Tag: Blessings

Daily Thoughts

Small Blessings

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Happy New Year to all and hope that 2022 brings you joy, laughter and blessings, both large and small. As we took the lights off the tree last evening and carried the tree out to the garage to wait for the tree bag we ordered, I began to just think about this past year. I decided to just sit down and look back over the pictures from the year to see some of the events or people who had been a part of my 2021 year and some of the joys that brought a smile to my heart. Isn’t it wonderful that we have the capacity to do that. To just flip through our photos to see things that not only touched our lives, but people, places and things that give us wonderful memories. As i began to look, stating last January, it became evident that last year truly was a different year. I remember the first time we got to go back to church in person. What a joy to sit with others and hear people around you sing and then just the sweet feeling of fellowship that we could not get watching church online. In February, the weekend of the freeze we moved. Need I say more? We moved back to Frisco, from down in Dallas and was so thankful for the house that the Lord truly provided for us. As I look around and see some of the things I had ask Him for, and Him, “giving us more than we can ever comprehend or imagine” did just that.
Windows, lots of windows, had been a huge priority that I had ask for. A kitchen where I could see outside while standing at the sink. A pantry, and oh my if you could see my pantry. It is larger than I have ever had, even in larger homes we had lived in. Sitting here typing, there are 8 windows and a door I can see out of. We have neighbors who know us and we know them. We have a bedroom for Randy to office out of. These were all answered. Then we had our daughter, Jodi fly in to help us move in. By the time, her plane took off (4 days later than expected due to the freeze), she had emptied out every box. All I had to do was put things away. We had more family members move here from Austin, Jamin and Shannon. Blessing upon blessing has been seen this year. Of course, there are some times and circumstances which we would not have choose, but God is always faithful to see us through and as we continue to live and ask God’s guidance for our days, He does so.

This Christmas was very special. For the first time in about 24 years, all 5 grown children along with their kids were here for the holidays. We had a ball. We had a lady come to take our pictures and are suppose to be getting the pictures back today. we had meals together, the kids (and some of us who think we are kids) did some crafts together and even played outside. We loved hearing the laughter and sounds of them actually not being on their phones. All this to say that this past year, even though it was still different because of Covid, saw its blessings, large and small. But one of my favorite blessings was on Christmas Eve. It is something that will stay in my heart for as long as I have memory. Sitting beside our 12 year old grandson, Caleb during Christmas Eve Service, we begin to sing Christmas Carols. I couldn’t sing as I began to get chocked up from the sound that was coming from beside me. Caleb was singing every carol with such feeling and from his heart. He sang as if he were singing right to Jesus and it still makes me cry to just remember this special night. Thinking about this, it gave me such joy to know that he was not ashamed to be singing his heart out and how we should all be so grateful for the joy that is ours and for Christ who gives us that joy. Thank you Caleb, that even though he was spending his first Christmas away from his dad, he still had joy and was celebrating Christmas by giving what he had to give…..his heart. May I remember to do that as well in this new year, no matter the circumstance.

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There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

Chocolate Castles4 Comments

A day of emotional ups and downs. This day began knowing that I was waking up to go to the dentist for the second time this week. On Monday, my regular dentist had given me some very unwelcome news. I am one of those who would rather go through childbirth than sit in a dentist chair. Back in 2012, in California, I had to have a tooth pulled and it was not a good experience. In fact, from that point on, it seems that the word “valium” comes to mind when I know I am going in to have dental work. But when Dr. Sandridge told me Monday that he didn’t have good news for me, I began to dread today, knowing that I might have another tooth pulled or a root canal redone. Sorry for all the details, but bare with me……when I walked into this new office this morning, I could tell by my blood pressure being sky high due to the fear that ran through me. When the girl took me back and checked my BP, she looked at me and said, “oh my, are you on BP meds” I quickly responded that no I was not because the only time it is high is when I go to the dentist. It was 167 over something. I have no idea what. When I saw the 167, I quickly looked away. Didn’t want to see the bottom number. Well, the news I got today was that I have to have 2 teeth removed. The good news is they are sending me to an oral surgeon so I will put put under and won’t feel anything. Thank you Lord. Now for the blessings. As I drove away thanking the Lord for this news that I get to be asleep to have the work done, I headed to church to pick up my book I had ordered for Fall Bible Study. Due to the Covid-19, the church bookstore has had curbside pick up for orders. All you have to do is drive up, call and they will bring your order out to you. But as I was just so grateful to have had the news of being asleep for the tooth pulling, I thought, “no, instead of calling and making Leslie bring out the book order, I think I will go in and get it.” So I parked and went in. As I was in line behind another lady picking up an order, there it was……..
the pillow I had been trying to find for 1 1/2 years. If anyone remembers reading a post I wrote last Aug called Sweet Tea & Jesus, this is a pillow I had seen at Bucky’s last year while traveling. I just had to have it. But when I went back to get it, (after traveling for 7 months), it was not to be found anywhere. So I gave up. Two precious friends felt sorry for me and sent me a tea towel that had the same saying on it. But I still wanted the pillow. Well….today, standing in line waiting to check out at Prestonwood Book Store, I looked to my right and there it was. All I could think of was how precious the Lord was to just give me a sweet blessing today. He knows when we need just to know He is there and that He cares about the days that are filled with emotions and fears that cause our BP to go through the roof. It just blessed my heart to know that after this day of hearing what I dreaded, The song, “He looked beyond my faults and saw my needs” came quickly to my mind. He does meet us at our points of needs in ways that surprise us. We do serve a mighty loving Father who loves us so very personally.
Is having some teeth pulled a big deal? not in the scheme of things that are going on in so many peoples lives, but today it was to me and He knows that. But….He also sees the tears that fall from our eyes and is so gracious to shower us with blessings that just show us He is here, ALWAYS! Lord, thank you for prompting me to get out of the car and go inside instead of being lazy and letting someone else wait on me.

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of light with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

Ezekiel 34:26b “… and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.”

There shall be showers of blessings, This is the promise of love. There shall be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior above…showers of blessing, showers of blessing we need; mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead”
Written by James McGranahan (1840-1907)

Daily Thoughts · Holiday Fare · Salads · Uncategorized · Vegetables

Fried Okra Salad

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Happiest of New Years! As we sit and wait for the traditional black eyed peas to finish cooking to take to friends for dinner, it dawned on me that I had not posted this new recipe. This morning I realized that for the first time in probably 10 years, I had forgot to buy black eyed peas. How could we begin 2020 without them? Everyone knows that if you don’t have a helping of them Jan 1st, your hopes of ever winning any lotto, well, just forget it. Also, “they” say that if you don’t have the peas, you will probably catch every flu that there is no vaccine for, and you will gain weight just looking at cake and DSW will never have the shoe you want in your size. So just to be sure you are covered for all these things, have a helping of the little gems. Why take chances?

Well, this morning when we realized that we didn’t have a black eyed pea in the house, Randy stopped at the grocery store across the street and I ran in to see if I could find either frozen peas or dried (just can’t do the canned ones, well, let me rephrase that, that would be my last choice if all other possibilities were exhausted) BE peas. Walking up to the frozen food aisle, there was a lady standing looking at the frozen veggies and she saw me looking and moved her cart out of the way, apologizing for being in the way. When I assured her she was certainly not in my way, as I was just looking for BEP, she stated that she was just trying to get some new ideas of foods to make. It was in that instant that I began an internal struggle. Do I just ignore her and assume she was just making a statement, or should I tell her that I have a cooking blog and hand her a card with the blog info on it. It took me about 30 seconds before I finally said, “do you like fried okra?” When she said yes I do, I handed her a card and told her that I would be posting this recipe later today for Fried Okra Salad. That lead to her reading my business card and she said, “oh I’m a believer also, what church to you go to?” And then she noticed my name and as we began to talk, she told me that she was in the title business, just like Randy. In fact she knew several people which we knew. It was just so great to visit. It always amazes me how God orchestrates these sweet little blessings that happen when we are just running into a store to pick up something.
January 2020….the beginning of a new decade. We have so much to be thankful for in this past decade. May we continue to always give thanks and always look for opportunities to share joy and kindness with others, all the while giving thanks for all the joy and kindness we have received from others. Here is the recipe which was given to me from a precious friend, Dena. Can’t wait to have it with a pot of cabbage and onions, potato casserole and ham….a perfect southern meal.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 pounds frozen breaded okra, thawed and fried according to directions
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

IN a small saucepan, cook oil, sugar and vinegar over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Set aside

In a large bowl, combine fried cooked okra and remaining 4 ingredients. Pour vinegar mixture over okra, tossing just to coat. Serve immediately.

*Taken from Paula Deen Magazine

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Table Time

Chocolate Castles9 Comments

We sold our dining table & chairs yesterday. We have tried several times to sell it, thinking we wanted a round table instead of the rectangle one which came with our house we bought back in 2001 when Randy’s job took us to California. So 17 years, family and friends have gathered around that table. So much food has been served and so many memories of different groups have sat around that sweet table. Isn’t it so strange that for some reason, I always thought I would be so glad when it sold, but as we sat there looking at the empty space last night in the dining room, so many memories came flooding back to me.
When we bought our home in California back in 2001, God was so gracious to us to provide so much furniture that had been left in the new house. Jodi and Jaden were coming to live with us and since it was a model home, they had left the nursery furniture, the dining room furniture and so much more. In fact, the builder left so much of the furniture, we had to sell some of ours as there wasn’t room for all of our things. We have told the story so many times of God’s blessings to us as we moved from Texas to CA and how He went before us and provided for all our needs, even a nursery.

When we moved back to Texas in 2003, of course that beautiful table went with us. A dear friend, Debbie, our Women’s Minister called one day with a question. Would I consider having teacher training in our home and cook for them to have lunch. Would I….wow, that was such an answer to prayer that I could have ladies in our home and cook for them. One of my favorite things to do. After a couple of years, she had another great idea. (Yep, thats Debbie, lots of great ideas that involve food). HA.She suggested that we have the minister wives meet together for a luncheon once a month, at our house. We lived right across the street from the church (which that is another story of how God closed the door to one house and opened the door for one right across the street from our church) This would allow them to get to know the other minister wives and just be loved on, as we would cook and serve them each month. We realized that sometimes minister’s wives have so much ask of them: lots of time away from their husbands always being called up to serve in different capacities, not many chances to get to know other ladies who have the same responsibility of always being on call and having to sometimes “be on” and feeling like they had to be perfect. So once again, it was a privilege and blessing to just cook and serve these precious ladies who have been such an influence in my life over the years.

The times of meals being cooked and served to family gathered around the table when their lives were so hectic and hurried, and yet, when they sat down to eat maybe a roast with mashed potatoes or turkey & dressing, ham at Easter, beans and tamales at Christmas….there was always a calm that presided over our time together. It was always such a treat when one of our kids and their spouses would call and ask if they could come over for dinner. Always gave me an excuse to bake and cook a lot of food. So much more fun to cook for more than two. One of my prayers for our kids and their families is that they relish their time around the table and realize that it isn’t the food being served that is important, but the laughter, and the time spent in conversations about what is going on in their lives at the time.
When I think about all the blessing that have been spoken, some unspoken, around that table the last 17 years, it brings tears to my eyes to think about all the ways God has truly blessed our families and the ones who have gathered around. There have been prayers which have been answered. Relationships mended,kids sharing stories of setbacks or awards. These are such gifts which we treasure to this day.

Today, both Randy and I paused and prayed for the family that will now be sitting around that table. May they feel the prayers that have been said. May the Lord shine His face upon them that they would sense His presence and come to know Him personally, if they do not already.

Yes, it didn’t bring me the joy that I had anticipated I would have selling it, but…may God grant us in His time, in His place where He takes us to begin a new season of once again, gathering around a table, whether it be round, square or rectangle, which will bring honor to His name.

Daily Thoughts · Uncategorized

Thanksgiving Memories

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It seems unreal that Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday. As I was sitting here looking through different magazines to see if there was a recipe which caught my eye to post, each recipe I read found made me remembering different Thanksgivings along with the pictures in my mind which kept coming with each one.
On FaceBook, there is Throw Back Thursday where people will post a picture from their past that has special meaning. Next Thursday, I’m certain that there will be many pictures posted on FB that shows family and friends sitting around the table with all types of delectable dishes. Sometimes, these pictures make me sit back and think, “my table never looks as good as those I see posted” or “that family looks like they have no problems sitting there with everyone smiling and laughing” We begin to compare our lives with theirs, even though we know nothing except what we see in the pictures.
This week, we will be going to California to see friends and celebrate a dear friends 80th birthday. This precious lady and her husband invited Randy and I to their home, when they barely knew us, when we moved to California back in 2010. She didn’t want us spending Thanksgiving alone our first year there. The memories I have of being in their home conjure up thoughts of being made to feel like a part of their family, even when we just met some of them that day. We sat around the table and ate foods that were not our traditional Thanksgiving foods, but it was the best dinner because of their hospitality. They taught us to play Hand & Foot after dinner, which is still one of our favorite card games.
Looking back over my pictures on my phone the other day, I found a picture of our last Thanksgiving in Dallas when Randy’s mom and dad were still with us. Thinking back about that has made me more aware of trying to make every meal with friends or family special as we never know what is around the bend.

Years ago, memories of Thanksgivings when the kids sat at the “kid” table putting black olives on the end of each finger and sticking peas up their nose to see if they could “blow” them out brings so many smiles to my heart. The laughter that came from the kids,when together with their cousins, was now, thinking back, a true Hallmark memory. Isn’t it funny how, at the time, we are so concerned if the kids are behaving and not really enjoying the things that bring so much laughter in later years.
Some years seem to be more about the food. The years when like Randy says are great, “the kids are all married, everyone has jobs and nobody is in jail.” That is his description of when people ask about our family. He thinks he is so funny.
One year Randy and I were cleaning up the kitchen after everyone left. We had had a houses full that year and there were people eating in the living room and the dining room. After we finished cleaning up, Randy told me that he would go and begin to turn out the lights in the living room and turn off the fireplace. In seconds, he comes around the corner and says, “Eric forgot his brother, Craig is in the living room, sound asleep in the lazy boy”. We quickly called the kids to turn around and come get the “left over guest”. Eric had parked in back and left through the garage so had forgot that he had also brought his brother. I can handle only one loud snorer in the house at one time! Hope they remember that they have 3 kids now and don’t leave them anywhere!
Then there are the years when there is a new family member or a new baby. Those years seem to be the ones which stick out in our minds. There may be years which a pinkie ring ended up inside the turkey or I forgot to thaw out the Sister Schubert Rolls.
When we hear the word Thanksgiving, we automatically think of turkey, dressing, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.
This year, when we are gathered around the table I want to have different thoughts come to me. I hope that the words, grateful, blessed and contentment come to mind. Not just blessed to have family around us, but blessed to be a child of God. Blessed to have hope because of Jesus Christ who came to give us eternal life, if only we believe. Blessed to be a part of the family of God with friends who walk with us in this season of life. Blessed to have my own copy of a Bible, when so many in other parts of the world would give anything to have one. Blessed with joy and peace, because He gives a peace that the world cannot take away, no matter the circumstances going on all around us.
We are a blessed people and we owe God, the creator of all, to give Him our best and the first fruits of our lives. So in between telling the kids or grandkids to quit putting peas up their nose, or hurrying to take out the rolls from the oven before they burn, may we remember to turn our thoughts to the One who is the Giver of life and blessings.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

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Christmas Blessings

Chocolate Castles6 Comments

This morning as I was scrolling through my FaceBook page, several memories came across from 2012 that made me just sit back and reflect on several things. First of all, it made me miss everyone who was a part of our lives back in 2012, but also reminded me of God’s goodness, as we move from state to state. Thinking back first of all to 2010, I remembered crying all the way across the desert, as Randy’s new job was taking us to Los Angeles and what in the world was I doing moving so far away from our family and friends? It is so interesting to look back and see how God intervened and blessed us both beyond anything we could have possibly imagined. The friends that were made in CA remain to this day like family to us and was indeed some of the best years of our lives. When we moved back to Dallas, we leaned on the Lord for purpose, for comfort and for a new direction in both our lives as we entered a brand new season. That move was one of the hardest that we had ever had to do, but we were so blessed to have friends there in Texas who still loved us and still allowed us to come back into their world, even though we had been gone from theirs, for 3 1/2 years. We found out that true friendship doesn’t have to end, just because you are many miles away and that truly was something that helped us both get through a rough couple of years.

After those two years back in Dallas, we knew that the Lord was causing a “stirring” in our hearts that led us to move to Arizona. Once again, we would be starting over in a new place, with having to begin, once more, making history with new friends and searching for the place we felt God calling us to serve in church. I have to admit that there were some days that made me feel that I was getting to old to “start over” as thoughts of “can I really do this again” haunted me whenever I met a new friend. Did I have the energy to invest in new friendships? Because I am such a people person, I had that answer even before finishing the thought. Of course I had the energy to invest in friendships. Part of my survival mode when we move to different places is trying to fit in the community as quickly as possible. If neighbors don’t knock on my door to welcome me to the neighborhood, I bake something to take them and go knock on theirs. It makes the transition so much easier.  This brings me to the present. As we live in a community where many folks drive golf carts and it is a gated community, it has made it so much easier to meet people. Because of the classes and the activities which are available here, the Lord has once again, blessed us with the privilege of already feeling like this is our home. When I sat and thought how wonderful it is that there are ladies here that have already opened up their hearts to me, it just made me realize how great our God is to provide friendships, no matter the place, no matter the season. Today was filled with coming home after church, where we already know friends who we enjoy  sitting with and corporately worshiping together, before baking for a ladies open house in the morning I am having.  It makes it feel like home to stand around after church and visit with couples who end up inviting us to a Super Bowl party at their home.

All this to say that last Christmas, as we were packing to move from Dallas to Phoenix, my mind was filled with wonder; wondering if the new place would feel like home, wondering if we would be able to find a church home. Wondering if people in Arizona would be as nice and welcoming as the friends we had in Texas and California. We wondered if our hearts would stay in Texas, or California even though our home was going to be in Arizona. We wondered if we would find purpose in this new place? Would God use us where we felt led to move?  So many questions. We have lived here now almost 8 months, and we feel that we are in the place where God wants us. We have been, once again, blessed with new friendships, new dreams and even added some new things to our bucket lists.

Yes, God has continued to show us His faithfulness by bringing us blessing upon blessing. Here it is Christmas, the time to reflect on the greatest gift of all, God’s Son, who came as a baby into our world to give us eternal life, which will allow us to live in His world one day.

So much to think about, so much to give thanks for and so many blessings which continue to point us to His love, grace and faithfulness. Merry Christmas to each one who has loved us through the years and to those we have just not had the opportunity to meet yet. This week, remember to thank the One who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.