The Simple Woman's Daybook

A picture for thought I am sharing: An ACEO I made a while back...it reminds me of spring!

FOR TODAY
March 29, 2011...

Outside my window...grey rainy skies - we need some rain!  Hopefully it will make the blue-bonnets run wild!

I am thinking...about Angel's curriculum...does it need tweeking? (It's book-fair time you know!)

I am thankful for....another quiet morning around the house.

From the learning rooms...research on forensic archeology(!)

From the kitchen....I was given this great site for slow cooker recipes - http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/crockpot-pizza-soup-recipe.html.  You'll be glad you visited!


I am wearing...blue jeans and a long-sleeved brown tunic

I am creating...more mixed media panels; and I am sewing up my stash (making slow headway)

I am going...to have to plan Easter dinner soon.

I am reading..."C.S. Lewis" from the Heroes of History series to Angel.  I just finished reading Kelly Rae Roberts' e-book on creative business - wonderful resources!  I have now started a new Kindle book, a free download, titled "Mom's Ultimate Guide to the Tween Girl World" by Nancy Rue and published by Zondervan...another great resource for our stage of life!

I am hoping...to get some garden preparation done this week.

I am hearing...the dog starting to wake up in her kennel.

Around the house...lot's of arts and crafts going on right now!

One of my favorite things...Angel's smile.

A few plans for the rest of the week...ice skating field trip at the Dr. Pepper Center and another Casa Manana play!  And plans in place to see Wanda and the boys on Sunday afternoon!

The Simple Woman's Daybook
(click here to find other simple daybooks)

1000 gifts and then some...

Continuing the count - at least the written count (#79- #81) - and remembering gifts given through out time:

The touchable stillness of dawn, just before the birds begin to stir...

Psalm 46:10...

Cold air that hangs in space like a thick blanket covering the world, inviting us to stay still just a few minutes longer; to just be...

Joining other grateful and gracious souls at Ann's:

 

Sneak Peek Friday - Come into my living room

If you came over to my house for a chat, you would most probably end up sitting here, in our living room, with a cup of coffee or tea.  It is still a work in progress, and I haven't gotten candles to replace the pillars that we melted by having the floor candlesticks too close to the fireplace this winter! (The floor candlestick is that long thing to the right of the fireplace - there is a twin on the left side).  I am thinking about changing out the beaded mica shade for a black shade on that little lamp on the mantle.  The round coffee table has a black leather top when the tablecloth is removed, and I like the idea of a few black accents.

Well, you can also see the pale blue 1980's carpet...I can't wait to change this out for wood floors!  Scheduled for sometime in the next two years...but other than those little cosmetic changes (which never keeps me from entertaining!) the room is great! (Did I mention we bought this Victorian style home in 2004?  It was built in 1985 - the carpet is the final stronghold of that decade!)  Tons of 8 1/2 foot windows that face east, 10 foot high ceilings, an antique fireplace, and ornate crown molding really create a sense of character.  Immediately behind the burgundy chair is a circular room - consisting of 3 4-foot wide walls with windows and 2 4-foot wide solid walls...currently with no furniture, but you can see the view out the windows here as well as the lace curtains that I have framing each view...the light is great in this area, and I am on the lookout for the perfect writing desk or secretary to put there. Of course, the round room is where the Christmas Tree is placed each year!  So whatever I do put in that round room will have to able to slide into another space during November and December!

 

The living room is the "Chick Room"...where my girlfriends and I talk, where counseling takes place, where the dear daughter and I have tea parties...friends have said there is a feeling of peace and groundedness here...a friend gave me the metal angel wing that sits on the mantel, and you might recognize the art block - made by Jennifer at Studio JRU and that I won through an {in}-courage give away  (think happy dances)!   These are the photos that I have included in my "about" page, but I wanted to share them with you, too!  Oh, and the things on my art table this week are more "Affirmation Blocks" and a piece I was designing for a friend...her word for the year is "Prophecy"...she told me the colors she liked, and I think I really like how it turned out!  Enough that I went to bed last night thinking of other pieces I could make with the same technique...

                      

Linking up with other creatives at Studio JRU's Sneak Peek Friday

My Response to Him - The Beauty of Holiness 1

Fitful sleep,
Coughing,
Fever,
I want to write "part 2" of "The Beauty of Holiness" series, but my mind is easily distracted, well because the family needs me, too...

Coughing wakes me up again...I check my emails while I sip some water
I received an email from Voice of the Lord talking about the word "worship" and that it means to kiss towards...I've learned that before; noted it in my Bible at Psalm 2:12...

back to bed with the thoughts of worship being beautiful and the description of Jesus from Psalm 45 being so beautiful and kisses given and received - what we call worship - and the intimacy of that meandering around in my brain...

I lay down murmuring to Him that I want to write what He wants to say...and there are words in my mind...I try to catch them...

Write...response...to Me...share...your response...

And I am asleep...coughing wakes me in an hour, but there is a worship song already playing within me...the Holy Spirit is so faithful to be the vehicle of spirit communication...and I know this song is really my response to Him, to the Beauty of Holiness part 1...someone else wrote the words, but it is my song too, and I share it with you...

Lyrics to "You are so good to me" by Third Day
You are so good to me
You heal my broken heart
You are my Father in heaven [2x]
You ride upon the clouds
You lead me to the truth
You are the Spirit inside me [2x]
You poured out all your blood
You died upon the cross
You are my Jesus who loves me [2x]
[Chorus:]
You are beautiful my sweet, sweet, song [3x]
I will sing again

[Bridge:]
You are my strong melody
You are my dancing rhythm
You are my perfect rhyme
And I want to sing forever

Linking up with Tiffani at the House of Belonging and snuggling with a throw on the couch...

1000 gifts and then some...

Continuing the count - at least the written count (#69- 78) - and remembering gifts given through out time:

(The supermoon rising behind the Lincoln Memorial)

moon shadows cast by a "supermoon".

barking dogs and howling coyotes who saw the moon as an invitation to give overlapping concerts!

a trip to Amarillo for spring break...

a daughter delighted in new-found creativity (and especially excited as her dyslexia has prevented her from pursuing this particular art form in the past)...


His Word of healing that comes in so many forms and His daughter so freely sharing it here...

Encouragement to rest here...

Fresh water...

Food on the shelves of Super Walmart and the ability to buy it...

Freedom to immerse myself here...

 the new song sung by a bird we can never find (but he is wonderfully loudly persistent in his praises!)...

Joining other grateful and gracious souls at Ann's

 

The Beauty of Holiness...

Linking up with Tiffini at the House of Belonging and Emily at Imperfect Prose...

This week's prompt (at the House of Belonging) was something to encourage or inspire women on their daily journeys...maybe go on a "beauty hunt"...and immediately there it was - that whispering voice ticker taping another verse in my head.   The verse was this: Psalm 29:2b - and He quoted it in King James English (yes He did!)

...worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

The beauty of holiness!  Beauty, holiness, worship...the three are enter-twined intimately and incredibly and imaginatively(?).  What images are sparked in the mind by this phrase!  Holiness speaks of God's very nature and here the Word of Truth declares holiness to be beautiful!  Just a glance out of any window gives a hint of this nature of God, where beauty and holiness first are revealed...an expanse of creation that our mind can hardly comprehend, full of incredible color and texture - elements that artists throughout time have tried to re-express!  Each color has endless variety and nuance of hue and tone and transparency - depending on if it is expressed through water, earth, air or fire.  And to think, that this is a fallen world!  What were the textures and colors like before the serpent tempted Eve in the Garden? I wonder!  

We may never know, but we do get a glimpse of God's heavenly dwelling place (and ours!) through several places in Scripture.  There is a "pavement" like sapphire under His feet, and His throne is made all of sapphire like brilliance, a rainbow in shades of green is over His throne, His city is made up of streets of transparent gold, and walls encrusted with precious gems as jasper, chalcedony, sapphire, emerald, topaz, and more.  Mighty pearls are the gates and a river "clear as crystal" flows through His "city".

 (References - in order:  Exodus 24:10; Ezekiel 10:11; Revelation 4:3 Revelation 21:21; Revelation 21:19-20; Revelation 21:21; Revelation 22:1)

 This revelation of pure beauty may have been well known to our first mother and father.  I can only contemplate it, based on the description in Holy writ, and as I do, I realize that I place this beautiful  vision far away from me and at some distant time from now.  Could this be the reason I can struggle seeing myself the way He does in the "right now", the way my life is today?  Yes, much of the description is from the book that reveals the end of time...but isn't that scene the way heaven looks now?  Is it somehow easier to perceive the color and texture of the fallen world, because it is easier to see?  Is that why it is easier to believe the world's messages that are all around me? Those messages that tell me that I need to be "more than" I am right now, in this moment, that I am somehow "less than" if I choose a more narrow path? And yet His handiwork is still visible in this physical realm that is groaning for its redemption (Romans 8:22-23).  I am His handiwork, too, and His imprint is still visible in me!

To continue this "beauty hunt", take five minutes to write down as much texture and color you can actually see from right where you are sitting.  Then take five minutes to write out as much of the Lord's handiwork in YOU that you can "see".  In this portion of the exercise, use what you know by faith (even if you do not yet embrace it), positive comments that others say they notice about you, as well as Godly attributes that you DO know you have - use the "strengths" word cloud above to get ideas...and finally, take five minutes to enjoy this video and write out the beauty of the Lord Himself that is inspired by the worship. 



There are other verses that contain the phrase "the beauty of holiness", and we will look at them later in the series, because this is, as I discovered in my own journey this week, a series and that there is something mighty that the Lord wants to say (and I will share this learning walk with you) that is best said in several smaller bites that will be easier to chew through...and we will look at an incredible beautification process that the Lord has embedded in the Scripture, one that I am sure you will recognize has already begun in you!

Sneak Peek Comments winner..........................

I so appreciated everyone's comments last Friday!  I realized I had just gotten tunnel vision on this piece, and through your help I have gotten beyond it!  I was so focused on what I wanted the swirling to do, that I didn't just let it swirl!  Still that old control/perfectionism being worked out - and isn't it wonderful that God can use art to bring healing into deeper areas of the heart!   And why didn't I think about painting with fingers, or using something unique!  Ha, ha!

So the winner will receive one of these little affirmation canvasses...they are 4" by 4", sides painted black and a hanger attached on the back.  It can sit on a shelf or hang just about anywhere.  The mini-chalkboard is the perfect place to put a word you need to see over and over, a character trait you are developing in your life more fully...or even a doodle (the sides are painted black).

 
So, the winner is.......(drum rrrrrrrrroooooooolllllll please!)....Diana Mulder!  Picked by my girl with the sparkly eyes as I asked her to pick a number between 0 and 10, and she picked number 7 (her favorite number)...and thank you again Diana for the encouragement you gave me...I am taking that to heart too!

Congratulations Diana!

1000 gifts and then some...

Continuing the count - at least the written count - and remembering gifts given through out time:

#56 - 68.  Grace for the moment when we need it - not a moment too soon or too late...child's night-whispered "I love you sooooo much"...light pink fading in favor of the hot variety...warm bath water....scented oils for skin...the smell of curly hair formulated conditioner on wet ringlets...emerging girl growing to woman...shopping for toiletries that speak to changes...the smile on her face as she contemplates them...good books that stimulate intelligent discussion...paper hearts...

stars - glowing on the ceiling, twinkling in the night sky, sparkling in her eyes...
experiencing the reality that God's law is written on her heart by His Spirit...





Joining other grateful and gracious souls at Ann's

 

Sneak Peek Friday - Commission help!

Remember this sneak peek from a few weeks ago?  I am still working on the grouping...

 

 Here it is at the top...(still have some finishing touches to put on the "El" painting!)

The wings pictures with blue edges are finished...and I think you can see the color movement from one picture to another in the grouping...

In the photo above, you can see the movement to purples in the 7th piece there on the right - still in progress, of course!  There will be 13 total in the grouping!  Ughhh - my work surface is a MESS!

Above is the piece I am stuck on...I have repainted it twice....trying to get a swirly design, like the blue is swirling up and exploding with white and red and the resulting shades of purple - the text is the definition of compassion, which I do want to keep as a main component..but I don't know - I walk away and come back to it...I have started moving on to the other pieces in the grouping just to see if I can gain perspective...On one day I thought about how van Gogh did his starry night piece, and thought maybe that technique - white strokes over what I already had might give it the touch it needs!

Please share your ideas! I wish I could say that I will offer a prize from a random drawing for all ideas...oh, wait a minute...I guess I can! But it will have to be a surprise! So, if you leave an idea of how to fix this "compassion" piece in the comments, I will select a winner on Tuesday - March 15th - OK? I appreciate all of your creative input!

Linking up with other creative souls at Studio JRU (Click to hop on over!)

Celebrate - with Zephaniah 3:17

 Free image from Greenpaper

Earlier this year, I wrote a post about my word for 2011 - Celebrate!  And I have been "emerging", practicing thankfulness, looking for ways to enjoy each day...with the wings of that word tapping my   mind ever so gently...

Now the sweet challenge of Zephaniah 3:17 has me moving deeper into what He wants to impart to me through this word...this year...

Here is the verse as found in the New American Standard Bible:  "The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy."

Definitions are important...and here is what the butterfly wings have been dancing to the fore front of my brain...the connection to "rejoicing" found in the first definition of the word:

Celebrate:

1. To observe (a day or event) with ceremonies of respect, festivity, or rejoicing.

Celebrate emphasizes observance in the form of rejoicing or festivity: a surprise party to celebrate her birthday.

Zephaniah 3:17 is a picture of our Lord celebrating...I picture Jesus, with his full robes flying in all directions, as this personal expression of His rejoicing - celebrating! - over me formed...

My Zephaniah 3:17

Yahweh, the breath of all Life, the breath of MY life,
the self-existent, three-in-one who gives life to my spirit
and dwells in my inmost being...
He is a victorious warrior -
Mighty in His ability and desire to save,
to avenge,
to defend,
to deliver,
to help,
to preserve,
to rescue,
ME!

Enforcing HIS Victory...
beginning in the center of my being
invading my emotions, my thoughts, my will,

and flowing out into my everyday life!
  He will leap up, spring forth
in gaity and laughter, pleasure, joy and gladness

because of me,
on behalf of me,
together with me,
in spite of me
(yes, it really says that and most times this is true!)
He will be quiet in His love,
He will spin, and dance, and twirl
over me, with me,
around me, towards me,
beside me...
and with joyful shouts
upon
joyful shouts
upon
joyful shouts
of joy!

Joining with Emily and other imperfects at Imperfect Prose, Word Women Wednesday at the House of Belonging

1000 gifts and then some...

Giving thanks this week for a husband who is a master:

He is the one in the black vest to the left, looking down range..

41. finger bandager
42. spider smasher
43. make a daughter feel like a princess-er
44. comforter
45. cowboy action shooter
46. spiritual leader
47. provider
48. protector
49. guide-or
50. take care of supper spontaneously-er
51. kid wrangler
52. listener
53. wise word-er
54. friend
55. make me feel special-er

Joining other grateful and gracious souls at Ann's

Sneak Peek Friday -Time in art

Time is the topic this week at my place...and I have enjoyed the Holy Spirit's musings!  Here is the first in a series of "time" and "prayer" art clocks I have been inspired to create...

 

It is almost finished, I just need to add the words sitting on the art table, more black distress ink around the edges, seal it and place the hands.  The clock face is a recycled CD, about 5 inches in diameter, with scraps of paper collaged on the front and back with a quartz battery powered movement...I think it is small enough to fit on a desk, bookcase or wall...in fact, I wasn't sure the words would all fit!  I have other series of twelve words written in a sketch book - but this is the fruits of the Spirit plus three, so I decided to NOT put the fruits in order around the face.  

Here is a little bit more of a close-up:

Joining with other creatives at Studio JRU

On the issue of time...

It takes time to spin - to draft the roving, to let the spindle twist the fiber into thread, and enough thread to form a skein of yarn. My daughter spins. I don't - I never learned this art, but I love the times when she sits beside me, spindle in hand, fibers twisting through her fingers...

This week has been about time for me - it wasn't a plan, but a serendipitous spinning and twisting as my life passed through the fingers of the Holy Spirit! (You will have to come over again tomorrow for coffee and a sneak peek at what is on the art table...) And this "time journey" has been good - not necessarily new information, but deeper exploration of what I do know to be true...

that time is precious
that time is a gift
that time is a sacrifice
that time is something I must be a steward over.

I spent time (lots of it!) searching for the book in which I KNEW I had marked this quote by Annie Dillard, thinking I might make an inspiration piece out of it to remind me of the power of time: How we live our days...is how we live our lives."  (Found in Crazy Love by Francis Chan, page 165.)

A few days ago, I was playing with the word itself - making an acrostic out of it...
T - the
I - intimate
M - memories
E - experience

This one was specifically created as I considered the importance of the days I am spending with my dear daughter, and holding close to my heart intimate conversations that spontaneously erupt throughout the day. Or how about "To Interest My Energies".  Perhaps "terribly irrationally managing emotions" ("Just to let you know how it CAN be over here," said laughingly) Try it! It really is fun.


And then, of course, this little verse became a ticker tape in my mind:  making the most of your time, because the days are evil - Ephesians 5:16.  You know it, too, don't you!
I already knew that He was going to talk to me about the word "time" in the original language, right?  And "time" isn't just the 1a. nonspatial continuum in which events occur in apparently

You can keep reading this post here

1000 gifts and then some...

Ah - I just read Ann's post, and am feeling challenged to make the list a place of sacrificial thanksgiving...and realizing that this week, the only sacrifice I am making is that of time...

30.  Time spent recording how He talks to me...captured here.
32.  Time spent in prayer - at church - and an immediate answer while at church.  Thank you, Lord, for confirming Your voice and will one more time for me!
33.  Making time to listen to the Daily Audio Bible for kids (always trying to find ways for the dear daughter to get a break from my voice).

35.  loving an incredibly intelligent girl with challenging learning differences.
36.  Reading the words of almost every school lesson our daughter has done. (I am learning so much!).
37.  Being able to be available to give this daughter the education she deserves.
38.  Beginning to love history!
39.  Time spent worshipping together with our church family...it doesn't seem to be a sacrifice, yet it is a choice, so it is placed here, because I am hearing Him say that He still counts it...
40.  Taking time to find out, for that dear daughter, where JB is today, and finding this - a young person promoting clean water here.

And as I view this list, and I know the sacrifices are small, I also can see how love causes sacrifice to seem inconsequential.


Joining other gracious and grateful souls at

Sneak Peek Friday - How do you hear Him?

On my art table this week seems to be words, words instead of pictures, but I am sharing anyway (this image is from a class I took in 2009 from Paulette)...


I sat down to begin "writing my process for making a scripture prayer art piece", and immediately began to hear the now familiar flow of words/ideas/thoughts that issue from that inner place that I have come to recognize as that from which the Holy Spirit speaks. "I call to the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. I know when you stand up and sit down. I am there throughout the night watches; I never slumber of sleep." (These thoughts are coming in flashes, along with a flash of the area of scripture this thought comes from.) And as I begin to think about how He is doing this, another flash: "I bring these things to your remembrance".* Yes, I have spent time reading the Scripture, becoming familiar with not just the Words, but the Author of the Words Himself, and He is bringing them forward into my consciousness as He speaks...I am not saying this to say I am some sort of super spiritual person - as you can see from this post, I am not! - but I AM saying this to encourage you, that this is fruit anyone can enjoy, as it is grown from your own life in His Word...and the impression I had as He was speaking the above things to me is that He wanted the readers of these words to know that He was already speaking into your heart's desire of joining Him in the act of creating.

You might ask, "How do you KNOW if these flashes are God speaking or just good ideas from your own heart?" I had that question, too, and at that time (some years ago), my mind was turned towards James 1:17. The verse says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow (NAS)." I understood this to mean - at the beginning of this journey of hearing His voice - that I could

You can keep reading this post here

A Letter from my heart...

3 days ago, I meant to tell you “I am sorry for being grumpy at you last night when you pinched my nose, waking me up to tell me to be quiet" (I was snoring you told me) and you were just needing someone with skin on to help you feel safe as you laid in the dark, mind whirring too much to sleep…and I didn’t take the time to say those words because we were all cheerful about our Sunday – going to church, going to help friends move, going to get your new drum set that God had blessed you with. Then yesterday, when you felt so bad that the bad feeling overwhelmed you and for that brief moment – you went black – darkness in your mind overshadowing your heart and turned its angry vicious voice on your own being and then on me as the pain and despair poured out over both of us…(where does that come from?)…our day was gentle, peaceful, beautiful, successful till then … our love touched again soon after…but I wonder about the black, the bad feeling … did I make it bigger? Do consequences enlarge it, enrage it? You apologized as soon as your emotions subsided … we both forgave … but there still has to be consequences … consequences meant to teach, to train, to remind, to begin a new and healthier habit … I want to help, but my box doesn’t seem to have the right sized tools to repair the deeper hurt when it makes its way to the surface … do you understand? Do you hear my heart? I desire to be an example of kindness; consequences don't feel kind - to either of us it would seem!

And it is here that I hear God's whisper, that my toolbox has been fashioned by His love, and the tools inside, of repair and reconstruction, include consequences as well as
hugs,
faces touching forehead to forehead and nose to nose
and heart to heart,
smiles,
forgiveness asked for and granted,
words fitly spoken,
soon finding some small joy to be shared together
(yes, it CAN be ice cream with chocolate sauce as long as it isn't ALWAYS that!),
remembering grace,
practicing reconciliation,
expressing the warm embrace of deeper understanding,
unconditional acceptance that rightly values the person apart from performance,
the gift of time...

All these interject and bind My Healing Presence into the deepest areas of need.

And isn't all this, all part of My definition of kindness*, the fruit of the Spirit?
To provide that which is suitable and useful?
That which will allow for roots of love to grow deep and strong?


And in humble awe, my soul is on its knees...

*http://strongsnumbers.com/greek/5543.htm


Joining with other imperfects at Imperfect Prose Thursdays.

1000 gifts and then some....

23. ...aching clear to the bone tiredness from helping friends...(it really does feel good; it feels alive!)

24. ...taking inventory of family values on a lazy Sunday afternoon...

25. ...smiles.

26. ...puppy dances.

27. ...the blessing of a drum set from homeschooling friends who found out we were looking for a set for Angel.

28. ...art treats in the mail. ("heartsies" from Twig2Nest)

29. ...mail from the oldest son containing surprise samples of his artwork!

Joining other gracious and grateful souls at:

Sneak Peek Friday - A commission peek and more Scripture Prayers...

I really enjoyed a creative week this week...I worked on another piece for my "Scripture Prayers" series (this one is from Colossians) ... I was privileged to be asked by another artist for my process so she could create some for her Bible Study group...

Would anyone else be interested in the information? Let me know - I might post a tutorial (smiles).


This is a glimpse of what is on my art table now - a commission I am working on...yes, just a peek allowed for now!

I am playing with Gold Acrylic (instead of Gold Gesso). I was reading somewhere - some time ago - that many of the Renaissance artists used gold gesso to give their entire painting a luminous quality...I am using it on this commission, and I am experimenting with abstraction in my mixed media...I am liking what is happening so far!

I am linking up with Jennifer and many other inspirational artists at Studio JRU's Sneak Peek Friday...click the button to go exploring!

I so enjoyed the One World One Heart event! I found so many creative ideas, new friends (waving "hi" to "the other Cindy") and overall loved visiting with everyone! Next year? Maybe!

Now it is time to announce the One World One Heart giveaway winners!

The three winners for my giveaway are:

Terri from Blooming Ideas
Que Bella from Que Bella and
Diane from Diane's Mixed Art

Congratulations to the winners!

If any one else is interested in a print (you can see them here), I am also offering them for $10.00 each...please email me or leave a comment on this post...

1000 gifts and then some...

Continuing the count - at least the written count - and remembering gifts given through out time:

14. ...that he remembers to love and cherish me EVERY day, not just on Valentine's Day!

15. ...kisses!

16. ...love that has weathered the years and matured to the place it is now.






17. ...handmade valentines








18. ....watching the sweet tweener get wrapped up in "Bieber Fever"...

19. ...that the tweener is drawn to someone who is a Christian (if you see the "Never Say Never" movie, you know for sure that Justin Bieber and at least his mom are Christians! And he is definitely a positive role model...)

20.. ...puppy love! (shhhh...can't tell here)

21. ...agape love...captured in this verse:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8.

22. ...and because He loves me, I can grow in my ability to love...

Joining other gracious and grateful souls at:

1000 gifts and then some...

Beginning the count - at least the written count - and remembering gifts given through out time:

1. ...watching my daughter clean her room in preparing for an extended stay by friends while their parents went out of state...she knows how to vacuum! Without being told!

2. ...the husband who faithfully goes to work every day, and has for almost thirty years.

3. ...pile of laundry - the evidence of a warm, adventure filled day.


4. ...silken texture; jewel tone patches of vintage love still covering children grown.



5. ...rich coffee smells drifting up the stairwell.

6. ...flower bed wombs waiting for their petaled children to break through the dormant soil.

7. ...hearing that same daughter begin a tweener styled arrogant comment and, catching herself, turn it into a word of encouragement for her friend...

8. ...years ago, the Lord's spirit within pointing to a magnificent oak tree, and teaching my first lesson in thanks giving in the midst of pain.

9. ...His Perseverance!

10. ...mondays - the beginning of walking out the restful-ness of Sunday.

11. ...tears trickling out the corner of an NFL
player's eyes at the a cappella singing of the
National Anthem.

12. ...bird tracks in the snow...were they looking for comfort and warmth from a stone statue? Can even a bird practice idolatry?

13....Sunny snow shadows.




Joining other gracious and grateful souls at: