Spiced Pecans

Want something to add a little interest to your salad, give it a little kick, well these pecans will do the trick, they will take an ordinary salad and elevate it to extraordinary. I am not sure where this recipe originated from but a dear friend gave it to me years ago and we have been making them ever since.

                                                 Spiced Pecans
                                                             2 large egg whites
                                                             1 1/2 teaspoon salt
                                                             3/4 cup sugar
                                                             2 teaspoons worcheshire
                                                             2 tablespoons paprika
                                                             1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
                                                             4 1/2 cups pecans or 1 large bag
                                                             6 tablespoons butter, melted

Beat eggs whites till frothy, then add the next 5 ingredients, fold in pecans and melted butter. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes. After done take off cookie sheet and store. Do not let get too cool or they will be difficult to remove (I use parchment paper on the cookie sheet and find that works well) Can store in freezer for several weeks.

                        These nuts also make great snacks but be forewarned, they are quite addicting

Impaired Vision

I have had my share of contact lens mishaps in the past, mostly minor stuff, things that make my husband shake his head (I would say in amusement but I think it's more in bewilderment) Things I have done... I have put the wrong lens in the wrong eye. You would think I would notice right away but I don't. I have gone an entire day with the len's reversed more than once. I have also managed to put two len's in the same eye....don't even ask how I did that and occasionally I may have trouble getting a lens out...then it's hubby to the rescue.

Had one such event the other night, I had a terrible time getting one of the contacts out. I messed with it until I irritated my eye so much that I needed to take a contact break for a couple of days. That means it's glasses for me because not only can't I see anything close without some correction, I now also need correction for distance.  Not being able to wear contacts makes putting on makeup a real challenge in the morning...but I made the attempts. I would look into the mirror and see a blurred image of myself, more than a little frustrating, but as soon as I put on my glasses things were clear.

You have to know where I am going with this, it's something that the Lord has been reminding me of for the last several weeks and I was reminded once again as I looked into that blurred image in the mirror. I don't always see things clearly, I don't always understand, I don't know what God is doing behind the scenes. My vision is impaired.

But here are some of the things I do know....I know that God is sovereign and that he is faithful and that I can trust him in all things....no matter what my "eyes" are seeing

Fall Color

Bet you thought you were going to see some photos of beautiful fall foliage...sorry, our leaves have not begun to turn yet,  but that doesn't mean we don't have fall color, there is plenty. Fall is the time of year I plant pansies, they will continue to bloom through the winter here. Pansies are one of my favorite flowers...but to be honest, I haven't met a flower that I didn't like. That's our little dog at the door, his name is Angus

                                                 

The marigolds are looking better than they have all summer, many of these had reseeded from last year,
                                                  I just love it when that happens....free flowers

The zinnia's are also doing better in the cooler weather....(my definition of cooler weather would be daytime temperatures in the 70's and 80's.) I have been abe to bring in several little mini bouquets the last couple of weeks that have added a bright spot to our kitchen

Then there are the mums...the flower I always think of when I think of fall. I have a few that survived from last year,  despite my neglect, but also picked up a few....these were quite the bargain...I always check out the distressed plant rack at the big box store...I have rescued more than my fair share. I enjoy the challenge of trying to nurse them back to life.

With outside employment gone I have been able to spend more time in my garden, I have enjoyed that and look forward to planting a fall garden soon. So how are things going now that I am home full time...much to my surprise, it has been an adjustment and I am still adjusting...but it's all good

Food For Thought

I had an opportunity to attend a Nancy Guthrie seminar a couple of weekends ago. Lots of good stuff to go over and review later but there was one thing she had said that has really made me stop and pause.

The question that has made me think was this..."Do you ever say, God will never give us more than we can bear? either to yourself or to someone else as an encouraging word. " I have to admit I have said it, I have said it often.

Her response to this statement was that "Jesus will repeatedly give you more than you can handle so you will turn to him"

I continued to "chew" on this after I got home. Didn't scripture say that God would not give us more than we could bear? I was sure there was a scripture that supported that, now if I could remember where...Gotta love technology, I googled the phrase and this is the scripture that popped out.

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But where you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it   1 Corinthians 10:13

Hmm, perhaps she is right, it looks like God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, doesn't really say anything about our trials. Then I continued to think about it....by saying God would not give us more than we can bear, it sort of speaks of self sufficiency, what I can handle. Then I came across this scripture

We do not want you to be uninformed brothers of the hardships we suffered in the providence of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God            2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Again this seems to support what Nancy had said in the seminar, it's not about what we are able to bear but it's about getting to the point of turning it all to him...being desperate for Him.. will continue to ponder this awhile....then I found this scripture

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. that is why for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong....(his strength, not mine) 2 Corinthians 12: 9-10

A promise that his grace is sufficient whatever my circumstances may be...I may not have it all figured out....okay...really... will I ever have it all figured out this side of heaven....but his word says his grace is sufficient so that is where I will rest

Tying Up Loose Ends

There was one more little detail I had to attend to before I could officially say I was done with my job. Last spring we were told, as a requirement to continue in our positions we had to take an exam for certification in our speciality. We had to the end of the year to accomplish this and we had to pay for the cost of the exam ourselves (it was expensive) I was told even though I was PRN, I was still expected to take it.

I had spent the last several weeks studying for this exam, I even had the book shipped to California, so I could study while we were there.  I had paid the fee and registered to take the exam a couple of weeks ago. You were allowed two attempts to pass, I was in the process of getting ready to retake it, (I didn't pass the first time) when the announcement came that our jobs would be eliminated in October. Because they had made the exam a job requirement and now were eliminating the jobs, they would reimburse anyone who had paid to take the test....okay that was a good thing.

I had to make a decision.... I had done all this prep work, should I still go ahead and take the exam anyway? I already had a day scheduled with my proctor for the retake. Now, there was really no point, no benefit that I could see....but I had put all that time into studying

But I do believe that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose  Romans 8:28

At first glance this whole thing seems to have been a total waste of time, but I know I only see dimly while God sees the big picture. Surely he had a purpose in all of this. Right now I don't get it and maybe never will but I did decide to follow through with taking the exam...complete what I started, no matter that it didn't seem to make any sense. I took the exam Thursday, it's done

That was the last little piece I had to take care of, I am now completely done. This chapter has ended, I had been with this company fourteen years, so it is a little sad.  What's ahead?..... I will be home for now, I am not going to actively seek new employment. I think it's time to just be still for awhile...oh, and the exam, I passed