What Has He Done for You Lately?

My sweet girlfriend was careful to remind me last night that I haven't written anything since February. Forgive me; I'll try to do better.

As I was doing my devotional time this morning, I thought about the way people in the Bible demonstrated worship to God. I read about David dancing before the Lord as he brought the ark of the Covenant to Bethlehem. I read about Paul and Silas praying and singing hymns in prison. Then I started thinking about women like Hannah and her triumphant song of praise when the Lord gave her a son. I thought about the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her hair. Then I came to Mary, the young woman engaged to Joseph the carpenter.  The young woman who was surely ridiculed for being pregnant before she was married to Joseph. Luke chapter one records her praise to the Lord, but verse 49 gripped me this morning as a read it.

"for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name."

You see, I am leading praise and worship at a women's retreat this weekend, were we will be learning about several women in the Bible, the challenges in their lives, and how we can learn from them. This exercise this morning is part of my preparation- I gotta get my mind right. When a reflect on my life, I haven't been the most grateful person in the world. Honestly, I tend to show the Lord my gratitude in the midst of what perceive as some superduper fabulous blessing. However, the fact that I'm sitting here typing is one of the great things God has done for me. So many times we take life, our children,  and OUR HUSBANDS for granted. As I share music with the ladies this weekend, I want to focus on the great things the God has done, and is doing for me.

I challenge you to take a piece of paper and list all the things God has done for you. It may help your day seem a little brighter, and help you love Him a little more. Because He is mighty, and holy is name!

Company Girls 2.19- It's All About Love

Yesterday my kids and I were in the store and I found a DVD of one of my daughter's favorite DVD series. I was excited about this because it was a great deal, but I didn't show it to her. As we walked around the store, my precious little doll decided that she wanted to display some defiant behaviors that she knew absolutely didn't work for me.  In the midst of the foolishness and trying to discreetly chastise her, I kept thinking about the DVD; part of me wanted to put it back. Then I started to think about my relationship with Jesus and how He graciously blesses me, providing all my needs according to His riches in glory, and even some of my desires.  And He does these things in the midst of my sinful foolishness and His chastisement. That is one of the most challenging aspects of being a parent.  If you are a Christian,  God uses these precious little sinners to sanctify you and put you in check.

And yes, I did buy the DVD, not because she deserved it, but simply because I love her.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

Delicious! Cranberry Vanilla Oatmeal

I am a sucker for a good recipe...especially if it's simple, and I have everything on hand to try it. Try this recipe from the Fairhope Foodie for Cranberry Vanilla Oatmeal. I used strawberry Polaner All Fruit in place of the raspberry jam, but I was really impressed with the flavor, and since my munchkins are in love with oatmeal, I wll be adding this to our repetoire.

Blog Shoutout: Beads, Braids, and Beyond

Today's shout out goes to Nikki over at Beads, Braids, and Beyond. Her website give hair care and styling tips for African-American and biracial children. Nikki does a great job of providing detailed instructions and photos of styles that she has created for her daughter. I visit her blog at least twice a week because I'm amazed at the styles she features, and I aspire to get that skilled with my daughter's hair. And if you have a son, don't feel left out; Nikki is beginning to feature some information for the little guys too. She also does product reviews, and promotes using natural haircare products. Nikki's site is one of the best I've seen on this subject. So if you know someone who may benefit from this information, send them over.

Making a List, Checking It Twice

Good Morning!
This weekend I was thinking that it would be great idea to begin sharing some of my frugal living tips, particularly when it comes to  preparing meals. Today we'll start with grocery shopping.

What is your shopping strategy? Do you walk down the aisles tossing items into the cart that you think you need, or do you use a list? I must admit I used to do the former, but my memory ain't what it used to be, so it's easier for me to make a list. At this point in the game, my list making has three components. Right now this is working for me, but I am the type of person who likes to streamline periodically, so next month I might refine this strategy again.

1. The Running List: I have a small magnetic dry erase board on my refrigerator specifically for this purpose.  As I run out of something, I write it on the board. When I make my official list, I copy the items from the board.
2. Menu Ingredients: When it's time to go shopping, I try to list some of the meals that I plan to cook and write those ingedients on the shopping list. I'm in the process of learning to menu plan so I've modified this step just a little. We'll chat about that later.
3. Putting It Together: I like to use one of the shopping list templates from Microsoft Works because it helps you categorize your list, for example, dairy, cereals/ grains, produce, etc. It's kinda like using a map. This also cuts down on running in circles to buy milk, cheese, and butter. If they're listed together, you'll pick them up together. I also check my fridge and cabinets when I'm creating the master list to make sure I covered everything.

Aside from helping you remember what you need, making a list can help you stay focused on what you need. Focusing on what you need keeps you from blowing money. There times that I'm in the store and I realize that I still forgot something, and I will add it to the cart. However, you better believe it's not some random item that I can do without (like oreos).

Company Girls 2.12.10

Good Morning!

My daughter spent the week with my parents, and while it was a much needed break for me, my home didn't feel quite the same. I'm sure my 10 month old loved the extra attention, but I think he was a little bored without his big sister. I think I was too.

My mind is getting the hang of getting up at 5:30/6 for my devotions, although I'm ready to pass out by 8pm. Maybe I need to institute some mandatory mommy nap time during the day...

As far as Valentine's Day goes, I'm not that into it this year. At the moment, I am perfectly content with putting the kids to bed early and enjoying a home cooked meal and a movie. Or sleep. My husband, however, is pushing for a date night tonight so we can bypass the crowds on Sunday, and because he says I'm "special". So I guess would be a crazy woman to turn that down, right?

The highlight of the week was learning that a couple in our church is going to give us a vehicle. Yes, I said GIVE! I was in an accident in August and my car was totaled. We've been trying figure out the best way to get another vehicle without getting into debt, especially because we just started Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University at our church. Anyway, my husband was sharing that need as a prayer request, and this couple said that had a vehicle that needed a good home. So there you go. WHO IS LIKE THE LORD!?

Blog Housekeeping

Apparently I had some sort of restriction switched on for receiving comments that only allowed blogger or g-mail subscribers to make comments. I changed that this week, so if you've been reading or are a new reader, will you leave me a comment just to say "hi"? I would love to know who's reading my blog. You can also e-mail me at thepatientmom@hotmail.com.