best thing

this morning i determined that one of the best possible things is to wake up on a saturday, with the whole weekend ahead of you, and to see sunlight streaming in the windows.

oh, the possibility :)
happy weekend!

friday treat

yeah! i woke up this morning with a pretty clear head, which surprised me given i felt a whopper of a cold coming on yesterday. thanks, zicam! i have never taken the stuff before, but it really does seem like a nasty tasting kind of magic.

anyway, while i was buying the zicam, i decided i DESERVED something. you see, i made it thru getting my taxes done this week, and a great big "schwew" is all i can say. taxes are hard to do. okay, i say two things. if you own your own business, taxes. are. bad.

so i treated myself to a full bag of jumpy monkey. no doubt, it's my favorite gourmet coffee. i like flavored coffee, so i actually buy the "cinnamon sticky bun" most times. oh boy. i have missed gourmet coffee, since i've been on a folgers budget for the last few months. i'll probably go back to that, but for one small 12 oz. package, i will savor the moment.

jumpy monkey is a sioux city, ia company. great story, they are an outreach for some sort of rehab center for people with brain injuries. from the looks of their website, they are doing pretty well. not surprised, the coffee is to die for.

i kind of wish they would hire me to do their packaging now!

:) happy friday ya'll!

leave lonely alone

yesterday, i received an e-video from patricia king that i kind of feel the leading to share. go to the extreme prophetic site, xp videos, and it's called "leaving loneliness behind."

i guess this is a shout out to all my single girls. well, that would also include myself, would it not? for many years, i have struggled on and off with loneliness. just a deep, inside aloneness. actually, i'm not sure it's related to being single, but of course that fact doesn't HELP the matter.

this prayer and understanding that the Lord is with us in our aloneness is awesome. i will say it's been a few years since i have struggled with real severe loneliness, but i know it's because the Lord is leading me out of it!

if your heart feels the need, watch the video. and tell me what you think.

calling all art girls

i am getting a stronger and stronger urge to sew pajama pants!! i think we better get in gear and set up a sewing date!!

and on a completely unrelated note, do any of you older folks remember laverne from laverne and shirley loving milk mixed with pepsi?

i do.


:)

happy dance

the current temp

in south dakota

in february

is 56 degrees.


fa la la la la, la la la laaaaaaaaaaaahhh.


:)

mind blowing

so, my worship group has been studying the concept of an open heaven, and living in the reality of God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." THIS is a totally new concept for me as a Christian.

our teacher for the study is jason westerfield. he's a young guy, early 30s, whose first encounter with God was powerful. it did not involve a church, it involved a visitation from the Lord, and much time spent in the Word. consequently, i don't see anything in jason's preaching that looks like the "church" we have built today. i DO see things that look like the bible. that is what is so exciting. i believe that God IS actually opening the heavens and giving us new revelation for the times. (i should note that jason is not opposed to church as we see it today, just sees the lack in it, and is pressing in for more kingdom, less earth).

whew. very powerful. what strikes me is that i have been doing it all wrong. i have been desperately clinging to hope in Jesus, rather than confidently living in His kingdom. one of the things jason is teaching is how to ACCESS an open heaven in which God is free to move here on earth. although his teaching is FULL of revelation, i got 3 main points last night:

1) open the door of your heart to God
2) open the gate of your mind to God
3) open the window of your imagination to God

cool, huh? just being open to God BEING HERE as it is in heaven! wow! what that means is Jesus in His fullness in our lives, open access to the throne, angelic and heavenly visitations, visions, manifestations of signs and wonders, STUFF. good stuff.

i fear a blog post cannot begin to describe the wonders of what is going on inside me. jason taught last night from deuteronomy 28. i'm going to spend the week pondering the wonders of those passages, the REALITY of them, and see what happens.

just had to share!
ps. like how i can go from floral foam mooses to THIS?!!! ha.

ps

i also want to make one of these.

must.have.

in my sick and twisted brain, i have fixated on the thought that i cannot. will not. should not. rest until i have a vintage typewriter to make homemade seed packets on. where oh where do these dangerous thoughts come from?!

anyway. ebay has many nice ones. notice the cute cursive type on this little green guy.

i am holding out on giving in, just so you know. perhaps the NEED will diminish over time. or perhaps not....:)

thrifty things

yesterday, i took down the christmas tree. yeah. anyway, i am such a light craver in the winter, and i really missed having the glow of the tree (i keep it on 24/7 during the holidays)...

so, i was thinking. wouldn't it be nice to have ONE MORE LAMP to keep me going until actual sunshine shows up?

luckily, i had one in mind that i spotted a few weeks ago at an antique shop. i was skeptical about the shape, but man, it fits perfectly into the empty dark space. light is good!



naturally, i have been trinket finding along the way. lots of good stuff.


i have a "collection" of two turquoise ashtrays. obviously, no ash will go in there. this one from the 50s is very, very cute.


graphic bread pans. right now, they are holding my seeds i saved from the fall. possibly, i will bake with them, but for now they are office storage units :)


score! 25 cents each for two cool metallic glasses from the 50s. perfect for colored pencils.


gosh, i love pretty.

thinkin' spring

so, it's 9 degrees right now. funny how that doesn't matter, once your brain decides it's spring. i have been resisting temptation to look at seed catalogs, but this morning i caved. placed an order at botanical interests, with strict restrictions on myself to spend no more than $25.

yes, the reason i ordered this year from botanical, is because of their packaging. for the record, i've bought their stuff (which is mostly organic & heirloom seed) in greenhouses before. so i am not just buying the artwork, i hope.

i made a pretty utilitarian list...but somehow, the "fun stuff" made it's way in there too, like carnival carrots, edamame (won't THAT be fun to try!) beans, and zebra tomatoes.

better get some potting soil. not much longer to wait :)

happy spring, ya'll.

it's a revolution

more stimuli from apartment therapy. THIS is the kind of wallpaper transformation i am into. how can more pattern be bad?!!

i'm invited

so, i had lunch today with a friend, who invited me to join her next year at this time for a visit to avandaro, mexico....right smack dab in the middle of the country. mountains, streams, horseback riding, wonderful people, and THIS IS WHERE THE MONARCHS GO when they leave us!! seriously, guys, i am not much into "bucket lists" but i SWEAR this one is on mine. she said she closed her eyes, and could hear the 'swish swish swish' of millions of butterfly wings.

i am SO going there. wow.

update for karen

uh oh.

i like dreamin'

yeah. that song is from 1976, so most of you whippersnappers probably don't even remember :)


anyhoo, i am in a dream state. it happens every year, usually around this time. one of the consistent dreams is that of a new house. i actually love my house, but the thought of a fresh start, a new decorating palette, and all the things about home, makes me love to look at houses. sometimes, i even dream for other people. i really just think it's the concept of "home" that fulfills my dream.


here's the house i found today...so pretty. anybody want it?!

way too

there is an article in our local paper today about how much personal info is out there on the internet. i admit, i've googled myself before, and it didn't seem THAT BAD.

um. that was before facebook, apparently. if you go to www.pipl.com, you will find out way more about yourself than you might think is out there. first off, my picture popped up! and also, there is mabel. well, actually, the arrow points to the gutter just down the street from mabel, but STILL.

kind of yucky. oh ps. it's kind of interesting that i used the WWW to reveal this discovery, eh? vicious circle, you internet!

flower power

although i've been a fan of orla kiely for awhile (courtesy every single design blog in the world), i have to admit i was pretty excited to see something of hers for REAL when i went to target the other day!

they have a line of fun melmac (is that a word still?) dinnerware that is so darn cute! perfect for summer on the patio.

but the REAL killer orla design (for me) is this wonderful wallpaper - a dream for my house someday. i can only hope it will stick around for a few years, until i can actually figure out a spot for it!

l. o. v. e.

wishing you a day filled. with. much.

only

so, i've been so excited to tell you all about the conference this week. of course, it was awesome. since monday, my brain has been running practically nonstop. new ideas are coming to surface, new revvies from God, all of this GOOD good stuff.

problem is, i have had NO revelation of how to talk about it! very unusual for me. this morning i decided i simply MUST blog. i sat here, waiting for inspiration to pop into my head. which it did. one simple word.

only.


hmmmm. only, huh Lord? only. hmmmmm.

actually, it makes sense. although i learned alot and felt alot and got alot downloaded into me, perhaps the biggest message was this:

to 1) CHOOSE your kingdom. you cannot live in both the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. only one of them. if you are not choosing light at all times, you are choosing darkness.

and 2) CHOOSE to believe. not just IN God, but with God. on everything. ONLY God. nothing else. always. all day long.

only.

how's THAT for a recap?! perhaps God will give me words to expand on that as time goes on...i missed you guys much!

break time

just a shout out to all our peeps out there, siesta and i will be taking the next few days off, to recharge with the Lord and of course, to have a couple of cat naps.

right back atcha later in the week!

update - note to self:


do NOT buy the $2.99 box of hair color instead of the $10.99 box, UNLESS you are in a risk-takin' mood. the result is a little bit tabby-cattish. i knew i was in trouble when the color going down the drain in the shower was a nice shade of purple. i guess it is true about looking like your pets, though!

however, i do have the moose sweatshirt to match! happy week ya'll.

score!

so yesterday, after 2 days of pressing hard to get everything done so that i can go out of town next week, i went to the bank, then a quick stop at my local thrift shop. right as i walked in the door i spotted this gem!

i have never, ever had a jewelry box. i guess i usually think they are kind of big and boxy and boring. but i love the cream vinyl and PINK insides!! the lady who donated it was still in the store, so apparently i scooped it up pretty fast :)) i decided to set it up so that it's open all the time, and matched it with the cute teapot clock i found a couple of weeks ago...a $4 investment that makes me VERY happy.

i don't actually have much jewelry, but, it's a start :)

happy weekend guys!

hallelujah

i was deeply disturbed yesterday to stumble upon this poem in the new york times. i was sucked into it at first, because of the language and especially the beauty of maira kalman's artwork. but the excitement soon turned sour when i realized it was a worshipful rant aimed at our new president.

for the record, the source of my upsetness is that the word "hallelujah" comes directly from the Hebrew language. it means "praise Yahweh". It is an exclamation used chiefly in songs of praise or thanksgiving to God, and as an expression of gratitude or adoration.

it occurs to me that somehow, our country has confused a political role with the role of our Father in Heaven. this in no way speaks criticism to the president himself, except for the possibility that he endorses such idiocy, at a time when our hurting country needs a Savior. instead, we have a generation of people prompted to stand for SOMEthing. a people - all of us - misdirected, i fear.

so last night at the Jeremy Camp/Bebo concert, my heart REJOICED to hear jeremy break out into the song "hallelujah." i felt my spirit soar, as if God said "praise ME and i shall deliver you."

i wish mr. president well. may he be given the wisdom to lead our country with honor and grace through whatever lies ahead.

but even more, i PRAISE YAHWEH for his ability to lead us into eternity, and care for us in ways that no man ever could.

wow. i guess i have been on the pulpit this week.

beboness

ah. sooooooon. 4 hours and counting.
can hardly wait, bebo, my friend.

new song

last night, i decided to show up at the tuesday night prayer group at our church. i hadn't been there for a LONG time, i think the last time i went was when i was feeling sick and worried about my bladder.

anyway, the place was kind of rocking. i had heard that there was a "fresh annointing" going on, but i guess i wasn't sure what that was all about.

anyway, i digress. we all kind of went up to the front of the church near the altar, and jeremiah, our worship leader, led us in a few songs. it was kind of like being in the front row of a concert or something, and i started to feel myself "let go" and just enjoy the music and start daydreaming about the Lord.

suddenly, a couple of things happened. #1 - i started to speak / sing in tongues, which i can assure you i have NEVER done. ever. without thinking about it consciously and deciding to do it. so, that was kinda neat.

then, and this is the thing i want to tell you about, i got a terrible burden, a LONGING in my heart, to sing and worship with ALL OF YOU GUYS! i know! how weird is that!! but i just had a vision of many of my friends standing right there with me! and we were all so happy! we were just singing and swaying away and feeling warm and glowing in the Light of the Lord!!

there. i just thought you'd all like to know what you did last night ;) i hope it leaves you feeling as wonderful today as it did me.

happy happy joy joy

so lately i have been pondering about happiness. i guess it comes from trying to distinguish the differences between worldly things and heavenly things. i do consider myself a happy person, probably because on most of my days i do happy things. or that in my older years, i've just LEARNED it's easier to have a cheery outlook than a negative one. i read that the word "happiness" is a derivative of "happening" - meaning it relates to what is going on at the moment, ie circumstances. it sure is true that when things are going MY way, i am happy! and since i tailor my world to be mostly "my way" when i can choose, then MAN! i'm always happy!

but what about joy? can i say i have joy? not related to where i am or what i'm doing or who i'm with? hmmmm. that is a tougher question for me. i know that joy is a fruit of the Spirit of God, and i know i HAVE God in my heart...so really, i should CLAIM my joy in Him more often! when we know God, we have the RIGHT to joy. whether our surroundings are great, or not. because HE Himself is joy. and the promises He makes to us are always for good.

so, i googled to find out how many times joy was found in the bible, i found this definition, which was pretty neat:

Joy is the happy state that results from knowing and serving God. A number of Greek and Hebrew words are used in the Bible to convey the ideas of joy and rejoicing. We have the same situation in English with such nearly synonymous words as joy, happiness, pleasure, delight, gladness, merriment, felicity, and enjoyment. The words joy and rejoice are the words used most often to translate the Hebrew and Greek words into English. Joy is found over 150 times in the Bible. If such words as “joyous” and “joyful” are included, the number comes to over 200. The verb rejoice appears well over 200 times.

Joy is the fruit of a right relation with God. It is not something people can create by their own efforts. The Bible distinguishes joy from pleasure. The Greek word for pleasure is the word from which we get our word hedonism, the philosophy of self-centered pleasure-seeking. Paul referred to false teachers as “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4).

i like that "joy" is derived from "rejoice." kind of different than "happening" eh? so if joy is related to God, and to rejoicing or celebrating God and our relationship with him, then being happy doesn't seem nearly as good!

whew. so here i am today. not super "happy" because not everything around me is exactly like i wish it was, but joyful because i know that i am in God's good standing, and that He has some awfully good things in store for me.

wishing you a JOY today that is deep down, too!

soaking it in

reflections on the week are so much sunnier when the sun is shining. after 2 full days of full beams, and warm almost balmy weather, i can find a mostly good outlook. kind of unusual for me in the middle of winter!

i am loving that life has slowed down enough to enjoy, but is still busy enough to not feel stagnant. i'm learning to appreciate the pace of things, rather than wish for something else. this weekend is wonderful, because i had absolutely NO "must dos." i probably have neglected some important things, but i did get my taxes ready to go to the tax people. that's the earliest i have ever been ready, so i am impressed with myself.

i also had lunch with my 2 best art girls. whhhhhhheeeeeeeeee. so much fun to share life with them. it was good for me to talk out some sad things, and look forward to things to come (like the new baby boy that cass is waiting patiently for!). love those girls.

then, lou and i did a teensy bit of thrifting. naturally, we found things. we both bought the same lamp (well, not exactly the same, as there were two of them), because we are twins. i am such a geek, but i could NOT wait to get home, and get the bleach in the sink, and wash my finds. i love buying dirty things!! unearthing the REAL beauty beneath is way better than going to a mall and buying something that is already clean. THAT is a weird self-discovery thought!!



the lamp is just perfect for the other nightstand in my newly different bedroom. of course, i just slapped a simple temporary shade on it. perhaps i can get a fun one at ikea in a couple of weeks!


today one of my clients "unveils" the new fundraising packet i made for them. it's very rewarding to work with people who share your God. i pray that He will bless their efforts!


morning coffee with my new/old cup and saucer. don't you love the pattern and colors?


and finally, i am almost finished with the granny square afghan. i just need to finish tying ends. i keep thinking, should i use it? in the bedroom? in the living room? save it for a special room? it is the most time consuming crochet project i have made to date. i am feeling like i don't really want to mess it up because it's so perfect right now.

siesta of course, has other ideas.


happy day all!