Sunday, April 22, 2018

The Beauty of Friendship ~

"Christian women are called to build lasting friendships
that will endure throughout life and extend into eternity."
~ Excerpt from; The Women's study Bible ~

~ * * ♡ ♡ * * ~

As we allow God's love to fill our own lives 
that love will spill over and touch the lives of others.
This past week I had the joy of  celebrating the birthday of two very special friends;
the desire of my heart was to give of myself,
after all...the Lord loves a cheerful giver, doesn't He?
I decided to create something for them with my own hands, 
something that I wouldn't normally do in the field of baking.
Oh, I love to bake, but when it comes to decorating, not so much.
In the "Women's World" magazine there was the sweetest, prettiest cupcake recipe 
that I just had to try and accomplish!
"There are so many little things we can do for others that are so small
many people forget about them. But these aren't small things.
They show our love for Christ."
~ Mother Teresa ~
* I will share the recipe with you at the end of this post *

~ * * ♡ ♡ * * ~

As I spent the afternoon creating these adorable cupcakes for my friends,
I couldn't help but ponder on those friendships found in the Scriptures.
There is the friendship of Ruth and Naomi (Ruth 1:16&17)
By the way ~ did you know that the meaning of the name Ruth is "friendship"?
Ruth became Naomi's forever friend.
Their friendship was a deep, lasting friendship that embodied God's love.
There was the friendship of Elizabeth and Mary. (Luke 1:39-56)
Elizabeth was a Spiritual mentor.
We are to build one another up and encourage to be godly.
"A friend loves at all times"
*Proverbs 17:17*
When Mary went to visit with her cousin Elizabeth,
 it must have been a joyful time between the two women
as Elizabeth shared hospitality and wise advice to Mary.
There is comfort in a godly friend who brings encouragement to our lives.
Elizabeth shared herself liberally, didn't she?
And then, there is the friendship between David and Johnathon,
a friendship we are quite familiar with in the Scriptures. (1Samuel 18:1-3)
"Then Johnathon and David made a covenant, 
because he loved him as his own soul."
Johnathon made a covenant of friendship with David,
a friendship filled with loyalty, affection and self-sacrifice.
"The soul of Johnathon was knit to the soul of David,
and Johnathon loved him as his own soul."
What a beautiful commitment in their friendship.
Friendships that last are built on the attributes of  
grace, benevolence, compassion, loving kindness and bound together by LOVE.

~ * * ♡ ♡ * * ~

Year's ago I found this and wrote it out keeping it as a reminder on friendships.
* ♡ *
*Model For Friendships*
True Friends ~
Love each other selflessly 
Protect one another
Are honest with each other
Are there in times of trouble
Provide a safe place to honestly express yourself & still be loved
Want God's will for each other
Do not compete with each other
Are loyal to the end
Keep their promises
Build each other Spiritually
* ♡ *
These two dear friends that I shared their birthdays with this past week
are both one in Spirit with me. We were connected from the beginning,
and  became fast friends after we met.
The one dear friend, I met in church as we worked along side of one another
looking after our Senior Fellowship Gatherings.
The other dear friend was the daughter of one of my hospice patients 
and I knew that I wanted to be her friend the instant we introduced ourselves.
They are precious friends sent from God above,
both enriching my life to the glory of God.
May we all, in our friendships, show forth the reflection of Christ's beauty
through a generous loving heart making the most of every opportunity. 

~ * * ♡ ♡ * * ~

From this point on it will be the recipe I promised I would share.
Due to sharing the recipe this will end up being a very long post!!
Sorry!😘
I'm just going to share how to make the cherry blossoms with marshmallows,
you can choose what flavour of cake you want 
as the photo shows clearly how to frost.
  
* Cherry Blossom Cupcakes *


2 cups mini marshmallows 
1 cup white candy melts
1 can each pink & pearl Wilton Color Mist food color spray
2 Tbs. yellow sprinkles (tiny balls)
3 Tbs. bright pink tinted frosting
~~~
For flower petals, you will need wax paper to cut & arrange them on.
With scissors, crosswise snip each mini marshmallow into thirds.
For flowers, place candy melts in a plastic food storage bag; seal bag.
*I used 1 cup of candy *
Microwave candy, massaging bag every 5 seconds until melted & smooth.
Snip small (tiny) hole in one corner of the bag.
Pipe 6 (1/2" wide) dots of candy about 1 1/2"apart on the wax paper.
Arrange small end of each 5 marshmallow slices, overlapping as needed,
into each candy dot creating your flower.
These will set without having to place them in the fridge.
~~~
Coat the flowers lightly with the pink spray to cover completely.
Lightly coat the flowers with the pearl spray to add sparkle.
With your bright pink tinted frosting you will place the 3 Tbs.
in a plastic sandwich bag. Press out excess air from bag & seal.
Snip a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag.
For stamen, pipe short lines of frosting radiating
 from the center of each flower.
Sprinkle with some of the yellow sprinkles.
~~~
Just a few inside tips of things I learned as I went along.
While arranging your marshmallow petals into the flower
you will find them to be sticky,
 so place a damp cloth nearby and gently wet your finger tips.
DO NOT lick your fingers like I did before realizing it!😛
No, I did not keep and use those flowers!
I found it easier turning the wax paper slowly as I created each flower
rather than reaching around in a circle.


While you are putting the round sprinkles in the center of your flower
you will want to do each cupcake right after you add the pink icing
before it dries.
Also, those tiny round balls like to roll off the stamen.
My dear husband made me a tiny funnel out of paper and I gently rolled the sprinkles
down the funnel into the center of the flower.
Enjoy!


Be Gracious!
~ Debbie ~





Monday, April 16, 2018

Joyful in the Glory and Beauty ~

"Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
*Psalm 149:5-6*


My husband and I drove an hour from our home to take 
Cherry Delight to her personal mechanic for her 1st check-up and oil change.
You can read all about Cherry Delight  here.
The blooms on this cherry tree near our mechanics shop 
were absolutely stunning not to mention their fragrance!
We live at a higher elevation making it hard for certain fruit trees to grow,
so I am always in awe of their glory and beauty when I see them.
Aren't they magnificent!?
Of course photo's never do justice, (especially when using a cell phone) do they?


Last week I was reading in the book of Psalms and was reminded through this verse
that we should praise God ~ ALWAYS ~
When we wake up in the morning, at noon and in the evening.
Habits are easy enough to form, so why not form a habit
of thanking and praising God as soon as we wake up each morning.
When we quote the Scriptures and give praise to God
while we are still lying in our comfy cozy beds, it prepares us 
by implanting in our minds words for a positive attitude
and outlook to meet what may come in our daily lives.
Why not begin our day with joy and glory in our hearts?
We can worship and praise God for the promises found in His Word
and for all He has done and is doing in our lives?
Our worshipful hearts pointed towards our most Holy and Righteous God,
will draw us closer to His Precious side.
I know Satan would love to defeat us from the onset of our day,
but we can choose to not be defeated as we put on the garment of praise
and tbanksgiving when we sing for joy upon our beds before we 
allow the negativity of this world to enter into our minds.
Begin tomorrow morning dear followers ~ try not to roll out of your bed until
you have first sung for joy with a heart of praise and thanksgiving.
That little bit of extra time you will take in doing so
will make all the difference in your heart attitude.
God's love and faithfulness will motivate and enable
you to walk in a way that honors Him.

~♡~~~♡~~~♡~

"Praise ye the Lord.
Sing unto the Lord a new song and his praise
in the congregation of saints."
*Psalm 149: 1*

   Be Joyful!
~ Debbie ~

Monday, April 9, 2018

Hello and Welcome Spring!

Can it be!
Is it me?
Did I say...Welcome Spring?
Yes, this is Spring in the Rocky Mountains.
Hello Dear friends and faithful followers and a BIG hello to those of you
whom have followed me while I was off line ~ Thank You!
As of April 2 it has been 9 months since mom's heart attack
and life changing events for her and her family.
I'm here to tell you that mom is doing amazingly well!
As of March, she is now back in her own home enjoying her independence 
with a little bit of private care, which gives us, her family, peace of mind.
God certainly had His hand upon her and brought her through a lot
and He's not finished with her yet.
"For we are His workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
*Ephesians 2:10*
♡♡♡
"And let us not grow weary in well doing; for in due season
we shall reap, if we faint not."
*Galatians 6:9*
♡♡♡
This verse in Galatians speaks to us about sowing the seed (the Word of God)
and leaving the harvest up to God.
While in the hospital, rehab center, waiting rooms and the like, 
there were multiple opportunities for sharing Christ and His amazing grace.
No matter what the circumstances may be that we are facing,
there is always opportunity for us to sow seeds in the lives around us.
I love to sing His praises of the great things He has done, 
and great things He has certainly done!
Over these past 9 months God has gently shown me that
through every circumstance we were going through with mom
I could enjoy the waiting game with a positive, joyful outlook.
It's so easy for us to become inpatient wanting things to happen RIGHT NOW!
But God's perfect work takes time and requires us to remain patient
and look to the provision of our Heavenly Father.
God was not only working on His masterpiece (mom),
but He was also working on each individual life within her family
and He is still working through His perfect timetable.
God was, and continues, to work with care and love
creating something beautiful out of our lives.
♡♡♡
Friends, may we not grow weary or become impatient with God
as He ever so gently molds us into His likeness,
through each and every circumstance we individually face.
We can go through each day knowing our God is Good
and He knows exactly what He is doing.
And for that, we can be THANKFUL!
♡♡♡
The photo's I have shared seem gloomy, but in the gloom there is beauty. 
Find the beauty in your every day circumstances
and sing forth His joy.




"My heart is fixed oh God, my heart is fixed,
I will sing and give praise."
*Psalm 57:7*

Joy!
~ Debbie ~

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