ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
The moments of our lives may be bright with possibility, dark with fear or sadness, or even plain everyday gray, but God's glory never fades. May God's glory shine into the exciting lights, upsetting darks, and boring grays of your every day.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 2017
Sunrise: 7:19 am
Sunset: 7:20 pm
Life is a Special Occasion!
Hallmark
Today is Family Day which is an event that is intended to allow loved ones to take a respite from their daily lives and spend quality time together. One of the best things about this occasion is that there is no single requirement for the activities to be celebrated; Family Day is a flexible as it is relaxing.
Unsurprisingly, this day is held at different times of the year within different parts of the world. Still, the overall intention is the same. As all of us are leading increasingly hectic schedules, this day is intended to give us a bit of leisure time outside of the hustle and bustle of our routines.
Some may choose to have a festive meal together while others can instead simply take a picnic. Either way, this day is one of the best ways to remind us of the importance of family in our lives.
If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
Brad Henry
Any time is always a good time to spend with family in my books. With everyone’s busy schedules it seems to get harder and harder to get mine together these days. More than not our family gatherings are during the holidays and even then it’s impossible to get everyone one to attend. Sadly time and distance tend to keep us apart these days. Still, I do treasure any time we can be together.
When a holiday or important event is coming we try to get the date on the calendar well before hand so everyone can save the date. Otherwise the calendar fills up and there will be other things to do. I always think family comes first before anything else and I’ve learned to be very flexible.
The heat wave we’re experiencing is to continue yet for another few days and I think I’m ready now to see it go. A return to more seasonable weather in the 60’s and 70’s will be appreciated for sure.
This is the last week of September already and soon it will be October. I’m doing a little every day in preparation for Christmas in between the normal day to day tasks that usually keep me busy enough. These busy days won’t end till sometime after the holidays. January will come soon enough and then I’ll just hibernate till Spring!
Yesterday was our annual Wooleybear festival. The Woollybear, or banded woolly bear, is the common name for the Isabella tiger moth’s caterpillar stage. They emerge in the fall and, according to folklore, the width or number of stripes can tell how severe the winter will be. The wider or more numerous the orange or rusty brown stripes, the milder it will be; the blacker the bear, the worse the weather. This year’s Woollybear predicts colder and snowier conditions are likely. We’ll see...
The pictures today are more from my trip to Amish Country this past summer. They were already decorated for fall.
I hope you all have a GREAT start to this new week. Happy Monday!
PRAYER REQUEST
Please join me in praying for DS#4 as he suffered a badly sprained ankle this past weekend on a family outing to go bowling. He is supposed to be traveling for work so I’m praying for a speedy recovery for him and strength for the journey ahead. One doesn’t usually think of bowling as a sport with injuries. But, accidents happen when we least expect them.
WHAT’S NEW IN THE KITCHEN
There is a food holiday to celebrate every day of the year!
It's Cooking Day which reminds us that there’s nothing that quite matches the flavor and comfort of a delicious home cooked meal, and that learning how to cook is an important skill to enhance our health and pass tradition on to our friends and family.
It used to be that the home cooked meal was the only meal that was eaten on a regular basis, with take out and fast food being a rare treat rather than a staple of family life. Boxed meals and TV Dinners were equally unheard of.
Often it can even be cheaper to prepare a meal for your family than to rely on boxed goods and instant meals, and you would be surprised by how far ingredients can go when you learn how to use them properly
I’m one that rarely goes out to eat and I happen to like my own cooking. With just me here, I tend to cook a meal that lasts several days. I don’t mind eating leftovers. I love casseroles and one pot meals. I also use my slow cooker a lot. And that is what the recipe for today is.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
1/4 cup butter
2 lb boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can condensed mushroom soup
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
8 oz. sour cream
6 cups hot cooked noodles or rice
In 12 inch skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add beef strips, onion and garlic; cook 7 to 9 minutes or until beef is browned.
In slow cooker, mix beef mixture, soup, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
Cover; cook on low heat setting 5 to 6 hours or until beef is tender.
Stir cream cheese into beef mixture until melted. Stir in sour cream until well blended. Serve over noodles or rice.
Makes 8 servings
COUNTING MY GIFTS
When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses.
Joyce Brothers
Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for. There is truly is always something to be thankful for.
5287. for my family, I love them all
5288. for my slow cooker which gets lots of use
5289. for the promise of cooler days ahead
Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!
PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS
Please pray for God's protection of
our troops and HIS wisdom for their
commanders.
Almighty and eternal God,
Protect our military
as they discharge their duties
with the shield of your strength,
may the power of your love
enable them to return home in safety
that with all who love them
they may ever praise you for your loving care.
AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters
and Paramedics and EMT’s
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
ADVICE FOR TODAY
Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible--the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.
Virginia Satir
A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone dear…
Love,
ma
5 comments:
Families are wonderful indeed. Will pray for your son, hoping for a speedy recovery. Our weather warms up again this week, but enjoyed the little break we had with cooler days.
Betty
My family is not nearly as large as yours and we have a horrible time getting everyone together. So sad! But we had a small family day yesterday. Poor son! Prayers for a speedy recovery. My youngest is suffering with back pain. He's off to get an epidural this week! Happy Monday
Oh, I hope your son will heal very quickly. You are so right, accidents can happen to anyone.
It is hot here in Georgia, hope it will cool down soon.
Take care. x
Family Day and Cooking Day ... what a great combination! Pity they have to fall on a weekday. I sent a motivational clip to my son, DIL and granddaughters this morning on Facebook, so that will have to suffice across the miles.
Prayers for speedy healing for DS#4! I've suffered both breaks and sprains in my youth and remember the sprains were far more painful. If his travel plans include air travel, at least he'll be eligible for special 'early' boarding!
Oh dear, I really hope your son heals quickly, especially where he is supposed to be travelling with his work. I will keep him in my prayers. Family is so important. I believe it is the bedrock of society and when the family fails society will fail. We must protect the family with all the means we have! We have had pretty seasonal weather here. Cool and wet, although today is a bit brighter. I dread the winter and all the rain to come! God bless you! xoxo
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