Hey Friends! I’m back in the blogging world! What a busy week is behind me. I always thought that when I got to this stage of my life things would slow down, but so far the only thing I can say is I think I’m spinning faster than I ever have! God’s grace is sufficient, however, and I’m glad I can rest in Him to accomplish each day what He desires! Psalm 90:17 is a frequent prayer of mine – Establish the work of my hands… When there’s much to do and only so much strength and 24 hours, we must have His enablement and help. Then, too, I need His direction. Some things I think I need to do, the Lord does not, and I’m grateful when he redirects my steps.

I got the opportunity to go to Kentucky for a few days last week and visit with my family; what a blessing that was. I’m learning that it’s never convenient to run off for a few days, but it’s a sacrifice that’s not only necessary, it’s wonderful. Family will not always be near and we need to seize the opportunities to be with them when we can.

I did do a good bit of cooking last week, spite the fact that I was away. Starting with dessert first is a great plan, so let me share with you a Dark Chocolate Cherry Brownie I tried from Cooking Light. My husband and I are tying to steer clear of desserts when it’s just the two of us here, but I can’t have company for dinner and not have dessert! This brownie square only has 5.4 grams of fat, so I didn’t feel bad about adding a dollop of whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce!

I also baked some cookies to give away. We have a new neighbor, a newly married couple that has come back to Johnson City to live, and a daughter serving at camp, all who could use a plate of cookies! I made these – Lemonade Cookies, only I made them Limeade because that’s what I had on hand. They tasted great!

I also made up Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese for the young couple that just moved here. This recipe makes up plenty, so I had enough for our Sunday dinner as well!

I paired the pasta dish with a Mandarin Orange Salad and bread sticks. Sunday dinner was on the table in a snap since the pasta was made early. It only had to bake 30 minutes and I put it in the oven on self-timer, so it was hot when we got home from church. The salad ingredients were made up on Saturday night, so all I had to do when I got home was warm up the bread sticks! Our dinner guests got cancelled last minute due to sickness, so it ended up just being the two of us.

Lemonade Cookies (Limeade too!)

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed, divided

Additional sugar (I use the coarse sugar for the tops)

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; add eggs. Combine flour and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/3 cup of lemonade concentrate. Mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 40 degrees 6-8 minutes or ’til lightly golden. Remove to wire racks. Brush with remaining lemonade concentrate; sprinkle with sugar. Cool. Yield: 6 dozen

Mandarin Orange Salad

1/4 cup wine vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1 tbl sugar

salt and pepper to taste

3 3/4 oz. slivered almonds

2 tbl sugar

1 head lettuce, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green onions w/tops

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained

Combine vinegar, oil, 1 tbl. sugar, salt and pepper in bowl; mix well. Combine almonds with 2 tbl sugar in skillet. Cook over low heat until sugar melts and almonds are coated and light brown, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature. Combine lettuce, green onions, celery, mandarin oranges, and caramelized almonds in salad bowl. Add dressing at serving time, tossing gently to mix well.

Don’t sign off without leaving me a comment (if Blogger will let you – grrr!). Tell me what has kept you busy this summer and what you’ve been cooking!

With a happy heart,

My blogging friends,
I’m going to take a few days off of blogging. Things have been so busy already this summer, and I need some time to be refreshed myself. I’ll see you again soon! I hope you’ll miss me! 🙂

Our VBS theme is “Jesus Expedition.” The children have been “traveling” around the world searching for treasures. Tonight a real treasure was found!

This has been a busy week with VBS running at our church, but what a blessing! I absolutely love to tell children about what Jesus did for them. Since I was saved as a child, I know the wonder of walking with God since I was a little girl. I long for these children to experience His grace their whole lives! They listen without questioning intellect. They receive with the faith that Jesus lifted up as an example for adults to follow. It’s been a great week already!

I’ve poured much time into the preparation I needed for telling the life story of Hudson Taylor and something has to give – today it will be my post here. I know you understand…thank you!

How about a few suggestions for Father’s Day? I love Family Fun’s cute cake/cupcake ideas. Check out their web site for more detail and instructions.

For the dad that loves to grill, how about this adorable dessert:

One year my girls and I made this cake for their daddy. It’s just a 9 x 13 pan with the shirt decorations added to it – so easy!Here’s the perfect card to give Dad when making the shirt cake…

For a gift idea going along with the cake theme, I’m doing a suggestion I heard about. I took ten of my husband’s dress shirts to the cleaners to have them cleaned and pressed for him. Since he insists on doing his own ironing, this will be a special treat for him!

My younger daughter is away from her boyfriend this summer. He is serving at camp in New England while she is at camp in North Carolina. There are many miles between them (which is a good thing, though they don’t like it!).

It’s made me remember when my husband and I were dating and had miles between us. We did whatever was necessary to eliminate the miles! One time he drove to KY after I’d been home only a couple of days visiting my family. He then traveled to Michigan with us to see my grandfather. Knowing that even more miles would separate us was an awful thought, and we did what we could to be together! Being separated from one you love is rough business!

Have you ever felt that the Lord was very far away? That’s worse than feeling distant from any person. In Psalm 13:1 the psalmist said, “How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?” He was wondering if God had just plain forgotten him, and he wondered why he couldn’t see His face. However, an omniscient God can never forget and an omnipresent God can never be removed from us!

In verse two he said that he has sorrow in his heart daily. Do you feel that way right now? Does it seem like every day you wake up and that sorrow is staring you in the face? Have you discovered the happy device by which you can escape trouble? The answer is in verses five and six. “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” The mercy seat refreshes the weeper. Remembering that fact that God took care of the greatest trouble a soul can face – eternal damnation in hell, reminds me that He is able to take care of every other need that comes into my life. He has truly dealt bountifully with us!

Joys remembered sweeten present sorrows. Remember what the Lord has done for you. Has he saved you? Has He answered prayers in the past? Has He comforted you in other trials? Has He worked in the hearts of those you’ve prayed for in earlier days? Let those joys sweeten your present sorrow and encourage your heart! God hasn’t forgotten you and He is very near.

With love,