Time Capsule

Joining Lisa-Jo for Five Minute Friday again, and this week is her birthday!! Head over to www.thegypsymama.com to wish Lisa a happy birthday, or read what other folks are writing. This week the prompt is "Older."

I remember, years ago, my younger self made a "time capsule" box for my older self. A time capsule filled with different things that were special to me. My Grand Champion horse pedigrees; a bead bracelet in bright neon colors, the first one hand-made on my beading loom; and a letter written to myself 10 years later. A decade doesn't seem like all that much to me now, but a decade is a lifetime to a little girl who is 10. 

I'm pretty good with following rules, so like a good girl I waited to open that time capsule until the proper time (so maybe I peeked once...). When I did open it I was surrounded by memories of my childhood. I remember how, as a 10 year old, I very naturally assumed that when I was 20 I'd be just about perfect. It makes me smile now, but at the time I figured that the eradication of temptation, bad habits, and a multitude of other annoyances would SURELY be accomplished after TEN YEARS. From my 20-something perspective I've still got a ways to go. 

As much work as God has left, I know that God is the one doing it--he who has begun a good work in me will bring it to completion. He is walking with me, and every day that I spend with him brings me closer to him. I may not ever obtain in this life the perfection my 10 year old self so blithely assumed, but I know that I am daily being molded into Christ. I also know that one day the work will be complete, when I am with Christ. And that's about as good as it gets. 

Zaycon--Last Call

At the risk of being repetitive, this is quick reminder that the deadline to order your box of Zaycon Ground beef is tomorrow. This beef sells out quickly. Last time Zaycon hosted a ground beef event I intended to order, but waited till the last day and missed out. While none of the locations are sold out now, if you are planning to buy I recommend making your purchase this evening.

If you missed my previous post about Zaycon Ground Beef events, check out this post and it will have all the details: Zaycon Beef Event @ Love Lifted Me.

Dreaming castles

My man and I have done a lot of dreaming this week. A LOT of dreaming--all of it starting with just a grain of reality and then built into a absolutely beautiful castle in the sky. I know all the dreaming probably won't end up being reality, and that's really okay with me. It isn't reasonable to expect all castles to come out just the way we've planned them in our head. I've just enjoyed the freedom we have to build those lovely castles together.




191. Lots of little girls that need to be occupied, just at a time when I'm free. Maybe time for a Keepers program? A dream castle long standing.

192. Walking through a fabric store again, dreaming of possibilities (the last time was before I was married!)
193. Fabric for not one new dress, but TWO

194. sewing again, after a year off
195. Anniversary planning

196. An offer of help in packing--gladly accepted!
197. A tasty meal with family
198. watching the droopy leaves of a houseplant perk up after getting water
199. The first few boxes-packed
200. My hamster, Kitty Strunksworthy the First

201. ALL the laundry DONE (well, except folding, but still! It was a great work!)
202. Happy memories packed in boxes (and the anticipation of UNpacking them in just a month
203. Resolution

204.  A new morning
205.  dreaming with my man
206. Castles in the sky

New: Five Minute Friday

Joining The Gypsy Mama again for Five Minute Friday. As a recap of the rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Get a little crazy with encouragement for the five minuter who linked up before you.

START

New—for me it's what life is right now. New.

There is the new home in less than a month. A new place to live—I've lived in one town for over 20 years of my life. And now I'm moving to a new town. It's close to the old one, true. If I get lost, at least I can (in theory) find my way to the old roads to find the new place again. But it's different. It's new.

There is the new stage of life, marriage. In less than a month we'll celebrate our first anniversary. We'll eat that cake that's been waiting in our freezr since the wedding 11 months ago (will it still be good? How will it taste? What flavor of cake did we have, anyway? And have we really been married such a short time that it's possible that a cake kept in the freezer could still be edible?). Marriage doesn't seem new anymore—after the first 6 weeks we felt like we'd been married all our lives. But for as long as it feels, it hasn't yet been a full turn around the sun.

New can be a scary thing—you never quite know if "new" is going to be new-good or new-not-so-good. New means change, and change is just like that. It's an adventure, but all the best adventures have moments when everything seems to go awry. Thank goodness that with God, noting new is a surprise! If he holds our future, a God of love, of compassion, of tender-loving-kindness, we don't need to be afraid of changes. And, in a way, I suppose that makes all new, "good new."

END

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bagel

One of my hubby's (many) favorite foods is Smoked Salmon. I'd never heard of smoked salmon before we were married, and so one day when we were shopping together he saw a pound of it for a good price and tossed it in the cart along with a bag of bagels.  I was leery of the idea--smoked or not that salmon looked raw to me. But I'd promised him I'd try anything once, and he called me on it.  My hubby fixed breakfast the next morning, and despite my dubious reaction to the whole idea I found it to be quite tasty.

Smoked Salmon Breakfast Bagel


Ingredients:
(All measurements "to taste")
Bagels
Cream Cheese
Onion, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced
Capers
Smoked Salmon


Divide bagels into round halves. Spread each half with cream cheese. Sprinkle a few capers across the top. Place a few thinly sliced onion rings on top of each bagel half, and one slice of tomato. Spread one thin piece of smoked salmon over top. Enjoy!!

 

Want to take five minutes with me and share what you found? Want to just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. Here’s how we do it:

1. Write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing.

2. Link back to Gypsy Mama and invite others to join in

3. Go and tell the person who linked up before you what their words meant to you. Every writer longs to feel heard.

The prompt today is:

Beauty…

Beauty in the waking up after a "driest-7-months-on-record"  drought to the pitter-patter of rain on the roof.

Beauty is realizing that you have a friend who is "closer than a brother."

Beauty is the surprised joy of forgiveness, unexpected or looked for.

Beauty is housework, accomplished.

Beauty is an hour spent in the early morning with my Lord.

Beauty is family loving each other, despite each other.

Beauty is the little acts of God, his love letter to us.

Beauty is acceptance--without the expectation to "measure up."

Beauty is the kiss my husband gives when he walks in the door after a long work day.

Beauty is a letter, both sent and received.

Beauty is a sacrifice made for love.

Beauty is a gift purchased--the "perfect" gift--and the anticipation of giving.

Beauty is Love--pure and simple

Zaycon Beef event

Zaycon is having another Summer Savings event!! My husband and I have participated in the last two Savings events sponsored by Zaycon, purchasing chicken breast in bulk. The Chicken breast was stellar quality--hormone free, delicious, inexpensive, and wonderful quality. I purchased 40 lbs at both savings events, and wished I'd purchased more!!

Now Zaycon is back, this time with beef instead of chicken. While I have never tried their beef before, if the quality of their chicken breast is any indication of what to expect with their beef, this is a deal you don't want to pass up!! Zaycon typically does their deals once or twice a year depending on demand, so this will not be available again till next spring or fall.

The deadline to order is Wednesday, August 24th, and they typically sell out before the deadline. If you are planning to purchase, don't put it off!!

I have copied the information below:

Zaycon Summer Savings Event

Fresh 93/7 super lean ground beef

Zaycon is now taking orders for fresh 93/7 fine ground beef at the following locations:

Plano, Mesquite, Prosper, Lewisville, Arlington, and Fort Worth.

Our fresh, flavorful, 93/7 super lean fine ground beef is only $2.79 / lb for a 40 lb case.

We wanted to share with you what some of our customers had to say about this product when we offered it in April.

“Without a doubt the best ground beef I have ever eaten!! When will that be coming to Ellensburg, WA again? Wow....So good!”


“I picked this up on Tuesday in Mesa, AZ. We have used it a couple of times now and wanted to give you some feedback. This meat is excellent! I will definitely buy again.”


“Now this is a super deal!!! Since I switched to 90% or more on beef, I have never got it this cheap!!! –-TX”


“I received the ground beef from Arlington Texas 2 weeks ago. My husband is kicking himself that he only let me get 1 order. It is the BEST beef we have ever had and now will be the only beef we ever buy.”

Log in to www.zayconfoods.com to decide when and where you want to pick up. Don't wait because we expect to sell out very quickly. Deliveries will begin August 26th.