Intimacy with God (12 things)

Well, I started on my August quest. I found this book on my bookshelf, I've never read it. It's a little Bible study booklet called, "Intimacy with God", by Cynthia Heald. It's a study of the Psalms.


My first thoughts and meditation of the Lord today:

A common question we ask God is, "Where are You, God?". There is a point when we may question His exsistence, or question His ears to hear, or question His timing of answer. There comes a time when those questions have been turned to faithful trust and knowledge. Other reasons we question God may seem more suitable the more mature we become. "Where are You, God?" Maybe our heart has lost its Way, maybe we have a disagreement on a decision He has made, or maybe we just want to know He is there, like a little child pulling on mommy's leg (we all need  a little security boost now and then, right?).

There are many reasons to ask God that question, but what really hit me hard today was: Are we prepared to answer when He asks, "Where are you ?" ?

Let me know if you understand what I'm saying and tell me what you think about it. God asked Adam and Eve, "where are you?" knowing fully, the question was for their sake. Why might He ask you that question today? For me, it's because I've turned Him away recently, I let my heart grow cold. I didn't want to read the Bible(for a dumb reason that has been reckoned now). God is back on His rightful throne in my heart, and I say, "Here I am!"

OK, this seems fun! 12 new things!

12 months, 12 things I've never done...1 month per accomplishment! Inspired by this blog.

August- Pick up an old Bible Study, on my shelf I never did and finish it!!! :)
September- Start first official year of homeschooling my children
October- Teach myself how to belly dance(buy costume too)
November- Read a book (an recommendations?), I'm not much of a reader, so there are A LOT I've never read.
December- Bake Christmas Cookies everyday from the 1st to the 25th...so many new ones to try...
January- Jump rope for 3.5 minutes straight-no breaks(lol, I can barely reach a minute now)
February- Learn to play a video game that my husband likes
March- Paint a picture for my house (we need decor bad!)
April- Make something fermented or raw each day of this month
May- Learn basic digital photography(self teach)
June- find a shooting range and do some target practice(haven't done it yet in WA)
July- Teach myself to sew, a dress for my daughter will be first project

Will you join me??? It's SO fun. Please leave a comment and let me know what you are doing to do!!!OR I just figured out the Linky thing, SO you can also LINK UP!!! : D

Cupcakes arrived!!!

Here are the cupcakes I won that just arrived in the mail. There were 12 minicupcakes. Caleb's fingers are in the last picture, at 4 yrs old, he just couldn't resist! :)

They were frozen when they arrived in a very nice packaging. I'm thawing 5 of them for dessert tonight. I put the other 7 in the freezer, apparently they keep in the freezer up to 1 month. COOL!!! Thanks to Nanahood.com

Beauty and Brains Part 2

So I asked you these questions:
Whose the ugliest person that comes to mind?(you better not say me, :D) What about the prettiest? How about the smartest? dumbest?


 If you could think of someone in each question, you have just categorized them. (I know I forced you to do it, sorry). Now that you feel guilty, let's hammer it in a little, :D
This post is about them! The people we "categorize".

Now, I don't know this to be 100% true, but I believe this with all my heart:
God did not create ANYONE stupid or ugly.

BUT Sometimes, we  feel DUMB. Maybe we didn't go to college, or we didn't get the job, or a good score on an important test. Maybe we made a bad decision at a young age and it has shaped our whole adulthood. Maybe we let insecurity make us a fool. And maybe, sometimes, we feel super SMART (so smart that no one really understands what we are truly capable of). Sometimes, we may feel so hideously ugly that we don't even want to go outside(almost every day for me). On the contrary, we think, if only, some one, would appreciate our true, natural beauty.

Do you ever think you're smarter or better looking than someone else? I do. It's terrible, I know, but it's the truth. I size people up left and right and I'm actually happy when a lady at wal-mart  has cellulite on her legs, but is still wearing shorts, because maybe it's ok that I wear mine too. :) I love to watch people, I notice close to everything, especially clothes. :)


BUT...I have a problem with people who think they are smarter than me.. I have even more of a problem with people who think they are smarter than the guy who stutters or the girl whose blind or even that jerk who doesn't know how to drive right.
I also have a problem with the woman who doesn't talk to me, because I've got a stain on my shirt and my pants are from Target (free with coupon, thank you) and not Ellie Tahari. Or the man who doesn't offer to help the woman in sweats with arms full and 3 kids attached to her side, but opens the door (with pleasure) for the stick figure in stilettos checking her out as she walks in
.
I can relate to the woman with 3 kids. I've had so many "helpful" people let me know(just in case I didn't), that I have my hands full, and yet they still don't offer to help. LOL!

(Ok, so I've got problems, what's new?)

The point is, we can't go through life looking down on people for their stupid actions and choices.
THEY(the people) ARE NOT UGLY. THEY ARE NOT STUPID. They are created by the same Maker that created you and I. They have the ability to think and reason just as well. That rather weird, crazy feature that may stand out odd, shapes a uniqueness about them that is gorgeous!

God created our brain with an amazing capacity to learn. There are 7 different areas of intelligence, did you know that? While I think I may have 3-4 areas, you may see only one(or none). We have different talents, different strengths and weaknesses, but never mistake those for lack of "brains". People often notice my oldest son when it comes to intellect, but my 2nd son, only a year and a half younger is often skipped over. They have very different personalities. My 2nd son is very smart in a different way than his older brother.  So are we and they.

God created our bodies to function. Sometimes we ruin that through sin, and sometimes, we are born with special weaknesses that God can use to show off His strength and GLORY. I have a friend who is GORGEOUS, I mean, super, super beautiful. She thinks she's horribly ugly, to the point that she has almost band all outside contact to the world. She is overweight, but she's beautiful. Could you imagine the passion she could bring others if she allowed God to bring her joy and let her beauty shine even through any weakness she possesses.

You are beautiful! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I'm sad to say my oldest son doesn't think I'm pretty. And that's ok with me, because God wired him to behold a different type of beauty. My youngest says I am pretty, but I think he'll grow out of it, haha. There are a handful of people I have met who really thought I was pretty, others don't. And still that's ok with me, because there are how many billion other people in the world that need a handful of people to think they are super pretty?
I can see the potential in everyone, but my husband only sees how a person puts himself together, i.e. "his hair is nice, or eww her hair is really frizzy(that's me, all the time, :/ )".
You know what God sees? The heart! Beauty really does come from the inside.

I'm not opposed to putting effort in looking nice. I have a whole blog about it. But, we need to remember that God is not concerned with fashion, but whether we conduct ourselves with grace.

Treat everyone with the same respect and love that God would. And start looking for the beauty in the person that comes across to you as ugly. Or the intelligence in that child that seems to not listen to anything you say.


I  often remind myself that God created everyone beautiful and smart(not all equal in talent, but definitely equal in value). :) YOU are beautiful and SMART!!!! Love to you all!!!!

What do you think? Do you think this is all true? Do you think this thinking has been influenced by a society of "fairness"? Should we categorize people? Or should we be fair, and not categorize them? Tell me your thoughts!

Beauty and Brains Part 1

"Beauty and Brains...she's got both, ugh!"  "He's such an idiot! I don't think he could talk and tie his shoes".

Are you familiar with these types of comments? I am. I've heard them my whole life. I don't know how anyone, living in current American culture, could miss this degrading attitude toward each other.


For women, the obsession for POWER is now getting fierce. Particularly power in beauty. It's breath-taking, and sometimes, it's just-down-right-lower-your-head-and-slowly-shake-it-with-dismay,  troubling.

What about the survival of the fittest mentality? Anything you can do, I can do BETTER (no you can't, yes I can....lol, anyone remember that?). Cocky and Haughty and (annoying) is what that is.

Do you ever compare yourself to someone and size them up? It seems to be human nature, or maybe a learned behavior of this country. I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love America, and I'm proud of my country, but the "religion" sweeping every metropolis to ghost town and every mountain top to beach, has been shocking. I'm not about to preach on politics, but I want to bring the point out that America has forsaken God and taken up a false security in self-power(and our attitude isn't getting any better for it).

What do you hear the media tell you? What do you think the average American thinks "living it up" entails? Maybe to live long? be happy? wealthy, in good shape, liked by most(if not all), powerful, praised in the community, famous, intelligent, accomplished, etc. When you die, will any of that matter?

Take time to think about each question:

Whose the ugliest person that comes to mind? What about the prettiest? How about the smartest? dumbest?

To be Continued....I will post the 2nd half in a couple days!

I won! And blog for grandmas

Ok, I'm writing you about a new blog I came in contact with. It's called nanahood.com
I entered into one of the games, and WON...cupcakes! They should be arriving in the mail this week. Crazy, huh? Well, I'm not a grandma yet, but I think it's a fun blog for those who are. Just passing on another fun blog out there.

Are you wondering what to wear this Fall?

I've spent most of my day today updating my other blog clothedwithlilies.blogspot.com. I have a post on what to dress your boys in for this Fall 2010. It's not really about style as much (although everything is current styles from Gap, Oldnavy, etc) as it is about The items to include and how many. You can choose your own tastes for you own family. I don't particularly like all the picture examples I gave, but some of you may. The point is, having the list ready, and knowing what to shop for at the store for this school year. I have also updated the Trends for Women this Fall 2010. So, go check it out!

 Have a great weekend!!!

Something holy - Stellar Kart

Life's a bowl of "Idols" (what's with the cherries?)

Idols come in all different shapes and sizes. Cherries are not my idol, but "freebies" have been recently. These cherries were actually...free. I've been dedicating my time into figuring out the coupon world and how to score "free" things (and use up the 6+ cartons of cherries I received free).

I've learned that TRULY nothing in life is free (except Christ). I'm telling you this with a substantial bone to my back, since I have enough "freebies" to almost fill a big 18 gal. Tub. So, trust me darling(suave Italian accent), I know what getting free looks like. And through my eyes, it's a lot of time, mind wrestling(constantly thinking about bargains-it can consume you), and shopping! If you hate shopping, it's so not for you, although you can still get bargains at your main stores, but hitting all of them will be torturous.

A little "History 101"-about me and shopping. I used to LOVE it. So much so that NO one would go with me. I ran ALL my friends and family ragged when they accompanied me on a shopping rave. Haha, I could spend like ALL day shopping, literally, until I dropped, and the funny thing is, I hardly bought a thing.

Point being, the last few days I've been hearing, reading, and feeling(H.S. in me) that I need to STOP (drop and roll) the crazy, madness of freebies. I need to re-focus my thoughts on Christ. America is grossly obsessed with money and possessions. I've said before I wouldn't fall into storing up treasures on earth. I really still strive to LIVE that verse out, but recently my obsession with saving the family money has been overboard. The last 2 days I've actually let it go...it's so NICE! I've been taking time to enjoy my kids and play with them more than I have been. I read a blog from Raising Homemakers. about "spending time with your kids" that really encouraged me and gave me a pat on the back for making the right choice.

Do you have any idols? things replacing God in your life? it could be a friend, the computer, a tv show, even your adoring husband(been there)...let it go...and be encouraged by a Faithful Lover. Christ is So worth being #1.

Blogs are fun, but...

So, I've been thinking a lot about blogs. I see people from all different ages in the blogshere. Old, young, popular, not so popular, etc, etc, etc...pages with hip designs, and then pages with more of an old, matronly look, they you can guess their house looks like to(from the 80's or 90's maybe). AND you know what? I think how do they do it??? How do they keep up with it all? I'm not so naive to think that they actually do keep it all together, all the time. It's not possible to have a perfectly clean house, well fed and dressed kids, homeschooling, being there for your husband's needs(whatever they may be), being there for the baby's needs(constantly), doing craft projects, staying on top of news, birthdays, e-mails, and MAINTAINING a blog!!! I mean, what the??? anybody?? Any one else feel the chest-pounding pressure just reading about it? Anyway, I'm simply wondering if it's ALL necessary. I'm still trying to learn to be a wife, a mom, a good cook, keep a good cleaning system down, etc. And all though I've learned some great tricks, I don't have any of it mastered, by any means. And you know what? I'm young, I mean, really, really young(I just keep telling myself that). Do you think 24, with three kids is young? I'm trying to be an accomplished mom, wife, homemaker, school teacher, coupon shopper,etc, at age 24!!! It's not possible. I guess I realize that I'm going to try and stop looking for the accomplishment and enjoy the learning process, and when I'm old and an empty Nester, I'll have my blogs(hopefully) and be able to remember everything I went through and tell others what worked and what didn't, because, I hope then, I will have mastered those areas. There's a reason the Bible says that the Older women should be teaching the younger. I'm just going to enjoy the process of learning(hint, hint any older women out there, lol). I may not update anything on any of my blogs for awhile, or I may every night. I love to write, aww, the therapy....so yeah, I don't want to be a slave to the "perfect" mentality. It makes me grumpy, drives me further away from God and lets me down continually, because, guess what? I'm not perfect(i know, major news flash), but Jesus is! that's the cool thing about grace and relying on His perfection, not ours. What do you think? Do you think young women should have blogs talking about everything they have mastered, when it's not likely that they have mastered much yet? Where are all the older women and their blogs??? lol, well, most of them, I guess, don't even know how to use a computer...haha, what a new, and strange age we are living in.