Organizing the Laundry Room

What happens when you go away for a week of vacation and then have company for a week upon your return?? CHAOS! My routines, as well as those of my children, have fallen by the wayside. I am getting back up in the saddle when it comes to my daily routines. Right now I have several rooms that need a bit of "redding up," and I am going to start in the laundry room. I began working on it today, and I hope to have it finished tomorrow. I had planned to work on one of the children's bedrooms as my project for this week, but it will have to be next on my list.

The Blue Willow Inn

This week we had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite restaurants, the Blue Willow Inn, located in Social Circle, Georgia. It has beautiful gardens, antiquainted charm, and it gives a taste of Southern elegance at its finest! Originally a Southern plantation home, it now serves as one of the top-rated buffets in America. If you're ever in the Atlanta/Athens area, be sure to visit the Blue Willow Inn.

Yes, this was my plate of food! I had fried pork tenderloin, fried green tomatoes, mac & cheese, green beans, broccoli & chicken casserole, turnip greens, and a twice-baked potatoe. I didn't even think about how many calories I was consuming--I just enjoyed myself LOL!

Praise the Lord for Rain!

These begonias are by the mailbox.

Our area has not had much rain the past 2 months. Many of our flowers haven't bloomed, and all of the plants and trees seem to be drying up. The grass in the back yard is as brown as can be. Watering hasn't helped much as we've been under strict watering restrictions. However, the Lord has blessed us with 3-4 inches of rain in the last 3 days! It's funny how when we have an outdoor activity planned we don't want any rain, but when everything is parched and dry we just beg for it! I took a couple of pictures of the few remaining flowers before they disappear in the heat.

Favorite Things

This lamp was a Christmas gift from my dear husband a couple of years ago. It is on the nightstand beside my bed. It is one of my very favorite things!

Zucchini Squash Casserole

Yesterday after our morning service at church, we had a covered dish luncheon in the fellowship hall. My contributions were watermelon chuncks, macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler, zucchini squash casserole, and croissants. Since squash is so abundant in everyone's garden right now, I thought I would post this simple recipe for zucchini squash casserole. 1 pound zucchini, sliced, boiled, and drained 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 8 Ritz crackers, crushed Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl, reserving some of the cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a baking dish. Top with remaining cracker crumbs. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

I used my Kitchen-Aid mixer with the slicer attatchment to slice the zucchini. It took less than one minute to slice 5 zucchini!

The finished product--yummy!

Blueberries

My 8 year old daughter went blueberry picking with her Sunday school teacher Mrs. Welch. After they finished picking the blueberries, Shay picked a couple of recipes to make using the berries. She made blueberry muffins with a streusel topping and a blueberry pound cake. It was the most delicious pound cake I have ever had, and I'm not just saying that because I'm her mommy!! Shay is doing a great job in the kitchen!

The Entry

A charming entry room or foyer is a pleasant place to welcome guests into your home. I took a few pictures of our front entry/foyer. The exterior of the door is red. The walls are a buttery yellow. There is a textured diamond pattern on the lower half of the wall with a pistaccio green contrast. The first picture is a view from the family room looking toward the front door. This next picture is a view from in front of the double doors leading to the master suite. The mirror was on the wall when we purchased our home, and I thought it was wonderful! It was a challenge to find just the right table to go under the mirror, but I was able to locate the perfect one! A few of my favorite pieces rest on the table. I like to add a touch of greenery in each room to help the room look "alive." This is a view of the left wall of the entry and the coat closet. Two of my favorite pictures are on this wall.

Home Again!

The children and I spent the past ten days vacationing in Florida. We so enjoyed spending time with family and visiting with some dear friends. One day I, my four children, Grandma, and Mimi went to Disney World. I have fond memories of trips to the Magic Kingdom during my childhoond, but it is so much more fun seeing things through the eyes of my children. It's A Small World was their favorite ride (and mine, too, since I could sit for a few minutes in the air conditioning). Despite battling temperatures in the 90's, we had a wonderful time visiting Mickey, Minnie, and all of the princesses. Although I look forward to vacationing as a family, I am always glad to get back home and into our routine. Mr. C was unable to accompany us on this trip, so I was very eager to return home to him. I think I'm going to need another vacation after I get caught up on my housekeeping! LOL! I think I'll settle for a pedicure. This weekend our parents will be visiting with us as we celebrate the 1st anniversary of Mr. C's accepting the pastorate of our church. We are so thankful for God's goodness to us and for the growth in our church family we have seen this past year, and we are excited about what He is going to do in the future!

A Peek In The Garden

I enjoy spending time outdoors taking in the beauty of God's creation. This morning when I went for my walk I took a few pictures of the flowers currently blooming in our yard. On one side of our house is an adorable little flower garden surrounded by a white picket fence. I have contemplated adding some vegetable plants; maybe next year! We spend a lot of time in our garden. The children and I often eat a picnic lunch at the garden table. It is pleasant even on very sunny days as it is surrounded by a canopy of trees. Our children take great pleasure in feeding the fish in our little pond. It has been a challenge to teach our 2 year old daughter to stay away from the edge!!

A view of the pond from the "picnic table."

Our swing by the pond.

A view of the "picnic table" from the pond.

Reasons People Do Not Read the Bible

(pictured, our church building) My husband's sermon title yesterday morning was the title of this post. The text was Psalm 119:9-16. Psalm 119 is noted as being the longest chapter in the Bible. It is quite fitting that this chapter's theme is the Bible itself! Psalm 119:14 reads, "I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches." David is referring to God's Word as "thy testimonies". King David was obviously a wealthy man by the world's standards. He said that he was just as happy with God's Word as he was with all riches. When I think of the Bible, do I rejoice in it? I would certainly rejoice if someone handed me a bag filled with gold or precious jewels. I should receive as much happiness from meditating on God's Word as I would from receiving great worldly riches. Why isn't the Bible as precious to us as material possessions or worldy activities? My dear husband covered the following points in his message. 4 Reasons People Do Not Read the Bible 1) It disturbs your routine. 2) It damages your pride. 3) It declares salvation. 4) It demands obedience. When I neglect spending time getting deeper in Bible study, it is usually do to reason #1. It disturbs my routine. As a homeschooling, stay-at-home wife and mommy my days are very busy. I have a daily schedule that I follow that includes spending time daily in the Word and having a dedicated prayer time. However, I spend time on other things during the day (this blog, for instance), that are not as beneficial to me as getting deeper in my Bible. These other activities are not bad in and of themselves, but are they helping me to be a stronger Chrisitan? Are they going to lift me up and encourage me when I go through difficult times? My spirit was convicted when I contemplated my joy in God's Word. I am thankful that God has preserved His Word. I have been challenged to spend more time in deeper study. Do any of the above reasons apply to you? I want to encourage you to read Psalm 119 and meditate on it.

In The Kitchen

I spend the majority of my time each day in the kitchen. I good-naturedly call it "command central." Because I cook three meals a day in our kitchen, it tends to look very lived in. Although not always spotless, I do my best to follow FlyLady's guidelines to keeping a shiny sink. My kitchen and dining are a pretty, cheery shade of yellow.

I am so blessed to have two ovens! Believe it or not, I actually use both of them all the time. They are especially helpful when cooking Sunday dinner or baking multiple batches of cookies.

I can't take credit for painting the cooktop backsplash; it was the work of the previous owner. The painting of apples baking in a stone oven goes well with the Sonoma fruit dinnerware we use for everyday.

Riverbend

My name is Mrs. C. I am happily married to the man of my dreams! God has blessed Mr. C and I with 3 daughters and 1 son, all of whom I homeschool. My life is filled with my husband, my children, and my church family. Our family moved to our current home from another state last year. We live in a rural area across the street from a very large lake (almost 400 miles of shoreline). Mr. C and I are excited about raising our children in a family-friendly area where they are free to romp in the woods and explore to their heart's content. After viewing some very interesting blogs, I have decided to take a crack at starting my own! I am not very talented when it comes to using the computer, but I am hoping to increase my knowledge in the days ahead. If you have any suggestions, please pass them on to me! I will be sharing some of my thoughts and glimpses of life in our home.