Laurie's Everyday Notions

It's Friday which means it's time to dance and sing (the daycare kids and I have a song and dance to celebrate this glorious day). Friday is also the day in which Lisa-Jo hosts Five Minute Fridays and I humbly join the party of words strung together in five short minutes by a group of fantastic writers. The rules are simple. Write for five minutes flat, no backtracking/editing/over thinking, share your link at Lisa-Jo's, and share the love by reading what others have written. It's great fun and so inspiring. Won't you join us? I promise, you'll be blessed! Today's word: AGAIN Again and again. Over and over.  Many aspects in our lives  my life need to be done again and again....and again and again....The laundry, the dishes, feeding the family, paying the bills, going to work. The monotony causes our my attitude to falter. Yet, if I can learn the attitude of gratitude, offering thanks again and again/over and over, God transforms this attitude and ope...

A couple of weeks ago, while in the shower...because, of course, this is where all of my great thoughts take place, I was working through my disappointments in my church. The church that I've attended and served for the past 7 years. The church which when my daughter was in the hospital last summer (after an auto accident which could have easily taken her life ) prayed for us but didn't know us. After 7 years we were still strangers. One pastor prayed with me on our second day in the hospital. Another pastor visited with me on our tenth day in the hospital. Neither pastors ever followed up to see how Breanna's recovery was progressing.  Both pastors have warmly but with blank, not-recognizing-me faces, said hello when I walk through the church doors, One of these pastors politely refused my girlfriends requests for holding a benefit at the church to raise money to help us in our time of need, stating, "There are plenty of financial resources at the church (be...

So, at the turn of this New Year I had decided that 2013 is the Year of Relationship . One relationship that I want to strengthen is the relationship with my husband. There's a few areas in my "wife-hood" where I am failing miserably. I mean MISERABLY. I need to love my husband better. It's funny but I've noticed that when I put effort into loving him better that I also start seeing how he blesses me. A heart trained for finding gratitude in all things really can see the blessings in ALL THINGS. :) Today Courtney, at Women Living Well, announced her four week "Be My Valentine"~Marriage Challenge! WAHOO! I'm on board! Here's what Courtney wrote in her announcement: Each week the challenge will be the same – to  praise, encourage, inspire, admire, build up, thank and appreciate your husband.  But each week I will give you different ways to express your praise. Feel free to tweak it for what you think is best for your husband. Week 1 Januar...

Rescued from a stack in my office supplies of used/never used notebooks. Mostly likely bought years ago for 12 cents.  I've tried using binders for my various bible studies however are big and bulky to carry/store and they also use a lot of lap/table space when I'm writing in them. I'm trying something new for all my note taking. One notebook instead of five binders and/or notebooks. I am hoping that having everything in one place will be convenient and easier for me to stay organized (I've gone to bible study with the wrong binder before....I hate that!).  So this is my first week with my notebook and I love it! I brought it to church with me and instead of writing notes on the small piece of paper in the bulletin (I always run out of space!), I took notes in my notebook. The half sheet of paper that I used to take notes on usually got lost or thrown so now I have my notes in a spot in which I can refer back to. I've been using the notebook for my daily bi...

On December 10, 2012 I spent my day praying for my friend, Melody, who was undergoing a double mastectomy.  I started my day in prayer for her and throughout the day, as God brought her to my mind, I would pause to offer up my prayers. Every time I silently lifted her name to God, I'd begin singing "In my heart there rings a melody...." Although the song does bear her name, I thought it odd that such a cheerful tune would be on my heart when my heart was actually aching for Melody and her family as they were facing a very hard day. Melody and I met on Facebook through an organizing group. Thousands of women are members of this group yet somehow (although I know the somehow was actually God's plan) we were led to become Facebook friends. Drawn to one another, we messaged back and forth on that day in October. I found that she was a faith-filled, compassionate woman who loves her husband, her children and God very deeply. I also found out that she'd recently been ...

Needed: glass jar, orange peels,vinegar, salt, water and a spray bottle Fill jar with orange peels. Sprinkle a little salt on the peels and shake. The salt will help "release" the oils in the peels. Let oranges and salt sit for 20-30 min. (this is a perfect time to check Facebook while eating the oranges). Fill jar with equal amounts of water and vinegar. Shake and find a place for mixture to "fester" for a week, shaking daily. My favorite brewing spot is the top of my refrigerator. This is helpful in that I see my brews that need daily shaking. Place in a spray bottle and use for cleaning (I use mine for a daily shower spray but this could also be used to clean about anything!) Brews: orange cleaner, elderberry tonic, and lavender infused olive oil This all purpose cleaning spray is AWESOME in that it's cheap and easy to make plus the oils from the orange peels give it a subtle orange-y scent......much better that ...

Yesterday, while perusing Facebook, I found that The Time-Warp Wife has just started a series called "The Ultimate Marriage Vow". As 2013 is my Year of Relationship , and lovin' on my hubs is on the top of the list, I decided to mosey on over to see what Darlene had to say.  Day 1 was " BE A CONSTANT FRIEND AND COMPANION " (head over to blog to read). And then in the afternoon I heard this song......... I love this song because it makes me want to sway and sing along. I listened to the words a little differently. Love songs don't affect me like they did in high school. In fact, I'm not sure when love songs stopped stirring my heart. Somewhere along the lines the words in love songs where just that. Meaningless words. Was it before meeting my husband, that after many years of disappointments and hurts my heart had become hardened? Or did love songs stir my heart in the beginning of our relationship but they've been quieted because the "hon...

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,  the Pharisees got together.   One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:     “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   This is the first and greatest commandment.   And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”   Matthew 22:34-40

Last year I dubbed 2012 as the Year of Less . Less stuff, less clutter, less stress, less body fat, less debt........you know the list. All are great goals, and ones that I will probably continue to work on for the rest of my life, but all are quite me-focused. I don't want 2013 to be about me. Although I will always strive to better myself, I am an imperfect person made whole by a perfect God. My focus, my word for 2013, should be God-driven and not self-driven. A week ago, while reflecting on the past year and preparing for the coming New Year, I began to panic. No word was sticking out for me. What should be my word for 2013? Words came racing through my head yet none seemed quite right. I quieted my thoughts and decided that I'd wait. Instead of finding the right word I let the word come find me. I prayed, "God, please use me for your purpose."  And I waited. Until, on our way to have dinner with friends on New Year's Eve, the word found me. Relationship. I ...

How many opportunities have I missed because I shrugged off the little heart tugs? You know, that little yearning that says, "Reach out!" or "Say something!" yet fear stops those tugs dead in their tracks.  Fear shouts outs, "LOOK THE OTHER WAY!", "Don't intrude!" or "M.Y.O.B." (mind your own business ~remember that from grade school?) Could these heart tugs be the Holy Spirit trying to lead me? Quite possibly and by not following the direct call of God, by missing the opportunity to touch another human being with the love of Christ, I am failing God miserably.  As I embrace my Year of Relationship, the year of loving like Jesus, I need to embrace each heart tug. I need to rid myself of caution and fear so that I may love selflessly, with compassion and with an attitude of servitude.    Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13 Jesus loved us so much that he lay down h...