3 Posts I wanted to share with you!

Hello! It's been a little bit since I have posted anything. I feel very busy and a little hectic lately, and my creative juices aren't flowing! So, I thought I'd share a few things (on other sites) that I enjoyed or found inspiring! First off, if you look to the right under "Cool Links", there is a new link. It's a site called "Son Gear". It's a little company, just starting out, selling shirts and hats and children's clothing, all with messages about Jesus. Please click the link and just check them out!
Second is from a site called "A wise woman builds her home" ( http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/2011/03/hospitality-homes-and-great-bargains.html  ). She has an article about a sale going on at DaySpring. There is a lot on sale, but what I LIKED were the DVDs. the one is entitles "Biblical femininity". If you click on the picture of the video, it will take you to the site. The individual videos are all $2.80! It goes from now until April 2nd and there are some terrific titles in there!

And the last post I really enjoyed was a post from the site "Far Above Rubies" ( http://jasmine-aboverubies.blogspot.com/2011/03/you-are-gods-representative-modesty-by.html ). It's about dressing Modestly. She has 5 beautiful points about why a woman (young or old) should be dressing modestly.

I found it inspiring. Hope you all have a good day. Peace!

God is great!

Do you receive messages from God? Signs from various media, or people, reaffirming where you are at, or where you need to be? I feel so very blessed to receive signs from God, and to have the ability to see them as such!

My husband and I have been going through a rough patch. Work for him has been very stressful. I have been busier than usual (with kid activities, teaching and working part time). It seems that just when we THINK we've had enough, we get more stressful situations that arise. I haven't been able to communicate with my husband much over the past couple of weeks while he is at work. I was starting to feel lonely. And the more I felt lonely, the more "down" I would feel. The more down I felt, the less housework I did. The less housework I did, the more stress I felt and the less I tolerated the kids. You get the picture. Well, when the plans my husband and I had to reconnect, one weekend, fell through I felt so sad and hopeless that I was just about to POP. And so I called him and vented about it. Not what he needed to hear, and added more stress for him.

I have been praying these past two weeks. I have prayed for the STRENGTH to get through this. The STRENGTH to help him, and to SHOW ME what I needed to do to help him. And that I would follow any instructions God gave me on what to do. God is great. He ALWAYS - WITHOUT FAIL comes through for me!

Yesterday I got 2 articles that made me go "hhmm". I wasn't sure (at first) to make of them. But, funny enough, I was doing the dishes in the afternoon, and the sum of the two article HIT ME. Just like that. The Holy Spirit whispering in my ear.

The first article I got was from this Proverbs 31 marriage course I have been taking online (it's by women of faith - check them out!! - the button for the course is on the right hand side of my blog). It said for me to read the book of Ruth. Ruth's loyalty to her husband, her mother in law and her family. Ruth was a strong women who, when hard times came, did not leave the side of her mother in law (after her husband passed away). She had a strong devotion to her husband and to God. She was going to do what it took to take care of her family.

The second article I read was about a woman's grandmother. The story was about her grandmother's rocking chair that she had in her living room. That her grandmother had been through many trials in her lifetime. And that she taught her grand daughter so much about life. She said that her grandmother would tell her that in times of trials, to clean the house and cook for the family. She said that sometimes she would sit in her grandmother's rocking chair and sing her grandmother's favorite hymns. I wondered "what is God trying to say to me?" I know these were stories of 2 strong women. But how does that apply to my situation?

So, I decided to start my cleaning early yesterday, before I had to take my youngest to his Mommy and me class. And as I'm doing the dishes it hits me. I need to be strong for my husband. Not only do I need to be strong, I need to CARRY HIM right now! I need to understand that 1. he loves me, even though he feels spent and doesn't have much left to give at the end of the day (we as mothers ALL know how it feels. Sometimes we say we are "over touched", or we are so tired from our day that we have nothing left to give). God was telling me that a strong wife SOMETIMES needs to support her husband. How? Well, by keeping the house clean. By cooking foods that he enjoys for dinner and lunches. By making the home a relaxing atmosphere for when he returns home in the evenings. By making sure the kids are happy. And by picking up extra chores (that are his) for him. I made sure the trash was taken out last night and that I washed a couple comforters he had been asking me to wash. Today I plan on getting more candles and lighting them all over the house for a soothing, calm atmosphere. The kids homework will be done. The house will be clean. Kids bathed. Dinner out on the table. And lastly, one thing we can really do is to let them know that we are thinking about them, we are grateful for them AND we are missing the. Whether in an email, a letter stuffed in their work bag, a text message on their cell phone OR a phone call. They need to know that we are so thankful for all they do for their family. We are such an important part of the family unit as women. I really believe (if we are doing our jobs correctly) that we are the glue that binds and mends our family. And sometimes it is up to us to carry the weight of the family for a little bit, until our husband can get back on their feet (emotionally). Thank you God for giving me the message of STRENGTH that I needed and asked for. God is truly amazing! Peace!

Today I choose....

I saw this today and thought it was so great, I wanted to share it with you all! We should all make these declarations...even everyday perhaps! Peace!

I CHOOSE LOVE…
No occasion justifies hatred;
no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.
Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY…
I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.
I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…
the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see
people as anything less than human beings,
created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as
anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE…
I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE…
I will over look the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll
invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the
wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment
to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new
assignments, I will face theme with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS….
I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.
Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to
the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS…
I will go without a dollar
before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked
before I will boast. I will confess before I will
accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS…
Today I will keep my promises.
My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates
will not question my word. My wife (husband) will not
question my love. And my children will never fear
that their father (mother) will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS…
Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.
If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.
If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.
If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL…
I am a spiritual being….
After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.
I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.
I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.
I will be impassioned only by my faith.
I will be influenced only by God.
I will be taught only by Christ.
I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day.
If I succeed, I will give thanks
If I fail, I will seek His grace.
And then, when this day is done,
I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

-Max Lucado, from “When God Whispers Your Name”

10 Things

Today I entered a contest, on a blog that I follow, to win the book "One Thousand Gifts". I have been hearing a TON of buzz around this book (all wonderful things) and even a beautiful journal a woman made in conjunction to this book. I am praying that I win this book! Anyways, in order to submit an entry, you had to leave a comment about 10 gifts from God that you were thankful for. I wanted to post my list here, and encourage you all to do the same! Or leave me comments with your 10 things. It feels good to think about the blessings you have in your life (and don't forget to thanks and praise God for these gifts - for HE gave them to you!!). Peace be with you all!!

Here are my 10 things!
1. My husband who is also my soul mate
2. my children who each hold a piece of my heart.
3. I have a house to make a home
4. I have a car to get me places I need to go
5. I have a gift and love of cooking
6. I have money to buy food to cook
7.I have a wonderful church!
8. My friends are few, but they are cherished!
9. That the tragedies I have gone through,(I've had some doozies) have only brought me closer to the Lord!
10. That the Lord gave us the gift of prayer, to talk to him and ask him for the changes we need in our lives!

Homemakers challenge #3 - A New Recipe

Last time I was at the dentist, getting my teeth cleaned, I got a new recipe from my dental hygienist. Her and I love to discuss cooking (we both love to cook from scratch and love to try healthy foods for our families). I had given her a recipe for a wonderful breakfast oatmeal that I sometimes make (I think I'll throw that one in here too!!), and she gave me a recipe for a rolled cabbage (or Gulumpki) casserole. I tried it twice so far, once with my family and once with my church, and got RAVE reviews! It's simple and uses the crock pot, so you can make it in the morning and forget about it til dinner! So here's my first recipe for Gulumki casserole.

1 head of cabbage (you may not be able to fit it all in, so use as much as you can, save the rest for something else) - chopped.

1 small onion, chopped

1 and 1/2 pound ground meat (I have used all beef, tonite I am using 1/2 beef and 1/2 turkey).

1 can tomato sauce (14 oz.)

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup brown rice

I put as much of the cabbage as I can fit comfortable in the crock pot first. The onion comes next. Then the cup of brown rice. Then the raw meat (I use a knife and sort of chop it up in the package as I put it in the crock pot). Then in a bowl I combine the brown sugar and vinegar. Add the two cans of tomatoes to the mix. Then pour this mixture over the meat. Cover and cook on high about 5 to 6 hours, or until meat is cooked through, and cabbage is tender. *Note* I stir the dinner once or twice during this 5 to 6 hour period, to make sure it's all getting cooked evenly.

Yum Yum!!

OK, recipe number two. This is oatmeal with apples and peanut butter. Here's what you do...

Core and peel 1 apple. Dice the apple and put it in a greased square baking dish. Then put 1/2 cut old fashioned oats over top of the apple. Pour in 1 cup of milk. (now I usually add wheat bran, ground flax seeds and stuff like that too). Bake this at 375 for 1/2 hour. When it's done, you'll have 2 servings. put half in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon peanut butter (or almond butter, or whatever "butter" you prefer. I also sometimes add walnuts or sesame seeds as well. And there you have it! Delish!!!

Loving someone means not giving up

Sometimes the people we love hurt us. We offer ourselves and our love to them, and they push us away. Sometimes people are so hard to love. We think in our heads "Forget it, I give up!". We want to just turn our backs, walk away and not look back. Sometimes this is family. Sometimes a beloved friend. Sometimes a spouse. We know that psychologists say sometimes when people are at their worst, is when they need our love most. But how hard is it to love someone at their worst? It's down right difficult! It's so easy to love people at their best. A (very wise) friend told me that if there were no tribulations in life, there would be no growth. To embrace these problems as a way to grow and know that we WILL grow from them. She is one of the wisest women I know (A real Proverbs 31 woman).
Teenagers are sometimes the hardest to get through to. They are your babies, but all grown up and trying to break every barrier to be independent. Yet they are too naive to real dangers and heart aches this world has to offer. And so we offer our love, our advice, our experiences to help them on their way. And sometimes this effort is met with defense, eye rolling, and distance. We get pushed away. We are confused. Do we retreat? Give up? Back off? Or do we proceed forth with our love? We stand firm. We continue to offer our love and support, never backing down. It's hard and sometimes even lonely. It's not met half way at all times, sometimes we need to go all the way. But loving someone means not giving up. It's like the book "Fireproof", if you have read that (if not I highly recommend it) - http://www.fireproofmymarriage.com/ - it says it's for marriage, but it can be applied to any relationship. You don't give up. You are the rock, standing firm and always there for that person. Pray for them. Pray for yourself. And if you need a little extra help, look at this -
1 Corinthians 13:4–8a
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ...
1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
Ephesians 4:2
"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
1 John 4:19
"We love because he first loved us."

Peace be with you!