Friday five for August 7

Hard to believe, but another Friday has rolled around!  It's been hot and sultry for weeks, but the past couple of mornings there's been just a touch of coolness in the air that hints ever so slightly of fall.   Here goes with five more blessings from the past week:

1.  Much more progress on cleaning out the homestead.  More trips to the Restore and thrift store -- so thankful that both are taking donations again!  I was especially tickled that we could drop off some books at librarian Susan's porch -- and had a short but sweet visit with her and her hubby also.

Roses and fields at the home place

2.  Lovely phone chats with my friend Jennifer and my faraway daughter Joanna.    It's always wonderful to catch up with these dear women by phone.

Vintage ad from my collection

3.  A cool day to bake some cakes for an upcoming wedding.  I don't need to decorate them; I was just asked to bake some gluten-free chocolate layers for the bride and groom to cut.  If you are interested in the recipe I used, it is here: Never-Fail Chocolate Cake. I just substituted the Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for the flour called for in the recipe.  For two 8-inch layers, I doubled the recipe, filled the pans half full and had enough batter left to make a tea-sized loaf cake which Mr. T and I devoured.

This old photo of Josiah scraping a chocolate bowl seemed just perfect here!

4.  Sunday School starting up again!  Finally we get to finish the last chapter in A Woman Who Reflects the Heart of Jesus.  This chapter is on Worship, so it seems very appropriate right now.  I've linked to the book on Elizabeth George's site, but one can also find like-new copies on Thriftbooks.com for a very good price.  A note, too, that I consider the subtitle 30 Days to Christlike Character a misnomer.  I think we all know that becoming Christlike is a lifelong process.  It has taken me a couple of years to get through this study with the ladies' class, and none of us will say that we've arrived in any of the areas we've studied.

5.  Today is my local daughter and son-in-law's anniversary.  How can it be they've been married 21 years?  Where did that time go?  So thankful for them and their wonderful kiddos.

And there is this week's Friday five!  Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Wednesday Hodgepodge for August 5

Wednesday again! Time for the Wednesday Hodgepodge, in which Joyce asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers.  It's always a lot of fun, so if you'd like to join in, head over to From This Side of the Pond and get the questions from Joyce, then answer them on your own blog.  Here are this week's questions:

1.  What's happening where you live in terms of schools opening? How do you feel about it?

Right at the moment, schools in our town are planning to open around the end of August, I believe.  The governor is giving guidelines but pretty much letting school districts decide on their own just how to handle it.  High school sports are going to happen, but will be starting 3 weeks behind schedule, and no one knows quite what to make of that.  I think pretty much everything regarding school opening will be subject to change.

How I feel about it: well, I know that this isn't a popular position, but I think the kids should go back to school as usual -- and I would say the same if I had kids involved, or if I was a teacher. ( In fact, I do have a grandchild who is affected by this. )  I have been a teacher and I have been a parent of school children, so I can look at this from both sides.  The survival rate for this virus is very high, and we have never gone to these extremes before.  This unreasoning fear is out of control.

We also have a university in our town and the iconic building above is part of that.  That is a bit more of a sticky wicket, as we do have students coming from all over the US and often beyond.  The university is not having fall sports, which has to be incredibly disappointing for the athletes.  Lots of testing (for the virus) is going to be happening as well, and it really seems as if the entire semester may be up in the air.  I can understand this one a bit more, but I still feel that the fear and the control issues over a highly survivable illness have gotten out of hand.

2. What's something you still do 'old school'?

Washing kitchen and bathroom floors.  I much prefer to wash them on my hands and knees. 

  And I prefer to wash dishes by hand.  Also, I still have a flip phone!  (And I almost never use it.)

3. August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. Will you/did you celebrate by baking a batch? Eating a batch? Nuts or no nuts? Homemade or store bought? Soft and chewy or do you prefer your cookie to snap when you bite into it?

Maybe I should celebrate it!  If I did, it would be baking a batch and eating a few cookies.  I usually make them without nuts, but they are good either way.  Homemade, for sure, and I will go with chewy.  My aunt Dot made the best crispy chocolate chip cookies (she used butter, as well as walnut chunks), but those are really the only crispy chocolate chippers I have ever enjoyed.  My aunt Joanne, and my mother, made oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that were both chewy and crispy and have been a huge favorite in our family over time.  But for myself -- mostly, I prefer my chocolate chip cookies chewy.  Below is a vintage chocolate chip cookie recipe:

4. What are you starved for?

Normalcy.  Like back in the day when we didn't have to make reservations for a picnic table or beach space at a state park.

5. Anything new and interesting on your August calendar? What is one thing you're looking forward to this month?

Our friends Noah and Rachel are getting married this month.  We're looking forward to their wedding!

And let's see, what else is new and interesting?  Well, at church we've started having Sunday School again, so as of this past Sunday I'm back to teaching. That's a little different, but in a good way.  Hopefully as August moves on there will be more fun activities on the calendar.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Well, I wouldn't call this really random -- it's quite relevant -- but lately I've been thinking back to our trip to Grand Canyon in June.  I came back from that trip with a lot more hope than when I went -- and I was not by any means lacking in hope at that time.  What really struck me at both Grand Canyon and Zion National Parks was the vastness and beauty if it all -- and the undeniable wisdom and power of its Creator.  The One who created all things is the One holding all things together.  We can absolutely rest in that.

And there is the Wednesday Hodgepodge for this week!

Some goals for August

 Time to set some goals for August!  They are much the same as July's.  Here goes:

* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses and review some older ones
* Do the August Scripture writing plan, Certain Through Uncertainty, with Rachel Wojo
* Post in my blogs as often as possible
* Continue our discipleship study with new believers
* Attend the wedding of dear friends
* Have folks over for Sunday lunch a time or two
* Continue to help our widowed friend Terry with the challenges of life in general

* Get to bed by 9 pm each night  
* Pay much more attention to drinking enough water each day
* Read several books 

* Complete some estate responsibilities 

* Work on the cottage we are fixing up

 * Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week

* Get back into Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Do something creative each day

* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones

* Spend a little time on some UFO craft projects
* Redouble my efforts in stocking my Etsy shop and continuing to sell vintage items

* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family

* Plan a getaway with my hubby

* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able 

* Continue to encourage and support my hubby as he works through a pastoral search for our church * Continue to sort out and declutter my dad's house, hopefully finding a buyer for a few odds and ends of furniture

* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating

 
HEALTHY HABITS FOR AUGUST:  Drink more water/get more sleep/walk regularly
MY WORD FOR 2020: Diligence

Do you want wisdom?

(Lovely graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings)

I have something special to share with my readers today.  As I mentioned in Saturday's post, a younger friend of mine leads a women's Bible study locally and, throughout the current health crisis, has been sharing devotional thoughts with the group by email.  I'm on her email list,  and the devotional she sent out this week just blessed and encouraged me so much that I asked her about posting it here.  Below the devotional I will share more about Amanda, but first, without further ado, here is

Do You Want Wisdom?

A guest post by Amanda Reed

This week has been lovely- and this morning, as I am typing this up, the air is cool, making me anticipate my favorite season: FALL! How was this week, dear ones? What did you learn about your God this week? 

This week, I was greatly comforted that He is my help, my friend, my Shepherd. How much He cares about me! How He wants me to communicate with Him- even in the things I struggle to admit, confront, confess. In the moments I am feeling grumpy, hormonal, sad, frustrated, overwhelmed, and so on -- He desires that I communicate all that with Him, and His word has given me the answers in those moments of struggle and weakness. In the grumpy moments, He has promised to be my joy. In the overwhelming moments, He has promised to carry my burdens. In the hormonal moments, He has promised to uphold me (yes, you can even talk to Him about that!!!). In the frustrating moments, He has promised to give me the wisdom I need as I seek Him for help.
 
 When any of these moments arise in your life, what do you do? Do you immediately jump on social media, looking for a quick fix? Do you complain to someone or lash out at the nearest victim about the troubles in your life? Do you get broody and temperamental?
 
The other night, I read Proverbs 2 to the boys before bed. As I was reading, the overall theme of the chapter (the importance of wisdom) jumped out to me. I began to think how much our world needs this wisdom. I began to think how much our churches need this wisdom. And, even more, I began to think about how I need this wisdom. In this passage, there are several conditional statements beginning with the word, "if". This emphasizes to us the need to be doing those "if" statements in order to obtain the result we want.
 
Essentially, the author is saying, if you really want to know God and His wisdom, you must do your part! Then, the writer says, "you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." Why is this important for us? Well, think about all the stuff going on in our world. The violence, the fear, the confusion. So many people lashing out in anger, bitterness, and depression. Anxiety reigns in the hearts and minds of so many. People are combating one another with their words and actions. No one seems to know where to turn for the answers. Yet, the answer is right here in the Bible. "For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and watching over the ways of His saints." Isn't that truth so very comforting at this time? 

Are you lacking in understanding and wisdom about something? God has it all stored up for you -- and its depths can never be attained. He has more wisdom, more knowledge, more insight than any expert you will ever find.
 
And, as you seek His wisdom, He promises that "then you will understand righteousness and justice, and equity, and every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil."
 
Are you seeking God's wisdom in these days? I mean, really seeking it?? Or are you doing the simple Bible reading and then going about your day without even meditating on the most important piece of knowledge? Are you driving these truths into your mind and heart so that in the moment of battle, you are prepared with truth? Dear ones, you will never regret having filled your mind with God's Word. You will never regret laboring to read His Word and understand His truth. You will never regret setting aside extra time with Him. The dishes and laundry can wait. Social media can wait. Get alone with Him and fill your mind with Him. He alone can fill the voids in your life. The pain. The struggles with sin. The confusion.
 
Matthew Henry writes, "Those who earnestly seek heavenly wisdom will never complain that they have lost their labor; and the freeness of the gift does not do away the necessity of diligence. ... Observe who are thus favored. They are the righteous on whom the image of God is renewed, which consists in righteousness. If we depend upon God and seek to Him for wisdom, He will enable us to keep the paths of judgment. If we are truly wise, we shall be careful to avoid all evil company and evil practices. When wisdom has dominion over us, then it not only fills the head, but enters into the heart and will preserve both against corruptions within and temptations without."
 
What are you struggling with today? What sins are plaguing you? Gossip? Bitterness? Anger? Deceit? Worry? Fear? Judgment? Lying? Rebellion? A haughty spirit?
 
What have you been filling your mind with this week? God's Word? Or the news? God's Word or social media? God's Word or the "advice" of others? God's Word or the devil's subtle lies?
 
Light bulb moment!! The confusion, pain, and hurt in your life CAN ONLY BE FILLED by the Word and the wisdom of God. But, you must be doing your part. You must be fighting the battle -- God has provided you with what you need, but if you are not diligently seeking Him and His help, you are setting yourself up for spiritual failure.
 
What is seeking God going to look like for you today? This week? How are you going to make it a point to be gaining the right wisdom?
 
Are you seeking comfort from the word of God and from those who will point you to Him? Get rid of the stuff that is not doing that! Don't read those books or posts! Don't listen to that music or that podcast. Don't take advice from that person.
 
Read Proverbs 2 today. Ask God to reveal ways you have been seeking wisdom from other people or places. Confess the sins which are keeping you from a right understanding of Him today- and every day. Seek Him. Seek Him diligently and earnestly. You will never regret it. 

🌿

Amanda Reed lives in central New Hampshire with her husband Randy and their two little boys.  She describes Randy as "outdoorsman extraordinaire", but honesty compels me to add that Amanda is a competent outdoorswoman in her own right. 

Randy, Amanda, and the boys

When I asked what she would like my readers to know about her, she added the following in addition to her roles as wife and mom: "I have been saved by grace through faith in Christ, and after wandering from Him for some time, He has renewed in me a passion for Him and His Word.  I have a great desire to see other women experiencing the power of God and increasing in the knowledge of Him in their own lives, so I started hosting a Bible study in my home.  I love writing, reading, and music.  I also love baking and Fall." 

If you enjoyed reading this devotional by Amanda, you will be interested to know that she has just recently started a blog where more of her writings can be accessed.  You can find her here: Amanda Reed.  I hope that my readers are as blessed as I have been by this devotional today!

Saturday six

Lovely graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

I would be truly remiss if I didn't take time to share some of the blessings from the past week.  So here are six of them:

1.  Last weekend our church hosted a missionary family and we were blessed to have them in our home for meals and fellowship.  On Sunday afternoon, we got the idea to take them for a hike in the White Mountains, and what a wonderful time we all had!  One of the places we hiked to was The Basin, in Franconia Notch State Park (photo below).  Their two little children enjoyed the ride in a double stroller and of course got out at times as well.  It was a refreshing time for them as a family, and for Mr. T and myself as well.  Getting out into God's creation is always such a wonderful reminder of His power and sovereignty, and the beauty is such a refreshment in itself.  Not to mention, it was even a little bit cooler in the mountains!

Photo snagged from https://www.nhstateparks.org/visit/

2.  Another huge blessing was seeing God guide and direct us throughout the weekend.  He nudged me to change a few of my meal plans in ways that made things easier and simpler (and cooler), and the changes turned out to be the best for our guests as well.

3.  Blueberries ripening at the home place.  On Saturday afternoon, only a couple of hours before our guests were to arrive, Mr. T and I took a half hour and went blueberrying.   Between us we got three quarts!  It turned out to be perfect because one of our guests was following a specific regimen for his health and was eating fruit instead of desserts.  He had fresh blueberries at every meal and enjoyed them immensely!  I had forgotten how calming it is to pick blueberries, so it was a blessing to me as well.

4.  The opportunity to take a picnic supper to the lake on Tuesday evening.  Oh, how calming and refreshing that was, especially after the busyness of the weekend and some very hot days!  There is just nothing like a New Hampshire lake for pure refreshment.

5.  Coming down to the homestretch on clearing out my childhood home!  Today we were blessed to have the help of grandsons Sam (16) and Josiah (12).  The last of the large, heavy items have left the premises.  Of course, I still need to dispose of many of them, but Mr. T cleared out his upstairs garage workshop to make room until that happens.

 Anyone for a deacon's bench or a chair?  There are three chairs just like the one below.

6.  I'm excited that a younger friend of mine is going to be sharing a guest post here on the blog at the beginning of next week.  She leads a women's Bible study locally and, throughout the current health crisis, has been sharing devotional thoughts with the group by email.  I'm on her email list and the one she sent out this week just blessed and encouraged me so much that I asked her about posting it here.  You'll want to keep an eye out for her post early next week!

And there is my Saturday six!  I hope that you are all having a wonderful weekend.

It's still true: Desperate times call for desperate measures ... like iced tea

And the times lately have certainly been desperate as far as heat and humidity are concerned, not to mention the ever-present stress and strain from our current world situation.  So I'm updating and adding to this post from two years ago, in hopes that others may find it useful.

As a rule at our house, we no longer drink sweetened beverages.  Mr. T does use a little stevia in his coffee.  But for cold beverages, our first choice is always nice cold water.  Sometimes we will have kombucha.  I enjoy unsweetened iced tea with lemon, but my hubby does not, so I don't usually bother making it just for me.  Usually, water is the most refreshing and most usual cold drink for us.

However.  There are times when a lightly sweetened iced tea is just the ticket.  We've had an unusually long spell of heat and humidity and I have found myself making a jug of iced tea nearly every day during it.

I think maybe it all harks back to when my mother and grandmother made iced tea every summer, and it also brings back memories of my first job, washing dishes in a very busy local restaurant.  No AC in the kitchen, of course -- not sure window air conditioners were even a thing in the mid=1960s.  I think there were a few strategically placed fans.  The dishwasher ran on propane, so there was a pilot light and it got very, very hot in that kitchen!  When the bus people brought in their overflowing bins of dishes, there would almost always be partially finished glasses of iced tea, complete with ice and lemon.  Oh, the clinking sounds of the ice and the zesty lemon scent tempted me!   But don't worry -- I never succumbed to drinking from a stranger's discarded glass.

I did, however, drink my share of iced tea at home and I still find it one of the most refreshing beverages I can think of.

I have often used my daughter's recipe,  which is a good bit healthier than my mother usually made iced tea.  (She used a can of lemonade concentrate, replete with high fructose corn syrup I am sure.  Though, in her defense, I do remember many, many years ago when she used lemons and sugar instead.)

I have copied and pasted Carrie's recipe just as I wrote it in a 2007 blog post.  When I've made this during those desperate times in past summers, I've  usually made half a batch.  And I've used brown sugar, which feels just a tiny bit healthier and adds a bit more depth to the flavor.

CARRIE’S ICED TEA

12 cups boiling water
12 green tea bags
1 cup sugar
4 Tblsp. orange juice
4 Tblsp. lemon juice

Pour the boiling water over the tea bags in a large bowl. Let steep 5 to 7 minutes only. Stir in sugar and juices. Stir well; let cool. Transfer to a pitcher and let chill in refrigerator. Serve over ice.

This recipe may easily be halved and is very adaptable. I often add in some lime juice along with the other citrus juices, and usually when I halve the recipe I still use the full amount of fruit juice. Sometimes I use regular tea in place of the green tea -- just as tasty! Sometimes I use 11 regular tea bags and 1 flavored one such as mint, raspberry, or peach. Gives a nice, different flavor.

Since our 40-day sugar fast this spring, however,  I decided to try and make a healthier iced tea that didn't use sugar.  So this is what I am doing, just about every day:

MRS. T’S ICED TEA

8 cups boiling water
7 black tea bags
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Pour the boiling water over the tea bags in a large bowl. Let steep at least 15 minutes or according to your taste.  I often let it steep for an hour or more. Stir in agave nectar and lemon juice. Stir well; let cool. Transfer to a pitcher or jug and let chill in refrigerator.  Serve over ice.  Makes about a half gallon.

We had one of these!  How about you?

If heat and humidity (not to mention hype and hysteria) have you desperate, too,  you might like to give one of these recipes a try.

A blessing from Psalm 107

Gorgeous graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

This month I've been working through the Rest for the Weary Bible reading challenge from Rachel Wojo.  Yesterday's Scripture passage was Psalm 107:28-32.  I've studied Psalm 107 before (not to say there isn't much, much more to learn from it!), and even wrote a post about it here: Blessed encouragement from the Psalms,  but these verses seemed to speak to me in a whole new way given our current circumstances.

"Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses.

He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Then are they glad because they are quiet; so He bringeth them into their desired haven.

Oh, that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!

Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders."

(Psalm 107:28-32)

I love these verses!  They are so meaningful right now,  as a storm of illness, death,  fear, misinformation and divisiveness swirls around us.  I am certainly crying out to God as He is the only one who can still this (or any) storm.  I especially love the thought that God is going to eventually bring us into our "desired haven"!  In fact, if we know Jesus as Savior, we are in that "haven of rest" even now.

Verse 29-30 speak to me especially right now, and I found some wonderful cross-references:

"Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them."

(Psalm 89:9)

"The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.  The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea."

(Psalm 93:3-4)

These verses led me naturally to thinking about the account in Matthew 8 of Jesus stilling the storm:

"And He saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea: and there was a great calm.  But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!"

(Matthew 8:26-27)

Truly, Jesus is with us in the storm and He is able to still any storm that we face!  Even the winds and waves of adversity obey Him!

 Another of the cross-references was:

"[God] stilleth the noise of the seas, the voice of their waves, and the tumult of the people."

(Psalm 65:7)

Wow!  Did you catch that?  God is able to still the noise of the seas, the voice of the waves, and even "the tumult of the people"!  There is so much tumult out there.  We know that God  is allowing this difficulty for some good purpose of His own and will bring all of this to an end in His perfect timing.  I'm praying for Him to still the storm today.  May He calm each of our hearts as well.