A Peek Into My Week

Like many, we had a snowy surprise last weekend.  We woke up to a lovely covering on the ground.  I don’t know when I’ve ever seen the fall foliage with snow around it.  It was pretty amazing!

The picture above looks like a black and white photo with a wash of color added, but of course it’s just the gray day with the fall colors on the tree!  God is an amazing Artist!

The cold temps made it the perfect morning for a comforting breakfast right in front of the fireplace.  We love pulling the table up close so we can have the ambiance and the warmth while we eat.  So romantic!

Yesterday I’d heard that Office Max was having 70% off lots of their merchandise due to a moving sale, so I headed over to look at office supplies.  Then I spotted office chairs – there were four of them – marked to half price.  When I paid for it it rang up at $20!  WooHoo!

It’s pinkish red (or redish pink), which is perfect for me.  I wondered how it would do in the living room, but my sofa has enough pink in it that it is fine.

The pink in the foreground is the chair.

I love the chevron rug under it.  I think it sets the chair and desk off nicely.  I love getting that corner decorated – and I love it even more that I did it at such a great price!!!!

My husband is healing nicely from his surgery and gaining strength every day.  We thank the Lord and don’t take for granted the energy and the joy of just feeling better!  Each day is a gift!

What’s new with you this week?

With love from my country porch,

Imagine being invited to a wonderful meal – it’s a banquet and the best foods will be served.  You excitedly pick out your favorite dress-up outfit and get all ready for this special event.  When you arrive, you’re directed to your seat.  The table is lovely.  There are plates before you – one with salad, one with bread, and the main plate placed in front of you is filled with a scrumptious steak and fluffy baked potato brimming with butter and sour cream.

However, you look and there’s something critical missing…the silverware!  It’s not on the sides of the plate nor is it rolled up in the napkin.  There’s none anywhere on the table, and you’ve come hungry, ready to eat!  You summons the waiter and explain to him that you have no silverware and are unable to eat your meal.

“You didn’t bring your own silverware?”  he asks.  “You knew you were going to be eating when you arrived.  Why didn’t you come prepared?”

“No one told me I should bring my own!” you explain.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry.  You’ll just have to remember what this food looked and smelled like when you go home.  Maybe that will be enough to sustain you,” laments the waiter.

You leave, still hungry, muttering under your breath about how ridiculous it is to think a person can be fed just by remembering what food was served at the banquet!

Now, think back to church last Sunday.  When you sat to listen to the preaching, did you come prepared for the banquet of God’s Word that was going to be fed to you?  Did you pull out your “utensils” – a notebook and a pen, so you could digest and eat heartily of the spiritual food?  Or did you fold your arms and listen,  thinking you could pull up to the table and be fed simply by remembering it later on?

It’s really no easier to be fed spiritually without being prepared as it is physically.  Why would we even think about attending church, a Bible study, Sunday school or our own Quiet Time without a pen and notebook ready so that we can eat heartily?    Do we really believe we’re going to hear from the Lord when His Word is opened?  If we do, we’ll be ready to “dig in” by coming fully ready to hear and record what God has said.

We can’t trust our memory to something so important!  Let’s make sure we come prepared whenever we sit at the Banquet Table of God’s Word – our spiritual nourishment depends on it!

Do you regularly make notes?  What is your method of recording what God says to you?

With love,

About once a week I make us an egg-y breakfast.  I love a yolk that is runny – you know so you can dip your sour dough toast into that puddle of deliciousness.   I’ve struggled, though, with boiling the egg and the white still being a little too soft, then boiling it longer for the white and the yolk getting too hard.  Grrr.

That’s also one of my homemade cinnamon rolls on the plate. You can find the recipe here.

However, I recently found the  best way to have a perfectly soft yolk without having to fry it or boil it too long and ruining the results!  The method is basically steaming the eggs.  Here’s the method:

Put about a half inch of water (yes, that’s all!)  in the pan and let it come to a boil.

Add your eggs, straight from the fridge.  Return to a boil and cover with a lid.  Set the timer for 6 1/2 minutes for large or extra large eggs – 6 minutes for medium eggs.

After the timer goes off, run cold water into pan for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process.

You will then be able to peel the eggs and they will be ready to eat with a soft, runny yolk!

Perfection!

What’s your favorite way to eat an egg?  I hope you’ll try this method if you enjoy a soft yolk.  I’ve done them several times now and they’ve turned out perfect each time!

With love from my country kitchen,

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,