Category Archives: Challenge

In Other Words Tuesday ~ Crown of Roses?

 Iris at Sting My Heart has chosen the following quote for “In Other Words Tuesday“.

 “They gave our Master a crown of thorns. Why do we hope for a crown of roses?”
~ Martin Luther ~

 

The New Testament does not paint a rosy picture for the Christian life on this Earth. Instead it assures us that if we follow Christ wholeheartedly we will face trials and persecutions. Because we are identified with Christ we will receive much of the same bad treatment and rejection He received.

II Timothy 3:12 ~  Indeed, all who desire to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

I Peter 4:12 ~ Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

And here’s the one that I’ve been chewing on these last few days…

James 1:2-4 ~ Count it all joy my brothers when you meet trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have it full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

The trials are inevitable. How will I react?  How should I behave in the midst of these trials? Will I choose joy trusting in Almighty God and His plans and purposes? I hope so. I want to experience steadfastness. I want to rejoice and be glad when Christ’s glory is revealed. I choose to trust that God will teach me in and during my trials to react and behave in a way that let’s steadfastness have its full effect bringing me homeward towards perfection and completeness, lacking nothing. I don’t want a crown of roses now, I want a crown of life when I get to heaven so I can cast it at Jesus’ feet…

To see more thoughts on this quote click on Sting My Heart.

Welcome to My Neighborhood! ~

Welcome to My Neighborhood!

Kathleen Marie thought it would be nice to see where everyone is from, where they live, learn more about her blogging neighbors, her friends and acquaintances.

So, since she can’t jump in her car, hop on a train or plane and visit you all, although she would sure like to, she thought it was time for a “bloggy” visit to your neighborhood! Let’s have a chat along the yard fence, have coffee or tea at your local hangout, visit your park or favorite attraction. The skies the limit!

Head over to The Open Window to join the fun.

The day set for this this neighborly visit around Bloggityville is Monday September 17th. On that day everyone will share their favorite things about their neighborhood. This should give us all plenty of time to get those photos, stories and/or slide shows ready. Just sign the linky at her site so we know who’s participating.

~~~

If you are participating I’ll be by on Monday September 17th to see your neighborhoods!

Today I have 3 collages to share with photos from my newest neighborhood in Southern California and my favorite neighborhood and the place I call home in the Seattle area. Please come along and welcome to my neighborhoods!

 

Our condo in Camarillo is a one bedroom. Even though it’s small we still can entertain a crowd. Living in the Southern California area affords us the opportunity to see extended family and close friends from our early married years. The Complex we are in is brand new and has a lot of nice extras.

 

Palm trees are the norm around here and dusty trails. We are at the northern base of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. We are 8 miles from the Pacific Ocean. (Pt. Mugu) We are in a highly agricultural area where we can find fresh produce stands at nearby farms. The Hispanic culture is prevalent in this area with Mexican Restaurants galore. (kind of like Starbuck’s in Seattle!) Speaking of food In-N-Out is just an exit up the freeway from us. California Grill is one of our favorite local restaurants. (bottom middle photo). The new library in town is the top right photo.

 

Here, have an In-N-Out Burger on me…

Now I’ll show you a little bit of my favorite place to live, the Seattle area…

 

The things I miss when I’m living in Southern California are my house, the space I have inside and outside, Fred Meyer Food and Department store, the distinct four seasons, the big fluffy sky, the huge trees everywhere, the downtown area on the water, my library and most of all my children and my best friends. I am thankful that I get to take trips back and spend holidays and other special occasions there.

I thank God for His goodness to us in blessing us with beautiful places to live where we can enjoy His creation and people we can have fellowship with wherever we find ourselves.  Have a wonderful week!

Thank you for coming to my neighborhoods today. To see more neighborhoods around the USA and beyond click on over to The Open Window.

Any photos missing from my posts are the result of Photobucket blacking out all my photos that I stored on their site since 2006.

James 5: 14-15 ~ I’m Wondering…

I’m not called the Happy Wonderer for nothing. There are lots of things I wonder about. Right now I’m in the midst of my yearly Bible reading (reading each book of the Bible 20x ~ which will take way longer than a year) I’m in the book of James.

James 5:14-15 ~ “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.

So my questions are:

Has anyone called their elders when they are sick? Did they come?

Did they annoint you with oil and pray for you?

If you haven’t done this, why not?

Is it a common practice?

What has your experience been with this instruction?

Leave a comment with anything that might help my wondering….

http://www.albany.edu/~ka762934/anointsickpic.gif

WFMW ~ Be Prepared!

If you homeschool anywhere in Southern California this is a book that you should add to your resources. This is a comprehensive guide (793 Pages) to any educational, recreational, fun place you’d want to experience. I went to a presentation that Susan gave to our transitions group. The company my husband works for hires a group to help transition new employees and their families into this new part of the world they find themselves employed in. Susan Peterson has done her research well and she homeschools her 3 sons and has been to most of the places she recommends in her book. Even if you don’t live in Southern California you can benefit from some tips from her. She says…

 Never Leave Home Without These Essentials

1. Snacks –always carry snacks and a water bottle. Listening to a child whine because he is hungry or thirsty can drive any parent over the edge.
2. Map –
3. Tissues and/or Wipes
4. Quarters (metered parking)
5. Toys/books/games
6. CD’s  (Music or Books on CD)
7. First Aid Kit – bandaids, ointment, adhesive tape, scissors, an ice pack, Benedryl, disposable gloves, a sewing kit, and and Tylenol for kids and adults.
8. Roadside emergency kit – jumper cables, flares, a flashlight, batteries, extra drinking water, tools, matches.
9. Jacket – pack a light jacket or sweater for unexpected change in weather or plans. Throw in a change of clothes for little ones just in case they get muddy or wet.
10. Blanket – For picnics or if someone gets cold or for other emergencies.
11. Fanny Pack
12. Sunscreen
13. Camera – ya don’t have to tell a blogger to remember their camera!
14. Grocery Bag: It holds trash, excuse me, I mean treasures, that kids collect…
15. Container (for motion sickness)
16. A Sense of Humor

So this is my Works For Me Wednesday tip for y’all. Head on over to Rocks in my Dryer and get more educated!

Ht: Fun Places to Go with Kids and Adults by Susan Peterson ~ Fun Places Publishing, California, copyright 2006 by Susan Peterson. www.funplaces.com

WFMW ~ Parenting Tip ~ August 1st

Deuteronomy 6: 5-7 (ESV)

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your houses, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise”

Some very simple tips to keep God in your conversation…

~ When your kids get up in the morning thank God out loud for the new day that He has given them.

~ When you sit down to your meal thank God out loud for providing another meal for you.

~ When your kids walk out the door remind them that God goes with them and they should honor Him and shine for Him.

~ When your kids lie down to sleep tell them that you love them and that God loves them.

If you go to Rocks in My Dryer you will see many more parenting tips today!

ht: Photo from Madame Blueberry Learns to be Thankful ~ Cindy Kenney,  Zonderkidz

In Other Words Tuesday ~ July 10th


 

This week’s quote is:

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing yet had been done.” ~ C. S. Lewis 

This quote got me thinking that as a human being it is very easy to become self-reliant. It is easy to go through a whole day without thinking of my creator, my God. In order to realize my need for God I need to go to Him everday, empty myself and say whatever you would have me do today I’m willing to do it. Whatever it is you want me to do I’m sure you will provide the means and the capacity for it to get done. I am willing. Here I am. What do you have for me today? I might have failed yesterday but today is a new day and I’m here Lord and I know you are there, so forgive me and please use me today to accomplish whatever I can for You. Please give me your eyes to see the people you put in my path today. My husband, my children, the grocery checker, the driver in front of me, the mailman, the homeless beggar on the street, the mean kid at the park. Lead me to show them your love. I’m relying on You Lord to give me the strength and the desire and the love to accomplish small and large things for you. Today maybe it’s just a smile, a pat on the hand, a word of encouragement, a load of laundry. Tomorrow something different or maybe just the same. Lord help me never to forget to come before you, to worship you, to praise you, to honor you in word and deed, and to obey you. Help me to know I need to do this everyday, every hour of the day.

I’m adding this quote by our pastor in California that goes along with these thoughts.

Stop for a minute! Today God wants to supply his grace to you so that you will have the power to respond to the challenges and relationships of life in a way that brings honor and glory to God and joy to your heart” (c.) by Steve Larson ~ 90 Days to Change Your Life – (week 2) 

Well this is where this quote took me. I’m looking forward to see what others have to share.

Visit “Sting My Heart” to read her take
on the quote and to leave your link
along with the other participants.

I Finally Learned How to Post These Quizzes ~ Thanks Lana!

This might be bad news for some of you but I finally learned how to post these mundane, brainless, fun quizzes. I am taking baby steps in learning how to do things on the computer with this bloggy deal. Every little thing I learn makes me a little giddy. So here you are. Now I need to learn to do the Mr. Linky thing and some of those sidebar widget dealies. I’m so happy that you are a kind bunch of bloggity bloggers. Blessings on your heads!

You Are Italian Food

Comforting yet overwhelming.
People love you, but sometimes you’re just too much.

What Kind of Food Are You?

 

You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe

But don’t think plain – instead think, uncomplicated
You’re a low maintenance kind of girl… who can hang with the guys
Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that’s you: the friend everyone invites.
And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear.

What Kind of Coffee Girl Are You?

Now if you decide to play, let me know how you score…

Ht: Lux Venit for the Coffee Quiz and Above the Clouds for the Food Quiz

5 Random Questions Meme

Angie from The Toybox Blew Up tagged me for a question meme. The rules? Simple, she posed 5 random questions for 5 different bloggers who answer them and come up w/ 5  new random questions for 5 more lucky people….and so the cycle of the meme continues on and on! Thanks, Angie. I hope I can come up with 5 questions to pass along…

So here’s Angie’s 5 questions for Leslie, Linda, Ellen, Kim, and

1. You are given the chance to produce something that would help moms around the world… money and outlandishness not an issue… what would it be?    I would produce an extra set of hands for mom so she can keep more than 2 kids in tow and multitask.

2. You can star in anything you want (stage, radio, tv, etc…) what would your dream role be?   My dream role would be Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice.

3. What’s a *secret* talent that you have that would make you the life of the party?   I can dance up a storm when no one is watching.

4. What was one of your biggest successes? failures?   One of my biggest successes was finishing college and getting a teaching job. One of my biggest failures was not being good at submitting to authority.

5. Name something you despise doing, and what creative excuse/method do you use to get someone else to do the dreaded task.   I despise confrontation, especially face to face. I try to avoid these situations by pretending there isn’t a problem. I’ve tried writing letters in the past to deal with this but that is not the best solution. Face to face problem solving is the best method for resolution.

Now here are my 5 random questions:

1. God has decided to send you on a Mission trip, where are you going and why?

2. You have a free afternoon to read uninterrupted. Where would you choose to read?

3. You get to choose where your kids will go to college, money and grades are not an issue. Where would you want them to go and why? If you don’t have kids where would you have wanted to go to college if money and grades were not an issue?

4. If you were stuck in an elevator for over an hour what music would you want playing while you were stuck?

5. You have to travel from the west coast to the east coast of your country, what 5 cities would you want to spend time in?

I guess I’m going to tag Lana, Kathie, Sara, Bee, and Kim.  Ladies if for any reason you choose not to participate there are absolutely no worries… 🙂

If you do play make sure you send me your link so I can see your answers. Blessings…

Works For Me ~ Goodwill

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a bargain hunter. Goodwill in Washington (not California!) has been a very good shopping friend of mine. I have found countless treasures there. Today I’m sharing one of my daughters prom dresses that I purchased at Goodwill for $7.  She’s the one in the metallic grey dress. Now some kids probably wouldn’t do this but she bragged about the cost and where the dress came from to all her friends. The necklace and earrings that she purchased cost more than the dress! When I wanted to give up shopping at Goodwill for lent Katie exclaimed, “Now what good would that do?” So y’all shopping at Goodwill works for me, it might work for you, too.

 

Just yesterday my daughter and I went to Goodwill and I found all 7 of the Chronicles of Narnia books for $1.49 each. They are the Full-Color Collector’s Edition. So Goodwill works for me for clothes, books, housewares, purses, etc. etc.

Now go on over to Rocks in My Dryer to see more handy dandy tips!