| 1 | O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. | |||||
| 2 | Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising;
| |||||
| 3 | Thou compassest my path and my lying down,
| |||||
| 4 | For there is not a word in my tongue,
| |||||
| 5 | Thou hast beset me behind and before,
| |||||
| 6 | Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
| |||||
| 7 | Whither shall I go from thy Spirit?
| |||||
| 8 | If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there:
| |||||
| 9 | If I take the wings of the morning,
| |||||
| 10 | even there shall thy hand lead me,
| |||||
| 11 | If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me;
| |||||
| 12 | Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee;
| |||||
| 13 | For thou hast possessed my reins:
| |||||
| 14 | I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
| |||||
| 15 | My substance was not hid from thee
| |||||
| 16 | Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect;
| |||||
| 17 | How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!
| |||||
| 18 | If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
| |||||
| 19 | Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God:
| |||||
| 20 | For they speak against thee wickedly,
| |||||
| 21 | Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee?
| |||||
| 22 | I hate them with perfect hatred:
| |||||
| 23 | Search me, O God, and know my heart:
| |||||
| 24 | and see if there be any wicked way in me,
|
Traditional cooking like Grandma, canning, homemaking, cultured food, Christian homemaking and more!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Psalm 139 (KJV)
29 Kid Friendly Ways to get Cultured Foods into Your Child’s Diet!
Just a quick post tonight because I found this information VERY helpful!
http://www.domesticdiva.ca/blog/29-kid-friendly-ways-to-get-cultured-foods-into-your-childs-diet/
http://www.domesticdiva.ca/blog/29-kid-friendly-ways-to-get-cultured-foods-into-your-childs-diet/
Friday, May 4, 2012
Butterfinger Ice Cream Dessert
I had to make this dessert for the youth group at church so I decided to do a short tutorial on this EASY 2-ingredient dessert. Here we go.....
Ingredients:
1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
17 oz. crushed Butterfinger candy bars
Step 1
Throw the bag of candy bars on the floor or place on a sturdy surface. With a heavy skillet, pound the bars until they are crushed. Unwrap and dump the crushed candy into a bowl.
Step 2
Scoop softened ice cream into a mixing bowl. Add to the ice cream the crushed candy bar, reserving about a cup for the top, and stir until well-combined. I did this in my Kitchen Aid mixer.
Step 3
Step 4
Sprinkle top with the remaining crushed candy. Cover tightly and place in freezer until completely re-frozen and set.
Cut into squares and serve. Delicious and so EASY! Great for a last minute dessert for company. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
17 oz. crushed Butterfinger candy bars
Step 1
Throw the bag of candy bars on the floor or place on a sturdy surface. With a heavy skillet, pound the bars until they are crushed. Unwrap and dump the crushed candy into a bowl.
Scoop softened ice cream into a mixing bowl. Add to the ice cream the crushed candy bar, reserving about a cup for the top, and stir until well-combined. I did this in my Kitchen Aid mixer.
Pour the ice cream mixture into a 9 x 13 inch casserole pan.
Sprinkle top with the remaining crushed candy. Cover tightly and place in freezer until completely re-frozen and set.
Cut into squares and serve. Delicious and so EASY! Great for a last minute dessert for company. Enjoy!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
My Testimony
Well..... I believe that I have belonged to the Lord since, I don't know....birth? It sure seems like we have been walking hand-in-hand (or crawling side-by-side) since before I can remember. But, there was definitely a defining moment in my life, a moment that would change me forever.
It was on July 26, 1983 (tears are welling up as I type). A hot and humid 104° day. I was just a barley-13-year-old girl, full of life and loving spending time with my friends, going to the pool everyday, riding my bike all over my small town and just being a teenager. My dad was the love of my life, my best friend, my Prince Charming, my world. Then there was Rocky. Yes, Sylvester Stallone... I had been very, VERY eager to see this movie and one day I was invited to my friend's sister's house around the corner from my home. You see, they had just gotten Showtime and Rocky was about to come on the screen!! (We'll come back to that in a bit).
My dad had come home from work that day and I was lying on the floor in front of the stereo listening to my beloved Ricky Skaggs "Highways and Heartaches" cassette tape. Dad came in the backdoor and said, "Neen, I'm going up to Terry's to get the van aligned". Those words would come to haunt me for the next year. (Tears again). He left and some time later I made my way around the corner on my bike to my friend's to watch Rocky.
I walked into the house just as the movie was coming on, sat down on the couch and stood straight back up and said to my friend, Becky, "I have to go home". She grabbed my arm and pulled me back down, reminding me how much I had been wanting to see this movie. Five minutes later, an uncontrollable urge came over me to hurry home. I jumped up, went out the door and peddled as fast as I could toward my house. I don't know what this urgency was. An Angel? My dad's spirit? God? But, someone was trying to tell me something.
As I arrived at the end of my driveway, I saw my elderly neighbor, Mrs. Alcorn, turning around and walking to her house. Behind her was my dad lying in the driveway close to the side of the house. I threw my bike down and ran to him somewhat chuckling as I thought, "You silly, what are you doing?" You see, my dad was a jokester, always doing something to make us laugh. But, as I reached him I could see clearly that this was no joke. He was blue in the face with his eyes open, looking at nothing. (I'm amazed at how much this still affects my emotions). I shook him violently begging him to wake up. He did not. I ran to Mrs. Alcorn who had not reached her front door yet. She came with me to my house and ran in to call the ambulance. I ran back outside to find a strange man performing CPR. This man drove a white car but that is all I remember. My 17-year-old neighbor, Todd, from across the street came running over and took over with the CPR. It was a very unpleasant sight to me. I was very frightened. Soon the ambulance arrived and a friend of my parents came. So many people had heard the news on their scanners and came running. My dad was a beloved member of our community. As the paramedics worked on my dad, Todd comforted me. I will never forget that and I will be forever grateful for his caring arms that held me.
The man in the white car left and we never were able to thank him. My dad was loaded into the ambulance and the family friend loaded me into her car and away we went to the hospital. I don't remember the drive. I just remember sitting in a small room in the emergency department waiting....waiting....waiting and then, the doctor came in. He said that there was nothing they could do and that it was probably a massive heart attack. My best friend was gone. Gone.
My life had become a blur. I seemed to wonder aimlessly. I was angry at times. My family seemed to have abandoned me because I was never asked how I was doing and I was made to feel that my feelings were not valid. That I should "just get over it". My mom went to work full-time. But then there was my brother. On the night of the viewing, he stopped me outside the back door and he said to me, "I'm going to be your dad now. Whatever you need, I will be there for you". My "new" Knight in Shining Armor.
For the next year, I faced a recurring nightmare where I was lying in the floor listening to my Ricky Skaggs tape but this time my dad came in and said, "Neen
One day, after a particularly upsetting incident involving a classmate who kept telling me he was certain that he saw my dad walking up my driveway and me not being able to spit out the words that my dad was dead, I became angry and stormed back into the school building from lunch. A teacher witnessed this incident. I was in my English class when my History and homeroom teacher, Mr. Harlow, came tapping on the door asking to speak with me and I followed him to the guidance counselor's office. We sat down and with deep concern in his eyes he said to me words I will never forget, "When I was 13, my dad died too". I don't know if anything else was said, I just don't remember. Both of us broke into tears and my life turned a new course. From that point on, I knew someone cared and the healing was about to begin. I am forever indebted to Mr. Harlow. He just doesn't know how he changed my life.
Unfortunately, my recurring nightmare continued night-after-night. The same scenario over and over. But, then one night I had had enough. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was afraid to go to bed. So, in desperation I got on my knees, crying my heart out to God, asking him to take the dream away. I know that this is when my relationship with the Lord became more real than it had ever been. I was His and He was mine. After praying for a time, I got into bed and fell asleep. I began dreaming again but this time it was different. In this dream I was at my school in the same hallway as the payphone that I spent so much time dialing. There were friends and relatives sitting on the steps that led to our middle school auditorium. Next to the window was a casket with my dad's lifeless body inside. Strangely, he had a red handkerchief laying over his face. He sneezed and blew the handkerchief off. Everyone in the room froze by me and him. He got up out of the casket, walked over and sat down beside me. Putting his arm around my shoulders he said, "Now, Neen, dry it up. I am still here. I will always take care of you. You need to move on with your life". After this, I never had that nightmare again and I was finally finding peace. God delivered me.
It has been many years since I was that 13-year-old daddy's girl. At this writing, I am almost 42. There are not many days that go by that I don't think about my dad and miss him. I will love him the rest of my life and into eternity. He taught me what true love is and I often think, "If my earthly father loved me that much, how much more does my Father in Heaven love me?" My dad gave me a gift that keeps on giving.
I have struggled over the years to find peace and through it all my Savior, Jesus Christ, has walked with me and many times has carried me. We have a love together that has no match. He is my best friend and will always be. It is a relationship that I want to share with everyone and I tell people of His love every chance I get. My life was changed because of what He did on the cross, to save me from my sin so that I may someday go to Heaven to live with Him throughout all eternity. And some sweet day, not only will I see my Savior face-to-face but I will see my dad. You just can't beat that. <3 <3 <3
It was on July 26, 1983 (tears are welling up as I type). A hot and humid 104° day. I was just a barley-13-year-old girl, full of life and loving spending time with my friends, going to the pool everyday, riding my bike all over my small town and just being a teenager. My dad was the love of my life, my best friend, my Prince Charming, my world. Then there was Rocky. Yes, Sylvester Stallone... I had been very, VERY eager to see this movie and one day I was invited to my friend's sister's house around the corner from my home. You see, they had just gotten Showtime and Rocky was about to come on the screen!! (We'll come back to that in a bit).
My dad had come home from work that day and I was lying on the floor in front of the stereo listening to my beloved Ricky Skaggs "Highways and Heartaches" cassette tape. Dad came in the backdoor and said, "Neen, I'm going up to Terry's to get the van aligned". Those words would come to haunt me for the next year. (Tears again). He left and some time later I made my way around the corner on my bike to my friend's to watch Rocky.
I walked into the house just as the movie was coming on, sat down on the couch and stood straight back up and said to my friend, Becky, "I have to go home". She grabbed my arm and pulled me back down, reminding me how much I had been wanting to see this movie. Five minutes later, an uncontrollable urge came over me to hurry home. I jumped up, went out the door and peddled as fast as I could toward my house. I don't know what this urgency was. An Angel? My dad's spirit? God? But, someone was trying to tell me something.
As I arrived at the end of my driveway, I saw my elderly neighbor, Mrs. Alcorn, turning around and walking to her house. Behind her was my dad lying in the driveway close to the side of the house. I threw my bike down and ran to him somewhat chuckling as I thought, "You silly, what are you doing?" You see, my dad was a jokester, always doing something to make us laugh. But, as I reached him I could see clearly that this was no joke. He was blue in the face with his eyes open, looking at nothing. (I'm amazed at how much this still affects my emotions). I shook him violently begging him to wake up. He did not. I ran to Mrs. Alcorn who had not reached her front door yet. She came with me to my house and ran in to call the ambulance. I ran back outside to find a strange man performing CPR. This man drove a white car but that is all I remember. My 17-year-old neighbor, Todd, from across the street came running over and took over with the CPR. It was a very unpleasant sight to me. I was very frightened. Soon the ambulance arrived and a friend of my parents came. So many people had heard the news on their scanners and came running. My dad was a beloved member of our community. As the paramedics worked on my dad, Todd comforted me. I will never forget that and I will be forever grateful for his caring arms that held me.
The man in the white car left and we never were able to thank him. My dad was loaded into the ambulance and the family friend loaded me into her car and away we went to the hospital. I don't remember the drive. I just remember sitting in a small room in the emergency department waiting....waiting....waiting and then, the doctor came in. He said that there was nothing they could do and that it was probably a massive heart attack. My best friend was gone. Gone.
My life had become a blur. I seemed to wonder aimlessly. I was angry at times. My family seemed to have abandoned me because I was never asked how I was doing and I was made to feel that my feelings were not valid. That I should "just get over it". My mom went to work full-time. But then there was my brother. On the night of the viewing, he stopped me outside the back door and he said to me, "I'm going to be your dad now. Whatever you need, I will be there for you". My "new" Knight in Shining Armor.
For the next year, I faced a recurring nightmare where I was lying in the floor listening to my Ricky Skaggs tape but this time my dad came in and said, "Neen
One day, after a particularly upsetting incident involving a classmate who kept telling me he was certain that he saw my dad walking up my driveway and me not being able to spit out the words that my dad was dead, I became angry and stormed back into the school building from lunch. A teacher witnessed this incident. I was in my English class when my History and homeroom teacher, Mr. Harlow, came tapping on the door asking to speak with me and I followed him to the guidance counselor's office. We sat down and with deep concern in his eyes he said to me words I will never forget, "When I was 13, my dad died too". I don't know if anything else was said, I just don't remember. Both of us broke into tears and my life turned a new course. From that point on, I knew someone cared and the healing was about to begin. I am forever indebted to Mr. Harlow. He just doesn't know how he changed my life.
Unfortunately, my recurring nightmare continued night-after-night. The same scenario over and over. But, then one night I had had enough. I just couldn't take it anymore. I was afraid to go to bed. So, in desperation I got on my knees, crying my heart out to God, asking him to take the dream away. I know that this is when my relationship with the Lord became more real than it had ever been. I was His and He was mine. After praying for a time, I got into bed and fell asleep. I began dreaming again but this time it was different. In this dream I was at my school in the same hallway as the payphone that I spent so much time dialing. There were friends and relatives sitting on the steps that led to our middle school auditorium. Next to the window was a casket with my dad's lifeless body inside. Strangely, he had a red handkerchief laying over his face. He sneezed and blew the handkerchief off. Everyone in the room froze by me and him. He got up out of the casket, walked over and sat down beside me. Putting his arm around my shoulders he said, "Now, Neen, dry it up. I am still here. I will always take care of you. You need to move on with your life". After this, I never had that nightmare again and I was finally finding peace. God delivered me.
It has been many years since I was that 13-year-old daddy's girl. At this writing, I am almost 42. There are not many days that go by that I don't think about my dad and miss him. I will love him the rest of my life and into eternity. He taught me what true love is and I often think, "If my earthly father loved me that much, how much more does my Father in Heaven love me?" My dad gave me a gift that keeps on giving.
I have struggled over the years to find peace and through it all my Savior, Jesus Christ, has walked with me and many times has carried me. We have a love together that has no match. He is my best friend and will always be. It is a relationship that I want to share with everyone and I tell people of His love every chance I get. My life was changed because of what He did on the cross, to save me from my sin so that I may someday go to Heaven to live with Him throughout all eternity. And some sweet day, not only will I see my Savior face-to-face but I will see my dad. You just can't beat that. <3 <3 <3
Monday, April 30, 2012
Dehydrating Oregano
It's that time of year once again to harvest the first cuttings of Oregano. Oregano is a very hardy plant and can spread quickly, giving you ample amounts to dry at home to save money and to enjoy the bounty of your herb garden throughout the cold winter months.
Step 4: Place the top on the dehydrator, plug it in and turn the dial to 95° F to 115° F. Temperatures as high as 125° F may be needed in more humid climates. Drying time varies depending on temperature and humidity and can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours. Check periodically. Herbs are dry when they crumble and the stems break when bent. Check your dehydrator instruction booklet for specific details. Mine says to preheat the dehydrator but I do not do that. Seems hard to preheat to me when you have to take it all apart in order to put the herbs on the racks. I don't know....maybe I'm missing something in the details. ;-) I do not claim to be the Queen of the Dehydrator or, really, anything close to an expert.
Oregano is the well-known "pizza herb" which is widely used in Italian dishes as well as Mexican meals. It can also be used to season a variety of foods including: meats, milk products, condiments and relishes. I particularly like a little of it's flavor in avocado salsa.
Below is a step-by-step tutorial showing the process of dehydrating this wonderful herb in a food dehydrator, right on your kitchen counter.
Step 1: Harvest oregano by making clippings of 4 to 6 inches long, leaving approximately 3 to 4 inches left on the plant so that it can continue to grow and give you more harvests later in the season.
Step 2: Gently rinse the oregano and shake off excess water. Place the stems onto the dehydrator racks, being careful to leave space between the stems in order for air to flow freely.
Step 3: Stack the drying racks, making sure all leaves and stems are on the rack itself so that the lids can be placed on securely.
Again, oregano is completely dry when the leaves crumble and the stems break when bent.
Step 5: Pull dried leaves from the stems and place into jars. Discard stems! To use, crumble them at the time of use or crush them ahead of time.
Store in a cool, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight or heat for 1 to 3 years. Keep lid tightly closed when not in use.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
My Future
I have a future all sublime,
Beyond the realms of space and time,
Where my Redeemer I shall see,
And sorrow nevermore shall be.
Beyond the realms of space and time,
Where my Redeemer I shall see,
And sorrow nevermore shall be.
A precious heritage is mine;
’Tis kept above by love divine;
And while I tarry here below,
He gives me what is best, I know.
’Tis kept above by love divine;
And while I tarry here below,
He gives me what is best, I know.
O, God be praised, He planned for me;
From anxious care I’m spared and free;
He bids me cast on Him my care—
What then remains for me to bear?
From anxious care I’m spared and free;
He bids me cast on Him my care—
What then remains for me to bear?
Sweet peace within my soul doth dwell;
With joy I sing: “Now all is well,”
He leads me safely by His hand
Until I reach the Glory Land.
With joy I sing: “Now all is well,”
He leads me safely by His hand
Until I reach the Glory Land.
O precious Savior, teach Thou me
To live my life more true to Thee
The little while I yet must roam
Before I reach my heav’nly home.
To live my life more true to Thee
The little while I yet must roam
Before I reach my heav’nly home.
Words: Nils Frykman, 1883 (Min framtidsdag är ljus och lång); translated from Swedish to English by Andrew L. Skoog, 1920.
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/m/y/f/myfuture.htm
Monday, April 23, 2012
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