Friday Faves...Blooming Branches Indoors

Last week on a gray, rainy day I clipped some budding branches found in a vacant lot,

desperate to bring some early signs of spring into my house.

A warm house, a vase and some water is all it takes and a week later, the buds are turning in to blooms!

Pussy willows are another sign of spring. I didn't forage these branches, I bought them at Trader Joe's. I don't want the pussy willows to continue to change so I did not give them any water. I've had them for a couple of weeks now and they look as good as the day I bought them.

Today, the sky is blue and the sun is out, but tomorrow the rain is supposed to return. These blooming branches are a good reminder that spring is only a month away!

Have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and

a BLESSED weekend!

        

             

Monday Gratitude...

Happy Monday, everyone! The day has slipped away from me and it's time to make dinner so I'm just going to get straight to posting last week's gratitude list! 

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#11,742-#11,767

2-11-19-

-a sweet quiet time in God's presence

-making soup and baking cookies with our two middle grandgirlies

-oldest daughter and her husband and the girls staying for dinner

-an encouraging text from our son-in-law

2-12-19-

-Colossians 3:3-7 

-an early Valentine's date with my husband since we are watching the grandkids this weekend

-my daughter getting a great Craig's list find for our granddaughter's new bedroom

2-13-19-

-the reality that I am adopted by my Father God. I am as much His child as Jesus is.

-my photographer friend taking our new grandbaby's photos

-signs of spring coming in spite of this week's snow and rain

2-14-19-

-Valentine's Day-thank you, God, for Your love, for my husband, for our family, for our church

-foraging flowering quince branches to bloom indoors

-our grandkids here for the weekend

-"Nana, do you know that I love Jesus?" - our four year old grandson

2-15-19-

-our granddaughter's 10th birthday

-"Nana, you're my favorite Nana because you're so kind and nice" - another grandson quote 

(and I'm his only living nana so of course I'm his favorite one! Ha! Ha!)

-all of the grandkids together for the first time since the youngest was born

2-16-19-

-a wonderful prayer time

-baking with my oldest granddaughter

-a great evening with our church leadership
-singing worship songs with the grandkids on the car ride home

2-17-19-
-powerful worship
-God at work in our church
-new families

-God answers prayer

still following,

Fully known and dearly loved...

 "For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim, (blurred), reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then, [when perfection comes],we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part, (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood by God."

 1 Corinthians 13:12 AMPC

This journey we have embarked on when we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is one of getting to know and grow in relationship with the God Who loves us and Who we have chosen to love in return. The most passionate of us in our pursuit to grow in our understanding of God will still only barely scratch the surface of the fathomless wonder of Who He is. When we enter eternity with Him, hopefully we will have come to know Him well enough that our greeting to Him is one of satisfied wonder, "I knew You were like this, and yet You are so much more!", and not one of puzzlement, "This is what You're like?" 

Meanwhile, here in our life on planet earth, while we are pursuing to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God, we can take comfort in this truth. Your Creator fully, wholly, and clearly knows you. He "gets" you.  (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, February 17th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings

Friday Faves - Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Candies

I love to bake sweet treats for family and friends, 

but my husband cannot eat sugar. 

So for Valentine's Day I looked up some Keto, (very low carb), candy recipes

and did a little tweaking until I made one that even I thought tasted yummy.

They are so quick and easy!

My husband was very happy 

to have something sweet to nibble on with his coffee.

Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Candies

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

4 Tablespoons coconut oil

4 Tablespoons butter

3 Tablespoons baking cocoa

Melt in microwave for one minute. Stir well.

Add 15 quick squirts of liquid Stevia 

and

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

Stir well.

Pour into silicone candy molds and put into freezer for 30 minutes.

(A glass measuring cup with a pour spout works best for this.)  

 Unmold and store in airtight bags or container in the refrigerator.

Happy Valentine's Day

and

have a HAPPY, HAPPY Friday

and

a BLESSED weekend!

        

             

My Favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

Yesterday I picked up our two middle granddaughters from school, and together we made our favorite winter soup and some of our favorite sugar cookies.

I thought I'd repost the recipe so that you, too can make some sweet treats with someone you love.

My Favorite Sugar Cookies 

1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons 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.

still following,

Monday Gratitude...

Thursday of this past week I returned home from helping our youngest daughter after the birth of our new granddaughter. I am happy to be back home, but I may have shed a few tears when I realized that this is the last grandbaby we will have and the last time I'll be on "nana duty" following the birth of a grandchild. (Unless the Lord has a huge surprise awaiting one of our girls!)  Our oldest granddaughter will be sixteen and our oldest grandson will be fifteen in a few months, so the next baby in the family will probably be a great grandbaby sometime down the road!  I can't even wrap my mind around that!  Meanwhile, I'm living in the present and overflowing with gratitude for God's abundant blessing in my life. 

******************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#11,719-#11,741

2-4-19-

-youngest grandson's excitement at big fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky

-spending a few hours with our two middle grandgirlies

-God at work in our church

-a good report on our grandbaby's check up

2-5-19-

-waking up to snow!

-walking to Starbucks with my son-in-law, youngest daughter and the two youngest grands

-our daughter's in-laws that brought us yummy teriyaki for dinner

-my husband having our small group dinner and study in my absence

2-6-19-

-snuggles in the big chair with my youngest grandson

-another organizational project accomplished at my daughter's

-Papa coming to see us

2-7-19-

-meeting a friend for coffee before heading home

-home sweet home!

-pussy willows from Trader Joe's

2-8-19-

-Friday Date Day with my guy

-yummy lunch together at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants

-$200 dollar boots on the clearance rack for $29 and I had a gift card to buy them!

2-9-19-

-waking up to more snow

-my middle granddaughters facetiming me

-a nice snowy walk around our neighborhood park

2-10-19-

-a good day at church in spite of the snowy/icy weather

-big hugs and smiles from my grandson

-more new faces at church

still following,

The path of life...

We all must enter the path to relationship with our Creator, Father God, and to the hope of eternal life through one narrow door-our belief in and receiving of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as our Savior and Lord. (John 14:16, Acts 16:31) But, you and I all know that the life path that we walk after we make Jesus our Lord, and before we enter into eternity, is a very individual one. No two journeys through this life look alike. The truth is, there has been more than one occasion when I have glanced over at someone else that I think is on a much easier path than mine and asked God why. However, I've also observed someone whose life path has been so much more difficult than mine, and felt ashamed of ever complaining. I assume you can relate.   (Join me for the rest of this post on Sunday, February 10th, at Woman to Woman Ministries where each Sunday I share a bit of Sunday Soul Food!)

still following,

Also happily linking up with the lovely

Susan B. Mead
and

Sunday Scripture Blessings