Thankful Thursday

by rosemary. November 10th, 2011. Posted in Giving Thanks. 2 Comments.

Thanking God…

that the cabinets in our basement are finally fully installed, as are the oven, microwave and dishwasher. I’m thankful for the men who were willing to take on another person’s mess and make it right. They’re installing the countertops on Friday (hopefully), and plumbing  will be finished on Monday. Yay.

that we get to host our family Thanksgiving dinner this year! There will be 30 of us, a far cry from our much smaller dinners of the past twenty years. I’m continually thankful we’re living near family again.

for the strength to do yard work, and for the fun my husband and I had working together on a brisk, sunny day.

for warm clothing, for a warm home, for blankets, hot tea, a fire, and all that makes life comfortable in cold weather.

for my new doctor, who responded quickly to some symptoms I told her about, ordered blood work, and found that I was on too high a dose of one of my ongoing meds. I haven’t even had an appointment with her yet, but she was concerned enough to help me immediately. That’s a sign of a good doctor, in my opinion!

that He has made us His very own, now and forever.

Oh infinite, astonishing mercy!

by rosemary. November 9th, 2011. Posted in Quotes. 1 Comment.

Oh infinite, astonishing mercy, that God should take dust and ashes into so near a bond of love as to be our God! Let us live as those who have God as their own, and walk in holy lives, that others may see there is something of God in us.  -Thomas Watson

Sunday Hymn: The Church’s One Foundation

by rosemary. November 6th, 2011. Posted in Hymns. 3 Comments.

The Church’s one foundation
Is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From Heav’n He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.

She is from every nation,
Yet one o’er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.

The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against both foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, How long?
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!

’Mid toil and tribulation,
And tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
With all her sons and daughters
Who, by the Master’s hand
Led through the deathly waters,
Repose in Eden land.

O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell with Thee:
There, past the border mountains,
Where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains
Forever shall abide!

-Samuel J. Stone, 1866

Thankful Thursday

by rosemary. November 3rd, 2011. Posted in Giving Thanks. 1 Comment.

This morning I drove to Milwaukee to visit my sisters and run by the Home Goods store a block away from them. I’m always thankful for a safe trip in heavy traffic. Having been a country girl for the past twenty years, I’m not as nonchalant about expressway driving as I used to be. Those big semi trucks give me the willies. I don’t think there’s anything ‘semi’ about them; they’re monstrous!

I’m also thankful for the table I found at TJ Maxx, which I hope will fit perfectly in our entry. They had just put it on the floor, and I snapped it up just. like. that. Can’t wait to have it carried in by my husband and son so I can play with what to put on it. Something autumnal, for sure. I’m thankful for God’s provision, that he cares about small things like tables.

I’m thankful for my husband.

I’m thankful to hear our son pray for the leaders of our country and the world, asking God to help them know Him.

I’m thankful that God delights in our thanksgivings to him. Stunning thought.

November. Can you believe it?

by rosemary. November 1st, 2011. Posted in Homekeeping. 1 Comment.

The arrival of November works an internal switching of my gears to holiday mode. I love the sights, sounds, tastes and scents of the holidays. You know what that means, don’t you? The annual posting of my favorite holiday scent. It’s fresh, it’s spicy and citrusy. Put ‘er on the back burner and let it fill your home with deliciousness.

Christmas Scent

1 fresh lemon
1 fresh orange
3 three inch cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 cup whole cloves
2 quarts water

Slice the lemon and orange into 4-6 pieces. Place in saucepan (I suggest using one that you won’t be using for other things) along with cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and cloves. Pour in the 2 quarts of water, and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer all day, adding water as needed. This mixture will last for days if you refrigerate it between uses. Just add more water and reheat.

This is also a wonderful, inexpensive hostess gift. Put the lemon, orange, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and cloves in the middle of a square sheet of clear or holiday-themed cellophane. Gather the paper into a pretty bunch, and tie with raffia or ribbon. Add a tag with instructions for use.

If nothing else, I’m Economy.

by rosemary. October 31st, 2011. Posted in Ordinary things. 5 Comments.

Yesterday, while leaving church:

Lady (a complete stranger): (Tap on shoulder) That’s a beautiful sweater!

Me: Thank you!

Her: I’m learning to knit and I recognize that stitch.

Me: Oh, I didn’t make it….

Her: (Reaching over to take my necklace in hand) That’s a beautiful necklace! Is it garnet? Is it real?

Me: No, I don’t think so.

Her (loudly): Well, you’re elegantly dressed for economy!

I could scarcely contain my guffaw as we left the church. My husband says she called it right. :-) My middle initial is E, and it stands for Economy.

 

Sunday Hymn: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

by rosemary. October 30th, 2011. Posted in Hymns. 3 Comments.

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.

-Martin Luther, 1529

Thankful Thursday

by rosemary. October 27th, 2011. Posted in Giving Thanks. 3 Comments.

I’m thankful…

to be living near family. I know I’ve said that before, but after almost 30 years of living far apart, it’s really nice to be close to most of my siblings and their families. It’s a real hoot to be around little grand nieces and nephews. I wish I had some of their energy!

for answers to prayer. So many things can’t/shouldn’t be written about on a blog, but I want to thank God for His activity ‘behind the scenes.’

for time spent with my sisters on Tuesday.

that two pairs of shoes that I ordered online from Zappos actually fit my wide feet! Free shipping, too!

for our leaf vacuum thing. Our arms and shoulders are happy with relief.

for the company and help of my son this morning. He’s a good grocery hauler.

that every day, the sovereignty of God is precious.

 

 

 

Italian Sausage, White Bean, Spinach Soup

by rosemary. October 26th, 2011. Posted in Recipes. 4 Comments.

Yesterday, Elle enticed us with a yummy-sounding list of soups that her family enjoys and offered to share the recipes, so I’m jumping on her bandwagon today with a recipe from our family. I’m a soup girl all year long, but when the temperatures start to dip, there’s little that will please me more at lunch or dinner than a big bowl of soup. This is a family favorite, and very quick and easy to make at the last minute. I always try to keep the ingredients on hand, just in case I get a soup craving. Since I’ve thrown away more than my share of bags of spoiled spinach, I keep a package of chopped spinach in the freezer. It works just fine in this recipe. I just thaw it in the microwave, squeeze it dry and toss it in the soup.

Italian Sausage, White Bean, Spinach Soup

1 lb. Italian sausage (either pork or turkey)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth, or more depending on how much broth you like
10 oz fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped (or a box of frozen spinach)

If your sausage is in links, remove from casings, breaking into small pieces. Cook sausage in olive oil; drain and crumble. Add onion and garlic to pan; saute until soft. Add sausage back into pan, then add beans, tomatoes, and broth. Cover pan and simmer until hot. Add spinach and heat until just wilted. Serve with Parmesan shavings and crusty bread. Always on the lookout for a little spice, my husband adds a few shakes of hot sauce or crushed red pepper.

I’m always on the lookout for another great soup recipe, so if you have one, jump on the bandwagon!

Monday Morning

by rosemary. October 24th, 2011. Posted in Family. 3 Comments.

After a relaxing weekend at my brother’s lake house, we’re back to home and work. A plumber comes this morning to finish off the bathroom plumbing downstairs so we can put it into use. Yay! We’ve had some major glitches in the installation of our little kitchen area down there. Very frustrating, but hopefully the man who is now on board will be able to fix it. Here’s a caution for you: if you go to a recommended cabinet supply company and your gut tells you to leave, do so. Trouble is ahead. You’ll be stuck with cabinets you don’t like, and an installer who will make an even bigger mess of  them.

We’re making baby steps toward an eventual major transition for our family. Big stuff for our older son, and he did well, considering the fact that it was such an enormous step for him. We are so thankful for our younger son who is willing to be such a help to his older brother. These are not easy days, and looking to the future demands that we acknowledge our weakness and dependence. We give thanks to our good and loving sovereign God, whose hands formed and hold our sons secure. Without Him, I do believe my head and heart would explode.

Growing old is not for the faint of heart. Or maybe it is for the faint of heart who have a great God.

The plumber arrived early, so now the water is turned off, giving me a perfect excuse to pause my laundry and kitchen cleanup.

It’s a gorgeous sunny day, so going to the grocery store after the plumber leaves will be a pleasure. It’s nice to see all the pumpkins and other kinds of squash and root vegetables making their appearance. I love them roasted, don’t you? And fall flowers—-my table needs some!

Better get on with my day. I see some dust that needs to be dealt with. Hope your day is going well!

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