Wednesday, August 26, 2015

chatting with Charity ~ 24

 
 
 
 
Good Morning! As school starts back and life slowly starts to find it's new norm this is where we are spending most of our time. It is our screened in porch. Until this summer it was simply a dumping ground for things we didn't know what to do with...or just didn't want to deal with. You know, the place you would die if a visitor walked into! We had big plans for this s...pace when we moved into this house 10 years ago. It was to become a butler's panty and mud room, it was going to be glorious! I have the plans and everything! BUT life happens and things like refrigerators, roofs, and heating and air systems get in the way of your plans. I had given up hope on this space, I knew that by the time it made it to the top of the list in importance that my kids would be grown and we wouldn't need the space. I just ignored the space and pretended that it wasn't there! If it couldn't be what I wanted then it couldn't have value, right?

This past Christmas when my husband asked what I wanted, I told him I want our damaged kitchen floor fixed. Hang with me...this goes with the story! Valentines came and I asked for the same, my birthday - the same, anniversary - the same...you get the picture! When summer got here he decided it was time to give me the gift I had been waiting for but he wanted to do more, he wanted to fix the screened in porch tile too. This annoyed me, I just wanted to do the kitchen and continue to ignore the disappointing space that would NEVER be what I wanted. He was determined, so we started. I don't know if y'all remember but it was HOT this summer and this was hard work. The floors were repaired and hubby decided to start replacing the screens and the trim and painting, ugh! I was tired, I wanted to be lazy this summer! He was determined! So we worked, and worked, and worked. Eventually, the vision for the porch hit me! It was a gift that I didn't know that I wanted, that I didn't know that I would treasure! While I was caught up in what the room couldn't be, and the work it would take my husband he saw what it could be and that it had value and needed to be taken care of. Since we finished the room it has become my favorite space. As I sit on the porch this morning I can not help but praise God, not only for this porch and the gift that it is but also for the many gifts that just looked like hard times and hard work when I was in the middle of them. Today, I am thankful for the hard places that God has taken me and the gifts they have brought.

Psalm 136:1-4 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords,For His lovingkindness is everlasting. To Him who alone does great wonders,For His lovingkindness is everlasting

Once again, God used my husband's love for me to show me Himself. Remember, our actions have great power and can show others the love of Christ!

Are you thankful for the gifts that have come from hard places?

Has God used anyone in your life recently to show you His love?

How can you show someone Christ's love today?
 
Charity

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Chatting with Charity ~ 23




I have to be honest today and tell you that I am in over my head this week! It is the first week of school for us, I have a few extra work commitments, we have the luau, and I am preparing for the Be Amazing Bible study I will start teaching next week, AND our garden has been producing ab...out 10 gallons of tomatoes every other day. Soon, we will be overtaken by tomatoes! Anyway...I had a heartfelt post that I wanted to do today but I haven't had time to think it through enough...so I thought I would share one of the things I am doing with the gallons and gallons of tomatoes coming from our garden.

Tomato Pie
2 tomatoes sliced
1 pie crust
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon flour

Preheat oven to 350*, cook pie crust for 10 min., layer bottom with tomato slices, mix other ingredients together, spoon over the top of the tomatoes, bake for 30- 35 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes and enjoy!
 
Charity