Saturday, February 27, 2010

His Ways Are Not Our Ways...

It is a lesson that I have been learning in life...
particularly this past year.
My faith has been stretched,
my drea
ms... have been revealed as such... only dreams,
my ideas have been questioned, my convictions challenged,
my way of thinking altered, my plans changed...
But His grace abounds.
In His goodness, He teaches me and grows me.
And I am thankful.




One of those things that He has been working
has come to fruition...
as we have received official orders from the Marine Corps,
and undoubtedly according to His perfect will and timing.
And it's because of how miraculously He has worked,
that He has blessed me with being able to accept it more easily.

Whether, in the eyes of others, it be right or wrong,
I had not really anticipated our children going to college.
I believed they would prepare to serve God from home
or, perhaps, in an apprenticeship or some other way He would lead.
When we graduated our eldest last June,
she looked forward to preparing for the mission field
in various ways from home.
We began making contacts with missionaries,
planning possible trips and attending a missions camp.

God was working, though, something in our eldest's heart.
And certain doors where not being opened for
our plans.
Then she shared with us how she felt the Lord
may actually want her to go to college
(even though she didn't really want to).
But she felt that the only one He would want her to go to
was across the continent in the state of California.
We, prayerfully, concluded that it was just too far away,
particularly at this time in her life.



She took it to the Lord in prayer,
resolving that if her parents did not want her to go there,
that meant the Lord did not want her to go.
And further prayed that if He did want her to go,
He would ne
ed to move the whole family to California
(knowing this was highly unlikely because there was no job
that Dad could do in California and we anticipated local orders.
And if those fell through, he had a request
by name,
for orders an hour away).
She left it at His feet and determined to proceed
with other plans of going to missions camp.

A few weeks later, my beloved and I received word
that we were, indeed, getting orders.
And this week, those orders became "official".
And they are NOT local, as we had expected...

We are going to California.
And we firmly believe, it is the Lord that is doing the sending.
It was such a surprise... we were stunned.
But Ally... she was amazed.
Amazed of His will for her.
Amazed that the Creator of all heard her prayer,
which was given in an almost jesting manner,
and that He would answer it in such an obvious way.
He showed her how He loves us in such a personal way...
That He cares and that HE can.

We shared tears and laughter.
We are blessed how He has shown Himself real to Ally...
to ALL of us.


He is love. He is good.
He IS real.


We look forward to seeing more of how He works His will.
We thank Him and give Him all the praise!
Rejoice with us!


"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD."
~ Isaiah 55:8



Haven at Home Happenings & Sharing Snapshots...

Our week was a full one and it went by quickly!
It was spent running errands, hosting guests each night,
and attending our King James Bible Conference.
It was busy but a blessing!

Here are a few snapshots from our home...

Ally's birthday chocolate truffle cheesecake
from last Saturday...

Mmmmmm!



Daddy and Ally wearing their 'suits'.
{Ally and I found a suit skirt and jacket when thrifting}.
They shared a laugh at how they were both
wearing black suits and pinstriped shirts. lol


Homeschooling was done, mostly,
casually and relaxed this week.


The lil' girls coloring together



Will snuggled up and listening to an audio cd
about the Revolutionary War.



Ally working on and trying to master
"Revolutionary" by Chopin


Hope y'all enjoyed your week, too,
and have a blessed weekend!


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



Friday, February 26, 2010

Mirror Glass Reflections...



Yesterday, as I was standing before
the glass door that stood between
the foyer of the church and the front yard of the property,
I examined the smudges of fingerprints
along with a coating of dirt
on the pane of glass...

I thought of how my heart, often,
is coated with the dirt of sin
and the smudges from trying
to clean the dirt with my own hands.

I'm reminded how, try as I might,
I cannot really clean the smudges of my heart.
Just as that window needs
someone to make it clean,
so do I.

I need the Master Cleanser,
Jesus Christ.
The only One that can clean within.
And just as I use the bottle of
glass cleaner as a tool to clean the glass,
I'm reminded of the tool that He uses...
His Holy Word



"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way?
by taking heed thereto according to thy word."
~ Psalm 119:9

He reminds me of how easily it is
to allow those dirt spots
and finger smudges to accumulate
and that I need daily cleansing.


"Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me."
~ Psalm 51:10



I make my way to
the mirror in the ladies' room...
after shining the mirror,
I smile at such a clear reflection.

I hear that still small voice asking me,
"How is your reflection?"
"It looks pretty good to me",
I quickly think.
"No... your reflection of Me?",
that still small voice clarifies.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart:
try me, and know my thoughts"
~ Psalm 139:23


I look.
He reminds me of how
I can look into His beautiful Word
as a looking glass
and see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ
revealed clearly...
how I can freely look upon
the Perfect Savior in His Holy Word...
how it is a clear reflection of Him.

He reminds me how I, too,
should be a reflection of Him.
Not a perfect one but a transforming one.
How as I see Him in His Word,
as I daily commune with Him,
the Holy Spirit moves,
changing me, by degrees,
to be as His likeness...


Clean within and shining for Him.

Have you visited the Master Cleanser lately?
Have you gazed into the clear reflection of Him,
in His Word?
Are you a shining reflection of Him?


"But we all,
with open face beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord."
~ 2 Corinthians 3:18



Monday, February 22, 2010

Simple Woman's Daybook ~ February 22, 2010




For today... February 22, 2010


Outside my window...
the sun is brightly shining


I am thinking...
of how precious the Word of God is!


I am thankful for...
God's Word,
and that I have the freedom
and ability to read It
and the Holy Spirit
that helps me to understand it


I am wearing...
blue suede jumper
and a collared shirt


I am remembering...
that I must sit at the feet of Jesus
and feed from the Bread of Life


I am going...
to enjoy the comforts of home


I am reading...
through my KJ Bible in a year,
{I fell behind last year so I am doing this in a year and a half}
currently in Job, Titus;
our A to Z Mentoring printouts from church
(working on 'E', The Eternal Word)
Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss (with my eldest);
Created to Be His Helpmeet (by Debi Pearl);
A Hunger for God by John Piper


I am hoping (praying)...
for the Holy Spirit to work His perfect will
in a recent situation in our lives
and to bring revival to our hearts;
for the Holy Spirit to work
in the hearts of those I love


On my mind...
how Jesus Christ
knows EVERYTHING about me
and loves me anyway!


From the learning rooms...
pressing on with our studies...
in the book of John for Bible;
book of Judges for history;
studying Ancient Greece;
and various things in other subjects


Noticing that...
we just cannot fully comprehend
how sinful we are
and how holy He is...
how we are so undeserving
of His unfailing love


Pondering these words...
"Wherefore I say unto thee,
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loved much:
but to whom little is forgiven,
the same loveth little.
"
~ Luke 7:47


From the kitchen...
dishes from the weekend
await to be washed;

On the menu...
M ~ Chicken & pasta
T ~ Taco rice tacos
W ~ Chili & cornbread
Th ~ Polish Alfredo
F ~ Sourdough pizza


Around the house...
all is quiet
as the children are sleeping in


I am creating...
a skirt from a dress,
for Beth


I am hearing...
the heater blowing


One of my favorite things...
being fed from God's Word


A few plans for the rest of the week...
work on our homeschool lessons;
attend our KJ Bible conference (M thru W);
go to Beth's violin lesson;
clean the church; enjoy the comforts of home!



Here is picture thought I am sharing...



"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
but the word of our God shall stand for ever."
~ Isaiah 40:8

What a joy and comfort
to know and believe
that God's Word is unchanging and eternal!








Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Day to Celebrate!

Our eldest blessing turns 17 today!

The Lord used her to forever change our lives
and we thank Him for her...




Happy 17th Birthday, Ally!

We love you so much!


"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD:
and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man;
so are children of the youth."
~ Psalm 127:3-4

"This is the day which the LORD hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it."
~ Psalm 118:24


Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Mama's Jean Jumper...

I was able to complete this jumper yesterday,
after spending a few weeks on it (on & off).
It wasn't a difficult pattern,
I just lacked the time to sit and sew.

I used a my pullover jumper pattern...
lined bodice, darts, gathered skirt, deep pockets,
and I added to the seam allowance in the front
so I could add the buttons.



Buttons aren't so bad,
now that I've been sewing them with the machine.
(special thanks to my pastor's wife, who gave me this wonderful suggestion!)
I look forward to getting a lot of use
out of this very practical (and comfortable) jumper. ;o)



"She seeketh wool, and flax,
and worketh willingly with her hands."
~ Proverbs 31:13



Haven at Home Happenings and Snow Much Fun...

Last week was such a busy week for us
that I wasn't able to share until today.

Later in the week we were blessed with a rare SNOW
that we enjoyed immensely!
Much of Saturday was spent out-of-doors in it!

During the week, however, we did enjoy the pleasures
of learning at home (and many other things) together...



Carolynne practicing her reading skills



Beth reading a chapter of the book she is narrating to me



Will enjoying a math lesson



Ally and Carolynne coloring together



Will and Beth enjoying our new Homeschoolopoly together



Mama and Carolynne enjoying Homeschoolopoly together
(and Suzie) ;o)

Most of our week was spent at home, which was a blessing.
On Friday, we met with our Keepers of the Faith group
and enjoyed a lesson on loving others, as well as,
learning some sign language.

Also on Friday, we enjoyed our sourdough pizza night
with our usual friends and had a young Marine friend
and his father (who traveled from out-of-state
and stayed the weekend) with us.
It was a real joy!
This Marine's family blessed us with with homebaked goodies
and 14 dozen farm fresh eggs (from their farm)!
What a blessing!
We enjoyed our weekend of fellowship with them.

In addition to our Friday, we were blessed with SNOW!
(Friday night's photos are at this post.)
We just couldn't get enough of it on Saturday either!

The first thing the children did on Saturday morning
was head outside to admire the snowfall...




And Suzie, too...




Ally enjoyed her quiet time in it...




Later they began making a snowman...




Which was distracted by a snowball fight, of course...











Not everyone enjoyed the snowballing the same way.
Carolynne, for instance, enjoyed the snowballs
but not throwing them... she preferred to eat them...




And Ally enjoyed the snowballing
but she did much of the receiving... lol







Oh, and Suzie, too, enjoyed the snowballing...
but she liked it as Carolynne did...




Then back to work on the snowman...
















Sunglasses and all...




By the end of the day
we started to see him fade away
and we have, yet, to determine if
it was the warmer temps
or for other reasons pictured below... lol





"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."
~ Psalm 51:7



Sunday, February 14, 2010

Happy Valentine's Day

Who ever you are and where ever you are in life,
know that there is SomeOne that loves you
with a perfect and everlasting love!



"For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him
should not perish,
but have everlasting life."
~ John 3:16






May we learn to love as HE loves

"Charity suffereth long, and is kind;
charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own,

is not easily provoked,
thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity,
but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things,
hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Charity never faileth:"
~ 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a



A few "lovely" posts from the past:


ABC's of Loving Our Children




ABC's of Being a Help Meet




Nurturing Our Marriages






"...let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
but in deed and in truth."
~ 1 John 3:18



Saturday, February 13, 2010

Snow...HERE! Really!

Last night, during our weekly
Sourdough Pizza Friday & Fellowship Night,
we had a WONDERFUL surprise
(and answer to many prayers)!

The LORD blessed us with SNOW!!!

Words could not express our delight!

I've taken an abundance of photos that I'm sorting through
but just had to share a few now!


At first snow, after supper...




Later in the night, right after the children went to bed...









It was such a beautiful sight!


What we woke up to early this morning...













This afternoon, the girls and I headed to the ocean
to see if there was any snow there
(while the guys were working at the church)...

On the way and back...






There wasn't much on the shore
but there was some to be seen...




Carolynne couldn't pass up the opportunity
to pick up a few shells while there...









Such beauty!
Such a wonderful blessing to see!


I hope to share more soon!
Including snowball fight photos! *Ü*


"But I will hope continually,
and will yet praise thee more and more."
~ Psalm 71:14


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