Christmas Gifts and an Update

I can't believe we're over two weeks into the new year.  My Christmas tree is still up.  There are even a few unwrapped gifts tucked beneath it.  Some Christmas vignettes are still on display...others are dismantled and piled on the dining room table.  I just haven't managed to accomplish (more about this word next week) much of anything. 

 

The sky has been overcast...and my mood has been equally dreary.  Adding a sick grandchild into the mix....well it all just equals BLAH!  Yesterday I was trying to decide what to blog about and I was coming up empty.  Then I saw those unwrapped gifts under the tree....hmmmm, maybe I'll share some photos of my Christmas bounty.  

Here's a peek at one of my gifts.

 

I've tried my hand at knitting and my fingers just don't want to cooperate. 
I thought these looms might be worth trying. 

Katie, Mandy, Mark and Charlotte gave me the Loom Knitting Primer and a gift card for Michael's.  

Being the good shopper that I am...and having a fondness for 40% off coupons,
I was able to get both the round loom set and one long loom. 

Plus I still have enough $$ left to get some yarn! 
I think I'm going to try making a couple hats....but I'd really like to make a couple of these cute ponchos!

 

Wish me luck......a little motivation might help as well!

 

Charlotte update:

She saw her Pediatrician Wednesday.  Her temperature has been just under 100 degrees and that is a huge praise!!  She still has some signs of Pneumonia and some fluid in one ear.  Katie will be doing some therapy with Charlotte to help with the lungs.  She has a follow-up appointment on Friday.
The doctor, when told that Charlotte's not eating much, prescribed ice cream sandwiches for lunch!  Someone was very happy to hear that...but she did decide that Neapolitan and a cone was more to her liking.

 

Our Daily Bread - Prayer

Life has been very busy since I last posted.  We had a wonderful visit with my mother.  Too short, very busy and lots of fun!!  We celebrated a birthday, took a day trip and the whole bunch went out to dinner one night.  Mom and I even did a bit of babysitting. There was never a dull moment.  We may have worn her out, but I think Bill "tricked" her into agreeing to come again in October...that's something for us to look forward to.!!

I was also in a craft show this past weekend....I made a little cash, spent a little cash, and enjoyed visiting with friends.  I didn't make a lot of things for this show...there just wasn't time.  But I did manage to make a few new things and I also decorated a jar and filled it with goodies. It's on the way to Oliva, my "Vintage Jar Swap" partner.  Photos of all these things will be posted next week.

Yesterday I enjoyed a wonderful program at my church....music and drama about the final days of Jesus Christ's life here on earth. It was beautiful, it was powerful and it got me thinking about my "One Little Word" for this year.  Time.  I'm not spending enough time with the Lord...the busyness of life is clouding my vision again.  So this week I'm going to post excerpts from Our Daily Bread each day.  It'll help keep me focused.  I'll also be sharing photos that I took last week...when my mom, my daughters and I visited Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

Longwood is full of beautiful flowers....God's handiwork....it's amazing! 

"For those who follow Jesus Christ, it is also a mistake to view the remarkable as ordinary. Think about prayer for instance. At any moment we can talk to the Creator God who spoke the universe into existence! Not only are we welcomed into His presence, but we are invited to enter boldly: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16)."

Our Daily Bread

I'm linking up with Lorraine's blog as we "Think on These Things".
As I think on prayer.

Time

I chose TIME as my "One Little Word" for 2012.  It's been a hard one to focus on....a hard one to apply to my life.  There just never seems to be enough of it....right? We all have that problem I'm sure. Some just manage "time" way better than others.  There's also new limits to what I can physically accomplish. Knee replacement surgery did not turn me into a bionic woman! Not even close.

My Bible version of choice is the New King James.  It's the version used at my church. It's the first version I read after becoming a believer...it's stuck with me.  I seldom read any other versions. But as I've been trying to work out this "time" issue I've been exploring a bit.  I've been looking up Ephesians 5:15-17...just to see the different wording.  I came across J.B.Phillips New Testament.

Live life with a due sense of responsibility, not as those who don’t know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days.

That last sentence caught my attention.  "Make the best use of your time, DESPITE all the difficulties of these days."   In other words, work with what you've got Marie!  A hectic life and a less than physically fit body are not excuses for mismanaging my time!

The first sentence also caught my attention.  God wants us to be responsible and wise with how we use our time because we know the meaning and purpose of this life.  We I need to use that knowledge as a guide to deciding how to make the best use of my time.  Hmmm...somehow I'm thinking that the problem isn't lack of time. Perhaps it's more about, dare I say, making less than stellar decisions about how I use the time I have.  I need to figure out what matters most and work from there. 
To be continued...

"Faith is not believing God can

- it is knowing that He will."

 

One Little Word

In 2010 I decided that my word of the year would be rest and in 2011 I focused on the word simplify. I had some success focusing on the two words during their respective years...at least for some of each year.  But I discovered that my discipline in re-visiting my words throughout the year disappeared a lot faster than the year itself.  I really want this year to be different!

I started thinking about what my "One Little Word" should be for 2012 about a week ago....and it's been  difficult to make a decision.  But I did and I'm sure it's the very best word for me to focus on for 2012.  Quotes I read on other blogs and the New Year's Day message at my church confirmed that for me.


See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time,

because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:15-17

"I don’t really want more time;

I just want enough time.

Time to breathe deep, time to see real & time to laugh long,

time to give You glory & rest deep & sing joy…

I just want time to do my one life well."

Ann Voscamp

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

So my One Little Word is TIME.  I want to focus on my time.  How I spend it. Wisely? Or not so much?  I want to make the best possible use of my time.  The BEST possible use of the time the Lord has given me.

Time to sleep, time to live, time for health, time for Bill, for my children and my grandchildren. Time for friends and food and fun. Time to create, time to read, time to be, time for joy, time for me. Time for now...because the past is done and the future may never come.
Most of all time for Him...time for obedience, time for worship, time for gratitude, time for prayer and time to study. Time to try to know Him as well as He knows me.

I'm linking up with The Lettered Cottage for

This Little Word of Mine.

Simplify

 I chose to focus on the word SIMPLIFY for my "One Little Word" this year.  This is my eleventh post on the subject of simplying.  (You can read the others here).  

I used several quotes in the posts....this one is my favorite:

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. Hans Hofmann



I've been trying very hard to eliminate the unnecessary by sorting through and cleaning out closets and bookcases and boxes and totes. I've gotten through all but two rooms in the house and the fruits of my labor are stacked up in the living room.  Next step on the road to elimination is price tags....'cause it's yard sale time!!  I have lots of work to do this week!!

UPDATE:  Just for the record...this is not all mine!

My daughters have both contributed.  I was a little embarrassed by the large piles of stuff and just really felt the need to clarify!   : )

It's kind of funny to see how the boxes and totes ended up stacked underneath the SIMPLIFY sign!!

Simplify

I'm still trying to focus on and apply to my life this year's "one little work".

"SIMPLIFY"

Something I've realized is that no one can really SIMPLIFY their life until they've learned to be content with what their life is.  Then they need to work within that contentment to weed out what isn't necessary. Maybe finding a more simple life in the process.

"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength.'

Philippians 4:11-13 

Thank you Regina for my new SIMPLIFY picture. I love it!

Still At It.....

sim·pli·fy verb \ˈsim-plə-ˌfī\
sim·pli·fied sim·pli·fy·ing

Definition of SIMPLIFY
transitive verb
- to make simple or simpler: as, a : to reduce to basic essentials, b : to diminish in scope or complexity : streamline, c : to make more intelligible : clarify
- sim·pli·fi·ca·tion \ˌsim-plə-fə-ˈkā-shən\ noun
- sim·pli·fi·er \ˈsim-plə-ˌfī(-ə)r\ noun

One Little Word

Our life is frittered away by detail...
Simplify, simplify.
Henry Thoreau

 

I'm going to spend some time simplifying my life this weekend!  I'm going to enjoy doing it too!
I hope you enjoy your weekend!!!

Simplify #2

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.

Hans Hofmann 



artfire



Simplifying (my One Little Word)  is not an easy thing to do.....but the magazines are 75% finished. So that's progress.

One Little Word ~ Simplify

I have been feeling over-whelmed by life for the past several years.  It's partly because of the way I've lived for many years before. I'm a collector and a saver and a procrastinator and I have a lot of good intentions. But I just don't have a lot of time.  Add to the mix some big changes in my life over the past several years. 
On Christmas morning we were sitting in the living room looking at all the stuff in the room. Decorations, brightly wrapped packages, furniture.....so much stuff.  Stuff that spilled over into the kitchen, the family and the rest of the house for that matter.  One of my daughters pointed at one of the "decorations" ~ she thought it was kind of funny to see it in the midst of all the stuff.

There it was ~ staring down at us from above.  SIMPLIFY.  In this house it's not a statement of fact....it's more like a dream...wishful thinking.  I want it to be a reality. And I'm not talking about just the material things either. I want to SIMPLIFY my life....my surroundings, my soul and my spirit.

So my "One Little Word" for 2011 is SIMPLIFY.


Definition of SIMPLIFY
transitive verb
: to make simple or simpler: as a : to reduce to basic essentials, b : to diminish in scope or complexity : streamline, c : to make more intelligible : clarify

Synonyms: streamline
Antonyms: complex, complexify, complicate, perplex, sophisticate


Out with complicated and in with simplified.  Starting now.

One Little Word ~ Rest

I took this photo in April of 2006.

Goofy & Mickey just chillin' in the Animal Kingdom.

Goofy sure looks like he's taking it easy ~ taking a little rest!

Rest ~ that my "one little word" for 2010.

I intended to spend a bit more time focusing on that word

and how it applies to me and to my life.

But I really haven't been doing that ~

because I haven't had time.

Because I haven't been resting!

I really need to rest right now.
My body is demanding that I do. So's my soul.


"And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
2 Corinthians 12:9

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30


Christ will carry the load of life’s burdens, physical and spiritual, for the believer and He will provide rest and healing for the believer. He is not stressed or bothered by the things of this world, because He is in control of this world.


I need some rest ~ physically and spiritually.
I have a couple posts scheduled but other than those I think I'll be "postless" for a week or two. But I'll still be visiting you!

And when I return I'll be closing in on my

second blogging anniversary.

That must mean a giveaway the first week or so of July!!
"Cause that's when I'll be two!

Rest Sweet Rest

Rest

Rest means being still, being quiet, relaxing, puttering, or taking a break. I need rest to happen more than it does!

Resting

This is how I feel today.

Blah!

It's a good day to reflect on my "one little word" ~ REST.

Our bodies need it. We don't always give our bodies what it needs. But it has a way of getting what it needs! Like today...I have no option available except to REST. I am wiped out. It's an effort to walk down seven stairs and go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Then I climb back up ALL seven of those stairs and collapse onto my bed so I can REST some more!

Ali Edwards, the originator of One Little Word, shared some great actions to take with our words in her post today.

I plan on using her suggestions!

But for now ~ I need some more REST!

I don't suppose anyone would like to get me a cup of tea?

Update: I found the thermos! I have four cups of hot tea on my nightstand right now. That should last until someone gets home...someone who can wait on me! : )

Rest

But I don't have to feel this way......there is a solution.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

He calls out to people who are running in circles, weary from trying to be all and do all, burdened by the effort of living in this broken world by our own inadequate resources. He invites us to come to Him and learn from Him. That's where we find rest for our souls. I really want to dig deep and explore this aspect as I focus on this one little word......

Look here for more about my word

one little word 2010

Look here for some great info.

One Little Word ~ Rest

On January 1st I told you about One Little Word 2010.

Today I'd like to share the word I chose.

Focusing on this word, used in various ways, can have a powerful impact on my life this year.

Rest ~ I definitely don't get enough of it. I'm a night owl. But I also have to be at work at 8:30am. I have a bad habit of fighting past the first signs of being tired until I catch that second wind. So many books & blogs to read, so much laundry & cleaning to take care of and lots and lots of errands to run ~ it's difficult to squeeze it all in after 5:00pm and before bedtime (whenever that is!). But squeeze it in I do and then when I'm done and ready to sleep, I'm too wound up. By the time I'm tired again the clock says the alarm will be going off in five hours! Oh my goodness ~ I need to fall asleep right away! I need to have those five hours!

I don't know about you, but I don't fall asleep well under pressure, even self-induced pressure. And so it goes. Many nights those five hours turn into four or three.........

I definitely need to work on this aspect of rest.

I know there must be a good idea or two or three out there for me!