This has been a great summer for my potted plants. I am never quite ready for it to freeze and ruin them. Can I give you a few hints for keeping them going for another year? As repotting starts from your summer plants....saves you money and brings so much enjoyment the next summer.

It will soon be that time of year to start potting some of the 'ice plants' that are in my summer planters. I do this so that I can bring starts inside and keep them to replant next spring.  It just takes a few little pieces in a planter in the spring to fill and make the planters look beautiful by summer.  It is a great way to save money when spring comes and needing plants for the planters.  I am always amazed how they spread out and add so much to the planters.  

There are three different kinds of ice plants in these pictures. If you want any starts and live close let me know, I'd love to share them with you. If you don't watch for some of these plants next spring when you are shopping for your plants and then you'll have 'starts' for years to come. 

Depend on God.....Peace follows

 

These ARE troubling times - covid/vaccines/mandates; unrest within our country; much going on outside our country; many unknowns.......These things tend to make us on edge and unsettled. 

Let me share briefly from Charles Stanley's devotion from Sept. 27, 2021.

All that is going around us challenges our security and peace. What are we doing about that?  Are relying on ourselves and human strength to find a way through OR are we calling out to God? 

Stanley's ideas:

1) one of the purposes of prayer is to make us aware of our own dependence on the Lord

2) nothing is too small to bring to Him or too big for Him to handle

3) we are told in Phil. 4:6 not to worry about anything

4) after we take our concerns to the Lord we WILL have His peace - Phil. 4:7 - even though the circumstances may not have changed. 

It was exciting to think that praying does make us aware of depending on God.  

So - come to the Lord in prayer, humbly asking and seeking Him and His will.  Bring all your concerns to Him and He will give you peace!

Powdered buttermilk....a handy staple to keep on hand!

Just want to share with you briefly about powdered buttermilk....How many of you all out there have heard of it or keep it on hand?

It is a great staple to keep on hand for the times your recipe calls for buttermilk.  There are a few recipes out there that do.  I found two this summer that needed it and then the red Christmas cake calls for buttermilk too! This comes as a powder and all you have to do is mix it with water.  I even keep it in my freezer sometimes so that it stays fresh because I don't use it often but am excited that I have it when it is needed! 

Just a thought!! Happy baking!

A easy way to clean up when cooking a meal......

 Sept. 22, 2021

Lots of meals are fixed in our kitchen.  There is usually a big meal cooked every day with extras eating at our table.  We are grateful for this!  

Today I want to give you a hint about cooking and cleaning up.  It is a simple one!  Have the kitchen cleaned up and the pots and pans and baking utensils all washed and drying before you set down to eat.  This usually means some very last-minute dishwashing of the pans as you take the food out of them and set them on the table in the serving bowls.  This only takes a second of your time as the pans are usually warm and the food will clean off quickly and easily.  It makes doing the dishes after the meal a snap!!

This way when the meal is over you only have a few plates and bowls to load in the dishwasher.  Such an encouragement when the meal of over!  Have a good day!

Easy and quick one dish meal

 Sept. 22, 2021

This time of year I like to make this one dish meal.  The recipe can easily be adjusted depending on what garden vegetable you have on hand.  

We had a few extras here this morning doing some roping and they came in for lunch.  I put this together quickly using fresh corn, tomatoes, mild chili peppers, and zucchini.  It was great.  The mild peppers gave it great flavor.  The chili powder is a must. I don't usually put in the pimentos or parsley. Sometimes I add tomato sauce if I think it needs more moisture.  It is very adaptable and delicious! 

The spiritual aspect of being a grandparent....We have a wonderful opportunity and responsibility to help our grandchildren!

 Sept. 19, 2021

My last blog talked about being a good grandparent. It had lots of generic ideas that were good.  I was blessed to grow up with both sets of grandparents.  They both challenged me spiritually. One of my grandfathers could often be found sitting in his living room reading his Bible.  He would say, "Millie Jo where have you been reading in your Bible?" He held me accountable and also displayed to me that he read often in his Bible. When I was at my other grandparent's home, I would listen every morning as my grandad led in a devotion. I was so blessed to have spiritual guidance from my grandparents!!! In this blog, I want to address what the Bible says about our responsibilities as grandparents. 

Last year I spent some time with a grandmother and her grandchildren.  They were very distanced from one another and not close as a family.  It hurt my spirit that the grandmother was not able to love on and teach her grandchildren. I felt that the grandchildren were a little bit orphaned and left on their own.  

Soon after this experience, I heard on Family Talk a message by Dr. Dobson and Dr. Josh Mulvihill about grandparenting and ordered their book Equipping Grandparents.  Finally, I have gotten around to reading it. I have been very encouraged by it to be a more intentional grandmother spiritually.

The book says culture today says when you have raised your children and have gotten up in years that your work with the family is essentially done.  Culture says it is your time to kick back and enjoy life and live for yourself.   

However, the verses we read from the Bible would indicate otherwise. 

Deut. 4:9 Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.

^{Deut 6:2} so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life.5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

4 Psalm 78:4-6 We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,
    and they in turn would tell their children.

The book says grandparents have an inherited faith they are to pass on to their family. (Ephesians 6:1-4; Psalm 78) It says grandparents should be disciple-makers of the future generations by focusing on the salvation and sanctification of their family. This goal can be reached by 1)having a multigenerational vision,  2)telling of the Lord's work through testimony, and 3) teaching obedience to God's commands based on the Bible.

There are approximately 30 million Christian grandparents in American. If we were all intentional in leading as Christian grandparents we could start a revival in America! No one loves a grandchild like a grandparent! May we be REALLY concerned and intentional about training them up in the Christian faith so that we may spend eternity with generations of them in heaven!!

Resources for you to look up and learn from: Legacy Coalition - it has many helpful resources; Josh Mulvihill also has grandparenting resources; Courageous Grandparenting by Cavin Harper.

LISTEN to the Holy Spirit

This morning - 

I read an article this morning about quieting our souls.  It said Satan tries to pull us away from God by keeping us busy.

My granddaughter who is in college wrote a paper this week entitled "Does Google make us dumb?"  It had some very good points saying that Google is great in that we can get knowledge readily and easily but it does not let us dig deep into articles so that we learn to think and be quiet and take in what we read.  Rather it hurries us along where we skim articles but don't really learn and have quiet in our souls.   

This morning as I was home I saw an advertisement for a job that paid $25/hour from home.  I thought I could do that.  Then the Holy Spirit reminded me that was not what He had for me.  

Then I saw a sale ad for the type of shoes I like.  Went to look in my closet to see what size I might wear and was convicted that I did not need any new shoes.

Saying all this to say:

Draw near to God.  He, through the Holy Spirit, will guide you in the path you should go.  Don't get caught up in the world - in the media, the hype of everything - but keep a quiet and close relationship with the Lord, listening to and obeying His voice.  You will have His peace and you'll be blessed beyond measure. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:7

Apple Bread and Bread Pans....

 

Hannagan's Market has some excellent large apples this year.  My grandson thought they looked wonderful and picked out several for us.  I came across this recipe for apple bread and decided to use them for this as they would be easy and quick to peel being rather large.  

AND THE BREAD WAS EXCELLENT!

So I decided to share it with you since it is fall and apple season.  

I also wanted to tell you about bread pans.  Somewhere along the way I read that bread pans should be hand washed and not run through the dishwasher.  If you wash the pans in your dishwasher, it pits the aluminum pans, rusts the regular metals ones, and takes the Teflon finish off of the Teflon pans.  Any of these pits, rusty places, or missing finish causes the bread to stick to the pan so that it doesn't easily fall out of the pan.  I really don't enjoy washing the bread pans though.  It is easiest if you will put a little dish soap in the pan and fill it with water just after you take the bread out of the pan.  Then in just a little bit they will wash up easily. If you take care of your pans, you'll have them for years.