Homesick

Suffering from Blogger's Block

It's been 14 days since my last post and there is so much going on in my life right now that I don't even know what to blog about. My thoughts are all over the place in my spiritual life, marriage, motherhood and just life in general. Or maybe my life it's just plain too boring to even write about it. I just can't focus on one specific subject at this time.

So here I leave you with a song that my Pastor shared at the end of his last message this Sunday at our church, First Grace Church of Plantation.





Thank you Pastor Glen and Family for giving so much, we're gonna miss you. As you said in your last post from After Sundays, See you here, there or in the air !

How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:15)

A day closer

Each morning as I lay in bed I remain myself that everyday that passes brings me a day closer to Glory and my Madelyn.

Here is what my pastor posted today on his daily devotional website The Renewed Mind.

We Will Meet Again
By Pastor Glen Caneel

(1 Thessalonians 4:18) “Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

You are gone. I am still here. We will meet again.

You are free from pain. I bear the pain of your loss. We will meet again.

Your memory surrounds me. I cannot forget. We will meet again.

Your body is a shell. I am very present in this moment. We will meet again.

You are standing before the throne of God. I am walking through the rain. We will meet again.

You are singing with a thousand thousand in a great Alleluia. I hear my own voice next to an absent seat. We will meet again.

You are seated at a great table hosted by the Lord of Lords. I see an empty chair with no plate to set. We will meet again.

You are living in the presence of the Final Reality. I am indwelt by the presence of the Final Reality. It is certain we will meet again.

You are learning at the feet of the Living Word. I am learning from the Written Word. It is certain we will meet again.

You are running through fields proclaiming His glory. I am speeding through time declaring His gospel. It is certain we will meet again.

You will hear the trumpet call. I will hear the trumpet call.

Your old body will change. I will see my body changed in the twinkling of an eye.

You will kneel at the feet of the Lord Jesus. I will kneel at the feet of the Lord Jesus. Great is our God, Worthy is His Name.

We will fall into each other’s arms. “And so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Renewed Thought - (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17) “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Our Madelyn Rose

Free At Last
Written by Brenda Penepent, LPN

I want to play and soar and dream.
Fly above the fields until I am free.
No pain, no sorrow and no fear,
Can touch me now that I am here.
Breathe in the breeze and feel the sun,
Across my face, I run and run!!!
I play and laugh among the trees.
Alive! Alive! I breathe! I breathe!
With legs so strong, I run so fast;
The world just smiles as I go past.
Sweet laughter bubbles up inside,
For freedom long denied, denied.
No tears, no pain, remembered here,
I’ve been released from all my fears,
To run and laugh until the day
When all bad things have passed away.

Two years ago today, after battling for more than a month with pneumonia, the Lord healed my sweet Madelyn Rose forever. Today, at this very moment, my daughter is safe in the arms of Jesus.

Madelyn was born on October 25, 2004. Our fourth child; a special gift from the Lord, arriving at the perfect time in our lives. At birth, she looked so beautiful, so full of life and so aware of her surroundings that I just couldn't take my eyes off of her.

For the first time I felt that one of the purposes in my life was to be a mother; the mother that God wanted me to be for my earthly children. At that very moment I also realized that my children were God's children first. That He knew them since the instant they were conceived, He numbered their days on this earth and He has entrusted me to care for them (A challenging and noble calling I must say). I thank God for His precise plan in our lives, He does not make mistakes, His ways are always perfect. After having Madelyn I learned to seek Him more, to trust Him more and I begun to appreciate the beauty of his creation even more.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3)

Today I rejoice in the promise of the Lord; the hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus 1:2).


Here are pictures of my precious Maddy that I will always treasure: Growing up in Grace !

6 months old, April 2005

In her crib, April 25, 2005 (6 months old)

April 25, 2005 (6 months old)

With Abuela & Papi, April 23, 2005


First time eating solid foods, May 4, 2005 (6 moths old)


Maddy and Me, May 2005 (7 months old)

May 25, 2005, 7 months old

She found Jared's Pizza, June 10, 2005 (7 moths old)

Enjoying Jared's lunch @ 7 months

Madelyn and William, August 2005

9 months old, July 25, 2005

Crawling around the house, August 25, 2005

Jared's & Jack's birthday, September 9, 2005


Halloween 2005, 1 year old, taking little steps


October 31, 2005, 1 year old


We celebrated her 1st birthday on Halloween night

Christmas Eve 2005, waiting for Santa

Christmas Eve 2005

Christmas Day 2005, Maddy helping in the kitchen




After opening all her presents, she was looking for more


January 2006. She got 1st place in a beauty pageant


Easter 2006

Jacquelyn and Madelyn Easter morning 2006

Madelyn with Daddy and Jared. Easter 2006


May 2006. Look what Jacquelyn did to her hair

My handy Maddy, May 2006


Father's Day 2006



Father's Day 2006 after dinner

Our family at Universal, July 2006


With Abuela and Papi, August 2006



Maddy & Daddy, August 2006




Maddy & me, August 2006



August 2006

September 2006



Kissing Mandito, September 2006

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday to Jared

At Jared's 5th birthday party, picking up candy from the pinata, September 2006

Hiding from me inside my kitchen cabinets, September 2006

Her second birthday, October 25, 2006

Halloween night 2006, celebrating her birthday

October 31, 2006. Her second birthday party.

At Opa Restaurant in Miami, October 2006, 2 years old


And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)

My New Year's Eve appetizer

On New Year's Eve, I made a yummy appetizer for the CR party. I used ingredients that I had in my pantry and here is what I came up with.

Caramelized Onion Tarts.

Ingredients:

4 0z cream cheese
1/2 cup Caramelized onions. Click here for recipe.

3 tsp homemade cranberry sauce
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F
2. Unroll dough into 1 large rectangle on work surface.
3. Cut dough into 12 squares. Gently form balls and put into ungreased mini muffin cups. Use plastic cap of a water bottle to shape the balls into little cups.
4. Mix cream cheese, cranberry sauce and caramelized onions.
5. Spoon mixture evenly into dough-lined cups.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and filling is set.
7. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups.

Enjoy!

The Best Tortillas

One of the meals that we enjoy eating as a family is home made tacos with fried corn tortillas. Just the perfect meal for Friday nights after a long week of work, school and sports.

I like to make home made salsa with fresh tomatoes and cilantro and home made guacamole to accompany our taco nights.

The frying of the tortillas is time consuming but the final result is totally worth the effort. Jacquelyn and I take turns doing the frying and on this particular night was Jacquelyn's turn. Cooking is not one of her favorite jobs and she was not very happy about the task at hand. But being the perfectionist that she is, (I have to give credit where credit is do) she makes the best fried corn tortillas.

Happy New Year 2009

I can't believe it's 2009; time for new beginnings, new year's resolutions and family traditions. Today we had a nice and quiet time together at home, reflecting on our 2008 memories and discussing new year's resolutions.

Last night we celebrated New Year's Eve at the local church with all my brothers & sisters from Celebrate Recovery. We had a great time worshiping the Lord, singing & dancing with our very own Christian band, eating lots of food and playing games.

Here are some of the pictures from last night:

Me and my CR sisters

We got there very early

CR Band ~ They Rock




Cheers! Happy New Year 2009!