The Siesta Fiesta Blog

Goodbyes are Hard

2009-07-28T17:20:00.005-04:00

Dear Fellow Siestas,
Through the summer I have been praying about whether or not God wanted me to keep this blog going or not.

The birth of this blog began with the Siesta Fiesta in San Antonio last year.

Kim and I enjoyed planning extra fun things for all of us to do and we enjoyed the ministry of this blog.

It has been an honor to meet some of you in person and a lot of fun receiving emails from you. :)

Y'all are truly the sweetest Siestas and I loved ministering to you in this capacity.

I think the highlights were the Siesta Spotlights, the Christmas Ornament Exchange and all the pictures we posted of you all on here !

Can you believe it has been almost a year since the Siesta Fiesta? It will not be long until Houston and I hope to see you there!

A special thanks to Kim, Lisa, Holly and Dori for helping me through this blog. Many blessings to you for the time you graciously gave in order to make this place fun but more importantly for pointing all of us to Christ.

After months of praying it is under God's leading that I will close this blog.

I would like to say that if you are in need of prayer or just have a question that you can email me @ pwilliamsut@aol.com OR my blog address: patty-girlfriendsingod.blogspot.com and I am also on Face Book and Twitter.

You all have a special place in my heart and I hope to see you at the LPL conferences or any time for that matter. :)

Thank you to all who have prayed for my family and myself. We are so appreciative.

This summer God has taken us to a new city to live which is actually an old city to us. We live in East Tennessee again and we are happy to be back home. This is a beautiful place to live and God is doing some powerful work within our family. :)

Summer is almost over and the fall season begins. Y'all have a great end to summer and enjoy the rest of this year and may God continue to bless you throughout the rest of this year and send you delights that you would never dream possible. He can because with God ALL things are possible!!

Much love ,
Patty

Deeper Still ...Greensboro

2009-07-10T08:52:00.002-04:00

Hey Siestas!

How is your summer going?

It is a hot summer in Tennessee but I know it is nothing like a Texas summer!

There is much that has happened this summer and I will be back to to share that later.

A sweet Siesta emailed me and asked me to give you some info about Deeper Still in Greensboro, NC.

KristiB is organizing a lunch that weekend for the Siestas who are attending D.S.

If you are attending this conference would you please leave a comment and let us know?!

The lunch will be here:

We are meeting at Shanes Rib Shack 4217 W.Wendover Ave. on Friday July 31st at 11:00 a.m. Also siestas can rsvp to kristib1116@gmail.com

Have a great weekend and remember to pray for Beth and the LPL conference in Albuquerque, NM. :)

Love,
Patty

Blog Break

2009-06-06T21:57:00.004-04:00

Due to a few situations going on right now we are going to take a blog break for awhile.

Thank you all for praying for me and when I can I will give an update as soon as possible.

Thank you and I love you Patty.

Enjoy your summer!

$544.64 and Sweet Caroline

2009-06-02T17:02:00.010-04:00

Hey Siestas!

'Hope this day you are doing super-dooper! It's a foggy, rainy day here in Colorado. I think we have moved to England. Before I begin talking about our next book, can I tell you? I mean--are you ready for this?

I just mailed a check for $544.64 towards a clean Water for LIFE well in honor of Beth Moore to Life Outreach International. That makes a total of $2,709.64 since last August. Come on now, you know you want to PRAISE HIM MORE! Stand up and clap with me!!

And so I begin another waiting list for the next order. So far I have nine sweet Siestas, who would like to order a cookbook. Wanna join them? Just email me at chrishollysmith@msn.com and I will add you to the list. They are $18 plus shipping and I must have 100 on the list before I make the order. I ask that you not try to pay until I have 100 orders, and I promise to email you when we make the mark.

I emailed my contact at Life Outreach to let him know about the check I sent and he gave me a link to a group of Bible study girls in Branson, MO, who have a spectacular idea! They are asking that if you have taken a Beth Moore Bible study and have been blessed by it, consider giving a gift towards a water well. They said if Beth was at your study, wouldn't you love to take her to lunch or buy her a coffee? Well, instead they are asking folks to give towards a well.

So whether it's through a cookbook or just to be a blessing, I think this opportunity to bless some kids and give them a cup of clean water in Jesus' Name would be fulfilling such a wonderful crown to one day lay down.

Okie Dokie?

Well now, let's move onto our fictional book talk...

Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck

Now if you haven't picked up the book already, you can pick it up and join us next week. You are welcome to come back to this and answer. Of course, I'd love to dialogue-- two-way communication makes good conversation, as my sister in Christ, Becky Tirabassi says.

1) In the first chapters of the book, we discover how Caroline has fallen into a pattern of giving up her wants to help others. Discuss a time in your life when you gave up your goals and dreams to serve others. What was the outcome?

This has occurred a few times in my life. Two points that stick out in my mind are the college I chose and not going to law school. I picked University of Texas to please my parents. I had been accepted to SMU and that is where I always had wanted to go. Sometimes I wish I had gone to the furthest extent, to go where I felt led to go. Also, after finishing at Texas A&M (Huh, you say? Yes, I married my Chris the summer before my junior year and transferred to his school. He was a merit scholar and had a full scholarship.), I really wanted to go to law school and Chris really wanted to go to graduate school. But one of us had to work, and again Chris received a full scholarship. I got my PHT, my Chris says. I "put hubby through."

In both cases, I know that it was God's will for me to do just what I did. I have no regrets. Also? I have no desire to be a lawyer. None.

2) Raised with a troubled mother, Caroline fell into the role of caring for her Dad and brother, bearing an emotional burden. How can we bear one another's burdens while each one carrying their own weight? Do you carry burdens that are not yours?

Of course I do. Don't we all? And when it gets down to the point, we really sometimes try to be mini-gods to others by creating a co-dependence through carrying those burdens in an unhealthy and over-zealous way. Jesus never meant for us to be yoked in that way.

However, on the other side, the Holy Spirit does lead us to intercede and help others, to carry their burdens. We have got to learn to listen. And we have got to learn to recognize our motives and our reactions. Once we start seeing and understanding (ask God to help!), we can walk with peace and grace and mercy--never guilt or condemnation. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Walk in that. Walk in Him.

You are precious in His Sight!
Love,
Holly

PS Please continue to pray for Patty and her family.

Siesta Roll Call for Summer Bible Study

2009-05-31T23:06:00.003-04:00

Hi Siestas!

It has been awhile since I posted here. I hope you are having a great kick off to summer.

I just got back from LPL Wyoming and Colorado. We had a great time and I am thankful to God for providing the way and to Holly and Chris for their generosity!!

I had one of our siestas ask me to start a roll call for the summer Bible study.

If you are planning on doing the study with Beth and the Siestas would you mind leaving your name and how many you have in your group OR if you are doing it solo we would love to know that too. This can be a way to connect with your Siestas who may live closer to you than you realize and God could place you together for the study! How fun would that be?

Okay, I am in Middle Tennessee and my friend Georgia and I are planning on doing this so Nikki and Abby and anyone else in the area of NashVegas, maybe we can get together and do the study together. :) We need to talk. ;)

Your turn........

p.s. My family and myself are dealing with a dire need right now and I may be away from the blog for awhile. Dori and Holly will be here to keep the blog going.

My desire was to have a birthday giveaway for each month but due to my circumstances I will have to postpone that for the time being. This really saddens my heart because I love to give surprises to y'all but I do believe God will allow me to continue that once my family has come out of this hard season.

I love you,
Patty

We're Still Around

2009-05-28T09:04:00.005-04:00

Patty and Georgia are here in Colorado with me and my family until tomorrow. We have had a fun, exhausting, wonderful, lock-in kind of existence. So my words? They are somewhere down the road, and for the life of me, I cannot seem to find them.

I have a few pictures for you from Laramie, Wyoming until Patty goes home this weekend.

OH! Georgia got Steel Magnolias for me to watch for the very first time this week. I hope I can still be a Siesta, since I haven't watched the "chick flick of all time" until now.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Love,

Holly

Book Talk - Tying Up Wide Awake and an Update from Bev

2009-05-20T12:20:00.005-04:00

Wow, I'm sorry to have gotten so behind on this, y'all! Really with the weight of everything going on around me right now, it's a miracle I can think straight. These last two chapters really reminded me of those we are praying for.

In fact just this morning, I got a call from Bev saying, "Holly, the doctor told me it is worse than she thought. There is still cancer in my breast and it's in the lymph nodes, too. They will be doing chemo and another surgery. I'm holding on to God's hand so tightly. Thank you all for carrying me and praying for me."

So as we look at the end of Wide Awake, please let's INVEST in some lives together and carry Bev and others, too, before Jesus. Anyone want to help pick up the mats of others with me in prayer?

Wide Awake has marked some parts of my thinking in a very good way. I love when a book brings Scripture to light and challenges my lazy brain to think about what God is saying between the pages of His Living and Active Word. Don't you?

Chapter 8 - Invest: The Romantic

By referencing the story in the Bible of the paralytic that was lowered down on his mat before Jesus, Erwin states, "If you live a life of self importance, you won't find many people who want to help you when your life starts falling apart. If you can move yourself out of the center and begin to give your life away to other people, you'll begin to find that those very people will rally around you when you need them the most. We have to make a personal commitment that our goals, ambitions and dreams will never overtake our value for people.

"We must change from relational consumers and become investors. We don't say it like this, but far too many people see people as just another commodity--another resource. Do you see people as something to be used for your benefit, to accomplish your goals, to help you achieve your success, and then to be disposed of? Or do you see people as a gift and a stewardship?"

How do you see people?

When I was a little girl, my favorite Bible story was about the paralytic man whose friends or perhaps even family took him up to the roof of the house and lowered him down, so Jesus could heal him. They were desperate to help this man! I really didn't grow up knowing a lot of Bible stories, but perhaps this one came from Vacation Bible School, and it set my young mind to picture who Jesus is.

First, I wondered why Jesus was so popular that they couldn't go straight in. Then I wondered what He thought of a man slowly descending on a mat from the ceiling. Did He smile because of their confidence in Him? Did He have a knowing look of the pain this man endured? Then I wondered what kind of friend or person this man was that they'd take such measures to help him. Finally, I wondered what kind of friends or family would go to such lengths...such a huge risk to be of help.

This makes me wonder how many people we take before Jesus to ask (intercede) for their healing? Are we bold and believing? Do we expect Him to answer? Then I wonder, are we the kind of friend others would take before Jesus? I think when it comes down to it, to be that kind of friend that others would go to great lengths for, we have to be that kind of friend, as well. Do you accept other people's prayers for you, but not pray for others yourself? I think the point of this story is to show that Jesus can forgive sins, and He can heal. The first matters the most. We truly do need Him to forgive us from our sins. But the second, He cares about, too. He wants to heal us physically as well as mentally and spiritually.

What do you need today? Ask Him! He's so BIG and His joy when we ask believingly is huge!

Imagine - The Human
Just steep in these good words over your life.

Erwin says, "If you are what you think, then who are you? Where you go in your imagination is very much who you are going to become. As you dream and as you imagine your life, you either expand the boundaries of who you can become or you establish paralyzing boundaries that constrict and press against you, limiting and narrowing the person you will become.

"Do you need to rethink who you are and who you will become? Maybe you need a fresh vision or a new voice in your life telling you who you really are--the gifts and talents, intelligence, and passions, the potential, the undiscovered uniqueness waiting dormant within you. The only One who knows this fully is the One who created you. The One who created you is the One who longs to awaken you. Your thoughts, your dreams, and the boldness of your imagination are defining you today and shaping who you will become tomorrow. Those thoughts and dreams are informed and influenced by the voices in our lives. It is God and God alone who sees your life without limits. Only He sees who you were created to become. Only He knows the real potential of your life. Wouldn't you want the person who believes the most in you and sees the most in you be the primary informer of your imagination?"

OVERVIEW
How has Wide Awake marked your thinking and your behavior?

I have truly enjoyed the challenges and new horizons of thinking that Erwin has introduced. Sometimes, I get in a box of my own comfort zone. And God is breaking every single box I create! He is the box. He is the container that holds my life together. He is my everything.

Were there some elements that you found hard to swallow? What were they and why did they affect you so?

There were areas where I read and thought, "Well, I'm not exactly on the same page." But it was not in difference with Erwin on a spiritual basis, on Biblical things. It was mainly just coming from different experiences in life and different challenges every day.

In two weeks, we'll begin the fictional story Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck. Then in late June, we will tackle Jennifer Strickland's Girl Perfect, an autobiography by a former international model, who found Christ and has never been the same. I know it will challenge some of my "stinkin' thinkin' " about body image and how God sees me. I cannot wait for the challenge!

Alright, Siestas, I'll see YOU in the comments.

Love,
Holly

God's Chisel

2009-05-19T17:19:00.008-04:00

I hope Patty won't mind, but I saw this and I just couldn't wait until next Monday to share it! Perhaps it is for one very specific Siesta...or three or twelve!

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." Ephesians 2:10 New Living Translation
After watching this, the thought occurred to me: God doesn't just chisel away at us so that we are left to be a shell of our former self. He chisels out of us something that looks entirely different -- something created anew. Not just changed, but something brand spankin' new!

Whatever our "thing" is that we are struggling with -- the thing that God is calling us to have a whole heart faith over -- He is able to chisel it away. We will not just act different. Anyone can act different. When God puts hammer to chisel, He recreats His child to be different. A new creation.

Perhaps that is Elohim, our Creator God's greatest creation yet!

Speechless,
Dori

God.

2009-05-18T11:40:00.006-04:00

Good morning, my friends.

I’m just returning from a quick trip to Atlanta over the weekend, but I sure didn’t want to miss meeting with you this morning.

I came home reading about Bev’s situation and praying for her and constantly lifting up Patty, as well. But I know that if we have these two dire situations pressing in on us, there must be dozens more out there.

Suffering is just inevitable. As long as we live in an imperfect, fallen, evil world, there will be suffering. Oh how I wish that we could have some sort of plastic bubble to live in to avoid it, but then we really wouldn’t be living, now would we?

The scripture that God has me memorizing for the Siesta Scripture Challenge over at the Living Proof Ministries blog is 1 Peter 5:10. I'm memorizing it out of the New Living Translation.

"In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation."

I've been studying this scripture this morning and found that the coupling of two Greek words only appear in this passage. Working together they mean that after suffering, Jesus comes and makes us not only stronger in the midst of trials, but He empowers us to “become even more resolved to believe truth.” (From the Key Word Study Bible).

I'm still working this out, but at first pass, I'm thinking that our trials and struggles and suffering are not only circumstances that Jesus enables us to endure and walk through victoriously, but He strengthens us to believe Him more and more when we have to suffer and struggle in the future.

It is not just a scripture to move us to walk through our trials with God's help, but it is a promise that our going through trials WITH HIM is a BELIEVING GOD exercise to BELIEVE HIM MORE!

I wonder if anyone reading this would be able to testify to that today?

After I had studied that passage this morning, I took some time to listen to the Focus on the Family broadcasts from the past couple of days. Dr. Dobson took some time to play excerpts from two powerful messages given on the National Day of Prayer. One was from Representative Michelle Bachmann (MN) who spoke at the celebration in Washington. Her testimony was powerful and reminded me that there really are people in Washington, D.C. who are following hard after God! And we need to be on our knees, even our faces, on their behalf -- that God will give them chances every day to make His Name famous in a town where others are trying to erase His Name entirely. I came away especially challenged to pray more and more for the remnant of God's people who are serving in public office.

The second broadcast featured just a small excerpt from Beth’s message that day. You will be happy to know, although not surprised, that she took Esther with her to Washington, D.C. on the National Day of Prayer!

I especially loved the reminder of Gabriel's story (remember from Esther?) at the end of her message. In light of 1 Peter 5:10, I believe that we can rest and fully know that our God is with us.

Remember that no matter what is happening in our world corporately or your world personally...

GOD...period.

GOD.

GOD.

Believing God,
Dori

Sunday Text from Bev

2009-05-17T17:15:00.004-04:00

Hey Siestas!

I just got a text from Bev saying, "On my way to the hospital...in pain...plz pray."

So please be praying for her.

Also, be in prayer for Patty and her family this week. They need God's provision in a big way. I don't think she'd mind me sharing that--for if I was in her place, she'd do the same for me. He is the God who does miracles!

I'm believing Him for a miracle for my friends.

So, Siestas, whatcha say we link arm in arm praying for Bev and Patty. I know there are so many other big needs out there, so please go to our prayer page and leave a comment OR leave a comment on this posting, as well.

We are a community of faith--let's be the hands and feet of Christ to one another. Let's circle up 'round the Throne of Grace and entrust the ones we love to God. And not only that, let's follow through on the promptings He places on our hearts to do what He says. He is a sure Foundation.

Let's build a tower of prayer on the Rock, which is our Jesus.

UPDATES from Bev Throughout the Day

2009-05-14T12:20:00.005-04:00

UPDATE at 12:50 CST
Bev called! She is on her way home from the hospital and said, "I had a real peace from my head to my toes. The iv went in easy, too. I felt it immediately and asked the nurse what anesthesia was going into me. The nurse said there was no anesthesia, yet. My pastor said it was 150 cc's of the Holy Spirit. I felt so wonderful and calm and had a wonderful anesthesiologist!

"I went to bed around midnight and didn't get a lot of sleep, but plan on sleeping the whole weekend and getting all the rest I can.

"When I got up to walk, I felt like my head was made of lead and my legs were jello! I am having a bit of a reaction to the anesthesia--half of my tongue is swollen.

"Next week, they'll decide what to do next. I'm too small for a balloon (I'm not sure what this is--does anyone know?), so they may use this new technology where a rod is placed in me for five days. We shall see.

"Thanks for all your prayers! I love you!"

Towards the end of the call, Bev was getting really tired, so I let her go.

Thanks for praying, Siestas! Keep them coming!
Love,
Holly

Text from Bev at 4:30 am (I will add updates, as I get them--Holly)

"@ hospital. The LORD is my confidence. Jer. 17:7 cause I'm scared & surrendered. Surgery is 7:30-9:30 am. U so bring God 2 me! Love!"

A Siesta In Need of Prayer

2009-05-12T17:31:00.002-04:00

We have a Siesta who needs our prayers this week and for weeks to come. Most of you know that Bev, was diagnosed with breast cancer and she is having surgery this Thursday.

Please keep praying for Bev! You can follow her blog, HERE.

If she can, Bev will give updates to Holly and she will pass along the information from Bev.

I am going to ask you to please leave a Bible verse for Bev. I am going to copy them and send them to her!

Thank you all so much and you are the best group of Christian women who is always ready to help a Siesta out!!!

Love you,
Patty

p.s. Holly will continue her Book Club next week.

Do We Have a Rollover Plan?

2009-05-11T13:20:00.007-04:00

There is a series of commercials out right now for one of the wireless companies. It usually involves someone with a stash of little round coin looking things that are supposed to represent rollover minutes. Guarding them like they are treasure, there is usually a woman warning someone to store them up, hold on to them, don’t give them away – after all, they are precious rollover minutes.

If only life provided us with a rollover plan.

At the end of the day, the minutes that went unused because we weren’t intentional enough or just plain lazy to use are irretrievable. They don’t go into a virtual bank to pull back out when we need a few extras. The minutes of our life are but vapors that in seconds are gone.

Ephesians 5:15-16 says,

“Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” (NIV)

I think the King James probably best translates this verse from the original language,

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Redeeming the time…

The word “redeem” is an accounting term which means to purchase or buy. As I was looking closer at its meaning, I found this definition that I absolutely love:

“to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are, as it were, the purchase money by which we make the time our own.” (NET Bible Study Dictionary)

Each and every morning we have the opportunity to awaken with a fire, a passion, a zeal for the Lord Almighty that comes from Him that is accomplishing. And what does it accomplish? It empowers us to speak of His goodness, tell of His greatness, rejoice in His blessings and make His Name famous. It is literally “putting our money where our mouth is” and buying every minute of every day to the glory of God.

What does that mean really?

It means that as the Psalmist said,

“My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” Psalm 71:8

“But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure.” Psalm 71:14-15

“My tongue will tell of your righteous acts all day long.” Psalm 71:24

It means that as we work, as we play, as we write, as we blog, facebook and twitter, we can't help but to speak His Name. It means that we can’t forget Him and we can’t ignore Him. He simply is too much in our lives to do that. We can’t stop talking about Him and everything that He is to us.

We will make the most of every opportunity to do good, to tell Who He is and what He has done. We rise with His Name on our lips and a song of praise in our hearts. We look at each moment with the potential to affect the Kingdom and have eternal consequences. We don't squander a single one.

Because in this God-life, there are no rollover minutes!

Use them or lose them! Redeem the time!

Blessings,
Dori

Can You Help a Siesta Out?

2009-05-09T11:11:00.003-04:00

Update: Keep these awesome comments coming!! I am writing on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I'm having a blast reading what you are saying and there is just something so wonderful about knowing that I'm not the only one who has ever felt "that way!" Thank you so much for your help!! I'll close comments tomorrow at Noon!

Dear Siestas,

I am working on a writing project on the pressures to be perfect that women face and I need your help. Please take a moment to read the following questions and post your responses ANONYMOUSLY as comments. I really would like a lot of different perspectives and I thought I would try posting it here for the Siestas to weigh in. It will be invaluable to me!

1. Name the three top sources from which you feel the pressure to be perfect.

2. Why do you feel women in general feel the need to be perfect?

3. Do you feel that you put undue pressure on yourself to be perfect? Why or why not?

4. How have you found that God's Word has helped you fight the need to be perfect? List specific scriptures that have ministered to you in this battle.

Blessings,
Dori

Book Talk: Wide Awake Chapters 6 & 7

2009-05-05T21:51:00.008-04:00

First up, I wanted to tell y'all that all the cookbooks are sold and shipped from this last order. We are about to send nearly $550 towards a water well for Life Outreach's Water for LIFE in Beth's honor. I am so excited about that!! A new list is beginning for the cookbooks, so if you are interested, just email me at chrishollysmith@msn.com.

Second, let's talk about the next Book Talk beginning May 20th. We will be looking at a work of fiction this time and Patty suggested that we do Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck. So be getting it from your library or you can buy it here. We'll spend 4 weeks on it.

THEN towards the end of June, we will begin to discuss a non-fiction book called Girl Perfect by Jennifer Strickland. I saw her on Life Today and her story and book piqued my interest. I will tell you more about it, as June 24th approaches. I think it will bring about some really, good discussion--and even change the way we're thinking, this will be a perfect fit to go with the Living Proof summer Bible study, Me, Myself and Lies by Jennifer Rothschild.

Alright, onto Wide Awake...

Each week I will do my best to phrase the questions, so that you may participate, whether or not you are reading along with us. I have left my responses in purple, after each question. This week, we will only discuss two questions--one from each chapter. Let's dig in!

Chapter 6 - Create: The Activist

There is much to highlight in this chapter, but I want to focus in on a point that hits me square between the eyes...

After quoting from the Parable of the Talents in the Bible, Erwin states, "Here we find the second way we are responsible for our creative capacity. In the creative process, we are ultimately responsible for maximizing our potential. We are born with potential, but we're not supposed to die with it. Potential is not something you're supposed to hoard or conserve. The more you develop your potential, the more potential you seem to have. And time is of the essence. Urgency will spare you from desperation. You have no control over how you live, only how well you live. You alone are the steward of your life, and you must choose what you will do with the talent God has given you."

How do you see your potential--what does it look like to you? Do you see it as a talent to invest? Have you ever considered your potential as something valuable God has given you?

When I was a little girl, my neighbor taught me the song, I am a Promise by Bill Gaither. And since then I have lived knowing that God has entrusted me with the gift of potential. However, in looking at the parable of the talents and truly the whole chapter on creating in Erwin's book, I fall so short of investing my potential well--of caring for the poor, of being ready, and of intentionally investing myself in helping others. This lesson is something I will not soon forget. God has given me a valuable gift of potential. Often I squander it in search of the easier path and find that in my stagnancy, I am missing out on investing and being a blessing, as God intended.

Chapter 7 - Enjoy: The Hedonist

Erwin asks this question, "Have you subtly bought into the belief that holiness is the absence of pleasure, of delight, of desire, of laughter, of joy, of enjoyment? I want you to remember that humanity started in the garden of pleasure with everything leveraged in our direction so we could enjoy God, enjoy each other and enjoy life. The reason we don't enjoy life is because our souls are damaged and we need God to heal us of our wounds. To come to God is to come to joy. To live in God's presence is to know His pleasure. To live in Jesus is to live in joy.

"Walk with God, and get ready--it's going to be exhilarating. Life will become a gift. When you dream with your eyes open, even when you shouldn't find joy, even when life comes at you hard, even when you have tremendous pain and disappointment and you have every good reason to lose your joy, deep in the core of your soul there will be unshakable joy.

"When you live an awakened life, all your senses are on alert. You are fully alive and fully able to experience the true pleasure of life. You're an artist, an explorer, an alchemist, a believer, a seer, an activist and a hedonist. You might as well get used to it. Enjoy!"

What is holiness to you? How do you respond to Erwin's words here? Does it bother you or are you readily saying, "Amen!" Why?

To me holiness is living on God's terms, in God's moment and that with joy. There are times in my life that I feel like I am becoming holy and walking in the wake of the footsteps of Jesus. But daily...daily, I find obstacles to joy in following the LORD. Daily. And daily I am choosing joy. It's a choice to enjoy God. And He likes it when I do. I feel His smile. I recognize His nod of approval. So I choose joy. I want to wake up each morning and look more forward to the day than to the time when I'll get to sleep again. I want to dream wide awake. How about you?

Prayer- America's Hope

2009-05-05T02:50:00.001-04:00

That Name

2009-05-04T07:44:00.002-04:00

I am so sorry! I totally forgot about last week’s devotional. It was a crazy week full of visiting with my ailing grandmother, still reeling from the tornado damage at my parent’s house, fighting off a little stomach bug that has been going through our house, and celebrating eight years of life for my baby – my precious girl, Lindsey.

As I was thinking about Lindsey and all of the energy that she holds in her tiny little body, I found this that I wrote about her a couple of years ago. I read it fresh and new and learned something in the processing. I pray you will, too! Have a blessed Monday.

THAT NAME
Originally Written March 23, 2007

Butch and I were trying to remember how many tantrums Taylor has had in his lifetime -- he's 11 -- and there are not many. We remembered one this weekend when we went to Chattanooga for a quick getaway. Taylor was about 5 or so. I don't think Lindsey had been born yet. If she was with us, she was a mere baby. The whole thing escalated from the fact that I gave him a choice of where he wanted to eat lunch - anywhere except Taco Bell. Where did he want to go? Of course! Taco Bell! It was a fit, I tell you. I can't remember if we gave in and went to Taco Bell or not, but sometimes you have to have the wisdom that my grandmother has: "If they are screaming for a snake, give 'em a snake!" (I don't think that is really wisdom and, by the way, I don't endorse snake-handling for preschoolers!)

Lindsey, on the other hand, is a different story. We're trying to remember how early she had her first tantrum. I think she was about 6 months old. When I say that Butch always interjects, "No, more like 6 hours old!" She's got spunk, that's for sure! Just last night, she had a fit because rather than go to the brand new Spring Hill playground that is AWESOME, she wanted to walk down the street to the neighborhood playground. The comparison is something like this -- "Do you want to go to Chuck E Cheese or do you want to go to Disney World? Do you want to see 'a mouse' or do you want to see 'The Mouse?'"

The tantrums are bad, I tell you, but I have found something that works! I start singing this:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...
There's just something about that Name.
Master, Savior, Jesus...
Like the fragrance after the rain.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...
Let all heaven and earth proclaim.
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away
But there's something about that Name.

It calms her down immediately and it settles me down, too. It's actually become "our song" -- mine and Lindsey's! If we ever hear it at church, I can always look back at Lindsey from the choir and see her big smile. Right after church, she always says, "Mommy, they sang our song today! Did you hear it?" I wish you could hear her sing it! She has a beautiful voice and to hear her sing the Name above every Name, well it is more than I can handle sometimes.

The truth is simple. The Name of Jesus is powerful. Scripture puts it like this:

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10)

When you look at the words "strong tower" and "safe" in the Hebrew language it translates to something like this:

"The name of the Lord is a mighty strong and elevated stage; when those who are chasing after God with all they have run to Him, He picks them up and sets them securely and safely on high -- far above circumstances, problems, fear, anger, worries and anxieties."

For Lindsey, that means taking her from a low state of emotions and setting her up a little bit higher to see that what she is striving for is not worth all of the fuss. For me, it means knowing that no matter what comes my way, I can run to the Father and He will lift me up above whatever is concerning me. That doesn't mean He always makes it go away. It just means that with God I can walk through it and not stand still in the midst of it and feel overwhelmed by it.

The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!

What is concerning you today? I'm sure it's way more serious than where to eat lunch or which playground to choose. It could be finances. It could be a serious illness. It could be a troubled marriage or a wayward child. Whatever it is, run to the Name that is above every Name, your Strong Tower. Let Him pick you up and place you on an elevated stage above it all.

But now, this is what the LORD says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you, and people in exchange for your life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:1-7

Blessings,
Dori

Birthday Winner!

2009-04-29T22:32:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to... Melana!! She is our April birthday winner!! Melana, be looking for an email from us.

Ya'll have a great Thursday!

Love,
Patty

Book Talk: Wide Awake Chapters 4 & 5

2009-04-29T13:42:00.008-04:00

Dearest Siestas, I am so sorry to not respond to your comments last week. It would seem that I have had some busy hands lately with our family and activities around the Smith home. Only 23 days left of school for our crew, and boy are they excited!!

Each week I will do my best to phrase the questions, so that you may participate, whether or not you are reading along with us. I have left my responses in purple, after each question.

Even though I have been reading this book from our local library (we have the best library system here in the Colorado Springs area!), I intend to buy it. For I am finding that it is sparking some good thought-provoking thoughts in my rusty ol' brain, and I would love to be marking the book up with a highlighter and some thoughts in the margins.

Chapter 4 - Expect: The Believer
I loved what Erwin had to say about leaning forward. I even shared this story with a friend this past week. Erwin says, "Chad Becker, who serves on our leadership team at Mosaic, once qualified for the US Olympic Ski Team. He would be the diametrical opposite of me in skiing. For him skiing is natural; for me, it's unnatural. I still try and continue to hope one day to learn how to ski. I give it a shot every ten years or so.

"I've come to realize what has been my problem. See, when you put on those skis, the mountain is going down and the snow is slick. And the natural tendency when you are going in a certain direction really fast with a lot of trees and a ski lodge awaiting your arrival is to pull back, right? Think about it. If you are going too fast, you want to pull back, but there's nothing to pull back on. All you have are those little sticks, which are essentially worthless. So you're pulling back on your skis, thinking. Slow down Slow down. Now they tell you, if you lean back, you'll lose control, but you know that's not true. They're lying to you. They just don't want you on the mountain taking up space on their snow another day.

" 'Lean forward,' they tell you with a devious grin. But you know you shouldn't lean forward. Why in the world would you lean forward in the direction you are trying not to go? So you keep leaning back, and they nag, 'No, if you want to learn how to ski, you have to bend your knees and lean forward in the direction you are going.' But you are certain about this: when you don't want to go in a direction, and you definitely don't want to get there faster, if you lean forward, you're going to lose control and get hurt.

"So you eventually concede and try it their way. You bend your knees and start going faster and think. Lean forward, lean forward. You're leaning.

"That's what happens when you begin to dabble in this God thing and maybe invite Jesus Christ to change us and lead us into a new life. What we really want God to do is be the calming presence in our life. We want God to bring some peace and stability. But soon you're saying, 'Wait a minute, nobody told me this relationship with God is like skiing downhill in the Swiss Alps as a beginner with no lessons!'

"OF course, we enjoy the ski lift. The ride is so nice, so scenic, so relaxing. It's when you get off the lift and you make the turn that it hits you: 'Wait a minute. Where is the lift down?!' Has this been your experience with God? Your life is a mess, you're overwhelmed, you turn to God, and He picks you up and sets you in the lift. And it is beautiful and breath-taking. Then you get to the top and turn around, and the journey is bigger and more challenging than you ever imagined.

"Now what you have is a beautiful mess. There is life inviting you to engage it, to conquer it, to come at full speed ahead staring at you from below. You hear a haunting but gentle voice whisper into your soul, Lean forward; don't shrink back. To create the life of your dreams, you have to lean forward. You have to expect, to believe, to live a life that could actually be described as a life of faith. You must live a life that presses into the future."

What might your life look like right now if you did not shrink back from the goal, but leaned forward and pressed into the future God has for you?

No doubt about it, if I was fully leaning forward and not shrinking back, I would be so happy to volunteer to go, like the Compassion bloggers, who are overseas right now. As it is, I can think of the hindrances of my own making and yes, even fears, that keep me from leaning forward. Leaning forward for me comes with a cost of daily obedience, daily picking up my cross and daily submitting myself to the Lord--yet, I lack the discipline of long obedience in one direction. There is where my struggle lies. But it is one of the many goals of my life, so I press on.

I like how Erwin looks outside the box when he said this to a businessman, "Transformation is the ability to get up in the morning and look in the mirror and like the person you are becoming."

Do you like the person you are becoming or not? What are the biggest challenges you face in becoming and transforming into Christ's likeness?

I DO like the person I'm becoming. I know I am not who I was AND I know that I have miles yet to go. The biggest challenges I face fall in the areas of past hurts and past sins, where I begin to attribute truth to something based on experience. So I sometimes look into a faulty mirror and find that what I see in that faulty mirror cannot look like Jesus. I have to speak TRUTH over my mirror on a daily basis.

Erwin says, "The great challenge for many of us is that there will be times in our lives when God will say, 'I have done all of this for you. I have provided for you tremendously, but I want you now to give that up for the life you were created to live. There's more than this.' It is very likely that the life God has given you as a gift today is the very thing He will ask of you as a sacrifice tomorrow."

Also he later states, "A life of expectation sometimes brings great public success, but sometimes God glorifies Himself and finds the greatest honor from our lives when we are willing to fail in the eyes of others simply by doing what is right even if it means losing out perceived value to the world. Faith is not measured by success but by faithfulness."

Have you ever suffered a loss or been perceived as a failure in pursuit of following hard after God? What helped you to press on in the midst of it?

I have suffered loss. I have been perceived as a failure. Both were in pursuit of following hard after God and not from blatant sin or disobedience. In the process of giving up what I struggled to keep, I found God to be faithful in the midst of it. I felt His Presence in such a palpable way. I heard His voice so very clearly. In the process of failing, I knew that God had (and still has) purpose in it and was going (and still is going) to use it for His glory. That was enough for me to say, "Yes, Lord. I will continue to press into You. You are good, Lord." So I rehearsed what I knew about God and I listened to His voice. I delved deeply into His Word and found richness in the text, almost like God has highlighted certain sections just for me! I responded to Him with thanksgiving and praise, even with telling Him what was hurting or hard.

Chapter 5 - Focus: The Seer
Erwin refers to the story of Peter walking on the water to Jesus. Then he says, "It says here that when Peter 'looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink.' Now I want to give the translators a break here, but truth be told, they didn't translate what's actually there. If you look at the original language, it actually doesn't say when Peter saw the high waves. You know what it says? It says when he saw the wind...

"Maybe you've thought something like, If I could see God then I would never lose my faith in Him. If I could hear God's voice, then I would never fall away.

"...But Peter could see Jesus, and it didn't help. And to make it more laced with irony, what distracted him was that he saw something that was invisible--he saw the wind.

"...As talented as you and I may be, you cannot walk the road God has prepared for you without Him. To follow Him is to live in His strength."

What are your thoughts and responses to this?

I have to admit, I have always faulted Peter for losing sight of Jesus. I think keep your eyes on him, buddy! Just like every time I watch Anne of Green Gables, I pray that this time Matthew won't fall in the field. But he does. And so did Peter. And honestly, truth be told, so would I. I would take my eyes off Jesus. I do take my eyes off Jesus. And I end up getting caught off guard by the wind.

"Do you ever struggle with feeling overwhelmed by responsibilities and opportunities? This alone can cause you to lose your focus. It's easy to lose sight of where you're headed and why you're going there when there is so much need and opportunity. If you don't lock into the life God has called you to live, you will find yourself pulled and torn by everyone else's desire and expectation for your life," Erwin states.

"What happens to many of us is that everyone else has a plan for our lives, and we end up losing our lives trying to live theirs. Everyone else has something you should be doing. Believe me, if you don;t have a purpose for your life, there are plenty of people who will be happy to give you theirs. If you do not develop the ability to say no to many important things, you're going to lose the big yes of your life."

Are you currently living in an overwhelmed state? Are you following everyone else's plan? Or are you following God's plan?

I am definitely in the first category--overwhelmed. I'm not following anyone else's plan, but I am struggling with the simplest of daily activities sometimes. I think this is a factor of letting my "want to" get in the way. I don't want to get up earlier. I don't want to do this or that. And it leaves me in a state of chaos of my own making. But I WANT to be following God and I WANT my "want to" to change.

Erwin talks about setting your sights and focusing your lens to see what God is placing in your heart to dream. Then he says this, "We act as if the spiritual journey is like God leaving little breadcrumbs, and we are Hansel and Gretel. Through the woods we can find our way home. But somewhere along the way all the ravens ate the breadcrumbs and we're lost in the forest asking, 'God where do I go?' The dilemma is that God doesn't draw you a map, doesn't give you chalk lines, doesn't leave you bread crumbs. He builds your character. As you develop your character, you have an internal compass that guides your way and begins to give you clarity to see the life of your dreams. It is here that the hero within you is awakened and you discover you are the seer."

What a word picture! What do you think of character building, compass guiding and bread crumbs?

I love this idea of bread crumbs. For I have been growing up in Christ--maturing and learning that I sometimes have some superstitious beliefs about God's will and His plan. Circumstances do not always define my direction. Sometimes they do, but often it is that internal compass and staying in the yoke of Christ Jesus that has made the biggest strides and leaps in my faith journey.

Next week, we'll look to chapters 6 and 7. Let us engage in some conversation now....see you in the comments.

Love,
Holly

Retreat News

2009-04-26T22:38:00.002-04:00

Hi Siestas! I hope you all have enjoyed your weekend. It always goes by so fast but we had the best weekend.

I am sorry to have to write this, but we are going to have to postpone the retreat. An unforeseen circumstance has come up and we need to postpone.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Hopefully next year we will put something together.

On a brighter note, That same weekend you can have the opportunity to attend LPL's Simulcast!!

I pray that you all have a blessed week!!
Love,
Patty

April Birthdays

2009-04-24T15:36:00.007-04:00

Happy Birthday to our April Siestas!! We hope you all have a Wonderful birthday and a year filled with blessings beyond your expectations.

If you have a birthday in April and are not on this list, please leave me a comment and I will add your name.

Come back on Monday and find out who the birthday winner is.

April Birthdays:

Jeno- 7th

Dori- 13th

Jeannette- 24th

Melana- 24th

Emmy- 25th

Jeannette- 28th

Rebecca 29th

Also, Holly wanted me to let you know that she has sold all the cookbooks. Thank you for your orders. Please don't forget to wish our siestas Happy Birthday.

Love,

Patty

Book Talk: Wide Awake Chapters 2 & 3

2009-04-22T00:00:00.009-04:00

Dear Siestas, even if you have not gotten the book or don't plan to read it, I would love for each of you to participate! I am trying to word the questions, so that everyone may participate. Feel free to share your thoughts and respond. I have left my responses in purple, after each question.

I'd love to hear about the things you have highlighted that I have not. Please feel free to discuss those in the comments. As I said before, I want this to be as interactive as possible, so comment and respond to others' comments as often as you wish!

Chapter 2 - Discover: The Explorer
Erwin states this question and this possibility as an answer:
"Have you ever been around people who think their contribution to the team is to point out the impossibilities? These people think they are geniuses. You are sitting in the room, and everyone is dreaming, planning, envisioning, imagining; then one of these people points out everything that will go wrong. He assumes no one has seen these problems. His only contribution is to identify everything that isn't working and explaining why nothing can be done about it. In the minds of these people, you are not allowed to dream great dreams, to make the problems seem incidental.

"If the wall is the limitation, how smart do you have to be to realize there's a wall there? Once you run into it two or three times, you might say, 'There's a wall here.' Real genius, real invention, is not about identifying a problem but about solving it.

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if, when we saw a problem, we assumed we were to be part of the solution? Seeing a problem only lets you know where your limits are if you don't solve it. Problems, obstacles and challenges can either become the markers of our limits and limitations, or they can become the springboard into a whole new world."

What obstacles do you face that need a "springboard into a whole new world?"

My biggest obstacles to my dreams are the limitations of my own small thinking, financial distress and even finding security and comfort in doing the same things over and over.

Erwin says, "When you are called out by God, you have to take on a learning mode that recognizes you are called by God to explore unknown territories and go to uncertain environments. To some of you, God is literally saying(as He did to Abraham), You need to leave your country, your relatives, your house and go to a place you've never known if you are going to live the life of your dreams."

Do you feel this is true in your life? What is holding you back? What is spurring you on to explore?

It's hilarious to hear the personal stories of many families in our church. There are so many with stories like mine and Chris', where God called us to leave our homes and families to come to this little Colorado town at the foothills of the Rockies (you can read this portion and this portion from that journey here, if you'd like). It makes me think God is up to something really interesting in this place. My Chris and I are spurred on to follow God here, despite many difficulties and obstacles, especially when it would be so much easier to go back "home," because we know God has a reason for us to be here--and that with the adventure of following Jesus every step of the way!

How does this statement by Erwin challenge or affirm your beliefs about Heaven and eternity?
"I have a friend who once said to me, 'I can't wait until I go to heaven because then I'm going to get all of my questions answered. I just can't wait. I have so many questions to ask God.' Have you ever felt that way?

"I said, 'What in the world made you think you are going to get all the answers?'

"He said, 'Well I am, aren't I?' And he was turning white, very distraught.

"I pointed out that the Bible doesn't say you're going to get all the answers. In fact, it never says you're going to know everything about God. It says you're going to know God. A more likely scenario is you step into eternity, and suddenly all your questions are overwhelmed by new ones. One second in the presence of the Creator of the universe, and you're going to get a truckload of new questions."

Whew! This part really caused me to think and expand my thinking of Heaven and understanding of God. I am actually rather relieved to think that there will still be things to search out and discover in Heaven. God created us to love mystery and adventure--I love both. It makes me even more eager to see Jesus face to face. To know Him and be known by Him--and yet, to still discover more about Him for eternity. I cannot wait!

Chapter 3 - Adapt: The Alchemist
Erwin states, "Life is not a color-within-the-lines project; life is a work of art. You have to keep mixing colors, creating new blends, and seeing them in fresh ways. You must be willing to get paint all over you. Life is about growth. Growth demands change. Change requires humility. Sometimes you need to bring change; sometimes you need to be changed."

What thoughts spring in your heart from what Erwin says?

I guess I'd like to stay within the lines for the most part. I don't like to get dirty. I like safe. But then as I read the whole of these two chapters, I am inspired to let God change and freshen my walk. For I love, above all that I have read so far in this book, Erwin's continual reminder that my living to the fullest extent of God's desire for my life is important so that others can live to the fullest extent of theirs. The fact that others rely on my change causes me to want to get paint on me and get outside my comfort zone. Often I care more deeply about the changes in others than I do for the changes in me--meaning, I'll go the extra mile to help them. Whatever it takes, Lord. Do the thing.

Other inspirational and challenging thoughts by Erwin are these: "The stories of Daniel and Esther remind us that we do not get to choose the context from where we begin our story, where our lives begin. You don't get to choose your parents, your race, or your skin color; you don't get to choose your language or economic condition when you're born into this world. You don't get any say about the beginning of your life journey, but you have a great deal to say about the destination of your journey and how that journey shapes you."

Your thoughts?

I love when people decide to let the history of their lives shape their present and future in a way that says, 'I am not defined by this, but because of this I am going to make a difference in the lives of others in Jesus' Name and for His Glory.' I so want that to be my epitaph.

Erwin talks a good bit about knowing what our nonnegotiables are in our faith, really the core of who we are and what we believe. He also states that not knowing the nonnegotiables may cause us to be dogmatic and rigid about everything, so that we are unwavering in all things, lest the one thing we let go be really important. Then he states, "Some of us are more like coconuts--hard on the outside and hollow in the center. But we need to be more like peaches--soft and fuzzy on the outside but solid as a rock in the middle. This dramatically changes the way others experience us as well as how we will experience life."

So are you a peach or coconut?

I am definitely a peach, who used to be more of a coconut. I believe that if we Christians are to be a united house of faith, we are going to have to hold fast to and know the "spine" issues, as Beth Moore calls them and let the "rib" issues not divide us, but allow us to be a mosaic of God's heart--a household of faith that is strong and firm in Christ Jesus and loving one another. That is God's heart for us, as believers. I think it is vital that if we are going to be all that God desires for us to be and make a difference in the lives of others, then we are going to have to reach across denominational, economic, political, social and racial differences and be one and love one another.

Finally, I loved what Erwin says here, "Transformation is at the core of our faith. We are called by God to renew our minds for the promise of transformation. In this sense we are all alchemists; or at least we all have the potential to ignite social transformation. When you awaken the hero within you, you find not only the artist and the explorer, but also the alchemist. It is not enough to simply be good; we must also do good."

Final thoughts?

I love the way Erwin continually compels us to look to others and not just self. We by nature are self-preservationists. We will naturally care about ourselves. But what about someone right now who is waiting for me to effect change in their sphere--be it a Compassion child or even the lonely widow next door? I am called out. We are called out. We must go out and look outside ourselves. We must. It is life for those who have no hope without our obedience and willingness to do good.

Next week, we'll look to chapters 4 and 5. See you in the comments!
Love,
Holly

Calling Our Bama Siestas

2009-04-21T11:07:00.003-04:00

Good Morning Siestas!

My BFF Jill asked me to write a post for her. She is planning a get together for ya'll and she invited me to stay at her house so that I can be there with you! Yea!!

If you would be interested in a Siesta meet up please email Jill @ jhw_mail@yahoo.com

This is going to be a lot of fun so email Jill asap!

Enjoy your Tuesday! I had to think about what day it is, for some reason it feels like we should be closer to the weekend. :))

Look for the April b'day post on Thursday!

Love,
Patty

Unfailing Love

2009-04-20T00:01:00.004-04:00

Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

Most High God, who are we that You would come to us even if we seek You with all our hearts? Don't you remember that we are nothing but mere dust? And yet your Word not only promises that You will be found when we earnestly seek You, but Hebrews 11:6 says that You will reward us in the process. But I don't want to get caught up in Your rewards and Your blessings. I want to be captured by You, O God!

Your unfailing love is promised to us -- an everlasting and endurable lovingkindness that we cannot imagine nor can we emulate. There is no equal, no rival, to the love that You have lavished on us, Your children. Isaiah 54:10 says that even if the mountains and the hills should give way -- things that should never give way -- even if they do, Your love for me will endure. And Your covenant of peace will never end. A covenant that promises completeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, and friendship -- yes, friendship with You, O God!

Help me live everyday with a GOD AWARENESS! That Your unfailing and everlasting love comes with Your neverending presence in our lives.

And not only me, but would you grant my Siestas today the same thing -- a day filled with You around ever corner? When they climb whatever mountain they are facing today may they find You there. If they are walking by quiet waters in a cool, clear and peaceful valley, may they still see Your precious face. Help us each resolve from this day forward, Holy God, that we won't take another step without You...that it will be Your presence that we crave, that it will be Your hand that leads us and that we will seek our next breath from none other. Hold us fast in Your mighty right hand.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (Psalm 139:7-10)

On my face before You,
Dori

Book Talk: Wide Awake Intro and Chapter 1

2009-04-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Still

2009-04-13T11:07:00.005-04:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your prayers and sweet words of encouragement as my parents have been dealing with the aftermath of Friday's tornado in Murfreesboro. I just read a headline in the newspaper that said, "Merciless Storm Exacts Human Toll" and I thanked God once again that He is altogether MERCIFUL!

As you can imagine, the stress and unrest of going through something like this is far-reaching. My parents experienced the storm first-hand and my family is experiencing it second-hand. I have had moments of fear as I have been tempted to dwell on the "what if's" of the situation. My children have experienced some nightmares. It just simply takes its toll whether you lost everthing or not. The nearness of the danger can threaten to overtake you.

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. (Psalm 73:28)

So today, I am trying to BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. I have nothing else profound to share with you except that my Merciful God is good and what He does is good.

Please allow me to share something I posted on my personal blog just last month. I pray that no matter what storm you find yourself in today, whether literal or simply a "life storm," that you will find that Your God is good. He is a Strong Tower. He is your Refuge! Run to Him.

STILL
Originally posted at Your Word is Life
March 20, 2009

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God ; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." (Psalm 62:5-8)

A friend shared this scripture in Bible study yesterday with tears streaming down her face from the sheer love of this powerful Word and the comfort that it provides. I love that when God speaks, He speaks to the individual and then the Body is strengthened through their sharing.

Perhaps it is II Corinthians 1:3-4 in motion:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

I know that some of you reading this don't feel very still right now. The winds, waves and high waters of life are overwhelming. I'm praying that you will find rest in God alone. I'm praying that God will give you supernatural wisdom and insight to know how to ride out this storm well and find waters on the other side that are still, cool and refreshing. I'm praying that you will be still and know that He truly is God.

Blessings,
Dori

Please Pray for Patty and Her Family

2009-04-10T16:06:00.008-04:00

Update: I hope Holly and Patty won't mind, but I wanted to thank you all for your prayers for my family. Their house is still standing and is fine on the inside. The outside is severely damaged. No trees are still standing except for the Dogwood tree that my brother's doctor planted 19 years ago on the day before my brother passed away that evening - one of the little blessings as the tree means the world to my mother as you can imagine. They have no power. Houses only two or three doors down are completely leveled as the path of the tornado crossed their street. My brother called and said he was walking the neighborhood and he had counted 10 houses so far that were leveled. Please continue to pray as my disabled grandmother lives with them and she refuses to leave because she wants to be in her own room. They have a generator to run the fridge and one light off of. My mother said she saw the warning, took a minute or two to get my grandmother to the hall, heard the noise of the storm, heard the windows shatter and then it was gone. She said she looked out and couldn't believe the devastation that happened in a matter of seconds. In light of what their neighborhood looks like, Mom and Dad are blessed to be alive. Many of their neighbors were not home like my Mom and Grandmother when the storm hit. We are blessed. Please pray for the city of Murfreesboro and please praise Him for protection for my family, for Patty, and for the hundreds of people affected. Please pray for the family who lost the young mother and baby and for the father who is in critical condition. Lord, we ask for Your mercy, Your peace and Your protection. You are good and what You do is good. We long for You right now...like never before.

Blessings,
Dori

4:24 pm MST Patty is safe! Praise God!! read here... http://patty-girlfriendsingod.blogspot.com/2009/04/alive-and-safe-thousands-need-prayer.html

4:02 pm MST UPDATE from Dori: "Tornado went right across my parents' street just about 2 doors down. Two houses three doors down are completely gone. Tornado passed through very close to Patty's neighborhood, but I don't think right through it. Power, phones everything down in Murfreesboro." (I've still had no word from Patty. Keep praying! Holly)

I have not many details, but Dori texted me and left a voice message saying that her parents' home took a direct hit from a tornado in Tennessee. Dori's parents and grandmother are not hurt. Please pray for them, though.

Dori's parents live in the same town as Patty and her family. I cannot get in touch with Patty by home or cell phone. So please pray for her safety right now.

I'll let you know more, when I know details. For now, pray please!

Love,
Holly

Getting Ready for Book Talk -- Wide Awake

2009-04-10T10:41:00.011-04:00

Hey Siestas!

I just wanted to stop in for a quick reminder that next Wednesday (April 15th) begins our discussion of Erwin McManus' Wide Awake. We are reading and discussing the intro and first chapter.

You can purchase it here for $9.99 for a limited time.

Now let me say this. I am not a theologian or doctrinal expert. I love Jesus. I listen to His Holy Spirit. I watch for what God is doing and join Him there. And I believe that we can learn from one another in the body of Christ--we can be the iron sharpening iron for one another.

With that said, we are entering into this book discussion together to grow together and grow in our walk with Jesus. I am hoping to ask a few questions, to share a few of the points that struck me AND for us to discuss back and forth in the comments.

I am hoping for this to be an interactive discussion across the miles.

We'll spend from April 15th 'til May 13th, then I'd like for us to begin a fictional book. Please, please share some suggestions for this. Patty, Dori and I will discuss and pick one that will kick off our summer together!

In closing, here are a few quotes from Erwin McManus on Life Today with James Robison that sparked my interest and drew me to this book. Read them and see if they pique your imagination, as well.

"Maybe your imagination is a playground that God created, so that He could speak into your soul and you could see a person you've never become and see a life you've never lived and begin to get a picture of a life you could live with Him."

"God would never sacrifice your significance for your comfort."

James asked, "What causes it (your dream) to become a nightmare?"
Erwin responded, "Ask this: if your greatest dream became a reality, would the world become a better place?"

"When a person is living the life God called them to live, they become more open-handed with every one else's dream. When you are living the life God called you to live, you become win-win. You want to see other people live the life God created them to live. But when you're dissatisfied with your life, when you feel like your life is missing its real significance, it's not connecting to the reason God created you, then you become win-lose and you need someone else to lose just so you can feel better about yourself."

"The human soul cannot take too much self-indulgence. It's like a kid who goes and eats all the candy they can in the candy factory, then all the ice cream in the ice cream shop and they're just literally throwing up from over-indulgence and what's happened in our society is that the human soul is saying, 'Enough.' I can't live a more narcissistic life and if we could begin to live our lives most freely, if we could take our freedom and live our most heroic life, we're going to find the health and life God created us to live."

Dearest Siestas, have a blessed Easter, full o' joy!
Holly

Prayer Needed for a Siesta

2009-04-09T09:06:00.005-04:00

I come to you today asking for prayer for a sweet, sweet Siesta, Bev. PLEASE go HERE and read her post from 2 days ago and would you please leave her a comment letting her know you are praying for her?

Thank you so much!

"Lord, help!" they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves. What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!

Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
Psalm 107:28-31

Recipe Talk: Occasions

2009-04-07T22:53:00.010-04:00

Growing up in my family, we always celebrated occasions. In fact, for the most part, these were the times when we were at our best as a family. I think that may be why the occasion was so important--there was a rightness in our family that we all liked and enjoyed. My mom excelled at every occasion she put her hand to--in fact, she really outdid herself every time with artistry, creativity and fun. My Dad laughed and was light-hearted (not his usual traits). My brother enjoyed being a boy again instead of trying to grow up too fast. And me? Well, I was the life of the party, the center of attention--I knew it and liked it.

Looking back, I know what God intended for our family ALL of the time was that we'd enjoy each other and love each other well. But we didn't have a godly perspective and we didn't act like we did either. We were worldly. And our occasions--be it Easter, Christmas or Fourth of July--were worldly. For example, one Easter, my mom bought my brother Steve Martin's Wild and Crazy Guy Album for his Easter basket, because Steve was wearing BUNNY EARS. Oh my. I can still sing a good bit of King Tut, who was born in Arizona and moved to Babylonia and has a condo made of stone-a.

That's probably why when we had Noah, our first born, we began to celebrate Easter by focusing on Christ and by playing the Easter bunny. My Chris and I melded our worlds. We had a godly perspective; yet, it would have stirred up things with my extended family that lived nearby to mess with the occasion of the rabbit. So we did both.

I have to admit, every time I hear various Christian marketing lately about doing away entirely with the Easter bunny, my hackles came up. For in my heart, I want our children to grow up with the wonder of our risen Savior and the delightful surprises of the Easter bunny. Even our 11 year old is talking about how our pet rabbit, Thumper, needs to get a carrot from the Easter bunny. This is the same young man, who tells others at every opportunity about Jesus.

At some point I know our children will wholly grasp the difference between fact and fiction. It comes with our perspective, doesn't it? From a God-focused point of view, I have to believe that as we train up our children in the Lord that they will glean truth. Perhaps, the fiction part of it will teach some fun in discovery. Or maybe we should just start to fill a counselling jar for each child now. I don't know.

Any day now, UPS will come to our home with a box or two or three from my parents, filled with baskets, candy, new clothes, hand-made bows and delights (UPDATE--April 8th! See pictures below). On Friday, we will celebrate a silent service at church--a somber reality of the death of our Savior. On Saturday, we will hunt for eggs and have a ball jumping in the bounce house. On Sunday, we will wake up to baskets filled with candy and chocolate bunnies. Then we will dress up and head to the celebration of Jesus' resurrection and say, "He is risen!" And the answer will be, "He is risen, indeed!" Afterwards, we will drive home--all talking at once about the morning and the day. Then we will sit down for an Easter lunch. It is the way our occasion rolls.

However, we have the perspective in the right place. We honor Christ every day of the year. He is our LORD, our Risen Savior! We also like occasions and celebrate them by making the most of every opportunity to touch a life with the love of Christ, which compels us.

Before I share a couple of recipes, here is one final story of touching a life or two with Christ...

Easter 1995: My Chris and I lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. We lived in some wonderful apartments on the west side with a balcony and view of a duck pond. Next door, sharing the same air return for our apartments, were two guys from Saudi Arabia. They had left their families in the Middle East and had come to the States for schooling. We knew they were different. The very spices in the air we breathed was a constant reminder of something foreign to us.

Yet, we asked God for opportunities. We found out early on that such a code of honor and respect was meshed into their fiber. We could not say two things to them-- "I like..." and "I have never..." For if we did, they would go to great lengths to provide them for us or make a way for us to do what we have never done, like eat Indian food. Now I laugh at my 24 year old self. For I in no way wanted to cause them to go out of their way. Yet, my vivacious manner is "always liking something or sharing a story of what I have never done."

Easter approached and our friends brought to us a gift. They said, "I know you celebrate Easter this weekend, so we have brought you a gift." It was two WHOLE legs of lamb.

Stunning!

We may have never been the light for Christ that we hoped to be to these two lonely men from far away. But we did let them know that we loved Jesus and that we loved and respected them, too.

So in their honor, I share a main course called Minted Leg of Lamb from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.
1 t. salt
1 1/2 t. dried mint
1/2 t. red pepper
1 - 9 lb. (bone in) leg of lamb
2 medium onions, chopped
3 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. Worcestershire sauce

Combine salt, mint and red pepper in a small bowl. Rub into lamb. Place onion in the center of a lightly greased roasting pan; place lamb on top of onion. Combine wine, olive oil, mustard, garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over lamb. Bake at 325 degrees for two hours 15 minutes. Baste lamb with pan juices a couple of times during the roasting.

Also, for Thumper our rabbit, I share Carrot Cake Supreme from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, as well.

2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 t. cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 t. vanilla extract plus 2 t. for the frosting
2 c. grated carrot
1 - 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 - 3 1/2 oz. can flaked coconut
1 c. chopped pecans
2 - 8 oz. bar cream cheese
2 c. butter, softened
32 oz. powdered sugar

Grease and flour 3 nine inch round cake pans. In mixer, blend together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add eggs, one at a time. Add sugar, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Blend thoroughly. Fold in carrots, pineapple and coconut. Pour 1/3 of mixture into each pan.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Icing:
Beat cream cheese and butter until softened, slowly stir in powdered sugar and add vanilla. Frost the top, between layers and on the sides of cake, while still warm (not hot).

Jesus IS RISEN, Y'all!! He is risen, INDEED!

He Has Been Sweet

2009-04-06T00:01:00.002-04:00

I've thought over the past couple of days about something a Bible study teacher once said. She explained that sometimes when we feel that we have been inadequate in some way -- whether we are a Bible teacher who blew the lesson, a mom who blew it with her kids, or a wife who blew it over and over again with her husband, or maybe you blew it with your co-workers -- God just comes to us in His sweetness. He does something for us that just proves that He is not only the God of the Universe, Creator God, a jealous God, the Righteous Judge, our Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor and a Mighty God...but He just comes to us and is downright sweet.

As I thought of that, I reflected on the sweetness of God. Has He been sweet to you? Are there special delights that He has lavished on you that just prove over and over again that He is wild about you? I'm not talking necessarily about profound truths that He has taught you from His Word, although that could be one of His sweet ways with you. I'm not talking necessarily about a huge, miraculous wonder that He did in your life. I'm just talking about the sweet things that come into our daily walk that He sends our way just to cool off the red hot pavement of life for us a bit.

He has certainly been sweet to me!

Sometimes His sweetness comes in an unexpected e-mail that lifts the load and brightens my face on a difficult day. Sometimes His sweetness comes in a small gift from a friend. Some days its just a beautiful sunset at the end of a particularly gruelling day that says, "Hey, no matter what has happened since this sun came up this morning, today is ending on a beautiful note because I am a God who can turn ashes into beauty by just speaking it and it is so."

Sometimes His sweetness comes in the wonderful reminder that the love of your life is without a doubt handpicked for you. Life is hard, but when the day is done and the two of you are still standing side by side and loving every minute of, that is the sweetness of God.

When a child looks at you and says, "Mom, you are so beautiful" and you know that at that moment you could use a little powder on the nose and Miss Clairol on your roots...that is the sweetness of God.

When a stranger becomes a friend in an instant simply because you each took a chance, started a conversation, and then mutually blessed one another in the process...that is the sweetness of God.

Still trying to wrap your brain around God possessing the very basic quality of sweetness?? Well, think of all the sweet people in your life. It could be your mother, your father, a friend, a co-worker, a teacher, a Bible study teacher...on and on. If you are like me, you probably even have moments where you yourself have flashes of sweetness. If we, being made in the very image of God Himself, have the capacity to be a little sweet...YOUR GOD IS ALTOGETHER SWEET! He is the very fullness of what sweetness was created to be here on earth.

The commentary in my Bible says that that the book of Song of Solomon or Song of Songs is "a moving story, drama and poem. Song of Songs features the love dialogue between a simple Jewish maiden and her lover...There has been much debate over the meaning of this song. Some say it is an allegory of God's love for Israel and the church. Others say it is a literal story about married love. But in reality, it is both -- an historical story with two layers of meaning. On one level we learn about love, marriage and sex; and on the other level we see God's overwhelming love for his people."

His voice and speech are exceedingly sweet; yes, he is altogether lovely [the whole of him delights and is precious]. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem! (Song of Solomon 5:16 Amplified)

Exceedingly sweet..."The whole of Him delights and is precious!" This is your Sweet God. How has He been sweet to you?

Blessings,
Dori

Catching Up ..How Are You?

2009-04-03T12:35:00.003-04:00

Hi Siestas!

It has been awhile since I have written anything personal on here! How are you?

My thoughts have been on you all so much lately and I want to know how you all are really doing? Have any of you been hit with this economic crisis? If you need prayer for anything please email me or Holly or Dori and you may also click on our prayer request tab and that will take you to our prayer page. I made a separate page so your requests would not be lost.

About the new blog look, I prayed about it and asked God for help because I was stumped, God led me to thinking about quilts or friendship quilts. I asked Holly if there was such a thing. She told me there was and she told me to look up quilt quotes. I did and the rest as they say is history! I know this is what God wanted for now. I am thankful He lets me change it up or decorate this ole blog for each season. lol However, I think I am wearing Holly out. hee hee. Thank you Holly!!

Holly is wanting to start a Book Club so to speak on here and I believe she wants to start on April 15, 09. In case you missed her post the book is, "Wide Awake: Start Dreaming with Your Eyes Open" by Erwin McManus. Please let Holly know if you are interested. :)

This leads me to my next question, Do you have a dream, a dream deep down in your heart that maybe only God and yourself know about? Maybe a dream you have had for a long time but have long since given up on? Would you mind sharing your dream with us?

You don't have to leave your name if you don't want to. We would love to read about your dreams.

I believe God has a mind to reawaken a few dreams in our hearts. I am excited to read this book and discuss on here!

Before I go, I will share one of my dreams with you.

Since my divorce I have dreamt of owning my own home. I have had to rent homes since my divorce and this has been a dream deep down in my heart to own a home. I know exactly what I want it to have, look like and God and I have had many discussions about it. Fun discussions. :) I have also told God that if I never have my home here on earth that one day I know He will give me one in Heaven. :)) I think this is why I love to watch House Hunters and shows like that. I love the end of the show when we see the finished home and I enjoy seeing how they decorated their new home.

Please share one of your dreams?

Have a great weekend!!

Offical Registration for Our Siesta Retreat in the Mountains

2009-03-31T02:35:00.005-04:00

August 27 -29 , 2009
UPDATED: I Fixed the LINK so that you can read the details of this retreat! :)

Siestas, this is our offical registration for our very own Siesta Retreat in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. You may go HERE to read the current details. Girls, I am from east Tennessee and this will be like going home for me. I hope you can join us!

Please leave your name and a way we can get in touch with you and we will email you the final details at a later date.

Once we get 75 registrants we will close the comments.

Thank you,

Patty

My Story, My Song

2009-03-30T12:04:00.003-04:00

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long...

I love when God speaks a fresh Word out of something so incredibly familiar. He does that all the time, but today I was reminded of a very specific instance when He made me stop and look at something with fresh eyes. It was at my home church and during our time of worship. Our Worship Pastor broke out into the old hymn, "Blessed Assurance."

As I looked around the room and then deep into the hidden places of my heart, I realized that as we sang chorus after chorus and the volume began to get louder and louder, we weren't merely singing the words of an old familiar hymn in praise to our God, we were doing warfare.

The enemy's main purpose is to undo whatever we have been assured of through our faith in Christ. If Christ tells us that our salvation is safe and secure and that nothing can pluck us out of His hands, the enemy will do everything in His power to convince us that we are at risk -- one mistake away from being condemned. If our faith in Christ brings about a righteousness that has nothing to do with what we do, but that His righteousness is enough, then the enemy will make us feel as though everything we do and everything we say affects our being accepted by Jesus. It all becomes about performance rather than what Jesus did for us at the Cross.

So as I sang "This is my story, this is my song...," I wasn't just confessing that my testimony is that I will praise Him all the day long. No, I was actually telling the enemy, "THIS is my story, THIS is my song." The enemy may try to throw everything that he can to convince me that my story is one of defeat, bondage, guilt, shame and death. But my story -- the story that faith in Jesus Christ set into motion -- is one of victory, freedom, peace, forgiveness and life!

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

THIS is my story...THIS is my song...and I will sing it with conviction and confession and in praise to Him all day long! Jesus and the love He has for His children is something that the enemy cannot touch and we are wise to let him know about it every chance we get!

What is YOUR story? What is YOUR song?

Blessings,
Dori

March Birthday Winner

2009-03-26T15:11:00.005-04:00

I am sorry I am a few days late in posting the winner. I have had terrible migraine headaches and I have not been on the computer much!

We are working on a new design for this blog so look for that next week. You know me, I have to change it up every few months. :)

To our winner:

Congratulations to Wendy Glass!! Wendy's birthday is tomorrow!! Happy Birthday Wendy and may you have a great birthday!!

Please email me your mailing address: pwilliamsut@aol.com

I hope you all have a great day and a great weekend!!
Love you,
Patty

With Six Books You Get Eggroll

2009-03-24T23:16:00.007-04:00

Sorry. I could not resist a good Doris Day movie reference! I'm a fan of those old movies, you see.

So, I have been thinkin'. I like to read. AND I like to talk about what I have read with friends and of course with my Chris (it was necessary that I marry a man, who loves to read like I do. He feels the same way about me, too!). I also like to think. Well...sometimes. And sometimes, I am very much a Pooh Bear with my "Think. Think. Think."

So I wondered if any of you would be interested in reading a book or two or six over the spring and summer and talking about it??

I have a wonderful suggestion for the first book. But I need your ideas for the next five. So tell me what you think about reading and chatting about books together.

My first book suggestion is "Wide Awake: Start Dreaming with Your Eyes Open" by Erwin McManus. I heard him talking about it on Life Today. It sounded like a wonderful, thought-provoking book. Not only that, but I listened and it just resonated in my spirit, as something I'd like to read.

Here's the deal. You have two weeks to get the book from the library (that's where I'm getting it) or to buy it. On Wednesday, April 15th I would like to discuss the first chapter with you. Does that sound do-able?

Of course, I will end with an Egg Roll recipe that surpasses anything you could get at P.F. Changs.
1/2 lb. lean boneless pork
2 T. peanut or sesame oil plus 2 c., divided
1 - 8 oz. pkg. mushrooms, chopped
1 c. chopped bean sprouts
1/2 c. finely chopped water chestnuts
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 c. finely shredded cabbage
2 T. soy sauce
1 T plus 1 t. cornstarch
1 - 16 oz. pkg. egg roll wrappers

Process pork in a food processor until finely chopped. Cook pork in 2 T. peanut (sesame) oil over medium high heat for two minutes, until the meat crumbles. Add mushrooms, sprouts, water chestnuts and green onions, stirring constantly for 4 minutes. Stir in cabbage.

Combine soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring well. Add to meat mixture and cook 2-3 minutes until thick and bubbly.

Spoon 1/3 c. mixture in center of wrapper. Fold top corner and wrapper over filling, tucking tip of corner under filling. Fold left and right corners over filling. Lightly brush remaining corner with water. Tightly roll end toward remaining corner and gently press to seal.

Pour 2 c. oil in wok or dutch oven. Heat to 375 degrees. Fry egg rolls a few at a time for 2 minutes or until golden, turning once. Yields 16 egg rolls. From The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Siestas!
Holly

Don't Leave the Tent

2009-03-23T01:00:00.004-04:00

Exodus 29:42
"For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. There I will meet you and speak to you."

Exodus 33:11
"The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun DID NOT LEAVE THE TENT."

Oh, LORD, I could have missed You today! I could have missed what You wanted to speak to me today. Thank you, thank you, thank you for stopping my feet in my tracks, sitting me down at my table and opening up Your Word to me today.

Bible study had me looking at Joshua and how He learned about God from Moses. He was Moses' aid in the wilderness. He never left His side. The scripture above is smack dab in the middle of telling us that anyone who wanted to approach the Tent of Meeting -- God's temporary dwelling -- to inquire of the LORD could most certainly come. But the scriptures tell us that the people didn't approach, they didn't come near. They stayed away and waited for Moses to speak with the LORD as a friend and then come back and tell them all the things that God had said. But Joshua? Oh, Joshua came near alright! He went with Moses into the Tent of Meeting. Watched the dialogue going on between Moses and God. But when Moses left to tell the others what God had said, Joshua hung out!! He stayed. What happened in those moments? Who knows! But I do know that God would never invite anyone to come near and then not speak to those who were bold enough to do so!! Oh the things Joshua and His LORD must have talked about! Oh the things Joshua must have learned sitting in that Tent and listening for the Word of God!

Wouldn't you just love to know what God said to Joshua? I'm sure it was a very specific Word for his very specific inquiry. Just as surely as God invited anyone to come and inquire, we are even more personally beckoned to come -- and come boldly!!

"Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]." (Hebrews 4:16 AMPLIFIED)

I surely don't want to be with the one's who were hanging outside the Tent of Meeting at a distance, on the fringes, to hear what God had said to someone else. I don't want to be just like the Israelites who were told that they could approach the Tent of Meeting and inquire of God just like Moses. But they didn't. They hung back and waited for someone else to experience His glory and then hopefully they would have the pleasure of having him share what God said. The study I was doing this morning had this commentary:

"We are people of the new covenant -- people to whom God has offered a surpassing glory (2 Cor 3:10). Yet, like the children of Israel, much of the body of Christ still stands back and watches those they consider truly anointed draw near God's glory...Never settle for a secondhand relationship. Joshua wasn't satisfied with a distant glory. He wasn't satisfied to live his relationship with God secondhand through that of Moses. Joshua learned his lessons well...Joshua's great faith was born in the presence of God."

My, my, my! Is that good OR WHAT? Whatever I do in this life, wherever I go...I don't want to miss the specific Word God has for ME and opt just to hear what He has said to someone else! I want to be exactly where He has called me in order to give me a specific Word for my specific season of life.

"LORD, I want to hang out in Your presence long after those who minister to me have gone on to minister to someone else. I want to be there hearing You speak...to me AS A FRIEND, One Who deeply loves! LORD, help me APPROACH boldly, DRAW near, REMAIN in You....because You are most definitely in me, LORD and You are most certainly the hope of any glory I may see in this day and the days to come." Amen.

Blessings, Siestas...
Dori

Happy Birthday March Siestas!!

2009-03-19T10:22:00.008-04:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Siestas, Happy Birthday to you!!!

Please join me in wishing all our Siestas with March birthdays a Happy Birthday!!

We pray that your day was or will be filled with all kinds of delights from the Lord!!

Our March B'day Siestas are:

Rachel ~ 5th

Teresa C. ~ 9th

Anna~ 10th

Julie~ 13th

Nicole~ 14th

Joanne H. ~ 15th

Cathy Davis ~ 25th

If you have a March birthday and you are not included in this list, I would like you to leave me a comment or email me and I will be happy to add your name. :)

We will announce on Monday the winner of our monthly birthday winner! :)

Have a great day!!

Are Y'all Ready For This?

2009-03-18T02:00:00.008-04:00

Quick Cookbook Update before we dig into some FUN details-- We are exactly $300 short from me ordering the next 100 cookbooks. That includes the cost of the printing and the cost of the shipping. SO, if you are on the list, please send payment. If you would like to be on the list, TODAY is the day to get on it. Email me for information: chrishollysmith@msn.com.

Also, you need to know that this is covering the cost of the 100 cookbooks (the minimum number I need to order), but so far I have payment in hand for 48 of them. That means that 52 cookbooks need to be paid for to complete the project and get the money to LIFE Outreach towards a water well for the children. So we need to work together to go the distance on this wonderful gift of love.

ALRIGHT, now for some fun! There were 29 of you, who signed up to win a FREE Header design. Cara of My Days Go By... won! Be sure and check her blog out and tell our Siesta "Hello!"

So today Patty and I were talking. The economy is a hard one. Even so, we like to decorate and dress up sometimes, as Siestas! So here is the deal we are offering to you...

For the next THREE DAYS, leave a comment on this post, if you would like a HEADER design.

We ask only two things from you:

1) Your Clear Communication with us, as to what you would like.

2) If you can afford it, a Love Offering for our time and effort. If you cannot afford anything, please still sign up. We want to bless you! Patty and I understand a tight budget.

We just want to help you decorate and make your blog beautiful to you!! We will do each header (First Impression) in order of the comments. So it may take a week or two or three to finish yours.

I will contact each of you over the next three to four days with questions and all the details.

With Love,
Holly

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

You Know I Had to Ask

2009-03-17T12:10:00.005-04:00

How exciting that we get a chance to gather again but this time in Houston next January!!

I am just in the mood to ask because I want to know:

If you have been memorizing scripture with Beth and the siestas, are you planning on going to Houston next year?

I didn't want to call this a roll call because that is what I always call it. lol

I was so excited to read what Beth had written along with our 6th memory verse!! What a fun weekend!! God is good!!!

This has the same feel to me as Bible drill. :)

Okay, who is planning on going to Houston in 2010?

Strength to Strength

2009-03-16T00:01:00.004-04:00

This is a blog post I wrote almost two years ago. God reminded me of this lesson, blessed me again from His Word on the matter, and I thought maybe that one of my sweet Siestas needs to hear it, too. May you be blessed.

Do you ever just wake up and God zaps you with a Word that you know was given to you "for such a time as this?" It happened to me this morning and it happened just this way...

Today is Bible study day. We have had a couple of weeks off because of Spring Break. I believe having a couple of weeks off from meeting together is one of those "opportune times" that the enemy waits for. Somehow having the extra time makes me procrastinate more! But maybe it is just me! :) At any rate, I was a little behind last night and still had one more day of homework to do when I woke up this morning. But God knew that I needed to hear this lesson this morning. Once again, my procrastination was turned around by a God who does all things well!

The lesson was on the "dailyness" of God -- how seeking Him, depending on Him, focusing on Him cannot be a sporadic thing. It must be a daily thing. God does not just want to be our strength when we are faced with a crisis that needs powerful reinforcements -- even though He does that on our behalf whenever we call on Him. Rather, God wants to carry us, day in and day out, from strength to strength. He doesn't just want to be part of our life, He wants to be our life!

I have been finding victory in so many areas of late and feeling as though I'm closer to my God like never before, but there is still one area of disobedience and struggle that I can't seem to shake. Just yesterday, I ended the day feeling defeated and bound by the chains of this stronghold. The lesson that God brought by way of the Bible study this morning began to show me that I can't do this alone. I can't even depend on yesterday's strength or strength from two years ago. I have to wake up every day and ask for God to empower me -- give me strength for that moment.

O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. (Isaiah 33:2)

In times of my greatest defeat, I have found myself thinking this thought: "God, why is this happening? Doesn't Your Word say that 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength? (Philippians 4:13)'" The tone in which I ask this question makes it sound more like this, "God, if when I was saved You made me strong, why do I keep failing like this time and time again?" I believe we miss an important part of the meaning of the scripture when we discount the word "gives." The indwelling of the mighty power and strength of our God is not a one-time event. It is a daily laying down of what our flesh wants to do and depending on His Spirit to gives us the strength we need in any given moment for the task, challenge, or struggle that we are facing. We are given increasing strength, prevailing strength, wonder-working strength! What an arsenal of power we have! I always go back to a scripture that came alive for me during a Bible study a few years ago:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. (Ephesians 1:17-21)

Who doesn't need that kind of power and strength in their life? It's not only increasing strength in our life, but it is mighty power -- the kind of power that God used when He raised Christ from the dead! Need a little wonder-working, dead-raising power and strength in your life today for whatever you face? Ask for it! Let Him empower you!

And when you wake up in the morning, let Him do it again!!

Blessings,
Dori

The Winner Is....

2009-03-13T09:42:00.004-04:00

Cara from My Days Go By !!!!

Congratulations Cara! Holly will email you soon!!!

Thank you all for entering our giveaway!!

On Another Note: Holly only had 3 entries for her Saint Patty's giveaway, I think we will postpone that giveaway for now.

It is cold in Middle Tn. this morning. I think this might be a good day to stay in and read a book or watch a movie. Whatever your plans may be have a great weekend!!

Minister's Wives Conference

2009-03-11T22:43:00.006-04:00

If you are a minister's wife and are going to the LPL conference in Nashville this weekend OR if you are a minister's wife and need prayer for anything, I would love for you to leave an anonymous prayer request.

Also, if you are going to the conference what are your prayer requests for the weekend? Please leave those comments anonymously and we will be honored to pray for you.

If you are NOT a minister's wife would you consider leaving an encouraging word for our wonderful pastor's wives? :)

ALSO: A reminder that we will draw a winner on Friday for a free blog header. Scroll down and enter our contest. :)

Love,
Patty

Recipe Talk: A Grand Slam from the Cookbook

2009-03-11T02:00:00.004-04:00

Oh.my.word! We just partook of Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes from Kimberly. And they are FABULOUS!! Mmmm...It's just the right way to finish a day!

Here's the recipe:
Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cakes
8 T. - 1 stick butter, melted, plus 8 more tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted, plus additional butter, for greasing pan
1 (18.25-oz.) pkg. chocolate cake mix
1 egg, plus 2 eggs
1 – 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 to 4 T. cocoa powder
1 – 16 oz. box powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, 1 egg, and 1 stick melted butter, and stir until well blended.

Pat mixture into prepared pan and set aside.

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining 2 eggs, and the cocoa powder. Lower the speed of the mixer, and add the powdered sugar. Continue beating until ingredients are well mixed. Slowly add the remaining 1 stick of melted butter, and the vanilla, continuing to beat the mixture until smooth. Stir in nuts with a rubber spatula.

Spread filling over cake mixture in pan. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the cake; the center should still be a little gooey when finished baking. Let cake partially cool on a wire rack before cutting into pieces.
Yield: 20-24 servings

"If it was any better, you couldn't have stood it," says my Chris.

If you are participating in the St. Paddy's Day contest, please email to me 2 pictures: one of you now and one of you when you were little. My email address is chirshollysmith@msn.com.

Also, here is the email I sent out today regarding the Siesta Fiesta cookbooks, just in case you didn't receive it and need to know.

I have received 50% of the monies for the cookbooks and have NOT DEPOSITED them, yet. I am depositing them this Friday, March 13th into my cousin, Diana's account.

The cost of ordering the cookbooks is $1,338.00. That is 75% of the total funds, if everyone sends them. So I will not order the cookbooks until I have 25% more. Then I will order and ship them out within the week. I will email you when I reach the point of ordering.

So right now, if you have sent money and it hasn't cleared your account, it should clear early next week.

I need those of you who HAVE NOT sent money to go ahead and send it, so that we can get the cookbooks ordered.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I'd be happy to answer questions.

With Much Joy in Jesus,
Holly Smith

Purim

2009-03-10T11:35:00.003-04:00

Lichelle sent me an email today which reminded me today is Purim!

I am going to copy and paste the email she sent me for you to read.

Today is the day the Jews celebrate their deliverance from the plot to annihilate them. Praise the Lord!!!! Only God!!

1. PURIMThis Tuesday, March 10th, is Purim-the day Jews celebrate their remarkable deliverance in 483 B.C. Persia (present day Iran) from a plot to exterminate them.

The Scroll of Esther is read-there are Purim plays and costumes, and special pastries and desserts. For most of the world, Purim is celebrated on the 14th of Adar (Mar 10th this year)-but Jerusalem (being a 'walled city' like ancient Shushan (Susa), celebrates the following day (Esther 9:18-19).

There are of course many lessons, pictures and types to be drawn from this book. However, with the awakening of a new anti-Semitism (cloaking itself in condemnation of Israel rather than Jews in general), and specifically with the rising from the same region (Persia/Iran) in which these events took place of a leadership calling for Israel's destruction, we would here focus on two verses: 2:5: "Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite"; and 9:24: "For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them."(Emphases ours).

Haman is called an Agagite. Agag was an Amalekite king whom Saul, a son of Kish, a Benjamite, disobeyed the Lord in not putting to death (I Samuel 15). The Amalekites are a recurring symbol in Scripture of the manifestation of the spirit of anti-Semitism. In Exodus 17:14 the LORD shows His hatred for this spirit by vowing to "utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven."

In the Book of Esther it is the courage and integrity of Mordecai, also a "son of Kish and Benjamin" which eventually brings the defeat of the anti-Semitic plot. Mordecai would not bow before that which was evil and false (Esther 3:1-2); knew how to humble himself in a time of crisis (Esther 4:1); he knew how to deliver a word of admonishment, warning and encouragement "in season" (Esther 4:13-14). He gained favor from the King, in fact was given the king's signet ring of authority. He moved in astute statesmanship so that his accomplishments found their way into Mede and Persian History (Esther 10:2). He was "great among the Jews and in favor with his many kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation"(Esther 10:3).

PLEASE PRAY:* Protection over Israel during this Purim season (March 9-11). It is a season when children are especially visible and vulnerable. Please plead the Blood of Messiah over their lives-and stand against "the Adversary of all the Jews" in the Name of Yeshua.
*Pray the raising up of Mordecai's in this day-who will have move in authority, integrity, courage and decisiveness.
*For women of Israel who will, like Esther, have courage and humility to move in righteous counsel into what and who they20are called to be on behalf of their people-"for such a time as this."

Your Ideas....Your Opinions

2009-03-10T11:08:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking for awhile about different ideas for a more personable header for ALL of us siestas on this blog.

Would you share some of your ideas you envision for a header on this blog? :)

Thank you!!

It's His Kindness

2009-03-09T01:00:00.003-04:00

"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." Luke 6:35

This passage was at the top of a devotional that I get in my inbox every morning. I have read this scripture hundreds of times, even memorized a portion of it back when I was a child in Vacation Bible School. But today, I read the end of the verse!

...because he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked...

The Message Bible says it this way:

"I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never--I promise--regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst.

We have all felt this way at one time or another. We've all said, "Well, I've done it this time! There is no way God will ever forgive me for THIS!" If we've never had those emotions ourselves, we certainly know those who don't know Him who think that they aren't good enough or have it all together enough for Him to love them and save them.

There was a song when I was a teenager that said, "It's Your kindness that leads us to repentence, O Lord. Knowing that You love us no matter what we do makes us want to love You, too." I believe those lyrics point back to this passage in Luke.

God is just. He hates sin. He despises rebellion. He is a jealous God who will not allow us to put Him in second place. But at the very core of who He is and all that He is, HE IS LOVE! And it is His lovingkindness, better than life itself, that has Him knocking at our door every chance that He gets to gently lead us back to a place of unashamed devotion to Him.

We're never too far away for Him to come for us. We've never outsinned His kind heart to forgive. We've never blown it so bad that He turns His back. We're never so ungrateful that He doesn't continue to give us every opportunity to be thankful. We're never so wicked that we can't be redeemed.

We are never beyond the reach of the lovingkindness of our great God and we're never more like Him than we show the same to everyone around us! Let's be His image-bearers today -- extending love, acceptance and kindness to a world that is needing just that, knowing that when we were ungrateful and at our worst He was very kind to us.

Blessings,
Dori

A Blog Header Giveaway

2009-03-07T14:19:00.004-05:00

It is a warm and pretty day in Middle Tennessee!!

Praise the Lord!

For awhile Holly and I have been talking about hosting a blog header giveaway and today is the day to sign up!

Holly is so talented in creating beautiful blog headers. We started a business awhile ago and we are still learning and God is blessing us with creativity as we go along!

If you would like to have a fresh new blog header please leave us a comment and you will be entered into our giveaway.

The giveaway will end this Friday, March 13, 09!!

Have a wonderful Saturday and hopefully it is warm where you are and you can enjoy some time outdoors, and if not, your time is coming soon!!

Love you,
Patty

Recipe Talk: Showers and Such

2009-03-03T21:07:00.008-05:00

It's that time of year when we begin to think of those April Showers on their way. Along with that comes bridal and baby showers, as well. So this week, I wanted to share two treasured shower recipes. One, you eat. And one, well...that you don't.

First, we have Petits Fours:
1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
3 c. all purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
3/4 t. salt
1 c. ice water
1 1/2 t. clear imitation butter flavor
1 t. vanilla extract
3/4 t. almond extract
4 egg whites
1/2 t. cream of tarter
10 c. sifted powdered sugar
1 c. water
3 T. light corn syrup
Creamy Decorator Frosting:
2 c. sifted powdered sugar
1/4 c. plus 2 T. shortening
2 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla OR almond extract
dash of salt
paste food coloring

Beat shortening at medium speed in mixer, gradually add 2 c. sugar, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; slowly add to shortening mixture alternating with 1 c. ice water. Mix batter at low speed, stirring in flavorings.

Beat egg whites and cream of tarter at high speed until peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Pour batter into two greased 8 inch square pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-43 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Cover and freeze until firm.

Trim crusts off surfaces, making sure the tops of cakes are flat. Cut each cake into 16 1 3/4" squares. Place squares 2 inches apart on wire racks over a jellyroll pan.

Combine 10 c. powdered sugar, 1 c. water, 3 T. light corn syrup and vanilla or almond extract in a large sauce pan. Cook over low, until heated through and smooth. Pour warm icing over cakes, completely covering top and sides. If necessary, reheat icing. Ice each cake a second time.

Decorate as desired with Creamy Decorator Frosting:
Combine 2 c. powdered sugar, 1/4 c. plus 2 T. shortening, 2 T. milk, dash of salt and 1/2 t. vanilla or almond extract. Beat with a mixer until smooth. Separate and color with desired colors. Use your favorite decorating bag and tip to make them your own! From The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.

Second, we have a Diaper Cake:
One platter or cake stand
One large package of newborn Huggies diapers (72 diapers)
2-3 rolls ribbon, large and small
Assorted dried flowers
1 pkg. rubber bands in assorted sizes
1 box stick pins with plain tops/ can also use baby safety pins
1 stuffed animal for the top
assorted pacifiers and small baby items, like spoons and teethers

Put on your patience and your favorite 2 hour movie! Then begin to roll each diaper into cylinders. Put 2 rubber bands to secure the diaper on each side. Set 2 rolled diapers aside.

Then place 5 rolled diapers together and secure with one large rubber band around the center of each group. Do 6 sets on the bottom layer of the cake. Secure with rubber bands. Place on cake platter (even a cardboard covered with paper will work)

For the next layer, center 4 sets on top of the 6. Secure with rubber bands.
For the next layer, center 3 sets and secure with rubber bands.
For the top layer, just put one set. Secure to entire cake with rubber bands.

Wrap each layer with the ribbons, securing with stick pins or safety pins (be careful not to over-stick the diapers, so they won't be ruined). Use smallest ribbon to tie on small baby items, the two rolled up diapers and to secure the topper (stuffed animal). Place flowers around the cake and on the cake to finish up.

May there be SHOWERS OF BLESSING!!
Love,
Holly

Two Notes: We have 25 % of the cookbook money for this order so far. If you are on the list, please try to send your money soon, so as not to delay the order for all. Also, if you want a cookbook, email me as soon as possible to get in on this order-- chrishollysmith@msn.com.

I have only two participants so far for the St. Paddy's Day Giveaway (Go here for details!). Be sure and send me your pictures by March 14th!

The Voice of Truth

2009-03-02T08:42:00.004-05:00

There are so many voices in the world today. We hear so many good ideas. People love to talk and talk and talk and talk. Everyone has an opinion and loves to share it. Some of the advice seems good. Some of the ideas we hear are obviously foolish choices and we are wise to run from them.

I've often prayed that God would sanctify (or set apart) my mouth and my mind -- to hold those deeply convincing parts of my body and capture them to be used for His glory. It has never occurred to me to ask for sanctified ears -- to ask that God protect me from all of the voices that are calling out to me in the world today. One day my friend Lisa shared something that God had spoken to her during her quiet time that had started her to think this way.

She was reading in Deuteronomy 1 where Moses is recounting all that the Israelites had been through and how God had delivered them and helped them. He told how when they came to the borders of the Promised Land, the land that God had said go in and take, that some of the Israelites came to him to ask if they could send spies into the land to see if, indeed, it was a good land and safe to enter. In verse 23, Moses said something that I had never read before. He said, "The idea seemed good to me." He didn't stop to tell them, "No, we don't have to see if it is a good land, a safe land -- the Lord has promised this land to us for hundreds of years. There is no need. He is a good God and has given us this for our inheritance." As Lisa shared, it was a moment that seems as though Moses walked in his own wisdom instead of inquiring of the Lord or just simply trusting in what God had already told him.

There are two things I hear:

1. Live Proverbs 3:5-6 lives!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

We are very wise to always inquire of the Lord no matter what the wisdom of man looks like. It seemed like a good idea to Moses, but in reality the idea led them into many more years of wandering in the desert. They were no longer held captive by the Pharoah, but their own mistrust and fear had them bound for years to come.

2. Pray for sanctified EARS!

There is going to be alot of "talking" in our lives. As humans and especially humans of the female persuasion, we love to talk. We talk through our prayer requests instead of actually praying. We give or receive advice that we think is godly and sound and yet never really ask that God's Spirit clarify if it is the voice of truth in our lives. We make important decisions based on our feelings -- if it sounds like a good idea, then it must be a good idea. The enemy knows that what we hear and then what we say is powerful and many times determines the course of life from beginning to end. He will use this against us every time.

When Stephen was preaching before the Sanhedrin, basically recounting the same history that Moses had shared in Deuteronomy, he called them out and said:

You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit! (Acts 7:51)

Let's not resist the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit speaks to us in many ways. He speaks through the Word of God. He speaks through pastors and teachers in our lives, and He speaks through our friends and family. We are wise to judge every voice that we hear and test it to see if it is really the voice of truth coming to us from the Holy Spirit. But when it is proven to be a genuine leading of the Holy Spirit, let's move on or wait -- whatever His guidance might be.

Continue to pray that God consecrate your mind and your mouth. What we think and say are so important. Our thought life can literally hold us captive unless we fill it with God's Word -- what He says about Himself and us. Our mouth can bring life or it can bring death. We must always guard our tongue. The Bible is clear on that. Let's also begin to pray that our ears will be consecrated to hear the things that are wise and just through the Holy Spirit. Pray that God's Voice of Truth will be the voice that we hear every day and then trust Him to walk in the path that He places before us!

Lord, sanctify our ears this morning! Help us to hear Your voice -- the voice of Truth!

Blessings,
Dori

Asking For Prayer

2009-03-01T14:50:00.003-05:00

Good Afternoon Siestas!!

I want to let you know that most of your Southern Siestas are enjoying a beautiful snow day! Fran and I live in Tennessee and Fran got 8 inches of snow and we got 4 inches last night and Steph and Kim are getting snow even as I type this post. What a sweet delight from our Creator!

I have debated about whether or not I was going to post this on here because I have written about it in length on my personal blog but I really need to ask you for prayer for my family.

A lot of you already know this and have been praying and thank you so much for interceding for us!!

My brother has been w/out a job for going on four months now. God has provided for us in many ways and He has been faithful to our family.

My brother has had many calls from his recruiter but nothing has happened. He interviewed for a job in Nashville at a family owned company and the interview went rather well but that was over two weeks ago and still no offer.

Would you please pray for my brother. He is struggling a bit and needs prayer support.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

A Matching Giveaway to Celebrate Transformation

2009-02-25T02:00:00.002-05:00

Hey Siestas,

I have a little giveaway offer for you in keeping with the fun of St. Patrick's Day and this quote from Adrienne Cook, "St. Patrick's Day is an enchanted time -- a day to begin transforming winter's dreams into summer's magic."

So here is the deal:

1) Send me TWO pictures of yourself--ONE current picture and ONE picture from your childhood through teen years.

2) Send it to chrishollysmith@msn.com by March 14th.

3) On St. Patrick's Day, everyone will get to match people and EMAIL the answers to me at the address in #2. Comments will be disabled that day.

4) At 10 pm that night, I will announce the winner, who comes closest to matching everyone.

The winner will receive a $25 gift card to O' Charley's or your favorite local restaurant.

And now two Irish funnies for you.

First a t-shirt that my Chris got from McGuire's in Destin about five years ago.

And then an Irish curse that made me laugh.

"May those who love us love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May He turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping."

Stay Tuned

2009-02-24T15:42:00.002-05:00

Siestas, we have a fun contest coming up!!

Come back tomorrow to see what we have cooked up!

February Birthday Winner

2009-02-24T01:39:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Lichelle!!

Lichelle, please email me and give me your address. :)

If you have a birthday in March and have not given us your name, please email me and I will add your name!

Have a great week Siestas!

Sing Over Me

2009-02-23T01:00:00.010-05:00

"The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

It had been a very difficult season of life. Some days were hard. Others simply unbearable. The firm foundation I had stood on since childhood, for some reason, was beginning to feel like very shaky and unstable ground. I was feeling so defeated by certain strongholds in my life. I was also going through a time when I didn't feel particularly useful to God or even close to Him at all. When I have these times, I just have to eat, live and breathe Jesus until I feel His presence again and the closeness that He desires for us to have with Him comes flooding back. Sometimes that means reading His Word. Other times it means cranking up the praise music and just kneeling or laying before Him until I feel His arms around me.

This particular day I was home alone and desperately needed to feel God again. I chose to crank up the praise music. Song after song played and I felt nothing! I was really grieving in my spirit and felt as alone as I had ever felt. Just then the following words written by a friend of mine came pouring out of my stereo:

You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love You for all that You are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Jesus, my passion is You

My life, my love, my God
You are my life, my love, my God

I tried singing that to God and simply couldn't get the words out. I just fell to the floor in my living room and sobbed. I just kept telling Him, "God, I wish I felt that way today, but I just don't! What is wrong with me??" Then suddenly, He began to practice Zephaniah 3:17 and began to sing over me:

Dori, You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Dori, my passion is you.

That was it! I wasn't supposed to sing this song to Him this particular afternoon! He was supposed to sing it over me. When I was confronted with the reality of how much God loves me, all walls broke down once again and I felt the passion that I had for Him come flooding back into my heart and soul.

I spent quite awhile on my face before Him that afternoon. I cried it out with Him and poured out my deepest need to Him, declared my love for Him and thanked Him for His faithfulness, his mercy and for His unfailing love. I told Him that no matter what life threw at me, no matter how He chose to answer my heart's cry, I would trust Him.

The next morning, a Sunday, I had not planned to sing in the worship choir, but something compelled me and I walked up and took my place in the middle of the first worship song. Then came the next song and the familiar introduction of the song God had so sweetly soothed me with the day before began to play. I literally could not sing. I sobbed through the entire thing. I was still overwhelmed by how God had so wonderfully showed Himself to me in my living room the previous afternoon. After the song ended, my pastor said these words that I will never forget:

"You may be feeling as though you can't sing these words today. Maybe He isn't your passion. Maybe you are in a difficult place and it doesn't seem as though He is very near to you at all. If that is where you find yourself today, listen to me. He is singing these words over you, today. Let Him quieten you with His love! Hear Him singing over you:

'You alone are my passion forever
Song of my soul, desire of my heart
You alone are my passion, my treasure
I love you for all that you are
To the ends of the earth I will follow
There's nothing that I will not do
You alone are my reason for living
Child, my passion is you.'"

Thank you, God, for not only ministering to me in the aloneness of my home on that Saturday afternoon, but thank You for confirming Your very specific Word to me through my pastor the next morning. You are my Passion, Sweetest Song of my soul, Deepest Desire of my heart and my Treasure! I fail You daily, sometimes hourly. Thank You for not failing me and for sweetly singing over me when my soul is not quiet and needs comforting. You are my life, my love, my God and I will forever worship you. You have been faithful. You have been very good. You are the very essence of Mercy and Grace. I will trust You!

Blessings,
Dori

P.S. The song, My Passion (written by David Moffitt, Sue Smith and Travis Cottrell) is available on CD on the projects "Alive Forever" and "Voices of the Faithful." You can find them on Travis' website - http://traviscottrell.com.

February Birthday Siestas

2009-02-18T21:29:00.010-05:00

It is time for our Birthday Post!

Here are our February birthday siestas so far:

Terry and Carley ~ 3rd

Fran~ 6th

Phyllis~ 7th

Anne~ 11th

Lichelle~ 11th

Lindsey~ 13th

Valerie~ 14th

Kari S. ~ 14th

Amanda~ 15th

Holly~ 17th

Susan B~ 23rd

His Child ~ 24th

Celeste H. ~ 24th

Please send me your name if you have a birthday this month and I will add you to the list!

The winner will be drawn on Monday. :)

We wish you a Happy Birthday and a year filled with all kinds of blessings from God!! The ONE who delights in you!!!

Please leave your birthday blessings even if their birthday has past!! Thank you so much!!

Love,

Patty

Here's the Scoop on Siesta Fiesta Cookbooks

2009-02-17T17:03:00.009-05:00

Hey Y'all!!

If you could see what I see this day, you would see a few things of note: 1) God is FAITHFUL! 2) God will PROVIDE! 3) Our Way-Maker is making a Way!

It may be through the desert, though.

And so, my Chris and I have been walking in the midst of some dire needs in a desert of plenty. Now I don't think you read that statement. Read it again: in the midst of some dire needs in a desert of plenty.

This week, we are filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy. You may read more about it, if you'd like here, here, here, here, here and here. It is NO FUN. It is hard. Just downright stinks.

But God. God is walking into this depth with us. And we are not alone. He has been so faithful to us. Not once has He dropped His children. He has been helping us a day at a time.

AND He has been using His people! We have been over-whelmed with support and under-girding and love. You have no idea what this Siesta community has become--unless you have had some feet washing like we have lately. My goodness. Y'all know how to LOVE like Jesus does. And it is a beautiful THANG. Yes, it is.

Today is my birthday. And I have received gifts and cards from y'all...that make me just weep for the goodness of God!

Just today, I went to my Esther Bible study (week 5 is my favorite--at least this week it is! I am wishy-washy and find myself loving each session more and more!). I had to leave Bible study early, because I was taking our cadet's girlfriend to the airport in Denver. As I was trying to sneak out quietly. The precious leader said, "Wait Holly, we have something for you."

And y'all...there were 8 bags of groceries and an envelope that said "Holly Smith with love from the Esther Girls--For such a time as this!" Are you weeping with me, yet? Oh, you should be! I am wiping my eyes and nose as I type. It was the most beautiful picture of hilarious giving! Inside the envelope was a gift card for $100 and $80 in cash!

Makes me go face down in humility and joy with thanksgiving! I love when God's people love others like that. It makes this HARD THING a desert of plenty with DELIGHT!

OH! We need to love like that. We just do. And if we aren't, we need to pray for God to break our hearts for the needs of others. That's a kind of breaking that comes with an AWESOME showing of God's ability to come through and heal and mend, as only He can.

So I have this picture in my mind...this beautiful picture that is my life of late. And I think of the desert and the ones IN THE DESERT, who are thirsty. Y'all, we need to let the little children come to Jesus. Whether you give to Life Outreach or Compassion or World Vision or Samaritan's Purse, pour it out generously--with no thought of what the daily news is telling you.

I tell you what, these financial crises we are facing in our country? They are a ploy of the enemy of our souls, Satan, to get us to withhold giving and pouring out. Don't let him talk you into being practical in giving. No way. You keep on giving hilariously and test God to see how He WILL replenish your stores. He JUST WILL.

SO...the COOKBOOKS. Ah. I now have 110 orders. I am about to send out emails for how to pay and when they'll be shipping. All the proceeds will go to Life Outreach International to bring water to children, who need clean water for life. It is all in Beth's name--in her honor and that with joy.

BUT, because of our bankruptcy, your money is not safe in our bank account. The courts could take it in a heartbeat. My wonderful cousin and his wife have offered generously to host your funds in their name (quite safe there). We will not be taking paypal this time. Only checks written to her name and mailed to my address will be accepted. I AM SO SORRY!

Even so, this will not be the last order. As long as y'all want cookbooks, I will make every effort to have them available to you.

If you want a cookbook, email me at chrishollysmith@msn.com.

They are $18 PLUS shipping.

All proceeds will be then mailed to LIFE for some water wells.

I love when God's people give LIFE, like it has been given to me and my Chris this week.

Love to You ALL!

Holly

Our Winner of Measureless Love Dvd

2009-02-16T09:34:00.005-05:00

Congratulations to Heather @ Life As We Know It!!!!!

Please email me your address @ pwilliamsut@aol.com.

Thank you to all who signed up for this giveaway and more importantly we gave our God some praise and this reminds me of Beth's memory verse and what she wrote about it.

Every word of praise that was left in the comments was recorded in God's presence. It needs to be shared again:

Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, (or commented with
each other.) and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was
written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his
name. Mal. 3:16

Have a great week Siestas!!

The Cry of His Child

2009-02-16T07:36:00.006-05:00

Today you get two Devos with Dori! I apologize for the redundancy, but I honestly wanted to wrap up the Peace series because I had a couple of you who wanted the last one. But I felt like someone needed to hear what God has been breathing into my spirit over the last few days, too!

THE CRY OF HIS CHILD
By Dori Cook

I have never been one to tell my kids what to pray. Not that there is anything wrong with that because Jesus, Himself, taught His disciples and us how to pray -- gave us an example. But I've just always wanted to hear what God puts on the heart of my kids without any influence from me. Sometimes it is all I can do not to laugh outloud and sometimes it is just downright humbling.

One night last year, after finishing up a bedtime story, I told Lindsey it was time to say her prayers and turn out the light. She bowed her head. There was a long pause. Then she uttered the most profound statement on prayer that I've heard in a long time.
"Sometimes, Mommy, when I don't know what to say I just say, 'Help me, God! Amen!'"

How many thousands and thousands of books do we have on prayer? Each book has its own methodology and prerequisite for proper praying. We have all kinds of acronyms for the right order in which to pray. Some say there is a proper posture for praying. Some say your eyes must be closed. Others pray with their eyes open. All of these ideas and suggestions are very good prompts to just sit down and do it -- talk to God, ask for forgiveness, and lay out your requests before Him.

And, yet, my six year old little girl taught me the fundamental truth -- all that is really required for prayer is lifting up our eyes to God and saying, "Help me!" No matter where we are or what our posture or preparation has been...in that moment He hears and responds. He always hears the cry of His child!
In my distress [when seemingly closed in] I called upon the Lord and cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple (heavenly dwelling place), and my cry came before Him, into His [very] ears. (Psalm 18:6 Amplified)

Cry out to Jesus, sweet friends! He is listening...

Dori

Provision of Peace, Part 4

2009-02-16T01:00:00.007-05:00

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

The peace of God comes when the final ingredients from Philippians 4 are added – that of freedom from worry and anxiety and living a life of prayer and thanksgiving. Living life free of worry and anxiety is based on trusting in God and God alone to provide and care for your every need. We should trust Him to work all things out for our good, as He has promised in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Putting aside the desire to be in control and allowing God to work all things out frees us from fear. Fear, when it is allowed to reign in our lives, becomes anxiety and anxiety leads to worry. God desires for His children to rest in Him and allow Him to take care of the details.

It sounds easy, but it certainly is not! Where do we go when we find ourselves burdened with care, worry and anxiety? We take them to God in prayer. I’m reminded of the words of that old hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” which says: “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Run to him with all your questions, your challenges, and your needs. Turn your worries and heartaches into prayers. Bring it all to Him and let Him bear it for you. He loves you and wants to do this for you. I Peter 5:7 tells us to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

As your prayers are lifted to Him, don’t forget the important element of thanksgiving. Over and over in God’s Word, He has commanded that we give thanks for our circumstances. Whether they are good or bad, God is at work and has something to teach us. Peace is found when we, with thankful hearts, accept everything in our lives as being filtered through God. Colossians 3:2-3 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things, for you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Do you fully grasp the vivid picture of this? We no longer live in our own power and strength. We are safely tucked away in the heart of God in Jesus Christ. We live by Him and through Him. Anything that happens to us must first pass through the Father, then through the Son before it can come into our lives. Rest in the peace that you can have knowing that God is in control of what affects your life. Prayer, coupled with thanksgiving, provides extreme power in releasing the things that tend to cause us worry and anxiety ushering in the peace that passes all understanding. Have you found that kind of peace? If not, you can start today!

My prayer for you is that the celebration of your heart toward God, the gentleness of spirit that you have found, and a life lived free of worry and full of prayer and thanksgiving has welcomed a little peace into your life. May you find that living life with God is a peace journey and doesn’t have to stop -- it can be the rule in your life for the rest of your days. Your testimony can be, from this day forward, that you have lived life enjoying the daily provision of peace from Almighty God...your Prince of Peace.

"Holy God, You are a shield around me, O LORD; In You alone I glory and You are the lifter of my head. May I live the rest of my days knowing that You desire for your children to find peace. I turn over to you all that has hindered me from finding the peace of God in my life – all my worries, my anxieties, my cares and my deepest desires. You surely know them all, but I gladly lay them at Your feet. I ask You to be Lord of my life and bring about in me a calmness of spirit that can only be attributed to Your power at work in and through me. Thank you, Lord, for this, your precious gift, a provision of peace. Amen."

A Deeper Look – Matthew 6:25-34; Colossians 4:2; I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Blessings,
Dori

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 1

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 2

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 3

This is adapted from the third of four devotionals I wrote for our women’s retreat a couple of years ago. I hope you enjoy them! If you would like a pdf copy of the entire set of devos, let me know! I can send them to you.

The Winner Is...

2009-02-13T19:54:00.005-05:00

Hi Siestas!

We want to announce the winner of Joanne's book, Misplacing God.

The winner is: Colima #38 Congratulations!!!

Colima, please email your mailing address to Holly, chrishollysmith@msn.com .

Thank you for all who shared your stories!!

Thank you Joanne for donating your book!! Many blessings to you for your kindness!

Have a great weekend!

A Valentine Giveaway

2009-02-12T02:28:00.007-05:00

Comments Now Closed!

Hi Siestas!

We are having another giveaway this week.

Since we are having the winner announced from the Misplaced giveaway on Valentine's Day I am going to extend this giveaway through the rest of this week and I will announce the winner on Monday.

The Giveaway:

Diane from LPM has graciously donated the gift for our giveaway. It is a dvd study called: Measureless Love. Go HERE to look at a video preview. It comes with a journal and a listening guide. :)

To enter: Please leave a comment and make sure we have a way of getting in touch with you and to make this a little more fun than just leaving your name, let's take a moment and praise God for whatever you want to praise God for! Today, I praise Him for His unconditional love.

I am going to tell a personal story that I don't tell a lot of people:

During the end of my marriage or I could say at the onset of our marital troubles my husband was belittling me and complaining about everything. It was a personal attack, the house wasn't clean enough, I weighed too much, etc... etc.... as I sat there and listened to him, I was determined that he was not going to see me cry. I waited until he went to sleep and I got up and went into the bathroom and shut the door and I started crying and praying. At that moment I felt God speak to my heart and he said this, Patty, I love you unconditionally. It was such a tender moment. God's unconditional love is for all of us. Girls, God loves us!! He is Love. Perfect love. Someone may need to hear that today. God loves you. Rest in His love today.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Love,

Patty

Recipe Talk: Valentine's Day Classic Delights

2009-02-11T02:00:00.002-05:00

For Valentine's Day this year, perhaps you'd like some "steak and potatoes" kind of foods. These are fancy sch-mancy, but also can be prepared any other day of the year. They are not just pin-pointed for Valentine's Day.

First up, we have an appetizer--Lettuce Wraps. I had never heard of these before we moved to Colorado! They are sch-krump-dili-icious!! You can buy them at PF Changs, if you have one nearby. So "let-tuce" entertain your taste buds with...

Lettuce Wraps
4 T canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and sliced in strips
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 c. water chestnuts, chopped
1 c. mushrooms, sliced finely
1 medium vidalia onion, chopped finely
1 t. minced garlic
8 large pieces lettuce, your favorite kind
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. water plus 4 t. separated
8 T. soy sauce, separated
4 T. brown sugar
4 T rice vinegar plus 1 t., separated
4 T. ketchup
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. sesame oil
2 T. hot mustard
3 t. garlic and red chili paste

Heat oil over medium high heat in a wok or large frying pan. Sauté onion garlic, mushrooms and water chestnuts for 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl, retaining oil in the pan. Sauté chicken strips for 10 minutes or until golden brown on both sides and thoroughly cooked inside. Remove and when slightly cool, cut into smaller pieces. Add to onion mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix together 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 4 T. brown sugar and 1 t. rice vinegar.
Blend into chicken mixture. Return mixture to pan and heat through over medium low heat for about 5 minutes. Spoon this mixture evenly into lettuce pieces, rolling them up like a burrito.

In a pyrex measuring dish, heat 1 c. water in the microwave for 2 minutes. Blend in 1/2 c. sugar. Add 4 T. soy sauce, 4 T. rice vinegar, 4 T. ketchup, 2 T. lemon juice and 1/4 t. sesame oil. Blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, blend 2 T. hot mustard and 4 T. water. Add this mixture and 3 t. garlic and red chili paste to pyrex dish. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve lettuce wraps on a plate with sauce in a small dish in the middle with a spoon. You may dip it or cover the lettuce with this sauce. Enjoy!!

I have two "steak" offerings for you. They are both the tastiest meats I have ever eaten. My Chris prepares these dishes wonderfully--he loves to cook meat. It is his niche, if you will. These recipes are from Anne Willian's Look and Cook Meat Classics.

Veal Scaloppine with Prosciutto and Sage
4 boneless veal scaloppine (1 lb.)
4 thin slices prosciutto (2 1/2 oz.)
14 fresh sage leaves
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Using parchment paper, pound veal to a thickness of about 1/8" with a rolling pin. Peel the parchment away and slice each veal into 3 pieces. Cut each slice of prosciutto into three pieces. Lay a sage leaf on each piece of veal and top with prosciutto.

Using the parchment paper, pound each combination to press together the meats. Peel off paper. You should end up with 12 combinations/ pieces of meat.

Heat butter in frying pan over medium heat. Cook each side of the meat-combo for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to casserole dish when done. When the meat is done, continue to keep the pan heated and add the white white. Stir to dissolve the pan juices for 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour this over the meat-combo. Garnish with a couple more sage leaves.

Tenderloin of Beef Stuffed with Mushrooms
3 1/2 lbs. beef tenderloin with fat trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. vegetable oil
3 c. beef stock
1 bunch watercress
8-10 large button mushrooms plus 1 lb. mushrooms
2 T. butter
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c. water
1 T. arrowroot
1/2 c. Madeira wine
2 shallots
4 oz. sliced bacon
3 garlic cloves
1 medium bunch parsley

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Tie one piece of string lengthwise around the tenderloin. Then tie separate pieces horizontally at 1 inch intervals, making it like a cylinder. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Cook in a roasting pan for 20 minutes (may sear it on top of the stove first).

Remove the beef from the pan. Set aside on a dish. Add half of the beef stock to the pan and return to the oven. Cook for 10 minutes more. Stir well and strain the juices back into the other half of the beef stock (in a glass dish).

In a food processor, peel and quarter shallots. Place them in the container. Add bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces. Add garlic. Finely chop this into a paste. Transfer to a frying pan and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until brown.

In food processor, chop 1 lb mushrooms. Add to the frying pan and cook all together for 10-15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in chopped parsley. Chill this mixture for 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 425. When the beef tenderloin is cold, remove the strings and discard them. Slice the meat at 1/2 inch intervals 3/4 of the way through the meat. Set the beef on top of some heavy duty foil. Press 1-2 T. of the stuffing between each slice. Press the tenderloin back into its original shape. Wrap tenderloin in a neat cylinder and place in a roasting pan. Cook for 20 minutes.

For garnish, rinse the watercress and cut off stems. In a frying pan, melt butter over medium heat and sauté the mushroom button caps with lemon juice and enough water to partially cover them. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon. Add in beef stock mixture and boil to reduce by half. In a separate bowl, blend arrowroot with wine. Stir into hot mixture and continue to stir until thick. Unwrap finished meat and place mushrooms between slices. Pour broth over finished meat and serve.

Now for a couple of chocolate desserts...

Chocolate Trifle
1 box chocolate fudge brownie mix (no icing)
1 box chocolate fudge pudding
1 container Cool Whip
1 bag Heath bars, crushed

Make brownies according to package.
Cool and cut into squares.
Make pudding according to package right before putting it together.
Thaw Cool Whip, if frozen.
Open bag of Heath bars.

Layer in a Trifle Dish (This one from Target is nice!):
Half of brownies
Half of pudding
Half of Whipped topping
Half of Heath bars
Then again layer the same.
Keep in refrigerator for 8 hours.

This next recipe is from Meredith's blog. Go check her out at her blog or recipe blog!

Chocolate Four Layer Delight
1 cup flour
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
12 oz. carton Cool Whip (divided)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 small boxes Jello chocolate pudding
3 cups cold milk

First layer: Mix flour, butter and pecans and pat into bottom of 9x13 Pyrex dish. Bake 15 minutes at 375. Cool completely.

Second layer: Mix 1 cup Cool Whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Spread on cooled crust.

Third layer: Mix the pudding and milk for 2 minutes. Spread on top of previous layer.

Fourth layer: Spread with remaining Cool Whip.Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

This is John's favorite dessert. So very yummy.

A Misplaced Giveaway...

2009-02-10T08:00:00.004-05:00

...from Joanne Heim!

Y'all, I (Holly) had a wonderful time with some Siestas/ bloggy friends on Saturday. I rode with Joanne to Kimberly's house in Denver for a Valentine's Tea. It was SO MUCH FUN!

As we drove back to Joanne's house, Joanne asked if we would like to give her book, Misplacing God, away on The Siesta Fiesta Blog. Well, I said, "OF COURSE!" So here is the deal...

1) Leave a comment telling a story about something you lost and then found OR a fun story about moving from one place to another. You must do this part or your name will not be entered.

2) Make sure we have your name and email address in the comment.

3) We will draw one name from the basket on V-Day, and Joanne will mail you her book.

Simple? Yes! Of course, it is as it should be, since it is The Simple Wife's book!

Provision of Peace, Part 3

2009-02-09T01:00:00.006-05:00

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Last week we took a look at the passage above and discovered that one of the prerequisites of the peace of God is rejoicing in Him. I pray that you found moments to “let loose” in praising and glorifying Him. Let this become an exercise of your daily walk – rejoicing in the Lord always!

The next key ingredient to living a life of peace is becoming women of gentleness, evident or catching the attention of those around us. This is a fruit (that which originates or comes from something, an effect, result – Strong’s) of living a life under the control of the Holy Spirit. One of the definitions under the Greek word meaning gentleness is the word “benignity.” Webster’s describes the word “benign” as having a gentle disposition, showing kindness and gentleness, gracious and harmless.

Those with whom we come in contact need to see that the God we serve produces in us the ability to face difficult circumstances (or people) with a disposition that is gracious and kind; one that is harmless even when the pressures mount and our flesh would really like to lash out and do harm, whether it be with our words or our actions. They need to feel safe around us and know that the One who works in and through us is powerful and does the supernatural in the lives of those who follow and trust Him.

Who in your life could use a little gentleness? Your children? Your husband? Your co-workers? Your neighbors? The grocery clerk? If you don’t know where to begin cultivating gentleness in your life, pray! Ask God to give you a supernatural love for and self-control around those in your life who may have been the benefactor of your lack of gentleness in the past. Ask Him to allow you to see those who tend to challenge your self-control as He sees them – dearly loved and precious in His sight. As you seek to live a life that is full of peace, you will find it begins with a life overflowing with gentleness to all.

My Lord and my God, the One Who has shown tremendous love and gentleness toward me in all my challenges, struggles and failures, help me to extend that same gentleness to those whom You have placed in my life. Help them to see the power that is at work in my life, the power that You give to those who are called by Your Name. Draw them to Yourself by Your Spirit through the display of Your glory in my life, as I extend gentleness to them. I trust You to do this in me, Lord. Amen.

For a Deeper Look – Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:12-15

Have a blessed and gentle week!
Dori

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 1

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 2

This is adapted from the third of four devotionals I wrote for our women’s retreat a couple of years ago. I hope you enjoy them! If you would like a pdf copy of the entire set of devos, let me know! I can send them to you.

For The Married Siestas

2009-02-08T11:55:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: I have all my married siestas!!!! Thank you so much! I am almost finished emailing the names to you all!!!

Hello ladies! I need 9 more married siestas to adopt the single siestas for Valentine's Day. Please email me at pwilliamsut@aol.com.

Thanks,
Patty

The Deal with Our Single Siestas

2009-02-05T14:01:00.004-05:00

A week ago I did a roll call for our single siestas.

They had no idea what I was up to. :)

I have decided to reveal some of it now.

First, I want to share a little story:

My divorce was final on Valentine's Day 12 years ago. I wasn't too happy about that, but today I can laugh at it. Please don't take that the wrong way. There has been so much to happen in my life on so many levels and well, you know, for example, Satan's attacks on my life through that time that to be able to laugh about the final papers coming on that day was supposed to dig at me but God has healed my heart completely and that is why it makes me laugh.

On that day, I thought what could I do to make it better. I happened to read a devotional in Lifeway's Journey about a single mom and her thoughts on Valentine's Day. She gave different ideas for a single mom for that day.

I took her advice and I decided that night I would make my boys a candlelight dinner. We had the best time and they loved it! My heart is tender to single moms on any day but especially this day and to single girls, too!

God gave me the idea to have a married Siesta "adopt" a single siesta for Valentine's Day. This isn't something elaborate but we want to make sure you know that you are loved and thought of on that day and every day!!

The single siesta will not know who "adopted" her until she receives her card/gift in the mail.

I have mailed ALL the single siestas and if you haven't gotten an email from me, please check your spam folder!!

TO the Married Siestas: I will send your siesta to you this weekend!!

So, there it is!!! I hope you like it!

Love you,
Patty

Recipe Talk: Valentine's Day Italian Delights

2009-02-04T02:00:00.001-05:00

We are SO close to ordering cookbooks, y'all! Let me tell you, if you want one, now is the time to let me know. Right now, we have exactly 100 orders, but I would like to have a few more for the sake of economy. So email me at chrishollysmith at msn dot com, if you would like to be on the list. I can guarantee the order will be processed in the next 3-4 weeks.

Do you have some special plans for cooking a Valentine's Day Meal? If so, I will be sharing some fancy sch-mancy recipes over the next two weeks. I LOVE a fancy meal! And being the soul that I am, I LOVE preparing it and sharing it with others. The more creative, the better...

I even like creative and themed parties SO much! When my Chris and I were early-marrieds, our friends Trace and Christine would spur us along in the creative date idea. I think we tried to out-do each other--not intentionally. Let's just say, we got carried away!

So this week's theme is Italian! It's my favorite date food; but unfortunately, it is not my Chris'. Then again, my birthday is 3 days after Valentine's Day, so I might just throw out my trump card...just maybe. Hee hee.

So let's dig into some Italian fare, shall we?

First off, we must think dessert--specifically chocolate desserts! This is from Taste of Home magazine. If you like to cook or want to learn to cook better, then this is an excellent magazine for which to subscribe.

Special Mocha Cupcakes

1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. baking cocoa
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1/2 c. cold brewed coffee
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 t. cider vinegar
3 t. vanilla extract

Mocha Frosting
3 T. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T. milk chocolate chips
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
1-2 T/ brewed coffee
1/2 c. chocolate sprinkles

In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.

Fill paper-lined muffin pans 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before frosting.

For frosting, melt chips in a glass bowl for 2-3 minutes. Stir until smooth and add butter, powdered sugar and coffee. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes, and top with sprinkles (gently press them down). Makes 1 dozen.

Chocolate Mousse from my What Would Martha Cook blog

4 1/2 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/3 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
4 egg yolks
2 t. brandy flavoring (or 2 1/2 T. brandy)
3 c. heavy whipping cream
1 egg white

Melt chocolate over hot water in the top of a double boiler. Place water and sugar in small saucepan, cooking over medium heat until sugar is dissolved (stirring frequently). Pour melted chocolate into blender or food processor. Blend, slowly adding in sugar/water mixture. Continue, while adding egg yolks, one at a time. Add brandy flavoring. Process until smooth.

Set aside and let cool. In a separate large bowl, blend egg white and whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold in cooled chocolate mixture with a spatula. Spoon into 8 individual serving dishes. May garnish with chocolate shavings. Chill 2 hours. Serves 8.

Now for an appetizer...

Toasted Ravioli and Marinara Sauce (marinara is from Italian Chef dot com)

2 large eggs
1/2 cup canned evaporated milk
1 cup Italian-style bread crumbs
4 cups vegetable oil for frying
24 fresh bite-size ravioli, thawed if frozen
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and evaporated milk. Put bread crumbs in another small bowl.

In a large stock pot, heat 1 inch oil over medium high heat until a deep-fat thermometer registers 350°F. While oil is heating, dip ravioli in egg to coat, letting excess drip off, and dredge in bread crumbs, knocking off excess. Arrange ravioli as coated on a tray.

With a slotted spoon gently lower 4 ravioli into oil and fry, turning them occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. With slotted spoon transfer ravioli as fried to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle hot ravioli with Parmesan. Serve with marinara.

Marinara sauce
1/4 cup of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic sliced in half
1 35oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
3 basil leaves, washed, patted dry and chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Place garlic and olive oil in large sauce pan.
Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is soft and lightly browned.
Crush the tomatoes and add with their juices.
Add basil, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

Now for some soup...also from Taste of Home

Minestrone with Italian Sausage

1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium leek (white portion only), chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (remember a pod hold several cloves--I got the words mixed up once.)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
6 c. beef broth
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
3 c. shredded cabbage
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. pepper
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 c. uncooked pasta shells
3 T. minced fresh parsley
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

In a soup kettle, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in the carrots, celery, leek and garlic; cook for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and green beans; cook 2 minutes longer.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, cabbage, basil, oregano and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Return to a boil. Stir in garbanzo beans, pasta and parsley. Cook for 6-9 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Yields 3 qts.

Now for a main course that is SUPER... Thanks, Yolanda!!
We would like this sauce on angel hair pasta, as well.
It is the best seafood sauce, hands down, that we have ever put in our mouths!!

Seafood Lasagna
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. plus 1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. chicken broth (canned or fresh--here's how I make fresh chicken broth)
1-8 oz. bottle clam juice
1 lb. bay scallops
1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-8oz. pkg. imitation crabmeat, chopped
1/4 t. white pepper, divided
1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1 c. whipping cream,
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

In a large skillet, saute onion in oil and 2 T. butter until tender. Stir in broth and clam juice; bring to a boil. Add the scallops, shrimp, crab and 1/8 t. pepper, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 4-5 min. or until shrimp turn pink and scallops are firm and opaque, stirring gently. Drain, reserving cooking liquid; set seafood mixture aside.

In a saucepan, melt remaining butter, stir in flour until smooth. Combine milk and reserved cooking liquid; gradually add to the saucepan. Add salt and remaining pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir constantly for 2 min. or until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in cream and 1/4 c. Parmesan. Stir in 3/4 c. white sauce into seafood mixture.

Spread 1/2 c. white sauce into 9 x 13" baking pan. Top with 3 noodles; spread half of seafood on top with 1 1/4 c. white sauce. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles and sauce; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 min. or until golden brown. Let stand 15 min. before serving.

Finally, a tasty tea to wash it all down...

Raspberry Iced Tea

2 qts. cold water
4 Louisianne family-sized tea bags
1 can frozen raspberry juice (undiluted)
1 c. sugar
10 fresh peppermint leaves
2 lemons, sliced

Bring water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. When just boiling, add tea bags and turn off burner (but do not remove pan from burner). Let steep for 5 minutes.

In a large 3 qt. pitcher, pour sugar and spoon frozen raspberry juice at the bottom. When tea is steeped, pour hot tea over the sugar and juice. Stir thoroughly. Add cold water to within one inch of the top of the pitcher. Stir and serve with a peppermint leaf and slice of lemon over ice.

LPL 2009

2009-02-03T02:59:00.002-05:00

I have had several requests and emails about what conferences the siestas are attending this year.

Why don't we have a roll call of sorts and tell each other which LPL or Deeper Still conference we are going to.

Also, There is an LPL conference this weekend , is anyone going? Let's cover Beth, and all involved in this conference and all the attendees in prayer this week.

Okay, which conference are you attending? :)

Provision of Peace, Part 2

2009-02-02T01:00:00.002-05:00

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Becoming women who live under the Lordship of the God of Peace is no simple task. It is an ongoing work in our lives and one that we must make a priority each and every day. But how do we do that? The passage above gives us a “recipe for peace.”

First, if we want the peace of God active in our lives we must rejoice in the Lord! Eugene Peterson’s The Message says it like this:

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him!” Philippians 4:4

Have you really taken the time to celebrate God in your life? The thesaurus gives us many words that mean to “celebrate.” Some examples are: bless, consecrate (set apart), exalt, extol, glorify, hallow, honor, observe, praise, proclaim, publicize, and reverence. One phrase that was listed that caught my eye was “to let loose.” When was the last time that you “let loose” about all God is in your life and all He has done on your behalf?

The Psalmist was one who “let loose” about God all the time.

“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

“I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1-2

“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.” Psalm 34:1-3

“Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise…” Psalm 48:1

Take this moment and the moments you will have throughout this day to celebrate God as Lord and Master over your life. Bless Him, exalt Him, extol Him, glorify Him – LET LOOSE! He inhabits the praises of His people. Let Him come in and inhabit you today! In Him you will find peace.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 6:33

Heavenly Father, my Faithful Friend, I set You apart today. I acknowledge that there is no one like You. You are the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, and everything in between. Without You, I am empty, without meaning and full of turmoil. With You, I am complete, made worthy and find perfect peace. I celebrate You, today, God. Let me glory in no other, for You alone are worthy of all my honor and praise. Amen.

For a Deeper Look – Psalm 136, Psalm 138, Psalm 145

Blessings,
Dori

Click here for Provision of Peace, Part 1

This is adapted from the second of four devotionals I wrote for our women’s retreat a couple of years ago. I hope you enjoy them! If you would like a pdf copy of the entire set of devos, let me know! I can send them to you.

Bible Study Discussion and More

2009-01-29T11:50:00.005-05:00

Good Morning Siestas!

I wanted to check in with ya'll concerning our discussion on Esther next week.

Holly told me that Melanie, Big Mama is having a discussion about Esther over at the All Access Blog and I think those of us who are working in Esther right now can hop over there and have some great discussion with her about this awesome study!!

I will put up a weekly post here for all of us to share what God is teaching us in each of our Bible studies! I love to read the many different things that God is speaking to you through your studies!

ALSO: I will share with you single siestas why I needed your info next week.

ALSO: I am calling on the married Siestas now! I need about 30 of you to email me (pwilliamsut@aol.com) and I will share with you what I need you for. ;)

Have a great day!
Love,
Patty

Recipe Talk: Super Bowl Smorgasbord

2009-01-28T20:24:00.003-05:00

Hey Siestas!

I am under the weather with a sinus infection/ nasty cold. So forgive the lack of verbal transitioning...here are some wonderful ideas for your Super Bowl Spread.

Some are from the Siesta Fiesta Cookbook! We are 5 (FIVE!) away from re-ordering. Do you want one? It may be the last offer for a long, long time! Email me at chrishollysmith at msn dot com.

Veggie Squares by Patty
2 Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 bar cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix
pre-made salad mix of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower, chopped

Flatten and pinch together crescent rolls on a cookie sheet in a rectangular shape. Cook according to package directions in the oven. Cool.

In a small bowl, blend cream cheese and Hidden Ranch dip mix. Spread over crescent rolls.

Sprinkle chopped veggies on top. Cut into squares and cool in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Chicken-Chile Tostadas
1 T. olive oil
1 c. pre-chopped onion
1 t. bottled minced garlic
½ t. ground cumin
½ t. ground chipotle chile pepper
¼ t. ground cinnamon
1 lb. ground chicken breast
½ c. bottled fat-free salsa
¼ c. water
½ t. salt
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 t. lime juice
4 – 6 “corn tortillas
1 c. shredded iceberg lettuce
1 c. (4 oz.) pre-shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese
¼ c. reduced-fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 400°. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and
garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion begins to soften. Add cumin, chipotle, and cinnamon; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring to
crumble. Add salsa, water, and salt; cook 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; remove from heat.

While chicken cooks, place tortillas directly on oven rack; bake at 400° for 5 minutes or until slightly crisp. Place 1 tortilla on each of 4 plates; top each tortilla with ¼ cup lettuce, ¾ cup chicken mixture, ¼ cup cheese, and 1 tablespoon sour cream.
Meghan

Asian-Style Dip
½ c. mayonnaise
¼ c. sour cream
2 T. soy sauce
½ T. dried basil
1 T. sesame oil
1 T. toasted sesame seeds
1 T. rice vinegar
¼ t. dried ginger
1 t. sugar
½ t. dry mustard
1/8 t. ground red pepper

Assorted cut-up vegetables (carrots, red bell peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumber, broccoli, etc.)
Combine first 11 ingredients in a small bowl; whisk to blend.
Cover and refrigerate.
Sophie

Southwestern Salsa with Black Beans and Corn
Fix this ahead of time to allow the flavors to meld.
1 ½ tsp. cumin seeds
2 – 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 15 ¼ oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 red pepper, minced
1 sm. purple onion, minced (1 c.)
½ c. chopped fresh cilantro
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
1/3 c. lime juice
¼ c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ t. salt
1 t. dried crushed red pepper
½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Toast cumin seeds in a skillet over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes or until brown and fragrant, stirring often. Combine cumin seeds, black beans, and remaining ingredients; toss well. Cover and store in refrigerator up to 1 week. Yield 6 cups. Per tablespoon: Calories 18 Fat 0.7 g (Before you spoon it onto the tortilla chips!)
From The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
Linda

Shrimp Dip by Holly
1 bar cream cheese
1 large carton sour cream
1 pkg. Good Season's Italian dressing (dry)
2 (4 1/2 oz.) cans shrimp
2 t. lemon juice
1 can cream of shrimp soup

Thoroughly blend cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and dressing mix with a blender. With a spoon, mix in soup and shrimp. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Great with Wheat Thins or Triscuit crackers (fire-roasted tomato are our favorite!).

January's Birthday Winner is...

2009-01-27T21:03:00.003-05:00

Susan W. Smith! Congratulations Susan!! You have won a gift card to Target.

Please email me (Holly) at chrishollysmith at msn dot com and I can get your information.

Let me know if you do not have a Target in your area, Susan--in that case, let me know a store in your area that you like.

Happy Birthday to all our January Birthday Siestas!!

We just finished the best birthday supper for my Chris, who turned 39 today. The cheesecake was super good!! You can find the recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake here. We are just about to watch "A Day at the Races" with the Marx Brothers, a family favorite.

I'll be back tomorrow with some super, Super Bowl recipes. I hope you'll stop by and share your favorites, too!

Provision of Peace, Part 1

2009-01-26T07:55:00.004-05:00

That morning was chaotic! I said that it was organized chaos, but it really wasn't that organized. I spent that entire morning at my childrens' school. Every classroom in the school had to be moved -- boxes, books, shelves, desks, chairs, tables, easels, overhead projectors...you name it and we moved it. There was very little peace. As I walked the hallways of the school, I saw people who were stressed, feeling emotional and getting a little cranky. What we needed was a little peace. But then again, don't we all?

Need a change from the chaos of life? Need a break from deadlines and stress? Need a break from the daily grind and the calendar that seems to govern your every move. Need a little peace?

I hear you loudly and clearly asking, “What is peace?” Perhaps your day is going to be filled with busyness and frustration. Do you find yourself today with mounds of laundry, errands to be run, children to feed and bathe, cleaning, cooking, being the perfect mom, the perfect wife, and on and on and on? Maybe that doesn't describe your day, but rather your day consists of pleasing an overbearing boss, meeting deadlines that are unreasonable, answering e-mail after e-mail and voicemail after voicemail. Do you have last minute car trouble or mounds of bills to be paid and no visible means to do so? Could it be you are just not feeling well? Have you found yourself asking, “Is life really supposed to be filled with this much turmoil, confusion and chaos? Is it really supposed to be this burdensome?”

I have good news. Our inner attitude does not have to reflect our outward circumstances! God has provided for us a better way. He has given Himself a name that brings to us what our heart is longing for. He is our Jehovah Shalom – the God of Peace – and through His Son, Jesus, He is our Prince of Peace (Shalom). Strong’s defines “shalom” with many words offering exactly what you may be seeking: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship (with others and with God), and peace from war.

Our Lord is ready and waiting to give us peace even as the problems mount and the confusion continues. He doesn’t ask us to forget our problems, but He asks us to bring them straight to Him. As we lay our troubles at His feet and cast our cares to Him, He will give us the peace that transcends our comprehension.

“You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 Amplified)

We do not have to walk through a flood of activity and pressures feeling overwhelmed, weak and out of control. We can be carried through, wrapped in the loving arms of the only One who has complete control of the winds and the waves. Whether He calms the storm or allows it to rage, He lovingly calms the one for whom He has made the provision of peace.

God's Word says “…seek peace and pursue it.” (Psalm 34:14) Be willing to do what it takes to find peace. As you spend times of quiet with God, let Him draw you close to His heart. Allow Him to speak to you through His Word. Cry out to Him and tell Him your desperate need. Be still and listen as He speaks peace into your heart and over your life. Seek peace, my friend, seek peace! Let's pursue it together!

Heavenly Father, Prince of Peace, I come to you with all the things in my life that have kept me from experiencing Your provision of peace. I commit them to You. I acknowledge that without You, life is chaotic, tumultuous, and without hope. But with You, I am more than a conqueror and find perfect peace. I ask you to calm the storms of my life; but if it continues to rage, be Lord and Master of it. Hold me in Your arms and calm me – Your child who loves You and blesses Your Name. Amen.

For a Deeper Look – Isaiah 9:5-7; Isaiah 54:10; Luke 1:68-79

Blessings,
Dori

This is adapted from the first of four devotionals I wrote for our women's retreat a couple of years ago. I'll take Monday Devotions with Dori to post the remaining three. I hope you enjoy them! If you would like a pdf copy of the entire set of devos as they were given to the participants of the retreat, let me know! I can send them to you.

Calling All Single Siestas

2009-01-21T18:04:00.003-05:00

This is a roll call for our beautiful single siestas.

I need your name, email, blog name if you have one. Please make sure I can reach you.

You will find out soon what this is all about!

Love you much!
Patty

January Birthdays

2009-01-21T17:52:00.005-05:00

I bet ya'll thought I had forgotten you!

I have been having health issues and computer issues and I am way behind on this and I apologize to our January birthday girls!!

I need you to do me a favor. I cannot access my birthday master list and if you have a birthday this month or have already had your birthday this month and you are NOT on this list, would you please leave your birthday in a comment? :)

Happy Birthday to:

Kathy~ 6th

Jenn~ 18th

Tracy~ 20th

Pat Schuessler ~ 25th

Susan W. Smith

We pray that God will bless you in this year with delights beyond your imaginations. We pray that God will meet your needs abundantly and place a shield of protection around you and your families!! We love you!

Recipe Talk: What We Save On, So We Can Splurge

2009-01-20T16:28:00.005-05:00

Hey Dear Siestas!

I am not very much in the zone, as I am zoning. So hopefully, I can get some thoughts out there for you in a coherent fashion. First up, we have 89 cookbooks on the list so far--only 11 until we order again and pour out some water for LIFE to some little ones, who'd love to hear about Jesus and have a full stomach. So email me, if you have been waiting and wanting to order a Siesta Cookbook! chrishollysmith at msn dot com.

Second up, be sure and read down to the end, I have added a couple of recipes for Super Bowl XLIII between the Steelers and the Cardinals. I'll confess to you, I like football and my Chris does NOT! We both, however, DO enjoy the commercials during the Super Bowl. And who doesn't like the food at the Super Bowl parties? We all do, I'm a thinkin'. So to have some advance notice for you early planners, I am adding two recipes today and will have a bunch of them next week.

Alright-y then...let's talk some grocery savings, so periodically we can splurge. I must begin by saying that some of the sacrifices might be in the realm of our pride about what we'd never buy or never eat AND in the area of good nutrition and health. Also, we need to start planning "in season."

Am I saying sacrifice good nutrition? Well, heavens no. I am saying that perhaps that organic peanut butter you MUST have is $2-3 more and the store brand is not so bad. The meat that you think must be the highest grade, maybe can be flexed a bit for a time. You can eat and be healthy and save money. But some of our necessities are really not necessities. They are preferences.

This brings me to store brand versus name brand. I usually buy store brand for everything, but soup, laundry detergent, fabric softener and dishwasher detergent. That's it. There are hosts of places to get coupons for the name brands you like.

Two examples I got from Siestas, who found there are resources to really make it pay.

Melissa at Breath of Life sent me this:
"One site I added to my reader is Deal Seeking Mom. Also Mommy Snacks.

Both of these blogs pass on deals they find, give you great tips on coupons, rebates, etc. I've been doing this for a couple of weeks, and yesterday showed me that I've really learned how to "play the game".

Believe me, there are plenty of rebates out there if you look for them! Walgreen's (do you have that drugstore in Colorado?) is a new favorite. Throughout the month, if you purchase certain items you can earn register rewards ($$ off your next purchase). By buying my items in 3 separate transactions yesterday, I was able to use $15 in Register Rewards. I just realized I could do that. They also have a rebate program every month. I enter the rebates online, and signed up to have it put on a gift card, which means I earn an extra 10% on each rebate (I had $9 in rebates in December, and the company added 90 cents to that). I used that gift card yesterday, too.

Basically, Walgreen's gave me $25 free yesterday, then with coupons and another manufacturer rebate I found, plus a Walgreen's rebate, I was able to really rack up the savings!

My grocery store has double coupons, and a gas incentive...so I try to take advantage of those. I used to shop at Walmart for groceries, but find that I do better if I go to the grocery store because I'm not tempted by all the "extra" stuff that Walmart has. However, my family is only 3 people. I might have to shop elsewhere if I had a larger family. My rule now is that I don't buy it unless it's on sale or I have a great coupon. I menu plan by the sales. And we have breakfast or soup/sandwich one night a week."

And Christie at Ever Faith sent me this:
"Just an FYI on what I use that has been saving us money in the grocery arena. I've been doing the grocerygame. (http://www.thegrocerygame.com/). There is a fee, but I more than make it up in savings.

My tip is to only pick the Wal-Mart list...because Wal-Mart matches all the other area grocery store's prices, you get to see each store's specials on the Wal-Mart list. The grocery game helps coordinate all those coupons with area specials...so, for example, if you have a coupon for $1 off paper towels and the store happens to be offering that brand for $1 off, you actually get $2 off. Some things are actually free!

The main idea behind it is stockpiling. I never used to do that. I only shopped at the store for what I needed. Now I buy ahead when there are sales. At first, I ended up spending the same amount of money...but the more I use the grocery game, the more I save.

I became a "grocery gamer" after watching the lady in front of me in the check-out line use her coupons. She SAVED $87 and only spent $65. I haven't yet achieved that level, but I'm working on it!"

So overall, do some research on brands you like and savings to be had. Like Melissa, you may find a gold mine! Also, do not hold tightly to your intention to use a coupon. Sometimes, the savings is not more than the store brand item. So watch and don't get so caught up in using as many coupons as you can just to get rid of them.

Also, when you plan your budget, look at what's in season and what's not. That raspberry sorbet may be oh-so-tasty, but in the dead of winter, you may be picking the wrong time. I think the best way to know what is in season is to peruse the local grocery sheets, which you can see online in many instances--without buying a newspaper.

This brings me to the splurge. So the peanut butter is your favorite or you are allergic to ____, well then, buy it and save somewhere else. OR it's your husband's birthday (which my Chris' is next week), save by eating some leftovers or sale items you found at the store throughout the week. Then splurge and make him his favorite dishes at home, like Shrimp Scampi, French Bread, Twice-Baked Potatoes and Blueberry Cheesecake (even though they aren't in season). In our family of six, I can cook a wonderful meal for over half of what it'd cost at a restaurant. So I splurge in these areas for special occasions.

As for the laundry detergent, I found that the Safeway brand is the same exact thing as Tide, which I use. So I am now buying it instead. And the canned soup? No compromises there. It is a splurge for me. I just buy them on sale in bulk and keep them on hand.

OK...SUPER BOWL Recipes for this week are...

Cheryl's Crab Appetizers (more expensive)
1 lb. imitation crab meat
1 bar cream cheese, softened
6 green onions, finely minced
1 t. garlic powder
2 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper, freshly ground
1 pkg wonton wrappers
2 T. olive oil
butter flavored non-stick cooking spray

Combine crab meat, cream cheese, green onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper.
Spray two muffin pans with non-stick spray. Place one wonton wrapper over a well.
Using the tart shaper or fingers, gently push one wonton wrapper per cup. Spoon 2-3 T. of crab meat mixture into each wrapper. Brush edges of wontons with olive oil.
Bake filled wontons in 350 degree oven for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Can sprinkle cayenne pepper or ground chipotle on top for spicier appetizers.

Spicy Oyster Crackers (very cost effective)
2/3 c. canola oil
2 small pkgs. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 t. dill weed
1/2 t. lemon pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 lg. pkg. oyster crackers (what are they?)

Mix together oil, dressing mix, lemon pepper, dill and garlic powder. Place crackers in large baking dish. Pour mixture over top and stir until they are completely coated.

Cook in 200 degree oven for 20 minutes. Keep in an airtight container. Stays fresh for weeks. Goes wonderfully with a fresh soup or just as a snack!

A Mother and Newborn Daughter Need Our Prayers

2009-01-16T21:37:00.007-05:00

UPDATE: This is the update from Kelly's dad ! Keep praying!! Praise God!!

Please pray for Kelly and her newborn daughter, Harper. Harper was born tonight and is having trouble breathing and they are not sure what is going on. Kelly lost a lot of blood and her blood pressure is very low.

This sweet family needs our prayers! UPDATE:We need you to lift us up in prayer like you never have before. Harper is in VERY critical condition and they are going to fly her to AR Children's hospital. It is very, very serious and the NICU doctor did not give us a favorable report. Scott and his parents will be driving there tonight. My parents and I will be driving there in the morning as soon as I can get out of the hospital. We know that God is soveriegn. WE KNOW that God is the same right now to us as He was to us this morning when we were so excited and praising Him as we drove to the hospital. We know that He loves us and no matter what happens - we will continue to praise Him.

Thank you Siestas on Call!!

Love you,
Patty

Recipe Talk: Leftovers Reality-Style

2009-01-14T22:50:00.010-05:00

How appropriate to discuss leftovers with you, when I did not post earlier today, so that you wouldn't get my mental leftovers! The past two days have taken their toll on my mind. So I am offering a fresh bit from my oven to you today and not reheating some old "schtuff" and calling it a meal.

It was my intention to discuss sacrifices and extravagances in our grocery budget this week, but I feel compelled to begin with leftover talk. The fact that my last reality post displayed an untidy pantry, refrigerators and freezers gave me some inspiration. I cleaned!

How in the world can we plan to save when we have no idea what is available? And how can we see it if our leftover, unopened EASTER BUNNIES for Heaven's sake!! are stacked on top of an AWANA Grand Prix derby car from last year. When have I cleaned that pantry out? I have no idea. I think I use the closed door method of dealing with it. And that's a crying shame!

So let's begin by taking stock. Take stock of what you have and utilize it. If you are like me, you may find some security in a stocked pantry. Throw that idol out, dear ones. It doesn't make you secure. Jesus does! Begin to use what you have and buy what you need. There is no reason for you to have a stock of items, unless you found it on a huge sale or you have college students or teenagers that drop in unannounced.

There is no need for greed in our kitchens. We need to use what we have and plan intentionally to use it. Also, if you are like me, you may buy the can of beets and never eat them...then finally give the can to the food drive at school. If you don't like it and won't eat it, why did you fork out your hard-earned money for it? Don't.

Also remember, a place for everything and everything in its place. That will help you to train your family to put things where they belong. I have found that having a place for everything DOES help when my kids unload the groceries. They put them where they belong and I can actually find them then. I do not like to micro-manage my children. But the first time, maybe even second time, I instruct them where to put the items. Then, I let them go. And they have such good memories! Unlike mine...ahem.

So when you plan your menu: 1) Clean it out and take an accurate assessment of what you have. 2) Put things in the same place or create a space for them. and 3) Plan your meals using these items.

Now for leftovers...as I said before, my Chris never eats out. He always brings his lunch to work. And his co-workers are truly jealous of the delightful and tasty fare he brings. This is not because I am such a gourmet of a cook. No. I am not.

My Chris has trained me the hard way that he will NOT eat leftovers very well. It's been almost 18 years. I know that IF he is going to eat leftovers, I need to make the food as good as the box of leftover food you bring home from your favorite restaurant. That hardly ever goes to waste.

Creativity and wisdom are things God has given to each of us. We need only ask. He is a Creative Creator and a Wise Counselor. Ask Him to show you how...and then do what He shows you.

As I said, I may take a roast and make vegetable soup from the leftovers OR I may make barbecued beef sandwiches. In this case, find a roast recipe that always, always turns out right and stick with it. Experimentation is fine every once in awhile. But once you find a roast recipe that works, why change it? You will find that its awesome flavor will carry over into the next recipe you use. Keep the broth from it, too. It will moisten the meat and add more flavor to the soup.

There are tons of things on my menu that I make just enough for one meal. I used to cook for an army every time and would end up wasting over half of the food. Now I try and cook for the one meal most of the time. Things we make often, like salmon patties or homemade french fries, are just more tasty the first time. So plan around that, too. Plan your portion sizes, and unless you have a dog that loves your leftovers, make less of that favorite dish and enjoy it once.

Well that is all for this time. Next time I will discuss places we need to sacrifice and places that we can splurge in our grocery savings reality-style.

Finally, I have a cookbook update! I have 88 orders for this next Siesta Fiesta cookbook order. I only need 12 more to call the printer and get it going. So email me: chrishollysmith at msn dot com for your cookbook today. Looks like we may be able to build another well, y'all! LET'S DO IT!

Love,
Holly

Save the Date for a Siesta Bible Study Retreat!

2009-01-12T20:02:00.008-05:00

Hi Siestas! God has placed something on my heart for us and I want to share it with you.

We are planning something special for a Siesta get together. As stated below this is not an LPM event but this is a special time for us to fellowship with one another and study God's Word together. Our very own Lisa, The Preacher's Wife will be our leader/teacher. Please read all the information below and give us your feedback. Thank you!!

When: Thursday, August 27th thru Saturday August 29th.

Cost: Dependant upon final registration but our goal is remain under $125. Cost includes cabin for two nights, three meals, and all Bible study sessions.

Where: Eagles Ridge Resort, Pigeon Forge, TN. (http://www.eaglesridge.com/)

Here's how it will work:

Eagles Ridge is a cabin community in the heart of Pigeon Forge, TN. Women will be housed in cabins anywhere from 4 to 7 bedrooms in size. The price given is assuming double occupancy per double bed. If you would like a bedroom to yourself, there will be an additional fee. Roommate preferences/special needs should be stated at registration.

All meetings will take place in the Eagles Ridge Community Club House. The retreat will begin on Thursday night with a meal and Study Session One. We will continue Friday morning with breakfast and Session Two. We will break for a day of shopping, etc. and will reconvene Friday night for Dinner and our final Session.

Check out will be Saturday morning. If you wish to stay Saturday night, you must make personal arrangements with the cabin rental office.

We will cap the registration at 75 women. This is the number we can comfortably seat in the Club House and that the caterer can accomodate based on kitchen size.

All registration payments must be made through PayPal. We will not be accepting any payments by mail - no exceptions. Please watch the blog for a post announcing the registration opening and instructions..

MOST IMPORTANT: There is no implied endorsement or sponsorship by Living Proof Ministries for this retreat. This is something we are organizing independently for fellowship and time in the Word. Any questions about this event should be directed to this blog and not LPM. NEITHER BETH MOORE NOR ANYONE IN HER FAMILY OR MINISTRY WILL BE THERE! :)

THIS IS NOT REGISTRATION however, we would like to get an idea of the amount of interest in this type of event. If you truly intend on making an effort to attend, please comment! Also feel free to ask any questions you have so we can answer them adequately when we announce registration.

We hope to hear from you!

Patty

Things That Remain

2009-01-12T15:27:00.003-05:00

I just got off of the phone with a dear friend whose husband has been without a job for a year. She has been the sole monetary provider for their family. A heavy, heavy burden and my sister is weary, ya'll.

I think of my other friend who poured her heart out to God on my behalf one morning only to have her husband lose his job that very afternoon. My sister is confused, ya'll.

I'm praying for my other friend who God brought through a time of joblessness last year only to have this year open with bills that need to be paid and no visible means to do that. Doors shutting at every turn. My sister is worried, ya'll.

In all of this I'm thankful that God has blessed us as He has, but we live in a corrupt and fallen world, a world that is nothing but unstable ground made of pure, white shifting sand. So I am not ignorant. This sister is leaning in closer to Him, ya'll.

I read a prayer this morning that had me ask God to help me prioritize the things that will always remain. I Corinthians 13:13 tells us that when other things have passed away, three things will remain: faith, hope and love.

"My faith looks up to Thee..." My eyes deceive me time and time again if I look anywhere else but to my Jesus. But my faith which is fueled by things unseen -- things not dependent on my human eyes -- tells me that Jesus will still be there. When everything else falls away He remains.

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness..." Everything around me is temporal. My Savior is eternal. Life is but a vapor. He is my Life and the very breath that I breathe. God is my refuge and strength a very present help in time of need. "In Christ alone, my hope is found..."

"The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen could ever tell..." The world is filled with everything that looks like love's complete opposite. But God's love is unfailing and neverending. "It goes beyond the highest star..." I could never describe in human terms His unconditional, merciful love. "To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry, nor would the scroll contain the whole though stretched from sky to sky."

Most Holy LORD, in a world where everything appears to be spinning into perpetual chaos You are steady and You are strong. You are the Creator and the Ruler of everything in this world. The people that You made have done everything that can be done to mess everything up, but in all these things You are sovereign and You are supreme. You are still in control regardless of economies, rulers, principalities and wars. You remain the Truth, the Life and the Way when lesser gods lead down dead-end roads. We will look to no other for our comfort. Take our weariness, confusion and worries and bring rest, clarity and peace. We long for You, O God. In a dry and weary land...thank you for being the One who remains!

Blessings,
Dori

Just for Fun

2009-01-09T21:56:00.003-05:00

Hey Siestas!

I love the weekends. It can be a time of just staying home and watching movies or whatever you happened to DVR that week, a time to invite friends over and cook something good and maybe play Phase 10 or other games, especially the Wii. ;)

This weekend I am watching the Titans play a big game in the play-offs. I think I may cook chili but I am not sure just yet.

We may go see a movie. There are two new movies that came out today.

What are your plans this weekend?

Also, I will post the January birthdays next week.

Have a fun weekend Siestas!!

Esther It Is

2009-01-08T02:02:00.002-05:00

It looks like there are quite a few of us starting Esther this winter and we are going to have us some discussion on Esther. I would give anything if we were all sitting together, face to face and having this discussion but this is the next best thing.

I think after reading the comments it looks like we are scattered throughout this month on our actual start dates of Esther. I think the best date to begin our discussion will be on February 5, 09. That is on a Thursday.

Between Dori and myself we will head up the discussions. I haven't worked out all the details yet but as soon as I have them I will post them. Sound good? So excited about this!!

Esther, It's Tough Being a Woman. This should be some interesting conversation!!

Love you,
Patty

Recipe Talk: Grocery Savings Reality-Style

2009-01-07T02:00:00.009-05:00

This month, I thought we could spend a little time focusing on saving money in buying groceries, planning, meal-making and low cost & tasty recipes. In fact I have a little reality show spin for you.

Here is what the Smith home looks like...

We are on a tight budget with our family of six. Over the past year, we have had to really pull in our belts in every area of spending. I will share what we have learned and are still learning.

In the comments, I invite you to share some ideas that work in your home. You can help your Siestas out by sharing what you know about grocery savings.

Every two weeks, we have $300 to spend on groceries (now that we have stopped using our local dairy that delivered milk to our door). To me, groceries include all food that we have and prepare at home, drinks, all paper products (which still includes diapers & wipes), pet food, beauty & hygiene and cleaning supplies.

Here is what I look at every month to begin:

Scripture Food for thought--I really liked reading Beth's memory verse these two weeks, so much so, I wrote it to remember it and feed my soul with it every day.

Refrigerator/ Freezer (we have two R/F's--one is in the basement) and this is the outside and inside of both, as is, without me cleaning them to make you think they are always spic n span--in fact they are quite lived in. Spring cometh!

(Why yes, that is homemade deer sausage in our freezer! Amen and HalleluYAH!)

Pantry (Yes, it needs organizing. I am waiting for BooMama's Before and After 2009. I've got goals, y'all!!)

Cookbooks

My Chart/ Legal Pads

First, I begin to plan meals from what I have already and add what is needed to make a meal. I take care to actually USE the meals that have been frozen by planning them in sync with some special sides, appetizers and a dessert. A little bit of special can make a frozen meal much better!
Then I begin to look at recipes in the cookbooks. This is my favorite part! I think about their categories, their nutritional value (still using that old food pyramid from elementary school), and their cost. I like to introduce a few new things in the midst of old reliables. All the while, I have a pen and legal pad to write down the title, ingredients, book and page number.

Every home is different. My kids are all different, too. So I tend to make sure I make at least something they like with each meal. However, I do not cater to them for everything. I set the food before them and expect that they will eat it. We do not make them eat everything on their plates, though; however, we DO make them try it (and that may mean up to 5 bites) or no dessert. We think this is fair and not one of our children is starving.

For each week, I also consider whether or not we are expecting company or celebrating a birthday (you may notice that my Chris celebrates his birthday on Jan. 27th--he'll be 39!). With company or special days, I may make an extra special meal like this: shrimp scampi, twice baked potatoes, Caesar salad, and blueberry cheesecake. On that particular week, I may have to pull out an extra frozen meal or use leftovers longer for budget purposes.

I will talk more about leftovers in a couple of weeks. The word itself is not associated with good things; however, my Chris is the envy of all his co-workers, as he carries leftovers every single day to work. They complain at him constantly for the good things he brings and mercilessly reheats--sending the wonderful smells wafting through the air.

Finally, I consider whether or not the meal can be adapted for a second meal. For instance, if I make a crock pot roast on Sunday, I may adapt it into vegetable soup on Tuesday. Or if I make a ham on Wednesday, I may make some yummy potato soup from the meat on Thursday and beans or peas with the ham bone on Saturday in the crock pot. Also, I have found that next day (or frozen: thawed and reheated) chili or taco meat is especially tasty in Killer Queso!

Here is what I do to plan my menu and grocery list. I get out my three legal pads: grocery list, menu ideas, and actual menu. I only write in menu items for supper during the week. On weekends, I may add lunch (which I call dinner). Generally, I plan the entire month's menu at one sitting.

Then I create the month's menu chart with a reference to where to find the recipe, if needed. Usually, we have leftovers/ frozen meals on Tuesday and Thursday. Wednesdays we have AWANAS, so I put together a quick meal like sandwiches, veggies, chips, pickle and a cookie. Friday night is family night, which we call pizza pajama night. Every two weeks, we order out or get Papa Murphey's. On the other Fridays, we make homemade pizza at home. On Sundays I usually make a crock pot meal at lunch and a big breakfast for supper. Saturdays we like to cook out--even something like brats or hot dogs are SO much better on the grill.

OK, so I fill in the spaces on the menu (leaving room for change--flexibility is a good thing). Then I write my two week grocery list on a separate legal pad. It will have everything I need to complete my menu for those two weeks. There are staples that we need like eggs, butter, milk, etc. Also, there are things we have run out of like diapers, cleaners and pet supplies. I always buy these in large quantities from Walmart. I try to alternate buying them so that they do not all fall on one grocery trip. Usually shampoo and soap do not run out for awhile, so it may be every six months that we have to buy them.

Finally I put my menu chart on the pantry door for the kids to read every time they ask the dreaded question: "Mo-om, what's for supper?" Praise God for communication that is CLEAR!

By the way, my Chris wants you to know that he does most of and the best, cost-effective grocery shopping. Well, he does! And sometimes? I call him before he leaves work to ask him to bring home chicken from Walmart or King Soopers. :-) Flexibility is good!

Next week we will discuss both the grocery sacrifices and extravagances that we have applied to our tight budget.

LOST!

2009-01-06T10:42:00.007-05:00

Y'all, I just lost nine comments. It was completely an accident. I was approving them, I thought. Oh goodness!

Please leave your comments for Patty and about your studies again, if you do not see the one you left.

So so SORRY!
Holly

Siesta Cookbook Update--Please Read!

2009-01-05T22:00:00.001-05:00

Hey Siestas!

Over the holidays, I got a strange email from the contact form folks that we had been using for the cookbook orders. IF you filled out the form and have not heard from me, I never got your information.

So we are not using that contact form anymore. IF you have the contact form on the sidebar of your blog, please delete it and post this picture of the cover below with my email address: Holly: chrishollysmith at msn dot com. I will be sure and contact each one! Perhaps we can build another well or two in 2009!!

So far I have 62 orders on my list for the next set. I will reorder at 100. I described the process here, if you want more information.

I'll be back on Wednesday. We're talking about saving money in a little reality-style Recipe Talk!
Love,
Holly

A Made Up Mind in 2009

2009-01-05T09:16:00.004-05:00

Good morning, Siestas!!!! You should totally imagine me holding a bullhorn like Ty Pennington on Extreme Home Makeover because when I typed those words that was what I “heard” in my head!!! Only I’m not about to boot you out of your house for a vacation in the Bahamas so I can come in and completely tear down your house and build another one!! I really only wanted to say good morning!!! Honestly, I don't know if this is going to be much of a devo as it is a pep rally, but that's the way I feel in my spirit this morning!! Pure excitement over what God is going to do this year in our lives!!!

(Exclamation point count for this post so far if you are interested = 17.)

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you rang in 2009 with a shout of thanksgiving on your lips to the God who has “blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) That’s what I whispered to Him at the stroke of midnight – “You have been good.” When I failed Him, He proved Himself unfailing. When I doubted Him, He showed Himself to be believable. When I wavered, He was steady as The Rock. When I wanted to run at times, He pursued. So as the ball dropped in Times Square, I raised my Ebenezer and thanked God for leading me, thus far, one more time…one more year!

A Jesus-year! That’s what Beth has challenged us to pursue this year with her Siesta Scripture Memory Team. When she first asked if we were game to join her this year in memorizing 24 scriptures this year, God had already been putting something on my heart. It was through a bit of advice I had given my darling 7 year old daughter. I’m not sure I had ever said anything like it to her until then. I said to her one day, “Child, you are going to have to learn to not be so offended all the time!” Then Beth’s challenge came with the testimony that when she was having a particularly difficult time treading through the rough waters of a relationship challenge that had the potential for causing anxiety and bitterness, she clung to her scripture index cards. What she said next stopped me in my tracks:

“It calmed me and kept me from acting how I feel.”

The advice I had given my sweet girl was also for me. I have spent the past year acting exactly how I felt at any given moment. And the enemy was loving every minute of it!! My children had been impacted by it and my husband’s sanctuary that I had vowed to build for him after a hard day at the office, well, it had become a torture chamber for him at times.

So I’ve got a made up mind in 2009, girls! I’m not only going to memorize these scriptures just to have some more biblical knowledge in my head! I want these scriptures to consume every part of my inner being! I want to do as Psalm 40 says in The Message – I'm going to enter the mystery of complete abandonment to God and what He wants to teach me through His Word. I want to know how He wants me to act when I feel like doing it another way. I’ve stood outside the fray of the mystery for far too long. I am entering in. Care to join me??

The first passage God asked me to take to heart in January is Proverbs 2:1-6.

“My son (and daughter), if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

I don’t know about you, but if I am going to walk in the freedom of God’s Word and not be controlled by my wayward emotions and how I feel in any given situation, I’m going to need a whole lot of wisdom and ton of understanding.

Good news! He is giving it out by the truckloads if we will just pursue it, cry out for it, look for it as hidden treasure!

Girls, will you join me this year for a bit of a treasure hunt – that of a whole-heart, sold out, made up mind, crying out loud kind of Jesus-year by letting His Word not only be our textbook for victorious living, but will you join me and let His Word become our very life and breath -- our one desire, an all consuming holy fire? (Someone should put that in a song...he he!) Will you walk through this year with a made up mind that His voice is your life and you won’t take another step except in the direction that He is going?

I cannot tell you how excited I am for this ride of 2009! A made up mind in 2009 to make this a Jesus-year!

Blessings, friends!
Dori

Winter Bible Studies

2009-01-04T22:33:00.008-05:00

Just pretend you like it and I will be happy. lol

It goes without saying but I am not a professional blog designer and this took me all Sunday afternoon to fix the header and I know the verse isn't perfect but I can get help with that later. Having said all of that, this is our new look for awhile.

We are 4 days into the new year and I know that many of you are gearing up for your winter Bible studies. I want to do as I did for our fall Bible studies and keep a post going so we can learn from each other what we are gleaning this winter in our studies.

Which Bible study are you doing?

When are you starting?

I am doing Esther on my own right now. I am hoping to attend Dori's class next month when she facilitates Esther at her church. :) Maybe we can have some discussion on Esther in a few weeks.

Praying you all have a great week!

Love,
Patty

Under Construction

2009-01-03T22:09:00.005-05:00

Please be patient with me while I am trying to give us a new look. :) (this isn't the one lol! )

I have to install most of the sidebar and that will happen over the next few days.

Please come back Monday for a new devotion and another reminder to please email me(pwilliamsut@aol.com) if you have a birthday in January.

Have a blessed Sunday!

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...

2008-12-30T02:16:00.001-05:00

I am going to go ahead and wish you all a Happy New Year!!

A new year, a fresh start and a new adventure with Jesus. 2008 was a wonderful year for a bunch of us to meet each other. The Siesta Fiesta was so much fun and I will never forget the pajama party and the boat ride and the humidity of San Antonio. Hats off to our beloved Siestas who live in Texas with all the humidity and hot, hot weather! Bless. your. hearts. ;)

We are looking forward to serving you in 2009. We are praying for fresh ideas and for God to pour out His creativity through us in order to serve and encourage you all in this new year.

Of course, we have many opportunities to meet each other throughout the year at the LPL events and Deeper Still conferences.

The possibilities are endless and I am praying about a particular thing for us but I am not going to say anything else until I get a clear answer from God.

We will continue with our birthday giveaways. I think that is fun and there will be other giveaways throughout the year.

Our prayer page is available for you to leave your prayer requests. The link is in the sidebar or you can email us with your prayer concerns if you would rather do that. Please know that we pray for each request. It is an honor to go to the throne with boldness and confidence on your behalf.

In the near future we have the Super Bowl coming up and even if you strongly dislike football it is always fun to talk appetizers and such for the game. Get to thinking about that in the coming weeks.
We also have Valentines day coming up and stay tuned for a fun giveaway for our single siestas and married siestas. Two different giveaways! We also have our sweet Siesta Shelly getting married on that date but that will be a post all to itself.

Have a great day celebrating the new year. Come back Monday for Devotions with Dori.

Much Love,
Patty

Treasuring, Pondering and Praying

2008-12-24T07:08:00.006-05:00

I hope Patty won't mind if I post a devo a couple of days late! I just hate not to give you a little something before the miraculous day that we celebrate tomorrow! This was actually something I wrote more than a year ago, but I have had it on my heart and mind for the past few days and just thought I would share it with you!

Originally written September 19, 2007

My devotional book, 90 Days with Jesus, the One and Only, has me in Luke, Chapter 2. This is the chapter that, when most of us read through the Bible, we tend to breeze through because we think we know all there is to know about the Nativity Story. Somehow, through the years, its familiarity has caused us to become less captivated by the beauty and miraculous story of a young teenager, engaged to be married, carrying the Savior of the World, no room in the inn, a manger, swaddling clothes, the first cries of the One Who would weep for all of mankind and lay down His life because He loves us so much.

As I've taken the time to really study this chapter and read it slowly, God has really made me stop and imagine what it must have been like over 2000 years ago when the world first heard The Name "Jesus." I've been able to stop and think about verses like verse 19...

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

The question asked of me today was something like this: "What would you have to give up in order to 'treasure up' more of the blessings of God and 'ponder' His goodness and greatness more in your life?"

I remember a women's retreat that I attended several years ago. The speaker spoke on this particular passage of scripture and gave a similar challenge to "treasure more, ponder much and pray all the time."

Treasure is a word that means "to preserve (a thing from perishing or being lost), to keep within one's self, keep in mind (a thing, lest it be forgotten)." Ponder means "to bring together in one's mind, confer with one's self." (Strongs) Praying all the time means to live a lifestyle of prayer, to pray without intermission.

So how would our lives be different if we followed the simple advice..."treasure more, ponder much and pray all the time?"

Will you join me for a little treasuring, pondering and praying? Without further commentary, I'm going to close this post so that I can think about the Lord and hear His voice on the matter. What is He saying to you? How would your life be different if you lived a lifestyle of treasuring, pondering and praying more? What blessings would you gain by experiencing God's goodness and greatness with this simple approach?

Merry CHRISTmas, Siestas!
Dori

Announcing Our Birthday Winner

2008-12-22T09:55:00.002-05:00

Hi Siestas!

I am going to announce the December birthday giveaway. The winner is Stephanie, OceanMommy. Congrats Stephanie on being our winner for this month!!

As of right now I only have 1 birthday Siesta in January. If you have a birthday next month please email me and I will add you to the list!

On behalf of Holly and Dori and myself, I am letting you know we are going to take a blog break but we will be back January 5th with a new devotion from Dori unless Dori has a devotion before the new year. :)

During that time if you have prayer needs please email me and let me know or you may place them on our prayer page. You can find the link in the sidebar.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Love,
Patty, Holly & Dori

Let's Talk Christmas

2008-12-18T16:36:00.004-05:00

You know how I love to ask questions and today will be no different. lol

What are some of your Christmas traditions?

When do you take down your tree and decorations?

What is your favortite Christmas meal? Do you have ham and turkey or something all together different?

Our family goes to our church's Christmas Eve candlelight service and that is my favorite thing to do. We have 3 services that night and we are going to the 5:30 service and coming home to munch on appetizers and watch Christmas movies. We have seen Elf quite a few times this year along with every other Christmas movie.

As a child we were allowed to open 1 present on Christmas Eve. I did the same with my sons when they were little.

I love to cook a big Christmas breakfast and my boy's favorite food for breakfast is country ham. I will make it for them but none for me. It makes me to thirsty.

This year I am making a spiral ham and a turkey breast w/ all the sides. I can't decide what dessert to make. Pondering on that one.

As for taking down the decorations. I used to take everything down the day after. I have started leaving them up until after New Year's day. Whatever mood I am in is what I will do. :)

An update on the December birthday giveaway. I will announce the winner on Sunday. I think I will make a short video to announce the winner.

Siestas, have a great weekend and don't stress and enjoy this wonderful time of the year.

Much love,

Patty

December Birthday Giveaway

2008-12-17T18:58:00.009-05:00

Happy Birthday to our December birthday Siestas!

As we celebrate our Savior's birth this month we also need to celebrate with our Siestas who have birthdays in this month. So, will you show some love by leaving birthday blessings or wishes in the comments.

We hope you all have wonderful and blessed birthdays and that God would show off for you throughout the next year. May He give you more than your eyes have seen, ears heard or mind has concieved. Happy Birthday! Winner announced next Tuesday. As always, please let me know if you are not included on this list. Apologies ahead of time if I have left anyone off.

December Birthdays:

1. Kathleen ~4th

2. Leigh G. 9th

3.Colima~ 10th

4.HisTreasuredPossession~ 11th

5. Linda~ 13th

6.Steph~ (OceanMommy) 13th

7.Kimbirz~ 14th

8.Doo-dah ~ 16th

9.JayCee~17th

10.JennyHope~ 18th

11.Sallie~ 22nd

12.Lesleigh Y. ~ 22nd

13.Teresa Powell~ 22nd

14. Sheryl D. ~ 22nd

15. Karen Lawton~ 27th

16.Janeen Jordan~ 30th

We love you!

Patty

Recipe Talk: Seize the Day

2008-12-17T02:00:00.004-05:00

There is so much to savor and enjoy in the midst of our daily-ness. If you are like me, you have a love-hate relationship with Christmas. You love the enjoyment of worship, family and friendship, but hate the lists of things to do and busyness and "schtuff."

Somehow, it feels like there's a rolling ball of snow headed right for us and ready to take us out with it. It controls us and carries us along. We wonder, how do we get off this spinning ball??

Many days, I wake up and ask the LORD to order my steps this day, order the things that need to be done, the things I'd like to get done and add His blessings in the midst of it. These are the days, when I LOVE Christmas. These are the days when I hope to make some tasty gifts to give away, and I enjoy doing it! These are the days when I feel like skipping and shouting for joy.

Even when my day may look like Habakkuk (3:17-18) says, "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls..."

"...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."

Even when my day looks difficult, my checking account looks low, my concerns are weighty, I can CHOOSE to seize this day by rejoicing in the LORD and being joyful in God my Savior. My feelings do not have to be in front on this one. I can choose joy in the midst of daily-nesss.

Yesterday, I was having a hard day. As I went up the stairs to lay down our Sydney for her nap, this song came to mind. It's from Carolyn Arends and goes like this: "Seize the day, seize whatever you can; 'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand; Seize the day, pray for grace from God's hand; Then nothing will stand in your way; Seize the day." You can listen to it here.

As I applied this thinking to my day yesterday, I began to pray, "Lord, make this day one that is not seized by me for You (as if I were in control of it), BUT by You for me. You are in control. Lord, seize this day through me. May I be a blessing to those you have put in my path."

So, yeah, Christmas can be a hard time. Some people are losing a loved one or have lost a loved one. Some people are losing their jobs. Some are losing their financial security. Some are loaded down with guilt, anger, bitterness or despair. But nothing can change our day like the LORD can. And we can be His instruments to share His love with others. We can make a difference in someone's day, if we intentionally let the LORD seize our day."

In keeping with "Recipe Talk," here are a couple of dishes to share with someone today. Most likely you know someone, who could use the light of Christ Jesus in their path today. I know I do.
Be sure and double these recipes, so you can have one for home and one to give away!

Salisbury Steak
1 lb. hamburger, I prefer ground chuck
1 T. milk
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 c. crushed saltines
1 egg white
1/2 c. Vidalia onion, chopped finely
1 jar Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef gravy
4 T. canola oil

Mix together uncooked hamburger, milk, salt, pepper, saltines, egg white and onions. Blend thoroughly. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. While the oil heats, make small patties about 2-3 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place patties about 4 at a time, until brown on both sides.

Placed browned patties singly on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Pour gravy over the top. Place uncovered dish in preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour.

Twice-Baked Potatoes
6 large baking potatoes
1 stick margarine
6 slices bacon
1/2 c. sharp cheddar
6 green onions, chopped
3/4 t. salt
pepper to taste

Bake potatoes in oven on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Cook bacon and drain. In a large mixing bowl add crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, cheddar, and butter. Blend slightly.

Then take the potatoes out of the oven. With a large knife, slice each length-wise. Holding half of the potato with a hot pad, take a large spoon and gently remove potatoes from skin. Put the potatoes into the mixing bowl. Try to leave about 1/8 inch of the potatoes in the bottom of the skin.

When complete, mash the ingredients in the bowl with a potato masher or can blend with a fork. I prefer not to use a hand blender, because I like to have the mixture chunky and not completely smooth.

Spoon potato mixture back into skins. Place on a cookie sheet in the oven and either broil on low or cook at 450 degrees for about 6-8 minutes. The tops of the potatoes should be just browned. Careful--don't walk away during this part. Keep a careful eye on that broiler or the tops may soon blacken.

Newlywed Yeast Rolls
1 c. warm water
1 pkg yeast (Be sure and check the expiration date.)
2 T. sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1 egg beaten
2 T. olive oil

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in sugar and salt; add half of the flour. Add oil and egg. Beat until smooth, while adding remaining flour. Cover and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes.

Grease 12 muffin cups. Stir (punch) down dough and spoon into cups, filling half full. Let rise 20-30 minutes more. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

For some yummy desserts, check out these posts: here, here, here, and here.

The best way to share with someone is to take your gift in containers they can keep or throw away. However, if you'd like to have an opportunity to see them again, take it in your best dishes! They'll be sure and return them--and you will have a good visit in the process.

O Come...

2008-12-15T11:14:00.009-05:00

So much of this season is about GOING.

We GO to family gatherings.
We GO shopping.
We GO to Christmas parties.
We GO to Church musicals.
We GO caroling.
We GO here.
We GO there.

In reality, this season is all about COMING.

When I opened up the Word this morning asking God to give me something for you, the pages of my Bible fell open to Revelation – the very last chapter.

“The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” (Revelation 22:17)

As I thought about these words, I thought of a blog post I read the other day (not a Siesta) about the true meaning of Christmas, which we all know to be the celebration of the birth of our Savior. This writer was offended that those who don’t know Him claim Christmas as “their” holiday and celebrate it for the wrong reasons.

Yes, I get a bit weary of all the commercialism that has been attached to my Lord’s birthday. I’ve even been shamefully guilty of not considering Him enough at this time of the year. But as I read the words of this well-meaning Believer, I was overcome with the feeling that Jesus did not come for an exclusive few. He came to include everyone. And at this time of the year, all eyes that dare to see can find Him if they look close enough whether they know Him or not. This season is an opportunity for all to COME.

As I drive down my street, I notice one nativity scene after another. As I shop the stores, I hear plenty of Christmas songs, but always included is a hymn celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I hear His name more at this time of year in unexpected ways and in unlikely places. Even as I drive by the local McDonald’s I see a celebration of Him painted on the windows. Every car that drives that stretch of road sees Him, too. And they will see Him whether they know Who He is yet or not.

I reread that passage again in Revelation with fresh eyes and with a heart that doesn’t want to be so exclusive this year. I want every eye to see Him and every ear to hear His message to “Come!” If they find Him celebrating Christmas for the wrong reason at first, so be it. In order to COME, they have to have the opportunity and the invitation.

Interestingly enough, the passage in Revelation is just that -- an invitation to COME! I looked at it in the Amplified Bible and loved how it interpreted the genuine need the world has for a Savior:

“The [Holy] Spirit and the bride (the church, the true Christians) say, Come! And let him who is listening say, Come! And let everyone come who is thirsty [who is painfully conscious of his need of those things by which the soul is refreshed, supported, and strengthened]; and whoever [earnestly] desires to do it, let him come, take, appropriate, and drink the water of Life without cost.” (Revelation 22:17)

As we GO about doing all that we do at this time of year, let us remember that there are millions of people out there who are wanting something more than they have. They have searched and searched and nothing has filled the void that is in their heart this Christmas. Let us pray that He will give us one opportunity after another to include all in the gift of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Let us use this verse in Revelation as a prayer that those who are “painfully conscious of his need” will look around and see Him – Jesus – and realize that He is the only One able to be their All in All.

Have a blessed day, friends!
Dori

Siesta Ornament Exchange Link Up

2008-12-10T18:15:00.013-05:00

Hi Siestas!

It seems like forever since I have written anything on here.

As some of you know I have been sick with the flu or whatever it is and I haven't been online much at all.

I had written a post stating that I was going to give all of us a few extra days to get our ornaments sent. A few Siestas were having trouble getting in touch with each other.

We hope you have had fun with the exchange.

My Siesta was Georgia Jan. (at GranJans Joy) She is so sweet and thoughtful and we found out we have a lot in common and I happy that she is a mom of two sons as I am and I will be able to get great advice and wisdom from Jan with my young adult sons.

She sent me a beautiful ornament among other things. It was so much fun opening the box! Who doesn't like to get presents, right? lol

This is my ornament. A Jim Shore ornament. Jan told me that with everything he designs that he puts a quilt on it somewhere. I love this ornament.

A Yankee Candle gift set. Pumpkin Spice because it is my favorite scent.

Gevalia coffee, Royal Blend. Jan told me they only put it out once a year. I am saving it for Christmas morning. She also sent me the cutest apron. I forgot to get a picture of it. :( It has a loaf of bread on it and a Bible verse. He is the Bread of Life. Jan, I have already worn it while I was baking cookies. :)

Here is your chance to link away and we can all visit each other and look at each of our ornaments. Thank you so much for participating this year!

Mr. Linky has been giving me trouble and just in case this doesn't work , please give us your link in a comment!

Recipe Talk: Christmas Cookies

2008-12-10T02:00:00.010-05:00

One of my favorite Christmas traditions in our home is making Christmas cookies together. We eat some, save some and make platters with assortments to give away.

This was especially wonderful when my Chris was a design engineer at Libbey Glass. Every year, we bought beautiful glass platters for less than a dollar. I would make a list of cookies to prepare, shopped for the supplies and then had "stations" set up around the kitchen.

My favorite part is always decorating the sugar cookies together. My mom is an artist, and I have memories of some very beautiful cookies growing up. Those are fun to design and give away--although they take a lot of time and you hate to eat such beautiful artwork.

Even better are cookies like these--where the kids decorate them just the way they like. Sometimes Chris is silly and writes things on them like this--it says, "Noah is a dufus." (Chris has been also known to write this in the snow with footprints and show Noah what he wrote from the second story window of our home--it was hilarious!)

This year, I have been keeping the pace for our family, by dragging my feet a bit to slow down and savor the traditions--setting aside the "to do" lists. We will still make cookies to give away. But we probably will do it a little at a time, instead of all in one day. I challenge you to do the same...

Smell the fragrances, listen to others better, be intentional to play a game together or do a puzzle. Take a verse of scripture like this one:
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37

Chew on it slowly. Think about what it says. Say it over again to yourself. Speak it over a loved one in prayer. This is the time to live what it says.

Here are some cookie recipes that our family loves the most. In the comments, please feel free to share your favorite Christmas cookie recipes.

Biscotti (from our good friends the Hunts)
9 c. sifted flour
2 c. sugar
1/3 c. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening (24 T)
1 stick margarine
8 eggs
1 c. milk
2 T vanilla
Cream margarine and shortening. Add sugar, then eggs and vanilla. Alternate the dry ingredients (flour, powder and salt) with milk until the dough is easy to handle. When a good consistency, flour your hands and surface. Roll a handful of dough about 12" long, as round as a nickel. Cut at a slant about 2" for each cookie. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

Icing: 2 T melted margarine. Add 2 c. powdered sugar, 2 T milk, 1 t vanilla. Spread on or dip each cookie in the icing. Enjoy!

Gingerbread Cookies (can use this to make houses, as well)
3 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. grated nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
8 T. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. Grandma's molasses

Cream together butter and sugar, until fluffy. Add molasses. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Slowly blend into butter mixture. Wrap dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for two hours (up to one week).

Roll dough to about 1/4" inch thick. Using your favorite cookies cutters, like a gingerbread man, cut out cookies. Bake in oven pre-heated to 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, softened
1 1/2 T. milk
1/4 t. vanilla extract

Blend thoroughly. Works best in an icing tube, but a knife will be fine, too.

Christmas Sugar Cookies
3 eggs
2 sticks margarine
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 1/2 c. flour

With mixer, cream together margarine and sugar until fluffy. Slowly add in eggs, one at a time. When blended completely, add in vanilla. Sift together flour salt and baking powder. Slowly add it to margarine mixture. Cover with saran wrap and chill for one hour.

Roll 1/4 of the dough about 1/4 inch thick on a dusted flour surface. Cut out with floured cookie cutters. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Cool.

Icing:
2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. butter, melted
3 T. milk
1/2 t. vanilla

Blend completely. Separate into divided bowls. Leave one white. Add 2-3 drops food coloring to make the whole palette of color choices. Also you may use gum drops, red hots and other candies to decorate. Be creative! Most of all, have fun!

A Different Kind of Chocolate Chip Cookie
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
2 T. molasses
2 t. vanilla
1/3 c. water
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
5 c. flour
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, add eggs, molasses, vanilla and water in mixer. Sift together dry ingredients (sugars, powder, soda, salt and flour). Mix moist with dry ingredients well in mixer. Add chips and stir a couple of times through. Rolls into 1" balls and cook at 375 degrees for 8 minutes or until light brown.

Texas Gold Bars
1 Box Duncan Hines Butter Golden Cake Mix
4 eggs, beaten (used separately in two parts)
1 stick butter, softened
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 1 lb. box powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Mix together cake mix (just the mix, not the additional things in the recipe to make the cake) and 2 eggs. Pat into greased and floured 13 X 11" baking dish.

Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 eggs and pour over batter.
Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Cut into squares and share! Can freeze.

Christmas Wreaths
1/2 c. unsalted butter
30 large marshmallows (3 cups)
1 1/2 t. green food coloring
1 t. vanilla extract
4 c. cornflakes
2 T. cinnamon red hots
non-stick spray

Coat a large stock pot with non-stick spray. Melt butter over low heat. Add in marshmallows and melt them over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add in food coloring and vanilla.

Add in cornflakes and stir constantly until blended. With lightly greased fingers or a tablespoon, arrange the cornflakes mixture into a small donut shape--a wreath with a hole in the center--on waxed paper. Before they cool, decorate with red hots (4-5 each wreath). May also attach the red hots with a small dab of icing (from the Christmas sugar cookie recipe above).

Bloggy News

2008-12-09T08:00:00.004-05:00

Siestas,
Hi everyone!
I am hoping you are kicking off the Christmas season with cheer and much joy for the celebration of our Savior JESUS!

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"

This blog has been a great way to celebrate with Patty's Christmas cheer, Siesta Spotlights Christmas Style, Dori's Devotions, and Holly's yummy recipes!
I personally can not believe it is even December!
Time sure flies when you are having fun :)

As we approach the New Year 2009 I have been reflecting on this past year and all the blessings God has given me

There were some great times and wonderful memories!
I especially loved meeting so many of you in San Antonio for the Siesta Fiesta
It was such a surreal and wonderful experience.
I am hoping and praying we will have another such occasion in the near future!

With that said however, I must disclose with a heavy heart something God has been laying on my heart since August - the need to pull away from the blog world

Patty was wonderful to allow me to continue helping with this blog by allowing me to do the Siesta Spotlights but now I hear God telling me it is time to focus on other things

Do not worry I will still have my own blog HERE so you can keep up with me and I with you there

It is funny how the changes in seasons in our lives are done with much trepidation and mixed joy
I look forward to what God reveals to me in my new avenue of focus but I will miss being so active in each of your lives :(

Of course, I will stop in every now and then to check on my Siestas
and do not forget to check on me
Much love and Many Blessings,
Kim

Speak to Me, Lord

2008-12-08T08:33:00.015-05:00

Yesterday was “Children’s Musical Day” at our church! It is always the most fun thing to watch our children in action. As a friend put it this morning on her blog, “it felt good and right to be sitting in a service where children danced and sang and laughed and forgot lines and dressed up like shepherds and cried on the front row. That felt right. Amidst a society of Xbox 360, MTV, cell phones and texting - it seemed particularly nice to see children do what it is children do best.”

We have quite the talented bunch of young ‘uns and one worship leader’s son (who shall remain nameless) gave a flawless performance as Mr. Bucksby, the local mall manager! His beautiful daughter also praised God with the dance – a beautiful ballet with some friends. And my “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth daughter” worshipped with her voice - with everything she had! It was so great!

One of the worship songs that the children sang and one that my darling daughter went to bed singing last night is called “Speak to Me, Lord.”

“Speak to me, Lord, I am listening.
I want to hear what You say.
Call my name, Lord, and I will run to You.
Your Word is my way.
Give me the ears to hear You.
Give me the eyes to see.
And in the stillness let me know its Your Voice whispering my name.
I will run to You. Speak to me.”

So simple of a message and yet in the hustle and bustle of this Christmas season and what we tend to make it, His Voice can seem a bit faint.

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…” Hebrews 1:1-3a

Just as I asked you last week to live expecting to see Jesus during this season, I want to give you another challenge – live expecting to hear Jesus during this season.

Sometimes when I want my children to listen to me above all of the noise and craziness that is The House of Cook, I stop yelling above the noise. I look at them and I say their name in a lower, almost whispering voice. It works every single time! They stop what they are doing and they lean in to hear what I am trying to say to them.

I believe that during these “last days” and especially during these busy, busy days of the Christmas season, Jesus is looking at His children and whispering our names. He is asking us to do one thing as we go about our celebrations and festivities over the course of the coming weeks – “listen for My voice.”

What is Jesus wanting you to hear Him say this Christmas season? Could it be that He just wants you to walk with Him, talk with Him, look for Him and lean on Him?

Run to Him…He is speaking to You today!

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)

Have a blessed week...listening for Him!
Dori