I Get To Play With My Dishes-Day #14 of Thanksgiving

It's one of my favorite homemaking tasks:

Playing with my dishes in preparation for a holiday meal.

Does that sound weird?

I don't get to use them very often, 

at least, not all at once.

Nearly all of them have memories for me.
Like the silver chest above.
We bought that service for 12 with money my parents gave us
for Christmas one year.

And the napkins pictured below.

20 years ago, when experiencing the beauty of fall 

was still new to me

-we had moved from San Diego-

I went in my yard and picked up 3 different kinds of leaves,

traced their shapes onto calico 

and sewed the shapes onto napkins.

That was the year we had the DH's great aunt 
and 6 new friends for Thanksgiving.

It was only the 2nd Thanksgiving I'd ever spent apart from my parents and brother.

Our dining room table, pictured here and only 5 years old then, 

accommodated all 12 of us wonderfully well.

I bought this bowl and pan at a beach community the year

-the only year in 32 years-

my Dear Husband forgot our anniversary.

Notice the mountain peaks in this bowl?

It came from Redstone, Colorado, a tiny community in the Rockies,
elevation 6000 feet.

This was my first piece of crystal.  Got it the year my son was born, 1983.

Don't ask me why I thought I needed a divided crystal vegetable bowl.

I must have been sleep-deprived, 
having just had my 3rd baby in 37 months.

This pretty Chantal deep-dish pie pan
is really too big for our needs 
except at holidays.

Oh, and all those post-it notes?  

I label the dishes so I know I have enough dishes 
and so anyone helping in the kitchen

will know what food goes in which dish.


Again, dear reader, I ask,
does that seem weird?

Putting the serving spoons in them ensures that each dish will have

the proper tool once it gets on the table.  
Saves time and confusion those last few minutes

when we're trying to get the meal on the table 

in a timely manner.

I learned to get my serving tools and dishes out 
a few days before a holiday, and to label them

from Emily Barnes about 25 years ago.

Anybody remember Emily Barnes?
What a precious spiritual and practical mentor 
she was to me!


This year I'm going to use these as bread plates.
Aren't they pretty?

This piece, also from Redstone, will be our water pitcher.
We got this the year DH and I rode horses with our friend, 
who lives there, up into the Rockies to 9000 feet.
Our guide cooked for us. 
After dinner we made s'mores by the camp fire.
There was a full moon that night.
It hailed marbles the next morning at 5 a.m.

When it comes time to serve pie, we will use these.

One Thanksgiving, I remember being secretly shocked

that my dear girlfriend wanted to use paper plates to serve the pie!

I thought, "On Thanksgiving?!"

I wish she was coming on Thursday,

but that's not possible.

She died of breast cancer at 42.

So there you have it, folks.
Playing with my dishes is a walk down memory lane for me.
As I lovingly lay them out,
I get to remember holidays 
and special dinners spent with
loved ones.


And for that, I am truly grateful.


Now, don't you dare forget that 
God rejoices over you and me!
Love, Karen


WHOOPEE!  
I found a whole crowd of like-minded bloggers who love to play with their dishes
so I'm linking up with 
The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays 

Take a peak at some of the beautiful tables these girls set!

God Rejoices Over Me!-Day #13 of Thanksgiving

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you, 

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Wow!  Thanks, Lord,

for all the ways

You actively love me!

I need to be grounded in that

because this week I'm facing a big challenge to my weight loss goals.

My scale has only changed 1/2# since my weigh-in last week,

but Julie says to think in terms of

NON-SCALE VICTORIES.

So the verse above is my NSV, my anchor, for this week.

Let me back up just a smidge.

On Saturday, it was meal planning time again,

times 3!

1. My DH and I needed nutritious meals between Saturday and Wednesday night.
2. We are hosting our daughter & SIL and our son and DIL for Thanksgiving.
3. So that means 6 of us will also need meals on Friday and Saturday.

I gathered the usual suspects:

my Weight Watchers' cookbook, my grocery list, pen,

and a pile of recipes.

Panic and confusion hit me.  I couldn't settle down to the task at hand. 

Does that ever happen to you when faced with lots of choices and/or a mountain of work to do? 

Then I asked God for His help, asked Him to quiet me with His love,

to guide my choices.

Guess what?

He  did.

Within an hour, I'd planned 14 meals,

including our Thanksgiving feast,

and all our meals from last Saturday to next Saturday.

Here's what I came up with:

*recipes from Weight Watchers cookbooks

Saturday-Dinner:  Ham Calzones*-the DH loved these so much, we had the leftovers on Sunday night

Sunday-Lunch:  Fried eggs, toast, thick cut ham

             Dinner:  Stuffed Cabbage* [I will make this next Monday]

Monday-Vietnamese Chicken Thighs* and Rice; Green Salad

Tuesday-Shrimp & Pineapple Saute*, Rice, Green Salad

Wednesday-Herb-stuffed Pork Chops*, Green Salad

Thursday-Brined Roast Turkey and all the fixins-I'll try to post our whole menu later gator.

Friday-Breakfast:  scrambled/fried eggs, bacon, toast, cantelope, orange juice

           Lunch:  Deli Ham Sandwiches, Green Salad, fruit

           Dinner:  Turkey Tortellini Soup, Green Salad, French bread

Saturday-Breakfast:  Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Baked French Toast, sausage patties, fruit, orange juice

               Lunch:  Fajita Beef Tacos (slow-cooker recipe), Green Salad, Refried Beans

                Dinner:  Leftover Beef Tacos and Salad

Sunday-Anyone who is hungry on Sunday will have to cook or take the cook out to eat!

Monday-Dinner:  Stuffed Cabbage*.

I know that our Thursday through Saturday meals are higher in calories/points than usual.

But I can work my point system and I'll be alright.

It's good to have a my Weight Watchers points plan already in place.

How will you navigate this week?

What is your game/meal plan?

I weigh in tomorrow at my Weight Watchers' meeting. 

I'll let you know how I did.

However that goes,

I've got my NSV verse above.

Linking with Annett @  FitMomsFitKids for

and

Blessings on your week!

Love, Karen



Roll Your Worries Away-Day #12 of Thanksgiving

Here's another way of saying this:

 
Casting the whole of your care
[all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all]
on Him,
for He cares for you affectionately
and cares about you watchfully.
1 Peter 5:7 [Amplified]

Ruth Bell Graham, a Christian author and poet, said this about 1 Peter 5:7-
"The Amplified Bible pictures us committing our load to God
by rolling it onto Him. 
It is helpful to note that we can roll something that is too heavy to carry or to cast."

God is teaching me to
"let Him have"
all my worries and cares.
They are, indeed, too heavy for me to carry or cast.
By His grace, He reminds me
to turn my eyes upon Him when I'm tempted to worry.
He helps me see His fingerprints all over my life in this season.
He fills my mind with His thoughts when I get depressed.

I am so thankful that I can give Him my worries
and that He cares for me
affectionately and watchfully.

How do you handle your worries and cares?
Do the holidays add to them?

Grace and peace to you, my friends!
Love, Karen

Fit Meals Monday-Day #11 of Thanksgiving





 Today I'm thankful for the food in our home
and the means to buy the food that we need,

and often, what we want.

And the joy of making supper for my Dear Husband.

And having plenty of food leftover to take to work for lunch every day.

And for planning delicious meals.

PRETEND YOU'RE HEARING

A REALLY OBNOXIOUS BUZZER NOISE

the kind you hear on a game show when your answer is:

WRONG!!

Until 2 weeks ago, 

I was NOT THANKFUL 

for the opportunity to plan meals.

You see, my DH is not a real adventurous eater.

He doesn't even like butter, for goodness' sake!

He's not big on leftovers either.

Makes meal planning a nightmare.

What happened 2 weeks ago?

I joined Weight Watchers again

so I'm back to planning healthy meals and snacks for each week.

I asked him to look through 1 of my 2 Weight Watchers cookbooks

and write down the page numbers of a few recipes

he was willing to, at least,

TRY.

Well, God love his precious heart,

he did!

Typical of him,

he went

gangbusters,

through BOTH of them,

noting nearly 40 recipes on post-its

which he stuck to the inside of the front covers.

I love that man.

Folks, I have a Game Plan now when it's time to

plan meals and shop for groceries!

If you've been the meal planner and family cook

for any length of time,

you know

this is a really big deal!

All I have to do is

crack open the WW cookbooks,

mark off the ingredients I need on my grocery list

and

go forth and conquer the grocery store!

So here's my healthy food Game Plan for this week:

All of the recipes are from my Weight Watchers Pure Comfort cookbook.

Meatball & Barley Soup/ Green Salad

Rigatoni Bolognese/Green Salad for DH 

Purple & Gold Beets from my garden-DH won't touch 'em with a 10' pole

Ham Bell Pepper Calzones

Italian-Style Clam Chowder/Green Salad-DH

A few brussels sprouts for me

Small slices of whole grain bread, no butter for either of us

Spaghetti alla Carbonara/Green Salad

Today, please join me in checking out this new blog hop

hosted by Annett at FitMomsFitKids.



I really am thankful for planning meals.

'Cuz when I plan our meals and shop for our food, 

that means I get to cook for my DH!

And he just loves comin' home to the smell

of dinner cookin' for him.

I love that man!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits...

Psalm 103:2

Grace and peace to you, friend.

Love, Karen

Linkin' up with Laurie @ Women Taking A Stand

for Thankful Thursday

My Weight Loss Journey-Day #9 of Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for the people and tools

the Lord

has given me to help me on

My Weight Loss Journey.

Believe me, folks,

I've spent/waisted/lost plenty of time

beating myself up for being over-weight. 

Do you recognize this conversation I keep having in my brain?

It's like an earworm.

You know, a song that you hear on the radio,

and for the rest of the day

you CAN'T get it out of your head!

One of the worst earworms I ever got

-apart from the one below-

was at Disneyland when we took the kids on the

"It's A Small World" ride.

Got off on an earworm rabbit trail. 

Hey! 

Rabbit trails lead NO WHERE

and that's where this earworm has gotten me:

Me:  "I need to lose weight 'cuz

I'm not proud of the way I look;

my clothes don't fit;

I've never weighed this much, not even 9 months pregnant;

my cholesterol is sky-high (335!);

I'm at risk for heart disease and diabetes;

I look and feel older than I am;

I feel achy and sluggish..."

You get the picture.

Ever have that conversation?

This fall, when it came time to renew my health insurance for my job,

I learned about a new benefit:

I could join a

Weight Watchers at Work group meeting

FOR FREE!

I know this program works for me.

I achieved Lifetime Member status 5 years ago.

I looked and felt great!

But I didn't maintain the lifestyle.

And the earworm/rabbit trail conversations began.

I'd considered joining again,

but due to our financial state

I didn't feel I could spend the money.

So over the summer, I actually had enough

self-discipline to

NOT BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

every time the thought came in my head.

That helped.

[Go figure!] 

Lost 5 pounds.

Well, thank You, Jesus!

You provided a way for me join with co-workers

for support, accountability, and fellowship on

My Weight Loss Journey!

Part of the benefit includes use of

Weight Watchers' etools on their website.

I joined 2 weeks ago and have lost 1.4# !

I love my leader and my group.

I feel empowered, confident, and hopeful.

Another tool the Lord has given me eyes to see is

on-line supporters such as

Jennifer at Living A Changed Life,

Donna at The Year of Living Healthfully,

Julie at The Going To Be New Me,
(especially the idea for the weight-loss ticker)

and Angie's Healty Living Blog.

Thank you, ladies, for posting your ups and downs

on your weight loss and maintenance journeys!

You inspire me to set goals and share them

with the wide world (as Forest Gump says).

Lord, I lift up all of us who are struggling with this issue.

Please turn our eyes and hearts to You, first,

for approval, strength, and guidance.

When we fail,

Lord, let us find our solace and shelter in You.

When we are successful,

Lord, let us rejoice in You,

our always-available Strength

and everlasting Lover.

God's abundant blessings on your day, friends!

Love, Karen

Today I'm inviting you to a blog hop with Java and friends over at
Never Growing Old

Personally, I plan to NEVER be old. 
Which is different than:  I never plan to be old.
How 'bout you?

My Hearing-Day #8 of Thanksgiving

Our ears are often assaulted by loud noises such as 

lawn mowers, blowers, TV, radio, concerts, aerobics class, and hair dryers.
Please, dear ones, protect your hearing with ear plugs
when your environment is clobbering your ear drums.
Mom says I'm preachy.

In my job, I have learned how important hearing is

to peoples' ability to learn to speak 

and to use their communication skills.

One day at a professional development seminar,

the presenter, a Speech Language Pathologist, asked us 

which we would choose, if we had to:

Being blind or losing our hearing.

One by one, my colleagues said they'd choose to lose their hearing.

As they answered, 

I began to make a mental list of things I would never hear again:

my husband and children say, "I love you!"

the Hallelujah Chorus,
Christmas & Easter hymns,
concern or joy in a friend's voice,
the waves on the ocean,
rustling leaves, rain on the roof,
a crackling wood fire,
the Beatles, Beethoven, Bach, and Wagner,
Oklahoma, the King & I,
and my first Grandbaby's voice.

It was my turn.
All eyes were on me.
I told them I'd choose to be blind.

Perhaps I am more keenly aware of how
profoundly hearing loss can impact people.
My Mom and my brother have both worn hearing aids for many years.
Even though the aids have significantly improved their ability
to follow and carry on conversations,
they say it's still a challenge
when there's background noise.

So thank You, Lord, for my hearing.
I'm so thankful that You always hear me.
May I always have ears to hear You.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and His ears are attentive to their cry...
Psalm 34:15
I [Jesus] tell you the truth, whoever hears My word
and believes Him [God] who sent Me has eternal life...
John 5:24
This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to His will,
He hears us...
1 John 5:14
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving...
Psalm 95:2

Grace to you, my friend.
Love, Karen

Wonderful Women In My Life-Day #7 of Thanksgiving

Don't you just love daylight savings time?

Having lived far from our parents, brothers, and other extended family members for nearly all of our married life, I know we've missed a lot. 

We raised our own family with just us to celebrate

all of the stuff of family life

that needs to be celebrated:

birthdays, holidays, piano recitals, well-played tennis matches, soccer games, track meets, baseball games, family dinners on [whatever] night of the week, 

3 generation girls-only tea parties & guys-only golfing.

You get the picture.

It was just us 5.

What helped me find joy in life without extended family living nearby?

The wonderful women

of my church family!

They've invited me to be part of their lives for 17 years now. 

I've had the priviledge of watching their marriages mature, their children be born and grow up, go to college or other pursuits, get married, and become parents themselves!  We've walked together through the valley of the shadow of deaths and illnesses.  We've prayed each other through our shtuff [no, that's not a typo, it's a euphemism], sharing our joys and sorrows along the way.

I'm so thankful for them. 

I truly don't know where I or my family would be

if it weren't for those relationships!

But the Lord knew I needed to be in fellowship with other Christian women.

He provided me

with a large, available, salt-of-the-earth-precious network of them at my church.

As much as I often thought to the contrary [hehe],

He knew I didn't know it all!

But there's ALWAYS at least 1 girlfriend,

more likely several,

willing to give me Godly guidance and pray with and for me

to find the answers to my questions about life.

Have I taken these women for granted?

Yes.

But they show me grace

and always take me back,

no questions asked.

Only genuine concerns expressed.

Thank You, Lord. for these dear ones!

Today I want to share the fun afternoon I spent with about 15 of them.

Sunday morning was bright with promise.

What better to do than can apple pie filling with girlfriends?

So after worship that's just what we did.

'Course a girl's gotta have fuel for that. 

Robin fired up her crockpots and blessed us with her Dad's homemade chili.

And just for good measure, she brought brownies, too.



We are all still married to the husbands of our youth.



Below, Susan is teaching us the order of worship

[*giggle*we Lutherans love our liturgy]

what we need to do before we can can [couldn't resist] the apple pie filling mix.

Hint:  It involves knives and lots of crispy Jonagold apples .

Sherryl's son and my daughter, both 30, have been friends since middle school.

Nan and I worked together on the Women's Retreat committee this spring.
I'm so thankful I got to serve with her and the others. 
I was blessed by their willingness to share openly about themselves.

Jennifer and I have connected at Women's events several times over the years.

Sarah & I used to sing in the choir together.

I want to get to know Ruby better.

I love her quiet, gentle spirit.

In the last several photos, have you noticed these women's hands?
They have always used their hands,
as well as other gifts, in service to others.

Here's the game plan:

Here are the usual suspects:

Here's what gives the pie filling it's juicy yumminess:

30 jars, stuffed to capacity, awaiting their fateful hotwater baths.

Slavin' over a hot stove with smiles.

Multitasking-21st century homemaker style.

And lookin' good while she does it!

Mary decided this tool could be used for
more than lifting jars out of the canner.
Mary makes me smile
and her Bible studies help me grow in my faith. 

 Cutting the fabric for the fussy lid covers.

 Robin and I needed photos of each other.
I've been priviledged to work on many fun, girly events with her.

 Fussy labels for each jar.

 Installing the fussy lid covers and labels.

Don't the fussy lid covers, labels, and twine
look pretty on our finished product?
We will sell them at our Craft & Bake Sale
the weekend before Thanksgiveing.
The proceeds go to bring the Good News of Jesus
to missions around the world.

Yes, raising money for missions is a good, Godly endeavor.

But God also blesses the fellowship we shared this afternoon.

Cost: $0

Value:  Priceless 

Thank You, all you dear women,

for the richness you add to my life.

God bless you!

Love, Karen

Linking with
Dr. Laura for

and Alissa

I Am Jesus Little Lamb-Day #6 of Thanksgiving

I first learned this hymn when I was little, about 50 years ago.

I'm thankful that my 2nd grade teacher, Miss Bathke,

who got married later in the year and became Mrs. Dierker,

taught it to us one morning during our devotion time.

Or maybe it was my Aunt Jo, who was my 3rd grade teacher after

Mrs. Dierker quit teaching to have a baby.
I think Aunt Jo already had already had 1 of her four babies.
I'm thankful for those 2 fine spiritual mothers
that God sent to teach me about Jesus.

Anyway...
 having always been a Lyrics Girl,

even at 7 years old,

these lyrics spoke to my young heart.

I accepted them in my childish heart.

They are the Good News, the Gospel, about Jesus, the Savior of the world.

The composer of this hymn was Henriette Luise von Hayn, born in Idstein, Nassau, Germany, in 1724.  She taught at a Girls' School and later cared for invalids until her death in 1782.  She wrote over 40 hymns or portions of hymns.  Sounds like she led a rather quiet life. 

But Henriette's lyrics have spoken loudly to my heart throughout my life. 

I used to sing it to my babies.

I plan to sing it to my grandbabies.

They still ring true:

For Jesus has always gently guided me, known me, and provided for me. 

His love for me has NEVER changed.

He still calls me by my name,

and by His grace,

I know His voice and hear Him speak to me.

Our relationship is such that He satisfies

my hunger and thirst for truth

from His Word;

calms my racing heart and mind by His Holy Spirit.

If this sounds mysterious or impossible to you,

just ask Him

and He'll do the same for you.

Yes, even now, I am His lamb.

He has never failed me.

When my time on earth is done,

He will take me to my final resting place:

His arms.

I am Jesus' little lamb.

Ever glad at heart I am.

For my Shepherd gently guides me,

Knows my need and well provides me,

Loves me every day the same,

Even calls me by my name.

Day by day, at home, away,

Jesus is my staff and stay.

When I hunger, Jesus feeds me,

Into pleasant pastures leads me;

When I thirst, He bids me go

Where the quiet waters flow.

Who so happy as I am,

Even now the Shepherd's lamb?

And when my short life is ended,

by His angel host attended,

He shall fold me to His breast,

There within His arms to rest.

This maker of this video noted that it had been played at a baptism earlier in the day.  Oh, I would love to have it played at my first grandbaby's baptism!

Grace to you all!

Love, Karen

P.S.  I consulted my hymn book and found this one 

right next to the one I shared here a few weeks ago.

Today I'm linking up with

Show and Tell Saturdays and Sunday Song.