good & useful {day 31}

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good & useful {day 31}

So, Proverbs 31 is {mostly} all about that woman... you know the one:

~”The Proverbs 31 Woman”~

She is often tossed out as an unattainable super-woman.

She is labeled as a product of her time

… not something today’s woman could ever hope to become.

I have studied these verses quite a bit… though I am not finished, and I have written about 14 verses and have 7 to go.

[click below to read the series]

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And while I do understand that Solomon’s mother {Bathsheba!} is giving him advice on the type of wife he should seek, I also believe that even

~”The Proverbs 31 Woman”~

was not

~”The Proverbs 31 Woman”~

from the very beginning…

She struggled and learned.

She desired to be good and useful.

She was an immature girl with dreams.

She was a young married lady with lessons to learn.

She was a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend.

She was a sinner waiting on a Savior to be born.

She had struggles.

She knew hardship.

But what set her apart…

was her heart.

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d31fb     d31insta      d31twi

remembering….

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{This was copied by permission from a friend… He captured well the essence of Misty’s spirit-reminding me of what MY goal should be. She was a friend. Today marks 13 years since this crash that claimed 2 lives and injured 3 others, and I pray these thoughts are an encouragement to someone–to keep on… or to get back on the right path!}

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According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it by by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. [Philippians 1:20]

I met her for the first time at 7:00 a.m. on the back porch of the college bookstore. I found it a great place to go before class each morning to read and pray, watching the sun rise over the East Tennessee hills. 
Misty had come to the same conclusion apparently, as I turned the corner and saw her sitting there watching the sun rise. “I was just leaving,” she said as she rose to go. 
“Take your time,” I replied. 
As the months passed, I came to know her well. She was somehow different than many of my other college friends. There was something about her that glowed inwardly. I came to  realize that Misty Carrier had a walk with the Lord Jesus Christ unmatched by anyone her age I had ever met before. 
She was just 21 years old. I know personally that she spend hours in prayer and personal Bible study each week, in spite of a heavy class load. She was a soul-winner and had and inner passion that set her soul afire for the lost. 
I often wondered what great work God had in store for her life. Her parents were missionaries in Papua New Guinea, and she spoke often of their work there. The conversations we had were not the normal chitchat of college friends but were deeper and more thoughtful. She spoke with a passion of wanting to be such an instrument of Christ so as to be controlled each moment of every day by His divine hand. 
Her life verse is given above, and it was her guiding light. She wanted to magnify Christ, no matter what that meant. She had few close friends, but none so close as her precious Savior, for whom she longed to be ever closer. She would pray, “Lord, if you can use my life to save some soul today, take it. I just want to be close to you.” 
In September of 1999, the Lord took her up on her offer.

Just a few hundred yards from her dormitory, she was pulling her car onto the road one evening and was struck by a drunk driver. 
He walked away. 
She did not. 
Standing over her casket at the funeral, her grandfather she loved so dearly, announced with tear filled eyes that he had finally accepted Christ as Savior. 
The cost? Misty’s life. 
Though we may ponder the value of the trade, Misty did not.
Though we may question the judgement of the Lord, she saw only the outcome: Christ shall be magnified.
In James 4:14, the Bible asks this question, “What is your life?” 
For Misty Carrier, the answer was simple. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
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I received these words in an email about 10 years ago. They struck me, and I contemplated them. 

After printing it, the page stayed in my Bible for years, along with a hand-penned note from my dad… about how he was proud of me. 

After a while, neither was safe where little hands could reach {since they routinely fell out of the pages :)}… so they are both tucked away, safely. But I read them often. 

Their words inspire me to live so that 

1. others will remember Jesus when I’m gone… 
2. those who have invested in my life will be proud to have done so.

lima-bean soup

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When I was first married, my mother-in-love invited me over for lunch.  She made this very simple dish that was SO very yummy.

First, her simple recipe. Then, a hearty, family-filling modification.

Slice and cook 1cup polish sausage {aka. kielbasa}. Add 2cups frozen lima beans and enough water to cook {1/2-3/4 cup}. Simmer until lima beans are fork tender. Sprinkle with parsley; add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cornbread. YUM.  

My modifications:
{sorry some of the pictures are kinda blurry…. I was in a hurry to get photos while I was cooking}
saute 1/2 onion and sausage…  {about 1 1/2 cups, chopped}
the amount of ingredients will be determined by your final serving size. I’ll tell you how much I use to feed my family of 2 adults and 4 small children-one is 1. 🙂
3 cups frozen lima beans


1 TBSP chicken base/ 1 bullion cube/ or just use chicken broth instead of water
I do not always have broth on hand in the summer. I do not cook whole chickens or make stock when it is so very hot outside! But I’ll be doing it several times through the winter! We have some kind of soup several times a week.
1 TBSP dried oregano


good shake of steak seasoning
or you can add some salt and pepper, garlic powder and paprika
4 cups water {or broth as stated before}
1 cup cooked rice {or about 2 tbsp dry rice}
keep on med-low for about 2 hours


or you can stick it in the slow-cooker on low and leave the house!
such a pleasant aroma for my hubby to come home to!

If your family are not “rice” people, add some cubed potatoes-just make sure the pieces are small enough to cook through at a low temperature.

Serve with fresh rolls, cornbread or just saltine crackers! We’ve done all three, and my children’s favorite is the crackers. Hubby prefers cornbread, so we’ll be having cornbread tonight!

Remembering 9.11.01

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There are many words I could use to describe this day. But I won’t.

If you are an American, you will never forget this day. Sometimes I can hardly believe it was eleven years ago.

Here is a video I made last year for the 10-year memorial. We showed it in our church. 
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Tonight I will hug my babies a little snugger. I will hold my man a little closer. And I will be thanking God for all His blessings on me!  

And I will be praying a little harder for my country and the soon coming decisions we each must make about what happens 2 months from today.

the trust of babes

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If you are a momma or have ever been close to small children, you will recognize what I am talking about here.

{not my kitchen sink! but isn’t that tile pretty?}


I stand still. My hands are immersed in that sudsy, warm water known to all women… at the kitchen sink. {smiles}  My mind wanders a million miles away-to time past or our children’s future…. or just a few feet away to thoughts of my honey.

And then I feel it, the little fingers tugging at my skirt {and my heart strings!} while little legs struggle to stand. This miniature body leans full force into me. He knows I will not let him fall {at least not too hard, yet}. He trusts me.

I sit. I bend my body all the way down to the floor. They need mommy to be accessible. Sometimes all at once, but usually one by one, little bodies come to me, wanting arms to wrap around. The baby pushes through on hands and knees still. He grabs whatever he can reach and uses my strength to help him stand, again. His body lunges for me. He trusts my love.

taken over a year ago!

This trust, all my children showed it as babies. This all-consuming confidence is how I must trust God my Father to care for my day-to-day. He DOES care, even for the nitty gritty!

I must rest knowing that He will catch me should I fall when struggling to stand. He never moves. [Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8], so He is always right where I need Him to be when I need Strength. 

I must trust, rest as securely as my child using me to learn to stand, in His love for me.

And so should you… because His love for you is the same!

growing

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growing

While my 14 month old still crawls, and seems content to do so, I often remember that my 2 middle children walked before they were 10 months old! The oldest walked just before her first birthday.

And I am struck with these differences.

Some of it does have to do with gender, and how girls and boys mature differently. But people in general mature and grow differently-at different paces, in different orders.

baby toes

Our oldest was speaking fairly clearly with full words at 11-12 months, but she never crawled until about 2 weeks before she started walking… right before she turned 1.

The next two both crawled by 5/6 months and were walking soon after, but they both had trouble forming words coherently until they were well past their second birthdays.

This little baby-man we now have… he took his time learning to crawl. He is taking his time with walking too. And I think he’ll follow those two who took their time talking also.

walking up stairs

And I found a lesson to be learned…

every person will grow differently from every other person.

We may meet someone who has had similar experiences as ourselves, but they will not have grown exactly the same. Even siblings, growing up with the same parents, same house, same experiences, same church, same everything… still become different people. And they learn things in different ways and from different circumstances. They even learn the same things in a different order.

And so do baby Christians.

Just because a person was saved at the same time you were does not mean they will automatically be at the same place spiritually that you are every step…. even if you’ve been in the same church and had similar experiences.

And we cannot push people to learn something other than what God is teaching them –right then. Others can observe my growth and be encouraged that God is not done with them. And in turn, I can observe their growth and realize God is not done with me, either!

sisters walking

I may learn a particular lesson earlier in my Christian walk than my husband or a friend, but that does not make me more spiritual. My husband had learned many things I had yet to encounter when we were first married… and now the Lord allows him to be right there helping me through as I learn them later-in different ways.

All of that to say, every other person is going to grow and mature in a different way than I do, just as each of our children grow and learn differently. And I cannot and should not try to push or shove people in their Christian walk…

I must gently guide those the Lord puts in my path to guide {my children, a SS class, close friends, etc}.

I must pray for those He does not give me the authority to instruct {other people’s children who are not in my care, people who do not know my testimony, even those who simply seem to resist me as a person}.

And I must be an example to any who care to observe my life that God does indeed grow people. And I must allow Him to work!

While my 14 month old still crawls, and seems content to do so, I often remember that my 2 middle children walked before they were 10 months old! The oldest walked just before her first birthday.

And I am struck with these differences.

Some of it does have to do with gender, and how girls and boys mature differently. But people in general mature and grow differently-at different paces, in different orders.

baby toes

Our oldest was speaking fairly clearly with full words at 11-12 months, but she never crawled until about 2 weeks before she started walking… right before she turned 1.

The next two both crawled by 5/6 months and were walking soon after, but they both had trouble forming words coherently until they were well past their second birthdays.

This little baby-man we now have… he took his time learning to crawl. He is taking his time with walking too. And I think he’ll follow those two who took their time talking also.

walking up stairs

And I found a lesson to be learned…

every person will grow differently from every other person.

We may meet someone who has had similar experiences as ourselves, but they will not have grown exactly the same. Even siblings, growing up with the same parents, same house, same experiences, same church, same everything… still become different people. And they learn things in different ways and from different circumstances. They even learn the same things in a different order.

And so do baby Christians.

Just because a person was saved at the same time you were does not mean they will automatically be at the same place spiritually that you are every step…. even if you’ve been in the same church and had similar experiences.

And we cannot push people to learn something other than what God is teaching them –right then. Others can observe my growth and be encouraged that God is not done with them. And in turn, I can observe their growth and realize God is not done with me, either!

sisters walking

I may learn a particular lesson earlier in my Christian walk than my husband or a friend, but that does not make me more spiritual. My husband had learned many things I had yet to encounter when we were first married… and now the Lord allows him to be right there helping me through as I learn them later-in different ways.

All of that to say, every other person is going to grow and mature in a different way than I do, just as each of our children grow and learn differently. And I cannot and should not try to push or shove people in their Christian walk…

I must gently guide those the Lord puts in my path to guide {my children, a SS class, close friends, etc}.

I must pray for those He does not give me the authority to instruct {other people’s children who are not in my care, people who do not know my testimony, even those who simply seem to resist me as a person}.

And I must be an example to any who care to observe my life that God does indeed grow people. And I must allow Him to work!

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d31fb     d31insta      d31twi

teaching respect

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to respect carries the idea of “showing regard to, paying attention to”

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Psalm 119:6

Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

[If I pay attention to and regard God’s Word, I will have no reason to be ashamed.]

Colossians 3:23-25

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

[when we disregard God’s commands we will receive proper judgment just the same as the next person. No one is exempt from the consequences of his actions.]

Psalm 138:6

Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.

[God will take notice of those who show humility.]

Some things we are commanded by God that show our respect for Him.

Ephesians 6:5-9

Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Hebrews 13:7

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: [and the end of their conversation is this] for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.

Just because I am “all-grown-up”
does not mean I do not have any authority over my life. untitled shoot-210-2-48
And as usual,
the best way to teach our children is through example.

 


I will teach my children to have respect for each other and their classmates by showing respect for them and other children we come into contact with and also by how I interact with my own peers. 

Part of being respectful is trying to anticipate needs and being responsive when needs are made known.

If I see that someone is walking towards a closed door with her arms full and I have nothing, and I do nothing to help, that is being disrespectful to her as a person. But if I speed my steps just enough to get there and open the door for her, I have shown respect. And it is of no consequence if I even know her.

I will teach my children how to have respect for their teachers and other authority {boss, police, laws/government, etc} by how I show my respect for those individuals.

If I take matters into my own hands even after clear instruction from an authority, then I am teaching my children that they, also, can pick and choose which instructions they wish to obey. But when I do all within my power to do what is expected {whether clearly stated or not} and do not make excuses when I cannot accomplish it, I teach my own children responsibility as well as respect.

And as a stay-at-home-wife/mother, my closest human authority is my husband. That is not to say he “bosses” me, { 🙂 } but he IS, Biblically, an authority in my life. And how I respond to his requests, how I convey my attitude after turning from him-body language, facial expressions… that says more than any words.

And when my children see me disrespect their daddy, they WILL show disrespect to others.

And they will not understand when someone tries to correct them. Confusion will ensue. 

Since my children leave me for the day to attend school, the next most important authority relationship is with their teachers.

I wrote a little about how I must be willing to allow others to correct my children here.

And that lines up with teaching them respect, which in turn contributes to teaching responsibility! 

So each day, my life is about more than “my life.”

Much of my life is about teaching my children to respect others and how to show that respect through kindness of actions and words.

My life is about striving to BE the person God created me to be… so they can learn to be the person God wants them to be!

blackeyed susan

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what the Lord helped me accomplish!

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I did this post on my family’s blog also, but thought I would share it here as these are what consumed much of my time the few weeks before school began!
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Here are the girls’ dresses the Lord allowed me to put together in the weeks just before school began. There are a few that did not get photographed yet because they were either dirty or being worn… I’ll see about getting pix of them another day. Please excuse the need for pressing.
Kyria
close up of the braid we did on the collar
Kyria
Anya {the green spots are turtles}
Anya
Anya
Anya
Kyria {one of my favs!}
Mikalah
Mikalah
Kyria {the one that has a Molly match}
close up of the ruffle
Here is a wonderful tutorial if anyone out there wonders how I did this. I measured from their shoulder down to their waist to know where I wanted to trim the shirt. I used the excess from the shirt bottoms to create the ruffles. As long as your shirt is not tight and has some give, and the skirt is at least as wide as the shirt stretched out a bit, you do not actually have to measure how wide, etc. like in the tutorial. But if you are starting from scratch with a T and some fabric, the fabric should be at least 1.25 times as wide as the bottom of the shirt. {if that makes any sense :)}
Every single one of these came from a thrifted skirt-so I did not have to hem anything! Praise the Lord. 🙂 And most of the t-shirts were thrifted also. The skirts for Kyria were actually ladies’! I can hardly believe how tall she is getting. I also do not usually talk about how much things cost, but ALL of these dresses plus the few that did not make it into the pictures cost less than $40 total {that’s 14 [+?] dresses!!} plus 4-5 days of “mommy moments” {15 minutes here… 30 minutes there…} to put them together. and THAT is exciting to me! YEAH!! God is good.
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so there you go. 🙂 School is now in full swing, and the girlies are enjoying their new dresses!