This is my living room as of today – October 13, 2010. It took me a long time to get it to the place that I could say I’m satisfied with the way it looks, but I think I’m there now. It’s the style I like – kind of Shabby Chic/French Country, or my version of it anyway! I’ll take you into the room and show a few parts of my fall nesting.
This is the shelf in my entryway. I try to make the decorations on here seasonal and yet keep it in the functioning design I learned about last spring. I have a couple means of lighting – the lamp and the small tin light on the second shelf. The tin light also serves as a fragrance for the room with the potpourri rocks inside. I have Hershey’s miniature candy bars for my guests in the little dish on the top shelf, and a jeweled pumpkin resting on the candle stick.

I love this little tin-punched Trick or Treat sign. I found it at the sidewalk sale at Cracker Barrel this summer for $2!

My coffee table holds the Scrabble board. Fall and winter are about being at home on these long nights – playing a game, reading a book while curled up on the couch. The game is ready, with a little start…

Adding layers to a room give it a cozy feeling. Rugs, quilts, throws, and baskets are all part of the layering. I placed a basket under the coffee table with Fall magazines (and the Scrabble dictionary for those serious players!). I also pulled out my velour throw and placed it across the arm of the couch.
Fall paper napkins are ready for yummy treats…

A In the kitchen, a small child’s chalkboard with a few wooden fall accents and a bow were added for decoration. It is used for a Scripture verse, the daily menu, whatever strikes my fancy.

The fall wreath on my front door got an accent of the metal “C” I found for a steal at TJ Maxx.

I do not claim to be a decorator – I’m just a nester! What do you do to “nest” in the fall and winter?

With love,

In a recent conversation with a friend, I learned of an unsaved person who is suffering and near death. The worst part about it is that he is unsaved. His pain is becoming quite severe and it is making him more disagreeable and unkind than ever with each passing day.

As I’ve thought about that dear man, I’ve prayed even more for his salvation. Right now, because he is not God’s child, he is enduring this suffering alone. He has no one to call out to that can give him strength, comfort or relief. If he dies in his sin, the suffering he’s felt here will be nothing in comparison to eternity in hell and he will be separated from God forever. How sad, because it is all needless.

Christ died for us and took the sting out of death. He rose from the grave and ever lives to intercede for us. He will never leave or forsake those of us who have trusted in Him as our Savior, and when we close our eyes in death we will awake in heaven where we will be with Him forever. Heaven is more than a place – it is a Person.

My husband started a new series of messages on Heaven this past Sunday night and he shared with us some of the blessings in heaven. It was wonderful to ponder!

What is in heaven?

• Our Father is there
• Our Savior is there
• Our inheritance is there
• Our eternal joy is there
• Our life is there
• Our reward is there
• Our names are there

Do you have the assurance of heaven? It will change everything you face today. This is not home – home is heaven and heaven is a Person. Trust in Him today.

Love,

This is what I saw out my kitchen window early Sunday morning while preparing our dinner…

This picture doesn’t do the scene justice, but the sun was coming up over the hill and the colors were even prettier than they look here. It’s wonderful to have a lovely view out my kitchen window. I often see bunny rabbits or squirrels down in the yard and get to watch them while I clean up my prep dishes. I love that.

This girl’s becoming a regular weekend visitor, but I love having her home. She’s had a frequent ride, so that’s enabled her to get away from school for a day (long enough to get her laundry done!). I’m glad we are close enough for her to be able to come home frequently. You know your children have grown up when they come home to visit and bring a hostess gift! How sweet!

I used Allen’s Green beans. I cooked them with a couple tablespoons of butter in their liquid until the liquid evaporated, then added the pearl onions, and a couple slices of cooked bacon, crumbled, and cooked them until the onions had cooked.

The red potatoes were a simple dish for Sunday. I quartered red potatoes, drizzled them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and placed them in a baking dish. I set my oven timer to let them bake for 45 minutes. They were nice and crispy on the bottom side – mmmm.

The biscuit recipe was a new one I tried from Cooking Lite Cookbook. I didn’t care for the consistency, so I’m not going to share the recipe. However, I’ve made the Angel biscuits from Cooking Lite and they’re just as good as any other biscuit recipe I’ve made.

Angel Biscuits

1 pkg dry yeast (about 2 1/4 tsp)

1/2 cup warm water (100 – 110 degrees)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups low-fat milk

Cooking spray

1 tbl butter or marg., melted

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl, and let stand 5 minutes

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup, level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yeast mixture and buttermilk, and stir just until moist. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

4. Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface, and knead lightly 5 times. Roll dough to a 1/2 inch thickness, and cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush melted butter over biscuits tops. Bake at 450 degrees for 13 minutes or until golden. Yield: 2 dozen

This dough will keep in fridge for a couple of days, so you can use just what you need for a great breakfast or supper.

What’s been cooking in your kitchen lately?

With love,

The Lord was so good to allow us to make a trip to the Smoky Mt. Natl. Parkway on Monday. The colors are just beginning to turn to a yellowish shade. The day was a bit overcast and as we climbed the mountain it got down to 37 degrees at about 4:00.

It drizzled for a bit, then we rounded a curve, looked to our left and saw this…

I pointed and shouted, “God keeps His promises!”

How gracious of the Lord to allow me to see this rainbow before I teach the story this Sunday!

Around another corner the sun was peeking through the clouds onto one section of the mountains. The sun is always shining somewhere, isn’t it?

I love a tunnel in the mountains…so beautiful!

We got to spend Tuesday at Dollywood with some dear friends.
We even had a tail-gate lunch with them! We were envied by passersby and rightly so! It was a lovely day, good fellowship and a great lunch!

I love Dollywood in the fall. Harvest decorations are everywhere.

The blessings at the end of the week were the Sunday roast that I salvaged! If you read my post on Monday you’ll remember that the Sunday roast beef was tough as shoe leather. My husband sliced it into little pieces for me yesterday morning, then I put it in the crock pot with a little water and some homemade barbecue sauce. I put the crock pot on low for six hours. That meat turned into soft, warm, squishy barbecue that melted in our mouths! Thank you, Lord!

We topped our sandwich with a little cole slaw (the southern way to eat barbecue).

I served it with potato salad that Alli had made and some buttered corn. Mmmmm!

On our way home from Pigeon Forge we stopped in Cosby, TN at an apple farm where I bought apples, pumpkins, and molasses. At my husband’s request I made these Molasses cookies for dessert…

These cookies are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. They are a perfect autumn cookie! Since October is National Cookie Month I am making a different cookie each week. I give most away, but we will eat a little bite of something sweet after supper.

As I sit and recount the blessings from this week I remember that there were a couple of hard things that were peppered into our week too, but through it all, God was faithful. He always sends little reminders of His love (the rainbow), grace blessings to encourage (time away to refresh, a warm cookie and a cup of coffee), and His presence to convict and guide us. He is such a wonderful God and I’m thankful He is my heavenly Father!

What blessings have you experienced this week that you can praise God for? I’d love to hear about them!

See you in church.

With love,

Yesterday’s post was about a mother’s guilt for not being everything she could have been. What do you struggle with the most as a mom? Is it anger? Fear of the future? Lack of knowing how to parent or discipline?

Perhaps your days of parenting a young child are over, are there other issues you’re facing now that are difficult?

Your responses will help me to know what issues could be addressed in the future.

Please share on this Noteworthy Wednesday.