A Peek Inside my Window

Here we are, post-Thanksgiving and into the month of December. Is it me, or does it seem like Christmas comes faster every year? Since I was away last week, I thought for today's blog post I would first give you a little peek into where I have been and what I have been up to the past couple of weeks. I will end the post with some thoughts to ponder, as usual.

Where I Went
We were so excited to be able to spend Thanksgiving with our youngest son and his family this year. They live in Florida and are the parents of our adorable 2 year old granddaughter and expecting our eighth grandchild (a boy!) in a couple of months. We were there for 5 days and enjoyed time at the park, celebrating Thanksgiving, a day the Tampa zoo, shopping, eating pie and playing games, and other fun things! Being with them was especially meaningful because we got to be present at our son's deacon ordination service, which my husband preached the message for and participated in.

 What I Baked
For Thanksgiving, I am the designated pie-baker. I usually make far too many pies for the number of people present, but hey, I have to include everyone's favorites! And we get to enjoy slices of pie with coffee in the evening which enhances our game-playing times. I made the traditional pumpkin and apple pies, and another one our family's favorites is a decadent pie which my granddaughter dubbed "Cookie Pie." The real name is Toll House pie, and it is also very similar to Derby Pie. In the picture here, it is the pie in the lower right.

Toll House Pie
2 eggs
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 9 inch pie crust, unbaked

Preheat oven to 325. With mixer, beat eggs until foamy. Beat in sugars and flour until well-blended. Blend in softened butter. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into pie crust. Bake 50-60 minutes and serve with whipped cream.

What I Decorated
This year we decorated our house for Christmas a week earlier than usual. Decorating for Christmas is a major undertaking at our house because we have 9 large storage containers of decorations, and because I like to decorate the whole house! We decorated a week early because when we looked at our calendar, after coming home from Thanksgiving we had NO free weekends until Christmas, and very few free days at all. This year I have something new - my husband made me a rustic-looking ladder to display my lighted village pieces and my Old-World Santa collection. I saw it on Pinterest and he said "I could make that!" And he did! I love it!

What Else I Did
As if decorating for Christmas, a trip, catching up both at home and in ministry after a trip, and working on upcoming activities (including this weekend's Ladies Creating Christmas event, which I will post about at a later date) wasn't enough, I squeezed in something special: I was invited to a lunch with Mrs. Heidi Cruz, the wife of Presidential candidate Ted Cruz. I had the opportunity to meet and talk with her, and I found her to be not only a lovely Christian lady, but also very gracious and down to earth!

What Made Me Smile
My favorite picture of the past two weeks:

What Made Me Sad 
In the midst of all the family time, the Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations and celebrating, and the blessings, there are two things which make me sad. The first is the unprecedented turmoil in our country. More shootings, more violence and danger, and more hostility toward God and Christianity mean that my grandchildren are growing up in a very broken world. It makes me sad that they will never know the kind of world I grew up in or raised our children in. Truly, Psalm 31:24 is a verse that encourages us as Christians: "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." The key, I think, is the end: "...in the Lord." We all hope in something - or someone. Our hope must not be misplaced - it has to be in the Lord.

The other thing that makes me sad is related to the first, and that is the apathy of Christians today. It is no accident that part of the reason our world is so broken today is because of the careless attitude of Christians - not toward events in the world, but toward spiritual things. I remember after 9-11 the turning of people to God and an increased interest in church and walking with God. Not so today. Even in the midst of all that is going on in the world, church attendance and involvement is declining. I hear over and over again "I'm just too busy." Other things are deemed more important that serving the Lord and working for Him. We are reminded how we are to respond in uncertain times in Ephesians 5:15-16: "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil." When we are living in the midst of evil times - and we certainly are - we are to be wise and make the most of the time that God graciously allows us. That is what will make the difference in our personal and family lives, and in turn, our country.

Lovingly,
Kathi