(L)Oven Monday – Easter Dinner 2017 Recap

April 17, 2017April 17, 2017 RefreshHer10 Comments

Easter dinner 2017 a

If you’ve been reading my blog more than a week, you know how I treasure Sunday dinner. It makes my heart sooo happy! But how does Sunday dinner get even better? It’s when Sunday dinner is Easter Sunday dinner. On top of good food, there’s the blessing of remembering Christ’s resurrection from the dead and celebrating that truth that He lives!

So, yesterday, we did indeed have a big Sunday meal, but we started with a wonderful church service where Christ was exalted! We sang of His resurrection and heard God’s truth about how to be sure you can have eternal life! Then we came home for dinner and included our daughter and son-in-law and a couple of other special people. We also incorporated a few family traditions, which brings memories and makes memories. It was a great day!

Here’s the menu:

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Ruth’s Chris’ Sweet Potato Casserole
Tarragon Asparagus – New recipe
Deviled Eggs
Caesar Salad in Parmesan Bowls
Bunny-Shaped Breadsticks – New recipe
Coconut Cake with Lemon Filling

Let me roll the pictures so you can have a peek into our day and see that I also incorporated all the principles I’ve recently shared about Sunday dinner!

I worked early in the week and got the Coconut Cake baked and layers put in the freezer. Then at the end of the week, I made the lemon curd and the icing. It simplifies the process so much! By Saturday night here’s what was already prepped:

The cake, the rolls, the Sweet potato Casserole, Deviled eggs, and the salad ingredients were totally ready. The table was all set, too. I also had the roasting pan for the ham set out and ready to bake the main entree.

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When I got home from church it only required to put the finishing touches on everything and bake the casserole.

Here’s how things turned out on Sunday~

Caesar Salad in Parmesan Cups –

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Sweet Potato Casserole – The best in my book!

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Terragon Asparagus – This was new, and it was pretty good. My asparagus wasn’t as fresh as I’ve ever gotten, so I’m going to try this again before giving it a final verdict!

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Bunny Breadsticks – Another new recipe. These were fantastic on Saturday when I made them, but they don’t really do well the next day. Sooo, I won’t make these for Sunday any more, but I sure will use this recipe for other days when I have time to make them for that day. They were delicious right out of the oven!! And how cute are they???? They can be baked into regular bread sticks if you want to make them other times of the year!

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Coconut Cake

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One tradition that we’ve had for years is Easter sunrise service outside at home. That was a challenge (and very cold) when we lived in Indiana, but we would don our coats and head to the tree house where we would have our own Sunrise service! Then we would come inside and have Cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs. Now that it’s just my husband and me, we simply eat breakfast on the patio and read Scripture together. It’s usually warm enough that we don’t shiver, thank the Lord! Here’s what we had yesterday:

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We had Fresh farm eggs, Prosciutto, Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, Fresh fruit and Coffee.
It was a great way to start Easter Sunday! This is a reminder that traditions aren’t just for when your kids are at home. Keep those traditions going even when they’re gone. It will continue to build strong home ties, and will also give your grown kids the security of knowing that you’re still making the most of your marriage!

So, another Easter dinner is in the (memory) books, and I’ll have to say, it’s a memorable chapter! I thank the Lord for the blessing of celebrating our Savior’s life and getting to do it at church AND at home around the Sunday dinner table.

Did you have Easter dinner? Did you cook? What made it special for your family?

With love from my country kitchen,

Denise Signature 150 px

Christian love · Family life · home · Husband · Love · Marriage · obedience · Women's roles

Family Friday – Keep Your Marriage Safe

April 14, 2017April 14, 2017 RefreshHer2 Comments

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Recently in the late hours of the night, while a subdivision of residents was fast asleep, a thief entered the quiet of the street and began making his way up driveways looking for unlocked cars. All he was interested in was cash, and any he found was taken.

What the thief didn’t know was that a security camera was right on him, taking footage of his sinful deeds. Aside from seeing him enter unlocked cars, one thing noted on the security tape was that when he approached one vehicle that was locked, he simply moved away from it. There was no attempt at breaking in. The security of the car door locks, kept him from taking what was not his.

As I thought about the crime, the Lord brought a truth to my mind about my marriage. No one can steal away from our relationship unless we leave areas unlocked. So then, we must check to be sure that we’re keeping our marriage safe. Here are some security locks that need to be checked regularly:

Keep your marriage vows.
- Love
  - Love is a choice, not a feeling. If you’re not “feeling it,” pray and ask God to help you love your husband – He will. Keep praying about it and don’t quit!
  - Love him thoroughly, the way you want to be loved. Accept him and don’t have any expectations of what he should be or should do. Would you and I want to be held to our husband’s list of expectations? We must accept him in the same way.
  - Love him physically. Don’t withhold your physical love as punishment. Doing so could cause ramifications that could cause the thief to come in and steal what is supposed to be only yours.
- Honor
  - This is the same as respect. A husband doesn’t earn it as the world says he must – you give it because God commands you to. Eph 5:33 Honor him as unto the Lord, or as you would the Lord! Your words, your reactions, your decisions – your whole married life is to show the man you married honor – the highest esteem.
- Obey
  - He has ultimate leadership for your home. Whether you like his decision or disagree, God says the husband is the head, and unless what he is asking is sinful, then you must come under his authority. Period.
- ‘Til death do you part
  - Never should we use the word, “Divorce.” Nor should we threaten to leave. Marriage is for a lifetime. Considering divorce is leaving an open door for the right situation to enter so we have an out. (I realize divorce for fornication is allowed, but often lesser things cause those words to be spoken.)

So, how secure is your marriage? Are you leaving an unlocked door in any of the areas above? There are many other safeties we could discuss, but I believe if we’re honoring our marriage vows, most of the other scenarios will be safe from danger.

Marriage is a gift from God that is a beautiful picture of our relationship with Christ. He keeps us secure for eternity. I’m pretty sure I know a subdivision of people who will now be locking their car doors at night. Don’t you wait until the thief comes to steal from your marriage before you do what is wise! Keep it secure all the days of our life, “so long as you both shall live.”

Happy Easter! Rejoice; He is risen, and that makes a difference in every area of life – even your marriage!

Denise Signature 150 px

Christian growth · Easter · Encouragement · trials

Behind the Clouds

April 13, 2017April 12, 2017 RefreshHer4 Comments

I first posted this a couple years ago, but I feel the need to share it again. I have many friends and loved ones going through hard things right now, and in the light of Easter coming this weekend, I pray this post will be an encouragement!

This past Saturday morning I headed out early to purchase the last items I needed for my Easter dinner. I was filled with excitement as I anticipated Easter Sunday and the joy of worshiping and remembering the empty tomb! The sky was kind of gray and cloudy as I headed out, but I needed to get this done.

As I drove into town, my mind went to the first Easter Saturday – that very day after Christ had been crucified. I thought about the disciples, the many other people who had heard Jesus and believed He was Who He said He was, and of those that had seen His miracles and had turned in faith to Him as their Savior. How must they have felt on that day after? I’m sure many were filled with mixed emotions. They had seen Him suffer, some had buried Him. He was dead. Many must have felt hopeless, gloomy and discouraged.

“Oh!” I thought, “if only they could know what we know now they would never have doubted! They would be as excited as I am as I anticipate Easter’s arrival tomorrow!” They wouldn’t have been filled with sadness, gloom or despair if they could know what we know!

It was then that the Lord whispered in my heart,

“If you could know what I’m at work doing right now in your life, you wouldn’t be filled with despair in your trials either.”

How right He is! Why do I doubt Him? Why am I filled with sorrow in difficult days? It’s because I believe the enemy’s lies when he says – “Nothing good could come from THIS!” “Your life should be happier!” “This is never going to get better – give it up!”

No! My God is at work fulfilling His great plan for my life – to make me into the image of His Son. It may take cloudy days, days of pain or suffering, but He’s got a reason, and I must trust Him!

Still in my car and carrying on this dialogue with the Lord, I looked up to see that the sun had burst through the clouds in splendor and beauty. It was a visual of the lesson He had just spoken to my heart. Something lovely is behind the dark clouds; wait and watch!

What dark cloud of difficulty are you staring at today? Keep your eyes on Christ! He is at work on a plan that will leave you speechless!

With love,

home · Home decor · refreshment at home

Adding Spring Touches Around Home

April 12, 2017April 11, 2017 RefreshHer2 Comments

Spring 2017 a

Today’s post will be mostly a picture album of some changes I’ve made at home to turn things from winter to spring!! I love how bright and cheery it makes the house! Ready?

The mantle…

Spring 2017

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Coffee Table (and mantle in the background)…

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Living room bookshelves…

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I added lighting to the top, and middle shelves. It doesn’t matter how pretty something is decorated, if it’s in the dark, no one can see it! I used little battery operated lights on the shelves – see them beside the two bottom arrows below. I also put battery operated votives in the candle holders for light on the bottom shelf (above).

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The Dining room…

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The entryway…

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My kitchen window… The cafe curtain is just two cloth napkins on the rod. I change them out seasonally to lighten up the window!

Spring curtains

My craft room also got some spring cleaning, straightening and redecorating…

Craft room.jpg — Adding softness to the table with the placemat really helped! The quilt over the chair is another way I added texture. It’s amazing how little changes can make a big difference!

Take a step back and see what winter decor needs to be removed from your home and then let the sunshine in! Show your love for home by adding spring touches.

Which area above is your favorite?

With love from my spring-y country home,

Denise Signature 150 px

Christian Life · joy

Are You Living for The Next Thing or Content With Now?

April 11, 2017April 11, 2017 RefreshHer2 Comments

Perusing through Social media recently made me wonder how many of us live for “The Next thing” that’s coming our way down life’s road. It might be:

Marriage, then
Children, then
A home purchase, then
Vacation or Cruise, then
Another Child, then
A new car, then
When the children are in school, then,
A job promotion, then
The purchase of the newest gadget, then
When the children are on their own, then
Another great vacation…
When the grandchildren are born…

It goes on and on. There’s nothing wrong, of course, with having goals, but some people seem unsatisfied until they attain that “Next thing.” It’s such an easy trap to fall into, isn’t it? Everything we see and hear in our world encourages that discontentment. We’re always urged to want more and to do more and long for the next season of life.

But what if we could put on glasses with lenses that help us to really see what we have “Now”? If we could really embrace the joy of this stage, the gladness for these few possessions, the awe of this status of our lives? Would we not be really living out the beauty the contented, Christian life that Paul’s wrote of when he said,

I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and how to abound, every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:11-13

If we feel a frequent restlessness with today and we’re on the search for something else – big or little – to get us to through the next hoop of our life, it may be that what we’re really missing is not the newest toy from the electronic department, but biblical contentment.

Where does that kind of contentment come from? It’s not found at the Apple store, it’s found in the Secret Place of prayer. When Paul spoke of “being instructed to be full and hungry,” he was talking of being initiated into the secret of contentment, and that can only come when we go to our God in prayer.

When we pray, we tell Him about our anxious heart, our longing for that something else. We ask Him to give us joy in this day, this moment, this status, this car, this house, this marriage. When you get up off your knees, you’ll find that instead of longing for something more, you will have found Someone who was enough!

Ask yourself (or better yet, ask God), “Am I living for The Next Thing, or am I content with right now?” Respond as God reveals the Truth to your heart, and you’ll be staring the sweetest possession right in the face – REAL, TRUE CONTENTMENT.

Lovingly,

Denise Signature 150 px