In a sweet little book I’ve had for years, With Love and Pinch of Salt by Jessie Sandberg, I found this. It’s worth reading and contemplating!

Today’s peek will give you a look at a few little things going on in the parsonage.

First, since July 4th is a day away, and perhaps you’re thinking of having corn on the cob, look at this little trick I learned this week:

Wrap the cleaned corn with a damp paper towel and microwave for a minute! I only did one ear when I tried this, but I’m sure you could do more than one at a time. I’d wrap each ear separately. How quick to fix corn this way, especially if you’re just doing an ear or two.

The summer flowers are in full bloom at the parsonage! Day lilies, phlox and hydrangeas are all making a brilliant display at the front of the house.

Tomorrow Alli’s coming home for a little visit. We have several plans…fireworks, Jonesborough parade and Carter’s Fold! Should be a sparkly, foot-stompin’ weekend of fun!

What are you doing to celebrate the Fourth?

From the parsonage windows,

Summertime brings vacation time. Time to hit the road for new places. I remember one summer years ago when my husband and I went with his parents to visit family in New York. After hours and hours of traveling from South Carolina on our way to NY, we grew weary and were ready to turn in for the night. My in-laws were impromptu travelers, you might say, and didn’t call ahead and make reservations. Then there was also the problem of when we did stop, my father-in-law was not going to pay those high prices just to sleep! So, we’d pile back in the car and keep driving. The later it got, the more “No Vacancy” signs we saw; reminding us that making a reservation would have been a good idea. A really good idea.  When we finally did find a place with room for us, at a price my husband’s dad felt good about, well, let’s just say I wished I could have felt as good about sleeping in that bed. Whew! Live and learn.

“No vacancy” can be difficult to deal with when you’re traveling, but do you ever find that there’s a “No vacancy” sign hanging on your heart when you think about reading God’s Word? There’s no place for it to lodge; it just isn’t welcomed there. A heart that is cool or indifferent, disobedient and wandering away from the Lord will cause there to be no place for God’s Word to lodge.

Jesus told the Pharisees in John 8:37 – my word hath no place in you. How sad. Do you love His Word? How was that revealed in your life today? Have you read it? Did you write down a thought God taught you? Have you thought about it through the day? Did you share it with anyone?

If you have the slightest feeling of disregard for the Bible, tell the Lord, and ask Him to keep your heart tender and in love with His precious Word. He will answer that request. Don’t let a day pass where the Word of God has No Vacancy in your heart!

What blessing from God’s Word did you read recently?

With love,

We had lunch at church yesterday, so I decided to take a couple tried and true recipes, and one new salad. I made a cold Italian macaroni salad since it was going to be a hot day. I then decided on homemade French Bread (that I’ve shared before) to go with it. This bread is so easy and is a perfect accompaniment to a salad. It can be on your cooling rack in a matter of less than two hours and it makes two loaves!

A friend had served us a piece of pound cake recently and it created a hunger for more! I pulled out my Cooking Light recipe and made the Blueberry Pound Cake. We were rewarded with a beautiful cake, but with less fat than an old-fashioned recipe! You can’t beat that! You would never know it’s light! This is a great recipe!

Here’s the Italian Salad I made. It looks like whole wheat pasta, but it’s not -it’s the balsamic dressing that goes over the salad that darkens the pasta. I love cold pasta salads in the summertime! This was good! You could add or delete ingredients to suit your family’s taste.

Italian Salad
8 oz. elbow macaroni
12 oz. cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion, chopped
7 oz. Mozzarella cheese, cubed
12 black olives, pitted
1 oz. fresh basil leaves
shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese, to garnish
Crusty bread, to serve

For the dressing:
5 tbl exra virgin olive oil
2 tbl balsamic vinegar
1 tbl chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. It should be tender, but firm. Drain. Rinse under cool running water.

While pasta is cooking, make the dressing by mixing all ingredients in a small jar. Cover and set aside.

Mix salad ingredients in a bowl. Pour dressing over and mix. Cover and refrigerate until cool. Scatter over the basil leaves. Garnish with fresh Parmesan cheese shavings and serve with crusty bread (like the French Bread on today’s post!).

What do you like to make for dinner on a hot summer day?

From my parsonage kitchen,

As I looked at it and saw that white stool, it dawned on me that I have a red stool just like that sitting in my kitchen.  I went and got it and put it in my living room.

Be refreshed,
 
P.S. Stay posted about the mirror at the end of the hallway! I just had a thought about one in the guest room, or the old window that’s downstairs! And I think it needs something tall instead of those roses… Gotta go! Those creative juices are still flowing!