Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Overview of Bible -- Part II

Snapshots of Jesus:

Hebrews 1:1-3 -- Jesus is God's ultimate communication with mankind, with us. God, an all-powerful and all-loving Father sent Jesus, His Son, as the perfect representation of who He is.
Jesus is the unique Son of God -- fully God and fully man. God came to earth in the flesh so that we could come to know Him. see also John 1:1, 14

Colossians 2:9 All the fullness of God lives in Jesus Christ. This means, at least in part, that every aspect of God's character can be found in Jesus. Reading through any of the Gospels, the four books that describe Jesus' life and words, will give you insight into God's character and his will for your life.

Mark 1:14-20 Jesus preached the good news and called men to follow Him.
Mark 1:21-22. Jesus was an amazing teacher whose words were spoken with authority.
Mark 1:23-28 Jesus cast out demons, showing that the power of God was present in Him.
Mark 1:29-31 Jesus met people's needs and healed the sick.
Mark 1:32-34 Jesus focused his attention on others and selflessly gave of Himself.
Mark 1:35 Jesus was dependent upon God in prayer for His strength and direction. (See Luke 11:1-4) Jesus prayed and taught his disciples to pray. He showed us that the power of prayer is not in the repetition of words, but in the heartfelt talk with our Father in Heaven.
Mark 1:36-39: Jesus was consumed with His mission to preach the good news.
Mark 1:40-42 -- Jesus was filled with compassion for all people.
Mark 10: 32-24,45 Jesus came to serve and give His perfect life as a ransom for sinners. As predicted, He was rejected by His people and crucified -- but He rose from the dead three days later.
Matthew 1:21; Luke 19:10; Jesus came to seek and save us from our sins and bring us into a relationship with the Father.
Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 6:10; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 10:7; Luke 4:43; Luke 18:17; John 18:36; Acts 1:3 -- Jesus teachings were laced with his passion for the Kingdom of God; he continually preached the good news of the Kingdom. These are just a few verses that demonstrate that.
I John 2:3-6; Phil. 2:1-14; John 14:21; Ephesians 5:1-2 Knowing Jesus is not just an intellectual exercise. The goal of the Christian is to obey his commands and become more and more like Him: to think like Jesus, to act like Jesus, to live like Jesus. We want to imitate Jesus' heart in the way He loved God and people. We want to walk with Him and to really know Him, not just know facts about Him.
John 14:6 Jesus claimed to be the way, not a way. He claimed to be the truth, not one truth among many. He said he was the life, not just a better life. How important is it that we put our faith, our trust, our obedience in Jesus? Acts 4:12 -- No one will come to the Father unless they come to Him through Jesus.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Monday, March 30, 2009


What can we (and our teen-aged children) learn from an overview of the Bible?

Part One

Studying the Bible in great detail is great. However, there are times when it's good to step back up a bit and review the overall message of God's word. This following scriptures provide one way to do that.

Genesis 1:1. Of course, we've all read this verse many times. It's a logical place to begin our overview of God's message to us, though. Understanding that this world did not just happen, but that it was created for a purpose is foundational to our faith.

Genesis 1:26-27: After the creation of other life, God created man and woman in his own image. He created them with a spiritual nature. He made us to be like Him in special ways. From the beginning of time, He has desired that there be a relationship between Himself and man. Rather than creating man as a robot, however, he gave man the ability to respond to God or to disobey. He has communicated clearly with man to let him know how he can be in relationship with his creator. He clearly outlined consequences or results that come from the choice of choosing God's way or man's (our own) way.

Genesis 2:6-7; Genesis 2:15-17 -- Man's way or God's way. What were the results of man choosing his way? Genesis 3:16-19. What would have been the result of obeying the Lord?

But God had a plan to deal with man's sin and lost condition.

Genesis 22:17-19 -- Abraham
A. God chooses the man Abram, whose name was changed to Abraham.
B. God makes a promise to Abraham -- What was it?
C. Much of the Bible is the story of Abraham's descendants and how through them God has given the whole world the opportunity to know Him and be blessed.
D. It is often a messy story, because of how often men failed to love and obey God. It is a beautiful story, because it is the story of God's faithfulness to do what He had promised.

Genesis 25:22-26 Israel
A. Abraham had Isaac and Isaac had Jacob (Israel) and Jacob had 12 sons.
B. Their descendants became the Twelve Tribes of Israel
C. God used Joseph and a famine to bring the entire group to Egypt.
D. They eventually became slaves of the Egyptians, but this was in God's plan, as well.

Exodus 3:1-8 The Exodus
A. God calls Moses to lead the people out of Egypt.
B. The rest of Exodus is the story of how that happened.
C. The way God led his people out of the bondage of slavery and into a promised land becomes a picture of how He will lead all nations out of the bondage of sin and into a new relationship with Him.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
A. Throughout the OT this is what God wants Israel to learn.
B. He continually emphasizes how He wants to bless them. (7:12-13)

2 Chronicles 33:23, 2 Chronicles 34:27-28 -- Israel's unfaithfulness to God
A. 2 Chronicles is one of the books of history -- the first being Joshua -- that describes the history of Israel
B. God looking for humble faith from Israel.
C. God is faithful and continues to work with them. When they repent, he forgives.

The Prophets -- Calling the people of Israel back to faithfulness, looking forward to the Messiah
A. The books that we call the Prophets contain the writings of men God sent to remind poeple of His love for them and to call them back to Him.
B. These men also tell about the coming of the Messiah, a savior through the nation of Israel.
C. This will be the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham.
Read Hosea 11:1-4, 14:1-2

Isaiah 740-680 B.C. prophet of the coming Messiah
A. Some of the clearest prophecies are in Isaiah.
B. Isaiah 9:6-7 Isaiah looks forward and sees and amazing man; but He is more than a man
C. Isaiah 42:1-6 -- The servant God will send will be compassionate an bring a message for all the nations. He will be a light to the Gentiles and not just for the house of Israel alone.
D. Isaiah 29:5-6 -- For all people
E. Isaiah 53:1-6; 11-12 The servant God will send will lay down His life for other and through His suffering and death men will be healed.

400 years transpire between the writing of Malachi and the opening of the New Testament. During this time, the Hews kept looking for the Messiah. They began to think He would be a powerful military leader. They did not quite get the suffering servant passages in Isaiah 53
The Old Testament was all about God working through Israel to fulfill His promise to Abraham
The New Testament is about how that promise is fulfilled in Jesus.

Jesus -- the One
A. God in the flesh -- John 1:1-14
B. God's revelation to us -- Hebrews 1:1-2
C. God's desire to embrace us -- Luke 13:34

We have a decision to make just as those in the beginning did -- Will we follow Jesus (God's way) or follow our own way (man's way)?

More in Part II

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Tuesday, March 24, 2009



Helping our children (and ourselves) cope when mistreated, bullied, or teased:


Wouldn't it be nice if everyone always treated everyone else with kindness, fairness, and grace? That's how it will be in heaven -- in the fullness of the kingdom of God. That's how it should be in that part of God's kingdom on earth -- among those whose hearts are surrendered to the Lord's reign.

Sadly, that's not always how the kingdom of the world works. Each and every one of us can think of a time when we have been hurt by someone's favoritism, cliquishness, selfishness, insensitivity, harshness, thoughtless teasing, and cutting words. Each of us can also probably think of a time when we hurt someone else in the same manner. Perhaps, we didn't mean to; perhaps, we knew exactly what we were doing when we let some bitter words fly. Or, maybe, we inflicted harm on someone by lashing back at them when they hurt us. At any rate, learning to treat others in a more Christlike manner is an important issue in life.

As mothers, we can usually handle slights directed toward us more than we can bear the hurts our children may face. Nothing can arouse a mother's protective instincts faster than knowing another child is picking on her child. I can remember feeling that mother bear rise up within me when our children were once taunted by another child in our neighborhood.

Yet, it is so important that we respond to such situations in a Christlike manner. Our children take our cues from us. If we fall apart over these matters, our children will feel victimized and hopeless in the face of mistreatment from others. On the other hand, if we view these situations as an opportunities for training our children in godliness, they very well might develop stronger character and sweeter faith.

To refrain from overreacting may take great prayer on our part. We may need to strengthen our own faith that the best way to defeat evil is to overcome it with good (I Peter 3:8-9). We may also need to forgive hurts from our own childhood, if we have not already done so. Once we have dealt with our own hearts, we can teach our children to meet childhood slights with peaceful and forgiving hearts.

Fortunately, Jesus gives us and our children guidelines for dealing with people who do not have our best interests in mind:

"You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. And whoever compels you to go one mile, so with him two. Give to him who asks you, and turn from him who wants to borrow from you, do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy', but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? and if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not ever tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just your father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:39-48

In this passage, Jesus stands our worldly values on end. We may not put it as bluntly as 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth', but, deep down inside, we think we are justified for taking action against someone who has hurt us. And, we may feel even more justified in teaching our children to strike back when hurt. We also tend to shrink back from those who are hard to love and to surround ourselves only with people who think the way we do and who treat us the way we want to be treated. We may isolate our hearts, and our children may do so, as well.

However, our goal for ourselves and our goal for our children is not to act according to the impulses of our sinful natures. Instead, our aim is to become like our Father in heaven -- to trade in our earthly values for his heavenly ones. The Father does have a day of reckoning in store for those who reject what Christ did for us on the cross; his holiness and his justice demand it even as his love offered chances for reconciliation through the cross. Until, then, however, he sends blessings upon everyone in the hope that people will repent and turn to Him. His love is perfect, complete, and impartial.

"Nevertheless, he did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17

..."since He give to all life, breath, and all things, and He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." Acts 17:25-26

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more having been reconciled, we hall be saved by His life." Romans 5

In light of our Father's perfect love, how do we teach our children to respond to others in a godly way, even when hurt? Here are some thoughts from the instructions Jesus gave us:

1) Pray for those who spitefully use you: One thing we can always do for someone else is to pray for them. We can teach our children to do the same. Who knows? You and your child may be the only people in the world who care enough for a playground tyrant to pray for him or her. Your prayers could make a difference in that child's destiny for this life and for eternity. At the very least, it will keep your own hearts from being filled with bitterness and unforgiveness.

Jesus prayed even for those who were crucifying him in the moment: "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." He is our example. Not only that, but He died for us when we were still his enemies, for whose sins He chose to die. In asking us to pray for and to love our enemies, He is not asking us to do anything He has not done for us.

2) Do good to those who hate you: I recently heard of a little girl whose lunch was stolen by another. She and her mother prepared two lunches the next day, one for her and one for the lunch thief with a note on it that said, "You must have needed a lunch. I want you to have this one." Teach your child to overcome his or her fears and hurts by actively and creatively doing good. Likely, your child's kindness will turn his or her foe into a friend, though, perhaps, it won't. No matter how the other child responds, your child will have the peace of knowing that he or she responded in a way that pleases the Lord.

3) Bless those who curse you: Spite breeds spite. We can think of so much misery in the world that is caused by people behaving in a tit for tat behavior: resentments in marriage, neighborhood feuds, dissensions in the workplace, family squabbles, gang wars, wars between nations, etc -- and, sad to say, sometimes even problems in churches. Yet, if we respond by being a blessing in the lives of others, we stop the chain of anger and violence. We may even transform that downward cycle into a chain of blessing. If we commit ourselves to blessing others, no matter how they act, we are refusing to let the behavior of others dominate and control us. Instead, we are surrendering to the control of the Lord, who works all things for good. Wouldn't you rather be an instrument through which God brings blessing to the world than someone who adds to the great pile of anger and hurt?

4) Trust the Lord, and teach your children to trust the Lord. I Peter 2 tells us that Jesus bore the injustice of the cross without retaliating, because he trusted the One who judges justly. It's a great comfort knowing that we can leave our defense in the Father's hands, without feeling the pressure to right the wrongs done to us, ourselves. Vengeance and judgment belong to the Lord; our part is to trust Him and to faithfully do his will. Children who learn this lesson early in life will grow up with peaceful spirits, rather than nursing bitterness and strife in their hearts. They know that life here on earth may not always be fair. However, they also know that they serve a fair and merciful Lord who will make all things right. They will remember how Jesus forgave them on the cross, and they will be able to extend that forgiveness to others.

5) As loving parents, we may prayerfully decide that we do need to take some steps to protect our child in a particular situation. We may need to put some limits on a friendship that our child has. We may need to talk to another parent about their child's behavior. We may need to alert a child's teacher about a classroom bully. We may even need to remove a child from harm's way, either for a short time or permanently. Even if we must take such protective steps, however, we can do so calmly and with an attitude of loving prayer for all parties involved. We can also teach our child to pray for all involved, as well.

Childhood hurts may sometimes seem trivial to us, but they can leave deep scars in a child's heart. If a child internalizes lots of taunts and slights, he or she may become fearful, insecure, and shy -- not to mention angry or bitter. It's up to us to show our children how to respond to hurts with love, forgiveness, and trust in the Lord. This frees their hearts to be secure and confident in God's love.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Interesting video: A young man has memorized the Sermon on the Mount and recites it for a church gathering.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009




When you think of Tombstone, Arizona, what comes to mind? Gunfighters? Silver mining? The most notoriously wicked nightspot in the west? The shootout at the OK corral? The town that is just "too tough to die"?

While I've never visited Tombstone or Arizona (though I'd like to), those are some of the images that pop into my mind. Tombstone definitely played a famous part in the history and legends of the American west.

Did you know, though, that Tombstone has a sweeter claim to fame? It is also the home of the world's largest rose! This rose, which is a Lady Bank's rose, was planted in 1885, and, in keeping with Tombstone's own reputation for survival, it is still alive today. It now covers 8,000 square feet, and has a trunk with a circumference of 12 feet. You can read about it and see more pictures of it here. and here. It was planted by the bride of a mining engineer, who was homesick for her native Scotland. Someone sent her a cutting, and she and a friend planted it. I wonder if they had any idea it would grow so large or live so long?

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Friday, March 13, 2009

Here's a You Tube spot with a 91 year old woman who gives some insight about how her family cooked during the Depression.



Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Wednesday, March 11, 2009



Last night, I read an article about a large family in which the parents gave some wise advice. It was similar to something I had learned from parenting classes at church and from wiser, older parents. In this article, the parents suggested that you praise 10 times as much as you offer instructive criticism. They also suggested praising for character more than for other things.

As they pointed out, it's fine to give a little praise for external qualities -- such as appearance or strength. In fact, I do believe that a daughter needs to hear from her father that she is cherished and beautiful to him and that a son also needs to hear from his parents about his manly qualities -- to a certain extent. Children need to know that they are cherished in these ways so that they will not look for affirmation from the wrong sources. However, if the main bulk of your encouragement to your children is about achievements or external appearance, they will focus on these things to an unhealthy extent. It is far better to praise children for character qualities they display.

Even when praising a child for receiving a reward or for achieving good grades, focus on the character behind it. "You got an A! Isn't it great to have studied well and to have done your best? Way to go."

The parents I read about are so committed to this line of positive praise that they have created a list of helpful character traits which they post in their home. This is as much for them as for the children, if I understand their thinking correctly. It helps them keep in mind the character traits they are trying to instill in their children. When someone displays a quality in line with the character trait, they praise the child by saying something like, "I am so happy for you. You showed thoroughness in how you completed that task." (Thoroughness is on their list.)

I remember learning when we still had children at home how powerful positive encouragement is in the formation of a child's character and in their sense of security. It is so important that the bulk of our teaching toward our children be positive, saving rebuke for necessary times. I think of that verse in Colossians that says our conversation should be full of grace and seasoned with salt. Grace is the main dish; salt is the seasoning. How much better all of our relationships would be if we put this into practice -- or, I should say, how much better all of my relationships would be if I keep that ratio in mind. Spouses, neighbors, friends at church will all respond to us better if we speak in this way.

I'm sure some parents have temperaments which lend themselves easily to noticing and commenting on the good. Others of us tend to spotlight most that which needs correcting. For some of us, developing a positive mindset takes a lot of prayer and self-training, so that we truly do seek out the best in others -- especially the good in our children. Times to monitor our own outlook are when a) family life is super busy and we are bothered by those things that interrupt the workings of our household b)we are alarmed because one of our children is struggling with some harmful attitudes and 3) we see a weakness in our child that reminds us of a weakness that we, ourselves, have struggled with. In these cases, we will have to work harder to notice and encourage the positive, even as we deal with that which is unlovely in our children. For me, fear for a child's future tended to bring out the temptation to nag and speak harshly, rather than to deal decisively but gently with a child's conduct.

Of course, we should never ignore discipline problems. There is most definitely a time for the salty rebuke. In fact, stern but loving words applied at just the right time can be lifesavers. We've all benefited from much needed correction. However, if a child is fed a steady diet of all the little things he's doing wrong, without positive direction to balance it, he will likely do the following: 1) tune it all out so that he does not hear correction when it is needed and 2) become so discouraged that he finds it easier to simply give into misbehavior.

Often times, when our children hit the rough patches involved in growing up, they lose faith for what the Lord is doing in their lives. It is then that they most need us to have faith for them. If we show by our conversation and our attitude that we believe the best for our children, they will be more secure. Even in their hardest times, our children display positive qualities. If we notice and recognize even the faintest steps toward righteous behavior, we can inspire our children to want to develop positive qualities. We can also say, even when strongly correcting an alarming attitude or behavior, that we believe our child will be able to overcome their present struggle.

Also, when training our children in life, we must not assume that they know what it means to be responsible or grateful or faithful. They need us to help define for them what those things mean. We can use examples from the scriptures and, to a lesser extent, from wholesome literature and entertainment to show them what these things mean. But, we also need to help them see in their own lives what is and what isn't on target. That is another place where positive reinforcement of character development is helpful to the child.

Before we rush in to correct disrespect, for example, we must make sure that they know what it means to be respectful and what it means to be disrespectful. We can say, "When you rolled your eyes, what thoughts were in your mind? Did you know that to me, that looked as if you were showing disrespect?" "When you obeyed so quickly and without complaining, I felt very respected by you." Once you have set a foundation with both positive direction that they are on target and some feedback where they are off target, you can be sure that your expectations of them will be in line with their reasonable understanding. Then, you can encourage and discipline with the confidence that you are not frustrating your child.

Finally, I believe that children need to hear they are loved simply because they are created by God. They need to know that we love them no matter what. They need to be able to talk to us about the real fears, hurts, anger, and struggles to be godly that they experience in life. Otherwise, they will learn to be fake, rather than to be authentically faithful.

Many adults struggle with insecurity, because somewhere in childhood they got the idea that they must earn love and acceptance totally on the basis of their personal achievements. They are never at ease within themselves, for they are locked in an impossible quest to live up to their own and everyone else's expectations. They feel they are only loved by God and others according to their latest success in life, and that feeling of success never lasts long enough to bring peace. So, as soon as they achieve one thing, they drive themselves toward a new goal. Their motivation is not a healthy desire to bring glory to God, but an attempt to fill up an empty heart.

Sometimes, parents inadvertently add to such insecurity by offering loving words and attention mostly when a child excels in some outstanding way. If a child internalizes the idea that he must win acceptance solely through self-effort, he may have a hard time understanding and accepting the grace of God. He may also have a hard time extending grace to others who do not measure up to his own personal standards.

Obviously, a child's conduct and his achievements do matter. These things affect his relationship with the Lord, his relationships with others, and his own satisfaction in life. Thus, as parents, we should motivate our children toward faithful obedience to the Lord and toward excellence in love, faith, and character. We need to be careful to do this in a way that is founded on a healthy love for and fear of the Lord, however.

Our children blossom so much when we raise them in a positive, love-saturated atmosphere. Then, when they do need discipline and correction, they are able to hear it and apply it. I think that the ratio suggested in the article I read is a great one -- ten times the amount of positive encouragement for every bit of correction. There is a time for everything...

Enjoy!
elizabeth



Creative Uses for shower hangers:

Since I put up a shower cleaning machine, I was not able to use an over the nozzle shower hanger. When flipping through a magazine of creative home ideas, the editors suggested using one of these shower hangers as a wrapping center. They had placed it on the wall and had used it for scissors, a couple of rolls of wrapping paper, tape, etc.

Well, that set me to thinking. I needed something to organize my ironing supplies. So, I turned this one into a carrier for my spray starches and for a pants leg ironer, a mouse for ironing sleeves and shoulders, and my iron's water dispenser.

I used another extra one for wrapping supplies as the article suggested. I put it inside the closet of my office/workroom.

Then, yesterday, I even bought a new one and hung it in my walk-in closet. On that one, I placed some lint-removing tools, as well as some shoe and purse cleaning supplies.

These aren't the loveliest organizers, I suppose. But, they are handy and can be tucked away on a closet wall to be out of site.

What about you? Do you have any creative uses for an old shower hanger? How about re-purposing some other organizational tool in a clever way? I'd love to hear and see photos of your ideas!


Monday, March 09, 2009

*~The Simple Woman~*: JOIN The Simple Woman's Daybook~: "Outside My Window...It's spring! The Bradford pears have burst into bloom, the daffodils are up everywhere, the tulips are emerging, and we're having temps in the 70's. Of course, we have some blackberry winters to go through, yet. But, my heart is singing with spring!
I am thinking...of the verse in Song of Songs: Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves
is heard in our land
I am thankful for...feeling better after a time of a virus and asthma!
From the learning rooms...We are continuing our study of the Sermon on the Mount at church. I am being challenged in heart, but it's an exciting journey.
From the kitchen...I made some Sally Lunn bread the other night. Instead of using my bread maker, I did it from scratch. I enjoy kneading dough and letting it rise. Most of the time, however, I do find it to be more convenient to use that trusty old bread maker. When it comes to homemade bread, my cherished husband's waistlines and mine are in peril, though.
I am wearing...black skirt, pink top, black short-sleeved sweater, bare legs
I am creating...all sorts of little things, hopefully peace from the chaos my house has developed during my illness.
I am reading...This is Not Your Mother's Menopause -- my review of it is here:
I am hoping...the rose bush I ordered will ship to me, to get a lot done this week; to add some feminine touches through sound, smell, sight, hearing, and touch; to make my cherished husband feel loved by the cleanliness and functionality of our home; to learn all I can about thrift and frugality
I am hearing...the hum of my fan
Around the house...lots of interesting and creative things to do!
One of my favorite things...my children and children-in-law -- Do I say that every week?
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Have company, do some much needed errands, plant spinach, which I had hoped would already be in the ground, plant a few gladiola bulbs.

Saturday, March 07, 2009


Name my hubby contest...

Of course, my husband, has a wonderful in real life name, which has been his for 53 years now. When I first started blogging, I simply referred to him as DH (Dear Hubby), which is a holdover from the shorthand used on message boards for a husband.

However, I've never been a huge fan of the shortened hubby for husband. And, DH seems a bit impersonal. So, I'm debating about coming up with a new blogging moniker for him.

The author of the lovely blog, very CALM, uses the word beloved for her dearest. I think that's a wonderful way to refer to her husband. However, that's hers, and I'm searching for something for my own DH. I want it to be something that honors our 28 years of marriage.

Here are some ideas I've had:

Cherished Professor
Cherished Engineer (He's been both a professor of engineering and a working engineer in his career)
My dearest

And, now I'm stuck. Nothing seems to express the fullness of who he is. So, if any of you creative bloggers have any ideas, please let me know.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Today, I'm a guest at Hadias' blog

Have you read Hadias' blog, "A Day in the Life of"? She writes about being a Proverbs 31 wife and offers so many very practical solutions for increasing the family income as a stay at home wife.

Hadias has graciously let me write a little post about "Frugality without Fretting". If you'd like to take a peek, follow this link.

enjoy!
elizabeth

Monday, March 02, 2009



Outside My Window...There's a lovely mixture of spring and winter. We had one inch of snow over Saturday night, which mostly melted before 10:00 Sunday morning. However, you can still see a few patches of white here and there. You can also see lovely daffodils, pansies, trees whose buds are beginning to flower, and other evidences of the new season.
I am thinking...How fun it was to do a post in Jane Austen's style as suggested by Barefoot Mama's blog.
I am thankful for...My fever breaking.
From the kitchen...Poor DH has had to man this due to my cold and asthma. I'm thankful he's stepped in, but am looking forward to being able to a) go grocery shopping and b) cook.
I am creating...I'm thinking of re-starting a crochet project for my companion blog, "Project Home Economics."
I am going...nowhere today. I hope to be out and about soon.
I am reading...I'm trying to slog through the Old Curiosity Shop by Dickens. Mind you, I really do enjoy Dickens. I even loved Bleak House, though I confess to really reading only one of the plots and skipping some sections. But, I'm just not getting into this one. I'm also reading a book about landscaping with roses. The photographs are beautiful. I'm also studying passages that foretell and describe Jesus from the Old Testament.
I am hoping...to feel better soon.
I am hearing...a quiet house, with even the cat settling down for a nap. Dear Hubby is downstairs, reading and praying in front of the fire.
Around the house...I'm behind due to being sick. DH has been a great help with cooking and keeping the kitchen clean, but there's a lot I want to get to. I think I can begin slowly to do some catching up today, for which I am grateful.
One of my favorite things...a photograph I saw in the book about roses which pictures roses and daisies paired together. Those are my two favorite flowers -- If I can pick two from among all of the flowers that I love.
Picture thought:

Poor comfy kitty! This is not the place for you to sleep.

Enjoy!
Elizabeth