Tree Planting

Our local forestry commission was giving away trees on Friday. They had a limit on certain ones but there were some you could get as many as you wanted. We got two crape myrtles, two willow oaks, two chinese dogwoods, six long leaf pines, and eight river birches. My sweet hubby went out with us and directed us on how to plant them. He hasn't been out much since his surgery so getting out in the sunshine was good for him even though it was cold. We used a pipe to make the holes. A. did this for us. The trees are very young so the hole didn't need to be big. The pipe made a perfect size hole. We put pipe around them and staked for protection until they get a little bigger. We fertilized them well. The ground is very wet so we didn't water them.

It will take a while for these little trees to grow strong and tall but in the meantime we will protect them, fertilize them, and give them an anchor to keep them growing straight. That reminds me of how we need to do the same with our blessings from heaven. They are little and fragile when they come. They must be protected, nurtured, and given an anchor of truth to keep them growing straight and healthy.

Happy Sunday. I pray you are blessed and well today!

Another Giveaway at Just Simply Southern

Kristi at Just Simply Southern is having a giveaway week.  This is a really neat opportunity to see all the great items that bloggers have available.  There are some creative women out there. 

I was blessed to win a giveaway at Somewhat Simple for a new custom blog design by Designer Blogs which is the day two giveaway at Just Simply Southern. They really do a great job and are so professional. 

So here is a run down of Kristi's giveaways so far:

Day one was The Vintage Pearl  /  Just Simply Southern Vintage Pearl Giveaway
Day two was Designer Blogs /  Just Simply Southern Designer Blogs giveaway
Day three was The Pleated Poppy  /  Just Simply Southern Pleated Poppy Giveaway
Day four is Just Simply Southern
Kristi has beautiful frames and is offering a $25 shop credit to one lucky winner.  These are all wonderul giveaways.  So click on over and support Kristi's giveaway week at

 
Day five is Gussy  /  Just Simply Southern Gussy Giveaway

Blessings,

A Needed Word

Depression.  It hurts.  It stinks.  It steals.  It mocks.  And you can't stop it from coming.  It just happens to you. 

What do you do?  Where do you turn?  Is there any help? 

The first thing that I did was see my doctor and get back on an antidepressant.  Depression is a medical condition that requires medical treatment.  I am a firm believer in this.  I am not better yet.  But I have hope that the medication will do it's job and I will be better. 

Since I am a believer in Christ, the next thing I did was open my bible.

  Right now I am doing this bible study.

This is my second time doing this bible study.  When I heard it was going to be offered, I felt very strongly that I should do it again.  Now I think I know why.  My lesson yesterday was Heart's Broken By Loss.

As I went through this lessons bible reading, which was John chap. 11:1-44, one scripture jumped off the page at me and I felt the Holy Spirit speaking gently to my heart. 

John 11:25 says  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

So many things have changed in my life over the past couple of years.  I have watched the death of friendships, dreams and goals, finances, health, life as I knew it with my spouse, and life as I knew it in general. 

I realized that I am grieving so many things right now.  Death brings grief.  My physical life remains but there have been quite a few deaths to mourn.  So many in this season that I am overwhelmed. 

I have always struggled with depression so this isn't new. But I do believe that the grief is fuel for it right now. 

  I sensed the Lord saying that although I am experiencing many deaths in my life, it is going to be okay since He is the Resurrection and the Life.  My life is in Him.  I am going to survive.  It is okay to grieve but then I must let go of the dead things and move into the new life He has for me.  He is there in that new life.  I have to come out of the tomb of mourning and meet Him. 

I don't know if my depression will ease up quickly or take time or if it will go away at all.  I do know that the Resurrection and the Life is with me and He is calling me forth from the tomb of mourning to a new life with Him. 

He is calling Lisa- Come Forth! 

Giveaway at Just Simply Southern

I want to introduce you to another wonderful giveaway.  Just Simply Southern is hosting a giveaway that you will love if you are a fan of custom jewelry.  The Vintage Pearl is the sponsor and she has the prettiest custom jewelry.  I am drooling over it.  I want to win the names around my heart necklace.  If you have a chance, head on over and register. 

Book Reviews

I am so excited to learn that I have been approved to review books for Booksneeze.  Book reviews will be hopefully coming soon.  Stay tuned.

Fractions and Cooking

 As I sit here typing away, my two littles are literally bouncing off the walls.  They are playing Olympics I think.  They have their bathing suits on and are pretending to swim.  As they run they bounce themselves off the door back into the "water" (the tile floor).  There is a basketball involved too.  Water basketball, maybe??
My big girl is busy in the kitchen whipping up delicious snacks for the family.  So far she has made rice krispies using strawberry marshmallows in honor of Valentines.  She is planning to cut those out with a heart shaped cookie cutter.  Next on the list is Muddy Buddies.  Yummy!

The neatest thing is about her cooking is that she practiced her fraction skills.  Any homeschooler knows that cooking is a great way to incorporate math skills or even science.  At our house we rarely have the proper size measuring cup available when we need it.  They just hide or disappear or something.  Tonight, big girl needed 6 oz of chocolate chips for her muddy buddies.  She needed to translate that to cups.  What an opportunity to teach her how to find my cooking substitutions page in my cooking notebook.  After discovering that 6 oz equals 1 cup, we couldn't find a 1 cup measuring cup.  She found a 2/3 cup and wondered how much more was required for 1 cup.  Hey- a fraction lesson!  2/3 plus what equals 3/3 or 1?  1/3 came the answer as her face lit up and the light bulb went off in her head.  Eureka!!

This is one of the best things about homeschooling.  I love seeing the discoveries my children make on their own.  It means so much more than studying a dry text on the subject.  Now we are off to enjoy the treats and I will lay down tonight with a heart full of satisfaction and thanksgiving for the blessings of the day.

Oh, I almost forgot.  Here are the recipes for our treats.  I am sure you can look on the marshmallow bag, the rice krispie box, or the chex cereal box and get them but here you go anyway.

Rice Krispy Treats
6 cups krisped rice cereal
1 bag marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp margarine or butter

Melt margarine and marshmallows over low heat. When completely melted, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour in krisped rice and stir to combine.  Spread in greased 13x11 pan and press down.  Cool, cut, and serve.

Muddy Buddies
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
6 oz chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter or margarine
9 cups chex cereal (any variety)

Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and margarine for 1 minute.  Stir.  Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until everything is melted and smooth.  Stir in vanilla.  Measure 9 cups of cereal into large bowl or container.  Pour chocolate mixture over cereal and stir gently to combine.  When combined, pour powdered sugar over the cereal, cover, and shake to combine.  You can do this in a large plastic bag.  Store in refrigerator. 

Hint*  Do not use spread or tub margarine products

Snowy Day

This was the view today from the side door of my house.  Snow is rare in Alabama.  So this year has been a treat for us.  We have had several snow days.  I am a softy so I wasn't very demanding in the school department today.  Since snow is a treat, we  my kiddos took advantage of it.   You won't catch me out in that cold.  I prefer to stand by the window with my hands wrapped around a warm mug smiling happily at my beloved offspring.  Rosy cheeks and shining eyes make my heart happy.

They had snowball fights, slid down the hill, walked in the woods, and even built two snowmen. Here is one of them.  My big boy is so tall I couldn't get the snowman and him in the photo.  Thankfully the snowman was short and he didn't mind that his lower half was cut out.  He prefers headshots.

Did you get snow where you live?  I heard somewhere that it is possible that all 50 states will have snow. 

Sad Day At Our House

The gray skies outdoors today match the mood inside.  My girls' beloved cat was killed.  We had a rainy funeral for Ranger.  Although we are sad and he will be missed,  we thank God for the time we had to enjoy him. 

How About Another Giveaway

There is another great giveaway going on at Beneath My Heart.  Just Simply Southern is giving away one of her gorgeous frames.  These are so pretty and she customizes them for you. The winner of this giveaway will receive one customized frame.  So head on over and visit Traci at Beneath My Heart.  I am sure you will fall in love with these beautiful frames.