“Wherever you are, be all there.
Live to the hilt every situation
you believe to be the will of God.”
–Jim Elliot
Live to the hilt every situation
you believe to be the will of God.”
–Jim Elliot
Listings 1/9/12
9 Jan posted by
Painted Treasure Boxes
I just love these painted cardboard boxes by Karla Dornacher, one of my favorite artists! I wish I could make one.:)
Sixteen Ways to Improve Your Relationship With Your Parents
Lies Young Women Believe is an excellent website for teen girls, and is based on the book by the same title. The site, as well as the book, does discuss mature topics at times, so you may want to be careful which posts or parts of the book your daughter reads. (We have read the book together as a family; it’s solid on Bible principles, while being compassionate and truthful.) This post lists 16 resolutions for teenagers by John Piper.
The Ecuadorian Martyrs
Tim Challies has a great article on “the 56th anniversary of the deaths of the missionary martyrs to Ecuador: Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Peter Fleming, Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian.” Jim Elliot was the husband of Elisabeth Elliot, my favorite Christian author and female speaker. You can read transcripts of her radio program, Gateway to Joy here. Elisabeth’s website is here, where you can find wonderful devotions to enjoy daily, as well as other resources to help you as a Christian lady, no matter your walk in life.
Life . . . Your Way Printables
This website has tons of printables-even ones I’ve never thought of. I definitely will be using this site! (HT: THE KING’S OASIS)
Great (Homeschool) Expectations
Many homeschoolers think that their children will turn out godly just because they are homeschooling or because they are doing “everything right”. This great article addresses this issue. “But the fact is that there are no guarantees. And to those who point fingers and say, ‘Well, if you just do it right, your kids will turn out right,’ I say ‘Beans!’ I realize there’s no question that my husband and I made mistakes. All parents do. But when I think of how the Israelites treated God (see Exodus), why did I expect that none of my children would rebel or go in a different direction from the way we pointed them? Clearly each person must make their own way in life (and hopefully toward God). Not even the love of a homeschooling parent can overcome the effects of sin in the world. . .We tried our best, but we’re learning that ultimately, our adult children’s lives are between them and God.” Be sure to read the whole article.
Charles Stanley on Public Education
Here’s a great clip warning parents about the dangers of public education.
Day by Day
8 Jan posted by
One of my favorite hymns.
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.
Never Be in a Hurry
7 Jan posted by
“Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit.
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
–St Francis de Sales
Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.”
–St Francis de Sales
As I was returning home from my walk this afternoon, I thought this very thick cloud looked just like a mountain in the distance.:)
Busy in the Kitchen
6 Jan posted by
Today has been a kitchen day here! We have been quite busy and got a lot accomplished. We are so proud to look back on what we’ve gotten done!
This morning, my middle daughter (my baker!) made Coffee-Glazed Italian Doughnuts (Zeppole), shown on Giada at Home. Oh, my, were they delicious! I’m crazy over Krispy Kreme doughnuts and never thought I’d find a homemade doughnut to be even half-good, but these were fantastic! They were so unbelievably light and lemony on the inside. We are not fans of coffee, so my daughter made a simple glaze with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. They were easy to make and easy to eat. All of them are gone!:)
The dryer lady (yes, lady!) came and fixed the dryer, which is in the kitchen behind folding doors. She also brought replacement parts for my refrigerator and dishwasher. It was so good to get these little things fixed that had been annoying and limiting us for so long!
This afternoon, my middle daughter, youngest daughter, and I tackled a section of cabinets in the kitchen that had been irritating us. Everything was removed, washed or wiped down, and the entire inside of the cabinets was washed down with Murphy’s Oil Soap. My middle daughter loves to organize, so I let her go through everything and decide what to give away, throw away, or keep. She then reorganized everything so lovely! Everything is more accessible and makes you want to create something in the kitchen. I love going back and looking at everything now!
My daughter labeled our canisters with these wonderful labels by Ball. They are pretty to see, but they are also easy to clean off because they are dissolvable. They literally dissolve within 30 seconds!
For supper tonight, my daughter made Bread Machine Buttery Rolls topped with honey butter. They were scrumptious, and fit in wonderfully with our meal of shrimp, green beans (I use a variation based on this recipe), and macaroni and cheese.:)
There is none beside Thee to help
5 Jan posted by
Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “LORD, there is no one besides You to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude. O LORD, You are our God; let not man prevail against You.” (emphasis mine)
2 Chronicles 14:11
2 Chronicles 14:11
Remind God of His entire responsibility. “There is none beside thee to help” . . .
Put God between yourself and the foe . . .
Our God is Jehovah of hosts, who can summon unexpected reinforcements at any moment to aid His people. Believe that He is there between you and your difficulty, and what baffles you will flee before Him, as clouds before the gale.
–F. B. Meyer
From today’s Streams in the Desert devotional.
Listings 1/5/12
5 Jan posted by
A Forgotten Text? Why is that, I wonder? (HT: Challies)
Very thought-provoking post on Ephesians 5:12. “For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
Family Photo Album Tips {Photography Project}
This is a great article on organizing your photos to create a printed photo album at the end of the year. This is good for those who don’t get into journaling with scrapbooking. The time to get started is now!
Making Things Pretty with Pallets
I love these ideas for making furniture using pallets. My favorite is the bookshelf!
The Joy of Quiet (HT: Challies)
This post was very interesting on how much we need quiet, but discovering it nearly impossible to find with all our machines. “In barely one generation we’ve moved from exulting in the time-saving devices that have so expanded our lives to trying to get away from them–often in order to make more time. The more ways we have to connect, the more many of us seem desperate to unplug. Like teenagers, we appear to have gone from knowing nothing about the world to knowing too much all but overnight.”
AlbertMohler.com – Podcast
Every weekday, Dr. Albert Mohler gives a 15-minute podcast called “The Briefing”. It is current news from a Christian perspective and provokes Christians to approach our age from a biblical perspective.
Bob Ross: Painting Mountains
One of my best friends, Bobbie, and I used to watch Bob Ross on PBS (before we got very busy with families–smile). We each actually have a couple of paintings that we did while following his tutorials. Very fond memories!
T h e * H o t * C h o c o l a t e * S t a t i o n
I liked this idea for a Hot Chocolate Station. Aren’t the marshmallows so pretty in the jar?
Free Downloads on christianaudio
Each month, christianaudio.com has a free audio download. This month’s freebie is Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I’ve not listened yet, but this comes with many recommendations.
New Year Greeting
4 Jan posted by
My, it’s been so long since I posted! I have meant to post every day, but life got in the way! I had so much I wanted to share in December regarding Christmas.:(
My favorite ornaments!
We had a very good Christmas. We are most thankful that we were not sick this year! For many years, we have all been sick during Christmas, and the flu delayed our Christmas celebrations with our family last year. This season, I was very purposely about saying “no” to as many things as I could, even though it almost seemed impossible to avoid them. I made sure we got plenty of rest and took our Influenza Drops from our health food store. Ultimately it was the Lord Who kept us well this year!
This was the first year we had a real Christmas tree! I had put it off so many years because I wanted things to be perfect–me married and us going as a family to get our tree. I finally decided that we need to enjoy life now, and that there will be plenty of first times to enjoy when I get married.:)
After much reading on Money Saving Mom, I have been working on new goals for this year. I am not calling them resolutions, so as hopefully not to discourage myself when I miss them. Here are some personal goals I’ve written down.
- Read 1 chapter of the Bible daily, in addition to personal devotions, family devotions, and couple reading with my Sweetheart.
- Read 1 chapter of fiction.
- Read 1 chapter of nonfiction.
- Eat healthy – choose healthy snacks like nuts and fruit, drink more water, eat slow, and make wise choices.
- Exercise daily.
- Get plenty of rest.
- Blog daily.
Yes, I have already messed up on all these, but knowing that they are goals, not resolutions, is helping me to keep trying. I also have a list of business goals. I probably need to write some homeschooling goals as well.:)
Our dryer is out, so we are hanging clothes on the line this week. It’s been mighty cold out, but it’s been good for us. The fresh, brisk air and the exercise energizes us, although the girls hate “crunchy” towels and clothes, as they call it. We hang the linens on the line, and hang regular clothes in the bathrooms to dry overnight. So far, this system is working well for us. Not having a dryer really makes me have to keep the laundry up. It’s not fun to hang clothes on the line in the dark, and I’ve got to be sure we have what we need when we need it.:)
We have had some conflicts with others in the last week. Oh, it’s been so very hard to the point of physical sickness for me and others! The first situation was caused by certain Christian beliefs that someone could not accept. The situation caused us deep hurt. The Lord gave me a couple of verses that greatly helped me. “And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth” (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Although these verses are directed to pastors dealing with lost people, I felt God was telling me that I need to meekly explain my position, and then be quiet and let God bring about the change of heart, if a change is needed. This dear one did not mean to hurt us, but was trying to uphold convictions that they had. After a good, calm, gracious conversation, we both felt so much better. I better understood this dear one, even though we still could not agree.
The second situation was definitely caused by me jumping to conclusions and misjudging a sister in Christ. I didn’t do what a former pastor told me years ago–when you hear or read something that upsets you, ask that person what they meant. If I had done that I would have saved us all a lot of worry and pain. Things on the computer just don’t convey the same as they do in person. I hope I will remember this from here on out!
Due to the problems mentioned above, we could not handle things we needed to last week. We have been working on them the last few days and have gotten a lot accomplished. Now we can start our homeschooling back next week, Lord willing.:)
How was your Christmas? How is your new year starting out?
Listings 1/4/12
4 Jan posted by
14 Inspirational Kitchen Pantry Makeovers
I just loved these creative pantry makeovers! The ideas are so creative and many are quite frugal.
Building Up Girls With Values: Focus on Pretty, Not Hot
Excellent, thought-provoking article. It is worth sending to all women you know, especially teenagers and young women. “Young women today do not seem to aspire to pretty, they prefer to be regarded as hot. Hotness is something altogether different. When women want to be hot instead of pretty, they must view themselves in a certain way and consequently men view them differently as well.”
Mom reunites with biological child 77 years later
This precious story made me cry! “For most of her 100 years, Minka Disbrow tried to find out what became of the precious baby girl she gave up for adoption after being raped as a teen.”
This Is The Year?
This article was very encouraging to me! “For those who try and try, year after year, again and again, to get better and better, with seemingly less and less success . . . I have good news for you: you’re in good company!”
The Pa’s Fiddle Project Comes to PBS
I’m looking very forward to seeing this in June. “Dean Butler (‘Almanzo’ on the Little House on the Prairie TV show) and Dale Cockrell (President of Pa’s Fiddle Recordings) have teamed up to produce this unique show that will feature these top-level artists performing and giving their best interpretations of the great American songs and tunes loved by Pa and Laura Ingalls during their lifetime.”
Christianless Churches
This article is worth reading, even though Christmas is past. “Michael Horton’s phrase, ‘Christless Christianity’ gets a lot of play in our blog, magazine, and radio program. One of the more timely evidences of the problem will be on full display this Sunday, December 25th. We’re already hearing reports of churches that after offering a slew of programming on Christmas Eve will shut their doors on Christmas Day.”
Feed Chocolate Cravings the Right Way
Denise Austin shares a few tips to enjoy chocolate in the right way.
Free Monthly Desktop Computer Wallpaper
The King’s Blooming Rose Magazine shares a beautiful free wallpaper for your computer.
How Do You Do It All?
7 Dec posted by
My friend, client, and sometimes coach Mary Jo Tate has an AWESOME deal going on through tomorrow on her 7-hour audio course, How Do You Do It All: Proven Strategies for Balancing Family Life and Home Business in the Real World. Not only do you get this MUST-HAVE course at $10 off, you also get 17 FREE bonuses (over $140 value) and a chance to win one of 23 door prizes (over $660 value)!
Mary Jo knows what’s she’s talking about in her course: she’s a mom of 4 boys, who she’s homeschooling, while also growing her home business. She has learned what works and what doesn’t, and is eager to help others balance home life with home business. I’ve taken her course and tell you it’s worth every penny and way more.:) Mary Jo is so understanding and encouraging. You will feel you are sitting and talking with one of your dear friends. Whether you are homeschooling or not, if you have a home business, you simply MUST get this course. Visit Raising Real Men’s website for a more detailed review: Review: How Do You Do It All?.
Head on over to her website to place your order. This sale ends tomorrow. You DON’T want to miss out!
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