Our Awesome God...

Here is a quote from the blog of Paul Tripp:

"Psalm 27: Why would God ever answer me?" (click here to read the rest of the post)

"Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me." (v.7a)

I never get used to the moment by moment miracle of prayer. It's an amazing thing that God would ever even once listen to me, let alone answer! In little moments and big, again and again, I choose my own kingdom over his. I often run to him for help for messes that in my foolishness and rebellion I've made. I've no righteousness to present as an argument that he should hear me. I've no autonomous wisdom that I can present as a reason for his attention. I've no independent track record of good deeds that would get his attention. I've often been more fickle than loyal. I often justify my sin rather than seek his forgiveness. I struggle with being more attracted to the temporary pleasures of this physical world than I am committed to godly living.

How true this quote is for all of us...What an awesome and merciful God we serve whose loving kindness is so abundant...

"Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Hebrews 4:14-16

It has struck me lately that many times we go to prayer and we pour out our petitions and our requests, but we leave not really having spent time with the Lord. Are we going to Him just to "dump" or are we going to Him because we long to be with Him? Do we even realize that when we come He is there seeing, knowing and listening to us?

I want to encourage us today, to go in faith, believing that He hears our prayers. We don't know how or when He will answer, but we can know that He has heard and that He loves us and ALWAYS does things that are best for us, who love Him.

Would you join me today in seeking Him? Let's seek HIM and not what He can do for us. If you haven't done this in a while (just sought Him), confess it to Him and ask that He would stir up that desire again in you. He desires to have fellowship with us.

He is looking for those who will worship "Him" in "Spirit" and "Truth"...do you see Him...Father,  Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit?

"Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; Let such as love Your salvation say continually, 'The Lord be magnified!' Psalm 40:16

Recipes: Homemade Flavored Coffee Creamer

photo source: The Frugal Find

I was looking for a recipe for homemade flavored coffee creamer and there a many out there and it doesn't take a lot of time or ingredients!

Here is the basic recipe:

14 oz. can Sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whole, 2% or 1% milk
Mix thoroughly together.
Makes just under a quart.

For vanilla flavored creamer:
1 batch of base recipe
2 tsp. Pure Vanilla
No sugar needed to be added.

For other flavors, check out: The Frugal Find, where I got the picture!

Enjoy experimenting with different flavors! :D

Spring flowers in my yard

I thought it would be fun to post pictures of some of my Spring flowers and plants... :)

Purple Violets
Viola Sororia

This is the violet that often grows in lawns.  Sometimes they are also white or partly-white. It can also be found in the woods, in meadows and waste areas. They grow to a height of about 3-8 inches and flower between April and June.

Coleus

These plants are so colorful! There are many different varieties and colors. There are some that love sun and some that love shade. Be sure to look at your planting instructions for your variety. They are a nice plant for adding interest to a bed. If you have a bed that is just in the "green" stage, they will add some nice color. They are a good "transitional " choice.

Bee Balm

Bee balm attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. It is a great plant for your herb garden. I read that it is also called Oswego Tea because it was used by an Indian tribe in the NY area as a tea. You can also add the blossoms to salads as a garnish. It is a perennial and will spread. It is from the mint family. Also, the disease to watch for with it is powdery mildew. What I read was that it needs to have good drainage and air circulation. Also, get rid of any debris infected with powdery mildew.

Lungwort
Pulmonaria

This is a perennial plant that is quite exotic in appearance. In the Spring, the blue and pink flowers pop out of the spotted leaves. After the flowers disappear, the green spotted leaves remain until winter. This makes a great border plant. It grows well in sun, partial sun or shade. It is about 6-12 inches tall, depending on the variety you buy.

Spring Cleaning is in the Air and so is Simplifying!

Good Morning! I just read an excellent article over at Visionary Womanhood about cleaning and simplifying. I just thought I would post a few quick things that have helped me a lot over the years:

1) Sit in each room of the house, look around at what things you want in that room and remove the rest. This is akin to cleaning…go from the least messy room to the messiest room and you will have much more done overall. This is a good way to start simplifying. 

2) Take all the toys and put them into bins and rotate in a different bin each week. It keeps the amount of toys to a minimum and it rotates toys to keep them “fresh” and inviting. It encourages more creativity and helps to keep you from buying more…and all the toys go back into the bin…easy cleanup for you and your children! 

3) Before you sit down to help with school or some other type of “seated” work, throw the laundry into the washer or dryer and the dishes into the dish washer (or the sink that is full of nice hot sudsie water) making your "mechanical maids" busy while you are doing other things. That nice hot sudsie water is working on anything that is “stuck on” and will easily come off cutting your dishing washing time down when you get back to it. 

How about you? What other quick and easy ideas have helped you stay on top of your responsibilities? Share with us!

From our weekend...

After feasting on such deliciously satisfying food, we decided we needed to get out and enjoy the beauty of the coming Spring...here are a couple of pictures that I took on our walk.

Here is a picture of our children (minus one daughter and son-in law) ...except Chris (with the beard) he will be joining our interesting family sometime this year! :)

There is a nice lively "thaw" tumbling down through these woods...

I believe Spring is finally on it's way!