Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  I'm loving the sunshine I feel warming up my back as I write this.  It's been a week of drizzly rain and cloudy skies, which I do love, but I also love when the sunshine comes back out and makes its appearance.  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for this post.

One.

Writing out Scripture is one of my favorite things to do, and you know that, because I say it all the time.  This week I had to catch up from falling behind, but I'm about to wrap up the month of February.  I have my March plan already printed out and ready to go for Tuesday.  Another favorite I came across this week is the blog these printables come from~Sweet Blessings.  I have a button on the side that will take you to that blog.

Two.

Bible studies are my favorite.  I am excited to be getting this new study on the gospel of Mark by Lisa Harper soon.  It will be available for purchase on March one, but you can pre-order now at any of your favorite online spots.  In my Tuesday night class, we are finishing up studying Gideon and will be starting a new one in two weeks.  We're doing Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin.

Three.

A favorite thing I did this week was walk with these sweet friends.  I think we're walking again today, later on, and I am excited.  I love some accountability!

Four.

Coffee is my favorite, and Toddley's mug that we got him for Christmas is another.  This was me, trying to wake up yesterday morning.  Although today was a little worse because I woke up at 5:45.  The two older boys and Todd went to a breakfast that happens at our church every Friday morning called Coaches Corner.  It's a yummy breakfast that is five dollars a person and there's fellowship and teaching from our Pastor.  I. LOVE. OUR. CHURCH. HOME. AND. FAMILY.

Have I said that lately?!

I do.

While they were gone I prayed and had my quiet time in the stillness before the sun was even up.  I do love me a good early morning.

Five.

Churches are another favorite thing of mine, and this one was no exception, that I stopped to take a picture of last night.

Six.

I started reading this book today.  Priscilla Shirer has become one of my most favorite authors and bible study teachers.  This book goes along with the movie The War Room and maps out a plan for a strategic prayer life.  God has been up to something in my life on this subject of prayer.  It's exciting!
Seven.

My favorite author has a new book coming out at the end of March!

This was from her Instagram account yesterday.  It's Brush of Wings by Karen Kingsbury and it will be available for purchase on March 29, my dad's birthday!  You can also preorder this now on those favorite online spots I mentioned earlier.

Laundry is calling my name!  Have a great day and weekend.  Love to all!

the weekday I love

I don't know if you remember (it depends on how long you've been reading this blog, it would have been more than four years ago), but I used to HATE Thursdays.  That started way back when I was in high school.  In case you don't remember, or if you're new to the blog, I'll give you a refresher.

We used to have chapel on Thursdays, and the reason I hated chapel was because of one teeny tiny (MAJORLY HUGE, IMPORTANT, LIFE ALTERING) incident.  It started innocently with me in my favorite outfit of all time~a bright blue pleated skirt and a sweater with huge stripes from The Limited, and matching tights.  I thought I looked adorable in that outfit, and I wore it proudly.  This one particular Thursday, I stopped by the girls' room before entering the chapel, and when I left, walked out and all the way down to the front row in the auditorium, with my friend Tabitha behind me.  I heard snickering but never stopped to turn around, for fear that someone was laughing at me.  Wouldn't you know it?  They were.  My skirt was tucked into my tights, and I paraded in front of practically the whole school with my rear end on show for everyone.

It was quite unfortunate.

But now?  I love Thursdays!  It's our homeschool group day.  (This is our last year there, and I am sad!)  I love what we're studying, I love studying the Bible the precept way (inductively), and I love, love, love my small group ladies.  They are sweet and encouraging and prayerful and exhorting when the need arises.  I come away each week feeling so refreshed.

This morning I left Graham at home, sick with sinuses.  Drew went home with a friend after classes, and the rest of us came back home.  We left here early in the afternoon to go to my mom-in-love's house to visit before dinner, then we went and ate at the CiCi's in Cordova.  My kids miss our CiCi's that used to be here in The Ville.    When we left to come home, I remembered this church that I passed with my sweet friend who was in town last week, and stopped to take a picture.

Isn't it pretty?  I have a thing for churches and steeples.  Today was a really good day.  My kids are all happy because that same friend Drew went home with today is now here to spend the night.  Some of us are downstairs, and some of them are upstairs, but this mama is about to hit the hay.  I have a new book to read and it's calling my name.  I am just starting on the third book from The Mitford Series by Jan Karon.

Love to all!

Wednesday

I came across a really amazing blog yesterday.  You know how I've been writing out Scripture since November?  The lady who created all those guides is from a blog called Sweet Blessings.  You can click on the name or on the button at the side of my blog to see hers.  She has so many great things to print out!  I grabbed one this morning and did just that.  I also printed out my March Scripture writing plan.

Speaking of that, I am still going strong.  I love writing out those verses so much, and though I have fallen behind several times, I always catch up and stay caught up until the next time I get a day or two behind.  ;)

Yesterday was a great day.  I spent the morning doing bible study homework for my homeschool group we go to every Thursday.  Next week we're meeting on Monday, though, so because it's the first day of the week, I went ahead and did this week's and next week's homework so I wouldn't stress about it over the weekend.  We're still studying in Daniel, though now we're in the prophesy part.  It was cold and drizzly outside, and by nine a.m., I had dinner in the Crock Pot.

(Actually, as I wrote that, God just totally convicted me.  On the outside, yes, it was a great day, but I was in a MOOD and had to apologize multiple times to my loved ones.  I'd say it was PMS, but since I no longer have those parts, I don't know if it was or not.  I'm going with the fact that it was.  I'll be darned if it didn't start to happen again today!  And yes, I have been praying and yes, I am staying in a prayerful state all the live long day.)

Too much information?  Sorry.

Anyway, dinner was delicious...we had a bit of an indoor picnic after our half hour walk~we didn't walk long because all of us were so hungry.

Of course we took a picture to document.  I'm smiling and laughing a little as I write this.  I love these women and I am so thankful to God for the friends He has given me.

I am also thankful that I was up and moving yesterday.  My foot started hurting halfway through our walk, but we just slowed the pace for me.  I think the rain made it hurt worse yesterday, but this morning it seems to be fine.

I'm so glad it's Wednesday!  I can't wait for church tonight.  I hope your day is great.  Love to all!

hiding God's word in my heart

If you know me, you know I love to memorize Scripture.  I attempted this all last year, and it just never stuck.  Some verses did, others did not.  I don't really know why that happened, but I moved on and let go of the commitment.  

In my quiet time today, I read Psalm 23 and though I knew some of it already, I thought I would give it another go every once in a while, starting with the short Psalm I read today.  I read the HCSB Bible (that my dad and stepmom gave me for my birthday), so that's the translation you'll see written below.

I memorize Scripture because the word tells us that we are to hide His word in our hearts.  And out of the overflow of our hearts, our mouth speaks.  (That's another Bible verse.)  I also do this because I have anxious tendencies.  Nothing soothes my soul and brings peace like reciting the word of God.   I thought I would share this today, because maybe you're reading this and you're struggling with anxiety or worry.  May I challenge and encourage you to memorize Scripture?

Just try it and see for yourself...either way, you'll have hidden His word in your heart.

Here is the twenty third Psalm from my Bible.

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.

He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  

He renews my life; He leads me along the right paths for His name's sake.

Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for You are with me; Your rod and your staff-they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for as long as I live.  

Love to all.

all the things

I didn't really mean to take a week long break from the blog, but sometimes stepping away for a bit can be a really good thing.  We were all a little under the weather last week because of the crazy weather, and I ended our week by taking Noah to the doctor.  He had bronchitis and is on antibiotics and an inhaler.

Except for headaches, the boys and I all feel better, but now it's Todd's turn to have the junk.  Poor guy can't get a break.

I love my city but I hate the weather in this area.

Because of what I mentioned above, there is nothing much for me to write about this morning, except for some things I've seen lately on the internet that I love.

I love this quote.  I have always loved books more than any other item I could buy.  Even when I was a young girl, I used to BEG my mom to take me to this one Kroger that had an amazing book section.  And my dad used to drop me off at a used bookstore in Germantown called The Book Depot, and would come pick me up three hours later.  I have always been and will always be a book nerd.  When I'm not reading a book, I'm thinking about reading.  And I am always looking ahead to what my next read will be.  I have more books in my house than any other treasure.  And I share them all with my friends, as long as they promise to give them back.

Speaking of books, maybe you remember me mentioning before my favorite series of books of all time, The Yada Yada Prayer Group books?  I think I love that series so much because it's all about a praying group of women who are all ages, colors and denominations.  I belong to a group of ladies who meet each Tuesday night for Bible study.  Well, the more we're together, the closer we get and the more we share with one another.  Last night we were all texting back and forth over prayer needs and someone determined that we must be making the enemy mad, because several of the ladies in the group were under attack.  And it was mentioned to me privately that all of a sudden, we seemed to have a Yada Yada prayer group.  I got chills when I read that, because I have been wanting to be a part of a prayer group like this for so long.  And this morning, I can't help but wonder what God is up to in this group we have.  I am so excited to see where it goes from here.  We're about to finish our study on Gideon and will be starting a new one soon.  I am so thankful to have these ladies in my life, and others too, at my Thursday group, who will willingly drop everything and pray right then.  I don't take it for granted, trust me.  I thank God for them.

I was invited to be on the launch team for this new study coming out on the first of March by Lisa Harper called Gospel of Mark.  I love Lisa Harper and have read one of her books before, but I love her and her teaching style.  She is very different from the other teachers I've been under before, but she is refreshingly different and honest.  And the fact that she is a single, motorcycle riding woman who adopted a little girl from Haiti a couple of years ago, well, that makes me love her even more.  I follow her on Instagram, and she posts the sweetest things about her daughter.

I found this a while back and love what it says.  It's a really, really good reminder to not be mean.  I am preaching to myself.  I have been mean in the past about circumstances and people, I will confess that here.  I am learning to be different, though.  And yes, I am still learning, because sometimes my mouth just randomly spouts things out, and then I have to go back and apologize for what I've said.  I am a work in progress, though, and PRAISE GOD for His mercies that are new every morning.

I think I'll end this post with that passage of Scripture in Lamentations 3:22-27.

Because of the LORD's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!

I say: The LORD is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.  

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

It is good to wait quietly for deliverance from the LORD.  

Love to all.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals for this post.

It's been a good, but low key week around here.  Noah and I are fighting off a sinus infection, so we've spent a lot of time just laying around, resting.  On weeks like this, I am so thankful that we homeschool, because we get to work at our own pace.  (But I'm always thankful that we homeschool.)

One.

Because of what I just said above, I have been spending a lot of free time with my journaling bible.  I love this bible that I got a year ago, but I don't always use it.  I was inspired a couple of weeks ago to get it back out and dust it off, and this week it has been one of my favorite past times.  My friend Tiffany and I texted pictures of our art back and forth this week.

Two.

A couple of favorite images I've seen from the interwebs this week.  I love what both of these images say.  Don't talk about people and don't be mean.  Those two phrases seem to be a theme in my life with my kids lately.  About how they act and about how others act and how they should be the opposite.

Three.

I've loved journals forever, and I've had some that were my favorites, but it's been over a year since I've loved a journal as much as I love this one.  I'm glad my friend Abbey told me about the journals at Barnes and Noble.  I really want to be done with the current one I'm using.  I'm almost there!

Four.

Coffee has been my favorite drink of all this week.  It feels so good and soothing on my scratchy throat!  And my favorite to go mug right now is this one that my sister Lisa bought me.

Five.

Last, but not least, is my current favorite OPI nail polish that is pictured above.

It's hard to see in this picture, but it's a sparkly pinkish red.  Perfect for Valentine's day!  It's called Meep, Meep, Meep and it's from the OPI Muppets line from a couple of years ago.  To go with that are my favorite top coat and quick dry spray.  Seche Vite is the topcoat and Rapidry from OPI are what I use on my nails.  Those are the two products that I use to make them look good all the time.  People always think I get them done, but I don't....I just use good products.

Well....laundry is calling me.  Have a great weekend being with those you love!

Wednesday with Noah

Due to the fact that my kids did extra school work Tuesday night and so that they could go to work with Todd yesterday, my Wednesday was just Noah and me.  It was a great day!  Thanks to the wonderful Memphis weather, some of us are battling sinus issues right now.  We feel great in the daytime, but in the morning it's rough.

This boy woke up with a horrible headache yesterday and just had to lay there for a bit until the medicine kicked in.

One thing that I love about dogs is the fact that they can sense when you're not feeling well.  Noah got a drink yesterday morning, took some medicine, then laid down on the couch.  Almost the minute that he laid down, these two pups jumped up there with him.  It's almost like they try to absorb whatever is making you feel bad.  I love them.

(Most of the time.)

Noah requested Subway for lunch, so we got dressed and left for lunch and a few errands.

I couldn't help but thank God for the time I had with him yesterday.  As the baby in the family, he often is quiet because the others are so loud.  When it's just the two of us, I never can help but be amazed at him, and his heart.  He is so kind and compassionate with every person and thing that he comes across, animals included.  I have always thought that he should consider going into veterinary school because of how much animals love him.  The last time we talked about the future, though, he told me he wants to be in the navy.

As we sat and ate lunch and talked, we talked about a little of everything.  He has some really deep thoughts, to be such a young boy.  (Well, I suppose he's not THAT young.)

After lunch we went and bought him some jeans, which he looked really good in.  I cannot keep any of these boys in clothes lately!  After that, we made a run to Barnes & Noble.  I had a gift card and I am almost out of room in my journal, so at the recommendation of a friend, I went there to pick one out.  Noah got one, too.  He was the last of the boys to get a journal, and I am so proud that all four of them now use one.  Jonah just got one on Monday, but Graham and Drew have had theirs for a while.  We all use them to take notes in church, but I am encouraging them to use them for more than that, like to keep up with where they read in the bible and what they pray for.  Here's mine that I bought.

I LOVE getting a new journal.  I always want to start it right away, but I am finishing my other one first.

Our last stop was at Walmart, for more medicine, then it was home for naps.  Seriously...both of us were so tired while we were out, that when we got home, we turned a show on and promptly fell asleep.  I made some coffee so that I could push through the rest of our night.  (I love this mug that my sister Lisa bought for me at Christmas!)

It was a really sweet day.  We had church last night, then I retired upstairs pretty early so I could enjoy a long, hot bath.

I am so thankful to God for the fact that He entrusted me with these boys that we have.  They're surely not perfect, but they are always in the process of being refined and molded into what God has for them.  And though they try my patience on some days, I wouldn't trade my time with them for anything in the world.  I know that as their mom, they are my number one priorities to pour into.  As much as I love teenage girls, these boys are my greatest investment.  I pray daily (sometimes hourly!) that I use my time wisely with them, and that they ALWAYS love God with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength, and that they love their neighbors as themselves.

For the praise and glory of Christ Jesus.

Love to all.