Big Sister

At a family cookout, they just waited as one by one, we all noticed the shirt....

Coming June, 2016 ♥


sMiLeS,

Creamy Chicken Soup

My Mom's recipe! So good!
Bethany requested this soup while she was home from college this weekend.  =) =)

• 4-5 chicken breasts, cooked with 1/4 c. powdered chicken bouillon 
• 6 carrots, sliced
  
• 4 med. potatoes, cubed
  
• 1 large chopped onion
• 4 stalks sliced celery, sliced (or broccoli)
  
• 1 large can green peas
• 6 cubes chicken bouillon (IF you didn't use the ↑ powdered chicken flavor bouillon)
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I don't use any)
  
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 T. garlic salt
• 1 T. dried basil leaves
• ½ stick butter
• 1 tsp pepper
• shredded cheese (optional)
  
  

►In 1½ gallon soup pot ½ full of water, cook chicken with bouillon on med heat, covered, for about 2½ - 3 hours until tender.  Remove chicken, let cool, cut into cubes, and put back into pot.

►Add in all vegetables.  Carrots, potatoes, onions, celery, and green peas, undrained.
Add all seasonings and butter, except bullion cubes.
Add water to about 1-2 inches from the top.

►If you did not use the Knorr powdered bouillon while cooking the chicken, spoon out a little of the hot broth into a small bowl and drop in the bullion cubes.  Crush cubes with back of spoon and stir until dissolved.  Pour back into pot.

►Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down on medium for about 45 minutes or more.

►After vegetables are tender, you can let it simmer on low until time to serve.

►Then bring to a boil, and in small bowl with about ½ c. cold water, spoon in a few spoonfuls of sifted flour, and stir with a whisk.  Add a little flour until mixture in the bowl is beginning to look like gravy.  Quickly pour into the boiling soup (so it will go to the bottom of the pot) and the soup will thicken.  (repeat if not thick enough)  Remove from heat.

►Makes about a gallon and a half.

If you do not add as much water or if you leave out some things so that your amount of soup ends up being less, you may want to cut down on the seasonings accordingly.
If you are not able to do all the chopping, etc, you can use canned potatoes and carrots, leaving in the liquid.
When serving, you can add a sprinkling of cheese in each bowl.
My kids sometimes like this over rice.

sMiLeS,

Mommy & Baby ♥

Rebekah & Callie, 10 months

♥ ♥ ♥  My favorite  ♥ ♥ ♥

She loves playing peek-a-boo in the curtains!

Lol, love Rebekah's socks.  =D

Awww! ♥

Walking out to see Daddy playing football w/ the guys  =) =) =)

sMiLeS,

Crown Mid-Atlantic Trio at God Bless America Crusade

You may know that my daughter Bethany was able to tour this summer in a ladies' singing group from her college. They sang in 81 services at 62 different churches this summer!
During their tour, they were able to participate in many things at the churches they were visiting.  Besides recreational activities, they helped pass out meals, went on bus visitation, cooked in a camp kitchen, and even passed out flyers for the God Bless America Crusade.

This weekend, her group had to opportunity to sing together again at that crusade!  When they were passing out flyers for the crusade back in the summer, they never realized they would be singing in it! =)

On some songs, the regular piano player as well as their chaperone sing with them, and Bethany plays the piano as she does here in the first pics.  So it's not exactly a trio on those songs, lol.  ;)


I removed the links to the videos since those links no longer work, but have left the pictures here.  

Friday night - "It's Under the Blood" written by Preacher Leonard Fletcher

My Bethany! ♥

L-R:  Alexis, Kayla (reg piano player), Shana (chaperone), Kayla

Saturday night - "Who Will Go To America?"
(watch here instead)

The picture quality isn't good because we videoed it off the computer screen with my phone! Lol.  =)




Sunday night - "It's Through the Blood"

sMiLeS,

Always Wear Your Invisible Crown!

"Always wear your invisible crown!"

I saw that saying today, and I think it's intended to mean that you think you're all that, and you shouldn't let anyone run over you. unsure emoticon

BUT... It SHOULD mean you are a Child of THE KING!! And to always remember that in all you say and do!! heart emoticon

If you are a Christian, the world is watching.

Ephesians 4:32 Be Ye Kind!
To employees in the store, to the cashier who won't accept your coupon, to the waitress who brought the wrong order, to your parents, to your children in private not just in public! to the mailman who dropped your package, to the customer service rep who can't resolve your issue fast enough... You get the idea.

HOW can you become more like Christ?? By reading His Word. Read his Letter to you!! And pray. Talk to him about everything. And listen.
The same way you become like friends you are with often.

sMiLeS,

Happy Baby! ♥

8½ months
My favorite part is at 40 seconds when Rebekah says her name, and she turns and says, "Ma-ma-ma!" and squeals.  =) =) =)


sMiLeS,

Callie ♥

5 months old

At the motel - I went to see Aunt Bethany graduate.  Didn't see a thing, was asleep.  =D

Mother's Day

I can still hold my head up even with this giant bow!!  It might be a hat.  =D

Mother's Day -- they get all this delicious food and give me applesauce!!  I want my banana! =D

6 months old

almost 7 months old

at Nana and Papa's house - trying to figure out crawling

Just over 7 months old

Father's Day - each time they sat me here, they had about 1 second before I was trying to crawl away!

I like waving!  And crawling, pulling up, "cruising" around the coffee table - getting too big too fast!!

7 ½ months

sitting in the floor w/ Papa =)

We love this little pumpkin so much!!  =) =) =)

sMiLeS,

Bethany's Graduation

Our daughter Bethany graduated May 4, 2015, from the Foundation for Christian Life Program, a one-year 
Bible course, at The Crown College of The Bible in Powell, Tennessee. She received a certificate for this 
course which includes the Bible classes for all four years of any course taken at the college.
The Servant's Towel -- Each Crown College graduate is presented with a towel embroidered with John 13:12-17.  The embroidered towel symbolizes the principle of biblical leadership.  Verses fourteen and fifteen of John chapter thirteen give us the words of our Lord, "If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought 
to wash one another's feet.  For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you." 

►The exact moment! =D

I love my family!  Callie Anne is 5 months old here.  =)  

Bethany got to enjoy singing with the Crown College Choir this year.  You can see them sing at the graduation.  She is actually kind of behind the piano, but when shown from the side, her head can be seen a few times behind a plant, lol. She can be seen at the beginning of the second song at 1:35:20.  (But the first song is my favorite.)

They made a new CD this year which can be purchased here.  Both the songs sung at the graduation are on the CD.

I remember back in January when they were recording, Bethany called and told me they were going to be Live online!  I was so excited to get to hear them!  "Precious Lord" (the first song sung at the graduation) was one of the songs they sang Live.
She texted me afterward and told me she was the one doing the aaaahh-ahhh-aaah part.  I was like... uhh, really??
And she said, LOL, no! ;)  She is such fun!  =D
So now every time I hear this song, that is what I think of, lol.


During recording:

Bethany is touring this summer with a singing group from the college.  
They will be travelling to 62 churches in the general Mid-Atlantic area.

  All the groups are pictured here with Pastor and Mrs. Sexton.

With their sweet chaperones, and the pastor and his wife at the church of their first stop on the tour.  

Hear them sing "Jesus Passed By My Way"
(I believe this is the first time they sang together in front of people!)

Hear them sing "How Deep the Father's Love"

I encourage you to continue watching this last video.  The other tour groups also sing, and four young men preached who graduated this year.  One is a young man from Nepal, who, even before the first earthquake (4/25/15), had already gotten a group together to go minister there this summer.  We are praying that something good will come of this tragedy, and that people will to want to turn to God.
They had not arrived at Nepal at the time I wrote this, as a second earthquake (5/12/15) had caused the airports there to be closed.  He reported that his family there are all safe, but many other loved ones have suffered and/or lost family members.

Please be in prayer for the tour groups, the Nepal mission group and the people of Nepal, and others who are going out this year to continue to minister and disciple as they have been taught and have been doing these past years in college.

Please pray for Bethany this summer and during her next 3 years of college!!
And for Mom and Dad.  =)


UPDATE:  Hear the Crown Mid-Atlantic Trio singing at the God Bless America Crusade in Richmond, VA, September, 2015.  I do believe they have improved much since first beginning to sing together!
Read about it here. 
Sorry about the video quality.  We videoed the computer screen with my phone!  =)

sMiLeS,

JohnDavid Stuffed a Neck Pillow into Callie's Pajamas!!

What a sweet uncle he is, lol.

                 Callie:  "Here's what I think of that, haha!"

almost 5 months

sMiLeS,

Callie loves banana!!

She wasn't doing well eating with a spoon, so Rebekah let her lick the banana. 
For a baby, she is usually very patient when beginning to get hungry. Not this time! grin emoticon

18 weeks old


sMiLeS,

Callie - 15 weeks old

I just can't help but post more pics!!  =D

sMiLeS,

Callie and Uncle JohnDavid

Another favorite!

♥ ♥ ♥  ♥♥!!!

sMiLeS,