Sunday Devotions - Looking forward to Death

I Corinthians 2:9  ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’"  

I recently read the book, Heaven is for Real, the story of 4 year old Colton's visit to Heaven. In the book, his father Todd relates how after his son's heavenly experience he had trouble getting Colton to be safe. He tried to explain to the little boy that if he wasn't careful around the street, for example, that he could get hurt and die. Which the little boy replied joyously, "Then I could go back to heaven and see Grandpa!!!" The thought of death was exciting for Colton. It was something he looked forward to because he had already been to Heaven and he KNEW it was a WONDERFUL place! A place to look forward to going to. 


But honestly, don't we all fear death just a little bit? Not often do we hear someone wanting to speed up the time they have on earth. Shouldn't we though. I mean, Heaven is beyond what we can imagine! We can't fathom the grandeur of what God has in store for us, but we know it's going to be great. 

John 14:2-4

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the way to the place where I am going."

Revelation 21:4-8

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."  He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."  He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.  He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Have you ever heard the song There Are No Band Aids in Heaven? 

I love that song. It's just another reminder that we shouldn't fear death because by accepting Christ we have also accepting the great things he has in store for us. 

Dear Heavenly Father, Although I know You don't want us to go looking for death help us to overcome our fear and anxiety of it.  Help us, as adults, to learn to view this world and the world you have in store for us with the trust and innocence of a child. Amen. 

Footloose; the TRUE Oklahoma Inspiration.

I don't remember when I first saw the movie Footloose but I've always liked watching it. I'm not planning on seeing the remake though. Guess I'm a snob. I always wanted a pair of red cowboy boots like Ariel. I didn't realize till later that she probably wasn't the best character to dress like. 

Growing up I always heard from my dad that the movie Footloose was about my cousin Kim's high school in Oklahoma. Nah, I always thought, it must be somewhere similar. 

But last weekend we were in Oklahoma visiting Kim for an early Thanksgiving dinner (She's so organized with her Thanksgiving dinner notebook!) and after we were all stuffed with turkey and pie we couldn't do much else but sit and talk and we got Kim talking about her prom. 

In 1980 she was a sophomore in high school and the students wanted a dance but the law forbid public dancing. The laws were written back in a time to prevent dance halls, a 100 years before. So the principal and the students went before the town council to get the law changed. Kim remembers going and thinking somebody was going to get into a fistfight over it. The most opposition against dancing was the local ministers. 

The law ended up getting changed and the students were able to have their first dance and my cousin Kim got to go. They had a banquet dinner before the dance at their school. The problem was that this little Oklahoma town not being allowed to dance had made national news and the night of the prom there were all kinds of reporters outside the school. The cafeteria area where they were going to have their dinner had a wall of windows at one end that had to be blacked out with dark paper so the students could have some privacy. After their dinner the students went and changed, the dark paper was taken down and the reporters were allowed in but were kept back from the students at a respectable distance. 

Kim went on to tell us how all the students were just standing up against the walls because, "Well, we'd never had a dance and who wanted to dance in front of a bunch of reporters?" Then the junior class president and a junior girl started dancing which broke the ice and everyone else joined in. One reporter climbed halfway up a set of stairs and filmed the whole time. Another found the janitor's 8 foot ladder and set it up in the middle of the gym and shot footage down from above. Kim remembers thinking, "What's the big deal? We're just dancing."

Kim's little sister was watching tv that night when a picture of Kim came on the national nightly news. Her sister thought for sure Kim was going to hell because there she was dancing....without any shoes on!! Kim even made the front page of the Chicago Tribune without shoes on...heaven forbid! (I'd sure love to see that photo.)

Now even I wasn't sure just how much of Footloose was inspired by my cousin's school until Mountain Man showed me one of the special features on the Footloose Collector's Edition. And there is footage of the little town we were just a stone's throw from and my cousin Kim getting interviewed all about her prom in 1980. 

The inspiration for Footloose. What an interesting high school memory that must be? 

Thanks for sharing your story Kim! 

Foody Friday - Golden Breaded Pork Tenderloins

A while back I won the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook Fast Fix Meals  from my friend Lana over at Walking the off-beaten path. It has a great bunch of simple recipes and this one has quickly become a favorite in our house! 

Golden Breaded Pork Chops

1/2 c. dry bread crumbs

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. dried oregano

1 t. dried marjoram (I didn't have this; substituted sage. yum)

2 eggs, beaten

5 or 6 pork chops

1/2 c. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and herbs in a shallow bowl; set aside. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Dip pork chops into egg, then into crumb mixture. Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium low heat. Cook chops for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sides of your choice...fried potatoes and green beans! 

These were so good. I'm really glad I used sage instead of marjoram, it added a great flavor! And 6 chops will feed our family for two nights...this recipe is a keeper! 

The Wheelbarrow

I love my mom. (duh)


But I'm especially thankful for her sending me this photo. I was complaining on Facebook the other day how homesick I was for Indiana leaves so she stepped out the back door and snapped this to send me. 


At least she wasn't as cruel as to box up fall leaves and actually send them to me. Mom did that to Mountain Man a couple years ago. That sure didn't help his homesickness!


Although I love the leaves I was happy to see the wheelbarrow. This belonged to Grandpa, I don't know how old it is, and I grew up hauling load after load of wood from the barnyard to the house for our wood burning stove. In the summer it wasn't stored away. No, this was the most comfortable lawn chair we had. It reclines at the perfect angle with the handles as feet rests. 


What you see here is actually the second wheelbarrow. When I was growing up the wood was rotting and falling apart and when my younger brother was a teenager he replaced all the wood parts and kept the metal fixtures. It's still great. 


Too bad I can't steal it and haul it back to Kansas with me. 
I could use a really comfortable chair on my front porch. 

Oklahoma Thanksgiving

Other than my brother I have family who have lived in southern Oklahoma for over thirty years. And although, growing up, I didn't spend a lot of time with this side of the family we still keep in touch and visit whenever possible.

My cousin Kim called a couple weeks ago and said they were planning a Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend since that was the only Saturday my brother and her son both had off work. So in a whirlwind, we drove down for dinner.

I love family dinners because although I only brought mashed potatoes it was a feast of wonderful food that I didn't have to cook!

Family dinners crack me up because, like every family, there are always a few characters that make you smile! 

Like this wonderful guy Jake. He is a wonderful guy but he annoys me to no end! Mostly because he runs and hides when ever I try to take his picture! 

Goal for 2012: Get a good picture of Jake! 

This wonderful smiling little buddy is David. I love David because he is a camera hog! Ha, everytime I come around he'll gladly pose for me. He was especially proud that we were able to get a pic of him jumping off the swing. 

Now my boys and David and his little brother Charlie love spending time with one another. On Friday in fact, while we were driving, David convinced his teacher that he had to call home and MAKE SURE he hadn't missed my boys arrival! Ha, what a wonderful teacher he must have. 

Although it was a fast trip and I was sick and exhausted the whole time it was worth it. I got to see a family and friends I don't remember seeing since I was in elementary school. 

I don't think I could ever get tired of family dinners! 

Visiting Mountain Man and TREES!!!!

Over the weekend we traveled 5 hours to southern Oklahoma to visit my brother Mountain Man who moved there over the summer.



What a wonderful view he has from his back door!! 
His landlord runs cattle on a 100 acres behind the house. 

I have missed trees so much that being in Southern Oklahoma reminded DR and I a lot of Southern Indiana. Although Indiana trees are bigger than Oklahoma trees. 

There was a big fallen down tree in the pasture that Yip and Yap spent A LOT of time playing on! You wouldn't believe how filthy they got playing on it! I loved it! I love when my kids get so dirty playing; I honestly believe it's healthy for kids. 

"What's this Uncle Mountain Man?"

"That's raccoon poop boy!" 

Ah, a wilderness education! 

I've heard people call Oklahoma "God's Country" and it sure seemed that wonderful this weekend. 

I have to admit I'm pretty jealous that Mountain Man gets to live in such a beautiful place but I'm sure happy he's my brother so I can come visit him! 

Foody Friday - Traditional Peanut Butter Pie

Oh. My. Goodness.

I have just gained five pounds just LOOKING at this pie. 

I'm not telling how much of this delectable pie I actually ATE! 

An embarrassing amount though.

Peanut Butter is one of my favorite foods. 

I think it deserves its own food group...right next to chocolate. 

I found this deliciously sinful pie recipe in A Foxfire Christmas. 

Are you familiar with the Foxfire Books? It's a great story of a teacher, his students and the people of the Appalachian mountains.

 Got a minute? Check it out!! 

But back to the pie.

Grandma's Traditional Pie from Emma Sue Carver

My grandmother has been making this pie every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas for as long as I can remember. She is the only one in my family or anywhere that makes it as good as she does. I got this recipe from one of her recipe cards, but I had to get her to translate if for me because she had written it down so only she could read it. So here is how she told me to make it: 

Combine 2/3 c. sugar, 2T flour, 1T cornstarch, and 1/4 t. salt in a heavy, deep saucepan. Gradually add 2 1/2 c. milk to the mixture; cook on medium heat, stirring constantly. then, beat in 3 egg yolks; add to remaining hot mixture, stirring constantly. (About 10 minutes) Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from stove, and add 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and 1/2 t. of vanilla extract. Stir until peanut butter melts. Add 1/2 c. chocolate chips. Then pour mixture into a baked store-bought or homemade pie crust, let it set out at room temperature for 30 minutes, and gently swirl the top of the pie with a knife to give it a "swirling water look." Then it is ready to eat. But don't eat it all in one sitting.

I was VERY tempted to eat it all in one sitting! It is so creamy and yummy! And I'm sure very fattening...ah, who cares! Bring on the pie!! 

Combine 2/3 c.