A wise friend of mine used an analogy as to why she attends ladies’ retreat each year.  She said she goes to her doctor each year for a check-up; she attends ladies’ retreats for the same reason!  Oh, I like that!

I had a check up this weekend too; it was of the spiritual nature.  The check up took place at The Wilds Christian Camp.  It was actually a group appointment with over 300 women in attendance.  The Physician (Christ) used an assistant, Debi Pryde, to do some probing and poking into our hearts.  The results were all individual as we listened to the Spirit of God give each of us a diagnosis and a remedy for our troubled hearts.  We must have peace with God so we can experience the Peace of God.      He is the peace that will calm us in the midst of our storm.  We must believe the truth of God’s love for us so we won’t question His ways.  Many workshops also aided in our spiritual health – topics on loving the homosexual, training our children in God’s Word and watching for the fingerprints of God directing our paths.  Yes, we got some good medicine to bring home.

Did you ever get home after a check-up and find you don’t feel so well the next day?  The arm they gave you a booster shot in is sore!  The medication the doctor gave you for the arthritis pain caused your stomach to be upset.  So, too, after a spiritual check-up!  You come home to apply what you’ve learned and BAM! You get hit with painful times.  There is opposition from the enemy – Satan.  There’s opposition of your flesh (or your family’s!).  It’s not easy to obey.  As a matter of a fact, it can be downright uncomfortable at times.  But just like when we continue to take the medicine, our bodies will adjust.  If we continue to obey we will reap the fruit down the road.

So take heart, ladies!  If you’ve made a decision at some recent spiritual check-up, be ready for the painful days to follow, but keep your eyes on the Physician.  He knows what He is doing and you can trust Him.  Obey what He has revealed to you and you will enjoy great spiritual health!

With love,

How did you do this weekend and today with the house cleaning?  The beginning of the week is a great time to get things in order!

Okay, I didn’t cook yesterday, due to a very busy weekend, but I made something recently on a weekday and I can’t wait to tell you about it!  Often I have time for things to cook low and slow – like on Sunday, but a weeknight often calls for something that can be ready in 30 minutes or less.

I love a recipe I found on Pinterest for Lazy Sunday Casserole, but on a week night when I don’t have time to be lazy, I can’t always wait the 1 1/2 hours it requires until supper is ready!  So I took the traditional recipe and tweaked it so it would be ready in under 30 minutes!  Here’s the way I turned a lazy Sunday dish into a Fast food week night dish!

Lazy Sunday Casserole Crazy Good Skillet Dish
4 sausages (beef or pork) I used smoked Turkey sausage and it was great!
2 Tbl. Olive oil

Place oil in a skillet (I used my electric skillet). Place sausages in hot oil and brown nicely.  Remove and keep warm.

Ingredients
1 pound potatoes, Peeled and cubed
1/2 pound carrots, Sliced thin
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1 large red onion, sliced
1 fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced

Seasonings: In small bowl, mix and then set aside:
2 tbsp oil
freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Add 1 or 2 more Tbs. oil.  Saute’ onions.  Add carrots and potatoes.  Cook and stir often until potatoes are crisp on the outside, but cooked through.  Add bell pepper, fennel, and garlic.  (I didn’t have a fennel bulb, and it was great without it). Add sausage back in. Add seasoning mix over all. Stir and cook until heated through.  Add more broth, if necessary.

Serve this with some good French bread and a green salad and you have a fantastic meal that even the 30-minute queen, Rachel Ray would be proud of!

Do you have a favorite 30 minute meal you prepare on a weeknight?

From my parsonage kitchen,

What a difference a clean front porch can make!  It’s far more inviting than one that’s covered in cob webs, weeds around the door, and December’s snowman decoration dangling pitifully from  the eves of the house!  Today’s challenge was to clean up the entryway of your home. I took that as the front porch.  Here’s what I found at my front and side doors…

Now my front door says, “Welcome” instead of “The Munsters live here!”   So, come see me!

How did your cleaning go today?

Better Homes and Gardens

We would all love to have a garden like this photo above, wouldn’t we?  We picture ourselves sitting out in a yard like that sipping sweet tea and lingering over a novel on a perfect summer day.  However, most of our yards are more like:

well, maybe not THAT bad, but perhaps it’s more like:

It’s just kind of plain and needing some help.  Maybe your yard is advance beyond that.  Whatever the state is, if you’re needing some additions to freshen up your yard and you are on a budget, let me give you a few ideas that will help you to Freshen Up the Yard with Frugality!

Today is Day #19 in the House Cleaning challenge.  The chore for today is to clean up the entryway, garage or car.  I’m going to take care of the front porch and side door entries.  Come back at 6 PM and I’ll show you how it turned out!