Just a Dumb Sheep

Psalm 95:6-7a

O come, let us worship and bow down: 

let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, 

and the sheep of his hand.

I greatly enjoy my walks this time of year.

When I have time to walk by the local sheep farm, I enjoy looking at the babies - lambs and goats.

The babies are just so precious.

Their little cries are also so sweet.

But beyond appearance is the stupidity of the sheep.

They need the shepherd.

They need "George" - the sheep dog.

They need the donkeys to keep away the predators.

And God likens me to a sheep.

How can I lift myself up in pride?

I NEED HIM!

My position needs to be humble submission, and bowing to His will and His commands.

Old Fashioned Popcorn

So I am a little slow learning this lesson.

In our efforts to "clean up" our eating, 

hubby asked me to try to avoid the microwave except for reheating leftovers,

so I decided to venture from my cozy realm of microwave popcorn on Saturday night.

I broke out the cast iron soup pot,

the coconut oil,

the pop corn kernels,

and some nutritional yeast flakes.

I googled what to do ...

and it was as easy as the websites said.

I burned the first batch slightly because I read that it would take 4 minutes.

On the second try, I just watched the popping and it was PERFECT.

I put 2 Tbsp of Coconut oil in the pan and heated the pan over medium high heat.

Then I added 3 kernels to the pan and covered the pot (I have a clear lid which was nice).

When the first kernel popped, I added 1/3 c of popcorn kernels.

I recovered and shook the pan slightly while it popped.

When the popping slowed to 5 sec or more.

I called it done. 

Wondering about the nutritional yeast flakes?

They add a cheesy flavor - but are non-dairy.

I was amazed that it took less time on the stove than microwave popcorn.

I had less unpopped kernels than in the microwave.

I did not have to add any butter or additional oil after cooking.

It also did not have "fly-aways" like air popped (though it does have the downfall of using oil).

Hubby really liked it.

... and I am hooked too!

Proven, Time and Again

The more we depend on God 

the more dependable we find He is.

- Cliff Richard

Simple Pleasures

I received a simply marvelous gift for Christmas.

It was a gift from my Sunday School students. 

It is the object of my thankfulness on this "Thankful Thursday."

As you well know, I love scents.

I burn candles.

I "plug-in" soothing scents.

I spray air freshener.

But my routine is now easier.

I received a Scentsy burner for Christmas.

It is an electric burner - no flames - just a light bulb.

It is safe and perfect for forgetful me.

It can burn while I am gone creating a welcoming scent when I arrive home.

"Knock-off" burners and scent bars are sold at Walmart

but Scentsy has a greater selection.

From my brief comparison, 

their scent bars last longer and are comparable in price (minus shipping).

I love the fact that the bars can me melted

and then poured back into their container to harden and reuse another day.

I burn a different scent every day so I never grow insensitive to the scents.

Monday for the candlelight dinner - the scent of roses.

I love the clean scent of "Just Breathe"

and the cinnamon-ny scent of "Welcome Home"

Interested?

You can help a friend of mine if you order through this link.

An order over $150 gets free shipping so ask your friends as well or stock up on gifts.

Maybe I should see if I can host an online party!

A Note to Mothers (Part II)

Proverbs 10:1;13 

The proverbs of Solomon. 

A wise son maketh a glad father: 

but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

In the lips of him that hath understanding wisdom is found: 

but a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.

Last Wednesday, Proverbs 10 reminded moms to teach diligence.

It is a burden and heartache to have a lazy child.

This week, I see the necessity of discipline.

I am sure that mothering has to be one of the hardest jobs in the world.

There is the constant need to be aware, to train, to correct.

There is little thanks, little "down-" or "me-" time, and lots of work.

Because it is such a time-consuming, non-stop job,

I often see mom's who get lazy or give up on discipline.

Some avoid it, some save it for dad, some hope their children will just "grow out of it."

Solomon encourages moms to steer a child from foolishness with proper discipline.

Why save all of the correction for dad who may have only 2-3 hours with the kiddos after work?

Why not correct properly, change attitudes, and enjoy the rest of your day?

Have you seen her?

The harried mom.

Sometimes it is just a difficult day.

Other times, she has shaped her day and children by neglecting to train and correct.  

She may bribe, she may make idle threats - but she is reaping what she sows.

While the days may be long when the children are 1, 2, 3, and 4,

the benefits when they are older are priceless.

 I have seen it work,

and even if I had not 

- it is a command and a promise of God

that's enough for me!

A Little Late

Valentine's Day was a little busy,

so we postponed the romantic, candlelight dinner.

Last Thursday saw me teaching piano lessons,

and then hubby taking a college student on visitation.

But I tried to make up for it last night.

We used the china that hubby bought for me on deployment

and broke out some heart shaped doilies and votive holders.

Dinner:

Ribeye (hubby grilled these for us)

Twice Baked Potatoes

Buttered Carrots (fresh from the garden)

Sparkling Black Cherry Water

Dessert:

Cheesecake Mousse

Who needs a fancy steakhouse and long waits?

Nothing like a quiet dinner for two.

When You Can't Hold On ...

... He will

Psalm 94:18 

When I said, My foot slippeth; 

thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.

My Favorite Celebration

Well, another year has passed and my darling and I celebrated another "Donut Day" yesterday.
For those of you who have missed it in previous years,
February 17 is the anniversary of our first date - a trip to Bella Napoli's for donuts.
We celebrated #11 this year.

This past week, I purchased a donut pan,

but it was not soon enough to find an acceptable donut recipe for the event.

I had three different attempts this week at pumpkin and apple cider donuts. 

The recipes were good, but more like a sweet bread then a donut.
The closest and one that I may continue to work on was here.

The new pan!

Filled and ready for the oven.

Hot out of the oven.

Ready for donut day!

Because I was not totally satisfied with my homemade creations,
we "endured" our favorite cinnamon sugar donut out of the freezer section.

I just love this holiday!

First Things First

“We tend to use prayer as a last resort,

but God wants it to be our first line of defense.

We pray when there's nothing else we can do,

but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all.

Most of us would prefer, however, to spend our time

doing something that will get immediate results.

We don't want to wait for God to resolve matters

in His good time because His idea of 'good time'

is seldom in sync with ours.”
―

Oswald Chambers

My Valentine

 

You know, of course, what I am thankful for today ...

...MY VALENTINE!

The character above?

Boofles!

My dearest gave me a Boofles valentine this morning - so cute!

And for my hubby - a bag of extra dark chocolate Lindt truffles.

Happy Valentines Day!