Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

Let’s Eat-Pot Roast

1 Sep

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Photo credit Google search and Sugar Spun Run

Anyone have a good pot roast recipe?  I can’t seem to make a good one for anything.  

My Mother used to make such a good pot roast…nearly every Sunday she would make one in her pressure cooker.  It was melt-in-your-mouth tender and tasty.  My Dad used to tease her that it was “no good…it just falls off the bone!”  But I never learned her technique for making a good pot roast.  I have a pressure cooker – I’ve tried several different cuts of meat – all to no avail! 

 My roasts are either dry or tough.  The only time I’ve made a decent pot roast was when I purchased one of those Rōmertopf clay pots that must be soaked in water for a while before using – lid included.  But I found it so much work that I didn’t think it was worth the effort.

Photo credit Google search and Rōmertopf

One of my Aunts made a great pot roast.  She always cooked it in her electric skillet, and she always used a chuck roast cut of meat.  She would coat it in flour then sear the meat in the skillet before covering it and cooking in slowly.  Yummmm!  Even trying it in my electric skillet, it still didn’t work for me.

Photo Credit Google Search and Presto

So I gave up on trying to cook my own pot roast.

However, that doesn’t mean I don’t like to eat a good pot roast!  When Fred and I would go to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, we always tried to eat at the Liberty Tree Tavern.  They had the best pot roast!  Slow roasted, they claimed, and it was delicious!  However, we haven’t found it there recently, much to our distress.  So we eat at other places now.

Photo Credit Disney Food Blog

Surprisingly enough, we have found a good pot roast at our local Culver’s.  Now Culver’s is essentially a hamburger joint – and their hamburgers are REALLY good – but they serve other meat dishes as well.  They have a good Reuben sandwich, but they also have a pot roast – either a dinner plate, or as a sandwich.  I would not have thought an eatery like that would have a good pot roast, but they do.  Fred and I frequently get the dinner and share it – it’s a lot of food!  And it comes with two side dishes, as well.

Credit Culver’s website

And recently we ate at our local Cracker Barrel, and found that they have created a new dish – Shepherd’s Pie with their signature Hash Brown Casserole on top.  It comes in a skillet, and is quite tasty.  While most Shepherd’s Pies that I have eaten are made with hamburger meat, this one is made with their pot roast!  Big chunks of the roast, along with onions, carrots, green peas, mashed potatoes as a bottom “crust” with the hash brown casserole on top, and melted cheese topper.  A dollop of sour cream tops it all.  Really good!  Rather than sharing it with Fred (which we will do next time), I ate half of it and brought the remainder home for my supper meal!  A footnote here – our daughter reminded me that a “true” Shepherd’s Pie is made with mutton.  After all – shepherds shepherd sheep, right?  I think I’ll stick with the pot roast!

Photo Credit Cracker Barrel website

I don’t know too many people who make their own pot roast these days.  I just wish I could make a good one.  Oh well, I’ll just have to enjoy the ones I’ve mentioned above.

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Hope in Praise

31 Aug

Guest Post

Rebekah Lyn

Reblogged from Rebekah Lyn’s Kitchen

The words we feed into our brains have tremendous power. When we listen to words spoken in anger, filled with venom and hate, we begin to feel angry ourselves. Even if we just have the television or radio on in the background, without paying attention to what is on or being said, the same sense of anxiousness and anger rises within us. Conversely, if positive, kind words are being spoken in gentle tones, the emotional temperature of a room will cool.

I probably had a subconscious awareness long before I consciously noticed the change in myself. In high school, I was in the marching band and I made a Friday night mix tape I would listen to before football games to get me excited for the night and the show we would perform during halftime. In college, I used music to help me study, recalling specific songs that played as I prepared for a test helped me remember the information I needed.

In my late 20s, I went through a troubled period where I was listening to a lot of songs full of angst and anger, but I also discovered a new Christian radio station that I would occasionally tune into. It took several years, but as I listened to Christian music more often, I noticed I didn’t enjoy the other music as much. I could physically feel my body and emotions change when I listened to those songs I had found so comforting before.

In the Psalms alone, praise to God is mentioned over 150 times. Shifting our focus from the troubles of the world to the greatness of God, the Creator of all things, brings a positive change to our state of mind. For a period I suffered from migraines and often even the medicine didn’t help dull the pain, but if I played praise music, I noticed the pain would fade away. I quickly uploaded all my favorite Christian groups to my iTunes library and created playlists to have the songs that spoke to me the most in one place.

Don’t ask me what my favorite song or group is. That changes depending on the season I find myself in. The group that has been part of my collection since I first found that Christian radio station is Casting Crowns. It’s hard to believe they recently celebrated twenty years together as a band. I still remember the first time I heard “Who Am I?” as I drove into work. It feels like only months rather than years. The very first Christian musician that seemed to see right into my heart, though, was Al Denson. I discovered him at a youth conference when I was in junior high school and played his first cassette tape, Stand Up, so much it finally fell apart. Fortunately, I had found a way to record it on my computer because that album was never made into a CD.

God created us to be in relationship with Him and to sing His praise. When your mind and heart are filled with the words of encouragement God has for us every day, it becomes difficult to harbor anger. Whether I’m stuck in traffic or feeling overwhelmed by a difficult decision, I only have to turn on the local Christian station Z88.3, choose one of my Pandora playlists, or pop in one of the CDs I still carry in my car, and I enter the presence of God. Singing to Him reminds me that He is still in control and has a plan for my life. That brings hope like nothing else.

Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people. Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad on their king. Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to Him with timbres and harp. For the Lord takes delight in his people; He crowns the humble with victory. Psalm 149:1-4

I’ve started curating songs on Spotify to share with others. Whether you need encouragement or want to sing praise for how great the Lord is, you can find links to both playlists on my resources

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Mastering Homemade Yogurt: From Thin to Creamy Greek Style

30 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Have you ever made yogurt? Until recently I had no desire to make yogurt. In fact, I thought people who made their own were a bit obsessive. I was sure it would be a difficult and time consuming process.

Then, a couple of years ago I began reading about people making yogurt in an electric pressure cooker. It sounded simple, except that the pot I had didn’t have a yogurt setting and the setting instructions for my machine twisted my brain.

The idea of making yogurt still tickled the back of my mind. When a friend gave me her Insta Pot, I decided to give it a try. My first attempt wasn’t good and I ended up discarding the yogurt.

Several months passed and every time the Aldi grocery store was out of the Greek yogurt I preferred, I would think about making my own.

I read up again on making yogurt. I found the website Frieda Loves Bread, and it had excellent instructions on making yogurt using Fairlife milk. I also found a recipe for making yogurt on a Keto website I follow. Between the two sites, I decided to give it another try.

The way I understand yogurt, there are two ways to make it, one way makes a thin yogurt and the other makes a creamy Greek style one. Since the Greek style required an extra step, i decided to make the thinner one.

It was very simple with only two ingredients, Fairlife milk and Fage yogurt.

I had accidentally bought a 52 ounce bottle of 2% milk and decided to use it in the experiment. I poured the entire bottle into the Insta Pot, then measured out one tablespoon of the Fage Yogurt which would introduce the needed active bacteria, added it to the pot and whisked it together.

I put the lid on the Insta Pot, turned valve to sealing and then pressed the button labeled yogurt. The machine immediately displayed yogurt and 8 hours. That was it.

Eight hours later, I tentatively removed the lid and peered in. The yogurt was supposed to appear “set.” and it did! The instructions said to put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I left it overnight. When I tasted it the next morning it was very good!

Fairflife milk sells for around $5.00 for the 52 ounce bottle. A few weeks later I found it on sale for $2.98 a bottle! We were planning to leave shortly for a month in Florida but Fairlife has a long expiration date and would keep until we returned. I bought four of them.

Once we returned home, I decided I wanted to try making the thicker Greek yogurt.

I was feeling intimidated about straining the yogurt so I went to the ever helpful You Tube.

There were a lot of videos on how to strain whey from yogurt, unfortunately each video presenter had a different straining method. One video was done by someone who lives in her RV. She strained the yogurt using cheese cloth over a strainer, then tied the ends together and hung it from a cabinet over the sink and let it drain.

I decided to just go for it. After the Insta Pot did its part, I placed a large wire strainer over a bowl and lined it with cheesecloth. Then I carefully began to scoop the yogurt into the strainer. It almost overflowed. I gave a sigh of relief when the strainer and bowl were safely in the refrigerator.

The recommended least amount of time to chill and drain in the refrigerator was four hours but I would be sound asleep by then, so I left it overnight.

I had some misgivings before putting the yogurt in the refrigerator. I had expected the liquid whey to immediately begin draining but I saw less than one half cup. In the morning I was delighted to see almost a quart of whey in the bowl. As I scooped the finished yogurt into a bowl, it was so thick I could barely stir it. One of the videos suggested adding back some whey until the yogurt was the desired thickness. I stirred some whey in and it worked.

The yogurt was creamy, smooth and delicious.

    I will definitely make yogurt again. How about you, do you make yogurt?

    Here is the link for Friedalovesbread

    I'm a winner

    After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I leaned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

    In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

    My 2024 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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    Let’s Eat!-Part 11

    25 Aug

    SUNDAY MEMORIES

    Judy Wills

    As I mentioned last time, we have a standing Monday supper meal with another couple.   I’ve previously mentioned some of the places we like to eat  .Another favorite to eat is Italian…well pizza anyway.  There is an eatery in downtown Kissimmee called The Italian Joint where we used to go occasionally.

    Photo Credit:https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-italian-joint-kissimmee

    They make the best pizza – they add garlic to the finished pie before serving it – and it’s delicious!!  Unfortunately, they have stopped opening on Monday evenings, so that is out for our Monday evening meals   However, there is another pizza place in downtown Kissimmee, called Broadway Pizza.

    Credit Google search and Broadway Pizza website

    We meet there occasionally, and enjoy their pizza as well.  Pam and Richard usually get something other than pizza, but Fred and I almost always share a 10″ pizza.  It is so good I could probably eat a larger one, but we are trying to keep our eating in hand.  Boy! is that hard to do!!

    Occasionally we all eat at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, but only upon occasion.  It is a bit noisier than other eateries, and that bothers us all, as we want this time to be a time for conversation.  The food is “okay” but we like other places where we eat better.  So we do Cheddar’s only once every couple or three months.

    So those are about the only places we eat together with Pam and Richard.  We used to eat at Subway a lot, but Fred doesn’t want us to eat that much bread – you know…carbs…so we don’t eat there very often 

    Credit Google Search and Subway website

    Unfortunately…I happen to thoroughly enjoy their sub sandwiches.  I remember when I was going through chemo that almost nothing appealed to my taste buds, but the turkey sub at Subway.  It was almost a daily occurrence.  I think that’s one reason Fred doesn’t like to eat there…I burned him out on it.

    Another sandwich shop where I like to eat (again with the bread, so Fred isn’t too thrilled with eating there) is a Mom and Pop store called Paul’s Deli.  It is a ways from our house, and deep into Kissimmee, so that’s another drawback for Fred.

    Credit Google search and Paul’s Deli website

    It is a family owned and operated business, and their subs a GREAT!  They have a special for lunch that is half-a-sub with your choice of meats and cheeses, with all the toppings you want.  Hot or cold – take your pick. Really good!

    Credit Google Search and Paul’s Deli website

    This looks like what I get for the lunch special.  Yummmmm

    Pam and Richard got us onto this place some years ago and it is their regular Saturday lunch meal.  The place closes at 4:00 p.m., so it’s not an option for our Monday supper meals together.  Shucks!

    Back in June, 2021, I wrote up a blog about one of our favorite BBQ places in town.  Of course we love 4Rivers, and it is close to us.

    Credit Judy Wills

    But Mission BBQ is about a 30 minute drive away from us, so we don’t get there often.  But we thoroughly enjoy going there.  It is a little different bbq than what 4Rivers offers, and we enjoy the difference. 

    Credit Judy Wills

    On the rare occasion that Pam is off work one day, we like to take them to Mission BBQ, and we all enjoy it.  Mission dedicates their services to the first responders as well as military – active duty and retired.

    Credit Judy Wills

    We almost always get a free dessert – occasionally one for each of us.  At one point in time, we purchased large drinks and kept the cups.  If we bring them with us each time, we get free drinks and refills.  That is just a great place to eat.

    ~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

    Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

      Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

    After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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    Observations on Voting and Housing

    22 Aug

    On the Porch

    Onisha Ellis

    Update on voting

    The voting results are in and most of the ones I voted for won. There were a few disappointments but time will tell how they all perform. Proof not promises has long been my standard. The yard with the most signs which included some I definitely did not vote for, now has a sign for my preferred candidate for president. Interesting.

    I remain puzzled at the dearth of signs for local candidates. Have we become intimidated or simply lazy? It will be interesting to note the amount of signs displayed for the November 5th elections. Will the trend continue?

    Destroying forests.

    On another topic, housing. I would never wish to live in an apartment, much less ones like I see on the television.

    Photo credit: WordPress AI

    Just looking at the above picture I feel a claustrophobic affect on my breathing. Yet as I was walking our grand dog this morning my heart ached as I observed the progress being made on a new town home subdivision. So many trees simply demolished. The machines appearing to me as giant monsters.

    Speaking about the grand dog, he was weird this morning. We are in Florida and it is hot. Usually he is quite happy to come inside after taking care of his business, but this morning, he was not at all interested. He sat on the hot concrete of the driveway staring at the street. No idea what that was about. Was he sensing an earthquake and wanted to be outside? That would be a first. Inside, he continues to stare outside.

    Grand dog Ollie

    It’s almost time for us to return to the North Carolina mountains. I look forward to the cooler weather, but will miss our friends and the sweet familiarity of our home town.

    I'm a winner

    After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

    In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

    My 2024 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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    Sons and Daughters Destined for Glory

    19 Aug

    My Take

    DiVoran Lites

    Romans 8:14

    The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the holy Spirit. You did not receive the Spirit of religious duty, leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the Spirit of full acceptance, enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection. Beloved Father! Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, You are God’s beloved child!

    Photo Credit:Pixabay

    DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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    Let’s Eat!-Part 10

    18 Aug

    SUNDAY MEMORIES

    Judy Wills

    Previously I mentioned that we have a regular, standing Monday evening supper appointment with some friends.  We try to have that meal at a different place each Monday.  There are some places that none of us like to go to, and it has essentially boiled down to about five different eateries where we go.

    One of those places is Azteca d’Oro Mexican Restaurant.

    Credit Judy Wills

    It is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Orlando, and there are a lot of Mexican restaurants in town!  The food is consistently good, and we have come to know most of the hosts/hostesses and servers…perhaps not all by name, but surely by sight.  We get smiles, hand waves, and occasionally a hug from them.  We have our favorites, of course, but they are all good.  On the day where we eat there for supper, we don’t go there for lunch.  However, Fred and I enjoy going there for lunches some days.  They make the best guacamole I think I’ve ever eaten.  It has taken me all these years of marriage to get Fred to try guacamole, but he now enjoys sharing it with me.  He had the mistaken idea that either mayonnaise or some such condiment was in it (blech!), but I was able to convince him that just wasn’t so. Once, when I had been sick but was feeling some better, I asked that my entire meal be their “large” guacamole dish – instead of a small dish, it had three “scoops” of it.  That has become my favorite meal there  They have a wonderful appetizer, queso dip, served with warm tortilla chips..  I tried once to make that my meal, and decided it was entirely too rich…for that.  It is much better shared as an appetizer among the four of us.  And then, of course, there are the warm chips and salsa to munch on while waiting for the entrees.

    One surprising fact about Azteca, is that it originated in Seattle, Washington!  Our store originally had a plaque with all the names of the cities where there was an Azteca d’Oro located.  As a matter of fact, Fred and I ate in one when we were visiting Seattle some years ago.  Same menu – same delicious food.  

    Back on November 10, 2013, I wrote a post titled Wood Inlay.  In it, I described a wood inlay Aztec calendar that Azteca d’Oro had on their wall.  They remodeled a few years ago, and have removed that wood inlay, much to my sorrow.  It was unique.

    Credit Judy Wills

    We four occasionally go to Culver’s for supper.  We all like the eatery, and there is quite a choice of what to eat from their menu.  It is, essentially a hamburger joint, but they are delicious!

    Another choice we all enjoy is Outback Steakhouse. 

    Credit Outback Steakhouse website and Herve Andrieu

    Not only are their steaks really good, but they have an entree called Alice Springs Chicken.  Grilled chicken topped with sauteed mushrooms, bacon, two kinds of melted cheese, served with a side of the best honey/mustard sauce I’ve ever had!  Yummmm! 

    Credit Facebook

    Their salads are great, and their hamburger is also wonderful.  We’ve given up on the Bloomin’ Onion, as it’s just too much good along with the entrees.

    They used to have a dish called Bloomin’ Petals, which is smaller than the Onion, but have discontinued it.  Unfortunately.

    ~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

    Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

      Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

    After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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    Election Season

    15 Aug

    On the Porch

    Onisha Ellis

    It’s election season in Florida.

    The mailbox is stuffed with colorful and large campaign cards, all promising their person to be the best candidate for the job. Or declaring to us why someone is the worst candidate for the job.

    Photo credit: Me

    Since the presidential candidates have been decided, we are now in the throes of the battle of the locals, mayors, commissioners, judges, school board and other assorted elected positions.

    I confess I have no idea for whom I will vote on August 20th.

    I miss the time when meeting candidates was simple. Towns would hold gatherings in a mall or other neutral space and candidates would explain why one should vote for them. People were nice. No yelling or slinging slurs.

    My modern method of choosing a candidate begins in my car. Yes, my car. As we drive through neighborhoods, I take note of yard signs, in particular, the yards with multiple signs. If the yard has a sign for a candidate that I know I wouldn’t vote for, I probably won’t vote for any of the candidates whose signs are there. Weird, I know, but it’s a starting point.

    Photo Credit: Blogspot.com free to share and use.

    Unfortunately, this year there aren’t many yard signs. I’ve only been able to eliminate 3 candidates. I guess I’m going to have to read all those mailings and pray for Divine wisdom.

    Do you have any unique methods to determine your vote?

    Be sure to vote in your local elections!

    I'm a winner

    After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

    In addition to blogging, I’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

    My 2024 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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    Be Still Means Stop Striving

    12 Aug

    My Take

    DiVoran Lites

    Photo Credit:Pixabay

    God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us. Who could defend us better? The God of Israel (our personal God)

    See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Because God is our refuge (fortress and strength, we need not fear. Even when natural disasters strike (Ps 46:2-3.) 

    Even during national conflicts 

    The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us. Who could defend us better? The God of Israel is our fortress. What better protection could we have? God is also working to end all wars. He will win and be exalted in the end, which will surely come. 

    The nations will be still and know He is God; it means they should stop striving and lay their arms down. God will fight and eventually end all conflicts. Isaiah 2 is a parallel passage describing the latter days when metal will be used for farming and fishing tools, not weapons. We can personalize this psalm by remembering that God will fight our battles. Stop striving and know that He is God our refuge and strength. 

    Almighty God, I run to You for refuge; I depend on You for strength, remembering to let God fight our battles. Stop striving and know that He is God, our refuge and strength. 

    Almighty God, I run to You for refuge. I depend on You for strength. Help me to stop fighting for my rights and let you be God! I rest in you. 

    DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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    Let’s Eat!-Part 9

    11 Aug

    SUNDAY MEMORIES

    Judy Wills

    Fred and I really enjoy eating out at lunchtime (me especially since I don’t have to cook anything for lunch!).  It’s a habit we’ve developed over the years.  We have a standing dinner engagement with another couple on Monday suppertime, and so Mondays we do sometimes eat at home for lunch.  Suppers are usually eaten at home.  

    Occasionally we eat out for breakfast – not very often, but sometimes.  Our favorite place for breakfast is Cracker Barrel.

    Credit Cracker Barrel website

    Their choices for breakfasts are amazing, although we do have our favorite.  When we usually eat there for breakfast, it is on the days that we have “fasted” in order to have blood drawn at our primary care physician’s direction, early in the morning.  We are usually quite hungry after that ordeal, so a breakfast at Cracker Barrel is something to look forward to…and we do!  Our favorite is Mama’s Pancake Breakfast.

    Credit Cracker Barrel website

     It includes two eggs fixed the way you like (scrambled is our favorite), either bacon or sausage (I am NOT a sausage fan!), and three large pancakes with butter – and we have them put chopped pecans in the pancakes!  Yummmmmm!  Not don’t get the wrong idea here – we split that meal and it is PLENTY for both of us.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

    But, back to lunches – another reason we like to eat out at lunch rather than supper/dinner, is that the portions are usually smaller and the prices are smaller as well.  One of our favorites is Culver’s. 

    Credit Culver’s website

    It is a hamburger joint that started in Wisconsin, and has made it’s way down to Florida.  We had our first taste in Illinois when we visited our Karen and her family, and were hooked.  We were quite excited to find them building down here.  They really make good, fresh hamburgers with all the fixin’s.  But that’s not all – they have a great pot roast, either dinner plate or sandwich.  Tasty, and melts in your mouth.  They have a great chili, except that they use kidney beans in it, which my body rejects, so I have to pick them all out before I can eat it!  But not only are their hamburgers the best, they are known for their “custard.”

    Credit Culver’s website

    It is fresh-churned within each store, and is more like a soft-serve, which I really like.  They have a “flavor of the day” each day, and they keep experimenting with different toppings and flavors.  However, my favorite is just vanilla with hot fudge topping.

    We frequently eat lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse

    Credit Longhorn Steakhouse website

    While their menu isn’t terribly extensive, we do have our favorites.  Their salmon is aMAZing!!  They marinate the salmon in bourbon before grilling.  WOW is that good! 

    Credit Longhorn Steakhouse website

     And since I’ve bragged about Culver’s hamburgers, I have to admit that the “steakburger” at Longhorn’s is wonderful.  It is 8-oz of  meat (before cooking) and is about ½ inch thick.  It comes with shredded lettuce (Romaine), sliced onion, sliced tomato, cheese of your choice and an amazing sauce!  I always ask for extra sauce it is so good.  All that and a vegetable.  Mmmmmm.

    Longhorn Steakhouse also has a shrimp entree that I thoroughly enjoy.  There are four shrimp on a skewer, grilled, then spread with a sauce that is lovely.  For lunch, there are two skewers.  It is served over rice and then another vegetable.  Frequently I skip the rice and get two vegetables.  Really good.

    Credit Longhorn Steakhouse website

    And I must not forget to mention that they serve warm bread with butter.  It is a multi-grain bread loaf, and is quite good.  Just a filler before the real food arrives.  We usually try to skip the bread unless we are having nothing but soup that day.  And their soups are great.  Fred likes their loaded potato soup, and my favorite is their French Onion soup.  It is almost as good as the one I make!

    ~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

    Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

      Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

    After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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