I have strange habits: When I miss my Mom I bleach the kitchen sink and bathroom. The smell reminds me of my mom. As much as I hate the smell. My mom has this thing for bleach so every time I smell it I think of being at home and her cleaning. It is interesting the amount of things I do just like her. We are quite different personality wise but the nurture part still imparted quite a few traits and ways of doing things. Tonight Andrew is out helping someone and I have a cold so I am staying in cleaning. What a way to pass an evening. I am starting to sound like my Mom and act like her. I also keep on sneaking peaks at the wedding pictures! Ahhh goood memories. It was an AMAZING day. I am so thankful for all the people who came and showed their love and support. I am so thankful for the gift of marriage. It is truly amazing. I am getting to know my husband's heart better. It is interesting how marriage changes things. Subtly in some ways and drastically in others. I admire him very much and he is such an encouragement to me in the Lord. He is a blessing. He has strengths where I have weaknesses and that is in itself is a help in growing. One of my favorite things about being married is the companionship aspect--being best friends and being able to give grace and encouragement to each other. We laugh a lot. Maybe it is our personalities or maybe it is just my silliness coming out but I am so thankful we don't take ourselves too seriously. Although I must say when I am sick...I don't take jokes quite as well. For some reason I keep on getting sick over and over again. I haven't been on this many antibiotics and pain killers the past few months ever before. I don't know if maybe I am just getting adjusted to Kansas germs or what. But it is wonderful to have Andrew to make me rest...even when I do not want to. God must have known we needed each other.    

And so it comes...the last Saturday before the wedding. This afternoon Andrew packs his bags. Right now he's changing the oil on my car.  Symbolic of the transfer coming soon: what use to be my Dad's domain is now becoming Andrew's.

We've been reading through the Psalms we're on Psalm 32. Over and over again I keep seeing the theme of dependance upon God. I am learning this afresh in the new roles I am falling into. Devoting my time and energy to priorities and learning what those are as a homemaker is a new undertaking. One that hopefully I am somewhat prepared to undertake due to the mentoring God has granted me the past few years from wise women. Now if I can apply those things! I am seeing how dependant I really am on God's grace to do things in His power and His way.

When we are abandoned to God, He works through us all the time. 

The thing that tells in the long run for God and for men is the steady persevering work in the unseen, and the only way to keep the life uncrushed is to live looking to God.

Our Lord's words come home most when He talks in the most simple way. . .Many today are spending and being spent in work for Jesus Christ, but they do not walk with Him. . .Live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. 

-Oswald Chambers

Workers, here is your first lesson, study only one thing to become nothing, learn to be helpless. We must be absolutely dependant. Absolute dependance upon God is the secret to all power in work. The branch has nothing but what it gets from the vine, and you and I can have nothing except what we get from Jesus. We need to have absolute dependance on Him in every moment of every day.

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I made 2 of my favorite recipes yesterday. Pumpkin muffins and poppyseed bread I also made a complete mess and decorated myself with batter and oatmeal. But it was a lot of fun and occupied my afternoon quite happily. Here is the recipe for anyone who is a fan of moist chocolaty pumkin muffins! Oh and they are wheat free...But you could make them with wheat if you preferred but you would lose some of the moistness and nutty flavor the oats offer.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

3C. oat flour {grind oatmeal in a food processor or coffee grinder}

1 t. salt

1-1/2 C. raw sugar or brown sugar

2 t. baking soda

2-1/2 C. canned pumpkin

1/2 cup olive oil

4 eggs beaten

3 t. pumpkin pie spice

2 t. cinnamon

1 cup semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 and bake for about an hour, sprinkle with toasted coconut [adds crunch and a nice color contrast.]

Notice the dancing squirrel. :)

is it thursday already?

 I am hoping to bake today. I am wheat intolerant and so I am hoping to try some of the recipes from Gluten Free Girl. Her blog is fascinating.

{{ http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ }}

I like her recipes...I want to try the Lemon Olive Oil Cookies...Sound so unique. I am hoping to also make a millet-rice chocolate coconut muffin. I love baking for my fiance.

8 days and he will be my husband! Crazy! 

[[I am getting excited about going to Sanibel Island soon...a warm gulf coast island sounds amazing...I am ready for some warm weather!]]

 Oh and I MISS Rascal...

ice ice ice....it's melting now...

WE GOT POWER BACK!

That white house along the road is our soon to be first home together. It was originally a one room school house which Andrew's grandfather attended. Around 1960's it was remodelled into a house. Yesterday, the first residents, also relatives, of the house stopped by to take a look. As newlyweds they remodeled it and lived there. They noted how the house has a gorgeous view of the sunset [wow; it really does]. They called the place Franklin House. We have taken to calling it the Schoolhouse.

Unpacking this summer the pottery from our families...This is the pattern. Handmade in Poland. :) I was introduced to the pattern by good friends who obtained their set in Germany. We visited them and I fell in love with the patterns and colors...never dreaming I would be able to find the pattern when I started a home. I was happily surprised to find out that JCPenney's carries the pattern...the same place I registered!

The nativity set Andrew's boss gave us as a wedding gift. I really like it. We set it up Sunday afternoon right after the power came back on after six days without electricity. Andrew's house got down to 35 degrees. We were thankful to blast the furnace and enjoy the warmth!

Everything is white...another ice storm is coming.

In memory of the green days...they will come again.

You are the sun shining down on everyone
Light of the world giving light to everything I see
Beauty so brilliant I can hardly take it in
And everywhere you are is warmth and light

And I am the moon with no light of my own
Still you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can’t be a light unless I turn my face to You

Shine on me with your light
Without you I’m a cold dark stone
Shine on me, I have no light of my own
You are the sun, you are the sun, you are the sun
And I am the moon

you have made me to shine
And as I glow in this cold dark night
I know I can’t be a light unless I turn my face to you
I'll never be a light until I turn myself to you

sara groves

marriage.

Advice?

We speak the language of addicts.

It is the nature of life to crave something insatiably; be it self, things, or perhaps the Maker Of All.

Christians have had their eyes opened to see the fountain of their joy. To taste the sweet grace found in Him alone. What we do with such knowledge is up to us and an utterly supernatural grace. Living above the natural is impossible for simple flesh and blood.

To be alive is to continually say "more". Contentment springs from a spark of the Divine not from natural seed.

We say "if this...then happiness" rather than "I will rejoice in this moment" This moment we must practice contentment and an addiction to things Divine.

Oh, contentment, mother of joy.

Oh, craving Divine... sweet addiction; Spark of LIFE.

God help us.

John 15: 1-17

 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 

  “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.  This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.

_____________________

Tonight my good friend and accountablility partner quoted these verses from John 15 to me from memory...It was so encouraging I had to post them here. I love love love these words of my Savior. He is so amazing.