2009 Goals: Checking in #1

I like to think back over my goals for the year and see how I'm doing. It is a good refresher I need so I don't forget something I want to do.

--prayer. I've been writing in a prayer journal again and this has been very beneficial.

--Bible study. I did two "topic studies" and felt like I gleaned new bits of information from the Word. The topics were "fear of the Lord" and "walls." I noticed one time how many time the word wall is used throughout the Bible. I learned walls are used for protection. Walls can be broken down, leaving a way for the enemy's entrance. After a wall is torn down it has to be rebuilt or the city won't be protected. There are many ways these can be applied to my spiritual walk I felt. I must be on guard against the enemy and make sure my protecting wall is strong without any holes. I have to watch that nothing sneaks inside the wall. It takes work to keep the wall in place but the protection is worth it. I am now doing a Women of Faith study on Joy.

--budget. We are sticking to our plan. We had a surprise thrown in the mix but everything will still work out.

--book reading. I am trying to finish three books right now. I can't pick which one to read so I'm reading a little from each! I must finish because there are two more in my stack I'm looking forward to reading.

--laugh. I have been making a conscious effort to laugh and find things to laugh about.

--verse memorization. This is going well.

--be earth friendly. I'm reading a book I'll write a review on soon about being "green." Also I was very excited when we went to HEB earlier this month that all of our groceries fit into our reusable bags. Now I just need to remember to put them back in the car so if I stop at a store in the week I'll have them with me!

--organize/declutter. We worked on our bedroom and closet at the beginning of the year. It has remained clean and organized.

--get to bed earlier. Oops....need to remember to do this!


Hope you are having a nice, enjoyable last weekend of January! Thanks for stopping by.
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"Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth." Psalm 96:1

As long as it is called today: Random (January)

Welcome to a time of sharing "As long as it is called Today." I hope you will join us each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers. First be sure to check out every one's answer to last week's question by clicking the link below. If you weren't here last week and would like to answer, please do so now and come back to answer today's question.

Home keepers (January)

January has five Friday's so the topic this week is random.

Today's question: Share any memory you have about winter.

My answer: In school it seemed we didn't have many bad weather days. One day in high school I remember an icy morning. I cannot remember why I drove myself to school that day. I don't remember how the roads were. I DO remember the parking lot. I was doing circles in that little gray car of mine. I guess I had no idea how to drive on the ice. Thankfully the parking lot was empty at the time and I did eventually get into a parking spot! This is a funny winter memory I have.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave your answer in the comments. I think it will be fun to read winter memories. I'm a girl that rarely sees snow so I like hearing others tell stories about it!

Thankful Thursday: Security

This week our hostess Lori has chosen security for the theme for Thankful Thursday.

Remember how Linus had his security blanket? What do you cling to for your security? Is your security found in a thing? I found the things that make me feel secure have changed as I've grown. In our world right now it is hard to believe anything will last. There is no such thing as job security anymore. What we once held as stable and secure for years we've found can be gone in a short amount of time.

It is easy to worry about these changes and feeling a lack of control regarding all we hear is going on around us. When worries creep in we have to turn to the thing that won't change and that's Christ's love for us.

Today I'm thankful for the security I have in the Lord.

I'm thankful my future is secure in Him.

I'm thankful I know Who holds tomorrow.

I'm thankful for the comfort I feel when reading His Word.

I'm thankful to have the support and encouragement from my husband when doubts and worries come.

I thought of this song as I was typing and hope it encourages you to trust Him in your insecurities.



Thank You, God, that your love never fails. Thank You that You are faithful.

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"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Are you ready?

We have been hearing for months now that we need to be ready for the end of analog broadcasts as of February 17. For those of us who do not have new digital TV's we are supposed to buy a converter box. We received our government issued coupons for $40 off a converter box. I found them on sale at Target a few weeks ago so we bought one box for $5.

Last night we heard on the news that the date may be moved back to June because people may not be ready for the conversion, meaning they don't have their converter boxes. It appears that the Senate approved the delay Tuesday. We've been hearing about this change for years. It's already been delayed a year, the change was supposed to happen February 2008 and got postponed to February 2009. This time there was a big mess about the government issued coupons apparently. How much is it going to take for people to wake up and be ready? It makes me wonder if it will ever really happen!

It makes me think of our spiritual lives. How many times do people say they don't have time to change their lives for Jesus now? They say they'll do that tomorrow or next week or next year.
Really though we have to be ready at all times for Christ's return. We don't need to be waiting around, saying I'll do that later and keep putting off salvation and living for Him. We've been told all our lives He is coming. We can't postpone it from happening as the Senate can postpone the television conversion. He's coming. Make sure you are ready.
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"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." Matthew 24:42

Song: You're Gonna Miss This

I am so glad to have found the meme "You're Gonna Miss This...Moment." I posted my first time for this last Saturday.

There are so many great songs about children growing up and how quickly time passes. The song with the same title You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins is another example . As an adult I can see how true the words are. Looking back I can see all the things I miss--some are just sentimental things that probably mean nothing to no one but me, but I still miss them. I wouldn't really want to go back in time to elementary school or college because I am happy in the present. But there are just certain things I loved and enjoyed that I now miss. I miss things from each of the stages of my life really. Sometimes I miss them so much it makes me want to cry....sleepovers and bowling and snowcones and birthday parties with my cousin, ice cream after school with Peepaw, the house where I grew up, certain teachers from high school, eating lunch with my lunch buddies, the friends I knew from K-12th that I rarely talk to any more, choir practices and trips, my parents being married, walking around ACU on freezing cold nights with my sweetie, going out to eat with my forever friend Casey, singing at 9 o'clock devo, my students that I've lost contact with, eating chocolate pie at Michelle's with my husband (way more often that we should have!), nursing my son, the list could go on.

Each of these things have changed and shaped me. At the time things happen how many times do we really stop to consider how much this event will mean to us in the future? Some things are so insignificant and don't stick in my memory. Others though will be there forever. We have to savor the moments. During the event we may often be thinking "I'll be glad when this is over." Then when it is gone we look back saying "remember when....."

Our lives are short. We have to appreciate the moments we've been given, making memories as we go, appreciating the people in our lives, and making the most of every opportunity.
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"Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:4

10 Things I love...

Debra gave me the letter R for this fun meme to list 10 things I love. All ten things have to start with R.

Here's my list!
1. rainy days
2. reading
3. relaxing
4. rainbows
5. roses
6. rocky road ice cream
7. Roadhouse
8. Rush of Fools
9. Reese's peanut butter cups
10. romantic notes from my sweetie

"R" was a harder letter for me than I thought it would be! I If you haven't played yet and want to do so, I can give you a letter to use for your list of 10 things. It is fun!

2009 Book #4: Good Deals & Great Steals

I borrowed Good Deals & Great Steals from the library. This is a little book produced by the editors of Good Housekeeping.

The book is divided into two parts: How to be a smart shopper and Get a good deal.

Part one includes tips like using coupons, rebates, yard sales, and auctions to save money. Part two has tips for pretty much everything...hotels, gift giving, eating out, gardening, pets, and appliances to name only a few.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I learned about some new websites to use to try to find good deals, like for hotels and making travel plans.

UPDATED: Masha asked about the website ideas. I have not used these, they are just book recommendations. Here are a few:

Trip Advisor--customer reviews of vacation spots, hotels, etc.
Gurney's Seed & Nursery--sells seeds and has a map to show plants that grow well in your zip code.
Down Home Outlet--a site with sheets, pillows, comforters.
Earth 911--a site about recycling.
Company C--site has coordinated rugs, pillows, textiles.
Bookins--swap books for just the shipping cost

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"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:8, 9

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #4

I thought last week's verse was a great prayer...that we keep the Lord's commands in our hearts, remembering Him and how He wants us to live. Caleb learned "Keep my commands in your heart." (Except he says your instead of my when he repeats it back to me!)


Week #4: "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil." Proverbs 3:7


Do you have a prayer request? Let me know if I can pray specifically for you.


This week I don't have many new ones to add to the list of requests I already have.

~ My husband and his job situation. We're waiting on details to see what he will be doing on the new project.
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"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." Ephesians 1:15, 16

You're Gonna Miss This.....Moment #1

I saw this cute idea on another blog and wanted to join in this week.


Lately I have thought the phrase "I'm gonna miss this" more times than I can remember. I often catch myself thinking about how different things will be for me next year (or really in August, my school teacher brain does year by the school calendar) when my boy goes off to kindergarten. I'm gonna miss having my boy play in the yard and talk to me (in his pajamas often!) as I hang clothes on the line. This week I snapped a few pictures of him digging up some dirt. He said he was working on a rock garden. I'm thankful for moments like this when I can hear his plans and ideas.
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"Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him." Psalm 127:3

As long as it is called Today....Homekeepers (January)

Welcome to a time of sharing "As long as it is called Today." I hope you will join us each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers. First be sure to check out every one's answer to last week's question by clicking the link below. If you weren't here last week and would like to answer, please do so now and come back to answer today's question. There were many great answers last week! Thank you for participating.


Parents (January)

Since it is the fourth Friday of the month the topic is for home keepers.

Today's question: Share a tip on kitchen organization, cleaning, etc. What is something you do in your kitchen that makes life easier for you or your family members?

My answer: As I cook meals I do the dishes as I go. I don't like having dishes all over the counter and a full sink after we eat so I wash them as I go. We have a dish washer but rarely if ever use it.

Please leave your answer in the comments and come back next week to be encouraged by others in cleaning and organizing your kitchen!

Above All

Draining the bath water I could hear my son playing in the living room. As I entered the room, my happy boy was dancing around the room in his pajamas. He paused to tell me he was doing an interpretative dance. This took me by surprise. Where did my 4 year old come up with such a term? It was vaguely familiar to me, but I didn’t know why.



Read the rest of my thoughts today at Laced with Grace. I am thankful to have been asked to do a guest post. (I forgot to include this in my Thankful Thursday post as I typed it last night!)

Thankful Thursday: Prayer

Today our hostess has chosen prayer as the theme for Thankful Thursday. As I've been thinking about prayer I realize how important prayer is in my own life. Prayers can be quick words spoken to God as you go about your day as you remember someone or a need. Prayers can be longer times of quiet reflection as you come to God with adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Prayers can be written, spoken, or thought. These are some things I am thankful for about prayer.

~ I am thankful Jesus prayed for me. This is mind boggling to think that in Jesus' prayers, He included all believers which would include me and you! In John 20 His prayer for us (verses 20-26) refers to unity. Unity was important to Him, yet I don't know that we are really very unified now.

~ I am thankful for parents who prayed for me. Growing up I remember when I was sick my Dad would say a prayer for me. I remember many times him kneeling by my bed to pray for my upset stomach, headache, or other such ailment when I would ask him to pray for me as I was going to bed. My Mom prayed with me every day before I went to school. This was special to me, and I look forward to doing this with my son.

~ I am thankful for others who tell me they'll pray for me. I have a friend (Stephanie) who will ask me frequently in her emails/letters "how can I pray for you?" I have blog friends who pray for me too. I've recently asked Michele and Debra to pray about specific things and have been blessed by their prayers. That touches me to know someone cares to want to pray for me!

~ I am thankful for a husband who prays for me. It is comforting to know he cares for my needs and the desires of my heart and lifts me up in prayer. We can seek God together in our prayers as husband and wife also.

~ I am thankful I can hear the sweet prayers of my son. It blesses my heart when he lists specific people and needs as he prays. When he was watching a football game with Daddy recently and saw an injured player, he said we need to pray for that player.

~ I am thankful I can pray. I can't imagine how people go through life without praying! Another one of those mind boggling things is how it doesn't matter where you are or what time it is, God is listening. That is so wonderful to me!

Thank you for visiting my blog. Join us at Lori's Reflections this week and next for Thankful Thursday!
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"If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;

but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.

Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!" Psalm 66:18-20

More thoughts....

I have a video clip to share with you. I hope you will be able to see it through this link (click on the words "President Bush returns to Central Texas" to see the clip I'm talking about). It made me proud to hear Mr. Bush speak to the crowds greeting him as he arrived in Waco, TX before heading to his ranch in Crawford.

Two things in the article jumped out at me:

Bush said he went to Washington with a clear set of principles, and left with them intact.

"I never took an opinion poll to tell me what to think, and I'm coming home with my head held high and a sense of accomplishment,” he said. (from KWTX article)

He also said that when he looked in the mirror he could be proud of what he sees. It just touched me that he is remaining positive even though so many are being rude and disrespectful towards him. I knew I would share it with you as soon as I saw it! Shouldn't that be each of our goals at the end of the day....whatever we're doing to look in that mirror and be proud of what is looking back, knowing we've done our best, and not living with guilts or regrets.

Caleb has asked a couple questions about Mr. Bush. What will his job be now and did he like being President? I think we'll mail him a card, letter, picture, etc.

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"Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." Romans 13:7

Thoughts on the day

Did you watch the Inauguration? Caleb and I viewed bits and pieces of the events this morning with Caleb commenting on everything (especially when they said Washington, DC or showed the White House since Daddy went there a few months ago!) He got out his cymbals too to play as he heard the bands. Caleb was full of facts to tell Daddy when he got home about what we'd watched. Of course the shortened version of the entire day was on the national news tonight.

I read a few blogs today that shared thoughts on today's events. Two that I particularly appreciated were: Kiki's Corner and A Magnolia's Heart Beats titled "He Reigns."

I wondered how much money was spent on the festivities including the fancy lunch today. I wondered how all the people who were there afforded to attend the festivities from all across the country when things are so financially tough for so many.

I will be praying for our new President and his family as they adjust to their new life. I will be praying for the Bush's as well as they get settled in "normal" life. I am thankful he was our President and thankful for his service to our country. So many are rude and disrespectful to him now which makes me sad.

Everyone says how they'll remember this day forever. What will you remember about this day? Does anything stick out for you?
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"Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, 'I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.' " John 8:12

Awards

I have received some awards lately and wanted to post them together and past them on to fellow bloggers! It is always a fun surprise to receive an award!

These first three I received from my good friend Michele at Michele's Morsels. I'd like to pass the Bloggy Goodness Award to My Gifts, Among Other Things and In Light of the Truth.
I'd like to pass on the Color My Life Beautiful Award to my blog friends Country Roads and I am Mommy. These two ladies are sweet friends to me and I'm thankful for them. They brighten my day!

This Blessings Award I would like to pass on to Denise and Ruthie. Both of these ladies shine Christ's love in all they post.

Thank you to Ruth at Life's Journeys for this Blog Love. I have enjoyed reading Ruth's blog lately and learning from her. I would like to pass on the Blog Love to Kristi and Marsha.

2009 Book #3: The Yellow House Mystery

Caleb and I finished up the third book in the Boxcar Children series. This one is called The Yellow House Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner. I love it that he loves these books. I stop and ask questions about what we've read previously and he remembers. He asks questions too as we read. He loves the antics of the little boy Benny in these books.


This is the story of the Boxcar Children who end up on an adventure looking for a man named Bill who disappeared many years ago.

I'm wondering if he might like Little House Books too. Hmmmmm.
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"A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold." Proverbs 22:1

Wild West lessons with Caleb

The past two weeks Caleb and I have done "wild west" lessons. We drew pictures and read books from the library about cowboys. We made a little horse one day with a pattern my Mom gave us a while back, and a few days later we made a covered wagon with a box. Caleb had to draw cookie at the back. He learned from Daddy that was the name given to the cook on the range. I found the idea for a cactus with the "poky things" as Caleb says made of broken toothpicks. I wouldn't recommend this one for young children or a classroom project but for one on one it was fine. Caleb loved it as I knew he would when I saw the idea.

My boy loves to sing "Home on the Range." I thought of putting a clip of him on here but haven't got that done yet and don't have the microphone for the computer anymore to do that. It's really cute though!

Have a great week!
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"In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:4

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #3

Were you successful in memorizing last week's verse? I asked Caleb and he knew the portion I wrote out for him to memorize-- "He holds victory in store for the upright." He said it with the same inflection of voice I used when I repeated it to him this week. The verse last week reminded me that we have protection and victory through the Lord.


Week #3: "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity." Proverbs 3:1, 2


I seem to have heard quite a few prayer requests this week. We know God is listening.


~ Wesley...This is a boy who I've put on the prayer list previously. He had brain surgery a while back and lately has been having complications. He is in severe pain and there is the possibility of an infection in one of his lines.


~ the Maxey family....They have a daughter, Annette, who was born in October who has a tumor on her spine. Their first daughter died in 20004 from cancer.


~ Kelly and baby Harper. I saw this prayer request on another blog.

~ our country and new President and his family.
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"Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. " Psalm 54:2

As long as it is called Today....Parents (January)

Welcome to our third week of this new meme! If this is your first week with us, you can read more about "As long as it is called Today" in this post. I hope you will join us each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers. First be sure to check out every one's answer to last week's question by clicking the link below. If you weren't here last week and would like to answer, please do so now and come back to answer today's question.

Christian wives/husbands (January)

Now on to today's question. The third week of each month will be a parenting question. I don't want to exclude those without children so please feel free to answer based on your own experience as a child or maybe a young niece/nephew.

Today's question: How do you share God's Word with your children? If you have teenagers or grown children, please share how you shared with them as children and how that changed as they got older.

My answer: We read Bible stories before bed and talk about them. We like to thank God in daily living, like for a beautiful sunrise or rain. Another thing is to use Biblical examples in situations when possible, like for values/moral type things.

Please leave your answer in the comments and be sure to come back next week to read every one's answers. Thank you!

Join me for As long as it's called Today...

I have tried to make a little button for the new Friday meme As long as it is called Today. You can add it to your blog if you wish. I do not have the html code for it. To use it click on the picture to save it. Then when you add the picture gadget to your sidebar. When you save the picture you can type the web address (http://www.raindropsrainbows.blogspot.com/) to link to Raindrops & Rainbows. Let me know if you have questions.

Tomorrow will be our third Friday of As long as it is called Today. Thank you to everyone who has participated the past two weeks. I am learning more about my blogging friends and gaining encouragement too! This week's question is about parenting. Hope you'll join us then!

Thankful Thursday: Possibilities

Good morning! The theme for today's Thankful Thursday is Possibilities. In the Bible we read several instances where Jesus reminds the followers that something is impossible with man but not with God.

I am thankful to serve a God of possibilities.

Years ago as we were starting out our life together we didn't know if it would be possible for me to have my dream of being a stay-at-home Mom. God made this possible.

After our miscarriage and the diagnosis with PCOS, we wondered if it would be possible for us to have other children. We are thankful for the blessing of Caleb.

Recently we saw the benefits of Dave Ramsey's financial plan. With some encouragement from a friend, we wondered if it would be a possibility for our church to host FPU. After speaking with the leadership and getting their support, we are thankful my husband is coordinating a class that we pray will change lives.

There are some prayers I pray that in my mind I don't see how it could ever work, how God could ever answer the prayer, or how it would ever be possible. Yet I have to remind myself to have faith in Him, His timing, and His will.
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"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.' " ~ Mark 10:27 (ESV)

What made you laugh? #2

This morning as we were driving Caleb burst out laughing. I looked around, and there was the big Ronald McDonald billboard (just as I suspected!). There are two we drive by often. Each time he bursts out laughing like he's never seen it before and it's the funniest thing ever. His hearty laughter made me laugh!

So what made you laugh today??
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"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:13

Recipe: Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

These are SO delicious! My Mom emailed me the recipe a couple weeks ago. I asked her if she thought they'd make themselves if I looked at the recipe enough times. ;) She made them with Chef Caleb's help Sunday afternoon. The smell from the oven as they cooked was wonderful as well!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup margarine (2 sticks)
2 pkgs cream cheese, soften
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp - divided
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

streusel topping recipe follows
1/2 cup caramel topping

Mix flour & brown sugar, Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 13 x 9 x 2. Bake 15 minutes at 350.

In large bowl beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time then add vanilla. Stir to combine and then spread over warm crust.

Stir together chopped apples, 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Streusel topping and bake for 30 minutes. Drizzle with caramel topping.

Streusel topping
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup margarine, 1 stick

Remember to pray

I received a reminder to pray for President elect Obama in one of my comments (Thanks Amanda!) Also tonight I received an email from Max Lucado urging everyone to take a few minutes to pray on Inauguration Day, January 20. You can visit the link (click above on Max Lucado or in my side bar) to find a prayer guide and more information.
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"But if any of you needs wisdom, you should ask God for it. He is generous and enjoys giving to all people, so he will give you wisdom.”James 1:5

Weekend and upcoming week

Hope you had a nice weekend. Ours was mostly spent around home. Friday night after we ate we went to some stores to look for a converter box. We got our coupons in the mail and figured we'd go ahead and try to buy one. We have not purchased one yet. I saw them in the Target ad on sale this week so maybe we can get one of those for $5 instead of $10-$15 with the coupon. Saturday we returned a tabletop air hockey game that did not work correctly. We also bought new shower curtains. On Sunday my Mom came to visit. She met us at church. Caleb was so surprised. She got to stay until today because the school where she works was off today.

This week will be a busy one for us. Tonight starts FPU! We are really excited. After the class my husband will be driving to Dallas for a training that starts at 8 a.m. Tuesday. He'll come home Wednesday afternoon. Normally Caleb and I go with him but we decided to stay home this time because 1) he is leaving so late, 2) I have other stuff to do Tuesday and Wednesday, 3) it's good "practice" for next year when we won't be able to go with him when Caleb is in school.

Thanks for stopping by today!
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"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths." Psalm 25:4

Beautifully Written....2009 Book #2: For the Tough Times

You don’t have to look far today to see depressing news. We can have hope though when we look to Jesus for our peace and answers. The book For the Tough Times by Max Lucado offers hope.

The book begins with a question asked by David in Psalm 11:3—“When all that is good falls apart, what can good people do?” I think at some point everyone has asked this question. What are we supposed to do during the hard times when nothing makes sense? We may question God or not know how to pray. We may feel lost, confused, and vengeful. In the chapters of this we learn we can put our hope in our Father’s love, and we can be triumphant through Him.

One point that struck me from this book is the importance of being still. It is hard to be totally quiet before God, yet in the midst of our pain and struggling, often the thing we need the most is to wait on Him, listening for His voice.

This is a short book with short, easy to read chapters. It would be a wonderful book to give as a gift to a friend who is suffering through a loss. I have read numerous books by this author and again enjoyed his writing. Anyone who reads this book really can take something away from it after reading.

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"We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." I Thessalonians 4:14

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #2

Thank you for joining with me in memorizing Scripture this year. The Proverbs teach us so much, and I think this is going to be a great focus for my verses this year.

I also decided to use at least part of the verse for Caleb to memorize with me. Last week he learned, "Let the wise listen." Proverbs 1:5. This past week Clif at Musings of a Minister shared a wonderful post about listening.

Here is this week's verse:

Week #2: Proverbs 2:7-- "He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless."

If I can pray for you this week, please leave me a comment or send me an email. Some of my prayers will be for:

~ Michele/Marsha's Mom/step-Dad

~ Christy

~ Denise

~ Rachel (Kristi's daughter) giving thanks for God being with this family each step of their journey and the peace He is giving in this situation.

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"May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry." Psalm 88:2

Giveaway

Visit Angela at Becoming Me for a fun giveaway in honor of her birthday!

What made you laugh? #1

At the end of 2008, I read some posts on smiling and laughter. There are many health benefits of laughing. One of my goals for 2009 has been to laugh more. Do you laugh often? What makes you laugh? Is it something you read, a television show, a family member, yourself?

I thought I'd periodically make a post to share something in the past day or week that made me laugh. Feel free to share something that made you laugh too if you want! I hope having this post will make me more aware of laughter in my life if I'm looking for an event to include in my blog.

Yesterday I was folding a load of towels and wash rags. I gave Caleb his stack to put in his cabinet in his bathroom. I was sitting in the living room floor watching him as he walked to his bathroom, holding the rags to his chest so he wouldn't drop them. He lifted the lid on the toilet and said oops, not there! It made me burst out laughing to see him open the toilet lid instead of the cabinet. It made him laugh too!

Hope you're having a good weekend!
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"A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." Proverbs 15:13

2009 Book #1: The Shack

We received the book The Shack by William P. Young as a gift. My husband and I both read it. I have heard and read MANY conflicting views and opinions about this book. I read fairly quickly through this book, and some of the things people are pointing out I need to go back and read for myself because some I think has been taken out of context.

It's hard to sum up this book in a few sentences. Basically the main character, Mack, faces a terrible family tragedy in the beginning of the story. He meets with God at the shack, which really changes his views and life.

Yes, I enjoyed the story. A couple points stood out to me.

One is the area of judging others. Do we all judge others? I would say yes at some level we do. Are we really qualified to judge? Is this our job? No. But don't we do it anyway? This has left me with much to think about in my own life.

Another point that I'll remember from this book is relationship. Several times in the book it was mentioned that God doesn't want rituals. How much of what we do is a ritual? We really can have so much more when we seek to have a true relationship with Him. Also, it speaks of the relationships we have with others and made me think about my varying levels of interactions with other people.

This is one of those books that I'm not totally sure about. It had many, many good points that made me stop and think. I'm not sure that every single item in the book lines up with the Truth of the Bible though, so that is where the reader must be careful. For people to take it as Truth would be wrong. It needs to be read as fiction. We need to have our foundation as the Bible. Period.

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"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12, 13

As long as it is called Today....Wives/husbands (January)

Welcome to our second week of As long as it is called Today! Please read more about "As long as it is called Today" in this post. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers. First be sure to check out everyone's answer to last week's question. I enjoyed reading the answers as well as the specialness of each of the female Bible characters.

Christian women/men (January)


Today's question: Share a way you honor your spouse. (If you want the definition for honor, here it is. It helped me as I was thinking about my answer.)


My answer: I like to make it a point to greet my husband when he comes home from work each day. If I stop what I am doing as he comes through the door, I hope this communicates to him that after he's been away all day I missed him, value his work for our family, and feel happy he is home.


Please leave your answer in the comments and be sure to come back next week to read everyone's answers and hopefully find new ways to honor your spouse.

Prayers and encouragement

I'd like to ask you to visit Kristi at Kiki's Corner and leave her some encouragement. You can read her daughter Rachel's story also. I know some of you already have but wanted to post the link for others too. I believe you will be encouraged as well as you read how they've continued to see God's hand and direction in their circumstances the past couple of weeks. Say a prayer for Rachel and this sweet family I've gotten to "know" lately through blogging the past few months.

Thankful Thursday: Precious Words

I hope your week has been full of blessings. Is it easy for you to find blessings in your life? Take a minute to look around and see how many blessings surround you daily!

This year I'm going to try to post something that goes with the theme Iris chooses for each week. I may not do this every week, but I thought it'd be fun as a way to change up my TT posts a bit!

The theme this week is Precious Words. I am thankful for God's Word to us. This year I am trying to study the Bible in a new way by picking a theme and then reading definitions of the words and finding verses related to that theme. The first one I did was about the fear of the Lord. I'm thankful for what I gained by reading these scriptures. One thing I noticed was in how many of these references the command was to fear the Lord first and second serve Him (example Joshua 24:14). There must be a tie between fearing Him and serving Him.

This week I am also thankful for...

~ my husband leading FPU at our church. We start on Monday and are excited!

~ my son's love of books and excitement to get to go to the food pantry today after being off for a couple of weeks due to the holidays.

~ our warm home.

~ changing Texas weather. We had sunshine and temperatures in the 70's on Saturday. Monday morning there were icicles in our trees!

Thanks for stopping by today on Thankful Thursday! I would also like to invite you to visit tomorrow for "As long as it is called Today..." God bless your day!

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"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:15, 16

Gift recommendations

We saw these nifty little gadgets at a craft show we attended before Christmas. I didn't want to buy one right there with my hubby with me but decided later to call and order one for him. It is called the E-Z Hook. Have you ever heard of one? If you need a gift idea for someone (male or female), this would make a great gift! I have found it to be very handy in the kitchen. We have the medium one. I used it myself to flip the chicken fried steak I made last week. It can also be used while grilling and getting things out of jars (like pickles).
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"But I pray to you, O Lord; in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Psalm 69:13

2009 Goals Update: Organize/declutter #1

Throughout the year I'd like to give updates on how I'm doing on various aspects of my goals for 2009.

We spent New Year's Day very busy cleaning and sorting. My husband's focus was our bedroom closet while I spent time in our bedroom cleaning my night stand, vanity (I could actually sit there Sunday to do my make-up), the tops of our dressers, and photos on my hope chest. I also made labels for some drawers in our closet that we use for t-shirts and shorts. It seems those things never have a place to call home but now they do. I organized a couple of my drawers as well and it is so enjoyable to have things nice and straight. I have a bag of clothes to get rid of from our cleaning too.

Over the weekend we bought Caleb a little laundry hamper of his own. It's actually a small trash can. I chose it because it has a flip top lid, and I knew he'd love that! He has been so excited to do laundry. Sunday he had one set of clothes in it with his pajamas and thought it was time to do a load of clothes. I told him I wasn't washing clothes until Monday. When Monday morning came, he was ready to help me dump all his clothes into the washing machine. The funny part was that he left the hamper in the middle of the floor after he put his clothes into it. Kinda the same as leaving the clothes on the floor! We showed him it goes in his room and to just take the clothes to it when he takes them off.

I am happy with the progress. We are all working hard to keep things in their new homes!

New reviews

I have started reviewing books for Thomas Nelson publishers. I found out about this program from Clif. You'll see my reviews posted on my blog as I finish reading. Most of them will be on my book list. I posted my first one last night. It was the audio version of the Bible so I didn't count it on the book list. I first thought I was supposed to listen to the entire New Testament. I emailed them to ask them and they said I could just choose a book to get a feel for it. I'd listened to the first CD of Matthew, Mark, Luke and then the beginning of John already so went ahead and wrote the review. You can be a book reviewer too if you'd like by clicking TN Book Review Bloggers.
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"I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." Psalm 18:3

Great for teens and famillies!

I have had the privilege to listen to a new product from Thomas Nelson called The Word of Promise Next Generation New Testament. This is an audio recording of the New Testament done by a variety of young stars. It also includes introductions to each of the books done by Max Lucado and his daughter Jenna.

I have enjoyed listening to this recording of God’s Word. There is something different about hearing the words instead of reading to them that touches a place in my heart. I have heard these words spoken or read them myself many times throughout my life. To hear them spoken with a variety of characters and sound effects in the background really brought the stories to life for me. I enjoyed hearing the character of Jesus speak to the people and could just imagine Him in my mind as He must have been that day teaching the crowds. The introductions to each book were a nice addition too. These gave an overview of the book as well as a little history about the author. A bonus “behind the scenes” DVD was very informative. I liked learning about the actors chosen to play the characters and hear how this impacted their lives. My son and I enjoyed watching the section about the sound and design for the recordings.


I would recommend this recording for church libraries or personal libraries for those families with children and teenagers. I listened to parts of the recording with my son and he listened and recognized the stories he’s learned in Sunday School.
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"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10

Marriage Monday: The Humor of Christian Marriage

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Sometimes I wonder if other couples laugh like my husband and I do. The funniest times for us are often late at night when we should be asleep. It seems the later it gets, the sillier we are. There are things that have happened to us that we remember and joke about. Sometimes we laugh at situations that weren't funny at the time but late at night they suddenly are very funny! These are great times that I really do cherish. It feels so good not to be serious all the time.

My husband is someone with whom I can totally be myself and know he'll accept me. One of those things he accepts is my laughter. I'm not the type of person to burst out laughing when I'm with a group. My husband knows how to make me laugh though, with a funny tone, facial expression, private joke, or tickling me. It is such a nice feeling to be 100% comfortable in laughing with him, being my true self. When we laugh together we have a happy home. We are able to pass this on to our son as well, which is important.

Laughter is good medicine. It is true that we take life too seriously, and we could all use more laughter in our lives. I hope your marriage is one of fun and humor.

Join us for Marriage Monday by clicking the button above. God bless you!

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"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

Proverbs & Prayers: Week #1

I enjoyed memorizing verses last year and having a new verse each week to think about and memorize. Some weeks I had more trouble than others committing the verse to memory. A couple weeks ago was one of those weeks. I'd keep looking back at the verse to see if I had it all the way memorized or not.

We need to be careful at all times what we allow in our thoughts. Verse memorization is a great way to fill your heart with things of God. Flipping through my spiral cards I noticed how many of the verses were from the New Testament so this year I'm going to have a verse each week from Proverbs. I read through the book of Proverbs in November and jotted down the verses that jumped out at me. Then I went back and reread the ones I'd written down, circling the ones that were special to me again. I have 52 Proverbs ready to go!

I hope you'll join me. I know of one friend already who is going to join me in memorizing. I'll post a new Proverb each Sunday. Most of them are one verse but some are two verses back-to-back.

Week #1: Proverbs 1:5-- "Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance."

I also still want to pray for you this year. I'm just going to combine the verse and prayer list into one post this year. Please let me know if I can pray for you this week. These are requests I already have:

* Sheri's son Christopher.

* Kristi's daughter Rachel.

* Marsha's request for "J."

* Debra's family during their time of loss.

* friend Shasta, one of her infant twins has RSV.

* friend who is moving from Texas to Oregon.

* a little boy named Connor, 4 years old, fighting cancer and having a rough week.

* another friend whose daughter was diagnosed this week with juvenile diabetes.

Please feel free to share your requests in the comments or by emailing me and I'll post them in the sidebar. God bless you this first full week of 2009! I hope it's a great week for you as you get back into the routine of life (that's what we'll be doing at least!).

Mission statement

Back in July I participated in a Blog Mission Tour with Becoming Me. I have decided to write an "official" mission statement for my blog. I've been brainstorming and thinking about my purpose in blogging and wanted to post it here.

It is my purpose through blogging to encourage others in their daily lives, to develop and strengthen friendships, to share tidbits of my personal life, and to glorify God in all I write that I might shine His light to anyone who reads as I continue on this path through both "Raindrop & Rainbow" days towards Heaven.


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"You make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands." Psalm 92:4

As long as it is called Today: Christian women/men (January)

Welcome! Please read more about "As long as it is called Today" in this post. I hope you will join me each week on Friday as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.


Today's question: Who is your favorite female Bible character and why?

My answer: Hannah. I am always touched to read of her heart's desire for a son and her continued steadfastness in prayer. I love the way God answered her prayer. She shows me that God cares about the cries of our hearts and He listens when we pray.

Please leave your answer in the comments and be sure to come back next week to read every one's response.

Have a great day!

fPhoto Friday

This is a gift I received from my husband. His boss creates a variety of things(bird houses, bird feeders, tortilla warmers, candle holders) with gourds. I asked him if he had any snowmen this year, and he had this one and one with a blue scarf/mittens. I chose the blue one to give to my Mom. My husband surprised me by buying this one for me. I think it is so cute! I plan to buy more for gifts next Christmas too.

See a variety of other photos today at Married to the Preacher.

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"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." 2 Samuel 22:31