Feeling Homesick

For those of you who know me are probably wondering why I'm including an Ohio photo under the post title of feeling homesick.

I'm joining Jenn at Country Girl's Ramblings for Simply Saturday's and as I was going through my photo archives that reminded me of home, this one from a few years ago pulled at my heart strings. This Ohio sign, while we lived in Indiana, had become a familiar landmark for us as we made 3-4 trips a year to visit David's mom in Columbus. I miss her :(

It also got me thinking about how I just love pictures of roads, paths, streams,etc. They always make me wonder where they lead. That's why I chose the one I did for my blog header. Do you like it? I took this last year before we left Indiana. I drove this route almost everyday and that barn always made me smile, not sure why. I guess it's because it seemed clean, crisp, new among bland fields of corn and soybeans. Every time I look at that photo is takes me back to HOME.

The best part of this photo was something I actually intended to crop out...my rear view side mirror. I decided to leave it in because I began finding myself looking into it down that road. However, unlike most photos I like of paths and roads, I know where this one leads...HOME.

Yep, I'm officially experiencing the homesick blues! What makes you think of home?

Favorite & Least Favorite Chores

One of my blog buddies, MomstheWord is asking us to share our favorite and least favorite chores.  She's is asking we share three things...

What's your favorite household chore?

I don't know that I have ONE particular chore I'm just dying to do, but if I had to pick I would say laundry and cleaning the bathroom.  I know, I'm sick right?  Nothing makes me nauseous like a stale urine stench oozing from the potty room.  I painted a real pleasant picture didn't I?  You're going to go clean your bathrooms RIGHT now aren't you?

I love walking into a clean bathroom with the fresh clean smell of bleach!  Really I do.  If they would come out with a bleach candle I'd buy one!

What is your least favorite chore?

Dishes for sure!  I don't know why because I love a clean and empty sink but I procrastinate when the dishwasher's needing unloaded and dirty ones put in.  I sound so lazy don't I?  I also loathe sorting, organizing and filing paperwork and bills!  Uuuggghhh!  I actually will post on that later as I am being asked my wonderfully patient husband to hunker down and get it down before tax season.  You'll hear me whine about it on my blog all weekend I'm sure!

How do you motivate yourself to do your least favorite chore?

I think I just said it... my husband begging me!  Seriously, I've been putting it off since spring!

So that's it.  Now let's hear yours and make sure you visit Momstheword.

Make sure to share it with us both!

Looking Forward to 2009

Since I did a post on Looking Back to 2008 I thought it was appropriate to include a post of what my goals are for the new year. I've never been great at making or keeping resolutions but I do think it's important to evaluate where you've been the previous year and see what you might like to improve for the next year, especially spiritually.

So my "resolutions" (I prefer to call them goals) this year are focused on prioritizing my life the way God designed it and resting in Him to help me be the woman He's designed me to be.

1.) He first and foremost designed me to walk with Him in a close personal relationship. He is always there ready to forgive and ready to speak to me through His Word. I however, am not always so attentive. Sometimes my actions, or lack there of, don't necessarily say "I love you Lord". So I have a few things I've been convicted of that I can do to bring me closer to my Lord and Savior.

I, like many of us who strive to walk closely with Him, neglect & forget the opportunities God has given us to speak with Him because of the death of His son.. I need to work on my prayer life and plan to to read a book soon making my prayers more powerful and heart felt instead of going through the motions. I'm up for suggestions if anyone knows of a good Biblically sound one. The next is finally reading through the Bible. I have maybe 10 books to go and then I'd like to start reading the Bible chronologically. The third thing I'd like to do to improve my relationship with Him is keep a prayer and blessings journal. I think being able to see where God has answered my prayers will also help me pray more boldly.

2.) My second most important relationship is my husband. David and I have been through a lot this past year and it's been a blessing in disguise. We realized our strengths and weaknesses in our marriage. We also have come to really appreciate one another more. So one of the things I'm doing to be a better wife to Him is to finish the book , The Love Dare. We're also starting to read The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace in my women's accountability group. I've learned from The Love Dare, The Bible, and Christian friends that I can't expect my husband to change if I'm not first willing to change. I also shouldn't expect my husband to change just because I am. I should focus on the knowledge that I'm changing and growing to be a better wife is not for my husband but for the Lord. This has made a huge difference in our marriage this past year. The timing couldn't have been any better either. I mean what man would be encouraged after he loses his job by a wife who's nagging at him and just waiting for failure? That was the old me but slowly she is dissolving, thanks to God!

The other thing I plan to do to strengthen my marriage is to make sure we have a date night at least once a month. With two kids, working opposite shifts, and dealing with a tired pregnant body there isn't much "Us" time. Therefore some issues that may seem small at the time turn into mountains once time goes by and then when you are together you don't want to spoil the mood by bringing up old stuff and the cycle just goes on and on. I'm really looking forward to spending some quality time with David. If anyone has cheap date night ideas I would love to hear them. That's the biggest hurdle... What do you do on a low budget?

3.) My third relationship I will work on nurturing this year is with my handsome boy.

I've been really feeling convicted of not making more of point to help bring my son closer to the Lord. I feel like I have my relationship with the Lord and he has his but it's normally not something we share together. Keep in my mind I'm still a "baby" Christian in a way. I think God has been working on me these three years pruning me and making me ready to where I can now pass what I've learned to Eian. So I have been getting him up early and we spend time reading a few verses that Eian usually picks out and then discuss their significance and what he thinks God wants us to learn from the verses. You can see he really looks forward to it when he jumps out of bed when I mention devotions. It just fills my heart to see his enthusiasm!

I also want to spend more time being a teacher to him. I would love more than anything to home school but God just has not made a way for my husband to solely provide for us at this time. So I have resolved to making the most of the time God has given me with Eian now. Eian and I plan to pick one country a month to study, study their culture, language, geography, and food. We'll then pick a weekend to cook something from that country. He's really looking forward to that and so am I.

Well I know I have my work cut out for me but I am keeping my focus on the Lord and He will be my helper. I can't wait to get to started!

An Ode to My Christmas Decorations!

So like I said in my previous post... I Love Christmas! I love the excitement and anticipation that comes immediately after Thanksgiving. I love the feeling of giving back to others (which I should do more often anyways not just at Christmas!) and finding new a creative ways to share the love of Christ. I love coming home from a long day of work to getting that warm and cozy feeling while being surrounded by all our decorations and lights. I love the swirl of outreach events our church participates in. I love looking at all the lights. I love all the food, the family visiting, sharing gifts, and the list goes on!

However, what I do not love is the break in my routine that the busyness of the Christmas season creates. Now I know this is my partial type A (I'm not a full-fledged type A, thank goodness) personality coming out along with a lot of selfishness. But I admit it, I am so looking forward to getting back to normal mode it's not even funny. I had to work the Friday after Christmas after having 6 days in a row off and I was really thrilled to get back into my old routine! So one of my attempts to "Get Back to Normal" is taking down the decorations, which I hope I can finish by Wednesday. We're going to Ohio to have Christmas with my husband's family and the last thing I want to do when we get back from our long drive is pack up stinkin' decorations! So I'm sharing some photos of my Christmas decor before they meet their demise!

Good Bye Christmas TreeGood Bye Nativity

Good Bye Kitchen Shelf Decorations

Early spring cleaning here I come!

I'm Still Alive!

Okay so I don't have much time to blog but I have received several emails wondering why I haven't blogged and if I'm still alive. Well I am happy to say that I am very much alive and living a full life. So full, that my blogging has gone by the way side.

There's a few reasons to my bloggy quietness...

One, we had my niece come back to live with us again. She's two, need I say more?

Two, it's Christmas and between baking cookies, volunteering, church activities, school programs, shopping, and visiting family there's not a whole lot of time left in the day right now.

Three, I'm pregnant! Yep, the baby is just a tiny thing at 10 weeks today but the little guy/gal is causing their Mama grief which means sleep had taken precedence over blogging.

Four, it's the season to get caught up in the busyness of Christmas and forget all the blessings God's granted us and made us accountable for. This means I have been trying to make a conscious effort to slooowww down and sit with my son to drink hot cocoa and watch a Christmas show or watching some classic cartoons as a family or going to look at lights or giving my niece extra kisses and hugs while I rock her when she's having a rough day. These have become precious moments to me that I just can't let blogging, or any other earthly thing for that matter, take away.

So I hope all of you gals understand my absence. I promise to keep in touch more often once Christmas and New Year's are over. My big sissy's coming in from Florida this weekend with her family so I'm sure she'll keep me busy. As if I wasn't doing a good job of that myself!!!

Take Care All & Have a Blessed Christmas!

Stef

At the Well Mondays-Getting to Know Me

Chelsey over at Joyful Living hosts Living at The Well Mondays and this week is all about getting to know one another. So I thought I'd join in and tell a few random things about myself.

I love to cook comfort food on dreary and rainy days.

I'm a lover not a fighter.

I appreciate those who are honest with me , even if it's brutal. I find it hard to do the same though, being brutal that is.

My sister teasingly calls me Polyanna.

I strive to find the best in people (hence my nickname!).

I'm rarely negative unless it's with money.

I like lavender and vanilla fabric softener.

We eat spaghetti here at least once a month.

We do not eat out much.

My favorite candles are baked apple pie, vanilla, and any other candle that smells like dessert.

My feet get extremely cold at night, even in the summer so I usually where socks.

I love to pray while taking a shower.

One of my first Bible verses I memorized was 1 Corinthians 10:13.

I currently work outside the home as I have been before becoming a believer and follower of Christ. I once felt as if my place was at home and still do, it is impossible at this point financially though but is a goal of mine and my husband's.

I consider my work place a mission field God has given me.

I have two believing co-workers I fellowship with and we pray once a week for co-workers, the economy, our boss, etc.

I am beginning to really loathe TV and would get rid of it if hubby was all for it.

I love it when hubby puts his hand on my back while we're singing on Sundays in church.

I have a fear of worms and they send a shiver up my spine when i have to tiptoe over them after a hearty spring rain...eeewww!

I LOOOVE to blog!

Okay, now it's your turn!

Me

As I said in my first entry, this is brand new for me and have tons of things I would like to post but where do I begin? So sharing a little about me might be a good place.

1. I am a Christian as of almost 3 years ago. I am grateful to God for my testimony and the dramtic transformation He made in me. I am by no means complete or perfect. I am a work in progress and believe that I will not fully arrive to a place of completeness until the day I meet Jesus in Heaven.

2. I have been married to my wonderful hubby for over 3 years but we have been together since 2000. We have one child and would love to have more but are trying to be patient knowing that it's up to the Lord.

3. I really do consider myself a simple gal, hence my blog name, and love being "simple". I'm sure my husband would disagree though as he has been trying to figure me out for years and would consider me anything but simple!

4. Family is important to me and I could easily become one of those Family Tree fanatics if I had the time. My Mom seems to be doing a good job of tracking down our families' roots for now though. So I must get it honest.

5. I am a work full-time outside of the home Mom but envy those who stay home. BEWARE... this Does Not mean I want to hear about everyones wonderful work at home schemes, been there done that! Pleeease do not bombard me with your business offers.

6. I love living in the country and love the midwest. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I say that, but it's true! I moved to Orlando for about 3 years and thought I was one of the lucky ones and getting out of the small town rut and was on my way to bigger and better things! Then I met my hubby, had a baby and got extremely homesick. I missed the change of seasons, the harvest time, down home cooking, friendly farmers waving at you as they passed on their tractors, old and ready to crumble barns in the middle of an empty field, my family, and yes I missed SNOW! There is honestly no place I would rather be than right here.

7. Some of my interests are reading the Bible and other books to help me grow spiritually, Bible studies,yard sales, spending time with hubby and son, festivals, trying new recipes, crafting, scrap booking, gardening (although I don't have one yet), TRYING to keep a clean and organized home, getting back to basic cooking methods (like grandma used to do), and drinking tea & coffee.

8. I also love frugality and finding new ways to pinch a penny. I clip coupons, scan sales ads, comparison shop, and am now trying to bake from scratch more if time allows. I can't just grocery shop like a normal person either and my hubby hates to go with me ;-). I'll write more on my grocery shopping strategies later.

9. My sister jokingly calls me Polyanna. Apparently my sister views me as this lil' angel that onlys see the good in all things and floats around on my lil' cloud as if all is right with the world and I wouldn't harm a fly. Well, I do try to always see the good in ALL people and ALL things. I especially try to trust God with the uncontrollable things in my life and keep one of my favorite verses close during these times: (Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.) I have learned the hard way that I cannot control what happens to me, how others treat me BUT I can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, control MY actions, MY thoughts, and MY words. Funny thing about that, when I focus on my behavior and pleasing the Lord and stop worrying about trying to change others, they start to take notice. Sometimes they change their ways and sometimes they do not, but I at least know I am pleasing the Lord and that's enough for me! By the way, I have been to kill a fly or two and... maybe a few spiders!

10. So I guess that's pretty much me in a nutshell!

New to the Blog Experience

Okay so I've only been introduced to this whole blog thing maybe a month or two ago. I've had a myspace account for awhile but you can't control it as much as you can a blog. So bare with me to all of you reading this, if anyone's reading this (I think I can hear crickets).

I do have so many things I would love to share with the big world. I felt that a blog will be a great way to share my faith and to meet other Christian women or anyone who wants to know about Christ. I also love to cook and I am growing in my love of organization. I've learned a lot through my 30 something years and some from wonderful gals here on line. This is my way of feeling as if I am also contributing.

So I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats and dying with anticipation to see what my blog will look like and for my next post. Please be patient...there's good stuff to come!