"My friend, if you are too busy to read the Bible every day you are busier than God Almighty ever intended any human being should be, & you had better let some things go, & take time to read the Bible." ~D. L. Moody.
"For the Word of God is living & active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul & spirit, joint & marrow; it judges the thoughts & attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered & laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account." ~Hebrews 4:12-13
"Do not merely listen to the Word, & so deceive yourselves. Do what it says . . . keep oneself from being polluted by the world." ~James 1:22, 27(b)
"How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of Whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" ~Romans 10:14-15
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because I know Whom I have believed." ~II Timothy 1:12
How can we know the Lord? And once we have met Him, how can we know Him better unless we read His Word ~ His love letter to us ~ & pray? How can we take His message of salvation to a dying world unless we KNOW it?
And to KNOW it we must READ it.
Cults are notorious for taking a little piece of Scripture & altering & twisting it to say what they want their prey to hear & take the bait.
Scripture will always prick our hearts . . . we MUST KNOW God's Word in order to discern truth from lies. Lies can sound so good . . . but will kill us in the end.
We must be "good Bereans": "Now the Bereans were of more noble character . . . they received the message with great eagerness & examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." ~Acts 17:11 Examine what is said, compare it to Scripture to see that it is true &, IF it is, then take it to this dying world.
We have to READ our Bibles to KNOW the truth. My heart aches for this world that is looking for Truth in all the wrong places. We are here "for such a time as this."
"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" ~Esther 5:14(b)
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
. . . My baby girl, that is.
We both happened to be off work today & took some time to have a Girls' Day Out. What a good time talking, laughing at the silliest of things & lunching at a little eatery/bookstore owned by a friend from church.
Now, as the day would have it, Shelly (the owner), had JUST left but we still had a yummy, YUMMY lunch. DD#2 had a great salad w/strawberries & nuts in it, tea & a blue-berry muffin;
while I had what HAD to be the BEST quiche I've ever eaten! It had spinach, tomatoes & feta cheese . . . oh . . . my . . . GOODNESS. (Is it wrong to want quiche for a Christmas present?) It was SO good. I also had a splendid Chi Latte & a poppy seed muffin.
With service extraordinaire.
The New Bremen Coffee Co. & Books, Inc. is in the little town where we go to church &, as you probably guessed, is part eatery & part book store ~ the best of 2 of our favorite things.
There's wonderful flavors of coffee to peruse & comfy places to sit & chat as well as tables.
In the children's section, I was delighted to see that they had our favorite Oklahoma ranch wife, The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond's newest book, a children's book about their dog Charlie ~ The Ranch Dog.
This was the 1st I'd seen it in person so I flipped through it & it is as sweet as can be.
I tried to catch DD#2 unaware from time-to-time so as to take a picture of her beautiful face . . . but . . . she was determined to thwart my every sneaky move.
After lunch, we stopped in at the workplace of 1 of our very best friends, & our pastor's wife, Pam. It's always fun to surprise someone & chat for a few minutes; I always enjoy when someone I know pops in at my workplace, so today we got to do it.
It was a sweet afternoon w/1 of my sweet daughters. I love days like this.
"Since you are precious in My sight, & because I love you." ~Isaiah 43:4
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
For Today . . .
Outside my window . . . a beautiful, sun-shiny day! Yesterday's rains brought the humidity down just a smidge; however . . . tomorrow is another day. :-P
I am thinking . . . that I miss getting ready for homeschool to start, this time of year. We always took June, July & December off, so we started our school years the 1st Monday of August. We graduated our baby "baby" on 2006, can't believe it's been that long. {Read about DD#1's graduation HERE.}
I am thankful for . . . reconnecting w/old friends on Facebook.
From the kitchen . . . Tuesday is bread baking day, making a batch of homemade toothpaste. Just went to the farm stores this morning & got my milk & brown eggs. There's NOTHING like farm fresh . . . anything.
I am wearing . . . jeans & DD#2's old Golden Angels homeschool volleyball Senior award t-shirt.
I am remembering . . . how blessed I am.
I am hoping . . . for patience on the Lord's timing while waiting for answered prayer.
I am creating . . . a peaceful Christ-centered home.
I am hearing . . . radio, Maggie freaking out at the painters outside.
I am noticing . . . that the calmer I am when dealing w/mean people, the louder & angrier they become. "A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." ~Proverbs 29:11
Around the house . . . College Painters painting our window sills & garage door, taking DD#2 to work, tackling the never-ending laundry, general clean up . . .
One of my favorite things . . . church; listening to a good sermon.
Plans for this week . . . family time, work, worship practice, Sunday worship w/the saints!
Pondering these words . . . "God has spoken, everything else is commentary."
Scripture thought . . . ". . . They [the Apostles] broke bread in their homes & ate together w/glad & sincere hearts, praising God & enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." ~Acts 2:46(b),47 [emphasis mine ~KW] They had the favor of the community; WHY does today's church NOT "enjoy the favor of the people"?
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you . . .
Farm fresh eggs
Farm fresh milk ~ can you see the line in each jug where the cream separates from the milk? Mmmmm~Read 100's of other Daybooks at Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook!
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
"Mrs. March knew that experience was an excellent teacher, & when it was possible she left her children to learn alone that lesson which she would gladly have made easier, if they had not objected to taking advice as much as they did salts & senna."
~Chapter 26
"If I [Jo] didn't care about doing right, & didn't feel uncomfortable when doing wrong, I should get on capitally. I can't help wishing sometimes, that father & mother hadn't been so particular about such things."
"Ah, Jo, instead of wishing that, thank God that 'father & mother were particular," & pity from your heart those who have no such guardians to hedge them round w/principles which may seem like prison-walls to impatient youth, but which will prove sure foundations to build character upon in womanhood."
Little Women ~Chapter 34
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
Well, you know it's bound to happen sooner or later . . . too long on the beach or at the pool w/o sunblock or tanning lotion ~ especially for "Snowbirds" from the north vacationing in sunny climates . . . a long bike ride w/o sunblock . . . working in the yard or garden a little longer than you thought you were going to w/o sunblock . . . our area has a large national air show at the end of every July & people absolutely roast while there . . . OR . . . there's the occasional outdoor music festival that DD#1 attended yesterday . . .
OUCH! Poor baby.
So, with that in mind, I thought it was a great time to post some sunburn relief & remedies.
Soothing Sunburn Bath
8 drops of lavender essential oil
2 drops of chamomile ess. oil
2 drops of peppermint ess. oil
~Fill tub w/cool-to-cold water.
~Drop in the drops of essential oils
~Soak for 20-30 minutes, adding more cool water if necessary
~Dry off by GENTLY applying a SOFT towel
~Repeat as needed
Sunburn Oil
2 oz of grapeseed OR jojoba oil (grapeseed preferred as it penetrates w/o being greasy)
40-45 drops of lavender essential oil
~Mix the grapeseed OR jojoba oil w/the lavender essential oil
~Shake well to blend completely
~Apply as often as needed; especially after a cool bath or shower
The moral of the story: sunblock, sunblock, SUNBLOCK!
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
PASSAGE: "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came Him privately. 'Tell us,' they said, '. . . what will be the sign of Your coming & of the end of the age?'
"Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you . . . because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith & will betray & hate each other, & many false prophets will appear & deceive many people . . .false Christs & false prophets . . . deceive even the elect - if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.'"
~Selected verses from Matt. 24:3-25
"[B]e prepared in season & out of season . . . For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit they own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth & turn aside to myths . . . But the Lord stood at my side & gave me strength . . . "
~2 Tim. 4:2-4, 17(a)
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come . . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."
~Matt. 24:42, 44
LESSON LEARNED: I really enjoy living in a state where we experience all 4 seasons. Every season has it's goods & bads; plus every season has it's signs that it is approaching. Spring is a season of new plant & animal life, blooming flowers & beautiful green; Summer's temperatures rise to it's full height (which we are experiencing right now!), flowers & bushes become lush & full, gardens begin to produce; as Fall approaches the cicadas sing, temperatures start to fall & the green leaves of Summer turn into blazes of Autumn color; Winter brings the big sleep of growth & the beauty of deep, fluffy snows. We recognize these signs as signs of seasonal change.
There are other signs, too: signs that you are beginning to feel ill, signs that you are falling in love, signs that warn us of road work ahead . . . & signs that the Lord's return may just be closer than we thought.
Watching the news & even simply looking around us, tells us the Lord's word is always true. We see unrest in key places of the world, the brazen behavior of our culture that causes our children to lose their childhood earlier & earlier every day, the loss of the relevance of Jesus as Savior in the lives of so many of our young people . . .
Signs.
These signs tell us that it's time to be brave. It's time to stand firm in our beliefs. It's time to know that you know & be prepared to share so that souls may be saved. Don't be embarrassed to share your faith (if they say 'no' they aren't saying it to you, but to God), we are responsible to plant the seeds of faith. If you see a 'sign' that someone is searching or shows an interest, plant your seeds & let the Lord cause them to be nurtured & grow.
You asked for a sign? Make sure you see it.
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
For Today . . .
Outside my window . . . hot, hazy & humid ~ welcome to Ohio in the Summer. The mosquitoes are biting but the cicadas are chirping; I love the sounds of the cicadas. It rained during the very early morning & we will have some rain & t-storms through-out the day.
I am thinking . . . that I wish a rude relative would stay out of DD#1's life. Find someone your own age to pick on. You know the old saying, "You can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives." But there's also another saying, "It's hard to hate someone you are praying for." Thankfully, that's true.
I am thankful for . . . a great interview my DH had last week that might give him a great job back in our area!! It would be better pay, better benefits & no more 1-1/2 hr 1-way drives to work.
From the kitchen . . . Tuesday = bread baking day.
I am wearing . . . one of my favorite long, summer Fresh Produce dresses; a yellow summer-time print. My Fresh Produce summer dresses are my favorite summer clothing.
I am remembering . . . the great time we had w/friends at the CCW class we took last Saturday.
I am hoping . . . DH gets that job!
I am creating . . . a peaceful, Christ-centered home.
I am hearing . . . the Glenn Beck radio show, washer . . . morning sounds.
I am noticing . . . what a treasure my family is . . . anew.
Around the house . . . laundry, making more laundry detergent, baking, starting a batch of homemade healing salve, general pick up . . .
One of my favorite things . . . going to Lakeside, Ohio. It's like a Mayberry & we love staying in our friends' cottage. They are the 3rd generation of their family to own it.
Plans for this week . . . family time, work, doing some homeschool assessments, visiting my mom, running errands . . .
Pondering these words . . . "I CHOOSE to have an attitude of JOY. Not being unrealistic about tragedy . . . that's ridiculous . . . but knowing AND understanding that my JOY comes from my position as a forgiven, adopted daughter of God." ~From my sermon notes.
Scripture thought . . . "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. THE LORD IS NEAR. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, w/thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends ALL understanding, WILL guard your hearts & your minds in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:4-7 [all emphasis mine ~KW]
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you . . .
DD#2 outside our friends' Lakeside, Ohio cottage in 2005.Read 100's of other Daybooks at Peggy's Simple Woman's Daybook!
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe." ~Luke 11:21
Annie Oakley a.k.a. Little Sure Shot ~ From Greenville/Darke County, OhioThis Saturday, a friend of ours, my Sweetheart & I took a 12 hour Carry Concealed Weapons (CCW) class & are now licensed to carry a gun on our persons. I don't know how you feel about this, but we are Christians who believe that it is our God-given & Constitutional right to protect ourselves, our family & the home that God has given us dominion over.
Two dear friends of ours (& another gentleman), that I went to high school with, are instructors for a Christian-based CCW class, which not only made for a fun, fun time, but they are so informative & engaging in their presentation & their knowledge is practical & vast. They were so good about not talking over the heads of us newbies while not making it so boring for the people there who are seasoned gun owners.
Now, if your own blog isn't a place to do just a TAD of bragging, where else can you do it? '-) I have to say that, for having only shot a shot gun 1 time about 30 years ago, when we got to the shooting part of the class I may have missed the drawing of the paper man . . . but . . . I DID at least hit the paper!!! lol The 2nd shot definitely gave him a pierced ear . . . but . . . from there, all my shots were on the "man" & I felt very good about that. lol And then, on to the scary part (yes, I fear the written test more than shooting a gun), I got a 94% on my written test! Woohoo! I was excited.
So, I am once again feeling gratitude for the blessing of being an American. For the fore-sight & wisdom of our Forefathers in making sure that 1 of our freedoms would be to carry arms to not only hunt for food, but to protect that which God has given us ~ namely: our families.
I am a firm believer that other than God's protection & blessing, the biggest reason we have remained free is because so many people have guns in their homes. We are blessed to be able to protect ourselves . . . legally. Whether you have a gun in your home just for hunting, or even if you don't hunt, this is a right that must be protected. Your gun-owning neighbor may be the one who saves your life from an intruder some day.
~Just in case you can't read the sign, it says: "My next door neighbor wants to BAN all GUNS! Their house is NOT ARMED! Out of RESPECT for their opinions, I promise NOT to use MY GUNS to PROTECT THEM."Our house will not become the OK Corral . . . that is . . . unless the Clanton's are coming through the window!
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
Thanks to a friend of mine, when I noted that you should not take your eye make-up off w/my homemade face wash, I was asked about recipes for homemade eye make-up remover. Hmmm . . . that was one I hadn't researched &, of course, I would love to make my own.
Something I learned from having been a make-up artist ~ &, unfortunately, from my own experience ~ we should NOT use oily eye make-up removers b/c they leave a little bit of oil on your eyes w/every swipe. And, after a while, the only way to truly clean it off is w/eye surgery. Ick! Not for me! Also, if you are a contact lens wearer, I'm sure you've already been told that you can completely ruin them w/oils.
What's a girl to do?
Here are a few recipes that I am going to try. Why don't you pick one ~ or all ~ & try them w/me & let me know what you think?
**NOTE** When doing ANYTHING around your eye ~ applying moisturizer, putting on or taking off eye make-up, etc. ~ DO NOT RUB!!!! Lightly tap or lightly gloss over, preferably using your ring finger as it is the weakest of your fingers.
Recipe #1 ~
Now, of course, after I've told you not to use oil around your eyes, I'm going to quantify that w/the ONLY one I would trust. (HA! Nothing like starting out w/a little confusion!) This oil is "the oily skin oil" b/c it doesn't clog pores & even oily skins can use it (sparingly). It's grape seed oil. It's a very light, very clean oil & is relatively non-greasy.
2 TB aloe vera gel (NOT juice)
2 ts grape seed oil
~Mix together in a clean jar (a clean, used one is fine)
~Stir w/a clean finger, toothpick or small wooden stir stick before using
~W/your clean finger, LIGHTLY apply & LIGHTLY work around your closed eyes & eye lashes
~GENTLY wipe off w/a tissue using your ring finger
Recipe #2 ~
1 part gentle, unscented baby shampoo
10 parts water
~Mix together in a clean bottle (a clean, used one is fine)
~Shake before using
~Using a cotton ball or cotton pad, LIGHTLY apply & LIGHTLY work around your closed eyes & eye lashes
~GENTLY wipe off w/a tissue
Recipe #3 ~
. . . Is hardly a recipe at all.
~Simply dip a cotton ball in a small saucer of milk (preferably raw) OR yogurt & LIGHTLY work around your closed eyes & eye lashes.
~GENTLY wipe off w/a tissue using your ring finger.
Who'da thunk it? Possibly your best eye make-up remover is already in your frig or cupboards!
Let me know how these work for you.
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
PASSAGE: "Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?" ~Job 12:12
"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children." ~Prov. 17:6
LESSON LEARNED: My husband & I are in the time of our lives when we are in those "middle years." We are in the middle of aging parents, who in some respects are becoming children again, & children who are becoming adults.We have each lost a parent & I remember the first time I went back to my parents' home after my Daddy had died & thinking: "his fingerprints are all over this place. And his "fingerprints", in the way of relationship & influence, are all over me, too." This causes me to wonder: does my life show that my Heavenly Father's fingerprints are all over me? And w/God's influence, are my fingerprints all over our daughters?
One of the ways I hope to leave a legacy, an influence, in our daughters' lives is that over the years I have been copying down the sermon notes that I take every Sunday. I copy them into notebooks. Some have pretty covers, some have Scripture on the cover & some (my favorites) look aged & worn w/"stains" of time on the cover & pages . . .
While I'm copying the sermon notes I also add my own thoughts, Scripture that comes to my mind, words to worship songs that are appropriate to the sermon or are simply a favorite that has touched my heart. I purposed to write these things down so that, in years to come, my daughters ~ & possibly even my grandchildren & future generations, should the Lord tarry ~ will have my thoughts on the Lord & how He has acted in my life written in my own hand-writing. Written w/reverence, devotion, thanksgiving & love for the Lord.
I try to live my life in such a way as to be some sort of a godly influence in the lives of my family (hopefully, I'm getting better as I age), & even though they have their own free will (scary in itself) I hope that something I have said, something I have written, will always lead them to God's Word, the only true Source of life's direction.
Let that be my legacy. What's yours?
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
