Wednesday.  What does this day of the week conjure up in your mind?  Hump Day?  Middle of the week?  Almost the weekend?  For all my life Wednesdays were always connected with “prayer meeting.”  Through the years that also included other activities like Pioneer Girls, Awanas, Patch the Pirate Club, Sharing Group, or Teen meeting.    We never planned anything else on Wednesday night but church.  It would have been odd for us to have even asked what we were doing on Wednesday night; it was a given – we were going to church.  That was the case from the time I was a child through today.

I have always looked forward to the mid-week service. What a blessing to be encouraged with corporate time in the Word, prayer and fellowship in the middle of the week.  So many Christians miss this special service because they’re too tired, but honestly, when I’ve had a rough week and go ahead to Wednesday night services, I am energized!

Do your plans include prayer meeting tonight?  Why not decide right now to head to church this evening?  Extract something from your day, if you can, to make it easier to get to church.  Excite your children about going!  Perhaps you could:

I have a reputation.  It’s not good.  Are you ready? I have been pulling little pranks on my family for years – especially on April Fool’s Day.  Yep.  I lie.  I trick.  I cause innocent people to be startled.  I have no reason other than …it’s fun!

This little rubberband around the spray nozzle was the cause of the wet shirt on my husband.  =)

I take that back – there is another reason, and that is  to keep the fun in every day family life.  We are so serious about raising our children.  We are serious about doing right.  We are serious about walking with God.  We are serious about discipline and homeschool and music lessons and budgeting and housekeeping and laundry and teaching manners and a million other things that fill our hearts.  There has to be an intentional ingredient added – and that is FUN.   It’s the kind that makes you belly laugh until your sides ache.  

Times of family fun are indeed good medicine.  Tell a silly joke.  Play a game.  Tell stories about hilarious moments.  Watch a funny movie.  Don’t let your bones (or your face) dry up!  Laugh!

I’m glad I have a husband who can take a little joke (not that I won’t get paid back, trust me).  After his shirt got sprayed at the kitchen sink yesterday morning, I heard him in the kitchen laughing – really laughing.  Of course, then he came after me to give me a hug  get me soaked too!

In the seriousness of life, don’t take yourself too seriously, and don’t let your family life get too serious either.  Look for opportunities to add some family fun, laughter, and yes, even a little prank or two!

What do you do to add some fun to family life?  Do you have memories of things your family has done to laugh together?

With love,

Can you believe that a “normal” piece of Coconut Cream pie has 423 calories and 23 grams of fat?  This one from Cooking Light has 281 calories and 9 grams of fat…and you would never know it!  I’ve changed over, friends.  This is my new “go-to” recipe!  It’s yummy!!!!!!

Coconut Cream Pie

Filling:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup light coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Italian Meringue:
3 large egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon flaked sweetened coconut, toasted

Preparation

Prepare and bake Pie crust in a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and eggs in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk.
Heat milk and coconut milk over medium-high heat in a small, heavy saucepan to 180° or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Gradually add hot milk mixture to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Place mixture in pan; cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Spoon custard into a bowl; place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 10 minutes or until custard comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Remove bowl from ice. Stir in extracts; spoon mixture into prepared crust. Cover and chill 8 hours or until firm.
Preheat broiler.
To prepare meringue, place egg whites in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until candy thermometer registers 238°. Pour hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over egg whites, beating at high speed until stiff peaks form.

Spread meringue over chilled pie, and sprinkle with coconut. Broil for 1 minute or until meringue is lightly browned; cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Serve immediately.

My girls made Easter dinner at their house yesterday.  Whitney told me about her salad, and after she described it to me,  I asked her to please share the recipe! I don’t like jello salads that take 50 steps. It sounds simple and they said it was really good!  Take a look – I think you’ll agree!

This is called Orange Fluff Jello Salad; she used Cherry Jello instead.  

20 oz can of crushed pineapple
small box of orange Jello
8 oz of cream cheese
8 oz of whipped topping

Add entire can of pineapple (undrained) to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Add orange jello and stir well.  Boil about 2 minutes.  Dice cream cheese and add that to jello mixture.  Stir until most of cream cheese is melted.  Pour into a large flat dish and put in the freezer or refrigerator.  Once your mixture starts to congeal remove and stir in the 8 oz package of whipped topping.  Put your dish in the refrigerator to set up for at least 3 hours before serving.

What did you serve up for Easter?  Did you have guests?

From my parsonage kitchen,

The Place of the Skull, very possibly where Jesus was crucified

This is my favorite weekend of the year and it starts with today – Good Friday.  It’s not a religious day – it’s a day of the greatest love and it’s the day that changed history!  Today as we remember what Christ did for us on the cross, I pray we will each see with new eyes our wonderful Savior and His amazing sacrifice for us.

Could I encourage you today to celebrate?  We typically wait to celebrate until Easter, but that long weekend began on the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross, on Friday.  I imagine how sad the hearts of those that loved Christ were.  But you and I have “read the back of the book” and we know that He arose!  He is alive today. Therefore, we can celebrate!  We have victory over sin, a home in heaven, and a relationship with him today all because He willingly laid down His life for us on this Friday.  Yes, this is a good day.  Good Friday.

How could you celebrate?  Consider:

I enjoy hearing about people’s favorite things.  You can learn about products, places, and sites you otherwise would never know was out there!  So I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things with you today as you take a peek inside the parsonage.

My New Favorite Tool:

I’ve recently become the owner of a Kindle Fire HD.  I had resisted owning one before because I love books, but when my husband put this one in my hands on Valentine’s Day, it was love at first sight.  =)  It’s so great to pop my Kindle into my book bag and know that it’s the only thing I have to take with me! I had about a dozen magazines downloaded, as well as that many books when I boarded my plane to Indiana last weekend.  No worry about not having enough reading material on hand!  Then I learned that Money Saving Mom has started a site just to share daily deals from Amazon for Kindles.  It’s called e Reader Girl.  Each day she shares about books that Amazon is listing for free or for a very small fee.  You need to check the price before you download; the “free” status doesn’t last forever.  I have gotten some great books for my favorite price – nothing!

Aside from great produce and huge bulk baking items, Sam’s Club has a multi-Grain Tortilla Chip that is addictive.  The good thing about them is that they’re on the healthy side!  They have just the right amount of salt.  If we are low on these, we just about have to make an emergency run to town!  They’re great with salsa, but also just out of the bag! Only three dollars a bag!

Did you know that you can buy Panera Bread’s Soup at Sam’s club?  Their Broccoli Cheddar is so good.  I think it was about $11 for the two containers, but that’s a whole lot cheaper than what you’d pay at the restaurant.  Each container serves about 3 servings.  You can freeze these, too!

My Favorite Cleaning Tool:


These little erasers are amazing.  One day I used them on my white toaster and found that they took of the scum that nothing else would touch.  They work great on appliances.  I read that they are great on the flat cook tops, taking off what nothing else could remove.  They will take the soot off your jar candles.  It keeps them looking pretty instead of nasty on your counters.  They’re great for scuffs on doors and fingerprints on walls and door frames.

My favorite Phone Apps:
Photo Grid is a great place that allows you to make collages with your photos.  Like this…

I told you recently about Pair; an app for Couples.  Hope you downloaded that one so you can stay connected to your sweetheart.

The Droid Light has been a blessing when I pull up to my door at night and it’s dark.  I pop that super bright light on my phone and I have no problem finding the doorknob to put the key in!

One app that I use every morning is the You Version Bible app. I have just finished reading through the Bible in a year using the blended reading plan.  I have really enjoyed it.  They have many translations of the Bible, an audio feature and a verse for the day.  Love this!

Okay, now it’s your turn!  What is your favorite in any of the categories I listed?

From my parsonage windows,