Wordless Wednesday: Dear Doc

Get Basic with Your Dressing: Enjoy Some Greens Today!

   A dash of sweet with a hint of zing- and herb, an oil and a whisk-like thing; drizzles bring life to every type of green. I personally ran from the notion of making my dressings because it just seemed so ..well, complicated. Either we had the wrong oil, or lacked the right herbs- we wanted a cream base, but didn't have the recipe.
   Well that just wouldn't do, so to handle this situation tests and trials were in order; experimentation in the kitchen! Every well balanced dressing seems to possess some basic components: oil, acid, flavorings and optional creams. After much research and review it has been developed: a basic dressing flex-recipe- -- the formula for creativity to suite our tastes.

Basic Dressing Flex-recipe Formula
to every 1/4 cup of acid (such as a vinegar or a citrus juice) add:
1 Tablespoon of finely chopped herb or a combination of herbs
decide if a cream component is needed: if so add a spoonful (such as a coarse mustard. yogurt or sour cream, even mayo or heavy cream will do)
now finish it off by whisking in 1/2 cup of oil (such as olive, canola, coconut or whatever you like)

   How easy is that? This can be made ahead and stored in the fridge- decorative decanter or mason jar. I often whisk my dressing in the bottom of a large bowl and chop my salad right on top; a good toss and you're ready to eat!

Now- here are a few tips we love:
instead of one acid, combine 2 tablespoons vinegar with 1/4 cup citrus: very tasty
herb based vinaigrette using: parsley, tarragon, and thyme (add to this a minced clove of garlic and some sour cream for a ranch style flavor)
using dijon mustard and 1 small minced onion
balsamic with a minced garlic clove
use the juice and zest of a lemon, lime and orange with olive oil and pepper
lastly: 1/2 cup crushed raspberries with a spoonful of chopped mint

   Tasty, simple and open to exploration: the basic dressing formula....enjoy some greens today!

One More Off the Frame

Farm kids & Firecrackers

   Memories of my little ones danced in my mind as my hands found their way to pull one more off the frame. Squares of 'firecrackers' from the old maid's puzzle pattern hold remnants from little girls' cowgirl dresses and farm boy's Sunday vest. These sweet leftovers found stashed away now swirl to life against soft cream fabric, reminiscent of the gallons of 'home made vanilla' my family has shared over the years. Brilliant blue fabric backing sports gentle streaks of white bringing to mind the evening sky; we sit on the old gliders together at end of day watching for the first evening star.
   Finding a quilting motif for this quilt was such a challenge; I think I polled everyone who graced my door step. Meandering stipples create billowy trails- the paths of our life - the wanderings here and there of children as they grow. My oldest helped me choose warm brown binding to frame the quilt- she says it represents boots of all sizes worn over the years and handed down along the way.
   With all the symbols and history drawn together in this crazy unique project it seemed only fitting to keep it here with us. Today this quilt will be hung in our stairway..the path to our teens' rooms..a reminder of the path we have trod together: of dresses and vests, boots...ice cream and stars...silence under the night sky...of family and home. Here is a picture of life found in the simplest project...in one more off the frame.

It Is Sunday....

THE MINISTRY OF THE UNNOTICED

"Blessed are the poor in spirit."
Mathew 5:3

The New Testament notices things which from our standards do not seem to count. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," literally-- Blessed are the paupers-- and exceedingly commonplace thing! The preaching of today is apt to emphasize strength of will, beauty of character-- the things that are easily noticed. The phrase we hear so often, Decide for Christ, is an emphasis on something our Lord never trusted. He never asks us to decide for Him, but to yield to Him-- a very different thing. At the basis of Christ's Kingdom is the unaffected loveliness of the commonplace. The thing I am blessed in is my poverty. If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, then Jesus says-- Blessed are you, because it is through this poverty that I enter His Kingdom. I cannot enter His Kingdom as a good man or woman, I can only enter it as a pauper.
The true character of the loveliness that tells for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is priggish and un-Christian. If I say-- I wonder if I am of any use-- I instantly lose the bloom of the touch of the Lord. "He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow living water." If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life the implicit is never conscious; if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Scaife Family Values: Relationships

   We are surrounded by them- they are one of the first experiences we have- relationships. Our family, our neighbors, classmates, our Lord- all relationships we come to face in the course of our lives. In our house relationships are an important family value.
   Each of us learns at an early age that while some relationships are good for us, some are not. Experience often leads us to the hard truth-  some relationships should be limited or even severed. How are we to know? Our family has some guidelines to gauge our relationships on to help us determine whether they are profitable or destructive.

   * A good relationship is edifying; it should build you up- enhance your character. 'As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another' (Prov 27:17) Our relationships should challenge us to better ourselves; to build a better character to compliment our relationships.

   *A good relationships bears good fruit. In challenging us to better ourselves, there will be evidence of improvement. Habits, activities, and attitudes will bear the 'fruit' of those we spend our time with.

  *A good relationship has boundaries. Balance is important in all areas of our lives and in a relationship it is key. Contentment with our selves and our relationships shows our practice of good boundaries.

  *A good relationship honors God. His approval is the most important aspect of any relationship; if the relationship honors Him, He will approve.

   While this is not exhaustive, and different situations lend different considerations- this is where we start. Our emotions should never be the guide we use; pressure should never hold you to someone. Good relationships are built and grown- nurtured and proved.
   Today my heart prays for our family's relationships; that we would take the time to evaluate them and consider the path they are taking us to. I pray for the severing of destructive relationships and the construction of edifying, God-honoring relationships.