Dear Readers:
I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with you on this blog. This blog is part of the Outlook Online Blog Network and it has been updated. I hope you will join me in making this transition to my new blogging home at http://outlookmag.org. One you are there, hover over “Bloggers” in the main menu and click on my name to view my new posts.
The new blog is not ready but will be in the next few days. I am not always eager to change but we will give this a try we may really love it.
Seeing others and myself the way He sees them
Seeing opportunity
Seeing Him at work
Seeing new ways of doing things, getting more efficient
Seeing my home and family the way He sees them
Seeing His word and applying it
Seeing His ways and following them
I sometimes feel so over whelmed
Too many things to do, I feel blurry
I want to be more focused, more kingdom focused
That’s what I want.
Let's encourage each other to walk with Jesus!
I am sitting in my office with the space heater aimed at my legs, looking out the window at a fresh layer of snow-ice on the sidewalk. It is a lovely winter scene, God has sent a reminder that He wipes slates clean at any time and any place.
Yesterday my dad would have turned 106 years old, tomorrow my mother in law would be 107. In a couple of months I will be a year older too, but I am still here.
This morning I was reading in the book of John, I love John. It feels like Jesus is still with me on this earth when I read this book. Jesus prays for his disciples and gives me a great example of how to pray for my children. Listen to this, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours….Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name.” Don’t you like this? This is my prayer for my two little families and for my husband.
Yes, tomorrow is a new year. What are your plans? Mine is to have a relationship with Jesus that is deeper than ever and to encourage everyone I know to do the same.
What will the year hold? IDK but lets hold fast to Jesus.
This is my last post for the year, my last recipe, my last word of encouragement for the year. Sounds like the final good bye, don’t you think? Oh I’ll be back next year but I am signing off for just a couple of weeks I need time. Time to reflect, time to think, time to relax, time to spend reading. I need time to have nothing “hanging over my head.”
We are leaving for Colorado tomorrow to say our final good bye to Bob’s brother. It’s bittersweet, we are glad he no longer suffers but we will miss him. We will meet our son at the Denver airport, it’s always good to see John but we can’t be totally happy because it is for a final goodbye.
My job, my job is to give tribute to the ones who made it possible for George to remain at home during this long illness. I have it ready but can I read it? IDK
I will say we have hope that we will see George again, soon and very soon. We don’t deserve this hope but Jesus paid it all.
The Best Cinnamon Rolls You Will Ever Eat
1 quart whole milk, 1 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup sugar–heat this to 150 degrees or just before boiling and then let it cool for at least 45 minutes.
pour 2 tbls. yeast over this cooled mixture and let it set for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups all purpose flour and mix with a spoon until well mixed and let set covered for at least 1 hour. Then add 1 more cup of flour, 1 tsp heaping baking powder, 1 tsp. scant baking soda, 1 tbls. salt and mix well.
At this point you can start rolling out the dough or you may put it in the refg. for up to 2 days. Keep your eye on it if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down.
When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Start rolling the dough in a neat line, kep the roll relatively tight as you go. Pinch the seam of the roll to seal it. Spread 1 tbls. of butter in the bottome of the pan. I use dental floss to cut the rolls, make them about 1 inch thick.
Bake 375 for 20 minutes more or less depending on your oven.
Here is the suggested frosting but make what ever you like.
1 bag powdered sugar, 2 tsp. Maple flavoring, 1/2 cup milk, 1/3 cups melted butter, 1/4 cup brewed coffee, 1/8 tsp. salt–mix until smooth and pour over rolls while still warm.
I thought this was way too sweet I will not put so much frosting on the rolls next time.
I have never given much thought to how I am feeling. Lately my health has become a subject to be discussed in our home. My son even threatened me today that he would ” turn me in” to my son-in-law if I didn’t get an antibiotic.
First, my knee, it hurts now and then. Second, the cancer on my nose. Third, my crown and I don’t mean on my head. Fourth, my root canal. Fifth, my cold. Now isn’t this about enough little problems for now? I can tell you this I now have the new bed I was planning to buy in my mouth. Root canals and crowns add up to a lot of money.
You may be wondering where I am going with this whining? I just want you to be happy where you are, I want to be happy where I am. Things can always get worse. Give thanks everyday for your blessings. God is good all the time.
This week our pastor told a story about a piano. Mind you, I was not in church this week–I am sick. UGH A church had decided to replace their piano, it was very, very old and not very pretty any more. They contacted a piano store and they were delighted to find the store was willing to sell them a new piano, beautiful and shiny, for about half price. They were also willing to give them $4,000 for the old piano.
The congregation was surprised at how great of a deal this seemed to be but it had to go through a committee before they made a decision. In the mean time the store came back to them and offered them $6,000 for the piano because they thought it was worth at least that. Not much later the store came back and offered them more money for the piano saying they thought when they refinished it they could make a little more money on it.
Finally the congregation decided to call the Steinway Company to just see what the value was. The piano was one of the first Steinway’s made and was worth a great deal of money. Guess what? The church decided to keep the piano. Now that they know the value they value the piano.
I love this story, it makes me think of Jesus and the fact if we just knew the value we would spend more time with HIM.
December came just as quickly as November. Life is a big slide and as we get to the end it seems to pick up speed. I think I read that in my old autograph book but I didn’t know the meaning until recently.
Women in Touch for December was another good program and we had a full house. At least three hundred women gathered in the fellowship hall to enjoy an evening of entertainment.
We enjoyed some practical ideas for entertaining during the holidays from a Pampered Chef consultant. Children from Helen Hyatt Elementary School sang Christmas songs for us. Kerrie Schnell told us the story, “Red Mittens.” Sarah Gilbert sang “Oh Holy Night.” Cherie Smith gave a little talk on prayer.
I know you are wondering what we served. We had Chicken Rollup’s, corn, cranberry sauce, salad with candied walnuts and cranberries and dinner rolls. Dessert was Christmas cookies.
The cooks arrived at the church at 9 am and we were finished preparing by 12. In the afternoon we cook the food and get the desert on the tables plus a hundred other things that have to be taken care of.
Every year the ladies bring a children’s gift and wrapping. All of the gifts are taken to the Good Neighbor Center for the grandparents room.
If you are interested in doing something like this in your church please contact me. Just leave a comment on this blog and I will be happy to help you.
It seems we have had a lot of good-bye’s lately. My husband was the child of an old man. Bob’s father was 56 when Bob was born. Bob had a brother 9 years older and Brother George was the one who taught Bob most of the things a father would teach. Bob and George were not only brothers they were friends.
George was a funny man. By this I mean both odd and humorous. He had many friends and didn’t know a stranger. Most of his friends were a little “off”, by this I mean irregular people, but aren’t most of us a little irregular? George had a laugh that could be recognized a mile away. He was a very talented man, he could fix anything. He was a sign painter by trade and painted free hand. He was a mountain man who kept his toothbrush on the dashboard of his pick-up. He loved to hunt, fish and be in the mountains. He preferred taking a bath only when he really thought he need one otherwise he considered himself odorless. His words not mine.
He gave most everyone he knew a nick name–Bob’s was Bo-Diddles. Our son John’s nick name was Chief. George had 5 wishes for the end of his life I only know two. One is to be buried be his grandparents and the other is to have John read a paper he wrote while in college called, “My Uncle.” We are on the hunt for that paper.
George will be missed and we look forward to seeing him again soon when Jesus comes.
So what are you thankful for this year? I was thinking about that today as I cleaned my sewing room. UGH The room is a mess it’s looking better but needs a total makeover.
As tradition has it, we usually go around the table and tell something we are thankful for. I was thinking about this as I was cleaning. We are all so long-winded the food is getting cold as we go on and on. This year I think we will gather and talk about thankfulness and then get the food on the table. There could be as many as 20 of us around the table this year and I am thankful for each family.
I told Bob today, there is no use in being cranky we just have to be thankful for each day that we are healthy and normal. What started all of this is a trip to the grocery store yesterday. Bob never shops with me but for some reason yesterday he drove me around town to do some errands and the last thing we did was stop at the grocery store. I noticed the longer we shopped the more unhappy he became. He started looking at things a little more and I could see the wheels turning. Finally I said, “you just have to ignore the prices and be thankful we can afford to buy groceries.”
I am thankful for a warm bed, for the little pieces of junk I have around the house, for pumpkins. My family and for each of you. I am thankful I have a Lord and Savior to believe in. Happy Thanksgiving.
How do you do it? How do you say good-bye? I always cry, well nearly always cry, when our little families leave for home. I try not to cry, I even pray about it but I hate to think of not seeing them for a few weeks or months.
Today was a forever good-bye, you guessed it a funeral. Eunice and Duane have been married 30 years it wasn’t time to say farewell. Eunice was brave today, but when the day in and day out routine starts again I know she will miss Duane.
God never intended life to be like this and yet here we are in a big pickle. Death is just around the corner for all of us. Oh my, how did I get so morbid today?
Again and again I pledge to be nicer and more loving to everyone I know and then I fail. I did tie a strangers shoe today, she was too old to bend over and do it herself. Does that count towards being nice, is it enough?
The White Picket Fence 