A berry important question

 

Image from The Graphics Fairy

I'm late, far too late, for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, so I've selected just one of the questions to answer.  I'm sure you can guess why this one appealed to me most out of all the other questions:

4. June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day...are you a fan, and if so will you celebrate? How do you make yours? Have you been strawberry picking? If so what do you do with all those berries?

I am definitely a strawberry shortcake fan. 

I wasn't aware, or didn't remember, that June 14th was National Strawberry Shortcake Day.  So we didn't celebrate.   But we could have, although we were traveling that day.  Let me explain.  

We had traveled up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, on Monday, June 12 and spent two nights at a lovely B&B with friends from Pennsylvania.  On June 14, we were heading home and passed through the city of Brunswick.  Still full from our hearty breakfast, we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a break and an iced coffee to share.

BUT across the street was this place:

You can tell it's April, not June, in this photo of The Brunswick Diner.

where, on a rainy April day some years ago,  we ate the best strawberry shortcake either of us has ever tasted.  

It was made with baking powder biscuits, strawberries, and real whipped cream, as is the New England way with shortcake.  But there was one important and stellar detail that the Brunswick Diner added: vanilla ice cream in between the strawberry and biscuit layers.  

At home, I make my strawberry shortcake simply with biscuits, strawberries and whipped cream.

Strawberry picking?  Yes, we have often gone.  Not yet this year ... it's been a wet June and I'm not really sure what that will do/has done to the strawberry crop.  But we will very likely go strawberry picking if it's a possibility for us.

Little granddaughter Arielle had a hand (or two) in picking these

Strawberry field where we picked in 2022

What do I do with all those berries?  I usually freeze some whole.  We wash and hull the berries, then place them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid.  Then they are transferred to zip-top plastic bags.  Now we have frozen berries that will not clump together and one can pour out whatever is needed for a recipe.

To use the fresh berries, probably my favorite thing to make would be strawberry shortcake.  To be a little more fancy, this Strawberry Lovers' Pie is another huge favorite.  

 

And this Strawberry Cheesecake Pie is another. 

Photo from Spend with Pennies.com

I also like this homemade Strawberry Pie Filling as another way to use fresh berries.  

 
And these Strawberry Muffins (or, as you will see, Strawberry Coffeecake) are also scrumptious!

And there's my answer to a berry important question. 

Another cookbook review:

 

This week I'm doing another cookbook review of a book I've used so often: Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets by Gooseberry Patch.  You can find it on Amazon here, but it looks as if a new edition of it may be coming out in August.  I do love the version I have, but I'm sure the new one will be good as well.  I checked on Thriftbooks and it is out of stock there.  Unlike most of the books I get from Gooseberry Patch, this one was neither a Thriftbooks find nor a cookbook I received in exchange for a recipe.  I actually won this one in a giveaway, and I have been very glad that I did!

As the title notes, there are three categories in the contents of this cookbook: Savory Slow Cookers, Cozy Casseroles, and Speedy Skillets.  Each category has three subcategories: Just 5 Ingredients; Easy Family Meals; and One-Dish Dinners.

From the Just 5 Ingredients! category of the Savory Slow Cookers section, I have made Pennsylvania Stuffed Peppers,  Georgia Tomato Roast, "Rotisserie" Roast Chicken, and Carol's Cheesy Potato Bake.  That cheesy potato bake is so easy, and is a hit at every potluck I take it to.  I use a homemade substitute for cream of chicken soup.  So good!  a couple of want-to-try recipes in this category are Italian Sausages & Peppers and Company Chicken Dijon.  

From the Easy Family Meals category, I've tried the Chicken Sausage & Pasta -- very good!

From the One-Dish Dinners category of slow cooker recipes, the Sausage & Peppers Sauce is a good one.  I've sometimes used a package of frozen red and green pepper strips in place of the chopped green pepper.  I've also tried the Homestyle Chicken Stew, and noted it was "Very good!"

In Cozy Casseroles, from the Just 5 Ingredients! category, I've made John's Spinach & Red Pepper Chicken a number of times.  It is very, very good and so easy.  I don't usually use the full bottle of Italian dressing.  Grandma Hodges' Chile Rice is another I've made quite a few times and it's a good side with hamburgers or any Mexican main dish.

In the Easy Family Meals category of casseroles, I have made the Tex-Mex Spaghetti Pie probably dozens of time.  It is so good and so easy.   I've also tried the Best-Ever., Must-Have Meatloaf, and it is very good but I don't like it as well as my regular meat loaf recipe.  Grandma Jeanette's Mashed Potatoes are just like my make-ahead mashed potatoes, a definite keeper recipe.  I would also like to try the Baked Chicken Chimies and Loaded Cheeseburger Pie from this section.  That last one may go on my menu soon, in fact!

From the One-Dish Dinners category of casseroles, I've made the Easy Chicken Divan numerous times.  I use my homemade cream soup substitute instead of the cream of chicken soup it calls for.  I'd like to try the Layered Ravioli Florentine and the Deep-Dish Sausage Pizza.  I'm pretty sure I've tasted Fu-Man-Chew before.  Decades ago, a lady at a church we visited made a casserole with similar ingredients, and I loved it.  I may have to try this one!

 
Now, from the Just 5 Ingredients! category in Speedy Skillets, I've made the Cheesy Chicken & Rotini and labled it "Excellent!".  On the side dish skillet reeipe Zucchini Parmesan, I've labeled it "Wonderful!"  I've also made the Smoky Cabbage and called it "Excellent!"  I added Cajun seasoning to taste in this one.  A couple of recipes I'd like to try in this category include Beefy Taco Skillet, which sounds intriguing (one cuts flour tortillas into 1-inch squares to cook with the other ingredients) and Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta.

In the Easy Family Meals category of skillet meals, there are several I've made over and over.  Busy-Day Lasagna Toss, Quick Skillet Spaghetti, Mexican Skillet Spaghetti Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo -- I've labeled each "Excellent!" and I've even had granddaughters email me for the recipes.  Cube Steak in Savory Gravy is one I'd like to try.

For the One-Dish Dinners category of skillet meals, I've only tried one of the recipes -- Linguini & Vegetables -- but it was delicious.  "Leftover" Fried Rice sounds a lot like my own homemade fried rice recipe.  One-Pot Sausage Dinner sounds good and easy,  as does Hamburger Gravy, which the recipe suggests could be served over pasta, rice, potatoes, or even pierogies.  It would be fun to try it over pierogies, I think.

So there you have it -- another cookbook review.  I highly recommend this one!

Sunday Scripture

 

I've mentioned that I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these simpler ones are also a blessing to do, and I think they are working out quite well for my Sunday Scripture posts.

 As I've noted before, I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing especially when I am studying shorter passages, and I hope others will give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.

This study also includes a reflection question for each passage.  Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.  Whenever I do answer it, I'll do so right after the SOAP part.

Today's study is from Psalm 144. The featured Scripture was the first part of verse 1, but I chose to look quite closely at both verses 1 and 2.

S= "Blessed be the LORD, my strength, who teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight;
"My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust."  (Psalm 144:1-2)

For greater clarity, here is the passage in the ESV:

"Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge."

O= This is a psalm of David.   In my Scofield study Bible, C.I. Scofield titles it, "A psalm of trust."

David begins by blessing the Lord who is his strength, his rock, the One who trains his hands for war and his fingers for battle -- the One who has given him the strength and ability to fight skillfully.  

He then goes on to name many other titles that enumerate what God is to him: his goodness (or steadfast love); his fortress, his high tower, his deliverer, his shield, the One in whom he trusts.  It would be instructive to look at each of these separately.

Cross-references for "rock" -- 

"The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower."  (Psalm 18:2)

"For Thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for Thy name's sake lead me, and guide me."  (Psalm 31:3)

 Spurgeon writes: "The word rock is the Hebrew way of expressing strength: the grand old language is full of such expressive symbols."

"With all his strength, David blesses the God of his strength.  We ought not to receive so great a boon as strength to resist evil, to defend truth, and to conquer error, without knowing who gave it to us, and rendering to Him the glory of it.  Not only does Jehovah give strength to His saints, but He is their strength.  God is full of power, and He becomes the power of those who trust Him.  In Him our great strength lieth, and to Him be blessings more than we are able to utter."  -- Charles Spurgeon

"My strength [Hebrew, 'my rock'].  The climax should be noted, the rock, or cliff, comes first as the place of refuge, then the fortress or fastness, as a place carefully fortified, then the personal deliverer, without whose intervention escape would have been impossible." -- Speaker's Commentary, quoted in The Treasury of David

 Concerning God teaching David's hands to war, and his fingers to fight, someone named only as "J.F." gave some interesting notes in the "hints for preachers" section of The Treasury of David.  He shared an outline for "Things not to be forgotten by the Christian soldier":

1. The true source of his strength: "the Lord, my strength"
2. The constant need of instruction from his everpresent Teacher
3.  The praise due to God, both for victories won, and skill displayed.

I found the middle section, concerning instruction from the soldier's everpresent Teacher, to be most helpful, as it listed the following:

*he will gird on the armor provided and commended by God;
* he will select for his weapon the sword of the Spirit;
* he will study the divinely given textbook to learn the devices of the enemy; the methods of attack and defense; and how to bear himself in the thick of the fight;
* he will wait upon God for understanding.

Cross-references for "steadfast love" (these are from the ESV; in the KJV it reads "mercy"):

"My God in His steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies."  (Psalm 59:10)

"O my strength, I will sing praises unto You, for You, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love." (Psalm 59:17)

"Having experienced God's kindness in so many ways, [David] calls Him 'his goodness', meaning that whatever good he possessed flowed from Him.  The accumulation of terms, one upon another, which follows ... tends greatly to strengthen faith.  We know how unstable men's minds are, and ... how soon faith wavers, when ... assailed by some  trial of more than usual severity." -- John Calvin

"O how truly has the Lord been mercy to many of us in a thousand ways!  He is goodness itself, and He has been unbounded goodness to us.  We have no goodness of our own, but the Lord has become goodness to us.  So is He Himself also our fortress and our safe abode; in Him we dwell as behind impregnable ramparts and immovable bastions." -- Spurgeon

Of the phrase "my high tower, and my deliverer", Spurgeon writes: "As from a lofty watch-tower the believer, trusting in the Lord, looks down upon his enemies.  They cannot reach him in his elevated position: he is out of bow-shot; he is beyond their scaling ladders; he dwells on high.  Nor is this all; for Jehovah is our Deliverer as well as our Defender."

A= In considering verse 1,  where David says God teaches his hands to war and his fingers to fight, I'm reminded of how believers are given the armor of God and the sword of the Spirit to fight spiritual battles.  

God is our goodness.  We have no goodness of our own.  He is our rock, literally our strength, for again we have no strength of our own.  He is absolutely to be trusted.  He is not only our Defender, but our Deliverer.

P= "Lord, I praise You that You give me everything I need to fight spiritual battles.  Your Word teaches me about the tactics of the enemy and how to fight and resist him.  More than ever, I'm aware of the spiritual battle believers are in, and the importance of being armed to fight skillfully and effectively.  I pray You will help me to memorize Your Word so it will be there when I need to wield the sword of the Spirit.  

"I praise You that You are my rock, fortress, stronghold, refuge, and deliverer -- and most of all for Your steadfast love.  I thank You in Jesus' name, Amen."

The reflection question asks, "Is God your rock, fortress, stronghold, deliverer and refuge?  And how does remembering God's love, as the first among the list of all the names of God, make your relationship with God more personal?

My response: God is indeed all of these things to me.  He is my rock that I can cling to in times of trouble -- even "though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea".  He is immovable.  He has been my fortress and my stronghold so many times, hiding and sheltering me when I felt threatened or unsafe.  He has delivered my soul from death and He has often delivered me from difficult situations as well.  And He is my refuge in a hostile world.  I can flee to Him at any time I feel the need.

Remembering God's love -- that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me; that He drew me to Himself with lovingkindness; and so much more -- all that He does or allows in my life is from a heart of love.  Because of this great love, my relationship with Him is an intensely personal one.

And that's the Sunday Scripture for this week!

June 7 Hodgepodge

 

 It's Wednesday again -- and that means it's time for the Hodgepodge -- the linkup where Joyce, at  From This Side of the Pond, asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers on their own blogs.  This week's Hodgepodge questions are kind of all over the place.   Here goes:

1. Tell me something you remember (or if you're not there yet, something you look forward to) about being 35.

I can't look back at my blog for this one! Let's see. My oldest child would have been around 14, my youngest around 6, if I am figuring correctly.  So I was in a busy season of life.  But it was about to get busier in another year when I started working at a local Christian school!

2. Last time you 'burned the candle at both ends'? 

It's truly been a long time.  Probably the latest I would have stayed up would have been the couples' retreat  last October. And then we would have got up quite early the next morning, so yes ... I would say the last time I "burned the candle at both ends" was last fall.

Photo is from the little getaway that accompanied that retreat.  This pond was along our route from our Airbnb to The Wilds of New England.

3. Are you someone with the 'gift of gab'? Elaborate (which shouldn't be a problem if you answered yes teehee).  

I seem to have plenty to say as a writer, but  I don't consider myself at all to have the gift of gab.  Thankfully, my husband has enough for both of us!

My daughters always say that "Dad knows no strangers" and you can tell by his smile that this is so.

4. Do you request a special meal on your birthday, and if so tell us what that meal is? Do you want the same kind of cake year after year or will any flavor work? Do you want cake at all? Growing up were birthdays a big deal in your house? Are they a big deal now? 

I don't request a special meal on my birthday.  We most often celebrate it with my daughter and her hubby and family. Whatever they feel like making is fine with me.  Any flavor of cake would work, or I would skip the cake and go with pie or any other dessert.  For decades, my dad always bought me eclairs for my birthday.

Growing up, we didn't really have birthday parties as such, but we did each get to choose our birthday meal and the kind of cake.  My birthday is in January, so from the age of 10 or so and beyond, I liked to choose a summery meal: hamburgers, potato salad, corn fritters, and iced tea.

5. 'Age is just a number.'..agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

I do agree.  Most days I feel far younger than my chronological age. Sometimes much, much younger.  And then there are those days when I feel 100 ... But those are few and far between.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I have got to get busy listing things in my Etsy shop.  Life has been so busy of late that something has had to fall by the wayside, and Etsy has been that thing.  This week I should be at home every day (other than going out to walk) and hopefully I can get some listings done.

This is one of the books I have to list.  I have two of these.  Plus so many other things -- books, cards, sewing notions, recipe leaflets, and much much more!
 

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week!

Happy Homemaker Monday

 

I'm joining Sandra for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. 

The Weather:::

It's overcast and cloudy, cool at 56º with 9 mph winds.  High humidity though.  I'm headed out for a walk in a half hour.

As I look outside my window:::

Birds are flitting about; phoebes have a nest in the garage eaves.  Most everything is lush and green from recent cool rainy weather.  Most trees are fully leafed out now, except for a phenomenon I have never seen before -- some trees apparently had their leaves damaged by freezing  (27º) temps in mid-May and the leaves have all shriveled up and turned brown.  This has mostly happened with beech and oak trees, though many trees of these species are still fine.  It's so strange! 

 

Right now I am:::
 

Working on a blog post while waiting to meet up with a friend to walk.

 
Thinking and pondering:::

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!"  (Romans 11:33)

Praying about and pondering some situations I'm having difficulty understanding.  It reminds me about the godly wisdom of Elizabeth George when she says of Romans 11:33 that we can take every inexplicable situation in life and file each one in between the "bookends" of God's wisdom and God's knowledge.

She wrote in Loving God with All Your Mind: "We must accept in faith that the events of our lives are accomplishing something in God's plan for us and for His world.  He is at work and in control of our universe and our lives, and He has His reasons, which are un-understandable,  unsearchable, inscrutable, inexhaustible, unfathomable, and impossible to grasp.  The reasons behind His decisions remain in the realm of God, and you and I must rest in the knowledge that they are His domain, not ours.Therefore, we probably won't understand the how's and the why's on this side of heaven."

There are four chapters of the book dealing with this verse!   What a blessing for handling the inexplicable situations of our lives.  This should be required reading for every believer.

 

On my bedside table::: 

 A lamp, three books,  a pen and a jar of lavender-infused oil for helping with insect bites.

On my tv this week::: 

Nothing this week.

 Listening to::: 

The sound of an occasional car passing on the road below.  Unidentifiable birds calling sporadically.

On the Breakfast plate:::

I do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast.  Lunch will be a salad with cubes of ham, cheese, and avocado.

  On the dinner plate::: 

 

Leftovers. An egg bake with ham, some egg roll in a bowl, white chicken chili.  I'll probably roast some veggies to go along with it all.

 

On the menu for this week::: 

I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning.  A few meals on my menu plan:

Loaded sweet potato salad

Hamburgers

The weather was hot, and I had planned a whole week full of main-dish salads, but it turned cool, so now I am having to shift gears!

 

On my reading pile:::

 

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

Finding a Mentor, Being a Mentor by Donna Otto

We Travel an Appointed Way by A.W. Tozer

Licensed to Lie by Sidney Powell

On my to do list today:::
 

Work on blog posts
Possibly some errands with my hubby
Go for walk.
Work on felt food.

Phone call with my daughter of the heart, Jennifer

 

Plans for this week:::

Plan menus and make grocery list
List some notions, patterns, cards, and kids' books on Etsy

Declutter some bookcases
Take a box to the thrift store

Write blog posts
Work on my Sunday School lesson

Dust bedroom

What I am creating:::

January cross-stitch sampler
Felt food for some toddler birthday gifts

 

Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::

This quote I found in the Daily Walk Bible devotional for June 11 (I'm ahead of schedule):

 

"When the forecast calls for storms, ships need a strong anchor; buildings, a sure foundation; trees, a deep root system.  In each case, their very survival through the storm depends upon a strong link to that which cannot be moved.  David's anchor in stormy circumstances was an unshakable faith in an unchanging God."

On my prayer list:::

 

Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country

 

 There's the Happy Homemaker Monday for today!

 

Sunday Scripture

 

 I'm sure you all remember that I'm finishing up a One Chapter a Day study of Psalms 101-150 from Good Morning Girls.  Although I love working on more in-depth Bible studies, these simpler ones are also a blessing to do, and I think they are working out quite well for my Sunday Scripture posts.

 As I've noted before, I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the journal from GMG uses a very similar method.  I find this method a real blessing especially when I am studying shorter passages, and I hope others will give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or praise for what it means to you.

This study also includes a reflection question for each passage.  Sometime I answer this in my study, and sometimes not.  Whenever I do answer it (and this week I did), I'll do so right after the SOAP part.

Today's study is from Psalm 143.  The verse to focus on was verse 8, but I chose to look at verses 5-6, 8, and 10.

S= "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the work of Thy hands.  I stretch forth my hands unto Thee; my soul thirsteth after Thee, like a thirsty land.  Selah.
"Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust.  Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee ... Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God.  Thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness." (Psalm 143:5-6, 8, 10)

O= This is a psalm of David.  C.I. Scofield gives it the title, "An urgent appeal for help."  

David looked back at what God had done in the past: "I remember the days of old"; "I meditate on all Thy works"; "I muse on the work of Thy hands."   

He thirsted after God each day.  He asked God to show him the way in which he should walk.  He wanted to be led by God's Spirit, and so he lifted up his soul to God on a regular basis for direction and comfort.

Cross-reference for "I remember the days of old" --

"I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times ... And I said, This is my infirmity, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.  I will remember the works of the LORD; surely I will remember Thy wonders of old."  (Psalm 77:5, 10-11)

Spurgeon writes, of the phrase "the days of old":

"When we see nothing new which can cheer us, let us think upon old things.  We once had merry days, days of deliverance, and joy and thanksgiving; why not again?  Jehovah rescued His people in the days which lie back, centuries ago; why should He not do the like again?  We ourselves have a rich past to look back upon; we have sunny memories, sacred memories, satisfactory memories, and these are as flowers for the bees of faith to visit, from whence they may make honey for present use."

I like that thought!

Of the phrase "I muse on the work of Thy hands", Spurgeon writes:  

"This he had done in former days, even in his most trying hours.  He repeats his perusal of the page of nature, and counts it a balm for his wounds, a cordial for his cares, to see what the Lord has made by His skillful hands.  When the work of our own hand grieves us, let us look to the work of God's hands.  Memory, meditation, and musing, are here set together as the three graces, ministering grace to a mind depressed."  Spurgeon notes that here David is chasing away gloom from his own soul by communion with God.

Of the phrase "cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness", W. Abbot wrote in 1870,  

"[This voice] speaks every morning, but many ears are deaf to it.  But while others are indifferent to it, cause me to hear it; let me not lose the opportunity: waken my ear morning by morning, so that I may hail the season and enjoy the privilege." 

Spurgeon said,

"A sense of divine love is to the soul both dawn and dew; the end of the night of weeping, the beginning of the morning of joy.  Only God can take away from your weary ears the din of our care, and charm them with the sweet notes of His love.  Our plea with the Lord is our faith; if we are relying upon Him, He cannot disappoint us: 'in Thee do I trust' is a sound and solid argument with God.  He who made the ear will cause us to hear; He who is love itself will have the kindness to bring His lovingkindness before our minds."

For the phrase "in the morning":

"The morning is a season often spoken of by [David], and as a time of devotion is much prized by him.  'My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.' (Psalm 5:3)  It is well to have a subject like [lovingkindness] to occupy our waking thoughts.  Prayer and praise, reading and meditation, will be sweet with such a subject occupying and influencing our minds." -- W. Abbot

Cross-reference for "cause me to know the way wherein I should walk" -- 

"Lead me, O LORD,  in Thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make Thy way straight before my face."  (Psalm 5:8)

For the phrase "I lift up my soul unto Thee" --

 "When David was in any difficulty as to his way he lifted his soul toward God Himself, and then he knew he could not go very far wrong.  If the soul will not rise of itself we must lift it, lift it up unto God.  This is a good argument in prayer: surely the God to whom we endeavor to lift up our soul will condescend to show us what He would have us to do.  Let us attend to David's example, and when our heart is low, let us heartily endeavor to lift it up ... to the Lord Himself." -- Charles Spurgeon

Cross-reference for "Thy Spirit is good" -- a reminder that this is the Holy Spirit being spoken of here -- 

"And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD."  (Isaiah 11:2)

A= When we urgently need help, we must do as David did and turn to God.  Looking back at what God has done in the past encourages us to trust Him for the future.

Musing on the work of His hands in creation is a tremendous blessing, for it reminds us of His power and creativity -- and how He can bring those qualities to bear on the uncertainties of our lives.  

As we lift up our souls to Him,  we are comforted by His lovingkindness and can be led by His Spirit in the way He would have us to walk.

P= "Lord, I thank and praise You so much that it is even possible to have a relationship with You!  Meditating on all that You have done in the past and musing on Your power and design in creation gives me every reason to trust You for my day and for my future.  I praise You that I hear Your lovingkindness every morning, and that I have the privilege of lifting my soul up to You.  Guide my steps today, I pray in Jesus' name, Amen."

The reflection question asks, "What is your morning routine?  Are you turning to God and being reminded of His steadfast love at the start of the day?  How would this change your life if you did this daily?"

My response: My morning routine begins with coffee, Bible reading and study, and prayer.  It's such a comforting and instructive time, something I look forward to every morning.  I believe this practice would change any believer's life for the better if done every day.

And that is today's Sunday Scripture!

A few goals for June

 

 It's a new month, so it's time for some new goals!  Here are some goals for June:

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Continue working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- hopefully several times per week
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Stay at our little camp as often as possible
* Get together with friends for a meal out
* Have extended family over for supper at our cottage
* Have friends over for lunch after church
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations (yes, even now!)
* Do some sewing projects ( a few more sachets to stave off musty odors) for the cottage
* Finish 2 pillow quilts for youngest granddaughters
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Continue decluttering the entire house, zone by zone
* With my hubby, set some goals for the second half of 2023
* Enjoy a getaway to meet up with friends on the Maine coast
* Host these same friends for a meal and a tour at our little cottage
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Finish up my trust responsibilities
* 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
* Memorize ten Bible verses and review ten older ones
* Prepare and teach a ladies' Sunday School class each week
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

HEALTHY HABITS FOR JUNE:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs 

And here's how May went:

  * Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week -- not fully done, but this is an ongoing goal
* Continue working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love -- not done
* Post in this blog as often as possible -- hopefully several times per week -- done!
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible -- not done
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones -- done!
* Plan for and celebrate Mother's Day -- done!
* Get together with friends for a meal out -- done!
* Have friends over for lunch after church -- not done this month, I don't think
* Craft some homemade Christmas gifts and decorations (yes, even now!) -- not done
* Do some sewing projects ( a few more sachets to stave off musty odors, plus maybe curtains) for the cottage -- curtains are done!
* Finish 2 pillow quilts for youngest granddaughters -- not done
* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects -- time has been spent, but projects not complete
* Continue decluttering the entire house, zone by zone -- not done
* With my hubby, set some goals for the second half of 2023 -- not done
* Plan a spring getaway with my hubby -- it's become a summer getaway and is planned and booked
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items -- done, but it's ongoing
* Finish up my trust responsibilities -- only a check to write to myself, so I'm calling it done!
* Spend some time volunteering at The Wilds of New England -- done!
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- done!
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able -- done, but never as much as I'd like
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating -- done!
* Memorize ten Bible verses and review ten older ones -- not done
* Fine-tune devotional to share at a ladies' brunch mid-month -- done!
* Get together with friends at our camp on Memorial Day -- done!
* Prepare and teach a ladies' Sunday School class each week -- done!  But of course it's ongoing.
* Get back into our study of the book of Daniel with younger believers -- not done
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general -- done!
* Drink enough water each day -- not done, though I'm trying
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week -- not done

HEALTHY HABITS FOR MAY:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs-- done, though of course it's ongoing.