Wednesday Word

"Give thanks in all circumstances, 

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".  

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Today's Word

Reminds me to have a thankful heart

No matter what my day brings

Today I am thankful

That I can come home from work 

And spend some peaceful moments

In my little piece of Paradise

 

Will you leave a comment

And Share 1 thing that you are thankful for today

It may encourage another reader

All Access Pass {Pantry}

This is Access I was not planning on sharing with anybody

In fact it is a small project I had no intention of doing

And no idea it needed to be done

Due to the fact I haven't been feeling well this weekend

I didn't plan a project at all

However, I had promised my oldest son and his wife

That I would clean my pantry and give them several items 

That I knew I would not use

My youngest and I seldom eat anything canned or prepackaged

And I knew I had quite a few items 

That my eldest's family would use

This afternoon I felt well enough to pull out a few things to give to the kids

When...

All of a sudden

I realized that everything I was pulling out of the pantry 

Was Expired!!!

WHAT????

How did this happen?

Every single thing I pulled out for them

Had an expiration date at least a year old

Then I began to really look at what was in there

Expiration dates back to 2009?!?!

I was mortified!! 

How could a woman who keeps her home neat and clean

Who is Not a hoarder 

And grocery shops every week

Have this many items in her pantry that are expired?

Well, I guess that is what happens when you never look inside

Like I said

My youngest and I don't use processed food very often

SO...

Anyway, my large green garbage can is now Filled

And...

My pantry

Is nearly Empty!!!

I guess I don't really need those can rotators any longer now do I?

What about you?

How often do you clean out your pantry?

Tell me your story :)

BTW: I need to shop for the kids, I promised them some food and now I need to buy some that is FRESH!!!! 

Wednesday Word

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:6-7

In recent weeks I have been consumed with thoughts of a particular 'situation' in my life. I have fretted and worried, have caused myself sleepless nights and have resumed my Very Bad Habit of Emotional Eating! 

As I read the above scripture I am reminded that I do not have to 'work' so hard as I face tough circumstances. It is in obedience to the Word of Truth that I find Rest from my weariness.

Do you ever find yourself in a place where you need to guard your heart and mind from your own thoughts? I do and that is why I am thankful for this verse tonight. 

God tells us to, not be anxious, and then gives us the keys to a life of Peace.

For some of us, it just takes a little longer to submit to His authority so we can live in the freedom of His authority.

Tonight, I am taking this 'circumstance' to the Lord, with Thanksgiving!

I may not be grateful for the circumstance but because of the circumstance I have the honor and privilege of deepening my relationship with the Lord and allowing HIM to fill, not only me, but also my household with His Peace!

Thank you Lord for your Word of Truth!

 

 

All Access Pass {2 TV Wall}

For several years, this is the 'beautiful' wall I see every morning and every evening

The hanging TV stand was in the house when we purchased it in Feb. 1995

It hasn't had a TV on it for over 2 years

Prior to that it had a very old 13' b/w TV

When I purchased my son a new flat screen (32") a couple years ago

I brought his old flat screen (26") into my room and hung it

The chair belonged to my grandmother and has sat in that same spot since 2001

Friday, I decided it was 'time' for a Change 

I gathered the necessary tools

Screwdrivers (flat and Phillips), socket set, hammer, tape measure,

2 levels, drill with bits, Spackle, paint and paint brush,

scissors, sand paper, pencil and a step stool

I knew I was in for a long day

First, using the socket set I removed the old TV stand

Actually it was quite simple

I had just not remembered that we have painted several times

And this had never been moved

A little tugging to pry the paint away 

Then using the same socket set and the Phillips screwdriver

I took the wall mounted TV off the wall

When I put it up I realized that it was just too low

But I didn't want to remount the holder so I left it there for 2 years

After removing the wall mount

It was time to Spackle all of the holes

Of course it all had to dry

(I ate lunch)

After this was dry I pulled out the gallon of paint

We had left over from painting most of our house a few years ago

So glad I had some left

I did some sanding and then touched up the areas of patching

Once the paint dried 

I put the wall mount for the flat screen back up but this time I raised it about 4 inches

It was at a much more visually acceptable level

And, lying in bed watching it is better for my neck now

 

I didn't have much money in the budget for this update

So I used several things I already had

I did run to 'Kohl's' and used my 30% off coupon to purchase 2 items

I pulled my desk from the dining room in and moved 

My grandmothers chair to another area of the room

VOILA!!

I'm done!

It took about 8 hours

However some of that time was spent 'waiting' for 

Shackling and Paint to dry

Thanks to my youngest son

For helping lift the TV back into place and helping me pick out a few

pieces from Kohl's
 

BEFORE

  AFTER 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Please leave a comment and let me know what you think?

What project do you have on your to do list that might make you feel lighter when it is finished?

I Love how this turned out!!!
 

I've Linked up at The Shabby Nest
I've Linked up at From My Front Porch To Yours



Wednesday Word

 

 

 

 

'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10

 

It is true

Life can throw us curve balls

We put on our morning armor

Say our prayers

Thank God for what He has done for us

Ask Him to walk us through the day

We are prepared for all of the fast balls the enemy can heave at us

And Then...

It Happens

A curve ball like none other

Everything we put our Hope in

Trust in 

and Faith in

Everything we depend on

Everything we are confident in

Gets tanked by 1 off pitch

 

Today 

I am Grateful

That 

No. Matter. What

My God does NOT Change

My God is NOT Surprised

My God does NOT Fear

My God

Has Promised

He Will Uphold Me

When Life Throws Me A Curve Ball

All Access Pass {1}

Living as a single woman and single mom

It has become imperative for me to learn to do things for myself

Though I am single by chance (widowed)

Many are single by choice

It is my hope in this new segment

That I will be able to share tips and ideas

As well as encouragement to single women

Who 'need' to take on the challenge of completing tasks around their home

All Access Pass

will be a weekly post

where you get full access to the 'musts' of running a single/single parent home

I call today's 'All Access Pass"

'Out with the old and in with the new'

 I have lived with a totally broken toilet seat for about 2 months

Today I decided it was time to purchase a new one

And replace the old

Super simple

2 plastic screws and nuts

About 10 minutes to remove the old one

Clean the area and attach the new one

Voila 

 I have also been using a broken rake for about 2 years

The handle broke in half so I just taped it and continued to use it

 I suppose I could have just replaced the handle

But

I liked the Red handled rake I found at Target today

SO...

I had my kiddo pose with said rake

Yet, I'm not so sure he will ever use it

(the look on his face tells me so)

 

 And finally

A couple of weeks ago, after washing my sheets (again)

I realized that they had completely worn out

I still think I must sleep very restlessly 

(HaHa, when I do sleep)

Because I've worn through 2 new sets since Mark's passing

Today I found a 30% off coupon for Sheet sets at Target

Guess where I ended up

Yep, 

I went from black 2 years ago

To cream last year

And today I purchased red

Love my new sheets

450 thread count, queen set, for only $34.99

That is it for today

Just a sampling of a few replacements I needed to make

In the weeks ahead I will document 

Replacing a light bulb with a chandelier

Painting and redoing a garage/laundry room

And many more items from my daily 'to do around the house' list

Wednesday Word

 

 

"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".

Philippians 1:6

 

 

Many years ago, in the days when my oldest son had gone astray from what he knew to be truth, I found myself praying the above words numerous times a day. 

 

God had begun a work in the boy I loved SO much yet things of this world pulled him away and caused him to make some very heart breaking decisions for his life.

 

Fasting, praying, standing on scripture and believing with all of my being that this young man would turn his eyes back to his Savior was my only focus for a couple of years.  Yes, I worked and 'did' life on the outside, but my momma heart could only cry out to the Lord for restoration and healing of my boys' heart.

 

Many of you know that today, my oldest is a happily married husband and father of 3 beautiful daughters (my K-Girls).  He has a great job and is serving the Lord at a great church in the valley.

 

My reason for choosing the above scripture this week is because I have recently met a 'new friend' whose precious daughter is where my son used to be. The other night I was able to share with my new friend some of what God did (not just for my son) but also in my heart during our season of desperation.  I made a commitment to this momma that I would pray for her daughter and would not let up until I heard how God restored her.

 

Today I ask you to pray with me for "JOY", that is her 'AKA' name.

When God begins a work in the heart of one of His Kids, He does not leave them stranded.

I believe we will see great and mighty things come from this difficult season

 in the life of a beautiful girl whose smile is contagious,

and whose life has purpose in God's Kingdom.

 

Nana's Nuggets {Card Making}

It has bee such a Joy to have my K-Bug at the house on

 Thursdays during the summer break

It is a little bittersweet that school starts again tomorrow

And my precious girl will not be able to spend the day's with me

Yet, I treasure every moment I get to spend with her

As well as her sweet sisters

 

This week the girls made birthday cards for their momma

Her birthday is actually today {Aug 4}

Because I have been a scrap-booker

My office is filled with fun supplies that the girls Love to get into

This week we just used some basic materials

Crayons and Paper

Cool scissors and punches as well as stickers

We put everything out on the table 

And then I just let them create

It makes this Nana proud to watch the girls help each other

They had a super fun time

Created some great cards for their mom

And my supplies get used {yay}

What do you allow your kids/grands to create in your house?