It's confession time. Do you ever let your feathers get ruffled by something someone has done or said? When was the last time your feathers were ruffled? I looked out my window the other day to see a gathering of bluebirds around the bluebird house at the end of the driveway. It's seems to be rather late in the season for birds to be checking out houses. But, that's exactly what these birds appeared to be doing. In and out they went. With hope in my heart, I grabbed the camera, just knowing that today, I would finally be able to snap some shots. And yes! I got a few. It was … [Read more...]
Today I have some tips on how to dry and debug pine cones. Or...as I prefer to call it...how to make pine cones pop. Okay...some will make popping sounds and some won't. Anyways.... What we're really trying to do is take those recently gathered pine cones, all closed up, damp from the rain and ground, dry them out and help them bloom (pop open) to their full potential. Pine cones are the flowers of the evergreen family. You gotta love any flower that stays beautiful almost indefinitely after it blooms. I have boxes and boxes of pine cones. Many of them are from the … [Read more...]
Obedience. That's sort of a prickly word for many of us. If our parents were strict disciplinarians we may have felt the price of disobedience. But, have you ever thought about the joy of obedience? Here are some verses from the Book of Hebrews, chapter 12, in the New Testament: 2 We must focus on Jesus, the source and goal of our faith. He saw the joy ahead of him, so he endured death on the cross and ignored the disgrace it brought him. Then he received the highest position in heaven, the one next to the throne of God.3 Think about Jesus, who endured opposition from sinners, so that you don’t … [Read more...]
Thirty-One Days. It went by in a flash. Some days. Other days, every tap on the keyboard was work. But, in the end...it was so worth it. 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... The main point of this series was to write for 31 days straight. Faithfully. The other aspect was for me to write something meaningful and somehow meld something near and dear to my heart with what we usually do here on the blog. It wasn't seamless. It was meaningful. Each day I read comments that touched my heart. I could/can hardly believe that what I tapped in touched your heart. Yet...your words told me volumes. … [Read more...]
After just completing my 31 day series, I thought I'd take the day off from the blog and writing. Well, I did take a little bit of time off to read my brand new November/December issue of Celebrating Everyday Life with Jennifer Carroll. As a collector of magazines, especially fall and Christmas issues, I must say this issue is spectacular, and I wanted to let you know all about it. This magazine has gorgeous photos filled with inspiration for the season, crafts and food...complete with directions and recipes, and heartfelt stories to touch your heart. Jennifer, the publisher of … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 31 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our "skin" and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. Whew! This has been the fastest month on record. It's been a joy to meet the challenge of writing each day. Though it has been a little more challenging that I imagined. When I embarked on this journey with you I thought that the task ahead would be much more light-hearted. I truly had no idea that as I … [Read more...]
Have you had someone in your life that's been a great encourager? The ability to give encouragement comes from a grateful heart. A heart of love. And a heart to bless others. Encouragement is a selfless activity. Those who make a point to encourage others are influencers in their world. We might even call them world changers. For the past four Wednesdays, in this #31Days series, we have been talking about different aspects of what it means to be encouraging... Day 2 ~ Be Encouraging :: Free Printable Quote Day 9 ~ Listen and 51 More Ways to Be Encouraging Day 16 ~ Be...Encouraging … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 29 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. "To be, or not to be?" Good question! The correct answer is...to be. Hands down! The second question might be, "To do, or not to do?" What? Doing is good isn't it? Yes, it can be. During this #31Days series we've been exploring being versus doing. Often, if we … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 28 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. When I embarked on this #31Days series, and chose Hospitality as one of the weekly topics, I had plans for all kinds of things hospitality-minded. But, as I began writing, I had an 'Ah Ha' moment. I needed that 'Ah Ha' moment and so did some readers. But....that totally turned my plans all upside down. (You can … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 27 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. In my reading early this week I came across this verse.... This image is available as a FREE 5x7 printable. Download it here. Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil. Psalm 97:11 The Message I love the idea of God planting … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 26 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. “We are not called by God to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things with extraordinary love. ” Jean Vanier Day 26 Challenge: Because God loves us with an extraordinary love, we too can love others with that same love. The freedom to be and do comes from receiving his love. Have … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 25 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. Small Things Being faithful in "small things" is about our character. It takes discipline. Daily. Not only is it our attention to those "small things" that makes a difference in the world. They make a difference in our personal lives too. This image is available as a 5x7 printable. Download … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 24 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. If you've been following this blog for even a little while, you have a pretty good idea of how much I enjoy God's magnificent creation. So for fun, I thought I'd put together a little vignette. As so often happens...one thing morphed into another. It started … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 23 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. No doubt you have read or heard this old proverb many times: All that glitters is not gold. One day my friend was sporting a new ring. It was really very pretty. I complimented her on it, thinking her husband blessed her with it for their anniversary. She thanked me and then went on to say, "I … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 22 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. Have you ever been a secret encourager? Several years ago the church I attended had a special year-long event for women. It was called "Secret Sisters." Usually there was an annual gathering where the "Secret Sisters" of the past year were revealed, a decadent dessert was served, and names were drawn … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 21 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. When was the last time you invited someone to your home? Is the question causing you to feel a little defensive? Maybe that's okay. Why? Because hospitality is not about comfort. Yup. I said it. If you're a good cook....people will enjoy your comfort food. If you're a great home … [Read more...]
Welcome to Day 20 of 31 Extraordinary Days to Be... Or...simply: Be... Together, we will learn to Be… to live fully and beautifully in our “skin” and in our homes and beyond. If you missed The Introduction or you'd like to follow the entire series, you can find each post listed here. Last Sunday we took a drive with some friends to visit a local university's gardens in the country. On our way home we drove past a small lake and were totally blown away by the awesome color. Four excited adults exited the car and quietly shouted for joy, exclaiming the glories of the beautiful colors, and … [Read more...]
