Kristen's Pie & Stuffin-Muffins

Kristen made a beautiful pie. It looked as if it were topped with circus roses but it was thinly sliced apples decorated over a homemade custard pie.

My sister, Eva, prepared stuffing in muffin-cups; how cute is that?  They tasted so good I took some home for lunch.


Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with friends and family.

Blessings,

Siss-Ter Dar-lene Pa-yan

I wrote the following post maybe 2 or 3 years ago but I never felt to share it until now. So, my last name is Payan and sounds like pie-yawn. You ready? Here goes...

 I added this picture from Christopher's graduation. 

I have a testimony I would like to share with you. I moved back to Glendale, Arizona in 2008 and had lived here about one and a half years when this story took place. It happened on a Sunday morning at church during the altar service, I cannot tell you what the preaching was about but I can tell you that I've never forgot that church service nor have I let go of what was promised to me that day; I am standing on the promises of the Lord for my miracle. I hope this encourages you in your walk with the Lord and in trusting the hand that not only shakes the foundations of doubt, He removes them. This is how God got a hold of my attention.

It was at the start of the altar service and I thought to myself, "I'll just pray here at my pew." I was not praying a real deep prayer but I was praying when all of a sudden Pastor Garrett came and placed both hands firmly (grabbed) on my head and began to deliver this message with such boldness in the Holy Ghost that I suddenly went from just simply praying to grabbing-hold-to-the-horns-of-the-altar type prayer. This is what he said,

"Siss-Ter Dar-lene Pa-yan, the Holy Ghost told me to tell you, "Whatsoever ye ask for, He is going to give it. If it is for your husband, He will give you your husband, if it is for your children, He will give you your children, if it is financial, He will bless you financially, all you have to do is ask it of Him and He will give it to you."

I began to weep, my friend. I wept and talked to the Lord earnestly and with such humility that God would let me ask for anything and He would give it and in that humility this is what I prayed.

"God, I don't need to ask for finances. You have showed me how good You take care of me. If I am in need of anything You have provided for me and my children. What I want is my husband. I want Ralph saved and for him to come home. He is lost in a world of sin and needs You to save him. I want my husband saved. I want Kristen saved, Lord. There are struggles... and... in her life. She needs You or she will be lost. I want Jared saved, Lord. I want my son to be a "Man After God's Own Heart", one that serves You and lives for You all the days of his life. I want Christopher to be saved. God, all this heartache over everything that happened in our lives while he was young has hurt him. Each time that he says he wants his dad to come home and that he wants his dad saved, he always proclaims, "God is going to bring him home and things are going to be different." He has the faith of a child in You, Lord. But today and in his future I want Christopher to be saved. Use my son, Christopher, for your kingdom. You spared his life so many times for Your service, use my son, Lord." Then I began to name each of my siblings and their children. I prayed for my parents. I prayed for my Ralph's parents and each of their children.

I cried out, "God, this is what matters. Not the finances, not the job. You always provide, I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor Your seed begging for bread. Ne-verrr."

Well, my friend, at the start of this year's prayer and fasting something got a hold of me or was it that I got a hold of faith. I began to pray, "Lord, I am going to praise You as if it already were. I am seeing through eyes of faith and not fear and doubt." This is what I have been telling the Lord when I pray.

"Lord, I did not ask the Man of God to step down off the platform and say those words to me. You spoke to the Man of God to deliver this message. You offered me anything and that You would give it. Remember that day, Lord? Remember when You said through Pastor, "If it's your husband He will give you your husband"? That was your message to me, God. I remind You of the promise You offered me. I know You have not forgotten, but I am seeing it as though it already were. Because You, God, You said it".

Friend, it will not be long. In prayer the Lord showed me a time frame and we are close my friend. We are so close. I can tell you more about the prophesies of others messages were given to my family such as: A missionary from China visiting our services, came up to my daughter and said to her, "Your dad is going to come home." We never met this missionary before yet he had a message from the Lord to my daughter.

A lady at my work, asked me if I was married? I told her no. She said, "You might think this is weird because I don't even know you, but, I feel like I am supposed to tell you that your husband is coming home. I don't know why I am saying this, I was trying to ignore this feeling because, well, I don't even know who you are." My reply was this, "You might not know me but God knows me and He wanted to show me He is at work in my life. It might seem strange to you but it is not strange to me. Thank you for telling me this, you don't know how much it meant to me." Then she looked at me and asked if I believe in God, because she believes but she doesn't go to church and that was why this was strange to her. It provided me an opportunity to tell her of the Lord. He is an awesome God!

I have been renewed with such joy and a grateful heart for what is going to happen.

I love you, dearly.

Isn't God good? Yes, He is SO GOOD!

Closure On The Past

Let's do a little bit of catching up today on what's been going on lately. Ready?

It's been just over two months ago when I told my kids that I had this feeling in my heart that we passed the test. Which test? The test of my circumstances. It was so clear to me as I felt the weight of my situations lift from me.

I told my kids,  "Dad is coming home" I felt that so strong to where I knew it to be real. Then Sis. Loe approached me and wanted to share with me that her family got to talk to Ralph and that his eyes watered-up as they told him they are praying for him.

We have an evangelist at our church and he stated something I believe. That when the man of God speaks God will honor what he said. I have clung to that these past years because Pastor told me God is going to bring Ralph back. Pastor Garrett told me that 6 years ago. And I have watched and waited, looking down the dusty road hoping to see my husband come home. Well, there at the end of altar service Pastor said, "Your husband is coming home." He said it twice. And this is another thing I believe that when God repeats Himself, He really means it. God knows that I believe that way and that is why it was said twice. I caught that as I listened.

Now, I am just sharing what is in my heart with you, today. I want to say out loud what I have seen God do for me and is going to do for me also.

Recently,  I applied for a job that I knew was to be mine. I went to the interview with so much confidence that I felt God already made the decision about it. After the interview I was told they will get back to me by Friday. Today,  I looked at my email,  checked my phone, and a friend asked me if I heard anything yet. No, I had not. She told me not to worry about it because she knows God always looks out for me. Praise God that is the testimony they see of God toward His children. My reply was that I'm not worried if it's mine He will open that door. Then this is what came to my mind, I believe God was opening a new door and closing the door to the past six years. Those years were hard and hurtful. I began to feel encouraged again about my interview even though I had not heard anything.  After work I checked my phone and there was the call and voice mail; which only said to call them back. I did and was offered the position. A new door opened so I could close the door of hurts.

One concern I have had over the years is having to renew my lease. Because when Ralph comes home this house will be too small for one more person. I have had to renew my lease each year or I had to move out. Well,  I never wanted to be committed to a lease. But today they said it will be month to month. So now I am not tied to a lease and we can move when we need to.

I want to post the draft-post I wrote about 2 or 3 years ago but I will wait for you to read this one first.

Like it never happened. That's the life Joseph lived after he was reunited with his family. The Bible tells us that God will restore the years that locusts have eaten. I will continue to praise even though I am still waiting for it to happen.

God bless,
Darlene

I am still using my phone to post. Sorry no pictures just sharing my heart.

 

The Woman at the Well and Mary

As you know, I am a Wellness Consultant with doTerra, so, I do quite a bit of research to answer questions about the oils. I decided to research the oils of the Bible and I have learned this about Mary, the woman who poured out a pound of spikenard on the Lord's feet.

Let me talk about one woman to explain the other woman.

The woman at the well went to gather water at a certain hour of the day when she knew no one else would be at the well. The Bible tells us that she had five husbands and the one she was with at the time of this story was not her husband.  Her way of life had caused her to be unaccepted in polite circles, thus, the reason for her going to the water-well after the normal time the women gathered water. Again, she was not going to find herself in a crowd of the respectable women of the town for she probably felt the shame of her situation or was made to feel ashamed and it would have been quite uncomfortable for her to be at the water-well at the same time. But the Lord knew she would be there and He made the journey to be at the well at the time that she would be there so that He could speak to her about the living water that He could give and she would never thirst again. You can read more about her in your bible in the book of John chapter 4.

Now, Mary also was not accepted in polite society for she was a woman of ill repute. So she probably took care not to be in public places where the good women were going to be such as maybe the market or the doctor's office (Oh yes, there were doctors back then for the Bible tells us that Luke was a physician). So, if Mary got sick she would probably have to take care of herself.

And this is what I found about Spikenard oil: helps with anxiety, insomnia, heart conditions, helps with the nervous system, menstrual conditions, digestion, constipation and hemorrhoids, it is anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and so much more can be said about the health benefits of the spikenard oil.

I believe that Mary probably had bought this oil for if she became sick she could use the spikenard to get well because she would not feel comfortable in going to the doctor's office or perhaps not allowed/accepted in the office (they had stricter ways and ideas back then).

After Mary was delivered of demons and was forgiven of her sins,  she took this spikenard oil with her to Simon's house, inspite of the crowd, she poured the oil on the Lord's feet.

The room did not become still but angry for the book of Mark tells that Judas called it a waste and the book of Luke tells that Simon had thought that if Jesus had known what type of woman Mary was that Jesus would not allow her to touch Him, for she was a shameful woman, and Matthew writes that the disciples were filled with indignation against her.

But Mary poured all the oil that she had set aside for herself in case she would have a medical need, for she had been forgiven of so much and in that forgiveness she no longer had to carry the shame of her past. So, she poured out the shame that filled her heart and soul and she didn't need to keep it on a shelf, in an unopened alabaster box, to remind her of her shame. She poured out her shame, and wept so many tears that the Bible says that she washed His feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She was so thankful to be relieved of the shame, delivered and forgiven of her sins

The second thing I learned was that now if she became sick she would depend on Jesus for her healing for she believed in Him and no longer looked at the oil as her sole medical resolution for the oil was no more; but the Lord she has always.

No, DoTerra does not carry the spikenard oil but like I said I was studying the oils of the Bible and I learned a few things: I know it wasn't just a costly oil that got poured out that day but a whole lot more. Mary poured out all that she had hidden in her heart that day: the shame of her past as well as her dependency on the oil. God is so good and full of compassion to those who are lost for he asked the angry crowd "Why trouble ye the woman" and to Simon, Jesus replied "for she loved much for she was forgiven much."
Amen.

Both women in this study helped me understand the "what and why's", and hopefully, I helped you understand this bible story.

God bless,

I am typing this from my phone so please excuse any errors that may have been overlooked. 

Can You See It? How About Now?

I received a beautiful gift from my sister,  Rosenet. Can you see it in my bedroom?



How about from this angle? Oh, it's so lovely and fits perfectly in my pretend "Bed and Breakfast Dream Room". It's thick and therapeutic and in my colors too.

You can sit over here to rest your feet on it. Did you guess what it is? Can you see it? How about now?

It took four king size sheets in wide strip so it's not thin or flat. I have always enjoyed having my cup of tea and resting in my private getaway room but now I can't wait to kick off my shoes and enjoy the love that my sissy gave to me.

My sister wanted me to have a gift with her time and energy to know that she loves me. She has been making these rugs for her sisters so we can each have one with her love. There is much sweetness in her gift to me.

Rose, thank you so very much. I love you, too.

North Little Rock Camp Meeting 2014

So blessed to hear these messages preached by great men of God that I want to share them with you, I know you will be blessed and after you hear Bro. Booker and Bro. Bass you might do as I did and thank God for the strangely wrapped gift that marked me and blessed me.

No, I didn't go to the camp meeting but I have access at this website, Apostolic_Vault. I visit as often as I can so my children and I can still hear the preacher's voice in our home.

Bro. Booker
Matthew Tuttle
Wade Bass
Jonathan Alvear

I am posting this from my phone so I hope each link works.
God bless. 

He Did

I've taught at the Christian school, I've raised children, I've been a friend, a mother, a sibling, a wife, a sister-in-the-Lord, I've been a Sunday School teacher, I've been a leader in the church, I've given bible studies, I am involved in bus-outreach, I've been one to encourage others, I've been a counselor, I've prepared meals for those in the church and in the ministry, I've spoken to ladies at Lady's retreat, I've prayed with people at the altars, I've sung in the choir, I've worked alongside my husband in the ministry, I've been involved in fund raising, I've helped clean the church, and if I had to do it all over again, I would do it; it is my life's breath and heart beat. 

Yes, I have faced some hard times and some were extremely challenging, to say the least. But, you know what I say to that? I got to see a side of God I would not have known if I hadn't gone through it. And the key words are "gone through it". He saw me through it. When I needed someone to take care of me, He did. When I needed someone to comfort my fears, He did. When I needed someone to work out the financial troubles, He did. When I needed someone to care, HE DID!

He takes real good care of me.

God has always been so good to me that I want to be His friend in return.
Blessings,

A Great Idea for an Island

My mom moved to her new apartment and is now settled in. I took a picture of the "island" in the kitchen because I really liked the idea of what she has in place as an "island".

The kitchen is real small with the sink, stove, dishwasher, microwave on the one side of the kitchen with very little counter space in between the sink and stove; that's it, except for the small space in front of the microwave. The second wall has the door to go outside and next to that on the third wall is the refrigerator and storage cabinets that my brother, Carlo, bought from Ikea, and the fourth side of the kitchen is the entrance from the living room.

When my sister, Carol, was cooking she wanted more counter space so, she used Mom's old sewing machine as an island in the middle of the kitchen. You can see the cutting board on the top of the linen which made for easy storage. Then she added the butter-dish and cow creamer to complete the look for Mom's country kitchen.

I really like the idea of using the sewing machine as an island.

Thanks for the visit. Ya'll come back, now!

Your dōTERRA Wellness Advocate. My member ID 985166

Share the Gift

I have so many asking about the dōTERRA essential oils: which one to use for this or is there an oil for such and such. My answer is always, "Yes!" Someone needed an oil for eczema: Thyme. Another needed an oil for migraines: Lavender. Yes, lavender. I used it when I was trying to cut out the caffeine and was experiencing headaches that would last all day long. All I had with me was the lavender oil. I applied the lavender and what a relief I could just feel the easing off from the migraine. It's also good for mood swings, depression, high blood pressure, anxiety, and so much more.

Click on the picture to see how you can get 50 product credits free.

You'll see my name at the top of the site as your wellness advocate.

Yes, I still drink coffee about once or twice a month as a treat; no more do I drink it as my water. I want to take care of my health with better choices. And I care that you do the same. To our health, dōTERRA!

There's a lot of information about our products and a great introductory kit that would make a great starter package on getting the right essential oils that you need for yourself and your loved ones.

Here's a dōTERRA catalog for you. 

Thank you for the visit,

Your dōTERRA Wellness Advocate.

My member ID 985166

I Heard My Tone Beginning to Sound Like This...But I Said...

I use a phone case that has the slots for credit cards and a driver's license.

Today, I stopped to get a cup of coffee at the usual place. After placing my order I take out my case, place it on the counter to get my card, and pay for my coffee. I never took my hands off my phone but I wasn't holding it tight, either.

The girl behind the counter compliments and grabs my phone case and asked what type of phone was it and if my phone has, "YouTube"? I replied, "I don't do "YouTube".

As she was going through my phone icons that I set on the main screen, she remarks that I don't have the "YouTube" icon set on my phone and states, "You have the Bible on your phone," as if though I just got caught and is gonna tell. I acknowledged that I have two Bible icons, one for audio and the other to read. Then I patiently said, "I don't do "YouTube".

With her taking possession of my phone and a crowd standing in line behind me, I was trying not to get upset and (Ahem) ask for my phone. So, I kept answering every time she mentioned "YouTube" that, "I don't do "YouTube", hoping she would get the hint that I don't like this one bit.

"I want to show you something," says she as she goes to the menu settings and finds the "YouTube" icon (which comes with the phone) and taps it and says, "I want to show you a poem." And again, my reply came as before, "I don't do "YouTube".

She finds the video she wants me to see and I said, again, "I don't do "YouTube".

The next person in line got closer to the counter and I just knew my face was red because it felt HOT. I refused to look at anyone but this girl who was going through my phone without my permission. I envisioned I heard my tone beginning to sound like this, "I've clearly stated," as I pause and cross my arms so she could see and hear that I am upset with this invasion and presumptuousness, "I Don't Do "YouTube"!

But what I said was, "I don't do "YouTube".

She had it ready for me to tap on the start button and slides the phone back to me. I picked up my phone, I closed out of "YouTube", closed my phone case and as calmly and as soft spoken as I could, trying not to offend, I looked at her and said, "I don't do "YouTube".

Would you believe she got upset with me?

I kept a smile (at-least, I hope it looked like a smile) so I could walk away and act as if I did not notice her facial expressions. I was glad to get out of there. Whew!

I am so glad you stopped by for a visit.

And thanks for listening, I knew you'd understand.

http://www.mydoterra.com/lifemoreabundantly/
Member ID 985166

Revitalize Your Skin

I did a little bit of research for you and we have an oil for that. I recommend you visit the site for usage guide or send me an email and I can research for you, too.

Click on the picture for my dōTERRA  to make it your dōTERRA.

Member ID 985166

Do you need to rejuvenate your skin?

Click on the catalog to see all our products.

You can visit my doTERRA site by just following this link here.

Any questions send me an email through my comments and I will get back to you. And thank you for the coming to my dōTERRA party.

Have a blessed day, friend, and thank you for stopping by for a visit.

Your dōTERRA Wellness Advocate

at

http://www.mydoterra.com/lifemoreabundantly/
Member ID 985166

dōTERRA products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of any dōTERRA product. 

Essential for You: dōTERRA Essential Oils

As you know from a previous post, I have joined the other Wellness Advocates in the doTERRA family to promote better health and live my life more abundantly. The more information you have the more you can see why the essential oils are such a vital part for our good health and doTERRA oils are of the highest grade of essential oils you can find.

I would like for you to learn more about doTERRA Essential Oils. So, here's an invitation to you for a one-on-one consultation at your convenience in your home or office. Come see and find what your body has been needing for a long time. And why you want to use doTERRA essential oils.

Peppermint is good for acne, pain, migraines, hot flashes, nausea, mood swings and so much more.

One drop of Lemon essential oil makes one glass of lemonade. But is is also good for bacteria such as acne; use it topically. Lemon essential oil has many benefits to take internally, topically, and aromatic on a daily basis.

I like to mix the Wild Orange and Peppermint and feel as if I just gave myself a real good dose of TLC as I rub it on my hands and feet.

Topical, Internal or Aromatic are the three great ways for our body to receive the benefits of using essential oils. Take a look at our catalog and read the information of the essential oils that I am proud to promote on Bella Rissah. Click on the doTERRA catalog.

You can visit my doTERRA site by just following this link here.

Any questions send me an email through my comments and I will get back to you. And thank you for the coming to my dōTERRA party.

Have a blessed day, friend, and thank you for stopping by for a visit.

Your dōTERRA Wellness Advocate

at

http://www.mydoterra.com/lifemoreabundantly/
Member ID 985166

dōTERRA products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of any dōTERRA product. 

Graduates 2014

According to the calendar, summer begins on June 21st. Well, if you ask those students who have graduated this year, it began on the last day of school.

Felicidades, a mi sobrina!

Veronica

Bachelor's in Sociology

Faith

Bachelor's in Communications.

Melissa
High School

GCA graduates.
High School

Congratulations, graduates!
2014
Woohoo!


Thank you for sharing this day with me,

Your  doTerra representative

Life More Abundantly

I am so pleased to share with you that I have started my own business and want to also share with you one of the essential's for our healthier lives.

I have had many opportunities to take one road or another and give this or that a try but could not afford to invest in a mistake and then later regret it. Who can? Now, I decided that I found something I can do and do it with all my heart because I already know of the benefits that are available in these products that I don't have to worry nor am embarrassed to tell you the wealth I found in taking care of myself.

As you may already know, I am interested in the healthier way of living: fruits and vegetables, smoothies, exercise, cut the sugar, very little bit of red meat (I do eat red meat but in small quantities, since I don't want to give it up entirely), drink more water, and I am happy. Yes, being happy is good for your health and mine.

One way of taking care of myself is Kristen and I use natural products most of the time. Kristen has her recipes for going "Al Naturale" and we use essential oils in those recipes.

Lately, for bed, I have been using peppermint oil on my neck, temples, in my hair, shoulders, and feet. I turn on the ceiling fan and go to sleep. I do this to get a restful nights sleep, a cool sleep. Have you put a couple of mints in your mouth and then breathed in through your mouth? A cool feeling, right? That is why I have been putting on the doTerra peppermint oil. I also noticed my hair has more volume and is healthier. I am monitoring it for thickness and re-growth. There are many benefits to all the essential oils but I am just speaking of the peppermint oil. It's my favorite!

A co-worker's doctor told her that she has an infection in her fatty cells and all they could do was give her itching cream, steriods and cortizone. No cure. She went to a specialist and was told it's an inflamation in the fatty cells and nothing can be done. Just use a specific cream to help with the itching. Yes, they gave her prescriptions for steroids. Uh, "No thank you."

I took the doTerra peppermint oil to work and shared with everyone I could. My co-worker put it on her leg with a few of us watching and we just sat back. This happened right in front of our eyes.

(This is before doTerra)

With one use of the doTerra peppermint oil, her leg began to look so much better.

(This was after doTerra)

I asked her to keep taking daily pictures.

She started using the doTerra frankincense oil...

And the dry skin is starting to peel.

So, now I am using the peppermint oil on my back to penetrate in to the area of where I have the most pain. I also rub it on my stomach. I found it is helping me with other issues that I have been dealing with and am seeing good results.

I wanted to use a name for the business that referred to my life in living for God with a scripture reference. The name of my business is, Life More Abundantly. Click here

Visit my site and see what benefits using the right Essential Oils can do for your better overall, Um...life, more abundantly. Try doTerra for yourself.

doTerra

Need I say more?

Blessings,

Faith, Faith, Faith, Just a Little Bit of Faith

Faith graduated from ASU! This beautiful girl has made quite an accomplishment with a Bachelor's degree in Communications.


So, Maestro, the song, please.

Faith, Faith, Faith, just a little bit of Faith.

Faith, Faith, Faith, just a little bit of Faith.

You don't need a whole lot,

Just use what you've got.

Faith, Faith, Faith,

Just a little bit of Faith.

Congratulations, dear Faith!

ASU 2014.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit.

Pictures: Kristen at Vie Amoureuse