please don't blow away

A few weeks ago it was so windy I felt like I was going to blow away if I didn't hold onto something or root my feet in a solid position. At that moment I felt the Lord gently speaking to my heart, lovingly, yet intentionally. I thought I'd share what He impressed on my heart with you here.

Please don't blow away. Please rest in my love.

Psalm 1:1-4 "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, not sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His Law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields it's fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away."

I am fighting for you even when it might not feel like it. Hold tight to Me. I can't save you unless you reach out for Me.

Hebrew 4:16 "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

James 4:8a "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

I know you're tired and feel like giving up. As long as you keep trying to live this life on your own, you will never survive.

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

I know that you have doubts and that your faith is weak. I'm not asking for you to know all the answers, I'm just asking for you to believe. Do you believe?

Mark 9:20-24 "They brought the boy to Him, When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21 And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22 It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" 23 And Jesus said to him, "If you can?" All things are possible to him who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief."

I want so badly for you to have joy in Me and not allow your circumstances to dictate your joy. Circumstantial happiness will kill you, My joy will give you life. I didn't save you so your life could be miserable, I came to give you joy. Are you willing to take a risk?

John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

John 16:24 "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full."

I love you so much you can't even imagine.

My lack of faith and unbelief keeps me from experiencing the joys that the Lord longs to give to me and my self efforts keep me from allowing the Lord to lead me where He wants me to go.

a little bit of this and a little bit of that

Little projects around the house are truly never ending. Our bigger project is our little yard. Extending the patio, leveling the ground, laying sod, and digging the dryer vent out from the ground so that it can vent properly. This has been a very slow project over the last few weeks as time that is lacking and the weather won't coordinate their efforts for us.





This is really Ryan's project, but I do try and help. First Ryan had to tackle the roof since the gutters were clogged and the roof growing moss. Ryan's back took the brunt of the pain as it soaked up the sun for three hours. The picture truly does no justice to how burnt this man's back really was.

I am enjoying the season as I pull out my gardening gloves and dust off the watering pot. In a few week I will plant some flowers in the front. For now, I have planted four herbs from seeds, parsley, basil, oregano and thyme. The parsley (my least favorite) is doing great while the oregano seems to be non-existent. I have never planted from seeds before, so I'm not sure if I'm doing it right. We'll see how it goes.

I also started some flowers from seeds that I friend gave me in these little pots that I got at Ikea. It will be fun to see how those turn out too!

Last night I fixed a new recipe that I made up and it was really good. And, since it was so easy and fast it's my kind of meal! Plus, Ryan was kinda drooling over it, so it's a keeper for sure! I'll share it with you.

Chicken Pesto Pizza with Mozzarella Cheese, Red Bell Peppers and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients

One 12 oz. ball of store bought pizza dough

One Chicken Breast

One Red Bell Pepper - cut into slices

Sun Dried Tomatoes - cut into bit size pieces

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - about 2 cups

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

2-3 T. Pesto Sauce

Olive Oil

Shredded Parmesan Cheese - about 1/2 cup

Preheat over to 450 degrees.

1. Season Chicken Breast with salt, pepper and lemon seasonings. Cook through. Let cool for 5 minutes. Shred chicken.

2. Roll Pizza dough on a floured board until fairly thin. Place dough on greased pizza pan. Rub with a small amount of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and lemon pepper.

3. In medium bowl mix shredded chicken with 2-3 tablespoons of Pesto Sauce. If it seems dry, add a little olive oil. Salt & Pepper to taste.

4. Layer chicken on pizza dough, then add shredded mozzarella, then layer with sliced red bell peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Top with parmesan cheese.

5. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.

That's it for now!

tea and mendelssohn

On some, but not too many cozy winter nights, you might just find the Doucet's looking something like this...


I love these times together. Dinner has been had, the dishes have been done and the house tidied. Although it is rare that our evening schedule would allow for even an hour of times like this, when it does, it might just be the highlight of my week.

With our favorite tea in the cosy and Mendelssohn playing in the background we set off to embark in an evening of, well, reading, reading and more reading.

Ryan's heavy reading load for school, I have learned will never be done and that is why I have learned and am learning to embrace our life as it is now. Somehow, I have a feeling that in the not too distant future I will be in a different season of life and will find myself wishing for these evenings of tea and Mendelssohn once again.

In these moments that we share together, everything just seems to come into focus. The clarity of the music allows our minds to be focused and our hearts calm as we work, dream and create. Even now as I listen to the works of Mendelssohn, there are so many notes that come together in such a way to create something so beautiful. Alone, or without proper composition, the piece would not make any sense.

I think this is the part where I draw the cheesy analogy of how marriage can be compared to the great works of Mendelssohn playing itself out in perfect harmony. This is also the part I've been stuck on for the past month...
While I can't help but see the comparison between a beautifully orchestrated piece of music and the harmony I often feel in my marriage, I also must say that as with the works of any great musician, it does not and will not come without great patience, practice and instruction.

I'm sure any married couple would agree with me that sometimes marriage can sound more like a two year who is peering over the keys of the piano just hitting his chubby little fingers over and over again on the same awkward combination of notes. This is not a pretty sound. But, with proper instruction and practice, this little two year old might just grow up to be Mendelssohn himself.

So on nights like this I enjoy the harmony of life where there exists such clarity not only in the music that is playing but the music of our life as well. I know we have a lot to learn and pray I will always keep "practicing". I am so thankful that marriage isn't just between two people, but instead between husband and wife and God who created marriage. I love when Paul says in Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus".

So with that, I'm off to do some more practicing!