Chatting on the Deck – Recipe and Games

chatsonthefarmhouseporch
“Chats on the Farmhouse Porch” is a group of friends
gathering to visit,
sip their favorite beverages,
nibble delicious treats
and share their likes and dislikes.

Patrice and Wendell have invited me to join the chatting.
Patrice provides the questions,
we answer.

Have you cooked any interesting dishes lately?

I recently tried a recipe from Raley’s Something Extra magazine, Garlic and Herb Potato Stacks. I’ve spent 20 minutes trying to find the recipe on line so I wouldn’t have to type it, no luck. I feel like complaining about the unfriendly search program for recipes, but won’t.

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes (about 2-inches in diameter)
3/4 pound red potatoes (about 2-inches in diameter)
3/4 cup finely shredded Rumiano Dry Jack Cheese divided
1/4 cup melted butte
2 tbsp.chopped fresh herbs(rosemary, thyme and sage ( I used dry Italian seasoning )
1 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
3/4 tsp. Mccormick Smokehouse pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 cloves garlic minced

Preheat oven 400 degres F and spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray ( I just layered in a baking dish.)
Cut potatoes in thin slices.
Place in large bowl with 1/2 cup cheese, butter, herbs, mustard, pepper, salt, and garlic
Mix well with fingers (thi is the fun part) so all sides of potatoes are covered
Stack in muffin tins or baking dish
Scrape bowl to get all the goodies spoon over potatoes
Top with remaining cheese
Bake for 20 minutes, then tent with foil and bake for 20-25 more minutes until tender when pierced with sharp knife.

I really like this tangy, cheesy scalloped like potatoes

PS  After I clicked publish I thought – Google  – presto!  here is the link  with picture

http://www.raleys.com/www/apps/recipes/recipe.jsp?recipeid=2339909

What question would you like to ask Wendell?

Are you staying cool this summer/does Patrice put ice in your water bucket?

Have you had any thoughts of Christmas yet?

Yes, I bought some stamped pillow cases to embroider for ________. In case they read my blog.

Do you make jams and jellies?

I haven’t in a long time, we don’t eat much jam since the kidlets are gone. One of my favories is strawberry fig jam, made with figs and strawberry jello, simple and yummy.

Do you have any board games that you enjoy?

I prefer card games. We’re playing ‘May I’ a variation of rummy and some cribbage.

I’ve been enjoying a bit of cooler summer, but weather man says will heat up again to over 100 degrees by the weekend.
Stay cool.

Join us here.

Published in: on July 17, 2013 at 12:35 pm  Comments (6)  
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July 17, Today’s thought – Steadfast and Sure

P1030442Can you find the squirrel? Taken fall, 2011

Good Morning

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) Hebrews 10:23

God’s children often find themselves in positions of profound difficulty. He leads then into tight corners. From here there seems to be no way of escape. No human judgement would have permitted such predicaments had they been previously consulted.
What are the attitudes of His children when they are placed in circumstances such as these? There is but one! A steadfast and sure trust in God! Refusing to look at circumstances. Look above them. Both light and darkness are alike to the One who dwells in them. Our loving Heavenly Father seeks the highest good for each of His own.We are in the school of faith, and there are lessons to be learned. Even God’s severe dealings are dealings in live. He “scourgeth every son whom He receiveth!” (Hebrews 12:6)
Where can one ind faith?
In some hour of desperate need it will be born within just when we are “at the end of the rope.” a precious experience given to a child of God is knowing no helper but God himself. “When He hath tried us we shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)

Holding on . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 17, 2013 at 11:47 am  Leave a Comment  
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July 15, Today’s thought – While Waiting on the Porch

house-122The Porch

Good Morning

And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. Luke 15:20

I have been waiting on the porch, for such a long time.
What have I been doing while I’ve waited?
I have been very busy.

1. I checked the driveway, yes, free from poison oak and stinging nettles
2. I checked the porch foundation, yes, secure and constant.
3. I swept down cobwebs of discouragement,regret and disappointment.
4. I washed the window to keep a clear vision.
5. I kept the steps de-iced with warmth, forgiveness and compassion.
6. I sat on the porch chair and prayed.
7. I washed the steps with tears.
8. I was watchful, even when busy, glancing out the window.
9. I paused often, listening for a knock.
10. As I looked down the road, I looked up.

The best part of waiting on the porch was opening the door and saying,

“Come in! I’m glad you’re home!”

reprint from July 17, 2009

It was worth the wait.
With my prayers, desiring yours. Leslie

Published in: on July 15, 2013 at 10:07 am  Comments (3)  

Five Minute Friday – Present

5-minute-friday-1

“Writing is like wrapping yourself in words and giving yourself away.” ~@lisajobaker

This is where a brave and beautiful bunch gather every week to find out what comes out when we all spend five minutes writing on the same topic and then sharing ‘em over here.

Present: being, existing, or occurring at this time or now; current:

go

In the school room the teacher calls my name.
I respond, “PRESENT!”

I don’t want the teacher to miss me.

I don’t want to miss out.

I want to be present,

I have to be present

not only in body but also in mind and spirit.

Otherwise, I’ll miss the part that is especially for me.

I’ll leave half full, wanting, even perhaps empty.

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Matthew 22:37

stop

Published in: on July 12, 2013 at 9:20 am  Comments (2)  
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July 12- Today’s thought -The Jesus Storybook Bible

IMG_1773My Mother and brothers are on my mind today.
(from left to right)Patrick, Casey, Joe and Clifford

Good Morning

God is my Shepherd
And I am his little lamb.

He feeds me
He guides me
He looks after me.
I have everything I need.

Inside, my heart is very quiet.
As quiet as lying still in soft green grass
In a meadow
By a little stream.

Even when I walk through
the dark, scary, lonely place
I won’t be afraid
Because my Shepherd knows where I am.

He is here with me
He keeps me safe
He rescues me

He makes me strong
And brave.

He is getting wonderful things ready for me
Especially for me
Everything I ever dreamed of!

He fills my heart so full of happiness
I can’t hold it all inside.

Wherever I go I know

God’s Never Stopping

Never Giving Up

Unbreaking

Always and Forever

Love

Will go, too!~

Sally Lloyd-Jones : The Jesus Storybook Bible

And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:2-3

Be childlike. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 12, 2013 at 8:42 am  Leave a Comment  
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Yarn Along – 1 More Finished

yarnalong_gsheller_gray
On Wednesday’s knitters go to Ginny’s to share all the wonderful projects being worked on, finished, frogged, cried over, and learned from. They also tell what they are reading and a little of the storyline or provoking thoughts. I think it is great. So many books, knitting ideas and hints on how to make knitting more enjoyable

july 5 finished sans and sea 001
Finished and delivered on Sunday,
the little man was not impressed,
but the parents liked it a lot.
july 5 finished sans and sea 003

This week, after finishing Sand and Surf, Wendy’s Summer Mystery Shawl grew on my needles. Now I am on the third chart, my cake of yarn has a big hole in the middle, causing me to wonder, will I have enough yarn to complete this shawl? I bought a yarn yardage measuring gadget-I forget exactly what it is called- to see if measuring will give me a clue. I’ll have to message Wendy.

I finished reading The Apothecary’s Daughter, it was a good light summer book. Now I’m reading The Silent Governess, by the same author Julie Klassen. In the car I’m listening to Under Orders by Sick Francis. I like Dick Francis’ books a lot, there is always a little twist in them.

Knitting and books – Here

Published in: on July 10, 2013 at 11:12 am  Comments (6)  
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July 10, Today’s thought – Overflowing Cup

July 8, dipper gourd 002Dipper gourd blossom

Good Morning

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil;
my cup runneth over.
Psalm 23:5

God gives hope! So what if someone was born thinner or stronger? Why count diplomas or compare resumes? What does it matter if they have a place at the head table? You have a place at God’s table—and He’s filling your cup to overflowing!

The overflowing cup was a powerful symbol in the days of David. As long as the host kept the cup full, the guest knew he was welcome. When the cup sat empty, the host was hinting that the hour was late. On those occasions when the host really enjoyed the company of the person, he filled the cup to overflowing; he kept pouring until the liquid ran over the edge of the cup and down on the table.

Have you noticed how wet your table is? God wants you to stay. Your cup overflows with joy. Overflows with grace. Shouldn’t your heart overflow with gratitude?

from Traveling Light, Max Lucado

Give, and it shall be given unto you;
good measure,
pressed down,
and shaken together,
and running over,
shall men give into your bosom.
For with the same measure that ye mete
withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38

Being thankful . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

July 8, dipper gourd 003

Published in: on July 10, 2013 at 4:54 am  Leave a Comment  
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Chatting on the Deck – Bacon, Peaches & Pottery

chatsonthefarmhouseporch

“Chats on the Farmhouse Porch” is a group of friends
gathering to visit,
sip their favorite beverages,
nibble delicious treats
and share their likes and dislikes.

Patrice and Wendell have invited me to join the chatting.
Patrice provides the questions,
we answer.

Bacon or sausage? If vegetarian, what do you have for breakfast?

BACON crispy, I even like Bacon, tomato, avocado sandwiches for breakfast.

Do you take time to “smell the roses”?

Yes, I have always thought taking time for myself is an important thing. Sometimes it seemed selfish, but usually afterward I was better for it.

What’s your favorite stone fruit? (Peaches,nectarines,plums, apricots, and cherries are i n the stone fruit family.)

White freestone peaches

What is the thing people notice most about your personality? ( quiet- outgoing- polite-funny-etc.)

I’m not sure, but I think it would be – consistency

Is there a hobby that you have wanted to do, but haven’t started yet?

Pottery, learning to make a mug or bowl would be fun.

Wendell, what size bowl do you want for your carrots?

visit with others here.

Published in: on July 10, 2013 at 1:53 am  Comments (9)  

Ten on Tuesday – Alone Time

ToT-Button

On Tuesday’s Carole hosts ‘Ten on Tuesdays’.
She chooses a topic – we list ten items.

10 Favorite Things To Do When You’re Alone

I, too, enjoy being alone.
I don’t really need people around.
Not in any certain order:

Picture 036

I like to

1. Eat breakfast out. Take a book with me, no clock to watch.

2. Knit, I can’t talk and knit.

3. Look at/for yarn. Wondering around in circles in my favorite shops.

4. Write posts for my blog.

5. Drive around town or out of town, looking at yards and houses.

6. Watch the ocean waves.

7. Pick up a couple donuts and coffee, take it to a park and read, enjoying the morning in any type of weather.

8. Take a nap.

9. Go the library, browsing quietly

10. Shop, Pier One, World Market, Nurseries, even grocery stores.

Alone isn’t the same as lonely.
I am rarely lonely.

Others have some good ideas here.

Published in: on July 10, 2013 at 12:52 am  Comments (2)  

July 9, Today’s thought -Close, But Far Away

June 4 048A view of Cozy Acres not often posted, the Farmer’s work area.

Good Morning

Luke 15:13-20
And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.
And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.
And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

Rylie continues thinking about the elder brother.

“The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t listen.” (Luke 15:28, The Message)

We know not exactly how long the Prodigal had been gone from his father’s house, but it was not a brief period. At least a few years had passed. And during all this time the father never stopped watching and waiting, yearning for the return of his beloved son.

George Morrison writes, “And always beside him was his elder son, with his heart utterly hardened to the prodigal—father and son a million miles apart. He was at home, under the same roof, and in his father’s presence every day; while his brother, the prodigal, was in an alien land. Yet the elder brother was farther away from the father than his ne’er-do-well brother.” (Devotional Sermons).

And in the same manner that the father ran out to meet his returning son, so he goes out to the elder son and tries to talk him into the party. But the elder brother would have none of it. Rather his bitterness spewed out the brooding anger that long had been in his heart.

It is a frightful thing when we allow a religious spirit to rise above our relationship with God and one another. The elder brother was diligent and obedient — but hard. He was a pattern of industry and duty, putting in long hours in the fields and making sure the father’s estate was prosperous. But there was something dreadfully wrong under the surface.
Not only did he have no affection whatsoever for his younger brother, which is seen in his spiteful words to his father — “when this son of yours comes home” — but, more to the point, his heart was bitter toward his father. “For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends!”

“When anyone breaks out like that, it is not so extemporaneous as it seems. It is the boiling over, in some heated moment, of what has long been simmering in the heart.” (Morrison)

He was so close to the Father, and yet so far away.

Am I close or far away . . .Today?
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 8, 2013 at 1:57 pm  Leave a Comment  
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July 8, Today’s thought – The Elder Son

June 4 036Grizz likes bath water.

Good Afternoon

Luke 15:25-32
Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.
And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:
But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Rylie has some thoughts about the elder son.

“But he spoke back to his father, ‘Look, all these years I have worked for you like a slave, and I have never disobeyed your orders. What have you given me? Not even a goat for me to have a feast with my friends!” (Luke 15:29, GNB)

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the elder brother had serious personal issues! Not only against his younger brother who had been out running wild and blowing a fortune, but also against his father — who welcomed the ragged boy back home with open arms.

What was his problem? Simply this — he saw himself more as a slave, instead of a son. That’s what religion will do to a soul. It will fill you with an ever-deepening sense of inadequacy, which in turn drives you to reach higher and higher in an effort to perform so as to finally become accepted. And, it inflames you with a raging jealousy against anybody who seems to get in without having to pay the price you have had to pay.

I’ve often wondered how the story would have turned out if the elder brother had met the prodigal returning home before the father had seen him. “You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your sorry face around here,” I can hear him say. “You know you broke dad’s heart, don’t you? And thanks to you, my load of work has doubled! Why don’t you just turn around and go back where you’ve been!”

And I also wonder if the reason the younger brother ran off was to get away, not from his father (who was clearly loving and good), but rather to get away from his controlling older brother.

Remember the scene in Walk the Line, the movie about Johnny Cash and June Carter, when June is in the store and a lady walks up and says, “Your momma and daddy are good Christian folks.” And June says, “Why thank you; I’ll tell ’em you said so.” But the lady then says, “I’m surprised they even speak to you — divorce is an abomination to God!” It crushes Junes spirit, and as she turns to walk away, the self-righteous lady briskly dusts off the shelves in the store with a look of smug satisfaction on her face; after all, she has done her religious duty.

Jesus asked a most pointed question — “Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt?” (Luke 6:42, the Message). Yep, the Bible got it right when it said, “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.” (Matthew 7:3, the Message).
O Lord, have mercy on us all . . .

Luke 6:42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. KJV

Matthew 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Shall we check the mirror . . .Today?
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 8, 2013 at 1:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Sunday Bible Reading

july 1 veggies 001Cucumbers

Good Morning

Matthew 15:1-8

Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees,
which were of Jerusalem, saying,
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders?
for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
But he answered and said unto them,
Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God
by your tradition?
For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and,
He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother,
It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free.
Thus have ye made the commandment of God
of none effect by your tradition.
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth,
and honoureth me with their lips;
but their heart is far from me.
But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Seek God’s truth . . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

(Underlining mine.)

Published in: on July 7, 2013 at 9:50 am  Leave a Comment  
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July 6, Today’s thought – Tangles of Life

july 5 finished sans and sea 003Sand and Surf, a round afghan for a dear little boy, was finished last night.

Good Morning

2Chronicles 20:12-13
O our God, . . . for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us;
neither know we what to do:
but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before the LORD,
with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

A Life was lost in Israel because a pair of human hands were laid unbidden upon the ark of God. They were placed upon it with the best intent to steady it when trembling and shaking as the oxen drew it along the rough way; but they touched God’s work presumptuously, and they fell paralyzed and lifeless.
Much of the life of faith consists in letting things alone.

If we wholly trust an interest to God, we must keep our hands off it; and He will guard it for us better than we can help Him.

“Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” Psalm 37:7

Things may seem to be going all wrong, but He knows as well as we; and He will arise in the right moment if we are really trusting Him so fully as to let Him work in His own way and time. There is nothing so masterly as inactivity in some things, and there is nothing so hurtful as restless working, for God has undertaken to work His sovereign will. ~~A. B. Simpsom.

It is such a comfort to drop the tangles of life into God’s hands and leave them there.

Drop the tangles. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

(Bold emphasis added)

Published in: on July 6, 2013 at 10:44 am  Leave a Comment  
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July 5, Today’s thought – The Clod and The Pebble

ID-10032215 potterPotter’s Wheel by dan, at freedigitalphotos.net

Good Morning

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew_6:24

Mammon – Wealth regarded as an evil influence or false object of worship and devotion.

THE CLOD AND THE PEBBLE

Love seeketh not Itself to please,
Nor for itself hath any care;
But for another gives its ease,
And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.

So sang a little Clod of Clay,
Trodden with the cattle’s feet:
But a pebble of the brook,
Warbled out these metres meet.

Love seeketh only Self to please,
To bind another to Its delight:
Joys in another’s loss of ease,
And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.
~~William Blake November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827

For Blake in this poem, the Clod of Clay represents unselfish love and innocence. The hard Pebble is materialism, These are the contraries we live with. To transcend them calls for “the annihilation of selfhood” and the release of the poetic genius.
~~from A Poem a Day, edited by McCosker and Albery

But now, O LORD, thou art our father;
we are the clay,
and thou our potter;
and we all are the work of thy hand.
Isaiah 64:8

Lord, mold me . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 5, 2013 at 11:17 am  Leave a Comment  
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July 4, Today’s thought – “I Lift My Lamp”

10-19,20-09 075‘The Statue of Liberty’ in New York harbor
photographed by Emily Crain, October 21, 2009

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
~~Emma Lazarus (July 22, 1849-November 19, 1887)

On this day in 1886, a year before her death at 38, Emma Lazarus recited here sonnet, “The New Colossus,” at the dedication of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French people to commemorate the centennial of American independence. Lazarus, herself a Sephardic Jew, was prominent in her role as head of an organization providing relief for Jewish immigrants. The closing lines of the poem, cared at the base of the statue, express her position that America continue to be “Mother of Exiles.”
At 305 feet from base to torch, the Statue of Liberty is the largest statue ever made.

Isaiah 42:5-7
Thus saith God the LORD,
he that created the heavens, and stretched them out;
he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it;
he that giveth breath unto the people upon it,
and spirit to them that walk therein:
I the LORD have called thee in righteousness,
and will hold thine hand,
and will keep thee,
and give thee for a covenant of the people,
for a light of the Gentiles;
To open the blind eyes,
to bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.

Matthew 4:16-17
The people which sat in darkness saw great light;
and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death
light is sprung up.
From that time Jesus began to preach,
and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Walk in that Light. . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in: on July 4, 2013 at 10:31 am  Leave a Comment  
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