Chocolate Poppy

My cousin Pam, over at Savoring the Sweet Life, is an amazing photographer. Today's post is all about the Coulter's Matilija Poppy. I told her that I would post a picture that I took while touring the Hershey Gardens last month of a Chocolate Poppy. I find it so amazing that the Coulter's Matilija Poppy and the Chocolate Poppy differ so much in color, but the petals are so simlar in texture!

Psalms 4-6

So I've been reading the Psalms each day this week, I make a post about them each morning and blogger doesn't post them for some reason.

I'm hoping that today it will allow me to post chapters 4, 5 and 6. I won't be able to post chapters 7 and 8 this weekend since I will be photographing a wedding on Saturday and Sunday I'm heading to the NASCAR race at Loudon, NH!!

Psalm 4

A David Psalm

¹ When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, you gave me room;
Now I'm in trouble again: grace me! hear me!

² You rabble—how long do I put up with your scorn?
How long will you lust after lies?
How long will you live crazed by illusion?

³ Look at this: look
Who got picked by God!
He listens the split second I call to him.

^4-5 Complain if you must, but don't lash out.
Keep your mouth shut, and let your heart do the talking.
Build your case before God and wait for his verdict.

^6-7 Why is everyone hungry for more? "More, more," they say.
"More, more."
I have God's more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day

^7-8 Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together.

Psalm 5

A David Psalm

^1-3 Listen, God! Please, pay attention! Can you make sense of these ramblings, my groans and cries? King-God, I need your help.
Every morning
you'll hear me at it again.
Every morning
I lay out the pieces of my life
on your altar
and watch for fire to descend.

^4-6 You don't socialize with Wicked,
or invite Evil over as your houseguest.
Hot-Air-Boaster collapses in front of you;
you shake your head over Mischief-Maker.
God destroys Lie-Speaker;
Blood-Thirsty and Truth-Bender disgust you.

^7-8 And here I am, your invited guest—
it's incredible!
I enter your house; here I am,
prostrate in your inner sanctum,
Waiting for directions
to get me safely through enemy lines.

^9-10 Every word they speak is a land mine;
their lungs breathe out poison gas.
Their throats are gaping graves,
their tongues slick as mudslides.
Pile on the guilt, God!
Let their so-called wisdom wreck them.
Kick them out! They've had their chance.

^11-12 But you'll welcome us with open arms
when we run for cover to you.
Let the party last all night!
Stand guard over our celebration.
You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers,
for decking us out in delight.

Psalm 6

A David Psalm

^1-2 Please, God, no more yelling, no more trips to the woodshed.
Treat me nice for a change;
I'm so starved for affection.

^2-3 Can't you see I'm black-and-blue,
beat up badly in bones and soul?
God, how long will it take
for you to let up?

^4-5 Break in, God, and break up this fight;
if you love me at all, get me out of here.
I'm no good to you dead, am I?
I can't sing in your choir if I'm buried in some tomb!

^6-7 I'm tired of all this—so tired. My bed
has been floating forty days and nights
On the flood of my tears.
My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears.
The sockets of my eyes are black holes;
nearly blind, I squint and grope.

^8-9 Get out of here, you Devil's crew:
at last God has heard my sobs.
My requests have all been granted,
my prayers are answered.

¹⁰ Cowards, my enemies disappear.
Disgraced, they turn tail and run.

Mercy - from MckMama

I LOVE MckMama's blog, www.mycharmingkids.net. She is an amazing photographer and has 4 ADORABLE kids - and on top of all that, she's an amazing writer!

I've been following Stellan's story for some time now. And I LOVE the nicknames she's given her kids, Big Mac, MckNugget, Small Fry and MckMuffin (Stellan).

Yesterday MckMama posted about her husband's (MckMama affectionatly calls her husband Prince Charming) love for ice fishing and how all his ice fishing gear was stolen (even the bob house!!!!) when he left it on the frozen lake to drive a drunk man home.

You have to read the whole post to see how Prince Charming handled the situation.

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/2009/06/mercy.html

I would love to say that I would act the same way Prince Charming did in this situation, but I know I wouldn't. I would have let the police take care of the situation.

Prince Charming is a good man, we all have something to learn from this story!

15% Off at The Container Store When You Use Click & Pickup

15% Off at The Container Store When You Use Click & Pickup

Shared via AddThis

Reading the Psalms this summer

So my church has put out a challenge - to read 1 Pslam a day during the summer. We get most of our prayers from the book of Pslams so why not read 1 prayer a day! It's a cool challenge!

I thought that I would do this with everyone - so I'll post 1 Pslam a day until we're done. There are 150 Psalms, so I suspect this will take us well through the fall, but that's ok.

A few years ago for Christmas I received a new Bible from my Mom. This version is called "The Message" and it puts God's Word in an easily understood format. So that is the version I'll be using here. I really love this Bible, although this bible doesn't number each verse all the time, instead it says that this next passage is verses 1-6.

All the passages will be taken from BibleGateway.com

Since I started this on Sunday, I've read Pslams Chapters 1, 2 and 3...so I'll post those 3 Pslams in this post and starting tomorrow it'll be 1 Pslam a day until we get to the end of the book!

Psalm 1

¹How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.

^2-3 Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.

^4-5 You're not at all like the wicked,
who are mere windblown dust—
Without defense in court,
unfit company for innocent people.

⁶ God charts the road you take.
The road they take is Skid Row.

Psalm 2

^1-6 Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth-leaders push for position,
Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers:
"Let's get free of God!
Cast loose from Messiah!"
Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing.
At first he's amused at their presumption;
Then he gets good and angry.
Furiously, he shuts them up:
"Don't you know there's a King in Zion? A coronation banquet
Is spread for him on the holy summit."

^7-9 Let me tell you what God said next.
He said, "You're my son,
And today is your birthday.
What do you want? Name it:
Nations as a present? continents as a prize?
You can command them all to dance for you,
Or throw them out with tomorrow's trash."

^10-12 So, rebel-kings, use your heads;
Upstart-judges, learn your lesson:
Worship God in adoring embrace,
Celebrate in trembling awe. Kiss Messiah!
Your very lives are in danger, you know;
His anger is about to explode,
But if you make a run for God—you won't regret it!

Psalm 3

^1-2 God! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms,
Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery:
"Hah! No help for him from God!"

^3-4 But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

^5-6 I stretch myself out. I sleep.
Then I'm up again—rested, tall and steady,
Fearless before the enemy mobs
Coming at me from all sides.

⁷ Up, God! My God, help me!
Slap their faces,
First this cheek, then the other,
Your fist hard in their teeth!

⁸ Real help comes from God.
Your blessing clothes your people!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Poppy Seed Chicken

My awesome cousin Jenn gave me this recipe a few months after she married Pepper and was pregnant with their first son (they now have 4 boys and live in ALASKA! In August they are heading to New Zealand for 6 months!). This easily became one of my favorites when I moved to New Hampshire in 2004 but I haven't made it in a LONG time! Mainly because hubby HATES sour cream.

Anyone have any substitutes for the sour cream in this recipe? He also doesn't like yogurt (which I put on my tacos and in chili in place of sour cream) or cream cheese.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Poppy Seed Chicken
3 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup

Topping:
1 stack of Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter
2 T Poppy Seeds

Directions:

Place chicken breasts into a baking dish. Mix the sour cream and soup and pour over the chicken and sprinkle on the topping.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes (or until chicken is fully cooked).

I like to serve this over egg noodles with some string beans!

Trip to PA - Part 9 - Puppies

My sister has 2 ADORABLE puppies, Phoenix and Paris. They are about 2 years old and came from the same litter.

After sister's race, we took the puppies down to the neighborhood park to run around and we let them go into the stream where Phoenix played in the mud and Paris actually ventured out into the water. We thought she got stuck in the middle of the stream at one point but sister was able to coax her back to dry land.

Here are pictures of Mom and Sister trying to hose off the puppies.

Sister and Phoenix before his bath.


It takes 2 of them to hose off Phoenix. He really hates the hose....Mom is holding Paris's leash who is over sitting by my feet.


Paris's turn! Mom did it on her own while Sister took Phoenix around the yard to dry off.


Puppies rolling around in the grass getting dry! Paris is the golden color puppy and Phoenix is white and tan.


And this picture was taken a few hours after their walk to the park and stream. Sister was taking a nap and Phoenix was protecting her. Last year when sister had her abdominal surgery, Phoenix would lay as close as he could to sister to protect her from anything - he knew she was sick and would just lay there to comfort her.


These dogs have been a real blessing to my sister. I love my niece and nephew!