Category Archives: Restful Homes for Our Families

Words That Heal- Part 6

21 Wednesday Aug 2013

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lThe rain was heavy in Texas and everyone pitched in to shovel stinky fly covered manure.

Who knew mucking stalls could be such a cathartic experience. It was perfect timing after being on the receiving end of a hateful verbal assault.

The words stung and smelled and brought a bitter taste to my mouth as I breathed in the fumes of vitriol thoughts of another.

The pungent odor assaulted my nose and eyes as the scene flashed before my mind.

What happened to bring this upon myself?

Verbal offenses usually bounce off me, but this one stung.

The delivery was akin to vomit all over me.

In other words poor delivery, but yes I got the message.

How can I remove this branding from my brain?

What actually works to remove filth from your mind?

Unwholesome images and words the Lord does not want you to own.

Walking out the door before heading off to the barn, a dear friend

Linda Z. called and prayed over the phone with me.

I could hear the whipping pages of her bible as she spoke these words over me to our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Silence the ugliness…God your blood has set us apart. This is an opportunity. I surrender. Vengeance is yours. May truth knock them over. The words will not hinder nor rob Trish anymore. She is the daughter of a King and you dance over her. (Referencing Zephaniah 3:17) Trish has things to do for the Lord and she will not carry this with her. This is not for her she is in service to the King (Galatians 5) this thing before her is a horror movie and she will set no vile thing before her eyes. ”

Thank you Jesus.

We worked hard for about three hours filling wheelbarrows and tossing the contents over a cliff.

My back was not sore at all the next day.

It was exhilarating and my strength renewed.

 

 

*Today‘s blog is in honor of my dear friend Linda Znachko.

Linda ministers and touches lives all over the globe speaking and serving the Lord.

God illumines all she touches.

Her work exists to help make sure that every child receives a name in life.  Isaiah 43

heknowsyourname.org

Black-eyed Peas on New Years Day

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Looking for a recipe for prosperity and happiness in the New Year?

Psalm 1 is a place to start.

The Hebrew word ashrei, or blessedness comes from living out your life in accordance with God‘s will.

How do you know God’s will?

Everyday wake and immediately meditate on God’s word.  Praise Him!  Begin your day in adoration of  God the Creator of all.

Pray about it, pray the verse for anyone your Father has placed on your mind.

This morning I prayed for you and my family and friends.

Here’s how it sounded…. Happy are the friends who follow my blog, my family, my friends they who do not follow the advice of the wicked or take the paths of sinners.

Prosperity and happiness depends on your willingness to live in obedience to scripture.

But the humble will inherit the land and enjoy abundant prosperity.  Psalm 37:11 HSB

Humble in the Greek is translated poor in spirit — to be impoverished of self and concerned for the things of God.

What is God concerned about?

The world will tell you prosperity comes from a  cooked pot of black-eyed peas on New Years Day.  Our tradition in families differ, but cooking up a pot of these lovely legumes are a non-negotiable in southern families, ours is no different.  I’ve misplaced my cookbook so this is my twist on the tradition.

1 pound of black-eyed peas

Soak and cook a couple of days earlier tossing off the dirt (your old self) and discard any particles(regrets) in the water.

1 large can of chopped tomatoes

1 small onion finely chopped and sautéed in extra virgin olive oil.

1 large garlic clove finely chopped and sautéed in extra virgin olive oil.

Pepper to taste

Add a few small pieces of the leftover Smithfield Ham (Salt cured) before placing bowls on the table for your New Years Day Dinner.

Serve the simple dish with Udi’s gluten-free dinner rolls, and a salad.

Pull out all the stops with linens, candles, crystal and setting.

A humble dish and a table set for a King.

May you be favored and prosper in the New Year! May the Lord bless you in 2014 exceedingly and abundantly beyond your wildest imaginations!

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith.  Ephesians 3:14-16 HCSB

Thank you very much for taking the time to follow my blog in 2013. You have been a great blessing to me and I look forward to praying for you and  writing more in 2014!

Trish

 

The Wall Street Journal

16 Saturday Jan 2010

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                                                                                                                                                          makedomondays

Our friends, the Adams, in Tucson (fellow frugalista’s) delivered their WSJ to Todd’s office faithfully for four years, a true blessing for our limited budget. When we moved I was unable to find any fellow readers who would save their recycled copies for me.  I asked around, but  no Austin version of the Adam’s family surfaced, so for Christmas this year I asked for a subscription to the WSJ.  I put it on the list, and low and behold the week of Christmas my own copies of WSJ began  arriving to my great surprise and enjoyment, a true gift from my in-laws who understood how strongly I wanted that specific gift.  

The Adam’s were selfless, generous in fact, giving of their time by saving and carrying copies faithfully each week they were in town.  They saved our family hundreds of dollars over the 4 1/2 years we lived in Arizona by sharing what they no longer needed.  All family members lugged the Journal in their Sunday best as a gift to our family.

How does one overcome selfish desires?

Sometimes watching others give selflessly of themselves or something they enjoy like television is helpful.  The Adams, Rod, Mary and there three children are a living  example to our family.  In addition to sharing their news papers, all of them serve the needs of the poor, especially folks who have somehow been marginalized medically, and do so in all the corners of the earth, especially in Kenya.

Thankful for living examples of Christ’s selfless love,

Trish

 

Gator Cookies

16 Saturday Jan 2010

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Florida Gator cookies                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    fofCheck out these delicious Gator Cookies by Deb and Tony.

We were invited over to watch their football alma mater play in a bowl game.  A new talent of  discovered – the gift of baking Florida Gator cookies, beautifully and fanatically decorated using toothpicks, white, blue and orange pastry tubes. Check out the lovely free-hand Gators.   Alton Brown of the Food Network was the source of their recipe and the sugar cookies for the Sugar Bowl were delicious.

Here is an equally nice recipe by Marilyn Southard.

1 lb. real butter

1 egg

1 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. sugar

1 c powdered sugar

6 cups of flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter, egg, cream cheese and vanilla till fluffy.  Add sugars and flour.  Roll out and cut as needed into shapes… I love to cut this into squares to serve guests when they come for tea.  Bake 11-13 minutes.

Happy Food on Friday’s,

Trish

A Christmas Devotion

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My family was leaving a Chinese restaurant after lunch on Christmas Eve in 2006.  A little boy about 9 years old asked his Mom if he was Jewish?  She said “No!” and the boy shouted back “RATS!”
He then asked “What I am?”  Mom’s reply was too soft to hear.  It was a teachable moment as we backed our car out of the parking lot. I asked our daughter the same question — “Who are you?”
I knew even before she answered she would say “Child of God,” because over the years we have sought to share our Christian faith and heritage with her, so that she may know she is fearfully and wonderfully created by God.  The map to who we are, where we are and come from,  must be communicated to our children, our neighbors, and our coworkers, those in our spheres of relationships as well as others who are not.

The Christmas season the world offers is a Retail Christmas.  Though exchanging gifts brings great joy, without Christ at the center it will not lead us anywhere closer to the true essence of Christ and His message, but become a distraction at the very time of the year we set a day aside to celebrate Immanuel — God with us.  Bumbling along in a haphazard existence will give our children a life with no identity, no sense of who they are, and open them up to other’s values and beliefs, man’s way and not God’s way.  They will not have a map of life.

In Barbara Tompkins Mom’s Class last year we made Jesse Tree‘s ornaments.   Our family systematically read through the story of Christ and hung ornaments on a small pink feather tree as our Christmas decorations were all packed and ready for our move the Texas the next week.  It was a comical tree with a serious message in those Jesse Tree ornaments, the story of God found in the Bible, a message of

God’s love and provision of redemption found in Jesus Christ.   

We are all unpacked this Christmas, and instead of the pink feathered tree, we are back to our home-grown artificial tree as we again tell the story of who we are in Christ by telling the story of God and his redemptive plan of salvation.  Each ornament symbolizes an accompanying Bible story that, with the help of the book The Advent Jesse Tree, Devotions for Children and Adults Preparing for the Coming of Christ Child at Christmas (Nashville: Abington Press) directs us to a daily story from the Bible and provides songs of praise to sing as a family.

As Christmas arrives our anticipation is toward the greatest gift God has given the world — the birth of Jesus the Christ, God’s own Son, Immanuel — God with us.  The Scriptures read throughout the month show us The Way, providing a clear and concise map of who we are, the identity we have in our Lord Jesus, the hope of glory.

Resting in Him,

Trish

Vegetarian Refried Beans

19 Saturday Sep 2009

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 This week our church started reading Ann’s book “Not So Fast”.  We had a  lot of laughs as our leader Debbi Keller had us name off all our roles on any given day.  The small group  spent most of the time just  getting acquainted.  We will meet for the next ten weeks to discuss two chapters a week, and pray for our children.  Two of the Mom’s are vegetarian and from India. Interesting to hear their stories of having arranged marriages.  Looking forward to next week and developing friendships with all the women in the group.

 

 

 October Fest Carnival

 Rosh Hashanah is literally the head of the Jewish New Year followed by ten “Days of Repentance.”  I think of my Jewish friends on Jewish holidays and of the many blessings they bring into my life.  I have learned the importance of planning meals ahead of time for the weekend and lessons of their Jewish faith, both lasting gifts from Stacie, Elisa, Julie and Wendy.   They prepare dishes early on Friday mornings so they can enjoy their family over the Shabbat or Sabbath. 

Here is a simple, heart healthy starter dish you can prepare for your family in advance for the weekend.  Top off salads, fish or tortillas, convert to chili, or do or anything else you imagine for that matter:

Boil 2 pounds of pinto beans for 1 hour  and drain off the water completely

Saute in EVOO, one ice-cream scoop full of chopped garlic 

Chop 1/4 of a red onion and toss in with the onions

Slice off 1/4 of a fresh jalepeno

1/4 cup of Valentina Salsa Picante 

Combine all with drained beans in crock pot on low and add water to about 1/2 way up the beans

Put the top on and set for 3 hours on low 

 The beans will be quite dry the first time served, but after a day or so in the fridge they’ll be quite nice. 

Serve with fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and if your diet allows, La Morenita, Queso Fresco crumbled sparingly on the beans.

The only oil in the recipe to help justify the refried title is the extra virgin olive oil.

Cynthia Heald speaks on the Sabbath and rest in her new release this month.

“Jesus confirmed that the Sabbath, a day of rest instituted by God, was made for us (See Mark 2:27). Christians now set aside the Lord’s Day for worship, for our rest is not in a day, but in a Person. We are no longer bound by the Old Testament law to keep the Sabbath, but nevertheless I think that as we observe the rhythm of God, we would be wise to rest one day a week. I do my best to schedule one day where I do not have to do anything. It doesn’t mean that I sit all day and do nothing, but I avoid pressing appointments or obligations for that particular day. For me, at my season in life, it is a day for quiet, for extended time with God, or for time with a friend. I know what it is like to have children, activities, work, etc., but even with your family, do what you can to keep a day that is commitment free. I think that this is God’s way for us to manage stress – to stop and rest from our labor one day a week. ”  

                                                                                                                                       –  Cynthia Heald, Becoming a Woman of Simplicity,Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2009, pg.122, www.navpress.com

Rest up this weekend,

Trish

Being Too Busy Gives You Nightmares.

08 Tuesday Sep 2009

Posted by in Comedy, Restful Homes for Our Families

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Being too busy gives you nightmares.  Ecclesiates 5:3 TLB

Riding to church sunday morning I glanced in the vanity mirror and noticed I was sporting one gold and one pearl earring.  This occurred even with our Sunday morning devotion on “Becoming a Woman of Excellence” by Cynthia Heald.

Clearly I’m still in the becoming stage.

My nightmare is being in public with two different earrings on. 

 Time to slow down.

Trish

The Golden Anniversary

12 Friday Jun 2009

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Sunset

The Southards are arriving in Corolla, North Carolina for a very joyous occasion, Lee and Marilyn’s 50th Anniversary.

Marilyn starting coming to the Outer Banks in 1948,  she was ten years old.  She and her parents stayed at the Cavalier Motel.

Lee and Marilyn came on their honeymoon to the Outer Banks and stayed at the Whalebone Motel, in Whalebone Junction.  The motel had just opened and they were the first people to stay in it. 

They will celebrate by renewing their vows on Corolla Beach as the sun sets with their son, Reverend Todd Southard, officiating.  A private family dinner catered by “Kelly’s Outer Bank’s Restaurant and Tavern”  serving fresh from the sea favorites such as oysters, clams, shrimp, scallops, crab, sashimi, and the best of Kelly’s award winning delicacies will follow. 

They were married at First Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.  Marilyn Wood and Lee Southard met in Richmond on a blind date at DSC02686Lakeside Lake in the summer of 1957.  Since then they have raised four sons.  Lee is currently Chairman and Ceo of Vasogenix Pharmaceuticals and Marilyn had been very active with Stonecroft Ministries.  they are also big fans of their six grandchildren, Matt, Allie, Gabbi, Sabrina, Chase and Christian.  The Southards spend a great deal of their time supporting their endeavors. 

Congratulations to Lee and Marilyn and their commitment to each other through high tides, low tides, falling tides and rising tides.  

Don’t come in with an exit plan”  Lee Southard

“God must be the head of your household”  Marilyn Southard

              “A good sense of humor is very important”  Marilyn Southard

We are privileged to honor a rare and great faithfulness to God and to each other as husband and wife for half a century.

Reporting from Dolphin’s Watch,

Trish Southard

Make Do Silver and Copper Cleaner

25 Monday May 2009

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makedomondays

Friday morning, I worked diligently setting up my first baby shower here in Texas. I enjoy hosting women’s events, bridal showers, teas, birthdays, etc.  Ann has convicted me of making do and I did not have my copper or silver cleaner after our move from Arizona.  We were not able to move any cleaning supplies, so it was another case of having to make do.  I learned through a quick Google search that adding a cup of vinegar and a cup of salt to a large boiling pot of water would remove the tarnish from my copper tea kettle.  The instructions were so simple it was hard to believe: “Boil item in pot for two hours. ”  HAHA …are you kidding me?  Two hours later I was astounded to see my kettle looking presentable for the shower. 

I pulled out my silver and tried the same thing.  I learned in my search that I could line a pan with foil, pour baking soda all over the item and top off with boiling water to cover.  Once again I thought there was no way this could work.  I save foil because my husband’s grandmother who lived during the Great Depression taught me the value of reusing foil by cleaning and saving it.  I have a hard time reusing it, but I am persisting in my effort to honor her frugality. To my suprise yet again,  I waited and watched all the tarnish fall off a pan full of silverware.  How could this be?  Why had I wasted so much of my time in the past polishing?   

Thank you Ann Kroeker!  Making do is once again eco-friendly!

Hummus

15 Friday May 2009

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 The neighborhood book club met recently and our hostess Mary, passed out Tahini to all of us in the club as our starter.  My family really likes hummus, and we often nosh through serious amounts of it.  Yours truly decided to make a batch from scratch.  By volume it was more of a vat.  On the  wall of  my extremely talented friend Cecilia Tompkins ( my former Bible-study co-leader who also quilts, knits, embroiders, models in commercials, parents 3 boys and is a sewer extraordinaire) was her admission to  whipping up a batch.  What is a Mom to do?  Cuisinart some for the Southards.   Two hummus billboards showed themselves and I was up for the challenge.  Off to the HEB market, first to snag a few bags of various beans for the pantry and a bag of garbanzos (chick peas) for the hummus.  Our neighborhood book club read Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and we are encouraging each other to cook fresh items for our families.  The recipe we all used is from Magloubeh and the Great Diplomat.

                              “Start the Party ” Hummus

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas…I made my own as you’ll see below

2 tablespoons of olive oil…4 or 5 is better if you cook up a 1/2 bag of beans like I did

Juice of two lemons

3 cloves of garlic… I used prechopped and added 5 tablespoons

1/2 cup of tahini

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Salt to taste

 

Threw the beans in my crock pot and cooked them all day on low.  They did not cook thoroughly, very chewy, and for the last two hours I cranked the pot to high and the beans caught a few bubbles and softened finally.  Throw about 1/2 the beans in a large food processor and whirl away.  Add a few splashes of evoo, the rest of the above ingredients and serve with warm pita.  Rona Mertink brought by fresh radishes from her garden, a perfect companion for hummus,  and dip away.

Resting in Him, Trish