Once again this Monday, I'm taking time to join Sandra for this link party over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.
The Weather:::
Mostly sunny. It's currently 75º with 55% humidity. Rain predicted for the next day or two.
As I look outside my window:::
Everything
is still quite lush and green. The knockout rosebush I was given for Mother's Day is doing so well!
Right now I am:::
Working on a blog post.
Thinking and pondering:::
The importance of recognizing our God-given purpose in life. I've written about this before; check out this post for relevance:
Purpose. And look for a related quote down in the Bible verse/devotional/quote section of today's post.
On my bedside table:::
A lamp, three books, a pen and a jar of lavender-infused oil for helping with insect bites.
On my tv this week:::
Nothing this week.
Listening to:::
Silence. Really, I can hear nothing at all right this minute.
So excited! We now have three colors of phlox (all pink or purple, but all different) blooming along the edge of our camp property!
On the Breakfast plate:::
I
do intermittent fasting so don't have breakfast. Lunch was a
salad with cubes of ham and cheese in addition to leaf lettuce and some banana peppers.
On the dinner plate:::
Chicken divan and probably a cucumber salad.
On the menu for this week::: I usually plan my menus from Thursday to Thursday, and grocery shop on Friday morning. A few meals on my menu plan:
Egg bake
Fish Chowder
Chicken Divan
Egg Roll in a Bowl
On my reading pile:::
Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson
Own Your Life, by Sally Clarkson
On my to do list today::: Work on blog posts
Etsy listings
Scrub kitchen sink √
Work on Sunday School lesson
Send Etsy order √
Send out Sunday School lesson #8 to those who missed it. √
Plans for this week:::
Plan menus and make grocery list
List some notions, patterns, cards, and kids' books on Etsy
Ironing
Take a bag to the thrift store
Work on my Sunday School lesson
A couple of days getaway
Spend time with an old friend (the widow of the pastor who married us!)
What I am creating:::
January cross-stitch sampler
Crocheting a second red, white and blue hot mat
Some
"condensation catchers" out of old towels to place behind toilets that sweat in the humidity -- no, I still haven't finished those! 😕
Need to start a pillow quilt for a granddaughter's gift
"Snow Day" was a tiny stitch from the same pattern as the January Sampler. I managed to finish that one!
Bible verse, Devotional, Quote:::
As mentioned, I've been reading a book titled
A Step Farther & Higher. I've not gotten too far into it but it's excellent so far. It's the one that got me thinking once again about purpose and how many believers haven't ever fully nailed down what their purpose is. Here are just a few sentences from the book:
"Behind all significant activity in life is the discipline of purpose. The older one becomes, or the greater one's pain or adversity in life, the more important purpose becomes."
"Questions of purpose increase in importance ... also with the number of things we have to do, the decisions we have to make, the people who make demands on us, the circle of our relationships, and our skills, spiritual gifts, and natural abilities. Purpose questions provide the foundation for determining when we will say yes and when we will say no."
The author notes that as we age we become more keenly aware of having only a limited number of years left and that time and energy must be used wisely, not squandered. She adds,
"This has driven me to the point where I see only one answer to such a concern: Discipline life by the formulation of a purpose. Harness life with such questions as, What are the truly important things God wants me to do with my years? Where will I seek to make my maximum contributions? And what do I have to give out of the wealth of my good and bad experiences, my skills and gifts, my mind and spirit?"
All of this really resonates with me. It wasn't until 2010 that I realized that I needed to get serious about a purpose statement for my life. Now I try to make sure that everything I do moves me toward one of God's purposes for me. It truly makes a difference.
On my prayer list:::
Friends & family
Church family
Missionaries
Our country
And there's the Happy Homemaker Monday for this week!
Beautiful flowers. I'm not quite ready to think about snow days! Hope you have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteI love your snowy sampler. It's very sweet. Your book sounds like an interesting read as well.
ReplyDelete