Goal for the Week: Pursuing Godliness and Femininity

"Master, which [is] the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." Matthew 22:36-37

"He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." Luke 10:26-27

"He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Matthew 10:37

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I have decided to set a new goal for myself for each week in my pursuit of godliness and femininity. Most of you know my convictions about outward femininity, but the femininity I will be focusing on here is the inward femininity, the condition of my heart. I invite you to take this journey with me, and perhaps we can be of encouragement to each other along the way.

My goal for this week: Love Jesus More!


More than my husband, more than my children, more than things of the world. More than comforts, more than my own life, God is deserving of more. God created me, He formed me in my mother's womb. Before He gave me conception, He knew me and loved me. He gave me breath of life, He had guided and protected me thus far in my life, and He will not fail to continue to do so. He always has time to listen, to hear, and to respond to me, lowly me. Jesus did for ME on the cross, for MY sins and transgressions He was beaten and bruised and for ME He gave up the spirit. For me He conquered death and paved a way to Heaven if I would only believe! He has longsuffering toward me, He reprimands me and directs me to the correct paths. He is deserving of all of my love, devotion, adoration, and praise. Our Lord makes it clear that anyone who loves anyone more than Him is not worthy of Him, and oh how I strive to be worthy, although I know it is impossible, for in myself I would never be. 

Of course, as a wife, my relationship with my husband should be a picture of the Church's relationship with Christ, so my wonderful husband is my second most important relationship to cultivate, to love Him as I would Christ, but my relationship with God still remains number one. 


My goal, Love Jesus more. Love Jesus Most.

YOU CANNOT HAVE IT ALL!!! My final response.

In the effort to keep the law of the Old Covenant, you miss the mark of Grace completely. In your fruitless effort to walk in the oldness of the letter {"But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not [in] the oldness of the letter." Romans 7:6} , you shun the Word of the New Covenant in favor of the impossible law of the flesh. I have given blatant statements from God's Word in the Bible which we call the New Testament, which is the New Covenant, covered in Christ's blood rather than the useless blood of sacrificed animals, and you have oh so eagerly disregarded, dismissed, and criminalized it as if it couldn't possibly say what it does. Is God's Word not meant to be taken literally except when otherwise instructed? Is the New Testament (synonymous with the New Covenant) any less God's Word than was the Old Covenant with the Israelites? No, but rather it is of MORE consequence to the saved, as it brings Grace in place of condemnation, and it brings the final blood of Christ, the fulfillment of EVERYTHING that the old letter, the law of flesh, stood to define and foreshadow! 


When God said that there was no more Jew or Gentile, He did not say that saved Gentiles were transformed into Jews, or that saved Jews were to be held as Gentiles. No! Rather there is no longer EITHER in Christ Jesus! Once saved, we are now a "new breed," the Church, God's people of the New Covenant! Praise God almighty for Grace! Free from the bondage and condemnation of a law of flesh that NO MAN can possibly keep! ONLY in Christ does one find freedom from sin and condemnation that the law brings to sinners {"[There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1-2}, and since no one can serve two masters, NO ONE can serve under the old letter of the law, which condemns ANY that cannot keep it to the letter (which, if you remember, is NO ONE), and serve under the law of the Spirit in Christ at the same time. The old letter condemns, Christ offer's Grace that the Law shuns fervently, as evident in previous responses to the Scriptures of Grace and Liberty that I have offered. 


It is IMPOSSIBLE to keep the Law, since we are fallible beings bound in flesh and prone to sin in the natural state of man, and since it is an all-or-nothing deal. THAT is what made Grace necessary. THAT is why a NEW COVENANT sealed in the Blood of Christ Jesus was made. Our Lord reiterated EVERY point essential to the New Covenant in His ministry on earth, as well as did the Spirit sent by Jesus as a Comforter and guide, moving in His apostles and disciples during their ministry. You ask "What are the specific 'Laws of Grace' and what are the specific 'rules' that I am suppose to follow under this New Covenant?" Honestly, the heart of that is saving works, which NONE of you will attest to, I am sure, but if you are truly seeking, just read your Bible! The New Testament under the Spirit-led understanding of what it is, a New Covenant to God's people! Especially the four Gospels, for that is the summary from Christ Himself! 


Where the New Testament or New Covenant contradicts the old letter, the New Covenant letter takes precedent for the saved believer. And there ARE undeniable contradictions. The Old Covenant required much killing/stoning to death of sinners (adulterers, rebellious youth, those who would eat knowingly of food that had been sacrificed to idols, etc) as a purification because no amount of animal blood, no matter HOW spotless the lamb, could cleanse those people of their sin, it was a foreshadowing of the True Lamb of God. In stark contrast, the New Covenant requires Grace and Forgiveness instead of killing. Remember the woman caught in adultery? They were following the old letter (which was still in effect while Jesus walked this earth, mind you, the law was not fulfilled until He was crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended to the right hand of God) which SHOULD have been perfectly acceptable, the punishment fit the crime, but NO! Jesus stepped in to make a CHANGE, to establish the New Covenant of Grace! You CANNOT have both! The old covenant commanded for God's people to abstain from eating certain meats, but in contrast (or in contradiction) the New Covenant of Christ expressly and specifically  condemns this teaching (specifically for "them which believe and know the truth" or for the saved) and calls it no less than false teachings and hypocrisy!! (See 1 Timothy 4:1-7) You CANNOT have both!  And those are only two examples!! 


It is impossible for man to be joined to the old law and to Christ at the same time. The Bible outright calls it ADULTERY!!! 
"So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become DEAD TO THE LAW by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" Romans 7:3-4
Once, God's people (Israel) were called to be joined or married to the law. NOW God's people are called to be joined to Christ, which is likened unto marriage as well. Just as a woman is committing adultery if she marries another while her previous husband is still living, so are WE as CHRISTIANS committing adultery against our LORD JESUS CHRIST if we seek to stay under the old letter, to be joined to Him as well as to the old law! Rather than commit adultery, at regeneration, the Spirit makes us DEAD to the law so that we may be joined together with Christ as His Church, as His Bride. YOU CANNOT HAVE BOTH!!! 


The old letter of the law appeals to the flesh. The idea of do this, do that, to prove your faith to God. Does God not know your heart? I'm sure that we can all understand that it 'feels good' or pleases our flesh to feel like we are doing something to prove ourselves as worthy of this free gift that we undeservingly received at regeneration, but attempting to keep the Old Covenant while calling other believers who understand the Law of Grace sinners because they don't try to keep a useless (for the saved believer) law of flesh is NOT the answer! The answer for those who are seeking is grace, forgiveness, love, and charity! The answer is the Law of Grace, or the Law of the Spirit in Christ rather than the old letter of the law. You cannot have both. 


The Law is not void. It has it's place to bring sinners to repentance under the Schoolmaster (which is the law of the old covenant), but when the Spirit enters in at the point of salvation in Christ, we are under the Schoolmaster no longer. {‎"But BEFORE faith came, we were kept UNDER THE LAW, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore THE LAW WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are NO LONGER UNDER A SCHOOLMASTER." Galatians 3:23-25} Attempting to keep the old law of flesh breeds pride and indignation, as proven by Israel's response to their Messiah, specifically the Pharisees (the 'holiest' of men of the time because they kept and taught the strict adherence to the law of Moses) that Jesus was constantly rebuking because they were missing the point(!), as well as the fellow Christian's response to this testimony of Grace vs. the law. The Pharisees ended up being the ones (as foretold) to murder our precious Lord Jesus (by His Will alone, He gave up His Spirit, no one took it from Him) because the Law is flesh, and the flesh is ALWAYS at war with the Spirit, even from the time and evidence of Cain and Abel. 


The law is flesh, it was man's way to try to get into God's favor. It was all about what man must do to get to God. (Granted, it was all they had before Christ, but that's not the case with us, is it?) The Spirit ("law of Grace") [Romans 8:2] is Spirit. The flesh and the Spirit CANNOT live together, or be joined together. You cannot be both in the flesh and  in the Spirit! It is IMPOSSIBLE!! {"But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." Romans 8:9a} The old covenant that was given to Moses at Sinai for God's chosen nation of Israel which was sealed in the spiritually worthless repeated animal blood offerings CANNOT live in union with the New Covenant given to ALL who would believe (God's 'new' chosen people because of the rejection of His own [remember the parable of the wedding banquet], the Church) which is sealed in the eternal cleansing Blood of the spotless Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, as the ONLY sacrifice to EVER wash ANYONE clean of their sins!! There is no union there, ONLY contradiction! You cannot live under condemnation (which the old letter of the law imparts to ANYONE under it, specifically it is intended for the unrepentant sinner to bring him to Christ, remember?) and be free from condemnation (which Grace through and by Christ Jesus supplies the regenerate believer) at the same time!! It is HYPOCRISY, as 1 Timothy calls it for the saved believer! It is ADULTERY as Galatians calls it for the saved believer!!! 


As regenerate (saved, born again, redeemed) believers washed in the everlasting Blood of the Spotless Lamb of God, we are no longer under the Schoolmaster or the law (since the faith is come, see Galatians 3:23-25), or the condemnation thereof, but rather under the New Covenant of Grace in the Spirit through Christ Jesus. There can be NO double standard, and for those in Christ, there is only one: The New Covenant of the New Testament. I implore you, as regenerate believers, "choose ye this day whom you will serve," for you cannot serve both God and the flesh, you cannot serve both under the condemnation of the old letter and under the Grace of Christ as well. It is impossible. It is adultery. It is hypocrisy. It cannot co-exist because it contradicts. You are either a lost sinner under the condemnation of the law, or you are a saved, regenerate believer under the Grace of Christ. 


This response is offered in humility and prayer as my final response on this topic. I already know it is going to be met with the same bitter pride, disdain, and disregard that have already been shown thus far, so I leave it in prayer out of a contrite heart. As a testimony, I have myself walked in the shoes of legalism. I am not proud of that, but it is true. I have been in your shoes, and not that long ago either. (Maybe a year or two ago?) I thank God for showing me the Truth, though, in light of the New Covenant of Christ. I have been in your shoes, and honestly, that is not something that you can say to me. I pray that the Spirit may work in your hearts and lead you to the law of Grace in the New Testament under Christ so that you too may experience the fulfilling FREEDOM in Christ. Amen.

A Psalm for Thursday

Psalm 103

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 ¹Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

 ²Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

 ³Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

 ⁴Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

 ⁵Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 ⁶The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.

 ⁷He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

 ⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

 ⁹He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.

 ¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

 ¹¹For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

 ¹²As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 ¹³Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.

 ¹⁴For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

 ¹⁵As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.

 ¹⁶For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.

 ¹⁷But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children;

 ¹⁸To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

 ¹⁹The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

 ²⁰Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.

 ²¹Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.

 ²²Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.

Goal for the week: Pursuing godliness and femininity

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"In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." 

1 Timothy 2:9-10

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." 

Galatians 5:22:26

"Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;"

Philippians 2:14-15

I have decided to set a new goal for myself for each week in my pursuit of godliness and femininity. Most of you know my convictions about outward femininity, but the femininity I will be focusing on here is the inward femininity, the condition of my heart. I invite you to take this journey with me, and perhaps we can be of encouragement to each other along the way.

My goal for this week: Philippians 2:14. I am going to do ALL things without "murmuring" or complaining. God put me where I am for a reason, and conditions beyond my control are not worth complaining about, and if I put myself into any undesirable situation, I have no one but myself to blame and don't need to complain because it's only myself to blame. 

What would your goal for this week be?

Have a blessed week!

Lowered Expectations

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." 

Hebrews 13:5

"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." 

Philippians 4:11-12

 I'm sure that it's safe to say that we have all experienced, ya know, "those days" where everything that could go wrong, well, DID! Kids were more "kid-like" than normal (disrespectful, disobedient, you know the type), the house looks like a bomb went off or a train hit it one, and it seems like every time you are turning around you are either comforting a screaming little or scolding another for doing something that they know they shouldn't do. Dinner is burnt because you had to spend the last ten minutes refereeing a squabbling match over who had the toy first, the husband comes home having had a bad day at work and seems to be blissfully unaware of the chaos surrounding the days events for you (God bless him!), and at the end of it all, once you have finally succumbed to the lull of fast food for dinner (that you know you can't really afford anyway) and wrestled the last of the offspring into bed with orders to stay put "or else," you just want to collapse, curl up in a ball in a corner and cry, or both! 

Do you know those days??

I know I sure do. 

Having trod this road for only five years, through the births of five little ones, the loss of one at nine weeks gestation, and currently carrying our next joyous blessing now, I have learned a bit of truth concerning days like this. I know that I am by NO means a seasoned veteran (yet!), but perhaps I can offer what little bit I have that has come to comfort and help me.

Lower your expectations.

Seriously, in all compassionate i'm-crying-right-there-beside-you honesty, days only feel as bad as we make them out to be. 

1 - Kids will be kids, meaning that inherent natural state of man WILL show it's ugly head MANY times before the age of 18, and often after that as well! We cannot expect them to be perfect. We can't even expect them to follow the rules all of the time without constantly being reminded and reprimanded. They are children. Do you remember being a child? I do. I did a lot of stupid stuff that I KNEW would get me into trouble. Why did I do it? Just 'cause. I felt like it. I dunno. I HAD no reasons, because I was a child lacking True conviction. Just like all children do. Just like all unregenerate, unsaved people do. Expect your children to be children, and don't be surprised when you have to get on their case a LOT (especially on those days when you really need them to behave, cause they have a knack for honing in on those days and being especially disruptive!) and be firm (cause they will walk on you if they sense you are a doormat, be a pillar!), calm (because YOU are the adult and their role model, refuse to stoop to the same level as your whiny, screaming, sobbing [in front of them] loud children!), and consistent (because nothing sends discipline attempts awry like inconsistency in what you discipline and how) with discipline. If you have to, do what I have done this week after an especially defiant week and take all the toys away and have them sit on blankets, not to move unless potty break or otherwise instructed, looking at picture books. Note you will have to be with them at all times to prevent them from getting up and running around, but once they know you mean business, they will stay put. Tomato staking at it's best. Regardless of if you believe in physical "trips to the woodshed" type discipline, the concept of tomato staking is for everyone with small children, especially those rough and tough independent minded I'm gonna do it MY way type kids..... I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE!! lol <3

2 - The house WILL get messy during the day, especially when we have multiple children and we have multiple things going on at once all throughout the day. I do tidying during the day, the kids (when they have toy privileges) take four or five breaks during the day to clean up their toys (or else they lose them, because toys and "stuff" are privileges, and we need to treat that privilege with respect and obey our parents [Ephesians 6:1,  have them memorize that one] or lose it.... cause that's how I roll.....) Save the major cleaning for AFTER bedtimes, even though I KNOW that you just want to fall into bed (been there almost daily!! I feel ya!), but Trust me, you'll feel a lot better plodding through an extra hour or two at night to be able to wake up to a clean house, ready to do it all over again! And at the end of the day, the house is still a house, your children are vessels of immortal souls. Which do you really think God will judge you more for on Judgement Day?? I'll give you three guesses. :-)

3 - Get over the crunchy mommy guilt and accept that fast food is okay periodically, as long as you are informed of the place that you choose. Personally, it takes a lot of money (that we don't have) to eat out, so I usually keep a stock of dry beans, bouillon cubes, and chicken or beef stock just in case we have a burnout night. Might not be the tastiest dinner ever, but even picky kids will eat anything if they are truly hungry. They won't starve themselves, that's for sure. ;-) They will learn that we have what we have, and that's it. Take it or leave it. Personally, I think that is a life lesson that needs to be taught at a young age, and with consistency throughout life, because it breeds contentment. 

4 - MOST importantly, LEARN to be content. Content in everything. Content in whatever situation you are in, because situations, most of the time, cannot be prevented, but the way you take it and handle it can be altered. Content with what you have, because always wanting what is just out of your reach for the present time will cause you to miss out on everything that you DO have within your grasp. What seems insignificant now is what will really matter in the future. 

I will leave you with a quote from Mother Theresa. One of those print it out and put it on the fridge type quotes: 

"There is always the danger that we may just do the work for the sake of the work. This is where the respect and the love and the devotion come in- that we do it to God, to Christ, and that's why we try to do it as beautifully as possible."

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 

1 Corinthians 10:31

Remember who your True Master is, and do everything for Him! Every time you wipe a runny nose, yes even the umpteen-millionth time, do it for God! Each time you correct your child, do so in boldness knowing that you are training up the next generation for Christ. Each dish is for the glory of God, even when the dish-washing machine is broken or even non-existent! Most of all, rest in contentment, knowing that circumstance are temporary, and we don't have to live under them, by God's grace alone we CAN rise above them and simply:

Do the best we can with what we have.

Without murmuring, without dispute, without complaint or ungratefulness, we can, by the power of the Spirit in us.

When you doubt your own abilities, turn and rest in God's ability through you, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us, right?

Of course it's right! It's in the Bible!

Be encouraged, be blessed, He will never leave us or forsake us, and the righteous who run to Him are safe.  

A Sunday Reflection

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 

2 Timothy 2:15

We are called to not only be Hearers and Doers of the Word (James 1:22), but also to be students of the Word. 

This means that we are to crack open our Bibles more than just on Sundays, Wednesday nights, and at an occasional group Bible meeting. This also means independent, daily study. Yes, I said Daily. In addition to any family devotions that may be scheduled. The more time we spend in God's Holy Word, the better we can "rightly divide the word of truth" and the closer to God's will we will be. God leads no one apart from His Word, and without it as a daily constant in our lives, we will grow lukewarm and stagnate towards the things of God. 

I am not saying that we all need to take hours a day to study out a whole book of the Bible, but I am saying that independent study is necessary, and it is up to us to figure out to what extent we can take it. Even if it is just reading a Psalm before bed, or in the morning when we wake up, or even while rocking or nursing a little one, it would all be beneficial. 

Honestly, though, I believe this is something we can all work on. Yes, even me. It should not be about trying to fit God into your life schedule, it should be about fitting in your life around your time with God, your time at Jesus' feet. We take over three hours to consume food for the physical body every day, so why can we not take five minutes to feed the spiritual body the Meat of the Word? Why is it so difficult, and why do so many excuses present themselves?

I'll tell you why, Satan. He doesn't want you in God's Word, because then any temptation that he may dangle over your head will be more easily exposed. When you get closer to God, you get farther from the flesh and from Satan, and the Devil doesn't like that. Not one bit.

Will you take this challenge with me? 

Will you take the first steps with me to getting deeper into God's Word as a student so that we may more rightly divide the word of truth? 

One chapter a day, five minutes in prayer and reflection on that chapter independently (apart from family devotions), do you think that would be possible?

It's high time God got His place back in our lives as first and foremost, don't you agree?

These Dark and Lonely Nights

Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT at all complaining about my husband having a job. We are blessed with this opportunity for him to earn an income to support his family, and I am very thankful. However, these nights wreak havoc on my nerves. It's one of those things where every little sound makes me practically jump out of my skin, ya know? It's dark, it's quiet, not to mention I already have anxiety issues, and my husband, my guardian and protector, is not here. I have his gun, but I doubt my ability to use it. Not that I would hesitate shooting an intruder, but what if I couldn't get to it in time? I can't exactly carry his Glock 23 on my hip, I don't have a proper belt! Oh, I wish I had a BIG dog! I want to get one so badly. Especially now. :-/ Maybe a Great Pyrenees, a German Shepherd, or a Saint Bernard! I have always wanted a St. Bernard because after their puppy days, they are quite content and lazy animals, and my kids would love nothing more than a sweet neutered male to roll around on! LOVE their temperament. :-) We want a Great Pyrenees to raise with any livestock we might get to be the flock protector (when we have flocks), and German Shepherds aren't my first pick, but they are very protective and intimidating because everyone knows them as the Police Dogs. I have met some sweet German Shepherds in my lifetime, but they are a bit high strung for my liking, especially with small children.

God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Still, counting the hours and trying to convince myself to sleep. Not likely with my brain on overload, but worth the wistful thought anyway. Off to finish tackling this mountain of clean laundry and put some good ol' Gospel music on the PC to try to ease my mind and stop my ears from hearing every. little. noise.

For any on my mailing list, if you would like to be unsubscribed, please just e-mail me and let me know. I would hate to be a nuisance to your inbox. <3

Tonight's "Super-Moon"

Tonight the moon is the closest to earth that it has been in 18 years. Some experts are scratching their unkempt beards in wonder at the idea that the moon has a lot to do with natural occurrences that have been going on, since we know that the moon can affect the gravitational pull and the water level, and the oceans affect everything else. We all remember 1993, I assume, or at least those of us on the east coast of the US and the "Super-Storm" of the decade! They blamed that one on the moon as well. NASA, however, says it can't happen. Anyways, regardless of if it's true or not (I'm no rocket or moon scientist) I wanted to post a couple of pictures of the "Super-Moon" that likely won't be seen for another 18 years or so, unless Jesus comes back before then! And because my hubby asked me to get some pictures. :-) It's hard to tell the size due to the lack of perspective points, and unfortunately I didn't get any of the spectacular right-at-sunset-or-3pm photos (that would've been sweet!) but I will link below to other articles with amazing pictures of the Super Perigee Moon as well as explanations as to what and why it is.

Oh, wait, that's the light in my bathroom? No, and I know it just looks like a normal full moon now, but I said I'd take some pics so there they are. :-P

Article:

'Supermoon' Rises: Biggest Full Moon in 18 Years Occurs Saturday Night

by Joe Rao, SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist

Date: 18 March 2011 Time: 08:11 AM ET

The dazzling full moon sets behind the Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert in this photo released June 7, 2010 by the European Southern Observatory. The moon appears larger than normal due to an optical illusion of perspective. Full Story. CREDIT: Gordon Gillet, ESO. View full size image

This story was updated at 3:32 p.m. ET.

Thanks to a fluke of orbital mechanics that brings the moon closer to Earth than that it has been in more than 18 years, the biggest full moon of 2011 will occur on Saturday, leading some observers to dub it a "supermoon."

On Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the moon will arrive at its closest point to the Earth in 2011:  a distance of 221,565 miles (356,575 kilometers) away. And only 50 minutes earlier, the moon will officially be full. [Photos: Our Changing Moon]
  

At its peak, the supermoon of March may appear 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than lesser full moons (when the moon is at its farthest from Earth), weather permitting. Yet to the casual observer, it may be hard to tell the difference.

The supermoon will not cause natural disasters, such as the Japan earthquake, a NASA scientist has stressed.

Spotting the supermoon
The moon has not been in a position to appear this large since March 1993.
In December 2008, there was a near-supermoon when the moon turned full four hours away from its perigee – the point in its orbit that is closest to Earth. But this month, the full moon and perigee are just under one hour apart, promising spectacular views, depending on local conditions. [Infographic: 'Supermoon' Full Moons Explained]

Although a full moon theoretically lasts just a moment, that moment is imperceptible to ordinary observation.
During the day or so before and after, most will speak of seeing the nearly full moon as "full," with the actual shaded area of the lunar surface being so narrow – and changing in apparent width so slowly – that it is hard for the naked eye to tell whether it's present, or which side it is.

Supermoon making waves
In addition, the near coincidence of Saturday’s full moon with perigee will result in a dramatically large range of high and low ocean tides.

The highest tides will not, however, coincide with the perigee moon but will actually lag by up to a few days depending on the specific coastal location. For example, in Wilmington, N.C., the highest tide (5.3 feet) will be attained at 11:21 p.m. EDT on March 20.

In New York City, high water (5.9 feet) at The Battery comes at 10:49 p.m. EDT on March 21, while at Boston Harbor, a peak tide height of 12.2 feet comes at 1:31 a.m. EDT on March 22, almost 2 1/2 after perigee.

According to the Observer’s Handbook of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, residents of regions along the shores of the Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada, the 10- to 20-foot (3- to 6-meter) swell in the vertical tidal range makes it obvious when the moon lies near perigee, regardless of clear skies or cloudy.
Any coastal storm at sea around this time will almost certainly aggravate coastal flooding problems.
Such an extreme tide is known as a perigean spring tide, the word spring being derived from the German springen – to "spring up," and is not, as is often mistaken, a reference to the spring season.
In contrast, later this year, on October 11, the full moon will closely coincide with apogee, its farthest point from the Earth.  In fact, on that night the moon will appear 12.3 percent smaller than it will appear this weekend.

Big full moon's appearance is deceiving
And while this weekend’s moon will be – as the Observer’s Handbook suggests – the "largest full moon of 2011," the variation of the moon's distance is not readily apparent to observers viewing the moon directly. [10 Things You Didn't Know About the Moon]

Or is it?

When the perigee moon lies close to the horizon, it can appear absolutely enormous. That is when the famous “moon illusion” combines with reality to produce a truly stunning view.

For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging moon looks incredibly large when hovering near trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The fact that the moon will be much closer than usual this weekend will only serve to amplify this strange effect.

So … a perigee moon, either rising in the east at sunset or dropping down in the west at sunrise might seem to make the moon appear so close that it almost appears that you could touch it. You can check out this out for yourself by first noting the times for moonrise and moonset for your area by going to this website.

Happy mooning!

If you'd like to share your supermoon photos of the March 19 full moon, contact SPACE.com managing editor Tariq Malik: tmalik@space.com.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y.

Super Full Moon

March 16, 2011: Mark your calendar. On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.

"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look."

Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

Above: Perigee moons are as much as 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons. [video] 

"The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect coincidence¹ that happens only 18 years or so," adds Chester.

A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.

The Moon looks extra-big when it is beaming through foreground objects--a.k.a. "the Moon illusion."

Indeed, contrary to some reports circulating the Internet, perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The "super moon" of March 1983, for instance, passed without incident. And an almost-super Moon in Dec. 2008 also proved harmless.

Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon can seem much like any other.

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.

Don't bother. Even a super perigee Moon is still 356,577 km away. That is, it turns out, a distance of rare beauty.

See the ScienceCast of this story on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1yalg_Apdw

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA 

"Supermoon" rises Saturday night

Katie Cannon writes:Don't forget to check out the "supermoon" tonight
in your area if you have clear skies! Read more about it here.

Bill Ingalls / NASA via AP

In this photo provided by NASA, the full moon is seen as it rises near
the Lincoln Memorial, Saturday, March 19, in Washington. The full
moon tonight is called a "Super Perigee Moon" since it is at its closest
to Earth in 2011. The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred
in March of 1993.

Denis Balibouse / Reuters

The moon is seen behind street lamps in Lausanne, March 19. Saturday
will see the rise of a full moon called a "Super Moon" when it arrives
at its closest point to the Earth in 2011, at a distance of 221,565 miles away.

Matt Stamey / The Gainesville Sun via AP

The moon rises behind Century Tower at the University of Florida
as seen from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Saturday, March 19, in
Gainesville, Fla. The full moon is at its closest point to the Earth
since March 1993.

Fred Thornhill / Reuters

Greg Kerr and Allie Mahoney skate under a full moon on Pigeon Lake
near Bobcayeon, Ontario, March 19. Saturday saw the rise of a full moon
called a "Super Moon" where it arrives at its closest point to the Earth in
2011, at a distance of 221,565 miles away.

 Do YOU have any "Super Moon" photos to share? I'd LOVE to see them,
especially since I (obviously) missed the "big deal" part of it all. *Darn lure
of the sewing machine!!* :-) Just post them and leave a comment with the
links and input! :-)

Stitch by Stitch

Started making some things today. My first project I cut the elastic too short, but this is my duplicate of the first project, with the right sized elastic. :-) A nifty little paisley print wide headband/prayer covering.

 Front ^

 Side ^

Back ^

It felt nice to accomplish something today, even if I had to wrestle with a one year old the entire time to keep her off my foot pedal! Lol! <3 

The kids are starting to get over their seasonal colds. All that is left is some coughing and runny noses. Danny is going to his second night of work tonight. Apparently he is doing well and Rick, one of his managers, likes him. That's always good! I'm not surprised, he's a dedicated hard worker and a "people person" to boot, everyone loves him. :-) 

I'm trying to keep myself from worrying about the baby. It's always heartbreaking to hear of other losses, especially after having experienced one yourself, but it also makes it difficult to not worry about this one in the oven now. I know it's all in God's hands, and He is capable beyond my comprehension, so I keep reminding myself of that and looking forward to 12-15 weeks when I will have my ultrasound. We are still working on the homebirth thing. We really really want to do it, and it's the best choice for us (most cost effective, we don't have to worry about finding childcare for our five young ones so I can spend 24+ hours in the hospital, less pressures to get unwanted procedures done at birth, etc). Even though people say we shouldn't consider money a factor, truthfully, for those of us on a modest to meager budget, money is the utmost important factor MOST times. There's no way around that, really. I mean, we don't do credit (when we can help it), and we don't do government help (because I honestly don't believe that YOU [American taxpayers] should have to foot the $10,000+ bill for me to have a baby, I don't agree with the way Medicaid works, how they have driven up healthcare costs because they don't pay their bill a lot of the time, and how over 2.5 million dollars a year !per state! goes to illegal immigrants for healthcare and the birth of "anchor babies", but that's a whole different blog. If people have it or need it, that's their business and I have no problem with it, as long as you are legal. These are simply OUR convictions on the subject.) Money IS a deciding factor for us, although it's not the only deciding factor. Anywho, just waiting on 12 weeks, and the budget to pan out. :-)

MoMo did reappear, this you already know if you read the update, but he was really weak and sick. He held on for a day and a half drinking beef broth and turkey gravy from a spoon, but he took his last breath this morning. We took the opportunity to not conceal the event from our children, but rather use the experience to teach them the life lesson of death and the "circle of life" that started when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. We taught of how all things that are alive are born, they live, and then one day they die. All things will have a physical death except for those who are still alive when Jesus comes back. We taught them that animals are not like people, that they do not have souls, so they do not go to Heaven when they die like born-again believers do (at least, we have no biblical proof or even hinting of that idea), but they are good companions while they are here with us. Daddy took Amy and Josh (at their request) with him and they buried him today. Sweet kitty. He was too good to be true, I guess. We think it was a reaction to the shots, especially since the shots were rated for nine weeks and older (MoMo was about six weeks) because he was perfectly fine up until about twelve hours after we picked him up and got the shots. Either way, perhaps another pet is in our future, perhaps not. We'll see when the time comes and the opportunity presents itself. 

I SO WANT a dairy cow! And some steel toe muck boots. That too, one day, God willing. 

So, check out (and follow if you want) my new blog for Rose Cottage Creations. I will be posting the things that I am selling on there as I get it finished, and even posts asking for ideas from consumers or opinions on an idea. Stuff like that. :-)

Hope everyone has an excellent Lord's Day tomorrow! God bless!

SmartCarry

For us women who are very into supporting and exercising our 2nd amendment rights, and those of us who like to be prepared "just in case" to protect our families, our sweet children, and innocent people given the chance, (because we live in a wicked, wicked world where anything can happen) this is a very interesting gun holster, especially for us skirt-wearers! This could easily be concealed under a modest, loose-flowing skirt or button down dress. <<grin>>



It is a SmartCarry Concealed Gun Holster, formerly known as ThunderBelt. They can be found HERE at their website. Not too bad of a price for what it is.This might just find it's way onto my wishlist. :-)

HERE is a review for the Ruger LCP, the one that she is wearing in the video, and the one that I now want, lol! 

I'm so excited! **Updated!!**

**UPDATE** We found MoMo! Well, he kind of just appeared in the kitchen, almost too weak to move. I layed down on the couch this morning waiting on Danny to get home and I hear this "Mea-Meow!" I sit up and I think I am hearing things, then I go into the kitchen and he's sitting right there on the floor in front of the fridge, shaking. I have since cuddled and forced some beef broth into him, along with some turkey gravy, and he is showing interest in eating it off the spoon himself now, so maybe he will be okay! We think it was a bad reaction to either his first shot or the dewormer (or both) that he got day before yesterday. Whatever hiding spot he had, it was a good one! We searched everywhere!  

**UPDATE #2** MoMo doesn't look too good. He started spazing out, like he couldn't stop crawling on his side in circles, now his neck is stuck in a back (looking up) position and he is just laying there. I don't know if it was a reaction to the shots or deworming or not. He was perfectly healthy when we picked him up from the feed store, and was fine all that evening. I just don't know. 

Well, this week has not been our best week so far. Our eight chickens found themselves in the clutches of a dog, and none escaped. So, to soften the blow to the kids, we got a free kitten for them, and we named him MoMo. Sooo.... today, we discovered that Matthew had opened the front door and left it open as he was going to get in the truck, and not only was Sarah halfway down the walkway, but we discovered later that MoMo had gone missing! We searched this entire house, and he's not here! We even cooked BACON to entice him out, and nothing. We think he may have gotten outside. Hopefully he's just scared and hiding, or maybe he's hanging out with the other neighborhood cats, and maybe he will find his way home. Oh, tiny tiny kitten. He was only about 6 or 7 weeks old. Cute as a button, and very friendly. He loved to play, never cried a bit except for last night after we went to bed and he couldn't find us. He used the litter box like a pro. Sweetest kitty ever, aside from my Oliver who died last year. So, after Amy had a good cry, we came to the conclusion that he was gone for good, unless by some miracle he managed to stay away from the dogs outside.

SO, While I am not excited about the week's events concerning animals, I AM excited because I am going to pick up sewing again! Especially with Danny working at night now, I need SOMEthing to keep my mind occupied. Gonna start making wide headbands and headcoverings again, and I am going to try to save up some money to purchase some modest girls' patterns, skirts and dresses and underskirts/underthings, and maybe even some women's modest dress/skirt patterns so I can start making not only for my girls and myself (for what I can wear during pregnancy), but to also sell on Etsy and Ebay, hopefully to help bring some sort of income in, even if it is a little bit. Every little bit counts in a big family on a budget. :-) I am looking at some patterns from Modest Handmaidens, Common Sense, and The King's Daughters too. There are a few from Sense & Sensibility patterns that I like, but I'm not THAT into vintage-wear. :-)

Still working on learning to knit, but I'm thinking about trying my hand at crocheting to see if it is any easier, cause knitting is HARD!! :-(

I guess I will be starting a blog for Rose Cottage Creations again. I have a business account with PayPal so I can post "Buy It Now" buttons on my blog with the products. It's helpful. Takes some programming, but it's very cool. :-)

SO, that's about it for now. Danny is starting his new job tonight, and hopefully they can find room to get him up to full time quickly, because that would be a real blessing. Still trusting in God and doing all for His glory.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31