"Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

The Lord responds to Paul's question with "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do."  This phrase is from Acts 9:6.

I was reading a devotional this evening and that verse came to my mind.  How many times have you asked the Lord "What do you want me to do?"  Sometimes it seems that you may get an answer immediately and other times you must wait patiently for the answer.

This question prompted me after months to start writing.  I don't know if I'll be a regular blogger but I do know that for some reason I felt compelled to write this down.  Maybe the Lord is telling me that before too long I will have to "Arise".  Maybe he's telling me that I've been patient long enough and he's going to give me the answer to what I've been asking.  "What do you want me to do?"

Charlie tells me often that we must be ready when he calls.  We must be prepared because you never know when or where he'll ask you to go.  Lord, let me be ready and willing for whatever you have for me to do!

~Blessings
Krista

Seasons

Seasons come & Seasons go... Spring is full of new beginnings.  The trees are becoming green again, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are singing.

Today I'm thinking of my mother-in-law.  She was such a resourceful woman.  She never really had a lot in this life and the simple things made her happy.  She loved to garden.  She canned all her own vegetables.  She had this lily in her front yard and I can remember how she'd always call me when it bloomed every year.  She wanted me to come see it.  That woman could take a dollar and stretch it further than anyone that I've ever known.  I loved her like she was my own Mother.  She would always introduce me as her daughter.

Four years ago today an accident took her life but on that day I know she received a better life.  I can only imagine the joy she must have felt as she reached her goal; HEAVEN!  One day I am going to see her again and I know that will be a glorious day!

Please remember our family today and throughout this next week.  One week after my Mother-in-Law passed away, my Father-in-Law passed away from injuries sustained in the accident.  It is a week of remembering but I'm thankful that as time goes on that we are able to remember the joy we received just by knowing them and not just the anguish we felt at losing them.

~Blessings
Krista

Happy Homemaker Monday 3/4/2013

OOOOhhhh, I'm so excited that I remembered to participate in Happy Homemaker Monday today!  We had a fabulous weekend and I woke up to the sunshine so I'm having a Marvelous Monday!

The Weather:
The sun is shining and it's beautiful today!  The high is supposed to be in the 40's & 50's.

Right now I am:
Talking to my Mother on the phone, drinking coffee and reading my favorite blogs. Yes, all at the same time!  Multi-tasking is my name!

Thinking:
That God is in control of it all!

On my reading pile:
Power of Vitamin D, and Safe Haven

On my TV:
Revenge-I have this in the instant queue on NetFlix

Favorite Blog post this week:
Remembering Granny

Something fun to share:
I don't really have anything this week

On the menu for this week:
Monday - Meeting at church so we'll be eating there
Tuesday - Baked Catfish, bowtie pasta with Parmesan cheese, and broccoli
Wednesday - ?
Thursday - Grilled pork chops, green beans, and carrots
Friday - Chili
Saturday - going to a birthday party

On my to do list:
Finish taxes
Housework
Schedule appointments for Charlie

What I am sewing or creating:
Isaac's Easter pants
Brendia's Easter skirt
Brandon's Easter tie
Hannah's Easter dress
Norah's bibs & burp cloths
Aaliyah's birthday dress

Homemaking tips:
I like to leave the kitchen sink empty when I go to bed at night.  When I wake up to dirty dishes, which I sometimes do, I end up feeling behind all day long!

Looking around the house:
The sun is shining so beautifully through the windows.  I can hear something on the TV (just background noise), I hear the birds chirping, the dishes are done, the laundry already folded, and I'm just enjoying a little break.

From the camera:
This is from last year.  This year they tried to bloom but the cold this weekend killed them. :(

On my prayer list:
My Uncle Alan - He's very sick and my Mother has the responsibility of taking care of him.  His children either aren't able or don't want to and he isn't married.  Praying that God will heal him.

Bible verse:
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" Joshua 1:9

~Blessings
Krista

Time keeps going on...

It's hard to believe how time flies.  Today is Monday and I'm sure most of us woke up this morning already anxious for the weekend.  It's frightening though when you have moments like I did today.

I was looking through old files and found a slideshow and a post from 2008 about my daughter, Elizabeth. That was 5 years ago, and she was only 15! In just a few weeks she'll be turning 20 and then in April she is going to Haiti for a mission trip.  She is my baby but in the last few years she has grown up.  Where did the time go?  Have I spent all my days wishing for them to pass so the weekend would come and not enjoying each day with my children?  Was I too busy to enjoy their lives?  I don't think so.  Of course I have regrets because I'm not perfect.  However I do think I've spent quality time with my kids as they've grown up.  Do I wish I could have spent more time or maybe time could have just stood still?  Yes, of course!

Five years from now she'll probably be married.  Maybe she'll have children of her own. Who knows?  I continue to pray that God guides her feet along the path that he has chosen for her.  She is a wonderful young lady and I know God has a calling on her life.  Who knows where he'll take her?

Read the following for a flashback to 2008

Mary Elizabeth's 15th Birthday

2008 Slideshow of Beth

~Blessings
Krista

My first BIG quilt!!

I did it!  I finally made a big quilt and I actually finished it!  It finished up as a 6' x 9'.  It isn't perfect but I am so proud of myself.  I don't think I could have actually finished it up but it was a SANTA present for my nephew Isaac.  If you all have been following my blog for a while then you know that my sister finally having a baby in 2008 is what drove met to sewing.  I love making things for my nephew because he truly adores them.  This quilt isn't perfect but it was made with lots of love!

Hope you like it too!

~Blessings
Krista

2013 Goals

This year I turn 40...Wow!  Where has my life gone?  I remember thinking 40 was old!!  Now I think 80 is old.  40 is just a number though, right?  I'm really not sad about turning 40.  I'm just disappointed in myself because I had so many goals for myself to do before I turned 40.

My birthday is in 35 weeks and I promised myself that by the time I turn 40 that I would be more healthy.  Have I told you that I'm a procrastinator?  As I said before I have so many goals and now I only have 35 weeks to complete them!  The most important goal has to do with my weight.  I want to be more healthy and I know to do that I need to lose at least 50 pounds.  I don't want to have drastic weight loss surgery or take pills to decrease my appetite.  I want to do this the right way.

I've set a goal.  35 weeks, 50 pounds, That's about 1.5 pounds a week, right?  I made this decision last Wednesday.  I am going to eat more healthy and exercise as much as possible.  I'm not a freak about exercising.  I actually have to make myself do it.  It's just so much easier to sit on the couch and watch reruns of NCIS!  However, I've done it.  I've went to the gym 3 times and then went to a Zumba class last Thursday night.  Yes, I participated!  It was a lot of fun.  I didn't make a complete fool of myself either.  I plan on going every Thursday night and I'm making my daughter go with me.

I got on the scales this morning and closed my eyes!  I almost didn't want to read the number.  I was so afraid I would have gained weight or something crazy!  That's just my luck.  Try to lose weight and start gaining instead, but no the number was lower!  I am very proud to say that this week I've lost 2.6 pounds!!

You don't know how excited this makes me.  I also feel better.  I don't feel like taking a nap every day.  Now it's just every other day. hahaha  I am also able to sleep better at night, and all jokes aside I really do feel better during the day.  I am still having a problem with my shoulder/back area but I hope the more I exercise that it will go away.  It's like a pinched nerve or something.  It just hurts all the time.  I really think it's the way I lay at night.  The good thing is when I do exercise it seems to pull the kink out a little.  Like I said hopefully the more I exercise it will eventually just go away!

My word for the year is PERSEVERANCE!  I will be using this word a lot in my blog during 2013.  For today I'm persevering to be a healthier me!

~Blessings
Krista