Happy Birthday to My Cousin Lindsey Marie

To Lindsey, A beautiful, loving woman currently fighting a brain tumor.

                             

                             

        I remember the day back in February when I got a call from my family that Lindsey's brain tumor was back and that they only gave her 3-6 months to live and she's held on! My cousin, my beautiful, sweet, young cousin. I didn't want it to be true. My husband came home to find me in tears. It is hard to deal with bad news, it's made easier by faith in God that some way His plan is better.

I truly want to write more for Lindsey, and I will, but I have to go to work.

Update Friday, November 26, 2010

      The past two nights we have spent time with our family at the Morris house. Wednesday night was very emotional as we gathered around in Lindsey's room singing praise and worship to our Lord and reflecting on how dear Lindsey is to us. Our family is very close and we comforted eachother with love and hugs.

      Thanksgiving night the family was once again at the Morris house and sweet Lindsey woke up and opened her eyes. (She has been sleeping the whole week and hasn't been able to take any food, water or medication.) The whole family was able to say hi to her and we could see her eyes tracking us. Her husband, who is in Japan, was able to video chat with her, even though she said no words back.
     Please continue to keep our family in your prayer, especially her father, mother and younger brother and sister. It is a hard time in our family and we know that it won't be long before she is in Heaven with her heavenly Father.
I love you Lindsey Marie. You are a beautiful sweet woman and you have touched so many lives!

Please check out the blog her mother has been keeping at LindseyMMorris.blogspot.com. and be sure to have a box of tissues with you.

And You're closer than our troubles

More present than any danger

More grand than gold and silver

You are God, You are God

And You're the joy of man's desire

And You are Father, Satisfier

And we are stunned with wide eyed wonder

You are God, You are God

You fill our hearts with love and faith

You fight for us, You make us brave

You are God, You are God

You walk with us, You lead us on

Faith, hope and love wakes up with dawn
You are God, You are God

And life flows from God, it flows from God

Sing this truth

And life flows from God, it flows from God

And life flows from God, it flows from God

And life flows from God, it flows from God

"You are God" by Charlie Hall



My Life Lately

In the Spring my mom and I bought these wonderful hanging baskets,

and a packet of marigold seeds. 

and I watered them all summer...when I remembered to...

They grew tall,,,and skinny,,,but never bloomed.

I think I failed.

But!! One little flower from a broken stem.

In November!!

Lord, when we think all is done and there's nothing left,

You surprise us with something beautiful and unexpected.

Thank you Lord for these little miracles.

And my crafts open house was a huge success.

I'm glad I got to see everyone that stopped by.

Friends and family are so important in my life.

They are like pretty flowers on a cold autumn day.

 

And my lovely husband replaced the alternator in my car.

He is wonderful and I appreciate him.

While he was in the garage the boys waited for him.

And they stayed here while I got my camera!

 

"I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine"

I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe

My Arts and Crafts Show This Saturday!

 Stop by and view artwork and crafts available for sale. Items include purses, wallets, lanyards, jewelry, artwork, picture frame mats and many more… all handmade by me! Any items purchased go home with you that day. Each guest gets some type of door prize! Don’t miss out, especially with Christmas around the corner!

I look forward to seeing you!

                         

Saturday, November 13, 2010

10:00 am -6:00 pm

Email me if you have questions or need directions.

EJohnson87@live.com

Here is a preview of some of the items!

 Fleece baby blanket

 Patterns I don't need

 Super cute sketchbooks

 Miscellaneous

 Lanyards and Key wristlets

 A wide variety of purses
(many newer ones not pictured)

Cute coasters

Just a Few Current Topics

• I was reading a magazine this morning as I ate my breakfast, and it had a chart for best dogs to run with in certain conditions (like long runs, fast runs, cold runs, hot runs...) And  German Shepherds only showed up in the cold running column(of course!). Ugh, I'm not getting out in the cold to run! (You guys can go run around out back to your hearts content. I'll stay here and drink my cocoa.) My doggies will do just fine on our 2 mile walks/jogs during nice warm weather.
• We have a For Sale By Owner sign in our front yard. So if you are looking for a house in Blue Springs, MO let me know!! It's a beautiful house, but we can't pass up getting a beautiful house in the country. I was raised a country girl. None of this neighborhood stuff for me!
• It's cold! Feels like winter. But, our bill will be nice this month because we haven't had our air conditioner or furnace running for over a month. Yay for saving money!
• On that note, my husband and I were making dinner a week ago. And David says "Why don't we do another thirty days of eating what we have?"...as he looks in our overly full freezer for some food item. Yay! 30 days of kitchen cupboard cooking, again. Our third time? So, we'll go to the store for milk and such, but I get to make meals from what we have, and I know I can do it. Join me if you dare...
• And do you like the purse picture at the top of this post? I'm having a arts and crafts open house and one like it will be for sale. Tons of super cute things: lanyards, key wristlets, jewelry, photo mats, purses... view some at the My Crafts tab at the top of the page. Email me for more info. ArtsyEnna@live.com
• My final note: I'm starting a Christian book club for teen girls. Starts Tuesday, November 9th at my house. I've created a new page and the tab is at the top of this page. Check it out, and if you're a teen girl and love to read let me know! I'm so excited about this!

Have a wonderful Halloween weekend and stay safe Trick-or-Treating.

Book Review: The Help

What a wonderfully written book!

This is Kathryn Stockett’s first book and she did an exceptional job developing the plot and characters. This story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the year 1962 and follows the lives of three different women. The first is Skeeter, a 22 year old college graduate that returns from college to find that her childhood maid, Constantine, is gone and no one will tell her where she went. Skeeter is an aspiring writer who begins to question her friendships and the way maids are treated in their households. The second lady is a black maid that helps raise her employer’s daughter and tries to instill in the child that we’re all created equal no matter the color of our skin. The third woman is a short and sassy maid that always says what’s on her mind, even when it’s to her white employer.These three women’s lives intertwine as they work together on something that will hopefully change how Mississippi, and the United States, views one another.

Stockett does a wonderful job and I would highly recommend this book to anyone. It’s a very engaging book in that I wanted to read on to see how these women’s lives, jobs, and reputations were affected for taking a stand on what they believed.

The Help is a classic story of a time in our history that we should all be aware of.

Look forward to more great book reviews by me (b/c I always get way too many books from the library!)

Healthy Granola Bars

     Just the other night I whipped up a pan of my favorite healthy granola bars. I got this recipe from a friend and they are so good! We’re going camping tonight so I knew granola bars would be an easy snack to bring along. However, my husband texted me yesterday saying they were “SO GOOD” and that “they won’t last long.” Luckily there are some left for tonight, mostly because half the pan has dried cranberries(because I like them). I know my husband would pick them out if he had to. So, these bars are very yummy and soft and filling and healthy. Here’s the recipe if you’re interested.

Healthy Granola Bars

Dry ingredients:
2 cups oats (not quick oats)
3/4 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup rice krispees(optional)
3/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup peanuts, chopped
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or dried fruit (or all of the above)


Wet ingredients:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1. Put first 5 dry ingredients into glass bowl (oven safe). Toast in oven 10-12 minutes 350˚. Stir every 3-4 minutes until lightly toasted (you can tell by the smell when it's toasted). Remove from oven and add last dry ingredient(s).


2. While toasting mixture, melt butter in a large skillet. Add sugar and honey (now is when you would use peanut butter instead of honey or with less honey). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until mixture stops foaming (mine never stopped but it was foaming less) and begins to turn clear amber. Do not cook mixture for more than 10 minutes or it will taste scorched (the longer it cooks the harder the bar). Remove from heat and add extract and salt.


3. Pour syrup over dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Turn out onto wax paper (i lined my 9x13 pan with wax paper, dumped the mixture in, then i covered it with wax paper, and pressed into the pan). Cool then cut (wait 20 minutes or less to cut. The bars were really soft until they had set up overnight.)

My Life in Bullets

Hi everyone. Sorry it's been so long since I've posted but life has been so busy lately. So, to save time, here is what's been going on in my life in bullets.

• Today is my birthday. My husband made me breakfast this morning. What a sweetie! He never cooks!
• My husband also surprised me with a dozen roses at work. He's the best!
• We had a garage sale this weekend. We made money, and got rid of stuff.
• Our workout competition is on a standstill. My hubby hurt his knee... torn meniscus... not good...
• Our month of $100 food budget went great. I've just been so busy I haven't been able to do it again.
• We tore out wallpaper and painted our kitchen. Looks beautiful!
• Our wonderful house has a "For Sale By Owner" sign in the lawn because we found an even more wonderful house in the country.
• I'm going to have a open house craft sale soon! Need to sell some of my crafts.
• Now, it's back to work. :D