Changes

We switched churches a couple of years ago. To be honest, I never expected it to happen, and didn't really know what to do other than to follow what God was putting on our hearts. My husband and I had attended the same church for over 25 years. It was the first church I became of a member of, the church we were married in, the church all our kids were dedicated in.

It was where I first became involved in Women’s ministries, Bible studies, volunteering for endless positions and ultimately discovered a place to use my gifts. We loved the Christmas Eve services, the fellowship with our friends, and the amazing mentors that God brought into our lives.

When He released us from that church, it was scary.

I was sad to say goodbye to the history we had there, the comfort of familiar faces, a routine we understood. But we were also relieved. Not everything about our time there was positive. I’d had several interactions with church members that were simply hurtful, and I was over-committed and overwhelmed. Instead of receiving a good word and spending time in worship, our hearts had become critical and our minds too full of “behind the scenes” drama to focus on God.

So we took time to pray, and found ourselves drawn to the same church. A church, where we only knew a couple of other people. But we went anyway without the expectation of joining every group, leading something, volunteering for this, or helping with that. We just went to worship.

The familiar faces were gone and our relationship was strengthened in a new way as we navigated through the unfamiliar building together. Church wasn’t about any of the things we'd known before ~ it wasn’t about finding our group and sitting in the same place each week. It was just about being faithful and showing up, sitting back to refill instead of constantly pouring out.

We both knew how important that is to growing in our faith. We’re healing, resting, and definitely enjoying. Delighting in God and looking forward each Sunday to spending time together in worship. Being called away from our comfort zone was a challenge, but choosing to obey God has blessed us in ways we would never have imagined.

Blessings

mhmm monday

This website, is perhaps my favourite recipe website when I am searching for a new recipe to try and where I found this super-yum muffin recipe!

Apple Strudel Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and eggs until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Stir in apples, and gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan.
In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over tops of mixture in muffin pan.
Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to sit 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.
Enjoy!

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 17

It truly is a beautiful thing when family gathers together.

 

With our son living in Orillia our family doesn’t get together as often as this mother’s heart would like, but when it does happen, I am filled with such love…

Since we had no obligations at church this past Sunday, we decided to make the trek to see our son, and as it would happen the other “kids” were able to join us. And then to top it all off and make it even better it was Easter Sunday.

We arrived at his place by mid-morning and spent some time together just visiting, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of Potato Soup with rolls.

The afternoon was spent with the boys playing some video games and then we took the dogs for leisurely walk down by the harbour. Krystle brought a super delish supper of Lasagne Rolls  {traditional and chicken alfredo} Caesar salad and I brought Apple Pie for dessert. While this might not be the “traditional” meals enjoyed at Easter, we really didn't care, it was more important about who was around the table, than what was served ... and before we knew it, or maybe I just wasn’t ready, it was time to head for home.

Time surely does fly when you’re having fun!

 

Whether it’s to celebrate a holiday, or to gather together simply because… I smile…

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings

Running low

it turns out, i’m highly sensitive

Simply put HSP {highly sensitive people} means that “you are more easily overwhelmed when you have been out in a highly stimulating environment for too long, bombarded by sights and sounds until you are exhausted.” Renowned expert Dr. Elaine Arons adds that HSP are those who are “aware of subtleties in their surroundings, a great advantage in many situations”.

I am running low these days.

I am running low on energy and having a hard time figuring out what is “wrong” with me and why the normal day-to-day things seem to overwhelm me more than they used to do.

After the last week I had had, I knew I needed to sit and list the things I want to be doing, the things I know others want me to do, and the things I need to do for my family and home. And how those things can fit into the week. As I sat at the table, I began to cry out in frustration because I simply cannot do everything I’d like to do… it’s not a matter of ‘I’m spinning too many plates’ or ‘I just need more sleep’ ~ it's more of a ‘My body does not actually have the reserves to perform all these tasks and perform them well. I have to say no to some things that seem like very good things or I am going to fall apart.’

It’s a big, hard thing for the pride of this self-confident woman to discover that God gave me less energy and more sensitivity than He did others. 

But the thing is, because I have less energy, I simply cannot do all the things that seem good for me or others. I can only do what has God for me.

So that’s why I am about to “call in sick” to some ongoing activity and rearrange how I spend my time, according to my needs in this season. I’m going to be sitting down with my Bible, my calendar, and my husband to determine what things are currently God’s best for my time and energy.

God’s design for me isn’t to limit me and it isn’t to frustrate my family. It’s to glorify Himself through me.

Do you have a good handle on what God is asking of you in these days? How are you making room for God’s say-so in your family, work, and relationships?

Blessings

mhmm monday

Chocolate and Easter seem to go hand in hand and ironically enough this website shared this

Death by Chocolate Bundt Cake {serves 16}

Ingredients:
2¼ cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (plus more for preparing the pan)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups unsalted butter, softened (plus more for preparing the pan)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup Kahlua coffee liqueur
1 ½ cups sour cream
2 Hershey bars, chopped
½ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache Frosting (recipe to follow)
White Chocolate chips
Hersheys Bar
Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
Milk chocolate and white chocolate candy bar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 10-cup Bundt pan and dust with cocoa powder. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk until well blended. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add sugar and beat until blended. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture is light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, beat mixture 1 to 2 minutes; stop mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla and Kahlua.
Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended and no lumps of flour remain. Then add the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate. Blend until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack and cool the cake upright in the pan for 10 minutes.
Prepare ganache while cake is cooking.
Pour ganache over cake to cover equally. Reserving ½ cup for drizzling. Take a handful of chocolate chips and press the along the side of the cake. Sprinkle a small handful of chocolate bars and white chocolate chips along the top of the cake. Drizzle ganache over top of cake. Serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Ganache
¾ cups heavy cream
1 cup chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
Heat cream in microwave until hot, but not boiling. Add chocolate and butter. Cover with cling wrap for 5 minutes. Stir until you have a smooth mixture. If necessary warm in the microwave at 30 second intervals and keep stirring. Bring ganache to room temperature.
Enjoy!

Blessings

Happy Easter

Growing up, this weekend of Good Friday and Easter Monday always meant a super long holiday weekend with extra sleep and lots of chocolate.

Shortly after I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Saviour I struggled with the term “good” in the Good Friday part of the Easter story. How could it be a “good” day when Jesus was crucified? But as my faith grew so did my understanding of how “good” that day really is… it’s the day in which He saved me!

So, if someone saved your life, pushed you out of on coming traffic, grabbed you as you were falling off a cliff, jumped in front of a stray bullet headed for your chest... you'd be grateful right? I mean, if they died but miraculously the surgeons were able to revive them, would you not do everything you could to get to know that person, who they were, why they did what they did for you at the cost of their own life? Wouldn't you want to almost kinda like follow them around and make them your new best friend?

OK that almost sounds creepily stalker like but just being honest here.  I’d kinda like to be close with someone who saved my life... I’d be grateful for them and the second chance they gave me until the day I {for real} died.

So then the question is, am I that grateful to God, to Christ for taking my eternal death from me? Am I grateful the He took the beatings, the nails, the suffocation, AND the wrath and judgement of God from me? How hard am I seeking to know who He is and to follow him around and make him my new best friend?

I often feel so guilty about my lack of “awe” in my relationship with Christ. It's like I've taken for granted the new life he's given me, a new life, incomparable to my old life, I've just kinda said thanks and “let's grab a coffee sometime, it's on me” …

We should be excited just like the ANGELS are, as it says Luke 15:10 {New American Standard Bible {NASB}} “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” They are so pumped and love to see sinners turn to Christ and be saved. Sometimes I wish I could catch a glimpse of their celebration for every new life saved, just so I might catch some of that excitement and joy and awe again.

As we celebrate this Easter season, may we be reminded of the GREAT love Jesus had for us when he willingly laid down His life.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 {New American Standard Bible {NASB}}

And that Charlie Brown is what Easter is all about! 

 

Blessings

Beautiful Thing ~ week # 16

I am probably the most un-crafty, un-artistic and un-imaginative person there is, which is so unlike my daughter… who creates so many beautiful items, whether she is sewing, card-making, baking, in fact everything she creates is absolutely beautiful!

However having said all that, I was quite pleased when I was invited to a card-making night at a friends, where she and two others gather for a night of cutting, pasting, and creating beautiful cards together … they take turn hosting and choosing the differnt card designs that are created.

Our host decided on these.

Not bad for a beginner, eh?

What was your beautiful thing this week?

Blessings