I spent a couple of hours yesterday going through some boxes in our basement. I am trying to clean out and get rid of things that are not being used. It takes forever to do a job like this, because I have to go through old mementos, and boxes of the girls’ things from years ago, and I find myself lingering and reminiscing when I should press on and work.

Perhaps because this is our first year as empty nesters, I’ve found myself doing lots of reminiscing about the days of home school, piano and violin lessons, youth group activities, and camp – all the things that go with being a parent. Most days I smile and then pull the covers up tighter under my chin, but sometimes, like yesterday, I linger on the memories like a child at a candy counter.

This is the week of Valentine’s – I guess we’re all aware of that. If you have a Valentine, I trust he also realizes that! No slam is suggested in that statement, it’s just that not all men think about these things before the day arrives. So, I thought it might be appropriate to start out today by giving a word to the wise for Valentine’s. If you you or your Valentine could use some suggestions of things to do or gifts to give, read on!

Sweet treats are always a good thing for Valentine’s Day! Last weekend I made a recipe of brownies then after they were completely cooled, I cut them in large squares. Using a small heart shaped cookie cutter a cut a heart out of the middle of the brownie as you see in the picture here. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but then I made up a butter cream icing, tinted it pink and filled in the heart with the icing. You could use canned icing too in your favorite flavor. I then wrapped each brownie in waxed paper and put them in cute little boxes and shipped them off to my two girls who both love chocolate! The cut out hearts make nice little bite-sized treats too!

Some of the other little gifts I put in the pillow pocket have been:

Two gel pens with the note – You are my “write” man!
A recent picture of us made into a Valentine Card at http://www.picnik.com/app.

“How much do I love you?”
(attached to note)

An OLD picture of us when we first started dating!

Another thought would be to go to Pandora.com and make a play list of music your sweetheart likes and have it playing on the computer when you eat supper, or when they go to check their email.

I’ve asked my husband to share some good ideas for dates and/or gifts for Valentine’s Day. He’s very thoughtful and creative and gets an A+ in this department! Here are his suggestions for men:

Ways to say “I love you”
1. Use a dry erase marker and leave a love note scribbled on the bathroom mirror or leave love notes in her purse, dresser drawer, on the fridge door, in her car or by the coffeepot.
2. Write in your own words 10 reasons why you love her and leave it attached to a dozen roses, a box of candy or a piece of jewelry.
3. Wash and vacuum her car; leave a love note on the steering wheel.
4. After the children go to bed, order a personal pan pizza and have a pizza date in the bedroom with candlelight and romantic music.
5. Invite your Sweetheart to Starbucks for a peppermint mocha. While there, play a board game or two and pay no attention to anyone else but your spouse.
6. Make her some chocolate covered strawberries. Pick up some strawberries at the grocery store and in the baking department, find chocolate that is microwaveable. Dip the strawberries in the chocolate, chill and serve on nice plate.
7. Schedule a manicure or a pedicure at a local spa. She needs the time away and the pampering will do her good. Pay for the treatment over the phone so all she’s responsible for is to show up.
8. Instead of going out to eat, order carry-out. Serve it up on your best tableware, have candlelight, and soft music. Be creative and have fun. If you cook, fix her favorite and in either case, clean up too!
9. If you go out on date, you schedule the babysitter, choose the spot, and treat her like a lady by opening the door for her, escorting her into the restaurant, and talk only to each other. Tell the waiter you’ll call him/her when you need them. Every couple needs a quiet date in a corner booth w/out any distractions. Both of you sit on the same side of the booth with your back to the crowd.

See why he gets an A+? 🙂 Oh yes!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Invitations – don’t you love to get one? A beautifully embossed card comes in the mail reading, “You are cordially invited to…” A verbal invitation is also fun – “Hey, want to come over?” “We’re going out for ice cream. Would you like to join us?” Following the invitation is something special – and that’s what we anticipate! If you are the one doing the inviting, it’s just as wonderful to hear the ones you’ve invited respond positively. It’s a blessing!

Dictionary.com says that to invite is “to call forth.” I remembered while in prayer the other day an invitation I received many years ago. I was seven years old and it was my birthday, which had fallen on a Sunday. Our family went to church, as we did each week. On this day as I sat in my Sunday school class, my teacher, Mrs. Mitchell, extended an invitation after she taught our lesson. It went something like this:

“Is there someone this morning who would like to accept Jesus as their personal Savior? If you’ve never asked Him to come into your heart and forgive your sin, I’ll show you from the Bible how you can trust Him and then be sure of a home in heaven with Him forever.”

The Holy Spirit had been working in my heart before this day, and when I heard this invitation to come to Jesus, I raised my hand to say, “I accept! Count me in!” After the other children had been dismissed from Sunday school, I stayed afterward with Mrs. Mitchell. I listened to her read the Scriptures to me and show me the verses that said that Jesus loved me and died for my sins. I understood that I could receive what He did for me on the cross and be with Him in heaven for all eternity. I bowed my head and prayed, receiving the Lord as my own personal Savior. I can’t help but weep as I write this, because it is so precious to me. That invitation brought me to Christ, and He has been the dearest Friend I have ever known.

How I thank the Lord for the faithfulness of that dear lady who took the time to extend an invitation to the little girls she taught each week. I wonder, had she been praying for each of her students, calling them out by name before the Throne of grace? She must have gone home rejoicing over one who said yes to the invitation!

If you teach children, at home, in Sunday school or children’s church, just keep on praying and keep on giving an invitation because Hebrews 7:25 says, Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. One day, those children will say “Yes, I accept!”

Who invited you to accept Christ?

With love,

This week I tried to make meals using only what I already had in my freezer and pantry. Realizing that I have meats I’d purchased on sale, frozen vegetables, canned fresh veggies, baked goods I’d made made and put in the freezer, potatoes in the pantry, flour to make breads, pancakes and waffles, I was certain we wouldn’t starve! I did buy $18 worth of things like eggs, fresh produce, milk and coffee cream, but no other grocery items. The result was that I made four new recipes! I went through a Taste of Home cookbook and looked through the recipes to find ones that called for items I had on hand. What did we eat?

• Apple cherry pork chops, pasta with peas and Parmesan cheese – Delicious!
• Chili Chicken Enchiladas, served with shredded lettuce, Mexican corn, and tortilla chips – Very good!
• Ham and Potato Phyllo Bake, broccoli with lemon – So-so
• Hungarian Paprikish Chicken – A keeper!

The chicken dish is what we had yesterday after church. I served it with rice, with some of the sauce spooned on top of it, fresh green beans, crescent rolls, and strawberry jello with strawberries.

Don’t let the recipe name scare you – there’s nothing odd in the chicken. It’s a good Sunday dish because it’s easy to get ready to put into the oven. Instead of following the standard baking time, I lowered the temperature to 280 degrees to bake while at Sunday school and church. You could go even lower than that – maybe 250 – 270 degrees. The sauce needs some seasoning added to it – perhaps 1/2 tsp. salt and some pepper. I garnished the chicken with more paprika for color once I put it on the platter.

It’s fun to challenge myself to come up with meals using what I already have! I’m going to do the same thing this week and will let you know what I come up with! What’s been cookin’ in your kitchen?

With love,

There is a wonderful bed and breakfast in North Carolina that I’ve had the privilege of staying in on several occasions. The house is gorgeous. It is a three-story home with a wide front porch to welcome you and an inviting living room with game table and fresh cookies just inside the front door. The winding staircase leads to the luxurious guestrooms with private baths. The mattresses are pillow tops that range from queen to king-size and they beckon their guests to come and rest beneath the soft, plush linens.

The owners, Glen and Jen are tops! They studied long and hard before buying this business so they would do it right, and trust me, they learned their lessons well! They know how to make their guests feel welcome and at home without intruding on your need for privacy and time alone. If you leave your room in the early evening you will come back to your room to find the covers turned town, and the soft lamps lit for your return. If you’re celebrating a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday, there will be a banner across the doorway to announce the celebration. Upon entering your room, you’ll find a freshly baked gingerbread man and lady to welcome you! Glen and Jen are gracious hosts!

After a wonderful night’s rest, guests awaken to the smell of freshly ground coffee perking in the hallway just outside their door. Should they choose to enjoy a cup before breakfast they will be sipping out of beautiful pottery mugs that were locally hand-crafted. Guests can choose to have breakfast in the lovely dining room downstairs, served in their room, or on warm days, served out on the front porch. It really doesn’t matter where you choose to eat – the food is out of this world! At our last stay we were served, yogurt raspberry parfaits, chocolate chip scones, egg strata, cheese grits, juice and coffee. Lunch is not needed after a breakfast like that!

I can’t say enough about this lovely getaway! It’s clean, it’s beautiful, it’s more than you’d expect from a B&B. Oh, but wait, I haven’t told you where it is or how to contact Glen and Jen! Let me send you there with this link to The Windover Inn in Waynesville, NC. On their site you can get directions, see the house and each room. Why, you can almost smell the breakfast when you see the pictures! As good as those pictures are, I can attest to the fact that the best thing for you to do is go there!

Now, why did I go into all that detail about this special place? One reason is because I really do love it there, but I also wanted to make a correlation between going here and going to heaven. It’s not enough to know about Windover. Knowing about this B&B will not get you there. You must make a reservation. There are many people who know about heaven and desire to go there. They may even know some facts about heaven – what it looks like, the fact that God and Jesus are there, and that it’s a wonderful place, but that is not enough to get them there.

When my husband and I desire to stay at the Windover Inn, we call the owners and make a reservation. Unless we have our names in that book, we will not have a place to stay. In heaven there is a book – The Lamb’s Book of Life . All who receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior have their names written in this book. This means that they acknowledge that they are a sinner, accept what Christ did on the cross for the payment of their sins, and receive Him. This is the “reservation” that is necessary. Being a good person, giving to the church, or being baptized will not get us there – only receiving Christ as our Savior will do. The Bible says, Whosoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” If you call on Christ, He will save you and prepare a place for you in heaven with Him. After a person does that, He has Christ as his Friend. He is never alone. Trials still come after salvation, but they can be met with courage and God’s grace when you’re a part of His family! It’s a wonderful blessing to be the child of God.

There are many places you could stay on vacation – The Windover Inn being one of them. But at death there are only one of two places a person will go – heaven or hell. Do you know you’re headed to heaven? God wants you to know – I John 5:13a These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. God loves you and has done everything necessary for you to go to heaven. Have you made your reservation?

Because I care,