Easter is my favorite holiday.  I prefer to call it a “Holyday,: because that’s what it is.  I’m all about seasonal foods, decorations, and fun – I think you’ve seen that. Well, Easter is such a special day – not because of the food or decor, but simply because of Christ’s resurrection.  What if He had not risen?!  As the Scripture says, we would be of all men, most miserable.  Preaching would be in vain.  We would have no hope or reason to celebrate ever.

So moms, be sure you’re making much of the Lord Jesus this week.  Tomorrow is Good Friday and is a very teachable day!

• Talk about what Good Friday is.  It’s not some weird religious day, it’s the day Jesus died on the cross.  
• Serve Hot Cross Buns for breakfast tomorrow and tell/remind your children what Jesus did for them.  
• Plan to have a time of reading the Scripture with your children at three in the afternoon, if you can.  Read about the crucifixion in one of the Gospels such as Matthew 27.  If you will be apart at that time, read it at breakfast and tell the children to be thinking through the day about Jesus’ suffering on the cross for their sins.  
• You may want to go somewhere special like a park where you can sit and read the Scriptures, sing about the cross (At Calvary, The Pow’r of the Cross) and pray, thanking the Lord for His sacrifice.
• Go on a walk and gather some sticks and the other objects needed to create this:

Love this idea!

• Play a game that uses dice.  Remind your children that the soldiers cast lots to see who would get Jesus’ robe.
• If you color eggs and use vinegar, remind them that they gave Jesus vinegar to drink.
• Go out for a treat like ice cream and give your child 30 dimes to represent pieces of silver to pay for it.  Ask him what the 30 dimes remind him of regarding Jesus dying on the cross.
• Then, of course, remind them that Sunday is coming – the day we celebrate that Jesus did not stay in the tomb!!!!!

A look into my life from the past week(end)

Last weekend was the long awaited Ladies’ Retreat at The Wilds.  I look so forward to it each year. My sweet husband drove the church van and chauffeured us all weekend.  He’s a gem.  We made a whole day of retreating even before we got to The Wilds!  We shopped, sipped coffee and enjoyed some bakery treats.  We laughed, cried, sang, worshiped and shared with one another.  It was a great 36 hours away!  I hate that I didn’t get a picture of all of us at one time, but below are a few snapshots of the weekend: (click on the picture for a closer look)

Our speaker, Barb Leatherwood, was used of the Lord to encourage our hearts about the course on which He has each of us.  As different as we all are from one another, so are our paths.  Each pathway is unique and planned by our loving God.  We were challenged to evaluate our course and then press on!

All the ladies that went got specific needs met through God’s Word as Barb shared her heart.  As she spoke, she used phrases that were insightful.  Here’s a sampling of quotes:

I recently heard of a young woman (I’ll call her Lisa) who is totally overwhelmed with her life right now.  Young children are at her feet all day as she stays home to care for them.  They demand her constant attention.  While she loves it, this job as wife and mother has totally taken over her life and she has little time to herself.  She feels alone and is suffocating under her load.  Her story is repeated over and over again.  Who will reach out to Lisa?  How can she be encouraged?

I was so excited to announce at church two weeks ago that we are beginning a new mentoring ministry for women this June to rescue women just like this dear young woman I described above!  Several years ago, the Lord allowed me to hear about Apples of Gold; a ministry begun by a Betty Huizenga, the author of the curriculum.  The Lord prompted her to start a mentoring group for women, based on Titus 2.  The thing that stirred my heart about this particular curriculum was the layout for the time with the younger women.  It’s fun, instructive and practical…and it involves something I love –  cooking! 

Here’s the way our time will work:
We will start on Tuesday, June 3rd at 10:00 a.m. in my home.  The first hour will be a cooking lesson, given by the hostess, which in the case of this first class will be me.  There will be others who will share some recipes throughout our time together, but the hostess will be the primary cook.  We will be learning some basic cooking skills, as well as some more in depth/advanced techniques.

During the second hour, while the meal is cooking, we will have a time in the Word with a Bible lesson taken from Titus 2, and taught by one of the older women who have volunteered to help.  The lessons cover:

Practical tips and helps will be given in the lesson time.

The last hour we are together we will eat the meal that was prepared.  While we eat, we will also discuss questions regarding the lesson just given.  It will be a lighthearted and loving time as the younger women are pampered and cared for during these hours.  They won’t have to lift a finger; the older women are there to serve them!

After the six weeks is over, there will be  a celebration dinner one evening with the husbands (or friend) of the ladies attending.  The men will be encouraged and challenged by Pastor, or some other godly husband of the older ladies.  Then, Lord willing, another class will start in another location, perhaps in the evening or on a Saturday for another group of ladies.  The young women who have gone through a six-week session of Apples of Gold, can help with a successive group, if they desire, by helping the cook with the cooking process, washing up prep dishes, setting out the food, etc.

I hope you’ll go on the website and read the testimonials of ladies who have participated.  Homes have been changed as a result of these classes!  It is my prayer that our younger women will be encouraged and strengthened through this ministry and that the older women will step up to the plate to serve as the Lord would burden their heart.

If you’re not a part of our church, perhaps the Lord would have you begin a ministry like this in your area!  We are commanded to teach the “Lisa’s”.  If we don’t obey, who will help them during the very demanding years of their lives?

Have you attended a mentoring ministry?  Would a class like this help you?

With love,

I love living in the south and I love the foods of the south!  When I moved to South Carolina for my first teaching position and job after going to college, the cook at the school introduced me to a southern favorite – rice with gravy.  I loved it.  However, it also helped to pack on pounds that I’d never had before!  So a little in moderation is a good thing!  

Cook one cup rice.  I use the instant kind.  Saute’ an onion and 3/4 cup celery in 2 tbl. butter.  Add the rice,  2 Tsp parsley, a little salt and pepper and 16 oz. baby carrots or frozen peas.  Place rice mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish.

 In another bowl, mix a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup and 2/3 cup sour cream.

 Place a cut up fryer or four chicken breasts on top of rice mixture.

These chicken breasts were huge, so I only had room for three.

 Top the chicken with the soup mixture.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Uncover and sprinkle with paprika.  Bake for 15 more minutes, or until chicken is done.

Enjoy!

What regional food is your favorite?  

With love from my country kitchen,

Cars get lots of use and abuse, and as result, they deserve need lots of care and attention.  Aside from all the regular maintenance stuff that has to be done to the engine, the inside needs a female touch to keep it smelling nice.  Let me define “nice.”  It is NOT a pine tree fragrance or whatever other smell fragrance those plastic rear view mirror thingy’s come in!  How about a Macintosh apple fragrance?  Lovely. Clean Cotton or Bahama Breeze?  These are all fragrances put out by Yankee Candle.  Take a look at this:

That is a vent clip.  You simply slide it into your vent and voila!  It makes your car smell wonderful!  I have a sweet neighbor who gave me a package of these Macintosh clips.  I put it in my Jeep, and later when I was loading my groceries in my car, I thought, “I didn’t buy apples, but it sure smells like them  in here!”  Then it dawned on me that the delicious smell was coming from that Yankee Vent clip!

They come in a package of four and last for two weeks.  A package is $5 – so that’s eight weeks of a great smelling car for five bucks!  Not bad!

I also love how cute they are.  I’d say they’re a whole lot prettier than a pine tree hanging from my mirror!  Here’s another one I saw on their web site:

How cute is that?!

Refresh the smell in your car with something that will smell cute and provide a little decor and style for the car!

Be refreshed,