Now we're cooking!

Hello faithful readers!!


I have been wanting to create a way to keep all my recipes together in one place.  I have been asked several times to share some of my recipes, which I love to do!  So I have created my second blog - Cristy's Kitchen.  This will be a place I will post my recipes.  I will try to update it at least twice a month.  So please go check it out.  If you happen to try one of my recipes, please leave a comment and let me know what you and the family think about it! 

Our Garden

Just wanted to share some pictures of our garden from this summer. 

 

Last summer we could not get much of anything to grow. 

We got maybe 10 tomatoes all summer. 

We found out we were missing the secret ingredient - cow poo!! 

Not very classy of me, I know. 

But we heard that we need the poo so we got some. 

Here are some pictures. 

 

 

 

The was two weeks ago.

Bell peppers

Our garden area
tomatoes, egg plant and sweet potatoes

sweet potatoes

tomato plant
crazy thing is this plant started out as a see growing in a old coke bottle.

egg plant

sunflowers



cucumbers



our first cucumber

 

These are pictures that were taken today. 

We have had four days of rain, so I know that has helped.

I really do think it was the cow poo!! 

It's kind of amazing stuff.

 

the egg plant with our first bloom on it.

sweet potatoes

one of our seven tomatoes plants.
This is the same guy from the coke bottle. 
He is little but man he has put out some tomatoes.

Praying mantis on our sunflowers.
I think he was just born.

His brother, who has a little attitude problem and did want his picture taken.

cucumber plant

bell peppers

sun flowers

egg plant bloom

cool picture of the bloom
I love the deep purple against the green.

Are you growing a summer garden? 

Hows it doing? 

Tell me about it, or better yet, share some pictures!! 



Find us Faithful

It's almost Fathers Day.

As I have been thinking about what do for Mike and what to get him.  I am also thinking about my Dad and my father-n-law.  (I never met my father-n-law.  I have only heard wonderful things about him.)  I keep coming back to this theme - "Find Us Faithful"

Hebrews 12:1-3

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Everything we do, we say, our actions and most importantly our reactions are being watched my our children.  Mike has four sets of eyes that are watching him - daily.  Watching to see how he will handle things, watching to see what he will say, watching to see if he "practices what he preaches".
Always watching. 

But will they find him faithful?

I Corinthians 4:2

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

I think back on my own childhood.  I think about how my Dad handled the ups and down of life.  God threw a few curve balls our way. 

          Church issues.....Illnesses.....Deaths.....Family......Moving.....

But my Dad always treated each situation with grace.  He was faithful to what God had called him to do.  There were times I am sure he wanted to call it quits.  I am sure there was more than once he must have thrown his hands in the air and thought "What else, Lord."  I know there have been many times he has dropped to his knees in prayer.   And because of his faithfulness, his ministry is reaching throughout Texas, into Missouri and around the world. 

I saw him being faithful.  My kids see him being faithful.

I Thessalonians 5:24

Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

I think about my father-n-law.  He was a good, Godly man raising his son in a Christian home with Christian values.  Because of his sacrifices to keep Mike in a Christian school, to give to missions, to be involved at church.  His faithfulness is also reaching around the world.

Mike saw him being faithful.  My kids see his mom is still being faithful to church.

I think about my {little} brother.  He is just starting out on his journey as Pastor.  He has a young daughter who is looking up at him with big ole' eyes.  I have no doubt that she will find him faithful too.  And my brother-n-law, who works long hours to provide for his family.  He spends his weekends preaching to inmates and showing them the love of God. He tells them how this LOVE can change your life. His children, they see the faithfulness.

I Timothy 1:12

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me,

for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;

I am so thankful for all the men in my life who have been faithful to the ministry, faithful to their families and most importantly faithful to God. What a great cloud of witnesses I have been surrounded with. 

I know our kids will see us fail at things.  I know they will see us mess up, lose our temper and even sin.  We are human. It will happen.  I just hope they always see how we seek forgiveness from God and each other.  I hope they remember how we pray together and that we play around together.  We have fun and we work hard.  I hope they see that ministry is hard and long hours but so worth it.  My prayer is that our children will...

Find Us Faithful

 

 

 

Happy Fathers Day Mike!!

 

We love you

 

 

because we bond

 

 

 

because you love me no matter what

 

 

 

because you play with me

 

 

 

because you take care of me