If you say that you'll be there...

 I want to share a page from my daughter's favorite book. This book is for little girls, but I think the lesson here is one that many adults need.

"Has a friend ever hurt you who wanted to play.

And you couldn't wait for that red-letter day?

She said she'd come over-rain , sleet or snow, 

But when the time came, she didn't show.

God says that you're to be faithful and true,

That folks should know they can count on you,

Let your yes be yes, and your no be no,

If you say that you'll be there, be sure that you go."

 

I can't even count the times I have made plans to have someone over, and the time they have said they would arrive comes and goes and no one shows up. Hours later, or maybe even the next day they may apologize and say something else came up.  In fact, now I am often pleasantly surprised when people actually arrive on the scheduled day and time!

Ladies, we need to not let courtesy die with the past. If someone has cleared their schedule to make time for you, the least you can do is show up. Or if a true emergency does come  up, please have the decency to call as far in advance as possible to let your hostess know that you can not make it.

The Bible calls us to be steadfast and dependable. Let us live up to that standard.

Birthday Blessings Tea Party

 I wanted to bless a friend yesterday, because it was her birthday, and her husband had to work.

So I threw together a super quick, last minute tea party :) 

Nothing extravagant, but I hope she felt blessed by it!

I made scones and a white cake with strawberry filling (which did not set up as it should have, due to rushing, and last minute substitutions lol) and a whipped cream frosting. We had one lonely flower left in Abigail's garden, so that went on top.  We used the leftover strawberry filling and whipped cream as choices to top the scones with, alongside the lemon glaze.

Kindness to All

Romans 12:10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;  not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord

 

This week God has really put it on my heart to be a blessing to EVERY one I come in contact with. It’s easy to be nice and giving to friends, but what about the person checking me out at the grocery store? While I am trying to make sure I have all 3 children still, that all the groceries are put on the register, that all my coupons were rung up correctly, it is so easy to forget to smile and let His light shine in me!
The other day I was reading and a thought really stuck out at me. God puts EVERY person that you come in contact with in your life for a reason. Are you making the most of all these opportunities?I can think of a few people I know who just shine with love to EVERYONE they meet. There is a cashier at a grocery store I shop at, and she has a heart full of LOVE for every person who comes through her line. I want to be like that!
    There are people struggling through all kinds of things every day. You may never know the world of difference even a smile and a kind word to a stranger might make.    Or even something more complex, a card for a friend who may be struggling, a dinner for a family who has a lot going on, a hug for a friend you meet out in town running errands. I think back on how much some of the smallest things have meant to me at different times in my life. I want to be able to bless others in that way! I want to never fail to speak a word of kindness or encouragement. Our lives may only touch another’s one time on the road of life, then our paths may diverge and never meet again. I want to make the most of every one of those opportunities, planting seeds for the Lord!

Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart does good, like medicine,

 

Repost from 2007

 

(La Conner tulip fields)

Birthday Blessings

We celebrated another friend's birthday with dinner and cake.

 texas caviar

 I was so blessed to watch my sweet Abigail help me set up. She decided that this friend "loved purple best", so she helped me search the house for purple items. 

Then she put all her concentration into making her a pretty, handmade card. She helped to make our friend's plate extra special, then ran outside to her garden and brought in flowers to be her birthday gift.

Thank you Lord for using my little girl's heart to melt mine!

Lots of birthdays lately

Seems like we have been celebrating birthdays  non stop lately! 

We had a friend that we wanted to bless, so we had her over for dinner and cake. 

I was informed that she LIVES on Mt. Dew, so we did ANOTHER Mt. Dew themed birthday. 

RECIPE FOR MT. DEW CAKE

The Welcome Pantry and Welcome Table

 I picked up Independence Days: A Guide to Sustainable Food Storage and Preservation by Sharon Astyk from the library this week, and the introduction really spoke on something that has been on my heart lately, so I want to share part of it with you!  

I hope the rest of the book is as great as this was!

"One of the things we can do to tie ourselves to others is share food with them, with those in need of food, with those in need of companionship, conversation and friendship- that is, all of us. What does the welcome table have to do with the full pantry? A reserve of food means that our pantry is never so empty that we cannot share a little. Our table is not bare because we have not preserved and stored. A little of that warmth can be passed on, neighbor to neighbor, as we sit down to eat, or bring a jar or pot of something to someone in need. We think of the pantry as a measure of personal security- but it is also a measure of our capacity for generosity."

"One of the reasons we rarely sit down with others is that we are terribly intimidated by the idea of "entertaining" in the fancy sense as we see in magazines and on TV. ..There is a place for the occasional lavish feast.  Sitting down together at a meal with others with whom you are tied- just a plain ordinary meal- is celebratory because of who it is with, not what it is. The loaf of bread, the lentil soup, the baked potato, the jar of jam..these are the comforts we need most, the things we need to offer one another."

"The welcome table can be as simple as inviting an elderly neighbor to dinner, or making sure that you actually sit down with a sister in law once in a while, and have tea and eat something . It can be welcoming an army of neighborhood kids in for milk and cookies, or setting up a church table for people in need. It can be dropping off a casserole for a family that just had a baby, or lost their job. It can be taking a risk and asking someone to come eat with you- a step in a casual friendship that opens you up for more. "

"The welcome pantry feeds the welcome table. In ensures there is enough when the children come,  when  the guests arrive and there are 2 extra. A little more rice in the pot, a little more broth in the soup a jar of pickles to stretch it all and there is enough for everyone. When the pantry is full you need not run to the store in order to give a little, share a little, or simply feed your family. "


Another good article along these lines
 

Autumn Weekend

We were able to have some online friends over for lunch today, and it was such a blessing! I got to meet some ladies I have "talked" to online for years, and the children (all 10 of them so far) had a blast playing together.

We grilled  chicken and burgers, and I made some fun fall items as well. A pumpkin shaped cheese ball, leaf shaped sugar cookies and pumpkin cupcakes.

 

Grilled Salsa

My husband is the king of the grill, and when summer comes around we love cooking out.

We had a  BBQ this week, and along with the burgers, we made some salami rolls (good quality salami spread with cream cheese with a pepperoncini inside, then rolled up and secured with a toothpick) as well as some  awesome salsa.  We finished it off with a Mt. Dew cake! Everything was VERY well received by our guests!

I'd love to share the recipe with you!

Grilled Salsa

2 1/2 lbs of Roma tomatoes, coated in olive oil and grilled 10 minutes or until skins are peeling off

1 large jalapeno, also coated and grilled 10 minutes on medium heat

1/4 of an onion, diced

1/4 cup vinegar

3 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 teaspoons salt

After the tomatoes and jalapeno have cooled, peel the tomatoes and cut the stem off the jalapeno. Put in blender with the rest of the ingredients listed above.  Blend well. Add in a generous 1/4  cup of chopped cilantro and pulse again until combined. 

Let chill. It tastes best on the second or third day, so be sure to make it ahead of time!

ETA:Everyone is asking for the Mt Dew cake recipe. It was super easy! Just buy a lemon boxed cake mix, and instead of water use Mountain Dew.  Bake as directed. It comes out super moist, my husband's co-workers were raving about it!  And for the glaze just add mountain dew to about 1 cup of powdered sugar until it is a drizzle-able consistency .

Black and White

I hosted a small Blessings Unlimited gathering in my home last night, and went with a black and white theme. 

I used small mason jars filled with delicious smelling coffee beans and white tealights in various places.

I made mini chocolate cupcakes with white frosting in black and white damask wrappers. 

I had a little bit of black and white damask gift wrap left, (bought it to cover a journal) so I used that as a table cover  and put some chips in a pretty black bowl. 

Simple touches, but I loved the way they turned out.

New Neighbors

We get new neighbors a lot, living in military housing. We've seen at least 3 families in each of the 7 houses closest to us since we have been here!

Every time a new family moves in, I try to share Christ's love with them by making them feel welcome. I show up at their door with a card, cookies (or another baked treat) and introduce myself and our family to them, as well as encourage them to not hesitate to let us know if they need anything at all!

Meals for Mamas

I had never heard of bringing meals to mothers with new babies until I moved here.

I remember when I had Andrew. I had a 3 year old at home, my husband was deployed and I was all by myself. I was planning on grocery shopping the next day, but went into labor instead! When I got home from the hospital I remember going through the drive thru for a week, because I was scared to shop alone with a 3 year old and a newborn. What a blessing meals would have been back then! And they were such a blessing to us all when I had Abigail and was having a rough recovery!

So making meals for new moms is a ministry near to my heart! And as I have gotten more comfortable in it, I've tried to be more creative as well. I mean who wouldn't love a pretty, as well as delicious meal?

I  try to make sure everything is included. Plastic silverware, napkins and paper plates are so handy, because the last thing you want to do when you have just had a new baby is a sink full of dishes! I try and send the meal over in disposable dishes, so the family doesn't have to worry about getting anything back to me.

Lately chili and cornbread have been my go to meal to share. I also love to give ziti, chicken pot pie,  and vodka pasta! I just add a green salad, and a dessert and we're good to go!

Brighten up someone's day

Our neighbors are not feeling well today, so we attempted to brighten their day!

Hospitality

"Hospitality is a reflection of God’s nature. God is a welcoming God. He pursues and extends relationship, meeting needs and providing safety. As we model a life of invitation, employing our resources to meet the needs of others, we provide the world with a picture of a much greater spiritual truth – God invites all to his safe embrace."
~Practicing Hospitality by Pat Ennis & Lisa Tat­lock

Read more about Hospitality here
Practicing Hospitality Series

The front door

For those of you who liked my kitchen window
I LOVE these markers

and here is what was waiting inside:

Preparing for Hospitality

I think it is really important to do as much prep work BEFORE having guests as possible, so that during the party you can enjoy your guests!  I want to share some of what I do with you ladies.

Today I hosted a Sandwich Thins "House Party" doubled up with a Stampin Up party!  It was a blast!

As soon as I know I am hosting something, I choose the menu and make plans to purchase and prepare the foods.

The night before the party, I make sure the house is clean, focusing most on the guest bathroom, kitchen and living room. But also making sure all the other rooms were good too (if time permits) , because the unexpected always happens and the one time I don’t clean the master bedroom, someone needs to use it for something!

Then I set up any shelf stable food,making sure I have serving platters assigned  for everything I plan on serving:



The basket above is one of my most valuable investments! It has a space for napkins, and 3 places for utensils (but I always use the middle for coordinating fake flowers for a festive touch). It was all of $5 at Party City, years ago.  I always keep this stocked, and have a stash of paper plates, plastic utensils, plastic cups  and napkins for unplanned guests.

I also try to keep crackers, cookies and 2 liters of soda on hand when possible.

*My husband is the king of spontaneous and I can’t count how many  times he has come home from work and said "I invited my whole command for a party tonight starting in 2 hours, I’m running to the store for some meat and propane now, take care of the rest!" .

When I do have notice.. I chop and prep any food that I can the night before.  If possible I store them in the fridge inside the bowls I plan to serve them in.
One of the items I served was make-your-own-mini-pizzas. So I prechopped tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, olives etc, and grated the cheese.

Then for  today’s party, after I made sure I had serving bowls and had prepped all the food, I made these cute little label cards. Not necessary but it makes things easier, plus they are so fun!

I forgot to  take a picture before the party, or during the party, but I got one after the party of our pizza toppings:

Hope this gives you ladies some ideas!

Candy Cane cookies

It all started with  these:

and then me messing around in making  this

So we had a bunch of friends over and made these cookies
and packaged them with the gospels inside of these