I Want to be Like Linda!

What does being long suffering really mean? It isn’t pretty, that’s for sure. It is living in that place where the people who are suppose to love you, instead judge you, use you, or forget that you are a child of God yourself. It’s standing in the waiting line for years and waking up and asking yourself if today is the day He’ll answer your prayers. Or perhaps, it is that awful moment when you think, "Maybe God has forgotten me!"

Maybe, just maybe, all of those promises you jumped on in His Word weren't really all that personal, not really meant for you. You put a date next to them in the margins of your Bible because you found yourself weeping over the words one morning and you thought God was speaking to you. You were moved beyond words. But years have gone by. You’ve seen other people’s prayers answered, just not your own. 

Sound familiar? If you are still seeking God, still hoping, and still believing even though you have, by now, set up shop in the valleys, then you are living out the definition of long suffering. 

But what about all of the well meaning Christian messages I hear about how I must have some hidden, unconfessed sin in my life that is hindering my prayers? God can’t bless me because I am living in disobedience. Sorry, but it doesn’t ring true. My God does not say that perfection is required. Those people I told you about who had their prayers answered? Guess what, they are pretty sorry folk, too. I also can’t really believe the lies the devil whispers in my ear about how I must be the worst sinner on earth because God doesn’t grant or hear my petitions. Nope. I’ve been at this game way too long for that!

Sure, I’m not immune to that pied pipe of, “you’re the BIGGEST sinner of all.” I just know it isn’t true. Break one law, your guilty of the WHOLE law. Uh oh, here we go. It’s like going full circle. If this is true, then why am I so hopeless? Why, despite the facts of God’s Word, do I allow myself to be dragged around by my literal emotional collar?

Because God doesn’t make exceptions—even for me. There is a very real reason why I must be in His word every day. There is a very real reason that I am reduced to hanging on His every promise. All the great men of God did! I am ashamed to admit, but I thank God that David didn’t actually become king for 12 long years after God told him he was anointed king. No. His is the testimony I need to hear. His is the testimony that isn’t, “I gave Christ my life, and He waved a magic wand over my mess and blessed me.”

Geez, Louise! No. David is the hope I need. David hid in caves, fought, killed, conquered, sinned, and still blessed God and refused to get ahead of Him, even with two opportunities to kill Saul. David is the man!

Interestingly, God told David that he was a man after God’s own heart. You don’t get this kind of heart living on easy street. People who possess this type of heart aren’t pampered, petted, or spoiled. They are, instead, heartbroken, weary, battle worn and torn. 

In fact, like David, Naomi (and Linda Hamilton) I, too, lived a hard life, so I can so relate to Naomi's sad, sad statement when she returned to her homeland of Bethlehem with Ruth. She told them, “Don’t call me Naomi, call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life bitter.” (Ruth 1:20)

I am sure that at one point Ruth, like many of us, thought she was walking on the right path. She had a good family, did the right things, and honored God. She found her man, got married, and had two sons. Then the famine came and she had to leave her family and all things familiar to her for the unknown and heathen land of Moab. No matter, she must have still felt blessed. She had her whole future ahead of her and she was a child of God, she was an Israelite.

Yet, life was not kind to her. When she returns to Bethlehem after the famine, she is broken and a little bit bitter. She is now a widow and her two sons are dead in a day and time when women could own nothing. No, this women wasn’t getting her mani-pedi every other Friday night and lunching with the girls. She had very real pain and loss in her life, yet it was through her that God chose to bring us the Savior of the world through the lineage of Ruth and Boaz.

Still, if I fail to pull these scriptures out and read, read, and reread them, reminding myself of how God worked in David and Ruth’s lives, they have no benefit to me. No matter that God is renewing my mind, which I do believe He is, I am still like the man (or woman) who looks at herself in a mirror, I walk away, and I forget what I look like. And predictably, the devil yanks my emotional leash and off I go.

So what is long suffering? It is hiding out in the wilderness, in the caves, and going hungry. It is trying to file off the rough edges of your pain while you mediate on God’s word. David hid God’s word in his heart. He mediated on it all of the time! You don’t mediate on God’s word when everything just falls into place. No. You mediate on God’s word when you have nothing to hang onto but God’s promises. God promises to never leave us or forsake us, to complete the good work He began in us, and to never allow those of us who hope in His word to be ashamed.  All I can say to that, as I get ready to face another day of believing without seeing is, amen! And God, if it isn't too silly, I want to be more like Linda!

After all, you must be preparing me for something really, really big, like the end of the world or something!

Spring Fever

I was shamelessly drawn into the Easter aisle today at Walgreens. Talk about eye candy. Everywhere my eyes flitted, they were bombarded with soft pastels--pinks, greens, blues, and yellows. Kitschy chicks and little white rabbits, oh yeah! Nothing like a little plastic green grass to make me crave spring.

Since my grown children are WAY past the Easter Bunny stage--long sigh--I'd best stick to just browsing great interior designs. Here are a few pastel danties that caught my eye:

Wowza! This was lovingly pilfered from Sarah Richardson's site. I so admire her sense of style and enjoyed her show back when I used to be able to get it. I think the modern idea of wing backs as end chairs is just brilliant. Perhaps this summer I can find a pair while yard sailing.

If two are great, maybe a gaggle is better?

I would never have thought to mix a brown zebra print with this chair but it looks so chic.

via Belle Maison 

I am feeling the calm crispness of this blue hue, too! Dang, say that three times!


Pastels be damned, I just can't get enough of the beige-white combo and how restful it makes me feel.

Any other color pairing would not have been able to create this casual yet sophisticated look. The pastels in the art add just enough color to keep it from being boring! 

I am all over the juxtaposing of sophisticated trends with natural pieces. In this case, the natural element was painted a glamorous gold:

Here, the driftwood floor lamp and natural wood shades are mixed with some very current green and white drapes:

The effect is soothing and updates the oak end table and settee. My apologies to the owners of these fabulous pictures-rooms. I failed to note where I found them. I guess I could hunt them, seeing as I won't be doing any egg hunting this Easter.

I am usually drawn to bright saturated colors so this strange attraction to pastels must be spring fever!

Ode to a Table

This is a very difficult post for me. I inherited my mother's dining set when she was no longer physically able to put on the big family dinners that she planned, prepared, and presided over for many a holiday. Not only did her treasured set come with many, many fond memories of food and family, but with some pretty ugly upholstered chairs as well.

Only now the chairs are here with me and she is not. My mother, Sandra Henderson, went to be with the Lord on February 13, 2012. The pain of this loss is, honestly, just too fresh to be real yet. However, along with my mother's passing, I made some pretty steep promises to her concerning her table. And I want to share them with you all.

I promised my mother that I would do my very best to keep this family intact, to always remember to celebrate family and food at least as half as good as she did, and that, no matter how busy we get or how much distance is between us all, to never ever forget we are a family. I intend to keep those promises to the very best of my ability.

My mother never forsook the chance to gather us around her table on every holiday she could get us and many a Sunday dinner. Laughing and eating around her table made up the cadence and rhythm of my family life. Never once did she complain that it was too much work or that she was too tired or unappreciated, as I am sure she often was.

Not only was she a gourmet cook long before there were foodies and television shows about food, she knew how to set a table and make a meal feel like an occasion. When our family became too large for us all to sit around the table, she still cooked elaborate meals, ironed the tablecloth, made a centerpiece, put out her "fancy" dishes among the clumsy fingers of the grandchildren, and set the mood with candle light. Not only did she enjoy it, it was her tangible way of showing her love to each of us and her special service to her family.

If you are a young mother just starting your own family traditions, please, please don't overlook the importance of gathering your family around the table and making a big deal out of it. Why? Because it is a big deal. Your family will gain so much more than just eating a meal. They'll know that you value them and that you didn't need a special occasion or an interesting dinner partner to go to the trouble to put a linen tablecloth out and do a sink full of dishes rather than throwing away some paper plates.

And my mother didn't just cook for the family. In the 60s and 70s, and throughout the 80s, she hosted many a fine and fun dinner parties for friends.

My mother taught me many, many valuable things about being a young woman and a lady. Far too many things to share in this one post, but one of the greatest gifts she ever gave me was the lessons I learned watching her serve her family around something as inanimate and inane as a table.

I fervently hope that people are beginning to sense the importance of a slow meal and that this is the reason why there is such a renewed interest today in home entertaining and cooking. People are longing for their lives to have meaning outside of their jobs, the classroom, or running from one sporting event to the next. We crave connection with one another. In fact, the human spirit requires it.

My mother's table became the anchor in the storm of many a family member's life. We didn't just eat a meal, we connected with one another as we set and cleared the table, put away the leftovers, did the dishes, or listened to a sibling's tale or an older relative spin a yarn. And we laughed. We laughed a lot. It was in these moments that my mother carved out of each of our busy lives that our house became a home, a safe port, a familiar haven.

Even after I inherited her dining set, we managed to gather one last time around her "table" this past Thanksgiving. Gone was the china and fancy dishes (there were 17 of us!) but we still set out the candles and covered the tables. Most important, we again shared a lot of laughter.

So here's to turning off the television, putting away the ipad, and turning off the phone--that is after you have planned the menu, shopped, and baked your pie. Family gatherings don't just happen spontaneously and they are not just for Thanksgiving, they are a deliberate labor of love. And Mom, I know you told me you chose this busy, dark fabric because of all the food that would be spilled on your chairs, but I still went with white.

Yet, deep down inside, I know you are right--that's why I covered them in cheap painter's drop cloth and I have plenty to spare--after they get stained at the first family meal. I'll be thinking of you and your wise advice when I have to pull out the staple gun and get busy. I love you and miss you already and there is no doubt I will see you again at the marriage feast of the lamb!

Little Pink Houses

I just returned from my Bahama cruise and wanted to share a few pics with you. I thought the architect on Nassau was very similar to what you find in New Orleans and Charleston except the islands have beautiful turquoise water.

Our tour guide took us to the Atlantis Hotel, a beautiful structure on a white Caribbean beach.

 

I actually got to spend some time in Charleston on the morning of our return where I found my new favorite lunch spot--Firehouse subs. I highly recommend the Italian. My friend's daughter, Amber, lives on James Island while attending the College of Charleston.

I absolutely love the city of Charleston. It reminds me a lot of New Orleans. Growing up, I spent summers visiting my aunt and cousins in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, about 25 minutes from Biloxi and an hour from New Orleans.  I was fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in New Orleans.

I grew up in southern Maryland and I miss seeing the water and going fishing on the weekends. I especially miss seeing the boats everywhere. The ex-husband and I owned a boat we kept at Solomon's Island Marina. Here is a pic of my now-grown daughter having a wonderful time.

I could so live on James Island and am jealous that Amber lives only about 15 minutes from Folly Beach. We rented a house on the ocean there when my son graduated from USC. You just couldn't beat this view.

Here is my son on the pier at Folly. We walked to it from the beach a few nights at sunset to take in the incredible scenery.

Here, my niece and I are cutting up after a long day of sun on Folly beach while we steam some crabs:

Oh, good times! Our tour guide on Nassau had that wonderful island accent and, for the first time, I rode in a limo. What do your think of this ceiling carpet? I never did make it to my prom in 1980!

Here are few pics of the Island of Freeport. My friends tell me it is very similar to Miami, so I can add that to my "gotta-do" list.

 

My beautiful friend is from the Dominica Republic and she keeps promising me a trip to paradise. Demaris, my bags can be packed on a minute notice!

I especially loved the beach on Freeport. I need at least two full days of this:

Well, here's to dreaming of little pink houses and turquoise waters. Gee, isn't February over yet?

Going Bananas

I have always been in the habit of tossing my overripe bananas in the freezer and then baking banana bread when I had a stash. My freezer was kind of going bananas when I found this recipe for banana cake with cream cheese frosting on pinterest. I didn't have nuts for the top but it was great without them.

My version doesn't look so pretty but it was delicious! I recommend this recipe for its ease and yumminess. I made this for my small group Bible study last week and the ladies loved it. Don't get lazy and use the canned cream cheese frosting. This is the real deal and took less than 2 minutes to make. It also ups the flavor factor.

I have also been trying to serve alternative healthy snacks, too. I picked up some strawberries and clementines on sale and then just tossed them with whatever I had in the cupboard for an on-the-fly fruit salad. In this case, it was just coconut and raisins. It contains no sugar or sugar substitute. The trick to its deliciousness was letting it sit in the fridge for a day and allowing the natural sweetness of the coconut and raisins to sweeten the berries.

 

It is a bit of a challenge to think of something to serve people each week that is quick, not costly, or bad for you. I abhor supermarket, packaged sweets because they are loaded with preservatives and all sorts of junk that I wouldn't even feed my dogs! 

At least if we are going to eat something sweet, I know the ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Not a bunch of gums and extracts I can't pronounce. Besides, have you ever had a leftover supermarket cupcake or cake? You can eat that stuff, like 30 days later (I know, but I did. LOL!) It is indestructible. All I can say is, that can't be good!

I have shared before that I am on a journey of learning and understanding where our modern-day food is coming from. In this light, I recommend  Heritage Radio Network. I found this fun source through an organization called the Greenhorns, a group of under 40 farmers. There are so many excellent programs you can choose from. I am a bit of a cheese whore, so I have been listening to Cutting the Curd, hosted by Anne Saxelby. Enjoying myself immensely. 

Last night I listened to a program on the adulterated olive oil market. I highly recommend you check out the site and listen to this program because this is just one more area the U.S. consumer is getting ripped off on. And I'll leave you with this little tidbit, did you know there are more than 700 varieties of olives? Me neither! Seems like olives are a bit like wine--regions, varities, and production have a lot to do with the finished project. Sometimes a little education can go a long way, just have fun with it.

Playing House

I needed a break from the computer and wanted to just nest, cuz baby it's cold outside! I baked a chicken, had some sour dough bread with real butter and marmalade jam, and downed some wine. 

Before that though, I played house. I hung up my Tender Hearts $6 tangerine curtains.

The color is awesome. When they are drawn closed and the sun is at its zenith, the space actually glows a beautiful orange. It's like tangible sunshine.

If you have followed me at all, you know that I am infatuated with the turquoise and blue combo. I had painted the opposite wall blue.

It is just the wrong blue.  I am going to repaint it a toned down turquoise like that shown in the vase. I also have turquoise in my new painting:

My dining area and my living room run together, and I like how the blue and orange play throughout, but as you can see in this shot, my sideboard blue is not turquoise but similar to the color of my accent wall.

So I may just have to paint it turquoise, too. It is a challenge to mix the blues just as it is a challenge to mix the traditional with the modern, but that is what most of us have to do with our inherited pieces, such as my dining set. Still, I think the juxtaposition of styles in a home give it the look of acquired timelessness, which I love, and a sense of warmth and comfort. In these two photos (sorry, one is very blurry) you can see what I mean:

I love changing it up and am very happy with the tangerine curtains. I was going to opt for sail cloth drapes, but with the addition of this unexpected find, I'll just tone down the colors by recovering the dining chairs in painter's canvas. So....I'm off this morning to buy some drop cloth.  Hope you all have a good weekend, and don't forget the child inside and play a little house this weekend. After all, baby it's cold outside!

You're All Late for Tea!

The baby was just born last night and the second issue is now safely swaddled onto issuu.com. Whew! Delivery is always a little messy, but no satisfaction quite equals seeing your creative baby born on the web.

I hope you will check out the latest edition that is a takeoff on Alice in Wonderland and the Matrix. Fun stuff.

Now that I am finished with this issue, I have about a million things to do: create the website, set up email subscribes and notices, learn that (dang) SEO, contact my contributors, etc. It's all good. It's usually in the administrative-management process that I start forming the next issue in my head. I also want to work on those home projects of mine that have been cooling on ice. Nothing like recovering dining room chairs and stripping a coffee table to clear away any cobwebs on say, links and embed code.

Anyway, if any of you have used WordPress for a standalone web, I would love to hear about your experiences and what you think of it. Actually, let me know of any good or bad experiences you have had building a standalone site with templates.

And to all of you who have encouraged and supported me in launching the magazine, I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!