Another quiet day in the neighborhood. Extremely quiet. Snow seems to have a way of doing that around here. But again, I found plenty to do and yet found myself wishing for more to do! :-/ Too bad I'm not crafty or something! I had expected we would be keeping the kids last night and anticipated a very busy day today with them. But the weather having changed the plan, I changed mine.

I decided to make a surprise for DH's breakfast. (He has wanted some different treat every day this week. I think he may be getting spoiled.) So, knowing I had plenty of fresh blueberries on hand, I made the To Die For Blueberry Muffins.

photo credit

These muffins are delicious, but the name is offensive to me. How did this expression come to be about food? Would anybody really die for a muffin?

Anyway, if you read the reviews of recipes online, the reviewers who give the recipe good ratings NEVER seem to follow the recipe. That is a help sometimes, but other times it is VERY annoying. Don't you agree?

(That being said, I will say in the case of the above blueberry muffins, I made two changes: a coffee cake rather than muffins, and instead of white sugar for the streusel, I used brown sugar. That's not too drastic a change, is it?)

Since I had extra chicken from making chicken pot pie, it seemed like a good idea to prepare another one today for my friend who moved during the bad weather. She will be busy for some time with all she has to do.

For DH and me, tonight's menu was beef stew and cornbread. I think I could have finished off the whole pot of it - but managed to restrain myself since I'm trying to keep off the weight I lost when I was sick.

The phone rang while we were having dinner and caller ID came up on the TV screen. Surprise, surprise when I saw the name. A phone call from a high school classmate. You know you are getting older when an unexpected call comes from someone who never calls (I am usually the caller). First thought is they are calling to say a mutual friend has passed away. But nope! she wanted to be the caller for a change and just catch up on how we are doing. It was nice being the callee this time.

Saturday nights are church night here, but with more freezing rain and uncertainty of the streets tonight, will go tomorrow morning. I really don't like to miss and tomorrow morning is waffles/workshop for those who work with children's church. I can't figure out if the waffles are a reward for those who volunteer - or bribery to keep us on!! (NO! I am not going for the waffles!)

I have been following an online Bible study at shereadstruth.org. Observing Lent was never part of my growing up years and, as an adult, I associated it with what I knew (very little) about Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and King cake. In this study, I discovered a beautiful hymn. I love the words and want to preserve them in my blog.

Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;

Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.

Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;

Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;

Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.

No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;

No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;

Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.

Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,

Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;

And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.

His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb

Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;

He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.

’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;

I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

~Horatius Bonar