But That's Another Story

You may remember (I did!)

when I posted this photo a few days ago and drew attention to the 25A 

on the bottom left hand page of my journal.

I concluded that particular post with the words,

but that's another story.

I'd been selecting words for each day of Advent--

SPONTANEITY being one for the 25th.

Well, I've decided to add three to the 28

and try to focus on one to correspond to each day

of each month on 2020.

The words I selected in 2019 were

Hospitality, Beauty, Listen, Patience, Peace, Longing,

Availability, Vigilance, Intentionality, Obedience,

Attention, Simplicity, Humility, Silence,

Discernment, Moderation, Courage, Confidence, Compassion, 

Purity, Faithfulness, Clarity,

Dignity, Generosity, Spontaneity, Emptiness,

Serenity, Joy.

While typing these out just now,

I've already selected #29.

Authenticity.

***

So, it begins.

Today?  The first day of the new year.

The new decade!

And THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.

***

Hospitality.

This Too is Life

• Furnace malfunction
• Purchase and installation of new furnace
• Visit to the HUGE Farm Show with my dad
• Dr. visit where the pain in my side (which got increasingly sharp) was diagnosed as broken rib from a cold/cough that I've had for weeks
• Friends over last night for delightful evening of chili and games
• Disassembled the small Christmas tree; removed all ornaments from the big one
• Sorting of vintage Christmas tree bulbs; keeping only the blue and red ones.
• Meals planned and prepared; laundry done; met friends for coffee; shopped for groceries
• Welcomed phone conversations with a couple of our children
• Suffering friends prayed for
• Sad situations mourned

This too was life this week.....

the big

the small

of it.

Red, White, Blue

 For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?
Ralph Waldo Emerson

 My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, 

and which no other people on earth enjoy!
Thomas Jefferson

This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith.
Lyndon B. Johnson

On the Menu:  Burgers & fixings, refrigerator mashed potatoes, Oriental cabbage slaw, baked beans, watermelon and cookies.
Guests:  My parents and sister & brother-in-law, a niece & her boy-friend.
HAPPY FOURTH, FRIENDS.
GOD BLESS AMERICA.

 After the meal, several games of cornhole
and relaxed conversation.
(My parents, below.  So thankful to have them with us!)

Hospitality - the Aftermath

In the "aftermath" of hospitality, I find time to

reflect,

be thankful,

pray,

smile.

I never mind the cleanup.

For some reason, our house always seems
better after "hospitality" than before...cleaner, softer, quieter.  Blessed.

.

The Morning After

 Where 14 people gathered last night,

 the tables are bare.

 The dishwasher cycle is about over; the silverware is put away.

 What remains of three loaves of pumpkin roll (Amish baked)

 sits covered in our refrigerator.

Oops!  These are NOT my hotpads! 

I'll return them to SOMEone at church this morning.

Three crockpots of soup (vegetable, chili, and potato),

bread and dip, and dessert filled our tummies.

Friendship, the Word & prayer nourished our souls.
I'm SO thankful for our Home Connection,
as we call our fellowship groups in our church. 

We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. 

Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.

Hebrews 10:25

Never Out of Season

 From the high shelf on one end...to the sleeping loft on the other,

 it is Christmas in our backyard cabin!

 Vignettes abound...

 along with books for all ages  Christmas books, of course!

 Christmas mugs are ready to fill with one's hot beverage of choice.

 Even the toilet paper finds a home in a Christmas tree decked container!

 Winter paint-by-number pictures decorate the walls.

While I'm waiting rather impatiently for the trees to bud and flowers to bloom, 

I decided to trek out to the cabin where Christmas is NEVER out of season!

Hope you enjoyed the tour!
(Did I mention this is our "guest room"?
You're welcome to come and spend some hours or days.)
Hospitality is never out of season here either!

Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Romans 12:13

Your Front Porch is Showing!

Of the "Proverbs 31 Woman" it is said,  "Let her works bring her praise at the city gate."  (Proverbs 31:31).  The city gate was a place where influential people gathered--usually men in Bible times.  Much like a favorite coffee spot in a small town, this was where matters were discussed and solved informally.  The mention of THIS woman's name at the city gate would elicit only respect, admiration and praise.

Today we might say, "Her reputation preceded her."

Ruth was one of those women.  An alien in Israel, she went straight to work to provide food for her mother-in-law and herself.  She attracted the eye of the owner of the field who came to view the progress of the harvesting.  "Whose young woman is that?"  he asked his employees.

"She's worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter," was the reply.  Her reputation of diligent and quiet work preceded her!

Before we speak a word, people form impressions of us based on what they see.  That's one reason I try to pay attention to my front porch.  Ours in not a show house and our porch is certainly not magazine-worthy.  It gets dirty frequently because we live on a well-traveled road.  Still, I try to keep it attractive--because I care and it matters to me,  for guests who come to our front door and for the sake of those who sneak a peek as they whiz by.  So yesterday I changed out the decorations a bit to reflect the changing season.

In this age of fast-paced living, front porches are more for beauty than utility. Take them or leave them.

But reputations still matter!  And I'm not sure we are remembering that!  Blogs, Facebook, texting and Twitter are all parts of the fast-paced life.  They are the new "front porches"!  Our reputations are being created on these social networks as surely as if we were gleaning in a field 3,000 years ago!

I think it's worth remembering and passing on this truth to our children and grandchildren (while remembering it ourselves).  If you need some examples to support your argument, take a look at this post--one of many good ones, I'm sure.

Meanwhile, what's new on YOUR front porch?  

And have you stopped to consider your reputation (what people think of first when they hear your name)?

Unsung Heroes

Can I tell you what a pleasure it was to host this lady and her husband overnight on Tuesday?  Colin and Dot are Bible translators with Wycliffe Bible Translators.  They have analyzed the language of a people group in Burkina Faso, West Africa and have and have put it into written form.  The Turka people have never seen their everyday words written on a page!  That boggles my mind!  (Of course, this is true of multiple languages yet today.)

This couple and others like them are real heroes in my opinion.  In some ways, they are like the Old Testament saints who were praised for their obedience and faith in Hebrews 11:39,40:  These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised.  God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect."

Here's the recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu that I served for our dinner that evening.  I'm absolutely reckless when it comes to trying new recipes on company.  This one worked and was relatively easy.  (I'm sure some of you seasoned cooks are rolling your eyes at my enthusiasm here.)  This is how I wrote the instructions down.  I'm sorry I can't remember the source.

Pound 4 chicken breasts to 1/4" thick.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.  Place 1 slice of Swiss cheese and a bit of of thinly sliced ham on each breast.  Roll up.  Then roll each in flour (1/4 cup total).  Dip each roll in 1 beaten egg and then coat in Italian bread crumbs (1 cup total).  Fasten with toothpicks and place seam side down in a sprayed baking pan.  Dot each with 1 tablespoon (I used less) of butter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes or until juice runs clear.  While they are baking, combine 1 cup whipping cream with 1/2 cup of chicken broth.  Simmer until thick.  Pour this over the breasts to serve. 

Monday Morning Bingo Review

At the beginning of the night, we composed our Superbowl Commercial Bingo cards. All guests named something they expected to see in a commercial and we each wrote it down in random order in a square on our blank cards.  There were some early bingos but nobody filled their card completely.  The outcome of the football game was disappointing for some, but the evening was fun, the food terrific and the time well-spent with friends.

Some chopped the fresh ingredients for the feature food:  jambalaya.  Celery, onions, red and green peppers, sausage.  Bob, the master chef, gave us many cooking tips as he browned the sausage and prepared the main dish--jambalaya.

There's even an art to browning the sausage!

I don't know why there aren't more pictures of the group gathered at the table or watching the game in the living room!  Just having too much fun, I guess. 

This morning finds me thanking God for friends and simple evenings together and trying to figure out how/if to prepare for the snow storm predicted for tomorrow.... 

Yesterday's Gone-And So Is Most of the Candy

It's all out of my system now (in more ways than one)! You can read more at Power, Love and Self-Control.

Waiting now for company. We're having pizza, a great tossed salad, and some green beans with a cheesy white sauce. After dinner, my husband and the father of the family are going to make a deer out of rebar for a garden spot. This will involve welding, so my husband is going to be learning and practicing a new skill.

Watch for the finished project in an upcoming post.