My Favorite Fabric

Corduroy!

47 ABOVE zero

Pictures for Dad and Mom~ I LOVE YOU!

sunset

Pleasures are shafts of glory as it strikes our sensibility.... But aren't there bad, unlawful pleasures? Certainly there are. But in calling them "bad pleasures" I take it we are using a kind of shorthand. We mean "pleasures snatched by unlawful acts." It is the stealing of the apples that is bad, not the sweetness. The sweetness is still a beam from the glory....I have tried since...to make every pleasure into a channel of adoration. I don't mean simply by giving thanks for it. One must of course give thanks, but I mean something different... Gratitude exclaims, very properly, "How good of God to give me this." Adoration says, "What must be the quality of that Being whose far-off and momentary coruscations are like this!" One's mind runs back up the sunbeam to the sun....



~When I Don't Desire God, John Piper pg. 18 quoting C.S Lewis

Onion Rings :-)

When I Don't Desire God

The aim of this book is to...sustain love's ability to endure sacrificial losses of property and security and life, by the power of joy in the path of love. The aim is that Jesus Christ be made known in all the world as the all-powerful, all-wise, all-righteous, all-satisfying Treasure of the universe.

This will happen when Christians don't just say that Christ is valuable, or sing that Christ is valuable, but truly experience in their hearts the unsurpassed worth of Jesus with so much joy that they can say, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:8). Christ will be glorified in the world when Christians are so satisfied in him that they let goods and kindred go and lay down their lives for others in mercy, missions, and, if necessary, martyrdom. He will be magnified most among the nations when, at the moment Christians lose everything on earth, they say, "To live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21).

"Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Heb. 13:13-14). This we will do for the joy that is set before us. And this joy will hold us and keep us, if we have tasted it and fought to make it the supreme experience of our lives. Christ is supremely glorious and supremely valuable. Therefore he is worth the fight.


-When I Don't Desire God by John Piper pg. 21-

encouragement from a friend

I received a letter in the mail yesterday from a VERY dear friend. She is constantly pushing me to Christ. Asking me how I'm doing Spiritually between God and me but also between my siblings, parents and work. Thank you C! In the letter one part was especially special to me.

"Are you filling your heart up with Jesus by spending time in the Word? It will change your life Leah. Take time to pray, worship Him, praise God for what He has done and for what He is doing in your life, store your every struggle with Him. When you go to work picture yourself always walking hand in hand with Jesus. Don't let go, allow Him to go every where with you. I know God is always with us, but we don't always acknowledge Him."

I just wanted to share the encouragement with you today. It meant SO much to me, I couldn't help but share it.

It's not a mistake

~Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.~
Romans 13:1


I've been thinking about the election a lot lately. Whats going to happen now that Bararck Obama is president. What will happen to our Church? Our family? The economy?
But what I've been forgetting to remember (does that make sense?) is that GOD is in control of EVERYTHING! Even the election of a president. Obama isn't a mistake. He's EXACTLY who God wants in office right now. It may seem like a mistake to us, but it's not. I don't understand God's reason for it but I do know that he is EXACTLY who should be there right now. So I've got to submit and let God... let me rephrase that... submit and accept that God is in control of things.

He is...

After I posted my own "He is!" I came across this poem. I think it describes what I was attempting to describe a lot more effectively then what I did!

He Is.....

He is the First and Last, the Beginning and the End!
He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He keeps the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be...
Unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!
He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and
The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him,
The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and
The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him,
Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and
Donahue can't explain Him away!
He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.
His ways are right,
His word is eternal, His will is unchanging, and His
mind is on me!
He is my redeemer,He is my Savior, He is my guide,
and He is my peace!
He has invested more in me than anyone else ever
could or ever will~
He is my Joy, He is my comfort, He is my Lord, and
He rules my life!
If all others forsake me...
He will be here!
I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is
light, and His goal for me is abundant life.
I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the
ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders, the overseer
of the overcomers, and the sovereign Lord of all that
was and is and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you, try this for
size.
His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me, never forsake me, never
mislead me, never forget me, never overlook me, and
never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!
When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!
He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every
time, and every way.
He is God,
He is faithful.
I am His, and He is mine!
My Father in heaven can whip the father of this
world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure,
understand this...
He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side, and that means
all is well with my soul.
Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!
Because He is, I am!

author unknown

Although I agree overall with poem there is one part in particular that I DO NOT agree with. "His goal is a relationship with ME!" That is not correct. His main goal is to bring Honor and Glory to Himself. Also something that I wanted to add is that even Obama can't stop, control or even "change" Him. Praise the Lord!!

Paint

Soup & Bread

He is!

Here I am. Sitting on my bed eating M&M's and listening to my new FAVORITE song. Thinking about God and who He is. I thank the Lord for His ABUNDANT mercy and love towards me. He is SO good! He is loving when I'm unloving. He is merciful when I'm merciless. He is patient when I'm impatient. He is compassionate when I'm not. He is forgiving when I'm unforgiving. He is faithful when I'm faithless. He is consistent when I'm inconsistent He is dependable when I'm unreliable. He is in control so I'm not (Thank you Jesus for that!!). He is amazing and I'm amazed. He is my Father and I'm His child. He is my Shepherd and I'm His sheep. He is my water so I thirst no more. He is my rock in stormy weather. He picks me up when I stumble. He is the Creator of the Universe and I'm His creation. He is the Sustainer of Life and I'm the receiver of it. He is perfect and I'm contaminated. He is!!

curtains

if you look very closely you can see the little window diamond behind the curtain...

mixture

My People :)

These 3 precious people were kind enough to move our snow around on Saturday. Now we have more room to put the snow! Thank you! I love you sweet people!

Tag

1. Fill in your memories of 2008.
2. Link my blog to yours. (Or my profile, at least.)
3. Tag others, and comment on their blogs so they know they've been tagged.

I was tagged by Ana

~A good book I read~
Spiderwick Chronicles

~A great film/movie I watched~
The Illusionist

~A new place I visited~
The Bad Lands

~An inspiring verse or quote I read~
All things work out for our good

~A new skill I acquired~
Being a Teller

~A lesson I learned
Patience does not come easily

~A moment I will always remember~
When I found out my Grandmother had past away


I chose not to tag anybody in particular. If you want to do it, go ahead!

Temperatures about -16 F.

Temperatures about 9 F.

Mom's Morning Tea

...soothing...

hmm....

I've been thinking about marriage and things like that a LOT lately. Thinking about how God will bring the right man along when the time is right. I'm also finding that it's REALLY hard to wait. But something I've gotta keep in mind is that God's timing is ALWAYS right. It's PERFECT. I could NEVER do a better job. If I would have had my way I'd have been married at age 10. VERY happy that I DIDN'T get my own way. :)

But another thought is that my homemaking skills and whatnot will not just "kick-in" when I get married. They're not exactly something that you can "download" once you're married. I've got to prepare for it now. Years before I'm married! One of the top things on that list of things that I've got to prepare for is the preparation of meals. :) No laughing just yet Ana. Now, I'm not exactly... good... at making meals. I can make... mashed potatoes and brats for Dad, and scrambled eggs.. okay so I'm not THAT bad, but I could do MUCH better. I can make desserts! :) My husband and I could live off of Chocolate Chip Cookies and Lemon Poppy Seed Cake! :) Hmm...maybe not! What brought this to mind was one particular event.

My brother and I were home alone and it happened to be around the dinner hour ( I guess some people call it lunch ) and I was responsible for making something to eat. No laughing yet Ana. So, I waited until about 12:00. Went to the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge hoping to find something that I could just "whip" up and eat. Finding nothing to my liking, I went to the pantry. Again, finding nothing that I wanted to eat. Not that there WASN'T anything to eat, there just wasn't anything I WANTED to eat. :) So I sat back down and started trying to think of something to make. Not just yet Ana. I then decided that I could make Macaroni and Cheese. Yea. That'll work! That's all fine and dandy, almost Ana, but there...I hit a problem. You can guess what it was. That's right. I didn't know how to make it. Now you can laugh Ana. Oh, I knew the ingredients and everything, but I just didn't know how much to put in and things like that. I picked up the phone and reluctantly dialed those dreaded numbers. I knew I would NEVER live this one down. The phone rang....ring...ring. I didn't have to do this. I could just find something else to make. Ring. She picks up.

"Hello?"
"Ana?" I said in a small voice.
"Yeah?"
"Umm... I can't find anything to eat."
"Are you sure?"
"Yea, I'm sure. I checked the fridge and the pantry. There just isn't anything that I want to eat." I said. Making sure not to put to much emphasis on "want".
"Then make something."

That was her answer?! I knew that's what she would say.

"Well....like what?" Trying to avoid the fact that I had actually already figured out something to make but I didn't want to admit that I didn't know how to actually make it.
"There's a lot of stuff you can make."

Hmm... thinking... thinking.....

"I could make Macaroni and Cheese." I smiled.
"See, you've already picked something out. "
"Yea. But..." I hesitated.







Gulp....








"Okay, I don't know how to make it so... can you please just tell me how." I said it quickly. Trying not to give her enough time to gasp before I finished. I had my pen and paper all ready. I even had the title "Mac and Cheese" on the top. Plus, I even started writing the recipe... "Boil Water."







"Are you serious?"








I didn't want to answer. Maybe I could just hang up now and forget this all happened.....







"Yea." I winced. So VERY thankful that she couldn't see me blush.

She laughed. I knew it! I knew she would laugh at me!

She tried to gain enough composure to finish the conversation.

"Well, if you go to my cookbook in the cupboard... it's in there."

I got up and searched frantically for it. Found the book. Searching.... searching... I can't find the recipe!!! More flipping. Yes! I found it! My eyes rested on this EXTREMELY simple recipe. Why didn't I just LOOK for it in the first place?



"I found it."



"Good. See, now you've got something for dinner."
"All right. Thanks." I smiled. I knew she wouldn't be too hard on me.


So that is my...well, story I guess. It actually didn't turn out that bad. Ana came home and asked about it and I told her it was pretty good. She was happy. Thanks Ana! :)

I'd say that I've made progress! :) Just a little bit? Maybe? Well, either way. Now I know how to make Macaroni and Cheese if nothing else!

So, while I wait for the Lord to bring a husband (if that is what He wants for my life) I shall be learning to cook, clean, do laundry and all that jazz. :) And who better to learn these valuable things from then my very own Mother. There isn't a class or curriculum that can teach me better then she can. God is so good to give me such a wonderful teacher isn't He?!

,'` sheet music`',

^*^ waffles^*^

[candle light]

she knows the ways

My Mom knows what I love. She knows that it's impossible to have warm crusty bread without our tomato topper. Thanks Mom...

1-2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Cider Vinegar
1 Green Onion Chopped
4 large cherry tomatoes
Salt
Pepper
1 T. Basil (dry)
Moz. Cheese shredded
Can add garlic

Mix together and put on bread.

{Breakfast}

Nutritious and Delicious

please...give me Jesus...

when I've got a headache that hurts so much that even getting hit by a train wouldn't hurt as much....

when I wake up to my covers being thrown off me and icy fingers tickling my toes...

when a member comes in and acts like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed...

when I wake up late and I'm too tired to do anything since I overslept because I stayed up too late the night before ...

when one of my siblings mopes around the house and almost bites my head off...

when I don't want to submit to my parents...

when I don't feel love for anyone...

when I've got what seems like a millions things on my to do list...

when I've got a piano song that I despise...

when I feel totally incomplete...

when I desire to be married...

when I feel like my love for my precious Jesus is slowly fading away...

when I put off reading my Bible because I've got "other" things to do...

when my alarm clock goes off in the morning and I shut it off telling myself that I'll get up in 5 minutes knowing that I won't...

when I think it would just be easier to cut all of my hair off then try and deal with it...

when my school doesn't make any sense and just seems like a bunch of words mixed together...

when I'm self centered enough to write a post all about me and my problems...

when I know that the only way that I can have real and true joy is through Christ alone...

when there is something that I want to load on my computer but it takes forever and doesn't...

when I base all that I do on feelings instead of what I know is true...

Give Me JESUS!!

In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus

Who can resist fabric as delicious as this?

a wintry ride

I'm sorry these are all blurry. I was in the car when I took the pictures. :)

brown rice

beautiful....

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

comfort foods

foods that just make me think of home....

a new do

I just recently...on Tuesday :)... got my hair layered and I got bangs! :)

It's taking a little while for me to get adjusted to having hair in my face. :) But I like it.


p.s. I wouldn't normally but pictures of myself as a post... but... I thought I would do it this time because I really like my new hair cut. :) Also, I couldn't find any good before pictures of my hair down. I guess I just didn't wear it down a lot before. :) Oh, another thing. The first and third pictures are of my hair after they were straightened. The second is closer to what I normally look like. I just curled it and put a TON of hairspray on it. :) Just thought I'd let you know. :)

Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Refrain:
Savior, Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.

Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.

Refrain

Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.

Refrain

Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heav'n but Thee?

Refrain

Fernando Ortega

Tagged

I've been tagged by Melanie.


Rules:


* Post the six to ten things that you do on a daily basis.

*Link to the person who tagged you.

*Tag five other people.

*Leave a comment on the blog of the person that tagged you letting them know you posted this on your blog.



Things I do on a daily basis:


1. Read my Bible and Pray

2. Sin

3. Eat

4. Dream

5. Check my blog :)

6. Think about getting married :)

7. Listen to music

8. Brush my hair

9. Take my medicine

10. Learn


I tag: Cloe, Katie, Fred and Leon, Dad, Shelly

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!