Top 20 Posts From 2020

Top 20 Posts from 2020

Here we are again, the end of the year with my annual top blog post summary from the past year.  At the end of every year I reminisce about the previous year featuring my favorite moments.   Below, you will find my digital review through the top 20 blog posts from godsgrowinggarden.com during 2020.

Please click on each title below to view the entire post - ENJOY!

Wisdom From Heaven - PURE

Cranberry Surprise Sweet Potato Muffins

The Science of LIFE - DNA

A Good Beta Carotene Garden Year

Betty Salad Made with Fresh Garden Spinach

Ring of Fire Sunflower Variety

photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

The Good, Bad & Ugly - GARDEN CRITTERS

Quarantine Coffee Break - French Style

Deformed Produce Hall of Fame 2020

photo by Angie Ouellette-Tower

Recipe for the Christian Life - 

SELF-CONTROL

Fun Photos - CROCHETED PILLOW BABY PROPS

Worship Wednesdays - GOD WILL RESCUE YOU

Mom of Noble Character

Fortified & Protected Against Attack (STRONGHOLD)

DIY Grapevine Trimmings Wreath

European Christmas Music - GERMANY (with Recipes)

14 Days of Chocolate - Day#13

Mochacinno Mousse Dessert Chocolate

Spring Cleaning Our Personality - ENVY

Chocolate Filled Strawberry Muffins

Psalm 119 - TSADHE (Hebrew Alphabet)

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Take Up The THANKFULNESS Challenge!

I challenge you to thank God for something everyday for one year!  Either write it down in a diary OR share with us on a blog.  If you have a blog & would like to share your THANKFULNESS posts with us, then please fill out this form: 365 Days of Being THANKFUL form - click HERE and you will be added to the THANKFULNESS page.

Living Day by Day - Planning Is Up To God

Living Day by Day - Planning Is Up To God

I agree, this year has been excruciating but maybe there is something that we can learn from these difficulties.  Maybe, instead of focusing on the future and what "might" happen next week, next month, or next year - we should only focus on today.  By constantly thinking about the future we are creating trouble for our today.  (see Thomas Watson's quote above).

Each day has it's own trouble.  Let's focus on the here and now and then our tomorrows become easier to handle.

Put all your planning in God's hands.  To do this successfully you have to be able to accept difficult times along with the good.  The difficult patches are happening for a reason.

Dreams and aspirations are good but we need to bend to God's Will.

The verse above says it all!  Let's make "Living Day by Day" our "New Year's Resolution"

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Celestial Celebration - JESUS IS BORN!

Celestial Celebration - JESUS IS BORN!

Merry Christmas!!

"For to us a child is born,

    to us a son is given,

    and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called

    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."      Isaiah 9:6

This Advent season we have been learning about the angel visits that foretold the coming of Jesus Christ (click on the following links to view each post).  

Angel Visits Zechariah

Angel Visits Mary

Angel Visits Joseph

Angels Visit the Shepherds

I want to be very clear that worshiping angels is wrong - angels are servants of God.  Only God The Father, Son & Holy Spirit can be worshiped.

Below are four beautiful Christmas hymns about the angelic celestial celebrations rejoicing about Jesus' birth!

 

Angels We Have Heard On High

Sweetly singing o'er the plains

And the mountains in reply

Echoing their joyous strains

A special thanks to "Kaymaran" for sharing this with us on YouTube

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

A special thanks to "maumau 1968" for sharing this with us on YouTube

Angels from the Realms of Glory

Wing your flight o'er all the earth;  

Ye who sang creation's story, 

Now proclaim Messiah's birth

A special thanks to "Henry T. Smart - Topic" for sharing this with us on YouTube
 

There Are Angels Hovering 'Round

To sing in harmony.............

.......There is glory all around

A special thanks to "Garrison Keillor - Topic" for sharing this with us on YouTube

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Enjoy precious time with your family during Advent.
click HERE to view this post about
Family Worship Time during Advent

European Christmas Music #7 - SPAIN

European Christmas Music - SPAIN

There won't be much travel this Christmas season due to the Pandemic, so I thought it would be fun to bring the sounds of Christmas in Europe into our homes.

We will be visiting 7 European areas during this musical trip (click the following titles to visit):

France

Ireland

Germany

Italy

United Kingdom

Sweden

Spain

Also, after the featured songs, I will share some of my recipes that coincide with that area.

Today we are visiting Spain.

Please enjoy the following Spanish Christmas songs!

 

Los Peces en el Río

(The Fish in the River)

  This is the first verse & chorus translated to English:

The virgin is combing her hair

between curtain and curtain,

The hair is of gold,

her fine silver combs.

But look how they drink

THE FISH IN THE RIVER,

But look how they drink

TO SEE GOD BORN,

They drink and drink

And they drink again,

THE FISH IN THE RIVER

TO SEE GOD BORN.

A special thanks to "Lenin Vladimir Cardenas Torres" for sharing this with us on YouTube

Vamos, Pastores, Vamoso

(Come on Shepherds Come on)

  This is the first verse translated to English:

Come on shepherds, come on

Let's go to Bethlehem

To see in that child

The glory of Eden

To see in that child

The glory of Eden.

A special thanks to "Ccesar C" for sharing this with us on YouTube

Hacia Belén va una burra, rin, rin

(Towards Bethlehem Goes a Donkey, Rin, Rin)

  This is the first verse translated to English but something must be lost in translation because it doesn't make any sense:

Towards Bethlehem goes a donkey, rin, rin

I patched myself, I patched myself

I put on a patch, I took it off

Loaded with chocolate.

A special thanks to "Luz Divia Luna" for sharing this with us on YouTube
 

Canta, Rie, Bebe

(Sing, Laugh, Baby)

 This is the chorus translated into English:

Sing, laugh, baby, today is Christmas Eve

And in these moments there is no need to be sorry

Hit the zambomba, hit the mortar

And give your mother-in-law the nut in half.

A special thanks to "Los Toribianitos - Topic" for sharing this with us on YouTube

SPANISH (inspired) RECIPES 

(Actually, most of these recipes are inspired more by Mexico than Spain, but I included them anyway)

click on each title to view the entire post:

 Garden Preserved Steamed Spanish Rice

Salsa by Linda

Zucchini Enchiladas

 Chili & Cocoa Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Enjoy precious time with your family during Advent.
click HERE to view this post about
Family Worship Time during Advent

Hazelnut Tapestry Textured Cookies

 

Hazelnut Tapestry Textured Cookies

Last year I received a beautiful rolling pin that had an engraved texture, which is what inspired this recipe.  To me, the cookies look like they are a delicate piece of Tudor tapestry. 

Printable Recipe

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 cup butter (softened)

2 cups flour

3/4 cup hazelnuts (finely ground)

1/2 bag of chocolate chips (for melting)

1 tablespoon of peanut oil or canola oil (when melting the chocolate - this makes the chocolate a little softer and easier to bite into)

 

With an electric mixer - cream the butter & icing sugar for a few minutes. Add in the flour and mix until blended. Now, with a wooden spoon - stir in the finely ground hazelnuts. Finally, with your hands gather all of the dough and form a ball - cover with wax paper and place in the fridge for a few hours. 

Remove from the fridge and divide the dough into two halves. Lightly flour a rolling surface and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick using a regular rolling pin (you will use the textured rolling pin next which will make them a little thinner than 1/4 inch).  

Next, flour the textured rolling pin and begin slowly rolling and pressing down at the same time (IMPORTANT - you can NOT roll back and forth - you can only roll one direction one time to keep an even pattern) (see picture below).  

 

Use a round cookie cutter and cut out cookies from the texture rolled dough.  Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes (or until desired golden color is achieved) (see picture below). 

 

Cool completely on a wire rack. Melt the chocolate & oil and then begin dipping 1 end of each cookie into the chocolate. Place on wax paper and don't remove until the chocolate has fully hardened.

 

 Serve & ENJOY!

 

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