A Spirit of Gratitude: August 31

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

The cat not putting up a fight when I replace his claw caps

Allergy medicine

 Baked potatoes

Cooler weather

Isaiah 41:13

Itsy Bitsy... Whatever!

I have finally found the one thing scarier than a big ol' hairy spider!  

A teeny, tiny, so small you can barely see it spider!  

 

credit

Scarier...
 because you can see a big spider coming.  You know it's there and can prepare for it
(or at least scream and run away while someone else takes care of it.)

A little bitty teeny spider?

You don't see it.  Until it's right there. 
On! Your! Hand!
Crawling around like it owns the place.

And THAT is scary!!

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 29

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

The grand baby saying "Pa" (complete with hand motions)

The male offspring cutting grass without arguing about it first

Kissing the Man of the House "good morning" before he leaves for work

Female offspring helping clean up the living room

Vanilla coffee

photo credit: worldmarket.com

Enough!

I'm a quitter.

I've quit a large percentage of things I have started during my lifetime so far.  From dance classes to hobbies to college - I've quit.

And then there's the even longer list of things I never even started.

Why? Why quit?

I start off strong. Full of hope and determination.

Then the doubt creeps in.  The worry.  The need for approval and it's twin the fear of rejection. That little voice in the back of my head telling my I'm not good/smart/talented/pretty/educated/qualified/brave enough.  Whispering that I don't have enough time.  Or energy.  Maybe even making me believe I'm not needed or wanted.

(Perhaps you recognize yourself in me?)

The time has come to stop listening to the doubt and fear.  Start listening to the Truth.

The Truth reminds me that God made me enough! I am:

• Good enough         
• Smart enough         
• Talented enough     
• Strong enough        
• Courageous enough

To complete anything He wants me to do! 

I just have to say "Yes God - whatever you want" and stick with it. 

I think I just came pretty close to havng me a 'Stuart Smalley' moment there.  Anyone else remember him from old Saturday Night Live skits?

Living It

God has been showing me a lot about trusting Him lately.  Telling me to keep my eyes, and my heart, on Him and walk the path He sets before me.  To read and hear His word and act upon it.

That's really the tricky part, isn't it?  Acting on it.

Living it out in complete faith.

To walk in faith and love every step.  To fill your life with praise and worship even when the going gets tough. 

It's easy to read the Bible and various daily devotionals and feel inspired for those few minutes and maybe a short while after. But God isn't after a few minutes.  He's after every minute.  Every hour.  Every day of my life.

How do I let it become part of my very being?  How do I live so that every word I say and every deed I act reflects His love, faithfulness and grace back to the world?  To completely let go and trust in the Lord and His plan for me?

It's WHAT?

It's the last week of August, y'all!  The last week!  Of August!

I don't know about you, but for me this year is flying by just way too quickly.

Especially once we hit this point.  School started yesterday.  Which means that in the blink of an eye it will be Halloween. And then Thanksgiving is just around the corner, which starts the whole holiday season time warp.

That's right.  Christmas is less than 4 months away. Which for some of you might seem like just all the time in the world.  But for the craft minded - those of us planning to crochet/knit/sew/etc many of our gifts - it is time to get busy!  For us, those months are short, short, short!  (If you've ever been crocheting like a crazy woman on December 23 - or worse, Christmas eve - you know what I'm talking about!)

I'm getting my plans in place for what I want to make a few certain special someones.  And no, I'm not sharing what they are - because I know most of those special someones happen to read this here blog.  You'll just have to wait and be surprised.

The Song In My Heart

Participating in the Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible Study "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" has had this song running through my head all week.

That Time "Duck Dynasty" Made Me Cry

Yes.. you read that right.  I watch "Duck Dynasty". I admit it.

Oh, be quiet.  It makes me happy, happy, happy.

It was during the season premiere that the show brought tears to my eyes.  And for the first time it wasn't from laughing at Si's antics. 

It was Phil and Kay's renewal ceremony which left me sniffling on the couch.


For those of you who have not found yourselves somehow addicted to this show and it's special brand of rednecks - Phil is the patriarch of the Robertson family and Kay is his sweet wife.  They were married young at the justice of the peace and never had a "real" wedding.  So for their anniversary the sons (thanks to some nagging encouragement from their own wives) threw them the wedding they never had.

To see the love these two people have for each other after almost 50 years together was so touching!

And, HEY... I always cry at weddings!

Sisters

A couple of weekends ago I got to spend time with my sisters for a few hours one afternoon.

I was happy to get to see one of my nieces.  It was great to meet my first nephew.  And to see one of my brothers in law.  And for us to be with our dad for his birthday.

But most of all, it was nice to have the three sister all together. Since the three of us are now scattered across the southern United States - it doesn't happen very often that we are all together in one place at the same time.

And I miss that.

I miss the way we can all talk at the same time, and still manage to keep track of and understand what each of the others is saying.

I miss how we all share the same memories. And can tell the stories over and over and over without ever seeming to tire of them.

I miss how we laugh at the same things.

I miss our competitiveness.

How we are all completely different - but somehow the same

I even miss the way we can drive each other crazy, but still manage to love each other.

Spending time with my sisters somehow left me craving even more.  More of them.  More time together.  More memories made.  More laughing with them.

The time we had together made miss them that much stronger now that we are all back in our own states, with our own families, and our own lives.

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 22

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Grand baby all sticky from eating Rice Krispie treats

Grand baby snuggling up with his grandpa
Finding time to write
New ideas for Queen B's Busy Work
 When God makes me laugh
Watching bad movies with the family

The male offspring with a fresh haircut

Caramel candy

Unconditional Love

I am constantly amazed by how God loves!!   He loves us all unconditionally.  The saved. The sinners.  Christians, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist.  Old, young.  Rich or poor.  Every last one of us.  He loves us.

That doesn't mean He approves of everything we do.  Or that He turns a blind eye to it.  He doesn't dismiss our transgressions.  He despises the sin in our lives.  But He still loves us no matter what - even with all of our shortcomings.

His heart aches for those who don't know Him.  Don't trust Him.  Don't believe in Him.  Even as they reject Him - He loves them.

He loves us.  And all He wants is our love and acceptance in return.  For us to come to Him, to say "Yes" and step into the warmth of His perfect, unconditional, eternal Love for us. 

Delayed

It drives me crazy.  

I tell the offspring to do something.  (maybe it's to empty the dishwasher, maybe take out the trash - the what isn't important)  The offspring doesn't move.

I make my request again.  And a response along the lines of "OK, in a minute" comes back at me. 

I tell him (or her) AGAIN. With slightly less patience this time. This time I hear "I will" or "I'm going to".

By this point in the exchange, I am fuming.  If I asked to have it done, I want it done when I ask.  Quit stalling and just DO IT already!

It was during one of these times when God asked me: "How often do you do the same thing to me?"

Oh...

So many times I have felt tug at my heart with something (maybe it was to call that friend or relative, or to write a note or send a card to someone - the what isn't important) and I have turned the other way.  I put it off, thinking to myself "Sure, I'll get to that later". 

Does it hurt and frustrate God when I delay doing something he has asked of me in the same way it does me with my own children? I'm sure it probably does. 

"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." ~ James 4:17


Delayed obedience is the same as disobedience. 

Stop putting it off.  Just DO IT already!

A Spirit of Gratitude:

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Grand baby running up and hugging my legs

A NEW sewing machine

Surprises

Cheeseburgers

Root beer floats

Always the Same

God is always faithful.  Always. 

He always keeps His promises.

He is always loving.

Our rock and our refuge.

As long as we trust in Him and keep to His ways there is no need for fear, worry, concern, or stress.

He will guide us and protect us.

He will instruct us.

He will give us peace.

An Open Letter to The Two Women at the Dollar Store

Dear "Ladies" (I use the term loosely because I have serious doubts);

I don't know what started your altercation in the dollar store today.  I don't really want to know.  I don't really care.  I'm just appalled that grown women would stoop to acting like middle school girls, or worse, in public.  Tossing insults such as "you fat (insert improper and derogatory use of word meaning "female dog" here)!", and telling each other to stick things in areas of the human body we don't usually talk about in public.

I question whether you have any clue how much you embarrassed a) Yourselves or b) The rest of us forced to pay witness to the entire thing.  And c) everyone who must share the gender you represent in such a manner!

Perhaps you know each other and this was part of an ongoing feud.  If so, it really would be best for everyone if you just ignore each other when in public so the rest of us don't have to be subjected to your verbal abuse.

Maybe you have never met and this was a confrontation between two strong-willed, angry strangers.  In which case may we recommend some anger management counseling?

You didn't come across as "bad", or "cool" or anything else positive.  Rather than building yourself up and presenting yourself in a positive way, you lowered yourself.  You seemed petty, rude, and obnoxious.  In fact, you reminded me of Proverbs 9:13:  "The woman Folly is loud; she is undisciplined and without knowledge."

I pray that you will think twice the next time you find yourselves furious and out of patience, at the store or anywhere else. I also pray that you will find some peace and joy in your life, a sense of calm which would over ride your impulse to yell at another person that way.

And if not - I pray I never have to share a retail space with either one of you ever in the future!

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 15

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Bunny hopping along side of the road

White and purple hibiscus flowers

Duck Dynasty reference on a church sign

Blizzard treat

Finished sewing projects

New sleep shorts for the male offspring

Don't Miss The Small Stuff

While working on my online Bible study through Proverbs 31 Ministries for the week, this statement jumped out at me:

'Radical obedience to God takes place in the everyday mundane things'

What are we missing everyday because we're too busy looking for the big, life changing, earth shaking, history making things?

Colossians 3:23 tells us, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters"  (NIV)

Everything matters.

God will use what ever He calls us to do for His glory.

Whether its being a missionary, a minister, or a mother.

Whether He calls us to feed orphans, work in the corporate world, or fold laundry. 

On some level in His plan it's all life changing, earth shaking, history making, BIG stuff.

God uses all of us in different ways.  He calls ALL of us. Are we listening? Are we obeying?

"I called you so often, but you wouldn't come.  I reached out to you, but you paid no attention.  You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered". ~ Proverbs 1:24 (NLT)

I don't want to be the one who misses it when He tells me to do something.  

I want to be the woman who pays attention. 

The one who takes the direction and correction.  

The woman who says "Yes God - whatever you want".

That Time I Saw Ben Affleck (sorta...)

I don't know why I was thinking about this story the other day. 

No, I take it back - I do know how I ended up thinking about this story.  It started when I was thinking about sin - which started me to thinking about the "Seven deadly sins" - which led to thinking about that movie "Seven", with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt - which caused me to think about how Brad Pitt used to date Gwyneth Paltrow  - and then how Gwyneth Paltrow also dated Ben Affleck - and there we are - right at the story about that time I saw Ben Affleck.  Sorta...

photo credit: justjared.com

One day, several years ago, I was driving down the main street in our quiet little town.  I stopped at the red light at one intersection and watched this guy cross the street in front of my car.  As he passed and stepped onto the sidewalk I thought to myself  "Wow, that guy looks just like Ben Affleck!"

The next day on the news there's a little story about how Ben Affleck had been spotted around town.  He even left his credit card (or ID, or something which proved it was really him) at a bar downtown. 

And that's when it it me.  That dude who looked just like Ben Affleck might have actually BEEN Ben Affleck!  For reals!!

It's probably a good thing that I didn't realize it might actually be him at the time.  It would have been terribly tempting to bump him a bit with the car, toss him in the back, and bring him home so I could nurse him back to health in some Misery-esque type scenario. Which I'm pretty sure the Man of the House would not have approved of. (Mr Affleck and the authorities probably wouldn't have cared for that plan either, come to think of it)

And there you have it.  (after a bit of rabbit chasing) The story of that time I saw Ben Affleck. Sorta...

Road Trip: French Broad River

One of our family plans for this summer is to drive (as closely as possible) the path of the Old Buncombe Turnpike.  The second part of our journey took us north along the French Broad River into Madison County, North Carolina.

French Broad River at Ledges Park

Marshall, NC

 

Playing at the park on Blannahassett Island

Relaxing at the park

Crossing the bridge into "downtown" Marshall

Driving north out of Marshall

Little Pine, Madison County, NC

It's possible there is no more accurately descriptive road name anywhere

That's right y'all - PAYNE'S Chapel!  

 

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 11

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Bowling with friends

Ice cream with the Man of the House

Words with Friends Sisters!

Watching "New Girl" season 1 marathon

Kissing the Man of the House good morning

I Wore The Cute Shoes

I've been having a lot of problems with my feet recently.  A lot.

I'm pretty sure I have planter's fasciitis.  (Self diagnosed.  I haven't been to see a doctor about it) I have a lot of tightness and pain in my feet, mostly the heels.  Especially when I get up first thing in the morning or after sitting with my feet up for a while.

In the words of Annie Lennox - it feels just like I'm walking on broken glass. Ouch!!


Some Most shoes make this worse. I can wear my sketchers or my tennis shoes without too much trouble.  But if I wear my flats, or my wedges, or my flip flops, or well... pretty much any of my cute shoes... my feet hurt like crazy.

But on that day, I had an outfit I wanted to wear which called for cute shoes.  It was inspired by something on my Pinterest board and the flats were just part of the outfit.  I convinced myself that since I had been wearing the comfy shoes so much, and even using the supportive insoles, it wouldn't be too bad to wear the cute shoes just for this one day of shopping.

I was wrong.

By that afternoon my feet were letting me know just how unhappy they were with me.  At one point I didn't even have to be standing to feel the pain.  And I thought that walking at all might be out of the question for the remainder of the day.  That degree of discomfort didn't last long - fortunately.  However I did do some serious limping around all evening.

That's what I get for wearing the cute shoes.  I fear I may be doomed to a lift of ugly supportive, orthopedic shoes.

So sad...

Friday Pinterest Wannabe Fashionista: Week 7

Another week - another attempt to recreate an outfit I have on my Pinterest board using items from my own closet...

The Inspiration:

white t-shirt, black and white scarf, jeans, flats, silver jewelry

My Version:

white t-shirt, black and white scarf, jeans

Silver jewelry

I also wore black flats.  More on those later...

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 8

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

French toast

Grand baby playing peek-a-boo with the laundry

Finding a great top - on clearance!

Pizza night with the family

Late night milkshakes

Yes, Way!

When I find myself thinking "there's no way!" in response to some situation, circumstances, idea, thought, or dream - it helps to remember that Jesus calls Himself "the way" (John 14:6).  All things are possible with Him! (Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13)

I don't have to have my act all together.  I don't have to be perfect. God can use us right where we are.  With all our faults.  All our shortcomings.  All our weaknesses.  He is going to provide whatever I need to handle anything he has planned for me at any given moment. 

God doesn't expect perfection.  He expects weakness.  In fact, he tells us that His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

If it's part of God's plan for me, and I do the work required on my part - anything can happen.  I just have to be willing to say "YES" to His agenda and accept it with open hands - Palms Up!

A Spirit of Gratitude: August 6

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Two meals from one crock pot

Grand baby wearing a napkin like a hat

Grand baby feeding the Man of the House pretzels

The offspring sharing a joke and laughing together

Brightly painted toenails
Proverbs 31 Ministries online Bible Study

The Man I Want To Be

My husband (aka: the Man of the House) is the kind of person I want to be.

He's the guy who really would give you the shirt off his back if he thought you needed it.

He's the guy who gives a ride to a couple in the parking lot at Sam's Club because they locked their keys in their car and the spare set is at home.

He's the guy who lets an older man go in front of him in the check out line, even though he has just as many items as we do.

He's the guy who doesn't just loan you the use of his truck, but gives up part of his Saturday morning to help you with whatever it is you're needing to haul somewhere. 

He is patient, understanding, and always making excuses for some of the most trying people I know. (I may or may not fit into that category)

He's easy going. He's kind. He's generous. He's funny. (and he's quite good looking too!)

I think I want to be him when I grow up!

10 Piece Cotton Spa Bath Sets

Now available at Queen B's Busy Work:

10 Piece Cotton Spa Bath Sets

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/158515041/10-piece-cotton-spabath-set?ref=shop_home_feat

https://www.etsy.com/listing/158513049/10-piece-cotton-spabath-set?ref=shop_home_feat

 Spa Bath Set hand crocheted from 100% cotton yarn. Makes a lovely gift (or pamper yourself at home!)

 Set Includes:
* 1 Bath Puff
* 1 Washcloth
* 7 Facial Rounds

Handmade from 100% cotton yarn. 

All pieces are machine washable. Drying flat or hanging is recommended to avoid shrinking and changing of shape.

Join the Yes Girls

Through my daily Bible reading and devotionals the topic of obedience to God, as well as finding and following God's purpose for me, keeps coming up over and over again. 

Because of this, I have chosen to follow the Proverbs 31 online bible study based on the book "What Happens When Women Say Yes to God" by Lysa TerKeurst.  I recently read this book on my own and loved the things I learned about myself and my relationship with God in its pages.

Now I am looking forward to getting deeper into it (along with almost 22,000 other women from 120 countries!)

According to the Proverbs 31 Ministries website, through this online Bible study you will learn to:

• listen for His voice and discern what He is asking you
• see how wholehearted obedience honors His presence in your life
• give yourself to Him and let Him affect lives around you in amazing ways

If you are ready to say "YES" to God, I invite you to join me in this online Bible study.  It's completely free to sign up here: http://proverbs31.org/online-bible-studies/.  

All you need is a copy of the book, a notebook/journal, a pen (or two, or ten - if you're like me!), and a willing heart and mind.  This bible study is flexible to fit into your schedule! 

I'm saying "Yes"... won't you?

A Spirit of Gratitude: Zoo Edition

While in South Carolina on vacation, we drove into Columbia to visit Riverbanks Zoo.  A good time was had by all...

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

Sleepy lions

Fuzzy gray baby flamingos

Penguins

Baby koala

Feeding giraffes

Grand baby trying to tickle gorilla feet through glass

Laughing at the grand baby

Posing grizzly bear

That THIS was behind glass!

Aquarium

Clown fish (aka: Nemo)

 

Cotton candy