Sunday Reflections

"Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know."

Jeremiah 33:3

"I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.  Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it."

Jeremiah 33: 8,9

And Then There Were None

  I had so hoped to get several blogs done before today & have them scheduled for the coming week... but it didn't happen.  And since I'll be pretty loopy from being under the surgeon's knife, it's not going to happen today.  So I'll be "vacationing" from bloggy-world for a few days at least.
  But please, don't forget me!

Thank You, Mr. Washington

When I was growing up Feb.12 was a school holiday: it was Abraham Lincoln's birthday.  And Feb. 22 was a school holiday: it was George Washington's birthday.  We were taught a deep love of country & a strong sense of patriotism, sang patriotic songs, & said the pledge of allegiance to the flag every day. Of course, we also began the day with a short prayer... in all the public schools.  But then we weren't very diversified & we definitely were not politically correct...

However, today I just want to say, "Thank you, Mr. Washington, and Happy Birthday."

Sunday Reflections

 

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.Psalm 23:5-6

Give-away Saturday

Okay, I know lots of us are trying to "eat healthy" but don't want to spend a lot of time on preparation.  So here is a cookbook for you!
To enter, tell me your favorite vacation spot.  As always, the winner will be announced on Tue. (Feb. 23)

The Men in My Life

God has blessed me with four very special "men" in my life.  When my daughter was young I began praying for a godly husband for her; one that would love God, love her, & love their children.  As I continued to pray for that through her growing up years, I anticipated meeting the one God had picked out for her.  And my son-in-love is definitely the very one God had hand-picked for her.  It blesses me tremendously knowing how much he loves her & seeing the ways he shows her that he does.

  Having a daughter first, when our son was born the first thing I thought was, "What do little boys play with?  I know how to play with a little girl, but I don't know about boy things."  But I very quickly learned that little boys are as much fun as little girls.  What a joy to get to experience both!
I was adamant about one thing, though; I would not let my son play with any kind of gun!
Fast forward many years: he is now in Special Ops in the Navy & has probably fired almost every kind of gun imaginable.  Somethings were just meant to be!

Then I had two granddaughters: tea parties, dolls, frilly dresses, etc.  And along came Grandson...  All boy, has learned to shoot from his dad who loves to hunt, even knows how to use a bow and arrow, but doesn't play with many of the things my son & I played with  (like cars, trucks, etc.)  His very favorite thing is to play swords!  And oh, what fun this little guy is!

My number one "man" has been my love and support for over 42 years (that's another set of posts... Dec. 3, 5, 7,9 & 11, 2009)

And even the two four-legged "guys" are male... Gus belongs to my son & Gordy belongs to his girlfriend.

Plus dear Rocko who lives right next door is a male (& loves to play with Gus & Gordy when they come to visit.)

So these are the men in my life.  Thank You, Lord!

Winter Olympics 2010

                                                            

This is my favorite time of year... every four years!  I LOVE the winter olympics!  And I really like ALL of the events.  I find myself holding my breath on some, cheering on others, & gasping on yet others.  It is two weeks of not enough sleep, but so worth it.

  What is YOUR favorite event?

P.S. The winner of Sat.'s give-away (2/12) is.... TZ!!!

Give-away Elsewhere...

There is a give-away going on that you might be interested in... if you enter, please let them know that I sent you!

Sunday Reflections

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."
I Corinthians 13:4-8

"We love because He first loved us."  I John 4:19




Happy Valentine's Day!

Give-away Saturday

Are you beginning to see a pattern here?  I guess you can tell I love cookbooks and imagine many of you do too.  You don't even HAVE to cook anything from them: you can look at the lovely pictures, dream of how delicious some of the recipes would taste, or get menu ideas.  But I think you will want to try some of these yummy, easy dishes.
To enter, leave your comment naming your favorite restaurant.

Tithing by Douglas Leblanc

  This is not a title to which many would be drawn, but personally knowing the blessings of consistently tithing over the years, I wanted to see what this author had in mind.
  Each chapter is the story of someone who has practiced tithing.  Since it is a compilation of various peoples' lives of tithing, it is a different format.  There were some viable interesting concepts included and Biblical reminders that tithing is commanded.  But there were a lot of social justice issues emphasized and applauded which totally left out the absolute necessity of a personal relationship with Christ for tithing to have any real meaning.
  Loving to hear the life stories of others, I was totally immersed when I began reading this book, but by page 82 I was bored.  I plowed on to page 152 when the book abruptly ended.  I thought some pages had been left out at the end!
  I was disappointed by the minimal presentations of Biblical truths, and by the the greater emphasis on charity in all walks of life.
  I would recommend finding another book upon which to spend your reading time...

Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book or advanced reading copy.

A Spiffy Little Gadget

I love to walk through hardware stores, very slowly...
And I like kitchen gadgets, but only those that I really will use...
But I went looking for this little gadget (sorry, I can't remember where I found it...)  I had a specific purpose in mind for it...

Now I am NOT a cleaning fanatic by any means...
But there is one spot that gets really gross & it's one that is not obvious... the drain in the shower.  I could see black mold in there, but I was afraid to use an old toothbrush in there for fear I would drop it.  This brush is perfect because the handle keeps it from falling into the drain.  I spray a bleach cleaner into the drain first, trying to get the sides of the drain.  Then I leave it on for a few minutes, & then I go to scrubbing with this little brush.  It is  9" long (plus the handle), so that's how deep it can go.  The black "gunk" that comes out is so disgusting that I have a folded paper towel sitting nearby upon which to deposit it.  But I'd rather have it there to throw away than in the drain under my feet!

After I finish, I use this brush to scrub the drain cover on the underside, then use it to clean out the white brush, running both of them under very hot water.

The last step is to soak both of them in bleach... until the next time I see mold in the drain.
Wasn't this an uplifting post?  Well, at least maybe it will spur you to look under your shower drain....

And the Winner Is...

TRACEY!

Once again I did the pick-a-number method (w/DH choosing the number), & he came up w/Tracey's number.  So the Winning Recipes cookbook will be going out to Tracey.

Stay tuned for another give-away on Saturday!  (But please come back before then, too!)

The Rest of the Story

The culmination of the paper whites saga is here...

I probably have a couple of more days to enjoy these before they begin to droop & fall, but they sure have been fun over a short period of time.

It's been a breath of spring in the depth of the winter doldrums... but spring CAN'T be too far off!

They're Here!

A little "wild"... but the paper whites are blooming!  Now that's instant gratification!  Planted on 2/1, they started blooming 2/7!  Literally, I think you could sit & watch them grow!

 

The blooms are small & fragrant, & a nice diversion from the cold weather outside.

Speaking of outside... this bush is right outside my bedroom window...

                                     


And this morning I have seen at least 5 varieties of birds having their breakfast on it!

Three pairs of bluebirds have been flitting in & out, along with a woodpecker, a Carolina wren, a cardinal, & an "unknown-by-site-to-me" little bird.

And THIS is what they are feasting on....!

I think they are enjoying the sunshine as much as I am!

Sunday Reflections

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"          2 Corinthians 5:17

Give-away Saturday

I love doing a give-away, and I love seeing your comments!
This cookbook has nearly 500 pages in a 5-ring binder with hard cover and has recipes from one of the best cooking magazines ever: Taste Of Home.
To enter, tell me in your comment where your original home was (when you were born), state &/or city.  The winner will be announced Tue., Feb. 9.

I look forward to learning where you have come from!
P.S. I will wait until Tuesday night to post the winner.  If you don't have an accessible blog, be sure to leave your email so I can contact you if you are the winner.

Look at Them Grow!

 As I said, these grow REALLY fast!  There are buds on some of them, so in a few more days I should be able to show the blooms!

It was so much fun watching these pop up so quickly that today I planted some tulips & hyacinths in pots (& it really isn't "forcing them"... it is giving them the opportunity to GROW!  If I had put them out in the yard, the squirrels would probably have eaten them.)
  After white fragrant flowers, I should have colorful & fragrant flowers to follow...
  The pot in the front & the identical one right behind it I got at a yard sale for $1 for the 2 of them (with the $9.99 price tag still on each of them & they had never been used!)  Love a bargain!
  But even more, love getting my fingers in the dirt!  And so quickly seeing results...

Is it SPRING Yet?

About this time of year I begin to long for warm weather that will last... SPRING!  Planting, new life, green, sunny days....

Since I can't hurry it up any, I decided to at least get something growing!  And nothing grows faster that Paper Whites.  Now since I love a bargain, I waited until these bulbs (packaged for Christmas gifts) were 75% off.  These grow so fast you can practically watch them grow, which keeps me attuned to their need to be watered about every other day.  And when the tall stems begin to flower, the white blooms have such fragrance that it will sweeten the whole room.
  Stay tuned for installments of their progress...

"So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."  I Cor. 3:7

A New Twist on an Old Recipe

Bread pudding is one of those things that you either like or don't like, not much in between.  So for those who DO like it, here is a new twist!  Use a flavored creamer in place of the milk or for at least part of it.

I rarely make a recipe EXACTLY according to the ingredients/instructions.  So to change it up a bit, I used dried cranberries in place of raisins for this one.

Made with a crusty bread (or cinnamon bread, even better!), any bread pudding recipe will do... just "change it up" as you'd like!

"I am the Bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." John 6:35

Introducing a New Generation...to the Wizard

My dear hubby has looked for the original Wizard of Oz movie for the last two Christmases, but did not find it.  Then a few weeks ago he saved it on the DVR.  Now we had seen it numerous times, but he wanted to introduce our 3 grandchildren to it.  We weren't sure that the 6 year-old was ready for it... (well, his mom & I weren't sure...)

So this evening at dinner together, we invited the children to come home with us & spend the night... & watch The Wizard of Oz.  We explained before it started that most of it was a dream, that it was NOT true, that it was all pretend.

It was well received & they all seemed to enjoy it, with the youngest sitting in Papa's lap. We had popcorn to go along with our movie.  Bedtime went well & everyone was snuggled in (we decided that the girls would sleep upstairs together, but that the little fellow would do best in our bedroom on the sofa, so IF there were any residual dreams, we would be close by & able to hear him).  About 10 minutes after putting everyone to bed, I heard sniffling coming from the bedroom.  When I went in, the little fellow was crying, "I'm scared of the witch.  I want my daddy."  Well... maybe he wasn't quite ready for it...

But I reassured him again that it was all pretend, that there is no witch, that we were nearby & would be in the room during the night.  I gave him the teddy bear I had slept with from 6 months old until I got married & told him that when I was his age & was scared, I held on to Teddy as I went to sleep.  Then I did the most important thing: I prayed with him that Jesus would help him be calm & go to sleep & not think about the witch or anything else except that Jesus loves him.

Within a very few minutes he was sound asleep.

And if he were to cry again... Papa was going to be the one to go in to comfort him.  After all, it was HIS idea!