I simply remember my favorite things…Friday’s Favs…Christmas!

Though I live in Portland, some of my favorite places to go are in the small towns that surround our city.  Head east from Portland down to the beginning of the Columbia Gorge and you will come to the small town of Troutdale.  There you will find some of the most delightful little shops, one of which is the Troutdale General Store.   Now it is all decked out for Christmas!  The store is three stories tall and is filled with all sorts of loveliness…including an old fashioned soda fountain, a candy counter, all sorts of gift items and old fashioned toys, and holiday décor galore!

I’m lovin’ it!

Join me on a photo tour!

 

 

I am definitely getting that butterflies in the tummy, excited that Christmas is coming feeling!

 

Happy Friday Everyone!

Elizabeth

Bath time…

 

I fill the tub with hot, steamy water and lavender scented bubbles

I can enjoy a hot, bubble bath whenever I’ve a mind to

But I remember when I was a little girl

Back when Mama and Daddy and all seven of us kids

Lived under one roof

and all shared that one little bathroom off the kitchen

Baths were a once a week Saturday night ritual back then

Weekdays we would take what Mama called a spit bath

Washing up before bed with a washcloth, a bar of Ivory soap, and some water in the sink

But Saturday nights we got the full meal deal, a whole body bath in the tub

So we would all be spic and span for Sunday School the next day

I guess to save on the hot water

Two or three of us would use the same bath water

Before the tub was emptied and filled back up

I remember that all over clean feeling

Of those Saturday night baths

And the feel of those clean, soft, flannel pajamas, sewn by my mama

And the feel of the crisp, fresh air scented sheets, that Mama had washed that morning

And hung on the clothesline for the wind to blow dry

I remember the feel of the heavy, homemade quilts on top of me

and the sound of the rain on the roof overhead

And whenever I think of that clean, cozy, Saturday night feeling

I think, that is exactly what it feels like

When Jesus comes and washes your heart clean

All clean and happy and safe and warm

Just like those long ago Saturday nights

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

this week’s Simple Pleasure~

a nice, hot, bubble bath!

He gave so I give…

 

It’s our fault

We raised them to know

That they were not ours, not their own,  but His

Bought with a Price beyond compare

We raised them with the words

“God has a special purpose and destiny for you”

We told them to obey Him no matter the cost

But this time last year

When all three of those precious girls,

Those miraculous, little, giggling, squabbling, beautiful, daughters of ours

Now grown women

Said God was calling them away from here

Why my heart shook like my mama’s holiday jello mold

Underneath the veneer of my jolly, holiday smile

And angry too, there was anger in me at Him

He really won’t relent until He has it all

This God with His heart full of fiery, jealous love

Won’t relent until all of my heart and all that my heart loves is given back to Him

So, yes, there was some anger in me at this relentless God

But I did relent, and in prayer I would lay them on the altar and give them to Him

Then days, or sometimes minutes, later

Untie them and clutch them to my heart

Now it’s a year later

And life does go on

With youngest daughter serving Him in Missouri

Middle daughter, son in law, and grandbabies

on the east coast preparing for their future work in Ghana, West Africa

Oldest daughter, son in law, and baby granddaughter leaving our church

To start their own church, but still in our city

Bless God!  In our city!

This is the giving that costs

more than the time God asked us to empty our  bank account

and trust Him to take care of us

This is my alabaster flask of precious perfume

Poured out for Him

This is the giving that asks me to trust Him to take care of them

To take care of me

They are the most wonderful gifts He ever gave us

Except that He gave me His Son… He gave His Son…He. Gave. His. Son.

And I constantly have to remind myself, that they are not mine, but His

Bought with a Price beyond compare

That His love for them is so much greater than mine

But still sometimes I cry

And still sometimes my heart shakes

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Great gift…

She prayed, along with so many, many others, for my oldest daughter to have a baby.

She prayed  through the 8 plus years of my daughter’s,  her granddaughter’s,

waiting, and loss, and trying again.

Seeing my 85 year old mama with this little answer to prayer, her great granddaughter,

is truly a gift.

 

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

 

linking to Tuesday Unwrapped at

Chatting at the Sky

Spread the gratitude…

 

When I make bread I always “proof the yeast”.

I activate it in warm water with a bit of sugar and if it gets foamy I know the yeast is good.

Doing this prevents wasted ingredients, as well as wasted time and effort, resulting in bread that won’t rise.

This gratitude gathering is “good leavening”.

It began with Ann and is still “rising”.

Instead of confining my thanksgiving to my blog,

for the second year in a row, everyday in the month of November,

I , and now many of my friends,

are posting something we are thankful for as our daily Facebook status.

Might you consider joining us?

Let’s keep spreading the gratitude.

 

my continuing gratitude list #733-#751

 

-home

 

-my own bed

 

-dinner at my daughter’s house

 

-my buddy

 

-an unexpected mid-week date with the Hubs

 

-oldest granddaughter calling to say she has finally mastered tying her shoes

 

-a perfectly ripe pear

 

-a beautiful walk

 

-Handel’s Messiah

 

-helping to lift someone’s burden

 

-candles

 

-a fire in the fireplace

 

-homemade soup

 

-muffins

 

-eating dinner, playing cards and laughing with friends

 

-antiquing and lunch with oldest daughter, her mom in law, and baby granddaughter

 

-the Hubs who did some laundry for me while I was doing the above

 

-an unexpected visit with my nephew and his family

 

-the church, and our little part of it

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

the gratitude gatherers-

By His Stripes..

 

I love the way my granddaughter is in the background of this photo.

She asked Jesus to be her Lord quite young, and was baptized last Easter.

When she saw this statue she was very concerned about the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head.

Her mommy talked to her about this verse from Isaiah 53, telling her that Jesus’ head was wounded so that our mind and thoughts can be healed.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

linking here-

I simply remember my favorite things…Friday’s Favs…Morning Glory Muffins

There’s just something about a cold, rainy evening that makes me want to

light some candles

make a fire in the fireplace

put on an apron

and cook up a storm!

Tonight I made a big pot of

split pea soup

and

some cornbread muffins…

 

 

and a big pot of

pinto beans with ham!

 

 

You do realize that it’s only the Hubs and I living here, right?

So, I sent Hubs over to my daughter’s with some soup for them

and we’ll still have plenty of leftovers for the weekend.

But this post isn’t about all that…

it’s about what else I made

and it began with this blog post.

It got me wanting to make muffins…

but not just any muffins…

beautiful muffins…

like this…

 

(photo from Starbucks)

 

So I did a google search for ‘HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES’

and found this Better Homes and Gardens Recipe

for

Morning Glory Muffins

ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 C. whole wheat flour and 1 C. all-purpose)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (1-1/3 cups)
• 1-1/4 cups finely shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple (juice pack), undrained
• 2/3 cup cooking oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• (I added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts)

directions

1. Line eighteen 2-1/2-inch muffin cups with paper bake cups; set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; stir in brown sugar. Stir in apples, carrots, and raisins. In a medium bowl combine undrained pineapple, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add pineapple mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in a 375 degree F oven about 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups; serve warm. Makes 18 muffins.

 

The muffins are full of pineapple, apples, carrots, raisins…yummm!

 

 

Cutting and using parchment paper squares instead of pre-made muffins cups was harder than it looks.

Mine certainly don’t look like Sarah’s @ a beach cottage

and they don’t look like the ones from Starbucks either.

 

 

 

 

 

But the good news is that they’re mighty tasty!

 

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Elizabeth

happily linking here-