Anniversary, 17th Birthday and Christmas

Sorry if I seem to be gone again- my son celebrated his 17th birthday last week...

I am finally done decorating for Christmas and 80 percent done shopping.. now for baking...

And today, today is a very special day...

It is my 18th Wedding Anniversary.

I married my high school sweetheart- I married the man I love...

God brought us together when we were very young (15 & 16 yes, he is older), although there were many times I didn't ever think we would marry and many times I wasn't sure we could make it through the trials we've had, we are here and we have made it and I couldn't be more crazy about him or love him more than I do today.

It is fun to reminisce and that is exactly what we did last evening with our children.  We told them funny stories about our 1st year of marriage... getting married on an Air Force Base in Little Rock, Arkasas..
we even went back a bit to what is was like - good and bad - dating for all of the years we dated, our engagement .. all the memories.. we had so much fun. 

We took some time just recently to also look at our dating and wedding photos.. how funny we both looked and as my children have said repeatedly.. "How VERY '80s!" we really were..

I cannot wait to see what God brings our way in the next 18 years and beyond... I am so blessed to be married to him and to have the love, support and memories I have... I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone else.. No one could ever amount to what he has amounted to in my life.

Thank You God for blessing me with such a wonderful husband.

Good Site - Good Giveaway~

Lisa over at Homestead Originals is having a great giveaway over at her blog. 

Plus, she has a good blog and store, I love going there, I just don't get there much because of time. 

So if you have a minute or two please visit her and then let Lisa and I know you were there with a comment.

My Photographer...

What happens when you give a 16 year old a camera, a younger sister and a large pumpkin??

No princess this pumpkin will never be a carriage to the ball...

I did mention the pumpkin was the largest we ever grew ourselves.. didn't I??

Dreaming of Pumpkin Pie...

And Here is the photographer with the actual pumpkin..

Very Cute my son...

Real Garden Pictures to Share

Here are pictures from my garden this year, unlike the last picture I posted of what I'd like to have my garden look like...

This is one of seven pumkins in my garden. This is the best year I have ever had for pumkins so my son thought he'd help me document some of what we ended up with.. bear with us.. we are not bragging with the photos.. just totally pleased :)

Two of the "Old Connecticut" pumkins- they are such a dark muted orange color.. They just scream fall .. you can see a corn stalk above the pumkins. We ended up with just a small amount of stalks but enough that we harvested 32 ears of corn.. Just enough for 2 dinners around here.

This is our "monster" even the picture doesn't do it credit. It is truely huge.

Another one that is near our "monster"... these were taken a week ago and the pumkins have all grown even more.. These two are worth weighing just for the fun of it...

Yes, that is my sidewalk under the pumkin. What can I say, my sweet hubby wanted the garden near the house and soooo, it is near by.

This is the sea of pumpkins overflowing my raised bed garden in the middle of my yard.

Being in town, I do wonder what my neighbors think..

Better shot of what the yard now looks like...

A chaotic and true picture of what a green bean square foot garden looks like when your five year old helps! :) But as I have mentioned before, we were blessed ubundantly with green beans and they are slowing a bit but still producing!

Fridays...

Good Morning...

Has fall hit your area yet? We are definitely seeing the weather that has cause me to pull those sweatshirts out. This morning the temperature is a chilly 52 with quiet a heavy fog. Sounds like apple picking time..

The pictures are from last fall, but today's weather has inspired me to get out those Autumn bowl and wreaths and make the house look warm and cozy..

This is also when I gear up for colds and visit some of my favorite websites to get their recipes for cold, flu and virus fighting remedies.. GOOT is a new one I will be using this year. You can find all of the information on it at Walking Therein.

You really need to visit Jacque Dixon's website anyway.. I could spend hours over there being encouraged and gleaning from her wisdom and walk with our Lord.

I also found another wonderful remedy last year I would love to share. I am extremely prone to Bronchitis and have a horrible week or two every year. That is until last year when an acquaintance told me about what she uses...

1 onion, peeled and sliced in 1/2
2 tbsp. honey - raw is best
water
sm. sauce pot

Place both halves of the onion in the pot, drizzle 1 tbsp. of honey on each one. Cover with water, just enough to be slightly covered. Bring to boil and then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer until syrup-y while stirring. Pour liquid in tea cup and drink while warm.

It took me quite a while to really try this, just the thought gave me chills. Now, I use it the minute a child sounds raspy.. It is actually very sweet in taste and in about 1 hour you will really notice a change in the tightness of your chest.

My cough was gone after 1 very large coffee cup of this. Warning: you do smell like an onion for 2 days or so and it does make you break into a short sweat right after drinking it. How you feel so shortly is worth the odor and if you already eat a lot of onions and garlic you may not even notice it.. LOL .. just warn your hubby before he hugs or kisses you that night... :)

Just so you all know, I have given up on my bathroom being done anytime soon.. this is the slowest construction job EVER!! LOL

How is school going for all of you? This, for the month that we have actually been homeschooling, has been by far our best year yet. God has blessed each of my children with a very open heart. I am curious to hear from all of you... I am thinking that Fridays are going to become my homeschool day. I'll share some of my thoughts, struggles and even some of the fun.. but I'd really love to hear from all of you too...

God's Word...

How many times have you needed something..

I mean really needed something and in the midst of your day say, "God, I could really use..." or "Please God, could you help me..." and then either go to the store and buy it with money you shouldn't have spent or started shopping for it

or just forgotten about it because maybe it really wasn't a true need??

Oh how many times I have been there.. How many times have I prayed, "God, Please bless us with xxxxx we really need that." - just to find out that either I didn't need or I could consume all of my spare time shopping for the best price on this item because it was a need???

Through a program called Financial Freedom - we were challenged to honestly pray for an item of real need...

My stove/oven. It died. Really died. We currently have 3 burners working. The large oven on bottom well, it works but the door doesn't open or shut. The hinge came off and my sweet daughter didn't know what was wrong so she "kind of forced it" .. the door is now slightly bent and if you want it shut you now need to use the latch for self-cleaning to keep it shut. That was working and I was limping it along until the other evening when we put some food it and on 450 degrees- guess what .. self-cleaning door lock at certain temps. Needless to say.. diner was a bit overdone by the time the oven cooled off enough for the latch to release LOL!!

The upper oven door works, but doesn't seal so I am constantly cooking the whole kitchen.

It was in the house when we moved in and the previous owner said she thinks her and her husband bought it in the mid 70's. It was a great electric stove with a double oven. I never cared for electric but the double oven was so great that I was never picky about electric or gas.

I didn't say much because we are spending enough right now getting the bathroom remodeled and cars ready for winter. You know..

So, we were challenged. David said, if you really need another oven, have you asked God? Did you really ask God? Don't you believe he will bring you one??? I prayed, and then bought a Paper Shop to find this great oven from God. You know, the perfect one for just the perfect price. That is when David asked why I was shopping and I read:

So why do you keep calling me 'Lord, Lord!' when you don't do what I say?

Luke 6:46 NLT |

That is when I decided to stop looking and talking about it. I prayed. Really prayed and asked that if and when God wanted to bless us with an oven He would.

On Sunday, as we were getting out of the car from church, my neighbor yelled over to me. I thought she said, " Do you want a stove.."

What??

I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly...

What were you saying over the kids yelling I couldn't hear your words...

She repeats.. "Do you want a stove? My husband (our contractor) just pulled it out of another kitchen, they are doing a total remodel and gave it to us."

Again, me being a bit bad at the whole trusting God thing. "Well, let me see it, what is wrong with it?"

As you have probably guessed.. Not one single thing wrong- a four or five year old GAS stove/oven. Like new! We are putting it in this weekend---


Praise God...

It has been a while..

Well, now that I remembered my password, I should be back up and writing again..

How our garden fared:

Green, Purple and Wax beans are almost done producing, I'm only getting a half filled basket a week now.

Corn is gone, we ate the last few stragglers last night with steak and fresh green beans... mmm, mmm, mmm :)

Carrots are in and one last crop has been planted - I really have to get the cold frame built with Josh so we don't loose anything.

My lettuce, cucumbers and radishes were another story- I ended up with one great picking of each and since then it has been some here, some there... 3 of my easiest crops yet not much of a success at all.

I really think this was due to the weather, we had the strangest weather this year.

Broccoli and Cauliflower are done- broccoli got burned from a one day hot spell this year and the cauliflower was amazing! I have at least a dozen heads blanched and frozen.

Raspberries are the big surprise still producing a cup or two every couple days. This is our best year yet.. Praise God!



Sunflowers have been a great.. I cut and filled two vases full of beautiful sunflowers. Bundled two large bouquets of sunflowers with twine and hung them upside down on my porch for the birds. Cut the heads off about 1 dozen to dry and feed to the birds in the midst of winter here.

Yellow squash ( I took a year off from zucchini) is just now growing really abundant.

My tomatoes got hit with this blight as so many of my neighbor's did.

Potatoes did not get the blight and in another 2 or 3 weeks we shall see what that harvest has amounted to... Oh how I am praying it is good.

Sadly, I have yet to see a butternut squash- I really love them...

But.. Happily I have 1/2 a dozen spaghetti squashes in my forest of squash leaves.

Lastly, my goofy pumpkins. I usually get 2 or 3 and they are ok. This year I have about 7 of the hugest pumpkins I could have ever imagined growing plus more coming up everyday. My husband and I are just amazed.

I asked God to bless this garden and also asked for just enough pumpkins for each of the 6 kids- again and again in the biggest and and smallest of my requests. God blesses beyond what is ever deserved.

So, how is your garden doing? Are you all ready to begin apple picking for some homemade applesauce and apple butter???

I'll be back to post pictures later.

Melissa

Weekends...

Blessings abound here...

As I planted my garden this year I prayed. Almost with every seed my kids and I planted I honestly prayed. I asked God to bless our garden, may it produce profusely!... I asked that we get no diseases that might ruin what we have planted as it is our time and money in the ground... I even prayed that I would have the time to maintain it as I need to - that is something I always lack.

This is not my garden, I will put a picture of my real garden in there tomorrow :)




Well, as many of you gardeners know, there is a terrible blight killing tomato and potato plants like crazy! All 14 tomato and 40 potato plants have been wonderfully spared from this. Both of my neighbors have blight covering their tomatos.... Thank God I will have enough to share.. we always do!

My electrician was supposed to come today but was a no show.. Which means my contractor is now not able to finish the bathroom tomorrow. Although it sounds bad it is actually a great blessing to everyone. My son who has been assisting our contractor now gets a day off. At 16, you really need this once in a while.. (he works like a horse for us during the week) I can go grocery shopping withour having to have someone home while the work is going on. And.. our sink & tub faucets have not come in yet sooo, all in all, we truly are better off waiting one more week.

My children just finished VBS tonight so they have been having fun and will be in great moods tomorrow.. and to top it off, they get to go to Lowe's and have a daddy & kid morning with the project they are building.. (1 hour for me to get some of the in and out errands done before they join me for the day)

Lastly.. My father, who is in a personal care home, met with a Veteran Assistant today and was able to get many forms filled out for assistance with his residence, prescriptions and medical care... Praise God! (he has Parkinson's Disease and is 85)

This is an excellent way to begin our weekend Psalm 120:1
Enjoy Your Family, Your Home and Worshiping The Lord this weekend...
I'll try to be back on Monday..

Contractors, Electricians, 6 kids, 2 cats and 1 dog...

Life has been so very busy around here, to add to this we are renovating our upstairs bathroom. I am so thankful for a great friend/neighbor/contractor! He has been so wonderful I actually haven't noticed him around here.

Well, now that the clay pipe is out of our walls I don't notice him around here..

While he was removing it I spent a lot of time praying and watching for this large 200 year old house to crumble to the ground- the noise and vibration from removing that pipe was incredible....

I am learning to have great patience every day by watching our much needed and wanted electrician pass by my house 2 to 3 times daily as he finishes another job up the road.

The fun part about all of this is that neither the contractor or the electrician have commited to certain days at my house, they are each taking it day by day and fitting my "small" job in as they can. Each day we vote on whether this will be "our" day or not. This kids think this is great... I am growing just a bit weary.

Basically our home and children need to be visitor ready by 7am each day so I can feel at ease if and when they pull into my driveway. To add to it my dog absolutely hates men! Yey! And... My wonderful but tired husband showers (in our one and only bathroon for right now) and gets ready for work which he leaves for at 6:45am each day.

Can you say WONDERWOMAN??? hahaha... I have become a master and being clean, dressed, children clean and dressed, house clean and smelling good in 15 minutes each day.. again I say.. I am growing just a bit weary from this.

Money Saving Mission

I have found some great deals, help and information on saving a great amount of money shopping for my family. Below is another great way to save. If you have 5 minutes.. check out this offer and her site! It is worth the time, she is full of info.
Have a Great Tuesday~

Me..

$avings Makes ¢ents: $25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate Giveaway!

$avings Makes ¢ents: $25 Amazon.com Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Organization- Hmm. such a Monday Morning Thought...

The Reasons Why Becoming Organized Is So Important

As you know, being “organized” is a very popular topic. There are even whole stores, such as The Container Store and Hold Everything, which are devoted to the idea of becoming organized. It seems that everyone is always trying to find a way to become more organized.

Many people mistakenly believe that being organized requires too much effort. Sometimes people think that the only people who can actually become organized are uptight. That is not true! If you have ever wondered what the fuss about being organized is, here are some reasons as to why this is such a popular topic:

Being organized reduces stress. When someone is disorganized, they often feel a lot of stress, anxiety, and generally overwhelmed. They may not be able to locate missing items, they may find their selves constantly running late or forgetting things, and they may be prone to missing work deadlines.

When someone is organized they will be able to find what they are looking for, will be less likely to forget things, and will find that will be more likely to arrive for meetings on time and turn work in before the due date. An organized person will feel more confident because of those things and their stress levels will go down.

As we mentioned before, many people feel that organized people are uptight. Being organized can actually help you to relax. Instead of worrying about things you didn’t have time to do or couldn’t find, an organized person can actually sit back at the end of the day and know that they achieved the things that needed to be done.

Another great reason to get organized is that being organized increases your productivity, and therefore, can increase your bank account. When you are organized, you will be able to get more work done. Depending on the type of job you have, the more work that gets done can generally lead to bigger paychecks and a bigger bank account.

Being organized can help you create a sense of calm and peace in all aspects of your life. Once you have organized one area of your life, you will start to notice that things seem to run more smoothly in all areas of your life.

For Step by Step directions on getting your home organized, check out

School

How does each school year roll by so quickly? It seems like I was just planning this year and now I am already preparing for the next year and looking forward to 2 really great used curriculum fairs near me.

I have to admit, this year I am probably more organized than last. A lot of prayer is greatly helping me to focus on what I really need and add in some extras without ending up with a little bit of this and a little bit of that.


I love books and I love to have a lot of books.. but I also know that while books are a wonderful thing, so is organization and I need to chose wisely between what I need, want and what I can borrow from a library. Although I like to have many good quality books available for the kids I also cannot possibly purchase EVERY good book so.. my list is being written, shortened and prioritiesed.

About a month ago I purchased a cd set and was greatly blessed by it. It is so in line with my husband's and my thoughts on homeschooling and how to focus your lessons. I can't tell you enough how blessed you will also be by Victoria Botkin and her children. They share their thoughts and memeories plus Victoria shares with you the guidelines to a loving, enriching, focused homeschool and home...



Again, I cannot express how much I have been blessed by these cd's.

Have a Wonderful Afternoon....

Autumn

I love Autumn! I woke up this morning thinking, I just love how my home smells and feels at this time of year. All the baking that we begin again. All the cuddly blankets that come out for children when they are sitting and reading a book... I just love it.

So, is your garden done for the year? I am still squeezing out a few tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers. Just the last little bits remain but still taste so good. We pulled all of the celery the other day, it just looks so pretty and smells so fresh. I am already thinking about next year's garden... do's and don'ts.. maybe today is the perfect day to add all of my thoughts to my garden journal.

I am also going to bake some zucchini bread today. We have somewhat cloudy weather with the smallest chill in the air so it is a perfect day to open the doors, smell the fall air and bake while the children do their school.

What are you baking today? Do you have a favorite fall recipe you love? I'd be happy if you'd share it in the comments section. If I try it and love it, I'll post it with your name on my blogsite.

Well, off to begin the day. Laundry, coffee, then that garden journal entry.

Missy

Learning to Knit

I am learning how to knit this week. I can sew, quilt and crochet but for some unknown reason I don't know how to knit. So, while 3 of my children are on a short trip with the church this week I am taking a moment and learning how to knit. Of course I am using my daughter's supplies so as of right now the knitting needles are pink, the yarn is pink and believe it or not the "how to" website I am using is pink! LOL


Not that I don't like pink, I actually do but that is my daughter's "signature" color and all I can think of is her and how much I hope she and all the other teens are getting out of this short week of serving others. I know she is having fun, I hope she is really getting a heart education this week. I want her to come home truly knowing what serving others is.

I am thankful that 3 of my kids have gone on this trip. What a great thing to concentrate on this summer. We have already known the encouraging side and hardship it can sometimes be to serve others with a good heart and attitude.

We experienced a flood in our area several years back.. Our town was one of the harder hit areas, when you come from a town that has a population of 1000, and 1/8 of it is under water, it is traumatic to say the least. The first day or two was so simple to jump right in and pull items from the water, organize meals, sort clothing donations. But.... day 15, 20, 42 it became harder and harder to make meals to deliver to the fire department, sort clothing and help people find items of need. Although rewarding, it is hard to put your own needs, wants and interests aside and continue to help. Scrubbing another person's walls, floors and doing laundry for people you don't know seems frustrating and exhausting at times.

Then I think of how Christ would want me to respond and how I needed to encourage our family to continue in the work without complaint or bad attitude.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. Galatians 5:13ESV

Wonderful, Encouraging Blogs to Visit

Just a quick note to encourage you, if you have time, visit the blog A Wise Woman Builds Her Home".

This is a wonderful Godly woman with such wisdom and knowledge. She is such a great encouragement to me. I have made her page my start up page on the internet for right now. I think you will love reading her notes and thoughts. She is the type of woman I would love to sit and have a cup of tea with!

I also wanted to let you know that Kelly at Families Against Feminism is running an incredible give-away on her blog of a Vision Forum set: Reclaiming the Culture--

You can click here to view video samples of each DVD.

Thank You to both of you ladies at these blog sites for sharing such Godly Wisdom.

Lemon - Lime Bundt Cake

Hospitality...

Learning to be hospitable is more than just setting a pretty cake on the table for a get together. Having something prepared to serve and a basic plan just helps so that if you are like me and have 2 very busy little boys, you can spend a few minutes straightening and relax in the food area. Your friend or neighbor will feel special and your children will learn how to also practice hospitality.

A wonderful book my church did a ladies Bible study on is The Hospitality Comands.. from Vision Forum Books. I have a link on the side of this page for their site. They also have a cd on this topic for only $10.00- I love their cd's for the busier times in my life - I have grown so much through their products. May God Bless them greatly!

Anyway...

I love having a friend call to say she is stopping by. I am also relieved when I can take a bundt cake to someone who having a baby, suffering a loss or has just moved into the neighborhood.

I love it more when I am prepared and can pull a bundt cake out of the freezer, whip up some glaze to drizzle over and not have to start my day putting all plans to the side to start baking.

These cakes look so pretty on a paper doily and tray or a cake dish. I have a special cake dish I take out for friends. My mom gave it to me.

Just about any drink can go with a citrus flavored cake too- iced tea, lemonaide, coffee even iced coffee is nice. Another nice thing is that I have found that children really like this type of cake too. I am first going to share a great recipe from a website with a lot of great recipes and ideas. I will also share my quick recipe for when I am not so prepared for company. (it is a basic cheater recipe)

I am sharing this recipe because it is one of the nicest items to keep in your freezer for company, it will taste great even if you don't get time to fully defrost it and the glaze itself takes minutes.

We usually take a "lazy day" and do some baking.. I like to have the girls make 3 or 4, let them cool, wrap in wax and then place in a freezer safe storage bag.

Lemon-Lime Bundt Cake - from momsmenu.com - click on Title above to go their site.

Cake:

4 eggs1 1/2 C. butter2 TBSP lemon Extract2 1/2 C. sugar3 C. flour3/4 C. lemon lime soda (not diet)

Lemon Lime Glaze:2 C. powdered sugar2 TBSP lemon extract2 TBSP limejuice1-2 TBSP milk, as needed to thin glaze

To Make Cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Make sure rack is in the center of oven.

Generously grease and flour a bundt pan.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl until fluffy and well mixed together, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat in lemon extract.

Mix in flour alternating with lemon lime soda until blended.

Pour cake mix into bundt pan.

Bake for approximately 1 1/2 hrs or until cake is light brown and a skewer comes out clean when stuck in the middle of the cake.

Be careful not to over bake.

Cool cake for 15 minutes then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loose the cake.

Cool completely before covering with glaze.

To Make Lemon Lime Glaze:

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir until mixture is smooth.

Let stand for 10 minutes.

Drizzle over bundt cake.

Let stand until glaze sets.

Store cake in a sealed container.

Melissa's Cheater - not so prepared way to do it... (hahaha)

Cake - 1 yellow box mix - follow directions on back of box- use well greased bundt pan - bake as usual. Cool - place on nice dish.

Glaze - 2 c. powdered sugar - 2 tbsp. milk - 4 tbsp. lemon extract.. or orange extract or a mixture - of any citrus juice or extract. Mix well and drizzle!

Ok, I have been know to be the queen of improvisions.. lol .. I am now very different but my poor family lived several years of disorganization, unscheduled lives where we were crazed and always unprepared. I have more great "cheater" recipes as I call them - I'll share as I have time but all in all... the recipe from scratch is far better and if you have learned to be scheduled like I have you will have more than enough time to teach your children the planned art of Hospitality...

MODESTY - I have been speaking to my girls and reinforcing modesty as summer has hit.

We finally found some really cute Bermuda shorts for each of my girls! I can't believe how hard it is to find shorts that are modest... I know the Bible teaches that we should dress modestly and as I grow I am becoming more and more discerning.

When I look back at my teen years and even early 20's before I was living for our Lord, I am just so sad about my clothing choices. I was so immodest. I was raised with the attitude of "if you like it- wear it" never a thought as to my hindering another person or how I was being perceived by others. I now look at teens that resemble me as a teenager - the way I was allowed to dress and encouraged to act.

I am so thankful that God protected me through my foolishness. I also wonder at times what my parents were ever thinking! I am sad for their confusion, it has caused them years of heartache and my siblings years of rebellion, self hate and destruction. I am amazed at the difference in my children. I have guided, loved and spoken with my girls every time the issue of immodest clothing, attitudes or behaviors come up and pray that it isn't just blind obedience on their part but really a heart attitude and living for the Lord that convicts and encourages them to be lovely, modest girls.

We have also been focusing on our clothing being feminine. I am also becoming more convicted that my girls should look soft and gentle. I am the biggest offender of this. I have a habit of liking the more fun, funky style out there when I chose to dress up and as for everyday wear.. well, I have always been ok with any t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Now I am seeing and learning that my attitude really resembles how I dress. When I dress in a feminine way I act like a lady and when I dress any old way I have a "whatever" kind of an attitude about my behavior.

I sit, stand, wear my hair and makeup to resemble the rest of me. I even act more "girl-y". Most of all when I look "done" instead of frumpy or frazzled others see me that way.

My husband also seems to really enjoy seeing me look a bit more feminine, he treats me gentler and softer... and.. after all, isn't that what I have wanted? I also want that for my girls, I want them to have husbands who love and honor them and I want them to be treated like ladies.

I am sharing this because it is a constant area of growth for me and area God is patiently working with me on and I am learning so much.

I come from a home where when we were young, 9 - 12, my brother and I dressed so much a like.. same t-shirts and jeans.. you couldn't tell us apart. Once I became a teen I was wearing such incredibly low-cut shirts, short shorts and sheer material... I looked not only sleazy but so hard. It wasn't even me, but it was as feminine as I knew how to be.

So, with this I ask that you pray for me. Pray that God will continue to teach me in this area so that I can become the Woman that God created me to be.

Children and Wisdom

Yesterday was an incredibly busy day- Election Day you know.. Anyway, my refuge from the hustle and bustle was a cd I was playing in my car. I purchased the set from Vision Forum, the speaker is S.M. Davis- he is such a blessing to me.

Something he said has been playing over and over in my head all morning. The basic sentance was: Mothers and Fathers - pray daily for your child to seek Godly Wisdom and ask God to give them wisdom.

How simple is that? How very necessary is that?

the impact of that small prayer...

that split second of your time that it will take to ask God for that...

imagine if you had one person who had asked God for that in your life....

Parents, Grandparents Siblings- commit to praying for the children in your life, each individually, that God may grant them wisdom.

What a beautiful, loving act that is with such great impact in their life!

When we do our part to teach, instruct, discipline, and train our children in the ways of God -- when we read them stories from God's Word; when we teach them how to pray and have faith that God is who He says He is and will do what He says He'll do; when we help them get plugged in with godly friends; when we show them that walking with God brings joy and fulfillment, not boredom and restrictions; when we pray with and for them about everything -- then our children will develop a hunger for the things of God. They will know that the things of God are top priority. They will long for His ways, His Word, and His presence.--- For This Child I Prayed, Stormie Omartian.

Psalm 86; 11-12Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.