For Goodness' Taste ~

Where oh where has September gone?

 We have had a great September, warm sunny days

with a mixture of rain, some good rains at the beginning of the month.

I have enjoyed sitting on the deck surrounded by such beauty.

The squirrels have entertained me while they have

gathered their pine cones then frantically running to their homes

stashing them away for what I hear is going to be a hard winter.

These squirrels are amazing ~ they go to the very top of the pine trees, 

which by the way are 60 feet and above in height ~ knock the pine cones to the ground 

and carry them off to their underground homes.

It took me a few years before I realized that all the pine cones on the ground 

were the work of the squirrels for their food.

I can remember years back hearing the squirrels squawking 
when I was out raking them all up

not realizing they were telling me OFF for tossing out their food supply.

I have since learned NOT to touch those pine cones too soon.

I stand amazed at the busyness of these cute little critters,

it's non stop with them and the work load that they have for survival seems unending.
While they do not take all of the pine cones they knock down,
they do take most of them.
They will take the ones that are coated with sap
leaving the rest for me to clean up when the snow arrives, or leave them until Spring.
I have learned to give them plenty of time for gathering.

God's Word speaks of being slothful and watching these

little guys causes me to ponder on those verses.   

I try and teach my grandsons concerning being slothful

using God's creation as their example.

Anyways... those days of lounging around on warm sunny days

will soon be coming to an end.

October for the most part here in the mountains is not the prettiest,

in fact, it's rather drab. 

The leaves have mostly changed, fallen to the ground and been raked up,

with the exception of those pine cones of course.

We are in between the nice weather and the beautiful snow.
So, I will be taking some time during the ugly season 
and fly out for a visit with my mother.

HIP HIP HOORAY!! 

As of this week I have completed my 20 visits of therapy.
A few weeks ago it looked as if I would need extra visits, 
but my therapist is quite pleased with my progress; therefore,
 I have graduated and will be doing all my exercises without assistance.
Knowing I have something foreign in my body
 that must be exercised, stretched and well taken care of 
motivates me to be faithful. Actually, my knee lets me know when it needs looked after.
So I believe this is a great time to enjoy a little Arizona sun 
and precious time with my dear mother.
"Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind"
~ Seneca ~

~ ~ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ~ ~

While I am away I thought I would leave my dear husband with a stash of his own,

chocolate chip cookies, his favorite!

Over the 39 years that we have been married I have tried many a chocolate chip cookie recipe

and have found this one to be my favorite.

I'd like to share it with you.

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

1 Cup (2 sticks Butter softened)
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup White Sugar
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 Cups all Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Package (12 oz) chocolate chips
Any flavored chips are great ~ I added some white chocolate chips to this batch

Preheat oven to 375° 
Beat the butter, both sugars, pudding mix, eggs & vanilla in a large bowl.
Beat until creamy and fluffy.
Slowly mix the flour & baking soda.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop by Tablespoon onto parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
Bake for ONLY 9-10 minutes, remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy. 
I believe it is the pudding mix that makes these cookies so delicious,
though they are not necessarily a soft cookie, they do stay moist longer.
Enjoy!

~ ~ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ~ ~

"Make it a rule to yourself to thank and praise
God for everything that happens to you"
~ Merlin Carothers ~

Joy!
~ Debbie ~ 

Bursts of Yellow ~

Right now the aspen trees around our home are bursting 

in bright yellow color!

I'm able to walk the mountains now with my sweet Donatella

and I am in awe of the beauty God affords me on each walk.

No matter where I take my daily walk, I am surrounded by

these bright yellow beauties.

Not only have I enjoyed my walks, but I have been strong enough

to take the four wheeler out to some higher sites 

where I can see for miles and miles ~ it's breath taking!
After a dry Summer, surprisingly the colors are gorgeous
and I'm taking full advantage of enjoying them for this short time
while becoming a sloth with my inside chores.
The way I see it...I will have all Winter to dust and clean.

~ ~ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ~ ~

Enjoy some of the splendor that God has blessed us with.

"I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name forever and ever"

"Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name forever and ever"

"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable"

"One generation shall praise thy works to another, 
and shall declare thy mighty acts"

"I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty,
and of thy wondrous works"

"And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts;
and I will declare thy greatness"

"They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness,
and shall sing of thy righteousness"

"The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; 
slow to anger and of great mercy"

~ ~ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ~ ~
   
My husband and I were able to take a drive to the
Rocky Mountain National Park
where we enjoyed a relaxing day away surrounded by beauty upon beauty.
While we practically followed the Colorado River
on our entire trip we didn't see quite the bursts of yellow with aspen trees,
but certainly enjoyed the masses of mountain terrain.

"The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over his works"

"All thy works shall praise Thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee"

"They shall speak of the glory of the kingdom, and talk of thy power"

"To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts,
and the glorious majesty of his kingdom"

"Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations"

"The Lord upholedth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down"
~ Psalm 145:1-14 ~

Amen and Amen!

To God be the Glory!
~ Debbie ~

Its a Day at the Spa ~

With each passing day, and eight weeks behind me

I'm adding more and more to my daily life.

While I still must be very careful, and trust me, I am,

I am finding it much easier in making strides as I achieve little tasks.

This past week I was able to accomplish a lot, and I felt great doing so!

In fact, I was caught out in the rain one afternoon

while walking my sweet Donatella, and found myself running home

without even thinking about what I was doing, and you know,

my knee handled the run with no problems.

I will tell my therapist what I did when I see her this week, and though,

I may very well get scolded, she really is a gentle sole when she scolds me.
~ I'm not to run for three months ~

I'm feeling stronger with each new day

and I can't help but praise the Lord for His watch care over me 
during the passing hours of my day.
God loves to hear our praises given unto Him.

  ~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

A couple of weeks ago my therapist recommended that I treat myself to a spa day.

Having never gone to a full fledged spa and with a tiny bit of reservation 

I asked her just what kind of spa was she suggesting?

"You pick the type of spa day that suits you, she said.

Would you like to sit by the pool and view the mountains, enjoy a Jacuzzi,

sit in a sauna, have a facial..."

I believe it was God who chose the Spa day for me ~
The words " Its a Day at the Spa" was all it took to get my attention.

As I was reading our local newspaper my eye caught an ad for 

a monthly special at one of the oldest and most respected spas in North America.

The Yampah Spa vapor caves are natural underground steam baths.
Hot mineral waters flow through the cave floors at 125 degrees F.
to create natural geothermal steam baths.
The brochure said that the Ute Indians who originally inhabited this region
visited these caves for centuries, and regarded them as a sacred place
of healing and rejuvenation.

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡  ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

This hot springs and vapor caves is practically in my own back yard, and yet,

I have never had the nerve to enjoy all the healing benefits that are offered.

The monthly special for just 135.00 included ~

A raspberry body wrap ~ A private natural thermal bath ~ access to the vapor caves ~

and a neck, back and shoulder massage,

which I desperately needed!

Two and a half hours after my early appointment I walked out of that spa 
feeling relaxed, energized and alive all mixed together.
Oooh I felt good!!

For the rest of the day all I could think of was ~

'what an amazing experience!'

That was the best thing I have done for myself in a very long time,

and it was certainly money well spent.

I'm hoping to continue this treatment at least once a month,
why not when they offer such a wonderful monthly package.

My knee felt amazing that afternoon and the days that followed.
They say that the caves purify the body as they soothe away aches and pains.
So...if I'm going to choose what type of spa day is best,
seems like Yampah Spa will meet my needs.
God gets the glory here.
 I believe God knew exactly what He was doing when He directed me to that ad,
which by the way, I never pay attention to ad's.

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡  ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆  ~ ~

My therapist is amazing!!

She was a God send in my life years ago when I was looking for a new therapist,

 she takes the time to know you and your needs in a personal way.

I'm grateful for my therapist, and she certainly makes it easy

for me to listen, obey and do all that she suggests and instructs.

Thank you Heavenly Father!

~ ~ ☆ ☆ ♡  ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ~ ~

"To God be the glory, for great things He has done"

Sweet friends, what has God been doing in your life?
What are some of the things you are praising Him for?

God loves us dearly, and He is always working to change us

so that we may become more like Him.

God's Glory!

~ Debbie ~

♡

Labor of L❤ve ~

 "Give her of the fruit of her hands;

and let her own works praise her in the gates."

~ Proverbs 31:31 ~

♡♡♡

Raspberry jam is one of the jams I make every year, it's my husband's favorite. 

Last year with my ordinary days being filled up with hospital visits, 

rehab visits, long drives to look after mom with all her health concerns, 

I missed out on making any jam at all. 

This year our raspberry bushes were amazing,

 though we ate them as fast as they ripened, 
I was able to save a few to add with my store bought raspberries for jam. 
Fresh from our own patch adds that extra special goodness.

I know that many of those jars of jam will find their way 

into the homes of others for their enjoyment.

God would have us to encourage and minister to one another,

and what better way to do just that, than with a jar of homemade jam.

♡♡♡

"For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love,

which ye have showed toward his name,

in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister."

~ Hebrews 6:10 ~

♡♡♡

My grandsons have come to enjoy making jam with their Gamma,

so I try and make this special occasion a time of passing it on.

My prayer has been that these moments together would provide

a storehouse of happy memories for these young boys 

to hide away in their hearts forever.

I believe the influence of grandparents in forming values and character

cannot be underestimated ~ the privileges and blessings of the role 

of grandparents provide untold blessings.

I know and believe that as grandparents, our labor of love will not be in vein.

♡♡♡

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable,

always abounding in the work of the Lord,

forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vein in the Lord."

~ 1 Corinthians 15:58 ~

♡♡♡

It has been a beautiful Labor Day week-end here in the Rocky Mountains,

I trust you can say the same in your little world

where God has placed you.

My love be with you all in Christ Jesus!

~ Debbie ~
❤