Friday's Fave Five - July 31, 2009

It's the most wonderful time of the week! Friday! And I always celebrate Friday by participating in Susanne's Friday Fave Five. FFF is a time when we reflect on our week and list 5 favorites.

Here are mine:

1. Yard Sale Treasure of the Week:

$1

2. Excitement: I love when my kids are excited about something and want to share. This week, two of my daughters participated in activities they were passionate about and took the time to tell me every detail. I love it!

3. Thoughtfulness: This week, one of the ladies at church dropped by to bring me some of her homemade pumpkin pie. Just because.

4. Old Favorites: As you know, I'm a voracious reader. Some of my favorite books are old favorites, books that I have read and re-read many times over the years. This week, I started one of my all-time faves, "Christy" by Catherine Marshall.

5. A Day Off Work: I have today off, so I'll be out and about and away from the computer till later.

Why not join the gang at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story and participate?

Have a wonderful Friday!

Thankful Thursday - Summer Fun

This month's Thankful Thursday, Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage, has chosen the topic, Summer Fun for today's posts.

Although my favorite time of the year is spring, there are things about every season that I love. I praise God for giving us a variety of seasons. As much as I love spring, wouldn't it be boring if it were spring 365 days a year?

Here's my summer top 10:

10. The smell of fresh-cut grass

9. Watching little kids play T-ball.

8. Riding bikes

7. Grilling out

6. Getting out of town for a few days (wherever that might be)

5. Watermelon!

4. Fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes!

3. Corn on the cob

2. Tea-ade, my favorite summer-time drink (2 parts tea to one part lemonade)

and my number one favorite thing in summer:

1. Yard sale-ing (a new obsession)

Note how sad it is that most of my list has to do with foods ...

I am thankful that God gives us a variety. Ecclesiastes tells us that to everything there is a season. God has a timing for everything. Just as there are climates in our weather that bring change, there are seasons in our lives.

You can find things to be thankful for in whatever season of life you are in if you are willing to look for them. That is why I like to participate in Thankful Thursday, it causes me to be intentional in giving Him praise.

If you'd like to join us, link up over at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

Tasty Tuesday - Texas Sheet Cake

I wanted to share my family's favorite chocolate cake recipe, Texas Sheet Cake, a moist chocolaty dessert with a fudgy topping. Ecstasy!

Texas Sheet Cake

2 sticks butter

4 Tbsp. cocoa

1 C water

Combine in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Take off stove and cool slightly.

Sift together:

2 C flour

2 C sugar

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

Pour cocoa mixture into flour mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl,

2 eggs

1 - 8 oz. carton of sour cream

Beat eggs. Add sour cream to the eggs and mix well. Add sour cream mixture to the cocoa mixture.

Bake in jelly roll pan at 350° for approximately 30 minutes.

Icing:

1 stick butter

6 tbsp. milk

1/4 C cocoa

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Take off stove and let cool slightly. Stir in 3 C powdered sugar, sifted, and 1 tsp. vanilla. Optional: add 1 C nuts. Spread over cake while still warm.

For more fabulous recipes, visit Jen's Tasty Tuesday Blog Party over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - July 27, 2009

FOR TODAY, JULY 27th EDITION...

Outside my window... another gorgeous day!

I am thinking... good thoughts.

I am thankful for... the fact that it takes very little to make me happy.

From the kitchen... later in the week, we're having crock pot barbecue. Another day, it will be spaghetti and garlic bread. Not sure what tonight will be ...

I am wearing... a black skirt and black cami with a tunic of white, teal, yellow and black. I got the tunic off the clearance rack at JC Penney's. I do love me a bargain!

I am creating... I should say I have plans of creating!

I am going... on my last yard sale-ing trip of the season on Saturday.

I am reading... (re-reading) an old classic (to me anyway) "Christy" by Catherine Marshall.

I am hoping... for good things!

I am hearing... the hum of the a/c, as usual! (I look forward to that time of year when you don't need a/c or heat! It usually doesn't last long ...)

Around the house... some serious dusting needs to be done!

One of my favorite things... getting home and putting on my comfy clothes. It's good to be home!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Last week's board meeting was postponed to this Thursday, and as I've already said, going yard-saleing. This time, one of my best buddies is going with us.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Here is a cool monument I discovered when researching family roots at a graveyard. I wish I had copied down what the poem said!

Peggy Hostetler is the creator of The Simple Woman's Daybook. She is taking the summer off; however, summer daybook-ers can link up here.

Friday's Fave Five- July 24, 2009

TGIF! It's time to reflect on my week and pick my Friday's Fave Five.

1. On Saturday, two of my daughters, Liss and Malia, and I went yard sale-ing. We had a ton of fun and had what we like to call quality "bonding time." Lately, Liss and I have really gotten into thrifting and yard sale-ing. Below are a couple items I picked up recently at the Teen Challenge Thrift store:

The wooden plate was $1, the plate stand was 10¢, and the candle stick was 50¢. You can't get better than that -- well, unless it was free ...

The only drawback to all this going to thrift stores and yard sales is finding a place to display all my goodies! I may have to get rid of some of my older things ...

2. The next bright spot in my week is that finally, after 3 years, my hydrangea bush started blooming! I was about to give up!

What is funny is that the blooms are all facing the house and nothing on the side of the bush that faces the street!

3. One of my new favorite things are verbena plants. I had never planted those before, but they grow well on my front porch. I have both red and purple ones. Here is the purple (the picture does not do it justice):

4. I can't have a post without mentioning food! Tuesday, I made Orange Chicken and Fried Rice. It was so yummy! (Sorry, no photo.)

5. My buddy Steve gave me a sack full of fresh tomatoes out of his garden. They have a really good flavor. I love eating tomatoes this time of year.

How did your week go? Why don't you link up with Suzanne at Living to Tell the Story and tell us all about it?

Thankful Thursday - Victory

Lynn, at Spiritually Unequal Marriage, has chosen Victory as our topic this week at Thankful Thursday, along with this text:

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? — 1 John 5:4-5 ESV

I totally love this scripture because it gets down to the nitty-gritty. Do you have faith or not? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God or not?

And if you do, you are an overcomer!

Woo Hoo! Count me in!

I'm at the mid-point of my life where I'm evaluating what's behind and what's ahead. Have I accomplished my goals in life? Do I have anything to show for the life I have lived so far?

On the days where I'm feeling pretty down and feel like I have nothing to show for all the pain and effort I've been through, this verse lifts me up. Because I do have the most important thing that I can ever have -- my faith in God. I truly do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for my sins, arose the third day, and now makes intercession for me at the Father's right hand. I've always believed it.

I've never been blessed with any visions or angelic visits or supernatural experiences. I just know that I know.

Actually, I have two important things to show for my life - faith and victory. Since I have faith, the Word promises me I have victory. I don't have to feel victorious. I just know that I am.

Perhaps I won't be able to see the victory until I'm with Jesus, but it's there all the same.

There's an old hymn entitled, "Faith is the Victory." Let me share the third verse and chorus with you:

To him who overcomes the foe

White raiment shall be giv'n;

Before the angels he shall know

His name confessed in heav'n.

Then onward from the hills of light

Our hearts with love aflame;

We'll vanquish all the hosts of night

In Jesus conq'ring name.

Faith is the victory!

Faith is the victory!

Oh, glorious victory

that overcomes the world.

The day I stand before Him and He welcomes me into Heaven is the day I will have the most precious thing ever to show for my life's work.

I'm thankful for my faith. I'm thankful my mom took me to church. I'm thankful that someone cared enough to ask me to accept the Lord as my Savior. I'm thankful I had the good sense to accept!

What about you? Do you have the faith that gives you victory?

To join other thankful hearts, link up with Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - July 20, 2009

FOR TODAY JULY 20th EDITION ...

Outside my window... a gorgeous sunny 70° day

I am thinking... how quickly the weekend flies by ...

I am thankful for... all the little things I enjoy ... fresh breezes ... sunshine ... cooler days ... beautiful flowers ... luscious landscapes ...

From the kitchen... Meatloaf Monday and then on Tuesday we're going to try Orange Chicken. Wednesday will be breakfast for dinner, and homemade chicken pot pie for Thursday.

I am wearing... gray slacks and a red tunic with black and silver jewelry.

I am creating... nothing right now.

I am reading... nothing at the present time, but I'm sure I'll check something out of the library at lunch time.

I am hoping... to get a lot accomplished this week.

I am hearing... silence.

Around the house... some decluttering and some rearranging needs to be done.

One of my favorite things... finding a bargain.

A few plans for the rest of the week: a couple of cards to be sent out, getting together board meeting items, some food for a funeral dinner.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...




These are the steps that my grandmother (who was born in 1911) played on as a child.



Peggy Hostetler is the creator The Simple Woman's Daybook. For guidelines and info, click here. She is taking the summer off; therefore, we are linking up at Grandmother Wren's. Won't you join us?