I know that my redeemer lives!

I know that my redeemer lives.
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives who once was dead.
He lives, my ever living Head.
He lives to bless me with his love.
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives, my hungry soul to feed.
He lives, to bless in time of need.

He lives to grant me rich supply.
He lives to guide me with his eye.
He lives to comfort me when faint.
He lives to hear my soul's complaing.
He lives to silence all my fears.
He lives to wipe away my tears.
He lives to calm my troubled heart.
He lives all blessings to impart.

He lives, my kind, wise heavenly Friend.
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing.
He lives, my Prophet, Priest and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath.
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives my mansion to prepare.
He lives to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to His name!
He lives! My Saviour, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy, this sentence gives;
"I know that my Redeemer Lives!"
He lives! All glory to His name!
He lives! My Saviour, still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives;
"I know, that my Redeemer lives!"



I believe in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World and Redeemer of all mankind. In a world of increasing uncertainty, there is an eternal truth that we can all cling to. We have a Heavenly Father who loves and knows each one of us by name. He sent His son, Jesus Christ to earth, to pay a price for our redemption. He is our rock. He is our strength. He is our salvation. He is my comfort and the focus of my faith. He is everything to me. He is the greatest man who ever walked the earth, and who ever will walk the earth. I believe in all that He said, in all that He did, and in all that He does and will do. He is the Head of our church. He is our exemplar in all things. He died on the cross and He rose again so that we, too, might rise again in Heavenly splendour. He lives. I do not need to put my hand in his side or to feel the imprints of the nails in His hands to know that this is true, for He has touched my life and my heart, and changed it for the better. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity. I love Him. He lives. He is the living Son of the living God, and I look forward to the day when I can kneel at His feet when He welcomes me home. With all my heart, I know these things to be true. There is no doubt in my mind. I know that my redeemer lives.

Poetry Saturday . . . Thoughts for Your Easter

The miracles of Easter
Bespeak divine perfection,
And they are a living evidence
Of our Saviour's resurrection.



Like beads upon a rosary,
Each thought becomes a prayer . . .
May God bless you at Easter
And keep you in His care.



Hope your Easter's happy,
Hope your springtime's bright,
Hope your skies are sunny,
And hope your heart is light!



Easter is a season
of fulfillment for the soul,
A time of reaching upward
Toward a heavenly goal.



Easter and spring
Are God's loving way
Of showing that He
Is still with us today.
~Helen Steiner Rice



You just can't beat Helen Steiner Rice for getting the right words for every occasion can you! She was a very gifted poet who rose beyond tragedy and disappointment to inspire millions of people over 8 decades, during which time, she penned thousands of poems and prayers to give comfort and hope through some of history's darketst moments.

We've been having such fine weather that we may take ourselves off to a National Trust place today to do a bit of exploring. It's been a long while since we have done anything like that, so I think it's about time we treated ourselves to a day out! I have to brave the Grocery Store first though, so I hope to get that done and dusted very early on. Wish me luck!

Here's a delicious vegetable dish that is not overly fattening and would be a beautiful addition to your holiday dinner. Oh, I do so love fresh Spring Asparagus, don't you!!




*Glazed Asparagus with Carrots and Pecans*
Serves 6

A beautiful springtime combination of vegetables topped with a delicious glaze!

1 cup of water, plus 3 TBS
1 pound of fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick diagonally (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup of butter
3 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest
2 TBS chopped toasted pecans

Place the water in a 10 inch skillet. Bring to the boil over medium heat, and then add the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, cooking only until the carrots and asparagus are crispy tender (7 to 9 minutes). Drain well. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.

Melt the butter in the same skillet. Whisk together the 3 TBS of water, lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir this into the melted butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Stir in the grated lemon zest.

Arrange the warm asparagus and carrots on a heated serving platter. Spoon the sauce over top and sprinkle with the pecans. Serve immediately.



In The English Kitchen today, delicious White Chocolate, Sour Cherry and Cardamom Rolls.

Friday Mish Mash and Redeeming Love . . .

I looked out the window
and what did I see?
Popcorn popping
on the apricot tree!
Spring had brought me
such a great surprise,
Popcorn popping
right before my eyes!
I can take an armful
and make a treat,
a popcorn ball
that would smell so sweet.
It wasn't really so,
but it seemed to be,
Popcorn popping
on the apricot tree!

One of my favourite Primary (Children's Sunday School) songs has always been popcorn popping. It's been running around and around in my head for days now as I look out my window at all the blossoming trees in the neighborhood. So beautiful. The kids at church always love this song. It's one of those songs that once you get it into your head, it's hard to get out, so I apologize in advance, but then again . . . maybe that's not a bad thing, to have a delightful little song like this running through your mind. Here's a version I found of a male choir doing it acapella that I thought was quite nice.



Then again, it is really lovely when you see the little ones enjoying it. They may struggle with the words, but one has to admire their enthusiasm and delight in their joy! I thought these two wee ones were absolutely adorable!



Mind you . . . it's not just the wee ones who enjoy it. Just look at these Elders (Missonaries) getting down to a reggae version of the song. This simple song seems to spread a joy about that's pandemic! It's quite hard not to catch it! I love it!



I'm afraid that Mitzie was in the dog house for most of yesterday. The little dear decided that she as going to chew up half of the bedding plants we had only planted the day before. It would appear that she's moved on from digging up Jerusalem Artichokes! She got a right good scolding twice!! And sent to her bed . . . twice!! She knew she had done wrong and so I am hoping that the lesson sticks and that she leaves them alone today! It is hard to stay annoyed with her for very long though . . . I mean . . . just look at that face!



So sweet and so innocent! I could just snuffle her to pieces and frequently do! One of her favourite games now is for me to lay down on the floor and hide my face beneath my arms. She then trys to snuffle my face out . . . it makes me laugh so much and her tail is just a wagging when she is doing it. I just love her so very much, even when she is being naughty, I cannot stay annoyed with her for very long. She is such a joy to us.

Today I will be reflecting on that great gift, the atonement of Jesus Christ. There are no words that I can speak, that can truly express how very grateful I am for what He did for us, so I will let an Apostle of the Lord speak them for me. As you go about your day today, I hope that you will be touched by them as I have been touched by them, and despite the sadness of what this day brings, you will be uplifted and filled with joy for this, the greatest gift ever given to us . . .



Easter Blessings to each and every one of you. May your cups truly runneth over during this, the most holiest of weekends during the Christian Calendar year. It's not only about the chocolate, and it is my wish that we can all feel and know that . . .

Here's a tasty sandwich that we love. You can use leftover roast beef or you can use deli sliced roast beef. I love the flavours from the mayonnaise mixture and the meaty pepperiness of the rocket. They both go so very well with the beef!



*Roast Beef Sandwich*
Makes 1
Printable Recipe

What makes this sandwich different than others? Rye bread, a tangy Dijon mustard mayonnaise spread, swiss cheese and rocket!

2 slices of dark rye bread
1/2 tsp creamed horseradish
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 TBS low fat mayonnaise
2 ounces of sliced roast beef
1 slice of swiss cheese
a small handful of rocket (arugula)

Stir together the horseradish, mustard and mayonnaise. Lay out the two slices of bread. Spread half of the mayonnaise mixture onto each slice. Lay the rocket, roast beef and cheese on top of the mayonnaise mixture on one side. Top with the other slice, mayonnaise mixture down. Press slightly. Cut in half diagonally to eat. (Note, you may also toast this if you like. Just spread the outsides with softened butter and grill on both sides in a hot skillet until browned and the cheese melts.)



Over in The English Kitchen today, a deliciously Sweet and Spicy Steak Sauce!

Thursday Ponderings . . .

"Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden."
John 19:41

So much is happening in our garden at the moment. I run this way and that . . . trying to hold everything at once . . .

The wallflowers, the tulips, the lilac and the apple blossom . . . I should like to stay the pace of time at this point and to linger over the month of April . . . but all around life rises like a great tide and moves forward . . . and I am overcome with excitement and anticipation of the pleasures to come.



Have you ever noticed that flowers have faces . . . with expressions both grave and gay. Some appear to smile at you and other's to turn their faces away. Some look piously remote . . . as if engaged in deep and secret prayer and yet still again, others look wild and frivolous. Others have a homely air.

Each one has it's own sweet meaning and it's message to convey. Indeed the Victorians put great sway on the meanings of flowers, and one could probably guess the ardour of a suitor from the bouquet given . . . red roses for love, daisies for innocence, forget-me-nots for remembrance . . .



I have my favourites . . . sweet peas, pansies, snap dragons . . . batchelor buttons, holly hocks. All old fashioned cottage garden flowers. Each flower has its own place and purpose and little part to play in our garden. We mass them into beds and crowd them into tiny spaces and containers . . . I like to stoop and admire them, and take in the beauty of each little face.

Oh yes . . . I am a dreamer . . . have a wonderful and blessed Thursday my sweet friends. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing take time to count your blessings, smell the flowers and count the joy that is only yours . . .



I am going to be having company over for an Easter Feast on Monday. I know I am going to serve gammon, but the weather will largely determine how. If it is cold and gloomy, then I will bake it and serve it hot with scalloped potatoes and a variety of other warm dishes. If we get the hot weekend we are promised, I will probably boil it and then serve it cold, perhaps with a potato salad, and other cold foods. One thing is for sure, deviled eggs will be on the menu, no matter what. Easter and Deviled Eggs just kinda go together. I used to make tons of these each week at the Manor when I worked there. There always had to be a plate of them in the refrigerator to snack on. Everyone loves these!



*Deviled Eggs*
Makes 24
Printable Recipe

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have made these! I'd be rich!

one dozen large free range eggs, cooked and peeled*
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 TBS lemon juice
dash of tabasco sauce
2 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
2 tsp finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
chopped chives and parsley sprigs to garnish

Cut each of your boiled eggs in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the yolks into a bowl. Mash them really well with a fork. Stir in the mayonnaise, lemon uice, tabasco sauce, chives, tarragon, salt and mustard powder. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Spoon or pipe the yolk mixture back into the centres of the boiled eggs. Place onto a chilled serving plate. Sprinkle with some more chopped chives and parsley sprigs to garnish. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

*To hard boil eggs:
Place all the eggs in a single layer in a large saucepan and cover to a depth of 3 inches with lightly salted water. Add a splash of white vinegar. Bring to the boil. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand covered for 15 minutes. Drain the hot water off the eggs. Cover with ice water. Cover and shake the pot to crack the eggs all over. Drain again, then peel under running cold water, starting at the large end.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, Baked Top Hat Pork Chops, delicious baked pork chops topped with a corn stuffing.

Ponderings of the heart . . .

There's a soap on the telly over here that I have been watching for years and years, called Coronation Street. I believe it's the oldest running serial on British Television, having been on the air since 1960, in fact they just celebrated the 50th Anniversary at the end of last year with all sorts of special programs on the television.

I have always liked it because it is quite realistic in a lot of ways. It's about a street in a North Western suburb of Manchester called Weatherfield. The people in it are very working class . . . oh, you may have a few toff's but for the most part very humble and ordinary folk. Most have the same day to day struggles as most people do . . . how they are going to pay their bills, family problems, etc. You feel as if you could just walk up to any door on the street and you would be knocking on the door of a much loved friend. The characters seem real to you and you care about them.

They often run story lines which touch on important issues that affect people in their own lives . . . for instance last year, a character, Sally Webster, had breast cancer . . . and the Windasse's son Gary did a stint with the army in Afghanistan and came home injured from a road bomb, having lost his best friend and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.



One of the latest story lines they have had running (and there are usually 2 or 3 different ones at any given time) is about Maria, a long standing character, having been almost raped by a business colleague. She had been hired on by the owner of the knicker factory as Carla's (the owner and her ex sister in law) PA. With the downturn in the economic situation in the country this business has been really floundering and it's been touch and go for months now if it will make it through. They had the opportunity to get a big contract from this man named Frank. Carla could see that he had an eye for Maria and so has sent Maria over to his place to sweeten him up one night, under the guise of talking business. She tells Maria to really doll herself up and to flirt with him a little bit, which Maria does do . . . the end result being that she ends up having to fight him off as he won't take no for an answer and trys to rape her. She does manage to escape but the whole experience leaves her rather shaken. To make a long story short, he denies anything and Carla really is desparate to save her business, and so Maria ends up having to swallow her pride and put up with him. This happened months ago and it's been really difficult for Maria having to put up with him. He knows that he did it and she knows that he did it . . . he thinks he's gotten away with it and in the meantime Maria's confidence has gone right down the tube . . .



It came to a head the other night when Maria quite her job, and was finally forced to tell her partner what had happened. She had been keeping it from him and had been slowly pulling away from him because of all the emotional stress and upset. As she sat there and shared with him what she was feeling, I just started crying. She talked about how ashamed she was and about how it was all her fault and how dirty and stupid she felt . . .

When I was 16, I was not "almost" raped . . . I "was" raped by an older boy, of about 20 or so on a school exchange trip. I won't go into all the details about it, but it was a case of "date rape." I was in a French Speaking Province on a school exchange trip, where I could not speak the language, and this young man had been hanging around all of us kids, and was great friends with the kids that we were bileting with. He seemed like a really nice guy, and was very attentive towards me. I was flattered. He was older and not bad looking. Yes, I kissed him on several occasions and one day, when we were away from the rest of the crowd, he raped me. I couldn't stop him. I remember feeling so ashamed afterwards and afraid. Afraid that I was pregnant. Afraid that my parents would find out. I was convinced that it was my fault and that I had asked for it in some way. I felt dirty and stupid. It was just horrible.



The other night as we watched this show, all those horrible feelings came back to me and I cried. My heart broke for Maria and what she was going through . . . and my heart broke for the 16 year old me who was robbed of all my innocence and made to feel cheap and tarty and dirty. You often hear about people "growing up" overnight . . . I grew up in a most horrible way that night and it is something I have carried with me ever since and has probably affected me in a lot of negative ways since . . . I was only a girl. I was young and inexperienced. I was away from home for the first time in my life. I'd always been kept safe and protected. I as innocent and naieve. I was vulnerable . . . and he took it all away from me.

Nobody has the right to do that to another person. No man has the right to take something from a girl that is not freely offered. No means no . . . no matter how pretty the girl is, or how flirtatious . . . or however drunk, etc. It's just wrong. There is no right about it.

The end result for me was that he left all sorts of marks on my neck and the other kids on the trip ostracized me for the remainder of the trip, treating me like I was a slut. They didn't know what had happened, only that I had been flirting with this older good looking guy, and that I had hickies on ny neck. My parents did find out because he passed something on to me that needed medical treatment . . . I had a boyfriend at the time and we had never been intimate with each other. I ended up breaking it off with him because of everything that had happened, and I spent a very long time feeling responsible, and horrible about myself. I believe that the course of my life as changed forever . . .



The show ended the other night with Maria having called the police to report what had happened. I hope he gets done for it . . . coz he deserves to get done for it. Justice must be served . . . for Maria, and for every other girl who says no and gets ignored.

This probably isn't what you expected to read here this morning. I know it certainly isn't what I expected to write about when I first sat down here at my computer . . . but it is what was on my mind and heart. I hope I haven't offended anyone, but I suspect I am not alone in this. I think there are a lot of us out there who have been through similar situations, and I just wanted to say that it's not your fault. You are not cheap. You are not dirty and you are not stupid. And God loves you, and can help to make it better.




*Potatao Asparagus Frittata*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A quick and easy stove top supper that is filled with all the lovely tastes of Spring!

2 1/2 ounces of Swiss Cheese, grated
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup sliced spring onions
1 pound of Asparagus spears, washed, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces*
1 1/2 cups of chopped cooked potato
1/2 cup milk
6 large free range eggs
1 tsp lemon pepper seasoniing
1/2 tsp salt
chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter in a 10 inch skillet until it begins to foam. Add the spring onions and asparagus. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat until crispy tender, some 2 to 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and give them a good stir. Reduce the heat to low.

Beat together the eggs, milk, lemon pepper and salt. Pour over the potato mixture. Cover and cook until the centre is almost set. This will take 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand in order to allow the cheese to melt for several minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Cut into wedges to serve. A tossed salad goes along very well with this. Makes a nice lunch or a lovely light supper.

*Note: to prepare asparagus, wash well and then take the spears and snap off the tough and woody ends by gently bending the lower third of the spear. It will break easily off in just the right spot. Discard these bits. I then like to take a sharp knife and remove the little spines all around the spear as they can be a bit bitter. Discard them as well and then cut your asparagus into 1 inch pieces.



Over in The English Kitchen today a delicious treat . . . Golden Syrup and Oatmeal Muffins!