Simple Woman's Daybook

Monday, August 30, 2010

Outside my window... hot & sticky. Lots of bugs flying around the light.

I am thinking... about going to bed when I'm done with this post. About a difficult cake I am making this weekend.

I am thankful for ... sisters... wonderful sisters who surprise you with homemade noodles at 11pm. :)

From the learning rooms... STILL trying to get my planner. Thinking I'm going to have to choose a different planner this year. Only 1 week until school starts.

From the kitchen... hamburgers on the grill using my NEW Garlic Pepper seasoning from Tastefully Simple.

I am wearing... gray jogging capris & a red OSU t-shirt.

I am creating... a LEGO Star Wars cake for Sunday.

I am going... to visit my sister Brooke at her new home tomorrow.

I am reading... same

I am hoping... to not wake up with a headache again tomorrow. Sick of it.

I am hearing... the tv & the fishtank trickling.

One of my favorite things... Chase's smile.

Praying for... lots of different people.

A Lyric or Two...

Nichole Nordeman- Sunrise (video following lyrics)

If I had the chance to go back again,
Take a different road, bare a lighter load, tell an easy story.
I would walk away with my yesterdays,
And I would not trade what is broken for beauty only.

Every valley every bitter chill.
Made me ready to climb back up the hill.
And find that...

You are sunrise. You are blue skies.
How would I know the morning if I knew not midnight.
You're my horizon. You're the light of a new dawn.
So thank you, thank you, that after the long night
You are Sunrise.

There's a moment when faith caves in,
There's a time when every soul is certain God is gone.
But every shadow is evidence of sun.
And every tomorrow holds out hope for us,
For every one of us.

Cause you are sunrise. You are blue skies.
And how would I know the morning if I knew not midnight.
You're my horizon. You're the light of a new dawn.
So thank you, thank you, that after the long night,
You are sunrise.

You alone with shine.
You alone can resurrect this heart of mine.

You are sunrise. You are blue skies.
How would I know the morning if I knew not midnight.
You're my horizon. You're the light of a new dawn.
So thank you, thank you, that after the long night,
You are sunrise. You are sunrise. You are sunrise.




A verse to share... Same verse as last time cause I love it so and it has NEW meaning this week!! Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

A few plans for the rest of the week... visiting sister Brooke tomorrow. Church Wednesday night. Cake Baking Thursday. Cake decorating Friday. Friday night Lukas' party.

Come on now... you know you want to do this too!!!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

Another recipe:

Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

Ingredients

1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix

1 pound boneless skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 bag (14 oz.) frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained.

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package; set aside.

3. Mix chicken & broccoli in 13x9 baking dish.

4. Stir in soup, milk, and cheese.

5. Top with prepared stuffing.

6. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.

(makes 6 servings- about 1 1/3 cups each.)

Southwest Chicken in Foil

Hi, friends. Here's a tasty recipe. VERY easy to make and even easier to clean up. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 12-inch by 18-inch sheets of foil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup chunky salsa

1 cup black beans (or dark red kidney beans)

1 cup frozen or canned sweetcorn

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Rinse chicken breasts (and cut off nasty fat... lol) and place in the middle of each sheet of foil.

3. Spoon one fourth of the salsa, black beans, & sweetcorn on each of the four chicken breasts.
4. Seal each pack by bringing up sides and folding the top edge over twice. Seal the edges in the same way leaving room enough inside for heat to circulate.
5. Place packs on a cookie sheet and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Unseal packs carefully.

I usually serve it with brown rice but this night I served it with WHITE RICE.

Praise

Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. (NIV)

You can go to bed without fear; you will lie down and sleep soundly. (NLT)

Do you dream? I do. I dream regularly. My dreams are calm and I usually enjoy them. I often dream of college days and fun times in the past. Whenever I'm watching a Korean drama I might dream I am actually part of the drama. lol When I used to play GoStop- when it was still online :( - I used to dream about GoStop ALL the time. I like dreaming. Occasionally I will dream of people who I used to know and when I awake I pray for them- thinking the Lord must have brought them to mind so I would pray for them. Mostly though I dream about my current life. Whatever is going on is what I dream about.

Several months ago I had a dream that was not good. You know. One of those dreams that when you wake up your entire day is ruined. You feel sad or mad or worried or whatever. I was dealing with something very difficult in my (real) life and it was consuming my every thought while awake. Naturally it haunted me while asleep also. I was really sad when I woke up that first morning. I felt helpless and mad at the same time. I was also extremely relieved that I woke up.

Unfortunately I would be haunted in my sleep again and again AND AGAIN!!!!!! At first the (bad) dreams were every few weeks. The dreams weren't the same exactly but they each had the same idea. Maybe the setting was different but all of the characters were the same and the same thing happened each time.

One week in June I had THE dream 5 out of 7 nights. I was almost afraid to sleep. I was waking up DEPRESSED and taking it out on the family. Frustrated and crying. Mike had about had enough. I didn't know what to do. I thought I couldn't take it one more second. I was seriously about to go nuts.

I posted something on Facebook about HOW MUCH LONGER do I have to deal with this? When will these nightmares STOP???? A dear friend gave me the scripture listed above (Proverbs 3:24). She told me to pray it before I slept.

I'm not gonna lie. I was skeptical. Although I am a FAN of God's Word and believe in His power (for others) I sometimes forget that His power can work for ME too. I didn't see how reading the same verse a million times was going to change anything. Even if I stopped having the dream in REAL life I was still dealing with the issue. But I thought I would go ahead and give it a try anyway. I wrote out the scripture on several post it notes (another obsession) and placed them in the areas I would see most of the day- on the fridge, in my jewelry box, on my nightstand, in my handbag, etc. Every time I saw it I prayed it. Sometimes aloud and sometimes to myself. I also shared with my small group and asked them to pray for me.

You must believe me when I tell you that I did NOT have that bad dream ONE MORE TIME!!!! I am not kidding. NOT ONCE. I did dream the "situation" but the ending was different. There was peace in my dream. I woke up so encouraged. Not sad or hopeless but FREE!!!!! It's been 2 months now. I have NOT had that dream at all. Isn't that AWESOME???? God's Word is POWERFUL!!!!

And guess what else?? If that isn't enough, in REAL life I have peace. Although I didn't get a real-life happy ending, the Lord took the burden from me and I am able to live free of it again. It's amazing. In my human mind I can't even understand HOW it happened. Seriously. If you were super close to me and knew the MAJOR struggle it was and how many tears I shed you would be amazed. It is only by the GRACE OF GOD that I am free of it.

I am so very thankful for the Lord and for His love for me. I am also thankful for the dear friend who shared God's word with me. Had she not read my facebook status and listened to the Holy Spirit telling her to post that verse for me then I would not have written it down and prayed it over and over.

My challenge to you-

1. BELIEVE in the power of God's Word for YOURSELF!
2. LISTEN to the Holy Spirit.
3. ENCOURAGE someone today!! You never know how your words (or God's) will be used.
4. SEARCH for a verse for yourself that applies to an issue in your life and pray it a million times as I did.

(dinner time- no time to edit or check for spelling errors. sorry.)

Dislike

I just want to say that I really dislike responsive reading & corporate reading during worship service. Lots of droning on and on. Finding the right pace without going too fast or too slow. No expression. I would much rather hear just one person speaking. But thats just me...

Simple Woman's Daybook

Tuesday, August 3, 2010 & Thursday, August 5, 2010

Outside my window... hot & sticky. Lots of bugs flying around the light.
 I am thinking... about going to bed when I'm done with this post
 I am thankful for ... the library
 From the learning rooms...  nothing
 From the kitchen... crunchy onion chicken tomorrow evening for dinner
 I am wearing... dark gray shorts & a light gray v-neck t-shirt
 I am creating... a gift & b-day invites for Abigail's birthday party
 I am going... to work on a craft when I'm done blogging
 I am reading... same
 I am hoping... to finish my crafts tonight
 I am hearing... the tv
 One of my favorite things... playing games with the kids before bed
 Praying for... ME to have self-control.
 A Lyric or Two...



Casting Crowns MERCY

Here I am a sinner broken and in need of You
Take my life and wash my fears away
For You are the 'Great I am', rest assured, I feel Your hand
Holding me until the darkness clears

A Father to the fatherless, redeemer of my soul
My Life is Yours forever, my heart will always know
 Your mercy saved me, mercy made me whole
Your mercy found me, called me as Your own
 Here I stand a child of Yours broken and in need of You
Break these chains and wash my guilt away
Healer of my brokenness, my weary soul will find its rest
You are my strength, the lifter of my head
 You're greater than my yesterdays, You hold me close today
You're the Lord of my tomorrows, my heart will always say
You're greater than my yesterdays, You hold me close today
You're the Lord of my tomorrows, my heart will always say

Your mercy saved me, mercy made me whole
Your mercy found me, called me as Your own
Your mercy saved me, mercy made me whole, me whole
Your mercy found me, called me as Your own
 You called me as Your own
You called me as Your own
Thank You for Your mercy
Thank You for Your mercy

Your mercy saved me, mercy made me whole
Your mercy found me, called me as Your own
Your mercy saved me, mercy made me whole
Your mercy found me, called me as Your own
You called me as Your own, Your own

A verse to share: Same verse as last week cause I love it so!! Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12

A few plans for the rest of the week: work on b-day invites for Abigail's party, Ladies Night Out, Saturday Walk @ the park, church.

Come on now... you know you want to do this too!!!

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

His Plan

Over the past several weeks I tried and tried to find the right song to sing for special music today. Over the years as I have matured in the Lord I have become very picky. I try not to sing a song that is too much about ME or I or ME ME ME. I want it to be about the Lord. All the glory is for the Lord. I only sing a song if it has ministered to me. I don't sing a song because it is popular. It has to MEAN something. A good message is important as that is the whole reason I'm singing. I want the Lord to speak to someone and I want to praise Him. The song has to make sense. No crazy phrasing or BIG words. I need it simple.

I sang through all of the songs I had but just didn't feel like they were the right ones. I found many great, new-to-me songs that I thought might be perfect. Laying in bed one night a few weeks ago Mike said I should sing a particular song. I didn't really want to sing that song. I had already sung it a few times before (not at this church) and I really wanted something new. But all the songs I thought might be "the one" just didn't seem right. I struggled and spent hours searching but just couldn't come up with the right song.

Finally I had another option out of the selection I already owned. Sadly it was on cassette and sounded very airy. I found a website I could download it off of BUT you weren't able to download one particular range (like on christianbook.com) but instead you'd have to download the entire CD. I really didn't want to spend any money- at least not $10 for something I was only using 1/4 of. :) Still the words were "perfect" and it was very worshipful.

I asked for a second opinion on whether I should sing Mike's choice OR my choice. The vote was for Mike's choice. I agreed to Mike's choice (it was the easier, FREE option) and prayed asking God to use the song to minister to someone. Just one person would be enough. I went to bed last night still uneasy about singing Mike's selection.

Today was Sunday. During the greeting time at the beginning of the service I noticed some visitors,who at first caught me off guard because I knew them from somewhere else. I knew of their recent struggles and the weight that they were currently carrying.

As soon as the music for my song started and I began to sing the first few lines I noticed the lady visitor was red in the face. As I was singing I KNEW that the Lord had chosen the song I was singing for these visitors. I had NO IDEA that they would be visiting my church today. The Lord knew though and He purposely had me sing that song for them because He had a message for them.

When church was over I went up to the visitors and reminded them of who I was. The lady shared with me that the song I sang was special to her and her husband. That the difficulty that they are currently in is time sensitive and about to get worse. And that the Lord spoke to her and reminded her that he is there and His plan is perfect even when we don't understand.

WOW! Isn't God awesome?? I love moments like these when God works so obviously. It's amazing the way the Lord orchestrates things. What an encouragement to me today. His plan IS perfect.

Kids

Today was a stressful day as far as children are concerned. We were up late last night because we were at my sister's house for my BIL's b-day party and when we got home I had to give baths. Then we had to get up a little earlier than normal for a Sunday morning because we had to go to church a little early today. Needless to say, the kids were sleepy.

Everyone was fighting. "He pushed me." "She took my toy." "It's my turn." "No, it's my turn." "Mom, he's looking at me." "Is it time yet?" "How much longer til we eat?" "Give it to me." "Stop it!" "OUCH!" AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

A quiet time was definitely in order today. I had a headache again today- third day in a row. Today's was just a headache though. Not a migraine like the past 2 days.

Alison was extra crazy today. VERY disobedient. She spent a lot of time in her bed or sitting on the couch. I spent a lot of time being CONSISTENT.

Whenever things get crazy like this I feel like we need more family time. So after dinner tonight the kids & I played Bop-It. (Mike layed on the couch behind us since he is still recovering from surgery.) THEN we did family devotions. Alison wanted to "read" from her book so we allowed time for that. We finished our time up with one round of the game Swipe. A good time was had by all. There was minimal bickering. It was great just being together.

I thought we would end the evening on a good note but as soon as you tell Alison to get in bed she turns psycho again. I have no idea what possessed her but Alison sat on her bed and wet her pants. She's been potty trained for years. WHY did she do this? Why does Alison do most of the stuff that she does? Very frustrating.

I still have a hard time changing sheets because it requires me to move my left arm in a way that is still painful. Unfortunately, since Mike is recovering from back surgery, I am the best person for the sheet-changing job. :( I got right to it so that I could speed up the whole bedtime process.

I was feeling warn out and defeated but didn't say so out loud. Don't want to make Mike feel bad for being hurt. I went into the girls room where I found Abigail already up on the top bunk. I didn't pay any attention to what she was doing but instead got started on my task. Abigail suddenly asked me the definition of a word. I looked up at her to see what she was doing that she would need a definition and at that moment my frustration left me and my heart felt happy. Abigail was reading her Bible and taking notes into a notebook. :)

Sometimes I feel like I am failing as a parent. I don't spend enough one-on-one time with each kid. I'm not able to do a lot of fun things. I lose my temper. I think my discipline is failing. In the midst of all of those feelings the Lord reminded me that He has His hand on the situation. HE is working in their lives. I am still a sinner and will fail. I may not be the best Mom. But our hearts are right and He is in control. My children aren't mine. They belong to Him. What a comfort and encouragement. :)