Riverbend Ramblings

From our house to yours, may you have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

I'll be back December 3rd. :)
Psalm 107:1 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Happy Birthday, Curly Girl!

Labels: Special Days

Labels: My Thoughts

Kelli has been posting all kinds of wonderful ideas during this special "Giving Thanks" week, so head over there and check out all the goodies. Blogger is behaving badly and won't let me upload any pictures, so you'll have to use your imagination as I count some more of my blessings. :) ~~My Handsome Husband He's been my best friend since we started dating 14 years ago. I could never have imagined how wonderful a life with him could be. If I had it to do all over again, I'd still pick him. ~~Christian Parents Both Mr. C and I were raised in Christian homes. I appreciate the values that were instilled in us during our growing up years. With the Lord's help we are endeavoring to pass this wonderful heritage on to our children. ~~America No matter what the liberal media tries to portray, I still believe that we live in the greatest nation on earth. I am thankful for the freedom I have as an American, and I will continue to pray for revival in the hearts of Americans. ~~Church Family It is such an encouragement to be able to fellowship with like-minded believers. We are able to bear one another's burdens and grow together under good Bible preaching and teaching.

Labels: My Thoughts

Kelli is hosting a wonderful week of ideas with the theme "Giving Thanks". I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week! The last two years our parents joined us for Thanksgiving here in Georgia, but this year we'll be going to Florida to spend the holiday with them. I plan on being away from the computer next week, so each day this week I'm going to count my many blessings and share them with you.

Today I'm thankful for:

~ Missionaries
We're having our annual missions conference this week at our church, and my heart is always stirred as I listen to reports from dedicated missionaries serving all over the world who are striving to win the lost at any cost.

~ The King James Bible
Do you treasure God's written word? We have quite a few Bibles around our house, and I'm guilty of taking The Book for granted. Here in America we can walk into any discount store and purchase a Bible for just a few dollars, yet there are people all over the world who cannot afford a Bible, and even if they could it may be against the law to own one where they live. Many have put their lives in danger just to have a copy of the Bible. I am thankful for God's inspired, preserved Word.

~ God's Creation
I love living in a beautiful area. Today as I took this picture out by the lake I was once again in awe of how all God had to do was speak and the earth was formed.

~ Thoughtful Friends
Today one of my friends gave me this candle (the scent is called Bobbing For Apples) just to let me know she cares about me--and that's one of the best reasons to give a gift. Is there someone you know that you can bless with a "just-because-I-care-about-you" gift?
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In addition to counting my blessings today, I followed Kelli's example and tackled an area of my kitchen in need of some special attention: the refrigerator. Part of my monthly cleaning in the kitchen is to clean it out to keep it from getting nasty in there. I've been trying to use up the food we have on hand before we go out of town, so for once the fridge wasn't crammed full and overflowing. It's much easier to clean it when it doesn't have anything in it! :)

I started out by removing all of the condiments from the door baskets and washing the baskets out. Next I emptied the shelves, removed them, and gave them a good washing. I wiped down the inside walls before I replaced the shelves and food items. I cleaned the door gasket with a damp rag and then wiped down the front of the fridge. All done! :)
Tomorrow I'll be working on another cleaning project and counting more blessings, too. ;)

Labels: Keeping the Home, My Thoughts

Psalm 61:1-4
Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Labels: My Thoughts

Many of you prayed for Nathan and Melanie Maxwell earlier this year when their baby girl went home to heaven. Nathan and Melanie are requesting our prayers once again as they share that Melanie is expecting a baby. You can read their exciting news here. I wanted to share a quote from Nathan's post that was such a blessing to me.

The road before us might not be easy. Lots of people have told us it will be, but we’re not so sure. We wonder what this pregnancy will be like, how things will progress, what will June of next year be like. . . we don’t know. God showed both Melanie and I yesterday that we were going to need to trust Him during this pregnancy. Without directly thinking it, in many ways we had been hoping we wouldn’t have to this time - that things would go so smoothly and without challenges. And yet, we are called to trust in all areas at all times, this pregnancy is no exception. I guess that’s what abiding is, resting and trusting. “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

Please add this young couple to your prayer list. Those of you who have been unable to conceive a child or have lost a child can certainly relate to what they are feeling. Their testimony of God's grace and sufficiency has been an encouragement to so many.

Labels: Prayer Requests

Yesterday I brewed a cup of tea every hour and added 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin C crystals and a dropper of echinacea & goldenseal. I started feeling better almost immediately. Our local grocery store just started carrying this honey vanilla chamomile tea, and it is delicious.

I'm going to try this prescription again the next time I start to feel under the weather. It's an inexpensive alternative to a trip to the doctor's office. :)

Labels: This N That

Of my four children, Curly Girl is the toughest when it comes to getting sick or hurt. She hardly cries at all and never complains when she's sick. It's been just about a year since she burned her arm, and this summer she was stung over 30 times by ferocious yellow jackets. I didn't even blog about it when it happened. Too much drama!

Anyhoo, yesterday afternoon Curly Girl was playing on the floor in her room and split her eye lid open when she bumped it on the edge of the bed. I didn't even realize it was split at first, because there wasn't much blood. I laid her on my bed and debated what to do next. My husband was preaching a funeral service about 50 miles away, so he wasn't here to help. This was one of those times that I really miss having my mom and mother-in-law just a few miles away. I can still call them on the phone for advice, but they can't hop in a car and drive over to watch the other kids while I run one to the E.R.

I made up an ice pack for Curly Girl, and she held it on her eye...for an hour! I couldn't believe how tough she was. I told her that if her face felt too cold that she could take the ice pack off for a while. She replied that it felt just fine. She's such a trooper! I called our pediatrician's office, and the nurse told me to bring her in. She said that I would have to leave the other three kids out in the waiting room because their office policy doesn't allow more than one child in the exam room. Well, I didn't feel comfortable about leaving my kids unattended in what I knew would be a very crowded, crazy waiting room, and I prayed and asked the Lord to give me wisdom to handle the situation the right way.

As I pulled in to the parking lot of the doctor's office, guess who pulled in at the same time? My hubby! He was able to give hugs and kisses to Curly Girl before taking off with the other kids. An hour and a half later, we were finally seen by the doctor. He carefully examined Curly Girl's eye to make sure that there was no damage to the eye itself. He felt that steri-strips would work just fine to close the cut, and I was very relieved that stitches weren't needed.

I dropped Curly Girl off at home in time to turn around and head back to the church for our monthly ladies' fellowship. I enjoyed a sweet time with the ladies and gave a short devotional on thankfulness. With the earlier events of the day behind me, I was in an especially thankful mood. After the meeting was over I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few needed things. I don't like to go to the store at night, but with gas here right at $3 a gallon, multi-tasking when I'm in town is a necessity. I love my Suburban, but it sure is a gas-eater! I was one tired momma when I finally arrived home at close to 10:00.

I wasn't that surprised when I woke up this morning with a sore throat and a headache. We cancelled school today. The kids played together and drew me some pretty pictures. By late morning I felt a bit better, so I decided to clean out the little girls' closet. Completely. I took everything out. There were too many outgrown clothes and shoes in the closet--even my wedding dress was in there. The closet is long and very narrow. I'm going to look for an extender to make better use of the space.

I piled everything in the middle of the room and began the sorting process. Of course, I started to feel really bad in the middle of the project. Thinking that something warm would help me feel better, I had a bowl of potato soup that had been simmering in the slow cooker all morning. It was delicious, but unfortunately I continued to feel worse.
I left that big mess in the middle of the girls room, and off to bed I went for a long nap. Mr. C fixed supper while I was resting: fried chicken and pizza. :)

The headache is just about gone, but the sore throat is lingering. I'm going to take some more herbs, turn in early tonight, and pray for healing. I haven't told the kids yet, but tomorrow will be another "sick day" for their teacher. I think they'll be rejoicing in the midst of my discomfort. :) We've had a bumpy start to our week, but I'm trusting the Lord to see us through.

Labels: Family Life, The Kiddos

I had so much fun participating in the biggest-ever bloggy giveaway carnival! This random number generator selected comment #97, and I'm pleased to announce that the winner of my giveaway is...Denise at Shortybears Place. Congratulations, Denise! I'll be contacting you via email to arrange for the shipment of your prizes. Thanks so much to everyone who played along!

Labels: Contests

ETA: It's Saturday morning, and I'm heading off to shop with a friend, so I won't be near the computer today to send any more coupons. I hope those of you that requested one find some great deals! :)

Labels: Favorite Things

Today while I was browsing through the list of Fall, Yall! Bloggy Giveaway participants I came across something I had to share with you. If you are a fan of Anne of Green Gables, which I know many of you are, you just have to go check this out. I had no idea such a store existed. Oh, I could spend all day in there! Imagine a bunch of us girls getting together there and sampling some yummy chocolates. Wouldn't that be a blast! If I ever visit Canada, a trip to Prince Edward Island is a must! :)

Labels: Fun Stuff

Labels: Recipes

We've been blessed with lovely fall weather this week. It's been chilly each morning, but the sun has brought just the right amount of warmth each afternoon.

Yesterday Bookworm and Lil' Nut worked on their clubhouse. Check out the broom that Bookworm made.


I caught Curly Girl taking a rest. She piled up a bunch of clippings to make a nice little bed.


Here's my challenge to you today: if the weather is nice in your neck of the woods, head outside and enjoy it! :)

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Labels: Daily Life, Outdoor Life