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HappyChristian

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Everything posted by HappyChristian

  1. I LOVE steak sauce on my PCS...really perks it up (we also use mayo on a sandwich - yum!)
  2. I've seen a recipe for the philly cheesesteak casserole that uses ground beef. We love the sandwiches, so I've considered making it - using the ground beef would be a bit cheaper than getting the shaved steak. How did your wife make hers? We had ravioli lasagna yesterday. Easy fix - I mixed some ground beef and cottage cheese with the sauce, and then layered (frozen) cheese-filled ravioli and the sauce, and cheese. Put it on low to cook during church and it was ready to perfection by the time we got home. Added some salad, corn, broccoli, and garlic bread. Voila - tasty, easy dinner! There is a bit of ravioli left, so we'll probably use that as a base for tonight's supper and just clean up any leftovers of stuff.
  3. No, I haven't had the opportunity to visit yet. Hubs did when we were talking/praying about going. He loved it and, if it weren't for me and our son being here in the states, didn't want to come back. lol. Our church took on a missionary-to-Ireland family last year. We've known the young man since just after his birth and the young lady served in ministry with us for quite a while. My hope is that we can visit over there some time. Northern Ireland is the stomping ground of much of my roots. As I mentioned, I am of Devlin descent...look up the name Bernadette Devlin and you'll see some of my very-distant family. ??? We, too, have many interesting and fascinating ancestors. My favorite is George Washington. ? Of course, he had no children, but we are related to him via his mom's cousin (therefore his, duh) Moses Ball. While we were living in IN, I met another woman who was also related to him via Moses. Cool beans. I think you would enjoy the book I mentioned. It really has some fascinating information. Thomas Cahill is the author.
  4. Which is why, on our potluck days, we don't have dessert until after the last service. People save room, and don't get the zzz feeling from the sugar. As to that, folks need to be responsible and not eat so much they'll get sleepy. ?
  5. I never said otherwise. But it is a truth that hungry people don't learn as well, so there's that, too.
  6. We attended a church for a time that had lunch potluck each Sunday. But they did this because they were without a pastor, so their guest preacher would teach/preach Sunday School and the morning service, we'd eat lunch, and then have the afternoon service. That way the visiting preacher could get home in a timely manner (one of them came from several hours away, the others 1-2 hours). We liked it because we traveled almost 40 minutes one way, and had to cross the Hood Canal Bridge both times...the bridge opens at times which can cause a very long waiting time. One Sunday morning, we were unable to get to church because the bridge shut down and didn't reopen. Our current church was in the same circumstance when we began attending. No pastor, and a rotation of three different men preaching for the morning service. The members of the church had decided at the beginning of the circuit to bring lunch so that the speakers and their families could eat. There was no afternoon service; evening service was just the members. It was nice for a while, but then when my hubs became pastor, there were issues that arose...so he did away with the meal and went to just snacks. That had its own issues, and was done away with when Covid hit. He did institute our first Sunday potluck, which we still do. We have an afternoon service (at which my son teaches) and no evening service. It makes for a bit of different and we all enjoy it. I think if a church wants to have a meal together every week, that's their choice. I do know of a few churches that have a meal each Sunday. IMO, it's no biggie - in fact, meal time is a very good time to fellowship together. Something we all need.
  7. Maybe you could look into some keto muffins. When my hubs was eating keto (wish he still was - he was getting healthy then!), I made several different kinds of muffins. One that my son really liked was a cherry muffin, using sugar free jello. The "flour" was almond flour - simply finely ground almonds. It doesn't act exactly like wheat flour, but it does hold together. Between the almond flour and the gelatin in the sugar free jello, there was a lot of protein. The muffins do all take eggs, but you can't taste them. If you were concerned about the artificial sweetener in the jello, you could use plain gelatin and flavor it with whatever you wanted. And they freeze well. There are a number of other recipes you could give a try as well. I made my hubs apple cake using the almond flour. Protein and fruit (it also had nuts on top). You could also fix sausage/cheese biscuits (regular biscuits). They could be frozen and popped into the microwave when you were ready to eat them. And no egg necessary. If you like cottage cheese, you could go that route - I've eaten cottage cheese, fruit, and toast for breakfast before. It's really pretty tasty and filling. Mom likes pineapple with her cottage cheese, which I do as well. But I actually prefer it with tomato (so I can salt and pepper it). Not something you would fix in advance, but something that would be easy to throw together quickly. If you like Mexican food, you could fix up some breakfast burritos using taco fixings instead of eggs. They would freeze well. My son likes Spam (ugh!). Sliced thin and fried. He likes the whole can fried up so he can just grab a few slices whenever he wants. Back to the keto idea, there is keto pancake and waffle mix, again using nut flour so quite full of protein. You could cook up a bunch of pancakes and/or waffles and freeze them. They could be zapped in the microwave or put in the toaster. Mom has been on an English muffin kick for a while. She eats one every morning - slathered with cream cheese. Something like that would be quick to fix, and if you fried up a pound of bacon or sausage in advance, you could add that so you have a bit more protein. Hope you find some things that will work for you. I know how it is to get tired of eggs. Myself, I enjoy a cup of instant oatmeal or instant cream of wheat and a slice of toast most mornings. Not much protein, though.
  8. Both my husband and I have a good dose of Irish. My husband is actually descended from High King O'Neill. One of my lines of Irish ancestry is the Devlins (my great-grandfather Devlin came to America as a young boy during the potato famine). There is a mishmash of other lineage - Scottish, English, Welsh, German, American Indian My hubs got the anglo Irish look - blonde and blue eyes, while I have the black Irish look - dark hair and green eyes. Our son got the red hair and blue eyes that is so Celtic (of course, the fact that I prayed for a red-haired, blue-eyed boy had nothing to do with it, right? heehee). A fun note is that Scottish heritage is actually Irish...the word Scotus, which is from which Scots came, literally means Irish. So by saying a person has Scotch-Irish lineage (which I do - MacPheters) one is literally saying they have Irish-Irish lineage. =D That is the reason that the Scotch language is just called Gaelic, while the Irish language is Irish Gaelic. A fascinating read is How the Irish Saved Civilization. There is some language in it that is not good, but that, sadly, is the Irish way. Once upon a time we had thought God was calling us to Ireland as missionaries. I began studying the Irish language, as languages have always fascinated me, and the history. I did learn some things about how to pronounce words, but not necessarily their meanings. My favorite is Dia Dhuit: pronounced Jee-uh Gwitch. That means good day. Add "er mawjin" (spelled phonetically) and it means good morning. As to the words you posted, @BrotherTony, I did not know what they were so had to look them up (even though I've heard the song...). I did know that Chriost was Christ, and that Thiarna had something to do with the Godhead.
  9. Totoo! I've been wondering how things were going with you. So happy to hear about your trusting in Christ. Praying for you.
  10. We did. Seems like so long ago now. I'm ready to go on another one. ?
  11. I don't know why you tagged me particularly, but I'll answer...I think it would be ridiculous. I've never in all my life heard of an equivalency between men's ties and women's earrings, so the comparison doesn't work for me. That said, I don't agree with having neckties at the door to give to men who aren't wearing them. I have no issue with having extra ties available if a man needs one, but not as a requirement for everyone.
  12. THAT's gonna be a beautiful trip! I didn't realize you were that close! Cool beans!
  13. A former UK general who was in Afghanistan came out and said Biden should be court-martialed.
  14. I fixed baked chicken, broccoli, and rice with cheese sauce.
  15. I'm pretty pleased with how the pictures came out. We got a camera just before our trip, so were learning as we went. If you guys do make it out here, for sure we'd love to see you!
  16. For our 35th, Randy and I took a trip around the WA 101 Loop (which goes in a circle/loop around the Peninsula, as well as all the way down to CA...we only did the loop). I thought I'd share a few photos. First, the pie - we stopped at the Blackberry Cafe for lunch. It's almost an hour from our house, but hubs wanted to try it out. The food was ok, and the pie was tasty. Randy had Himalayan Blackberry and I had Marionberry/Strawberry. We both had swirled blackberry/vanilla ice cream. Second photo is of some trees in the Hoh Rainforest. I love trees, and I took a slew of pictures. But these branches fascinate me - I like the moss. The 3 bears were enjoying tea as we left the rainforest. The lake is Lake Crescent. Huge body of water. The last two pictures are Ruby Beach. Absolutely beautiful place. We walked down a long trail and got to walk all over the beach. The sound of surf...loved it! We then went on to Ocean Shores and visited the massive beach there - water and sand all you can see (other than the horses being rented out...neither of us ride anymore, but it would have been nice). Then we headed east to Lacey, which is a suburb of Olympia, our capital. We spent Wednesday night there and found a great church to attend. We enjoyed the message from the visiting church planter and then fellowshipped with the pastor and his wife after the service. This morning we headed home. A lot of driving, but it was an enjoyable trip. Sol Duc River Video 003.mp4
  17. Yes, WI is one of those humid places, too! I've personally not been there, but folks I know who have have told me about it. We lived in NW IN, right on the tip of Lake Michigan - actually about 5 miles or so from the lake (well, the national park entrance to the lake area). That gave us all kinds of weather to treasure, from the triple digits and soupy air in summer to lots and lots of snow in winter...I remember years where we didn't see grass from mid-to-end of October to April. @trapperhoney, I'm glad the weather is a bit more tolerable for you now. We thought about a window unit, but don't know which window we would put it in - we live with my mom, so there are three of us who would need it. Two window units, one in each bedroom, might work. But I think the central AC we're going to have installed will use less electricity (thus saving us a little dough! =D )
  18. I thought this was interesting, in light of this thread. From Shelly Hamilton earlier today. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER Today is crash day for me. It’s 2:00 PM and I’m still sitting on the couch in my pjs. Adam and Megan went to the studio with Ella while I stayed behind with Hamilton, for him to take a nap. I made no protests. I’ve already had two naps myself today. Now that Hamilton is sleeping, all is quiet around me. My mind is reminiscing about Ron’s and my life together. It is a lovely thing to do. Early on in our marriage, I remember Ron telling me that Ken Collier was his best friend. Ron and Ken worked together for many years on the Patch adventure stories. They would call each other back and forth while putting together song theme ideas, character name ideas, and story plot ideas. Ron would drive up to The Wilds where Ken worked and lived. The two of them sat down together and collaborated all things Patch the Pirate adventure. Ron took copious notes on yellow legal pads. Ron would then come back home, sit down somewhere quietly for about a week, and write the story's first draft. Mind you—Ron wrote every story and song lyric on yellow legal pads. After he completed this first draft, he would fax the yellow pages to Ken. After Ken read it, he would call Ron with tweaks he thought helpful. Ron would also give me this first draft and I wrote my thoughts and suggestions in the yellow margins. (You might remember the first yellow cassettes? Well, they were written on yellow paper. LOL) After Ron thought through every critique, he would sit down and compose the story’s final draft. Every word was carefully and meticulously handwritten on those memorable yellow legal pads. (I still find extra unused pads hidden amongst his things.) The legal pad would go to his administrative assistant, Christiane Emory, and she would type it up on her computer. Yes, Ken Collier was a best friend to Ron. Not only would they discuss Patch adventure ideas, but life problems and joys as well. If you know Ken, he is a godly and thoughtful confidant. I am so grateful for their friendship bond. About 15 years into our marriage, Ron began telling me that I was his best friend. He told me this often. Now that he can mostly only communicate with me with his eyes and his touch, his words echo in my mind. Sadness and happiness are a chaotic mix in my heart. Why didn’t I appreciate this wonderful medal of honor more? Why didn’t I enjoy our moments together more? Tears are flowing down my cheeks as I reminisce. All is well. No need to worry about my mental state. These remembrances are good for the soul. What do I remember? I remember Ron running across the Bob Jones campus between classes. I remember him singing in my dad’s vesper choir. I remember him asking me to marry him on Valentine’s Day, 1975. I remember us traveling the US in a motor home with our newborn baby, Jonathan. I remember Ron and me singing at multiple weddings and Valentine’s banquets. I remember Ron taking me to Atlanta or New York City for weekend getaways. I remember him taking each of our children on special trips—just him and them. The status of best friend is a coveted one and should not be taken for granted. As I think upon it, how could I have been blind and ignorant of its implications? Ron was a faithful husband for certain. He was always the same gentle and sweet temperament. He was the physical rock for our family. He remembered special anniversaries, I’m ashamed to admit, more than I did. Then why did I sometimes get upset at him for being a saver, when I wanted to spend? Why did I focus on him being stubborn, when I wanted to be flexible and impulsive? Why did I not appreciate his healthy eating habits, when I wanted to indulge in sweets? I can’t even think of one good reason—now that he can’t save his money, can’t control where he goes, and can’t control what he eats. My friends, be careful what you think about your close loved ones, especially your husband or wife. Focus on the reason you married them in the first place. Don’t heap coals of fire on their heads because of their faults. I am fully aware that some of you wish you had your mate to appreciate. But numerous unfortunate circumstances make this impossible. So while you can—make your spouse your best friend. You’ll never be sorry.
  19. Ugh! Well do I remember the humidity that is so prevalent in WV, OH, and IN...when we lived in WV, I was a teen so it didn't bother me like it did my mom. I was in my twenties when I lived in OH, and it didn't bother me as much then. We moved to IN when I was in my late 20s...and after about 10 years, the humidity started to really get to me! Thankfully, we usually had a window air conditioner, or I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night. Especially after "the change" began (I was 39! ? ) Many days during summer while in IN, it seemed like we were walking outside into soup...so when we moved here to WA, I was looking forward to the never-usually-gets-to 90-degrees, and no humidity. hahahahaha....while for the most part the weather here is much better, this summer has been brutal. Triple digit temps, no AC. So I do feel for you! Hope and pray the AC can be fixed (we are doing the unusual for this part of WA and getting an AC installed, but with this summer being so brutal, so is everyone else...so ours won't be put in until Oct).
  20. So very glad you're back with us! I've missed you. I second the idea of writing those stories down...who knows, perhaps they can be turned into some good Sunday School/Children's Church practical stories?!?
  21. We are today heading home from a trip celebrating our 35th anniversary (it was this past Monday). We were 25 (him) and 26 (me) when we got married - it seems hard to think that we've spent over half our lives married to each other. The number one tip I would give is to always put the Lord first. Of course, if the couple are not interested in spiritual things, that won't mean anything to them. But it is actually the most important thing. As two sinful humans, a married couple has to learn to work things out together in order to live together...without the Lord, it is nigh on impossible nowadays (I say nowadays because in the past even the lost worked to keep their marriage intact). Second tip: spend time together, doing things you both enjoy...and if you don't like what your spouse does, grin, bear it, and learn to enjoy at least his/her enjoyment. Example: My hubs is an avid Buckeye fan (he and our son are both born-and-bred-til-they're-dead Buckeyes ? ). I have never cared for football...but over the years I have come to greatly enjoy the season. I enjoy watching my hubs' (and my son's) reactions to the different plays. I love teasing them about the outcome of the games (they watch it on DVR so they can skip the commercials - I get play-by-play notifications on my phone...not asked for, but I looked them up once and now I get notifications about the Bucks all year long). I enjoy choosing OH state ornaments for them for their Christmas stockings. I enjoy fixing them "tailgate" type foods for them to eat while they watch the game. And hubs likes that I have opened my horizons to enjoy what he does. On our trip, there were some things I wanted to see. A couple of museums - which he does not typically enjoy, but enjoyed them for me this trip. We both enjoyed Ruby Beach (a Pacific Ocean beach - hubs got to touch the Pacific ocean for the first time...) and Ocean Shores beach (again, the Pacific, stretching on to what seemed infinity). The beaches (nobody was badly clad at these - they are not swimming beaches) were sites we both wanted to see. Third tip: pray WITH and FOR each other; read the Bible together daily; find a ministry to serve together Fourth tip: remember why you learned to love your spouse to begin with. Write down what you love about him/her. Thank God for those things. Pull memories of loving actions your spouse has done that showed the love for you. While you pray with and for your spouse, pray that God will work in your own life to help you grow to become the person God wants you to be and your spouse needs you to be. Fifth tip: Read Bro. Scott's book on marriage together and discuss it. I know a lot more can be said...
  22. https://www.toddstarnes.com/politics/afghan-americans-protest-at-white-house-theyre-killing-all-my-people/?fbclid=IwAR2X6_TNbFDHLXDcCxV9DxE-gY3O648kgteINZL1vqMxKxyo5veP1pZ5QoQ
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