Yesterday’s sermon was a continuation of Pastor Zimmer’s series on parables. I am including the text (NIV) and my sermon notes. This one was “The Parable of the Friend at Midnight.”

Luke 11: 1-13

¹One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

²He said to them, “When you pray, say:
” ‘Father,^[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.^[b]
3Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.^[c]
And lead us not into temptation.^[d]‘ “

⁵Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’

⁷“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness^[e] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Reference verses: Psalm 7:6; Psalm 42:3

The sermon was based on/around the question: What do I do when it seems like there is no answer to my prayer?

verse 2: this was the only thing the disciples ever asked for

Verse 5: suppose = “think about it”

Significant words: Midnight

• friend: part of the community
• guest: is important to the community, not just the friend (the community takes care of each other)

verse 7: the guy on the inside is responsible for his actions; does not want to be shamed (by ignoring request); has an obligation (community)

verse 8: boldness = shameless, persistence, impudence

This section of text (Luke 11:1-13) is about an intimate relationship with our Father.

Three questions to ask when praying:

1. To Whom am I asking? Friend, Foe or Father? The only category to put God in is Father. (Sometimes we treat God like our buddy, or someone we are mad at, rather than the Father that he is. Need to be careful about how we pray to God.)
2. What are you seeking? Bread, bike or boat? Our prayers need to be driven towards a need (bread). (Sometimes  we pray for materialistic things (i.e. the bike/boat), but that is not what God wants to give us.) I need to pray for MY transformation. (God to us: I want to change YOU, because I am your Father.)
3. Why am I knocking? Because. We need to understand why we knock. God is not out to make my life easy. God wants us to grow and become like him. Me to God: You are not my friend that gives me advice, but my Father who loves me. God to us: What you think may not be what I want to give. My prayer: God, give me the strength and love to change.

We have two options:

1. Give up.

2. Commit to change. Regroup. Reignite. Keep pressing on. CHANGE STARTS WHEN I CHANGE.

Pray with perseverance, persistence, and love.

Whatever we do, DON’T STOP.

God will hear our prayers. He may not answer as soon as we would like, but he does answer. We must keep pressing on.

Before I became pregnant, I never knew:

• that I would visit the bathroom so much.
• why pregnant women rub their bellies…and often.
• how truly miraculous it is to have a life growing inside me.
• that I would not mind drinking prune juice.
• how tired I would become.
• that Hubby could take even better care of me.
• how excited I would be over the changing shape of my body.
• that pregnancy brain really does happen.
• that I could love someone so very much before meeting them.

I plan to keep adding to this list as my pregnancy progresses. I first started the list in a journal I started keeping when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted my baby to have something more than a scrapbook to read. This feels a bit more personal, sharing my thoughts and feelings in this manner. : )

Pregnancy hormones. I thought I was informed on what they would do to me, but all the reading and listening to friends/family never completely prepares you for reality. Some are beneficial (my nails are growing so nicely!) and some are not (short-term memory? what memory?) and some are just goofy (that my hair will change). I have not (yet) had any crazy mood swings, but the emotional part of me is in high gear. Yes, I tear up over sentimental commercials.

I love looking at my little bump (although it is definitely more noticeable after meals) and marveling at the miracle that is going on in there. I have a tendency to rub the bump and stare at it. A lot. Usually when I am alone in my office at work. Although I was doing some bump rubbing in church yesterday. It is just so very exciting to know that a little one is growing in there! And God is making a miracle in my little bump!

I am working on clearing out the guest room closet, since this will be the baby nursery. I have everything from the closet and dresser spread across the room and need to organize it all in totes (the Christmas totes were $3 cheaper than the regular ones at Meijer!). And it would also help if Hubby would not add to the pile on the bed…

I am hoping that I sleep well tonight, since the past three nights have been duds. I am consistent on waking up near 4am and having to go to the bathroom (does not matter that I went three times since going to bed at 1030pm!) and then having a rough time falling back asleep. Comfort is an issue, and I do have a body pillow but it just does not always give me the comfort I need. And it does not help that (in his sleep) Hubby tries to take over the bed. And that he chatters in his sleep, waking me from mine. *sigh* I might not complain as much about the previous two issues if I was sleeping better.

Yet, it is all worth it. : )

December 25, 2009, was a very special Christmas. At 630am, I was holding a positive pregnancy test in my hand! I laughed, I smiled, I teared up at this new blessing. What an awesome gift from God!

Hubby woke up when I got out of bed a second time. I had to make sure that I was not dreaming and needed to look at that test again. He told me “Merry Christmas,” and I told him, “Merry Christmas, Daddy!” We were both in a happy state of shock for a while.

First doctor’s appointment was last Monday. According to my calculations, I figured I was only about seven weeks along. Due to some things I told the RN, she scheduled me for an ultrasound. Amazing is not even an adequate word to describe seeing our baby for the first time. And seeing sweet pea’s strong heartbeat! It is just wonderful. And the u/s technician took all the measurements of baby and announced, “Your baby is measuring at 12 weeks, 4 days.” What?! I am five weeks further than I thought? Needless to say, Hubby and I were stunned and in need of picking our jaws up off the floor.

My sister was equally surprised when I shared the news with her. (I had blurted the news to her 3 days after the positive HPT.) All around, we are quite happy that we breezed through the first trimester. And this pregnancy is now more real to us both!

I currently have not experienced morning sickness, praise God. When my tummy starts to feel off, I snack and am then fine. I crave fruit, salad, and orange juice. Sadly, I no longer love coffee. That is the only food aversion I have. I do not even want Hubby to kiss me after he has drank some.

We are praising God for a healthy pregnancy thus far and for this little sweet pea that is already so loved.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Psalm 139:13

A huge snowstorm is due to hit southwest Michigan over the next day or so. I am so excited, mainly because I would love to go snowmobiling. I also just love snow, especially around Christmas. Just adds to the season, I say.

And I am excited that I have snow falling on my blog. How fun!

I also need to get cracking at the homemade gifts I plan on making for Christmas gifts. I have (most of) the materials. I just need to make myself make the time and get to it. My sister is coming over in a couple weeks for a “Sister Craft Day.” Maybe this can become an annual event? Although there are some items she cannot see…

And I am also making some new decorations for the house and need to get those taken care of as well. Sis and I went to Hobby Lobby on Saturday for our annual first Saturday of December shopping trip. Target was a bit of a bust for me; I have to go back to get an item for Hubby’s stocking. But we had a great time and a yummy lunch at Fazoli’s.

And a note to drivers out there on snowy roads: Drive smart! It is not a good idea to pull right out in front of a line of vehicles (I was once involved in an accident because of someone doing this). Also, it is always good to drive with your lights on in bad weather. Makes it SO much easier to see you.

When we were at the Country Living Fair, my sister went nuts over a few different aprons. At one booth, one of the “sales” ladies had made aprons for each girl working the booth that weekend. Quite cute and crafty! Anyhoo, Sissy did not find one that she liked well enough to purchase.

So when thoughts of what to do for my sis for her birthday started swirling in my head, I knew what I wanted to do! Make her an apron and use a pattern I had seen at a fabric store a few months ago.

I went to Field’s Fabrics in Kalamazoo, since I knew I could definitely find the halter style pattern I wanted to use. Even though it was about 5 months ago when I had seen it on display, I was sure (sincerely hoping!) someone would remember what I was talking about. Turns out that it was a Heather Bailey pattern, Daily Spice Halter Apron. I purchased Amy Butler fabric to use for the apron.

Interestingly enough, one of my favorite booths at the CL Fair, Homegirl, had products using Amy Butler fabric and I overheard the owner saying that she knew Amy Butler. I was jealous. She is just too cool, in my opinion.

On the Saturday before my sissy’s birthday I started on the apron. Yep, I am a procrastinator. But I had all the required materials. Between tracing the pattern (note to self and others: next time purchase large sheets of tracing paper so you do not resort to wax paper, which seemed like a great idea at the time but was a pain because of its slipperiness) and transferring it to the fabric (I had previously pre-washed it) and cutting it out and then sewing it all together (which used new techniques that I scratched my head over for a couple minutes) and pressing it, it took me about 10 hours. Is that bad?

I thought I did fairly well, considering this is the first time I used a pattern and that this project was above my skill level (and possibly the skill level of my sewing machine…). It is certainly not perfect like the one on the pattern cover, but it works. I had fun and enjoyed the process. And the best part–my sister squealed with delight when she opened her gift.

 

The Daily Spice Halter Apron

Close-up of halter detail

Hubby said now that I know what I am doing, it should only take me half the time to make another one. Sometimes his optimism surprises me.

 

I had collected a few old candle jars (mostly from work…gotta keep the office smelling nice!) and was wondering what to do with them after I cleaned them. What to do…what to do.

I dug the jars out the other day, contemplating some more on something crafty. I thought of using frosted glass spray, but then Hubby suggested an even better idea.

Sandblast them.

I knew I married that man for more than just his looks. *grins*

Hubby bought a sandblast cabinet (used) quite a few years ago. It felt like I was a mad scientist sticking my hands in the gloves and peering through the small window. Awesome!

First, I cut masking tape into my desired winter shapes. (I need to buy some Undu to remove the stickiness off my scissors.) Then, I placed them on the jar.

 

Masking tape holly & berries

 

After that, I donned an old sweatshirt. The rubber gloves are starting to rot away on the cabinet and sand leaks out and it is a bit rusty. I spent about 30 minutes sandblasting the jar. The masking tape was nicely sticky and did not come away so that my design would be ruined.

 

After the sandblasting

I stuck my hanky (tied it around my face so I would not breathe in too much dust; the cabinet is not a tight fit) in the jar to better showcase the end result of the holly and berries.

I next took the jar to my craft room where I “painted” over the holly and berry design with Modge Podge. I did one leaf at a time and then the berries as a group. While the glue was still wet, I sprinkled glitter on it.

 

Glitter makes it more fun

 

Now that my jar is done, I am still not sure what I might do with it. So, I decided to see how it would look being re-purposed back into a candle jar/holder.

 

Glow little jar

It may look better with a larger candle than just a tealight. I like how it glows, though! Looks nice and cozy and inviting. Just what is needed in the coming cold and dreary winter months! And unlike the frosted glass spray, I will not have to worry about scratches ruining the look of the jar. I like the permanence of the sandblasting. My hubby has such wonderful ideas!

 

 

One of my purchases at the Country Living Fair was a cookbook from the Gooseberry Patch. My sister had purchased one earlier in the year, and I had it on my wish list for Amazon. Well, at the Fair they had a great deal: $15 each on their cookbooks or 3 for $40. So my momma and I bought the same while my sister bought their Church Suppers book.

Coming Home with Gooseberry Patch (food to bring family & friends to the table) is filled with wonderful, down home tasty recipes. I have only made two recipes so far, with plans to try out many more. For our Thursday night get-together, I made the Crustless Pumpkin Pie. How delectable! Our friends loved it, we loved it, therefore it is definitely what hubby and I refer to as a “repeat.” It is simple to make and turns out wonderful. I decided to go one step further and use heavy whipping cream to make “homemade” whipped cream. YUM.

Tonight (since I had half a can of pumpkin left, I made the Spiced Pumpkin Bread. I have only nibbled on a couple crumbs, but this is surely a repeat as well. I thought of sharing the recipe here, but I thought that might be copyright infringement or something of the sort. You can find the cookbook on the Gooseberry Patch site, and it is currently on sale.

I look forward to making more recipes from this book, particularly from the Bonfire chapter and Gifts for Giving. That is something else that I adore about Gooseberry Patch books: all the wonderful little craft ideas that are tucked into them. I have one of their Christmas books, but have yet to try out too many of the crafts. It is on my list for idea inspiration.

Here is a recipe I will share, courtesy of my brother and sister and I (we all have put our own additions in this).

Andrew’s Soup

The original (in my brother’s words):  a can of mixed veggies, can of beef or chicken broth, can of diced tomatoes. Then add some minced onion, salt, pepper & any other seasoning you like. It’s just something I came up with back in college when I was poor. Oh, you can also add some canned chicken to it.

Sister’s addition: leftover box mac & cheese. It never reheats well, so this is a great use for it! The cheese kind of “falls off” the noodles and mixes with the broth to form a nice cheesy chicken base.

I added into the pot with everything else. Also, I used leftover frozen veggies instead of canned. Still good.

I did not have any canned chicken (must stock up at Aldi’s again!), so I put in crumbled bacon. I also sprinkled in dried parsley. Oh, and I did not have any non-chili ready diced tomatoes so I used a can of stewed tomatoes, slightly drained. It all came together to create a nice, hearty, filling dinner. I made Bisquick biscuits to go with it, too. Great to have on a chilly fall evening.

Happy eating!

I decided that I wanted to change my blog header to go with the fall season. I used some of my photos from the CL Fair trip to Ohio. The only one taken at the fair is the apple gourds. The other two are from this great little orchard/farm that we stopped at on our way home. It is somewhere in Ohio and we found it on our wandering detour of trying to find the turnpike. But it was a beautiful detour! And if we had not taken the scenic route we would not have found this place. They had wonderful donuts and fruits, as well as a petting zoo.

Even though it is still only October, I have begun to plan out Christmas gifts. Since I adore homemade, I figure that I should get started on some projects. What better time on a day like today, where it is cold and gloomy? I am at least going to start a list and if that is all I accomplish today, so be it. After all the crafty items I have seen at the CL Fair, in magazines, and online, I am feeling some inspiration. Now I just need the motivation. *grin*

One of Michigan’s best assets is experiencing all four seasons. I enjoy the coming and going of each one, since each one has its own special attributes.

At the moment, trees are shedding their leaves and the remaining leaves are starting to show off a beautiful display of color. And also a certain scent in the air that only comes with fall. Hard to explain. Best experienced first hand. A coolness has tinged the air and has thus become sweater weather. I love sweater weather. In fact, I feel a need for more sweaters in my closet. I did find a great J.Crew one at Goodwill for only a few dollars–what a deal! Wish Hubby had sweaters that I could borrow (his are all too “manly”; i.e. would not look good on me).

This weekend we are going on a Jeep color tour with a large group of Jeep owners. We ourselves have a 1971 Jeep (I do not know the model) and hubby is working at having the windows zippered on by Saturday. They need some repair work. I know we are going to be near Yankee Springs, and we will be taking a dish to pass, but I am not sure where all we will be going. It is to a three-hour tour. ; ) Seriously.

And since it is fall, a trip to Gull Meadow Farms is overdue. I need to pick up some apple so I can make and can applesauce, as well as some of their fantastic donuts and a few pumpkins. I decided that I should go during the week since they are (at least this past Saturday) packed on the weekends.

Yummmm…donuts.

I did make homemade donuts on Saturday. They tasted wonderful that night and the next morning, but now they taste extra greasy. Is there something extra I should be doing? I did discover that it is best to make them in small ball form rather than just a big scoop. They cook through better that way. I will definitely be trying them out again, especially since Hubby keeps mentioning how great they were…