A Servant's Heart

JURY DUTY

Why do those two words strike so much fear in people?  It is our right and most importantly our duty to serve as a jurist.  I have been on jury duty for the month of September.  We have only had one case the first week that lasted less than a day and the case today.  I was seated on the jury of the first case. 

I must say, I'm really glad God is in control and all works for His greater good.  I was so upset after the jury deliberations (we didn't agree and no one would budge, so hung jury and mistrial).  I just could not believe that when the attorneys asked questions of each of us prospective jurors, that people were not honest.  They should have told, right then and there, they have bias.  They did not.  We walked into the jury room and get hit by a few people who are adamant about their feelings based on their own bias!  This does such a disservice not only to the people and the defendant, but to the court system itself!  One young lady in particular, who was voting not guilty, said the reason she felt that way was because "all cops are corrupt".  Here is the kicker: her FATHER is a DETECTIVE with the city police department!!!!!  And the other lady saying it?  Her HUSBAND is a city POLICEMAN!!!!  I asked the girl if her father knew how she felt and she said, yeah, he felt that way too.   Unbelievable.  I guess I'm just not politically correct, but I think the police tell the truth.  Yes, we have had some corrupt officers on our force and they were dealt with by firing and charges and fines.  A few does not make all of them bad.   Oh, guess what?   After we walked out of the jury room and announced we could not agree, the judge declared a mistrial and told him (the defendant) he was free to go.  Right then, two US Marshals walked up and arrested him.  The guy was wanted in Tennessee.  You should have seen some of those people's heads pop around when the marshals were placing him under arrest.  Gee, talk about vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord!  I just love to watch God work, right in front of my eyes!!

This was a Friday when we heard the case and I was literally physically sick the rest of the weekend.  So disheartened.  God let me wallow for a bit then picked me up, dusted me off and reminded me He was in control.  Even knowing that the young man had turned around and been arrested, I still had problems letting go of the fact that these people took their service so lightly.  There were 5 others that were also on the police are corrupt bandwagon.  We have recently had a major deal here in our town involving a police officer shooting an unarmed teen.  The teen had a plastic gun, was in an area that was on stakeout due to burglaries, it was late at night and behind a building that had been being robbed, and the young man raised the toy gun towards the officers.  It was such a horrible sad situation for both sides.  The case has divided a lot of our city along racial lines.  It also divided the jury room along racial lines. 

Ok, enough of that!  My mom's dr found nothing and has not ordered further tests.  I still think they are looking in the wrong place.  My dad has had a few falls and ended up in the emergency room with the last one.  He is fine!  No breaks!  Praise God!!!

On the home front, my dd and I are cleaning out books tomorrow.  I'm horrible about the amount of books I have.  I will be donating them to the church library or to the public library if they want them.  We generally take any kid's books to the local mission for kids of families that are there.  That way they can have the books as their own to keep. 

I also have lots of other plans for tomorrow as I know I have no jury duty until possibly Wednesday.  I plan to cram in as much as possible to make up for the lost day today!  I had planned to start (with earnest) on routines this month, but what with jury duty and mom having a really really really bad week last week, I haven't done but the essentials. 

ok......I think I've got it all out.  Well, there is actually more, but I'll save that for later...are you happy????  

Love to you all!  Prayers to all who are in service to our country, fighting for freedom, and to all of their families!  Special prayers for Crystal's son Richard, and for the family!  God be with them all!!  

amy

Now the waiting begins...

Now the waiting begins...until the report gets to the dr and then they call us and hopefully will just tell us over the phone instead of the usual "come in and see him, how about next week?" We did find out that her potassium level is low again.  She's got to get on a pretty good dose every day.  It really messes up her stomach, but she's got to do it.  The last time it was really low, she coded.  Luckily, she was in the hospital and I was in the room with her.  God had a wonderful code blue team bring her back and it was pretty scary there for a few days.  I just hope we find out something before they leave the office tomorrow as they leave by noon on Fridays.

It's been so horribly hot here!  Highs of 102, 103.  I'm trying to keep ahead of the plants wilting!  I can not wait for rain!!         

I thank you for praying for us!  Please say another for my daughter and I as we face something on Monday.  I'd rather not go into it now.  Just ask that we have wisdom with our words and have that incredible peace that can only come from our Father in Heaven!!

In Him,

amy

Please pray!

My mom is having a Ct done tomorrow.  She has been losing weight for some time now.  January a year ago she weighed 139-142.  She is now done to 93-94.  I cook anything and everything but she has such a hard time eating.  She was diagnosed with end-stage colon cancer in October of 2003, but seemed to come back from it.  We don't know if the cancer is back or what.  I am at such a stand-still for how to pray about this.  Of course, I want nothing to be wrong with her!  But, I cannot help praying that something is found so we can get to work on "fixing" it.  I know that she would like to know what is going on as she is nauseated all the time and has so much trouble eating, smelling or even talking about food.  I know that God is in control!  I'm just having trouble with being patient, waiting for His will to be shown. 

Thank you!  God bless you!

amy

it's sooooo hot!

It is really hot here-our high today was 101.  It's now after 6 in the evening and it's still 99 with a heat index of 102. Our forecast this week is for high temps in the 100s.  I am NOT looking forward to this.  I do not like the heat!  I've always said one day I would head north.  I want cooler, dryer air!! 

I'm trying to get all the shrubs and trees and plants watered.  This is the first year I have not done as everyone else on my block-I'm not keeping all the weeds out of the front yard.  I really felt it was going to be a hot, dry summer and I didn't want to have to pay for fertilizers and then have to water and then have to mow more and then start all that over again.  I'm sure the neighbors wish I would do all that!  That's one thing I don't like about living on a street in a city-everyone else has perfectly manicured lawns!  It's just not something that is important to me.  I have so much else to do, that I'd rather do.  I'm trying to just keep all the plants alive.  My mom always loved to work in the yard and she has planted so much stuff here.  i don't want it to all die.  She would be so upset with me!  The weeding alone takes forever.  I'm just a simple kind of person.  I like drought tolerant plants, lots of mulch to keep weeds down, and would rather but my time and energy into growing something I can eat!

The yellow jackets are back...I don't know if they've built another nest somewhere in the yard or not.  I just had an encounter when I was out last.  I really don't like those things.  I will be taking spray with me when I go out to reset the sprinklers here in a minute!

I'm trying to get myself a plan together for the week.  It's going to be hot and the heat just zaps me completely.  it really doesn't take much.  Plus I'm having more bad headaches from the sun.  Can you tell I'm having a bit of a pity party, complete with streamers and balloons???  LOL  I really need some sleep desperately.

Ok, time to go change the water around.  Can of spray by the back door.  Going to put on shoes this time.  God please protect me!

Have a great rest of the day and glorious tomorrow!

Pray Up!  Grow Up!  Be Up!  Look Up!

amy

God's Sovereignty

God never ceases to amaze me when He answers my prayers.  Not that I don't believe I will receive an answer.  It's just the way He does it, the person at that point in time that He uses.  I think to myself sometimes, is God using me now that at a later date, maybe even years, what I am saying or doing is going to help someone else?  I ask myself that because I have benefitted from others following the prompting of God to write something or say something that I needed down the road.  My wonderful dad who is now entering the late stages of Alzheimer's wrote in large letters on a piece of paper about 5 years ago:

No matter how bad things are, God is still good and He is in control.

What a beautiful gift my dad left me.  That piece of paper is now on the front of my refrigerator for me to look at every day.  The way things are in our household these days, while I know those words in my heart, at times my head needs to hear it!  I'm not going to go into the details, but some things happened between my mom and my daughter tonight.  I'm sitting here in my chair later, crying and praying asking God why?  Why do these things happen and how much longer am I to endure them?  I just cannot understand.  I hadn't read my Dr. Charles Stanley devotional today and someone kept tapping my shoulder saying , you need to read it, you need to read it.  Come on, read it now.  Come on...so I pulled up my mail and opened it up.  The title?  David: A Picture of God's Sovereignty

Ok God.  Thank you for giving me a 40 by 50 neon blinking sign to answer my prayers.  It was all about trying to understand why God allows adverstiy in our lives. How God continued to spare David and thru that David learned that God was providing for him and protecting him every step of the way.  I loved this part:

Those of us in similar situations should ask, Do we believe God is in control? If He's not, then who is? In other words, if life events are random and without purpose, then who do we turn to in our trials?
My daughter came in the room and told her what had just happened, my praying and God's answer.  We both started to laugh!  She said, no mom I think you just got a 70 by 80 sign!!  It's the truth!  God is sovereign and He is in total control!  I know I feel better and I think it really gave my DD a great lift!  God I just love you so much!

I need to try to sleep so I will leave with the verses from the devotional:

Psalm103:19-22

19The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
         And His sovereignty rules over all.
    20Bless the LORD, you His angels,
        Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
        Obeying the voice of His word!
    21Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
         You who serve Him, doing His will.
    22Bless the LORD, all you works of His,
         In all places of His dominion;
         Bless the LORD, O my soul!

I hope everyone has a beautiful day tomorrow and know that no matter if you've been praying for the same thing over and over and you think that God is never going to answer you, He will.  At times it is soft as a whisper and other times it is so loud!! 

In Him who reigns for ever and ever!

amy

The devotional in it's entirety:

The Recall of food has been expanded

The recall with Castleberry's and others has been expanded.  Please go to this link and check to make sure you don't have any of these products!!

Recall list

Horizon Organics Contest

There is a great contest going on until 12am August 2nd.  You leave a comment at this website

Horizon Organics Contest

and you are signed up to win $300 in Horizon Organics products.  You get 60 gift certificates!! 

Sign up now since we only have til midnight tonight!!

Horizon Organics

amy

Lazy Sunday

It's been a bit of a lazy Sunday for me.  I've felt feverish all day.  So I only cooked one meal and did only 2 loads of clothes  LOL!  We had a great dinner tonight!  Shrimp Creole-one of my mom's favorites! I'll post the recipe in a minute.  One of these days, I want a camera to take pics of the meal/dish.  I love it when others do that so I can see what it's supposed to look like when I get done. 

Hope everyone had a great day.  I'm tired so I'm going to write up this recipe and get off here.  I have a full day of things I want to accomplish tomorrow.  I'm trying to get them all written down so I don't forget them.  My DD has quit her job and is going to help me around here to get things back in order and get LOTS of stuff decluttered.  It's really bad around here.  The child is 19 and we still have toys from when she young.  It's time to bless someone else with the stuff!! We've cleaned out some but there is much more.  I'm also doing something I rarely do and that is clean out my books.  I'm a pack-rat when it comes to books!  I just LOVE to read!!

Ok, here is the recipe:

Shrimp Creole  Betty Crocker cookbook  6 servings

1 1/2 cups chopped onions          1 tsp sugar

1 cup chopped celery                 1 cup water

2 med. green peppers                2 tsp. minced parsley

    finely chopped                     1 tsp. salt

2 cloves garlic, minced             1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 cup butter or marg.           2 bay leaves, whole

2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce       3 cups hot cooked ric

14 to 16 oz. cleaned raw shrimp, fresh or frozen*

Cook and stir onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in butter about 5 minutes or until tender.  Stir in tomato sauce, water and seasonings. Simmer 10 minutes. Add additional water if need.  Add shrimp. Heat mixture to boiling; cover and cook over medium heat 10 to 20 minutess, or until shrimp are pink and tender.  Remove bay leaves. Serve over hot cooked rice.

It is really really good!  I will say we like our vegies more to the crunchy side so I don't cook them til tender.  I have never had to add water.  I use precooked shrimp.  I get the Kroger brand when they are on a really good sale and keep them handy in the freezer.  When using the precooked shrimp, I will cook the sauce about 15 minutes then add the shrimp, then cook about another 5 minutes.  I buy the 31-40 count and cut them in half or sometimes thirds.  I'm sure I come nowhere near the amount in weight that the recipe calls for as that's a bit more expensive.  We love all the vegies and don't mind the lesser amount of shrimp.   Of course, you can adjust the cayenne to your taste preferences.  Mom doesn't like spicy-I do.  I generally add cayenne to mine after I dip it up!  I also have had occasion where my sauce wasn't thick at all.  I would stir up a bit of arrowroot and water and thicken.  It's not supposed to be thick-thick, but kinda thick.       

Here is a pic of my DD.  This was in 2005.  It's her senior picture.

Ain't she bea-u-ti-ful!!!!! 

Love in Christ,

amy

I was gonna post this and forgot

 A pic of my DD on her first birthday!  She turned  19 years old 11 days ago.  Already on that phone....

amy

Really long time...

I hadn't realized just how long it has been since I blogged.  Lots of family issues going on.  Thankfully, God is in control!  His will be done!!

I said I was going to post that recipe.  Extremely belated, here it is...

Swiss Meringue Icing

Whip 4 (that's right, FOUR) sticks of unsalted butter.  Set aside.

Over a double boiler, whip 4 egg whites.  They won't get their normal look-like for a pie.  Beat in 3/4 cup sugar.  Keep whipping! 

Add the 4 sticks of whipped butter. I usually put in about 1/2 cup at a time and get it incorporated, then add more.  Add one tsp. vanilla.  Remove from heat and continue beating until room temp. 

Sometimes I put it in the fridge for a few minutes to help it stay together better.  The warmer it is, the more it won't hold shape when icing with it.  Fluffy, rich and OH SO GOOD!

Last Tuesday was my 46th birthday!  It was really nice!  My sister and nieces came over.  My DD got me 2 CDs I wanted and 2 key chains.  The one I had broke about 3 weeks ago.  We had triple chocolate cake.  It was yummy!! My mom even came to the table to eat it. 

I hope everyone knows about this:

dog food recall part of hot dog sauce recall

We had meatloaf, baked beans and au gratin potatoes tonight for dinner.  I bought 7 pounds of chuck roast at the grocery Wednesday for $1.97/pound.  I trimmed it up and ground it myself.  It's a lot cheaper, I can control just how much fat is in it and I feel better about it.  I saved my trimmings for making beef stock.  I also went ahead and cooked up about half of it with some onions.  I put some in bags for nachos or tostadas and the rest for a chili base.  Mom is cold most of the time and it may say 95 on the thermometer but she wants a pot of chili!

Well, laundry duty calls, so I'm going to sign off.  I really hope to not be so long again.  Thanks for reading!

Love in Christ,

amy

Christ is Risen!

Good morning to all! 

What a beautiful day today!  It's sunshine-y, abnormally cool...a perfect day!

A very happy Easter day to everyone!  Thank you God for sending Your Son to die on a cross for our sins!  Thank you Jesus for being a willing Servant, for loving us so much to be willing to die and take our punishment.  Thank you for covering our sins with Your blood so that God cannot see them.  Thank you for washing us clean, so that we may be in fellowship with the Father forever!  Alleluia!!!!

Update on my dad...the mass turned out to be scar tissue!  God has been giving me so many blessings this week! 

I have much to accomplish today so I have to get started.  Still have to finish taxes and get them to the accountant.  I cooked yesterday and we had a great meal last night.  I'm going to post the icing recipe for the cake I made yesterday.  My dd got in from work in time to help me with the meal and she did a beautiful job on the icing of the cake.  I baked it in a lamb pan.  When she finished it truly looked like wool!  I'm so proud of her!  I just love it when she works with me in the kitchen! 

Love to you all and God bless you today!

a faithful servant,

amy

Another day of waiting...

Well, the washer is washing, Mom is up, the cats are out and I've been making calls trying to find out if my dad will have the CT today.  The nursing home has called the dr's office again this morning.  I called the hospital and spoke to someone in x-ray that explained that an ER doc looks at the x-rays then the drs who regularly look at them, view them to give a final reading.  That is how the mass was missed on Sunday.  I'm sure the ER doc was looking primarily in the lower abdomen, as that is where the complaint was.  Since all of that turned out to be nothing serious, I am so thankful that whoever took the x-ray took it so that his chest was seen and subsequently the mass.  I just love how God works!!

I'm going to try to work on taxes until noon then if the dr hasn't called the NH, I'm going to start calling his office.  He's very nice-he has called me when I called with questions about my dad, when I was expecting a nurse to be the one to return the call.  I feel like somehow messages weren't conveyed or perhaps the seriousness of the situation wasn't given. 

I still haven't planted my corn, gourd or tomato seedlings.  I'm keeping them watered and trying to keep them alive.  I've learned in the past if I don't get the corn and gourds out when they get to a certain point they will die.  I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or what. 

I have found a new friend...vinegar.  I have to use detergent and softener with no scents-my mom and I both are hypersensitive to smells-and after a bit the towels and washrags and kitchen rags all start to get this smell.  When you use them it leaves the nasty smell on your skin.  I've started putting white vinegar into the wash and it's made all the difference in the world.  I'm going to make my own detergent as soon as the last of my Tide is gone and hopefully it will take care of the problem.  I understand it to be not a heavy scent.  I mean, I can't walk into the laundry room without sneezing or my face burning or getting an instant migraine when my dd does her laundry.  And it seems that is the new thing-let's make everything smell!!!  My dd has to go outside to put on her cologne/perfume/whatever it is she wears and then leave, not to come back in the house.  Of course, when she comes to tell me bye, she has the shampoo smell, bodywash smell, hair something-else smell, lotion smell...and they all get together and wow.  I generally hold my breath and kiss her bye.  She's trying to do better with it, since it seems here lately I'm getting worse about being affected by it.  Am I just weird or does this seem to be a growing problem?  I've heard a few other people talk about sensitivities

 Well, off to make phone calls.  Have a great day in the Lord!!

amy

Patience is a virtue...

Or at least that's what I tell my daughter all the time!  Today was a real test-waiting all day for the dr to call and give orders for the CT to be done.  He never called.  I'm going up tomorrow and wait at his office if I have to, to make sure the orders get written.  Unbelievable. My mom is really not doing well at all.  This all has her so upset and it's making her physically ill.  I don't know what I'm gonna do if she ends up back in the hospital. 

I did get all the towels done! I had them done before the call this morning!  Woo-hoo!  One thing on my list! 

I hope all of you have a great day! 

God is Good!!

amy

About life changing your plans...

I called the nursing home to see how my dad was doing this morning.  I found out that someone else looked at his x-rays and they have found a mass in his chest that was overlooked yesterdayy/last night.  He is going back in today or tomorrow for a CT to see what it is.  More on all this later. 

Have a blessed day!

amy

Joshua 1:9

A Great Day

Oh Wow!

It works!  This is so great!!!  Yipppeeeee!!!

Ok, now down to the real stuff.  I'm a former homeschooling mom (my 18 yo dd graduated in 2005) and currently caregiver to my mom.  She has end-stage colon cancer, spinal stenosis, arthritis...ok, there are more but I'll stop there.  She was doing well, actually, after the cancer diagnosis, but late last summer she started going downhill.  She has stabilized for now but is not able to do much of anything.  My dad is in a nursing home in another city not too far from here.  He has Alzhiemer's.  He was diagnosed about 9 years ago-he was only 63.  We had known for a time that something was wrong but spent about two years going to drs and trying to get a diagnosis.  My dd is in college for now.  She feels lead to be a Christian counselor.  I told her she can go or not.  I just want her to be what God has for her to be, whether that means going to college or getting a job until she marries or just staying here at home and helping me. 

I love to cook!  I hope to be putting lots of recipes up.  I've got to figure out how to make the different  catagories/subjects.  Something new for me to do!

I'm not growing much of anything this year as it has been so warm this winter and the insects are already out in droves.  There are those little bitty teeny tiny green things that suck all the juice out of plants and whiteflies all over some vines I was cleaning out yesterday.  I am going to put out a few tomato plants and some gourds and Ruby Red corn.  I use the corn for decoration in the fall.  I just love to do that-grow my decorations!  I've got my seedlings up and going and have got to get them in the ground.  I just can't seem to get outside to get all the prep work done.  My mom fell about two weeks ago and thankfully I was in the house.  I'm so afraid she will fall again and I'll be outside...so...I don't stay out much at a time.  Anna (my dd) and a friend of hers have been thelping me with the outside work.  That is such a blessing!  I also have a few herbs in the window growing.  Oh, and some oat greens for the cats.  I have 5 of them!  But that's a story for another day. 

Ok...I've run on too much.  I'll just end with a couple of things.  Number one, I love Jesus!  I truly don't understand how people cope with and in this world without Him.  I would like to be further along in my walk with Him than I am, but I got off of His path for awhile.  I'm back on and trying my best to be a good servant.  He has trusted me with so much here in the last few years. I only hope I make Him proud!

Number two, my first recipe on here.  It's a favorite of my mom's.  We call them "peanut butter cornflake thingys".  I don't know the real name.  They are like what we used to get in school all the time.  They are so good!  I do have to say that I tried making them using some ...I think it was Smucker's, the kind you have to stir the oil into that's on the top...and they don't set up as well.  I use (or used) Peter Pan.  I'm going to try an organic or some other natural one but haven't yet. 

Peanut Butter Cornflake Thingys

1 cup sugar

1 cup syrup (the clear)

2 cups peanut butter

5 cups cornflakes

Heat sugar and syrup in a saucepan until it boils.  Turn off heat and add peanut butter-stir til combined.  Fold in cornflakes.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto wax paper or silpat or something they will come off of easily.  Let cool...if you can.  Be careful!!!  It's really hot at first!! 

Happy Homesteading!!

amy

Getting Started

I have been reading at HomesteadBlogger for so long and keep thinking of the day when I start a blog.  Well, the day has arrived!  Don't know how much I will do as life seems to have it's way of changing my plans continually.  Oh well...

This is a test page to see if it works.