Grateful Prayer | Thankful Heart

Creamy Orange Fruit Dip

By Lorraine

 
Super easy recipe for a delicious orange fruit dip made with cream cheese, orange zest, orange juice, cream and confectioners' sugar. It is the best!
Springtime is actually happening and we are enjoying some warmer-weather outdoor activities. Meals on the patio are one of the first pleasures as the cold temps disappear and warmer days invite us outside. Orange fruit dip is creamy and light with a hint of orange. It is just right with a plate of fresh fruit. Mix it up in just a few minutes. It can even be made a day ahead for convenience.Continue Reading

End of Year Wrap-up

By Lorraine

End of Year Wrap-up
As the year draws to a close I’m trying to catch up by posting activities and memory-making moments with and for family. It’s been a busy and full couple of months. My heart overflows. Hard to imagine that less than five months ago I had a total hip replacement.Continue Reading

Hawaiian Pasta Salad

By Lorraine

 
Hawaiian Pasta Salad with brightly colored veggies is a perfect summer salad. It is a hearty one too, with cheese tortellini, diced ham, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and pineapple in a creamy dressing.Hawaiian Pasta Salad, brightly colored with an abundance of crisp veggies makes a perfect summer salad. It is a hearty one too, with the tortellini and diced ham. I served it at a graduation party as a side dish but it would be a great entrée served with crusty bread (and maybe a glass of wine) for a lovely summer supper.Continue Reading

My Soul Finds Rest

By Lorraine

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:26-28
We’ve faced much sadness these past weeks yet we take hold of the hope set before us and we are greatly encouraged.

 

Our longtime friend and the mother of our son-in-law lost her battle with cancer. A precious lady who loved the Lord with all of her heart and left a beautiful legacy not only with her family but with all that knew her.
Those who went to the cemetery were given a small envelope containing a butterfly. They were released after pastor spoke. Someone placed a butterfly on the flower headband worn by baby Joelle. Jamie posted this on fb:
This little sweetheart is the niece of our other son-in-law.  This 14-month beautiful girl was recently diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer and has begun chemo to shrink the mass before surgery to remove it. Prayers for Emma and her Mommy and Daddy are greatly appreciated!
The only sibling of  Abbey’s best friend lost his life in a car accident. Just 20 years old, Dan was to be Abbey’s escort at his sister Vicki’s wedding next year. I can’t imaging the difficult journey this family now must walk.
Friday night we made a hard decision. As Raider’s Sick Sinus Syndrome had progressed, he began having labored, rapid breathing and became tuckered out even with little exertion. On Thursday, he laid on me and I rocked him, silently thinking in my heart that he would just stop breathing and his heart would cease beating and he would die peacefully. We talked with the veterinarian and learned that his breathing difficulties would not be peaceful and left it that we would contact her Sunday morning.  As we were getting ready for bed Friday night, it was apparent he was in distress and prolonging his life made no sense so we left for a final car ride just as we did 14 years ago with our dog, Scotty. 
We returned home with an empty collar and a sweet paw print that was made for us by the veterinarian staff and a heart full of memories of my sweet boy.
Even amid all of the heartache, the Lord never leaves us and pours out his mercy and grace.
Here are some happy moments from the past few weeks.
Jill, Brad and family visited for a week. They returned home and then Jill and two of the kids came back for the funeral.
Cambrie lost her two front teeth
Silas celebrated his 10th birthday
Keri received an Excellence in Character award
Braden loved hand feeding Raider
Keri went to Take your child to work day with her PopPop
My  daughter, Jill (one of the twins) took me to dinner for Mother’s Day Monday evening. It was super special to spend time just with her! 
 
 And Abbey and I enjoyed a great lunch after church on Mother’s Day.
May 15th is the 10th anniversary of my dad’s passing.  I am so thankful for his sincere response to the call of the Lord to be his savior.
Finally, in my near future, I will be having a total hip replacement. Not scheduled yet because I have had too much on my plate. It takes 6-8 weeks to prepare for surgery and you can be sure I will be requesting prayer for this!
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.
Psalm 62:5

Potato and Ham Soup

By Lorraine

When plans to be out for the day suddenly changed and I found I had nothing pressing to do, I knew immediately what I wanted.  I called my sister and was thrilled she was able to come for a visit. We chatted, caught up on family, laughed and ate a light lunch of potato and Ham Soup while Jared, Abbey, Erin and John popped in and out.

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Welcome baby Joelle Elizabeth

By Lorraine

Big sister Chloe, welcomed the newest member of the family on her birthday.
Baby Joelle Elizabeth not only shares a birthday with her sister, but they are both little leaplings.
Both born February 29th, four years apart.

 Not due until March 17th, Joelle came a little early to join her seven brothers and sisters.
 It doesn’t look like she will be in want of love and hugs anytime soon.
 Joelle came into the world with very dark hair, at the same weight as her momma did (6 lbs. 7 oz.) and looking (in my opinion) much like her momma did at birth. She needed a little encouragement to let out a big cry after birth and still needs to see those bilirubin numbers drop but she is doing just fine. 
A local hospital and paper shared this special leap day birth noting that the delivery doctor is a leap day baby as well 🙂 
We celebrated Chloe’s birthday on the 28th and Caleb turned 8 on March 4th.  PopPop John got to watch Silas play in a soccer tournament and we even had a late winter snow that cleared up by afternoon. 
I wrapped up the week with a special outing to the Philadelphia Flower Show with dear friends.
The theme this year is National Parks and it was all so beautiful!
and… I even managed to get this post prepared!
Happy Sunday, sweet blogging friends!

Family Moments

By Lorraine

Jill came down from upstate New York to participate in The Love Run Philadelphia Half Marathon with her twin sister and a good friend, Megan.
in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum

 Jamie and Jill before the run on a brisk morning
Finished!
 The boys stayed at Jamie’s house and the girls stayed at my house. After making the bunny cake, they dyed Easter Eggs…
 experimented with the colors…
and techniques…
 admired their creations…
 then promptly decided to eat their masterpieces!
 someone liked them…
 someone didn’t
I went to my computer for a time while the girls played all about the house.  I heard them scampering in and out of the garage, upstairs and down. They yelled to me they were playing dress-up.  This is what I found! Quite an able crew, don’t you think!
 Then popcorn and a movie before bed
after all that baking and cleaning it’s hard for wee ones to stay awake
 Earlier this month, our oldest grandson was inducted into the Latin Honor Society. After the ceremony, we had a fun dinner at a nearby restaurant.
{ah, how I love this young man}

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