love, bj

MY CROWN OF THORNS...

THIS IS A RE-POST that I like to do at least once a year...
and  CHRISTMAS TIME seems to be the RIGHT time of year

Some very good friends in our church group gave this CROWN OF THORNS plant to me several years ago.
It was so small that it was planted in a butter tub.

It was soooo tiny. I've kept it in a sunny, Southern window, watered when dry, fertilized lightly so as not to burn it and FINALLY, it has a few, little tiny red flowers on it.

 This all just serves as a reminder about our relationship with Jesus Christ...
 The more we care for it, the more it grows into something so beautiful.

Just look at those wicked thorns !! They always make me think of the CROWN OF THORNS our sweet Jesus wore and it reminds me of all HE went thru for you and for me.
Just the thought of this brings tears to my eyes. I always...ALWAYS, feel I never give enough back to HIM.

Such tiny little flowers and such HUGH thorns...
.I wonder if I keep putting it in a larger pot if it will continue to grow larger and larger; like the way HE puts us in different places in our lives that make us grow stronger in HIS spirit.

Every thing I've read about this pretty plant says the flowers will be tiny in size and few in number; like the Christians of God's great world.

We are growing in number by leaps and bounds. It just thrills me to death each time I see a new bloom on this plant...
the same feeling you get when you see a new Christian being born in the love of God.

I have the urge to give this plant twice the fertilizer it should have so there will be many more of the beautiful, red flowers. I'm afraid I'll kill it, tho, so I try to refrain from using too much.

Just like when I want to PUSH someone towards God but I know if I take it slow and easy, it will happen, through the Glory of God.
I do love this plant, thorns and all.......I do love our Savior, through the good times and through the bad.
                                                                                 
Just to know, beyond A SHADOW OF A DOUBT, that HE is ALWAYS beside us...through those good and bad times, makes me want to try harder and harder to GIVE BACK more of myself to HIM.
...to walk closer with Jesus Christ is my goal  EVERY SINGLE DAY.

**

Every spring, I move this pot outside and it just grows and grows...

*

*
This summer, my CROWN OF THORNS has been so beautiful..
As long as I nurture it...water...feed...trim...give it the right amount of light,
it continues to give me much pleasure...and it will, from now on, if I take care of it.
*
We have to nurture our relationship with Jesus..water and feed it...give it the right amount of light, in other
words,
 WALK CLOSE WITH HIM...
and HE will continue to bless us more than we ever have imagined..
**
Please make it YOUR goal, too, to have a closer  relationship
with our Savior, Jesus Christ..
Of all the things in this life and beyond,
HE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
HE IS OUR ALL.
**

I am linking with
RUBY TUESDAY
OUTDOOR WEDNESDAY
REDNESDAY
THANKS TO ALL THE HOSTS..
LOVE, bj

                                                     

THEY SAY (WO)MAN CAN NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE...

I'm not so sure about that .....

I am pretty sure I COULD , indeed, live on

HOT, HOMADE BREAD very easily...

*

PENNY that lives in THE COMFORTS OF HOME

made some of the BEST looking bread which she called

PAIN ORDINAIRE.

(Basic Bread)

*

Loving bread as I do, I just had to try it, too.

Penny didn't leave me a recipe so I googled

a recipe that sounded good....and easy...

and VERY few ingredients.
HER bread looked MUCH prettier
so I will beg her for that recipe..:))

*

I followed the recipe to a T..

*

Using my brand new BREAD HOOKS

that came with my new BLACK and DECKER

hand mixer.

OH HONEY...

The best, strongest, most heavy duty hand  mixer, ever !

I love it....(i don't get out much)
*

Here it is...

in all it's rising glory...

Oh, I do hope it rises.!

IT DID....not sure it rose enuf....but,
it did rise..
had a great texture...

APRICOT jelly, jam, perserves
is probably my very favorite...

and when I can have it with
fresh, homemade bread...
well....
I'm just in heaven.

This bread had a wonderful taste and I will make more for the holidays.

I'm sure it freezes well, too...

I am linking with

MOSAIC MONDAY

SHOW OFF YOUR COTTAGE

Thank you, ladies, for hosting.

A small collection....

I don't ever remember a  conscious thought of

"GOSH...I really want a collection of TINY...WHITE...PITCHERS."

First of all, I generally don't care for anything TINY...

well, I DO like tiny babies...

but you know what I mean..

The sad thing here....

THIS ISN'T ALL .....

*sigh

The taller pitcher in the back is one that was given to me from my mother....

long, long ago...

All of the pitchers I have came from

flea markets

garage sales

mostly thrift shops....

The first few I bought were for my sweet sister in love...

...she collected them.

but...

when she died, they were all given back to me.

I keep rubbing this tiny little gravy boat...

it looks like a genie

could come out, in a cloud of smoke...

legs apart...

arms crossed

 and

grant me 3 wishes....

I just LOVE playing around with my photos in PhotoScape...

I love this focus point on my NOVEMBER rose..

...just a focus on the clock...

THIS is fun, ya'll.

You can do some awesome things over there...

Mr. Sweet brought this rose into the house just a few days ago..
and, we've had several FREEZES..

I can use some of the tiny pitchers beneath my tiny cloche

for a little festive decoration....

....add a little holly and a red and white ribbon and ANYthing is festive. !!!

This November rose is especially for you, BEVERLY.

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE CAKE

in a CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUST...

OH HONEY

MAYBE we'd like this beneath the cloche  instead.?

FOOD has always been my favorite cloche theme....

*

so so easy to make...

just use the recipe on the super market CHOCOLATE cookie crust...

:))

Linking with SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

(her theme is COLLECTIONS this week..and she has the coolest things

themed each Saturday)

PINK SATURDAY

(she always has a VAST amount of PINK for you to delight in.)

FAVORITE THINGS SATURDAY

(some AWESOME favorite things to see)

SEASONAL SUNDAY

(a delightful meme that can cover a lot of things)

BITS and PIECES of THANKSGIVING..Past and Present

THANKSGIVING...

a time to reflect....

and to count our many blessing..

One of the main things I love at THANKSGIVING and CHRISTMAS

is a fruit salad...

We'll be making one soon..

probably at Christmas time...

***

Our menu from 2009

Mr. Sweet prints better than anyone I've ever known...

I just can't find enough good, strong words to thank GOD for all my blessings.

I thank HIM every single day, in my humble way.

HE must understand my simple prayers and thank yous because

HE continues to send blessings to me every day.

THANK YOU, LORD..

FOR OUR MOST BEAUTIFUL FAMILY...

**

2010

Getting my hutch all beautified for the grand occasion..

I thought about using my WHITE plates with black and white napkins but

it didn't give me the look I was after.

I'm using lots of textures for my table this year...

...more natural elements.....

exposed wood of my dining table...(this is very new to me..I've always used cloths)

REAL pumpkins

REAL leaves from our trees...

burlap

natural basket weave place mats..

I am searching hi and lo for linen napkins...

...the vintage cream ware dishes with our earth's bounty on their rims.

I find myself loving the naturals  I see on blogs..

in catalogs (Pottery Barn, to be exact...:))

in magazines..

I am so thankful for so many things...for EVERYthing.

I'm thankful for the memories I have of a

wonderful mother and daddy.

 

I still miss them so much...

and I'm thankful for the beautiful quilts and other things

Mother left for me ...

Now, I can share a little of her with my children and grandchildren.

I AM THANKFUL...

I'm very thankful for a comfortable home...

Oh.....

and if you're in the neighborhood...

stop in for a piece of

RASPBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE..

I'll leave the light on for ya....

♥♥♥   ♥♥♥   ♥♥♥

i am very thankful for YOU and your beautiful friendship....

Linking with
TABLESCAPE THURSDAY
VINTAGE THINGY THURSDAY
SIMPLE PLEASURES
THANKS TO ALL THE HOSTS.