December?

It can’t be December already.

My computer says it’s December first. Walmart has been playing Christmas music for a month. The malls are crowded with people shopping for gifts. KLove is playing Christmas carols. The neighbors have their house decorated.

And yet… it’s 73 degrees outside. We’re running neither the heater or the AC. My patio door is wide open to allow the fresh air to circulate through the apartment.

18 days until we leave for (cold!) Michigan. We’ll be staying with hubby’s parents for a week. I can’t wait, as we haven’t seen them for two years!

But December? Is it really?

Pursuing righteousness

I’m discovering the beauty of Bible translations other than the KJV. I was raised reading the KJV and just recently started branching out into more modern translations. Old verses are coming to life!

“Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21, NLT).

I pray that I will always pursue righteousness and unfailing love! I know the only place to find both is in the arms of God. I want to always seek righteousness, unfailing love, and the face of God. Please Lord, guide me in seeking You.

Count your blessings

Happy Thanksgiving!

No matter how the world celebrates the holiday, this is a good time to stop and remember the blessings the Lord has granted for the past year. Even the simple act of waking up each morning is a gift from God.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

May I always remember to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in ALL circumstances. God is good!

Amish White Bread: Success!

I’ve only baked bread from scratch a few times. Each time, the bread doesn’t rise much and it never looks like real bread with the golden brown rounded crust.

Until today!

I used this recipe and it turned out really well! I used 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of white flour like the recipe suggested.

I don’t have a bread maker, so I mixed and kneaded this loaf by hand. I’ve always wondered if my method of kneading is why the bread doesn’t rise properly. I’m still not sure if that’s why this loaf turned out fluffy versus my earlier attempts, but I watched this video to see how an “expert” does it.

Success! Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks.

“She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household…” (Proverbs 31:15). Thank you Lord for helping me bake bread today!

Free date!

My husband and I don’t really go out on traditional “dates.” We’ve never really had the money to spend on activities. Instead, we’ve been content to stay at home and watch a movie (Netflix is cheap!) or play board games.

While driving to work one day, hubby noticed the Phoenix Art Museum. I went online to find out how much admission costs and discovered they have free admission every Tuesday evening! Date night!

Two Tuesdays ago, we drove over to the Museum. Sure enough, there was free admission for the general public. We spent a little over two hours wandering through the exhibits. We quickly walked around the 43rd Annual Cowboy Artists of America Exhibit. Some of those paintings had absolutely gorgeous skies!

We spent a lot of time in the European painting exhibit. This was my favorite painting of the evening:

The display said that it was a George Romney painting titled Anne Birch. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any information on the internet about this particular painting.

We’re planning on visit the Art Museum next month for this exhibit. Not only is the museum free on Tuesdays, but it’s a creative, mind stimulating, and fun date. Now I’m on the lookout for other places that have free admission!

Where is that recipe?

My Bible study group was discussing Thanksgiving plans. None of them have family locally and they can’t afford to travel this year. Someone suggested that we all go to a buffet that day.

Well… I’m from Wyoming. I’m also old fashioned. In my mind, you just don’t go out to eat on Thanksgiving! You go over to someone’s house, or have people come over to yours, and eat a really tasty homemade meal. I called the Bible study host and asked her if I could cook for everyone. Since I’m at home, I have the time to prepare a meal for 6-8 people provided I don’t have to cook a turkey! I’m vegetarian and have no idea how to cook meat. 🙂 Everyone thought that was a great idea, so now I’m looking for ideas.

I spent almost an hour going through a bag of recipes. Some of the recipes were typed on a typewriter, others torn from a magazine, but I was looking for one particular handwritten recipe – these really yummy oatmeal muffins that my mom used to make. I didn’t find the recipe. When I talked to my mom later, she suggested I search the web, that it was an old recipe from a Laurel’s Kitchen cookbook.

Silly me… I have that cookbook!

I think I’ll bake a test run this weekend, see if they taste as good as I remember.

The start of something new

I have procrastinated writing my first post. I’ve been putting pressure on myself to say something profound, to make sure that my first entry is perfect, before hitting the Publish button.

However, I’m not perfect. I’m just a Christian woman, a wife, seeking to please the Lord and my husband.

Six weeks ago, my employer called me into a conference room and told me that I was being laid off. I was relieved. It was an odd feeling, considering I’d been working there for four and a half years. That job was my entry into the “real world,” making me subject to real corporate drama, real annual reviews, and a real hard look at what matters.

However, I wasn’t happy working there. The job was good, the pay was good, but I never felt like I was making a difference. For a long time, I’ve wanted to be a wife, a homemaker, and eventually a mom.

Three and a half years ago, I met my husband. We had a brief courtship and married in October of 2005. Up until six weeks ago, I was working full time while trying to balance cooking, cleaning, and the growing desire to be at home. Being laid off was an answer to prayer. We prayed about it and my husband decided that I could stay home and be a full time homemaker.

This blog is about my thoughts and adventures in learning to be a homemaker, a better wife, and a Christian. I aspire to be a Proverbs 31 woman, looking well to the ways of my household. I have a lot to learn. With the Lord’s help, I can fulfill my calling to be a Proverbs 31 woman. Thanks for joining me in the journey.