He is gracious and lovely…

I’m so thankful that God is gracious aren’t you?

He is full of grace.

He is altogether lovely.

The Bible says that there is nothing dark in Him, “no shadow of turning”.

Because He is full of grace,

because there is nothing dark or shady in His character,

because, by His very nature, everything He does is motivated by a heart filled with love,

He is altogether trustworthy.

Trust.

It’s a choice we make every moment,

every day.

I’m so thankful I can trust Him.

He promises to never fail or forsake me.

Click the link above and it will take you to the verse in Deuteronomy that I’m leaning heavy on

with two daughter’s doing overseas missions right now,

and the Hubs and I leaving to preach a conference in Ghana, West Africa over Easter weekend.

Your prayers for us are much needed and appreciated.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Friday’s Favs…a vintage pudding steamer and other kitchen stuff

Do you know what this is?

The rather odd looking, tin object with the lid and the red Fisko sign is a pudding steamer!

I’ve seen them in antique stores and in a few blog photos, but until I did some research online

I thought it was some kind of baking pan, similar to a bundt pan.

Well, I was wrong. 

It’s a pudding steamer for things like plum pudding, figgy pudding, and Christmas pudding.

It cooks in a water bath on the stove top, not in the oven.

I found mine, not at some kitchen store, or in an antique shop, but at the G.W. for cheap, cheap, cheap!

I love to cook and am excited to try this out.

I think I’ll start off with this recipe.

(I’m picturing the dining room scene from Downton Abbey

where the elderly Countess of Grantham is enjoying the Christmas pudding.)

In other kitchen news, I’ve changed up a little something on my counter, gathering my wood cutting boards, my favorite cooking magazine, and a couple of kitchen towels in the wooden box made by my handyman son-in-law.

Well, it’s almost Friday friends.

Hope your Friday is HaPpY and your weekend is blessed!

Elizabeth

 

A visit with my brother…

We sat together at a trendy little restaurant in southeast Portland eating our trendy breakfasts

just before he left to go back to his beautiful southern California home.

My big brother sat across from my husband and I.

When he looks at me it’s Mama’s eyes I see in his face.

He doesn’t speak “Christian-ese”, but the word he uses is right out of John 10:10.

He says, “When I see the life you have I think of the word, “abundance”.

He notices the rich, full life we have, full of blessing, rich in relationships.

In possessions he has so much more than us,

houses, cars, things.

His life is rich in experiences too,

he travels the world, has lived all over the world.

Sometimes I think we’ve sacrificed so much in this ministry life we live.

We have our simple 1400 square foot house and our two basic cars

and not nearly enough put away for the future to offer security in this life.

Our time and life isn’t our own and sometimes it’s hard,

because self wants to be, by its very nature, selfish.

Sometimes I focus on the sacrifice

and it blinds me to the blessing,

the abundance that can’t be measured in things, or bank balances,

or even in crossing off all of the items on my bucket list before I leave this life.

My big brother could see the abundance we have,

in our children and grandchildren,

in our friends and church family,

the abundance of love that surrounds us.

Sometimes I’m blind to it and sometimes I need my big brother to help me to see.

Still following,

Elizabeth

Chamberstick candle holder…

Isn’t she lovely?

She’s not vintage, but she is enamelware.

She was about half the price of vintage ones.

I like her a lot.

In other news, one week from today we leave for our two week trip to Ghana, Africa!

I have so much to get done in a weeeeeek!

I just walked away from a pile of stuff I was working on to post…

a little blogging break if you will.

Anyway, lately I will change something up at home, look at it for a day or two,

then inevitably I will go and take something away from what I’ve done and like it better.

Simplify it.

Maybe less clutter makes more impact.

They say less is more, but what do you think?

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Pink carnations on old ladder…

I just love soft pink carnations.

If they’re plopped inside an old aqua mason jar,

that’s plopped inside an old galvanized bucket,

that’s hanging from an old wooden ladder,

that’s adorned with french linens and an old grain sack,

then I love them even more.

(Today’s photo textured with a layer of Kim’s be still and a layer of  Kim’s pour vous.)

Still following,

Elizabeth

And so I keep counting…

When times get stressful I tend to hunker down.

It isn’t just negative things that are stressful.

Lots of good things, changes happening all at once, can be stressful too.

Happily, my daughter, son–in-law and two grandkids arrived safely in Ghana

and I even got to Skype with them yesterday!  YaY for technology!

Youngest daughter is on the plane right now heading for her short missions trip to Cyprus and Israel.

Suitcases are in our bedroom and are getting packed for our trip to Ghana to speak at a church conference.

We are smack in the middle of our church building project.

All of these are good things, stretching us kind of things, but a bit overwhelming all happening at once.

So, I hunker down, I start needing more of Jesus, more of His Word, more worship,

more of the Rock beneath my feet that never shakes.

My other way of hunkering down?

I nest.

Yesterday, I went on a spring cleaning frenzy.

Kind of ridiculous when I still have a list of more important things to get done before leaving on our trip.

I guess it’s my way of bringing order when things start to feel out of control.

Isn’t it strange, the things our soul runs to for comfort?

My spirit knows to run to Jesus, but my soul seeks comfort in my familiar surroundings.

This gratitude gathering, it’s a choice to follow the way of the spirit instead of the way of the soul.

A choice to see God’s grace gifts, no matter how we are feeling.

And so I keep counting…

**********

I’ve taken the Joy Dare.

I’m counting one thousand thanks in one year.

I hunt for thanksgiving using the prompts Ann gives us each month.

If you are interested in joining in, click the link above or at the bottom of this post.

I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little green journal…

#1764-#1784

3 gifts eaten-

-homemade soup and bread shared with family and friends

-oven roasted veggies with olive oil and sea salt

-fresh strawberries

3 gifts that made me laugh-

-my grandson doing his silly chipmunk voice when we Skyped the night before they left

-silly little blonde, blue eyed granddaughter

-friends being silly

a gift salty-

-roasted almonds with sea salt

a gift sweet-

-my morning smoothie of fruit and greek yogurt

a gift just right-

blueberry lemon pancakes for breakfast on our day off

3 gifts found in His Word-

-the book of Ephesians, God has me reading it over and over, savoring it lately

-I am God’s masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus to do the good things He planned for me long ago

-because of Christ I can come fearlessly into God’s Presence and be assured of His glad welcome

3 gifts found in women today-

-an offer of help for an upcoming church dinner

-calls, emails, facebook messages, blog comments all saying “I’m praying for you!”

on the day my girl and grandkids left for Ghana

-sisters, daughters, granddaughters

3 gifts spoken-

-I love you

-praying with others

-the Word preached, taught

a gift sung-

-“Jesus, You have won me!”

a gift written-

-a card from an old high school friend

a gift painted-

-the mural in our church prayer center painted by some of the women in our church

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

Personalizing God’s Word…

God has had me in the book of Ephesians all week long,

both for my personal devotions

and in preparation to speak at the church conference in Ghana.

(We leave in just a bit over a week and still have so much to do before we go…your prayers are much needed!)

One of the things I’ve done is to personalize in my journal

everything God says I am or I have in the book of Ephesians.

For example, starting in Ephesians chapter one, I wrote:

• I am blessed with every spiritual blessing.
• I belong to Christ.
• God loves me.
• God chose me in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.
• It was always God’s plan to adopt me into His own family.

Proverbs 22:17-19 says that we should apply our heart to God’s instruction and that it is good to keep His sayings deep within ourselves, always ready on our lips.

I believe there is mighty power in speaking God’s word aloud.

Writing out Ephesians in a personal way gives me so many truths to speak aloud in prayer and confession.

Today, I wrote the last verse of Ephesians in my journal, personalizing it.

“God’s grace is upon me.  I love my Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.”

It was so impacting that I knew I wanted this to be the verse I shared with you today.

I paired it with a photo of my favorite place.

God’s grace be upon you today, my friends,

and may we all love Jesus with an undying love.

Elizabeth

Friday’s Favs…Transferware, Irish Linen and Orange Glazed Sugar Cookies with Chocolate

 

I am enjoying changing things up in my newest wood tool caddy.

I put some of my favorite blue and white transferware inside, tucked next to an old wooden spoon and an aqua mason jar filled with pussy willows. I set it all on top of a piece of Irish linen that I bought with a Christmas gift card.

The blue and yellow linen says spring to me,

in spite of the fact that we have been having snow and slushy rain the past couple of days.

I just love blue and white…although some red and white transferware would be lovely too.

Last weekend I made some cookies for a wedding shower.

I made my favorite sugar cookies, then made a glaze from the juice and zest of two oranges and powdered sugar.

After the glaze hardened a bit, I drizzled melted semi-sweet chocolate on top.

They look extra yummy on a beautiful little transferware saucer.

Here’s the recipe!

My Favorite Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons whole milk
4 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cream together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Stir in milk. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture and incorporate well. Wrap and chill 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake til edges are just golden on ungreased cookie sheet.

 

Well, it’s almost Friday!

I hope you have a HAPPY, HAPPY FRIDAY and a BLESSED WEEKEND!

Elizabeth