Women's roles

Roast Beef Lunches

RefreshHerLeave a comment

If you could have one, which would you choose:   Roast beef leftovers for lunch that you fix yourself, or a peanut butter sandwich fixed by a maid?  It’s a silly question, I know.  I’m going somewhere, trust me.  =)

I am an I Love Lucy fan.  Her antics and  scheming have kept us all entertained for  years.  Do you recall the episode where she hires a maid?  She is intimidated by Mrs. Porter right from the first introduction.  The maid tells her what days she needs off, what she will and will not do, and then proceeds to eat the Ricardo’s out of house and home.  Because Mrs. Porter ate the leftover roast beef in the fridge, she fixes Lucy a lunch of what was left –  dry and very sticky peanut butter on white bread.  As Lucy attempts to eat it, she can’t even open her mouth to speak due to the gooeyness of the sandwich.  She is, of course, hysterical as she attempts to tell the hired help not to fix her another dry morsel, but can’t even pry her jaws open!

I thought of that hilarious episode yesterday when I read this verse:

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.
Proverbs 17:1
There are several other verses in Proverbs that would be companions to this verse.  They all teach us that it’s better to have a little bit of something in our hearts and  home  (even a dry peanut butter sandwich) and enjoy the quiet that is a result, than to have that roast beef for lunch and have strife.
The “sacrifices and strife” might be things that would keep us busy and away from home.  We are running here and there with friends or family, dragging the children along, trying to keep them happy while so doing.  They miss nap time and are cranky because we had to run to the mall for the sale we heard about.  Or they are delayed finishing up home school as a result of our outings and they are now irritable while trying to do what should have been done hours ago.  We are experiencing roast beef with strife.  It would be better to have the dry morsel – that of missing out on some of those excursions so we could be home where we need to be.  Why is it better?  Sit still and listen to the peace and love that’s there and you’ll know.
It might mean really sacrificing as a mom to stay home with your child(ren) – especially while they are young.  I know there are scenarios, such as that of a single-parent home, where there is no option.  In some cases, though the financial stress would press upon a family, many times that stress is less than the strife caused by carting a child to day care and not being sure of all they are being exposed to each day. 
“Roast beef Lunches” in a marriage might be a wife finding greater fulfillment outside her marriage than in it.  Oh, she may not be running off with another man, but if she isn’t making her husband her first priority, as God intended she’s having roast beef and strife.  Her job, her children, her hobbies become more important and there is conflict, and she wonders why.
Take a good look at your personal life and ask the Lord to tell you – Is there quietness or strife in my home?  If there is dissension more often than quietness, ask the Lord for wisdom as to how you can rid it from your life.  He will show you. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5
Have a peanut butter sandwich today, and smile at the quietness. 

So, on the trivial side, a maid with peanut butter or roast beef that you fixed yourself?  Which would you choose?  I’ll tell you my preference tomorrow. =)

With love,

Peanut butter pie · Pork roast · Roasted mashed potatoes

What’s Cookin’ in the Parsonage?

RefreshHer11 Comments

This is the beautiful morning I woke up to yesterday. . .

This time next week that tree will probably be bare.  ~Sigh~  I can enjoy its beauty today, though!

When I look at the seasons changing, I have to believe that God likes variety.  I do too! I get tired of hum-drum, so I love variety in lots of things, but especially my menu.  I pulled out a few tried and true things for Sunday dinner yesterday, but I mixed it up with some new recipes.

Harvest Pork Roast
Green Beans
Corn
Peanut Butter Pie


This picture isn’t pretty, but you’re seeing the browned roast and the apples that have cooked and turned the same color as the meat.  The meat fell apart from the slow cooking. =)



Harvest Pork Roast

2 lbs pork tenderloin, fat trimmed (I used a Pork Roast)
3 Tbsp canola oil
3 cups apple juice
3 Granny Smith apples – I tossed the apples with about 3 Tbl brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon before adding them to the crock pot.
 1 cup fresh cranberries (I used dried – they plumped up so nicely in the juice)

1.  Season roast with salt and pepper.  Brown roast on all sides in skillet in canola oil.  Place in slow   cooker.
2.  Add remaining ingredients.
3.  Cover.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.

I will refer to these Rosemary Roasted mashed potatoes  as “smashed potatoes” because that’s really what you do with them.  They are roasted in the oven, then smashed with a masher.  So they’re not a smooth consistency like mashed potatoes would be.  The addition of the sour cream, Parmesan cheese,  green onion and garlic make these delicious.  This is a great alternative way to have “smashed” potatoes for Sunday dinner.  I had them in the oven set with the timer, so when I got home all I had to do was dump them off the baking sheet into a bowl with the other ingredients.  They were very good and very quick!


I make this pie every couple of years.  Why not more often?  I love it too much!  Cream pies are just heavenly!  This is my favorite recipe for this particular pie!  A dear friend gave it to me years ago, and I’ll share it now with you….

Peanut Butter Pie

To keep the pie shell from shrinking, I put a piece of waxed paper in the crust, and use dried beans to weigh it down.  I take them out about 10 minutes before it’s finished so the bottom of the crust can get browned.

1 baked pie shell
1/3 C peanut butter
3/4 C powdered sugar

Blend until mealy.  Sprinkle 2/3 over pie shell.  This crumbly part makes the pie!  Yum!
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C flour
1/8 t salt
2 C milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 T butter
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 C peanut butter
Combine sugar,  flour, and salt.
Mix well and stir.  Add 2 C milk gradually and cook until thick.  Stir in a few tablespoons filling into 3 beaten egg yolks and then add to hot mixture.  Add 1/2 C peanut butter.  Cook 2-3 minutes longer.  Blend in 2 Tbl butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla.  Pour in pie shell.
Top with meringue or Cool Whip.  Sprinkle rest of crumbly mixture on top.

I pray you’re having a lovely fall day.  Before you leave, why not tell me what’s been cooking in your kitchen?  Have you tried a new recipe you loved?

From my parsonage kitchen,

Uncategorized

Freshen Up Friday

RefreshHer2 Comments

Less than ninety-eight cents!  That’s all it cost me to freshen up two of my favorite pictures!  (Sorry for posting this, Whitney and Alli!)  I bought a can of spray paint, removed the gold frames, let ’em have it with the black paint can, and popped them back in place.

For my next victim project, I went to the front porch and removed the gold-ish numbers from beside the front door and painted them too.  So much better! It’s Ahhhh-mazing what a little paint can do!


Before



After!





I remembered to take the “before” picture after I’d removed the 2 and the 0! But you get the idea.



What could you fresh up with a can of spray paint?  Consider a…
  • Lamp base
  • Chair
  • Vase
  • Mirror frame
  • Wooden crate
  • Bird cage
  • Shelf
  • Candle holders
  • Napkin rings

Happy painting!!!!

It was a chore, but I did manage to make myself purchase a splurge at the grocery store.  Truth be told, my husband picked this out for me.  He knows me so well!  I’m going to tuck it away and save it to look at during an upcoming trip.  Can’t wait!

See you in church Sunday!

Be refreshed,

Godly Character Traits

Cut Down the Tree

RefreshHerLeave a comment

“I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget what you did to me!” 

“What he said to me was unthinkable.  I could never forgive him for that.”

 “She’s never even told me she was sorry for the way she treated our family.  When she does, then I’ll consider forgiving her, but not until then.”

We may not be so bold as to speak the statements above, but we’ve all probably at one time or another at least felt that kind of unforgiveness.  What is a Christian woman to do with all the hurtful things that pierce our hearts – the words, the actions, the accusations, the insults?  Do we just stuff them down somewhere and try to move on?  This question was answered so well at the conference I attended last weekend.  It’s also such a part of godly character, that we have to include this in our list and pray the Lord will help us add it to our lives.

Forgiveness – (Forgiveness is huge in more ways than one!) – Releasing another from my right to punish him for hurting me; Clearing the record of those that have wronged me, and allowing God to love him through me.

Luke 17:3 – Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.  The teaching in this verse is that we lovingly rebuke someone who has sinned against us so they can make it right.  If he repents, we are to forgive him – no matter how awful, no matter how long it went on.  Forgive.  Period.  End of discussion.  Don’t bring it up again. 

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.  East never meets west.  Our sin will never be brought before us again.  Praise the Lord!  God’s forgiveness toward us is our example.  He forgives and chooses never to remember our sin.  We have been forgiven much, so we must forgive much.

After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss. After a brief silence, Lee said, “Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it.” It is better to forgive the injustices of the past than to allow them to remain, let bitterness take root and poison the rest of our life.

Is there a tree you need to cut down?  Be a woman of character and forgive as Christ forgave you.  If there’s a dagger in your heart at the mention of a certain person, this is a good indicator that bitterness and unforgivness is growing.  It’s time to take action – get out the ax and remove it!

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:32

With love,

P.S. Next Thursday we’ll talk about how to forgive someone who hasn’t asked to be forgiven.

Uncategorized

A Peek Inside the Parsonage

RefreshHer4 Comments

I recently stumbled across an old video of our youngest daughter when she was about three.  On this tape (yeah, it was a long time ago!) she was reciting the books of the Old Testament.  I smiled as I listened to her little voice saying the names of the books in her three year-old way.  So sweet.

That triggered another memory in my mind.  As soon as my girls could read, since they’d already learned the books of the Bible, I would challenge them as we sat and listened to their daddy preaching, to try to find the Bible references he used as he preached.  We would race to see who could find it first (quietly, of course).  The winner would gently elbow the other person, to signify that they had found the right book, chapter and verse.  Once there, a mark was made on the bulletin; that person had earned a point!  We’d keep score to see who had won at the end of the service. 

We had lots of fun with this over the years.  At first I would go slowly and give them a chance, but it wasn’t long until they got really fast and kept me on my toes!  It was a friendly competition that did several things.

  1. It kept them listening
  2. It sharpened their Bible reference skills
  3. It kept them interested in what was happening during the service
  4. It kept them out of trouble (for the most part)

What’s funny is that this friendly competition often continues when one of the girls is home.  We just can’t help ourselves!  So if you see us in our seat elbowing one another, you’ll know that we’re not angry, there’s just a long-standing competition going on!

What tactics did/do you use to keep your children attentive in church?

From my parsonage window,