Happy 4th of July!

CHOCOLATE IRISH CREAM CHEESECAKE

This Weeks Future Posts

Don't pass out, I actually have planned ahead on my posts for this week! Chocolate cheesecake. KNEW that one would get your attention. There's one cooling on the counter now. Well, I don't know how much it's cooling because our air condictioner is broken, but at least it's not still baking.
A Tribute to my Father is also up for this week. A country farm visit with organic cows and chicken news is also forth coming. I know you are holding your breath now! Let's see, oh yes, my Mom-in-laws Pineapple Cake. Delicious and beautiful! And let's finish up with Liberty, part two. I think that's about as much excitement as you can handle in a week. Well, maybe one...or two more things: Cookbook review and, AND, saving the best for last! A delicious chocolate shop review! I'm really having to sacrifice for this one! Will probably need to get some more Sea Salt Dark Chocolate covered caramels just to refresh my memory! Oh well, I'm willing to go out on that limb for you... See you! I hope. Oh, yes, I always hope! :)

Penny For Your Thoughts!

IN GOD WE TRUST ...LIBERTY...Liberty, In God we trust, really? Do we really trust Him? Do we have His liberty? Ironic. I took this picture for a possible entry in a photographic exhibit. I just wanted to show the size and the delicacy of the Lily of the Valley. What struck me though when I downloaded the pictures, was not that fact, but the words that jumped out at me. I know that they, of course, had special meaning for our country so many years ago. But what struck me this time was their meaning for me in my life now, and their meaning for my loved one's lives. Do I trust in God? Yes. At all times? No, if I'm honest, and it is my purpose to be honest here. That doesn't mean that I will tell you everything! But, when and what I do say, I'm striving to be honest. Life is hard. In the words of an aquaintance I saw recently, "Life is Messy". Ain't that the truth!! Life is painful. Sometimes, it just plain stinks! I have been struggling lately, BIG time. Depression, anxiety, ect...As my sweet Sister-in-law says ( when she doesn't want to complain...) Blah...Blah,blah,blah!! And, not only that, but there have been some hugh things happening with loved ones of mine...struggles, troubles, hurts and injustices. So, I ask "Why?", and I know you do too! And I think its normal to ask, but do we ask in "trust"? Knowing that He wants the best for us? "For I know the plans I have for you declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a future." Jere 29:11 More later, just wanted to get us thinking...theres a connection here... with the trusting and the letting go and the beleiving that I/we don't have to figure it all out...thats where the liberty comes in...IN GOD WE TRUST...LIBERTY !!! Oh, and a penny for your thoughts please!

Details Part 2 Gold Nosed Fly

Details...
Yesterday and today, I took pictures of a "grass flower", so tiny, I put it on top of an English penny just so you could get an idea of it's size. I spotted this little beauty in the grass, have no idea of it's name or if it even has one. Most people would simply call it a weed. But I don't believe in weeds! They are all so intricate and thought out, I prefer to call them, "Uncultivated, unappreciated, unnamed Beauties", or just flowers. Above, by the way, is my gorgeous fly!(The one I mentioned in Part 1) Also unappreciated... So where am I headed with all this rambling about flowers and details, size and unappreciated things? I am headed straight to God! He is Amazing! A Creator beyond our comprehension. But do you think if He took the time and the thought to take care of, and not just take care of, but to design with beauty all these details, that He did just that same thing in you? If details are important to Him, and I believe all of creation displays that they ARE, then how much more important are you to Him? How about the details in your life? One of my favorite verses says, The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He DELIGHTS in EVERY DETAIL of their lives. Psalm 37:23 (NLT) Jesus tells us not to worry and tells us how God clothes the "Lilies of the field" (grass flowers) :), how much more will He take care of us? ( This is in Luke 12) Then lastly, and most importantly, He calls us His "most treasured creation". Wow! Take a look around, go outside and be blown away about the wonder and majesty of creation. Smell a few flowers, bend down and look in the grass, look up at the incredible sky, mountains, clouds...then look for some very tiny details and remember what you mean to God, how He cares about the details of YOUR life, and how YOU ARE HIS MOST treasured creation...and be speechless...

Details !!! Part 1

I love details! Not the nitty, gritty, business-paper-work kind, oh, the very thought of that makes me cringe! No, what I am talking about are the details of nature. Flower petals, subtle colors, rain drops, pollen on a bee's hind legs, spots on the back of a ladybug, teeny-tiny details that seem not to matter that much, but... they do! What would our world be like if we didn't have these details? Well... without rain drops, we would not have flowers, and without flowers, we would not have pollan and without pollan we would not have bees and without bees, we would not have honey, and without honey, we would not have toast...Oh, you see where I'm going! A world without honey, ( ok, this is another post, because I so love honey and would love to go on and on about its health benefits and color and taste in a hot cup of tea...) But, I am going to reign myself in and get back to the "details" subject. ( Write to me if I don't have a "Honey" post within the next month!) OK, where was I? You see how this ADD thing can complicate a person's life? That's another post again! Anyway, I'm a hugh believer in the small details making an enormous difference in our life. Why? Because a Hugh God made these little details. Ever thought about DNA? How important is that and yet we went a couple thousand years not even knowing it existed. These microscopic things that were not "discovered" until microscopes and high powered cameras, always, were. That is after God made them! Have you ever had the opportunity to watch your live blood cells swimming around on a glass slide? Its incredibe, amazing, you can see the shape and health of an actual blood cell. Well, did we not all have blood until we could see this or understand its importance in our bodies? Hello! Have you ever smelled a Lily of the Valley flower? About four of these miniture blossoms would fit on a single penny, and yet the smell is so strong and distinct. They also have tiny pink stripes on the inside of the bud that I can hardly even make out with the macro mode on my camera. Again, why? Who would see this, who would care? How about a Grape Hyacinth? About ten or more purple blossoms would fit on a penny and they smell like grapes! I've seen a green bee through the lens of my camera, yes, opalesent green! Also a solid black bee, a fly with a gold reflexive nose, a bug that looked exactly like it was wearing a tux and a myriad of miraculous flowers in a rainbow of colors, shapes and sizes. Oh, how about the peacock that comes to my house everyday. I'm sure everyone has seen a peacock's feather close up. The metalic greens and blues are almost beyond description...

The Daffodil

My Dear Friend called today and shared a beautiful analogy. She has driven by a certain house for years and every Spring, there would be tons of daffodils blooming in its yard. This year, however, there had been a lot of construction and rearranging in its yard. So today, there was only one, tiny , struggling daffodil poking out of the ground. She said she felt like it was her life, adversity and hard times and yet God helped her to bloom, however small and struggling, she pushed through that soil. I don't think she even realizes how true that is about her. How true it is or can be about so many of us, struggling with sickness and sorrow, loss, rejection, pain, depression, difficult circumstances or relationships. I've been thinking a lot about flowers lately, it being Spring and all. Yesterday, I was having one of those very hard days and I read a quote I liked: No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will spring up in the middle of nowhere.-Sheryl Crow. It gave me Hope again and reminded me of a song that I love; "Hope, like a flower will push through the smallest crack in your broken heart...God loves you, and He wants you to know, He's with you, He will never let you go..." Dear Friend, you are stunningly beautiful, inside and out, especially when your little daffodil face is pushing up through that hard soil and you lift it to the Savior and His Light is reflecting off of you, spilling onto your little ones and those blessed enough to be around you... God gave me a beautiful picture many years ago: Its when the leaves of an herb are crushed that you can smell its fragance the strongest... Friend and friends, keep on pushing up towards the Light and let the water of His Love and Word nourish your hurting heart and souls...Bloom where you are planted...

TIME

TIME marches on and sooner or later you realize IT IS MARCHIN' ACROSS YOUR FACE.
Truvy Jones, Steel Magnolias

Nothing personal or anything, no one in mind...jess thot it was funny!

Crocus Focas

After I posted LAST years flowers, I went for a little walk, and low and behold, out in a field was this beautiful little patch of blooming crocus bulbs. Of course I went back for my camera, because I needed to give you something current. :)
cro . cus [ kroh-kus ]
-noun, pl.-cuses.
1. any of the small, bulbous plants of the genus Crocus, of the iris family, cultivated for their showy, solitary flowers, which are among the first to bloom in the spring.
2. the flower or bulb of the crocus.
3. a deep yellow; orangish yellow; saffron

Spring is:

Spring is: Earth yawning in beautiful colors after a long Winter's nap... mvw 3-19-10

It's a glorious Spring day! I've soaked up a Winter's worth of sunshine today. "They" are still predicting a large Spring snow, so I am afraid to get my hopes up that Spring is here to stay. But it would be a terrible waste to not enjoy this just because I'm worrying about next week! I heard a keynote speaker once, ( will look up her name and post in the comment box) who said that her Mother was always warning her, "Don't get your hopes up". And she said, Well why not get your hopes up? What good are low hopes? So true! Get your "Hopes" up, get them high, enjoy the day. Let those "hopes" propel you into believing that you will have a better tomorrow, or accomplishing a long held, or lost dream! Hope has wings, especially in Spring!

P.S. Yes, these ARE last years flowers. Looking forward to recording this Spring too with my camera.

GREEN little Lexi Leprechaun

My Green Day

It started off with a visit from one of my favorite neighbors. I call him, "Blue", but being as it WAS St. Patrick's Day, I noticed how very GREEN he was looking. Then I proceeded to make GREEN French Toast. You can see from the pics that is is not very appetizing, but I felt this fell into the "being Honest" catagory, so I'm showing you anyway. Then...I have been planning this since Valentine's Day (when I dyed my dog pink!), I dyed the doggie GREEN! Oh how cute she looked! I laughed and laughed! It was just a little food coloring sprayed onto her coat. It does not touch her skin, so don't get all worried. I figure its about like eating a few M & M's. Then she and I went to my Mom's nursing home. Boy was she a hit! The residents loved and petted on her, but the awesome staff went crazy about her! Almost everyone's camera phone came out! They would say, go to West wing, they want to see her there, come to the therapy room, bring her to see so and so, ect. One very sweet thing happened. There was a man in the therapy room having a very hard time, couldn't even sit up and they were working with him. I set little GREEN Lexi Leprechan on his lap and he smiled and lifted his hand and petted her! It was so precious to see him respond. So that was my GREEN day, hope yours was happy...

Honesty-Thankfulness

Somewhere along this new line of blogging, posting and profiles, I said I was going to be honest about life. The good, the bad and the ugly.You see I have been missing for a few weeks, and its been nagging me like crazy, just to leave you hanging. I have not been feeling good at all and kept thinking, just another day, ect. But I am going to make a hugh effort to post, even if it is very brief or just a photograph for you.(On a much more regular basis!) I'm not promising, because thats when I get into trouble, just trying, like crazy. Now I'm not looking for sympathy and I'm not whining. I have so much to be thankful for and am so very blessed, even in the hardest of times.(Which this isn't!) I think we can and should be thankful each and everyday, even for the most ordinary and "everyday" things. Its good for us and its Biblical! It helps us focas on things other than our circumstances or ourselves and puts our hearts into the right place. When we are thankful, we give God the credit and I believe it reminds us of what so many others have to do without. Do you ever think about just having hot running water in your house, or electricty? ...a cozy warm bed, a cup of hot tea, a roaring scent filled fire, a good book, loved ones, of course! ...wonderful friends (quote by Josh)...fresh juicy fruit...sunshine...firefiles (I know they are not out yet, but I'm looking forward to them!)...butterflies, birds, ladybugs, gardens, Spring, Java Chip Frappachino ice cream! (Thats a big one!)...I could go on for days... When I was a teenager, I lived in Honduras for a year and several summers. Believe you me, when you spend any time in a third world country, you are even (and very) thankful for toilets! Because they are not in every store or around every corner! I have been recording things that I am grateful for in my journal for quite some time. But recently, I've added an icon, GTL, with a square around it so I can go back any time and read or be reminded of the things I am thankful for. The GTL, stands for : Greatful Thanks LORD. Because we need to not only be grateful, but be thankful to The Giver of all things! Every perfect gift comes from above...James 1:17   So, what are you thankful for today?
 Be joyful alway; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1Thes. 5:16-18

Spring Preview

Thought you might be in need of a little "Spring Preview". Tired of Winter, snow and ice? These ARE grocery store bulbs, but who cares? Sometimes we need a little indulgence and pick-me-up. Flowers are always a great photo op and this way we can all enjoy the visual blessing. Notice that there is snow beneath some of them. But take heart, Spring is just around the corner. (I think, I hope... always :) Don't you just love Parrot Tulips? I think they are extraordinary!

De Kat- The Cat , Mama and Alzheimer's Disease

My Mama has the dreaded disease called Alzheimer's. Everyone that loves someone with Alzheimer's has the dreaded disease called Alzheimer's. What I mean by that, is you can not help but be profoundly effected if your loved one has this disease. That is true of any disease, you might argue. Its not that you are not effected if your loved one has cancer or any other disease, fatal or otherwise. So true, and I'm not here to argue about what is the worst, because there is so much out there. So much sickness and sadness and hurt and loss. We are a dying planet after all and we start to age and die, I've heard people say, from the day we are born. But what is so terrible about this Alzheimer's, is that the person dies, that person you knew and loved and had a relationship with, before their body does, and all they were is gone, except for their body. Its a very strange and sad thing to watch the person you knew your whole life, say and do things totally uncharacteristic of their personality. Little by little, its gets worse and worse, until say, this person you always knew and loved , is angry all the time or sad or weepy or steals things or even possibly curses. ( Mom never did the later). Until, one day, there is nothing left that even resembles your former loved one, and then the body starts to wither away also. OK, I'm sure I'm depressing you by now and you are wondering about the title of this post. This is the good part. Once in a while, a window of that former person opens just a crack, and it is like the sun streaming through. What joy it brings me when this happens! Its not like "The Notebook", where someone could read to you and this would happen on a daily basis. In fact, this has only happened twice to me in about a years time , and today was one of those days. One of those days when you get a tiny peek and know that deep down inside, somewhere, your loved one is still in there! I will tell you about last Summer another time. Today, I want to tell you about , De Kat. We have a little teacup Maltipoo named Lexi. My Mom lived with us for a short time a couple of years ago when Lexi was just a puppy. She naughtily feed Lexi under the table and because Lexi is only about 5 pounds, my Mom did not seem to get that she was a dog, but called her, The Cat. It did not matter how many times I reminded her that, she was indeed ,a dog, she didn't get it. Mom was still speaking then, a little, and she had reverted back back to her native language, Dutch. Anyway, Mom and De Kat were mutually crazy about each other. I have brought Lexi to visit mom before, but there seemed to be no rememberance , so she had not been in a long time. Now realize that my Mom has not spoken more than a handful of words in a year. She jabbers, but nothing usually comes out. Today, when I brought Lexi, they wheeled Mom away from the table and she seemed very agitated that she was not going to get to eat. She fussed and fussed in her gibberish as I placed Lexi on her lap and she did not even seem to notice for a few minutes. Then, her face lit up and she said, she SAID- De Kat. The cat. Her face continued to beam and she looked up at the nurse like she was trying to explain. And for that moment, the window opened and her light shone through again and I can not tell you what joy those two little words brought me! My Mama is still there, somewhere deep inside... I love you Mama and you made me so happy today. Now, I'm crying, but I can't wait so see you again, tomorrow. And mostly, I can't wait to see you up in heaven, where you will be whole and happy again and healed, forever!


My Mama is the little black haired beauty at about 2 years of age