The Fruits of the Spirit...

The Fruits of the Spirit are something we all want to live by. Instilling this is hard because every personality is different. We talk about them a lot in church...Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Sometimes it is not something we talk about enough at home. My grandfather, I believe, lived by every one of these. He was one of the kindest, gentlest, patient, loving men I have ever known. I wanted to break each one of these down a little. I am sure this is not very interesting reading for most but it is something I want to work hard on with my boys and myself.


Love, Agape Love, selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love. We should love everyone unconditionally as Jesus loves us. We may not agree with everyone. We may not like everyone. We may not agree with others decisions. But, according the Bible we should love them anyway. This is hard to explain to kids also. Someone might be mean to you and you might not like it or them but God says we are to love unconditionally. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. love never fails.





Next is Joy. Let's just face it, it is impossible to by joyful all the time and to constantly be happy right? I would agree, and I believe God understands how hard it is for us here and that it is hard to be happy 24/7! I do believe he wants us to have a joyful heart though. We should work joyfully, live joyfully, worship joyfully, etc...We will not always be 100% happy but we can be joyful in whatever we do and give the glory and praise to Him. John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my JOY may be in you, and that your JOY may be full.





Peace...how do we practice peace in our lives? This is probably one of the hardest for me. How do I live peacefully and know that God is in control...NO MATTER WHAT. It is hard to not worry about what the future holds but with God I have to believe and have faith that good or bad he will sustain me and my family. John 14:7 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through Faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are so many verses that I could quote for each of these!

Patience...OH MY! This is my downfall! I am not a patient person! I am better than I have been in the past but only because I have asked for help and guidance from my Savior in this area. I remind myself how Patient Christ has been with all of us in this earthly world. I know that the things of this world are part of his plan and we are here to endure whatever his plan is for us PATIENTLY. Psalm 86:15 But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 15:18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. A hot temper is not something I want to be known for. When you don't have patience it is hard to obtain it...BUT, I promise with a little work and help from our Heavenly Father...it CAN happen.

Kindness...Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Well, that pretty much sums it up, huh! We are to be kind to one another in EVERY situation... that is hard! It is a challenge! But, it is something I want to try very hard to do. Even in situations within our own family these past few weeks...I vow to be kind and to be as Christ would expect me to be! I will not give in to the devil and I will be kind! In my kids this is also hard...not necessarily with other people but with each other. Of course, brothers will be brothers but imagine how much more smoothly the day would go if we would all show a little kindness and compassion!

Goodness...2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
This covers them all I believe! In every aspect of our life we should general be good. I feel like goodness incorporates this whole list.

Faithfulness...Provers 3:3 let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Let love and faithfulness NEVER leave me Lord! I want to stay faithful to our heavenly Father! On a daily basis stay faithful to the Lord in what I do, say, the way I act, in every part of my being.

Gentleness...Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. I love this next verse. 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks to you give the reason for hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. We are to show gentleness to everyone. Gentleness to our children, parents, strangers on the street!

and Self-Control...We are to show restraint in areas of our life. Self control with our mouths (speaking only good), self-control sexually, self-control with money...etc...We should, as Christians, be set apart from others and they should see that there is something different about us. All of these aspects fall under self-control. If we have self-control we will be loving, we will be joyful, we will be patient, we will be kind, we will be good, we will be faithful, we will be gentle!

It is no secret that Satan attacks those that are doing good and living in God's desired path. He has attacked our family on different occasions. Have we always acted as God would intend...no! But, we have learned and grown from these mistakes. I want to teach my children these attributes! I want my kids to make this their lifestyle from the beginning so that it is not so hard to learn in their old age! I want to live these myself! How about you?

Contentment...

Something we have been trying to work on in our family is to be content. The definition of content is "happy enough with what one has or is; not desiring something more or different; satisfied; willing". This is a tough one to say the least! The human part of us is always wanting something more or different and we are rarely satisfied. I am guilty of this more than anyone. Always wishing we had this or that or we need to do this to the house or that to the house or buy this or that. I want to just be content with what God has given me. To be satisfied with what has been provided and to enjoy God's blessings and not always want MORE MORE MORE! Philippians 4:12 tell us I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in every situation whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I want to live this verse! I want my kids to live this verse and to learn to be satisfied! How do you teach this...how do you accomplish this from the human aspect of it. Someone is always coming in with something, young or old and we think "ooohhh I wish I had that" or "where can I get myself one of those" or "so and so has this and I want one too". I know it is impossible to completely erase those thoughts from our mind. After all, as I said before, we are human! What I am hoping is that we can say "you know that is really nice and that would be great to have but you know I already have a ___ and I am grateful that I have what I have". It is okay to buy something I am not saying that but to constantly think we need more is what I want to work on. We don't always have to have more more more. As the old saying goes "sometimes less is more". It is training yourself to look with the eyes and say that is nice but with my mind say "I just don't need it"! Controlling the wants from the needs. Sometimes it is easy to talk ourselves into making something we want into something we need. Anyways, just something we are working on here Where Four Boys Grow...

Memories...

So we are in Florida. Trying to enjoy the vacation we were supposed to leave for on Tuesday but it just isn't that easy. It has been a rough week to say the least. I think that today was even a little harder for me than some days earlier in the week. I am not sad for Poppy because I know he is in a better place. I think what I am struggling with most is all the family times and events he was always there for that he won't be at now. My heart breaks for my daddy. They spent so much time together and I know that he will feel lost without him. I hated to even leave to come down here feeling like we needed to be home with family! I know that it will get easier with time but he was such a big part of our lives and we were all close to Poppy. You can't help but have all those memories from childhood and even adulthood come flooding back. You see, I spent many summers at Poppy and Grangran's house while mom and dad were working. I would watch TV, follow Poppy around to the basement or the barn. He was always working on something. He might be working on a car or just piddlin' making something. I would play with all his tools and look at all the things he had made. He is the one who taught me how to ride horses. We spent many a day riding around the fields at his house! He was the best! Grangran would always be piddlin' around the house and would always make sure we had something good to eat for lunch! If I got tired of piddlin' with Poppy and Grangran I could always walk across the field over to Uncle Jo and Aunt Edna's house and aggravate them for a while. Every, did I say EVERY Saturday night memory that I have growing up was spent with the whole family going out to eat. In those days about all we had was Quincy's, Shoney's and Cracker Barrel. It was always Poppy, Grangran, Uncle Jo and Aunt Edna, us and whoever else would tag along. We would end up at either Poppy and Grangran's house or Uncle Jo and Aunt Edna's house afterwards. Looking back these were some special times! I would always stay with Poppy and Grangran the week of VBS at Poplar Grove. The bus from church would come by and pick me up! The church was only a mile down the road! Christmas Eve's at Poppy and Grangran's house until Grangran got sick. Poppy then came to my house every Christmas morning since Dylan was born and would watch the boys open their presents. I don't think he missed a single year! Poppy was always at our Christmas with mom and dad. He was always at the boys birthday parties and everyone else's birthday dinners we had. We were always having supper at mom and dad's...mom always makes sure we are well fed. She always made sure Poppy had enough food to take home for a few days of meals also! His morning breakfasts with dad and his Saturday spent working on the building the hot rod with dad or restoring the old '48 Ford. Too many memories to share and ones that will never be forgotten. I am so thankful that Dylan Mason and Jack got to know Poppy. Poppy was a very special person in their lives! I am also glad that Poppy got to meet Noah...sad that Noah won't remember what a special person he was, but we will have lots of stories to share with him as he grows!

Today we lost a GREAT one...

Our morning started out with exciting conversation over breakfast!  We were leaving for the beach today for a few days of R&R over fall break.  Then we got the call that you always dread!  We lost my Poppy this morning.  Our excitement and joy soon turned to tears and sadness as we had to tell the boys about their great grandpa.  What a special man he was to all of us!  Our sadness turned to rejoicing that he did not suffer.  He never wanted to be sick or in the nursing home.  He was 93 years old but still driving, living at home alone, doing his own laundry, buying his own groceries, he ate breakfast with my daddy every morning at Made With Love or Cracker Barrel.  What a life this man has lived.  All the things that he saw in his lifetime.  He joined the National Guard in 1938 and was in the Cavalry...yes the horse cavalry!  When bombs hit Pearl Harbor his unit was activated and he was sent to California to prepare to go oversees.  He was in Okinawa when a bomb hit the tent he was staying in. Sixteen men in his unit died that night but he was saved.  Why?  He asked himself that same question!  He knew at that moment that God had a plan for him and he accepted Christ as his Savior.  What a testimony!  He married my grandmother in Rossville, Georgia by a Justice of the Peace at midnight.  He and his buddies all got leave one weekend from Camp Forest, Tennessee and realized they had no way to make it home.  Three men rode a motorcycle back to Cookeville!  I love these stories!  After the Army he was a mechanic for the state!  He loved to work on, well, just about anything!  He rode horses, trained horses, was a member of the Upper Cumberland Horeseback Riders Club for years, he loved woodworking and was a great craftsman!  He loved his family, his children, his grandchildren, his great grandchildren!  Oh, the memories we all have!  He love to get together and eat...anytime!  As a matter of fact last Friday night we all had supper together at mom and dads! He was at my house every Christmas morning for the last ten years since Dylan was born!  My boys loved Poppy so much!  It is so hard to realize how much you love them also until they are gone!    We will miss his company, we will miss his smile, we will miss his happy spirit, we will miss his presence BUT we know that he is well taken care of! 

Forever After

Words cannot say what my hear truly feels
A sadness, a loss, that only time will heal.
But today my Poppy is in a new place
Where life after death really does exist.
No sickness, no sorrow, no pain, no tears.
For today is a celebration of his happy years.
(Ninety-three to be exact)
What a wondrous life, what a wondrous day
To know that he no longer has to say,
"I Can Only Imagine!"
He sits before our King, our Maker, our Redeemer
Holding the hand of his beautiful bride.
She has waited for him and she knew the day.
Their celebration of being reunited.
They are Poppy and Grangran
How we know them best.
Without them
Our lives would have have been so blessed.

Thank you Lord
For the time we had them.
Now they are yours...for forever after!

SMORES....and MORE

If you don't have a campfire to make those perfect smores!  I have found an easy indoor way for those yummy smores.  Now, my family tends to like chocolate graham cracker for their smores but you can use whatever you want.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees, line baking sheet with aluminum foil, place as many graham crackers as you want on baking sheet and add one jumbo marshmallow to each.  Bake for about 5-6 minutes until that marshmallow is all swollen and turning brown.  Remove from the oven and place chocolate squares on the marshmallow and your cracker to top...YUMMO!  Hope you enjoy!


Well, the cool weather we have been having has made me dig up some of he fall-ish recipes that I love!  Hope you enjoy too!

Apple-Cranberry Crumble

Filling:
2 TBSP flour
2-1/2 lbs baking apples
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 tsp allspice
2/3/ cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/2/ cup sliced almonds ( unless you have an allergy like us)
5 tbsp. butter (melted)

Peel, core and cut apples into wedges.  Combine all the filling ingredients, and spoon into a 2 quart baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and remove.  Mix the topping ingredients until crumbly and sprinkle on filling. Return to oven, and bake at 400 degrees until the top is crispy and brown.


Pumpkin Pecan Crunch

1-15 oz can pumpkin
1-12 oz evap. milk
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
5 tsp pumpkin pie spice (divided)
1 T. vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped pecans
2 sticks butter melted
whip cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar 4 tsp pumpkin spice, pour into 13x9 greased pan.  Mix cake mix, 1 tsp pie spice and stir well.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mix, add pecans to top then drizzle butter over the top.  Bake 50 minutes until brown.  Serve with whipped cream!


Pumpkin Praline Pie

Filling:
1 frozen pie crust
3/4 cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
1-1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1-15 oz can pumpkin
1-1/4 cup evap. milk
2 eggs beaten
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
3 tbsp cold butter
1-1/2 cups pecans (roughly chopped)
2/3 cup light brown sugar

In bowl, whisk together pie filling ingredients, and pour into crust.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to  350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, combine butter and sugar until crumbly.  Stir in pecans.  Spoon mixture on top of pie and bake an additional 10 minutes or until topping is golden.  Allow to cool!


I can smell the kitchen now! ENJOY!

Being Thankful....

So, again it has been awhile since I have been blogging!  Busy days with three boys back in school...a one year old that misses them dearly, a job in which I take my one year old who misses his brother's dearly and thinks mommy should be able to play while at work...lol,  a house to keep, and the list goes on...and on (but it is MY life and I love it)! 

We were able to sneak away this weekend for a little R&R at the lake but not everyone felt the greatest.  We started the weekend with me shutting Jack's fingers in the door...IT WAS AWFUL!  I felt so bad!  Mason proceeded to get the "fair crud" with a stomach ache all weekend and Noah just wasn't himself.  All in all it was a good weekend, just hoping no one else decides to get sick this week!  We got a surprise visit from my mom and grandma while we were there.  They didn't stay long but it was good to see them and I am so glad they stopped by for a few minutes! 

David is in full on work mode.  Stretching himself way too thin with clubs, archery, ATV safety and it is taking it's toll!  I keep telling him he is one man doing a job of three and he needs to take it easy and schedule some down time.  But you know how far that got me...in one ear and out the other!

The kids are busy with school and momma is busy trying to keep up with everyone's homework at night!  Whew!!!  They are fixing to gear up for flag football which starts in a couple of weeks which we are all excited about!  It means fall is around the corner which is the best camping weather with campfires and smores!   We love fall when the weather cools down, the leaves are turning and we love spring when it is warming up and it's time to get the camper out of hibernation from the winter! 

Something I am working on is trying to be more thankful and complain less.  I know you are thinking Rachel complain...never!!! lol  Yes, I find myself in a rut of complaints sometimes when I have absolutely EVERYTHING in the world to be thankful for!  I am trying to see that everything I do and have as simply a gift from God!  I can take that gift and use it to its fullest and be thankful that I have it!  Every task that I carry out throughout the day needs to be a blessing because God has given me the ability to be able to do it.  I know you are thinking...so you are going to be thankful when you empty the dishwasher?  Well, yes  I am!  I will be thankful that God has given me two hands to carry out the task and a dishwasher to work for me so I don't have to stand over the sink and wash them myself!  So, you are going to be thankful that you are cleaning house?  Well, that is a hard one but, yes, I am going to see that God has given me the ability to work so that I can have this house we live in.  He has given me the energy to see to what needs to get done...some days!  I know it is hard to be thankful for everything. God does tell us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  I am sure I will falter and fail but I want to be better and with God on my side there is no doubt I can succeed if I try!

Thank you God for your promise of salvation!  Thank you God for covering me with your blood so that my sins are washed away.  Thank you God for loving a sinner such as me.  Thank God for allowing me to wake up every morning to a loving husband, who works way too hard and for four wonderful little boys.  Thank you God for giving me the strength to carry out each day, lifted up in your hands to carry out the tasks that need to be done!  Thank you God for a husband who loves me, through thick and thin, tired and cranky, bed head and no makeup! Thank you God for making me a mom and giving me these precious gifts that I get to call my sons!  Thank you God for my church and the family that we have grown with there for the last ten years!  Thank you God for loving caring parents who are always there for me! Thank you God for allowing me to work and take each child with me for the last 11 years...let my work be to your glory in whatever I am doing!  Thank you God for a roof to cover our heads and to protect us each night.  Thank you God for the sunshine to warm our souls and the darkness to give us rest. 

Some days....

Some days I just wonder what I am doing...why I am here...what is my purpose in this life! Have you ever felt that way? It is usually a passing feeling but sometimes it just hits me like a ton of bricks and pulls me down! Well I have an answer to one of those! I know I am here to be the mother to four wonderful little boys and I know that God has put me in this world if for nothing else, that purpose alone. It is a little scary sometimes! God has entrusted me (and David) with FOUR boys...four boys to be taught how to be men...four boys to be taught how to be Christian leaders in their families someday...four boys to be taught how to treat others...four boys to be taught what it means to be a Christian and what example that should be to other people! Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming!!! This week has been one of those overwhelming weeks. Not sure if it is just everyone starting to school...getting into a routine....lack of sleep...all those tired emotions from starting to school...did I mention lack of sleep???!!! Some days just seem like a fog and I guess I have forgotten over the last five years what that felt like with a baby in the house! Some days I feel like I am missing the whole picture but I know that His everlasting love embraces me even more when I feel this way. Is it Satan trying to get to me? Is it me searching for something more that He has for me to do? My answer would probably be "yes" to all the above...it is probably a little of both! I have this nagging that there is something I am supposed to be doing...or need to be doing...and I just don't know what it is! My prayer is "Lord, reveal yourself to me...show me your way and not mine...what do you want from my life...how can I let your light shine through me." I know that He hears this prayer and I know that when He is ready He will show me the way! I know God has a plan...a divine plan and I must be patient! Patience is not a strong point with me...but definitely something I am praying for help on!

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged, The Judge is standing at the door!" James 5:7-9

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:4-7



written when Dylan was little...(for all my boys)!

Sometimes I get lonely and sad
Sometimes I don't know who I am
But when I look at you
It all makes sense
You are my true love
My greatest accomplishement

When you look at me
With those big blue eyes
That's all I need
That angel of mine
You make me laugh
You make me cry

You give me all the reasons why

You're the reason for my happiness
The reason for my joy
Your the reason I can shout from rooftops
I love you more and more

It's because of you I wake up in morning
Because of you my heart keeps beating
Because of you I know this love
Is the greatest love of all

You are the greatest love of all
You are my greatest love of all!