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THE CURE FOR DISAPPOINTMENT-MY DAILY DEVOTIONAL

"I am the Lord, the God of every person on the earth.  Nothing is impossible for me."Jeremiah 32:27

We need to hear that God is still in control.  We need to hear that it's not over until He says so.  We need to hear that life's mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out.  They are simply a reason to sit tight.

Corrie ten Boom used to say, "When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out?  Of course not.  You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through."...

The way to deal with discouragement?  The cure for disappointment?  Go back and read the story of God.  Read it again and again.  Be reminded that you aren't the first person to weep.  And you aren't the first person to be helped.

Read the story and remember, (the) story is yours!   (He Still Moves Stones)

This was my devotional the day my friend Donna called to tell me that her husband Wayne's cancer had returned.  Just thought I would share that-God is in every detail-even down to knowing what we need to read to touch our hearts in our daily devotionals.

So thankful that I serve a risen Savior that loves me so much that He cares for every detail in my life-ever so thankful!

On His Pathway-
Jill

Alyssa's School Pictures-vote on your favorite!

Last week the boys (who both go to public school still this year) had their school pictures taken.  It dawned on me since this is our first year homeschooling Alyssa that I wouldn't have a school picture of her for this year-the first time since she started Kindergarten.  I decided we couldn't have that, so after she showered and got dressed I told her we were taking school pictures today at home, after all we are homeschooling so why not have pictures from your home school? Right!
So that is what we did.  I posted some of my favorites and put them on Facebook for some of our family and friends to see and vote which one they liked best-so I thought it might be fun to do it on here too and see what results we got.  I'll post later which one wins over all from here and FB just in case you are dying to know. (smile) So here they are in no particular order.  I will # them so it is easier to let us know which are your favorites.

#1

 #2

#3

 #4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

That is it-we had a lot of fun doing this!  I actually liked them better than the boys school pictures-I just might take them each year myself from now on. lol

On His Pathway-

Jill

Carmel Taffy Apple Cheesecake

We had a Sunday School Fellowship last weekend and we all had to bring soup and a dessert.

I made Chicken Taco Soup-my family's favorite and this new dessert-Carmel Taffy Apple Cheesecake.

My rule is I usually don't take something that I have never made before to something where other people will be eating it just in case it isn't good, but this looked so good I had to try it.  Plus, I was stuck in a rut of always making the same thing-so I ventured out and gave it a try.

It started with these pecans from our very own yard!

I sat and cracked them for about and hour to get enough for the crust and the topping. 

                                    

Here is some of the pecans as I was cracking them.  I got a lot of whole halves-hated to have to crush them up for the pie.

 This is after it came out of the oven-almost the last step.

Yummy-the finished product! Whipped cream-carmel topping and pecans on top.

I didn't even get a piece-my hubby did and he said it was good-I guess it was ok since I brought home an empty plate.

I say it was a thumbs up-I will try it again-maybe even around Thanksgiving for a second or third pie to have around the house for company.  I love fall-just something about it that makes me love to bake and sit around wrapped up in a blanket and read a good book.  We got a taste of fall this week-it dropped into the 30's at night.  A chill in the air.

Here is the recipe along with a corrected typo that I didn't see the first time I proofed this! Oh well.

TAFFY APPLE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

3 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and melted butter; press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in vanilla; pour filling into the baked crust.

3.In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Toss the cinnamon-sugar with the apples to coat. Spoon apple mixture over cream cheese layer and sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped pecans.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes. With a knife, loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, then remove the rim of pan. Chill cake for about an hour-then top it with whipped cream and chopped pecans and drizzled it with a caramel topping.

On this Pathway-

Jill

Beauty in a Promise

One thing I really love about living in Texas is the sky (we see lots of it around here-not many trees in Abilene) and I have gotten some of the prettiest pictures since living here of the sunrises and sunsets.  The other day on our way home from picking up the boys from school this was our view on the way to our house.  Breathe taking.  I didn't have my camera so we quickly drove home and I ran into the house to get it and we drove back out to take some photos.     I love how the clouds behind the rainbow show off the colors of it so well.  We couldn't see the whole thing but you could follow the arch because you could catch glimpses of it in different places in the sky.  We drove to the park where it seemed the other end was.  It was lighter (the end picture with the light post) but it was still pretty.

  

We had a great discussion about what the rainbow meant-the promise it was from God.  Brandon (my son that just turned 7 was so proud when he announced that it was God's promise to Moses-and my Derek who was 8 was quite disgusted at that and informed him it was Noah.  To which Brandon replied he knew that.  We got to talk about God's promise to all of us though and it was really neat.

I had found out that my dear friend Donna's husband (who had surgery to remove half of his left lung back in March due to cancer) had gone back to the Dr. for his first CAT scan since having chemo after the surgery-only for them to find a spot they didn't like in the lower half of the same lung.  He had to have a PET scan done on Thursday to see if it indeed is more cancer.  They got the results yesterday-the cancer has returned and they will now have to do radiation since it grew while he was doing chemo.   They saw two different Dr.'s yesterday, one was not very positive, looking at this as only extending his life and probably not a cure, the other (who will do the radiation was more positive) he said he has seen more spots throughout people's bodies that have been cured before and since his is in just the one location and they will be able to solely radiate there-he thinks the chances of a cure are good.

Donna is understandably shaken.  They have been married 39 years-he is her soul mate and she said to me "I can't imagine my life without him-we have been married since we were 18." 

Please keep them in your prayers their names our Wayne and Donna and he starts treatment (5 days a week for 6 weeks) on Friday.  They are not sure what the outcome will be, and what the side effects will be for him either.  Our God knows though and I am praying that He will comfort them both and give them the grace to get through this and what ever the outcome is that His glory will be revealed through it all.  Please pray for me that I will be a anchor for her during this storm-that I would know the right things to say or when to be silent-the shoulder she needs to cry on if she needs to and whatever happens that I would be the hands, feet, arms, legs, the body of Christ in human form for her-a God given friend to get her through this.

This rainbow meant a lot to me-it reminded me that God does give us promises-not that everything in life would be easy-almost the opposite if we follow Him, but that He promises that no matter what we go through He understands what we are going through and loves us and carries us through it.  It made we think of a line from a song "Sometimes He calms the storm and other times He calms His child."

So thankful in my own life that I don't go through the "storms of life" alone.

Thanks for your prayers.  I will keep you updated.

On this Pathway-

Jill

MORE NECKLACES FOR SALE $12.00 each

I made some more necklaces for my next vendor's show.  Thought I would share them.  They sell for $12.00 each.

On His Pathway-
Jill