Death to Life

It's November, and I'm surrounded by
death and decay.
As the leaves hit the ground
and begin to brown and crisp,
it occurs to me that
fall is a picture of the fall
of man.

All through the bleak winter the trees will
point and reach.
When they stretch heavenward,
it's as though they are crying
out to God for new life.
They yearn for something beyond
the bleak.

And in the spring their buds will
burst forth brightly.
Unbeknownst to the trees,
God was already stirring life
within them, irresistible.
Soul's spring is impossible without
our God.

-swj

This and that 11/23/15

See those little hands? Those little hands (which belong to my youngest, Jared) will be 17 years old in just one week. Unbelievable. I took this picture back in 2009 during our family's annual pumpkin farm trip.

The ladies over at girltalk are currently sharing a blog series on emotions. Are emotions good or bad? Do I stifle them or just let it all out? This is such an important topic for us as women to deal with and to teach our children. It's also a timely one because, let's face it, as much as we all love the holiday season, it can also be stressful and emotional. I hope you'll take a look. And if you're a blog reader, girltalk is one worth following.

I saw this on Twitter the other day and loved it so much I asked for the source.

Turns out, it's from a new book by Jon Bloom that Desiring God is sharing for free (e-book versions). The book is titled, Don't Follow Your Heart. Sounds like it might be a nice complement to the GirlTalk blog series, eh? I've added it to my reading stack.

And if this is the year you're adding an e-reader to your toolbag, Amazon has some great deals on several Kindle styles through November 30th. Reading paper books is still my favorite way of reading, but I do enjoy my the Paperwhite that I've swiped from my hubby as a way to read free books, as well for reading in bed (it's backlit!). (Speaking of Amazon, if you're not an Amazon Prime member, this is a great season to join. Try it free for thirty days -- great for fast, free shipping on Christmas gifts -- using this link: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial.)

Thanksgiving Day will mark two months since we left Georgia to head to our new adventure in Virginia. In light of both of those events,  I wanted to share this (from my new-to-me chalkboard wall, which is a whole lot of fun):

 Happy Thanksgiving!


(This post contains affiliate links. This just means that if you purchase through these links, you won't pay a dime more, but I receive a small commission to support my book addiction.)

An unrelenting friendship

I mentioned that I was reading this book. It's been very encouraging. More to come, but I did want to share this little gem of a quote with you.

Good to remember.

This and that 11/2/15

We're settling in to our new Virginia home and enjoying a beautiful autumn. Last week, Jared and I traveled with some other homeschoolers to visit Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home near Charlottesville. It was beautiful and educational, but most of all it was a great chance to get to know some folks a bit better.

Most evenings, Jeff's been reading aloud to us from To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy hearing him read, and the story has really sucked us in. On my own, I'm reading Everyday Grace: Infusing All of Your Relationships with the Love of Jesus. I won two copies (yes, TWO -- possible giveaway in the near future!) of this a few months ago, but hadn't had a chance to dig in yet. It's been an encouragement so far. And I just finished G.K. Chesterton's Man Alive, which was an odd, yet somehow endearing, story.

I miss a great many things about New Mexico -- dear friends, beautiful scenery, being closer to some of my family. And good Mexican food. So I'm super excited to find that good green chile is available through Amazon. Believe it or not, I first found it at a Kroger in Middle Georgia, but my stockpile is bound to run out eventually.

I've been cleaning my kitchen sink for more years than I care to count, but I recently started taking a more natural approach. I'm mixing about a cup of baking soda with a few drops each of lemon and clove oil and putting the mixture in a shaker. Then, after I do the dishes each evening, I sprinkle a bit of this monkey dust in the sink, add just one drop of dishwashing detergent, give it a quick scrub and rinse well. If I need to do a little extra disinfecting (like if I've been washing chicken), I'll spritz the sink with a diluted vinegar and scrub a bit more. Naturally clean and smells great!

If you'd like more homemaking tips, the Ultimate Bundle folks have brought back their Ultimate Homemaking Bundle for a quick flash sale (ends midnight ET on November 3, 2015). This bundle is an amazing mix of e-books, e-courses, printables, and free goodies (more than $900 worth) for just $29.97. Grab a bundle quick before it goes away! Click the graphic below for more details on what's included.



I hope you take time to look for opportunities to be thankful this month!



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