Will You Remember?

Psalm 77

10 And I said, This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
 11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
 12 I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
 13 Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?
 14 Thou art the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people.
 15 Thou hast with thine arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
 16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee; they were afraid: the depths also were troubled.
 17 The clouds poured out water: the skies sent out a sound: thine arrows also went abroad. {poured...: Heb. were poured forth with water}
 18 The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
 19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
 20 Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Changing the Nation

Today is the day that the people of Michigan vote for the Primaries. Today is the day that the people of Michigan can take a stand for Christ and support a man who will try to turn the nation back to God. Today is the day that the people of Michigan can humble themselves, pray, and seek the face of God and vote for the man who will uphold Godly principals.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

Just Do It

I know it has been a few weeks since I’ve written about my reading in Nehemiah, but I have felt called to write about a lot of different things so I am finally getting back around to it. Chapter three was a profound chapter for me.

The very first thing that struck me was the people got to work right away. They did not argue, debate, discuss, etc. about who was going to do what. They worked on what was in front of them and continued working until they met the next team of people.

Another important idea is that as they built each thing, they “consecrated” (dedicated) each section to God. They didn’t wait until the whole project was done and then dedicate the whole wall. No, they took the time and dedicated each step of progress.

They all worked together to accomplish a great thing. The leaders worked alongside the common people. Women were even a part of this great undertaking (3:12b).

When each group finished the section they were working on, then they moved on to another new section. They did not whine and moan that someone else was not working as fast, as hard, or as much as them; they just kept working.

It is easy to take the lessons learned from this chapter and apply it to our lives. When we have a task set before us, we need to “just do it!” A lot of times I get overwhelmed at the amount of work needed to be done that I sit and debate with myself or what would be best to do first (my messy office is a prime example!). I just need to jump in and get started.

We need to make sure we stop and praise God for the little steps along the way and make sure to give Him credit for what has been accomplished and make sure we are following His will.

An old adage says, “Many hands make light work.” We all know that work can get done a lot faster if more people are working together. If you have a large job ahead of you, enlist the help of your spouse, children, friends, and family. You can even trade work at your house for work at someone else’s house. Not only will it go faster, but you will have more fun while doing it. This is one idea that the Amish community knows well.

The last thing to remember is that you are working for the Lord. “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23. It does not matter if you have done more work than someone else. God will bless your work.

I am sure I will continue to learn many more life lessons from my continued reading from Nehemiah!

Just Do It

I know it has been a few weeks since I’ve written about my reading in Nehemiah, but I have felt called to write about a lot of different things so I am finally getting back around to it. Chapter three was a profound chapter for me.

The very first thing that struck me was the people got to work right away. They did not argue, debate, discuss, etc. about who was going to do what. They worked on what was in front of them and continued working until they met the next team of people.

Another important idea is that as they built each thing, they “consecrated” (dedicated) each section to God. They didn’t wait until the whole project was done and then dedicate the whole wall. No, they took the time and dedicated each step of progress.

They all worked together to accomplish a great thing. The leaders worked alongside the common people. Women were even a part of this great undertaking (3:12b).

When each group finished the section they were working on, then they moved on to another new section. They did not whine and moan that someone else was not working as fast, as hard, or as much as them; they just kept working.

It is easy to take the lessons learned from this chapter and apply it to our lives. When we have a task set before us, we need to “just do it!” A lot of times I get overwhelmed at the amount of work needed to be done that I sit and debate with myself or what would be best to do first (my messy office is a prime example!). I just need to jump in and get started.

We need to make sure we stop and praise God for the little steps along the way and make sure to give Him credit for what has been accomplished and make sure we are following His will.

An old adage says, “Many hands make light work.” We all know that work can get done a lot faster if more people are working together. If you have a large job ahead of you, enlist the help of your spouse, children, friends, and family. You can even trade work at your house for work at someone else’s house. Not only will it go faster, but you will have more fun while doing it. This is one idea that the Amish community knows well.

The last thing to remember is that you are working for the Lord. “Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” Colossians 3:23. It does not matter if you have done more work than someone else. God will bless your work.

I am sure I will continue to learn many more life lessons from my continued reading from Nehemiah!

Saving Money Monthly

As women, we are blessed to experience menstruation (and yes, it is a blessing because without it we wouldn't be able to birth babies!). While some women bemoan the fact that they have to spend money monthly to "deal" with this issue, I have discovered some products that not only save me money, but also shorten my period.

Cloth menstrual pads and a menstrual cup!

www.gladrags.com

I first started thinking about cloth pads when I began using cloth diapers for the twins and also really got into watching Little House on the Prairie. It dawned on me that they would have had to use cloth back then because there wouldn't have been any other option. While researching cloth pads, I learned about the menstrual cup. I decided I would give it a try because with all girls, I needed to find a way to save some money before they all started cycling!

While I have patterns to make my own cloth pads (and I have every intention to make some some day), I just didn't have the time to make any of my own. I saw that Glad Rags were on sale in one of the co-ops I order from so I decided to order some and give them a try. Since it was on sale, I also ordered The Keeper to try.

I ordered the organic pads because I figured if I was paying for them, I was going to get something that I wouldn't be making myself later anyway. I also went with the Keeper instead of the Moon cup because I wanted something natural and silicone just didn't fill that description.

I have to say that while it felt weird at first, I am totally in love with my cloth pads and Keeper. I noticed from the first cycle that I used them that I went from my "normal" 7-9 days of menstruating to 4-5. This was a definite bonus! After doing research to find out why, I've come to the conclusion that the absence of chemicals is what is responsible for added bonus.

I keep a small bucket next to the toilet that I put the used pads in and then I wash them with the cloth diapers. I have a friend who just washes hers in with her normal laundry loads. I have heard of others that wash them with their towels and such.  There will be some staining unless you soak in something like Oxyclean (I am actually trying a homemade "oxyclean" just today and will probably post on that later) or hang them in the sun to dry and the sun will naturally bleach the stains out. I don't worry too much about the staining because it isn't like anyone sees them.

As for The Keeper, I love that as well. It does take a little time to figure out which fold is going to work best for you. Depending on how heavy your flow is, you will need to empty it once, twice or three times a day. On my really heavy day, I empty it three times. On my lightest day, I only empty it once.

Now, for to explain the savings! I have purchased the pads and cup over the last two years and I only order when they are on sale through the Frontier co-op so I have saved even more than purchasing directly from Glad Rags. I figure I have spent around $100 for all the pads and my cup. Just this past weekend I was caught off guard with my period because my cycles still aren't back to normal since having Tissa. I had to purchase pads and tampons. Since I won't use pads or tampons filled with chemicals, I purchased Seventh Generation pads and Natracare tampons. I spent $13. I used the entire box of tampons and half the box of pads so I am going to say it cost me $10.

Think about that in costs for a year--$120! After my first year alone using my cloth pads and cup, I was already saving. The cloth pads will last indefinitely and I've read about people using them for 8-10 years before replacing them. When I  think about when all my girls are menstruating, it would cost us over $1000 a year for disposable products. Using cloth will save us tens of thousands of dollars over the years!

I would be glad to answer any questions that someone might have. There are other brands out there that I am sure are good, but I can not vouch for them as I have not tried them. You can find links for free patterns to make your own as well.

How to Have a Happier Marriage

"My duty as a wife, and more importantly as a Christian is to be a “living sacrifice”, not as concerned with what I’m getting, than what I can give."

Head on over to Generation Cedar to read the rest of this blog post that reminds wives how to make living life worthwhile.

How to Have a Happier Marriage

Leftover Peanut Butter Bars and Giveaway winner

I like using leftovers in a new way. I found this recipe last year and my family loves it.


Leftover Peanut Butter Bars
2 cups leftover oatmeal, cold and slimy is fine
1/2 cup coconut oil, softened
1 cup sweetener…sugar, sucanat, etc….
1 egg
1 cup whole grain flour…wheat, spelt, etc
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3  cup peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter, sweetener and eggs in a bowl. Add oats and other ingredients; mix well. Spread into greased 9×13″ baking pan. Bake at 350′ for 10-15 minutes. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Yield 12 small servings.

We double this recipe and serve it warm with milk for breakfast. You can also cool them and use them for snacks. Whenever you have leftover oatmeal, put it in a container in the freezer. When you have enough for the recipe, then go ahead and make this. Just this morning, we made it with some leftover oat groats and oatmeal.

Now, for the winner of the tea wallet . . . HappyMrsBaas! Since she is the only one who entered, it was kind of a given. Thank you for sharing the giveaway on Facebook!

Happy Birthday to Me, But a Gift for You!

Today is my birthday and because I enjoy receiving gifts, I wanted to give a gift to someone. I'm giving away a tea wallet. I use mine at least once a week. If you aren't a tea drinker, you can use it to hold debit/credit cards, wallet photos or even use it for a mini sewing kit to keep in your purse. I'm sure there are other uses for it as well.

To enter you must be a follower of Gracious Daughter of the King and then leave a comment telling me what your favorite tea is (or if you don't drink tea, what your favorite drink is!). To earn extra entries, you can:

Like Gracious Daughter of the King on Facebook and come back and leave a comment here telling me you did/do.

Share this giveaway on your blog and/or Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did (you can earn two entries by sharing on both your blog and Facebook!).

I'll draw a winner on Friday morning!

Tired of the Mess Giveaway!

As I was working on de-cluttering the office, I came across three copies of Cross Country by Wyatt Howey. I love the music of Wyatt Howey. God definitely gifted him with a beautiful voice. Wyatt is very concerned with getting the message of Christ out to those who need to hear it and gives copies of his cd's away often. I  gave away some of his cd's before on here as well as just handing some out to friends and family.

Cross Country  includes songs such as: The Answer is Christ, Baptism, Three Wooden Crosses, Come to Jesus, Long Black Train, and more. It even includes a message from a Pastor.

You get to benefit from my needing to de-clutter! I will give away the three copies I found to three randomly drawn winners. I will draw the winners Monday morning.

To enter you need to be a follower of Gracious Daughter of the King blog and leave a comment telling me what area of your home or life you need to de-clutter.

You can earn extra entries by:

• "Like" Gracious Daughter of the King on Facebook. Leave a comment telling me you do.
• Share this giveaway on your blog and leave a comment telling me you did.
• Share this giveaway on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did.

Pancake Sausage Strata

I want to first thank everyone for their prayers. It was a rough couple of days, but things are better. There is definitely power in prayer!

I want to share a great recipe that we just tried this morning and everyone loved. I adapted it from a recipe that I found somewhere (sorry, I can't remember where) to make it easier and healthier.

It's not the prettiest presentation, but I wasn't planning on taking a picture!

Pancake Sausage Strata

leftover pancakes
cooked sausage crumbled (could crumble up patties if needed)
eggs
milk
salt
maple syrup (we used homemade pancake syrup)


Rip pancakes in small pieces to cover bottom of a baking dish that has been sprayed or brushed with oil or melted butter. Spread cooked sausage on top. Scramble eggs with milk and salt. Pour over food in dish and bake covered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover and pour maple syrup over and bake for another 30 minutes. You can serve it with more maple syrup if you wish (Chad ate it with more syrup, but the girls and I didn't).

I know some of you are wondering about amounts. Well, I can't tell you exact amounts except for I used 12 eggs, 3/4 cup milk, and a large pinch of salt, 1 lb homemade venison sausage and a 15x10 pan. Adjust however you see fit.

Prayers

I had every intention of writing a post today, but instead I find myself coming to you and asking for prayer. I don't need to go into specifics as the Lord knows all, but I would appreciate me and my family being lifted in prayer.

Thank you.

The Balancing Point—The Resolution for Women

“Contentment is the equilibrium between the enjoyment of life now and the anticipation of what is to come. . . It is the faith-filled belief that what God has bestowed now is worthy of gratitude and appreciation, not merely because it is enough but because it is good”.

Finding contentment is definitely a fine balance between ingratitude and incentive. We are called to do our best in all we do and working hard to better ourselves and others shouldn’t be taken as ingratitude, but we also should just sit around and be complacent either. We are called to take steps of faith and that can be done without being ungrateful for what we already have. It all comes down to a matter of the heart.

We don’t give up our dreams and desires just because we learn contentment with what God has already given us. We do, however, come to a place where we realize that what our dreams and desires are might not necessarily be what is best for us. We have to align our goals with what God has in store for us.

When we live satisfied with what God has given us and work toward our goals, we have the best of both worlds. We can take pleasure in what we are already experiencing as well as continuing to dream about what is to come.

This chapter marks the end of the first section of the book. You are asked to sign a resolution to be satisfied and have a spirit of contentment. The author doesn’t take this lightly and suggests taking some time to review what you’ve already read and to pray before making this resolution. It also asks that you do it out loud in front of a witness so that person can hold you accountable. My husband was my witness.

Give Thanks in All Things

 I received the following in an email and wanted to share because it is so true!

Me (in a tizzy): God, can I ask you something?
 
GOD: Sure.
 
Me: Promise you won't get mad?
 
GOD: I promise.
 
Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?
 
GOD: What do you mean?
 
Me: Well I woke up late,
 
GOD: Yes
 
Me: My car took forever to start,
 
GOD: Okay....
 
Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait
 
GOD: Hmmmm..
 
Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call
 
GOD: All right
 
Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak  my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went  right today! Why did you do that?
 
GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and  I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you  sleep through that.
 
Me (humbled): Oh...
 
GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your  route that might have hit you if you were on the road
 
Me (ashamed): ............
 
GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't  want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work
 
Me (embarrassed): Oh.....
 
GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to  give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let  you talk to them so you would be covered
 
Me (softly): I see God
 
GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short  that was going to throw  out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in  the dark.
 
Me: I'm sorry God.
 
GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the  good and the bad
 
Me: I WILL trust you God
 
GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your  plan
 
Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything  today.
 
GOD: You're welcome child. It was just another day being your God and I  love looking after my children.
 
Scriptural References: II Samuel 22:31, Proverbs 3:5, Hebrews 2:13
 
"The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.. ." (Proverbs 11:25)
 
In all things give thanks.  1 Thes 5:18

Tired of the Mess

 If you ask most people who know me well, they will tell you that I am a perfectionist or as my husband says—anal-retentive. I don’t disagree. I am not as bad as I used to be (you can’t be with nine children!), but I am still very much particular about where things go, how things are done, etc.

That being said, my house has been known to be a mess (and I don’t just mean because I have nine children!). We just have too much “stuff”. Before we built our addition, we looked like we were busting at the seams. I would often “declutter” things, but I never did enough. People say that if you don’t have a place for an item, then don’t bring it home. Well, that is something I should live by, but don’t.

I have finally come to a point where I am just tired of the mess. With more things in the house, the easier it is to make it messy. Our family loves watching Little House on the Prairie and I am often reminded of how little they actually have and yet they are happy.
Before you go off and say, “But that is just television”, remind yourself that the show is based on the books which are based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life. They truly didn’t have much, but they were happy. The few times they took things out on credit from the store, they learned that it wasn’t a smart thing to do and learned to do without until they had the cash to pay for it.

I am starting off by working in the office, the room of my house which has been a sore spot with me for years. I don’t know why it has taken so long for me to do something about it, but I am ready to tackle it. I began by going through books I have been keeping for home schooling and really thinking about whether or not I will actually use them. After coming up with a box to get rid of, I started listing things for sale on Ebay. Looking at my shelves that were starting to look nicer, I decided to tackle my other books—books I have already read or even those I am hoping to read some day. I came up with another stack for me to list on Ebay. While this is only the start of getting rid of the mess in the office, I feel good about it.

I can't believe I am going to do this, but I will post pictures of what our office/school room looks like right now. I am going to give myself a month to get it de-cluttered and organized and then hopefully I'll remember to post pictures. For some reason, one of the pictures I took didn't load. It was of three five-shelf bookcases that are overcrowded with books and other things stacked on top of them.

God’s Provision: Walk in Faith—A Look at Chapter 9 of Be Fruitful & Multiply

“The Bible teaches that we are to look to God in faith not only for children, but for His provision for these children conceived in faith.”

Once again, Campbell begins her chapter with a poignant thought. Most Christians will agree that we are called to rely on God to provide for us, but they seem to limit God’s provisions by thinking that they “can’t afford” to have more children or that they don’t have enough room. It seems to me that people think they need a lot of “things” to be able to have children, but it has been my experience that you only need a lot of faith and love.

“Faith simply obeys—and trusts God!” Campbell is very direct and honest. People have told me that it isn’t that simple, but it truly is. Now, realize that I said it was simple, not that it was easy. I don’t think we were called to live an easy .life and it would be pretty boring if it was always easy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated.

Let’s take a look at a few verses in Deuteronomy 28.

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today . . . Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl . . . The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” (1, 4-6, 8)

If we obey God’s commands, then He will bless us. What will He bless us with first? The fruit of our body. He will increase our children BEFORE He will increase what we need to take care of those children! We need to step out in faith to see what God is truly capable of.

I have seen God bless us tremendously since we gave my womb over to His control. I can recount countless stories of how He has provided for us in a way we never imagined in His timing and not ours. I had someone say to me that she wished God blessed her in the awesome ways He does for us. In all honesty, I wish I would have had the courage to tell her that she first needs to put her faith in Him to see Him work in mighty ways. This person is a believer and has a strong relationship with Christ, but by watching how she lives her life, I get the impression that her faith is in her savings and not in God. She stock piles food, toiletries, etc. because she thinks there will come a time that she can’t afford to buy them. She and her husband both work two jobs when just one of his jobs brings in more money for the two of them than Chad makes for our family of eleven. I’m not saying it isn’t wise to plan for the future, but when you relish in the fact that you have enough food stored up to feed yourself for six months and there are people in your own church who are struggling to feed their families, there is an issue.

If you truly want to see God perform miracles, then take that step of faith. When the world is telling you that you are not being wise in your decision but you know it is Biblical, then you are most likely taking the best step. God will use the unlikely of this world bring about His will. He will bless those who are faithful in ALL things.

Campbell says it well when she says,

If we only have faith for a small family, we will receive small provision. If we have faith to believe God for the children He wants us to have, we will experience God’s larger provision to provide for them. God’s provision is for the “fruit of the womb.” And remember that God does not show up with His provision before the baby comes. He will show up when the new baby arrives. And He never fails!

I encourage you to look at where God may be calling you to take a step of faith. Pray about it to make sure it is truly what God is calling you to do and if so, then leap! He is faithful to do as He says He will.

Foolish Living

God reminded me of a few things I already knew, but hadn’t been thinking about lately when I read Nehemiah 2. I think this is one of the important reasons why we are to be in His Word everyday. He can not speak to us through His Word if we do not read it and know it.

Nehemiah was the King’s cup bearer. The King asked Nehemiah what was wrong and before Nehemiah answered him, he prayed. He prayed. Before even doing something as simple as answering a question, he prayed. This was definitely a reminder that I need to stop and pray for God’s guidance before I do or say anything. I need to remember that every opportunity is an opportunity to show God’s love and be a witness for Him and the best way to do that is to pray for His guidance before starting.

I also saw that the Israelites worked for God despite the fact that the people around them laughed at them. Verses 18-20 tell us that they put their hands to the hard work of rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem and those in authority around them laughed and despised them. Nehemiah answered their laughter and derision with “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us”. We know that if we live how God calls us to live, then people who are of the world are going to laugh at us. They don’t understand why we would want to follow God instead of taking charge of our own lives. They think the Bible is foolishness. However, if we are living as God calls us to live, then we know that the Lord will prosper us regardless to how foolish the world thinks we are being. I have seen this proven over and over not only in my life, but in the lives of family and friends who choose to follow God.

Learning these two things has been beneficial to me already as I saw that I was doing things without praying about them first and was making unwise choices. I was able to repent and change my ways and I now have a peace moving forward. I receive that same peace when I move ahead with following God’s commands even though I receive condemnation from those around me for supposedly making “foolish” choices. The funny thing is that the foolish choices I was making and had to repent of were not seen as foolish in the eyes of the world even though I didn’t feel peace with those choices. We have to remember that the ways of God are not the same as the ways of the world. We are called to be different, to stand out, and to be a witness for Him.