This weekend marks a special event for our family. You see, ten years ago this weekend we moved from Indiana to Johnson City, Tennessee. Uprooting our family at that time wasn’t easy; we were leaving a 7 year-old church behind that my husband had started. The believers that worshipped with us there had experienced the birth pangs of this new church and we had become very close. We had endured the hard days of setting up for services in an old country church way out in the boonies where the ladybugs outnumbered us 10 to 1! There were new believers, matured saints, and freshly baptized Christians, and the future for this little church was promising – but we were leaving.

Our girls were 9 and 16. Whitney was excited about the move because it would put us closer to The Wilds – the place she loved so dearly because of its profound affect on her life. However, Allison was a typical 9 year-old who didn’t see why she had to leave “her church, friends, and bedroom.”

For me to leave the ladies with whom I’d had the joy to minister was a very typical emotional drain. We shed many tears as our ladies’ Sunday school class sat in our little corner and read and prayed together. Praise the Lord for eternity where there will be no goodbyes! Thank the Lord, too, for Facebook and cell phones so we can stay connected, even with all the busyness of our lives. We didn’t necessarily want to leave, but we knew God had a plan and we knew we could trust Him as he directed our steps.

I will never forget the Sunday afternoon we left Indiana and began to make our way to Tennessee. There were difficulties right from the start that made me question if we were doing the right thing. My husband drove the moving van and he had Whitney and one of our cats. I followed with Allison and our “Houdini” cat in our Mini van. That cat got out of her carrier before we even made it to the interstate! She was dancing her way across the dashboard, in what would have been funny at any other time, but at that time seemed a danger to our very lives! I’d cried so much as we left our church family that I had a migraine that was pounding louder than Barney’s cymbals when he played with the Mayberry Band! The moving van would stall if my husband turned it off, so we had to make progressive stops at the rest areas so that someone stayed with the moving van while its engine held on for dear life.

We made it to my parent’s home in KY that night and it was such a respite for us. They had hot chocolate and treats for our stomachs, warm beds for our weary bodies and comfort for our sagging spirits. We left their house the next morning much more encouraged, and when we arrived at our new home that afternoon, we were greeted with a house FULL of people. They had our belongings unloaded, beds set up and made in a very short time, and even left us with a pantry full of food and a hot supper for that evening’s meal. Yes, these folks were why we had come. We would minister with and to them and were happy to be here!

We had no idea what the Lord had in store. Blessings. Trials. More blessings. New believers. New church members. Peace. Joy in serving. Love from new friends and believers. A new church family. Dear friends. Opportunities to minister. We couldn’t have imagined how our hearts would become entwined with the dear people at Boones Creek. The Lord has taught me so much in these years, but as I look back , I sum it up with this –

• God wants the best for my life.
• Sometimes He has to bring change to make me realize how much I need Him, and to remind me that I must take my hands off my life and trust Him do what I could never imagine.
• He provides for me in abundance; though I am so undeserving.
• Obeying God is worth any discomfort, for it’s only temporal, and the end result is always joy.

To my Boones Creek church family, thank you for loving me and my family for these ten years. Thank you for the lovely parsonage that we’ve enjoyed making our home. Thank you for ministering to us and allowing us to serve with you. Thank you for listening when we teach, for caring when we hurt, and letting God use you to provide for us as the Philippians did for Paul. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3 I don’t know what the Lord has in store for the future, but I know this – we can trust Him!

With much love,

I have a few hostess gifts to give and as I pondered what to take, my mind ran, as it usually does, to the kitchen! I love to cook and I got to thinking about ideas of things to bake for our hosts and hostesses.

I heard about these little wonders last year…

Go here for the recipe for the Brownie Pie Mix.

Little loaves of bread given “wrapped” in the little bread pan and accompanied by a cute little dish of butter would make any one’s day! If you’re not a bread baker (hello, Christy – sorry, couldn’t resist!), you could even buy the frozen loaves and bake them! It could be your secret!

This little jar holds homemade granola and would make several jars at once. It looks so yummy!

The Granola would be so unique – and even healthy, if there was someone who couldn’t eat sweets. This is sweet, but not like cookies or fudge!

I loved the presentation of this next gift. The cookies are any little snowball cookie your family makes, but then they popped them into those little candy wrappers, cut off the lid to a cardboard egg carton and made that their tray! Clever!

Here’s another simple, but very elegant gift – chocolate dipped candy canes. They rolled them in some kind of little sprinkle to embellish them even more. Wrap them in a simple white box with tissue and a red ribbon. What a lovely gift!

I think I’ve decided to make these Cream cheese Coffee Cakes for two of my gifts. I’ve made these cakes for years. The recipe makes four at a time. You make the dough the night before – so you split up the process a bit. They are as good as any coffee bread you’d get at Panera! I’m going to buy a Christmas oven mitt for each cake and slide the cake inside of it. The bread will be longer than the mitt, so it will be seen and make a nice presentation. Try this recipe! I’m telling you, it’s so good and not as hard as you’d think! You can wrap them and freeze them until they’re needed. You don’t have to give them away – you probably won’t want to! Save them for Christmas morning for your family!

Happy baking!

Free digital scrapbook personalized with Smilebox

I wanted to share with you the blessing of the wedding shower our church gave Whitney. I’m so thankful for the love they poured out. Thank you, BCBC Family!

(Go down to the bottom of this page before hitting “play” on the Smilebox and turn off the music)

I’m going to attempt to answer a question that I was recently asked by a friend of mine. I believe others have the same question in their minds and don’t quite know how to answer it. The question is: Is it biblical to wear make-up? Another unasked question is: Should I keep up with fashions, or is it more important that I have a godly heart and not make a fuss about my appearance?

Let me start off by saying that we know that the Lord is most interested in our hearts . Remember when David was chosen by God? God said, Man looks on the outside, but God sees the heart. So, the most important part of me is my relationship with my Him. Next we have to consider the first part of the verse – the fact that man looks on the outside. Because people cannot see our heart, our outside is a huge part of our testimony. What are we saying about our God if we dress in a way that is frumpy or thrown together?

It doesn’t matter what I think, but what does God’s Word say? Does it really matter what we wear as long as it’s modest? I believe our dress conveys many messages, but let’s zero in on this one:

• Dressing in an attractive manner reveals that we desire to reflect our God.

1. That means we must be modest – in dress and makeup, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be attractive.
2. It also reminds us that God is the creator of all things beautiful. Many women in the Bible that were godly women were noted for their beauty – Sarah, Rebekah, and Esther to name a few. If there was something ungodly or sinful about being beautiful, why would God have made mention of it in His Word? I Timothy 2:9 is another reminder that our dress isn’t to be the focus, but I believe this is a reminder that it all needs to be done modestly. Don’t over-do the makeup or the jewelry. Make it tasteful and done in a manner that would give the right opinion of our God.
3. Our God is a God who is current with my life today. We need to demonstrate a God who is relevant and very aware of my life today. While we don’t need to be trendy, there is nothing ungodly about being fashionable, as long as it’s modest.
4. He changed my life, and that gives me a reason to look as refreshed on the outside as I am on the inside. Just as immodest apparel would distract others from a right testimony, being dirty, unkempt, or haphazard in our dress is also a deterrent.
5. God created marriage. If you’re married, remind yourself that God made your husband to be visual. I doubt there are many husbands out there that would mind if their wife looked sharp and attractive. What a blessing to come home to a face that’s made up ( a little is all that’s needed!), hair that’s “fixed” (that doesn’t mean a pony tail!), and a cute (rather than comfy) outfit. Don’t go ask him – just do it and see how he responds!

I spend very little money on my wardrobe. First, I am wearing some things that I’ve had for years. They’re classic styles (my favorite) and are in good condition. Secondly, I have lots of people give me their castoffs and I love that! Third, I only shop at the clearance racks – many times out of season. Lastly, I also shop at consignment shops. So, a low budget is no excuse for an out of date wardrobe.

So, my answer is: I believe I must first focus on my relationship with God and not let my appearance become too high a priority, but I believe that my appearance should not be a deterrent to my testimony, one way or the other. There is nothing ungodly with “painting the barn,” as Dr. Bob Sr. used to say. I’d hate for the world to see me “looking natural!” I’d scare you half to death! I certainly don’t claim to have it all put together – but I want to be a blessing to my husband, and a good testimony to the world of a wonderful God.

Okay, now I’m braced for your loving responses…

Because I care,

Special memories, that’s what!

Sunday dinner is just such a special family time. Growing up in a home that made Sunday dinner a special occasion, gave me the desire to have a special meal with a pretty table most every Sunday. Sunday is a special day, and we enjoyed making dinner something out of the ordinary. So while my girls were growing up, I tried to make a good meal, use the pretty dishes and enjoy our family time around the table.

This weekend were “Puffs moments” over and over. You know what I mean? Tears are there at the slightest prompting. Whitney is planning to be married in 12 days. She was home this weekend to attend the bridal shower our church gave her. It was beautiful. The food was fantastic. The friends were so kind. And of course the gifts she received were also huge blessings. Okay, so right there, my emotions were running high. My dear church family was there to shower her with their love, the Word of God in a challenge that was given, and also with their gifts – what a blessing! My family had also planned to be there at the shower, but the Lord providentially hindered them. That was a disappointment, but when the snowy weather came on Saturday, I was thankful they didn’t get caught in the winter weather! God always goes ahead of us!

But then I also realized that this is probably the last time Whitney will be home as a single gal. That’s a good thing, and I’m truly ready for her to be married, but there’s just so much emotion that goes along with a wedding! Reflections of the past, questions of your preparing your daughter for what lies ahead, and wondering what the Lord will bring into her path are all a part of this time in my life.

Because of all of this, I wanted dinner to be special, so I tried a couple new recipes. They turned out well, and everyone seemed to enjoy them. Both were also good make-ahead dishes – always a plus on a busy Sunday! Here’s the family with Alli behind the camera…

This next picture is so much more the “real” us! I set my camera on my butcher block and set the auto timer on so we could all be in the picture. As we sat and waited for the picture to be taken, my camera was making little “boing” noises to let us know it was about to snap our picture. The noise was so comical sounding and we were have a difficult time keeping our composure. Whitney lost it just as the camera snapped and this is the result…

Then we all lost it! I can’t tell you how often at our dinner table we have erupted into laughter. I remember milk being “spilled” – not from the glass, but from the one who took a sip at the wrong moment! That happened more than once, I promise you.

Yes, special memories are made at the dinner table. That’s what family life is all about, isn’t it? The home is a gift from the Lord. It’s a respite. It’s our responsibility as a wise woman to build our house. Part of that building is the work and planning ahead it takes to get a meal on the table – even on busy Sundays. It’s so worth it – even when pictures can’t be taken, thanks has to be given at the end of the meal rather than before, because no one can pray without laughing, and milk gets “spilled!”

My menu for yesterday was:

Chicken Fricassee *

Long Grain Wild Rice

Green Beans

Green Salad with Pears and Honey Dressing *

Cheddar Biscuits

Cake (leftovers from the shower)

Spinach (I used red leaf lettuce) pear Salad

Cheddar Biscuits – like Red Lobster’s

To make the biscuits, use a Bisquick mix and make drop biscuits. Add a cup of cheddar cheese. Bake as specified. Brush baked biscuits with mixture of melted butter and garlic powder.

Spinach Pear Salad

2 Tbl. water

1 1/2 Tbl red wine vinegar

1 Tbl olive oil

1 tbl honey

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 Bosc or Anjou pear, cut into 15 lengthwise slices

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

2. Place pear slices in a large bowl. Spoon 1 Tbl dressing over pears; toss to coat. Add remaining dressing, spinach and onion; toss to coat.

Yield: 5 servings

Chicken Fricassee

3 Tbl flour

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned

2 tsp butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups Julienne-cut carrot

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip top plastic bag. Add chicken; toss well to coat. Remove chicken from bag; reserve flour mixture. melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts sides down, saute’ 5 minutes or until chicken is browned. Remove chicken fro pan; keep warm.

2. Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; saute’ 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sir in reserved flour mixture, and cook 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add carrot. Return chicken to pan, breast sides up. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve over rice, if desired.

To prepare this for Sunday dinner, I did all the browning of the chicken and sauteed the vegetables. I covered it with foil and put the pan in the fridge overnight. Before leaving for church, I put the pan in the oven, covered. I turned the timer on to cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees, but you could also just turn it on a low setting like 280 and let it cook slowly while you’re away.

The gravy was amazing over the chicken and the rice!

There you have it – my Puff weekend and Sunday dinner. Anyone else out there going through Puff moments? Please also tell us what was cooking in your kitchen recently!

With a Puff in hand,