29 Years And Counting.......

29 years ago today, I married my high school sweetheart.

We were only 16 years old (no, that's not a typo!)....very young, but also very determined - with the Lord's help - to make a wonderful life together. And by His grace, we have.

Many of our former classmates can't believe we're still married. They never thought it would last. One of our family members even speculated that we would be divorced by our first anniversary.

Has it all been a bed of roses? Nope.

Have we hit some speed bumps along the way? Yep.

But the vows we took on our wedding day were - and still are - important to us : we made those vows in front of witnesses, but most importantly, we made a covenant with Almighty God to stay together 'til "death do us part". 

 Through all the tough times, our love has grown stronger and we are even more committed to each other now than ever before.  And there's no way we could have gotten through the tough times without the Lord's help.  Soli Deo Gloria!

My hubby is my lover, best friend, and confidante. We cry together..and laugh together..sorrow together..rejoice together.  I can't even imagine my life without him.

So I eagerly look forward to the next 29 years...and more after that, if the Lord tarries.

I can truly say, "I am my beloved's,
                          And my beloved is mine.."  Song of Solomon 6:3

Have a blessed day,

Linked up at http://www.homemaker-by-choice.com
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                      http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

What Happened??

Recently, my children and I were running errands. We had many stops to make - it was an all-day ordeal.

Here are some of things we saw........

In a restaurant, a young mom was more interested in her iPhone than her little girl (who looked to be about 3 years old). They were sitting right beside us and the only  words I heard the mom say to her daughter were, "Sit down!" and "Eat!" She was so mesmerized by the little black box, she didn't even eat her lunch.

In the doctor's office, a mom came in with her little boy, who was obviously anxious about seeing the doctor, but she also had a love affair with her iPhone. She hardly said 2 words to him the entire time while in the waiting area, and while following him and the nurse to the examining room, she still had the contraption right in front of her face. I don't know what kept her from bumping into a wall.

In a store, there was a little girl (about 5 years old) dressed in a string bikini top and the shortest shorts I've seen in a while. Apparently, she was following her mom's example, because she was dressed the same way.  We also saw a person in the store...not sure about the gender. There was no way to tell by looking at them. After walking by, one of my children asked, "Mom, was that a man or a woman?"
And some of the younger crowd were wearing t-shirts with profanity plastered across the front.

In the mall, we made a quick u-turn and headed for the nearest exit when I spotted the huge, trashy photos around the entrance to a certain undergarment store.

Years ago, when our 2 older children (now 28 and 24) were little, we could take them out in public without the fear of exposing them to every form of vulgarity and profanity. Not anymore! Those days are long gone.

What happened??

What happened to the good ol' days when parents cared more about their children than a "toy"?

......when people knew how to dress appropriately?

.......when gender lines weren't blurred, and men were men and women were women?

.......when we didn't have to leave a place of business because of the trashy photos everywhere?

Our society is crumbling around us.

Michael Pearl says, "No doubt about it; effectively training up children in this current society is the toughest  job you'll ever have."

May God help us to raise godly children in a godless society.

"...Stand in the ways and see,
And ask for the old paths,
Where the good way is,
And walk in it;
Then you will find rest for your souls..."      Jeremiah 6:16

Have a blessed day,








This post is linked up http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

and at http://raisinghomemakers.com and at http://womenlivingwell.org 

and at http://findingheaventoday.blogspot.com 

and at http://theimperfecthousewife.com

and at http://www.aboverubies.net

Lavender Jelly

3  1/2 c. water
1/2 c. dried lavender flowers
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 box  (1 3/4 oz.) powdered pectin
4 c. sugar




In a large saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Remove from heat.  Add flowers, cover and let steep for 20 minutes.  Strain mixture into a deep kettle, discarding flowers.  (Your house will smell wonderful after this!)

Stir in lemon juice and pectin, making sure that pectin is dissolved.  Over high heat, bring mixture to a boil; add sugar.  Stir well.  Return mixture to a rolling boil; let boil for 4 minutes.

After boiling, ladle hot jelly into clean jelly jars, leaving 1/4 in. headspace, wipe rims, adjust lids and rings. Process in hot water bath 10 minutes.

Makes about 5 1/2 pints.

                                                                            
"Ointment and perfume delight the heart..."   Proverbs 27:9

This post is linked up at Domestically Divine @ http://jasmine-aboverubies.blogspot.com

and @ http://joyfilledmama.blogspot.com 

Showers of Blessing

I woke up yesterday to the sound of thunder in the distance.  My first thought was, "Oh no! Not rain! I need to work in the garden!" There were weeds to pull and green beans to pick.

I sat on the sofa and looked at the window. It was almost daylight. The only sound to be heard was the steady falling of the rain. I decided to take advantage of the quiet time and have my devotions.

Then I began to rack my brain for "inside" things to do to keep the children busy for the day.  I had some dried lavender blossoms from herb garden, so we could make lavender jelly. We just got some new watercolor paints, so art time was another option. And I knew that the children love to have reading parties on rainy days.

So after the children woke up and did their chores, we began making the jelly. They love helping me in the kitchen. And even though it takes much longer for me to accomplish what I need to, they learn best by helping. So it's worth the extra time. We made 5  1/2 pints of jelly and of course, the children's favorite part is taste testing.  :)  The prep and clean-up takes a while, but we were finished by 11:00. 

During lunch, we had a discussion about modesty. (I'll save that for another post.  :-} ) It seems as if we have some of our biggest theological discussions around the lunch table. I love that!

After lunch,  Ian and Aaron did some reading while Asher, Natty, and Mimi painted pictures.

Then the sun came out. I waited to hear, "Mom, we're going outside!"  But instead I heard, "When can we have the reading party?" Wow! So we sprawled out on the floor, ate some goodies, and read a few chapters of the Boxcar Children.

We ended up having a blessed day after all...in spite of being "stuck inside". The showers were a two-fold blessing: I spent the day making memories with my children, and my thirsty garden got a drink of water.

And after supper, I did get the garden work done - with the help of my 5 "heritages".  :)

"There shall be showers of blessing..."   Ezekiel 34:26

Have a blessed day,

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and @ http://womenofnoblecharacter.blogspot.com

Building Hedges

In Old Testament times, the Israelites built hedges (or walls) around their vineyards to protect them from being attacked.

Psalm 80:12-13    "Why have you broken down her hedges, so that all who pass by pluck her fruit? The boar out of the woods uproots it, and the wild beast out of the field devours it."

 In our society, families are under major attack, and we would be wise to build hedges around the most important "crop" in our nation: our precious families.
 
More than 1/2 of all  Christian marriages end in divorce, and scores of others are heading in that direction. Over 1/2 of  American children live in single-parent homes. Many well-meaning Christian parents are losing their children to the world.

So how can we "build hedges" to protect our families?  Pray!! Ask the Lord to protect our families from the enemy and evil influences of this world.

John 17:15    " I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one."
 The Lord put a hedge around Job and his family to protect them the enemy's attacks.  (Job 1:10)

Another way to protect our families is by using "border control". So many Americans are concerned about illegal immigrants crossing our borders and entering our country. But how concerned are we, as parents, about border control around our families?  Do we have strong borders for protection against the "adversary who walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.."? (1 Peter 5:8)

We need to  ask ourselves........

- is there border control concerning which TV programs and movies we watch?  What about the video/computer games our children play? Are we monitoring what our children are doing on the Internet and the books they're reading?
Psalm 101:3  "I will set no evil thing before my eyes.."

- is there border control concerning our children's friends? Do they have godly friends?
1 Corinthians 15:33  " Do not be deceived: evil company corrupts good habits."

We must take control of anything that would spoil the godly atmosphere of our home.

We cannot let the enemy get a foothold. He takes great pleasure in attacking and destroying families. We must "resist him", and be "steadfast in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9),  guarding and protecting our families at all costs.

And our nation is only as strong as the moral values of our families.
So friends, "watch, stand fast in the faith" (1 Corinthians 16:13), and keep building those hedges!

Have a blessed day,



                         

This post is linked up at Titus 2usday @  http://www.time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

and  @ Domestically Divine Homemaking link-up @ http://jasmine-aboverubies.blogspot.com

and @  http://likeabubblingbrook.com

and @ http://raisinghomemakers.com

Secure in Daddy's Arms

We had a surprise 80th birthday party for my dad on Saturday.  At the party, there was a time of sharing for anyone who had a funny story or special memory of Dad.

Listening to people share their favorite memories jogged my memory.  I remembered when I was a little girl of  about 4 years old, and my family went on vacation to the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee. There was a swinging bridge there and of course my family wanted to cross it. So I stood back and watched...the bridge was high above the trees and moved back and forth as each person crossed it. It didn't look safe and  the thought of stepping onto that bridge terrified me.

My dad was standing behind me and must have realized I was scared. So he scooped me up in his arms and carried me across the bridge.

The bridge was still high above the trees. It was still moving as we crossed it. But in my Dad's arms, I felt safe and secure.

It is the same with our Heavenly Father. This earthly life is filled with uncertainty. There are "swinging bridges" everywhere. But as children of the Almighty God, we are safe and secure in Him.


"Hold me up, and I shall be safe...."   -  Psalm 119:11


This post is linked up at Titus 2usdays http://time-warp-wife.blogspot.com

and at http://www.homemaker-by-choice.com

Taking the Time

Yesterday while I was making a skirt for Naomi  (who is four), she decided to try her hand at sewing on a button. Natalie (who is seven) was already sitting next to me busily sewing buttons on scraps of material.

As I was sewing, I would glance over at Naomi..and watch her struggling to get the needle through the button holes. In my rush to finish making her skirt, I confess that I didn't want to take the time to help her. But the Lord immediately convicted me of this, and I realized - once again - that this is my  "job"  It's the very reason the Lord gave me my children in the first place: to teach them and train them.  And what a wonderful memory making moment : teaching my little girl a new homemaking skill!

I quickly got up from my sewing machine and went to Naomi's side and helped her. She caught on right away and asked to do more sewing this morning.  :)  So, this morning is going to be a sew-and-sew morning for me and my girls...with no rushing, no hurrying.....just lots of fun and learning...and memory making.  :)


"Train up a child in the way he should go....."     Proverbs 22:6