Getting Over Hump Day

July 27, 2016July 26, 2016 RefreshHer2 Comments

Sometimes weeks roll by, each day the same, boring by nature. We get to Wednesday, “Hump Day” and we are told if we can just get past it, we’ll roll right into the weekend and we will have survived another week.

Is survival the best way to face a week or each day? I don’t think so. Scripture reminds us that we should number our days and apply our hearts to wisdom. If you find yourself just limping through this week, why not change things up a bit and add some fun, some life and some interest to even today? Here are some suggestions:

Drive to work on a different route, if you can. Take the country roads, if possible.
Pull the sun roof back a little, or roll down a window and get some fresh air.
Ask the Lord to show you someone with whom you could stop and pray today.
Do something different at lunch. Take your lunch and eat it at the lake, a park or outside at the restaurant.
Go out for ice cream at a drive-in after dark. Splurge on the sundae.
Take time to sit on the front porch and just be still. Watch the traffic or read a magazine or book you’ve wanted to start.
Search ideas for a new hair style. Change the way you fix your hair – even if it’s just parting it differently or adding some curl.
Go to bed early and sit in bed and read a passage of Scripture with your mate before you turn off the lights.
Go out for breakfast somewhere you’ve been wanting to try – that bagel place, the local pancake house or Cracker Barrel!
Have your Bible reading outside early in the morning.
Pray for the neighbors as you walk past each house in the neighborhood.
Get a new color of fingernail polish and paint your fingernails.
Find an interesting You Tube video and watch it while you do your hair in the morning.
Make a sweet bread or muffins to take and deliver to someone who needs encouragement.
Go through the drive-through restaurant and “pay it forward.” (Pay for the person’s order in line behind you.)
Make plans to have someone over on Friday night. Make up a fun menu – grilled pizzas, or S’mores. Make it easy, but plan for fun.
Watch a movie outside after dark on your lap top or tablet.
Write a note to someone and tell them how much you appreciate them. Send it in the mail.
Journal about the best part of the day.

The possibilities are endless. The point is, don’t just endure the week. Make every day count, because they each do!

Refresh your week,

Why I Posted a Fashion Video

July 26, 2016July 29, 2016 RefreshHer3 Comments

The purpose of my blog is to refresh women in their hearts, homes and lives. I desire to give encouragement, inspiration and biblical insights in those areas. Why, then, would I post a video last week that included outfits? Let me explain:

Dressing and putting outfits together is something we all do every single day – it’s a regular part of our lives , so I would like to remind us that putting an outfit together can refresh yourself. What we wear tells others what’s in our hearts before we even open our mouths. They see, they notice, they make judgments. Our clothes are part of our testimony.
I desire to teach that our outfits can bless or disgrace. So many women just throw clothes on, giving little thought to what it looks like on them. I think it’s because often there’s an attitude of “So What?! I want to be comfortable! I don’t care! Big deal!” That kind of attitude says so much. Scripture tells us to dress modestly. We can do that and also be neat, stylish and looking our best. As I shared little tips about how to keep a top in place, or show how to wear summer clothes that are cool, but still cover, I desire to show that others can be blessed, rather than embarrassed by our attire.
I desire to remind us that putting outfits together doesn’t have to be a drudgery, neither does it have to be something we make an idol. Buying certain staple pieces and switching them around can give many different outfits. Have fun and add pieces of jewelry or a scarf and make it look completely different! On the other hand, we don’t need to be consumed with clothes and shopping every minute of every day. Give it some forethought and make wise purchases of good items that will last a long time.
I also want to remind us that we don’t have to spend a fortune to have nice clothes. Bargain shopping, Goodwill stores, and clearance racks can be our friends when it comes to buying what we need for our wardrobe. I’ve seen some Instagram accounts that make me wonder if shopping is all they ever accomplish. We should never make clothes an idol, and there are ways to dress nicely without being consumed with fashion – that is not my goal, nor is it something I want to be known for!

The bottom line is that I want my testimony to be one that would exalt Christ, and my outfits shouldn’t distract from that. I believe it is possible, and it’s with that heart that I posted the video, and would post another one perhaps in the future. My God is El Roi – The God Who sees; He knows my heart. Others only see the outside. My outfits should reflect what’s inside in a gracious, lovely way.

Whether therefore ye eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. I Cor. 10:31

I really desire to be on the alert about my clothes and what they say to others. Therefore, I’m always looking for new ways to do that, and then to pass along to you what I’ve learned. Thank you to so many of you who encouraged me after the video. Thanks for understanding my heart. May the Lord be glorified each day we walk out wearing yet another outfit!

Lovingly,

Denise Signature 100 px

Uncategorized

A Look Through My Lens

July 15, 2016July 14, 2016 RefreshHer8 Comments

I’m only including a collage today, because I’ve uploaded a short video with a question I hope you’ll answer!

These pictures were taken on my three-mile walk yesterday morning. This beautiful view is what gets me out the door to exercise each morning. I can see in my mind the beauty of the country roads, the fields, the sun rise, the cows and the sky. I can’t wait to hit the road and talk to the Lord as I walk. Just look through my lens:

Now here’s my question:

Thanks again for your comments!

Side dish · summertime · Uncategorized

Summer Luncheon ~ Salmon Croquettes

July 11, 2016July 10, 2016 RefreshHer4 Comments

A couple weeks ago while visiting my family in Kentucky, my sister had my parents and me over for a summery lunch. Everything was so delicious, and I promised I would get her recipe for the Salmon Croquettes for you all. Today’s the day!

This is a great meal – it’s healthy, it’s economical, and it’s so yummy! These are all things you could keep on hand for a busy night when you need supper in a hurry. I chop up fresh red peppers and keep them in the freezer for recipes like this. Why not plan on making this one night this week?

salmon 2

Salmon Croquettes & Mayo/Herb Topping

WHAT YOU NEED:

15 oz skinless, boneless pink salmon (I used Kirkland brand from Costco)

½ cup panko crumbs

½ cup finely chopped red sweet pepper

½ cup finely chopped green onions

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 TBL mayo

1 TBL yellow mustard

Topping:

½ cup mayo

3 TBL finely chopped fresh parsley

1 TBL fresh lemon juice

1 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce

Mix topping ingredients. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve.
In a medium bowl combine salmon, bread crumbs, sweet pepper, green onions, egg, 2 TBL mayo, and mustard. Shape into eight 2 ½ inch patties. (about 1/3 cup each)
Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Add patties, cook 4-5 minutes or until browned. Spray the tops with cooking spray before flipping. Continue cooking 4-5 minutes or until cooked through. (160 degrees F)
Place patties on a platter with a dollop of the mayo topping.

Her potato Salad tasted like something purchased in a nice deli! This was a great addition to the Salmon!

POTATO SALAD

8 medium red potatoes

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped green onion tops

1 cup chopped celery

3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

¼ cup diced pimento

1 TBL Dijon mustard

1 cup mayo

¼ cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste.

1 TBL seasoned salt

Wash and cube potatoes, leaving skin on. Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients and gently fold into potato mixture.

Now, let me end this post with a fun and delicious way to have the taste of S’mores but with a little twist! Pictured below is what we call Waffle Cone S’Mores:

Take all the ingredients you would like to melt and roast together, add it to the inside of sugar cone or waffle cone. We have found that a good combination is chocolate, marshmallows and strawberries. Fruit really adds the “over-the-top” edge! The mini Reeses cups makes the perfect little cap at the top of the cone, and when it melts…wow!

Pack it deep inside the cone, wrap in foil and set it on the grate over a fire or grill. Try to wait patiently for everything to melt together – about 10 minutes. Unwrap and enjoy!

These are the kinds of treats summer was intended for! Plus you have the fun of the fire, everyone standing around making their own dessert, laughing, munching and enjoying the summer evening. What fun!

I hope you’ll put some part of this on your menu soon. What a great recipe for your family, and one special enough for entertaining with as well!

With love from my country kitchen,

Godly Character Traits · Uncategorized

The Picture of Discernment

July 5, 2016July 4, 2016 RefreshHerLeave a comment

About nine years ago our church graciously gave my husband a 40-day sabbatical (a period of paid leave) that started on Christmas Eve. During the first week of January we went to a lovely mountain home in South Carolina to rest. This home was located high up in an area known as “The Cliffs.” We were staying in a section of homes at the end of the road. We could look out the large windows in the house and see the tiny lights of the houses far below us twinkling in the darkness.

The weather was quite blustery. The wind was howling when we unloaded our belongings from the car and the snow was flying. After we got our things moved into the house, my husband headed back down the mountain to go get our younger daughter who had been staying the week with her sister. He would be gone about an hour and a half.

While he was gone, I made supper and then put it in the oven to stay warm until they returned. I then decided that this would be a good time to snuggle into the comfy sofa with a cup of hot tea and work on a Bible study I was doing. The wind continued to howl outside the windows as I studied, banging things against the house and making all kinds of imaginary people stomp right outside my doors! Then the wind got so strong that the power flickered, then went out! I put my hand up in front of my face and couldn’t even see it! It was pitch black! I grabbed my cell phone and hit the power button to activate the light, then ran into the kitchen to look for a candle and matches. Aha! Here was a lovely scented candle up on the counter. Matches…matches….? Nowhere. Then I remembered that the stove was gas. I got the wick lit at the burner, then made my way back over to the sofa, relieved at the light this little candle brought to my very dark situation!

That illustration is what discernment does in our lives – it brings light to an uncertain situation. Discernment is the ability to distinguish between two things using the wisdom of God’s Word. Discernment allows us to see issues clearly. We so desperately need to cultivate discernment so we will know light from darkness, truth from error, best from better, righteousness from unrighteousness, purity from defilement and principles from pragmatics.

How does a person get discernment? You ask God for it, and go to His Word to find it. Ask Him for it before you get into a crisis. It would have been better for me if I’d have prepared for the storm before the lights went out! If only I had gotten the candle lit prior to the crisis moment of darkness I wouldn’t have been so frightened. We can’t plan for a crisis in our lives, but we can prepare ahead of time by seeking God’s face for discernment from His Word. We must store it up in our hearts so it will be ready when those moments come that threaten to shake us at the very foundation of our faith. Proverbs 22:3 tells us that a prudent person looks ahead and sees the possible danger in a situation and they do what they can to avoid it, but the foolish person plunges ahead and suffers the consequences.

One wise way to prepare ahead of time is to memorize Scripture. We will all face death at some time – in the life of a loved one, or our own. What Scripture do you know by memory that will sustain you at that time?

If you’re married you know you need God’s wisdom to be a godly wife. What passages are you meditating on when it gets hard to love your husband?

We are all tempted to fly off the handle and “give so-and-so a piece of our mind.” What do you tell yourself from God’s Word when that temptation comes?

Ladies, storms are coming. We must prepare ahead of time so we’ll have the Light for the darkness!

In I Samuel 25, we read that Abigail responded to her husband and to David in a way that was so wise. She didn’t fall apart, come unglued, or go have a crying spell. She acted in a wise, discerning way. Her husband Nabal never changed, and the fool in our life may never change either. But we can remain a pure, courageous, discerning woman that glorifies the Lord even in the midst of a crisis.

By the time my husband and daughter got back to our mountain retreat, the lights had come back on, though they continued to flicker often. But now there was nothing to fear because there were lit candles throughout the house. I wouldn’t be caught unprepared again! I pray that I’ve learned that same lesson in my spiritual life!

How have you recently seen a woman display discernment? How are you preparing to be discerning yourself?

With love,