Sunday Devotional

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.  Proverbs 12:11

Adventures at the farmer's market...

I was fortunate enough on friday to head over to one of my favorite places..the farmer's market!!  In the spring..its brimming full of flowers as far as the eye can see..in the summer..produce of all colors, shapes, and sizes.  Its almost (notice I said almost) enticing enough to become a vegetarian (at least this time of the year when everything is fresh!)!!  Damon and I scoured all the fresh produce, from corn and beans, to beets and eggplant, and managed to rustle up a few good items to put to good use within the next few days!!  I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a few pictures of the gorgeous produce!!

As we were walking to our car after picking up some produce..you'll never guess what we saw!  Air Force One was going in for a landing over at Yeager Airport!  The president and his "crew" were to be at the capital for the cermonies they had for our beloved Senator Robert C. Byrd who passed away earlier this week (he will be sorely missed by all..esp West Virginians).  But anyways..I don't think seeing an airplane ever excited me so much before!  Yeah..I know..I'm a country girl who never gets out of the "holler" much!  Hehe!  Anyways..I was able to grab the camera and snap a shot before it got totally out of sight..funny thing is..there was a bird in the picture right next to the plane..so its like..its a bird..its a plane..no its the president!

I was so thrilled to see that my favorite peaches that I buy every year (its a certain farmer/district whose peaches I buy from..not the "type" of peach per-say) were already at the market for purchasing!  I picked up a good amount to snack on as well as to make a dessert with that I'll share the recipe with you below!  We also picked up some italian peppers, yellow crookneck squash, and tomatoes!   Yum-o!!

Now..for my recipe I promised!  A quick and easy dessert thats great for anytime..but especially the summer months is a fruit pizza!  The best part?  You can use whatever fruit you like best, or whatever is in season (as it is with my peaches!)!  Enjoy the recipe..and have a Happy July 4th everyone!!

Fruit Pizza

1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 8 oz. package softened cream cheese

approximately 1/4 - 1/3 cups confectioner's sugar

splash of milk

your favorite fruit--use as much or as little combinations as you wish!

Spread the sugar cookie dough out onto a pizza pan.  Bake as directed on package..being sure not to overbake (keep a watch on it after around 7-8 minutes).  Let cool.  Mix together the cream cheese, confectioner's sugar (using enough to make it sweet enough for your taste), and enough milk to make it a nice spreadable consistency.  Spread over cooled cookie crust.  Slice your favorite fruit(s) and arrange on "pizza".  Keep in the refrigerator..enjoy! 

Note: I like to use strawberry/kiwi combination..but feel free to use whatever suits your taste!  I'm fixing mine this weekend w/fresh peaches and nothing more!  Delish!

Update on Thomas

I thought I'd fill everyone in on how our cat, Thomas, is doing after injuring himself earlier in the week.  I'm so happy to say..he's back to his old self!  Nothing a little rest and relaxation couldn't fix (isn't that the truth for all of us?).  We brought him inside on monday evening (he's an outdoor cat) so he could rest and not be trying to jump around like Tigger as he normally does.  We have a theory as to what caused his limping in the first place.  Lately, he had taken to jumping on top of one our buildings in the back yard..now granted its not very tall (5 feet or so)..but still..he was having a bad habit of sleeping on top of it (I guess he thinks he is Snoopy)..so its possible he either rolled off of it in his sleep (he is extremely clumsy..I'll explain in a bit why) or he just jumped off and hurt himself when he landed on the ground. 

(This is him on our building..wild cat!)

 

As you may or may not have noticed by now, Thomas only has one eye.  When we moved to our new home a little over a year ago, he actually belonged to one of our neighbors.  Damon was out by the creek fishing one day when Thomas made a new friend (Damon) and decided to come home with him.  Well..we tried to take him back to his owners, and he wouldn't have it.  As soon as you'd put him in their yard, he'd come straight back to our house.  Finally..the neighbors said it was fine with them if we kept him and claimed him as ours!  Anyways, back to his eye.  We heard the story told that a few years back..he was shot by someone around here with a bb gun.  They apparently got him in the eye and his previous owners had to take him to the vet where they had to remove it.  Thus..Thomas the one eyed cat!!

He is one of the sweetest cats I've ever had in my life!  Despite having such a rough life thus far, he seems to love almost everyone he encounters.  His pride enjoy would have to be Damon..I guess because he "found" him! 

(My boys..one of my favorite pics!)

He loves to be in our garden, watching the vegetables grow, or going for a walk with our dog Blaze (yes..he goes for dog walks..I really believe he thinks he is a dog sometimes!). 

(Thomas and the corn he grew..it came up all by itself so we figured he had something to do with it!)

He's also quite the character and sometimes we wonder about the guy!  But he is definately one of a kind..and I'm so glad he found us!!

(Lalalala!!)

Thankful Thursdays--Marriage

I have to say..I love being married!  Its been the best years of my life being married to Damon and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it.  I thought marriage would be a good topic for this weeks thankful thursdays.  We had the priviledge to attend a wedding over this past weekend..what a blessed event!  Two people we've both known for a long time and attend church with as well..were united in marriage.  I am so happy for the newleyweds!  It was a simple ceremony but very fitting for them. 

Makes me think back to our wedding!  What a special day!

I am so thankful that God brought Damon into my life when He did..I'm so thankful that we're happily married after 8 (almost 9!) years..and I'm very thankful that God is the center of our marriage! 

Would you like to share why your thankful for your marriage today?

Kindred Connection--Bursary of Bliss Edition

Hope everyone is having a great wednesday thus far!  I wanted to join in Kristin's kindred connection party today..its a good one that requires some thought and reflection!  Hope you'll enjoy this edition and join in the party over at her blog!



What are you feelings about a Bursary of Bliss? Are you conscience of yours? Do you surround yourself with opportunities to feed your soul daily?

I'll make a list of the things that I find comforting to me and that soothes my soul....

1. Being with the one I love
2. Fresh sheets
3. A purring cat
4. Sunsets at the ocean
5. Being on the receiving end of a hug
6. The haze after an evening rainfall
7. A freshly bloomed rose
8. A young child at church
9. Seeing a young couple in love
10. Talking with an elderly person (and seeing that "twinkle" in their eye!)
11. Hearing stories of the "old days"
12. Coming across my favorite song on the radio
13. Getting a card in the mail from a good friend
14. Seeing a rainbow!
15. Looking at the shelves of my pantry knowing that I put alot of time and effort into canning our produce
16. A goodnight kiss...

Home Tour--Bedrooms

Its another week of sharing our homes over at the Home Tour series at Natalie's Extraordinary Love blog!  I have two rooms I'll be sharing with everyone this week and I'll be honest..they aren't much to brag about!  The first room is my husband's "hunting room"/guest room.  We bought a futon last summer while he was laid off from his job..it was about all we could afford at the time and though its functional for the room..its not how I would go about decorating it!  Then again..thats why its his room! 

The second room I'll be showing is my room/crafting room.  My sewing machine has its home in here..which I love having it by the window so I can look out into our backyard while sewing if I wish! 

Also my makeup vanity is in this room.  It makes getting ready so much easier since my husband works the night shift and I have to get ready in another room other than our master bedroom! 

Our cat, Thomas, is currently taking up residence in my little room.  When I went to feed him today outside (he's an outside boy) I discovered he was limping pretty badly.  We can't find a thing wrong with him and he doesn't seem to be in any pain whatsoever..so we're going to give it a few days and thought it would be a good idea if he rested indoors so as to not try to overdo it!  Lately he had gotten into the habit of getting up onto one of our smaller buildings that contains our well (think Snoopy).  So we're thinking he may have possibly sprained a muscle jumping off the building!  Please pray for our little guy!!

The one thing about my room I'm not crazy about is the use of 2 different types of paneling (can we say..YUCK! and 'what were the previous owners thinking?').  I'd love to paint this room but haven't been able to decide on a color for a couple reasons.  One..I don't want anything too dark b/c this room is the darkest room of the house (it gets the least amount of natural light)..and since I feel like I've used cream in enough rooms of the house already..I really don't want do paint this room that color!  The second reason..if we ever have a little "bundle of joy"..this room will probably be his/her room..so I have that to think about as well!  Any suggestions?

Hope you enjoyed the tour!  In case you've missed any of my previous posts of the home tour, you can still check out the Master Bedroom, Living Areas, and Kitchen/Dining Rooms!  Hope to see you next week!

Monday Munchies-Mud Brownies

Do you have the monday munchies yet?  I hope you do after you read the recipe I'm about to share with you today!  It's an old standby and I've lost count of the times I've whipped up this dessert when I was just in the mood for something chocolate..needed a quick go-to dessert for a church function..or when it had been too long since I'd last made it!  I call it "Mud Brownies"..sort of a take off of the old recipe Mississippi Mud Cake that my dad used to make alot when I was growing up (he did alot of baking..my mom sticked to meals mostly but baked when she was able to get me and my dad out of the kitchen long enough!).  Anyways..I "converted" this recipe since I'm such a HUGE fan of brownies (who isn't?) and I personally think its way better than the original made with a cake-base! 

Mud Brownies

Brownie:
4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate

3/4 cups butter or margarine (1 1/2-sticks)
2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extraxt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 13x9 pan with baking spray (like Pam).  Microwave the chocolate squares and butter in a microwaveable safe bowl, stirring occassionally as to not burn the chocolate, for about 2 minutes.  In a bowl, mix the sugar and chocolate mixture, then add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in the flour and nuts (if using) until all is combined.  Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, checking often for doneness using a toothpick (when it comes out clean..its done!). 

As soon as you remove the brownies from the oven, spread an 8 oz. jar of marshmellow cream over the brownies.  Let cool completely.

Topping:
1 stick melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup evaporated milk (can use regular milk also)
1 box (or about 2 cups) powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

Sift the sugar and cocoa.  Mix with melted butter.  Add the rest of ingredients and mix until smooth.  Spread over the cooled brownies.