The Simple Woman's Daybook - September 28, 2009

FOR TODAY, SEPTEMBER 28th EDITION...

Outside my window... a cool clear morning, fall weather is coming!

I am thinking... on a phrase I heard this weekend: "Activity brings thirst." The more I do for God, the thirstier for Him I get.

I am thankful for... cooler weather which eventually means no a/c bill!

From the kitchen... oven fried chicken tenders tonight.

I am wearing... my favorite brown dress pants and a peach jacket I found yard - saleing.

I am creating... places to put my yard sale goodies.

I am going... make an effort to spend more time in prayer.

I am reading... nothing right now. Time to pick out a new book!

I am hoping... to see some answered prayers soon.

I am hearing... the clock ticking.

Around the house... some coupon clipping to be done!

One of my favorite things... the color burgundy.

A few plans for the rest of the week: a little studying on Philippians, making a better organized grocery list.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This makes me think of a line from that poem, "Only God Can Make A Tree." (Joyce Kilmer)

If you'd like to read other daybooks, visit Peggy at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Friday's Fave Five - September 25, 2009

Is it Friday again? Wow, unbelievable! It's time for Friday's Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story, a time to reflect and pick five favorites from our week.

My week was just a regular week with nothing special happening in it. Yet, I can always find some favorites in there!

1. Sunday, my class studied one of my favorite subjects, "The Armor of God." We had good discussion and there was a lot of participation. Definitely a favorite!

2. Monday, it was back to work for me after having a week off. I do love my job, and I'm thankful to have one. Another favorite!

3. Tuesday, I made one of my favorite recipes that I got from Kym at Kympossible, Black Bottom Banana Bread. Here's the recipe:

Black-Bottom Banana Bars
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup baking cocoa Cream butter and sugar; add egg and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Blend in the bananas. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Divide batter in half, and add cocoa to half. Spread the cocoa batter in a greased 13x9 pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl a little with a knife. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes. Cool and frost if desired

4. Wednesday was sort of a bewildering day with lots going on. At almost the last moment, I found out I was needed to fill in leading worship. I'm a big believer in doing whatever you are asked to do, it's part of servanthood, being like Jesus, but I also believe in being prepared and I was feeling a little frazzled. Yet, when we actually started worship I felt calmness and peace come into the sanctuary. People were entering into worship instead of just sitting there and that is always a big favorite with me!

5. Another favorite is Fridays! I love Fridays because we can wear jeans that day, it's payday, and because of this meme. It is my favorite of all the memes I participate in. I love all the people that participate and I love to visit their blogs.

Why not join in and link up over at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story. You'll have fun, I promise!

Thankful Thursday - Simplicity

This week's hostess for Thankful Thursday, Laurie, at Women Taking a Stand, has chosen simplicity as the theme.

I'm thankful that the gospel is simple! The good news is that all you have to do to be accepted by God is admit you have fallen short, believe that Jesus died for you and rose from dead to live making intercession for you, confess it and change your direction (or repent is the Christianese term for it.) He'll even help you with the "change" part!

It's as simple as ABC - admit, believe, confess!

Isn't it wonderful that you don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops, or keep a long list of rules, or pay thousands of dollars to become a child of God? If that were true, I'd be in trouble!

9"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10

It's simple, and I am thankful!

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

Random Dozen

1. Please share one middle school memory. It can be good, bad, ugly, funny. Pictures or words, I don't care, just share.

Hmm... I have much more traumatic memories of high school, but I do remember being assigned to the boys' gym class by mistake in 7th grade. They thought Jerri was a boy! Can you believe it?

2. What's your favorite Beatles song?

When I first heard the Beatles, I was very very young and thought "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was the greatest. Looking back, now I think I like the song, "Yesterday," the best.

3. If I asked you to describe your most comfortable outfit, what would it be?

Are we talking most comfortable outfit I would wear to work or I would wear at home? At work my favorite is my brown dress pants with a brown, white, yellow and lime green tunic. It's comfy and I love to wear lime green. At home, I have a certain pair of denim capris and a hot pink Tshirt that feel so good when I put them on. I'm constantly laundering them and putting them right back on.

4. Would you rather host a party or be a guest?

Definitely be a guest. I have issues when it comes to hosting a party ...

5. Do you think we will move completely from traditional books to digital ones, and if we do, are you OK with that?

I think there will always be traditional books; otherwise, how could you read in the bathtub or in bed? I would never want to live in a world without books to actually hold in my hand.

6. Do you learn best by reading, listening or experiencing?

Before computers, I would have said that I learn best by reading, because I can look at a page and memorize what is there and even what side of the page it is on. When it comes to computers; however, I learn by experiencing. If someone shows me how to do something on the computer, I can't remember the next time I try to do it. If I follow along step by step, pushing all the buttons myself, I come much closer to being able to do it solo on my next attempt.

7. If you are (or when you were) single, what is the kiss of death for you concerning the opposite sex? (That is, what is one trait or behavior or habit or anything at all that immediately turns you off from considering that person a potential match for you?)

This is an easy question for me to answer, I cannot stand someone who curses. One curse word and there would be no second date.

8. Snacks. Salty or sweet?

Overall, salty, except for those times that I can get me some chocolate!

9. Look around you in a four foot radius. What object is around you that you didn't realize was there or forgot was there? How long has it been there?

A dummies book of Office XP. It's been there a month or more ... (I've never opened it!)

10. What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie?

Mission Impossible. I love books and flicks about spies! Don't worry though, I could never be a spy, I'm too unobservant. (See question above.)

11. You buy a bottle of shampoo and discover that you don't like what it does to your hair at all. What do you do with that full bottle?

I use it to clean my toilet. After all, as Flylady says, soap is soap.

12. Your favorite Fall comfort food? (Last week it was beverage.)

I start serving chili as soon as it is cool weather.



Linda Crow, at 2nd Cup of Coffee, is the creator of the Random Dozen. If you'd like to join in, link up here.

The Simple Woman's Daybook - September 21, 2009

FOR TODAY, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21st EDITION...

Outside my window... fog.

I am thinking... it's back to work for me. I've got to get back into my routine after having a week off at home.

I am thankful for... paid vacations!

From the kitchen... today will be fresh green beans and potatoes with pork chops

I am wearing... my favorite brown dress pants with brown, white, yellow and lime green tunic.

I am creating... treasures from my yard sale finds.

I am going... on a Wal-Mart run after work ...

I am reading... nothing right now. I'm caught up, so I will be picking up something new at the church library on my lunch hour.

I am hoping... to get everything caught up at work by Wednesday. It's good to have a goal, right?

I am hearing... silence.

Around the house... more laundry to do!

One of my favorite things... crossing everything off my to-do list. (I got pretty close while I was home on vacation ...)

A few plans for the rest of the week: studying Philippians for my Sunday School class, getting ready for a board meeting on Thursday, finishing up last week's to-do list!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is another picture from May 2009 that I took while on one of our bike rides. Sometimes I don't realize how pretty the area that I live in is until I see the pictures I took of the landscapes.

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

Friday's Fave Five - September 18, 2009

Yeah! It's Friday again! Time to reflect on my week and share 5 highlights:

1. I love a parade! Saturday, we went to a local festival and my daughter's school marched in the parade. Here she is, on the right, waving a flag:





2. I love a week at home! I took one of my vacation weeks off and spent it at my favorite place in the world: home. I took time to reorganize several areas and then I would just bask in the atmosphere of a clutter-free zone!

3. I love fall decor! I like to change my decor to match the seasons. Below is a picture of my kitchen table with my favorite table runner on it:

I also love the little leaf votive candle holders that I got at Kirklands when I visited Nashville this summer.

4. I love a day out with my hubby! On Wednesday, my husband and I took off to a town about an hour away and went to some favorites: Home Depot and Mackie's Pizza. We loaded up on various paints for some of our decorating projects, and then, since buying home improvement items made us hungry, we went to Mackie's and ordered our favorite supreme pizza that includes thinly sliced apples! You wouldn't believe it, but those apples taste great amongst the mushrooms, peppers, onions, sausage and cheeses! I'm making myself hungry again thinking about it.

5. I love attending a Jeff and Sheri Easter concert! Later that same day, we headed over to another town about 20 miles away. They were having an apple festival complete with rides and all the carnival foods you could want. Of course, Jim had to have a funnel cake. The highlight of the evening was a concert by southern gospel artists, Jeff and Sheri Easter. I just love them. Not only are they talented singers, but so friendly and personable and funny! They performed many of my favorites, especially "Life is Great and Getting Better."

That's my week in a nutshell. I've really enjoyed being off. Monday, it's back to work for me, and I'm glad that I do love my job.

Why don't you share your favorites with us? Link up at Susanne's Living to Tell the Story, and we'll all come visit you!

Thankful Thursday - His Masterpiece

Today's Thankful Thursday hostess, Laurie at Women Taking a Stand, has chosen the topic, "We are His Masterpiece" using Ephesians 2:10 as the illustrating scripture:

"We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."

I love this scripture! My Sunday School class is right now finishing up our study of the book of Ephesians. I remember when we learned in chapter 2 that the word used for masterpiece, the ancient Greek word "poiema," translated workmanship in other translations, actually means His beautiful poem! The Jerusalem Bible translates it as "work of art."

YOU are a beautiful poem, a work of art! Camp on that thought awhile ...

If you're like me, most days I don't feel like a work of art, but it is a process. God is molding and shaping us into what only He can see as the finished product. Molding and shaping can hurt!

I remember years back, it was popular for church kids to sing the song, "I am a Promise with a Capital P." One line in the song goes like this: "I am a great big bundle of potentiality!"

God alone knows our potential. It is an exciting thing for those of us who have been His child for awhile to look back and see how far we have come in this process of becoming what He envisions. As Joyce Meyer says, "I may not be what I should be, but thank God, I'm not what I was!"

Today, I'm thankful that He is leading me on my journey to what He has planned for me. I know that He has planned good things for me to do because Ephesians 2:10 says so. I can rest in that even when that molding and shaping is pinching me and making me feel uncomfortable!

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