The Day After the Election

"Yield to those leading you, and be submissive, for they watch for your souls, 

as those who must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief; 

for that is unprofitable for you."

(Heb 13:17)

I have watched many elections and by far this one was the most grueling, among other descriptors that my readers could come up with, I'm sure.  There were many times when I thought to myself, "Could this really be the best caliber of people chosen to run for the most respected position of the United States?"

I struggled with this election.  I struggled with who to vote for, whether Republican, Independent, Grass Roots, or Constitutional Party.  I am certain that the struggle I've dealt with has not been one that I alone have dealt with.

I am not one who tries to post unedifying, unloving, posts either here or on social media and that will remain the same.  Edifying and glorifying the Lord with my posts, whatever comes from my fingers or mouth should really be edifying regardless, instead of belittling, degrading, demeaning, or other types of ilk.  I've chosen to build up instead of tear down.  I believe it speaks volumes to folks of love when I set my heart and mind on my words--spoken and written--to be edifying.

It is my prayer for our newly elected leaders that they would humble themselves before the Lord, submitting themselves to Him, work hard for those they serve, and they work hard with their words to be the utmost in edification and God glorifying.

Let us each remember that we have a choice of building people up or tearing them down.  It is so much easier to build people up, encourage them, and love them.  It does so much for them, but it works even more on our own spirits if we set our hearts and minds on edifying, God glorifying speech. Nothing speaks more of the Love of Christ than to edify and glorify God in our speech and actions.

Would you please join me in purposefully choosing to edify others--no matter which political party they voted for--glorifying God and loving others with our speech and actions?

Humbly,

Post Christmas Decorating

We took all of our Christmas decorations down and put them all away a few days ago.  Shortly after seeing the drabness of no color, I decided to grab my knitting needles and some bright aqua cotton yarn and went to work.  I have my fabric ready to get to work on my dining room curtains, completely with bright aqua in it, so it was perfect!

The needles are size 11 Caspian wood needles from knitpicks like the ones you'll find here:

Just click the picture...

I bought one set of these needles in size 11 as a gift to myself for finishing a large project.  They were well worth the money!  I love how the cotton slides so wonderfully off my needles.

I love decorating my house.  This house particularly is quite the blank slate.  The walls in our bedroom will be a light butter cream color with darker accents.  I just need to work on the sticky stuff on the walls with Goo Gone.  I have a couple areas done, now I need to move on and get more done.  Unfortunately, once I come out of our bedroom in the morning, it is very seldom that I return until evening bed time.  I need to be sure to work on our hide away, making sure to situate it and make it beautiful and inviting for me and my love.  I've found some beautiful things to put over the head of our bed, bought them for us for Christmas and now I just need to find a weathered/antiqued board for the shelf.

Once we get our bedroom painted, these will go over our headboard.  I am adding lovely and beautiful things that celebrate our marriage in our hideaway.  Why?  So it will be a peaceful haven and sanctuary from the world for the two of us to find solace.  I hope to finish the bedroom in one month, complete with curtains, paint, clean, neat and tidy furniture (with the help of my husband ;0) ) and moving on to another room.  LOL

I am so excited to get these changes done.  

To be continued...

God Bless,

How Do I Love Thee

Song of Solomon 2:10  

"My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away."

Since this day, the time I've spent with my husband has been so very different than before he was saved.  I had not realized how protected I had become with my own spirit and heart until faced with the very thing I had cried out for--his salvation--for so long had become a reality.  I had been shell shocked, stunned and not ready for it.  I had been ready for the long haul.  So many friends of mine had told me that they'd lived their entire lives with unsaved husbands to only find that their husbands were saved weeks before they died.  Their remaining time with their husbands had been so very sweet and worth the wait.  I had so longed for that time, a sweetness that was so foreign to me.

My husband has sought me and my heart, as well as tended to my spirit and to our growth together as a couple for the past 5 1/2 weeks.  He has taken measures to fulfill all the time I'd always wanted to spend with him.  He realizes he cannot make up for lost time, but he can make the most of the time he has now, today.  

He had dinner going on the stove on Monday when we came home from home school group.  He made a lovely carrot soup, yellow beans and chicken strips wrapped with ham.  Savory and delicious!  

He's been leading daily Bible reading, devotions in addition to our own personal Bible study. 

He's been doing the laundry!  I'd asked him if he wanted to revamp the chores and see which ones he wanted to take on.  He decided to do the laundry himself!  What an absolutely wonderful blessing!

I am blessed so very much on a daily basis.  He is enabling me to step back from shouldering so much responsibility, in parenting as well as schooling.  It was so very difficult to do because I'd taken the responsibility for so long that it was second nature.  Stepping back that first week was hard, but as time has progressed, with a deep heavy sigh, I can peacefully release that to him.

He has tended to my heart which has caused much more love for him than I ever imagined.  

My husband has been "courting" me daily for 5 1/2 weeks!  I am enamored by my husband.  Such love I'd never known, until now.

Praise God!

Gearing Up...



I went to bed last night at 12:15AM, so technically it would be this morning.  My body only let me sleep until 4:08AM.  I came downstairs to the chair and laid back for a while to sleep until 5:30.  I kept hearing things, so I got up, grabbed my sweater, clipboard and pencil and headed for the pantry.  I took a good look at what we had and needed in there, the upright and chest freezers as well as the basement kitchen refrigerator. 

Each freezer has a function.  The upright freezer is to hold all of our frozen vegetables, butter, cheese and juice.  The chest freezer holds all of our meat.  The freezer in the  basement refrigerator holds all of our bread items.  The upstairs freezer holds small bags of things that have already been opened as well as my baking yeast.  Each Spring, my basement refrigerator freezer gets manually defrosted.  My upstairs refrigerator freezer gets cleaned out and things used up.  All this in preparation for the harvest.  Once gardening season begins, time is of the essense, so I try to do all these things before things begin.

This morning I am gearing up for my Mega Shop day.  I may go shopping by myself andrequest that my husband do school with the children while I'm gone.  It is good for him and for the children to him to teach them.  I enjoy going shopping by myself every once in a while, but not all the time.  I enjoy the thought that my husband is investing his time in his children.  I spend all day, every day with them.  I love my children, but there is a time when they need to be handed over to their Father for a relationship when they are 2.  Sure, before that time, but it was usually around the age of 2 that my kids were weaned, give or take a few months.  A Daddy is a wonderful asset for a child's life.  He prepares the boys to be men and the girls to be women and how to expect to be treated by potential suitors.  Recently we watched the movie "Courageous".  These principals rang through in the movie.  I'm so thankful for that reaffirmation. 

Today, as I go out, I feel rather melancholy.  I am walking forward, forever changed by the events that have formed my life and moulded me in to the person I am today.  I am leaving the past behind me and looking forward to the future.  My children have but a small amount of time left until adulthood.  I pray that the next few years of their time with us would be fruitful, beautiful and good times to remember.  As I look at the past [leaving it behind, of course] I am just a little sad.  I wish I could go back and hug and hold them a little longer, play with them lots more and pray with them, work with them more.  But, the next few years, I will enjoy when they come up to me and hug me, I'll enjoy when we go for walks, take our school work down to the river, pray with them and work with them, side-by-side. 

Gearing up for today, it is the beginning of a corridor that I always thought I would enjoy--their independence, able to help around the house and do a good job.  I do enjoy it, but I know there are many who are looking forward to this time in their life with eager anticipation.  They're looking forward to it, hoping and preparing for it.  To that I say, wait, linger right where you are a little longer.  Cherish what you have right now at this very moment.  You'll never get it back again and you'll be living with your memories, good or bad. 

In my gearing up, I'll linger a little longer...smile, hug and say, "I love you.  You are a blessing to me."  In all my organizing and planning, it is all for nothing if I don't have love and show genuine love to those around me. 

Love!

I absolutely LOVE that my 12 year old JL can capture the moon "perfectly".