Simple Woman's Daybook...

For Today... November 24, 2008


Outside my window...
Will, Beth, and Carolynne are sweeping the 'patio',
enjoying our 60 degree weather


I am thinking...
I'm glad my internet is working after a morning of not
and thinking about what this week will bring


From the learning rooms...
individual work continues, Will is memorizing a portion
of Scripture for the children's choir Christmas singing,
we plan to read about the first Thanksgiving in America
and will be sharing and singing thanks & praise
to the One all thanks & praise is due


I am thankful for...
a God that is Love, is forgiving and full of mercy & grace,
that He loves us when we are unloveable,
that He is Faithful when we have little faith,
that He hears and answers prayers
& is in the business of healing & restoration


From the kitchen...
the sink is clean after washing up the weekend's dishes.
Wet burritos for supper


I am wearing...
my white square neck dress with pink & blue flowers,
white knee-high socks & light blue Crocs


I am reading...
the book of 2 Samuel, John, and (this morning) Romans {KJB}
Laying Down the Rails (a book on habit training)


I am hoping (praying)...
the Lord's will and good pleasure is accomplished in the lives
of some of our church families that are having difficult times


I am creating...
nothing, yet, but hope to begin working on Christmas gifts


I am hearing...
uplifting, God-honoring music from the stereo
and the children playing outside


Around the house...
Mount Washmore awaits chiseling
and more blessing of our home is needed ;o)


One of my favorite things...
worshipping God as a family, being in His house


A few plans for the rest of the week...
have learning moments, piano lessons that Ally teaches,
set up a dr appointment for Ally,
work on a few Christmas gifts, think about family pics,
attend midweek Thanksgiving service and fellowship supper,
spend Thanksgiving with friends


Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



As I was getting supper together Sunday,
I glanced in the dining room and saw my beloved
studying God's Word.... THAT was precious!


"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations."
~ Psalm 100:1-5

Nurturing Our Marriages...

{{originally posted February 14, 2006...tranferred from previous blog}}

The following was something that I posted here last May ('07).
The Holy Spirit has pressed upon me to share it once, again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nurturing Our Marriages

Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in every day life
and we neglect to do what we can to nurture our marriages.

The Bible says,
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil,
like a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour."
~ 1 Peter 5:8

He is constantly doing what he can
to create wedges in our marriages
and doing what he can to destroy them.
So many marriages are being ripped apart or given up on.
He despises marriage because
they are pictures of Christ and His bride.
We need take that seriously and be ever watchful.

We also need to be as active (& more) in building our marriage
as Satan is busy in trying to tear it down.
We need to be (must be!) pro- active
every month, every week, every day, every moment...
to diligently build and nurture our marriages.

Below are some suggestions and some things
that the Lord has used in our marriage, thus far:


~ PRAY
faithfully and fervently
for our marriages, for our husbands, and our own selves.
We need to pray always and we need to be specific, too.
"The effectual fervent prayer
of a righteous man availeth much." ~ James 5:16b
"Pray without ceasing." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17


~ Keep a prayer journal
of prayers that you pray out to God.
Don't spend this time discussing hubby's flaws,
but our own instead.
Asking the Lord to help us grow,
to help us love darling hubby even more,
to help us be the servant and helpmeet
that He would have us to be,
asking Him to change our own hearts
and help us keep our focus OFF of ourselves.
Instead of calling friends or family,
call on God or write Him letters.
"I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised:"
~ 2 Samuel 22:4


~ Be faithful
in our quiet time with the Lord.
Morning is really the best time for this.
It makes a difference beginning our day with the Lord
and helps us keep an eternal perspective.
"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee:
my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee
in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is"
~ Psalm 63:1


~ Have quiet time with hubby
This may mean that we need to get up in the morning
a lot earlier than we'd like or, perhaps, stay up later.
DO IT. It is well worth it.
Let's never assume that he is not interested.
Prayerfully approach him & ask if he would be willing
to read the Bible together.
Volunteer to be the one to read aloud, if we need to.
If he says no, then okay, but at least we can try.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." ~ Matthew 18:20


~ COMMUNICATE
Our spouse needs to be our next best friend,
aside from Jesus Christ.
Talk with him. Express to him how we feel (not with tears),
how we think, what our goals and dreams are,
what we love about him, etc...
We HAVE to find a way to communicate,
even when we don't feel like it.
MAKE ourselves communicate.
We can not wait for hubby to initiate.
That is the sin of selfishness and pride.
"...that I should know how to speak a word in season..."
~ Isaiah 50:4


~ Read marriage books together
Again, don't assume he's not interested.
Again, volunteer to read to him, if needed.
I highly recommend this.
One great book is "Have a Heavenly Marriage"
by David Sorenson (under $9).

We have found that the perfect place, for us,
to read our marriage books together
is right after climbing into bed at night.
There are no interuptions
and there is a different kind of closeness.
Also, to read alone, a great book is
"How to Save Your Marriage Alone"
by Ed Wheat (about $3).
"Two are better than one..." ~ Ecclesiastes 4:9


~ Continue to grow yourself
Do all that we can to allow God
to change what He wants to in US.
Ask Him for a teachable spirit & a humble heart.
Purpose in our hearts to find the areas
that WE need to be changed in.
I HIGHLY recommend a sermon that I feel ALL wives
and potential wives should listen to.
A very powerful message called
"How a Wife Can Use Reverence
to Build or Save Her Marriage"
by S.M. Davis. The cost is $4.50
and WELL worth the buy!
"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." ~ 2 Peter 3:18


~ Do 'little' things for hubby
(even if he doesn't do them for you)
Cook his favorite meal, make sure the house is clean,
write him little love notes & put them in different places
(his pillow, lunchbox, mirror, car, etc...),
buy his brand of something that he likes
(ex... Charmin, Heinz, Post Raisin Bran, etc...),
put his laundry away, make sure his socks are clean,
learn to like his hobby, be interested in his work,
make sure the children are properly trained,
make Daddy coming home a big deal
(he is, after all, the king of his castle... make him feel that way),
if he suggests something, don't suggest something else
and don't suggest a different way to do it,
be sure to pay attention at church and be ready to leave
when he is ready (don't spend time socializing/fellowshipping
and take advantage of his patience/tolerance).
There are SO many things we can do.
When we think of them... DO them.
Be thoughtful.
Ask other wives for creative ideas.
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted..."
~ Ephesians 4:32


~ 'Flirt' with hubby
Keep a playfulness in your marriage.
Make 'eyes' at him from across a room,
give him that 'flirty' smile and look.
Go out of your way to hold his hand,
rest your hand on his leg, play 'footsie' under the table,
initiate intimacy with him, etc...
Make him know and feel that you love him & desire him.
If you don't feel that way, pray about it.
Ask the Lord to help you and purpose in your heart
to allow the Lord to change you.
"Drink waters out of thine own cistern..." ~ Proverbs 5:15


~ Have date nights
Find another family with children & swap babysitting nights.
You don't have to spend a lot of money.
Go get coffee together, watch the sunset
as you talk to each other, take a stroll,
window shop at his favorite store
(Bass Pro, Home Depot, Radio Shack, etc...),
do his hobby with him (golf, hunt, fish, etc... with him).
Again, be creative.
If you absolutely cannot get a babysitter, that's okay.
Instead, put the kids to bed early
and have a picnic, coffee, or tea
while sitting in your living room floor,
listening to classical or instrumental music and chatting,
play a board or card game together, look at photos,
color, build with legos, and so forth.
Do something/anything to have fun together
and enjoy each others company.
"Let thy fountain be blessed:
and rejoice with the wife of thy youth." ~ Proverbs 5:18


There ARE things we can do... lots of them.
We simply have to make the choice
and purpose in our hearts to do them.
Marriage is not about selfishness,
waiting for ourselves to be pleased and satisfied.
It's about making the other person happy, fulfilling his needs,
whether we think he 'deserves' it or not
and whether he returns the 'favor' or not.


May we purpose to rise above ourselves
and get an eternal perspective on our marriages.
Let's pour our hearts and souls
into our husbands and marriages
and let's ACTIVELY fight off Satan
by making everyday a special day
of prayerful, heart-felt, zealous, passionate effort
to keep our marriages, not just surviving,
but thriving!



© February 2006

Amazing!

Something amazing happened today!
{well, it may not seem amazing to others but it was to us}
Know what it was??

Here's a hint...
It was around 40 degrees today...
Here was the sky...







Any ideas??

How about now??
{If you enlarge the photos, you can see it better}










Did you see it??!
It SNOWED!!!
Here! In SouthEast Coastal NC... it snowed!

We moved here two years ago & have not had snow.
Locals inform us that it had been about 5 years since it snowed.
Before we lived here,
we lived further south in SouthEast Coastal SC,
so snow was VERY scarce there, too.
We haven't seen snow (at our own home) in over 6 years!

We are ABSOLUTELY tickled!!
We dropped everything today to go out-of-doors
to enjoy the snow the Lord sent us!
I LOVE it! LOVE it! LOVE it!











"Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God;
for it is pleasant; and praise is comely."
~ Psalm 147:1

"Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits,
even the God of our salvation. Selah."
~ Psalm 68:19

Little Things Along the Way...

Oh, how I delight in those 'little things', those 'little' milestones,
as our children take the journey to adulthood!
They are bittersweet moments... but I love them.

Beth & Carolynne discovered a little while back
that they don't need Mama to help them
pick out a dress and get ready for the day.
They play so creatively and speak in sentences
that, sometimes, blow my mind away.

Last night they all discovered to their delight
that they all love that 'ugly', brown, hairy fruit
that is slimy and green on the inside... a kiwi. lol
I was tickled to see their taste buds growing, too.

Will discovered yesterday that he could, indeed,
survive and even watch as he took a trip to the lab
and they filled two viles with his blood. (It was his first time!)
He, also, learned there how the Lord answers prayer
and will strengthen us and that in our fear,
He will help us be of good courage.
This morning he crossed over from liquid to pill,
when he found that it was possible
to swallow a pill (the "adult" medicine Ü)
and began learning the art of doing so.

Ally is learning spiritual Truths and personal application
through her illness and other circumstances
that many do not learn until adulthood or not at all.
And she continues to change and grow
from the relationship of daughter
to the addition of being a dear friend.

What a blessing it is to see these "little things" along the way...
as they go from being children
to being young ladies, young women, and a young man.

Thank you, Lord, for the ministry of being a mother!
May I walk worthy of the calling.

"I have no greater joy than to hear
that my children walk in truth."
~ 3 John 1:4

A Special Thank You...

I discovered yesterday that our Haven at Home was nominated
at Homeschool Blog Awards for Best Homeschool Blog Mom.
I wanted to thank those that,
unknowingly to me, nominated me
and have voted for our blog.
Not seeking the praise of man,
but it is a blessing to know
that our Haven at Home
is a blessing to others.
Thank you for your thoughtfulness
and for your kindness!

May He be uplifted & always be first.

"...that in all things he might have the preeminence."
~ Colossians 1:18

Simple Woman's Daybook

{click on graphic above to visit
The Simple Woman's Daybook hostess}

For Today: Monday, November 17, 2008...


Outside my window...
the sky is bright blue and the sun is shining brightly


I am thinking...
of the things I am aiming to accomplish this week


I am thankful for...
a church where God's Word is our authority
and that It is taught & preached in truth & in love;
for the Holy Spirit, Who teaches me


From the learning rooms...
we are aching for regularity
but are still enjoying the times of learning we do have,
whether they be more 'formal' or informal


From the kitchen...
a shameful amount of dishes from the weekend
are awaiting attention and the fridge needs a new menu posted


I am wearing...
white square neck dress with pink & blue floral print


I am creating...
nothing at present
but plan to have a few new sewing projects soon


I am reading...
the book of 2 Samuel & Luke {KJB}
& Laying Down the Rails {a book of habit training}


I am hoping (praying)...
for the Lord to continue reviving my heart


I am hearing...
quiet noises from the monitor, the heater blowing,
and Beth flipping pages in her reader


Around the house...
the kitchen & laundry room need attention
and the rest needs some deeper cleaning
{busy day! Ü}


One of my favorite things...
those rare but precious times
my beloved and I spend together alone,
nurturing our relationship


A few plans for the rest of the week:
bless our home; go to piano lessons that Ally teaches;
sew name tapes on military gear for a fellow church family member;
attend our midweek prayer service;
keep a friend's children for a few days as she travels
& her beloved is away, too; go to the dentist;
hold the fort as my own beloved travels;
and go to our homeschool park day


Here is picture thought I am sharing...



What a promise to look forward to!
Whatever life on this earth may bring,
it is such a comfort & joy to think of the earth to come,
where Jesus Christ will dwell AND reign!
What a day that will be!


"Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness."
~ 2 Peter 3:13

Regency Gown and Jacket ...

The past few weeks, I have been working on sewing my gown
for the Marine Corps Ball that my beloved & I were to attend.

I chose the regency gown pattern with modifications.
I used the regency sleeve and skirt with a square neck bodice.
I widened the bodice for gathering, gathered it, & attached it
to a waistband then added a ribbon and a rose.

Here is the final project...




I was thankful for the elegant look
without the compromise of modesty.


In addition to the gown,
I opted to make a long regency jacket




This was my first time making this & it was quite a challenge
(since I didn't have time to practice on it).
I was glad that it turned out as well as it did
(& that I had gotten extra material for mess ups).


I, also, whipped up a little drawstring purse/bag
to go along with the gown...


No pattern was used.
I simply used a large bowl to draw a circle
on two pieces of fabric then sewed them together,
turned them right side out, slip stitched the opening,
made a casing, and a 'drawstring.
Very simple and practical for the evening.



Here are my beloved and I together...



lol


Here we are on a more 'serious' note...








We sat through the ceremony and the dinner
then left as the "social hour" commenced.
We had a lovely time and enjoyed our evening together.


"My beloved is mine, and I am his..."
~ Song of Solomon 2:16

Weeks Gone By...

I am amazed sometimes at how busy life can get.
Our past couple of weeks haven't, necessarily,
been full of exciting events but they have been busy.
I've not had much time, at all, to post
so I wanted to take advantage of a few moments
to share photos from the past couple of weeks.


Around the house...



Ally & Carolynne making a supper together



Dad & Will involved in an intense game of RISK



Will & the lil' girls gathered at the piano
singing Christmas carols



The lil' girls getting fun rides from Daddy

... and then trying to do the same with each other...







Suzie's been givin' Mama sugars


Out of the house...



Ally enjoyed cutting fresh flowers at a friend's



Playing and climbing at the park



Swinging with Daddy



Mama & Ally enjoy a dinosaur ride together





Daddy, Will, & Carolynne enjoy a plane ride


We enjoyed an afternoon with friends
at the park and canoeing...


playing ball



playing under the picnic table



Enjoy Literature out-of-doors



Enjoying the delights of holding a baby



Older children and the dads in the canoe


On their trip, they spotted a 15 foot alligator!



The younger ones and the dads canoeing



On their trip, they lost an oar (see it floating?)

There's been more but those are some highlights.
We've had a great couple of weeks and hope you have, too!


"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
and his greatness is unsearchable."
~ Psalm 145:3

Simple Woman's Daybook...

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The Simple Woman's Daybook hostess}


For Today... Monday, November 10, 2008


Outside my window...
the sun is brightly shining
and a cool breeze is blowing


I am thinking...
how I didn't blog all last week (!)
and about our upcoming, busy week


From the learning rooms...
we will be doing a lot of 'natural' learning
due to our busy week


I am thankful for...
the extra time we'll have with Daddy this week
(since he has a few days off)


I am wearing...
square neck dress with mauve flowers,
cozy, brown, knee-high socks, and my brown lace-up boots


From the kitchen...
my sink is shining from the TLC I gave it before bed last night
and the cookie jar is full of No Bake Cookies,
waiting to be eaten


I am reading...
The book of 2 Samuel, Luke, and Revelation {KJB},
Laying Down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook


I am hoping...
our week goes well and that I'm able to finish my sewing project


I am creating...
my gown for our upcoming ball & a spencer jacket to go with it


Around the house...
Mount Washmore awaits chiseling, our eldest is sleeping in
and the children are playing at the dining room table


One of my favorite things...
spending quality time with my family,
making memories together


A few plans for the rest of the week...
a day at the park with Daddy & friends to play, grill out,
& canoe; piano lessons that Ally teaches & visit with friends;
refresh our souls at our midweek Bible & prayer service;
take Beth & Carolynne to their dentist appointment;
attend the Marine Corps Ball with my beloved;
have our sourdough pizza night with friends

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


What a delight it has been to enjoy
God's beautiful autumn splendor!


"Let the heaven and earth praise him,
the seas, and every thing that moveth therein."
~ Psalm 69:34

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

Simple Woman's Daybook...

For Today... Monday, November 3, 2008


Outside my Window...
the sun is up, the sky is bright blue,
and there's a little chill in the air


I am thinking...
of our upcoming event today
and how I'll be waking the children soon


From the learning rooms...
we'll be utilizing the new books that have arrived!


I am thankful for...
God's Word being alive
and that my salvation is NOT based on what I do
but on Who He is and that He keeps His promises


From the kitchen...
dishes are waiting to be tended to
(we had a fellowship at church yesterday, so there are lots)
and the old menu is waiting to be replaced

I am wearing...
my purple dress with white flowers


I am reading...
the book of John and 2 Samuel {KJB}
and Laying Down the Rails


I am hoping (praying)...
the Lord's will in the election and
the Lord's will in Ally's dr. appointment today


I am creating...
Lord willing, Beth's bloomers,
the ebook for our church,
and, perhaps, another dress


I am hearing...
the heater running (!)
and hums from the baby monitor


Around the house...
a couple of my Scripture prints
were hung in the downstair's bathroom,
some family photos were hung in the upstairs hall,
and the house awaits its blessing from the weekend.


One of my favorite things...
starting my day in God's Word and in prayer


A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...
go to Ally's dr. appointment today for some blood work
(they are checking her adrenal gland function),
piano lessons that she teaches (tomorrow),
make a menu & grocery list then go to the commisary,
attend our midweek prayer service,
go to our homeschool park day,
and work on our academics.


Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...



This was given to me by Will last week.
The love and affection from children is such a blessing!

May we bless our Father with our love & affection, too!


"The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying,
Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee."
~ Jeremiah 31:3