Grateful

In the midst of the gratefulness challenge sent out by Joy, this morning I read Psalm 116 and was especially encouraged by verse seven: 

Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with thee.

Reminds me of Hebrews 4:9...

There remaineth therefore a rest unto the people of God.

That rest is for us here and now, on this earth. We do not have to wait until heaven to rest in Him! He IS our peace (Ephesians 2:14)! And He is right where you are--with YOU--right now!

If you're feeling anxious or more irritable than thankful today, go read Psalm 116. Then listen to this song by the Talley Trio. Hope it blesses you as it does me. Let me know...

My Outline of Psalm 107

I think it's neat how this chapter can be divided in sections that represent areas and stages of my life:
Verses 1-3 Thankful for redemption
Verses 4-7 What I was before salvation
Verses 8-9 Thankful for the needs of my soul being met
Verses 10-13 Rebellion after salvation
Verses 14-16 Thankful for freedom from the sin of rebellion
Verses 17-19 Affliction due to sin (after salvation)
Verses 20-22 Thankful He still delivers even when I brought it on myself
Verses 23-27 Troubles allowed by God for a reason
Verses 28-32 Thankful He takes me through storms; does not leave me to face them alone, even though the storms are there to mature me!
Verses 33-41 Synopsis/summary of what God does in my life
Verse 43 Take heed and observe! Understand His lovingkindness!

God Says, I Remember...

Last night, I lay in bed, praying. I started telling God that I had such a longing in my soul. I was feeling emotionally needy, and my husband was, well, "unavailable." My Peter was asleep!

As I was pouring out my heart to God (Psalm 62:8), I used the words, "God, I just have such a deep longing in my soul..."

He almost immediately brought this verse to my mind:

For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. ~ Psalm 107:9

Wow. That was all I needed. God doesn't just promise to meet my physical needs, but my emotional ones too--and being a woman, I have a LOT of emotional longings! I feel very deeply--God made me this way. But there are times my husband just needs to sleep! Ha ha!

This is not the end of my story... This morning, I opened my one-year Bible to today's reading. Yes, you probably guessed it: there was Psalm 107:9 looking back up at me! It seemed God was saying, "See? I remember. I'm here to fulfill your longings." God is such an amazing Best Friend! Who could have orchestrated that, but God?!

Photos: One-year Bible blog and King David blog

Anti-Procrastination Day!

I've been trying to put into practice the housekeeping principles my mother taught me as a child and teen. Wow! About time, huh?! But seriously, many of us "learn" these things from our mothers, but until we actually have to "do" them all on our own, scheduling the time for them along with everything else in our lives, we don't really see how much of a challenge it can be to master the art!

Flylady is a great blueprint for housekeeping. It's very helpful to get email reminders that your fridge needs to be cleaned out--somehow we become blind to it!--or that the mopboards/moulding in your house need a wipe down. Though I'm an average height, I still seem to need the reminder to look up and see the cobwebs in the upper corners of the room!

Doesn't that spill on the fridge shelf just give you a wonderful appetite?! Yuck! I can't believe I actually took a picture inside my fridge!!! But yes, this is the ugly truth that I needed this Flylady reminder (below) today!

Who's going to join me in cleaning out the fridge and clearing out some unused kitchen gadgets today? I also have some other "procrastination spots" in the house I want to hit today... the forementioned cobwebby corners I always seem to "ignore." How about you?

Thanks to The Stay at Home Missionary for directing me to Flylady through her helpful blog!

Flylady.net Email Reminder:
It Is Anti-Procrastination Day...
We are diving into the refrigerator!

Grab your trash can and take it over to the refrigerator and throw open the door. First, toss out any leftovers that have gotten pushed to the back and have now started to turn into a science project. Second, check the fruit/vegetable drawers and toss what no longer is appealing to eat. Third, check the meat and cheese drawer, check the expiration dates on your items in there and toss what needs to go. Fourth, check out the doors of the fridge, toss the empty condiment jars and bottles that always seem to magically go back into the fridge when empty, LOL, but when full get left on the counter. Last, grab a damp rag and wipe down the shelves.

Do not take every single thing out of your refrigerator and then take the shelves out to clean them. Just wipe them down. How many times have we decided to tear the fridge apart and three hours later we would rather move out than ever do it again?!

Don't let yourself get sidetracked!! Have fun and enjoy your sparkling refrigerator!

~ Flylady Kelly


Decorating on the FlyZone
This week we are in Zone 2-The Kitchen.

This is the time of the year we begin our holiday baking and gift giving.

Let's work on retiring those unused, unloved kitchen appliances by blessing others with those "smart" gadgets that we still have not figured out how to use, as well as decluttering our junk drawers. Spend 15 minutes doing this.

If you have not used an item for over 6 months, chances are you will not in the next 6 months.

You may even find that you "freed" up some space for the items you douse. No more "mad searches" for that spatula in the middle of your stirring!! LOL

Have FUN and Happy Holidays!!!

~ Flylady Laura

http://www.flylady.net/

Autumn Pleasures from God

My Little Buddy

Here's my little buddy, Espresso. She follows me all over the yard and is a real companion.
Comment and tell me about a special "buddy" in your life.

Here are some other recent photos I've enjoyed taking...

Winter Crock Pot Hot Cocoa!

Can't wait to try this when winter hits! This recipe copied from Comfy in the Kitchen blog.

Homemade Hot Cocoa
(Serves 10)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1-8 oz whipped cream (Cool Whip)
*extra whipped cream or marshmallows to garnish

In a medium/large pot on the stovetop (medium/high heat) pour in hot water, sugar, cocoa powder and salt; whisk well. Add chocolate chips; whisk well until melted. Add milk and whisk again until well combined. Add vanilla and cinnamon then stir in whipped cream. Serve and garnish!

If you are making this in advance (for example, going caroling, etc.) simply place in the crockpot on low heat--it will be waiting for you when you come in from the cold!!!!

Source: http://comfynkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/10/homemade-hot-cocoa.html