Early Evening Delight

Two warm drinks: $7
One Mint Brownie: $2
Christmas background music: $0
Cozy atmosphere: Free
One-on-one time with hubby: Priceless.

Our aim is to set this time aside weekly. Do we always make it? No. Do we cherish it when we do? You betcha. Deep conversation every time? No. Case in point, tonight we talked about Christmas gifts for the kids. Did we make headway? I don't think so. Guess we'll have to do it again. Too bad.

Simple Pleasures = Big Smiles

It's the simple things that most often make us smile and I've had my fair share of them recently.

A rareity happened here the other night.....the house to myself (okay, plus two dogs and a cat). A nearly perfect "alone" evening was planned. The fire was roaring, bible study materials positioned near the chair in front of the fire, but a Peppermint Mocha Twist from Starbuck's was missing. Off I went to complete the scene. Have you seen a Peppermint Mocha Twist in a mug (no lid, please)? I can't help but giggle every time I see it. It's piled high with peppermint whipped cream and shaved choclate sprinkled on top. Return home, nestle into chair, bible in lap, classical music in the background........ahhhhh, bliss.

After a few hours, the family arrives, low and behold, they've brought me a treat! One taste and I'm hooked! It's pepperminty, a little bit chocolatey....It's Christmas in a Cup! You must go to your local DQ and get this blizzard. If I had the authority, I would guarantee a smile or you get your money back.

Yesterday was packed with things to do in preparation for Thanksgiving. Tired and head pounding in the afternoon, I had put off the idea of baking anything for our women's bible study that evening. But I just couldn't stand it. At the last minute, I turned to my trusty EDF (Everyday Foods Magazine) and found a quick recipe. Choclate Gingerbread Bars. Seemed like an odd combination, but I'm here to tell you, it's heavenly, batter or bars.

So see, it's the simple things. Things that make me feel like a kid again. Things that scream, "Joy"! May you find your simple things that bring big smiles.

Magnified

On Thursday, the kids and I made a trip to my grandmother's house. I've recently committed myself to visiting with her at least once a month (she's about an hour away). When you're 96 years old, you just don't know how many days are left. I don't want to regret not spending that time with her. Plus, can you imagine the wealth of knowledge she has?! There aren't many kids in this world that can say they sat down and had chats with their 96 year old great-grandmother. And these aren't trips to a sad, lonely nursing home. This amazing woman still lives on her own, drives (though very limited, thankfully), sews, cooks, bakes, entertains, etc. Her mind is incredibly clear and can engage in great conversation. Tomorrow, she will have a full day of lefse making/training with my sister and niece(uff-da, for those of you non-Norwegians, it is a delectable flatbread made from potatoes! Yum Yum).


I truly am amazed by this woman. She has a great desire to live to be 100 and she's sooooo close. She has blessed so many people in her life time that I pray the Lord will bless her in return with this request. I could go on and on about her accomplishments, but the bottom-line is that the Lord has truly been magnified through her. Thank you, Grandma, for being such an inspiration!


And while Grandma magnifies the Lord, others of us chose to magnify ourselves. See for yourself! Ahhh, the fun we have at Grandma's. Good thing she wasn't in the room because I'm quite sure her hearing aids would have been making all kinds of screeching noises as we laughed in hysterics.

Bless the Little Children

Time goes by and our kids grow up. Somewhere in there may be days filled with frustration, angst, and exasperation, but just a few, right?

Yesterday, I had the special treat of slipping back in time about 5 years. My son found our old camcorder with a tape in it. We've had some bumps in the road of parenting. Most of us have, but some are bigger than others. But to go back and see the sweetness and innocence of young children spawned renewed strength in hope and perseverance for our purpose in parenting. Whatever the road ahead has for us, we know a firm foundation has been laid. We continue on in our efforts to train them up, holding fast to the promise of the Word that when they are old, they shall not depart from it. Knees worn-out along the way are an added necessity!

Bless the little children for they remind us of days gone by and the hope of tomorrow.

Riding on the Clouds

As much as I try to deny it, I am much more a night owl than early bird. I'm sure that each affords it blessings and curses, but last night brought a bounty of blessing.

It was somewhere around midnight. Finally heading to bed after having some post-church wind-down time. Okay, I'll confess, a repeat of Jon & Kate Plus 8 in Hawaii kept me up! I love that family. Anyway, Little Miss Sadie Retriever had to go outside. I opened the slider for her to slip out only to be welcomed by the most invitingly warm breeze that sweetly sweep me up in its peace. Up on the edge of the hill, I could see small trees and bushes just ever-so-gently swaying with the breeze. The sky was nearly clear with just a few low, fluffy clouds and stars twinkling in the distance. The evidence of my Creator was swirling about me. I would have been happy to stand there all night. The clouds were moving by quickly, so low that I could have grabbed one and gone for a ride. Awestruck, I thought about getting Tom out of bed, but I knew he needed his rest. In complete peace and wonderment the thought came to me, "Lord, are you coming on those clouds tonight to get us?" Words cannot express the sheer excitement yet total peace that enveloped me.

As I got into bed, I opened the curtain so that I could see the sky as I lay there. Jesus obviously didn't come last night, but I wouldn't pass on the opportunity to have my spirit refreshed in such a tangible way. What joy in knowing that He is coming back and it may be SOON! Jesus Himself may not have been riding on those clouds last night, but His Spirit certainly touched my mine.

My Thoughts, Her Words

Like many of you, thoughts and emotions have been swirling around in my head since our elections this week. While I take time to sort it out before I post anything, head over to The Preacher's Wife to read her post titled, "It's What We Do With Disappointment". She's honest with a fresh perspective, and gets us back on track. Enjoy and I'll talk to you soon!

Father Knows Best....Even on Election Day

The hearts of many tremble in anticipation of today's outcome. But we must remember that our country is in God's hand. He knows all, He knows best, and He does best. That may be a tough thing to understand if things don't turn out the way we think they should. God, in all his perfect power and knowledge, knows the best thing for us. We can choose to see it as a blessing who ever comes out on top.

The book of Daniel has great encouragement. We see the story of at least two kings, Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, who were not what we would call "good" kings. But God changed their hearts in amazing ways. He knows the hearts of man and whether they will be influenced by Him. And if they arent'?.....He still knows best and we're that much closer to being with Him in eternity.

The picture above is courtesy of The Cupcakery. Don't they look delicious? And you can order online too!

The Blog World Wins

Yes, it's true! My Honey has succumbed to the blog world. I am so excited for him and hope you will all pop over to check it out.

The Sound Word

Still Alive

Everyone is still alive after our mystery dinner last night. It actually turned out pretty good and the kids liked it. That must mean something.

I floured and browned the stew meat just as you would for stew so the flour would thicken it. Added water just to cover meat, dumped in a can of tomatoes, and seasoned it with taco seasoning and some dry salsa mix. Onions are essential, but I forgot to add them! I simmered it for several hours. The meat was plenty tender. I would have liked the sauce to be a bit more enchilada-y, but the pantry was limited.

We slopped it on a whole-wheat tortilla with corn, cheese, and sour cream. Black beans would have been yummy also, but I was out. So now you have one more option for stew meat.

Emergency Meal

Seems as though our freezer mysteriously came unplugged. Of course, no one knows quite how it happened, but nonetheless, I'm now left with a large batch of stew meat that needs to be cooked up.



Therein lies the problem. We've had soups and stews a lot lately so an alternative is needed. I'm shooting for some kind of taco concoction...sort of like a shredded beef thing. But will I be able to get the stew meat tender enough in time? A prayer for a meal blessing will be going through the wire. Check back to see how it turned out!