More Every Year

Today is our 11 year anniversary! I can hardly believe it has been 11 years since our wedding day and that we have been together for 14+ years. Wow! Time sure does fly. I am so blessed to have married my best friend and I can't say enough about what a great husband and father he is. I love him more every year and I am looking forward to the next 11 years.

Our Wedding Day

9/16/00

I loved our cute little cake!

The topper reads:

"Hand in hand and heart to heart,

Joined in love that will not part."

Here we are last year about a week before our 10th anniversary.
September 2010

 

And just for fun.....

Here is our High School Senior Prom picture.

May 1997

 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful: it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

~1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Super Full Moon

We just took a look at the 'Super Moon' and it is beautiful!

From NASA Science News:

On March 19th, 2011, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.

Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee). Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

"The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect coincidence1 that happens only 18 years or so," adds Chester.

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view.

~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~

Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars! ~Psalm 148:3

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. ~Genesis 1:14-16 

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor. ~Psalm 8:3-5

Snow

Seriously, it is snowing now. You've gotta love Ohio weather, so here's to the snow...

THE MORE IT SNOWS
by A.A. Milne

The more it

SNOWS - tiddely-pom

The more it

GOES - tiddely-pom\

The more it

GOES - tiddely-pom

On

Snowing.

And nobody

KNOWS - tiddely-pom

How cold my

TOES - tiddely-pom

How cold my

TOES - tiddely-pom

Are

Growing.

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Rain

A poem in honor of recent Ohio weather...

RAIN

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The rain is raining all around,

It falls on field and tree,

It rains on the umbrellas here,

And on the ships at sea.

EASTER STORY COOKIES or RESURRECTION COOKIES

I was given this recipe by two different people and wanted to share it with you:

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ~John 1:14

Making cookies with your children to teach the true meaning of EASTER!

RECIPE
You will need:
1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon or rolling pin
wax paper
masking tape
Bible

1. Preheat the oven to 300 (this is important-don't wait 'til you're half-done with the recipe)
2. Place the pecans in the baggie and let the kids beat them with the wooden spoon (or rolling pin) to break them into pieces; set aside. Explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.
Read John 19:1-3
3. Put the vinegar into a mixing bowl. Let each child smell the vinegar. Explain that when Jesus was on the cross and He became thirsty, He was offered vinegar to drink.
Read John 19:28-30
4. Add the egg whites to the vinegar. The eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life so that we could have everlasting life.
Read John 10:10-11
5. Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it. Put the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.
Read Luke 23:27
6. So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16
7. Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3
8. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest.
Read Matt. 27:57-60
9. Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven off.
10. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the door. Explain that Jesus tomb was sealed.
Read Matt. 27:65-66
11. Go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight and that Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20-22
12. On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite; the cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find His tomb empty.
Read Matt. 28: 1-9

PLAY DOUGH

I just made two double batches of play dough for the kids. I have made the same recipe (from one of Jordan's preschool teachers) many times and it always turns out great; it's the best play dough recipe I've found. (Note: each play dough ball pictured above is the following recipe doubled.)

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tarter
1 package Kool-Aid
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In medium saucepan mix dry ingredients. Add water and oil and blend with a large whisk to remove lumps. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with wood spoon (plastic spoons can bend and/or break) for 5-8 minutes (mixture will thicken gradually). Remove from heat when ball is formed and place dough ball on wax paper to cool. When cool to the touch knead ball to prevent drying out. Once completely cool knead ball a final time and store in airtight container.