Closing Out 2008

It is hard to believe that 2008 is about to end and we will walk into a brand new year. Looking back we have had quite an exciting year as a country. As a family we have had a pretty good year too. It has had its rough moments but overall God has been real good. Our CHRISTmas , although it did not go as planned, was great. We were able to spend it with family and friends in celebration of the birth of our Savior and that is what it is all about. Our plans were to take Toodles' bonus and buy the kids a Nintendo Ds but when Toodles picked up his check on the 18th they gave him a layoff slip and of course no CHRISTmas bonus. Needless to say we were pretty down. We had no warning. After the initial shock wore off I of course began to panic and saying "God, what are you doing?". Later after much prayer from me and others who were praying for us , peace just took over and my question then became, "OK God, what are you gonna do?" Everything is in His hands anyway and He knows what is best for our family. Although at times the old panic trys to sneak back in I just keep praying. I am holding to the truth in His Word, The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
(Psalms 37:23-26 KJVR)
We are eager to see the way our Lord provides for us in the new year. We are also thankful for the time we get to spend together as a family now. For most of this year Toodles worked 2 - 3 jobs and wasn't home much except to eat and sleep. Now he will be doing school with us and that is great. We have decided that our weekends in 2009 will be spent hiking the awesome trails we have here in the Smokies. We all enjoy being in the great outdoors and what better way to do that and get fit than hiking. Also our Blessings are growing up fast. We want to make some awesome memories together. A couple of weeks ago we had to go to the VA center in Johnson City. While we were in that area we stopped by Davey Crockett State Park and goofed off. We had a blast. Memories like that will be priceless in years to come.
I also have some changes in mind for my blog in 2009. I want to do some posts on different things. One idea is doing a featured website once a week and helpful home tips. I'll have a schedule posted on the side bar about what will be posted when. I'm still adding the finishing touches to my overall idea. I also want to do a featured blogger. I know we have one on the HSB Porch but I want to add one here at my blog. Some of my favorite blogs were found by reading about them on another bloggers site.
Anyway , keep your eye out for the new stuff coming and keep us in your prayers. Blessings! ~ Nikki

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
(1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV)

Introduction:  Betcha’ Can’t Eat Just One (Lays Potato Chips)

This weeks topic deals with eating potato chips and how good they are. I love salty foods so I have a terrible time eating just one.  Along with these chips that I can’t eat just one of, I cannot get enough of studying my Bible.  I think it’s ironic that chips (salty foods) are such a temptation.  In the Bible (Leviticus) it tells us that salt is regarded as a disinfectant and when babies were born the midwife covered the baby with salt to clean its body and also to ward away any evil spirits or demons.

Assignment: Tell us about something that you can’t get enough of and what scripture(s) in the Bible you cannot tear yourself away from.  Just to be safe, please copy and paste your post link (ex: http://kingskreation.net/archives/303) in the comments section.

Wow! I am so late getting this assignment done but the reasoning behind it is for another post. I'm just grateful to be able to get this one done before tomorrow. One thing that I couldn't get enough of (until they stopped making them *sigh*) was the Chicago Loaded Baked Potatoe chips by Lays. They were awesome and we were HOOKED! We had everybody munching on those things. My favorite Scriptures that I can't get enough of is of course Psalms. I think I have said that before but they are so comforting and uplifting. I think the following verse says it better than I can. Blessings ! ~ Nikki

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

(Psalms 119:103 KJV)

Buddy's ELFisms and their Biblical Parellels (according to me anyway:)

Ok, the truth is I love the ELF movie. Its funny and never fails to get a laugh out of us. Earlier this year while book shopping at our local Goodwill store, I found a book called Buddy's Little SELF Help Book. It had some of the cute little Elfisms in it that Buddy quotes throughout the movie. I was talking to my DD about how some of those little sayings brought to mind certain Scripture.So , for this Holiday season I am going to leave this post about those Elfisms and Scripture at the top of my blog. Comment if you like. Merry Christmas and remember... Jesus is the Reason for the Season! Blessings! ~ Nikki

 





Treat every day like Christmas.

Psalm 118:24  This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

Psalm 100:1  A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

There's room for everyone on the nice list.

Romans 10:13  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Directions from the North Pole to NYC :

travel through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, just past the sea of swirly, twirly gumdrops until you get to the Lincoln Tunnel

Directions to Heaven :

(Matthew 7:13-14)

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 John 14:6 

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

If you try your best , you'll never be a cotton-headed ninny muggins .

 

Matthew 5:48

 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

We all have different talents, and each one of us is extraordinary in our own way.

(Romans 12:4-8)

For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

I like smiling ! Smiling is my favorite!

 

Proverbs 15:13

 A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

 

Christmas Spirit should never become a limited resource.

Matthew 2:10 

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

 

Some people get mixed up about what's important in life, and they end up on the naughty list.

Romans 3:23

 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

But that doesn't mean they can't change ... maybe they just need a little Christmas spirit .

 

(Romans 10:9-13)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry CHRISTmas from our family, the Simcox's, to yours!

No Greater Gift
Twas the night we call Christmas
So dark and so cold
They were asking for shelter
But there's no room they were told
Joseph begged and he pleaded
My wife needs a bed
The innkeeper shook his head no
And offered his stable instead
Mary looked at her husband
And whispered its fine
A stable is warm
And I don't have much time
So there in the midst
Of the candlelight glowing
The bleating of sheep
And the cattle all lowing
Mary kissed her new son
In a new mother's way
Then she laid Him so gently
In the manger's sweet hayIn the fields were the shepherds
Watching over their sheep
Singing to calm them
And help them to sleep
When all of a sudden
The sky shone like morn
And angels proclaimed
"Your Savior is born!"
"In the city of David
You'll find Him this night"
And the shepherds praised God
With all of their might
They prayed and they shouted
They walked and they ran
"We must go to see Him
As fast as we can"
And as they knelt down before Him
In His stable bed
They told Mary and Joseph
What the angels had said
Mary kept all those things
Deep in her heart
And smiled as she watched
The shepherds depart

The shepherds went out
And told friends
They told strangers
Of the King who was born
And lay in the manger
So remember this Christmas
With thanksgiving and bliss
Of God's own Son Jesus
For there is no greater gift.
©2006 ~Lisa ”Nikki” Simcox~
Merry CHRISTmas to all of you, my dear Bloggy buddies! ~ God Bless!

Food For Fines

Sevier County Library is offering their Holiday Food For Fines Drive. More info below.

FOOD FOR FINES TO ASSIST LOCAL FAMILIES AT THE SEVIER COUTNY PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEM

Sevier County, TN: For the second year, the Sevier County Public Library System is offering a chance for individuals to donate non-perishable canned or dried food items or jars of peanut butter to clear overdue fines on their library card. Two food items will clear any amount of overdue fines on each library card with the “Foods for Fines” promotional event. Sevier County Public Library System (SCPLS) cardholders can bring their canned, dried items or peanut butter during the weeks of Monday, December 1 through Monday, December 15, 2008. Patrons with overdue fines will be given the option to trade two canned or dried food items or two jars of peanut butter, or any combination of the two to clear fines on their library card in addition to helping local food banks. The amount of the fine is irrelevant and the food donated will help Sevier County families during the holiday season. For more information about this Food for Fines event, please call SCPLS System Director, K. C. Williams at (865) 774-3246.

Blessings! ~ Nikki

Just When You Think You Are Feeling Better ...

... the Mitford Crud strikes again. (Those of you Jan Karon fans know what I'm talking about.) I felt a little better the other day but yesterday ... oh yesterday *sigh* I began to feel progressively worse as the day went on. By the time Toodles came home I had to go to bed. I was tired, achy and my throat was hurting again. Now I have the "cough" again and can't speak above a whisper without being in pain and my chest feels "croupy". So today school will be short and sweet with some Bible reading and math. We are winding down anyway for the Holidays. Our break will start on the 19th.

The Christmas pages I created are now available for FREE (30 pages of stuff). You can download them from the link on the right sidebar. Merry CHRISTmas! I'm going to go rest for a while.Blessings everyone! ~ Nikki

Oh yes, please remember a fellow homeschool Mom in your prayers. She goes to church with my Aunt and has been fighting brain cancer for a while now. Her Drs. have now given her til May. Her name is Cathy. She is fighting really hard to live. Thanks for praying for her!

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

(Matthew 14:19 KJV)



Intro:  Finger Lickin’ Good - You can read about Christ feeding the 5,000 in many places in the Bible (Matthew14:19;15:36; Luke 5:6;9:3-17). I am a fairly new Christian and one of the many things I love about reading the accounts of Jesus’ miracles, is that there was not a big drum roll, fireworks, a thousand dollar suit or an agent building up some big preview of what was about to happen.  Jesus would calmly say things such as “have faith”, “believe”, “have them sit and pass out these loaves of bread”, and then the miracles began. 

Assignment: Although I am not able to produce miracles, it sometimes feels like I need to when it comes to meal time.  There are times when money is tight, groceries are few and I have to feed my family.  During the holiday season, you might have so much going on that you need to make a meal quickly with as few ingredients as possible.  This week post your favorite recipes that require six (6) ingredients or less.  Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

This year has been an extremely tight year for grocery $. We have been buying as little as we can get away with.Feeding a family of six on few groceries can be a challenge for sure. One of our favorite meals is what we call taco casserole. It's quick, cheap ,tastes great and can even be made from leftovers. Usually we do make this from leftovers. I will buy between 3 - 5 lbs of ground beef, one pack of Taco Bell hard shell taco dinner fixins,one pack of Taco Bell soft taco dinner fixins,extra taco seasoning packets, cheese and nacho flavored chips. We just prefer the flavor the Taco Bell seasoning has but you can use whatever brand you prefer. The TB dinner fixins are only $1.88 at WallyWorld and they come with seasoning and salsa packets. We buy extra packets of seasoning because you need one pack for each pound of meat.It costs about $.57. So , with these fixins we actually have two meals. After the leftover taco meat has rested in the fridge for a day or so and soaked up all the seasonings it has an extra layer of flavor and tastes great. Here is how we fix our casserole (but you could add as many items as you want).

Crumble up nacho flavored chips and use them to make a "crust" in the bottom of a baking dish. Pour in the prepared taco meat (just follow the instructions on the seasoning packets) and spread it around on the crust. Add a layer of salsa and then add a layer of shredded mild cheddar cheese. Repeat these layers if you like.

Last year at Christmas we had tacos at my inlaws for dinner. It was a nice break from tons of turkey that we would all be having at other dinners during the Holidays.

Here is the price break down for these two meals: tacos and taco casserole later in the week

Meat (5lbs) $8.97

Taco dinner fixins (hard) $1.88

Taco dinner fixins (soft) $1.88

extra seasoning 3 packets at $.57 - 1.71

block of mild cheddar cheese - $2.00

naco cheese flavored chips $1.97

total = $18.41

I figure thats not bad for two meals for six people.

Here is a cheap and quick fix chicken meal.

Chicken Tacos

This is a super fast and easy recipe . It uses the canned chicken (like tuna) that is precooked or you can use leftover chicken breast from a previous meal , just chop it up in the food processor .

2 - 12oz. Cans of chicken (or the largest size your store carries) or leftover chicken breast that has been roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic - minced

1 green bell pepper (use whatever color you prefer) - sliced

1 small onion - sliced

1 container of sliced mushrooms ( I use the blue container you get in the produce aisle) (or use canned)

1 small jar of sliced green olives - drained

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Package of small flour tortillas

Salt

Pepper

Drain the chicken well . In a large preheated skillet add 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil . Add chicken , garlic , peppers , onions , mushrooms and olives . Saute until chicken begins to brown and veggies become soft . Salt and pepper to taste . Remove from heat . Place a spoonful in the center of a small flour tortilla and enjoy . (It may not look like a lot but you will be surprised how far it "stretches" . I just takes a little to fill the tortillas .)

OK, that one uses more than six ingredients but it is still cheap to make. Also with this meal you can add or delete ingredients.

Last but not least are the peppermint milkshakes we have fallen in love with. Yummy!

Mayfield Peppermint stick ice cream $ 3.97 (WW)

Milk $3.99 (Weigles)

whipped cream $2 (Food City)

mini candy canes $1 (Dollar Tree)

Take a large cup (oversized movie theater cup is what I use) and add four large scoops of ice cream. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk (depends on how thick you want your shake). Take a hand held mixer with only one blade attached and mix. I think this works better than a blender but you can use whichever you prefer. Pour into a cup, top with whipped cream and add a straw and a mini candy cane. Enjoy! We already have milk on hand , and candy canes during the holidays so the only "extra" things we have to get are the whipped cream and ice cream. So for an added $5.99 we can have great milkshakes. They cost us about $15 if we go to McD's.

Here are some picture of the shakes. They didn't turn out so great (the pics) but the shakes were very yummy!