised.  After the service we got to visit with family for a little bit and see cousins that live out of state.  Then we went to mom’s house for lunch and got to see Kevin for a few minutes…he had to work today also.  I told him to tell his boss that I said he will be off for New Year’s.  The poor guy has had to work the last few holidays and has completely missed our holiday gatherings.  I know my demands won’t be met, but I thought I would try anyway.

Next year, on Christmas I pray that all of us will be able to be together…because the holidays are just not the same when someone is missing.

When we were done at mom’s I went home and took a nap.  Then the kids half brother’s,  sister, and mom came over for the evening and had dinner with us.  We had Tortilla burgers and beans…not your typical Christmas dinner, but it was good.  I didn’t get any pictures of them…I was too tired to mess with the camera.

I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday.

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Prayers please…

I am sorry I have been so quiet lately, It’s not because I have nothing to say.  It’s because, I have a lot to say, but am not sure how to put it.

I need prayers for a situation that I would rather not go into details on.  Remember Cody, Courtney and Christopher?  My kids half brothers and sister.  Well, now there is going to be a fourth child…due in July…but, I don’t know if the baby will make it that far.  Their dad wants the baby to be aborted.  He was messing around with the kids mom, while he was with someone else and now the mom is pregnant, again. (Both the mom and the dad are blaming each other for  this pregnancy and not taking responsibility for any of    their on actions…after all it does take two). Now, because the dad is in a new relationship, he wants the pregnancy terminated.  That’s about as much detail I can give without getting into the dramatics.

I don’t understand how someone can be such a selfish person as to kill  his own unborn offspring to keep  his new relationship going well.  What an ass!   He has done some really horrible things in the  past, but this one is the worst yet.

Please pray for that unborn baby, for the mom and for the kids…and the dad who needs a rude awakening.

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Insane Cat Video

I ran across this video last night and thought it was funny…hope you like it as much as I did.

Insane Cat Video.

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Chrismouse MeMe

The Twelve days of Christmas have been celebrated since medieval times ~ traditionally beginning the day after Christmas Day (now known as Boxing Day) and ending with Twelfth Night.  And since the festive season is upon us ~ I thought it might be fun to do a Christmas meme!  So without more ado:

Author tagged me to do this cute Meme….funny, because I was going to mention to her that we needed to do one.  It’s been a long time since we’ve done one.  Thank you Author!

The Chrismouse Meme

Rules:

1. Copy the delightful Chrismouse picture to your post.
2. Copy these rules and the explanation of the meme (above).
3. Link the person who tagged you.
4. List 12 things: either about christmas present or memories about Christmas past (or a mixture of both)
5. Tag as many or as few people as you like!

So, here we go!

1.   When I was in high school I went Christmas caroling with my choir group, it was so much fun and we always had the best time.

2.  When I was little Christmas Eve was a very special night.  My brothers and I would practice for weeks for the Christmas Eve service that the children in the church put on.  Mom and Dad always started the night with letting us open up a present befor the service, the gift was always a new Christmas outfit that we would wear for the special service.  We would all get ready and then go to church.  After the service we would go drive around town and look at Christmas lights.  Then it was off to Grandma’s house to open gifts and mingle with family.  Sometimes Santa would show up at Grandma’s to hand out gifts.  Those were the best Christmas’s ever!

3. I am going to Andrew’s band concert tonight, they will be performing some Christmas music, including “Carol of the Bells” one of my favorites.  He has been practicing so hard!

4. Our tree is up, but it’s not decorated yet.  Haven’t had time.

5.  On Christmas Day this year we are going to Church at Immanuel Lutheran (where I taught art classes last year) to see two of our families newest members be baptised.  It will be nice to have the family together for that special gathering.

6.  Matthew volunteered to bring pie and egg nog to his class Christmas party…he informed me this morning.

7. Everyone is getting handmade/homemade  gifts this year.  Even the guys!

8.  I went to a Christmas parade last weekend to watch my kids who were in it with their youth group.  I was so cold I thought my feet were going to give out  on me.

9.  I remember one Christmas Eve when my cousin Heather and I patiently sat by the window in grandma’s den and waited to hear Santa’s sleigh bells.

10.  My grandma used to set up a cookie tree in her den with all sorts of cancy and cookies.  I got to help her decorate it one year with ribbon candy.  The other day I was in Wal-mart and I saw a box of ribbon candy and thought of her.

11.  One Christmas, When I was a senior in High  School ( 1991) I worked at Target.  They came out with M&M dispensers that year.  I bought my dad his first two and that was the start of the M&M collection I have now.  Now every year I buy myself one to keep the tradition, since I have Dad’s collection now.  This year I bought one for myself and showed it to David…a few weeks later he forgot I already had this years dispenser, so I have two M&M candy Dispensers this year.  They are Nutcrackers.Sorry it’s so dark

12.  I was teaching Karalyn the song “Away in a Manger” and it came out “Amay in a Wanger”  We laughed really hard and when we stopped I sang it to her and she told me I should be a proffessional singer…I  thought that was cute…   ***note*** when I was pregnant with Karalyn I used to sing that song all the time …and she still loves it.

Merry Christmas Everybody!

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Andrew’s Birthday

Saturday was Andrew’s 13th birthday.   He and his brother and sister were in the Christmas light parade on Saturday night with their youth group, so we didn’t have a party for him on Saturday.  I made cupcakes for him to take to youth group to share.Sunday afternoon we had a party for him.  We had pizza and salad and the table was decorated with toy cars.

My computer is running extremely slow this morning so I will post more pictures later.

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Keeping Busy…

If  I don’t post very much this week it is because I am busy getting ready for an Open House for Home based businesses this Saturday December 5.  I am trying to get as many Christmas cards made and other cards as I can…but it’s not as easy as it sounds.  I am having a hard time getting things done because of the kids and other stuff.  One of the things being car trouble again…the battery on the van died yesterday, we put a new one in and now the check engine light came on this morning when I went to pick David up from work…It wasn’t running very well and I have a tendancy to panic when something goes wrong with my car…though I did my best not to this morning.

We went to the Christmas Twinkle light parade on Saturday evening.  I didn’t take pictures but it was fun. My favorite were the old cars that were lit up and the dance teams of little girls dressed as snowmen, oh they were so cute!   We got rained on also while we were there, but it was worth it only because we had so much fun.  Thank God our van didn’t break down on Saturday night with all of us in Albuquerque.

When I get some cards done I will post them sometime this week.

Have I mentioned yet, that at the end of this week, Saturday, I will officially have a teenager in my house?  Yes, Andrew will be 13 on Saturday…I don’t know where the time went.

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Happy Thanksgiving…

From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another. John 1:16

Just a month or so ago I wrote  a post about believing in myself.  In that post I talked about doubting myself and my abilities.  I talked about my hours being cut to ten a week and  putting my worries in God’s hands.   Well I have quite an update and want to share what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.

This past spring I found one of my high school friends, Jeannette  on Facebook.  She saw my cards and ordered some, she is a Mary Kay Cosmetic consultant… you may remember they were the little compacts I made that were pink.  She was very pleased with them and sent one to her supervisor, who had a fit over the card and my friend has been trying to get the two of us together to meet but it never seems to work out.  Well,  last Friday night Jeannette sent me a message about getting an open house together that was for home based businesses and she asked me if  I would like to participate in the open house.  I said yes.  So on December 5, from noon to three pm I will be presenting my cards to people I don’t know….potential customers.  I am extremely excited about it and also a bit nervous, but I know I will do well once I get in there.

I also have an order for 12 thank you cards from a cousin of mine and just sent out the order of thirty cards last week that I spent most of the first of the year working on…the customer was very pleased and told me that I really needed to make a real business out of my card making.

On Tuesday I received a call from Matthew and Karalyn’s school asking if I needed help with Christmas gifts for them.  I said yes and explained that my hours had been cut to just a few a week.  So the school told me that they were going to put the kid’s names in the drawing to go with the local police department for a day of fun and shopping.  I was floored, though I knew I shouldn’t be…

As far as my job is concerned, things are also looking up.  I am going to be able to work for my boss through an agency and be able to keep the hours I had before and the same rate of pay.  We are just waiting for paperwork from the State to come in…after that I will be working more hours again.

I was optimistic when I was told my hours were going to be cut, because I knew that God had a plan for me.   I am finding out what that plan is and am very thankful for what is happening…though it is happening very quickly and I am scared. He again, has also reminded me that he is always there and will provide.

I am Thankful for all that God has given me…

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

Love,

Melanie

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My Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

I wanted to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes with my friends and family.

I got this recipe when from  the home economics class I was in high school.  It is a family favorite now.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (29 ounce) can canned pumpkin puree
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 9 x 13 inch pan (preferably metal).
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture. Melt the butter or margarine, and drizzle it over the cake mix. Sprinkle walnuts over the top.
4. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until done.

I made these dinner rolls last night for Thanksgiving dinner.  My mom has a recipe that used to be my  Aunt Carolyn’s.  I loved eating these rolls whenever my mom made them, which wasn’t often.  They have a slightly sweet taste and are so delicious.  A few years ago, when I was learning to make bread, I found this recipe and the rolls tasted just like the ones my  mom used to make, but the recipe is much simpler and still just as good.

Dinner  Crescent Rolls

41/2 c. all purpose flour

1 pkg active dry yeast

1 c. milk

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. butter, margerine, or shortening

3/4 tsp. salt

2 beaten eggs

1. In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and yeast.  In a medium saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just till warm and butter almost melts.  Add milk mixture to dry mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to meium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sinde of bowl constantly.   Beat on high for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough  remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic.  Shape dough into a ball andplace in a lightly greased bowl. Cover; let rise for 1 hour.

3.  Punch dough down Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Divide dough in half.  Cover; let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, lightly grease cookie sheets.

4.  Roll dough out into a circle.  Cut into 12 triangles.  Roll them wide end to point.  Place on cookie sheet to rise for 40  minutes.

5.  Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Makes 24  rolls.

I have a few more recipes to share, but will post them tomorrow.

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Today

Today I was off.  My work  hours have temporarily changed, hopefully only for a few weeks.  So I went to my mom’s house and was going to  scrub her kitchen and bathroom floors.  I got the kitchen floor done, which includes her laundry room floor too.  The bathroom floors are going to have to wait because my hip told me I was finished about halfway through the kitchen.  I am not as flexible as I used to be…and am very sore at the moment.  I was going to paint at the daycare tonight, because my former boss finally got the last few things she wanted on the walls, but I don’t want to push it and not be able to walk at all tomorrow.  So I’ll do it tomorrw night…and finish the bathroom floors at mom’s house on Saturday.

Today, while I was at mom’s house she asked me what kind of pearls I wanted out of my grandma’s jewelry box.  We had talked about it before.  I had gotten my grandma a pearl necklace from Target, when I was working there while I was in high school.   The pearls  had a very light pink tint to them.  So today, my mom took me back to the jewelry box and opened it up so I could find the necklace.  She had a lot of pretty pearl and beaded jewelry.  So I found the necklace took it out.  My grandma loved her jewelry and I could just feel her there, looking through that jewelry box brought back so many memories of her.  I brought home several of her pearl necklaces, because mom won’t wear them, and a few other beaded ones.  I don’t know what I will wear them with, but I will be happy to have a little peice of my grandma with me when I do wear them.These are all of the necklaces piled on each other…it would take to long to take pictures of all of them.

These are the ones I bought her.

After we went throught the beads we sat down and had lunch,  soup and crackers.  It was very good.

While we were eating she told me that my brother was reading a book that was suggested to him by a pastor (Karl is going through some stuff right now). Then she told me that she had given him my dad’s Bible which had been given to my dad in 1952 by his grandma in memory of his grandpa…I opened it and saw the handwriting of my great grandma and on another page some numbers that my dad had written so many years ago.  I don’t remember a lot about my great grandma but it was neat to see and I could almost smell my dad in the pages of that Bible, it is well used and I am sure my brother will treasure it forever.

After that, I took and order of  30 Christmas cards, that I made, to the post office to mail to a friend who had ordered them.  She can hardly wait to get them.  I’ve never mailed that many cards at one time, it was a neat feeling.  I can’t wait to hear from her either.

Now I am off to make dinner…Ministrone soup…mmmm.

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