What lovely greenness is covering our part of Pennsylvania like waves of the sea changing the torraine with each ebb and flow. The greenness is taking over the brownness, the seemingly dead throughout the winter has awakened from its slumber to grow and live again. Rain comes and goes with ferocity at times, leaving behind the fresh scent of Spring. Sometimes the scent is not of Spring, but of worms coming to the surface. After such a long hard winter, I relish in the scents and sounds of Spring. The dawn chorus awakens me every day, bidding me "Welcome to today!" what a lovely day it is going to be! Such a wonderful chorus of birds to welcome my sleeping body to the day.
When we go about our days, we have choices to make in how we respond to everything that happens. When something spills, falls and breaks or if we're sick, do we react with upset...making sure the whole household knows of our condition? Or, do we quickly clean up the spilled milk...or better yet call to everyone, "Quick! Grab a straw and make sure none of it hits the floor!" Making such fun filled memories out of an "oopsie-doodles"...
Just like the above example, every day we have so many opportunities to praise God for every possible thing. Through the past few years, I've had some tooth trouble that started with 2 small "on the surface" cavities. When our first dentist drilled too deeply, one of my teeth began hurting. I was given a choice between a root canal or getting it pulled. I chose to get it pulled. The dry socket that formed was so very painful that I didn't willingly want or desire another pulled tooth again in my life. Forwarding to yesterday, it was time again to deal with that decision of having another tooth pulled. The dentist (a new one) asked me again before he gave me the novicaine if I wanted to see about doing a root canal. Through my own fears and difficulty willingly going through pain again, I felt the gentle nudging of the Lord telling me to get it pulled. The darkness in the x-ray was an "unsure" sign to the dentist. It meant there was deterioration there around the tooth. As I sat there praying, a tear came to my eye, "Oh Lord, please give the dentist's hands gentleness and swiftness. Please have the tooth come out all in one piece without any drilling. Help me to relax in You, Lord." He rubbed this topical numbing stuff on the site where the novicaine shots needed to go in, which helped immensely. He was so very gentle in comparison to the previous dentist. What a Godsend! He and the assistant stayed with me just talking about home schooling and helping kids with homework.
Once he put me back in to the chair and I opened my mouth, I heard the Lord speak peace to my mind saying, "Relax, breath deeply and let me take care of this."
So I did...
As God would have it, He is amazing by-the-way, the dentist was able to wiggle all of my tooth out except for the part that had the darkness around it in the x-ray. It broke off because it was in the process of deteriorating. He pulled it out separately and found a pocket attached to the tip of the root with an abcess on the end of it. He said that a root canal would not have taken care of this problem, even though we could not see it on the x-ray. It came out completely clean! There were no little bits left behind, both pieces came out so very easily, I think that even the dentist himself was amazed. I just praise God!
When my beloved and I came home, we stopped off at the pharmacy to drop off the prescription for Vicodin just in case. He went back to get it on the motorcycle after dropping me off. I figured he needed some fresh air and prayer time on his motorcycle to praise God himself. I think he was more concerned about me than anything else through this time and was relieved that it went so well.
I took some Ibuprofen and sat and talked with the kids about my tooth. I also brought the tooth home for the kids to see. They were completely engulfed in looking at the tooth and how the "baggie" could have formed on the root. How neat! Well, not so neat in my eyes, but I certainly didn't feel the pressure in my mouth any longer. What a blessing!
Forwarding to today, I've had a good night sleep. I only took one of the Vicadin last night to help me sleep. What a blessing! Today I've been taking Ibuprofen and that seems to be working well for me. The site the tooth was in does not hurt at all. The bothersome part is deep inside where the absess was. My sinuses are so close to that site that the sinus pressure has increased on that side of my head. I stand in awe of this amazing working of God. I am completely confused by it all, but yet I stand back pondering and am just so thankful!
God is awesome!
April 26, 2011
April 21, 2011
Daily Schedule
If there has been anything that has bothered me over the years it has been going against my own personal bent toward just flowing with my day. I'm an artsy/creative person. I always have been. Bending toward a schedule and getting things done through that schedule has been extremely difficult, if not tearful for me in times past. It has been so very difficult to go the direction against my natural state. For my kids' sake, I've needed to make things much more structured than I would ever have. They thrive on routine and get more done on a regularly occuring basis when there is a schedule. When they know they get computer time after their chores and school work is done, they work more diligently.
Having said that, these children are given to me as a blessing and as such, they are filled with needs that cause me to grow in my own walk of faith. It has taken such great strides for me to seek out, much less develop how to make a schedule that would work for us. What a blessing it has been to use Managers of Their Homes. I recommend the program to anyone and everyone I come in contact with. It has been a life saver for me....a creative person who has a natural bent toward going with the flow. The Lord sure knew what He was doing when he gave me these children. You see, I had the capacity inside me all along, but I was rebelling in defiance of it for such a long time. My children needed me though. The mother in me said, "It is time to do those needful things." with a sigh and a prayer. In 2005 while we were living in a campground I was given the program to look over. After giving it back to my friend, I decided I needed to get the program to help me have it at my fingertips. I am finding now that it has been such a blessing for me.
I use MS Excel to form our daily schedule.
I usually start with writing everything down that we have to accomplish in a day. From that point, I plug in the important stuff like meal times, family times, Bible Study times, then fill in school times and prep time for meals, clean up, chores, time for sewing, time for showers, piano practice and so forth. Inevitably there is always something that is overlooked or overscheduled. There are nips and tucks to make and as children change, there will be changes made there too. The important thing is to not be discouraged.
I don't have a Saturday or Sunday Schedule yet, but this past weekend has shown me how very essential a loose schedule would be for each of us to know what needs to be done instead of roaming around waiting for someone to tell us something. LOL
I have our schedule posted on a nice bulletin board (at hubby's request). I also left some room to add a weekend schedule in the middle. I'm hoping to get that finished here soon since our busy season is quickly closing in on us.
A note of encouragement~this schedule is the goal. It is not the driving force. If something happens or we have someone over, the schedule goes by the wayside. We can always pick the schedule back up once things settle down. The key is to not fret or stress out or stress those around us about keeping up wth the schedule.
Another thing~I do not schedule my husband. I let him know that I would like to spend a particular time with him during the day, but ultimately, he has final vetoing power in our home. I do not stress out about this. He is the God ordained head of our home and if he wants to change the schedule around a bit for the day, then I encourage that. He needs to feel that if he'd like to do a "spur of the moment" fishing trip as a family that we can have the freedom to do so. One never knows if there is a God given lesson that He is intending to teach us through my husband or us through our children (God is that way, huh?). We need to be flexible when times call for flexibility. Copperswife uses the terms "hold our plans loosely". I love that saying!
Remember the goal for having a schedule is to bless our homes and families and as a reminder to help us accomplish the things the Lord has given us to do. We are not to hold the schedule so tightly that stress reigns in our homes. Our homes need to be a place of peaceful sanctuary for those who are blessed to be called our family, and occationally those who come to visit.
Blessings,
Having said that, these children are given to me as a blessing and as such, they are filled with needs that cause me to grow in my own walk of faith. It has taken such great strides for me to seek out, much less develop how to make a schedule that would work for us. What a blessing it has been to use Managers of Their Homes. I recommend the program to anyone and everyone I come in contact with. It has been a life saver for me....a creative person who has a natural bent toward going with the flow. The Lord sure knew what He was doing when he gave me these children. You see, I had the capacity inside me all along, but I was rebelling in defiance of it for such a long time. My children needed me though. The mother in me said, "It is time to do those needful things." with a sigh and a prayer. In 2005 while we were living in a campground I was given the program to look over. After giving it back to my friend, I decided I needed to get the program to help me have it at my fingertips. I am finding now that it has been such a blessing for me.
I use MS Excel to form our daily schedule.
I usually start with writing everything down that we have to accomplish in a day. From that point, I plug in the important stuff like meal times, family times, Bible Study times, then fill in school times and prep time for meals, clean up, chores, time for sewing, time for showers, piano practice and so forth. Inevitably there is always something that is overlooked or overscheduled. There are nips and tucks to make and as children change, there will be changes made there too. The important thing is to not be discouraged.
I don't have a Saturday or Sunday Schedule yet, but this past weekend has shown me how very essential a loose schedule would be for each of us to know what needs to be done instead of roaming around waiting for someone to tell us something. LOL
I have our schedule posted on a nice bulletin board (at hubby's request). I also left some room to add a weekend schedule in the middle. I'm hoping to get that finished here soon since our busy season is quickly closing in on us.
A note of encouragement~this schedule is the goal. It is not the driving force. If something happens or we have someone over, the schedule goes by the wayside. We can always pick the schedule back up once things settle down. The key is to not fret or stress out or stress those around us about keeping up wth the schedule.
Another thing~I do not schedule my husband. I let him know that I would like to spend a particular time with him during the day, but ultimately, he has final vetoing power in our home. I do not stress out about this. He is the God ordained head of our home and if he wants to change the schedule around a bit for the day, then I encourage that. He needs to feel that if he'd like to do a "spur of the moment" fishing trip as a family that we can have the freedom to do so. One never knows if there is a God given lesson that He is intending to teach us through my husband or us through our children (God is that way, huh?). We need to be flexible when times call for flexibility. Copperswife uses the terms "hold our plans loosely". I love that saying!
Remember the goal for having a schedule is to bless our homes and families and as a reminder to help us accomplish the things the Lord has given us to do. We are not to hold the schedule so tightly that stress reigns in our homes. Our homes need to be a place of peaceful sanctuary for those who are blessed to be called our family, and occationally those who come to visit.
Blessings,
April 19, 2011
My Chili Recipes
White Chili
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cooked with garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste-cubed
One Purple Onion Finely Chopped
1 Pint of Chicken Broth
One Yellow Pepper coarsely chopped
6 Cans of Lima Beans
6 Dehydrated Jalapenos or Sliced from the can
2 Cans Potatoes cubed
White Pepper
Open 3 cans of Lima Beans and drain the liquid. (This is the "thickener" of this chili.) Add to crock pot with chicken broth and blend with a hand blender. Add dehydrated jalapenos, yellow pepper, and onion. Cook on high for an hour with the lid on. After an hour, remove the lid and add remaining ingredients. Continue to leave the lid off until desired thickness is achieved, stirring occationally. Serve with home made rolls or with garlic bread & salad. This particular recipe "could" be a little more spicy if you add more jalapenos with the chicken as you cook it.
Regular Chili (as was made a couple days ago)
1 Pound Each of Ground Beef and Ground Venison browned and seasoned with sea salt, pepper, minced garlic and 2 Chili Season packets (I use Aldi's brand).
1 Purple Onion
1 Green Pepper
2 Cans Chili Beans
2 Cans Black Beans
2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes with green chilies
2 Quarts home made tomato sauce
Put everything in the crock pot on high for a couple hours and serve. I've found that with making my chili this way, I don't have to add more chili powder because the little bit of spiciness from the green chilies does a wonderful job adding flavor to the chili.
Here are both types of chili side-by-side~
This is to give you a better visual as to how much each recipe makes. :0) The crock pot on the left is a 6 quart crock pot. The crock pot on the right is a 7 quart. The one on the left is a 6 quart.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Regina
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cooked with garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste-cubed
One Purple Onion Finely Chopped
1 Pint of Chicken Broth
One Yellow Pepper coarsely chopped
6 Cans of Lima Beans
6 Dehydrated Jalapenos or Sliced from the can
2 Cans Potatoes cubed
White Pepper
Open 3 cans of Lima Beans and drain the liquid. (This is the "thickener" of this chili.) Add to crock pot with chicken broth and blend with a hand blender. Add dehydrated jalapenos, yellow pepper, and onion. Cook on high for an hour with the lid on. After an hour, remove the lid and add remaining ingredients. Continue to leave the lid off until desired thickness is achieved, stirring occationally. Serve with home made rolls or with garlic bread & salad. This particular recipe "could" be a little more spicy if you add more jalapenos with the chicken as you cook it.
Regular Chili (as was made a couple days ago)
1 Pound Each of Ground Beef and Ground Venison browned and seasoned with sea salt, pepper, minced garlic and 2 Chili Season packets (I use Aldi's brand).
1 Purple Onion
1 Green Pepper
2 Cans Chili Beans
2 Cans Black Beans
2 Cans Stewed Tomatoes with green chilies
2 Quarts home made tomato sauce
Put everything in the crock pot on high for a couple hours and serve. I've found that with making my chili this way, I don't have to add more chili powder because the little bit of spiciness from the green chilies does a wonderful job adding flavor to the chili.
Here are both types of chili side-by-side~
This is to give you a better visual as to how much each recipe makes. :0) The crock pot on the left is a 6 quart crock pot. The crock pot on the right is a 7 quart. The one on the left is a 6 quart.
Enjoy!
Blessings,
Regina
April 17, 2011
New Skirt, Different Look
A few months ago, I bought my dear daughter HJ a corderoy pencil skirt from ebay. When it came in the mail, the slit UP THE FRONT of the skirt was waaaaaaaaaaaay too long. We decided to redo it somehow in a nice contrasting fabric. Needless to say, I haven't found a nice contrasting fabric....that is...until today when my HJ suggested this pair of tan corderoy pants to use. I thought, "Hmmmmm, that just might work!"
I cut triangles from the legs and made some pretty embroidery at the bottom.
All while these were cooking...
And the boys were "blowing" the lids off of pringles cans...
And if you see in the background, there are cookies on the cooling racks...
All while Momma worked and worked...
I originally did not plan to make a slit in the back, but to make the skirt fully functional for an active 13 year old precious daughter and look nice, I added more to make it pretty. :0)
My day is not nearly done at 10:14PM. Those crock pots of chili above...they made 4 pint jars each with some left over. They're in the pressure cooker right now and they're almost done. Whenever we're out and about and we have no leftovers, my hubby can be blessed to know there is chili in the pantry just for him.
The one on the right in the picture above is just a basic White Chicken Chili. I will post the recipe for you upon request.
The one on the left is basic chili that was made with beef and venison. The beef is grass fed and the venison is from my son's first buck! 
I'll post the recipe for that upon request as well. 
I'll post the recipe for that upon request as well. 
These were packed in pint jars that had been sterilized via water bath, then the contents added while everything was piping hot. The jars were sealed tight and placed in 2" of water in the pressure canner you see in the above picture. The burner was put on high until the pressure guage read almost 10 pounds of pressure, then the temperature was decreased to med-low. Once the guage read 10 pounds, we set the timer for an hour and a half. We checked the guage every few minutes, released any extra pressure (above 10 pounds) and went along with our clean up. Since these contain meat, they have to be pressure canned in this manner. I'll date them for yesterday and put them on the shelf. Once it goes past 6 months, the contents are thrown out, if they haven't been eatten.
Next week, it's Split Pea Soup!
Blessings,
Regina
March 5, 2011
My Mega Shop Buddy of the Day
This is JL last year around June. He just had an accident trying to toss a ratchet strap over a tree branch. He was trying to make a sturdy swing. When he tossed it, the hook hit the branch and came back and hit the bridge of his nose. He was so very brave while getting cleaned out and stitched up. He was crossing his eyes at the Dr making him laugh. What a silly guy!
This was taken on his birthday about a month after the above incident occurred. You can barely tell there is a spot on the bridge of his nose.
Yesterday was our mega shop day. When I say mega shop, the meaning of that is it is the day chosen to go to a far away town to get all of our groceries, household items, any home improvement items (that I can pick out by myself), electronics, business related items and so forth. This means I need to have a list. I do have a list, a very good one, in fact. I love it because it makes things so that I really don't have to think much, just follow the categories, check the menu, check what we have, then check what we need. It's very simple.
With list in hand, JL and I head out to do our mega shopping for the first time ever in our new (to us) Blue Laviathon (lovingly dubbed by Daddy).
Daddy bought this for us this week. What a Godsend! The Lord really guided and directed his footsteps with this purchase and what a blessing it was accompanying us on our first megashop with it.
JL and I went to Homedepot and bought a super duper mega heavy duty shelving unit for my sewing room to house all kinds of boxes, bins and office supplies. This huge shelf fit very easily in to the back without a problem. We also bought our seeds for this coming planting season. We are getting so very excited that our planting season is almost here!
Next we went to the Kitchen Collection store. I could spend a very long time in that store, but I was only there for a new garlic press and a plunging measuring cup, much like the one from Pampered Chef. JL was so very helpful and finding some neat finds that once canning season is close at hand, we'll have to go back and make those purchases. For now though, this was all we needed at that store.
After getting our treasured stored away in the very back of our beautiful blue whale, we decided that we were hungry. The time was just right too. We decided to go ahead and eat before the lunch crowds came about and went to Hoss's. JL doesn't remember ever going to a Hoss's restaurant, so it was fun just watching his reaction to this "masculinely" decorated restaurant. We ordered the salad bar and a hamburger & fries to share. I didn't have to direct him to get veggies first, he just went there and loaded his plate full of wonderful greens. He found the nacho bar and got a scoop of beans too. He loves my Lumber Jack Beans and has ever since he was a year old. While he liked those beans, he said, "These are good mom, but nothing can compare to your beans!" What a wonderful compliment for this momma!
After finishing our meal, we got serious about our shopping. We went to Aldi's and bought everything that we could possibly get there on our list. We do this every time we go because Aldi's is so much cheaper than the local Super WM. I get the grocery cart while JL gathers boxes for me. When he was done, he came to get things from me to put in to the cart as I handed them to him. I don't usually get just one item. I get multiple since we do our shopping every 2 weeks. If at some point in time I'm not able to get to the store, I know we at least have some items that we can use still on the shelves at home because I've canned them myself or stocked up on them.
About half way through Super WM, JL told me that his legs were getting tired. I asked him if he would like to pick out a new toy for Biscuit and a bone for Rustie while I picked out the household cleaning items. He was all for that idea and willingly went to pick out those items.
He sure loves this little dog!
After finishing in that area, I asked him if he'd like to find a bench to rest his legs. We found one in the dairy area, so while I finished getting some cheeses, he rested. He was fine ever since then, so we moved on to finish our shopping. This particular Super WM didn't have a few things I was looking for, so we'll have to go to another one today or tomorrow to see if we can get this special item. It is a secret and I don't want to give it away to the friend of mine who it is for! :0) (just in case she reads this)
After loading every single item that we bought in to our new blue whale/laviathon, we had SO MUCH room to spare! I couldn't believe it! We even purchased a few extra items as well, so it really gave us a good feel for how everyone and everything would fit inside with all of us going to mega shop.
While the next mega shop is in 2 weeks, Lord willing, I'll not be able to go with my next buddy for about 5 or so weeks. This was purposely planned for time to spend with each child individually throughout the year. They need to talk about different things they're concerned about and it is much easier to talk one-on-one with mom. They also would like time to look around to shop for gifts for their siblings for birthdays or Christmas. This is the perfect time to be able to accomplish those things too.
We had a wonderful time laughing and talking, working and getting things done. Praise God!
February 27, 2011
Real Life...
This week our home, our living room in particular, has been torn up, things moved, the ceiling painted, touch ups made and everything put back together again. We still have a few small things to do, but with the heaters on, the heaters will have to wait. The paint dries too fast on them to make them look good. I wasn't really going for gloppy. LOL
The upstairs hallway has been bothering me too, so I decided to get started on it. We've taped everything off and primed the heater. It is a much smaller baseboard heater, so I could get it done in a small amount of time. Now comes waiting time. My husband had to replace an electrical outlet last month and since I've continually forgotten to pick up joint compound to fix it, the hole has gone unpatched. Ugh! Fortunately, that particular area really doesn't have a lot of stuff in it to "undo", so we just work on it as the joint compound dries.
Much of our time this week has been spent having our meals like this~
If you notice, the piano is still here. The lady who wanted it still has not returned my emails. I'm beginning to think she doesn't want it any longer. The children are still practicing on it, which is why you see their music and folders sitting on it and the bench in front of it. My oldest son made dinner tonight which consists of home made french fries (his own concoction), hot dogs with nacho cheese sauce and broccoli with ranch dressing. Things in our house are still in a little bit of a disarray. We've also decided to move a book shelf and organize as we went. Some of those things are still tucked underneath the coffee table pictured above.
But still, things continue to move along. We are purging clutter as we go which always leads to spending more time than you thought on reorganizing things. I am one who always has the children involved in doing many of the things in the house, with just a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was painting the ceiling in the living room. If you look just a smidge to the left of my youngest son in the blue shirt above, you'll see the dark burgundy carpeting. Hence the reason I would have preferred to paint the ceiling white.
This is one of the lovely pictures above my desk. This picture against this color of the wall really makes me smile. I bought this at a home interiors party 19 years ago and it still makes me smile. There is a tall candlestick lamp just below this picture that has a pineapple motif painted in black with its points tipped in the same color as the wall. I bought it at a yard sale because it makes me smile too. I have many things that make me smile. These mean nothing to me, though, if I don't have love to share with others.
Through all of the minor projects this week, my children and my husband have helped me in a variety of ways to accomplish these goals. I thank them from my deepest heart. I've also asked for their forgiveness for my quick snippiness when I've been tired. I've also shared with them how wonderful it is to know that the Lord is not finished with me yet. I am far from perfect. Thankfully, God still has much work to do with me.
Blessings,
The upstairs hallway has been bothering me too, so I decided to get started on it. We've taped everything off and primed the heater. It is a much smaller baseboard heater, so I could get it done in a small amount of time. Now comes waiting time. My husband had to replace an electrical outlet last month and since I've continually forgotten to pick up joint compound to fix it, the hole has gone unpatched. Ugh! Fortunately, that particular area really doesn't have a lot of stuff in it to "undo", so we just work on it as the joint compound dries.
Much of our time this week has been spent having our meals like this~
But still, things continue to move along. We are purging clutter as we go which always leads to spending more time than you thought on reorganizing things. I am one who always has the children involved in doing many of the things in the house, with just a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was painting the ceiling in the living room. If you look just a smidge to the left of my youngest son in the blue shirt above, you'll see the dark burgundy carpeting. Hence the reason I would have preferred to paint the ceiling white.
Through all of the minor projects this week, my children and my husband have helped me in a variety of ways to accomplish these goals. I thank them from my deepest heart. I've also asked for their forgiveness for my quick snippiness when I've been tired. I've also shared with them how wonderful it is to know that the Lord is not finished with me yet. I am far from perfect. Thankfully, God still has much work to do with me.
Blessings,
February 20, 2011
Actions and Re-actions
I'm sure that many myths abound about how our life may be a bed of roses with sunshine and lollipops all the time. While this may be many people's view of our lives, this perspective may be from the outside looking in.
Rest assured that we do have our fair share of troubles, squabbles, hurt, heart ache, sorrow, lonliness, selfishness, confusions, anger and so forth. We would be the first to admit that we are not perfect...very far from it, in fact. We deal with disobedience, rebellion and a variety of other sins with scripture as our guide. We forgive quickly, or at least we work very hard to.
Why then, do I not write about those things that are in our home? If you search either of my blogs, you might catch a glimpse of struggle, concern, irritation or pain. But, honestly, is it really worth passing along a bitterness to others? I know that misery loves company. I don't want to wallow in misery. I don't want to soak myself or my family in a selfish "woa is me" rant that is repleat of any hopefulness.
How is that I can do that when _____________ is happening around me?
First, I recognize that God is not surprised by the occurances of things around me or to me. He's already fully aware of everything. If He's got it all covered then why do I need to worry, fret and stew? What good does it do to me or my family? Nothing! I CHOOSE peace. Since I choose peace, then bitterness and his/her brothers and sisters will not follow. If I cling to the promises in scripture that says,
Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deu 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
If God says in His holy word "do not fear", then why should I?
What should I do then?
Eph 6:10-24 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (19) And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (21) But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: (22) Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. (23) Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (24) Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
If we have the sword of the spirit and all the armor of God on, then we are fit to do battle, withstanding the devil's firey darts.
The greatest commandment we have is this:
Mat 22:37-40 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the great and first commandment. (39) And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (40) On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.
If you are finding that you do not know how to love, start by reading John 3:16 in your Bible. This scripture in and of itself is the greatest amount of love the Father has shown to us. If you don't own a Bible, go to e-sword.net and download a Bible. If you don't want to download one to your computer for whatever reason, go to crosswalk.com and read it there. (Click on the link, it will take you to John 3. Page down to verse 16.)
God also gives another definition of love in scripture. That is,
1Co 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
If life throws all kinds of things you way, you have a choice of how to react. There are so many things in each of our lives to be thankful for. Will we react with bitterness and anger or will we have peace?
What will you chose?
Blessings,
Regina
Rest assured that we do have our fair share of troubles, squabbles, hurt, heart ache, sorrow, lonliness, selfishness, confusions, anger and so forth. We would be the first to admit that we are not perfect...very far from it, in fact. We deal with disobedience, rebellion and a variety of other sins with scripture as our guide. We forgive quickly, or at least we work very hard to.
Why then, do I not write about those things that are in our home? If you search either of my blogs, you might catch a glimpse of struggle, concern, irritation or pain. But, honestly, is it really worth passing along a bitterness to others? I know that misery loves company. I don't want to wallow in misery. I don't want to soak myself or my family in a selfish "woa is me" rant that is repleat of any hopefulness.
How is that I can do that when _____________ is happening around me?
First, I recognize that God is not surprised by the occurances of things around me or to me. He's already fully aware of everything. If He's got it all covered then why do I need to worry, fret and stew? What good does it do to me or my family? Nothing! I CHOOSE peace. Since I choose peace, then bitterness and his/her brothers and sisters will not follow. If I cling to the promises in scripture that says,
Deu 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deu 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
If God says in His holy word "do not fear", then why should I?
What should I do then?
Eph 6:10-24 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (19) And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, (20) For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. (21) But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things: (22) Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts. (23) Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (24) Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
If we have the sword of the spirit and all the armor of God on, then we are fit to do battle, withstanding the devil's firey darts.
The greatest commandment we have is this:
Mat 22:37-40 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the great and first commandment. (39) And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (40) On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.
If you are finding that you do not know how to love, start by reading John 3:16 in your Bible. This scripture in and of itself is the greatest amount of love the Father has shown to us. If you don't own a Bible, go to e-sword.net and download a Bible. If you don't want to download one to your computer for whatever reason, go to crosswalk.com and read it there. (Click on the link, it will take you to John 3. Page down to verse 16.)
God also gives another definition of love in scripture. That is,
1Co 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
If life throws all kinds of things you way, you have a choice of how to react. There are so many things in each of our lives to be thankful for. Will we react with bitterness and anger or will we have peace?
What will you chose?
Blessings,
Regina
February 13, 2011
February 4, 2011
Making Way
While writing the weekly posts on "Recovering the Lost Art of Home Making", I've come to a point in time where I'd like to share some of the things I've been working on. As you can see by the title, we're "making way" for something new.
This particular piece of furniture is taking up residence in our living room. My dining room is rather small, with base board heating around the 2 walls. While we are hoping to change that in the not so distant future, it is not in the plans currently.
One of our concerns has been, since joining a new "to us" home school group, is having enough seating for guests. While we do have furniture in our living room, and chairs to spare if and when we need to pull them in to the living room, we don't have a full sized couch. In order to "make room" for the full sized couch, we need to bless others with not just the china cabinet above, but also our old piano.
If you notice, they are sitting (or standing) side-by-side. They take up the entire wall currently. You can see the wall in the picture below.
Once we give away the piano and sell the china cabinet, we'll purchase our new sofa bed. We're replacing the piano with a keyboard to put along the half wall.
To get a better feel for the room, if you click here, you'll see what I mean. :0)
Why are we doing this? I'm glad you've asked! We have purposed the past 2 or more years to invite families over for dinner to help me teach the children more about what it means to be hospitable. This time of preparation has been a wonderful learning time for us to help the children to learn and to apply what they've learned about what it means to be hospitable. They are not only learning how to be hospitable, but how to serve others as well. This year, we will be practicing more "over night" hospitality with family coming to stay. We had discussed getting 2 sofa beds at one point in time, so this is just the first step toward that goal. We have discussed building a guest room in the basement along with partially enclosing the "living room" area there too. We will proceed all in due time, of course.
Through much planning, saving and wise purchasing, things will get done...all in due time.
Blessings,
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