Gratitude Ratio

Luke 17:12-19

And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers which stood afar off:

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

 Are we like those 10 lepers? Do we think God for 1 out 10 blessings that he gives us? In our prayers, do we ask God for 9 blessings and only thank him for 1? Do we tell our family and friends thank you for only 1 out of 10 favors? I hope that my gratitude ratio is a little better than 1 out of 10!

In speaking of the story of the 10 lepers, President Howard W. Hunter also stressed our need to thank our Heavenly Father for all the blessings that He gives to us: "Of the ten men who were healed, only one returned to express appreciation. This must have been a disappointment to the Master, but there are many who receive blessings, many who are endowed with good things in life, yet never take the time or go to the effort to show gratitude to the benefactor or express appreciation to God. Happiness and joy from blessings are never complete until there is a deep feeling of gratitude within oneself which moves an expression of appreciation."

The Giving Tree

This is the time to be thankful for all that we have been given. I am so richly blessed, and sometimes I take my simple blessing for granted. I read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein to my kids. It is the story of a tree and a boy. The tree loves the boy. And the boy loves what the tree has to give him...apples, branches to climb, shade, and wood. As the boy grows older, he continues to take from the tree until all that the tree has to give is its stump for the now old man to sit on.

I know that I am sometimes like the boy in this story...asking and taking without thanking and giving in return. I can also relate to the tree. As a mom, I feel like sometimes I have nothing left to give except a tired lap for my kids to rest on at the end of a long day. I am so thankful for those rare and coveted peaceful moments with my kids! Being a "stump" is great!

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

I love crock pot meals...I throw it all in my slow cooker when I have time in the morning or afternoon and then it's ready by dinner. My friend actually accomplished a goal of cooking in her slow cooker every day last year. Each day she posted her recipes on her blog and she even created a cook book with over 250 of her favorite recipes. Everything that I have tried has turned out great. You can check out her blog here. Her cookbook would make a great gift!

This is one of our favorites...thanks Karen!

Creamy Black Bean Salsa Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour broth, salsa, corn, beans, and taco seasoning over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Stir sour cream and cheese into the sauce in the slow cooker. You can also add 1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water to thicken the sauce. Put the shredded chicken back into the sauce. Serve with tortillas, rice, or tortilla chips. 

Fall Thank-You Cards

When I was young I remember gathering wild flowers with my mom, pressing them for several weeks between the biggest books we could find, and then making beautiful cards with the pressed flowers. I wanted to try that with my kids, only with the colorful fall leaves that cover the ground. After trying to remember how to make the cards, several phone calls to my mom, and quite a few mistakes we did it and the cards turned out great! It is so easy (when you know what you are doing), and Kaylee and Aaron loved to help. Nathan loved crumbling the leaves all over the floor...I should have waited for nap time for this project!

Here's what you need:

• colorful leaves/flowers
• paper towels
• iron
• wax paper
• tissues (divided so that it is one-ply)
• Elmer's glue diluted with water - 1 part glue to 1 part water
• paper, ribbon, etc for the center of the card

I sent Kaylee and Aaron outside to find the best, most colorful leaves.

I didn't want to wait for weeks to press them so we put a paper towel on top and bottom and pressed them with the iron until they were flat and dry (about 2-3 minutes).

Next, cut the wax paper to the size that you want the card. Lay the leaf on the right half of the wax paper so that when the card is folded the leaf is on the front. Lay the divided tissue on top making sure that the tissue covers the wax paper. Using a paint brush, softly dab the diluted glue over the entire area and 1/2 inch border around the wax paper, being careful not to tear the tissue.

Cover with a towel and iron until dry...about 3 minutes.

Carefully tear off the extra tissue around the edge of the wax paper.

Fold the card in half, cut paper to fit the inside, punch two holes on the folded side of the card and tie a ribbon through the holes to secure the paper.

This is a great way to preserve those beautiful Fall colors.

This would be a festive way to give thanks to someone by making your own Fall Thank-You cards!

The World Is Mine

The World Is Mine

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely maid with golden hair.

I envied her - she seemed so gay - and I wished I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two feet--the world is mine!

And then I stopped to buy some sweets.

The lad who sold them was so kind.

I talked with him - he said to me,

"It's nice to talk with folks like you.

You see," he said, "I'm blind."

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

 I have two eyes--the world is mine!

Then walking down the street,

I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play.

It seemed he knew not what to do.

I stopped for a moment, then I said,

"Why don't you join the others, dear?"

He looked ahead without a word,

And then I knew he could not hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two ears--the world is mine!

With feet to take me where I'd go,

With eyes to see the sunset's glow,

With ears to hear what I would know,

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I'm blessed indeed! The world is mine!

Contagious Resolution

I have started my New Year's Resolution...yes I know it's November...yes I know I am being a hypocrite after yesterday's post about getting right into Christmas after Halloween, let alone New Years. But I want to start healthier habits before all of the holiday hoarding and sweet treats. I am determined not to gain weight during these next 2 months of rich and delicious foods, in fact, I want to loose weight so that I can start the new year off right!

I have noticed that this goal has been contagious. Aaron wants to be stronger so he has been waking up earlier to lift weights. Nathan exercises by my side and is an expert at squats and lunges. It is so cute to see Aaron lifting his 3 pound weights as he watches cartoons in the morning and Nathan perform a squat with perfect form. It is great motivation for me to keep going and I hope that this is planting the seed for my kids to develop healthy habits...now how does my husband catch this contagious bug?

It is NOT Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Last week I turned on my car radio to hear "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas". What...Christmas music already??? And it is NOT beginning to look a lot like Christmas...everywhere I go I still see pumpkins, beautiful fall leaves still on the trees, and grass covered in leaves-- not snow. We still have Halloween candy and decorations in our house. When I look out my window, this is what I see (don't mind the wrinkly tablecloth) :

But then you go shopping...and yep...Christmas everywhere! Good luck finding any Thanksgiving items among all the Christmas decorations. Come on, let a mom catch her breath! I just got done assembling Halloween costumes. What happened to Thanksgiving? We go right into "I want" mode and forget about the "I'm thankful" part of November. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE Christmas, but I also like to pause and think about all that I am blessed with before jumping right into lights, trees, presents, wrapping paper, and especially Christmas music!