REALLY Love this quote!

"What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow."

- Martin Luther

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For today, June 29. 2009...

Outside my window...it's getting dark, the wind is picking up, and the threat of rain is upon us. Strange, we've been getting rain in the afternoon, not the mornings. Still, it's a blessing to receive rain daily after such a dry winter and spring. No more water restrictions!

I am thinking...about small groups this week. We're doing a short run of small groups this summer for the first time. I'm scheduled to lead a woman's small group on Friday. I've got 6 women signed up, but after emailing them I haven't heard back. I'll have to give them all a call today.

I am thankful for...small groups. While our church is certainly not a mega-church, it's been growing steadily, praise the Lord. Small groups have allowed me to meet people I haven't been acquainted with at church, and it has brought some amazing women into my life.

From the learning rooms...still reading about Nicaragua. Also doing reading everyday. We finished Ribsy by Beverly Cleary, and Roscoe Riley Rules #4 by Katherine Applegate (very funny!). We've started That Crazy Eddie and the Science Project of Doom by Judy Cox, which I suspect we'll finish today or tomorrow. My son is really enjoying the books we're reading, which is great since he typically doesn't like reading. I want him to understand that reading can be fun, not just a school assignment.

I am hoping...the approaching storm doesn't knock out the electricity. I've got food in the crock pots!

From the kitchen...pot roast in one crock pot, pinto beans in the other. I've got stuff to do today, and I don't want to have to stop to cook.

I am wearing...AAHHH!! I haven't changed yet! It's the second week in a row, too. I've got to get out of my sleeping attire and into day clothes.

I am creating...scrapbook plans. I actually got a beginner's book on scrapbooking out of the library to help inspire me with some ideas. It worked. I've just got to get started.

I am reading...Jeremiah for morning devotions, still on Luke for SOAP devotions. I've ordered the book Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer for small groups, and Passionate Housewives Desperate for God for my own reading. I also want to borrow Sense and Sensibility from the library. I love the classics.

I am hearing...thunder in the background, cartoons in the family room. The rain is coming down softly now, but I suspect it'll get heavy any minute.

Around the house...floors need mopping, beds need clean bedding, finish laundry, clean up in my daughter's room because she comes home TOMORROW!!!

One of my favorite things...is my family all under one roof. I'm so glad my daughter will be home. There's a peace in my heart when we're all home, together, at the same time.

A few plans for the rest of the week: movies tomorrow (freebies!). I hope to feel well enough to visit my friend who is home from the hospital (thank You Jesus!), library, small groups on Friday, and since my daughter is due home tomorrow (yay, thank the Lord) we can plan some stuff to do with her, too.

Here's a prayer request I'm sharing...pray for our missionaries. We had a couple that we support financially at our church yesterday. John and Tanya are missionaries in the Middle East where spreading the Gospel is slow due to the fact that a) spreading the Gospel is illegal, and b) Islam isn't just the religion of the region, it's their way of life. Accepting Jesus means denouncing your family, friends, lifestyle, everything you know, and possibly experiencing jail time or at the very least ostracizing. Yet there are people who are hungry for the Gospel, and this family is risking everything to answer the call. Please keep these brave lovers of Jesus in your prayers. Until the whole world hears...

Wanna join in the fun? Peggy is on vacation, but you can visit Grandmother Wren and leave your link there. God bless and have a wonderful week.

Observing My Senses

For Today, June 27, 2009...

I am seeing...a partly cloudy/sunny morning. The leaves on the trees are perfectly still, telling me there is not even the sign of breeze in the air. Another scorcher, no doubt.

I am feeling...better, as my cough is less. It's more of a tickle in my throat than the cough from cold I had at the beginning of the week.

I am tasting...pancakes with syrup, bacon and coffee. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day!

I am hearing...cartoons on TV, and breakfast being eaten.

I am smelling...maple syrup. Well, not REAL maple syrup. Log Cabin pancake syrup. It's not the original, but it works for me.

It just takes a moment to stop and observe what's going on around you. Won't you join me?

A Health Update

I want to thank all who have prayed for the health of my friend Naomy. I spoke with her today, and I'm praising God because she is home! She's still quite sick; she's been sent home with an oxygen tank to help her breathing and she has to take it easy. Thankfully her mother is with her now helping her rest and not worry.

This dear woman was raised in a Christian home, by a loving Christian family, but when she turned 18 she decided the world was more appealing than the life she'd been taught and walked away from the Lord. For 20 years her family faithfully prayed for her, and the Lord heard their prayers. Naomy came back after being so far from God. It was a joyous time for her and her family.

Then, just a few short years later, Naomy found herself in the scariest place in her life. A health nut who eats nutritiously and exercises regularly, she couldn't understand how it was that she became so sick so quickly. An auto-immune neuromuscular disorder was wrecking havoc on her body. This once active woman was put on steroid treatment, operated on to remove a tumor, underwent chemotherapy and radiation which brought on her first bout with pneumonia, yet her faith became ever stronger. She spoke to her doctors, nurses, anyone who would listen, about how Jesus was healing her body, how He was giving her the strength to deal with all the issues this disorder was causing in her, and how Jesus could do the same for them. Even one of our pastors who went to visit her admitted she encouraged him more than he encouraged her. Her testimony has given hope to many, and her joy and determination teach us to keep our faith in all circumstances.

I continue to pray for a speedy and complete recovery for my friend, and again I thank the many prayer warriers who lifted her up to the Lord. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!

Still Another Great Quote

"The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else."

- Oswald Chambers

So, DOES money buy happiness?

I guess we can't get away from the whole Jon and Kate saga. I stopped watching the show when the new season began, because it was just too depressing to watch. But this morning the news reported that the couple has filed for divorce. I've thought about it throughout the day. I prayed for them, because the breakup of their marriage breaks my heart. It's made me think about how life can change from one moment to the next.

When the show started, it was about a family that, by most accounts, was normal. Yes, they have 2 sets of multiples. Yes, they have a set of sextuplets. Yes, it's a total of 8 children. But in most aspects, they were a regular family. They lived in a nice home, a bit tight but manageable. Dad went out to work each day to pay the bills. Mom looked for ways to save money, like clipping coupons and buying on sale. She looked for ways to prepare nutritious meals for her family. They had laundry, and cleaning, and discipline; they celebrated birthdays and holidays; they went to church and tried to live a life much like any other family in America, just with more children than most, 6 of them toddlers. They didn't have a lot of money, but they concentrated on finding ways to enjoy all their family had, what God provided. And as Kate mentioned in one show, they did believe that God would provide.

Fast forward to now. They have much more money than they had when the show started. The house is big enough for all the kids to get lost in. They've received all kinds of gifts, furniture, trips, vacations, upgrades to their house. So many material possessions. Yet their family has fallen apart. What happened?

Kate was quoted as saying that the breakup would have happened even without the show. That's quite possible; marriages fall apart all the time. I just think it's interesting that now, when they've achieved so much financial success, is when their marriage fails.

How many times have couples argued about money, and said, "If only we were making more money," or, "If we could only get a better paying job," or, "I wish we'd win the lottery." But if this were the solution, if money guaranteed marital bliss, Jon and Kate would be happier than they'd ever been in their lives.

One of the main reasons I stopped watching the show was because I sensed God was no longer a part of it. This was a couple who, in the beginning, talked about their faith. They trusted God to take care of their family. They mentioned it on numerous shows. But lately God was not in the mix. He was notably absent from the conversations. When the couple went to Hawaii to renew their vows, Jon was asked what he liked best about Kate's vows, and he said it was the Scriptures she quoted, to which she answered, "I didn't quote any Scripture." That very awkward moment said so much to me about their relationship with each other and with God. It was like they weren't listening to each other or to the Lord, and it gave me a very uneasy feeling. It all seemed to go downhill from there.

So, where does a couple in this situation go from here? Do we stop praying for Jon and Kate because it's over and there's no turning back? Absolutely not! My prayer is that both Jon and Kate will turn to the Lord and seek His wisdom for their marriage and their family. Money is not the answer. Fame is not the answer. If they really care about their family and their children, they will look to the One who has all the answers, the One who created marriage and family, and they will listen to Him. Jon and Kate, it's not too late.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today, June 22, 2009...


Outside my window...hazy sunshine. I almost thought it might be getting ready to rain, but I don't think it will just yet. It would be nice, though. It has been oppressively hot and humid, and a bit of rain might help cool us off a bit. The grass and trees would appreciate it, too.

I am thinking...about all the things I need to get done today. I'm a bit of a schedule freak. I don't always write everything down, but I'll have my list going in my head and I mentally check off everything that gets done. Today's list is pretty long.

I am thankful...for my Heavenly Father, for His love, His mercy, His grace. He's the One I think of on Father's Day.

From the learning rooms...we'll be studying the country of Nicaragua this week. It's where my husband was born, so I think it's important for my son to know a little something about his heritage.

From the kitchen...chicken parmegiana and spaghetti. I was supposed to make this last week but after the hospital run and how exhausted I was I moved it to this week's menu.

I am wearing...okay, I haven't changed out of sleeping attire yet. Shame on me. I'll do that right after this post.

I am creating...nothing right now.

I am reading...Isaiah for morning devotions, Luke for SOAP devotions, finished Who Put the Skunk in the Trunk so I need to find some new reading material for myself. Reading "Ribsy" by Beverly Cleary with my son for his reading time. It's an old classic, the kind of books I read in elementary school. Books with family values that are funny and wholesome. They don't write stuff like that anymore (Oh no, I'm starting to sound like my mother!!!).

I am hearing...Cartoon Network. E is patiently awaiting his breakfast. Such a sweet boy.

Around the house...finish laundry. Clean kitchen and living room. Tidy up rest of the house.

One of my favorite things...is a good night sleep. Especially when I'm sick. It restores me.

A few plans for the rest of the week: the theater is showing The Tale of Desperaux and Kung Fu Panda for free this week. I hate mice, but I think I'll try to see the mouse movie because my son hasn't seen it yet. Library on Thursday. I'm hoping my friend gets out of the hospital this week, or that I feel well enough to go visit her. So long as I have this cold I can't risk getting her sicker than she already is. I'm going to try and find a waterpark close to home that's not too expensive so we can have some outdoor fun also.

Here's a prayer request I'm sharing...please lift up my friend Naomy in prayer, that she may continue to heal from pneumonia and be back home soon. We miss her terribly, and she hates to be locked up in a hospital room.

Wanna join in the fun? Peggy is on vacation, but you can visit Grandmother Wren and leave your link there. God bless and have a wonderful week.