It's HOT!

a cool mountain stream sounds good right now

Well, it seems that the whole nation is in a heat wave.  I know that it is hot here.  I think the hard part about it is that there has not been a break in weeks.  As I walked hubby to the car at about 4:15 it was not even cool out ... maybe 75*.  I especially feel for hubby who is out in the heat for 8-10 hours each day.  Just about 1 month left and he is back to school.

my "miracle grow" cucumber

I have been doing my own work (or failing in my work).  As I watered the garden the other day, I found this cucumber hiding in the pole beans.  No, I don't use Miracle Grow, but this Armenian cucumber measures nearly 18 inches and I have a feeling that it won't be any good because it is so big - but if it is ... it will make quite the cucumber salad!  The tomatoes are coming faithfully and there are now blossoms on the beans!

I had some winners and losers this week in the area of cooking.  Bacon and Herb Grilled Grits Cakes were YUCK!  I know, most of you will say "icky" just by reading the name, but I was trying to find some edible way to use up the grits that I have  in the cupboard.  Grilled okra was AWESOME  and hubby approved of yellow squash simmered in fresh tomatoes.

Butterflies

I am thankful today for the great variety around us in nature.  While the grass is brown from lack of rain, and it is a struggle to keep the garden producing right now, I am enjoying some beautiful butterflies that have found our flowers this year.  There are blue ones, and yellow ones, and orange ones ... huge ones, and little ones, and medium-sized ones.  I enjoy watching them flit from the back of the trailer with its potted flowers and small strip of annuals to the front perennial garden and the marigolds which outline the vegetable garden.  Our God is a great God with endless creativity and a love for beauty. 

Charity

Working on a marriage is a life-time pursuit.  A marriage can always be better.  I finished my weekly summaries of Created to Be His Helpmeet and wondered what to study next.  It is the season of weddings (my anniversary is less than a month away) and we often hear I Corinthians 13.  It is a practical chapter that must be lived each day.  Do we leave the "Love Chapter" at the altar, or do we live by it? 

I Corinthians 13:1-3

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

and have not charity,

I am become as sounding brass,

or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy,

and understand all mysteries,

and all knowledge;

and though I have all faith,

so that I could remove mountains, 

and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

and though I give my body to be burned,

and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity ... while it can be rendered as "love", it is much, much more than that.  Charity gives to the unlovely, the undeserving, the one who cannot repay.  Charity goes beyond what is expected.  Is that happening in my home?  Am I giving MORE than I think is necessary?  Do I work for praise or reward and not because I desire to serve my family? 

It is not hard to find examples of poor marriages, unhappy marriages, or shallow marriages - even in church.  Sometimes the partners know all the words (vs. 1) about love, marriage, respect, submission, but there is no daily practice.  These families speak of all that they do for each other, but it is hard to find the tangible evidence.  Sometimes the partners are smart, seemingly wise, and have great position in the church (v. 2), but without giving of themselves it is nothing.  Have you seen (or been) the family that feuds all the way to church and then gets out and greets others with their "Sunday Smile"?  It is hypocrisy.  Some families will give of themselves and their substance (v. 3), while ignoring the ones in their own home.  They are the first to volunteer for every outreach, for work projects, for fellowship dinners, while not putting effort to build their home.  Have you seen "Great Christians" whose homes were a mess?  This is not God's design. If a Christian ignores his home to "do the work of God," I don't believe that he is truly doing the work of God.

I want my husband to know that I love him regardless of the situation, not because of my words, not because I know what the Bible says about marriage, and not because I care for others, but because I have and show a selfless love for him wherever we are.  Perhaps it is hardest to practice in the home, because it is easiest to get hurt by those we love the best, but that is no excuse to stop practicing.  Perhaps it is hard to keep giving when it is easy to be taken for granted in the home.  Perhaps it is easy to take on the tone of the world in belittling our spouse or extended family because it is labled as "good fun" and because our family members are so forgiving.  It is the rest of I Corinthians 13 that gives character and definition to that true love.

Will you work on a practical love today as seen in your everyday activities?  I can iron with love or with a complaining spirit.  I can tidy up with love or with disdain that I did this yesterday.  I can cook with love or keep dwelling on the fact that I don't get to eat out as much as the Jones'.  It is the heart attitude that will spill into every aspect of my work.  Why fake it?  Let's build heavenly marriages that are a joy and not a burden.

Psalm 42:11

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him,

who is the health of my countenance,

and my God.

Squash Bread

Along with the okra, we received a bag bursting with yellow squash. While I like yellow squash, I don't particularly enjoy it for every meal for a week straight! I came across this recipe. It is very quick and easy. It turns out VERY moist. I made one on Saturday morning and another one this morning!  I put a very light streusel on the top to make it a little bit more of a treat.

Squash Bread

3 eggs

2 c sugar

1 c oil

2 tsp vanilla

3 c flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

2 c finely grated squash

Beat eggs.  Add and beat sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Gradually add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Fold in squash.  Pour into greased 9 x 13 and bake at 325* for 45-50 minutes.

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

The love of my life is celebrating 31 years today!

Southern Cooking

I had my first real experience with this southern veggie this week.  Yes, I am a yankee and this vegetable is not familiar.  You may not recognize it without breading or sitting on a buffet in a southern college lunch line or a Ryan's Buffet.  It is okra.  I had to research what to do with this treat when we were given 2-3 servings from one of hubby's coworkers.  Of course, I knew that it is often breaded and fried, but that was not going to happen in my kitchen or added to a gumbo which did not sound great on a hot day.  I read that it tasted like asparagus which I like to saute with a little oil and lots of garlic, so I made it that way.  It was really good and truly similar to asparagus which I currently have no room for in the garden.  Maybe I will have to research what kind of plant it grows on and make room for it next year.

Well, it is Saturday and I am late getting started.  It is "Clean-y Day!"

Odds and Ends

Just finished mowing the weeds and the thick patches of lawn that I assume marks the septic. I am not OCD (Obsessive Cumpulsive) in too many areas, but I do like a nicely trimmed lawn.  It was cooler this morning, though still very humid.  I also weeded in the gardens beds and generally enjoyed the peace of the morning.  I am finishing breakfast and my daily newspaper puzzles (Sudoku, Crossword, and Jumble).  I am wondering if hubby will make it through a full day - the sun and heat sure can take it out of a guy.  I am also thinking about Monday and how to celebrate the day with my dearest - it will be his 31st birthday!  He has asked for a picnic lunch and some apple dumplings - I think that I can oblige.  Would love to go hiking if the heat would break for the day!  If not, we will just enjoy the day together.

Thankful for a Great Creator

Psalm 139:14

I will praise thee;

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:

marvellous are thy works;

and that my soul knoweth right well.

I am thankful to be created by an Almighty God who does all things well.  Have you ever researched some medical symptom online or a disease that an acquaintance has?  Have you ever studied the results of a blood test?  If you have then you realize the complexity of the human body.  The greatest chemist ever designed vitamins, minerals, hormones, cells, blood to all work together in perfect harmony - if they are balanced.  The smallest imbalance can create a medical problem.  This same great chemist, is a great architect - those knees that hold me up each day are carrying A LOT of weight.  Each pound of body weight is 4 pounds of pressure on my knee.  My average sized body puts almost 600 pounds of pressure on my knees and even more when I am walking or jogging!  That is some great design.  He is also a computer engineer - my mind holds facts, figures, data that amaze me (and it is not even working to capacity) and the information that our senses provide and that is processed is AMAZING! 

I am thankful for the design and efficiency of my body -

I serve a great creator.

Spiritual Thermometers

I Timothy 3:11

Even so must their wives be ...

faithful in all things.

There are many thermometers given in the Word of God to show us where we need to improve.  For example "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one toward another."  Love is a trait of a Christian.  The verse at the head of the blog is a description of the character required of a deacon's wife.  It follows the list of qualifications for a pastor and for the deacons.  We have met many a pastor and church member who believe that these are merely suggestions and that no man or woman can attain to these goals.  I personally believe that they are qualities that all believers should hold and that those in authority should be modeling these qualities as the standard.  I have been challenged by a group of ladies who are endeavoring to lose weight.  Why challenged?  Well, I have always seen weight loss as a strict diet, as a new exercise program, as a punishment for my poor eating choices.  I am challenged because it is more than that ... it should be a repentant action as I acknowledge my poor eating or overeating as sin.  The pastor is required to be temperate in Titus 1.  Temperance is the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his sensual appetites.  Ha! it is just the pastor, right?  No, it is also a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5).  Therefore, if I am not mastering my lust and desire for food ... it is sin and not an evidence of a spirit-filled life.  The deacon's wife is to be "faithful in all things."  She is to be trustworthy and objective.  Am I a faithful, trustworthy steward of the body that God gave me? (I Cor. 6:19-20 applies to all believers)  So I am working on being a faithful steward of the gift of life today, this week, this month ... and I hope that you will too.

I will also be working on typical household chores today.  3 loads of laundry are quickly drying outside, I need to make some more liquid laundry detergent, the sweet tea and homemade gatorade pitchers need refilling, I am working on crocheting a baby blanket, there are always Sunday School worksheets to prepare and music to practice for church.  I best get going.  ... TTFN (Ta Ta For Now)