Monday, July 29, 2024

From My Journal

 TODAY IS: July 29, 2024

AROUND ME: cooler temperatures predicted for today...mid 70s and low humidity.  Ahhh...my kind of days. :)

I AM PONDERING:  Colossians 3:17 ....  what my priorities are in life and how they can make a difference for those around me when I fulfill them as doing them unto the Lord. 

AMONG MY FAVORITE THINGS:  being able to be at church.  I'd missed the last two Sundays in a row from being ill and I was able to be there yesterday.  It was so wonderful to be among my brothers and sisters in Christ and hear our pastor begin a new study.

 BOOKS I AM CURRENTLY ENJOYING 

  Refreshment for the Soul is a collection of Richard Sibbes thoughts on different topics and is compiled as a devotional.  So, it will be an ongoing reading throughout this year.

The Soul's Conflict  by Richard Sibbes

The Journals of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot

I AM THANKFUL FOR:  friends who listen with their hearts.

FROM THE KITCHEN:   


No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars


SOMETHING I REALLY ENJOY:  


My paternal grandmother always had Snapdragons in her flowergarden and these that Strongheart started from seed remind me of her.


TO DO LIST FOR TODAY: Laundry and cleaning.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 91:12

26 comments:

  1. Pretty snapdragons! My grandmother always had red geraniums in pots around her front door and my grandfather would do down a backroad near where we lived and dig up wild lilies and transplant them in their yard. Flowers can evoke such lovely memories!

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    1. Thank you, Melanie. Flowers surely can evoke lovely memories.

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  2. I miss church when I cannot go. Recently I've been attending Mass at a neighboring parish because they have AC and my little church does not, I miss it so!! But I know by September the overnight lows will dip and the little church will be manageable for me once more.

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    1. Awww...friend...I know you will be happy to be back in your own church but I am thankful that you have one with AC that you can go to during these hot and humid times.

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  3. The snapdragons are so pretty. We had them one year, but I didn't notice them in the store this year. I'll have to keep an eye out next time.

    It's nice to have means to watch the church service live when we can't be there, but it's oh, so much better when we can attend in person. I especially feel that way about our current church. I'm glad you're feeling better and could go.

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    1. Thank you, Barbara. There has seldom been a year that I didn't have snapdragons until about three or four years ago and I couldn't find them. Then someone told me about a nursery that is about half an hour from our house that had them last summer. So we purchased some. Then last fall Carroll saved the seeds from them and started these for me in the spring. I certainly have enjoyed them.

      Here's a little secret for you about the entry on church attendance. I "copy and paste" from the last edition of my journal posts and then just fill in the prompts each week. Well, this week when I "previewed" it before publishing, I didn't catch that I hadn't changed the entry for "Among my favorite things" until Karen made the comment about missing her church. lol As they say on Andy Griffith, "some days are like that Howie"... Have a wonderful week, my friend.

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  4. Those No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal bars look delicious!
    Your flowers are beautiful!
    I am still considering a church that is very close to my house. (pray for me). This stay at home church has me kind of spoiled at staying home. For an introvert that is the greatest thing!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words regarding the bars and flowers, Monica. I will be praying for you regarding a church. I'm an introvert as well and we changed churches three years ago. It was hard for me to step out of my comfort zone, but oh...the rewards, my friend! So, I definitely will pray for you. And thank you for asking. :) xx

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  5. I like that statement, 'friends that listen with their heart'. Those bars look yummy. Hooray for cooler temps. Enjoy your day, Dianna!

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    1. Thank you, dear Ellen. The bars were good. That weren't overly sweet. I certainly did enjoy my day today. I did laundry, housework, and listened to sermons! Oh...and read in the Jim Elliot journals. :)

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  6. Like Ellen I like the statement, friends that listen with their heart! What a blessing!!

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    1. Friends like that truly are a blessing, Karen. xx

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  7. It's hot and humid here today, with a big rain that came around 5.
    I like the comment about friends that listen with their hearts. That would be you!
    I bet the Jim Elliot book is good. I have a daily flip calendar with quotes from Elisabeth Elliot. She was a wise woman.

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    1. The humidity today was 77% and I thought sure it was going to rain, but it did not. We truly need the rain. Our garden isn't producing much at all. Carroll is watering the tomatoes every day.
      Thank you for the kind words regarding friends. I feel the same way about you. xx
      Yes, the Jim Elliot book is good. It has something like 475+ pages to it, but the reading is going a lot faster than I thought it would. Elisabeth Elliot is special to me.

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  8. Hi Dianna! It's still very warm and muggy here and also wet. I'm hoping we get some drier, less humid weather soon. I'm glad to hear you are enjoying nice weather today! I'd love to have the recipe for the No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars. They look delicious and I love that you don't have to bake them!

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    1. We could use some of your rain, Julia. The recipe for the No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars will be here on the blog on Wednesday. When we were having temps in the high 80s and 90s I just couldn't bear to turn the oven on and this one of the recipes that I had put aside for just such an occasion. xx

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  9. It seems you live in a better world, a world with friends who listen with their hearts. Here, even relatives are not like that, probably because of the hardships of life: wars and hot weather with almost no rain.

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    1. I'm sure that wars definitely play a part in that, my friend. And I can't imagine the hot temperatures your area must endure. xx

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  10. Pretty Snapdragons! Good to hear you felt well enough to attend church on Sunday.

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    1. Thank you, GM. I hope you have a wonderful week!

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  11. So glad you are feeling better and that you were able to be back in church. I know that was a blessing and sweet start to your week. Those oatmeal bars look delicious...and another sweet start to a week!:) I might try to make some of those!

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    1. Thank you, Jennifer. The recipe for the bars will be up tomorrow. XX

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  12. Your weather sounds lovely, Dianna, and I am so happy for you. We are still sweating it out down here, hahaha! Wow I wish you would share that dessert recipe! And how wonderful that you were feeling well enough to go to church. I miss my church friends so much on the rare occasion I am not there! xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Jenny, for your kind words. We had rain yesterday and again early this morning! Such a blessing for our gardens. xx

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  13. I'm glad you are feeling better and were able to go back to church. Community is so important to our mental and spiritual health! I am grateful for my community too in all the various places I have it. :)

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    1. Oh yes, my friend. He made us to be in community and when I am not able it does affect my emotional health.

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