My life is moving forward like the road runner in the cartoon. June 2012 I was heading to speak in Florida and planning to coordinate the first fundraiser at God's Cozy Acres.  Incredible visit that led me to outstanding Christians that shared good news and insight to help me on this path. I am so blessed as I travel on this path for the Lord! The word upon my return was "impossible". They said we could not pull off a fundraiser like I was attempting the short amount of time. My comment was we will do just fine by the grace of God!  We needed to raise at least $750.00 to receive $250.00 from Thrievent. We raised 2,530.00 and we received additional funds making the donation from Thrievent $500.00.  Talk about blessings raining down on God's Cozy Acres! We had wonderful talent providing music that brought smiles to everyone. Great food and a wonderful silent auction kept everyone busy until the afternoon rains finally came.

Lessons learned with this fundraiser will be used as we get ready for the fundraiser next year. The second annual fundraiser will be at a cooler time!

The most important thing to note is that the Lord sent volunteers that worked very very hard to get a good result for God's Cozy Acres. The Lord sent people from the community to see what is happening and where to come in the future.

We were blessed many times over and thank the gracious Lord for everything.

WOW time has gone by so fast

WOW time has gone by so fast and life has happened.



OUR OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 improvements: Volunteers scarce now but the Lord provided a wonderful Pastor John working as our helper to make some extra money. We were able to complete a roof over the new stairway, put shelving in the kitchen and upstairs closet, cover exposed water pipes with heat tape for the winter, add a doorway on the upstairs railing to pass fire wood and fix the challenge with a bad installation of the shower upstairs, pay off the supply bill for the wood and tin and purchase two DVD programs.

OVERNIGHT NOVEMBER 9TH AND 10TH.
We had a donation of fire wood from a member at Christ Our Savior which came in very handy at our November 9th and 10th overnight.  We had a great speaker that gave us information to inspire us to keep our minds healthy and growing as well as how to help others by identifying warning signs of depression.  We started writing our spiritual wills in hopes to provide special information about ourselves our thoughts over our lifetime to our loved ones.  We walked down one side of the 25 acres and finished on the second day as we walked with the cows listening to the sounds around us and trying not to step into "cow poop". While taking pictures I found myself cleaning off my shoes more than once. We enjoyed roasting marshmallows over a  campfire on the ridge with a night sky filled with stars,  and vocal renditions of old childhood songs. Being silly and laughing at our memories was an unforgettable fellowship that the Lord blessed each of us with. A couple other projects and our time flew by. There was more but we ran out of time. Plans for the next overnight are in the works.

November Program for Seniors:  By attending the Loudon Senior Center Program we made connections with Love Inc and will be setting up a time to have a team of youth come out to God's Cozy Acres to help out.

November 28 stop at the Loudon Senior Center brought a connection for our next speaking engagement as well as possible help for another. The Lord sends us to each other to help, what a blessing! 

I also ask for serious prayer for the individual who broke the window of the truck this morning and stole my purse.  My heart goes out to someone so desperate and I pray they can hear the Lord speak to them someday sometime and walk away from the devil's work. My Kindle had lots of religious books for them to read and I hope the Lord is able to reach them! Their sole is more important than my material things. Jesus died on the cross for them too! This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it!

In The Lords Time not Ours

God's Cozy Acres is moving forward on a steady path, which is so exciting We are one light held up in the dark clouds of grief to bring possibilities and hope to other widows and individuals who have lost a loved one. Our First fundraiser is almost here! Prayers welcome!

Save the Date & bring a Happy Heart!

        BBQ Fundraiser & Dedication

to benefit

God's Cozy Acres, Inc.

a Non-Profit (501c3)

Christian Widows Ministry

July 14, 2012

 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

We will be dedicating God's Cozy Acres farm to the memory of my late husband, Dennis L. Jerome; celebrating how far we have come, with the help of the Lord; and planning for future programs for widows (and others who have lost loved ones).  This will be our 1^st of many, fundraisers to create community awareness for a growing need in our area.

 We are asking for volunteers the day of the event to help with parking, tickets, food, children’s games, etc. Also, donations for our Silent Auction- especially small business owners in the community that would like to showcase their businesses. We will have music by the Messengers (Chuck, Hettie, and Gene)  and singer Tommy Santelli, a World Class Entertainer (12PM to 2PM). The dedication portion will be headed up by Pastor Mark Rhoads, Christ Our Savior, with a few more speakers to follow.  Bring lawn chairs, an appetite, and a giving heart. We will have games for the kids also. No alcohol or coolers please.

Directions:                      God’s Cozy Acres, Inc., 2315 Big Sandy Road, Philadelphia, TN 37846

From Knoxville:

Take I-75 South (towards Chattanooga).Take Exit #62 (Oakland Rd./TN-322), turn right (West) on Oakland/322 W. Keep right @ the fork, and continue to follow 322 approx 6 miles, will pass Fenders Church and Cedar Fork Baptist Church, next road is Ross Road Turn right onto Ross Rd, then a slight left onto Big Sandy Rd . 2315 is on the left across from green tractor mailbox. 

From Chattanooga:

Take I-75 North to exit #62 (Oakland Rd./TN-322), turn left (West) on Oakland/322 W. Keep right @ the fork, and continue to follow 322 approx 6miles, will pass Fenders Church and Cedar Fork Baptist Church, next road is Ross Road Turn right onto Ross Rd, then a slight left onto Big Sandy Rd . 2315 is on the left across from green tractor mailbox. 

Please contact God’s Cozy Acres for more information or to volunteer GodsCozyAcres@yahoo.com or  (865) 408-1322 . We hope to see you there and God Bless

Maryanne Jerome, President…a widow walking with the Lord

GOT THE CAT BY THE TAIL?

I feel like I have the cat by the tail, so to speak and I am the cat!  Have you ever felt like you were going so fast working on so many projects that you actually see yourself coming and going at the same time? That is what I am talking about. WOW one could blow a fuse or two with any long time existence like that! That is so exciting, exhilarating and seriously crazy! I feel filled with the spirit  and want to move forward to excite more people to help widows!

When you live in a small cabin you have to keep up with little things like bug invasion. OH MY! They found me!  Those pesky ants are trying yet again; with great enthusiasm to move in. Well come to me my bottle of Boric Acid Powder and honey. A team effort to mix up a delightful but deadly treat for those ants. Simple but it works! I just mix up a mess of that and make it light on the honey, drop a dab on a small 2" wax paper square and we are done for now.  They will swarm to that and eat and pass it on until thousands die. There is always more so you repeat the cure in any new areas that come up. Just keep this away from other animals and children.

When you live on a farm you have beautiful fields that look like ocean waves of grain; or grasses that have to be dealt with. Now you jump on your trusty John Deere Tractor and bush hog the entire ocean in five hours. Whoops, that was a big mistake!! Why stay out there so long in the sun doing that? I am terrible to work for and I refuse to allow myself to quit.  Here is the crazy part yet again. I knew I would suffer the consequence and yet I refused to back down. "Oh Lord help my stubbornness".! Oh yes, ask and you shall receive, that is exactly how it works! I pulled the muscles in my left shoulder/back area and my already tender elbow. I am strong, I can do anything right?  NO NO NO!!! Bad girl! 

Now the good part of that was the time I had to reflect on the excess punishment I provided for God's child-me. The Lord has stepped in as usual and helped me recognize my stubbornness by the consequences. What a good and gracious Lord to keep on loving me even when I mess up! On my way to therapy I bumped into heavy equipment workers on the road and asked if they could give me a hand on the property. That was when I discovered how to get the extra dirt I need dumped right on the property for free (helping out the county) and perhaps another speaking engagement at another church! We shared the word of the Lord and really made my day start out much happier!

When there is a retreat center that was a monitor pole barn and never quite finished there will be many needs. These can only be addressed in the "Elephant" method. You ask the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" The answer being, "One bite at a time." This is the only way to tackle any challenge in your life. Those who have been out in the beginning April 27, 2010 find the amount of progress today May 24, 2012 wonderful, which makes me feel the Lord has been really good to us here! With that comes improvements one at a time.

When there is a garden, large or small, hands are needed to put in before anything can be taken out. So, even though one may be compromised due to over work the buck stops here and we move forward. We were blessed by one section of the garden being carefully groomed and ready for plants by the ECHO group. With that I managed to get in tomatoes, lettuce and asparagus. The second section was not ready but I pushed forward and filled in the area with mushroom dirt careful not to cover the strawberries. Now more asparagus is in the ground and will provide a small crop next year.
Only by the grace of God did that work get done!

When there is a fund raiser in the works sleep will seem like a welcome vacation no matter how little there is. The excitement is there as I anticipate helping others in the name of the Lord; widows finding a new life path, and others claiming the joy from helping as we go along.

When there is laundry to be done, just praise the Lord for the sunshine to dry the cloths on the line!

All day long I need to praise his name and call upon his directions and thank him for every blessing moment to moment! The pain subsides-Praise the Lord, the planting is done-Praise the Lord, the meeting on the road-Praise the Lord, another speaker says yes to the fundraiser July 14, 2012-Praise the Lord and so on! Oh there is lots to be done and it will be done in God's time.

The blessings from speaking to and encouraging others in their daily walk with the Lord - priceless! Oh there will always be challenges in our lives. The Lord wants me to let you all know, situations will come and go, but, the Love of God was sent here once and FOR ALL when HE sent HIS son Jesus Christ. By His death and Resurrection we were set free and have a glorious home awaiting. That knowledge is the important part of life and that gives me my joy!

Well I have to get back to work!!!  Have a great day in the Lord!!!! Your prayers welcomed!

Your sister in Christ  Ma

Late entry Christmas 2011 -Merry Christmas from God's Cozy Acres, Inc.

Merry Christmas from God’s Cozy Acres, Inc.

The constant reminder of how fast time passes is ever more present at this time of the year.  We stop and review what we have accomplished and compare it to the wish list. There should never be regret if we realize everything is in God’s time not ours. This year is no exception for God’s Cozy Acres as reflections of the past activities are reviewed. 

With a great deal of preparation and under the guidance of Charles Christiansen at SCOPE- the learning, deliberation, consultation, laughter, smiles, and prayer- the first step was completed April, 2011 with the filing of the 501c3 corporate documents for God’s Cozy Acres, Inc.  This was one year from the actual date God put the project on my heart (April 2010).  December 14 we received the approval of the IRS for our Non-Profit Corporate status.  We did get a few monetary contributions this year and we sincerely thank everyone.  We have fund raisers lined up to raise funds to cover the outstanding balances for renovations completed, additional renovations and the beginning of programs. 

       I helped my neighbor replace fencing for the calves that would be coming to graze on God’s Cozy Acres. So far one of my two steer, has been sold and the funds helped with expenses.

       Carol Marie Smith, a speaker with Widows International, along with David and Lori Lyon, brought prayers and ideas for the work here on God’s Cozy Acres early in the year. 

Talking to others about our programs:

        Joyce Nelson was instrumental in my speaking to members of First United Methodist Church in Sweetwater.

        Barbara Killion  helped at First Baptist Church Madisonville, TN

       Carl and Becky Goodman helped at Tuckaleechee United Methodist Church, Townsend, TN

        Ona Herndon helped at a luncheon for Charles Angles from Tellico Baptist Church, TN

       Mary Ann Mowen helped at St. Andrews Lutheran Church, Port St. Lucie, Florida

What a blessing to share with all these wonderful people.

Special blessings by the work done by volunteers 2011.

       Two youth groups who helped were with

o    Michele Rhoads and the youth at Christ Our Savior Lutheran in Loudon and

o    Chad Lane and youth from Christian Church Loudon, TN.  

       Volunteers were members of First United Methodist Church, Sweetwater, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Loudon, Cedar Fork Baptist Church, Roane County, St. Andrews Lutheran church, Port St. Lucie, Florida, as well as other widows, friends and the youth mentioned above.

       Gifts of furniture and appliances from Mrs. Smoker, Mr. Mrs Cervi, Ms. Ruby Nicholson, Ruth Schmale and Nancy Pritchard, Mrs. Mowen, Linda Dahlke, and a few others are helping us meet our goal to be able to use the retreat center.

       We were very fortunate to use the cottage porch for some widows meetings this summer. We also were fortunate to have picnic outings to Cades Cove, Clingmans Dome and Gatlinburg. We were fortunate for Ava Custer’s positive attitude to make this possible. Ava, a widow in March 2011 has since moved to Lake Wales, Fl. My recent visit found her very happy in her new home and we thank the Lord for her and asked for continued blessings!

We hope to start the year 2012 out by opening up the Retreat Center for January gatherings as we still complete other necessary work.

Looking forward to those volunteers who have not been able to come out to the farm yet! We need you! Our kitchen could use some renovation, the picnic table cover needs new posts and we need another picnic table. We need input on a stairway change to make it easier for those with challenges to get upstairs.  We need some trees taken down, cut up and collected in piles we can split to burn for heat.  

We extend an open invitation to the youth groups who helped- to come out again for time on the farm just to enjoy God’s gifts to us year round. 

The Lord has been good to us with many blessings and so we thank the Lord for giving us the things he feels necessary to do his work. I especially want to thank the Board of Directors of God’s Cozy Acres, Inc.  for keeping up their help and support! 

We always remember Jesus is the reason for the season and celebrate what HE has done for us year round! Blessings always!  To find humor and more as I discover life on my new path check out http://godscozyacres.blogspot.com/ this is a work in progress and there is so much I will try to add next year.

Merry Christmas to you all as we remember Jesus is the reason for the Season All Year Round.

Your sister in Christ

Maryanne Jerome, President

God’s Cozy Acres, Inc

a non-profit Christian Retreat for Widows

I CAN COOK

"I can cook..." just seems very strange to my mind, my nose, and my smoke alarm. My chef husband, Dennis, who passed away 9/29/09, left me with no desire to eat since I really cannot cook. My life is now full of oatmeal, cereal, hot dogs, flour tortillas with various ingredients (all bad for me) along with lots of Fruits, nuts and crunchy veggies like celery and carrots.  

In March 2010,  I flew down to Florida to visit my daughter Christa Lee and watched as this wonderful chef exhibited the many talents inherited from her father. The pantry door would fly open, a hand would glide in, take hold of an object or two, and then the refrigerator would also comply with the wishes of her hand again and two or three things would slide to the counter top with ease; as if this was a ballet Act I. The perfect pan for the creation, the right heat to release the flavors without destroying them and the dance had begun and this was ...Act II. The perfect apron, the concentration, the right chop (with a sharp knife) and the joy was all here as she spoke the ingredients one by one embellishing their particular delightful enhancement of this delectable creation. Rachel Ray eat your heart out!

As Dennis cooked I watched in amazement and envy as seasonings dusted the corners of the culinary specials with color. As an artist I would pick the perfect settings, napkins, silver, stemware, doilies and centerpiece. Then the best part of my job would be to assemble each plate with the aroma filled delights; garnishing just enough for a spectacular presentation. We made a perfect couple! 

It’s been two and a half years since my favorite chef drove his John Deere Tractor to heaven. There is hope I may really learn how to cook and who knows another 37 years at 100- I may be a great cook! That’s if the creek doesn’t rise and the house doesn’t burn down. This is where I really trust in the Lord! 

My “I CAN COOK”  recipe collection is below! Not hard to follow there are only three but they work and best of all...I cooked!  They are great for parties!

“I CAN COOK”

by Maryanne Jerome

Recipe One

Crust-less Spinach Quiche

Prep time 20 minutes -

Ingredients

1tblsp vegetable oil

1 onion chopped

1 (10 ounce) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

6 eggs, beaten

3 cups shredded muenster cheese or any blend (I use thin shredded)

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9” pan (I use a glass pie plate). Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.

Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. (you can cut into sections and freeze) Serve with a dollop of sour cream for a change. (Toss an extra basil leaf on sour cream) For future changes add cooked mushrooms drained or peppers etc. Also this recipe will fill 48 tiny muffin cups and they are great for parties!

“I CAN COOK”

 Recipe # Two (from my daughter Chief Christa)

Meraviglioso (Fabulous)Asparagus 

Meraviglioso is an Italian equivalent of the English word "wonderful." ." The pronunciation is "MEH-rah-vee-LYOH-zoh." The feminine equivalent, meravigliosa, is pronounced "MEH-rah-vee-LYOH-zah." Specifically, the masculine adjective meraviglioso means "wonderful

Ingredients

1 Bunch pencil thin Asparagus with firm tips (not mushy)

¼ -1/2 cup Olive Oil

2tbs chopped garlic (I buy the garlic chopped in a jar so it’s ready to go)(1/2 for 2nd pan)

2 bunch green onions (whites only) (1/2 for second half of Asparagus)

2tbs soy sauce (you can use the lite or less salt brand)(1/2 for the second half of Asparagus) 

Directions:

Use a frying pan that will allow you to spread the Asparagus out in one layer in the pan. If necessary you may have to cook two batches. Preheat pan with half the olive oil on Medium Low. Saute olive oil, onions and garlic on medium low. Carefully lay the Asparagus across the bottom of the pan on top of the hot olive oil and garlic turn your heat to medium and cook until heated through keep turning each with your tongs (not mushy) 5 minutes . Now add the soy sauce and be ready to cover the pan and shake lightly to mix this all together. Have a heated plate ready for this mix and roll the Asparagus onto the plate.  Eat immediately (I usually can’t wait and I start while I’m cooking) If you need to cook two batches use a plate that can be heated in the microwave and combine both batches when done.

“I CAN COOK”

 Recipe # Three (from the wonderful chief at Rugby, TN restaurant)

Sweet Basil-Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

Ingredients

1 Jar Classico Traditional Sweet Basil Pasta Sauce (my version)

            Original recipe calls for 12 oz tomato sauce

1 8oz container of Half/Half

1 Onion

1 Red Pepper

1 Green Pepper 

Directions:

Wash peppers bake at 350◦ 45 minutes or until soft. Remove and cool until you can handle them. Remove stem and seeds. Put in food processer and pulse until well mixed

Medium chop and Sauté the onion until clear add to the food processer with peppers.

Heat the tomato sauce stir constantly when it is hot add the pepper/onion mixture continue cooking until well heated.

Slowly add the container of Half/half- stir constantly. 

Serve in 1 cup bowls with liner place a sprig of basil in center.

These three recipes were so good I still can hardly believe I made them and they were terrific! I have to thank God for getting me to move forward! He gives me the courage for the next step in life!

God's Cozy Acres First & Second Open House January 21st and 28th 2012