Blessings in Unexpected Places.

 Sometimes we can find blessings in places were we least expect it. This is one of my favorite posts about one of those times. 
The Blessing of Being Without a Dryer.

My Word for 2015

                                                         

                                    

                                       Prayerful

Many of you may have noticed a new trend in the old way to make New Year’s resolutions. Instead of making a whole list of things that you wish to accomplish in the new year, you pick one word. 

It seems less daunting to have a one word goal than to have a whole list of things that you never get around to. 

My word for this is year “prayerful.”  The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes prayerful as, “tending to pray often.” 

That is what I want to do this year. I want to pray often. I want to have time set aside daily for prayer. I want to go through my day and stop whenever I feel a need to pray. 

In September of last year I joined a great Bible study on prayer, Digging Deep in God’s Word. I have been amazed by all we have learned so far. This study has made me want to make sure I devote more time to prayer. (If you are interested in reading more about what the Bible says about prayer, it is not too late for you ladies to join us.)   

Following are steps I have taken so far to accomplish my goal.

I started a prayer journal.

 In this journal I have different pages with people or things listed at the top. I list what I want to pray about for that specific topic. My husband, children, blog, etc., each have their own page. I also have a page for names of people who have requested prayer and the date that the prayer was answered.

I have a separate page for Facebook prayer requests. I usually pray as soon as someone asks for prayer on Facebook. If it is something that I want to continue to pray about, I will add it to my other requests.

I started a prayer schedule with a different focus for each day.

This schedule helps me to not be so overwhelmed. 

 Here is my schedule:

·        Sunday—church family and the lost

·        Monday—friends and family outside of our home

·        Tuesday—my  husband

·        Wednesday—my children

·        Thursday—myself

·        Friday—thanksgiving /God’s mercy and holiness

·        Saturday—government, current events and our community

 I use a chalk board to write the main things or people to pray for during the week.

Now when I walk into the kitchen, I can remember to pray for these things right then. 

These are all ways that I hope I will be able to accomplish my goal of being prayerful this year.

What is your word for the new year?

Building Memories

*I originally wrote this a couple of years ago but as my children continue to grow I hold it more dearly today. 
 

Building Memories

Yesterday I decided that, instead of doing anything else, I was going to sit in the playroom as my two boys played with their Legos.

Their imaginations soar when they are in “Lego world”. 

I watched them build, imagine, and laugh.

 I began to wonder if these are the times they will remember most when they grow up and have children of their own. 

When we all gather together at Thanksgiving, are they going to be elbowing each other remembering the football mini-figure who tripped on a brick running up the mountain?(Apparently this was very funny.) 

Or are they going to laugh as they remember fighting over the tiny brown hair they each needed to complete a character they were making? 

As their children come into the kitchen to help me make a pumpkin pie, are my boys going be searching the closets of their old rooms to find their Legos to relive this particular day?

I am so glad I stayed in there and watched a memory in the making. 

This is one reason that I am going to try really hard to unplug from my phone and computer more often this year. 

I do not want to miss great memories like these!

Are We Fully Relying on God?

 

 Are We Fully Relying on God?

 

As we were reading Little House on The Prairie, I was struck by how much the pioneers had to toil and pray for what they had.

Think about our lives  today as Americans.

We can run to McDonalds for food instead of worrying if Pa will kill some rabbits and if we will be able to eat tonight.

If we want a house we can just buy a house that is already built. We do not have to live for months in a wagon as we search for land. Then when we find the land, we do not have to cut down trees to build our own homes.

Our children can have pretty much all the toys they want and not just have a hog bladder and corn cob with which to play.

That sounds good.  We are living in the best time the world has ever known. But is it really?

In the pioneer days people had to fully rely on God for everything they had. They made sure to study their Bible, pray, and go to church.

With all our stuff and conveniences we should have more time to devote to God, not less. Are we relying on ourselves and not on God? Are we using the extra time we have for God? 

Think about these things as we enter the new year.

Finding Family Time

Spending more time with your family is a great goal to have, but what do you do if you are having trouble finding that time? Join me today at The Multi Taskin' Mom as I offer some suggestions.

Daily Adventures in Homeschooling

Find out some interesting things about our homeschooling life in my interview with Proverbial Homemaker.

Declutter Your Stuff, Not Your Memories

It's that time of year again when most people start thinking about cleaning everything and starting fresh. Join me at The Multi Taskin Mom as I talk about how we can get rid of clutter but not memories.