If you’re going to get (yes, “get”) to stay home for a week, there’s nothing like a little fall splendor all around your house to make the day feel even better than a day at Dollywood!  I’ve enjoyed some breathtaking scenes in the morning, afternoon and evening!  Here’s what I’ve been looking at from my porch and windows:

These are all un-edited, by the way!

Sunrise. If you look carefully you can see the silhouette of the cows on the hillside.

Afternoons have been beautiful this week!  Mild temps and blue skies with the orange trees bouncing off the hugh behind them.

Foggy Sunrise

I’ve been fixing lots of food trays for my husband, who is recovering from surgery.  He’s doing pretty good – not as good as he’d like, but it’s all in the Lord’s timing.

I had an afternoon of diversion and made a bunch of cards to send out. I love crafting, and this is a good outlet.  It nice to have time to pour all my energies into something that I hope will make someone smile.

Sunset’s glow

That’s what’s going on in my neck of the woods this week.  What’s been the focus of your week?

With love from my country porch,

We have some serious convalescing going on at our house.  My poor hubby had surgery last Thursday, and has been laid up since then.  He’s been up and down, but mostly down.  I am amazed at how hard it’s been to do my “normal” routine around home while caring for him.  It’s not that he’s needing me constantly; he’s an independent guy – even when he’s sick, but just keeping up with meds, ice pack, and his symptoms has kept me in a whirl.

If it wasn’t for a bunch of gracious folks, I’d probably be warming up a pan of Campbell’s Soup for our meals.  It is such a blessing to have family and friends step in to bring a dish or fix a pot of soup to get us through another mealtime.  Since I’m the cook at our house and I’m also the well person here, I feel kind of funny receiving these generous doses of compassion, but as I said earlier, it’s been difficult to get other things done in a normal amount of time.  My coffee cup was warmed over twice and still unfinished yesterday.  You know what it’s like – it’s a busy day taking care of someone who has had surgery.

I have shared in the past the kind things others have done for us, but let me give you a few ideas of what others have recently done, in case you know of someone else who might need a meal and you have no idea what to do for them.

Blue Ribbon – Homemade Apple Crumb Pie Watch in an upcoming post for this recipe!

Not everyone is as blessed as we are to have such a caring church family.  Perhaps this post is the little nudge you need to think about someone in your world that could use a meal.  It will be a huge blessing to them.  Why not take one of these suggestions and show up at their door with some loving nourishment?

So thankful,

No doubt about it – we are coffee people at our house!  Morning coffee isn’t a question.  It is expected!  There have been times while my husband and I have traveled and coffee isn’t offered or available.  When we were in Israel I was thankful I’d taken some instant coffee with us, because it just wasn’t available at restaurants.  We’ve also been on retreats and found there was no coffee pot in our housing.  Sadness!

Soooo, we have been on the hunt for a small coffee maker that we could take in our suitcases!  Some dear friends who travel all over the world told us about the AeroPress Coffee Maker.  We recently bought one at Bed Bath and Beyond for under $30.  Wow!  It makes a great cup of coffee, and all you need is hot water!  The coffee is made with real coffee ~ not instant granules, and it’s made in about 3 minutes!

I found a couple of helpful videos like this one that helped me understand the best way to brew the coffee.  By the way, most videos say to add more hot water after the brewing process.

Now the only other thing I need to pack is my little package of creamer, and I can rest well at night when I’m away from home, knowing that a perfect cup of coffee is definitely in my morning routine – no matter where I am!  That’s the best way to freshen up ANY day!

Stay refreshed,

A little look at Grove Park Inn’s Breakfast Buffet

I’m not one for buffets.  They overwhelm me.  Most of them have generic tasting food that’s just so-so.  HOWEVER, Grove Park Inn in Asheville is another story entirely!  Their breakfast buffet is worth the price and the calories once a year.  Every food out there is done at its best.

One room is full of breads, muffins, croissants, pastries, donuts, granola, yogurt, and fruit.  You could stop right there and have a full breakfast.  But if you did, you’d miss out on the hot food in the next room!  They have an omelet bar where they will fix your omelet to your liking.  There are meats like sausage, bacon, pork tenderloin, and ham.  There’s gravy for grits and biscuits, French Toast, potato wedges, cheese grits, pancakes, fried apples, and my favorite – Cheese Blintz with warm fruit compote!

How foolish would it be to pay for the buffet and then only eat the dry toast?  You’d probably hear from me that you need to go and help yourself to all the other delicacies offered!  I’d probably list them for you as I did earlier!  Why?  I don’t want you to miss out!

Spiritually, we’re often tempted to nibble a little here and there after salvation.  We might take a little “bite of toast” or a “sample of a muffin,” by reading a little devotional booklet before our day, but we never dig deep into God’s Word to study or memorize.  We don’t ground ourselves with Doctrine.  We don’t come to know our Bible or its Author.

Why?
Because it’s too hard.
That would require work.  That’s hard.
That would require me to get up early.  That’s hard.
The would mean I’d have to work at Scripture memory.  That’s hard.

Consider this:

Scripture memory is hard!  Not having verses to repeat in the night watches is hard.  
CHOOSE YOUR HARD.
Getting up early to have my Bible study is hard!  Going through your day in your flesh is hard.
CHOOSE YOUR HARD.
Going to be earlier is hard!  Trying to accomplish God’s will while fatigued is hard.  
CHOOSE YOUR HARD.
Finding time for Christian fellowship is hard.  Isolating yourself is hard!  
CHOOSE YOUR HARD.

I looked at the clock- it was 7:47 a.m.  The bed was made (thanks to my sweet husband), I had finished my Bible study and prayer time, and the last of the laundry was folded and ready to be put away.  Getting up early has its perks!

Even if you’re not necessarily a morning person by nature, there are ways to make the most of the morning. How?

Keep moving through your morning, doing the most pressing tasks first.  Don’t allow yourself to stop and do unnecessary things (Facebook, email, blogs, etc) before the real jobs are finished.  You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done before you’ve been up and hour or two!

I hope this was helpful.  Have a productive day!

With love from my country porch,