my hot cocoa

 1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

2 tsp powder coffee mate

2 tsp vanilla syrup

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

6 packets of stevia, or whatever sweetener you prefer

Add dry components to boiling water, mix till dissolved, add syrup and heavy whipping cream, stir well, pour into a clean cup.  The cocoa powder can get messy.

Northshore Hawaii Horse

 

Tomato Bean Salad

What you need:

1 Can of diced tomatoes
1 Can of navy beans
1 Tbsp of mayonnaise
couple shakes of pepper
couple shakes of cumin

Optional ingredients:
1/4 cup of diced red onion
1/4 cup of corn
any other seasonings you like

What you do:

mix it all up, voila!

The Best Advice You Can Ever Receive

A piece of advice that is better than any self help book, motivational speech, seminar, pep talk or whatever is this: Spend Quality Time with God.

Spending time with God, especially when you first wake up, is the best thing you can do for yourself.  Praying and asking your Lord to guide, direct and bless your day is better than coffee, a good breakfast, more sleep or anything else that gives comfort and pleasure.  The Lord, our Maker, knows us and knows what is best for us.

The Lord Jesus Christ knew fully well the importance of spending quality time with the Heavenly Father.

Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Psalm 65:2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Psalm 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

You may say, "I''m not a morning person." Which ever time works for you as long as you are connecting with the Lord is what matters.  The time of day or night doesn't matter.  It has to be meaningful.  Turn off distractions, separate yourself for a time and have real communion with Jesus.  If it means something to you, it will mean something to him.

Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

It has taken many years for this to sink in.  The more I seek God and pray, the more time spent with him, the more I realize how much I need his grace, mercy and love in every corner of my life.

May this be an encouragement to you.

Illinois Beach State Park, Lake Michigan

Shelby

She likes to check out my coffee.

Swiss Melt

What you need:

2 slices of bread
2 slices of swiss cheese
1/4 lb hamburger patty
a few tbsp of butter

what to do:

cook the hamburger patty
melt some butter on the skillet
put 2 slices of bread with 2 slices of swiss cheese on one side
put cooked patty on the cheese side
put both sides together and cook to desired doneness
place on paper towels to remove excess butter
enjoy

Pachira Aquatica (3 years old)

Still going after 3 years

First photo

Seek the Lord

Deut 4:29

Duet 12:5

1 Chron 16:10-11

1 Chron 22:19

1 Chron 28:8-9

2 Chron 7:14

2 Chron 11:16

2 Chron 12:14

2 Chron 14:4

2 Chron 15:2

2 Chron 15:12-13

2 Chron 19:3

2 Chron 20:3-4

2 Chron 30:18-20, all

Ps 119:2

Put Me to Sleep

Stories to put me to sleep.

There was a cat named Banna that was so fuzzy and had a sleepy eye. Her eye looked like something was wrong with it but it was fine, it was just more sleepy than the other eye.  Banna lived and slept in a garage with her litter mates and mother and father.  She was about eight weeks old.  When people would come by the house to pick out a kitten to take home, Banna would wear the sleepy face.  Did she do this intentionally?  This is a mystery, we just know that it was kind of cute that she had a lazy right eye lid.  Plus, she was so fuzzy.  As if she just climbed out of the dryer without using static cling dryer sheets.  Did I fail to mention she was a black and white specimen.  Most of her litter mates were black and white as well, but she was the only one that was fuzzy, you see. 

Friendliness and enthusiasm were not some of Banna's traits.  Often times people would pick her up and she would try to get away.  She just wanted to sleep the day away.  So that is what she did, she slept.  If she wasn't sleepy, her eyes were very heavy.  Looking at her would also cause you to feel drowsy.  She had that look like she as driving down a long quite and boring highway in the rain.  The soft and peaceful, glad you are inside, warm and dry sense you have when it is raining while you are driving. 

Banna had a lot of dreams in her sleep.  She would dream of pebbles, piles and piles of pebbles. A mountain of orange and tan pebbles.  They feel so smooth and cool on your toes.  The pebbles are damp like it rained recently.  Beaches, Banna dreamed of walking slowly on the beach to find a place in the sand to fall asleep.  The gentle low crash of the waves coming in and going back out to sea was enough to blissfully put you to sleep.  The warm sand and sun make your eyes heavy as you lean your head back.