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Waiting on God
From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Seven
Waiting on God
Scripture Memory: “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Photo Credit: Andi Braun
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Patience. It is one of the Fruits of the Spirit. It is needed by women everywhere – everyday. Sometimes we lose patience with our children, sometimes we lose patience with our husbands. Sometimes we lose patience with family members, friends, or acquaintances. Far too often we are not patient with our own learning process. We look down on ourselves as failures just waiting for the next big goof.
Christ will provide us with a spirit of patience if we diligently ask Him. He is always quick to give us that which is His will for our lives. Bad habits are not always easily broken, as we have found this to be true throughout this study. But when you press on toward the mark, you will eventually reach your goal!
The kind of patience I want to talk about today is not the kind where you can no longer contain your frustration as your three year old throws yet another temper tantrum. The kind of patience I want to discuss with you today is “Waiting on God.”
One of the hardest lessons I have ever had to learn was how to wait on God. If I am completely honest, I am still learning this lesson. Have you ever prayed for something for days, weeks, months… years? Only to give up and decide God isn’t really listening? One of the greatest joys of my life has been watching prayers that were offered up to our Heavenly Father year after year and year and then, finally, seeing the results of my prayers as God worked to answer them in perfect detail. God’s timing is not always our timing. Sometimes when we feel something is best, God has other plans.
This is one of the reasons I love my prayer journal so much. It gives me the opportunity to go years back and re-read my prayers and see how God has answered them! I hope you are still writing daily in your prayer journal. Years from now, it will offer you hope and peace as you see first hand how God works in your life – often without you ever realizing it!
Ask God to give you patience. Ask Him to show you how to love your family and yourself the way He loves you. God has an endless amount of patience for us!
Brazilian Cheese Bread – Gluten Free
As I have mentioned before, we are cooking gluten free for my daughter Sarah. It has been a real challenge! However, I have been so blessed to find recipes she loves. I typically make a recipe for her and freeze the leftovers so she can pull them out whenever she needs something quick or whenever I am not making a meal that is strictly gluten free for the rest of us. Honestly, gluten free products and flours cost so much, we can’t afford to all eat this way.
My husband (who does the grocery shopping) had brought home some packs of bagels and English muffins for the rest of us and I needed to find a bread that Sarah would enjoy that would have a comparable “chewiness.”
For a first attempt, this recipe was incredibly easy and super delicious! In fact, I split a couple of rolls between the rest of our family for the “taste test,” and the bread was a hit with everyone. Even my husband suggested I regularly make them for everyone to eat.
This recipe is a traditional recipe made in Brazil and is naturally gluten free. The Tapioca Flour used was difficult for me to find. We live in a small town, however even in the health food stores we visit a couple of hours away didn’t carry it. However, I finally found an inexpensive source – an Asian market in Knoxville. Tapioca Flour will be a staple in our house from now on! I am anxious to experiment with this recipe, possibly making similar breads out of it. I am thinking gluten free Italian Bread, and possibly trying to shape the rolls into a bagel shape with wet hands. I’ll let you know if it works. Also, I believe that you could substitute the cheese with your favorite and even leave out the garlic. So here’s the recipe:
Brazilian Cheese Bread
1/2 cup olive oil or butter
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour olive oil, water, milk, and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Drop rounded, 1/4 cup-sized spoonfuls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
This recipe yielded 8 (4 inch flattened) rolls for me.
You can see in the photo above how similar in appearance the inside is to an English muffin, and the bread is chewy like a bagel. Yum!
Note: I flattened my “scoops” out somewhat on the baking sheet (before baking) to resemble English Muffins when sliced open. I had a bunch of English muffins in the pantry and was in the mood to make some vegetarian Eggs Benedict.
Here is a photo of this incredible bread with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce:
(This photo would have looked nicer if I had planned for it and picked a different colored plate! But it tasted delicious!)
The Heart of Her Husband
With Valentine’s Day approaching in just 14 days… I thought it would be fun to focus on different aspects of the marriage relationship or rather, how you and I can be better wives! Proverbs 31 tells us that the heart of the virtuous woman’s husband could safely trust in her. Does your husband trust you or does his heart lie in fear of what is coming?
- Do you respect your husband?
- Do you pray for your husband?
- Are you a home maker?
- Can your husband trust you?
- Are you thankful?
- Do you go out of your way to be thoughtful to your husband?
- Do you have a habit of nagging your husband?
- Express your love with love notes.
- Do you manipulate your husband?
- Do you expect your husband to be perfect?
- Men are basically easy to please. Feed them good food, keep the house clean, and give them plenty of…
- What do you cook for your husband?
- You love your husband when you love your kids.
- Are you a helpmeet?
Protect your marriage. Protect the heart of your husband!
Cleaning the Bathroom
From Chaos to Calm: Day Forty-Six
Cleaning the Bathroom
Scripture Memory: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
Photo Credit: CountryKitty
Download the .pdf version of this article.
Today’s Scripture memory calls us to humble ourselves. If any task in the home calls for us as wives and mothers to humble ourselves, it is cleaning the bathroom. The bathroom is one of the dirtiest rooms in the house and the tasks are not very pleasant.
Your bathroom should be one of the cleanest rooms in your house. It is typically a small space. And remember – the bathroom is the only room where guests go alone with time to sit and just look around… at the corners, around the bathtub, etc. Everyone will know your standard for clean by looking at your bathroom.
Make the bathroom part of your morning routine. Wipe down sinks after making the beds. Rinse the bathtubs after each bath has been taken, and so on. Then on a regular basis, make cleaning the bathroom part of your schedule with the following tasks…
Care for the Bathroom: Monthly:
1. Clean under the sink.
2. Clean out medicine cabinet.
3. Throw out old medications and old make up.
4. Take inventory of toilet paper, paper towels, soaps, shampoos, etc. Add those items that need replenishing to your shopping list. Purchase items when on sale and stock up.
Care for the Bathroom: Weekly:
1. Use a small hand held whisk broom or brush and sweep the floor, dusting the baseboards as you go.
2. Fill a bucket with warm or hot water and add a disinfectant to the water.
3. Add a disinfectant to the toilet bowl. Swish it around with the toilet bowl brush and allow to soak while you clean the rest of the bathroom.
4. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
5. Use separate cloths or sponges for cleaning the toilet and sink and floor.
6. Begin by cleaning the sink and cabinets. Use a mild detergent or abrasive for cleaning inside the sink, around the fixtures, the cabinets, and the walls around the sink.
7. Rinse and clean soap dish. Wipe off the light switch.
8. Dust vanity light bulbs.
9. Clean mirrors.
10. Sprinkle a mild abrasive or spray your preferred bath tub cleaner into the bath/ shower. Use a sponge to scrub away soap scum build up and water marks. Doing this weekly instead of once the tub is gross will reduce the effort! Liquid bleach gets rid of mildew. Rinse tub well.
11. Saturate a sponge in the bucket of water. Squeeze excess moisture out and begin scrubbing the baseboards. Because of the moisture in the bathroom, dust tends to dry and stick to the baseboards causing them to look dingy and unattractive. Move around the room, rinsing your sponge as needed. Dust window sills, cobwebs, top of door molding, and top of shower.
12. Saturate a sponge in the bucket of water. Squeeze excess moisture out and clean around top of toilet, working your way down the sides of the toilet. Rinse sponge as needed.
13. Using a sponge and a product such as Mop and Glo, scrub floor until it sparkles. Begin mopping in the corner of bathroom and work your way out of the room. Leave the room and make sure no one goes in until the floor is dry – about 20 minutes. You can place a fan on the floor to speed this drying time.
14. Pour dirty water outside or down the toilet. Disinfect sponges or cloths in a bucket of fresh water and bleach. 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water. Soak them for at least five minutes. Rinse well and air dry.
Care for the Bathroom: Daily:
1. Rinse tub after bathing. ** Optional: Spray a Daily Shower Spray formula in the shower to help prevent soap scum build up. **
2. Wipe down sink, faucets, with a fresh cloth.
3. Wipe down toilet seat with another fresh cloth.
4. Clean mirror after everyone has brushed their teeth.
5. Hang fresh hand towels.
6. Spray air freshener and leave the room.
By cleaning the bathroom on a regular basis, you will find that the task only takes minutes each day and hardly more on your weekly cleaning day. If you have not already, add this task to your daily schedule and determine when is the best day to do the scrubbing.
Cleaning the bathroom shouldn’t be drudgery! Smile in your heart while doing these ordinary, seemingly mundane, tasks. Let peace wash over you and feel content knowing that your family is well taken care of.
Homeschool Freebies – Penguins
We started our Penguin Unit today. On January 11, 2012 we were blessed to have the opportunity to visit Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN while at the KYTN Conference minister’s meetings. One of our favorite exhibits was the Penguins. So, I am working on a Penguin Unit for Hannah and Laura, who are crazy about anything God has created! Below you can watch one of our experiences with the penguins at Ripley’s. They were sooo cute! In this video, my girls Hannah, Laura, and Emily had some fun with one particular penguin.
Here are some Penguin Freebies that Homeschoolers can enjoy:
1. Mr. Popper’s Penguins from the Homeschool Share Blog.
2. Arctic Animal Lapbook from Homeschool Share
3. Penguin, Penguin Early Reader from Starfall.com
4. Penguin Lapbook from Lapbook Lessons
5. Printable Book of Penguins and Penguin Craft Idea from Relentlessly Fun, Deceptively Educational
For more ideas, check out my Pintrest Penguin Page!
This Year Will Be Different
Glorious Day
I just love this song! The words are truth.
Christmas Really Happened
One Year to Live
What if you had only one year to live? What if you knew Jesus would come back one week from now, six months from now, one year from now? Would you live differently? You see, we don’t know how long we have. There is no guarantee for tomorrow. You could die in a tragic car accident or be diagnosed with a rare and rapid growth cancer tomorrow.
How strong is your faith? Jesus’ return will be a sudden event, unexpected. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10 KJV
Jesus is waiting for us, his chosen people to stand up for what we believe and live as though we believe it!
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light; Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation… Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” 1 Peter 2:9-20
What in your life is holding you back from fully serving your King? What high places (idols) are you worshiping in place of God?
“And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.” Leviticus 26:30
Are you willing to tear down the high places and give glory to God in preparation for His soon coming?
Happy New Year!
Wow, can you believe it is 2012? Where does the time go? Today, January 2, is the first day we have had what feels like winter weather. Snow flurries are floating through the air, with the promise of snow this afternoon. This has been a weird winter. We usually have snow weekly starting in late November. Last year was sooo cold and there was so much snow! It has felt like fall. Christmas day we were wearing short sleeves outside!
We had a big group for the holidays – one week with 30 people in the house! Our family has grown so big and just keeps growing! Oh, and we had 6 dogs in the house and a crew of 3 workers who replaced all of the windows in our house (we have 53 windows) and replaced our old shutters with new ones, and wrapped all of our windows with vinyl siding and replaced the old siding on the sun room with new vinyl siding (we have a brick house). I’ll have to share photos later… [read more]
