Hungry?

Breakfasts:

• French Toast (make sure you grease the pan or it will burn....how do you think I know!)
• Omlettes
• Cold Cereal
• Scrambled Eggs
• Rice tortilla Wraps
• Broccoli Casserole
• Fluff Pankcakes (like popovers....delicious with fruit sauce!!!)
• Muffins
• Chunky Potatoes with creole seasoning
• Hash Browns and Eggs
• Pancakes
• Cinnamon Rolls
• Noodles....can use Raman Noodles and add fresh or frozen vegetables
• Toast and fried eggs
• Mixed Fruit
• Potato Pancakes & Sausage

Lunches:

• BLT's make a really nice and filling lunch
• I like to make enough supper that I can use the leftovers for lunch the next day
• One of my personal favorites is a bowl of granola in cold milk

Suppers:

• Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes
• Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Fruit Salad
• Broccoli Soup, French Bread
• Homemade Rolls, Corn on the Cobb, Stew
• Fried Fish, Rice, Salad
• Egg Curry & Chapati (look up Indian recipies online)
• Taco Hotdish, Strawberry Shakes
• Chili & Cornbread
• Stir Fries and rice or noodles
• Tereaki Chicken and vegetable rice
• Shish-Kababs (if you don't have a grill, just put them in the oven on broil for about 15 minutes)
• BLTs, Home-made tomatoe soup, fried Zucchini

On Prayer

We have a plaque hanging on our wall that states : "Prayer Changes Things." Prayer is important. Prayer is critical. And prayer is a blessing and that plaque is a good daily reminder to me to make time to pray. But I also need to remember that it isn't the fact that I'M praying that changes things, but GOD behind the prayer. It is GOD who changes things, God's power that makes the impossible possible. Here are some helpful verses about prayer:

• God Hears Us When We Pray
  Jeremiah 33:3
  Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
  
  Psalm 4:3b The Lord listens when I call to Him.
  
• As a Christian We Are Called to Pray
  Colossians 4:2
  Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
  
  Philippians 4:6
  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
  
  1 Thessalonians 5:17
  Pray without ceasing.
  
  Ephesians 6:18-20
  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel…pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.

• Reasons to Pray
  Matthew 26:41
  Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
  
  Proverbs 3:16
  Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
  
  Colossians 3:17
  Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord giving thanks to God the Father through him.
  
  Hebrews 4:16
  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
  
  James 1:5
  But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who give to all men generously and without reproach, and it shall be given him.
  
  
• What to Pray For
  Philippians 1:9-11
  And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.
  
  Ephesians 3:17-19
  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saint, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
  
  Ephesians 1:18-19
  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
  
  Psalm 19:14
  May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer.
  
  Colossians 1:9-12
  For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying about you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
  
• How to Pray
  ~ Intelligently
  Ecclesiasties 5:2
  Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
  
  ~ Sincerely
  Matthew 7:7-8
  Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
  
  ~Confidently
  Hebrews 4:16
  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
  
  ~ Humbly
  Isaiah 59:1-2
  Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
  
  ~ Always
  1 Thessalonians 5:17
  Pray without ceasing.
  
  ~Faithfully
  Romans 12:12
  Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer. (NAS)
  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (NIV)
  
  ~ Thankfully
  Philippians 4:6
  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Actual Newspaper Headlines

Dentist receives plaque
Girl becomes Methodist after delicate operation
Cemetary allows people to be buried by their pets
Local high school dropouts cut in half
Father of nine fined $100 for failing to stop
Kids make nutritious snacks
Hospital sued by seven foot doctors
Obesity study looks for larger test group

(Taken from "Who put my life on fast-forward?" Phil Callaway)

Travel Tips

• Save space in your suitcase by stuffing boots and shoes with socks and small items.
• Organize the small items in your suitcase with a small shoe box.
• Bring an extra pillowcase for your dirty laundry, and an extra plastic grochery bag.
• Pack dryer sheets in your suitcase and in your dirty laundry bag to keep down the smell.
• Baby powder absorbs sweat on you when there is no time for a shower.
• On tent camping trips, you can pack you clothes and pillow in a gallon tote or tub. It keeps stuff from getting wet.
• Bring a hat, extra pair of socks, and mittens when tent camping in the fall.
• Bring an extra pair of flip-flops for use in the shower

Emily's Camping Essentials

• Flashlight
• Sleeping Bag w/ sheet liner
• Stocking cap and wool socks
• Hand sanitizer
• Paper towels
• Kleenex
• Marshmallows, chocolate, and grahm crackers
• Extra pair of shoes
• Fingernail clippers
• Clothspins and line
• Plates, cups, silverware
• Dish rag, drying towel
• Beef stew
• Can opener
• Plastic bags
• Pillow
• Brush/conditioner/shampoo/soap
• Tent
• Camping Chair
• Warm Jacket
• Gloves
• Gum
• Water bottle
• Good book
• Extra pencil
• Uno
• Raincoat
• Sunblock
• Towels (2)

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday morning I woke up to a bad smell in the hallway. At first I thought it was the garbage, but we had just taken it out. So then I thought it was the can itself, but it was clean. I thought perhaps it was coming from the apartment next to us, but that didn't seem plausable either. I set out an air freshener and hoped it would go away while I made breakfast.
It didn't.
So then, I played "Investigator." I started in the kitchen, sniffing my way toward the smell. It led me into the hallway (which I had already known but ah well) and then close to the bathroom. "Ah ha," I thought, "it's here! But much to my chagrin, as I moved into the bathroom doorway the smell grew fainter. Turning around mystified, I stood in the hall, wondering if there was possibly something in the wall. I had ruled out the laundry room before, seeing as how it was just a pile of ironing to do and a waste basket filled with lint. But now as I stood in the doorway between the bathroom and the laundry room, it seemed my only choice. Much to my surprise, the smell grew stronger as I walked into the room! Puzzled, I wandered past the irnoning basket, past the wastebasket and then stopped embarrasedly in front of the washing machine. Slowly opening up the lid, I knew what I would find.....yup, there it was.....the wet smelly laundry that I had forgotten since yesterday morning to throw in the dryer! Whew, it smelled mighty musty! So, I set it on another wash cycle, determined not to make the same mistake again, I stayed around until it finished and quickly tossed it in the dryer before heading out to work.
Now I'm just hoping I remember to take it out of the dryer before next laundry day!

Unwelcome Vistors

It seems this summer, that the neighborhood insects have taken a liking to my house. It's a good thing I like bugs (or at least am not screamy) but I've definitely had my fill! I've found out that spiders think my front bay windows are the real "treat!" I've opened the shades quite a few times now to the soft, glistening of a new web. I'm afraid that the spider's home has become "fast food service" in the sense, they'd better catch their food fast because their web doesn't last very long! So now, my morning routine is sweeping my windows and front ceiling.

Last weekend I had to take drastic measures in my kitchen. I have a family (a quite large and extended family I'm sure with many cousins and aunts and uncles) of black ants that have made a trail through my kitchen. It's very handy for them that their vacationing takes them right past my cupboards and fridge but rather startling for me as I'm standing doing dishes! I read once that a way to repel ants is to sprinkle around some black peper. So, guess what my kitchen looked like for a day or so! *laugh* But it worked! (amidst all the sneezing!) It's a temorary fix at least until I can find a better way.

This morning I had a third visitor. (One to which I wasn't so hospitable!) I went to pick up my carry-all bag from the porch so I could take my books and papers to work but when I looked inside I had quite a surprise! There, staring calmly up at me (I'm not sure that he even registered I was there), was a large 1 inch, fat cricket! I wasn't quite as calm and quickly shook him outside, wondering what else could be awaiting me!

So now, I guess, I am the official Bug Remover. I even had a chance to practice my new trade at the office, when on seperate occasions a cricket and a grasshopper decided to hitchike on the back of our receptionist!

Here's a list of ways to keep Ant Infestation Down:

• Getting rid of ants in your house:
• Do the dishes regularly.
• Wipe down your kitchen counters with bleach water every night.
• Clean your room and pick up food wrappers.
• Seal door sills, window sills, and mend broken screens.
• Mop floors with bleach regularly.
• Put food and leftovers (especially sweets) in proper containers.
  Take out the trash as often as possible