The calm before the storm . . .

 

Not a huge storm, but a call for snow in the forecast tonight, low of 24 (he literally just said it...the radio guy...it's like the 1950's around here, well, I guess except this blogging business, haha, but many evenings around here when the kids are gone have the radio on and a newspaper on the table).

I still don't know the name of this super early flowering plant.

It's got a load of blooms right now, so I gave it and my Sweet William leaves a cozy blanket to get through the night!

🌸 Bring on April! 🌸

I still haven't found my favorite sauerkraut . . .

Time: 9:48p.m.

Location: Kitchen Peninsula

Event: Sauerkraut snacking time

Realization: I still haven't found a favorite 'kraut!

Hahahahahahahahaha! 

Scene Two: Off to do the laundry.

That's a wrap!

Palm Sunday . . .

Palm Sunday.

A time of shouting "Hosannas!"

Some italicized words in my small, ESV travel bible say, 

"The Triumphal Entry."

"...Your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!"

John 12:15

But, we have our full Holy Week to move through now.

And as I was reading through my daily bible app scripture today, I came upon the verses I planted with those daffodils above.

Side note: The city always gets their blooms a good two or more weeks before I do and I'm just outside this part of the city by 6.6 miles. No fair! (-:

Anyhoo...

John 16:13-14 just struck me today. Jesus was talking to his disciples, they weren't fully grasping him at this time, but he was saying a LOT. This was after he washed his disciples' feet, after informing of a betrayal to come, and after letting Peter know about his soon to come denials. I am nowhere near a biblical scholar, but it's interesting to me that the verses I've reprinted are within the pages of the book of John that has the longest stretch of red wording, Jesus' Words. And the same Holy Spirit he was telling his disciples about is our Holy Spirit too! I know you know that, but, sometimes just spelling out the obvious can have an impact. Did you ever just stop and think about, "for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." He tells the disciples just before this in verse 7..."It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you." 

"He will take what is mine and declare it to you."

A Helper will come to you!

Let's just let that sit with us for a moment.

Let it sit with us if we're 

worried,

troubled,

lonely,

saddened,

struggling,

ill,

Anything & Everything.

"He will take what is mine and delcare it to you."

A Helper will come to you!

Each and every day, always, the Holy Spirit is with you, declaring to you God's truths and promises. Yes, this will include the conviction of our sins and failings but also the truth of Christ's death and resurrection washing us whiter than snow and bringing with it the certainty of eternal salvation.

Seek Him, Listen.

He is there. 

Another interesting note to me is that on 7/5/20 the very verse 13 that I placed with the daffodils above I also underlined in my little travel bible (the one I use most for marking up) and wrote on the edge of the paper. "He convicts us, Guides us."

Isn't it a glorious thing that we are NEVER, EVER...alone.

(-:

God bless your Holy Week to come.

Happy Sunday! . . . Remember yesterday's Pure Gold? . . .

I think I officially have a two-day theme going now!

What joy to stumble onto this verse with a newly found golden sunset. Have I mentioned . . . I love my "neighborhood!"

(-:

Like Mother . . . Like Daughter

💛

Some things that made me smile today:

Finding an unopened package of Spring napkins tucked away in a box from a lifetime ago. If you don't have an uplifting, pretty, stylish, or fun napkins...go get a bunch. Funny how it can just give a little kick to March!

My Verse of the Day popups from the Bible App (youversion) with my dahlia screen saver in the background. Always nice to meet an encouraging, thought provoking, or uplifting verse out of the blue during the day!

You shall come out as pure Gold!

Have a great week!

Pure Gold! . . .

Oh my goodness, people!! Today's discovery in this barren, five years in progress, eastern corner of my yard is on par in my world with finding a big ol' chunk of gold! Let's take a look shall we . . . 

What???

Where did this little golden nugget sneak in from??!!

It's my first sign of spring life to come this year and in a totally unexpected place.

I tilled and tilled and retilled the top, right portion of the above picture last fall, exactly where this crocus is. Previous owners, and I believe neighbors, used to use this area as a dumping ground for stumps, huge piles of dirt from somewhere, and it was a big ol' pile of weeds on top of it all. That scenario bumped right up to the southern edge of how far the lily garden grew and got stopped by the mound of mess. Over the years I've been digging out stumps and weeds, weeds and stumps and sticks and more weeds would come and it was just an endless, long cycle. Pretty much got it completely cleared last fall and then low and behold...

A Golden Crocus Pops Up!

From that messy, messed up space.

(-:

I'm sure we could go a lot of deep places with this scenario but it's the end of my Saturday night right now and I don't have it in me. (-:

But, Yippee Yahoo!!

I discovered GOLD today!

The other day the dog fell in the water bowl!! . . .

No Joke, I didn't arrange one piece of this scene. (-:

I was reaching for something through our "wall window" and the dog took a dive into the dog's water bowl. You can see the splash marks on the edges.

Despite having to wipe up the water everywhere, it was a funny way to start the day Tuesday!

He's recently been sitting here with this cat, both painted by Liv at one time. She packed them up in one of those, "I'm emptying out my room of things I don't want anymore because I'm much too sophisticated at 11 for this stuff," times. I wasn't ready to toss these little guys for some reason so they've been hanging around here and there...then the dog got thirsty!

(-:

Finding something funny in your day is a good thing, look for them! (-:

Happy Sunday! . . . Sunsets, chicken florentine and aggravation . . .

Look at that sweet, golden pup!

Is that not a magical moment?

Grateful!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I've had this chicken florentine recipe hanging on the side of my fridge for some time now...oh wow, looks like since April 3, 2020, crazy how time moves. I followed the recipe to a T tonight, and then at the very last minute, while eating...realized I forgot to slice up the recommended lemon at the end. Didn't miss it at all. Oh, also didn't chop fresh parsley at the end, didn't miss it. I love to use my cast iron skillet for prepping meat like this needed to be and it worked perfectly. I do have to keep the heat a little lower than they ask for typically and my chicken breast were quite thick so I had to put a lid on three of them after a while, move them to the edge of the pan and turn them on their sides (I had the heat turned down to 3 even!). But they turned out juicy and delicious still, yay!

I loved it!

https://parade.com/998310/parade/winner-winner-chicken-dinner-one-skillet-chicken-florentine-from-joanna-gaines-new-cookbook/

Still at it with Aggravation!

Liv and I sneak in a game a few times a week still. And it is some kind of strange law of averages or something that we constantly get down to the wire like this. You can see how I, in red, have to roll a 1 and she, in blue, has to roll a 3. But even better...

...is how crazy often we get down to three in the Home each and we both have to roll a 1 to win! We can not even believe how often that happens.  Huge hoots and hollers again when the lucky 1 was rolled...it was red tonight...hasn't been red for a while now so red was in a good mood and not aggravated at all. Hahahaha!

May you move through this week with all the comfort in knowing that you are never alone, never! Have a doubt, have a fear, have a concern, have a worry, have a grief, have a burden? Turn to your one true Heavenly Father in prayer, praise and thanksgiving, take a walk, hum a hymn, breath deep and know that you are held in His hand always. He has conquered the enemy that might tell you otherwise.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

This is the Day that the Lord Has Made . . .

 Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

Psalm 118:24

Hens & Chicks from my childhood home.

I've brought them here and there over the last 22 years.

Now they're here. Not sure why I like that, but I do. (-:

I left to teach one 70 degree day this week and came back to the front garden being completely thawed out and free from it's month's long snow cover. I'm trying to maintain my excitement! Haha...but...for real! 🌸

Do you ever feel like some part of you needs to be "thawed out" and freed from some long held "snow cover?" Is there something that could benefit from the warmth of new light and leaving a cold, darkness behind? How can I still profess a "rejoicing with gladness" when I have hardships and difficulties still plaguing my very own family and affecting my children? We've had a non-stop "cold, darkness" plaguing our family for many years now, I mean, heartbreakingly so for a mom, and yet...I can still find warmth and light, I can still find joy and coming excitement in brown-tipped hens and chicks...how?

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."

Ephesians 3: 20-21

In drawing nearer to Him, our one true God, in learning, reading, listening, praying, seeking discernment, trusting, repenting, forgiving...in believing...cold and dark days can slowly but surely be replaced by His warmth and light. Always? Will you find perfection every day? Nope, that's just not the promise for us during our earthly days. But, you will be able to find joy more often than sadness, hope more often than fear, you will be able to "rejoice with gladness" with a heart turned toward the Lord come what may. 

God Bless your weekend!

Happy Birthday! . . .

April 2, 2016

April 2, 2016

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

December 2020, visiting his intersection and Lara at college.

This guy here, this one, the deepest thinker of us all, the most interesting questions he'd ask and ponder (many recorded in this little ol' space over the years), is 18 years old today!

Perseverance.

Speaking of perseverance and funny things that only I would do...did you know that the new, big deal Mars rover's name is Perseverance? It was named in a NASA contest by a middle school boy from Virginia. Of course, me being me, remembered that I had almost all of the kids and myself taken above the word Perseverance in 2016, so I quick printed them all up and sent them to NASA asking if they wouldn't mind sending these up to Mars on the Perseverance. I tell myself I was just too late in the game (July 2020) for them to recalculate weights and all those adjustments to add my stack of photos as being the only reason I never heard back from them. Hahahahaha! You can NOT make my life up people! (-:

Wishing Harrison a lifetime of God's Glory and perseverance!

Beautiful music by Marie and a yummy Recipe! . . .

Marie came to her lesson this morning with her music so beautifully decorated! She drew the flowers in pen and colored in with marker. Loved it! And then, to top it off she asks me..."Do you mind if I just sing the RH part and play the accompaniment?" UMMM...Marie!!! That would be a wild, enthusiastic, "YES!" Of course my singers will come in an sing anytime...but only a handful of my pianists eagerly and readily will sing and play. And, I didn't expect Marie would be one of them. So then...to top it all off, Marie starts singing and playing and she's made up her own vocal melody that I think far supercedes  the original melody that is a major hit song!! Oh, then to top it off again, she thought she couldn't sing the original melody...I showed her it, and she did it without a hitch! Marie, rocked her lesson today!!

Sunday night the Parade Magazine recipe of the week was a major hit again! This literally rivaled purchased Chinese food and I had every ingredient on hand minus the chicken and the chili garlic sauce (which I easily found at Kroger). I was afraid of putting a full tablespoon of the chili garlic sauce in because a little taste of it alone showed me that it had quite a kick to it, so I put a little less than a tablespoon, could have put the entire tablespoon, the meal sure wasn't too spicy.

Try it, you won't regret it!

https://parade.com/1169481/parade/better-than-takeout-sticky-chicken-recipe/

Happy Sunday! . . . A Little This and That . . .

Are we tired of the sunset pics yet?

I'm not!

(-:

Liv, William and I (well, more Liv and I really) were Ooo-ing and Ahh-ing Friday night as we headed out for an unusual Friday night shopping excursion. William, who has schooled 100% in his bedroom this year (well...one could come close to saying "in his bed" as well), announced last week he needs new clothes. I looked at his mid-calf sweatpants and agreed. Hahaha! Livia, a recently new wearer of jeans needed one more pair (to go with her only other pair bought a month ago or so, one with the current ripped-jeans look, which she's come to discover she can't wear to school on non-dress code days). Friday night's sky was an amazing purple hue which we couldn't catch because 1. we were on the highway and 2. I decided to wash the window for Livia's pic and messed the whole thing up, oops!

(-:

Came in the house the other day to William making himself a snack.

This snack!

What??!!

I love that my son beautifully slices an avocado, drizzles it with olive oil, sprinkles it with ground kosher salt (his invention in an old sea salt bottle) and pepper, then tops it with a ground thyme mixture. And then, even though he initially denied his very own mother a slice or two from his creation, he saved four slices for her at the end! (-:

This is where I found this gal 10 minutes after coming home from her 9:30am.-3:30p.m. volleyball tournament yesterday. Hitting volleyballs on the garage roof!

My awesome 11 year old and her power serve!

She has surely been blessed with a natural ability at the game and receives great joy from playing. 

Yay!

Ok . . . it's getting to be just about time for fresh flowers to be popping up around here. 

I always save a couple zinnias from the previous season. 

They sure keep a great color, don't they?

But, I have a lot of lonely, empty vases that have had enough rest now and are ready to get back to work. Not to be too impatient but...Let's get going spring bulbs!

(-:

May God Bless You and Keep You

Throughout your week to come!

The Lord Bless You and Keep You . . .

Another shot from that colorful drive to the grocery. (-:

I love ending Livia's day by saying this blessing over her (used to be William too before bedtimes ended with him over the last year) after singing the last two bedtime songs that I'm down too after 22 years of bedtime songs; Jesus Loves Me and Sleep, Livia, Sleep.

And now, it's March, on we go!