Total Refreshment

I started the day with a phone call from a loved one who needed to vent.  After 45 minutes of intent listening I was left feeling a little wilted to say the least.  Refreshment was needed even at this early hour.

Thus the picture above. 

My Double Delights are a refreshment for the senses for sure.  Gorgeous color and beauty and the scent they freely give is beyond describing. 

Coffee in an old favorite mug.  Mmmm refreshment!

Last and the most importantly is God's Word the most important most long lasting refreshment.  With my coffee in hand I retreated to my sanctuary (a.k.a my office) and proceeded to find a scripture that I could put to memory and have for meditation all day. 

Three things.  Definitely refreshment for the body, soul and spirit.

Fresh Cut Friday

It is so nice to be able to stop and smell the roses!  That is exactly what I did a couple of days ago in my back yard.  With the cooler days finally arriving in Arizona my roses are coming alive once again.  Oh, how I miss them through the hot days of summer.  They really should be delightful in a couple more weeks.

Please go over and visa Liz at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com to see more links of gorgeous arrangements on Liz' Fresh Cut Friday link party.  While you are there be sure and browse through Liz' blog - it is full of mouth watering pictures of her decorating talent.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to stop and smell the roses in your life.

Stayed on Jesus

This morning I was faced with a situation that usually causes me to yield to a very bad attitude and my mind takes me in directions I truly don't want to go.  Because of what the Lord has been reminding me lately about keeping my mind stayed on Him I began to sing the old Negro spiritual that says, " I woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Jesus".  My face turned into a large smile as I began to sing.  That smile totally encouraged my spirit and confirmed to me how important it is to keep our mind on Jesus. 


So how do we keep our mind stayed on Jesus?  Meditating on God's Word and praying without ceasing are the two things that probably are the most beneficial.  

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  Isaiah 26:3

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:21-24

Jesus replied: " 'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' Matthew 22:37

The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; Romans 8:6

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous , and then thou shalt have good success . Joshua 1:8

Sing with me:

Do The Next Thing

Elisabeth Elliot often quotes an old Saxon poem that contains the phrase, "do the next thing".  This  has been on my mind a lot lately.  It is so easy to get bogged down and as we view our surroundings we wonder, where do we begin?  Such simple, such logical, such wise advice - do the next thing.  We find the same concept in the quote, "inch by inch life is a cinch, yard by yard life is hard". 

So advice to myself today is "do the next thing" do what makes sense.  Prioritize.  Good simple example in the homemaking arena would be if my bedroom were a mess.   First, make the bed.  Amazing, looks better already.  Now I feel encouraged to go on and do the next thing, pick up the dirty socks on Precious Husband's side of the bed : )  Get the picture?

This morning I cleaned out my silverware drawer and the jar pictured above was in that drawer.  It is a baby food jar filled with rice and pecans.  Many years ago a good friend gave me the jar and gave me this explanation of the lesson of the jar:  if I put in the big pecans first there will be room to put in all the rice but if all the rice goes in first there will be no way to fit in the pecans.  The pecans of course represent the important, the priorities of our life and the rice is all the other little daily things that also call for our attention.  The jar was to remind me of the spiritual priorities of putting the Lord first and then there would always be time for the other things.  So true. So true. Such a needed reminder. 

I cleaned the drawer and returned the very old jar of pecans and rice to continue to remind me to do the next thing and to do the important things first.

I noted once on an earlier blog that I wanted to start a journal about the history and/or reason of some of the things around my home so that someday when my girls have the joy of going through our things maybe they will understand their mother a little bit better if they know the history of things they come across.  Like the jar full of pecans and rice.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Crock Pot Chuck Roast

Roast and Veges in the Crock Pot

True Comfort Food

Put a chuck roast in the crock pot along with whole peeled potatoes, whole peeled carrots and several quartered onions.  Add a can of cream of mushroom soup and package of dry onion soup mix.  Put on low and let cook all day.  Put the bread machine to work with your favorite bread recipe and oh baby!  Your house will smell soooo good and you will have a wonderful meal waiting for you with little effort.

I made this meal and took it up to our men in the Pampa house Saturday night.  They loved it and we loved sharing the meal with them.  We have been so blessed by having these precious young men living in our house.  Paul and I feel strongly we have added 5 new sons to our family.  God is good!


I am off to spend the day with my 4 TLC's and then hopefully make it to our church's ladies Bible study tonight.  After all this I bet I sleep good tonight.


Try the roast and let me know what you think and go see Lisa for more ideas from lots of super good cooks in blogland.

The Word in Picture

Message in Song

Joy of the Lord

 

One of the most popular verses in the Bible is Nehemiah 8:10: "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."


My joy does not come from the many blessings God has bestowed on me or my family.  Joy does not come with personal achievements or accomplishments.  Joy does not come from good health or the cool days we finally have in Arizona to enjoy our health.


Joy comes from the Lord.  Joy comes from abiding in the Lord.  Joy comes from trusting the Lord no matter what I see, what I feel or what I fear.  Joy comes from knowing who God is and the abundance of mercy and grace he showers into my life.
 
Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  Habakkuk 3:17-18

Memo to me today:Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Happy Birthday Blessings Today

 

The boy with the smile!

Happy happy birthday blessings being sent today to our very special son, Anthony.   I think Anthony was about 4 years old in the picture above, it was taken about a year after he became a part of our family.  Today he turns 34!!

Everywhere he goes people say the same thing, "Wow, what a smile!"  We could all take lessons from Anthony because he has some special challenges and yet he for the most part is truly always smiling. 

Today I will take a birthday cake over for him to share with his friends then bring him home for the weekend.  I see lots of games of Rummy Q this weekend along with Wii bowling.  Even though Anthony is wheelchair bound he usually whips all of us at bowling ; )

Happy birthday Son - we love you!

Sometimes A Sigh Says It All . . .

Yesterday I spent the whole day over at my daughter and son-in-love's caring for the 4 TLC's and brought the oldest one home to spend a couple of days with me while he is on fall break.

Today is just one of those days in Arizona where you let out a quiet sigh and think maybe the AZ heat has finally passed. 

 

It has just been a wonderful cool day today.

 

The clouds give hint of possible rain and are beautiful.

 

I finally have hope that my Double Delights will flourish again. 

And a day blowing bubbles on the back porch with my grandson,

well what could be better?

The Grandmother Principles

Being a Grandmother (Mémère) I so enjoy books written about or by grandmothers.  Recently I browsed through The Grandmother Principles by Suzette Haden Elgin and came upon this list at the beginning of chapter 1:

The Grandmother Principles

1. The grandmother way is the easy way.

2. Grandmothers already have tenure.

3. Everything comes to an end eventually.

4. A grandmother is a safe haven.

5. There's nothing so simple that you cannot make it complicated if you really try.

6. The most powerful way to teach is by example.

7. People with real clout don't have to throw their weight around.

8. Grandmothers don't have to be politically correct.

9. When getting somebody else to do a task is more work than just doing it yourself, do it yourself.

10. Most arguments are about who is in charge.

11. It's always safe to talk to a grandmother.

12. Grandmothers delegate.

13. A grandmother is not a quarterback.

14. Somebody has to be the grown-up.

15. No sickness or injury is so bad that panic can't make it a lot worse.

16. There are secret stories that only a grandmother should know.

17. It will be finished when it is finished.

18. Grandmothers plan for the long haul.

19. If it can't be done one way, it can be done another.

20. After you give people something, it belongs to them.

21. For grandmothers the light doesn't have to be perfect.

This Mémère truly smiled as she reflected a moment on each principle.  Mrs. Elgin has some very good points.

Life Happens

Been away from my blog last couple of days because as I tell my girls, "life happens." 

Monday I took the 4 TLC's home and then took a care package over to a friend who called and said she was in dire straights.  Came home to a house that looked like 4 little ones had been there for 3 days and should have gotten busy but instead I fixed dinner and collapsed on the couch. 

Tuesday I had promised to watch a friend's 3 children only to wake up with a stomach flue so nothing got done that day.

Wednesday I left the house at 6:50 AM to go up to the valley for a CPR and first aide class.  Classes lasted till 3 PM and then I had couple of hours to thrift shop : ) before I picked up oldest son at work.  Jason and I had plans for the evening but at 5:30 while waiting for Jason our daughter Danielle called from the ER and had our youngest TLC there with an extreme rash all over his body.  Modified plans with Jason and then at 9 PM I relieved son-in-law Robert to stay at hospital so he could take the other 3 children home and get to bed.  Got Danielle home at midnight and I got home at 1 AM.  Long day.

Now you know where I have been if you have wondered.  Yes, life happens and we just have to go with the flow.  Precious Husband has a bug too but his is totally different than mine.  So, I guess I don't have to tell you not much has gotten done around here but oh well, tomorrow will be another day.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Sharing great fall recipe for chicken today.  Precious Husband loves red potatoes so that made this a keeper.  

Garlic and Rosemary Chicken

1 large whole roasting chicken

6 garlic cloves

several sprigs of rosemary

coarse salt (or regular)

several red potatoes (or regular)

several chunks of red onion

Place garlic under the skin of the chicken and place rosemary in and on chicken.  Sprinkle with salt.  Place in 13 inch baking dish along with several small red potatoes and chunks of red onion.  Roast at 450* for 10 minutes per pound of chicken.

Easy, very good and makes the kitchen smell wonderful while it is cooking.

Past History - New Memories

 

Tonight after supper we decided to bring out 2 milk cans holding lots of history.  The red can held Uncle Jason's Legos.  Uncle Jason turned 40 last Sunday.  Tristan, our oldest grandson played with these often before he moved to Kentucky. They haven't seen any action for over 5 years probably.

Now the four little TLC's will have many hours ahead of them to build things and most importantly build memories for us to cherish.

 

This milk can held misc. cars, trucks and lots and lots of Matchbook and Hot Wheel cars that Anthony played with on the floor.  Due to the aspects of Anthony's cerebral palsy he could not walk so he spent many an hour combat crawling on the floor chasing after his cars.  A lot of the cars were given to Jason when he was just a little guy so I keep telling Precious Husband there may be retirement money in the can but he says that is only wishful thinking : )  Someday I still may pick up a Hot Wheel catalog just to make sure - what do you think?

When this car was pulled out both Precious Husband and I said at the same time, "I think this one pops up."  Sure enough and it still does after nearly 30 years.  Anthony turns 34 the 22nd of this month and in some ways it seems like just yesterday he was chasing this little black and yellow racer.  Boy, do I sound like a Mémère or what?

This kids didn't want to put away their newly discovered toys but I promised them the Lego truck in mid-production would be waiting in the morning.

Getting Ready for TLC Time

  

The yellow teapot is ready to be filled with hot chocolate to have "coffee with Mémère"in the morning.  Kid friendly menus have been listed and shopped for.  Loft is dusted and vacuumed ready to be strewn with misc. toys of all color, shape and description.  Playpen is set up to sleep the youngest TLC#4 and the Ironman, Cars, Toy Story and Princess sleeping bags are in guest rooms for naps when that awaited time comes.

 

Yes, this is where you will find me this evening awaiting the arrival of my 4 TLC's for the next 3 days.   Hope you all have a fun weekend too.

In My Home Today

Thought I would share with you today some word pillow pictures of my home.

Wish I could share the scent of my home today too.  In the kitchen I have an apple pie candle burning that just smells so delicious.  My office - my sanctuary has a soft wonderful vanilla-lavender candle sitting on a warmer filling the space and making it so relaxing.

With the recent news-making weather we had our days here in Arizona are finally a little more normal and the evenings and mornings are quite delightful.  I am so looking forward to being able to wear a sweatshirt. 

Tonight's menu reflects the break in the heat too.  We will have roasted garlic rosemary chicken with red potatoes along with acorn squash baked with butter and brown sugar.  A nice green salad will accompany this made from artisan lettuce I picked up at Costco.  Precious Husband loves red potatoes so I think this menu will go a long way in making our home a haven tonight. 

One last pillow that is good for a smile:

 

Note To Precious Husband

Precious Husband is one of my faithful readers so today I thought I would write just to him ; )

Dear Precious Husband,

We have our London experience.  We have our memories of Flagstaff.  What I want to know is how you will refer to last Sunday night?  Will you call it the P F Chang evening?  Will you call it "The Chapel" night?  Just curious how you will refer to it.

I love you very much and I enjoy making memories with you!

Yours Forever,
Mrs. Paul

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Dump Cake

My favorite thing to cook has to include the following:

1. Be simple

2. Be yummy

3. Be made with things usually on hand

4. Be something people will ask the recipe for

My Dump Cake is all the above for sure!  Always a family favorite, always a company hit and always a potluck pleaser!

Dump Cake

20 ounce can crushed pineapple

1 can cherry pie filling

1 package yellow cake mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup toasted pecans or walnuts chopped

1/2 cup coconut

Dump undrained pineapple into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.  Spread over bottom and then dump in cherries and spread around a little.  Next, dump cake mix (dry) over pie filling, crumbling it as you dump so it covers the entire filling.  Cut butter into patties and place over the top of cake mix.  Sprinkle on nuts and coconut.  That is it.  Bake at 350* for 45-60 minutes or until browned.

Making Your Home A Haven

    

The wise woman builds her house, 

but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.  

Proverbs 14:1

  

 Courtney has an excellent blog today on the woman's role of building our home and I hope you will go check it out at www.womenlivingwell.org.

  

Truly one of the strongest desires of my heart is that my home would be a haven and a refuge to my husband, our family and our friends.  

This challenge for me is made much easier when my heart is right with the Lord and my attention and priorities are established by Him.  As I seek the joy of the Lord I am given the strength it takes to meet the challenge and see my desires come to fruition. 

I want my husband to come home and find a refuge from the world and a happy wife here to greet him at the end of his day.  

Courtney suggests lighting a candle in your home today and begin praying over your home every time the glimmer of the candle catches your eye - such a good suggestion.  

My candle is lit.  My prayers for a welcoming, peaceful and encouraging home are lifted up to the One who is the center of my home, my Heavenly Father.