I'm moving...

No, I'm not moving in the since that we have to pack up and sell our home.

I am moving my blog. If you would like, you can come visit me at my new place.
http://indebtedtograce.blogspot.com/

*walks out, closes door and turns key* :)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Does you family like tacos? Our family loves taco salad! So the other day while scrolling through the Heavenly Homemaker's blog, I came across this recipe for homemade taco seasoning. I decided to give it a try. I made the seasoning and then whipped up a small batch of taco meat with it. It turned out SO good! My Mom and brothers loved it, and so did my Dad. This recipe is...

1. Easy to make and store

2. Healthier (no preservatives etc...)

3. Cheaper (way cheaper)

4. Tastes great! (Did I already mention that?)  :) 

So are you craving tacos or taco salad yet? :) If so, then here is the recipe...

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

1/2 cup chili powder

1/4 cup onion powder

1/8 cup ground cumin

1 Tablespoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon paprika

1 Tablespoon sea salt

Put all ingredients into a jar and shake. Wait...put a lid on the jar...then shake. :)

Three Tablespoons of Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix is equal to one 4-ounce package of taco seasoning mix.  I would recommend adding 3 Tablespoons of mix to one pound of browned ground meat for tacos.

Also, shake the jar again before each use to make sure the spices are well distributed throughout the mix.

Yep, it's that easy! :)

Long over-due update!

Wow! It does not feel like it has been six months and seven days since I updated this blog! This has been a rather busy year for us so far, and I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that July is almost over, August is almost here, and I'm turning 19 in less than four weeks. Yikes! Pretty soon it will be time to rake leaves and prepare for winter...whoa...hold on!! Alright, so maybe I'm pushing things ahead just a wee bit. This may be Canada, but we probably have about three more months before we have to start raking leaves! :) What I'm trying to say is that this month, summer and year have just flown by! So here's a little update on what we have been doing lately...

If you remember from my previous posts, our town was hit with severe flooding just before Christmas. Sobeys, the store where I work as a cashier/demo clerk (handing out free food samples), suffered a lot of damage. Originally it was supposed to be closed until mid-February, but as it turned out the grand re-opening was not until April 29th. I went back to work in the middle of April to help get things ready for the grand re-opening.

Also in the middle of April, the lady who delivers the morning paper in our town was involved in a car accident. Due to that and some health difficulties she is facing, we took on her route for at least the summer. It does require getting up rather early (Dad & Mom get up around 3-3:30 to meet the truck, and the rest of us get up around 4-4:30 to roll papers before heading out on our routes), but it has been a tremendous blessing for us right now as my Dad does not have a whole lot of work.

In June, we had our annual Homeschool conference. As always, we really enjoyed talking to, learning from and sharing ideas with other homeschooling families.

The first week of July Andrew and I went to Windcrest Bible Camp for the Senior High week. Andrew was a camper, and I was on Task Force. We were blessed with amazing weather and the whole week was a great encouragement to us. I really enjoyed working with the cooks in the kitchen, and was even able to get a copy of the recipe for the Coconut Cream Pie that I love! :) Yes, I'll consider sharing it in the future...

There! That was the extremely basic walk through my summer so far. I hope to post more frequently in the days to come and I have some new recipes to share with ya'll! Until next time...

THE BIBLE...

“The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here Paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good the design and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at the judgment, and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.”

~ Author Unknown

Thought to Ponder: "My Duty"

"Herein is my duty 

to be as Christ in this world, 

to do what he would do, 

to live as he would live, 

to walk in love and meekness, 

then would he be known, 

then would I have peace in death."

-from "The Valley Of Vision" (page 23)

"Miracle Of God"

Last week our family got a call from my Grampy telling us that Grammy was in the hospital with what they thought was probably a mini-stroke. As it turns out it was stroke and not a mini one, and the MRI showed damage on the brain. Despite this, she was released from the hospital after two days, and at this point she has no lasting side affects. Praise God! 


Here is a portion of a praise e-mail that she sent out:


"I am going to report a "miracle of GOD" in case you have not heard. Tuesday evening at 6pm my vision messed up & we rushed to Willis Knighton in Shreveport concerned about a stroke.  After many tests, etc. it was determined that I indeed had a stroke (rather than a TIA) because the damage showed up on an MRI.  However, my vision cleared in 13-15 hours & I have no other residual problems.  My doctor was the one who pronounced it as a "miracle of GOD" that he had never seen before and he feels that my brain healed itself. We serve a great GOD."


Praising Him,
Elisabeth Joy

Microwave Chocolate Cake

Did you know that you could have delicious, homemade, warm chocolate cake in just five minutes? You can! My Aunt Sylvia sent me this recipe awhile back, but I just tried it out yesterday afternoon. I was rather surprised at how good it tasted! Not the same texture as a regular cake, but good none the less, and so quick and simple to make. 


MICROWAVE CHOCOLATE CAKE: 

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chocolate chips
Splash of vanilla 

Preparation:
Put dry ingredients into a coffee mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix again. Put the mug in the microwave and cook on high for *2 minutes. The cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool and tip out onto a plate if desired. 


*It may take longer to cook depending on your microwave, mine took about 2.5 minutes, and one of my cousins said it took him about 4 minutes. 


(This post is dedicated to my chocolate-loving friend, Mariah) 

Thought to Ponder: "The Possession of Grace"

"The possession of grace fills us with very different feelings from the possession of anything else. A man who has much money is not very anxious that all the world should be rich---one who has much learning does not long that all the world were learned; but if you have tasted the grace of the gospel, the irresistible longing of your hearts will be, O that all the world might taste its regenerating waters!" -Robert Murray McCheyne 

J & I

On New Year's Eve, I had a little neighbor come over and help me make gingerbread men. His mother had bronchitis AND shingles, so I decided she might want a break! :D He loves playing with my laptop camera so we took a few photos. Excuse the quality! 

This is my favorite one.

Grape Popsicle Mustache

J trying to make
"Elephant Ears"

Big hugs (and smiles)

He was so much fun to spend the afternoon with! Such a ham. I love little kids!

Back again and flood photos....

Hello, I apologize for this my blogging being so sparse lately! 

(Okay, so it's been four months to the day since I posted anything!) 

Too much has happened recently to fill you in on everything,

 but here's a little glimpse at what I've been up to for the last month at least. 

On December 13, our town got over 200 milliliters of rain, 

which caused the worst flooding in our area since 1923. 

The mall area of town was hit the worst, and several stores suffered 

severe damage and are still closed, one of which was Sobeys. 

 So I am off work until probably mid to late February. 

Many roads here and in surrounding towns are still closed,

 

and in some places whole neighborhoods had water half way up the first floor. 

As far as our neighborhood, we were spared any really bad damage. 

The water about 100 feet from our house was over three feet deep 

across the road, and we had some flooding in the basement, 

but we were able to avoid severe flooding by renting an extra pump. 

Please pray for those who are still without a home because of the storm. 

The Valley Of Vision

For a long time I have wanted to do something with my brother, Joshua's, photos. He enjoys hiking, and several mornings a week he takes his camera, our dog, Tilley Grace, and goes to watch the sunrise. I have been thinking of ways that I could use his photos, and this video is one of them.

The prayer is taken from a book called "The Valley of Vision," which contains prayers from many of the Puritans including, Thomas Shepherd, Thomas Watson, Richard Baxter, John Bunyan, Isaac Watts, William Willams, Philip Doddridge, William Romaine, David Brainerd, Augustus Toplady, Christmas Evans, William Jay, Henry Law and Charles Spurgeon. I would highly recommend that you read this book! 

Anyway, enjoy! 

Looking Back: LA TRIP: Home & Trailer

I am finally posting pictures of my trip to Louisiana in March!

Grampy & Grammy's home in Louisiana

While I did almost everything in the house I actually stayed in their fifth wheel trailer just outside the back door. It was kinda like having my own apartment while I was there! :D 

My bedroom

My nightstand

My living room inside the trailer

I even had my own couch! :D

Despite such wonderful accommodations, I did not spend an enormous amount of time in there during the day, it was just to much fun being inside the main house with Grampy, Grammy & Aunt Zula. 

Need A New Car?

Introducing the all-new Cadillac Sumptuous...




Good job, Andrew! :D

Cleaning my room...

On my agenda for tomorrow is...cleaning my room! Why? Well...besides just the fact that it DESPERATELY needs to be done, there is also a small flash drive somewhere in there that contains my pictures of Louisiana! Since tomorrow is a holiday where I live, and I am off work, I plan to upload my pictures of Louisiana tomorrow...or at least get started...I have a lot of pictures to go through!

I read something today that I would like to share with you. 

-----------------------------------------------------------

Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was once robbed of his money. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything, he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following:

"Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed."

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

-----------------------------------------------------------

This story made me think of several things, including how we often hold onto temporal things too tightly (as my overstuffed room can testify). What if someone took away all the things you owned? Would you be able to respond with this kind of gratitude? 

I'm going to spend some time thinking that through tomorrow...while I clean my room! 

Psaltery, Packing & Procrastinating...

I guess it's about time I brought ya'll up to date....

We had a wonderful visit with Grampy & Grammy from June 15-21. They are now safely home in Louisiana.

I had a long awaited package arrive in the mail on Monday...my psaltery!! For those of you who don't know what a psaltery is, don't feel bad! I just learned about it for the first time in March. A psaltery is a really easy-to-play musical instrument. How easy? Well, I took it with me baby sitting the other day and by the end of an hour and a half Josh (5y) could play over half of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," Ali (8y) could play "Silent Night" & Jeromy (9y) had a good start on "Joy To The World!" They had never even seen one until I showed them! If you want to know what a psaltery looks like you can see pictures HERE

This week has been full of packing! We are leaving today for a weekend trip to Vermont to visit my Grammy and a few of the many aunts, uncles and cousins on my Mom's side of the family. We plan to arrive back home in the wee hours of the morning on Monday, July 5. Then I have to unpack, do laundry and repack by 10 am when Andrew & I are going for a week of camp at Windcrest. I am really looking forward to that! It is hard to believe that this will be my last year as a camper.

So that is what I have been up to this week. After camp (yes, I am procrastinating again!) I plan to do some picture updates of the last few months, starting with the long awaited pictures of my trip to Louisiana in March (thanks for your patience, Mariah!), then moving on to pictures of my Dad's 50th party, Grammy's hospital stay & recovery, as well as pictures we took of their visit here. I will also post a picture of my psaltery.

Until later...

God is Faithful!

So sorry that I haven't been posting on here. As many of you know, for the past 3+ weeks our family has been walking through a health trial with my Grammy B. Here's what has happened...

On Saturday, May 15, while traveling from Louisiana to attend our Dad's surprise 50th birthday party, Grammy experienced heart problems and went to Eastern Maine Medical Center where she had a mild heart attack. At that time, the doctor's felt that that her condition was fairly mild, so Grampy called that night and told us to go ahead with the party and not to tell Dad until after he had enjoyed the surprise element of the party. That was hard to do, but we did. Our family traveled to Bangor on Monday, May 17, to be visit with Grammy while she waited for her Angioplasty procedure. The doctors tried an angioplasty, but were unable to fix the problem that way because her condition was much worse than they had originally thought. Two of her main arteries were over 90% blocked and another smaller vein also had significant blockage. On May 18, Grammy had a triple by-pass surgery.

Since then, there have been many ups and downs in her road to recovery which we have documented on a prayer blog for her. Penny's Progress (See, I have been bloging recently, just not on here!) We went and had supper with Grampy & Grammy on Friday. They are staying about two hours from here at a B & B while she continues her recovery, then they will probably be coming and staying closer to us for about a week before heading back to Louisiana.

We are so thankful for all the Lord has done for our family during this time. He has been so faithful! Thank you to all who have been praying for us.

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth!

For those of you who are wondering if I am still alive, I AM!! I am just extremely busy right now and haven't found the time to update my blog. 

Here's just a few things that have happened in the last few weeks. These are all kind of in a random order, sorry about that, but if I waited until I could get it all typed up perfectly, you'd never hear from me!! :) 

I arrived home from visiting my grandparents in Louisiana on April 6th. I had a wonderful visit with them!

I had a job interview on April 7th, was hired on April 9th, and started my first job on April 17th., as a cashier at Sobeys. At this point I am only scheduled for 6-12 hours a week. However, last week several of my co-workers were sick or had family emergencies and I filled in for them and ended up working 31 1/2 hours! (Are you still wondering why I haven't been blogging recently?) 

April 14 was Charity Rose's day. Twelve years ago, the Lord called my little sister home to be with him before birth. 

I have started gardening a couple of days a week for the Estabrooks again this summer. 

Nathanael & I will be having our last bible club before summer break this afternoon. 

The church field of three churches where my Dad has been pastoring for almost 10 years is separating next month due to financial reasons. My Dad's last Sunday preaching for the field is May 30. He may continue preaching at one of the churches to help them out while they decide what they are going to do. What this means for our family is that we may be moving sometime in the not so distant future. Our house is not ready to sell so we have a lot of work to do on it in the coming months getting it ready to sell. If we do end up moving it will be a big adjustment for all of us. My parents moved into this house 21 1/2 years ago when Joshua was 2, Timothy was 1, and Mom was expecting Rosanna. This is the home that has all the memories for us kids. I have lived my whole life in this town, and this house. This is where my little sister Charity and brother Daniel are buried. It would be a big adjustment if the Lord calls us to move, but he knows what is best for us! 

Yes, I still plan to post pictures of my visit down south soon! Keep watching for them! :) 

Until next time...

Spoof Life Insurance Commercial

My brother, Andrew, recently created this life insurance spoof. Enjoy! :)

(You will need to scroll down to the bottom of my blog and pause the background music so that you can hear this)

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

I just tried a new recipe tonight that I wanted to share with y'all. Grammy says "These are the best Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies I have ever tasted!"

CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

In a small bowl combine:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

In a separate mixing bowl combine:
1/2 cup of butter (softened to room temp)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Beat really well until very creamy. Then, blend in:

1 cup old fashioned oats
3/4 cup chocolate chips (we used 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter chips)

Add dry ingredients and mix well until creamy. Make into small balls and press flat on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until slightly brown. Remove from sheet and cool on rack. ENJOY!!

A word of advice: Wait a few minutes before testing the cookies (unless you like really crumbly cookies).

Pictures from the air...

 

Well, I finally have some pictures downloaded that I can share with you. This post will contain pictures from my flight to Louisiana. 

 I left very early in the morning so these pictures are of the sun coming up, as seen from above the clouds. 

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:2

 The New York city skyline.

 

The Hudson River

(no bird strikes, no emergency water landings) 

 

And last of all, my personal favorite! I hope you enjoyed these. More pictures coming when I get the chance! :)