This has been a week full of extra-sweet blessings!  Let me show you:

My husband and I had the blessing of spending a couple of days and one night in a lovely lake cottage recently.  This is owned by dear friends who graciously invited us to spend time here for a get-away.  Here’s where I sat for many hours while we were there…

I took no work with me – only magazines to read!  The breeze blew in the window, I read, marked pages and did lots of gazing out at the lake.  It was unreal how much those hours away did for us!

This is Watauga Lake – one of my favorites.  The mountains come right down to the water’s edge, giving amazing views!

I’m so  thankful for the kindness and generosity of dear friends, for time to rest, time away with my sweet husband, and God’s provision for us at a season when we really needed refreshment. I’m thankful for the sun that shone on one day and the rain that fell on the next, for coffee that warmed us in the chilly morning, and popcorn we snacked on that night.  

As I mentioned last week, our daughter, Whitney had a birthday on the 22nd.  Her sweet husband arranged for a big surprise and Alli and I got to be in on it last Saturday!  I won’t spill the beans, but will let Whitney share on her blog all about it, but we got to go to lunch with Whitney at her favorite place before the surprise happened.  We somehow missed getting a picture of the three of us, but here’s Whitney at the restaurant.  We had a fun time together, as always!

I’m so thankful for my girls and the relationship we have, for the chance to share two weekends in a row with Whitney, and the joy of son-in-laws who love my daughters!

This candle has been burning for many hours since September!  My sweet neighbor gave this to me, and it’s become one of my favorite Yankee scents for fall!  It smells like something’s baking in the kitchen!  It’s called, Sugar & Spice.  You need this candle, friends!  It’s a perfect scent for this season!

I’m so thankful for my neighbor, for our friendship and her kindnesses to me.  I’m glad we’re more than just people who live side-by-side!

Wish you could smell this!

I’m thankful for the ability to smell, to make the house cozy with a candle flickering on the counter, and for a home to make ready for fall.

It’s easy to overlook the little things, and forget to be thankful, isn’t it?  I fall into just being used to being so blessed and don’t stop to truly be thankful as often as I should!

An acquaintance of mine is dealing with cancer.  It’s attacking her organs.  She’s lost about 25 pounds in just a few months.  She can’t eat very much at a time without being sick.  The chemo is draining her of all energy and strength.  I imagine she will lose her hair – again, (this is her second time with cancer in two years).  I complain about gaining a pound, about my hair growing so fast, or being a mess, or being busy, when I should be thanking the Lord that I CAN eat, that I HAVE hair, that I have the STRENGTH to be busy.  Wow.  What an unthankful person I can be sometimes!  I’m asking the Lord to help me change that – to help me to be grateful for every little thing, because the little things aren’t so little after all.

We’re entering the season of gratitude.  How about joining me in starting early?  What can you thank the Lord for today?  Leave a comment and together let’s praise the Lord for every little thing!

With a grateful heart,

This delightful dish is Greek Panzanella – or simply put, Bread Salad! This is Ina Garten’s great recipe!  With chunks of French Bread, fresh veggies, feta cheese and topped with a yummy homemade vinaigrette,  this salad can enter as the main dish for supper or be served as a side.  It doesn’t serve well as a leftover meal, so you’ll have to eat it all when you serve it, but I don’t think that will be a problem!  It’s so good, everyone will want seconds!

You can make and serve this in 30 minutes, if you don’t want to let it set for the 30 minutes it calls for.  I didn’t wait, and it was fabulous!  Here’s the simple recipe.

Greek Panzanella Salad

Olive oil
1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
Kosher salt
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 yellow bell pepper, large diced
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced in half rounds
1/2 pound feta cheese, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup calamata olives, pitted
I also added fresh corn, and loved its addition!  Feel free to add or leave out any veggies for your taste.

For the vinaigrette:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup good red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil

Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until nicely browned. Add more olive oil as needed.

Place the cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together the garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper in a small bowl. While still whisking, add the olive oil and make an emulsion. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta, olives and bread cubes and mix together lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Seriously, this is a fantastic dish!  I hope you’ll try it either as a side or as the main entree!  It would be a great meal for a ladies’ luncheon.

I love Ina’s recipes!  Anyone have one of hers that is a favorite at your house?

With love from my country kitchen,

Everyone probably has a “problem area” in their home where things tend to get collected or a little messy.  For me, it’s the corner of my bedroom where I sit every morning and have my quiet time.  It’s easy to let that space get overloaded with books, pens, book bags, etc.  If any spot in my house should be orderly and put together, I believe it’s my Quiet Time spot!  It will only help me have an open heart to hear from the Lord each day, as well as a greater desire to retreat there!

Yesterday I looked at my Quiet Spot, and gasped!  It was a mess!  I stopped right then and took about 15 minutes to turn it from Chaotic Corner …

to restful residence!

In those 15 minutes:

Do you have a corner you need to zoom in on and spruce up a bit?  We take time to decorate for fall, but sometimes fail to do something special to the places where we spend the most time, and the most meaningful time.  Maybe your Quiet Time Spot needs a little decorating, too!  Make it a place you love to retreat to!

Have a refreshing weekend by being in God’s house!

With love,