Recently I had a friend ask me what I thought about the statement, “Every mother’s middle name is ‘guilt.'” She said she’d really like my thoughts on that. I considered it for a couple of days – even mentioned it to a couple of women and was interested in their responses. “Oh, boy, isn’t that the truth!” was pretty much what I heard from others.

Alli got to come home from college again this weekend (this was the planned visit, last weekend was a little surprise and grace blessing). I try to make foods when she comes home that she doesn’t get at school. So for Sunday dinner I got a beef roast and cooked it my traditional way like I posted here. I realized Saturday night that I didn’t have any Lipton Onion Soup, so I went on-line and looked for a substitution for it. I found this recipe and used it instead. It was very good. I’m so glad to have a recipe for this now, and not have to worry with keeping the dry soup in my pantry! We also had red skinned mashed potatoes, and carrots (they were cooked with the roast). I also served a green salad.

I have to tell you, though, that the roast was tough! Ugh! Not only was it expensive, but also a huge disappointment. I cooked it slow and low, but evidently I got a not so good piece of meat! I’m just glad I didn’t have guests! I sure hate it when the main dish is a flop! Since you shouldn’t cry over spilled milk, I guess I can’t pout over tough meat!

Nothing tastes as good as food cooked at home – (even if it’s less than perfect), and I love it when my girls make requests for their favorite things when they are here. Food makes connections; it brings a family together, and is so worth the trouble it takes to make a meal in your own kitchen on a regular basis.

Alli’s boy/friend joined us on Saturday for a few hours of bike riding on the bike path in the town next to us. He got here early in the morning, so I figured I’d better have something for breakfast when he arrived. I tried a new recipe – Snickerdoodle muffins. We LOVE snickerdoodle cookies, so when I saw this recipe, I knew it was something we’d enjoy.

This muffin isn’t really pretty, but it was hard to get a good picture because all that cinnamon and sugar on top wanted to fall off, but they were yummy!

Snickerdoodle Muffins
2 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
.3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping
1 c. sugar – I used 3/4 Cup
2 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Either butter a 12-cup muffin tin or
use cupcake papers. (I ended up with 16 muffins)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl,
combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir until
combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly
with a fork.

Fill the muffin cups with batter. Top each muffin with the
cinnamon/sugar mixture. It can be applied heavily.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

It was a beautiful fall weekend here in East Tennessee and cooking in this kind of weather is just fun! What’s been cooking in your kitchen? Have you had a flop recently like I had yesterday?

With cups full of love,

Monday night began a new Bible study for our Ladies’ group. We are repeating the study, “Loving God with All Your Mind.” Some may ask why we’re doing it again, since we did it a few years ago. I believe the truths in this study are fundamental to a Christian woman really being able to grow and have victory in her life. As women, we are bombarded by unbiblical thoughts every day. “I feel…, I don’t feel…, I bet she thinks I’m …,” and on and on our thoughts go! One quote about our thoughts sums up the importance of why we must think right – “You do what you do and you say what you say because you think what you think, and you think what you think because you believe what you believe about God, His Word and yourself.”

1. Recognize the command – Philippians 4:8 – Think on what is true and real.
2. Respond in obedience. Cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. II Cor. 10:5 Like a rodeo rider capturing the calf, we must “lasso” our thoughts and bring them into captivity!
3. Reap the benefits – Blessed is the man that trust in the Lord. We will have physical energy (what’s more draining than being drug through the mire of wrong thoughts?). We will also have spiritual energy, and peace of mind.
   

The truths from our first lesson are powerful! God knows that we have a difficult time with our thoughts, and He has so much to say about it in His Word. I pray that we will allow His Truth to transform our hearts and our minds!

I have recently begun co-teaching the 4 & 5 year-old Sunday school class at church. I love this age – you never what they’re going to say (or do!). I’ve been listening very carefully to each of them as they answer my questions, respond to the story, or talk with their peers. There are always little nuggets of truth in what little ones say, and I don’t want to miss anything!

Toward the end of class I was playing a review game with them, and I asked one little girl, “How can we walk with God like Enoch did?” Her answer was, “By holding His hand.” I don’t remember exactly how I answered her but I think I said something like, “Well, we can’t actually hold His hand like we would our mommy or daddy’s hand, but we do need to be that close to Him that it’s like we are holding His hand.” Precious…

Monday morning as I was having my quiet time I thought on that child’s response and I prayed, “Lord, help me to stay so close to you all day today so that I feel your hand in mine.” The truth is, that is how God wants us to walk with Him. I mustn’t walk ahead of Him, making my own decisions, my own plans. Don’t walk behind Him, doubting and questioning when He asks me to do something. We are to walk with Him, holding His hand. The truth is that He hold us, but we need to stay close within His reach. Oh, the sweet security we find there!

Safe in His grip,