Thankful... Day Three

Today, I am thankful for my friends.  God has blessed my life with Christ-like women of faith who encourage and build me up in my walk.

I am thankful for forever friends. The ones who have history with me. They knew me then. They know me now. And still they love me.

I am thankful for praying friends. The ones who will diligently pray until I say stop. Ones who will pray even when I don't know to ask them to do so.

I am thankful for faithful friends. The ones who show up during the hard times and ask to help.  And the ones who do without even asking.

Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable? (Proverbs 20:6, NLT)

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.  (Proverbs 27:9, NLT)

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.  (Proverbs 27:17, NLT)



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I am linking up with Dawn (another Dawn!) at the Goodlife for 30 Thankful Days.  What are you thankful for? Feel free to link up and join us or leave your answer here in a comment!

Food For Friday - Company's Coming!

I've been lazy in the area of cooking this summer. Very lazy. (Just ask my family... I'm certain they'll agree with that self-assessment!)  However, there's nothing like the impending arrival of house guests to prompt some good, old fashioned meal planning for this list-maker! 


That's me on the far left!

My friend Valerie and I go way back. So far back, in fact, that I really don't remember when we first met. I'm guessing we were probably in early grade school.  We attended the same church, participated in the same youth group and summer camps, and even attended high school together for three years.  I had the privilege of being a bridesmaid in her wedding.  We've managed to stay in touch over the years despite living in different states (and countries!).

Val and her family are missionaries in Brazil.  (You can view pictures and read about their ministry on their website.)  She is here in the states for a short visit and she's coming to Texas next week to see me!  It's her first ever visit to the Lonestar state.

I want to prepare nice meals while she's here but I also don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen when there's so much catching up and sightseeing to do in the small amount of time she has in Texas.  So, I've been pouring over my recipes trying to find just the right dishes to make for her.

I came across this recipe for Blueberry Cobbler that I received from my best friend, Stephanie, who received it from her mom.  It is one of the most simple recipes ever and the results are so delicious.

So, I thought I'd share the recipe with my faithful readers (all one thousand two of you).  This is the second recipe from me in one week.  (You're welcome!)

Blueberry Cobbler

• 5 C fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1 1/2 T lemon juice
• 2 C flour
• 3 C sugar, divided
• 1 C milk
• 1/3 C butter, in pieces
• 1/4 t cinnamon (my addition to the recipe)
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t salt, divided
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 1/2 C boiling water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread berries in a well-greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.

Mix flour, 1 1/2 C sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and 1/2 t salt.  Cut in butter.  Add milk and mix well.  Batter will be thick. Spoon over berries and spread to the edges of the pan.  Set aside.

Mix remaining sugar, salt and cornstarch.  Sprinkle over batter.  Pour boiling water over top. Bake one hour.

Best served warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.

(Note: I've used this same recipe with other berries and peaches and the results were equally delicious.)

Share a favorite recipe with me... or tell me about one of your oldest friendships... or both!

Urgent Prayer Request...

Joanne is an incredible woman... and needs and incredible miracle.  Please join me in praying for a complete healing and for comfort for her family during this time.



Click on the picture of Joanne to visit her blog for updates on her condition.

30 years and counting!

Exactly 30 years ago on this day, we met.

I'll apologize to you romantics right now... because I'm not talking about my Prince Charming.

Nope... I'm talking about my best friend, Stephanie. I've told you about her before and bored many of you to tears with stories of our adventures. Indulge me on this special day and let me tell you again about our story.

Stephanie and I met on the first day of 9th grade. We rode the same bus and were the two "new kids" in a very, very small private school, which meant "blending in" was not possible. Maybe we became friends out of that desperate situation. (Hey, it was high school and we were girls - that makes it a desperate situation!) Or, maybe it was because we just truly liked each other. Either way, I believe God intended for the paths of our lives to cross and we've been best friends ever since.

Together we've been through high school, college, boyfriends, break ups, engagements and weddings, trying to have babies, having babies, raising families... and all the highs and lows of life. We know each other intimately and love each other deeply. We started using the acronym "YBFA&F" (Your Best Friend Always & Forever) somewhere along the way and still use it even now to close letters and emails. It's even been engraved on jewelry. Apparently our hearts beat on the same frequency as it is uncanny how many times we'll be thinking of the other, only to have the phone ring and hear a voice on the other end of the line saying, "Hey, you - you've been on my mind!"

Today, I am celebrating my BFA&F and thanking God for the very special blessing of our friendship. I love you, Steph!

In honor of today, tell me about your best girl friend. Who is she? How did you meet? How long have you been friends?

We ROCK! (Or, several weeks in fast review.)

We ROCKED homecoming. And, we WON!

We ROCKED the part and were appropriately dressed.

Our homecoming court ROCKED the evening!

Isn't she gorgeous? "A" is our neighbor and she's beautiful on the inside, too. Last year when Burrito was a freshman and she was a junior, she made sure that Burrito's first days of high school went well. She walked and talked in the halls with him. She even invited him to sit with her and her girl friends at lunch. Umm... hello! A freshman guy walking, talking and lunching with gorgeous junior girls. Yep, that had to help Burrito's reputation! (We reminded Burrito to "pay it forward" when he started his sophomore year this fall.)

She deserved the crown - don't you agree?! Sadly, she wasn't crowned the queen. (We demand a recount!)

We ROCKED with the cheerleaders. (We love the cheerleaders, right Kat?)

We ROCKED in the stands.

Our drill team ROCKED the halftime show. (Go, "H"!)

Then we ROCKED with parties.

Kat's best friend "M" attended homecoming with us (an annual tradition) and then spent the night. "M" wasn't available to attend on the date we'd planned to have the birthday sleepover, so we had a "party-before-the-party" after the homecoming celebration. After all, a girl can't celebrate her 13th birthday without her best friend!

Bud headed for the coast the next morning and ROCKED on the water. (Not to be confused with walking on water!)

The next weekend, we ROCKED the "second" birthday sleepover with Kat's school friends.

We ROCKED several band competitions. (With another one this coming weekend.)

We ROCKED with success!

We're a ROCKIN' family!

Please allow me to introduce you...

I’ve blogged for several years now. I had another blog prior to this one but I kept it private and only invited close friends and family to read it. The host site went through several rounds of “upgrades” (not) so I stopped using it and gave up blogging for about a year.

But I missed it. I love to write and blogging is such a good way to stay in touch with our family and friends who are scattered all over the country. So, I jumped back on the blogging bandwagon and have enjoyed writing again. I decided to leave my blog “semi-open” to other readers and as a result I have “met” many other interesting bloggers. Most of them are Christian moms with lives and values similar to my own.



I thought it would be fun to introduce to you, my faithful readers, some of these blogging friends. I won’t waste your time telling you about my “famous” blogger friends – you know, The Pioneer Woman and such, because you’ve probably already met them. And, they’re already famous and don’t need my smattering of publicity. And you can link to them from my side bar.



First, allow me to shamelessly plug my Prince Charming’s blog: Reel Fun Saltwater Fishing. He is, after all, my very best friend.





I’m sure not many of my female readers are going to be too interested in Bud's saltwater fishing reports and pictures. But, maybe some of you can use his blog as an example when your man wants to know what the big deal is about blogging. I’m sure most men will enjoy Bud’s blog much more than mine!



Next, I’d like to introduce Steph over at “For the Love of Sam”. If you’ve been reading my blog for any amount of time at all, you’re probably already familiar with Steph. She’s been my BFA&F since the first day of 9th grade. I’ve blogged about her before and wrote about her visit this past spring. She’s new to blogging but boy oh boy can she give those “famous” bloggers a run for their money. She makes me laugh like no one else can and she has a heart for God, her hubby, and her kids – all SIX of them! Steph and hubby, Sam, live the reality version of The Brady Bunch! Go visit her. You’ll like her, too!



One more introduction for today…



The web makes the world seem a little smaller. So much so that it is as if Prairie Chick over at Prairie Prologue lives just outside of my suburban community. But she doesn’t. She lives all the way up in Canada! This is a picture she posted recently of herself on her wedding day. She and her husband were married in Italy. Isn’t she beautiful? Prairie Chick is beautiful on the inside, too! I love to read about her life as a wife and mother and a lover of our Lord. Her writing is so open and real that I feel as if I’ve peaked through a window of her heart every time I read her blog. She always shares the joys in her life but never hesitates to chat about her frustrations and struggles, too. That’s not always easy to do, you know? It’s much more fun to “pretty up” the situations in our life and write a humorous post. Prairie Chick asks deep questions that make me examine my heart. She’s honest and real. I like that.



I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting some of my blogging friends. Go visit their blogs and tell them Dawn sent you. I’ll introduce you to some more of my blogging friends in future posts.

To our helpful friends...

May I tell you what fabulous friends we have? Yes, we had friends who actually did show up for the dusting party… and then some!

A huge thank you to my dear friend Anita for arriving early yesterday morning, armed and ready to help fight the dust storm that had overtaken our home. She worked tirelessly for hours to clean each and every slat on the numerous sets of plantation blinds we have. From there she moved on to dusting the bathroom, laundry room, shaking out and rehanging drapes. The words “What do you want me to do now?” flowed from her lips more times than I can count. Then, she helped me compile my shopping list of all the felt pads I needed to buy for the furniture that would now be sitting on the new hardwood floors. Ah, it’s so nice to have a companion in list-making!

Then there’s Brenda. Thank you! This sweet friend showed up with coffee both mornings during the demo phase of The Project. She even brought breakfast tacos one morning. I’d like to think it’s because she cares for me and knows how much I love a morning cup of coffee. But, deep down I know she visited those days because she truly loves the demolition. (She needs help!) But, she didn’t stop there! Knowing that our family had survived almost a week with no kitchen, eating cereal bars and fast food for meals, she and her family arrived last night with a home-cooked dinner and insisted on helping us move the heavy furniture back into their proper places. Thank you, too, Barry – I know you didn’t ask to be a part of this remodel!

Ed, you sure picked the right/wrong time to return Bud's lawn edger! We appreciate the fact that you walked in during the moving of the really big pieces and didn't turn around and walk right back out on us. Your extra muscle was a huge help with the wall unit pieces and the china cabinet!

And, last but not least, is my friend and the best next-door neighbor ever, Tammi. She was available, at the expense of her own family and schedule, to come over and babysit the workers when I needed to run out to pick up/drop off/transport the kiddos. Thank you for your willingness to always say "yes" when I need something!

“I always thank my God when I pray for you, (friend), because I (know) about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given (us) much joy and comfort, my (friend), for your kindness has often refreshed (our) hearts.” (Philemon 1:4-7 New Living Translation... Dawn's version!)

P.S. – The Completed Project pictures will be posted tomorrow! (Update: Pictures will be posted Sunday... maybe Monday... or Tuesday... we're still cleaning...)