Sunday Hymn: Here, O My Lord

Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand th'eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with thee the royal wine of heav'n;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me:
Here let me feast, and, feasting, still prolong
The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee.

I have no help but thine, nor do I need
Another arm save thine to lean upon:
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.

Mine is the sin, but thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge, and my peace,
Thy blood, thy righteousness, O Lord my God

Trinity Hymnal #310

Quote of the Week: Calvin

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.  Hebrews 11:11

. . .it may seem strange that her faith is commended, who was openly charged with unbelief; for she laughed at the word of the angel as though it were a fable; and it was not the laugh of wonder and admiration, for otherwise she would not have been so severely reproved by the angel. It must indeed be confessed, that her faith was blended with unbelief;4 but as she cast aside her unbelief when reproved, her faith is acknowledged by God and commended. What then she rejected at first as being incredible, she afterwards as soon as she heard that it came from God, obediently received.

And hence we deduce a useful doctrine, -- that when our faith in some things wavers or halts, it ceases not to be approved of God, provided we indulge not the spirit of unbelief.

John Calvin, Commentary on Hebrews 11

How I spent LAST Friday morning

The printer's trays that hang inside my front door were dusty and cobwebby.  I'd been avoiding taking it all apart but last Friday I finally tackled the dreaded job.  Everything was dumped into the sink, washed, dried, sorted and put back. 

It took the entire morning!  The hardest part, believe it or not, was putting it all back.  It's harder than it looks to arrange 'randomly!'

Recipe: Spicy South-West Quiche

Don't you just love a good quiche?  Crust, eggs, half and half and whatever you have on hand and some cheese and you have dinner.

A few nights ago I turned some leftovers into a really delicious, albeit non-traditional, quiche:

Spicy South-west Quiche

Ingredients:

4 oz. chorizo (removed from casing)

4 oz. leftover ham, cubed

red and yellow peppers, about 1/2 cup total

three green onions, sliced thinly on the diagonal, (use about an inch of the green)

leftover corn, about 1/3 cup, drained well (I didn't drain mine as well as I might have and I wished I had!)

minced hot jalapeno slices (I used four and it was plenty spicy.  Adjust according to the heat of your jar of jalapenos and your heat preference)

1/2 cup shredded cotija cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

4 eggs

1 cup half and half

1/2 t. red pepper flakes (optional)

Brown the chorizo together with the cubed ham.  Drain on paper towel and set aside to cool.

Sprinkle the ingredients in the bottom of an unbaked pie shell--veggies, then meats, then cheese.

Whisk together eggs and half and half and pour into pie shell.

Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Delicious and even better warmed up the next day.

(I'm not a fan of cilantro, but I'll bet if you like it, it would be a good addition)

Thankful Thursday 2010

My participation in Thankful Thursday has been spotty at best but I am so thankful that my thankfulness is not predicated on my regular participation in this worthy, weekly practice!

Today I am thankful for so many things:

I'm thankful for blogging friends who take the time to 'check in' with me when I've been away from the blog for some time.  (You know who you are!)

I'm thankful for the time to read on busy days, even if it is just 10 or 15 minutes at a time and for a stack of wonderful books to delve into this summer!

I'm thankful for wedding work this week.  The envelopes are challenging; they are lined so I can't use my lightboard, but I'm thankful for my Phantom-liner which allows me to avoid penciling lines on each envelope and having to erase the lines:

I'm thankful that Jake is able to take a leave of absence when needed.  I'm very thankful for his doctor, Dr. DeFreitas, at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago who gives Jake such excellent care.

I'm thankful for all those who are praying for Jake.  Keep those prayers coming; he needs them!

I'm thankful for every day we have Evie with us but especially the days when she is "sharp."  Some days are tough but some days she seems pretty good.

I'm thankful for my grandchildren and the joy they bring me.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband and my children and family.  I love being with them.

I'm thankful for my church and women's Bible study.

With thankfulness in my heart to God. . .

I'm joining my friend, Kim from the Upward Call,  and others in giving thanks on Thursdays in 2010.  Won't you join us?

Madelyn's Baptism

Our sweet little Maddie-girl was baptized last Sunday.  She was absolutely adorable, smiling up at Pastor Disselkoen and grinning.

A Ghostly Visitor. . .

To my daisies:

I don't like spiders, but this one was set free instead of smashed to a pulp.  As spiders go, I think he's pretty.

Sunday Hymn: O Quickly Come, Dread Judge of All

O QUICKLY COME, DREAD JUDGE OF ALL

O quickly come, dread Judge of all;
For, awful though thine advent be,
All shadows from the truth will fall,
And falsehood die, in sight of thee:
O quickly come; for doubt and fear
Like clouds dissolve when thou art near.

O quickly come, great King of all;
Reign all around us, and within;
Let sin no more our souls enthrall,
Let pain and sorrow die with sin:
O quickly come; for thou alone
Canst make thy scattered people one.

O quickly come, true Life of all;
For death is mighty all around;
On ev'ry home his shadows fall,
On ev'ry heart his mark is found:
O quickly come; for grief and pain
Can never cloud thy glorious reign.

O quickly come, sure Light of all;
For gloomy night broods o'er our way;
And weakly souls begin to fall
With weary watching for the day:
O quickly come; for round thy throne
No eye is blind, no night is known.

Independence Day

Where liberty dwells, there is my country. 

Benjamin Franklin

My God!  How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy! 

Thomas Jefferson

Let Freedom Ring!  Happy Independence Day!

Quote of the Week: Luther

When God's righteousness is mentioned in the gospel, it is God's action of declaring righteous the unrighteous sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ. The righteousness by which a person is justified is not his own but that of another, Christ.
— Martin Luther

July Status Report

Sitting…in my comfy leather chair, not reading--yet.

Drinking…nothing. Too late for coffee, to early for my glass of wine before bed.  I'm thinking of a cup of Earl Grey but I'm too tired to get up and make it.

Missing…my old indefatigable energy.

Returning…to my favorite novel, Les Miserables, as soon as my new translation by Julie Rose comes in the mail.

Reading…William the Baptist by James M. Chaney, The Overton Window by Glenn Beck, and Genesis (ESV)

Also reading…Eight Short Stories for the Summer from Daily Lit.  The first story is A Doctor's Visit by Anton Chekov and it's delivered to my inbox every morning.

Loving…the flowers in my window boxes this year.

Pretending…that now that I've got the flower beds and yard all weeded they will stay that way.

Wondering…whether Jake will be able to tolerate his new medication.

Watching…Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (actually, Sam's watching, I'm looking up when Jack Sparrow's on).

Anticipating…Deathly Hallows Part One

Stressing…about Jake's health.

Praying…for Jake to adjust to his new medication and start feeling better so he can get back to work.

Remembering…that God has been so incredibly gracious to Jake and to us throughout all these years full of doctors and hospitals, operations and procedures, and scary times.

Realizing…that God is Sovereign and His lovingkindness endures forever.

Hoping. . .I'll start blogging again soon.

Joining Lisa and others.  (Thanks, Lisa, for helping push me out of my writing doldrums)

Sunday Hymn: Shepherd of Tender Youth

SHEPHERD OF TENDER YOUTH

Shepherd of tender youth,
Guiding in love and truth
Through devious ways:
Christ, our triumphant King,
We come thy name to sing;
Hither our children bring,
To shout thy praise.

Thou art our holy Lord,
The all-subduing Word,
Healer of strife:
Thou didst thyself abase,
That from sin's deep disgrace
Thou mightest save our race,
And give us life.

Thou art the Great High Priest,
Thou hast prepared the feast
Of heavenly love:
While in our mortal pain,
None calls on thee in vain:
Help thou dost not disdain,
Help from above.

Ever be thou our Guide,
Our Shepherd and our Pride,
Our Staff and Song:
Jesus, thou Christ of God,
By thy perennial Word,
Lead us where thou hast trod;
Make our faith strong.

So now and till we die,
Sound we thy praises high,
And joyful sing:
Infants, and the glad throng
Who to thy church belong,
Unite to swell the song
To Christ our King.

Trinity Hymnal #117

Our sweet little grand-daughter, Madelyn, is baptized today!  A joyous day for our family!

So now and till we die,
Sound we thy praises high,
And joyful sing:
Infants, and the glad throng
Who to thy church belong,
Unite to swell the song
To Christ our King.

Quote of the Week:

Society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer or are exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country without government, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer.

Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776

Sunday Hymn: Praise to the Lord, The Almighty

PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e'er have been
Granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee.
How oft in grief hath not he brought thee relief,
Spreading his wings to o'ershade thee!

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
Gladly for aye we adore him.

Trinity Hymnal #50

This is one of my favorite hymns!  If you click on the link above you can listen to it (and sing along!) and your heart will be lifted up in praise, like mine.

Recipe: Creamy Lemon-Tarragon Chicken

Last year I planted tarragon in my herb garden for the first time.  I used it a few times along with other herbs but I really had no idea what to do with it.  This year it is growing like a weed, so I decided to try to make a dish with tarragon as the star.  After reading dozens of chicken tarragon recipes online, this is what I came up with:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds) cut into 8  pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons butter

1 small sweet onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 cup half and half

2 to 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh French tarragon, divided

The juice of one lemon

The zest of one lemon

Linguini, cooked for 10 minutes in water and then the last two minutes in cream sauce.

Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil and butter.   Brown on both sides but don’t cook through.  Remove to platter while you build your sauce.

Sautee the onion in chicken drippings until translucent but not browned.  Add the wine and reduce for one or two minutes. Add the 'half and half' and half the tarragon.  Return the chicken breasts to the pan and simmer gently on low. Cover and cook until the chicken is firm and just cooked through.  Don't overcook.

Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Whisk in the remaining tarragon and the lemon juice and check your seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary.  Finish cooking the noodles in the sauce then place in large pasta bowl.  Sprinkle lemon zest over noodles and serve with chicken .  Yum!

Two days later, I re-created the dish to use up the leftovers.  I cooked two pieces of bacon until crisp and set the bacon aside to cool.  I poured off the bacon grease and added the leftover chicken, sliced thinly, to the hot pan, turning the chicken until heated through.  Then I added the leftover cream sauce (linguini was gobbled up the night before) and enough half and half to bring it all together and added the noodles and crumbled bacon to the pan.  (Forgot to mention that I had made a white cake and had 3 egg yolks to use up so I made some fresh noodles--cooked them the same way I did the linguini, finishing them up in the sauce.)  A toss with a little freshly chopped parsley and it was lunch.  The tarragon really took a back seat to the bacon but it was tasty and an easy way to use up the leftovers.

Quote of the Week: Zinsser

[T]o me all work is equally honorable, all crafts an astonishment when they are performed with skill and self-respect.  William Zinsser, Life and Work

Hear! Hear!

On Writers Block and Writers; Life and Work

All you have to do is scan down and compare the monthly tallies of posts in my side bar to see that I have serious writers block.  I have ideas for posts.  I write them in my head.  I even take photos to go along with them but somehow, they never make it to the blog.  Not sure what is going on other than busy-ness, business, and serious writers block.  I don't know how to snap out of it but I feel sure I will someday.

Thankfully, I don't have 'readers block!'  I've been doing a lot of reading and by the size of the stack of unread books beside my comfy leather reading chair, I'll be doing a lot more of it!  Most of the reading I've been doing is the good old-fashioned sitting in a chair, holding a book variety but I still do some reading online.

This morning I read a really wonderful article on The American Scholar: Life and Work by William Zinsser.  I love his views on life and work, particularly the last paragraph; they echo my own.  I considered adding that paragraph here to punch up this post and whet your appetite but, no; I want you to go and read the entire article.

Let me know what you think.  Does he speak for you?

Sunday Hymn: The God of Abraham Praise

THE GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE

The God of Abraham praise,
Who reigns enthroned above;
Ancient of everlasting days,
And God of love:
Jehovah! great I AM!
By earth and heav'n confessed;
I bow and bless the sacred name,
For ever blest.

The God of Abraham praise,
At whose supreme command
From earth I rise, and seek the joys
At his right hand:
I all on earth forsake,
Its wisdom, fame, and power;
And him my only portion make,
My Shield and Tower.

He by himself hath sworn,
I on his oath depend;
I shall, on eagle's wings upborne,
To heav'n ascend:
I shall behold his face,
I shall his power adore,
And sing the wonders of his grace
For evermore.

The goodly land I see,
With peace and plenty blest,
A land of sacred liberty
And endless rest;
There milk and honey flow,
And oil and wine abound,
And trees of life for ever grow,
With mercy crowned.

There dwells the Lord our King,
The Lord our righteousness;
Triumphant over the world and sin,
The Prince of Peace
On Zion's sacred height
His kingdom still maintains,
And glorious with his saints in light
For ever reigns.

The whole triumphant host
Give thanks to God on high;
Hail Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
They ever cry:
Hail Abraham's God and mine!
I join the heavenly lays
All might and majesty are thine,
And endless praise.

Trinity Hymnal #32

Sunday Hymn: Though Troubles Assail Us

THOUGH TROUBLES ASSAIL US

Though troubles assail us, and dangers affright,
Though friends should all fail us, and foes all unite,
Yet one thing secures us, whatever betide,
The promise assures us, "The Lord will provide."

The birds, without garner or storehouse, are fed;
From them let us learn to trust God for our bread:
His saints what is fitting shall ne'er be denied
So long as 'tis written, "The Lord will provide."

When Satan assails us to stop up our path,
And courage all fails us, we triumph by faith.
He cannot take from us, though oft he has tried,
This heart-cheering promise, "The Lord will provide."

No strength of our own, and no goodness we claim;
Yet, since we have known of the Saviour's great name,
In this our strong tower for safety we hide:
The Lord is our power, "The Lord will provide."

Trinity Hymnal #79

Thankful Thursday 2010

I'm thankful today for the new ESV online.  Have you checked it out yet?  It's marvelous.