A Peek from my Country Porch

October 9, 2013July 14, 2015 RefreshHer3 Comments

I love to doodle and draw. The picture/chalkboard that I have on the mantle in the living room gives me a great opportunity to draw with a purpose. I found a great idea for my fall decor. So I changed out my chandelier drawing for this one:

Autumn, the year’s last,
loveliest smile.

Do you draw or doodle? Paint? Sketch? What do you do that is on the crafty side that begs for release?

Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will seek God for personal revival, and revival in your church and community.

Husband Encouragement: Jesus led a balanced life. He grew mentally, physically, spiritually and socially. As you see your husband branching out in these areas, is there a pattern of growth? Is your husband striving for balance in his life? If so, let him know you have noticed, and ask how you can further encourage him.

My husband and I have the privilege of serving the Lord in Alaska this weekend and we fly out this afternoon from Atlanta! We are excited at this wonderful opportunity! I’ll be speaking to some dear ladies at a retreat on Friday and Saturday, and he will be preaching on Sunday. Will you pray that the Lord will use His Word to encourage and challenge these dear folks? Pray for strength and wisdom as we go. Thank you!

With love from my country porch,

Sin’s Grip is Lost

October 8, 2013July 14, 2015 RefreshHerLeave a comment

It has been a week of seeing God at work! A young man for whom we have been praying to be saved, opened his heart and received Christ before our morning worship service on Sunday. Then he stood before our congregation to share that he had been saved! I hope I never get over the wonder at seeing a soul trust Christ as their Savior!

Will he have a sin-free, easy life now? Of course not. The Lord even said that we will have tribulation in this world, but we could be of good cheer! Why? He (Jesus) has overcome the world! Though this young man will have obstacles and sin to face and deal with, he can say what is expressed in this song:

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –

Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

Praise the Lord, we don’t have to sin. Is there a sin that seems to have a grip on you? If you are God’s child, realize that Christ died so that sin would not have a hold on you! Because Christ arose from the grave victorious over death, you and I can have victory of sin by His strength. What a wonderful blessing to be free!

Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that God will give your pastor a clear, biblical vision of what your church can and should be for His glory, and that he will communicate that vision clearly and confidently to the church.

Husband Encouragement: Does your house flourish in an atmosphere of peace? According to God’s Word, peace is something that must be sought, pursued and focused on. The way you live your life and relate to your husband and family will set the tone for your home.

Likewise, you can encourage your husband to pursue peace. Praise him for his gentle spirit or his ability to diffuse conflict. Lovingly remind him of the power of his words and how much good can come from a wise comment. Thank him for being mindful to protect your family from negative entertainment options.

With love,

Husband · Pastor · Side dish

What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

October 7, 2013April 4, 2015 RefreshHer3 Comments

Last Friday was what I called a “marathon baking” day. I was getting ready for company, a HUGE Sunday school gathering at our house, and our church’s anniversary dinner. I was in the kitchen all day and into the early evening getting ready for it all. I loved every minute of it and had a huge feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day!

Because I knew Saturday was going to be a full day, I opted to make things for our Sunday church dinner that could be made ahead of time. Those three little words can be a girls’ best friend on a busy day! Here’s what I made:

Sour Dough Bread

Gourmet Potatoes

Cranberry Jello Salad

Sugar Cookies

Texas Sheet Cake

Gourmet Potatoes – This is a dish that has to be assembled the night before. Doing it two nights before was even better! The Cranberry jello Salad recipe is an easy to assemble jello salad. I don’t always have ~~patience~~ time for those recipes where you have to let the jello set up! This is is a mix and dump recipe. Then you just put the whipped topping on after it’s all set. Couldn’t be easier! If you will need a cranberry salad for Thanksgiving dinner, you really need to add this one to your menu. I love it – I bet you will too!

I left the whipped topping off this time, and it was just as yummy!
But of course the whipped topping puts it over the top!

Cranberry Salad
1 – 3oz. pkg lemon Jello
1 – 3oz. pkg. dark raspberry Jello
1 20oz. can crushed pineapple
1 can Cranberry sauce (whole berry)
¼ cup chopped (fine) celery
1 cup boiling water

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Drain pineapple and add water to make 1 cup. Mix all together and pour into a 9 x 13” dish and refrigerate until set.
Topping for Jello
Prepare one pkg. Dream Whip according to directions. Add one 8-oz. pkg cream cheese. Add 3-4 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Beat until smooth. Spread on congealed salad.

Gourmet Potatoes
6 medium potatoes
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C sour cream (I used light)
1/3 C chopped onion
1 t. salt
paprika

Peel the potatoes. Leave them whole. Cook in boiling water ’til tender. Cool.
Shred potatoes coarsely. In medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and cheese. Stir ’til melted. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream, onions and salt. Fold in potatoes and pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish.
Sprinkle with paprika on top. Refrigerate overnight. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

So that’s what I was cooking this weekend. How about you?

This is the last week for our encouragement challenge. Here’s your first assignment:

Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray for spiritual unity in the church staff and among the spiritual leadership of the church (deacons). Pray the enemy will not be allowed to create divisions, strife, or misunderstanding among the church leaders.

Husband Encouragement: If you have children, does your husband discipline them wisely? Does he show them love and encourage them? Does he take interest in their activities and dreams? Does he spend time with them? Does he take part in developing their character? Praise him for these important life skills.

If you don’t have children, is your husband positive and encouraging to other people’s children? Let him know that you have noticed and believe he has what it takes to be a great dad.

With love from my country kitchen,

Home decor

Freshen Up Friday

October 4, 2013July 14, 2015 RefreshHer3 Comments

Want to make doing laundry a little more interesting? How about sprucing up your laundry room? Pinterest has some really fabulous ideas. Are they for real? Can the laundry room be pretty? I think so based on some pictures I’ve found!

Could your laundry space use some freshening up?

Here are a few beautiful rooms from my Pinterest boards to spark

your creativity…

Better Homes and Gardens

Use up-high shelving to maximize laundry room storage space.

Better Homes and Gardens

A laundry room can still be warm and cozy - here, the cement walls are hidden behind subtle polka-dot curtains, while other home accessories, such as decorative boxes and glass bottles and the pair of ceiling fixtures, offer homey warmth.

Tip Junkie

And now for my new laundry room

(still a work in progress)

Based on the pictures I’ve loved, I realized that a laundry room needs to have some unexpected elements, some functional pieces for storage, and something really pretty.

Here’s what I’ve done so far.

I’m going with gray and yellow and red as an accent.

I’m still on the lookout for a yellow and gray rug.

This is also Liza’s room,
so don’t mind that she wanted to be in my pictures!

So the baskets are the functional pieces that hold my laundry detergents, starch and such.

How about a little lamp and some flowers?

I love my Susan Branch calendar and thought this was a perfect place to hang it so I’ll see it often!

Artwork on the walls adds a finishing touch to make it look like it is indeed a room – not just a catch-all space.

I also hung a picture/bulletin board of family and friends.

Something a little unexpected helps perk things up, too.

Because laundry is a necessary part of housework means the room we do it in should be inviting and as pretty as possible. Make it enjoyable to be in there! What could you do to add a little element of creativity – even beauty to your laundry room? Freshen it up…you might even want to do a load of laundry just so you can look at your lovely space!

I’m going to skip the encouragement challenge today because this post has been so long. See you on Monday!

Be refreshed,

Marriage

The Missing Ingredient

October 3, 2013July 14, 2015 RefreshHerLeave a comment

This past Tuesday night ended a four week long marriage session that we held here in our home. It was entitled, “Marriage Matters,” because marriage matters! I loved that there were newlyweds up to folks married 38 years that came each week. It says so much that they would take a whole month and spend every Tuesday night working on their marriage.

It tells their spouse that they care enough about their marriage to put all else aside so they can make their marriage even better.
It tells their children that they want to make the most of their relationship and in so doing, provide a stronger home for them.
It tells their God that they are desiring to honor the vows they made to Him on their wedding day, and are doing whatever it takes to make their marriage work.

On the last night we gathered, we talked about the things that come into a marriage that cause distance – things like: busy schedules, children, in-laws, pets, work, phone calls, unconfessed sin, and hobbies. At one point one of the wives mentioned that flirting goes by the wayside. Flirting…that thing you did when you were dating. It’s the little teasing, the playfulness that was a part of your time together. It seems that after the wedding, it’s easy to get used to being married and we don’t flirt anymore!

Did you know there is mention of flirting in the Bible? In Genesis 26:8 we read: And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. Sporting is flirting. Isaac was flirting with his wife Rebekah! They got caught by the king! When was the last time your kids “caught you” flirting with their daddy? That should happen frequently. In case you’ve forgotten how, what can you do to flirt with your spouse?

Sit in his lap.
Put your arms around him and embrace him sweetly when he walks in the door.
Give him a lingering kiss.
Put your head on his shoulder when you’re watching a movie together.
Leave him a love note in a secret place where only he will find it- in his wallet or dresser drawer.
Create a secret signal so you can flirt in a crowded room. =)
Fix his favorite dessert and serve it by candlelight in your bedroom.
Leave a note under the windshield wiper of his car.
Make plans to play a game together – laugh! Enjoy his company! Who cares who wins?!
Surprise him with lunch just for the two of you. Pick him up at work and go to a park for a picnic lunch you’ve packed.

Marriage takes work if you want one that is above average. You might have missed the Marriage Matters class, but you can still let your spouse know that your marriage matters.

How? You know!

Pastor’s Encouragement: Pray that your pastor will practice servant leadership, edifying the congregation with wisdom and serving with God’s agape love.
Husband’s Encouragement: God has wired us with different personalities. And often He will draw together two people with opposite strengths and weaknesses, on purpose, in order to refine us and help us. Sometimes the very strengths we love at first become points of contention later.

Is your husband organized? Is he diligent? Is he persistent? These are all related to a pattern of personal disciplines that are worthy of your praise—even when his bent for order and discipline comes against your bent for whimsy. Affirm him for these traits and how this helps your marriage function. .

Some men are naturally more spontaneous. They may be fun loving or people-focused. These are all related to a creative spirit that is also worthy of your praise—even when his bent for spontaneity comes against your bent for planning.

With love,