Blessings and Cheerfulness!

Hello Ladies!  I hope this week finds you well rested and ready to tackle the week ahead.  I am really enjoying this study of Acts and hope you are, too.  I'm excited to see what God has in store for us this coming week.  And I'm praying diligently for His gentle hands on Sarah to guide her as she steps up to teach. 

Since I last posted I have to be honest, I've had a difficult couple of weeks.  So as I'm encouraging you I am also encouraging myself!  Sometimes life just gets a bit overwhelming!  My "stuff" these last couple weeks has involved some difficult life lessons for my son.  He is 16 years old.  I've had to watch him as he struggled with the death of a friend back home....something that as you can imagine is so hard for a teenager to have to come to grips with.  As I watched him grapple with these lessons, I couldn't help but notice something so simple that the Lord has given us.  The dog.  Our son comes home and she is always there for him, always happy to see him, and I know that gives him a certain amount of comfort in a world that is a lot of times very unsettling.   I found myself literally thanking God a couple times this past week or so for our dog as I watched him let her on the couch when he thought I wasn't looking....just to be there with him.  I thought some of you may be able to relate and I found this adorable video to share with you.  Just ponder it!  The Lord takes the simplest of things here on earth and gives them to us to help us through hard times, even if we may not see what is right in front of us.  Enjoy!







Too true, Jay!

Jay Leno Quote

With hurricanes, flooding, tornados, mud slides, fires out of control, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?

What would the week be like without your fair share of Miss Piggy quotes?  I find her wit and wisdom to be, well, witty and wisdomy!  Here are a few little pearls to whet your appetite and give you a little giggle, my dears!

Never eat more than you can lift!
Too much exercise can damage your health....
 Moi's hair has natural curls....so does my tail
 I am waiting for a really strong and meaningful pig role
 This, you see, is my ultimate ambition - to live a meaningful life with the frog I love
Technologie, moi must admit, is not moi's cup of java.
    Last, but not least:
I plan to write more books whenever I can find the appropriate writing attire and color-coordinated pen.

Isn't Miss Piggy just so precious?



Recipe Corner :)
I know you've all been dying for this part, because, like me, I'm sure you love all your kitchen duties.  ha, just kiddin'!  But it's a necessary part of life, isn't it?  So here's a good one you might like to try!  If you have one you'd like to share, please email to KimmyJill@aol.com.  I haven't tried this one personally, but it sounded so delish that I intend to make it soon and wanted to share it with you.....we have had an extended summer it would seem....but soup weather can't be too far around the corner.  Hope you enjoy this one.

South of the Border Tortilla Soup

This recipe boasts a plethora of beans, peppers, vegetables, and corn. It is ideal for the taco or corn chip soup lover.
1 cup homemade vegetable broth plus 4 cups water - or -
1 can vegetable broth and 1 can water
1/2 a medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped fine
1 green, yellow, or red pepper, diced
1 ripe tomato, chopped
1 can black, pinto, or mixed chili beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup brown rice
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste Optional: 2 Tbs tequila Tortilla chips
Simmer the onion, pepper, garlic, rice, corn, and half of the cilantro in the broth and water for about 30 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Add the tomatoes and beans. When the tomatoes are just cooked, remove from the heat and add the rest of the cilantro, lime juice, and tequila. The tequila should be allowed to evaporate for 5 minutes or so before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over crumbled tortilla chips.

I pray you all have a wonderful week as you go about doing all the tasks you are given.  You are a great group of women!  And do not forget to take care of yourselves, as well.  Do your best not to let yourselves become too worn out.  Take an hour to rest in your chair with the sun shining on your face, and ponder all His wonderful blessings.....

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
John 16:33

Numbers 6:24-26 

 ²⁴ " ' "The LORD bless you
       and keep you;
 ²⁵ the LORD make his face shine upon you
       and be gracious to you;
 ²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you
       and give you peace." '

 

Hello Dear Ladies!

Welcome to your weekly encourager! My hope is that this site will be a positive retreat for you to pop in once in a while for  a pep talk, some giggles (or groans), a recipe, inspiration, and a weekly dose of encouraging words intertwined with scripture! 

I am just learning this blog thing, so please bear with me as I weave my way around the internet learning how to do this. I already blasted myself out of one blog site because I put an email where it didn’t belong or something. I still don’t understand what I did. But I’m too chicken to go back there so I found a new blog site. Hopefully I will be OK with this one. So far, so good.

I stumbled across this a couple days ago.  If you haven't heard this little tale before, it's a good one!  Kinda reminds me of Romans 8:28!  :)

And now dear ladies....it might be a groaner, but it's cute!

Two muffins are in the oven.

One says to the other “Wow it’s hot in here”

The other one replies “Oh no… It’s a talking muffin!!”

RECIPE CORNER

I have a GREAT recipe for you for those days when you are just too exhausted to make dinner.  Send hubby to the store for one of those already cooked chickens....and then to the aisle where it has the already made mashed potatoes that you throw in the microwave....and THEN....yes, you guessed it.  A bagged salad.  You could throw a few tomatoes for good measure.  hee hee.....ok,....my email is KimmyJill@aol.com - I'll be waiting for your yummy recipes.

I would be lax in my encouraging duties if I did not remind you ladies that in order to take care of others, you must also take care of yourself.  Ya know when you are on an airplane and the flight attendant tells you in the event of an emergency when the oxygen masks fall down - you put your own on before you help a child or anyone else.  There are reasons for this, you know.  If you can't breathe, it's difficult to help anyone else breathe.  If you don't allow some time for yourself, you are not going to be much help to others...or at least not quality help.  Go to bed a half hour earlier once in a while, take your vitamins, grab your bible and go to a quiet corner where God can fill your cup again.  Refresh yourself daily, to the best of your ability.  Mother said so.  :)   

Until next time…..

(Philippians 4:6-7) 6 In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.