I Remember, Again

This week is going to be crazy busy for me and seeing as I will be out of pocket Monday and Tuesday I thought today we would look back and do a little reminiscing. 

This is a week we are all conscious of our blessings, which requires us to ponder the past and appreciate our present.

Here is a post titled 'I Remember' from last year I wrote and I feel it is fitting for this week because it is a great thought provoker, or should I say Thanks provoker.

Hope it blesses you...

My kids will attest that I am borderline OCD when it comes to taking pictures. Whenever you see me, you can rest assured I have my camera with me, which has allowed me to capture some really great moments that would otherwise only be a memory. And I don’t know about you, but my camera works much better than my memory.

I was looking at all the pictures I have stored on my computer last night and remembering some really great times God has blessed me with: pictures of my family on vacations, my kids sporting events, Christmas, birthdays and so much more.

Have you ever thought about the fact our pictures for us are like the altars in the Old Testament? Me neither. It is true though. Pictures are memorials of important times in our lives.

If you look through the Old Testament you will see where God’s people built altars to mark their own moments in time. Times when God delivered, or provided, or spoke peace to troubled lives. They serve as touch stones of remembrance.

Sometimes I wish we still built altars. I am very sentimental and objects like pictures or altars help us remember. All too often we have the tendency to get caught up in the routine of everyday life and forget all the times God has been faithful to His people not just thousands of years ago, but today as well.

I wonder… Did Peter ever row out to the spot where he walked on the water and relive that day?

Did Zacchaeus ever take his grandkids and climb the tree and say, “This is the exact spot I saw the Master for the first time!”?

Did Abraham and Isaac ever go back to Mount Moriah and rejoice once more for the ram caught in the thicket?

Did Moses ever go back to the desert where he saw the burning bush, take off his sandals and say, “Thank you God for still using messed up me?”

Oh, it is so good to remember. We need to remember. It is like breathing in the moment all over again.

We do not have altars we walk by every day serving as reminders. So just for today… for this very moment… let’s build an altar in our hearts and minds and remember God’s faithfulness and simply say once more… “Thank you God. I remember.”

Lord,

Today I stop and remember and say thank you again for my salvation. Thank you for setting me free from the bondage of fear. Thank you for protecting my marriage, for always guiding my steps. Thank you for healing my son of a paralyzing disease. Thank you for giving me courage to do the things I thought I never could. Where would I be today without you, only you know. Father, I just simply and purely want to stop, remember and say thanks.

Your daughter,

Mom's Cornbread Dressing

I just remembered that NEXT Thursday is Thanksgiving. Where oh where has this year gone?

If you are like me you are already planning out your menu and trips to the grocery store.

Yesterday I said this post was going to be 'spiritual' but seeing that the greatest day of feasting is on the brink of commencing, I thought I would change today's My Fav Friday to help a few sista friends out.

EVERYBODY loves good ole Southern Homemade Cornbread Dressing on Thanksgiving, but most of us are unaware of how to actually go about making it.  So, I wanted to give you my mom's recipe (Because her's is the best I ev-ah had!  Martha Stewart move o-va!)

First make your cornbread.

2 cups self-rising corn meal mix
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup oil or melted shortening

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Grease 9" oven proof skillet or 9" square pan; place in oven to heat.  In large bowl, combine all ingredients, mix well.  Pour into hot greased pan.  Bake at 450 for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Dressing Recipe:

1 recipe cornbread (above), crumbled (approximately 6 cups)
3 eggs, boiled and chopped
1 1/2 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
1 1/2 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 to 7 cups turkey or chicken stock

Cook celery and onion in some of the canned chicken stock until tender, approximately 20 minutes, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In large bowl, mix cornbread, eggs, and the cooked celery and onion mixture.  Add the seasoning and mix well.  Add stock one cup at time until you get a juicy consistency.  Place in a 13X9X2 baking pan and bake for approximately 30-45 minutes, until nice and brown.

I do hope you will try this.  Ya know, it does not even have to be Thanksgiving to enjoy it. (I am 'thankful' for that!)

I would love for you to share with us your fav dish for this special Holiday!  Click comment and type away. 

Sistas helping Sistas, "It's a good thing."

Hope ya'll have a great Friday!! 

My Night of Two Firsts

What a cool and amazing evening the hubbs and I had last night.

It was filled with two Firsts for me.  My first 'First' was seeing Tim Tebow.  And not only did I see him, I got to see him do his thang on the practice field.  So I guess that qualifies as two first 'Firsts.'  Anyway, here is the pic I 'snapped' (pun intended) through the fence on my cellular device.

Yea, it was through a fence, but who cares.  It was neat to watch a few minutes of practice, even though we were not allowed.  Who knew.  Well we did after this nice young man informed us this was a closed practice and we needed to move on.

So we moved on and finished our walk over to the O'Connel Center to see my second 'First', Gator Basketball.

I guess church isn't the only place people will not come early to.  Did I just write that out loud?  Sorry. Also there was a double negative in that sentence.  Sorry again to all my English majors.

                                              

Oh My Goodness, this was the most AH-mazing $6 frozen yogurt I have ever tasted.  Yes, I only tasted.  Not because the greatest hubby in the world would not share more, if you remember from a few post back, I have a 'lil, or should I say 'heavy', issue. 

There is something about going to your yearly doctors appt (fun, fun) and stepping on the scale and that nasty thing telling you you have gained 20lbs from last year.  TWENTY I say.  So we, AHEM, I mean I have been working on that. 

At some point in the night you can expect to have a need to use the ladies room.  I wonder if my CCA gals will agree this is definitely the soap dispensers we need in the restroom of our new church.  How many should I order?

Albert and I

Note to self, Take your good camera to the next Gator sporting event.  iPhones are great but Nikons are greater in the pic dept.

I know this posting was not very 'spritiual' (well, unless you are a rabid Gator fan, then it fo sho was spiritual).  Tomorrow on My Fav Friday I am going to share another first with you.  This one is spiritual.

Love you guys and love the Gator Nation!!

Now I'm off to do a 'lil cleaning in the Johns Nation. 

See ya back here tomorrow,