Happy New Year! After a rough 2020, I'm sure we're all happy to look forward to 2021 and new horizons. I am already planning my garden, sorting through seed catalogs and planning the layout. Every year I learn something new, like planting zucchini and pumpkins right next to each other is not a good idea. What a tangled web of vines I was trying to figure out last year! Now, I am by no means a prolific gardener. Gardening is an exercise in patience and perseverance. Each year I plant at least six tomato plants and I always end up with maybe four good tomatoes. Three years in a row I planted zucchini, my favorite veggie, only to see the tiny fruits form and wither away within days. Until last year when Burpee came to the rescue. I bought a "Sure Thing" Hybrid that promises to bear fruit in the absence of bees (pollination was my problem). It truly was a sure thing, because last year I enjoyed a bumper crop of zukes! Now, with a long winter stretching ahead, I have decided to grow an indoor garden. I have a picture of it in the post. I researched what will grow easiest indoors with just a clip-on grow light (thank you Amazon!) and herbs seemed to be the best bet. I dumped some potting soil in my pot, clipped on my grow lights (about 8 hours a day they are on) and water. I already see something sprouting! I planted thyme, basil, rosemary and Butterbur lettuce, but forgot to label each row, so I will be surprised when they come up. Gardening causes the heart to brim with hope. Dreams of a bountiful harvest and a bright ray of light in the midst of a cold, dark winter. Our souls are a lot like gardens, with God as the Master Gardener. Isaiah 58:11 says "The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs...you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." May the Lord satisfy your soul and bless you greatly in this new year.
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"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life." I was reading the Turning Points devotional from David Jeremiah and he talks about Christmas tree lights originally meant to illuminate houses in the dead of winter and were a welcome source of cheer. He adds we, as Christians, are to be the light of Christ in our world as we celebrate Christmas. I have to admit, I struggle at times being a light. The problems of life, even the mundaneness of daily living pull me down. That is when I realize I have taken my eyes off Jesus and onto the world and my own issues. Getting back reading the Word of God, prayer, and listening to sermons stir my spirit again and refresh my soul. Delving into my favorite hobbies helps as well. One of those is baking. I have one of my favorite holiday recipes below. Merry Christmas! May it be blessed. Classic Spritz Cookies 1 C butter 1/2 C sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 1/4 C flour Preheat oven to 375. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla and almond extract until creamy. Slowly beat in flour Place dough in cookie press fitted with desired template. Pipe dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with sprinkles. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cookies are set. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Thanksgiving is mere weeks away and Christmas is right around the corner! Each year it seems to come faster. I have been slowly working on a Christmas novella set in Vermont that revolves around a hunt for a vintage nativity set, like the one pictured in this blog. It seems Christmas is the one holiday people seem to have heirloom items for. I have a set of ceramic carolers from my mom that is the vintage piece in my home. My sister has mom's ceramic, light-up Christmas tree. Remember those? Now they have made a huge comeback and I see them in the stores all the time. Cherished memories of Christmas past stir to mind as the holidays approach. I loved digging into my stocking hung by the fireplace every year and finding chocolate stars and little toys. I still buy chocolate stars to this day because they bring back warm fuzzies. Baking cookies with my mom and spending hours decorating them. The fun of decorating the tree with favorite ornaments (a Snoopy from the 60s was my fave). But the most important reason for the season is, of course, the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus. The hope of eternal life, blessings and favor in this life through the grace and mercy of our God. What a precious anchor to our soul, especially in these uncertain times. May the Lord bless and keep you this holiday season and always. The past couple days the temperatures here in Northeast Wisconsin are falling as fast as the leaves. I have switched into comfort mode. The sweaters have been pulled from the closet, blankets unearthed and my cookbooks poured over with renewed vigor. Yesterday I made butternut bisque and it was incredible (recipe is below). I forgot how much I enjoy butternut squash - and also didn't remember how labor intensive it is to cut a squash up! Next time I will pick up the pre-cut squash at the grocery store. Today I made a warm reuben dip with pumpernickel bread. Next up will be roasted pumpkin seeds. With everything going on in the world today, we could all use some cozy right about now. I found a few Scriptures that seem to fit the cozy mood. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." 1 Cor. 1-3 "Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10 "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1 BUTTERNUT BISQUE 2 medium carrots, sliced 2 celery ribs, chopped 2 medium leeks, sliced (I substituted yellow onion) 1/4 C butter 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed (about 6 C) 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 C half-and-half cream (I substituted evaporated milk because I had no cream in the house) 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper In a large saucepan, saute carrots, celery, leeks (or onions) in butter for 10 minutes. Add the squash, broth and ginger; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the squash is tender, about 25 minutes. Cool until lukewarm. In a blender or food processor, puree squash mixture until smooth; return to the pot. Add cream, salt and pepper; mix well. Heat through but do not boil. Yield: 2 quarts It's hard to believe summer is drawing to a close and fall is approaching. Everything seems a bit strange with the pandemic still in full force, but I'm trying to keep some fall traditions. My favorite pumpkin patch is open already, with some new restrictions due to covid. I'm looking forward to their pumpkin cream cheese muffins and homemade caramels. I grew my own pumpkin in the garden this year, and though it's lopsided, I'm pretty proud of the accomplishment. I even splurged and bought the cute harvest cupcake houses you see in the picture from QVC. They make me hungry for Brach's harvest mix of mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corn whenever I see it. Hope you have a chance to enjoy the fall season, maybe just taking a walk along a leaf-strewn path and feel the crunch of leaves under your feet. I have fast food delivered for my elderly mom (the pic of her on the left is from about ten years ago when she was 80, she ages well!) at least once a week. Today, as I handed her a burger, the look of disappointment on her face was unmistakable. She took the burger and quickly tossed it aside. Now, when I handed over the large peanut butter cup blizzard, pure delight radiated on her face. She proceeded to devour the ice cream treat with relish. Isn't that the way life is sometimes? Jeremiah 29:11 "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Sometimes God hands us a burger and we are disappointed. We want the blizzard. As long as we are living on this side of heaven we will have disappointments in life. Sometimes it's when we don't receive what we want, other times when people let us down, and even when we let ourselves down. That is where the Psalms always bring me comfort. They are no-holds-barred emotions pouring out to God. He wants us to bring Him our disappointments. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment." Romans 5:3-5 Offer your deepest disappointments to God, believing He alone can bring morning from the darkest night. Springtime is my favorite time of year, although this year has been unusual, to say the least. We are living in a time of history with the pandemic. I've never been so hyper-vigilant about hygiene! The quietness that the stay-at-home order produces causes me to draw nearer to the Savior. He is our Rest, Peace and Safety in this time of uncertainty and fear. Thankfully, the Internet offers oodles of online sermons and encouragement. My local church just started a sermon series "Sit, Walk, Stand" based on the Watchman Nee book delving into Ephesians. The "sit" part is from Eph 2:6 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus," We are seated in heavenly places in Christ. I love that. "Walk" refers to "walk in love" from Ephesians 5. "Stand" is from the end of Ephesians, where it talks about standing firm and holding your ground against the enemy. Keeping my mind on the things of the Lord helps me stay in peace instead of letting the fear of the unknown overwhelm. I've been taking more notice of the springtime birds lately. I read birds sing after a storm to let their mate know they are still there. Sure enough, yesterday we had a brief thunderstorm, and immediately after I could hear the birds singing loud and strong. It brought comfort to my soul. May you be blessed and enjoy this season of renewal. It's hard to believe it's a new year already. I have been remiss about posting on the blog the past couple months. The flurry of activity in November and December had me putting a lot on the back burner. But, it's a new year, full of possibilities! I've noticed a theme of having a word for the year. I haven't done that before, but thought this year could be "He is faithful". Twenty-nineteen was a tumultuous year for me, navigating as caregiving became more complex and struggling with my own health issues. But through it all, the Lord has proved faithful. I am in the midst of a Bible study on the life of Joseph, someone who also saw his fair share of fiery trials. He kept following and obeying God, even when his circumstances looked hopeless. He never lost hope in the Everlasting God, who works all things for our good and His glory. The Lord brought Joseph out unto victory, and he was able to handle the success God gave him because of what he learned in his time of suffering. Sufferings prove our faith genuine. Even in the midst of your pain God will prosper you, just as He did Joseph. God's commands are to protect us and cause us to prosper, not to harm us or be unfair. So, as I learned throughout 2019, God is good and even if we question our circumstances, we can never question God's goodness. He knows the future, and we trust Him each day, walking with Him day by day. For those of you following my blog, you might remember my last post I mentioned a big pumpkin party I was throwing for my mom's 90th birthday. Well, I'm happy to say it was a resounding success! There were pumpkins and presents everywhere, and mom was delighted. I even found an old hat of hers that was in storage she's wearing in the picture. For this month's blog, I thought I would share some of my favorite Scriptures. I find the Word of God brings me so much comfort and encouragement each day. I honestly don't believe I could persevere unless I immersed myself in Scripture promises each and every day. I hope they bring you encouragement and courage as well. Isaiah 8:13,14 "The Lord of hosts, Him shall you hallow. Let Him be your fear and let Him be your dread. He will be as a sanctuary.." Eph 3:20 ".to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.." Phil 4:19 "My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Deut 28:1 "If you fully obey God the Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven." 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life...through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory..." It's hard to believe summer is drawing to a close and fall approaching. Living in the Midwest, I adore the changing of the seasons. I've had my fill of hot and buggy (mosquitos and flies were crazy), bring on the cool, crisp days filled with pumpkin spice, leaves and hot apple cider. I'm already planning my annual trip to the pumpkin patch. This year, to celebrate my mom's 90th birthday in October, I'm throwing her a pumpkin party. There will be pumpkin games (I was inspired by Hallmark Channel's 'Love Of Course' and making a pumpkin bowling course), pumpkin bouquets, pumpkin appetizers, pumpkin beef stew and pumpkin pie. I love that her birthday lands in October, it's always so much fun. I'm reminded that, even though seasons change, our Lord Jesus remains the same. He is the One Constant in our lives. His loving presence guides us each and every day. I'm so grateful for that. There are some days I feel wiped out, used up and completely spent. But by the next day my strength is renewed, I'm rejuvenated and ready to tackle the day. Walking with the Lord is an adventure, each new day brings something new and different. As far as writing, I'm plugging away at my Work In Progress, a Christian fiction mystery. I'm hoping it will be finished by early next year, then go through edits. I'll keep you updated. Enjoy the fall season! |
Blessings,
I enjoy writing and I hope to encourage everyone to always see the blessings in life. Archives
December 2020
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