My Father’s Day table and fun napkin fold.

What better way to celebrate Father’s Day than with dad’s favorite food?  I couldn’t be with my dad this weekend, but if I had been, I would have churned homemade ice cream.  My dad teasingly says he’s getting to where he kind of likes the stuff (ice cream).  I’m pretty sure he eats it almost every day and sometimes more than once a day.  A favorite memory of my dad is seeing him turning the crank on the wooden ice cream churn.  He knew just how stiff it should be, and how to pack it so it would cure properly.  I’ve inherited his love for ice cream – I just don’t let myself indulge like he can!

However, here at the parsonage, I made a couple of my husband’s favorite things for Sunday dinner.  We had grilled pork chops but they were marinated in coffee and molasses (two favorites of his!).  I fixed a baked bean dish he loves, and then finished the meal with his favorite cake – Carrot cake.  He was a happy guy!

On Saturday he got an early gift of breakfast made by Alli.  I was ecstatic  pleased to get to join them for this great meal!  She is a pancake lover, who pins all kinds of great pancake recipes onto her Pinterest, where she found this recipe for Mini German Pancakes.  Take a peek at my plate…

Doesn’t that look delicious?  It was!  Here’s the recipe:

Mini German Pancakes
1 cup milk
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted

The blueberry sauce was simple – 1/3 C sugar and 1 Tbl cornstarch in a sauce pan.  Add 1 cup water and mix with whisk.  Add 1 Cup blueberries and cook until thickened.

• 1/4 cup molasses
• 6 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 bone-in pork loin chops (1 inch thick)

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour 1/2 cup marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate remaining coffee mixture until ready to cook.
• For glaze, place remaining coffee mixture in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup.
• Drain and discard marinade. Moisten a paper towel with cooking oil; using long-handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill chops, covered, over medium heat or broil 4-5 in. from the heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a thermometer reads 145°. Let meat stand for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon glaze over chops. Yield: 4 servings.

Carrot Cake:

Preparation

The larger size was to be used to cut up for my ruffles.  The side of the shirt was cut open to allow for strips to be cut.

After the neck ruffle was on, I put the wide layers on, spacing them 1 1/2″ from the row of ruffles above it.

I basted the ruffles on, then did a little adjusting, then went back and sewed them in place with smaller stitches.

Folding the strip in half, I began rolling up the flower, hand stitching it underneath as I went.
See the two strings above?  Those are made by cutting 1/2″ strips, then pulling it tightly.  They are attached with the roses.  So cute.

It was a simple job – I was weeding out the flower beds.  But it seemed at every turn there was trouble lurking.  One bush that has huge thorns on it had dropped a small limb.  I thought I was clear of its prickliness, but didn’t see the dead limb lying in the path of my hands.  With no warning, it got me when I reached out my hand to pull a weed.  Pain shot through my finger while the blood quickly surfaced.  I pulled the half inch thorn out, and even afterwards, my digit throbbed.  I should have put my work gloves on, but I jumped into this task without thinking ahead or really preparing.

As I continued to work, I thought about how we’re all prone to run into prickly situations.  Sometimes they are people.  Sometimes they are consequences of our own sin.  Other times they are trials of finances or illness.  We never know when those barbed times will come and we never know in what form we will discover them. 

How important it is that we prepare ahead of time.  How do we do that?

• Just like I should have covered my hands, we must cover our hearts with the Truth of God and His Word.  The more we know of Who God is, the stronger we will be when that painful thing hits us.  That means we need a daily intake of the Word of God.  His Truth will guard our hearts and help us think correctly; biblically instead of fleshly.  That means instead of lashing out or desiring to get even, we will let God handle the results.

How should we respond to the prickly people and/or situations?

• After finishing my weeding task, I came in and washed my hands, freeing the hurt finger of the dirt and blood and washing it to prevent infection.  We must bring our “pricks” to the Lord and lay them at His feet.  If we need to confess sin, then we must let the washing of the Spirit cleanse us (I John 1:9).  This also means not dwelling on the hurt.  Thinking about how undeserving we are and holding our wound will only bring self-pity and perhaps the pain of bitterness.  Let it go.  If there’s another person involved, forgive them.

That prick in my finger happened several hours ago, and right now I’m not really positive which finger it was that got hurt!  Time brings healing.  Ecclesiastes 3 says, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: …there is a time to heal.  All healings may not come on this side of heaven, but many of them will. 

Instead of us sitting and holding onto our pain, let’s look up at the blessings God has brought all around us. Abraham Lincoln said, “We can complain that roses have thorns, or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses!”  Look at all the people who aren’t  prickly!  Focus on the parts of your body that are working today!  Rejoice in all that you see God doing that bring blessing and watch your own pain be diminished! 

How are you rejoicing in the Lord today?  I’d love to hear about  your (roses) blessings! 

By the way, you, dear reader, are one of mine!  Thanks for stopping by today.

With love,

The furniture in my house shivers when I walk by, each piece wondering if it is my next painting victim!  It’s a fact – I love painted furniture.  It’s brighter than the stained pieces and just has a certain character about it.

Last week I saw that Friday and Saturday were going to be clear, warm days – just what I was waiting for!  I have a lovely dresser that was made for us by my father-in-law.  Being a carpenter, he loved stained furniture.  He’s in heaven, so this project on my “to do” list can’t upset him.  =)  So, on Friday I hauled my dresser out to the concrete patio out back and gathered my tools:  sand paper, wet cloths, drop cloth, paint, and paint brushes and went to work.  Here’s a picture of the dresser before (minus the drawers – hide your eyes! ).

By suppertime on Friday, the dresser had been sanded and prepped and had one coat applied.  I got up early Saturday morning and applied the second coat.  Later that afternoon my hubby brought it inside for me and I began the process of applying new liners inside the drawers (thanks, Vickie).

I discarded some items and only refilled the dresser with what I loved.  Then came the crowning moment – to stand back and look at my finished project…

~Sigh~I love it.  I’m dreaming of replacing the knobs with glass ones, but my father-in-law glued and screwed these babies on.  Don’t think they’re going to budge. 

Would you consider painting a piece of furniture?  If so, what?

With love,

Okay, I feel old. I recently watched one of our “family videos.”  Yes. Video.  It was one of those that was taken long enough ago that everyone laughs at your hairstyle and clothing choices.  It was hilarious from a style standpoint, but thought-provoking from the reality standpoint.

I watched as these two fairly young parents (I was still in my 30’s) interacted with their daughters.  We were not on the streets of Disney World or on the deck of our cruise liner; we were in our own home doing very simple things, such as:

• Making glittered paper hearts
• Celebrating a birthday with homemade paper hats and homemade cake
• Listening to the rehearsed lines of a memorized poem that would be recited at a school competition the next day
• Curling the hair of the competitor so she would look pretty for the competition
• Making cookies on a snow day
• Giving homemade Valentine treats and handcrafted cards to our girls from their “first Sweethearts” – Mom and Dad
• Swimming in a motel pool about 1 1/2 hours from our home for a one night, mini-vacation and fun family get-away
• Playing with Hot Wheel tracks and cars that literally engulfed our entire family room
• Listening to a child retell their Sunday school stories using flannel graph
• Enjoying a snack at the kitchen table while listening to the events of our daughter’s school day
• Dressing our daughter for “50 days” at school and being silly enough to dance a 50’s dance with her.
• Filling the kitchen set sink with soapy water to play house.
• Reading stories together

I sat in my cushioned seat in our basement and wept silently.  They were thankful tears as well as tears of sweet remembrance.  Those were hard days financially.  I remembered that at the time those videos were made, I struggled with desiring to do more for our girls.  However, as I sat there the other night and watched our family, the thought that came to my heart was that we didn’t have much, but we had what many children crave – we had a home of love.

Of course we did not have a perfect home.  I got frustrated too often.  I demanded too much from my girls.  I sinned in my response to them at times, but I loved them.  We spent our time together.  We had fun together. And though we did not have money to spend on them or lavish places we could go, we had what Proverbs 15:17 talks about – Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.  Yes, we had many dinners of herbs – they were simple meals served with loads of love.

If you happen to find yourself in the stage of life where you have children at home, let me encourage you to lighten up and just have fun.  Enjoy these summer days.  Plan out activities you can do with your children.  Don’t decide you’re going to have to just endure until school resumes; make the most of each day you have with them.  Laugh.  Let Popsicle drips slide down their elbows in the backyard.  Build a fort under the kitchen table on a rainy day.  Make chalk drawings of their shadows on the driveway.  Read on a blanket under a tree.  Get out the glitter and make cards for their dad. 

Oh, and be sure to take pictures or videos of these activities you do together.  Just brace yourself for the laughs you’ll get from your family in 20 years for those hilarious aviator sunglasses you had on, or the way you were wearing your hair. It’s at that moment that you’ll know you’ve gotten OLD!

What fun activity do you have planned this week for your family?  What memory of fun times at home do you have?

With love,