By Barbara Rainey
First posted on EverThineHome.com
The lyrics, “These are a few of my favorite things” sunk deep roots into my memory when I first heard Maria sing the catchy song in “The Sound of Music.” While I love “raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” there are other treats that make summer’s heat more bearable and delicious. Like:
Le Pops on Kavanaugh
and
bushels of peaches,
BLT sandwiches
and
Sweet corn’s gold goodness
If any of you are traveling by car on interstate 40 this summer through Little Rock it would be worth the time to stop for the best frozen treats in the South at Le Pops.
Le Pops makes the yummiest popsicles … actually that’s a misnomer for these iced lollies are nothing like the kid version from the grocery store. Our favorite, salted caramel dipped in dark chocolate, is lined up with colorful choices like Blueberry Lemonade, Coffee with Coconut Milk, Mint Chocolate, and a dozen more with new flavors offered daily. Laura and I always go when she’s in town from Memphis!
Dennis and Laura’s fave: Salted Caramel Pop dipped in Dark Chocolate Rolled in praline almonds!
July in Arkansas is the beginning of peach season. Annually for years I loaded our van with my kids, bottles of water and baby wipes to clean hands of itchy peach fuzz and off we drove for a morning of peach picking at many of our state’s “pick your own” locations. We always came home with bags and bags of the deliciousness and ate them with every meal for weeks, with plenty more to give away to friends. I love peaches so much I’ve painted them several times.
Summer would not be complete at our house without a few juicy BLTs. The Natural State is home to famous Bradley Pink tomatoes and a huge selection of other varieties at farmer markets all across the state … if you don’t grow your own which half the population probably does!
Finally from my sappy little rhyme are only-found-in-the-summertime ears and ears of sweet corn, peaches and cream being our favorite brand. Dennis is so funny. Every time we get really good fresh ears of corn he says over and over how it’s his favorite. But he says the same thing about fresh locally-grown tomatoes, peaches, strawberries, and blueberries in the spring and more. He likes his food!
I’m sure you have your seasonal favorites too and we’d love to hear.
My Heart, Ever His: Prayers for Women (NEW from Barbara Rainey)
As we search for meaning in our world of shallow online relationships and glamorized selfies, many are returning to traditional and liturgical churches. The repeated words, benedictions, and historic hymns connect us to saints who have gone before, giving us a sense of belonging, richness, and transcendence. Written prayers, once cast off as archaic, are now welcomed as guides to tune our hearts to the heart of God.
In My Heart, Ever His Barbara Rainey shares 40 prayers for women. Readers can read and meditate on one prayer throughout the week or read a prayer a day for 40 days as a way to express the longing of our hearts to our Father who loves us even as he sees who we truly are. Like the psalms of David, these prayers are honest, sometimes raw. Barbara uses these transparent expressions of common female experiences to encourage us to surrender to Christ and help us see God as he is, not as we assume him to be. My Heart, Ever His provides a stepping-stone to help you become more transparent with God and discover his welcoming embrace.
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