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Friday, March 29, 2013

Good Friday

Today was a day of suffering, of betrayal, of sacrifice, of sadness and of death.  It was a day that broke the heart of God. It was a day that had to happen so that we all could be WITH God.  It was a day that no greater LOVE could have been shone...

...a day that One laid down His life for ALL.

John and I watched 'The Passion of the Christ' last night. 

It's a hard one and I never want to watch it because it so realistically portrays the suffering endured on our behalf.  It's easy sometimes to go through our walk only thinking about the good stuff...not the hard stuff.  Sometimes we need to come down from our mountain and remember the sacrifice that was made for all of mankind so that we could be reconciled to the Creator of our world, our universe. 


Because of what He endured over 2000 years ago, we can have peace and joy...we do not have to live in fear or shame.  We have a secure future, not one of mystery or unknown. 

Accept.
Believe.
Confess.

And we will be WITH Him!

This is a day to Remember.

MY JOY DARE
 
106.  The scent of Spring in the wind.
107.  Cleansing in water.
 
3 gifts round
108.  Our world.
109.  Our sun.
110.  Love those M&M's 
 
3 gifts found in silence
111.  Reflection.
112.  Prayer.
113.  Rest.
 
114.  A great birthday.
115.  Incredible Italian dinner.
116.  A glass blue bird. 
117.  Chocolate covered cherries.
118.  Chocolate cake.
119.  Easter candy.
 
120.  Gift hung...new canvas of the mountains we love.
 
121.  Gift folded...my favorite throw.
 
3 gifts red
122.  Red raspberries.
 
123.  New curtains
124.  Male and female cardinals at the feeder.
 
3 gifts that made me laugh
125.  Video of E.
126.  John's goofiness.
127.  A shared inside joke.
 
3 gifts found in women
128.  My mom-for she taught me to be a Godly woman.
129.  My mother-in-law-for her calming spirit that helps soothe the hard times.
130.  My daughters-for the friends we will be.
 
131.  Gift sung...a really great playlist from a friend.
132.  Gift painted...painted Spring eggs.
 
133.  Gift written...friend's blogs that help us stay in touch.
 
3 gifts almost gone
134.  Winter snow.
135.  Wedding and moving debt almost paid off.
136.  Birthday candy.
 
3 gifts spoken
137.  Thank you.
138.  I miss you.
139.  Birthday wishes.
 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him will never die but have eternal life. John 3:16

Thursday, March 28, 2013

New Bedroom

I know, it's been six months since we moved in, but I'm getting there.  Finally, got Beki's room painted last week.  She talked me into the blue again and, well, after I got it done, I love it.  The last thing I have to do is order a canvas I want to hang in there...this one from our trip to Washington.


So, here it is.  I think it's a very calming place.  Now I'm getting the itch to do my bedroom in something pretty.
 




She painted these stencils on canvas back at the old house, so I wanted to be sure to include them in her new space.




Sunday, March 24, 2013

Lingering

This is the day that the Lord has made...I will rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24


Snow is falling...

beautiful, full snowflakes coming down, turning my little part of the world white.  I open the door, the wind blows swirling balls of cold cotton against my face, down my neck.  I'm pouting, it's supposed to be Spring, it's supposed to be

           changing,
           renewing,
           awakening. 

As much as I want it to change, Winter is hanging on for all it's worth...1 then 2 then 6 inches and more.


Are you in a season you wish would change, that you'd get a fresh start, a new tomorrow?  Life doesn't always take the path we'd like it to go,

             sometimes we have to sit awhile in the present season,
             sometimes it lasts longer than we thought or hoped.


God has a purpose, a plan, a reason for this lingering.  But, know we do not linger alone. God speaks to our hearts, "I am with you always."  He's prepared the day and no matter how it turns out, we can be content.  We can sit around pouting or...

           We can have JOY unspeakable!

We can rest assured that in our patience, the season will come to an end...it always does.  Time continues on, it heals.  Our Winters become Springs. 

So, we wait, we learn, we count our gifts....we count it all JOY.


MY JOY DARE
 
82.  Coconut cream Easter eggs
83.  Home
 
3 Gifts Green
84.  Easter tree
85.  My beautiful new family room
86.  Springtime
 
3 Gifts wore
87.  Diamond cross necklace from my mom
88.  My wedding rings
89.  My pandora bracelet for all the memories of those who love me
 
Gifts Hard to Give Thanks For
90.  Rainy days
91.  Thankful my girls are happy where they are even if that
means being far away
 
3 Gifts Found
92.  A new church
93.  A bed frame to match our furniture
94.  Reasons found everyday to be joyful
 
 
3 Gifts in the Kitchen
95.  Coffee maker
96.  Good food
97.  Dishwasher!
 
Gifts Loud
98.  Daughter's voice as she sings her favorite songs
99.  Piano music
 
3 Gifts Carved
100.  A glass bowl repurposed
101.  Diamonds
102.  New furniture for the family room
 
3 Gifts Read
103.  A very special letter from a friend
104.  Book, "One Thousand Gifts"
105.  A FB announcement for a free book - "Choose Joy"
 
 


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

March Going-Ons

March has kept me pretty busy.  Beki came home for Spring break and spent a week home.  We did all the fun girl stuff...chick flick, lunch, shopping.  The school year is quickly coming to an end and it won't be long before she's home for the summer.  It happened to be my birthday week, so I was really glad to have her home to share it with me.  We went to dinner on The Hill, Charlie Gitto's.  The food is incredible and I ordered one of my favorites, the lobster bisque.  Everyone really blessed me this year.  Mom sent me a bird feeder full of Easter candy!  I got a fun set of paper weights from my sister.  John bought me two new photography editing software programs.  Knowing my weakness for chocolate covered cherries, my sister-in-law sent a sweet little package. 

But I have to say, the thing that meant the most was the simple card from my daughter that said no matter what, she'll always need her mom.  Our children grow up, move out on their own, and sometimes, we are left not really knowing our place.  Not sure where we fit into their new, busy lives.  We go days sometimes weeks without hearing from them and we wonder if they even remember.  Do they realize how much they are missed?  How hard it is to fill that void where they once stood?  So, it really does mean the world, when they take the time to let us know we are still needed.  It's been a hard year of adjustments for me, but it's finally starting to get a little easier.  The quiet days are growing on me and I expect there's a reason for this reprieve, this time to just be still.  I have a feeling my life is going to change dramatically over the next couple of years. 

Been doing a little more decorating, finished up our family room and this week, I painted Beki's bedroom.  The house is slowly getting to where we want it.  Eventually, I'll get our bedroom painted and probably the main area of the house and then the basement.  There's plenty still for me to do.

We got a couple of nice days among all these cold March days, John and I took a little walk through the sculpture park, played with the cameras to see what we could come up with.  I tried a few in black and white.




And spent one afternoon at Forest Park.  It just felt really good to be out in the sunshine.







Monday, March 18, 2013

Redecorating Made Fun

Had a little fun this past week redecorating our family room.  We had our new couch delivered and I got busy trying to find curtains, which haven't been up since we moved in.  Wanting something different, bold and fun, I finally found some drapes at World Market that I thought would work.  I had a hard time deciding and still wasn't sure when I hung them.  They are so different than anything I've ever had in our home.  But, the more I look at them, the more I like them.  They add a lot of color and life to a room we spend a lot of time in.  We found some coordinating throw pillows at TJ Maxx which helped pull it all together.  Found my sister, Allie's wedding flowers in Beki's room and thought they'd work nice...great Spring color!  Our new home is finally coming together.  Almost done with all the decorating.







 


 


 
 



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