WFMW – Washer Ice Chest

I saw this clever little idea in Cook’s Fall Entertaining edition: 

Chilling Beverages for a Party

“Especially around the holidays, refrigerator space available for chilling beverages before a party is often at a premium.  When faced with this problem, turn your washing machine into an icebox!  Fill the washer with ice cubes, then nestle in the cans and bottles.  When its time for more cold drinks, they are at the ready.  After the party has ended and the ice is melted, simply run the washer’s spin cycle to drain the water.”

THIS WILL DEFINITELY WORK FOR ME!

Head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for more tips and tricks!

 

Wordless – Tuesday Edition

For more Wordless posts, go here.

Woman to Woman – Book Review

Woman to Woman is hosting a book report today. You are to choose any book that falls into the category of either Fiction or Mystery and write a report to share it. So read, report and recommend a book that you have read within the past 3 months.

 I just finishded The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart:

 

This story is about an 11-year old orphan Reynie Muldoon who responds to an advertisement recruiting “gifted children looking for special opportunities.” Reynie is one of four children who are recruited and trained by Mr. Benedict to travel to an isolated school where children are being trained by an evil man who wants to rule the world.  These children must work together and use what they learned, their talents and abilities to thwart the evil man’s plans.

The story is for children 10 and older.  I enjoyed it and I am way older than that!  It is well written and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I would highly recommend this book.  Great ending!

To see more book reviews go to Seeds in My Garden and My Many Colored Days.

Tuesdays – In Other Words

1.   

“We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.”

 ~ Oswald Chambers ~

The first thing I thought of when I read this quote was the passage in Exodus where Moses returns after being on the mountain top with God:

Exodus 34:29  When Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tablets of the covenant law in his
hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant
because he had spoken with the LORD. 30 When
Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face
was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.

This was not a common occurrence and frankly it was not available to all the Israelites. Moses is the only one that this happens to and instead of making the Israelites want to go get some of what Moses got; it scared them.  It literally put the fear of God in them.  It was an opportunity for a moment of inspiration to get through to the Israelites. 

But, Moses’ face did not stay radiant.  He had to come back off that mountain and deal with the stubborn Israelites who whined and complained all the way to the promised land.  Through that whole process God used all sorts of signs and wonders to inspire them along the way.  Yet, the Israelites seemed to fall into a pattern of awe, contentment, complacency, complaint, sin, consequences, forgiveness back to awe.

We are just the same.  We would love to live in the land of Awe as well.  But, life happens and it is how we handle life that gets us through this journey on earth on our way to THE promise land.  If you read the New Testament stories and letters to the churches, they are filled with exhortations on how to live life while here on earth.  It is not filled with only the mountain top experiences of the saints that have gone before us.  Yes, there are examples of great miracles and wonders that God has done, but scripture is filled more with teaching us how to get through the day to day with a little inspiration thrown in.  It points us to our need for a Savior; who that Savior is; and the hope of living with Him eternally after this journey of faith here on earth is over. 

So, while I’m here I will remember:

Galations 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give
thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will
for you in Christ Jesus.

For more thoughts on this quote, head on over to Laurel Wreath.