mr song millinery

mr song millinery This is the website of the man who made Aretha Franklin's Inauguration Day hat. It was a mere $179! Anyway, Pink Princess and I were checking out the other hats and have picked our favorites. Whaddya think? Is anybody going to buy them for our birthdays? Hee hee??

For the Pink Princess (of course!)

And for me (we couldn't find it in any other color, but I think this would work for me)

They're Singing our Song

I haven't been good about getting into the Word lately, so this morning as I sat in my chair sipping coffee and grabbing my Bible, I thought, "WHAT am I going to study?" I didn't even know where to start, until God reminded me that I simply needed to invite Him to this time and He would meet me. I did, and He did, and I need to share this...

Song of Solomon 2:2-3
But Solomon replied, Like the lily among thorns, so are you my love, among daughters. Like an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved (shepherd) among the sons [cried the girl]! Under his shadow I delighted to sit, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

I did the boy-girl thing with the colors, pink & blue, so you'd know what gender was talking, it's important.

Taking this with a view of the marriage relationship and submission

The woman:

• soft among the sharpness
• a joy to look upon
• stands out from the rest as totally a different sort
• provides a sweet fragrance rather than sharpness and pain

The man:

• stands out among men as being different
• is fruitful
• is a source of delight
• is strong
• is manly, but also, in that role, he is a provider
• is known for the fruit he bares in life

The woman's relationship to the man:

She delights to be in his shadow because

• he is at the forefront
• she stays in his protection
• he is the one in the light although she is right there with him
• this is her place, a place she is secure and can find rest

She delights in his fruit

• she acknowledges his accomplishments
• she rejoices and delights in the fruit of his labor
• she simply enjoys ~ she doesn't brag or sell or save up, she simply remains with him delighting in him, in the fruit that is evident in his life.

Now, I know there are all kinds of more intimate connotations in this book, but these are the verses that my eyes fell upon, and I was immediately struck by the picture drawn of the marriage relationship, of the wife's submission. This is an incredible picture to me!! I can so see my hubby as an apple tree, seemingly indifferent to the little details happening around him (that's my job as I sit in his shadow) but protecting and providing and being a strong presence. And as I said, as I sit in the shadow of him, I can tend to the little things that come up. I love this!!!!

Thank You, Abba, for this beautiful picture of submission and the marriage relationship! Thank You for my dear, sweet husband, that he is strong and manly and a wonderful provider and protector. Help me to truly find delight in him all the days of our life together. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN!

I thought I posted this!

I thought that I had posted this here after posting it at our church's website. I wrote this on January 4th after DH (Dear Husband) was chosen to be an elder and governing board member at our church (and I was chosen secretary).

I just went back in my journals to find a specific entry that God reminded me of (about took my breath away, is more like it) yesterday(that would be Jan. 3). The entry is from August of 2002, and I was studying in 1 Timothy about women. Here it is:
Referring to wives of bishops and deacons:
1 Timothy 3:11 “In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.”
· Wives are in tandem with husbands
· We should not wait until our husbands are in prominent positions before we change.
· If this is the way we (as wives) try to live every day, then we are not in any way hindering our husbands but rather supporting them and living as if they are in prominent positions

And I didn’t write it down then, but I remember thinking that by living in this way, I was leaving God room to do whatever He wanted to do in my husband’s life. At this time, DH was still a diesel mechanic, we were in our first year of his migraines so we didn’t know what was happening (didn’t know they were migraines) and he was very sick and irritable. When I read that verse, I actually kind of scoffed. Hubby was NOT the type to be getting that involved in church

Now we fast forward to yesterday...a few days ago Hubby was asked to be on the governing board. We didn’t know exactly what that entailed, but DH said yes, he would be willing to help out like that. Then yesterday as we were sitting in church, after the Pastor had introduced the new governing board members, he said that with lots of prayer, he had selected the elders…..and MY DH WAS ONE OF THEM!!!! (He later said he was just as shocked as I was, he just thought he’d be on the governing board) I sat there in my seat rather in shocked and it was then that God called to mind that verse and the study I had done of it so many years ago, and in my heart I knew that God had begun a work in DH way back then!

Merry Christmas from us!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Found a family!

I've mentioned on here often, that the people of New Harvest Community Church have truly become more than friends, that they are truly family. To really understand that, I thought I'd give you a great example (and funny too).

Last week (and for several weeks past), Little D was working at a loose front tooth. Every now and then he'd ask me to pull it, but it just wasn't ready. Well, Thursday for school, all the child did was wiggle his tooth, beg me to pull it, and even allow me to try several different methods. He was so desperate, he even let me tie a string on it (though he wouldn't go so far as tying the other end of the string to a door handle). Well, the string kept coming off and I just couldn't get it. Friday he seemed to have decided I wasn't going to be able to help him, so he just dealt with it. Well, Saturday morning the kids and I had volunteered to be part of this week's cleaning crew at church. It snowed that morning, so we were a little late getting there, but we did get there. It was fun seeing everyone, and I was glad to see that Pastor Henry was there (he's a truck driver full time, on top of shepherding the NHCC flock). So Little D and I told him our adventure of trying, unsuccessfully, to pull the tooth. Pastor Henry, being a pro at this sort of thing, sent Little D out to their van for dental floss. In he comes with it, and within 5 minutes, good ol' Pastor Henry had that tooth out! Not everyone can say that their Pastor pulled their tooth for them! Silly, I know, but this just goes to show you what kind of family I have here in Utah. I am so blessed (and Little D is so cute with the new "hole in his grill")!

Diggin' deeper

I have been reading the book, Devotions for the Man in the Mirror. I know, it's supposed to be a book for guys, but I happened to glance in it when I brought it home for my Hubby, and was intrigued, and.....well, I can't put it down! It's VERY challenging!! (and it doesn't seem that there's anything that pertains only to men in it). Anyway, the other day I was reading the chapter (15) entitled "Jesus: Commitment to a person versus a set of values" and somewhere in the middle of reading this, I could almost hear brakes squealing (in my mind) as everything suddenly came to a stop, and I had to sit there, look around me with deer-in-the-headlights look, and get myself refocused! Basically, this chapter is saying that we do not have the power to simply imitate Christ; we only have the power to believe and follow after Him. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." It is not the way of Christ that leads to everlasting life, it is the Person of Christ!! We are called to live by faith in the unseen (our salvation unearned but in FULL) rather than things seen (doing good, having good morals). The end of the chapter summed it up with this, "If you live by sight, you will lose the joy of your salvation."(Are you too, hearing tires squealing? Good! But keep reading!!) So then, if all that's true, (and it has to be true, because that's what is written time and again in the Bible, that our salvation through Christ comes ONLY by belief in Him), how can I continue on doing the WWJD challenge? Yikes!! I needed to wrestle that thought, needed to see not separate pieces, but rather, how the pieces fit together, because surely this commitment was a serious one, a life changing one. So each morning, before getting up, I'd stay there in bed and lay it all before my Abba and ask HOW? How can all this go together? What does it mean to follow Christ if our actions are not chosen in imitation of Him? God's answer was to keep reading, so I did. Chapter 18, titled, "Eternal Life: The Undone Thing" centers around the story of the rich young ruler (Matthew19:16-21). He is looking for that one key, he truly wants eternal life, but he wants it on his terms, on his own merit. He has lived by the commandments set forth in the Old Testament, but he knows something is missing. Jesus then tells him that the one and only way to be "perfect" (deserving of heaven) is to lay aside ANYTHING that stands in the way of him following Jesus. For this man, it was his material possessions. He was willing to surrender only up to a point, and that point was his wealth, that's where he drew the line. And it wasn't the possessions themselves that were a hindrance, but rather, his attitude about them. So then, there is nothing we can do to deserve heaven, as Christ has already done it in full for us. So we simply must be willing to sacrifice all, lay anything and everything aside that has any hold on our heart, in order to follow Christ. (at this point, for me anyway, the puzzle pieces still weren't coming together, but at least I knew they were all part of the same puzzle!) So then, this morning I read chapter 19, "Assurance: Assurance of Salvation". It began by talking about our need for approval, we all want to hear "well done" from those who matter most to us. We work hard to get that approval and we think that just like any other relationship, God is requiring us to work hard to earn His approval. Well, the fact of the matter is, the instant you first surrendered to Him, He approved you unconditionally!! One of my favorite quotes from a pastor friend in Louisiana (and as I've told some, when I first heard it, it REALLY bothered me....something else I needed to wrestle with in my mind) "God will never love you any more or any less than He does at this very moment." WHAT?? I can't do anything to make Him love me more? Then God helped me to see that I wasn't understanding the greatness of His love. I was limiting it when it was limitless. It is then I realized that I don't have to try with God. All He truly asks of me is to believe in Him. My actions then become a sign of gratitude, of faith, and of belief. If I truly believe Him, then I can willingly walk the path He sets before me because I know that I can trust Him. My actions aren't done to prove my love, they are done simply because of my love.(*Snap! The pieces suddenly come together!!) So, my commitment to WWJD is NOT to become a better person, but rather it is to walk out my faith! I get it now!! So when a cost is required, that's fine, because I'm walking by faith. I know that my God is limitless in His love for me, so what can all these temporal things matter to me? The only cost required was paid in full. There is NO price greater than that one! Even if I die, it is a gain, it is eternal life. Christ went to hell to make sure that those gates could no longer hold me in! Wahoo!!

My Momma done tol' me to save lots of money!

Okay, whatever, I know those aren't the words to the song, but I couldn't think of any catchy title for this post!

I just got back from one of my favorite stores.....now this store is NOT pretty, doesn't really feel all that clean, BUT the money I save there makes up for all that! What am I talking about? A salvage grocery store!! I'd never known these stores existed (other than the dented and discounted racks at big grocery stores) until I moved here to Utah. I was actually warned not to go into this store.....but I didn't listen! I just had to check it out! And now it is the first place I try to get to on grocery shopping day!

The one here near me is called Carl's Super Saver and they carry lots and lots of things. My great deals for the day were bell peppers for 10 cents each; tomatoes for 20 cents each; plus size tights for $2.99, and a couple pairs of fun/funky earrings for 99 cents each!

Now, having said that, I also want to share some tips with you if you want to give this a shot and it's your first time dealing with "salvaged goods"

1. The vegetables.....may not be perfect, there may be a bad spot or two you have to cut out, or a couple berries or something that are moldy....that's not the exception, that's the NORM! These peppers I bought today are just on the verge of getting soft, so I am going to chop them up and freeze them for later use, thus stopping the aging process.
2. Look at dates and consider the product....I wouldn't hesitate to use outdated soap or something, but very outdated food (I'm talking years), I'd be careful about.
3. Things to watch out for with canned goods (and I'm going to just assume they're outdated, so don't even worry about that): dented is okay, but rusted is NOT good; puffed up tops are NOT good; super dented (as in un-openable) isn't a good idea
4. You also need to be somewhat aware of regular store prices for the items. For example, today I saw some dish soap, the kind with the air freshener on the bottom, for $2.49. Now I know I can get a bigger bottle for about that price or less at a regular store, so why bother.
5. Brand loyalty.....I am brand loyal on some things (shampoo, toothpaste for me) but other things I don't mind generic or off brands (diced tomatoes are diced tomatoes, ya know?) So you have to decide what things you're willing to be lenient on.

I think that's all the warnings I need to share. If you think of anything else, or have questions, feel free to post them in the comments. You do have to use your best judgement, but if you're careful, I think this is an awesome way to save money and be green (well, they would be throwing this stuff out if nobody bought it, as regular stores can't sell it)

So, check out the yellow pages or online, see what's in your area, and start saving!!!