Cultivating The Treasures Within

Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us that we are a work in progress. We are not to be stagnant. We are bid to cultivate ourselves.

“Remember your great field of labor is yourself. That is your first task, the weeding, the planting, digging, pruning, bearing fruit. When that is done I lead you out into other fields.” This is a direct quote from the message on the twolisteners website. I recently posted a list of books that I’d read over the summer. They were all inspiring to me as a poet and a story writer. One, in particular, was quite inspirational to me as a Christian, and as a woman. I’ve also spent some time researching articles on how cancer cells fool our immune system, how they communicate with each other, and how they shut down communication between healthy cells, even blocking communication from healthy cells. This all has to do with DNA glitches. Lastly, I’ve been designing homes, clothes, and great food offerings. I do the designing in theory, as I am still homeless at the moment. I shop online, sketch things in my notebook, and combine some different things when I’m putting my lunches from the supermarket together. This is how we cultivate ourselves. I love to do all these things.

So many of us don’t really take the time to spend time doing things we love, at home, or away. We attend events, we volunteer time, we give of our resources. But we don’t give back to ourselves in the way of time and discovery. Of course, the best canvas you have to paint you on, is yourself. God doesn’t need cookie cutter Christians. God needs each and every one with all your uniqueness, your talents, your strengths, your joys, and even your weaknesses. Yes, He does. Once again, one of my favorite inspirational books is Simple Abundance by Sara Ban Breathnach. It got the juices flowing for me, and I will cherish it forever. She also has one for men. There is also God Calling, by A.J. Russell. And, there are so many things out there to inspire us. Look at some of the beautiful floral creations out there. Check out some menus online. Go windowshopping, or even browse some online shops. Whether you’re into home design, or clothing design, they’re a great way to get some ideas and inspiration. You’ll be surprised at how much fun you can have. You’ll also be surprised at the beautiful, wonderful treasures within. You know, God puts them there because He knows each one of us. He loves to see us excited and loving ourselves.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Eden’s Breakfast On The Grill

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Ingredients: 1- 9×13 cookie sheet or baking pan… 1 LB. Bulk ground Pork Sausage, 1 med. bag frozen O’Brien Potatoes, 1 dozen Eggs, 1 eight ounce package Sargento Cheddar Cheese slices, Butter, Salt, Pepper

Make a nice bed of coals, and get them good and hot. When the coals are hot, your grill’s ready. ***Please keep in mind that when you’re working on a grill, temperatures vary, and you need to check frequently to make sure the food is cooking correctly, and not burning.** Place cookie sheet or baking pan on the grill, and add the ground sausage, breaking it up as it cooks. Cook the sausage until near done, stirring well to prevent burning. The meat should be pale pinkish. Now, move the sausage to the cooler side of the pan, and melt about 3-4 T. butter in the cookie sheet or baking pan. Spread the melted butter around evenly. Now add the O’Brien potatoes, tossing them lightly to cover with the butter. Next, spread them out across the pan, incorporating the cooked sausage into them. Cover with foil and let cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring about halfway through cooking time. At 20 minutes, they should be tender. Crack the eggs over the top of the sausage and potato mixture, one at a time, covering the mixture evenly. Now’s the time to add a little salt and pepper, if you like. Cover with foil and let cook another 10-20 minutes, until the egg yolks are set. Uncover and top with the cheese. Cover and let the cheese melt-about 5 minutes. I put two strips of cheese “diamonds” down the pan. When the cheese is melted, remove the pan from the grill, uncover and let sit 3-5 minutes. Serves 6

Serve with some red grapes or canteloupe melon on the side if desired.

What a great way to end the summer!

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – June 1, 2019

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June is Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Month. That would explain the dream I had last night about my Aunt and Uncle moving into the refrigerator

. Girl Corn Cob Cartoon Character Oh, God, that’s corny! Think I’ll just make like a banana and split… cartoon_stock_2017_096457

I do love Banana Splits, though; for real! I only eat one every once in awhile…cuz, well, I don’t want my pants to split. OMG! orange Orange you glad we’ve come to the end of this post?

Images courtesy of Google

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Little Things Can Cause Big Falls

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Today’s message from God Calling – A.J. Russell, reminds us not to sweat the little things. However, we also need to deal with some of them immediately.

I learned this lesson from a little Lego piece. It was on the living room floor; one of the boys must have dropped it or forgotten it. I saw it, didn’t really sweat it though. I kept right on going, on my way to the kitchen to get my cup of coffee. Everyone was off to school and the morning rush was over. While I was in the kitchen, the phone rang. I had a ten minute conversation with a neighbor, refilled my coffee cup, and headed back into the living room to enjoy the peace and quiet. Sure enough, that Lego found its way right under my left foot. After I cleaned up the puddle of coffee on the floor, and changed my coffee soaked shirt, I laughed at myself. If I had just picked up that Lego right away when I saw it…LOL

The message tells us that it isn’t the little things that get to us. It is when we allow them to grow, to accumulate-(every day it’s like this!), and to build in intensity until we blow, that they cause problems. Sometimes the damages are pretty severe. People have divorced after 20 years of marriage because somebody let all the little things build up. Had they dealt with them immediately and worked out solutions, they might have made it to 75 years of married bliss. No, things aren’t always blissful. But knowing that mate loves you and you love him/her enough to work things out, to see things through, etc., is bliss. For better or worse means even when things are as bad as they can be, or seem to be, we still love one another and fight for each other rather than against each other. Work relationships work the same way. The team is what counts. The whole unit is affected by the little things that are allowed to build until the blow up causes a collapse.

Personal meltdowns happen the same way. When we don’t deal with the little things that irritate us, or are stumbling blocks or barriers to us, we end up collapsing under the weight of them when they’ve built up to unmanageable size. Things that irritate us do so sometimes because of our perception or expectation. These can become stumbling blocks and/or barriers to us. Sometimes, a fall over one of these can cause quite a bit of damage. Just that one little cheeseburger because I’m angry and frustrated, is a good example. It’s just one little cheeseburger…but how often am I angry and frustrated? And pretty soon, you’re on a merry-go-round with the cheeseburger, the anger, and the frustration. And, of course, now I’m angry because I’ve eaten that cheeseburger, and frustrated about my weight and my lack of will power…You’re shackled to all three because each one supports the others. Now, it’s a big thing, and it’s overwhelming you. That’s a good incentive to be very honest with oneself. I absolutely hated having to be that honest with myself back in the day. My toughest little big things were in some of my relationships, and the alcohol. But, and thank you, Jesus, I’ve learned to pick that Lego up right when I see it on the floor. I’m much happier because I have much more peace within, and confidence about my ability to cope with life.

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Saturday Silly – May 11, 2019

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Isn’t the warm weather wonderful?! Finally! Time for shorts and bathing suits, etc. I am feeling so strong; and the curves are finally going in the right direction again. LOL! I’ve had to be really disciplined about my diet and exercise, though. I walk as much as I can. My diet is pretty good, all things considered. I mean, I remember the days when I ate fast food constantly, and really wasn’t exercising at all.

Let me tell you, that middle age spread was beginning to look like major property. And gravity was sure beginning to take it’s toll, too. Seriously, I felt like I needed a lift on both ends! Even my husband was aware of it. One day we were at the grocery store, and he kept running into me with the shopping cart from behind. I finally asked him what the heck he was doing. He replied, “I’m just trying to hold up my end, Dear.”

Love you from Cafe du Mondieu

Eden’s Quick Fix Springtime Salad

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Yes, I did! Mixed everything up right in the bag and had a feast! I happened to catch some already prepared tomato and onion slices on sale. How could I let that opportunity pass me by? Enjoy!

Eden’s Favorite Quick Fix Springtime Salad

Your favorite Salad kit – sometimes you can pick these up at Smith’s for under 2 dollars.

2-5 ounce cans, or one large can, of tuna, chicken, or beef

1 Cup diced firm tomato

1 medium yellow or white onion, peeled and diced

1 Cup shredded Colby Jack cheese – or use your favorite

2 Cups seasoned croutons, your favorite seeds, or broken up chips for crunch

1 Cup diced celery –optional, but it gives the salad a nice lift

Half a lemon to squeeze over the salad-especially great on the tuna or chicken

Toss the meat into the salad kit, making sure to distribute evenly throughout. Add the tomato, onion, celery, and cheese, tossing to distribute well throughout. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and toss lightly. Now add the dressing and toss lightly again. Top with the croutons, seeds, or chips. Enjoy.

I like to use Buffalo or Chipotle Ranch dressing for these. You can also use Thousand Island or French dressing. Raspberry Vinaigrette works well too. * Skinny it up by thinning the creamy dressings with a little milk before adding them to the salad.

*Budget Saver: In a pinch, you can use Buddig sliced meats. Just roll the meat slices tightly and slice into thin ribbons. Cubed leftover chicken or beef works well too.

Love you from Café du Mondieu

Love you from Café du Mondieu Copyright by Marina Morrison (aka) Eden Stillwater, April 30, 2019, 10:30 a.m.