May 29 - Candles

A Candle Loses Nothing
by
Lighting Another Candle.

I came across this quote today and it really struck me. We are candles in the world and it is our responsibility to keep the light going by igniting others with positive reinforcement. By giving we lose nothing we only gain a brighter world.

May 28 - Ranch life

Simple things

Andrew just got home from spending three days at “the Ranch” with Grandpa Schoon. Andrew loved riding the four wheeler in wide open spaces and getting to the top of a hill, looking out to see nothing but green with little specks of brown (cows). He said he felt like he was in God’s country. During the three days at the ranch, Andrew worked hard with Grandpa sorting and branding cattle. He enjoy the simple things in life-- like nature. He said, he has never seen so many deer and turkey in his life; let alone in three days.

Andrew is a lover of all animals. He enjoyed working with the cattle and thinks that little Herford calves are the cutest of all.

Working on the ranch is a different way of life. Ranch work starts at sunrise and everyone goes to bed exhausted, but feeling like the days work was worth a day of life.

Blessings
Robin

May 27 -hug

A hug is a handshake from the heart.
~Author Unknown

May 26 - Hugs

The power of a HUG

A hug is one of the most powerful gifts in the world. A couple years ago, my family experienced a difficult time. I had not talked to very many people about our problems, but people were talking about us or at least it felt that way. We attended the hometown football game on the Friday night, of the worst week of my life. My dear friend came up to me after the game and gave me a gift that will last a life time – a Hug and softly spoke these words, “Know that we love you.” That was the point that I knew we would get through our challenges.

I learned on that Friday night, that a HUG is the most powerful gift in the world. Hugs convey – Love, Support, and Encouragement, in ways words can not express.

Blessings
Robin

May 25 - Calves

Today, Todd, Andrew and Ross took three of the baby calves out of the barn and promoted them to a dry lot. These three calves are eating solid food and no longer require milk replacer. They left the comfort of the barn for the big world. In the world they found they were free to run, kick and play. They also found green grass and sunshine. It was fun to watch the calves experience the world outside of the barn for the first time. In a few days the dry lot will seem normal to them and they will have forgotten life in the barn.

This makes me think about times in my life that I experienced change. There have been times in my life that I have been in awe, you could say that I was running, kicking and playing to celebrate how good life was. Soon the “good life” became a normal life and I forgot about how good things were. Reflecting back to our first house. We were so excited to have a house at first we felt like it was a palace, but after time it did not feel like such a palace. We had gotten used to the standard of living in a house vs. an apartment. I remember when I was promoted to a Unit Manager and was assigned to my first “office”. I felt so special to have an “office” (actually it was a cubical with five foot walls).

My point is, as people, we soon forget where we have come from and how good we have it. I am going to take time to run, kick and play to celebrate the life I have today!

Blessings

MAy 24 - Hard work

Hard work!

We all have days when work is hard. Some days work is not satisfying, enjoyable or challenging. Those are days when I think that work is hard. There are other days that I work hard and it feels great! Work can be satisfying, enjoyable and challenging. I love the days that challenge me to be my best and work my hardest. At the end of the day, I lay my head on the pillow, my body is exhausted, but my mind wants to keep going and achieve even more.

Hard work feels good!

May 23 - generously

How long we live is important to us;
how well we live is important to others;
how generously we live is important to all eternity.

~ William Arthur Ward

May 22 - Kindnesses

Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.
- Confucius

May 21 - Brownies

Chocolate!

Do you ever NEED chocolate? I do!

Brownies are my favorite food in the entire world and some days I need chocolate. You know the type of days that I am talking about. My co-worker brought these brownies to work, I indulged and declared it my favorite brownie recipe. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me from food network. The brownies have to be good-- take a look at the first three ingredients – 1 pound of butter, 1 pound and 12 ounces of chocolate chips and 6 more ounces of chocolate!

Do not be afraid of the fact that it is listed as a difficult recipe. I was able to make it, you can too. The difficulty is worth it for the reward. Remember this is a large batch, so it is not advised to eat them all in one day.

Outrageous Brownies
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Difficult
Serves: 20 large brownies
Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 tablespoons real vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup for batter and 1/4 cup in the chips and nuts)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnut pieces

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 13 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan. Melt together the butter, 1 pound chocolate chips, and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together the eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature. Stir together 1 cup of the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until tester just comes out clean. Halfway through the baking, rap the pan against the oven shelf to allow air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Do not over-bake! Cool thoroughly, refrigerate well and cut into squares.



Copyright 2009 Television Food Network G.P., All Rights Reserved
Copyright 1999, The Barefoot Contessa CookbookThis was adapted from a recipe for chocolate globs in the Soho Charcuterie Cookbook.


Blessings
Robin

May 20 - summer has begun

Summer has just begun!

Often teachers will start out the school year very strict, to the set the standard for the rest of the school year. I am finding that I need to set the standard very high the as the summer begins. I expect to come home to a house that looks a good or better than the house that I left in the morning. I also expect to have all the chores on the list completed daily. Just because they do not need to get up in the morning for school, does not mean that they do not need to get up in the morning.

For whatever reason my kids seem to think that it is party time now that school is out. Ross had five boys sleep over and the house looked like we had five extra boys! At one point I walked into the room they were in and I knew by the smell in the room they were having fun. Morgan felt that since school was out weekend curfew was in place all week long. Andrew sees no reason to do anything on the chores list, because he has all summer to do it.

I am taking the STRICT parent approach to the summer and the kids are not happy about it. I know that I am not the only parent that has taken on this approach to the summer. Our neighbors enforce the strict parent law yesterday. Their youngest was very upset that he could not spend the night with Ross last night because the chores were not completed during the day. So he left a note on the counter.

“I have left for the wilderness (I think that is our house). I will miss you and I love you.”

His parents, bother and sister spent a long period of time looking for him in the neighborhood. Once they found him (very close to home) they took him home and he still unhappy that he did not get to sleep over with Ross.

Summer has just begun!

Blessings
Robin

May 19 - Planting

Planting the seeds of a great harvest

I have a big (Todd says it is huge) garden. It is 35 X 125 feet or 4375sq feet. Ok, it is pretty large. I love my garden, it provides me exercise, a sense of accomplishment, the opportunity to share and of course great vegetables! This is the time of year my garden requires work… tiling, planting, fertilizing, weeding and weeding and more weeding. I do not necessarily enjoy weeding, but I do find it rewarding to look at a clean garden. Weeding is one of those tasks that just is not enjoyed, until the results can be seen. The benefits are wonderful in late summer and fall as my garden produces and I can share the fruits of my labor with my friends.

I have found that the garden season is a lot like seasons in life.
~ Tiling --- Preparing to grow.
~ Planting --- Making a commitment to growth by taking on a new responsibility (Education, Job, Marriage, Children, Home, etc)
~ Fertilizing --- Providing the right nutrients for growth. This could be taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.
~ Watering--- We all need some watering to grow. Watering can be the tears of life, either tears of joy or sadness.
~ Weeding --- Removing the obstacles that prevent growth. Staying focused on growth.
~ Harvest --- Reaping the benefit of the hard work of the season.
~ Canning, Freezing and Sharing --- Taking surplus and saving it for the winter or sharing it with friends or relatives.

I do not look forward to all the weeding this season will bring, but I can not wait to share my harvest! I know that I can not get to the harvest without tiling, planting, fertilizing, watering, or weeding.

Blessings
Robin

May 18 - different from the rest

Do you want to be different than the rest?

My bible study group just finished a study of Daniel by Beth Moore. This is a wonderful study and I would recommend it to everyone. In the last session Beth stated, “Do you want to be different from the rest? Don’t Complain!” She based this from Philippians 2:14-16 “Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.”

This passage has been presented to me a couple times this year. It was the theme passage from TEC and now it appeared again. I think that I need to get the message. I need to do everything without complaining or arguing. I worked at this today. It is hard. In our crooked and depraved society, it has become the norm to complain or argue. Think about it… the media focuses on the negative – the economy, bad weather, crime, politics and every celebrity that gets in trouble with the law. The media is really complaining about the negative. What about the praise for the positive? What about the good that comes from every negative situation?

I am challenging myself to look for the positive in every situation. I am working on holding my tongue, until my comments can shine like the stars in the universe.


Blessings
Robin

May 17 - graduation prayer

Today, is graduation in Dell Rapids. We have 112 kids graduated from Dell Rapids Public and St Mary’s High Schools. Graduation can be an time of emotion both happiness and sadness that the time of childhood has official come to an end. This is the second year that our church as sponsored a 36 hour Graduation Prayer Chapel. The purpose of the chapel is to pray for the Graduates and their families. A candle is lit for each graduate to represent the light that they are into the future.

Last evening, I spent an hour in the chapel. It is so humbling to have the opportunity to prayer for the future of young adults. I know God is listening to these prayers.

My request of you today is to take a minute today to pray for 2009 high school graduates.

May 16 - Weakness

Weakness

God loves to use weak people. Usually we deny our weaknesses, defend them, excuse them, hide them, and resent them. This prevents God from using them the way he desires. God has a different perspective on your weaknesses. God will use us if we allow him to work through our weaknesses. – Rick Warren --- Purpose Driven Life

I am embarrassed by my weaknesses and I want to hide them. I am now excited to think about how God can use my weaknesses. I just think how can God use my lack of physical coordination? How can he use my inability to be on time for church or other meetings? How can he use my poor musical talent? How will he use me?

Blessings
Robin

May 15 - graduations

If we do not change,
we do not grow.
If we do not grow,
we are not really living.
~ Gail Sheehy

This quote seemed appropriate as it is time for graduations. I only have one year left with Morgan at home. This makes me sad as I think of her leaving home, but very happy for her as I know it means she is changing, growing and living

May 14 - Perfect Prayer

Below is a prayer was written by a young woman that I have been privileged enough to get to know recently. I think she has some good questions about external perfection in our society.

"Dear God,
I have questions for you, why? Why do all the people of this world think they have to look perfect? Why do they think that they have to be someone they aren’t? Why do they let the devil take them on his little journey? God, now I ask please make everyone see that they are perfect in God's eyes and they are special to you and they need not change for someone else." ~~Amen~~


I agree we are all perfect in God’s eyes!

May 13

He that can’t endure the bad,
Will not live to see the good.
~ Yiddish Proverb

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the bad, that we forget the good is coming. I think that is true with the economy. Sure we are in bad times, but we have had been blessings with a wonderful economy for so many years and we will be blessed with a good economy in the future. This is just a time when we need to learn to spend wisely.

In my profession, I am reminded of the economy daily. So I remind myself, no matter what happens in the economy; I will always have my family and friends.

Blessings
Robin

May 11 - angels

We are each of us angels with only one wing.
And we can only fly embracing each other.
~ Luciano DeCrescenzo


I am so grateful to all the angels in my life that have embraced me, so we can fly together!

May 10 -Mother's day

Mother’s Day

Today in church we celebrated Mother’s day and recognized the high school Seniors who will soon graduate. Each graduate was presented a new bible and provided the opportunity to tell the congregation what he/she will be doing after graduation. Since it was Mother’s Day each graduate also told his or her mother “I love you, Mom.” It was touching to hear the teenagers tell their mom’s “I love you” in front of so many people. One young man brought tears to my eyes, as he said, “Mom, I love you and I have always have.” This young man has been faced with challenges in his life. He said these word with all his heart and tenderness in his voice. I am sure that his mother felt this was the best gift she could receive on this special day.

Blessings
Robin

May 7 - National day of Prayer

National Day of Prayer

May 7th is the National Day of Prayer in the United States. I feel grateful that we still live in a country where we can celebrate a National Day of Prayer. I also feel said that everyday is not a National day of prayer.

Prayer is free and it is a gift that God has given each of us. It is our opportunity to develop a relationship with God through prayer. Enjoy and celebrate the day!

“If you believe,
you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
- Matthew 21:22

Blessings
Robin

May 3 - Aging

At the age of 20,
we don't care what the world thinks of us;

at 30,
we worry about what it is thinking of us;

at 40,
we discover that it wasn't thinking of us at all. ~Anonymous

Today, my brother, Leslie turned 40, so I went looking for a quote to focus on aging. I found the quote above and I it really hit home.

When I was in my twenties, I was focused on my life. I was busy building my career and starting a family.

In my thirties, I was raising a young family and continuing to focus on my career. I spent little time on myself or on others outside of my family or career. This was mainly because I worried about what people thought of me.

Now in my forties, I like to say, I am starting to develop wisdom in my life. It is not all about me, my family or my job. The life is about faith in God, caring about and loving everyone that I come in contact with. Even if they are outside my little world.

I can not wait to see what my fifties will bring – Just for clarification it is a long time away. I have a lot more learning to do in my forties before I will be prepared for the gift of fifties!


Blessings
Robin

May 2 - Home Alone

Home Alone

I have been given the gift of alone time from my family. Todd and the boys are turkey hunting in the Blackhills and Morgan spent the night with a friend. I have to admit that at first I was not so excited about being alone all night long. I do not remember the last time that I was alone over night at home. Once I accepted the fact that I would be alone, I started to think of what I would do with my alone time. Then it became exciting and I started to make a list of all the things I want to do alone. I came to realize that alone really meant without interruptions. I had a wonderful evening and a great nights sleep. Today I get to spend some time with just my daughter – girl time! I know that tomorrow I will be so excited to have my entire family back home, as I will be missing them so much. Today, I will enjoy the time I have been given.

Everyone needs a little time alone to appreciate the gifts of life.