The Simple Woman's Daybook * 1-8-12

Please click the pic above to join with me and who knows how many others over at The Simple Woman's Day Book to journal once a day, week, month....whenever! :) 

Outside my window...It's dark & the moon is big and shining bright.

I am thinking...that this sheet music wreath is reeaally neat! - and simple enough that even I could make it.

via

I am thankful...that Strike was accepted into our local vocational-techinical high school. It is such a good fit for her. She's doing well there and has explored Welding, House Carpentry, Cabinet Making, Graphic Design, Business Tech, Cosmetology, Masonry, and Auto Body so far.  She's  brought home some impressive projects too ... an end table w/ magazine rack, wooden toolbox, metal tool box, etc. ... :) I'm anxious to see what trade she lands in.  If she has it her way, it will be Cosmetology.

I am creating...a quilt that must be finished by Friday...

and three of these...

via

My husband is helping me make them. He salvaged some wood and we hit the jackpot when we stopped into a discount store and found fun drawer knobs for $1 each. 

I'm going ... to make up some blessing bags to keep handy in my car. I looooove this idea! And  I'm wondering..."Why didn't I think of that?!".  Just today we passed someone I could have given one to - if only I had one with me :/   I'd love to tuck in a small Bible too...as it seems that so often when, for any number of reasons, people are so far down that they finally look up  ...  God reveals Himself.

via 

I am reading...

Yes, it's a children's story :) 

I am looking forward to...going on at least 12 picnics in 2012.

I'm hoping ... That my son likes his birthday present. Something he is totally not expecting - but that I have a hunch he will really enjoy. Stay tuned  (there's a hint :) ... for further details. 

A few plans for the rest of the week ... I'm rather systematically working my way around the house - cleaning and purging about one or two cabinets, drawers, closets, etc. per day.  Just a few more to go in the kitchen before I can move on to another room.  

I am pondering...that Friday was Epiphany - and if someone hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known it. I've never regularly attended a church that observed occasions such as Lent and Epiphany.  Christmas and Easter we celebrate - but that's about it.  Yet I can't help but consider that in their purest form many, if not all, of the seemingly endless observances on the Christian calendar were likely initially intended to encourage Christians to keep their focus on Christ - on His goodness and faithfulness - amidst the continual change propelled by incessant immorality destined to unfold as countless rotations of the earth would relentlessly roll into revolutions around the sun. And - well...I can just appreciate the constant comfort that commemorating Christ would likely convey if I were to be a bit more consistent in that regard. 

A quote for today...

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." C.S. Lewis

In the kitchen... is one of my favorite things...

Jule's Gluten Free All Purpose Flour 

via: www.JulesGlutenFree.com

It can be substituted cup for cup in recipes that call for regular (wheat) flour.  

I love this stuff. If you didn't know you were eating something that was gluten free - well - you wouldn't know it :)  My first and only attempt at making homemade bread with it was a flop tho'  - but that can be challenging even with regular flour too. I learned that Jules also makes a special gluten free bread flour and I want to try that next.  Other than that tho', I am sooooo thrilled/pleased/tickled/giddy with excitement over this product! :)

planning ahead? what if....

edited a bit 

As I was making a few plans for this new year and considering how I hope 2012 will shape up based on the things I plan to do, I stumbled (sometimes it seems as if this is my main mode of transportation) on this:

“God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” -A.W. Tozer

via

It has God's "autograph" written all over it.  Relationship (with Him and others).

And I wonder....What if I made a few such plans to do some things that I couldn't possibly do by myself?  But I have a hard enough time making and following thru' with plans that I feel I will have some semblance of success in accomplishing on my own - let alone planning things for which I have to wait for and rely on God and/or others to do their part!  So, in regards to the quote above, immediately I do what I have a knack for doing. I take the most direct route possible to the worst case scenario by starting at "But, what if....." and heading south from there.  I don't get very far at all tho' before a Still Small Voice whispers that I have no good reason to go there and I'm reminded of how it seems in God's Word and from personal experience that God has custom made plans for His children. Even for those of us who don't step out in faith near enough. Plans that, when tossed from the hand of God into the daily mix of what is likely a much more comfortable and independent than God ever intended it to be life I've carved out for myself, will no doubt challenge and stretch and shape me into becoming more of who He created me to be. And I get the impression that God has a sense of humor - in that I can't help but chuckle at my next thought. That being, just that this always seems to happen  ... while I'm busy making other plans ;) 

  Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21(NIV)

What do Mr. Spock, Dilbert, Linus, Yoda, Andy Griffith & I have in common?

Ok .... I don't like tests ... but -  I took it anyway. And I had my husband take it too. Bunny's post  roused my curiousity.  And what spiritual types are we??   Well according to this survey, my husband is a Mystic and I'm a Sage. But - after reading the descriptions of the two, I like to think I'm a combo of both a Sage & a Mystic (hmmm would that be a Mage? - or a Sagistic?? ;) ...but my husband seems to think I'm I "wanna be" Mystic. Maybe he's right...as I've long wanted to be more like him!  Anyhow - I bolded the parts in both that I feel fit me pretty well & added my own notes in (italics):


Sage 


You are a Sage, characterized by a thinking or head spirituality. You value responsibility, logic, and order. Maybe that's why you were voted "Most Dependable" by your high school classmates. Structure and organization are important to you. What would the world be like without you? Chaos, that's what! Your favorite words include should, ought, and be prepared. (Pretty sure my kids would agree!) What makes you feel warm and fuzzy? Like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof it's tradition! tradition! tradition!

Because you love words, written or spoken, you enjoy a good lecture, serious discussions, and theological reflection. Prayer for you usually is verbal (Just exactly how does one pray without words?  I wouldn't know where to start...but maybe that's my problem! ... I should listen more!)  You thrive on activity and gatherings of people, such as study groups. Sages on retreat likely would fill every day with planned activities, leaving little time for silence or solitude. (I like a little solitude...not too much. They know me too well in my own little world ;)

We need Sages for your clear thinking and orderly ways. You pay attention to details that others overlook (yah - perhaps to a fault!) Sages make contributions to education, publishing, and theology. You often are the ones who feel a duty to serve, give, care, and share with the rest of us. ( I would like to reach a point where I give/serve, etc. more out of love and less out of "duty" - and I rarely feel like I do "enough" ... even when I try to) 

On the other hand, sometimes you seem unfeeling, too intellectual, or dry. (If it's possible for something to fit too well, this does...I wish I had a better sense of humor! )  Can you say "dogmatic"? You may need to experience the freedom of breaking a rule or two every now and then. ( hmmm... not sure I want to try this - I need my sleep! )   God's grace covers Sages too, you know! ( I need to remember this )

Learn about other types: Sage | Prophet | Lover | Mystic

Famous Sages:

Mr. Spock | Dilbert | Elrond
Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Maya Angelou | Linus (Peanuts)
Yoda (Star Wars) | Andy Griffith | Mr. Miyagi
The Buddha | Rodin's The Thinker | Moses
Ross Geller | Matthew (the Gospel writer) | Tiger Woods

Mystic


You are a Mystic, known for your imaginative, intuitive spirituality. You value peace, harmony, and inner silence. Mystics are nurtured by walking alone in the woods (I love walking in the woods but not alone. I much prefer walking alone/together with my husband :) or sitting quietly with a trusted friend. You may also enjoy poetry (no - not really) , meditation (again -  not really) , wordless prayer (haven't quite figured this one out - but I'm pretty sure it involves listening more - which I know I should do), candles (love them) , art (practical art - yes! - which is why I most admire God's handiwork/nature.  I find His Works relatively easy to interpret as compared to a lot of what is found in modern art museums today), books (Yes - love them!) , and anything else that helps you connect with God - (Yep - that too...especially music) 

Mystics experience God best through rich images and symbols (hmmm... I had to think about this - but - I tend to think this fits because it seems the Bible is full of imagery/symbolism - and I love that). You are contemplative, introspective, intuitive, and focused on an inner world as real to you as the exterior one. Hearing from God is more important to you than speaking to God.(Oh what I would give to hear His voice and have Him just tell me what to do sometimes!) Others may attribute human characteristics to God, but you see God as ineffable, unnamable, and more vast than any known category. You are intrigued by God's mystery. (Yes. This is me :) 

Mystics want to inspire and persuade others, and need to live lives of significance. At times you push the envelope of spirituality, helping the rest of us imagine who we might become if we followed your lead.(I had to think about this too... Do I do this? Hmm...yah...I kinda think I do).

Sometimes you may feel a bit guilty about your need for solitude and silence. If so, you probably have bought into the American myth that says being alone and doing nothing is lazy, antisocial, and unproductive. Stop it -- now. Give yourself permission to retreat and be alone. It's essential for your well-being.

On the other hand, don't get so carried away retreating that you become a recluse. (I need to be mindful of this...and I'm well aware that I also I tend to use "busy-ness" as a form of retreat ... which kinda defeats the purpose of spending time "with" others  - at least on this level).  That only deprives the world of your gifts and deprives you of the lessons that come from being with others. Some Mystics may have a true vocation for solitary prayer, but the rest of you need to alternate retreat time with involvement and interaction.


famous mystics listed:

Thomas Merton | Enya | John (the Gospel writer)
Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God)
Desert mothers and fathers | Charlie Brown
Sister Wendy | Phoebe Buffay | Julian of Norwich
Luke | Anthony de Mello | The Who




Hmmm...I find it odd -  how I feel two totally different descriptions both seem to fit me pretty well - but not just right. But -  considering that this is a spiritual "evaluation" of sorts -  and that we cannot fit God into a box or wrap words tightly around Him...well in that sense - it just seems fitting that in trying to do either one or both to one of His children, neither would/should quite "fit" perfectly either :)


You can take the test HERE if you want.

simple woman's daybook 12-5-11

edited a bit 12/6/11

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

(Won't you join in?!) 

Outside my window...it's dark - just after 5:00 AM - 42 degrees.

I am thankful...to have learned about a profession called Functional Medicine and to have been "prescribed" some  specific and healthy  things to do/try that very well could help our daughter feel better. 

In the kitchen and around the house ... is where I plan to spend most of today catching up on laundry, cooking & quilting. 

I am creating... a quilt.

From the learning rooms...I've been learning that there is something good about homeopathic/holistic healthcare - as opposed to taking medication or having surgery for whatever ales you before even considering other more natural and/or less invasive approaches to dealing with it - and I'm thinking there should be a better balance in general between the two quite different approaches to healthcare. 

I am wondering... Do you know what this is?

 It's a box of matches all dressed up for winter 

- and -
it's a gift my friend made and gave me when she came over the other day. 

Pretty cute - huh?! 

I am looking forward to...to doing some Christmas shopping at a candy store, hopefully later this week with my husband - and to receiving my new totally grain free cookbook in the mail.

click the pic

I'm reading...  

click the pic 

& may read ...

click the pic
The very short video of the author that  you will be linked to if you click the pic is interesting to say the least. It's not necessarily all about gluten ... but - it is all about wheat & well worth it for anyone - not just those with wheat/gluten sensitivity to at least watch & consider.

I am going... to snail mail only a few Christmas cards this year. 

I am thinking... whatta FUN and complete SuRpriSe! these were to find in my mailbox from a good friend & fellow blogger & quilter - along with the instructions for how to make them!...

It was a totally unexpected surprise that made my day!! 

Thank you SO much, mommazim! :)

I am hearing...the clock ticking.

One of my favorite things... is exploring places I've never been before.


Pics for a thought I'm sharing:

study buddies 

I'm pondering...well - I'm still pondering last week's sermon about the Trinity.  Here's just a few of my notes:

1. 
   
   In God there is one indivisible essence w/ three distinct persons. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Each possessing the characteristics of personhood - intellect, emotion, will (ability to determine/purpose a plan to obtain a desired result). The indivisible essence of God belongs equally to all three "persons"and each person posesses the whole essence of God.

   
   

   With the understanding that we can't really comprehend the Trinity, as I tried to understand it, it seems God has given us lots of evidence of the Trinity both in Scripture and in nature to study in attempt to understand/know Him better. 

   
   

   The Trinity of God is expressed in nature/creation: 

   
   

   The Universe: Space, Matter, Time

   
   

   Space:  Height, Length, Depth

   
   

   Matter: Solid, Liquid, Gas

   
   

   Energy:  Light, Heat, Sound

   
   

   Time:  Future, Present, Past

   
   

   Man: Body, Soul, Spirit

   
   

   Personhood: Intellect, Emotion, Will

   
   

   And there was more...about how The Father, Son & Holy Spirit "interact" with us - each doing their "part" if you will in regards to our salvation, adoption, prayer, ministry, etc. but I just could not write fast enough ... :)

   
   

   My thoughts: This reminds me of ...

   
   

   - a quote: 

   
   

   Every artist paints his own nature into his pictures.
   - Henry Ward Beecher - 

   
   

   - a time: 

   
   

    when I began to "see some of this" for myself & I journaled fast & furiously thru it & unsuccessfully attempted to wrap words tightly around it

   
   
   - a verse:  

   
   

   Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. - Ecclesiastes 4:12

   
   

   
   

Love is patient....

Love is patient,...


love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
I Corinthians 13: 4- 8

***

Strike and I searched high and low for this ring. Somehow she just knew what she was looking for even tho' she'd never seen it. Eventually, she thought she may have found it - tho' she wasn't certain - so ... we waited. It was hard to walk away from that one but it wasn't long before we happened upon this one and she just knew without a doubt(!) that this was it - this was the one ... the ring she knew she wanted to wear day in and day out to serve as a symbol of her commitment to keep herself pure for her future husband. We purchased it on the spot - even knowing full well that she'd still have to wait (a month or more!) to wear it because it had to be sized. Ironically, after waiting all that time, this ring she chose from all that she had considered somehow seemed even more beautiful than she remembered it.

While considering "all of this", it occurred to me that in many ways, the search for this ring is likely to parallel the search for the one whom it symbolizes Strike's commitment to wait for. In one sense she knows who she's looking for. Surely, among other things, he will be kind, humble, generous, forgiving and faithful. Most likely she hasn't met him yet, tho' I suppose it is possible that she has. All I know is that I can't help but wonder, who IS this guy? Where does he live? What does he look like? And how will Strike know for sure that he is "the one"? I pray that he will be patient too - and worthy of what she is saving for him - because in much the same way this jewel beautifully reflects the light, Strike's commitment to remain pure for her future husband clearly reflects the desires of her heart.

⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD and He
will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37: 4

Some of my favorite words...

This was one of my very first posts back in 2008! I was inspired to revisit it today after reading a friend's post this morning over at shells and bells flowers and showers.

Some of my favorite words...

I'm a list person. Wrote this list a while back. Was stunned as it "took shape"....

Grace
Eternal
Gift
Salvation
Justified
Sanctified
Sealed
Saved
Free
All
Whosoever
Faith/Faithful/Faithfulness
Hope (not necessarily a favorite….but noteworthy nonetheless)
Assurance
Believe
Righteousness
New Covenant
Forgiveness
Mercy
Love
Joy
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Gentleness
Self Control
Relationship(s)
Compassion
Peace

What to do, what to do? (so many choices)

"The only thing we can truly control is
how we respond to the events and circumstances around us, ...."
via a dear friend I've never met

(When she said it, it struck & stuck :)

Sometimes when what I really want are specific answers to particular questions (Why?!, When?! How on earth...?! etc.) it seems God has so much more for me to learn in the absence of answers - so instead of answers, He gives me directions/instructions on how to react &/or respond to whatever events & circumstances I find myself in at any given time. Sometimes I sense that He says ...

Wait * Go * Do something * Stop! * Let Me take it from here * Pour your heart out * Stop whining! Suck it up. Be strong. Courageous. Do what needs to be done & leave the consequences to Me * Show some compassion here * Have mercy * Share * Take a stand! * Back off! * Say something * Bite your tongue! * Hold on! * Let it go, already * Claim it * Proclaim it * Leave * Press on * Remember * Forget * Forgive * Don't forget * Work hard! * Rest * Bloom & grow * Uproot & transplant * Be encouraged * Be warned * Be content * Be tender * Be firm * Run the other way! * ....

Trying to sort thru' all my options based on the little I know for sure is futile but I know that if I just be still & know that He is God (& remember that I am not!) - He will be faithful to meet me where I'm at - that place I described recently. The place where, where I'm at in His Word intersects at any given time with where all the variables (circumstances, motives, feelings, etc.) combine to make whatever situation I'm dealing with unique. Even at times when I'm not reading in His Word - or not reading it as faithfully as I know I should be, often it's those words of His that I've memorized/hidden in my heart that somehow manage to make their way from my heart to the forefront of my mind at such a times as this.

¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4:12-13

God certainly knows how to get my attention & so often He uses the events & circumstances around me to do just that. Tho' He never forces me to listen or to do what He asks/suggests/commands. That choice is always mine to make. And it occurred to me, that what makes me unique & to respond certain ways at certain times (even when others would likely respond very differently) I believe can be summed up in one word: Choices.

When you add them all up - every single good & bad choice I've ever made plus many that others have made - you get me. If any different choices had been made along the way, I'd be different. I've certainly learned a lot from my choices - & in fact, some of the most difficult lessons I've learned have been the result of making poor choices. When you factor in how my choices affect others it gets rather mind boggling, but let's not go there just now.

....My point is - as time goes on I hope to become less like me & more like Him all the time....one choice at a time. In the meantime, I hope for at least some shreds of evidence to that effect to be revealed now & then in how I choose (hopefully consisently!) to respond to the events & circumstances around me.

¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:14 - 18

Morning Glory

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
2 Corninthians 4:6

Yesterday, Playmaker (15) & I visited a dear friend from church - who is now in a nursing home - after much too much time passed since the last time I saw her. I'll call her Morning Glory. She reminds me so much of my mom - even has the same b-day! (edit: oops just learned it's actually 2 days later...how could I forget that?! mb it was the same year? hmm) I'll Her friendship has been a special gift (blessing!) from God. My mom was my own personal prayer warrior & when I lost her, among other things, I missed that! In the past I've asked Morning Glory to pray for my daughter & she was glad to do it. Morning Glory has been almost blind since I've known her but has such a positive attitude despite her increasing limitations & she's so at peace & will tell you so - almost as if she wants to put your mind at ease :) And she'll tell you about how good God has been to her & what a good life she's had. She senses The LORD so very close. And I hafta say -- just knowing that He's there - SO close to her - makes me wanna go back very soon - in part bc I wanna be that close too(!) & in part bc I wonder ... if He's that close, is He getting ready to take her home? It's very special, what she & God share. But - apparently I'm not the only one she reminds of my mom. Playmaker "saw her Gramma" there in that bed & as memories flooded her mind, tears poured out -- so we didn't stay long - didn't want Morning Glory to know Playmaker was crying - afterall we came to cheer her up! But I bro't home these words of wisdom she shared during our short but good visit... to the effect:

If you worry, you don't trust God.
If you trust God, you don't worry.

... and I can't help but wonder if that's the bottom line that God wants us to figure out once we've accepted (trusted!) Him as our Savior & by the time we leave this amazing place - & is it why Morning Glory seems so ready to leave whenever God decides He's ready to take her home? ... and is it why I feel like.... I still have so much to learn!?

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:33 & 34