Poppa's Making Meals !!

I had the nicest surprise this evening! 

After a stressful couple of days at work, the last thing that I wanted to do was come home this afternoon and cook dinner. My hubby texted (is that even a word?) me about 4:30 p.m. today to ask me what I had planned for the pound of ground sirloin that I had thawed out. I told him that I had been having a craving for Stuffed Pepper Soup and I also needed to make it because I had a couple of green peppers that I needed to use. He offered to go ahead and brown the ground meat for me and I was thankful for the help. I half jokingly sent him a text asking him did he want me to send him a link to MiMi's Making Meals --and he quickly wrote back, "No!".

A little while later,  he called me and asked me to go ahead and email him the link, which I quickly proceeded to do. When I walked in from work today about 6:00 p.m., I walked in to the smell of this loveliness! YUMMO!!!!!


He was sooooo proud of himself and even did a little horn blowin' to boot!  "I think mine might even be better than MiMi's!!", he said.  And.....don't tell HIM, but I think he was right!! Or could it be that old "anything is good if someone else fixes it for you" principle! Either way, I am lovin' that Poppa now knows how to access MiMi's Making Meals.

I asked him if was he going to leave MiMi a comment and let her know that he tried her recipe and how much he liked it. He said he thought he'd just tell her in person! (-;

GOD'S SCHOOL OF OBEDIENCE TRAINING

Sometimes on Saturday mornings, we have a young man that comes downtown on the "green" in our little town and brings numerous dogs and their owners that he has been working with in obedience training. He also brings his own "personal" dogs with him and the things he gets these animals to do is just incredible! It doesn't matter what is going on around them, they are not distracted and their attention is directed solely on their master. Anything he commands them to do, they do it without hesitation and a lot of the commands are given without speaking a word - just by a hand signal. It is really amazing to watch!

Dog owners enroll their dogs in obedience training to teach their pet to listen and obey their master's voice, as well as to break them of unacceptable behaviors. Some of these "bad" behaviors might be - barking, biting, chewing, digging, running away, messing in the house, etc.  (As I write this, I have a hole big enough to put a Volkswagen in in my backyard that my son's dog dug! lol)

As I thought about how amazing these animals were to watch, it reminded me that many times in God's Word He refers to us as His "sheep". "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand..."

 (Psalm 95:7) 

God demands obedience in His "sheep".  When He calls us He wants us to obey Him. He tells us in His word that, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me". (Jn. 10:27) 

This got me to thinking......If God has me in "obedience training", (and He does!) I wonder what behaviors He is trying to "break" me of in my life. 

 

** Am I guilty of "biting" words?   

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Ps. 19:14)

** Do I continue to "chew" on things that the Lord wants me to let Him handle? 

"...do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?" (Matt. 6:25)

** Do I suffer from separation anxiety?  

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:7)

** Have I been "digging" into things that I know are "off-limits" to me? 

"Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith , love and peace.." (2 Tim. 2:22)

** Are some of my bad behaviors stemming from fear or lack of trust?  

"And those who know Thy name will put their trust in Thee, for Thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken those who seek You. (Psalm 9:10)

** Do I have a bad habit of "barking" that I can't seem to break?

"Do not talk out of both sides of your mouth. Avoid careless banter, white lies and gossip." (Prov. 4:24 The Message)

** Am I trying to listen to more than one master? 

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other..." Matthew 6:24

When these animals are in obedience training, they attend classes with their master. Their ONLY master. They learn to recognize their master's voice and his commands. They don't concern themselves with anyone or anything else around them. They are totally devoted to their owner/master.

To teach obedience or break bad habits, some pet owners resort to various means of teaching their animals, i.e. invisible fencing, choke collars, electric shock collars, etc. 

What if God used some of those same tactics with His "sheep"?

What if every time we exhibited one of these "bad" behaviors we got a choking sensation around our neck? 

If every time we "ran away" to some place that we knew we shouldn't go, we got shocked? 

If every time we "barked", or "bit" someone with our words, we got "zapped"?

God has given us a wonderful way that we can become more obedient to His voice - by spending more time in His Word - listening to His voice, becoming more familiar with His voice, hiding His word in our hearts. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." - (Psalm 119:11)

We are continually in God's School of Obedience Training. Thank You, Lord that You never give up on us!

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

John 14:15

Be Still My Heart......

My two daughters, Faith and Grace, took Grace's little "Miss E" to have some pictures taken on Tuesday. The photographer did an absolutely amazing job with the photos. She captured so many of my favorite expressions!

I know that many of you also read Faith's blog, but just in case you haven't already seen "our girl", you have to go here and see all the fun they had!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 6

I am so thankful that I committed to join in on the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge at the beginning of the year. Along with many of you, I committed to memorize 2 verses (or passages) of Scripture each month for the entire year of 2009.

I can hardly believe that it is already time for my SIXTH memory verse of the year. The verse that I memorized for the first half of the month of March was Psalm 25:4-5.

"Show me your ways, O Lord,

Teach me your paths;

Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in You all day long."

These verses have been such a comfort to me in recent days. I have needed this daily reminder that ALL of my hope is in Him - and Him ONLY! (Every time I think of this, it reminds me of the song "Jesus Messiah" --all our hope is in You!)

This time, I have had great difficulty deciding which verse that I wanted to memorize. There are so many that I have made a note of that I would like to commit to memory, but the next verse that God has impressed upon me to memorize and meditate on is:

"He is your constant source of stability; He abundantly provides safety and great wisdom; He gives all this to those who fear Him." 

Isaiah 33:6 NET

Is that great or what? HE is my constant source of stability! He is the solid rock on which I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.

And what is the key to unlocking all of this? Fear is the key -- fear of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is wisdom. I LOVE this verse!

BTW...It's still not too late for you to jump in and join in memorizing scriptures for 2009. Just click over and read this post and join with us. I know that you'll be glad that you did!

Have a blessed week!

It's The Simple Things

I took the day off on Friday and one of my main goals was to clean out the closets in my house. I can't remember the last time that I took a day off, and when I do, I always plan something exciting and fun--like organizing closets--because that's just how I roll!

I slept in on Friday morning (until 6:30 a.m.), and after having one cup of coffee, I decided to tackle my closet first  -- you know, get the worst out of the way first. My closet has a slide-out rod on each side of the closet which I think was designed to hold a select outfit for the current day.  I, on the other hand, try to see exactly how many outfits I can cram onto each rod, thereby causing anyone that tries to enter my closet to have to turn sideways and slide through. I'm not sure why they call them "walk-in" closets?!?!?

Unfortunately, or fortunately for you, I failed to get a picture of the shoe racks in the closet, but you can probably imagine what they must have looked like, based on the clothing areas of the closet.

After several hours, 3 sacks to carry to Goodwill, and a dumpster load of hangers, I am pleased to show you the final product.  Shoes arranged by color and style......

And..... a closet that I can actually walk into now!  Oh, I get it..... a "walk-in" closet!

Since I was on this "organizational roll", after I looked in my jewelry drawer, I decided that I needed some help in this area, too. (I can't imagine what led me to that conclusion, can you?)

So, I looked online and found a hanging jewelry organizer in one of the major home stores. It was like a miniature shoe bag for jewelry! It would be perfect! The hubby and I headed out to a nearby town and proceeded to hunt for the jewelry bag.  After locating a store clerk for assistance, she told me that they did not carry this item in the store, that I would have to order it online. Uugghhhh!  I was so disappointed because, remember, I am on this "roll" -- and I know from past experience that these said "rolls" do not typically last very long.  Before heading back to the car, I walked over to look at a plastic dress bag to put my winter coats in, and what should I see, but....... the jewelry organizer's dream come true!

It has 19 pockets on the front side.....

And, if that weren't awesome enough, it has 18 more on the back side -- for a total of 36 individual pockets and it hangs right on the clothes rod in my closet---that I can NOW walk into!

What a sense of accomplishment I feel! It's the simple things that make us so happy, isn't it? 

What big organizational project have you tackled lately?

What project have you been NEEDING to tackle for some time now and you keep procrastinating?

Have you found any neat organizational items to help you get more organized?

I'm just asking in case I ever get another burst of energy like this one.

She Who Has A "Hamans's Ear", Let Her Hear

Wednesday was my final class in my Beth Moore study, Esther - It's Tough Being A Woman. 

This is a picture of the room where we spent the past 10 weeks digging into God's Word and applying what we learned from Esther's life, to our own lives. 

This is a picture of my sweet leader and me. I have known Libby for years, but it had been a long time since we had seen each other prior to this class.  She had not changed a bit -- she is truly one of the sweetest, godliest ladies that I have ever met. (And did I say cute as a button!) I so appreciate all of her hard work that she put into praying and studying for this class and her willingness to facilitate, week in and week out. She did an awesome job!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we ended our class on Purim (how cool is that!) and so Libby decided that we would have our own little "Feast of Purim" -- complete with Hamantashen, otherwise known as, "Haman's Ears", and noisemakers. The "Haman's Ears" are a triangular-shaped, fruit-filled cookie that are called by this name because they resemble the shape of an an ear. Some Jewish people call them "Haman's Hats" because Haman was said to have worn a three-cornered hat shaped much like these cookies. 

Libby attempted to make the cookies at home, but she said that they did not turn out well. So......Plan B was to quickly call a local Jewish bakery  and amazingly (on the last day of Purim) they managed  to save 50 cookies for our class. God is so good!

The one I tasted was filled with an apricot filling and it was actually pretty tasty. Probably not something that you would want to sit down in front of the TV with a big ole' glass of milk and chow down on, though. (If you want that, you would be better served with these !)  

The true flavor is concealed within the cookie. The fruit center being hidden represents the intrigue associated with Queen Esther and Mordecai's uncovering of Haman's evil plot. The miracle was not revealed at first.

One of the many things that I took away from this awesome study is that I am the Esther in MY own sphere of influence and, guess what ---- you are the Esther in YOUR sphere of influence.  Even though you and I may never enter a place of great public power, we have each been positioned here on this earth "for such a time as this". 

Each of us are called to pass down what we have learned to our descendants. I am to pass down the seeds of the Word that have been sown in me --to entrust them to the next generation and they will entrust them to the next generation....and on and on and on.  We are called to keep passing them down.

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law."

Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV

My sweet friends, just like the hidden fruit filling inside the "Haman's Ears", we carry the sweet treasure of Jesus inside of us. I wonder......

How are we doing at passing it down to our sons and daughters? 

Are we keeping it hidden or are we letting others have a "taste" of this sweet treasure on a daily basis?  

God has placed each of us here "for such a time as this".

The Whole Megillah

I can hardly believe that tonight is my last Esther class. We have finished “The Whole Megillah”! It has been a big commitment for me and I am thankful to the Lord for helping me to stay faithful for 10 weeks of classes, a 36 mile round trip to class each time and some 45 nights of homework. Thank you to my friends and family for praying for me during this time that I would remain faithful and that I would “hear” what the Lord had to say to me. Your prayers were definitely heard!

It has been an unbelievable journey and one that I would highly recommend EVERY lady take, if you have the opportunity. One of the things that we talked about throughout the book of Esther was all the ironies in the book. How about THIS for irony ---- our final class is meeting tonight ON Purim. How neat is that!

The name “Purim” comes from the Hebrew word “lots” and is the festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the Persian Empire from Haman’s plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the book of Esther. Haman cast lots to determine which day that the Jews would be exterminated.

Our final class tonight is bittersweet for me. I am sorry to say “goodbye” to some wonderful sisters in Christ that I have met and grown to love over these past weeks and to say “goodbye” (for now) to Esther, who I have grown to love dearly! I will never look at the book of Esther the same again. As Beth Moore reminded us in the beginning of the study, even though the book of Esther lacks any mention of God, His Spirit is ALL over it!

We are having a celebration tonight in honor of Purim (and our last time to meet together) and our leader is making “Haman’s Ears”. This is a special fruit-filled triangular cookie that is served during Purim. (They are called "Haman’s Ears” because they resemble the shape of an ear.) I am so excited to try them! Who knows...maybe you'll be seeing them on Mimi's Making Meals soon!

To all of my "Esther-gen" sisters that are still in the midst of your study, I will be praying for you as you continue on this incredible journey! I know that the Lord has placed each and every one of you in this study "For Such A Time As This."

After all....."It's Tough Being A Woman"!!

Happy Birthday, LEWIS !!

One year ago today, our sweet Ragdoll cat, Lewis, was born.   He is a Blue Bicolor Ragdoll.

This is a picture of Lewis on the day that we picked him. He was the largest kitten that the breeder had ever had in any of her previous litters.

This is a picture of him on the way to his new home on May 23, 2008.

Since that time, he has continued to grow....

And grow....

And grow!!!

He's a big ole' boy now and we are thinking maybe we should have named him "Hoss"!!! 

Happy 1st Birthday, "Lou Lou"!!

Chillin' In The Chaise

Last night while we were eating dinner, I glanced out the window in the Breakfast Room and I had to do a "double-take".

This is what I saw.......

I can't help but wonder....

Is this what Champ does all day while I'm at work?!?!?!  No wonder he always has such an awesome TAN!

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!

You Gotta Love SNOW in March

This is what we woke up to earlier this week! Yay!  The weather man FINALLY got it right!!!

Even better than having a SNOW DAY, though, was being able to spend the day with some of my precious family.

Me and "the girl" hangin' out in the snow.

Helping Poppa shovel the driveway.

How beautiful is this tree!!   And those "Carolina Blue" skies!! Doesn't get much better that this, does it?

 
Grace and Miss E spent the night with us Sunday night in expectation of having a snow day the next day. Champ was lovin' life, too!

Mimi and Poppa......

In a Winter wonderland!

The snowman at our local Starbucks.

Is this the way to travel or what?!?!?! 

Kickin' it back with The Poppa chauffeuring !

You know what you have to do when you are at your Mimi's house and your boots are at yours?

Packing tape and freezer bags --Works like a CHAMP!

2009 - Hiding God's Word Verse # 5

I am so glad that I decided to join in the LPM Scripture Memory Challenge at the beginning of this year. I cannot tell you how many times over the past two months that God has used my memory verses to encourage me or challenge me.

February seemed like it was such a short month but, believe it or not, it is already time for the FIFTH memory verse of the year.

The verse that I have chosen for the first half of this month is:

"Show me YOUR ways, O Lord, teach me YOUR paths; 

guide me in YOUR truth and teach me, for YOU are God my Savior, and my hope is in YOU all day long." Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)

It's still not too late for you to jump in and join in memorizing scriptures for 2009. Just click over and read this post and join with us. I know that you'll be glad that you did!

Have a blessed week!