Celebrating Another Year of "Immanuel: God with Us"

Oh, how I love Christmas! My intentions were to write here several times this month, and also during the month of November. Sharing glimpses of joy in the midst of preparations for our big Family Christmas with 24 loved ones around our tables, and filling every room of our home.

The writing of posts didn't happen, but JOY was overflowing from my heart each and every day of December. We had just had six intense weeks of caring for a family member (from mid-October through the end of November), finding a new place where he would be cared for in his needs. It was difficult, and intensely emotional, but we experienced in deeper ways than even before what it means to have Immanuel: God with us. 

Can we even comprehend the gift that we have? God with us. 

"This doesn't just mean

God somewhere in the vicinity.

Or God down the street.

Or God within shouting distance.

God is with us."

(Quote from Jennifer Kennedy Dean)

Our greatest gift is Jesus. What joy the Father must have had to give us His Son! Anticipated and planned for since the beginning of time. The One who would make it possible for us to know Him intimately! The One who would rescue us and bring us back to Him. The One who would send His Spirit to live in us, closer than any other: Immanuel: God with us.

And here we are at the end of another calendar year, celebrating with those we love (all gifts from Him), and taking time to pause and remember all the ways that He has been with us through another year. 

Giving us strength and joy even in hard times as we call on Him for help and He provides exactly just what we need. Giving us warm touches of His love: a hug, a smile, a timely word of encouragement, a promise from His Word. And all through the year, giving us the simplest of gifts, evidences of His love: a warm cup of coffee flavored with just the perfect blend of creamer, time with family and friends that brings us warmth and love, treasured times of adventure and also of quiet moments as we soak up His love and beauty in the deepest parts of our souls. 

I am overflowing with joy, because of Immanuel: God with us. And after all the fun of preparations all through December for our family 'Home for Christmas', It was all that we hoped for and longed for, and then some more. 

All six of our precious grown children were home; home with us, along with all the dearly loved ones that we are blessed with because of them. Missing one son-in-law, a pilot who had to fly that day. And nine of our ten grandkids were here, missing our oldest who is in Japan with her husband, and baby girl, our first great-grandbaby! Along with two brothers of ours, we were 24 gathered around our festive Christmas Dinner tables! Each one, so loved. And each one, a gift from God.

Wishing you a wonderful New Year 2024, filled everyday with glimpses of God's love and presence. 

Beginning with Sourdough Baking

Sourdough baking has been around for a very long time, but it began for me in early fall of this year. And it all began for me when I received a starter from one of our dear daughters (in TX), who had received her own starter from our son's sweet gal (in NY)! This precious starter traveled home from TX with me, as I "fed" it enroute while stopping at motels, and also at another daughter's home for night. I really love beginning my sourdough journey with a starter that came from family! (Thank you, Cristy, and Fer!!)

So my sourdough journey began on an actual trip of ours! And as we enter the New Year 2024, sourdough baking is becoming one of my new hobbies! 

This post is primarily for my own records ... documenting the first things that I made with my sourdough starter in the fall of 2023. I needed to set it aside for the most part during the months of November (while we were busy helping out a family member), and also December (when I was busy with preparations for our Family Christmas with 24 family here in our home)!  

After spending a good amount of time reading about the process, and learning to care for my starter, here are the things that I made in 2023 ...

Naturally Leavened Sourdough Bread - made on Aug. 25 

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins - made on Aug. 28 

Buttery Sourdough Biscuits - made on Aug. 28 

Blueberry Scones - made on Sept. 2 

Sourdough Banana Bread - made on Sept. 13 

Part of my birthday gift the end of Sept ... Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, a very helpful source, also with photos to learn the process.

Everyday Sourdough - made on Oct. 1 

Everyday Sourdough - made on Oct. 2-3 

I then needed to take a break for a month or more, but kept on feeding my starter every week, while storing it in the refrigerator.

Soft & Fluffy Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls - made Dec. 19

I served these dinner rolls for our Family Christmas Dinner!

And now, the very end of December, I am looking forward to entering into sourdough baking more fully in the new year. There is so much to learn about this method of baking with natural yeasts to create breads that are healthy and delicious.

I look forward to sharing more about my sourdough journey in the New Year!

Our Everyday Invitation

 

Do you long for closeness, as I do, everyday deep connections? Our hearts are made for connection. For relationship. With those nearest to us, and those we love who live far from us. And how can we even find what we long for in the midst of our busy days, in this beautiful but broken, hurting world and culture that we live in? Where do we turn to find what we long for, what we so desperately search for?

And maybe our first step, and our first longing, is for deep, intimate connection with the God who made us, who created us so that He could shower His love on us. He desires to pour His love into each one of us. His love for you. For me. The deepest kind of love, the most treasured connection that we could ever wish for. An everyday heart-to-heart relationship. And then, filled up with this closeness of being deeply loved, we find that the overflow of this love spills out to nurture and grow the other deep relationships and connections that we long for with those around us.

How do we nurture this kind of connection and relationship with the God who loves us so deeply? May I suggest a simple tool that helps me day-by-day? It may not be the tool that you need, for we are all made differently, but maybe it will encourage you in some way.  

For me, it begins with a heart that is longing for and desiring deep connection, and also, it begins with pen and paper. Why pen, and why paper? For me, it means that I must pause from the never-ending things that draw my attention (even good and wonderful things), and focus. I need to still my heart to write. To take the time to put my heart and longings into words, and onto paper. To express what is in my thoughts, and on my heart. 

Maybe it could be compared to pulling up a comfy chair to spend focused one-on-one time with someone we love. Of course, this dialogue with God happens anytime, anywhere, even in the middle of the night when awakened or unable to sleep ... but an intentional pausing maybe is like accepting a special invitation for deep, one-on-one connection. I accept the invitation, and come to the table (or to a soft chair or loveseat) with pen and paper, pausing my sometimes (often) busy pace, to draw close, to listen and learn from Him.

I then pick up His Word, with a heart ready to listen and learn. And as I read His words with my heart, I will hear His heart. And then I will write down, word for word, the verses that speak truth to my heart. Not writing all that I read, of course, but writing the specific verses that reach deeply into my heart. Words of love, and words of truth that I so desperately need. Words and truths that I long for. That touch me in the deepest places. Opening up His Word, writing what I read on paper, storing it in my heart. And then responding to Him, pausing, and writing my thoughts to Him.

This meeting of hearts, by His grace and mercy, and made possible by the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, is what we are made for. Our greatest treasure ... to be loved by Him.

Behold, I'm standing at the door, knocking.

If your heart is open to hear My voice

and you open the door within,

I will come in to you, and feast with you,

and you will feast with Me.

(Rev. 3:20 The Passion Translation)

And we will find that this love, His love, then overflows from our hearts to those around us.  Bringing deeper connections and relationships than we ever imagined. And by His grace, we will live a life of pulling up close to those we love and those He brings our way. We will pause our busy lives, and listen intently. And we will speak words of life and encouragement with each other, finding the deep connections and relationships that we all long for. 

Recipe from the Past: 7-Layer Casserole

 

It's the beginning of beautiful AUTUMN! And here's a delicious comfort dish to share with you all! 

My recipe collection keeps growing and growing! We celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary last month, which means I've been preparing meals for five decades already! Besides the cooking done while still at home with my parents and brothers.

And somehow, I have forgotten to share this recipe from the years when our six children were still in our home. Forgotten until recently when one of our sons contacted me for the recipe! I actually have not made it for quite a few years, because, well, as I've mentioned, I have a lot of recipes collected by now. But this one should not be forgotten. (Thanks, Seth, for the reminder!)

I have no idea how many times I made this recipe when our six were still home, just that I know it was many, many times. And what fun it was for me to pull out the recipe and make it again a few weeks ago. And we loved it, just the two of us! Enough for a few meals for us that week, and also one I put in the freezer for a later time!

7-Layer Casserole

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked

1 can corn, including liquid

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

3 small cans tomato sauce, divided

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup onion chopped OR 1 tsp dry onion

1 1/2 lb ground beef

3/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/3 cup water

4 strips bacon, cut in half

Directions:

Layer ingredients in a 3-quart (or 9x13) lightly greased pan:

rice, corn & liquid, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 small cans tomato sauce, 3/4 cup water, onion, ground beef, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 1/2 cans tomato sauce, and 1/3 cup water.

Cover meat evenly with bacon. Cover casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (or a bit longer).

Uncover, bake 20 minutes or until bacon is crisp. (I often turn the broiler on for some minutes at the end to crisp up the bacon good.)

Every Season: New, and the Same

Every season ... new and fresh,

but yet, remaining the same.

For with Him, we keep on asking,

keep on seeking, and keep on knocking.

(From Matthew 7:7 NLT)

And we keep on receiving.

For He never stops giving the best of gifts.

Pausing, listening, and watching

for His gifts of love. 

In the Kitchen: Favorite Zucchini Recipes

 

Here we are in the last few days of August, and I need to finish this post that I collected photos for about a month ago! The days fly by so fast, and summer is nearing an end. Our veggie garden produced a lot of zucchini during the month of July especially. And I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite zucchini recipes.

Zucchini Muffins ... pictured above. I make these most every summer; a moist delicious muffin. Click here to read this post from last summer, which contains the link to find this recipe online. Or, you can find this recipe under my "Our Family Recipes" page tab here on my Pursuing Heart blog.

A brand new recipe that I tried in July is pictured above ... Chicken Zucchini Casserole. We both loved it, and will be making it again in the future. Click here for the recipe.

Pictured above is another new zucchini recipe that I made this summer for the first time ... Zucchini Patties. So very good! Click here for the recipe.

BBQ Chicken Bowl (pictured above), is one of my favorite rice bowl recipes. The recipe calls for one zucchini, sliced, which is another main dish to use zucchini in. We really love this recipe. Click here for a previous post of mine featuring this recipe, including a few step-by-step photos to make it.

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Teriyaki Bowls is another delicious recipe using zucchini. Click here for the recipe.

And next, two of my favorite bar cookie recipes using zucchini! The first one, to the left in photo above, is Zucchini Brownies. You'll find the recipe in this previous post ... click here. I make this recipe each summer.

And a new one this summer is pictured to the right above, Carrot and Zucchini Bars with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting ... so very delicious! You can find the recipe by clicking here.

Banana-Zucchini Bread is another favorite ... click here for a previous post with this recipe linked to it. 

You can see our two zucchini plants in the trellis area in the center of our garden. During the peak of the zucchini season during July, I was picking about one zucchini per day for awhile! 

Photo above shows one day's picking ... two zucchini, along with five cucumbers. So much beauty during the summer season! And thanks for reading through my post featuring some of my favorite zucchini recipes.

A Simple Life: Experiencing "Soul Sabbath"

In these busy times, and yes, even during our retirement years, I am continually seeking to learn what it means to live a simple life. It seems that no matter what season of life we are in, this is what we long for ... a simple life. Life definitely looks different during our retirement years, but for many of us no matter our season of life, we have 'responsibility' built right into the core of who we are. Do you relate to this, as well?

So, I am continually watching for added wisdom on this topic. 

These insightful words grabbed my heart this past week ...

A simple life is a life with margins.

Finding margins in my day means I will 

carve out time for myself or slow the pace

when I become aware that

I carry an unnecessary stress load.

(A Lovely Life by Melissa Michaels)

Of course, there are days and weeks when we cannot control the stress load that we are in the midst of. Life is filled with these times. 

Sometimes, though, we may actually be either bringing the stress on ourselves as we take on more than we are meant to handle, or, we have not learned the importance of caring for our own hearts. I am guilty of both of these two choices. 

It takes an effort in the midst of our full lives to pause, and to be still, doesn't it? For me, it requires an intentional decision and focus to take time to care for my heart. 

Above all else, guard your heart

for everything you do flows from it.

(Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

"God instituted a life of Sabbath for His people ... a life of rest, completeness, fulfillment. He wants to teach you that Sabbath is not just a day of the week but a state of the soul. He wants you to know the secret of living in a 'soul Sabbath.' That means much more than an absence of activity. It means a settled, deep stillness, a quiet relaxation in body and soul." (From Praying the Promises of God)

Pausing for me today means taking a good break from my unending responsibilities and 'tasks' for some quiet devo time in the early afternoon, giving myself the treat of writing this blog post, and  soaking in the beauty of our yard and garden. 

"We simply need to place our lives in the flow of His provision and live where His power is operating. The Kingdom of God is a land where the soul has continual Sabbath rest." (From Praying the Promises of God)

Lord, continually teach me more of Your 'soul rest'. May I build margins into my days, and place my complete dependence on You. 

Your strength will come from settling down

in complete dependence on Me.

(Isaiah 30:15 MSG)

A Collection: A Summer Heart Check, More Digital Scrapbooking, and Summertime Reading

Do you need to pull aside periodically (often?) as I do, to take care of your heart? Whatever the season is, there are just some days when I just need to push the pause button. Maybe even for the whole day. In our retirement life, pausing for a whole day can actually happen. In other seasons of life, it needed to be for a shorter time. I also remember well when our kids were little, my husband would routinely give me an "evening off". Time to pay extra close attention to my heart. Those times were life-saving for me. 

And these times of pausing continue to be life-saving for me. I recently had such a day. It was at the start of a new week, and I had lots (unending) things to do. But I knew ... I needed to choose the better. Time to pause, just sit and spend extended time with Jesus, time to let Him care for my heart. My heart is completely connected with everything I do. And I desperately need to have my heart watered and cared for. Even day-by-day, and even moment-by-moment. And sometimes I need to pause for extended life-giving watering of His love and grace. 

I am so thankful for His love and grace. Always available as we soak up His Words of Truth, as we choose silence and quiet above the noise, and as we open our hearts completely to Him. Maybe your heart is calling for the same at the end of this month of June. 

More Digital Scrapbooking ...

What would we do without photos? I'm so very thankful for photos to help us hold memories close! It was a joy to have our granddaughter Abigail and Addison here from Japan for a visit the first part of April. And ... to be able to  meet and hold our very first great-grandbaby in our arms! Lily was three months old at the time they were in our home. Here are two of the five digital scrapbook pages I put together recently of their brief visit with us, including some four generation photos! The time went by too quickly; I am thankful for these photos that helped us to capture that treasured time together.

Summertime Reading

Whatever the season, it's a treat to read good books. I love to be continually reading an inspirational book, one that I can learn and grow from. And, also, I love to have a fiction book to relax with. My choice is most often a historical fiction book, where besides reading an engaging story/plot, I also can be learning of another time period from the past.

One of the two fiction books I've been reading this month is Judah's Wife, this one set in Biblical times. It was a great choice! I've been reading through the Bible chronologically, and recently completed the Old Testament. I did some extra reading about the "400 Silent Years" between the Old and New Testaments before continuing on with the chronological reading of the New Testament. I also was quite pleased to find a fiction book to read, as well, giving great insight into that time period that we usually hear so little about. From the book's back cover: "To be silent would be to deny their God. To defy would bring the wrath of the king. The miraculous story of the courageous Maccabees is told through the eyes of Judah's wife, who learns that love requires courage ... and sacrifice."

(NOTE: the beautiful setting for the photo above was at the home of one of our daughters, near McCook, NE. We recently spent 10 days there caring for their home and animals while they were on vacation. The perfect place to relax with a good book! (Thanks, Carrie, for the fun of being at your & Tyler's beautiful place!)

Digital Scrapbooking: Highlights from September 2022

I needed to take a break from digital scrapbooking all of this last fall and most of this past winter, and now have been very, very slowly going back to cover some of that time period. As you can see (below), we were gone from home the whole month of September 2022! Here are two of the ten pages I was able to digital scrapbook a few months ago, from our Trip to Oregon in September 2022. 

It was the first time for us as four Siebert siblings to all be together since our father's passing in January of 2018. What a joy it was to be all together again ... one brother & his wife coming from New York, and Gary & me from Nebraska, to join another brother & his wife in Gresham, OR, and another brother in Portland.

The highlight of our time together, was just to be together again!! The scrapbook page above captures some of the beauty and joy of our time together, as we spent a day along the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. 

The majority of our time was spent working together to prepare for our youngest brother to make a big move. And now he is back here in Nebraska, at an Assisted Living place just two blocks from our home for six months, and more recently, at a residential-style home that offers quality, individualized care just a 30-minute drive from us! It is so good to have him close by, especially as his Parkinsons disease has worsened in recent years.

____________________

Note for those who ask how I create these pages: About eleven years ago I switched from paper scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking, and took some online lessons from Digital Scrapper to learn how to digital scrapbook using Photoshop Elements. You can also click here for some great tutorials on the Digital Project Life website - this is probably a quicker way to learn than the site that I used eleven years ago. I recommend using these tutorials. Most of the page templates and digital products that I use are purchased from Digital Project Life. Also, besides being able to share my completed pages online, I also print them out at home in 8x8 inch size to fit in the albums that I purchase from Michael's.

What We Need Most in Hard Times

We have gone through some challenging times recently. Mild if we were to compare ourselves to so many around the world. But for us, the past few months have been extra challenging.

It is heart-breaking and challenging to care for and extend support and love to my brother who is suffering from Parkinsons. An absolutely devastating disease to have to go through. In the last thirty days, he has gone from living in an Assisted Living place just a few blocks from us, to a 5-day hospital stay where he had a much needed surgery, to 2 1/2 weeks of rehab at another facility, to being moved to his new home: an amazing new assisted living place in a home-style setting just a 30-minute drive from us. A loving atmosphere where eight residents receive individualized love and care in a beautiful, large ranch-style home. 

How do we navigate through so many unknowns on a daily basis? How do we have the strength and energy to go on, day after day, when things are so difficult, and when we are so needy? This has been my story for the past weeks/months. And the verse above has been one of many that have spoken truth to me. Truth that I have needed over and over again.

I wait quietly before God,

for my victory comes from Him.

He alone is my rock

and my salvation, my fortress

where I will never be shaken.

(Psalm 62:1-2 NLT)

There really is only one place to go when we are in need. And that place is to wait quietly before God. 

In our hard times, and in our good times ... we are to wait quietly. Not just in a vacuum or in emptiness, but we are to wait quietly before God.

And who is this God ?

This is the Hebrew word "elohiym", used 2,600 times in the Old Testament, referring to the one true God. This name of God conveys that "God is Creator, the King, the Judge, the Lord, and the Savior. His character is compassionate, gracious, and faithful to His covenant." (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible)

So when we are in difficult times, we have the greatest privilege we could ever wish for ... we can draw close, and wait quietly on God. He is our Rock, our Salvation, our Fortress. A safe place, where we will never be shaken. These are not just words; they are Truth. A never-ending promise, from our faithful God.

This has been true these past few weeks/months, and I have needed to turn my eyes, my heart, and my focus again and again to this safe place, to our faithful, compassionate, loving God. A place where we are cared for, and loved completely. I am so grateful. Day by day. Moment by moment.

Beautiful words of truth for our everyday ...

"God, the one and only - I'll wait as long as He says.

Everything I need comes from Him, so why not?

He's solid rock under my feet,

breathing room for my soul,

an impregnable castle: I'm set for life."

(Psalm 62:1-2 MSG)

To read more of my 'Heart Connect' posts:

What We So Desperately Need

The Secrets of Prayer

In the Kitchen: Menu Planning, Spice Organization, and a New Recipe

Having some type of a menu plan especially helps me to be more consistent with cooking for just the two of us. Of course, it definitely helps when cooking for a crowd, but I need it just as much for a meal for two. 

The photo above shows the menu planner that I am using this year; sitting on my kitchen counter, ready and handy to refer to. The photo above was taken on Feb. 13, with the recipe written in for that day - a delicious new recipe I tried. We loved the Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup we had that evening. 

On the post-it notes you see the other two recipes that I had selected to use that week for main dishes. I made Teriyaki Salmon the next day (Valentine's Day!), a favorite of my hubby's. We love that recipe!

I like to be flexible with my menu plans, usually waiting to fill in the daily squares as I go through the week. But having the recipes picked out ahead of time helps so much, also gives me the time needed to shop for the groceries. And I like the flexibility of using the post-it notes. 

And on the additional days of the week when I am not preparing one of the recipes that I have picked out to use, you will most likely find us heating up a homemade freezer meal. I usually have a ready supply of those on hand in our extra upright freezer. This happens naturally as I continue to prepare my recipes as they are originally written, even though there are just two of us at home now. Instead of down-sizing them for just two of us, sometimes I will even double the original recipe so that I will have a number of freezer meals - for us, and also to share.

Last month we gave our kitchen a little new year gift! Our spice collection was becoming a bit of a mess. So many spices, and it was becoming a challenge to quickly find the ones that a recipe called for! 

So it was the right time to purchase some new spice racks, and also some new spice jars! I used my label maker to make the labels that you see on the jars. The round labels on top came with the purchased jars. Why did I wait so long to do this?! Click to see the spice racks (I purchased two of these), and the spice jars that I purchased from Amazon. And click for the label maker that I purchased a few years ago, and that I use often!

And back to that new recipe that I tried out mid-February ... here's a photo of it! I put several meals of it in the freezer, and yesterday we pulled out one of those freezer meals to use. It was just as delicious after being frozen, thawed, and heated up in the microwave as when I made it fresh earlier this month. Click here for the recipe: Creamy Tomato and Spinach Tortellini Soup.

(A few changes I made to the recipe: I doubled the recipe, and also substituted 1 can of crushed tomatoes for 1 of the cans of diced tomatoes ... also used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. I chose to freeze it with the tortellini already added to it - instead of how the recipe describes doing it. The recipe also suggests adding cooked sausage to it, which also would be delicious!)