Daily Provisions {Thankful Thursdays}

Many items we take for granted are our daily provisions. Yes, if it were not for the Lord our cupboards would be empty. While having a job to pay for the things we need, the Lord is the one who provided the job which buys the groceries we eat, the clothes we wear and keeps the roof over our heads. Today, I’m thankful for my daily provisions.

Thankful for Daily Provisions

This time of year is a favorite for my husband and son (me too); it is deer hunting season. For some, hunting can be a sport for a trophy to hang on the wall, but for my husband and son it means putting meat in the freezer. Do they like seeing who kills the biggest dear? Yes, they do. We even have two deer heads hanging on the wall because they were the biggest (husband) and the first (son) they killed back home. They know the main reason why they are out there waiting patiently, so we will have meat in the freezer to help keep our grocery budget intact.

I’m thankful the Lord has allowed two deer to be put in the freezer so far this year. I’m praying for at least 3 more so then we will have enough “beefy” meat to last until next winter. For those of you crinkling your nose at the thought of venison, if it is cooked properly you can’t tell the difference between it and beef. My mom has eaten it many times and didn’t know the difference – I did have to keep it a secret from her. :)

Looking around at my kitchen, I see a container of pumpkin muffins and a pot of coffee. I’m thankful for those two little things we can enjoy along with the other daily provisions the Lord has blessed our family with.

10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Girls

The holidays are upon us, can you believe it? For those of you counting down to Black Friday shopping, you only have 10 MORE DAYS! For the next several Mondays, I will be sharing with you some gift ideas for those in your life. Today, I'm starting with the teen girl.  I have to thank my beautiful niece for helping me with this list again this year. You would think creating a second list of 10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Girls would be easy but, for someone who doesn't have a daughter this was hard for me again this year. Thankfully, I had modern technology to help me while preparing this list.

{affiliate links are included}

10 Christmas Gift Ideas for Teen Girls

• Cell Phone Case~ phone cases are important to teens. You can find many girly cases for your favorite teen whether they have an iphone or an android. If money for a readymade case is out of the question for this year, you can make one (Youtube). Finding the clear cases are easy.


• Make-up~ what girl doesn’t like make up? In fact, make up is the perfect size to fill up a stocking. Mac, e.l.f., Tarte, and Maybelline are just a few brands that will be included on many wish lists this year.


• Perfume~ every girl loves smelling good. I heard the name Viva la Juicy mentioned several times while talking with my niece.


• Clothing ~ leggings, vests, flannel shirts and big sweaters.


• Scarves~ a fun and trendy accessory. At the time of this posting, Amazon has tons of hot priced scarves – Be sure to check them out.


• Jewelry ~ every teen girl likes to accessorize with just the right amount of jewels. Long and simple chains are what’s trending.


• Boots~ are a big fashion trend for most teen girls. These are on my niece’s Christmas list for this year.


• Shower Gel ~ Christmas is the perfect time to splurge on that line of shower products the teen in your life has talked about.


• Candles ~ candles are a fun gift to give and to receive. I personally love the Kringle Candle Company; all of their candles are white so you don’t have to worry about clashing with decor. Read their ABOUT page, it's fascinating.


• Cash or Gift Cards~ are a great way to give a gift so the recipient can buy their gift. Don’t forget about the pre-paid Visa and mall gift cards so your teen is not tied down to one particular store to shop.

Are you an Ebates or Swagbucks member?

Remember before making any purchases online click through EBATES so you’ll earn a percentage back . If you use SWAGBUCKS, you can also earn more Swagbucks (to cash in as FREE gift cards) while shopping.

Do you have a teen girl you are shopping for this year?

Unanswered Prayers {Thankful Thursdays}

I shared how I was thankful for

Answered Prayers

several months ago. I mentioned how God may not answer prayers according to how we want or when we want, but 

He does answer prayers

. God doesn’t always answer with a YES, sometimes He answers with a NO.  Today, I want to share a little about how I’m thankful for Unanswered Prayers.

Unanswered Prayers or Are They?

We’ve all said a prayer thinking it was something that was God’s will for our lives. Many people pray specifically for an individual to become their mate. Some may pray about a job or a major purchase like a new house. But if we’re praying for God’s will and what we’re praying for is not in His will, He’s not going to answer. Many times people don’t pray for God’s will because they don’t consider what He wants for their lives, but rather only consider what they want and when they want it. Thankfully, the Lord knows best and doesn’t answer those prayers, while seeing past the selfishness. Then there are the times prayers are prayed for something that the outcome could actually be good and the Lord doesn’t answer – those are times we just need to accept the unanswered prayers as being answered.

When I think about the prayers I have prayed over the years, I’m thankful God chose not to answer some of them. If he had, my life would be totally different. In some areas that could possibly be a good thing, but in many more it would be bad.  I wouldn’t have my wonderful husband and son. I wouldn’t be living in the beautiful state of Montana. I could possibly be in a marriage dealing with abuse, alcohol, and a cheating spouse. The Lord knew what was best for me even when I thought I knew what was best.

God cares about everything, even the small things that go on in our life, but He

wants the very best

for us.

Why settle for less than best when we can have God's best for us?

We need to learn to pray with an

unselfish heart

, we need to pray with

the right motives

, and we need to

trust God to work everything out according to His will

. (James 4:3, Proverbs 3:5-6)

I’m thankful for what many consider unanswered prayers because I’ve come to consider them answered.

Baked Polish Sausage and Potatoes

I love a good dish my husband can easily put together without a lot of instructions. When I say my husband can easily put together, I mean just that. After having an emergency appendectomy in January, I quickly realized I needed more recipes that my husband and son could easily put together when needed. Baked Polish Sausage and Potatoes is just that kind of recipe I wish I would have had ready for them in January.

Baked Polish Sausage and Potatoes

When my sister and I spent the summer with my oldest brother and his wife when we were teenagers, my sister in law fried polish sausage and potatoes one night. I loved it! I loved the recipe enough to bring into my kitchen when I got married and the best part about it is it’s FRUGAL.

When I taught school, a former student brought baked sausage and potatoes for lunch one day. After a little quizzing, I realized their mom basically used the same ingredients for

garlic roasted potatoes

and added the sausage. I knew I had to try baking the potatoes and sausage together and that is what I did.

Several weeks ago, I was digging through a pile of cookbooks and scrap paper where I had written recipe notes down. On one little 3x5 card, I found Baked Sausage and Potatoes. There was nothing else written down, but I quickly remembered baking the dish and how good it was. I knew I had everything on hand except for garlic. So I wrote out some ingredients for my husband to fix one night for supper when I had to work. All I’m going to say is YUMM!!!!!

He had the bright idea of sprinkling paprika for color and adding cheese at the end. Did I tell you how yummy it was? YUMMM!!!

Baked Polish Sausage and Potatoes

Ingredients:

•  1 package of polish sausage cut in rounds or diced

•  1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

• 4-6 potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size cubes

• ¼ cup oil – just enough the coat the potatoes and sausage

• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese

• Paprika for color *optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking dish with aluminum foil.

In a large bowl combine the sausage, onion, and potatoes. In a small bowl mix together oil and seasoning and mix well. Pour oil mixture over the sausage and potatoes. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes then stir the mixture and continue baking another 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Top with cheese and bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Hymn Appreciation: Come Ye Thankful People Come

Come Ye Thankful People Come was written by Henry Alford. He was born in Somerset County, London, in 1810. He was raised in a family that gave five consecutive generations of clergymen to the Anglican church. At a young age, Alford began writing. He had written several Latin odes (poems), a history of the Jews and a series of homiletic outlines. He served as pastor at the Quebec Chapel in Marylebone, London until 1857, when he was promoted to become the Dean of Canterbury, where he served until his death in 1871. Alford wrote many poems and hymns and he published several books.

Each of the stanzas of Come Ye Thankful People Come is centered on a theme of harvest. First is the invitation to give thanks in God's church. Verse two and three are Alford's commentary on the parable of the wheat and the tares and verse four is a prayer for the Lord's return.

Come Ye Thankful People Come

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God's own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field,
Fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown
Unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day
All offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last
In the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store
In His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
Bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

What I Learned {Day 31}

I can’t believe today is already the last day of the month. That means it’s the last day of my 31 Days of Homemaking Series. When I started this writing challenge, I had something totally different in mind. I had the titles and ideas ready, posts written, and graphics in the works, but when it was time to either write them or finalize them, they just didn’t feel right. Would you believe I have 11 documents sitting on my computer that were not used for this month? It’s amazing how the Lord allowed me to write more inspiration in place of those recipes and how-tos. I don’t know if those inspirational posts were meant for you, but if they were I’m so glad I listened to the Lord because I learned a few things myself.

What I learned this month

• Plans change unexpectedly.
• I love to write.
• I love to research and I love to share what I’ve learned with others.
• I don’t like to commit myself to writing and sharing every single day. I was excited about this series in the beginning but as the days went on, I was fearful of not finishing. Since I was taught while growing up to finish what I start, I knew I was in for the long haul.
• Writing posts for 31 days straight is HARD! Having a family and a life that is busy, setting aside time to make sure what I posted made sense and was presentable caused a lot of late nights at the computer.
• I have a supportive husband. He supports my blogging, but this month, he enjoyed watching a lot more of his favorite TV shows, that I don’t care for.
• Lastly, I learned I enjoyed writing a series. In fact, I have one in the planning stages for after the first of the year.

I want to leave you with some of the other writers I have enjoyed reading over the past month.

Molly at Pennies ‘n Grace shared 31 Days of Home Cookin’
Karla at Roads to Everywhere shared 31 Days of Rambling
Brenda at The Needle Bee shared 31 Days of Knitting
Vicki at Entri WP shared 31 Days to Simplifying Life and Home
Hilda at From Over Whelmed to Organized shared Decluttering From A to Z
Becky at My Ink Dance shared 31 Days of Finding Your Way Home
Rachel at Rachel Nordgren shared 31 Days of Simplicity Anchored in the Gospel
Kara at The Joys of Boys shared 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys

You can find many more writers at 31 Days.

Have you missed any days of the 31 Days of Homemaking Series? You can catch up HERE.

Making Memories {day 30}

Homemakers have goals and dreams of what we want our life to be like. While pursuing the kind of order we want in our homes we need to remember what we are creating is not just for us. While I would love a house that is magazine picture ready, it is just not going to happen. When everything is said and done, I don’t want my husband and son to look back and remember me nagging at them to pick this up or put that away. I want them to have good memories of the good times we had even if I have to let a load of laundry sit in the basket.

Making Memories:
These moments won't last forever!

As a newlywed I remember how my husband and I would sleep in on Saturdays and watch The Little Rascals, Andy Hardy, and The Bowery Boys on Turner Classic Movies before doing anything else. When the hunger hit in the middle of the night, we’d get dressed and run to the local all night diner and have pancakes and waffles and then over to Walmart and walk it off. There were times when the vacuuming and dusting waited so we could enjoy our time together.

As a new mother, I remember hearing, you better enjoy it now because before long he will be out on his own or your little boy will not be little before you know it. I’m still amazed that 16 years have passed since I brought home my tiny little boy on that chilly October day. I want my son to remember the times we played with his train sets, the nights when he washed dishes that he could stand at the sink and play in the water without me nagging him to hurry up. I want him to remember us snuggling on the couch and watching Dancing with the Stars together. I want him to remember those few days he talked me into playing hooky from school so we could enjoy doing something else. I want him to remember the day I taught him how to make a pie crust and made a cherry pie that was so good.

Making memories for a family is important. Keeping a museum cleaned house is not because it will always be there while children grow up very quickly. Yes, those ground in mud stands on the carpet are not beautiful, but the memory of when our child came running in the house covered in mud from head to toe because of playing with the outside water hose was just too much fun. Making memories, these moments won't last forever!

Learning to Let it Go is something we all can do so we can make memories for our families to remember.

Do you have a favorite memory you like to remember?

Have you missed any days of the 31 Days of Homemaking Series? You can catch up HERE.