my baby girl...

turned 4 this weekend! My how time flies! One of her presents was a doll that talks - when I first squeezed the hand to make it talk, she was in shock. "Mama, I love you. Mama, I'm hungry." It covers all the basics :-) Anyways, she's not really been into dolls, but my aunt sent this as a surprise, and she's really enjoyed it so far. She's fed it, tucked it in her doll bed, etc. She also got a box of 101 pretend food items. It is so hilarious to see what they included. Some of the more random things I saw in the set was a Pringles potato chip, a flat white circle of stuff that I believe is supposed to be mashed potatoes, a crescent roll, a can of rhubarb, and a can of "milk chocolate digestive biscuits." Weird. I wonder where these things were made?

I'm back...

Shew! Back on blogger, back into town, back home! I was actually on a mission trip this past week/weekend. We headed into a low income area/neighborhood for beautification, Backyard Bible Club, and a block party. We were able to reach out to about 30-40 kids each day, most of whom were home alone, wandering the neighborhood. Such sweet smiles! Such open hearts! What a privilege to share the love and message of Jesus to these kids!

what a giveaway!

My goodness - they're giving away a tv! Check out 5 Minutes for Mom's latest contest! (courtesy of Best Buy)

break

Ok, yall, I'm taking a bit of a break for the rest of the week/weekend from blogland. I'll catch up with you and fill you in next week! Thanks for reading my blog, I"ll be back, I promise! ;-) If you're looking for some other good reads, check out my blog roll.

anger

Today's topic is anger. This topic really hits home and my heart just grieves for how anger can tear families apart. I want to jump in and list just two verses (of the many! hmm - I suppose God knew we humans would struggle with this!) about anger.


"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."
Eph 4:30-31

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."
James 1:19-20


A few things to be noted from these verses (& other verses that I have not listed out in totality in this post):

1. Anger’s primary occupants are fools. In the Bible fools are not just silly or childish people, fools are those who rebel against God and usurp his authority. Anger is natural for someone who hates and opposes God.

2. An angry person carries the weight and burden of a sinful lifestyle and it causes danger and destruction for those around him.

3. An angry lifestyle is cooperative with the fruit of the flesh and indicates that the person who lives angrily has never known God and will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

4. Anger, wrath, and bitterness are how we used to live and act before we knew the grace of Christ. These things are not fit for a child of God and they grieve His Spirit. They must be shed off immediately.

5. Human anger will never produce what is right in the eyes of God. The only person who can be angry and it be the right thing is God. When God is angry and acts in anger it is holy, perfect and appropriate but even God is “. . .merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 103:8, 145:8).



I hope this has challenged you to put off your anger. Not an easy, automatic thing, but one that daily needs to be decided, again and again.


Thank you to my pastor-friend, Jason, for the material for this post... If anyone is interested in more info about this, I can email you his 5-pg. study on anger.

job update

Yikes! I was offered the position today that I applied for, however I haven't had time to line up a babysitter for my daughter for that one day a week that conflicts. Crunch time! I can't put the Lord on my time line, however... I'd love His guidance about NOW! ;-)

quote

"You know, the Christian life is not really about our trying to be like Jesus, which requires a lot of self-effort. It's just Jesus. Period."
- from Life Overs, pg.18, by Gracie Malone.
You know, I think that's the problem with us a lot. We focus on what we should be doing, how we should act, etc. and yes, I understand we need to figure out how to put our faith in action, but it's so much focus on us. Let's just aim to focus on Jesus, immerse ourself in God's Word and let our actions come forth as a result of our time together.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34b

job interview

Well, just got back from a job interview. We'll see! ... It will, unfortunately, involve some switching around of hubby's schedule and maybe even a babysitter for a couple of hours, so we've got some praying to do about it. Sounds like a neat biz to work for and a small, friendly office environment. A lot has to come together if I do get offered the position, though, so I ask for your prayers for knowledge of the Lord's plans for my family regarding my possible part time employment. Thanks!

waiting

Wow, how hard it is to wait for God's answer. When you have so many questions and know the right thing to do is to lift it up in prayer, and have... but then waiting for confirmation or for a no or for any silent awareness of His answer. I wait for I know the Lord is with me and has heard my prayers.

Father God, I pray for those out there that are waiting for answers today. For those that trust Your almighty guidance and have put their lives in Your hands, be merciful and impress upon them Your wisdom. Amen.

confessions

Well, as a follow-up for all my "girl stuff" post readers, I did get my hair cut, actually waaaayyy cut! Like, chopped off, and I love it! However, I did this while out of town from my hubby and the poor guy will get the shock of his life when he sees me Monday! teehee. What is it w/ long hair and guys anyways? ;-) But, that's not why I'm writing -

I must cave in and admit defeat on a few things. 1. Minivans really aren't all that bad. I still don't want to drive one daily, but I have to admit that they can haul a bunch of people and their things! Very convenient. 2. It IS important/convenient to be able to check your home phone messages while you are away. I laughed at this feature thinking who really ever calls me that will be that important that I'll have to check messages while I'm on vacation? (b/c those that are important have my cell number or are on vacation w/ me!)... however, I missed a call while away last week about a part time job that I've applied for. God planned it well, however, and they asked, in the message, if I could interview at a certain time and it will work out perfectly! I just didn't get to confirm w/ the gal and now it's the weekend and I can't get a hold of her. Last, and, probably a common confession for many blogger writers/readers: 3. I actually had computer withdrawl when I had to go w/out it the past two days! Yikes, That's horrible. However, now it's back and I'm back and I can get back to this blogging stuff again. ;-)

girl stuff

I'm going to get my hair cut today - I'm definitely very excited!! I'm going with a new style and shorter length. Ahh.. there's just something about getting pampered! What a treat. :-)

crashing waves

I'm visiting family this week and had the opportunity to go to the beach today. Aside from being extremely hot, I really enjoyed spending time in the waves and sand. How amazing is God?! I mean, really, His creation is just awesome! The roar of the ocean waves is enough to send my praises to Him. Each wave is a picture of His power, and also of His grace, mercy, and love towards us. He has provided us with so much - the air we breath, the ground we walk on, the senses He gives us to enjoy His creation. To think He knows the number of grains of sand on each mile of beach (Matthew 10 tells us that God knows the very number of hairs on our head!) Nothing is impossible for God (Matthew 19:26) and I believe His creation is testimony to that! Praise the Lord for His gift of creation!

photos blogroll

Been catching up on some blogs lately and some people are taking some great vacations this summer and coming back with BEAUTIFUL photos. Since I don't have any to share, check these out:
Young Pastor's Wife (she went to Niagara Falls on a, sigghhhh, overnight getaway w/ her hubby, lucky duck!)

Life is Like a Lunchbox (she went to San Francisco, but also has a bunch of other nature photos - she got a great new camera and knows how to use it!)

(when I find more, I'll link them)

the Great Commission

Matthew 28: 18-20
"And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' Amen."

I have heard this verse countless times and hold it as the ultimate mandate for life, but the Lord opened up a truth to me today within it that I had not stopped to think of before. The section ends with, "I am with you always." God knows there will be so many pitiful, whiny human excuses to why we (I) don't follow this command, most of which are due to fear (of rejection, really), that He includes that last part! As in, "I know this will be hard and against what you'd really want to do, but look, go out and tell others about Me. You might feel rejected or humiliated, but I will be with you. I'll always be with you, even if you're rejected by others." (that's the Mrs. H translation/paraphrase). What a comfort! What an AMAZING truth! Who's arms to better be able to fall back in than our creator's? We might be scoffed at by others, but God's amazing presence is there to count on. THAT should be enough to make us bold in our witness for Christ!

dragonflies

Ever notice how dragonflies have the ability to just hover in one place for a period of time, but have to use all that energy to move their wings just to not go anywhere? (I guess that would be anything with wings, but I happened to be working in the flower garden today and had a dragonfly come up beside me and just hovered.) I could see his wings just whirling, but he wasn't going anywhere. Do you ever feel like that? Like you're working hard and spending so much time on something, but getting nowhere? Just want to throw your hands up and shout "that's it! I'm done with it!"? Well, hang in there. Take a deep breath and consult the Lord for wisdom before continuing on! Look at what you're doing. Are you glorifying the Lord w/ the decisions you're making? Or are you simploy pursuing something because it's self-gratifying, but not really getting anywhere in the grand-kingdom scheme of things? Make a list today of things that you feel overwhelmed about that you're participating in or pursuing/doing. Pray about them. Ask, "Is this what God wants me to do right now?" Slow down and stop doing the tiring, energy-zapping, dragonfly "hover."

real estate funnies

I was reading a post on one of my fave blogs today and found a blog about real estate. This led me to some very funny other pages. If you're in the real estate world of looking at homes you might find these humorous! Bad MLS Photo of the Day and Breaking Down Real Estate AdSpeak.
Did you know that "Sunny corner lot = noisy intersection of two busy streets"? or "Ready to remodel = the house is about to collapse; you will have to invest twice the asking price in remodel before you can move in"
Take a look at these and laugh because home-searching can be stressful and sometimes you just gotta take a break and laugh!

silence

Ah, the sound of silence (well, actually a little snoring!) My daughter fought a nap today, however after telling her she could quietly play in her room - til the buzzer went off (I set an egg timer for an hour. I usually do this when I let her play vs. sleep) - she crawled up in bed anyway and fell asleep! The gentle sound of the rain and the hum of the washer and dyer (?) seemed to have lulled her into dreamland.
Speaking of dreamland... my dreamland centers around the fact that we looked at houses to buy last night. We're renting right now and would like to buy a house sometime so that we aren't just sinking our cash into nothing, but actually investing in real estate. It truly is a buyers market where we live and we have our pick of homes on the market. Of course not all are within our price range, however many homes here sit on the market for months trying to sell (which helps!). We have only bought one other home, so remembering how the process works and the nervous excitement over investing in something so expensive is "scary" all over again.
However, we're in a great/affordable rental right now, so there's no pressure to buy, so that makes it better. We did find a house we liked, though, so my thoughts are constantly playing "what if." Unfortunately it's also along the lines of "what if we can't really afford it?" I mean, on paper our (strict, not much playing-room) budget looks great, but...I dunno! So, we'll see. Nothing is immediately happening though, as hubby's off to a youth mission trip soon and we're not scrambling just to make it work before he leaves. Maybe God will have it sell over his trip and that's a closed door. You know, sometimes God makes it so easy and clear when He shuts doors that so many of my praises are "thank you for closing that door - I know that's not where/what you had for me." In fact, God closed a door on a part time job that I just wasn't sure about this week. The company decided they didn't need the position filled; that they were going to make due without the position. So, I know that He's got something else out there that's better for our family.
Have you ever praised God for closed doors? Share it with me in a comment or blog about it and then let me know.

"Shout" it out!

Had a gross throw-up stain on the carpet from last week that a professional carpet spot remover/liquid just wasn't getting out. I got a tip to try the Shout laundry spot remover on the floor - can I say DUH? Why didn't I think of that? It worked great! Got the spots wet w/ warm water, sprayed Shout on them, let it sit for about 5 mins, then scrubbed the spots w/ fresh warm water and an old toothbrush. Worked like a charm!
Bye bye old yucky throw-up stain!

baby onesie contest

Check out the contest at the Fina' Drea blog. What a cute onesie - sure beats the really sarcastic ones. Sweet little baby enters the world and we plaster their body/onesie with sarcasm? I don't think so... check these out instead. They say "blessed baby" (but it really should say "I have a blessed mommy!" Children are a gift from God!) Cute!

how disturbing

I use Google Reader to keep up with all (well, a ton of them anyways) my favorite blogs that I've stumbled across over time. It's a wonderful tool - I sign in, see who has updated their blog, read their new posts, and I don't have to click through all of them individually to look. Well this morning I find that a new site/subscription has been added to my reader. I read through everything else and got down to this one... it was pretty much an x-rated blog, that just appeared and had been added to my subscription list. How disturbing. I like google reader a lot but have no tolerance for something like that happening. So anyways, yes, I just clicked unsubscribe and the problem was solved, but anyways, I pray for all the men/women that are out there at sites like that and stumbling in their walk with Christ (or not having one b/c Satan has them right where he wants them - far from God), or failing their marriages by finding fulfillment through x-rated sites and so far down deep in the pit that they think they can't make it out. Well, I have news. God can reach into that pit and pull you out! He did for David, in the Old Testament of the Bible and He still rescues people today!

Psalm 40:2

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

Psalm 30 is another good psalm to read when you're looking for a pit-rescuing happy-ending story (again, David). Cry out to the Lord - literally - cry out, if you need to. He hears you and will answer your call. With His help, restoring relationships is possible, ending addictions is possible, finding a true source of sustainment is possible. Don't stay stuck in the pit.

"I call, You answer..."

Such simple lyrics, but it speaks to my heart this afternoon. Reminds me to lift up my thoughts and distractions to the Lord. The lyrics by Hillsong United continue "...and you came to my rescue and I want to be where you are." Ah, I need to rest in His hands today. For some reason this weekend (and today) I have such a shortage of patience for my daughter and husband and it's not their fault, but I've been snapping their heads off. I've apologized and now I just need re-filling from God. I need to replace my impatience with His mercy. How amazing is His limitless supply of grace for us. How amazing is His peace when we ask for it.
Father, thank you for forgiving my humanness and rescuing me from my sin. Fill me with your peace and allow me to overflow Your mercy and grace to others. Amen.

edited at 3:37pm: just read a post on another blog who so wonderfully put in words my thoughts for the day. Check it out.

house stuff

Posting about how my home is built, made me work on the ole homestead - only in a physical sense this morning. My hubby and I bought that "do it yourself" or should I say, "spray it yourself" bug spray stuff that you put around the baseboards of your home, inside and out. It's supposed to work just like the pros' stuff. So we'll see... I am quite tired of squishing spiders (or should I say calling out for hubby to come squash, depending on how big and ugly they look). Hopefully this will help. Dear daughter came into her room (as we had pulled everything out from the wallboards) and asked what was going on in her room. Although, I was thinking, what a perfect time to move things around in her room. Yes, we just moved here three months ago, but I'm ready for change already! Why not start in my daughter's room!? We'll see if she goes for it - at four, she is very particular about where things belong (except that doesn't stop her from leaving her room a mess!!) Hmm... now where can we move her bed to....? Off to rearrange!

How is your home built?

"Through wisdom a house is built,
And by understanding it is established;
By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all precious and pleasant riches."
Proverbs 24:3-4

A house is built, not with wallpaper, drapes, and throw pillows but with wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. "Wisdom" is the ability to take the knowledge about God concerning life and apply it in a practical and successful way in our homes. It takes godly skill (wisdom) to build a godly home. "Understanding" is discernment. Of utmost importance in the relationships of life is the ability to be discerning. "Knowledge" for knowledge's sake alone is meaningless. But knowledge about God enables a woman to fill her home and her relationships with "precious and pleasant riches." The word "built"is also used to describe the creation of the woman (Gen. 2:22), in which God took Adam's rib and "rebuilt" the bone and made Eve. It is never too late to begin applying this verse and using wisdom, understanding, and knowledge as mortar to join the bricks in building the home!

taken from The Woman's Study Bible

book set give-away!

Another contest to note: Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is giving away a set of great historical fiction novels (written by Robert Michael Ballantyne, with an "overt Gospel Christianity storyline").
Stop over to her site, if you're interested in learning more about the books/author and to enter the drawing.

2 down, 1 to go?

Weelllll... if it weren't for some of my neighbors shooting off fireworks at their house last night, I wouldn't have seen any! We had just settled dear daughter down at her place at the table with side dish stuff on her plate, then gone outside to take the steaks off the grill... when we came back inside, the poor thing had thrown up all over herself, the table, floor, etc. EW. So, anyways, I guess she's got whatever hubby had. (So, I hope that this doesn't mean I'm next! Nooooo....) I didn't feel much like eating after that and was really bummed not to go to the fireworks, but the night ended ok as hubby and I stepped outside to see if we could see the town fireworks from our house and found a couple of neighbors shooting them off instead. The night was gorgeous w/ a slight breeze and the fresh air and fireworks show was just enough to brighten my night.

4th of July

Thank you to our troops (past and present) for allowing us to celebrate our country's freedom today! Happy Independence Day!

when in doubt, bleach it out

Ok, here goes... my very first WFM Wed. And, my post today will be a very simple idea about bleach. I like to dress my daughter in white shirts (usually w/ a design on it) when she goes out - esp. to preschool - because I know that I can always spot bleach them if they get a tough stain! A little q-tip dipped in bleach, apply to stubborn stain spot, and viola! after a run through the wash, it's white again! Ok, I know, not totally ingenious, but gotta start somewhere w/ this weekly theme!

verse

"Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
So our eyes look to the Lord our God,
Until He has mercy on us." Psalm 123:3

I think God also could've added, "as a young daughter looks to her mother for a response when she asks for a snack." Ok, well that would work for my daughter anyways. She's skinny as a rail and is always asking to eat! But, I digress...
This description means that we should be sitting on the edge of our seat, waiting in expectancy for what God has to say. And, I might add, goes along very well with the post on prayer - part of prayer is waiting in expectancy for what God will impress upon us. Ah! I love the Bible - God's truth, no contradictions.
The last part also stood out to me... "until He has mercy on us..." God's limitless, endless supply of mercy. What a gift!
Look to God in eagerness today - spend some time basking in His mercy.

are you delicate or a whoppertail?

Ok, Two background things here: 1. when my (almost-4 y.o.) daughter tries to play too rough w/ me, I tell her she needs to be careful b/c "I'm delicate." Usually this happens at about 5:00 when daddy's due home and she's gone beyond tired b/c she's not napped (she's beyond the age of naps, but could still really use one, if you know what I mean) so she's hyped up.

and, 2. I have no idea where this originated but my daughter's play name-calling word for my hubby is "whoppertail." Usually used in the context of "oh yeah, well you're a whoppertail, daddy!" or "daddy, you're such a whoppertail." It's hilarious.

Anyways, the reason for this explanation is that today I'm listening to her play and she's telling her stuffed animal, "Girls are delicate. Me and mommy are delicate and daddy, well, he's just a whoppertail! Boys are whoppertails!"

Too cute.

sunshine... c'mon motivation

AH... the sun is shining today but, I'm not motivated to move and do anything... errr... maybe I can open my windows (get some germ-free air moving in ~ see my previous post ~ update: hubby's back at work today, so hopefully it's over!) and get going. I should be a good mommy and get my dear daughter outside to play. She's now watching Sesame St. which she hasn't seen since in like over a year. The old becomes new again. :-) Nice.

edited at 11:35a: Ok, after a shower and windows open w/ breezes blowing in, I'm ready to get going! On to lunch and then the skies the limit!

body shop

Ok, I have never used any Body Shop products, but would like to try, so I'm entering Pinks and Blues contest! If you are interested in ordering Body Shop products (she's got the top 10 prods. at 25% off) click on over to Sheena's site. And take a chance and enter the contest for a Vera bag and Body Shop's "body butter" by clicking on over to Pinks and Blues.

prayer

I was reading Julie's latest post at Living by Grace tonight and her thoughts about prayer were really good. I wanted to quote you part of what she said:

"Prayer is a two sided conversation, with you talking and God listening and then God talking and you listening. Prayer feels amazing when you really do it, because it genuinely changes things."

It's amazing how hard it is to incorporate listening with prayer (and I am guilty of not doing this at times as well)! However, prayer truly is a conversation and too many times we forget to reciprocate and allow God to speak to our heart. We think we do "good" to squeeze that time in and read our Bible and maybe remember to send up some requests, but are we really doing all that "good" if we don't listen in return and give God a chance to answer that prayer? or listen for Him to lead us to pray for something/one else? Sometimes in the quiet moment of prayer, God will lay someone on my heart and I in turn pray for them or call them in that moment if He leads me to. It is so very rewarding to be used by God in that way. IF we're open to the Spirit, He will communicate w/ us and we will have the chance to be changed or impact another's life to be changed. Just a thought.

full weekend...

How lovely... hubby comes home Sat. (had been gone for the week) with loads of laundry... Sun. is church, company, and 4th of July picnic... and Mon. hubby wakes up throwing up (ew, more laundry and now a bathroom to clean!) Ah, well, this is the reason for no new postings for the past few days. So, happy to say, most of laundry is done and bathroom has stayed clean... hubby seems to be on the upside of the dreaded 24 hr bug. Now if myself and dear daughter stay well, this week will finish better than it started! :-)