Be Grateful Challenge ~ September 17, 2015

      :) peaceful morning; Matt catching the school bus; out of coffee (forgot to buy more); me time before work; early to work (Yea!!!); off cleaning (quiet time to pray); lunch and knitting; bleach all day; encouragement and tons of information; motivation; knitting and waiting for Matt at Boys & Girls Club while I chat with my Mom; laundry, dishes, sweeping and sorting; creative supper options; peaceful evening; candles lit and praying; knitting Miss Lori's snood; tired legs; ah, rest . . . .

Joy Dare ~~ September 17, 2015

3 gifts ugly-beautiful~~
Θ_Θ bleach, bleach, bleach
^o^ cheeseburger and a Coke
*♡* cleaning and sorting

Make Your Home a Haven Fall Challenge

Okay, I admit I am borrowing this idea again, but it is too good to pass up!! My intention was to continue all year but I got sidetracked as I often do.
So, I'm back on the challenge and, in typical me persona, starting early!! For week one I am lighting this candle when I am home and saying a prayer for peace in my home every time I see it (I may also sneak in prayers for whom /whatever I'm currently praying for in my war room). It is sitting on Aunt Mable's potty in the living room with our setup for 1000 marble challenge sitting neatly nearby.
As I also tend to have candles in other rooms as well I will say a prayer each time I see each of those.
Heaven will be flooded with prayers!!

Please join me in this challenge . . Add photos/a link to photos of your candle in the comments below.

Free Heat!!

I found this near work and. As I loaded my trunk with wood He prearranged to have cut to fit my new woodstove, I couldn't help but sing, "the Lord is blessing me right now, right now. The Lord is blessing me right now! He woke me up this morning and started me on my way . . The Lord is blessing me right now, right now, the Lord is blessing me right now . . . "
Then a coworker walked by and offered to help me ~~ a happy day indeed and I am so blessed~ as per usual!!!

Miss Lori's Snood!!

A bit of knitting on my lunch break  . . .

Praying in My War Room

Today I am praying for those who get great joy in hurting me  . .
Also for His future plans for Matt and I . .
Praying for mean people ~~ this is an interesting type of prayer as it really causes self-examination  . .  It really isn't an easy matter to do this, but I am praying He brings them to the foot of the cross . . that they truly become saved and water baptized in Jesus name!! Truly, this is the only option to change their behavior.
And the future for Matt and I . . we've come so far yet have so far to go. . . . but the real prayer is for greater service to Him above all else . . . and, as I write this, He gently guides me to prepare for a trip to Chicago to the homeless  . .. and a new list of items we will need  . . . so glad I ordered more Pocket Testaments!!

Be Grateful Challenge. ~~ September 16, 2015

      ♡.♡ sleepy peaceful morning; super quiet neighborhood; sweet teen; driving Matt to school as he just missed his bus (rolled right on by even though she saw him walking towards her); cheese tacos (need to grocery shop/get more creative; driving Matt to school; coffee started and 2 Chronicles 24:1-15 (He always leads me to the right passage for that day . . and this reflects what He was directing me toward last evening); focusing on the future; situations that trigger better/more efficient lists; a day of cleaning apartments; both bosses at work and both smiling; errands for work; new resolve; chat with Matt; laundry, nice hot bath and yummy supper; untangling yarn and a bit of knitting; cold milk; listening to Matt read Bible; Willy Wonka . . .

Miss Lori's Snood

Hi!! I'm so excited because I finally got the first bunch of red yarn untangled and began to knit with it!!!
This snood is going to be soooo pretty . . . definitely fun to knit this snood.

Joy Dare •• September 16, 2015

3 gifts shared ~~
:-] fun drive taking Matt to school
:-] chats about daily activities
:-] plans

My Hope Quilt Top

Good evening, all!! Welcome back.
Just wanted to update you on my Hope Quilt Top progress. I'm all caught up again . . for now ;)
Meanwhile, hoping your day was as blessed as mine! It never ceases to amaze me all He does in my life!! Blessings I can't begin to explain keep pouring in. Suffice it to say, a smile, wave, hug or quick kiss can make my day so much better than a million dollars ever could. And waiting for His blessings and His plan make my days so much brighter as I pray to remain obedient.
Hoping and praying the same on your lives!!

Be Grateful Challenge. ~~ September 15, 2015

     :0) sleepy quiet morning; sweet son; fresh perked coffee; "me time"; 61*F and 81% humidity; arrive at work safely. (drivers getting treacherous); basic cleaning; soft brown curls; 65*F and 70% humidity; His arm around my shoulders; "lay down your hurt, lay down your heart, come as you are . . "; waiting for my miracle; cleaning bathrooms then doing bookkeeping; can of peas for lunch eaten from can; that I know that I know so I will prayerfully wait; helping clean at church; a Pastor involved in lives of his congregation; Bible study; blizzards from DQ; watching "A Walk to Remember" with Matt

Joy Dare ~~ September 2015

11th~ 3 hard eucharisteo . . .
:) dirty dishes
:) multitude of tasks
:) conversation

12th~ 3 gifts in His Word  . . .
:] peace within
:] proper instruction
:] solid plan

13th~ a gift scented, scrawled, started . . .
  *_* Febreeze on carpet
  *_* list
  *_* house revamp

14th~ 3 gifts drawn . . .
=] mop water
=] understanding of His plan
=] bath water

15th~ 3 gifts paired . . .
~_~ faith and acts
~_~ Bible study and growth
~_~ sweet smile and my heart

Be Grateful Challenge ~~ September 14, 2015

      :) sound sleep; sweet son; fresh, hot coffee; house getting cleaner; peaceful drive to work; general cleaning duties today; flu-ish yuck slowing me down so I'm praying with more concentration, but not about the flu; Matt at Boys and Girls Club; new colored pens for my Bible; how a simple "gift" like new boxers can make Matt sooooo happy~~ love that kid; Matt's gf and hoping she doesn't break his tender heart; home, bath and straight to bed; Bible study with Matt quietly and off to sleep . . .. . 

Soaking in a Tea Bath

Sometimes there's nothing better for irritated skin than a long soak in a bathtub filled with hot water and three steeping tea bags! After dealing with chemicals at work all week my skin has a few unsavory things to say to me. To quell the barrage of whining I take a long soak in a tea bath.
Today's tea of choice? Orange spice black tea.
What's your favorite tea for your bath??

Sweet Sun Tea on My Kitchen Window Sill

Doesn't that look so yummy? Today I used Bigelow's Green Tea with Pomegranate  (a new flavor for us!!) . .  . 10 tea bags in my glass sun tea jug.
By morning our tea will be ready!!
Where do you set your sun tea to brew?
What's your favorite tea?

Be Grateful Challenge ~~ September 13, 2015

     :-] sleepy morning and getting to sleep in; some dishes washed and fresh, hot coffee; laundry going; Matt snoring softly; peaceful home; autism; all the cleaning I did in the living room Friday after work; the fun of sorting out the house so we can move on to our next adventure; finally blogging things I already should have said; Toastie-o's for breakfast; 6+ loads laundry washed; Matt happily trimming out back way past the five (5) minutes I requested; a yummy supper; Matt taking off for a bike ride; my new prayer list; a nice supper and trying new foods; so much laundry washed; bills paid and a couple letters written; starting Miss Lori's snood and untangling the red yarn; quilting and enjoying Matt's company  . . .
Sweet dreams  . . . .

My Hope Quilt Top

All caught up and I must say life sure changes when you pray for those who hurt you!!
Today has been a blessed day!!!

Miss Lori's Snood

Tonight I finally was able to free up some time to start a snood commissioned by Miss Lori. The initial band is finished and I will begin the lacy crown as soon as I finish untangling the red yarn.
This snood is going to be so pretty!!

Pantry Surprise ~~ Vindaloo

Tonight's supper was a slow cooked delight! We had the Indian -inspired Vindaloo meal kit from Archer Farms.
In keeping with our current theme we went with pantry surprise (don't need to eat out as, surprise, there's food in the pantry!!).
I found a huge zucchini in the fridge yielding about 6-8 cups diced as well as a sweet and a white potato. To all these veggies I added two (2) pig tails (that's what the frozen package said), the simmer sauce and the teeny tiny packet (palm size!!) of rice and dried potatoes and peas. It simmered slowly until the house smelled like heaven and the veggies were oh, so tender.
Admittedly it was spicier than we've been eating lately, but that was a nice change.
I would definitely buy this meal kit again!!

My War Room~~ Who to Pray for First??

Who/what to pray for first? With the world such a mess and Matt and I in the process of changing our entire lives there are so many options!! Here's a general idea of where I am starting:
^_~ those who delight in making my life difficult
^_~ preparation to be a good wife someday
^_~ my future husband (no, I don't even have a boyfriend right now) and his family
^_~ Matt's future wife and her family (do you also pray for your children's future spouses and their family??)
^_~ my Pastor and his family
^_~ Matt's dad (my ex-husband)

Tell me, who/what's on your prayer list?

 

1000 Marble Challenge ~~ Week 102

Hello there and welcome back!!
Today marks 102 weeks of doing the 1000 Marble Challenge. Another good week behind us and nice to see Matt drop the marble in the blue jar. He says, "because we had a good week".
Good weeks aren't always sunshine and roses though. There are also long discussions about behavior and what seems, to a 14-year-old boy with ASD, like endless chores. Nice to see he can keep the highs and lows as well as required life maintenance in perspective!!

My Hope Quilt Top

Hi! Wanted to pause a moment to show you my progress  . .
Stitches done through last night and my place held by my needle . .
Today has been a busy day and I have a pair of snoods I'm doing on commission that I need to start before I return to this joy I find in this quilt top . .
Do you have a quilt that draws you to work on it?

Day 255/365

My War Room

  Hello and God Bless!!
Have you seen the movie "The War Room"?? If you haven't you definitely should see it at least once. Matt and I saw it last night and I can say we'd love to see it again!! We will definitely be getting this one on DVD. . . I promised Matt.
The concept of keeping a room just for war in prayer is awesome!! Imagine an actual physical room just for that!! Wow!!
Now, I do not have that luxury as my home I tiny and we are preparing to move, so I am going to use a notebook as my posting place. And,as I do much of my praying at work while cleaning/bookkeeping, I may post my more urgent prayer lists on the wall above my desk in my cubicle.
I've decided to use the notebook I've been carrying around with me as less-is-more is a good life theme. This way I'll always have my prayer notebook handy as well as my current life-lists . . I am thinking the two (2) are very interrelated anyways. And, as I left my extra Bible in the rental car (sharing Christ forward?) I will add my mini Bible to my bag.
How are you setting up your War Room??

Switching Back to my Percolator

Good morning!! Welcome back.
What method do you use to brew your coffee? Why? Do you find it satisfactory?
Up until today I have been using an automatic drip coffee maker, but have been, in the back recesses of my mind, thinking about the Kerig recall. If Kerig coffee makers were recalled because bacteria was growing in the plastic tubing couldn't the same be happening in all coffee makers utilizing such tubing?
For a while (couple years) I ran bleach and dish soap through my coffee maker regularly to kill off any odd bacteria but, as I didn't go through this process daily, I knew I was still drinking potentially contaminated coffee. Yuck!! Who really wants to season their coffee with random bacteria???!!!!!
I have finally pulled my stove top percolator out of the far regions of my kitchen cabinet (where it awaited a camping trip) and am using it once again. And the coffee maker? It will go in a box for my yard sale once I scrub it down.
So . . .
Let me ask you . . 
Do you prefer your coffee with or without bacteria seasonings?

Be Grateful Challenge ~~ September 12, 2015 ~~ Sabbath Day

   ^_~.     sleepy chilly morning; no sugar= no hot coffee; peaceful Sabbath morning; cleaning duties at work; sweet Matt hanging out with me (on his laptop, but nice I can see him as I work); steak burritos and a large Coke; how short the distance from here to there is becoming; prayer for clarity; watching "Faith Like Potatoes" play out in my own life; feeling a bit wonky and wondering why; wishing so badly that I was in Rockford with church; home and feeling chilled; that knowing that I know . . and the associated waiting on God; quilting, praying and resting; seeing "The War Room" with Matt (everyone should see that movie~ will blog more on this later); home~ peace and quiet and safety and unconditional love

Returning to Church

Well, hello!! Glad to see you again. If you have a moment I'd like to share with you about why I've returned to attending church . . well, Bible study to be exact.
You see, I have been trying to do all our Bible study on my own. After having attended various churches looking for deep serious study and for a church where we could have a feeling of friends and family I had finally given up and decided the hurt was too great. We just never seemed to be judged to be good /Christian enough.
 I decided we would only worship from home. For a time this was fine and gave us a chance to lick our wounds and regroup. I missed having a church family but didn't miss the metal on metal refining that is necessary in such a family.
But then, as happens, it became all too obvious that we were I need of more serious instruction . . and it needed to be correct instruction. And so, we decided to return to church~~ not for close friends, but to get sound, solid training.
And, over time, friendships may grow. We will be okay as we are no longer looking for everyone to love or even like us. We are simply looking to become everything He needs us to be.

My Hope Quilt Top

Every day He does something new in my life!!
Not finished~ I barely finished yesterday and started today when my fingers went numb :(
Still in all~
Abundantly Blessed and Spoiled!!!
0:-)

Be Grateful Challenge •• September 11, 2015

      =] sleepy, rainy morning; sweet  teen; generic Cheerios; 9-1-1 and associated heroes; peaceful drive to work; bookkeeping keeping my brain young; leftovers for lunch; Coke; realizing I'm almost 52 years old (how did this even happen???!!!); a huge compliment (thank you!!); sweet Matt; Pilcher Park; laundry washed; baths taken; supper a la Matt; peaceful sleepy evening  . .  .

1000 Marble Challenge ~~ Weeks 31-101

Hi! Welcome back!!
Yes, we are still doing the 1000 Marble Challenge . . trying to make every day count even though we only catch up our marbles very extremely randomly. As I figured out when we last attempted to track this I had to look deep into the cold storage of my blog posts ~~ way back to 4.27.14!!
Oh, my word! Sloppy tracking!! But, if you've followed our lives over that period of time you know we have a seriously valid reason for slacking in this and so many other areas. This, my friends, was the time frame from Matt's last IEP meeting at SEALS through his 8th grade year at Gompers (and busting our behinds to get him out of special ed and dropping his IEP!!) then on to getting him ready for his freshman year in high school and in proper classes to prepare him for college!!
And so, as Matt thought through this time period and all we have done and become as a stronger family unit, he dropped all 71 marbles into the good jar!! His reason? "the last year and five (5) months or so have been amazing!!"
That little "bad week" jar is still empty and looking odd and lonely, as it should be. I am grateful it is still empty and I am able to give Matt all the attention he needs.
How are your jars looking?

Day 253/365

Evening sky . .

Day 253/365

After the storm/ another approaching storm cell??