Michele Helms...Happy at Home!

Cooking with Michele

2011-11-10T17:08:00.000-08:00

Cooking Class
With Michele Helms
When: Thursday Night, December 1st, 6-8pm
Where: Stonecrest Baptist Church, 485 Arnold Mill Road

Menu
Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail with homemade sauce
Main Course: Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Glazed Carrots, Grandma’s Mac-n-Cheese, and Muffin Biscuits
Dessert: Apple Pie
Cost: $25.00 (Includes the above meal, complete cooking instructions, and printed recipes.)

This class is designed to help you make a meal that everyone in your family will love and I promise it will be easy! Every dish will be demonstrated and every question answered! You will receive a copy of all the recipes that we make and best of all you will get to enjoy eating all of the prepared meals.

Pay at the door. Email me to reserve your spot michelehelms7@gmail.com

Don't assume!

2011-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

I can tell you that I am sort of glad that we have not been in the ministry all of our married life...I might be a hardened bitter old lady by now! :) I remember years ago talking with one of my friends who is a ministers wife....we were talking about how much we loved the thrift store and we were swapping thrift store find stories. She told me that she found a Dooney and Bourke handbag for $4.50...this particular one was regular $200....she loved it! She carried it to church one Sunday and someone recognized the brand.....I personally wouldn't know the difference.....anyway....this person said......"Love the purse....Guess I need to get a job at the church so I can afford something that nice" my friend quickly told her about the thrift store but never carried it again because she said she felt like she needed to wear a sign that said "thrift store find....don't judge me"

It was so nuts but it made me evaluate the way I look at others....was I guilty of judging when I didn't know all the facts..probably!

Now fast forward ans we have been in the ministry for almost 4 years and I am on the receiving end of that judgement! It is very difficult. There certainly are those who give the rest of us a bad name....those who take money for ministry and live in utter extravagance....but when you live very frugally and make huge sacrifices all the time, it is so hard to have every move analyzed! I really do feel like I need to constantly explain our every move. If you have a question about how we spend our time or resources....come and ask us....do not make comments to others and do not make jabbing comments to us...just ask...I'll tell ya!!!! Don't assume cause you may just be really really wrong!

Show Grace

2011-07-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

I blew it! You know those moments that you just wish you could have a "re-do"....well this is one of them! Emily has been volunteering all week in VBS.....and at night she has been staying and playing freeze tag with the other volunteers....then she is home by 9:30. Well last night 9:30 came and went.....9:45 came and went...so my sister and I went looking for her and her cousin.....nothing....... 10:10...I'm about to be in full fledged panic! My sister asked if I thought they had walked to Wendy's...surely NOT! She is almost 14 she has never gone somewhere without asking me!!

We pulled up and there she was inside with a group of friends. I couldn't believe it....my worry quickly turned to dismay and anger. I walked in and asked her to come outside where I began to explain how worried I was and that I couldn't believe that she would just go without calling. OK I will tell you that up till this point I stand behind my decisions.....then I told her to get in the car...she had lost the privilege to hang with her friends.

So what do I regret.....she has NEVER given me any reason not to trust her.....she serves Jesus all the time by serving others.....she was with a great group of friends...I truly believe that she got caught up in the moment and that it wasn't a rebellious intentional action. Knowing all these things..I should have extended grace...but I didn't! I wish I had! She and I talked that night about all the why's and the importance of calling me and about how we would gladly give her freedoms but that she had to communicate and get permission. The next morning I talked to her and told her why I should have extended grace and that I was sorry. She was awesome and full of her own apologies for forgetting and that she sure hoped she had not lose my trust. All is good but I have to practice what I preach act but don't just "re-act."

Love those babies!!!!

My big Dream!!!!

2011-05-31T10:49:00.000-07:00

What is your dream? I mean your BIG dream from the Lord??? Do you ever feel like it is so big that it is ridiculous? I do!!!!! We moved into our house 15 years ago. It was such a blessing....it was owned by a drug dealer who went to prison...it was trashed but we could see the potential! We worked hard to restore it and we love it! We knew from the time that we moved in that it was not ours....we have always viewed our "stuff" as the Lords. Really from the very beginning Eric and I have known that we are supposed to give this house to our church(right across the street). Our church has a couple of amazing ministries...one is to provide furlough homes for missionaries and another is to provide homes for pastors who are hurting and need a place to come for healing hearts. Here is a picture of our house.

Then comes the second part of our dream. There is a piece of land here in Woodstock.... 87 acres right in the heart of Woodstock....and it is in foreclosure:) Here some pictures of it. It is way too long of a story to write here...but the Lord started burning a Big dream into our hearts. We would love for Driven To Encourage to own this land.....with several uses....one is that it is already set up as pasture land....we would love to have horses and a place for equine therapy(which is actually Emily's BIG dream) for mentally and physically handicapped children. Secondly we would have facilities for the kids that Eric mentors. And last...and dearest to my heart personally....we would have a large unit......for around 30 couples to live. Marriages are falling apart!!!! My dream is to have a place for newly weds to live for a year under the agreement that they will attend marriage classes and put themselves in a place of being mentored. They would continue to work or go to school and they would pay some sort of rent. We would open the classes up to any married couple who wanted to attend but we would focus intently on those 30 couples.

So what do you think??? What is your BIG Dream?????

What is under my bed?

2011-05-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

What is under my bed??? Well the reason that I am answering this question is that our house is really small for 4 people...much less 7:) So I have to constantly declutter and make sure that I am making the very best use of my space! Under the beds is a great place to start. First I start with these great risers...I love high beds and these are great to give that look and it gives more storage space under the bed. They are inexpensive...I bought mine at Wal-mart but you can get them at Home Depot.
I have several different clear plastic containers in varying sizes.

One is filled with gift bags(dollar store has great bags!) for all occasions. The box is complete with tissue paper, scissors, ribbon and tape. I save bags that I get gifts in as well. This keeps them all together and it saves me from running to the store when I need one.

Another is filled with extra free drugstore stuff that I might use as a hostess gift or a birthday gift. make-up, lotion, body spray, room spray, candles, tea towels.....

Another is filled with seasonal clothes....small house...small closets:) So now all my sweaters and sweatshirts are under my bed and at the end of summer I will switch them out.

All of my kids have these boxes under their beds for a variety of things...my little boys have most of their toys under their beds....leggo's, cars, GI Joe men, guns and swords...all in separate boxes.....easy to pull our and easy to clean-up!

New Coffee Table

2011-05-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

This coffee table is made by Laura Ashley and it costs $600....I love it so I have been looking for one to recreate.

I found this very beat up coffee table at the Thrift Store for $20. It was solid and in great shape. One leg was wobbly...nothing a few nails didn't fix.

I washed it down and then rubbed the surface with steel wool.

I bought black stain for $4 at HomeDepot. I pained it on....it only took 1 coat.
After it dried I used this handheld sander and distressed the table...this is the funnest part to me. I ran the sander over edges...stepped back and looked at it and then sanded it again. Because the table was so worn from previous owners I decided to distress it further with a hammer and a few other random tools that I used to swing at the table. I love it!!!

Emily's Party

2011-05-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

When our kids turn 13 we have a special party for them. We bring in friends and special mentors to speak into their lives and encourage them and then we take a trip. Emily LOVES horses so I found a farm in Florida that raises Freisian horses and off we went. The owner of the farm was so very gracious and we had a blast. I think that Emily could have stayed for days! Then off to the beach for a few days. We had an awesome 3 days away...lots of laughing and talking and playing! We drank enough tea to drown a person! We made lots of memories.

Michele Helms

2011-03-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

I want to blog so bad I can't stand it...but I can't seem to get to it! One of my kids has some very severe learning issues....on top of regular school...I have a tremendous amount of new stuff that we are doing with this child. I am having a hard time getting my regular stuff...you know like laundry and dishes :) much less blogging!!!!! I do find it easier to update facebook....usually straight from twitter! I'd love for you to join me there..........look for Michele Helms!

February 16

2011-02-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

Hello sweet friends!!! After a long break from my blog and many other things...I am back..I think???? I have so many things to tell you...I think about you guys and what I want to write all the time but finding or making the time to sit and write has been difficult!!

Lindsey is finishing up her senior year and doing very well but with that is the process of all those college applications and transcripts. Marshall is swimming 5 days a week for 3 hours a day....he loves it and he is really good at it!!! He is going to state in two weeks!!! Fun to see your kids find their nitch! Emily had to take a break from horse riding for a little bit. It's a situation that I am not at liberty to discuss here but we are praying that the Lord would give us a new place for her to ride! Benj and Luke are playing upward soccer and they are so excited to begin this spring!

Eric has been busy speaking in schools and as of January he is back in the gym with 30 young men 4 days a week to mentor them! Great opportunity for him!

I am over the top busy with homeschool and I am speaking about once a month to ladies groups...love it!!!! I sure hope that you have an awesome day!!!

Advent

2010-12-05T19:00:00.000-08:00

Advent has been a tradition in our house since Lindsey was old enough to know about Christmas. We always wanted to make sure that the emphasis was always on Jesus and the reason that we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Then 10 years ago my good friend Lori Apon gave us the greatest Advent book...Every day beginning December 1 you open a door in this beautiful book. Every day tells a piece of the Christmas story. I get the cheap little dollar store candy advent books with a piece of candy for each day .

Every night we sit as a family...light a candle...read the advent book, sing a song and talk about what Christmas really means then we blow the candle out and the kids eat their candy. Although my oldest haven't eaten the candy for a few years...they still participate in the tradition. It is one of our favorite things about Christmas!

Think back about Christmas's as a child.....most of us can't name many of the gifts that we recieved as a kid but we can remember the traditions that we enjoyed. Make amazing memories with your kids! Get your focus off of the gifts and the money! Make this season special by doing things together. Eat dinner on a blanket in your living room and play a game! Make a car picnic and go looking for Christmas lights. Go together as a family and buy gifts for a needy family...let your kids pick out age appropriate gifts to give away!

Enjoy your family!

Raiders

2010-11-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Our oldest boy..Marshall is a part of ROTC and the Raiders team. Their team made it to nationals a few weeks ago. Boy oh boy was I proud of him and the whole team. They did an amazing job! Here are a few pictures....hope they are not cut off like last time???
Marshall was 2nd in the nation for sit ups and pushups...he did 135 pushups in 2 min??? He is a FRESHMAN!!!
Lindsey and Hunter....AAAHHHH How cute!
The water was freezing!
Marshall and another kid helped everyone over and then jumped over themselves.
Very proud of him!!!!!

Speak Kind Words!!!

2010-11-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

I wonder what it would be like if our words were recorded all day and then played back to us. It would not be pretty for me on some days. I have a feeling that I would listen...cringing...crying...at my tone, in many instances! I wonder how many times I have missed the opportunity to speak encouragement and kindness into my husband, my children and others because I was not thinking about the power of words! The Bible is FULL of verses about our words and their power! Here are a few.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Matthew 12:36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak

Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Lets start thinking about what we say...and how we say it!

One of those days!!!

2010-11-12T15:05:00.000-08:00

Ever have one of those days??? the fence is falling down, the toilet is stopped up....the sewage pipe in the basement started leaking today....my dryer is taking 2 cycles to dry everything, the car we were blessed with last week went on the fritz yesterday.... and we have no money!!!!!

The Lord must be up to something big because that is usually what happens around a trial. Lord help me to have the attitude that would please you!!!!

Encouragement!

2010-11-09T19:44:00.000-08:00

Are you encouraging your kids..and your husband for that matter...every day???? Sometimes we get so busy with "life" that we forget to give words of encouragement. This can be especially true if you have a really strong willed child. Look back on your day and ask yourself...Were my comments to my children mostly positive and uplifting or negative? Some mamas just seem to be so negative all the time.

A huge part of parenting is correcting...but if we are not extremely careful we will get so busy with that one aspect we forget the uplifting part. One of my kids was so trying..ALL THE TIME...those who know me know exactly which child:)...I spent many many hours praying, crying, begging the Lord for a break through with this child! I kid you not....this struggle went on for YEARS....I thought I had the one kid who could not be tamed. There were many days that I had to look really really hard to find positive uplifting things to say!

As I spent time in prayer..one of the things that the Lord showed me was to encourage this child with scripture and with the child's identity in Christ....so these were some of the statements that I used over and over with all my kids but it started with the one I struggled with.

Jesus loves you so very much! And so do I!!
The Bible says that the Lord knit you together in my womb...I love how He made you!
I can't wait to see the person you will grow up to be!
The Lord has an amazing plan for you!
I am so glad that the Lord gave you to me!
Did you know that Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life for you!
The Bible says that you are a very special blessing just for me!
I love you so much.....just because you are mine!

Look for ways to give praise...notice when your kids have good manners, speak kind words or lend a helping hand. Tell them that you are overjoyed to be their mama!

JROTC

2010-11-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Marshall is in JROTC this year. He tried out for the raiders team and made it...he loves it. His team is going to Nationals this weekend and Eric is going to get to share his testimony on Sunday morning with all the teams who are there. We still can't believe the opportunities that He keeps getting!! I am so proud of both my boys...Marshall and my main man!!! Here is a picture of Marshall and Lindsey at the last meet.
Below is a picture of Lindsey and Hunter....aaaahhhh aren't they so cute!

Excuses???!!!

2010-10-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

We have a whole generation of adults who have been allowed to make excuses for their bad behavior. Those people who never take responsibility for their actions...it is always someone else's fault. I think it starts at home!! Bad behavior is excused by parents and kids grow up to become adults who make excuses for everything in their lives. I'm gonna bet that if you talk with your 80 year old grand parents.....you will get a very different perspective! Below are some common excuses that I hear...

*Oh those terrible two's...to excuse fit pitching
*Boy's will be boy's....to excuse brothers fighting, or even pornography as they are older
*Oh she/he is going through puberty...to excuse bad attitudes
*It's her time of the month..to excuse EVERYTHING!!
*Teenagers...to excuse stupidity...crazy how teenagers are just expected to make poor decisions because of their age!!

Look familiar??? My point is that we are raising children who's behavior has not been dealt with and even excused. They in turn are adults who make excuses for everything in their lives. I tell my kids...there are and will always be many things that are out of your control, but you can be in control of your response. A true test of character is how we RESPOND in difficult situations.

Don't make excuses for your own bad behavior and don't let your kids...at any age!

Big Brother!!

2010-10-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Luke had a bad dream that bugs were crawling on him. He told Marshall that he was afraid they were going to return when he went to sleep. Marshall said, "What if I lay down with you until you fall asleep to make sure they do not come back?" This made Luke VERY happy..so Marshall climbed into Luke's twin bed with him and both fell asleep. Does a mama's heart proud to see her 6ft, high school boy take care of his brother. Those of you who know some of our struggles there...know how very proud I am! :)

Bad Attitudes

2010-10-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

I know that my personality is black and white....so this may seem harsh...but my husband's personality is not black and white....he is much more encouraging and gentle than I am.... and we are totally on the same page on this one...so you can't blame this on my personality!

Bad Attitudes.....do not accept them!!! Honestly it is that easy! Do my kids ever have them...YES and so do I for that matter! The difference is that they are not tolerated and they are dealt with immediately! We do not accept eye rolling, slamming doors, stamping and stomping, back talking or deep sighing! The instance that we see any of it ..it is dealt with right that second. I might say something like....."I know you are upset but you may not act like that." We do try to give them acceptable ways to handle their emotions but we do not argue with them! If there is not instant compliance there are instant consequences!

When my kids were little I would say something like..."You may not talk to me like that...if you can talk to me nicely or without whining or in a big girl/boy voice...then we can talk...otherwise you may go to your room until you can talk to me properly." I also used this if they were talking to their siblings or friends in an ugly or mean voice.

As my kids have gotten older this is still the same rule...they are not allowed to talk to each other or to us in a mean or disrespectful voice. They are taught to use their words in an acceptable manor to convey their thoughts.....I say to them things like...."Let's try that again." Sometimes I will even say.."Let me show you hoe that sounded" and I will mimic them...and then ask the question....."Is that the way you want to talk or to be talked to??"

So what is the result of this....my older kids...13, 14, and 17 almost NEVER give any attitude..I can't say never because no one is perfect but I will say this...If I ask them for help..If I ask them to do a chore that is not their normal duty...If I ask them to drop whatever they are doing and come to me...THEY DO IT WITHOUT ANY ATTITUDE>>>EVER!!! They occasionally have attitude with each other but almost never with me. It just never has been tolerated. I do not yell at them....I never threaten them...I really do just simply say..you may not act like that or you may not talk like that. I have done that since they were little and they DO IT!

The other day I came down the stairs to find my son..10 speaking so ugly to his sister...I sent him upstairs and I went up to talk to him...I told him that it didn't matter what she did...he could not speak like that and I gave him alternatives that he could have used in the situation but I would not let him "justify" his behavior. I then told him that the entire next day he would serve her. He had to do her chores...he had to clear her plate...He had to make her lunch...get her drinks and speak kind words to her. Along with an apology of course! All was well between them!

SO basically no arguing just do not accept bad attitudes! :)

Poor man's Rice Pudding

2010-10-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I grew up in an amazing family. My parents had very little money especially when I was little but we never really new it. I can remember my mom cooking eggs and giving each of us girls 1/2 of a piece of bacon and she would give my daddy a whole piece. We had a garden and we ate out of it everyday..my mom canned veggies all summer so that we would have them in the winter. We ate rice at many meals..I didn't know that was because it was so cheap! :) One of our favorite treats on a night that we had rice was to take a small bowl of left over rice...put a pat of butter in it and sprinkle with sugar. We thought it was a big deal because we never had dessert so it was a treat. I still like to have a bit whenever I make rice...just for fun! Thank you mama and daddy for always making us feel special!

Parenting..chores

2010-10-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yes, your children should be doing chores. I recently saw a clip of the Oprah show that a friend sent me...it was about a mother who was working full time and her struggle with the HUGE job of doing the laundry. She had a husband and 3 boys...2 college age and one in high school. I watched in total amazement as they brought in a "specialist" to show her how to get a "handle" on the problem. Things like....special baskets so the boys can sort their own laundry....stain stick on the outside of the basket so they can pretreat.....they showed her how to hang her clothes to save time....they put her on a schedule to help her...SERIOUSLY!!!!! I sat with my jaw dropped.....ALL my kids do their own laundry!!!!!!!! Luke is 8 and he is still in the training process so I help him...which means I oversee what he is doing....but the rest of the kids do this all by themselves...that's a novel idea!

I have a chore chart on my fridge divided into days of the week. Each child has a column for each day. Each morning after breakfast they are required to do their chores. It takes them about 15 minutes except for the day that they have to do their laundry and on Saturday they all have a few more chores and it takes them each about 25 min. Remember the last parenting blog about getting your kids in bed early enough to get a good night sleep......well here is where it will show...you can't give them such a small amount of time to get ready in the AM that they don't have time to get this done.

Your children should NOT complain about doing their work...I will deal with this more in another blog.

We do not pay our kids for chores...it is just what you do! I have an "extra" chore basket. I basically go around the house and find those "extra" things that I want done...write them on a card and assign a price that I am willing to pay...they may choose as many as they like to earn extra money. An example..... Clean the ceiling fan in living room(this doesn't require a ladder in my house) including removing the glass light fixtures...washing and reattaching..$3.00

If your kids have never been required to do chores....there will be a season of teaching and training. You can't expect perfection but you can expect them to do a good job or they will have to do it again. But you can't expect to show them once and they know how to do it right.

Below is the list of chores that my kids do....remember they are divided up into daily parts but it will give you an idea of how we do things here.

All children are required to make their beds each morning and pick up their rooms. Each child is given a different day of the week to do laundry and they are required to strip their bed and wash their sheets on this day as well....I help my youngest 2 put the sheets back on their beds. I change the chores about every 3 months so they are not doing the same thing over and over. They all have one night to help in the kitchen...this includes chopping, cooking, setting the table. The first chore listed is a daily chore...whe rest are spread out over the week.

Lindsey 17 Sweep floor in kitchen and dining room daily, including shaking rugs..daily, unload dishwasher, wipe down laundry area, clean girls shower, mop floor in girls bathroom, kitchen help, vacuum downstairs, dust living room

Marshall 14 Empty all house trash cans..daily, un-load dishwasher, kitchen trash, wash clothes, vacuum living room and stairs, clean boys shower and mop boys bathroom (Marshall's schedule is lighter because he cuts the grass once a week.

Emily 13 Wipe down sink and potty girls bathroom daily, wipe down stove and microwave, vacuum living room and stairs, un-load dishwasher, wash clothes, kitchen trash, sweep stairs and vacuum downstairs, dust dinning room, kitchen help

Benjamin 10 Wipe down boys toilet daily, kitchen trash, un-load dishwasher, water plants, shake rugs and sweep boys bathroom, clean all computer and tv screens, wash clothes, sweep back deck help weed eat and blow the yard, kitchen help

Luke 8 Boys sink and mirror daily, kitchen trash wash clothes,un-load dishwasher, kitchen help, sweep front porch and shake rug, move all chairs &wipe down, mop kitchen,

After each meal everyone pitches in and wipes tables and counters, loads dishwasher, washes and dries dishes, sweep

Before bed we all have a tidy to take "stuff" that accumulates throughout the day back to its proper place :)

Parenting..Mornings

2010-10-04T07:17:00.000-07:00

Remember these will be short and sweet! If you have further questions ask! I love questions!

* A good morning starts the night before! Lay out clothes and supplies..you do not want to be searching for homework and shoes in the morning. If clothes are already chosen and laid out...it will make your morning smoother.

* Also PUT YOUR CHILDREN TO BED EARLY ENOUGH TO GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SLEEP! Children are cranky when they are sleepy...so am I! :) This WILL make your mornings better!!

*Wake up before your children....get yourself together. Get dressed...get your coffee..or tea..or whatever gets you going!...Spend a few minutes with the Lord! Pray and ask the Lord to help you in your day....pray for your children and your husband! I like to read a chapter of Proverbs...there are 31 of them so I can read the one that correlates with that day.

*Wake your children up so that they have plenty of time to get ready and "wake-up"...I have many times made the mistake of trying to let them get as much sleep as possible and I push the time too close..I spend my whole morning saying,"hurry up!" If they are in bed on time this should not be an issue!

*Start your kids out with a good balanced breakfast. Parents feed their kids a boat load of sugar filled stuff first thing and then wonder why they are bouncing off the walls and unable to concentrate. Doughnuts, pop tarts, toaster strudels, or canned cinnamon rolls are not a healthy beginning!

*Remember to speak kind and encouraging words to your kids and to your husband in the morning. Don't start the day being short tempered, rushed, or even yelling....that is not a good way to start the day!!

Coupons

2010-10-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

I had so many call me or find me at church to tell me how much money they aready saving on coupons!! Very Exciting! Here are a few more tips for you.

* Once a month(at the end of the month) Eric and I sit down together and purge the box. We watch a show..or football:) and go through each envelope to throw away old coupons. Doesn't take long and we spend time together. I have been known to bring them to ball practice along with a trash bag and go through them while I wait...I'm all about multi tasking. You will throw away MANY! It is OK. Don't panic!

* I love ALDI.....Great prices on produce, milk, eggs...I am really funny about my meat...but seriously their 90/10 ground beef is awesome! I also buy spiral sliced hams during the holiday season and they are Yummy!

*To save time I look at my whole week and plan when I will stop by certain stores...I try not to make special trips.....I usually always have my coupons with me!

*My kids eat a great deal of cereal.....not just in the morning but as a snack. Since I do not buy "junk" cereals this is a great option for us. My preference would be Kashi cereal and I stock up when they are on sale...Heart to Heart! Since I can't always get it...this is my criteria... No high fructose corn syrup, less than 10g of sugar, No hydrogenated oils.

*I buy my Toilet paper at Kroger...Kroger brand of Scott...you know sandpaper on a roll :) It lasts so much longer than the fluffy kind and Kroger's brand is the hands down cheapest!

*You will get many coupons for soup...I only buy it when Healthy Request or Select Harvest goes on sale....you will find a favorite! Great for cold winter days with a sandwich and a piece of fruit!

I'm sure that I will think of more later and I will post it!

Coupon's for a cause!

2010-09-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Want to help...DO you live in the Woodstock area??

I am teaching a couponing class for the families who run SWO, in a few weeks. These guys are awesome...Eric and I have been involved with them for 10 years...they are making a huge impact on students and the poor community of Andrews NC. They only have an Ingles there to shop at...so I'm gonna learn that system and go shop and teach!

How can you help?? I would love to bless them with couponing goodies...so here is what I need:

Any of your non perishable extras
cleaning supplies
soup and canned veggies
tuna
spaghetti and pasta
ANY NON PERISHABLE items...you know the stuff I'm talking about!
Any and all baby diapers, wash, wipes, powder
I want to give each of them a coupon box.....I will need $70.00 for this.
If you want to donate money toward this instead of food items you are welcome to drop me a check and make sure to designate that on a separate piece of paper...not the memo line! It is tax deductible as long as you do not designate the money....funny how the gov. works:)
Make check to Driven To Encourage Ministries 780 Neese Road Woodstock, GA 30188

You can drop off any goods at my house and I will take them up in a few weeks.

Check them out here.

The Ultimate Parenting Goal

2010-09-26T16:24:00.000-07:00

I hate long Blog posts....I do not reading them and I sure do not like to write them!! So I am going to break these up into many small parts for my own sake:)

This first post is really central for all the other posts to follow on parenting. The Bible doesn't give a whole lot of instruction specifically on parenting. This is my favorite:

Deuteronomy 6: 5-9 5You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

This passage is the lens through which all of our parenting passes. My main job as a Christian parent is to teach my children to "Love the Lord with ALL their hearts...when..... all day in every situation. When I wake up in the morning and I lie in bed praying for the Lord to bless my day...I always ask Him to help me remember that my most important job is to point my kids back to Him.

Over the next few weeks I am going to try to give some practical helps.... but it all boils back down to those verses for me. What drives you as a parent? What are your goals? There will be many days of discouragement when you will need to remember what the goal is!!!

Couponing Class!

2010-09-22T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hey if you live in the Woodstock area come and join me for a free couponing and money saving class this coming Tuesday September 28th 7-9 pm at FBC Holly Springs. I am really excited to share....seating is limited so be on time! Check out their web site here.

Kids driving you crazy??

2010-09-22T06:36:00.000-07:00

I always notice how parents interact with their children. Am I curious or nosy? I listen in on the conversation, tone and facial expression. It makes me so sad to see parents who seem not to enjoy their children. What a miserable existence as a parent to just "endure" while children grow up. I will tell you that many children are so miserable to be around I can see why parents feel this way. Many times this is a vicious cycle...parent tolerates bad behavior....kid pushes all the buttons..parent gives in......kid pushes all the right buttons.....parent explodes....kid backs off..only to come back at it again and round and round the cycle continues.

I do not want to paint a picture that all 5 of my children have been perfect children...they have not nor have I been a perfect parent...nor have I always enjoyed every moment with my kids. Those who know us well..know that one of our children popped out of the womb testing us on every level and there were a few years there that I thought it wasn't going to get better and one of us was going to have to die and it wasn't ME! Even through those HARD years there was joy and there were great lessons learned...mainly about myself!

I'm going to take the next few days to talk about some really common issues and how we have dealt with them..so if you know anyone especially with younger children have them tune in! I'm going to talk about Bed Time, Taking your Children Out, Chores, Training at Home, Mealtime Madness, 1st time obedience..and Manners.

Thhis Weeks shopping Trip.

2010-09-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Weird things are going on with my blog??? I Have random pictures that turn when I upload them....even though they are perfectly right before the upload? Crazy!!! Anyway it is late and I want to go to bed so you can click on the picture to blow it up then turn your computer!!! This is the kind of stuff that I show women how to do EVERY time I speak! It really is so easy!!

Notice the milk is 1/3 gone before I could even take the picture??? That would be Marshall!!!!

4 Quaker Oats
3 Quaker Instant Grits
1Ronzoni Bow Tie pasta
1 Ronzoni Linquine pasta
15 Campbell's Select Harvest soup
4 bags of rice
2 Peter Pan PB
5 Del Monte no salt green beans
3 Kens Steakhouse lite dressing
8 cans Starkist light tuna in water
3 bottles Bull's-eye BBQ sauce
2 lg boxes Orville Redenbacher's Pop Corn
1 lg College Inn chicken broth
2 packages Del Monte Pears no sugar added
1 gallon milk
4 Colgate Total toothpaste
4 Reach Dental Floss
2 Carefree panty liners
2 Edge shaving cream

Total Price: 124.27
I paid: 36.29
Savings: 87.98!!!!!

Shopping Trip.

2010-09-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I had an awesome shopping trip but I am so exhausted and it is so late...you will have to wait until tomorrow!

Football Game with Grand-daddy Put!

2010-09-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

My daddy took all three of the oldest cousins to the football game this past Saturday. They had a blast. They cooked chicken on the grill and did a lot of people watching. They walked the campus and Lindsey decided she definitely wanted to go to Clemson...she will need a scholarship! Then they all experienced their first college football game. It was awesome!

I thought the picture below was awesome....When I was growing up daddy had an old Clemson shirt that we all wore at one time or another and Daddy eventually made it his painting shirt. Lindsey got her hands on it and wore it to the game...with all her jewelry of course! As Jeremiah says, "Lindsey in't the life of the party...she IS the Party!!" I would agree! She was happy to pick out another shirt from a shop there in Clemson though! But I still like the picture below!

Internet Safety

2010-09-13T16:53:00.000-07:00

Is your computer safe????? We use Safe Eyes and love it!!! No filter is 100% but if you do not have filters on ALL your computers and ITouch and IPad...It is like having dirty magazines lying around and telling your kids not to look! Get a free trial HERE.

Do toddlers Hit?

2010-09-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Most all of us who are parents have seen our child pitch a total fit! Most of us have even had a child hit us in the face. How is it that a child who has never been slapped can learn that? This even happens in homes where parents do not spank so that argument is null! They all do it! If you have a child who has never attempted hitting, kicking or screaming...you should not have anymore children because it was a fluke and it will never happen again!!!!

I was at the grocery store the other day and a mother was there with her 2year old. The child started screaming. As soon as the mother picked her up she started hitting the mom in the face...now I don't mean she was flailing around and in so doing hit the mother..OH NO she was going for it big time! She was angry and she wanted her mother to know it! Now I was not appalled at the child...as I have said we have all had a child get angry and strike out....no I was amazed at the mother. This was her response, "Honey why do you always act like this when we go out? I know you don't want to hurt mommy. If you don't stop I will not buy you candy" Really...Really...I'm thinking to myself...I can tell you why she always acts like this....because the first few times it happened you did not take swift immediate action to insure that she knows who is in charge!!!!

Our Great Marriage!

2010-09-09T11:21:00.001-07:00

Want to know why our marriage works? There are lots or reasons but the single biggest word that I can think of is intentionality! It does not just happen effortlessly!

We intentionally pray together!
We intentionally pray for each other!
We intentionally encourage each other!
We intentionally praise each other!
We intentionally brag on each other!
We intentionally go on dates and make time for one another!
We intentionally dream together!
We intentionally hold hands!
We intentionally tell each other how much we love them!
We intentionally share our fears!
We intentionally share in each others interests!
We intentionally give each other compliments!

I could go on and on! But you get the picture..we work at our marriage! It is easy to get busy and let the work slide and that is when we find ourselves in a marriage that is not amazing! I woke up a few mornings ago to the notes on my mirror shaped in a heart in the picture above. They say things like....I love you...My heart still races when you walk in the room....You are Beautiful..You are a great Mom...

Now that my friends is intentionality!!!

My New Island!!

2010-09-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have wanted an island in my kitchen for quite a while now but I couldn't afford one.....Eric's parents replaced their island top and gave us the old top but when we went to buy a cabinet to go underneath it was more than we could afford. We found this chest at the thrift store for $15 and it was in good shape except for missing a piece along the bottom. I sanded it down.

My good-lookin husband put a piece of bead board across the bottom and the back. I painted it black...replaced the knobs and scuffed it up a little with sand paper and.........

VOILA!! I am thrilled with it. We let the top hang off the back and one side and put bar stools underneath.

Where are my days going??

2010-09-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

Oh me Oh my.....my days are crazy!!!! Homeschool is awesome but I have to sit down and reset my schedule. I do not have anytime for myself! I love to blog and think of a million things to write about everyday and then I get so busy I never get to it!!!

Paper article!!

2010-09-02T15:28:00.000-07:00

Below is the article that appeared in a local paper here in GA!

Local coupon mom shares strategy

By: Janet Pelletier

Published: 01 September 2010

Article PDF

Michele Helms has an assortment of groceries splayed on her kitchen table, everything from salad dressing to diced tomatoes to cereal and wheat bread. And she only paid a jaw-dropping $10.80 for it all.

Janet Pelletier | Ledger-News.

She didn’t have to beg, borrow or steal. It was all in the art of coupon clipping. She’s become a sort of guru in it.

The Woodstock mom of five and her husband have a full-time ministry. Through that, she began speaking about women’s issues, more specifically the topic of modern-day families and the importance of everyone eating at the dinner table despite their busy lives.

“A lot of families find themselves at a drive-through or sitting in front of a television because they feel like, to prepare a meal and to sit down with their family, is just something you did in the ‘50s when you had more time or when women didn’t work as much,” Helms said. “I think that’s a myth. There’s lots of ways with proper planning. Planning sets you free. You think it won’t but it does.”

Free is the operative word, as Helms regularly finds deals on items at the grocery store where she doesn’t have to pay a cent. She credits a girlfriend of hers, who encouraged her to start clipping coupons.

Helms said she used to be vehemently opposed to coupons. In fact, a book she wrote, “Time around the table,” which stressed the importance of family dining, featured a chapter about saving money in which she said “as a rule, I do not clip coupons because I find most are junk and prepackaged stuff.”

Her friend was persistent and eventually, Helms gave coupon-clipping a try, vowing if it didn’t pay off, she would write it off for good. She’d always considered herself frugal, having lived on a shoestring budget her whole life.

“I thought, I’ll give it a month. If I don’t see something significant in a month, I’ll stop,” she said. “That was about three years ago and it’s unbelievable.”

Helms said she spends $5,200 a year on groceries and toiletries, and estimated the average family spends more than double that, $12,000, on just groceries.

“The real thing I tell women is this: I could probably feed my family of seven on $50 a week if I had to, and feed them a lot of pasta and you know, just cereal,” she said.

“For us, on $100 a week, I can feed us well and a lot of good-for-you stuff, tons of fresh stuff and good meats,” Helms said.

It all starts with the Sunday newspaper, where she said she gets 90 percent of her coupons. She buys four papers and simultaneously opens them side by side, scissors in hand.

The Internet has also been a big help, as she said she uses a Web site, southernsavers.com, which lists the deals for the week at the local grocery and drug stores. Armed with her deals of the week, she then pairs that savings with coupons.

“I sit down, and I look at the things and I say to myself, would I use this if it was free or almost free?” she said.

She then files the coupons in a bin that has dividers for different categories.

“What I’m doing is, I’m basically waiting for the items to go on sale because almost everything you see on (my kitchen) table here has a six-week cycle, where it goes back on sale,” she said.

When it does go on sale, she stocks up, storing the rest she’s not going to use right away in a cabinet or the freezer.

Recently, she bought 10 loaves of wheat bread for 39 cents apiece. “I’m going to make batches and batches of French toast that I put in the freezer, and my kids can pull out and pop in the toaster,” she said.

Another tip she suggests is finding grocery stores that offer double coupons. At least one major supermarket offers double coupons up to a 50-cent limit per coupon.

Instead of sitting down to prepare what she’s going to make for dinner for the week, she said she first takes an inventory of her kitchen and decides what meals to make based on that.

“There’s almost always fresh stuff I’ve got to add,” she said. “But because I save so much on the other stuff, when I add the fresh things that we use, that’s where the bulk of my $100 a week goes.”

Helms recommends people stick with their favorite store because each one will have a cycle of sales it runs.

Helms, like many others, felt overwhelmed with coupon clipping, but she got the hang of it.

“Most people don’t realize that it’s really this easy, and they feel very overwhelmed,” she said. “I learned it myself; anybody can do that.”

She spends 45 minutes preparing for the store and saves about $150.

Because she feels so strongly the benefits of coupons, she gives free seminars to groups.

“I show people routinely how to cut $400-500 out of their grocery budget a month,” she said. “For us, being full time in our ministry, it’s been a lifesaver. We showed a woman whose husband had to take a pay cut and she had her two children in private school and wanted to keep them there. She completely did it by cutting their grocery budget.”

Helms will be teaching a free class titled “Time and Money Saving,” on Sept. 28 from 7-9 p.m. at First Baptist Holly Springs, 2632 Holly Springs Parkway, in Canton.

For information, call (770) 345-5349. For more information on Helms, visit her blog at the Driven to Encourage Ministry Web site, http://michelehelms1.blogspot.com

Daddy Dates

2010-08-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Since my kids were about 18 mos old Eric has taken them on "Daddy Dates"...they love them! He has done so many different things over the years. Each child gets to spend $5.00 and they get a few hours of alone time with their hero. He and Emily went a few days ago to the tractor supply store...Emily likes to dream about owning her own horse farm so they walked around and Eric listened to her stories about horses and all the fun things at the store. Then they went to get a sweet tea and a chicken sandwich. I love that he has consistently done this with the kids for the past 15 years! The night is all about the child not about himself....some of the outings have been interesting some have been quite boring for him but he NEVER lets them know...he makes them feel important and special! I love him for it!

Buying $100 of groceries for $2.00?????

2010-08-17T05:11:00.001-07:00

I am asked all the time about getting a ton of groceries for almost nothing. Let me first say that there are many things that I get every month and I pay 0 or almost 0: hair care, shaving products, dental products, body washes, deodorant, all cleaning products, condiments, frozen veggies, rice and rice mixes, pasta, spaghetti sauces, salad dressings, over the counter medication, feminine products, make-up

Other things I routinely get for 50 - 75% off: soups, canned veggies and fruit, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, protein bars, peanut butter, jelly, salsa, taco dinner kits, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, brownie and cake mixes,

Now back to the original question....could I buy groceries for my family and spend 10 a week......yep I sure could but I do not because to do so I would not buy fresh fruit and veggies or any meat. Above is a picture that I found on a popular web site showing how this person didn't pay anything at the register for those things. Now PLEASE hear my heart...I am not legalistic about food and if we didn't have any money to budget for food for whatever reason.....my standards would be different. BUT....I would not feed most of those things to my family on a regular basis. Have I ever given them boxed mac and cheese...you betcha....but I do not routinely buy it. I do buy processed foods sometimes but I really try to limit the amount I feed my family. You notice that I have cake and brownie mix on my "routinely get" list......I always have those things on hand for a special treat or to take to parties and get togethers.

I do not buy coke, candy, chips, sugar cereals or sugar filled bars and I never buy pop tarts :) I have not found that it is very realistic to think I could feed my family a healthy, balanced diet on 10 a week. My family gets enough junk in their diets from other sources so I try to feed them good stuff at home. What couponing does for me ....it cuts my overall bill by 50% or more even buying the healthy stuff.

Blessings keep coming!

2010-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

This picture makes me laugh! My boys wanted to take a photo to make it look like they were not wearing a suit! Boys are so funny and different! Love my boys!

I have so many blessings! My amazing family is such a blessing! Salvation...beyond amazing!

I wanted to give you guys an update on the ministry. We have been so very overwhelmed lately. There are still many things that I just do not understand! We still have many needs especially stuff here at the house....things that have been put on hold year after year because we have not been paid. It seems like so many times the Lord allows us to get right to the edge...and then He swoops in....it is a VERY exhilarating place to be to see God work is is at the same time a frightening place to be....sort of like six flags....the scarier the better! :)

We have continued to get paid every week albeit late most weeks...still I have paid all of our personal bills on time. Well on the 29th of July I told Eric that we needed $2000 before the 31st to pay our salary, payroll taxes, health insurance, cell phone bill and another small bill for the ministry. That was at 9:00 am....at 11:00 am a man called Eric and asked Eric to forgive him....he said that God had laid us o his heart months ago and that he just kept forgetting to bring by a check. The check was for MORE than we needed by the 31st. It was so neat to see how the Lord had already started the process of the provision months before we actually needed it!

Eric is asking the Lord for 50 schools to speak in on top of the other commitments that he has. He is already getting many calls and we are so excited about that! I am speaking more this year as well. I LOVE to speak to women of any age but especially to women who are just starting off with their families...it is so awesome to encourage them as they are raising their babies!

I love ya'll! Please keep us in your prayers.....I know that the enemy loves to discourage and frustrate us and I want to be all that the Lord wants us to be!

contact me

2010-08-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

If you were at the galleria and emailed me about a coupon box and you live in Alabama......Please Please contact me again! I accidentally erased your email before responding!! :(

Lots and Lots of Chicken

2010-08-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I bought 6 packages of Tyson Chicken Breast on the bone for .99 cents a pound. My total bill was $15.39. I brought it home...rinsed it all and put it in 2 large pots, fill with water to cover..add 1 stalk of celery to each pot. Bring to a boil...reduce to simmer..cover and cook for 1 hour.

I have 18 huge pieces of chicken from this batch. I personally prefer to have boned chicken when I am boiling it but I use boneless sometimes as well. I always use boneless to grill.

I pulled all the chicken and cut it into chunks.....Skimmed the fat off of the broth. I used 3 breasts tonight for our dinner. Chicken and rice...YUM a family favorite! I put about 1 cup in a small baggie and spooned a few teaspoons of broth over it so it wouldn't dry out and stuck it into the fridge for quesadillas tomorrow night. I made homemade chicken salad with part for lunch over the next few days. The rest I divided into family size portions for Chicken Soup, and Chicken Pot Pie for later. This saves me money and time!

Blog fixed!

2010-08-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am so excited....Cosbie came to my house and brought the adorable girl he is dating and she fixed my computer blog issues with one click.....seriously! I love her!

2010-08-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mama....teach your children basic table manners! This is an ongoing process...it doesn't just happen because you pointed it out to them once! There are LOTS of lessons to be learned at the table! It is just plain gross to watch an adult eat like a messy child! You can even make this fun.....almost any lesson can be fun and entertaining. Sometimes at our house we even have..how not to eat...and we all join in on bad table manners....even I show everyone at the table the food in my mouth and we have burping contests...there really are times and places for that! So have fun and work on a skill that will follow them forever!

More meal ideas with coupons

2010-08-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

I make ooddles and ooddles of french toast all at once. I buy 5 or 6 loaves of bread on sale...I just got 10 loaves for 39 cents each at Kroger. I buy 3 dozen eggs and use about 6 cups skim milk, a little cinnamon and 1 stick of butter. The total cost is less than $6 and I make 100 - 120 slices of French Toast . I serve it with eggs, grits, and the toast on the night I make it and I freeze the rest. My kids pull it out in the mornings and pop it in the toaster. I very rarely cook breakfast in the mornings......besides scrambled eggs which we make a few times a week.

Grilled chicken or grilled flank steak.....I am always looking for a sale on these meats because we eat them all the time! My family is a real meat and potatoes kind of family....so these things are staples here! I use Italian dressing and Teriyaki sauce for a marinade.( I routinely get these for free or almost free with coupons) Here are some things I serve with the meat. Frozen veggies....I buy all the time with coupons for around 25-50 cents a bag. Green beans...again I collect them when they are on sale. Some kind of potatoes...I love potatoes I could love on them alone! Therefore we eat them alot! (I get lots of sour cream for free or almost free if I want to use it for these.) Salad....we eat alot of salad and raw veggies so I look for sales. I try not to buy items that are not in season and have a higher price tag. Mac n cheese..(pasta cheap with coupons...cheese on sale.....freeze in the bag for baking)

OK I will think of more later!

Couponing

2010-08-04T06:16:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week! Spoke at the Galleria..that went great! I spoke twice to packed rooms. Boy do I love to be able to encourage women! I read something the other day that said 95% of adults are fearful about speaking in front of people. I am in the other 5% for sure...the bigger the crown the more I feel I can let loose!

Started homeschool this week!!! Great start!

Had an interview with a local newspaper and that went well!

One of the questions I was asked over and over again this weekend was...what meals do I make with my couponing stuff... I have a few meals that I make with almost all couponing stuff but for the most part I use that stuff for supplementing my dinners. Where couponing saves me the most money personally is.....cereal, toiletries, cleaning products, snacks, yougurts.....below are some meals that I regularly cook with couponing stuff.

Spagetti...I wait until I have enough jars of sauce(they go on sale a lot!) to make a HUGE pot...while I am collecting those jars i pay attention to ground beef that goes on sale and I buy it along the way and freeze. I make as much sauce as my largest pot will hold. I usually add some spices to the sauce and also some crushed or cubed tomatoes either from a can(coupons) or fresh from Emily's garden, and the ground beef (tip: rinse the ground beef in a colander to get as much fat as is possible off before adding to your sauce) Freeze in gallon size freezer bags for meals later. Noodles are all from coupons. I add a salad and bread.

Taco's.....Taco kits routinely go on sale and I am always looking for ground beef just like for the spaghetti....When I find a good sale on the GB I bring it home and cook it all at once in a super large frying pan...I rinse it as well in hot water...season it and freeze what I do not use the first night in family serving sizes...make sure that you write on the bag what it is and a date. Now you have another quick meal for another night. I use the taco kits hard and soft...I take the seasoning packets out and store them to use next time I brown meat. I add cheese(which I routinely get on sale and freeze or store unopened in fridge...it has a long enough date to do this)Add lettuce, sour cream(another coupon regular with a long shelf life..... unopened) Any left overs are served the next day as taco salad.

Another post tomorrow...I need to school the kiddo's! Love you guys!Remember some days may feel like an eternity but you only have one shot with your babies and it goes so quickly...don't wish it away....embrace it with gusto!!!!

Sweet Onions!!

2010-07-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

I am so tired of trying to undo whatever I did to make my blog mess up??? I have a ton of pictures that I have taken of some really great recipes but because it is all messed up..I can't! Anyway...I'm going to give you one of my favorite summer time side dishes....I will write it all out and then put a few pictures to follow.

Start with a nice sweet onions...Vidalias are my pick here in the south! Cut the top..peel the onion leaving the bottom in tact. Use your knife and scoop out the top. Put onion on a piece of foil...drizzle top with olive oil. Put about 1/4 pat of butter on the top...garlic salt and pepper. Put a small piece of beef bullion or a small amount of granules if that is what you have. Wrap foil around onion and twist at the top. Place onion in a baking dish. Bake for 1 hour at 350. These are great to take to cookouts...they pull apart so easily and are so wonderful!

OK..I hope these are in order??? If not you will have to figure it our...cause once I put them in I can't change them!!!
Nope they are backwards????

So what happened at AMTC?

2010-07-21T22:29:00.000-07:00

This is a picture with Carey Arban and Lindsey on the last day.

Lindsey and I got home after a very long delay at the airport.....we got home at midnight and I had to get Benjamin packed and ready to leave for elementary camp the next morning. Lindsey slept in her bed then started repacking to go to Washington for 4 days with SLU.....It has been crazy to say the least. I have been decompressing for over a week!

I have lots to share over the next few days...but Lindsey did amazing...she received 3 call backs from NY 1 from Atlanta and she won a $1000 scholarship to the NY Conservatory! The proof is on the next month or so...she has already been contacted by some of the agents....where will it go now...well we will see. She hopes to get some work here in the Atlanta market with print work or commercial type stuff. She would LOVE to do something with Sherwood films...we will see what the Lord has in store! She is open...she made Eric and I very proud with the way she represented us but more importantly the way she represented the Lord! Weather she was interviewing with a big wig from NY like Barry Shapiro or signing autographs she didn't miss a chance to talk about Jesus and encourage others. And yes it was very weird to see her sign autographs!!

Bus pictures

2010-07-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

Lindsey and I walked about 7 miles yesterday so today we decided to try our hand at public transportation. It was great. It is a great place to people watch...Lindsey made me use antibacterial stuff as soon as we exited the bus. She is funny! And you have to scroll to the next blog post and see her funny video! I look like I have been hiking in the hot sun all day but I thought it was funny of her. Have a great day!

Bus Stop

2010-07-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Lindsey and I ventured out on our first ever public bus ride. She wanted to shop a little this afternoon. She keeps me laughing and this is an example of her off the cuff.

AMTC Saturday

2010-07-10T20:13:00.001-07:00

Below are some random photos..for your enjoyment. Our long walk. The beverages we have enjoyed this week! Me looking at an incredibility busy schedule. Lindsey looking cute as usual! Tomorrow is the big day for speed networking with the agents and managers..pray for us! And for those of you praying for the ministry....Eric spoke this morning at a mens prayer breakfast and a 60 year old man who is the father of one of his HS buddies was saved! He also had the joy of leading his cousin to Jesus while he was here visiting! And we got paid this week! :)

Movies

2010-07-09T19:07:00.000-07:00

Lindsey was in 3 competitions today...great job! She doesn't seem nervous at all! We will know about call backs tomorrow night!

I want to tell you a little story....

I walk into a very crowded room alone....people are very quiet and the speaker stands to speak....He is funny at times....angry at times...sad at times...but every time he wants to show any emotion he uses Lindsey's name as his choice of words...now he doesn't know her personally but he continues to use her name in ugly profane ways. Out of the corner of my eye I can see her standing in the back of the room...listening...watching to see what I will do....will I leave...will I just listen to it even though I know she can hear it..I know it must hurt her feelings...what will I do......Now of course that is NOT a true story but if it was...you would all think I was a really bad mother for not leaving the room! And you would certainly think I was wrong if I KNEW that her name was going to be used that way and yet I still went!

This is why we do not go to see movies that use GD or JC in them....I find these words so profane...offensive. I love the Lord so very much...I believe that he hears and sees everything that we hear and see and I can't sit idle by while His name is being tossed around. I do not say this to be judgemental....everyone draws their line somewhere. I know some who will not even sit through shows that say..OH MY GOD...if that were our conviction...we couldn't even see children's movies. That isn't a slam on the families that have different convictions....just sharing where we are! Just food for thought!

Also I wanted to let you guys know that the Lord is continuing to supply. Eric is starting to book his speaking engagements in the schools and we couldn't do it without you all and your prayers!!

AMTC Thursday

2010-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ok...so as you know we ended up leaving the Gaylord...for a little step down...to the Super 8.....The lady and her daughter who were supposed to room with us...left to be with someone else in a free condo....which is all fine except we do not have a vehicle. She assured us that she would come and get us and take us back to the hotel and she has a few times but she runs late and we do not like to be late.....so we have been walking...it is about 1 1/2 miles..which isn't bad but in Orlando in July...need I say more?

Now for the great part! Today as we were walking and sweating...for the 3rd time..Lindsey and I had an amazing conversation about how far people in other countries walk to hear the gospel and how this is an acting competition for pete's sake! Lindsey also told me about how she has been praying that the Lord would help her to remain humble through all of this and believe me this is an atmosphere full of egos. She told me that she is glad we were walking because it has built character and what satan probably meant for evil..the Lord meant for good! Worth it..you bet!!

AMTC

2010-07-06T19:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my word....it has been a LONG day!!!well I am just going to tell you that in my very humble but accurate opinion...as my pastor says...Lindsey was outstanding!!!! She stood with such confidence and expression and did her monologue. She got huge cheers and whistles....after she was done we were sitting in the hall with hundreds of others and one of the judges from NY walked right up to her and told her what a great job she did and then just walked away. She was so sweet to the other girls who were nervous or girls who came up and wanted to talk with her....I was very proud! I was not allowed to take pictures while she was preforming but I did take one of the competition hall....and I might have accidentally on purpose filmed her performance....I felt like a rule breaking spy...but a mama's got to do what a mama's got to do!

AMTC Day 1

2010-07-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

The pictures below are actually in reverse order....thumbs up from Lindsey because we are in a clean hotel! Pitiful face because of the horrible hotel along with a picture of the room that does NOT do it justice! And she and I on the plane!

Oh my goodness...you would not believe our first day here!!! We started at the Gaylord Palms Resort..yesterday...after flying in for free!!..thanks RD. We met our roommates for the week....very sweet mother and her 13 year old daughter. We were relieved because when you are sharing a room for a 8 days with someone it could be really awesome or awful! the Gaylord was over the top beautiful...but we are ignorant "high end" travelers! We were getting a "deal" because of AMTC for $149 a night off of the normal $340....so we go to check in and they start adding things like....spa fee..now this may sound good because there is an amazing spa at the Gaylord..but the spa fee is for the use of the gym and the pool...thing about it is it isn't optional! Then there was the fee to have a teeny tiny refrigerator in the room..again it comes with the room it isn't optional....a fee for the transportation to and from Disney...we are NOT going to Disney! After they were done it was $200 a night!

This may not seem like a big deal but for 8 nights on a shoe string budget it was HUGE! We found out that we didn't have to stay at the Gaylord although they would like for you to...so we decided to leave....I wish I could go into the whole story but it would be really long...but it is really funny! We started changing hotels at 11 this morning...we were briefly at a scuzzy Days Inn...Lindsey was in tears...we changed hotels in the rain lugging 3 HUGE suitcases across 6 lanes of Orlando traffic...long story but we didn't have a car...Now we are in a very clean..save hotel for less than half of the other one and we even get free breakfast in the morning :)I am thrilled to have this time with Lindsey! Pray for her tomorrow is her biggest competition!

crazy mama tip

2010-07-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok...I know of two of my closest friends who read my blog and I know that they are going to just die that I would write about this.....you know who you are!.......but here goes!

About 3 years ago...I accidentally bought my son the wrong kind and size of underwear...this has turned out to be one of the greatest discoveries in my wardrobe life! I accidentally bought men's..boxer briefs...well time passed and I didn't return them so I thought I would try them out myself! Oh my word! They are amazing! They are over the top comfortable but the greatest thing for those of us who have birthed children and have that little or big(as in my case!) bulge but you don't want to wear a girdle....these are awesome! A little extra support without the tightness of a girdle.

Yesterday to my utter despair I only had the regular granny panties in my drawer because of all the packing that I am doing...I was forced to wear them all day..yuck! It was awful...give my my "man panties" any day!

Now for those of you who have birthed babies and and still wear a size 2...well this is not advice that you might need! And you should for sure make sure that your husband isn't going to have heart failure if you show up with them on! :)

Blessings part 2

2010-07-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Let me first back-up 30 years ago...I was a freshman in HS..yep that makes me 44..I was a bold witness for Jesus even then....and as the Lord would have it I was assigned a seat next to a guy that I had never met before named Richy...it was first semester of freshman year. It didn't take long before I was talking to him about his faith. He quickly informed me that he was atheist..gasp...I had never actually met an atheist..Oh boy...I was so excited for the challenge!

We became fast friends....who would have thought...complete polar opposites....he respected me greatly....I found him to be a true friend....sadly more of a friend than some of my "Christian" friends at times! We have always kept in touch over the years. He has a sweet wife and precious little girl and he travels all over the world designing and building golf courses. I am very proud of him...still quite lost...I'm still praying for him 30 years later. I know that the Lord had a perfect plan 30 years ago in assigned seating!

OK now back to AMTC...I had asked the question on facebook.....did anyone know a site that I could bid on last min. plane tickets..I got lots of response and tips. But one was from my HS friend....."when are you going, returning and how many tickets" long story...he bought Lindsey and I round trip tickets! What a blessing! I was thrilled...Lindsey was blown away! There have been so many God stories relating to answered prayer and AMTC.

Please continue to pray for the ministry...as of today we do not have health insurance...we had to make a decision either to pay our bills and buy groceries or pay the huge premium for insurance. I have to trust the Lord...but it is hard sometimes! Actually we technically are covered for 30 days.....so you never know what might change!

Blessings

2010-06-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Well it is now less than a week until Lindsey leaves to go to AMTC.....she is so excited and I am excited for her and for time to be with her! She is so gifted and she is already using her gifts. She loves to use drama to reach others whether she is in the drama or writing and directing it for middle school.

She has worked for the past 5 months to save every dime that she earned toward going to AMTC. We have helped and so have grandparents. We got it all except for the travel. So we sent out 200 fliers to local businesses as AMTC recommended....not a single response??!!! This wouldn't be so bad but the postage alone could have paid for gas there! So we began to pray! Lindsey was so sweet about it...she would say, "Lord you have opened EVERY door so far..I am trusting that if you want me there you will continue to open doors and if this is the end...help me to see your hand."

One of Lindsey's good friends gave her an envelope and basically told her that while she was sitting in church the Lord had challenged her to give Lindsey her babysitting money from the summer? She went on to give an amazing testimony about how talented she thinks Lindsey is and how Lindsey has always stood for what is right and she thinks that the Lord is going to use her and she wanted to be a part of making that happen. What teenager does that??? The one's who are all about more than themselves!!

We were planing on driving Eric's car down...now let me just tell you why I dreaded this....I hate to drive! Especially 8 hours!!! Both mine and Eric's cars are high mileage and Eric was worried about such a long trip. His car's shocks are gone so I was worried about a headache? My car is in a little better shape but it gets 12 miles to the gallon..yep you saw that correctly. We couldn't afford a rental so off we were prepared to go. Someone told me that I might try bidding on a flight. Sometimes the airlines will try to fill the plane at the last min. but I couldn't find the site so I asked if anyone on facebook knew where I could find the site.....you will have to tune in later to hear what the Lord did!!! :)

Snacks

2010-06-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

I LOVE frozen blueberries! I buy them now when they are on sale...wash and freeze them in a freezer bag. They are great in smoothies or put a hand full in yogurt but I love to grab a handful at night or anytime I need a snack. They are so good! So sweet and such a great snack. Enjoy!

By the way...enough money trickled in for us to get paid last week. Not enough for this week..but the week isn't over yet :)

Answers to questions

2010-06-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

Could we scale down in expenses is the question that I get the most from those of you who do not know us. Good question...Fair question. We have 2 cars..both paid for...both with over 140000 miles on them. Our house was a fore-closer 3 bed 2 bath and we finished the basement and added a bedroom and bathroom. Our house payment is 750. If we were living in an over sized house and we could downsize or even rent but we couldn't rent a house for the 7 of us for less than 750.

What I am trying to say is this....yes...there is always room to scale back but we feel that we are living modestly and and frugally.

Update on Ministry

2010-06-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

Yes...Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for asking and for praying! Yes the money finally did trickle in so that we were able to get a paycheck for last week...about 5 days late. We did not get paid yesterday and we do not foresee getting paid next week or being able to pay our health insurance. It is all very frustrating! Wish I knew what GOd was up to. I want to have faith like Mueller and the Bible says that it is a small as a mustard seed which only makes me feel more discouraged...a mustard seed is VERY small and apparently I do not even have that much ??? :/ Please keep us in your prayers! I am not in this place of dispare...well hardly ever!

On a better note....Lindsey's did get enough money from her babysitting to pay for AMTC! We are very excited about going!!!! I am so grateful to get to spend this week with her and watch her do what God has blessed her to do!

Tip for Laundry Soap

2010-06-22T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have so many questions about the homemade laundry soap that I use...I thought I would give some clarification. First you can get the recipe that I use HERE

The pictures above show the first step...you can cut the soap into small pieces but it will melt much faster if you grate it. Also after you have it all combined into the large bucket...keep stirring it until it is cooled....I leave it sitting in my kitchen floor for a few hours and stir it when I walk by...of course I don't have little ones who might want to "play" in it.

After it sits..it WILL be lumpy....it is OK....really...I promise!!! Every time before I refill my container..I have to really stir the bucket....and still it will be thick and clumpy as I dip it into the funnel but after I add the last part of water and shake like crazy it is just fine!

I have been using it for almost a year and I love it! Smells good! Saves me a HUGE amount of money!

Fathers Day

2010-06-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

Oh how I LOVE my man! I am so blessed to have a husband who loves Jesus, loves me and loves my babies! He is an amazing father...he is crazy and fun, loving and kind! He teaches them to love Jesus not only in what he says but in what he does! I pray he feels honored EVERY day!

Birthday Boy

2010-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Friday Marshall turned 14...WOW...I am so very proud of him! What a precious young man he is to this mama! I love him so much and I can't wait to see the plans that the Lord has for him!!!

Perfect Green beans

2010-06-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Think that green beans are hard to cook? I have a fool proof solution. I use canned cut green beans from Del Monte or Green Giant...sometimes I use blue lake cut green beans. For each can(do not drain the juice) that I use I put 1/4 teaspoon olive oil (I like the extra light)and 1/4 teaspoon beef bouillon granules or you can use 1/4 of a bouillon cube. Bring all to a boil for 10 minutes then reduce heat to low for 20 minutes.

If you prefer frozen...add enough water to cover completely and follow the same portions as above except cook for 40 minutes on low after boiling.

Try it...I promise they will not dissapoint!

Friday

2010-06-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for emails and even phone calls of encouragement. Today is Friday and we were not paid. Eric will have to make a decision tomorrow. All I can really say right now is that I do not understand! Eric spent the whole week mentoring kids and then today speaking to over 200 young men at a basketball camp where 17 kids trusted Christ...God is using him!!!! There are many things running through my head right now...most of them I feel like I am not supposed to verbalize but I will say...It is EASY to have faith and trust the Lord when you are getting paid in ministry....It is not so easy right now...for me anyway. After 3 1/2 years of this...I am VERY weary!

I love you all very much and appreciate your prayers and concerns!

Bible Study

2010-06-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to go through the Bible in chronological order so I went to the Christian bookstore and found the above book. There is another one coming out in a few months that looks even better...but I really like this one. I do not usually read NIV but I am enjoying it. I am taking notes...asking questions and asking the Lord to give me a fresh perspective on some of the passages that I have been reading since I was a child. Every morning before I get out of bed I tell the Lord that I want Him to pour Himself out in my life. I am loving it!

Eye contact

2010-06-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

I am working really really hard on making and keeping eye contact. It is soooo hard for me! I have never thought of myself as ADD but I really think I have ADECD that would be Attention Deficit Eye Contact Disorder..is that a disease???? If I am talking to anyone longer than a few minutes then I am looking all over the place. I look away...I look at the persons face, hair,shirt...it is crazy.....I have talked to people who do the same thing and I become so self conscience...like do I have a booger in my nose or do I have spinach in my teeth??

I am making a real effort to keep eye contact...it is such an effort that sometimes I realize that I have no idea what the person just said because I am concentrating so hard NOT looking away. I know it is rude....so if you are talking to me and I seem distracted...just ignore me and keep talking...or feel free to stop me and remind me to pay attention :)

Please pray for us!

2010-06-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hello my sweet friends. I need your prayers!!

I have always handled our finances. We have been married for 20 years and this has always been my job. Money..or the lack there of has always stressed Eric out...so I took that job. I do not have regret about doing the finances but I will tell you that I fed a beast! I knew that Eric would get frustrated easily and I would rob peter to pay paul many times over the years. Eric knew that we were tight and he is NOT a spender nor am I but when something would come up..like a car repair..instead of telling him that we didn't have the money and letting him... as God appointed head of our home..figure it out..I would come up with all kinds of creative ways to make iy work. I have even sold things that were precious to me just to get extra money. This was soooo wrong of me....I wanted to protect him but that was not my job!!!

About 4 years ago we had a "come to Jesus meeting"...if don't know that term it means I showed up in his office one day and had a breakdown...apologized for taking on the role of protector and then laid it all out on the table. He was great and we decided that I would still handle the books but that he would make all the decisions and he would figure out how to get "extra" money for things that came up.

Well wouldn't you know it...we started DTEM 3 years ago...we couldn't even pay our bills much less hire a secretary so guess who has handled the finances...ME! Eric has been involved all the way but it is me who looks at it EVERY DAY for the past 3 years. I went to Eric 3 months ago and said, "I can't do this anymore. I am so weary about worrying over money. I will handle personal money but you have to take DTEM books....just pay us and if you can't pay us then you tell me what to do."

He gladly took it and I am in the process of teaching him. Which means that I still have to look at it everyday!! Well as of next week we will have to go to half pay. I can't even express to you how heavy this is for me....it is so hard to enjoy ministry when you always have to cut every corner! I hate money! I hate that I allow the enemy to steal my joy. Please pray for me!!! Please pray for Eric....he has never had to handle this stuff before! Please pray that the Lord would give us understanding....he has placed so many dreams to reach the lost here and all over the world but the bottom line is that it takes money for this to happen! I love you guys so much! Thanks for praying on our behalf!

Twitter

2010-06-10T19:20:00.001-07:00

So do you Twitter? I said that I would not!!! The twitters that I had read were things like...going to the store....cooking dinner,,,,,washing dishes....And I was thinking.....are you kidding???? I don't want everyone reading this stuff about me and I certainly don't want to read it about anyone else??!!

Somewhere along the way I started realizing that many of them were so much more. I love shouting out a short word of encouragement. I don't really like to read long passages on blogs...so twitter is great 140 characters...enough to make you think about what you really want to say without the fluff! I love the people that I follow...I laugh...I am interested...I am convicted ...I am encouraged.

It is easy and it is free....you do not actually ever have to write anything if you don't want to just follow others.

Packrat??

2010-06-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am not a pack rat in general. I try really hard to ask myself..have I used this...will I "seriously" be using this in the near future. As far as my kids are concerned I do keep special or sentimental things they have given me and I keep their very favorite things...blankets, dolls, trucks...etc but for the most part I do not keep stuff.

I have a summer and Christmas ritual of cleaning out closets, rooms and the basement...I do enjoy this although my whole house is a complete mess right now...the process is always disastrous looking???

In the top of one closet are a few things from my childhood that I will always keep but one of the things that I have kept all these years is a baton. When I was 7 my parents let me sign up for baton lessons and they bought me a "real" baton. Not the thick kiddy kind but the heavy slender real kind! Why have I saved this...I thought that my kids might play with it...well maybe...but they haven't....no the real reason is because my parents did not have much money and anything that we did meant a big sacrifice for them....it represents a sacrificial gift of love to me. I'm never going to use it and neither are my kids..I can't really display it...so I am going to take a picture of it and I am going take it out of the closet.

I sure do love my mama and daddy and the way they loved me and my sisters. They gave me a godly heritage....and that my friends is PRICELESS!!

Summer

2010-06-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

I thought summer was supposed to be "lazy" someone forgot to put that on our calendar! It has been off the hook busy! Marshall is in scouts and is away at scout camp this week...first time ever he has been away without Eric or myself...I'm not sure how I feel about that yet??? He is swimming 5 mornings a week...I am up at 7.....that for sure is not summer schedule??? The other 2 have to be at swim for a neighborhood team 5 mornings a week at 9:00. It is all good!!

Lindsey is so excited about AMTC....if you think about it pray for her....she has worked so hard to earn money toward the trip and now we are down to the wire for her hotel and travel expenses and it just isn't there. The Lord has opened EVERY door along the way and we are sure he will continue to provide but these are the moments that stretch you and build faith. Hard!

The Lord is opening some cool doors....please pray that we would be ready for where He leads! I love ya'll!

Ministry part 2

2010-05-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

I know I know I said that I would get to part 2 the next day!!! Well then life happened???

Eric put in his notice with his corporate job...they were very supportive...and we were off! I had been working very hard for the months prior to his leaving getting all the business end of things ready. Bank accounts, registering with the state, choosing a board of directors, writing bylaws and the big daddy of them all...getting our 501c3 so that we would be a legitimate non profit organization. This was an all consuming process for me...since we didn't have the resources to pay a lawyer to write it all, I researched and did it myself....that is a blog for another time!!!

I really had an expectation that when Eric quit his job....there would be churches coming out of the wood work to have him speak....they would give a love offering and we would supplement with our retirement money....that did NOT happen!! Oh Eric was busy alright...people and speaking opportunities were coming like crazy but all of them were NON PAYING!! He was speaking at public schools and sporting events sharing his testimony . He was getting calls daily to speak or meet with someone....so we lived on the retirement money. We never wanted to have a big banquet and ask for money but ever so slowly people started hearing about what we were doing and they wanted to get involved. If it hadn't been for our parents and a core group of supporters I don't know how we would have made it!

Here we are 3 years later and Eric still speaks to schools, teams and does lots of mentoring. Our own money ran out last year and I can't tell you how we have made it but we have! The Lord continues to send people our way who want to be involved with our ministry. We have big dreams with the students locally and with mission trips that we want to take....how will we do that?? I don't know but I have to believe that He will provide as he has so many times before.

I will tell you that we are overwhelmed at how others have come along side of us and helped send us into the places that we have been called. I will also tell you that I am often frustrated because there are those of us who are willing to go and many other who are willing to give it ALL up to serve all over the world and the thing that holds us back is a lack of funds. Personally I think this is a sad thing with the resources that we as Americans have been blessed with. God has given so many so much and it is wasted on material things. I am TOTALLY not against having "stuff" but when you look at your bank account it should reflect a giving heart! That is a good blog for later as well!! :)

I've been gone!!

2010-05-28T12:19:00.000-07:00

(Don't know why this one is cut off??? If you click on it you can see the whole thing)

I have missed you guys!! We got a call about 10 days ago and were asked if we wanted a beach house for a week in Destin....there was a cancellation and we could leave in 2 days. We were finishing up a week of end of year testing and it was crazy but we pulled it together and left!!! What a huge blessing!!!! We haven't been away alone as a family for 3 years so it was greatly appreciated. The house was beautiful and we were spoiled to the beautiful beach! I LOVE THE BEACH!!!!

pictures

2010-05-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

Remember that Lindsey was going to a photo shoot with a photographer from NY...well they came in...and here are two of them....crazy! She did not want me to post them...she didn't want to seem prideful.....but well I AM proud of her!!!!

Fashion show

2010-05-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures of my girl in a fashion show at the church for young girls and their mama's. The point being that you can dress really cute and modest! Always proud of her!

How we got started in the ministry.

2010-05-09T17:14:00.001-07:00

I love to tell our story. It is a story about how the Lord grew our faith, but I have been reluctant to write about it....why....because sometimes it is hard for me to convey tone in written word. So let me start off by saying this....EVERYTHING that resembles faith in our lives is from the Lord.....this is not a story about how awesome Eric and Michele Helms are...on the contrary....it is a story about the Lords faithfulness. I also want to say that there are so many who have sacrificed SOOOO much. Many have literally given their lives for Christ and many many missionaries have given up all their "worldly" goods to go and serve the Lord in countries of great poverty or persecution....in comparison.....we have NO sacrifice!

I started thinking that the Lord was calling Eric into ministry about 6 years ago....I didn't say anything because you have to be God called and not mama or wife called! 5 years ago Eric started expressing, much to his disbelief, he thought the Lord was calling him to some type of ministry. Now don't misunderstand.....he wanted to serve he just couldn't believe that the Lord would use him...he felt very unworthy....at the time he had been saved for 16 years out of a life of being a "thug"....as he describes himself....It took almost 9 months before Eric surrendered to the call to serve full time.

Oddly enough I thought that he would surrender and then suddenly all these doors would open....that is not the way that it happened....I will blog on that another time....needless to say my type A personality was put to the test!!!

While we were not sure exactly what the Lord wanted us to do...we knew what we were not supposed to do.....we did begin to pray that the Lord would make our path clear. While Eric continued to work his full time job in the corporate world we started getting everything ready....we decided on a name...Driven to Encourage Ministries...and we started getting all the legal stuff in order. It was a HUGE amount of research and work...but all along the way the Lord brought just what we needed to get the task accomplished!

We then started praying about how we were going to pay the bills......again my plans were very different than the Lords....His way required much more faith and dependence on Him???? Funny how He is about that??? Eric has such an awesome captivating testimony...I thought that churches would start calling wanting him to come and share with their people and we would get paid for that....but that was not the plan for us....God started opening doors slowly for Eric to mentor young men..which he loves...and also he started having the opportunity to share his testimony to some really small youth groups and Bible studies.....there was NO money coming in and Eric was still working his full time job. We both knew that he was supposed to quit....our only debt is our house and it has quite a bit of equity but it is small...with a small payment...we couldn't rent cheaper...so we didn't feel that we were supposed to sell it but we did entertain that thought.

After much much prayer...we decided to move all our retirement money over to an account that we could use.....it was not very large but after taxes and penalties we knew we could live on it for 18 months or longer if other money came in....so Eric put in his notice...............more tomorrow!

Nashville trip

2010-05-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time in Nashville! These are a few pictures from our trip. We might have climbed a fence to get some of the pictures??? :)

Modesty Part B

2010-04-29T17:05:00.002-07:00

If you are reading this one for the first time you might want to scroll down and read the part A......on to my thoughts:

*What are some guidelines that we have given our girls

1. If you lean forward and someone can see down your shirt you might want to reconsider...this has happened to many of us even if we are covered appropriately....yes this even happened to me...with my pastor??????? not even joking....I leaned over to tell him and his wife something and he jumped up really fast and I thought that was odd.....didn't hit me until later that I had given them both the full view...bless their hearts??? Probably scarred him for life!!! :(
2. If you bend over and I can see your underwear....enough said!
3. If you raise your hands and your whole mid section shows...you might want something longer....this can be remedied by wearing a longer shirt...like a tank...underneath.
4. Because many computers screen our certain words...I am going to call the top area B...catch my drift? Seriously I can't believe that this even needs to be said but seeing what I see in CHURCH from teenagers and MOTHERS!!! Please do not show your B's...even if you are small chested....if your dress or blouse is low cut IT IS INAPPROPRIATE! When the Bible says "and her B's shall satisfy him"....it tells us two things...first...they are powerful! 2nd they are for "her husband"!!!! Why do we think that dressing pretty and feminine = sexy?????
5. Ask yourself the question..."Am I totally cool wearing what I am wearing if Jesus in the flesh walks up?".....He really is here you know?
6. At my house we love boys tank tops....they are longer and higher....my girls use them under all kinds of shirts that might not otherwise be acceptable...like something low cut or strapless.
7. Again can't believe that this needs to be said....but if a word or saying is written across the bottom or across a tight shirt...where do you think the attention is supposed to go? Why do we think this is cute???

Lastly....and this may seem contrary to all the other things that I have said....don't be judgmental....why...glad you asked!

1.How many times have you realized after you were out that something was a little too short or lower than you realized....certainly that has happened to most of us and especially to a young growing girl who's body is changing quickly. This should be an ut-oh moment and not an ongoing issue :)
2.Our standards may be different...for instance we let our 16 year old wear a spaghetti strap dress to her formal dance....it met our standards of not being low but you may totally disagree and think that showing shoulder is too much. There will always be differences in what each family does...and that is ok....in the end I am responsible and will have to answer for my kids and not yours.
3.This last one is really just for Christians.....we tend to put more emphasis on the outer than the inner.....there may be a young lady or woman who isn't saved or is a young Christian....maybe she has always thought that to get attention from a man she needed to dress provocatively...you need to be patient and understanding! You need to busy yourself with helping clean the inside first.

I would LOVE your feedback!

Modesty part A

2010-04-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

When I start to write a new post I always try to think about how to write something so that it doesn't come across judgmental...but I'm just going to tell you...I'm not a "fluff" kind of gal! I like the straight forward direct approach. I have learned some grace over the years...a little??? I have also learned to try really hard NOT to give my opinion about a subject in every conversation and I have also learned over the years that just because someone asks for my opinion.....they might not really want to hear it. These days if someone asks for my thoughts on a subject that I KNOW is going to be directly opposed to theirs...I will say something like, "Are you sure you want to hear what I think?"

I get emails with lots of subjects that bring this kind of controversy.One such subject is what we allow our daughters to wear...how do we handle modesty....so if you don't want my opinion you should skip on right now to the next blog. :) I will start off by saying that for this post I am not talking about gothic/dark clothing. While it certainly is not immodest for the most part....it does many times reveal deeper issues that should be addressed. So when I am talking about style...I am NOT talking about this dark sinister fashion that is going on today.

I do better in short bursts so here goes!

*Modesty starts young...do not let your 4 year old dress like a hoochie mama (do ya'll know what that is?) It is hard to let them dress a certain way and then suddenly change that when they get older?

*Let your girls have their own style. Your girls do not need to have YOUR fashion sense. You don't even have to like it??? Really you don't! Example...One of my daughters is a fashion queen....and she puts the strangest things....colors, jewelry, layers of clothes.....together. I do not always like it..not because it is immodest but because it just isn't my style.....but it doesn't matter...she likes it and feels good about herself!

* We have taught our girls that God made their bodies and that they are beautiful! We have also taught them that boys are sight creatures and that when you dress in such a manor as to "show off the goods"...you are making it so much harder for them to lead a life of purity. I want them to show themselves freely to their husbands one day.....but not to everyone else along the way!

*What you wear says something about you! Like it or not! It may not be "truth" but it does make a statement! If every time you saw me I had a basketball uniform on....you would probably conclude that I play or like basketball.....of which neither is true...but it would be a logical assumption! If you were going into an interview for an executive position and you were over the top qualified....you would not stroll in with greasy hair, flip flops, shorts and a tank top.....why....because even though you may be qualified....people make an assumption based on how you look!!! Why can we see this in ALL other areas of life but not in this one????? Moms will say "she just feels pretty dressed this way....she doesn't mean anything by it" or.... my all time favorite...."The boys should learn to control themselves"

Well my response to that is bless your heart! OK this is getting to long but I still have much to say.....so I will do a part B tomorrow!

Beautiful Baby is growing up!

2010-04-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Lindsey had a great time at her prom last weekend...she was joined by her friends and her cousins. They all got ready at my moms house...she prepared a wonderful lunch and snacks for them....Lindsey did all the girls hair...she loves doing that! Then off to the dance....after the last dance with her daddy they all headed to Steak and Shake for a late night meal and much laughter and goofing around. Fun times!

prom

2010-04-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of Lindsey...16 with her daddy. The last dance of the prom is reserved for parents and their children. I love my man so much! I love that Lindsey loves and respects him so much! I don't know why the picture is cut off?? :(

OH BOY!!

2010-04-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

Yep that is my girl....she LOVES those horses!

2010-04-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

I bought a boat load of chicken on sale....tonight I pounded it...to make it nice and thin...marinated and grilled it all. We ate chicken sandwiches tonight...served with all the fixings and instead of chips or french fries I served baked potatoes and raw carrots, cucumbers and celery (of course with a little lite ranch:) After the chicken was pounded it was thin enough to cut in half diagonally and make 2 sandwiches out of each. Usually I would use the rest to put on a big salad but I am going to try something different.....I post tomorrow about it!

Boys

2010-04-13T22:15:00.000-07:00

I will miss these things when they are gone! I also routinely find these men in my bathroom towel rack. They are too young to read a magazine so I guess they play with men to pass the time! :)

Rebellion????

2010-04-13T10:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been guilty of viewing your child's different views as rebellion? I have! I had to learn some time ago to view things through the lens of...is this sinful? I will give you an example...My very nice looking son....(just my opinion:))...would look really nice in khakis and a polo shirt every week for church. He prefers shorts and a t-shirt.....while I do not find t shirts and shorts sinful....I also do not find bathing suits and pajamas sinful either but he can't wear them to church...but....at our church it is very common for the kids to dress down so after talking we came to a compromise...he wears nice shorts and a polo or a nice t-shirt...the kind without holes or writing on them. :)

I do not think that his wanting to wear shorts to our church shows a lack of character....but I so think that if I am ALWAYS pushing my way as the only way...I will push him away.....so is his wanting to wear shorts a sign of rebellion..NO it is just a style preference...but I could make it all about rebellion if I wanted to....I don't think that would be pleasing to the Lord.....within reason I don't think the Lord really cares what we wear as much as He wants us to live a life of holiness? If we spent the same amount of effort teaching our kids to...love the Lord your God with all your heart...as we do complaining about all the style choices they make....we would see a difference in our kids!

Remember I said is it sinful.....I will absolutely stand my ground on immoral, sinful or disrespectful issues! Love those babies!!!!!

Apple Crisp

2010-04-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Something funky is going on with my Blog...all my pictures are in html form until I actually publish which makes it crazy to know where to write??? So I will write it all here and you can scroll down to see the pictures?

We make this dish all the time here...sometimes for breakfast and sometimes for dessert. Start with 8 medium to large apples...I use Fuji or Gayla...peel and slice into thin strips. Place in a large casserole dish with a lid. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.....there isn't an exact science here...it depends on your taste....I put about 2 Tablespoons of each on mine. Top with 4 slices of butter.

Cover and microwave for 10 min. take out and stir the mixture well....cook for another 10 min. They are done when they are very soft but not mush.....Many times we eat them with our dinner just like this..no topping just the apples..yummy!

You may need to put them back in the microwave if they are not quite ready.

Topping

2 cups old fashion oats(this would be the kind you have to cook)
2/3 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar(you can substitute 3/4 c honey)
1 stick butter....softened

mix all together in a large bowl.....it will seem as if it will not mix....just keep stirring and mashing with the back of a large spoon until you have a crumbly mixture.

Using a 9 x 13 pan.....glass or metal....scoop the apples out with a slotted spoon....you do not want all the juice...don't try to drain just spoon over into the larger bowl so that you keep some juice.

Using the back of your spoon, smooth the apples out evenly in the pan. Sprinkle the crumbly mixture all over the top of the apples. Bake for 40 minutes on 375.

Clean Room?

2010-04-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

This is my daughters room? Study time with her cousins in a small space and this is what you get!

Big Dreams

2010-04-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a dream so big that it could only be from the Lord? I love and hate those . I love those dreams because they are so unreal and pure craziness that they could only be from the Lord. The dream that the Lord birthed in my heart over 13 years ago continues to grow but it hasn't happened....thus the reason I hate those dreams. Well hate may be too strong a word :) but it does at times make me crazy....why give me this dream only to make me wait......mine involves an awesome gift that I KNOW I am supposed to give. It is a huge desire to give it and a huge need for the others involved. It isn't that I am waiting to give it.....I am waiting on the Lord to give it to me so I can give it!!! Have you ever had this happen to you? What did you do? How did you handle the frustration of wanting it so badly????

Funny

2010-04-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Really bad when you relate to this!

Freedom

2010-04-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my beautiful 16 year old who I am wildly proud of the other night....we were talking about freedom. If the average person were to look from the outside at the way we are bringing up our children they might say...oh my goodness they are so strict....they have too many rules. Rules such as: my kids have never been allowed to do sleepovers with friends.....my kids can't date.....there are many movies and tv shows we do not watch....they are not allowed to leave and roam the neighborhood...we do not just drop them off at the movies or the mall with their friends(Lindsey just started this at 16)...there are many popular books they can't read, no bikini's, no low cut shirts....you get the idea!

I told Lindsey that it was my prayer that they would see that they have GREAT freedom within the bounds we give them. I hope that they will not refer to us as strict. I don't want them to feel stifled. I described it as a beautiful field that they could roam freely inside of...sometimes the other side of the fence looks amazing but it is covered in hidden land mines....so what looks like "freedom" really isn't. Our desire is not to oppress them but to protect them.

Look at God's example of sex....one man one woman for life inside the bounds of marriage. The world says that this is restrictive...there is no freedom to express love and this is too narrow and confining.It isn't realistic! God just doesn't want us to have fun...He is a party pooper!

On the contrary.....look at what He is trying to protect us from(land mines) Aids, teenage pregnancy, STD's, feelings of desperation especially for girls,a feeling that we could never measure up, addiction to pornography, adultery, guilt, shame! What does He want for us.....GREAT FREEDOM within our marriage! Unbelievable sex with our mate! The ability to be free without the fear and oppression of the "land mines." He wants the very best for us!!!!

Lindsey said that she feels like she has freedom. YEAH....She has shown great responsibility therefore she has more freedom...as much as is possible we try to say yes to the things that are within the bounds we have given her(and the rest of the kids) and we also are open to talking through those areas that we disagree about. Sometimes after a conversation we even revise our decision..we certainly are not perfect and we do not want them to feel that it is our way or the highway...how prideful for us to not even listen to our children....as long as they approach us properly...begging, pleading and guilt NEVER work here!

I have probably opened a big can of worms with this post...feel free to comment!

March Newsletter

2010-03-31T22:13:00.000-07:00




Below is our March Nesswsletter if you do not get our email version!

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We pray that everyone is doing well. Thank you so much for praying for us; especially for my trip to Haiti. The trip was mind blowing to say the least. The Christian Haitians are very rich spiritually....really rich. I walked away feeling spiritually poor! They have nothing and yet they rejoice in worship and life. I have a continual tremor in my spirit mentally, spiritually, and emotionally for Gods glory. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God led me there.

Day 1....After traveling 16 hours through the night on a small van, we set up our tents on top of the pastor's house. I was asked to preach by Pastor Olistin in the evening worship service. The regular church was damaged so we had church outside in a field full of rubble under a wooden structure with no roof. 8 Haitians were saved! It was moving to hear them pray in their native tongue speaking to the same Father! Praise God!!!!....very cool. After the service we helped with rice distribution. Two aftershocks in the middle of the night.

Day 2...... We dug footings with pick's and shovels all day alongside fellow Haitians trying to rebuild another church that had been damaged. Prayed with a Haitian through a translator.....very moving! Awakened by an aftershock at 4:30.....That'll bless you!

Day 3 We poured concrete all day with fellow brothers. Even though we couldn't speak but a few words to each other, we felt a kinship not only to the Haitians but to each team member. In the evening we had church in a field next to the church we were rebuilding. It was funny because all day while we worked there was a cow roaming around in that same field. We tried to distribute rice that night but things began to get out of hand and we had to leave for safety reasons.

Day 4.......We poured concrete until noon and then we went to an orphanage. We helped feed 100 children and then played games with them, soccer with the boys and duck, duck goose with the girls. It was difficult and moving as the children would move close and want to hold our hands or want us to hold them but the most difficult was when they would ask for water. We left and drove to Port-Au-Prince and witnessed the damage. Wow! That's all I can say.

Jesus has given me a new set of lenses to look through. I pray that neither the world nor myself will ever take them off. Go on a mission trip! Christ tells us to go! Matthew 28:19

Things to Pray about:
*Pray for the youth in schools and churches I will be speaking to; pray that they would come to Christ and grow closer to Him.
*Pray for our financial needs. Pray for funds for new updated web site, new mission opprotunities, supplies for kids who recieve
Christ. Part time office help.
*Pray for opportunities to share His great news.
*Pray that our new media projects would go well.

Thanks is not enough to express our gratefulness to you!!

Love you guys,

Eric and all the Helms
Web site: driventoencourage.org

2010-03-30T14:54:00.000-07:00

I LOVE crock pots....I have the one pictured below..it holds 6 quarts and it is pretty.....not that that helps the cooking but it helps me every time I walk in and see it! I use mine all the time. They are relatively inexpensive...I have 2....my other one is small for dips and things like that.

Yesterday morning I loaded it up with boneless skinless chicken breasts......15 to be exact(on sale at Kroger last week :) I filled in all the way up with water. I didn't season these at all because of what I needed them for but sometimes I do this for chicken soup and I season the water. I turned it on low and left it for 10 hours. Oh my goodness...TENDER!!!!

This is the breakdown of how I used the meat.......6 chicken and cheese (remember all that free cheese!!) quesadillas. I would normally use 3 for my family but I was feeding another family of 6. It really doesn't take a whole lot of meat on these.

5 chicken breasts I used to make Ritz cracker caserole.....we don't eat many caseroles but this one is so good.....1 can cream of chicken soup......3/4 cup sour cream(you can't taste it I promise!) 1 sleeve Ritz crackers(Iuse the whole wheat kind) 1/2 stick of butter

Shread chicken with fingers and put on the bottom of pan...I usean oval casserole dish.....9x5 mix soup and sour cream together and spread over the top of the chicken. Crush crackers over mixture and drizzle melted butter over all. Bake 30 min. at 375 I serve with veggies and a salad.

The remaining 4 chicken breasts I froze covered in the broth and I will use them at another date either for quesadillas or for chicken and rice. Either way the crock pot was already running so why not load it up....now I am partly ready for another meal.

Am I getting old?

2010-03-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Am I getting old...don't answer that!!! First I want to preface this post with this statement......I am not a perfect parent...not even close! I do not have perfect children....not even close! I have said it before and I will say it again...parenting is hard work and very very very intentional! It will not just happen....oh now there are those children that are so complacent it seems that very little parenting is needed....if you have one of those children and it happens to be your only child...either keep quiet or keep having them!

OK now that I got that out of the way??? On to the am I getting old part.....there are so many things that get on my nerves more that usual....like I can't stand to sit with someone who is crunching ice or eating chips beside me...oh it doesn't bother me if I am eating at the same time but if I am not...I really feel like I am going to come out of my skin if I have to sit and endure the crunching!

Well I am increasingly feeling that way when I am out and about and see out of control children! It makes me crazy...why..because most of it could be handled relatively easily by just being the parent and not the push over! I have never seen so many parents who back down and give in to their children.....even little children. You do not need to scream and yell....you do need to take control! I promise you will be so glad that you built this type of relationship when they are older!

Bully's

2010-03-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

I believe that most Bully's learn their technique at home. Sometimes they are bullied by fathers, uncles or whoever is the male figure in their lives and that is so wrong! I am going to address sibling bulling. It is interesting to me that parents let their children make mean intimidating comments to their brothers and sisters while parents are in ear shot and then the parents are surprised that their child is bulling someone at school or church????

One of my kids greatly struggles in reading. I have younger kids who read at a higher level than this child. I was working with another mom who's child struggles with reading as well and she commented that one of the hardest things for her child was that her sister always made little jokes about her reading skills. My response...That isn't joking....that is bulling. She looked at me like I was nuts. I don't have that problem because that isn't tolerated here! If you can't find something positive to say...keep your mouth shut! Mom's do not allow your children to make fun of each other. When my kids say...I was just joking.....I remind them that it is only a joke if both parties think it is funny! Even with that comment we have to be careful because I have one child who laughs even when she is offended to keep from crying. I want my kids to be able to joke around and to be able to laugh at themselves....and we talk about those things all the time...especially with my more "sensitive" children, :) but seriously I am shocked at how cruel siblings can be and the parents will make some ridiculous comment like.....sibling rivalry!!??

As parents we are supposed to be teaching them and training them. It is not easy.....they do not learn because you tell them one time to be nice to each other! It is a full time job! It is a hard job! Oh but it is a rewarding job! Love those babies!

Meals.

2010-03-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things for me to get used to in regards to coupons was meal planning. It took a little juggling but I am pretty good at it now. For the most part I get the same type things over and over again so I can plan based on what I know I will get....for instance I regularly get spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste and pasta. I collect all the supplies and wait for a really good sale on hamburger meat. I get my biggest pot and dump in everything.

One little trick I learned about cooking hamburger meat...you probably know this but I'll tell you anyway....brown meat slowly and stir frequently, this will help it to be tender. I have made the mistake of rushing the cooking time by turning the heat up...not good! I'm not very patient so this is hard for me! :)

I put it all together and then put as much of it as I can fit into my huge crock pot...on low...all day.....this just simmers it all together without burning to the bottom. I simmer the rest on top of the stove for 1 hour and then I use that sauce to make up 2-3 pans of lasagna. I cook these for 30 min..,...which is half way....cool, cover tightly and freeze. I have a convection setting on my oven so I can load it up with all three pans at once...if you do not have this...you can load your oven up as well but you will want to move everything around after 15 min.

We eat spaghetti the first night out of the crock pot and then I divide the cooled sauce into gallon freezer bags for another day. I am not one to have a "cook for the month day," but there are many things like spaghetti sauce that I make in huge batches.....seriously I make about 4 gallons at a time in 2 huge pots...my thinking is that it really isn't much more work but it saves me greatly in time later and if I am going to heat up the oven and use the stove anyway..it saves me there as well.

If you have a small family...you may not want to do 4 gallons :) but you can do 3 - 4 times the amount needed for your family. One of the great things about freezing spaghetti sauce is that if you have unexpected company...you can pull a bag out......set it in a large bowl of warm water and quiclky thaw to have a fast home-cooked meal!

Guacamole

2010-03-22T06:10:00.001-07:00

We love guacamole at my house and I have been seeing avocados on sale everywhere I go. This is a great snack or a side dish with your quesadillas. First pick a good one...it needs to be ripe. Avocados are ripe when they turn purple-ish...greenish...I know that just sounds bad!! It should feel soft but not mushy. I usually buy them ripe because we eat them within 24 to 36 hours after getting them. I put mine right in the fridge because we like the dip cold and the cold will slow down the ripening process. If you are going to use them at a later date you can buy them green and leave them on the counter until they ripen.

There are so many different ways to make this dip and we like to make it several different ways...today I will show you the easiest way. This is how I make it when I need to whip it up quickly.

First cut the avocado in half...if you have never done this before, there is a large very hard seen in the middle...you cut to the seed and then cut around the seed and then pull apart. Use a spoon and scrape the avocado out of the skin.....this should happen easily if it is good and ripe.
I chop the avocado in chunks and then use a fork to make it the consistency that you like.
Sprinkle a little Garlic salt.....and a little red pepper. You can even put 3 or 4 drops of tobacco sauce...for a little kick.
Squeeze half a lime into the mixture. Mix well and dig in!

Perfect Roast

2010-03-20T12:12:00.001-07:00

I grew up on roast......amazing roast! Everyone who came to our house on Sunday ate my mama's roast and they all moaned and groaned because it was so amazing. The great thing is that is so very simple! I like Eye Round because of the way it slices but I also buy other cuts...like bottom round. The main thought behind good roast is low heat for a long time! Since I am using the oven so long...I load it up...I buy 2 whole eye round......about 5-7 pounds each....I serve it the first night with veggies and then I separate enough meat for "French Dip" sandwiches the second night. I divide the rest of the meat into meal size portions for more "French Dip" sandwiches and freeze for later.

So here we go...I promise you are going to love this! Preheat oven to 250
Rinse the meat...do not cut off the fat....trust me!
Place each piece of meat in a large oven safe dutch oven or large pan.
Sprinkle the top of the roast with garlic salt and pepper....plain ole table pepper...the dusty kind....I've tried the course variety...not so good. You want to use a whole lot of pepper.....cover the roast(like in the picture below). With the garlic salt you want a good even coating but not as heave as the pepper...I'm sorry that is the best that I can do.....it is hard when you cook without recipes! :)

Put 1 cup of water into the bottom of each pan, cover tightly with foil as I did or if you are using a large dutch oven...put the lid on! I put the meat in the oven at 11 PM before I went to bed. Warning...you may wake up in the middle of the night really...really hungry! I cooked 2 whole roasts for 14 hours at 250. If you have less time you can go to 300 for 7 -8 hours. I checked them at 12, and 13 hours, I wanted them to be fork tender.

When they were done...I turned the oven off and mixed up the goodness for the top. First mix the Au Jus Gravy according to the package...I used 3 packages for all the meat I made. Now you have a few choices at this point. I usually remove the meat from the pan......dip off the fat......strain the juice and combine with the Au Jus.....but sometimes....like this time....I left the meat so long that all the juice was gone....there was just dark coating left so I just used the Au Jus mixture....still delish! You can thicken the gravy at this point with corn starch.....I'll show you that trick another time....we prefer our gravy thin...my mom prefers it thick...same great taste...different texture.

Now put the meat on a large cutting board......See how crusty the outside is......oh that is so good....sometimes mine isn't quite this crusty.....that is fine as well.....you are looking for fork tender.

Now you will want to trim the meat first. There will be a layer of fat that will come off very easily...Just cut and pull with at fork and knife.

Turn the roast until you see this membrane....pull it off....it will come off in big sections. You will mainly see this on eye round roasts.

Now for the fun part.....thin slices.......OH MY GOODNESS!!!! This is making me hungry! Put the slices back in the pan and poor the Au Jus gravy all over it....I try to let it sit about 30 min. in the gravy...covered! Heavenly!

Who's a Turkey?

2010-03-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

I bought a few Turkeys after Christmas when they were on an amazing sale and I froze them. This is one that we ate the last week of our "eat on $10" deal. Yummy! I sprinkled it with pepper and garlic salt and cooked it according to the directions that came with the turkey. Super easy!! We ate it the first night with veggies and then I cut the rest of the meat off and sealed it good and tight and we ate turkey sandwiches for the next several days.

Faith

2010-03-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever remember being told to never pray for humility because God may give you something to be humble about?? I have been praying that the Lord would grow my faith. I want to have such faith in Jesus that it is never an issue weather or not I'm going to trust Him.

If your child comes to my house and stands at the top of our steps and my husband tells them to jump to him....there is going to be hesitation...but not with my kids...why....because they trust him...he has never dropped them.....he is dependable....he is strong....they KNOW him. Your kids do not know him so of course they are hesitant!

I don't want to be hesitant with the Lord!!!! And yet I still find myself standing at the top of the stairs saying things like...are you sure...now.....it looks scary...I know you have caught me before but are you telling me to jump again??...I don't think I heard you clearly, could you say it again about 20 times!!....and sometimes sadly I just stand there and cry or sulk!! :( Does this mean that I don't KNOW Him well enough?

We have some ministry opportunities coming up and we are going to have to trust Him in a big way for provision. Here is a teaser....Eric is talking with an organization that wants him to go to another country for 10 days and be a part of a team that will be speaking in 200 public schools. These things are expensive.....God is able to supply...are we supposed to go......what about the other opportunities....are we supposed to do them? Please pray for us. I am going to pray for wisdom!

Oh Yes I did!

2010-03-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

I might have gone to Publix last night and pulled 8 of the $2.00 off 2 Kraft shredded cheese coupons from the blinkie and left the store...maybe empty handed.....and drove across the street to Kroger and used them for the buy 8 kraft cheese for 99 cents each. I might have put 16 in my cart and used the the 8 / $2 off coupons and I might have gotten them all for free. If I was the kind of gal to do that sort of thing....and I AM!!

I did buy yougurt and a box of cereal....my total 67.01 out of pocket 6.23 I can honestly say, that has never happened before!

Chocolate anyone?

2010-03-10T18:07:00.001-08:00

This is one of my families favorite desserts. It is always a favorite when I make it for guests as well. It is light and yummy. I got this recipe from a good friend 20 years ago...Keith Farr...he used to bring it to gatherings at church and it was always the first to go! The best part is that it is better the next day so it is a great "make a head dish." First mix jell-o and milk for 3 minutes.
Leave pudding in bowl to set while you prepare the pan. Rub a few pats of softened butter in the bottom and sides of 9X13 pan.
Put one layer of graham crackers in the bottom...this doesn't have to be pretty just covered.

Now fold in the cool whip until thoroughly incorporated but not over mixed.

Ooooo doesn't this look yummy....I may have dipped into this once???twice????? well more than I should have! :)

Pour half the mixture over the crackers....then another layer of crackers and the second half of the batter. And top off with a third layer of crackers. Cover and put it in the fridge while you make the topping.

Now for the best part.......mix cocoa, corn syrup, powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and milk together and pour over top layer of crackers.....spread carefully with the back of a spatula or spoon. Here is a trick....spray the back of the spatula or spoon with Pam...then spreading will go much easier.

Oh my goodness....look at all that yummy goodness! I think I need to have a chocolate break!
Graham Pudding Pie

2 3.4 boxes French Vanilla instant pudding
3 Cups milk ( I use skim or 1%)
1 8oz. cool whip
1 box Graham Crackers...plain variety

Topping
1/4 Cup Cocoa
4 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
6 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons softened butter
4 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 cups of milk (mix together and add a few more drops at a time if the mixture is too thick)

Put back in the fridge until ready to serve.....stay out of it......seriously...not a bite!!