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I've been in a bit of a dilemma lately. I wasn't completely happy with our church, but my husband was. I attended a Baptist church to see an evangelist, but ended up unhappy with that too. Then, yesterday's sermon (at our church) gave me a whole new outlook! The sermon was on the story of Jesus walking on the water from Matthew. The pastor pointed out how strange it was that the weather was tossing the boat about and when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, rather than saying "if it's you stop the storm," which would seem the obvious thing to desire out in the middle of a large lake, tossing and turning. But, instead, Peter said "Lord, if it be though, bid me come unto thee on the water." Peter didn't want the storm to stop, he wanted to be with his Lord. I realized then that I should desire to be like the Lord, rather than taking me out of the place where I seem to think I am unhappy. He has something for me to do right where I am. I guess that's the whole idea of the saying "grow where you are planted." Sometimes we can get so caught up in what we want that we forget that God will never lead us astray, we just have to wait on him and let him show us. These days, life can get so hectic that we don't know how to stop and listen to God. "But they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31. I am by nature and impatient person. I'm afraid I'll miss an opportunity! Over the years, I have grown more patient, but still I need reminding to wait on the Lord and that he will be sure to lead me right to all the opportunities that will make me grow closer to him. |
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So much going on around here! I've had a hard time finding enough time. My poor mind is spinning. This morning my husband found a used sippy cup in the cupboard. I thought I put it in the fridge. lol Well, at least he thinks my losing my mind is funny. lol I looked all over for that cup, how did it get there? When I was gone for almost the whole month of July, I stored my Kombucha scoby in the fridge. When I got home and took it out to make a batch, it seemed like it lasted well, but about 6 days after I started the new batch, I checked on it and it had some fruit flies in it!! I was so disappointed because I crave the stuff! So, I had to dump it out and go to the HFS to get a new bottle of GT's and start a whole new scoby. What a process this has been, and such a wait. God is surely testing my patience here! So I started two batches and they overlap, so I should have fresh every 3-4 days. The only reason they overlap though is because the second scoby is growing really slow, but growing none the less. So, today is the day the first batch will be done and I'm excited. I've also been continuing my cleaning and ridding spree. Between selling and donating, you would think my house would be cleaner, but I can't seem to get to the bottom of the messes around here. But, I continue to move onward and upward. Yesterday I sorted through some old 3 1/2" floppy discs. We have a bunch of them, but most don't work anymore in the computer, so garbage they were. I was told last year when I took a nursing research class that floppy disc's are considered ancient. Well, I guess we're still ancient. Still have floppys and still have a dial up connection! I'm hoping my classes this fall don't require much computer use, then I'll be ok sticking with the old fashioned floppy discs and dial up connections. lol Some friends of mine belong to a Bible Baptist church and in many conversations with them I have come to realize that I agree with that line of thinking, the kind that follows the bible, not a religion. I grew up Lutheran and still go to a Lutheran church, but I am very dissatisfied with it. I don't feel like we are taught the bible, rather we are taught theology. To me it is a ton of difference. Anyway, my friends have invited me to church and other gatherings at their Bible church and last night I was finally able to attend. They have an evangelist there and it was great. I met so many wonderful people and the sermon was so good. The children there have a "band" that plays in church and the music was the good old church music. I'm not sure how else to explain it. It wasn't dragging hymn or rock music, but rather, the kind of music that makes you want to stand up and praise the Lord!!! Which is what "church music" is supposed to do. The pastor's family sang a song and everyone joined in, but what amazed me was that when his family sang the song they sounded so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. They were truely praising God in their singing and using such wonderful gifts for that purpose. I have never been to a service like that and hope to go again tomorrow night. I wish this minister was around all year, rather than just one week. It was a very uplifting experience. The blueberry picking is still underway. We have frozen a lot of berries and my husband hopes to make some wine and still have plenty left for everyday eating. My priority is the boys oatmeal. It is so easy to toss a hanful of berries in their oatmeal in the morning. While the berries thaw from the heat, they also cool the oatmeal enough to eat AND are very tasty. I also like to just take a handful of frozen berries and eat them that way (this works well with grapes too), they make me feel like I'm eating ice cream without all the calories! Canning is right around the corner. I found a recipe for carrots in vinegar and honey that I am anxious to try. My garden didn't produce any carrots this year (or radishes as a previous blog said), so I have to go to the farmers market for them. We have a ton of tomatoes, so that will be our big project this year. We also have various types of peppers, but those can be frozen as is or sliced and frozen. Our cabbage is doing well and we are hoping to make more sauerkraut and can that. Last year we did this and everyone is still enjoying what we have left from last year. We have some purple cabbage that we were going to try to pickle. This is a new thing for us, so we will see how it turns out. Well, time to get going. Have a great day everyone! |
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This morning I read in Acts and as usual, read things I don't remember ever reading before. It's amazing how God opens up His word to us as we need it. Lately I have been on a kick to get the house cleared out a bit. We keep too much and could either use the money more or offer things to others who don't have what we have. I tend to go through phases that follow with the seasons. In the fall and winter I tend to hoard and in the spring and summer I tend to clean and clear out. So, as I read Acts 2:44-45, I thought about these phases of mine. The passage in KJV reads: "And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." This passage said a few things to me. First, the believers were all together - These days, living with family seems to be going down the wayside. There are some who live together, but with the wealth of our country, everyone thinks they have to have their own home, separate from elderly parents, etc. But, these people were all together. They stuck together to help each other out. Do we do that today? Or do we tend to do our own thing as much as possible? Secondly, they had all things in common - they shared everything?? That is what it sounds like to me. My husband and I live in our own home with only our children and I find that when we have visitors or I go to visit, I often get "fidgety." Is it the too close of quarters or the need to share everything? Either way, it does not follow what the Bible says the heart of a Christian should be like. Something I definitely need to work on. Thirdly, they sold their possessions...as every man had need. They didn't have the excess that we have today. They sold everything. That seems extreme to us today, after all, all these things we have are important to us. The idea I believe is to trust God completely, every day, for every thing. I don't know about everyone else, but I know I have problems at times in that area. We run short on money and I worry that we won't have enough food, we can't always figure out how we will pay the taxes, even though every year we do find the money. We think we need all sorts of things that, in fact, aren't necessities at all. So, back to my phase of cleaning and clearing...maybe it's good for us to clear out cobwebs every once in a while and get back to what is really vital and important, then trust God with it all. Thank Him every day for the excess He has given us, realize it is only because of Him that we have it and then ask Him what he would have us do with it. These the things I learned today. It is amazing what we can learn out of two so simple Bible passages. God Bless everyone. Have a great day. |
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About 6 months ago, through mentoring and my own Bible study, I became convinced that I should look more closely at the way I dress and slowly began wearing dresses on a more daily basis. Now, most of what is in my closet is dresses or skirts of a more conservative nature. I want my form of clothing to bring glory to God, and not myself and that is my reasoning for dressing this way. Also, to avoid in any way, being a temptation to others. Don't get me wrong, I still wear my sweats on occasion and being in the military, I also wear the uniform slacks, so it's not a complete conversion. I love my dresses though. They are the most comfortable clothes I have ever worn and when I get up in the morning and get dressed, I'm ready to go anywhere - around the house, to the store, to church, etc. My friends and my husbands friends, who are mostly not Christian, don't understand. I get questions all the time. "Why the dresses all of a sudden?" I don't mind the questions, it opens up and opportunity for me to first, rethink and understand my reasoning and, second, to explain my desire to be God's representative. The other day, friend of my husbands, who enjoys trying to aggravate me, asked in a very demeaning way, basically, what's wrong with me and why do I have to be so different all the time? I was so proud, when my husband piped up (he's usually very quiet in these cases) and explained OUR reasoning. It's funny how going to church every Sunday rarely brings riducule from the outside world, but as soon as someone changes their life outside of Sunday, they become the weirdo in town. I wonder how others react when faced with these kind of people. I know for me, at times it is a bit difficult to react in a Godly and loving way and so much easier to lash out. Today I read Galatians 5:22-26 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. This passage is one I am going to put on my refridgerator, so I can remember in such situations to behave this way. Have a great Monday everyone!! |
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Last week an aquaintance/friend of my husband and I died. He was only 54 years old and died as a result of a massive stroke. We weren't close, only saw him about once a month, hence the use of the word aquaintance. He was a wonderful person though, the kind of guy that would willingly and with a smile always do what he could for anyone. I watched him perform some of the most unpleasant tasks and always with a cheerful smile and never a complaint. He was always willing to stop and have a lighthearted conversation and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. He was single and had no children but lived with his mother to care for her as she was aging. I could go on about all his positive characteristics, but I should get to the point. I keep thinking "Wow, we took his presence for granted and now will never get those lighthearted conversations and positive attitude anymore, or his cheerfulness and warm smile." That was the part that shocked me. Then, I thought well, he was a nice guy, he's got to be in heaven. But, what if... What if he wasn't a Christian? What if he didn't know God? What if I had asked? What if I had told him about Jesus? Well, the bottom line is I don't know. I had lots of conversations with him but don't know if he had faith in God as his Saviour. I should have known, then if he did then I would have the assurance that he is in heaven with our Saviour now, or I would have given him the opportunity to be. What I'm trying to say is I may have missed giving him eternal life in heaven because I didn't just ask. So, I have learned from this and hope that others can too. And I hope George was a believer in Christ and has gone to be with Him forever. Please everyone, add his family to your prayer list as they grieve. |
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Well, I'm finally home and it's nice to be back!! I have actually been home for a week now, but it took me that long to get everything, well almost everything unpacked and get back on track. Plus I had almost back to back appointments this week for the kids and I. So, I'm back to blogging again. I had a great time in New Orleans, although the weather was aweful. You can't take someone from up north and put them in 80 degrees with almost 100% humidity and expect them to love it. I have never in my whole life experienced humidity like that, so if nothing else, I got that experience. I did go down to the French Quarter but wasn't really impressed with it, so I only went twice, once to shop at the French Market and once to eat regional food - fried alligator tails, jambalaya, crawfish and muffletta, a sandwich that is like a hogie but has what they call olive loaf on it. Olive loaf is (I think) green olives, olive oil and some seasonings. It was soooo good, but I'm sure had something to do with the weight I gained! I also went to see a few historical sites, the Jean Lafitte Battlefield where the Battle of New Orleans took place, and quite a few National Wildlife Preserves in Louisiana and Mississippi. I also went over to Alabama, mostly just to say I had been there once in my lifetime, but then I went to see Fort Gaines, at the western tip of land on the inlet to Mobile Bay. That was one of the battlefields invovled in the battle where the saying "Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead" came from. I had a very interesting visit and hope to post some photos soon. Have a great Thursday! Jean |
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Well, I know I haven't been writing lately, but that is because I am in sunny (and hot and muggy) New Orleans. It's for the military, so it will only be for 2 weeks, then I can get home. I talked to my husband and he says my garden in booming and the blueberries are almost ready!! I'm missing it all!!! The further I get in life, the more I want to just quit this whole being in the military reserves thing. I feel that God is leading me in a different direction and especially when I have to miss out on all the things I worked so hard for so that I can go away for 2 weeks, it seems so futile. But, God will show me the way he wants me to go and I will willingly follow (that's as soon as I figure out what He's saying). I just read a passage about waiting on the Lord, and that is what I am doing. But, I was asked after my last post about Kombucha if I had ever tried kefir. The answer to that is no. Can anyone tell me more about it? I was making cultured milk for a while, from buttermilk culture and it was so good. I was at a health food store recently and wanted to by some kefir to try, but I was flying out to come here the next day and didn't want to waste it. So, what are the benefits? How do you use it? How do you make it? Is it cultured just like the buttermilk? Well, I hope you all have answers to help me along here. On the weekend I hope to go see some of Louisiana's historical sites and I can't wait to tell everyone about them. So far I had beignets, a platter of fried alligator tails and a sandwich called muffletta. It was all delicious!! So, I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. God Bless! |
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For a little over a month now I have been on a Kombucha Tea kick. I had read about making Kombucha on a blog and read about all the health benefits but didn't know where to start. Then, I found a bottle of the tea at the health food store and decided to experiment and see if I could make some of my own. Well, now I am a regular brewer and drinker of the tea and it is so addictive. Kombucha is basically a fungus and it has medicinal properties which you obtain by drinking the tea, which tastes like a cross between soda and vinegar. It's health benefits include antibiotic properties, detoxification which helps fight disease, immune system booster to ward off cancer. The Kombucha grows when it's left in dark warm places, so as the Kombucha grew, I got a large jar of pickles and ate them all. Then I brewed a gallon of white tea, added a cup of organic sugar and left it to cool to room temperature. Then I put the tea in the gallon jar, slid the Kombucha in to float it, then let it brew for a week. When it was done, I filtered it into a jar with some scored ginger (later I tried raspberries too which was delicious) and put it in the fridge. I look forward to drinking it everyday. These are some links that I found to read more about it. I figure anything that tastes this good and has this many health benefits has to be worth trying. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but what's new there? He's used to me experiementing with different things like this and says as long as I don't make him drink it, he's ok with it. lol http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kombucha.htm#Kombucha-tea http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=789879 http://www.happyherbalist.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=4 Well, I better be going off this computer. I have a busy day ahead of me. A friend of ours has Lou Gehrig's disease and there is a benefit for him today. Please everyone, pray for him and his family during this time of need. God Bless all of you and have a wonderful Sunday!! |
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So, about 2 months ago (when I used to just read the blogs and not write myself), I came across a blog about Housekeeping Binders and decided I should start one. My husband laughs at me because our driveway is about 80 feet long and he says I can get up and say "I'm going to get the mail" (at the other end of the driveway) and come back in half an hour with no mail. I'll have weeded the flower bed, straightened up the van, picked up some garbage that the wind blew in, checked the blueberry bushes for progress, watched the birds, etc, but forgot to get the mail. I guess it's a sort of adult attention deficit, but, it just shows how unfocused I can be at times. Most of that I think is because of having children, a house and all sorts of things to think about, and priorities are priorities. If the children are fed and taken care of and the house is in order enough to be safe, the rest of it, to me is much less important. As you can see, I'm no where near being a perfectionist. Well, I can be the same with the housework. I'll know for days that something should to be done, but if it's not jumping out at me, I get side tracked. So, when I found the binder idea, I started one of my own to help keep me organized. For the most part it has worked. There are days I forget to look in the binder, so then I make up for it the next day. But, all I need is my binder and I know what cleaning should be done today (other than the normal, dishes and laundry-that's every day), I know what bills are due and also keep a running list of long term things to work on. There is also a list of books that I want to read, so I can remember when I feel the urge to go to the used bookstore that I already have a list a page long of books I already own that I haven't read. It's funny how one simple 3-ring binder can organize even me! My DH comes home to a clean house, and I am calmer when my life is organized. If anyone is interested I can try to post the blog where I found it, or maybe everyone else knows already! Have a nice day everyone! |
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I love to garden. Our garden is small by country standards, it is about 20 x 20 feet in size. Every year we try something new and work on getting better at the things that worked well the year before. Well, usually we do very well with radishes, but I forget to successively plant so we have a constant crop. This year though, our radishes grew well, got to be about a foot tall, then went to seed before the bulbs grew bigger than a baby finger! That never happened to me, has that ever happened to anyone else? My brother-in-law, who's garden is over a mile down the road from us had the same problem. I'm wondering if it was because I actually got the second planting of radishes in this year, you know, Murphy's Law! My turnips aren't happy this year either, they are growing very slow. We have a compost bin in the corner of the garden and we clean it out every year and spread the good rich soil around, but the area near the bin is very rich even after spreading. The turnips are in this corner of the garden and I'm wondering if it's too rich for them. They were in the same area last year and grew like champs. I did start sorrel from seed this year and it does appear to be growing. I got garden sorrel and blood-veined sorrel (since they are perennials, I'm looking forward to them coming back every year). Has anyone grown sorrel and used it on a regular basis? Recipes would be appreciated. I used to have a neighbor (when I lived in the city and didn't have a nice garden), who had a double lot. His name was Larry. The whole second lot, which isn't really big in the city, was a garden and his vegetables grew great every year. This man was in his 80's and had so much wisdom. I would ask him questions every time I saw him out in his garden, trying to pry all that gardening wisdom out of him. I think some days he just wanted peace and quiet and stuck to the end of his garden furthest from my yard! But, I need another Larry to help me now!!! You know, the people who have gardened so long they have all the answers in their heads. The ones who were taught by their parents and grandparents, not just books. They are the ones with true wisdom, not just knowledge and we need more of them around.
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Well, I have spent more time than I had planned trying to figure out how to post pictures of my children for everyone to see. So, if you look in the links under pictures of my family, you can see them. The first picture is my son Andrew and I am holding him. Andrew is 3 and very social and knows he's cute! The second picture is Anthony. He is going to be 12 in the next couple of weeks. He loves to be around people, but loves being outside even more. So, if you can have people & outside, Anthony will be thrilled. The third picture is Samantha. She just turned 14 and is a typical teenager. She loves school and being around her friends, reading, etc. She is a great kid though (I am a bit biased), so I can't complain. She does not cause trouble or anything, and we have a great friendship, she is just a teenager. Any of you with teenagers know how precocious they can be at times. Both my sons have congenital hydrocephalus, AKA X-linked hydrocephalus. It is a genetic disorder that causes the fluid to build up in their brains before birth and leads to them being severely delayed and they have cerebral palsy as a result. They require my total care (feeding, bottles, diapering, etc), yet they are such happy children. They are so simple in their wants and needs, making them easy to please and make happy, which I can't always say about my daughter They are all truely a blessing to me and have been the reason that I see the world through the eyes that I do today. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I kept saying, "I don't care whether I have a boy or girl as long as she is healthy." Then my next 2 pregnancies were frought with anxiety and fear over how these boys would end up (they could tell at the 20 week ultrasound). I quickly changed my attitude and realized that health isn't the most important part of it all. God has given me 2 special blessings that have changed forever my ideas of perfection and idealism and made me a much stronger person because in those dark hours, I learned to trust God completely and thank him daily for them. I don't have any pictures of my DH downloaded, but he is a very good provider and my best friend. He is such a great helper to me in caring for the children and very patient with me (I get a little crazy sometimes) and with the children. Well, I better get going with my chores here. Lots to do and it looks like it is going to rain on my laundry that is hanging outside.
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Good morning everyone! I hope everybody had a great weekend. Since I am new at this, I've been trying to think of what to say in an entry today and as usual with my brain, one minute there are a million things I'd like to say, then the next minute my mind is blank. Although I'm not sure I have a great gift for writting, I do have the gift of the gab and talk non-stop some days to my DH about the different passages I read as I go through my bible. So, that seems to me to be an appropriate place to start. First I will tell you the story of me and the bible. I grew up Lutheran and went to parochial schools from Kindergarten through high school and even with all that religious teaching, I never read the whole bible through. In the last few years I have made many attempts at it, but, each time, I lost the motivation. But, God seems to have blessed me this time with the motivation since I am about 1/3 of the way through now and look forward to it every day. I have been skipping around a bit, first reading the gospels, then going back to the OT and reading through (as orderly as possible) the books of Samuel I - ChroniclesII and reading the books of the prophets along with the chapters of history they prophecying about . This journey has been so enlightening and educational for me and I just want to share things here and there as I go. So, the name of my blog is Isaiah 12:2 because that passage was one that jumped out at me in such a way that I wanted to put it on a bumper sticker on my van! I read the KJV as I think that is the most accurate version. This verse says: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." Isaiah said these words when Israel was deep in idolatry and looking to all the wrong things for their salvation and strength. It is so often in our society today, that I see others (myself included) looking to all the wrong things, but we don't have to and shouldn't. To me these are words to live by. I have spent my life in a struggle with trust and found these words to be a bedrock to base my thinking and life on. It is amazing what power one single verse can hold! I don't know what more to say, as I do think the passage speaks completely for itself. So, tomorrow, I will try to post pictures and tell you more about my family. I just wanted to share this wonderful passage first. Thanks everyone for the encouraging posts as I get started here on my blog, I appreciate them all. |
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Good Morning Everyone! Well, this is not my first attempt at a blog, but hopefully my last! So, I am going to start by introducing myself. I am a 37 year old mother of 3. I have a daughter and two sons. Both my sons are severely disabled and require constant care. Without my total faith in God, I would have great difficulty doing this, but only because of His looking out for me have I not only been able to mother them, but I have been able to mother them happily. I am a stay-at-home mom and I enjoy reading, sewing, crocheting, gardening and searching for ways to be healthy without all the medications that are out there. So, starting from there, I will make it my goal to share my experiences with others so that we can all grow and learn together and be the boost needed on those low days. Jean |