Happy Pink New Year

I love to hang pink pretties from our light fixture....they are, of course, PINK.


I am looking forward to this pink new year. Not only is my attitude pink, but so is my planner!

Every year I put out a basketful of pink poinsettas that are lit up with tiny white Christmas lights...

Because I am choosing to start the year IN THE PINK, I thought that I would share with you some of the changes I am going to make with my PINK attitude.

One of the gifts that I got for Christmas is the book, “Eat Right For Your Blood Type.” I have heard about it, and it seems to make sense. Sadly, I should not have some of the things listed for my blood type such as cheese (sad), wheat (sadder), and coffee (saddest). That’s not to say that I am going to forever give these things up. NOOooo. My plan is to do this in January and then we’ll play it by ear…I do like to enjoy life. However, I will not be giving up coffee and the dollop of cream.
The next pink change I will be doing is posting more with my blog. By the way, how do you like the background? It is from the art of John William Waterhouse. I like it. The site where I got these graphics has some other wonderful graphics too – so hard to decide…which brings me to my next pink change…
Use what I have….yes, this will be a big pinker for me. You see, I have focus issues. I can hardly walk into Hobby Lobby and come out with only what is on my list…I seem to take detours as I hear certain sections of the store calling my name. Recently I have walked in their front doors saying, “Focus, focus, focus” to myself much like they did on the old Mervyns commercial (is that the right one) where the lady stands at the door and says, “Open, open, open.” It really works, you should try it. Another one of those weak places for me is any sale that is going on and that includes online AND thrift stores. How do they get rid of such fabulous items? I really do believe in the motto, “Another woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure.” I am not beyond dumpster diving – just ask some of my local art friends. In fact, because I am going to use what I have (and if you saw what I was talking about, you would shake your head), I plan on having several “creative” items to sell….hmmm….we’ll see.
Well, I’ve told you about my pink new year. I would love to hear about yours.

Happy Pink Saturday brought to you by our extraordinary pink hostess, Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/.

A Year of Hope

I spoke with a special friend a few days ago as she shared with our study group that she keeps a journal of sweet gifts that God gives her throughout the year. I asked her to tell me more about it and she said that Christmas had been a difficult for her once upon a time so a friend encouraged her to keep a journal of all the sweet gifts that God gives her throughout the year. She said that she was just getting ready to sit down and read through them. I appreciated her openness as she shared her struggle with the holidays because I too have struggled with some pain as this special day comes around. That's not to say that I don't love the music, the decorations, spending time with friends and family, etc....I do love it all. But, like many others I hae expereienced pain and am reminded of it during this time of year. Even as she shared her journal idea with me, my thoughts began to brighten because I too have been given many sweet gifts. Years ago when the pain was so difficult I asked, seeked, cried and fervently prayed that God would use this pain for good. There was a time in my life when the pain was so great that any hope was swallowed up by the darkness I felt. But, God in His graciousness sent the right people at the right time in my life. One sweet friend gave me a journal and told me to write down one thing each day that I was thankful for no matter how small it seemed. I have to admit that it was not always easy, nor did I do it each day....but, I did do it and as I took those steps to write, hope began to loom on the horizon. Many years have gone by since then and much good has come. I continue to think that God is not finished with this story, so I continue to believe in hope. I have thought a lot about that word because I have always wanted to encourage women to find hope in their lives. As I think about that, I have to ask "just what is hope?" Hope is about what is to come - what we wait expectantly for - what keeps us going. I don't know what it looks like for you, but I know that we all hold onto it especially when times are difficult. It is the spark that keeps us going, waiting, hoping. So, I thought that I would title this year for me, "A Year of Hope." I look forward expectantly knowing that God is working on our behalf and gives us the desires of our heart. I believe that those desires are coupled with the gifts that He gives us and that is exciting to me. I would love to hear from you and know what hope means to you!

End of the Year reflections

The week between Christmas and New Years is a time of reflection for me. I always pray that God would make clear to me what I am to do. Unfortunately, I have asked Him to be very specific which often (okay, usually) results in frustration and disappointment on my part because He usually (okay, 99.99% of the time) doesn't answer that way. A friend of mine taught me a few years ago that many times when I would make a request of God that I was "asking the wrong question." So, I contemplated that thought and looked at my request in a different light. There are a couple of things that I have been hoping for. I hadn't realized it until yesterday that perhaps they may or may not be linked together - at least as far as God was concerned. So, it occurred to me that (in addition to asking my question differently) perhaps I should just continue to do what I have been doing and allow God to work through me and my circumstances. After all, if I truly want to bring glory to Him, then I should just simply be the vessel and allow Him to work through me. So, today I decided to continue to do what I had been thinking about doing and allowing God to decide how He would work through it....so far so good. I'm guessing that I am not alone in my thoughts and desires. I would love to hear what God has laid on your heart....

New background

What do you think of my new background? I call it a happy accident. I was looking to change the Christmas theme I had up and fell into this wonderful design by http://blo64rt.blogspot.com/. I love it because it is of one of my favorite artists, John William Waterhouse. Consider this picture of "The Soul of a Rose". You can almost smell the fragrance of the rose along with the woman in the picture. It truly depicts the soul of the rose!

Christmas Present

I'm so far behind on my posts. I'll make this one brief and then try to play catch up later this week. Oh yeah....I forgot....it's the week of Christmas....prob'ly not....have church tomorrow morning, open house in the afternoon and cantata that night....I have something to do Monday but I can't remember. But, I do remember that it is my oldest son's birthday and we will be Skyping that day to hug him via Skype. I am so blessed with wonderful children! Tuesday I go to a dear friend and fellow dollmaker's home to learn a new way to paint eyes - can't wait! Wednesday I am having an open house at our house....somewhere between now and Wednesday I need to decide the menu and what I am cooking AND clean....that's kind of a biggy. On Thursday I go to Denver to pick up my other son who is flying in from Montana and then driving home. On Friday we will have a Christmas eve service and Saturday is Christmas.

How about you? How is your week looking? Oh, and I learned something today...I thought I would share....holidays have been difficult for me for the last several years because of life's circumstances. However, I learned something today from my monthly study that was most helpful. Jesus is going to show up that day and I have a choice whether or not I will show up....I get to decide what my attitude is...I get to decide whether or not I am going to live in the past or in the present. I have decided to live in the present. I have decided that I will embrace today, this week, the people that come and go across my path. How about you?