Wow, it looks like it’s been almost a week since I last posted!  I was pretty busy last Thursday – Sunday with the show we just did.  I’ve been on here a little, and visiting some, but not as much as I would have liked … I know I’ve missed so much … you do, even if it’s one day that you’re not on!  Anyway, I hope you’ve all had a blessed weekend, and a Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  Me … well, I’ve been dealing with an earache for the past 2 days, and some tiredness, so, I’m just taking a day, or two, of rest after a semi-busy weekend at our local antique/craft show.  It wasn’t as busy as we had hoped … things seem to be down everywhere … the gas prices here were close to $4.00 per gallon in some areas … people were looking and ‘sniffing’, but not buying as much.  This is a small sampling of the soap that I sold this weekend … I do advertise ‘Free Sniffs’, so that does get a few more to stop in!  )

A highlight of the weekend:  We were able to meet some very sweet people who where set up behind us selling period pieces of glassware.  They are from Missouri … a Christian homeschooling family, and their oldest son was with them, which made me a little sad … it reminded me of how Ian would come with us.  Zachary was a very nice young man, and I know if Ian had been able to meet him, they would have become fast friends … they had a lot in common … they even share the same birthday month, only 2 days apart.  I really liked some of the pieces they sold … especially one particular pitcher that I was just a wee bit tempted to buy … the blue on white is the one they had …

… but, I refrained from buying it … much too expensive … Dave Ramsey would have been proud … and besides, do I really need more ‘stuff’ at this time in my life?!  Not really!  I already have a couple of nice pitchers now, and I’m content with those!  All in all it was a fun weekend, especially when you have someone like-minded to talk to when times were slow.  I was thankful that the Lord placed us together like that!  We exchanged e-mail addresses, and she may also become part of our Xanga family here … I told her about all of you … so if she does join up, and becomes a ‘Xanga Recruit’,  I’ll have to introduce you to her.  That’s one reason I love doing these shows … meeting all the sweet people! 

After it all ended, I packed 3 smaller boxes of soap that I need to restock down at the antique mall … I’ll be busy pricing and tagging all of it this week.  We also have a new scent to add to our brochure, which I sorely need to update … (Ian put a different print program on my computer, and it doesn’t read any of my graphics, brochures, business cards, etc., from all that I worked on before … so I’ve been copying an original brochure that I, thankfully, had saved back in order to be able to mail, or pass them out at the shows.  I either need to find out why it’s not reading it … or just start all over and make a brand new one … if I choose the latter, I don’t think I’m going to make it with as many of the graphics that I did the first time!  Even though it takes a lot of time, I enjoyed doing it.  Anyway … back to that new scent of soap … Raspberry Lemonade … doesn’t that sound yummy?  It is!  I love the label on this one, too … a dear friend of mine does such a wonderful job making both the soap and candles for me …

Moving on …
a few other things were going on while we were at the show this weekend …
our cat always misses us when we’re gone, but this weekend,
a new, very cute, tiny visitor came calling … 
 

He also decided to do a bit of Bible studying while we were away …
he’s always been drawn to the Word of God!
He just sits attentively, looking right at Lew, 
and listens when he reads it to me!

A ‘lone’ cat sure can get hungry …
looks like he decided to sneak a healthy snack of grapes, and green tea …
can’t blame the little guy, though … 
maybe he gets tired of the same old cat food every day …
I suppose I would, too! 

My husband had a nice surprise after the show this weekend … his favorite magazine came in …
the pages of it are filled with warm and colorful reminders of our soon coming Spring …
this really is a great magazine ~ Birds and Blooms … 
it’s a nice issue this month, and never any ads! 

And I don’t have to tell you what the pages of this other one are filled with! 
This was one of my cheap purchases from the show this weekend
{remember, I collect cookbooks,
and I’d never come across a ‘Twinkie’ cookbook before … 
… well, I just couldn’t contain myself!} 
I had no idea that you could make so many things with Twinkies!!!

 
Yes, indeed … there are some very interesting recipes in this little book … ever heard of Twinkie ‘Sushi’, or ’Pigs’ In-A- Twinkie?  How about Twinkie ‘Lasagna’, or a Twinkie ‘Burrito’?  Hmmm!  So what do you think … should we start a ‘Twinkie’ tradition, and declare a Tasty Twinkie Tuesday, today … well, at least until the recipes run out?!  There has to be only so many tasty recipes for Twinkies … right?!  I’ll post the first recipe below, and if you decide to give it a try  sometime this week, let me know how it is … this one does sound yummy though, and I think you would enjoy most of them!  I think this one would be a nice dessert for Easter.  If you have any tremendous tasting Twinkie recipes that you’ve got hidden away, by all means, please share! 

Twinkie Pudding Cake
1 box of Twinkies
3 to 4 bananas
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
1 pkg. vanilla pudding
1 (12 oz.) container of Cool Whip

Slice Twinkies lengthwise and line bottom of 13 x 9 inch sprayed pan.
Slice bananas over Twinkies, followed by pineapple with juice.
Prepare pudding as directed on package and layer over bananas and pineapple.
Spread Cool Whip on top. Refrigerate …. and enjoy!

Well, that is just some random ’ramblings’, and fun things happening from my part of the world this past weekend!  So what did you do to fill the time on yours?  I’ll be answering your messages, and then I’ll be around to catch up with you all very soon. 

**There are a couple of notes on ‘photos’ for the week … over at BetsaflyGallery, you’ll see the second week of some great ‘Faces’ that are posted … and also there’s a new contest up and running over on iliveinmycamera.  Take that ‘step’ and go vote for your favorite ‘set’ now … you have until Thursday! 

Hope you all have a totally, terrific … {can I say it?} … ’Twinkie’ Tuesday!

 Blessings,
         ~ Deborah <><

Yes, this is a day late … it came yesterday in an e-mail from Breaking Christian News.  We found it interesting … so, if you don’t already know this, I’d like to share a bit about ….

Patrick, the Great Missionary to Ireland
~ Aimee Herd {March 17, 2008}

“…there the Lord opened the sense of my unbelief that I might at last remember my sins and be converted with all my heart to the Lord my God …who comforted me as would a father his son.” –St. Patrick

Having lived in the New York City area, and now in the Pacific NW, I know that while St. Patrick’s Day is an extremely popular holiday, many don’t know of Patrick’s history, and the fact that what really should be celebrated is the extraordinary way that God used him to evangelize a mostly pagan Ireland.

An article in WorldNetDaily follows Patrick’s life from the time he was born in Britain between A.D. 387 and A.D. 415 to his death on March 17th, A.D. 461.

As a teen, Patrick was captured and served a Druid master in Ireland. He wrote in his Confession, “…after I came to Ireland, every day I had to tend sheep. The love of God and His fear came to me more and more. …In a single day, I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night, and this even when I was staying in the woods and on the mountains; and I used to get up for prayer before daylight, through snow, through frost, through rain.”

Eventually Patrick escaped, but later in life, he wrote of a dream he had that called him back to Ireland with the Gospel.

“In the depth of the night, I saw a man named Victoricus coming as if from Ireland, with innumerable letters, and he gave me one, and while I was reading I thought I heard the voice of those near the western sea call out: ‘Please, holy boy, come and walk among us again.’ Their cry pierced my very heart, and I could read no more, and so I awoke.”

The WND report states that “Patrick returned to Ireland, confronted the Druids, converted chieftains and used the three-leaf clover (shamrock) to teach the Trinity.”

Although he faced life-threatening circumstances, Patrick wrote that “the Lord delivered me. …Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, or whatever it may be; but I fear none of these things because of the promises of Heaven.”

He reportedly baptized 120,000 and founded 300 churches, and that is certainly reason to celebrate the hand of God working through a British man we know simply as St. Patrick.

Source:  William Federer — WorldNetDaily

It is the consciousness of the threefold joy of the Lord, His joy in ransoming us, His joy in dwelling within us as our Saviour and Power for fruitbearing and His joy in possessing us, as His Bride and His delight; it is the consciousness of this joy which is our real strength. Our joy in Him may be a fluctuating thing: His joy in us knows no change.
~ James Hudson Taylor