The Homekeeper's Journal

In My Winter Kitchen its time to ……….
Clean the cabinet doors and straighten the cabinet that holds all the cups and glasses.  
My biggest Time-Waster seems to be ……..
These days?  Sleeping in.  I actually love mornings and the earlier the better.  I seem to accomplish so much in the early hours of the day.  Sleeping in makes me feel as if I am wasting precious time.
I do/do not view Time as a gift from God and here is why……
I view every second that I am alive as a gift from God.  I have been made painfully aware in the last ten years just how short life is.  Time is a precious commodity and should be treated as such.

When others are slow or dawdle I ………
I get impatient.  I want to be patient with others, but people being  poky drives me NUTS.  I am working on this one area of my life.  If people do not do things at the speed I want them to do it or at the speed I would do something...IT IS OKAY.  Now I just need to repeat that to myself every 30 minutes of each day.  

One way that I make good use of time in my household is ….. 

I try to make every action count.  If I leave a room I take anything with me that belongs somewhere in the direction I am headed.  I also use the time that appliances are working to do things.  If I start the dishwasher I find a chore that I can do in the time it takes for it to wash the dishes. 

Make Do Soup

I started the new year off knowing that I wanted to get back to how we use to always be.  I use to watch every dime that we spent, made do with what was on hand, and saved as much as possible.  I announced to my husband the end of last year that we were going to "make do".  That meant that I would have to use my creativity in the kitchen.  That is actually something I really enjoy doing.  We have been snowed/iced in since Monday so I have been "shopping" in my freezer and pantry.  Last night, I wanted to make soup and cornbread.  I had leftovers in the refrigerator and things in the pantry so I got creative. Here are the things I combined to make a soup that was a hit with my family:

Rice:  Bought with a coupon and at clearance price (free)

Black-eyed Peas:  Cooked and given to me by my mother (free)

Southwest Seasoning Packet:  Bought with a coupon at clearance price (25¢)

Tomato Sauce: Bought on sale (50¢)

Chopped Pepperoni: Bought with a coupon and on sale.  I did not use entire package. (50¢)

TOTAL COST:  $1.25 and there was enough to feed 8 people

I am not certain what to call it, but "Make Do Soup".  It was really tasty and along with the cornbread that I made, it filled us up on a cold night.

We have not eaten out one time this year.  My goal is to go the entire month of January without eating out.  I want us to try and only eat out on special occasions.  Hopefully, we can make do.

Lyrics That Touched My Heart Today: Hold Me Near

I love Pandora Radio.  If you have not discovered it, you can check it out here: http://www.pandora.com/.

I have it on my phone and carry my phone all over the house as I get chores completed, have my quiet time, read, etc.  One of my stations is what I called "Coffee House Praise and Worship".  Twice today, I heard a song that really touched me.  The second time I heard it, I was able to sit at the computer and look up the lyrics.  I absolutely LOVE this song.   Here are the lyrics:

Hold Me Near

Karla Adolphe

Hold me near when I'm restless

Hold me near when I'm bitter

Hold me near when I"m rebellious

Hold me near until the end

Hold me near when my heart is broken

Hold me near when I'm ignorant

Hold me near when I am jealous

Hold me near until the end

But as for me my feet almost gave out I nearly sold my heart

It's good to be held by my Father it's good to be where you are

What a beautiful song!  It comes from the this album:

You can listen to a sample of the song here:

http://www.entertheworshipcircle.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=130_143&products_id=1434

Resolutions

res·o·lu·tion  (rz-lshn)

n.

1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

2. A resolving to do something.

3. A course of action determined or decided on.

4. A formal statement of a decision or expression of opinion put before or adopted by an assembly such as the U.S. Congress.

"Firm determination"....that is the one that got me first and then "A course of action determined or decided on".  We all do it.  We decide half-heartily that we will lose weight, save money, be kinder, spend less, etc.  We do well until about the third week of the year.  We then see the gyms not being as busy and stores being busier.  It is amazing that we can start with such determination and then get sidetracked almost before we start.

This year I have several resolutions that I will not go into detail about but they can be summed up in one word...CONSISTENCY.  I just want to be consistent in all the things I resolve to do.  I don't want to get sidetracked or discouraged.  I want to look back at the end of the year and know that I may have stumbled here or there in one area or another but in the end I was determined and consistent.

con·sis·ten·cy  (kn-sstn-s)

n. pl. con·sis·ten·cies

1. Agreement or logical coherence among things or parts

2. Reliability or uniformity of successive results or events

3. Degree of density, firmness, or viscosity

"Reliability"....that one struck me.  Can I rely on myself to get through the hard times with my resolutions?  Can I rely on myself and my human nature to not give up when it gets hard or boring?  I need more than my own reliability.  I need to rely on the Lord to help me through those times when I want to quit. 

So, I am resolving to consistently depend on the Lord to help me to maintain my firm determination to make necessary changes and adjustments in my life.  I trust Him to help me through the times this year that I find hard or scary.  I will fully rely on Him.

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
   don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
   he's the one who will keep you on track.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Hello 2011 and Farewell 2010

Last year was "a year" to say the least.  As I sit here where I can see out the front windows of my home, I am thinking about how just a couple of weeks ago we were preparing for snow.  Today it is a sunshine filled day with warmer temperatures.  Funny, we never know what to expect here in the South.  It has been said that if you do not like the weather, wait a day and it will change.  I have often said that a day can change everything.  With this all in mind and as I reflect back on 2010, I am glad to know that through hurts, trials, and fear....GOD HAS BEEN GOOD!!!  I have learned a lot about myself, others, and God.  I have discovered so much about God that I never really knew.  I have been in church since I was conceived, yet 2010 taught me new truths about the Lord.  I am grateful, as I reflect back, that I went through the things that I went through last year.  I am thrilled that even in darkness, God handed me His light.  I am grateful that He taught me all that He did so that I can use those lessons in 2011 and beyond.  You never know what will happen in a given day that will change all that you know, but you can be assured that God is in control.  He knows every situation that you will face and everything that situation will cause you to feel.  He knows what He needs to teach you and He knows EXACTLY how to teach it to you.  He knows "how you are" and knows how to make you into what He wants you to be.  No, pain and suffering is not fun at the time, but it is sometimes needed to mold us into a vessel He can use.  Am I glad that 2010 is gone?  No, because I was taught as a child to not wish my life away.  I am glad to have a fresh start to a new year, month, week, and day each time I am faced with them.  I am glad to have the opportunity to use what I have learned to grow even closer to the Lord and minister to others.  There will be new hurts, trials, and suffering in 2011 but as I have so honestly and painfully learned....GOD IS IN CONTROL!

This is the dining room decorations.   I have a total of 5 trees.  More pictures to come.

Lesson in Lights

I learn lessons in the strangest of places but I thought I would share what I learned last night.  I started decorating the house for Christmas a couple of days ago.  As I put garlands on mantles and trees in their places, I found that so many of the lights were no longer working.  After several years of them glowing, I was not really surprised.  I decided to run to the discount store in our town last night to get more lights to replace the ones not working.  I came home with five boxes of lights.  Each box had the same thing written on the outside and, in fact,they all appeared to be identical.  As I took the lights out of the boxes they too appeared to be the same exact thing.  I asked my daughter to check the first strand to make certain that they worked.  To my surprise, they did not work.  We checked all of the others and they all worked just fine.  It was at that moment that I heard a still small voice teaching me a lesson.

We call ourselves Christians.  We all look the same and act the same at church.  We are packaged the same yet do we all let our lights shine once we are "checked".  Can the world see our light?  Are we just "acting like Christians" or are we really Christians?  I could have put those lights on that tree but what good would they have been since they did not glow?  There is something wrong on the inside of the strand of lights so they are not glowing.  We are the same way.  We are no good unless we are glowing with the love  of Christ for all the world to see.  My Christmas lights are put in storage for 10 months of the year.  They are not regularly checked or used so I do not know if they are working or not.  Our Christianity cannot be treated the same way.  We cannot "store" or ignore our Christain life.  It is a daily walk and constant relationship with the Lord that keeps our lights working for His kingdom.  If there is something on the inside that is causing my light to not shine, I pray that the Lord reveals it to me so I can deal with it.  I want to be effective in His kingdom and not just look the part.

"This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
This little light of mine,
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine,
Let it shine,
Let it shine."

Decorations and Memories

I usually wait until Thanksgiving weekend to decorate for Christmas, but after going to the mountains and seeing all the Christmas lights, I came home ready to fill the house with the sights and sounds of Christmas. I have all my decorations out and in the process of being placed where they go. I love getting out ornaments and remembering where they came from and when I got them. I have old decorations from my childhood that cause me to think back to when they hung on the tree at my parent's home. As I decorate one of our trees with the older ornaments, I think about all the years my daddy and I would decorate a tree together. I have a ceramic tree that my 90+ year old aunt gave me that she originally purchased while shopping with my grandmother. It makes me think back to when my grandmother was still living and we would go to her home for Christmas. Decorating for Christmas is more than just getting things out and plugging in lights. It is a real stroll down memory lane that makes those that are still with me seem closer and those that have passed away feel near. I love nothing more than plugging all the lights in, lighting the logs in the fireplace, and making a pot of coffee. I spend time listening to Christmas music and thinking about how blessed I am to have the Lord in my heart and memories of the Godly people from my life that have gone on to be with Him.

Free ecard made with Smilebox

Give Me Mountain Air

I was invited to go to the mountains with several friends for a weekend away.  I have never done anything like this, but after the last 9 months, I felt I really needed to go.  We are leaving tomorrow morning and I am really looking forward to it.  I think a time of refreshing is exactly what I need.  A time to relax is certainly what I long for.  In preparing for my trip, I have really felt God speak to me directly through His Word.  Several verses have spoken to me lately that I would like to share:

"When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst."

Lamentations 3:28-30

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"I'm hurt and in pain;
   Give me space for healing, and mountain air."

Psalm 69:29

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"I called out your name, O God,
   called from the bottom of the pit.
You listened when I called out, 'Don't shut your ears!
   Get me out of here! Save me!'
You came close when I called out.
   You said, 'It's going to be all right.' "

Lamentations 3:57-58

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