Your Account

Not because I desire a gift: 

but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Philippians 4:17

When we were married 17 years ago,

hubby was exhorted to make an effort to praise my efforts at home.

I was leaving the praise of students, of school parents, and of administrators

and some days would seem thankless.

While it is true,

homemaking does not always yield accolades and kudos in abundance,

hubby has faithfully noticed and mentioned the things that he appreciates about my work.

He even mentions when coworkers comment on the things that I am able to do for him.

The other day,

I received a card that mentioned appreciation for ministries that I have had in the past.

It was, of course, nice to hear.

It is nice to see how God can and will use anyone.

As I looked at the things mentioned,

I realized that many of those ministries that I have had would not be possible

without my husband.

I may have been the visible worker, but there was definitely a "support" staff.

Sometimes his hard work funds the ministries (cleaning supplies, bulletin board supplies, mailing costs).

His commitment to allowing me to be a homemaker gives me time for the ministries.

His flexibility and willingness to share my time multiples the efforts.

His encouragement (and sometimes ideas) and motivation keep some ministries on track.

So why mention this?

I don't know who reads this blog.

(Well I know some of you, but definitely not all.)

I don't know how you feel about your place and contribution to this world and particularly God's kingdom.

But sometimes the fruit and the reward are yours because of a supporting role.

You may not receive the accolades.

You may never hear praise or encouragement.

But you have served behind the scenes,

you have given when no one knew,

you have supported a key player,

and fruit is abounding to your account.

Be Encouraged!

Thanksgiving Dinner on the Brain

Well, it is that time of year again.

Last year, I believe that I made a turkey early in the week

and then we had turkey soup on Thanksgiving Day.

The thinking was that I was free for any and all family/friend activities instead of being in the kitchen.

I missed the "tradition" of the day a little though,

so I am back to making a turkey this year.

I picked up my free turkey last Friday.

"Free" with $100 of groceries😀

I think that our menu will include:

Roasted Turkey and Gravy

Stuffing

Roasted Vegetables

Clean Green Bean Casserole or Sauteed Green Beans

Squash

Pumpkin Pie

The turkey can be prepped the day before and then stuck in the oven before the Traditional Turkey Trot.

(our run/walk on Thanksgiving morning to jumpstart the day)

The Stuffing is a fast stove-top type mix.

(This is not the most healthy option, but it is hard to find gluten-free stuffing except at Thanksgiving now that we are not near an Aldi and is my favorite part of the meal)

The roasted vegetables can be cut up and left in water overnight and then thrown in the oven as the turkey comes out.

The casserole can also be done the day before and stuck in the oven as the turkey comes out

or prepped in a smaller dish and stuck in the toaster oven.

Squash can be cooked and mashed ahead of time.

And the pumpkin pie is best chilled so another score for day-before prep.

And of course,

the nighttime will be snacky.

Turkey sandwiches

Tapenade on crackers

Leftover pumpkin pie

At the current time, the feast is only a party of 3,

but I am keeping my ear to the ground to hear if there is anyone who needs a home for the day.

When You See God's Hand Clearly

This week, I am thankful that God allowed us to see His hand so clearly.

He showed us a clear Divine Appointment.

On Sunday, we arrived home from the morning services a lot later than normal.

There was little time before turning around for evening church for our typical stroll around town

or even for walking around the house.

As we left for church,

I asked hubby if we could go for a walk after church.

I had a feeling I needed the fresh air and the exercise to be able to sleep at night.

This is a rarity.

It would mean walking at 8 at night or later,

but Hubby said "ok"

We started our walk and did one neighborhood.

I said we could turn back.

I knew hubby had work in the morning.

He picked another neighborhood.

Then on the way home, we were stopped by a man driving.

He was looking for an address - his address.

In the process of the conversation, 

we realized that he probably had dementia and we needed to help him home.

We walked quickly home (we could see home from where he stopped us).

We got the car and had him follow us to his home.

As he started following us,

his family found him.

They said that they had been searching for an hour.

We never walk on Sunday night.

We walked a little bit extra.

God clearly planned to use us to minister to a family we did not know 

and gave us an opportunity to leave them with the gospel message.

Just A Little Tweak

A homemaker, a keeper at home, a home manager ...

I gladly take those titles.

Last week my "job" required making some adjustments to the schedule.

For years, hubby's schedule started at 4:30 every day with a workout.

Off to work between 7 and 7:15.

Dinner on the table at 5:30.

Bed at 9.

I didn't mind.

I work well with a schedule.

Just let me know the schedule and I will work with it.

But often hubby was frustrated because entertaining or late church responsibilities made the 4:30 appointment very difficult and easy to skip.

Seasonal allergies made breathing (a necessity for workouts) in the morning difficult.

The house is always cold at 4:30 in the morning.

Fast forward to Oregon and we try it again but with earlier work hours and less of a commute.

4:30 workout

7:00 leave for work

4:45 dinner on the table

9:00 bedtime

Should be doable ... EXCEPT

the workout room is cold (VERY cold) that early in the morning.

Our devotion time was being SQUEEZED short and felt rushed because the workouts weren't always a perfect 30 minutes.

The early dinner left us very hungry before bed.

So let's work on managing this.

I wanted to be on the couch for devotions at 5:45.

I wanted breakfast at 6:30.

Hubby wanted a more consistent workout schedule.

So just a little (and what should have been obvious) tweak.

The workout is now AFTER work.

(The new job just requires 8 hours with no required amount of time for lunch

and is only 10 minutes from home).

5:00 rise and shine

5:30 start devotions 

6:30 breakfast

7:00-7:15 leave for work

4:15-4:30 home

4:30 workout

5:00 dinner

9:00 bed

We are just loving the schedule.

Hubby is getting a workout every day, but Sunday.

I have more time in the afternoon to get dinner on the table.

We are not pressured to leave church too quickly because of an early wake-up call.

The workouts are a lot more effective when we are AWAKE!

And we can allow the garage to heat up a little with the warmth of the day.

A Peek Into My Devotions

Psalm 108:1

O God, my heart is fixed;
I will sing and give praise,
even with my glory.

I was challenged by this verse the other day.

Am I steadfast?

Am I double-minded or unstable?

It is easy for me to be swept with emotions, with difficulties.

That is not the woman that I want to be.

I want my gaze and my heart to be solely fixed on my Savior.

How do I praise with "my glory?"

I believe that "my glory" is everything available to me ...

strength, resources, being ...

Everything that I do should bring glory to God,

should point others to Him,

should be done to exalt and praise Him.

And the rest of the chapter gives me so many reasons to praise!

His mercy

His truth

His holiness

His strength

His victory

Soup Weather

While we are not facing snow (yet) as many of you are,

the weather is decidedly cooler.

It is the perfect weather for soup,

and I have been taking advantage of that.

I think that I have planned 1 or 2 soups each week.

We like them because most of them are light enough

to warrant a baked good on the side - tonights was biscuits!

This soup is great to add to your allergy-friendly arsenal.

The only "weird" ingredient is some dairy-free milk and not necessary if you don't have to avoid dairy.

White Bean Potato Soup with Lemon and Dill

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

3 Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cubed

2 garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons dried dill

15 ounces navy beans rinsed and drained

3/4 cup non-dairy milk or regular milk if you are not vegan

Juice of a half of a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large saucepan, cook onion in olive oil until tender.
Stir in the broth, potatoes, garlic, and dill.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Stir in the beans.
Blend soup with a hand blender, but not too well, there should still be chunks of potato. 

(I actually just used my potato masher just a little bit).

Add lemon juice and stir, then add non-dairy milk.
Cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until heated through (do not boil).