It Is Well With My Soul

I cannot fathom the great degree of pain the man must have experienced in his life that penned the words to this song. I knew a little about him, but not all that is shared in the video.

The peace he experienced is the kind of peace I desire; the kind of peace which passes all understanding, that deep abiding peace that keeps my feet on solid ground even in the midst of crashing storms, the kind of peace that even if faced with great tragedy I can proclaim with my mouth and know in my heart that it is well with my soul.

I know the one that offers that peace. His name is Jesus.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. ~Isaiah 26:3 Amplified Bible

Happy Valentine's Day!

Leyna wants me to wish you all a happy Valentine's day. Oh, and she also said to send dog cookies. Greedy scamp.

It's one day away from my birthday. My mom perfectly planned her two children; we were a boy and a girl born 2 1/2 years apart (I'm the girl). She even planned my date of birth. I was to be born on Valentine's day which also happened to be my dad's birthday. Ah, the best laid plans of men....er women. What she didn't plan on was that I'd be a latecomer, arriving 8 hours and 31 minutes after Valentine's day and after my dad's birthday. I have been running late ever since.

I wish you all much love and chocolate today! :-)

Is it Spring Yet?

Our trees seem to think so. We had a few days of 60's and 70's weather last week. It was positively gorgeous outside. Monday turned a bit cooler, then Tuesday was bitingly cold (below freezing for us is bitingly!).

Today is cool but the sun is bright and warm, the sky is a hypnotizing blue, and the birds are serenading!

This is my Rosemary bush in my poorly neglected herb bed. I should be taking advantage of all this nice weather and get out there and clean up the winter debris. I can hardly wait until it's warm enough to plant again.

I don't have enough space for a regular vegetable garden, but this cozy little spot in my backyard is big enough for a few favorite herbs, bordered in Marigolds.

I think I'm going to plant some loofah seeds along the wall edge of the herb garden this year. It's a perfect sunny spot for setting up my trellis, and I'd love to harvest my very own loofah sponges next fall. If I'm fortunate enough to get a bumper crop, I'll be happy to share!

New Yarn!

Hubby had a doctor's visit in Dallas last week. We discovered last year that he has a leaky heart valve. His cardiologist, a word I never thought I'd use in the same sentence as my very healthy Hubby, is monitoring it closely with twice yearly check-ups. The word from the doc last year was that Hubby would likely eventually need surgery to repair the valve (major surgery), though it was possible it might never worsen to that point.

God's Word tells me that He has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2nd Timothy 1:7). The day I heard that diagnosis last year, fear instantly gripped my heart, but I quickly took my authority as a child of the King and I cast down that spirit of fear. Hubby and I are believing God that he'll not need that surgery, and he will walk in good health all the days of his life.

Before the hospital, we stopped off at the Woolie Ewe in Plano. I love to go there when I get the chance, but on most trips to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, we're rushed to get there and back home again. This time I told Hubby to bring a book 'cause I was goin' shoppin'!

There were so many lovely yarns there and I'm still rather inexperienced in making yarn choices. This was only about my 3rd trip ever to a yarn shop.

Woolie Ewe has a bargain room where everything in it is half the marked price. They don't advertise that fact, though. I had a fellow shopper inform me of it on my first visit there, but I didn't see a sign. I asked a clerk this time, just to be sure, and she reassurred me that it was the bargain room. I didn't want any surprises at the register!

My daughter's been on me about knitting her a scarf. She's trying to survive in the artic temps of Minneapolis and staying warm when outdoors is a measure of survival. She wears alot of black and grey, despite her colorful personality. I found several balls of GGH Savanna in the bargain room. There were seven balls in a pretty blackish grey color.

GGH Savanna:43% alpaca, 23% linen, 19% New Wool, 15% Polyamide.

It was regularly marked $10 and I got it for half that. Cool, huh? I also bought three more balls of it in a rusty brownish red color, though I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. Maybe a hat.

I'm finding I'm not crazy about knitting with this yarn. It feels great, but it keeps worming on me, kind of like chenille. Odd.

Outside of the bargain room, I picked up two balls of Plymouth Suri Merino in a lovely blue. I'm not sure what it will be yet. Maybe handwarmers for a friend, or maybe a chemo hat, or even a baby hat for a young girl at church who just had a boy.

I got two balls of Plymouth's "Oh My!". They had some baby items knit up on display from this yarn and it felt incredible. So soft. I bought one white and one hot pink. I'd have preferred a pastel pink, but I took what I could get. The clerk told me they were having trouble keeping that yarn in stock. It's 100% nylon and it feels like buttuh!

I have been wanting the Knitting Pure & Simple child's poncho pattern in the picture below for some time. I was pleased to find it in Woolie Ewe. The Sirdar baby hat patterns caught my eye, too. Aren't the babies all so sweet faced?

I pretty much wiped out the Christmas cash that had been burning a hole in my billfold, but I'm happy to have new yarn. It was such a treat for me to get to go in a real yarn shop. Living in Hicksville USA has it's disadvantages, but at least the big city is only a couple of hours away.

Express Yourself!

Wasn't yesterday's Recipe Box Swap fun? I think Randi's idea was inspired, and inspiring! It was such a success that she's decided to host one the first Thursday of each month.

Get out your recipe box, and grab your camera. If you missed out participating in yesterday's swap, you can still view the list of participants on her post yesterday and go around gathering up scrumptious recipes, not to mention new blogging friends!

Have you ever been in a crowd of people and felt like throwing up your hands and shouting praises to God? I'm not talking about being in a worship service, that's easy; or then again, I guess for some of you that may not be easy. I tend to forget that not everyone attends the same type church I do where there is complete freedom to throw up your hands and sing or shout praises unto God.

I have felt like the young man in this video, being amidst a crowd while having my own private talk with God. Sometimes the praise I feel for him in my heart will bubble up to the point that I just want to shout it, or at the very least raise my arms in praise and adoration of Him. I've never done it. Oh yes, as I said, I've done it in church. I've done it outside of church in worship groups. I do it often in my home or in my car, but I've never done it in the way he does in this video. I might get hauled off to the funny farm.....and I might not. Should I care?

I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; Yes, I will praise Him among the multitude. Psalm 109:30



Oh, Praise Him! (All This for a King) by the David Crowder Band.

Recipe Box Swap Day!

Remember what today is?

Before I answer that question, I'd like to point out an unexpected perk I've discovered about blogging. Blogging helps me stay on track. It's my personal organizer of sorts. Since hitting middle age, I find my short term memory's not quite as good as it used to be. I always prided myself on my ability to remember details with vivid clarity. Well, you know what they say about pride. You do know, don't you? Because I can't remember. Really.

Anyway, my blog is helping me keep track of my knitting projects, the ones I've finished...or it would if I'd finished any, but it helps me keep track of them, nonetheless. I can also refer to it to see what was on my mind and going on in my life on a certain day or week, as I surely blogged about it if it was important, right?

Remember me telling you about Randi and her terrific idea for a blog recipe box swap? Well, today is the day, and we are sharing recipes! I know that because I can look back here and see. Like I was saying, perks.

I wish I'd had time this week to prepare these recipes and take pictures. I just love watching Pioneer Woman cook over at the Pioneer Woman Cooks!. I'm a visual learner and whether it's knitting or cooking, I learn best by watching.

Randi also has beautiful, colorful photos of her dishes being prepared. Her pictures always make me so hungry!

I have no glamorous cooking photos to offer you. Photography isn't a skill I've yet mastered, though I am working on it. Just as with my knitting, I do anticipate getting better. Today, all I have is recipes.

This first recipe is a cake I've been baking since I was about 16 years old. Trust me, it's been alot of years. I don't need a recipe to bake it. I could practically do it with my eyes closed. The thing I love about this cake is that it always gets rave reviews. Seriously, I get majorly bragged on when I bake this cake. A young man from our church recently dubbed me as "making the best cakes in all the land". Pretty impressive, huh? It is especially so for someone who's never really thought of herself as much of a cook. I promise you that this cake will garner you instant popularity.

Oh, and lest any of you think I stole this recipe from Pioneer woman, I can assure you, I was baking my cake before Ree popped out of her mother's womb. If you compare my recipe to her's, you'll see she leans a bit more heavily toward the Paula "Butter" Deen's style of cooking.

I promise you, you will not miss the extra butter in my recipe; and no, mine isn't a diet or low-calorie cake. Mine has two whopping sticks of butter in it (one whole cup of butter, folks). That's 1 3/4 sticks less than Ree's recipe.

1 3/4 sticks butter=1417.50 calories

Yep, read it and weep. Your thighs may miss it, but your tastebuds surely won't! So, without further ado.....

Renna's Chocolate Sheet Cake

In large bowl, mix together:
2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

In saucepan, bring to a boil:
1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

4 TBSP cocoa

In small bowl, mix together:
1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients together.

Bake in a greased jelly-roll pan at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until center springs back when touched. I spray my pan with nonstick cooking spray.

During last 5 minutes of cooking, in a saucepan, bring to a boil:

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)

4TBSP cocoa

5 TBSP milk

After removing from heat, stir in :
1 tsp vanilla

1 box confectioners (powdered) sugar (16oz)

1 cup chopped pecans

Spread on warm cake.

By the time you've finished frosting the cake, the leftover frosting in the pan will taste exactly like chocolate fudge. Be sure to scrape every last bite from the pan before washing it. This is an essential part of the cake-making process. Trust me. Would the "best cake maker in all the land" lie about such a thing? I think not.

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This second recipe is also for a cake. Yes, we have a theme going here. I do love cake, and it shows. I've only been baking this cake for a few years, having gotten the recipe from a friend. I've not taken it to as many functions as my chocolate sheet cake, simply because I seem to always have the ingredients already on hand for the chocolate sheet cake.

I only make this cake when I'm having company or attending a pot luck function. It's big and it's rich. The few times I have taken it anywhere, or served it at home for company it got equally rave reviews as the chocolate sheetcake. Trust me, these cakes are both winners!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

32oz cream cheese

3 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 sticks butter

3 cans Crescent Rolls

Ground Cinnamon

13” x 9” x 2½” Baking pan

Non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Let cream cheese and butter warm to room temperature.

Lightly spray pan, then cover bottom of pan with crescent rolls.

In large mixing bowl, mix:

2 cups sugar

all the cream cheese

½ stick of butter

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

blend with mixer until creamy.

(If cheese is too stiff, microwave for a few seconds before blending.)
Spread this mixture evenly over rolls in pan.
Use more rolls to cover that mixture. (You’ll have a few leftover rolls for dinner!)

In a mixing bowl, add:

1½ cups sugar

¾ stick butter

1 tsp vanilla flavoring

Microwave this until the butter is melted and then mix on high speed.
Spread this mixture on top of the crescent rolls, making sure that all roll surfaces are coated.
Sprinkle cinnamon over topping.
Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes or until golden brown.
Wonderful served warm and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream,
but it’s also delicious after being refrigerated!!

Knitting for Knaught

Here's a quick glimpse of this beret before I transform it back into a ball of yarn. Sigh. I've said it before, knitting does not come easy for me! My husband asks me why I do it since it creates so much frustration for me. Well, duh, I told him, because it's fun!

Since I first began knitting, I'm quite sure I've done as much, if not more, unknitting or ripping out as what I've knit. I generally choose quick projects, or at least they would be quick if everything went smoothly. My problem, I've decided, is that I expect too much too soon. Though I did teach myself to knit nearly three years ago, I've not really done all that much knitting in that time. I barely knit anything the first year, then shelved my needles for months at a time between projects. Now I'm gung ho to knit, knit, knit and expecting to produce the same quality of knitting as others I know who've knit that length of time, but the reality is, I've not had enough practice to get that good yet. I'm working on it, though.

Just as in life, knitting takes patience.

The problem I have with this beret pattern is that the ribbed band edging is too large. I did try it on a time or two early on and it didn't seem that big before there was more hat to it; and yes, I did do a gauge swatch and my gauge is good.

Another thing I don't like about this pattern is that it doesn't seem to have enough increases to suit me. To look like I think a beret should look, it seems it should get a little bigger before it starts getting smaller. I guess I should give myself a break in that it's not really my knitting or even my understanding the pattern that is the problem so much as I'm just not too crazy about this pattern. Granted, more knitting experience might have revealed this fact to me before I got so far along, or possibly even before I began to knit it at all.

Despite my seeming complaints above, I'm not terribly frustrated that I'm having to rip this out and have all my hours of knitting wasted (and trust me, it was hours, 'cause I'm slow). I realize the practice I'm getting is putting me that much closer to catching up with the likes of the many knitters in blogland who's knitting skills I admire.

There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

~Romans 5:3-5 (the Message)

Cooking doldrums?

Are you in a rut in the kitchen? Do you feel like you're cooking the same ol' same ol' lately?

Randi, over at i have to say, came up with a tasty idea for a recipe swap. Tomorrow (Thursday, the 7th) she's going to be posting a couple of recipes on her blog and has asked her readers to join her. Be sure and read her post tomorrow. I can almost guarantee she'll have something scrumptious to make. I've borrowed Randi's recipes before and never been disappointed in the outcome.

I will also be posting a couple of my favorite recipes here tomorrow. Will you join us and post a couple (or more!) of your favorite recipes on your blog tomorrow? If you do, be sure and leave a comment at Randi's as well as here so readers can click on the hyperlink to your blog and see what you've shared.

Now, get out that recipe box!

Getting Healthy Inside & Out

Today's lunch. I've been hearing that the more colorful a food is, the better it is for you. This lunch was Hubby's idea. I'm so blessed to have a health-conscious husband, though his computer skills are sorely lacking. He's heard me speak of a 'blog', though I know he doesn't really know what it is. He walked in for a quick kiss (swoon) and saw this picture, which prompted a series of questions.

What are you doing?

Working on my blog.

What's that picture.

My lunch, remember?

Why did you take a picture of it?

To post on my blog.

Why would anyone care what you ate for lunch?

You're right, Honey, they wouldn't.

I need to lose weight. I've lost alot of weight in the course of my life. Unfortunately, I found it all. I've decided to start substituting one meal a day with rabbit food. Tasty rabbit food, but rabbit food, nonetheless. I won't lose fast, but hopefully it will make a difference over time. This won't be a sacrifice for me because I love this kind of food. What will change is that I'll be eating only this kind of food for one meal a day, instead of this kind of food along with my regular meals.

I used to walk regularly, then at some point, I stopped. I'm not sure when or why, but I've begun again. I walk Leyna who needs stimulation and the chance to burn off some of her high energy, so it benefits us both.

Spiritually, I'm getting healthier, too. I'm talking to God more. It's not a new thing, but I'm becoming more conscious of including Him in all the moments of my day, in every decision that I make.

In thee, Oh Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

~Psalm 71:1 King James

I'm making a point of not beginning my day without talking to Him. I'm trying to listen better to Him, too.

Be still, and know that I am God...

~Psalm46:10a King James

Do you know that God longs to fellowship with us? If you've had a healthy relationship with your natural father, then you know what it was like as a kid to crawl up on his lap and just love on him. You loved it, and so did he. That's how God is. He wants us to nestle against Him and just love on Him. Sure, He's there for our requests and even our occasional gripes. He'll listen patiently just as a good earthly dad would do, but He longs for that time of our just loving Him. He's a God of love.

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

~John 3:16 Amplified Bible

I feel sadness for those who don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These are trying times in which we live, fearful times, in the natural. I'm so thankful for the peace I have in knowing my Heavenly Daddy and how great His love is for me.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

~II Timothy 1:7 King James

Our bodies require food to live. If the food is healthy, our bodies will be healthier. Our spirit man also needs to be fed. There have been times in my life where my spirit man, if possible to be seen with the natural eye, would have appeared anorexic and gaunt. He's much healthier now, but just as my body would eventually die if I quit feeding it, so would my spirit man shrivel up if I quit feeding him. It's a daily choice to be made, just like the food I put on my plate.

A Southern Girl at Heart

Mmm....cornbread in buttermilk. What? Sounds gross, you say? Have you ever tried it? Go on. I dare you. I double-dog dare you. It's a great way to use up leftover cornbread. Mine's not leftover, though. I made it special for this. Granted, I don't eat it every day. I don't eat it every week. I don't even eat it every month, but I do get an occasional hankering for it. Hankering. That's a odd sounding word. I wonder if northerners hanker? Anyway, cornbread in buttermilk was a staple in our house when I was a child. My dad even ate chocolate cake in buttermilk. Now, that really is gross!

What foods do you like that many would consider unusual? I'd love you to share them with me. I might even be willing to try them. If I don't like them, I can always feed them to my Mikey. He really will eat anything.