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Why You Need an Herb Garden

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I’ve always had at least a tiny herb garden in each home I’ve lived in.  Right now my herbs are in a small raised bed.  I love having a small herb garden in my yard for lots of reasons and they’re also why I think everyone needs a small herb garden!

Herbs are beautiful!

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Chives

From leafy and frilly to slender and colorful, they are pretty plants to have in the yard.

Herbs are useful.

I use my herbs in flower boxes and pots to add height or even draping over the box.  This Thyme was so prolific that I cut away some from the raised bed to add dimension to this pot.

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Thyme is hanging from the sides of this pot.

 

Of course I also use my herbs in cooking.  Rosemary, thyme and parsley are wonderful in a roasting hen.  Potatoes roasted in the oven are delicious with fresh rosemary. Fresh chives on a baked potato is so good! Their tastiness in food is unending!

Herbs make perfect garnishes for food. 

I use Parsley for garnish on a platter, but if I’ve used rosemary or thyme in a dish, I also use them for garnishes.

 

Herbs smell wonderful.

Brush your hand over any of the herbs and then smell your fingers.  They have a wonderful aroma!

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Parsley is at the bottom (sedum –  a succulent fills in part of my raised bed)

Herbs are easy to dry. 

I hang sprigs of my herbs in the garage to dry out.  Then, over a paper towel, I remove the leaves and put them in glass jars.  These are so much more flavorful than the herbs you purchase in the store!

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You can add them to fresh flower arrangements.

Bring them inside and add to any  vase of flowers and it will add beauty and the fragrance!

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Oregano – This plant is HUGE!!

Herbs are easy to grow!

If you have a hard time with other types of gardens, I’d encourage you to try growing herbs.  Buy little plants from a nursery and get them in the ground now.  By now you can see that they’ll serve you well!

Refresh your yard with herbs!

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death

A Front Row Seat

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The sun shone down and warmed our faces and backs and we spoke in whispers, as folks often due at cemeteries.  A group of men assigned to the task of pallbearers gathered together and made their way to the approaching hearse to attend to their responsibility. The blue casket was pulled from the vehicle and steadily carried to the tent where the group of talkers were now seated or standing under the tent for this last part of the funeral. The service had been the night before at the church.  Today it was time for the committal.

I was honored to be seated with the family, though I didn’t really belong there. I was no Continue reading “A Front Row Seat” →

freezer · Meal planning · organization · refrigerator contents

What’s In My Fridge?

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After returning home from vacation, I went to the grocery store for a few things like fresh veggies and fruits, milk and eggs.  Other than that, my freezer and pantry had what I needed to get through a week of meals.  Bulk shopping when things go on sale keeps me from having to buy a long list of items every single week.  I love that!

I thought I would give you a peek inside my refrigerator and small freezer so you can see the standard things that are in there and how I organize it all.   Continue reading “What’s In My Fridge?” →

Brunch · main dish · memories · Mother's Day · Tablescapes

Friday Favorites – Vacation Pics

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Isn’t it amazing how fast vacation time flies by? I had an app on my phone that told me how many more days ’til vacation.  Then, woosh!  It’s done!   It’s also easy to forget everything that happened.  It’s for that reason that I try to journal each day I’m away.  I try to log what we did and what the highlights of the day were. I write down any fun places we discovered, any new restaurants we enjoyed and also special things that we shared as a couple in our day together. Then when I get home I can read back over my writings and can relive our time away!

Here’s a picture journal for you of a few highlights and favorite photos from our time away. Continue reading “Friday Favorites – Vacation Pics” →

Freedom · Living in Bondage · Truth · worry

Getting Free From the Bondage of Lies

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For Mother’s Day this year my sweet husband bought me a floor lamp that caught my eye when we were visiting a Cracker Barrel on vacation.  It looks like a bird cage, and has the vintage vibe that I love.  What I didn’t know was that it was also going to be a useful tool to remind me of a truth I learned in Bible Study!

After having studied my lesson from Lies Women Believe, I looked at that bird cage in a different light (no pun intended!).  It brought back a reminder of a truth learned in Chapter one of the book.

Believing a lie that Satan puts in my mind is just like being bound up in a cage. Every lie is another rib, keeping me from being free and enjoying the life Christ died to give to me.  Just as Eve acted on the lie in the Garden of Eden and ate the fruit because she believed it would make her wise and like God, if I act on lies I believe, I too, will be held in bondage.

Christ said in John 8:32

Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.

So how can we be free from the bondage of lies?

  1. Identify any areas in which we are living in bondage.  Some examples…
    1. Areas of emotional distress – Depression, anxiety, fear, or worry
    2. Bondage to physical sin – over-eating, not eating, over-exercising,
    3. Financial bondage
    4. Sexual sin
  2. Identify any lies you may be believing that are at the root of the bondage – Some examples might be…
    1. I’m too sinful for God to really love me.
    2. I’ll never be good enough for _____________.
    3. I’m too (fat, short, skinny, ugly, uneducated…) to be of any use to anyone.
    4. I could never do that thing that God wants me to do.
    5. My marriage will never get better.
    6. My family member will never be saved.
    7. I have the right to be happy and do what I want to do.
      The list could go on and on.  But you need to ask yourself,

      What keeps plaguing me?
      What do I keep wrestling with that crops up again and again?

  3. Replace the lies with the truth.  Find Scripture that refutes the lie.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

We all have a choice either to be free, due to the Truth of God’s Word, or to be held in bondage by believing and acting on Satan’s lies.

What lies are living in your heart?  What truth needs to counteract it?  

I would encourage you to memorize Philippians 4:8 if you don’t have it committed to memory yet!

Refresh yourself with Truth!

Denise