Wednesday Weather

DrToday is day 26 of the NaBloPoMo challenge.  It is all the day before Thanksgiving here in the United States.  But for the specific area I live in, the weather is going to be the major topic of concern.  After all, a winter storm watch has a way of bringing our attention, especially when it is the first projected major snow storm of the year.

To many, I know the word "snow" remains a bad word in their opinion.  It is something they long to avoid and be rid of for the entire winter.  I was originally born in southern New Jersey and lived there for 9 years.  Snow was just something that came with the territory.

Then our family moved to South Carolina, where snow was not such a normal thing.  I will never forget one snow storm, the people who lived across the street from us attempted to "wash" the snow of their driveway with their hose.  Needless to say, the driveway became a solid sheet of ice.  We lived there for four years before moving to Salisbury, North Carolina.  I can't say I remember too much about any snow there.

Then I went to college in Asheville, NC while my parents moved to southeastern North Carolina.  I flew home from college for Christmas break and could not get out when I was supposed to because it snowed where we lived.  Any amount of snow in that part of the country paralyzes the area because there just isn't a high demand for snow removal equipment.

Flash forward many years to around 1999, my husband was away at annual training with the army reserves in January - which was a strange time for him to be gone since he typically goes to annual training in June.  I was staying with my mother along with our oldest two sons.  In the morning, it was snowing.  Originally they called for a delay for the schools, then they changed it to a teacher workday.  Since I was a teacher, that meant I had to go to work.  So I cautiously got in the van and started to the high school I taught at with one ear on the radio.  When I had drove for a while, the news I had been hoping for was announced.  I no longer had to go to work, so the hard part became finding a safe place to turn around.  But I made it.

Flash forward to our first year in Pennsylvania in 2012, the weekend before Thanksgiving as we were driving to our new home, the skies opened up and the snow began falling.  It was not good news for the area.  That February I believe we wound up with over 4 feet of snow on the ground before it finally stopped.  But my children loved it.  They made tunnels in the snow and just thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  Only time will tell how much snow we actually will get this year or will wind up with for the year.  But I plan on enjoying it.  Because being in the military means I have no idea of where we will be moving to next.

How's the weather where you are?

This picture is what our backyard looked like this morning before it began really snowing.

Then the picture above is what it looked like this afternoon.

Tasty Tuesday - November 25, 2014

Today I want to share with you our dinner from last night. I'm made homemade chicken soup.  I began by boiling about 12 chicken tenders in water with 3 chicken bouillon cubes.  While that was cooking, my oldest son began boiling water to cook the Amish Noodles in that we had bought at Sam's Club.  My family loves almost any type of noodles.

When the chicken was done, I removed it from the pot, so that it would cool enough for me to shred it.  I then added to cartons of Vegetable broth since I did not have any chicken broth on hand along with carrots and onions.  About 7 minutes before the noodles were done cooking, I added about 3-4 celery stalks chopped finely and a bag of frozen roasted red bell peppers.  When everything was ready, I served the meal by placing noodles in the bottom of the bowl to my family's satisfaction along with the chicken soup mixture.  Along with the meal we served crescent rolls that my oldest son prepared by melting butter and adding garlic salt.  He then brushed the mixture on the inside of the crescent roll before rolling it up.  Then he coated the tops with the mixture.  They were totally delicious.  I hope you enjoyed.

Here are some photos of the meal preparations and the finished product.

So what are you having for dinner today?  We will be eating the leftover soup.

Monday Musings for November 24, 2014

So today is day 24 of the NaBloPoMo challenge, and I have now been blogging for 55 days straight (including today).  I have really enjoyed participating the Ultimate Blog Challenge in October and the NaBloPoMo challenge this month.

It amazes me to think I have been able to come up with that many blog posts in a row.  I have almost written more posts in the past two months than I had since I started our blog.

Sometimes thinking of a blog post title can be difficult.  The words tend to come easier for the actual post than the title.  I want and need the title to catch attention and draw interest to read the post.

In three days, we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  We have everything for our meal except our turkey.  Dennis will pick that up on his way home from work on Wednesday since we are getting a fresh turkey from a local grocery store.

Also, we have the possibility of having 2-4 inches of snow on Wednesday.  this could make life interesting.

Last night at almost 9 pm we received a visit from the pastor, his wife and his daughter of the church in our new town that we have been attending.  Every year their church gives out Thanksgiving meals.  This year they decided to bless our family with one of those meals.  It meant a lot to us to receive this gift.

In one month, it will be Christmas Eve.  There is so much we need to do to get ready for the holiday.  Yet nothing we need to do is as important as focusing on the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   Our Christmas may be a simple this one this year, but we certainly can turn our hearts and minds to what the miraculous birth of this baby did for our salvation.

So what is on your mind this Monday?  I would love to hear from you.

Satisfying Sunday

Some days are just more satisfying than others.  It doesn't matter what gets done, as much as it matters who you are with at the time.  Today was one of those satisfying Sundays.  I stayed home from church with our daughter this morning while the rest of the family went to church.  Last night at bedtime she had a bloody nose and just had a rough night in general.  So Dennis and I decided it was best for me to stay with her.

While they were gone, I did a few things around the house.  Around 11:30, I began preparations for our Sunday dinner.  We always eat our big meal on Sundays right after church.  So I pulled out vegetables to have as our sides.  Our main course was going to be two ham slices.  All of the children helped with the dinner preparations once they returned from church.  Dad also helped out in the kitchen.  We had the ham slices, kale stir-fried with red onions and garlic, baby lima beans, baby potatoes and cauliflower covered in melted cheese.  Dad also fixed us garlic toast to have with the meal.  Everyone thoroughly enjoy the meal.

The rest of the day will basically be spent doing things of our choosing - either alone or with other family members.  All in all it is very satisfying to not have a ton of demands on our time.  It is good to have a day to rest and rejoice in our Lord.

So how have you spent your Sunday?  Was it satisfying?  I pray it was.  I welcome your comments.

Working Saturday

Well today is day 22 of the NaBloPoMo challenge.  Today was one of those rare Saturdays where we did not have to go anywhere or do anything.  We actually spent the day working on the house.  Everyone had assigned jobs to complete.  Dennis worked on the dining room closet.  I worked on laundry, Boo's bedroom and my part of our closet.  The younger two were assigned the job of straightening up the toy room.  The older two had to move some things out to our garage and rearranged one of our bookshelves.

Then Dennis and I had to go to his unit for something.  Imagine our surprise when we went out and found freezing rain falling.  It was not exactly a good day to be out driving.  We were blessed to make it to the unit and back with no problems.

Due to the road conditions, our company for the evening determined it was better to cancel for this evening.  I had to agree with them.  So instead we are having a quiet evening at home with just our family.

What is going on where you are?  I would love to hear from you.

A Year is almost over

A year is almost over.  Next week is Thanksgiving.  Then we are into December and all that goes with preparing for Christmas.  Then it is time to prepare for a new year.  This is a time to reflect on the year that has been.  What went well?  What do I wish I had done differently?  What changes do I want to make in the upcoming year?
As I look back on 2014, a lot has happened.  We made some choices regarding our future.  We feel comfortable with those decisions.  We moved from one house to another one that feels more like home for us.  And now one of the biggest changes is going to be happening.  My husband is about to reenlist for another 6 years.  His plan is to complete his Masters Degree in Divinity in that time.  It is going to be an interesting couple of years.  Time with the family will be a precious commodity amidst the demands of work and school for him.  Within the next year, we probably will receive orders to our next duty station.  Our oldest should begin taking college courses.  And life continues to move forward.

How has your year been and what are you looking forward to in the new year?   welcome your thoughts.

NOV 20 2014 THANKFUL THURSDAYS

Today is day 20 of the NaBloPoMo challenge.

Today I am thankful for the 20 posts I have written this month - including this one.

I am thankful to be able to participate in the "Before Amen" Online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 Ministries.

I am thankful for the new homeschooling law that just passed in Pennsylvania.

I am thankful to have spent the last 4 days with my husband.

I am thankful for children that love each other and take care of each other.

What are you thankful for today?  I would love to hear from you.