Joy of the Generations

Has it really been a month since my last blog post? Yeah, I've kept a journal for at least 20 years and there are gaps in that too. I decided long ago to give myself permission. Otherwise, it becomes like so many other things in life; we focus on not measuring up and simply step back and let the opportunity to participate pass us by. I'm here! And there. And everywhere.

Here's some pictures of the way I'm spending my time between running 2 businesses. If you want to actually read words and thoughts, for now I'm over at my LifePoint blog.

Collin is 3 months old

Addison will be 2 in July

Ava is 6 weeks old

Nonna and Pappa are happy and thankful!

I Smell Heaven....

I'm fresh from the land of hope. I'm convinced that God sends babies to remind us of that heaven is very near. They come with the scent of heaven and soften our reality. The world is full of chaos but small gifts bring great joy. A few scenes from the last week....

Murder & Mayhem

I've heard the expression, "sly as a fox." I've also heard the analogy, "like a fox in the henhouse." Well...seven chickens later, these are no longer just concepts.

Yep, we've lost 7 chickens in as many weeks. We thought the perp was a neighboring dog. Our clue is that while Builderman was hunting down one of the chickens that had been stolen, (with a great ruckus, I might add) he came on this little dog near the scene with chicken feathers on her nose. Hmmm. Pretty damaging evidence.

I was really hoping it wasn't Lemon (the little dog's name), especially since the attacks have picked up and we have to stop this mayhem.

Yesterday, Jim was outside when the murderer closed in on another victim. He was fast and got away but I think I can safely say, his days are numbered. Jim got a glimpse of him as he fled and...it was a fox.

Of course there's a million life-lessons in this but I'll let you take it from here. I'll just say that the enemy is not always what we think it is and he's sneakier than you'd like to think.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy..." but that's not the last word in that story. And it won't be in any story as far as I'm concerned. There's good news ahead!

P.S. For those of you who don't know about the adventures of raising chickens, you can see my
post of what happened when they were chicks or you can read Francine River's new book, Her Mother's Hope. It's riveting. Okay - WAY more riveting than anything I've written. To date. That could change. : )

It's a Beautiful Day and I'm Thankful I Can See It

The Power of Words...

This video has gone viral with over 4 million views and you'll see why...


I have things to write and an committed to sharing some thoughts with you... so I'll be back soon!

Pearline's Carrot Cake Supreme

How could you possibly go wrong with a recipe from a sweet lady and champion baker from a small Southern town named Pearline? The only way you could go wrong is to not taste this carrot cake.There are no short-cuts in this recipe, but the blissful orbit you'll go into when you eat this will be worth the time and effort. This cake can make an ordinary day into a special occasion, but this weekend I made it for Jim's birthday. Oh happy day!

Pearline’s Carrot Cake Supreme

2 Cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda|
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
¾ cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrot
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (3 1/2oz) can flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting (Below)

• Grease three 9-inch cakepans, line with parchment paper. Lightly grease & flour the parchment paper & set aside.
• Stir together first four ingredients (flour, soda, salt & cinnamon)
• Beat eggs and next four ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth. Add flour mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Fold in carrots and next 3 ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pans & smooth evenly.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center come out clean.
• Cool on wire racks.
• Spread Cream cheese frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Chill cake several hours before slicing. Store in refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 (3 oz) package cream cheese
¾ cup softened butter
1 (16 oz) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
* For deluxe frosting, stir in ½ finely chopped pecans along with vanilla.

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and pecans.

Now, after preparing Pioneer Woman's favorite Man Sandwiches for lunch with onion strings and this cake for dessert, I only need to walk 132 miles to burn all the calories.

In Like a Lamb - Out Like a Lion!

I figured I'd better show up here before you wrote me off as a blog quitter.
March has been more than a whirlwind so thought I'd journal a recap....

1. Our first grandson was born Feb. 28 and I have been back and forth a lot, cooking, snuggling and thoroughly enjoying the fact that he's less than an hour away. I'm beyond delighted: 2. My mom got to come up with Uncommon Blonde when he was only 1 week old to take the Newborn photographs. They stayed with me and it was a very special weekend!


3. A close family member (who doesn't like to be "uncovered" on blogs and Facebook) was hospitalized with a dangerous, life-threatening situation. Emergency surgery resulted in answered prayer and she is recovering.

4. I spent most of last week in Atlanta on business and was challenged, stretched, inspired.

5. While driving home, I narrowly missed several crazy spring storm cells. Even drove through the mess left by baseball size hail that was piled up like snowbanks along the side of the road. Surreal. I passed through it all safely.

6. Returned home to find another family member battling a scary health issue and went into gear to help there.

7. This weekend brings a regional retreat. Sound relaxing? Well, maybe if I was just attending but minor detail - I'm in charge.

8. I think I can take a breath next week while I pack and start the waiting game for a call to go south when Uncommon Blonde goes into labor with her second daughter.

Busy is in my DNA so I'm not complaining. God is good. I am grateful. Just not blogging much but thinking of you and looking forward to visiting you soon. Thanks for coming by.

A Wonder~Filled Day

He's here!

Our first grandson arrived safely Monday after 18 hours of labor.
I was exhausted.
Isn't he amazing?
7 lbs 15 oz of sheer joy.

I'm headed to the kitchen to prepare some casseroles to take over. It's only an hour from here and I'm thrilled. That may seem far to you but that's only 60 minutes.
My heart sings.

Lady in Waiting

I would think since this is our second grandbaby I would be all relaxed as we move into the last days before we get to meet him. Not so much.

I wonder if I'm on pins and needles even more since our Rosebud arrived 10 days early. The official due date is Feb 24th. He looks like he's ready for me to hold him, don't ya think?

Did I say I'm excited? Oh yes I am! Here's the beautiful mommy....

Have You Seen My Stars & Stripes?

This week, someone stole the American flag we proudly fly at our gate. Apparently, the thief made it to the class on patriotism but missed the one on integrity. The timing is interesting, as I’ve been writing on the “character quotient”, a critical element of leadership that sadly, seems to be in short supply in just about every echelon of society.

I've been reflecting this week on the importance of personal leadership as a foundational element in the fabric of our culture. Someone is watching each and every one of us - so essentially- we're all leading someone. You don't have to have title or rank to make a difference.

As I thought of the sad person who took our flag, I was reminded of Fulghum's book, "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten". I guess someone in my neighborhood needs to go back to kindergarten.

True greatness comes when you’re trusted. ~ Teddy Roosevelt

Let the River Flow

I feel like a log in the middle of a river of bloggers that got stuck between 2 rocks. There's a great current rushing by me - I feel the flow and need to get back in it!

I like blogging for lots of reasons, the first being the meaningful connection with YOU! I also like having a written record of life. It's easy to forget important moments when they get carried away in the flow of days, which become months and turn into years.

Plus, the Lewis family is getting ready to grow... 2 babies are coming in the next 3 months and I must record the joy of it all.

Random thoughts tossed into the current:

• A recent fascination with Twitter has taken some of the time I allow myself for "social media." One of the things I've enjoyed about it is the challenge to communicate a thought in about 130 characters. Brevity reigns on Twitter, and Lord knows I needed a lesson in brevity.
  
  
• I love being busy but there are days I would like to feel like I've finished my work. It is NEVER complete... I just stop when I run out of day. I'm betting you know the feeling.
  
  
• I have to even confess this, seeing as I live in Florida and many of you don't, but I am OVER winter. Cold, wet days with little sunshine are not my friend anymore.
  
  
• My glasses broke in my hand this morning. My bifocal contact lenses are not great for computer work and are absolutely terrible for reading. I'm thinking clear vision has just become a priority and my afternoon is going to have to make room for a trip to the optometrist.
  

Thanks for coming by in the flow of your day. You are important to me.

He who postpones the hour of living
is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out
before he crosses. ~Horace

Verbal Sunshine

A compliment is verbal sunshine.~ Robert Orben

Someone picked a great month for National Compliment Day. Many are winter-weary and need some extra sunshine today.
We all know an insincere compliment is not helpful and probably use that as an excuse not to compliment people more.

Mark Twain said, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."

So, I have a challenge for you that has two parts. 1) Give a sincere compliment to your spouse today. Maybe relating to something about them that you tend to take for granted. 2) Pay a compliment to someone who's been pushing your buttons lately. This simple exercise can go a along way in mending fences. They may be suspicious but that's not your problem.

If you need a little help jogging your mind to think of something nice to say, here's some thoughts:
YOU
...have a great way with words.
...are a terrific leader.
...make working on a project a joy.
...are very creative.
...are a good provider.
...are fun to be with.
...have a great reputation.
...are clever.
...are a good driver.
...can do anything you set your mind to.
...are capable of accomplishing whatever you believe.
...are a good listener.
...are very cheerful.
...are loyal.

Make it a mission today to give kind words freely, especially to those who least expect it. I've been doing this today and being a sunshine dispenser is fun!

I Have a Dream

Seems to me that a lot of people had today off as my phone and email have been rather quiet for a Monday. I blogged about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous I Have a Dream" speech earlier when I could still formulate words so here's your chance to read a coherent blog post.

At the moment, I'm looking at my varied and lengthy list of things to do, none of which I feel like doing. So I went into "fritter away time" mode and laughed at how we do winter in the south. I'm thinking, "I'm completely over winter - the sky is gray, the grass is brown the air is cold" and then I remember I live in Florida. But I'm still over it.

And then I watched this video at Shelly's blog and it really made me laugh about winter in the south and this lady's thoughts on Martin Luther King day... only watch if you have time to laugh.



Hopefully, I'll be back sooner than later with all kinds of interesting things to say. Thanks for stopping by to say "Hi!"

Cinnamon Rolls and Coffee

That thought is intended to bring you comfort on a Monday morning! This is a feel-good post, intended to make you imagine you have on your favorite slippers.

I do believe our household has a new Christmas morning tradition. Sister Schubert -move on over because I now can make the world's best cinnamon rolls. I can thank Uncommon Blonde for doing the test run of Pioneer Woman's recipe because she figured out what to do and what not to do in this messy undertaking she posted as Kitchen Follies. (I stole her photo from that post.) She told me that afternoon that the rolls would have to sprout $100 bills while baking to make them worth the trouble. The next day's report was that the rolls had sprouted. And I can tell you, these are the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had in my life. We had fun making them together and more fun eating them. Our son had to report for work at the fire station on Christmas morning and it made me really happy to start their morning off with these rolls too.

Now to top it all off, I won a give-away over at Shelly's for a free pound of coffee from "I Have a Bean." She tells the fascinating story of this company in this post. A company on a mission to help people by selling great coffee - I'm sold! They impressed me by sending my coffee Fed Ex, arriving just in time to go with my cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning.

Ahhhh - the memory is fresh and the coffee is on. What was something new you did for the holidays?

Everything that Money Can't Buy

It's been a rainy New Year's weekend and I spent part of it packing away all the holiday decorations and cleaning up. Now that I'm finished, the sun is out, the air is crisp and I'm anticipating the fresh new year will usher in lots of exciting things.

It struck me this weekend as I looked over the past year and thought about my goals, I already have everything that money can't buy. And for that I'm thankful.

May your year bring gentle winds...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Mark Twain

The Creatures are Stirring in this House!

I am so excited! I have some more presents to wrap and the grocery shopping to do tomorrow and then everyone starts arriving tomorrow night and Thursday! The best part of all the celebrating is being with family. I am so grateful.

Cupcake came home last weekend (she had to go back to work a few more days) and she scurried around cleaning out closets and such. So funny to me... I wasn't even considering that and she quipped, "you're just out of control with saving things." Ha- she sounds like my mom. And like I do with my mom, I said "have at it, I'll provide the bags for trash and one for Goodwill." It took more than one, trust me.

I doubt if I'll make it back here before Christmas, so just want to share this favorite poem...

'Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the house
Not a creature was praying, not one in the house.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.

The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.

When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!

When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray
I knew in a moment this must be The Day!

The light of His face made me cover my head
It was Jesus! returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.

In the Book of Life which He held in His hand
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said "It's not here" my head hung in shame.

The people whose names had been written with love
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound
While all the rest were left standing around.

I fell to my knees, but it was too late;
I had waited too long and this sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.

In the words of this poem the meaning is clear;
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There's only one life and when comes the last call
We'll find that the Bible was true after all!

1993 Bethany Farms, Carrollton, IL
Merry Christmas to All! Love you much.

People are Crazy

I logged onto our local paper's website yesterday afternoon to get an email address to send a community announcement and was stunned to see breaking news that moments before, a gunman had opened fire at a school board meeting and someone was dead.

I'm watching the Today show right now and it's bizarre to see the tape of the incident. It's truly a miracle that none of the board members were shot as the cRaZy opened fire. I have tremendous respect for our superintendent (he was our son's high school principal). I'm simply appalled that it has become commonplace to see this kind of headline in the news. It's surreal for it to happen to people I know, right where I live.

I'm thankful that there's always good news. So I just clicked off the TV and turned my mind to this:

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your Hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast."
Psalm 139: 9,10

People are cRaZy but God is good.

Cookie Recipe Exchange Party

Welcome to the Christmas Cookie Exchange... the only one you'll attend that you won't consume too many sweets...yet. Who could look at all these yummy delights in Sara's link-up and not actually make the cookies? Not me. Let me tell you, the smell of these Ginger cookies baking is almost as good as the taste.

Ginger Chewies

Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- NOTE – I take the spices as an advisement and use whatever I want and I don't like cloves so none of that for me.
- 3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- About ¼ cup granulated sugar (regular sugar)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Recipe says to sift flour, baking soda and spices into a bowl and set aside. I don't do this, I just dump them all in together later.
3. In a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute.
4. Add the egg and molasses and mix until blended and an even light brown color.
5. Mix in flour mixture on low speed just to incorporate.
6. Roll ¼ cup of dough between the palms of your hands into a 2” ball then roll the ball in granulated sugar (the ones I just made I forgot to roll in sugar).
NOTE – Using ¼ cup of dough is great and gives you perfect giant cookies, but I normally use a small ice cream scoop, this makes reasonably sized cookies that still use the same baking time. They are also more uniform because the scoop is exact and makes a rounded ball with less rolling. Once you have the balls rolled in sugar, freeze them if you want to. If you want to freeze them, do it in a single layer where they aren’t touching until they are quite solid, then you can put them in a bag or Tupperware or whatever and they won’t all mush together. I use the same baking temp and time for frozen ones as for fresh.
7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm but they are still soft in the center and there are cracks on top, about 14 minutes.
8. Devour and enjoy!


Head on over to Sara's for more recipes.

The Goose is Getting Fat!

No, I'm not raising geese now. The last thing I need to accompany the rooster is a bunch of honkers!

But I'm singing, "Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat... please put a penny in the old man's hat." Does the calendar really say it's the 6th, or am I imagining things? I ventured into the mall Saturday and reality hit. I had fun moseying around but it hit me when I got home that I'd better get serious about my Christmas list.

I might be overdue in ordering my cards too... thankfully Shutterfly has always impressed me with their service and quality so I'm on this today. They're having a blog promotion for 50 free cards and that floats my boat!

I was debating about sending cards this year but I love getting them. And looking at last year's card from Shutterfly makes me smile. So I'm shopping HERE for cards and also think I'll order a calendar for Jim's mom. I've already ordered a photo book for his dad. I adore photo books! I've got my lovely Christmas music on from Pandora's peaceful holiday station and I'm feeling the Christmas cheer.

This is the design I'm leaning toward. And that's FIFTY DOLLARS in free cards if you jump on this Christmas deal. Hurry...the goose is getting fat!

Thank you, Lord, for online shopping.

I Smell Cookies

I love cookies. Especially fresh from the oven, gooey warm cookies. So Sara's Cookie Recipe Exchange is calling my name. I'm participating this Wednesday, Dec. 8th. Join the fun by posting your recipe with a photo on Dec. 8th and then link up at her place. I've been baking cookies this morning so I can't wait to share the deliciousness.

Finely Tuned

I found a tuning fork when I was hunting through a drawer looking for something this week. I got it from my dad's stuff when we were cleaning out after he died - in December twenty years ago to be exact. My memories of the pain he suffered have faded but my memories of the smiles, glances, wisdom and words are as fresh as the frost was this morning.

I wonder how many instruments he tuned by the tone produced from this tuning fork. He could not only tune any instrument, he could play almost every instrument. But that's not what made him unique. He dedicated his gift to bringing out the talent and gifts in his students.

My sister shared an email this week that a guy wrote her... he took the time to share that dad was someone who made a lasting impression on his life. He recalled dad giving him rides home with his cello in a car that was so rusted out that you could see the pavement whizzing by beneath your feet. He recalled his fascination with that, but more important, he remembers the kindness.

Dad was the king of the land of frugal and always said a car is meant to get you from point A to point B and style wasn't a part of the equation. As I teenager, I remember being embarrassed by his cars. I also remember how hard my sister and I laughed when the "hearse" that came as we dealt with his death was an older station wagon. Obscure, unobtrusive but effective. How perfect.

His life still resounds in my heart and provides the tuning fork for so many of my decisions. The tone is true. And is unchanged by the passing of time. His love endures - what a gift.