Saturday, October 31, 2015

How do I Prep for Fireballs???Fireball Logs | American Meteor Society

As I look at these logs of fireball sightings I wonder how does one prep for this?
I am thinking prayer is our only hope!!!

http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireballs/fireball-report/

Be Grateful Challenge ~+~ October 30-31, 2015 ~+~ Sabbath

Hi there! Happy Sabbath!
I wanted to briefly share with you what I learned in Bible study this week about the Sabbath. You know it's always cool to learn new things about God's plan for us!! I learned that the weekly Sabbath actually runs from 6pm Friday night until 6pm Saturday night!!
And so, we are tweaking our observance times at home. Last night I rushed home, took stock of everything, then spent an hour trying to see how much I could get done on my new pantry set-up . . by 5:46pm I was breathless and decided to head off for a hot shower and to begin our day of rest/ our Sabbath.
Matt and I spent our evening watching Cecil B. DeMille's "The Ten Commandments". I was doing Bible study and playing with my crazy quilt and Matt was playing a game on his phone. It was a pleasant evening of chatting and relaxing together.
This morning Matt made me a bacon and parmesan cheese breakfast taco (never knock a meal made with love!!) and coffee and I headed off to work. Matt stayed home to guard the homestead and enjoy his Sabbath.
Today was a day of prayer for me even though I was at work (I pray all day at work almost every day). My day was blessed.

Prayer of Jabez and a Break in My Car

Today is a day of deep prayer  . .
Of chatting with my Heavenly Father all day . .
Listening to "Guilty" by Newsboys . .
Yes, I am guilty by association  . .
I follow Him as closely as possible . .
And pay that price happily  . .
As punishment for obedience to my Lord is a HUGE Blessing!!!
And, with the prayer of Jabez, I am asking for a closer walk with my Lord and deeper service to Him . . .
And the persecution will increase. . .
So, So worth it!!!

My Paid Work~Out

Happy Sabbath, all!! Hoping your day is pleasant and filled with blessings only God can provide. I will be blogging our Sabbath later, so stay tuned!!! But, for now, I am starting my exercise and prayer time . . ..  . 0:)

Friday, October 30, 2015

Joy Dare .:. October 2015

28th~ 3 gifts in Christ ~~
0:) beautiful salvation
0:) Christian family
0:) security

29th~ 3 gifts on time~~
:) His love unequalled
:) change of pace at work
:) long chat with Mom

30th~ 3 gifts overjoyed!
^_~ the peace of His true agape love
^_~ Sabbath evening at home with my son
^_~ a peaceful homestead

My First Crazy Quilt

A bit of quilting and praying before work this morning . .

My First Crazy Quilt

I layed it out to see the color patterns created by the patches and check my progress  . .

Rethinking My Pantry Setup

Well, muscle-man Matt moved my huge shelving unit for me and I began to dust away cobwebs and spider eggs (what is it with the spiders this year??).
I've started putting some groceries back on the shelves . . this is not necessarily a permanent arrangement as I am already rethinking what food should sit where for most logical/convenient use.  . . .
So good to get this much done!!!!

Make Your Home a Haven Challenge _~_ Day 22

A blessed evening at home . .
Candles lit . .
Prayers for peace and safety. . .
Yearning for lost souls. . .
WBGL 104.7 contemporary Christian music drifts softly through our home . .
Redoing pantry . .
Laundry running . .
Dishes washed . .
Hearty supper a la pantry surprise  . .
Looking ahead to His plan for us!

Prayer of Jabez and a Break in My Car

Praying as I take a quick break~ quilting, praying and listening to Moody Bible Radio . . .
Blessed,
Blessed,
Blessed!!!

My Paid Work~Out Program!

Woohoo!!
Happy Friday!!
Starting my day with a work~out and a smile . .
A grew opportunity to pray and praise Him all day!!!

Simple Heat for Small Spaces

Need quick steady heat for auto emergencies or a small room?

Try this:
Find a metal coffee can (NOT a cardboard one) . .
Find a candle a bit shorter than the coffee can (not as seen in photo) . .
Put candle I the can and light . .

I have found this to be a decent source of reliable heat.
Try it and let me know what you think!!

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Prayer of Jabez ~_~ 1 Chronicles 4:10


'10 "And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that Thou wouldest bess me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me!" And God granted him that which he requested.'

And so, yes I am going to go back to repeating this prayer daily . . yes, I know this is turning up the flames . . yes, I realize He will be increasing my work load for fulfilling His will . . .
It is simply time (way past time) to be doing this again . . .
More of Him . .
Less of me . . .
Blessings will increase by requesting He "enlarge my coast"/more for You, Lord!!!

Wife Bible Study ~=~ Numbers 5:11-31

I have been in prayer a lot this week~ on this passage as well as other things.
To me faithfulness is a must . .
I DON'T share well . .
And I DON'T expect my husband to share either . .
We need to be as one person . .
With Christ as our foundation!!

Lunch~ Pantry Surprise

A late lunch today due to a fun change of pace at work . .
now is me time . .
sitting in my car eating yummy granola and dried cranberries while I quilt . .
ah, life is good!!

My First Crazy Quilt

A couple more patches added and trying out new stitch ideas for fun. My time for prayer, tears and hope . .
Opened up this quilt last night and really looked at it (it's a crib sized quilt) and I realized I still have quite a ways to go before it's finished.
It will definitely be ready for next year's Will County Fair, but I'm not really sure if it's fair-quality . . Honestly though, it's only $1.00/ item to enter (after I pay the $15.00 overhead fee), so it may be worth a shot at a ribbon!!
I haven't been working on my Hope Quilt Top lately, simply due to time constraints. With winter barreling down upon us, very little wood gathered/stacked and a myriad of pre-winter chores looming I have next to no down time for these precious relaxing activities.
Soon though, snow will pile up and I can quilt by my fire!!!

Make Your Home a Haven Challenge ~:~ Day 21

Hey there! I want to tell you there have been days I've been gone or too tired to light my candles. There have also been days I lit the candles and said prayers then never posted it . . . Such is the busy life of a single mom . . It's all blessings regardless!!!
Last night I was digging through innumerable boxes of "why do I have this stuff" and found a box full of assorted candles!! Woohoo!!! All varieties and seasons/holidays so I can have fancy candles without having to buy any~ these are all scavenged from the free pile at work (items shared/left behind when people move).
And my prayers?
Stability in our homestead. . .
Peace and love . .
Reaching out to lost souls . .
Following His lead always!!

My Paid Work-Out Program!!

Good morning, all!!
Starting my day with bending, stretching and a good dose of prayer  . . .
Hope your day is equally blessed!!!

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Today in My War Room

Today has been a day of wrestling with God. . . .  I needed clear answers and got them.  . . sometimes the letting go can be very painful . . . and giving up and giving someone to God can be the only answer available. .  . .   most importantly I need a future of serving God and nothing /no one in the way!!
It is time to reinstitute the Prayer of Jabez in my life . . . Oooooo, it's going to get really interesting now!!   :-D

Took a Break

A quick trip to McDonald's for a large Dr Pepper . .
Quilting and praying in the drive-thru line . .
A nice reprieve for me . .
Amazing use of 15 minutes . . . .
Ahhhhh . . . !!!

Rethinking My Pantry

Well, hello there! Glad you stopped by.
I'm sitting here contemplating my pantry dilemma. I am in the process of pulling the last of the groceries out of the pantry so I can move the huge shelving unit and pull up the last of the flooring.
At this point there are decisions to be made:
• deep scrub/bleach sub floor and call it good?
• put a large shelving unit in front of the window? Will I be able to properly fit all shelving if I do that?
• as I pull food out/restack once shelves are re-arranged I have to figure out how much/what food we can take with us to the boat~ space considerations and how fast are we really eating this stuff????
     Redoing the pantry is fun, although I really don't have time to do it. But, I know that, once it's finished, I will be way more organized! And, as emptying the pantry put boxes of food in the family room, living room and kitchen, I will finally be able to properly clean the rest of my humble home!! That will be a Huge Relief!!
What homesteading project are you working on right now?

My Paid Work-Out Program

Good morning! My paid work -out began at 8:15am and is a blessing as I was at my desk the last 1 1/2 days. Today is a day of prayer and moderate exercise.
A blessing!!

Day 301/365

Cass St bridge as rain falls. It's 55*F here I Joliet, IL and I'm so hoping the rain will stop soon as I have laundry on the line (which has received a "few" extra free rinse cycles!!) and weeds to pull at a friends house. And then, there is also firewood to gather and stack and our own yard to tend to . .

Oakwood Cemetery

A rainy fall day in Joliet gives the cemetery a different feel.

Joy Dare *?* October 27, 2015

A gift humbling, honoring, happy ":"
*"* helping at church by cleaning bathrooms
*?* being able to bless church by helping
*'* time with church family at Bible class

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Day 300/365

Well, after a breakfast burrito (we love those) and my coffee I have moved on to lunch . . today I'm having V-8 Juice and yummy granola!! Soooo good!! Healthy and filling.
What are your healthy choices for today?

praying . . .



I've had it on my heart several times to pray for people . .
sometimes I know specifically what to pray and others it is just a general prayer for them . . . .
and today?
well, I have the list of people I feel led to pray for, of course . .
but I also have someone specific weighing heavily on my heart . .
and so, although my prayer list in my notebook is nearby, I am praying for someone special today . .
for strength, wisdom in decisions for the future, health, peace, comfort of the Holy Spirit and trust in the Lord to guide . .

My First Crazy Quilt

A few more stitches tonight . .
After a long day sometimes that's all I have left to give . . .

Monday, October 26, 2015

Joy Dare ~ October 2015

24th~ 3 gifts accomplished . . .
^_~  Holy Ghost revival at Second Avenue Apostolic Church
^_~  seeing someone I've been praying for show up at church and receive Holy Ghost
^_~  choosing not to see "Paranormal Activity" at drive-in, and instead leaving early

25th~ 3 gifts enjoying . . .
:) visiting a church on 69th St in Englewood
:) our church family
:) Matt receiving Holy Ghost!!

26th~ 3 gifts extravagant  . . .
* His love for me
* the way He protects me through everything
* Matt's patience

Pantry Surprise~~ Supper a la Matt

Tonight's supper is corn and chili cooked together by the best personal chef ever!!

Individual Praise and Worship Styles

Hey there! Welcome back!!
What's your personal praise and worship style? Does it match your personality? Are the two even remotely connected?
Here are some of the styles I have observed:
* kneeling (at alter)
* prostrate on floor
* waving flags
* standing, arms stretched out straight from sides
* standing, arms waving gently in air above head
* waving a scarf
* jumping
* dancing (variety of styles)

These are just what immediately comes to mind. I'm sure you could add to this list!! And each is a way that particular person is moved in the Spirit. Personally, I don't think any one of these makes one person holier than the others. Each is simply a reflection of that person's intimate relationship with God!
Now, for me, I am generally a somewhat hyper person. Even if I'm sitting I'm doing something (knitting, sewing, chatting~ or two things at once). But . . . when I am deep in praise and worship I go into a tender intimate relationship that is quiet, loving, tender . . almost a feel like a good slow dance with someone ultra special!! Very different from the girl who pings from here to there chatting and singing all day.
What about you? Is your praise and worship style dissimilar to who you are the rest of the time?

My Paid Work-Out Program

Good Morning!! Hoping your day is as blessed as mine! Your weekend also!!
I started my work-out about twenty minutes ago and am glad to be in motion today . . My muscles needed this!!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

1000 Marble Challenge *~* week 108

Well, the verdict is in~ another happy week on the homestead!!
A week of:
"please watch your tone of voice . . "
Helping with laundry . .
A hike . .
Drive-in movie  . .
Bible study and two (2) church services!!!
Matt getting the Holy Ghost!!!!!!!!

Wife Bible Study ~•~ Numbers 5:11-31

Wow!! I read the Bible through when I was twelve so, obviously as I am old, there are passages I read now that seem completely new to me . . This was one such passage . .
I must admit that my life before I was saved and fully committed to serving God  lacked quite a bit. In looking for affection I slept around . . .
Fortunately I can say with a clean conscience that I never cheated on my husband and both of my children were conceived and born in wedlock.
Faithfulness in marriage really seems to be lacking in these times. I have a serious problem with sharing my husband and so pray God will give me a faithful man someday  . . .

Wife Bible Study ~ Exodus 20:17

I've been doing a lot, I mean seriously a lot, of thinking about this verse . .  I've struggled and prayed . . Sought counsel on this and prayed more . . being divorced makes this whole Bible study more intense  . . I have to really stop and look at where I should be headed from here . . .
I truly would love to have a godly husband willing to work at being married to me.
Meanwhile?
I have so many amazing things to do for Christ!! I shall be quite busy while waiting to be pursued . . .

Hungry and Greedy Squirrel

He was munching under the tree but ran up the trunk with this treasure that's almost bigger than he is as I walked over to take a picture.

Be Grateful Challenge ~*~ October 24, 2015 ~*~ Sabbath

     :] peaceful morning; taking a vacation day so I may attend church service; fresh, hot coffee; all dressed up; the blessing of my church home at Second Avenue Apostolic Church; the way the Holy Spirit moved through the church; when people I pray for for years turn up at church on just the right day!! Watching "David" (been watching last night and this morning too!!); the way He blessed me as only He can; Matt cooking for me the way only a son does for his mommy; my baby down the hall cooking and jamming to loud Christian music #Iamsoblessed; working together as a family; hike at Timber Ridge Forest Preserve and amazing chat with a pastor we met as we hiked; "Goosebumps" at Cascade drive-in then forfeiting"Paranormal Activity" and coming home early; long talk with Matt; teeth brushed and time for prayers and bed because we have amazing plans tomorrow too!!!

Saturday, October 24, 2015

My First Crazy Quilt

An hour of quilting in the car in the dark (only light from tiny lamp)~ I have absolutely no idea how women did this by candlelight!!

Make Your Home a Haven Challenge ~*~ Day 20

Quiet prayers . .
Hope and love . . .
From our homestead to yours!!

Weather Tree . .

Well, the Weather Tree has suddenly decided to change colors . . .
Time to panic on stocking firewood and last minute forgotten winter preps!!

Timber Ridge Forest Preserve, Dupage Township

Went for a hike with Matt this evening adding 2 1/2 additional miles to our accumulated hikes.  Met a pastor along the way and had a conversation that was nothing short of a blessing!!

Friday, October 23, 2015

Joy Dare

21st~ 3 gifts undervalued ~~
* love
* honesty
* morals

22nd ~ a gift silent, still, strong~~
* meanness
* fears
* family bond/closeness

23rd~ 3 gifts begun ~~
* lighthearted as He carries my burdens
* resolve
* next step

Wife Bible Study ~*~ Exodus 20:17

..."thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife " . . KJV compact reference Bible

I pray for my future husband . .
But I must be watchful of my prayers and thoughts . . .