2012 is ending...

What can I say, 2012 has been a pretty great year for The Griffis'! Randall and I at the beginning of the year felt if God was about to do something great in our lives, and little did we know we'd be where we are today. At the beginning of the year we began to feel as if we didn't belong anywhere, and as children of God, that's a scary place to be...You begin to question and wonder where God is going to take you. Well in about March, God's plan began to unfold for us. Randall came home and told me about an opportunity to become a Pastor of a Church. To be honest, my first initial thought was I CANNOT be a Pastor's wife....I'm not good enough. You know the times when God just smacks you in the face? Well I was sitting in one of the services that Randall was preaching at the church, and God just whispered to me "This is what I've been preparing you for." And then it all was made clear, why we felt we didn't feel if we belonged. It was because God was changing the direction of our life. Well from there I told Randall it was okay now....and we placed it into God's hands and we were voted in I believe the Sunday after Easter. Every ballot said yes! So we became Pastor, and Pastor's wife. Another big change that we decided to make was to try to have a baby. Well we began to try in about May...and July 1st we bought the tests, and not one but all three said yes, almost instantly! We were beside ourselves!! So we are expecting our little boy, Anderson Michael Griffis, on February 26th, 2013!

I can't complain about 2012...it was an amazing year....I pray that 2013 is just as great!

Where has the true meaning of Christmas gone?

As I sit here and watch all of the Christmas movies and different store commercials on TV, and as I visit department store after department store, it makes me wonder where has the true meaning of Christmas gone. Much like there was no room for Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, today it seems like there is no room for Jesus on his OWN birthday. Imagine if every one were in a hustle and bustle around your birthday and pushed you out on your own birthday. How would you feel? Jesus didn't have to agree to be born for us, and he most also didn't have to die for us. He came and was born just to die for us! And we are all guilty of leaving him out on his own birthday. Parents, as you rush around this year, remember to take the time out to read the REAL Christmas story, out of the Bible. Instill in your kids what Christmas is all about! I know this isn't a Christmas song, but I want to post it on here anyways. The song is called Had it Not Been! Had Jesus not been born, where would we be? Had he not agreed, because he looked down the streams of time and seen a world that would leave him out on his own birthday....Think about it!

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings :D

So I grew up in the south, and I love some Chicken and Dumplings! So I set out on a search for a chicken and dumpling recipe that was sort of like my mom made (minus the *ahem* frozen dumplings!) I found a few that I liked, but really ended up having to come up with my own! So here goes.


For the Chicken:
I used 5 chicken legs (its what I had) But you can use what ever type of chicken you like!
1 whole cut up onion
2 celery stalks (cut up)
2 Cloves of garlic minced (yes; GARLIC)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Enough water to cover the chicken and stuff :)

For the Dumplings:
3 c. flour (I used AP)
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
4 1/2 tbsp Shorting (I suppose the butter kind is okay too)
3/4 to 1 c milk

Now on to the preparation!

Place your Chicken, Onion, Celery, Garlic, Salt and Pepper, and your water in a big enough pot. You want to place it on a Medium High heat to boil. Boil it for about 30 minutes. (until your chicken is done.) When your chicken is done you want to turn it off and pull it out of the stock (yes, you just made homemade chicken stock) and you want to place all of the chicken on a plate to cool. While your chicken is cooling you can move on the the Dumplings of the Chicken and Dumplings!

This part can get pretty messy! Take your three cups of flour and place it in a big bowl, along with your salt, baking powder, and shorting. You want to "Cut" this together with a pastry cutter, fork or a butter knife. You'll cut it until it looks like small peas. Once you reach this step you'll want to add your milk in 1/4 cup at a time and you'll stir it until it resembles a big ball. You may not use all of your milk. Once it reaches this step you'll want to flour your working space and prepare to roll the dumplings out. Roll them out and cut them into strips the size you like! Now that you've made a mess...time to pull the chicken from the bones.

Separate the chicken from its skin and bones, and shred it up to the size you like. Once you've finished this step you'll want to strain your stock and discard the vegetables. Replace your stock back into the pot and turn it on a medium heat. Place your chicken back into the pot and wait for it to come to a simmer. Once it is simmering, place your dumplings in one at a time (okay maybe two or three) And let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes! Wahlaa, yummy Chicken and Dumplings!!

The Best Apple Crisp!!

Yesterday, I had a few apples lying around that Randall's granny had brought us back from the mountains. Well, they were the yellow apples, and I don't eat the yellow apples. To me they are to gritty! Give me red, or give me green!! Anyways, I got to craving an apple crisp so bad yesterday..but there was a stipulation; It couldn't contain oats. I just don't care for an apple crisp with oats...so I began my search online for a recipe and what I found I just had to share!!

This is what you need-
4-6 Apples, washed, peeled, and cut into slices

1 Tsp Cinnamon 

1/2 Cup of Water

1/2 Cup Butter; Melted 

3/4 Cup Flour 

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your 8x8 glass pan. In the bottom place your apples, cinnamon, and your water. In a separate bowl, mix your butter, flour, sugar, and brown sugar. The mixture will be kind of thick and gooey. Spread the mixture over the apples, as best as you can. It's kind of difficult. Once you've got the mixture over the apples, place in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown...Take it out and enjoy the best apple crisp you've ever put into you mouth!!

Homemade Dish Soap- not a total fail

So, I posted a little while ago about making some homemade dish soap...well, it wasn't a total bust....I had to tweak it a little bit.. The recipe was as follows...

1/4 Cup Felz Naphtha Soap

2 Cups Water

1 TBL Spoon Vinegar

You melt the soap in the 2 cups of water, on the stove, but don't let it boil...That part was easy. Then you added the vinegar and let it cool, that was all fine and well...but when it came time to wash the dishes, I found that it left my dishes still greasy feeling...Not cool...So to my mixture, I added a tablespoon of vinegar, and a tablespoon of Borax...It seemed to help...now it works!! Yay!!

Wives are you helping or hindering??

So I have been reading different posts on facebook, as well as watching different couples in public. What I have learned while just sitting back is that there a lot of women are tearing down their husbands instead of building them up. I am a very fortunate wife, and my husband works very hard to support our growing family. I know that sometimes I let stuff pile up around the house sometimes, but he doesn't nag me for it. But it's almost as us being women, if a man forgets to do something, we nag and nag and nag. I got to thinking, what if the shoe were on the other foot, and husbands began nagging the wives about backed up dishes, or backed up laundry, or sandy floors? It wouldn't go over to well, would it? I love what the last part of Ephesians 5 says:
²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

 God took woman from man, not to be walked over but to fit under his arm, and to work together. Life deals some pretty hard cards, and we should work them out together, hand in hand. Husbands are a gift from God, and I know I hardly ever take the time out to say thank you to my husband, but I do thank God for a man that works so hard, and who leads his family under God, and the Bible. Thank God I got a Godly Man :) This song is an awesome song and I pray that our kids see their daddy like I do!

                         Brian Free and Assurance- I wanna be that man

Homemade vs. Store Bought

So, as a stay at home wife, and soon to be mother, I try to come up with ways to save money for our family. One of the ways we do save money is make homemade laundry soap. It makes 10 gallons, which lasts us forever. Now I'm on the hunt to make homemade Dish Soap. I will let you know as soon as I find something. I may even have to come up with my own. But I'm willing to try anything once. :D