“How have you seen God at work in your life this week?” is a question my husband asks people all the time.  I wonder how many times we miss what He is doing?  Too often, I’m afraid.  Maybe it’s because we just don’t give the Lord credit for what is going on around us.  We chalk it up as coincidence or something else humanistic, rather than Divine.

I saw and heard of God at work at least three times yesterday (aside from my quiet time when He spoke to me in His Word)!  The first time was when someone wanted to share a handmade gift  ~ so beautiful and so thoughtful.  It was an early Christmas present!  Who but the Lord would prompt someone so early?!  Her touch of kindness came when I was pretty low, and it meant more than I could even tell her.  I considered her thoughtfulness a hug from the Lord.

A little later I spoke with someone on the phone and they shared a blessing with me, and I witnessed God at work in her life!  It seems that she’d gotten a card in the mail that contained all the elements needed to send her and her husband on a date!  The sender said “the Lord put them on her heart and wanted to send this gift to them to be obedient.” How thoughtful!  Look at what God did!

The third time I saw God at work was when I came home from grocery shopping to find most of what is in this picture above sitting on my front porch.  There was also a tub FULL of blackberries!  What a sweet, thoughtful gesture for a friend from church to stop and leave that produce for us!  We will enjoy it all!

My first thought when I saw the treasure trove of produce was to burst out in tears – happy ones, thankful ones, rejoicing ones.  God is so good to put it on the heart of someone to be a blessing to us in this way!  They may have had cucumbers coming out their ears, but they didn’t have to take the time to share them with us, but they did because God was at work!  

These gifts brought encouragement on days when they were needed.  How special just to be thought of! Just for someone to take the time to say they wanted to be a blessing.  Just to know that the Lord had put us on their hearts was a reminder that our God is at work in our lives every single day!  Sometimes He uses His children to reach out in a simple, thoughtful way to communicate His love.  I’m already thinking about what I can do to be a blessing tomorrow!

With whom would the Lord have you demonstrate His care?  Take a look around you.  What do you have that you could share with a friend?

I’m linking up with OrgJunkie today on her Monday Menu planning.

You know, when you plan ahead of time, meal prep is soooo much easier.  What are some of the benefits of planning out a weekly menu?

• Sunday – Balsamic Roast (See recipe below), Potato Wedges, Fried Okra, Cucumber Salad w/Dill, Wheat, Feta, Dill biscuits
• Monday – Leftovers from Sunday
• Tuesday – Dollywood!
• Wednesday – Italian Meat Loaves, Roasted Potatoes, Tomato slices
• Thursday – BBQ Pork Ribs, Oven “fried” Onion Rings, Strawberry Salad, Inside Out Apple Pies (Come back later this week for recipe!)
• Friday – Leftovers
• Saturday – Grilled Pizza, Salad

The Balsamic Roast was a new recipe for me and we LOVED it!  It’s a great crock pot recipe for a Sunday dinner – or anytime you are going to be away from home and want to come home to a tender, juicy roast!

With love from my country kitchen,

This is a picture of our Salsarita’s lunch outside.

I think most of us wait and dream about summertime.  In the middle of a cold, snowy winter we’re daydreaming about walks outside, barbecues in the backyard and a picnic at the park.  I’m so glad summertime is here!!!!!  Woo hoo!

I am enjoying this summer season so much!  How? Well…

So sit outside when you eat at a restaurant this weekend.  Enjoy the breeze.  Enjoy the warm temps and tuck away a memory you can dream back on this winter when the snow flies!

What are you loving most about summer?

Be refreshed,

Not long ago, I was wanting to snap a picture on my computer’s web cam.  So, I furrowed my brow and started looking at all the apps, hunting for the web cam one.  Finally I found it, and I clicked on it.  A couple minutes passed and then suddenly, the camera was projecting my face – furrowed brow and all!  It was as frightening as seeing something crawl towards you in a dark basement!  The camera revealed my concentrating, searching expression and it was not pretty!  Once I realized the camera was on me, I “straightened up my face” and replaced the scowl with a smile!

On a recent trip to Dollywood – the area’s amusement park, it was really surprising to me how many happy moms I bumped into!  Everyone seemed to being having a ‘good day.”  That’s kind of sad to say, isn’t it?  But think about it – when you’ve been out in public how many moms with her children in tow are smiling?  How many are speaking to her offspring in sweet tones?  It’s been my experience that they are few and far between.  Most are agitated, grumpy and demanding.  Scowls are the prominent facial expression.  I’ll call it “The Mommy Look.”  When she speaks, there are a few sighs peppering the conversation to show her deep frustration with her children.

When I see a mom out in public that looks as I just described, I wonder if her disposition would change if she realized she was being watched – if she knew the “camera was on her face,” so to speak.  Would she “straighten up her face” and turn the scowl into a smile?

I understand, moms.  I’ve been down your road.  I know there are days that you wonder if you’ll ever get that child trained, if you’ll ever see them turn towards the Lord, or if they’ll ever have a compliant attitude.  At times I’d forget that the the Lord had his “camera” on me and I’d scowl at my girls.  I’d scowl at the cat.  I’d scowl at the hard days of motherhood.  How sad and how scary!

The Lord’s camera on our face isn’t to shame us, but to reveal what’s really in our heart.  Motherhood isn’t about changing our children; it’s about changing us.  Motherhood reveals what’s in our hearts.  That shouldn’t be scary – that should be a good thing, revealing a smiling face, rather than a scowl.

It starts early in the morning, before the children arise.  The first way to change your facial expression is to change your heart.  A mom on her knees before the Lord will certainly wear His image on her face through the day!  Get up, spend time in the Word and prayer.  Get a change in your behavior so that it will influence your face!  His camera is on you and He can change the look on your face when He changes your heart!

The second practical suggestion I have for moms is to ask the Lord to help you be aware of your facial expression and tone of voice.  Think about what your face looks like when you’re correcting or instructing.  Is it necessary to knit your eyebrows together?  How is your tone when you’re asking your son to do a task?  Make it sweet; that’s how the Lord calls to us, isn’t it?

So, careful – there’s a camera on you today.  Take a peek into your heart and see if you  need to change the look on your face!

How do you ensure that you have time with the Lord each day in the midst of being a busy mom?

With love,

A Peek Into My life this week

My husband was gone for a few days last week, so I took that time to putter in my house, changing this, and updating that.  I don’t do it while he’s away because he would mind if he were here, it’s just that I seem to have more time to do that sort of thing when he’s gone!  I like to spruce things up and let him come home to a special look in our home!  Let me give you a peek at what I did:

One thing I love about having a fireplace is having a mantle!  It’s so much fun to change it out, and I do that  frequently. Why? Because it begs for it!  I had a Fourth of July mantle recently, and once a holiday is over, I’m ready to replace it with a more relevant theme.  Since it’s summer and growing season, I went with a flower, tree, seed, bird kind of theme.

I have so much fun drawing on my chalkboard as seen here, here, and here.  These are not all of the drawings I’ve done, but just some I’ve posted.  I got an adorable card for our anniversary and loved the picture on it, so I used it as my inspiration for the drawing on my chalkboard.  Here’s a close-up:

Then another little change I made was to add some texture and print to my bookcase.  I did that simply by placing sheets of scrapbooking paper at the back of the cabinet.  I was surprised how much it added!

Here’s a contrast shot of the before and after:

You could use wallpaper, or you could paint the back wall of the cabinet for a striking addition. You could do this to a china cabinet, book shelf or even a  cabinet that has glass doors.  I’m loving it.  It was easy and inexpensive and makes a huge difference to me.

Does anyone else change things around while their husband is away?

With love from my country porch,