Sunday, December 31, 2017

Celebrating 57th Years

Yesterday I mentioned today is my birthday. I made my appearance at 8:12am on Saturday,  December 31st 1960.
Life wasn't easy for our family growing up but we had many good memories.

Listening to music was a big of our lives. I grew up listening to Motown, Beatles and many more due to my parents membership in the Columbia  House Music  Club. It was 12 records for $1.00 back then.  So as a result we had exposure to all kinds music. And of course there were the music shows we watched which were Lawrence Welk, American Bandstand, Soul Train, The Real Don Steele Show, and Ed Sullivan. And who can forget Sing Along With Mitch Miller!

Sunday morning radio was gospel music played live from various churches in Los Angeles on station KGFJ. Though we didn't go to church Mama wanted us to learn about the Lord.

Anyway my taste in music has changed though I love listening to classic Motown and seeing old clips from old music shows on YouTube.

There was a time when I didn't want to discuss my age. And I definitely dated myself with the programs I mentioned. But as I grew in the Lord ( and still growing) I realized I was being vain. Ladies we need to get over ourselves and be happy to tell our age. Our age tells us how many years the Lord has blessed us with. It gives us a chance to look back at all we have accomplished in the past year and look forward to the next, Lord willing,  birthday!

Yes we may have wrinkles, flabby arms, use bifocals and all the other things that go along with aging but we are ALIVE to have these "blessings"!

So dear friends a new year will be here in a few hours. Let's make an effort to not be ashamed of the years God has blessed us with and gladly tell people our age when they ask.

Have a very blessed New Year!



Saturday, December 30, 2017

2017

First of all ladies I want to apologize for not taking the time to reply to your comments. I thank you and appreciate each and everyone of you. You are all dear to me! And yikes! I just read my last post and I realized I had made it sound melancholy. I'm sorry about that. I forgot to mention we actually did have a joyous Christmas.  We had an older lady over who couldn't be with her son and grandchildren for Christmas. I don't think anyone should be alone at Christmas and I had been praying about sharing  our Christmas with someone.

It's hard to believe 2017 is coming to an end already and as I reflect on this year I look forward, Lord willing to the coming year.
So a few highlights from this year but not each month is included:

January- We adopted two kittens Kirstie and Dodie. Little did we know that we would lose Dodie a few months later to FIP.
Tim had a heart attack on January 26th. That was one of the scariest moments of my life.  I was so afraid I would become a widow that day.


February- February 13th Tim and I celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary.


April- Little Bertha came into our lives in the form of a pressure canner. It isn't quite as menacing as it was when I first bought it.


August- We bid a sad goodbye to our kitten Dodie as we made the decision to put her down.

We also celebrated the one year anniversary of crossing the Colorado river from California into Arizona to start a new season of our life. I still can't believe we moved here without a home to call our own.
We spent two weeks at Comfort Suites before our real estate agent and his wife  turned friend invited us to stay in their motorhome until we found a house.
Shannon started college and has a homeschooled student it was her first time in an actual classroom. She is loving it.


September- At the end of Sepember we celebrated one year of moving into our new home by eating at Subway which is we ate the day we moved in. Somehow ramen noodles and homemade cheesecake ( made by our real estate agent) was not going to make a nutritious dinner.


November - We released Miranda my oldest daughter to a long term overseas mission trip with YWAM. It was difficult for our family but we know the Lord has good things planned for her.
We drove down to Phoenix to take our girls to a concert. I was very nervous about that because the Las Vegas shooting was still on my mind.

December- This was a busy month and we were delighted to have friends over who used to live in CA. We've known them since our children were little and they moved to AZ eight years ago. We couldn't believe how much our children had grown.
Of course there was Christmas and oh what a lovely Christmas it was.
Lord willing, tomorrow I celebrate my 57th birthday. More about that tomorrow.

Have a blessed day my friends!
P.S. Please forgive any typos that may be present.  I typed this in a hurry.

Friday, December 29, 2017

Christmas 2017

Christmas has come and gone. I always get a little sad when Christmas is over.  All the pretty lights and decorations go away and people go back to being mean to each other. As if Christ is only important to them only one day of the year. Sigh.

So we didn't have a white Christmas so my snowman teapot was our snowman.


We had a failed attempt at making gingerbread houses from a kit
The remnants of Christmas crackers. We had fun!
I should have taken pictures of us with our crowns from the Christmas crackers but I forgot.
Hope your weekend is awesome.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Merry Christmas!

To my blogger friends!
Have a joyous Christmas day! Remember if you have difficult family members escape somewhere to pray!
Photo by Walter Sanchez courtesy of freelyphoto.com

Friday, December 22, 2017

Simple Woman's Daybook-December 22

For Today
Looking out my window ...it's 16° as of this wrting at 8 AM. I took this picture in the comforts of my nice almost warm house. I wasn't about to go outside!

I'm thinking ...it sure would be fun to have a white Christmas like we did last year which was our first winter in AZ.

I'm thankful for... warm cups of coffee on chilly mornings
I am wearing my flannel red plaid nightgown and slippers.
I am creating... well actually nothing at the moment 

I am reading Fragrant Whiffs of Joy by Dorcas Smucker
I am hoping... that it will miraculously snow on Christmas but as it stands there is 0% chance of snow.


I am learning...how to be a godly wife which I think is something I'm always learning.

In the kitchem... will be, if I get my act together Christmas cookies being made and the crockpot will be filled with a pot roast.

Shared  quote... sorry ladies I don't have any quote to share this morning.

A moment from my day...Kirstie is waiting for me to give her some more cat treats.




Post script... If you enjoyed reading(and even if you didn't) my daybook and want to do your own click The Simple Woman's Daybook blog on your right. There you will find Peggy Hostetler's guidelines and complete set of prompts for creating your own day book. There's even a link up and you can read other daybooks.

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Church Denominations- Are They Really Necessary?

During my years as a born again believer, I've been exposed to many different denominations. Some just as a one time visitor, others were visits several visits, when in the area and others I stayed longer.

When I first got saved I attended my mothers church. It was a African-American
Pentecostal/Holiness  congregation and oh was the worship lively! The pastor was Bishop Robert W. McMurray and you knew you had been to "chuch" after one of his sermons and wow could he sing.
I eventually left that church because I wasn't sure what I believed being a new Christian. I was getting confused by the "dancing" that some of the members were doing when they were "hit by the spirit". They believed you have to speak in  tongues to be saved considered saved. I can remember staying after church Sunday after Sunday  waiting to be "filled with the Spirit with evidence of  speaking in tongues".  Well nothing ever happened and I was getting rather bored with the church so I left.

So the next several years I found myself at differing denominations not really paying that close attention to what each one believed because I was never taught to check my Bible against what the churches believed. There was the Foursquare Church I attended before moving out of the L.A. area.
Then there was the Baptist church, a Calvary Chapel type church and back to Foursquare church after I married my husband.
When we moved to Santa Barbara started attending a Vineyard church and witnessed that whole "Toronto Blessing" thing and people claiming to have miraculously received gold fillings which to this day, I don't know what to make of it. Actually I was suspicious about it but I kept it to myself.

It was around 2005 I started to get curious about the women's headcovering. I had been following a CaringBridge page by a woman and her daughters who wore headcoverings. I remembered there was a woman and her daughters who attended the Above Rubies family camp who wore veils. I thought it was a cultural thing because she was from the Phillipines. I had no idea it was Biblical.  After much study, I became convicted and started to cover. I will share more about that in a future post.

We eventually left Vineyard and went to a Baptist Church where we stayed for a few years before leaving to go to a former Baptist church that became a Community Church.
During our time at these various churches we had the opportunity to make the long drive to visit our friends at a Mennonite church.( More about that in a minute)
So here we are in AZ at a Baptist church.

 So I find myself wondering why are there so many denominations? Did Christians get mad at each other and said "You're not my friend and I'm not playing with you anymore"?
I feel like somewhere along the line the Christian church has become focused on "denominationism" (is that even a word?) and claiming theirs is the better one instead of focusing on Jesus and His teachings.  Listen up, the New Testament teachings still apply today and it doesn't matter if you are part of a Baptist church, Lutheran, Catholic or Mennonite.

And speaking of Mennonite, I love visiting the Mennonite church. I really feel comfortable amongst the ladies with their headcoverings, the singing of hymns without any instruments and the clear Biblical teachings.
Also love our Baptist church. I love all the people there, our pastor is a wonderful speaker and a sweetheart of a pastor.

So honestly, I don't know if denominations are necessary because when we get to heaven, we going to all be together.  That Methodist church down the street you use at frown at on your way to your nondenominational church will be there in heaven too.


I would say though regardless of what you label yourself, make sure you always check your Bible to make sure what is being taught is Biblical.

Oh and I apologize for the many posts. I'm in a talkative mood right now, probably from too much tea and cookies. And cookies. And more cookies. Did I say I ate too many cookies?











Christmas Tea

I wish you all could come join me for a cup of tea and Christmas cookies so I will just make believe you are here. I'm sharing at Bernideen's Friends Sharing Tea

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Sweet Surprise From Earlier This Month

Last month I shared how I had been feeling fearful after the Las Vegas and Texas church shootings. I confess I still struggle but it isn't nearly as bad as it was. So anyway Jojo over at Through My Hands made this lovely pillow with the verse  from John 14:27. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid. It matches perfectly with our quilt. Thank you again dear JoJo!

Monday, December 18, 2017

Just Because They Are Cute

I forgot to post these. Kaitlyn decided Kirstie needed a Santa hat. Not sure she is feeling it.

Who needs cat toys when you have a box?Not to mention paper to jump on?


Christmas in Prescott

Last week we went to Prescott to see the Enchanted Christmas Tour of Lights at the mall. The tour takes places indoors in what used to be Borders bookstore.(Oh how I miss Borders)

Miniature town with train set but it wasn't running that night.
I love teapots and teacups!


Proving my daughters I mention are not a figment of my imagination😊
Someone else is penguin's mama!

A Few More Christmas Photos

This is our cute homemade ice skaking scene.  Tim used old styrofoam and glued it to a mirror. I had a Cabbage Patch figure from some fast food restaurant kid meal. The reindeer are Hallmark stores Rodney Reindeer. The snowman and Christmas tree are cupcake toppers.



Tim made the stable for our nativity scene out of items laying around. The walls are window blind slats the previous owners of our house left. We have seem to have missing pieces of various nativity sets so we decided to use this one.

This is our wall nativity



Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Coping With Grief During the Holidays

Photo by Jad Limcaco courtesy of Unsplash




Yesterday was the second annivesary of my father-in-law's passing. We knew he was going to leave since he was on hospice care. He suffered from dementia and COPD.
Our grief  started before Dad passed because when a loved one is on hospice there is that anticipating grief. The grief that comes knowing that Dad was dying but we just didn't know when he would pass. He passed away one week after he came home from the nursing home.

So Christmas that year (2015) was very hard for us.  We tried to make Christmas as normal but at the end of the day we were crying because we missed Dad(Papa to his granddaughters)

So how do you cope with loss and sadness during the holidays? I'll just share what helped and is still helping us.

First of all give yourself permission to grieve. Missing someone who has passed away is definitely normal.

Second. Pray. There is no greater Comforter than the Lord himself.
Third talk to a trusted friend who has gone through loss or maybe a friend who can offer a listening ear. Don't forget your pastor as another trusted person to talk to. I'm sure he will find time for you.

Fourth. Get out of the house. Don't isolate yourself from others. In my opinon that is the worst thing you can do because I think it could lead to severe depression. Again that's just my opinion. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or at church.

I'm sure there are other things but those are things that I remember from that year. If you are suffering from grief please follow the suggestions above and please don't be alone.


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Our Christmas Tree

I apologize for the poor picture quality. Anyway, this is our homemade Christmas tree. Tim built with it and we got garland with the lights on it already. We usually have more ornaments but Kirstie is a very curious cat so we decided not to put as many as we usually do.
I tried taking a picture with the lights on but it was too much glare. As you can see.

Friday, December 8, 2017

California Wildfires

We have been monitoring the wildfire situation here from AZ in our old area of Santa Barbara County. All the schools in Goleta Union, Santa Barbara Unified School districts and more  districts are closed. I read this morning there is no Amtrak service in Ventura County.
The pictures  I've seen coming out of Santa Barbara have been incredible.

http://www.keyt.com/news/wildfire/thomas-fire-grows-to-115000-acres/667653802

It's definitely a scary situation over there. There are fires burning in other parts of California as well. Prayers would be appreciated.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Fun Questions and Answers

Hello ladies. I was tagged by TR at My Life 0utside the Box so here goes.


1.What is your middle name?   Sherimell

2. What was your favorite subject at school?  Home Ec-cooking
3. What is your favorite drink?  Hot tea in a pretty teacup
4. What is your favorite song at the moment?  O Come, O Come Emmanuel
5. What is your favorite food?  Chicken  and chocolate but not mixed together. lol
6. What is the last thing you bought?  Two books from Amazon by Dorcas Smucker
7. Favorite book of all time?  Vera's Journey by Judy Yoder
8. Favorite Color?  Blue
9. Do you have any pets?  Kirstie our adopted kitty
10. Favorite Perfume?  None but I love the smell of lavender or lemon essential oil
11. Favorite Holiday?  Easter

12. Are you married? Yes to Tim for 24 years
13. Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?  I believe twice. To Mexico and Baja California

 
14. Do you speak any other language? No. I tried to learn Japanese in high school but couldn't get it
15. How many siblings do you have? four sisters and one brother
16. What is your favorite shop?  Etsy Shop- Rose Petal Blessings.  Offline I love Dollar Tree
17. Favorite restaurant? Cracker Barrel
18. When was the last time you cried?  On Thanksgiving
19. Favorite Blog?: Oh I don't have a fave
20. Favorite Movie? Harvey(the original with James Stewart)
21. Favorite TV shows?  We don't have cable  TV but I like to watch When Calls the Heart on Netflix
22. PC or Mac?    PC
23. What phone do you have? LG of some sort
24. How tall are you?  5 feet One inch(I'm glad they didn't ask how much I weigh!)
25. Can you cook?  Yes and I love it!
26. Do you have children? Yes three daughters

Saturday, December 2, 2017

And the Winner Is....

Cheryl from Homespun Devotions! Congratulations! Cheryl I will be contacting you via email to get mailing information.
Thanks to everyone who entered. I'm thinking of doing another giveaway but we will see.
Have a wonderful day my friends!

Friday, December 1, 2017

Fun Christmas Present Shopping Idea and Giveaway Deadline

When my girls were little they got to go Christmas shopping from my friend's car. She had lots of items that she was going to take to the thrift store but she would stop by our house first. She would have the girls go to her car, supply them with gift bags and they got to "shop" for my husband and I and for each other. It was such a fun activity for them and they didn't care if they weren't brand new. I still have all the gifts the girls gave me such as aprons and a tea set.
Perhaps you know a family who could benefit from such a fun activity?  

I will be annoucing the winner of the bookmark  and coloring pencils tomorrow morning so if you want to enter the drawing please let me know. See my post from Monday for details about the bookmark.

Have a great day my friends!

Avoiding Being Ripped Off Part 2

Shopping online is convenient and and it definitely better than spending hours in a store but we need to be careful.
1. Always make make sure you sure you shop at familiar sites.
2. Always check for the padlock and make sure you see https in the I guess you call it an address window.
3. Use a strong password for setting up your account. I recommend using one that uses a combination of caps and lowerecase letters, numbers and symbols in ramdom order.

Shopping in stores
1. Never, ever leave your purse or handbag unattended while shopping. I can't tell you the number of women I've seen walking away from their carts to get something a few feet from their carts. Thieves are counting on us not paying attention to our carts. I usually snap my purse to the cart but its better to just keep your purse on your shoulder.

2. Most stores now have chip machines which I really don't like. They are supposed to be more secure.  The problem is when you insert your card part of your number is still showing. What I do is I hold my wallet over my card. Not to where it's touching just sort of hovering so you don't accidently cancel your transaction by bumping your card.
Immediately after the machine tells you to remove your card, put it away! Don't have a conversation with the checker while still holding your card. I'm actually guilty of this.

3. Don't leave your purchases in plain sight in your car. At my old church in CA a car was broken into and gifts were stolen.


 Again I know I'm forgetting something but I hope I my ideas will help us all not become  victims. Some of my ideas are probably no brainers but it's so easy to get distracted and forget.
Enjoy your shopping and stay safe!

Moving My Blog

 After still trying to figure out the subscription thing with MailChimp and never having success, I've decided to go ahead and use my Wo...