Author Archives: Ellen

O’Brien Hash Brown Chicken

Another version of a Ranch Dressing Crockpot Chicken we tried in the past that was very satisfying. Busy days are a great time to plug the crockpot in and step away for the day coming home to a nice meal.

O’Brien Hash Brown Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds chicken breast tenders
  • 1- 16 ounce jar of salsa of your choice
  • 2 cups prepared Ranch Dressing
  • 1- package of frozen O’Brien hash brown potatoes (approx 4 cups)

Method:

  1. Prepare your crock with cooking spray.
  2. Pour salsa in bottom of crock.
  3. Add frozen potatoes.
  4. Layer chicken tenders on top of potatoes.
  5. Top with prepared ranch dressing.
  6. Cook on high for 1 hour and then turn down heat to low for 4-5 more hours.
  7. At end of cooking time stir the ingredients in the crock pot.
  8. Serve with your favorite sides.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ St. Giles Cathedral

From Greyfriars Kirkyard we made our way back to St. Giles Cathedral which would be the end of our tour. By this time the cathedral was full of fellow tourists from around the world.

St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years. A backdrop to Scotland’s turbulent religious history, it has seen the seeds of civil war sown and been John Knox’s parish church during the Reformation. It is still an important centre for civic services such as the Kirking of the Parliament and services for Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle.

More history of St. Giles can be found here.

On 23 July, 1637 Dean Hannay rose to read the new liturgy in the High Church of Edinburgh, St. Giles. The liturgy had nineteen chapters within its forty-three pages “detailing how the church should be governed, from the King gaining his position from God, down to the renaming of ministers, kirk sessions, and presbyteries with terms taken from the Episcopal Church.” As the pastor began intoning from the prayer book, Jenny Geddes, allegedly a local street vendor, stood up and yelled, “Wha dur say mass in my lug!” (How dare you say the Mass in my ear) and flung her three-legged stool at the minister. Pandemonium broke out as others followed suit and the prelatical entourage fled the scene out a back door. The town guard had to rescue the bishop from the rioters. Similar scenes were enacted in other Scottish towns where the liturgy was read.

This plaque made me chuckle. James Hannay D.D. the Dean of this Cathedral, 1634-1639, He was the first and the last who read the service book in this church. This memorial is erected in happier times by his descendants.

“Constant oral tradition affirms that near this spot a brave Scotch woman Janet Geddes on the 23 July 1637 struck the first blow in the great struggle for freedom of conscience which after a conflict of half a century ended in the establishment of civil and religious liberty.”

The famous Scottish Reformer, John Knox was born near Edinburgh in 1505. Knox’s writings and his determination to fight for Scotland to be Protestant saw the Scottish nation and its identity changed forever…

John Knox saw how important it was for the church to do what the Bible said, and not just what they thought was right. He wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone, even kings and queens, for what he knew was right. His preaching was used by God to transform the whole of Scotland.

Archibald Campbell, Marquis of Argyll ~ Beheaded near this cathedral- A-D-1661

Leader in council and in field for the Reformed Religion

‘I had the honour to set the crown on the King’s head, and now he hastens me to a better Crown than his own.’

I found some of his history at Christian Heritage Edinburgh site.

With all the niceties settled at the coronation, it was time for King Charles II to reveal his true nature. One of the few nobles to oppose the king’s decree and stand faithfully for the Covenants was Archibald Campbell, the first Marquis of Argyll. He travelled from Scotland to London to congratulate Charles II, arriving there on 8 July 1660. He never got to see the king however, for he was straightaway arrested and thrown into the Tower of London on a charge of treason and false accusation that he was one of Cromwell’s conspirators behind the execution of Charles I. After languishing there for five months, he was sent to Edinburgh castle and was sentenced to death. The marquis was beheaded at the Mercat cross next to St Giles on 27 May 1661, being the first of many of the Covenanters who followed him as martyrs.

Before he was executed, he is cited as saying, ‘I had the honour to set the crown on the King’s head, and now he hastens me to a better Crown than his own.’ Back in 1651 he had crowned Charles II as King of Scotland at Scone after this prince had lied to God and man, swearing under oath that he would support and defend the Presbyterian Church and the Covenants. The marquis is also said to have stooped and kissed the guillotine called the Maiden, and quipped, ‘That is the sweetest maiden I have ever kissed!’ He welcomed the thought of leaving this corrupt world and joining his Saviour in heaven.

Our son Josh left this review of our tour.

“Jimmy was an incredible wealth of knowledge!!! This walking tour in Edinburgh and the history and stories he told, tied our whole 12 day Scotland trip together! We visited different cities, castles, monuments, grave sites and memorials all over the country and this was the absolute capstone experience of our trip! My faith was deepened hearing stories of these martyrs and how they died trusting and following their Saviour~!”

Truth for Today #130

Thursday February 6th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

1 Samuel 2:1-3

 And Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
    my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
    because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 “There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.

From Vera:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Nikkipolani:

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 20:30-31 (NKJV)

From Karen:

Psalm 24:1

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

 

Speaking of Groundhogs

A while back this unwanted groundhog showed up on our property and we did not enjoy the thought of a colony moving in and making underground cities here. As cute as he is, he had to be eliminated.

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge and we are starting with Groundhog Day! Thank you, Joyce.

1. What area of your life feels like you’re stuck in a Groundhog’s Day loop, doing the same thing over and over?

The only thing I can come up with is that once all our morning and afternoon activity is over we tend to sit down in front of the ‘box’ and go into relax mode. We don’t have any regular evening activities to attend these days.  Winter darkness contributes to this. We’ve talked about instituting a reading hour or two instead of doing a lot of watching. We usually retire between 8pm and 9pm so it isn’t hours and hours of TV…but still.

Does it bother you or is that just how life is in this particular season? 

Being in the winter of my life and retired this does not bother me. I do welcome any interruption to the regular evening mode and am ready to venture out when the calendar calls for it. I am happily active during the daylight hours. 🙂

2. Something that makes your heart skip a beat?

The Aurora light shows we had last year made my heart skip!

Holding our newborn children and grandchildren, a beautiful sunset or sunrise, an eagle soaring, any wildlife that suddenly appear in our back yard, our grandchildren’s hugs, a phone call from a loved one, a favorite worship song/hymn, hearing God’s Word expounded, a prompting of the Holy Spirit.

3. Do you wear your heart on your sleeve or are you more of a closed book? Elaborate. 

I don’t think either of those describe me. I’m generally up front and direct and ready to tell the truth. I’m not an overly emotional person unless you attack my loved ones.

4. According to Prevention Magazine, these are 25 of the best foods for heart health-

wild salmon, sardines, liver, walnuts, almonds, chia seeds, oatmeal, blueberries, coffee, red wine, green tea, soy milk, dark chocolate, raisins, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, whole grains, apples, oranges, grapefruit, avocado, avocado oil, olive oil 

Which five do you include in your diet most often?

Avocado, walnuts, almonds, oatmeal, coffee

Are there any foods on the list you simply cannot abide? 

My body does not react well to green tea so I avoid it like the plague.

5. What was the last piece of furniture you bought?

The last piece of furniture we bought was a new desk for Greg.

Is there a piece of furniture you need/want to purchase this year? 

NO

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Saturday was the annual Awana Grand Prix and our Grands vehicles did well, My 2 Cents, and Finger-ma-Bobber.

The Grand Prix helped us get out in the late afternoon and evening and change up our Ground Hog Day Loop, woohoo!

Here is a photo I love, taken on Monday and texted to our family group of our DIL and our Granddaughter. It’s still winter, y’all!

Happy February Hodgepodgers!

Scotland Travel Journal ~Edinburgh Reformation Tour 2

From Grassmarket, Jimmy took us to The National Museum of Scotland and to the National Library where we saw more artifacts and information about the Covenanters and The Reformation.

This printed satin banner, known as the ‘Thrissels Banner’, dates from 1640. The text on the banner was written by Thomas Cunynghame. It expresses opposition to the Crown and to the contemporary policy of religious anglicization.

On the left is the ‘staff’ of the banner, shown as a sword with a crowned thistle and bible at either end.

John Knox is a notable figure in Scotland’s history and in Christendom.

Jenny Geddes chair of which I was very interested. I’ll share more about it with a photo from St. Giles Cathedral in another post.

From the museum and library we made our way to Greyfriars Kirkyard.

 

If you venture down to Greyfriars’ Kirk graveyard, which these days sees hordes of Harry Potter devotees brandishing their wands and reciting Potterite spells, you will find a large monument at the bottom right of this fascinating corner of Edinburgh. The monument towers above you and recalls the Covenanting struggle. The monument, first erected in 1706, then rebuilt in its 1771 version, has undergone restoration work up until recent times.

The Martyr’s Monument.

‘Halt passenger, take heed what you do see…’ The text then outlines the Covenanters’ cause ‘Gainst perjury, resisting unto blood: Adhering to the Covenants and Laws, their lives were sacrific’d unto the lust of Prelatiffs [bishops] abjur’d …’. The words ‘CHRIST their KING’ is deliberately written in large letters, designating their struggle against tyrant kings who wanted absolute power over Church and State. At the bottom of the monument, it states that ‘one way or other [were] Murdered and Destroyed for the same Cause, about Eighteen thousand of whom were execute at Edinburgh, about one hundred of Noblemen, Gentlemen, Ministers and others, noble martyrs for JESUS CHRIST.’

We heard about the Reverend Alexander Henderson at this site of his burial.

He was one of Scotland’s greatest Covenanter Ministers.

He died in Edinburgh in 1646 and was buried in Greyfriars kirkyard. He had been behind almost every important development in the Covenanting movement since 1637. At the General Assembly the following year, Baillie declared that Henderson ‘ought to be accounted by us and posterity, the fairest ornament, after John Knox, of incomparable memory, that ever the church of Scotland did enjoy.

Click on his name above to read more about the history of this ‘fairest ornament’.

THE COVENANTERS’ PRISON
Behind these gates lies part of the southern section of Greyfriars Kirkyard which was used in 1679 as a prison for over one thousand supporters of the National Covenant who had been defeated by Government forces at the battle of Bothwell Brig on 22 June. For over four months these men were held here without any shelter, each man being allowed 4 ounces of bread a day. Kindly citizens were sometimes able to give them more food.

Some of the prisoners died here, some were tried and executed for treason, some escaped, and some were freed after signing a bond of loyalty to the Crown. All those who were persecuted and died for their support of the National Covenant in the reigns of Charles II and James VII are commemorated by the Martyrs’ Memorial on the north-eastern wall of the kirkyard. The Covenant, which was first signed in Greyfriars Kirk in 1638, promised to defend Presbyterianism from intervention by the Crown.

Jimmy our tour guide, was so knowledgeable and we were in awe of all that we were learning on this tour.

Our last stop with Jimmy would be St. Giles Cathedral. Such a fitting end to this amazing tour of the Covenanters in Edinburgh. It was a humbling experience.

That will be another post.

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Edinburgh Reformation Tour 1

Monday September 23rd was our last full day in Edinburgh and Scotland. This would be a day filled with walking and stairs and information. We were thankful on this morning that Greg was well enough to walk and not miss our special tour.

We took the Lady Stair’s Close to get up to the Royal Mile. We stopped to take some photos outside the Writer’s Museum.

Early on the Royal Mile there were fewer folk milling about. That would change soon.

We scheduled a private Scottish Reformation Tour on this day.

I included the link above. We were to meet Jimmy at 9am in front of St. Giles Cathedral.

Soon we saw who we assumed was Jimmy and he came right to us assuming we were his clients for the morning.

St. Giles was not open to the public yet on this particular morning so Jimmy took us around to the parking lot between St. Giles and The Supreme Court building. We would visit the inside of the cathedral at the end of our tour.

It looked to Jimmy’s keen eye that something was going on in the Supreme Court building so he managed to gain us access into the hall outside the courtroom.

It was quite fascinating to see all the ‘big wigs’ standing around and some pacing back and forth the length of the room discussing their cases.

Back outside we were on the search for parking space #23.

Here at space number 23 in the car park is approximately where John Knox is buried!

The Scottish Reformation leader’s grave was paved over and is now a parking lot. The stone inscription reads;

‘The Above Stone Marks

the Approximate

Site of the Burial

In St. Giles Graveyard

Of John Knox

The Great Scottish Divine

Who Died 24th November 1572′

It’s said that Knox wanted to be buried within 20 feet of Saint Giles, so he was laid to rest right outside the church in what was once a proper graveyard. However, the site has since been tarmacked over and is now a functioning parking lot. A plaque in parking space number 23 marks the approximate location of his now-lost grave.

Knox was a 16th-century preacher who commanded that his people be able to read the Bible in their own language. He was a key figure in turning a nation of Catholics into one of Protestants. His fire and brimstone sermons and teachings often put him at odds with the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots.

On our walk to Victoria street we came across this Famous Heart.

The Heart of Midlothian is both a historic mosaic dating to the Middle Ages and a landmark that denotes the location of Edinburgh’s Old Tolbooth administrative building. Locals often spit on the sign as a good luck charm, a tradition that has morphed from its original meaning of disdain for the many executions that took place at this site over the years. The Heart of Midlothian F.C., the local soccer club, takes its name from the mosaic and the Old Tolbooth.

The Heart was installed as part of a replacement building to the Old Tolbooth in 1561, and after this second building was demolished in 1817, the Heart was all that remained. It has been an inspiration for the writings of Sir Walter Scott and has become an iconic part of the city’s culture and historic identity – even if many now don’t remember its true origins.

FYI: Tolbooth is a Scottish term that refers to a townhall, jail or guildhall where tolls are collected.

From here we walked down Victoria Street to Grassmarket.

Victoria Street is said to be an inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books but J.K. Rowling denies that it is. Nonetheless fans flock here and stand in line to get in the museum on this colorful street.

This is where the ‘meat’ of our Reformation Tour began as we were told that this was the route that martyrs would take from their sentencing in the courts above then down Victoria Street to the public gallows. Once we reached Grassmarket we stood around this monument to Martyrs and Covenanters who lost their lives at this spot for their faith.

The Grassmarket is an wide open street on the south side of Edinburgh’s Old Town. The city had the public gallows there, and many Covenanters were executed during the Covenanting period.

A circular memorial, erected by public subscription in 1937, marks the site, and an adjoining plaque lists the names of the many Covenanters who were hanged there.

In a recent renovation of the locality, a representation of the gallows’ shadow was made on the ground using different coloured stone, as seen in the picture to the left.

Our tour continued from here. We made stops at Greyfriars Kirkyard, The National Museum, The National Library and St. Giles Cathedral.

At this stage in January, many months later, I’m not sure of the order of those stops! Travel failure in not writing a journal while on our trip. I’ll put it down to the fact that our days were so full we didn’t have a lot of down time in the evenings.

Hello to February. I was hoping to have our Scotland Journal Posts done by the end of January but it will take a few days into February to accomplish that.

Jesus! ~ Hymn

Jesus!

Who took my bur­dens all away?
Jesus, Je­sus.
Who turned my dark­ness in­to day?
Jesus, Je­sus.

Refrain

Jesus! Je­sus! On­ly Je­sus!
Jesus! Je­sus! On­ly Je­sus!

Who bore my grief up­on the tree?
Jesus, Je­sus.
When sor­rows come, who cares for me?
Jesus, Je­sus.

Refrain

Who bears my sick­ness and my sin?
Jesus, Je­sus.
Who gives me peace and joy with­in?
Jesus, Je­sus.

Refrain

Who pleads for me with ten­der love?
Jesus, Je­sus.
Who’ll take me to His home above?
Jesus, Je­sus.

Refrain

Who’s com­ing back to wel­come me?
Jesus, Je­sus.
Then in whose like­ness shall I be?
Jesus, Je­sus.

Refrain

Words and Music: Lemuel C. Hall.

Snow and Winter Cleaning

We are finally getting a few inches of snow here in Colville. It was a great day to stay inside.  The inspiration came to do a deep cleaning of the kitchen cabinets, trim and the ledge that runs around the upper part of our kitchen filled with tchotchkes.

It is a very good feeling to have all the dust bunnies and the grime cleaned. I’m ready for a white glove inspection.

Spring will take us outdoors to take care of things we didn’t do in the fall so winter indoor cleaning will work nicely for us this year.

Welcome February!

Scotland Travel Journal ~ Edinburgh Castle 4

Josh and Laura toured Edinburgh Castle on Sunday the 22nd of September. Laura shared her photos with me.

 

From this view of Edinburgh that Laura captured at the top of the castle walls you can see the Church I was visiting while they were in the castle, The Parish church of St. Cuthbert. Further in the distance the three spires you see are from St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral that we visited later in the afternoon.

 

The castle is a worthwhile place to visit for any first timers to Edinburgh. You can read about the history of the castle here.

My next few posts will be from our last full day in Edinburgh. We had a private tour in the morning and continued to walk our legs off in the afternoon!

Back to the present: Today is the last day of January and in our little corner of the world we are getting some light snowfall. Hope all is well in your corner!

Truth for Today #129

Thursday January 30th

On Thursdays my posts will include verses that stood out in my readings from the Bible during week. One, two, three or maybe more. If you have a verse/verses that you read during the week and would like to share, leave it/them in the comments and I will add it/them to the post. Let’s dig deep in God’s Truth again this year!

The verses that you share are appreciated and so encouraging, I’m thankful for them and for each of you! 

Isaiah 25:1

O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

“Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and Thou dost exalt Thyself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from Thee, and Thou dost rule over all, and in Thy hand is power and might; and it lies in Thy hand to make great, and to strengthen everyone. Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name”

From Vera:

“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭10‬:‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

From Dianna:

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by my name; you are Mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you.”

Isaiah 43:1-2

From Leonard:

Exodus 34:5-7

“Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh (I Am The Lord) The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations.”

From Sandi:

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Ezekiel 18:20

From Karen:

Philippians 2:14

Do all things without murmurings and disputings.