Playing along with Amanda today... in her words:
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
Peaceful evening at the lake
O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
Psalm 63:1
"She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." Proverbs 31:14
Not an easy thing to do every morning. But oh, so very, very profitable! Most mornings I do not want to crawl out of bed. It’s so easy to pull the covers tightly over myself, snuggle up to my husband, and just fall back asleep and enjoy dreamland until the young one wakes me with his boundless energy. But I have learned the hard way that giving into that desire will only cause me to be running behind from the start of my day.I usually have to force myself to say “This is the day the Lord has made” and then force myself to get up and rejoice in it. But, once I’m out of bed, I turn on praise music and sing along and my spirits lift and my energy level rises. Then I’m ready to spend time reading the Word and praying. By the time the sun rises and the rest of the family is awake I feel ready to tackle whatever the day may hold. Now, I may sometimes need a nap during the day or have to go to bed earlier at night than I would like to, but it is more than worth it. Rising early seems to multiply the hours in my day. I am able to accomplish so much more by simply rising a little earlier than the rest of the household and it brings so much peace. Peace from drawing nearer to Him and spending time alone with Him and also peace because I don’t feel like I’m trying to play keep up with my family or catch up with my household responsibilities. What about you? Are you an early riser or do you sleep in?
Today I am joining Kim at Little by Little for Little Things Thursdays.
Little things really are the big things aren’t they?
This week some of the little things that I have been enjoying are little moments in nature.
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good - Genesis 1:31
And how very good it is! Especially in October! Sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 60's most days. I love it and know that it will only get more beautiful in the days and weeks to come as the leaves begin to change.
I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
I love October in Georgia -the sun, the cooler days, the changing and falling leaves! It’s my idea of what Heaven must be like.
::listening to
The hum of the electric heater and the quiet throughout the rest of the house.
::clothing myself in
I’m cozy in pink fleece pajamas.
::talking with my children about these books
The Little Man and I have been reading The Burgess Bird Book for children together and yesterday I found him reading a section from the book to one of his pet cockatiels!
::thinking and thinking
About aging. Hubby and I both celebrated birthdays recently and it’s really hitting me that we’re middle aged. We’ve also been dealing with the disturbing diagnosis of dementia for my grandmother that has led to her being moved to a nursing home. In addition to that, we’re realizing that my father in law is having increasing problems with his own memory that is becoming worrisome for us and that my father is now walking with a cane and not able to do things that he would like to do.
::pondering prayerfully
I’ve been having a desire to draw closer to the Lord even stronger than usual. I find myself waking up during the middle of the night to pray and longing to feel His presence. Praying for the souls of my unsaved loved ones.
::carefully cultivating rhythm
We’ve settled into an autumn rhythm. Waking while it’s still dark out, getting dressed and having personal devotions, taking a morning walk with the rising sun, home for a delicious breakfast, morning chores followed by school lessons, lunch, a trip to the nursing home to visit with Granny, extra curricular activities like karate and baseball with dinner that is too often on the run, then home for baths and bit of family time before bed.
::creating by hand
Gathering items from nature for art projects with the young one.
::learning lessons in
Healthy living. Realizing that many age related health problems could be prevented with better diet and life style choices. Trying to make changes where we can in hopes of preventing the diseases that we see in our family.
::encouraging learning
In Math! I would love to see an improvement in math!
::begging prayers
I always appreciate your prayers in the 3 areas that we all seem to need them – Health, Finances and Relationships!
::keeping house
I need to clean out our closets and get our warmer clothes situated. One of the difficult things about living in Georgia in the fall is that we never know from day to day if we’re going to need Spring/Summer clothes or Winter/Fall or both in the same day!
::crafting in the kitchen
We can’t get enough fried green tomatoes. We seem to be eating them every other day or so!
::loving the moments
I just love being able to sit on the porch and enjoy the beauty of October
::giving thanks
for family
I am so blessed to have the family that I have.
::a photo to share
One of our favorite winter meals is chili and jalapeno cornbread. I made this chili and cornbread for a recent church chili cook off. I didn’t win the cook off, but my pot of chili was empty before all the others!
Chili Recipe
Brown 2 pounds ground beef and drain
Combine the meat with 2 packages mild chili seasoning, 2 cans red kidney beans, and 2 cans tomato sauce. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Top with shredded cheese.
Jalapeno Cornbread
3 Tablespoons oil
2 Cups Aunt Jemima Self – Rising White Buttermilk Corn Meal Mix (Our family prefers this to any other)
1-2 Tablespoons sugar
1.5 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
Heat oven to 425. Heat oil in skillet in oven for 3 minutes; tilt skillet to coat bottom evenly. Combine dry ingredients. Add milk and egg; mix until blended. Add heated oil; mix well. Pour into hot skillet; add jalapenos to top; bake 20-25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.
To enjoy more Foodie Friday Recipes visit Designs by Gollum.
