let's review.

so, yesterday, i mapped out my day for you. and i must say, i was MOSTLY accurate. i was batting 100% until dear sweet computer died again. after an hour.

i must say, that my computer guys ARE truly the best. they are ordering another part on the chance that the one they put in was bad. and they are advising me to get ready for a new system, on the chance that it still needs more attention.

the bad news is that a new system has been estimated to cost about $3500. i love my apple computers, they do last a LONG time with heavy use. but wow. that's a few bucks. so, i'm kind of hoping i can get by for another few months before i must make that kind of purchase. i keep reminding myself that it's really the sole business expense for myself. well, except for the therapy i need for all the mental anguish, but you guys are pretty good at providing that for free :)

so there you have it! i did indeed have a very good day, but i will further refrain from trying to determine the exact course of events that will occur. i think God did a pretty good job of reminding me that those kinds of decisions are reserved for Him.

happy day

today life is going to go my way. i just know it.... ;)

today i am going to go out in the ice and crappy weather and not get into an accident!

today i am going to have 3 meetings that go extremely well!

today i am going to get my dear sweet 5-year old computer back from the doctor, and it will run like the wind!

today i am going to TRY not to hug erik, the computer fixer guy, because i have done it before, and he seems a little ill at ease with hugging customers.

today is thursday, which is almost friday, which is always good.


so, how's your day gonna be?!

bump in the road

this past week or so has been a lesson in 'life struggles' for me. i think God is showing me something here, or at least maybe i am finally starting to hear what He has been saying for awhile.

the lesson concerns the ups and downs of life, the hardships - big and small - that seem to keep coming. for each person, in each season, they are different. sometimes, it's the same thing over and over. every time, we wish for a happy ending, a resolution.

God is using the story of joseph to show me some things about my own struggles. my main struggle has always been fear, or fear of being 'dropped.' from a very early age, i have felt that somehow, i would not be 'taken care of.' i am not sure where or why it happened. i do remember sitting as a small child, waiting for my father to come home from work, and worried that something would happen to him. my security then (and for a long time after) was in my earthly father. and i was deep down inside, afraid he would not be there for me.

fast forward to these later years, and what has come to be a struggle in a similar way with my Heavenly Father. whenever things get tough, i seem to equate it with a turn of God against me. i start to doubt His love for me, or think that i must NOT be all 'that' in His eyes. every time things take a turn for the worse, i fear complete and total loss...that somehow, God will not catch me.

so, back to joseph. wow, his story would not seem to say anything different, would it? i mean, his brothers tried to kill him, he ended up in jail, his employer's wife tried to have him killed, lots of BAD STUFF did happen! at least, that is how i always thought about it until this week.

God has tenderly showed me a different view of joseph this week. He has reminded me of the dream, of joseph's dream that he would rule over many people, including his brothers. He has shown me of His protection, in EVERY circumstance. He has shown me that He did not allow joseph to lose everything, or in fact anything that he had been promised in the dream. even though it seemed bad, the promise of God was just as true on the worst day, as the best. and God's hand was over joseph the entire time. the blessing was there in the bad circumstances. joseph did not die at the hand of his enemy. he also did not allow his circumstances to change him for the worse. he still forgave and showed love for his brothers. he still got up from one bad thing and carried on, believing that his 'strong God' would help him.

what a blessing this story has been for me. not just for today, when i don't necessarily see the end of the road, because things are still a bit foggy. but for always, because God is for always. He has shown me that bumps in the road are not to be avoided, but also are not the end, and do not change the path that God intends for us.

it doesn't matter what your day holds. you may be sure that things are not good, and wishing that your 'problem' did not exist. or you may be wishing you were somewhere or somebody else. but if you have placed your faith in the hands of your 'strong God,' you are exactly where you are supposed to be.

whew. i hope that means that you will have a very good day...:)

a recommendation

i blogged awhile ago about buying this bible. i admit i was not really crazy about it at first - simply because i like a daily bible - which this is - but it numbers the days 1-365, not by calendar day....that's going to be crazy in like day #265. i would rather it say october 19th, ya know?

so i had to get over that.

but i do have to say, i am enjoying the reading of the old testament SO MUCH. i have really loved the old testament for the last couple of years, esp. since i discovered the prophets and how much their experiences look like ours. but reading in the message has brought that even more to life. it's such an easy read. i find myself not thinking so much about each line, but reading more like a fiction story, and thinking about things at the end of a passage - this particular version asks questions - good ones - at the end of each passage.

i guess what i am encouraging, is switching your bible reading up. find a version that interests you, and look up passages in other versions when they really strike your heart. let God get the scriptures down deep into you...look for ways He is connecting the dots in your life. you can only do that if you are in the Word. not as a rote thing to do, like brushing your teeth, but ENGAGED.

the message bible is helping me do that in this season. when/if i get a chance today, i'll tell you about how God is using the story of joseph to give me comfort.

happy day!

jack, i love you.

jack is back on tv as of last night. i seem to love his actor twin, kiefer sutherland, more and more every year. i swear, the only thing i know about the real world, i learn from '24.' probably says a lot about me and my world views :)

i saw on facebook that a million boys i know (and myself) were excited about his return.


hmmmmm.

e is for elephant

isn't this little guy cute?
christmas present from art girl cassie.
the little bobby pin is from lou.
happy homemadeness!

whew, monday again... i am just figuring out it's a holiday! for some reason, i feel better about monday :)

things are very bright and sparkly over here. i have a website to design, and it will be very fun, once i stick my toe in the water. that is the hard part.


last friday, i took a big step, and started using a new software for my graphic design. i have owned the software for several years, it's called InDesign. all you designers know what a big deal this is. all you non-designers will understand, if i tell you that i have been using my OLD software since 1993, on my first day at Lawrence and Schiller. okay. that is awhile.

at any rate, it's kind of fun to learn a new trick. i had to google a bunch of times to answer questions, and make one call to kristie. otherwise, it was fun and not too hard to figure out. i am vowing to go 'cold turkey' on the old program, which is quite a big vow...here's to a week in which i grow a couple brain cells :)

happy mlk day, everyone!

revisiting.....

since karen asked us to go back in our blog archives, i have done a bunch of reading backwards...i do think that the 'journal' aspect of my blog is one of the really good things that have come from it. i guess it's like the diary keeping of my youth, only a LITTLE less private ;)


one thing i found was my recipe for granola. after a trip to the store to stock up on supplies, i made a batch this afternoon. oh! i love it so much, as much for how beatiful it looks as anything.... i think it's a wintertime thing...very much a comfort food.

presents! presents!

if you have a daughter (rani, deann, anne, kirst, jill, anyone i missed :)) you might want to download these cute little freebies and print/cut them out with them. since the instructions are not in english, just pick english from the submenu below each file, then press 'descargar' to download.

kristie and cass, i think we all need a set as well :))

oh ps. i think maybe you can just double click on MY pics and download as well....might be easier! happy paper dolling ;)

would you?

with all of the news floating around about haiti this week, this story really caught my eye. i saw the link on facebook from my friend pastor steve, who says 'yes - we will.'

i thought about it, and i know of several people who would also say 'yes.' i'm sure one or two of you read this blog. and in spite of my usual walk in self, self, self issues, i believe in my heart of hearts, that i would say 'yes' also.

dear Lord. have your way in haiti.

latest from haiti

this was sweet news to those of us who are praying for haiti. the SD ministry sent this note today:

Good Morning

We just got a text from Kiki, our right hand man in Haiti. It consisted of3 words. "YES, I'M ALIVE" Just may be the 3 sweetest words I hear today!That means all of our missionaries and staff are alive and counted for.

Doesn't seem right that we should be so blessed but I know God will use all of us to help the others walk thru this difficult time.

This is nothing short of a miracle, thanks for your prayers!

it's a revolution

you know how sometimes you have revolving doors, or revolving boyfriends?



i have revolving chairs. really, i do. revolving $5 chairs. except for this one, which was $7. i bought it because it swivels, and because it's orange and brown tweed. i revolved a very cute pier one rocker OUT, in order to put it here. that rocker always had one rocker thingey that stuck out and i stubbed my toe on it. not the worst thing ever, but perhaps a good reason to revolve...


another good thing is that, unlike the frightening christmas present bed-from-hell, she likes it.


:)

new is in the air

....starting to get excited about a new little 'side venture' that lou and i have been cooking up in our heads for quite some time. will tell you more, if and when it happens :)

yes, virginia

there is a website called 'stuffonmycat.com.'

haiti

i don't usually do this kind of thing on the blog, but this kind of thing doesn't usually happen.

if you're like me, your hearts are breaking for haiti. the poorest of the poor in our world are facing devastation from the earthquake yesterday, and many great organizations are asking for donations to help.

one of them is a local SF ministry, which has been sent by God to haiti. today, they issued a call for help, they are trying to raise $12,000 and go to the place where they have their orphanage asap, probably next week sometime. as far as they know, the children are safe - i don't believe they were super near the epicenter of the quake, but not really sure...i think communication is a problem at this time.

if you have a burden to pitch in, here is the website to donate. they have a paypal setup, so it's super simple. and let's all pray together for God to reach out BIG TIME for these beautiful people in need.

Update:
I am on the mailing list for the above ministry, and have heard about the lack of news for a couple of days about a dear friend of the SD people, who lives in Port au Prince. Funny how God works - they were comforted today by kind of an unusual email:

Mike and Pam,

I am not sure how I got on your Email list, but I have some information for you. Kiki is an distant relative of mine. He and I have a cousin in common, living in Florida, who has reported that Kiki is safe. I hope this message gives you comfort.

trying new things

is scary. this is siesta's christmas present - a new handmade bed from the no coast craft fair. yesterday was her FIRST day to test the waters, after quite a few weeks.

nope. not going to be able to do it, quite yet.

g'day

peeps, i am kinda digging this winter stuff. does that make me weird? it's like every waking morning provides some meteorological wonder to behold. this morning it was a frosty goodness all over the trees. by this afternoon, we'll be experiencing a 50 degree rise in temps from last week. zowie! that is just nuts.

anywhoo, it's kind of cool. i also think i am benefitting (still) from some time off, and a change in attitude. every day is new! there is hope! this is going to be a fabulous year! there is truth in the little bible verse about dwelling on good things. just saying.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phillipians 4:8

getta whiffa this

this cute kitten courtesy cute overload. which i spend nearly an hour at a time on, twice a year, whether i need it or not. LOVE love love the cute.

:)

grateful

spending a good day cleaning...i am once again straightening my office, it's the one room in my house i have a hard time keeping organized. probably because it's small, and FULL.


i put up my big bulletin board again, in a different spot. this time, i put some work projects up, because it's been a few years since i displayed any of those. over the christmas break, as i was 'doing nothing' except having my spirit rebuilt, i realized that i have spent the last few months whining and complaining about my job, when in fact it's the best job in the world. with the best clients and the best coworkers and the best hours and the best benefits. i hope to be more grateful this year.


speaking of grateful, i've been meaning to show you the christmas gift i got from kirsten. does she understand me, or what?!!!

kirsten is one of my oldest friends that i keep in touch with regularly. i think it was kind of neat that on christmas day (when i was snowed in at home) i got to open the one gift i had under the tree, which was from her. i love this little hand-crocheted pillow! kirsten is my crochet hero. she takes risks, and combines texture and color in a fearless way. i love her style ;) i also love that she and i trade homemade gifts almost 100% of the time. very meaningful to me. thanks dear!

okay - more cleaning to do! happy day!

friday fuzzies

got these in an email from my friend jane ... figured we all might all benefit from a little of this action. i love how that bird seems to be thinking 'oh, furry!'

:) happy friday bloggrrrls.

stuck

yesterday was kind of a fun work day. i know, i hardly ever talk about work projects. but i don't know, there was something neat about being snowed in, and getting to make a fun graphic for my one 'church' client.

pastor steve is a neat guy. i consider him a friend, even though i am not a member of his church. i do think that God is using him mightily. he is kind of controversial here in town, due to his passion for speaking out against abortion. he is not afraid to say what needs to be said.

anywhoo, he shot me his latest sermon idea, and asked if i would make a graphic for their website. he never gives me any kind of direction (well, sometimes he tell me what he is thinking, in this case he thought maybe a kite stuck in a tree) which is probably one reason i like working with him. this series is called Stuck, and it's about how as Christians we can get stuck in a myriad of things - sin, debt, a certain mindset, emotionally stuck, etc. and how God wants us FREE. i don't know, i just think it's so relevant to many of us!


here's to pastor steve, and snow days, and here's to getting 'unstuck' in twenty-ten!

pop quiz: how many of you have actually done the 'tongue stuck on the monkey bars' trick?! yes, i admit that i have!! very scary, only had to do it once!!

whether

whether i play pretend like yesterday or not, it's kind of hard to deny the weather. it's actually pretty fantastical! i don't remember this much snow in a really long time!

my street has somehow gone to the bottom of the food chain this winter, and is now the very last to be plowed. so it will be 8pm this evening. i have seen some cars skating by, but it looks a little deep for Bert.



i stepped one foot out the door, and it is COLD. is it just me, or is my tree getting shorter?!


the whole menagerie is here this morning as well. they trade shifts with the bunny, who was here last night. these little guys ate through an entire feeder of seed yesterday, but i am going to head out this morning and refill, i'm sure they'll need the energy since tonite it goes back to -20 below. God, please protect them as you say in your Word! (ps. if you click into the photo, notice how fluffy they are...they seem warm enough!)


i can hardly wait for the next sunny day, because there are really magical things all around. the snow is so darn lovely! it is creeping higher and higher, and at my neighbor's house, the icicles are getting to the deadly stage!

sigh. it's kind of hard to believe that in 3 months, it will be spring. right now, it does not even seem possible.

pretending instead.

today is not actually january 6, today is instead june 6.

today i am not sitting in a 20" pile of snow, waiting for 5" more snow. i am instead sitting in the back forty in the 'guest suite' admiring the tomatoes, with a glass of icey lemonade in hand.

today is not a workday, it is instead the weekend.

today i am not overweight and wearing pajamas, sweatshirt and fuzzy slippers. i am instead slim and stunningly cute in a floral halter top and pedal pusher shorts.

today my main goal will not be to create an enormous pile of web graphics. today instead my main goal will be to sew a set of cheery curtains for the guest house.

oh, i like today instead :)

there's a reason why it's called Good News

working away, having a good productive day. just glanced at the local news website that i review every few hours. here are 7 of the top 10 stories i just pulled off the site:

Plane crashes near Chicago suburb

Police suspect Sioux Falls man found at fairgrounds was murdered

Gas leak forces closure of several SDSU buildings

PUC approves 7.4% rate increase for Xcel Energy

Fla. police nab pot grower after leaving ransom note for plants

Man pleads not guilty in Huron shooting

Roaches, rats, then arson used in Atlanta strip club feud

Good Lord. no wonder people are stressed out all the time?! if not for the Lord, and the promises of His Word, i would not be very excited about this life.

random thoughts

i am scattered today. still have a to-do list, and have been working away for over an hour and a half. the day is rolling, and i want to blog!

however, i cannot for the life of me think of a good blog post. i do have a couple of thoughts rolling around that i need to get out there. here goes:




i took 3 pills this morning! unlike karen, i refuse to accept that as a sign i am getting old! i'm gettin' healthy, peeps. or so i will tell myself :)




this guy bugs me. i am disappointed, i was looking forward to liking him. a little too arrogant for me. i think most australian men are arrogant, how's THAT for narrow-mindedness!



this guy, on the other hand, is pretty neato. i would date him (except for he is married). he's funny, and actually pretty handsome ;)




snow and extreme cold are not a good combo. i like snow and 30 degrees, not snow and -20 degrees. unfortunately, the forecast is predicting the latter for tomorrow and thursday.

for today however, sun is shining. heart is peaceful. hands have work to do. all is well.

happy tuesday!

what to do....

....with the 27 vintage suitcases down in the basement???

maybe this.

back to business

apparently, i'm supposed to get back on one of these guys today. sounds kind of challenging at this point...!

however, it's 8:02am right now, and i have drunk one cup of coffee, read all the daily blogs, responded to 8 emails from last week, and now will make some kind of to-do list for the week. so far, so good. i don't have any meetings set up yet, so for now, i am still in jammies. they make everything better :)

i did finally go to church yesterday, after skipping because of weather and couch-related reasons over the holiday.

MAN, i needed that. it felt so good to worship LOUDLY! and loud it was. our church always gears up in january, to motivate people to get with God and have a great new year, going where He wants us to go.

i was a bit nervous about all the people. i am not sure i like people at this point, so i was challenged to greet so many. of course, God placed a dear friend right on my car bumper in the parking lot, and we sat together and worshipped together. and greet we did!

then, when i made a quick stop at a grocery store across town, i ran into ANOTHER dear friend who i desperately need to catch up with, and made a coffee date for this week.

i am getting the feeling that God favors community over the couch :) so do i, once you pry me off and get me back into action! sigh. bring that horse over here, and i will see if i am tall enough to get on him today.

happy monday!

grandma loved lavender

i made this discovery when i went home for 'christmas' on new year's eve....it started when i opened my mom's cupboard, and stared in awe and amazement at THESE:


which led to a barrage of questions: where did they come from? why do you have them? what kind of 'melmac' are they???? do you KNOW how jealous i am?!

mom said they came from grandma. apparently they have been in the basement since 1981, when she passed away. i have no memory of them ever being used, by either grandma or mom...until now. good grief. i am going to go home to eat more often :) ps: turns out they are Texas Ware, which is actually quite collectible....!

this discovery led to discussion and reminiscing, and the faint memory of another treasure, this one left for me to neglect. in 1981, i was 19...and although i loved my grandma very much, and was grateful for the treasure she "willed" to me, i did not actually appreciate it for what it was....


so, her glorious hand-crocheted bedcover also went to the basement, shortly after i received it. looking back, i would say it was her 'piece de resistance', the evidence from a life of heavy-duty crocheting. it was quite well known in the family that whatever the value of the actual piece, it was allotted to me because she loved me most :) she did make up a rule so that it was legit, something about 'the youngest granddaughter' getting her share of the treasures, but had i come in a different order of the birth chain, i am pretty sure the rule would have allowed for me to still come out on top! i got this honor by spending many days of childhood with grandma and grandpa, as my young mom worked at the local Woolworths. i was the lucky one, those were enchanted times.

okay, back to the bedcover. at 19, i did not fully appreciate the effort it must have taked to complete this project - it is truly beautiful!



it's made with cotton thread, not yarn. something like this would take me, oh, probably a DECADE to complete. i wish i could ask grandma how long she toiled on it. and why she chose lavender...and how she picked the pattern. and did she know how very much it would mean to me some day?!


unfortunately, for right now, i have no place that i can display it properly. er, safely. if you know what i mean...! but when summer comes, i plan to try placing it as a coverlet on my bed. which will probably involve a bunch of *repainting* and *redecorating.* doh.


sigh. christmas brings so many good things. the memory of times spent with family is truly priceless. i guess it's a good thing i haven't ALWAYS been a hermit, after all ;)

new beginnings

...thinking about resolutions this morning. i do find it interesting that most of us will admit to wanting to start anew. even if we refuse to make resolutions, we are making a value statement about new beginnings. if we don't believe new beginnings are possible, or have somehow lost hope in our own ability to achieve them, we will probably avoid making vows to start anew.

thankfully, God didn't expect us to do it on our own. He did, however, design us to begin anew. He has designed us in His image, and yet He knows that in this life, we can never achieve that perfection. still, we can begin anew. every single day!! i think His plan is glorious. if only we REALLY really believed it was possible, who might we really become?!

Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature:
old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

goodness knows, there are a million things i would love to do better. in the last few days, a couple of them have sprung to mind. i started to think of things using a less = more equation. here goes, i'll state it as a prayer.

Lord, this year may my portion involve:

less thinking + more doing
less couch + more activity
less complaining + more praising
less worrying + more trusting
less computer time + more 'face' time
less food for comfort + more seeking Comfort
less of me + more of YOU.

thank you Lord for the opportunity to begin anew. today, i stand on your Truth, that i am a new creation, and that all the old has passed away!

ps. last night as i was driving home from the family holiday, i heard this song on the radio, and was struck by the awesome Truth in it. please listen, and take this to heart today! you are loved, friends!