Winter Pastime

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I love all 4 seasons that we enjoy here in Delaware...

Even the winter time!

Some people dread it, but not me! When I think of winter, I think of cozy days (or nights) by the fire, beautiful white snow, and extra time for reading!

A friend mentioned the book Living Water to Phil and I over dinner one night last week.

I ordered it from the library, opened it today and read some of it--then, read some of it to Phil....

and now we're thinking that we may just read it aloud as a family.

The few passages I read were very moving and convicting.

They addressed the lack of repentance being preached in churches today...and the lack of truly

dying to self and giving our entire lives over the the Lord.

I think this will be a difficult read (ouch) but, a much needed one.

Have you read this book? I'd love to hear your feedback if you have.

And, I'd love to hear what you're currently reading!

Blessings to you and yours!

Sharri

Snow

Much to our delight we got a little snow over the weekend!

We were only supposed to get a coating, but we did get a little bit more than that...

These birds were happy to see feed in the feeder!

I loved the way these blackbirds were all "decorating the tree" next door :)

I hope we have more snow before the winter is out!

Sprucing Up

Friday night we had our first company in since my illness-and we had some

sprucing up to do!

Dear friends sent me this arrangement while i was recovering...and I couldn't bear to

toss it out because it had held up so well!

So, I added a few Valentine's hearts to it :)

I found these adorable red foil heart cutouts, and hung them

from my snow white valance

Found a really cute table cloth and napkins to match at a great discount

We had so much fun fellowshiping--we forgot to take pics!

But, our guests brought me these gorgeous roses--I love them!

They smell so good too!

I'm thankful for friends!

View at Your Own Risk

It was cold outside the other day...and it gave me the "willies" for Cinnamon Rolls

 Bri helped me with the rolling up and the cutting (using dental floss)

(You can tell she loves that part!)

We sprinkled pecans in the pan, then put the cut rolls on top

this is what they looked like after baking

then, they looked like this when we turned them out

Bri's fav part of Cinnamon Rolls? LOTS of icing--she took care of that part too

They smelled wonderful while baking...and tasted GREAT!

funny, I looked back and we made this around this time last year too

click here to see that post

it includes the recipe

Wonderful Mother/Daughter Investment

I have the privilege of spending most of my weekday mornings reading this book aloud with

my young adult daughter Briana.

(She received it for Christmas)

Our discussions have been soooo good since we've started it!

Although we do not have a large family, we wish we did!

 And, we would like for our children to allow God

to choose their family size when they get married

and hopefully have large families themselves.

Although we haven't finished it, I couldn't wait to tell you about this book!

The first portion of the book is about God's plan for wives and mothers

with biblical references and lots of food for thought.

So far I have had lots of conviction while reading it--and expect that I'll have more yet!

This book is not just about how to be organized, etc...(although that's part of it)

 it is about the attitudes of the heart,

and the yielding of ourselves to God's plan.

It's very much worth the investment of time to read it,

and would be helpful for any wife, mother, or daughter.

(Made so much more enjoyable because I share it with my daughter!)

I wish the same for you!

In case you want to know where to order, it is available at Vision Forum.

Blessings!

Everyday Happenings

What have we been up to these days??

Well, I have a few snapshots to share to show you some of them...

we've been enjoying the adorable snowman made for us by our Pastor's sweet family

(I collect snowman and he's a fav!)

Bri bought a few gifts for a sweet friend of hers...

and, Phil and I attended a fun 40th b-day party for a dear friend

The weather turned a bit colder and I cooked up a big pot of Chicken Corn Chowder...

I have more to share and post, but alas, they aren't downloaded yet! :)

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."

~ J. Brothers



O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

I heard this song this morning on the radio and it really blessed me!

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

 O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

 O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Comparison or Contentment?

photo credit

I saw this quote today...

Comparison is the enemy of Contentment

And the first thing I thought was...Ouch!

I am usually a contented person in many ways. But then...I should be!

After all, I have a comfortable home, lovely family, my husband provides for us well...

I have many dear friends, plenty of food on the table--enough to share...

But, then recently I got cancer.

 I had a score of Dr. appointments, tests, and scary moments...

There was surgery, pain, and recovery...

Helplessness, weakness, and confinement...

I have to admit, I wasn't always content.

But I am choosing to be today. And I will commit to choose to be tomorrow.

Our lives are made up of choices every day. Good ones, and bad ones.

An elder from our church said on Sunday that we must choose to be happy, and choose

to serve Christ by being happy.

It is so true!

And so is choosing contentment.

I feel that when I choose not to be content, I am not trusting in God.

I want to please God by having a contented spirit, and by fully putting my trust in Him.

photo credit

Another post I did on Contentment is here

Insightful Devotion

photo credit

My friend Trish shared this on facebook-her sweet son Kevin has leukemia

This was meaningful to me, and I thought I would share it

Dear Friend,

When the storms of life hit, we are often tempted to run for cover. When they continue indefinitely, we struggle to find encouragement. When the rain and the wind gather strength until they turn into what seems to be a hurricane, we find ourselves saying, "I can't do this any longer," the truth is this: we can't, but God can.
...
He is the only One who can help us victoriously fight through the battles of life. Nothing can provide the type of strength that He provides, especially when we feel overwhelmed and discouraged. He stands beside us, and He never retreats.

Daniel never worried about being cast into the lion's den. He knew that the Lord would provide the help and protection he needed to make it through the night. Some of the people who read these words are fighting a battle with a life-threatening disease. It is an unseen enemy from a human standpoint but not from God's. He knows exactly what we are facing and how it is affecting our lives.

There is an incredible sense of peace that comes from learning how to rest in the Lord and allow Him to take care of your troubles. This does not mean that you abandon the fight and just give up trying. It means that you shift the focus of your effort from yourself to God. This is where the true victory is gained.

The apostle Paul faced many life-threatening situations. At one point, he debated whether it was better to ask God to allow him to go home to heaven where he would have unending peace and glory in the presence of Christ or to continue living the earthly life God had given him. Paul chose the latter. As much as he longed to see the Lord in heaven, he loved having the opportunity here to tell others about God's unending, unconditional love and forgiveness.

The suffering you face today is directly related to the joy you will experience in the future.

For His Kingdom,

Tony Evans

New Year

Well, our Christmas vacation is over now, and it's a New Year!

I'm healing up from my surgery very well, and am thankful for that.

We had a quiet Christmas and New Year as I was still recuperating...but, it was lovely!

God has been very good!

I hope that you had a lovely family time--as we did--and that your New Year is a blessed one!