a little time away

I haven’t been posting a lot over the past week or so ~ mainly because of that unspoken prayer request. It’s taking up a lot of my time, energy, and brain function. No worries ~ I’m doing well. Please just continue to pray for me when you have a moment. I really do appreciate it.

The other thing that’s taking up some of my time is a book I received the other day. It’s a new Ted Dekker book, titled Adam. The book hasn’t been released yet, but I received a review copy from the publisher. Oh. My. Goodness. I’m totally absorbed in this book! The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance will be doing a blog tour of the book February 20-22. I’ll post a review then. But, unless for some reason the book bottoms out towards the end, it’s going to get a major thumbs-up from me.

By the way, if you have a blog and you’re interested in receiving books to review (the books are free from the publisher), check out The Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. I’ve received some great books from them. You can find the qualifications for becoming a CFBA reviewer listed on this page. Another great group to join is the Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy ~ they operate in a different genre than CFBA, and I’ve received some great science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction from them. And thirdly, you might consider joining F.I.R.S.T. (Fiction In Rather Short Takes). They do one book a month, and ask that you post the first chapter for that month’s book on your blog (the first chapter is provided for you ~ you don’t have to type the whole thing up! LOL). All 3 of these groups have been wonderful, and I really enjoy reading and reviewing the books they offer. I don’t read and review ALL of the books they offer each month ~ I wouldn’t have time to do anything else if I did!

I’m off to read a few more pages (or chapters) of Adam………

P.S. I’ve posted a couple of new reviews on my book review site Books & Book Reviews (how’s that for a catchy blog name?!) ~ enjoy!

need your prayers, please

Right now I have some things going on in my life that I really can’t talk about ~ yet. Hopefully someday day soon I’ll be able to write all about it. But for now, would you please pray for me when you think of it? Basically I’m asking for prayer regarding an unspoken request. I really do appreciate your prayers!

pocketmod

Check out this nifty little device ~ it’s called PocketMod. It’s ingenious ~ really! Here’s part of the description from the website:

The PocketMod is a new way to keep yourself organized. Lets face it, PDAs are too expensive and cumbersome, and organizers are bulky and hard to carry around. Nothing beats a folded up piece of paper. That is until now. With the PocketMod, you can carry around the days notes, keep them organized in any way you wish, then easily transfer the notes to your PDA, spreadsheet, or planner.
The PocketMod is a small book with guides on each page. These guides or templates, combined with a unique folding style, enable a normal piece of paper to become the ultimate note card. It is hard to describe just how incredibly useful the PocketMod is. It’s best that you just dive in and create one.

For folding instructions and a short instructional video, click on the “older version of PocketMod” link at the bottom of the page.

the one where sawyer runs away

I finally found the picture of Sawyer running away! He was 2 1/2 years old. We were living in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in the first house we ever bought. Sawyer was mad at us for something ~ I don’t even remember what. But he decided he’d had enough of whatever it was. He went into his room and got out his little suitcase (you can see part of “Going to Grandma’s” on the side of the suitcase ~ too cute!). He packed his footie pajamas, blankie, teddy bear, a couple of books and some Hot Wheels. Then he declared, “I’m going to live with Miss Christy!” Christy was our next door neighbor. She loved our boys and spoiled them rotten. Sawyer figured if he went to live with her he’d get his way all the time (which was pretty much true!).

Somehow I had the presence of mind to grab the camera as Sawyer stood on the front porch and told us good-bye. Then he marched across the yard, knocked on Christy’s door, and got his way. He “lived” with Christy for 2 nights before he decided he would come home. (Of course, Christy knew he was coming because we had called her, and we had arranged that he could stay with her for the weekend).

I couldn’t remember where I had put this picture. I found it this evening while looking for another picture (which, by the way, I have not found yet). Oy ~ he was just so stinkin’ cute. How did we ever manage to actually say no to him?!

excellent blog award

Kristine at MamaArcher’s Blog has graciously passed the Excellent Blog Award to A Joyful Heart. Thank you, Kristine!

The rules read: By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people whose blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…

There are so many wonderful, excellent blogs out there ~ I have about 45 blogs in my Bloglines reader that I read at least once a day ~ and that’s only the blog I read everyday! There are many, many more I visit when I’m able. Choosing 10 to pass this encouragement along to isn’t easy ~ I could select more than 10, but I don’t want to totally flood the blogosphere with all my picks, either!

Taking into account the blogs I read that already have this particular badge has helped narrow things down just a bit. So, here are the blogs I would like to pass the encouragement along to:

Choosing Joy

Life at 7000 Feet

Crown Laid Down

The Simple Wife

Scratchin’ the Surface

In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

Training Hearts

Mama Bug’s Mountain View Christian Academy

The Potter’s Hand

Christian Homekeeper

If you would like to display this badge on your blog and have the opportunity to recognize other blogs you think are excellent, then I pass this award on to you, too. Feel free to click on the graphic at the top of the post, then right click on the graphic in the new window. Save it to your computer, upload it to your blog, and pass the love around!

so ready for colorado

I am so ready to just fly off to Colorado ~ I’m really looking forward to actually seeing real SNOW ~ even if it’s only on the mountains ~ and being in a state that is dry. I miss the cold weather, believe it or not; that’s an incredibly difficult thing for the Arkansas natives to believe. I miss the cold that doesn’t hurt. Someday we’re going to move back to Alaska. The winter months may be darker there than they are in the Lower 48, but they’re not humid, which actually makes them more comfortable than the so-called “winters” in the South!

almost spring?

Could it possibly be almost spring in Arkansas? In the past 2 days I have seen the bluejays and cardinals returning around my bird feeder, feasting on the goodies we leave there for the bird. There are jays and all sorts of colorful birds flitting around my yard, but I haven’t heard our owl for a while now. I’m not quite ready for spring ~ although the daffodils in my yard assure me they ARE. I was hoping spring would wait just a little longer ~ I would be happy to have another couple of freezing spells ~ when we don’t have enough freezing, the ticks, fleas and mosquitoes are horrendous during the summer. And if you’re one of our friends or part of our family who intends to come down to Arkansas for Patrick’s high school graduation, trust me, you’re hoping for a few more freezing spells here as well!

bountiful weekend

This past weekend was quite bountiful. Patrick was home from school ~ he came home Friday, spent the weekend hanging out with us, playing Halo with his brother, and working on college admissions and scholarship applications with his dad. He has to go back to school today (he had today off in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day); it was nice to have him around all weekend.

In the mail I received several packages. One was a lovely mini scrapbook from my bloggy friend Tamara at Training Hearts. I haven’t had a chance to take pictures of it yet, but when I do I’ll post them. It’s the cutest little scrapbook, cleverly made from corrugated paper, covered in fabric, with neat little slip-in/pull-out tags. It has a country/farm/rooster theme. Thank you, Tamara ~ it’s simply adorable!

Another package in my mail box was the pattern book The Bumper Book of Knitting I ordered a while ago. I’m thrilled it arrived in plenty of time before we head out to Colorado ~ I have time to go through the patterns to decide which one I want to work on, and gather all of the materials. The Yuletide Gnomes and Cheeky Monkey patterns are much too cute to pass up! I was flipping through the book right after it arrived, showing Sawyer the cute patterns (poor kid ~ he’s the only one around most afternoons, so he gets to do fun things like listen to his mom rant and rave about cute knitting patterns!) ~ when I got to the Cheeky Monkey pattern I showed the picture to Sawyer and told him, “All of my grandchildren are going to have these cute little monkeys!” His reply was, “All of your grandchildren? What about your children?” LOL In Sawyer speak, that means, “Hey Mom ~ make one for me, too. They’re just goofy enough that I’d like to have one. “

The third package to arrive was a book I requested from Paperback Swap. I have enjoyed using PBS to find books that I would like to read, and passing along books I no longer want or need to other people who want to read them. It’s a fairly simple concept ~ you set up an account where you list all of the books you have that you would like to pass along to someone else. Then you make a list of the books you would like to read. When a book you’ve listed is requested by another member, you’re notified, and you send the book to them. When someone else lists a book you would like to read, they send it to you. You get a point for every book you send that’s received by another member, and every book you receive costs you a point. For people who read a lot but don’t want to keep every book they read, it’s a pretty good deal. The sender has to pay for the shipping, but you can print a label right from the PBS site that tells you how much postage to put on the package, and you can choose to send it Media Mail, so it really doesn’t cost that much. It has worked great for me ~ you would not believe how pitiful our local library system is. I’ve had much better luck finding books on PBS than in my local libraries.

Roger’s hard at work figuring out our plans for traveling to Colorado. At this point we’re thinking it might be good to fly ~ driving across Kansas in the middle of the winter can be a little scary sometimes. So, Roger’s working on that, and hopefully we’ll have everything figured out soon.

Jake had to go to the vet this morning. He has been having seizures off and on over the past couple of years, and they’ve started happening more frequently. The past few months he has had one every other week. We’ve been watching and keeping track of his seizures for a while ~ the vet was aware of them, and she had asked us to keep an eye on it. Today the vet said we should go ahead and put Jake on some medication for the seizures. I hate to do that, but it concerns me that Jake may have a seizure when we’re not around (I don’t even like to think that it may have already happened a few time). The meds will probably make him Dopey Dog for a few days, but after that he should adjust to the meds and be fine. It would be nice for him to not have the seizures ~ everything I’ve read about them says the seizures don’t hurt, they’re just confusing and scary for the dog. They’re scary for the dog’s humans, too!

Overall, our weekend was very productive and bountiful. I love having the whole family together ~ and surprise packages in the mail are always fun! I’ve made some headway on the afghan project, and our trip is almost planned out. We’re off to a great start this week!

abc’s of living simply

My bloggy friend Joanne Heim has written several books. I’ve mentioned her book Living Simply in several posts. In conjunction with this particular book, Joanne has posted on her blog The ABCs of Living Simply. They’re downloadable ideas to print on 4×6 cards for living simply that you can put into practice. Just click on the button at the top of this post to see Joanne’s wonderful ideas!

how i learned to knit

Sherry wrote: I do counted cross-stitch (self taught) and I kind of know how to crochet. My sister taught me when I was a teen. Together we made an afghan for my sister and her husband. This was when I was in high school. It was for a king bed. My parents loved it so much they asked if we’d make one for them. So we started. Unfortunately my sister died of cancer before it was finished and I had to finish it alone. To be honest I haven’t crocheted since then. Just too many sad memories I guess. But I would like to learn to knit. Do you think I can teach myself? I sure hope so I have a book on order! How did you learn to knit? Thanks

I learned to knit when I was 9 years old. My mother’s cousin came to stay with us for a visit, and she was a very experienced knitter and crocheter. She took the time to teach me how to do both. By the end of her visit she had taught me all of the basics and helped me complete a couple of projects. After that I just kept practicing. I would check books out of the library and follow the instructions and patterns for different projects. As I got older, the projects became more advanced. I don’t know that I’ll ever be as good of a knitter and crocheter as my mom’s cousin, but I do enjoy them. I cross stitch as well ~ I have 2 big projects just waiting to be completed. (I’ve got to get the afghan for my niece and her husband done first, though!)

Sherry, since you taught yourself to cross stitch, and you already know how to crochet, I think you can probably teach yourself to knit as well. It would really depend on how well the book you bought explains the process. I wouldn’t go out and buy a bunch of equipment yet ~ wait and see if you like knitting first. Do a couple of basic projects and see how quickly you pick it up. If you enjoy it, then by all means pursue it.

I teach knitting and crochet from my house. I know there are a lot of people who do that as well. You might look into getting someone to show you the basics if you have a hard time learning from the book. Look for elderly ladies in your neighborhood or church ~ there are several elderly ladies I know who love to have the opportunity to teach another lady how to knit. Not only do they get to share something they love, but it also gives them some company and interaction that they might not otherwise receive.

Let me know when you get your book ~ I’m interested to know how it goes for you!

news from germany

Our friends the S. family visited us for a quick 2 days in early November. After they visited with us, they went to Colorado to visit with family until it was time for them to head over to Germany (their new assignment). We finally heard from them ~ I was beginning to wonder if they’d fallen off the end of the earth! Actually, they were just waiting for an internet hook-up in their home. Cheri sent several pictures, but I wanted to share this one. Don’t they look great?!

where I’ve lived

MamaArcher asked, “Where have you lived that was your favorite place and why?!”

Well, let’s see. I’ve lived several places across the country, and I’ve traveled extensively within the United States. But, I would have to say that my favorite place has been Alaska. It’s so incredibly gorgeous there ~ words just don’t do it justice. I loved growing up in Montana, and of course Colorado is beautiful, too. But there’s just something about Alaska that really appeals to me.

I have lived in Texas, New York, Montana, Oklahoma, Ohio, Colorado, Texas (#2), Arkansas, North Carolina, Arkansas (#2), Alaska and back again to Arkansas. The northwestern states appeal to me ~ although I was born in Texas, I’m really a northwestern girl at heart. Someday Roger and I hope to be able to be snowbirds ~ live in Alaska during the summer months, and Arizona (or someplace that’s not humid!) in the winter.

Thanks for the question, Kristine!

wedding pictures

You can view a slideshow of some of the pictures from Angie (my gorgeous niece) and Ashley’s wedding here. I’m really looking forward to our trip to Denver next month!

first prayer journal on its way

At the end of my post “prayer journal how-to” I wrote that I would be pleased to make a prayer journal for anyone who would like one. Well, the first prayer journal to be requested is on its way to its new home. Lynn sent me an email and asked about getting a prayer journal ~ she said she liked the journal I made as the example journal in my post (photographs). I sent that journal off to her today.

If you think you would like for me to make a prayer journal for you, just send me an email.

Speaking of prayer ~ how may I pray for you? I would be honored if you would consider sending me an email with your prayer requests. Prayer requests will always be treated with the utmost of privacy ~ I truly do consider praying specific requests for others a privilege never to be taken lightly.

blogger’s block

Not much sleep and a whole lot of nothin’ out of the ordinary lately has given me a case of blogger’s block. My bloggy friend Meredith is having the same problem. I like her solution ~ ask me a question. I’m pretty sure my answer will be fairly ordinary, but ask anyway. I’m interested to know what you want to know about me. Who knows ~ maybe I’ll be able to make you question into a journal entry starter!

how to look good naked

I’m one of those people who have difficulty sleeping. I’ve tried all kinds of methods to try to get better rest ~ the only thing that works for me is Ambien CR. Seriously. The. Only. Thing. But Ambien CR works well only for a short time ~ at some point I have to stop taking it in order to allow my body to readjust. After a few nights off the Ambien CR I can start taking it again and it works like a charm.

During those times when I’m resetting my body and taking a break from the Ambien, I’m up until all hours of the night. That’s just the way it is. No amount of warm milk, exercise during the day, soft sleepy music and low lights will help me sleep. It just doesn’t happen.

That’s when I turn to the TV. I record shows with my DVR so I have a selection for when I’m not sleeping much (if any). This week has been one of those weeks when I haven’t been sleeping. Last night I realized I had gone though my reserve of TV programs ~ I had nothing recorded to watch. So I clicked on the Guide and found an old rerun of Frasier. When Frasier was over I went to the computer to check my email, and the next TV show started.

After I checked my email, I went back into the living room to sit down and watch another show. And there, on my TV screen, was a guy in Times Square stopping people to ask them what they thought of the picture of a woman in her bra and panties that was being projected onto a tall building. The thing was, the woman was not what we in America would call in “good” shape. She wasn’t obese, but she was what I call a Real Woman. She had curves, she had flesh, and she wasn’t a size 0. The people being interviewed on the street were saying things like, “She has nice legs,” or “She has nice curves,” and my personal favorite, “She has pretty feet.” All of this happened in the time it took for me to walk from my desk to the couch. By that point, I was pretty intrigued.

After a couple of minutes of watching this show, I figured out it was the new Lifetime series How to Look Good Naked. I had seen the commercials for this show (again, during my late-night recorded TV show bonanza) ~ and to be honest, I had rolled my eyes at the commercial and reacted with an, “Oh, please!” The host, Carson something-or-other, is just about as goofy and effeminate as a man can get. I don’t know if he’s gay ~ I don’t know anything about this man ~ but it wouldn’t surprise me. I have never watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, but this Carson dude reminded me of one of them.

The thing is, I was really, honestly, truly touched by the way Carson treated the lady (Leila) who was the subject of the show. He was kind, sweet, and very gentle with her. His entire objective was to help this lady change the way she perceived herself. He wasn’t giving her a make-over, he was giving her a new self-image.

I ended up watching the entire show because I was so taken with the way Carson interacted with Leila. Sure, he put on his fruity California homosexual act now and then, but when he was talking one on one with Leila he was really quite incredible. He showed her that the way she perceives her body is not really the way her body is. For example, he had 5 women line up in their bras and panties (people spent a lot of time in just their bra and panties on this show!) and asked Leila to take a really good look at these ladies’ hips. They were arranged from smallest to largest hip size, ranging from 34″ to 54″. Then Carson asked Leila to position herself into the line of ladies where she believed she would fit in the progression of size. Leila put herself between the two women at the largest end. But in truth, as Carson showed her next, she really fell between the first and second ladies ~ the two smallest of hip sizes in the line.

By the end of the show Leila had begun to see herself not as a fat, frumpy, cellulite-ridden, unattractive woman, but as a woman who is attractive even though she doesn’t have the body of a super model. Watching her transformation was quite beautiful.

I won’t say How to Look Good Naked is something I will watch every time it comes on ~ I don’t even know if I’ll ever choose to watch it again at all. But last night ~ late last night ~ when I did watch it, it felt worth watching. I think every woman has self-image problems when it comes to their bodies. Have you ever been in a group of ladies where the skinniest girl in the bunch makes a comment about needing to lose 5 pounds to fit into her jeans? It’s infuriating to the rest of us who don’t have the luxury of fitting into size 2 jeans, even on a good day.

But isn’t that a sad statement about our society? That we value our looks, the shape of our bodies, rather than the condition of our hearts? I’m not saying it’s ok to totally let yourself go and not even try to look nice, because really it’s not ok. But it is ok to have whatever body the Lord gave you. We have to take care of our bodies because they are a temple, the residing place of the Holy Spirit. That means doing things like eating right, getting some exercise, and not doing things that harm our bodies (like smoking or doing drugs). But when our focus is strictly on the body itself rather than the heart, it’s the heart that looks ugly. A beautiful body that contains a hard, blackened, ugly heart is an abomination to the Lord and a stench in His nostrils.

Is it as amazing to you as it is to me that this man Carson, who gave absolutely no indication that he is a Christian or that he is saved ~ really implied the opposite through his effeminate behavior ~ concerned himself with the interior thoughts and misconceptions Leila held about her body before he concerned himself with the actual external conditions of her body? He wanted to help her get her thoughts right before he worried about how she looked on the outside.

Has the Holy Spirit been working on your thoughts and your heart? Or are you more concerned with how you look on the outside ~ the right clothes, the right Bible, the right pew in church? At this time of year, millions of people make resolutions to eat right, go to the gym, and lose some weight. But God sees our hearts ~ our spiritual hearts, the interior of our being. How does your heart look to God? Is it a hard, black, solid mass of rock? Or is it in a healthy state, clean before Him, washed white as snow by Him, and lovely to Him?

At the end of the day (or life), that’s all that really matters.

prayer journal how-to

To make a prayer journal, you will need:

From Prayer Journa…

pretty 12×12 patterned cardstock and some embellishments

3-ring binder, loose-leaf paper, self-stick index tabs, and labels (for your journal sections)

a paper cutter, a hole punch, and page reinforcements (if desired)

First, decide what kind of sections you want in your journal. My sections usually include Praise, Confess, Requests, Thanks, Listening, Memorize, Wisdom, Proverbs, Reading and Reminders. You can put as many or as few sections in your journal as you desire.

Print your section labels onto the index tab inserts that came with the tabs, or onto mailing labels you can cut to size to fit the index tab inserts. Put your section labels into the index tabs.

Next, carefully cut your patterned paper to fit in your 3-ring binder. I use 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 loose-leaf paper and the smaller 3-ring binders that paper fits into. Doing this, I can get 2 section divider papers out of each of my 12×12 patterned cardstock sheets.

Using some patterned paper and embellishments, make a title page for your journal (if desired).

Using the hole punch and a piece of your loose-leaf paper as a guide, carefully punch 3 holes into each of your section divider papers.

Apply the self-stick index tab (section labels) to the section divider papers, staggering them so they’re easy to read.

Once you have all of the section labels on their respective section divider papers, place your title page on top and put them into the 3-ring binder.

Place some loose-leaf paper behind each section divider, and you’re done!

You can take this journal with you everywhere. It’s very convenient ~I can pop a piece of loose-leaf paper out, hand it to a friend, and let them write down their prayer requests for the week. Then I place that paper in the Requests section. Every time I open my journal to write down requests, I’ll see the page my friend wrote her requests on ~ it’s a wonderful reminder to pray for others often.

This journal is pretty and easy to make. However, if you don’t have the time to make one for yourself, or you don’t have access to the supplies needed, I would be happy to make one for you. Just send me an email and place “prayer journal” in the subject line ~ we can then communicate about making your prayer journal!

uncle!!!

I’m not just crying uncle, I’m screaming it from the rooftops!!! Remember Angie and Ashley’s wedding afghan (here)? All those beautiful shells and the openwork edges where a ribbon can run through……..have me screaming and pulling my hair out. I’ve made this afghan before, but I don’t remember it taking so blasted long to complete ~ nor do I recall it driving me absolutely batty. I’ve stopped and started on this particular pattern about 15 times ~ I’m finally giving up. The problem is probably mostly the yarn I chose to use for the wedding afghan, and the fact that it’s big enough to cover 2 1/2 people (well, 2 1/2 skinny people like Angie & Ashley, anyway). I’ve decided if I want to have an afghan to give them as a wedding present before they celebrate their first anniversary, I’d better ditch this pattern and choose a different one. One that is beautiful, but will go a little more quickly.

I’m finding that there’s a definite lack of gorgeous wedding afghan-type patterns out there. The really beautiful ones I’m coming across are all knitting patterns. And while I enjoy knitting, I can complete a crochet project in less than half the time it would take me to knit that same project.

I have a baby afghan pattern (crochet) that I like. If I use a heavier weight yarn than the pattern calls for, and a larger needle, I can adjust the pattern to make a nice-size adult afghan with it. And the great part is that not only is it a pretty afghan, but the pattern repeats the same row once you get to row 3 ~ Rows 3-76 are exactly the same! That makes it very easy to memorize and then just whip the project out.

So, I’m off to work on this new afghan pattern. Hopefully I’ll be able to get this one made up before we leave for Colorado!

what the wild west would’ve been like……

with shetland ponies. Oh my goodness ~ I laughed so hard I snorted when I watched this short video……..Enjoy!

my winter reading challenge book list

Last year I took on a new hobby ~ reading and reviewing books for publishers and authors, and posting a review on my blog. It’s a lot of fun ~ I get free books to read, then I actually get to tell other people what I thought about that book! Very fun for me, let me tell you.

The only problem with writing reviews is that there are deadlines. And the deadlines mean I have to have certain books read within a certain timeframe. That has messed with my pleasure reading. So, for a little while I’m going to stop taking book review assignments and actually read all of those books I intended to read last year before I took on the review gig.

That’s really the main reason why I decided to host a Winter Reading Challenge ~ completely selfish on my part! I figured other people might want to join in, especially when there’s the opportunity to win a $25 Amazon.com gift card.

I will probably be adding books to this list as time permits. For now, here’s the start of my list:

The Hand That Bears the Sword by George Bryan Polivka ~ I started reading this book, but I somehow managed to either lose it or misplace it! So for now I’m taking it off the list.
Passionate Housewives Desperate for God by Jennie Chancey and Stacy McDonald
Mr. Inside by L. Frank James
The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson
Death of a Garage Sale Newbie by Sharon Dunn

All totaled, that’s 1,398 pages ~ I’m pretty sure I can average more than 140 pages a week, but we’ll see. I still have an afghan to finish for Angie and Ashley (my niece and her new groom) as well as a couple of other projects to complete by the end of February.

Thank you to everyone who’s participating in the Winter Reading Challenge. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s reading lists ~ I always get so many good ideas for books to add to my list when I look over what other people are reading!

If you’re interested in or curious about the Winter Reading Challenge, click here to read all about it!

1/10/08 I love MamaArcher’s idea of including the books of the Bible she plans to read to her list ~ I couldn’t resist adding them myself:

Genesis

Exodus

Leviticus

Numbers

Deuteronomy

Joshua

Judges

Ruth

1 Samuel

That takes me through March 17 on my “read through the Bible in a year” outline ~ I will probably do a Bible study too. If I do, I’ll add it to the list.

January 15, 2008

The Maker’s Diet by Jordan Rubin

January 17, 2008

Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear by Sharon Dunn

January 28, 2007

Running Scared by Edward Welch

Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell (We’ll see about this one ~ if the language gets foul then I’ll skip it) ~ Just as I suspected, foul language, so this one’s off the list. What is it with authors thinking they need to use language like that just to sell books??!!! I really hate it…….

Adam by Ted Dekker

The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston

Wow. I think I’d better stop adding books to my list ~ I’ll never get them all read AND complete all of the crochet projects I have in progress! There are days when I would just much rather read than crochet or knit…………

a necklace, a book mark and a key ring

Just look what I received in the mail today:

A necklace, hand made Bible bookmark and hand made key ring ~ from my Secret Sister! Thank you so much, Secret Sister ~ they’re all absoutely beautiful!

chill out, josey! book review

I’ve posted a new book review on my review blog ~ check it out, then click on the link at the bottom of the post for a chance to win a Chill Out, Mom Spa Basket!

winter reading challenge

The Winter Reading Challenge is now closed, but scroll to the bottom of the post to see the links to the participants’ reading lists.

As I mentioned in my goals for 2008 post, I have books sitting on my bookshelf that were on my reading list for 2007 and never got read. Seeing as I’m a huge reader, that’s a very sad, sad statement ~ and it must be rectified!

So, I’m hosting a Winter Reading Challenge. Winter officially started December 21, 2007 ~ I’m running a little behind.

Katrina has in the past been gracious enough to host a Spring Reading Challenge; she may be gracious enough to do it again this spring (love ya, Katrina! ), so the Winter Reading Challenge will have to end before the official start of spring, March 20, 2008.

Here’s what I propose: the Winter Reading Challenge begins today. Don’t panic ~ I’ll leave the Mr. Linky up so you can sign-up for the challenge once you’ve had a chance to make a list of the books you intend to read between January 7 and March 17, 2008. That’s 10 weeks total for the challenge, so if you’re able to get your list together and sign up, oh say, 2 weeks from now, that still leaves you with 8 weeks to complete your reading list!

Everyone is invited to join in!

I have put a Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post where you can submit a link to your own Winter Reading Challenge blog post. All I ask is that your post include a list of the books you want to or plan to read this winter, and include a link back to this post that contains the Mr. Linky, so we can spread the word.

Start compiling your list of the books you want to read during the Winter Reading Challenge. Once you’ve got your list together, write a post about your goals with a list of the books you intend to read. Then come back here and sign up under the Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post.

Note: PLEASE BE SURE THAT THE LINK YOU PUT IN THE MR. LINKY GOES DIRECTLY TO YOUR WINTER READING CHALLENGE POST, NOT YOUR GENERAL BLOG PAGE.

Don’t forget to add a link back to this post so all those great people who read your post about the Winter Reading Challenge can join in the fun, too!

In Katrina’s words:

• *Be creative. Are there books you want to read to your children? Put them on the list! Want to stack up your books and post a picture of your goal along with your list? Go for it! Want to promise not to buy any more books until you read all the ones on your list? Do it!
• *Be ambitious. The important thing isn’t whether or not you are able to cross off every single item on your list. It’s reading more, reading things you want to read, and enjoying the books that you do read. So don’t list every book you ever want to read in your entire life – the challenge is just ten weeks, you know. But make a list that will challenge you to go a little further than you might have done without these goals to spur you on.

As an added incentive, I will be sending one lucky participant a $25 gift certificate to (where else?) Amazon.com. I’ll do a random drawing from the names of everyone who posts both an initial list by Monday, February 11, 2008 and a post about their results at the end of the challenge. The drawing will be held Monday, March 17, 2008 sometime in the evening. The winner’s name will be posted after the drawing.

You can save the Winter Reading Challenge graphic by clicking on it at the top of this post. Please save it to your computer, then upload it to your blog. You can put it in your sidebar, at the top of your Winter Reading Challenge post, or both!

Go for it ~ and happy reading! I can’t wait to see everyone’s reading lists!

P.S. In order to qualify for the Amazon.com $25 gift certificate, you MUST have your Winter Reading Challenge post up and sign-up under Mr. Linky (at the bottom of this post) no later than Monday, February 11, 2008.

However, you’re welcome to sign up to participate in the Winter Reading Challenge at any time, even after February 11!

Click here to see my reading list!

1. MamaBugs 2. Jen @ nyisutter\’s Scribbles 3. Lisa @ The Berry Patch 4. Linda 5. Sheri 6. Nicole @ The Sparkling Dragonfly 7. D 8. Tricia 9. Mama Archer 10. Amyswandering 11. Robin 12. Laura 13. Jenny 14. Denise-mominpa 15. Jacque-seekingrest 16. Tons of Sons 17. Bev 18. Heidi @ Reviews by Heidi

19. ruralmomma (Lesley) 20. sprittibee 21. Monique 22. dianne-bunny trails 23. gomomyourock 24. Christy 25. Amy Bayliss 26. Terri Sue 27. Cindy aka gooblink 28. Page 29. Brittnee 30. Renee@Count It Pure Joy 31. Denise 32. Sherry -Best of all, Books! 33. Alicia 34. Karen W 35. Renee\’ 36. Eyebright

37. Renee\’ (Family reading list) 38. Andrea 39. Sweetpotato 40. Abi B. 41. Amanda 42. One-Tired Mom 43. De\’Etta 44. Dawn @ My Home Sweet Home 45. Lisa @ Me & My House 46. Melissa (Between the Trees) 47. Gretchen 48. Nise\’ 49. Cyndy 50. Tina Awakened…to know 51. Becky 52. Janis 53. preciouspeas 54. Laurie

Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

ccc and chchc

I am desperately trying to clean up my blog and sidebar. There are so many really great blinkies, pics and links that I would love to put into my sidebar, but when I do, the sidebar seems crowded and overwhelming to me. I am trying to keep it to a minimum ~ and in order to do that, I’ll have to post about the really great things I find instead of just putting a blinkie (like the one at the top of this post) into my sidebar.

The biggest decision for me so far this year (and since it’s only January 4th I’m sure other, more monumental decisions will come along) has been to clean out all of the extra stuff we have in our house. So far I have managed to find a place for everything and put everything in its place (for the most part), but God has been working on my heart regarding all the extra stuff, and I know it’s time to act on that conviction and be obedient to what God has been telling me.

Our home is a lovely 2600 square feet (approximately) ranch-style home with 4 bedrooms, 2 3/4 baths, a sunroom and a screened-in porch, in a very open and large-roomed floor plan. There’s lots of room. And I have lots and lots of bookshelves, armoires, RubberMaid buckets and other shelving units. These provide ample space for keeping/hiding/storing tons of “stuff”. In my sunroom alone I have a large oak desk, oak credenza, 2 six-foot tables, a smaller crafting desk, 2 large metal shelving units, a bookcase, shelving for cardstock and unfinished/unopened scrapbooks, buckets full of scrapbooking paper (one bucket for patterned paper, one for 12×12 cardstock), large and small storage canvas bags full of yarn, 2 large RubberMaid buckets full of yarn, filing cabinets, “cubes” full of yarn, and a small stand-alone storage box of drawers full of yarn. And that’s not everything I’ve managed to fit into my 24.6′ x 10′ sunroom! And the thing is, it doesn’t really feel all that crowded in the sunroom (aka the office and/or the craft room). The rest of our home is the same way. It would be almost overwhelming for me to go into detail here about how much storage space we have ~ and it all has “stuff” stored away in it. Not to mention the closets, garage and attic space ~ we won’t even go there!

So, as you can tell, it’s time to clear things out. It almost gives me a panic attack just thinking about it! But, it must be done. Roger wants to hold a huge garage sale (or two or three ~ however many it takes to get rid of the majority of the “stuff”) after we get home from our trip to Colorado in March. The weather in Arkansas is usually nice enough in March to hold garage sales.

The thing I have to remember, and continually remind myself, is that I’m getting rid of “stuff” in order to be obedient to God. That is absolutely the most important part of everything I do. I tend to collect things ~ books, paper, yarn, stamps, embellishments, ink pads, crafting accessories, etc., etc. ~ and I really LIKE collecting things. It has been a major work of God on my heart for me to come to the understanding that stuff is just stuff ~ it has no real meaning or lasting value.

If you click on the blinkie at the top of this post, you will be taken to a site called A Clean Heart, and a post titled “The Colossal Clutter Clean-Up”. Amy of Dandelion Seeds has written several devotional items geared towards turning the reader’s focus from stuff (clutter) to a clean heart before God. And once the reader’s heart is clean, so her home should be clean (and clutter free). Roger saw me reading Amy’s material the other day, and he commented that we should go through Amy’s study together. Amy has also written the 52-week devotional, the Clean Heart Clean Home Challenge. She has been given the gift of teaching through her writing. If God has been speaking to you about cleaning out “stuff” ~ whether in your heart, your home, or both ~ I recommend that you take a look at Amy’s Colossal Clutter Clean-Up and Clean Heart Clean Home Challenge. They may just be what the Lord has been guiding you toward.

So, while I find my home comfortable, and have been told by others that my home is comfortable and soothing (without being prompted to say so!), I really do feel strongly that the Lord is leading me to down-size. In a world of super-sized everything, isn’t it just like God to lead in the opposite direction?

I have other really great links to share, so I’ll be posting about lots of different sites and links frequently. As much as I would love to put all of the blinkies, pics and links in my sidebar, I’m going to keep the excess stuff in my home AND on my blog to a minimum. If I come up with a way to have all of the blinkies, pics and links handy in the sidebar rather than spread out in different posts I’ll be sure to implement it. But for now, I’ll label all of these types of posts “good stuff” ~ the labels can be found in my sidebar.

upcoming wedding

Our niece, Angie, is getting married on Thursday! She and Ashley have been together for several years now ~ he proposed on her birthday in 2006 with roses and a miniature wedding cake. (You can just barely see the cake in the very bottom left-hand corner of the picture below.) They’re getting married in Costa Rica ~ Roger and I are heartbroken that we’re not able to attend the wedding ceremony. But, we ARE going to be able to go to the reception they’re holding in Denver February 29. We WANT to go to Costa Rica, but it’s just not going to happen. So, we’re excited and thankful that we’ll be able to be in Denver for the reception.

Congrats, kiddo ~ we love you, and we can’t wait to see you in February!

acceptance to tamu

Patrick went online this afternoon to check his application status with Texas A&M. His application was accepted! He’s thrilled ~ he spent a couple of days at A&M this past summer during an honors invitation program and was very impressed with the campus, faculty, and students. He has applied to several colleges, and so far has received acceptance confirmations from Drury University and Texas A&M. Now we just have to wade through all of the scholarship applications and the battle for the best scholarship package.

We will find out at the beginning of February whether Patrick has been selected as a National Merit Scholarship finalist or not. Once we received notification that he was a semi-finalist (back in October) we started receiving scholarship offers from colleges and universities. A couple of them were pretty good offers. If he is selected as a finalist, the chances of his getting a full-ride scholarship increase significantly.

I still think there are a few additional colleges Patrick should apply to ~ we’re considering and weighing all of the options. We want him to go to a college that he wants to attend ~ but how do you convince a 17 year old that he would do well to consider colleges in Colorado, New York or Massachusetts when he’s really very much a homebody and doesn’t want to be more than 8 hours or so away from home? (And even though I want him to go to the best college he possibly can, how do I convincingly tell him it would be ok with me if he DID attend a college as far away as Colorado, New York or Massachusetts?!)

P.S. I forgot to mention ~ Patrick was invited by Drury University to attend a special weekend at the university held for students who qualify to compete for their Trustees’ Scholarship. You can’t just apply for the Trustees’ Scholarship ~ you have to be invited to attend this special weekend and interview for it. It’s very competitive, but it’s a fantastic scholarship.

We were a little concerned that Patrick might not be able to attend because the weekend the interviews are being held is the ONE mandatory weekend for every student at the school he currently attends. It’s the weekend where the seniors turn in their FIRM projects that they’ve been working on since the middle of their junior year ~ sort of like a college thesis. It’s a huge deal, and a major part of their final GPA.

Roger sent the dean of academics (at Patrick’s high school) an email telling her that Patrick had been invited to interview for the Trustees’ Scholarship at Drury. He asked her for permission for Patrick to be excused from the school’s mandatory weekend. She replied that as long as Patrick and his FIRM advisor can assure her that his FIRM project will be completed and handed in before that weekend, she would grant permission for him to be excused. That’s really good and really HUGE for us!

more about goals

After writing my post yesterday about goals, I was tickled once again by God and His timing when I read this post by Holly at Crown Laid Down and this one by Kristine at Mama Archer’s Blog. I’ve been making notes for the past week or so as to what God has been speaking to my heart because, as I explained yesterday, making goals at the beginning of each new year just really isn’t my thing. I usually laughingly chalk it up to being a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl. That’s not completely accurate, though. I’m not so much fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants as I am a let’s-ask-God-what-to-do-at-this-moment kind of girl.

Psalm 90:12 reads, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.“

In her book Living Simply, Joanne Heim writes:

The word number in this verse means pretty much what you’d think – to count, assign, appoint. Makes me think of schedules and calendars and to-do lists. I’m pretty familiar with all of those; how about you?

But the word gain in the Hebrew doesn’t mean that when we do number our days correctly, a heart of wisdom automatically appears. The Hebrew word in this verse means to grasp, take hold of, seize. It’s active, not at all passive.

We need God to help us number – schedule – our days aright so that we can seize wisdom. If we don’t learn this skill, presumably we won’t be able to take hold of the wisdom God offers……………

When we don’t number our days aright, we’re too busy, too tired, too scattered to pursue wisdom with the determination and energy it requires.

This next part is the part where, like the V-8 commercial, someone should have smacked me on the forehead ~ I knew what Joanne was explaining, I had just not paid attention like I should have:

Can you imagine not living by a clock? What freedom! Never running out of time, never worried about wasting time, never running late, never showing up too early…

But we are creatures of time by God’s design. We are the created, not the creator; He knows us inside and out. We are bound by time and it passes all too quickly. “Our days…quickly pass, and we fly away” (v. 10).

So what are we to do? What makes the difference to those days as they pass?

Wisdom. Knowing what to do and when to do it. Using what we know to make wise choices and godly decisions.

I love how Moses ends this psalm. He asks God to “satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (v.14). When we start the day with God, asking Him to schedule our time and tasks, joy is the result. And days full of gladness and joyful song are what I want – for myself and my family.

And so we begin our day, confident of God’s unfailing love, and ask Him to “establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands” (v. 17). The Hebrew word for establish means “to prepare, to arrange, to order.”

I love how this verse reads in the King James Version: “And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”

Satisfy me each morning with your love and establish the work of my hands today, Lord God. Order my day, arrange the tasks to be accomplished, prepare me for the conversations I’ll have. Help me sing for joy as I clean my home, read to my children, spend time with a friend. Number my day aright and help me pursue and grab hold of wisdom.

A beautiful life, lived one day at a time. That’s the kind of simple life I long for.

Joanne, I couldn’t have put it any better myself (so I quoted you! )

So that’s my thing. As I look forward to this new year and all the possibilities it brings, I know one thing for sure ~ I want to seek God’s face, live within His will, and grab every bit of wisdom He allows me. God’s the one who orders my days. He’s the one who sets my path. I want only what He has for me. My goals, my intentions, my wants and desires are nothing if God is not the author and director.

My prayer for 2008 is that with the apostle Paul I might say, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). God numbers my days, and I wish only to live according to His plan, His purpose, to love Him and bring glory to His Name.

Simply Living by Joanne Heim quoted with permission. The portion of Joanne’s book quoted in this post may be found on pages 42-45.

what’s a hokie?

Regarding the Virginia Tech mascot ~ anyone know what a Hokie is?

goals, goals, everybody’s goals

It’s that time of year again ~ the beginning of every new year is the time to make a list of goals one hopes to attain over the next 365 days. As I read through what I call my Daily Blog Tour ~ those blogs I read on a daily (or at least regular) basis ~ I have found a mixture of goal-making approaches. It has been fun to read about the things my friends, both IRL and bloggy, hope to change, add, or eliminate from their lives.

Every year I struggle with this tradition. There’s something about making a list of the things I want for my life that bothers me. It may be that I don’t care to make a list of goals simply because listing goals that aren’t attained within the next 365 day period would seem like a failure to me. I don’t like failure ~ in fact, I usually try to avoid it.

My children would tell you I don’t make a list of goals because I’m “OCD” ~ by that they mean I’m too much of a perfectionist. In truth, I’m not a perfectionist, but they think I am. Admittedly, I am particular about things ~ like vacuuming, doing the dishes, and cleaning the bathroom ~ but my children fail to appreciate the difference between particular and perfectionist. If a job’s not done well, it’s not done at all ~ and my sons would say the same line of thought would apply to any list of goals I may make. If I take the time to make a list, everything on my list would have to be done well, or it would be considered not done at all. There may be some truth to that…….

This year, though, I’m going to break from my tradition of not making a list of goals. I have tried to make my list as realistic and attainable as possible ~ it’s the only way a list of goals is going to work for me. This is my list of “practical” goals (not in any specific order):

1. Declutter, dejunk, and downsize ~ there’s too much “stuff” just sitting around my home that I don’t use, don’t need or don’t want. Get rid of it!
2. Make meal planning a priority. I tend to stop and start with this ~ I need to work on it.
3. Learn to manage my fibromyalgia well ~this alone will improve not only my quality of life, but the quality of life for my family as well. This may mean I have to eliminate some commitments that add stress to my life (even though I enjoy them) ~ stress + fibromyalgia = one unhappy Trish.
4. Complete all half-done and/or already promised projects before taking on any new ones: make Christmas stockings for Norma, Larry and my dad that match the stockings I made for Roger, Patrick, Sawyer and myself; complete Angie and Ashley’s wedding afghan and get that sent to them (asap); finish those 2 cross stitch projects I’ve had sitting around for a while (Celtic Winter Cross and 1997 Christmas Angel); curly-twirly scarves and hat for Meredith, Joanne, Holly and their girls
5. Keep up with the filing (ugh! but Roger will be glad to see this one……)
6. Read all of the books I intended to read last year but wasn’t able to (which means I’ll have to stop receiving new books to read and review, at least for a while)

I have some things I hope to do this year as well, but I haven’t listed them as goals simply because I have to be realistic about goals. In my mind, hoping to do something is different than making it a goal.

• finish putting together recipes and write the “Family & Friends Heritage Cookbook” I started while we were in Alaska
• entertain/invite people over more
• find an exercise method that actually helps rather than aggravates my fibro
• keep in touch with family and friends better (although that’s really one of the main purposes of this blog…….)
• go on vacation (in addition to going to Colorado in February)
• go to Canton, Texas (craft fair/flea market heaven!)
• go to Branson and Silver Dollar City with the Arkanblogger family

There are some spiritual goals I want to continue or attain as well:

• read the Bible every day
• choose a Bible verse each month to memorize
• study apologetics with Sawyer
• seek God’s will for my life, and follow His leading in everything I do

I have more that I want to write about concerning goals, but I think I’ll wait and do that later, maybe tomorrow. God has really been speaking to my heart about this subject, and I’m anxious to share those thoughts! But for now, I must get off the computer and begin working on my second goal ~ plan out (figure out is more like it) what we’re going to eat for the next couple of days!

happy new year

Happy New Year everyone! Roger and I celebrated the ushering in of a new year the way we always do ~ we were in bed fast asleep by 11:00pm! LOL New Year’s celebrations have never been a big deal at our house. When the kids were little they always wanted to stay up until midnight ~ they would fall asleep on the couch by 10:00pm. I have a picture of Sawyer fast asleep on the arm of the couch on New Year’s Eve somewhere ~ I’ll have to see if I can find it.

Goals ~ haven’t really thought much about them yet. I’m just enjoying having everyone home. When we get back to our regular schedule next week I’ll spend some time thinking about my goals for 2008.

Gray hair ~ I’ve read posts on a couple of different blogs lately about coloring/covering up gray hair and wrinkles. To tell the truth, I really don’t worry much about either. I have a skin care regimen ~ I’ve bought good skin care products since I was about 25. My skin’s in pretty good shape, considering the tanning fiasco I had when I was 16. I take care of my skin, but I’m not too concerned about those little crow’s feet lines that are beginning to show up at the corners of my eyes. As for gray hair ~ I found my first gray hair when I was 21. I was pregnant with Patrick. I colored my hair for years, but a couple of years ago I just got tired of all of the maintenance and upkeep. Not to mention the cost! So, I let it grow out, then cut off all of the colored hair. My hair’s all natural now ~ I’m about 35-40% gray. I have what I call a Cruella DeVille streak over my left eye. I laugh about it because really the gray hair doesn’t bother me a bit. It doesn’t really matter to me how old people think I am. It’s funny to me because now that my gray hair shows, people seem to think I have more wisdom than I did when I was coloring my hair. I don’t know ~ it’s a strange reaction to gray hair.

Other things ~ Angie’s wedding afghan is about 1/3 done. I should have it finished in plenty of time to mail it so she and Ashley receive it when they get back from Costa Rica. We’ll be going up to Colorado towards the end of February to attend Angie and Ashley’s wedding reception (since they’re getting married in a remote location, they’re having a reception for everyone in their home town). I’m SOOOOO looking forward to that trip! I’m going to have the privilege of meeting several of my bloggy friends ~ Meredith, Holly, and Joanne, and maybe others ~ while I’m up there. And did I mention that Caitlin is probably going with us? Much, much, much too fun!!

Patrick went to Ariel’s house after the Trans Siberian Orchestra performance ~ she and her mom had tickets to the same show we attended. Roger drove up to pick him up and bring him back home today. He’ll have to go back to school on Sunday.

Sawyer has been a little social butterfly lately, arranging to “hang out” with his friends at their house, at the mall, at the movies………this time next year he’ll have his driver’s license and we won’t have to drive him all over when he makes all these plans! (No worries ~ we know who he’s hanging out with, where they are, what they’re doing, and which parents are chaperoning ~ he doesn’t go anywhere unless all the criteria are met.)

I’m planning to go “hang out” with several of my favorite young ladies and their mother (click on the link to see a video post by Paige, Caitlin, Elizabeth, Grace and their cousins Joy and Marie. Lovely voices and harmony, ladies!). Kathryn and her family have been off visiting family the past week and a half ~ they’re expecting to be home today. I’ll be visiting with them on Thursday ~ I’ve missed them all and I can’t wait to see their pictures and hear their stories about spending the holidays with their extended family! I did have a small panic attack the other night about them ~ actually, it was about their cat who I call “Neurotic Cat” instead of her given name Ellie. Kathryn mentioned in passing one day that she might need me to stop by and take care of Neurotic Cat while they were gone, but I didn’t hear anything else about it from her so I forgot about it. Then the other night I remembered that I might have been responsible for Neurotic Cat while they were gone ~ you can imagine the images going through my head of what they might have found when they got home! But thankfully someone else was given the task of taking care of Neurotic Cat ~ whew! I was quite concerned about it for a little bit!!