Growing Older...

Yes, it's true...I'm growing older.  Another birthday has come and gone.  There are definitely advantages to growing older:

• The obvious one - I'm still here!
• I think I'm a little wiser
• People call me "Sweetie" and "Honey"
• The importance of birthdays seems less

This year was a little different.  Jay and I both have our birthdays in September, and we have usually been able to go see our children.  Not this year. Birthdays fell in the middle of the week.  This year, I caught a stomach "bug" and spent most of the day in bed.

My children called and that is always wonderful.  My friends sent sweet and beautiful cards.  Facebook added a new dimension with birthday wishes from friends and family - far and wide - some very unexpected.  Friends dropped by and brought gifts - so thoughtful and made me feel very special.

I received these at work...

Aren't they gorgeous?  The roses smelled
heavenly. The the sunflowers' color is so
vivid it almost "hurts" to look at them.






I also received a first....

A cake!  Came by FedEx...thank you Jill!
We haven't tasted it yet, but it looks scrumptious, and the box it is in - delightful!






This next gift expresses perfectly my last point in how birthdays change with age.

                                                                                                                                                                      

Yes, it's Diet Dr. Pepper.  After asking and asking, "what do you want for your birthday?" and hearing,

"Nothing"...this is what my sweet husband brought to me, as I lay in bed sick.  Diet Dr. Pepper is my

major vice, so much so, that I switched to Diet Dr. Thunder (Wal-Mart's brand) because I felt guilty.

LOL!  I couldn't stop smiling when I saw this box.  Clever man.

From my brother, Kevin.  Oh how I love him and

the new relationship we have in Jesus Christ!

 Thank you, Family and Friends - for enriching my life!

Finding Joy in My Kitchen

One of the blogs in my favorites is entitled "Finding Joy in My Kitchen"...well, this past weekend that's exactly what happened to me...

I found Joy in my kitchen - my daughter, Joy!










Last Saturday was the day of a brunch that for months and months I've been thinking on, and planning, picking gifts up for, planning, thinking ...get the picture?  I so wanted to make the ladies of First Baptist feel special and blessed and challenged! The theme changed, the format changed, but one thing remained the same, I wanted Joy to come to demonstrate and to speak.

Here's the sign-up table in our church foyer...

We finally settled on "A Woman's Armor" and used an apron to represent that armor. My daughter-in-love, Sara, helped me set up this display (she's so talented!).



Joy is a very busy young wife and mother.  But after a hard day of work, she loaded up and drove 3 hours to my house and we began cooking and laughing and cooking and laughing.  (There is always much laughter when any Weavers get together.)  It was a late night due to the goofy mix-ups we made and an early morning on Saturday, to get everything ready and in place before the ladies arrived.  She even made Spiced Pecans that we bagged up as favors for each special lady who would come.

Joy has never done this type of thing before, but I just knew she "had it in her" and I knew she would pray and seek what God would have her to say.  Although nervous - she was exactly the right person and God knew that.

40 ladies came!  I was so busy and scattered, my camera stayed in my purse until it was over and I remembered it, but Shantele was gracious enough to share these photos she took with her phone.

Our menu was:

                       Bacon and Spinach Quiche

                       Blueberry Scones

                       Fruit K-bobs

                       Sunshine Punch, Coffee and Tea

God was so good to help me find door prizes, which I think the ladies loved.  We gave away aprons,  candles, coasters (made by Sara), and the 3 dishes Joy prepared in demonstration time - fun, fun! 

First, Joy demonstrated 4 easy recipes for everyone, whether you cook or not and spoke about using our

homes to minister and reach out to others.  After brunch, she spoke about our armor as women:

                

                A meek and quiet spirit and what that really means...

                            A servant's heart

                                       Holiness

Even amid power outages (no A/C, no sound system) - everyone was patient and gracious and God was there. We were so blessed!

Thanks so much to everyone who helped me - thank you FB Ladies for embracing the idea and coming and Thank you, Joy!  Most of all, Thank You, Lord - for every good gift You give us and for meeting with us whenever we gather in Your name!

Labor Day 2010 ... in the books

Labor Day 2010 has come and gone.  It was different for us, or it seemed different.  We didn't go anywhere or do anything.  We certainly didn't labor.  Very quiet.  Working on music, choir, Living Bethlehem, and the
Ladies Brunch coming up.

I decided to caramelize some onions and peppers, intending to add beef in some way - either meatballs or patties...and saw some chicken I'd thawed.  So, we had chicken fajitas.  Yummy. 

And for dessert...

Baked Apple Dessert






I don't remember the real name.  It's from a Diabetic Living magazine that Joy brought to me.
It was delicious...and healthy!  Of course, anyone who knows me knows...I had piecrust,
so I used it rather than making the biscuit crust in the recipe (next time I'll made the crust)...
and I don't own a custard cup, so I used the smallest jelly jar I have in the middle.

It's an amazing thing.  You can't tell in this picture, but you bake it with the custard cup (or jar)
in the center and the crust on top.  After it cools, you invert it...and all the sauce will be in the
cup.  I know!  I didn't believe it either...but it happens!  Amazing.  I'm sure my sons can tell
me why this happens, but I choose to believe in miracles.

The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

Most will not have any recollection of Penelope, nor the many perils she faced - since she was a cartoon character of the late 60's.

Doesn't she look just like me? 

Every episode, Penelope faced a new "peril"...most usually involving this guy...

The Hidden Claw!  I don't remember why this guy was always after her, but he
was relentless. Do you recognize him?  I see a strong resemblance between him...
and my enemy (Satan).

While Penelope and her enemy were make-believe...I am a real person and my
enemy is very real as well.  And while I've not yet been tied in a chair, or tied to
the railroad tracks...my "perils" are spiritual and often feel as confining and they
are definitely as desperately dangerous.

I know whenever we make any decision to follow God in any way,
to be obedient, to get out of the boat and walk on the water with Jesus...
the enemy comes...and like the Hidden Claw - he is relentless!

Jesus said Satan comes to steal, and kill and destroy.  In 1 Peter 5 we're told
to be serious and vigilant...why? 

• Because our enemy is like a roaring lion...roaring - to paralyze his victims
  with fear.  Have you ever felt fear?  If not, I  am pretty sure you haven't
  stepped out in faith to follow the Lord's calling.
• Because he's roaming about seeking those he can destroy.  If I'm not on
  guard...if I'm not alert...vigilant - he will destroy me in any way he can.

There's more to this story.  Penelope had a group of goofy dwarf-like guys who
would always come to her rescue. 
But I have...

•  Jesus Christ - the Creator of the universe, My Savior
• The Holy Spirit - my Comforter and my Power
• The Word of God, which exposes Satan's lies and tricks.

If I take the warning of God's Word seriously, if I am vigilant, if I am on guard,
if I am prayed up and studying The word daily -

I do not have to cower in fear when Satan roars.
I do not have to be deceived by his lies.
I do not have to be destroyed by his tricks.

And just like Penelope (who came out the victor in every episode)...

I can be victorious through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Praise God!

On Hiatus

That's the only explanation I have.  On hiatus.  No heart for blogging.