Monday, December 31, 2018

Happy New Year!

In case I wimp out(I'm still tired from the flu) and go to bed early, I want wish you a Happy New Year!

Chocolate!

I got this sweet birthday surprise today in the mail.
British chocolate my oldest daughter ordered for me.  We shared the Flake chocolate bar. It was exactly that. A flaked chocolate bar that tasted really good. We will have to see if some of this candy is available in the here in America.

Thank You and Goodbye 2018

Thank you everyone for your kind notes for me while I was sick. I'm much better even though I have a cough still. My energy is returning slowly. My daughter Shannon is recovering too and feels better. She ended up sleeping in the living room in the recliner so she can breathe better.

Can you believe 2018 is coming to an end? Doesn't it seem we were just saying Happy 2018? What a year it has been.
This was a year of health challenges , learning new craft skills, becoming a book reviewer, learning new recipes, losses of friends who've passed on to glory, challenges in our church, etc.
But most of all I feel I've grown stronger spiritually despite going through a period of  feeling defeated when a prayer wasn't answered the way I wanted.

Anyway it will be interesting to see what happens in 2019. Today is my 58th birthday! It's cold and snowing outside so I plan to sit and relax and sip tea.

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Got a Flu Shot But Still Got Sick

I got sick on Christmas Day and so did two of my daughters. We have, drum roll please. The flu! I even got my flu shot recently.  I will be away a few days. Good thing you all can't get the flu from reading my post!

Monday, December 24, 2018

Saturday, December 22, 2018

Post With No Name

I couldn't think of a title for this post so it's a post with no name. I mailed batch of Christmas cards yesterday through  a Christmas card exchange group. This group consists of members of a snail mail pen pal group I'm a part of.  So through that group, I sent out thirty cards to U.S. addresses and one card to Chile.  While I was writing out cards, I had the television on to the old Dennis the Menace show from the 1960s. Some of you might remember watching it. Anyway, it was a Christmas episode and Mr. Wilson was complaining  to his wife about sending a bunch of Christmas cards but not getting as many back as they sent out. The scene made me laugh because, I secretly wondered how many cards I would get back.

I don't mind actually not getting as many Christmas cards as I sent. The coordinator told us we may not receive as many cards as we sent out. As a matter of fact we weren't required to send to everyone on the list but I thought it would be fun to send a card to all the U.S. ladies and at least one foreign lady on the exchange list.
 I couldn't afford the cost of postage to all the ladies on the list who live in foreign countries so I chose Chile.
It's been a number of years since I even sent Christmas cards so doing this was a nice way to get back into the tradition. I don't have the patience to write a Christmas letter. Most of my friends read my blog and know what's going on anyway.

I'm so excited our oldest daughter, Miranda is flying in from California to visit for Christmas.  We haven't seen her in a year so we are looking forward to her visit. We also have our  "adopted daughter" Grace visiting from Texas. She's Miranda's friend and we call her adopted because when she visits, she crashes at our home for a few days. We let her know she is always welcome at our home, especially when she doesn't have a chance to visit her own family in Washington.

Well it's getting late and I need to take my medicine and go to bed so if this post doesn't make sense it's because I'm so tired.

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Christmas Around Here

Hello dear ones! Well we finally finished getting our  Christmas and winter decor up. I usually take forever to decorate because I'm sort of a procrastinater. We brought the Christmas bins in last Thursday and we finally took  the bins out today. My poor husband was tired of walking around them.

Some vintage decoration from my in-laws except the cabinet thingy that is behind them.

My husband made the wreath from a wire wreath frame from Dollar Tree and a embroidery hoop also from Dollar  Tree. The stocking on the far left is his from his childhood. 


                     Our homemade tree. Sorry the lighting is bad.



               My absolute favorite nativity scene. My husband made the last year stable from items we here at home.


This nativity wall hanging came from my husband's aunt when the girls were little.  I think it came from Israel but I don't remember.


More old stuff we had here at home. The train engine and bear came from a friend after I had a miscarriage at Christmas time. She knew I love bears and trains.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Homemade Napkins Giveaway

Hello dear friends! I wanted to let you know that Mrs. White over at The Legacy of Home has made some homemade hand stitched tea napkins that she is giving away.  Head over to her site to enter the giveaway.  Mrs. White is a lovely Christian lady who loves being a keeper at home and grandmother.

Ornament Exchange Reveal and Linkup

I got to participate for the first time in a ornament exchange hosted by dear Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose.
My package came from Sam who put together a lovely package for me.
These are the Christmas ornaments that Sam gave me and oh how pretty they are!

I'm linking with other ladies who participated in the Christmas Ornament Swap Reveal


Book Review: Jesus Our Perfect Hope by Charles Stanley

This devotional by Charles Stanley has become my new favorite.  There are 365 daily readings. Each day has a verse of the day, a teaching by Dr. Stanley, a short prayer and ends with an affirmation about Jesus being our hope.  If you like Charles Stanley, then I think you will like this devotional book. The cover is soft leather feel and there is a ribbon marker in the middle.
I received this book from the publisher (Thomas Nelson) in exchange for my honest review.

Saturday, December 15, 2018

Handel's Messiah

A few weeks ago, our family had the pleasure of going to see Handel's  Messiah at our middle daughter's college. She is in one of the school's choirs so they had combined all five of the college's choirs for this performance.  The performance also included the Arizona  Philharmonic Orchestra and four talented singers to perform the solo parts.

The presentation included the complete work of Handel's beautiful piece of music. In all honesty, the only piece I'm familiar with from The Messiah is the Hallelujah Chorus. And even then, I never paid that much attention to the lyrics.
I happened to see my daughter's  music binder a few days before the concert. I read through some of the lyrics a few of the songs and friends, let me tell you, the lyrics are powerful!

I made up my mind right then and there that I was going to truly listen to what the singers were saying through their songs during the concert. There were songs that moved me to tears and I kept wondering how any of the singers from the choirs or the soloists could not be moved at what they were singing? Were the singers just singing for the sake of performing? Was the audience mostly Christian believers or were people there just because it was what they do as a tradition?

This brings me to the subject of Christmas. I know there are Christians who choose not to celebrate Christmas. I respect their choice.  We celebrate Christmas . At our home we honor Christ's birth, His death on the cross and His resurrection.  We thank the Lord for coming as a helpless baby, for dying for our sin and finally rising from the dead.  If Jesus had never come, where would we be?

So getting back to The Messiah, if you have never seen or heard this beautiful piece of music, you can find several presentations on YouTube. The Messiah is all about the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus dear friends!  As a side note, if your church has hymnals, you may find hymns written by Handel.

Tips for Successful Cookie Baking

1. Assemble your ingredients.  No scratch that.  Check that you have all the ingredients so that you don't discover you are one egg short.

2. Assemble your ingredients in order they will be used. ( Where did the ginger go now?)

3. If you are easily distracted you might want to ban people from the kitchen. This is because that cute guy who you married might come into the kitchen while you are carefully following your recipe. As a result of him commenting that the crazy glue we had been looking for suddenly shows up in the junk drawer ( how many times did we look in that junk drawer?) you totally missed putting the four teaspoons of baking soda in the gingersnap  recipe. Instead you put four teaspoons of cinnamon instead!

4. Watch cookies very carefully otherwise they will be overly cooked.( Well they sure looked like they needed more time to me!)

5. If someone comes to the door while you are trying to white chocolate and shortening  for the cookie topping  wanting to sell solar, be very polite and explain you are trying to do Christmas baking and cannot talk to him. (Actually you are slightly irritated in this rude intrusion)


6. Rejoice in your the fruits of your labor and even though you you missed the baking soda and put in way too much cinnamon .

Yes this all happened to me yesterday and the cookies tastes really good. They don't look like or tastes like I made mistakes. 

There may be several posts coming in one after the other today and/ or tomorrow.  I have a lot to post including book reviews 

Thursday, December 6, 2018

By the Way

I'm very behind in  reading everyone's blogs but I hope to try catch up on what's happening with you all and your families.

Thoughts

I watched both the state and Texas funerals for President Bush.  I will say that I was especially impressed with thes state funeral. I never realized that he was a man of great faith . There  was something said at President Bush's state funeral by his family pastor that went something like "Preach the gospel always, and when necessary, use words."  Now I'm sure I quoted him wrong but nevertheless I was inspired to do just that.  I hope that when people see me they Jesus.

The music at both funerals was wonderful but my absolute favorite was  "How Firm a Foundation" the military band played as the casket was being carried to the burial site. Have you ever heard it? If not, then you can find it at The Cyberhymnal  including other great old hymns.

One thing I'm sure that blessed the Bush family, was the many people that came out in the rain today to pay their respects along the very long train route carrying President Bush's body.  I would have imagined it was probably overwhelming to them to see such love poured out for our former president. It brought tears to my eyes that's for sure.

Well I feel a ramble coming on so I better end this. If you didn't get a chance to watch either funeral, I encourage you to watch one or both. The Texas funeral is shorter than the state one.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Still Here!

I can't believe I let so many days go without posting here. It's getting rather late here in Arizona but I wanted to at least pop in and say hi.
I will do my best to post later tomorrow after President George Bush's funeral. Please keep the Bush family in prayer. It has to be incredibly difficult to first lose their mom Barbara and then a few months later their dad.  The holidays I know will be hard for the family members.

Thursday, November 29, 2018

Thank You!

Thank you all for encouraging comments in my last post.  You are all dear to me. I came across this graphic on Pinterest yesterday and it's so very true! I don't understand God's reason for taking our dear brother Duane home but I do know that His plans are much better than ours. I know that He will walk Duane's wife Linda through this journey of being a widow.  We, as a church will help Linda as it is instructed in the scriptures to care for the widows. And we will do it joyfully without whining and complaining amongst each other.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Confession Time

Dear friends you might have noticed that once again, I'm behind on my daily being thankful posts and for that I'm truly sorry.

Truth of the matter is, I'm feeling troubled in my faith. It all started a couple of weeks ago when a dear brother from our church was severely injured in a bicycle accident.  Our church prayed and prayed that he would recover and I honestly thought he would but instead God took him home the day before Thanksgiving. My heart is heavy and so sad for his wife.  They were part of our first small group dinner fellowship a couple of years ago.

Our church is also soon to face another loss as a sweet sister is on hospice and will soon be going to her heavenly reward.

I think no matter how long we are Christians ,we just don't understand why God heals some people and others He does not.
I feel for our pastors because I know it's has been very overwheming  for them with all the losses our church has experienced this year.

So anyway, I thought I would share what is on my heart. I want to catch up on my daily thankful posts. I'm also behind in my book reviews too. So dear ones please be patient with me as I try hard to get my act together. I'm thankful for all of you who take the time to read this blog.

Friday, November 23, 2018

Being Thankful Days 10-13 Catching Up

Day 10-I'm thankful for the wonderful blog community.  I treasure the friendships that have been formed through blogging.

Day 11- I'm thankful  shopping for Thanksgiving dinner is done

Day 12- I'm thankful we were able to provide hospitality to a lady at church by having over for Thanksgiving dinner.  I missed the opportunity to provide Biblical hospitality when we lived in CA because my home was too dirty to have anyone over.

Day 13- I'm thankful for a relaxing day after Thanksgiving though we needed a few things from Dollar Tree and Safeway. I have never done Black Friday shopping due just the whole materialistic mentality.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving and Apologies

Graphic courtesy of Abby from Little Birdie Blessings



I want to apologize for getting behind my Being Thankful posts.  We've busy with church activities and I'm trying to get our home ready for Thanksgiving .
I pray you all have a safe and stress free Thanksgiving.

Monday, November 19, 2018

Being Thankful Day 9

I'm thankful that my husband is healing nicely from our car accident back in Sepetmber. Here he is holding Kirstie, our cat.

Sunday, November 18, 2018

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Being Thankful Day 7

I'm thankful for my sweet youngest daughter who turned 18 today.
Happy birthday Kaitlyn!

Friday, November 16, 2018

Being Thankful Day 6

I'm thankful for free offers and special coupons for ridiculously low priced items at the grocery store.   Yesterday we had a electronic Just 4 U coupon to get a jar of Safeway Select Salsa free and a special electronic coupon for Oreos at 99 cents.  We love Oreos though I don't buy them as much because they are not the best thing to eat.  Okay they are the best to eat!  They are just not  all that healthy. We also had a coupon for free a free small tray of fajita veggies in the produce aisle.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Being Thankful Day 5

I'm thankful that I can go to the Lord when I hurt both emotionally and physically.  Currently I hurt physically because I  have this painful sty on my eyelid. I have never had a sty before and it's annoying in addition to the pain. So hopefully from what I read online, it will heal itself in a few days.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Being Thankful Day 4

I'm ever so thankful for old hymns. Photo by Kelly Sikkema courtesy of UnSplash.com


Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Monday, November 12, 2018

If You Have a Chance

Be sure to click on today's  Google's homepage that honors five veterans who share their stories. One from each branch of the military. One is from a woman who is 103 years old!

Being Thankful Day 2

I'm thankful for my salvation. I don't think I would be alive if I hadn't trusted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and allowed Him complete control of my life. Oh I try sometimes to take back control only it always fails when I do.


Sunday, November 11, 2018

Being Thankful

Today at church our pastor challenged us to daily post something on our social media site something we are thankful for. I don't have Facebook so my blog will have to do.
I'm going to try to do this daily even if it something that may appear silly to others.
It's obvious I'm thankful for my husband, daughters and my home. But I'm thankful for this lovely appliance:
My friend texted me a few weeks ago asking if I had need for this electric roaster. It was brand new still in the box. I texted back yes! I've always wanted an electric roaster but I never bought one because they are rather expensive. This one I got for free! We named it Oaster Roaster because it made by Oster. It will come in very handy when we make our Thanksgiving turkey so we won't have to wait for the turkey to come out of the oven to make dinner rolls. 

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Some Fall Recipes

Hello dear friends with fall here I've read some blog posts in the past few weeks of recipes I'm hoping to try for these chilly nights.

Tajuana, over at My Life 0utside the Box has a yummy recipe Easy Carrot Soup .

Laura, at Harvest Lane Cottage a recipe for  Easy Chicken Soup

Cris, at Recipes That Crock has a  recipe for Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup


I hope you will visit the blogs and try the recipes.  Fall is my favorite time of the year of the year for testing new recipes and soups are the best recipes because you can tweak them to your liking.  Oh did I mention soups are the best comfort foods next to homemade mac and cheese?

Thursday, November 8, 2018

When Will the Madness Stop?

If you haven't heard there was another mass shooting. This time it was  at a bar in Thousand Oaks, CA. The killer kiled 12 people before killing himself.
It just madness. Just when we are trying get through the mass shooting at a synagogue in PA, this happens.
It would appear that the bar killer had mental issues that may not have been dealt with properly.
Pray for the families of those that died. One of the victims was a 29 year veteran sherrif who had planned to retire in the next year.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

Book Review: Through My Father's Eyes by Franklin Graham

                   
                     



Franklin Graham writes a wonderful book about his memories of his father, the Rev. Billy Graham.  He shares how is father had such a heart for the lost. From  Rev. Graham's early beginnings in ministry to his homegoing service he wanted people to know Jesus. I appreciate in Franklin's book, the gospel is shared throughout each chapter.  Franklin also tells us about his sweet mother, Ruth, who was a faithful wife and mother. She was a woman I would definitely would loved to have met.

In the middle of the book there are photos of family and various events from Billy Graham's life including his humble casket at the Capitol Rotunda   Washington D.C. and also at his funeral. The final photo is of Franklin Graham's parents with the caption " Together again".

I think this book should be read by all Christian believers but I also think it should be read by unbelievers. There is an " altar call"  in the postscript with a prayer to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. That's my favorite part!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher( Thomas Nelson) in exchange for my review.

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

My Blog List

Ladies, I wanted to let you know I removed my blog list  from my blog page temporarily to hopefully prevent a very persistent spammer and sneaky ( Co Coya) from spamming you all.

This person is from an online casino website so if this person leaves a comment and if you don't normally moderate then just delete the comment.
And please don't click on any links in the comment either.


Saturday, October 13, 2018

Apologies

I want to apologize for the confusion to those who thought you hallucinated a book review post. Then you told your friend about it and she is like "Oh I had the same hallucination! Do you suppose it's in the tea?"

Well what happened is, I wrote my post late at night and I was so very tired that I didn't preview my post. My friend helped me with proofreaded as I had no idea that I left out words and other errors.  So anyway, the new and improved book review is up.
I've learned a very important lesson: Never try to post anything when I'm sleepy and can't keep my little brown eyes open.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Children's Book Review: ThoughtFULL - Discovering the Unique Gifts in Each of Us

ThoughtFull is by the same author (Dorena Williamson) who wrote ColorFULL a book I reviewed a few months ago. ThoughtFull centers around Ahanu, a boy with Down Syndrome, and his friend Joshua. Ahanu gets an award in school for being thoughtful.

Joshua hears some boys later on making fun of Ahanu and must learn how to stand up for his differently-abled friend.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Dorena reminds us that God has given each of us unique gifts regardless of our abilities.

The Parent Connection in the back of the book is from 1 Corinthians 12:4 - Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. (CSB -Christian Standard Bible)

I received a complimentary copy of this book (B&H Kids) in exchange for my review.



Tuesday, October 9, 2018

This and a Little Bit of That

Honestly this month is flying by very quickly. Before you know it, it will be
November and we will be getting ready for the holidays.

I've had a lot to think about since Tim's accident. Mostly I find myself fearful and wondering what is going to happen next. I try to lean on the verse in Philippians 4:6-7- Be careful (anxious)* for nothing, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to known to  God.  And the peace of  God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ . * parenthesis is mine

I keep thinking what if Tim had been killed? What if he was left paralyzed?
Then there are the thoughts that run through my mind like what if he dies from a heart attack? Or has a stroke and on and on.

Recently during my quiet time with the Lord I came across  in my hymnal Take My Life and Let It Be. Such a beautiful hymn and I love singing it. It reminds me, my life is not my own and to give complete control of my life to God.

I know it is normal to worry but for me personally if I'm having severe fear and worry, it shows my lack of trust in God. Anyway, I know God is in control. He knows the future so I need to put my complete trust in Him.

I have a book review maybe two books that I will be posting soon so keep an eye out for those.

Monday, October 1, 2018

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today -October 1, 2018
Looking outside my window... it's windy and cloudy with possible thunderstorms 

I am thinking ... well actually I have a lot on my mind since Tim's car accident

 I am thankful... that Tim wasn't killed in his car accident. I can't express just how so thankful I am!

One of my favorite things...
a cup of tea in a pretty teacup

I am wearing...
a yellow dress with blue flowers,sneakers and cream colored hanging veil

I am creating... or I should say I'm going to create a nice autumn mantel. The autumn decor is still in a box.

I'm watching.... or was watching the last season of The Dick Van Dyke Show. 

I am reading... Through My Father's Eyes by Franklin Graham.  For some reason it's taking me a long time to read this book. My review is overdue I think.

I am hoping... nice weather for our church 40th anniversary celebration in a couple of weeks. It would appear the monsoons are making a comeback.

I am learning.....
So many different household hacks from around the internet. It's amazing what people come up with.

In the garden....
Mostly sweet mint now

In the kitchen... 
Well I actually haven't thought much about dinner but I guess we will have ground beef stroganoff. It's quick to prepare

Board Room....
Well actually I haven't figured out how to add that feature. I know it's something really simple

Postscript...
Perhaps the board thing is something like this?
This is my board for making sugar scrubs
https://www.pinterest.com/coffeeteamama/dyi-sugar-scrubs/

Shared Quote...
" When you read or hear that Billy Graham is dead, don't you believe a word of it!
I shall be more alive than I am now. I will have just changed my address.
I will have gone into the presence of God."  -Billy Graham

A moment from my day...
Part of the laundry I did

Closing thoughts...
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Please remember those ladies and though rare men who are fighting this terrible disease in prayer. Also pray for families who lost loved ones to breast cancer.

I'm linking up with The Simple Woman Daybook  http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/p/httpthesimplewoman.html

Where to Buy Christian Coloring Books

 It occurred to me I forgot to answer where you can buy Christian coloring books. There are several places to buy them.
1. Hobby Lobby

2. Christian bookstores, however it's hard to find brick and mortar bookstores nowadays. The one here closed last year and the nearest Christian bookstore is hours away.

3. Online Christians retailers like B&H/Lifeway which is where I got Big Little, Christianbook.com and others.

4. Sometimes women bloggers will offer devotional coloring pages for free for signing up for their newsletter

5. GVS which is a Anabaptist owned business  mail order company offers things like toys, sewing supplies, art supplies, hair supplies and more. They have coloring books for children and adults.
To get a catalog call 1- 800-398-2494

Thankful For God's Protection

I was trying to come up with a clever title for this post but the title I wrote sums it up.

Friday morning Tim was on his way back from his cardiology appt when he got in a terrible car accident  that totaled the car. He is badly bruised and he hurts all over especially his chest where the airbag hit him.

Our friend will be taking us over to where the car was towed but Tim doesn't want me to see the car because he knows I will probably freak out.
We are very glad the Lord kept him safe but I'm wondering what is God trying to teach us? This is not the best time for a car accident. Actually there is no good time for a car accident. We have to start looking for a car which in my opinion isn't as fun as looking for a new house.
Our church has been wonderful and a couple is letting us borrow a car until we can find one of our own.

I'm sitting here thinking that with all the things that have happened in our lives in the past few months,life  definitely not boring here!

Monday, September 24, 2018

Coloring Book Review: Big and Little Coloring Devotional

http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/products/big-and-little-coloring-devotional

Big and Little Coloring Devotional written by  Rachel C. Swanson and illustrated by Jacy Corral is a delightful mommy and me coloring book devotional  that  coloring pages in a children's and mom's version of the same page. Each page has a short verse from the Bible and the mom's page also has an encouragement devotion including the Bible verse.
The pages are fun to color and provides quality for mom and child to talk about the scripture. I think it a great opportunity to memorize scripture together too.
I highly recommend this book not just because I like coloring books but because this one has lots scripture .

I received a free copy of this book from B&H/Lifeway in exchange for my honest review .

Friday, September 21, 2018

Just So You Know..

I didn't include a picture of a snake or centipede in my previous post. Those things are too creepy to look at. Also I hope you all checked out today's Google doodle. It's in honor of Mr. Rogers and the anniversary of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood.

The Cat, the Snake, and the Centipede- No Creepy Picture Included!





This morning around 5 :00 my husband and I were jolted awake by our youngest daughter who said she thinks there is a snake in her room.  I woke up on full mom alert and wondered how big was the snake and was it poisonous.
Tim grabbed a large cardboard box to catch the snake. Our daughter went to her room explaining that Kirstie was trying to get something near her food bowl and kept jumping back.  She said that it looked like a baby snake and was worried the mother might be around.
Kaitlyn ran out as soon as she saw it. Tim saw it and scooped it out and said that it wasn't a snake but a large centipede. Obviously not as cute as that centipede above  from pixaby.com.
Tim said it was a fairly large bug. I'm glad I didn't see it myself. I probably would have screamed.  I hate bugs! We have a friend who was a Marine back in his younger days who says he can deal with scorpions, rattlesnakes and rats but centipedes gives him the creeps because  apparently they are really fast runners.

Well after that whole incident there was the temptation to get dressed and go to IHOP for breakfast but we decided we just too tired and Tim really needed to continue to recuperate from his cardioversion.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Thank You and Sucess!

Thank you all for your encouraging words. Tim's procedure went well and his heart is now back to normal but he has to take yet another heart medication. The cardioversion was quick and now Tim is resting in our nice comfy bed.  All of us here thank you all for praying.❤❤❤

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Updates

I don't usually post this late but I'm not tired so I thought I would post an update. Tim is having a procedure tomorrow( Thursday) where the cardiologist is going to try to shock his heart to normal rhythm called cardioversion . This scares the daylights out of me. The doctor says it's a simple procedure but anything related to the heart worries me so if you think of it please pray for him. His procedure is at 1:00 Mountain Time.
Me, my rheumatologist after doing much bloodwork on me doesn't think I have lupus. I'm grateful but that doesn't answer my question about why I'm in so much pain, especially in my hands. The doctor says that many people will test positive for lupus even for years but don't actually have it. He says I probably have osteoarthritis and to add 500mg Tylenol  three times a day to my Gabapentin medicine regime. I'm not comfortable at all with taking that  much Tylenol all the time. I can't imagine what taking Tylenol possibly forever will do to my liver. Honestly I think there is something more than OA going on but ladies I really don't like talking about my health issues but it does help "talking" to you all about it.
Anyway, I'm going back to my primary care provider to discuss possibly getting a second opinion. Please pray I can get some answers.
I want to be able to crochet and sew again without needing to take breaks due to pain. Even typing hurts.
Okay. I've whined enough. I'm going to bed.

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Winner of Study Bible

I met to get this post out earlier today but I was Nurse Mom both last night and today.  The winner of the study Bible as drawn by my daughter from her top hat is Cheryl. Congratulations! I have your email address already so I will be contacting you very soon.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Praying for Those in Path of Florence

I'm praying for all of you who will be impacted by Hurricane Florence. Please stay safe and don't take any unnecessary chances with your lives. If you need to evacuate the please do and don't forget to take any important information with you.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

When Foundations are Shaken by Dr. Charles Stanley

I would like today's devotion written by Dr. Charles Stanley. May it encourage your hearts as we remember 9/11

**************************************************************************
Bible reading-  Hebrews 12:25-29

Seventeen years ago, the United States of America experienced a massive surprise attack by terrorists. Our people were shaken by the realization that the country is not as safe as we once thought.
Of course it grieved us to learn of the events that occurred and the lives that were tragically lost. But at the same time, the horrible situation led to some positive outcomes. For example, our nation unified and people served with courage and selflessness.

One of the biggests benefits I believe, was that many of us realized our great dependence upon God. Safety in this world is an illusion . Sadly, the peace and blessings we experienced in America have led to much complacency and self-dependency. Sometimes we need to be shaken out of our forgetfulness and into reliance upon Jesus Christ.

Just listening to the news these days can rattle our sense of well being. There is always something unsettling taking place. But as believers, we should look at life from a resurrection perspective.  We are children of the living God, not people who seek security only in the natural,secular world.
Our hope and refuge is firm: Through Jesus Christ, our relationship with the Lord is eternal.  Everything else we possess could be destroyed in a moment.

Worldly circumstances--- natural disasters, wars and assorted turmoil ---- may have an effect on everyone, but they can't control the believer's heart .
Let your hope rest in Christ alone. Only by finding security in the arms of the almighty God can you endure times of uncertainty.

Remembering September 11th 2001

Photo by Aidan Bartos on Unsplash

Monday, September 3, 2018

Happy Labor Day and a Giveaway

Hi ladies! I hope your Labor Day is going well. We were going to BBQ but it looks like we are in for a thunderstorm so it out comes the cast iron griddle pan.

I'm  doing a giveaway. It's for the CSB Worldview Study Bible. Here is the link to my review  https://coveredwifeoftim.blogspot.com/2018/05/book-reviewworldview-study-bible.html

I would like to give away my review copy which is still in brand new shape.
These are the complete features of this navy leathertouch study Bible from the back of the gift box:


  • Extensive worldview study notes and over 130 articles written by more than 120 notable  Christian authors
  • Center columns references 
  • Two ribbon markers
  • Presentation page
  • Full color maps
  • Two piece gift box
  • Black letter text
The CSB (Christian Standard Bible) is described as staying as literal as possible to the Bible's original meaning without sacrificing  clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture's  life-transforming message and share it with others. (From the back of the box)

So I will announce the winner of the Bible on September 15th. All you have to do to enter is share your favorite verse or book from the Bible.

Monday, August 20, 2018

A Note About the Blueberry Crumble Bars

The recipe calls for quick cooking oats but I didn't have any so I used old fashioned oats instead.  I think it probably won't really matter. Old-fashioned oats makes the topping more crunchy probably the crust would hold better than quick oats.

Monday and Blueberry Crumble Bars

I can't believe that summer is flying by so quickly. Some schools have started already (August 6th here). Not me! My homeschool is starting the day after Labor Day. Who wants to start the fall semester in summer?
At Bible study last week we talked about making visitors at our church feel welcome. One thing that our family pastor said that really struck a cord with me is to avoid being a Pharisee and not act "holier than thou ". And not not look down our noses at people who are different.

I don't usually have that problem but I'm going to confess something that frankly I'm rather ashamed to admit.
Just before Aretha Franklin passed away, (I miss that magnificent voice already!) the media was reporting how various celebs were visting her and some were tweeting they were praying for her.
Well, after reading all that I was like " Do these ungodly people think God is going to listen to them?" Then there was  " When was the last time you even stepped into a church?"  attitude.

Ouch! I honestly felt like the two men who went to pray, where one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.( Luke 18:10-13)
You know the story. The Pharisee thought he " was all that and a bag of chips" because he did things he thought pleased God and he was glad he wasn't like "like other people" including the tax collector.   The tax collector was humble and didn't even feel worthy enough to come before God. He asked God for mercy for he was a sinner. Scripture doesn't say what the tax collector did that that made him feel so unworthy he wouldn't even look up to heaven.

I told Tim about my not so Christlike thoughts about some of the celebrities that claimed they were praying for Aretha. He explained that God does hear their prayers and it's possible that perhaps this is a step towards getting right with Him. I knew I needed to ask the Lord for forgiveness and I admit, it's hard to not judge some of these celebrities because of their immoral bevaviors. Oh but I'm trying.

Anyway, I mentioned blueberry crumble bars. I made this today and it was so delicious!

You can find the recipe here Blueberry Crumble Bars

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Toddler Book Review: All the Colors That I See

This cute little board book is written by Pamela Kennedy and illustrated by Holli Conger

This board book teaches children their colors and there is a chameleon that is hidden on each page. The book  short and the illustrations are very eye catching.  At the end, it reminds the child that God made all the colors we see. Since it's a board book it is very sturdy and will stand up to lots of love.
I think it's perfect to read to babies too.

I received this book free from B&H/Lifeway in exchange for my  honest review

Monday, August 6, 2018

Blog Technical Question

I hope some of you techy people can answer this question. I noticed that sometimes I will get this weird( in my opinion) amount of views to a post. I also noticed in my stats there will be odd referring sites or odd referring URLs.
I'm not worried about it but was curious if this happens to other bloggers. I wonder if some of the pageviews could come from spammers but when they see my blog is moderated they leave. I have had a couple of people try to spammer me but I delete their comments.

That reminds me. I believe there is a scam going on that is targeting Christian bloggers. A person claiming to be a pastor from a foreign country will comment that he is excited to have found the particular blog he is commenting on. He will go on to say that he would love it if the person whose blog he would come get involved in his  "ministry"  and he leaves his email address. The person by his comments, I can tell, doesn't even read the post he's commenting on. I've seen this type of comment on a couple of blogs in the last year and I wonder if it's something new. Maybe something similar to the scam emails that are still going by people claiming they are stuck in a foreign country and they want to transfer this ridiculous amount of money in your bank account but they just want to steal your money.
Anyway, didn't mean to go off on a different subject.

It's Monday

I hope you had a pleasant weekend. We have been enjoying a break from thunderstorms for the past four days but of course that means I have to water the plants myself.  We are enjoying the green bean harvest. The tomatoes are still growing  and are not ready for harvesting. We can't wait for that to happen.
I sure appreciate your comments and your prayers. I believe that as Christians we are blessed to know we have network of prayer warriors.

Lately, I've been thinking about Christians who have stayed true to their faith and have not compromised their beliefs. I admire that they haven't conformed or developed an "everybody else is doing it" mentality. I think it's probably hard on those Christians because they are most likely ridiculed for their convictions and called legalistic. Yesterday at Sunday school the lesson was on knowing why we believe the scriptures, not ignoring or tossing out scripture.
Two questions that were in yesterday's lesson were:

How is it that people can read the Bible, but not apply its truth?
What are some teachings of the Bible that people choose to ignore?

I admit this was a very difficult lesson for me. There are too many to list why here. I can share that sometimes I struggle with wanting to just stay home therefore " foresaking the assembling"  of other believers.  I'm not sure even why.
I also tend to worry. I worry about our finances. I worry about my family and their health. I worry about my health. I worry about other believers that they are ignoring Biblical truths. I won't go into details. Paul reminds us in the first part of Philippians 4:6 " Be cafeful for nothing". In other words don't  be anxious or worried. Paul goes on to say " but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Ladies I know this. I believe this. I haven't ignored it or tossed this teaching. I suppose it's my human nature worry about things and forget to give my cares to the Lord.

It's taken me all day to get this post written. With my pain, I take frequent breaks to rest my hands.  Then we lost our power because a power pole was down. I want to get back into crocheting. I think I will just have to take lots of breaks. This will of course take me longer to finish a project but at least I will be doing what I love.

I have several book reviews to post. I hope to get those up soon. If you ever have questions about any of the books I have reviewed don't hesitate to ask.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Sometimes I Want to Cry

Sometimes I want to  cry. I cried  for Tia Coleman, who lost nine of her family members including her husband and all her children in the duck boat accident. I cried for the teenaged girl whose grandmother died while saving her .  I cried for a sweet young lady nicknamed Bunny who is struggling with depression and anxiety. I cry for lost souls and for people who criticize us Christian wives for wanting to be our husband's greatest encourager. They somehow think we approve of bad behavior from our husbands which is simply not true.  I cry because my pain medication doesn't seem to be working.

But I cry happy tears too. Like when the newest baby at our church was born a few days ago. Or when a friend has finished her last chemo treatment for breast cancer.

Prayer requests: Pray for Tia Coleman and all the other suvivors of the duck boat accident. Pray that they will seek the Lord through this terrible tragedy.

Pray for Bunny as she struggles with her faith and that she will be encouraged and strengthened.

Pray that I can get an earlier  doctor appointment. The earliest I can be seen by the rheumatologist is August 27th. I'm planning on asking my primary doctor for either a different pain medication or a stronger strength of the gabapentin. Some of the more bothersome side affects like crankiness have subsided.

I was looking at some of my old labs  results from CA online last week and was rather surprised to see that I have tbeen testing positive for lupus since 2008 ANA levels are what is used to check for lupus and each lab report was positive. This was after my recovery from TTP. For those of you who are wondering, TTP stands for Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.( I  honestly think someone made up that name) This is a condition in which the platelets drop to a extremely dangerous level. When I was diagnosed my platelets were 10,000. Normal is 150,000 and above.

So now I'm wondering did I actually already have lupus long  before I was diagnosed with TTP or did the TTP cause it? I guess I will never know for sure.
I'm wondering why my doctors  mentioned it to me. Maybe because I wasn't having any symptoms?

This post is longer than I met it to be. Actually  I started it yesterday but my hands hurt and today, I took several breaks from typing due to pain.
Thank you for all your prayers,  ladies.  I'm so thankful for prayer warriors like you all!

Monday, July 16, 2018

Sunset After the Storm

I wanted to share this lovely sunset picture. The storm passed a couple of hours ago and the Lord treated us to this lovely gift.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today July 16th


Looking out my window.. the clouds are building up for another monsoon



I am thinking.. about phone calls to make and  paperwork from the rheumatologist to fill out.


I am thankful...  that the Lord brought this adorable cat Kirstie into our lives. She has brought us so much joy.


I am wearing... a light green floral dress and no shoes


I am hoping... that the thunderstorms predicted for today don't start until after my husband and daughter get home. 


In the kitchen...my youngest is making brownies

In my garden ... I have sweet mint growing in my teapot planter, there is also in my garden ,green beans and tomatoes.

Post script
I want to share one of my favorite place to get tea


A moment from my day...rain from our thunderstorm that is going on now.


Closing thoughts ...
Well Tim and Shannon got caught in the thunderstorms but they are home now. I tell you, the monsoons here are very intense.
I don't like sharing about my physical pain. My hands are hurting and I noticed similar pain in my feet. But I know that my God is bigger than lupus.

I'm linking up with the July The Simple Woman Daybook

Saturday, July 14, 2018

Good Morning!

Good morning girls! Thank you all for your comments in my last post regarding my lupus and Tim's  back. And I especially thank you for your prayers. They really mean alot.
So our insurance has approved for me to see a rheumatologist and I'm waiting for paperwork from them to arrive so I can fill out and return before I can get an appointment. I'm glad we don't have to go all the way Flagstaff or Phoenix. It's monsoon here and going out of town during a treacherous thunderstorm makes for a very nervous mama.

Tim will be making an appointment to get a MRI of his spine. He has sciatica and his xray showed he has bone spurs along his spine. Our doctor also recommended and referred him to a neurosurgeon. In. Flagstaff.
So we will probably end up having an appointment at the end of August because the doctors here refer their patients to Flagstaff due to the fact that he is apparently one of  top neurosurgeons around. As a result, there is a long wait for an appointment.  This actually will work because by then, the monsoons will have tapered off.

The last time, we went to Flagstaff during a monsoon was in 2016, when we first moved here and our friend who used to live in Santa Barbara wanted us to look at house that was for sale across the street from her. Being new to Arizona and not knowing that it can be 90° and sunny one moment and thunderstorms and 63° two hours later, we drove to Flagstaff.

 We got caught in  heavy thunderstorm on the way up. I must say, by the time we got to Flagstaff, we were hungry, tired and very. Very. Cranky.
It was good to see our friend and visit with the sweet lady whose house was for sale. Though the house was nice and it came with rental income due to mobile homes on the property we just weren't impressed with Flagstaff. It was just to high and though we love snow, I know we would get tired of it. We also didn't want to deal with the headache of being landlords and people with questionable morals.

I finally found out what the birds are that have a nest in our eaves. They are house finches. There is yet another set of babies coming. It seems as soon as the last babies left home, another mama showed up and has laid her eggs.
I hope to get a picture of these pretty birds but you can Google a picture to see what they look like.

Anyway, that's what's happening here. I have several books to read and review. Not quite sure how having only one or two review books to read turned into four. I also hope to post a Simple Woman's Daybook soon. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Friday, June 29, 2018

Fridays This and That

Happy Friday dear ones. I trust you all have had a good week. We have had a lot going on here.
Tim has had sciatica pain in his back but the pain medications he's taking is helping.
I'm dealing with hand pain which is another reason I've been mostly absent from blogging and replying to comments. I've had pain for a number of years but it seems to be getting worse so my doctor had me do some bloodwork to check for lupus and to find out if I'm still prediabetic or if I have full diabetes. Well I'm still prediabetic but my bloodwork came back postive for lupus. Because I had TTP( severely low platelets) back in 2007 I knew I was at risk for lupus. I've been referred to a rheumatologist so I hope to get a call in the next couple of weeks.
The pain makes it hard to type and do my normal everyday activities not to mention my crocheting is affected.
That being said I'm taking a two week break from blogging. I want to give my hands a break. I'm taking gabapentin at night for pain but it has unpleasant side affects such a loopiness and it seems to make me crankier than usual.

Before I go I want to post this picture of the planter I bought. When you see it, you will see why  I just love it!

I love teacups! I'm growing sweet mint and the mint will make the most delicious tea!

Have a great weekend friends. I'll be back around July 11th Lord willing. Have a great 4th of July to my USA readers and have a great Canada Day to my Canadian readers!

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Happy First Day of Summer!

Hello dear friends! I apologize for being away for so long. We've just been here.
We have had opportunities to help families at church in various capacities. It's been a pleasure to help where needed most.  And it's been a pleasure to apply what I learned from the book " Just Open the Door" to our lives.
As a matter of fact my Kaitlyn my 17 year old is practicing " out of the blue" hospitality by inviting the high school youth group girls from church to our house for movie night next month. Without asking me first. Oh my goodness! This will be interesting.

We had baby birds again in the past month but they left the nest today so we are a little sad. You babysit them and keep predators away and they show their thanks by growing up and flying away somewhere nearby!

My tomato plant is finally blooming and we just can't wait for lots of tomatoes. I hope to get over to Lowe's this week to pick up some potting soil and a mint plant to put in my very special planter I bought our local Shopko. Sadly our Shopko is closing at the end of this month with the reasons being poor business decisions.
After I get my mint planted, I will post a picture and you will see why I love this planter.

Recently I've been dealing with frustration over redeeming a offer for a free magazine subscriptions. The first time I tried to redeem an offer about two months ago I chose Victoria. A few weeks later instead of Victoria, they sent a trashy tabloid called Entertainment Weekly. Well there was no way, I was going to allow that garbage in my house. So I immediately called to cancel though I feel like I was talking to a robot but the magazine was canceled.

Three weeks ago I received an offer for a free magazine subscription this time one of the choices amongst all the other icky was Southern Living. I chose that one and even got a confirmation that I should get my first issue of Southern Living in about three week to four weeks.

Two days ago Shannon brought in the mail and says "You are going to love the magazine you got" She then hands me the June issue of, well I won't say but it's extremely popular among women.  I'm like, I didn't subscribe to this! She then says " Okay then how about this one?"(With a grin on her face) It's the July issue of the magazine I don't want to mention the name of. Let's just say this magazine is very New Age, feminist, so very worldly. I had to go online to cancel this one because there was no phone number for customers to call.

At this point, I've given up on free subscription offers. I will just pay for my Christian magazines like Keepers at Home and not worry about trash coming into our home.

Well I have to eat breakfast and get started on my household chores. I hope you all get out and enjoy the the Lord's creation.



Monday, June 11, 2018

Hospitality

Hospitality! Oh how that word makes me nervous! In my prevous post I shared about Jen Schmidt's hospitality book Just Open the Door.

The Bible is full of examples of hospitality:
Abraham and Sarah providing food and water to the three visitors- Genesis 18:1-8

Lot prepared food for the two angels who came to him before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:1-3

Rahab took in two spies sent by Joshua . Joshua 2:1-22

Mary and Martha provided hospitality to Jesus Luke 10:38-41

Zacchaeus hosted Jesus Luke 19:5-6

There's many more scriptures recorded and way too many to list here but you can  search your own Bibles for people who provided food and shelter to loved ones and strangers.

Providing hospitality for me personally is rather scary because when we lived in CA I rarely had guests over. The reason I didn't have guests over much was I was totally ashamed of my messy house so I missed many opportunities to fellowship with friends but that's for another post.

So how do we even begin to open our doors to fellowship? Well personally, I  would start small. I'm talking invite one person over for coffee, tea or even a meal if you are comfortable. You can serve muffins and fruit with your tea or coffee. It really doesn't need to be anything elaborate.

After that first initial experience you can invite  someone over after church.
Again it doesn't need to be fancy. Sandwiches, frozen pizza and salads are great meals. If you do canning and you can meat like chicken, you can make a quick chicken salad or perhaps chicken salad.

Something I learned from the book  " Just Open the Door" is we as Christians don't  have  to practice hospitality.  We get to! I think when we have that mindset, it helps us to take the focus off of ourselves so that we can concentrate on being the hands and feet of Jesus to our guests.
We don't need to be little "Martha Stewarts and have everything all perfect with matching decor and elegant centerpieces!

I can go on and on about this topic but I want to encourage you all( and myself included) to bless someone. I have had guests here but I still have those fears of having people over and wondering what they think about me

Other ideas for blessing other with outside our home ideas include taking a meal to a family, making cookies for a new neighbor, on an especially hot day give bottled water to the panhandler you pass daily and the list goes on!

Have a blessed day my friends!




Friday, June 8, 2018

Book Review: Just Open the Door


Jen Schmidt wife, mom and author shares how you can change a generation with something as simple as an invitation .
What I liked about this book: Jen is really down to earth in her writing. She gives practical and doable ideas for practicing  Biblical hospitality which doesn't always mean having someone over to our homes.
It can be as simple as bringing a meal to a family, treating a woman to coffee or tea at your favorite restaurant. Jen shares ideas that I never even considered to be hospitality. Ideas like visiting a senior home with your children and bring cards to them and not just during holidays. Bringing snacks for the parents at your children's sports events.
Jen shares so much more than I can write in this review but what it all boils down to is when we practice Biblical hospitality we are being the hands and feet of Jesus.
I can't of anything negative about Just Open the Door. I really would recommend this book for anyone who wants to practice hospitality but just don't know where to start.
Jen Schmidt writes on her blog Balancing Beauty and Bedlam. She and her husband Gregg are the parents of five and live in rural N.C.

I was given a copy of this book from Lifeway.com in exhange for my honest review.

Update on Tim and Shannon

Hi ladies! I apologize for my late updates and I thank you all for praying. So Tim saw the doctor on Tuesday. His doctor said there is indeed scarring on his lungs but he's not too concerned about it. It's not severe enough to cause alarm. We are very grateful for that.
Shannon's ear is much better thanks to good old Amoxicillin. She thanks you all for praying.

I'm going to post next a book review next and the book is about hospitality.(gulp!)

Friday, June 1, 2018

Five Minute Friday Prompt- Return

Today I'm trying something different since I haven't finished reading the book I plan to review.
I'm joining the Five Minute Friday link party where you write for five minutes on whatever the word prompt is.
This week the word is Return. My five minutes start now!
I was thinking about when Jesus will return. But honestly I get rather discouraged at the state of our churches and wonder when He does return, will He have a church to rapture?

I'm not perfect by no means. I have done things, said things that have greatly disappointed my Lord. I want to be more like Jesus. I want to live a life that honors Him. Are we prepared for His return?

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Giveaway: ColorFULL-Celebrating the Colors God Gave Us

Hello dear friends! I would like to give away my copy of  ColorFULL. I you recall I reviewed this book and really liked it. See my post  https://coveredwifeoftim.blogspot.com/2018/05/book-reviewcolorfull-celebrating-colors.html

My daughters are no longer little girls so I want to bless one of you with my copy.  To enter the giveaway all you have to is in the comment section share what your favorite book from your childhood. I will put all entries in a teacup and announce the winner's name on June 9th.

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

The Simple Woman's Daybook

                                   For Today-May 23, 2018

Outside my window.... is very windy. I may need to resort to lightweight leggings under my dress to keep from recreating the Marilyn Monroe dress scene!

I am thinking...about accompanying my husband to the market in a little while

A few of my favorite things.... this sweet people I call my family
Teacups

I am wearing.... a purple floral dress

I am creating.... a infinity scarf but it's in the living room and I'm too lazy to go snap a picture of my progress. 

I'm reading... Just Open the Door by Jen Schmidt

I'm listening to...the wind chimes because it's so windy outside

I am hoping ....for rain so the Stage 2 fire restrictions can be lifted

I am learning ...to try and tame my tongue and not say unkind things to people who spam my friend's blog

In the kitchen.... will be  crockpot breakfast casserole

In my garden.... I'm hoping to see seedlings from my green beans and hopefully some tomato blossoms from my tomato plant

Post Script
These are my two favorite places for tea and tea related items


Shared Quote
"Verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM."  John 8:58. Jesus 


A moment from my day... my time with the Lord 

Closing thoughts...
In light of the whole kneeling during the National Anthem, I think  if the players want to kneel then put those knees to good use. Pray while you are kneeling!

If you want to do your own TSW Daybook the guidelines are here

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...