multi tasking

Today was productive! The day started early and went very well. Yesterday I make a huge batch of homemede spaghetti sauce which we had for dinner last night. Today I made 2 large batches of lasagna. I didn't cook them...I just put them together and froze them. It always makes me feel good to know there is a meal ready for another day.... a crazy day! And it really didn't take much time.

Last week I bought a huge bag of apples. We prefer a really crisp sweet apple...Gala or Fuji.....these were very tart and softer than we like to eat but......perfect for baking! Emily and I worked together to peel and slice the 20 pound bag. It didn't take very long and of course we had a great time together. I bought one of these handy dandy apple peelers...which is a great alternative to the expensive kind. We found it on clearance for $3.oo a few years ago and it works great. It doesn't slice them for you but it peels very well....and the kids love to crank it!

We put them in large bowls....sprinkled with a little sugar, cinnamon and a few pats of butter. We threw them in the microwave for 5 min......took them out stirred them and then another 5 min. We had 2 large batches of these....we let them cool and put them in freezer bags to use later for apple crisp.

Yes ,I know that my pictures are all out of whack!!! Our PC is going crazy and I am having to use Eric's lap top.....I can't make it work???? I do not have time to continue to fiddle with it:)

Africa

My pastor, Johnny Hunt, preached 2 amazing sermons this past week...AM and PM..you can go here to view them. Aug. 3 A Flower Quickly Fading part 1 &2. Anyway, he said many things that hit a cord with me.....some encouraged me some were used to put a pin point on an area that needed some work or surrender to the Lord!

He said something that I have dealt with so many times with others over the years....."If God is such a loving God then why are there people all over the world who are starving?" I have been asked this so many times by those who are looking for answers. I am in total agreement with what my pastor said and I am so glad that he addressed it corporately!

God chooses to use us here on this earth....Yes, He could literally speak it and there would be no more hunger....just as he could speak it and the economy would be better, orphans would have homes, widows would have enough! It is so easy to look at God and say...why......and here we stand with ALL the resources we need to solve those problems ourselves be we who are blessed....I 'm not talking the super rich here..I'm talking those of us who have a roof over our heads and enough food to share....are stingy with our time, talents and resources! Why are we not working to be a part of the solution? Some are!!! Like these guys! But what about the rest of us? Are we praying and open to let the Lord lead us to be a part of the solution....we have the resources!!!!! HE already supplied them!!!!

Want and Need

I have been sooooo busy the past few weeks! have not been a very good blogger. My husband and I have a 501c3 nonprofit ministry and we have been crazy busy trying to get everything ready for taxes and statements...UUUGGG.... definitely the part about the ministry that I do not like!!! I am praying that the Lord will bless us to the point that we can hire someone wonderful in to do all that stuff!!! :) We still are not finished but it is coming together!!

We had some friends over for the Superbowl the other night and we had a wonderful time! One of the ladies said...."I don't know how you do all this in such a small space...you need a bigger place" She is really sweet and a great friend...but her comment was one that many have said or thought. There are 7 of us in a relatively small home....1400 square feet....would I like to have a bigger place...YES am I satisfied where I am...YES. Do I "need" a bigger place..NO. We have so blurred the lines between what we need and what we want. The Lord promised to take care of our needs...and He certainly has done that and abundantly!! He also gives us our wants and desires. But we should understand the difference. We should teach this to our children.

Kids are growing up with such a sense of entitlement. They do not understand the difference and who can really blame them...most of their parents do not know the difference either. We need to get a hold of this idea. Given the economical times we are in.....it would be very easy to become bitter and dissatisfied if we perceive that our "needs" are not being met when in reality most of those things are our"wants" Love those babies!