Happy Homemaker Monday

Visit Sandra here for more HHM!
Today:
Beautiful, if a bit chilly!

Right now I am::: 
I just got back for  taking a vehicle for new tires and breakfast out with my sweetheart and am waiting to go to a doctor's appt.

Thinking and pondering::: 
So much to do....so little time!!!!!

On my bedside table:::

Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala

Experiencing the vast resources of the Spirit of God

On my tv tonight:::  too busy for tv....  our  interdenominational prayer event  is tonight....

Listening to:::

the birds are singing so sweetly this morning....I think they are  still singing  " Alleluia, he is risen!"

On the menu for this week:::

chef salad
hamburgers
soup
porkchops

On my to do list:::
laundry
 errands

    Plans for this week:::

healing prayer class
Mike Wingfield's revival 
(topic:  Marriage Supper of the Lamb)

Lynn's cousin's wedding

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

no time this week   for crafting

My simple pleasure:::
reading over a cup of Scottish Blend tea

Lessons learned:
I am still trying to decide what it is the Lord wants me to learn from   an  unhappy episode  the other day with   whom I always considered a close friend.

Looking around the house:::

An ever growing    compilation of   weekly food charts   from me and my daughter....  we are  emailing each other  so we can hold one another accountable....   My daughter's love and concern for my health is such a blessing   to me!

From the camera

a spring mantel

Prayer List:::

Our  home, family,    church,  and  nation

Bible verse, Devotional::: a powerful message today from  Truth for Life
  God's Right Hand   ~Alistair Begg

He who was once despised and rejected by men now occupies the honorable position of a beloved and honored Son. The right hand of God is the place of majesty and favor. Our Lord Jesus is His people's representative. When He died for them, they had rest; when He rose again for them, they had liberty; when He sat down at His Father's right hand, they had favor and honor and dignity. The raising and elevation of Christ is the elevation, the acceptance, and the glorifying of all His people, for He is their head and representative. This sitting at the right hand of God, then, is to be viewed as the reception of the Representative and therefore the acceptance of our souls.

Believer, this is why you are free from condemnation. "Who is he that condemneth?" [KJV]. Who will condemn those men who are in Jesus at the right hand of God?

The right hand is the place of power. Christ at the right hand of God has all the power in heaven and on earth. Who will fight against the people who have such power vested in their Captain? My soul, what can destroy you if Omnipotence is your helper? If the protection of the Almighty covers you, what sword can harm you?

Be sure of this: If Jesus is your all-prevailing King and has trampled your enemies beneath His feet, if sin, death, and hell are all defeated by Him, and you are represented in Him, there exists no possibility of your being destroyed.


Jesu's tremendous name
Puts all our foes to flight:
Jesus, the meek, the angry Lamb,
A Lion is in fight.

By all hell's host withstood;
We all hell's host o'erthrow;
And conquering them, through Jesus' blood
We still to con

Springtime Notecards

Click the icon   to  return to   Vee's  Notecard Party!

I hope you like my  Springtime Collection of Thinking of You Cards.

When   you  feel like you're between a rock and hard place,  just keep looking up....  God will see you through.

As long as there are bluebirds, there will be miracles and a way 

to find happiness.

                                                 - Shirl Brunnel

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
                                                                    ~Anais Nin

After all, I don't see why I am always asking for private, individual, selfish miracles when every year there are miracles like white dogwood. ~Anne Morrow ..

Special Luncheon Under Heaven

Today was  an awesome day....   there is nothing  at all  like  celebrating  anything   with  your Christian  sisters..   earlier this week I wrote about a luncheon I  was planning for today   to  meet with  a group of  ladies from my church   who  are partnering with me to do a service project  on Monday... to  give a  fun Easter party to   kids at  an inner city mission, some of which are  transplanted refugees from  the Far East....  what a glorious opportunity to share the love of Christ, especially during this Holy Week!   Since this is  a life journal that I am blessed  that my daughter enjoys  following, I will share that   at 9:30 this morning I had an appointment  to meet with  Good Samaritan Hospice to discuss my mother's care which   wasnt exactly the  best time for me to  be discussing many  difficult topics and then rush home to  cook for   a luncheon for 6,  but  also, because one of those  6 is  a very   special friend, I had already called her to come and help  me,  and my  dearest Lynn helped  so much, too....   So there    was  one  very   amazing blessing of  my  morning..

The menu   was 

Sesame & Ginger Chicken

source

Ingredients

1  pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size strips

1/4 

cup bottled light Asian-style dressing with sesame and ginger

2 

cups packaged julienned carrots

1/8 

teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 

head butterhead lettuce, leaves separated

1/4 

cup honey-roasted peanuts, chopped

Lime wedges

Directions

Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until browned. Add 1 tablespoon of the dressing and the carrots to skillet; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more or until carrots are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink. Stir in red pepper. On a large platter arrange 4 stacks of lettuce leaves. Serve by filling leaves with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve with remaining dressing and lime wedges.

From the Test Kitchen

Stack lettuce on plates. Top with chicken-carrot mixture. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Serve with remaining dressing and lime wedges. Serves 4

Deviled Eggs, roasted asparagus and  angel food cake topped with maserated strawberries and  whipped cream  rounded out the   lunch!

To maserate  strawberries:

1 pints (2 cups) fresh strawberries, sliced thick

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Thirty minutes to an hour before serving, combine the strawberries, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature.

Because this was a planning meeting, I had  individual baskets from the Dollar Tree  with the items  the ladies would need at the party at each place setting.. I was particularly  pleased the  varigated tulips opened nicely for me   right before the gathering time!

Inside each basket  were  the elements needed to decorate  Easter cookies with the children,    and  some story projects helps     to  pass out to each  child assigned to each lady! Ratio,3:1

Walmart was  a great one stop shop  for  purchasing all the decorating supplies  along with the  disposable  icing  sleeves so we  can  each have  at least  4  colors of icing in our basket of tricks!

 My daughter, Amanda  inspired me to  decorate the deviled eggs  with  chopped  red pepper, onion tops, and  carrots  to  make it  extra festive,  I also instructed my friend to  follow Amanda's   idea to  fill a baggy with  the  filling,  snip a hole in the corner and pipe the  goody into the egg white  for a super attractive look.....I love  the  special   touch that little  step made... 

         

 The  grocer did not have the butterhead  lettuce,  which  would have made for much nicer    servings....    this Boston lettuce was just  too  stiff and wouldnt roll easily... but  these  marvels were   quite delicious and were a  huge hit!

Oops, I    snapped this shot  before I had   gotten my serving of roasted  asparagus,  but what a   lovely side veggie that is for   this time of year....

 We enjoyed our dessert with  robust cups of  Arabica coffee...  Quite a lovely dining experience  today,  but   more importantly, to share  good food with  Christian friends  is  the best gift  under heaven.... 
The conversation was saturated with  what I truly believe  were  Holy Spirit inspirations   of  ways   to serve in the  church,   Benevolent  ideas  to explore,   warming  experiences  shared  and some that  were  just deeply personal revelations  shared in  the purity of  the safe  environment of trust and  understanding   One friend  summed it up this way,   "Today was  the church  in action lovingly  doing the work of the Lord." Our  stomachs  and our hearts and spirits were  filled to overflowing  today!

Home and Garden Thursday

Grace at Home

Cottage Style Party

The Charm of Home

Make it Pretty 

A Return to Loveliness

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Teacup Tuesday 

Friends Sharing Tea

Share Your Cup Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Springy Get Together and Plan

Last week I posted about  an Easter party   I, along  with a group of friends from church, are planning for  the Friendship  House that serves  the inner city,  including  many  displaced  refugee families in our  city....  I am looking  so forward to this...   our church has  come along side this ministry for several years and being on the Benevolent Committee of my church has  shown me the great need to  get involved  more personally.

So   I am hosting a ladie's luncheon this week  to  go over the plans  and  prepare  some of the items we will need.  So I    springifying  the house.....

 I  shopped around each room looking for bunnies  who find new homes   other seasons of the year!It is so cold and rainy out today,  I am just using a small arrangement  I found on the hutch from last week,  but hopefully, I will have fresh flowers   on lunch-eon day!

Since this will be   a simple    spring  affair, I am just using the salad plates.

I love to use Lynn's mother's  china  in spring  with their  sweet bouquets..

 Syracuse,   pattern, Portland.

The gentle curves of the teacup  makes  supping tea or coffee  pure delight...

my menu Thursday   will include

Sesame Ginger Chicken

 this dish reminds me exactly of the scrumptious lunch I ordered at Ming Tsai's  Blue Ginger in  Wellesley.

Blue Ginger Chicken Lettuce Cups - 14

soy stir-fry chicken with jicama, crispy vermicelli 

and green leaf lettuce

 There  we rolled the  delicious chicken  bits into the lettuce leaves and ate the rolls with our fingers....  so  yummy!

I will also  serve  deviled eggs and asparagus...

then  

recipe here

Just perfect  with  a    lovely cup of freshly  ground  coffee!

I still need to freshly iron the napkins and   to find my yellow placemats.....      still a work in progress,   but   it will all come  together! 

Make it Pretty 

A Return to Loveliness

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Teacup Tuesday 

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Happy Homemaker Monday

Visit Sandra here for more HHM!
Today:
April showers ( downpours)   bring may flowers,  if I get them planted!
Pretty dreary day!
42 degrees....  think I'll stay in my jammies!

Right now I am::: 
I am enjoying my coffee and  yogurt sweetie brought to me....  I love him!!!He's the best!!!!!

Thinking and pondering::: 
I know, I need to  transfer my  summer/winter clothes....   one of my most dreaded  chores....  this would be the perfect day to  get into it....  we'll see!

On my bedside table:::

Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala

Experiencing the vast resources of the Spirit of God

On my tv tonight:::
I started watching  a PBS  series, The Manor House on Amazon Prime....  I really like it...  it is  an Edwardian reality show....   Imagine  living  in a manor house in England for 3 months,,  either upstairs or downstairs...living    exactly as it was  then....  quite the  wake up call  to the  downstairs  folk!   Sort of  a Downtown Abbey   real life experience!

Listening to:::

rain  spilling down the downspout by the  porch by my window, actually a rather  wonderful sound.  Except for the temperature I love a rainy day....

On the menu for this week:::

bbq pork 
home-made chili
stuffed porkchops
chef salad
pizza

On my to do list:::
laundry
  investigate the closet and   make some considerations 

  read

defrost the  ground beef

    Plans for this week:::

take scads of bags our church collected last month to the  food pantry

healing prayer class

Work on the  Garden Club scrapbook committee.....  we are  finishing  up  December and January... I have typed  captions through march and  gotten photos developed

Mid week service and choir

A lite Ladies luncheon here    to plan for our  service project next week 

extra choir in prep for  Easter services

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

no time this week   for crafting

My simple pleasure:::

My virtual tour of  Britain....  through the words and eyes of  Susan Branch...  in her marvelous book...  A Fine Romance...Falling in Love with the English Countryside!

Lessons learned:
Obedience is... the very best way... to show that you believe!!!
  from the  song my daughter learned in  preschool 25 years ago...  Putting that into practice  is where the rubber meets the road....  in the spirit realm!

Looking around the house:::

Just  wanted to share  my entry in last week's horticulture exhibit...   a clipping from the  bloodroot plant  that has such a sweet history...  in  the early 70's my mother,  grandmother and I  walked through the woods  behind grandma's house, and I saw blood root for the first time...  I thought it was so lovely.

source
that  I  asked my dad  to please get me some  to take home..
 He  took the shovel and  divided  some for me and put it in a box  for me.. I planted it in my yard  when I was  23...  and it  delighted me each spring for 14 years until we moved to this house, 26 years ago....and it has continued to  bravely   delight me  ever since...  so last Wednesday I snipped a bud  and  took it in  the house to  prepare it for  showing..  but alas, my bottle was too  large...  so I filled the bottom of the bottle with dried beans and then it  fit perfectly...  anyway, after  very carefully transporting it to the show,   I  am so  very  ecstatic to announce, it won me the blue ribbon in my category.... my first blue ribbon at that!

From the camera

For my daughter's    interest,   I    gave  my 4th and final   devotional at the Club meeting last week on The Secret of the Garden...

Prayer List:::

Our  home, family,    church,  and  nation

Bible verse, Devotional::: a powerful message today from

THE POWER OF GOD'S WORD

Luke 8:11, "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God."

LUKE 8:11-15 

It is through the reading of the Word and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit that Christ in His fullness is known. What a privilege it is today to have God's Word in our own language. Six hundred years ago there was no English translation of the whole Bible. Thanks to the efforts of John Wycliffe (1384) and William Tyndale (1523), today we are able to read and understand the writings of the apostles for ourselves. Men gave their lives to bring us God's Word. We should take advantage of this wonderful privilege. 

The piece of armor known as the "sword of the Spirit" is the only piece of armor that has the ability to cut, wound, and hurt our enemy, the devil. It's not the Bible lying on your coffee table that makes the enemy flee, but it is the Word of God hidden in your heart, activated by the power of the Holy Spirit, and spoken in an appropriate situation. It's similar to what is spoken when Jesus said in John 6:63, that "...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." The Word by itself doesn't make us free. It is the Word we know and speak that will deliver us (Jn. 8:32). 

Why is the Word so effective? It's because it is the WORD of God. It has authority, because it is indeed the WORD of God. God's Word supersedes all authority of the church, of reason, of intellect, and even of Satan himself. 

It is the Holy Spirit that wields this Word as it is spoken in faith. Speaking God's Word in faith brings the Holy Spirit into action. In Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted of the devil for forty days, it was the Word of God, that Jesus used to defeat the enemy in the time of His temptation. Jesus constantly met His temptation by quoting from God's Word as He repeatedly stated the phrase, "It is written." Likewise, the Christian soldier must avail himself of God's Word by placing it in his heart, so that the Holy Spirit may bring it forth at the appropriate time to accomplish a complete and total victory. It's yours! 

Easter Plans

I, along with  5 other   great friends  are planning   another   lovely  adventure.... planned for mid-April,    Easter week. Our church supports  a wonderful    inner city   mission  in our   fair community.

Located  right  next to downtown  Friendship House hosts    needy families  in providing after school care and tutoring,  child-care, and  help for struggling families, as well as,  Bible study for  mom's.  Our city has   recently  begun receiving a number of refugee families from Africa and Nepal.  Missions like this one and another  downtown help to  give these families a leg up finding them housing,  household goods, and  jobs.

My friends and I  are very excited to  give  these children an Easter party.

We are planning on  decorating Easter cookies with  the  kids,  meeting with them one on one,,  well,  one on three,  to  connect,  share the love of Christ, and  we will have  some    fun learning activities as well... One of the  ideas  I found here.  

As we read the  Easter story  we will  create this  great wreath  to leave with them  for their class.

 I  want to teach the kids this   fun  way to pray

 Five Finger Prayer

Thumb (people who are close to you) – when you pray. Give thanks to God and ask his protection on your family, friends, and classmates.

Pointer (people who point the way) – These are leaders in your life, such as teachers and pastors. Pray for wisdom and  strength to do their mighty work!

Tall Finger (people in authority) – The big people in the world need prayer too. Ask God to give wisdom to our government, military, and police.

Ring Finger (people who are weak) – This is your weakest finger. Remember others who are sick, live in poverty, or are treated badly.   Pray for  God’s help!

Little Finger (your own needs) – God wants to hear your needs too, especially when you put others first. Pray for you to grow up wisely, strong, and good.  That you will  always turn to  God    follow Jesus as your savior!

 That way they will always have with them  the tools they will need to   pray  for   themselves and others.

I cant wait to  meet with  the other ladies next week and  put these plans together  over  a  lovely  spring luncheon here.... yayayaa.. another  fun event to plan... but  the key word is "S-i-m-p-l-e!"

Winsome Wednesday

Thursday Favorite Things

Walk with Him Wednesday

Spring Cleanin' and Plantin'

Click on the icon to return to our host, Susan.  Am I ever  grateful for  the  return  of spring   and the opportunity to  clean up  this mess  outside....

I  have  been  so   dreading getting in   there and  pulling  out that  thicket,,,,  my poor spring flowers underneath were   crying out,  "Rescue us, Please!"

 Now, perhaps the azalea will  will to     put out new growth and actually bloom.... 

The hyacinths were sighing when  I  took  up my camera for the after shot...

  and maybe tomorrow I can stop in at    the green house and see about some pansies!  
Tomorrow's objective....

These  last 2 photos  were taken last year....

besides, Lynn has finished  the paperwork (taxes) and is ready to  help me a bit... time to  do some spring planting!!!!!!