Got up this a.m. and hubby didn't have any coffee made. Horrors!!!
"What happened? Where's the java?"
"Pot is broke. It was making all kinds of noises."
Bummer. What's a gal to do when the coffee pot breaks down? Well, if one's daughter is up, you can run next door and borrow her extra pot or make a cup in her Kuerig. However, when it is 6 a.m., ya don't wanna wake that little bear. No, no, no.
So, I just poured some coffee in a coffee filter, gathered it shut, and clipped it with a paper clip. You know. One of those big chrome and black ones? Worked like a charm. Then I placed my coffee-ball-bag in a pot of water, brought it to a boil, waited a few minutes and "TA DAH!" Coffee, my way. A whole pot. All I had to do is warm it a bit in the microwave to the temp my dainty little tongue tolerates. Ahhh... the joy of being me. Sometimes I amaze myself.
...the daughter who works so hard to make a lovely home for her husband, who strives to teach her little girls the ABC's and the virtues of life. I pray success upon her efforts.
...the grandchildren... each one. You know, Lord, the individual needs of each and every one. You know my desires and dreams for them. And those are so small in comparison to what You'd give. I do pray you keep them from the evil one and the tempations of this world that lead to destruction, unhappiness, and death. I pray you give them the desire to live in Your light, Your will, and Your Word.
...my husband who delights me beyond words by simply being in my life and sitting beside me at the end of a day. I pray the stress of life be like raindrops on a hot tin roof. Let him know You are ever-present in all he does. Let him see the beauty of Your handiwork and be refreshed with the rising of the sun.
...for those who drop by this blog, let them be filled with a hunger to know You in all Your fullness through the life-giving blessing of Your Son. May they thirst only for You and be filled with the joy and peace and comfort that only You can give.
...for friends who read this small measure of my space in this side of eternity, I pray for goodness and mercy and hope. May they find pleasure in the moments, strength in their trials, and reason in their difficulties. May they see You manifested in the mundane, and the obstacles, and the futility of life's struggles.
and have a spot like this or this in my back yard. I'd fill it up with paints, and a lovely stuffed chaise, and hanging plants.
I would add on a little porch with a swing, and I would be in heaven. I could have tea parties on the porch and sit and dream or scream, create or deflate. I could write or not and simply be me.
ahhhhh
ABSOLUTE heaven on earth. OKAY. Now I know I am dreaming... fat chance of this ever becoming a reality. At my age, I am afraid that treehouses in the forest are stuck inside the fairytale books I read as a child. Sweet, sweet prince, where art thou, oh prince??? THIS IS ALL A PART OF BEING FEMALE. AT LEAST FOR ME, IT IS. selahV
I sit here in my cozy little home, drinking a hot cup of raspberry tea laced with honey (of course...it's an habitual addiction). I was going to watch a movie on television (Rudy), but became disenchanted with the leading character's love for Notre Dame football. I've seen the movie before and it is a very heartwarming story. However, I just wasn't in the mood for it . A chick-flick would be more my style, I think.
I couldn't go to church this a.m. with my hubby because my back was so bad when I awoke I had to do the Tim Conway shuffle to get to the bathroom when I got out of bed. After my excruciating scoot to the potty, I made my way to the freezer and grabbed my icepack for my back.
I listened to David Jeremiah preach on acting on our faith and was convicted by his story about "almost" helping someone who needed it. It reminded me of all the times I had the best of intentions to do something for someone and didn't. The card I almost sent to the grieving widow, the soup I almost took to a friend. The call I almost made, the encouragement I almost gave. By the time Dr. Jeremiah's sermon ended, I felt reasonably chastized and convicted of my baser selfishness and perpetual procrastination.
Charles Stanley's preaching on getting rid of guilt (good one, considering I was feeling guilty about staying home), also fed my soul as I realized that no matter how hard I try to be perfect, I can't be. Dr. Stanley reminded me that God himself paid the price to take away my sin and guilt (including selfishness and apathy)-- not to mention all the false-guilt we place upon ourselves. Jesus paid it all; all I need do is accept His grace and mercy, then move forward to a new day, with greater resolve to act upon the good intentions so that they become reality.
As I sat here toying with my computer, surfing here and there across cyberspace, I realized how cold it was outside, how blustery the wind was, how glad I was inside on the day the weatherman predicted 72 degree temperatures with wind-gusts up to 25 mph, in which reality produced tempearatures four degrees short of freezing water. After perusing a few of my favorite blogs on decor and homelife, and watching a Youtube video on the techniques of needle felting, I decided to light some candles and fool my mental state into believing I had a warm and cozy fireplace blazing before me...hey, it works for me.
I think I succeeded with the chance of warmth, however, I'm still working on the guilt of staying home from church and almost painting a landscape of trees to send a dear friend in Kentucky. I will get better. I promise myself that. With God's grace and mercy...and with Pinterest ideas and blogging sisters to stir me on toward good works, I shall prevail no matter how wild and windy it gets outside. hariette petersen
Sometimes, it is rather messy. I guess that is why I am so drawn to the pretty, the lovely, the gentle, the serenity I see outside my sphere in the blogs and photos of others. That could be why the delicate and delightful tugs at my soul each time I visit Pinterest and grab photos to share.
I tend to gravitate towards the worn and weary, the used and abused. Not to dwell on their inadequacy or flaws, no. It's because I see the potential-- how it can be changed and made into something fresh, useful, and cherished.
Lately it seems as though a piece of me is torn from my heart, my soul, my spirit each day, and I must not struggle to retrieve it or hold onto it. I cannot place a bandaid on it, or kiss it and make it better. I have to literally leave it behind and walk on into the next hour and the next day. It's a lot like grief. It follows you wherever you go, but it cannot live comfortably with the life you seek to live. It becomes an unspoken part of you...a part you know is there, but others fail to recognize any longer. And that's okay, it's still part of being me-- its melody is mine alone to hear. And sing.
chaotic complexity. Not total chaos, mind you. I like calm. I like serene and simple. I long to be the still stream that slowly moves its current beneath the surface graced with driftwood and debris.
I look at decorating styles-- the classic grouping of 3, 5, or odd numbered items. I like the balance. But for some reason I am always adding just a little bit more to the simple vinette I create with primitive bowls, copper chargers and raku pottery. I can't seem to help myself. One day I am content with my arrangement, then the next I am adding a bit more color, or removing an object to another space in an effort to quiet the mood.
I truly am a simple kinda gal. I love the country elegance and calm ambiance I see some ladies create with monochromatic colors. I want to be that simple-- that chic, that sleek. Unfortunately, that desire is overrided by my overactive creative imagination. I'm always changing things. Always seeing a better way, another emphasis I want to make. I really should have an extra bedroom, bath, and living area so I could redecorate it every other week or so.
One day I love country primitive and rustic. Then next I wallow in the romantic schemes of lace and ribbon. I'm constantly trying to create that balance between raw masculine stability, and soft feminine grace. Am I the only one like me?
In a sense, I believe you are, too; in your own way, you are exactly like me. You are you and because you are, you are unique--just as I am unique. In our uniqueness, we each find our comfort zone from the depths of our own individuality. Just as one friend is content to live without changing the placement of traditional accents with an occasional addition of new items, another friend is at peace with total minimalism. Then there is me. See something we love and then try to figure out how we can work it into our eclectic decor.
In the end, I know why this is so...we are each created with our own package of likes and dislikes. In some cases we are conditioned by our our childhood environments. In other cases we develop our style as we fall in and out of love with various themes that feed our souls, quiet our spirits, and motivate our creative muses.
I thank God I am me:
"...because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14 NIV 1984
yeah, I do
like me and the way I am: Content to live with what I have, yet not so
satisfied and set in my ways that I am not flexible or willing to
change. I've moved over 30 times in my nearly 65 years. That's a lot
of moves for some folks--a lot of changes. I've tossed a lot of memorabilia out in those
moves. I've lost a lot of treasures. But I've also found joy in
searching for new ones. Yet, just as I have lost and left behind material things, I've gained a deeper appreciation for why I am here.
My number one aim in my home is to make it comfortable for my husband, my family and friends--to bring glory to God in all I do with it. I want strangers to feel as welcomed and relaxed as my family and friends. After all...
"...unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain." Psalm 127:1
And just who wants to labor (or decorate) in vain?
FOR A TEENSEY PEEK AT MY HOUSE TODAY....CLICK HERE.
AND FOR A BIT OF VICTORIAN FROM MY OLD HOUSE...CLICK HERE.
AND FOR A LITTLE BIT COUNTRY FROM YORE...CLICK HERE.
AND WHY? oh Why? I Blame My Stepmother... CLICK HERE.
Once in a while, you come across a junk-transformer /slash artist. And when you do, if you are a good person, you HAVE to share this genius and magic with the rest of your world. This particular transformation begs for you and me to go dumpster diving and find ourselves a homeless piece of yard-sale trash and perform decorating surgery.
Can you believe that the gorgeous shelf above came from these two items below?
Absolutely amazing creative juices flow in this artist's veins. We can all get a creative transfusion by visiting this site/HERE.
TEN STAR "feminine matters" RECOMMENDATION by hariette petersen
But you know something, this reminds me of another recommendation I was given many years ago. I, too, went through an amazing transformation when Christ took my self-centered, dirty, trash-ridden life and worked His grace-fueled power in me. I still sit amazed as I type these words to you. And whenever I see a piece of junk transformed into a work of beauty, I am reminded of what God promises:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and LOOK, new things have come," 2 Corinthians 5:17
And someday, when Christ returns to claim His own transformed creations, like me, the One who sits on the throne in Heaven above promises:
"Look! I AM making everything new." He also said, "Write because these words are faithful and true." Revelation 21:5
And when God creates a new earth, we will spend eternity with Him in all our glory as glorified creatures of love.selahV today
Mother of the Bride, Donna Reyne` made her daughter's bouquet. So very pretty. Don't you think? It's her attention to details and the little things that made this so lovely. See how she did it HERE/link.
women who care deeply, share openly, and trust with complete abandon.
We tend to enjoy one another in joy as well as difficulty. We encourage and believe in one another. We don't mind friends who show up and find us without make-up or in our jammies at noon. We simply love one another and need one another to help complete our day.
We do not need roses, though roses are nice. We do not need words, though words are helpful. We do not need gifts, though gifts are fun. Sometimes all we need is the mere presence of another. Our happiness comes from sitting in silence, watching the birds, or sharing a sunset while sipping a cup of honey-laced apricot tea. Women who need women find it easy to say, "I believe in you"
and know the feeling is returned in full. thanks for stopping by...come visit me at my Pinterest/link.
You and I both know that a home is far more than a charming decor. However, this gal will charm the socks off you as you peruse her photos and gather ideas to implement into your own home. And why would you?
Well, shucks, it's all about making an inviting space for family and friends to feel welcome, cozy and comfortable. Then as you share your space, you grow together, encourage one another and deepen a bond you might not otherwise have in a sterile, empty room, cluttered with yesterday's newspapers, last year's magazines, and tired accents. Sherry gathers ideas from others and plops them on her space and gives us all a pleasureable peek.
Check out the charm she exudes in ONE CLICK. See if you aren't hooked by her spell.
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