Presidental Candidate Quiz

If you are like me, you don't know much about politics. I see all of the news on the '08 election but I don't really pay attention to any of it. (I should, I know.) I found something that might help as I go about choosing a candidate; it's an online quiz that helps you find out where a candidate stands on the issues. Of course, it doesn't tell you WHO to vote for but after answering a series of questions, you are shown a list of the candidates and how well you "match" with them. I thought it was very interesting and a good start to your research if, like me, you have done no research at all. :)

You can take the quiz here.

A very blustery day!

As I'm sitting here this morning, the wind is whipping right and left outside. If there is one thing I have learned about Virginia, we are never without wind! It's either a gentle breeze or, like today, it's blustery! I just love living near the mountains! (And I thank the Lord He's given us a warm home!)

I've had a slow start today but I'm busy with laundry right now. Then it's on to catch up from yesterday with the sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and bathroom cleaning. (One of these days, I'll be an organized keeper of my home...one of these days.)

I ordered Passionate Housewives: Desperate for God last week and have already read through it once. I am currently reading it again and will be posting a review soon.

That's about the excitement around here this morning!

"Return to me the joy of Thy salvation..."

I'm sitting here this morning sipping my hot chocolate and getting ready to begin my day. I should be pretty tired--I only had about 3 hours of sleep-- but I'm doing OK right now. The reason that I was up so late was that I was reading. Usually that is a bad habit of mine that results in little sleep and an unproductive day the next day. Last night was different, though. As I was finishing my book, God used it to speak directly to my heart. In the midst of our struggles over the past couple of years (job changes, bad job situations, infertility, lack of church fellowship), I had allowed my joy in the Lord to completely slip away. It was almost to the point of not being there at all. I had moments in which I was joyful but it wasn't that abiding joy that the Lord puts deep within us. Last night, God used an allergory of the book of Hosea to return the joy of His salvation. As I meditated on the love that the Lord has for us, I couldn't help but let the tears fall. He loves us with an everlasting love. He loves me with an everlasting love. How can I not be joyful? How can I not completely trust Him with my life, with my future, with my desires?

An update on my life

I finally have a chance to sit down and update you all on what has been going on with me. The biggest thing in our life right now is that Keith was offered a new job (Praise the Lord!) and we are now living in Virginia. The Lord has blessed us so much by moving us up here; not only do we have a beautiful home with a mountain (!) view from the backyard but Keith's new job is a "promotion" of sorts (but with a different company) and is much less stressful. Plus his commute is only 25 minutes one way! (That's much better than an hour!) My sweetie is now home every day by 5:30!!! It is wonderful.

We just moved up here the first week of October, so I am still unpacking boxes and organizing. These tasks do not come easy for me so I would appreciate your prayers that I am diligent to keep at them and not allow myself to become distracted by TV, the computer, or just plain laziness.

Something that is *very* exciting to me about living in Virginia is that this "Deep South Southern Belle" will experience snow for the very first time! Sure, I enjoyed the (very) occasional flurries while living most of my life in Georgia but this is my first time living in an area that gets snow every winter! I'm both excited and anxious! (And I need some winter clothes! LOL)

We are still praying that the Lord will open my womb. At this time, we are not pursuing fertility treatments. Keith believes that the Lord will cause us to conceive "naturally" so that is why we are waiting for now. This is HARD for me. I don't mind not pursuing treatments--I was never gung ho on that in the first place--but waiting on the Lord is something that I have never really learned to do. I realize that I cannot make this happen on my own but waiting quietly for Him to work? Not me; unfortunately, my controlling personality wants to rant and rave at Him for not giving me what I want. This is truly the ultimate test. I'm trying to praise Him, despite not receiving a baby yet.

I need to get going. Keith is working hard, trying to organize the garage so that we can park our cars inside. After all, cold weather is coming! I have laundry--and a host of other things--calling my name! Have a great Saturday and a restful Lord's Day!

P.S. Another prayer request: We are visiting churches. Please pray that we will be discerning and seek the Lord's guidance in finding the one for us.

I'm back!!!

I doubt anyone even checks this blog anymore but just wanted to let everyone know that I am back. I don't have much time to post now but just wanted to stop in and say hello. Another post to follow later! :)

Busy Day!

This day has been full! I've had laundry and cleaning to do, plus we are participating in our neighborhood garage sale on the 28th, which means a lot of decluttering! The medicine I'm on either leaves me with a headache or the "blahs", so getting things done has been a challenge. Not to mention, I've been very clumsy today! I don't know why; sometimes I just have days like that. I hit my funny bone on the wall while putting laundry away. Ouch! It's still sore!

In the midst of all of this, my heart has been so saddened by all that is going on at Virginia Tech. Keith is a VT alumni and we spent yesterday in shock over this tragedy. I can't imagine the pain and despair these parents and other family members are feeling. I do pray that the Lord will comfort them in His own special way.

Well, break time is over! The floors need sweeping...

If I'm MIA for a few days, don't be surprised. I really want to get as much in this garage sale as possible to bring in some extra (but much needed!) money, so that will require less computer time. :)

Some Silly, Random Things About Me

Per Mrs. B's request in her post, here's my list. It's not much, but I'm short on time. I'll add more as they come to mind.

*I have to have Chapstick on my lips before bed. Otherwise, I can't sleep and have to get up and put some on.

*If I don't write something down on a list to be done, it doesn't get done. I hardly ever remember something to do unless it's written down.

*I love raw cookie dough or cake batter. (I know...raw eggs and all of that! But I still love it!)

*I talk to my mom at least once a day on the phone.

*I talk to Keith at least 3 times a day while he's at work.

*I don't like "squishy" foods because of the way they feel in my mouth when I'm chewing. Especially mushrooms or cucumbers.

That's all I can think of for now! This was fun!

"...yet I will rejoice in the Lord..."

I've read and prayed through many verses as we have gone through this time of infertility but Habakkuk 3:17-18 has been the one that God has used to do the most work in my heart.

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." (KJV)

In other words, no matter what happens, I will rejoice in the Lord. Wait a minute, Lord. You mean, if You never open my womb, if I never feel a baby grow and kick inside me, if I never hear the word "Mama" directed to me, I'm supposed to rejoice in You?

That's what it says.

I have visited various infertility websites and message boards and a lot of what I have read involves a feeling of entitlement. "I deserve a baby...why can't I have one?" I have struggled with this myself. But the truth is, I'm not deserving of anything but Hell. I desire the gift of pregnancy, children, and motherhood but the Lord has already given me the best gift He could ever give. He reached down, touched my heart, and saved me from my sin. I will forever live with Him because of His wonderful gift of salvation.

I do not think it's wrong of me to want children. On the contrary, I believe that desire was firmly planted in my heart by the Lord Himself, even before He saved me. I believe, in His own time, He will give me that desire of my heart.

But if I am wrong? Then I am wrong. I am still commanded to "rejoice". On days like today when I struggle with feeling defeated, I wonder how I can ever rejoice in the empty arms I have been given today. That's when I have to look at the next verse:

"The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places." Habakkuk 3:19 (KJV)

I can't do it in my own strength and energy. I can only allow God to work through me and lift me up, causing me to rejoice.

On a medical note, this was our first cycle of fertility drugs. I thought and prayed hard about this and Keith and I feel peace about pursuing this path. This will be our first and last medical intervention. If, after 4 cycles of drugs, I am not pregnant, we will not pursue any more treatments. Anything further involves a lot of issues that we consider to be "playing God" and, even if we felt comfortable about them, we simply can't afford them. So, every day, I'm just praying that God will give me peace and that His will be done in our lives.

WFMW: My Spice Drawer

Until last week, my spices took up the top shelf of my (very small) pantry. This was hard for me because I'm very short (4'9") so I'd have to stand on my tip-toes and reach into the dark pantry, hoping to grab the right spice. I think, on average, I pulled out about 8 spices before I picked the right one! Not only was this frustrating because the spices were unorganized, it wasted valuable time in the kitchen. So I came up with a solution. I arranged the spices in one of my kitchen drawers. This is so much easier! The spices are all there, where I can see them at first glance, they are in alphabetical order so I don't have to search and search for the right one.

It works for me...beautifully!

A Clean House (almost!)

This morning I've been busy cleaning the master bathroom (it sure needed it!) and dusting. I'm taking a break and am about to sweep, mop, and vacuum. Cleaning isn't my favorite thing to do (especially the bathrooms!) but I love the way a clean house feels and smells. It's instantly relaxing. I love to light a candle and just sit for a minute and breathe in the "clean-ness", don't you?

I'm still here...

Yes, I'm still around. I do have the best of intentions when it comes to my blog, but here's my problem: I have nothing to write about (in my opinion). My days are pretty much the same. I take care of our home, I have no cutesy kid stories to tell you (yet! Maybe one day soon!), my family isn't close by so I can't write about seeing any of them. I just don't feel that I'm giving this blog justice. What do you all think? Do you want to see pieces of my everyday life or just wait until I have actually have something to write about that's exciting? lol I welcome any comments/complaints!

Spring Cleaning Update and Dying Appliances

I'm still here! I've been cleaning this past week but I took the weekend off to spend time with Keith, since right now he is averaging about an 80-85 hr. workweek. :(

On Saturday while he was working on our paper shredder**, I did manage to clean the dining room. That was pretty simple since the only piece of furniture in there is my grandmother's china cabinet! I dusted that really well, cleaned the windows inside and out, and wiped down the sockets/light switches. All that is left is to vacuum the room really well.

Today's plan is the living room. I won't be able to do everything today since I am not able to move a lot of the furniture in order to sweep and vacuum under it. (Bad backs run in my family, so I'm very careful.) I'm hoping that Keith can help me with that at some point this week.

**Yes, Keith killed our paper shredder this weekend! He tried to fix it, but, alas, couldn't. We went to Staples and found a great deal on a lightweight shredder. The regular price was $29.99, with a $10 instant rebate and a $10 mail-in rebate. It will end up costing us only $9.99! We were thrilled.

So...Keith and I are even in the appliance-killing department this weekend...my hand-mixer died on Friday and it was all my fault. I thought I had the whisks all the way in and started mixing. No, one of them was loose. It rattled against the groves you insert the whisks in and--you guessed it--broke one of them beyond repair. So, now I'm about to look online for a new one at a good price. If you have any suggestions on prices, brands, or good deals, please let me know!

Spring Cleaning Update #1

Yesterday was my toughest day. I tackled the kitchen!! Oh, my, that was a long, hard job. (And there was still much left that I could have done!) But the reward was a sparkling kitchen. After I get the whole house clean at least on the surface, I intend to go back and clean what's "behind closed doors" like cabinets, the pantry, etc. I have to take things in small doses; I get very overwhelmed pretty easily.

Today was a much slower day as I didn't feel very well. So I've just done some straightening up in the bedroom and living room. I intend to get a good night's sleep tonight and clean those two rooms tomorrow!

Spring Cleaning Kick-Off!

Well, this Wednesday (the 21st) is the official first day of spring. Spring is one of my two favorite seasons (the other being fall). I thought I'd celebrate by giving our home a good old-fashioned spring cleaning. I didn't get as far as I intended today, but I did get the master bath done. Ahhhh....it smelled so good! Cleaning a bathroom can be time-consuming but I do love the results!

I'll keep you all updated on what I accomplish each day!

A Blog Poll...

I need some help and I thought my readers may be able to steer me in the right direction. Here's the poll question:

Do you take your shower at night or in the morning?

I keep going back and forth. I would prefer to take my shower when I get out of bed in the mornings but I have to get up at 5am to fix Keith's breakfast, lunch, and coffee for the road. He is gone by 6am so in order to shower, I'd have to get up before 5. I can barely function getting up when I do, so I know I couldn't handle any earlier. (Or maybe I could? Feel free to point out any selfishness on my part here!) Taking it at night IS more convenient but I never feel "woken up" the next day. One compromise I'm considering is getting up at my normal time but taking my shower at 7 or so. I'll have some tasks from 6-7 like cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast, making the bed, etc. but the bulk of my day will take place after my shower, when I am more awake. Please share your thoughts on this! Have any of your husbands had to get up at a ridiculously early hour for work? (Right now, Keith is up before me, between 4:30-4:45.) Besides showering, I'd also be interested in hearing how you manage breakfast at that early of an hour. Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say since I need to figure out what works for me.

Worldview Super Conference

We are considering attending this conference in Asheville, NC this spring. Has anyone heard of it or attended? I'd like to hear from you, if you or someone you know has! It's a fairly expensive conference, so we don't want to go unless it will prove worthwhile. Thanks!

For more information on the conference, you can go here.

Fun-filled weekend

Keith and I spent the weekend in Savannah, GA. We had a great time; Savannah is a beautiful, old Southern city. I will post pictures later this week, hopefully, of our trip.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mrs. B's post inspired this one!

Things I love about Keith:

*He loves me unconditionally.

*He's the leader of our family--and a great one!

*He is a wonderful provider, who works hard so that I can be here at home.

*He's a great money manager. (I'm not!)

*He has amazing blue eyes.

*He makes me feel safe.

*He is forgiving.

*He loves our cats.

*In God's timing, he's going to be a great father.


Those are just some of the reasons! Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie! I LOVE YOU!

Women's role in the church

My husband and I had an interesting day in church on Sunday. We walked out of our Sunday School class. For reasons unknown to either of us, one of the female members was teaching the class that day. (Our class is large and co-ed.) I think what upset me the most was all of the men sitting in the class, willing to be taught by a woman. I'm not sure if this is ignorance as to what the Bible teaches about women in leadership/teaching roles or whether they don't care what the Bible says. Either way, we were very saddened and plan to start looking for another class to attend, if the Lord desires to keep us in this town. (Keith has applied for a couple of positions back in GA, so we'll see what the Lord has.)

Brrrrrr!

It is a very COLD, rainy day here in SC! I'm planning to stay in and "hibernate" today. I'm making a pot of chili for supper (see recipe here). I hope to get all of my laundry done so I can curl up a few minutes with a good book. I love cold, winter days! :)

More women are now single

According to this article, 51% of women in the United States live without a spouse. Upon reading the title, I thought "oh ok...well, they must want to be married and are 'looking'". Not so.

According to one of the single women interviewed:

"I get to make the choices myself about where I live, how I live, how I decorate my house," she says.

I noticed one thing about that sentence..."I" is used 4 times! It seems this is the common thinking of today's independent women.


From a demographer:

"There used to be this saying, '22 skidoo,' that is, when young women got to be the age of 22 they were expected to go off and get married and be in another household," says William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. "That's a long time in the past."

In the past? I'll agree; it sure does seem that way. Is that supposed to be a good thing? Are we a more "enlightened" people because we don't subject women to the "menial" task of getting married young and having children? I don't think so. The world sees freedom and opportunities. I see 26 year olds who act like they are 15 in terms of emotional maturity. All one needs to do is pick up a copy of Cosmo (not something I'd advise) and flip through the pages. Those pages are filled with instant gratification, looking out for #1, meaningless relationships with the opposite sex (all in the name of "having a good time"), and a carefree life. This is the new and improved way of life? I think not. Being a wife and mother teaches you to think of someone other than yourself. God has used marriage to teach me time and again that it's not all about ME. And I feel certain that He'll continue to teach this lesson to me when/if He blesses us with children.


**I don't get involved in many "controversial" type issues and won't post much about them. I believe there is value in debating but I want my blog to mostly revolve around homemaking and being a helpmeet to my husband. But this article really stuck out to me when I read it, so I decided to post my opinion.

Rough Night

I am extremely tired today. Word of advice: don't eat chicken fingers, french fries, and 2-3 servings of (caffeinated!) Coke less than 2 hours before you go to bed. It's a bad idea!

Hot Hamburger Dip

I hope that everyone is enjoying their start to the weekend. I just finished helping Keith with something related to his job search. Now he is outside cleaning out the litter box :) and I'm headed off to shower and begin our day. I wanted to post the recipe for last night's dip before I turned off the computer. Warning: this is not healthy at all, so we save it for a special occasion!

Hot Hamburger Dip

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1 8oz. package cream cheese
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute ground beef until browned; add onion and cook until tender. Drain. In heavy saucepan, add remaining ingredients and stir over low heat until cheese melts. Add meat mixture. Spoon into a chafing dish and keep warm; serve with corn chips. Yields 1 quart.

Happy Weekend!

Keith is on his way home and I'm on my way to the kitchen to cook a slightly non-traditional supper: Hamburger Dip with Fritos. :) We try to make Friday night our date night so I make the meal simple and easy, unless it's a special occasion. I especially want this weekend to be as stress-free as possible. He has been experiencing a lot of work-related stress. Not the normal, "healthy" kind, but the kind that may send him looking for another job. However, I've been reminding myself all day: God is in control. He will lead us where He wants us to be.

I hope that everyone has a great, fun, relaxing weekend with your loved ones!

Books, Books, Books!

I love to read. Let me rephrase that: I LOVE to read. In the past, most of what I have read has been Christian fiction but I decided recently to branch out a little and read some non-fiction also. Once I finish a book, I'd like to post a review here. At least, that is the plan. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up.

My Current Reading List

Non-fiction:

This Little Church Stayed Home by Gary E. Gilley. So far, this book is very good. It's a tough read in some places, though. I also read the "prequel" to this book, This Little Church Went to Market, which was a sad but very thorough picture of a lot of modern churches today.

Created To Be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl. I'm only on the third chapter and the Lord has taught me so much through this book. I can't wait to finish the rest!

Fiction:

The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. This book is...different. It's not that I dislike it; it's just "different" from most Christian novels. I hate to keep using that word, but that's the only description I have so far! Hopefully I will have more to say when I finish. :)

Aquariums...and the rest of our weekend

This weekend we bought an aquarium. I'm not talking a goldfish size; I'm talking a 44 gallon aquarium! Keith had a much smaller one before we married and has wanted one for a while now so this past weekend, after seeing one a couple of times at PetSmart that we liked, we finally took the plunge (no pun intended!) on Friday and bought it. Silly me, I thought that you just put your decorations in there, along with the rocks, some water conditioning stuff, the water, and voila! You have an under-the-sea habitat. Not exactly. It took a whole Saturday afternoon, 3 trips to PetSmart, but we finally have an aquarium! With water! And everything is working! Alas, no fish yet, though. That's yet another step. :)

We had a nice day of worship yesterday. We haven't gotten as involved in our current church as we'd like to be. We've lived here a year and began visiting this church during the summer. It's very hard for me to meet new people. I wouldn't label myself as "shy" exactly; I just don't like "new" things. Please pray for us that we will become more involved in serving in this church and we'll find like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ and form friendships with them.

Trusting God

"O Lord of Hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee."
Psalm 84:12

"Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you."
Psalm 116:7

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."
Isaiah 26:3

I get to spend the day with my husband!

Keith ended up working all night so he'll be home about 9:30 or so this morning. He intends to "spend the day with his wife". He has been working very long hours for a couple of months now so we don't get to spend as much time together as either of us would like. Needless to say, I won't have the chance to blog anymore today! Have a great weekend!

Blogging Question

Question for all you experienced bloggers out there...

How do I add links to favorite websites or other blogs I read?

Our Furbabies!

Today was a very hard day for me in trusting God to bless us (or not to bless us) with children. So, I've decided to show what God has blessed us with: two adorable furbabies that might as well be our children!



This is Gracie. She's 10 and is quite a feisty kitty! She only weighs 6 lbs. but that doesn't stop her from putting her brother, Leo, in his place every day! Yes, her eyes are fine. In that picture, she is sitting in our bathroom window while the sun was streaming in; that's why her pupils are so tiny. lol

This is our "baby", Leo. He's 5 but still acts like he's a 5 month old kitten. He is so playful. Leo is our loveable one. He likes to crawl onto my lap and sleep. Sometimes it's when I'm typing on the computer!

So those are the "babies" God has entrusted us with so far! I will post a couple of more pictures of them in the next day or so. Don't worry; I have no intentions of boring anyone with cat pictures! :)

Lack of motivation...

Here it is, 10am and I'm still sitting in my pajamas. Yes, my pajamas (hanging head in shame). I felt a little sick this morning so I decided to take things slowly. Well, now, I'm feeling better but have no motivation. I need some advice from any blog readers out there: what do you do to get motivated on those inevitable "off" days?

I'm off to at least get dressed and get something done. I will check back in and report my progress. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2007 to everyone! I pray God's protection and blessings on you in this new year.

I've been praying and thinking about some things I'd like to do this year; some goals I'd like to work toward. I don't consider them "resolutions" because they will always be changing and evolving; I'll never "arrive" at any of these.

Johanna's Goals for 2007:

1. Spend more time in the Word. Read it daily and not just during my "devotional time". Immerse myself in it.

2. Develop a deeper prayer life. So much of my prayer time is spent in surface prayers (protect Keith today at work, protect me as I work here at home) that I'm afraid my prayer life has become shallow. Lord, forgive me. Help me to spend more time just communing with You.

3. Pray daily for Keith. I am guilty of not praying for my wonderful husband every day.

4. Be the best homemaker I can be, both for the Lord and for my husband. I will never be perfect but I can do my job as unto the Lord, instead of rushing to mop the floor/do the laundry/whatever just so I can relax. This is the job that God has called me to perform; I need to do the best that I can, for His honor and glory.

5. Take better care of my body; treat it as a temple. I frequently fill my body with "junk" instead of healthy foods.

My hope for this year, though, is that God will open my womb and give us a child/children in 2007. I pray every day God will give me patience as I wait on Him in this area.


Does anyone have any goals for 2007? If you'd like to share, I'd love to hear them.