~All things work together for good...~

~Sometimes bad things can be "blessings in disguise." =)  Since my purse got stolen Phillip let me buy a new one.  (I would have rather still had my other purse and this one too...but I'm glad for my new one. =)
Isn't she a beauty? =)~

~With Christmas coming up...How fun it will be to carry my new red purse with the off-white stitching on the front. =)~

~Here is a picture of some beautiful flowers that my sweetheart bought me the other day...just because. Since I wasn't feeling well a couple days this week, these flowers were beside my bed... cheering me up. =)~

On a more serious note...please pray for 2 requests!
~Phillip is to visit our 2 churches again one more time before we leave for Argentina.  He plans to teach and preach for several days.  Please pray that God will help and protect him and the kids and I here. =)
~Our owner came by the other night and asked Phillip if we wanted to BUY the house where we are living...for THEY WANT TO SELL IT!  HELP!!!  (Before we moved in just 7 months ago...Bro. Jimmy made him assure us that we could live here for a long time...maybe he has a short term memory???!)  Thankfully we have a contract until next Feb., but we are supposed to come back from Argentina in March and I have NO DESIRE to pack up and move then either.  (For we plan to have a couple guests come here to teach classes that month too, Lord willing.)   Please help me pray that they will post-pone the selling of this house for a LONG time! We are very happy here.  This didn't take Jesus by surprise and I know He'll work out what is best!  Thank you for your prayers!

~Fun Food Friday...French bread dough ideas~

~A Happy Fall afternoon to you.  In the last few days I have been...jogging/brisk walking in the mornings with my family, answering my kids' questions...like the one Elijah asked me yesterday.
"Mommy, Did Jesus Wear Jammies?" =D, ...
having a battle with our internet, nearly finished scrapbooking my last 30 pages...and lots of other things that keep a wife/Mommy of 5 busy. =)
But, Thank the Lord... it looks like things are doing better with our internet now.  You can't imagine how FAR AWAY all of y'all seem when I can't check my email, update my blog, read your comments, etc.
One morning when we were out jogging, I came upon this bush that had these fall looking berries on it...and was DELIGHTED to bring 3 branches home with me. =)~

 ~Thank you for all your sweet comments on my Scrapbook pages!~

 ~I put the fun pic of Elijah and I in a frame on the shelf in the hallway, and added some fall touches around it.~

 ~The pic of Noah and I is on the shelf above it. =)~

 ~I placed some beans in the bottom of this container and added my fun fall berries and put this on top of the book shelf in the hall.~

 ~Several years ago, I posted my French bread recipe on my blog.  If you don't have it and want it, you can click on the words below, "My French Bread recipe" and it will take you to the link with the recipe. =) 

My French Bread recipe
(I think You could use frozen bread dough with these recipe ideas too.)

Last week, I decided to try some new things with my French bread.  One thing I love about my recipe, is that it makes 4 loaves.  

With one section...I rolled out my dough, and spread strawberry or blackberry jam down the middle.  Then I took my pizza cutter and cut slices on each side into the dough all the way to the jam. Then I "braided it" by pulling up each side at an angle to the middle.  Let it rise, baked it, then made a powdered sugar glaze of milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar, and drizzled it on top.  Viola!  I had a fun "Coffee Cake" or "Breakfast braid"  for our breakfast and we all enjoyed it.  (I baked it the night before, and did NOT glaze it, then warmed it in the oven, and put the glaze on right before breakfast.) We liked it because it wasn't too icky sweet...just the right mixture. =)~

 ~With another section of my French bread dough, I used my sisters' idea and buttered it and added finely diced onion, Italian seasoning, minced garlic and cheese. Rolled it up jelly roll style, tuck ends under.  I brushed the outside with egg white/ water, let it rise, and baked it.  It was a hit!~

 ~My finished and glazed Breakfast braid.~

 ~Another section I made into Dipping bread: After first rise, roll dough flat in a square or rectangular pizza pan (or cookie sheet). Brush with olive oil and sprinkle garlic, salt, or other herbs as desired. Bake in 375-degree oven for 15 minutes. Cut into thin rectangular pieces. Dip in prepared spaghetti sauce, Ranch dressing, olive oil with garlic and balsamic vineger, etc.~
And as always...ENJOY!

~Does Anyone Scrapbook Anymore?~

Before we left to go back to the US to have baby Mary in Aug. 2010...I was caught up scrapbooking all of our pics through Aug. 2009. About a month ago, I made some blog books of my blog and thus finished 2009 and some of 2010.  I then decided to scrapbook some, for I wanted to have some scrapbooks with baby Mary in them like I do our other children.  I love the rewarding feeling that comes from seeing my scrapbooks being enjoyed by my family and friends...both now...and for Years to come (Lord willing.)  =)
Early this year my friend Marisol had asked me if I was going to scrapbook again, for she loves to look at my finished products.
~ Last night my girls and I met Marisol and we enjoyed some treats from Dunkin' Donuts and looked at my scrapbooks.    =)~

 ~We had a fun Lady's night out!~

 

~The Lord has really helped me and in the last month I have scrapbooked 168 pages.  Since I cannot have each one of you over for a homemade fall treat, something hot to drink and show you my scrapbooks...I decided to post some of my favorite pages on my blog. =)

(Sorry some of these got out of order.)~

~Starting School year 2010 at Mrs. Phyllis's house in Goshen, OH...right before Mary was born.~

~An adorable Elijah in the kids little red wagon.  I love his toesies all curled up in the top pic.~

~Our first glimpse of Baby Mary...that is when she began to wrap her Daddy and Mommy right around her little finger.=) (I love the stickers on this page. I wrote Mary's stats on the tiny wrist band sticker. =)~

~The beautiful fall day that baby Mary was born. (The pic of the trees is our fun view from our hospital window.)~

~Heading to the hospital to meet/have our new little Mary. (The pic on the top right was a couple nights before Mary was born...I took Kimberly out for a Mommy/Daughter time at Starbucks!)~

~Mary being loved by our family.~

~A Precious Mary in her Daddy's hands. The stickers at the top of the page say: Introducing...Baby...Mary Grace.~

~Mommy and Baby Mary.~

~Some cute pics that Will Wegener snapped of Mary.~

~Our first Sunday.  My sister Laura and her family came to see Mary.~

~Heading home from the Hospital with baby Mary.~

~Our kids feet.~

~Our family picture that Janie E. took for our prayer card.~

~Some cute pics that Janie E. took of Mary when she was 11 days old.~

~Baby Mary's dedication.  (She was 2 months.)~

~Christmas Pics that the kids helped me to take of Baby Mary.~

~Pics of baby Mary and Elijah that I took.~

~Pics of us working on our USA house.~

~Fall treats we made for treats at our CNC church.~

~Pics of our kids while we were working on our house.~

~Our USA Open House.  Our Living Room.~

~The desserts at our open house, and our antique gas stove and Ice Box in our dinning room.~

~Sarah really enjoyed going to Abby E's birthday party.  They got to go to P.F. Changs, and Star bucks.   Sarah came home bubbling over from her "Ladies Day out!" =D ~

~More US house pics. Our bathroom.~

~Our Master bedroom.~

~Mary's nursery.~

~Fun pics of the kids that Will took.~

~Edgar and Joanna.  Note the ADORABLE pink baby Shower invitation that Joanna made and passed out (in the right hand corner of this page.) It's a baby with a passy in her mouth.  The invitation can be pulled out from behind the baby's head.)~

I have about 30 more pages to do and I'll be done scrapbooking Aug. 2010 through Sep. 2011!  YEA! I'm trying to get done fast...for I need to start organizing and packing what we are going to take to Arg. on Oct. 19th.  We each are allowed only ONE suitcase and a carry-on.  Please pray as we try to get all the things we need for 7 of us for 4 and 1/2 months...in those suitcases!
I plan to post a few more scrapbooking pages soon. =)  Thank you for looking through my scrapbooks with me. =)

~We had a good Lord's day~

Jesus gave us a really good service this morning.  Bro. Jimmy preached on how David was kind to Mephibosheth for Jonathan's sake... and applied it to how God for Jesus sake was kind to us.  It was a precious message.  Afterwards...
~Bro. Jimmy's nephew David turned 3...and we got invited to his birthday dinner! =)

~Daniella, (a precious girl from the school in Paraiso), Sarah, and Gaby.  (Please pray for little Daniella she's only 11 and carries the weight of the world on her shoulders.)~

~Kimberly and Nataly~

~Here are little David's parents John and Judy (and Gaby).  They were giving us some yummy chocolates for "Friend Day".~

~Nataly with her little cousin Stephanie...David's baby sister.~

~We had a great time together.~

~They fed us a yummy meal, snacks, cakes, drinks, etc.  We could hardly walk home we were so full. =)~

~Little David with his cakes and table.~

~Baby Mary and Bro. Jimmy.
Our children love Bro. Jimmy, and Sis. Farly and their kids.  The other day Elijah said with MUCH FEELING,
"Mommy, I L-O-V-E Jimmy and Farly."   Then he went on to say, ....
"I LIKE Noah and you and Daddy too!" =)~

~They gave Phillip the honor of praying for little David.~

~We were singing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish to little David.  He got embarrassed and covered his eyes.  Note...Elijah "playing the guitar" while we sang. =) We had a delightful afternoon.  How we are going to MISS our Colombian friends when we go to Argentina soon.~