Almost Time for Goodbye

This has been wonderful. I have learned so much the past few weeks. For me personally I keep hearing the word "HOPE," as our family waits and waits for Avery to come home (over 2 years now), that is one word I NEED to hear. There's a paragraph on page 13 that I highlighted way back when we first started: "Has a negative event or a near-eternal wait recently made you lose hope about something important to you? Do you have any natural reasons to think that whatever your "once upon a time" might have been, it can never be now?" My answer to both of those questions is 'yes,' unfortunately. But on the next page there's the hope part! Go and read from page 13 (after the 'crown question') to the 2nd to the last paragraph before Day 2 which ends "the ending to each story is happy, but before that happy ending is realized, much grief occurs." Again, personally, this adoption process has been full of grief, but oh so full of HOPE because how our faith in our God has grown. He knows my name . . .

Psalm 18:24 (The Message)

^20-24 God made my life complete
when I placed all the pieces before him.
When I got my act together,
he gave me a fresh start.
Now I'm alert to God's ways;
I don't take God for granted.
Every day I review the ways he works;
I try not to miss a trick.
I feel put back together,
and I'm watching my step.
God rewrote the text of my life
when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

This was found on the wall of a Nazi concentration camp:

I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining.

I believe in love, even when I do not feel it.

I believe in God, even when He is silent. (Author Unknown)

We each have a story to tell, we are all God's people - princesses, chosen, knit together in our mother's womb, He knows our beginning and our end. We are so very much better off because of HIM and with HIM. "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther 4:14

Esther Famous Recipes

Ultimate Spinach Dip

brought by Lori McMurphy :)

½ stick butter

1 10 oz. pkg frozen chopped spinach

6 oz. jar marinated artichokes (drained & cut up)

3-4 chopped green onions

2 8 oz. ream cheese packages

2 T. Mayonnaise or ¼ cup whipping cream

1 tsp each salt, pepper, garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic or both :)

1 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large skillet on stove, melt butter and add green onions and garlic (if using). Cook until onion is soft. Stir in spinach and artichokes. Add cream cheese, Mayo (or cream), salt & pepper. Stir until cream cheese has melted and ingredients are well blended into a smooth mixture. Pour into an 8x8 glass pan and top with parmesan cheese. Cook for 15 min. or until cheese is melt and top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

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OKLAHOMA COWBOY CAVIAR

Salad

1 can white shoepeg corn, drained (11 oz)

1 can black-eyed peas, drained (15 oz)

2 small avocados, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup chopped green onions

Dressing

In a small bowl mix together with a wire whisk:

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup garlic red wine vinegar

¼ tsp fresh crushed garlic

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

Mix all ingredients and toss with dressing.

Best if it sets a few hours before serving.

Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Paula Reno

Feb 2009

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Hot Chicken Salad

submitted by Janet Carmichael

1 cup cooked chicken, diced 1 1/2 c. celery,chopped fine

1/4 cup pimento, chopped 1/4 c. lemon juice

1 c. toasted almonds, sliced 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup, undilluted

1/8 t. salt (optional) 1/4 c. onion, grated

4-5 eggs, hard-boild, chopped 1 c. green pepper, chopped

2, c. cheddar cheese, grated 1 c. mayo (can be fat-free)

crushed potato chips

Combine all ingreadients in a 5 quart shallow casserole dish except chips and cheese. Mix well. Top with cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Place potato chips on top and bake another 10 minutes.

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Potato Sausage Soup

submitted by Janet Carmichael

1 lb. Ground sausage 1 yellow onion

3 - 14 oz. cans of chicken broth 4 cups frozen, shredded hash browns

10 3/4 oz. can cream of celery soup 10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken soup

12 oz. can evaporated milk 1 jar of mushrooms

Garnish: cheddar cheese

Brown sausage and onion in big pan over medium heat, stirring until the sausage crumbles and is no longer pink and the onion is translucent; drain and return to pan. Add chicken broth and has browns and mushrooms; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes. In a separate saucepan, heat soups until they are blended and creamy; add milk and set aside. After sausage mixture is done simmering, add soup mixture; stir often until thoroughly blended and heated through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese. Makes 6-8 servings.

Really yummy and easy on a cold winters evening!!! Terrific with a pan of cornbread and nothing more!!

Hey Girls!

Gosh it has been a really long time since I blogged!  I miss it a lot!  Life has been a bit crazy around here, busy, and crazy!  Tonight's lesson was really good and it's hard to believe we only have one more week of Esther then the big movie night.  I'm not ready to say good bye to her and Mord yet or even King Headache, but look forward to what God has in store for us next.  Each study not only keeps me in the Word (and all over it, too), but lets me get closer to Him and you guys!  My cup runneth over!  On most Tuesdays I come home and dive right back in to the next week's lesson.  My husband said to me last week, "Didn't you just come from Esther?  And you are hitting it again?  Wow!  Must be good!"  Das right it's good!  Like a good TV show I don't want to be cancelled so I think, if I just watch it more and more maybe they won't cancel it!  

This is just a short little note to let you know that I haven't forgotten about our blog, that I WILL get busy on it and post more.  But, I would like some feedback from ya'll.  What do YOU want to see on here more?  I like pictures, I'm a visual learner and pictures help, so I try to always post a picture or video when it's appropriate.  I am going to work on getting some recipes on here this week, and post some about the lessons we have.  But what else do you want to see?  Any thoughts?  I'm open to suggestions?  Is there anything that I do post that you don't like?  I can take it - the criticism, I just want this to be entertaining, informational, and somewhat inspirational for all of us.

I'm starting to ramble.  Better get to bed.

Love ya'll,

Lori