I love little lamps and candles. The proof is sitting all over my house. Up on my china cabinet, on the table in front of the living room window, on the coffee table, on the kitchen counter, on the bathroom counter…everywhere – you’ll see hospitality lights or candles. I love the softness they give to a room. They help the space to be cozy and inviting.

Saturday I was reading Proverbs 13 verse 9 that says, The light of the righteous rejoiceth. Being a lover of lights, I stopped and thought about that. Why would the light of the righteous be able to rejoice?

• Jesus is the light and we can always rejoice in Him!
• His light reveals who I am. I can get right and rejoice Ps 36:9b – In thy light we shall see light. Spurgeon says that we never see Jesus in the light of self, but self in the light of Jesus. When I look at Him I see myself correctly.
• If I’m doing righteous things I don’t mind the light – I rejoice that it’s on and revealing what I’m doing!
• I can share the light with others and that always brings rejoicing! Luke 15:7…joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth…

However, the second part of Proverbs 13:9 says, but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

• A wicked person’s light will only shine for a while. The “wick” on sin is short – it doesn’t last. It gives temporary pleasure then then it is snuffed out. All that’s left is darkness and ashes. There is no warmth, no light, no rejoicing – only cold, darkness and sadness.

The amazing thing is that it is our choice to have light or darkness! How deceived we are to choose the temporary light for Eternal light (Jesus Christ)!

Is your light on and full of rejoicing, or is the wick on your sin about to burn out? God’s mercy is extended to each of us to turn to the Light of the World and find forgiveness and then rejoicing!

With love,

The 30’s Sunday school class had an Italian lunch after church yesterday. I brought a bowl of salad and a Pumpkin Roll. When I had my home baking business several years ago I made lots of pumpkin rolls at Thanksgiving and Christmas! They’re not hard to make and will turn out great if you follow a few pointers. I’ll share my technique and recipe with you…it’s no secret!

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup mashed, cooked pumpkin ( regular size can of pumpkin will yield 2 pumpkin rolls + about 1/2 cup extra for muffins!)
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1-2 Tbl. powdered sugar
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup marg or butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Line a 15 10 x 1″ jelly roll pan with waxed paper, then spray well with cooking spray; set aside. I do this instead of greasing and flouring the pan – I’ve found it comes out of the pan much easier.

Beat eggs in a large bowl at high speed of an electric mixer until thick; gradually add 1 cup sugar, and beat 5 additional minutes. Stir in pumpkin and lemon juice.

Combine flour and next 5 ingredients; gradually stir into pumpkin mixture. Spread batter evenly in pan; sprinkle with 1 cup nuts, gently pressing into batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 -15 minutes.

Sift 1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar in a 15 x 10-inch rectangle on a cloth towel. When cake is done, immediately loosen from sides of pan, and turn out onto sugared towel. Starting at narrow end, roll up cake and towel together; cool completely on a wire rack, seam side down.

Beat Cream cheese and butter in a large bowl at high speed of an electric mixer; gradually add 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla, beating mixture until blended.

Unroll cake; spread with cream cheese mixture, and carefully reroll. Place cake on plate, seam side down. Garnish with whipped cream or pecans, if desired. Yield: 10 servings.

Here are pictures of each step:

Waxed paper-lined and sprayed jelly roll pan
I often mix up the dry ingredients at another time and mark them in a plastic bag so this process is quicker.

Batter is poured into prepared pan and sprinkled with nuts.

A sugared towel is ready for the baked cake.

Finished cake is flipped out onto towel

Gently pull waxed paper off of cake

Cake is rolled around the towel and allowed to cool completely before icing.

I usually make two rolls at a time. I can have the batter for the second one ready to pop into the oven in the time it takes the first one to bake.

The cooled cakes are frosted with cream cheese icing.

Cakes are rolled up then turned seam side down.

Sliced and ready to eat!

We were privileged to have some of our own missionaries, the Loescher’s, here on furlough this weekend. They serve in Cameroon, Africa and were coming here to visit our church and share about their work.

My husband had said we’d take them out to dinner when they arrived Saturday night, but I got up Saturday morning and knew I had things on hand with which I could make homemade soup. How much better to have them here in our home than try to visit in a restaurant! So I set to making chicken noodle soup using a chicken carcass I had from my roasting hen earlier in the week. I whipped up a batch of pumpkin muffins with the remains of the pumpkin from the rolls, and then decided to have a savory bread as well. A friend at church had shared a recipe for Parmesan Knots just last week, and they looked so easy I decided to give them a try.

Take a look:

It only requires canned buttermilk biscuits and a few ingredients to brush over the bread to make this recipe! I made only a portion of the recipe and they were all gone at the end of the meal! Thanks, Lora!

Parmesan Knots

1/2 c vegetable oil (I used Olive oil)

1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 t dried parsley flakes

1 1/2 t dried oregano

1 t garlic powder

Dash black pepper

3 (12 oz) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

In a small bowl, combine oil, cheese, parsley, oregano, garlic powder, and pepper. Set aside. Cut each biscuit in half. (This would be a good appetizer size. I left mine whole for supper) Roll each portion into a 6-inch rope; tie in a loose knot. Place on greased baking sheets. Bake @ 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Immediately brush with the Parmesan mixture. Serve warm or freeze for up to 2 months.

That was my cooking weekend. What’s been cooking your kitchen?

With love,

Perhaps like myself, you’re doing some entertaining at Thanksgiving. In my planning ahead I’ve been thinking about the table and how I want to decorate it. Here are some great ideas I found on the Internet. Some are from Better Homes and Gardens, some from Country Living and another from a site called Digdigs. Check out these websites for all kinds of great ideas!

Love the napkin tie. Go gather some acorns and make this!

Here’s a cute idea for a place card.

I love this place card. It’s a personal note of thanks to the person who’s sitting there! Get out the card making supplies and have some fun with this one! I love it!

You could opt for cuteness…

Striking centerpieces using natural items…

What a fun craft on the right. This would be a cute decoration on “The children’s Table!” You could trace your child’s hand on fabric, or use a garden glove and do the same thing.

I love the centerpiece on the right. A pedestal holds up a pumpkin (probably one made from artificial materials), then ivy and greenery are added for softness.

Hope this gives you some good ideas for your table! See you in church Sunday.

With love,

• While on the phone this week, I got the gifts wrapped (sorry for the noise, Mom!)
• I can mix up the cupcake batter the night before (it has to be refrigerated) so they’re ready to bake in the morning.
• When I have a few minutes I can mix the dry ingredients for my pumpkin roll so when I get ready to bake it, it will be like having a mix all ready!

I pray you’re being helped by our study. If no one else needed this at this time I did. Planning ahead really does eliminate worry! I’m amazed at the end of each day how the Lord equips me to accomplish what needs to be done and even more!

What truths from this study are helping you win over worry?

Loving God with my mind,

I’ve been thinking more about the journaling I mentioned yesterday. When I pulled my journal out yesterday morning to do my daily writing, I saw my devotional thoughts about a Scripture passage I’d read earlier. The Holy Spirit had brought truths to my mind and I penned them in phrases in my journal. “Oh,” I thought, “I need to write a post about this on my blog!” It was then that it dawned on me that another huge blessing of journaling is that you’re ready to serve God when you have something written down!

Journaling is place to pull thoughts from if you’re asked to share a testimony in church, or give a devotional for your ladies’ group! You can only take others spiritually where you have been yourself. When the Lord teaches you a truth, you need to share it with others. It might be in your small group Bible study, with your mentor, or with your husband or children, but someone needs to hear it! So, your journal will also serve as a resource from which you can pull what you’ve learned and then use it to minister to others!

As you look back on what God has taught you, you will no doubt see spiritual growth from all the Truth you’ve stored in your heart. You won’t want to keep it to yourself, though, you’ll want to share the wealth with others!

With love,