Simply Keeping Home

The close of the year is a good time to take stock of the year past and make goals for the year ahead.  We all have dreams and goals but the difference between the two of those is action.  Dreams remain nothing but idle fantasies without action.  Goals on the other hand, are accompanied by a plan and a time limit.  So in order to make some goals come into focus and have a chance at becoming a reality, my husband and I are going to sit down today and chat about the year behind and the year ahead.  I thought I'd share some of the questions we'll be going over today and maybe they will inspire you to do your own "State of the Union" study on your marriage and family life during the past year. Just for Couples How do you sense God moving in your lives and guiding you as a couple? Is your marriage growing and getting stronger? Are the children doing well or having struggles? What changes do you want or need to make in the coming year? Where do you feel

For dinner tonight, I wanted to use up some of the Christmas ham we have in the fridge so I made a Denver Omellette in the oven.  This is a great recipe that uses all the same ingredients but saves you the time from having to make each individual omellette.  I served it with blueberry muffins and hashbrowns along side. Turned out sooo yummy! Here are the recipes: Oven Denver Omellette 8 eggs 1/2 cup half and half (or cream) 1 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese 1 cup diced cooked ham 1/4 cup finely diced onion 1/2 cup diced green pepper (or mushrooms) Pour into a 9" square greased casserole dish and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Blueberry Muffins 2 cups flour (can use all or part whole wheat) 1 cup sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup oil 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) Mix until all ingredients are moistened.  Scoop into greased muffin tin and bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes.

Someone recently said that since God is the God of peace and love, their current trial could not be from him. I began to think about Job. The trials that came upon Job were all with God's express permission.  So it is where we ourselves are concerned.  Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him , to destroy him without cause. God was moved against Job. He gave Satan permission to try Job with utter heartbreak.  In human understanding this is puzzling.  But God's ways are infinitely higher than our ways. Were God's actions toward Job loving? Based on the fact that God is holy, just and true, I can only conclude that, yes, they were. Then Job reminds us of something we should have hanging on the wall - that we came into this world with NOTHING-

We have been busy busy this Christmas season.  My oldest son has branched out and is teaching an art class twice a month to 10 fellow homeschoolers.  He has done really well so far and I'm proud to see him conquering his fears.  It's not easy getting up in front of people and speaking and he's doing a smashing job. At the start of each class he reads a scripture that pertains to art and then briefly expounds on it.  The first class he read Psalm 91 and spoke of how the heavens and all of creation show God's handiwork.  God is the originator of all art and we simply attempt to recreate the beauty that the Lord has created in the first place. The second class (he's only done two so far) he asked the class if anyone knew what the first sculpture was.  Nobody knew.  Then he read the verse in Genesis that speaks of forming man out of the dust of the earth and that the first man, Adam, was just a sculpture until God breathed life into him.  Isn't that awesome?!

Quack, Quack, Where’s The Duck? Originally, a “quack” was a dentist who used silver fillings. Silver fillings are also known as amalgam fillings which contain mercury. Mercury was known as quicksilver in the United States. But interestingly enough, it was known as “quacksilver” in Europe. In 1848, the American Society of Dental Surgeons required its members to pledge NOT to use mercury amalgam in filling material. And when member dentists in New York City used mercury, they were suspended for “malpractice by using silver mercury fillings.” According to Morton Walker, D.P.M. (author of Elements of Danger and 70 othe r books related to alternative health), the suspended fellows refused to give up their toxic ways because mercury offered an easily malleable, inexpensive filling material. They formed a new, competitive organization—the American Dental Association! Mercury is a known toxic metal and has been linked to birth defects, autoimmune illnesses and neurological i