"Wounds"

Proverbs 27:6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

I have been thinking about this verse lately. Within the past several months, I have been seeking counsel and support from my friends regarding what God is doing in my life. Yes, he is stretching me. Sometimes my friends give me counsel that is hard to hear. It is not easy to embrace, even though it is right. Sometimes it even seems so foreign to my emotions, yet I am reminded by God's Word that the wounds of a friend are "faithful". They are meant to do God's work in us. The part I found even more interesting as I looked up this verse is the great relevance of the contextual verses.

Proverbs 27:5

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.

and

Proverbs 27:7

A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,

but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

It is a blessing to have friends and family who can gently encourage you in the right way and sometimes, yes, "wound" you. They will touch the very depths of your heart and sometimes make you feel pain - pain over the way you feel, the way you act, and the struggles you bear. The Bible shows us that open rebuke from our loved ones is a blessing and that if we want to keep a spiritual hunger, we will swallow the "bitter things". I'm praying for this in my life.

Blessings,

Lisa

Guest Blog Post - "The Manna Principle"

Boy, do I need some of that chicken soup right now! I caught the illness my sons had and am now struggling to conquer the flu. While I'm down and out for a bit, I thought you might like to read a great post on my friend's blog, "Three and Me". (Thanks, Leslie!) Just click and hop on over! It's about decluttering and trusting God to provide.

The Manna Principle

Hoping your family is healthy!

Lisa

Savory Chicken Soup!

Yesterday I made homemade chicken soup for dinner. (It's a good thing since sickness is in my house!) This is my own recipe, and it is very yummy (imho). I hope you like it!

This photo shows some of the soup gone already. The recipe makes a generous amount!

Savory Chicken Soup

Roaster Chicken

Bay Leaf

Onion, Garlic, Celery, Carrots

Pasta Noodles

Salt and Pepper

Parsley
Wash and place a roaster chicken in a 6 qt. pot. Cover with coarse salt and peppercorns (or regular salt and pepper will do) and fill water almost to top to cover chicken. Cut onion, 2 cloves of garlic, carrots, and celery into large chunks and add to pot. Bring water to a boil and simmer for about 2 hours. By this time, the chicken is ready to fall off the bone! Strain the broth (I do this into another pot) and discard all vegs. Let chicken cool for a bit and then pull off all of the meat. Put broth back in large pot with HALF of the chicken and add two or three sliced carrots. Boil for a few minutes and then add about half a box of your favorite chicken soup pasta noodles. Cook until noodles are done. Flavor with salt, pepper, and parsley flakes. Taste and season to liking!

(NOTE: You can use the other half of the chicken for the next night's meal). ;-)

YUMMY!

Enjoy your soup!
Lisa

(If you try making it, post a comment and let me know how you like it).

Quote of the Day

Currently I am reading snippets from Charlotte Masons' The Original Homeschooling Series (as listed and linked in my sidebar). In Volume 4, Ourselves, she says,

The nature of Generosity is to bring forth, to give, always at the cost of personal suffering or deprivation, little or great.

Lord, make me generous.

Blessings,

Lisa

Soccer Finale!

Today is my son's last soccer game. Being the coach's wife, I feel a need in my heart to give the boys an end of the season "gift". God always helps me bump into something. When I was at Walmart browsing the candy aisle the other day, I found the GIANT size candy bars. I knew all the parents would love for their kid to have one (especially since it is Sweetest Day :-) ), so I bought a Crunch bar for each of the kids. I asked Brian if I should put a note on it or leave it blank, and of course, he decided to go simple. Well, I woke up this morning feeling determined in my heart to dress up the candy bars a bit. I found a couple clip arts online, enlarged them, and cut & "pasted" them on. For the two parents who helped coach during the games, I bought them a Hershey's Symphony candy bar and just put a little "Thank You" note on it, as you can see from the picture. Neither addition was too taxing or elaborate, but I like the end result - just a tad bit of accessorizing. :-)

Happy Sweetest Day,
Lisa

Family as "Guests"

As I drove by the church, I took note of the message it shouted from its sign: "Treat Your Family As Guests". I have it heard it said many times that we treat those who are the closest to us the worst. Those who live continually with us, day by day, in the same house, taking notice of all of our sins and bearing all of theirs grate us the most, and it can be utterly challenging to love them as we should. As I read the church's sign, all my soul could respond was "ouch". Truly, I fail at treating my household as I would treat my guests. Truly, it is "easy" to welcome friends with a smile, to do my best for them, and to treat them with utmost kindness. However, it is all too "easy" to lose my patience with my family members. May I learn to "Treat My Family As Guests".

Wishing you a home of peace and joy,

Lisa

Soft and Fast Breadsticks!

There's just something therapeutic about making and eating homemade bread...The kneading and shaping of the dough...The tantalizing smell that sifts throughout the house! It's so comforting! Although I can not make a claim to making much homemade bread (even though it is my goal EVERY winter!, eh hem), I do try to make these breadsticks from time to time. With my bread machine, these are really a cinch. You make the dough in the bread machine, cut and shape the breadsticks, bake them, add any garnishes, and voila! Yummy bread that satisfies everyone's tummy! I received this recipe years ago on an email list I was on (Laine's Letters), and it is listed here from her web site with my notes at the bottom. I know you'll enjoy it!

Blessings,

Lisa

Soft and Fast Bread Sticks

1 c. warm water
3 T. brown sugar
1 t. salt
1/4 c. oil
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour (can use all bread flour if desired)
2 1/2 t. yeast

Put all in order in the bread machine. Set to dough cycle. Let rise in the machine. Take out and pat into a semi-long rectangle, (about 9x11). Take a pizza cutter and slice lengthwise into 7 or 8 strips. Take one strip at a time and twist a bit before laying on a greased cookie sheet. Do the rest of the strips putting them an inch away from each other on the pan. Cover and let rise. (I do this in a warm place, they rise fast.) Then cook at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. (If I want thinner breadsticks I cut them thinner and into 14 or 15 strips.) Enjoy!

**Lisa's notes: I cut the dough into about 7 strips lengthwise and then cut the entire rectangle in half so I have about 14 thick breadsticks. After I cook the breadsticks, I usually brush the tops with melted butter and parmesan or cinnamon sugar. In this batch, I made half with parmesan and half with cinnamon sugar.