life and provision

I spent some much-needed time out in my yard today, tending and weeding and enjoying the warm weather and sunshine for a change. It felt good to touch and inhale the wonderful aroma of healthy black garden soil once again. I was not able to plant a winter garden this last fall and have missed it! On top of having way too much on my plate life-wise, we have had a very cold winter here on the Florida panhandle. I know that most of the rest of the country has been snowed in, but still. This Floridian blood is too thin for unending days of freezing rain and bone-chilling, sunless 20's and 30s.

I now have a whole patch of the garden weeded and ready for planting. I am thinking that various greens seedlings (collards, chard, kale, spinach, and several lettuces) can go into the ground in the next several weeks.

Why does my yard get all the ant hills?!? I need better ant killer this year.

Burned the last of the 12 trash bags of old business records from the bakery. Since Trish has been sick for so long, we are just now catching up with sorting through all the accounting records and throwing out too-old-and-not-needed years of receipts and paperwork that only can be burned or shredded. It took me almost a month to get around to start burning it all in my barrel, but today I finished the last three bags! I love the smell of fire. Gotta get my fire pit set up and use it!

A roofer friend is bartering for repairing and re-roofing the shed. It has been in bad shape for many years now, something Dad didn't take care of before he passed. Whole sections of roof decking are rotten, and the second story has leak stains everywhere now. I don't like organizing this sort of thing, maybe because I grew up in a family that had pretty clear jurisdictions and boundaries (my area was NOT the outdoors upkeep!). It is difficult for me to see the need to invest in a piece of property that serves as storage, but if we don't keep it up, where would we store all our tools, Christmas decor, old furniture, and stuff?! It's going to get metal roofing that will last much longer this time.

Want to replace the wooden fencing that has fallen or is falling down around the family house, but after getting an estimate, that is going to have to wait. Everything costs too much, and I certainly don't have enough finances to fund it all by myself.

Sarah's and my house at 2110 is now on the market. I don't think that the realtor that was chosen is going to be aggressive enough, but I can;t worry about it. I am fully expecting God to sell it since He has promised me that He will! At first, I felt like I was being bullied into selling it, but then Abba spoke to me and let me know that His hand was in it. I need to be free of the financial burden that it has become. Sarah wants to be free of it now that she is getting married and has no use for it anymore. I try not to think in my finite human terms...almost a decade of investment down the drain and so much money lost on what was supposed to be a long-term real estate investment. I am praying that we can sell it for as much as we owe on it at this point in this economy. I have nothing left financially since I support both Mom and Tricia and receive no help from the other siblings (as Dad expected, I guess). God will provide, our Jehovah Rapha.

I joined a women's Bible study at Hillcrest these last six week, a teaching by Priscilla Shirer on Gideon. It was amazing! Am so glad I bit the bullet and squeezed it into my schedule, even though I have felt a bit frenetic in other areas of life as a result.  The theme of it has been "My weakness, God's Faithfulness." It has been timely in my life.

I now have a Twitter account! Yes, you read that right! Partly because of the weekly Bible study Tweets and partly because I have wanted to join for awhile now, in addition to my Instagraming and Facebooking. I remember my painfully introverted self of the past and chuckle!

My Young Living business is beginning to take off now; I told my fam that it is a little scary how fast it is picking up! I am teaching once-a-month classes at the school now; taught one in January, and on in Pace several weeks ago. We had 16 women (and 1 man!) at this week's class on Dr. Mom and Women's Health. So many people need help...I know this is another ministry from the Lord!

sunday before next

Today, I intentionally did no house chores. Yes, indeed. No cleaning or laundry or spending the day in the kitchen. Purposely.

Instead, I woke early and read for an hour. I am tackling the Wahl Protocol book (to find answers for Tricia's autoimmune issues) and Brennan Manning's book, again. :-) 

On a side note...I happened to see that the movie about Rich Mullins was at Walmart. I knew that it was being made, but I didnt realize that it was coming out so soon. It was exactly how I thought it would be. Manning played in several scenes; he made a big impact on Mullins' life and healing from life wounds. The music and story were splendid.

Back to this morning: I brewed some ginger and cinnamon tea and made toast for breakfast. I gave Meg a soothing doggie bath first off. She has been having an allergy attack of some sort, scratching and gnawing at herself. We've got a new soap bar that I tried on her. Then I gardened and planted and weeded off and on all day. I planted my tomato plants (three kinds), green bell pepper plants, daisies, begonias, impatiens, and henna coleus. Blew leaves off the back patio and set it up for grilling. Also cleaned up the front porch and planted the pots there.

Came in long enough to whip up a new-to-me recipe for shrimp and crab étouffée over oven-baked tilapia and steamed cauliflower. For my first try, it was delicious!!! I was so pleased...have been planning that meal for weeks now!

So plans for revamping the front street-scape are starting to take shape. Mom got the first cherry red Knock Out rose bush yesterday which I planted today. I think it will look good, once I get the whole line put in. We are going to alternate the roses with a red-leaf bush of Japanese origin (I forget the name).

My efforts to tackle my looooong list of various projects are taking shape. :-)

pain in the rear

This is the time of year that my sciatica starts being a "pain in the rear," literally.:-P

I spend most of my waking hours sitting, either sitting at home (studying or reading or watching tv) or sitting at work (tutoring or working on e-mails or transcripts in the office). My back ain't what it used to be, darn Hurricane Ivan cleanup. I need Dr. Garry Hendricks to move back in the more local locale!!!! Whaaaa! Ft. Walton Beach is just too far to drive for one of his acupressure-miracle-working-adjustments! So relieving.

Trim Healthy Mama life and losing 42 pounds has made a HUGE difference in my energy and activity levels. I can garden for hours, up and down, crawling around on the ground, back-bending over weeds and hauling, digging, pulling and trimming. I am feeling so much better! And yet this sciatica threatens.

I am starting to use Young Living Essential Oils...this month is my first as a Member. I am excited about it! They have an oil blend called Pan-Away for pain. I also LOVE the Frankincense and Stress Away oils. Mmm.

Garden prep is coming along slowly. Very slowly. Every weekend it either rains or I am busy with an uni exam or the nieces are visiting. Oh, well. Can't do everything. And I gotta spend time with these lovies, all the time that I can! <3

My adorable nieces!

it's the 1st!

How do I express the gratefulness that I feel adequately for 2013? Yahweh has done great things in my life, and I am glad! This has been quite a year to remember, and 2014 promises to be even better.

 Here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2014:
1) Continue the THM journey and lose more pounds, on my way to a healthy life and body

2) Start T-Tapp, adding it into my regular lifestyle routines

3) Complete another round of Wellspring Ministry's "I Found Freedom" (Bibical Foundations of Freedom) workshops/studies

4) Read Eric Metaxas' tome, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

5) Finish reading Randy Alcorn's book Heaven

6) Plant both spring/summer and fall/winter gardens

7) Get some much-needed repairs and painting done on/in the family house and property

8) Listen to one online sermon per week

9) Read the Bible through this year, at least once


~To know Him, and make Him known!

september

Before September is properly passed, I want to record my favorite month of the year here. This September found my dependence on the Lord depended. In general, I do not become overwhelmed easily. But the stressors of this month, along with the passing of another birthday, found my spirit sagging close to depression. Thankfully, the Lord heard my cries for help and has delivered me. I echo St. Augustine's thoughts:

"Sometimes we do not merit seeing God in a difficult occasion, because we have not cultivated grace in our inner man. We have not sought God in order to grow in grace. That is to say, we do not merit the honor of being set by God in difficult circumstances- situations in which He wants to be made known- because we have not grown in our ability to see Him in our inner man." -St. Augustine, in On Seeing God

In my uni studies, I have studied recently about "Sabbatical living," a concept largely lost on Western culture, but not obscure to me. Since I was a child, we have observed a weekly rest day, free from the demands of life and the busyness of work. As of late, I have determined that I need to take it more seriously, especially since I have been relegating household chores and housework to this day. I reason that I have no other day to get it accomplished, but I have been robbing myself of resting and replenishing. Hense my stress levels pushing me to depression.

Several hours of meditation and memorizing Scripture (I am curently pegging away at Psalm 91), prayer, and reading meaningful books do wonders to my spirit and soul.

I do not realize that when I neglect it, my spirit starts to wither, and I try to re-coup its loss by being busier than I need to be. My heavier burdens are family duties, spiritual burden of family members who purposely live in opposition to the Lord, household needs that are not met adequately, repairs and remodels that additional money and hard-working men are needed for, future unknowns, the pressure of uni classes added to my already high-octane life...these are my issues.

I have missed a wedding this month. I found out that the groom, who I know, has been sinning against God and his wife, who I do not know. It pains me to see him sully her life with his, so I could not, in clear conscience before God, witness those vows.

I have celebrated new life at a baby shower for a former student and secretary (Sarah), who looks forward to welcoming a precious baby girl (Sophia) into her family. I wanted to get her something really nice, something to treasure and keep, so I finally settled on the Spring Portrait Huggable Huggums Madame Alexander baby doll at Let's Play.

I have spent some time in my garden, which has needed some TLC for some time now. Weeding is the name of the game. yesterday, I spent several hours weeding and have a HUGE 3-foot pile to show for it. Now to inaugurate my burn barrel to dispose of them. I am sporting under a dozen ant bites on my hands and arms to show for my labors. I have spent too much $ on ant-killer this year; I think they move from place to place in the yard, instead of dying like they are supposed to!

I purchased three bargain Christian Regency era novels at Lifeway on the day that Mama bought me a large print New Living Translation Life Application Study Bible for my birthday. What a Bible! So far, Tricia and Mom have been enjoying the books (Linore Rose Burkard's The Country House Courtship, and . ;-)

My birthday was spent in Foley with a day of shopping. At first, on our drive out, I thought it was going to be a disaster (Mom was in a mood), but it ironed out (I prayed very hard!), and I had an enjoyable day overall. Fresh Produce had just received a new shipment of dresses and shirts (it's been a long while since they have had anything that fit me). I was blessed with a nice 20% discount, so I bought the girls two sweet blue sundresses. I enjoyed Kitchen Connection as well, getting myself some needed kitchen things (and some foofoo items as well)! Sarah met up with us for a late lunch at Lambert's (enjoy those "throwed rolls"). Delicious food! I spent the next hour browsing in Old Time Pottery. I didn't find much to buy (I was looking for a mercury glass vase or container to add to my dresser collection), but I did get the baking pan that I needed. And then we headed home.

Tricia went out of her way to make my birthday weekend special, and I appreciate and love her for it (and also for being an all-around awesome best friend/sister)! We had a delicious coffee and breakfast biscuit the next morning and spent the day at home and visiting Cori and precious nieces that I love so dearly! That night was the "family birthday dinner" at Carrabbas. Brother paid for my dinner, but spent the evening baiting Mom. It was not enjoyable at all, and in the end I wish I hadn't planned it. We ended the night picking up Krispy Kreme donuts to enjoy over the weekend. Yum!

I am loving my Keurig!!! It was my birthday gift to myself (we don't exchange gifts as a family anymore), and I have been especially enjoying the macadamia flavored coffee. There are so many flavors to explore; I have already found some that I don't like, but more that I do. :-)

Last weekend, I finally was able to store the last of the Christmas storage bins away, as well as clean up and de-clutter the house (living/dining rooms, laundry room). Today I hope to vacuum the main living area, tackle the girls' playroom, and clean out the fridge. In addition to resting, of course! ;-)