 |
| The 1st of February will be our 18th anniversary.
Kevin & I dated for about 5 years before we got married. We’ve been friends since we were about 5 or 6 years old. He’s my best friend. I love him dearly. He understands me like no one else. He loves me even when I’m unlovable. He’s been in my life almost all of my 40 years, and I look forward to spending another 40 years with him. I am truly blessed. 23 days till 40! |
He’s waiting for you… (day 24)
 |
| 24 till 40 Draw near to God, He is waiting for you!
You would think by now, I would continue to remember this, but I don’t. I live it for a while, and then I get busy and continue on with my life forgetting what I’ve learned. But God is patient with me. He is there. Waiting for me. Waiting for me to have time for Him again. I’m talking about spending time with God. Devotions. Quiet time in prayer. Psalm 46:10a “Be still, and know that I am God.” Reading His word. Devoting time to & for Him. James 4:8a reads, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” As an adult, a period of time that I remember being close to God, is when I was spending time with Him. Daily. And one of my favorite ways is to journal about my walk with Him. My prayers to Him. I am a paper person. I love to write. I love to make lists. I need to be able to see things on paper. I need to be able to hold it in my hands. See my concerns, my joys, my struggles all written down, but then more importantly, I need it written down, so that I can look back and see where God was in the midst of it all. To document His work in my life. To see how He answered my prayers. So that I don’t forget. A few years ago, my son & husband had their tonsils out on the same day. Now, as stressful and exhausting as that month of recuperating was for them (&me), I remember it as a time that my walk with God was sweet. I read His word. Studied it. Had time with Him. I can look back at my prayer journal and see the answered prayer. See the struggles and worries, yet, I knew God was with me (us). I have been a Christian since I was a child. I am saved by grace. Jesus took on my sins and died for me. Even more importantly, He rose again. He waits for me in heaven. Because He died, I can live for eternity with Him. You can live for eternity with Him too! Simply recognize that you are a sinner. Confess to Him your sin and your need to have Him in your heart (life). Tell Him that you want to live for Him. Acknowledge that He died on the cross for YOUR sins and that He rose again. Ask Him to guide you and direct you. He will! If you would like more information about how to have a personal relationship with Christ, contact me! You may also read here for more information. Revelation 3: 20 says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” |
patience: not my virtue (day 26 & 25)
 |
| Well, as you can tell by the title of this post, Patience: not my virtue, I am not a patient person. At least not all of the time. Ok, not most of the time. Today proved that.
My blog was “down” for almost 24 hours and there wasn’t anything I could do, but wait. And wait. And wait. The company that “hosts” my blog had issues, so it was all in their hands. So, obviously, that is something that I need to continue to work on….maybe by my 50th birthday, I will be a patient person. Maybe not. I did find this quote online : “Patience is a virtue, Possess it if you can, Seldom found in woman, Never found in man” While I was forced to not blog, I decided to paper craft instead. |
 |
I had seen these little paper pads online a year or so ago and finally sat down and made some. Here’s how:
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| The above picture doesn’t really serve it justice. Because the sleeve is curved, when you prop it up, it looks messy…but I wanted to show you the inside. Pictured below is the back of the sleeve where your drink could have been customized & written here.
Mine wasn’t, so this was a great place for me to sign my initials. Easy Peasy. 25 till 40!! |
 |
follow that idea (day 27)
categories: 40 till 40, Uncategorized
 |
| Ok.
So, another thing that I have learned in my long 40 years, is that when the urge to clean/scrub/organize/pitch hits you, STOP whatever you are doing and follow that idea! WHY? Because that cleaning bug doesn’t bite often. LOL. That is exactly what I did today! Original plan: grocery shop Sudden idea: scrub down kitchen, sort through & organize cupboards, pitch stuff that hasn’t been used in a while (And bake while cleaning!) So, about 4 hours later, at least 3 garbage bags full, dishwashers 3rd load, a dozen eggs hard-boiled for hubby’s snacks, homemade granola finished, then homemade granola bars baked, supper made… It’s a good feeling to know all of that has been accomplished. My husband is happy too. He hates stuff hanging on the front of the fridge, and today our fridge is (almost) a clean slate. 27 days till 40! |
sleep is good (day 28)
categories: 40 till 40, Uncategorized
 |
| Just a quick post today.
Sleep is a good thing! 28 till 40! |
He created the seasons (day 29)
 |
| I love winter!
I love snow and the way that it makes the earth look lovely. I love snuggling up under a warm blanket with a steaming hot cup of coffee. I love taking a drive or running errands while the tiny little flakes fall to the ground. Winter is definitely my favorite season. I love the fact that when God created the earth, He thought of the seasons. He thought of the transformations & changing that the earth could go through as time passes. I love the Creator, and I love His creations. Daniel 2: 21 says “He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 reads “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” I made the ATC pictured above for a “Favorite Season ATC” swap over on sistv.com. The little penguin was cut on my Cricut Expression. The stamped sentiment was from papertreyink.com. Only 29 days till I turn 40! |
count your blessings (day 30)
 |
| Count your blessings!
It’s easy to get caught up in what you don’t have, so much so, that you forget how blessed you truly are. Little things that you (we) may take for granted, are truly blessings. I try to remind myself (& son) of this often. We live a very blessed life. I’m not talking about being rich. We are not. But just, simply, life in general. We have a warm home, a shelter from the cold. A retreat when the sun is warm. …Electricity, washer/dryer…warm comfortable beds….hot showers… Clothes to wear, food to eat, cars to drive. For the most part, we are all healthy. We are all saved by grace and look forward to an enternity with Christ and eachother. My husband, not only has a job, but at a company where serving Christ and telling others about Him is a priority. We live in a country where freedom is a blessing. We are part of a church body and are free to worship our God. We have the love of a large extended family. I am blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom. All of these blessings & more. Not because of who we are or what we’ve done, but because of Christ and His care for us. |
special people (day 31)
 |
| God brings special people into our lives.
God blesses us through them. God allows us to find great joy in their friendships. Make sure you tell them how much you appreciate them…. Philippians 1:3 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” |
appreciate the past (day 32)
 |
| Appreciate the Past
Learn from the past. Learn from those that have experienced things that you haven’t. Learn from their examples. There is one person that I wish I would have appreciated before they died…my grandmother. I was a young mom when my grandmother’s health began to slip…I was wrapped up in my own life…too busy to truly show her how much I loved her. I don’t deal well with uncomfortable situations. I don’t know what to say. I don’t like to think about it. So, when my grandmother wasn’t doing well and she was placed in a nursing home, I couldn’t deal with that. It was extremely hard to see her in there. It hurt me and I knew she hurt. So, I avoided it. That is how I tend to deal with difficulties, I avoid. Once she had died, I began to realize that I should have taken advantage of all of the years prior to her decline and let her know how much I loved her. As I look back, we are so much alike. She was creative. I am creative. She had a huge stash of crafting supplies. So do I. She loved to cook & bake. She even taught me how to make an angel food cake. There are many secrets to making a goooood angel food cake and she passed them onto me. I had failed miserably when I attempted to make my husband, (then boyfriend) his favorite cake. In fact, I had even ruined the cake pan in the process. Once she heard this, she took me into her kitchen and together we made a beautiful cake. My grandmother was a great example of allowing God to love people through us, (her). She felt that her mission was to encourage others. So, she did. She was always sending cards to people. Always. And if you received a card from my grandma, it wasn’t just simply signed by her. She always searched to find the perfect card for the situation. She would underline special lines of the sentiment. She would include an encouraging verse. She would let you know that she truly cared…and more importantly, she would allow God’s love to shine through her. God places people in our life for a reason. She knew & understood that. She didn’t want to miss her chance to let them know they were loved, not only by her, but by her God. I love that about her. |
love is…
 |
| Is this the love that you have towards others?
I know, many times, I fail at love, true love. This is a lesson that I am still working on. I expect it from others, towards me…but I tend to forget these things in return. How about you? Does this describe the way you love others? (…33 days till 40…) |