It's A Michael Buble Kind Of Morning, I Have Household Chores To Conquor. Do People Even Iron Clothes Anymore? I Do And I Use Spray Starch Also When It Is Called For, Especially When Ironing Linen. Thank You Cracker Barrel For Selling This CD When I Purchased It.

Well, it is a morning filled with doing household chores. First on the list is ironing. Yes, I said ironing clothes. This is something that should not be a dying lost art so to speak. Do you notice that there is another dying lost art, hand written notes/cards/thank you's. Why is this? There is a personal touch when hand written do you agree?  I actually use United States postage stamps as a coordinate on the envelope. I asked the post office why they are not creating beautiful/creative stamps anymore? I love when they create lighthouse stamps, floral stamps and I recently ran out of my bird stamps. The person at the post office told me the favorite stamps people purchase are the flag. That is endearing to know but what about those that want creative stamps to coordinate with the card being sent on the inside? I liked the series of postage stamps the post office sold I believe it was commemorating the circus and I like the Oscar de La Renta stamps also. I like stamps that have a flair to them what about you? Oh, one of my favorite songs is playing right now, Nobody But Me"
by Michael Bublé.

OK back to writing now uh oh another song I like too, "On An Evening In Roma"

by Michael Bublé.

OK back again. I was in Rome several years ago and enjoyed that city. One afternoon I sat on a bench and watched people going in and out of a local wedding dress purveyor. How exciting that they were selecting or looking at wedding dresses for their special day. That is a heart warming feeling.

I have a steamer I use on occasion but there is no comparison to a freshly ironed piece of clothing, especially when a crease is placed on that piece of clothing with an iron placing it there. Well, back to the chore at hand, ironing. My next project to tackle after that is making the corn fritters and roasted red pepper dip (I published both of these recipes in my blog.) I will be meeting friends this evening for a church gathering and I just want to bless them with a little care package for them to take home with them.  You have a doubly blessed day today and may God's peace be with you and remain with you.

I Am A Skeptic When It Comes To Testing A New Product, Not A Skeptic When It Comes To Walking By Faith. Debbie Meyer Thank You For Inventing Genius Sponge With Scrubber.

Well, you be the judge in this one. I truly am a skeptic when a product claims to perform in a certain manner and you purchase it and it does not do what it claimed to do. Not the case this time. Thank you Debbie Meyer for your Genius Sponge with Scrubber. I saw a demo and decided to take the challenge myself. I know she makes quality products because I have been using her green produce bags and her green boxes for a few years now and they work. I love the fact that the paperwork states "Proudly Made in the U.S.A." There are care instructions that come with the sponge set.
This is a pot from my Farberware set which is stainless steel. I have had this set for many years (you can probably tell since the word Farberware is slightly worn off of the pan) and use it quite often. So, I took the challenge like Debbie did with her own pans. This truly works see for yourself. One side I did not use the scrubber sponge on and the other side I did. Isn't this amazing? I had so much fun looking at the bottom of pots/pans just to let me test it again and again. Each time it cleaned beautiful. I highly recommend this sponge set.

Debbie Meyer Genius Sponge with Scrubber really works!

Listened To "What A Wonderful World" This Morning. It Inspired Me To Do This...

I had the cd by James Goll playing this morning while I was in the car heading to work. I picked a gardenia and a few miniature carnations to take to work with me. I tend to pick a few flowers from my potted plants and place them in water in a cup at work. I keep them in close proximity because I just love catching a waft of the fragrance from the flowers at work. The gardenia/carnation combo smell wonderful together. Well, I stopped at a local drive thru to pick something up this morning and Holy Spirit nudged me to give the fresh picked gardenia to the person waiting on me. I am not a forceful person by nature so I first asked the person if they would like it. They responded yes and I gave it to them. Remember, what a wonderful world. Then at the close of the day at work Holy Spirit gave me the opportunity to minister to a co-worker, remember, what a wonderful world. Let me tell you folks this cd has ministered to me tremendously.

May I Share With You About My Ring Of Many Colors?

How do you know you are going to a reputable jeweler? Let me share my story with you. The ring in the picture is one of my favorite rings to wear when I am wearing an outfit coordinating with the colors of this ring. Now, this was not an expensive ring I purchased it years ago for maybe $30.00 if even that. It was the time when TJ Maxx started selling jewelry located in a jewelry case. There were some great deals to be had at the time. The ring is composed of a variety of turquoise and maybe some other stones. I was drawn to it by the color combination. Well, throughout the years I would find that one of the stones would fall out and there was an empty spot on the ring to be filled in. If you look at it now there are 4 spots where I replaced an empty spot. I use to work for a person that makes jewelry. She blessed me with three opals that fit over the empty spots. At one time there were three now if you look just above the "I" in "believe" you will see the last one left. When I began to lose the opals I had to come up with a way to replace them. The best I could come up with was getting a small package of pearls at the craft store and glue it in the spot. An example of this is looking right above the opal to see the pearl.
I have learned through trial and error that jewelry glue did no better as an adhesive than super glue so to speak did. I did purchase Loctite all purpose Go2 Glue and that is what I use now. This ring really does have a story to tell of the different gems that have graced it at one time or another. I believe the problem is that the stones/gems are not set into the ring they just lay above the shape of the stone that is part of the silver. What I mean is if you look at a pear-shaped piece of turquoise there is actually a shape of that type underneath the turquoise but the turquoise rests on top of it instead of being laid into it to secure it. If you could see the under gallery of this ring you would see my extra protection layer of glue. I would not only place glue on the underside of the stone but I would then place glue on the underside of the ring too. Guess what, I found that theory does not work.
I went to a jeweler and they tried to help me with my predicament. When a customer maybe sells a ring to them or upgrades, etc. there is a box of loose gemstones and this jeweler will look through this and find me one that fits the empty spot and then applies adhesive to it. Examples of this are in the picture also. The gem above the orange pear shaped turquoise on the left and the purple gem above the pearl on the right side of the ring. Want to hear the funny part of this story, I get compliments on this ring. I have to be more cautious and remember to not wear this ring when washing my hands. I believe the water loosens the stones/gems. For me that is easier said than done.
I was recently at the jeweler guess why? A gem fell out and this time (I think I may have inquired about this before too) I asked about the ring being made with the majority of original stones in a setting where they would not fallout. This jeweler is most kind, gracious and honest also. I was told it could be done but the cost would not be worth it, possibly a guesstimate of $400.00 to create the setting and the work involved in creating it. They thought the best solution is for me to keep coming in and they will find a loose stone/gem and place it on the ring. Each time I go in there they never take any money from me for helping me in regard to this subject. I try to offer money for their service to me but each time they say no. Now, where can you go and get this type of service? I think that is a great story on customer service, what do you think?
I also am trained and aware that there is a such thing as the transference of spirits. Each time a new gem is placed in the ring I pray over it because I have no idea where the gem originated from. Are you aware that spirits can transfer? That is why I pray over items I bring into my home that may have been purchased at a consignment shop, these gems placed into my ring etc. I break any cures that may be upon them and no transference of any bad spirits onto me or coming into my home. I also ask Holy Spirit to cover the items with the blood of Jesus to cleanse them and to protect me. It is also important to break any ungodly soul ties that may be connected to that object.
The last time I was at the jewelers we had a conversation in which the jeweler told me the story would be one day when all of the stones would be replaced that the ring would then tell a true story. I silently rebuked that because I do not want to lose anymore stones than already have been replaced.
I like this ring and maybe someday I will get it remade with the original stones that are still left in the ring so as to not lose anymore. Until then, I will continue to replace those that fall off.
I have given away jewelry (pieces I liked) as Holy Spirit nudges me; seen a beautiful pear shaped sky blue topaz stone fall down a drain and did not know how to or that I could have retrieved it (it was a beautiful shade of blue the color of the water when I was in the Bahama's and that is why it was purchased because of the beautiful color) I have had and I no longer have. So when I do enjoy a ring can you see why? It is not the value it is just because of the beauty I see in it.
Do you see beauty in your life? It is seen through the eye of the beholder. You can either choose to see beauty or ignore beauty. Jesus sees beauty in you, you are created in the image of God. Let the love of Christ radiate from your heart outward for others to see Jesus shine through you. If you do not know Jesus or have His love in your heart let me extend an invite to you right now. Ask Jesus to forgive all of your sins and He will. Then ask Him to come into your heart and remain there with you. He will. He will guide you, protect you and best of all He will love you all the days of your life. The best part is that it is a free gift given to you from Jesus. The best advice I was ever given was to start reading the new testament in the bible one chapter a day. You will get to know Jesus and how He chose to come to earth as a baby, live amongst us and died on a cross. He shed His blood so you would be forgiven of your sins and then 3 days later He rose from the dead. He is alive and will live in your heart and when you die you will be with him in heaven for all eternity. It is so much better than the alternative of living in hell for all eternity. Heaven and hell are both very real.
I do not recall if I may have shared this before in my blog. Years ago I was praying in my bedroom and I was awake and it was as though the floor in my room was opened up and I was allowed to hear the screams of those living in hell. They were screams of sheer pain, terrible screams. Even as I write about this now it brings tears to my eyes because those were people that did not choose to give their heart to Jesus. Once you draw your last breath there is no going back you will either be in hell or heaven for all eternity. Which do you choose today heaven or hell? The choice truly is yours. No one can make this decision for you.
Side note: If Holy Spirit asked me to give up this simple yet beautiful ring I would.

I Woke Up With A Song Playing In My Mind, Can You Guess What Song It Was?

Just before falling asleep last night I was talking with Holy Spirit. If I can be a bit truthful I was asking Him when I can be released to move from the area I live in currently, well, I was whining a bit. You see, I have been feeling this unrest for several weeks now if not longer to move. When I moved here things were more rural and not as built up as it has been growing recently. It is becoming more congested traffic wise. It has been months now that I think to myself why am I hearing an increase in police car sirens, fire truck sirens etc. Just a few short years ago I did not hear them as frequent as I hear them now. With rapid growth you can also experience a growth in crime. I guess I like city life but not big city life that is.
At one time I lived in a very nice community that was a new apt. development. They actually resembled condos more so than apartments. I had the comforts of city life but rural almost in my front yard so to speak. I could go on a walk and watch local farmers harvest their corn or wheat too. Once I asked a farmer if I could watch them harvest their corn using a large machine and it amazed me as the kernels were going through this machine and then into a large container. I could actually see kernels flying into the air. I was also able to watch an eagle and the eaglets soaring in the sky. Once I saw an eagle on the ground in a field. I have not seen eagles fly in several years. I truly miss that.
OK back to my story now...After whining I began to pray for a person that indirectly asked for prayer. I know prophetic unction/prayer came upon me and I prayed as Holy Spirit showed me to pray in faith. I went to sleep and I woke this morning with the song, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" playing in my mind. When a song touches my heart this tends to happen. It is as though it floods my spirit and there is  purpose for a time and season in my life. I was not listening to it last evening or just before bed either, I was not even thinking about it at all. I think when I awoke this morning it even caught me off guard, it was a pleasant way to wake up.
At the complex I spoke of earlier I loved to garden. They allowed me to plant hydrangeas, a variety of flowers even lavender, and pampas grass. I would sit in the evening and morning and water the plants. I am a firm believer in weekly using "Miracle Gro" on the plants. I had the tallest ornamental grass in the community at one time. There was a Sunday when my pastor preached on the faith of a mustard seed and distributed mustard seeds. I planted it and it grew. I even wanted ornamental corn stalks for Harvest decorating and I went to a local farm store and purchased corn seeds. I grew them in pots and they actually grew so I was able to use them in the Fall when they dried out.
I prayed in tongues when I watered the plants and would also get to talk with neighbors that would walk by. When the lavender started to grow someone taught me how to divide the roots and plant in another area. I even shared the lavender with a friend for them to plant. For being raised a city girl why do I have a country heart for gardening? Maybe it could be that we started in the Garden of Eden do you think that might play a part it this?

Found a few pictures that I made mention of...

chives

mustard seed

mustard seed planted

wheat harvest

wheat harvest

two eagles in the sky

eagle's nest

iris and lavender

If I May Share A Bit More In Regard To "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" By James W. Goll

Well, I listened to the song this morning and then again this evening while I was driving in my car. Tears began to flow again. Thank God that I was wearing my oversized but stylish prescription sunglasses. You may ask why I was thankful for that? It covered my eyes from fellow drivers seeing me cry. It was also a very sunny day today and they shielded my eyes from the sun. Guess what, no matter how large the sunglass lenses may be they could not cover the tears rolling down my face from being touched by this song. I played it very loud with the windows rolled up so I could hear and experience the full dynamics of this song. It is not just the vocals which are dynamic but the accompanying strings, piano etc. I know that this was not being marketed as a worship cd so to speak but there is a strong anointing on this song. Thank you again for creating this cd. Listen again but be mindful of the instrumental accompaniment also.

I Love It I Simply Love It, I Highly Recommend This CD, "James W. Goll Never Alone"

Wow, I had a bit of a challenge at work today. I came home and was seeking direction from Holy Spirit and He brought me to Isaiah 3:10, "Tell the righteous that blessings will come to them. They will taste the fruit of their labor." In the mail today I received my copy of the cd I am writing about. Holy Spirit is amazing and He knew exactly what I needed to do to receive a refreshing this evening. I do my best thinking at times when I am in the car driving on a country road listening to music. Now, I mainly listen to worship music but sometimes Holy Spirit can use a different type of music also. Like when I was drawn to buying the Michael Buble cd. I think I reviewed that one also in my blog.
Holy Spirit and I were on a mission this evening. Brought a refreshing Perrier pink grapefruit along with me and I put this cd in the cd player in the car. I was heading for a country type of road. Away from the city traffic and noise. Of course, the best way to experience the music for me is with the volume turned up to get the true experience. I listened to each song on the cd but was touched the most by "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." It brought tears to my eyes. Th second song that touched my heart was "Stick Together." So I am driving and it is dusk and by the time I return home it is then dark outside. I played my new favorite song again, and again I begin to cry. So now I am heading away from the country road and I feel compelled to listen to it one more time and I do. I cry again and Holy Spirit reminds me of a repetitive dream I use to have a while back. Always I am running away from someone chasing me and I run very fast and the next thing you know I get wings and begin to fly and get away from the person chasing me. I have not had that dream recently. I am also reminded of scripture Revelation 12. I encourage you to read it in the bible.
Holy Spirit knew all along the kind of day I was going to experience and that the cd was waiting for me when I arrived home. Do you let Holy Spirit gently tug at your heart and then respond to His calling?  I would have missed this lovey time of refreshing if I did not respond this evening. Be a blessing to this prophetic teacher/author/singer and purchase a copy of this cd. In your blessing of him you will be immensely blessed.
So you know what I will be doing each time I get into the car now right? The song is already set to "repeat" and that is exactly what it will do when I listen to this cd. I hope I did this right, the first link connection will allow you to listen to "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Even as I listen to this again while writing here comes the tears again. I definitely think there is some sort of prophetic connection in this song for me. Now let me see if I can remember how to do this again and put the link to the other song also "Stick Together." I truly miss not writing more often via my blog. I think I am happiest at times when I write and share with you all.


https://youtu.be/PV5I5zvIFXo

https://youtu.be/1C2E1KwFpNA

Two Books I Highly Recommend, Written By James W. Goll, "The Discerner" and "The Seer."

I just finished reading "The Discerner" by James W. Goll. I am currently reading "The Seer," also by James W. Goll. There is a wealth of knowledge and information for one to receive from both books. What I enjoyed in The Discerner is each chapter is not only jam packed with knowledge but the author invites you to join in a prayer pertaining to that chapter's subject. I am about half way through in reading The Seer and let me tell you this experience I had at the very beginning. This also involves a prayer and that night I had a few awesome dreams. I do dream prophetic dreams but there was something that stirred up the dream gift inside of me and for that I am most grateful.
May I share with you a point or two that I learned years  ago when I was taught to test the dreams I was receiving? First of all the first thing I do is ask Holy Spirit if the dream was from Him or not. He is faithful and either confirms or tells me it was not from Him. In the case that it was not from Him I then rebuke the dream and do not receive the dream and stave off anything that would attempt to come to me from the false dream. I also ask Holy Spirit to wipe any remembrance of that dream from my memory. In the event the dream is from Holy Spirit I then thank Him and write down the dream details while fresh in my memory. It was taught to me to write down the time the dream was given also. The reason being, that you may be ministering to someone about that very dream and the time you received the dream could be pertinent to the person you are ministering to. Now, I must admit that not every dream I receive I write down even though I know better and should write it down while it is fresh in my memory. I will let you know that when I come across a dream I wrote down and I read it, it is as though you are able to experience it again and the details are wonderful also. I receive detailed dreams and I pay attention to the details in the dream. God is good and most faithful. I highly recommend reading both books and trust you will also receive knowledge too.

Tried And True Recipes From Tennessee Home And Farm Publication...Fresh Blackberry Cake With Blackberry Icing And Corn Fritters With Roasted Red Pepper Dip and A Story About Salvation Too.

There were two intriguing recipes I saw in a magazine recently. I tried them out and then shared them with friends, they liked them both. So it is my joy to share them with you today. How appropriate that I share a cake recipe on my Father's birthday, if he would still be alive he would have been 89 years old today. I think I shared with you one time before that I led my Dad to Jesus 3 weeks before he died. He is in heaven now and we will be reunited one day for all eternity. I also shared a testimony at his Catholic funeral service and in a respectful way I extended an offer of salvation with Jesus to those in that church service. Do you know what it is like getting on an altar as a woman amongst several priests and deacons celebrating the mass? Holy Spirit knew and that is how He helped me compose the testimony in written form for me to read/share at the lectern. After I shared my Father's experience in giving his heart to Jesus I asked those in attendance if anything I shared with them touched their heart that I would give them a moment to invite Jesus into their hearts. I closed my eyes waited a moment then prayed a simple prayer out loud asking Holy Spirit to seal the words in their heart. I will probably never know if anyone accepted the invitation to meet Jesus but just maybe I will know when I get to heaven.
Isn't this funny how a recipe story turns into a testimony...the day my Father went home to be with the Lord people were somber in the room. I was excited inside because my Dad was in heaven so you know what Holy Spirit prompted me to do next? My Dad was only in the hospice house a few days and I befriended a patient across the hall from his room. While some family were mourning I went across the hall and shared Jesus with her and she gave her heart to Jesus. I believe Holy Spirit set up that appointment so my Father could now see in heaven how all the angels rejoice in one giving their heart to Jesus. I guess you could say Holy Spirit used me to minister at that location. I think I only went back once or twice after his death. I met a child there that was also a patient and as I am remembering this tears fill my eyes. To see a child with a massive tumor by their eye touched my heart. At the time I carried percussion type of instrument in my vehicle because I used them while worshipping at church. I felt prompted to get a few from my car. Now, I got permission from the nurse first before I offered the child to select one for them to keep. I got permission and that child selected one. I believe the last time I went back I do not think either person was still there I was told the child died near Christmas and their family was around them. I just bet this child is making beautiful music in worship in heaven with no tumor to block their worship. Praise God. Do you think all three of them met in heaven? I would like to think so.

Fresh Blackberry Cake:
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups milk
4 egg whites, room temperature, stiffly beaten
1 cup blackberries
Blackberry Icing:
1 cup blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
5-6 tablespoons milk

For the cake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Alternately add flour mixture and milk to butter-sugar mixture until just combined. Gently fold in egg whites.
Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans. Divide batter evenly into pans. Evenly distribute berries on top of each layer. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until centers spring to the touch or a cake tester comes out clean when place in the center. Set aside to cool.

For the icing, in a small saucepan, stir blackberries and sugar until a thick syrup forms (about 20 minutes.) Set aside to cool. When cool, puree berries until very smooth. In an electric mixer, whip berry syrup, butter, vanilla and salt until well combined. Add powdered sugar and milk alternately, until icing is thick, creamy and a pretty pale purple.
When cake layers are completely cool, ice each layer and carefully assemble.

Note: There is enough icing to frost layers and also the sides and top of the cake too. Now, you all should know by now how I have this gift/knack to pick out typo's etc. while reading. Did you notice anything peculiar in this recipe? I just noticed it now while I was typing the recipe. "IN AN ELECTRIC MIXER WHIP BERRY SYRUP" get the picture now? How can one mix something in an electric mixer maybe it should have stated in a bowl with using an electric mixer? Just a thought. All kidding aside, this is a very moist cake. When you bite into a piece of blackberry it is
scrumptious and the frosting is a pretty shade also. Hope you enjoy this cake.

Corn Fritters
2 cups fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob (about 6 ears)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons canola oil

Combine all ingredients until evenly wet. Heat oil in a saucepan.
Spoon the batter onto the hot pan, using 1/4 cup for each fritter. Allow to brown, turning once. Adjust heat to ensure the middle is cooked through.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
2 medium sized red peppers (or 1/2 cup from a jar)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

If using fresh red peppers, heat oven to 450 degrees. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, removing stems and seeds. Place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and allow to cool.
After peppers are cool, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, and puree until well combined and very smooth.
Note: It was economical to purchase roasted red peppers in a jar instead of buying red peppers and turning the oven on to roast them. I did use the peppers in a jar. I am also a big fan of chunky garlic paste so I guessed at the right amount and used that instead of using a clove of garlic. Enjoy them. What I did was cut each fritter into 4 wedge shapes and it was easier to then eat it with some of the dip.