Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout jubilantly, O daughter of Jerusalem! Look—your King is coming; He is righteous and able to save. He comes seated humbly on a donkey, on a colt, a foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9 The Voice (VOICE) Palm Sunday.... a day when we wave palm branches and sing for JOY! What significance does Palm Sunday hold for you? It's Joy Day! Today is the day when we take time to look back over our week and count gifts/blessings. The good, and yes, the not so good things that happened in our lives. And we give thanks to God for … [Read more...]
Just Me and My Shadow Just Me and My Shadow Sometimes it's just my shadow and I Running around under this big ole sky... He's just like me from head to toe Where he comes from, I don't know... I love to race this friend of mine But he seems to stay one step behind... It's good to have this friend to share Because I know he'll always be there! ~unknown ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Catch up on all that's Extraordinary... this week at An Extraordinary Day: Here … [Read more...]
My small group was getting together for dinner and I was preparing my favorite quick and easy vegetable side dish recipe...Far East Celery. It's my go-to recipe that everyone always raves about. And I love that it goes so well with beef, turkey, chicken, and fish dishes and I'm quite certain it will make a sensational side dish for a ham dinner, too. With Easter dinner quickly approaching, I'm thinking many of you are putting together your menus right now. Far East Celery would be perfect on the Easter buffet. So, as I was purchasing my ingredients, I knew I needed to share my recipe … [Read more...]
What colors elicit the feeling of Spring for you? Yellow is one of my favorite colors, so when the Daffodils begin blooming, it's like I see happiness popping up all over my world. Several years ago as I was going through my parents' cupboards....you know the way-up-high kitchen storage that once an item goes up there, no one ever sees again? That's where I found this yellow Crocus planter. As I was trying to decide what to put together without spending a dime, I remembered that bright yellow pot I had taken home with me. It was the starting place for this yellow, blue, and … [Read more...]
An Irish Blessing May you and peace surround you, Contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now, And bless you evermore. Peace & Joy to YOU! Diane To receive bits of inspiration like this in your inbox or reader, subscribe now. Please take a moment to “Like” An Extraordinary Day ~ A Place of Joy & Inspiration on Facebook! … [Read more...]
“The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.” Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God Honestly, I am in a difficult season of life. When the future is completely unknown and no one in the house has a paying job (not yet anyway), it's...well...difficult. Here's the remarkable thing. I told my husband the other day that I have tremendous peace. Doesn't that seem almost impossible in the light of my situation? I'm learning not to worry. That, is huge. I'm "putting feet" to trusting God. Believing that all … [Read more...]
Spring... You've been teasing us with warm days and buds bursting from the soil with new life. And then you turn around and shower us with sleet, and snow for days on end, and through clouds of steel give us only glimpses of sunshine. Some days I think you are positively mean. And then I realize...it is not Spring...it is still winter...for a few more days. Winter officially departs and lovely dear Spring rides in March 20, at precisely 7:02 AM EDT. It fascinates me that on this first day of Spring...day and night are each approximately 12 hours long. Did you know that the … [Read more...]
Walking. It's something we do every day. We love it for getting our exercise. But, one reason that I choose walking is because it gives me the opportunity to actually 'talk' with my husband. And the other reason, is because it gives me more time to notice the world around me. I know, that's no surprise to you....especially as it seems that my second most favorite thing to do is to go out, camera in hand, and see what I can discover. Maybe that's why I notice things that change along my paths. Like the first day the Crocus stick up their pretty … [Read more...]
Welcome! From the moment you step foot on the brick pathway to my front door, I want you to feel welcome. For me, hospitality starts outside my front door. When you come to the door, my goal is for you to already be sensing that you are important and valued. In addition to laying down the welcome mat a great way to make our homes look and feel inviting is to add a seasonal wreath to the front door. Beautify the Front Door for Easter with a Burlap & Pastel Grapevine Wreath As you might guess, I have a few seasonal wreaths that I change out … [Read more...]
"With all my heart I praise the Lord." These words were penned by David in the Book of Psalms. Can I say them and mean it? What does it mean to praise God with all my heart? I'm not exactly sure. But I think it begins with emptying myself of all the stuff in my life. In order to do that, I must stop my body and quiet my mind....put my agenda and cares aside. All that so I there's only me and HIM. And only then can I fully be in the moment to praise HIM. Read David's words... With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all that I am I … [Read more...]
Welcome to the weekend! Is the weekend a pause in your week? A time to get oodles of work done? A time to play? Or just like any other day? My weekend began in the quiet. Peering out the window I noticed a sliver of pink over the mountain and an eyelash of a moon in the sky. Later, my husband prepared blueberry-banana pancakes which we smothered in butter and maple syrup. Amazingly delicious. And then I noticed this pile of silver I had put together yesterday for polishing. I'm attempting to see my world with new eyes. The incredible all around me. … [Read more...]
To live an Extraordinary Life is to see the Miraculous in everyday things. Emerson says it just a little bit differently. I like his thoughts too. “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Hmmm.... I'm thinking that if we're wise we will train our eyes so that we can indeed see the miraculous in the common. This beautiful plant is a Croton which I photographed on a recent trip to the Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh. You will be seeing more photos in upcoming weeks from my little jaunt there. Certainly it was a … [Read more...]
Do you have a mantel? Though I snapped my fingers, for some reason, a lovely fireplace and mantel fail to appear in my great room. So what's a gal supposed to do? Improvise. You might remember last fall I wanted to decorate a mantel for...um... Fall! What did I do? Decorated my sideboard. It worked. Now that Spring is on the horizon, and no fireplace or mantel is gracing my home, I picked the top of the piano to be my imitation mantel. I think it works. I know that most people choose to decorate for Spring with daffodil yellow, springy green, and just … [Read more...]
During the season of Lent it is common practice for people to 'give up' something. I often hear friends speak of 'giving up' chocolate, or snacks, or coffee, or Coke. All good things to sacrifice....if it is indeed a sacrifice. I must confess that in the past I have never really taken this Lenten sacrifice seriously. However, this year, I felt like it was something I needed to prayerfully consider. For a few weeks leading up to Lent, God was nudging me. And then...just days before...he actually woke me up early. The same time each morning. You see, he was getting me ready to get … [Read more...]
Are you familiar with the artists who are known as painters of light? They capture a moment in time when the light is perfectly golden, or that moment when the street lights first begin to appear just before twilight. That magical time of day. After spending a few hours hiking in the shadows of the mountain it was time to head for home. On the drive we rounded a curve, and as we did everything became golden in the light. I asked my husband to stop the car and turn around so that I could attempt to capture it with my pocket camera. I think you can get a … [Read more...]
One of my favorite soups to order when I go out to dinner is French Onion Soup. It is your favorite soup too? When I was in college I had the privilege of traveling abroad. On one of my trips, some friends and I splurged and had dinner in a lovely restaurant on the Seine River in Paris, France, not far from the Notre Dame Cathedral. And, believe it or not, it was the very first time I had ever tasted French Onion Soup. Since then, I have tried different recipes in hopes that I could re-create the memory of those wonderful flavors. And this time, I think I got … [Read more...]
Welcome to.... Decorative Paper {Pennant, Garland, Flag, Bunting} Banner-Making 101* By the time you complete this easy DIY tutorial, you should have a lovely pennant banner to grace your wall or mantel. Are you ready? Let's start! For way too long I have been admiring the lovely pennant banners that grace walls, mantels, porches, windows, and more. I wanted a lovely flag garland to drape somewhere in my home, but I needed a pattern, a how-to. One day the desire overcame the need for a how-to and I created my own lovely pennant flag banner. Keep in mind that beauty is in the eye … [Read more...]
