This, my friends, is my 100th post!! I've been watching my number of posts go up and knew that I had to announce this one when I got to it. Aren't you proud?
I think I'd do a dance...
(Note: this picture is from Christmas 1998, and those are my brothers.)
So there you have it. I made it to one hundred posts. Or rather you all made it. Tell me...how has it been so far, my bloggingness?
Please pray for our dear friend, Mrs. Janet P and her family. Her husband is having some heart trouble...badly clogged arteries that were close to a heart attack...so they all are going to need strength as he recovers from surgery.
Also for little Colton W. He is about 2 years old, I believe. He and his big brother, Garrett, were sliding down a big blow up ride at the fair and somehow, Colton's leg got caught under Garrett, and his tibia was fractured. Especially pray for his mother... :)
And please still keep my family in your prayers. It is so very much appreciated. :)
If you know me, you know I like Jane Austen, and if you are like me, then you like Jane Austen, too!
Well, to satisfy that Jane Austen craving that comes every once in a while, at least for me, I would love to point you to a book giveaway. The book is A Walk With Jane Austen, by Lori Smith.
I haven't read the book yet, but I think it definitely sounds like one that I do want to read. From what I have seen, it tells about the author's journey through England, visiting Jane Austen sites, and the thoughts, events, and things that she learned.
Part of the reason I am excited about this book, is that there aren't a lot of Jane Austen sequels that I have any desire to read. I am very leary of browsing for books in the adult section of the library, because many adult books hold things that I do NOT need to read. I tried that once, and a Jane Austen sequel was what I picked up. After reading it for a while, I realized that it wasn't something that I really wanted to read.
Anyway, if you would like to enter to win this book, you can go here to the Giveaway, at Weak Weary Mom. You just have to leave a comment, and put a link to the giveaway onto your blog. It is as simple as that. However, the contest ends tonight, so you had better hurry!
I saw a youtube video awhile back that almost had me in tears. So many Christians are so BUSY and are loosing sight of the family, the God-given roles as we have seen in recent happenings, and the time we have left to be example and witness through it. I can’t express my gratitude to the Lord for placing me in a home where I am not BUSY. Yes, I struggle with sin, everyday, but He is faithful and so forgiving. God has really be working on my Spirit and opening my eyes over the past several months and removing a lot of the things that make me BUSY, one thing was LOTR. There are still things I’m weeded out of my life so I can focus on the things that are truly important. God is faithful, don’t give up on Him because He will never give up on you, even though the devil is seeking those he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
You can’t really understand what I’m talking about unless you watch the video. Please do, if you have to wait for it then leave it open while it loads and come back later.
What about you? Are you BUSY? We need to realize the hold Satan has on our lives. It’s not strong, but because we allow him in our lives, even with distractions such as Church functions and Christian music, we are allowing him to have complete power over our lives. We allow him to keep us BUSY. Are you BUSY? Evaluate your life and if you’re not too BUSY, pass this on. Just send it to one person. It could make a difference, even if it’s just one. Pass it on, if you’re not too BUSY.
7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee?
9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
I thank you Jesus for setting me free. I thank you for giving me strength to break the chains of sin that I was born into. I thank you for your blood you shed on the cross so I don’t have to fall into sin, so I don’t have to be like the world. I thank you for your grace and mercy. There is no strong Lord like you.
Each Saturday join “Mother Dear” Jacque @ Walking Therein, and many others who are taking their Saturdays and expressing their praise to the Lord. To participate, you can post a Psalm/song or you can tell what impact is has had on you and your thoughts. Sometimes just the Psalm is enough. Sometimes we have to let out our own words of praise! Sign my linky and then go sign her’s: My Redeemer Lives
I FINALLY put up a new template! How do you all like it? I think I like the colors best. I had sooo much fun designing this. Thanks Renee (CrochetCrazy) for your opinions!
Please let me know if you see something that you think I should change. Also I would love to here what your favorite thing about it is.
I watched the Republican Convention last night. I was amused by Rudy Giuliani’s humourous speech. He put everything out there without hesitating to re-organize Obama’s community - I mean - campaign.
As many who were watching, I was waiting to hear Governor Palin’s speech. Since the news of McCain choosing her for Vice President there has been a lot of talk amongst homeschoolers about her, and MotherDear and sisterhave been reading up about her and her family. Aside from some “dysfunctions” in her family, she seems like a pretty accomplished and big business woman.
Reading her page on wikipedia about her successful political career is definitely impressive - Alaska’s first female governor and has been cutting excessive spending since taking office. She was described as “Reagan in a skirt”. She’s said to be a conservative Christian republican, and these are her political positions, which seem to be great:
Palin has called herself as “pro-life as any candidate can be. “She would permit abortion only in cases where the mother’s life is in danger, and supports mandatory parental consent for abortions.
She backs abstinence-only education and is against “explicit sex-ed programs” in schools.
Palin supports capital punishment.
Palin opposes same-sex marriage[ and supported a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny state health benefits to same-sex couples.
Palin has said she supports teaching both creationism and evolution in public schools, but not to the extent of adding creation-based alternatives to the required curriculum.
Palin has strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). She has opposed federal listing of the polar bear as an endangered species warning that it would adversely affect energy development in Alaska. [Palin does not believe that global warming is human-caused.
Palin, a long-time member of the National Rifle Association, strongly supports its interpretation of the Second Amendment as protecting individual rights to bear arms, including handguns. She also supports gun safety education for youth.
Palin’s foreign policy positions were unclear at the time she was picked as McCain’s running mate. When asked for her views about troop escalations in Iraq, she replied “…while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place…”
When she came out on the platform and started her speech she seemed to have it all together. She’s a pretty sort of lady and doesn’t have an annoying voice. She spoke confidently. Gave the crowd time to be alive and then quieted things down when she wanted to continue. I was impressed with some of the things she cut out of the governor’s luxuries when she became governor… such as a private jet, a chauffeur, and a personal chef. I think those were wise decisions and an area where many political figures seem to miss about “helping the middle class”.
Overall I think Palin was a great choice for a VP. She seems to have everything we want and need…However, I believe that when you form an opinion of someone you shouldn’t just look at one side. You can’t just look at a beautiful, red, shiny apple and say “wow, that’s a good apple”, though you can believe it to be.
To really know if it’s a good apple you have to take a bite and look in a little deeper. I believe it is the same with people, especially people who will be running our nation. It’s not being critical of someone or being prideful. It’s simply being a responsible and informed citizen.
You have to judge someone or something to form your opinion on it. Whether it’s good or bad, it’s still a judgment, so for those who say “don’t judge, don’t judge” you already have, but your judgment has been in her favour.
A little more info on Palin’s personal life… She’s a mother of five, apparently going to be “homeschooling”. She’s a hockey mom, an Army mom, a “special-needs-child” mom, and a soon-to-be-grandmother of her 17yo unwed-daughter, Bristol’s, baby. Bristol apparently will be marrying the father of her child. Say what?
Some are praising her for keeping the baby and saying “no one is perfect, don’t judge”. While others are just not happy with it, and that is fine. I am not happy with it, and I don’t think it is judging as people are making it to be. It’s not that we are casting stones at her. I know Jesus does and would gladly except this family into His arms, but the fact that people don’t want to vote her into the White House, away from her family for the next four years, is their problem.
I wonder what the chances would have been of Bristol getting pregnant if Sarah Palin had been the Titus 2 Woman at home with her children. Is there any chance this happened because mom was always working?
During the speeches last night one image gave me shudders. The picture of Palin’s children and husband sitting with McCain’s wife will be a common picture in the coming four years. Only after, when Momma was done with work, did she receive little Trig into her arms. It saddens me.
If God hadn’t set-up the family as He did - the father the provider, the women as the keeper of the home, and the children always under their care - and I wasn’t a Bible-believing Christian then I would have no problem with Sarah Palin running with McCain as VP. However, God did and I am.
As a Christian I cannot endorse a woman, leaving her husband, her children, and her home, to go work with another woman’s husband. Did I mention that Palin is also a member of Feminists for Life…. Christian Feminists is an oxymoron, imho. As for those who think she’s a modern-day Deborah, please don’t be for it.
I’m afraid you have no “great” choices here for the White House to pick from. Only the lesser of two evils, at least as a Christian, and for the record, I definitely think McCain is a superb choice compared to Barack Hussein Obama.
This past week was such a blast, or more accurately, a splash!
This is Caleb, making a funny face...note how blue the water is:)
The first pool...
Some really cool rocks, that where a lot of fun to swim between:)
The walk way/bridge was so neat.
here's another shot...
and in black and white....
from where we sat
Mom, Sara, Nathan and Sam in the shallow pool
All in all, it was a really awesome place. Great Scope for the imagination. There were fish , and rocks(it is a real river). We felt like we were on set of a Pirate movie or something:)
It was fun:)Hope you all have a blessed Weekend/Shabbat!
If you want to know more about Homemaker-In-Training, then you can read the first post. Please feel free to join us, we would love to have you! This post has also been posted at Feelin' Feminine.
Ah, to be an efficient housewife. Or, at least an efficient Homemaker-In-Training! To be known among your acquaintances as a very efficient and capable woman. That's what you want right?
The word efficient is an adjective, and it's general meaning is to do something with little or no waste. Or, as Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary puts it, "productive without waste". The word also has a slightly different meaning, but if you want to know that one, you will have to look the word up yourself, I am only using the above meaning!
Being productive without waste. That sounds quite, well...efficient? However, how does this nifty term apply to our homes, and how we take care of them? How will this term help us even now with our chores and other daily tasks?
To be able to answer the above questions, I need to introduce you to another term. Motion Study. As you can read at this Wikipedia article, motion study is a process where the motions of a particular job are studied, and then evaluated, to see how efficient the job really is. After the job has been studied and evaluated, appropriate changes are made to increase productivity, and efficiency. It is quite an interesting subject really.
I think that you know why this would help housekeeping, or any job for that matter. If you can minimize the amount of motions in an activity, then you are also reducing the amount of effort and time it takes to do the task! It sounds pretty good, doesn't it, to be able to do your work with, well, less work.
However, I do believe there is a point where this could become ridiculous. If you became obsessed with studying every action, to see if you make it more efficient, then I think you taken motion study beyond usefulness. If this were to happen, then the whole idea would backfire. You would have no time to do the things you are supposed to be doing, because you were too busy making more time! I think that in a home, only the tasks that are time consuming, or unpleasant to do, are the ones that should be studied and worked on.
Another way to save time on things is to multitask. For some that may be harder than for others, but here are some ideas.
Do it while watching TV or a movie. Folding clothes or sorting something could easily be done without missing hardly anything of what you are watching.
Do it while talking on the phone. In this instance, where your eyes are not engaged with the TV, you can do a lot more, but you do want to cut down on the noise. Try dusting, or tidying your house, while chatting with your friend on the phone.
Do it while driving. Okay, not you personally driving, obviously, but for those times when you are a passenger (younger people specifically), bring something along to do. If you have to write a speech, or a dinner menu, or something else, take a notebook, pencil, and eraser along. This is something that only some people can do though, because many get carsick if they do anything like this in while in motion.
Do it while listening. If you like to listen to stories or sermons on tape or CD, then you probably already do something while listening to them. I knit or crochet while listening to stories. You could also do any other kind of handcraft, or clean your room. I also do the dishes while listening to my mp3 player, or while my sister reads aloud.
I am sure that you can think of many other things that you can, or already do, multitask. If you want to leave your ideas in a comment, I am sure they will be helpful for someone.
Efficiency, motion study, multitasking, they are all great time-management concepts. I just need to start using them!
If you wrote a HITT and posted it on your blog, please leave a comment and let us know!
Turn the music on my blog (at the bottom of the page) and take 30 seconds to watch this video. It really opens your eyes as to just how badly we need to make abortion illegal. A new generation is dying.
Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks....
"A cool, refreshing milkshake that will have you craving for more. All you need is milk, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and a few drops of some peppermint extract."
My name is Joy, I'm the oldest of four Pastor's kids, I am a homeschool graduate, and am doing college at home.
Have fun reading my blog, feel free to comment but please identify yourself. (Everything on my blogs is copyrighted.)
This is Caleb, making a funny face...note how blue the water is:)
The first pool...
Some really cool rocks, that where a lot of fun to swim between:)
The walk way/bridge was so neat.
here's another shot...
and in black and white....
from where we sat
Mom, Sara, Nathan and Sam in the shallow pool
