Thankful...

...Friday. But this time I have a good reason for not getting my thankfulness posted on Thursday. I was flying out to visit my sister, Mary, and other family members in Portland, Oregon!

So today I am thankful for God's protection of my travels as well as my family members here, each one of them. Of course, Andy and Emily and Charlie are on my mind too! I miss them! And that sense of separation from them makes me ever so thankful for them too!

Cowboy Coffee Cake

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup softened butter
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sour milk
2 well-beaten eggs

Combine flour, salt, sugar and butter; mix until crumbly. Reserve 1/2 cup mixture.

To remaining crumbs, add baking powder, baking soda and spices; mix thoroughly. Add milk and eggs; mix well. Pour into 9 X 13 inch greased pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Chopped nuts or cinnamon may be sprinkled over crumbs.

Bake in 375 degrees Fahrenheit oven for approximately 30 minutes. Test for doneness with toothpick.

Sunday's Hymn: How Calm and Beautiful the Morn

How calm and beautiful the morn
That gilds the sacred tomb,
Where Christ the crucified was borne,
And veiled in midnight gloom!
O weep no more the Saviour slain;
The Lord is ris'n; he lives again.

Ye mourning saints, dry ev'ry tear
For your departed Lord;
Behold the place, he is not here,
The tomb is all unbarred;
The gates of heath were closed in vain:
The Lord is ris'n; he lives again.

Now cheerful to the house of prayer
Your early footsteps bend;
The Saviour will himself be there,
Your Advocate and Friend:
Once by the law your hopes were slain,
But now in Christ ye live again.

How tranquil now the rising day!
'Tis Jesus still appears,
A risen Lord to chase away
Your unbelieving fears:
O weep no more your comforts slain;
The Lord is ris'n; he lives again.

And when the shades of evening fall,
When life's last hour draws nigh,
If Jesus shine upon the soul,
How blissful then to die!
Since he has ris'n that once was slain,
Ye die in Christ to live again.

Thomas Hastings, 1831
Tune: Hastings, Thomas Hastings, 1831

Thankful Thursday

I am so thankful for the truth of this passage from Hebrews 10:

⁸ First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). ⁹ Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

More April Snow

April 18, 2011

Sunday's Hymn: Arise, O God, and Shine

Arise, O God, and shine
In all thy saving might,
And prosper each design
To spread thy glorious light:
Let healing streams of mercy flow,
That all the earth thy truth may know.

Bring distant nations near
To sing thy glorious praise;
Let ev'ry people hear
And learn thy holy ways:
Reign, mighty God, assert thy cause,
And govern by thy righteous laws.

Send forth thy glorious pow'r,
That Gentiles all may see,
And earth present her store
In converts born to thee:
God, our own God, thy church O bless,
And fill the world with righteousness.

To God, the only wise,
The one immortal King,
Let hallelujahs rise
From ev'ry living thing:
Let all that breathe, on ev'ry coast,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

William Hurn, 1813, alt.
Tune: Lischer, Arr. from F.J.C. Schneider by Lowell Mason, 1841

April Snow

See that white stuff in front of our neighbor's fence?

And Andy thought it would be safe to put the snow blower away after the 15th!

Bloggers Meet!

What a wonderful evening we had with Kim and Neil and Kim and Tom last night!!! The gathering fully met my expectations and more!! Kim of Hiraeth was the perfect hostess (no surprise there) and the conversation flowed as we talked and laughed our way through the evening. I couldn't believe how fast the time went! We did manage to get a few pictures but I think we were all more interested in talking and visiting and maximizing our time together in that way than capturing the moment visually. All three of us gave our cameras to our hubbies and they caught a few snaps while we sat on the couch with Kim's Ivy...who was not going to be left out of the fun! I'm anxious to see the pictures Kim and Kim post but I love the way these shots capture the dog lover in all three of us.


We were out later than usual, especially for a week night, and Andy and I were dragging this morning at 5:00 but it was well worth it...for both of us! I didn't think to take any pictures of the guys but I did notice that the conversation didn't lag at their end of the table or side of the living room either. Neil's parting words were an invitation to visit them in Ontario. Now wouldn't that be fun!!!

Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful for the opportunity to meet friend and fellow blogger Kim of The Upward Call today!!!! She is in Chicago this week for the Gospel Coalition Conference and tonight we're having dinner with Kim and her husband, Neil, at the home of my real-life, dearest friend, Kim from Hiraeth. I'm so excited!!! God is so gracious to give us friends with whom we can share our thoughts and joys and disappointments in life. I've been blessed with both real-life and cyber-friends in abundance but today I am especially thankful to Him for the Kims in my life.

Apricot Preserve Filled Whole Wheat Muffins

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
1 8-oz. carton sour cream
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/4 cup apricot preserves (peach is yummy too)

Line muffin pan with 12 muffin papers. Set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In medium bowl, stir together all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in center of dry mixture.

In another medium bowl, combine egg, sour cream and oil. Add all at once to dry mixture. Stir until just moistened. Fold in pecans, if desired.

Spoon about half of the batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup 1/3 full. Top each with one teaspoon of apricot preserves. Then top with remaining batter, filling each cup 2/3 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Cool muffin pan on wire rack for five minutes. Remove muffins from pan. Serve warm. Lovely with a nice hot cuppa!

Sunday's Hymn: O Day of Rest and Gladness

O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright;
On thee the high and lowly,
Through ages joined in tune,
Sing Holy, Holy, Holy,
To the great God Triune,

On thee, at the creation,
The light first had its birth;
On thee, for our salvation,
Christ rose from depths of earth;
On thee our Lord, victorious,
The Spirit sent from heav'n;
And thus on thee, most glorious,
A triple light was giv'n.

Thou art a port protected
From storms that round us rise;
A garden intersected
With streams of Paradise;
Thou art a cooling fountain
In life's dry, dreary sand;
From thee, like Pisgah's mountain,
We view the promised land.

Today on weary nations
The heav'nly manna falls;
To holy convocations
The silver trumpet calls,
Where gospel light is glowing
With pure and radiant beams,
And living water flowing
With soul-refreshing streams.

New graces ever gaining
From this our day of rest,
We reach the rest remaining
To spirits of the blest.
To Holy Ghost be praises,
To Father and to Son;
The church her voice upraises
To thee, blest Three in One.

Christopher Wordsworth,1862
Tune: Mendebras, Arr. from a German melody by Lowell Mason, 1839

Kitchen Improvements: Phase III

We've completed Phase III of our kitchen improvement project and I'm ready for the unveiling!

But first, the "before" pictures. The kitchen has this pale striped wallpaper on the wall between the counter top and the cabinets as well as under the window and on the soffit above the cabinets.
Its been here from before we moved in but I like it...all except for the part between the kitchen sink and the window. Why would anyone put wallpaper in that back splash area? Must have been someone who never washed dishes. Predictably, the wallpaper was peeling back there and the sheet rock underneath was in danger from the moisture.

Because I like the wallpaper and because of the complications involving the shape of the molding under the window sill and the book shelves to the left of the window, we decided that only the part between the window and the sink area had to be redone. After several visits to the big box home improvement stores, we decided to go with a thermoplastic material made to look like metal. The brand name is Fasade. It comes in a number of patterns and finishes. Our choice is called hammered and its in a brushed nickel finish. Naturally, it was not available in our local stores, not even as a special order. But we found it online from this site. It came quickly and I stripped that area of wallpaper in a couple of hours just one week ago today. The next morning, it took a few hours for Andy and me to formulate a plan of action and get the pieces fastened up with Liquid Nails but we enjoyed gazing at the result of our labors over lunch.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for so many things today!

• I'm thankful for a quiet walk this morning. I'm thankful for extra time to pray and think and reflect on God's goodness.
• I'm thankful for my kind and loving husband, Andy.
• I'm thankful for my thoughtful daughter, Emily.
• I'm thankful for our sweet little Charlie.
• And God's provision of unexpected patches of sunshine too.
• I am thankful.

Sunday's Hymn: My Soul in Silence Waits for God

My soul in silence waits for God,
My Saviour he has proved;
He only is my Rock and Tow'r;
I never shall be moved.

My honor is secure with God,
My Saviour he is known;
My Refuge and my Rock of strength
Are found in God alone.

On him, ye people, evermore
Rely with confidence;
Before him pour ye out your heart,
For God is our defense.

For God has spoken o'er and o'er,
And unto me has shown,
That saving pow'r and lasting strength
Belong to him alone.

Yea, lovingkindness evermore
Belongs to thee, O Lord;
And thou according to his work
Dost ev'ry man reward.

From Psalm 62, The Psalter, 1912
Tune: Howard, Wilson's Selection of Psalm Tunes, 1825

Thankful Thursday....

...a day late again. But I'm still thankful.

I'm thankful for sunshine and warmer temperatures yesterday.

I'm thankful for family, both what the world considers family and my family through Christ.

And I'm thankful for the truth in these words from Isaiah 55:

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I am thankful.