Quiet

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. 1 Peter 3: 3-4

Quiet has never been a word that would really describe me. I am sometimes far too loud and opinionated about things. I speak before I think. My mouth gets me into trouble...often. 

I am working on this verse. Working on making it part of me. 

I understand the outward adornment part....I get that. Don't have it perfected...at all, but I get it. I try to remember it as I spend too much time worrying about my clothes or my hair...ugh!

It's the whole gentle and quiet spirit thing that eludes me. Two of my very best friends are the very definition of "gentle and quiet spirit". I love them both and I know what it's supposed to look like.

I am working on it, asking God for His help so I can be the woman He wants me to be.  I know I can't do it on my own. 

you can find more on quiet here

 

A few things I'm lovin'

*****If you are viewing this in Mozilla, sorry things look all wonky. Apparently Blogger and Mozilla are not playing nice this morning. Chrome and Explorer are doing just fine.*****

♥First off, this post about envy by Rachel over at No. 17 Cherry Tree Lane has had me thinking...a lot. It's like she spoke directly to me and you might just feel the same way. You won't regret reading it.

♥I've been having fun making up these journal covers. 

The first one I made was totally "fly by the seat of my pants" {the brown one...it's mine}. The pink one I love even more because I thought to put a little hidden elastic loop in the ruffle to put a pen or pencil in.  I don't know about you, but writing utensils seem to disappear around here, so it's nice to know you have one when you sit down to write.

I'm gonna make a few more of these over the next week and put them in my etsy shop. I'll let you know when they actually get there.

♥Let's face it, there is a ton of cute ideas for little girls out there in blog land. ummmm....not so much for boys. 

Well Made and Made by Rae are taking care of that this month with a Celebrate the Boy series. The entire month of February is dedicated to boys. Love it!  There have been lots of neat ideas so far, but here is one of my favorites.

I know my boys would LOVE these bags. Especially with the clone trooper stencil on them. I just need to get the fabric and the other parts and I am so making these. You can find the tutorial at Ambrosia Girl

♥I'm totally behind on my reading the Bible in 90 days, but I have only missed a couple days. I am finding it VERY difficult to read for an hour a day. I do have more of a desire to read the bible than I ever have before and that is a good thing. I'm consistent in my reading so I KNOW that I will finish, but it won't be in 90 days. Bummer, I know, but ok at the same time.  I'm reading...consistently....and enjoying it so I consider it a victory even though I'm going to come up a little short on my original goal. Better late than never....right?

♥This vanity. 

My dad is currently making me some new doors and drawer fronts for my bathroom vanity and it will look very similar {sans baskets}...can't wait.  

 Have a wonderful weekend!

I Will!!

I'm still hanging in there with my Bible reading {in 90 days}. Don't have a clue what I'm talking about?...check out my sidebar over there for details and feel free to jump in anytime.

I started 5 days behind and I'm currently 7 days behind.

I've had a few days where I just didn't make it all the way through my readings in Leviticus and Numbers so I'm a little farther behind than I would like, but I will finish this!!

I will!!

Anyone else reading along??

Menu plan - Week of 1/11/10

We've had a great weekend here. Had my sister's baby shower yesterday and it was lots of fun. I went to church today and I have to say the highlight was holding and loving on my friend Kelly's new baby girl. She was born on Christmas day and is one of 6 {yes, SIX} sweet girls. She is just one of the prettiest babies I've seen in a while. I could go on and on, but I'll stop now.

I've been doing my bible reading and am all the way through Genesis and on into Exodus. I missed Friday night so I've got to make it up in the next couple days. 

I think what I like so much about doing this 90 day challenge is that I know if I miss a day it is going to be HARD to catch up so that motivates me to not put it off. I'm a procrastinator by nature and I think that the idea of reading the bible in a year...

well, 

that leaves all sorts of time for,

uh....procrastinating. 

I would always tell myself I'd catch up the next day and then the next day and so on until I just wasn't doing it at all.

I have to say that I believe the Lord is helping me along on this challenge. I am not normally a big reader because I generally get very sleepy when I read for very long. I have not been the slightest bit sleepy and I really think that comes from the Lord. Thank you!

I have finally put together an actual menu plan this week. My brain can only organize so many things at a time and I've been on overload since the end of November. Things have been wonky with the kids out of school and family in town that I just haven't gotten one put together in a while. 

NO worries though, my family hasn't starved, but we have eaten out a few too many times recently. A menu helps sooo much and I know that, but somehow just didn't manage to get it all pulled together over the holidays.

Here's what I've got down for this week:

Monday: Some of this chicken, homemade sweet potato fries and salad

Tuesday: Meatball sandwiches, cheesy corn and homemade applesauce

Wednesday: Taco soup and potato soup at church {I think I might even make some of PW's cinnamon rolls for dessert}

Thursday: Chicken Taos with rice & green beans

Friday: Barbeque meatballs, mashed potatos, corn

Saturday: Salmon patties, parmesan noodles & salad

Sunday: French dip sandwiches in the crockpot and probably something {non}fancy on the side

I also plan on making another batch of Chicken Tortilla Soup to have on hand for lunch this week.

Head on over to organizing junkie for more menu ideas

Would you think I'm a nut??

if I told you I am going to try and read the bible in the next 90 days??

I may fail.....but I'm going to try.

I've never read it all the way through. I've started MANY times {always in January, mind you}, but have always lost enthusiasm somewhere around the end of Genesis or Exodus. Mostly because I AM NOT A READER.  

I can read {obviously}, hence the ridiculous amount of time I spend reading some wonderful ideas and info out there in blogland.

I was thinking about making my same old resolution about reading the Bible in a year and it just made me want to run away screaming. Not because I don't want to do it, but because that is a LOT of days of reading to avoid and feel guilty about when I don't accomplish it....365 to be exact. 

Then I read this post by Missy over at It's Almost Naptime and was thinking....well, 90 days seems crazy, but more doable. More reading in less time is more appealing to me. Make a HUGE commitment and stick to it for a short period of time and pray that God will use this commitment to give me discipline in this area of my life. Pray that he will give me the deep desire and discipline to meditate on his word daily. 


Want to join along? I'm actually 4 days late starting so I'm either going to finish 4 days late {which would be the day before Easter} or somewhere along the line I will be inspired to catch up. 

You can print off the reading guide here.

I'm actually thinking about listening to the bible while I read it. You can do that here. 


You can find out all about the challenge here or go to Mom's Toolbox for more information. 

I'd love to know if you are going to join in on this exciting adventure. 

Or do you just think I'm a nut for even trying?

Won't you join me??

I am the first to admit that I am not the best at making time each day to sit down and read my Bible. It's not because I don't want to or I don't have good intentions, but I am just not good at doing things over and over and over  routines. 

I can make that work for most of life, but really, reading the word of God should not be one of those areas. I do feel like I mediate on God's word daily through christian radio, music and prayer, but there is no real substitute for getting into His word daily.

So....when I was listening to K-Love the other day and they put out the challenge to read a Proverb a day for the month of October, I decided that I would do it. It's only the 3rd of the month, but so far so good. 

Yeah for me!! 

Honestly, it's longer than I have lasted on any other reading plan so maybe I'll hang in there.

It's already October 3rd, but you could just catch up real quick like {only 2 chapters} if you wanted and join me on this month long look at the book of Proverbs. 

31 chapters...31 days.

Sounds easy enough.

He is Risen!!!

The Resurrection

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed," he said.

"You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.

He has risen!

He is not here.

See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Mark 16: 1-7

I pray each of you have a blessed Easter for HE IS RISEN and it is a wonderful day indeed!!

By his wounds

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Good Friday

The Death of Jesus

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

Mark 15: 33-41

Random ramblings

*We have company coming this week and we couldn't be happier. Brittney's best friend Berkley moved to PA about 14 months ago and has been deeply missed. They have managed to keep in touch and they talk often. Her mom got in touch a couple month's ago about Berkley's 16th birthday, she said all Berkley wanted was "Brittney" so we tried to work out her going there, but it just wasn't working so now Berkley is coming here for 5 days and we are just very excited to see her and love on her. Brittney has been a little bouncier in anticipation. *It's freezing in our home, literally...the windows (our very lovely metal windows...I know you are jealous) are frozen on the inside, yep...the inside. See Looks cozy, huh? *Last night in the midst of being sent to his room due to a poor attitude, Corban jumped (real angry like) up into his top bunk and *snap* went one of the slats under his mattress. Nothing fell and it did have a knot in the wood right where it broke, but I think it caused Corban to rethink his stormy ways. He was sweet as pie the rest of the night. *Has anyone made homemade marshmallows? I'm looking for a good (good....not bad) recipe. I've always wanted to try them, but never had the gelatin on hand. Well, I finally (like 4 years later finally) picked up some at the store so I'm ready, I just need a recipe. I've heard they are spectacular in hot chocolate and I love me some hot cocoa. Liquid chocolate...yumm! *Eric got some new cowboy boots he ordered online (on Friday...got them today...wow..and it was free shipping) While he was putting them on Josiah put on his cowboy hat and had his cowboy rope ready. As soon as Eric had them on Josiah began stringing out his rope and goes "Well, howdy partner" in a real southern accent. It was hysterical at the time, but possibly it loses something in the translation. Trust me...it was funny. *I just started a 30 day study on Proverbs 31 over at Revive our hearts. I personally want to run screaming or possibly just sit down and cry when I read all the things the Proverbs 31 woman is able to accomplish. I fear I do not even begin to measure up, but I think that is the point, at least partially. I am unable to accomplish any of it without the Lord, but with Him there is hope. Please join me if you feel led. *Josiah is still trying to wrap his little 3 year old brain around the Jesus' birthday thing and why isn't he going to be here if it's his birthday. He is starting to grasp the "star" was in the sky and that is why we have one on top of our tree, well sort of anyway.... he explained to us that "Jesus was born on a star in a nest". What is that Sunday school teacher teaching him?? Just kidding Amy...we love you.