Fill My Cup, Lord

 

One of my all time favorite authors has to be Emilie Barnes.  (Side note is that she is the only author I have ever attempted to communicate with and I was so impressed when she responded with a hand written note.  How neat is that?)

I totally attribute to Emilie my special fondness for teacups and in a later post I want to share about my dearest friend Dolores who started my teacup collection.  Dolores is the epitome of what Emilie Barnes writes about in her books.

Today I want to share a portion of one of Emilie Barnes' books,  Fill My Cup, Lord. . . with the Peace of Your Presence.  This portion comes from chapter one entitled A Word For Thirsty Souls and is based on Psalm 23:1  The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Whatever your circumstances, you, too, can hold up your cup and it will be filled.

If your cup is polished and dry hold it out for the Lord's plentiful pouring.

If your cup is full of the old and the unsatisfying, hold it up for the Lord's cleansing.

If your cup is cracked and broken, hold it up anyway, for the Lord's resources are plentiful and can keep even leaky cups replenished.

Come to him as you are, cup in hand, and hold it up to receive his blessings.

And then you will say, as I have said over and over again in wonder and amazement—

"Surely . . . my cup runneth over."

I need my cup filled everyday, some days certainly more than others.  May we lift our cups to the Lord today and join Emilie in saying, "Surely . . . my cup runneth over."

Later Today . . .

Wow, let there be light!  What a difference a little chasing of the dust bunnies makes.  Can't tell you how long I have looked at this chandelier and thought how badly it needed to have those glass chimneys taken down and washed.  And my beloved teacups make me smile even bigger now.

"To Do" to "Ta Da" feels very good : )

Dust Bunnies

My very very very least favorite homekeeping practice is dusting. Not sure why, maybe cause that dust will be right back by evening. But then the sink will have dirty dishes again tonight and the hamper will continue to fill with laundry - those things don't make me dislike doing dishes or laundry. Truth be told, I think I dislike dusting because I have so many little objects that make me smile in my home and it takes patience dusting them. Well, those objects are quite covered with dust and I told Precious Husband this morning that I just have to face it and "get 'er done".

So I have had some quiet time in my office reading the Word and enjoying another cup of coffee and now after writing this blog I must go face the dust bunnies : )

Before I quit I want to share a quote with you for the day:

"Remember we live life one day at a time...
yet we are living for eternity in that one day."

-- Elizabeth George

My Famous Muffins

When the Lord gave me my first son, Jason more than anything I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.  Being a single woman I had to make a living for us though and the Lord made that possible by taking me to Sunshine Arcres Children's Home.  While there I adopted my second son, Anthony and two years later I met the man who would become my Precious Husband.

During my years at "The Acres" I would often invite some of the other single ladies and grandmas on the place over for coffee and muffins.  Today I am sharing a recipe that has been around for years but worth repeating here.  Grandma Merle was the grandmother of Judy Dingman who was the founders of "The Acres" daughter-in-law.  Are you still with me : )  Anyway, Grandma Merle would always say, "Oh boy, we get to go to Dorothy's for her famous muffins!"   Such special memories I have of all the people and especially the children of Sunshine Acres.

Dorothy's Famous Muffins

(Better known as 6 Week Muffins)

5 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups boiling water
2 cups All Bran Cereal
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs, beaten well
1 quart buttermilk
4 cups All Bran Cereal
2 cups raisins

Mix 2 cups All Bran with boiling water and set aside.  In large bowl with lid mix margarine and sugar and add eggs, beating well.  Combine dry ingredients and mix in.  Add buttermilk and the other 4 cups All Bran along with wet All Bran.  Mix well and stir in raisins.  Bake 20 minutes in greased muffin tins at 400’.  This mix keeps in the fridge for up to 6 weeks.  Make as many or as few at a time as you want to.

Try this recipe out and invite a neighbor that needs a lift.  In no time people will be talking about your "famous muffins" too.

Channels of His Grace

We crawl into bed each night and inevitably the same question passes between us. "Whatcha' doin' tomorrow -- what part of the valley will you be in?" I ask Precious Husband. His answer is always the same, "Service calls" and I always come back with, "Where?" I pretty much know what he will do each day but I do like to know where he will be.

Then he asks the same question of me, "How about you, what are your plans?" I like to think I am doing service too but Precious Husband doesn't have to ask where. He knows I will be happily at home.

Often he asks if I don't get tired of the same old jobs everyday. I really don't because they represent my love and service to my family. I like what Anne Orlund has to say about what may appear as the mundane here in this quote:
"In all the little daily patterns of the home -- the laundry going into the same hamper, the sweaters going into the same drawer, the hair getting washed and the shoes polished on Saturday nights -- God is at work. He delights to glorify Himself in the commonplace . . . He made our little chores channels of His grace." -- Anne Ortlund

She watches over the affairs of her household and
does not eat the bread of idleness.

Proverbs 31:27

Follow this link for some great encouragement along this same line

http://www.incourage.me/2010/01/setting-the-stage.html

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have read online several places about making my own laundry soap so I gave it a try several months ago and have not gone back to Tide since.  Because I am doing this blog with my daughters in mind thought I would post my recipe and how I go about making it.




I grate 3 bars of Kirk's Castile Soap with a cheese grater  then whirl it in the food processor till it becomes the size of rock salt (small as possible).  To this I add 1 1/2 cups of Borax and 3 cups of Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda).  All these products can be found at Fry's or Walmart.  Mix all together and store in container of choice.  You know me, I had to put mine in a cute little chippy vintage enamel pot with a lid.  I use 2 tablespoons per load of laundry.  When I do my whites I usually add some Oxyclean too.  My clothes are clean, fresh smelling and soft.  This recipe makes enough for about 51 loads.  Making my own laundry detergent is one of the things I enjoy doing as I watch over the affairs of my household 

What Says Home To Me?

Emily at http://www.chattingatthesky.com/ is asking the question, "What says home?"  l I thought I would link up and share because it is one of my very favorite subjects : )

When you come in our front door the first thing most people notice is the wall pictured here:

This says "home".  Home is where memories are made and love is shared -- somedays in amazing ways and somedays just in everyday ways but shared none the less.

More than anything else I want my home to say, "there is a welcome here, there is love to be shared with you here". 

If you are visiting from Emily's link you can read more about our family at this post http://notesfrommemere.blogspot.com/2010/02/all-because.html

Thanks for sharing in what my home means to me.