by sherricrandal | Jun 30, 2017 | Recipes
White Chocolate Berry Pie
YOU WILL NEED:
One Pie Crust – Baked and cooled ( I like to use the Pillsbury crust that you roll out and bake)
5 squares of Baker’s White Chocolate
2 Tablespoons of Milk
4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 C. Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Grated Orange Peel
1 C. Whipping Cream, whipped
Fresh Strawberries and Blueberries
DIRECTIONS:
MICROWAVE 4 squares of white chocolate and milk about 2 minutes, stir until completely melted and cool to room temperature
BEAT Cream cheese, powdered sugar and orange peel in small bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in white chocolate mixture
FOLD whipped cream into white chocolate mixture
SPREAD in bottom of cooled pie shell
ARRANGE berries on top
DRIZZLE with melted white chocolate
COOL at least one hour prior to serving
This pie is my favorite summertime pie. It tastes delicious with any berry on top but I prefer strawberries and blueberries. It makes a gorgeous dessert for the 4th of July.
ENJOY!
by sherricrandal | Jun 13, 2017 | General
Welcome Lori Wildenberg as our guest blogger today…
37 Cents Worth of Trust by Lori Wildenberg
What is God teaching you this year? What would be your one word?”
My friend Elsa posed this question to Lindy, Suanne, and me over salads at The Cow Restaurant in the cute little Colorado mountain town of Morrison. At first I couldn’t come up with anything. Then God popped the image of 37 pennies into my head.
“Trust, that’s my word, that’s what God is teaching me.”
Recently I have been wrestling with waiting on God. When I wait, my trust beings to waver and fear seeps in. It is so much easier to trust when being still isn’t involved in the process.
When I walk Murphy, my rust colored labradoodle –with blond highlights (some may say grey fur), I talk with God. I lament, I give thanks, and I petition. Sometimes my mom prayer sounds like this, “Come on God, enough. No more still small voice. Let’s get this going.”
I know… not very spiritual. But the God of the Universe isn’t hurt or offended by my words because He knows my mother’s heart.
As Murphy and I began our daily walk one Thursday morning, I noticed a penny as we crossed from the concrete driveway to the blacktop street. My son Jake would not have passed it by; he would have picked it up. My friend Pam would have retrieved it and pondered its message, “In God we trust.” I thought about the preciousness of that copper coin as Murphy and I made our way down to the lake. I decided I needed to pocket that penny on the return route.
God was reminding me to trust Him.
As we got to the edge of the driveway, I bent down to retrieve the penny. I noticed there was a second one about five inches away. I grabbed that one, too. Then I saw a few more. I picked up each one. Oh my goodness, there were 37 pennies scattered in front of my driveway.
I was convinced there was something significant about the number 37. I decided to check and see how many times trust is written about in the Bible. In the NIV it is mentioned 38 times. I went out to find the 38th penny. It wasn’t there.
I told my prayer partner Vicki about the pennies. She said, “Do you know what my favorite psalm is? It’s Psalm 37.” I looked it up. The psalm is all about trusting God in the struggle. Hmm.
Tom and I attended church on Saturday evening last week. The sermon series has been on 1 Corinthians. Last week our pastor tackled 1 Corinthians 11—a timely message for a culture debating sexual identity and bathroom choices.
A good portion of the sermon was on gender roles and appearance. My oldest daughter, a young adult, has gender identity confusion. She was going to be attending church on Sunday.
Do I want my daughter to embrace her femininity, to feel comfortable in her womanhood? Yes, of course. And do I want my kid to get hurt. No, of course not.
Tom and I ping-ponged, “Should we warn her?”
Fear was crowding out trust. “What if she never comes back to church?”
Trust. Can I trust God 37 cents worth?
Tom and I decided to let faith win over fear. I struggled mightily over this. It went against my mama bear protective instincts. I had to recall God’s great love for my child (bigger than mine) and God’s knowledge of her (deeper than mine). I needed to remember who my God is: faithful, good, all knowing, ever present, all powerful.
I cried a big ugly cry. (A really ugly cry.)
Sunday night Tom asked Courtney how she felt during the sermon.
“To be honest it was really hard.” Tears filled her eyes. Ohhh. Ohhh my mom heart.
“I’m so proud of you for staying and listening. You are so brave. Why didn’t you get up and walk out?”
“Nick was preaching from the Bible. He wasn’t stating his opinion, just God’s word. He said his message in love.”
Truth and love for Courtney.
Trust and faith for me.
God is working in both Courtney and me.
And when I struggle with trust, I now ask myself, “Can I trust God 37 cents worth?”
Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him.
Psalm 37:3-7
Lori Wildenberg is passionate about helping families build connections that last a life time. She is a licensed parent-family educator and co-founder of 1 Corinthians 13 Parenting. She has written 4 parenting books with Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home published by New Hope as her most recent. She is a parent consultant, national speaker, and lead Mentor Mom over at the Moms Together Facebook Community Page. Lori is a contributor to a number of on-line magazines. Every Monday you can find her blogging about faith and family at loriwildenberg.blogspot.com . Mostly, Lori is wife to Tom and mom of four. The Wildenbergs home is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. A perfect day in Lori’s world is a hike with her hubby, four kids plus a daughter-in-love, and Murphy the family labradoodle. Connect with Lori at www.loriwildenberg.com
Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Messy-Journey-Grace-Truth-Prodigal/dp/1625915233/
Book blurb: Messy Journey is for parents walking the difficult road with a wayward child. Be inspired to drink the deep waters of peace as you draw closer to the Father of all prodigals. Author and licensed parent and family educator Lori Wildenberg offers practical grace- and truth-filled ways of navigating your relationship with a detoured child whether they are rejecting faith, dabbling in sin, or wholeheartedly embracing sinful behavior. There is hope. After all, their struggle isn’t really with you, it’s with God.
by sherricrandal | Jun 6, 2017 | General
Saying Goodbye To Cody
I remember walking into my house one Saturday afternoon after being at work all day and being welcomed by the cutest puppy I had ever seen. A beautiful yellow lab with oversized feet and an abundance of energy came clamoring to greet me and smother me in kisses – it was love at first sight.
I must admit I was holding out on the whole dog thing because I already had four kiddos and wasn’t sure we were up for the responsibility of a dog. I was afraid after the cuteness wore off I would be the one stuck with all the canine duties. I had reluctantly said yes to my husband taking the kids that day to “look” at the puppies after my son Spencer had written a very long letter pleading his case to be a dog owner. How can you say no to a kid who lists, I have great grades and I love Jesus, as part of his qualifications for being responsible.
We quickly were all about the puppy and he became a part of everything we did. He was an AKC registered dog and so we had to come up with a fitting name… “Sir Cody of the Ranch” was our choice and it fit him well.
The puppy stage really doesn’t last that long and soon we were all in our daily rhythms of taking the dog for a walk, feeding him, and snuggling on the couch. Yes the newness wore off and yes I primarily was in charge of the daily duties but I never really complained because Cody had become my buddy. First to greet me as I walked down the stairs in the morning and last to say goodnight to.
Cody was our protector. After a cancer diagnosis I faced a lot of surgeries and he would personally escort me to the bathroom, wait for me outside the door, and walk alongside me as I shuffled back to bed. He laid at the foot of my bed all day until I recovered and could walk with him outside again. He did the same for the many surgeries that came with having an athletic bunch for human companions. He never missed a slumber party, having to sleep right in the middle of all the kids. I always felt safe and protected when he was around.
He whined at the bedroom door of our sons empty rooms when they left for college and ran out the door to greet them when they returned. I swear he shared my emotions on that. Missing them and rejoicing when they came home. Now we are the ones that are missing him.
Those of us who love dogs, and choose to share our lives with them, must face the unfortunate fact that a dog’s life span is shorter than a human’s. Loss is an inevitable part of the human-dog relationship. There is much research that shows not only do dogs add character to the family but they can also help you relax, ease anxiety, boost self-esteem and can help a child’s social development. Cody was all that and so much more. He was one of us.
The loss of Cody was deep for all of us. I struggle for sure with missing him. For me the loss of our dog also signaled the end of an era. My boys are grown and off to college, my daughter is driving and fully immersed in all things high school. Our family dynamics are changing. Excited for the new adventures ahead and thankful we shared the journey of raising our kids with an incredible furry friend. Cody lived an awesome 15 years. I am thankful God is so creative in his design that He gave us dogs to share our lives with. RIP my sweet Cody B!!
Genesis 1:31a ESV
And God saw everything he made, and behold, it was very good.
by sherricrandal | May 22, 2017 | General
Love in Action…
Each year my church assembles teams and goes out into our community to do service projects. We call it – Love In Action. I signed up this year to help clean up landscaping at a mobile home park near our church.
In years past I have served with my family and friends and we happily went about our day cleaning up school yards, painting old buildings and passing out food. Today was different, today I met a friend.
Our project time started out as usual, me standing with my friends listening to instructions and ready to do some serious work. I gathered with a small group and we quickly began planting small shrubs and flowers as we listened to music and chatted. We finished our area and I went searching for the rest of my friends. They were finishing up cleaning out a gutter for a resident. I began talking and asked if I could do anything else to help her. She politely said, “no, I think I am good.” I offered to pick the weeds in her flower beds. She was hesitant and I assured her I knew the difference between a weed and a flower. She smiled and agreed to my assistance.
Soon my group left for the next home but I stayed behind to keep weeding the garden. For those of you who know me, you know it wasn’t long before I was deep in small talk with the owner of this house. Small talk about the recent snow storm, what we both did at our jobs, how pretty the yellow iris are in her front yard. I could tell she was shy and so I kept pulling weeds and all the grass that was trying to take over her flower bed and kept my chatter to a minimum. Soon she started asking me questions. Why did we want to help strangers? What kind of church were we from? Do we do this a lot? She was amazed I wanted nothing in return.
I found out her name and that she lives alone. She learned to garden from her Dad. She moved to this area to help her sister who had breast cancer. No more small talk. She joined me in the weeding effort. After two hours of work she asked me to come out back so she could show me more flowers. Her back yard is a sanctuary. It is nestled close to a pond. Hummingbird feeders dot the landscape and a beautiful purple clematis climbs and old wagon wheel. Peaceful and serene. The crazy thing is her mobile home is a block away from a very cool new micro brewery, restaurant and winery where it is literally almost impossible to get a table. She is not thrilled about this – too many people, too much noise. I have been to this restaurant and had no idea this peaceful little house with the beautiful garden, where the bunnies and squirrels and hummingbirds hang out was hidden behind the old oak trees lining the brewery.
At first I didn’t think we would have much to talk about once we stopped talking about the weather. She sported a long braid that cascaded down to the back of her knees. She told me she has not cut her hair in 25 years. I on the other hand schedule my hair appointment months in advance securing my every 6 weeks cut and color. She lives alone and I share my house with my husband, our four children and tons of teenagers who hang out too. She admitted she doesn’t like to be around a lot of people. I am an extrovert who loves a crowd. However; the longer we spent in the garden the more we shared about our lives and the more we understood we were alike. Each made in the image of God and each mesmerized by God’s gift of flowers.
I finished her yard, we hugged as we said goodbye and she invited me to stop by in July to check out all the flowers that will be in bloom. I will have to take her up on the offer. Love in Action… I set out to be a blessing and yet God so blessed me with the company of this sweet lady who shares my passion for beautiful flowers.
When was the last time you unexpectedly connected with a stranger?
Mark 12:31 NIV “ The second is this : Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
by sherricrandal | Nov 12, 2015 | General
I found myself distracted from listening to the tour guide as we strolled the “Precious Gems” portion of the museum. I was chaperoning a group of sixth graders on the annual trip to the Nature and Science museum. I was half listening and mostly preoccupied with not losing one of the precocious little boys who was entrusted to my care for the day. … Read More…
