Sunday, July 31, 2011

The Proverbs 31 Woman

My Dear Friends, do you wonder what it truly means to be a wife and mother? Well, don't look to the world you will NEVER find the true meaning. God's Word is very clear about what we should be doing. Now, when you read Proverbs 31, don't see all the things she does as a burden, see them as possibilities for you. She didn't become an excellent woman over night, it took her a life time. This Tuesday, my husband and I will celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary, and believe me I still have a LONG way to go before I become the excellent wife of Proverbs. Allow God to show you day-by-day how to become this beautiful woman that brings glory to Him and blesses her home.

An excellent wife, who can find? 
For her worth is far above jewels. 
 The heart of her husband trusts in her, 
And he will have no lack of gain. 
 She does him good and not evil 
All the days of her life. 
 She looks for wool and flax 
And works with her hands in delight. 
 She is like merchant ships; 
She brings her food from afar. 
 She rises also while it is still night 
And gives food to her household 
And portions to her maidens. 
 She considers a field and buys it; 
From her earnings she plants a vineyard. 
 She girds herself with strength 
And makes her arms strong. 
 She senses that her gain is good; 
Her lamp does not go out at night. 
 She stretches out her hands to the distaff, 
And her hands grasp the spindle. 
 She extends her hand to the poor, 
And she stretches out her hands to the needy. 
 She is not afraid of the snow for her household, 
For all her household are clothed with scarlet. 
 She makes coverings for herself; 
Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 
 Her husband is known in the gates, 
When he sits among the elders of the land. 
 She makes linen garments and sells them, 
And supplies belts to the tradesmen. 
 Strength and dignity are her clothing, 
And she smiles at the future. 
 She opens her mouth in wisdom, 
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 
 She looks well to the ways of her household, 
And does not eat the bread of idleness. 
 Her children rise up and bless her; 
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying: 
 “Many daughters have done nobly, 
But you excel them all.” 
 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, 
But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. 
 Give her the product of her hands, 
And let her works praise her in the gates.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

How to Make a No-bake Cheesecake


1/2 cup butter (1 cube); 2 cups graham cracker crumbs; 1/4 cup sugar
"Mash" crackers; add sugar (I usually use a 9 x 13 dish)
Melt butter; add to cracker/sugar mixture
Flatten to cover bottom of dish
16 ounces cream cheese; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 tablespoons lemon juice ; blend until smooth
Pour cheese mixture over crumbs
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (or 1 can pie filling of any flavor); 3/4 cup sugar or to desired taste (I added arrowroot to thicken a little)
Cook blueberries and sugar until it starts to thicken (add arrowroot or desired thickener if desired); cool 
Pour over cheese layer
2 cups heavy cream; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla (or use your favorite brand of whipping cream); top the fruit layer with the whipping cream




Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Day Has Finally Arrived

Today is the day that little Noah is finally coming home to his adoptive family (his forever family). He, his Mommy, and big sister fly in today. He will get to meet the rest of his wonderful family. What a blessing for this day to finally get here. Thank you to all of you who have prayed and helped in anyway to make this day possible. May God richly bless them all as they adjust to this new life together. God truly is good ALL THE TIME!!!!!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

"He's Not Retarded!"

(Here is a blog post written by my friend, Paula at "The Life of a Prairie Mom".)

Having a special needs child, I am learning first hand just how judgmental people can be. In their defense, I can only say that it is based on their own lack of knowledge or understanding. It doesn't happen often, but we are faced with it from time to time.

My wonderful husband is a truck driver and away from home for over a month at a time. Even out on the truck, he has been faced with those lacking knowledge.One day when going into a truck stop restaurant to get something to eat, my husband overheard a small group of truckers talking about autism. It was during the Autism Awareness month of April. Joe didn't pay much attention to the conversation until one trucker said that "autism is a label that professionals have put onto kids whose parents practice bad parenting skills." Bless my husband! He is a very quiet and thoughtful man, thinking through his thoughts before speaking. He asked the trucker what punishment a parent should use to correct a child who makes no eye contact? What punishment should a parent use to correct a child who doesn't speak or cannot feed themself? What punishment does a parent use to stop a child from screaming in terror or pain caused by the stimuli around them? As my husband continued asking the questions, going down a list of things we face daily with our son, the truckers got very quiet. Without saying it directly, they began to understand that our child is autistic and we face these things as a reality of autism and not a symptom of bad parenting. By the time my husband was done eating and leaving the restaurant, the outspoken trucker had filled out an Autism Speaks donation card that was available at the cash register.

Many times though, it seems that I am a magnet for the outspoken and the rude. Likely it is due to my nearly always having our son with me. Unfortunately, I am not as "thoughtful" and quick thinking as my dear husband. Most of the time, I am silenced by the sheer nerve of people. I cannot imagine what goes through a person's mind that gives them the idea that their hurtful comments are both wanted and appropriate. Last week, I was faced with likely one of the worst I have had thus far.I took our children to church in Oklahoma City, to the congregation that has become our family. On the way home, I stopped at a Denny's restaurant to get lunch before the 80+ mile trip home. The waiter looked to be in his 40's. Micah was in a "chatty" mood and was very vocal. When in this mood, he will mimic phrases that he has overheard or single syllables. On this day, he kept saying "Da-Da" and giggling. The waiter looked at Micah and said to me, "He talks really good for a retarded kid his age." I was stunned. What do you say to that? It was a very uncomfortable moment. I let him know that Micah was autistic. This waiter then said that I was being snowballed by the doctors. That the term "autism" was just a nicer way for doctors to say that your kid is retarded.

Our 5 yr old daughter was with us and after the waiter left the table, asked me what retarded meant and if Micah is retarded. This was not a conversation that I was prepared for. Our daughter adores her brother and is fully accepting of him as he is. I gave her a very simplistic definition of mental retardation to her and explained the difference between it and autism. I then reassured her that her little brother had autism and is not retarded. She and I have talked before about Micah being different from other kids. She is more than okay with that. In her words, it is okay - he is just being Micah.When the waiter returned to the table, Abbie let him know that her brother has autism. She also informed him that God allowed him to have it because it makes him special so he can help teach us how to have unconditional love for others. (Nice to know that she really does absorb our talks!)

I write of these experiences because there are many who go through this and don't speak up. As a parent to a special little one, I can say in all honesty that it is hurtful to have others judge and condemn without knowledge. Autistic children do not have mental retardation. They are not dumb. They are not useless and without a purpose in life. They are not spoiled brats having a temper tantrum. They are not someone to be hidden away from society.When Micah is in certain types of lighting, such as when a fluorescent light is blinking, it causes a pain reflex reaction. Someone once described it to me as being stung by a wasp inside your head. When you hear the cries, you can literally hear the pain in his voice. Imagine being lost in thought to the point of being unaware of others in the room. Suddenly, you have that pain reflex kick in. Or maybe you think you are alone and suddenly you find yourself in a place where you are in sheer terror. Not simply uneasy, but stark intense terror of your surroundings. Your only means of communication is to cry or scream.

Does this make you a spoiled, undisciplined brat?Imagine you are in a foreign country where you cannot speak or read the language. You literally can only make gestures to try and communicate your needs. Does this make you dumb? Even someone like Einstein would appear to be dumb in that situation! Just because an autistic child or adult cannot communicate in the same way that you do doesn't make them less intelligent.

My heart breaks daily for my son. I am past the stage of blaming myself for his autism due to being 45 yrs old when I had him. I am past the point of second-guessing everything that I did during the pregnancy, the preterm labor issues, and everything. I know in my heart that God would never have allowed Micah to be autistic if it was not something that He could use to show His grace and love. Micah has a purpose in life. If it is God's Will to heal him, it will happen. But, I firmly believe that one day Micah will be able to stand before others and give his testimony of what he has been able to do in his life through God's grace in spite of being autistic.

What I am not past yet is the pain and hurt that I feel when some unthinking person rips into me in the store because Micah is crying. I have literally been told to "shut the f-ing brat up" when he was crying at a store. I have had the snotty comments and judgments made from people who feel it is their duty to tell me how my parenting fails. I have had people, like that waiter, make judgments about my son that are ignorant at best. I thank the Lord that Micah doesn't yet understand the harsh words of others.

posted by Prairie Mom at 10:20 PM on Jul 19, 2011

What a Little Girl Should Be Taught



• To cook plain wholesome food
• To make her own clothes
• To be neat and orderly
• To care for her own room
• To learn well the art of housekeeping
• To care for her person
• To exercise a quiet reserve in the presence of boys and men
• That all cheap talk is unbecoming
• That loose jokes about “beaux” and “lovers” are improper
• That modesty is a priceless treasure, and will prove her surest protector
• That her brothers are better escorts than most other young men
• That her mother is her best companion and counselor
• That her dress should be plain and not the chief subject of her thoughts or conversation
• That she should wear only such styles of clothing as will cover her person modestly
• That it is better to be useful than ornamental
• That there will be time enough to learn fancy work after she has learned to darn stockings
• That the old rule, “A place for everything and everything in its place,” is a good one
• That she should dress for health and comfort as well as for appearance

Home and Health © 1907, Pacific Press Publishing




Tuesday, July 19, 2011

What Little Boys Should Be Taught (1907)


• To be strong and brave—a little man
• To shun evil companions
• To respect gray hairs
• To be gentle
• To be courteous
• To be prompt
• To be industrious
• To be truthful
• To be honest
• To prefer the companionship of his sisters over other girls
• To honor his father and mother
• To be temperate
• To discard profanity
• To be thoughtful and attentive
• To keep himself pure
• To be his sister’s protector
• To refuse to listen to vulgar jokes or stories
• To use common tools skillfully
• To care for his own room
• To do all kinds of housework
• To earn money and to take care of it
• To be neat and orderly in his habits and appearance
• To be self-reliant
• To be his father’s partner

Home and Health © 1907, Pacific Press Publishing



The Heart of Worship



Sunday, July 17, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to my wonderful husband!!!!!
May this new year in your life bring
more blessings than you can imagine. 
You become more like
Christ every year. 
We are so blessed
to call you husband and dad.
We praise God for blessing us with you.
We love you.
YOUR FAMILY!!!!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Where Are The Titus 2 Women?

Posted by Scott T. Brown on July 14, 2011


There are very few older women teaching the younger women the way Titus 2 commands. There are so few of them for at least two reasons. First, the church has departed from trust in Scripture and, as a result, women have not been taught that this should be their role. Second, we have gutted the generational culture of the church and segregated it by age. The result is that the older are functionally separated from the younger. My heart breaks for younger women who do not have older women to help them love their husbands and their children. Elizabeth Eliot speaks profoundly on this matter: 
It would help younger women to know there are a few listening ears when they don't know what to do with an uncommunicative husband, a 25-pound turkey, or a two-year-old's tantrum. It is doubtful that the Apostle Paul had in mind Bible classes or seminars or books when he spoke of teaching younger woman. He meant the simple things, the every day example, the willingness to take time from one's own concerns to pray with the anxious mother, walk with her the way of the cross--with it's tremendous demands of patience, selflessness, lovingkindness--and to show her, in the ordinariness of Monday through Saturday, how to keep a quiet heart.
These lessons will come perhaps most convincingly through rocking a baby, doing some mending, cooking a supper, or cleaning a refrigerator. Through such an example, one young woman - single or married, Christian or not - may glimpse the mystery of charity and the glory of womanhood.
Elizabeth Elliot quoted Carolyn Mahaney, Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother,(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003), 22.


Thursday, July 7, 2011

Praising God!!!!!

I AM PRAISING GOD TODAY WITH MY FRIENDS, MIKE AND GRACE SILVA. THEY ARE OFFICIALLY THE PARENTS OF LITTLE NOAH. THEY ARE BEING ALLOWED TO ADOPT HIM. GOD IS SO AWESOME TO HAVE BLESSED THEM WITH NOAH AND NOAH WITH THEM!!!!!