The Good Ole Days

I was doing a little legal stalking...aka surfing Facebook... tonight and stumbled across a picture of an old friend.  It brought tears to my eye.  Her name is Diane.  She and her husband Tony were such good friends of my parents.  We used to go and visit them when I was a kid.  They had 5 boys.  I believe Diane kept the most comfortable home that I have ever been to.  We would visit often.  The boys were avid outdoorsmen and as a result the dinners were usually fish fries.  I can almost smell that sweet aroma of fresh fried flounder coming through the window into the yard. You were always met with a smile and a hug and two little poodles (one of them could sing).  We would eat and it was always good and there was always enough.  Food prepared with love always tastes better.  Then with full bellies, the laughing would start.  There were stories, big stories, little stories.  With 5 boys and a sweet daddy and a little mama (I don't think she is 5 feet tall), there was always an abundance of stories.  You would stop laughing from one tale and somebody would start in with another one.  There was always something going on in the yard,  a new puppy, a dirt bike that needed fixing, or a new car to work on.  Always something to do.  After supper, we would play, and play, and play.  There was so much laughter and so much love.  It thank God for Tony and Diane and the boys.  I thank God for sharing them with me and giving me such blessed memories.  If I could time leap back, I would be twelve again tonight sitting in Tony and Diane's living room listening, laughing, loving.

New Recipe Number One

I know, I know... Here it is the end of the third week of the new year and I have yet to share with you a new recipe.  There is a reason for that.  I have not really been meeting my goal (not resolution) for the new year.  Today we are going to my parents house for dinner so I am bringing the dessert.  I have several Christmas oranges still around so I looked for a use for them.  I came up with Orange Applesauce Cupcakes from The Taste of Home Baking Book.  I will share my recipe with you.  I substitute I Can't Believe It Not Butter for the real butter and Splenda makes a brown sugar blend that I am sure you could try for this recipe.  That is if you are on a New Year's Health Plan.  I would probably leave off the icing in that case as well.  Or better yet, make them following the recipe, eat healthy, exercise and enjoy a small portion of a yummy sweet treat every now and then.  Moderation is the best plan.  I digress...

Orange Applesauce Cupcakes

Prep:  20 min

Bake:  20 min + cooling

Yield:  1 dozen

6 T butter, softened
1 c packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1 t vanilla extract
1 t grated orange peel
1 c all purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 t grated orange peel
2-4 t orange juice

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg; beat well.  Beat in the applesauce, vanilla, and orange peel.  Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda;  add to creamed mixture.  Stir in the pecans.

Fill paper lied muffin cups half full.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to cool completely.

For frosting, in a small mixing bowl, beat butter and confections' sugar.  Add orange peel and enough orange juice to achieve spreading consistency.  Frost cupcakes.




I am currently at the completely cool phase and am getting ready to move on to the icing phase.  If you like this recipe let me know.  Happy Cooking. 

Morning Muffins and Multiple Masters

This morning I made some rather tasty orange cranberry muffins.  They were made from scratch.  I tore open the mix bag and scratched out canned cranberries that came with the mix.  Hey, I turned on the oven...don't judge me.  My girls were sitting at the counter indulging in my culinary greatness.  Katie (who really loves my cooking) finished her mini muffins and asked if she could have some more.  Trying to be a sugar conscious mother, I said, "Yes, Katie you may have one more."  Katie gets up, walks across the kitchen, and comes back with four muffins.  I told her that she really only needed one more and asked that she put the rest back with the other muffins.  She lays them beside her plate (that is not where the other muffins were I might add).  She said, "I will just put them right here."  Savannah has been taking this all in and turns to Katie.  Savannah says, "I know what you are going to do..."  She then takes her first two fingers and points to her eyes and then to Katie and says "and I've got my EYES ON YOU!"  Brad and I just looked at each other. 

I am thankful for those muffins this morning.  They are a sweet reminder of God's provision in my life.  I want to go back to Matthew again today as this passage has been playing over and over in my mind. 

I want to "RUN A RABBIT" as my daddy sometimes does in his sermons.  This is when you want to say something that is totally off the intended subject but is meaningful and in some cases entertaining.  When you read God's word, it does have a tendency to play over in your mind.  The more you read, the bigger the screen gets.  Pretty soon you are projecting God's word like a movie reel in your head.  You think on it and God starts to show you things that you never saw before.  It will speak to you even when you are not in a state of prayer.  For instance, I was facing a really hard situation one day last week.  I was driving down the road alone, talking to myself.   I said , "I CANNOT DO THIS AGAIN!"  The word of God spoke so clearly it was almost audible, "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13)."  Almost in an argument now I said,  "But it hurts and is so hard."  The answer rang out, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17)."  It makes me want to read more.  Load up my spiritual TiVo with God's word so that when I speak to God or man (or myself) God's word will answer back.  OK, caught the rabbit.

Back to Matthew 6:24-33.  Life is uncertain.  Who can we trust when jobs are on the line, bills need to be paid, sickness threatens, fears arise...

Jesus asks you to make a choice.  Who will you trust in?  Jesus states that the thing that you put your trust in becomes the master of your life.  Jesus challenges us to put our ultimate faith in him.  He states that a person cannot serve the Him and money.  He says that you will love one of the masters and hate the other. 

Jesus says that we should "take not thought for our life."  I don't know about you, but I  need a master plan.  I need something for sure and certain.  I don't like giving away control, but that is exactly what Jesus is asking us to do.  There is a master plan, but we do not have it.  We will never have it.  We like to think that we do.  Now don't get me wrong here.  I am not saying you should drop out of college and wait for God to cast down a road map of your life that you are to follow.  What I am saying is that "All things work together for good of them who love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)"  If our driving force is buying the next greatest thing, filling our bank account with enough money to retire at age 45, or getting a promotion that will secure our future, we have missed the mark.  None of these things are wrong or sinful until they take over our thoughts and our desires and the place that Christ should hold in our life.  

Jesus says that we should not worry about our what we are going to eat or what we are going to wear.  Our life is about more than food and our body is more clothes.  It is the spirit that counts.  Then in His beautiful way, Christ gives us an example so that we may understand what all of this means.  Sparrows, one of the smallest birds.  They don't plant a garden, they don't store up a harvest but God feeds them.  Jesus says that I am more important to Him than a sparrow.  Sparrows are taken care of, simple as that.  Our clothes...God clothes the lilies of the field.  They don't have to spin the thread.  They are dressed by the master.  If God makes a lily so beautiful when it is here today and gone tomorrow, imagine how we, "the apple of his eye (Deuteronomy 32:10)" are so much more adorned. 

So you may say to me, "I know all of that and I still have to go to a food closet and shop at the thrift store."  (Let me just stop and praise God for the food closets and the thrift stores.)  What Christ wants you to take from this is not how indulgent your food is or the brand of clothes that you wear.  When God looks at you he looks at the inner man.  God doesn't read fashion labels.  He reads the words of God that are hidden in our heart and that blood of Christ that makes us clean.  God wants us to seek after him FIRST.  We must chose.  If we serve God first, make our ultimate goal to live a righteous life before God,  Jesus promised that all of the other things in our life will fall into place as they are ordered by the hand of God himself.  Hey, he feeds the birds and decorates the lilies, and I know that he will take care of me.  I may not have all of the answers for tomorrow, but God says to simply follow Him today.

God fed me muffins today.  For that I am grateful. 

    



Back to the Blog

After a few days of not blogging, I am back to the old QWERTY.  (This is the keyboard for the technologically challenged.)  I know that my blogging thus far has been a bit on the whimsical side but today I am mixing it up a little bit.  I promised to share with you from my reading of the Gospels so today I will do just that.  I had the occasion this weekend to spend quite a bit of time and focus in the Gospel of Matthew.

If you are broken, down hearted, discouraged, frustrated, worried, sad, lonely or spiritually poor, then today's blog is just for you.  Sometimes in life, the simple act of living each day can become more than you can bear.  You may feel alone, scared, persecuted, or deserted.  In sharp contrast, you may feel extremely successful, self confident, holding the reigns of life in your hand.  Equally so, this blog is for you as well.  Either way, the commonality of all man is that we are searching for purpose in life.  There is that unfulfilled portion of our life that longs to be filled.  Each day when we put our feet out on the floor, we set out on our day with plans to do something meaningful and important or we may have no plan at all.  Maybe you feel like you cannot put one foot in front of the other or just putting your feet out on the floor is unfathomable. 

Last week, I found my self more in the broken spirit category.  I felt like I had stepped down off of a cliff and hit the bottom.  As I read from this beautiful gospel it spoke to me with such clarity and peace, so today I will share with you. 

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus draws his disciples near to him on the side of a mountain to share with them such wonderful truths.  Let me just pause and say to you, if you are a hiker or spend much time in the mountains, can you image sitting on a mountain side surrounded by its splendor and listening to the words of Christ? 
Vs 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus knows the sorrow and despair that we feel at times.  He gives us the hope that some day we will leave that sorrow behind and walk in true HAPPINESS into heaven.
Vs 4 Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.
This verse reminds me of a dear friend of mine who lost her son.  I know she suffers and mourns for him daily.  I know that she loves our Lord and lives with the eternal hope of a day of comfort in the arms of not only her son but Christ as well. It is in Christ today that she finds comfort and strength.
Vs 5 Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.
Meekness is selflessness.  There are those that give of themselves constantly with no expectation of a return.  For them Christ promises an inheritance.  What a thought,  to have a portion of the inheritance of God.
Vs 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
This verse especially stands out to me.  As I mentioned earlier, everyone seeks for purpose and meaning in life.  Christ promises here in this verse that if you turn to Him and seek His righteousness, he will feel the longing of your heart.  Rich, poor, black, white, famous, unknown; we all thirst,  we all hunger.  Christ has the satisfaction to fill that need.
Vs 7  Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.
As a nurse and a patient, I know that true mercy comes when you begin to feel the suffering of those that you serve.  It is not until you feel the pain that ravages the body and the mind, that you can truly empathize and care for others.  As those who know Christ, it is our duty to share the message of the Gospel not because some pastor told us to.  It is because we know the mercy of the Lord and have a desire to share it with others.  I believe this is the greatest gift of mercy we can give.
Vs 8  Blessed are the pure in heart;  for they shall see God.
Sometimes in my own life, I get so caught up in a striving for perfection as an employee, wife, mother that I start to lose sight of  what is truly important.  Our significance in life is not from how close we get to being "right."  Our significance comes from acceptance of Christ to step in and clean up our corrupt and lonely life and purify our heart.  It is only with this that we ever have hope of seeing God.
Vs 9  Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.
When we have peace in our heart, it flows out into all that we do.  We live a life of peace with ourselves and with others.  Even when things are falling apart in our own life, deep inside their is an assurance of a peace that passes all understanding.
Vs 10  Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteouseness' sake;  for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
God did not promise a flowery bed of ease.  Sometimes things are going to be tough just because you are doing what is right, but again look for the hope of heaven at the end of this strife.  There is so much more awaiting us.

Thank you for taking the time to read this today.  Difficult times in life face us all from the richest to the poorest.  No matter where you are or what you are going through, just remember that Christ cares for you and gave his life up freely for you.  If you do not know him today, I would love to talk to you about how to have a relationship with him and receive the blessings that He speaks of in these verses.  May God richly bless you today and may you feel His love and peace in your heart.

There are no small parts just small actors

I think that before I get much deeper into the blog that I should perhaps introduce you to the inspiration behind my blogging masterpieces, the family. 

BRAD

This is my darling husband of almost eleven years now.  That is so hard to believe but explains why I have all of this gray hair.  He is a super great husband and daddy.  He is a family man who always puts us first.  He is a huge Justin Beiber fan.  You should ask him about this the next time you see him.  ;) Yesterday marked one year that Brad made a commitment to become a healthier person and I am very proud to say that today his is 165 pounds lighter and a new man!  He is the pastor of Crab Creek Baptist Church and I think that he is really great at it.  I am very proud of him.  

Upcoming Blog potential for Brad:  Brad received a bicycle for Christmas.  I truly believe that this will equal future blogging significance.

Katie

Katie is probably one of the sweetest children you will ever meet.  She will go out of her way to do something nice for someone.  She is always looking for opportunities to share her faith with others.  She loves bling, sparkles, pink, and prissy.

Blogging potential for Katie:  I will probably involve sugar, spice, and everything nice cause that's what Katie is.

David





The second born of the twin set, David is my Star Wars and Lego fan.  He is always on the search for a new Lego creation.  He is sandwiched between two sisters which can at times bring out the worst in him and the best in him as well.  He has a cute little dimple when he smiles and has an infectious giggle. 

Blogging potential for David:  David is very interested in being the topic of my blog so look for him in the near future.

Savannah

If you have been reading, you have already gotten a small taste of all that is Savannah.  She is absolutely hilarious and keeps me in stitches all the time.  She can go from 0-60 in 2 seconds.  She is devoted and true but I would not want to cross her.

Blogging potential for Savannah:  If you talk to Savannah's Sunday School teacher you will find that she has much to say that will prove to tickle your funny bone.  Trust me you will look forward to the Savannah editions.

Me

I am a wife, mother, nurse, pastor's wife, daughter, daughter in law, sister, friend.  Any one of those things could lend to some pretty crazy tales but put them all together and who knows what we will come up with
Blogging potential for me:  I tend to find myself in odd and unlikely situations from time to time so I will stand back and wait for life to hit me and then I will share it with you. 

PS:  Brad is going to kill me when he sees that picture.  :)

How Lucky Can A Girl Get

I am a loser.  What I mean to say is that I do not usually win things like drawings, raffles, bingo, board games, athletic events, tests of speed or agility, or anything where there is active or passive competition.  However, I thought that I would share with you my recent diversion from the norm
. 
The week after Christmas, Brad and the kids went down to Washington, NC to visit Brad's family.  For the second year in a row, I had to stay home to work.  I made sure that I was definitely ready to meet my maker and invited my mother over to spend the night with me.  I made these final preparations due to the fact that for the duration of our night on the town, Mama was driving.  We went out for a delicious dinner and then for dessert.  I wanted Mama to experience Hendersonville's lastest palate pleaser, Yogurt World.

Let me just put a plug in here for Yogurt World.  Located on Kanuga Rd., just beside its mother establishment, Hot Dog World, Yogurt World boasts a delicious variety of frozen yogurts and almost any topping you can imagine including my favorites- strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.  You have just got to try it. 

During this trip to the Yogurt World, where we almost died trying to pull in (Mama's driving), I noticed that there was yet another opportunity to prove that I am a loser.  There on the checkout counter was a beautifully displayed Coca Cola tub filled with various Coke goodies and tied up with a red bow.  I had entered another drawing at Yogurt World just before Christmas for the $1600 prize that the radio station was giving away.  LOSER!!!! Anyway, when I dropped in my ticket into the box for the Cola DREAM GIVEAWAY I told the lady behind the counter that since I had asked to win the $1600 when I dropped my last ticket and did not win, the least she could do is see to it that I win this fabulous prize of a lifetime.  Due to the fact that I climbed into the car with my mother shortly after this the rest of the night consisted of memories of near misses, flashes of life before my eyes, unexpected lane changes, and missed turns.  (My mother travels for a living.  Please pray for her.) I did not think another thought about the possibility of Coca Cola Glory. UNTIL...

December 31, a day to reflect on the past year and a day to win big at the Yogurt World!  We were all getting ready to go to my parent's house for a New Year's Eve get together when I received the call.  Yes.  A message on my answering machine stating that I needed to call Yogurt World.  I did.  The beautiful voice on the other end of the line told me to COME ON DOWN to Yogurt World to collect my prize.  I thanked her in a calm and collected WINNER voice, got off the phone, and did the "I WON A PRIZE FROM YOGURT WORLD DANCE."  Brad just looked at me.  He was jealous.  The whole family was actually.  All of the people at the tables at Yogurt World were jealous, too.  I walked in every so nonchalantly and stated "I am here to collect my prize."  It was a like the leg lamp moment in "A Christmas Story."  She handed over the cellophane wrapped, Coca-Cola emblazoned pot of gold.  I thanked her and took it out to the car where the children were all fighting over who was going to get my prize.  I took off the beautiful satin ribbon.  Inside was a fuzzy Coke blanket, two polar bear hats, two water bottles, two XL t-shirts, and a Coke tub for chilling, you guessed it, Coke. 
So tonight as I blog, for inspiration, I am wearing my Polar Bear chapeau.  I believe that this serves as a symbol of things to come for 2012.  There are many lessons that can be gleaned from my experience. Here are a few.

1.  Eat more yogurt.
2.  Enter drawings.
3.  Stop drinking soda and you are sure to win a cola inspired jack pot.

Until next time. I'm just sayin...

Just another day...

Nothing too exciting to write about today.  I woke up this morning to the horrible screeching alert of the local news channel telllig my phone to tell me that the Henderson County School System deems the .00002 inches of snow on the ground impassible and I should keep my children home to spare them from certain doom.  I thanked all parties involved for the 5:20 am warning and rolled over to attempt a few more minutes of much needed sleep.  David of course choses this to be the morning that he will wake up of his own accord, clean his room and be dressed for school by 6:15.  If you read yesterday's blog you will be amused by the fact that Savannah got up at 6:30 and made a lap through the house without loud shouts or death defying floor dives.  She did go back to bed within 2 minutes but hey its a start.  I got off to work with a thermos of coffee in one hand and Brad's egg sandwich creation in the other. 

Up until 11:00 the day was going pretty smoothly and then I got a call from home from Brad. 
Ring, Ring...
"Hello."
"You have got to come home immediately."
PAUSE...
Now when your husband calls his wife at work and says "you have got to come home immediately" a mother goes through the following possibilities in her mind.  She quickly breezes through the line up of family disasters ...the house is on fire. No, one of the children was playing sword fight with the butcher knife and sliced open a finger.  No, the garage door safety mechanism broke and one of the children got caught under the door. If you are a mother, you do not need me to continue.  You know exactly what I am talking about.
RESUME...
Slightly gasping, "What is wrong?"
"I went out to start the car.  The stupid door locked on its own and you know that it is not supposed to do that and when we all went out to get in it we were already locked out of the house."
"I will be there as soon as I can let the boss know that I am leaving.  You should go down the street to Ms. Oates house."
"No we will be fine.  We are all bundled up." 
"OK."

Now ordinarily this would not be a big deal but it was 21 degrees outside today.  I hurried.

I went back to work and finished out my day.  When I got home, I decided that since it had warmed to a balmy 30 degrees that I would go out to ride my bike.  So I put on 2 shirts, my long, candy striped thermal underwear, pants, two pairs of gloves, a pink scarf, a coat, and Brad's camo ear muffs.   I must say that I looked rather fetching as I mounted my Schwinn Cruiser.  I had a crisp tour of the neighborhood.  When I got home I could not feel my nose, chin or the fingers on my right hand, but I was able to get in that 30 minutes of excercise for the day. 

I cooked a delicious pot of chicken and rice soup.  (It was not a new recipe.)  Then it was on to the task of attempting to remotely teach my mother in law how to log on to video chat.  After multiple failed attempts and some mysterious green blobs in the video window we all had a good laugh and gave up on that venture. 

So like I stated in the beginning nothing really amazing happened today.  Maybe that is a good thing.  Until tomorrow...