On Becoming a Grammy

"I have been young, and now am old;

yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, 

nor his seed begging bread."

~Psalm 37:25~

Click the Pic for Photo Credit

I wrote this post yesterday afternoon as I sat at my kitchen table musing about becoming a grammy. 

At 1:56 and 1:58am my 24 year old daughter gave birth to identical twin girls by c-section. They were born at 34 weeks and weigh 5.9 and 5.10 pounds!! I was blessed to be with her for the birth...and now can say that I am a grammy!! 

I was young for so long. I think I stayed young longer than most people, but then I wasn't a Grammy!! 

The youngest grandmother I ever knew was 33 years old. She had her first child at seventeen. That's young!!

My Gramma had beautiful white hair. Grandparents are supposed to be old. 

So, I am older than many of my friends who already have a bunch of grandkids, but I am going to have a jump start into being a grammy.

I don't have the white hair to go along with the position and I still 'feel' young though my actual age defies me. I wish I had the wisdom in motherhood that I now have as I become a grammy for the first time!!

You may not be a grandmother yet, but Lord willing, you will be someday. 

Just as I have always thought that it was important to practice the godly characteristics required of a widow who is over sixty; I also think it is important to be the kind of woman that God desires a grandmother to be. 

Character training takes a long time in most of us, I can't suddenly change gears now that I am about to be a grammy. I am either that woman by now, or not!!

Some verses to encourage us to become that godly grandmother who influences the next generation for Christ:

"When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee,

which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois,

and thy mother Eunice; 

and I am persuaded that in thee also."

~2 Timothy 1:5~

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD,

choose you this day whom ye will serve,

whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other

side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,

in whose land ye dwell:

But as for me and my house,

we will serve the LORD."

~Joshua 24:15~

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

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Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

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In Christ Alone,

~Judith~

WholeHearted Faves Bonanza!!

You are JUST NOT going to believe it!!

WholeHearted Home Wednesday #26

"Be His Valentine" Lilla Rose Giveaway until Friday midnight!!

I am sharing ALL the posts from last week's

WholeHearted Home Wednesday

with the most clicks!!

The problem??

One had 7 clicks and the others had 5 clicks!!

Un.Be.Lieve.Able!!!

Then I am sharing an absolutely brand new blogger!!

I hope that makes up for not sharing any faves 

last week and being so late this morning??

Here is my excuse:

I caught the virus from a fellow blogger

(her name will remain anonymous 

to protect the popularity of her wonderful blog)

If it wasn't for a bunch of scheduled posts, 

you would have found me quiet at WholeHearted Home.

I just don't get sick and I was actually in bed for two days last week.

This thing has hung on for 2 1/2 weeks...so

be careful not to leave your flu viruses in the comments, or on Twitter, or Facebook, or email.

I hope you bless some of these ladies by visiting.

My "Be His Valentine" Lilla Rose Giveaway is still going on until Friday at midnight.

1.  Gretchen over at 31 Cups shared:

Crying in the Bathroom

You know, we've all done that, so stop over 

and bless her by reading her post and leaving a sweet comment!!

Meghan over at First Comes Love shares:

2.  Meghan over at First Comes Love shared:

How to Fit Multiple Children in a Bedroom & Our Bedroom Sharing Philosophy ~ Big Family Idea Bonanza Series

I loved this post!! You have to get creative when you have three or more children in a bedroom!!

3.  Virginia over at Come, Weary Moms shared:

Welcome to Our Living Room

Where she invites you into her living room and

shares tips on decorating and keeping up after a large family.

4.  Jess over at Our Homestead For Him shared:

Wearing Skirts in the Winter

5.  Sue over at The T2 Women shared:

You Haven't Tried Everything Until You Try 1 Peter 3

6. Britney over at For He is Our God shared:

For He is Our God

Britney is a BRAND NEW blogger on the Block!!

Please remember when you started and had just ONE follower

and stop by and encourage her by reading her sweet post, commenting (we all so love those comments), and following her.

Her blog looks so promising!!

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

Sooo, I'd love you to follow me on: 

Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

In Christ Alone,

~Judith~

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays LINKUP #26

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

Linkup #26

Click the Pic!!

Time has flown by and it's time to share again!!

I love reading the posts you link, so hurry, hurry, hurry and linkup.

Please keep your posts family-friendly on topics such as the suggestions below. 

Please be courteous and link back to WholeHearted Home  

Mothering

Marriage is for Keeps

Homemaking

Homeschooling

From Your Kitchen

Organizing your Home

Gardening

Mom's Sharing Jesus

And any way you have

WholeHeartedly served Christ in your Home!!

1. Keep each post honoring to God.
2. Remember the purpose is for community; and women love conversation!! So, please visit at least one blogger who posted on my Linky Party :-)
3. Be sure to link back to WholeHearted Home.
4. This Linky Party is open until Saturdays at 11:59pm
5. Thank you from the bottom of my heart as each of your posts are always such a blessing to me and other ladies. Happy linking! 

Thanks for dropping by!!!

Comments make my day!!

"Be His Valentine" Giveaway for a Lilla Rose Flexi Clip

Make yourself attractive for the one you love this Valentine's!! One winner will get to choose the Flexi Clip of her choice.

If you are not already familiar with Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry, please let me introduce you to my favorite hair product. I have been an Independent Consultant for over 6 months now and love working with this company. If you are looking for a great business to do from home just contact me through my Lilla Rose personal website.

In addition, if you are a brand new customer of Lilla Rose, you are eligible for my special offer of BUY 3, Get 1 FREE. To participate, you must make an account through my Lilla Rose personal website. 

Your hair will look so feminine and beautiful for your husband!! 

Who wouldn't want that?! 

Or wear your hair up in an attractive style pleasing to your husband instead of in those dowdy claws!!

You never realized how beautiful you could feel when you fix yourself

up this Valentine's Day?! 

"Be His Valentine"

Keep your marriage sizzling 

with 

Lilla Rose Hair Jewelry!!

One winner will get to choose a Flexi Clip of her choice!! Entry is fun and easy with Rafflecopter. Make sure you share the giveaway for more entries!! (Facebook and Twitter share buttons are at the bottom of this post)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

Sooo, I'd love you to follow me on: 

Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

In Christ Alone,

~Judith~

Go Directly TO JAIL; Do NOT pass Go; Just Write that Post!!

"Be His Valentine"

Lilla Rose Giveaway

Tuesday 12am

through

Friday 12M

Have you ever sat down to write that post you were dreaming up all morning to go blank? Swoosh and it was gone? Have you ever whirled through your morning routine and finally gave up on housework (as it just got dirty all over again) thinking you would 'reward' yourself with time to write?

That is exactly what I just did!!

I am also wondering if I can write a random post about nothing, turning the mundane into the interesting.

All I wanted to do today was just write. 

I have my priorities straight (though I didn't bake bread) as I have run circles around this house with things that I never thought would take this long. So, you can't say I am having a bit of blogging enjoyment while all chaos breaks out around me. 

So, if you had your: 

• quiet time this morning, 
• your home is in order, 
• children fed, 
• read to, 
• homeschooled, 
• or off-to-school, 
• or you married them off (Ha, ha!!)
• then get a cup of coffee (I have to say that) 
• or drink some tea with me 
• while we take a break and have a little chat.

Here are some Guidelines for Brainstorming a Blog Post: 

1. Stop and jot down ideas as they come!!
2. Or Stop and write the post while ideas are flowing.
3. Do NOT check Facebook!!
4. Do NOT stop by Twitter!!
5. Stop scrolling through Pinterest!!
6. Do NOT neglect your children for blogging (you'll pay later). Maybe they are napping??
7. Go Directly to Jail; Do NOT pass Go; Do NOT collect $200.

Here is How to Go to Blogging Jail:

• Put yourself into seclusion in the middle of your messy life and write the draft for your blog post...in jail. NOT where you are inaccessible.  
• Stay focused. 
• No sidetracking.
• Set a timer for 30 minutes and write furiously until those thoughts are on paper screen.
• No interruptions (unless you have babies, toddlers, tweens, and teens who need a mother)
• STOP when the timer goes off!!
• Return to whatever you were doing before 'said' brainstorm.
• Dangerous if repeated before your home and family is cared for. 

So, I have finished this post in 30 minutes flat (NOT) and wrote about what happens when I forget what my brainstorm was all about!!

Don't forget the Lilla Rose Giveaway on Tuesday 12am through Friday 12M

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

Sooo, I'd love you to follow me on: 

Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

In Christ Alone,

~Judith~

Bad Habit Crunchers to Habit Busters in 8 Steps

This morning the phone rang at 4:30am

It brought my day to a sudden beginning!!

It was good that I went to bed an hour earlier last night!!

I was so awake that I stayed up.

Seriously, I need an alarm that is as loud and demanding as a phone!!

It was -4* this morning and our bedroom is rather icy early in the morning.
It is out of my comfort zone to get out of the covers. 
Even the thought of warming up with some exercises is NOT to my liking!!
I'd rather stay under the covers!!

My day goes a lot easier when I get up!!
BUT
I need to readjust some bad habits!!

• We CAN go to bed even just a little earlier.
• We will be better rested, more patient, 
• and ready for whatever God has in store for us,
• We will definitely have an edge on our day and be more productive, 
• even having some personal time alone with God before the day gets going!!

Here are the Habit Busters that are Changing my Bad Habit Crunchers:

1. Set an earlier bedtime. I chose one hour earlier as best as possible.
2. Obey my alarm and GET UP!!
3. Start reading the Word right away.
4. Plan day
5. Make bed
6. Exercise
7. Shower
8. Write

My preference is to do my morning routine in this order because exercising first prepares me to spend a more productive (awake) time with God:

• Make bed
• Exercise
• Shower
• Read the Word
• Plan my day
• Write

You see how flexible I am?? I changed up my morning routine to match the season. 

Many, many of you ladies have small children and toddlers. You might say that works for you because your children are grown!! My children were little not so long ago. Life is a string of fleeting moments flying by!!

Remember, I know what it is like!!

I had seven children 11 and under. Five were six and under. I had some things that worked for me and you can find what works for you and your family. What I am sharing is food for thought.

It looked like I had everything together but that wasn't the case. Some circumstances were beyond. 

I also got overwhelmed, tired, and although I had the chores all organized and homeschooling running with a hectic smoothness, what helped me on a daily basis to deal at least a little better was this:

I got up earlier than my kids!!

• Made my bed
• Showered
• I read the Word
• Got the laundry started/folded (we did 4+ loads a day...whoever heard that 'A load a day keep chaos away??!!)
• Cooked breakfast (you read that right...when the kids were little there was no such as cold cereal)

I didn't exercise in the morning.

I exercised with the children or took them on a walk. 

I would often exercise at night. My husband liked that.

When your children are younger you might have to be creative with your time.   You might have to switch up how you do things one week and how you do things the next. 

Most of all: Getting up earlier than your children to prepare yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually for your day is the most important habit you can develop.

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

Sooo, I'd love you to follow me on: 

Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

In Christ Alone,

~Judith~

What? Is? Forgiveness?

Remember when you were a kid, your mom telling you to say, "Sorry"?? Oh, I remember 'saying sorry' but like my children, I didn't really mean it!!

So, WHAT really is forgiveness anyhow??

Forgiveness is an abstract concept that takes some practice for most children to comprehend. Once a child understands it, it is another thing to want to forgive.  It goes against our human nature but it isn't the way to freedom nor the way God intends for us to live with others peaceably.

There are many misconceptions about forgiveness. Seriously. You didn't think it was easy to forgive, did you??

There are SIX misconceptions concerning forgiveness:

(Forgiveness: How to Get Along With Everybody All the Time!) These points are so important in understanding forgiveness that I think it will be helpful to list them below. I have found the information in Harold Vaughn's book to have been integral.

1. Forgiveness is not an emotion. How we feel about forgiving a person has nothing to do with the situation. Emotions are irrelevant to forgiveness. Jesus was physically tortured on the cross, yet he asked God to "forgive them." Forgiveness can be given despite of how we 'feel'.
2. Forgiveness is not forgetting. Jesus is able to forget our sins but we are not able to forget. Forgetting is not forgiving. We might forget something a person did to offend us, yet, we never forgave them and the offense is still buried deep in our heart. It is humanly impossible to forget at will, only God can say, "I will forgive their iniquity,and I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31;34) I wish that were true!! Forgetting has nothing to do with forgiving. Don't you wish?! "Time will not heal all hurts, but forgiveness is the doorway that puts you well on your way in the healing process. Once forgiveness is granted, recurring thoughts about the episode may, and proably will, return." (Harold Vaughn - p. 12). Once you have forgiven, the duration between remembering a situation will lengthen and you will know what to do when those thoughts come to your mind. 
3. Forgiveness is not shrugging off the offense. You cannot just let it slip off your back like water on a oily wet duck. Though that works for water, it won't work for you!! You can't sweep the offense under the carpet, instead you have to deal with it Biblically or it will adversely effect your life. "Forgiveness is far more than doing nothing." (Harold Vaughn - p. 12)
4. Forgiveness is not asking God to forgive the person who hurt you.  That is not forgiveness!! You have to forgive them yourself. When Jesus prayed to God to forgive others, he prayed without malice in his heart. Just like the crucifiction was "the cup" that Jesus had to drink, so is our situation "our cup', something that we must go through or endure for Christ's sake. When we pray to forgive others we ought to have an honest  heart of concern for that person as Jesus did towards those who offended him.
5. Forgiveness is not asking God to forgive you for being hurt or angry. When someone offends me it is so important that I forgive that person. I need to take responsibility for my attitudes and actions. I must deal with God about my resentment, but also with the person who hurt me. (p. 13 - Harold Vaughn)
6. Forgiveness is not rationalizing or understanding why the person acted toward you as he did.  I don't know about you, but when something 'happens' to me or I have a situation with another person, I am a master at analyzing and over-analyzing the issue. Call it what you will, but I call it the 'paralysis of analysis!!' It can do just that to me!! Why the person did what they did to me is irrelevant. It doesn't matter how much I want my husband or another person to understand me and my hurt. It has nothing to do with forgiveness. Nothing. Understanding the reasons why a person did something to me is not necessary. It has nothing. Nothing to do with anything. It is not forgiveness.

It seems that no matter how many times I learn what the Bible says about forgiveness, I can walk away from what I am taught and forget. I don't want to be a forgetful hearer. I want to study forgiveness out until I remember what I am supposed to do without looking. 

I cannot live in the freedom and liberty of the Spirit if I harbor unforgiveness in my heart. Neither can you. This book on Forgiveness by Harold Vaughn is invaluable and I think it is important that I share it with you as time allows. I hope you purchase it as there is more in the book than I can possibly share.

What, then, is forgiveness? Do you have a better understanding of forgiveness??

I'd LOVE you to leave a comment!!

Since I live out 'in-the-sticks'... friends, like you are a long ways away!!

Sooo, I'd love you to follow me on: 

Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Don't forget to linkup your favorite posts:

WholeHearted Home Wednesdays

In Christ Alone,

~Judith~