fresh from the oven

I thought I had used all the peaches that I had put in the freezer, so I was surprised to find several quarts under something else. We haven't had peach cobbler in a long time and just the thought of it made me smile! So, as soon as the casserole for dinner came out of the oven, the cobbler went in. I just use that simple "stir and dump" recipe that has been around forever, but it never disappoints....and last night was no exception.Yummy!!



I stewed most of the zucchini (from yesterday's post) with the yellow crook neck squash, but two cups went into making this...

...bread! A friend gave me a recipe and it is a winner! The bread is moist and "cinnamony"....really good! It makes two regular loaves, but I like making mini loaves. They are easier to slice and serve and I enjoy giving them away. The recipe makes six.

Here's it is:

Zucchini Bread

3 cups self rising flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup nuts (I use Grape Nuts cereal)
4 eggs
2/3 cup oil
2 cups grated zucchini
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 2 reg loaf pans or 6 minis. Combine flour, sugar, nuts, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a med bowl, beat eggs; add oil, zucchini,and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture gradually, mixing gently. Bake 1 hour for reg loaves, 4o mins for minis.

*I use Grape Nuts for several reasons....you get the favor of nuts without the texture, so those who don't like nuts in their food or those who are allergic to nuts can also enjoy it. I use them in my Banana Nut Bread and Pumpkin Bread, too.

So, that's what's been happening in my kitchen! Hmmm...speaking of Peach Cobbler....I think I'll have some! :-)

signs of summer

Peas ready to be picked...

...tomatoes ripening on the vine

...squash waiting to be cooked...

...and a boy in a pool!!!

Took the day off from work to spend it with my favorite little boy....much more fun!!
Hope your day has a little fun in it!

another finished product.....

I finished painting the ironwork on our front porch last evening just as I started hearing thunder in the distance. I quickly cleaned up and told the Hubby..."I don't want to say 'rain, rain go away, come again another day", but I don't want it to wash my paint away! " The wind blew really hard for about 20 mins. before it started to rain. I guess that combined with the heat, gave the paint time to dry. Hallelujah! I didn't mind painting it once, but I didn't care to paint it twice! :-)
So, here is the finished product:







It looks fresh and clean and that makes me happy! :-) BTW, I wanted to arrange these in a mosaic like I have seen on many of your blogs, but I don't know how. Anyone care to share a tutorial with me...please?

who wants to paint?

Not me...but I did it anyway. Well, my friend and I did. I thought she liked to paint so I asked her to help me paint two bedroom closets. When we were almost finished, I said something like, "I'm glad you like to paint." She said, "I don't like to paint...I've never liked to paint." "That's why I asked you to help because I thought you liked to paint." Her response, " I like helping you so I am happy to paint if that is what you need." Now, that is a sweet and faithful friend! :-)

Here is a picture of the finished product of the closet in our room. Didn't enjoy the work, but am happy with the result ....and I enjoyed the company! :-)



Tomorrow....painting the ironwork on our front porch. I'll be doing that solo! :-(

summer fruits

The strawberries became this...

The blueberries became this...

And we are eating these just as they are!

Loving these summer fruits!

humility

In the bible study I am doing, there has been a lot of talk about humility this week. The title is "Seeking Him:Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival ". So, the truth the study is emphasizing in these lessons is that humility is necessary for revival. There have been some great quotes. So, I wanted to share some of them with you.....

"They that know God will be humble;
they that know themselves cannot be proud."
John Flavel

"A truly humble man is sensible of his natural distance from God;
of his dependence on Him;
of the insufficiency of his own power and wisdom."
Jonathan Edwards

"I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments
in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences
that He is indeed our Master."
John Newton

"Humility is the displacement of self and the enthonement of Christ.
Humility means Christ is all and self is nothing."
T.A. Hagre


And what God has to say about it...

"He has told you, O man,what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God."
Micah 6:8

Not an easy thing... studying humility. It brings you face to face with your pride....not a pretty reflection in the mirror. But it is necessary to see my true self to really see my need for Him. Because He is always with me, I see Him in the mirror, too... holding me, assuring me that humility is the first step towards forgiveness and revival.

it rained.....

...twice in the last three days...

...and everything...

...I mean everything...

...looks happier...

...and we are grateful!!

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow!"

thirty eight years....

...of giving and giving some more
...of growing and growing some more
...of planning and planning some more
...of changing and changing some more
...of talking and talking some more
...of listening and listening some more
...of praying and praying some more
...of laughing and laughing some more
...of crying and crying some more
of loving and loving and loving some more!


Happy Anniversary to Us!
June 16, 1973 - June 16, 2011

one hundred and fourteen...

....that was the temperature in my car when I got in it after work today at 5pm.
Oh.My.Goodness!! We have had some hot summers, but this is crazy!

Now for something more pleasant to think about. I found this in my inbox today...some pretty "cool" things about God and how He desires to care for us:

Let God choose for you, it will be the right decision.


Let God guide you, it will be the right direction.

Let God plan for you, it will be in the right timing.
Let God measure for you, it will be the right portion.
Let God help you, it will be the right care.

Let God instruct you, it will be the right teaching.

Let God prepare you, it will be the right training.

Let God counsel you, it will be the right perspective.

Let God fight for you, it will be the right outcome.

Let God work in you, it will be the right result.



Author

Roy Hessin

How's that for an encouraging word?!

Hope you will be assured of His love for you today!

this and that

Sunday, at lunch, we had a bunch of leftovers. So, I made myself a plate and popped it into the microwave. When I took it out and looked at it. I told my Hubby, "Well, I guess I'm going to find out if I like HOT coleslaw." Oops!

Our house and garage needed some paint touch-ups, so I bought a gallon of paint at Sherwin Williams.They mixed our paint originally (about 25 years ago!), and we wanted to make sure it matched. It was $38...we thought that was a little high for plain old exterior latex! Anyway, Hubby told me last night that we were going to need another gallon. Today, in the mail, we got a coupon from Sherwin Williams for 25% off any paint purchase! Perfect timing....just like God to bless us like that!

I was cleaning out my closet today. When I pulled out an old photo album that belonged to my mom, I took time to flip through it. Stuck between two pages, I found a receipt for a car my dad bought in 1958. It was for a 1953 Cadillac (I never knew we had a Cadillac!) and he paid $1471.00 for it. His payments were $61.30 for 24 months! Things are quite different today, huh?

My first tea set was in the closet, too. It has four little cups and saucers and a tiny tea pot. I remember playing with it with my dolls in our front yard when we lived on Smith Street in my hometown. When my daughter turned three, we invited her three best friends over for a tea party and asked them to dress up. They had a ball and we have an adorable video of the event. Sweet memories from my childhood and from my girl's!

Well,that's all folks....... just a little bit of this and that from me to you! Glad you stopped by....hope you have a wonderful week!

gratitude

We have only had a few minutes of rain here and there in the last 3-4 months. Combined with the very hot temperatures we have been having makes for drought like conditions. Of course, we and many others are praying for rain. Tonight, when I was thinking about watering my flowers again, this song by Nichole Nordeman came to mind. It always reminds me of what my response should be....in times of abundance or in times of need.( I tried to post a video from You Tube, but alas, I failed. :-( (If you want to hear her sing it beautifully, go there...there are several videos to choose from.) But, if you are happy just to read the words, here you are:

Gratitude

Send some rain, would You send some rain?
'Cause the earth is dry and needs to drink again
And the sun is high and we are sinking in the shade
Would You send a cloud, thunder long and loud?
Let the sky grow black and send some mercy down
Surely You can see that we are thirsty and afraid
But maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to thirst for You
How to bless the very sun that warms our face
If You never send us rain

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view
If no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread

Oh, the differences that often are between
Everything we want and what we really need

So grant us peace, Jesus, grant us peace
Move our hearts to hear a single beat
Between alibis and enemies tonight
Or maybe not, not today
Peace might be another world away
And if that's the case ...

We'll give thanks to You with gratitude
For lessons learned in how to trust in You
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream
In abundance or in need
And if You never grant us peace ...

But, Jesus, would You please ...

a word from our mommy-to-be!

In a conversation with my daughter a while back, she said,"You know, Mom, the really cool bloggers ask people to write guest posts." I had no idea! And you probably don't know this about me, but I have always wanted to be cool. Who knew it could be so easy? :-) When I asked if she was volunteering, she said, "Yes!" So, I would like to introduce my sweet girl and the first of several guest posts as she prepares to be a mommy!

The Making of a Nursery: Volume I

As most of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first little one later this year, and it's a girl! We are so excited! We can't wait to welcome that baby girl to our family. We are already totally in love with her! (Though her daddy did have to scold her a bit last week for positioning

herself directly on my sciatic nerve...ouch!) :)

So, of course, since we found out about our sweet Blueberry, we have started preparing a nursery for her. Our spare room is light brown (we already painted it once, not doing it again) so I decided to go with white nursery furniture. My mom bought the crib, and we bought the matching changing table. We just needed a dresser or chest of drawers.

Well, in our spare room we had a chest of drawers already. See below.

It's a fine looking piece of furniture, I guess. Obviously I didn't mind it for a spare room. But when I thought about it in a baby's room....ugh. I suspect the babe wouldn't mind, but her mama would! So we decided to overhaul it, take something old and ugly, and make it something new and beautiful. A redemption process, if you will!

So the husband went to taking off the parts I didn't like, namely the hardware and the weird ornate decorative rectangles on the top drawers, which turned out to be plastic. Then we sanded away the finish to the wood. Here's the husband hard at work.

I didn't want to leave the top drawers completely plain, so we went to Lowe's (love that place) and bought some decorative moulding to make our own frames that were pretty similar to the bottom drawers. Then we primed it, painted it white, and put on the new hardware (also from Lowe's), and we had the finished product. Here it is!

I am very pleased with how it turned out. It's amazing the difference a coat of paint and some new hardware can make! A few people couldn't believe it was the same piece of furniture. :) I am excited about our next project: a bookcase! Look for the next installment to see how that one turns out!

Random funny: I've had many people tell me I'll have crazy dreams during my pregnancy. Well a couple of nights ago, I dreamed that instead of a baby, I gave birth to five little ants who named themselves Henry, Harriet, Adrian, She'teria, and Okay. The strange thing- I wasn't at all concerned that I had given birth to ants, but that they were too small for me to tell them apart!

copier chaos

We had the same copier in the doctor's office where I work for about eight years. We all knew how to use it to copy, reduce, enlarge, print. We understood its language and had learned all its quirks. It served us well, but it began to whine (like it was in pain!) when it was making copies. Then it began to grind and jam every time we used it. Finally, our office manager decided it was time to purchase a new one. So, about three weeks ago, a brand new one was installed. Well, it is very different and we have had some difficulty (to say the least!) adjusting. We don't understand the instructions that show up on the screen and sometimes we can't even figure out where to put our original on the glass!

Today, I was trying to make copies of a report I use to pull patient charts. The originals went through the feeder correctly and then nothing happened. I looked at the screen, it said...."Job held. Resources needed." "What in the world does that mean?" I thought. So, I tried it again...same thing happened. As I was studying the screen, trying to figure out what was going on, I noticed there were dots flashing in the center of the diagram of the copier. "Oh," I thought. "Maybe it needs paper." So, I opened the drawer and, sure enough, it was empty. I started to laugh....."resources needed"...good grief...what's wrong with LOAD PAPER!!! (That's what the old copier would say!) I know we'll learn how to use it, but I think the truth is.......it is just too sophisticated for us simple folks! :-)

remembering mom

I spent yesterday cleaning out and organizing my kitchen cabinets. When I took this out, I paused a moment to remember......















My maternal grandmother died when I was ten years old. Four years later, my grandfather, Papa, married his elementary school sweetheart. We called her Mom. She had been married before, but did not have any children. So, she embraced us with all her motherly instincts.
Anytime, we had a family dinner, whether it was at her house or at my mom's, she would always bring this filled ( it has a removable pyrex bowl) with broccoli casserole. I'm not sure I had ever eaten broccoli until she joined the family! We all loved it and to this day, it is a family favorite.

Papa and Mom were married 20 years. She died in July 1988 and Papa died the following October. When their things were being divided, I asked for three of Papa's old pocket watches (so I could give one to each of my children when they grew up) and this, Mom's broccoli casserole dish. It was something that would always remind me of her, the love she showered on all of us (children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren) and the many happy meals we enjoyed together.

I adored my grandmother, but Mom was definitely a gift from God to our family. She cared for Papa, was there to comfort us when my mom died, and was a sweet and generous great grandmother to my children. And she gave me a great recipe! :-)

In her honor, here it is:

2 10 oz boxes chopped broccoli ( boiled and drained)
2 eggs
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayo
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients. Bake 30-40 min at 350 until top is golden. Allow to sit for a few minutes to firm up before serving.

Funny........two broccoli recipes in one week! Guess I'm going GREEN! :-)

look what we found today....

A mother dove and her baby in a nest on our fence.

Oh my,...look again.... see baby #2 under her?

It's 100+ here today. Seems they would be hot all snuggled up,
but they seem content to me!
A reminder that God takes care of His own!
Glad we have been keeping water in our birdbaths.
I'm sure mom has been visiting them regularly with two thirsty babies!
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Thanks for dropping by!

the shepherd's psalm

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd...
that's relationship!

I shall not want...
that's supply!

He makes me to lie down in green pastures...
that's rest!

He leads me beside the still waters...
that's refreshment!

He restores my soul...
that's healing!

He leads me in the paths of righteousness...
that's guidance!

For His name sake...
that's purpose!

Though I walk through the valley of the

shadow of death...

that's challenge!

I will fear no evil...
that's assurance!

For you are with me...
that's faithfulness!

Your rod and Your staff comfort me...
that's protection!

You prepare a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies...
that's hope!

You anoint my head with oil...
that's consecration!

My cup runs over...
that's abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life...
that's blessing!


And I will dwell in the house of the Lord...
that's security!

Forever...
that's ETERNITY!

being "pushy"....not a good thing!

We had a "pushy" patient come in the office yesterday. Actually, she wasn't a patient. Well, she was someone's patient, just not ours. Anyway, she walked in the door and wanted to be seen....I mean, like, right this minute! One of our receptionists told her, very politely, that she would be glad to make her an appointment. Oh no, she wanted to be seen immediately. Again, she was told, very calmly, that we are not a walk-in clinic, nor an emergency clinic, but we would be happy to make an appointment and see her then. Well, she just would not take "no" for an answer. She continued to insist, tying up our receptionists for several minutes, while patients (who did have appointments, by the way!) waited behind her. (Believe me, this was no emergency!) Finally, after talking to our office manager and being told the same thing several times, she left without making an appointment!

Got me to thinking about how often I get "pushy" with God. You know..."I know what I want.....and I want it now!" Yesterday, Lorrie talked about taking things "step by step"....not always seeing what is ahead, but acting on what is given us this day. So often, I want to rush ahead, push past things that are there for a reason, ignore the "slow" or "yield" signs.....MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! Today was a reminder that God doesn't like "pushy" either. After all, how many times does He tell us in His Word, to be patient, to wait, to rest? He has good plans for me...."divine" appointments.... if I will just wait and stop pushing!