Long-Awaited May

May 1, 2010 7:38 PM 8

Today marks the first day of a long awaited month – MAY, 2010!  May is one of my favorite months in the garden. This picture was taken just this morning in my garden and is my most favorite rose, “Mr. Lincoln.”  It smells so sweet and is big and red and like I said, it really is my favorite…

Long-awaited May is the month our family will add 2 new members…two grandchildren; a granddaughter, Madie Ruth Morton, and a grandson, Jackson Evan Morton.  (Madie is pronounced “May-Dee.”)

Both of their names have connections to family.  Madie Ruth’s middle name, Ruth, was my paternal grandmother’s middle name. Mary Ruth Thomas Maloy was born on May 16, 1896, and my Dad, was the 9th of her 11 children! Two of her children died within a few days of each other during the great flu epidemic of 1918.  She was a woman of great faith and loved the Lord with all her heart.  She was what some would call a “shouting Baptist.”  I was embarrassed as a little girl when attending church with her, but would sure love to attend church with her now…

Both of Jackson’s names have family history.  Jackson was my husband’s great-great grandfather’s name. He was born August 3, 1817. We actually have an old newspaper article from 1907 where he was being interviewed.  It says:

 “although nearly 92 years of age, Mr. Morton stands straight as an arrow.
His eyes are keen and he stands 6 feet, 2 inches. His speech is quick, with no waver in it.  He is a “hale and hearty” survivor of Georgia’s Indian Wars. 
He was cutting wood when interviewed, and from his looks and activity,
one would not take him for more than sixty years.”
Jackson’s middle name Evan, is a version of his maternal grandmother’s maiden name, Evans.  (I know that was a lot of information, but I like to document things such as this on my blog.)

The following three photos show the journey these two sweet girls have allowed me to capture on film as they have both grown “great with child.”
September 2009
February 2010
April 2010
Madie’s mommy is in green, Jackson’s mommy is in blue.
Gran Jan is most thankful for this long-awaited month of May, and I am counting my blessings.  I cannot wait to meet Madie Ruth and Jackson Evan, and I know that along with Ezekiel Timothy, we are in for some fun times ahead.
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So Long Insecurity – Part 2

April 28, 2010 1:52 AM 9

Back in early March I was having lunch with some co-workers when my cell phone rang. The caller was the Director of Living Proof Ministries, beautiful Sabrina Moore. She wanted to know if I would be willing to organize a group of women to serve as hostesses at the LPM resource tables during the So Long Insecurity event. I said “let me think, yes.” It took less than 2 minutes with a Facebook message later that evening to gather the 12 workers! A chance for us to give back a little by serving Beth Moore and LPM after all they have invested in us? Done deal!

The “Delightful Dozen Southern Siestas” were Fran, Robyn, Tammy, Stephanie, Nikki, Wendy, Emmy, Lora, Deborah, Miranda, Karen, and me! My friend Alaina and Emmy’s daughter Lizzy even helped us! We worked so hard and had so much fun! No one would have believed we were newbies.  You know why? We knew and believed in our products! Bethie’s books, CD’s, DVD’s and studies! We knew of what we “speaketh!”

Here are two overhead pictures of us in action…I cannot tell you how much fun we had, but we did. We laughed, explained, worked, walked back and forth, prayed, explained some more, hugged necks, answered questions, hugged more necks, and had a blast!
Robyn (blonde) and K Mac and Nancy!
(K Mac and Nancy are LPM Staffers)
Wendy is bagging up a purchase for someone!
K Mac, Nancy, Tammy and Deborah
Me, Alaina, Fran, and Karen stop for a picture
Nikki – I was so happy to meet her “in real life”
Lizzy, me, and Emmy
(Emmy and I traveled to Houston together back in January
to attend the Scripture Memory Team Celebration)
Karen is having a good time! (Always)
Lora is a sweetheart! She writes beautiful poems.
I am saying “So Long Insecurity!”
I can’t remember when I simultaneously worked so hard and yet had so much fun. I know it is because we were all like-minded in spirit and in purpose. Thank you Living Proof Ministries for allowing us to serve you and our sisters in Christ. We were SECURE in our love for you and in our jobs as resource table hostesses!  It was a great day that I will remember for a long time. I miss my siestas already.
Jan
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So Long Insecurity – Part 1

April 26, 2010 5:38 AM 11

The long-awaited So Long Insecurity Conference at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, GA and simulcast to 869 locations for an attendance of 300,000 was one of the best events in which I have ever been privileged to participate!

Beth Moore taught from Ephesians 4 on what a “Secure Woman” is using the acronym for the word secure.

S = Saved from herself
E = Entitled to truth
C = Clothed with intention
U = Upended by grace
R = Rebounded by love

E = Exceptional in life

I will share my notes soon and which “letter” meant the most to my heart, but right now I just wanted to share some pictures.

Here I am on the bus with the book written by Beth Moore.  Go get it and read it if you haven’t. It will make a difference in your life and your attitude toward life. 

There were 300,000 women that participated in the conference, and 10,000 of them were at the host site at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. They were great hosts and served us well.  I know their pastor, Dr. Johnny Hunt is so proud of them!  This is the women waiting to get in to their seats…

The worship, the Word, and the women were wonderful.  More to come…

Love,
Jan

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Chocolate Cobbler Recipe

April 6, 2010 11:46 PM 24

Happy Spring, sweet friends!  We had a family picnic Easter Sunday afternoon and I made “Chocolate Cobbler” at my husband’s request.  This dessert is pure old-fashioned chocolatey gooey goodness with a delicious cobbler crust!  It is made with simple ingredients that I invariably have on hand. You don’t even have to use a mixer, just a good whisk will do! I believe this is a depression era recipe, very old.

Now you know that this PW (pastor’s wife, not pioneer woman) would never lead you astray due to my Southern roots and hospitality and manners and all…  You must trust me when I tell you that this recipe will DELIGHT your soul and impress your guests, truly it will.  When you make it, I want to hear back from you!  (The recipe is for an 8×8 casserole, but I “doubled” it in the picture above and pictures below…double the goodness.)

INGREDIENTS (in order of use):

1 stick of butter (I use salted)
1 cup of White Lily self-rising flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa powder (I used Hersheys)
1/2 cup whole milk (2% is okay, but not preferred)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt butter in an 8×8 inch baking dish while the oven preheats.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of White Lily self-rising flour, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa, getting out all the lumps.
4. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. Whisk well!
5. Spoon this batter over the melted butter in the baking dish, DO NOT STIR!

6. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
7. Sprinkle over the batter. DO NOT STIR!

8. Slowly pour the boiling water over the top of the mixture. DO NOT STIR!

9. Bake until “set” for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven. The crust will rise to the top.

It is wonderful just as it is, and also good served while still warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side, or some whipped cream.

Go ahead and just do the math and DOUBLE it!
Use a 9×13 pan…you’ll be glad you did!
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Beginnings and Firsts

March 24, 2010 1:57 AM 15
There is something very special about a new beginning, a “first time.”  This is a picture of my youngest son and his bride on their wedding day almost two years ago…06-07-08. This day marked the beginning of their lives together! They had “only just begun” as the song lyrics repeat…it was a beautiful wedding, their first day as husband and wife.

This past Saturday, March 20, 2010, was another first! The beginning of a new season, the first day of Spring! The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the gardener in me loves the beginning of a new season of flowers.

But the “Gran Jan” in me had another *first* this past Saturday that I would love to share with you!  A miracle of sorts, a blessing to enjoy thanks to the amazing technology of today. I laid eyes on my little grandson that isn’t even born yet! Little Jackson, son of my youngest son and his sweet wife!
A FIRST! I saw my baby boy’s yet unborn baby boy via the imagery of a 4-D sonogram.  It was so amazing. My son and his wife and both sets of grandparents were there.  We had a wonderful morning as we saw baby Jackson’s sweet face. We can’t wait to see him face to face!
Psalm 139:13-16
13  For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15  My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16  your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
And this last picture is another beginning…the first day my name became “Gran Jan” when little Zeke was born.  Oh the JOY, Gran Jan’s JOY!
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The Jesus Storybook Bible!

March 10, 2010 2:13 AM 6
I love books – especially Bibles, and this is one I heartily recommend to all you moms and aunts and grandmoms out there!  It is called the Jesus Storybook Bible.  I first heard about it on Christian radio, Moody’s “Midday Connection.”  I remember just weeping and also shouting when some of the excerpts were read aloud.  I bought a copy before my grandson was even born, and I love to read it aloud to him.  This picture of Zeke was taken when he was just 4 and a half months old!

If you start reading this Bible storybook to your small children and grandchildren, by the time they hit the teen years they will have a clear understanding of God’s story of redemption. It is SO good – even for adults, you will love it!
For example this is what is written in Leah’s story… Now when Leah knew that God loved her, in her heart, suddenly it didn’t matter anymore whether her husband loved her best, or if she was the prettiest. Someone had chosen her, someone did love her—with a Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

This is taken from the back cover: “The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.  And at the center of the Story, there is a baby, the Child upon whom everything would depend

Beautifully written and illustrated, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God’s great story of salvation-and at the center of their story, too.

A must buy for every parent and grandparent!

Love and Happy Reading Aloud Times,
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WHAT’S IN YOUR PANTRY?

February 27, 2010 8:23 PM 16
When we moved to the country almost three years ago, I hoped for three things in my new home…a library/study of my own, a big country kitchen so all the family could gather around, and a big pantry!  Well, I was blessed with all of the above, but today I wanted to share pantry pictures. This has been a place of fascination for Gran Jan’s Joy, my little Zeke to play!  It helps that he knows the cookies are in there, and now he goes after them. He is 18 months old now and he loves to climb!
He knows exactly where to find the animal cookies!
He needs a little help with the lid…
But has no problem reaching inside for a handful…
And then he actually puts the cookies away!
What a good boy!
All that searching for animal crackers has stirred up Zeke’s appetite, so G-Daddy took him outside to check out the John Deere tractor…  As our son (Zeke’s father) says, “Nothing runs like a Deere except maybe an 18 month old…”  It took a while to find a tractor that fit, much like Goldilocks in the story of “The Three Bears.”
Here’s the Papa Bear Tractor, and it is way too big!
Next is the Mama Bear Tractor and it’s not quite right either…
But then we find the Baby Bear Tractor, and it is just right!

This little tractor is close to 30 years old and it belonged to Zeke’s daddy and also his Uncle Jonathan!  We hope it brings as much joy to the grands as it did to our sons.

Life is good on the farm with Gran Jan’s boys…
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