Thankful {moments}

I really believe that the best way to begin a week, 

or change a life is...

 to give glory-thanks to God. 

Glory-Thanking-you Lord for:

Light in a dark world

Your Holy Spirit

wisdom

discernment

 lemons on my table 

all size prayers answered

brothers and sisters in Christ who care through action of Love

Your Holy Word

family

friends

Your Son who intercedes for me
lost keys found

summer harvest

warmth of sunshine on my face

a home of calm and love

Wednesday evening fellowship and bible study

that you deliver me from my enemies Psalm 59:1

ability to memorize your word...I am so grateful.  

perfect amounts of sunshine and rain to produce your glory in our humble earthy garden.

down time with my husband, whom I love and adore.

three precious children

 Just enough warmth on the deck to take a nap on

Lavendar

Thank-you Lord for everything

~enjoy, 

thankful moments.

{friends}

I have friends in overalls whose friendship I would not swap for the favor of the kings of the world.

~Thomas A. Edison

The more this thing called l~i~f~e throws my way, the more precious my friends become to me.

Hold a true friend with both your hands. ~Nigerian Proverb

Friends are relatives you make for yourself.
~Eustache Deschamps


Thankful for:

Phone calls answered at 4 a.m. both ends
walks
talks
tears
laughter
understanding
hugs
encouragement
limo rides on birthdays
dinners
lunches
breakfast brought to homes
decorated doors
post cards
letters
notes on napkins
prayer
flowers
time
selfless
concerts
movies
allowance for another's little lapses.
friendship

{easy} Pumpkin Bread

Simple {easy} Day

It is not to often that I have a free or easy week-end day {so} when I do I/we take full advantage.

Some take a little more advantage then others but non the less we all took part this week end.

Movies on Netflex, fire in the fire place and layers of blankets on daughter and Pug.

{All}

whom I am thankful for.

Mark ~Treats to be made for children in my Sunday school class~ off list.

There is even a simple easy icing to drizzle all over these if you so incline to do so.

We drizzled half with and the rest were left as they were.

We, at first, did not care for this frosting...(tasted like powder sugar)but must say, they tasted perfect after they cooled off.

{let} rest

The daughter made up a batch of what she has named, "Flippin good Brownie Cookies," and I made up a batch of pumpkin bread loafs/muffins.

Neither one of us like the long time consuming task of making each individual cookie so the whole batch was put onto the cookies sheet and baked all at once. Once baked and cooled they were all cut into individual squares. I'll post that recipe another day.

Found these decorative muffin goodies at our local TJMaxx store on sale about a week ago.

{cute}

(ingredients}

This is all you'll need for the muffins...told you it was easy.

These were very tasty and the texture was good and hearty.



I used half the batch for muffins and the other for mini loafs. They freeze up very nicely and I have already pulled a couple out of the freezer for a few of our drop in guests this week.

{nice}

{Thankful}


“You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;

the river of God is full of water;

you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.”
Psalms 65

{Recipe}

Pumpkin Cake/Bread/muffins

One Cake mix- I used spice
1 -15 ounce can 100% pumpkin- puree, not pumpkin pie filling (I used the one that was marked pie mix~ turned out great)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix cake mix with pumpkin filling using a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour batter into a greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish, your muffin tins or mini loaf pan. Bake for 28 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Serves 8.

Apple Cider Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. apple cider
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice (I added a tsp or more)


In a small bowl blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour over Pumpkin Cake letting it drizzle down the sides of the cake. Let set before covering.



~enjoy

They held his hands...

It is important to surround ourselves with strong like minded saints in the Lord who will help hold us up during the long and heavy days and nights of this thing called L ~ I ~ F ~ E.

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up- one on the other-so that his hands remained steady till sunset." Exodus 17: 11-12

Our days here have been heavy and long, yet we continue to be held up by the strength of the Lord and those wearing His name.

I continue to thank Him:

for difficult times
friends who struggle
sleepless evenings
a quiet place to study Gods word
a heart that seeks Him
flowers blooming in the garden
warm towels out of the dryer
blackberries picked by the children in my Sunday school class
promise of blackberry tarts for Sunday morning
sweet fellowship with our church family
bible studies that go on and on
His word new every day
teaching woman and children Gods word
sharing the gospel with neighbors who want to know more
dinner on the water with my best friend who happens to be my husband
good times
running into old friends at the store
the sound of laughter
God
Jesus
Holy spirit

Thank{ful}

The person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in life.
~Robert L. Stevenson

Thankful for:

Lettuce growing in my window box

Fresh basil from the back deck

More lettuce on the deck

Summer salads from the gardens

Blackberries for...

...cobblers

Strawberries for making jams

Potatoes and onions from the garden...

...that find their way to our table

Not to mention, we are so very Thankful for for friends and family to share it all with.

From our humble little back yard garden, in the suburb, to a table full of Thanksgiving on the back deck...we continue to give thanks to the one who has made it all happen.

Thank you Lord for everything.

~~~~~~

Sweet basil in baskets and vases
candles to light our long summer evening gatherings
fresh picked potatoes in baskets
fresh lettuces picked for an evening meal
tomatoes ripe on the vine
canning
people at the front door
the sound of excited children
playing games
a family I cherish
everyone making butter at the table
bread out of the oven
sound of birds all around
card games on the deck
laughter
winners
losers
all good
content Pug at my feet
humming birds gracing our garden
the sound of the water fall in the pond
floating candles in the bird bath at dark
neighbors
gatherings
tick of the clock
Summer

The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”

~Louisa May Alcott

Thankfulness...

Summer blessings from our local fields

Simply trying to keep up.

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

~Psalm. 107:9

Strawberries from the back yard added to the Rhubarb crisps

A summer kitchen is a busy kitchen

Rhubarb Crisp recipe fills these little canning jars.


These go right into our freezer and when we are ready to eat we simply pull them out of the freezer, take off the lids, and put them onto a baking sheet. As we put them into the oven, we close the oven door and turn on the oven to 375 degrees and bake for 45 minutes.



A busy summer... I continue to be thankful;


Lunch with friends, batches of Strawberry jam on my counter waiting to be put into the pantry, raspberries awaiting on the tables to be made into jam, a part time job that I am so thankful for, potatoes and salads from my garden, fresh picked peas eaten over the table on the deck while sharing His words with the daughter, new friends, singing praises while sorting through laundry, hospital visits with a brother in law in the evenings, praise music playing in the living room, taking lunch and desserts to a friend just home from the hospital, preparing a lesson for Gods precious little children for Sunday mornings, weddings, a summer bible study with a new group of woman down the street, bike rides, shopping, making jam, cleaned Rhubarb chopped up for a winters snack, Rhubarb crisp for dessert tonight and enough left over to make crisps in canning jars for the freezer to send with the daughter leaving again for her forth year of College at the end of August and still enough to share with others, a God who constantly reminds me of how deeply He loves me and how needed His grace is in my life...

Once again,

For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,

and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

~Psalm. 107:9

~enjoy

Give thanks

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1

Thankful for;



His word lived and then taught

Strong men and woman of faith in my life

brokenness

His word forever

Family

Shelter

snoring Pug

health

friends

Sister in laws

Brother in laws

candles at night

a movie and lunch with the daughter

raised by parents who loved us

my sons

watermelon

Gods word in my life

sisters in Christ

lessons learned

clean kitchen

clean laundry room

the children in my Sunday school class

Gods grace in my life

answered prayers

laughter

tailgating at Dicks late at night with family

more laughter
A brother in law that makes me laugh

a daughter who loves the Lord

a quiet place to pray

His Holy Spirit in my life

taste buds

sight

hope

friends visiting from out of town

new friends

a new job

bible study lessons

creativity

happiness with in

memory of my fathers laugh and how quickly he forgave those who hated

bike rides

meals shared with family and friends on the deck on a warm summer evening

feeding the hungry

servant's heart

my husband who teaches Gods word to others

a church that reflects Christ

Rhubarb

strawberries

opportunity to serve

a meal cooked by my daughter for a hurting family

baked pie from the oven

home made butter

holding hands and praying

encouraging words

shooting stars

Holy Spirit

listening to His word on a CD

baked bread

salty chips

woman's retreat

the smell of cut grass

early morning coffee/tea with the family

united

praising God through songs

fresh picked raspberries from our garden

blossoms on our blueberry bushes

books

a positive husband

the door bell

A church family who is united

Gods words

fresh cut flowers

Gods amazing LOVE

Grace

forgiveness

Gods timing

mismatched socks

washing machine

apple cores

dusty shelves

splattered mirrors

shoes on the front porch

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalms 136:1