Hope Continually -- Psalm 71:14

Tuesday morning started off with of course, coffee :), and breakfast burritos.   Breakfast Burritos Tortillas Sausage Eggs Hash brown potatoes Seasonings - Chopped onions, salt, pepper, tabasco Shredded cheese Fry the sausage.  Add in the potatoes.  Cook the eggs in a separate skillet.  Add together.  Put a helping in a burrito.  Top with cheese and serve. Then we checked out the visitor center which was very neat.  A guide took us on a tour through the forest right across the road from the center. It is very difficult to explain or describe the redwood forests.  They are just simply - amazing!  If you have never seen them or had the opportunity to meander through the woods...put it on your bucket list. After our hike, we went to a few other groves to see more amazing trees.  Then we headed to Eureka.  We first had a late lunch at a Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives stop - called Cafe Nooner....

Beautiful ending to our Sunday. :)  View from our deck. Our Monday dawned very early!  I was up at 4:45am getting ready and finishing last minute to-do's.  We left about 7:15am for our trip to the Redwoods. We saw some beautiful scenery on our way.  Not even 45 minutes we had our first car sick child - Sierra.  She didn't quite make the vomit bag so that was fun!  LOL!  Good thing we had paper towels and wet wipes and Clorox wipes and garbage bags!  Then Addie was next.  Always fun!  The first stop in the Redwoods National Forest was the Grandfather Tree.   We then checked in to our campsite at Burlington Campground.  My husband and I stayed here once before and he loved it.  You camp literally in the redwoods with them all around you.  It is very dark all day long as well as very cool.  You can see how big the stumps are all around you.  The girls loved to climb on them and make ad...

My first favorite thing of the week is camping!  Many of our family trips as kids were camping and I have always enjoyed it.  Yes, you do have to spend more on it these days.  Ha!  But it is just fun! My new red percolator.  The best way to make coffee camping. :) Pie.  :)  In this case, strawberry rhubarb.  MMM! Fall-scented candles.  I bought my first one last week. Our camp stove.  Probably odd to some of you but I love this stove!  Makes cooking in the camp simple and easy! (We also bought this set up you see that we are able to hook up our stove and lantern to our large propane tank - no more little bottles of propane to mess with!  Awesome!)

Every Friday @ 12:30pm (CST), you can hear a weekly challenge from me on Faith Music Radio.  My podcast is called Posted by Rebekah. You can listen online  HERE  or download the free app for your smartphone.  I would love for you to join us, listen and take the challenge! Tune in any time of the day to Faith Music Radio for uplifting Christian music and talk.  Here is today's podcast in blog post form. :) Today, I would like to share a story from the early years of our ministry... My husband being a pastor for a year now...one of the burdens...is the finances of the church. In the one year of our church, we went from the small conference room at the Hampton Inn for $90.00 a week to now having a permanent building to call home for $1,624.89. (LOL! I do the bill paying so I know. :) A big jump. A large step. A big undertaking for our small congregation of believers. Finances will make or break most anything...marriages...bu...

I hope somewhere and some way...you are being refreshed today.   A second cup of coffee. A flickering candle. Beautiful music. Rain on the roof. Sunshine through the windows. A favorite old TV show. A phone call with a friend. Extra time in your Bible. A walk in nature. A good book. Have a great day, friend. :)

This is the soup recipe I made Wednesday that I never got to eat.  Ha!  But since it was eaten by four children, I would say it is a good recipe. :) Crock Pot Turkey White Bean and Kale Soup 1 small onion, diced 2 cans of carrots, drained 1/2 bunch of kale, washed and sliced 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained 1 Italian salad dressing pouch 1 lb. ground turkey, cooked 8 cups chicken broth Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours.  Since it is all cooked, it only needs to heat through.

Just thought I would share a little system that my daughter and I made for lunches for school.  We created a two week menu that we repeat every two weeks.  She packs the lunches each day for me. Monday:  Corn dog, grapes, carrot sticks with ranch. Tuesday:  Bologna sandwich, yogurt with granola, cucumber slices with ranch. Wednesday:  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich, fruit cup, granola bar. Thursday:  Tuna fish wrap, boiled egg, piece of fruit (whatever is on sale that week). Friday:  Mac and cheese, peas, applesauce cup. Monday:  Lunchable, dill pickle, fruit cup.  (You can make your own lunchable with diced meat, cheese and crackers.) Tuesday:  Bean burrito, chips and salsa, applesauce cup. Wednesday:  Mini pizza, green beans, piece of fruit.  (I make these with hamburger buns, pizza sauce, toppings and cheese.) Thursday:  Ham sandwich, yogurt, chips. Friday:  Pot pie, cor...

Monday began a new week.  Second week of school for the year.  Since we have done school the same each year, each new school year is not too much of an adjustment.  Probably the hardest is getting everyone up and going. :) When we get to school in the morning, I start by grading any papers/homework from the previous day.  I also get the girls their papers for that day for each subject.  I organize any tests or quizzes that they need to take along with the answer key for that test.  Addie is doing her quizzes and tests this year online which is different for the both of us!  Her grandma (Eric's mom) gave her a tablet for her 12th birthday and she is able to log on and do her quizzes and tests right at her desk.  It is different because it saves all that grading for me! Baby Aaron usually plays or sleeps and Reagan does her own thing.  She's crazy!  LOL!  We are also potty training so that is interesting as well. ...

As things come out in the media about people...consider this one thing: You can't guarantee that what happened to that person you are making a judgment about - will never happen to you. I remember one day very clearly in my married life.  I was reading a blog of a pastor's wife one afternoon.  It was then I found out that her husband wanted a divorce from her.  He wanted to be with someone else. My husband came home from work and when I told him, I cried and cried.  Honestly, I was crying from fear.  If that could happen to another pastor's wife - someone I knew personally, why couldn't it happen to me? I was honest with my husband that day - I was scared that was going to happen to us.  It really shook my faith.  I knocked me down mentally.  It gave me a wake-up call. And from that moment, I had a different perspective.    One that - I may be in that person's place one day. First, don't be too hard on that...

My first favorite thing for the week is the Awana Cubbie curriculum.  It is a fabulous curriculum!   New camping supplies.  (Bought at a great discount with my husband's Sportsman's Warehouse employee discount!)  My favorite is the red coffeepot. :)  And the cool sporks! This little guy!  I love babysitting him. :) Smoky skies are so beautiful!  (The fires are not cool but I do love the skies.)  (Taken from our church parking lot.) Funny things like how kids sleep!  I'm surprised she doesn't suffocate.  LOL!

Every Friday @ 12:30pm (CST), you can hear a weekly challenge from me on Faith Music Radio.  My podcast is called Posted by Rebekah. You can listen online  HERE  or download the free app for your smartphone.  I would love for you to join us, listen and take the challenge! Tune in any time of the day to Faith Music Radio for uplifting Christian music and talk.  Here is today's podcast in blog post form. :) Have you ever had something frustrate you so very much?  We have these old sliding closet doors in our home.  They are always coming off the track and it is very difficult to get them back on.  Like “throw the door out” kind-of-frustrated. The other day, the closet door came off the track (and no one in the house would admit to it!).  I tried to get it back on and in my efforts, I stepped into the closet to see better what I was doing. Lo and behold, (this is where you can’t judge me) I noticed tha...

I wanted to share this week not necessarily a new recipe - but a change-up from the norm. I normally write down my menu for the week along with my To-Do's in a one subject notebook.  Well, I lost that notebook and I had no idea what recipe I had chosen to make that day! So after school and two big photo inspection jobs, I had to throw something together for dinner!  I saw a box of fettuccine and alfredo sauce in my pantry.  Instead of chicken, I sauted some beef fajita strips that I had in my freezer.  Instead of our normal broccoli, I added these to the fettuccine along with one can of Italian diced tomatoes (drained). It was delicious!  Add garlic bread and a salad and you have a simple and very quick dinner.  Don't forget to top with shredded parmesan! 1 box fettuccine 1 jar roasted garlic alfredo sauce 1/2 bag of beef fajita strips 1 can Italian diced tomatoes (drained)

  This was a different week for us that we have ever had.  This year, we are doing our home school day at the church.  This was a decision that I made to enable me to better help at the church while still being able to home school successfully.  If I were to be honest, it was a decision I struggled with.  However, after a week, I think it was a good decision.  Yes, it does take dedication, work and sacrifice in some ways.  I won't lie.  But all things take some measure of sacrifice and work.   We have set up in a small outside classroom and it works really well.    We start at 8:30am and end by 2pm.  The girls do the DVD accredited Abeka program.  This is our 8th year with Abeka.   Monday, I had three dentist appointments scheduled from months ago.  So after a few hours of school, we had to head to the dentist.  This week, I had seven kids all week - my four, Alex and Aaron and Reagan.  Seve...