copperswife's Xanga

Are Your Windows Clean?

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

     The days are cool and our woodstove is in almost constant use. We rarely open a window or door these days; and when we do, it's for a very short period of time. We've gotten used to the idea of closing our blinds against the darkness before dinner time. It's a cozy season of long evenings spent in the living room - playing games on the Wii, listening to music of all sorts, watching a movie a couple of times a week, and reading. Lots of long evenings spent reading.



     I'd intended for the boys and I to homeschool Monday and Tuesday of this week, but yesterday they went with Copper to split firewood with and for a friend. They enjoyed using the friend's splitter to take care of some of our own over-sized pieces of wood, too. Dani and I enjoyed a quiet day here at home, just the two of us. I did several loads of laundry, finished up the invitations for our Christmas Eve Celebration and spent some time outside watching our dog run. It was a slow, quiet, wonderful day!

     It seemed kind of silly to buckle down and hit the books for just a day today, so I opted to enlist the boys' help to take care of some projects around the house. My husband needed to run a few errands in town, and I needed a couple of last minute items from the grocery store. I left Dani in charge of assigning chores for the boys while we were gone, and I was so pleased to come home and see how much they had accomplished.

     I left home riding as a passenger in our van, and I arrived back home riding as a passenger in a tow truck! Our poor old Windstar is having electrical problems again. My husband spent his birthday last August replacing the alternator in the van, and the battery is fairly new, so we were not quite sure what the problem might be. Fortunately, my husband finished up his errands before the van broke down!

     I'm so blessed that my children were able to do so much while we were gone. It made the stress of having to deal with a broken down vehicle easier to bear as we came home to a tidy home and yard and Dani cooking chicken quesadillas on the griddle. I am one blessed mama!

     I could, I suppose, have bemoaned the fact that the van was broken. Again. But truth be told, I am so very thankful that the van broke down during the day time, on my husband's day off, while he was driving, and in a safe location. It's all about perspective, isn't it? We can wallow in our woes or count our blessings.

     Joy is a daily choice, and certainly contentment is. Contentment really is about accepting the Lord's will in your life. Complaining against your circumstances, or whining about your woes, really is complaining and whining to the Lord! I'm certainly not perfect. There are days where I fail and complain about things, but choosing contentment is so much better. "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11 NAS) Choosing contentment gives us a much clearer look at things.

    Then I received a cute little story from Meg, Copper's Dad's wife, in my email this afternoon, that was a very good illustration about this very thing. You may have read it before, but it was new to me.

     A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside. 'That laundry is not very clean,' she said. 'She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.' Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband: 'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this.'

The husband said, 'I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.'

Are you making observations through dirty windows? When you look at your home or your situation in a complaining, discontent manner, are you looking through clear glass? When you see that other gal, the one with the dirty laundry on the line, are you sure that it's not your own windows that are at fault? What a wonderful illustration!! I know I'll remember it!

Right now? Now, I'm off to have the boys clean the dirty windows in their bedroom.

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Daybook

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:48 GMT

FOR TODAY -

     Outside my window - My trees still have their leaves, but they are no longer green. Various shades of yellow, from golden to an almost butter yellow, adorn every tree in my front yard.

     I am thinking how wonderful our Lord's Day was.

     I am thankful for His grace.

     From the learning rooms - We're finishing up a few things on Monday and Tuesday, preparing for a long Thanksgiving break. The boys each built a model of a California mission (from a kit) this last week, and we'll be putting the finishing touches on them next week. They were kind of pricey. The guys had such a good time putting them together, though, after a couple of initial squabbles, that I think it was money well spent.

     From the kitchen - A 20 lb. turkey thawing in the fridge!

     I am creating - weaving in the yarn tails on the stack of knitted cotton dish cloths I've made, and deciding what to tackle next.

     I am going - to enjoy a day at home!

     I am reading - Already Gone: Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it, by Ken Ham. What an eye opener! I'll be posting a review soon.

     I am hoping - to start another book or two this week.

     I am hearing (and enjoying)- an incredible version of House of the Rising Sun. Dani and I had the opportunity of hearing these folks live at a huge craft festival we visited over the weekend. Loved it!


     Around the house - My home is clean and tidy, and that always makes for a nice start to the week. I've placed some lovely cinnamon potpourri in various open pieces of pottery and cute, vintage jars throughout my living room and school room. Scrumptious!



     One of my favorite things - the warmth of our wood stove.

     A few plans for the rest of the week - Normal days through Tuesday. Wednesday we'll be busy baking pies, rolls and doing some pre-Thanksgiving dinner prep. Thursday we'll enjoy a quiet Thanksgiving feast at home, just the five of us. Friday - well, Friday will be a big day: A quick shopping trip to town just for groceries (no mega-shopping for us on Black Friday, thankyouverymuch!). I'm sure the boys will have all of the boxes of Christmas decorations down by the time we get home. Friday evening we're looking forward to attending an Advent get together with friends.





     Here is picture thought I am sharing - I LOVE my Dani-girl!!

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Be sure to visit Peggy, the gracious hostess of The Simple Woman's Daybook, for more Daybook entries.

House or Home?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

From my Commonplace Book:

"Unlike a house, whose value is usually determined by the neighborhood where it sits or the number of bedrooms and bathrooms it has, a home's intrinsic value is made up of the intangible things that cannot be determined by amenities."

Pamela J. Bailey, in Sanctuary: Creating a Blessed Place to Live and Love

Books, books, books!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:57 GMT

     My recent bout with the flu was, of course, unpleasant. However, I was able to spend a lot of time reading and that really did make it seem a lot less worse. Okay, maybe not, but I did enjoy being able to put my feet up, cozy up with warm blankets and read. I finished quite a few books, and started a few more. Had it not been for the flu, it would have been bliss! What follows is just a brief recap of what I've read. If you'd like more information about any of these titles, feel free to email me (copperswifeATsoftcomDOTnet) and I'll be happy to give you more details.

     Back to Basics: Rediscovering the Richness of the Reformed Faith, by Douglas Wilson, Douglas Jones, David Hagopian, Roger Wagner. Copper and Aaron read this book a couple of years ago as part of a book study with a group from our church. The book does a pretty good job of outlining the basic principles of reformed doctrine, though I found a couple of the contributing authors a bit harder to read than the others.

     What to Do on Thursday: A Layman's Guide to the Practical Use of the Scriptures, by Jay E. Adams. This book is outstanding. The basic premise is this. While we might have the ability to read a Scripture and apply it to our lives, what we lack is the ability to go to the Bible in time of need to find the Scriptures we need to help us with the problems we face in our daily walk. To really put this book to its best use, it would need to be read through once to get a grasp of what is being taught. Then, a more thorough study (the author outlines a year long study) would enable the reader to put all of the book's content to good use. Be advised, though, that the author advises the purchase of multiple suggested resources to assist in this study. While these additional resources would be a terrific investment, they are also very expensive.

     Teach Them Diligently: How To Use The Scriptures In Child Training, by Louis Paul Priolo. Excellent!!! We parents tend to think we need to attend child training seminars and read book after book about raising our children. While these may be helpful, God has already given us everything we need in His Word! Lou Priolo does an excellent job of explaining how every parent can use the Scriptures in training their children.

     The Wine-Dark Sea (Aubrey/Maturin Series), by Patrick O'Brian. The is volume 16 in this wonderful series set in the time of Nelson's Royal Navy. This is historical fiction at its best! (This is not historical fiction suitable for children, and sensitive readers will want to avoid it, too.) Personally, I find the main characters very likable and the story lines captivating.

     Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, by Francis Chan. I'd had this book on my "to be read" queue for quite awhile. When I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Georgene in real life, she had so many wonderful things to say about this book, I immediately downloaded it in audiobook format. The audiobook is read by the author, which I very much like. However, this book has a lot to say and it was too easy for me to let Mr. Chan's voice go in one ear and out the other. I ordered a copy of the book and read it through, with the added benefit of being able to "hear" Mr. Chan's voice as I read. Crazy Love will be on Aaron's reading list this spring, and I'm hoping to read it again myself before then. The book gave me a lot to ponder and consider, and that's a very good thing!

     The Commodore (Aubrey/Maturin Series #17), by Patrick O'Brian. Mr. O'Brian died before finishing this epic series. The series ends, really, with book 20. There is a #21, but it is an unfinished manuscript. I am almost dreading that there are only three "real" books left in the series. I've enjoyed it that much!   (Be sure to read my caution about the series above.)

     Please remember that I think it is vitally important that your are reading!! The Bible first and foremost, and that daily; but do not underestimate the importance of reading other books. Please read this post for more information and to understand why I think it is so very important that you have a good book or two to read at all times. Read!
      The books I am currently reading, as well as the books that I have already completed this year, can be found on the side bar.

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Disclosure: All of the books reviewed are books that I have chosen and purchased with my own money, or books that I have received as gifts from friends. I do not receive free books from authors or publishers, nor do I receive any sort of compensation for the reviews I write. I do maintain an affiliate relationship with Amazon.com. This arrangement allows me to receive a very small percentage (pennies on the dollar) of any purchases made when readers click through to Amazon from my blog. Though I see a list of what has been purchased, Amazon never discloses their customer’s names or other personal information. For those of you that make Amazon purchases through my blog, thank you. Your doing so is a tremendous blessing to my family. I use the credit I receive through Amazon in three ways: To help offset the cost of maintaining this blog, to purchase books for our home Heritage Library, and occasionally to purchase prizes for drawings offered to readers of this blog.

And Finally.........After!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:51 GMT

     Just a quick reminder of what the bathroom looked like before:



     AFTER:

     Dani and I will be keeping our eyes open for some pretty artwork for the bare walls over the commode and towel hooks. I'm not sure what I want, but I'll know it when I see it!

     This color on the cabinet and the brushed nickel hardware makes me almost giddy. I'll pick up a pretty container for our plant next shopping trip.



We are very happy with our bathroom! My husband did a great job. The project has been almost a year in the making, but that long wait has given us a much higher appreciation for what it took to make it happen.



I plan to keep earning Home Depot gift cards through My Points. It's one small way that I can contribute towards our home's economy and look well to the ways of my household at the same time.

   In the meantime, I need to decide whether or not the next project should be the back (Aaron's) bathroom or the hallway/entryway.   Decisions, decisions!

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

A Very Long During...............

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:00:16 GMT

     Home improvement projects have always been done here on a limited basis. The projects have usually been funded outside of our normal household budget, which means they were funded through monetary gifts received at Christmas or on birthdays, or, more often, through my husband's gracious willingness to work overtime. However, overtime work was discontinued at my husband's work site months ago as the county made serious cutbacks to the sheriff's department. We are thankful that my husband's job is safe and that he is able to continue in his same position.

     We started work on our main bathroom ten months ago. Over the course of several months, we had saved money from other budget areas, accumulated enough My Points (*) gift cards, and a bit of money received over the holidays to start the bathroom. My husband removed the old sink, counter and light fixture. A new sink was installed, along with beautiful new faucets. The light fixture was also installed, but there were no globes for the bulbs.



     The yucky old fake leather formica counter was replaced with beautiful, new tile. Seriously, I do not know who would ever put a textured formica surface in a bathroom or kitchen. I still have it in two of my bathrooms as well as my kitchen. The hard water from our well water stains the stuff horribly and we have to use Comet and bleach to get it anywhere near clean. Yucko!

My husband did an excellent job on the tile! Our funds ran out just as the sink and counter were completed. However, I just kept on earning with My Points (*).

     (*) My Points is an incredible program. My Points has enabled us to purchase multiple Home Depot gift cards simply by spending a few minutes a day reading emails, and occasionally 10 - 15 minutes filling out an online survey. We've earned further points by making online purchases with merchants through the My Points system. I've purchased on sale dress pants for my boys from Old Navy, shoes for myself through Payless, printer ink through e-bay, and gift items for others. These are purchases I would have made anyway so why not score a few points in the process? I almost always redeem my My Points points for Home Depot gift cards, but there are oodles of other merchants and restaurants that you might redeem your points with. Right now, this is the only way that any home improvement work can be done here.
     If you think that My Points might be something you'd like to try out, I'd be pleased for you to allow me to send you an invitation. You can join directly through My Points, of course, but if I may send you the email invitation, I earn a few points, too. If you'd like to give My Points a try, email me at copperswifeATsoftcomDOTnet (replace the words in caps with the appropriate symbols, please). Thanks!!

     Since February, the bathroom has remained unchanged. I've continued earning Home Depot gift cards and making purchases with them for the bathroom as I could. Paint for the walls and cabinet. Globes for the light fixture. Hardware for the cabinet. New baseboard material to match what we've done in other parts of the house. New towel hooks. Dani chipped in with some gift cards of her own toward the project. We kept our purchases stashed away until we had everything we needed.




A couple of weeks ago, Copper began painting the bathroom cabinet. That first stroke of Cathedral on the bathroom cabinet was so beautiful! The cabinet was finished and the new hardware was installed.

     The walls were painted with a gorgeous shade of aqua blue called Ocean Kiss. (Both paints are Behr paint colors.)




     We priced out replacement hinges for the cabinet and bathroom doors, as well as a new door knob for the bathroom. The old "antique brass" hardware was horrid with the new brushed nickel finishes, but replacements were pricey. Dani suggested we try spray paint. We had a couple of false starts with paint that was too silver or too sparkley, but Copper found a paint for us at Jo-Ann that was perfect. Two cans purchased with two separate 40% off coupons, saved us a bundle. We used the spray paint on the bathroom door hinges and door knob, the cabinet door hinges, the brass hook on the back of the bathroom door, and the spring door stop.



     I really wanted a small lamp for the counter in the bathroom, but thought we'd have to wait until we found one we could afford. Then it dawned on me that I had a lamp that was just the right size on the little desk in the school room. It's mate is in the master bathroom, and I use that lamp every evening. The one in the school room was rarely used. The lamps are gold with cream shades. We'd had such great success with the spray paint, I figured it was worth a try. It turned out great! A bit of white spray paint applied to the shade and the lamp is perfect! Even better - this pair of lamps was a free gift with a purchase from a year or two ago!




The shower curtain and bathmat, which were the inspiration for our color scheme, were purchased over a year ago at Target. I've been saving up nickels and dimes for the last several weeks and last Friday, during our regular mega-shop, Dani I were able to purchase new towels, a few odds and ends for the counter, and a pretty little plant.

     My husband is installing the baseboard today, and then the bathroom will be done. Pictures tomorrow.

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Before......

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT

     Our main bathroom. Before.

     What you can't see: A large, chipped area in the sink, rusted almost through. Oak cabinets with their finish badly damaged. Formica countertops.....textured in a sort of fake, wrinkled leather surface. In the bathroom. Ahem. Yuck.



Yep. This was our main bathroom at its best. Before.

Our Home

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:56:50 GMT

     We moved into our home in March, 1998. We were blessed beyond belief that the Lord provided this home and these 5 1/2 acres for us when He did. We were blessed even more when we heard from neighbors and other folks in the community and learned how His providence played out in our ability to purchase this place.
     I am blessed to call this home still.
     One thing, though, that I did not anticipate was the amount of work this home would take to maintain and improve. Though the home was custom built for a local pastor, he never lived in it. Instead, he took advantage of California's booming real estate market of the early 1990's, and flipped the house as soon as it was completed. I'm not sure at what point in time he made that decision, but the craftsmanship that went into the completion of the house was pretty poor.
     We have fought battles with dry rot and peeling paint our entire time here because of the poor construction used. Most of our home improvement money, not to mention my husband's time, have been spent preserving the exterior of our home and doing what we could to improve its function. Roofs that don't leak. Replacing rotting porches. Installing windows that actually keep the wind out when they are closed. An HVAC system that works. That sort of thing. Practical. Necessary. Expensive!
     Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE this house and I thank the Lord often for His provision.
     Still, God created women with a desire for beautifying our homes as one way we tend and care for our families. So, as we've done what we can to keep, literally, a roof over our heads, we've learned to overlook the interior walls that need paint, the sinks that are chipped and peeling and the carpets that will no longer yield their stains to the steam cleaner. Landscaping? Forget about it. Country grass (aka the common weed) has its own charm, anyway.
     I still dream, though, and plan how I will decorate or make over a room when the funds become available. I just don't hold the time table for the completion of those plans tightly. We still have folks over, and hope they overlook the imperfections. We hope they overlook *our* imperfections, too!
     This home has done much for teaching me patience and appreciation for what I have. It's also given me a whole new heart of thankfulness for when a redecorating project is brought to completion.
     Who says a house is just a house?

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

Enjoying

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:51:00 GMT

I'm enjoying some down time. I slept until 9:30 and then had a two hour nap. I've caught up on all of my blog reading. Aaron and Will have brewed, sweetened and served cup after cup of tea to me, without my having to move a muscle. Dani has done a lot of cooking, making lots of homey, comfort foods. I've curled up on the couch and on my bed with stacks of books. The vaporizer is running all day, positioned on the hearth, with an aromatic, healing blend of essential oils to keep congestion at a minimum. The kids are all feeling better, even Dani who was the sickest of the three still at home. It's my turn now to enjoy some down time, courtesy of the flu.
Back soon with those Thanksgiving books I promised.

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"
Phil. 4:4 NASB

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27

What Copperswife Has Been Pondering

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:28:15 GMT

     I mentioned recently that I've been pondering and praying over quite a few things. The Lord has been so faithful in leading me in several areas by lovingly and tenderly shepherding. I'm so thankful for His tenderness and kindness to me, all the more because they are so undeserved.
   One thing that has been in the forefront of my pondering is the idea of "engaging the culture" and how the Lord would have me respond in this season of my life. Close friends know the history from an experience within my extended family that began this adventure for me a couple of years ago. It's been so amazing seeing how the Lord has orchestrated events in my life as I've chewed on this issue. Circumstances of everyday life. Conversations. Blog posts from folks I know and respect. Stories like this one (Hat Tip to Fletch for the link)
     So how do I respond? Do I follow the lead of the gal in the story? How far do I go in reaching out to those around me? I live in California, so the sky is rather the limit when it comes to how far a gal might go in reaching out, in love, to those around her. Tattoos and piercings of all sorts are the norm here.




     No, I didn't really have my nose pierced! The kids and grandbabies were working on a craft the other day and I glued a pretty jewel onto my nose just for the fun of it. However, this idea of trying to reach out to a world that I'm in, though not of, is a serious pursuit.

     Tim Challies is a blogger that I follow regularly. I love his insight, am inspired by the incredible number of books he reads, and am appreciative of his many book reviews. I was so pleased this week to see that he is starting a second blog.
     Mr. Challies plans to read every non-fiction, hard cover book that reaches the New York Times best seller list during the year 2010. He's actually already begun! His purpose in this undertaking is what caught my interest. He realizes that by reading the books from this list, he will be given "a snapshot of the people, of what they are thinking about, of what they are learning, of whom they are learning it from." Culture. Worldview. Understanding!
     I'm realistic enough to know that I will never be able to keep up with Mr. Challies incredible reading lists, but I will be following along as he reviews each of these books at 10 Million Words; and I'll certainly be picking up titles to read myself from time to time, too.



     My friend Kendra often mentions "tomato staking" her younger ones, keeping them close by during times of intense child training. I used to call this shortening the reins, but the principle is the same. While this is a great principle for younger children, and one I heartily endorse, I've been thinking lately about the application with older kids, too.


     Think about it more in terms of young trees. We stake our newly planted trees, giving their roots an opportunity to sink in deep and protecting them from the strong winds that might blow them over before their root system is well established. However, once the roots are deep enough, keeping that tree staked might cause it to become weak, relying too much on the stake for its support. But.....you knew there would be a "but", didn't you? Of course!


     Sometimes a young tree becomes weakened and needs a little help to recover. Maybe that tree has undergone a season of phenomenal growth above ground, but its root system has not quite kept up, and it is in danger of being damaged by high winds. Are you following me here?


     In those situations, giving that tree......not quite a sapling, but not yet a mature oak......a bit of extra support by staking it for a season is the very best thing you can do as you continue to nurture, prune and otherwise encourage it to full maturity. My tall, growing oak and I are enjoying spending a lot of time together every day staked at the dining room table. He with his school work, and me with whatever is at hand. Areas of weakness are being strengthened. Roots are being encouraged to grow and deepen. Bad fruit and ill-placed shoots can be nipped before they have the chance to grow and drain the tree of too much energy. It's hard work, but it's rewarding!


     A few of you have asked for recommendations for Thanksgiving books. I posted this list a couple of years ago. I may have a book or two to add to that list, in the next day or two; but I wanted to give you the link to the old list now so that you could order them from your public library or purchase them, if you are so inclined, in time for Thanksgiving.




     It's a busy time here as I continue homeschooling my two youngest, keeping my home and enjoying time with Corin and the grandbabies as often as we can. Busy yes, but blessedly so!

     Oh! Just one more thing. Mentioning the grandbabies made me think of it! We were quite a sight as both sets of grandparents joined Rob and Corin and the grandbabies at the pumpkin farm a couple of weeks ago. The picture is all five of my grandbabies, with Grandma Pam (my dear friend and my grandbabies' other grandma) holding the two year old. There were fifteen of us making our way from attraction to attraction - wee little ones; children, big and small; young adults, and four "old" folks. We were three families, and yet one, having the time of our lives! We always have such a grand time together!

God bless you as you look well to the ways of your household!
Proverbs 31:27