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Freshen Up Friday

I have seen the cutest gift ideas on Pinterest this week.  Everyone is gearing up for Christmas, but with not as much money, and still as many people to buy gifts for!  The answer to the problem is creating homemade gifts that are special, yet cost much less.  So many of these things are seriously so great, I’d rather get and give these than anything money could buy!  I thought I’d share a few ideas with you, just in case you’re not on Pinterest yet (’cause you know you want to join the fun!)

Pampering in a Jar

These jars are filled with socks, bubble bath, lip balm, hand cream and chocolate.

There are some terrific ideas for lots of other gifts in a jar here.

The 36th Avenue is a treasure trove of great gift ideas.  I especially like this little sewing kit that came from here.

 DIY: Mason Jar Sewing Kit

These little cones found here would be a welcomed treat if you filled them with your homemade Carmel corn or Chex Mix! Trade out the butterflies for a Christmas decoration and you have a great gift for very little money.

Pinned Image

I love the idea of personalizing these pot holders to the colors of the receiver’s kitchen.  These came from  the 36th Avenue.

This is what I’m doing with all my old tins…

IMG_6581

Freshen up your gift giving with a little planning ahead of time, and a dab of creativity!  Great gifts are just ahead!

Be refreshed,

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He Knew No Sin

 
Yesterday morning I had one of those moments as I was reading my Bible that just made me stop in my tracks and say, “Wow.  Thank you, God!”  It was this verse that made me halt:
 
For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us,
who knew no sin;
 
Think about it – until His time on the cross, Jesus did not know what sin was like.   Therefore, He
  • had never had an impure thought
  • had never said an unloving word
  • had never done a deed with impure motives
  • had never responded in anger
  • had never desired a wrong thing
Never.
Not once.
 
Then why at the cross did He understand sin?  Because all of mine were placed on Him.
 
Why did He take them?
 
That (I) might be made the righteousness of God in him.
 
By taking them, He gave me a right standing before God. 
 
That amazes me.
 
Have you received His gift of salvation?  He took all your sin so you could be saved from the hell you (and I) deserve!

Undeserving,
, made righteous by Christ!

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A Peek Inside the Parsonage

Having an office at home is what my husband has done for most of his ministry life.  It’s truly a blessing – well, most of the time.  The drawback is that it’s always calling his name and drawing him in to “finish up the details of a sermon” or “send a quick email.” 

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to live in the same house with someone, yet spend very little quality time together?  Oh, you eat meals at the table and chat about the day’s events, but sometimes it’s necessary to stop all the other activity – including those  little details in the office, and just do something fun together!

Monday night I decided to do something we never do –  eat our homemade pizza in the living room.We did so with the candelabra lit and music playing.  It was great.  Afterwards we pulled out the Scrabble tiles and played a game of Take Two (we play it kind of like they do in this link).  I won the round we played, but that’s not what made it fun – it was just the time we shared together hunkered over the coffee table, moaning about the letters we’d drawn or asking  questions like, “How do you spell…?” 

We may have had a total of an hour given to dinner, dishes, and our game, but it was also a time to reconnect and remember that there’s more than just ministry that goes on here in the parsonage – there’s a relationship to strengthen and a marriage that needs keeping tabs on!  The details on that sermon do indeed get finished, and the emails all sent on their way, but it’s the “stuff” that happens in-between that make me extra happy to share the parsonage with my parson!

From the windows of the parsonage,

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Behave Yourself

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me?
I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes…
Psalm 101:2, 3a
 
Anyone who’s been a Christian for more than a day, knows the desire of wanting to do the right thing, for God’s glory, but also the heartache of falling.  When I read the previous verses last week, I thought about David, who was getting ready to be the king.  He made a resolve to behave himself wisely in a perfect (single-minded) way. Where would he behave like this?  At home.  How was he going to endeavor to do that?  By not setting any wicked thing before his eyes. 
 
Now, we scroll forward into David’s life and remember his sin with Bathsheba, which was caused by looking upon her from his window at home.  His initial plan was a good one.  His sin shouldn’t cause us to throw up our hands in regards to walking purely before the Lord and say, “What’s the use?”  It should make us realize that a resolve like that must not be a one time event, but a daily prayer.  The hymn writer put it this way – Prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love!”
 
Not only do we need to make that a daily prayer, we also must put away from us anything that would cause us to sin.  David needed to guard his eyes.  So must we, because first we see, then think, and then act.    Do you need to protect yourself from television shows, movies or books that push your heart in the wrong direction?  Is food the “wicked thing” that needs to be removed from your eyes?  Then don’t go near the food that is a temptation when you’re at the grocery store, so it won’t end up going home with you!  Do you need a filter on your computer to protect you from sites that could be damaging to your single-minded heart?  Perhaps making yourself accountable to a friend in any one of these (or other) areas would be a good way to protect yourself from the wicked thing that could ensnare you.
 
If it is your resolve to be single-hearted towards the Lord, then take the necessary precautions so you won’t fall prey, as  II Corinthians 2:11 warns,  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. We must be wise to his tricks, and also to his tools so that we can behave ourselves wisely. 
 
With love,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

It’s November – the time for turkey with cranberries.  I guess that’s what’s been on my mind, because my recent recipes have been filled with them!  They have such a fresh pungent taste that adds so much flavor to a recipe.  Why wouldn’t I love them?! 

One new dish I made for dinner is – Cranberry Chicken.  It’s one I pinned on Pinterest – along with a bunch more ideas of what to do with boneless chicken breasts.  The great thing is that it cooks up very quickly.  It was nice and moist since it finishes cooking in the sauce.

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Cost per serving: $1.00

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets (Note below)
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup apple juice – I had orange juice, so that’s what I used instead – it worked great!
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

  1. Combine cranberries, apple juice and chicken stock in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. In a gallon-sized plastic bag with zip top, mix flour, salt and pepper. Toss chicken breasts into bag and shake well until each breast is coated evenly with flour.
  3. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add chicken and cook for 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken to a plate and keep warm.
  4. Pour soaked cranberries with juice and stock into the hot pan, reduce heat to low and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in mustard and add chicken back into pan.
  5. Cook for another 8-10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and sauce has thickened. Serve chicken with sauce atop.

Note: Breast fillets are simply chicken breasts that have been cut horizontally to be thinner and cook quicker.

Another new recipe I tried this week was a quick and light dessert – Cranberry and Apple Crumblefrom Cooking Light.  Oh, my!  This was so good, and only 211 calories and 6 gms of fat per serving!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
6 cups sliced peeled Braeburn apple
1 cup fresh cranberries I used 1/2 dried and 1/2 fresh
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
 
 

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.
This is how it looks before getting popped into the oven

3.  Combine apple and cranberries in a large bowl. Combine juice and remaining ingredients; pour over apple mixture. Toss well. Spoon apple mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with flour mixture. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve warm.

Add a few more calories and spoon on some ice cream!  Mmmm.

A friend of mine baked these Honey-Wheat Rolls for a meal we shared together.  They were soooo good!
This would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal!
She was sweet enough to share her recipe with us!

 

Honey-Wheat Rolls
1 cup warm water
2 pkgs. yeast
1 3/4 cup water
1/4 Cup honey
1 tsp salt
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
3 eggs
4 cups whole wheat flour (maybe a little more)
4 cups bread flour (maybe a little more)

Mix yeast in warm water.  You can add a couple teaspoons of sugar, if desired (sugar helps give the yeast a little boost in rising).  In a large bowl add the honey and the 1 3/4 cup water and mix.   Stir in the butter.  In separate bowl, beat eggs and add one at a time to water and honey mixture.   Add flours and mix in enough flour until the dough isn’t sticky.

Place dough into an oiled bowl, turning dough over to coat both sides with oil.  Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Roll out onto floured surface and cut into 2 dozen rolls.  Cover and rise again.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Brush with honey butter.

Have you been using any seasonal foods like cranberries or pumpkin to make new dishes?  I’d love to hear about it – either here on or the RefreshHer Facebook Page!

From my parsonage kitchen,