Embarassed and Twitterpated

My dear, sweet hubby embarrassed me during his preaching yesterday, and yet thrilled me at the same time.  My husband loves me, and he is not afraid to say so.  There were numerous comments made to me following his chapel message about how much I had to pay him to get him to complement me.  I know that the comments were made in jest, but it made me think about the rarity of sweet comments between married partners and made me think of something that my brother said during our marriage ceremony.  It is not hard for a wife to sweetly submit to someone who is lovingly leading me.  On the flip side, it is not hard for a husband to lovingly lead someone who is sweetly submitting.  If I do my job, it is easier for him to do his.  If he does his, it is easier for me to do mine. 

So who does their job first? 

I don't remember having to make a choice in my home.

Hubby might just have beat me to it :) 

Perhaps you will have to be the one who makes the first move ... why not? 

What do you have to lose?

First Things First

Proverbs 24:27

Prepare thy work without,

and make it fit for thyself in the field;

and afterwards build thine house.

The last major responsibility at college was finished this morning.  Hubby preached on the above text with the focus of taking care of your spiritual field before looking to your physical house.  I will be no good as a wife, as a Sunday School teacher, or as a student if I am not cleaning up my life - removing rocks and pests of sin and watering the soil with the Word of God and prayer.  The early settlers realized that without good fields, their houses would soon be empty.  It was the produce from the fields that would feed and sustain them.  Have you looked to your fields today?  Spend time in His Word and in prayer.



Holed Up

It is what I fondly refer to as a "Seattle Day."  It is gray with rain.  Not cold out, but looking at the day makes you a little cool.  I have enjoyed some warm coffee this afternoon.  I just love the flavored creamers ... it almost makes Starbucks obsolete in my mind :)  Hubby is off to work and I think that I will dig out some Christmas decorations tonight and possibly start the card making process.

I spent some of this afternoon shopping on line.  I used my credit at One King's Lane to get a quality wood toy for my gift closet.  The toy was free, unfortunately, their credit did not cover shipping.  Oh well. 

Are you having a gray day or enjoying a beautiful fall day or perhaps getting a taste of winter?

Enjoy it ... whatever it is!

Black Friday Online

I have yet to get the thrill of Black Friday shopping.  Yes, I love a good deal - but, oh the insanity.  As hubby left Kmart last night at around 10 am, there were already people in the parking lot waiting for the 5 am opening!  I was actually going to try to go to Office Max this morning for some antivirus software and flash drives, but aborted the idea in favor of shopping Amazon.com.  I figured that it was a bad sign when the software was already sold out online.  So Amazon.com got my business and I only paid $5 extra and saved sleep and gas!

At least two of my readers signed up for Plum District and received $5.  If you order something today and use the coupon code GIVE10, you can add another $10 to your credit.  It is only good today, but you should at least check it out!  If you did not sign up, you can still earn the $5 credit in addition to the days sale.

Good Day

I greatly enjoyed a very restful Thanksgiving.  Hubby and I slept in for the first time in months, enjoyed a quiet breakfast, and then a nice long time of Bible Reading.  We also enjoyed reading the Psalms together and recounting our reasons to give thanks. 

Last year, hubby gave me the day off from cooking and took me to our dear friend, Ryans (a buffet), for dinner.  We liked it so much, we planned it again this year.  You see, hubby enjoys the Thanksgiving meal, but not the fact that he has to watch me cook for hours when he would rather be enjoying my company.  We went to see Ryan, but he had so much company that we decided to see our friend Denny instead.  We had a very good turkey melt with turkey, stuffing, Swiss cheese, and cranberry mustard spread with gravy for dipping - YUMMY! 

At 3:30, hubby headed for work and I mowed the lawn for the last time of the season and raked and mulched some of our leaves.  When the sun went down, I worked to put away some fall decorations and to begin planning the Christmas fun!

Give Thanks

T  -  Trials, which make me rest on God more completely

H  -  Hubby, my true love, and the one who understands me

A  -  Abilities

N  -  Neighbors, near and far

K  -  Kin, we love each of you from NY to AK to AZ

S  -  School (and it's completion next month!)

G  -  Gardens, and all things green and growing

I  -  Industry, the means God often uses to meet our needs

V  -  Victuals, my daily bread (and often extra)

I  -  Individuality, I am glad that I am "me"

N  -  Nest, a place to call home

G  -  God, who gives us all good things to enjoy

Even if I had nothing, there is still reason to give thanks.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

Although the fig tree shall not blossom,

neither shall fruit be in the vines;

the labour of the olive shall fail,

and the fields shall yield no meat;

the flock shall be cut off from the fold,

and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

a time to mourn

Today's "woman's work" involved ministry at a funeral.  While we do not mourn for the dear lady who passed away on Monday for she had placed her faith in Jesus Christ, we mourn with those left behind and pray that the Lord will work in a mighty way to save those who do not have hope for their future.

They are HERE!

We are so thankful that our order of Christmas tracts arrived yesterday. 

***

It only took 2 WEEKS! 

***

Did you order yours? 

Wait

Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God:...

Rest in Him, my fainting heart.

He is your refuge and strength.

Almost there ...

There is something so exciting about finishing ... Yes?  While there are yet 3 1/2 weeks in the semester, the work is done.  There is just one message to preach for a class next Monday and another message to preach in chapel on Tuesday.  Papers ... done!  Finals ... graduating seniors can skip them with an appropriate GPA! 

It is exciting to finish and yet it comes with a heavy weight.  Now what?  Sorry, I can't answer that for you yet.  We are still waiting on God for His clear direction ... in the mean time, we will serve here where we are and are searching for a job that will be more suitable to meet our needs.

If you live in the Shelby area, come here hubby at chapel on Tuesday, November 29.  Chapel starts at 9:00 am.  If you live out of the area, you can watch chapel on live video feed, or you can download the sermon after the service at the college website.  There will actually be two students preaching that morning and I am not sure if hubby will be first or second. 

Clear

Can I admit that my moods are easily affected by the weather?

Cold, grey days easily bring bad moods that must be battled with God's help.

Oh, the time that I would have in Seattle when it was grey from October until April!

I am thankful that the grey days help us to appreciate the beautiful clear days. 

Yesterday we had some severe storms, but today ... welcome back, Mr. Sun! 

It is certainly true that our trials and struggles help us to appreciate

the good times and the blessings even more.

I also think that everything looks clearer and brighter after the rain.
Today I clearly see that my lawn is littered with leaves that must be raked...
... but not today ... I will be teaching piano lessons this afternoon.

Proper Boasting

Psalm 44:8

In God we boast all the day long,

and praise thy name for ever.

Selah.

Pumpkin Stew

Ready to go into the oven.

While I am not a huge stew fan, I do try to make this fall specialty at least once a year for my hubby who could probably enjoy it every week.  It is a simple beef stew that is baked in a pumpkin and then served out of the pumpkin shell.  I think that hubby likes the novelty of the pumpkin.  I like that most of the mess is cleaned up before serving to company!  We were sharing a meal with friends on Saturday night and I made hubby's stew.  I was a little disappointed that it was more soup-like on Saturday night, but by Sunday it had thickened up and was a more traditional stew!

Pumpkin Stew

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 T vegetable oil, divided

1 c water

3 large potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

4 medium carrots, sliced

1 large green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 med onion, chopped

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 T instant beef bouillon granules

1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 pumpkin (10-12 lbs)

In a dutch oven, brown meat in 2 T oil.  Add the water, potatoes, carrots, green pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours.  Stir in the bouillon and tomatoes.

Wash pumpkin.  Cut a 6-8 inch circle around top stem.  Remove top and set aside.  discard seeds (and roast for a snack) and loose fibers from inside.  Place pumpkin in a shallow sturdy baking pan.  Spoon stew into pumpkin and replace the top.  Brush outsides of pumpkin with remaining 1 T of oil.

Bake at 325* for 2 hours or just until the pumpkin is tender (do not overbake).  Serve stew from pumpkin, scooping out some pumpkin with each serving.

A Return to Childhood

I bought a jump rope the other day.  I imagined that it would be a simple and inexpensive way to liven up my workout routine.  I quickly did a little research and found that 10 minutes of jumping rope is as good as a 30 minute jog ... of course, I am not able to do it for 10 minutes straight just yet.

I got started on Tuesday and by Thursday, I was feeling it.  I even taught hubby how to jump rope and he is feeling the challenge to be able to jump longer than I can :)  I like a good challenge.  It sure is hard to believe that I used to spend my entire recess time jumping rope - sure wish I had stuck with it!

11*11*11

Memorable Date - Is it not?

Only comes around once every 100 years!

It is Veteran's Day.

A bittersweet day.

Wednesday, our little town buried a young soldier killed in Afghanistan.

A painful reminder of the sorrows of a nation at war.

Thinking of all those who are in harms way today...

...And all those waiting at home.

I will be celebrating with my favorite veteran.

We celebrated 3 years separated from the Navy on October 31.

O.G. is giving hubby a free lunch today - and he offered to pay for mine :)

Here is the extra sweet part ...

... a niece arrived this morning to make the day more memorable.

Happy Birthday, little one!

Free Credit

Another daily deal site is offering you a free $5 credit just for signing up.  As I said, this is a good way to collect a stash of simple gifts for holidays, birthdays, or just to encourage a friend.  Check it out here.  It appears that these deals are good on fast food, groceries, or auto repair in your local area similar to the Entertainment Coupon Book,

Iron

Proverbs 27:17 

Iron sharpeneth iron;

so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Today, I am thankful for a friend who is working VERY hard to be healthy and fit. 

Her discipline encourages me to say "no" to the unhealthy snack

or the second portion

and inspires me to get out on my walk/jog/run.

Even "weight loss cheerleaders" need encouragement to stick with it sometimes!

Prudent

Proverbs 19:14b

...and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

Prudence

1. ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason

2. shrewdness in the management of affairs

3.  skill and good judgment in the use of resources

4.  caution or circumspection as to danger or risk

Prudent

1.  marked by wisdom or judiciousness

2.  shrewd in the management of practical affairs

3.  marked by circumspection; discreet

4.  provident, frugal

Well, that will keep me busy today ... and tomorrow

 ... and the next day ... and the next ...

What a challenge!

What is Leading You?

Psalm 43:3a

O send out thy light and thy truth;

let them lead me; ...

How often I let my emotions, my feelings, popular opinion, my heart, polls, my experiences dictate my actions!  Here the Psalmist reminds me to be led by God's light and His truth ... The Word of God.  That is guidance that will never fail.

Pumpkin Seeds

One treat around this house for the fall is roasted pumpkin seeds.  The pumpkins are used for decoration throughout the fall and then they give their seeds for snacks and their "meat" for pies, breads, cookies, and other baked goods.  For our early Thanksgiving dinner, my folks brought two winter squash - YUMMY!  These veggies also volunteered their seeds for a snack!

Savory Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

4 T melted butter

1/2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Fall Flavors Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

4 T melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground allspice

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

4 T melted butter

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Remove seeds from pumpkin.  Wash in big bowl of water.  Strain and let dry for 30 minutes to a day.  Heat oven to 275*.  Mix dry seeds with melted butter mixture of your choice.  Spread on cooking sheet.  Roast for 10-20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.  (Mine have taken as long as 45 minutes to get crispy).

House Hunting

I am such a girl in that I love shopping.  Really I do.  While I love clothes and shoes and jewelry, they are not the temptation that home decor and kitchenware is.  I am working on controlling the spending aspect, but I sure love to dream and learn from others in the areas of decorating and making a house a home.  I love stores like Lowes, Home Depot, Kirklands, etc. 

Because we are in a position of simply keeping all of our options open, hubby has actually started house hunting here.  We got to tour a trailer yesterday - what fun!  We are not buying today or tomorrow, but if God provides a minsitry and a job here in Cleveland County, it sure would be nice to have a home of our own :)

Boost the Profits

I mentioned a free $5 credit at PlumDistrict last week.  Until Monday, they are offering a $10 credit.  So if you did not jump on it last week because it didn't seem worth it ... I know that you can get something for free now.  And like I said before, I held mine "too long" and they added $5 to it.  Sign up here.

Good News for Christmas

Our church recently found another opportunity for tract distribution in our area.  Our local fair grounds conducts a "Christmas at the Fair" in early December.  The fair is 3 days and we will hand out tracts from a booth as we did in early October.  Because of the seasonal aspect of this event, the church decided to have a Christmas tract published.  It just finished publication this morning and is available for purchase at printmytract.com.  Many thanks to all those who worked on this tract and gave much valuable feedback.

Please let your pastors know about this tract.  The smallest order is 1000, but if 10 families in a church gave out 25 tracts a week in the month of December, they would be gone in no time.  Think of all the opportunities for distribution to shopping clerks, in Christmas cards to unsaved loved ones, and on your church visitation.  The website says that printing and shipping take 2-3 weeks, so don't dawdle too long!

Extra Hours

Are you remembering that this weekend is "Time Change"?  I, for one, will be thankful for the extra hour of rest on Saturday night.

I am also thankful for the extra hours that hubby has been getting at work.  His school workload has slowed and the retail business continues to improve through the holiday season.

God is good all the time!

More Freebies or Deep Discounts

Did you have any success with my last links?  Here is another site giving away $10 credits.  I signed up this morning and will be watching to restock my gift closet.  I briefly looked at some toys that would not be free, but would be highly discounted with the credit.  Check it out here.

SAHW

Do you recognize the acronym?  It is my job title.  Stay-at-Home-Wife.  While not as common as its counterpart (SAHM - Stay-at-Home-Mom), it is nevertheless my title.  After researching the title, it seems that the world has a negative view, for the most part, of my job.  While a SAHM is honorable and busy with the duties of wife and mother, a SAHW is often viewed as a soap opera-watching, bon-bon eating diva.  Perhaps that is why you don't hear of many SAHWs.  I must say that it is sometimes hard to "admit" to my job because of the common response, "well, what do you do all day."  My response internally is often, "How could I fit another job in?" 

I love my job.  I am my husband's wife and confidant.  I am a teaching consultant.  I am a church pianist.  I am a chef.  I am a baker.  I am a housekeeper.  I am an accountant.  I am a personal shopper.  I am a gardener and lawn keeper.  I am a painter (at least of large walls without detail).  I am a writer.  I am a secretary.  I am a nutritionist (though sometimes I ignore my own teaching) and menu planner.  I am a teacher.  I am a decorator.  I am a playmate with special interest in tree climbing and worms.  I am a student.  I am a seamstress.  I am a webmistress.  I am a designer.  I am a cheerleader.  I am a "think tank."  I am an aspiring violinist.  I am a motivational speaker.

I love the variety that my job gives me.  One day I may be working in the yard.  The next day I might be writing curriculum.  The next I might be babysitting.

I am sure that there are those SAHWs with a chocolate stash and a pile of DVDs, but I hope that you will give those SAHWs that you hear about the benefit of the doubt.  It is certainly the most satisfying job I have ever had.
 

Open Mouth ... Insert Foot

Oh, I am going to be laughing about this one for awhile.  It is magnified by the fact that this time it is not me with my foot in my mouth, but rather a person who is involved in Public Relations day in and day out!

I always head to school with hubbers on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays and then stay for chapel.  I did so today and then decided that since there were missions displays and representatives in the gym that I would spend an hour there until hubby could drive me home (usually I just walk home).  I chatted with many lovely people promoting church planting out west, deaf ministries, and printing ministries.  As I turned from one display, there was a representative who greeted me with: "you are not as young as many of the girls here!"  Yes, he really said that.  I graciously admitted that I was an older student wife.  He followed this with: "You must have young children!"  Really, he did.  While this is a typical question/statement it is really quite heartless to a woman struggling with her infertility who was just told that she was old.  Had it not been so comical, I might have burst out crying.  Upon relaying the story to hubby, he replied, "the only way he could have made it worse was to comment on your weight!"

Psalm 43:5

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?

and why art thou disquieted within me?

hope in God:

for I shall yet praise him,

who is the health of my countenance,

and my God.

Such a "simple" answer to the burdens that weigh us down.

Hope in God.

Praise God.

Praise Him not for what He has given,

but for who He is!