How could anything be better than this??

^{We are so blessed to have the Bible. It strikes me with awe that we can read the very Word of God and know Him through it.}

^{John 14:15-21}

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live,

ye shall live also.

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and

I will love him,

and will manifest myself to him."

Isn't that amazing? When we know Him, He is in us, with us and loves us! How could anything be better that that??

What is a girl to do?

Many causes interest me, burden me, impassion me, I guess you could say. 

I had been involved a bit more years ago- and I wonder and pray on how should I be involved now... should I be doing more? People are out there protesting, should I get involved in this? Would the Lord be leading me in that direction?

As I sat praying about this the other day, a truth became clear to me. (I did not hear an audible voice or anything earth-shattering like that, but rather the Holy Spirit brought to mind what I had learned from the Word and from past Bible teaching and preaching I have heard.) 

As I sat there, what God wanted me to do became clear. 

The number one priority on my time, the first priority of service for me is my husband.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed" Titus 2:3-5 

After that, I am to be actively involved in my local church, extended family members lives, and of course seek to be a help where ever needed in my sons and daughter-in law and future daughter-in-law's lives. Beyond that, He will show me in due time what He would have for me to do. 

That may not sound like much and it certainly does not sound especially thrilling. However, it does make my life very FULL - when I am doing what I should be.

A friend of mine shared recently how she knew God wanted her to get up in the morning, make her husband's lunch and send him off to work happy. (She does an excellent job and is a great example.) I have endeavored to do that for nearly 23 years now (our 23rd anniversary is in June '12), but when was the last time I included a little note in his lunch- I can't remember the last time. It is these "little things" that are to be my focus, along with the larger.

So...what should I DO?

"And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." Luke 10:27

If that is my focus, all the rest will fall in line... 

 

Domestically Divine Tuesday

 

I may have been too shy to tell you...

I have mentioned before that I love people. Although at times I can be horribly, painfully shy, I enjoy meeting new people and listening as others tell me about their lives.

Sadly, when chatting with others my pride often gets in the way. Many, many, MANY times, indeed MOST of the time, I remain silent on the single most important topic for any conversation.

I chat about the weather or a book I've read, when I could (and should) be telling them that Someone loved them so much that He willingly died for them. 

We

no longer need to live in nagging guilt about past wrongs,


no longer need to feel as though no one loves us and we are alone,


no longer need to live in the worthlessness of ourselves, the emptiness of this life.


We can call on the One, Jehovah, Who died for our sins and loves us so...

I am born again by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. 
(For me! -- the thought!! I am not deserving...)

He is the One deserving of all praise. 

My sins are forgiven and washed away ... 
 by His blood that was shed.... (!!!!) 

John 3: 

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
 ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
 ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
 ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
 ¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

No condemnation in Christ! Freedom!!
What awesome LOVE - sending his only Son to die for us!

It is almost too much to comprehend isn't it?

What an awesome God!

Won't you cry out to Him today?

Apple Cinnamon Ornaments

Apple Cinnamon Ornaments

2 C cinnamon

1 ½ C applesauce

1. Mix cinnamon and 1 C applesauce, keep adding applesauce until it becomes like a dough.

**Keep unused dough in a sealed plastic bag to stay moist. **

2. Put dough on wax paper.

3. Roll ¼ inch thick.

4. Cut out desired shape (cookie cutters work great)

5 Poke small hole in top to put thread or hanger thru.

6. Using a spatula set shape on a rack away from heat to dry. Turn with spatula several times a day. It takes approximately 5 days to dry.


They are really fun to make in the shape of hearts and give as Valentines. 

 

And to use as decoration around the home. 

Here is one above my fridge:

Here are a few star shaped ones in a bowl with some of the soap I have made:

And another heart in my dining room paired with a stick my son carved for me when he was young:

 

On my kitchen counter I have an old canning jar that I have placed some of these in along with a set of white lights. After the lights have warmed up (in about 15 minutes) my kitchen smells like an apple pie is baking- I made these over a year ago and they still smell wonderful!

I linked up with:

Every Creative Endeavor

and 

Saturday is Crafty Day
 
check out the links for more great ideas!

The Little things... :-)

Having my say....

I have written and rewritten this post several times now...tossed it around in my head for years, looking for the right words... I like to keep my blog as an uplifting little spot on the web whenever possible, hence the name, however I feel it is time for me to post about the horrific tragedy that is happening in our country.

Many times when I have posted about this subject on Facebook, I have been the recipient of some very real anger - name calling, insinuations of a lack of intelligence, etc. The thing that strikes me about most of those who are so angry is that they are unwilling to do any research on the subject and see what is really happening. That really scares me - they are giving their full support to something so incredibly heinous that they themselves are afraid to research the subject or to view videos of it.

The following link contains one such video. This video is very graphic. It contains pictures of babies who have been aborted.... I know we don't like to think about this. It is horrible, sad, gruesome. However, wouldn't you agree that is time for us to stop turning our heads away and face up to what is going on?? Innocent blood is being shed-- who will speak for them? I myself have become complacent. I've gotten busy with life and honestly just didn't want to think of this going on. Years ago I was more involved, now I can't even find the little pin with the tiny feet on it that I wore for years... it was so easy to fall into complacency ....

The video is at this link: Here's the Blood 
I would caution children against viewing it. 14 years+ would seem a bit more appropriate. I honestly believe every adult should view this (yes, you can handle it- unless you have some underlying emotional medical problem.) It will shock you, and it will sadden you. It will cause you to weep and it will cause you to cherish your own children and grandchildren all the more. After viewing this video, there will be no doubt in your mind that these are babies (not just pieces of tissue) being aborted.

This website also contains information on how we can become involved in changing things around-- making the life of an unborn child valuable once again in America.

All Natural, Inexpensive, All-Purpose Cleaner Recipe

This is the all-purpose cleaner I use.  It is great for cleaning greasy stove-tops, counters, bathroom sinks and toilets. It cost only pennies to make, is healthy to breath in (no harmful chemicals) and it smells and works great!  

I found this recipe originally at The Family Homestead, and have been using it for several years now. I have modified it a little for my needs...

All-Purpose Cleaner 

• 3T white vinegar
• 2 t Borax
• Hot water
• a few drops of a mild dish detergent
• 6-10 drops of essential oil - I prefer peppermint essential oil. It's smell is fresh and invigorating and it has the added benefit of being a disinfectant.

In a  spray bottle (you can thoroughly rinse out your old store-bought cleaner bottle and use that) put vinegar, borax and hot water.  Swish around until borax has dissolved.  Add the drops of dish detergent and fill the rest of the bottle with water.  Add the essential oil. 

Shake gently before each use.

Note: This is not a window cleaner. It can leave smudges. I'll post a recipe for a cleaner I use for windows in the near future. 

Happy, healthy, and frugal cleaning!!