2/365

We did it :)...breaking the habit of just grabbing something "out" is going to take a little work, but we passed up the quick thought of going out to Cook Out tonight and had omelettes, toast (on sourdough bread with blackberry preserves...homemade gifts to us!) and bacon. And it hit the spot just right! And we had it all right HERE!

Sundays are one of my favorite, favorite days. Last week we had to cancel, not because of snow but because the electricity was out. I missed it. What a blessing to fellowship with other believers. And it is so neat how the Lord brings just the right encouragement to you in just the right time. I experienced that this morning. In fact, tonight Dan challenged us with a message on evangelism and one of the points was that our speech be seasoned with grace. Yes, that applies to our relationships with lost people, but it also applies to our relationships with BELIEVERS, and I experienced that grace this morning!!!

1/365

Happy New Year!
We stayed home ALL day, ate well and just relaxed! It was a profitable day. A good day for planning :).

What was on the menu?
Breakfast at 11 a.m. with Grandma Kline:
"Happy" New Year Fruit
mini-banana muffins
Apple Pannekoeken
Bacon
Eggs

Supper:
Ribs, Black-eyed peas, collard greens and cornbread (made in a cast iron skillet of course)!

:) One of my goals this year is to eat at HOME more often (rather than eatin' out so much)! It is easier sometimes to just grab something, but my goal is to plan ahead a bit better. I have meals in the freezer (stuffed shells, spaghetti, chicken tortellini soup, chili, chicken packets, and meat loaf) ready for quick easy meals, so hopefully that will help.

Over the next couple of weeks, it's pantry/freezer clean out. i will let you know how that goes! We may have to get a little creative. On the menu for lunch tomorow is poppyseed chicken casserole. I have had sour cream in the fridge for a long time, but it wasn't growing anything...that is meal number one from the pantry project!

A few Ups and Downs for this week....

UP: I was reminded today as I was driving of how faithful my God is to me, even when I am not faithful to Him. It is no merit of my own, but Christ's work on my behalf that allows me to be His child. Just rejoicing in my Savior! That is an UP all the time!

UP: Last night Rachael and I had a recital for our piano students. It was wonderful sharing the evening with Rachael. She did most of the prep work :). And the students did a fabulous job.

Down: Fighting a cold. but there is an UP: Neti-pots are great. I also have a friend who has chronic problems. Mine are not chronic. I cannot complain!!!

UP: Tonight is the International Ministry Christmas Party. I love being a part of the ministry at UBC. God has blessed us with a wonderful church family. I am challenged and encouraged when I spend time with them.

UP: In less than a month a friend is coming to visit for a few days...all the way from Vermont.

Down: Still some Christmas shopping to finish. The UP?: most of it can be accomplished online!

thoughts on adapting...

My northern sweetheart is turing southern slowly, but surely! He always thinks at the end of the summer that cold weather and snow sound very nice. Then, he sat at the Clemson game last weekend and decided that the cold here, with the occasional snow is just about right! I'm not saying we will never go North...just saying he is content where God has us for now!
And he eats collard greens (barely), black eyed peas and cornbread for New Year's. I think I've done a pretty good job! No, actually, he has done a good job adapting to this culture. Even the football culture. He IS a CLEMSON fan, and we love Clemson. We love Ohio State too. It works out really well, in fact, to have 2 "great" teams that we love!

P.S. Dan said he would never marry a southern girl; never get married on campus at Bob Jones; and never live in the South....Moral of this story: Never say Never!

Christmas Tree Adventures

Pictures make a blog much more interesting, I realize, however our internet at home is not doing so great, and my pictures are on my home computer, so you will have to settle for words this morning!

On Monday afternoon, we took our annual trip to the Merry Christmas Tree Farm in Norris, SC. It was quite fun having almost the entire Campbell family. We miss Katie and Monroe at times like these. After walking over the entire farm, there was not a suitable white pine to be found. Tradition is that we cut our own white pine down, every year. I am not completely tied to tradition (biblically there are warnings about that, you know), but I do love the white pine.

The owner of the Merry Christmas tree farm was kind enough to tell us that the competing farm, Hilltop, did have trees, so off we went. Now, mind you, it is freezing cold, drizzling and we have 2 almost 2 year olds along for the adventure. Benton and Daniel were troopers. They had so much fun running in and out of trees, up and down hills, etc. Quite a change from last year's experience.

So, we made the trek a few miles away to Hilltop, and we found our tree. Now, the last few years we have had quite a few fun experiences. We love the big, fat trees. Last year's tree was so crooked that we had a cinder block in our living room (hidden of course) to hold it up. So, this year, we looked for the perfect tree and cut it. Daniel helped Dan drag it to the car! It is perfectly shaped, only a little on the short side. I can't wait to get it decorated. We will try to share a picture. It was a successful adventure; new memories were made, and the tree is "home for the holidays."