A Very Merry Christmas!

We wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. The Lord has been good to us this year, in spite of some hard times, He has remained faithful and daily gives us the strength, as we need it, to move forward. He is our blessed hope and the reason that we can truly find joy and hope in this season and every day.

I leave you with one of my favorite cartoons of this season and a reminder of what Christmas is really all about. Merry Christmas everyone!!

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Christmas Countdown Blocks Tutorial

I realize it is probably a little late for any Christmas Countdown projects and I meant to share this one earlier, but if not this year, then this could be a good one to save for next year.

I found this cute idea for a Christmas Countdown over at Whitney and Ashley's fabulous Shanty2Chic blog.



She ordered all the pieces she needed that are sent out in a kit ready to assemble and for real cheap, too. Which would be a great idea, if it wasn't for the fact that I live all the way over in Europe, so I improvised and it turned out to be a very simple and extremely cheap project! So, here are the steps...

First you need three blocks of wood....2 would be squares and the 3rd a rectangle that the 2 squares can sit on. I went to our local lumber yard to see if I could find some scraps of wood for cheap and instead found some long posts that were leftovers and going to be trashed and they let me have them for free!! So, with Jeff's help, we sawed 3 smaller blocks from the long posts and ended up with what you see below. After cutting them to size I sanded them and then very lightly spray-painted along the edges of the wood with a black matte color.



After this I chose some rich red paint to cover the blocks with. I did not put it on very thick, because I wanted some of the black color I had spray-painted underneath to come through and give it a bit of an old, worn look.



The red paint ended up being a little too shiny for my liking, so after it dried, I sanded it down a little more and it made the color a little more dull, plus brought out a little more of that black under the red paint.



The next steps I did not get pictures of, but you can see them here. I basically cut out 12 pieces of scrapbook paper into squares and one rectangle. Then, using the Princeton Let font in Word, in 300 pt. font, printed the following numbers...0,0,1,1,2,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. I glued the scrapbook squares to the blocks and then cut the letters out so that none of the black borders on the letters were showing and glued them over the scrapbook paper. I used a glue stick and it worked great.



I can't remember what font I used for the "days till Christmas" and I will probably look for some nicer Vinyl letters for next year, but this will do for now.



The last thing I did was mix 2 parts glue and 1 part water to make a thin paste that I brushed over the whole thing to completely seal it and give it a more finished look.



So, there you have it. I think it's adorable and it was so simple to make. My son loves to switch the blocks everyday to see how many days are left till Christmas and it's a fun reminder that Christmas is almost here!!!

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude." E.P. Powell


Thanksgiving has come and gone and now everyone is enveloped in the frenzy of Christmas preparations.

It seems like every year this season whizzes by quicker than the last.

So even though we are onto another holiday, I wanted to share a few pictures from our Thanksgiving this year and some quotes I found about gratitude....

We spent the day with my Dad, Mom, sister and our good friends the Starks. We have much to be thankful for!!

"Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies." Charles E. Jefferson




Reflect on your present blessings of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. Charles Dickens



When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place. 
C.S. Lewis



Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles. 
Maltbie D. Babcock



If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get.
 Frank A. Clark




"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Moroccan Dish - Tagine

I wanted to share a Moroccan dish that has become a favorite in our home, ever since a friend who lives there taught me how to make it. Jeff, Aaron and I were actually able to travel to Morocco in October and tried the real thing a few times while there. It is delicious!!

The dish is called Tagine, mainly because of the clay dish that it is cooked in. Here is a picture of what it looks like....



But, for those of us with no clay "tagine" dish, a big stock pot will work just fine. So...here is the recipe:

You will need: (You kind of have to eyeball these amounts based on how many people will be eating)
Red onions (White or yellow ones will work, too)
Potatoes
Carrots
Chicken breast (or any cut of chicken you may have in your fridge!)
Tomatoes
Cilantro

You will also need to mix the following spices together in a separate bowl or cup:
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cummin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt
pepper
garlic salt

Ok, so you start off by cutting the onions into thin slices and placing them at the bottom of your stock pot like so...



Next you peel and slice the potatoes into thin slices and layer them over the onions in the pot...



You then do the same with the carrots. Peel and slice and place over the potatoes...



Next you place your chicken breasts over the carrots and pour the spice mixture over the entire thing. Then add some water to the pot until it's about a 3rd of the way up. Too much water will make this dish more like a soup, so don't overdo it. You want this to be more like a stew. Keep in mind that as it cooks, it will produce it's own juice. I just pour until I begin to see some of the liquid on the sides of the pot. You can add some fresh cilantro at this point, too.

After this you put the lid on the pot and cook on medium heat till the meat is white. You then check the sauce for flavor and add more spices accordingly. At this point I usually just mix the same amount of spices I poured in the first time, with less oil, and pour it over the chicken. You then put the lid back on the pot and continue to cook on medium to low heat until all the vegetables are cooked. I usually let it cook for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes. The slower the better; like stew!! I have cooked it fast in a pinch and the onions burnt, which by the way, is ok with this dish. My friend told me that it's actually ok if they burn some and that's why they put the onions on the bottom! When it's about done, slice some tomatoes and chop up some cilantro and place them over the chicken. Let this cook only long enough for the tomatoes to get somewhat soft.




Then it's time to dig in! Oh, and serve it with bread!


Seem a bit tedious? Well, the first time around it may be, but it is soooo worth it. Seriously...do try! If any of you daring cooks out there try it, let me know how it turns out and what you think!

Back to the Basics of Christmas

I read this article on Dave Ramsey's Website that my husband had posted on our ministry site and thought I would share it.

BTW...if you have never heard of Dave Ramsey and are seeking some sound financial advice or are about to make a big financial decision and aren't sure if it's the right one, get his book and download his daily podcast..great stuff!! Ok, well, that was my little "Dave Ramsey" plug and now, enjoy the article!!

"No matter what your budget is this Christmas, remember to be thankful. Take a deep breath in the middle of all this craziness.

You might have a lot. You might have a little. If you are driving a beater, be thankful for that beater. You would rather drive that than walk, wouldn't you? There is always something to be thankful for.

That's what contentment is all about. When you understand and really grasp contentment, it becomes easier to save money and invest. Stress slowly disappears. Budgeting is easier. Relationships improve.

Be happy with what you have. More than three billion people, almost half the world, live on $2.50 a day. Sometimes we need a little perspective to become content with our current situation.

Without contentment, it's easy to be bitter and apathetic. Happiness is sold to us, especially during this time of year. We think if we can just get one more piece of stuff that "true" happiness will be right around the corner.
We say things like, "I'll be happy when I get that house!" or "I'll be happy when I get that new car!" But happiness cannot be bought. Sure fun—in the form of a house, a car, a new LCD television—can be bought, but fun is temporary. True happiness, or contentment, is lasting.

You can get out of debt, save money, and get on a budget, but until you realize that stuff doesn’t bring contentment, you will always feel stressed and unhappy. Contentment brings peace. And isn’t this time of year about bringing "peace on earth and good will toward men"?

Remember what this deal is all about. It's not about trees, lights, gifts, baked hams, and shopping malls. It’s about a little child who was born in a manger and grew up to die on a cross. It’s about peace on earth and good will toward men.

So if the Christmas frenzy is wearing you out, you've missed the point of Christmas. Make a plan with your money, and make a plan to get back in touch with the true meaning of this special day.