A Little Change

For all those who follow my blog, I have changed to a new website. mustardseedfaith1720.com. Please update your bookmarks. See ya there!

A Little Bit Italiano Tonight!

Pizza Night Anyone?!

Ok so it's not 100% the real deal of Italian pizza...I just thought the title sounded cool! ;) I would love to try some real Italian pizza someday. Who knows...maybe I'll find a recipe (and some ambition) and try to make it myself sometime. I'm guessing there is some real work involved in making the dough, not to mention the kitchen is no doubt covered in flour. For tonight though...I took the easy route, and it was not bad if I do say so myself! We made two pizza because we have different taste in our house. My Mom's favorite is supreme, Jonathan's favorite is plain pepperoni, and Me? Well...I like either one. My all time favorite is pepperoni with pineapple, but since I don't have any pineapple that

option was out all together. Also, another note to share is that both pizzas had deer meat on them instead of ground beef.

I know some out there are anti-deer meat BUT Jonathan's cousin killed some for us this year and we really like it. Since we have had so much I don't see the point in buying ground beef also so we decided to give it a try and we found that it was really just as good with deer meat as it is with regular ground beef. We like using the deer meat in anything from chili to tacos, hamburger helper, veggie soup to now pizza! Try it out sometime and let me know what you think!

I LOVE COMMENTS! :)

Happy New Year!

So... today is January 1, 2012! I can't believe it is already the start of a brand new year and since today is Sunday I can't think of a better place to start off the new year than being in God's house today. I had planned to take pictures today of everything we would be doing to commemorate the day, but unfortunately I am stuck in the bed with a nasty cold and fever that I can't seem to fully shake. :( So... that said, I plan to take some pictures in the next couple of days and next Sunday to show how we have started off our new year! Trust me... you wouldn't want to see any pictures of me today! ;)

I've also decided (for the new year) that if I'm gonna have a blog then I had better keep up with it better than I have in the past, or do away with it all together. I'm not making any "new year's resolution promises," but here's hoping I can do a better job of keeping things up to date! I'm starting off with a new theme. Patriotic is always nice, but I thought seeing as how winter is officially here the snow ball fight theme better applies. ;) Stay tuned...pictures will be appearing soon!

PROJECT MANIA!

I love to work on little projects, especially anything that has to do with wood. I worked for a lady several years back who taught me how to do the distressed look on furniture and ever since then I love to do anything like that.

At the beginning of summer I had quite a lot of small projects to do so I thought I would share some before and after pictures of what we did. Jonathan helped me with parts of it. As he says...his honey-do list just keeps growing. ;)

I recently got into wood burning and so I decided to make this sign for the quilt that we have that Jonathan's Granny made years ago. It has always been my favorite, but it has become VERY worn and so to try to preserve what is left of it I decided to put it on display where we can enjoy it that way. Here is a picture of me burning the sign and then the finished product hanging on the wall in our den!

~Before~

~After~

This small parlor set belonged to my Grandparents for many years and it was passed down to me. My Daddy says he remembers the day his Dad brought this home to his Mom. He said he was just a very little boy, he told me it is at least 40 yrs old. I think it's special that I got to have it after so many years. We put a good fresh coat of paint on it, and re-upholstered the chairs. I think it turned out pretty good! Especially considering its the first thing we have ever re-upholstered. ;)

~Before~

~After~

Last year Jonathan bought this double rocking chair for me for my birthday! When we got it, it did not have any kind of stain or polyurethane on it so over the winter it ended up looking very worn and rough. This spring I cleaned it up with bleach water, and to my surprise that bleach cleaned it up so well that it made it look like it had just come off the assembly line. I knew though that if I didn't put something on it that the same thing would happen all over again so I found a dark stain to put on it and then put a good coat of polyurethane over it to seal it. I think it turned out to be really pretty! I enjoy sitting on my front porch early in the morning or late in the evening...though I don't get to near as much as I would really like!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures. :)

My Pretty Flowers

Jonathan built this flower bed for me a few years ago for my birthday. I planted one of my favorite flowers in it. Daffodils! But the only sad part about those flowers is that they don't last all summer so after they have bloomed and died back, I pull up all the dead leaves and replant some type of annual flower in their place to last for the rest of summer. This year I chose Impatients. I have always loved Impatients. They start out so small and by the end of summer never cease to amaze me at how big they have grown!

Here it is empty, but just wait and see!

A picture Jonathan took a few years ago when it was bursting with daffodils! I always love it because it looks like a sea of yellow. :)

See how much they grew! Call me partial, but I think they are beautiful!

I just thought I would share one of my favorite things of summer with y'all. Hope you enjoy as much as I do! :)

Garden Blessings!

The Lord has really blessed our garden this year with so much. We were able to get started a little earlier this spring than we normally do. I do not have pictures of everything, but I did try to get picture of most everything we had to come in. We have been so happy that things have gone as well as they have. Last year our garden didn't do so well, mainly due to harsh weather. However, I just have to tell the Lord thank you for the beautiful harvest He blessed us with this year! I put up a total of 60 cups of squash, 13 quarts plus we have a total of 30 ears of corn, 8 pints of cushaw, about 4 quarts of green bell peppers, and we had SO many tomatoes. I put up pasta sauce, pizza sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and salsa. I'm not sure how much of each one, but I know it ended up being about 60 jars total! What a blessing. :)

Here are a few pictures from our harvest~

Check out all that corn! oh! btw..I also ended up being stung by a packsaddle while picking the corn. I have never been stung by one and in fact was not even 100% sure of what it looked like. I remember right before it happened, I was thinking how happy I was to almost be finished picking all the corn without anyone being stung, and then BAM! I got it good. :) There were actually two of them and they both managed to get me pretty good. By the time I got inside the house my hand was already swollen and had two very big red welts.

Anyway, back to the corn..Here is a picture of the 13 quarts we put in the freezer!

Just in case you have never seen a packsaddle and wonder what it looks like, here ya go. Now that I look at it, I think it's kinda pretty, but at the time I got stung that was not at all the thought going through by mind!

A friend of mine said it right..."how can something so small and quite pretty, do something so awful?"

Chopped green bell peppers ready for the freezer. It's hard to tell it from the picture, but this ended up being about 2 quarts with by the time I got it all chopped up. I LOVE to cook with peppers so the fact that I have so much put up is awesome!

A few of the watermelon we grew! The two smaller ones were not as ripe as the rest, but it was OHHHH so good! Jonathan and I both love watermelon so we have grown it every year in our garden. I think it is a perfect sweet and cool treat on a hot summer day. :)

An over-flowing veggie basket!

Just one picture from the many times that my kitchen sink was this full of tomatoes!

Again I have to say, Thank you, Lord for your bountiful supply!

I Don't Know God's Way, But He Knows Mine!

Job 23:8-10 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”

Job has gone from the wealthiest, most influential person in his land to a man who is broke, humbled, and despised. He is a at a point where he cannot understand or figure out what God is doing.

He says that he goes forward but God is not there. He goes backward, but God is not there. He looks to the left and to the right, but he cannot find him or see Him there.

Maybe you find yourself in the same situation as Job. Things are happening that don’t make sense. It feels like God has abandoned you. You feel alone. You cannot make head or tails of what is going on!

You can rest in this truth, “…I cannot see him: but he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold!” You may not know God’s way, but the important thing is that He knows your way. He is in control, and when he is done you will come forth as gold. God is going to bring you through this trial and produce great things from your life.

Our responsibility is not so much to understand but to trust. We may not know all the details and reasons of God’s plan, but we can see from His Word that He can be trusted, so we should give Him our lives and trust Him to work everything out according to His plan.

(I saw this on a blog that I follow of a missionary family that my husband and I know. I enjoyed reading it and wanted to share it as well. Much of what is said above describes perfectly how I have felt lately. I do know that God is in control. He has a big plan, but I just can't see it all yet...so in the mean time, I'm learning to trust Him). -Becky

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10
My Pastor preached yesterday from Psalm 46. He did a wonderful job, but what seem to be my favorite part was when he was talking about this verse. He said that sometimes we need to just be still, we get to busy with other things, and we forget about God when HE alone is the one we need the most. He made 2 comments that have stuck with me.

1. If we could really get ahold of this verse, reflect on it, and realize that God has ALL power in Heaven and earth, and realize what all HE has done.

2. He asked the question "How long has it been since God has made Himself known in your life?"

He also talked about in verse 1 where it says "a very present help." Very Present means abundantly accessible! so we will never go to Him for help that He will not be there for us! Sometimes we may feel that He is not there, but this verse proves that He is always by our side.

There is so much I need to learn from these verses. Imagine the amount of growing one could do if we could really get ahold of what it's really saying. I hope this has been a help to you as it was to me, and my prayer is that for my own life as well as all who read this that we could find help in our Savior. Even if it takes some negligence from other things in our life that would keep us from being still before Him, and then maybe we could really see that He IS a very present help in our time of trouble.

A Sight To See

My Mother and Father-in-law raise honey bees, and today they were gonna be extracting some of the honey from the hives, and since I have never seen this done before I was excited to get to watch. Below is a video that Jonathan did of each step you go through as the whole process takes place. It was very interesting to watch as it all happened and might I add very tasty too! ;) Got to enjoy a few tastes of the honey as we did it all. Hope you will enjoy watching the video below!

SQUASH!!!

First squash from our garden! Can't wait for supper tonight! :)

One Scarred Hand

He is the fountain for a thirsty soul

He is the healer and so much more

When my heart is broken by this world's demands

The pieces are mended through one scarred hand

And when I can't stand, I have to lean

And when I can't see, I must believe

The Great Physician's touch is a balm that can

Mend broken hearts with one scarred hand

It's a hand that holds this whole world in place

It's a hand that was scarred just to give me grace

And to think a hand that holds the stars

Is small enough to mend one broken heart

And when I can't stand, I have to lean

And when I can't see, I must believe

The Great Physician's touch is a balm that can

Mend broken hearts with one scarred hand

My Pastor and his family sung this song at church yesterday. It was such a blessing to me so I wanted to share it!

The Lost Sea

I have always wanted to go to The Lost Sea but had never gotten the chance until yesterday. I help plan trips for the homeschool group that is through our church so yesterday a small group of us got to go. I know everyone had a good time and I got to see something I had never seen before. It was interesting to me to learn some of the history that is there and how The Lost Sea was very first discovered. We enjoyed it so much that I got some other information on other caves that are in our area. Jonathan and I may plan a trip to some of those places very soon but for now here are a few pictures from our trip to The Lost Sea!

There is some vegetation that grows in the cave due to things that humans bring in on their own bodies and because of what small amount of light that is in the cave these things can grow. Most of what is seen in the cave is moss and ferns. In this picture you can see one of the ferns as well as some of the cave in the background.

Some more pictures of the cave.

The Front Entrance

A New Look!

Sheeezzz!!! How far can one woman get behind with her blog?! Apparently I'm pretty good at it cause I still had PUMPKINS for my background! So where to start? I guess an apology would be a good place for not keeping up with it better. Nothing really new to post, but I do promise to TRY to do better. I do hope y'all will keep coming back to visit from time to time!

God Makes No Mistakes!

My life I give to you oh Lord use me I pray

May I glorify Your precious name in all I do and say

Let me trust You in the valley dark as well as in the light

Knowing You will always lead me

Your will is always right

I know God makes no mistakes

He leads in every path I take

Along the way that’s leading me to home

Though at times my heart would break

There’s a purpose in every change He makes

So that others would see my life and know

That God makes no mistakes

And when some day in heav’n above I see His dear face

May I then be counted faithful as a runner in this race

But now I’m trusting in the Savior to show me the way

In His righteousness He guides me as I seek to please Him day by day

I know God makes no mistakes

He leads in every path I take

Along the way that’s leading me to home

Though at times my heart would break

There’s a purpose in every change He makes

So that others would see my life and know

That God makes no mistakes

God makes no mistakes

This song says much of what has been on my mind lately. I know God has a perfect plan even though we cannot always see and understand what it may be. I just hope that somehow my life will be a light for Him. He is so worthy, and it's not all about us, It's all about HIM and who HE is! The true desire of my heart is to live for the Lord. I am far from perfect and I fail Him everyday, but I desire to be like Him so that like the song says "others would see my life and know that He makes no mistakes."

The Great Outdoors!!

A couple weeks ago we went on a camping trip with Scott, Kristan, and all the boys to Cherokee National Forest! The weather was perfect and it was so beautiful up there. It was nice getting away for a couple days and having fun with family. We got there on Thursday afternoon and we left on Saturday morning. I like camping and it's kinda interesting living like that for a couple days but I don't think I would want to do it for very long periods of time. I'm very much a 'Home Sweet Home' kinda girl!! The first day we kinda just hung around our campsite, played around, and I ate way more than I should have!! What is it about camping that makes you just want to eat ALL the time? Anyway, the second day after breakfast we all loaded up and went farther up in the mountains to see some of the scenery, afterwards we came back for supper and to settle down for the evening. Kristan made a big pot of chili and we sat around the campfire talking, making smores, and having fun! Later that night things got a little interesting when Kristan, and I got scared half to death by some sort of CRITTER that was in the woods!!! Turned out that it was just a bird (we think..?) but, needless to say I wanted to sleep in the car!! Silly I know, but you never really know what is lurking around in the woods after dark! All in all though it was a great trip and I'm very glad we all got to go. It made for some fun family memories!!

Check out this video of our camping trip from September!

A New Recipe

I am ALWAYS on the hunt for a new recipe! I recently came across this one, and thought I'd try it. We LOVED it! :) so If you have an adventurous side and like to try new things then give this a whirl.

Foil-Pack Taco chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

3-4 potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

1/2 cup salsa

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll chicken in the seasoning mix. Place approx. 1/2 cup of the potatoes on center of each of 4 large sheets of foil; top evenly with chicken, salsa, and cheese.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and both ends to seal each packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Place on backing sheet.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening. Serve with sour cream.

Makes 4 servings. Tip: To prevent potatoes from sticking to the foil, spray with cooking spray.

Hope you like it. Let me know what ya think! :)

Pie Contest

Before...

During...

After...

Here is the video!

Youth Revival At FBC

Bro. Jonathan, Ms. Kelsey, & Little Hayden Davis

We just finished a youth revival at our church last night. Bro. Jonathan Davis and his family were there with us. Our church loves this family and they are always such a blessing to be around. Thank you to Bro. Jonathan for all the great messages we heard, and a big thank you to all our church for all the hard work and the prayers that you have done to make this week possible. I pray that this revival will continue on in the hearts of our people, and I hope that our young people will continue to seek God's will for their lives.

A few days prior to the start of the revival a deal was made with all of the youth that whoever brought the most visitors would have the opportunity to throw a pie in my husbands face. (He of course pleaded that it NOT be coconut...Due to the fact that he hates anything coconut)!!! We did tell all of our youth that of course it is ok to have a little fun, but this was not the main thing for this revival, and that the most important part was to see lives touched and hopefully changed. As the week continued it was decided that Bro. Jonathan Davis would also be in on this and he too would get a pie in the face! :) He willingly agreed, and so the week continued with a count of who brought the most. The winner was Emily Pallotta, and she was MORE than willing to throw those pies! I got a video and a few pictures of the event. They will be uploaded soon so please come back to see!

A Day Of fun!

Jonathan and I were invited to spend the day with some friends at Dollywood for the afternoon this past Friday. It had been awhile since we had both been able to go to Dollywood so we jumped at the idea and a chance to get to spend time with good friends. It was a very fun day and we are looking forward to going back very soon. :)

Our Crew that went to Dollywood

Bro. Ben Cooley & Carrie Nelson

Cory Nelson

Jonathan & I