Think Spring!

© Monika Hardy

Monday Morning Coffee

A little something for the Monday Morning Coffee Break

Whole Grain Bars
1 cup softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract
Combine and mix
Add 2 eggs and mix
Add 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup old fashioned quick oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Mix all till combined
grease a 9x13 glass pan
press mixture into pan
bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25 minutes.
Pull out to cool
OPTIONAL Top with 1/4 cup white chocolate chips
let melt a few minutes and then spread chips

Let cool completely and cut into bars
Store in airtight container or
single servings in plastic zip locks for a quick
take along for coffee.

© Monika Hardy

RABUNIFI

She looketh well to the ways of her household,
and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her.
Many daughters have done virtuously,
but thou excellest them all.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain:
but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Give her of the fruit of her hands;
and let her own works praise her in the gates.
Proverbs 31:27 -31

This month of 31 Days with the Proverbs 31 Woman at
Hisbeloveds

has been wonderful. And I would like to share a group of women
who are caring for their families with the work of their hands.

Rabunfi in Arabic means God is here.

The women of Africa will be opening an online craft site through the help of Far Reaching Ministries, below is some info on how they began

"Knowing that each woman’s greatest need- her need for a Savior – was already met we began prayerfully seeking a way to ease their poverty and physical suffering. Many women went into dangerous areas of the bush (where the threat of rebel soldiers who were known to rape, kill, and abduct was very real) in search of firewood to sell. One bundle of wood was only enough to put one meal on the table for their children. There were not enough hours in the day to fetch water from a well, cut and sell the wood, wash, cook and clean for a large family…let alone to come and sit attentively at Bible Study. We even saw women out of desperation brew grain alcohol or sell their own bodies just to feed their children. We prayed daily begging Jehovah the Healer to touch their children because there was no money for medicine. Our hearts broke for these ladies in their overwhelming need. "

You can read the rest at their website RABUNIFI

© Monika Hardy

Proverbs 31 Study Guest Post

I am guest Posting today!

My Daughter in law at His Beloved

has asked me to write a guest post today
for the series she has been writing this month ....
"31 Days with the Proverbs 31 Woman".
Today's post is in regards to
Practical Tips on Raising Sons.

© Monika Hardy

One thing at a time

The sun was up and out early yesterday shining in through the kitchen windows and door, and I could see all the winter crud everywhere! Thankfully when this happens there is something inside of me that goes off.....
Yippee!!
Most sane people I think would be outside enjoying the sunshine, but not me. I grab my cleaner and cloths and go to it! Scrubbing and buffing and sweeping and polishing.
It is such a reward now to walk in the kitchen and see a shiny counter top and clean floors even in the corners. Knowing that the corners are clean and the fridge has been cleaned out and the tea pot shines. Now if I can only catch up on more than a year of shoving things in drawers because of lack of time while caring form mom with Alzheimer's.
One thing at a time...sweet Jesus!


© Monika Hardy

Day 10 of 31 Days in Proverbs 31

Good day to you all ladies! Today is the 10th day of 31 Days through Proverbs 31 at my daughter in laws Blog....HISBELOVED. As a Grand mother I look at this study through different eyes now and just like God's word it is so deep that we can always come away with a fresh in filling of the Holy Spirit and a deeper understanding of His heart and Word. It is so wonderful to see Hisbeloved write and share the things God has laid on her heart from Proverbs 31 and know that she lives these before her family. It is wonderful to watch her interact with MY grand daughters :) and MY son. My husband and I are so blessed to know that her heart is to bless and serve them. Her husband safely trusts in her as well. She surely is a woman who fears the Lord.

© Monika Hardy

Young Ladies and Gentlemen

While going through the Proverbs 31 Study this month it has been such a blessing to see other young ladies taking up the torch of living a Biblical life without regard to the current culture. This may make our lives seem old fashioned, but I for one am so delighted to see it lived out in godly young ladies that are learning to serve their future husbands and families, by serving their Dad's and Mom's and family right now.

These young ladies are taking the time now, to learn skills that will help them in their future life no matter where God takes them. As Hisbeloved shared this past week a godly wife serves her husband ALL the days of her life. This implies the young woman has time to prepare for her role as wife by learning skills and preparing her heart before her God BEFORE she is married. This must seem like an incredible oddity to you if you happen upon this post and are living a life encouraged by the culture in which we live. But don't despair! Turn around and begin to walk with Jesus in His direction for your life. Seek him while He may be found, right now! Bow your heart and head, and surrender to the coming King.
Begin to shine the light of Jesus love in your life so that others may see Him instead of your SELF. We ladies are not lost in a man's world, we live in the order that God intended as helpers to our husbands as we care for him and manage his house and make it a home, as well as train his children in the ways of God. That is a tall order. We are not "bon bon eating, tv watching busybodies", no, we are concerned with the ways of our household, involved in the training of Young Ladies and Young Gentlemen.

What a joy it is to be a grandmother now, and see this begin all over again. I am also so delighted when I am doing my errands around town and a young man offers to get the door for me. I wish I could phone the Momma's of these young men and congratulate them on a job well done...but, a better reward will be waiting for them in heaven!

Would you like to see some of this in action with actual teenagers? Yes even some teenagers listen to the voice of God and obey Him and their parent's.
Take a peek at ...
A Country Diary of a 21st Century Lady


© Monika Hardy

The Best Books

"The best books...

The best books of men are soon exhausted--
they are cisterns, and not springing fountains.
You enjoy them very much at the first acquaintance,
and you think you could hear them a hundred times over-
but you could not- you soon find them wearisome.
Very speedily a man eats too much honey:
even children at length are cloyed with sweets.

All human books grow stale after a time-
but with the Word of God the desire to study it increases,
while the more you know of it the less you think you know.

The Book grows upon you: as you dive into its depths
you have a fuller perception of the infinity which remains
to be explored. You are still sighing to enjoy more of that
which it is your bliss to taste.

Charles Spurgeon

Day 5 of Proverbs 31 Study

If you haven't begun the Proverbs 31 Bible Study this week, it's not to late to catch up at His Beloved's. Today's topic..."She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."Take a moment to read some insightful words to encourage the rest of your day as you meditate on some practical ways to stay away from the ways of idleness.

© Monika Hardy