What mean these stones?

 Joshua 4:20-24

And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?  Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.  For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:  That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

And the reminders continue ...

it is important not to remember only,

but to leave a rememberance,

to cause others to know the Lord.

God is so good.

During our first years of marriage,

I worked faithfully on a "bag of rememberance."

It is full of those little miracles that God blessed us with.

I must get back to the practice - at least in written form.

I am not worth the least of His favor.

The Living Room

Cheery Yellow at move-in

Changed to green with bulkier furniture

Change of furniture. 

The holdup on this post and these pictures was the rug and the throw pillows.

We were uncertain as to what colors would brighten and balance the grey and the brown.

Obviously, now we have decided.

The walls are now grey.

We actually painted twice and used the Valspar "Love it or we will replace it" guarantee.

Our first shade was grey, but in the evening, with house lights on ... it was more like baby blue -

not quite what we were going for!

So we picked another shade and were pleased with the results.

Again we have the sheer curtains that allow us lots of light

while still giving us privacy in the close quarters of a trailer park.
The full length curtains help the room not look quite as stark with hubby's minimalist tendencies.

But grey and brown with white trim are a bit drab ...

so why not add some teal, some plum, and some yellow?

We replaced the pressed board shelves on the wall with real wood stained to match the other furniture.

Check out the flowers in the corner - 

A delivery from the pastor and his wife (leftovers from a funeral) - 

I may be permanently spoiled.

We added an herb garden on the wall -
it smells good, cleans the air, and will add to the meals when it grows a little more.

Hubby also built a frame to hold greeting cards and notes.  (look to the left of the herbs)

It is a simple wood frame (leftover 2x2 from the back deck railing) strung with wire.

I love the improvement over the strand of yarn that I used to use.

While it may not suit everyone,

we are enjoying our new space.

Hopefully the next time that I need a change,

it will just be rugs and throw pillow covers :)

Hubby's "office" didn't change much.

He did get a potted succulent :)

and we are still enjoying my Valentine's balloons.

The Menu Book

We are definitely "creatures of habits."

We like to know what is coming.

We have our mornings planned,

our workouts planned,

our evenings planned,

at least to the extent that you can in daily life.

We know that Monday night hubby preps sermons,

Tuesday night is date night,

Wednesday night is church,

Thursday night is Sunday School preparation,

Friday is church activity or fellowship in the home.

See?

For almost 2 years, I followed a one month food plan - over and over and over again.

It changed our life in a good way

(decreased allergies, increased energy, better sleep, less tummy troubles),

but there were quite a few recipes that were not so great.

So,

I needed to make my own plan.

Breakfast:

Sunday: Oatmeal with peanut butter and bananas

Monday:  Eggs, meat, and avocados

Tuesday:  Granola

Wednesday:  Smoothie

Thursday:  extra Bible and prayer time

Friday and Saturday: Healthy Baked treat (muffins or crisp)

Weekday Lunch:

PB and honey sandwich

Tuna Sandwich

Leftovers (x 2 - hopefully)

Sloppy Joe or Pizza or Shepherd's Pie

I have almost reached my 30 dinner meals.

We have been trialing for 2-3 months with many being vetoed,

but we are finally narrowing it down to all favorites ...

no more dreading dinner, ever ... only good ones that we BOTH like.
And in the end, there will be less repetition than we had with our original plan.

Friday Forum: What is "home"?

While renovating the trailer,

hubby said to me, "I really need to get you a real house!"

He knows that I love to decorate, I love to make things homey.

But (I said to him), I am perfectly content with our home.
I do want to make it as nice as I can, but I love it.

Our many apartments were "home."

A trailer can be a "home.".

Home is where I can relax.

Home is were I can try to meet the needs of others through hospitality.

Home is a place where I am accepted and encouraged to be better.

To me,

A home is peaceful ...

A home is bright ...
A home has a pleasant smell ...
A home has pleasant sounds.

How would you describe "home"?

What makes "home" special?

Running Water

Running Water ...

On this thankful Thursday,

I am thankful for the convenience of running water in our lives.

I don't have to run to a river,

pump a hand pump in the yard ...

Why choose this today?

Well,

one tub faucet is dripping and while a replacement cartridge is on the way,

it is a reminder that we are a blessed people.

Also,

while repairing the kitchen,

we were without the kitchen sink for about 3 days.

Just those three days of running to another room for water

made me appreciate that we have running water in each room.

What a blessing to clean up in the same room that you make your mess in!

Remember

"And thou shalt remember
that thou wast a bondman in Egypt:

and thou shalt observe and do these statutes."

Deuteronomy 16:12

I am reading through the book of Deuteronomy in my personal studies.

This phrase is repeated and repeated and repeated.

In their treatment of others, in their worship of God, in every aspect of life,

the Israelites were to remember.

Remember God's grace to them in bringing them out of bondage.

And the application to me ...

REMEMBER!

God was gracious to me as well.

He drew me as a child.

He saved me as a child.

He gave me many opportunities not afforded to everyone.

If I remember that,

I will be more longsuffering with others ...

I will be more appreciative of the things God has given ...

I will value His Word more each day ...

I will long to serve and love Him with all that I have.

JUST REMEMBER!

And Now the Kitchen ...

I had fully expected to show pictures of the living room first,

but it is having a few minor holdups ...

SO

you get to see the kitchen first.

When we moved in,

we painted out the cabinets and refinished the blue laminate countertops.

BEFORE - upon purchase of trailer

 AFTER: Upon move-in 3 years ago.

Why not do it again?

No kits or packages this time.

I bought some cabinet paint.

Just one step.

The rustoleum countertops were pretty,

but after three years, they were wearing and chipping - not as pretty any more.

In research, we were finding that the coating is the key - not the paint.

And we found that we could make "faux" marble countertops

and seal them with something thicker and stronger!

So of course, we tried it.

We used white primer that we already had for the base.

Used the wall color and cabinet color for the veining.

Then about $100 of a epoxy resin coating that we got at Hobby Lobby.

Yes, that is a piece of change, but cheaper than a piece of laminate or entirely new countertops.

And now my kitchen is light and bright as well.

We probably could have finished the counters for $60 worth of epoxy resin,

but the counters were so warped that it took a little more for it to level and be presentable.

Another coat might make it more perfect, but ...

 

I am loving the new look and going through the cupboards again has been healthy for cleaning out.

While everything was in disarray, hubby also fixed my large silverware drawer and now it slides beautifully.

Lots of "WINS" this week!

What did I learn?

It sure is a lot easier to do the work before moving into the space!

3 days without a kitchen sink was not a lot of fun!

Much More Than a Balloon or a Card

February is a "BIG" month in our household.

We celebrate the day we were introduced (2/10).

We celebrate my favorite holiday (2/14) - Valentine's Day.

We celebrate our first date (2/17) - Donut Day.

While I love the celebration,

the decorations,

the helium balloons that hubby my bring home to enjoy all month,

the special donut treat on the anniversary of our first date ...

...it is so much more.

The love is more than a gift or a card.

It is the thoughtfulness that wants to remember these days even when it may seem silly.

It is the sympathy on a particularly difficult day when no one else can understand.

It is the support when everyone else seems to be tearing down.

It is the sharing of common interests and goals.

It is the hard work each day to pay the bills and provide for others as well.

It is the difficult balance that saves time for me when there is much to take the extra time.

It is the encouragement to pursue the things that I enjoy.

I write this because often times people will ask what hubby gave me for such and such an occasion.

While this week, there WAS a card and two helium balloons,

often there is nothing,

because we celebrate our love and each other everyday

and his giving goes beyond physical things.

All Is Vanity

And two vanities are changed.

No longer the dark espresso color ...

For the lighter look ... lighter cabinets.

Now, the three bedrooms are finished - 

repaint if necessary (master),

trim and doors in all rooms.

Two bathrooms are finished - 

trim and doors in both,

vanities in both.

Now onto the main living areas.

My plan was to work on this at the beginning of March,

but I may get a little antsy.

The weather has been so beautiful

that most days I have been able to air the house out while painting

and everything has dried so nicely.

For the Holiday Tomorrow

Yes, I disappeared again.

I am continuing to paint trim throughout the house as well as doors.

I have the two vanities painted out.

We took a weekend trip to Tennessee to check in on some of our former students.

The weather here has been ridiculous - for February.

The trailer was up over 80 yesterday - mid 70s today.

While I enjoy walking in the spring like temps and

I enjoy the daffodils' bright blooms,

I am really missing winter.

Usually February is our cold, rainy, icy month - 

and it sure hasn't been this year!

On Saturday, we celebrated 15 years.

We were introduced in NY 15 years ago on February 10th.

So we are preparing for "Donut Day" this Friday to celebrate our first date,

But for now, my favorite holiday - Valentine's Day.

The packages have been sent out to WI, IN, and NY

and there are a few left to hand deliver tomorrow.

Tuesday is always "date night" for us, so we can celebrate tomorrow after work.

I am going to get some "take out" and have a night off of cooking.

We will start the day with some Orange Raspberry Muffins

(the red is for the holiday - right?)

Orange Raspberry Muffins

For the muffins

2 cups  Almond Flour

¼ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Sea Salt

4 Eggs

¼ cup  Palm Shortening, melted

1/3 cup  Honey

1 tsp  Vanilla Extract

Zest and juice of 1 Orange

6 oz  Raspberries, fresh or frozen

For the topping

¼ cup  Palm Shortening

¼ cup  Coconut Sugar

½ cup  Almond Flour

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease or line 12 cup muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, sea salt, and orange zest.

To a large bowl add the eggs, shortening, honey, vanilla extract, and orange juice.
Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the wet ingredients on medium speed.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined.

Fold in the raspberries.

Scoop into the prepared muffin tin.

To make the topping, mix the shortening and coconut sugar in a medium bowl.
Then add the almond flour and stir until incorporated.
Using your hands, sprinkle the mixture over the muffins, breaking the mixture up as you go.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.