To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

At the end of a busy day, how much do I think about exactly what I'm doing when I prepare for bed, climb under those covers, and rest my head on my pillow?  Well, I've been thinking a lot about that lately.  :)

After my back pain flared up due to a fall, I thought about bed constantly.  I couldn't wait to simply lie down and try to ease the pain.  The pain would ease throughout the day, but after days and days of waking up in the morning, stiff and sore and facing a 15-minute ordeal simply to get out of bed and get my body in a vertical position, I knew something was up with the bed.  Finally, I refused to sleep there, choosing a sleeping bag on the floor instead.

sleeping on the floor--messy but helpful

Though I was stiff from the hard surface, my back began to heal, and today I deal with a little soreness and stiffness if I sit (or stand) for any length of time.

My dearest Fernando and I went shopping for a mattress, and after a long search, with lots of research, we found a solution to the bed issue.  That solution arrived last week.

On Saturday, the guys combined their efforts not only to replace our bed, but to give our master bedroom a whole new look, quite by accident, I might add.  :)

Of course it's messy--we're getting ready to move things around (that's my excuse, anyway)

The first step, of course, was to remove the old mattress.  This thing was a monster of epic proportions.  The photos speak for themselves.

(disclaimer--the mattress stain you may have noticed was from a mug of Fernando's coffee...)

Then my sweet Thomas cleaned the headboard, footboard, and railings of our existing bed frame.  And oh, my, did the carpet need a really good vacuuming!

Here's the "quite by accident" part.  Fernando asked me to show him exactly where the frame for our "new" bed should be placed.  Comments and suggestions flew, and the next thing we knew, we--I mean the guys--were moving every piece of furniture in the room, some just a foot or two, and some clear to the other side of the room.  As you saw in the image of our bedroom at the top of this post, our bedroom is long, but very narrow, which presents a host of problems with a king-sized bed and just four pieces of furniture--dresser, TV cabinet, skinny bookcase, and my project desk.

My project desk experienced most radical relocation.

Fernando's "side" of the bed was the most interesting area to clean out.  He is an organizationally challenged stuff collector (I love my husband, and I'm trying to be kind here--he's okay with me sharing this).  As he started to go through the bookcase that was "his," he stopped, placed his hand lovingly on one of the shelves, and murmured, "Wait.  Before we start, I need a minute alone (*sniff*)."  Giggles all around.  Dad's Shrine to Stuff was emptied, and all of his, well, stuff, was put in what was affectionately called Dad's Doo-Doo Box (sorry if that's an offensive term).

Here are a couple of things among the more interesting finds in that corner of the room:

Four opened boxes of Kleenex

A ten-year-old strip of negatives

Then it was time to fit the mattress supports, then the mattresses, into our existing bed frame.

Danny helping with the mattress cover

Ahhh, my first night on the new bed was strange (the smell of new sheets, sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, etc.).  But I woke up refreshed, without additional back pain.  I am a happy girl.

Here is what is left to do:

This is now cleaned off, but there are a few similar piles around the room.

I'll post more photos of the "finished" room once we organize our little piles.  :)

At this I awoke and looked, and my sleep was pleasant.

Jeremiah 31:26 nasb (taken slightly out of context by me)

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

His Castle -- The Dining Room

They say a man's home is his castle.  I say that the "castle" belongs to the Lord, and our true home is in heaven.  But for our time on earth, this house is Fernando's castle from the Lord.  And I am its queen.  :)

The care of our castle involved lots of daily, repetitive actions, as well as those once-in-a-while deep-cleaning projects, which is the subject of today's post.

Our dining room is not an oft-visited room.  Our family eats dinner there, so the table is usually cleaned off on a daily basis.  But as days go by, it seems that this or that gets placed here or there, and sometimes the "here" or "there" ends up being the dining room.

So on a day last week when I was feeling overwhelmed, I decided to clean.  (I always clean when I'm overwhelmed.)  Truth is, my goal was to clean the entire first floor!  I keep a generally tidy home, so a few hours should be good to take care of the clutter and general mess (a.k.a. life) that occurs in our home's main living areas.  Little did I know...

For the dining room--a generally tidy room to begin with--I figured I would tackle things item by item.  Find a misplaced item, put it away in its home, find next item, etc.  The china cabinet is organized, but stuff is peeking out from the top!

And there were a few things lying around on the floor; they had probably been placed on the table during the day, then swished off into a pile when one of the guys set the table for dinner.  (It's nice when the watermark on my photo hides the clutter!!) *grin*

Time to get to work.  That box smack-dab in the middle of the top of the china cabinet contains some ceramic pieces I painted (and had fired) with my mom when I was a girl.  I like two of the pieces--ears of corn and a "bunch" of onions (is three a bunch?).  A search ensued for a hammer and nails, and a pencil to mark the nail spot on the wall.  Oh, yeah, and a tape measure because of course the items hung must be equidistant from the wall edges.  I hung these two ceramic pieces over the doorway between the dining room and kitchen, on the kitchen side.  They're perfect, because my kitchen is yellow and my dining room is green!

A close-up of a memento of my girlhood ceramic adventure.

Then, since I was in hanging mode, having all the needed items at hand, I hung two picture frames (actually, looking at the photo of the ceramic pieces, I think I started with the picture frames--oops!).  This involved removing the stands on the backs of the frames.  I have absolutely no counter space, shelf space, or table to place photographs on, and those little stand things just get in the way when the frames are hung.  I framed the two photos I took, one of a monarch butterfly, and the other of a red admiral butterfly, and hung them above my sewing machine, which serves as a decorative table in my dining room until I figure out how to use it.  I ended up hanging them a little too low for my liking, but I'll keep my eye out for some more garage-sale frames and add upwards to the arrangement.

Finally, I hung three trivets I had purchased a number of years ago (that phrase appears a lot in these "Tackle It" posts!) in the dining room opening into the foyer area.

I cleaned every other item off the top of the china cabinet, then tackled the stuff piled on the floor.  A game bought at a garage sale found its home in our hall closet, and a cookbook went to its home in my pantry closet.  Fernando's Bible found a home in the china cabinet "dry sink," since he does Bible study at dinnertime with us.  All other clutter was cleared out and put away in its home (yes, the garbage can is a home sometimes!).

The photo above appears very blue, due to the weird lighting from the foyer and window, plus the fact that the front door, the curtains, and the tablecloth are all blue.  Sorry about that!

But you can see that it is cleaned up and ready for dinner!  And not only dinner, but dinner with company! In a praise-the-Lord moment, I must tell you that my son Danny striped the walls!  He helped me paint the entire room with a flat green paint (its official name was topiary tint), then he helped me measure and tape stripes off with painters tape.  I then left him alone with a can of topiary tint in glossy finish.  He did a fantastic job!

Now when I'm working in the kitchen, I peek into the dining room and smile.

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

WWU--Every Spiritual Blessing

Thank you, Mary, for hosting Weekly Wrap-Up!

It's time to reflect back on my week, to store up memories in my heart,

and to acknowledge the Lord's ways in my life.

To participate with us, please click on Mary's button above.

Home Life

This week, Joseph, poor thing, has had a sore throat and cough.  He is fine other than that, and has done his daily activities as usual.  But he did spend one entire day in his pajamas!

Jacob, Danny, and Thomas are working hard at their schooling.  Jacob's and Danny's Rhetoric class at the local community college is going well, and they are currently working on another speech.  This one is a little trickier, since it is about gender roles and the definition of a family, plus they have to work within the constraints of the essays given in their textbook.  We're bathing this issue in prayer, and the Lord will be faithful.


My Kitchen and Garden

The garden has finally petered out.  I thank the Lord for His bountiful harvest for our family, using just three raised bed garden boxes.  I still have tomatoes in bowls all over my kitchen, and though I'd like to space them out as far as eating them goes, I know they need to be eaten once they turn red or I'll have rotten tomatoes!  We're enjoying them while they last.

Here are the peppers we picked off my pepper plants.

Project Desk

I haven't been crafty lately, but I have accomplished some cleaning projects!  My friend Helen and I called each other (for accountability) on Tuesday and spent the entire afternoon cleaning the first floors of our respective homes.  I started in the dining room, and ended up there the entire three hours!  It is amazing to me that I had to spend that much time in that room, since it is one of the cleanest rooms on the first floor.  But, it contained its clutter.  I will blog about the dining room in my Tackle-It post next Tuesday.

I decided I would just pick up each misplaced or "no-placed" item and process it--hang it up, put it away, throw it out, etc.  I found a game I had bought at a summer garage sale, so I de-cluttered the hallway closet and put it away on the shelf with all the games.

I also found the cover for the hallway light fixture!  Kevin, our handyman extraordinaire, had painted much of our first floor, and the cover never made its way back on to the fixture, probably because we were going to clean it!  So Jacob kindly cleaned it, replaced a burned-out light bulb, and got the cover on.  (Confession--Kevin painted about a year ago...)

I spent some time cleaning in the kitchen; boy, can this room get messy even when I'm not cooking!  Below is the counter area next to the fridge, where we pour our drinks.  Another unabashed plug for his services:    Kevin installed the tin backsplash that you see in the photo.

I found the basket in a garage sale (50 cents!), so I used it here to contain Fernando's vitamins and other bottles which were spreading all over the countertop.


Behind the Lens

I finally figured out how to upload photos from Lightroom 3!!  Here is one of my favorites from my photo shoot with Danny (17) and Thomas (14).

Heart Thoughts

I started a weekly Bible study on Thursday mornings with a dear heart-sister in Georgia.  Our phone ringing at 6:30am is an alarm clock for the boys!  We chose the book of Ephesians, which I have studied in depth before.  I thought it would be a little easier for us to read through and study.  *riiight*  :)

Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing

in the heavenly places in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3 nasb

We made it through several verses in chapter 1, and got stuck--in a good way--on the phrase heavenly places in verse 3.  The word places is not in the original Greek, which is the word for heaven.  We had a lively and thought-provoking discussion about why Biblical scholars would translate this word heaven in some places, and heavenly places (or, more accurately, heavenlies) in other places.

I'm still mulling over that word.  It is good to meditate on God's Word!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Tackle-It--Basement "Bomb Shelter"

Have a project that needs completion? Want to be encouraged in getting organized and checking off items on your to-do list? Visit CelticMom by clicking on her button above to learn more and to participate.

Side note:  I'm still trying to figure out my new photography editing software; so far, I can say decisively that I do not like it.  It should not be so confusing to simply save a photo and upload it to my blog.  The only way I could figure out--at this point--was to publish them to Facebook (of all places), then import them to this blog.  If you see photos below, you'll know I was successful in at least that!  Except that now, these photos--which are not beautiful by any stretch of the imagination, but are meant solely for this blog--are on Facebook for my friends to see!  Sigh.  That may very well be my next project...

For now, I will focus on what I accomplished this past week.

Last week, I had canned some green tomato salsa, jalapeños, and pepperoncinis.  But when I brought the jars to our basement "bomb shelter," as we call it tongue-in-cheek, I saw that there was absolutely no room for them.  Empty jars were set haphazardly on shelves, certain items had two different resting places on the shelves, and my one-time organization had faded to general disorder.

Time for a project!  Our storage shelf system is really just one individual shelf system, and my husband assured me that the shelves were rated to hold several hundred pounds.  I think my food weighs more than that, as each shelf has gradually bowed under the weight.  Fernando bought and cut some pieces of wood to shore up the shelves, and with a little modification--thanks for the help, Danny--this new "system" seemed to work on one shelf.

Danny and I worked together to empty one entire shelf, and he carefully placed the pieces of wood under the shelf.

We then undertook the fun task of organizing all the food I had canned!  I had not realized just how many jars I had canned and collected in just a few years!

I also organized the jars in boxes and box lids to keep similar food together and contained.  I thought it would be a little easier to tell things apart.  Maybe I need to label the boxes...

The shelf is bowed up, but it will settle down with the weight

Well, at least one plain box is labeled!  Apples.  Yum.  Speaking of which, there are even more apples waiting for me to process them!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Tackle-It: Kitchen Cabinets

Click on over to Shani's blog to find encouragement with getting your projects done, and also to find out how to participate!

I had several things on my to-do list last week, and most of it is still on the list.  Organizing two of my kitchen cabinets was a surprise!  I casually mentioned to Fernando--very sweetly now, I'm not a nagger--that it would be nice to someday soon have a new shelf in two particular cabinets in my kitchen.  We had bought the wood (composite board, actually) right after finishing the kitchen, ahem, two years ago.  The two cabinets at issue contained just one shelf, so things were stacked pretty high.  An extra shelf would help distribute the weight of all the items, and make getting things easier.

I was surprised when Fernando said, "I'll be right back."  I asked, "Where are you going?"  And he answered, "To the garage to cut the board for your shelf."  *wife melts into a puddle*

He measured twice, cut once, et voilà, a new shelf!  He then ran out to Home Depot to get another piece of composite for our secret cabinet--named because it's hidden under our kick-out countertop area.

Boys pulled everything out of the cabinets, and I put it all back--except one Tupperware pitcher because I had several pitchers already.  Here is a photo of what I call my peninsula cabinet, which is opposite the secret cabinet.  (You can see the open door of the secret cabinet behind the right-hand peninsula door.)

No "before" pictures, because I forgot; however, it didn't look much different.  There is now a new shelf, and I can get things in and out much more nicely than before.  And I even re-organized a few things for a better fit, so things don't look exactly like the above photo!

Yay for an organized kitchen!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Tackle-It: Science Supplies

To find out more about Tackle-It Tuesday,

and how each of us is cleaning, de-cluttering, and simplifying our lives,

click on Shani's button above.  And join us!!

Box of science supplies

A few years ago, I loaned out this box of chemistry supplies; it was returned to me just a few weeks ago.   The box sat on the counter for a few days, then I moved it to the basement, on the floor in front of my homeschool cubby-hole cabinets.

Cubby-hole cabinets with box of science supplies

Thank the merciful Lord that I had already gotten my cubby-hole cabinets cleaned out and re-organized a few weeks ago!  I love these cabinets, which were originally literature cabinets that Fernando's company was throwing away in their dumpster.  Are you kidding me???  Each cabinet has 16 cubby-holes perfect for organizing things--especially homeschool things.  These cabinets are a prized possession, and have been put to incredible use for, oh, eight or ten years now.

If you look at the cabinets like a Battleship game board, cubby-holes A5 through A8, plus B8, contain my science supplies.  The top of the right-hand cabinet also holds boxes with science supplies.  When I first organized this, I made an index of supplies, named each cubby-hole and each box, then found a spot for every item.  I labeled each cubby-hole:  Bin 1, Bin 2, and so on, and the boxes in each bin as Box A, Box B...you get the picture.  And that index exists today!

But, when I bought the chemistry supplies, and Jacob ended up dropping chemistry, the box of supplies never got cataloged or put away.  Shortly thereafter, a friend asked to borrow them, so the box made a trek to her house.  And now that Danny had embarked on the chemistry journey, necessity spurred me to finally get these supplies indexed and put away.

Science supplies needing a home

Though there weren't that many things to put away, it still took time.  A few of the items were duplicates of things I already had indexed, such as eye droppers and beakers, so those were easy to put away.  I cleaned out the two cardboard boxes of jars, vials, and beakers (sitting on the top of the cabinet), since there were more items than we would use at any one time.  Most of what I recycled were glass jars; several of them--16-oz. former jelly jars--made their way into my pantry for storage or freezing.

Index of supplies

I indexed all new items on my science supply list by adding them in with pen, then placed the items in their new homes.  My index is alphabetical, and shows:  (1) the item, (2) how many I have, and (3) where I can find that item.  For instance, if I need assorted wood blocks, I go to Bin 1, and pull out Box A, and I will find the blocks.  Simple!

A place for everything...

The funny thing is that my "after" picture above doesn't look all that different from the "before" picture; the box is missing, and that's it!  That means that everything got put away.  :)  (Not to mention the fact that my "before" picture is really the "after" picture of my previous clean-the-cabinets project!)

Science supplies :)

Above is a close-up of most of my science cubby-holes.  It's so simplifying to have these things in their places.  A place for everything, and everything in its place.  I would add more to this motto:  If it doesn't have a place, don't give it any space.

Back to life,
Christine

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captured by Christine Anne

Time for a Project!

Do you need encouragement to get all those unfinished projects completed?  Need some help or ideas?  Click above to visit CelticMom, the hostess for Tackle-It Tuesday, to learn more and to participate!!

Ahh, I feel like working on a project today!  I think I'll sit at my project desk--where I make cards and work on scrapbooking--and make a card for Tim and Evy's wedding this Saturday.  Last week, my main project was to clean off, de-clutter, and organize my project desk so that I could do a project!  :)

I wish like mad I could've taken "before" and "during" photos, but I couldn't until Saturday--oh happy of days--when my dear "Ellie" arrived by overnight express from the repair company after 31 days of absence.  But I digress.

I worked on this project with my friend and project accountability partner, Helen.  We call each other at a particular time, share our projects, then work for a designated time, calling each other to check in once during the project time, then once at the end.  I thought I was simply going to de-clutter and put everything away, but ack, there was dust on everything.  So I grabbed the dust cloth and cleaned each item before I set it on the floor.  I had to damp-wipe the desk, which was pretty messed up.  Once the desktop surface was clean, I replaced the lamp and a few larger items.  I put every small item in its place (a place for everything...), then started arranging the larger items (bins and holders and such) on the desktop.

I had purchased two stackable trays for my rubber stamp ink pads, but you won't see those in the picture!  The story:  I stopped at Joann Fabrics earlier in the week, and happened to see the trays.  I bought two, and the cashier let me use both a "40% off one item" coupon and a "10% off total order" coupon!  So I paid only about $7 for both of them.  They didn't hold the ink pads like I wanted--they were wide enough but too deep--but they would work.

Then, on Saturday, I did some power garage-sale-ing with my mom, and happened upon a stackable three-tray set-up.  I asked the lady how much they were, and quickly paid her the 50 cents after my shock wore off.  They were filthy, but they easily washed up and they fit two side-by-side stacks of ink pads.  Perfect.  You can see the three stacking trays on the right-hand corner of my desk below.

My clean project desk is calling me to work!

On the desk, from left to right:  lamp, storage caddy for brads/eyelets/etc., ribbon box (90% off at the scrapbook store), stackable bins with ink pads and other supplies, and a phone (because it has no other place to go!).

Tim and Evy's wedding invitation sits on the wooden project board, waiting for me to make it into a wedding card.  I have just two things left to do:  purchase another CFC bulb for the two-bulb lamp (it has only ever had one bulb in it!), and return the two trays to the store for a refund, yay!

This week's main projects:

• Make Tim and Evy's wedding card!
• Finish sewing a modesty panel in my dress for the wedding this Saturday
• Get chemistry supplies (recently returned to me) put back in order on my homeschool shelves

Trust me, there are other projects calling my name, but the above have deadlines.  Really soon.  So I need to get to work!


Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Tackle-It Tuesday!!

Visit CelticMom, the hostess for Tackle-It Tuesday, to learn more and to participate!!

Project Update
Well, I'm still without a camera, and I'm dying to take pictures from last week.  Now I've got some projects for this week, and I still can't take pictures.  So, a story from last week will have to suffice.

My friend Helen asked me to participate in what we are now calling our "Suspenders" Accountability group.  It's just the two of us for now, and--oh, wait a minute.  I need to explain what we're doing!  We are, like CelticMom, tackling projects that need to get done.  Here's how we worked together for even more accountability:

We chose Friday night from 6:30-8:00pm, 1.5 hours, and told each other what project(s) we would work on.  She chose filing and cleaning off her desk, and I chose decluttering and organizing my homeschool cabinets.  She called me at 6:30, we shared our projects, hung up, and began working.  After 45 minutes, I called Helen to give a progress report, and to hear her progress report.  A quick two-minute call, then back to work.  At 8:00, Helen called me back and we shared final progress reports, and chit-chatted for a few minutes.

We were both working, and we were both calling each other.  We knew we had to stick to the task--it was a date and we were holding each other accountable for the time.  We both felt wonderful to get 99% of our projects completed!  I got rid of two overflowing boxes of books and supplies (I've given some away at church, and have sold a bunch of art supplies).  My cabinets are organized and labeled.  :)

Now that I've described what we did, here's why Helen calls it our "Suspenders" Accountability program:

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.

But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Praise the Lord for Tackle-It Tuesday, and the accountability it holds for me!  Try grabbing a friend, setting a date and time, calling each other, and getting a project done.  Most of my projects get put on the back burner, and I never have time to work on them.  They keep getting pushed aside for more urgent things, or simply become forgotten.  But, when I set a date with a friend, I know that that project is my goal for that particular time.  And it gets done.  No excuses.

Happy Project Day, ladies!  May the Lord allow us to live simpler lives before Him, for His glory!!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne

Weekly Wrap-Up with Canadagirl

I've enjoyed participating in the Weekly Wrap-Up; if you're interested, click on the link above to find out details!

My Home
Things are getting organized!  If I ever visit your home, tell me we're going to spend the afternoon organizing your _____, and I'll be thrilled.  This week, I participated with my friend Helen in a "project accountability" work evening (details on next week's Tackle-It Tuesday), and de-cluttered my homeschool cubby-hole cabinets in the basement.  I got rid of two overflowing boxes of books and supplies we no longer need or want.  I organized everything else, and now feel like a little piece of life is simpler and calmer.

Homeschool and College
After agonizing over almost every word in his English Comp essay, Danny put the finishing touches on and brought it to class, accompanied by Jacob.  Though he's very unsure of himself, I'm sure that he will do just fine in this class.  I'm so thankful that he's able to take it with his older brother.  What a protection and a blessing!

Thomas and I are slowly getting into a groove with schooling together.  At 14, he is a fascinating young man and it's exciting, frustrating, bewildering, and amazing to get to spend so much one-on-one time with this blessing from the Lord!

My Kitchen and Garden
I tried a new recipe this week, and will have to fiddle with ingredient amounts.  Even though they were a little dry, the maple-crumb muffins were yummy and very easy to make.

I've been so tired this week with a cold--though I've had no other symptoms--that I've not stepped into my garden too often.  Part of this afternoon is dedicated to that task.  I'm happy it's so cool outside now!!  My tomatoes have slowed way down, but I still have pole beans and will also probably pick some beets and a few carrots.

No canning this week, either, but Fernando and I stopped at the library this morning, and they had a display of canning/preserving books!  One caught my eye--Ball's Complete Book of Canning and Preserving.  It's one I've wanted for a few years.  At least I'll have this one for three weeks and a renewal!  There's a recipe for a green-tomato salsa I found that I'd like to try.  I'll let you know how that goes.

My Project Desk
Still haven't made that wedding card, but I completed a few sewing tasks.  Since July, I've been altering blouses to fit my unique shape, by finding larger blouses to fit me in the shoulders, then taking the sides in so they flare out at the bottom to give my straight waist some shape.  I've also added hooks/eyes for those immodest gaps between the buttons--do manufacturers make them gap in those particular areas on purpose???

Behind the Lens
I finally heard from the repair shop, which has kept my camera beyond three weeks now.  They have promised to overnight it to me for free once it is finished some time next week.  I plan on sending them daily reminders, since our anniversary is next weekend!! and I have something special planned for which I need my camera.  So I wait.  Meanwhile, here is a photo from my front-porch garden this past spring.

Siberian bugloss, brunnera, with purple buds.

My Nightstand
I'll be thumbing through the Ball canning book this next week, and also a book called The Art of Simple Food, by Alice Waters.  She is a passionate proponent of seasonal, local, sustainably produced foods, and breaks her book into 19 culinary lessons with everyday recipes.  I think some of the recipes are a little exotic, but there are some great, simple ideas and recipes I'd like to try.  Because of this book, I'm planning on purchasing a suribachi, a Japanese mortar and pestle with ridges in the bowl, which help when mashing garlic, herbs, and other things.  I think it will be a wonderful addition to my kitchen.

In my favorite book, we've been memorizing Proverbs 9:8-9:

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,

Reprove a wise man and he will love you.

Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,

Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.

NASB

Pastor Fraley will be preaching on this chapter tomorrow at church.  As we've recited this verse over and over throughout the week, I'm struck by the earnest desire to learn from His reproof, to submit to His correction, to be quick to listen to the Holy Spirit's chastisement, especially in the little areas.  I hear myself making snippy comments to my husband, or correcting him, when I should keep my mouth shut.  (I call it my "spiritual duct tape.")  I need to be so careful to heed His nudges!!

Back to life,
Christine

visit my photography blog!
captured by Christine Anne