Promised Land Living

Updates: I didn't go to Unicoi yesterday. I stayed right here where it was only 29 degrees for the high and the wind chill was in the single digits. Oh, at the cold. When I called up to Unicoi yesterday morning to let them know I needed to reschedule, I asked the young lady who answered the phone how the roads where. When she answered, "I really don't know. I didn't go home last night, it was just safer for me to stay here at the Lodge," I knew I had made the right decision.

Yesterday afternoon I marched myself right into Wolf Camera and had multiple copies of our family photo made for yes, you guessed it, our Christmas cards. So, as of 10:00 this morning, I will have a zillion copies of a family picture that none of us are really crazy about but that's okay. Later in the day I went to Family Christian Store and got the cards. I walked around and around that card display until I was dizzy and finally yelled to myself "MAKE A DECISION ALREADY." Just to myself, not out loud. So, if I can continue in this semi-motivated vein, I might get a Christmas card or two out this year. That remains to be seen.

One a a more serious note . . . During my quiet time, I've been doing Priscilla Shirer's study, "One in a Million" and oh, at the good. The basic thought is that we need to be doing some Promised Land Living in Christ. Of the two million Israelites that were in oppression in Egypt for 370+ years, TWO made it to the Promised Land of Canaan. TWO. That's one in a million. For the Israelites to obtain freedom from Egyptian bondage, they had to trust in God-empowered Moses as their deliverer. Just as we have to trust in Jesus as our deliverer from our sin.
There is a difference between being free in Christ and living free in Christ. If we are believers, we have been granted freedom. God gives believers in Christ positional sanctification. This means we have a position of "set-apartness," holiness and righteousness that cannot be manipulated or altered. Nothing can be done to remove a true believer from this position. But this cannot be the end goal for someone determined to live in the freedom of Christ.

"It was for freedom that Christ sets us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

So here is the question to be answered: am I living a lifestyle of freedom? Rest assured, the Enemy want to keep us from living free. He is working against us, so we must work through a process that requires obedience and yieldedness to God . . . everyday.

Now listen closely to this: Being declared free gives us eternal freedom but walking in it gives us daily freedom. It's that daily dying to our fleshly ole selves and submitting to what God desires. I believe to some extent we are all entangled in some sort of bondage and the fact is in some areas, we may not be fully aware of it. To truly live free, we've got to search our hearts and ask God to reveal those areas where we aren't living that full and abundant life He desires for us. There is only one way to promised land living and that is obedience to the only One who can unshackle us from the curse and consequence of sin. He is our Ultimate Deliverer and . . .
He is the Prince of Peace
He is the King of Kings
He is the Lord of Lords
He is the Everlasting Father
He is the Wonderful Counselor
He is the Faithful and True
He is the Light of the World
He is the Redeemer of All Nations
He is the Rock and Salvation
He is the Ancient of Days
He is the Alpha and Omega
He is the One Who Was, Who Is and Is To Come

Amen and Amen!

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Why yes, the weather is a little on the frightful; no, not that bad, maybe just a little on the nervous. The wind is blustery (I have always wanted to use that word. It's one that seems only the meteorologist have right to but hey, I can assume the identity on this blog) and there is some precipitation in the air. I'm supposed to go up in the mountains tomorrow to Unicoi State Park to meet with their site manager about a wedding we have there soon. But believe you me, if it's snowing, I'm not going. No need for unnecessary travel, I always say.

Okay, so what's new? D and I had dinner at Roosters Friday night and it was awesome. I love that place - the chicken quesadillas were to die for. After that, we went to see"Nuncrackers" at the Holly Theatre in Dahlonega. Honestly, the best part of that whole trip, other than those chicken quesadillas, was the walk around the Square. It is gorgeous, I tell you. Love that place. Oh wait, there was something else that was amazing - the milk chocolate turtles that we got at Paul Thomas Chocolates on the Square. Somehow, I had totally missed this little chocolate shop on the Square before but I won't miss it again. Those turtles - think manna from heaven.

Yesterday I spent all day, ALL day in the kitchen cooking up baked goodies as a gift for our Handbell Choir. Here is what was the on the menu:
Graham Cracker Bark
Cream Cheese Fingers
Orange Tea Cakes
Peanut Butter Fudge
Pecan Pie Squares and
Drum Roll please . . . . I have created my own cookie. I know. Who knew? I'm calling it "Crevolyn's Christmas Cookie." I know not that original of a title (unless you consider my name which in it's own right makes it original) but I'll be doggone if this cookie wasn't pretty darn good. Especially, for something I created my own self. I'll share this recipe pretty soon. Trying to decide if I should get some sort of patent on it or something. D says they don't patent cookies - I think they should.

Today . . . Well, can I just say our church service this morning was beyond incredible. I tell you, if you didn't feel the Spirit of Jesus this morning in that Sanctuary, you must have slept through the entire thing. The handbells :), the choir, the solos, the orchestra but most of the all, the sermon . . . awesome. Tom spoke on Joy, having the joy of Jesus. He brought it to the table, I tell you. So good.

I'm sitting here for just a few minutes before I've got to get right back out in the cold and head over to the Limestone store for the joy of some children's voices. The Enota Elementary Show Choir (65 voices!) is sharing a special performance right in our store this afternoon. My good friend, Sheila, is their very talented director and I wouldn't miss it for the world. After that, D and I are headed out to do some shopping for our Secret Santa family. While I won't go into much detail here, trust me when I say, I am so burdened for this family. Alot of folks have alot of troubles. Maybe we can relieve just a few of their worries for a little while. That is my prayer.

By the way, because I know y'all have been on the edge of your seats about this, we still have no Christmas cards or picture to go in it. What is wrong with me? Not sure this is going to happen this year and if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. Just the first time in 25 years that we haven't sent a Christmas card. Can I live with that? Hmm.

Have a good Sunday!

Food Friday - This May be Your Christmas Card

Earlier in the week, my good friend and I were discussing her husband's office Christmas party, which she is hosting in their home this evening. We were talking about what her menu might include and I told her about this great Buttermilk Coconut Pie recipe.
When her plate began to get full right before this party (which always seems to happen when you are hosting a party), I told her I would make her pies for her. So last night, I made the pies and hopefully, they will taste as good as they smelled in my kitchen. It was all I could do to keep my husband from sticking a fork right in the middle of one of them.
As yummy as they taste and as good as they smell, they just aren't anything special to look at. Not that every pie has to be a beauty queen but it's an added perk if they are. Anyway, I remembered these Martha Stewart cake stencils I had and wondered how they would look on a pie. Well, what do you think?

Here is the recipe and it is yummy!

Buttermilk Coconut Pie

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup grated coconut

1 deep dish pie shell or 2 regular pie shells

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat eggs until frothy; add butter, sugar and flour. Beat until smooth.

3. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and nutmeg. pour into pie shell.

4. Bake at 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is firm.

Enjoy!

With all my Christmas card concerns this year, you may just have to consider this your formal greeting. If so, I'll add a photo of G to make the family complete.

These were taken at the GFIA Holiday Extravaganza in Atlanta last week.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!!

The Long and Short of It

You know it's that time of year when you are in such a flurry you don't know exactly where the time goes. This week has been full of the usual for this time of year - working, shopping, wrapping, and cooking mixed in with a little (or alot) of time spent in the Windowshop. We were there on Monday, Tuesday and went to the Mart on Wednesday to buy for the shop. Folks keep buying and we keep stocking it; trying to make it look attractive. It very well could be a full time job if we let it.

And in between all that, I am trying to do my real job. We are working with three of the sweetest brides ever who are all three planning weddings for next fall. But . . . right now is when all the decisions are being made on things such as vendors, colors, and venues. Their save-the-dates are going out and they are on top of it. They are wanting things done and done right which, by the way, is the way we do things.

Just a couple of things that I think you may need to know in absolutely no order whatsoever.
1. First of all, I just want you to know how much I love the wrapping paper that they sell at Hobby Lobby. Love it. It has lines on the back for cutting and on top of that; it's thick but not too thick; and it is just plain beautiful.
2. I have bought the best Christmas presents this year for my family and friends. I cannot wait to give them their gifts! There is nothing I love better than to give someone something that they love. I am surrounded by good "gift-givers" in my family so that really raises the bar in the whole gifting area. I wish I could tell you about them but I happen to know that at least three of the recipients are frequent readers, so I'm gonna have to keep my mouth shut on this one.
3. I said this last year and I'll say it again, Harry Connick Jr.'s Christmas CD is fabulous. I love it so much.
4. As you know, I'm just not that into politics but I do have an interest in who is elected and what kind of, how should I say this, moral foundation they have. D, on the other hand, reads about it, listens to talk radio about it and watches tv about it. I get worn out with the whole thing in about oh, maybe 15 minutes. However, when I saw the email come through from the Chamber about the Eggs and Issues Breakfast Meeting this morning at the Civic Center, I knew I wanted to go. Our new governor-elect and Lieutenant Governor were both there as well as most of the elected officials from our area. Our governor-elect and Lt. Governor are both from Gainesville which honestly, is pretty amazing when you think about it. As I sat there and listened to all these men speak, I thought about several things.
It's a pretty thankless job.
It comes with alot of risk to the person in office as well as their families.
You have to know alot about alot of stuff. I sat there thinking, how do they know all of this information about all of these issues, serve on 42 committees at the Capital and still have time to run businesses and raise families?
I just know, my prayers go with them as they attempt to make a better place for us, our children and the generations to come.
5. Do you not love getting Christmas cards in the mail? I love the ones with photos. Just makes me smile. We attempted to have our family photo made over the weekend and that was pretty much was a disaster. So I may just have to live vicariously through those of you who send me super awesome pictures of your families this year. If the mood strikes, I might attempt it.
6. I get to go on a date with my husband tomorrow night! I'm so excited. This has been a really, really stressful week for him at work so we are going to forget our troubles and drive up to Dahlonega, have some supper and take in a local theatre production. The play is "Nuncrackers" and if it is anything like it's predecessor, "Nunsense," we should be in for a treat. I'll let you know.
7. It is cold. Cold, cold. Honestly, I don't mind the cold as long as we don't have snow, ice or anything resembling them. In my opinion, the cold just makes the fire warmer, the house cozier and the Christmas tree brighter.
8. My boy has one more final in the morning and then he is done for the semester. Let's just say this has been a most trying couple of months for our family and I'm ready for a fresh start. The boy has persevered through some tough circumstances and for that, I could not be prouder of him.

Well, that's it for now. I've got some cooking to do and I better get in there and do it.
Until tomorrow . . .

Food Friday - on Friday!

Well, look at me, why don't ya? Actually got a Food Friday on Friday and before 9:00 in the morning, no less!

This is the recipe I told y'all about on Tuesday - the Pork Tenderloin and Cranberry Chutney. I am telling you the truth when I say this is the best, most moist pork tenderloin I have ever had. And it was so easy.

Let me tell you a few things about the Cranberry Chutney. First, it's great as written, maybe a little sweet so I would suggest adding the sugar a little at a time and getting it just right for your own taste buds.
Second, if you don't have fresh cranberries, you can use two cans of whole berry cranberry sauce and omit the sugar. Works just fine.
Third, this recipe is great served as an appetizer - over a block of cream cheese with crackers.
Fourth, it's also a great gift. It doesn't have an extremely long shelf life so you would need to wrap it up pretty and give it quickly.

So there you go. Believe me, if you try this, you'll be thanking me.

Elegant and Easy Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Chutney
½ cup olive oil
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
2 pounds Pork Tenderloin
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Rub olive oil over pork tenderloin. Then sprinkle with powders, salt and pepper.
3. Put bread crumbs in large resealable bag; add tenderloin and shake to coat.
4. Place pork on a foil-lined shallow cookie sheet. Press remaining bread crumbs into pork. Put a tent of foil over the top of cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil tent and cook an additional 15 minutes until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let meat rest for 10 minutes then cut into ½ slices.
5. Serve with Cranberry Chutney
Cranberry Chutney
1 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 ¼ cups sugar
¾ cups water
1 large granny smith apple; peeled, cored and chopped
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until apple is tender and mixture thickens. Cool completely.
2. Store in the refrigerator.

Live it UP Plan - Part 3

Well, I did it! I got through my speaking engagement and enjoyed every minute of it, despite the massive butterflies in my stomach. The ladies of WomenSource were so great. Oh, the fun. I am honored that they asked me.

Okay, let's finish this UP. As you remember, I am talking about my Live It Up Plan for Entertaining. We've already discussed Live and It. So now onto Up.

Unleash your food inhibitions. Food, glorious food! What's a party without food? Not much of a party. I suggest you have 4 or 5 "go to" fool-proof recipes you rely on for entertaining. Try these throughout the year so you'll know they are good ones. Trying them the day of the party is not recommended. I've been there and done that.

Planning is key. Do as much ahead of time as possible. Make lists - check them twice. You technie folks probably have an app for that. Me - I have a spiral bound notebook that keeps me organized.

Well, I'm putting my feet up for all of about 5 minutes before I have to go in there and change out of these clothes and into my "Par-tay" clothes. D and I are headed down to the Cobb Galleria for the Georgia Food Industry's Annual Holiday Extravaganza (that's the exact name of this event.) I'll report on all the fun tomorrow.

Until then . . .

Live It Up Plan - Part 2

We are continuing with our Live It Up Plan for Entertaining. Yesterday was our first great word - Live. Allow me to tell you a little more about Live.

Life Impact: This is the primary reason we entertain. We want to share life with those we care about. We come together in the comfort of our homes; share some good food and conversation; basically, share life. This is truly what it is all about. Life is busy. We really just need to slow down and enjoy the relationships God has blessed us with.

Ideas for life-impact holiday gatherings:
1. Progressive Dinner. This can be done with all groups of people but the houses need to be fairly close together. We've done this on several occasions and it's really fun.
2. Tour of Homes. You know, we spend lots of time decorating our homes so why not get together with a group of friends and have your own little tour of homes? You could have a little snack at each house or at the last house, have everyone bring a dish and have dinner together.
3. Cookie Swap. Can I just tell you how much I love a good cookie swap? Our birthday group has one every year and I can hardly wait til it rolls around. We cook up a batch of our favorite cookies and take them to share. The best part - you get to come home with a platter of some of every one's great cookies. WooHoo - breakfast!
4. Cookie Baking/Decorating Party - E and I started doing this several years ago and we have so much fun. We bake and our boys eat. We bake all kinds of cookies but our favorites are the basic sugar cookies that we cut into all different shapes then decorate with icing of every color, sprinkles, etc. We also have done Gingerbread Houses together - now that is a story for another day.
5. Cocoa Party - everything served is chocolate (moment of silence).
6. Crafting Party - Grab your children, friends or family; get together several craft projects and sit around the table and have a blast. E and I did this a few weeks ago and it was great.
7. Neighborhood Open House - Open your home to your neighbors and get to know those around you.
8. Tree trimming party - If you know someone who might need some help decorating their tree, gather together to get that job done for them. Bring some snacks with you and take the party to them.
9. Gathering of Giving Back - Encourage your guests to bring something to give - canned food or toys, for example. There are lots of needs in our community. Encourage giving to some worthy organizations.
10. Gift Wrapping Party - This makes a sometimes daunting task a lot more fun. Get together with some friends along with their gifts and wrapping supplies and this has all the makings of some major fun. And think about what you will have accomplished when it's over.

Invite the Main Ingredient - the people. Whether it be family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, make a plan and get them together. The group you invite to your gathering will determine the rest of your decisions.
Just for me personally, I am not a fan of an evite. I know there are times when it is appropriate but I like to get a piece of paper for a party. Probably not the "green-est" thing to do but I really love all of the fun invitations that are out there and I love to receive them! Or you can also do something special on your home computer. Either way is fine with me.

Variety is the spice of life. Be creative! Tomorrow I'll be speaking about all kinds of fun ideas for decorating and tablescapes. I think I'll save this for a another post so that I can do it justice.

Embrace your strengths and delegate your weaknesses. This is a great time to barter with your friends and family. Say if you love to decorate but you're not so much in the cooking department, something like . . . "I'll come decorate your house if you'll make my desserts for me." It might just work!


Today is our next word - it. Not the most exciting word in the English language but let's face it, where would we be without . . . it. That was lame.

Incorporate traditions into your entertaining. Traditions are so meaningful even if it is just one thing you do every year.

Takeaways make your guests feel special. I love to give my guests just a little something for them to take home. Several ideas:
* Tie an ornament to their napkin ring or have it at each place setting.
* Give a small gift, special to them, as they are leaving. Along with a hug.
* Or my personal favorite, a food gift wrapped in a special package. Lots of options here.
* Or something theme specific. If you are hosting a cookie swap, you might do a cookie mix, tied with a cookie cutter.

Well, tomorrow our word is "UP." You'll find out what's up with that.

Oh please, put me to bed.