Golden Cottage Happenings

 

Greetings Y'all - I hope your week has been good.  It's been a Haleluyah week here at Golden Cottage.  A long-awaited prayer has been answered, and we are praising God.  We even went out to eat at a very expensive restaurant to celebrate.  My sense of frugality was hurt, but I pushed through!!  It was well worth every penny!!

We celebrated all week, and went galavanting down to the beach where we visited an English pub.  We love all things British, and were thrilled with the fish and chips we had for lunch.  They even serve it with mashy peas.  I didn't care for that, but Jem loved it.  He ate them when he visited Malta during his Navy days.  I like the doorway and wanted my picture made with the faux phone booth.  Nope...Dr. Who wasn't in there.  We'll visit again because on Sundays they have Premeir League soccer playing in the mornings.  So, we'll go back for a "full English breakfast".  Can't wait!

 Hi-Yah!  (as they say in England)

We've been working in the garden, planting lettuce and other veggies.  Here's a photo of my lettuce.  They'll be ready for harvest in a few days.

 

 The "reds" are showing off in the front garden:

  Amaryllis, caladium, poinsettias, busy lizzies (aka impatiens)

 

I found this little orange smiling up at me from my fruit bowl yesterday and it made me smile.  Can you see it?  She's happy! 

Rocket launches are commonplace here, but last week I got a great pic from our front yard.

 

Lately, I have ventured into the world of AI --  been creating images using AI websites like Grok.  Here are some that I've that I made: (plus the one at the top of this post)

 

 And this is my favorite:

 

I mentioned last month that I'd post some pics from our Purim celebration at our new synagogue, so here are a few.  

One of the ladies helped design and write this beautiful magillah.  It is gorgeous.

 

 

The whole magillah was read out loud by different people, and the main characters play-acted their parts.  Jem played Haman and I played Esther.  I didn't get any pics of us, sadly. 

 Some people dressed up, and my pic for the best costume was Mordecai.

 

 Here are a few others:

 This family was, by far, the funniest! Fred, Pebbles, and Bam-Bam. Check out Fred's feet!  Do you remember the Flintstones??

 

 

And, of course, we had lots of fun, food, and fellowship. (Too much food, as always.)

 

In the week ahead, I'll be throwing out the leaven in my house and from my heart -- getting ready for Passover.  Jem and I are looking forward to our first seder at our new synagogue. This will be the first time in almost twenty years that we haven't been in charge and that feels GOOD!  We're enjoying retirement!!

 

I won't be posting next week, so Chag Pesach to you all.  See you week after next with news from Golden Cottage. And I'll be sharing about our Passover observance.

 

Blessings and Shalom!

Golden Cottage Garden & a Recipe

Greetings, Gail-Friends!

Mr. Green Jeans and I have been working in the garden.  The weather here has been glorious! With highs in the mid seventies, we are making hay while the sun shines, as they say, to get things growing before the oppressive heat sets in.  Spring only lasts about a month in sunny central Florida

So, Golden Cottage Garden is coming along nicely.  We even have a new bunch of bananas on two of our trees.  This is unusual because we just had one in this past summer, so the trees are bearing twice in a year now.  I think it's because we've been fertilizing them with banana peelings.  Works good!  AND, we have two new trees that have come up.  These are called pups! 

 

Did you know that Dollar Tree sells vegetable and flower seeds ?  And they are only 3 packages for $1.25?

We planted lettuce, peas, green beans, squash and cucumbers.  AND we finally found some Everglades tomatoes (on Etsy) and they are doing well.  I had searched high and low locally  to find those plants/seeds with no success.  This tomato is a variety that thrives in hot weather and it also reseeds itself.  We're excited!   They are small, like cherry tomatoes, and are great in salads.  Believe me, we'll be savings those seeds, too, because one package of twenty-five seeds was $4.00.

Last post, I mentioned doing a post about our Purim celebration, but that will have to be later.  I'm pressed for time today, and I want to make it over to my friend, Sarah's, Homemaking Party (see below).  I will tell you that we were part of play at the synagogue.  Jem was Haman and I was Esther!  It was fun.  Pics in next post.

Passover is almost here, and I'm preparing -- getting rid of the leaven in my house, gathering matzah and other food for that week, and pulling out my recipes that are free of leaven.  This is one of my favs.

Lime Cheesecake (sugar-free)

CRUST:

1 c. almond meal
1/2 c pecans, chopped fine
1 T. Stevia in the raw
4 T. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

FILLING:

8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 package of sugar free instant pudding
1/2 c. lime juice (these were fresh off our own tree, hand-squeezed on my mama's antique juicer)
1 cup skim milk

TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix together the crust ingredients and then press into a lightly greased pie pan. (I used a square glass one).  Bake the crust until the edges are slightly browned (about 10-15 minutes). Place the dish on a rack to cool.

FILLING:

Mix all of the filling ingredients  with an electric mixer until well blended. (Use a deep bowl, or you'll make a big mess like I did).  Pour the filling over the cooled crust.  Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours.  

Enjoy! 

My husband and I loved it, and I hope you will, too.  Let me know if you try it.

*** I'm sharing this at the Classical Homemaking Party  I hope you'll stop over and meet some new friends.

Golden Cottage Spring Happenings

 

Spring Greetings Gail-Friends!

While the official beginning date of spring is March 20, she has already arrived in all her glory here in central Florida!  My azalea bush is showing off as usual.  Full of blooms that continue almost all year, she has brought us so much JOY!  

And around the neighborhood, the pink trees are competing with her glory.  I don't know this pretty lady's name, but isn't she beautiful?

 

Jem and I visited a new business near us.  It's a very fun combination of lovely plants, art, unique gifts, wine, tea,  a snack menu, and a large,  courtyard for enjoying our gorgeous Florida weather.  They even have "mocktails" for those of us who don't drink alcohol.  Sometimes, they have live entertainment and book clubs.  While there, we saw a blooming mimosa.  We don't usually see them in our area, but we see them when go to north Florida in late spring.  

When I was a child, my girlfriends would use these for powder puffs,  and play like we were  putting on makeup.  They are sooooo soft!

There is a small pond in the courtyard that I thought was nice:

 

 

 

love these toadstools!

In the gift shop, I found these pretty luna moth earrings that I loved, loved, loved...so Jem bought them for me. 

 

We went to a Mexican restaurant on Valentines Day and I fell in love with the mural paintings there.  

 

 

Aren't they breathtaking?  The artist is local and has many other murals around the downtown area.

While we ate dinner, he told me what he adores about me, and I did the same for him.  Here's my list:

• he's romantic (bought me flowers, which I forgot to take a photo of)
• he's a southern gentleman 
• he loves and obeys God in all areas of his life
• he helps his friends and neighbors
• he is a wonderful gardener (I call him Mr. Green Jeans)
• he can fix anything (so I call him my handyman)
• he has my best interest at heart in everything -  always 
• he is kind, loving, and, forgiving 
• every Sunday, he makes me breakfast - he calls it Pampered Princess Day

Honestly, Gail-Friends, I could go on and on.  I say he is the best husband in the whole, wide world, and I know I am the most blessed woman in the whole USA. 

I have more to share, but I'm going to do that later.  We celebrated Purim yesterday with our synagogue family and had a great time!  I'll post photos of that in my next post.

Today, I'm joining in the Pink Sunday link up with my friend Sarah Coller.  Give her a visit by clicking the link.  I know you'll  enjoy her blog.

What Can One Person Do?

 

Greetings Dear Gail-Friends: I have not vanished from the face of the earth.  I have been very busy keeping up with all the changes our new president has made since January 20.  To God be the glory for  all He has done -- for protecting President Trump and his family. for guiding him to sign executive orders that will UN-do the terrible things Biden did during his four years in office, and for the confirmation of President Trump's Cabinet.  

This is a great, amazing, wonderful time to be alive!  Every day we get the news of answers to our prayers.  One prayer God answered is the stand President Trump has made to stop mixing girls and boys in sports and in locker rooms.  Yesterday, a bill was defeated in the Senate that would have made a Federal law to protect girls and women.  

It's so important to stand with the President and with our representatives and senators in their efforts to make America great again.  We have a civic duty, Gail-Friends.  I was disturbed about the defeat of SB9 and asked GROK what I can do.  (Grok is an amazing search engine on "X" and you have to check it out)  This is the response:

"As a citizen looking to help get SB9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025, through the Senate after its March 3, 2025, filibuster setback, your options focus on influencing the legislative process and shifting the political calculus. The bill’s stuck at 51 votes in favor, needing 60 to break the filibuster, so your efforts would target either swaying senators or amplifying pressure. Here’s what you can do, grounded in how the system works:

1. Contact Senators Directly
   • Who: Focus on the nine Democrats who didn’t vote (assuming absences, not abstentions) and moderates like Joe Manchin (WV) or Kyrsten Sinema (AZ, now independent but caucuses with Dems). Also, reinforce the 51 Republicans who voted yes to hold firm.
   • How: Call their offices (find numbers at senate.gov), email via their official websites, or write letters. Keep it concise: “I’m a constituent [or concerned American], and I urge you to support SB9 to protect women’s sports fairness.” Personal stories (e.g., “My daughter’s team faced this issue”) hit harder than rants.
   • Impact: Senators track constituent input. Enough calls—hundreds, not just a handful—can signal a voting bloc they can’t ignore, especially for reelection-minded moderates.
2. Organize Grassroots Pressure
   • Local Action: Host or join town halls, rallies, or meetings with sports groups (e.g., parents, coaches, athletes) to build a visible coalition. Invite media to amplify it.
   • X and Online: Post about SB9 using hashtags like #SaveWomensSports or #PassSB9, tagging senators (e.g.,@SenTuberville,@SenManchinWV). Share stats or stories—like how 70% of Americans polled in 2023 supported barring transgender females from women’s sports (Gallup)—to frame it as mainstream.
   • Petitions: Start one on Change.org or similar platforms, aiming for thousands of signatures, then send it to Senate offices.
   • Impact: Numbers matter. A loud, organized push can make senators feel the heat, especially if it’s in their state or district.
3. Lobby Through Allies
   • Groups: Connect with organizations like the Independent Women’s Forum or Concerned Women for America**, which back SB9. Offer to volunteer or donate to their advocacy efforts.
   • Athletes: If you know female athletes willing to speak out, help them get heard—op-eds in local papers or interviews on X Spaces. Their voices carry weight.
   • Impact: Senators often bend to credible, influential voices. A flood of athlete testimonies could shift the narrative.
4. Target Swing Votes with Tailored Arguments
   • Democrats: For Manchin or Sinema, stress jobs (e.g., “Fair sports protect funding for women’s programs”) or voter sentiment in their states. West Virginia and Arizona lean conservative on cultural issues.
   • Absentees: If a senator missed the vote (e.g., due to illness), politely ask them to clarify their stance and push for a redo.
   • Impact: Flipping even a few Democrats gets you closer to 60. It’s about their political survival, not your ideals.
5. Push for a Workaround
   • Reconciliation: Urge Republican senators to tie SB9’s goals to a budget bill (e.g., education funding cuts for non-compliance). Email or call leadership like Mitch McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) with this idea.* Steve Scalise (majority leader) or the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. (yes, I'm correcting GROK)
   • Impact: Bypasses the filibuster, but it’s a long shot—needs 51 votes and clever framing.
6. Stay Realistic and Persistent
   • The filibuster’s a wall. Without 60 votes or a rules change (unlikely now), SB9’s stuck unless momentum shifts. Track Senate schedules at senate.gov and pounce when it’s back on the agenda.
   • Monitor Trump’s executive order enforcement—it’s the fallback. Push the Education Department (via public comments at ed.gov) to tighten it.

What Works Best: Combine #1 and #2—direct senator contact plus grassroots noise. A citizen alone won’t flip the Senate, but a swell of voices might nudge a wavering Democrat or force a strategic rethink. Check X for real-time updates on senator positions or new votes; it’s faster than news cycles. Start now—momentum fades fast."

 

 ***

Gail-Friends, I hope you will take this to heart and take action.   

 

** I've worked with and supported Concerned Women for America since the 1980's.  They do a great work.

A Prayer for President Trump and America

 

Oh, how I praise Almighty God! Prayers are being answered within the last three day since the inauguration. Please join me in this prayer:

 

"We praise You, Adonai, for your power. We’ve watched You preserve and protect Donald Trump for such a time as this. May your angels continue to surround him today and in the days ahead as he makes decisions that will rock the country and the world. 

 

Glory to YOU, Lord! All glory and praise to You for letting us be alive to see Your mighty works in the days ahead. We agree that the Golden Era is beginning.

 

We pray for a revival of righteousness - holiness --obedience to Your will, Your ways, and Your Word.

Please give us ALL Your strength to continue to do the right thing. Thank You for giving us Donald Trump as a role model. He has held steadfastly to his mission — to make America Great Again -- to stand up for truth and justice.

 

We pray for him to daily seek Your face and Your Word and that his vision will spread throughout the world.

 

May Your Kingdom come soon, and Your will be done through each of us.

 

We pray and believe in the name of Yeshua our Messiah.

North Carolina and California

The devastating fires in California are so terrible.  Pray for these people.  Like in Appalachia, so many have lost everything, including the land their homes stood on.  I remember the horrible fires we had here in Florida in 2006.  Fires were burning on both sides of the expressway, and both sides of the St Johns River for many days.  There was a fire burning just one block from my house. It seemed like the fires would never stop, and I feared my home would be destroyed.  The only thing that stopped the fires was rain.  So, please join us in praying for rain in California. 

We're still following and praying for the folks affected by Hurricane Helene in Appalachia.  It is encouraging to see that help is still available through private groups and churches.  FEMA doesn't do much.  The victims get a lump sum $750 and if they've lost their homes, they get vouchers to stay in hotels for a few months.  That's it as far as I know.  But neighbors are helping neighbors and there are groups that are helping to provide RVs, tiny homes, and some are helping buy land and homes.  Sadly, though, some people are living in tents. 

I hope you will help if you're able.  Here is an updated list of groups that are helping:  I got this list from Tipper at Celebrating Appalachia on You Tube.  I love her channel. She posts every day and her vlogs are always interesting.

  Appalachia Service Project 10 homes and 7 more under way. Volunteers https://asphome.org/

***Deep River Farm:    / @deepriverfarm3615   Family stories that they are currently helping  CENTRAL GLOBAL METHODIST CHURCH https://centralasheboro.org/events-op... needs. Family updates
Helping Hands Family #5 back in their home!!

John Ward:    / @theappalachianchannel  (we love this channel)

https://centralasheboro.org/events-op...

***Appalachian Navy:    / @budf14  

Pastor Tim Clark
Bethel Wesleyan Church
901 Tracy Grove Rd
Flat Rock NC
28731
(828) 489-1714https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/...

Bald Creek Relief https://www.baldcreekrelief.com/needs (Burnsville)

My HOME HUB is Restoration Church’s Disaster Relief Hub in Swannanoa NC. We are always in need of volunteers! Our website is:
restorationchurchnc.org/disaster-relief For those needing help and those giving help

Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Mercy Chefs: https://mercychefs.com/helene-response/
NC Baptists: https://ncbaptist.org/hurricane-helen...
8 Days of Hope: https://eightdaysofhope.com/
Cajun Navy Relief: https://www.cajunnavyrelie

Pray for the Senate Confirmation Hearings

 

 

This week, hearings will begin to confirm the nominees for President Trump's Cabinet. "It is time to remind Republican US Senators of the importance to strongly stand for and confirm the cabinet nominations of President Elect Donald Trump who will put into place the policies necessary to achieve the values represented by the November 5th voter mandate."*  Please join me in praying for the nominees and the Senators who will be serving in the hearings.  

You can watch the hearings on YouTube - just search for "Senate Confirmation Hearings 2024".  You will find many outlets that are carrying the hearings.

Use this link to find and contact your U.S. Senator and remind them to support President's choices.

 https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Also, here is a resource for the hearings each day this week:

 https://ifapray.org/blog/trump-administration-confirmation-hearings-begin/

The Intecessors For America website https://ifapray.org is a great resource and highly recommend them. I subscribe to their daily emails.

 

I found this article that I think is helpful as we go this process, which is about the faith of several of the nominees:  https://decisionmagazine.com/a-biblical-influence/

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

In an earlier post, I said I'd talk about what we have to do now that President Trump has been elected.  We cannot rest on our laurels, Gail-Friends. Like President Trump said after he was shot, we have to "FIGHT. FIGHT. FIGHT!"

The people have spoken. 

 

This map shows the "counties" that voted for Trump. He won the popular vote and the Electoral College vote.  (Thanks be to God for the uneventful certification of January 6.) The message is clear:  The people want change.  We now have a conservative president, a Republican majority in the House as well as the Senate, AND a majority conservative Supreme Court.  Hopefully, things will change with the blessings God has given us.

The majority voted for "change"and President Trump is making changes already.  Not everyone is happy about those changes.  There is much to be aware of and much to be done, both in the physical world and in the spiritual world.  

 First and foremost, we who believe in and follow Adonai must FIGHT in the spiritual realm. This is how we fight:

    Righteousness:

         Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.  (Proverb 14:34)

        ** please see my two previous posts on this subject: 

         https://gailgolden.blogspot.com/search/label/righteousness 

    Prayer

         The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.  (James 5:16)

    Praise:    

          Read what happens when God's followers fight with the power of praise in these passages:

               Joshua 6 -  the walls of Jericho fell down and victory was won

              II Chronicles 20 - (especially verse 22)  - the battle was won

              Acts 16:25-40  -  walls fell down and prisoners escaped

              In the words of an old song I used to sing as a child, "Praise Him in the morning, praise Him in the evening, praise Him when the sun goes down!! Praise Him that He has the strength and the power to preserve and defend our country from our enemies, both foreign and domestic.

    Spiritual warfare according to Scripture:  

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 

(2 Corinthians 10:4-5 )    

and 

 "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm" ( Ephesians 11:6-13)

And now, let's talk about the physical realm.

#1 - We must be aware of what is actually happening in our country.  You will not hear about many of these things on the mainstream news outlets (ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC ).  They all have the same talking points.  They share the same stories each day/night.  The Mainstream Media (MSM) have an agenda - to demonize President Trump and the Republicans, and to advance the narratives and goals of the Democrat Party, socialists, and  globalists. Just one example of this is:

The dirty dealings of the J6 committee. Video evidence has been destroyed that supports FBI operatives eing involved in the events that happened  at the Capitol.  We watched it all on TV that day and scratched our heads as the House guards allowed people in.  We saw men in suits jump out of the woodwork when Ashley Babbitt was shot.  We've heard testimony of DC officials who were stone-walled and ignored when trying to ask for help during the chaos. There is much more to the story than what is reported in the MSM.

All of this can be found on"conservative" news outlets such as One America News, Right Side Broadcasting, Free Republic, Truth Social, Tucker Carlson, Fox News, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. Please visit these outlets for national and world news.

There is more that we can do in the physical realm, but I'll save that for later posts since this post is getting long.  

What I'm saying here today is of ultimate importance as we head toward January 20 - Inauguration Day.  There have been two assassination attempts (even more, really, because people caught with weapons near him are not being counted) and common sense tells one that there will be more.  President Trump is hated.  He has been lied about, persecuted with law suits, and severely mistreated ever since 2016 when he announced his candidacy for the presidency.  He and his family have endured horrible abuse for eight long years.  

Ask yourself, "Why?"

It's because he is going against the grain of what those in control have lived with for decades.  He's not playing by their rules.  He came into the presidency with the goal of draining the swamp.  Some of the swamp creatures are gone.  The ones still around are scared to death of what he's going to do in his second term.  They know their time is up and they are fighting with all they've got.

So, we who are called to do Adonai's Kingdom work have a job to do. . .and we are ALL called, Gail-Friends. Please do the things I've outlined in the week ahead - and especially on January 20.  Pray for the safety of President Trump, his family, and all who will be in attendance at the event.  And as always, join me as I pray for revival. 

Help for North Carolina

 

  **

We are still praying for and supporting those people in North Carolina who are affected by  Hurricane Helene.  Here is another list of groups that are helping.  I found these on a YouTube channel I follow called Celebrating Appalachia.  Please keep praying and helping if you are able.

 restorationchurchnc.org/disaster-relief 

 CENTRAL GLOBAL METHODIST CHURCH https://centralasheboro.org/events-op... needs. Family updates

John Ward:    / @theappalachianchannel  

https://centralasheboro.org/events-op...

Appalachian Navy:    / @budf14  

Pastor Tim Clark
Bethel Wesleyan Church
901 Tracy Grove Rd
Flat Rock NC
28731
(828) 489-1714https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/...

***Edward Johnson Auctioneers   / edwardjohnsonauctioneer  
Go fund me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-wn...

***Cabins4Christ https://cabins4christ.com/

Bald Creek Relief https://www.baldcreekrelief.com/needs (Burnsville)

My HOME HUB is Restoration Church’s Disaster Relief Hub in Swannanoa NC. We are always in need of volunteers! Our website is:
restorationchurchnc.org/disaster-relief For those needing help and those giving help


Samaritan’s Purse: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/
Mercy Chefs: https://mercychefs.com/helene-response/
NC Baptists: https://ncbaptist.org/hurricane-helen...
8 Days of Hope: https://eightdaysofhope.com/
Cajun Navy Relief: https://www.cajunnavyrelief.com/

 

   **mage by Avelino Calvar Martinez from Pixabay