Being a Proverbs 31 woman...is it the life for me?

My sweet husband and I in Florida!

Good morning from sunny warm Florida! Today marks the second day of an online study on Proverbs 31.  I have never done a study online. I am a bit apprehensive and nervous about it.  I noticed that most most of the women doing this study are much younger than I am.  This is a bit daunting perhaps but I feel very young at heart. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me after all.  Right!





We are using a method called S O A P.  


"This is copied straight from the site.....useing a spiral notebook or journal of your choice and use the SOAP method to work through the verses each day: 

1. S- Write out the scripture passage for the day.

2. O- Write down 1 or 2 observations from the passage.

3. A- Write down 1-2 applications from the passage.

4. P- Pray over what you learned from today’s passage."



Let me get started.............yesterday I studied the first two verses of Proverbs 31 which are:

Scripture

1  The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.

² Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
    Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers! 

Proverbs 31 are words that long ago one mother taught to her son.  He was to be king one day so this little boy wasn't just any little boy.  I wonder if the mother of the future king taught him like moms today teach their sons?  Raising a child is difficult at best but for the mom who knew her child would be a leader of a nation how would this impact what she taught him?

Observation

I find it interesting that the son wrote down the words his mother taught him which tells me that they were of value. If I may read between the lines here I see that  his mother had to have repeated this many times over the years.  (Being the mother of 2 boys, now adults, I remember their attention span not being long.) I see Lemuel's mother as being persistent as well as strong minded in her thinking. She wanted to make certain she steered him correctly.  I hear urgency in these words as well.  I also think she must have modeled being a Proverbs 31 type of woman for her son to believe what she said.

Action

I realized that my words and action go hand in hand.  Even though my children are grown there are friends, family, as well as people I do not know who are watching my actions.  They need to match my words.  This will effect my walk.  I need to be more disciplined about how I use my time for Christ.  I want there to be fruit.

Prayer


Heavenly Father thank you for your wisdom and guidance.  Thank you for speaking to my heart and helping me to see how I can improve and strive to be more like a Proverbs 31 woman.  Forgive me for not taking being a wife and mother more seriously back in the day.  Help my actions to follow your words spoken to me be full of truth and life.  Thank you for changing me. Thank you for helping me be the woman you want me to be.  Amen

And this marks my first day of study............yesterday on P31.  Yea!  Later today I'll post what I learned this morning in my quiet time.

It's easy to give something away when you like it but what about when you love....it ?

Today I was getting stuff together for Easter.   By that I mean I was getting packages ready to mail to my grandchildren all over the place.  Every holiday I try to make a handmade card to send to each of them with a gift of some sort like money or a book etc. I enclose a picture of Grandpa and I in with the goodies as well. (One time I forgot the picture and heard about it from them...so I won't do that again.)   Giving gifts to my grands is so easy. I love giving them things.  It is fairly easy to find things that they will like.  After all they are young and pretty much love anything their grandparents send for now.

What is that saying...it's better to give then to receive.  Well I don't know about you but I love receiving gifts too. There is just something special about getting something from someone.  It means you were thought of.  For just a moment in their day they wanted to bless you with something special to cheer you or to just let you know you are loved.  I am sure there are many other reasons why people give gifts but for me these are the two reasons I usually have......to cheer or encourage a person and to let them know they are loved and thought of.  In scripture it talks about giving all through out the bible.  God gives us good gifts.  He commands us to give ourselves away.  He leads us by example with his giving nature.  We are told to give generously.  Oh I love the word G E N E R O U S L Y.......don't you?  But what does it mean to give generously?  Do I do that?  Or do I just give enough to look like a great giver?  Where's my heart when I am giving?  I am not suppose to store up treasures here on earth as moth and rust will destroy them right.  Oh how I want to be a generous giver.  But I must confess that some times I am not. Don't get me wrong I give good gifts but sometimes I don't put a lot of thought into a gift or just pick something up quickly without thinking to give to someone. Those don't have the right heart in them.For the past few months God has really been placing it upon my heart to give things away that I have.  These things aren't ordinary things but things that I treasure.  Ouch!  In the past I have ignored these promptings but recently I have heard it more often.  It's still a small voice but it is a voice that says...why don't you give your friend this ________.   I have two choices.  One to ignore or one to be obedient.  Thankfully I have been obedient these past few times.  I find it amazing how wonderful it feels to obey these promptings.  I find myself thinking...what else can I give away.  :)    But then on the heals of that thought.....is oh dear what else will God ask me to give away.  Eek!  Are there things in my home that I am holding on to that I would have a really hard time JUST giving away?  (I am afraid yes there are.)  God knows what they are and why I treasure what I do.  I realize that He will show me and help me to give up those things when the times comes...if the times comes.   It may be painful but it will also be for my good.  I don't want to hold on to things for the sake of having them.  I realize I have been blessed with more than enough. As a follower of Christ it is right for me to give and give and give......GENEROUSLY!    

Spring Cleaning

Yesterday was the official day of SPRING. This is the time of year I start to open windows.  I clean out dressers and closets.  I file and shred things and just plain get myself organized for the year.  What is it about spring time weather that motivates me so? You'd think I'd do that in the winter when it's cold out and rainy so that I wouldn't be going stir crazy. But no I wait till Spring to SPRING into the season.  Of course our winter this year has been like spring so it has really taken me a while to get into the "mood" to clean.  Yes I must be in the right frame of mind to get anything accomplished.

And this is where my blog begins.....my frame of mind this week.  Over the weekend I was a cleaning fool.  I found things I forgot I had and it was wonderful to sort thru all the junk.  With each old thing I got rid of, I was creating breathing room for other items.  I was allowing my mind to see what I had and take inventory of it so maybe this year I could actually wear that cute blouse that just might fit me right since I am dieting.   There is just something cleansing about getting rid of the old, unused, not needed things just hanging out taking up space. 

It is time to do some Spring cleaning in my head as well.  Yes spring cleaning in my mind, the place of knowledge....the brain, where I think and ponder.  :)  I have lots of old, unused and not needed things just taking up space in my head these days.  I have old ways of thinking that need to be discarded and replaced with truth.  I have unused areas as well where I have not been disciplined in with scripture, or prayed  Psalms.  I have so many thoughts that are not needed. They are taking up space like. ....What makes you think you are of value in this area?  How in the world can you glorify God this way? Or why don't you have more faith? Honestly... I don't want to be a hypocrite saying one thing but thinking another way. I want to be different and yet I realize I am a mess.  I don't have it all together. I may smile and act all sweet but on the inside where it counts I am hurting.  I am struggling to make sense of where I find myself today.  I want answers to why this?  Why now?  I wept for what I saw of myself and my circumstances to be.  


BUT then God.........(awe don't ya just love that phrase.....but then God) He reminded me I am dearly loved. He reminded me that FAITH isn't about seeing.  It is about believing what I know to be true regardless of what my circumstances are.....His truth.   He reminded me that I am His child. He reminded me He wants to talk with me.  He reminded me to come to Him when I am weary and burdened.  He will replace those old ways of thinking with His ways of thinking.  He loves me just the way I am. He isn't surprised that I am having these thoughts. He knows there is junk in my mind that needs thrown out and He is just the person for the job.  So he starts to clean out those unused things and replace them with Him.  He reminded me of  scripture I already knew and I spoke it out loud with my mouth. As I threw away my wrong thinking of lies, I replaced them by breathing in the Word of God. My focus changed from me to Him.  I was worshipping in spirit and in truth.  God is so good.


And just like that I felt His presence.  I felt cleansed.  I felt new.  I felt loved.  But more importantly I knew.....I was still and KNEW He is....He was...He will always be.  Be still my child and know that I am God.  Awesome breath of life.  I love that He meets me where I am.  

So friends as you go about your spring cleaning of your home as well as your life, remember not to tackle it alone. Ask the Lord to help you see those things that need thrown out, replaced and renewed.  Until next time enjoy your spring cleaning.    

Thank you Heavenly Father for your redeeming Word. Thank you for being more than enough. Thank you for guiding me to speak the truth with my mouth so that my mind hears which causes my heart to comes into agreement with your truth. You are my joy.  You are my peace. You have my life under control.  My HOPE is in You always. Thank you for spring cleaning my mind, my heart, and my soul.  Amen!  

It's not about the destination but the journey!

Do you ever have those times when you stumble across an idea and think.....that would be so easy?  What started out to be simple, fast and save money may not be so.  But then again........
I was on PINTEREST last night and found where someone had posted a picture of a spritz bottle filled with homemade stamp cleaner.  Oh wow I thought I can make that!  It only has three ingredients. 
For some of you, you may not even know what kind of stamp I am talking about.   Let me back up a bit..........About a year or so ago I joined a scrap booking club where I got to purchase scrap booking supplies from a friend who sells "Close To My Heart" items.  The products are FANTASTIC and I have purchased all sorts of gadgets & items I didn't realize I really needed.  Over the last year I have collected many ink stamps for my projects.  I also purchased a stamp cleaner box that holds two sponges. I spritz a little cleaner on one side to clean the stamp & the other side is used to dry the stamp. It is very nifty and I have enjoyed using it a lot.  I am almost out of cleaner.  They sell a replacement bottle so I know I am going to have to restock my stash one day.  HENCE....when I ran across this recipe for making my own, I thought I'd save a little money, make extra for friends and have fun at the same time.  NOTE:  The cleaner is NOT expensive so I am not sure why I thought I really needed to do this.  But hey I am a crafter and I love gifting people with things I put together myself.  :--)  Okay...ya caught up with my story? 
Sooooooooo today after my laundry-mat-breakfast experience with my friend (that's another story for another time) I go to one of our super stores to purchase the items for this project.  I get there and totally forget what it was I was shopping for.  Of course I have to walk around looking until my brain remembers what it was I wanted to purchase.  In the meantime I find all sorts of clearance items that are just too good to pass up.  (Yes you can see where this story is going.)  I finally remember what it is I am looking for but cannot remember the EXACT ingredients for the handy dandy homemade stamp cleaner but I do know that one of them is baby shampoo.  So I pick up a bottle of that before checking out. I search for the recipe on my smart phone that apparently isn't that smart cuz it couldn't find the sight. (Or maybe it is me.)  I pay for my purchases and when I get to my car I find the recipe which is just distilled water, glycerin, and baby shampoo.  My next stop is the pharmacy where I know they will have glycerin.  They don't but the one across the street does and I pick up the distilled water as well.  But I have no cash and I hate to use my debit card for such a small purchase so I pick up a couple more things.  Now I have all I need to make my homemade stamp cleaner.  But wait..........I don't have any little spritz bottles to put the stuff in.  Hmmmm I wonder if the Dollar store might have some for cheap.  They don't have anything that will work for what I am needing so I start to head out of the store when out of the corner of my eye I see tote bags.  (You see where this is going right?)   I purchase 25 of them for an upcoming women's retreat.  BUT......I still don't have my bottles so I head to another store because I am pretty sure they have them.  In the meantime I make a phone call to a friend telling her about the GREAT deal for the totes and tell her about my morning. She asks if I will pick up six of something for her while I am at the store and I say sure no problem.  :)  I find the spritz bottles and they really are cheap which makes me really happy.  I get almost all the ones they have.  (Not sure why cuz I don't think I really have that many scrapping friends but they are such a good deal.)   Then I remember I need labels for the outside of the bottles.  It would be so cute to put the recipe on the label with some clip art of a stamp.  I find some on clearance that really are a good deal so I buy several packages of labels.  Only one of them is for this project but the others will be great for work.  To the check out I head when I remember my friends request.  I then spend the next 15 minutes or so trying to locate them which never happened even after asking two associates that work in the store.  I finally check out.   Whew I am tired! 
I get home and I make the stuff which really did take maybe five minutes to make and 10 minutes to fill all the bottles.  YEA.............success!!!  I am so happy.  I go upstairs to find the template for the labels I bought. Since I am not a computer geek, this takes me some time to get everything done and printed. But I do get it done and they look fantastic.  I start to put them on the bottles and they are looking good.  I realize the labels are clear which works but one of the bottles was damp and the ink is now gone in some places.  Note to self:  make sure to wipe and dry all the bottles.   :] Oh well they are homemade after all right!
The Recipe is:  1 cup distilled water + 2 Tablespoons glycerin + 1 teaspoon baby shampoo=your own homemade stamp cleaner.  I found this on eHow.com.
Do you ever have day like this?  What started out to be simple, fast and save money may not be so if you look at just one aspect of the day.    Not only did I find all the items I needed for this project and accomplish the task at hand, but I now have baby gifts for many friends.  I have enough labels to last me months at work or to use for AGAPE.  I also have tote bags for my ladies retreat.  After all it's not about the destination but the journey right.  I met some wonderful people today on my shopping adventure..........divine moments where God blessed me with some GREAT deals and a chance to sprinkle a little joy into the lives of the people I came into contact with.  Blessings gotta love Him.  Yes.....All in all I feel like I really have had a productive day.   Be blessed friends!  Until next time  :)

Whisper to the heart....

I love how God speaks to me. It's not with a loud "SHOUT" but with a whisper to my heart. A lot of the times I don't hear him for various reasons....too busy....hardened heart/rebellion, etc. His word says to be still and know that He is God. I don't know about you but this is really hard for me. I think of being still as being idle & non-productive. But it is in the stillness that He speaks to me.

All over the Bible it talks about waiting upon the Lord. Waiting, being still, quiet......all these words or actions are really hard for me to do. I want to be still. I want to be quiet. I want to wait upon the Lord. I want to do what it is He wants me to do. Instead I rush to this or that. I start another project and I think about what I want to do....someday....sometime....tomorrow maybe.

One of the things I love about a dear friend is their capacity to listen and to talk with me. NOT at me but with me. Jesus is my friend. I know he wants to hear my voice. I want to hear His voice too. Be still Pammi and know that I am God. He is is sprinkling His blessing upon me as I speak and as I listen. He is filling my heart with just what is needed today.....His love.

Thank you father for the stillness and for the quiet. Thank you Father for answering my prayer to hear me, to love me, to guide me. It is you who gives me the passion to know you. It is you who gives me the grace to hear you. Giving you praise today as I go about my daily duties. Help me to stop and listen. Because it is in the quiet that I hear your whisper to my heart.

Out with old and in with the new

One of my favorite things to do is rearrange stuff.....furniture, nick knacks, wall art....you name it and I have moved it around. I love cleaning out closets, throwing away things that have seen better days, and donating items. My favorite thing to do is to give something new life.

Last year I bought some really cool fabric to cover my dining room chairs. I got this idea from magazine pictures of dining chairs all being different. I love the peeling paint, old worn, shabby chic look. However my chairs match the table and the hutch. (My husband says there is no way I can paint them either which I find sad. I'd paint them in a heartbeat but he'd have a heart attack so it is just not worth it.) :) A few years back I recovered the chairs alike with this really thick country style dark fabric--------> . It was a lot of work but they turned out good. That was 7 or 8 years ago. My tastes have changed and I wanted something new. Since I can't afford nor want a whole new set I thought.....let's just recover the chair pads again.

Recovering chair pads is a lot of work. I did the first three okay but it took me FOREVER. I finally humbled myself and asked my hubby to help me. We got the other three done in an hour. An HOUR!!!! Seriously I learned I should always ask for help. It is more fun and you can get done a lot quicker.

I recovered each chair in a different fabric and then covered the fabric with a thick clear vinyl for durability. The fabrics do not match but I LOVE them. Later in the week I made the sweetest chair covers to go over each chair back. They are different and yet tie in with the chair covers. And here are the finished chairs. What do you think?

I have a little leftover fabric that I just might make a table topper. So it is OUT with the old and in with the New!

On The Blog Again...

Hello fellow bloggers! Remember that country western song from back in the day called....."On The Road Again" (by Willie Nelson)? It's an oldie but goody talking about how he can't wait to get back on the road again...making music with his friends. Well friends I don't know about the music part but I have sure missed writing down my thoughts and hearing from my blogger friends. With this being January of 2012 I figure it is time to get back on the road to blogging. This year I am going to try and write more about what God is doing in me, be more transparent/honest with you about my struggles and share with you His grace in my life. Plus I'd like to share some poetry, some recipes, with a little crafting projects thrown in for good measure. I am hopeful that as we travel this blogger road we just may trip on something we have never seen before. Or maybe we will find a treasure.......a nugget of truth we hadn't heard before. Most of all I pray we just enjoy this road of life we find ourselves on and share a little. Sounds like a good road to be on don't ya think?