Small Town Life In Big L.A.

How To Make A Pumpkin From A Book!

We did it!!! Last week our Christian Women's Fellowship got together for a night of fellowship and crafting fun, transforming our old paperbacks into one of a kind, keepsake pumpkins!

First, preparing our room and hearts to hear from the Lord, we lit pumpkin scented candles, played soft music, read from the Bible, and listened to messages on transformation & thanksgiving. In the same way we were transforming a book, God promises to completely transform those who belong to Him. Good news!

There is nothing like fellowship in the Lord. It's a very simple thing. God uses His people to exhort and encourage one another.

There's something about a candle in a Mason jar that warms the soul.

Food and breaking bread is part of our fellowship. Sylvia's Pumpkin Roll was almost too pretty to cut...but we did.

Highway Highlands Farm Hot Pepper Jelly from the Montrose Harvest Market over cream cheese with crackers...divine!

This crockpot has been with me since the 80's! This night it held a new recipe: Hot Spiced Apple Tea made with superior, flower studded, Prince of Wales tea.

Here's our pumpkin sample. Can we do it?

The buzy bees gettin' to work.

 

1st step: using an exacto knife to shape the pages into a pumpkin.

Enjoying Pumpkin roll along the way!

Next step: painting the edges of the book.

 

 

Gourmet touches: adding a stem and leaves...burlap is so on trend!

 

 

It's not everyday that we use a saw in a women's meeting. LOL!...or carry knives for that matter.

Ohhhh! Love this pumpkin!

Mary S even hand stamped tags for us to help us remember to be thankful for what God has given us, especially those things we tend to take for granted.

Nice pumpkin Crystal!

Browned pages from an old book made Sylvia's pumpkin extra special!

I am thoroughly enjoying my pumpkin! It brings a smile to my heart and is a reminder of a lovely evening! Thank you Mary S for your generosity and teaching us a new craft! That was so much fun!

Adding Etiquette to the Mix

One of the joys of blogging is being able to write about things that are dear to your heart. When you read advice about starting a blog "they" tell you to have a central theme. There are blogs all about baking, Christian living, home decorating, crafting, and the list goes on. This blog is about what it's like to follow the Lord and live a "small town" life in a big city. I like to write about the various things I enjoy as the mood strikes. One of those things is etiquette and manners. It is borne out of a quest to be other minded, inspired by my favorite books of Proverbs and the Timothys.

I have lived long enough and been in a variety of corporate, business, community, and church leadership positions to see the effects of both gracious behavior and that which is otherwise. I am motivated by Bible verses such as these:

" I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all those who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly, and dignified in every way. This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 2:1-3

God is a God of peace and order and He calls us to lead a life that is worthy of respect. There are countless scriptures on being other-minded, which is honoring others above yourself.

I first became enamoured of this subject many years ago when we witnessed the behavior of a Christian family we were getting to know. We were fairly new Christians then and had invited the couple and their four small children to our home for dinner. Being a childless career couple we weren't used to entertaining children in our home. We were so impressed with the manners these children had, the way they obeyed their parents, and knew their place. They were quiet and orderly and such a joy! They were raised not to be the center of attention and to be respectful of adults. I had never seen anything quite like it. Come to find out, their church had been teaching a program called "Growing Kids God's Way". It was a 17 week course that involved a weekly video, manual, homework, and discussion with the goal of teaching parents how to raise children that others would enjoy. It was filled with practical information on what to do and how to train your children to act around others. We were so moved by what we saw that we purchased the program for our church. Even though I didn't have children myself, I learned so much about God's ways, manners & etiquette and practical ways to teach them. I have gotten to watch those four children, now five, grow up and produce the good fruit of lives that honor the Lord and His people. What a lifelong lesson it has been to behold!

Titus 2 says older women ( like me) are to train the younger women to love their husbands and children. I hope in the coming weeks and months to share practical ways to live out our Christian lives so that we may do what is good and pleasing in the eyes of God and in the way we are towards His people.

 "To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
³ to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴ to give prudence to the simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the youth—
⁵ Let the wise hear and increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶ to understand a proverb and a saying,
    the words of the wise and their riddles."   Proverbs 1:1-6

 

 

 

Making Pickles!

  

This week our Christian Women's Fellowship got together to learn how to make pickles. We met in the church parking lot to carpool over to Crystal's house. I was the first to arrive and enjoyed staring at this amazing sunset view from my car window. This is the very backdrop you will see in movies such as Night of the Hunter and it's right behind our church!

The evening started with a potluck featuring several delicious dishes including these crab topped cucumber rounds and...

India potatoes and spinach.

The food was so good most of us had seconds. After enjoyable conversation we moved into the living room for our lesson on gentleness.
Now it is PICKLE time!

We decided to pickle some other veggies too.

That ought to be enough!

We grabbed our 1 Qt. canning jars and began filling them with kosher salt, broken bay leaves, coriander seed, dill seed, a garlic clove, a dried red pepper, fresh dill, pickling cucumbers, and water. It's important to pack the jars tight so the pickles don't float. 

Here's how the jars looked. All you do is store them in a cool, dark place, lift the lids once a day to let the air out, and in three days they are ready. Some important tips are:

* place each jar in a dish because liquid will bubble out during the fermentation process

* make sure everything stays covered with liquid so it doesn't mold  

As a bonus Crystal gave us starter and showed us how to make delicious homemade yogurt too. It was such fun and I can't wait to try it here at home.

Here's the pickling crew. We are so proud of our pickles and will always remember this special night. Thank you Crystal!!!

 

Chatsworth Lake Church Women's Christmas Fellowship

 

It was a chilly Christmas night as we gathered for our 3rd Annual Gifted Christmas.

Our time starts with prayer and then the feasting begins. This year we served party foods.

The Jalepeno & Berry Compote we sell at Mountain Rose Gifts was a big hit, served over cream cheese.

Goat Cheese with sunflower seeds, drizzled with honey.

Ana's Cheescake Squares

Warm Bean Dip.

Greek Yogurt Dip

Potato Tomato Casserole With Fresh Bay

Next was sharing a message on ENCOURAGEMENT, " Let us not neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but ENCOURAGE each other ALL THE MORE as you see the day approaching" (Hebrews). Those that know the Lord and have had their sin removed by the power of His blood have an eternity in heaven with the Lord and His saints to look forward to. Encourage means to lift up, to give hope to. It is getting our minds off ourselves and being aware of others. It can be as simple as eye contact and a smile...a kind word...a thank you.

This night we further encouraged each other with gifts. Everyone brings a gift they would like to receive. We place them under the tree and then draw names. It's so fun to watch them being opened.

Our evening ended with Lynette reading "A Cup Of Christmas Tea". A fine night with my sisters in the Lord.

Our Women's Fellowship Gifted Christmas

Chatworth Lake Christian Women's Fellowship

Last week we all piled into my home for our second annual Gifted Christmas celebration. I LOVE getting and giving presents so I look forward to this each year.We started with dinner, Italian Artichoke Chicken with Sherry and Pasta, Little Italy Salad with Parmesan, Oregano dressing, Sesame Bread Ring, and Old Fashioned Sherbet Punch. After a relaxing time of food and fellowship it was time for our story, A CUP OF CHRISTMAS TEA, beautifully read by Lynette. This best selling story tied into our message from 1 Corinthians 1, how God uses the simple things to confound the wise. He came in a lowly manger, not with all the empty "flash and dash" of the world. Pam did such a good job reading the Word for us. This is one of her gifts.

Presents!

Then it was time for our gift exchange. Each woman brings a beautifully wrapped gift that she would like to get and puts it under the tree. We put all of our names in the hat, draw out 1-3 names at a time, and watch as each one picks a gift from under the tree and opens it. It's SO MUCH FUN!

Sylvia's Lemon Strawberry Cream Roll

In the midst of the gift opening we had one of the best desserts I have ever tasted in my life. And that's saying something! This year Sylvia outdid herself. That is also saying something, as she is one of the most talented chefs in our church. We also posed for our annual Christmas portrait. Crystal did the honors this year. She took a great pic don't you think!

What a blessing these women are in my life. I thank God for them!