Thank You, LORD . . .

for the bouquet M. bought me at the auction -

6379.) for yesterday's marking of 23 years of marriage
6380.) for the anticipation of a nice dinner at our favorite anniversary restaurant
6381.) for the fun we had volunteering at the produce stand of the annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction this weekend
6382.) for the gorgeous sunsets You've been painting recently
6383.) for crisp apples fresh off our trees
6384.) for the rich time I've been spending lately in mining out Hebrews
6385.) for all of Psalm 103 - it's loaded with great stuff
6386.) for verse 10: that You have not punished us as our sins should be punished
6387.) for verse 12: that You have taken our sins away as far as the east is from the west
6388.) for verse 14: in Your infinite mercy and grace, You remember that we are but dust
6389.) for the reminder to write Your teachings and commands on my heart as if on a tablet (Proverbs 7:3)
6390.) that You are not a God of confusion but a God of peace (I Corinthians 14:33)
6391.) that the life of every creature and the breath of all people are in Your hand (Job 12:10) - how comforting that thought is, Abba
6392.) for the lessons You are teaching me about humility - hard ones, but good ones

Sunday Shepherding

At church, either the material or mystical can keep you from drifting too far.  Perhaps there's something about the building itself - the vault of the ceiling or the unique olfactory blend of wood polish and incense - that invites you to become present.  You might notice how change in vestment colors shifts your sense of season.  Sometimes the rhythm of the lector's voice recaptures your attention to God's Word.  At other times, music transports you deeper into the land of worship.  You might find yourself mindlessly reciting the profession of faith when suddenly a word, phrase or entire section comes to life - your present life in a new way . . .  All of it - the physical structure of God's house and the rituals performed within it - serves to shepherd your meandering mind.

-- Meredith Gould, The Catholic Home: Celebrations & Traditions for Holidays, Feast Days & Every Day

Though the above quote comes from a Catholic resource and I don't happen to be Catholic, I've found inspiration in the thoughts that it's brought forth in my own life of faith.  In fact, the quote has inspired me to keep a little running list in a notebook under the title: "Sunday Shepherding."  You'll find below my list of nuggets that I've discovered each week during worship, whether we happen to be at our own church, our little mountain church, or ministering at one of the local nursing homes.  Looking for a nugget of truth that really resonates with me gives my mind something specific on which to meditate and allows my heart to be shepherded by it.  The practice has truly become a source of joy and delight to mine out each week.  I record the nuggets and then peruse the list to be inspired and encouraged yet again at a later date. 

8/10/14 - Amy's special music with the line: All I have need of, His hand will provide.  He's always been faithful to me.

8/17/14 - Dale's encouragement during his message at Broadmore to "to let God be God in your life."

8/24/14 - Jonah's special music with the line from  My Jesus, I Love Thee: I love Thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow.

8/31/14 - Legally-blind Mark who memorizes the Scripture reading and his sermon to give that day

9/7/14 - Barb's coconut zucchini bread during an incredible interactive Sunday school hour on covenants

9/21/14 - Marty's object lesson with a mouse trap and taking the bait of an offense - the perfect picture

God's Handiwork at the Beach

Photo credit to Eli Druck Photography

A Book Review of The Rest of God

But when I say Sabbath, I also mean an attitude.  It is a perspective, an orientation.  I mean a Sabbath heart, not just a Sabbath day.  A Sabbath heart is restful even in the midst of unrest and upheaval.  It is attentive to the presence of God and others even in the welter of much coming and going, rising and falling.  It is still and knows God even when mountains fall into the sea.

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan is a gem and has quickly made its way to the top five books of the year on my reading list.   It's simply a joy to read.  In fact, I found myself several times letting out long sighs of satisfaction and contentment.  The Lord placed this book in my hands at just the right time.  Some of the very things that He's been teaching me lately about cultivating a quiet in my soul were confirmed in this book.

As the intro quote implies, The Rest of God is about far more than keeping Sabbath one day a week.  It's about cultivating a lifestyle of rest and trust in God in every bit of our beings.  Nothing in it is earth-shattering - it's really reminders of what we already know if we stop long enough to remember.  Here are just a few quotes to whet your whistle:

* The Chinese join two characters to form a single pictograph for busyness: heart and killing.  That is stunningly incisive.  The heart is the place the busy life exacts its steepest toll.

* You cannot practice thankfulness on a biblical scale without its altering the way you see.  And the more you do it, the more you find cause for doing it.  Inherent in a life of thanksgiving is an ongoing discovery of God's sufficiency, his generosity, his fatherly affection and warrior protection.

* If God works all things together for good for those who love him and are called to his purposes, you can relax.  If he doesn't, start worrying.  If God can take any mess, any mishap, any wastage, any wreckage, any anything, and choreograph beauty and meaning from it, then you can take a day off.  If he can't, get busy.  Either God's always at work, watching the city, building the house, or it all depends on you.

* To live on purpose means to go and do likewise.  Purposefulness requires paying attention, and paying attention means - almost by definition - that we make room for surprise.  We become hospitable to interruption.  I doubt we can notice for long without this hospitality.  And to sustain it we need theological touchstones for it - a conviction in our bones that God is Lord of our days and years, and that his purposes and his presence often come disguised as detours, messes, defeats.

* For only those who number their days aright gain wise hearts.  Only they become God's sages: those calm, unhurried people who live in each moment fully, savoring simple things, celebrating small epiphanies, unafraid of life's inevitable surprises and reverses, adaptive to change yet not chasing after it.  

There aren't many books that are given a permanent place on my bookshelf and that will get read again and again.  But The Rest of God is one of them.  Read and be. restored.

Fruit Coffee Cake

One recent evening Ben brought home a plate of this coffee cake that his girl, Sarah, baked with blueberries.  I warmed a slice up for breakfast and knew immediately that I wanted the recipe.  I love that it's so adaptable . . .

Fruit Coffee Cake

1 1/2 - 2 C. sliced, peeled apricots, peaches, or apples; or blueberries or red raspberries
1/4 C. sugar
2 tabl. cornstarch
1 1/2 C. flour
3/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C. butter, cut into chunks
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. buttermilk or sour milk
1/4 C. flour
1/4 C. sugar
2 tabl. butter

For filling, combine fruit and 1/4 C. water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to boil; reduce heat.  Simmer (except when using raspberries) and cover for about 5 minutes.   Stir in 1/4 C. sugar and cornstarch.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened.  Cook and stir for 2 more minutes; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, combine the 1 1/2 C. flour, 3/4 C. sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Cut in 1/4 C. butter chunks until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, vanilla and buttermilk.  Add all of the egg mixture to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Spread 1/2 of the batter into an ungreased 8x8x2" baking pan.  Spoon and gently spread filling over batter.  Drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over filling.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1/4 C. flour and second 1/4 C. sugar.  Cut in 2 tabl. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle over coffee cake.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  For a larger-size coffee cake, double the recipe and use a 13x9x2" pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. 

Thank You, LORD . . .

for September sunlight -

6432.) for the opportunity to visit with extended family and old family friends at my uncle's funeral this weekend
6433.) for mini golf and chocolate cake with Ben & Sarah on Saturday evening
6434.) for a grilled Sunday dinner with Eli and Caleb & Abby
6435.) for a houseful of family at Grandma's yesterday
6436.) for the anticipation of a quiet morning and a hot bath to settle into the week
6437.) that You have made known Your power to save (Psalm 98:2)
6438.) for the reminder to listen carefully to wisdom and set my mind on understanding
(Proverbs 2:2)
6439.) that our crown will not be destroyed (I Corinthians 9:25)
6440.) for the example of Esther's courage (Esther 4:9-5:3)

Meditating on the Word of God

Nancy Leigh DeMoss of the Revive Our Hearts radio program has been teaching an encouraging series called Lessons From the Life of Joshua for over a month now.  Yesterday was a message called Planting Your Life in God's Word from Part 7: Indispensable Ingredients for Life.  The focus was on one of two keys to living a successful and prosperous Christian life - meditation & obedience - which are spoken of in Joshua 1 and Psalms 1.

(God speaking to Joshua) Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. -- Joshua 1:7-8

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night. -- Psalm 1:1-2

Nancy explained that meditating on the Word of God is a far different idea than the Eastern idea of meditation, which focuses on emptying the mind.  Meditating on the Word is all about filling our mind with Him and His ways.  She shared that there are two Hebrew words for meditate: one means to mutter; to sigh; to whisper; to make sounds like a dove.  (Love that!)  The other means to consider; to ponder; to rehearse or review something in one's mind.

She went on to share some practical ways to meditate on the Word:

* Make it a habit to read Scripture daily
* Ponder passages - not just a quick read-through, but stopping to think on
* Ask questions as you read the Word
* Cross-reference passages to other passages
* Memorize Scripture
* Pray the Word
* Talk to others about what you're reading/learning
* Look for ways to keep Scripture in front of you (verses displayed throughout your home, for example)
* Take notes during sermons and programs to process and chew on

At the end of the program, we were encouraged to share with others ways that we have found to meditate on the Word and keep it ever before us throughout the day.  One thing I've found helpful is to listen to Scripture being read on my computer throughout the day.  My oldest son downloaded a free copy of an audio Bible onto our laptop.  Instead of listening to the books in their typical order, I listen to them in alphabetical order.  This, of course, mixes Old and New Testament together and has given me a different perspective on the Word.  My audio version is a different translation than the version I typically read from - this also gives me a new and fresh twist on it.

Another thing I've found helpful is to jot down a few things each morning after my devotions that I want to keep before me.  These notes get posted in the middle of my frig where I stop and read them several times each day.

Keeping the Word ever in our minds and before our eyes is an absolute must to keep us on track and walking in His ways.  Filling our minds with Him results in our lives being filled with Him.

We become what we take in. 

Breakfast Inspiration

"Come and have your breakfast," said Sam, holding the chair for Cynthia.

On a round table laid with a neat cloth, they saw a blue vase of watermelon-colored crepe myrtle, and the result of Marion Fieldwalker's labors:

Fried perch, crisp and hot, on a platter.  A pot of coffee, strong and fragrant.  A pitcher of fresh orange juice.  Cantaloupe, cut into thick, ripe slices.  Biscuits mounded in a basket next to a golden round of cheese and a saucer of butter, with a school of jellies and preserves on the side.

"Homemade fig preserve," said Marion, pointing to the jam pots.  "Raspberry jelly.  Blueberry jam.  And orange marmalade."

"Dearest, do you think it possible that yesterday in that brutal storm we somehow died, and are now in heaven?"

"Not only possible, but very likely!"

. . . Their hostess passed the platter of fried perch to Cynthia, as Sam passed the hot biscuits to his new priest.

Oh, the ineffable holiness of small things, he thought, crossing himself.

-- Jan Karon, A New Song

Thank You, LORD . . .

for the beauty of the harvest -

6405.) for beach fun and memories with M. and E.: the majestic, ever-rolling ocean; a marvelous, pink sunrise; the gorgeous view from our room's window; Dumser's milkshakes and mini golf; a glimpse of Assateague's ponies; laughing over my first taste of "Duck Dynasty;" long strolls on the boardwalk; our morning bike ride in a surrey; pumpkin muffins for breakfast; joy in watching a young family's joy over the ocean
6406.) for the comforts of home: my own bed; all my boys under the same roof; a good cup of tea; homemade food; quiet time with You
6407.) that You have glory and majesty; power and beauty (Psalm 96:6)
6408.) that, One Day, all the trees of the forest will sing for joy because of His return (Psalm 96:12-13)
6409.) for the lesson in seeing this proverb played out in reality during our time away:  "Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled, but those who obey what they have been taught are happy." (Proverbs 29:18)
6410.) that You are the One Who judges me (I Corinthians 4:4)
6411.) that there are still men who are "honest and fear God more than most people" (Nehemiah 7:2)
6412.) that "they finally understood what they had been taught" (Nehemiah 8:12) - thank You that You open, not only physical eyes, but more importantly, spiritual eyes

At the Beach

The Little Free Libary

Several weeks ago, M. and I took a Sunday afternoon walk in a small town across the river.  We strolled along the waterfront street, admiring the architecture of many of the old homes and buildings.  Walking past a brick home, we suddenly came upon the above scene, and I screeched to a halt to investigate!  There were signs explaining that this was The Little Free Library and that we were encouraged to take a book with us.  An invitation to leave a book was presented as well.  After we had our fill of browsing shelves and set off down the street again, I suddenly remembered seeing an article about this very "library" in a local newspaper. 

You can learn more about the inspiring "take a book, return a book" concept that many neighborhoods around the world are participating in here. And with a mission to promote literacy and the love of reading, as well as building a sense of community, what not's to love about the idea?

Nuggets From "The Seventeen Traditions"

* For Mother, the family table was a mosaic of sights, scents, and tastes, of talking and teaching, of health, culture, beauty, history, stimulation, and delight.  For Dad, it was a time to pepper us with questions, never thinking for a moment that they might have been over our heads.  So what about the leader theory of history? he would ask.  Do leaders make changes, or do they largely reflect dynamic pressures on the ground?  Or: How did the Treaty of Versailles affect the economic conditions facing a devastated Germany after World War I?  Much of our upbringing happened in our compact kitchen - tucked between two pantries in our Winsted home - and at our family table.

* Dad's most instructive lesson to us was his avoidance of extremes in his daily life.  No matter how hungry he was, for example, or how delicious the meal my mother prepared, I can't remember a time when he said he overate.  He used to tell us, especially at Thanksgiving, that the difference between a great dinner and a failed dinner was perhaps two or three mouthfuls too many.  He didn't sleep too much or too little, didn't walk too much or too little, didn't try to shovel the snow too rapidly, drive too quickly, or spend too rapidly.  He was the soul of moderation, and we could not help but notice.

* Our childhoods were livelier because my parents always put a premium on the lessons of history.  Learning from the past, they taught us, was crucial for understanding the present and shaping the future.  It was a rich journey Mom and Dad took us on - worldwide, nationally, regionally, and locally.  We relished their stories of heroes of history, though not so much for what side they were on as for the stories of what they did or said - the wise phrases of Lincoln, the gallantry of Saladin in his twelfth-century victory over the European crusaders, the liberational voices of Arab patriots against the French and British rulers, the frugal sayings of Benjamin Franklin, and, of course, the poetry of several long-forgotten poets.  Mother often shared such stories at lunchtime, when we rushed home from school - not just for the food but also for the next installment of her latest historical saga.  And this storytelling approach to history whetted our appetite to read more on our own, including historical novels from the Revolutionary and Civil War to tales of Genghis Khan.

* One day, when I was about ten, I came home from grade school.  When my father saw me, he asked a simple question: "What did you learn today, Ralph? Did you learn how to believe or did you learn how to think?"  For some reason, that question was like a bolt from the blue.  It has stayed with me ever since as a yardstick and a guide.  In my adult life, I have thought back on it countless times: Is this new movement or politician trying to make us believe, by using abstractions and slogans or advertising gimmicks, or inviting us to think through the issues, using facts, experience, and judgement?  It has helped me to interpret people's style of persuasion in normal conversation - whether they are sharing how they think, or merely what they believe.  And it has helped me find weak spots in countless arguments I've entertained through the years - whether in real-time debates on radio or television, or in the more thoughtful form of the printed word.

This is not to discount the importance of belief, without which, after all, we couldn't hold to the principles and ethics that shape our daily lives.  Rather, my father's point was that we should reach our beliefs by thinking through them.  In public school we received instructions, which was largely a matter of belief; it was at home that we received our real education, which had more to do with thought.  There was nothing wrong with this combination: Both instruction and education were the better for it.

-- Ralph Nader, The Seventeen Traditions

Herb Club: Tea Talk & Luncheon

The first meeting of the new year for The Partners In Thyme Herb Club took place last Friday.  Our year began with a tea talk, business meeting, and tea luncheon.  The half-hour tea talk was given by the owner of Cherie Anne's, a tea bar and craft boutique in the city.  She shared a jam-packed talk about tea terminology, types of tea and infusing tips, as well as several samples of teas and chocolates infused with tea.

My favorite tip that Cherie Anne gave was one that I immediately went home and put into practice: how to decaffeniate your own tea.  To remove caffeine from black tea, infuse (steep) your tea for 30 seconds and remove leaves or teabag.  Pour that cup away.  Place your tea back into your cup and pour fresh water over the tea.  Steep for as long as desired.  Caffeine is infused into tea the first 30 seconds that the water hits the tea.  Pouring away that first cup is pouring away the caffeine.  Perfect!

At the end of our business meeting, one of our members gave the Herb-of-the-Month presentation on lavendar.  Below you'll find the recipe for the delicious lavendar-sugar-coated cookies that Karen passed around after her talk:

Lavendar Sugar Cookies

1 C. butter
1/2 C. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 C. flour
Lavendar sugar

Cream butter and sugar.  Gradually add in salt and flour.  Form into 1" balls and roll in lavendar sugar.  Place balls of dough on ungreased cookie sheets and gently press thumb into center of each. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen.

After our meeting was our annual tea luncheon.  Each member brought a food item to share and, Suzanne, our Hospitality chair,  prepared several beautiful tea pots of tea.  There was hot Cream of Celery Soup, cold Vichyssoise, Olive and Pimento Sandwiches, Eggplant Companade with crackers and bread, skewers of fresh fruit, scones with jam and lemon curd, and a variety of desserts.  You'll find the recipe for my contribution of Cherry-Pineapple Bars below.

Cherry-Pineapple Bars

1 1/2 C. graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C. butter, melted
10 oz. maraschino cherries, drained, patted dry and halved
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained and patted dry
1 1/2 C. white chocolate chips
1 C. flaked coconut
1 C. slivered almonds
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Combine crumbs and butter; press into 13x9" pan.  Sprinkle cherries, pineapple, chips, coconut and almonds over crust.  Drizzle with can of milk.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Cool on wire rack.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  Cut into bars.  Makes 2 dozen.

And I must include one more recipe.  These old-fashioned cookie bars called Hermits were made by a member of our club and shared at one of our monthly meetings in the past.  They reminded me so much of a cookie that I would treat myself to 20 years ago when I worked in the city before my babies were born.  On Tuesdays or Thursdays when the market house was open, I would walk down the street to buy one of these comforting and delicious bar cookies to eat on the walk back.  When I tasted the Hermits that Jeanne made, I could hardly wait to get the recipe.  You'll find it below:

Hermits (makes 36)

1 1/2 sticks butter (12 tabl.)
2/3 C. sugar
3/4 C. packed dark brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 C. dark molasses mixed with 1/8 C. warm water
1 C. golden raisins
1 C. chopped nuts

Glaze:
1 egg, well beaten

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 cookie sheets.  Cream the butter with the sugars, then beat in the eggs.  Toss the flour, salt, baking powder, and spices together, then add to the butter-sugar mixture along with the molasses mixture.  Fold in the raisins and nuts.  Plop one-quarter of the batter onto a cookie sheet, and shape it with floured hands into a strip about 10x3"; repeat with another quarter of the batter, spaced several inches apart.  Do the same with the remaining batter on the second cookie sheet.  Paint the tops of the 4 strips with egg glaze.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your Hermits.  While still warm, cut each strip into 9 bars.

Three Questions

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. -- Psalm 1:2

Have you ever had the experience of reading a portion of Scripture - perhaps even several pages or chapters - only to stop and realize you have absolutely no idea what you just read?  That has happened to me more times than I care to admit.

Or perhaps you find it difficult to concentrate when you are reading the Word.  Your eyes may be reading words about the children of Israel in the wilderness or Jesus and His disciples in a boat; but your mind is thinking about a thousand other things that have nothing to do with what you are reading.

If you find it hard to concentrate, I suggest asking three basic questions each time you read the Bible:

* What does it say?

* What does it mean?

* What should I do?

When you really stop to think about what the Word of God is saying, it will help you absorb it into your system.  And by meditating on it, you can move past just hearing the Word to actually living it.

-- Nancy Leigh DeMoss, excerpt from August 2014 Daily Reflections

Thank You, LORD . . .

for the never-ending beauty of the Pine Creek valley -

for a morning of yard saling in an Amish neighborhood -

 6347.) for a safe trip home from the cabin
6348.) for the comfort of our own bed
6349.) for flowers in the frig and a new magazine on my desk
6350.) that there is wisdom in knowing what time it is
6351.) for several days with lots of pondering time and for the lessons learned and practiced during them - help me to remember, Abba
6352.) that less is more
6353.) that choosing obedience is choosing joy
6354.) that choosing obedience isn't really a choice but a command for my good

for these gorgeous wildflowers all along the roadsides and creekbanks -

6355.) that thankfulness is the key that unlocks everything
6356.) that there is none like You, LORD God All-Powerful - that You are powerful and completely trustworthy (Psalm 89:8)
6357.) that love and truth are in all You do (Psalm 89:14) - make that so in my own life
6358.) for these reminders from Proverbs:
* that the right word spoken at the right time is beautiful (25:11)
* that a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed (25:15)

for a delightful dinner at The Whistlestop (an old, converted railroad station) -

6359.) for the encouragement to be wise in good and innocent in what is evil (Romans 16:19)
6360.) that the God Who brings peace will soon defeat Satan and give us power over him (Romans 16:20)
6361.) that You change the minds of kings (Ezra 6:22) - and if You can do that, You can change anyone's mind

Inspiration From the Fair

Home Decorating Inspiration

Notice the tile pattern on the porch floor -

A few weeks ago, two friends and I crossed the river to visit a mutual acquaintance.  We had been graciously invited for lunch and to tour her home.  Teresa's family is incredibly talented in the home decorating line - her husband is a contractor; her son, an award-winning architect and she could easily be an interior decorator (and a landscaper, to boot).  They do home renovation projects like I try out new recipes!!




We spent the day being inspired by Teresa's creativity and joy in creating an environment that's beautiful AND inviting.  I came away with an idea for a shelf in our living room.  Teresa had two large brackets painted and welded into an "L" shape on which she placed irregular slices of walnut to serve as two shelves on the barn siding walls of her enclosed porch. 




She's great at finding things that others have discarded and repurposing them into new creations.  Below you'll see the shutters and brackets she used to make a unique decoration that hangs on the side of their garage.  And in one of the bedrooms is a beautiful old mantelpiece that Teresa salvaged from a burn pile and turned into a headboard for a bed.  She definitely has a gift for thinking outside of the box!

Artificial plants are tucked in tiny baskets inside the top of the brackets -

After our inside tour, Teresa provided a simple but colorful and delicious luncheon of orangeade and iced tea, salad, fruit, cheese cubes and homemade whole wheat bread, which we enjoyed on the porch.  After chatting for awhile, we were given the outside tour of their spacious property and finished back in the sunroom with a blueberry cream cheese dessert.  Certainly a lovely way to spend an afternoon . . .

Raspberry Fruit Dip

This recipe showcases the raspberry vinegar that I made this summer.  The vinegar is bottled in an old soda pop bottle with a built-in cork that I fortuitously found at thrift shop.  You can make the fruit dip without the vinegar, though the color isn't as bright nor the raspberry flavor as strong. 

Raspberry Fruit Dip

1/2 C. vanilla yogurt
1 tabl. honey
1 tabl. raspberry jelly
1/2 tsp. raspberry vinegar

Increase quantities as needed - but be careful about adding too much vinegar.  You want enough to strengthen the raspberry flavor but not enough to overpower the flavor with vinegar.

Little E. Turns 17

Beauty in the Bounty

Seasonal beauty at the fair -

Through August and early September a rich seasonal peace pervaded the town.  It was the time of year when apples and peaches reddened and pears turned to gold on the fruit trees, when tomatoes grew scarlet in gardens and cucumbers waxed fat among the leaves.  Rich odors lay upon the still, warm air, for in every kitchen busy women, filled with satisfaction in the year's bounty and their own skill in availing themselves of it, boiled and stirred, seasoned and tested until their cellar shelves were filled with the fruits of their labors and rows of ruby and amber jellies sunned themselves upon the window sills.

-- Agnes Sligh Turnbull, The Gown of Glory