Bible Study and spiced chai mix

good morning beautiful ones!!!         I hope that today is as spectacular as yesterday was.         yesterday was a stellar day and I thank God for it.          I got a lot done in the house and then I got a lot done outside.          woohoo!!!!         it actually got up to about 73 or 74.        I could go for days like that everyday.       hahaha          but who couldn't, right.        anyway, we'll see what today brings and we'll enjoy this day too and thank God for it and thank Him for allowing us to be a part of such an amazing day.         I always say if my feet hits the floor of the morning, then that's a good day.       let's do all we can to make it a good day and enjoy it.        God is good all the time.      

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well, let's just go ahead and head to the kitchen for another segment of "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          I had been wanting to make this for the longest time.         I used to get a version of this at the amish store we used to visit, but since becoming a home body, I prefer to make as much from scratch as I can.         I had looked for something already made up, but the prices was unbelievable, so I said scrap that idea and set out to find the ingredients I needed.          I had gotten everything but the ground cardamom and once it finally arrived, I got everything together.

you can see the recipe on the side of the jar, and you can just use that as your starting place.        omit what you want to, add other ingredients if you want to.        I already know the next batch won't have the french vanilla coffee creamer and it may not have the regular creamer.        I don't know.         but if I need vanilla, I'll add real liquid vanilla when I make my cuppa.        this was just a hurried batch, but it's pretty good.       but I noticed I have more pain in my body this morning than I normally do and I've been finding out over the last few years that certain things causes inflammation.         those things will make any inflammation in my body worse.       so this morning I'm worse.

having said that, I'll use it another time or two and see what the results will be.        it may be a fluke or it may be a problem for me.           I was really hoping to get something figured out for this mix and maybe just leaving the coffee creamer out all together may be the remedy and put more powdered whole milk in it.        the jar is a quart and a half jar, so you can see how much the recipe makes.       I may cut the recipe down into a forth or a fifth of the recipe, just do a small batch, and see how that works for me.

I don't like to be wasteful at all and this may end up being a waste.       I sure hope not.        I was hoping that I would be able to put a spoon full in my morning chia and oat bowl, but I sure can't do that if it makes my body hurt.        

but remember, this is just a recipe, it's just a starting place for your creativity to kick in.        just put what ever you think you would like in it and go from there.         I hope if you try this or a form of this, that you'll let me know how you like it.

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picking up with 1 Kings Chapter 3.         Solomon is now king.        Solomon loved the Lord but he was sacrificing and burning incense in high places while he was building the house of the Lord.         the Lord told Solomon to ask for what he God to give him.          Solomon asked for wisdom to discern from right and wrong and good and evil.          this was very pleasing to God, so God gave Solomon what he asked for.         if we want to please God, let's ask for something that God wants to give us.        He is ready willing and able to give us wisdom to discern between good and evil.       God was pleased to give Solomon what he asked for and God also gave Solomon what he didn't ask for and that was riches and honor.        there would be no other, ever, as wealthy and as wise  and honorable as Solomon.       people came from all over the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon.         the house for the Lord was finished and Solomon held a feast at that time and dedicating it to the Lord.      Solomon was the greatest king on earth and all the other kings wanted his attention, to hear the things that God had put in his heart.       as with everyone else, all this notoriety went to his head and Solomon sinned against God.        why is this not surprising?          because we all sin.         we do.         we may not set out to sin, but when fame and fortune and notoriety come together, that's a good place for sin to fester and become a problem and it did for Solomon.         Solomon started worshiping the gods of his wives and building idols and places of worship for them.         God had told him that as long as he and his sons served God, He would make sure that an heir would always be on the throne.        since Solomon had strayed from God, God raised up adversaries and Solomon dealt with them till his death.      Solomon reigned for 40 years.

next time we pick up in1 Kings Chapter 12.

sin is always wrong.         no matter who we are and no matter rich we are and no matter the fame we have, sin will get us in trouble.          God wants to bless us, but He can't bless us while we are sinning against Him.        have we ever felt distant from God?          of course we have.          but it's never been because God has moved from us.         it's always because we have moved from God.        it truly is an eye-opener when we stop and think about how God told them all, that if they stayed close to Him, He would stay close to them.       and how many times do we them draw away from God?         every single time.         we just can't help ourselves.        if we stay close to God, He will stay close to us.        

Lord help me to stay close to you.       help me to not sin against You.         if and when I do sin against You, please help me to recognize if immediately and help me to repent of my sin quickly.       I want to always do the right thing, but when I fail, please help me quickly, to get back in right relationship with You.       amen and amen.

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I hope and pray that we all have a most wonderful today.          keep God first and foremost in all that we do.        may the Lord bless and keep us all today.        hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and freezer meals

good morning friends!!!          I hope you're up to having a great day today, because I just think it's gonna be a good one.         I know I already have quite a bit to keep me busy today and if I just get half of it done today, it'll keep me busy all day and I'll sleep like a baby tonight.        that's my hope anyway.  

it looks like there could be  rain in the future.          we can  always use it, so  I'll try to be happy about it.          hubby will probably work outside today tinkering in the garage.          I need to get some of his morning breakfasts made and in the freezer for the next few days.        I need to get my little kitchen composter going and get some more compost made.        I can't wait to add it to the store bought compost or even put a tablespoon or so in each container or pockets on containers.        we'll see how it turns out.        I started a "to do" list yesterday of things I need to get done with my gardening efforts and getting some seeds in my 2 hydroponics  units is at the top of the list.       I should have started this a month ago, but I didn't, now I'm regretting my decision to postpone it.       since I can only start 24 at a time, but I'll see what I can get done.         anyway, it looks like a busy full day.

as we move thru this day, lets remember to give God thanks for it.        every day I wake up is another opportunity to be a part of a day like no other day in history.       this day has never been had before by anyone at any time.       and it will never be back, when it's gone.        so lets make it a most spectacular day and enjoy it and spread the Good News to those around us.        you won't regret it and it just might change someone's life.         who knows, if might even change our own.       so lets make it a great day!!

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you know the drill, follow me to the kitchen for a quick "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          this week, I found myself with 3 boxes of soup, chili and chowder in the fridge.         I call these our fast food meals.          heat a bowl up and bam, a meal!!          it don't get much better than that.         plus I know what all the ingredients are as opposed the drive thru fast food junk.        this is all real food.    what you're looking at is chili with pork loin on the top (we eat that over a few corn chips, chicken corn chowder in the middle and veggie soup with chicken in the bottom.          it's all so good.        and the boxes was full.         so now there's about 2 meals apiece in each large container.          and if for some reason I see we're not gonna get these eaten within a couple of days, I'll make another small box and put it in the freezer for later.

my main issue is that there was too much.           so much so, that I would lose some of it before we ate it all.        while I love having good and healthy, to heat up quick meals, I do love fixing other stuff when I feel like it.         I keep a fridge stocked with all kinds of good healthy stuff.         salad fixings, sourdough bread and good meats and cheeses for paninis, tortilla wraps meat and cheese that I pop in the air fryer and just stuff like that.      fish and shrimp and potato and sweet potato cubes and the list goes on.         when I do some of the other stuff I just mentioned, the food in the boxes gets ignored and it can go bad.

this morning, I was contemplating that.         I got out the boxes from lunch meat that I've saved, I call it my fancy tupperware, and started putting in each box about what a meal for 2 of us would be.        so, as of this very moment, I have "6 tv dinners" in the freezer for us.         hahaha         they are better than any tv dinner out there. 

I will be doing this more  often and I may do some smaller containers so I can take some to Momma too.          I just have to figure what she will like.        her taste buds have changed and we don't like the same things anymore.        but that's ok, if she don't like and don't want it, it just means more for my husband.         hahaha        

anyway, I hope this gives you some ideas on how to be thrifty and put freezer meals aside for a busy night.         I know for sure, I'll be doing more and looking for more easy one pot meals like these.       if you have a favorite, share it with me in the comments.

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so lets pick up at 2 Samuel Chapter 16.         sin is never good.         Absalom schemes to kill his father David.         good advice is ignored so that in order for the Lord to bring disaster on Absalom.       it's always a bad thing  to turn your  back on good  advice and  Absalom did, which  lead to his ultimate death.          David mourns the death of his son.       David spoke the words of the song to the Lord, about God being his rock and fortress and deliverer.         if you really want a good word study,  search out what each of the words mean in reference to God.       it is awesome!!!        my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge are other great word studies to do.        it's really eye opening about who God is and what He really means to us and for us.       David sang a beautiful song about who God was to him and He's that same God for us.         Solomon is anointed king.       David told Solomon to be strong and prove himself to be a man, to walk in God's ways and keep His statutes and commandments according to what's written in the Law of Moses.           there was some unfinished business that Solomon took care of.           he had Adonijah and Joab killed.        cleaning house, so to speak.        

can you relate to sin?         sure you can, we all can.         none of us are immune to sin.       we make the choice with every action and or reaction, as to whether we sin or not.       sin always causes chaos.         that's what we can  plainly see in all that we just got thru looking at.        God is not the author of chaos.         when we follow His will, we will be at peace in our lives.      we won't be looking for ways to strike out and hurt others.           it's a struggle at best, but God promises to be with us thru all of our struggles and He will provide for us.          I keep reminding myself this as I see how this country today, has fallen victim to all the heinous crimes by politicians and people in high places and all the evil and wicked stuff that's going on.       we are living in chaotic times and we can be rest assured that God is not the author of chaos!!!        the enemy is!!!!       but we also know that the enemy loses and he's on his way to an eternity in hell right now and he'll take some of the politicians with him.        he's just trying to cause as much turmoil as he can before Jesus comes back again.       but the enemy's days are numbered.       just like some of those who had done harm while David was still king and he told Solomon to exact revenge and Solomon did.      

next time we pick up at 1 Kings Chapter 3.

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is sin worth it?         I think at some point in time, we all have to ask and answer that question.        the answer will determine our future.         we're human and we'll sin as long as we're in these earth suits.    but we don't have wallow in sin.        we don't have to stay in sin.        God has provided a way for us to be in right relationship with Him and that's thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.         I hope and pray that you know Him as your personal Lord and Savior.        having security thru Christ is the best gift that God could give us or has given us.        if you know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you have eternal life!!!        blessings of mercy and grace be yours today.          hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and my breakfast jars

good morning y'all!!!         I hope you are doing well today.        the sun is shining this morning and it make me wonder if old Punx Phil seen his shadow today.       I say we put too much weight in what a groundhog predicts.       hahahaha        but then again, what do I know.         well, I know that the weather is gonna be what the weather is gonna be, with or without a groundhog.         but I have found that the groundhog is better at predicting weather than most of the weather apps for the phone.       my apps lie to me all the time.         in fact, I call them little liars.         hahahaha        it doesn't hurt their feelings at all, but it makes me feel a little better.        hahahaha          we are supposed to be getting some more rain sometime this week.         we'll have to wait and see.         it's feeling like early spring, but it's still very much winter.        I hope all the trees remember that it's still winter, especially the fruit trees.       oh well, we'll see what happens and just realize that God knows what He's doing, us not so much.         so, let's make today a good day, with it's still today.        sounds like a plan.

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ok, hop to it, you know the drill.        hahahaha        join me in the kitchen for a quick "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".         this is a quick look at what I have for breakfast every morning.        I've been eating this every morning for several years and it just suits me.         there isn't really a recipe, just all the things that I like and a lot of things that are really good for me.  

you can see the oats, then there is peanut butter powder with ground flax on top of that, chia seeds with powdered cranberries on top and crushed stevia on top of that, ginger, real vanilla and then a bag of ginger turmeric shots.        I mix all that together and it's just the flavor I love and all the benefits from all the good stuff in it. 

the stevia I grew and dehydrated the leaves and crushed them.            the cranberries, I dehydrated them and powdered them with some oranges that I also dehydrated.           the cranberry and citrus flavor is something I love.          I also grind my own flax seeds.         I keep that jar in the fridge with ground flax seed all the time.         it's easy to grind them plus it's a whole lot cheaper to grind them than to buy flax meal.          most of the time the flax meal is already rancid.        so that's why I grind it myself.        also if you use flax seed whole, you don't get any of the benefits from the flax seed.         it has to be crushed or ground for the body to absorb the nutrients from the flax seeds.

I mix it with as much water as it takes to get it stirred up real good.         I make 10 of these jars at a time and keep them in the fridge.           every morning I'll take one out and put about 2 tablespoons of coconut milk in and stir it up real good.          the coconut milk will give it a creaminess that I really like too.          this is a breakfast that will keep me going for hours and not get hungry.          plus is also a good breakfast to keep me regular too.         

you can add as little or as much of any ingredient as you want.          you can omit or add anything that you want to add.         it's just a matter of finding what really does your taste buds good.         this is the combo that works with me, but it  may evolve or change with the next batch I make.        it's really good.           give it a try, you may love it too, or do your own version.

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today we pick up at 2 Samuel Chapter 2.         David has been a man after God's own heart.      David lusting after another mans wife lead to murder and blood shed, by David.         David had done evil in the eyes of the Lord.      God reminded David, thru the prophet Nathan, all the things that God had for David and would have continued to bless David.        but he done this heinous thing.        David recognized his sin against God and told him that God would let David live, but the child of his Bathsheba would die.        sin always has a hefty price.        sometimes we see the price, sometimes we don't see the price.       but sin always comes with a hefty price tag.       sin just keeps happening and it was found out.      when others take revenge in their own hands, it's always bad.       but sin has to be dealt with.        it's sad to say, but people have always been ready willing and able to do the wrong thing and we see a lot that happening right here.        brother against brother.     son against father.      and none of it's good.         evil happens when we shut God out of our decision making.    as a matter of fact, we've been seeing a lot that here lately.        but even now, God will exact His revenge.        we just have trust that and make sure that we are not part of the problem against God.        as my husband always says, "people gonna be people".          we just have to make sure that we are God fearing people.

well pick up next time at 2 Samuel Chapter 16.

you know what, we sin.       we all sin.         every day, we sin.        we even choose to sin.       sometimes we set the stage for generational sin, that just keeps happening.        we have the power, with God's help to break those generational sin habits.        but we have to want it.         God still is waiting to help us just as He helped David and his family.        we just have to call on God to help us.       He will.   

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I pray that we all have a wonderful day today.     let's keep God first place in all we do.        enjoy the sunshine today if at all possible.        may mercy, grace and peace be ours today.         

hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and note to self

good morning beautiful friends.       Happy February 1st!!!!!        do you feel like me and wonder where January went?       well, I know for a fact that I experienced every day of January because I have proof of it right here on my blog.       hahahaha       I hope you had a restful night of sleep and that you hit the floor with a bounce in your step and ready to make the most of a good day.         it looks like it could be another wet day today, but we'll see.        yesterday our temps reached 65 degrees.         woohoo, happy dance, short sleeves, flip flops...........well, maybe not just yet, but someday soon.        hahahaha         I always get a little carried away.        it would have been a good day to work outside for a bit, but I still had a lot to do in the house, so I was in and out every once in a while, but you know what, it still felt cool.       but it felt so good.       just a hint of good stuff to come for sure.

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today we start at 2 Samuel Chapter 1.       David learns of Saul and Jonathans deaths.       Sauls family made war with Davids family.  the fighting continued as David got stronger and Sauls family got weaker.       after much  fighting and  warring and killing, David  was finally made king over all of Israel.     sometimes, it may take a while for God's plan to unfold where we can see fully what's happening, just as it did with David.        God wanted David as His servant and him anointed with oil at an early age and it took years for him to finally be in the position of king.       David finally got the Ark home.         David wanted to build a house for the Ark, but the Lord said a descendent of Davids would build the house for the Ark.        every army that David fought, God gave David victory.          David showed compassion to Jonathans disabled son and he ate at the kings table regularly.       David continually found favor in the eyes of God.        he was successful in all his battles.        God was with David.          we can be sure that God will continue to be us too.        He hasn't called us to be David or any other bible figure we read about in scripture.         He has called us to be us, and to trust Him and let Him guide us in our life long journey.         sometimes it's hard.        most of the time it's hard, but I just keep praying that God will continue to help me along my journey and He has never failed me yet.      praise His holy name!!!!!!!

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sometimes we need a different perspective on how to view things.          a few years ago I was having a particularly tough time.        I had started to question everything I thought I knew and understood about just about everything.        looking back was hard to do, looking forward was even harder to do.        at times I thought the sin of yesterday is where I would rather be, than in the unknown of today.        I wasn't good enough for the days in which I was living.          so I kept looking back and longing for the "familiar known".          I didn't feel like I had a place in the "unfamiliar unknown".        it was a difficult spot to be in.        I couldn't go backward and I couldn't move forward.         I finally decided I needed to spend a lot of time in prayer and I did just that.

it was during that time that I realized going back to yesterday was not an option.         going back to the egypt of my sin was not an option.        it took a while for that to sink in.       as I was dealing with all this, one of my friends told me to write myself a short note or a letter.        and tell myself anything that I wanted to tell myself and to be prayerful about the letter to myself.      I thought, easy peasy.       well, it wasn't.        

we was out driving around one day in the country and I seen a cow that was straining for some grass on the other side of the fence.         that was just a split second image, but it resonated with me, big time!!!

as I prayed about that image in my head, I asked God what the significance of that image was.        about that time, I was doing my bible reading and was reading about how Moses had led God's people out of egypt and at every turn, they were wanting to go back to egypt, to the sin they knew, instead of blazing trails thru the unknown that lay ahead of them.        they didn't trust God, they wanted to return to egypt.

as I studied about that and prayed about that, I realized that was exactly what I had been doing.       I was ready to go back to egypt.       it was known and easier.       after coming to grips with all this, I finally said ok, Lord, help me write a note or letter to me that will be a reminder that looking back and desiring what is behind me is not an option.       because I've been called out and set apart for something better than the past.       and sometimes we don't see things how they really were or are.        we have to take the step of faith and look thru the eyes of God.        it was then, that I wrote this letter to me.        it has been a reminder for me the last 15 to 20 years, that looking back is not an option.      face forward, shoulders back, marching boots on, I push thru with God making the way thru the "unfamiliar unknown" that lay ahead of me.       

this is the original post it notes that I wrote it on and I put on my computer area so that I could see and read it each and every day.      I've been looking at it all these years and thanking God that I don't have to do anything alone.         He knows it all, He sees my future, He's already there.           as a result, I have learned to even love the person I was, because were it not for her, I wouldn't be the person I am.        praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!!!!          

do you need to write yourself a post it note letter?        if so, do it.        ask God to help you, He will.        ask Him to open your eyes about what you need to see for yourself and about yourself.       you may be surprised like I was, to find that the green grass has just been spray painted and it's not real, it's not nourishing, and it's not conducive to growth in the Lord.         push thru the hard stuff with the Lord's help.       

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well, that wasn't easy to write at all, but it was worth it.        sometimes I forget and need to remember that yesterday is just that, yesterday.        all I have is right now, in the moment and why would I want to waste a fresh day by wanting to revisit the very thing that kept me from God?       I hope and pray that with the prompting of the Holy spirit, we can see that the future is good.       anywhere God is, that's where I want to be.       I hope you want to be where God is too.      let's give all those old desires to God and ask Him to replace them with the fresh new desire to follow Him into this new day, praising Him for it.        blessings of faith, peace and hope be yours today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and cornbread swirls

good morning my beautiful friends.          it rained all day yesterday and most of the night.        looks like we'll have a little more rain today.        we needed it, so that's good.       I don't know what the day will bring yet, but I'm happy to be a part of it.        I hope you are too.       I hope we are able to get out and get our walk in sometime today.         that will perk both of us up and we need perking.      hahaha    I hope you all have a wonderful day.        

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this is what I spent the day doing the other day.        let's do a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".      getting my cornbread stash built back up.         if I can, I may try to get another couple of batches done tomorrow.         we love having these in the freezer at all times.        this is another way I get to use bread machine.         I put all the ingredients in and let it do all the hard work for me.

all I have to do is take a few out and put them on a baking sheet and let them thaw and then pop them in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.       I just bake them till done.         then when we're ready to have one with a meal, I'll pop it it in the toaster oven while I'm using the air fryer to cook or heat something else us.        it works like a dream.   

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picking up in 1 Samuel Chapter 26,  we pick up with Saul on the hunt for David once again.        David knew that God would take care of Saul at the appropriate time, just like God had been taking care of David and sparing him from the wrath of Saul.      David respected the fact the Saul was God's anointed king.       he could have killed Saul again, but he chose not to.       now Saul is looking for David again.  he went searching for a medium and called for Samuel from the grave and Samuel gave him a word he didn't want to get and that was the next day Saul and his sons would be with him, dead.      

we pick up in 2 Samuel Chapter 1 next time.

Saul had sinned against God and the Holy Spirit left Saul and he had evil thoughts towards David.        we see where sin gets us.        it's never good, although God can use what we've done or been thru for His good.      if we can tell others where we've been and what we've seen and done when we was wandering in sin, then that can be used for God's glory.         to show what God can do when we let Him.         but this wasn't the case with Saul.        Saul just couldn't get past his jealousy of David.      at any rate, because of the sin that Saul had committed, God allowed him and his sons to be killed.      

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well, that's about all I have today.          I hope and pray that you all have a wonderful day and let's keep God first place in all that we do.       blessings of joy, peace and grace be ours today.      hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and sweet potatoes from start to freezer

good morning beautiful friends.          I hope and pray that we are all ready to have a great day today.      the sun isn't shining and we're probably gonna get some rain.          it got up to 59 degrees yesterday, and we loved it.        my hubby worked out in the garage and I worked inside, but I was out and in every once in a while.         I think it's gonna rain today, but that's ok, we can use the rain.        if for no other reason, to get all the salt washed off the roads.         we're hoping to go see Momma this morning and get back home before  the rain  starts.       maybe even  get out  walk in for the  day before the rain starts too.         sometime this afternoon I'll have to get my yogurt in the fridge to cool down and then strain it to make greek yogurt.       I'll save the whey for the next batch.       if you've never made homemade yogurt before, I'd suggest giving it a try.         if I can  remember, I'll do a picture tutorial on it sometime.         keep an eye out for it.

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guess where we are today?           you guessed it, in the kitchen with another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          pull up a chair and grab a cuppa, because there's a lot going on in here today.          so I needed to make another batch of my diced sweet potatoes with onions and garlic.         so I got out my peeler and composter bucket.

the little gizmo on the left is a starfrit peeler from amazon.        it's a great little gizmo, but these sweet potatoes are difficult to peel at best.         it makes no difference where I get sweet potatoes, they're all kinda shriveled up and this peeler doesn't like that at all.         but I finally got it done.      on the right side is my compost bucket.         so I was doing it right.        hahahaha

as I peeled the potatoes, I dropped them in a bow of water.            you can see the pile of peels.         as it was peeling, I was picking the piles up and breaking them into smaller pieces and putting them in my compost bucker.          in the past, all this just went in the trach can.         not anymore.       woohoo!!!   

I got them all chopped up and used all the ingredients on the left hand side of the bowl.          I had previously dehydrated the garlic and onion just for this purpose.         and my dehydrated onion and garlic work perfectly in this dish.         for the ingredients, I used about a tablespoon of avocado oil, a good grid of pink salt, a dash of black pepper and about a palm full of both the garlic and the onion.      a quick stir and it will be ready for the baking sheet.

this is a close up of what it all looks like before I mix it all together.

this is the closed up of my onions and garlic.          since this will be the permanent homes of these ingredients, I need to make a couple of labels for each jar.       one for each lid and one for the side of each jar.          these garlic jars work perfectly for this project. 

this is the potatoes all mixed up and spread out on my baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

pop in the oven on 400 degrees for45 minutes or more, just depending on what you like and this is what you get.           we love all the dark crispy bits.         it is soooooooo yummy!!!!!             these sweet potatoes taste like candy, only better.           that's no joke!!!

I let them cool and then scoop them up and into flip top sandwich bags.

then get the bags shaped up a little and flip the top on them and....... 

then they are ready to go in a vac seal bag and into the freezer.         I don't do a hard vacuum on them because I don't want to squish them and I don't want it to be a solid block when I get ready to take a bag out and put it in the air fryer later.          this is where the magic happens.           they get crispy on the outside and stay like candy on the inside.          these are wonderful.          next on the agenda is to do some russets for my husband.         those are his favorites.          I hope you will give this a try.        when I went shopping the other day, I got a lot more potatoes, some of each and they will be prepared this was exactly and then I'll have easy potatoes any time we want them.           I'm thinking the next time, I'll flash freeze them on the baking sheet and then be able to scoop out some without having to thaw them a little first.         that will make it easier and quicker to toss in the air fryer.        yay!!!

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so we pick up in 1 Samuel Chapter 16.           God is ready to anoint a new king.           His spirit has totally left Saul now and he is overcome with an evil spirit every once in a while.        God tells Samuel to go to Jesse and he will find the new king among his sons.        David was the one that God had chosen for Samuel to anoint.          David fought Goliath with what he knew.        he knew how to handle a sling shot and he also knew that the hand of God that had protected him against a lion and a bear, would also protect him from this giant.        when we trust God with what we know and with what have, then we can count on success.        what David knew is that the God of Israel was faithful and David knew how to use a sling shot.      God gave David the success.         Jonathan and David became friends.       Saul became suspicious of David and turned against him.       David had done nothing to cause Saul to be suspicious.        he was jealous.        jealousy causes a lot of problems and always has, always will.    Saul knew that Lord was with David and he was afraid of David.        David was more successful in battle than Saul was.         Jonathan told David that Saul wanted him dead.         jealousy causes people to do or try to do desperate things.      the God of the Israelites was with David thru it all.       Saul wanted David dead, but God had other plans.        do we walk closely enough with God so that the plans of others that are to do us harm can't happen?        I pray that I do.        I pray that God will protect me in spite of myself and how I get in God's way.       

next time we pick up at 1 Samuel Chapter 26.

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well, that's about it for today.        we'll have to wait and see how the day turns out.        but I know that as long as we keep God in our lives, it will be a good day.         let's try to trust God with everything in our lives.       blessings to you all today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and air fryer roll-ups

good morning one and all.         it looks like it's shaping up to be a beautiful day.         I think today is a good day to have a good day.          hahahaha          that was the tag of a lady in an online group that I used to be in.          I liked it then and I still like it now.          because it's true.          it implies that we are in charge of our actions and reactions that will determine if it's a good day or not.          we can't control the weather, but can control how we act or react to it.        so I'm still looking forward to spring.        I'll probably get some plants started friday or saturday in my hydroponics.          I'm really looking forward to that.       

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this has gotten to be one of our favorite fast food meals.          join me in the kitchen for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" and I'll share this with you.         it just might become your favorite too.

what you see are the ingredients in this quick to put together and quick to cook meal.           all of it came from aldi except the cavanders greek seasoning.        I'll get out 4 of the whole wheat tortillas and put about a half tablespoon of hone mustard sauce on the front half of the tortilla closest to me.       then I'll sprinkle a dab of greek seasoning, put down my 2 slices of roasted chicken lunch meat and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese that has been broken in two.

I'll bet it all carefully rolled up, ending with the seam on the bottom side and putting it in the air fryer with that overlap on the bottom.

I'll get all four in the air fryer and set it to 400 degrees for 15 minutes and the outside is perfectly crunchy and the cheese is melted and running from the ends.       just perfect!!

then when they get done, I try to remember to take a pic before I get the plates fixed, but I forgot.       so I put 2 back in and took a pic.         hahaha          I keep trying to get everything right, right off the the bat.         but I forget to get pics.          I keep trying though, so that should count for something.    hahahaha 

we absolutely love these.          we'll have a few potato chips and 2 of these and it's a great, easy, fast meal.         and easy cleanup.        all I have to do is toss the air fryer liner.        the natural oils cooks out of the cheese.         and that's what you see on the air fryer liner.          these are a big help.       I get them from amazon and the price is pretty good.          even before I started getting these, I would use parchment paper in my air fryer.        you just want to make sure that what ever you're cooking will hold it down.         if it flies up and get's caught in the burner, it could start a fire.         so be careful with stuff like that.        but these were heavy enough that they was ok.         I hope you give these a try sometime.  your taste buds will thank you.

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picking up in 1 Samuel Chapter 9, we meet Saul.         he was handsome and head and shoulders taller than anyone else.       Saul was the chosen one to be king.       when the people seen him, they said long live the king.         they seen with their eyes and not their heart.       they wanted a king, God wanted to be their king, but they didn't want God.        so, God gave them what they wanted.        be careful of what you ask for.       Samuel once again reminds them of God's faithfulness in bringing them out from egypt and being with them to that very moment.         he reminded them of the many times that they worshiped  the gods of the  pagans and now  wanted a king and  Saul was to be anointed king over them.         Samuel reminded them the Lord their God was their king, but they wanted a king like the pagans had.        so God has given them what they wanted.          Samuel is warning them against rebelling, which they have been famous for in the past.        

why do we rebel, even when we get what we want?         because we don't know what's good for us.        ever rebel against your parent when they said no to something they knew was harmful to you, or could be harmful.        I'll bet every one of us did at some time or another and then we lived with the consequences.       I'll have to say that I'm so thankful to God for His watch care and protection even when I didn't know He was caring for me.       He spared me lots of heartache and I can see that now, from my perspective of looking back over my life.         I don't know why He chose to love me like He did, but I'm so thankful He did.     

Samuel showed them that they had done an evil and wicked thing by asking for a king.        when they seen the power of God, they wanted Samuel to pray for them, that the Lord would not kill them.      Samuel told them to fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all their heart.        I would have to say that this sounds like a great plan for our lives from this moment on.      

it's not long till their king takes Samuels roll into his own hands and offers a burnt offering, sinning greatly against God.         Samuel told Saul how foolishly he acted.         we do act foolishly at times especially when we think more highly of ourselves than we should.        king or no king, God had not given him the position of prophet.         Saul continues to disobey the Lord and He regrets making Saul king.         Samuel keeps intervening between God and Samuel.        Samuel told Saul that Lord is more pleased with obedience than He is with sacrifices.        same holds true today.       our obedience to the Lord is much more important that any of the works that we can do.        sometimes, our obedience may involve us working, but obedience always comes first.        our works are as filthy rags compared to our obedience.          when we accept Christ as our Savior, that is obedience.       staying so busy in our lives that we don't hear the call of the Lord over the busyness, that's works, or sacrifices.         Christ is the ONLY sacrifice that matters!!!          Saul had sinned greatly and he had fallen out of favor.        Samuel continued to pray for Saul.

next we pick up at 1 Samuel Chapter 16.

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I hope and pray that we all have a blessed day today.          I pray that everything we do represents God in every way.          I pray that we can get rid of the idols in our lives, whatever they may be.         Christ is who we should be worshiping.         no other people, no things, just Christ.         live a set apart life and don't do as the culture does.         culture changes, God doesn't.        blessings of strength to stand firm, peace and mercy be ours today.           hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and more garden gold

good morning wonderful people.          it's another cold in my neck of the woods this morning.        we donned our winter clothes and made our morning walk and it sure was s chilly one.        so happy to be back home, warm and sipping our morning coffee.        I hope I can remember to come back here this summer when it's above 100 degrees and read some of how I complained about it being so cold.       oh, I'll  forget all about it being cold and complain anyway.          after all, I'm just a human and we've seen since Jan 1 how the people of God have a always complained.         so I'm no different.       but I'll try not to complain too much.       I am still looking forward to getting some seeds started soon.        that's what makes gardening and the thoughts of it become real to me.        I hope you have something to look forward also.       new life on the "deck-stead", that's what I'm looking forward too.    hahahaha       I think I  may have just created a new word.       "deck-stead", remember, you seen it here first!!!  

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let's go do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          I really love turning what I used to put in the trash, into compost.          it's so easy to save everything that I would have thrown away.         this batch had more egg shells in it and you can see them as the white specks in the compost and also on the side of the bucket.        this pic looks really weird, like an oddball eye or something, but I took it aiming down inside the bucket and this is as good as I could get.         everything looked weird.        

this batch had egg shells, coffee grounds, coffee filter, paper towel, orange peels and lots of veggie scraps from getting together all the fixings for our salads.        and and all scraps go in the bucket.       it's such a win win for now and I'm so excited to be able to get free compost from my own kitchen scraps.  

the only thing that I haven't put in it yet and I don't see me ever putting in it is meat, meat scraps or meat fat or oils of any kind.          I just don't want to attract the wrong kind of critters to my garden.         I don't know the meats and meat scraps would process.          but I think I'll probably be making bone meal with any bones that I make bone broth with.          when I make bone broth, I'll cook the bones for about 8 or 10 hours  in my epc and then the bones are very soft.  you can crumble them in your fingers easily.

so I don't know if this is anything that would interest you or not, but if it does, I would encourage you to go for it.        I love salvaging stuff from my trash and turning it into garden gold.         I love it!!!

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picking up in 1 Samuel Chapter 3 and we see this is where Samuel gets the call from God to be a prophet while he was still just a boy.         the books of Samuel are filled with many fascinating stories of how God provides for His people.        He will not be mocked.         none of the pagan gods are even a slight match for the I AM THAT I AM.          we need to remember that today.          the promises of God for them, still holds true for us today.        when we seek to serve Him, he will bless our efforts.  every time.         the ark of the Lord was holy and not to be messed with.         they had not handled it with the respect and the way God had told them to handle it and He killed over 50 thousand people for opening and looking into the ark.         Samuel was now a grown man and serving the Lord in his prophet role and spoke to the people telling them if they were returning to the Lord with their whole heart, they needed to get rig of all the pagan gods.       are we willing to get rid of our pagan gods?        are we still gonna worship actors apers mimickers, singers, sports figures and politicians as our pagan gods?         if so, then we will stay on the slippery down hill slide to destruction.        the word Ebenezer, or rock of help, comes from Chapter 7.        do a  word study  on it and find out just how rich and deep the word is.        is God our rock, stone of help?           at one point in time, during the bible reading, God told the people, "when you want a king.......".          God already knew that they would want what the other countries had.       they all had kings.        Israel had God, but they  wanted a king.         God wanted to be their king.       we  sometime refer  to Jesus as King  Jesus, in  my mind, that's why.        He is our King.         and God wanted to be the King of Israel.        God reminded Samuel that they had not rejected him, but they had rejected God.        the same holds true today.        if you're witnessing to someone and they reject Jesus, they're rejecting you, they're rejecting King Jesus, which has far worse end results.        I'd rather someone reject me and accept Christ, than to reject Christ.       they're eternity is in the balance.        this is what God was telling Samuel.       be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.         

we'll pick up in 1 Samuel Chapter 9 next time.

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I hope everyone has a most glorious day today.       remember that when we up, we are facing a wonderful gift to used up and spent wisely.        how will you spend your day today?        how will I spend my day?       I pray we all make good decisions.          blessings on your day!!         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and chicken corn chowder

good morning my friends.           I pray that we all had a restful night of sleep and ready to face the new day ahead of us.         I look forward to another warm, sunshiny day.         the temps finally got warm enough yesterday to melt a blob of icy snow that had been in the shade by our deck ever since the first snow in early january.        we kept watching it and it did get snowed on one other time, but figured it was hanging on for a few more inches.          no doubt, we'll have some more snow.        hopefully it will be later on, so it won't hang around for a month.         I am looking forward to getting some seeds started for my container garden.        maybe by the end of the week of the first of next week.         I'll try to remember to take pics.

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it's time to crack out the electric pressure cooker again.          also time for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".             we love to keep chicken corn chowder in the fridge.           it's one of our favorite fast foods that I like to have on hand.           it just takes about 30 minutes in the epc and then time to get some of the cheesy ingredients mixed into it after it's cooked.         it is fabulous!!!!!!

I really wish you could smell this right now, you'd be hooked just by smelling it.          it's dynamite!!!

we both love it and I know you would too.        this is what I consider our fast food.      I always have a homemade cornbread swirl to go with the chicken corn chowder.          the combo is the perfect meal for us.        I hope you try it sometime.     I think the recipe is on here somewhere, just look for chicken corn chowder and it should pop up.

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picking up in Judges Chapter 19 and the Levites are still without a leader and they are still constantly sinning against God.       evil and wickedness has been in every generations since the beginning of time and it's still here in all it's evil and wicked fashion.          God helped the collective men of Israel have revenge for an evil and wicked act.        when God is in it, success is at hand.        there was still no and everyone was doing right in their own eyes.        they were not doing what was right in the eyes of God.

next we come to the book of Ruth and they still had judges and no king.          the story of Ruth is a beautiful story of redemption.         it is just one of the resemblances of the redemption of Christ in the Old Testament.        a very special picture of what real love looks like.         and in this chapter, the lineage of David is shared. 

now we go into the first book of Samuel.        to have the boldness and faith of Hannah!!!!!        

I hope and pray that God is revealing to your heart, all that He wishes to.         we are living in evil and wicked days today and I see that no matter the time in which we live, God wants our heart, our love and worship and He wants to give us everything He has.       just imagine an eternity with Him.      I hope and pray that's what we're all striving for.       I don't understand everything I read in the bible, why this happened or why that happened, but I do know that God provided for me, the perfect sacrifice, in His Son, Jesus Christ who is my Redeemer.       I don't know why He done that, but I'm forever grateful that He did!!!!

we will continue with 1 Samuel 3 next time.

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well, I guess this is where we will call it quits today.          I hope and pray that we all have a great day and that we remember to keep God first place in all that we do.          blessings of grace and mercy be ours today.          hugs and love, patty 

Bible Study and pork loin in the epc

good morning my friends, from my thawed out neck of the woods.         woohoo!!!!         yesterday it got up to 52 degrees!!!!!           that's the warmest it's been all year!!      I hope that's a new trend for us for a little bit anyway.        it's still very much winter, but those nice days give us a taste of what can be and hopefully, will be in the near future.        I was bust in the kitchen of the day yesterday and you will be reading all about it at some point in time.        I hope that I can maintain the pace of posting daily, at least for the foreseeable future.       it's been hard to keep the pace up, but I'll try to keep at it.       it's been good for me to get back in to my blog like I have.        and I do believe that commenting about my Bible Study is what's helping to stay the course, for now anyway.       we'll see, but for now I am enjoying it and I hope y'all are too.      

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so yesterday was aldi day.          I made my weekly pilgrimage to aldi and got the necessities and while I'm it, I always like pick up something that's not quite a necessity, if the money is available.          so join me for a quick "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" and I'll tell you about it.        one of the thing I like to pick up if I'm not in need of a lot of usual stuff is a pkg of meat.        

this time I got a pkg of pork loin.        it had 2 good sized pieces in the pkg.         so I diced and an onion and put a a couple of tablespoons of garlic in the electric pressure cooker (epc), added the 2 pieces of pork loin and last but not least, I opened my can of cranberry sauce and just slid it in along with about a quarter cup of water.         I set the epc for an hour and 30 minutes and forgot about it.

before I put the pork loin in the epc, I did trim all the fat and hard connective tissue from the meat.        I just didn't want that to deal with after the rest of it was fall apart tender.

once it was done, I let it cool off before I tried to handle it because I knew it was fall apart tender.      once it was cool enough, I scooped out the 2 pieces of pork loin and put them in my largest lock and lock container, along with all the gravy that was made and popped them in the fridge for the night.

today, I got it from the fridge and started portioning it out to put in the freezer for quick meals later on and I couldn't be more pleased.            the pics is of what it looked like once it was cooked and divvied up this morning.       I just didn't think to get pics before and during, only after.         one of these days, I'll remember what I need to remember and get pics, start to finish of something.

when I started divvying the meat up, I would take a chunk with tongs and then use my kitchen shears to cut it up.          we don't like long pieces of stringy meat, no matter how tender it is.        so I cut this up and it will be perfect for however I decide to use it.          you can see 3 of those containers have the broth/gravy over them and 1 of them doesn't.          the 3 with the broth/gravy went to freezer camp and the other one went on our salads for lunch and it was a meal fit for the golden age we now live in.        if ya know ya know.         but it really was great on the salad.         so, if you see pork loins and have a can of cranberry sauce, you to can make this and enjoy some now and some later.         I love having this in the freezer for pretty quick meals.          I know one batch will be put over rice.        if you try something like this, I sure would love to know about it.          I love having some quick freezer meals ready and waiting and I know you would too.

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today we pick up at Judges Chapter 9.        we see nothing, if we don't see that Israel has fallen away from God again.        sometimes we see that it's easy to make the wrong decision.         I hope and pray that I never make the wrong decision that costs 70 people their lives.        some people are just evil and wicked to the bone and Abimelech was.         but he didn't get away with it, God always exacts revenge and He did with Abimelech.          the Israelites was eager to serve every god in the land except the One True God!!!         why is that?        I guess that's the age old question.        judge after judge came and died and after each ones death, they served other gods.          then the anger of the Lord burns against them and He lets them be sold into slavery.         they cry out to God and said they had sinned by serving other gods and God told them to cry out to the gods they had been worshiping and let them save you.   they cried out once again and said that we have sinned, do to us what ever you please, just save us.      they got rid of all the foreign gods and God could no longer look upon their misery.       time and time again, we see that the Israelites done evil in the sight of the Lord.        this particular time He turned them over to the Philistines for 40 years.        then along comes Samson.        Samson was deceived by his wife.       with that deception came great destruction.         then there's Micah.        one of the questions that remains for me, is why is it so hard for us to remain faithful to the One has forever been faithful to His people?          why are we so eager to turn out backs on the Lord?        

I'm no better than they are, truly I'm not.         because I do the same thing!!!!         I do!!!!        we all do, we all have, and we will all continue to betray the Lord at every turn because the devil is cunning, sly and wicked and he knows we are weak.        Lord, help me to be strong and trust in You only!!!!        fight the devil for me Lord, because I can't fight him, but I know You can!!!       I want to serve You wholeheartedly, that is my desire.       please help me Lord!!!

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I hope and pray that you have a blessed day today and that you know that God is the reason, the only reason you got to be a part of this day.       blessings of joy, peace and mercy be yours today.         hugs and love, patty

Bible Study and fried green tomatoes, yum!!!

good morning my beautiful friends.            the sun is shing this morning and it's a beautiful sight.        I love seeing the sun shine.         it just does something good for my soul.        when I got up this morning it was 21 degrees outside, but guess what?          weather bug said it was 30 degrees!!       weather bug is a little liar and it keeps on lying.         this is what caused me to lose all my seed starts last year.         I haven't started any seeds yet, but I will not be trusting weather bug with my starts this year.       I am looking forward to getting my seeds started and getting my garden growing.         I peeked under the 2 frost covers I have over my mr stacky with my onions and garlic and they are doing good right now.      I just keep praying that God will bless them and that I actually have a good crop of onions and garlic this year, we'll see.       I am looking forward to garden season this year.         I hope y'all are too.        it's a great  way to keep  my mind  occupied with good thoughts and just trusting the Lord to bless my efforts.        let's make it a great day today by thanking God for the gift of life in this moment and move forward with this spectacular day.       

Thank You God for blessing me with the gift of life today!!        I pray that you will help me to use this allotted  day well  and that I can serve You in it.      bless all those who bless others today.      amen

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guess what was for lunch????       go ahead and guess.        while you're guessing, let's get ready and go to the kitchen for another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".     

as the pkg says, this was green tomatoes that I breaded back in 2022.       you can see the date.          I preheated the air fryer and while the air fryer was preheating, I sprayed both sides of the green tomatoes with avocado oil.        once the air fryer was preheated good, I sprayed the air fryer tray with avocado oil and then I put the battered green tomatoes in the air fryer, set on 400 for 15 minutes.       

at about 10 minutes, I flipped the tomatoes for another 10 minutes to get the other sides of the tomatoes cooked too.         it is important to preheat and also spray the insert with oil.      then also spray both sides of the frozen green tomatoes.        that is important.  

this is what they looked like after about 20 minutes and I must say they were delicious today, especially with the temps well below freezing.        it was awesome to have a summer treat right here during the arctic blast.         I look forward to putting more of these in my freezer this year.

so, if you have green tomatoes, go for it.      there is all kinds of different batters that can be used.      the best one for us is cornmeal, salt and flour.         shake them in this mix and then wrap them in freezer paper and label and date and you're set for some wonderful eats.         and they seem to taste better this time of year.         I hope you give it a try.

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going into Judges Chapter 1 we see the battle for the land continues.       as long as the Israelites remain faithful to God, He will give them victory.          He gave them victory over a particularly cruel king by giving payback to him exactly as he had done to 70 other kings.       this king had cut the thumbs and big toes off other kings, so God allowed the same thing to happen to this king.        this was done to take away the capacity to be a danger.        it limited their ability to fight, basically leaving them harmless.        cruel yes, and God allowed retribution, payback to this evil king.       

once Joshua had died, and all the people that had also seen the great work that God had done for Israel had also died, the generation to come after them did not know the Lord and all the mighty works that God had done for them.       that's why its so important to keep passing down from generation to the next, all that God has done for us.    for us as individuals and for us as families and as Christians as a whole.       we share what God has done to help us all remain strong in the Lord.      

this next generation served all the gods of the pagans.     this is why we must pass on what God has done for us.       they served the pagan gods and God was angry with them.        then they cried out to the Lord and He raised up judges to get the people back on track serving the Lord their God.         Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, over and over and over again.          they would cry out to God and He would hear them and bail them out, over and over again.      there are some interesting stories in this book.        like the tent peg.         read up on that one.        then God raised up Gideon.        then Gideon died and the Israelites sinned against God again, and worshiped the gods of baal.       how quickly they forget what God has done for them.         how quickly, we too, forget what God has done for us.  

why is it so hard for us to remember what God has done for us?         because we would much rather be playing with fire from the devils hands,  than doing the right thing.         it's still that way today.    nothing has changed.        we don't have an attention span to keep us focused on what God has done for us.        we just don't.        people will laugh at us, make fun of us, call us names.          it makes no difference that our eternity depends  on what we do with God.        we believe Him or we don't.       it's up to us and it's that simple.        it's black and white,  there's  no  gray areas.         and people  want to make  everything gray.        it's either right or wrong.         a little bit wrong is 100% wrong.          a little bit of idol worship is 100% wicked in the eyes God.       we worship God or we worship idols.     we believe God or we believe the lies that the devil tells.      it's the ago old struggle since the beginning of time.       all the  laws that  God gave the  Israelites, wasn't  enough to provide salvation for the Israelites.       the laws just proved to us how easy it is to sin.      but Jesus Christ is enough!!!!        I try to keep  remembering that Jesus Christ is enough, while reading thru the Old Testament.       

next time we pick up at Judges Chapter 9.      see you then.        I hope you are reading along and not just taking my journaling as your bible study.        read it along with me and see what the Lord reveals to you thru His word.

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well, I think I'll just say, "have a great day and God loves those who are called by His name".    blessings of mercy, grace and warmth be ours today.        hugs and love, patty