A Grand Party with a Surprise

One year ago today I began my journey

in this beautiful community

of blogging
~
HAPPY FIRST BLOGAVERSARY TO ME!
&
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR STEPHANIE! 

I am celebrating both of these occasions together
because had it not been for the 
inspiration and encouragement of Stephanie,
I would likely not be blogging.
In honor of her I began my journey 
on her birthday one year ago today.
If you would like
you may read my first post here.

~~~***~~~

As my sweet encourager,
Stephanie has lived out (Colossians 4:6)
"Let your speech be with grace,
seasoned with salt,
that ye may know how you ought to answer each one."
Stephanie's words have been Gracious" to me. (Ecclesiastes 10:12) 
She has seasoned me with salt when I have said,
"computers and I have a hard time getting along."
She has assured me that I can do it,
and that she will help me along the way.
Has she helped me? Oh yea!
This post would be for-ever long
if I shared with you the many times
 I have had to call my "help line."
Stephanie works behind the scenes for me ~
many times she has been my personal photographer ~
I'm sure you can tell which photo's have been hers, haha ~
she has been my technical difficulty go to in a pinch.
I couldn't do it without her.
 When I have to call my "help line" in distress, I might add,
she always responds by living out (Isaiah 50:4)
"The Lord God has given me the tongue
of the learned, that I should speak
a word in season to him who is weary."

Stephanie ~ My Dear daughter and friend
is so good to me ~ her mother.
My heart is filled to overflowing
as I watch with a mother's heart the love in action
in Stephanie's life ~ her desire to walk after
her Savior ~ to practice being a Proverbs 31 women
in the role God has given her,
bringing glory and honor to her God.
With great honor from a mother's heart ~
Happy Birthday Stephanie! 

~~~***~~~

In the celebration of Stephanie's Birthday
and my One Year Anniversary 
I am having my very first "Give-Away."
Woohoo!
This is exciting for me as I have waited a whole year!
*So let the party begin*

My favorite color is pink ~ so this special gift
includes many items in that beautiful color.
Sorry if you do not like pink :(
I have also included a tea-cup in honor of Stephanie.

 Many a friendship has begun all through
her delightful Tea-Cup & Mug Exchanges.
Some of you dear followers have become my 
friends through that exchange.
I so appreciate each and every one
of  YOU, graceful followers,
and this is just a small token of my love for you.

~~~***~~~

I love ~ love ~ love ~ surprises!
So in each pink bag I have tucked 
away a surprise for the blessed winner.

I am allowing anyone to participate,
all I ask is that you leave a comment
sharing with me what your favorite Birthday cake is.
I will announce the gracious winner on my next Sunday 
Grace & Reflections for a Women's heart post
which will be on Sunday the 12th.

~~~***~~~

For refreshments today I will be serving up
my Granny's "Dime Cake" with you.
This gorgeous chocolate cake
with fluffy white icing was the cake my Granny 
made with love until she went home to be with her Lord.
Her cake has graced five generations
and has left many lasting memories. 
May you enjoy!

Chocolate Cake
1 cup cake flour ~ sifted at least three times
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
1/4 cup crisco
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (cool)
~
Butter and flour cake pans ~ I use rounds for this cake
Beat all ingredients in a large mixing bowl on low speed,
scraping edges occasionally 3 minutes & pour into pans
Bake at 350 deg. for 30 to 35 minutes 
Or ~ you may just want to use a boxed cake mix. :)

Fluffy White Icing 
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 Tablespoons water
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
~
Mix sugar, corn syrup & water in a saucepan.
Cover: heat to rolling boil over medium heat.
Uncover: boil rapidly until candy thermometer registers 242 deg.
As mixture boils, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Pour hot syrup very slowly in thin stream into egg whites,
beating constantly on medium speed.
Add vanilla: beat on high speed until stiff peaks form ~ this part takes awhile
I double this recipe so as to make one beautiful and full looking cake.
 All you have to do is wrap dimes in wax paper 
and place them in between the layers of the cake.
I put the icing on the cake first then place the dimes.
Children absolutely love the fun in this cake
and they will eat every bite looking for the dimes. :)
Enjoy! 

Thank you Heavenly Father
for showing me Your direction
with this blog that belongs to You.
Thank you for the beautiful
and gracious followers you have brought
to this, Your blog.
May You be glorified
in all that goes forth from this place.
In Your Holy name I pray,
with thanksgiving.
Amen

Joy!
~ Debbie ~ 

I'm joining the party with
Stephanie at "Roses of Inspiration" 

Grace and Reflections for a Women's Heart # 6

~ A Look Into Proverbs ~

" For the Lord giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding."
(Proverbs 2:6)

~~~***~~~

Proverbs contains the very wisdom of God
given to show us the value
of living prudently ~ or to be cautious

" As the refining pot for silver,
and the furnace for gold,

so is a man to his praise."
(Proverbs 27:21)

~~~***~~~

Being on the "top" many times brings with it praise.
It's easy to look for a pat on the back
in our accomplishments,
or a good word to our account.
BUT
Is praise easy to handle?
Do we find ourselves liking that attention
and forgetting Who the glory belongs to?

~~~***~~~

Praise can bring with it some unseen dangers:
*It may cause us to believe
we are better than we really are
Jeremiah 17:9&10 tells us that
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked:
who can know it.
I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to 
the fruit of his doings."
~
When we are in the flesh we cannot please God,
He knows our hearts.
"Our righteous God will try our hearts and reins."
(Psalm 7:9)

~~~***~~~

* It may lead us to think we deserve what we have  
We have nothing and can do nothing with out Christ.
John 15:4&5 tells us we are to
"Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches;
he that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit,
for without me ye can do nothing."
~
For a believer, Christ alone  can provide the grace
and provision of our needs in life ~ thus ~
we are to remain faithful in our service
for the Lord, and to the study of the scriptures
in order to bear fruit..

* It may blind us to our own weaknesses
" Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall."
(   Corinthians 10:12)
~
It is easy to become over confident and complacent,
which can bring us to a place of falling.
We may become confident in ourselves, 
or even complacent believing all is well ~ pride ~
and the pride of our heart can deceive us.
Therefore ~

~~~***~~~

* It may lead us to a place where we no longer
think we need the Lord
How easy it is to become so dependent on ourselves
and our own works that we forget
or even push God aside,
maybe even forgetting Him all together.
Satan would love for us to go through our days
forgetting to walk ever so close to our Saviors side,
whereby giving him a foot hold to devour us.
~
1 Peter tells us to
" Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour."

The spiritual truth behind Proverbs 27:21 
is not hard to spot.
Satan often attacks us at the point of our strength,
not always at the point of our weakness.
Should that surprise us?
After all, why should Satan attack only in the
point of our self-perceived weakness?
If you or I know we have a weakness,
that's the very area we will guard most carefully.
Such as ~ problems with anger ~ laziness ~
lust ~ gluttony ~ gossip ~

~~~***~~~ 

But it is not so with our strengths,
we tend to take them for granted.
After all ~ we think our strengths are not a problem for us ~
we think they are not temptations.
Watch Out!
There is danger ahead, should we take that area
of our life for granted, because that will be the one area
Satan is most likely to attack.
Why? Because that's the one area where we
are not watching for his attack!

~~~***~~~ 

Should someone compliment us ~ 
pat us on the back ~
praise our works saying well done ~
smile, say thank you, and give the glory to God.
May we not let it go to our head.
~
All we are, all we do and will ever be
is because of Christ.
We were created for Him, by Him and for His glory alone. 

~~~***~~~

Precious Heavenly Father,
To You be all glory!
May we not become so proud in ourselves
that we neglect You
in every area of our lives.
Shine brightly within our hearts
that we may glorify You.
In Your Holy name we pray these things.
Amen

To God be the Glory!
~ Debbie ~ 



I'm joining the party at
Roses of  Inspiration
http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com

Stephanie's Tea Cup & Mug Exchange

Please join me in a cup of tea

as I share with you the beautiful

treasures I received through 

Stephanie's tea-cup and mug exchange over at

 http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com  

"I can just imagine myself
sitting down at the head of the table
and pouring out the tea"
said Anne, shutting her eyes ecstatically.
"And asking Diana if she takes sugar!
I know she doesn't but of course
I'll ask her just as if I didn't know."
~ Lucy Maud Montgomery,
Anne of Green Gable
~
 Linda over at

http://mysewwhatblog.blogspot.com
gifted me with quite a collection of teas
and I would love to share them with you.
Do you take sugar? One lump or two?

 When Linda's gift arrived I squealed
with delight in the Post Office!
You see ~ Linda gave the most beautiful
tea-cup to Stephanie some time ago
and I fell in love with it!
It is a tea-cup like I have never seen before,
elegant in it's beauty.
If you were to turn the cup up-side down
it would look like a gown to be worn in a ballroom
with pleats running through it, gorgeous.
I told my dear Stephanie,
 should it disappear from her home
 she wouldn't have to look far
as it could be found in my china cabinet.
I have been fearful of having "sticky fingers"
when I sip tea in that elegant tea-cup. :)

~~**~~

After reading Linda's name on the corner of the box
with delight ~
I made my way home quite anxious to open it,
 and trying very hard NOT to speed.

 Each gift was wrapped so beautifully
in brown tissue with paper lace ribbon.
Some of you may know
I like love lace!

~~**~~

                 Linda was just as gracious with her gift giving
in this tea-cup exchange as she was with Stephanie.
Isn't this a gorgeous tea cup! 
Look at that tiny rose colored flower ~
I just LOVE it! 

Linda seemed to know exactly
what my taste is in decorating ~ primitive.
Each one of the lovely items she graced me with
has found a special place in my country home
and I think of her every time I look upon them.
Linda is a beautiful lady whom I have been blessed
to come to know through our blogs.
Linda ~ Thank you for each gift that
you so graciously showered me with.
I was deeply touched and felt quite spoiled! 

~~**~~

   I had the privilege of sending a tea-cup
to Janet over at
http://rosemary-thyme.blogspot.com
She too is a lovely lady with 
the most beautiful blog.
Please stop in and visit these dear ladies.

~~**~~

Stephanie ~ What a sweet and tender heart you have!
Thank you for the beauty in your
tea-cup and mug exchanges.
As your mother, I know of the hard work
you put into making these exchanges beautiful and meaningful
for us ladies to enjoy.
The beauty of your heart radiates through out
this exchange, and many are richly blessed.
May the Lord bless you, as you have blessed others.
I love you!

 Joy to you!

~ Debbie ~ 

I am joining the link up party at

The Enchanting Rose

Please join us!

Grace and Reflections for a Women's Heart # 5

~ A Look Into Proverbs ~

"For the lord giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh
 knowledge and understanding."
(Proverbs 2:6)

~~~***~~~

Proverbs contains the very wisdom of God
given to show us the value
of living prudently ~ or to be cautious.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart,
and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths."
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

~~~***~~~

These two verses are among the most
beloved in the Bible.
I know for myself these were verses I
memorized and hid in my heart
very early in my faith.
One of the first Bible verse magnets
I ever purchased said
"Trust in the Lord" 
I didn't know at the time, being a new believer and all,
that there was more to these two verses.
I soon learned the whole of those verses
and have cherished them for 32 years now
as a believer in Christ.

~~~***~~~

Shortly after I purchased and hung
that magnet on my fridge
the Lord used it in a mighty way.
My husband and I, with our two daughters
were in the process of moving to Canada,
and for me ~ that was huge!
Stephanie, our youngest was about two months old,
and Dawn our oldest was just finishing kindergarten.
My mother was beside herself
with us moving such a distance
and making it hard to see the children grow up.
As a NEW believer, I too had some concerns.
I trusted my husband with his leading,
yet ~ there were times I felt so uncertain.
My heart-strings were pulled in many directions.
But it was that simple magnet
that I looked at daily on the fridge
"Trust in the Lord"
that saw me through.

~~~***~~~

I can remember going into the kitchen
on numerous occasions
to read those comforting words
"Trust in the Lord"
just to get through those long dreary days
filled with many a tear I might add,
as I packed up our home
preparing for the move.

In order for God to direct one's path,
a person must be doing whatever
he or she already knows to be right.
I knew that I was to trust my husband
as the head of our home,
even though my heart longed to stay close to my family.
I needed to do right in order for God to direct.
~
Psalm 37: 5 is also a comforting verse.
"Commit thy way unto the Lord;
trust also in him,
and he shall bring it to pass."
~
Obedience activates God's promises.
To depend on our own understanding
of truth and life means to disregard God's will.
God's Word tells us to trust in the Lord,
to lay ourselves completely on Him
for full support. We are not to lean
for support on our own understanding.
In all our ways we are to know God intimately,
and He will take the path of our life.
~
As a new believer and making such
a drastic move in my life,
I was able to go down the path
where God was leading
claiming those four promising words,
Trust in the Lord.

~~~***~~~

 If we will know God in every area of our life,
He will take personal responsibility
to make our way smooth and straight.
The paths we are taking sometimes
seem so hard don't they?
The road is rough and bumpy, filled with potholes
and obstacles, sharp curves and sometimes
it would appear we have hit a dead end,
or maybe, a road block.
Lord teach us to trust You wholeheartedly
no matter what the path before us may look like.
~
May we as women, grace our lives
in the purity found in the Word of God.

~~~***~~~

Our Precious Heavenly Father.
What a comfort we have in the promises
found in Your word.
May we look to You for our guidance
and direction
trusting You to take the path of our life, and
leaning completely on Your understanding. 
To You be all glory!
Amen

Grace and Peace be yours
in Abundance!
~ Debbie ~

I'm joining the party at
~ Roses of Inspiration ~

Blessed Thankfulness

Something wonderful was taking place

while I was away caring

for my dear parents.

I received a gift of the most special

kind of love poured out through YOU, my dear friends!

That gift was the gift of sweet prayer

lifted up to God on behalf of

myself and my parents.

I felt God's hand in mine

as He reassured me that we were not alone,

that He never leaves us

and will be with us always.

I knew God's loving presence

was right there with us 

every moment of every day.

My heart is rich and full of gratitude

for so many things.

For Stephanie my wonderful daughter

who graciously stepped in for me as a guest 

while I was away from the computer.

She has such a willing heart

to be used of the Lord

here in our beautiful community of blogging.

She didn't know it at the time,

but her post was meant for ME.

God knew that I was in need of a reminder

to keep a song in my heart.

No matter what God dishes out onto our plates,

there will be joy found in our hearts

as we sing our way through.

Stephanie ~ thank you for having 

such a sweet and tender spirit.

I love you!

~~**~~

I cannot forget you, my dear and sweet friends!

Thank you for your prayers, love and concern.

Words are not enough to express how

my heart rejoices.

Through your relationship with God,

you have given of yourselves 

so that others would be blessed.

On behalf of my parents, thank you!

Through Stephanie and her guest post

I had some lovely new ladies visit

and even follow along.

I want to thank you and welcome you

to my little corner of the world.

{ I hope to visit you real soon}

It is my humble prayer that you ~ and all

who seek to have their hearts refreshed

through the Scriptures found here at ~

She Graces Her Home In God's Beauty

will find all that you may be seeking.

God speaks to our hearts individually

through His Word,

I am just His instrument desiring to be used

as He guides me along the path

He has set before me.

I look forward to walking God's path

with you, as you follow along.

~~**~~

May we rejoice in the goodness

of the greatest Gift ~ Giver of all

and in the gifts of friendship

we've been given.

" Every good and perfect gift is from above."

James 1:17

~~**~~

Our Precious Heavenly Father ~

You are so good to us!

Thank you for the love of friends

and for their care and concern

for what is happening in the lives of others.

May we always be mindful

of the needs around us,

and fall on our knees before Your throne of grace

giving praise and glory to You.

Amen

Joy to You!

~ Debbie ~