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Freshen Up Friday

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Here is a great product that every woman should have in her dresser drawer…Lingerie Tape.  It’s used to hold clothing in place so there won’t be embarrassing reveals.  I first saw this product when I was coordinating a wedding.  A bridesmaid came with a roll of it to keep straps hidden and neckline secure.  It works great and is invisible. 

Gaping necklines or tank top straps can be made secure with just a couple inches of tape tucked under your clothing.  The tape is double-sided, so after pulling off the amount you need, place the sticky side on your skin under the garment, then pull off the white layer revealing the other sticky side of the tape.  Press the clothing onto the tape and voila’! 

Because my top had narrow sleeves, I added a piece of tape just below each shoulder.  It held it in place beautifully.  Summer outfits need this product!

This stuff is great and makes an outfit modest without having to constantly be fooling with it to keep it where it ought to be.  I found it on Amazon for $6.  Freshen up your wardrobe (and your modesty) and invest in a roll.  It will make a believer out of you!

Be refreshed,

Easter

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

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I pinned an ever-so-cute Bunny Napkin Fold on one of my Pinterest boards and decided that I would fold my napkins like that this Easter.  Last week I got out my freshly ironed napkins, along with the on-line instructions from Martha Stewart and tried my hand at this delicate fold. Um, sure! I felt like a magician because the bunny kept disappearing!  I’d see the formation of the ears, then I couldn’t figure out how to finish it, or it would pop open after I thought I had it secured.  But you know what?  I kept trying until I got it!

Anything worth doing is worth working at until you master it! What thing in your spiritual life do you need to keep working at, with God’s help? Bible study? Memorization? Witnessing? Don’t quit!

I don’t do well with drawings or written instructions!  I’m a visual learner who has to see the real thing in pictures to progress at any speed.  Once I learned how to do this fold,  I snapped pictures in case anyone else does better with snapshots than drawings.  Here you go.

Here’s where we’re headed.  This is the finished fold…

My instruction pictures are using a pink napkin so you can see it better. The stiffer the napkin, the easier it will be and the better it will look.  I like the looks of my pink napkin better than the cream colored, though I’ve never seen a pink bunny!

Step 1 –
Fold starched napkin into thirds to form a rectangle. (If you’re using a square napkin, you’ll need to fold in half, and then fold in half again to get a long rectangular shape.)

Step 2 –
Crease in half to create a center line for reference    That was Martha’s instruction.  I would just say to – Find the center of the napkin and  fold top corners down to this center line.

Step 3 –

Fold up bottom corners.  Don’t worry about that little fold on the side.

Step 4 –

Bring right and left edges together to center.  See the bunny’s ears appearing?  They’re at the bottom.

Step 5a –

Flip upside down and over.  The ears are on top now.

Step 5b –

Turn bottom point up.  (This will become his tail)

Step 6 –

To fasten: Fold left and right corners back (really towards the front of the bunny); tuck one corner into the pocket of the other. Pull out bunny ears first; open up base.

Here’s a picture of the other side of the bunny – the side that is “tucked.”  See how it goes into the fold?  Depending on the size of your napkin you might only have a little to tuck.  Just keep working with it until it stays put.  Again, the stiffer the napkin the easier this will be.

While you’re holding the tucked corners, fluff up the ears and make the tail stand up. At first it looks like this…kind of pitiful.

Keep working until it looks like this…

Isn’t it adorable? 
Hmmm, will I gasp when my Easter guests unfold this little guy?  =)  Nah, there’s more where he came from!

From my parsonage windows,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

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I’m not sure if there’s a smell so grand as garlic baking on bread sticks!  Does that bring Olive Garden to mind?  What a delight to smell that basket of garlic making its way to your table! 

Do you know there is a smell God loves?  I read  this in my Bible reading this weekend – Genesis 8:20, 21 – And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. The Lord loves the smell of our love for Him that is seen in our obedience!  Is He smelling that sweet savor in your life today?

 
I was so happy to find a recipe that mimics the taste of Olive Garden’s bread sticks.  They are a yeast bread that only has to rise once, so they are done in a relatively short amount of time. 

My menu yesterday was:

Swiss Steak
Mashed Potatoes
Southern Style Green Beans
Green Salad
Garlic Bread sticks
~~~~~~
Pound Cake with Fresh Strawberries and topped with
 Strawberry Whipping Cream
Swiss steak is a great dish for Sunday, because it requires 4 hours of baking time.  During the time you’re in Sunday school and church – you were there, right? 🙂 – the meat cooks down so tender you don’t need a knife!

4 lb. Arm roast
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pepper
2-3 Tbsp oil
1 16 oz. can tomatoes, cut up
1 onion, sliced
1 small green pepper, sliced

Serves 6
Heal oil in large skillet.  Season roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Dredge in flour, then brown on both sides in hot oil. 

Place in roasting pan.  Arrange onion and pepper slices on top of roast, then pour tomatoes over top.  cover and bake at 250 degrees for at least 4 hours, more if you have time.  check occasionally to see if it needs water. d(Okay, you cant’ do this if you’re at church, but I just make sure it has plenty before I leave.) Makes its own gravy.

I did my mashed potatoes in the crock pot – like I’ve mentioned before.  Just peel and cut them up, cover with water in your crock pot and turn to high.  When you get home they will be ready to mash!

For Southern Style Green Beans in a can, pour the beans – liquid and all in a skillet.  For 2 cans of greens beans add about 2 Tbl of butter and cook over low heat until all the liquid is evaporated.  They taste like they’ve cooked all day long!

Garlic Bread sticks as seen on Chef in Training.

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 – 120 degrees F)

1 package active dry yeast

4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon salt

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.In separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined.

Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not over knead!

Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips. (It will make 16, so cut the dough in half, then each half into 8 strips.)
Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the following:

1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoons salt

After bread sticks have cooked for 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture.

Then continue to bake. Bake for 5-8 more minutes.

Immediately upon removal from the oven brush the other half of the butter on the sticks. I also sprinkled them with some Parmesan Cheese.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before eating.  (Sure.  Just try!)

Strawberry Whipping Cream

Whip up heavy whipping cream with about 1/3 Cup powdered sugar.  Whip until soft peaks form.  Mash up strawberries or raspberries, add to whipped cream. 

What was cooking in your kitchen this weekend?

From my parsonage kitchen,

Easter

Freshen Up Friday

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There are so many adorable ideas on the Internet for Easter…which is only three weeks away.  Have you found any recipes or decorations that you are excited to do this year?  Let me inspire you with a few things I’ve found; ideas to refresh your spring and your anticipation of Easter.



This darling treat is from Martha Stewart



These miniature centerpieces would be so simple!



Here is a simple idea from Martha Stewart to just add blades of grass around your morning eggs.  Cute!




Edible nests!  I think my Sunday school class would love these!



I love this door decoration because it is the symbol of what Easter is all about.

If nothing else, put out a bowl of jelly beans or chocolate eggs in a pretty bowl or pretty little basket and set it out on the coffee table or your entry table so your guests will have a spring treat.

I hope you’ve been inspired!

Now, how about some refreshment in your spiritual life?  We all need it every day, don’t we?  We begin revival meetings this Sunday with Ben Farrell.  The meeting runs Sunday through Friday.  We’d love to have you come!  We are looking for the Lord to do great things among us!

See you in church!

Be refreshed,

P.S.  Did you notice the new tabs above today’s post?  I’m especially working on the “Recipe” tab to create links to all the recipes on my blog so it will be easier for you to find them.  Hope this is helpful to you!

Speech

My Choice

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I passed a billboard on the interstate recently that said, “Now you have a choice.”  I’m truly not sure what it was referring to, because I saw no other ads with it (pro-abortion rights, etc).  However, the first thing that came to my mind about my choice was something that had just happened – and it was regarding the tongue. 

James 3:5-8 says, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Verse 10 – Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. In other words, brothers, you have a choice about what you say!

Do you find it as easy as I do to say whatever comes into your mind?  Do you find it as hard as I do to refrain from it?  Oh!  This little tongue can get me into so much trouble.  I’ve blogged often about this because it’s something I’m frequently dealing with!  It’s harder to control with those I love the most.  But, I’ve been reminded again, that I have a choice!  No one makes me say what I say.  I do it all by myself!  I think it.  I say it.  I regret it.

My choice then today is, will my words be…

  • Thoughtful or thoughtless? 
  • Spirit-filled or Fleshly?
  • Suppressed or Slung? 
  • Priceless or Worthless? 

I have a choice today – I can speak, or I can refrain from speaking.  I can say what I’m thinking, or I can pray first.  Therefore I’m praying Psalm 141:3 today – Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.  The Lord will direct me to the right choice!

With love,