Happy Fall Ya'll and a Giveaway......

     I love fall, and in honor of my new fall blog look and this being fall, my favorite season, I decided to have a sweet little giveaway on my blog.  All you have to do is comment on here or on my facebook post about this blogpost and share why you love fall, a fall quote, poem or something that tells me you love fall too.  If you share on your facebook wall or blog you get an extra entry.  Link back here or message me if you do please.

     So go enjoy fall and let me know why you do and you could be the next winner. Enter until Thursday October 13th and on what would have been my Moma's birthday one of you will get the present.  So enter away!

God bless and Happy Fall Ya'll,

Pat

Apple Slab Pie and Friendship

      I have been thinking of inviting a couple of neighbors over to visit, share a little conversation and maybe some Jesus time too. I was thinking this and a cup of hot tea would be the perfect snack to maybe invite a friend over to share.  Sometimes it is easier to talk and share our heart over a little tea and dessert.  This is a really good fall dessert too.  It is really quick and simple and  I hope you enjoy it whether you make it for your family or to share with a neighbor or friend.

 

  Apple Slab Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
9 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (9 medium)
1cup powdered sugar
2tablespoons milk

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 450°F.
Remove pie crusts from pouches. Unroll and stack crusts one on top of the other on lightly floured surface. Roll to 17x12-inch rectangle. Fit crust into 15x10x1-inch pan, pressing into corners. Fold extra pastry crust under, even with edges of pan. Crimp edges.
2 Mix granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice. Stir in apples to coat. Spoon apple mixture into crust-lined pan.
3 Bake 33 to 38 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling. Cool on rack 45 minutes.
 4 Mix powdered sugar and milk until well blended. Drizzle over pie. Allow glaze to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

Happy fall,

Pat

Monday Blog Share

     Every Monday I am going to share a blog that I enjoy reading and think you might enjoy too.  I hope you will go check them out and let them know I sent you.  This is not for a contest or anything, it is just to share some great blogs written by some great ladies.
     The first one I am sharing is by my friend Ava Kinsey, It is called "21st Century Keeper at Home".  She says according to her blog she is a "Modern-Day Techno-Geek Homemaking Mama with Old-Fashioned, Traditional Values."
      The link is:     http://21stcenturykeeperathome.blogspot.com/

God bless,
Pat 

My Moma is now rocking my Grandbaby!

     My Moma is now rocking my grandbaby in heaven.  God decided that we would not be raising our newest grand here on earth.  I do NOT understand but I do NOT question either.  It hurts and today going through Walmart I cried just looking at the little baby things.
     Thanks for all that prayed and please continue to pray for my son and daughter, Jonathan and Jenny as they learn to deal with this pain and find a place in their heart to forever hold this little one.

This is the picture of their precious family!

God bless,

Pat

Welcome and a "little" news!

     Welcome to all my new followers and I hope you enjoy my little corner of the blog world.  If you comment below I would love to come check out your blog too.  I am going to be having a giveaway on here soon so keep checking back to have a chance to win.

     Now, for the "little" news.  My Dil has not been feeling well and Monday night I had to take her to the ER, well we were in for a shock, she is 8 weeks expecting and in danger of losing the baby.  She is on complete bedrest and goes back to the Dr tomorrow.  Pray for Gods will but we pray it is for us to get to hold and love this baby.  

     My daughter is coming home today, have not seen her since August 13th so am super excited to see her.  Though her trip is to be short, it is her first home since she got married so we are excited.

     The grands are calling and so off I go, please pray for Jenny if she crosses your mind and check back often for my giveaway and have a blessed day ya'll!

Pat

Fall weather and potato soup

     I love the fall, the sights, colors, smells, snuggling and the changes in what foods you can and do eat.  potato soup is one of my favorite fall foods.  I am sharing one of my favorite recipes for this soup, that I got from a close friend.  I thought some of ya'll might want to make some too.

DEB'S POTATO SOUP

5# to 10# Potatoes
1-2 sticks Margarine
1-2 pkgs. Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Bits
1-2 cups Milk
Salt & Pepper (to your taste)
Minced onions~dried (to your taste)

Toppings...
Margarine
Sour Cream
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Chives/Green Onions
More Real Bacon Bits, if you like

Peel & cube potatoes (not too small, they'll cook down some) Boil till totally done...add stick margarine, milk, bacon bits, minced onions, salt & pepper. Simmer about 15 more minutes. Serve in bowls with the toppings of your choice. Yummy!!! ENJOY!

(Adjust the amounts you cook according to how many you are going to feed but this is so good reheated too)
God bless and enjoy,Happy Fall,
Pat

Blessing my house

     Cleaning our house is something we all have to do.  Some love to clean, it is a joy to them.  I am going to be honest cleaning my house as always been something I HAD to do.  Sometimes I did it better than others and sometimes I barely did it at all.
     One day I was online reading and I read where a lady said she changed her attitude and she changed her house.  She quit saying I have to wash dishes, I have to wash the clothes, I have to cook supper.  She started saying I get to do the dishes for my family, I get to wash my clothes for my family, I get to cook for my family.  She said just the change in attitude made such a difference.
     I read on another site where a lady said she decided to look at things differently too, she decided she was not going to clean her house anymore, she was not going to wash her clothes anymore....hang on, she wasn't giving up or quitting, she said she decided to BLESS her house, BLESS her clothes, BLESS her family by cooking for them.
     Now, no matter how you say it or do it, it still has to be done.  But, I thought it would not hurt to try so here I went.  I started with changing my attitude and then I started blessing my house.  At least it did not sound quite as bad, my attitude changed a little, and my house changed a little.  Then, one day me and my husband were talking and he said he doesn't always want to go to work, sometimes he has to make himself but he does it cause he loves us and he needs to take care of us.  That made me think even more.

 

     I looked at alot of "schedules" people have etc and nothing seemed like it would work for me.  So, I decided to basically create my own.  I started first with what I call maintenance....I started washing my dishes every night before I went to bed, I made sure all toys were picked up, making my bed up, keeping the floors swept and getting laundry caught up.  I try to never have more than 3 loads at a time going, 1 in washer, 1 in dryer and 1 to put up, that way I do not feel overwhelmed and you know what now my laundry pretty much stays caught up.  My day starts better when I get up to a clean kitchen, all of the stuff I can have  is laid out to fix breakfast and lunch for Billy, his clothes are laid out and waiting, it all just seems to go smoother.  I have supper laid out and most days waiting when he gets home from work. 
     Now is my house perfect, oh no, I still have boxes that need to be gone through and stuff that needs to be decluttered so starting today I am adding one area each day to declutter along with maintaining.  My house may not be clean to your standards but it sure feels blessed to me.  The best part is now if I do what I need to I usually have time to enjoy this at the end of the day too.

     I know I don't have babies at home and I only have 1 teenager but this is what works for me.  You have to decide what works for you.  I can promise you the first step has to be your attitude no matter what and when I changed that, other stuff started changing too.
God bless,
Pat

Why are people......

     

     Why are people....never happy?  No matter what they have, where they are or what they are experiencing, it is never quite right. 
     What brought this first to mind was the weather....first it is Winter and people hate the cold, they can't wait til spring but then it comes and maybe it is too rainy and still kind of cool, they can't wait til summer, but wait, it is so hot and the bills too high, they can't wait til fall, but then comes fall and wow, it sure is cool, it will be winter before you know it and I will be freezing, and I wish it were summer.  See the problem here, they are never happy.
     I see it with people and their kids too....when they can walk, when they can talk, when they will obey, when they can dress theirself, when they go to school, when they can drive, when they graduate and then it is when are they coming home, I miss them, I wish they were little.
     I know part of it is human nature and life in general but sometimes I just get so tired of people complaining.  My challenge to you if any one is reading this, is this, take a few minutes and think of a few blessings in your life, no complaining, no when, if, or someday but just count the blessings of your life right now.
      Enjoy the now or God may decide you don't need any future!
God bless,
Pat

Is anybody here-I am back and ashamed of what I have neglected or rather who!

     I was ashamed when I came to my blog and realized I have not been here in over a month.  Even worse I have not been reading some of the blogs I follow and I was amazed when I read some of the wonderful words that I had missed.
     I can blame it on life, facebook, or just how busy I am, but the real truth is this, I made a choice.  I made a choice to go where I went, read what I read and to skip what I skip.
     As bad as I feel for my blog and how I have neglected this blog, I through reading some other blogs that really touched my heart, I realized I have been neglecting something or rather someone far more important.  I have not spent the time in my bible reading or prayer life that I should.  I have been reading just enough to "get by" and praying is pretty much limited to prayer requests and bedtime.  I am ashamed that I am letting the computer take way more time and importance than family and God.
     If anyone is still here reading I ask that if you pray that you will pray that I get myself where I need to be in all areas of my life and most importantly that I put Jesus back at #1 where He should be in my life.
God bless,
Pat