Isn’t this such a comfort?
The Lord directs our steps.
He delights in the details of our lives.
God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth,
is watchful over every one of our steps, over the tiniest details of our life.
Why then, am I ever fretful or worried about the future?
It’s in His hands, He’s got it all in control…
every step, every detail.
Thank You, Lord!
Still following,
Elizabeth
Remember this Goodwill shelf that I spruced up with a little Dollar Tree contact paper?
For Christmas I was given a gift card to Camas Antiques.
One of the things I bought with it was this little gray shelf.
I had it in my mind to sit it on top of the black shelf.
I wasn’t that happy with how it looked there once I got it home,
but I just left it there until I could figure out something different to do with it.
And after a few days I knew what I wanted to do…
I took one of the little gray shelves to Home Depot and had them computer match the paint color,
and painted the black shelf to match it!
The gray still looks great with the toile-like contact paper and is so much more my style than the black ever was.
It almost looks like they are meant to go together.
I also bought this little ironstone bowl and these six silver spoons with our initial on them with my gift card.
I painted the frames of my ink and pen drawings to match the shelves as well.
I’m lovin’ it!
HAPPY, HAPPY FRIDAY and HAVE A BLESSED WEEKEND!
Elizabeth
He knew it was her right away
That scream that pierced the quiet darkness of the woods
We had taken the young couples in our church tent camping
After laughter and s’mores around the campfire
We were finally all asleep in our tents
When a woman’s terrified scream woke us all up
The men all scrambled to get their shoes on, running to help her
It was the cry of someone in danger, someone being hurt
My Hubs almost ripped the tent apart getting out
And I sat there with heart pounding, disoriented
Not even quite sure which direction the scream had come from
But Daddy knew, He knew it was his girl, our daughter
And he ran right to her tent
It was a nightmare, night terror
Her husband was trying to wake her up, to comfort her
When the Hubs came back to our tent, we just lay there
Not able to block out the memory of what her terrified scream sounded like
Me, I couldn’t believe he knew it was her
Grown up and gone from our house for several years
But Daddy knew it was his girl
Me, I’m close and familiar with Jesus
Even Holy Spirit, because I know He lives in me
But Father, Daddy, Abba was invisible
A Foggy Mystery, a Loving Stranger
Like my own Daddy, in the years we grew apart after he left us
But lately, there’s a longing in my heart to know Him
Father God, the One Who loved me so much He gave
He gave His Only Son
So didn’t all the love start with Him
Didn’t all the love start with Daddy, with Abba
And out of all the billions of people living and that have ever lived
Doesn’t He know my scream, my cries
And doesn’t He run to rescue me
And won’t I always be His little girl no matter how old I am
I don’t want Him to just be a Foggy Mystery, a Loving Stranger
I want to know my Father
so I’m following the love back to the Source
Still following,
Elizabeth
On our slush snow day last week I just had to make something yummy
because that’s what you do when you’re slushed snowed in.
I’ve been wanting to make homemade sea salt caramels for a long time.
They are fairly easy to make
and oh, so delicious!
They are soft, buttery and melt in your mouth,
with just a wee bit of saltiness to compliment the sweet.
After the Hubs and I sampled a couple pieces,
I gave the rest away
to save us from ourselves.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Soft Sea Salt Caramels
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 lb. brown sugar (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Butter 9x13 pan
In 3-4 quart saucepan melt butter.
Add sugar and salt and stir thoroughly.
Add in corn syrup and condensed milk.
Stir constantly over medium heat until temperature reaches 245 degrees on a candy thermometer. (12-15 minutes)
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour into prepared 9x13 pan.
When mixture has cooled to just warm, sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
When completely cool cut into squares.
(These caramels are very, very soft if they get too warm, so I keep them refrigerated.)
Still following,
Elizabeth
Once upon a time, on a gray, rainy, Oregon afternoon…
a woman went to Walmart for some exciting necessities,
like paper towels,
and laundry bleach…
but she ended up meandering through the garden center
to see if there were any signs of spring in there…
and there she found a cast off bag of clearance sale fall bulbs,
hyacinths, that had begun to sprout…
so she took them home and planted them willy nilly
in odd and interesting containers…
and she smiled…
on a gray, rainy, Oregon afternoon.
Still following,
Elizabeth
I’ve been gathering gratitude since the fall of 2009.
I’ve counted into the fifteen hundreds.
But Ann has challenged us to gather a thousand thanks in 2012.
She’s given us prompts for each day of the month, like clues of where to look for things to give thanks for.
I’m late to accepting the challenge to join the “Joy Dare”,
so my list this week is long as I catch up!
**********
3 things about myself that I’m thankful for…
my faith
my nurturing heart
my creativity
a gift outside…
a light dusting of snow
a gift inside…
6 silver spoons
a gift on a plate…
blueberry muffins and soft boiled eggs
three lines overheard that were graces…
I love you
You’re beautiful
Thank you
gifts old, new, and blue…
old ironstone bowl
new Irish linen towel
blue eyed granddaughter
something you’re reading…
something you’re making…
Felt Valentine hearts
something you’re seeing…
God ordering our steps and our children’s steps
one thing in your bag-
new reading glasses
one thing in your fridge-
grapefruit and oranges
one thing in your heart-
hope
3 graces from people I love-
forgiveness
acts of service
encouragement
light that caught me-
winter sun on the wood floor
a reflection that surprised me-
my 54 year old self – hair in pony tail, glasses instead of contacts, exercise clothes on
a shadow that fell lovely-
granddaughter and I holding hands on our walk
a gift in my hand-
my gratitude journal
a gift I walked by-
my neighborhood
a gift I sat with-
my Hubs on a date to the movies
a gift that’s sour-
lemon in my tea
a gift that’s sweet-
baked sweet potato with brown sugar and cinnamon
a gift that’s just right-
the first cup of hot coffee in the morning
3 yellow things that strike you as fresh mercy
sweet yellow butter
butter yellow walls in the bedroom at our house that the grandkids call theirs
yellow primrose peeking up through the snow
something above me-
the roof over our head
something below me-
the sound of the Hubs downstairs making the coffee while I’m still snuggled warmly in bed
something beside me-
3 sounds I hear-
the hum of my computer
the garbage truck
the sounds of our neighborhood waking up to the new day
3 ways I’ve glimpsed the startling grace of God-
how He still is changing us, delivering us, healing us, day by day
how He is building His church
His work at Hope City
one thing I wore-
the necklace my sister had made for me from my Mama’s ring
one thing I gave away-
tithe and offering
one thing I shared-
bites of the Hub’s calzone on our date
3 ways I witnessed happiness today-
snow falling
the Hubs help with the grocery shopping
snuggling littlest granddaughter with her fuzzy, wuzzy hair
one gift that made me laugh-
my silly granddaughter
one gift that made me pray-
details that still need to come together for our kids to leave for Ghana
one gift that made me quiet-
granddaughter not feeling well, so she just wanted to lay next to me on the couch
3 gifts from God’s Word-
Deuteronomy 31:78 He will not fail me, let me go, or forsake me
Psalm 102:28 our descendants will thrive in His presence
Colossians 2:7 the roots of my being firmly and deeply planted in Him
a grace in the kitchen-
my favorite red soup pot filled with homemade stew
a grace in the weather-
enough snow for granddaughter to made a snow angel and a wee little snowman
a grace that might never have been-
our grandchildren
3 gifts I saw only when I got up close-
the beauty in the shell of a brown egg
the beauty of God’s heart when I draw near to Him
snowflakes
one thing in the sky-
sunbreaks after a very, very rainy week
one thing from my memory-
our three little girls that are now three beautiful women of God
one thing that’s ugly beautiful-
rusty old candlestick
Gratefully yours,
Elizabeth
