Amazing Blueberry Pie

Thanks a bunch to Mr. Vann, I ended up with a good gallon ziploc bag full of free blueberries. Sweet. sweet. deal! For the past couple weeks, he had been telling my mom "Come pick blueberries..." So Tuesday afternoon she picked me up & we drove on over to his house. All three of us had a container and we picked to our hearts content. I wish we had room to store 70 lbs of berries like Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home. But our little freezer is already filled up with mostly corn, zucchini, and homemade freezer jam. :) Maybe one day we'll get a BIG freezer. But for the time being, my heart is very content with my gallon bag. Right now they're all washed up, sitting in our fridge - I spent time yesterday removing stems, leaves, a couple spiders, and such. ;) I also took 2 cups of the berries and turned them into a very tasty pie - "the best blueberry pie I've ever had," according to Tony. Oh, how I love to please him!! :)

Amazing Blueberry Pie
{a shayna.loves.tony creation}

* A pre-baked and cooled pie crust (I used this recipe and baked it for about 18 minutes)
* 8 oz cream cheese, softened
* 2 cups of mashed blueberries (I used the blender)
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 6 Tbsp cornstarch
* 1 cup water

1. In a medium saucepan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the mashed berries and water; stir.
2. Over medium-high heat, cook and stir until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep stirring for a minute or two. You want it to be a thick jam consistency. Remove from the heat and let it cool.
3. Stir the cream cheese until soft and spread it onto the bottom of the cooked and cooled pie crust.
4. Pour the cooled blueberry jam mixture on top of the cream cheese.
5. Refrigerate for a few hours and "Wa-La" - you have an amazing pie!!

Bele Chere 2009 // Psalm 72

Proclaiming Christ alongside 15+ evangelists,
in the darkened heart of Asheville, priceless.

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!

May the fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!

May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!

For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!

May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!

May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed!

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!

Just 5 Books

In response to this giveaway at Pastor Justin's blog ~ If I were going overseas for three years and could only take 5 books (in addition to the Bible), which would they be?

1. A Christian Directory {Richard Baxter} - This is volume 1 of "The Practical Works of Richard Baxter." And it is just that; very practical. Spanning over a million-and-a-quarter words (nearly 1,000 pages), you can imagine that it covers quite the array of topics. I agree with Dr. Timothy Keller, that it is "...the greatest manual on biblical counseling ever produced..." And since Baxter spent over 15 years compiling it, I can surely not exhaust this "practical sum of theology" in a mere 3 years.

2. The Family {J.R. Miller} - Originally published in 1882, this little book is a gem that I can read over and over again. "Its aim is to mark out the duties and responsibilities of each member of the household... in hope that its pages may carry inspiration and a little help to those who desire to do faithful work for God within their own doors." It never fails - my heart is always exhorted, encouraged, and stirred to the point of tears. I love the manner in which it is written and I love that the inside cover is inscribed with sweet words from my sweet husband, commemorating my 23rd birthday.

3. Christ in the Camp {J. William Jones} - I have not yet read this book, but it is on our to-buy list. "This is one of the few books on the War which shows the working of the Holy Spirit in the midst of suffering, chaos, and judgment. From 1861 to 1865, many thousands of soldiers professed Christ as their Savior and Lord, and many more were renewed in their commitment to serve God in camp and battlefield." I think this book would serve as a great reminder to God's providential hand through all of history.

4. Pushing the Antithesis {Greg Bahnsen, edited by Gary Demar} - Teaching presuppositional apologetics, this book has been a very helpful aid in defending the faith against all opposition. Whether that be an atheist on a college campus, a confused catholic, or a humanistic school book. Christianity is the only consistent worldview!

5. Death by Love {Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears} - I have read a couple chapters of this book online and have listened to the sermon series that this book is based on (more than once). It is looking at the Cross from all different angles giving the "real-life implications of Jesus' death on the cross for those who have sinned and have been sinned against." Great truths that I must be continually reminded of.

This week

some time was spent...

reading / "Sense & Sensibility" by Jane Austen, "Week-day Religion" by J.R. Miller, and various economic material with Tony

watching / "Free to Choose" with my sweet husband

listening / to the new albums by Sovereign Grace - To Be Like Jesus & Next 2009 Live

reflecting / on Romans 5-6 & God's providential hand in the life of Joseph

dancing / aka working out

singing / "My hope is built on nothing less..." to the strum of Tony's guitar

planting / lots of centipede plugs in our yard [gifted from Tony's parents]

cleaning / the house

folding / laundry

watering / our little garden and house plants

picking / lettuce. tomatoes. basil. and grapes

loving & serving / my bestest friend {Tony Denham}

sleeping / side by side the above mentioned individual {wink}

ordering / new blinds for the rest of the house - and they came in today!!!

cooking / Roasted veggie burritos & Chinese honeyed chicken wings among other things

going/ to the library, Books-A-Million and...

sharing / a rack of lamb & a free bloomin' onion at Outback Steakhouse on our date night <3

trying / to sew a dress. Yeah, it didn't turn out quite as I expected. Ha!

crocheting / a cute little piggy to be auctioned off at a benefit in August

laying / on the computer room floor while Tony did schoolwork

making / fresh garden salsa

running / some miles with my hubby

wearing / my wedding dress just for fun :)

drinking / fresh veggie juice for breakfast

writing / this post because I don't want to forget little things

Purposeful Reading

Quotes are taken from "Week-Day Religion" by J.R. Miller (1887)

"It is said that it would require hundreds of years to read the titles alone of all the books in the world’s libraries... It is therefore a physical impossibility to read all the books which the art of printing has put within our reach. Even if our whole time were to be devoted to reading, we could in our brief years peruse but a small portion of them."

Oh how true that is. I have shared a love for reading since childhood. I was always telling my parents: "We need more books." Don't get me wrong; we had lots of books while we were growing up. I mean LOTS. We would spend days organizing them in alphabetical order, making a master list of all our books, along with library cards for every member of the family. And it was to be made known if a book was taken off the shelf. Fun memories! But I had already read them all... and most of them more than once. The "real" library was conveniently located just around the block, and we got to know the librarian very well. Mrs. June was her name. :) I praise God that this love for reading has grown with me through the years. HE has taught me so much through my readings.

But "it is settled...that we must be content to leave the great mass of printed books unread."

"The important question, then, is, on what principle should we select out of this great wilderness of literature the books we shall read? ... For all books are not alike good. There are books that are not worth reading at all."

"The simplest wisdom teaches that we should choose those which will repay us most richly."

"...everything we read leaves its impression upon our inner life and makes its enduring mark upon our character..."

And that is true for all forms of media. That is something that God has really been pressing into us in the past couple years ~ everything we take into our mind {whether through books, blogs, movies, music, advertisements, etc}, must be filtered and examined from a Christian perspective. These activities should not be approached mindlessly. They are pulpits, trying to influence the way we think and feel.

"We are to admit into our minds nothing that may dim our spiritual vision or break in any degree the continuity of our communion with God; and it is well known that any corrupt thing, admitted even for a moment into our thoughts, not only stains our mind, but leaves a memory that may draw a trial of stain after it for ever."

I praise God that I was raised by parents that truly cared for me ~ they always kept tabs on what we were reading, watching, and listening too. I know my memory has less stains because of this.

"If we can read in our brief, busy years but a very limited number of books of any kind, should not those few be the very best, richest, most substantial and useful that we can find in the whole range of literature?"

"We should select conscientiously, wisely, systematically... We should read as a staple works that require close attention, thought, study and research, indulging in lighter classes only for mental relaxation."

And that is what I'm resolved to do. And Tony the same. I thank God for a husband that reads to learn! By God's grace, we have quite a collection of books. Books that require close attention, thought, study, and research. Those are the kinds we like. ;) Our shelves are also sprinkled with a few lighter classes {Like the works of Jane Austen, which I am currently reading for the first time. And a small collection of some childhood favorites, namely the Berenstain Bears, American Girls, and Boxcar Children}.

"There are great books enough to occupy us during all our short and busy years; and if we are wise, we will resolutely avoid all but the richest and the best. As one has written, “We need to be reminded every day how many are the books of inimitable glory which, with all our eagerness after reading, we have never taken in our hands. It will astonish most of us to find how much of our industry is given to the books which leave no mark – how often we rake in the litter of the printing press while a crown of gold and rubies is offered us in vain.”"

Early morning blooms... and a piggy

~~~~~~~

A turtle saved

Last night as I was looking out the front door, I noticed this little fellow crossing the street. So outside we went to carry it to the wood line... hopefully out of harms way. :)

Fashion & Gospel Giveaway!

Christa Taylor of Empowered Traditionalist has teamed up with Trish Ramos of FishWithTrish for a great giveaway ~ A cute purse loaded with gospel tracts. Nothing like fashionable evangelism. ;) Click on the image above for more details.

Fourth of July Weekend

This past weekend we stayed with our sweet friends in Newport News, VA. Nathan & Mary have always been so hospitable to us and we are very grateful for the friendship that God has given to us. Friday evening a group of us went to the VA Beach boardwalk ~~ Paul Adams with Open Air Campaigners was also there for the weekend and was able to use the sketch board. It's amazing how quickly people start to gather around to watch Paul paint and listen to him present the gospel.

People from our group our scattered throughout the crowd ... prepared to start a one-to-one conversation with those around at the close of Paul's presentation. The guys also took turns open air preaching throughout the night.



Saturday afternoon, we had a cookout at Don's house and Paul prepared a message for us on Humility. Sweet time of fellowship! From there we made our way to Williamsburg, VA. There were LOTS of people gathered there to see the fireworks display. Many, many people heard the gospel.

Our group gathering for prayer and final instructions.

The couple in this picture holding the two little girls were fellow
siblings in Christ ~ they were so excited about the preaching and
very encouraging. The group of young adults standing on the front
left hand side (there were 5 of them) listened intently as Paul
presented the gospel. Katie and I were able to follow-up
with them at the end. May God do a great work in their hearts!

We started to make our way back to the cars as the fireworks started ~ ** ~ and ended the night at Sal's Italian Restaurant. Tony & I shared a greek salad and veggie stromboli. Mmmm. :)

We left Nathan & Mary's house at 6:30 Sunday morning and drove about 3 hours to our church. Through the expositing of Daniel 8, we were reminded of God's exhaustive foreknowledge and sovereignty over every detail of all of history. There is nothing in the past, present, or future that God does not know completely. "How wicked it is to trivialize such a majestic Being!" As a Christian, that is a very comforting truth ... everything we go through was designed specifically for us, by our Creator, for the most perfect moment. God loves his children very much and He is working everything together for their good. After church, Tony & I shared a $5 sub from subway and ran a couple errands. It is always a nice feeling to get ~home~ after time away. Our own little haven. ;)

...for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
I have purposed, and I will do it.
Isaiah 46:9


Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:16

Plymouth continued...

A place where people came over as families -

the pilgrim vision was a family vision; a multi-generational vision.

We enjoyed some steamed lobster while "sitting on the dock of the bay"...

Replica of the Mayflower

A monument commemorating the faith of the pilgrim's mothers.

She is holding the Bible in her right hand ~ her guide book to life.
Sweet words inscribed on the back, that match my hearts desire:
They brought up their families
in sturdy virtue and a living faith
in God without which nations perish.
There is a fountain at the base of this statue -- the pilgrims
understood that the family was the fountain of society. It must be
kept pure if a nation was to be kept healthy. Oh, how true that is!

Plymouth Rock // Landing place of the Pilgrims // 1620

The Great Sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, Massasoit.
A protector and preserver of the Pilgrims.

Governor William Bradford

"Lastly (and which was not least) a great hope & inward
zeall they had of laying some good foundation (or at least
to make some way thereunto) for ye propagating & advancing
ye gospel of ye kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of ye
world, yea, though they should be but even stepping-stones,
unto others for ye performing of so great a work."

The Town House of Plymouth
On this site until 1749 stood the government house of the old colony.
That year this building was erected by the county for a court house.
It was used jointly by the county and the town until 1820 and then
became the property of the town and has ever since been used as a town house.

The First Church in Plymouth
moved from Congregationalism to Unitarianism in 1801.

Those members of the First Church who did not agree
with the controversial move to Unitarianism left to for the
Church of the Pilgrimage.

This tablet is inscribed in grateful memory of
the Pilgrims and of their successors who at the
time of the unitarian controversy in 1801 adhered
to the belief of the fathers and on the basis of the original
creed and covenant perpetuated at great sacrifice
in the church of the pilgrimage the evangelical faith
and fellowship of the church of Scrooby Leyden and
the Mayflower organized in England in 1606.

The heretical church had beautiful doors. ;)

We made a quick stop in Quincy, MA for the main
purpose of getting some ice cream. We parked the car
right down town and walked several blocks in search of
"Quincy's Creamery" ... it was never found. :(
So back in the car we went.

On our way out we spotted a Friendly's. I remember my
dad always getting pistachio ice cream over apple pie.
So in we went and ordered two pistachio milkshakes to go. :)

We then returned to rental car, caught the shuttle back to the airport
and we were home sweet home by midnight.