(I took this picture last month...it reminds me of the three blessings the Lord has given me ~ three lovely daughters.)

Blessings

THOU GREAT THREE-ONE,

Author of all blessings I enjoy,

of all I hope for,

Thou hast taught me

that neither the experience of present evils,

nor the remembrances of former sins,

nor the remonstrances of friends,

will or can affect a sinner's heart,

except thou vouchsafe to reveal thy grace

and quicken the dead in sin

by the effectual working of thy Spirit's power.

Thou hast shown me

that the sensible effusions of divine love

in the soul are superior to and distinct from

bodily health,

and that oft-times spiritual comforts are

at their highest when physical well-being is

at its lowest.

Thou hast given me the ordinance of song

as a means of grace;

Fit me to bear my part in that music ever new,

which elect angels and saints made perfect

now sing before thy throne and before the Lamb.

I bless thee for tempering every distress with joy;

too much of the former might weigh me down,

too much of the latter might puff me up;

Thou art wise to give me a taste of both.

I love thee

for giving me clusters of grapes

in the wilderness,

and drops of heavenly wine

that set me longing to have my fill.

Apart from thee I quickly die,

bereft of thee I starve,

far from thee I thirst and droop;

But thou art all I need.

Let me continually grasp the promise,

'I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'

The Valley of Vision ~ Puritan Prayers and Devotions

May this Thanksgiving prove to be a time of remembrance of what the Lord has done ~ the testimony He has given us which drives us to gratitude ~ understanding who we are in light of knowing who Christ is...that He is even mindful of us.

Have a Blessed and Joyfilled Thanksgiving ~ The 9 Smiths

What fills our days...5 1/2 weeks young

Little Elizabeth was in such a good mood yesterday after one of her afternoon naps, I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures. So, as she was comfortably laying on the sweet quilt she received from a woman at church (she is a gifted seamstress) and wearing the precious set that was made for Kailynn by a friend (another gifted seamstress whom has taught her daughters to be equally skilled) ~ now blesses Elizabeth ~ I snapped away...here are a few of the results:

I just couldn't quite catch her sweet smile...this was a partial...

Precious little feet...peeking out from beneath her gown...

Soon after this shot, she let me know it was time to eat...

Thankful for the sweet pictures to add to her baby scrapbook and the joy she brings to our home ~ Blessings ~ Jarnette

Monthly Organized Round Up ~ Drawer

When seeing what the organizing challenge was for October (drawers) at I'm an Organizing Junkie and then seeing the condition of my kitchen cooking utensil drawer, I was inspired to participate...so here is the process (which took about 20 minutes to complete)...

STEP ONE:

My before picture...a very full and not so organized drawer. Items seem to accumulate, then when many hands are in and out of this drawer, it doesn't take long for disorder to happen. At this point, I evaluated what the purpose of this drawer was based on it's location...and envisioned what I wanted it to look like when the project was complete. For me, the drawer is right next to my stove, therefore it's purpose will remain to be storing all my kitchen cooking utensils and gadgets. My vision of completion...items will be sorted by type and kept neatly separated using storage bins/dividers. Purging will be necessary to accomplish this!


STEP TWO:

After emptying the drawer completely (the heap of utensils set aside for a later step) and cleaning thoroughly, I used the rubber mesh drawer liner (easily found in the kitchen gadgets section of discount stores for around $2 per roll). This will keep my utensils from shifting each time the drawer is opened and keep the drawer from getting scuffed.



STEP THREE:

Bring in the organizational bins...love bins and baskets! For this project, I choose to use a divided wood cutlery tray, one over-sized plastic drawer bin and a small plastic bin (all of which I had on hand). These would provide adequate space to keep like items together and neat.

STEP FOUR:

The sorting process begins...the heap of drawer contents are sorted by type. After all the utensils and gadgets were in neat type specific piles, I took out the items that were not being utilized (a few items were transferred to our 'camping bins' for use on camp trips, other items were put in the 'baking drawer' and the remainder of purge pile were put in our donation box). I eliminated about 1/4 of the original drawer contents and moved another handful to more applicable locations.

Below is a picture that shows the sorted piles before the purging process occurred.

STEP FIVE (my final step):

The remaining type specific piles were then transferred back into the drawer according to size and type. I tried to keep regularly used items toward the front and middle of the drawer, then placed small gadgets and less frequently used items toward the back of the drawer in the appropriate bins/dividers. Mission complete...drawer neat and less cluttered!

My Scriptural inspiration (although this verse relates to orderly worship ~ it shows that God is a God of order...from the beginning, He created all of creation in a perfect order).

Were there is order, there is can be peace...

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33

It's easy to participate in Laura's Monthly Organized Round Up challenges. Visit her blog for tips on organizing, decluttering and meal planning...just to get you started.