Tuesday, December 26, 2017

"You Feed Them" - A Priceless Gift from My Husband

Hello out there - Merry Christmas!
Today is only the 2nd day of Christmas. The lights on our Christmas tree are still
shining bright! I have a little more baking to do - a few more families I want to
give goodies to - it's not too late! We celebrate all the way until the Epiphany which
falls on Sunday, January 7, 2018.
We had so much fun with our children, grandchildren, and another family we've
been blessed to spend the holidays with! Ten children unwrapping presents - yes,
there was paper everywhere! Good food, laughter, and fellowship - but before
everyone arrived - Jim and I woke up early and spent two hours at the Adoration
Chapel. Quiet time in prayer, early Christmas morning, was such an awesome way
for us to thank Jesus for our many blessings. We prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the
Rosary together lifting up our family and friends in prayer.
Jim bought a very thoughtful gift for me. After everyone left last night, he told me
about finding my gift. He was at Hobby Lobby picking up a present for one of our
grandchildren. He was at the check-out stand when this picture caught his eye.
He couldn't get the picture out of his mind and went back the next day to buy it
for me.
I didn't get the wooden frame in this shot, but it is so perfect! "You Feed Them" don't you
love that? Jim knows my heart and this picture brought tears to my eyes. I'm going to
hang this picture in our living room - a constant reminder of what we are supposed to do.
I wanted to share this gift with all of you - this image and the message really grab my heart.
Jim said he knew that he had to go back and get it because it grabbed his heart too.


                                                                       Blessings to you and yours,
                                                                                 Bye for now, Sharla

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - We Have Room for You in Our Home - You Are Always Welcome, Wanted, and Needed Here!

Hello out there! Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve! I received
a very special gift for my birthday last year. A thoughtful and sweet couple who
go to the 6:00 p.m. Mass like we do, and who have become very good friends of ours,
gave me this amazing plaque/statue. I have kept it on our dresser in our bedroom ever
since I received it. We hung it up in the living this morning.
She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes
and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place
where travelers lodged.  (Luke 2:7)
 (St. Joseph Edition of the New American Bible)
I pray that in our home we will always have room for the Holy Family, for
our Lord, Jesus Christ, and that not only will we have room for Him in our home,
but in our hearts, our lives, and not just during the blessed seasons of Advent and
Christmas, but every day of every year. Amen.
May God bless all of you, today and always!
Blessings and Peace!
Merry Christmas to all!
Bye for now, Sharla

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Peace and Light!

Good morning out there! I hope you all are doing well! Jim placed two solar lights
by our outdoor Nativity Scene. I took this picture the other  morning while it was
still dark outside. Jim also reminded me to wrap Baby Jesus in a blanket!
During the busy days ahead - stop and take a moment to remember why we celebrate
Christmas!


I love looking out my kitchen window. This Advent I've really enjoyed it!

Especially at night!

My little Christmas window above my kitchen sink
 is where I stand and wash dishes and pray and think!
I thank God for dirty dishes because it means my family is well fed.
 I thank Him for my window so that I can see
 His amazing sunsets, the rain, and the birds in my trees!


 Advent is a joyful time of preparation!
Remember - Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Blessings to you and yours!
Bye for now, Sharla








Sunday, December 17, 2017

The Third Sunday of Advent - Blessings and Preparations

Hello out there! Today is the Third Sunday of Advent! I seem to get nostalgic and
kind of sentimental (weepy, but happy tears) this time of year! My heart feels like it
wants to jump out of my chest right now because of all the love that is over-flowing
in it!





 The story that follows is from this morning going back to Friday night.
Jim and I drove to Miles this morning to watch our grandchildren perform in a
Christmas Pageant at their parish, St. Thomas Catholic Church. Precious! Oh my
goodness! The children acted out the parts of the song, "The Twelve Days of
Christmas" - One granddaughter was one of the "Five Maids a Milking" she is four
years old and just looked adorable! The little caps they were wearing on their heads
were soooo cute! Her older sister was one of the "Three French Hens" and she was
wearing a very pretty long dress with her cowgirl boots and she looked very pretty.
She is growing up too fast! Our youngest grandson was one of the "Eleven Pipers
Piping" and he is the cutest little red head in the whole world! (He is the only red
headed grandchild we have so I can get away with saying that)! The story of the
Birth of Jesus was told next and our oldest grandson played the part of Joseph. He
looked so handsome and he is growing up way too fast also! I took a bunch of
pictures, imagine that?!
Yesterday was our son's birthday. (The father of the children in the pageant).
This is how the day went: (Early Saturday morning will be with the Friday
night timeline).
I was honored and humbled to speak at the "Magnificat" monthly meeting. If you
are feeling kind of empty inside - go to one of their meetings - The Holy Spirit is
right there - the faith and devotion these ladies have is such an inspiration. If you
are looking for a prayerful, spirit filled group - I really think that this will be
a wonderful group for you!
We begin with a prayer and scripture reading and then sing a song that will bring
tears to your eyes. The designated speaker is next and then we pray the rosary.
A potluck lunch is served afterwards and the fellowship is such a blessing!
Afterwards, I dashed to the store and bought groceries for our son's birthday
dinner. The menu was; pork ribs, red beans, salad, sweet potato with cheese
casserole (our daughter made) tortillas and a German Chocolate Cake with lots
of pecans for dessert. Because it is such a busy time of year, everyone arrived
at about 8:00 p.m. We ate dinner, had a nice boisterous visit (we are all loud) sang
Happy Birthday and ate cake! The kids also watched, "Despicable Me 3" and the
little ones removed the ornaments they liked from the tree! (Jim and I hung them
back on the tree after they left!) Everyone left about 10:00 p.m. Jim and I walked
outside and helped all the kids get loaded up! We waved goodbye and then hurried
back inside because it was cold!
Friday night - Our daughter and son-in-law, brought their three daughters over to
spend the evening with us while they went to his office Christmas Party.
They had picked up Chinese Food for us and the girls were ready to eat right when
they got here. They range in age from two and a half years - eleven and a half years
old. The oldest is a great, big sister and really helps out! We ate Chinese food,
played checkers, and cut snow-flakes out of paper we had colored on. The girls
were all tired and they ended up sleeping over which worked out great! Sometime
between 6:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. the girls walked into our room with the oldest
leading the way. She was carrying the battery operated Coleman lantern that I had
turned on to the night light mode and placed in their room the night before.
Jim got up with them and made coffee. It took me a few more minutes to climb out
of bed! Within the hour our daughter and son-in-law arrived to pick the girls up
because they had a busy morning planned out. After they left, I spent a little
quiet time reflecting on what I was going to share at the meeting, and prayed for
God to give me the right words - to share the message He wanted me to share.
I came into my office and made copies of an old magazine article my mom had in
her bible. She passed away in the fall of 1976 - she was diagnosed with cancer in
December of 1972 - right before I turned nine years old. My mom was a very
faithful woman; her strength and her faith gave me a strong foundation. I have no
idea which magazine this was cut out of, who wrote the article, or even when it
was published but I knew I wanted to share it with the ladies at the meeting.
I'm going to share it with you, too.
Be a light to others, lend a helping hand, be a shoulder to cry on, a smile to give hope, listen
attentively, hug often, weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice!
                                                                        Blessings to you and yours,
                                                                                  Bye for now, Sharla



Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Part One: A Road Trip Vacation Full of God's Blessings Along the Way

Hello out there! I have the neatest story to share with y'all! Jim and I took a road
trip - We left the Monday after Thanksgiving (11/27/17) and arrived home at
1:00 a.m. Sunday (12/3/2017) morning. We packed and loaded everything up in
my truck. We took snacks and waters and headed out with a destination in mind.
We really haven't traveled very much and we wanted to see some different territory.
My truck had 182,000 miles on it when we left. It's been a good truck and we
haven't had any problems with it so we weren't worried about the mileage.
We left San Angelo at about 10:00 a.m. and our goal was to make it to Little Rock,
Arkansas the first night. I had checked out some places we could stay and they
had some reasonable bed and breakfast places. We didn't make the reservation for
the night until we were only a few hours away just in case something came up.
We enjoyed the drive. We stopped here and there for this and that and listened to
some old country songs. We prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary and at
3:00 p.m. we prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I think it was about 9:00 p.m.
when we made it to the B & B in Little Rock. We were both tired. We shared
a sandwich and read for a little while before we settled in for the night. It wasn't
long until we were both out like lights! The next morning we found a Catholic
Church (I can't remember the name) and parked. We walked around the church
and all the doors were locked. The office was next to the church and I rang the
bell. A nice lady answered the door and I told her that we were from out of town
and that we were hoping we could go inside the church and pray for a little bit.
She smiled and said that praying was always good and that she would unlock the
door for us. Jim and I went inside the sanctuary and knelt down and prayed. Then
we walked up and down the aisles and looked at the stained glass windows. I love
how each window tells a story. Depending on the Catholic Church you visit you
will see different stories from the bible in the exquisite stained glass.
In this particular church there was a vibrant stained glass window of
St. Michael the Archangel. Isn't is awesome?


I always take pictures when we visit a church and this is the first picture I've taken of
St. Michael. We lit twelve candles before we left; ten for our grandchildren and two
more for a family that have asked for our prayers.
Jim and I went and ate a late breakfast, more like a brunch, and then went back to our
room. We decided to walk a couple of blocks to an old cemetery we had passed.
You can learn a lot of history from cemeteries and this was a really old cemetery.
Some of the people buried in this cemetery were born in the late 1700s. There were
tombstones of young men, one only twelve years old, when he joined the Army
during the War of 1812. Other tombstones told of teenage boys ranging in age from
fifteen through seventeen that served in the Civil War. The tombstones told stories
of lives lost and those who made it back home. There were family plots and many
of them had several headstones of precious babies that only lived for a day, a month,
six months. The monuments were so beautifully and skillfully crafted. The wrought
iron fences had stories of their own. It was so peaceful walking up and down the
rows. I prayed as I walked along and I shed a few tears too. Jim was amazed at the
craftsmanship and his heart hurt for the families that lost their young sons. There
were vines and climbing rose bushes all over the fence surrounding the cemetery.
There were a couple of roses still alive on the vines. Almost like a gift for us to see.

The following is one of the historical markers:
And this is just a couple more pictures I took while we were there:




This all happened on Tuesday, the second day of our journey. I will tell you about the
middle of our trip (hopefully) tomorrow. I want to tell about the last day of our trip,
the day we traveled home.
Our final destination was Branson, Missouri. We had arrived in Branson on Thursday
morning. Now for the last day - We left on Saturday morning (closer to noon) to head
home. We decided that we would drive as far as we could and if we got too tired we
would stop and spend the night somewhere. We had about a ten and a half hour drive
ahead and that would not include all the stops. Our route would take us through
Joplin, MO, into Oklahoma and then Texas. We had only driven about an hour when
we stopped in a little town and ate lunch. I told Jim that I would like to stop at another
Catholic Church before we left Missouri. I looked on my phone and found, St. Peter
The Apostle Catholic Church in Joplin, MO. We missed the turn off and had to drive
quite a ways before we were able to turn around. I looked at Jim and said, "I know it
will be a blessing!" He looked at me and shook his head kind of like, okay but we
still have a long way to go. He might have been thinking something else but that was
my interpretation. We finally made it to the church and it was beautiful! The church was
built in 1905. Here is a picture of the outside and of the doors! I love the symbolism
of the doors!

I took a bunch of pictures of the inside of this church! I will share some more of them
with you tomorrow. I have to tell you about the "neatest story" now. I held my breath
as I pulled on the handle of the door and it opened! Jim and I were walking around
and looking at everything. Jim was at the back of the sanctuary and I was up by the
statue of Mother Mary when an older gentleman walked in. He sat down in the back
for awhile and then I saw him out of the corner of  my eye when he moved to the first
pew right in front of the altar. He took a hymnal and opened it and began to sing
"Amazing Grace" - took my breath away! He had a beautiful voice and he sang from
his heart and the words echoed throughout the sanctuary. I quietly joined in and then
he sang the second verse. By that time, I was choked up and just listened to this
faithful man singing his heart out to the Lord! I walked to the back to be with Jim.
In a little while the gentleman walked to the back so that he could leave. I said to him,
"You have a beautiful voice." He replied, "I like to come in here and thank God
for another day." We said goodbye and he left. Jim and I left soon after. We both
felt like we had been given this amazing gift.
That's all for now. I have to fix dinner! Hopefully I will be able to finish tomorrow!
                                                                Blessings to you and yours!
                                                                                 Bye for now, Sharla






Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Life, Pray for Us!

Good  morning out there! It is cold outside - 28 degrees! The sun is shining and I know
it will be a beautiful, cool, almost winter, Happy Advent kind of day!
Yesterday was a very special day - Tuesday, December 12, 2017:
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe!
I want to share this prayer with you -
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Life, Cast your maternal gaze on your
children, born and unborn. We are in such need of your protection.
The enemies of Life are strong, but you are infinitely stronger,
since God chose you to "crush the head of the serpent," the devil.
As we strive to overcome evil we remember your words of comfort
to St. Juan Diego, "Am I not here, who am your mother?! Therefore,
we approach you with great confidence.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Life, Pray for Us!
I have to run some errands this morning but I plan on coming back home and
writing all kinds of posts to catch up on everything that has been going on
in our busy lives!
I will close with some beautiful pictures of Our Lady of Guadalupe!


A very special couple, Marcus and Sandra, gave me this beautiful plaque during
the 2015 Spring 40 Days for Life Campaign.

I took a picture of this magnificent statue at one of the Catholic Churches that Jim
and I visited while we were on vacation in June of 2015.

This picture was also taken while we were traveling in June of 2015.


Blessings to you and yours!
Bye for now, Sharla



Friday, December 8, 2017

Just a Singing Kind of Day!

Hello out there! The sun is shining and it is beautiful outside - cold, but an awesome
day! Today is a special day -
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Patronal Feastday of the USA (Solemnity) - A joyful day!
Jim and I went to the Vigil Mass last night. What a blessing! It really warms my heart
when I see families together at Mass! Moms and Dads and their children were seated
all throughout the Sanctuary! Large families, small families, and the older siblings
were helping out. I was also blessed to be at the Noon Mass today. My heart was
warmed once more - the sanctuary was full of prayerful, faithful people!


I want to share the Responsorial Psalm with you:
Responsorial -
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.
Responsorial -
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has
revealed his justice. He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
Responsorial -
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.
All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise.
Responsorial -
Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.


I've carried that responsorial in my heart all day. And, I've been singing to the
Lord and thanking Him for my many blessings all day too!
I hope you all have a wonderfully, blessed weekend.
Hug your kids and hug your spouse! Be a light to others! Stop by and visit
someone who lives alone! Smile at everyone you see! Remember to tell
moms and dads how happy you are to see them and their children at Mass!
Thank your priests, preachers, deacons, etc. for all that they do!
AND - Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds!
                                                                         Bye for now, Sharla

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

A Quick and Yummy Recipe for This Special and Busy Time of Year!


Hello again! I'm already back and ready to write another post! Jim and I were out of
town for a week. I have so many really neat stories to share with y'all but that will have
to have wait until tomorrow! We had an awesome time but there really is,
"No Place Like Home!" I have been cooking all week (and doing laundry)!
I want to share a yummy and easy recipe! This time of year is so busy and this is
a quick way to make homemade cookies for your children's Christmas parties at
school and or to box up and give away as gifts! I made these cookies yesterday and
they are going fast! Jim loves them. This is the first time I've used this recipe.
Betty Crocker cake mixes have been on sale for $1.00 each. I bought a yellow cake
mix and a chocolate fudge cake mix. Yesterday I made a batch of cookies using
the chocolate fudge cake mix.


Ingredients:
1 cake mix
1/3 cup of oil (I used Crisco)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
About 1/4 - 1/3 cup of sugar for sprinkling on top
(I added 3/4 cup of chopped pecans because if it's chocolate it has to have pecans in it!)
Mix all the ingredients except the sugar and put in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Take dough out of fridge and use a tablespoon to drop onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Sprinkle sugar all over the top of the cookies and then bake in a preheated 350 degree
oven for 12 minutes. Take pan out of oven and wait about 5 minutes and then put the
cookies on a cooling rack or on a platter.
They are moist and delicious! I'm going to make cookies with the yellow cake mix this
weekend. I'm not sure what I want to add (maybe M & M's or Bits of Brickle) I will
let y'all know how they turn out!


Don't get stressed out during this beautiful Season of Advent - Enjoy the season and
remember, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season" - Blessings to you all!


And here is a picture of these yummy cookies!



A Season of Hope and Preparation!

Hello out there! It is cold and wet outside! I have so many things to share with y'all
that I think I'm going to write several different stories. I'm going to start with this one
because it won't take very long!
I was honored to be interviewed by Texas Right To Life during the month of November.
Since November is National Adoption Month, they contacted me about sharing my
adoption story and also letting people know about our pro-life mission! I was beyond
excited and I know that I talked a mile a minute! The young lady who interviewed me
was very patient and really did a great job on the article.
If you would like to read the article - the following is the link:


https://www.texasrighttolife.com/texas-woman-adopted-as-a-baby-shares-her-story-to-promote-adoption-as-a-loving-life-option/


This is the First Week of Advent! Can you believe it? Christmas morning will be here
before we know it! Last night I was reading the daily scriptures from my daily
meditations, "the Word among us" and I want to share the reading from The Old
Testament. This scripture fills me with hope and always touches my heart.


Isaiah 11:1-10
On that day,
A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots
a bud shall blossom.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord,
and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord.
Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide,
Be he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted.
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath
of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.


Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with kid;
The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.
The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest;
the lion shall eat hay like the ox.
The baby shall play by the cobra's den,
and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair.
There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.


On that day,
The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations,
The Gentiles shall seek out,
for his dwelling shall be glorious.


I will be closing now and begin another post soon!
May you all be blessed during this very special season - The Advent Season -
a time of preparation, of hope, of growing in faith, and of love.


                                                            Bye for now, Sharla







Monday, December 4, 2017

Advent Stories from Years' Past!

Good morning and hello out there! I haven't written a post in two weeks! I have so
much to tell y'all. But first, I have to go to the grocery store because we were out of
town all last week and we cleaned out the fridge and gave all the food to our kids
before we left town! I'm going to run all my errands and then I will sit down and tell
you all about our journey and a lot more! I'm going to post some links to my advent
stories from years past - before I head out the door! (I love these stories - I hope you
will too!)


A few of my favorite memories from this time of year! Grab a cup of coffee or hot
cocoa and settle in a comfortable spot - I hope these stories from the past will make
you smile, touch your hearts, and help you to remember some of your treasured
memories as well!





December 2016

https://adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com/2016/12/a-season-of-memories.html


December 2015
https://adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com/2015/12/preparing-for-christmas-with-love-in-my.html
December 2014
https://adoptedandblessed.blogspot.com/2014/12/good-morning-out-there-i-hope-everyone.html