After about a year we had saved up some money and decided to start looking for our own place.  We had heard about some mobile homes for sale in a nearby town  so we went to look at them.  We only looked at a couple before we found one that I fell in love with and shortly thereafter we moved into our first ‘home’.

It was just a little single wide trailer in a mobile home park down in Grand Rapids, but it as ‘home’ to us and we loved it.  We decorated it just so and it was all we needed.  A few years later we actually moved it up to the town we now live in and put it on a piece of property Buster’s dad bought for us.

We have since sold it and moved on, but I will never forget that first ‘home’ we moved into with out little family so many years ago when we first got married.

This last October Buster and I celebrated 18 years of marriage and I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone better! I am so blessed!

Here are a few of the things I made this last week for Saturday’s family Christmas…

Dipped Pretzels Nom Nom Nom…

Never mind the Jo-Lyn’s stamp on the picture…that’s my other blog for my cup cake/candy biz.

These are a couple of the Chocolate Spoons ‘The Girl’ and I made.  Don’t they look yummy?

MMMMM…yummy Candy Cane Marshmallows

Buster wasn’t feeling well when we went to the store to pick up the things I needed to make the goodies so he sat in the car while ‘The Girl’ and I shopped.  Because we were in a hurry I completely forgot to buy something to put the goodies in once they were made.  I bought these cute paper doilies to make tags with but nothing to put them on…

I scribbled out the names after I uploaded them on the computer…

So when we got the goodies made we had to put them in brown paper bag and attach the pretty home made tags on them.  They turned out kinda cute I think…

Not too shabby, If I do say so myself!  And I just did!

See You Soon!

So I sat here thinking to myself, wondering what I was going to do.  I remembered Buster buying some chicken breast tenderloins the other day and I knew I had a couple other ingredients in the fridge that should go well together.  I was like the mad scientist mixing this concoction together in my head, and I thought to myself, “self, this could work!”

MMMUUUAAHAAHHAA Just kidding, sort of.

So this is what I came up with.

Cream Cheese Chicken (for 2)

find this:

• 6 chicken breast tenderloins
• 1/2 block (about 4 oz) cream cheese
• about 1/2 -3/4 c.  (I just eye balled it) sour cream
• garlic salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 T. butter, cut into pieces

do this:

• season your chicken breast tenderloins and place tenderloins in baking dish (mine were frozen, would take a lot less time to cook if you thawed them first)
• mix your cream cheese and sour cream together in a bowl
• pour cream cheese mixture over chicken
• cut your 2T. butter into pieces and just put pieces randomly into pan all over chicken and sauce
  
• bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and cream cheese sauce is bubbly and hot
• periodically stir your sauce as it cooks maybe twice or three times during cooking  so it will be smooth when done

This turned out really good for being thrown together very quickly.  You could serve it with rice or noodles.  I just served it plain with some corn.  I thought about making some egg noodles, but like I said, I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t.  Next time I will, It will be yummy!

You could make  it with more chicken to feed more people or less to feed less!

Hope you enjoy  it.  I am linking up with Lisa for Tempt My Tummy Tuesday! Let’s go see what other goodies we can find!!

See you soon!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve done this. A long while.  I thought I’d do it again just for giggles.  We’ll see how it goes.  One of the prompts for this weeks workshop was…

1.)  Share a Thanksgiving recipe you will be cooking up this week.

Thanksgiving was yesterday, I know. So, sue me.

This is what I brought. No, I don’t have any pictures.  Maybe next time…

Green Bean Casserole

find this:

• 4 cans french style green beans (or whole green beans or cut green beans if you prefer, what-ev)
• 1 family size can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup (yes, it must be Campbell’s, come on people!)
• 1 container Frenchs Fried Onions (yes, it has to be French’s, pay attention folks!)

do this:

• open and drain beans
• put beans in casserole dish
• open and pour soup over beans; mix with spatula
• top with fried onions
• bake @350°F about 30-35 or until onions are golden brown and soup is bubbly and hot
• remove from oven and allow to sit about 5 minutes before serving
• enjoy with family

This is a family favorite not only for the holidays but at other times during the years whenever we decide we get a craving for it.  It’s a great dish.  And it’s easy to make! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Seven years ago today my life turned inside out.

Seven years ago today my worst nightmare came true.

Seven years ago today I had to say good bye to my ten year old son forever (worldly speaking, that is).

Seven years ago today God took that precious boy home to live with Him and forever changed me.  I wish I could say it was for the better, but I just don’t know that I can.  Maybe some day…

I know God has a reason for everything he does.  Things don’t just randomly happen, I know that deep down, I do!! But I just feel so broken sometimes.  Sometimes I just feel like there is nothing that can fix this, ya know?

But God can…

He won’t bring Eli back, it’s not that He can’t, but He won’t.  There is a reason.  We don’t know why, but it’s for our own good that we suffer.  I know it sounds strange, but there MUST be something good that comes from this or it wouldn’t be happening.

I know that’s how God works.  I feel God working in my life.  Most times I feel the energy He puts off like I can reach out and touch it! It’s awesome and I love it.  I love to tell others about Jesus and what He’s done for them!!

Other times I feel like it’s this crazy roller coaster and I just wanna get off for a while cause it’s making me dizzy and sick! Like it’s all just too much.  I think that is the devil just wanting me to give up!

Well, I just want to tell the devil, you can’t have me…I am on the winning side!  I have Jesus and so did my son!

So for all those out there who have lost those you love or who are suffering in some way, please, don’t suffer alone.  God loves you and He sent His son to show you that!  Please see My Romans Road page for more information!!

But this one is very important!

I want you to realize that we are in a fight! A fight against the devil and evil! Yes,  the devil! He is waging a war against us and if we are not careful and vigilant, he is going to win!

You think I’ve lost my mind don’t you? Look around you, friends…

Look at all the pastor’s wives fighting cancer or some other life-threatening or life-altering illness right now, do you think that is a coincidence?

Look at all the “men of God” being accused of “sexual deviance”, do you think that is coincidence?

Look at all the marriages in ruins, do you think that is coincidence?

We are in the fight of our lives, people, do we not realize this? The devil is after us and our families and I don’t think we even realize it!

Hold your dear ones close friends.  Yes, even when they hurt you.  Even when you think they have done the unforgivable.  Jesus forgave you!

Husbands, pray for your wives.

Wives, pray for your husbands.

Church members, pray for your pastors.

Pastors, pray for your church members.

Parents, pray for your children.

Children, pray for your parents.

EVERYONE, pray for EVERYONE!!!

I don’t understand why the difference, but I know this. Those tears that eventually come, they cleanse my soul.  They clean me out.  It’s like the pain and sadness just build and build until they can’t be contained and then they just break loose.

I am so thankful that God gives His grace to those that ask for it and depend on Him for it.  I am also thankful for friends and family that love me and support me. THANK YOU! GOD BLESS YOU!!

I know it’s early, but when you are on a tight budget you have to spread your spending out as much as you can!  And believe you me, we are on a TIGHT budget!!

So, I am already checking into getting something like invitationbox.com christmas photo cards to send out instead of regular Christmas cards.  A nice family photo is a nice gift for family you don’t often gt to see because of busy schedules!!  A little family letter giving the highlights of your year and a nice photo is just the thing to give your loved ones, I think…

Just an idea…

She has always been a good child and always wanted to please her dad and I, but lately, she has wanted to do her own thing and didn’t really care what we had to say about it.  It was really kind of exasperating.  She felt like we were being unfair and refused to see our point of view about a situation.

My husband prayed with her and had her do some praying and extra bible reading and I really think she is coming around now.  I am thankful that she does have a tender heart and that she has a heart for God and want to do right.

Although My husband and I are far from perfect parents, we have raised our daughter right and she knows what she is supposed to be doing and not supposed to be doing and I just have to trust that if we lovingly but firmly guide her back when she begins to stray that God will keep her where she needs to be.  So far so good, I will continue to pray for her and guide her the best I can and leave the rest up to God…

]]> http://blog-diggidy.com/index.php/2011/06/shes-not-my-little-girl-anymore/feed/ 0 http://blog-diggidy.com/index.php/2011/06/at-a-loss/ http://blog-diggidy.com/index.php/2011/06/at-a-loss/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:27:49 +0000 Jo http://blog-diggidy.com/?p=4094 For those of you who know me, you know this is something odd…that I would not know what to say…

It’s not so much that I don’t know what to say, so mush as I don’t want to say too much or say the wrong thing.

Just know that there is a lot going on with me right now.  I need some prayer, please. Some of what is going on is not going on “with” me, and doesn’t even really directly affect me, but it shakes me to the core that the devil is attacking  so “close to home”.

And the other stuff I’m going through is going on “with” me, but I am in prayer about it and I am seeking God’s guidance and His will in this situation, which is always hard because as a human being, I rely too much on my feelings and emotions…Of course, I never want to do anything that will cause anyone pain, especially my family and myself.

Please friends, keep your loved ones close to you, tell them and show them you love them every chance you get.  Be slow to anger and quick to forgive, for we are not promised a tomorrow to try again!!!

And it has been A LOT people!! A LOT!!

This last weekend, I had a very rough night Saturday night and he let me stay in bed Sunday morning, while he went up to camp and did my job for me!! What an awesome husband I have!! For realz!!

I am truly blessed to have such a man in my life!

Thanks honey for always being there when it counts and for having my back always!!! I love you more than words can say!!

Some people just don’t get it.  It doesn’t matter if you have all the latest home furnishings and high tech gadgets like the ones you see on Home Makeover and other shows on TV, but if you don’t have love and security, you’ve got nothing!!!

You can have the biggest house on the block with the fanciest things in it and if you don’t have love and commitment and trust, you may as well have a cardboard box.  When will people learn this important fact?

“Things” are not evil or bad in and of themselves, but when we place the importance on these that we should have on our relationships with our families and with God, we are setting ourselves up for major disappointment!!

Just had to get that off my chest…