Talking to Jesus

Generally new songs don't do much for  me in but this song is on continual play on my Spotify list and I can barely get through it without bawling my eyes out! 

Awhile back my oldest son introduced me to Maverick City a new Christian group.  I listened to some of the songs because they spoke to him  and because he took the time to share them with me.  Well some of them started speaking to me too.  Then this song came out.... Talking to Jesus   The first time I heard it, I thought of my family and my heritage.  And I thought of what we've passed on to our children.   But then a  few weeks ago my son called me.  He had been having his devotions and listened to the song and it really ministered to him (especially the part about wearing a polo shirt and khaki pants LOL)   Having him share that with me just about wrecked me in the best way.  Now I can't listen to it without tears falling.... I just pray that my boys will be "talking to Jesus for the rest of their lives" 

You know I don't want to be legalistic but I just want to tell you Mamas and Daddies- get God in your children's lives.  Not in a legalistic weird way but as part of your every day life.  Take them babies to church, take those teens to church.  "Put them under the spout where the glory comes out"  Be in church regularly. Immerse them in the things of God.  The world is so willing and ready to take their hearts-point their hearts towards Jesus.  Be open with them apologize when you miss the mark and make mistakes. Explain to them Jesus is so much more than you are.  I tell my kids that I'm a poor example of who Jesus is.  I don't want a disagreement between us to be turned into an excuse to turn from God.  Be real with your kids.  
Looking back over 25 years of being a parent the only thing I'd really change is I would have immersed them MORE in the things of God.  Sure they got put to bed every night with a prayer time but if I'd understood the fight that this world and the devil would fight for them, I would have prayed over them a lot longer.  I would have prayed harder & bolder.  My kids rarely missed church even on vacation but our church usually only has Sunday morning services.  I would have had them at every revival and youth group within a 25 mile radius!  I'm not saying this because we've had so many problems but because evil is strong in this world.  Kids today face more things than any other generation has in my opinion.  I see a difference from our oldest son to our next oldest - 8 years difference is like almost a different generation in some ways.  Things have changed so much in society in those 8 years it's unbelievable.  The devil will fight for your children's hearts...fight harder!   
Keep your kids in church!  I know it's not easy but let them see that you honor God by making the effort to be in church every Sunday.  That's not legalism....no more than being at a football game every Sunday is legalism....  it just show them where your heart is at- is your heart on the things of this world or eternal things?  It'll show them that you recognize your need of God.  Maybe they'll remember that one day.  Because one day your babies are going to need Jesus.  They are going to need to know how to talk to Jesus!  
I can not emphasis this enough....of course I know each child has to find their own way BUT let them know where that path is!  Lead them to it, show it to them, point the way out to them so they'll know where to run when they need Jesus!  Don't be wishy washy!  Tighten up your life because believe me those kids are watching you.  
The other day one of my close friends and I were discussing LIFE.... us middle aged ladies tend to do that alot.  Life has tended to surprise us with all the difficulties it brings.  Things we NEVER imagined when we were younger!  We say alot of "did you ever think "this" would have happened?"  Of course the answer is NO!  NO we could have never even thought up all the twists that life has taken us on.....Then we started talking about our kids- one of our #1 subjects as we are all at a new place in life- a place where we are letting go of our babies....  Let me tell you it is a process.  I'm not sure I've been the most gracious or the most perfect in this stage of motherhood.  It's not been easy for me  It's way too scary.  But I can assure you my prayer life has grown by leaps and bounds.  I have found myself at times praying myself to sleep, waking up at night with a prayer in my heart, waking up in the morning praying, cleaning the house praying.... again NOT that my kids have gotten in to much trouble but just there are so many paths and choices for them to make.  There are even so many good choices for them to make- which one is the best?  And THEY have to be the ones to make them, we can only pray and offer advice.  And ONLY Jesus can take care of them- actually HE has always been the only one who could take care of them.  But I've sure have tried to help out LOL  But  wish I'd prayed more a decade ago for them and their futures.  I wish I'd gone to sleep every night praying for them, I wish I'd woke up every morning with a prayer on my lips for them.  If I'd only knew and understood what all was ahead of us I would have!  Again we haven't had any terrible thing happen- but my kids and all my friends' kids have had so much thrown at them and they have had to make so many choices.  
I think we thought that WE were different kind of parents.... Of course I was raised by older folks who mostly gave up by the time I was a teen. They had health problems    Although I was a church kid and expected to go to church on Sunday I had WAY too much freedom.  My husband also had way too much freedom.  Most of my friends did too  There were a few who were smothered but most of us lived wild and free.... Truly God kept me because there was so much that I could have gotten...I dabbled in things but I always had the fear of God so that kept me somewhat on the right  path. 
So we were going to be different! Our kids came home from the hospital surrounded by "Christian" life.  Steve's nursery theme was Noah's Ark LOL  We were careful about what our kids watched on TV, most of my friends homeschooled or did private school.  Some sent their kids to public school.  I feel like we were more involved in our kids spiritual life than our family's had been but maybe while those things were good and needful they weren't enough.  Those things were more the outward things....we needed more!  They face so much.   Maybe this generation needs more- so much more is coming against them!   I can not even imagine what my grandchildren's lives will be like... society and culture has broken down so much.  What's evil is called good and good called evil....  
I think every decision we made as far as protecting them from ungodly influences was the right decision but there's more to leading a child to Christ than to just protect them from the world.  You go to get them to Jesus.   
So pray for your kids, pray for their future, pray for their spouses.... oh that's a HUGE thing!  Do more battles in prayer than anywhere else.  Veggie Tales ain't going to save your kids, neither is just Sunday School....all those things are helpful but they are only props... PRAY  And have them in church - they will be in school for close to 40 hours a week...maybe 2 hours a week in church....  School is important but Church is what points them to the Eternal!  There are studies that show kids even young ones are on social media/watching tv/texting  6-9 hours EVERY DAY!  Let me tell you most of that ain't Jesus stuff!  We were lucky we lived out in the country with terrible wifi for many years!  But it's a hard thing and don't even get me started on gaming!  I hate that with a complete hatred.... the majority of our fights with the kids have been media related mostly gaming.  But the most important thing is prayer and having your kids in church in a community so they see it lived out-even the parts where people make mistakes.  Our kids have always been PK preacher's kids so they've seen the good bad and ugly.... they've been hurt sometimes but I have always pointed them to Jesus and reminded them we are all fallen people.  No one is perfect but we each stand before God on our own not based on what someone did or didn't do to or for us.  They've seen some good life lessons in church-not always positive but we've been able to use it all to help them prepare for life.  
So fight in prayer for your kids.  Don't be too strict and make them bitter but don't be so lenient either.  There's a balance ask God to show you the right balance.  Aa pastors we have always always let our kids know they are more important to us than the ministry.  They come before the church!  Again there is a balance but God created the family before He created the church!  I think pastor's families need to know that.  There's always a balance but keep your family first- not first over God but first over ministry!  I know too many kids who have no relationship  to God because of bitterness of how their parents raised them and put the church or ministry before the kids.  Of course you don't want to have kids who rule the home  or the church again there is a balance!  I guess you can see how much i think BALANCE is important!  That's the key!  Out of balance would be missing church every week because your kid is in a sport it could also mean NEVER letting your kid be involved in something like sports or band because you are too busy with church projects.  I've seen both extremes and as I learned in college "all extremes are dysfunctional"  We have tried so hard to steer things right in the middle.  
Let me tell you parenting is not for wimps!  But lead them to Jesus....get them talking to Jesus!  He can do more in 5 minutes than you can in 5 months! He can touch their hearts, give them knowledge, help them make decisions and most importantly get them to heaven!  That is the most important thing!  
And by the way...I'm pretty conservative for a Pentecostal but when it comes to my kids I don't get too worried about theology or the right way to pray!  I will bind and cast out anything that comes against them that leads them from God.  I've prayed some crazy prayers that I've even prefaced to God and apologized beforehand if I was wrong for praying the particular prayer!  But I was determined to pray any ungodly influence out of their life!  I've probably prayed some unorthodox prayers but God has answered time and time again.  
As Christians we are so blessed to be able to approach God- the Creator of this Universe..... He made a way for us to be saved and to be able to approach Him without having to go through animal sacrifices or others.....  God hears and answers prayers.  Sometimes the answer is not really what we want but when we trust God we can look back and see His hand.  What a good God we serve!  If you are not a Christian- it's easy just start talking to Jesus   Confess your sins and turn to Him.  He will be there and be a friend that is closer than any other.  
LYRICSGrandma used to pray out loud By her bed every night

To me, it sounded like mumbling Like she was out of her mind She said, "Boy, this kind of praying Is what saved my life You outta try it some time" And now I know she was right

She was talking to Jesus She was talking to Jesus She'd been talking to Jesus For all of her life

Mama used to drag me to church Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights Khaki pants and a polo shirt Boy, I put up a fight She said, "Son, one day you'll thank me For having God in your life" And yeah I know she was right Yeah my mama was right

'Cause now I'm talking to Jesus She got me talking to Jesus She got me talking to Jesus Yeah my mama was right 'Cause now I'm talking to Jesus Yeah I love talking to Jesus And I'll be talking to Jesus For the rest of my life

What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus Don't you know What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh, what a friend we have What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh

I've got 3 of my own now Trying to raise them up right My oldest is fifteen And I remember what that was like Trying to deal with the drama Trying to figure out the questions in life And I've been looking for a way to show him How to make it alright Then He walked in my room While I was saying my prayers the other night He said, "I'll come back later I can tell you got a lot on your mind" I said it's not an interruption You couldn't have picked a better time 'Cause I was just talking to Jesus Come over and give it a try We started talking to Jesus We started talking to Jesus We started talking to Jesus

Oh-oh-oh And now He's talking to Jesus Thank God He's talking to Jesus I hope He's talking to Jesus For the rest of his life, yeah

What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh, what a friend we have What a friend we have in Jesus (aren't you glad we have a friend?) What a friend we have in Jesus (none more thankful, none more true) What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh There's no wrong way to do it There's no bad time to start It don't have to sound pretty Just tell Him what's on your heart 'Cause it's not a religion 'Cause it's more like a friendship Just talk to your Father Like you are his kid Just start talking to Jesus Just start talking to Jesus You can talk to Jesus Oh, whenever you like Just start talking to Jesus Just start talking to Jesus Just keep talking to Jesus For the rest of your life Oh, just talk, oh-oh Just talk, just talk, just talk to Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh, what a friend we have What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus (so faithful, so true) What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh, oh Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh Oh the cross, too much for words Just let it out, let it out, let it out right now Let it out, let it out, let it out, let it out right now Let it out, let it out, let it out What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus What a friend we have in Jesus Oh-oh-oh, He's so close, He's so close What a friend we have in Jesus (yeah, He's right in front of you) What a friend we have in Jesus (just talk to Jesus) What a friend we have in Jesus

Shrimp Gumbo Recipe

 As you can imagine I cook A LOT!  Growing up my family was all about food.  They loved to eat.  We had a small farm and then a larger family farm out of town so until I was a teen, the majority of my food was from there.  Of course as all my old folks got too old to continue things changed but they all had small farms/gardens near their houses.  We had a few acres of land and grew tomatoes, corn, squash, cucumbers, okra, collards and mustard greens, peas/beans of all kinds, eggplants, green peppers and more.  We also had chickens and hogs.  We ate three meals a day-and every meal usually had two meats.  It was a bit overwhelming LOL  I was very picky which probably saved me from being fat!  But actually no one was over weight because even when they were older they all worked outside until they just couldn't anymore.  My granny had a garden until she was in her 90's!

So with all that cooking, I didn't really learn how to cook.  My aunts were afraid I'd get burned in the kitchen so they didn't want me in there.  They knew a girl who had been burned by oil and they were afraid that would happen to me.  So I just enjoyed the food.  I did help pick  clean up & take care of the animals.  Then off to college to eat in a cafeteria for 4 years....  When I got married I couldn't cook anything but frozen pizzas LOL  And I had a love/hate relationship with food anyhow.  I had a fear of gaining weight like a family member (who didn't live on a farm) so I dealt with some food issues for a long time.  But once I got married I started cooking.  We already knew that heart disease ran in Jon's family so  I tried to cook as healthy as possible for what I knew at the time.  Looking back now I'm not so sure we were that healthy!  

But over time I learned some basic meals.  After becoming parents, I had to up my game, then as we added more kids I really had to up it!  It's not that expensive to go out to eat with 2-3 folks especially if one is a kid but with 7 we almost need a loan at McDonald's  Also about 12 years ago I started a garden. it was fun and a great punishment for the boys to have to weed if they got in trouble!  To this day they fuss at me about it! LOL  Both of them say they'll never have a garden... we shall see I said the SAME thing!  

It's funny the smell of the garden makes me happy.  Tomatoes are not my thing unlike my husband who will eat a whole one sliced up by itself.  But the smell of a tomato plant or a fresh tomato off the vine just makes me so happy!  My family grew massive collards which are so easy to grow it's a sin.  I do not like them but I love the smell of them cooking...and my husband says I can cook them like they are supposed to be cooked but I won't touch them!  

Just thinking about those summer days in the garden makes me miss all my old folks so much!  If we could go back for just one day....early morning picking the veggies, playing outside, swinging under the massive grapevine, reading a book in the afternoon, snapping peas on the front porch after supper.... so thankful I had the privilege to experience that time....  At the time I probably didn't think it was much of a privilege.....but it was!

So several of my friends have asked me to post recipes because over the years I've learned short cuts and I cook for a bunch of folks.  There's alot of modifying and exchanges in some recipes to make them more heart healthy but it turns out pretty good most of the time.  I have about 20 go to meals & use the crockpot and air fryer to make life simpler . So now I'm going to add recipes to my blog along with my 'Native Florida trips" 

Today is one of the most easiest recipes in the world!  You absolutely can not go wrong!  

SHRIMP GUMBO

Use Zatarain's Gumbo mix!  Add it to a deep pot with 6 cups of broth and stir it.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 25 minutes.  You can add veggies to it, I usually add at least a cup of frozen okra.  Then cut up the chicken sausage but don't add yet (it's already cooked )  Then in a skillet  cook a pound of deveined peeled shrimp with the tails OFF!  Once the shrimp start to pink up, add a bag of seasoning blend.  Cook the shrimp till it's all nice and pink.  About 5 minutes before the mix is done add the shrimp & the cooked sausage  It's so good!! (of course if you buy uncooked sausage it can be cooked right along with the shrimp) Sometimes I add the cooked sausage to the shrimp  right before I add it to the gumbo to crisp it up just a little bit.  

With my family I have doubled the recipe and cooked two boxes of the gumbo mix together and it was fine.  This is also something I can puree for Sarah.  

Usually I make corn bread and a salad with this meal.  Tomatoes seem to go good with this too.  For the sake of time I usually just use a corn bread mix but ALWAYS heat the pan in the oven to make it crispy!  Spray the cooking pan with oil heat for 10 minutes at 375 degrees then pour the mix in and cook it.  Often I cut up jalapeno peppers into the cornbread.  We like spicy! I prefer the mix on the left for some reason but I use them all.  BTW my granny would probably whip my tail for using a mix but she did not have 5 kids!  LOL

For the mixes that call for milk or an egg- I use fat free milk and egg whites.  That's a way to modify and cut fat and cholesterol.  As much as I love this gumbo I do not cook it but a couple of times a year because shrimp have lots of cholesterol even though they are fat free.  When I cook the shrimp/sausage I do not use any oils.  But I do use oil to spray the cornbread pan.  But just a quick spray.

Play around with it-add veggies you like to it.  Try okra!  I know folks who aren't southern think okra is yucky but it's good in stews and its wonderful FRIED -but isn't everything????

Dolphin Cruise/Tarpon Springs

 We are still doing our Florida day trips!  My goal is to at least do 2 a month.  It's really uplifting and good to plan and be able to do some little trips.  A few weeks ago Jon, Shad and I took a dolphin cruise.  We used  Odyssey Cruise/Dolphin Cruise in Tarpon Springs.  It was a 2.5 hour cruise.  Part of the time the boat is docked on Anclote Key State Park-which is only accessible by boat.   We had a blast!  The cruise was well worth the money and it was relaxing.  We went on a Friday since Jon and Shad were both off that day and it wasn't too crowded.  We also got the first boat ride of the day so that helped too.  When we docked-it was easy to tell the next boat trip would be completely full.   We only saw some dolphin on the way in but it was a great trip.  

Anclote Key State Park -no filters 

The boat

Shad

He's so cute

It was gorgeous

The Gulf of Mexico

Our favorite restaurant and bakery conveniently right across the street from the Dolphin Cruise!  

The inside of the restaurant is cool looking in a retro way

But we like eating outside unless it's too hot

This is an iconic picture.  This shop has been family owned for decades.  the young man who owns it now is very proud and motivated   They also do fishing tours.  They have a bunch of stray cats they take care of and I love that of course.  All the sponge you see the owner harvested it.  

Dolphin Gift Shop 810 Dodecanese Blvd Tarpon Springs Florida

You might guess I like the Tarpon Springs area.  It's a fun area with so many different things to do.  I've not even touched on the beaches right there.  I'll try and get to them before the summer is over.  

One of my friends snapped this picture of Shad out with his friends.  I just love it for some reason LOL  He just got a 2nd job working at our local movie theater.  I love it!  He said that it's a family tradition to have a 2nd job since Jon and Steve both work two jobs.  Growing up my best friend's family had a movie theater in the next little town over from us.  Occasionally I got to go and "help" them" on the weekends.  That was fun for me.  I also worked for a short time at our movie theater in my home town before I went to college.  

And our oldest son is on vacation out west....I'm sooooooo jealous!  I'll post some of his pictures in the next blog.  They are amazing.  

Have a great weekend!

Memorial Day 2021

This Memorial Day I'm thinking of some men from my family who gave all!

Raymond Hines died in WWII

He would have been my grandmother's cousin

John Hines was also my grandmother's cousin.  He and Raymond were brothers.  

Thomas Corbin was brother of one of my cousins from his mom's first marriage.  He was killed in Vietnam on his very last day there!  

Jon and I both have other family members who have fought for our country in almost every war.  We are so blessed to have a legacy like that!  Recently I learned who my birth father really was and I'm honored that he was in WWII also!  For a girl who is a WWII buff it really made me happy!  

So Memorial Day is much more than "a long weekend" for us!

Sarah and I have on matching patriotic shirts:) 

 

Yesterday we had a big day at church with a missionary and a luncheon so today was a laid back day for our family.   Actually our oldest is on vacation with some of his college buds in Las Vegas.  Shad worked today, Jon went and walked the woods and I grocery shopped then did meal prep and some meals!  

Sarah still eats pureed food so I do a lot of stews for her, cook, puree and then freeze.  That way if we have meals that aren't good for pureeing she still has a good meal.  Today I did a big pot of chicken and dumplings and pureed some for her for later.  I also did a beef stew and pureed most of that, just kept some out for her and Sam's lunch tomorrow.  I actually bought an extra fridge to keep her meals in.  This week I will also be cooking and storing Brunswick Stew, Hamburger Stew, Taco Chili and regular chili  She often eats what we eat but there's some things she doesn't like and some things don't puree  very good.  Mostly take out doesn't work for her.  It's not that hard to meet her dietary needs if I plan ahead of time.  I do sometimes buy frozen meals for her and Sam for lunch because the meals often are easy to puree but I prefer home made.  As she has progressed she can eat a thick puree like thick oatmeal, and often we can just smush  some things down  with a fork like baked beans or bananas.  Traveling with Sarah is not easy we eat mostly Chick Fil A (soup) or Wendy's chili.....  But it's ok

Tomorrow Sam returns to horse therapy after several months break! If you remember he had some major issues we had to find out the cause- it seems he had vertigo or something....who knows the doctors can only guess.  But we gave him a break.  So now he's starting back once a week to see how things go.  Sarah will continue to have 2 sessions 2 times a week  They've also starting vision therapy with two different teachers.  Believe it or not it took me years to get this service for them.  It's rather unbelievable and too complicated to even explain.  It totally ticks me off but at least now we have it with some teachers we know and who know the kids.  They will be busy over the summer.  

Until next time..... stay safe and thankful!

May Shenanigans

Lord have mercy as my old granny would say look who has his real license!  He is now the proud driver of a 13 year old mini van-we did the same with his older brother, safe ride LOL  But I have to say he is so helpful to pick up things for us at the store and it's great not to have to chauffer him around between his job, friends, and other things!  I'm totally spoiled! 

More exploring Florida...

This time me and my friend went to Ulele Restaurant and Armature Works in Tampa.  Armature Works is this big Industrial building that has been turned into a food/wine place with several restaurants and bars.  My older boys took me there one afternoon over Christmas break and to be honest I didn't really care for it (they thought it was the bomb)  To be fair I was probably already sick with Covid and didn't realize it so I was so tired and didn't enjoy the long walk from where we parked .  Plus I had on boots so my feet were killing me. It was loud and had so many small restaurants that required standing in line for your over priced meal. (don't worry there were no outbreaks of covid from me being there!)  So my friend and I thought we'd try it together.  I still didn't like it nor did she.  Maybe we are just not hip enough LOL  It still was loud, over priced and too annoying to have to stand in line like you would at a mall food court for very expensive not that great food   You can watch their video  Armature Works you might be cooler than we are and enjoy it!

 So we went next door to   Ulele Restaurant on the banks of Ulele Springs.  It was much more our style.  We sat outside  and enjoyed our lunch in the beautiful surroundings.  The lunch was great and the prices more appropriate. 

Right beside the restaurant is Ulele  Springs Water Works, there's another park just sough of there all along the Riverwalk.  

We  took a stroll on Tampa's River walk.  There are swings that you can sit in and watch the river traffic and solve all the world's problems.  But you can walk for several miles in each direction if you'd like to!  We didn't that day

This year I am purposely trying new things and going new places.  I don't know about you but I can get stuck in a rut and if I do go out I go to the same places I've gone to for 30 years or more.  Luckily both my husband and one of my closest friends like to do explore new places.  It's funny my husband would rather explore new nature/outdoor things and my friend likes outdoor stuff but also is up for little shops and restaurants.  I like to do both so I can go with the flow and be happy with both LOL

Living in Florida it's amazing the things that are in our own backyard!

We had a little scare with our Ginger.  She's the big girl on the top left.  I noticed one day that she was not acting like herself.  See how her tail was drooping?  That's a hug sign a chicken is not well.  

(Dumplings is on the top right looking away.  Shorty is on the bottom left and Frenchy is on the right she is my little girl)

It seemed like I could feel something on her backside plus she had a bald spot.  Previously I'd thought she had lice or mites but couldn't find any one her or the other girls but I treated for it anyhow.  I tried giving her a bath in Epsom salts just in case she was egg bound.  Even though she did not feel good she did not appreciate my care LOL  Nor did I appreciate having to clean the bathroom after she got away from my and flapped all over the place  

So my husband took her to the vet for me.  Again I can only think what my family would have thought about me taking a 7 year old non laying hen to a vet!!!  And I admit while I love animals, the dark places I've seen in this world reminds me that humans are so much more important.  There's a balance somewhere and I probably was a bit off balance with Ginger.  But let me tell you about Ginger, last year I went through a deep valley - our whole family did-  Ginger greeted me every day, every time I walked outside and made me feel a little better.  I felt I at least owed it to her to have her put to sleep humanely.  BUT!  After a day at the vet some tests, two shots she is totally back to normal!  I am having to deworm ALL four chickens (there's alot of squawking pecking and fussing going on....and the hens are doing it too hahah!)  What a JOB!  Have you ever had to give medicine to a chicken?  Yeah me neither!  I've given medicine to dogs cats and terrible children but giving liquid meds to chickens is a whole 'nother ballgame!  

But Ginger is happy and healthy!  They all love watermelon so they've been getting a half one a day.  

Hope you are having a good summer thus far!  Our temps are in the 90's but that's ok I know how to live with heat.  I don't know how to live in cold weather....what do you wear?  It's so complicated for me!  For example when we were in NY in January in a "blizzard" it was awful outside but hot inside.  So if you wore a sweater under your coat, it was too hot when you came inside.... In Florida just wear shorts and flip flops so much easier!!!