Passionate Pursuit

This week's quote is:

"Why do our days seem so unimportant, filled not with romance and adventure but with duties and demands? We feel unseen, even by those who are closest to us. We feel unsought--that no one has the passion or the courage to pursue us, to get past our messiness to find the woman deep inside. And we feel uncertain--uncertain what it even means to be a woman; uncertain what it truly means to be feminine; uncertain if we are or will ever be.......And in all the exhortations we have missed the most important thing of all. We have missed the heart of a woman."



Quote taken from: "Captivating" by John and Stasi Eldredge

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My mother told me I would get out of life what I put in it.I was 12 at the time and stood there complaining about some "boring" meeting I had to attend.

Looking back, I believe it was the single most important thing I ever learned from her. When I went to my meeting, I chose to actually listen to what was being said and found it to be interesting, informative and ENJOYABLE!

As I read today's quote, I found myself reminiscing about how my mother's advice affected my life. You see, those days that seem unimportant; when I feel most invisible with nothing to look forward to but duties and demands - those are the days when I have failed to put my whole self into the day. They are the days when I have lost that sense of passion, my joy of living and relationship with my Creator, my sense of who I am in Him.

I am a complex creation with so many wants and needs. I need to feel whole, competent and needed by others. But when I mistake being needed with being loved - that's when I get into trouble every time. I choose to make myself indispensable so I can feel needed and end up burning out.

When I feel burned out, I feel empty, unloved and unlovable. But rather than letting Christ fill me with His love, I tend to try even harder, spinning faster and faster on my hamster wheel. I feel disgruntled and sorry for myself, sinking deeper into depression and aloneness.

Who would ever want to pursue or passionately love me like that? I feel frumpy and totally unfeminine. Somehow I have failed to see the real needs of that woman deep inside. I have missed my "woman's heart."

The truth is that every day I am being passionately pursued by a Living God who loved me enough to send His son to die for me. But if I wall up my heart with the bricks and mortar of self pity or lack of self esteem, I will miss Him. I will miss my chance at happiness because I have failed to look at the deepest needs of my heart. Only He can make me feel truly fulfilled and happy- but I have to choose to let Him!

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This week, Christin is hosting "In 'Other' Words" at her site, As Gold Refined. She has chosen a quote from the book, Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.

If you would like to join us today, simply blog about the quote on your site, then visit Christin and leave your blog URL so we can all read your thoughts on the quote. Be sure to check out as many of the participating bloggers as you can and leave them a comment too!

I can't wait to see what everyone writes for this week's In "other" Words...

1940's Applesauce Cale

While sorting through my mom's recipes, I found one she had received from my aunt in her own handwriting. It is for Applesauce Cake, a favorite my aunt used to make for family picnics on Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. I know the recipe is at least 70 years old because it was written in pencil on the back of a calendar page from September 1940.

My Aunt Alice lived in the house where I grew up until 1946, when she and Uncle Edwin sold it to my parents. They purchased a home less than a mile away which had lots of room to plant Christmas trees. Their spacious front and back yard was perfect for family picnics with grilled hot dogs and burgers, potato salad , peppermint tea and of course, Aunt Alice's Applesauce cake with cream cheese frosting. the tree grove provided ample space for hide and seek and other childhood games with my cousins.

When I got married, she passed the recipe on to me along with a pink depression glass cake plate which I use whenever I serve this yummy cake. But it was a real treat to discover it written down in her handwriting. I will be scrapping this recipe for sure along with some old photos of family times for my grandchildren.

Aunt Alice's Applesauce Cake

1/2 cup Crisco
1 cup gran. sugar
1 cup seeded raisins
1 cup applesauce sweetened for table use
1 teaspoon soda
2 Tablespoons hot water
1 Egg
[You can add 2 Tablespoons citron]
2 cups flour
1 teas. cinnamon
1/2 teas. allspice
1/2 teas. nutmeg
1/2 teas. salt

Blend Crisco, sugar and egg. Add raisins and applesauce. Sift flour, salt and spices and add in several portions. Before the last flour is added, stir in the soda dissolved in the hot water. Beat well.

Pour into greased and floured tube pan and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until done.

Cool on rack and remove from pan.

Crazy Quilt cards

There's just something about a quilt that speaks of comfort and warmth. Maybe that's why I love the quilted look for many of the cards I make. I am reminded of God's comforting, warm touch as I craft and it's fin to share that warm, comforting feeling with others as I send out the cards.

Using scraps and little leftover bits of paper, I love to make crazy quilt blocks. By adding a faux blanket stitch around the edge, it looks like a real fabric block.

This photo is a card created from an HGTV quilt block of the month design from several years ago called "Strolling the Block". Each month from January to December, they added a new pattern of a house done in this crazy quilt style.

I made all 12 blocks using paper rather than fabric and placed them together in a frame for my daughter. I have to make 3 more sets so my other daughter and daughter-in-law will have a "quilted" and framed picture for Christmas 2008. Since I always make these things for everyone else but myself, I decided I needed to do one too. I have a BIG blank wall in my living room that needs some art and this would be a great project, though a bit time consuming.

For my "quilt" I'd like to create original block designs, using pictures of the houses where my hubby and I have lived and the churches we pastored. By scanning actual photos and then tweaking them with my photo program, I can get a "coloring book" picture from which I can cut pattern pieces. Then I can choose different patterns, colors and weights of scrapbook paper and cut out the needed shapes.

I like to use my Xyron sticker maker to prep the pieces for attaching to the card stock - it's much less messy that way. I simply have to peel and stick the pieces in place.

I'm getting so excited about this project, I better quit blogging and get to work! When it's done, I'll be sure to post a picture of the finished project and maybe a few block patterns along the way!

For more on quilts and cards, visit me at the Quilts and Quills page of the new e-zine, 4Him2U. The January issue is online now and February will be out on or around February 17th. See you there!

Have a creative day!

Lemonade Mondays

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to do the right thing, everything turns out all wrong. Monday this week was like that for me. Now I know Mondays have a reputation for being the worst day of the week, but this one was worse than normal...

A friend of mine has a son who is in jail. The jail is about an hour and a half drive away so she doesn't get to go too often. But since it is near my daughter's home, I thought it would be fun to go together.

From the beginning, things seemed to go wrong. We had to go several miles out of the way to drop my friend's grandchildren off at a different babysitter because of a scheduling mix up.

When we got to the jail, things really started to unravel. The good news is that I didn't set off the alarm as I passed through the metal detector. But I did fail the drug scan - TWICE! Yes, I can just see your raised eyebrows. "The pastor's wife FAILED the drug scan?????"

I'm not sure how or where I came in contact with LSD, but it showed up both times.

"Oh it must have been your hand lotion," my friend said, trying to console me. She came up with all sorts of things that might set off the scanner, but I honestly didn't think it was any of those things. The only two possible things were the quarters I had put in my pocket for use in the jail vending machines or the Bio Freeze I used on my hip to keep it from aching on the hour and a half drive.(I wonder what they put in that stuff????)


Though it was disappointing that I couldn't visit my friend's son (and my pride was injured at the treatment I received at the jail), at least I could still see my daughter. After a short lunch break and a lot of good-natured ribbing, I returned her to work and was on my own for about 2 hours. Shopping is hard since I can't be on my feet too long without pain from my recent back problems, but I survived by wandering in my favorite craft stores.

I reconnected with my friend after about 2 hours and started home, making three stops during the hour and a half trip. Since she was diabetic and had not eaten yet , we stopped so she could grab a bite. About halfway home, she wanted to stop at a house that had a sign in the yard selling Noni juice so we could pick up some info for my mother-in-law.She thought the Tahitian "wonder" juice could help improve my MIL's poor health.

The worst part of the trip occurred a few miles after the fruit juice stop. I almost had a accident as a puppy darted in front of the car. I couldn't swerve because of oncoming traffic. My stomach lurched with the sickening thud. We were all right but the poor puppy wasn't. We found the owner and did what we could for him, but the day had turned pretty sour.

Yes, it was a lemon of a day all right, complete with lip-puckering events that can leave a sour after taste in the soul. But by adding the sweetness of His Spirit through praise and a liberal amount of friendship and love, Christ can transform any sour day into a lemonade Monday worth remembering.

Being patient through the pain

Hi! Welcome to "In Other Words" for Tuesday, February 5th! Being patient with God is never easy so I chose this quote by Elisabeth Elliot. Enjoy!


"He [God] is very patient with us when we are trying to be patient with Him."

~ Elisabeth Elliott ~



One of the hardest things I ever had to do was to transport my two year old daughter to the hospital when she broke her arm. She had been playing with her sister and brother at the neighbor’s house and fallen eight feet through the stairway railing to the uncarpetted hallway floor below. My neighbor assessed her injury, then scooped her up and ran the few yards down the street to hand her to me.

It was obvious from the peculiar angle of her arm and the blood under the surface of the skin that it was broken and would need immediate attention. Fortunately, my husband was home at the time. He opened the car door and I gently eased myself inside, holding her to me to keep the arm immobilized.

She hurt so much, she was screaming and writhing with pain. Tears coursed down my cheeks. My heart wanted to scream too, but I had to remain patient and calm and murmur comfort to her through the twenty minute ride to the hospital emergency room.

Once there, I continued to hold her as the nurses took our information and prepared to x-ray her arm. “Can’t you give her something for the pain?” I pleaded but they just shook their heads.and told me to be patient.

An hour later (at least it seemed to be an hour!) they finally had the x-rays complete and began prepping my little one for surgery to set her arm. Then they were finally able to give her something to relax her and ease her pain. I had been holding her all this time to keep her as immobile and calm as possible. My arms ached as much as my heart for her.

Once she relaxed with the pre-surgery medications, I was finally able to lay her down on the gurney and weep as they wheeled her into the operating room. Because of the complexity of the break, she remained in the hospital for three days while I remained close by.

It was extremely difficult to remain patient as she thrashed about in pain during the ride to the ER and while waiting for everything to be ready for her surgery. It was hard to remain patient after the surgery while we waited to see if the bones would knit together properly. But I had to - for my daughter’s sake as well as for my own.

God reminded me of the lessons in patience many years later when I was going through difficult emotional issues. I writhed and cried out in pain, wanting my Abba to stop the pain. But He didn’t. He held me, whispering words of comfort, love and strength as He carried me through those times in His strong arms.

He was patient with me in my pain, just like I had to be patient with my daughter through her pain, until all things were set in motion for His healing plan. If He had simply removed my pain, there would have been no lasting changes in the way I related to people, no real healing, only a bandaid solution. So He held me close and let me know I was worth the time, energy and love He was investing into this healing process for me. Because of His closeness, I learned to trust my Abba in spite of the pain.
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If you'd like to join us today, simply blog about the quote on your blog site and then leave your URL below so others can read your take on the quote. Be sure to check out the other participants' blogs and leave a comment too!

Adventures of Philipsburg Phil

This blog is dedicated to my grandchildren in Florida who have eternal spring and summer...

In a small town in central PA, lives a second generation groundhog Beanie Baby named Punxatawn-e Phil, named after the original furry prognosticator, Punxatawney Phil.

My Phil was born in 2002 and came to live with me in Indiana, PA, about 40 miles from Punxatawney. When I moved to Maryland a year later, Phil decided to come along because he had never been south of the Mason-Dixon line. He often whispered to me that the weather in Maryland was worse than PA since we were in the mountains and got far more snow.

Phil was tickled pink when we moved back to Philipsburg,PA last summer, only 60 miles away from his cousin in Punxatawney and he hoped he could at last go and meet his famous cousin. "I don't think so," I said. "There's too many people - you wouldn't even be able to get close to him. Besides, we'd have to get up way too early."

"I want to be a season predictor, just like my cousin even if we can't go and meet him.," he told me on Friday, February 1.Right then and there he changed his name to Philipsburg Phil so no one would get confused.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. "Punxatawney Phil is awakened from hibernation and pulled from his burrow early in the morning each year on February 2 to see if it's time for spring or if there will be six more weeks of winter weather."

"Oh yes, I'm sure," Phillipsburg Phil nodded his head eagerly with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Well, I didn't even have to wake him up or pull him out of his warm shoebox burrow. As a matter of fact, I felt his furry little hands on my cheeks early on February 2, patting me and pinching my nose to wake me up.

I quickly got dressed and took him outside, wondering what his prediction would be. "I don't think you will see your shadow today, little Phil," I said. "It's gray and cloudy out here."

I helped him sit on the rail of our deck and took his picture. As the camera flashed, Philipsburg Phil squealed, "I saw it! I saw my shadow! There will be six more weeks of winter!"

By this time he was dancing all over the rail. Since it was icy, I was afraid he might slide right off, so I caught him and gave him a gentle squeeze. "I guess you really did see your shadow, after all.You are just like your cousin. He saw his shadow too."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that here in central PA, it would tale six more weeks for the crocus and daffodils to wake up no matter what either Phil said. I was just happy to let him come inside out of the icy cold weather and help me start my seeds for the spring planting in April.

Happy Groundhog Day, Philipsburg Phil!

Scrapping the Family Cookbook

My favorite cookbook is a white three-ring binder where I keep my family recipes. The "Winters Family Favorites" tradition started several years ago as a holiday gift for my daughters and a few other relatives. Christmas was pretty "lean" that year, but the cookbooks were a huge success.

I collected recipes that my family enjoyed along with clip art and a short history of the recipe: why it was special to our family and where it came from; things like that. I printed out a pages of the recipes for each book and placed them in plastic sleeves inside the notebooks.

A few years ago, when we sold my parent's home, I found my mother's stash of recipes, written out longhand on scraps of paper from her job, stuffed in between pages of her cookbooks and in various other corners of her book case. Some were in her handwriting and others were written with a stubby pencil by my grandmother.She also had loads of antique cookbooks - the kind that came with appliances or those thin ones offered by companies to promote their products. My daughters and I love to pour over them and find hidden treasures to tempt the taste buds.

Over the next few months, I hope to try some of these recipes and include them in our family cookbook along with mom and grand mom memories for my own granddaughters. I also thought it would be fun to share some of them with all my online friends too. So every Friday, I'll post a new (old) recipe with some tall tales and perhaps a bit of mom sense...

Enjoy!

Dill Pickle Dip

This is a great recipe for your Superbowl spread! I'm not sure where it came from , but it's at least been around for 45 years. My mom loved family gatherings and often made up a batch of this dip for chips, though it works great for veggies too. She never wrote the ingredients down, so be sure you add them a little at a time to taste. It will get "dillier" as it chills.

Oh, by the way - this is great on baked potatoes too!

1 large or 3-4 small whole dill pickles minced
2 Tbsp. dill pickle juice
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp. dill salt
2 tsp. dill weed
1 small clove minced garlic or 1/8 tsp of garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together and chill for one hour before serving.