Rest? Sleep? Really? That's not funny!

"Penny for your thoughts."  Please leave a comment or a :-) below.  Thanks.

I start my day MOST mornings by reading "Our Daily Bread".  It's had short little devotions just long enough   for a cup of coffee and a good jump start from the Word of God.  As with any devotional, I can put little effort into it and make it a 5 minute devotion or dig a little deeper and stretch it out as long as I want.  Either way, what better way to start my day to focus on God?

Today's devo. came from Heb. 4:11-16.

This passage contains a much preached on verse:  "The Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword . . . "  Now I could really dig into that verse.  That's pretty powerful!  God is VERY active in my life . . . when I allow Him to be.  Just like any of my other friends and family, I've been know to not pay close attention to God when He speaks or get busy and not talk to Him.

The devo. could have gone on about God's Word being relevant for anyone and anytime.  Have you ever been in a Bible Study or listening to a sermon and thought God was speaking directly to you about one thing and later you found out your friend thought the same thing but neither one of you "heard" the same message? Amazing how that works, huh?

But today's devo. was focused on verse 15:  "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."  Pretty cool to know Jesus has "been there - NOT done that".  The illustration was about following a recipe to make the perfect cookie.  But life has no simple recipe, doesn't always turn out the way we thought it should, and WILL have temptations and heartaches along the way.  Trust Him with our tears and grief.

But did I pick up on any of those wonderful thoughts and lessons?  Nooooooo!  All I could focus on was PART of verse 11:  ". . . make every effort to enter that rest . . . "  This particular verse wasn't talking about sleep but that's all I could think about!  Sometime when life leaves me "burning my candle at both ends" I have to have a "wake up call" (yes, pun intended).  I have to remind myself every once and a while that "On the 7th Day God Rested" isn't just a message of "Remember the Sabbeth and Keep it Holy".  Yes, that IS the most important part of the message, but it's more than that.  God designed our bodies to take a rest - to "Be Still and Know that He is God."  How can a person KNOW anything when they're too tired to think?  Just like we put meetings and events on our calendars, it may be necessary to put "rest" on our calendars.

So, there you have it - I'm tired . . . and late . . .

Where's my calendar?  I need to write "something" in it!

Hashbrown Casserole

"Penny for your Thoughts" - Please leave comments or a :-) below.

This post shows the casserole without sausage but it's great with sausage!

• 1 - 32 oz. bag of Hash browns
• 1 - 16-24 oz. Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)
• 1 - package Ranch Dressing Mix
• 1-2 hand fulls of Cheese
• 1-2 lbs of Sausage (optional)

Mix all together.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes.

We eat this for breakfast often but we'll have it for a sidedish, too.  Yum!

A couple of things of beauty:

"Penny for your Thoughts"  Please leave a comment or a :-) below!

Just a couple of things of beauty today:

"Redirecting . . . Redirecting . . . "

"Penny for your Thoughts."  Please leave comments or a :-) below.  Thanks.

"Redirecting, redirecting . . . "  Have you ever wanted to just throw the map, phone, or GPS out the window?  I bet we've all "been there, done that".  (Well, I hope you haven't already DONE that!)  One time the GPS was trying to get me to drive off a cliff!  Did I do something to offend the GPS?  Why was it sending me off of a cliff?

Talk about the World Wide WEB!  My computer got stuck in a WEB of  "Redirecting . . . Redirecting" once - and it was not nice!  Several years ago when one of my kids was a preschooler, she came to me while I was getting ready and said, "Mommy, I can't get all of the squares to go away on the computer."  I said, "I'll fix it later.  We have to get to church."  By the time I got home my computer was such a mess it took me over 2 hours just to close all of those "Redirecting" boxes!  (I've learned how to fix that since then!)  I had to ask my daughter what all she saw.  I was sure glad at her answer of "money stuff" because that was NOT all some those little boxes were about!  In part of those little "Redirecting" boxes there was not "X" to close those boxes.  They just kept redirecting me where I did not want to go.  What a mess!

Yes, life is like that - constantly "Redirecting . . . Redirecting".  I didn't mean to sound like I was complaining last night but I must have been.  I made a comment about someone not showing up for a meeting where I was supposed help them, my husband "Redirected" me by saying, "Isn't that why they need help?"  Yeah, yeah, yeah . . .

If I'm getting "Redirected", how do I know if it's right?  I did a complete "180" change in employment 7 months ago.  How did I know that was the right thing to do?

⁵ Well . . . Prov. 3: 5-6 is my guide:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct^[a] your paths." 

I think God is telling me to "Redirect" today.  First my husband's "redirecting" last night and now I've already read, not 1, but 2 "redirecting" articles this morning.  Guess I better open my "spiritual eyes" and pay attention!  I sure don't want to be driving off a cliff!

Brownies with Candy in the Tortilla Warmer

My friend that started selling "Celebrating Home" should sell gym memberships, too!

I try not to cook dessert.  But ever since I purchased the "Tortilla Warmer", I sure have been eating a lot of brownies!

• 1 Family Size box of Brownie Mix
• eggs, oil, and water according to the box
• (I purchased 2 different kinds of brownies and they each called for different amounts.)
• Candy of your choice

Mix your eggs, oil, and water in the Warmer

Add the brownie mix.

The tough decision:  Which kind of candy to add?

We chose Reeses Peanut Butter Chips this night.

Microwave for 6 minutes.  No kidding!  Just 6 minutes!

Just needs the ice cream!

Now where did I set my glass of milk?

Show Himself Through Me

As I read "Our Daily Bread" this morning I couldn't help thinking "that's me".  I am not coming to you with "eloquence or human wisdom".  My prayer is simply that as I blog, God will show Himself through me.

I wish I had more to say today but I think that last line says it all.

Have a great day and my God show Himself through you, too.

1 Corinthians 2:1-5  (NIV)

2:  1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.^[a] 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. ³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

Broccoli Rice Casserole in a "Bean Pot"

Broccoli Rice Casserole

I have a friend who recently started selling "Celebrating Home" products.  I purchased a "Bean Pot".  My opinion:  It needs a different name.  I haven't made beans in the thing, yet!  Oh, well, they didn't ask me.

1 lb frozen broccoli

1 lb Velveeta cheese

2 cups minute rice

1 - 10 oz can of "cream of _____" soup

(I used cream of celery this time.)

2 cups water

Put all ingredients in the Bean Pot.  Stir.  Microwave approximately 6 minutes.

I just can't help taking a peek!  Stir and cook a couple more minutes.  It will be soupy when you first take it out of the microwave.  Let stand approximately 5 minutes.

Yum!  The longer it sets, the thicker it will become.

Great as leftovers, too!

Mid-life crisis?

Resolve:  "to convert or transform by any process" as in "To take up something new to keep the mind young, such as blogging."  lol

I'm turning 46 years old this year.  When I was in high school, one of my teachers said she was turning 40.  I thought to myself, "Well, she doesn't seem old.  Maybe 40 isn't old after all."  This week I've changed my mind, again.  Maybe 46 is when one turns old.  Nah!  But I have noticed that I don't move as fast and can't remember things like I once did.

Every year a friend of mine has a New Year's Eve party.  She has us make a list of our New Year's Resolutions.  This year instead of writing down a list, I wrote, "Make one new resolution every month."  After all, trying something new keeps a person young, right?

February's resolution:  Start a Blog.  So here I am.  I've talked about doing this for over a year.  But once I put it on my list - it got done!

Now . . . what to write about . . .

I'm not sure what all I will write about.  Pets?  Kids?  Family?  Running?  I doubt it will be about cleaning house, but if I do write about it, you better pay attention - it ought to be miraculous!  Cooking?  Maybe, but believe me - it will be SIMPLE!  I'm sure I'll write about my love for God - He's number 1 in my life.

Whatever I decide to write about . . . it will be "Jodee's 2 cents Worth".

Thanks for reading,
Jodee Whitworth  :-)

Here I go . . . !

Thank you, +Randy Allsbury for the encouragement.  Here I go . . . entering the world of blogging.  (My house may never be clean again!)