Proverbs 31:10-31

A Wife of Noble Character

 ¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous and capable wife?

      She is more precious than rubies.

 ¹¹ Her husband can trust her and  

she will greatly enrich his life.

 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,

      all the days of her life.

 ¹³ She finds wool and flax

      and busily spins it.

 ¹⁴ She is like a merchant’s ship,

      bringing her food from afar.

 ¹⁵ She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household

      and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.

 ¹⁶ She goes to inspect a field and buys it;

      with her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 ¹⁷ She is energetic and strong,

      a hard worker.

 ¹⁸ She makes sure her dealings are profitable;
      her lamp burns late into the night.
 ¹⁹ Her hands are busy spinning thread,

      her fingers twisting fiber.

 ²⁰ She extends a helping hand to the poor
      and opens her arms to the needy.

 ²¹ She has no fear of winter for her household,

      for everyone has warm clothes.

 ²² She makes her own bedspreads.

      She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns.
 ²³ Her husband is well known at the city gates,
      where he sits with the other civic leaders.
 ²⁴ She makes belted linen garments
      and sashes to sell to the merchants.
 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity,
      and she laughs without fear of the future.
 ²⁶ When she speaks, her words are wise,
      and she gives instructions with kindness.
 ²⁷ She carefully watches everything in her household

      and suffers nothing from laziness.

 ²⁸ Her children stand and bless her.

      Her husband praises her:

 ²⁹ “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,

      but you surpass them all!”

 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;

      but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.

 ³¹ Reward her for all she has done.

      Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

How Thankful Are We?

        How often do we take time out of what we're doing to show our appreciation for all of our blessings? We are all so blessed in so many ways. I feel so very fortunate to have a wonderful husband, 4 healthy, happy children, 2 amazing parents, and the list goes on. But what I am the most grateful for, is my salvation.  For Jesus Christ paying the ultimate sacrifice, so that I could be forgiven of my sins. But do we think about that often enough?

Ph. 4:4-7  Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again- rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience Gods peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live live in Jesus Christ.

Eph. 5:15-20- So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves making music to the Lord in your hearts. And you will always give thanks for everything to God the father in the name of our lord Jesus Christ.

          Some choose to spend their time thinking about what they don't have. What they wish they could have. Complaining about how hard their life is. Trying to be like other people. A negative attitude will result in a negative life. Think positive, and your life will be positive! Be grateful. Be thankful. Be appreciative. Our God is an awesome God, and he deserves our thanks for all he has given us!

First Things First

         So I sat down this morning to begin my bible study, with nothing particular in mind, & before you know it, I was easily distracted & had begun something else on my blog that I had WANTED to do. The devil can come in and take hold of us before we even realize it. It is so easy to get off track from what we NEED to be doing, and turned onto what we WANT to be doing.                                                                               

       "Idle hands are the devils handiwork." I'm sure most all of us have heard that at some point. We are to do first what NEEDS to be done, then rest, play, etc. I got carried away with what didn't need to be done before I did what should have been done. I'm sure we are all guilty of putting things off that we could/should be doing. I know I for one, need to prioritize, and put first things first!

These are the scriptures that I searched this morning on idleness:

1 Thessalonians 4:11 - Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you.

1 Thessalonians 4:12 - so that  your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 - For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "if a man will not work, he shall not eat."

2 Thessalonians 3:11 - We hear that some among you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 - Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

Romans 12:11 - Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.

Proverbs 10:4 - Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 10:5 - He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Ephesians 4:28 - He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Icebox Oatmeal/Chocolate Drop Cookies

These are super yummy & very easy to make!

1 stick butter

1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. cocoa

2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 to 3 c. quick oats

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil on stove for 1-2 minutes. Stir constantly. After mixture thickens, remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in quick oats and drop by spoonful onto wax paper on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate

"Future"

                               Matthew 6:32-34
"Your heavenly father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the kingdom of God your primary concern. So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Have you ever wished you could know the future? Some people worry so much about tomorrow that they forget about today. The only thing sure about the next day, week, month, or year is that it will be filled with new challenges, problems, struggles, and opportunities. That's why Jesus said that each day has its own problems. Instead of worrying about the future or dreading it, we should concentrate on what we have to do today, making the most of each moment we have to live. That means seeing time as a valuable resource and using it wisely. It also means seeing friends and family as precious gifts from God and treating them right. God wants us to prepare for the future but to live for the moment.

homemade laundry detergent

This is REALLY simple and saves a TON of $$$!

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (Krogers)
20 Mule Team Borax (Krogers)
Ivory Soap (I got mine at Krogers as well)

In a bowl, pour in 1 cup of the washing soda & 1 cup of the borax. Next you will "shave" the soap with a grater into the bowl. (I actually put mine into a blender & blended it all up) Put into a container with a lid & you are done! You will use 1tablespoon per large load of laundry. Use 2 for extra soiled laundry.

*You can also make this in a liquid form, but it requires using a 5 gallon bucket to mix it in, and it tends to gel up. I just think the powdered kind is much easier and faster and works great!

*For savings on fabric softner--- buy your favorite liquid fabric softner, pour equal parts of it and water into a container with a lid. Take a clean sponge, dip it into the mixture, then throw it into the dryer with your clothes. This will work just as well as using the fabric softner in the washer, but will save a ton and last much, much longer!

homemade bread

I just made this for the first time last week, and my family loves it!

What you'll need:
1/4 cup milk         1 1/2 tbsp. sugar         1 tsp. salt          1 1/2 tbsp. butter                                           1 package active dry yeast       about 3 cups of flour         nonstick cooking spray

large mixing bowl      spoon       measuring cup      measuring spoon   bread pan     hand towel

Warm up the bowl. (just run some hot water in it) Mix the yeast with 1/2 cup warm water.
Melt the butter in the microwave, then add it, the milk, the sugar, and the salt to the yeast liquid and stir it up until everything looks the same (a very light tan liquid). Then add two cups of flour to the mix – don’t add the rest yet.
Start stirring, and then add the flour about 1/4 cup at a time every minute or so. It will stick to the spoon big time at first – don’t worry about it. Keep stirring and adding flour until the dough is still slightly sticky, but it doesn’t stick to your hands in any significant way.
Now comes the fun part: kneading. Take a bit of flour between your hands and then rub them together over the top of an area on the table where you’re going to knead the dough. Do this a few times until there’s an area on the table lightly covered in flour. Start kneading the dough. Do this for ten minutes.
When the ten minutes are up, shape it into a ball, then either clean up the bowl you were using before or get out another bowl. Coat the inside lightly with cooking spray then put the ball of dough inside the bowl.
Put a cloth over the bowl and sit it somewhere fairly warm for 1 hour. (I've been setting mine outside) If you have a warming area on your stove top, that’s a great place to put it – set the warming area on as low as it will go. This is a good time to clean everything else and put the stuff away, but leave the flour out and the floured area on your table untouched.
It should be roughly double the size that it was before, but don’t sweat it too much if it’s larger or smaller than that, as long as it rose at least some amount. Punch the dough down (three or four good whacks will cause it to shrink back down to normal), then lay the dough out on the floured area and spread it out in a rectangle shape, with one side being roughly the length of the bread pan and the other side being about a bread pan and a half long.
You may need to put a bit more flour on it and on the table to prevent sticking. Then, roll it up! The roll should be roughly the same size as the bread pan.
Tuck the ends of the roll underneath, with the “under” side being where the seam is. Then spray the bread pan down with nonstick cooking spray and put the loaf inside of the pan.
Cover that loaf up with the towel, put it back where it was before, for 1 more hour. This is a good time to clean everything up. The loaf should raise some more.
Put that loaf in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) for thirty minutes. When it’s done, pull it out and immediately remove it from the pan to cool. Let it cool down completely before slicing.
Enjoy!

Temptations

              Everyone of us have temptations in our lives. Not a single one of us is perfect. With Gods help, we can overcome anything.
                                                       

                                    1 Cor. 10:13   

"But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you away out so that you will not give into it."       


Paul Says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability to resist and he will give us a way to escape. So when we are tempted we should say, "Thank you God, for trusting me that much. You know I can handle this temptation. Now, what do you wnat me to do?"   




                                                                     

Thoughts & Bible Verse

       Tonight I write with mixed emotions. We started the morning off on a very sad note, with my Nanny in ICU, on life support. However, by this evening she was somewhat responsive (even with sedation) and taking some breaths on her own, which was very encouraging.
        I was thinking about what kind of bible verse I wanted to post, and at first I thought about sorrow. I looked for a moment, but didn't see one. Then I thought, that's because I shouldn't post a verse on sorrow. I should post one on joy. I am joyful for my grandmother and for her life. For the fact that she is still here with us and was showing improvement. The verse I found fit perfectly with how I felt.
                           1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
We might wonder how someone can rejoice or be joyful all the time, especially during painful or difficult experiences. But unlike happiness, which is based on circumstances, joy is a positive and confident outlook on life, despite our circumstances. Knowing that God is in control and that his love surrounds us gives security and confidence. No matter what happens, we should delight in God and praise him for his goodness.

Bible verse of the day ... Isaiah 53:6

All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the quilt and sins of us all...

Sheep stray away from the flock without thinking about it. They are only following their nature to eat and wander away. So sheep stray, one blade of grass at a time. God, through Isaiah, says that we are just like that. Our sinful nature causes us to chase after our own desires and go our own way. We don't have to work at sinning or even think about it....it comes naturally. We shouldn't think we can turn our life around on our own or that we can do what is right by determination and courage. We need supernatural help. We need the power of God in our life!

The Simple Life

So I found this on the net, & I loved it so much that I had to re-post! I totally agree with this and I feel like it fits me to a T!

"Living a simple life is appreciating everything you have and being able to see the abundance and beauty in small things. It is living your life for now and today. Not allowing stressful things to clutter your life and having only the things you need and love around you."

A little about me & my blog

       I will start by telling about myself. I am Carrie. I'm 30 yrs old. I live in TN with my husband, my 3 sons (12, 10, & 8) and my daughter (5). My hopes of this blog are to 1.) to be a blessing to/ to help others 2.) to encourage myself  &/or others to live a more simple life. I love God & my family very much. They are my top priorities.

MY FAMILY, 11/10

       I will strive to live the way that I know God wants me to. Such as ... putting him first. Not letting material things have so much value in my life. Focusing on things that do matter. Instilling in my family the values that God has laid out for us.