Happy Memorial Day

As Americans we have so much to be thankful for and we take so much for granted, which to me is so sad. I was brought up to say please and thank you and as a Christian I am extremely thankful for all we have, we don't have alot being a single mom on disability and all but I know there are many people out in the world who have so much less, so yes I am thankful for all we do have. And today as friends and families all over celebrate Memorial day, we need to be thankful to all the men and women who risk their lives daily to protect ours and pray for the families who have lost their sons or daughters or mothers or fathers fighting to protect our freedoms that we all love and cherish. Have a Blessed day with you're families and please take time to remember all the ones who gave all.

Happy Mothers Day

Every child is a blessing from the Lord and I was so blessed almost 17 years ago with a small baby boy, he was 2 months premature, weighing only 4lbs. and I have been raising him on my own for 14 years. Yes in those 14 years we have had many hard times, but I wouldn't change a thing, except to be blessed with a God sent Christian man to share our lives with, and I am still praying that the Lord will provide that Christian man, all in His timing. Being a single mom has got to be one of the hardest jobs in America. Before my son was born, I got toxemia and it was very bad, both he and I almost lost our lives, but thank the Lord we both survived, but the affects from the toxemia have messed up my body and I'm now on disability, Ive been hospitalized many times, my doctor said that it recked my immune system,it was that severe. I am thankful for all the Lord provides for my son and I everyday.  For me being a Christian mom is such a blessing, even though my son doesn't have a earthly father who cares for him, he does have a Heavenly Father who loves him more than I ever could. Yes there are days that being a mom is hard, but I know with the Lords help my son and I will be fine. I hope all of you moms out there have a very Happy Mothers Day. Blessings to you all.

Christian Womens Retreat

As a single Christian mom I feel that is important to stay involved with church actives. So this last Thursday - Saturday I got to go to a women's retreat.We had alot of fun and learned alot, but boy was I tired when we got back on Saturday. We had a excellent speaker. We were asked if we were crafty to make some crafts for the craft sale, so I made 2 kneenex box covers, one purple and one cranberry, the craft sale was to raise money for Operation Christmas Child, well not alot of crafts sold, including mine but I did give them away as gifts, one to the guest speaker and the other to a dear lady I know. Now I am planning for my sons and my summer vacation to Nevada to see our family. I pray that everyone is getting ready for a busy summer with you're children too. Blessings to all.

True Meaning Of Easter

Before I became a Christian, all I knew about Easter was coloring Easter eggs and the Easter bunny and that's fun and all for kids, but when they get to be the age where they understand about going to church and about Jesus, I feel they should know the truth about what Easter really means. To me Easter is the most important of holidays, its the day that Jesus died a terrible death on that cross because He loved everyone so much,that He gave His life so that we may live, I know that He is alive and that someday I will see Him in heaven. I hope and pray that if you don't know Jesus personally that you will soon, He loves you more than you can even imagine. Have a Blessed Easter with youre kids.

Spring Break In Phoenix

Yep its that time again and boy am I ready, time for Spring Break. Since my son and I moved to Arizona almost two years ago, we usually go to Phoenix to visit our good friends the Kells, my son and their sons have known each other since they were four years old and now their youngest is graduating in May, the boys want to spend as much time together as they can. So they have plans to go to as many Spring Training games as they can, and their mom and I go to lunch and thrift stores and have some good old girl time, what fun. I hope when ever you're kids spring break may be that you get out there and have a blast with you're kids too. Have a great day and see ya in a week.

Freezing Green Beans

Here in Arizona, at our apartment community we have what they call a share program, its where farmers that have extra fruits or vegetables share them with others, so I was able to get a large size bag of very fresh green beans. My son and I love green beans, and I did not want any to go to waist, so I decided to freeze them. Its very easy to do,

1. snap off both ends of the beans
2. use a large pot, fill it with water, bring it to a boil
3. I put in about 2 large hand fulls of beans into the boiling water
4. set a kitchen timer for 3 Min's. to blanch the beans
5. fill a clean sink with cold water and ice, I just put a couple of ice cube trays of ice
6. when the timer is up, carefully remove the beans and put them directly in the ice water
7. set timer again for another 3 Min's.
8. remove beans and put them in freezer safe bags and freeze.

It may be a little time consuming but it is worth it, these beans are SO good. Happy Freezing :)

Valentines Day

After Christmas, I love Valentines day. I remember as a child giving valentines to friends and family and having valentine parties at school and now as a adult I still love giving valentines. Ive always been a very giving person, I just love doing things to make others feel special. Even though at this time I do not have a special sweetie, but I do have a son and friends that I enjoy doing for. I like to give cards, candy, flowers, cook special meals, this year I also got my 16 year old son a dancing stuffed animal, I don't know how much he will like it, but I thought it was funny. To me, its not the amount we spend, its the thought and time we take to show others how much we care. I hope you all have a fun, love filled day with you're families. Blessings to all.

Spring Fever

Yes its only the end of January, but here in Arizona the weathers been getting warmer each day and I love it,and I'm staring to get spring fever. Ive been in a cleaning mood, tearing things apart and doing deep cleaning, I tore apart our bathroom and changed shower curtains and rugs and swept and mopped and cleaned everything in sight. My favorite seasons are Spring and Fall, Spring because of all the plants blooming and the sound of new baby birds and the Fall because of the cooler weather and the color changing of the leaves. I hope everyones new year is off to a great start, I'm still dealing with the pinched nerve in my neck, but thank the Lord it seems to be getting better. Sorry for not posting much lately, Ive got to get back into the swing of things. Have a fun, blessed weekend with you're children.

Happy 2012

I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and the Lords continued blessings in this new year.  Sorry that its been awhile since I last posted, my son and I were gone to Reno for Christmas and New Years. Then I ended up getting some kind of a bug and a pinched nerve in my shoulder, so Ive been on some heavy pain meds. so please if you will keep me in you're prayers that the pinched nerve will heal, its very painful. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a safe new years eve. My new years resolution is to lose more weight and to be a better mother and a more loving Christian and to see what the Lord has in store for my son and I in 2012. Have a blessed weekend everyone.

My Favorite Holiday

I love Christmas, but not because of the gifts, because of what the true meaning of Christmas means to me, the birth of Jesus. I love Christmas music, the lights and smells of goodies baking in the oven. I am a very giving person, I love doing things for others, this year I am hand making alot of gifts for my family, I will post a picture as soon as they are done. My son and I will be traveling to see my sister for Christmas in Nevada. I pray you all will have a Blessed, stressed free, Christmas day and I new year filled with Gods amazing Grace.

Being Thankful For All We Have

As we approach Thanksgiving on Thursday, I just wanted to reflect on all that I am thankful for. Most of us in America take so much for granted, we roll out of our nice warm beds, flip on the lights, and make a be line for the coffee maker, but not me LOL I don't drink coffee, just using that as a example, but what if there was no water for that coffee? What if we didn't have a bed? What if we had to sleep on the cold ground? What if we didn't have lights or electricity? There are so many people around the world that don't have any of these things. As a Christian, I am so thankful for all the Lord provides my son and I, I'm thankful that we have a roof over our heads, we have food to enjoy, a good running car, eyes to see all the beauty that the Lord has surrounded us with, ears to hear all the sounds worth hearing, I love to listen to the birds :) We just have so much to be thankful for, and I do thank HIM all the time. So on this coming Thanksgiving day please say a prayer for all of those people out in this big world who are not as blessed as we are, that the Lord will provide for them also and that we will not take anything or anyone for granted. Have a blessed holiday everyone.

Veterans Day 2011

I want to say a big grateful thank you to all the Veterans out there, to the women and men still serving and to all who have served before. I think that it takes a amazing person to join the service, to train, to sacrifice their time and lives to help protect the United States. I know from first hand experience, my father served in the Marines during the Vietnam war, no I wasn't born yet but, Ive heard the stories and seen many pictures, and I am thankful that my father did serve his country, even though he passed away many years ago,  I will always be proud of him and all the others that serve today. So as we celebrate Veterans day, wave the flag high and be thankful for all the blessings we have as Americans. Have a great weekend.

Have a Safe and Fun Halloween

I remember when I was a kid how much fun Halloween was, our costumes came in a square cardboard box with a plastic mask and a thin plastic costume. And we used pillow cases to collect our candy, and we would go out many times and come back to our grandmothers house and pour all the candy out on the kitchen floor oh what fun we had. But in today's world things are alot different, as parents we have to be so careful where we take our kids and to always check their candy or better than that, is to take them to Harvest Parties or Fall Festivals where we know they will be safe. So on Halloween, which is tomorrow, Have fun with you're children and be safe.

Meaningful Monday

Yes its Monday again, and I haven't posted in awhile and I am sorry, time just seems to fly by these days. Back in September my only child turned 16, and wow I cant believe it, when he was born he was a 4 lb. preemie, 3 surgeries and many trips to the emergency room over the years, hes a TRUE boy, getting hurt is his speciality, I told him he needed a bubble around him LOL. So these days as time is flying by, its important to me to spend as much time with him as I can, even though hes not to thrilled to hang out with mom. I think about the days when he will be in college and I wish I could stop time, I'm not looking forward to those days at all, hes still got 2 1/2 years before he will graduate, so Ive got to do all I can to make the most of every day with him. I pray that all of you hang on to you're kids for as long as you can too, they grow up so fast. Have a blessed week all.

Sunday Supper

I love the fall, the cooler weather, the changing color of the leaves, and the up coming of the holidays. And its the time for warm comfort foods, so for today's Sunday Supper, I'm fixing my son and I.                    

                                                          LENTIL SOUP and CORN BREAD

1. In a large stock pot add 1 bag of washed and drained lentils 

2. add 4 or more peeled and sliced carrots and celery if you like

3. add 1 cup diced onion and 2 cups of diced ham

4. add 2 quarts of water and salt and pepper  

5. cover and cook for 45 mins. or until tender.

                                                          Homemade Corn Bread

1. 1 cup corn meal

2. 1 cup flour

3. 1/4 cup sugar

4. 1 tablespoon baking powder

5. 1 teaspoon salt

6. 1/3 cup oil

7. 1 egg

8. 1 cup milk

 Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir until blended, pour into well greased 8 inch square pan, bake at 400 for 25 mins. And enjoy, we love lentil soup and corn bread, hope you will like it too. Have a blessed week.                                          

Finally Moved

Wow I'm back, it took me two months of arguing with my apartment office about our air conditioning, and I finally asked to be moved to a new unit, the AC in our old unit was making me sick, I think it was leaking freon, but thank the Lord were finally moved. And wow the older I get the harder it is to move, I have arthritis and fybromyalga and bulging disc in my back from our car accident, so it made it alot harder, but with the Lords help and pain pills we did get all moved, I'm slowly getting everything put away. Also this week was my sons 16th birthday, we went to Phoenix so he and his friends could go to a college football game and his team won,  that was his best birthday gift he said. Have a great weekend with you're kids.

Never Forget

On this 10th anniversary of September 11 and the tragic events that happened that day and all the lives that were taken by the hatred of others, all I can do is pray for those families and for the pain that they feel every day. I know one day the pain wont be so bad, when we lost our sister 11 years ago, she passed away after having my niece, I thought I would die right along with her, the pain was so terrible I didn't want to live. We all go through losses in our lives and some how we learn to live with the pain, but we don't ever forget. I am so blessed though because I have the Lord to go to, to help ease my pain, and I pray that if you don't have the Lord to help you through you're pain, that you will seek Him to know how to have the love and peace that only HE can give. Have a blessed week and give you're children and extra hug and tell them you love them :)

Beautiful Saturday in Arizona

Once again I want to apologize for not posting much, for the last week we have been having Internet problems so I could not get on to blog. So here I am back to posting, today was a beautiful day here in Arizona but HOT, I cant wait for it to cool down, I love the fall, my favorite season. Also in the next couple of weeks I will be very busy, we will be moving into a different apartment here in our complex, we are having problems with our air conditioner and its making me sick, and our office is to cheap to fix it so I asked to be moved, so please keep us in you're prayers that it will be sooner than later to get moved. I hope you all have a fun and safe Labor day weekend. Be blessed.

Beautiful Day In Arizona

Thank the Lord that its finally cooling off here in Arizona, its our Monsoon season here and its been raining most nights. Its such a blessing with those pouring rains, I love the smell of rain and how the Lord washes away the heat and gives us cool enjoyable nights. I really do like the weather here in Arizona, yes there are some days that are VERY hot, but if you have air conditioning in you're home and in you're cars, its bearable, but the winters are great, no snow, I wore flip flops all winter long, and if you know me I hate shoes, Id go bare foot if I could :) And now that the kids are back to school, it gives me a little more free time so I will be posting more often.  Have a Blessed weekend.

Back To School

Yes, today is Wednesday, but here in our city, school started today. My son wasn't to thrilled to go back so soon, but I was ready :) On Monday we took a trip to Tucson to do some more school shopping, he got what he needed and we got our car serviced too. I pray that all of you have had a great summer with you're children and that all of our kids have a safe and blessed school year. Have a great week.