Around home today...

(Photo found here)

It's been raining and cold all day. No fun. Gray skies give me thoughts of heading back to bed!! HA!!

Today has been a day of being lazy for Elizabeth and I. We had a quiet morning and then we cooked lunch. Because Mr. U works right next door to our home (we live in the parsonage) and Joshua works just a mile down the street, we have our main meal of the day at lunchtime. We LOVE having the biggest meal earlier! Oftentimes we'll have leftovers for dinner or just a sandwich.

We were supposed to have roast chicken with potatoes, but the chicken didn't thaw out soon enough. So, I thinly sliced the chicken and it thawed out very quickly!! Then I sauteed it with onions, peppers and garlic and stirred in some pasta sauce. Next I served it over pasta and served green beans on the side. YUM! It came together quickly and prevented me from allowing myself to get in a bad mood because the chicken wasn't thawed completely! YAY! Gourmet? No!! Quick and easy? YES!!!! (Do any of y'all ever allow yourself to get in a bad mood when something food related doesn't turn out like you like??)

Elizabeth is resting now. She hasn't napped for months, but will rest quietly in her room each afternoon. I use this time to check email or blogs or even take a nap, too!!!

We don't have any big plans for the weekend. Hopefully we'll be enjoying sunshine tomorrow instead of all this rain we've been getting today!!

What helps you grow in holiness?

This is from Nancy Leigh DeMoss....

What helps you to grow in holiness?

“Come to the Holiness Conference—this weekend at the Expo Center!”

“Buy 7 Steps to Holiness today, at your local Christian retailer.”

You know, God uses something surprising to teach us holiness—suffering! In fact, the pathway to holiness always involves suffering.

When our lives are all roses and no thorns, we tend to be spiritually complacent. We neglect serious self-examination and confession. But affliction has a way of stripping away the stubborn deposits of selfishness that build up in the course of everyday life.

The psalmist put it this way, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.”

Are you going through a time of suffering? Let me encourage you, hard as it may be, to embrace it as a gift from God. Ask Him to use this time to make you more like Him.

Happy National Pie Day 2010!!!

Happy National Pie Day!!!!!

We celebrated with a Chocolate Chess Pie. YUM!!!

What kind of pie did you and your family celebrate with?

Something to think on this weekend...

Peanut Butter Granola...

Elizabeth LOVES Peanut Butter Granola for breakfast! And I love that I know every single ingredient that is in it.


Peanut Butter Granola
(adapted from Hillbilly Housewife)

2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats

Begin by melting the butter and peanut butter together in a 3-quart saucepan. Add the honey, vanilla and salt. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and hot throughout. It doesn’t need to boil. Add the oats. Stir until the oats are completely coated with the sticky gooey peanut butter mixture. It will be chunky. Turn the mixture into an ungreased cookie sheet, or a large 9 by 13-inch pan. Spread the granola out evenly and bake it at 375° for 10 to 15 minutes. It should be brown and crispy. Now remove it from the oven and allow it to cool right there in the pan. Break it up into pieces after it is cooled. Transfer the granola to a sealed canister to store.

I'm not sure how long this would actually last before spoiling. Elizabeth eats it too quickly!! :)

TONIGHT!!! Return to Cranford...

I am positive I am not the only one who fell in love with the dear townspeople of Cranford. And tonight Masterpiece Theatre is airing part one of Return to Cranford!! Be sure and check your local TV listings so you can watch it!!!

New dish towels...

I just LOVE starting off the new year with a drawer full of fresh new dish towels!!! I buy new sets every two years and get so excited when it's time to purchase them!

We don't have a lot of storage space in our small home, so after I wash and dry the dish towels, I fold them and roll them up so that they fit neatly into a kitchen drawer.

Is there something that you do every year or every other year in your kitchen to make your house a home?