Monday musings

 

Image by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings.  Perfect for Flag Day!

 

 Just a few musings on this rainy-ish Monday that can't seem to make up its mind.  The scent of baking cookies is in the air as my hubby, inspired by the cool day, whips up a double batch of Chocolate Mint Crisps.  This has been on his to-do list for weeks.  He has so many people he wants to share some cookies with!

One of the cookie jars at our little camp is nearly empty of these (the other contains Oreos in the Peanut Butter Pie flavor) and they are much enjoyed by the grandchildren.  Last week, Arielle (age 6) was meditatively nibbling at a cookie and offered this observation:  "I think these might be my favorite cookies."

This morning, the flag wave group Mr. T is part of met for a special flag wave in honor of Flag Day.  At least one sign read,  "Happy Birthday Mr. President"!  The photo below is just a shot of a few of the folks at Saturday's flag wave.  They have been doing this on Saturday mornings for many months now and they always get an overwhelmingly positive response.

We had a nice weekend -- Saturday we went to an outdoor concert our granddaughter was in -- sadly, I got no pictures.  On Sunday we enjoyed services at our own church, as well as at Grace Baptist in the afternoon, where the same granddaughter was playing a solo on her violin.  Such a blessing to spend time with other believers around God's Word, worshiping Him in song, and just enjoying Christian fellowship.

Quinoa with Roasted Vegetables is a recipe I've made a couple of times this summer.  

 

It makes a great light main dish and uses a lot of nice fresh vegetables.  I like that it includes eggplant and yet is so much easier than making eggplant parmesan or moussaka.  There's an herb drizzle that goes on at the end and adds a ton of flavor.

 Speaking of flavor, our chives are in blossom and I am so tickled to have a great recipe to make them into Chive Blossom Vinegar.   I made some a couple years ago.  It comes out a pretty pink and adds nice flavor to a salad.

I'm beginning to work on Christmas in July posts for my Christmas blog, Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen. 

 

 As I began writing and scheduling the posts for July, I got to wondering how many years I have been doing this Christmas in July thing.  A little research revealed that 2021 will be the 10th year.  I'm thinking some celebratory gifting to blog readers may be in order.  We will see!

Guess those are all the musings I have time for today.  What's happening in your world today?

Sunday Scripture

 

 So here goes with another Sunday post from my Fall 2020 study of 2 Corinthians with Good Morning Girls.  This is the ninth such post.  I hope that people are not too annoyed by the autumnal graphics!  As I've mentioned before, I use the SOAP method of Bible study , and their study guide uses a similar method.  I find this helpful for a quick little study such as this one, but even more for digging into passages more deeply.

For today, the verse to study was 2 Corinthians 9:7, which has long been a favorite of mine.  It is one that my dad lived by.  

S= "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver."  (2 Corinthians 9:7)

O= Verse 6 notes that the person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.  It's a great lead-in to this verse, reminding Paul's readers that they will be blessed by God if they give generously and cheerfully.  Verse 8 reminds that God graciously gives His children sufficiency in all things so that they can abound in good works.  Our giving is to be purposeful, cheerful, and not done in a grudging manner.

A=  I'm blessed to be a cheerful giver who is married to an even more cheerful giver.  We have always given of our money, time and talents to our local church, supported missionaries on our own, and shared funds, time, and material goods with other believers as needs have arisen in their lives.  God has always provided over the years.  The statement "You can't outgive God" may be thought of as somewhat of a cliche these days, but we have always found it to be true.  It is just a joy, a blessing and a privilege to be able to give of ourselves!

P=  "Lord, I'm so thankful that You've inclined our hearts to give cheerfully.  It's such a joy to be able to share what we have with others!  I thank You for Your generous provision of goods and finances that have enabled us to share generously with others.  I pray that You will continue to direct our giving as time goes on.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

A few more early-summer flowers

 

The weather has been so unseasonably hot, it has really felt like July or August around here.  We had temps in the 90s for many days in a row.  Monday and Tuesday nights were so hot, we spent them at our cottage in the woods in the interest of feeling a few degrees cooler.  I mentioned to my hubby that it was hard to believe Memorial Day, just a week previous, had been so cool that a campfire, hot coffee, and a fire in the cottage woodstove were the order of the day.  Not long after that, the heat arrived.

Today is a welcome change: cooler, breezy and less humid, though still with plenty of sunshine.

Our backyard irises have never been so plentiful.  I know that we really should divide them in the fall.  Maybe we'll take some to the camp.  We have two iris beds the size of the one below:

My hubby got a closer look at some of the irises.  I love how the buds are furled tightly like little umbrellas.

Last year I received a small pot of dianthus as a Mother's Day gift.  We planted it in the backyard and look how it has spread!

I had another dianthus this year and we planted it at the camp.  It has nearly gone by, but just look at the pretty markings on its remaining blossom.  There are such lovely markings on the iris too, as seen in the closeup below the dianthus photos.  

 

 

God is so amazing in every way, but these gorgeous flowers prove once again that He is a God of detail, order, and creativity!

Lovely lupines

 

 The lupines that bloom at Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, this time every year are legendary.  Mr. T and I have never had the opportunity to be there at just the right time to see them.   This morning we went out to breakfast with friends at this iconic place: Polly's Pancake Parlor, and thus we were in the right place at the right time.

After breakfast our friends showed us a favorite,  back-road spot from which to view the lupines.  The photos are from that place.

 Hope you've enjoyed these photos of God's glorious creation in a beautiful part of our state!

Sunday Scripture

 

 So here we go with another Sunday post from my Fall 2020 study of 2 Corinthians with Good Morning Girls.  This is the eighth such post.  As mentioned previously, I use the SOAP method of Bible study , and their study guide uses a similar method.  For 2 Corinthians chapter 8, the verse to study was verse 7, but I opted to study both verse 7 and verse 9.  

S= "Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also ...
"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich."  (2 Corinthians 8:7, 9)

O=  C. I. Scofield explains that in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul is emphasizing Christian giving.  It is a 'grace", something that the Holy Spirit inclines believers to do.  Here in these verses Paul is encouraging the believers at Corinth that just as they abound in faith, utterance, diligence, knowledge, and love, they should also abound in giving.  In verse 9 he gives them the example of Christ, who, though He was rich, became poor for our sakes -- so that we, through His poverty, might become rich.

A=  I'm so very thankful that over time, God has showed me the many blessings that come from giving.  Over and over He has inclined me and/or my husband to give generously to others.  In this, as in all other things, Christ is our great Example.  He left Heaven's glory to become poor -- to lose everything, even His life, for my sake, to provide eternal life and a transformed life for me.

K=  Lord, how thankful I am for all that You have given to me.  The gracious gifts of salvation and eternal life cost You everything.  I'm so thankful for Your example in this, as in all things.  I thank You for how You've inclined me and my husband to give to others over the years.  What a blessing it is to be used of You in this way!  I pray that You will help us to be continually sensitive to Your leading in this area, in Jesus' name, Amen.

I hope this simple study has been an encouragement to someone else today!

Goals for June

 

Time to set a few goals for this new month of June.  Here we go:

* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones
* Read and study the June chapters in the Daily Walk Bible
* Continue our Daniel Bible study with younger believers
* Help our widowed friend Terry with the challenges of life in general
* Continue study for Sunday School -- A Woman After God's Own Heart
* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  
* Limit sugar
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise each day
* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week (with some help from Clean Mama)
* Do something creative each day
* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Keep up with Etsy and trust bookkeeping
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
*  Meet friends for breakfast out
*  Get some good work accomplished on renovating our camp
*  Plan a hot dog roast at the camp with our older granddaughters
*  Volunteer our time to help with maintenance at a Christian camp
* Assist our friends who just lost their home to fire

HEALTHY HABITS FOR JUNE:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/limit sugar
WORD FOR 2021: Steadfast