I know, I know

Less than an hour after saying I wasn't going to post alot, here I am again. But I'm telling ya, this really really burns me up!! Check this out, it's news to me:

"Sarah Palin’s true colors have been showing a lot lately. Her support for the dangerous Law of the Sea Treaty, her outrageous, Planned Parenthood-inspired statement that people need to get over the “ideal of abstinence. Life happens” in her interview with a Fox reporter a few weeks ago, and now, her ignoring the pleas of Christian pro-lifers not to place a former Planned Parenthood Board member on the Alaska Supreme Court. It’s time “conservatives” wrapped their minds around the fact that this woman is not the future hope of the Republican party. Not even close."

From the Slice of Laodicea site.

EXCUSE ME!? And our churches were backing this woman!! Our preacher and fellow congregants proudly displaying this "pro-life feminist's" name on their bumpers and in their yards, going on and on about what a wonderful Christian this woman was. And she says this??! I never was a supporter of her, however awesome her hair was (and it was awesome), for the sheer fact that a woman in an office of that high ranking would be unlikely to really be free to be truly submissive to her husband at all times. And the fact that I don't believe women ought to have to work outside the home and the whole "First Dude" thing. I mean, come on! Ugh. Okay. Rant over. For now.

Just some general goings-on around here

Happy Friday everyone!! I hope the sun is shining as brightly and the birds are singing as sweetly for you as they are for me today! I figured I'd mosey on over and leave a few words and pictures since I haven't been very active posting. As a matter of fact, because my life is so uneventful right now I probably won't post often, unless something exciting happens or something really ticks me off ;) I'll just save up all the little goodies until Friday or so and share them then, okay? Okay!

Well, this week has been quite a weather roller coaster! We've gone from snow still on the ground in some places the sun can shine on and the hills still covered where the sun doesn't shine (that sounds horrible!) quite as much to a warm wonderful 70+ degrees today! God is so amazing! But, thankfully before all that snow arrived last Saturday, I did have a chance to go out and cut some daffodils (or buttercups as I call them, which is actually a misnomer since they really smell like honey) to brighten up our little kitchen table. They're such happy, simple little flowers! I am thankful the good Lord made me a simple woman who is easy to amuse and entertain :)






And then, we have my sweet little green friend. I can barely believe how much it's grown! It's becoming a lovely plant, from a drab little stick of a cutting that I was almost sure would never grow with my nearly black thumb. Is that not how we must seem to Him before we know His mercy, like lifeless, joyless little unproductive things? Anyone else might not see any potential for us and just toss us away. But, God is good even to little green things, isn't He? How much better He is to us!


Finally today I am proud and relieved to say that I am almost finished with my "chicken condo". It's really more of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree kind of house, but I am fairly confident it will be safe and provide ample refuge from inclement weather. I hope it will come a good rain, so I might make sure it'll withstand some forces before I move any tenants in! Come to think of it, I'm not so sure I've shared my chicken story with my fellow bloggies, have I? Well, if you remember the jewel eggs that I shared with y'all from last month, you might remember how thankful and excited I had been to have received them. Well.....the generous woman who furnished those eggs has offered me a rooster of hers and a couple of hens!! It has been a dream of mine, since we first decided to buy this house, that I might have a few clucky hens around here but I have waited, mostly because DH has asked me to hold off a little while. So I haven't brought the issue up too often since then. Then, lo and behold! Mrs. Delores offers a few birds to me! That just made my heart swell that God would make a way for me to start small (I had intended to order many more chicks and raise them up) and test the waters. I have tried to be patient and He provided my heart's desire! What an Awesome Savior! So, counted the coins I had collected in a coffee can and went down to the local hardware store and bought about $30 worth of materials, brought it home and scrounged around for what we had here (see, being a packrat is not always a bad thing!) and found that I had plenty of paneling and plywood to actually take a stab at it! Slowly, but surely, it has become a decent, temporary coop. I've still got some work to do on it, like the top of the tiny run and a nestbox and roost, just small things, really, but I am so excited. What I have done to deserve such blessings is beyond me, but I will never cease to praise HIM for them all.







Well, I think that about does it for this time. I hope each and every one of you has a blessed weekend, and make sure you remember to praise God for every good and precious thing, no matter how small it may seem. If it makes you smile, it's worth praising Him for :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook, 03-02-09

For more, you can visit Peggy

FOR TODAY...

Outside my window...the few remnants of our snowfall Saturday night are melting away in the beautiful sunlight

I am thinking...many thoughts, mental spasms, if you will

I am thankful for...this warm house and the love here

From the learning rooms...I'll be getting back into studying tomorrow

From the kitchen...healthy, yummy meals

I am wearing...the snuggly lap blankets I received at Christmas

I am creating...plans and hopes

I am going...to let my sister-in-Christ show me her favorite herb store, I'm learning some about home remedies and looking forward to trying some concoctions

I am reading...The South Beach Diet, Taking Charge of Your Fertility, God's Word

I am hoping...the the ten-degree increase in temperatures every day this week won't leave me miserable with sinuses and colds

I am hearing...the quietness of morning

Around the house...there is some tidying to do, I'm still trying to catch up from last week!

One of my favorite things...the pictures of spring, the seeds sprouting and growing, a glimpse into what summer may hold

A few plans for the rest of the week: visit the herb store, learn a song for Easter, Wednesday church service, studying

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

A picture of one of the bald eagles my husband took a while back. This always reminds me of the Scripture, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."
Isaiah 40:31

I's not fat, I's just fluffy!

However, I have become so fluffy that I can no longer dry what few pants that fit me in the dryer because it "shrinks" them. It appears denim is not so forgiving of my fluffiness ;) I have been "trying" to lose weight for a little while now, but honestly haven't been giving it as much effort as it needs to actually work (in other words, I eat too much and not the right things) I have come to the realization that no matter how much I talk about it or wish for it or loathe myself in the mirror, it isn't going to change a thing if I don't change a thing. So, you can imagine my relief when my husband came home from the doctor the other day with orders to try and lose weight, for real, unless he wants to be on medication for the rest of his life; he's 28 now and taking 3 different cholesterol meds. Then he tells me that he might try the South Beach diet, so I went to the library and borrowed the book about it, complete with recipes. And I have to say, I'm pretty excited! The recipes look delicious and it's food that we (for the most part) really enjoy. Phase One includes food such as cheese and proteins and veggies, no sugars or breads or starches like 'taters and corn. And this is the strictest phase! Now DH isn't much for vegetables, so it's going to be quite a transition for him, but I have faith he can do it. Today was our first day and he's already eaten more lettuce than I've seen him eat the whole time we've been together! I'm so proud of him :) He's so tired of taking pills.

Like I said, today is our first day, and I won't be able to prepare all the recipes right away because we just can't afford it, but I've got a couple different ones for each meal of the day and I'll go back and forth and maybe next time I go to the store we can try something new. Breakfast was a 2-egg omelet with canadian bacon and just a sprinkling of fat-free cheddar cheese and a small glass of tomato juice. Lunch was grilled chicken breast on a bed of romaine lettuce with homemade balsamic vinaigrette with sugar-free jello pudding, and dinner was baked rosemary salmon with tossed salad and vanilla ricotta creme for dessert. It was delicious! I'll have to share the recipes sometime :)

So, first phase is two weeks, minimum, and supposedly this is when you lose the most weight. I think I'm mostly looking forward to feeling, well, not so fat. So, I'm clearing off my weight loss ticker that hasn't budged in a good 2 weeks, and start over. I'm starting with 150.5 lbs. Granted, it was after dinner, but...150 lbs! Looking forward to changing that. Soon.

And just to clarify

I was going to just leave this reply in the comment section of my last post, but I wanted to make sure I put this out there, so that I could be clear. I have four-leaf clovers all over my page. Most people probably associate that with luck, I know I used to. But I want to make clear that is not the reason I have them up there. First, I like green and I like clovers. I think they're pretty. Second, clovers are often associated with St. Patrick's Day, which is coming up, and if I'm not mistaken, is of an Irish origin (feel free to correct me!!). I am partly of Irish origin. I have no papers to confirm it, but from what I understand, my Iris ancestors are of royal blood according to some genealogy work a relative has done. But, again, I have no proof. I love things that are Irish and would love to visit the Emerald Isle someday. So, in conclusion, and in words that would have made this post much shorter, I just like clovers :)

So, tell me

What is the difference in a graven image or idol, and a lucky charm, seeing as there is no such thing as luck?

Idols in the pocket?

All three of the candidates are included.

You just put one foot in front of the other...

...That's all I really can do. I've stated my case, made my plea. Now I just have to have faith and keep going. Last week I mailed off the last $75.00 Penn Foster will receive from me. I suspect I will be resuming the course at the end of this week or beginning of next, whenever the check clears. I don't understand at what point the Scriptures or my own convictions meet the resistance of my husband's mind or heart. But I love him. I would die for him. If I ever lost him, I'm not sure what would become of me. And, if not for those reasons, he is my husband and I have an obligation to obey and submit, and to do so cheerfully. I'm still working on the cheerful part ;) But I agreed to at least try to finish this thing, so I will hold up my part and I know God will do His part. He is more faithful than I could ever hope to be. So I can at least try. I appreciate the prayers, and the thoughts. Sisters, I cannot express the way my heart swells when I go over comments left. Almost every time, that swelling makes it to my eyes, and it's like trying to see through fogged windows :) I do not know what I have ever done to deserve such a family in Christ, but y'all are good for my spirit. So, I'll just keep on keepin' on, clinging to Faith. Maybe Father has more in store than I can understand right now. So we're gonna wait and see :)