What Is A "Strong" Woman?

Strong woman, originally uploaded by pantufla.

I have some thoughts on the whole strong woman thing, but I'd like to hear yours first.

How would you describe a strong woman?

Wanna Jump With Me?

My poetry blog is finally up! It is a collection of old (some as old as high school) and new poetry. If you're so inclined, check it out (the poetry is in random order).

www.jumpintothewildblue.blogspot.com

My Husband Rocks! Friday

My husband rocks because he works hard at his job, working overtime and side jobs so that I can stay home and raise our children - thanks babe! I love you!

Katy Lin, the genius behind My Husband Rocks! Friday, is having an amazing giveaway! Many great prizes are offered (the book Love & Respect and a photo collage) but I want to mention the one I'm going for:

The My Husband Rocks T-shirt! I so wanna rock it! :)

Now head on over to The Great Adventure and join My Husband Rocks! Friday!

Pumpkin Bread and Fall - Mmm, Mmm, Good!

I have joined Lisa over at Stop and Smell the Chocolates for her Pumpkin Potpourri week, and today I made her delicious pumpkin bread (recipe here). Wow, this is some good stuff - and my house smells so good because of it!

It was a hit with the fam as well!

I also tried a little pumpkin decorating, unfortunately my one picture is a little blurry!

Join in on the pumpkin fun by clicking here!

Day 30 - Simplify

It's time to simplify (or perhaps, let go) in order to create the space you really want (simplifying works for me!)

I am beginning to have craft supplies and homeschooling "stuff" everywhere - it's eating up my home. I keep dreaming that I will have a play/homeschool room, so I continue to not have permanent, easy access storage for my supplies. It's time for this mama to live in reality!

Do you have "things" that need a home, but you are reluctant to let go of other "things" or space to create something more realistic?

Example: I have a bookshelf in my dining room filled with, you guessed it, books! However, the space would be better used at this point if I gave up two shelves of my beloved books to keep play/craft/homeschool supplies. I don't want to move my books - there like my trophies, my babies, my...heck, I don't know, I just really don't want to move them to the basement (or part with some)! I have come to realize that in order to simplify my and my family's life, I must make the necessary changes in order to accommodate our current lives. Alas, the books shall go (sniff sniff).

Today, think about a space that could be better utilized or simplified to fit your family's needs for this season of your lives. Give in, let go, and enjoy the peace that comes from simplicity.

Have You Discovered Wordle?

I was introduced to something pretty nifty by Bonita over at Streams of Living Water. There is a website that creates a collage for you of the most common words that appear in your blog entries. All you do is enter your blog's URL and then just sit back and wait for your collage to appear. The words you use the most will be big and bold.

Here's mine (in super small version):

Cool, huh? You can make your own at http://www.wordle.net/!

Day 29 - Giving Life to Your Home

It has been quite awhile since I have really cleaned! I am finally coming out of the icky prego phase and I'm ready to start getting back to normal. First things first - I need some life in my cave of a home! It has not been a place of refuge for awhile, but today, that will change.

Today, we give life!

All women have the capacity to be lifegivers if they accept this beautiful calling. Lifegiving, in its most basic sense, is raising life above the level of mere existence. We give life physically and spiritually, in many forms. We also give life intellectually, socially, and artistically. We as women have been blessed with the very nature of lifegiving! At its core, lifegiving is all about love.
What are some specific ways we give life?

• Our Words
• Our Home - Decorating, preparing meals, creating an atmosphere of peace, hospitality
• Education - To yourself, your children, or others
• Church - Using your gifts
• Socially
• Culture and the Arts
• Heritage and Traditions - Enriching the lives around you

How can you give life to your home today? Perhaps it's finally ironing all those clothes that have piled up in the ironing basket. Maybe it's getting some fresh flowers to brighten your home and enlighten your senses. You could clean out your night stand, scrub under the fridge, organize your closet, etc.

I would love to hear what lifegiving ideas you have for the home and what you will be doing/have done to bring life to your home today!

Have fun making your home a refuge!

31 Days to Clean - jump in anywhere! (I know I have some catching up to do on adding all the days - I'll get to it as soon as I can!)

Let's Get Back to 31 Days to Clean, Shall We

Day 29 tomorrow - stay tuned!

31 Days to Clean

Is Grace Amazing to You?

"How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son, to make a wretch His treasure."

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me..."

It's easy to sing the lyrics to these beautiful Christian hymns (How Deep The Father's Love and Amazing Grace), but do we actually believe what we're singing? Do we actually believe that we are indeed wretched?

Do you consider yourself a wretch (A miserable person; despicable or vile)?

Most of us probably don't think of ourselves as despicable, or vile, in fact we probably think we are pretty good folks. The truth is that God sees us as His enemies, as wretches before we become His children. Our thoughts and our actions are indeed wicked compared to His holiness. If you think you are somehow exempt from this reality, just think about it for a minute: lusting after someone other than your spouse is adultery according to Jesus (hello thought life), lying, stealing, putting anything above God, dishonoring your parents, wanting what others have, etc. All things we are guilty of.

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not." Romans 8:18

For me, it was this very realization that I was a wretch that made His grace (taking my sin upon Himself and dying on a cross so that I, a wicked person, could escape the just punishment of Hell and instead live fully alive from now into eternity) so amazing - that made me want to tell others about Him, praise Him, and live my life for Him. He changed my life so completely, so incredibly...He died so I would know what it really means to live.

"...be led to the rugged tree, the one he cried not for His pain for our debt, the very same tree that He conquered death, it was unfair deal on the part of Christ, He got my sin, I got eternal life..." Shane Barnard, Breath of God

If you've never bent a knee to Jesus, believing Him, humbly recognizing your sin and asking Him to save you, won't you consider doing it now?

"Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." Jesus in the book of John, 5:24

Survivor of Botched Abortion

Wow, wow, and wow.

Do Feminism and Abortion Always Go Hand in Hand?

Susan B. Anthony

With the news today you would think that every feminist was pro-choice, but

did you know...

that the majority of early feminists were not pro-choice. In fact, many of the famous feminist foremothers vehemently opposed abortion. Seriously, it's true, check it out:

"Guilty? Yes. No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty who commits the deed. It will burden her conscience in life, it will burden her soul in death; But oh, thrice guilty is he who drove her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime!" Susan B. Anthony, American civil rights and women's rights leader

"When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American social activist and leading figure in the early women's movement

"Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth." Victoria Woodhull,
first female presidential candidate, 1872 (What would she think of the feminists of today?!)

"Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women." Alice Paul, author of the original Equal Rights Amendment (1923)

Just thought I'd let you in on the secret!

Teaching Little Ones To Sew

Since I have been sewing pillows lately, my little girl wants in on the action. After reading Robin's blog on how she would sew with her girls I thought, I can at least let my sweetie experiment with sewing:

I put together some scraps of felt, fabric, plastic needles, a pin cushion with a few pins, and yarn. She loves having her own sewing kit!

I sewed the one side

A great idea for little "sewers" is to get some felt, a hole punch that punches tiny holes, and yarn. Punch holes around the fabric and have your little one put her needle with yarn through the holes. It may come out all crazy, but they'll love the process!

Do you have any other sewing ideas for little ones? I'd love to hear them!

Back From Florida

I'm back, I'm tired, but it was good.

My mom is doing well under the circumstances - thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers. I was able to accomplish quite a bit, in addition to just being there for my mom and helping to take care of her along with my sister. I also had a refreshing time. It was absolutely gorgeous in the part of Florida where I was. From here on out we wait, we pray, we trust.

Away

My dear friends and readers, I found out recently that my mother is extremely ill with terminal cirrhosis of the liver. I will be flying to Florida tomorrow morning to be with her over the next week. Please pray...at this point, I'm not even sure how, there are so many things. Mainly, that she will come to know Jesus (I don't know exactly where she is spiritually) so that she will be with Him when she passes. (She could live for a couple months or possibly up to a year, but not in a fully aware state of mind).

Thank you.

What All The Neighbors Are Talking About (Flamingos!)

By popular demand I bring you...

The Flamingos!

Labor Day - Not What You Think!

I'm jumping on board the LABOR day express with Shannon and others for a real LABOR day treat. Today is all about Labors!

How long were your labors?

My little girl was about 10 hours and my boy was about 9 hours.

How did you know you were in labor?

With my girl my water broke - and I mean broke - visions of waterfalls people! With my boy the contractions started slow and just built up.

Where did you deliver?

At the hospital with both.

Drugs?

Nothing with my girl (I was all Bradley Method - I now disagree with some of his theories!) and a shot in the rear end with my boy - took the edge off the contractions during transition.

C-Section?

No

Who delivered?

Midwives both times.

If you're curious to read more labor "stories," head on over to Rocks in My Dryer!