Tuesday, March 7

The Simple Woman's Gazette :: Whatsoever Things...{March/April 2023 Issue}

 


~Issue 5 ~ 2023~

Inside this issue:
 
-Pages-

from my desk - greetings 
one by one a thankful heart
sing praise - listen and worship
at the well - living water
home and hearth - the loving and the keeping
a woman's altar - pressing in and digging deeper
noteworthy - too good not to share
the archivesfrom the simple woman



From My Desk...

Hello and welcome to the March/April 2023 issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette! 



After last issue, I promise this letter from my desk will not be so heavy and emotionally charged. I think I was writing that letter to myself in a way, so I would stay on target with my online goals this year. I did make progress and checked off the box of not using IG anymore and I stopped posting after my last gazette issue went out. I also removed the app from my phone. I downsized in many areas, which allowed me to pick up the pace in others, including this little space I write in. 

I am happy to say that my FB page has reached 500 this past week. While I do not care about numbers, after getting 6 "follows" in one day it made me smile and in the same heartbeat be very thankful women still enjoy reading about simple things and the love of Jesus...two things I have always shared since the beginning of blogging.

So, it is tiny steps we take when we feel that we have, as my Grammy used to say, "too many irons in the fire". When I get too many irons in the fire, like balls being juggled in air, they one by one begin to fall. 

Do you have "too many irons in the fire"?

On a side note, next issue we will be looking at the many facets of a woman's influence, beginning with Part 1 : The Influence of Aloneness.

~One By One~

finding friends in real time
moving to phase one of our greenhouse plan
an early Spring
special prayers ushered, rich, faith-filled and deep for those you love
for those who received healing at the ladies conference Saturday



~Sing Praise~


~At The Well~
ASAH

(pronounced aw-saw')
Maker

"For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

"In this hour the world groans against its Maker. God is the Maker of them all and yet they deny Him (Jeremiah 10:12). How the heart of God must grieve over fallen man that strives against his Creator (Isaiah 45: 9)"


Surely, our Lord must grow weary of his creation (created man) and how it has turned it's back, spitting on his name.

With the nearing of Spring, I stop to think about creation and all the beauty of new life it brings. We think it will never get here! With the cold and chill over, the sun comes to warm us and our hearts rejoice in the renewal. So it is with mankind, if they would only turn their face from the bitter cold of the world and bask in the sweet Son shine of God, they would be warmed thru to the bone marrow.

So let us rejoice in our MAKER and the CREATOR of the earth.

Let Heaven and nature sing!!


~Home and Hearth~

So much I have for this spot! You know I enjoy this topic very much from the number of
articles I have written on my blog. I have been a housewife for going on 40 years now and it has always been a subject close to my heart.

Before I share my thoughts below, I found this brief writing many years ago from the book, The Pace Of A Hen and I loved it. She writes with thoughts near to my own.

"I am always hopeful that the pendulum will swing back and that women will
see again not only the necessity of a mother's being at home, but also the
infinite and rich choice in that occupation for women of all ages. Some will
complain of monotony, but how few going out to a paid job have the
opportunity to make their own schedules, to choose the routine of their
week's labor, to follow up creative interests that women have within the
home. Our ever-present disciplines, the pattern of creaturely necessities-
cooking, laundry, decently clean houses- are a blessing. Beyond the physical
care of the family, for better or worse we are shaping souls and characters.
Women learn slowly the magnitude of their influence. Perhaps we would be
more contented if we could realize that one of the few remaining free
professions is that of a housewife. If a woman resents being just a
housewife, let her be called an artist..."



March is upon us and it would naturally occur to me to talk about

Spring housecleaning, but first things first. 

Before we
 can begin spring cleaning in earnest, we need to be motivated.
We will find it hard to find that motivation if we are dealing with sloth syndrome. Sloth syndrome...that word just evokes an ugly sight to me. 

What is the sloth syndrome? Well, perhaps it is caused by a lazy up-bringing, might I say a lazy mother, perhaps it is because things are not going well at home with inner relationships, with husband or with child/teen, or perhaps it is just the old reasoning of "I just do not know
where to begin?" I know when I have been in sloth mode, it could have been any of those reasons, but mainly the reason was my own doing.

I want to share 5 "Helps" as I call them, that may encourage you to see your house in a new light, that of a home.

Motivation Help #1
 This is your and your loved ones living space, like it or not,
it is your spot in 
this world to care for, to clean and to maintain.

Motivation Help #2
 It is nest to all who live there, dry ground in a very
muddy world, safe haven in a world of darkness.

Motivation Help #3
 It is a scared spot for your loved ones, a place to
learn of God, his son, Jesus and his great love.

Motivation Help #4
 It is a duty to see that those who gather there feel
it's comfort, it's homey, cozy atmosphere.

Motivation Help #5
It is a space for teaching and nurturing that which has

been taught.

In past writing I have shared the major importance of your relationship with
your husband and while this should be taken care of first and foremost, I
shared the above as if that has already been done beforehand. 

For ladies, this is important to our mindset of taking the next steps. I
f this has not been looked at, none of my helps will be of any value. Bring the relationship with your mate to full speed, then you will have one more motivation, as he will be one of the reasons to fluff your nest with love and care.

 ~A Woman's Altar~

Spiritual Mothering
by
Susan Hunt

This is one of those books that I cut my teeth on many years ago when the Lord placed upon my heart the work of mentoring as outlined in Titus 2.

~The Mandate~


You must teach wheat is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so tat on one will malign the word of God.


Titus 2:1-5

Susan writes so beautifully of this woman to woman ministry of older women to younger women, that when put into a correctly working practice is one of the most precious things us women can bestow to one another. Susan writes gracefully and with a caring heart, teaching herself, the aspects that come with mentoring.

To bring this home to you, let me share a few quotes from the book.

"When women do for other women what Elizabeth did for Mary, I believe we will see young women burst forth in lives of praise to God."

"Encouragement is the context in which equipping can take place."

"No spoken words will ever teach young women how to love as powerfully as love-filled lives of older women."

"Paul was smart enough to know that women need women to train them how to apply God's Word to areas of our lives that are uniquely feminine."

and this one that spoke volumes to me as I wrote, "The Influence of Aloneness".

"Our tendency to self-sufficiency can only be overcome when our situation is beyond our sufficiency."




~Noteworthy~



This They Found

Logs for a cabin,
Wood for a fire,
Moonlight for dreaming,
Land for desire.

Pine for a cradle,
Oak for a plow,
Black earth and sunshine,
Breeze on the brow.

Dawn and day-ending
In flame on the skies,
Sunlight for laughter,
Stars for their eyes.

Time and the season
Set by their toil,
Strength in blue distance,
Pride in tilled soil.

Peace like a prayer,
Unbroken sod,
Where man walked along
And listened to God.

~Ramona Vernon



~ The Archives

 (taken from a 2009 blog post)

Little House Times

I know a lot of us love and respect Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially  the early years
of her life as just Laura. I would like to write from that love for her books and the why.

For this issue I chose a quote from Farmer 
Boy.

"The heavy sac of grain hung from a strap over Father's left shoulder. As he
walked, he took handfuls of grain from the sack. With a sweep of his arm and
a bend of his wrist he let the little grains fly from his fingers. The sweep
of his arm kept time with his steps, and when Father finished sowing a field
every inch of ground had its evenly scattered seeds, nowhere too many or too
few.

The seeds were too small to be seen on the ground, and you could not know
how skillful a sower a man was, till the seeds came up. Father told Almanzo
(Manly as Laura affectionately called him in later years) about a lazy,
worthless boy who had been sent to sow a field. This boy did not want to
work, so he poured the seeds out of his sack and went swimming. Nobody saw him. Afterward he harrowed the field, and no one knew what he had done. But the seeds knew, and the earth knew, and when even the boy had forgotten his wickedness, they told it. Weeds took that field."


This quote from the book speaks a lot to me. 
First, it tells me that quality of knowledge comes from hard work.

Secondly, it tells me that we 
never know what sprouts from the seeds we sow until later, be it physical work, our speech or our actions. Ladies, guard your tongues, your hands and your feet.

And thirdly, it tells me that God knows what 
lies inside the dark areas of our minds; of course we knew that, but it does not hurt for us to remember for we get lax.



Until next time...

In closing, I pray that this issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette has been a blessing to you. Would you consider sharing it with others or sharing the link to my blog. I would appreciate it very much!

If you would like to drop me a line, please feel free to do so by emailing thesimplewoman@gmail.com or you could always leave a comment. 

I welcome your thoughts!

Finally brothers and sisters, whatsoever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable,—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—think (dwell) on these things.

Philippians 4:8 

Thursday, January 19

The Simple Woman's Gazette :: Whatsoever Things...{January/February 2023 Issue}

 


~Issue 4 ~ 2023~

Inside this issue:
 
-Pages-

from my desk - greetings 
one by one a thankful heart
sing praise - listen and worship
at the well - living water
home and hearth - the loving and the keeping
a woman's altar - pressing in and digging deeper
noteworthy - too good not to share
the archivesfrom the simple woman



From My Desk...

Hello and welcome to the January/February 2023 issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette! 
Another year, a new month, a clean slate to begin things afresh. 

This year I am planning on sending out 6 issues instead of my original thought of one per month. After posting them here, I usually put a link on my Facebook page, The Simple Woman and my Instagram page, The Simple Woman for those who do not subscribe here. I have links on the sidebar to both (under "Find Me"), but after this issue I will not be posting on Instagram anymore and that link on the sidebar will be removed in a few weeks. For now I will continue posting fresh content and links to the Gazette at Facebook.

***
I almost let the ball drop once again, not sure I wanted to continue with another blog post. I had to really think through my reasons and to get over the hurdle of "Is it still of value or has it had it's time?". 

I have struggled with the thought of the internet for years now, back and forth, love and hate, using it and having it use me and I see all of the damage it is now causing our culture. Not that it wasn't years before, but time is passing, the verdict is out and it is a glaring poison to not only us, but sadly our youth who now use the spoon of choice to sip from, their phone.

Yes, there are good things that have become available to us through the use of technology, but what has been the sacrifice of use and use and...

I often think to myself how thankful I am that we got our children raised before it became idolized. Now, I pray for my grandchildren and for their parents that they would have courage to set strong boundaries, stay alert, not get pulled into the mainstream, to be an example to them and stand firm of what matters most.
 
I think that was part of the thought I had in continuing the blog. It just does not hold the same luster and glow as before, but believe me when I say, it once did. New and shiny it came along enticing me to jump on the bandwagon, to try out all the bells and whistles until all the sense of "what I had before and now I have lost" were gone. Oh! I did not know at the time the water in the pot was growing warmer and warmer, and if I had I ignored it. 

I wonder how many of us, who are now older still carry the burn scars on our minds from this idol. I am sure that some feel the same as I do, but others are still not feeling the heat on their souls or smell the smoke going up their nose. The ash pile that is being left in the wake of years spent frying our senses. I grieve this loss for people...

Ok, I will stop before I go any further because it gets ugly. But this is what is on a deep part of my heart as I near the wrestled end of what I continue to delete, unsubscribe, unfollow, hide, and remove from my time of lament and healing spent coming into the light and truth. 

Below I added a song that speaks to me out of my hurt for anyone who finds themselves a prisoner to their phone or computer and needing a few moments of introspection.

Lord, speak what is true!

~One By One~

for blue skies in winter
seed catalogs that bring a promise of Spring
resources that deepen my Bible knowledge
steadfast women of the faith
new Wednesday night service at church


~Sing Praise~


~At The Well~
Beatitudes For Homemakers

Blessed is she whose daily tasks are a work of love; for her willing hands and happy heart transform duty into joyous service to all her family and God.

Blessed is she who opens the door to welcome both stranger and well-loved friends; for gracious hospitality is a test of brotherly love.

Blessed is she who mends both stockings and broken toys and broken hearts; for her understanding is a balm to her husband and children.

Blessed is she who scours and scrubs; for well she knows that cleanliness is one expression of Godliness.

Blessed is she whom children love; for the love of a child is greater value than fortune or fame.

Blessed is she who sings in her work; for music lightens the heaviest load and brightens the dullest chore.

Blessed is she who dusts away doubt and fear and sweeps all the cobwebs of confusion; for her faith will triumph over all adversity.

Blessed is she who serves laughter and smiles with every meal; for her cheerfulness is an aid to mental and physical digestion.

Blessed is she who introduces Jesus Christ to her children; for Godly sons and daughters shall be her reward.

Blessed is she who preserves the sacredness of the Christian home; for hers is a divine trust that crowns her with dignity.

Ella May Miller

~Home and Hearth~

Oatmeal Cake
1 cup oats
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. water
1 and 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 and 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teas. baking soda

Grease and flour pan (I use a glass cake pan) 
Place oatmeal in bowl, add water, let stand 20 minutes. 
Combine butter and sugar, beat in 2 tbsp. water and eggs. 
Stir well.
Add in oatmeal mixture, pour batter.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees 
 I have served this hot for breakfast as it is hearty and filling.

When cooled I sometimes add a
dusting of powdered sugar for pretty.


 ~A Woman's Altar~

His Name

 As you all know our nation is in turmoil at this time in our history. With that, comes my choice of names to share with you this issue. ALPHA and OMEGA~
the First and the Last. 

I love this name for our God...the beginning and the ending...before all things and after all things.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
Revelation 1:8


This is indeed powerful and all encompassing encouragement for those of us living today. There has been much written about the beginning of time. In the book of Genesis, we learn it as a child, it is a very familiar passage of scripture but little has been written by man about the end times, however it is ALL in the book of Revelation. While it is very difficult to fully understand these end time chapters, we can grasp the finality of time and space and all that we know here on earth.

I believe the Bible and I believe that our God is in all things and in all things yet to come. He is like the master at Chess who knows where each piece will be moved next. He knows how the board will look days from now, months from now, years from now and I might add with joy in my heart and overflowing love for him...he knows how the "game" will end. That said, I do not have to fear, nor fret, nor worry, nor feel confusion over any and I mean any of the goings on in our society.

In my mind that is at peace and rest, it is already over, it is a done deal! The Lord will have his way as it is written. This is my faith and the love I feel for my Master and creator. He is my beginning and my ending...praise his Holy Name!!

Until HE comes...


~Noteworthy~


"In an effort to make Christianity palatable to our soft, self-centered generation, we have preached a diluted message that sidesteps the issue of sin, eliminates the demands of the cross, and overlooks the need for conviction and repentance.⁠"

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

~ The Archives

 (taken from my notebook of written memories 2008)

Where is your hope this morning? Does it not feel good to share this hope with one another, to unashamedly share of this love? In that others may see the peace we have, the hope that we have and that it is of God and not in anything else. Some days that is all that we have. 
~~~
I awoke this morning to a quiet home with still sleeping children, tucked in their nest savoring the last few deep breaths of sleep. Safe and sound in the assurance that their Momma would be there in the kitchen to greet them when they awoke. To make them a warm breakfast, to hug them in the way they know best, that they would know what the plan is for the day and be alongside of them to carry it out.

In much the same way, I slept in peace knowing that when I gave in to the new day, that the Lord would be there as he always is to greet me with soul food. His love for me that is all surrounding, without end, knowing he holds the plan for my day and will walk beside me to carry it out. 
Oh! the blessed assurance.



Until next time...

In closing, I pray that this issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette has been a blessing to you. Would you consider sharing it with others or sharing the link to my blog. I would appreciate it very much!

If you would like to drop me a line, please feel free to do so by emailing thesimplewoman@gmail.com or you could always leave a comment. 

I welcome your thoughts!

Finally brothers and sisters, whatsoever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable,—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—think (dwell) on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Tuesday, December 6

The Simple Woman's Gazette :: Whatsoever things... {November/December}



~Issue 3 ~ 2022~

Inside this issue:
 
-Pages-

from my desk - greetings 
one by one a thankful heart
sing praise - listen and worship
at the well - living water
home and hearth - the loving and the keeping
a woman's altar - pressing in and digging deeper
noteworthy - too good not to share
the archivesfrom the simple woman



From My Desk...

Hello and welcome to the November/December issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette! The first week of December is nearly over and it just seems like we turned the calendar. The stove feels so good this morning as I hang laundry up, which will now dry in no time. I have yet to see that sweet little first snowflake of the season, but it won't be long now. I am hoping for that dusting that seems to set everything aright once again.

November is a time known for giving thanks, but truly each and every day is a time for speaking thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior from whom all blessings flow. December is magical and a sacred time of quiet and rest or it is suppose to be. 

Nearly half of November saw me very sick with a strain of Covid and the flu in combination, so this is why the gazette is the November and December issue. I looked back at October and remembered I had sickness then too though for a shorter amount of time. Ugh.

May you find renewal and encouragement in this issue to stop and to count those things that truly matter in your life and toss what does not and that is just taking up precious "brain" space.

xo

~One By One~

healing and health
regaining my strength
having an appetite 
for my "taste" of good food to have returned
for the first sunrise I was able to get up from the couch and witness -tears welled up in my eyes



~Sing Praise~

This song has been on repeat, up loud and I can only stand still and worship when it is on!

~At The Well~
"A life marked by depth can only be cultivated in protracted periods of time spent in solitude, quietness, and obscurity -- concepts foreign to those who live their lives at the speed of light. Unless we're compelled by the Lord Himself to accept the ingredients of the hidden life, either through a lengthy period of illness or some cataclysmic event, depth of character remains a distant dream for many Believers."

Chuck Swindoll

~Home and Hearth~

Cookies For Birds

I love to feed the birds! Here is an easy way to give your feathered friends a Christmas treat!

Make sugar cookies with vegetable shortening instead of butter. Refrigerate the dough for an hour, then roll out and cut into shapes of your choice. Bake as your recipe suggests and use a pencil eraser to poke a hole into the top as soon as they come out of the oven. Cool and frost with peanut butter...chunky is best. Press bird seed and harvest corn kernels into cookies. Hang out on trees with twine or ribbon.


 ~A Woman's Altar~

His Name

PELE-YAATS

Wonderful Counselor

Read Isaiah 11:1-5
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
  
I know you have no doubt read this many times, but read those first few words again and really take that in..."for unto us a child is born". Our Lord gave himself to us in order that we could be saved and live eternally with him. Given unto us...what a precious gift! 

Isaiah 9:6

Until HE comes...


~Noteworthy~



I found this book, Heaven and Nature Sing by Hannah Anderson on the recommendation of Jen Wilken, one of my favorite Bible teachers. I took a quick glance at the first few pages and knew it was a keeper. 
A beautiful book that brings the season together with the seasons and I love that! I have shed tears over the first few days I have been reading because it is a powerful book that touches my heart and causes me to look up from the page and ponder what I have just read. Not only an advent book, but one that carries you through the year.


~ The Archives

 I love a good Monday, it is the day I look over my calendar for the week, make sure to note any appointments that I have slated in and to just get an overall feel for what I need to do for the next 5 days. Come Saturday, I take inventory of what was completed vs. what needs placed on next week's spaces. But, more often than not, I use that day to just enjoy what I would like to do that was pushed forward by what I had to do.

 I pretty much have it down to a science by now, after raising 6 children, 40 years of marriage and lots of time to work at it. It is a pattern well trod, well worked, trial and error, additions and subtractions, just living plainly and slowly. 

Speaking of calendars, here is an entry I wrote many years ago that might be helpful or pinch your toes a tiny bit. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As we enter into the month of December and all the busyness folks bring with it, perhaps we should be asking ourselves,  "Are we going to have a mind stayed on Christ?" or "Are we going to find ourselves getting caught up with the passing fluff (my definition - hollow, empty, of no worth, running to and fro with no reason) like everyone else and grasp it, hanging on without Jesus?".

Ladies, we can even get caught up doing "wonderful things" that also get us side-tracked from the Savior. Isn't it just like satan to get us off track with even good things. Take a look at Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38) for a moment. In Luke, we find Jesus entering a certain village and being welcomed into a house by Martha. Martha had a sister called Mary, and when Jesus entered, Mary sat down at his feet and listened to him speak, but Martha became very distracted with "entertaining." She quickly became upset at her sister for just resting at Jesus' feet and said to him, "Lord, do you not care that my sister isn't helping me? Jesus answered and said to her, "Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But, one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her." Jesus is not saying that hospitality, homemaking _______ (fill in the blank) are wrong, just that these things have there place after HIM!!

 I hear women, Christian women, especially at the holiday saying how busy they are and they say it with resentment in their throat or with a little pride perhaps or they say it totally oblivious to what they are doing and why. I think it is sad they say things like this and in their heart truly do not want to be doing what they are doing or maybe it's because the gal down the street is doing the same and they want to keep up. It is even sadder that life has gotten away from them, over scheduling, over committing, over indulging, over spending and the over goes on. We need to make a very conscience effort to keep a tight rein on our time. Time is fleeting, it gets away, it leaves and never returns. Life goes on and it goes on with or without us either smoothly or well, it can throw us to the ground. 

Maybe you are old enough to remember those black and white westerns...at how the man would fall off the horse and be hanging to the harness, dragged nearly to death before he lets go and drops off. I think this is the way with us, when we are too busy. Of course there are those things that are out of our control, but I a speaking here of the things that are in our control for the most part. I know I feel this way at times if I am not very careful. 

So...grab those calendars and deter yourself from all the busyness, save time for your quiet time, your Bible reading time, your prayer time, your worship time, HIS time! Red ink those moments you need and want to devote to Him and then try hard not to stray from it. Let the rest be marked off, there is a season for all things, but the season of the Lord is now, always and constant...truly never ending! 

His calendar is always clear for us, always open and ready...we will never find our name penciled in, we will never need an appointment, we will never get an answering machine, he is available - 24 - 7 - 365!!!



Until next time...

In closing, I pray that this issue of The Simple Woman's Gazette has been a blessing to you. Would you consider sharing it with others or sharing the link to my blog. I would appreciate it very much!

If you would like to drop me a line, please feel free to do so by emailing thesimplewoman@gmail.com or you could always leave a comment. 

I welcome your thoughts!

Finally brothers and sisters, whatsoever things are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable,—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—think (dwell) on these things.

Philippians 4:8

I pray you and yours have a Blessed and Merry Christmas! 
I will see you back here in January 2023!