This picture, taken at Whitney’s wedding is really special to me.  She and Allison are sitting at the piano; this has great significance for our family because there is an element that has been a part of our parsonage home since the very beginning of our marriage – music.  My husband and I sang to each other at our wedding.  I remember singing to both of our girls when they were tiny babies (and even while in the womb).  I taught them all the little children’s songs and we would sing them together – “Jesus Loves Me, Oh, Say but I’m Glad, I’ve Got a Mansion, Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World, Into My Heart, Trust and Obey”, and the list goes on. 

We also played music in our home.  I have the first Patch the Pirate Album (yeah, it was a long time ago!), Patch the Pirate Goes to the Jungle, that I played when Whitney was just a baby.  Both our girls grew up listening to Ron Hamilton’s music and stories that touched every area of their lives.  They learned about obedience, sharing, loving good food that mommy fixes (even broccoli!), being a wiggle worm, being selfish, having a happy home and best of all, salvation – all from the songs on the Patch the Pirate albums, tapes and Cd’s. 

It was after listening to a Patch the Pirate CD of a little child being saved that Whitney began to enquire about salvation and then trusted Christ as her own Savior one evening in our home. 

I’ll never forget carrying Allison into surgery when she was three.  Dressed in surgical clothes, I was allowed to escort her to the operating room where they placed her on the operating table.  As the anesthesiologist  placed the mask over her nose to put her to sleep, I sang to her –When shadows fall, and the night covers all, there are things that my eyes cannot see.  I’ll never fear, for the Savior is near, my Lord abides with me.  How can I fear, Jesus is near; He ever watches over me.  Worries all cease, He gives me peace.  I’ll never fear with Jesus. Neither one of us sing that song now without remembering that time all those years ago.  I sang the song for her, but it ministered to my own maternal heart so sweetly that I always tear up when I hear it.

My husband and Whitney have had “their song” too – a special one for daddy’s and their daughters. 

Our girls were both gifted with musical abilities at the piano, and their music filled our home all the years they were growing up.  That was one thing about them leaving home that I really missed.  I love it when they are here and sit down at the piano and play.

Music is a gift from the Lord, and I’m thankful for the way that gift graced our parsonage over the years.  It knit our lives together, it turned hearts to salvation, it taught of our great God, it comforted, it praised, it encouraged, it blessed…and it still does!

Does your family sing together?  Does your family have a song that brings special memories?

From my parsonage window,

I love, love, love roasted chicken. I think my posts here have proven that!  If I could eat fried chicken and get away with it, that would be my recipe of choice for this little bird, but roasted comes in at a close second.  I have always put herbs inside the cavity of the bird, but recently I read about making a mixture of herbs and rubbing them on the skin of the bird.  So…

I mixed:

Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and then rub the mixture over the entire cleaned and dried chicken.

Place on a roasting pan and roast at 375 – 400  degrees until the meat thermometer registers 165 degrees.  Let the chicken rest 10 minutes before slicing. 

This makes the skin golden brown and crispy and really flavorful!  Okay, so it’s not the healthiest part of the chicken, but if you’re not going to fry it, you might as well enjoy the flavor baked into the skin!  Yum!

I also put potato wedges in another pan, tossed them with olive oil and roasted them for about 50 minutes in the same oven where the chicken was roasting.  This makes the potatoes crispy instead of soft like when you roast them with the chicken.  I liked them better this way!  Add a little fresh parsley when you take them out of the oven.  I added them to the platter with the chicken. 

I posted about these little rolls once before, but if you haven’t made them yet, you are missing one of the quickest and tastiest little breads.  These are Parmesan Garlic knots.  So simple and so good!

Chicken Quesadilla
Tortillas shells (size of your choice)
Chopped chicken
Tomato, diced
Black beans
cheese

Spray pan with cooking spray.  I also like to spray the tortilla shell – it makes them nice and crispy.  Place in skillet on medium heat.  Add ingredients to one half of the quesadilla, then fold over.  Cook until lightly browned.  Flip over and brown other side.  Serve with sour cream.

One more recipe – a breakfast one to share from the past week – Blackberry French Toast.  ~Sigh~ this is heavenly.  French toast is my favorite breakfast food, and I had the delight of having this blackberry version while on vacation a couple of years ago.  Here’s the way I make it:

2 eggs
Enough milk added to make a batter for dipping – maybe 1/2 cup
Dash of vanilla
Mix eggs, milk, and vanilla in a shallow bowl. 

Slice French bread into 1 inch pieces.  Dip bread in batter; flip bread and then lay blackberries on top of the bread slice.

Place second piece of bread that has been soaked with the egg mixture on top. Press bread together. Place in a skillet with cooking spray and/or canola oil.  Brown on both sides.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and garnish with more berries.  Serve with syrup. 

That’s what’s been cooking here.  What have you made lately, and how do you disguise leftovers?

From my parsonage kitchen,

This summer when I got hit hard with the flu, I spent many days in the house getting well.  I slept a lot. I didn’t have the strength to work.  But when I was well enough, my husband would get me into the car and we would take a drive.  One day we drove to a spot where we could see the lake from the car.  One day we drove through the countryside.  Once we looked at homes.  That did so much to lift my spirits!

Most of us probably work all day inside (unless you’re a construction worker, and those are typically not the people who find their way to this blog!).  We teach our children inside.  We work at a desk inside.  We are sick or recuperate from illness inside.  We eat most of our meals inside.  Do you know how refreshing it can be to just step outside the door and enjoy the outdoors for a bit?  Many days after working inside for hours, I’ll step outside and just walk around the yard.  I may pull a weed here or there, but for the most part I like to just walk around.  I listen to the summer sounds.  I look at what’s sprouting in the garden.  I smell the fragrances of my herbs.  Even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes, I am refreshed by God’s world that’s just a step outside my front door. 

When was the last time you just walked outside – not to take the dog or the trash out, but just for the pure pleasure of enjoying the outdoors?  Even if you’re not feeling 100%, you can step outside for a minute and be invigorated by what God is doing. 

He’s got the whole world in His hands. Take a look and be refreshed,

P.S. Find your way to a Gospel preaching church Sunday!

With another birthday approaching, I am oh, so, aware of how fleeting anything external is. Crows have become my favorite bird, since I’m wearing them so proudly around my eyes.  =)  Proverbs 31:30 says, “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.” 

Probably all of us have had moments in which we’ve had a love/hate relationship with the attributes of the Virtuous woman.  The list in Proverbs 31 is overwhelming when we are looking at ourselves.  No, it’s impossible!  But let’s back up a second and look at verse 10 that says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies”  The starting place is being not a wife that is virtuous, but a woman who is virtuous.  The character of a woman is the only thing that doesn’t fade with her age!

So the next question is, how do we become a woman of virtue – a woman of character?  We don’t jump at the whole list and run to all over the place trying to cover all the bases.  It must begin with our relationship with the Lord.  We cannot obtain moral excellence without first being spiritually excellent, and that only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  After salvation comes the step by step process of sanctification – of being made like Christ.  It’s not about perfection; it’s about change empowered by the Holy Spirit.  Any woman who is really honest with themselves will readily admit the need to change. 

• My selfishness must be changed to generosity.
• My laziness must be changed to diligence.
• My indifference must be changed to compassion.
• My unfaithfulness must be changed to dependability.
• My rigidity must be changed to flexibility.
• My pride must be changed to meekness.
• My disrespect must be changed to reverence.
• My callousness must be changed to sensitivity
• My unfaithfulness must be changed to loyalty.

When we look at Christ, we see that He is All in all.  He is always compassionate, diligent, meek, loving, forgiving, submissive, merciful and everything else we need to be.  Therefore, His Word is full of examples of how you and I can have these traits in our lives.  We don’t have to try to figure out what these traits look like; they are pictured for us in the Scripture.  Wouldn’t it be wise for us to study these traits and learn how to apply them to our lives?  No face cream applied to our faces will do for us what godly character will do. 

Will you join me on Thursdays for a look at the application of godly character?  We’ll take one trait at a time.  We’ll define it, find it illustrated in Scripture, and see how to apply it to our every day lives. 

Who can find a virtuous woman?  May they find one in you and me!

With love,

When I had my home baking business several years ago, the perk of my business was that I delivered.  Busy people only had to order their cakes and pies, and I would bring them to their place of employment.  If you’re shopping on-line, a real draw can be the ad that says, Free delivery!  We like having things brought to us, and we like it when it’s on time.

Have you ever considered that we have a God that delivers?  What He says He will do He always accomplishes, and it will always be on time.  Of course when we read in the Word of God that He will deliver us, it is referencing the fact that He will save us.  But even in that context, God is always on time with His deliverance.

Psalm 34:15, 17 says, The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, this Psalm says that God eyes are on the righteous (God sees), His ears are open to your cry (God hears), and God will deliver.  Not only will He save you out of your troubles, but He will fulfill (deliver) on time!

Watch in faith for His delivery!

With love,