Friday Night Supper

Good evening! I don't know if you have food associations that creep into your meal planning or not, but I find myself thinking certain dishes belong more with one day of the week than another. For instance, I would rarely serve meatloaf on Friday because in spite of the fact that we have homeschooled for 21 years, I still think of Friday supper as the beginning of freedom from the despised school week. An entire weekend awaits the living.

Lasagna, pizza, or cavatini are celebration foods. These are the sort of dishes suited to a Friday night supper. Tacos, enchiladas, these types of eats are what start the weekend's freedom dance well. Occasionally, in the thick of winter, extra yummy soups might show up on the table too, but only the very yummiest.

Tonight is Friday, and the long weekend has my thinking in celebration mode. Therefore, in honor of Friday supper and the Memorial Day weekend, we are sharing the recipe for Grammie's cavatini, which is what is cooking in our kitchen right now.

Holidays require special drinks too. To quench summer's heat a spectacularly easy recipe for iced coffee ☕is included as well. Because this is for a special occasion, no attempt to be healthy was made. This is a once in a while drink not your every day go to beverage.

To keep the unhealthiness guilt monster away, a side of steamed green beans is not only delicious, but also looks beautiful plated next to the red pasta sauce.

Grammie's Cavatini
2lbs. ground
Chopped pepperoni
Jar of favorite pasta sauce or homemade sauce
Onion
Garlic
Mozzarella shredded
Favorite pasta, cooked

Brown meat, onion,garlic, and pepperoni. Drain if needed. Add sauce and heat through. Cook favorite pasta to desired doneness. Drain. Combine meat mixture, pasta, and half of cheese. Place in casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 35-45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Can cover to prevent over browning of cheese.

Iced Coffee
6-8 cups strong coffee
One can sweetened condensed milk

Combine coffee and milk in large jar or pitcher and allow to cool. Serve over ice.

Shalom!
Have a delicious Friday supper!

Happy Mother's Day!

To every woman who has "mothered" anyone, may blessings of love ❤️ joy and peace be yours this weekend and all year through.

You are an abundant blessing!
Abundance House 🏡

Sometimes

Sometimes I forget I am trusting in the goodness of the Lord. Sometimes I forget I am not the one responsible for the choices made by those I care about. Sometimes I forget God is big, and He is good. Sometimes I forget the people I love are gifts to be treasured not distractions or delays.

Sometimes I need to remember truth. Sometimes I need to quit doing what duty demands and hug my loves instead. Sometimes a cup of tea ☕with one of my tribe is more important than dusting or laundry. Sometimes I need to remember what I already know and live truth instead of fact.

Sometimes I forget perfect isn't the prize; Jesus is the prize, and I am already His. Sometimes shows me how much I always need Jesus.

Grateful for new beginnings and constant grace,
Abundantly Blessed

Prayers

When you are reading the Word does it ever seem as if the words could have been written by you? Does it ever feel as if someone looked inside of your heart and penned it down?

How amazing it is to consider that thousands of years ago God knew I, and others like me, would need the comfort and encouragement of these words. He knew I would have seasons that are hard. He knew sadness would come. He knew I would fail to control my mouth and spew forth verbal lava. He knew, and He gave me Himself, the Word to lead, guide, teach, and comfort me in His way.

When you are soaking in His words, have you noticed He always comes from a victorious perspective? What great security Our loving heavenly father extends! Whatever we face, He's got it covered.

"I've got this," is what He assures me again and again. I don't have to have it all together; He's got it covered. When I fail, and I often do, He's got it covered. When the storm is long and the sadness lingers, He's got it covered. When joy abounds and all seems calm, He still has it covered.

Whether it is a Psalm 39:3-4 season that finds me crying out with the Psalmist "My heart burned with a fire within me, and my thoughts eventually boiled over until they came rolling out of my mouth." or it is a Psalm 40:3 moment in which I joyously declare "Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until everyone hears how God has set me free." , God has it covered.

"O Lord, our God, no one can compare with you. Such wonderful works and miracles are all found with you! And you think of us all the time." Psalm 40:5 The Passion Translation

God thinks of me all the time. Now that's something to ponder!

Reading the Word with wonder,
Abundantly Blessed

A Year

A year. What's in a year? A lot. A whole lot. That's what a year holds. And when a year ends, then what? Where does the ending and beginning stop and start? Is there really an end? A beginning? Or is life more of a flowing river full of love's endless motion?

Sometimes it seems as if life is a song like the ones I learned during piano lessons. Masterpieces composed of a melody interrupted by other tunes only to be repeated over and over in variation after variation.

No matter how long the piece was the original melody would return. It might not be played exactly the same. More notes and new rhythms might be added, but the original melody was still there interwoven with the extra and new.

Pondering the similarities between life and those piano works of days gone by, the wondering draws me closer in. What is the melody of my life? How has it revealed itself throughout the years? It is a question to ponder.

As I look back over the years I begin to recognize a melody oft repeated. The more I hear it the deeper it weaves through me. Finally I recognize the melody for what it is. This is my song. Woven throughout the years of my life is a song. A song of love. A song composed by God. A song that is God. God is my song. He is the melody sure and sweet.

Perhaps you too can hear your song when you consider the years gone by. Perhaps if you stop and listen you will hear the One who made you. The One who composed your song. The One who is your song. The song of life and living, your life, your living.

Listening to the song and loving the Composer,
Abundantly Blessed

Love, Celebrate It!

In ten days I will look at my second born daughter and cry tears of wonder and joy while giving thanks and praise to God. Why will I do this? Because in ten days it will be one year since she came home out of an abusive situation. One year that seems like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.

One year ago this now healthy whole woman of God came home literally smelling like death. Today she laughs free and smiles true as she ice fishes with her new loving boyfriend who will never intentionally hurt her nor allow her to be abused. God's goodness and healing have brought about amazing changes, positive growth, and maturity. Has it truly been only one year?

These changes and growth didn't automatically happen though. My Victory girl has to make deliberate, intentional decisions to live differently and communicate openly every day. Time and time again she has to war against former habits of thought. Occasionally flashbacks intrude, and physical weariness is an almost constant companion. Living isn't always easy, but it is worth the fight.

Eleven months ago Victory made a choice. She looked death full in the face and chose life, even when living required a surrendering of former ways of doing and thinking, even when the new was so very very hard to do. Victory Woman chose life, God's life.

She chooses God still. Day after day this rapidly maturing woman of God walks through the daily temptations of life with a large family and the challenges of chronic fatigue. With remarkable calm she chooses the stillness of silence over anger's snarl or graciously listens instead of flinging mocking sarcasm. Daily in many ways she still chooses life over death.

In ten days I will remember the beginning of this journey my daughter began. I will remember, and I will cry. Great tears of gratitude to God for all He has done will fall from my eyes in a thankful flood. As tears flood my eyes, praise will flood my heart. And through it all a song will play. It is a song I've been learning this past year, a song that has always been in my heart waiting for me to hear. A melody rich and sweet that will flow in a beautiful river of love for my Lord.

The choices are not over; they never are. Every day they are there waiting on each of us to choose. The decisions are ours to make. They won't decide themselves. As we enter a new day, a new season, a new year, what will we do? Which will we choose? Will we choose to be honest, loving, wise? Or will we choose easy, foolish, deceit? Will we choose God? Or will we choose human logic instead? Will we choose kind over right? Love over religion? Will we choose life or will we choose death?

One year from now when we look back what will we see? What will our hearts remember? What will we have learned of real? What will others have learned of us? The answers are not yet known, but the decisions that determine those answers will be made today.

Many years ago a man named Joshua stood before a group of people and presented them with a choice. It is this choice, along with Joshua's decision, I leave with you today. It is the choice and decision Victory Woman made almost one year ago. It is the choice of all choices and the decision of all decisions.

"Choose you this day whom you will serve...as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15

Will you choose life?
Abundantly Blessed

Intimate Word

If you find yourself hungering and thirsting for more, more relationship than religion, consider reading The Passion translation of the Bible. It is a new translation, and not all of the books are available yet, but what is ready is such a blessing! Not only is it my favorite new Bible translation, but it has been the perfect companion on my journey into rest and wholeness.

For those who prefer a digital format or don't want to make a purchase at this time, The Passion Translation is available for use free of charge on the Bible Gateway website.

More of Him,
Abundantly Blessed

Praying into the answers

So, those questions yesterday were probing and deep. They went right down into the depths .of our hearts and laid everything open and bare, in a very good way.

Sitting here in the afterglow that follows a time of intimacy with the Comforter we're still feeling a bit exposed and raw. Would you draw close to the fire of His love with me for awhile? Would you sit among this pile of soft pillows and allow the comforting warmth of Love to flow over your raw, exposed places covering you with His blood and grace?

Maybe you will join me in soaking in the presence of the Lord by turning your favorite worship music on. I'm hitting repeat on mine. Now that we have asked ourselves the hard questions, we need to fill up with more of Him. It is time for us to rest.

Rest brings me straight to the heart of God. Rest is where the Lord and I are joined together in intimate stillness of spirit and soul. If God has been beckoning you into a place of rest, a place of Sabbath if you will, perhaps the following books will serve as companions along the way.

Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World by Shelly Miller

The Rest of God: Restoring your soul by restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan

Finding Selah by Kristen Kill

Finding Sabbath Rest together,
Abundantly Blessed

Free Book for Olympics!

Hey there! The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is this week. If you and your family are going to be watching, perhaps the following freebie will be a fun surprise for the kiddos. Knowledge Quest is giving away a free My Country ebook for kids to work on during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Knowledge Quest provides quality products full of fun. I am looking forward to my children having a keepsake notebook at the close of the Olympics. I am also looking forward to my guys having some twists and turns to work off some of their abundant energy. I went to the download page and this is looking like way more than the standard freebie. I've got to get over there and get my eBook before bed.

Here is the link: https://knowledgequest.lpages.co/2018-winter-olympics/ Feel free to share the link. Pass the fun along.

Olympic fun coming up!
Abundantly Blessed