3 cups chilled down strong coffee
2 cups chocolate milk
1 tbsp Hershey’s chocolate
1 tbsp brown sugar
Add above to the blender and blend. Pour over glasses of ice.
Hint: Be careful of your blender. The brown sugar makes the drink a bit frothy, which is nice, but it will
expand it and cause over flow if you don’t have a big enough blender.
Years ago, I heard Helene speak at a conference that I went to and as I listened to her speak, I decided then, that I would somehow get to know this woman better. Now I was just a little up and coming sprout looking to start a business. She was speaking as a Sales Trainer for the company that I worked for at the time. The likelihood of me meeting her would be mighty slim. But God has a way of bringing about the desires of our hearts, and so whenever she came anywhere near my area, I would go and hear her speak. I showed up in her audience more times than I can count. She would look out in the sea of faces and there I would be! I went all the way to California one time to attend a conference she was speaking at! And as God works, I was able to be her driver because they were there without transportation and I had driven down. God is so good!
What was so special about Helene? She looks you right in the eye when you talk and she is attentive to what you are saying. When she was speaking, she would remember your names and facts that you shared and could list several of them as she talked. She could weave a story like none other and would keep you glued to her every word. She had great wit and sense of humor. She was a lady in all sense of the word and had such classy. You just wanted to be around her. She would instill confidence at a level that just met a deep need in your heart. Oh, and did I mention that she talks to her flowers? Yes she does and you know, I think they listen because she has the greenest thumb I know!
Since that time, I have written most every week, but she is forgiving when I miss, I have had hundreds of long phone conversations with her, and I have shared my deepest secrets and longings with her. She listens, guides softly and inspires me to keep going. I want to be like her. A great love for the Lord, gracious in all ways, wonderful hospitality and makes you feel like you are the most special person in the world. She has influenced me in ways she may never know. I still talk to her as often as I can and she continues to touch my life. I can’t think of any better tribute to Helene then to write this and say that I love her very much. I know that God placed her in my life as one of those treasures that He knows I need to make it along the pathway of my life. God bless her richly, is my prayer.
1 cup sugar 
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Mix all ingredients well. Form one inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. This is a simple recipe to make some quick peanut butter cookies in just a couple minutes using no flour. I have also added chocolate chips to the dough which is one of my favorites. You can use a cookie press to decorate the tops also. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Great recipe for kids to make. Enjoy!
Recipe by Rycraft Cookie Stamps
Do you have someone in your life that works better under pressure? I do. That person is my husband. I apologize for the picture quality of this photo but it was too funny to pass up capturing this picture, even if it was less than perfect. We have a remodel job for a bathroom in our house and we had big plans for our dream room. However, due to an upcoming loan, it must be completed prior to getting the loan. So, to our disappointment, it is being put back together in a way that is not what we planned. So we made a trip to Lowe’s and looked around at what we can do. First, we have the tub. Now that is a large box all by itself. But that’s not all. We have to have something to put on the surround area of the tub. However, getting this home proved to be one of the more funny things that happened this week! Because it wasn’t fitting into the car. Now I told him I didn’t think it would work. But tell Terry is won’t work and he will figure out a way FOR it to work. So we juggled and almost lost some very flexible sheets of surround as we move and shake them into the car.
Now for the performance: This particular picture is Terry in the driver’s seat UNDER the wall board with his head tipped toward the window in order to see out. He is holding up the wall board with his shoulder to position himself to drive. I just stood there and laughed my head off at his contortion antics that he had to go through in order to get into the car. Hilarious! Now I would say there is a lesson here but I am not sure Terry would agree with me. You see he will do this again at some point in another place, another time. However, when he does, I will be there with my camera! By the way, you should see him pack a moving truck!
I love technology, smart phones and what it can do for my life and schedule. But today, I found out what it means to have a smart phone, iPhone, and yet not feel so smart. I ran out the door today
to meet my sweetheart for a coffee break and forgot my phone at home. I realized it about a mile or two from home. My thinking is if I go back to get it, I will keep him waiting and he doesn’t have that long of a break. So I truck on to meet him. I get to our meeting point and he is nowhere to be found. I can’t call him nor can he contact me. I walk around looking for him, and then go back to the coffee shop and wait. I also realize I have nothing to do while I am sitting there. I have no iPhone to make notes on, read from, or listen to a podcast while I am waiting. So I am thinking that maybe he got called out. It was a long 35 minutes and so I decided to leave. My iPhone wasn’t helping me be smart at all sitting at home. Disclaimer: not the iPhone’s fault but the owner.
As I was driving back home, I thought of what lesson I can learn from today other than checking for my phone each time I leave the house. : ) It dawned on me what God may feel like sometimes with regard to communion time with us. He has given us the device by which we can contact him anytime to communicate with him. And that my friend is prayer. We don’t ever have to worry about leaving it somewhere because it can go with us wherever we are. He wants to keep those lines open and His line is never busy! It’s not like I don’t have His phone number and address. But we can get busy with our lives and go out the door without using our best device; prayer. We don’t need bluetooth or apps to reach Him. It is a direct hot line right to His throne!
So as you pick up your cell phone, smart phone or iPhone next time, ask yourself, “Did I use my God-given device today? Did I pray and ask God to lead me to the right person? He is waiting for you to call. By the way, as I came in the back way and I was sitting IN the meeting place waiting, my husband was sitting out by the road so that I could easily see him! Isn’t that the way?
I had the pleasure and fun of having my grandson over night this weekend and what a great time we had. He is five years old and a very busy little boy! His energy is non-stop and as he tells me, he NEVER runs out of energy. After following him around for a couple of days, I am inclined to agree with him. But the other side of him asks me, “Grandma, why do you go so fast?” When I look down at him, I wonder the same thing. What IS my hurry? He likes to stop and look at things; admire them, ask questions about them, ask what it means or why it is that way. I enjoy his curiosity and have come to adopt that in my life more and more as I am around him.
Just think of what that could mean in our relationship with God. What if we “slowed down” to enjoy time, or more time, with Him? What if we would stop and become a “noticer” of things and people around us? What would happen if we stopped to enjoy the flowers, or the hear the birds more, children’s laughter, our husband/wife, our family? What would happen if we started looking at things more simply or asked God what something means or why it is that way? The exciting part of that is, just like when Ethan asks me those questions and I want to answer him the best I can, so much more so, God wants to talk with us and help us understand and see things more clearly. Now THAT is something to get excited about!
So over the next few days, I hope this encourages you to slow down a bit, pause a while, smell a flower, see the mountains, smell the rain, and breathe deeply of a loving Father that wants to share in your life and loves you very much. When I hear Ethan repeat back to me weeks later what we have talked about, there is no greater joy to me. I know God feels the same way about you and me. He loves it when we come to Him and pause a while, and remember His goodness and enjoy His beautiful creation around us. Enjoy this week and God bless you as you journey on!
Did you know that nostalgia is a mood booster? Researchers at the University of Southhampton in the UK have found that nostalgia is a potent mood booster. Usually our memories involve special people in our lives and because of that, they may give us a comforting sense of belonging. People who have a tendency toward being nostalgic will often times experience their past as positive. Naturally nostalgic people have high esteem and less prone to have difficulties with depression. They usually cope with problems more effectively. Wouldn’t we all like a taste of that?
Why am I talking about memories and nostalgia today? I have come to understand the importance of these things in my life. I love my childhood years and even the tougher times growing up were something that I can see positive results from their mark on my life. I have begun to understand myself more in view of these memories. I enjoy having memories in a tangible form in my home where I can look at them and invoke the memory that is associated with them. When I do, I am so thankful to God for what He has done in my life. Who do you recall having touched your heart in a special way and changed your life journey? Do you have something in your home that brings comfort and a smile to your face when you look at it? If having these things around me helps me to be a more positive individual, then that explains to me why I have so many of them throughout my home. What a gentle way God speaks!
I have a goal of “drinking from the good glasses” this year. Enjoy the moment with a grateful heart! Whether I am drinking ice tea or water, I use my crystal glasses; some from my grandmother. If I am drinking a mocha, I am drinking from beautiful cups. Take those special times and people, and thank God that He placed them in your life. And then, think on the your legacy. What do you want to be remembered for? When are grateful for what God has given us, and we thank Him for it, then we will live in the blessing of that life. We will want to leave a legacy of memories and nostalgia behind for our children, grandchildren, family and friends. Would you do me a favor? Would you share with me a person who has touched your life, or a bit of nostalgia, that makes you pause for a moment or puts a smile on your face? I would love to hear the stories.
Each day is an opportunity for you to make wonderful memories. I pray God richly blesses you today as you take a stroll down memory lane.
I have always enjoyed light and how it plays on glass or crystal and then reflects back out into a room. Today as I was experimenting with photography for my post for my JoAnn’s Photoscapes 365 Project, I came up with this idea of reflecting light from the bottom through a lavender shaped diamond and glass base. As I did this, I was reminded of the importance of light in our lives. Light shines into the dark places so that we can see. It can bring reflections of color that cascade across the room.
Light applies to us in our daily lives. God is our light in the darkness and He will always shine light into our darkness and help us see His will and His ways if we ask Him. Don’t let another day go by without asking Him to shine light and wisdom into your life so that you can lead the life that He desires for you. He wants to bring reflections of many colors into your life so you in turn can pass that joyful light on to someone else. I want to be the light to those that I come into contact with on a daily basis. Won’t you join me to be the light to someone who needs it today?
God bless you as you put color into your day. I would love to hear how your day is changed by letting your light shine!
Journeys of My Heart 