The Day~The Way

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Not for one single day, can I discern my way,
But this I surely know-Who gives the day
Will show the way, So I securely go.

~John Oxenham

Camouflage, or Random photo :)

Camouflage

This is a random photo that I took of an anole lizard a few months back. :) What is neat about these lizards is that they can change color from bright green to dark brown.

Peanut Pie

This is one of my favorite pie recipes.

2 eggs
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla extract
1 cup peanuts
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

In a large bowl combine the eggs, peanut butter, sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Fold in peanuts. Pour into the pie shell and bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool. Yield:6-8 servings.

Believe It Or Not, You Can Read It!

I thought this was really interesting. :)

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the huamn mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porblem. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by islef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Give Glory to God

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake. Psalm 115:1But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD. Psalm 115:18

"Not unto us, O Lord of heav'n,
But unto Thee be glory giv'n;
In love and truth Thou dost fulfill
The counsels of Thy sov'reighn will;
Though nations fail Thy pow'r to own,
Yet Thou dost reign, and Thou alone."

The Witty Farmer

A farmer went to buy a pickup truck that he saw advertised for a certain price. After telling the salesman which truck he wanted, they sat down to do the paperwork. Finally the salesman handed the farmer the bill, "Wait a minute," the farmer exclaimed," This isn't the price I saw in the paper!" "Well," replied the salesman, "there are a few extras such as power brakes, power windows, special tires etc. that is why the price is higher." The farmer needed the truck badly, so he paid the price and went home.
A few months later, the salesman called up the farmer and said, "My son is in 4-H and he needs a cow for a project. Do you have any for sale?" "Yes, I have a few cows, and I will sell them for $500.00 apiece. Come and look at them and take your pick." Answered the Farmer. The salesman said he and his son would be right out.
After spending a few hours in the field checking out all the farmer's cows, the two decided on one and the salesman proceeded to write out a check for $500.00. Now, wait a minute, said the farmer, "that's not the final price of the cow. You're getting extras with it and you have to pay for that too." "What extras?" asked the salesman.

Below is the list the farmer gave the salesman for the final price of the cow ...

· Basic Cow - $500.00
· Two tone exterior - $45.00
· Extra stomach - $75.00
· Straw compartment - $120.00
· 4 Spigots @ - $10 ea - $40.00
· Leather upholstery .- $125.00
· Dual horns - $45.00
· Automatic fly swatter - $38.00
· Fertilizer attachment - $185.00

Grand Total - $1,173.00

The Beautiful Snow

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Job 38:22

I found these pictures of snowflakes online. It is just so amazing that no two are alike and just think there are literally billions of snowflakes that fall every winter! God's creation is absolutely awesome!

All photos taken from SnowCrystals.com

What More Can You Ask?

Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:15

God's love endureth forever-

What a wonderful thing to know

When the tides of life run against you

And your spirit is downcast and low...

God's kindness is ever around you,

Always ready to freely impart

Strength to your faltering spirit,

Cheer to your lonely heart...

God's presence is ever beside you,

As near as the reach of your hand,

You have but to tell Him your troubles,

There is nothing He won't understand...

And knowing God's love is unfailing,

And His mercy unending and great,

You have but to trust in His promise-"

God comes not too soon or too late"...

So wait with a heart that is patient

For the goodness of God to prevail-

For never do prayers go unanswered,

And His mercy and love never fail.

~Helen Steiner Rice

Backpack Oatmeal Cookies :)

These are my absolute favorite oatmeal cookies! My mom got this recipe years ago and we have been enjoying them ever since! :)

Backpack Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup walnuts

In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla, beat with a spoon until well mixed. In another bowl combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well. Combine the dry ingredients with the oil mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned on bottoms.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we have!! :)

Sunshine Country,

Sunshine Country, is a story about a young boy, who when he was very young, was found abandoned on a mountainside. Raised in the care of strangers, not knowing a thing about his real parents, he finds peace and security in the Lord Jesus. This heart-touching story has been popular for almost a century, because of it's sweet and simple presentation of the gospel. The story is founded on actual facts, and those who may wish to locate the territory covered in the events will find it without difficulty in the mountainous region and winding valley watered by the River Wag. I have enjoyed this book, which is a true story, ever since I was little. I highly recommend it!

About the author: Miss Cristina Roy, is in charge of an orphanage in Czechoslovakia, whose origin was largely due to inspiration received from the Orphan Home of Bristol, founded by George Mueller. It was for the benefit of this home of hers that the story was originally published in the Slovak language. The interest it created was sufficient to cause its being translated into German, French and Spanish and then, from the Spanish version into English.

Scripture of the Day

God commendeth His love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?

Romans 5:8; Hebrews 2:3

Make Me Captive

Make me captive, Lord,
And then I shall be free;
Force me to render up my sword,
And I shall conqu'ror be,
I sink in life's alarms
When by myself I stand;

Imprison me within Thine arms,

And strong shall be my hand.

My heart is weak and poor
Until it master find;
It has no spring of action sure-
It varies with the wind,

It cannot freely move,
Till Thou hast wrought its chain:
Enslave it with Thy matchless love,
And deathless it shall reign.

My will is not my own
Till Thou hast made it Thine;
If it would reach a monarch's throne
It must its crown resign;
It only stands unbent, Amid the crushing strife,
When on They bosom it has leant
And found in Thee its life.

~George Matheson

Crazy Laws,

I came across these laws (which are supposedly real, ) awhile back. I have a hard time believing some of them (really any of them), but they gave me a laugh so I thought I would post them. :)

In Kansas:
~ When two trains approach each other at a crossing, they shall both come to a full stop, and neither shall start up until the other has gone.

In Alaska:
~While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

California laws:
~Belvedere City Council order reads: "No dog shall be in a public place without its master on a leash." :D

In Florida:
~Law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay.
~It's illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.

In Maine:
~You may not step out of a plane while in flight.
~Unless you have a doctor's note, it's illegal to buy ice cream after 6 PM in Newark, New Jersey.

In Pennsylvania:
~Danville: All fire hydrants must be checked one hour before all fires.

In Tennessee:
~It's illegal for frogs to croak after 11 PM.
~In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive a car unless there is a man either running or walking in front of it, waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians. Driving is not to be done while asleep.
~Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue. -(I find this one hard to believe.Of course they are all strange. LOL).

Quotable Quote

"Nothing humbles the soul like sacred and intimate communion with the Lord; yet there is a sweet joy in feeling that He knows all, and, not withstanding, loves us still."

~J. Hudson Taylor

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all are having wonderful day!! :)


In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Th. 5:18

Thankfulness

Being this close to Thanksgiving I thought I would post some verses on thankfulness. :) I went through the concordance and found that there were literally hundreds of verses mentioning thankfulness, thanksgiving, thanks etc. Here are just a few:

In everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Th. 5:18

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows undo the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Psalm 50:14-15

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Psalm 95:2-3

Know ye that the LORD He is God: it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves: we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:3-4

I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. Psalm 116:17

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God. Psalm 147:7

At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judgments. Psalm 119:62

Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee , O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto They name. Psalm 18:49

Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name, make know His deeds among the people. 1 Ch.16:8

O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever. 1 Ch 16:34

Noah Webster's 1828 definition of “thankfulness” :

“Thankfulness, n. Expression of gratitude; acknowledgment of favor. 2. Gratitude; a lively sense of good received.”

Mallorcan Ensaimadas :)

My sister made these rolls for the first time a few days ago, in fact it was her first time to ever make bread :) she did an excellent job and the rolls turned out delicious! Hope you enjoy! :)

A little about Mallorcan Ensaimadas: These spiral-or snail-shaped rolls are a popular Spanish breakfast treat. Traditionally, lard or saim was used to brush over the strips of sweetened dough, but nowadays mainly butter is use to add a delicious richness.

Makes 16 rolls:

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp. oil

1/4 cup butter, melted
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Mix the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the center.

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, egg, milk, and oil. Pour into the center of the flour mixture, then sprinkle a little of the flour mixture evenly on top of the liquid. Let sit in a warm place for about 15 minutes.

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic adding more flour if too sticky. Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a thin rope about 14 inches long.

Melt the butter. Dip each piece into the butter to coat. On a greased baking sheet, curl each rope into a loose spiral. Tuck the ends under to seal. Let rise for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Dust with powered sugar. Serve warm.

Shape each piece into a thin rope...

Shaping the rolls

Delicious warm from the oven! :)

The "Bar J/Rocking-K/Flying-W/Lazy-Y" Ranch :)

A family decided to leave the crowded city and head for the wide open spaces. They bought a ranch out West, where they intended to raise cattle. A month later some friends visited the ranch and asked if they had picked out a name for the place. "Well," said the rancher, "I wanted to name it the Bar-J and my wife wanted to call it the Rocking-K, but one of my sons liked Flying-W and the other preferred the Lazy-Y. So in the end we compromised and called the place the Bar-J/Rocking-K/Flying-W/Lazy-Y." "Wow!" said the visitor impressed, "But where are all your cattle?" "Well," the rancher replied sadly, "None of them survived the branding."

Scripture of the Day

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work onto judgement, with every secret thing whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Double Corn Bread

I found this recipe not to long ago and thought I would give it a try.

Double Corn Bread

3/4 cup white flour
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup milk
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups canned corn, drained

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease and a 8 1/2– inch round cake

Sift the flour, cornmeal, salt and baking powder together into a large bowl. Stir in sugar and make a well in the center. Combine the melted butter, milk and eggs. Add to the center of the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Stir the corn into the mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Invert the bread onto a serving platter.

Random Photo

Here's a random picture I had of one of our Shih-tzu puppies.

The Lord is always by my side.....

The Lord is always
by my side
My gentle Shepherd,
constant Guide

My Teacher, Master,
faithful Friend--
His loving kindness
knows no end.

O blessed Lord Jesus
May your name be praised,

For your grace and mercy

You show us each day!

"......The goodness of God endureth continually." Psalm 52:1b

My Sweater Shrank!!

Have you ever had a wool sweater that shrank? Well, I made a mistake and put my wool sweater in the regular wash, and as you can guess when it came out it had shrunk two or three sizes. I didn't think there was any hope and was going to give it away when I found the below solution. It worked really well and now my sweater is the correct size once again. :) I hope this is helpful!

Instructions

Step One:

Mix 2 tbsp. baby shampoo into a sink full of warm water. The shampoo will relax natural fibers like wool. Leave to soak for 15 minutes.

Step Two:
Without rinsing the sweater, take it out of the soapy water and roll it in a towel to remove as much moisture as possible.

Step Three:
Lay the garment out on some towels in a cool place. Stretch the garment out to its original dimensions pulling it into the size and shape you want. Fasten the sweater to the towel using pins, being careful not to snag the sweater. (As shown) The absence of heat from the drying process allows the wool fibres to set in place without locking together and shrinking the garment again.

Step Four:
Return to the sweater every several hours, re-stretching and re-pinning it as necessary, until the sweater is dry.

You will have a good as brand new, fully functional sweater again! :)

Leaf Stamping

I recently found the idea of leaf stamping and thought it would be a fun to try. It was interesting to see how the variety of leaves stamped differently.

I used a variety of leaves with different shapes and textures. I even used some herb leaves such as sage which has a very pronounced texture that stamped really well.

One of the corners, with three leaf stamps.

(I think the three that I used here are maple, sage, and wild grape.)

Ready to write.

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I'll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

When my feeble life is o'er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o'er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Trust in the LORD

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,

whose mind is stayed on Thee:

because he trusteth in thee.

Trust ye in the LORD for ever:

for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting stength.

Isaiah 26 :3-4

Mushrooms or Toadstools

The other day I was walking in the yard and I noticed that there seemed to be quite a few mushrooms (or toadstools if you prefer, Botanists do not separate mushrooms and toadstools into two different groups. Some people give the name mushroom to the kinds that can be eaten, and toadstools to those that are poisonous. ) growing. We had gotten quite a bit of rain a few days ago which probably had something to do with it. Well anyway, I thought it would make an interesting post so I grabbed the camera :) and started taking pictures. I was amazed at the different kinds that I found in just a small area of our yard. The encyclopedia stated that: "There are about 38,000 known species of mushrooms." !I found several interesting websites here, here and here about mushrooms. All of God's creation is amazing!These are a few of the pictures that I took:

I thought this one looked really interesting!