Wordless Wednesday: Favorite Photos 2010 Part 2

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Gratituesday: Power of Praying

One week ago

In an email to a friend I wrote about the trouble I have had with my hip:  “Pain is hard.  It sucker punches you when you don't expect it.  I am still learning how to deal with weakness and not being able to do EVERYTHING.  That verse you shared in Proverbs(see below) is actually one of my very favorites.

I often feel like I have gotten off the path of what God wants and that is so reassuring that he is directing my path.  You are right about the burden--he is so much better at carrying it than I am.  I just need to remember that.  My prayer is that I remember that he formed my hip this way.  He knew that I would walk(limp) this road and he's not shocked, scared or unprepared. 

He has a plan & I just need to acknowledge him in ALL my ways.  Not just the easy ways, ALL of them.”

A week ago I sent out a plea for prayers as I was to go get a cortisone shot in my hip joint on Friday.  To say the least I was a bit low and scared and hurting.  I don’t want an bum hip.  It is NOT fun.  I don’t WANT to have surgery to replace my hip joint.  So I was asking for prayers for a successful shot.

And oh the loving emails and phone calls that I received.  It just made me go week with tears as I felt the love pour out. 

Update

The power of love and prayers has proven itself by the peace I feel even as I still have pain in my hip.  This shot may or may not work but  I am so grateful to the prayers of loved ones on my behalf, so grateful that God has given me a few days without as much anxiety about what will happen.  I don’t know what tomorrow holds but HE does and all I need to do is not lean on myself but on Him.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

   and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways submit to him,

   and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

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Bloggy Progressive Dinner: Kim’s Pink Salad

I love recipes that are handed down.  There are a few that I make that are a direct “descendant” from my mom’s kitchen.

Today’s recipe is one of those!  This used to be Judy’s(my mom) Pink Salad.  Not when I take it to places it is Kim’s Pink Salad—but in my head I think no it is my mom’s.  Very strange.  Ranks up there with approaching 40 and feeling 25 still(except for the gray hairs and bum hip).

This salad is super easy & takes NO talent to make.  However, it is the one I get the most compliments on.  It is a very pretty salad when done & it would look beautiful in a clear dish for presentation.

Enjoy!

Kim’s Pink Salad

24 oz Cool Whip

1-12 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1-16 oz can cherry pie filling

1-4-6 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

1-16 oz can chunk pineapple, drained

Drain the oranges & pineapple.  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until the cherry pie filling causes the Cool Whip to be uniformly pink.  Pour in to a 9x13 dish(or other large serving bowl) & refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight.

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Bloggy Progressive Dinner: Wellness Tea

I am not a holistic girl--just not there yet.  On the other hand I HATE being sick and going to the doctor.  So as we go in to Christmas season this is my defense against all those little bugs we often get to share with family.

A friend recommended to me to try taking Echinacea or drinking Echinacea tea.  She used it last winter to battle the little colds that came in their house.  She also has a house full of kids and realizes one little cold can last for a month or two once it makes the rounds to each little person.

Her method

Harvest the leaves from her plant and dry them.  At the first sign of sniffles, sore throat or runny nose start drinking the Echinacea “tea.”  It is much more effective if you can do this before the sickness takes hold.  It strengthens your immune system and helps it fight off the illness. 

How to make the tea.   Boil a mug of water.  Place a 1-2 teaspoons(estimate here) of leaves in a paper towel or coffee filter and place it in the water to steep for 2-3 minutes.  My friend’s kids would just drink this as their “tea” several times a day for about 7 days.  Don’t stop drinking the tea early or the cold may come back.

My method

Tea(real tea) with breakfast.  As we’ve had some sore throats and sniffles around here I have been faithfully making a pot of Echinacea “tea” each morning.  Sometimes we will have a pot later in the day but we have been pretty faithful to drink it at least 3-4 mornings a week.  Everyone, not just the sick one.
My favorite tea is French Vanilla from Bigelow.

I boil a kettle of water on the stove as we wait for muffins, oatmeal or eggs.  Then in this cute tea pot I have I put 3 tea bags & then put my mesh strainer in filled with dried Echinacea leaves.  

Pour the boiling water over the top of the leaves & steep for 2-3 minutes.  I add a teaspoon of honey to my kids mugs and I use a few drops of liquid Stevia.  However, you wouldn't need to do the sweetener because my kids claim that there is virtually no taste.  That is all there is to it.  My little people and I haven’t caught the bugs that Daddy and big brother have caught.  The guys don’t drink the tea as they are out of the house when we have breakfast.

Usually I post a money saving Monday tip so this is a two for one post!  This tea is saving me money because my mother-in-law has flower gardens full of Purple Coneflower(aka Echinacea) in the summer.  I went over there as all her plants were done flowering and harvested a TON(well not really) of leaves for our “wellness tea”—totally free.  It also has saved us at least one or two trips to the doctor.  Money saved!!!

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Cooking During Stolen Moments @ the Bloggy Progressive Dinner: Drinks/Appetizers

Fun Friday!!!

I look forward to Fridays.  Always have ever since jr high(so long ago HA!)  So today’s post is about all the fun we’ve been having this week.  We’ve been battling a cold around here so things have been kind of chaotic.

 

Elizabeth has been working diligently on her Apologia Physical Science.  On Wednesday, she called her little brother away from his English(he was so sad) to see her experiment.  She had mixed corn starch with water & had made a white goo.  It was runny & firm—very weird.  But very FUN!

 We also spent some time at Hobby Lobby shopping for iron on letters—wow they are expensive.  While we were there we found some foam swords & shields, which of course my younger two decided they must buy.  As if we don’t have enough weapons of destruction—nerf guns, play guns, plastic swords etc.  However they did have a lot of FUN chasing each other around the living room.

  



Friday is date night so that is always fun for everyone.  I am hoping to get some Christmas shopping(or planning) done & spend some precious time with my love.

What are you doing for Friday fun?

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