most unexpected ways~journal #22 4/18/2010

Woman in a Garden of Peonies
Abbot Graves

Outlook...reflecting

On My Mind...like religion and home birth and home school, I have something wonderful to share with my new found health...but, nobody cares or wants to know about it.

Delish Kitch...soon I'll go into the kitchen to make a nice pot of lentil soup to eat after church... trying sprouted wheat pancakes for Spencer's breakfast--I'm having the usual green smoothie, blueberry and banana with sunflower micro-greens from my square inch kitchen garden.

Homemaking...Pantry Principle Area 2 plus dusting and dejunking closets...How does dust get behind a closed door?

Praying for...a sweet little old lady on Vashon Island...

Appearance...cuddled in a cream and blue pin tucked night gown at the crack of dawn

Movement...walking in the delightfully sunny mornings...weeding, watering, and dreaming

Bibliophile Fix…Modern Times by Paul Johnson...he's a great historian, writing history like a novel.

Scripture Meditations..."Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10 God knows my needs and wants to care for me. He strengthens me, as he time and again upholds me in weakness.

Something New...it's more than a passing fancy. I only wear dresses or skirts. Exercising at this new level has been a challenge, especially walking for several miles a day. The other day I put on an old grey t-shirt that Joseph will never be big enough to wear again. It reached my knees, and I felt like a slob. Inspiration!!! I made an a-line skirt attached to knee length leggings. It actually looks great with athletic shoes and a colorful, feminine t-shirt.

My week is looking...serene...I love getting into the rhythm of life.

God has been teaching me...to trust that He listens to my righteous pleadings. He answers in the most unexpected ways.

Simple Pleasure...my kitchen garden...and my plans to plant the old garden with berries. Imagine my own berry patch.

Prayers Answered...on my way back to Cedar from Seattle, it was the plan to spend Easter with the Hollingsheads. As I got to town, I called and learned they were all sick. Uuuuggghhh! Instead I pulled into a motel for the night, because I couldn't drive another 3 hours that night. At the front desk, I could not locate my debit card (We haven't used real credit cards for years.) I went back out to my very full car and knelt down on the front seat. In my mind's eye, I saw exactly where the card was in all that mess. God answers even little prayers.

Commitment to Loveliness...1) till the old garden and plant raspberries, black berries, strawberries, and blue berries 2) start a flat of tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, and peppers for my new container garden 3) purchase necta-zee peach bushes to replace the roses I removed 4) get hair trimmed 5) clean all mini-blinds

Homemaking Quote..."What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts is housekeeping. Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home. whether you live alone or with a spouse, parents, and ten children it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can be anywhere else." Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson

Photo of the Week...I put my foot down, when the gang came over to play video games and make cookies. Video games I can ignore, but cookies call my name. So I compromised and gave them water to drink, hummus and carrots, guacamole and pepper strips, a few lbs. of strawberries, and a pot of Daniel's chili. There was not a groan in the bunch nor was there any food leftover.