Wednesday’s C.O.W. – Coupon Of Wisdom

So one day during my girls group study we were talking about books of the Bible. If you use a study Bible, you might notice that at the beginning of each chapter there is some additional information that is supposed to be helpful. Usually it entails the approximate time and/or setting that it was written and an outline of specific themes. Go with me here for a minute… IF there was a book of [your name] in the Bible, what would it entail? So we did this exercise in our group. Let’s face it, we ALL have some significant life-theme of some sort.

So hypothetically of course, the Book of Jennifer would include the following themes identified in late 2009: (the book has yet to be officially written)

1) Deliberate Prayerfulness

I will develop and maintain humble prayerful habits including time, place, writing prayers, and recording answered prayers. My prayers shall focus on praising God, others needs, and my own personal spiritual growth.

2) Surrender to God’s will

I will lay my hearts desires humbly at the feet of the Lord and listen for the prompting of the Spirit. I will guard against obsessive longing as the power of the mind can steal my focus. I shall remind myself continually that God is in control and all circumstances have purpose.

3) Faithfulness of God

I will recognize the Lord’s purposes in the events of my past and present. I will recognize answered prayers and give God the glory for all good things. God is faithful and I know it well.

So, if you’d like to share what your book might entail, leave a comment.

Tuesdays With Jen – My Memoirs

In honor of last weeks snow snow snow I just HAD to dig this one up… Slide Slide Slippity Slide  I can’t help it.  I crack up every time I recall this incident.  After one evening not being able to get the whole way up the driveway to the barn, this is all I could think of.  Had I not parked it in the ditch on purpose, it could have been the sequel to this. 

 

Oh the grand and precious memories from the old farmhouse!

Blessings Monday

 

On this Monday morning I am recounting some blessings…

 

1) Family.  Some family has come from afar this week to visit.  We celebrated some birthdays.  There has been good food, fun, and company.

 

2) Work.  Flexibility.  Home computer.  I had a little setback with my shoulder injury on Friday.  My boss let me go home an hour early so I could relax and ice it.  I’m thankful for the home computer with access to my work so I could spend some time catching up on some things from home.  I have the best boss!

 

3) Sisters.  I had a lovely time sipping wine and laughing with them in the Zombeck’s newly painted and furnished living room.

 

4) Berries.  I bought a huge bag of frozen berries at Sam’s Club.  It has giant blackberries, red raspberries, and blueberries in it.  I’ve been enjoying them all week long.  I put them in my salad.  I have them frozen with milk and whipped cream.  I have them in a smoothie.  I have them by the handful.  They have little to no sugar on them.  They are good for me being packed with antioxidants.  I love berries! 

 

5) New Pillows.  We bought new pillows about a week ago.  They are SO nice.  It’s helping me sleep better because I have to prop my arm up in order to avoid the agony of gravity pulling it.  I love our new pillows.

 

6)  Warmer weather.  It’s above freezing outside.  It feels like a heat wave!  Every season has its purpose, but I admit that I’m tired of snow snow snow.  The warmth is a welcomed treat and we shall enjoy it even more knowing that it will be short-lived.

 

Do you have some blessings to share?  This forum is hosted over at Down On The Farm. 

Saturday’s Savings & Weekly Meal Planning

This week, like last, has panned out a little different than expected.  It’s not my usual routine.  I did not do any grocery shopping this weekend.  We’ll be eating from the pantry and freezer again this week.  Here is the line-up, in no particular order.

 

1)  Ham slice with potato and vegetable

2)  Beef chili with cheddar cheese and corn muffin

3)  Breakfast night – pancakes with bacon

4)  BBQ pork chop with rice and vegetable

5)  Spaghetti with side salad

6)  Date night eating out with my hubby

7)  Sunday dinner at my parents

…. and if there is a night when I don’t feel like cooking, we still have left over from last week and will likely have some this week too. 

 

What I need to get to make this happen:

cheddar cheese, bacon, salad dressing.  Cheap cheap cheap!

Foto Friday- SNOW

This week’s theme was “Snow.”  While the above pictures are recent, they are not from this week.  The photos below are Keith’s creativity at work… Snow.

 

 

 

Foto Friday is hosted by Rebecca over at Renaissance.  Join us if you dare!!!  Thanks Rebecca! 

Thankful Thursday

 

This morning I am especially thankful for my loving husband who has been caring for me especially well since I injured my arm a week and a half ago.  What would I do without him?  He’s been gracious to me and I appreciate it.  He plans to be home today and expects a Honey-Do list and hasn’t grumbled about it.  Bless his heart.

 

I’m thankful for our new laptop computer.  It’s so convenient.  We take it from room to room in our home.  We probably spend WAY too much time playing dumb face book games, but we also use it for work-related things.  I’m also thankful that we can pick up free wireless service in our area.  It’s saving us at least $50 per month in internet fees.  While it would be convenient to have the secure connection, we have discussed the option and agree to pinch those pennies… because we can!

 

I’m thankful that we are both gainfully employed.  I’m thankful for having two decent vehicles, one of which is efficient AND paid for.  I’m delighted to have the truck and to be able to use it whenever I need.  What a blessing it has been in so many ways.

 

Thankful Thursday is a weekly forum for sharing such things.  If you are so inclined to join us, write your post, visit the site, and link your post.  There are links on the page to get the logo.  C’mon!

 

I’m thankful for 

C.O.W. – Coupons Of Wisdom

Psalm 116:5

“The Lord is gracious and righteous, our God is full of compassion.”

 

On a hot day this past summer Keith got the call at his former place of employment from his new place of employment.  They were recruiting him for a management position.  This happened to be the position he had hoped for with his former employer, but due to economy constraints it never came to pass.  And… as you might imagine, it came with a slight increase in compensation.

 

This opportunity came moments after I wrote our weekly tithe check.  After writing the rent check, I was nervous about giving our full tithe.  This meant transferring money from our savings and zeroing out our checking account, and hoping to get by with a few dollars from the savings account used for gas and grocery.  I admit, for a moment I contemplated borrowing from God, shorting  the tithe check just a wee bit to get by.  The Holy Spirit encouraged me to trust.  Funny thing is that I already know the Lord’s faithfulness… why must I deal with such inadequacies of our human nature to doubt?!  I did not succumb to the temptation.  As I wrote that check for the full amount I pondered “If this job opportunity pans out positively, I’ll be delighted to add it to our list of examples of the Lord’s faithfulness.”  And that it did…  It is true… If you are faithful with little it can result in much.   We have experienced the Lords graciousness, righteousness, and compassion!  How awesome is that!

Tuesdays With Jen – My Memoirs

Anniversary’s past…

Several years ago, when we lived in the farm house, we had a very memorable anniversary.  I worked all day.  Keith was home hours before me.  He had mentioned to our landlord that it was our anniversary.  She made him a lasagna and a fresh loaf of homemade bread.  When I got home, he had the table set with candles and wine.  I was in shock when he pulled the lasagna out of the oven.  He had help, but man was it nice!  This beat any monetary gift ever. 

 

I love my hubby.  He is so good to me.

Selfless Sunday

I’m only a day late in reporting, but my Sunday did not turn out as I had anticipated.  All I have to offer for my challenge is that Keith and I went to the Zombeck’s and helped them paint.  Me and my gimpy arm aren’t much help, but I tried.  I painted some trim.  They made fun of me calling me a rapture because of my posture I guess.  They are gonna get it!

 

Anyway, I guess that counts as being selfless… It was nice to lend a hand, even if it was a gimpy one. 

 

Any ideas for a logo on this?

Count Your Blessings Monday

This morning I am counting the blessing of having my Bible and my ladies group friends.  Not everyone in the world has the opportunity to have free and unlimited access to the Holy Bible.  I have several copies and multiple versions.  I have a bible that was given to me as a teen ager.  It has years of notes in it and a small handful of inserts such as notes or photos that are especially dear to me.  I also have a New King James Version that is small enough to fit in my purse, but large enough that I don’t need a magnifying glass to read it.  It also has a very pretty blue leather cover with a flower embroidered on it.  I use this one when I travel or attend Bible study with my lady friends. 

 

I have a couple groups of lovely ladies that I meet with to dig into the Word.  My group in Butler meets twice each month.  We sip coffee and delve into whatever study we have planned in advance.  This group doesn’t usually use a study guide.  We each read the scripture and do our own investigation of the background and details surrounding it significance.  Interestingly enough, we each generally find ourselves pulled in a particular direction in the midst of it, but usually it’s different for each one of us.  So when we share with the group we get a lot of pertinent perspectives, which is great.  I love my Butler ladies group.  They are die-hards, down to earth, loving, encouraging, and trustworthy sisters in Christ.

 

I have another group of ladies at my church that I meet with weekly.  We are doing the Living Beyond Yourself study by Beth Moore.  This is the third study that I’ve led there.   It’s a great way to further integrate myself into the church.  Like my Butler group, these ladies are dedicated and genuine sisters in Christ. 

 

I am so blessed to have the presence of the Word in my life and to be sharing and experiencing it with some close friends.  God is good!

 

Do you have a blessing to share?  Interested in what other’s have to share about their blessings?  Head over to Down On The Farm to participate. 

Saturday’s Savings & Weekly Meal Planning

Well, things didn’t go as planned today.  I had Girls Group this morning and now I’m trying to rush thru my post while Keith is in the shower.  He’s off today, so I’m planning to focus on “us time” instead of coupon clipping and shopping.  My arm doesn’t want to clip coupons anyway.  Or… maybe he’ll help me with that later?  Hmmm.

 

I do have a few ideas for our meals this week.  I don’t plan each day.  Instead I plan a series of meals and whichever fits into any particular day is what we have.  I only plan 5 days at a time.   We generally eat out one day each week and the 7th day we have leftovers.  Here goes:

 

1)  Grilled Ham & Cheese with tomato soup.

2)  Stuffed Shells & Salad

3)  Ham slice, potato, & green beans

4) Pancakes & bacon

5) BBQ Pork Chop & mixed vegetables

 

What I need to get to make this happen:  salad makings & potatoes.  I have everything else in my freezer or pantry.  YAY!!!  So there’s a savings for this week…  I can just get those couple of things and if there are sale items too good to pass up then I’ll get those too.  Saweet!!! 

Vince

Remember in the summer I mentioned a rather large spider taking up residence in the barn? I found a picture... We named him Vince. He only had 7 legs... poor guy. He gives me the creeps!!!!

Time For Change

I decided to make some changes to my blog. While I’d really like to have a professionally designed blog, that’s not likely an expense I will delve into just yet. Just having internet these days is a big change for us. So last evening I revised some of the topics I will be blogging about. The new lineup is as follows:

Monday: Count Your Blessings Monday. It is enlightening and appropriate to recognize our blessings on a regular basis. It keeps us grounded as individuals and the recognition is pleasing to God. This one is hosted at Amazing Graze Farm over at Down On The Farm.

Tuesday: Tuesdays With Jen – My Memoirs. This is all about remembering where I came from and significant events and remembrances of my past. Over the years I have kept journal after journal of personal thoughts, prayers, and devotional notes. From time to time I may just publish portions of my old journals.

Wednesday: Wednesday’s Coupon Of Wisdom. You know sometimes when you are doing your devotions and something just jumps out at you? It might be a Bible verse, memory verse, or a comment or quote or maybe even just a concept that needs built upon. Sometimes I write that on a sticky note or somewhere where I will see it often. It’s like clipping a coupon. You clip it, hold it close, and when just the right opportunity knocks, you pull it out and spend it. The best part is that we don’t have to give up the coupon when we spend it. It’s better than double coupons… it’s a life-long coupon of wisdom that we can spend as many times as we’d like.

Thursday: Thankful Thursday. While I’m remembering my blessings on Monday, which I am also thankful for, this is an opportunity to express that thankfulness. It’s kind of like a mid-week reminder to appreciate those blessings. We definitely need to stay focused on these things. This one is hosted by Iris over at Grace Alone.

Friday: Foto Friday. I haven’t had the opportunity to participate in this one yet. This idea belongs to Rebecca over at Renaissance. She gives a weekly theme to capture. It’s up to the participants to be creative in how we interpret and snap those photos. As soon as we were back online Keith said “We can do Foto Friday!” So we will share the experience and try to think outside of the box. Looking forward to it.

Saturday: Saturday’s Savings & Weekly Meal Planning. I NEED to do this one! I’ve really gotten lazy about clipping coupons and staying on a regular shopping schedule and planning those meals. My laziness has led to an increase in eating out, which is very wasteful. Paying off our car has made it a little easier to fall into that trap. We have to STOP IT! We have plans to snowball those funds in effort to blast out another debt. So, by reorganizing my blog I hope to recapture the habit and stick to it. Besides, now that we are past Christmas and New Years, things should become more routine at home anyway.

Sunday: Selfless Sunday. This is a new one that I dreamed up this week. I’ve been thinking about this lately. I want to make a point to do at least one deliberately selfless thing on Sunday. This might be as simple as making Keith’s morning coffee with a joyful heart or holding a door for someone, or as elaborate as slipping someone some unexpected cash, shoveling a neighbors driveway or sidewalk. As a matter of fact, yesterday someone did something nice for me and I was so grateful. I wasn’t feeling well. I had been in and out of work for doctor and PT appointments. I was miserable and at 2pm finally getting to grab lunch. One of my doctor friends insisted upon buying my lunch. How sweet was that?! It was appreciated. I’m not looking for any recognition for this, but I thought if I recorded it here that it would keep me accountable in being deliberate about it AND… maybe someone else will catch on and pay it forward. Any takers?

Is it obvious that I like order in my life? I like it on my blog too. That doesn’t mean there won’t be other miscellaneous posts, but I want to try to keep up with some regulars. Anyone want to join me on these? Some of them? I need to make some logos for some of them… we’ll see.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my loving husband who upon hearing that I had been injured, did the dishes and proceeded to wait on me.  He has been so sweet and helpful.  He doesn’t even complain that he has to help me get dressed.  This evening he went to the store with me just so he could carry the bags for me.  I’m so spoiled. 

 

I am thankful for my boss who looks out for my best interests.  He insisted that I file a work-comp claim, which was probably a good idea because now I’m having physical therapy.  He completely understood that I wasn’t feeling well today.  I felt a wee bit disheveled today having to see the doctor and physical therapist.  Likewise, I didn’t feel the least bit productive today.  He agreed that I can stay home tomorrow.  I can do some work if I’m up to it.  He realizes that I just need to rest and get better.

 

I am thankful for my friend Janet.  She keeps my pony for me along side her three ponies.  She spoils them all.  Her generosity is so grand.  When I go to do chores, she comes to the barn and helps me while she visits.  When the weather is nice she encourages me to ride.  She has introduced me to all the local trails.  She’s also hauled the horses to other places to ride like Moraine & Bear Run.  She has graciously offered to take care of things at the farm tomorrow so I don’t have to drive out there and so I can rest.  She is wonderful, generous, and selfless.  She’s a true gem. 

 

I am very blessed to have many good friends and family. 

Tuesdays With Jen – My Memoirs

We used to live in a big old farm house on 50 acres in Chicora.  We loved that place.  The abundance of wildlife amazed us.  We had a wild turkey whom we affectionately called “Peggy the Peg Leg” because she only had one leg.  We used to feed the birds in the winter and she would come with her flock of friends and clean up the leftovers that the blue-birds and woodpeckers spilled on the ground.  We were warned not to feed the birds in the summer.  We learned that the hard way when the black bear arrived, ate a whole bucket of birdseed, and then returned again late that evening to scout things closer to the house.  They were on the porch, right up to the back door.  It had rained and was muddy.  There were muddy bear paw prints on our lawn furniture.  They crawled through my flower bed.  We took only 2 pictures before the camera jammed.  I have no idea where they are.  There were several, but most memorable was the mama bear and her two cubs.  The cubs were probably a year old at that time, not too small.  The cubs both went up the same tree and rested in the Y half way up.  The mama bear sat her big butt down at the base of the tree as if guarding.  We didn’t see them much beyond that but there were other animals of note…  There were deer.  There were hawks, owls, squirrels, and chipmunks.  I saw a bobcat twice. 

 

It was hard to leave that home that was so dear to us, but it was for a higher calling that we left.  I still remember it fondly… mostly at holidays and in the midst of the change of seasons.  We celebrated some really grand Thanksgivings there.  When the snow came in abundance we found ourselves pretty much stranded… stuck… and so did our guests. 

 

I miss that old place.  I still connect with the landlord on occasion.  She was a delightful motherly German woman with a strong accent and plenty of wit. 

Blessings Monday

Short and sweet… we paid our car off early!  What a huge blessing!

 

Share more at Marci’s blog: Down On the Farm

Misc Thoughts

On Sunday evenings, Keith and I like to drink hot chocolate while watching Newhart & Barney Miller re-runs.  He’s working tonight… Bummer :(

 

And… I’m delighted to report that I recently paid off my car (early) and I now have the title in-hand.  YAY!!!!  It’s so liberating!!!

Sneak Peak Sunday

Oh what a week it’s been.  I worked.  I cooked.  I cleaned.  I wrapped more presents.  We ate.  We celebrated.  We shivered and shoveled.  We lounged a bit succumbing to laziness.  And that about sums it up.

A Pretty Pink Princess…

In the midst of the celebration of the new year, we celebrated Annabelle’s 3rd birthday.  She’s such a precious princess, lover of pink and pretties.  What a doll! 

 

They brought their Wii, which Keith thoroughly enjoyed.  There’s a picture of he and Joyce boxing.  It was amusing to watch.

 

The meal was delicious as usual… all the traditional fixings.  The evening concluded with some lounging in Mom & Dad’s new home.  It’s comfy. 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Yesterday Winter Bloomed

I am very blessed to live where I can witness the change of seasons.  My favorite winter day is one like yesterday, but with lots of sunshine.  When I was small, I remember my Granny noting the beauty of the untouched snow.  That was how my yesterday started… recalling those words of hers. 

 

It was not too cold, just enough for snow.  The wind was slim to none.  The heavy wet snow defined every surface it touched.  Each tree limb dressed with the lacey flakes of snow, so pure, and so perfect!  It was the definition of pure beauty and this is all I could ponder upon for my entire ride to work yesterday.

 

The picture is our back yard… untouched in the midst of sunrise.  The neighbor’s dog hadn’t yet assaulted it with it’s playful paws.

 

And… one more thing came to mind as I surveyed my surroundings… Boy would a remote started be nice on cold days.

And I’m so glad that “I” get to park my car in the garage… where the sweeping of snow is not necessary nor do I have to warm it up.