Old & New

Sometime I just need a tangible, visible reminder that old things can be made new.

Washed Down, 

Covered

Clean

New

I'm saved by grace, not works.

I can cover a chair,

I cannot cover myself,

Christ does that.

I'm His workmanship

His creation.

On the day I pleaded forgiveness, acknowledged my fall,

He said yes!

 He is cleaning off the grime and yuck stuck on my heart.

And I'm new

Eph 2:8-10, 2 Cor 5:17-19

Unless You go with me….

It probably appears that I'm doing less cooking these days…

I'm not, 

Just last night my hubs and I worked on a dish we are perfecting,

it involved hand made pasta, proscuitto, figs, and balsamic parmesan.

And even the flour-less peanut butter cookie (recipe in older post)

got a face lift - adding a crushed heath bar to the white choc drizzle.

This was all my hubby's idea - and it is a fantastic one.

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the real feeding has been in the word - God nourishing my mind,

teaching me what I thought I'd already learned.

There is this crazy bumper sticker that talks about being God's copilot -

My friend Carolyn and I were giggling about this.

Truth is I shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the steering wheel.

 I need to be all the way in the back seat, 

turned around

                                                                             

facing out the rear window.

Cheering as I see what God's done every mile

Like the typical 80's kid - riding in the "way-back"

Moses leads a band of hooligans out of Egypt, and into the wilderness.

And God went before them…

in a cloud by day 

 in a pillar of fire by night.

Shelter in the heat of a sweltering dessert day,

 warmth you curl up to on a brisk starry night.

Men, Women & kids marking their days by God's movement above them.

When the cloud stops - stop,

when it moves - move

They did not know the holy timeline.

They had zero control over the situation,

they ate what God fed them,

they walked where God led them.

So they handled their discomfort in a very human way….moaning & groaning.

All the while God had purposed a father-child relationship of trust & love.

He secured every physical need.

Then supplied His commandments to cover their spiritual need 

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My hubby sits across the table on 

the eve of our 21st anniversary, the week of father's day, and we sup on veggies & love,

(thx for the inspiration Persephone Bakery)

reminiscing,

a sadness comes into his eyes as he thinks on a previous conversation.

"If you love your family, it isn't enough to provide for them,

you have to teach your kids what's right, what's true."

He goes on "As I've worked on this sign for my dad, I've realized how he taught me hope,

not to hope in myself but to hope in what lasts."

And so when God calls Moses up the mountain to give him the 10 commandments 

it's just love.

His commands are our protection.

 Moses tromps back down the mountain to find that the Israelites have chosen a new god while he was away.

A call goes out from Moses "Whose side are you on?  Do you want to be on the Lord's?"

3000 fall.

Disobedience has a cost,

not because God isn't good but because He is so very good.

Kind & Just

Love & Truth.

Real love doesn't turn a blind eye.

Love tells the truth & the truth was God no longer wanted to journey with the Israelites.

  

Who can fill God's shoes?

With a child or a nation - a dad, who loves, doesn't turn a blind eye to a rebellious child. 

They instruct so their child's soul can live, 

So they have an anchor to tether their lives to,

so they can hold onto hope,

Firm & Secure.

Heb 6:19

And so to my sweet Hubby and my sweet Father, and to my perfect heavenly Father -

you have built hope, and tethered my wandering heart.

I love you.

I love you for holding me.

I love you for telling me the truth.

I love you for proclaiming that a life not held by Christ is no life at all,

unless He goes first,

there is no reason to go.

Lead on, lead on….

Being Mom

A month ago Mama Robin discovered my twig wreath.

Twig by twig she built her nest, on the wreath, on the front door.

And since we use the front door regularly I tried relocating my wreath, just a few feet to the side,
but still underneath the eaves.

I wash dishes, looking out the front window when she lands across from me on the porch railing.
She stares at the door, perplexed
"where in the world is my nest?"

It's like trying to locate my car after I've grocery shopped.

My boys gather round me, distressed

We motion, trying to point her to the new location, startled she flutters to a nearby pine.


"We have to move it back mom"

"Yes we do" I groan.


I  wonder how we're going to move in and out without her panicking. How will she sit on a nest that is constantly swinging - open - shut - open - shut.

Really Mama Robin, our porch is not the safest. But now we are in this together - her & I and our 2 young protectors (my boys).

Roughly 14 days go by. And we see 2 littles.

Two. The # of children currently under my roof.
  My oldest Robin flew away last fall.
 I pray she migrates home.

I admire Mama Robin's peaceful way. She's serene, calmly
confident. Her only concern is that nest.

Why don't I feel this way?
I think this is how I'm suppose to feel.

A few weeks pass, 2 birds have flown & Mama R. is on to her second brood,
restive, as she sits on her 3 eggs.

Intuitively she knows her purpose.
It gives me courage.
Its enough to be mom.



I

Homemade Christmas & Family Ties

I saw an idea similar to the tan burlap silverware holder on etsy, and noticed a few small knit stockings were being used on the holiday table as well and decided to combine the ideas, mostly because I found it appealing to try sewing a burlap stocking, that and I

struggled a bit with the idea of what looks like a nubby sock 

sitting on my plate.

On the Brown Burlap Holder        

 I cut burlap 4" wide and 16- 1/2" long.

I then folded 8-1/2" up, folded 2-1/2" of that down, to creat the front edge and pinned the burlap sides together and stitched along each edge.

I cut a 4" circle of burlap in a 1/2" spiral and twirled it up into a flower.

I glued it inconspicuously to the napkin holder.

On the Green Stocking

I sketched a stocking 10" at the longest section and 4" wide & will add that pattern when I am with my techie later this week.

I cut two burlap stockings out, and pinned them together, folding the top front piece of burlap over by 1-1/2" pinning the sides and then stitching along the edge.

Above is our holiday dessert this year.

Flour-less Chocolate Cake 

(under desserts on this blog)

Topped with Mascarpone Cream 

(Whip 3oz of mascarpone with 3/4-1 cup of whipping cream & 2 Tbsp powdered Sugar)

& Sprinkled with Pomegranates.

Granny smith slices paired with a star of cheese & a trunk of whole dates. Darling snack while your making Christmas Treats.

Sugared Cranberries are a beautiful, slightly healthier gift. They look lovely loaded into a Mason Jar.

Recipes

Sugared Cranberries:

1/4 -1/3 cup of simple syrup

12 oz cranberries

1/4 cup -1/2 cup sugar

1. A 12oz bag of cranberries will have about 4 cups of cranberries. I spread mine on a cookie sheet covered with parchment or a baking mat and check them over, setting the bruised ones aside to add to my compost.

2. Pour them into a small bowl and stir in 1/4 cup - 1/3 cup of warm simple syrup. Making sure your cranberries are well coated.

Lift them back out with a slotted spoon and spread them back out on a cooling rack over your baking sheet, give them about 45 minutes - 1 hr. They will feel tacky.

(If you do not have a cooling rack, line your baking sheet with parchment)

3. If you did not use a cooling rack, toss the cranberries into a fine mesh strainer over your sink to allow any extra syrup to drip off.  Pour them into a plastic container, it may take some looking, but grab the one that's lid wasn't left out in the yard by somebodies child last summer.

4. add 1/4 cup of sugar and the lid and shake vigoursly. This is a great time to sing the beginning of your favorite Christmas Carol.

5. Lift the lid, if you are satisfied with the coating your cranberries have, pour them on a clean piece of parchment or baking sheet, if not coated well enough for your liking try adding a couple more tablespoons of sugar until they are everything you imagine they should be. A taste test is a must!

I have seen these babies coated til they look white, but I am pretty happy with a lighter dusting of sugar.

6. Let dry another 45 min -1 hr. Or until you cannot bear the pressure of not popping them in your mouth. 

They are beautiful on a dessert, in a bowl for snacking, on a cheese plate, or wherever you need a splash of color on your holiday table.

These can be made up a day or two in advance and refrigerated. 

A Handmade Christmas

Somewhere there is a box with 5 stockings, ornaments & Christmas lights….

But I have not idea where. My little guy, who really isn't so little anymore, asked if he could have a stocking this Christmas.

Umm. Yes. 

And I happen to have a tub full of shrunken wool sweaters that would perform beautifully as a stocking.

 

B/c I can be technically challenged, the easiest way for me to get a stocking pattern for the right shape was to buy an ugly velour stocking for .99 cents from a thrift shop. It felt easier than trying to print a pattern that was sure to be larger than 8x10.

I pinned the ugly stocking to my wool and cut out the wool stocking. I pinned that piece to another piece of wool and cut out the back side of the stocking. At this point I cut out a cuff for the stocking hanger (top right) and a few pieces of coordinating wool for my embellishments (tree, snowman, wreath, star, candy cane, whatever you want) and sewed them in place.

I pinned the two pieces together, and the hanger at the top and sewed along the side, giving myself about a 1/4" along the edge.

It actually looks darling, so don't worry about the stitches showing.

Waa Laa. Step 1 of your handmade Christmas is done.

Or, Just slide on over to Etsy and order / buy one from M & I.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheKnottedApron?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I am still here.

And life is still whizzing by, but not past me. Let me tell you I am in an all out sprint to keep up.

So many changes…keep running!

So many emotions to balance…head down, heart tight, deep breaths…..keep running!

Paul's reminder ringing in my ears "forgetting what is past"…..keep running! Press in - Press on.

And when there is loss, there is newness too. And I can choose to run harder with my face to the wind.

I will swim harder in the strong current coursing through my veins.  I am not alone, and this season was allowed and it has purpose. And I will choose to trust the Almighty. The wind and waters run through 

His outstretched hand.

And knowing that gives me hope & purpose & grace to hold on. To wait expectantly, trusting God for what's next. Living gratitude for the scrapbooks and souvenirs I have collected along the way.

Did you know that palm trees can bend all the way to the ground in a storm with out having their roots pulled out? They spring back up after the storm…..Ps 92:12 "The righteous will flourish like a palm tree."
So grateful.

The things you know….

A little peak at what welcoming Spring has looked like for us…


Somehow Spring has not gotten the memo that Winter is done.

We keep trying to coerce this season's change - here's how:


1. Putting away the wintery mix of clothing and stacking shorts at the top of the pile.

2. Making paper flowers & painting mason jars bright cheery colors to grace the table.

3. Changing up drab & dull furniture cast-offs for lively oranges, greens  & yellows & adding interesting patterns.

Because we all know that Spring brings newness. It is the adventure of following the doves call out doors, turning soil and planting flowers.

I have one more to add to the list…..#4…..Herbed Lamb, Pea Pods, and Fresh Greens with Pears, Pecans, and Goat Cheese.

Come Spring, you are officially invited to our home. I'll even serve coffee on the deck.