The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#85~ 8/3/10

For Today...

Outside my window...grey skies trying to rain; cicadas & songbirds competing to see who can be the loudest.

I am thinking...of our daughters & the decisions they make...good and bad.

I am thankful for...good health; and that I'm FINALLY able to log onto my blog again!! Just a fluky thing...I got on yesterday, logged off for a little while, tried to log back on before going to work &...THEN...couldn't get back on AGAIN! But I was able to get on this morning...whew! I'll never figure out why this happens. :-/ Just grateful to be on here today.

From the kitchen...a new loaf of bread rising, making laundry detergent. Will probaby stir-fry some lovely squash that Renee gave me.

I am wearing...jeans & a t-shirt.

I am remembering…that the Lord doesn't give me a talent or put a deep desire in my heart unless He plans to do something w/it.

I am going…to take DD#2 to work in a few minutes.

I am reading...Bible: Revelation.

I am hoping...for the swift answer to prayers!

On my mind…my mom...her dimentia is causing more problems. Sad & aggrevating at the same time.

I am creating...a Christ-centered home.

I am hearing...the radio, DD#2 getting ready for work; cicadas so loud that, even outside my window, they sound like they're right next to me. Fortunately, I enjoy the sound. :-)

Noticing that…the joy of the Lord is my strenght & that His joy is far different from being 'happy' all the time. The best part is when they happen at the same time!

Pondering these words…"The destination affects the journey." ~From Sunday's sermon. Whether it's a vacation desitination, or traveling a long way to see a loved-one, or making our way through the trials & tribulations of this fallen world until we go to Heaven...all the miles, all the trials are worth it once we see the faces at the end of the journey!

Around the house...baking, making laundry detergent, laundry, light picking-up, etc.

One of my favorite things...reuniting w/loved ones we haven't seen for far too long. For the last 2 weekends, dear friends of ours came to our church ~ one was one of my best girlfriends from school! ~ and after church this week, we went to visit w/some friends who are up from Florida. A great day.

A Scripture thought...Romans 8:24-25 ~ "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Most people say, "I hope so..." in a way that conveys doubt. Biblical hope is a CERTAINTY! Hope is the ability to live inthe present based on the PROMISE of future realities! ~from Sunday's sermon.

A few plans for the rest of the week...a week of having to squeeze in family time around all of our work schedules. I miss staying at home.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Reuniting w/old friends is such a treasure!

Enjoy other Daybooks at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Versatile Blogger Award!!

Thanks upon thanks to Rachelle for blessing me w/the Versatile Blogger Award!!

I am humbled & blessed.

Upon receiving this award, I am to tell you 7 things about myself & then choose 5 bloggers to award w/the Versatile Blogger Award...here goes...

ABOUT ME...

1) I play the hammered dulcimer, flute & Irish penny whistle. Rich Mullins ~ w/his incredible songwriting ~ was my influence for the dulcimer.

2) We recently joined a new church & have been happily serving on the praise & worship team!

3) My sweetie & I will celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary in October!

4) I wish PBS would do a "Frontier House II" so I could apply!!! '-)

5) The joy of the LORD is my strength!

Now, you have no idea how hard it was for me to choose these blogs/bloggers. I have so many favorites ~ & considered re-posting some that I had referred you to before ~ but I think you'll like these if you check them out...I sure do!...

BLOGS TO BLESS YOU...

~Rachell @ Proverbs 3:56 Academy

~Amy @ Homestead Revival

~Angela @ Maple Valley Off-Grid Farm

~Kathy @ Regan Family Farm

~Dalyn @ Muckboots & Aprons

Enjoy!!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Home Remedies for Fever Blisters/Cold Sores

Whether inside your mouth on your tongue, cheek or inner lip or even outside on your lip or in the corner of your mouth...most of us have dealt w/those pesky fever blisters; also commonly known as cold sores.

These are actually a form of the herpes virus. Now...don't be afraid...it won't develop into 'THAT' herpes! But it is a strain of the same virus, just as shingles are of the same virus as chicken pox.

Here are some ways to combat & relieve those icky sores once they pop up...

Treating the actual SORE:

• Rub ice on the sore for a few minutes every hour


• Saturate the tip of a Q-tip w/tea tree oil & apply several times a day


• Pour a little bit of table salt into the palm of your hand, dab your (clean) finger into it & apply to the blister several times a day


• Apply a warm tea bag to the sore for a few minutes every hour


• Apply witch hazel several times a day


• Apply lemon balm several times a day

For the INSIDE:

• Double up on vitamins A, C, E & Zinc


• Avoid coffee, tea, nuts, grains & oatmeal


• REPLACE TOOTHBRUSH!!

If you have a family home remedy-type book that you keep for your family, this is great information to add to it.

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

WOOHOO! Back On-Line!!!...

...And I am jumping for joy!!!

Thank you ALL so very, very much for your prayers & patience. I am now able to log-in on my blog for the 1st time since 7/14!! I've done all sorts of scans & defrags & everything else that you all so generously advised me to do. Thanks for ALL your help.

I'm praying that it stays this way. :-) I'll be posting something soon.


Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You may have noticed that I haven't posted since the 14th. For some unknown reason, I can't sign in on my blog (I'm borrowing a P.C. to to this) & I can't even get onto blogger.com or blogspot.com. I either get a page that says it can't connect of the search just keeps spinning & spinning & spinning.

If ANYONE out there can help me PLEASE do!! If you don't, PLEASE pray. I dearly miss posting & talking to all of you. I can't even post on YOUR blogs, it won't let me. I don't want all of my hard work to go down the drain.

Thanks for your prayers & help. Missing you...

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Homemade Herbal Body Wash

This mixture is especially good for oily-to-normal skin-types & can also be used as an anti-bacterial hand soap & for back acne....so can my favorite face wash that I have made for the past few years.

Here's all you need...

1 16oz bottle of unscented Liquid Castile Soap (you don't even need a serperate bottle!!)

5 drops EACH of tea tree, German chamomile, peppermint & green myrtle essential oils

1 ts. jojoba base oil

• Add essential oils & jojoba base oil directly to the bottle of Castile soap; shake to mix.



• Shake before each use.



• Wash using a wash cloth, loofa or lather-maker. A little goes a long way!



• Remember that this also makes a great anti-bacterial hand soap
  

Enjoy!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

Homemade Air Freshener Spray

Who needs to spend boo-koo $$ on all those fancy air sprays when you can make your own? And when you make your own, you can make it in just the perfect fragrance for your home, your family & your mood.

Here is a basic recipe & a collection of of different fragrance recipes for you to choose from. I've had his written down for a long time, if I knew who to credit, I would.

Enjoy!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~Once you have gotten a 'smallish' spray bottle, about 8-10 oz. (at Hobby Lobby, Menard's or some other craft or hardware store), wash it out & fill it w/distilled water.

~~Add 25-30 drops of your favorite essential oil or your favorite combination of oils.

Here are a few great suggestions for you:

• Country Spice ~ cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, bay



• Spring Morning ~ lavender, rose, geranium, rosemary, sweet orange



• Earthy ~ sage, thyme, cedar, patchouli, frankincense



• Romance ~ vanilla, sandalwood, ylang ylang, jasmine, nerroli, rose



• Far East ~ patchouli, cedar, sandalwood, lime, coriander



• Energizing ~ basil, lavender, orange, nutmeg, mint



• Calming ~ bergamot, geranium, clary sage, chamomile, yarrow



• Gardener's Paradise ~ lemon, orange, basil, thyme

Word Filled Wednesday ~#2~ 7/7/10

PASSAGE: Mark 14:3-9 ~ "While He [Jesus] was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came w/an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar & poured the perfume on His head.

"Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, 'Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages & the money given to the poor.' And they rebuked her harshly.

"'Leave her alone,' said Jesus, 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. The poor you will always have w/you, & you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have Me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on My body beforehand to prepare for My burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'" [emphasis, mine ~ KW<><]

LESSON LEARNED: I love how Jesus treats this woman. We find in Luke 7:36-50 that this woman was a very sinful woman & just her mere presence & the fact that she touched Jesus was looked upon as a social scandal. I lived a very sinful life before the Lord so graciously saved my soul & turned me around on May 20th, 1982, when I was 23 years old.

Jesus understood that in this woman pouring out her very expensive jar of perfume, in doing that "beautiful thing" to Him, she was pouring out her most precious possession onto the most precious Person to ever live. To quote our Lord, "She did what she could." ...I do what I can. Especially in this last year, since my dear husband was laid off in April of '09 & he has only been able to find temp work, we've spent our savings which was supposed to be start-up money for our dream of a bulk food store (Marmee's Pantry) & I have had to go back to work outside the home. I do what I can.

I do what I can by trying to live my life as a REAL Christian, no sugar-coating; real Christians deal w/real issues in this fallen world. Understanding, & demonstrating that you can still have the JOY of the Lord even when times aren't necessarily 'happy'. I try to spread the sweet, savory fragrance of the Lord's presence wherever I go. I try to use my blog as an encouragement to my readers to live for the Lord; & in that, if I can lovingly humble myself & get out of my dear husband's way so that he can be the man & leader of our home that he was created to be, if we can raise our children the best way the Lord has shown us to raise them (& even step aside & let them make some of their own mistakes), if I can homeschool successfully yet cheaply, if I can learn to cook from scratch, if I can learn to live a furgal lifestyle, if I can learn to be satisfied w/the blessings that the Lord has given us & not 'worry' about the blessings He's given others but to celebrate them ... then anyone reading this can, too. I do what I can.

The other lesson I've learned & had never considered about this passage was revealed to me when I was attending Seminary. Remember that this expensive perfume was poured all over Jesus' head & dripped & ran down his entire body. The fragrance filled the Upper Room during His last Passover supper. Jesus, Himself, said, "She poured perfume on My body beforehand to prepare for My burial." Jesus KNEW He was about to die & when Jesus was arrested in the garden, when He was stripped of His clothes, when he was beaten to w/in an inch of His life, while He carried the heavy cross-beam to Golgatha, while He hung on the cross ~ for YOU & for ME! ~ the sweet, pungent fragrance of that perfume, her act of love, clung to Him the whole way...even to the tomb. "She did what she could," & her love gift to THE Savior earned her honor "wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world."

I have no illusions of grandeur, I know that I will never be written about in any books...except one...the only one that really matters...The Lamb's Book of Life. Maybe it will say, "She did what she could."

Enjoy other Word Filled Wednesdays at http://acountrymom.blogspot.com/

Please feel free to grab the WFW button for your blog while you're there!!

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~#84~ 7/6/10

For Today...

Outside my window...beautiful, sun-shiny day. But hot & humid Ohio weather!

I am thinking...about the loss of my dear friend.

I am thankful for...the leading of the Lord. How He puts important people in our lives...people who are REAL, stellar examples of Him working in & through someone. AND...Sunday's sermon: THE BEST sermon on the faith of our Founding Fathers I've EVER heard!

From the kitchen...a fresh loaf of flax seed bread. I still have coffee on & it smells lovely mixed w/the aroma of the freshly baking bread. Mmmmm...

I am wearing...shorts bibbed over-alls, tan shirt, summer bare feet!

I am remembering…all the friends who were touched by Sono Harris' life & ministry. I've kept a list of at least 16 families who are friends that used to attend The Event (young adult's Bible study at Wright State University) &/or who went to Grace Fellowship Church when Gregg Harris was our pastor, to keep them up-dated on what has been going on w/Sono. I still keep in touch w/most of them on a fairly regular basis, but, to think of our SPECIAL these people are in my life & that it's all b/c of Gregg & Sono that we know them! We have been blessed!

I am going…to weed my little garden (I hope!), go to work later today.

I am reading...Bible: Mark.

I am hoping...that we hear SOON about DH's job interview he had last week. It went very well, I just hope it went well enough for them to hire HIM. We probably won't know anything for another week. Bummer. :-/

On my mind…many things...time w/my family, our daughters, praying for our friends in the time of grieving, $$, DH's job prospects...

I am creating...a peaceful, Christ-centered home.

I am hearing...the radio, cicadas calling out in the heat of the day.

Noticing that…for some reason, some of my Playlist got knocked off. I need to see if I can fix that! :-?

Pondering these words…John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court: "We MUST elect Christian leaders for our Christian nation."

Around the house...general tidying, laundry, weeding, baking bread...

One of my favorite things...looking through old photos.

A Scripture thought...Isaiah 43:3(a)-4 ~ "For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior...Since you are precious & honored in My sight, & because I love you."

A few plans for the rest of the week...squeezing in as much family time as we can around eveyone's work schedules, getting outside as much as possible & enjoying the summer weather we've waited all winter for :-), Sunday: worship w/the saints!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Thank you for letting me endulge, just one more time, in honoring my dear friend. This is Gregg & Sono just a mere 2 weeks ago. Now, she's dancing before the Throne of God!

Enjoy other Daybooks at: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

Farewell, My Dear Friend

It is with a bitter-sweet heart that I tell you that Sono Harris passed away last night. Thankfully, she went Home peacefully. Not only was she a pioneering homeschool icon, a great woman of God, but she was a most talented ballerina & I'm SURE she danced her way right to the Throne of God!

When the Harrises still lived in Dayton, Ohio a friend of mine took me to a young adult's Bible study at Wright State University (in 1982). There, I encountered a 'REAL' Christian in the person of Gregg Harris. His real-life relationship w/Jesus & his creative Bible studies & activities (in conjunction w/learning about the readable NIV Bible & Contemporary Christian music!) were large factors in my acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior. From there, Gregg introduced me to the man who would become my wonderful husband; & he & Sono introduced me to homeschooling (as Josh was only about 7 at the time) & Sono, ever so patiently, discipled me by using Bible studies, wonderful & deep conversation, & letting me tag along w/her just in her everyday life. She certainly earned several jewels in her crown by patiently answering all of my questions!

When they moved to the Pacific Coast (1983), we still stayed in touch & got together as we could w/o intruding upon much-needed family time when they were back in town. And, of course, we attended some of their conferences when they were local...and many cards, letters (ALWAYS hand-written) & phone calls in-between.

I will miss my dear friend & I will pray for the family. I just spoke to her dear mother (who is still local to us) & found out that all funeral/memorial plans will be in their adopted home state, clear across the country, so we will have to wait to hear about how things went. Please pray for Sono's mom, too, as she is understandably trying to deal w/losing one of her children.

I was just looking at what was written on the back of this photo before I scanned it, part of it says: "We made double prints & are sending these photos to you as a remembrance of our happy reunion...A Foretaste of that incomparable, everlasting reunion we will have w/our LORD & one another in heaven. May He preserve us for that day & grant us endurance to finish the race is our prayer."

She was always thinking ahead. :-) I miss her already. Until that day....

Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><