The Secret

I ran across this beautiful poem just this morning...and thought I would share it. Have a wonderful Thursday!

The Secret

by Ralph Cushman

I met God in the morning

When my day was at its best,

And His Presence came like sunrise

Like a glory in my breast.

All day long the Presence lingered,

All day long He stayed with me,

And we sailed in perfect calmness

O'er a very troubled sea.

Other ships were blown and battered,

Other ships were sore distressed,

But the winds that seemed to drive them

Brought to us a peace and rest.

Then I thought of other mornings,

With a keen remorse of mind,

When I, too, had loosed the moorings

With the Presence left behind.

So I think I know the secret,

Learned from many a troubled way;

You must seek Him in the morning

If you want Him through the day.

A Blessing~

These pictures are a little blurry, but you can tell
what our blessing is, can't you?  ;)

~Hubbie took this picture while I was driving~

~the big "turn-over"~

we are so thankful that our Chevy

has run so well for the last 6 1/2 years!



And so, I continue~

I Thessalonians 5:18--In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Not just when times are easy, nor when times are difficult, but every. single. day. I should be looking for the many things I have to be thankful for! The verse says "in every thing"...big or small...noticed or unnoticed...important or mundane...new or old...I am to give thanks in every thing. And, so, my list continues as I join Ann and many other believers on this amazing journey...



Counting~#21-35

21. the faithfulness of my husband
22. quiet time with Jesus before the children wake up
23. a special friend for my son
24. reading to my kids before bed
25. smiling faces when I say "Daddy is on his way home!"

26. the "Night Night Book"
27. cleaning supplies
28. good health
29. coffee with peppermint mocha creamer
30. the study of Acts with my church family on Wednesday nights--I've learned so much!

31. planning for some family time
32. comfortable bed
33. warm socks on cold mornings
34. godly parents
35. my Sunday School class

Psalm 91:1-2

Psalm 91:1-2

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High

shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God; in him will I trust.

St. Patrick's Day~2011

I hope everyone had a nice Saint Patrick's Day! Did you know Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland? His story is a very fascinating one if you ever get the chance to read it. You can find his story just by typing "Saint Patrick" in your search engine.  :)

With Irish ancestry in both my family and in Hubbie's family, we usually wear green and have some sort of decorations in the house. Here's a picture of our dessert tonight. Everyone agreed~it was yummy (and it was sugar-free)!

~what's under that lid?~

~a shamrock cake, of course!~

I hope each of you has a wonderful Friday and a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by today!

Simple Joys~

Happy Wednesday! Or "Hump Day" as we used
to call it when I was in college.

This may seem a little silly, but the other day,
Hubbie and I were at Chick-Fil-A.

We went through the drive-through, and then
parked the car so we could enjoy our food.

In our bag, we found a
chicken sandwich, waffle fries, and this!

How clever is that design?

And, yes, Hubbie graciously took a picture of it before he used it.   ;)

Details...

Aren't you glad that God cares about the little details?

With a conflict of schedules for our upcoming dentist appointments, I called the office yesterday to see if I could change the appointment. The receptionist said, "I know I'm not crazy, Donna, but I cannot find you and your kids in my book for April 14th." Someone evidently had failed to write us in...but God knew we would not be able to make that appointment anyway!

We were rescheduled for two weeks later, but I love how God knows and cares about even the little details of my life!

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11~

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

Where I Want to Be

This beautiful hymn is one that my oldest daughter sings in her Bible class...and it speaks volumes...

Beneath the Cross of Jesus

Beneath the cross of Jesus

I fain would take my stand

The shadow of a mighty Rock

Within a weary land;

A home within the wilderness,

A rest upon the way,

From the burning of the noontide heat,

And the burden of the day.

Upon that cross of Jesus

Mine eye at times can see

The very dying form of One

Who suffered there for me;

And from my smitten heart with tears

Two wonders I confess

The wonders of redeeming love

And my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow

For my abiding place;

I ask no other sunshine than

The sunshine of His face;

Content to let the world go by,

To know no gain nor loss,

My sinful self my only shame,

My glory all the cross.

This hymn was written by a Scottish woman in the 1800's. Elizabeth Clephane, although frail and weak, was known in her community as a cheerful and helpful person, but died at the early age of thirty-nine. She wrote a total of eight hymns. This hymn and "The Ninety and  Nine" are her only hymns that have endured to this day. I found this information here.

Have a beautiful Thursday!

Waiting

~ready, waiting, and watching for dessert!~

Starting my List

For some time now, I've been wanting to join with other bloggers to count the gifts God has given me. I'm going to start my list today...and I'm linking to A Holy Experience.  I am really looking forward to seeing how God is going to use this in my life!

#1-20

1. my salvation
2. a loving and God-fearing husband
3. being able to check on my mom this morning
4. my own copy of the Bible
5. a pastor who loves God
6. hugs from my husband
7. winter is almost over
8. beautiful, godly music
9. three beautiful children
10. a washer and dryer
11. good food to eat
12. clean water to bathe with
13. freedom to home educate my children
14. a working computer
15. knowing that God knows and cares about each situation on my prayer list
16. knowing that God will answer each request in His time
17. a sweet group of children for my Sunday School class--we had 27 kids yesterday!
18. Ladies Bible Study at my church
19. good friends
20. reliable transportation, that even at 99,000 miles, still runs really well 

Just having fun~

With a cowgirl and a soldier, I am well-protected here at home!  ;)

Happy Thursday!

Around the Corner

Spring really is around the corner...even though the temperatures might not reflect that this morning! In my area, it is supposed to be in the 60's by Friday!  WooHoo! Here are a few pictures that remind me of spring...Enjoy!

~the best part about spring--short sleeves and no coats!~

A New Daybook

For Tuesday, February 22, 2011~

Outside my window~

the sun is trying to shine and there is a layer of ice and snow

I am hearing~

the dishwasher

I am thinking~

about all the unrest in our world

I am thankful~

that God knows (and cares) about all that is going on

I am remembering~

the time I got to spend alone with my Hubbie last week  :)

I am reading~

Psalms

I am hoping~

that our bedroom will get finished this week

I am praying~

for my family and for a sweet friend of mine

On my mind~

is my brother and his family

From the learning rooms~

the one vowel rule for "D"

time management for "R"

Noticing that~

Hubbie did a wonderful job on our chair rail

in the master bedroom

I am creating~

some clean clothes

I'll also be sewing a skirt for "R" soon

From the kitchen~

scrambled eggs, ham, and toast for breakfast

BBQ pork and coleslaw for supper

Around the house~

the Valentine's decorations are put away

and the green items are slowly making their appearance

A few plans for the rest of the week~

cleaning today

church on Wednesday

basketball league on Saturday

From my picture journal~

turtle cheesecake  :)

I'm linking up to The Simple Woman's Daybook today.

Have a wonderful day!

In sync

On Valentine's Day, Hubbie and I had the privilege to spend some time together...just the two of us. We drove to a nearby harbor. It was a very pretty area and is still under a lot of construction. After we finished there, we drove through the city to a nearby Cheesecake Factory. After our yummy meal, we strolled through The Container Store. (Have you ever been in one of those?!?!) We didn't purchase one item, but had lots of fun talking to each other and looking at all the gadgets for organization.

On our way back to the parking garage, we were holding hands, just walking along, but I felt out of sync. And that felt odd! I looked down and realized that my feet were travelling at a different pace than Hubbie's. Upon this realization, I quickly changed my pace, my left foot moved when his did, and my right foot moved forward when his did. Oh~so much better!

Then, you know the Lord brought to my mind the fact that so often, I'm travelling through this life and I know He is right beside me. But how many times do I feel "out of sync" or unbalanced? It's not because Jesus has gotten "out of sync" with me, but it is me who is letting the cares of this world distract me.

I'm memorizing this verse today to help me remember to keep my focus on Him!

I Corinthians 15:58~Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the word of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Valentine's Day and a few other days

Happy Wednesday to you! I cannot believe it has been two weeks since I last blogged! Life is certainly busy enough, but I need to do better at recording my family's memories every day! Here's a quick recap so I don't forget...

On Friday, 2/4, we met my parents at a fun country market and did some shopping, and then went out to dinner together.

Saturday, 2/5, we had several activities at church so we stayed busy. We had our visitation program and basketball league for "R".

On Monday, 2/7, I spent getting our house ready for guests the next day. That evening, I attended my Ladies' Group meeting...and had Mexican food...we all brought something to the meal to share. We had chicken enchiladas and beef enchiladas, spanish rice, a delicious soup, 7 layer dip, and Pioneer Woman's tres leches cake.

Tuesday, 2/8, we were busy with our homeschool Valentine party! What fun we had and there were 32 of us in the house! Some of the kids participated in a valentine exchange and that was a lot of fun for them. There was lots of food. I am a planner, so we had party food--bbq meatballs, two different types of chips and dip, fruit with dip, cupcakes, brownies, fudge cake, cookies, candy, and drinks. Everyone seemed to have a good time! The kids all did really well with their "literary" presentations. Moms and kids alike had lots of good fellowship!

Wednesday, 2/9, my sister-in-law came over for lunch and brought her two little ones with her. We had a good time of talking and the kids played well together. My youngest cut her fingernail about halfway down into her nail, so she and I spent an hour or so at the doctor's office while Hubbie took "R" and "D" to church that night...

Thursday, 2/10, my youngest niece came over for a few hours while her parents ran an errand. What fun to watch my oldest learning how to take care of others...she does well with the little ones!

Then, Friday, 2/11, Hubbie had off and we worked on our bedroom some, went out to eat, and "S" went to Grandma's for the night.

Saturday, 2/12, was another basketball league day...the red and blue teams were tied until the very last seconds of the game...and the blue team came away with the win. The girls (and their parents) were so very excited! Go BLUE!

On Sunday, 2/13, our church celebrated "Sweetheart Sunday" and the messages in the AM and PM service were both on "The Invisible Part of Marriage", based on Psalm 1:1-3. I came away from those messages encouraged and challenged to not listen to the world about how my marriage should be...not to listen to ungodly counsel...it was good! After the PM service, we had a dessert fellowship and all the men were supposed to make the desserts! There were some really yummy things! Hubbie made brownies, then covered them with a layer of cream cheese (mixed with crushed Mint Oreo cookies), then chocolate pudding on top of that, followed by a layer of whipped topping...it was delicious!

Then our Valentine's Day~I'll show you in pictures.  :) I think we would all agree~we had a very lovely day!

~breakfast~

pancakes with valentine sprinkles

sausage cut in the shape of hearts

pink milk

 ~pink milk was a definite "hit"~

 ~for a more grown-up palette~  ;)

 ~Valentine's table~

~a dozen roses from my sweetheart~

 ~enjoying breakfast~

~excited about his meal~

~she loved her pink milk~

~one of the valentine decorations and kid's cards~

 ~new Valentine's apron~

~bag full of my favorite scent from Bath & Body~

japanese cherry blossom  :)

~huge rose from Hubbie~

over three feet tall!

 ~Grandma came over after breakfast,

Hubbie and I went out for some shopping,

talking, and fun together! We ate an early Valentine's dinner

at The Cheesecake Factory~

cajun chicken littles

~orange chicken~

 ~we ended our day with a slice of

Reese's chocolate peanut butter cheesecake~

delicious!

But, most of all, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with my sweetheart! I hope you enjoyed your day!