FIve Minute Friday: Choose

Choose:

 Go!

I'm slowly learning that happiness is a choice.  With great intentionality I must choose to be thankful, to look forward at the eternal perspective.  Why must I choose?  Well...by not choosing happiness, I choose the alternative....and it ain't pretty ya'll.

So today I choose...to slow down and embrace mome-hood.  To ooo and ahh over the little things.  To enjoy God's creation with my Sweet Boobahs who see it so clearly and comment on it constantly.  See those stars, see that beautiful pattern in ice from this long winter.  I choose to snuggle and not strive.

Today I choose...to waste no more time wishing for more time.  I will look for new ways to love my man.  To enjoy hiding notes in his lunchbox again...praying over each pair of socks, encouraging my children to respect and love him more.

This is my prayer: that my love for God may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to CHOOSE what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. (based on Philippians 1:9-11)

STOP.

Wishful Thinking Thursday

I wish...that we could learn languages easily...

I saw THIS graphic for Psalm 34...and wished I could read Hebrew.  I knew that certain Psalms were acrostics...but never realized how much we lose by not seeing them in Hebrew.  I wish they all appeared in my Bible like this picture. 

I am thankful for the little bit of Spanish I hold onto from high school, as it continues to serve me well.  I wish I had more time to brush up on it...more brain to absorb it.  I had an absolute blast helping a new student in Caleb's class who has almost no English.  He was happy to not be stuck tracing numbers...even if he wasn't happy each time I made him repeat the numbers in English.  I wished I was fluent...and could encourage his obviously overwhelmed little self.  Breaks my heart.

But for now...my being fluent in any language, other than basic English, is just wishful thinking.  Perhaps God is at work...and it's time to do some studying...

My Hodgepodge of Thoughts...

1. What's the biggest change since your childhood in the way people think or act?
Always the hard questions first...SIGH....I've tried to answer this a few times and deleted my answer each time.  I give up...I don't want to be negative today.
 
2. The Olympic Biathlon involves cross country skiing broken up with either two or four rounds of target shooting. Which part of that would stress you out more? Or would you love them both equally?
I think it's awesome.  I think it's the all around best...the skiing being challenging physically and the shooting mentally.  Talk about giving it all you've got!  I have LOVED it.  I can't ski so we won't even suppose whether I'd be good at this...
 
3. February is National Canned Food Month...what is your most often purchased canned food item?  What was in the last can you opened?
I make chili about every other week this time of year...and I use canned tomatoes, chili beans and pinto beans and green chilis.  But, the last can I opened was the dog's food.
 
4. What river (anywhere in the world) would you most like to cruise?
Um...that's a tough one.  Cruise...?  I'm more likely to canoe a tributary.
 
5. It's the middle of the night and you can't sleep...what do you do? Count sheep? Toss and turn? Watch television? Or do you get up and do something productive?
Toss and turn...and toss some more.  Look at the stupid alarm clock and be upset that I'm still awake.
 
6. How important is keeping your cool?
It's important to my pride...
 
7. I've got white stuff on the brain so why not run with it? White lie, wave the white flag, white knuckle it, white wash a situation, or white as a sheet...which phrase could most recently apply to your own life in some way?
Wave the white flag....enough winter already.  I surrender...enough, enough!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
And after saying that for number 7...I have to laugh...cuz it's getting up to the 50s here...and I feel like opening all the windows and breaking out the flip flops.  Yeah, I'm from Indiana, we're strange here...how are you!?  HAHAHAAHA!
 

Tube Tuesday: Kingdom Coming?

Monday Musings...

All of these could be a post in and of themselves...but instead...I'll just put a single word with each link.  They are all good this week.  Especially the last two...

Heartfelt...

Dignity...

Humbling...

True Love...

and if that doesn't make you sniffle a bit...this one should do the trick...

Bawling...

http://vimeo.com/70872879

Another Snowy Hodgepodge

 1. Are we always responsible for our actions? Are there any exceptions?
Well, let's start with the light fluffy questions...NOT!  We should be responsible for our actions without exceptions....but everyone makes exceptions.  I'm not going to over think this right now...All I can think about is the school system and lack of parental responsibility and student responsibility, etc. 
2.  Has anyone from your home town become famous?
Not to my knowledge.
3. January was National Slow Cooker month. Do you own a slow cooker/crock pot? Did you use it last month? What's a favorite dish you make using a slow cooker or crock pot?
I use my slow cooker at least once a week...way more in the wintertime.  My favorite dish is Better Than Take Out Mongolian Beef...I posted about it HERE!
4. How do you feel about private companies collecting data about you?
I don't love it but I try to be a realist...they've probably known everything down to your underwear size for years and years...Why get stressed about it now?  I mean, don't be stupid with your info. but no reason to flip out either.
5. The Games of the 2014 Winter Olympics kick off with their opening ceremony this coming Friday....will you be watching? Which Winter Olympic event would you most like to see in person? Have you ever been to Russia? Any desire to go, Olympics or otherwise?
I LOVE the Olympics!  My heart feels like it will burst when I watch all the countries march in...
6. Share a good or bad sports related memory from your childhood or teen years.
I remember playing softball with the neighbor kids until dusk when we couldn't really see the ball well and someone got hit in the head.  Funny I can't remember who...except it wasn't me.
7. What's a must have song for you on a work out play list? If you don't work out, run, swim, bike, walk, or anything else that could be construed as 'exercise', then what's a song that movtivates you to at least get up off the couch?
Brighter Than The Sun by Colbie Caillat, Walking On Sunshine by Katrina and the waves, Mean by Taylor Swift, Dreams by The Cranberries...

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

Guess what?!  More snow...and some ice this time.  Trying to take it from God's Hand and not feel exasperated with the weather.  It's been a long winter so far...

 

Tune Tuesday: Into the Glorious...

I was made for more
than this world could offer me
My heart to hold true mystery
My voice was made to fall on holy ears.
My life to collide with majesty.

Out from the ordinary.
Into extraordinary.

This is a heart-cry, from my life.
To say I love You, God, I love You.
So take me deeper, oh.
I can hear You calling.
Inviting me in.
Into the glorious.

I was made me for rest,
in a world that's striving.
To lie down in the fields of green.
To set my feet upon this holy ground.
To build my life on the things unseen.
Out from the ordinary.
Into extraordinary.
This is a heart-cry, from my life.
To say I love You, God, I love You.
So take me deeper, oh.
I can hear You calling.
Inviting me in.
Into the glorious
Into the glorious

Out from the ordinary.
Into extraordinary.
You're calling me. You're calling me.
And God its a breakthrough.
Now I can see You.
Inviting me.
Inviting me, oh.
This is a heart-cry, from my life.
To say I love You, God, I love You.
So take me deeper, oh.
I can hear You calling.
Inviting me in.
Into the glorious.

Monday Musings: Sardines & Saltines

I'm sensing a Monday theme...looking through my archives...
TERMINAL illness...Morbid Much?...and Deep Morbid Thoughts... 

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."  Proverbs 4:23

As I've said before...I tend to be a morbid person...it's probably connected to my control freak nature.  In wanting to control things, I like to plan for every eventuality...this means seriously considering the death of myself and loved ones.  Now, this could be an okay thing...bear with me here.  I mean, after all we are supposed to put Christ before any human or thing.  But sadly, I find that when I'm doing this I'm really putting myself first 99% of the time.  I'm worrying about my response, my life, my security, my comfort, my me me me.

This all came to me while I sadly eating the lunch above...and thinking about my Dad's myleofibrosis...and how every time I ate this seemingly disgusting but truly nutrious lunch I'd be reminded of him...sniff sniff.  DUH...um, for one thing he's still here...and he could outlive me (we're all terminal)...and why would I choose to be sad when I could think about so many positive things.  Dad has taught me all sorts of other wacky and wonderful things over the years...and continues to teach me as he lives out his prognosis.  Do I truly believe that God is good all the time and all the time God is good?  Then I need to live like I know it...and stop crying in my lunch.

Satan fights dirty.  He knows our pride...and our stupidity.  He knows just what we don't know about God.  He is a LIAR!  God is for me and will be with me.  FOREVER.

It is my goal to remove the bad thoughts and replace them with His Word...to guard my heart...so, I'm starting today listing out Scriptures to help me focus my eyes on Him and off any circumstance that might get me down...

Sew Saturday: peace mug rug

I got all the baby quilts parts together...and didn't really want to start sewing sashing...so I gave myself a break and started playing around...with bits of old handkerchief and x-stitch.

It turned into a mug rug...

Perhaps a bit bigger than I'll make in the future...

But a great gift for the hostess of the home we were invited to for dinner that night.

Bonus: I got to try out unique stitches on my Jazelle sewing machine.