The Simple Woman's Daybook - September 14, 2009

FOR TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th EDITION...

Outside my window... a slightly overcast day.

I am thinking... of the scripture I read this morning:

"... be imitators of God (copy Him and follow His example) as well-beloved children (imitate their father.)" Ephesians 5:1 AMP

I don't know about you, but when I was a little girl I wanted to do everything my daddy did. It always tickled me if someone told me that I looked just like my daddy. I should have that same attitude about Abba Father.

I am thankful for... a week off work!

From the kitchen... chicken and dumplings.

I am wearing...my favorite blue jean capris and an aqua T-shirt.

I am creating... treasures out of some of my yard sale goodies. Stay tuned for pictures in upcoming days.

I am going... nowhere today! I'm having a blessed day at home.

I am reading... I just finished re-reading Catherine Marshall's "Christy," one of my all-time favorite books.

I am hoping...to get some projects done during my week off, but also to rest and relax - which is very hard for me!

I am hearing... the breezes in the trees across the road because I get to have my windows open. It's only 68 degrees right now!

Around the house... so many things to be done I can hardly list them. I don't understand anyone that gets bored at home. There are so many things to do! (And, I did used to be a stay at home mom and led a very full and happy life.)

One of my favorite things... saving money and I'm hoping to get better at doing so.

A few plans for the rest of the week: attending a Jeff and Sheri Easter concert, the farmer's market, yard sale-ing, and attending a John Starnes concert.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is another photo I took of the place where my dad grew up.

However, the pond wasn't there when he was a boy.

To read other daybooks, visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Friday's Fave Five - September 11, 2009

It's time for Friday's Fave Five - a time to reflect on the highlights in our week.

1. A place for everything: I love order, and nothing makes me happier than having my house in order. A couple of days this week, when I came home from work, I noticed that the kitchen was picked up, no dishes in the sink, the countertops and sinks were gleaming. When I leave in the mornings, I try to leave the kitchen spotless. It's great to come home and see that the family maintained it! That makes me feel like cooking dinner!

2. Sunflowers: I noticed in my kitchen this morning that I have a lot of sunflower decorations. I love decorating in the kitchen with sunflowers. Also, I always want yellow walls in my kitchen; I just feel that sunny yellow lifts my spirits.

3. Saving money: I recently started couponing to save on that dreaded grocery bill. I found a couple of pretty good deals this week. I was excited!

4. Grapes: I love grapes - my whole family does - and today they are 99 cents a pound at Kroger. I will be buying a bunch. My favorites are the red grapes, but I'll eat green, too. (I know Susanne said grapes are one of her faves last week, but I love them, too!)

5. A day at home: Monday was Labor Day for those of us who live in the States. It was a great day for me of just relaxing at home, puttering around the house doing this and that, and working on a couple of decorating projects. I even slept in until 9 a.m.! For me, that is an accomplishment!

So, how did your week go? Link up over at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story and tell us about it!

Thankful Thursday - Undeserved Kindness

This month's Thankful Thursday, Laurie at Women Taking A Stand, has chosen the theme of undeserved kindness for this week's post.

I have been a recipient of much kindness through the years, especially during the time my husband first became disabled. I remember in particular two different instances:

We had applied for disability. During the long wait to see if my husband would receive disability, our only income was from my part-time job. A couple of times, our pastor came to us with money given to him to be passed along to us anonymously. What kindness!

Also, during that time, a group of men, from our home church and also from the church that I worked for, got together and put a badly needed new roof on our home. One of the church boards voted to cover half the cost of the shingles!

We'll never forget it!

These things really helped us financially, but even more, they evidenced the fact that God was concerned about us and moved among hearts of His people to help us. This was really important because the enemy had been whispering in my mind that God didn't care about us or He would heal my husband. I still don't know why the Lord has not healed my husband so far, yet now I know that He is concerned about our needs.

Most of all, I thank God for not treating me as I deserve. That's the ultimate act of kindness!

"He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve." Psalm 103:10

I deserve nothing good. My goodness on my best day still falls way short of perfection. Yet, He loves me because I accepted His free gift of salvation. Now I'm His child and He extends His grace to me. I'm so thankful!

To read other thankful hearts, visit Laurie at Women Taking a Stand.

Friday's Fave Five - September 4, 2009

It's time for Friday's Fave Five once again. FFF is a time where we recall highlights from our week and list our favorites.

1. Hot tea: Now that the mornings are cooler, I've been enjoying my favorite morning beverage. Hot tea is just so soothing to sip while I have my morning devotions.

2. Texas Sheet Cake: Today is our daughter Janae's 18th birthday and her requested birthday cake is my favorite, Texas Sheet Cake! Mmmm... love that fudgy goodness.

3. Favorite pics of Janae: Our daughter is blessed in that she is very photogenic and takes great pictures. I have a lot of favorite photos of her, but today I'm sharing a favorite baby photo:

and a favorite recent picture (from Easter 2009):

Some things never change ... notice that she tilts her head in the same direction in both pics?

4. Favorite New Quote: "Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like" Author Unknown

which brings me to my last fave of the week:

5. Humor! I love to laugh and funny stories and quotes are precious to me. If I can laugh, I can feel good no matter how crummy my week may be. I always think a sermon goes over better if you can get your point across with humor.

How did your week go?

Why not link up with the gang at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story? They are an awesome group and it is so fun to visit their blogs and see the favorites they share.

Thankful Thursday - Slow Down

This month's Thankful Thursday hostess, Laurie from Women Taking a Stand, chose the topic "Slow Down and Spend Time in His Presence." Wow, how timely! (How did you know, Laurie, that I needed to hear that?)

Yesterday I came home stressed out! I have a ton of stuff to do and less than two weeks to get it done. I felt so zapped. How in the world could I do this? And to think that right in the middle of this two week period, we have Labor Day coming with a day off!

Actually, I see now that having Monday off is God's provision for me. I can rest up that day to have the strength to get through the next 4 days!

I have been asked to lead the worship for next month's Ladies' Retreat. I have been thinking about how we are so busy we don't really take time to worship. When we come to church, the attitude is, "ok, lets do three songs and get worship out of the way and hopefully Pastor won't preach too long so we can get back home and do the next thing." I'm hoping to prepare the atmosphere so that we will take awhile to do worship. Spend time in His presence - perhaps without even singing! (Did you know that singing is not the only way to worship?)

Today, I'm thankful for Laurie's timely word, "slow down." I'm also thankful that we have the privilege of coming into His presence whenever we want. We don't have to go through the High Priest. The veil into the Holy of Holies has been rent, ladies! We can come approach the throne boldly to find grace and help in time of need!

What more can we ask?

To read other thankful hearts, visit Laurie at Women Taking A Stand.

What's On Your Mind '09 - Why Do I Blog?

I'm excited that the meme, "What's On Your Mind, '09" has resumed after a summer hiatus. The topic today is, "Why do I Blog?"

When I first started blogging I was excited about doing so because I felt it was a platform to share some of my devotionals that I had written. I also thought it was a great exercise to be intentional about writing more often. I dream of being a writer but often lack discipline to just sit down and type. I write a lot of things in my head as I drive to work everyday but neglect to actually get it down on paper.

As time has went on and I learned more about the blogosphere, I found so many things I was interested in. I discovered the world of memes and how each meme had a community of its own. I wanted to be a part of nearly every one I found!

I have read articles on how to successfully blog and been told, "give your blog a voice. Write on that topic because that is what your readers want to hear."

The truth is my blog is eclectic because that is how I am! I can't just talk about one thing because I am a sum of all the things I'm interested in.

Lately, I've been thinking about the "Total Woman." I know that is a name of a book a lady wrote a long time ago. (I think the author was Marabel Morgan.) I read it, but can't really remember but a couple of irrelevant things about it. However, I love the concept. We are not just spiritual beings, but physical and emotional, too.

I want my blog to address the total, or complete, woman. Today's women are complicated, driven beings. Most of us are wives, mothers, homemakers, career women, servants of God, involved in our church, hobby enthusiasts -- the list goes on and on. I want to speak to those issues.

I'm also in agreement with Shane who said she blogs for community. I have met some awesome people in the blogging world. I love to read their thoughts. Some of them have even sent me snail mail! And when they visit my blog, and I get feedback on something I posted, it makes my day.

Commmunity is a great thing. God didn't make us to be lone rangers. We need each other's input.

To sum up the question: the reason I blog is to give AND to receive. Seems like a pretty good deal!

To read what others had to say about this subject, visit Shane at Heart Reflections.

Tasty Tuesday - Orange Chicken

I've been asked to share the recipe for Orange Chicken that I use. I actually have combined two recipes to come up with Orange Chicken.

First,

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2 inch strips

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/4 C cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1 1/2 C water

1 qt. vegetable oil for frying.

Combine flour, cornstarch, salt, white pepper. Add 1 1/2 C water gradually to make a thick batter. (Batter is VERY thick. I'm thinking about thinning it some.) Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F. Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.

Orange Sauce:

1/3 C brown sugar

1/3 C orange juice (if diabetic, use orange flavored diet soda)

1/3 C vinegar

1/3 C orange marmalade (use sugar free if diabetic)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

1/8 tsp. ground ginger

Combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally til it boils, thickens, and clears. Best to use whisk to stir.

Pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 mins. (Or do as I do, and nuke it for about 7 mins.) Serve over rice.

For other fab recipes, visit Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.