Changing Seasons

The seasons, they are changing. And not just from summer to fall, either. We are going through changes here at our house and in our lives.

(I just about wrote I am going through a change, but thought that might be taken as if I'm going through The Change. Thankfully, I am not about to enter That Season quite yet!)

Now that I'm not taking care of kids anymore, here's what I'll be focusing on for this next season:

--Better daily planning and organization for my home.

--Continue working on increasing a healthy diet.

--Exercise.

--More time with God. Just enjoying time with Him.

--More consistent cleaning. This has really gone by the wayside lately!

--More intentional with hospitality.

--Yard work and home improvement projects. I have a lot of painting I need to do!

--Bring in a little income by doing more coupon workshops(I did my first this summer.) and selling my handmade items at local events and in my own Etsy shop(coming soon!).

--Blogging. I should have a bit more time to blog consistently which I am happy about!

--Laying around the mansion!:-)

Thirteen Things I Learned At The Women's Retreat

I promised I would share some of what I learned at the Women's Retreat that I attended last weekend.

The retreat was part of the ministry at Living Waters, which is near Brevard, North Carolina. Living Waters offers many retreats and youth camps throughout the year at absolutely no charge. Yes, you read that right. They provide lodging and three very yummy home-cooked meals each day. This is made possible by donations and love offerings. Each person brings their own bedding, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I love this concept of not charging for anything and know that many women were able to attend the retreat because of this.

Although I will share a bit more of my experiences in another post, I thought a Thursday Thirteen list would be a simple and concise way to share some thoughts and quotes from the teaching that was given during the sessions. Otherwise, I might go on forever!(As a side note: I've been talking to my husband about what all I learned for the past three days and I'm still telling him new things!)

Most of the teaching from the weekend was related to "The Kingdom of God". A contrast was made between the the kingdom of King Jesus and of Satan/God of the World System. That is where I will start and then the rest of the points will be random things that stood out to me from my notes.

1. In Satan's kingdom, rebellion, confusion, injustice, anxiety,sorrow and destruction reign.
In the kingdom where Jesus Christ reigns, there is authority, order, justice, righteousness, peace and joy.

2."The water of the Word soaks, softens and makes us pliable for His use. When we're hard, we're not concerned about other people. We're soaking in the water of His Word for a purpose-so that we can experience the authority, order, justice, righteousness, peace and joy of His kingdom."

3."Too many know God by a Word or an act; we need to know Him by His ways."
Psalm 103:7: "He made known His ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:"
The Israelites always wanted to see God's acts; Moses wanted to know His ways(be in His presence).

4."I'd much better know Him by the Spirit of His Word, than by the letter of the law."

5."Do not stop looking to the Holy Spirit for instruction. Each person is responsible for hearing from the Holy Spirit. Each person is different and will hear different things."

6."Study the Word for yourself, not to teach others."

7."Give God permission to work in Your life."

8."When you walk in radical obedience, you have sustained confidence to face the difficulties of life."
Hebrews 10:35: "So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded."

9.Psalm 16:8:"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken."
"We tend to set our circumstances before us, instead of the Lord."

10."The askers, chasers and seekers are the ones that get the revelation.
A lot to do with your purpose is revelation. More revelation gives you more purpose."

11."The most powerful two people who pray together are a man and his wife."

12."Everyone can hear God. You can hear God speak to you in your own situation."

13.On the last night, the main speaker, Marilyn Adams gave us a prescription to take with us:
--Personal Responsibility. I will take personal responsibility for me.

--Mentor. Ask God to show me who it is that is supposed to mentor me and ask that person. If I am supposed to be a mentor to someone, ask God to show me that person.

--Take personal responsibility to study the Word.

--Develop a prayer life.

--Develop yourself as a woman.
1.Take care of yourself.
2.Take time for yourself.
3.Develop and nurture your relationship with your husband.
4.Develop and nurture your relationship with your children.
5.Develop and nurture your relationship with your grandchildren.
6.Develop and train your children to take care of themselves.

--Give to your church. Do not give to the Lord and the church and neglect your family.

--Be willing to give to your community. Know the season and the seasons of your life.(If children are small, you are needed at home.)

--Teach your children to eat right. Feed them fruits and veggies and limit the junk food.

I had to pick and choose to come up with only 13 things and as you can see I kinda stretched it to include much more! I have so much that I gleaned from the retreat with so much that I can/will apply to my daily life. I hope that something I've shared here will also inspire you in your walk with God.

For more (actual) Thursday Thirteen lists, visit Happy To Be At Home.

Update On New Year's Goals

Sine we're now almost to the middle of March, I thought I'd do an update on my New Year's goals. I've copied and pasted them from this post. For the sake of simplifying, I'm adding a note of my progress under each category.


Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.

--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.

Progress: I've been having a pretty consistent quiet time which has been so helpful to me. I've been getting up early to be able to do this before my day starts. I've found that if I wait, it just doesn't happen. So rising early has been a good thing for me right now.

I'm almost to the end of The Power of a Praying Wife. I have spent a whole week or more on some of the chapters as they were areas that I knew I really needed to be praying for my husband. What I like about this book is not that I have to pray just like the author but using her prayers as a springboard for a deeper prayer life.I really like all the specific areas and verses that she lays out. I have a list of prayer requests in my quiet time journal that I've been using to help me remember to pray. I still want to do a notebook for only prayer requests so that I can record the answers and be a bit more detailed.

Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!

--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).

Progress: I've been running but not making as fast of progress as I had hoped. Once I started running a bit longer distances, I started experiencing a lot of knee pain. Because of this, I've had to really scale back and do a lot more walking again, instead of mostly running. Up until the knee pain hit, I was still planning to run my first 5k on March 7th. I knew I would be really slow and possibly not even be able to run the entire thing, but I was still going to participate. This 5k was out of town and I was going to do it with my sister-in-law who was running the 10k that day. My knee pain really slowed me down and then some other things came up where we decided to not go out of town that weekend after all. In the meantime, doing more of a walk/run and applying ice and heat to my knee is really helping. So I'm continuing on, working up to more running again. I still really want to run a 5k eventually and I am continuing to work towards that.

Weight loss. This isn't going very quickly at all. I've lost 2 pounds total so far and now I've gained them back. Losing weight is much harder now that I'm in my 30's! I realize that with all the running, I was building a lot of muscle so that will slow down the weight loss. I'm starting to keep track of calories in hopes that I will see a bit more progress.

Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.

--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)

Progress: Unlike weight loss and exercise, this area of simplifying and homemaking is a fun one for me! In January, I sent several more boxes of donations to Goodwill. I've slowly been working through each drawer and shelf, reorganizing and decluttering. I'm not done by any means, but working on one thing at a time is certainly progress! For now, I've really focused on the kitchen. You know your cabinets need to be cleaned out when items fall out and break when you open the door! Next up is my drawer that holds my leftover containers. As I've slowly been switching to glass containers, it's time to weed out some of the plastic ones.

Even though we go to yard sales and thrift stores fairly regularly, I've been trying to be extra careful what I bring home. So far, so good!

I purchased some essential oils last fall. These oils have added so much to my homemade cleaners. I've been making a new all-purpose cleaner with castile soap that I really like. I scented it with peppermint oil and this smells so good as I'm cleaning! I still use regular Windex and furniture polish. Baby steps, baby steps. I have a recipe for homemade air freshener but I still have many cans of Glade to use up.

As for food, I'll be sharing an update on that tomorrow.


Financial:

I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!

I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.

Progress: Our focus right now has turned out to be our emergency fund instead of the house fund. We've been putting all extra $$$ towards building that up a bit more.



Are you making progress on the goals that you set for this year? Please share how you're doing!

A Verse To Ponder

It's Friday and my brain is about worn out. So while I run errands and work around the house, reflect on this promise from God's Word.

Have a wonderful and refreshing weekend!

Ephesians 3:20(The Message):
"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us."

Continue On In 2009!

Happy New Year!

While the sauce for our traditional New Year's lasagna is cooking, I'll go ahead and post my goals and theme for this year. A specific list helps to keep me motivated and I tend to remember things that I've posted on my blog. It's also fun to read through the archives and see the phases that I've gone through and what was important to me at certain times. It does change, you know.:-)

While pondering what kind of a fresh start I would be making come the beginning of 2009, I realized that many of my goals were not new but go right along with what I've been doing and learning the last year or two.

At first, I was disapointed. Does this mean that I'm not really making a fresh start? Am I not learning new things or reaching my goals so that I can go on to new and different things?

Then I read this verse:

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2: 6,7 NIV

The phrase continue to live in him stood out. I knew right away that the word continue would be my theme for 2009. Continuing with what I'm learning and God is showing me and taking the next step in these areas.

Continue: con⋅tin⋅ue
   
verb, -ued, -u⋅ing.

–verb (used without object)

1. to go on after suspension or interruption
2. to go on or keep on, as in some course or action; extend
3. to last or endure
4. to remain in a particular state or capacity
5. to remain in a place; abide; stay

–verb (used with object)

6. to go on with or persist in: to continue an action.
7. to carry on from the point of suspension or interruption
8. to extend from one point to another in space; prolong.
9. to say in continuation.
10. to cause to last or endure; maintain or retain, as in a position.
11. to carry over, postpone, or adjourn; keep pending, as a legal proceeding.

In this new year, I will continue...

--to work on areas that I've let go.... exercise, eliminating/drastically reducing refined sugars from our diet
--to keep on... reading and meditating on God's Word, being diligent in prayer, especially for my husband, growing in Christ through lessons and circumstances in 2008
--to persist at...losing a little weight, saving for a down payment on a house
--to live in Him!

My specific goals at this time for 2009:

Spiritual:
--Reading and studying God's Word
Plan of action: Continue reading one chapter each day, writing down what jumps out at me and how it will change the way I live my life.

--Develop a meaningful prayer life.
Plan of action: Continue reading and praying through The Power of a Praying Wife as I seek to lift my husband up in prayer each day. Pray for people I know immediately as the Holy Spirit brings them to mind. Keep a list of ongoing prayer requests and a list of answered prayers.

Physical:
--Exercise 3-4 times a week.
Plan of action: Currently, I'm getting started running by following this 8 week program. My motivation is my first 5k that I'm planning on participating in on March 7. Yikes!!!

--Losing a little weight.
Plan of action: Continue watching food portion sizes, eliminating most snacks and limiting fast carbs(breads, sweets, etc.).

Homemaking:
--Simplify.
Plan of action: Simplify by continuing to declutter, carefully analyzing whether or not I need an item before purchasing, use what I have.

--Continue my quest for healthier living.
Plan of action: Find natural alternatives to all cleaning supplies and air freshener. Continue to cook healthfully by implementing more whole foods into and eliminating refined sugars from our diets. (More on this next week as I participate in this carnival!)

Financial:

I don't feel very comfortable divulging many specifics on this topic since I have many real life friends and family reading this blog. I love them all very much, but I do like to keep some things private!

I will say, though, that our main financial goal this year is to continue saving for a down payment on a house. Last year, our goal in this was to get a house fund started, which we did. We haven't yet established a specific goal for this year.

So that concludes my list of goals for the new year. I think it will be enough to keep me busy, don't you think?

What are your main goals as you begin a new year?

Post-Election Thoughts

As glad as I am to finally have this election over with, I have very mixed feelings over the president who was elected.

As most of my blog readers can probably pick up, we are very conservative-minded Christians. On Tuesday, we voted that way as well. No candidate or president is perfect but we cast our votes for the one whom we felt best lined up with the conservative values that mean so much to us.

The sanctity of human life...Traditional marriage... National security... Lower taxes.

I spent a lot of time in prayer for this election and have a peace over God's ultimate sovereignty in all of this. This is the first presidential election that I have followed so closely and frankly, it really scared me!

My hope is not in this country or my president. My hope is in Jesus Christ.

I don't believe that God has removed His hand of blessing from America with this election, but rather that He has allowed it in order to carry out His plan.

But what should be my response to this election?

We have had several people coming to us panicking and asking "What do we do now?" This led me to compile a short list of encouraging Scriptures to meditate on and believe in. I know there are many more that could be listed here; these are just a few that I came across.(Feel free to add your favorite Scriptures in the comments!)

John 16:33: "...in me you may have peace. In this world you may have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 14:1:" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Psalm 91:9,10: "If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 4:8: "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Joshua 1:9:"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 39:7:""But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Jeremiah 29:11:"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Lamentations 3:21-23:"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Romans 15:13:"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 10:23:"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This is a time for Bible-believing Christians to snap out of our complacency and truly rely and trust in the power of God. This is not the time for panic! We need to stop playing around, stand up for what we believe in and pray, pray, pray for our nation. Romans 13:11 says, " "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

While I don't believe that America is going to cease to exist with President Obama at the lead, our nation as a whole has forgotten God and the wonderful principles this country was founded upon. This is a frightening place for our country to be.

My next response as a believer is to fulfill my Scriptural responsibility by praying for our new leader. I will respect his authority and support him in prayer, even if I do not agree with his stand on many of the major issues. Romans 13:1:"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

I praise God that He is still on the throne and in control of everything! Even in these uncertain times, I can trust and believe in a God who never ever changes.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. No matter what your view on the election, please keep your words kind and God-honoring. I reserve the right to delete any comment that I feel does not add to the wholesome content that I strive to present on my blog. Thank you!

Thankful For What God Doesn't Give Me

I focus a lot on answered prayer, thanking God for the tangible ways He shows His love for me. This is usually by Him giving me what I have asked for or providing a specific need.

Countless times I have asked for specific things and He has graciously answered and saw fit to provide me with these things. When He answers my prayers in this way, I am overjoyed and reminded of His great love for me.

But what about all the prayers that He doesn't seem to answer? What about the things that I've prayed for that never come to pass? Even after years and years, it seems He's not even listening. Do my prayers even make it past the ceiling?

We all have circumstances in our lives that we wish were different. I am no exception. My life is not perfect. I have often wrestled with God over things that I felt were rightfully mine but either I knew He had said"No" or I felt as though He just wasn't answering my prayers.

We were blessed to be able to attend a David Meece concert this week. (I know, talk about a blast from the past!) His song, "Things You Never Gave Me" hit me right in the heart. It was just what I needed to hear.

Things You Never Gave Me from the There I Go Again album

Had a lot of dreams that never came true
Things I could have done,
But never got the chance to do
When I couldn't see the path of the storm
Your wisdom wouldn't let me go that way
And it broke my heart,but now my heart can say

Thank You for the times You said,"No".
Thank You for the doors that You closed
All the ways You never let me go
And the things You never gave me
So many times I didn't understand
And wouldn't let You take my hand
But now I want to fall at your feet
And thank You for the things
You never gave to me.

When I wanted less than what You had in mind
When I wanted more than I could handle at the time
When I needed You but turned You away
You wouldn't let me slip out of Your hand

I just didn't know, but now I understand
Looking back across the years
I can see beyond the tears
And thank You...thank You

God always answers my prayers. He just doesn't always do it my way. Sometimes He says "No". Many times He does not choose to swoop in and change my situation. Instead, He allows these things as opportunities for me to grow and depend on Him more.

Thank You, God. Thank You for being in control of my life and for choosing what is the absolute best for me. Help me to remember to thank You even when Your way is different than mine and to realize that sometimes the very best answers to prayer are when in Your wisdom, You say, "No.". Amen!


Thanks to Laura of Heavenly Homemakers for hosting Gratituesday!

Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh cherry tomatoes from my little flowerbed garden.

"She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden." Proverbs 31:16 The Message

Snowballs From My Garden

"He has made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Facing The Giants

We watched Facing The Giants last night. It is an incredible movie with a strong Scriptural message.

Granted, the acting isn't that great and the story line is quite predictable, but yet what a great message. Tears streamed down my face as I watched and I rarely cry! The movie really spoke to my heart.

The power of God versus the power of fear.... What happens when one person prays...What can happen when we face the giants with God on our side... these things are what I took away from this movie.

"... All things are possible with God." Mark 10:27

Have you seen this movie? What was your impression of it?

I'm Thankful That...

It's been one of those weeks. I didn't think I had anything to be thankful for but God has showed me a 'few things'.:-)

Here goes....

I'm thankful that...

~my cold is gone. Oh, it is wonderful to be able to smell again. You know it's bad when you think somethings wrong with the Beggin' Strips because you can't smell them!

~the jungle, aka yard, got a good trimming over the weekend. Looks great!

~it has rained off and on for the past week. We need the rain!

~I've been able to get some major decluttering done the past several days and a load of "treasures" will be on its way to Goodwill soon!

~we have yummy fresh garden produce to eat this week.

~I have way more to be thankful for than would fit on this blog!

" Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you..." I Thessalonians 5:18


I thank God for this day,
For the sun in the sky,
For my mom and my dad,
For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,
For His love that's all around,
That's why I say thanks every day!

Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!
I'm glad for what I have,
Thats an easy way to start!

For the love that He shares,
'Cause He listens to my prayers,
That's why I say thanks every day!

-A Veggie tales song from Madam Blueberry

I'm Thankful For...

...a week at home after a busy season of traveling.

... a few almost-ripe cherry tomatoes in my flowerbed garden!

... our colds getting better each day!

...a long holiday weekend at home.

...the men who have fought to give us freedom in our great country!

...the freedom I have in Christ!

" Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 & 3

Too Busy?

I tend to be a very busy person rushing around and doing all sorts of things and activities. They are good things to do like taking care of my house, cooking and baking for my husband, church activities, sewing, etc. My husband laughs and asks if I ever take a break just to chill out . He says that he is tired just watching me! Sometimes I think he isn't busy enough while he thinks I'm the other extreme.
Well, we just returned from a trip to visit my family. He met some of my family for the first time and spent alot more time with those he had only met briefly before. He soon came to the conclusion that I come by this "busy-ness" honestly! While sitting and visiting, my mom, grandma and aunt all had crocheting in their hands. When going about the house, they are scheduled, efficient and purposeful. He understands now why, even when I sit down, I like to have something to do in my hands- a book to read, recipes to copy, hand sewing to do, lists to make, fingernails to file- something!
It is good to be busy. After all, "Idleness is the devil's workshop." But, I wonder... can I be too busy? Am I able to quiet my mind and focus on what is truly important? Do I turn off the radio and the TV so I can be alone with my thoughts and think about God and hear what He is saying? Today I want to make an effort to, at least for a few moments, do what God says in Psalms 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God..."

Birthday Memories

Today is my birthday. 29 sounds old-not that it is old, it just sounds so mature, so grown up. I'm not sure I have arrived there yet. But regardless of my age or stage of maturity, I have been rather nostalgic today-remembering my childhood birthdays.
I have always loved birthdays. I think my family thought I might eventually outgrow this childish eagerness. I was always glad that I had a summer birthday and even more glad when that day was finally here! It was pure torture to wait as all the family birthdays came and went from March, April, May and June and then finally... it was my turn!
A number of my birthdays were spent cruising across the country in our station wagon on our summer vacations. I especially remember my 7th birthday- posing for the camera while proudly holding a waxy, store-bought , smiley-face cake. Never mind that I was in Nebraska in 100 degree temperatures. Or that I was camping in a frog-infested campground . Or that my brother was making crazy faces behind me because he couldn't stand the thought of not being in the picture!
Then the birthdays at home- the coconut-covered rabbit cake one year and my Strawberry Shortcake themed party another year.
But most of all, I remember homemade peach ice cream. Every year, Mom would get some of the first Oregon peaches so she could make the ice cream for my birthday. Most years, I would have that instead of a cake. ( The year of Strawberry Shortcake, we had strawberry fruit pops instead. I was 10 and well, peach ice cream is not pink or red.) Mom would make the ice cream in the morning so it could freeze until after supper when we could celebrate. Well, our family's share would freeze, but we would always take some to my dad's work and share with his co-workers. They loved it and would talk about it year after year. Our neighbors also got in on my birthday. Mom would scoop up ice cream in styrofoam dishes to share. It became so popular that even a couple of birthdays in my teen years, when I had developed a serious milk allergy, Mom would still whip up a batch of peach ice cream while I would either eat some made with soy milk or eat another treat. "We all just enjoy it so much!" was her way of explaining that one.
When we were in Oregon recently, we went to visit our old neighbor who is much like a Grandma to me. While sharing memories, she related one of the things she enjoyed most while we kids were growing up was getting to sample the birthday treats, especially the homemade peach ice cream.
So today as I ate a special birthday dinner and shared non-homemade vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce with my husband, I was reminded that even as we get older, birthdays and special days are meant to share.

Flowers

Our sunflowers and zinnias are finally in full bloom. They look so pretty and are probably the most successful part of my gardening experience this year. The sunflowers are a smaller red variety and not quite as tall as their giant yellow relatives. (One stalk is six feet tall when the seed packet said only four to five feet.) The bees have appeared with the blooming of the flowers, which is fine as long as I am not there at the same time.:-)
I found a sweet little poem that I want to share with you. I don't know who wrote it. It reminds me of the simple joys of nature.

The wind whispering through the trees,
The soft and peaceful buzz of bees,
The scent of flowers on the breeze,
All that I ask please, is these.