(Resent thrift store finds and a Spring Celebration display. Just needs some real Spring flowers, doesn't it?)
Happy Tuesday Readers!
I had the day off from the office on Monday and thoroughly enjoyed it. I got up with Farmer at 4:30, read part of the Sunday paper, drank a cup of coffee, but was falling asleep in the chair, so gave in and slept until 8:30.
I got dressed right away (cuz you know if I wouldn't have someone would have shown up at the door and I'd have looked like cat puke again), hair done, breakfast eaten (if you can call a piece of Sunday's dessert & coffee, "breakfast"
), laundry done, kitchen straightened, living room straightened, bathroom spritzed and I installed my Norton Antivirus and scanned my computer. So far, nothing lurking behind the scenes.
We had a lovely Resurrection Sunday. I had the house cleaned on Friday and spent Saturday afternoon cooking and preparing our meal.
(This odd looking thing is Whole Wheat Challah bread. Looks funny, but tasted good.
)
(The rest of my Saturday baking: homemade crescent rolls, pumpkin pie & the crust for Cream Puff Dessert.)
I tried my mil's homemade roll recipe using my Kitchen Aid mixer instead of by hand or the bread machine. Farmer and Nat said they were close, but I obviously used too much flour. They are a bit dry. But I'm getting closer. My mil and I used to joke about our individual "claims to fame." I can make pie crust, she couldn't and her rolls were to die for! Mine never turn out as light and fluffy, no matter what recipe I use. So this was a nice little pat on the back, that I'm getting better at it. I also made Porgurgese Sweet Easter Bread, a new recipe, that tastes ok, but again, a little dry. This time I over-baked it. Still getting used to the new oven too.
(And what is Ressurection Sunday with out Colored Eggs?? These were done using the old stand-by, food coloring. The green and blue eggs are light tan, so they ended up darker, but more interesting I think.)
All I had to do on Sunday morning was mix up the Mennonite Fruit Salad, clean the strawberries and make the relish tray & dip.
(And here is our holiday table, ready for guests.)
We did not have Sunrise Service at our church, but it was heart-filling anyway.
Our pastor used the word "empty" as the basis of his sermon. He applied it to the
empty tomb, Christ "
emptying" himself of his God-likeness in order to take our sins, us feeling "
empty" without Him and how we need to "
empty" our lives of all the things that weigh us down and keep us from Him and what He has for us.
Pastor used rocks as examples of those things that weigh us down; filling his pockets with the weight of sins, concerns, etc. At the conclusion of the sermon, he invited us to take a rock and either sign our name on it as a symbol of our having given the weight of our lostness & empty future to the Lord &/or writing on the rock what was weighing us down, what we needed to empty from our lives in Him. We then could lay those rocks at the foot of the cross (the real wooden cross we use in the Easter Performance the church puts on each year for the community).
Now, if you would know my Farmer in "real life" you would know he is
not one for public display. He doesn't mind if I worship with raised hands or clap, but he doesn't do those things. So I figured he would not want to go up for this congregational response. I have been trying to let him be the head of our home in our spiritual life and even though I really felt the need to write something on a rock and give it to the Lord, I was content to let him decide if we would participate.
The aisles were filled as the congregation went forward and we sat and I prayed for that continued contentment and that if God wanted Farmer to do this, to impress it on him. At the almost last moment, Farmer asked me if I wanted to do this? I whispered I would go if he wanted to.
God is good and we did get some of the last rocks and while it was a bit humbling to be among the last ones going up on the platform (and not being able to hide in the crowd), it was freeing to be reminded of Christ's being
emptied to take
my sins and to be able to lay the burden of loneliness at church at His feet.
We had several people who don't usually greet us, do so yesterday. Maybe it was my spring-like pink sweater catching their eye or the fact we had to sit in a different spot because of all the visitors. Whatever the reason it was nice to be "seen."
And Pastor made a point of thanking us for the home-grown beef we had given them for the food showering the church family did on their first anniversary of their appointment here. Their family prayed for us and that is always a lovely thing.
The rest of the day was filled w/ too much food, the guys napping in the afternoon and me cleaning the kitchen. Ah well.... I enjoy the tidiness more than they do anyway.
( I think I'm going to end up paying for this one.
Ds2 on the left, Farmer on the right. And yes it was chilly, so they had to get all snuggled under blankies.)
We did chores and spent the evening quietly, talking with the Ohio bunch late in the evening.
Ds2 came back out on Monday to help with stuff around the farm. He mowed my front yard. What a sweetie.
And he helped Rick get our picnic table from his sister's house in town. All he asked in return was some of the leftover dessert.
Other than that I just piddled the day away. Enjoyed my ballerina coverlet ebay treasure (more on that later); made a simple supper of soup, grilled cheese, deviled eggs and fruit salad.
Starting today, we'll be eating healthier again. No more fattening desserts or potato casseroles or homemade rolls with real butter. oh my!
Hope all my readers had a wonderful holiday too. Let us remember every day: He Is Risen!!
Country Hugs,
Kay on the farm
**
"The hidden glory of salvation is that everyone gets a chance to start
over in life. "
~Calvin Miller~
