Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday, April 27, 2009...

Outside my window...it's a beautiful sunny day. The weather around here has been gorgeous (and feeling a bit more like early summer than spring). :)

I am thinking of ...waking my girls up and trying to decide if we should try to go strawberry picking this morning (when it's cooler) and do seatwork in the afternoon or vice versa.

I am thankful for...a wonderful church home where God's Word is preached and taught.

From the learning rooms...we're trying to work on our normal schoolwork for the first half of the week. The last half will be spent on real life schooling - a speech and debate tournament.

From the kitchen...due to above mentioned tournament, meals in the latter part of the week will be up in the air since we won't be home as normal. However, our tentative meal plans this week include turkey loin, lemon chicken, spaghetti, sandwiches/whatever, stirfry chicken, and a night out to celebrate R's 10th birthday. :)

I am wearing...p.j.'s - hopefully will be changing that soon. :)

I am creating...tomorrow I'll probably be doing our bread baking for the week.

I am going...to be busy - it's that time of the year.

I am reading...the Bible in a year (in Psalms this week - love the Psalms!!!) The girls and I are reading the John Adams biography, the Duggar's book 20 and Counting (great book), and Swiss Family Robinson (although we haven't been going as strong on that one lately).

I am hoping...that we will glorify God in all the opportunities He provides us.

I am hearing...my youngest daughter sitting on the couch listening to a children's choir CD on her headphones and singing the songs. (I love having kids!!!!)

Around the house...a lot needs to be done - laundry & cleaning.

One of my favorite things...the encouragement I get from God's Word!

A few plans for the rest of the week: volleyball games, piano competition, art lessons, church, speech and debate tournament, and celebrating a very special someone's 10th birthday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

Wishing you a wonderful spring week full of God's blessings!

In His love,

Tina

For more wonderful daybook entries, see Peggy's blog at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ .

Thrifty Thursday

In response to Kelly at Generation Cedar's post http://www.generationcedar.com/main/2009/04/thrifty-thursday.html , I wanted to share a thrifty idea that I have.

I've actually been racking my brain because I know that I try to save money where I can but was having a hard time coming up with concrete ways. Here's what I've come up with:

I try to make out my menu's every two weeks (when my honey gets paid and we make our grocery trip). I write my menu ideas on my planning book, so I can take into account what's on our schedule on those days. This helps me to stay on track and us to eat at home a lot more than we used to. (We used to resort to eating out a good bit more than we do now. Somehow having menu plans in writing, helps me. Even if we don't eat them on the days I scheduled them, I know what meals we have ingredients to prepare and it helps me with my self-control.) :)

Another thing I've recently done is that I've started using plain white vinegar as a fabric softener. It's really cheap (I buy 2 gallon jugs at Sam's for around $3). I just put it in the automatic dispenser in my washing machine and it works great.

Have a great day!
In His love,
Tina

Just Do It

I love how practical God's Word is - and how often He brings things to my attention that I never really noticed before.

I know that God has plans for us to do while He has us here on this earth. What a privilege to be involved in His work as He directs. I also know that I have a tendency to want to sit on my posterior end at times and then it's hard to get back up (aka laziness). :)

As I was reading in the Bible the other day, I'd reached the section in 1 Chronicles when David is passing the throne on to Solomon and giving him advice.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9-10, David tells Solomon,
"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work."

Again, in verse 20, David tells Solomon
"David also said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished.'"

God has not called me to build a temple like He called Solomon. However, God has called me to do His work while I'm here on this earth. For me personally, that has to do with being a godly wife and mother, which will impact future generations for His kingdom if I do this job while walking with Him and in His ways. (Of course, as mentioned in the last post, the purpose in all this is to glorify Him so that others will be drawn to Him.)

I just never really realized that He so clearly tells us in His word to get off our rears and do the work! ("Be strong and do the work." And again, "be strong and courageous, and do the work.")

I love how practical God is - and the fact that He's called us to work, and equips us to do the work He's given us. He is so good.

Have a wonderful day - be strong and do the work! :)

In His love,
Tina

It's All for God

I just read a wonderful post by Quinn over at Inside the White Picket Fence:
http://insidethewhitepicketfence.blogspot.com/2009/04/keeping-it-real-graffiti.html .

For a couple weeks I've really felt God impressing on my spirit that it's all for Him. I absolutely love my calling of being a wife and mother! For years Titus 2:3 - 5 has been my focus - my life verses:
"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

I've made myself countless lists of what God's calling the younger women to be. (Regardless of the gray hairs popping up on my head, I figured that since I still have children at home, that would apply to me.) :) I've hidden those lists around the house to remind me and I've memorized it.

What I've felt God showing me is that, while we experience that blessings of following Him and living His way (and the results are wonderful blessings and fruits!), I've focused more on what I'm called to do and the blessings than the purpose. Notice the last portion of verse 5 - "so that no one will malign the word of God." That is the purpose for living life His way - that He will be glorified and it will be a witness to others.

Just this morning I saw this truth again in Psalm 64. The psalm is asking God to hear, hide, and protect the speaker. He's talking about his enemies and the wrongs they have done and asking God to help him and then telling how God will help him (shoot them with arrows & turn their own tongues against them, for instance). Verse 9 of the psalm reminded me what God's been showing me:
"All mankind will fear; they will proclaim the works of God and ponder what he has done."

It's all for God's glory and all about Him (not us)!

Quinn's post (which I linked to above) talks about something discussed in the book Passionate Housewives Desperate for God (which I highly recommend). We as women (at least I know I sure do) have a tendency to compare ourselves to others and think that they have it all together and we are a mess. While I admit that I am a mess, :) I also know that people aren't perfect and that God has called us to look to Him, follow Him, walk in His ways, and He'll draw people to himself. (The ultimate purpose - right?) I have a tendency to look at others who are strong in the areas I'm weak, and magnify that and focus on my weakness, which ends up with a defeatist mentality along with a little pity party that doesn't help anything. While I know that God doesn't want us to just sit around and be lazy, I also think that when we remember that it's all for His glory and not our own, that helps our focus to be on Him rather than ourselves. While (to be honest) I struggle with the desire to be perfect, I know that's sinful - it's pride. God alone is perfect - not us. So, I have weaknesses (such as a house swimming in clutter) :) but I have a great God who meets me where I am and lovingly chooses to use me anyway.
1 Corinthians 2:10
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

As an aside, I heard a great illustration that I love and wanted to share with you. God chooses to use us like a mom allows her 3 year old to help her bake a cake. The mom doesn't need the help and could make the cake faster and easier without her help. But the mom loves that 3 year old and enjoys spending time with her. She wants the child to experience the joy in helping create something. That's how it is with God. He could accomplish His plans without our help (and be more proficient, I'm sure), :) but He allows us to help anyway because He loves us and wants us to experience the joy of being involved. He is so good!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday, April 20, 2009...


Outside my window...it's cloudy but not raining. (I see birds flying around our trampoline.)



I am thinking of ...my honey. :)



I am thankful for...a wonderful, romantic weekend getaway to the beach with my honey and time the girls were able to spend with their grandparents.


From the learning rooms...trying to work on our normal seatwork - getting to the war for Independence in history. (I love history.) Can't believe how late in the year it already is!



From the kitchen...quick meals since we've got volleyball games this week. :)



I am wearing...a t-shirt and jeans.



I am creating...memories.



I am going...to figure out supper tonight. :) (Normally I have it figured out before now but it's a busy week.)



I am reading...the Bible in a year (in Psalms this week - love the Psalms!!!) I'm also reading a biography on John Adams that I plan to begin reading aloud to the girls. (The girls and I are working our way through Swiss Family Robinson also.)



I am hoping...a week spent glorifying God and not getting bogged down in busy-ness (as I'm prone to do).


I am hearing...two girls watching Arthur and the other two puttering around the house (sewing and cleaning a room).



Around the house...we're trying to keep up with a busy day. (We had produce co-op this morning - yum! and I went to the dentist this afternoon. We also have 2 volleyball games this evening.)



One of my favorite things...family times spent together enjoying each others company.



A few plans for the rest of the week: volleyball games, piano lessons, art lessons, drama club, church, speech, and playdates. (Oh yeah - schoolwork too.) :)



Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This is the view my honey and I enjoyed this weekend. What a blessing God provided us. We were able to focus on each other and I found myself continually thanking God for blessing me with this wonderful man!

For more daybooks, checkout http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ .
Have a wonderful week!

T.E.A. Party

The girls and I were blessed to be able to attend a T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already) Party today. There was a larger party nearby but we went to a party in a smaller town near us. Even so, there were hundreds of people gathered. Obviously people are stepping up to share their concerns.

As I was driving to the party today, I kept thinking how thankful I am that we live in America. We have the freedom to gather together and peacefully let our leaders know that we are not happy at all with the way our country is being run and the decisions they're making. I was not concerned that we would be met with violence or that any government officials would be taking note of our presence there and negative effects resulting from it (as in some other countries). We are so blessed to live in America. We really need to have our eyes wide open and pray for wisdom and God to move in our country so that we may return once again to Him. (We also need to be willing to step up when God gives us the opportunity.)

Photo Recap of Our Week

I haven't posted in a while - life's been pretty busy around here (as I'm sure in most of your houses also). :) Here's a quick update:

Last week K, R, & J participated in their Awana Grand Prix. Here are their cars:
A road racing down the track

A princess car (after all she knows she's a daughter of the King)

And Shamu. :)

Thursday we did our scheduled learning, drama class, and volleyball.

Friday we worked on our school work and I took the afternoon to do our two week grocery trips, as well as taking care of a bit of Easter shopping.

Saturday morning I took care of the rest of the Easter shopping. (Was shocked to find out Friday night that our Walmart was completely sold out of Easter candy.)

The girls made these yummy sugar cookies to take to my mom and dad's.

They also dyed Easter eggs.

And we made our annual "Easter cookies" (the recipe I posted last week).

We then went to my mom and dad's house for a yummy lunch and fun Easter egg hunt. We had a great time visiting with my folks and my grandma.

We left mom and dad's to head to a ballgame with my husband's work. It was lots of fun. (We got home late but had a great time.)

Sunday, of course, we celebrated Jesus resurrection.

That morning we had a little hunt for the girls' Easter baskets and eggs. (Mom and Dad came over to share with us the joy. They were with us while we read the account of the resurrection from the Bible as we took the Easter cookies from the oven. That was neat to have them there with us for that.)

We then had a great time worshipping and celebrating with our church family. We also enjoyed our church's Easter cantata. I especially enjoyed watching K sing in the cantata and L sign for all the songs in the cantata.

For Easter lunch, we enjoyed visiting with R's dad and family. (Yes, it included another fun egg hunt for the girls.)

Whew! What fun - and how nice to relax at home afterward.

A tisket, a tasket, a kitty in a basket:

Monday we enjoyed missionary geography club where we discussed Brother Andrew. (I love him!!!! If you've not read God's Smuggler, I'd highly recommend it. It's so encouraging to hear of other brothers and sisters walking with God and seeing how God has used them to bring the good news of His love to others and to encourage other believers.)

The girls also had volleyball practice that evening.

Tuesday was a special day at our house: notice something new (or rather something missing). :)

Hope you enjoyed. Have a great week.

Easter

Wishing you all a very meaningful Christ filled Holy weekend - time today to reflect on what Jesus has done for us, illustrating the depths of His love for us (and moving us to respond with unquenchable devotion to Him - possible only through the gift of the Holy Spirit). Also praying for us all to experience of incredible joy celebrating His resurrection this Sunday. He's alive and loves us so very much. How can we help but loving and following Him. Praying for you all and myself too - a renewed devotion to Him and a refocusing of our eyes off ourselves and onto Him. (Not trying to insinuate where your eyes have been but mine have a nasty habit of reverting to focusing on myself rather than God and He's been patiently showing me in Scripture that it's truly all about Him and everything is for His glory.)
In His love,
Tina

Easter Cookies

Easter Cookies
These are cookies that the girls and I have been making the night before Easter every year for as long as I can remember. (We probably started when my oldest was a preschooler.) They're one of my girls' favorite Easter traditions and one they make sure we don't skip. :)
Hope you enjoy.

You need:
1c. whole pecans (we substitute chocolate chips or choclate bar)
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg white
salt
1c. sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300.

Instructions:

Place pecans (or chocolate) in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.Read John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given vinegar to drink.Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.Read Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God' s eyes of those whosesins have been cleansed by Jesus.Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts (chocolate). Drop by teaspoons (you don't want them too big or it won't work, so I'm told) onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.Read Matt. 27:65-66. GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.Read Matt. 28:1-9

Enjoy! :)

Update From Our Home

Life has been carrying on at a hectic pace over here. (I didn't even have time to post the simple woman's daybook yesterday.)
We were blessed last week to be able to attend a speech & debate tournament. We were thrilled that my mom was able to accompany the girls and I to the event.
We left last Wed. morning and were able to stop about an hour or so up the road to visit a terrific thrift store that we love. We were blessed to find a couple jean skirts, 2 other skirts, 3 tops, a pair of capris, a dress, and a pair of dress slacks for my honey (who is doing great losing weight - he's dropped 2 pant sizes and all his pants are drooping off him). :) Did I mention that I love this thrift store. :)
We then finished the drive to the tournament location (a few hours from where we live). The girls had a blast at the tournament. They didn't advance beyond the preliminary rounds but they had a great time. The oldest two were competing and the youngest two enjoyed watching. It really is entertaining and encouraging to see these kids speak. My mom ended up judging 4 speech rounds and had a great time.
We left the tournament a day early so that we could get back home Friday night. We needed to be home for our church's Easter celebration for the children. (We had to be here for it because the older two are on the puppet team and they were performing.) After the Easter celebration, we came home and I crashed on the couch. (I was so tired!!!) I then got up and helped my sweet husband finish up mowing the yard. (He was hard at work while I napped.)
Sunday we enjoyed worshipping God with our church family. That afternoon the older two attended the last rehersal for the Easter Cantata and that night we enjoyed watching the children's choir perform at the evening service. (Our youngest 3 are in the choir and our oldest helped the littlest ones do sign language during one of the songs.)
Yesterday was a crazy day. I went to help sort produce for our co-op in the morning. The oldest 3 worked on some schoolwork. My 2nd sweet daughter made our family bread. That night the oldest 3 had volleyball practice. (The oldest two are on one team and the third is on another - so we had two different practices.) Thankfully some sweet friends are on their teams, so we enjoyed visiting.
About to go wake the girls up for breakfast. Got to get the oldest two to piano this morning. Today we hope to get in a good day of schoolwork. (I love learning with them, so I miss it when we're out of routine.) We also have some cars to work on for an Awana Grand Prix tomorrow night. :)
Have a great day/week!
(I plan to post an Easter recipe or two later today.)

April Fools

In honor of April Fools Day, I thought I'd share with you what has to be one of the funniest moments of my year. Below is an original post from the end of last June. (Just to give you an idea of our life at that time, we were still in the rental house and our house was just getting finished being fixed after the tornado. I was over at the house daily working on finishing up painting the back half of the house and stress levels were rising. God knew it was a good time for a hearty laugh!) :)

Can't Believe I Did That! :)
Have you ever had days where you know God has a sense of humor and wants to use laughter to break the stress?To be honest, I have been feeling a lot of stress over the unknown. We're so close to being done - they're saying by Friday - but there's still stuff to be done. (Of course there's stuff left, otherwise they'd be done now). I don't know yet when exactly we're moving, if we're packing ourselves or hiring a moving company, etc. I'm not, by nature, a patient person. (My sweet husband, I'm sure, would put in a big amen.) :) But I know God's working on that and using all the circumstances for good. He's got it all in His hands - I just sometimes get ahead of myself trying to figure it all out.Anyway, yesterday morning I went over to the house to wait on the cable guy. (We were getting it installed early so that he'd be done with the attic by today when they're scheduled to blow in the insulation.) My cell phone belt clip broke a couple weeks ago, so I had it in my front pocket. Nature called and, midflush, the phone fell out of my pocket and was flushed down the toilet!!!! I heard it hit, turned, & saw it disappear. I tried to rescue it. No luck. Next I tried to pull myself together - I couldn't believe it and had to laugh (and laugh and laugh). I went to a neighbor to borrow a phone and call R to fill him in. He told me I had to be making this up; I assured him I wasn't that imaginative! The funny thing - I could hear the phone vibrating in the toilet and, when he called the number to see what would happen, R got a recording that the cell phone company was trying to locate me!!! :) Long story short, the plumber who happened to be working on our house yesterday tried to reach it with a tool, felt it, but couldn't pull it up. (So now I'm learning humility along with patience! We had to tell the contractors and the plumber!) Luckily though, the plumber pushed it on through in the process. My honey uninstalled the toilet last night and the phone wasn't stuck in it - glad we don't have to buy a new toilet since it was brand new. Tonight we'll install the toilet again and today I hope to go get a new cell phone. Meanwhile, if you call my cell phone and get a message that they're trying to locate me - you'll know why! :)

Update - I was able to get a new phone just a day or so after I posted this. I told the sales person that I dropped the phone in water. (True - just not detailed.) When she asked me if I had the old phone, I told her it was "gone - gone, gone, gone". :)