My Fall Guys

A few weeks ago, our friend, Donna, with

Dimples & Dreams took pictures of the boys during her Fall Special. She did such a fantastic job! I think you still have time if you want to contact her for a session! She has a facebook page too! We were really pleased because she was so patient wit them! Here are a few of the highlights...

Memory Verse #20

Romans 12:12-14

Be joyful in hope,

patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer.

Share with God's people who are in need.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you;

bless and do not curse.

More Providence Farm Pictures

For some reason, some of the pictures I uploaded on the other post didn't quite make it. So here are a few more...it was such a fun day!

Running in the pumpkin relay...

Ethan's first pumpkin relay race...he really liked it!

Ethan wanted EVERY pumpkin!

He's trying to get the hook out of the fish's mouth so he can throw him back to safety.

Some of the girls made a presentation on pumpkins.

Peek-A-Boo!

Ethan enjoyed playing in this old boat rather than fishing.

Just one of the many funny faces in his repertoire...

Evan was so hoping to catch a fish, but he didn't! He did catch some later when he & his daddy fished at the lake down the road from us.

Ethan adores Kaitlyn!

Evan enjoyed feeding the goats, but Ethan did not! He didn't like them eating out of his hands.

Rachael Ray's What's for Dinner Tonight!

On Thursday, Rachael Ray had a really good recipe on her show for BBQ chicken and mashed sweet potatoes. It looked so good and I just happened to have all of the ingredients except the sweet potatoes. After a quick trip to Brookshire's, I made this scrumptious meal!

You can find the recipes here: http://rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/skinless-bbq-chicken/ and here: http://rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/smashed-sweet-potatoes-honey/

I made a few adjustments like boneless/skinless chicken strips because that is what I had in the freezer. And instead of lemon juice & nutmeg in the sweet potatoes, I used some cinnamon & brown sugar. Yummy! I've never made homemade MASHED sweet potatoes before, but I think I'll be doing that a lot more now. Super easy & super delicious! And the BBQ sauce was SOOO good! I'll be making that again too!

Providence Farm Field Trip

Last Monday, we had the awesome opportunity to go on our first Field Trip with Cottage Garden. We visited the Providence Farm, home to one of my fabulous 1st period Study Skills students. :) I've enjoyed getting to know his mom as well. Angela Greenwell (http://www.trustingdaily.blogspot.com/) is such a sweet lady & her whole family did such a wonderful job entertaining us.

They showed us the cows, horses, goats, and chickens. The kids even got to pick up some of

the eggs that the chickens had laid & they got to feed the goats! One of Ethan's favorite thing

s was playing with a toy farm house! Then, we went on a hayride to their pond & the boys got to fish! Well, Eric & Evan fished...E

than mostly played. Austin & Kaitlyn act

ually caught some fish too! That was cool! After fishing, we had a picnic lunch & then they learned a little about pumpkins & played

a few games.

It was such a relaxing, enjoyable day! And the weather could not have been prettier! Thank you, Greenwell family, for hosting our

first field trip this year! You're the best!

Memory Verse #19

Romans 12:9-11

Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil;
Cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal,
but keep your spiritual fervor,
serving the Lord.

Do Everything Without Complaining or Arguing

This year, as part of my morning devotional time, I’ve been reading a daily devotional called, Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young. It is written as a conversation between the reader and Jesus. Some days it is so encouraging to me and some days it is really convicting. Today was one of those convicting days! It “hit me upside the head” as some would say in these parts of East Texas. :)

Here's the devotional…

“You have been on a long, uphill journey, and your energy is almost spent. Though you have faltered at times, you have not let go of My hand. I am pleased with your desire to stay close to Me. There is one thing, however, that displeases Me: your tendency to complain. You may talk to Me as much as you like about the difficulty of the path we are following. I understand better than anyone else the stresses and strains that have afflicted you. You can ventilate safely to Me, because talking with Me tempers your thoughts and helps you see things from My perspective.”

“Complaining to others is another matter altogether. It opens the door to deadly sins such as self-pity and rage. Whenever you are tempted to grumble, come to Me and talk it out. As you open up to Me, I will put My thoughts in your mind and My song in your heart.”

The reference verses are:

Jeremiah 31:25 – “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Philippians 2:14-15 – “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

I also thought of Matthew 12:34 that says “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

How often do I just complain because it comes so naturally to me? Is my heart full of complaints and grumblings? According the Matthew 12:34, I guess it is. I need to change that! Instead, I should be thinking of how thankful I am for all of the blessings God has given me. Then, I need to talk about them instead of complaining.

That is my goal today…to “do everything without complaining or arguing.” I’m going to need a lot of prayer, but with God I all things are possible!