Thoughts to Live By

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Proverbs 31:30

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
1 Chronicles 16:11

SHOUT FOR JOY TO THE LORD, ALL THE EARTH. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD IS GOD. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; GIVE THANKS TO HIM AND PRAISE HIS NAME. FOR THE LORD IS GOOD AND HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER; HIS FAITHFULNESS CONTINUES THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS.
Psalm 100

This same Jesus , who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.
Acts 1:11b

In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. - Jesus
John 14:2-3

For the Lord HIMSELF will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds TO MEET THE LORD in the air. AND SO WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOREVER. Therefore ENCOURAGE each other with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

My prayer -" Lord, prepare me to meet You. Teach me how to praise You. Direct my steps. You are coming soon. Help me to remind and encourage those around me. And, Lord - BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!! Teach me to sincerely and completely shout Your praise - no matter where I am. "

A Tribute to the Housewife

Okay, so I've just spent over 4 hours at the library reading old fashion magazines. And, I must say, that I have learned that life has really changed - and yet stayed the same over the 20th century. For those of you who thought that women like Lana Turner and Jane Russell and Greta Garbo were style icons admired for their class as well as their glamourous style - HA! I have read fashion magazines dating from about 1900 to 1955. They all have their Pamela Andersons. I mean, if you were to look at those magazines from 1935 that show funny cartoon depictions of Greta Garbo, you would be shocked. (At least I was - but then it doesn't take much to shock me.) While I feel that most men of the time appreciated her on-screen talents (wink, wink), she was often depicted as being no more than a dim-witted sexual icon. How many actresses today fit into that catagory?

And then you have to think about those classy ladies who defined what it was to be a lady who possessed beauty and a certain refined grace. So here is my tribute to ladies like Lauren Bacall and Audrey Hepburn. Maybe not perfect, but definitely worth admiring.

And - I had to include the picture of the 1950s picnic. I love the fact that when we remember the housewives of the early to mid 20th century, they still look beautiful and refined. Okay, so I know that not many women today would opt for that lifestyle. I mean, not everyone if fine with making their primary career and concern in life taking care of their husband and children. But then there is that nostalgic picture for those of us who are modern-day women who see that as the career that God is calling us to. There are also other modern-day women that we can look up to who chose the same path - my mother, for instance. So, thanks, Mama, for making it a little easier to do what I know God is leading me to do.

I have been having a difficult time in obeying God on this one. Not out of lack of desire. Every part of me just wants to take care of Hubby and Peanut. I really do have this instinctual thing built into me that- amazingly enough - makes me find joy in washing, cooking, and scrubbing with the purpose that I am taking care of my family. So, why is there all of this pressure on me from society that makes me feel lazy and useless because I want to stay at home to take care of my family and instill God's laws into my children? So, this is my Declaration of Independence from the mainstream thought pattern that has been binding women back into only one choice of action in order to fit the "model of a successful and happy woman." I believe that some mothers are called of God to work outside of the home while their children are small. However, I do not feel that God is telling me that I am one of them. I am tired of the smug look on the faces of strangers when I answer their questions about what I plan to do with my life. I hereby declare that I will not fall into an apologetic role that says that I am throwing my life away or putting it on hold to stay at home with my children. I intend to be a graceful, intelligent, refined, caring, considerate maternal women of God who is fulfilling the calling of God on her life- and one who will not apologize or explain to society for doing so.

Farm Livin' Is the Life for Me...

Green Acres is the place for me!
Farm livin' is the life for me!
Land spreading out so far and wide,
Goodbye Manhattan just give me that countryside...

Do you remember the old 1960s sitcom "Green Acres"? It just makes life look so easy! Of course, Lisa and Oliver did live in that rickety, old farmhouse. (They should've known what they were getting.) But, wouldn't that life be great?!

So...I am trying to convince Hubby to give up the whole city, lawyer bit. Wouldn't it be great if he and I had our own farm in a small little town. Hubby could practice law on the side, but we would be farmers! It would be soooo awesome! And - I think that I can make more things than just "hotscakes."

Oh well, maybe one day...

James Taylor Days...

Today is definitely a James Taylor day. You know, there are some days when it's a Greatful Dead Day - which may easily be confused for a James Taylor day - or a Jay-Z day, or a Cindy Lauper day...But today is a James Taylor day.

How do I know the difference? Well, for those of you who may be confused, here's a little guide to knowing how to play the right music on the right day.

James Taylor days= rainy days that are not too cold. You should usually be in a introspective mood when you listen to James Taylor.

Greatful Dead days= days that you just want to have fun, but you don't really feel like talking too much. Greatful Dead is also really good for those days that you are stressed out and want to ward off a potentially bad day. The weather should usually be sunny. However, "Box of Rain" is a great song on rainy days.

Extreme '80s days=the days that you just want to feel like a little kid again. Reserve this music for days when you don't want to make any sense to anyone but yourself.

Jay-Z days= This music may well be complemented by Nelly, Ludacris, Eminem...The list goes on. Reserve this music for days when you are having bad cases of road rage or for when you would like to give your boss a black eye.

Waylon Jennings days=George Strait, Don Williams, Merle Haggard, and Waylon should be played while you either are driving through the country, or have sworn to give up city life in favor of the much more appealing farm life. I usually do this about every month in some form.

Techno days= I listen to techno when I have had too much coffee and no other beat fits the pounding beat of my heart, or when I study.(Which usually means I have had too much coffee.) Needless to say, I have not listened to techno in months.

Frank Sinatra days = for days that you wish you were sophisticated and polished. Frankie is complemented well by Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennet, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, and Michael Buble. This music has been known to inspire me to try - or want to try - to create a gourmet dish far beyond my culinary capabilities. I also like to pretend that I am Italian and look like Sophia Loren while I listen to this music.

Beach Music days = These are perhaps my favorite. Listen to the Drifters, the Tams, the Chairmen of the Board on days when you can smell the salty air of the ocean even though you are 200 miles away from it. However, be warned - listening to this music may prompt an impromtu trip to Charleston (one of the two best cities in the entire world).

There are more, but those are the basics. The rest you must figure out for yourself. However, may I recommend to everyone to listen to the song "Something in the Way She Moves" today. It is, afterall, a James Taylor Day.

"There's something in the way she moves, or looks my way, or calls my name that seems to leave this troubled world behind..."