Tip of the Day 8/15/12

99 Days of Summer: We are on Day 3 of our closet makeover. I hope you have followed through on steps one and two in at least one closet in your home. Today we will look at what is left in the closet and determine if it is practical and useful. A great way to get the most use out of all those clothes you have spent your hard earned money on is to pre-plan "outfits". Instead of spending time each day trying go figure out what to wear, you can plan out seasonal outfits in advance. It is easy to get stuck in a rut of always wearing the same top with the same pair of paints. Start with something easy, like your go to pair of black pants, pretty much any top you own can be worn with them and that can get old. We get bored with what we have and go buy another top. Try stepping out of your comfort zone and do some mixing it up. Look through the pictures of all those outfits you have pinned on Pinterest and come up with similar things from what is already in your closet. You will probably discover a lot of pieces you can put together. The goal is to do this with what you already own. This should be done with adult and childrens clothing. This is a big project, but is as much fun as going shopping. Anything that you cannot put into an outfit, or define a specific use for, should be removed from the closet. We have a few more steps to complete, and you will have a "new" wardrobe in your closets to start Fall.

Word for Today, Growth: As the lone Sunday School Teacher at Calvary Chapel Sunset Coast (there are a couple of awesome young ladies that fill in when needed) I have the privilege and responsibility of planning all of the lessons for the children. Years of home schooling prepared me for designing lessons for multi-aged classes. And without kids at home any longer, teaching each week fills a desire I have. It is a blessing and honor to be trusted by parents to help lead their children in their understanding of who our loving Savior is. As a teacher I believe that all we need to know is intertwined. There isn't a distinction between science and scripture or grammar and God's Word, all knowledge is imparted from our Creator. Because of this belief, I have never been one to just teach stories from the Bible. I want the children to learn how to apply the lesson behind the story. The theme I chose for 2012 was Wisdom. We have been learning a n

ew word each week and discovering the people in the Bible that lived out that word and how the kids can do the same. A few weeks ago I measured the kids and we talked about growing in wisdom. They learned that they will grow by reading God's Word. Each week I measure them and a few of them have grown in height. As they see what they have eaten during the week is making them grow physically, they are learning that consuming God's Word each day is helping them grow spiritually. It is so exciting to hear them share the wisdom they are gaining. As adults it is easy to feel like we have learned pretty much everything and we no longer need to be taught or study. It is easy to fall into that trap as a Christian. We stop attending church and our personal study time begins to suffer. We become anemic and start filling ourselves up with the junk food the world has to offer. We need the meat of God's Word and we need a good chef to prepare it and serve it to us. Find a church where you will be feed food that makes you grow. Not just rich food, or sweets, that make you feel full and later leave you wanting and needing real nourishment. Just as my kids in Sunday School are learning, knowledge of the Living God is the beginning of wisdom. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God."

 

Tip of the Day 8/14/12

99 Days of Summer: Today we will take the second step in paring down our closets. If you have children this is a good time of year to get their closet under control. For many of us September feels like a new beginning, so let's start with a fresh, organized closet. Now that you have sorted the clothing into categories, place like colors together within each category. This will help you to see that you own 15 black tops or only 1 green top. Now that they are sorted thoroughly we can begin eliminating and determining actual needs. Remove anything you just don't like, (allow the kids to do the same), remove stained or damaged items and determine if they can be and are worth repairing, try on anything you are unsure of the fit and be realistic before returning it to the closet. Today is the day to be ruthless. Get tough and clear it out!

Word for Today, Covenant: I love words. It is fun to pronounce an old word or learn a new one. Our daughter, Desrie', has a love for words as well. When she was little she loved to say Kankakee River State Park over and over. One of the most tragic things in modern society is the dumbing down of our language. Newspapers are written at a third grade reading level so anyone can read them. The newer versions of the Bible are written in "modern" language for more people to understand and that is good, but I love reading the older versions too because the language is so poetic, beautiful, and powerful. Take the word I have chosen today, covenant, there is power in this word, just like in the word vow. Today we would say promise instead of covenant. The word vow is still used for the words spoken at a wedding, but, sadly, many do not recognize the depth of them. Throughout the Bible God made covenants with man, and He alone has kept every one. His covenant with Noah, in the form of a rainbow, has never been broken and we can trust every other word He has spoken. He will fulfill every promise He has made to us. Man will fail us, but God's Word will never fail. He is the only constant we can place our whole trust in. "He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure."

 

Tip of the Day 8/13/12

99 Days of Summer: Even though many kids are starting back to school today, including two of my grandchildren, I am clinging to my belief that it is wrong and may verge on evil. :) There are 99 Days of Summer this year, Memorial Day to Labor Day, and our kids have been cheated!!! Maybe that was one reason I home schooled, I wanted control of how long vacations lasted. There is too much fun to be had, too many warm days left, the Berrien County Youth Fair is this week, so how could kids possible miss that! Don't get me wrong, I love school and believe in our kids having a good education, but I also believe it can be accomplished through the things they learn during vacation time, as much as it can during the school year. So, now that I have gotten that off my chest :) I will spend this week sharing some tips with you that in the words of Rich Mullins, "at the risk of being redundant, it may not thrill you, but i

t could not hurt." So, here goes: You (that is a collective "you") have too many clothes! As Americans we spend time staring into our closets claiming we have NOTHING to wear. This isn't the sermon about, "eat your dinner, there are starving children in China," it is stating the simple facts. As you know, I love to garage sale. I am constantly amazed at the wastefulness and over abundance of our society. Last week I hit the jackpot at a sale where the woman was bragging to a fellow shopper that she could not leave Walmart without having spent $100. It was evident she had a problem as I looked through tables piled with brand new clothes, many with tags still attached and many duplicates. I know this is an extreme case, but my time in Africa changed my view of consumerism forever. I love clothes and shoes as much as the next girl, ok, I love shoes more than a lot of girls, but I still try to be practical. A friend gave me an article from Time magazine about a study done by UCLA on the American home. It was very interesting, revealing the average family has 52 items on their refrigerator. The average family has 39 pair of shoes. The wife in the article, and I, upped that average. :) The U.S. has 3.1% of the world's kids and 40% of its toys. On average an American home has 438 books and magazines, 212 CD's, 90 DVD's, and 139 toys. So, to start this week, I challenge you to think about your closets first. Start by sorting the clothes into categories, shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, and then turn all the hangars backwards on the rod. Count the number of items in each category. Tomorrow we will work on Step 2 and see if you can become "below average."

 

Word for Today, Understanding: When tragedy strikes we all want to try to make sense of the situation. Whether it is the Trade Towers or the suicide of a young person that seemed to have so much potential, the sudden death of a loved one or news that someone close to us has experienced a serious accident, we look for the reasons why. The older I get, and the longer I walk with the Lord, the more I have come to understand that some things will just never make sense. God blessed us with a free will to make choices and so, sin entered the world. The tragedies we experience are not always related to our personal choices, contrary to what many espoused after the Trade Tower attacks, I don't believe it was judgement, it was sinful man acting out his free will and others paying the consequences, just like when Cain killed Able. My Mom didn't die last year because of something she did or didn't do. As my friend, Sony, reminded me this morning, the book of Ecclesiastes says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die." God only, "knows the number of my days." So, I will rejoice in the birth of my newest great nephew, and I will mourn with my friend over the death of her son-in-law. I will continue to wonder why a young man chose to take his life last week and why my Mom suddenly died. But, like David in the Psalms, I will say, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him."

Tip of the Day 8/10/12

99 Days of Summer: DIY Week. Since it is already August and the kids are getting ready to head back to school, the days are getting shorter, and we have occasional days of a little cooler weather, the tendency is to start looking at those nesting type projects around our homes. We want to start baking, we are putting up fruit and veggies like our grandmothers before us, and today we should talk about Christmas. Any of you that follow my "Tip of the Day" regularly know I bring this topic up several times a year. Since I was a teenager I have loved making homemade gifts to give. I love receiving gifts that someone put a lot of thought into whether store bought or handmade. Realizing the giver took the time to really think about me as they chose that gift makes it delightful. One of the brain savers I have developed over the years due to the size of our family, is to choose a theme for gifts for the year. I choose a theme for Birthday gifts and am able to pick within that theme an item specifically fitted for each individual. This year the theme was beach towels. I have found everything from cute hooded towels for the little girls to beach mats for the older ones. It saves time, but is still personal as I individualize within the theme. Every other year I make pajamas for the entire family at Christmas. I skipped a year figuring they wouldn't notice and boy did hear about it. :) As a crafter I see many items throughout the year and think of things to make, but often they get put away and I forget about them. So, my challenge to myself, and to you, is before you do any more shopping, go through what you already have, consider what you can make, or personalize. I picked up several of one generic item yesterday with specific people in mind and will be personalizing them. If you are a Pineterester, take the time today, or this weekend, to go back through what you pinned, see what you have on hand, and get busy DIYing some awesome gifts for this year. Perfection isn't the key ingredient, your love and time are.

 

Word for Today, Separated: There is an old saying, " The only things certain in life are death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin Since man began venturing out once they became adults to settle new lands or seek adventure, families have been separated. Abraham was sent many days journey from his family and told to leave them behind. Missionaries often left to travel, in the days before airplanes, to countries across the ocean and never saw their family again. Many young men and families set out from our eastern shores of America to settle the west. Due to Richard's years in the Nuclear industry working in start up of new facilities we moved frequently and have only spent a brief time of the past 32 years living near family. We have daughters and grandchildren from Chicago to California. As difficult as it is to be separated from family in this age of technology, imagine what it was like in the days before even reliable mail service, much less phones, email, and Skype. When we moved to Africa 13 years ago I had never been there before, so I know that feeling of leaving behind everything familiar. Without email I might have gone a little loopy. Today I can Skype with my precious grandchildren in Shreveport, I can chat all day with friends from Nairobi to down the street without ever leaving my house. I don't always know when the next time is I will be able to hold them in my arms, but I am grateful for the technology that allows me to remain connected. As we go through this life it is guaranteed we will be separated from someone we love, whether by a move, or death, or their choice, but there is One who will never move away from us. Even if we make the choice to not be with Him, He will always be right there waiting for you to speak His name. His love is the ONLY thing that comes with a lifetime, and eternal, unconditional, permanent, fixed, unchanging, no fine print, guarantee. How can you pass up an offer like that? "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Tip of the Day 8/9/12

99 Days of Summer: DIY Week continues with the answers to the zucchini questions that were posed to me after my Tip on Tuesday. 

1)  Approximately 2 - 3 large zucchini per quart bag for the shredded, chopped, and noodled.

2)  To make zucchini noodles I used a mandolin on a fairly thin setting. First I removed both ends, then sliced length wise to form wide noodles to use in lasagna. They can be used in place of pasta in any baked dish.

3)  Using the zucchini as pasta is a great way to hide it. There are a lot of recipes for everything from quiche to pancakes with zucchini hidden in them. Google kid friendly zucchini recipes.

4)  Zucchini freezes very well. The only one I pre-froze were the halves. I cut them in half length wise, scooped out the seeds using a melon baller, put in the freezer on a cookie sheet. After they were frozen I transferred them in meal size portions to baggies and placed back in the freezer. These I will "stuff" like I would bell peppers. The chopped I will use in things like fritatas or quiche. The shredded will go in baked goods. I hope this inspires everyone to think outside the "spaghetti" box and discover ways to have good veges in your diet all winter long.

 

Word for Today, Believing: "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day." This verse, 2 Timothy 1:12, is what I call my "life verse." It contains the promise that even when I am not faithful or fail or stumble, my Savior is faithful, and someday I will see Him face to face. I was sharing with someone yesterday about a broken relationship in my life that grieves my heart. The situation is always on my mind and has caused me so much sorrow. As I have prayed for the relationship to be restored, and there has been no change, I recently reached the point where I felt I no longer knew what to pray for. The Lord brought me peace in that God's Word tells me that when I don't know what to pray, God's Holy Spirit will pray on my behalf. This brought me so much comfort, but the sorrow I awaken to each day is still there. As I was reading this morning, my "life verse" was a part of a devotion written by someone grieving. I have never thought of the verse in that context. For the first time I saw in it a promise about the broken relationship with a person, not just my relationship with God. The person that I have been praying to be restored to was dedicated to the Lord and a commitment made. That promise to the Lord was fulfilled on my behalf and so I now can have the confidence that God will complete His promise. I don't know how, because in my human eyes it looks impossible, but I have confidence in His promise. Is there something in your life that looks impossible to you? Commit it to the Lord, and then trust Him to do His part. He, alone, is faithful. "I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me."

Tip of the Day 8/7/12

99 Days of Summer: Day 2 of DIY Week. One of the considerations in my planning for my sixth month shopping trip this time was, of course how can I save even more money, but also what things can I have more control over that will be healthier for my family. I began by looking at all of the cleaning products I use. I love a clean house and want the fragrance of cleanin everything from laundry to my furniture. Just a little research led me to numerous websites that provide the recipes for making almost any cleaner I could possibly need. So, I bought all of the ingredients and will be making everything from laundry soap to jewelry cleaner. And one of the great things is I accomplished both of my goals. I saved over $200 and will have healthy products to use. All of the recipes are Super Simple, usually 2 - 3 ingredients that are common to most of the items. So, I will spend a couple of hours mixing them up. I would say that is worth a $200 savings. Here are a couple of websites with good recipes: thefrugalgirls.com

thefarmersnest.com

diynatural.com

Word for Today, Character: Richard and I were playing a game last night that includes questions to get to know each other better. Yes, even after 33 years together we still don't know everything. :) One of the questions I had was what actions by a man totally turn me off. I thought about this in regard to anyone, and the top one is lying and the second is treating others as "beneath yourself. " If you have ever been accused of lying you know it is horrible accusation. It can be devastating to the accused. If you have ever been lied to, you know the devastation that can cause. Based on the number of scriptures that address the topic of character, I believe it is something God considers very serious. It has been said,"reputation is who you are known as in public, but character is who you are even when no one can see." We are told in scripture that even the things done in secret will someday be shouted from the rooftops, our secret sins will find us out, the wicked will be cut off, the Lord will not leave them in power. We are also told, the Lord loves the just and will not forsake His righteous ones. So whether you are the accused or the victim of someones unrighteous behavior, know that God is on your side. "I have never seen the righteous forsaken." "Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed." Do you have character, or just a reputation?

Tip of the Day 8/06/12

99 Days of Summer: DIY Week! Yesterday I was having a conversation at "Cafe' Calvary" with the other ladies from our congregation. We were discussing the need we all are feeling to get back to the basics, to take control of the products we are using, and the food we are feeding our families. This seems to be a phenomenon that is cutting across all walks of life if the explosion of interest in Pinterest is any indication. As you surf through the pins on so many of the boards you will find numerous recipes for homemade EVERYTHING. We are concerned about the environment, we are concerned about our health, we are concerned about our finances, and they are all reflected in these types of actions. As I have shared before, one of the reasons I decided to come out of the full-time work force was to have more control of our home: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. Of course the reduction in income had to be considered and

we took steps before, and continue to do so now, in order for us to live on the reduced income. After two years I continue to look for ways to reduce our outgo and keep us healthy. Prices continue to rise and it is not always easy to stay ahead of the curve. One of the greatest ways we have reduced our outgo is by eating at home. If you followed my thread last week, you know we take a big bite out of expenditures by the type of shopping we do. This enables us to eat at home virtually everyday and eating out is a special treat, not the humdrum norm it has become for many families. Having lived in a city 3 flat for many years and then a condo for our first few years in Michigan I did not have the opportunity to have a true garden. Since coming home, I have been considering and researching the possibility. For various reasons it has not been the right time. But this does not mean I cannot take advantage of the cost savings and health benefits of freezing and canning fruits and vegetables. No matter where you live you can find fresh produce to purchase. It might seem like a lot in the beginning, but when you consider the overall benefits, the cost is negligible. Last week I purchased a 1/2 bushel of zucchini for only $9. That is A LOT of zucchini, but it is such an awesome ingredient to cook with and can easily be frozen. Cut the zucchini in half length wise, remove the seeds, and freeze. Cut in strips, also lengthwise, to form "lasagna noodles," and freeze. Cube or shred, squeeze out as much liquid as possible using cheese cloth or paper towels and freeze in recipe size batches. Onions, bell peppers, carrots, corn, peas, green beans, and potatoes can all be diced, spread out on a cookie sheet, frozen, then bagged for freezing in recipe size portions. This is the same formula for freezing fruit. So, even if you don't have the time to can, freezing will bring the same benefits. You will be glad you took the time in the middle of the winter as you enjoy the "fruits" of your labor.

 

 Word for Today, Gracious: I was born and raised in what some consider, The South. Not the Deep South, but South enough that we say Y'all, drink Dr. Pepper, eat fried chicken after church on Sunday, and still address our elders with respect. We also say, "bless your heart," which in recent years has had it's true meaning revealed. :) One of the parts of my heritage as a part of The South has always been what I considered polite speech. Coarse language was not common place until recent years. When someone used a four letter word it was whispered. That is not to say, language was not used, I am well aware it was. It just was not a part of everyday, polite, conversation. The phenomenon of coarse language in everyday speech has not just crept into The South, it is world wide and sadly cuts across every walk of life and age group. I have heard young children using language I would have had my mouth washed out with soap for. Women that I have respected throw a word into a conversation, and my opinion immediately changes. Everyday I see postings, from Christian friends, on FB that even if the post itself is fine, the title of the source is offensive. My question is, what are you doing reading those sites and then thinking it is ok to repost them? Sadly, Pastors are even using language from the pulpit trying to be more relatable to their congregation. What we have lost sight of in the language so easily tossed about today is the level it has brought us down to. A woman "cussing like a sailor" is not beautiful to behold. It is like trying to put lipstick on a pig. A man that uses foul language throughout a conversation just sounds stupid. I would rather be in a conversation where words of intelligence, that I might not understand but can learn from, flow out. Teenagers that can't hold a conversation without it being peppered with the choice words of the day just prove the dumbing down of society. If we all purposed in our hearts to guard our mouths, I believe we could change so much around us. We need to consider that what is coming out of us is what we're putting in. Don't be afraid to tell someone the language they are using is offensive. The main headlines last week were about "freedom of speech," well, I think in the midst of that should be the freedom of polite speech. Chose your words carefully and offend no one. "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth."