Thursday Thirteen - Quotes

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Julie's Quirky Quote contest is going on now. Last year, I knew exactly which quote I wanted to enter. This year I just couldn't decide. It has been a long time since I've participated in Thursday Thirteen. I thought it's about time. Here are 13 quotes that I did not enter but I thought they were really good and wanted to share them too.

It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.
~ Hudson Taylor

All I know is that when I pray, coincidences happen; and when I don't pray, they don't happen. ~ Dan Hayes

The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity...if we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God's standing challenge, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not.
~ J. Hudson Taylor

I have lived to thank God that not all my prayers have been answered.
~ Jean Ingelow

The greatest gift we can give to others is our prayers.

Quotes by Corrie Ten Boom

“Joy runs deeper than despair”

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden.

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.

Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible.

Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.

Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.

The first step on the way to victory is to recognize the enemy.

13 Things Keeping Me Busy This Fall - Edition #47

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1. Homeschool with Gabe

2. and Hannah

3. Substitute teaching

4. Long term (six weeks) substitute position with lots of afterschool paperwork

5. Helping Holly with homework

6. A visit with my parents

7. Keeping up with clutter

8. Homeschool field trips – we are going to Jamestown next week!

9. Playing taxi driver, taking the kids to school, work, church and drama

10. Reading – I know, wishful thinking

11. Blogging – of course!

12. Birthdays! Mine, Hannah’s and John’s

13. Enjoying fall – the coolness, candles, coffee and beautiful colors!

What's keeping you busy this fall?

My Desk - Thursday Thirteen Edition #46

Here is my desk as it should be.

Sadly it doesn’t look like that now. Why is it that my desk is so hard to keep neat? Maybe because I spend too much time here! Here are 13 things that are on my desk but are not supposed to be:

1. Holly’s feathery pen
2. Holly’s subtraction flashcards
3. My cereal bowl
4. Computer program – Outline Maps of the World
5. World Atlas
6. 2 homeschool books
7. library receipt of returned books
8. 8 ½ x 11 paper because I put A-4 paper in the printer
9. Masking tape – Who got that out??? It belongs on my desk but in a basket
10. Calculator
11. Holly’s Bible School papers
12. Scissors – Should be in the pencil holder
13. Dust

I’m going to clean off my desk right now!

Thursday Thirteen Edition #45

Thanks to Karen at Write from Karen for the banner

I feel like the last few posts have been a bit negative. But I am more of a person who tends to think of the glass as being half full. I like to focus on the positive. This apartment may be smaller than what we are used to but there are many good things to be thankful for.

1. We live on the second floor which makes me feel more secure.
2. We do not live on the third or fourth floor. Can you imagine carrying in groceries?
3. The linoleum is brand new. They finished installing it literally minutes before we began moving things in.
4. The oven is big.
5. There is a dishwasher.
6. There are two bathrooms.
7. One is in the master bedroom.
8. We have a walk-in closet in our bedroom. It’s the largest closet we have ever had.
9. My dining room table, which seats 6-8 people, fits in the dining area.
10. We have a pool.
11. We have a balcony where we can keep our bicycles and pool toys.
12. The kitchen is small which makes it easy to clean.
13. I have 4 drawers in the kitchen which is 4 more than I had in Romania.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens.
*Please note that I do not necessarily approve of the content of other blogs*

The High Cost of Moving Part 2 - Thursday Thirteen Edtion #44

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Moving can be a costly adventure. Moving to another continent is even more so. Most people do not consider the financial cost of a missionary, or others living overseas, coming home. All of our appliances were European except for our refrigerator so we had to sell them and buy new ones. Here are some things that we have had to buy to settle in here and make this home functional:

1. Washer
2. Dryer
3. Toaster
4. Iron
5. Blow dryer
6. Microwave oven (OK, it’s not a necessity but my family thinks it is.)
7. Can opener (Just a manual one. They are cheaper and they fit in a drawer)
8. Vacuum cleaner
9. Swiffer wet jet ( I hate traditional mops)
10. Broom
11. Dust pan
12. Shelves for the laundry closet
13. Over the door shoe holders for vertical storage

The High Cost of Moving - Thursday Thirteen Edtion #43

Thanks to Karen at Write from Karen for the banner

I cannot believe it has been an entire month since I have done a Thursday Thirteen. June was an extremely busy and eventful month. If you don’t know what’s been going on, you can read some of my recent entries. You can gather from my TT that we have moved from Romania, temporarily to Alabama and now to Virginia. The cost has been high. Here are a few things that we have had to spend money on for this move.

1. Container to ship our belongings back to the US
2. Plane tickets for trip back to the US
3. Storage building to hold all of them until we find a place to live
4. Survey trip to search for employment and residence
5. New to us vehicle
6. Moving van rental from AL to VA
7. Bottled water for loading the van in the Alabama summer heat
8. Van fuel for a 650 mile trip
9. Fuel for the car that followed the van
10. Vehicle inspection and registration
11. Driver’s licenses
12. Apartment deposit
13. Eating out when cooking wasn’t possible

Do You Shop Online? Thursday Thirteen Edition #42

Thanks to Karen at Write from Karen for the banner

1. If you shop online, you should sign up at Mr. Rebates.
2. You can get cash back for your online purchases at stores like Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, Old Navy, Target, Best Buy and hundreds more.
3. It’s free.
4. It’s easy.
5. You find out about great deals
6. And online coupons.
7. You get a real check in the mail.
8. I have made over two hundred dollars.
9. I can think of a lot of things to do with two hundred dollars!
10. You can also sign up your friends and get 20% of what they earn at no cost to them.
11. Half of what I have earned is from friends who have signed up.
12. Shopping online is convenient and profitable!
13. Click here and use my email as a referral karen at woodward-family dot com

Thirteen Loves of My Life - Thursday Thirteen Edition #41

1. My Lord Jesus Christ
2. The Word of God
3. My husband
4. My son Gabriel
5. My daughter Hannah
6. My daughter Holly
7. My family
8. Reading
9. The United States of America
10. The south in particular
11. Missions
12. Romanian friends
13. Chocolate

13 Children's Books - Thursday Thirteen Edition #40

A long time ago on a blog far away, I listed my 13 favorite chapter books. Here is a list of a very few of my favorite picture books.

1. The Story about Ping
2. Make Way for Ducklings
3. How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse Got Together
4. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
5. The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale
6. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
7. Madeline
8. Tikki Tikki Tembo
9. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
10. And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
11. The Poky Little Puppy
12. The Little House
13. Blueberries for Sal

What's on you list?

Blog Comments

THURSDAY THIRTEEN EDITION #39

Don't you love comments? Here is a list of the last 13 people who stopped by my blog and left me a comment. Thanks!

1. Coffee Mom
2. Half Moon Girl
3. jblieu
4. Tammy
5. Amy
6. Blackpurl
7. Gayle
8. mipa
9. Nadine
10. Sandy
11. Janice Campbell
12. Drewe Llyn
13. Becky

GET THE THURSDAY THIRTEEN CODE HERE!!

Thirteen Things We Just Had to Have

THURSDAY THIRTEEN EDITION 38

Our container arrived today!! We were excited and relieved to have that part of our move over with. We had nice weather this morning and plenty of guys to help us unload everything into the storage building. I was relieved to discover that my mirrors on my wardrobe and the shelves in the fridge had not broken. The fridge hadn’t molded either. Most everything went into storage but here is a list of 13 things that we brought back to my parents’ house because felt we couldn’t live without them any longer

1. My computer – no more sharing the laptop
2. My monitor – kind of need that to go with the computer
3. 2 desk chairs – because we’ve been using my mom’s kitchen chairs
4. 4 bicycles – for fun
5. A bunch of DVDs – can’t live without those, can we?
6. Hannah’s bean bag chair – just because she wanted it
7. European A-4 sized paper – the kids started notebooks with European supplies and need the paper to finish out the school year.
8. Tennis rackets – for more fun
9. A jump rope – think we might get some exercise!
10. 2 laundry baskets – my mom doesn’t use any. I don’t know how she functions!
11. Rack for drying clothes – my mom has 2 but they are falling apart
12. 3 sleeping bags – we have company coming and some of the kids will sleep on the floor.
13. A wooden puzzle piece to our state map puzzle – it’s the state of Massachusetts. Hannah found it on the ground. I am wondering what happened to the rest of the puzzle.

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #37

There are many passages of comfort found in God’s Word. Here are just a few of my favorites.

1. But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job 23:10

2. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Psalm 18:6

3. The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

4. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

5. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. Psalm 61:1-4

6. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4

7. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. Psalm 139:17-18

8. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

9. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Isaiah 25:4

10. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:20-21

11. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

12. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Isaiah 40:28-29

13. Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

Bonus - Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5

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Thursday Thirteen Participants

1. L-Squared 2. Dragonheart 3. Ingrid 4. Lori 5. boltbabe

6. Mom of 3 7. TeaMouse 8. Jewlsntexas 9. Mikki 10. Melessa

11. carmen 12. Judy 13. Barbara H.

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13 Google Searches

Thursday Thirteen Edition #36

Thanks for stopping by! While you are here, I'd like to humbly ask for your vote - I have been nominated for the Homeschool Blog Awards in the "Live What You Believe" category. Vote Here!

Here are some of the latest Google searches that have led people to my blog:

1. blog frugal missionary family
2. I visited Constanta
3. Karen Woodward photos – they were searching for a different Karen
4. Prayer for leaving friends
5. Chic-fil-a lemon meringue pie
6. God's provision
7. culture adjustments
8. GABE KINDRED 2007 – I don’t have a clue who he is
9. bible verse "starting over"
10. everyday life in romania
11. blog family homeschool kid "bare feet"
12. time wisdom birthday quote
13. how much is a garbage disposal in Romania – I think their question should have been –“Do garbage disposals exist in Romania?” I never heard of one.

Have a great Thursday everyone and thanks again for your vote!

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Thursday Thirteen Edition #35

1. Today (April 4th) is our 20^th wedding anniversary. (see pictures on previous post)
2. We are not celebrating because I am sick.
3. Hopefully next week we can do something simple
4. Like dinner at Red Lobster.
5. I have entered a quote contest.
6. You can help me win by voting for my quote
7. Which is # 7
8. Click here to vote for quote # 7
   
9. The prize is a new blog template.
10. This is a pretty lame Thursday Thirteen
11. I feel pretty lame
12. And fuzzy headed
13. Hopefully next week I will come up with something better.

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Thirteen Random Favorites

Here is an idea that I shamelessly stole from Amy at Laughing Through the Tears. I changed a few of categories.

Random Favorites -

1. Fast Food: Chic-Fil-A

2. Flower: Daffodils - I love all kinds of flowers but Daffodils have been a longtime favorite because they are one of the first flowers of spring.

3. Candle Scent: Blueberry

4. Candy Bar: Mounds

5. Book of the Bible: Psalms

6. Bible verse: Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,”

7. Book Series: The one I’m currently reading which happens to be the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson

8. Television Show: LOST

9. Puzzle: jigsaw puzzles but I never have time for them

10. Craft: Scrapbooking, another thing I don’t have time for

11. Dessert: Lemon Meringue Pie (aka Lemon Icebox Pie)

12. Place I've Ever Been: Mexico City

13. Color: Blue, any color of blue but mainly Navy, Royal and Sapphire

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Our Trip Home

Our trip home to the states! Some of these things that didn’t occur on this trip are actual events from other Romania/Alabama trips that we have made. Click on the links (posted on my old blog) if you want to know the story behind it.

1. We did not have any long delays or layovers. This was our shortest trip ever!

2. We did not have any high winds in Amsterdam that made us think the wings of the plane would hit the runway first.

3. We did not have anyone fall asleep so soundly on that plane that we had to stroll them through the airport in a wheel chair.

4. We did not have anyone to get an earring embedded in their ear.

5. We did not have to stop for gas. (This happened to us in 1999 – long before I heard of blogging.)

6. We did have flight attendant trainees on board. I’ve never had that happen before.

7. We had the same breakfast we had the last several times we flew: Pineapple yogurt, extra chunky fruit drink, granola bar and cheese and crackers. I wonder if frequent flyers get tired of the same old thing all the time?

8. At lunch time they ran out of chicken so we had pasta with spinach. It was OK.

9. We were glad that the US went to Daylight Savings Time before Europe so that we only have to deal with a 7 hour time difference instead of 8. I am hoping that this will help with jet lag.

10. Going to DST gave us less time on our already short layover in Detroit. After going through customs, we barely had enough time to make our final flight.

11. In our haste, John looked at the wrong flight to Huntsville and we ended up at the wrong gate, wrong concourse.

12. We practically ran to the right gate and made it with only minutes to spare – hot and sweaty.

13. We are home safe and sound; thankful for a quick and mostly uneventful journey. We are blessed and grateful for your prayers.

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Our Final Thirteen Days

It’s quite a coincidence that our last 13 days in the country of Romania happens to land on a Thursday. Here are some things about our final days here.

1. I emptied out and cleaned out our refrigerator. It is sitting in the kitchen with the doors open to dry out. We are taking it back to the states via container and we don’t want it to mold during the month long transit.
2. Fortunately during the winter, our back hall doubles as a refrigerator.
3. Every time I walk into the kitchen, I think – “Who in the world left the doors open?” Silly me. . .
4. We sold our washer and dryer. My first two months in Romania, the summer of 1997, I washed clothes in a bathtub. I can do it again for a few days.
5. We sold our microwave. People lived without those before, right?
6. I am not done packing yet. Will this ever end???
7. I was planning on taking the girls out to eat today. It’s a holiday and will probably be crowded. We’ll have to get there early.
8. We will load a container on Monday, March 5^th. Pray everything fits!
9. We are already living out of suitcases in our own home and eating with disposable dishes. I still have some dishes here that I’m not packing but we sold our dishwasher and I hate to wash dishes by hand.
10. We might sleep here after the container is loaded. We’ll have some beds and sheets that we are leaving with friends.
11. Our other option is to move the beds to the friends’ house and stay there. It will be a warmer idea and a great chance to spend some time with them. It will also be a much more crowded option. They only have a two room (not two bedroom) apartment.
12. We will go to Brasov on the 8^th or 9^th after saying our final goodbyes here. We lived in Brasov for close to two years (1997-1999) and still have great friends there.
13. We will fly out of Bucharest on the 14^th – changing our lives forever. I feel like my last few posts have been rather melancholy. Leaving is hard but we are excited about what God has planned for us and our hearts are filled with His peace that passes all understanding.