Happy Veteran's Day - guest post by Pam Perry

Today, you are in for a special treat! 
For the first time, CALL HER BLESSED has a guest post, 
written by a sweet and dear friend, Pam Perry.
She's a homeschool mom rock star & has been an inspiration for me in
many ways over the years.
She sent a beautiful email last week, to encourage each of the recipients 
to go the extra mile on Veteran's Day ... to refuse to let this day pass without
the proper observance it deserves.
I messaged her right away & asked if I could share it on the blog ...
& she graciously agreed.
Take a second to read this ... and if you don't have set plans,
maybe you can be spontaneous & work something into your day.
Check to see what's going on in your town & head on over to support it.
If nothing else, bake {or buy} some cookies, a thank-you card 
& deliver it to a veteran that you know ...
a small gesture that will make a big impact, of this I'm sure.
Above all, diligently teach your children about the significance of this day.
Do not let it pass unnoticed. 

Happy Veteran's Day to all those who have served & sacrificed.

Pam & I at the IAHE Homeschool Convention

"Over the past several weeks, I have been quite frustrated 
with the government shutdown and how it affected our veterans.  
Many veterans and visitors were told that they would not have access 
to the war memorials ... memorials that have been erected in their honor. 
However, I was encouraged and my heart was warmed after listening 
to several accounts of the Honor Flight that left Fort Wayne in October.  

I have not had the opportunity to visit the war memorials in Washington D.C., 
nor have I had the honor of welcoming veterans back from an Honor Flight.  

I have, however, had  the opportunity to attend ceremonies in honor of veterans 
and active duty military in my local community.  

Today, Monday, November 11th, is Veteran's Day.  
Our family has always tried to attend some form of a Veteran's Day Ceremony.  
There have been years that we haven't been able to, 
but we have always felt that it is important to show honor and respect 
to those have served to protect our country.  
When our oldest son was eight or nine, 
we attended a few outdoor ceremonies that were bitter cold.  

It was the least that we could do. 

They have since moved this ceremony to our local high school.  
We have attended that as well over the years.  

It is never convenient.  
It interrupts our school day.  
The weather is bad.  
I have a little baby.
(Brent was only 17 days old when he went to his first ceremony). 

I actually thought about sending out this email last week, 
but I have been very busy.  

In fact, I am exhausted today.  
It crossed my mind to skip it this year.  
To "forget" for this year, but I can't.   
We can't forget.

I can do a quick glance at Veteran's Day during school
and we can pray for our Armed Forces during devotions,
but some things just require a little more action on our part.
This is why today, Veteran's Day, we will head out to the high school 
for the Veteran's Day Ceremony.
The kids will shake hands with the local veterans
and thank them for their service.
They will run next door to thank our neighbors on both sides for their service, as well ... 
we have Vietnam veterans on both sides of us.
{We thanked the veterans at church on Sunday.}

I can already tell you that my school day will not be a very good one
in the way of academics.
I will hope to accomplish a lot more than we actually get done.
Actually, you know what?
We are going to have a great day of school.
We are going to focus on history and character building.

There won't be a test, yet.
In a few years, if the Lord wills it, my kids will take their kids out to honor the veterans ... 
then I will know that I passed.

By God's grace and mercy, I was born in America.
I live in a country that isn't perfect ... a country whose leaders are flawed. 
However, I am thankful to the pilgrims, pioneers, and soldiers who have paved the way 
to the freedoms and life that I enjoy.  

I encourage and invite you to join our family in honoring our veterans.
Find a ceremony in your local community, shake a veterans hand,
pay for a veteran's meal, or give him or her a gift card.
Don't forget that there will most likely be family members of veterans
or active duty military at these ceremonies.
They are to be thanked and honored as well.

{Need some online resources?  Go to The Skit Guys website for several 
great Veteran's Day clips and reminders.}"

God Bless,

Pam Perry   

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Throw What You Got in the Pot!

I've been on a kick lately of working through what we've got in the pantry & the freezer.
Dinners have been based around the ingredients I've had on hand.

My pantry and fridge generally looks like a little mini grocery store.
I have all my staples and lots of other items in between.
I usually buy what's on sale to keep the pantry stocked & then I base our meals off that.
Sometimes I have specific things in mind that need exact ingredients,
but my usual style of cooking is a meat and a couple sides.
I always have certain things here to build from -- our favorites -- the usuals.

You know how it is, sometimes you stock up & stock up ...
and at some point, you need to eat what you have before you buy anymore.

That's where I've been lately  -- determined to use my freezer and pantry stock.

I'm happy to say that the garage freezer meat is gone,
with the exception of one lone roll of Bob Evans sausage & one package of turkey bacon.
I used my last package of ground beef on Tuesday.

Why does that make me happy?
Because I like to use the items while they are 'fresh' and I feel accomplished that I've stuck to my mission.

While my pantry is far from empty, I've used things that needed to be used.
Now that we are entering the winter/holiday season,
I'll be stocking up on the necessary baking ingredients.
You never know when you may be invited to a get-together ...
or the cookies you'll need bake right before you watch a Christmas movie. 

All that being said, I wanted to share a delicious soup recipe that I came up with the other night.
I knew what I had on hand, my starting ingredients, so I googled GOULASH recipes to get
a general idea on what direction to head.
The end result:  sheer soupy heaven!
I'll definitely be making this one again.

There's nothing better than a big kettle of soup simmering on the stove ... well, until it hits your mouth, that is.

So, I've lovingly called this soup "Throw What You Got in the Pot Goulash."
(In case you don't know what goulash is, click here.)

1 lb ground beef
1 lb breakfast sausage (I used Bob Evans)
1 32 oz box beef broth
1 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz can chili beans, undrained
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
2-4 cups of water (depending on thickness desired)
2 cups uncooked macaroni
variety of peppers, chopped (I used 1 green, one red, one purple - yes it was purple)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Brown the ground beef & sausage together & drain off.
Add in peppers, onions, & spices & simmer together for 5-10 minutes to develop flavor.
Add all the remaining ingredients & stir well.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Serve when the macaroni is cooked through (approx. 30 minutes minimum).

Top with shredded cheese & a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.

Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Pizza Burgers, Round 2

 

Well, this is a first on this little bloggity blog ... a recipe repeat.

(If it's good the first time, it's even better the second time, right)
(... at least that's my way of thinking.)
Go with me on it & trust me, you'll be happy you did.

Here it is the first time around:  PIZZA BURGERS!
Go here & check it out, ok?

Now, I know what you're thinking.
This begs the question ... why on earth if you blogged it once are you blogging it again?

Cause it's the kind of recipe that I like the most & totally exemplifies my favorite style of cooking ...
flexible 'method' recipes that allows what you have on hand to be the star of the show.

I took the same idea for PIZZA BURGERS, the ones that I shared the first time around,
used a few different ingredients & still came out with a total winner!

And you know what's even funnier still, when I pulled up the original blog post,
it's from November 16, 2010 ... & my fall butter dish in the background is in exactly
the same spot on my kitchen counter at this very moment.
(Creature of habit, much?)
Apparently this is the time of year when I gravitate toward these handy dandy lil' burgers.
Guess I'm funny like that & I didn't even know it ;)

So, without further ado, here's what I did this time around.

I browned up 2 pounds of ground beef {draining off after browning}.
I added in a whole green pepper, chopped -- and 1 can of Manwich Bold sloppy joe sauce.
{I used Manwich cause that's what I had in my pantry
& even though it's super cinchy, I didn't want to take the time to make my homemade pizza sauce.}
To bump up the pizza flavor, I used 2 Tbsp. of my favorite pizza seasoning.
This needs to simmer for a bit, 10 minutes or so.

I bought this at my favorite Amish grocery store & use it in many recipes.

On a sheet pan, open hamburger buns & lay out on the pan {these are served open face like a pizza}.
Top each bun with a couple heaping tablespoons of meat.
Next, add the shredded mozzarella cheese  {you'll need 8 oz or so, depending on how cheesy you are}
& 3 or 4 slices of pepperoni to the top.
Stick these in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese is melty & golden brown.

I served these with french fries & a side of ranch dressing.
{Another kitchen trick:  get the most from your oven!
If you are sticking one thing in there, stick in something else while it's hot.}

So, go on now & give these a try.
Sooo good.
(& it kinda makes you feel like a kid again, these kinds of recipes do.)
(There's never anything wrong with that.)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's recipe -- It's called 'Throw What You Got in the Pot.'
(I made this yesterday & it's otherwise entitled 'Goulash'.)

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Fall Colors ~ November 1

There's a crispness in the air that greets the morning sun

a feeling of anticipation, a new day has begun.

  

Harvest days are ending, winter is drawing near

yet in between is surely the most special time of year.

They call it Indian Summer, and it seems to fit the bill

 for it's as if the Lord took a feathered brush and painted all the hills.

 So I say that the eyes are a window

beauty is found within the soul

and upon the hills of Autumn

that are strewn with red and gold.

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Who doesn't love a party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways

Reformation Celebration 2013

Family Life Assembly celebrates the Reformation!
 
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the church doors,
protesting the corruption within the Roman church.
Luther insisted that  forgiveness is Gods alone to grant.
Many point to this event as the spark of the protestant reformation.
It's a religious holiday remembered on October 31.

With being such an important event in our protestant history,
FLA has chosen to celebrate it each year on the last Saturday of October.
I'll let the pictures do most of the talking as you share in our 2nd annual Reformation Celebration.
{There's a lot of them, so sit back & get comfortable.}

Let's get this fun day started!
Here, Pastor James is reminding us of the historical & spiritual significance of today's celebration.

Asking the blessing over the day.

How about these handmade signs?
I absolutely love these, made by David Casey.

In usual FLA fashion, the ladies outdid themselves yet once again!
There was food galore, all delicious & the perfect warm up for this chilly day.

There were many pots of soups, stews, chili, ham & beans cooked over the fire ...
all accompanied by corn fritters, corn bread, muffins, & various artisan breads & crackers.
Also, there were a variety of sandwiches, burgers, sloppy joes & all the fixings besides.

The desserts were nothing short of delectable!
There were several pumpkin options to choose from, along with cookies, pies, bars, & apple dumplings.
At the hot drink station, there was pumpkin coffee & a delicious pumpkin white hot chocolate.
Once it got dark, there were hot dogs for roasting & s'mores to be made over the fire.
Be assured ... no one left hungry.

If you haven't already noticed, FLA men have a thing for beards & moustaches ;)
Even the water bottles dressed for the occasion.

James Hubbard, the grill master for the day.

Goings on in the Grub Shack~

David & Colton

A big thanks to David for enclosing the tents -- helped keep us warm!

And to Matt for the big patio/outdoor heaters!

Welcome to the FuN ZoNe!

The kids games were a hit again this year -- thank you, Carissa & her helper, Garrett.

Another big winner again this year:  the bouncy house!
The kids have a ball in there.
Here are the faces of the future.

 Sweet Lauren looks like she stepped right out of the prairie days =)

And then there were the grown-up games ... and they were a bit on the messy side ;)
Talk about good sports!

 Thanks Ryan & Natalie for bringing the laughs.

A Step Back in Time

The most fun of the day was seeing everyone that dressed for the occasion!
Pastor James encouraged us to wear period clothing, up to the early 1800s.
We had much more participation this year ... & wow, were some of these outfits over the top!
The grand prize winner was Tim Porter & he won a gift card, but if truth be told,
there were probably many close seconds.
Here are all the participants who did an outstanding job!

We even had a little monk!

My sister, Lisa, kept us all giggling all day.
She got in character, complete with mole & scarf.
Her trip to a Shipshewana thrift store netted her an extra special outfit, clear down to the boots.

Billie, who also scored at the same thrift store, and Lisa were dressed as Amish ...
or as nuns ... or ... one or the other ;)
They were trying to be somber, but as sure as one would be, the other one wouldn't!

These two are something else.

Then there's sweet Karaline!
She just steals the show.
Oh, doesn't she look adorable in her little Amish dress that her 'Mimi' bought her?

The Haase family looked great!

Women of the reformation

 Men of the reformation

Random shots of FLA friends & family.

Drew, getting ready for some campfire singing & picking.

David, the sign maker & installer ... and a million other things in between.

Calling all for the straw jump!
This is a highlight of the day.

 Starts off with one ... then two ... then three ... then four ... or more!

Campfire ... simple pleasures are best.

 Nothing like sitting down by the fire with a warm bowl of soup.

We had some special 'campfire' singing just when it got dark ...
it was the perfect way to wind down the day.

Again this year, we couldn't even begin to thank Terry & Paula Ellis 
for offering the property for our celebration!
They are gracious host with great big hearts full of love 
& we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Great is your reward.

I couldn't name every single person that contributed in one form or another to make this day a success.
It takes many willing hands to pull it off & we are so grateful for each of you.
You helped make memories for all of us to treasure for years to come.
A great big thanks & lots of love from James & me.

Another great day behind us ... & already looking forward to this next year.

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Monday         Make It Yourself Monday        The Better Mom       C.R.A.F.T     
Tuesday    A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                   Women Living Well    The Thrifty Home     A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday      The Shabby Creek Cottage     Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday    Happy-Go-Lucky     The Thrifty Groove      Farm Blog Hop
Sunday  Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways