Home decor

Freshen Up Friday

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Isn’t it amazing how you can overlook something in your house that is looking a little worn, outdated, or even dirty?  We go about our daily routine without paying much attention.  Recently when I was on my hands and knees washing the kitchen floor (don’t be impressed, I use a mop most of the time!), I looked over at the cabinet inches from my face and said, “oh my goodness!”  I hadn’t noticed how worn the paint was on the edges, or the little splashes on the cabinet front caused by cooking and washing dishes!  So now, I have a project I’d love to tackle this spring – refreshing my kitchen cabinets.

My cabinets are painted white, and I changed out the hardware for knobs a few years back, but the cabinets themselves are showing their age.  I’d love to spiff  them up somehow, without spending much money.  How about you?  Do your kitchen (or bathroom) cabinets need a touch up?

I went looking on the Internet and found some beautiful Pictures, which are all from Better Homes and Gardens web site.  What great ideas are here!  I had a friend tell me recently that looking at beautiful magazine pictures discouraged them and made them want what they saw.  In my case, it inspires me to make what I have a little better.  We can all improve things without coveting or being extreme.  Just do what you can afford and what makes your home a place that you love!  So, take a look and be inspired!



Crown molding added to these cabinets made them extra special!





Love the frosted glass.  Keeping the cabinets “perfect” wouldn’t be as crucial as clear glass.
I also love the black paint!

 


Can I just say I love this?!  Chalkboard paint on one cabinet adds a pop of something different and makes you feel at home! 
I think a can of this paint is in my future!




Chicken wire fronts show off pretty glassware.  I’m sure this is more cost-effective than glass! 
My rooster dishes would be adorable behind this!




A glaze over paint gives this a softer appearance.




Distressing the cabinets after painting softens the look of the stainless appliances.



Maybe all you need to do is change the hardware.  these pulls add a lovely touch!
What changes will you make to your cabinets?  Find any ideas here or know of something else you could share?
Be refreshed,
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Headaches, computers, NASCAR & the stuff of life!

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Headaches.  Migrane headaches.  They can cause a person to literally bang their head against the wall, not see straight nor think straight, feel miserable all over, want no light shining in the room or in their eyes, and/or cry out for some kind of relief.  Well, that’s the story of my wife Tuesday and last night.

Computers.  Broken down computers. They can cause headaches, especially when they refuse to work properly or just flat out crash.  Well, that’s the story of my wife’s computer.  It’s in the shop due to a nasty trojan that treated the virus protection like a jello wall of enforcement. 

RefreshHer.  “Coming into the pits for a can of Sunoco fuel and a track bar adjustment” (For those who are lost right now, this is NASCAR lingo).  I sent Denise to bed after coming home from prayer meeting (that’s the fuel), and I’ve taken up the duty of posting on her blog in her place (track bar adjustment).

Now, headaches and computers fit into the category of “the stuff of life.”  You are probably thinking of many other things that relate to that subject right now.  Question—How do you stay “refreshed” in the midst of “the stuff of life”?  Well, you need “fuel” that comes only from the daily intake of the Word of God.  Just as the 88 or 14 or 48 can’t stay on the race track without it, you can’t stay on track in the stuff of life without the Word.  The Word is your necessary companion.  The Word is life; the Word is Christ.  He wants to continually refresh you.

No need to explain a “track bar adjustment,” but suffice it to say that it has to do with the handling of the car by the driver in the corners of the race track.  How do you handle the “stuff of life”?  Only through the adjustments that comes through the Word of God.

What does the Bible have to say about headaches and computers crashing?  2 Corinthians 5 reminds us that this earthly body is groaning “earnestly to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven” (5:2). There have been many times when Denise has said, “The pain is so bad, I wish I could go to Heaven.”  It is hard for Denise to think during a severe headache, but she is often reminded that there is coming a day when “absent from the body, present with the Lord” (5:8) will be for her—no headaches forever!!!  Groaning now; glory forever (4:16-18)!!!  As for computers, they are temporal (4:16-18), and therefore, will crash.  Only God is eternal.  The Word is the “adjustment” we need in the stuff of life.

Headaches.  Computers.  The stuff of life.  You need refreshment?  Don’t just read the Bible; meet with the Author.  Come into the pits.  Not for a quick splash of fuel, but for a “full tank” of His presence.  Then you’ll be ready for the stuff of life.

Dale
(Taking care of some of the stuff of life for my sweet wife and . . . looking forward to another season of racing.)

memories

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

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“Dear Jesus, Help my mommy as she works around the house, and help my daddy as he sits and reads the newspaper.”

That was our daughter’s prayer when she was about three years-old.  Funny stuff comes from our children’s mouths, doesn’t it?  After that little prayer was uttered, I went to the calendar hanging on Allison’s bedroom wall and wrote it down on the date it happened. Though I thought I could never have forgotten her funny words, I’m sure I would have.

A calendar was my simple way of keeping record of the things that happened in our girls’ lives when they were young.  We love pulling those out now and laughing as we remember their silly antics, the day they were saved, or the funny things they said. 

Don’t trust your memory; find a way to record special events – big and little – in your family’s day to day routine.  They will one day be gems in your heart.

What do you do to record memories of things you don’t want to forget?

From my parsonage window,

trials

Why Did That Happen?

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Last Friday afternoon I was at home, happy to be back in my nest after being away for several days.  I was merrily vacuuming the rug in the living room, and was pondering my blog and the post for “Freshen Up Friday” that would post the next day.  Then, a light came streaking into my head (I have to listen carefully when that happens!)!  “Wait!  Today is Friday!”  I had gotten disoriented in days and dates while being out of my normal routine.  So on Friday, the post was My Own Denial instead of a “refreshing idea.” I shook my head at my own forgetfulness and was tempted to run to the computer and apologize to my readers, but I was stopped in my tracks by a God Who makes no mistakes.  The Lord reminded me that He is in control of everything, and that the post that was written was the one that He wanted.  Indeed, every day I give Him my blog and ask for His direction and guidance as to what to write and how to encourage those that would read.  If I really understand His direction in my life, I have to acknowledge His sovereignty even in this. “Someone must have needed this today, Lord.”  It was a little thing, but you know, little things really aren’t little.  The Lord cares about each detail of our lives.  Sometimes the little things cause bigger things to transpire.

I’m sure most of you have heard about the accident that the Cretzman family was in yesterday.  They are missionaries to Cuba who hit a patch of ice on the interstate, causing an accident that took the life of their 3 year-old and injuring the mother.  It could have been “little things” that caused this “big” thing…the choice to get up a little early to get on the road, a change in directions from one road to another, something that was forgotten and needed to be retrieved…who knows?  The point is, in all of life, we must direct our thoughts to the God Who is in control; to the God who allowed the “little things” to determine the “big things” – like death.   If it seems cruel that “God allowed this little one to die whose parents are going to the mission field,” we don’t know the heart of our God.  We are reminded in Isaiah 55:8, 9:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 We do not know the mind of God, nor His ways, plans or reasons, but if we know Him, our first thoughts will be ones of prayer for the parents’ hurting hearts, for the lost world that might be reached as a result of this little one’s death, and of trust in the God Who makes no mistakes. 
 
Whatever interruption has come into your schedule, life, or plans today, be it little or huge, acknowledge that a sovereign God Who loves you has so allowed that thing to happen.  Look for Him in that very detail.

With prayers for the Cretzman family and love for you,

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What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

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Thank heaven for the Internet and recipe reviews!  They can pretty much ensure that the recipe that “sounds good” or “looks pretty” will actually be worth eating!  I shared with you here, the fiasco I had as a new wife when the recipe for Lasagna broccoli Roll-ups was a complete failure!  If I had had the luxury back then of a review of my recipe, I might not have had the disaster all those years ago! 

When I told my husband Saturday night that we were having Sausage Lasagna Roll-ups, I’m sure his stomach heart grew a bit weak!  However, he didn’t know that the review on-line was a 5 star one!  Yes, technology changes lots of things – even cooking!  I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this recipe really was!  It’s a nice change from regular lasagna, and when cooking for just a small number, it’s nice not having a whole pan of pasta leftover.  This recipe can be completely made ahead of time – it would even freeze well before baking.  I just put it in the oven before church and used the Time Bake feature.  It was perfect when we got home.

My menu for yesterday was:
Pepperoni Lasagna Roll-ups
Citrus Tossed Salad
French Bread
 Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Pepperoni Italian Sausage Lasagna Roll-ups –
Here’s the recipe with my changes marked with *


Ingredients

•3 lasagna noodles – *I used 4

•3/4 cup ricotta cheese – *1 Cup cottage cheese

•1/2 teaspoon minced chives

•1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

•1/2 teaspoon dried basil

•24 slices pepperoni – *1/2 lb. Sweet Italian turkey sausage, cooked and crumbled

•3 slices Swiss cheese, cut into thirds – *Mozzarella Cheese

•1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce

•1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

•Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Combine the ricotta cheese, chives, oregano and basil; spread 1/4 cup over each noodle to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with pepperoni and Swiss cheese; carefully roll up.

• Place seam side down in a greased shallow 1-qt. baking dish; top with spaghetti sauce. Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.

• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 3 servings.

Citrus Tossed Salad – (Taste of Home) This was really good!

Torn greens
Mandarin Orange
apple, chopped
pecans, toasted

Dressing:
1/2 C unsweetened apple juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T sugar
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon – The cinnamon won’t incorporate very well into the dressing, but don’t worry, it will splash onto the apples and make them yummy!

Combine the greens, fruits and pecans on salad plates.  Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

I must confess that the dessert was made by a friend at church who is a terrific cook!  I looked on-line and found this recipe. . .it has to be the same thing!  Oh, my goodness!  Pumpkin pie will take a back seat with this dessert around!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
14 ounce(s) can evaporated milk

1 cup(s) chopped walnuts

3 eggs

1 cup(s) melted margarine

4 teaspoon(s) pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt

15 ounce(s) solid pumpkin

1 1/2 cup(s) sugar

1 box(es) yellow cake mix

Preparation

Mix first 6 ingredients by hand.

Pour into greased 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sprinkle dry cake mix (entire box) over mixture, sprinkle nuts on top. Pour melted butter over dry cake mix.


Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes (until it looks solid and nuts are browning).

Did you have any successes – or even failures at good attempts in your kitchen this week?


From my parsonage kitchen,