blog is a many splendored thing

Technology is wonderful, except when it isn’t.  I have a bunch of photos on my cell phone that I want to get onto my computer, so I can share them with others, and I am having a dreadful time getting it right.  I took lots of pictures at my friend’s birthday party and lots of people asked me to share them.  Either I have copied one set of photos over, and over, and over again; or I fear that I have deleted some pictures I promised to friends.  Yes, technology IS wonderful, except when it isn’t. I’m not always a technical goofball.  But, lately it seems that I’m more goofball than technical.  Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  I also have before and after photos of the clear-the-clutter project that Amy and I embarked upon last Saturday!  You guessed it, I haven’t figured out how to share those pictures either, but thankfully, no one is asking about them, hahaha.  So, I’ll tell you about our progress…  And, then, when I get t...

For those of you who pay attention to the dates; I fell asleep last night before finishing my post and getting it published…  So, today, you get two for the price of one.  I also have tomorrow’s post ready so I can rest on the Lords day! God really has a special place in his heart for farmers.  God placed the very first man he created on His farm to tend to it.  Genesis 2:8 (KJV) - And the LORD God planted a garden [or farm] eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Jesus loved farmers.  He told His disciples that His Father was a farmer.   John 15:1 (KJV) - I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Farmers must be the best people in The Word, and the world, at keeping at a thing until the finish.  By the way, some of my favorite people are farmers, and they are a wonderful example of sticking to it.  The hardest part, (and the most expensive, I would guess) comes at planting time and at harves...

I suppose it is in all human nature – ok, I am human and it is my nature – to start something new with gusto and zeal and then I get tired, or run down, and I start slipping into my old ways.  It is so easy to make plans, to set goals, to gather supplies, and to get started.  It’s not in getting started I have a problem; it’s in sticking to that which I start. So it is with books, crafts, sewing, and other projects I’ve started…  I look around and I see dozens of projects started; but the finishing is nowhere in sight.  That isn’t good for me, it isn’t good for my sense of accomplishment, and it isn’t good for the clutter levels in our home. It’s not uncommon for me to have several books going all at the same time because I have started one, saw another with an interesting title, and others were recommended to me; unfortunately I may not make it back to the first book to ever get to “the good part”.   You know, life can be that way too!  If we don’...

It's been a really, really, long day. It started at five this morning, and its almost nine at night here on the east coast.  But, the day goes on.  I was planning to stop by and let you know that I'm too pooped to pop and too beat to blog. But, as soon as I started writing I found some energy that I didn't know I had.  It's amazing how great you  feel when you're doing something you really love. It's getting close to the weekend, and I'm getting excited about the fact that Amy, my organizer, will be here on Saturday to help me get started. It is not everyday that one starts ridding herself of the accumulation of a lifetime. I have been dragging some of these things around with me since I was a kid. I still have the broken jewelry at my parents gave me when I graduated from 8th grade! It's not that its worth anything monetarily but I look at it and I remember that once upon a time, a very long time ago, they loved me.   I have been a saver, a stuffer...

Last night I had the opportunity to hear a remarkable young lady speak on goal setting.  She shared with me after she spoke that she had been reluctant to discuss goal setting in a group of “mature Christian Ladies” because she thought we were probably more experienced at life, and at setting goal setting, than she.  But, God kept urging her toward the subject and she did a beautiful job. Her presentation was well thought out and timely since many of us are working on our goals for the upcoming year.  As she was speaking, I felt Gods presence in the room.  I’m sure from the conversations that followed many of us felt convicted.  I wonder if they thought God had urged her to speak on goal setting just for them, I did! She touched on several areas that I myself have been considering in the process of setting some of my own goals.  Her focus was not however just on setting goals, or how to achieve them, but also on the matters of the heart that should...

Yay!  Amy has signed on to this project.  She will be here next Saturday for an initial walk through and for us to start making a detailed plan of action.  Meanwhile, I thought it would be a good idea for me to set down some of my smart goals on paper so I could remember why this is important to me as we get started.  The hard work that is coming means that I need to define what I want out of the project, what I consider a success, and basic guidelines for moving forward. When Amy comes we’ll discuss details, start some project lists, and discuss a realistic plan of attack so we keep moving in the right direction.  It’s important for me to keep my dreams in front of me so I don’t give up when times get tough. Goal let go of the stuff and let God use me S Specific Simplify my life by ridding myself of stuff I do not use. Use the stuff I keep to honor and glorify God . Define Keep or Go Keep – useful stuff we ne...

About a week ago now I mentioned goals and got side tracked on how much I like lists.  I did mention that I am easily distracted!  I have been musing over those goals; and today I put pen to paper and started my list. The problem with goals is that you have to put feet to them.  You can write down anything; but if you don’t put the plan into action, nothing happens.  In selecting goals, I have taken some advice from better goal setters than myself.  I borrowed the SMARTGoal acronym for some ideas.  You can find some great goal setting advice and a really cool matrix at Wikepedia.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria So here goes!!! Goal:  get healthy, lose weight S Specific I want to lose 100 pounds.  At 1 pound per week it will take me about 2 years.  I will need to adopt some new habits. My new motto will be Eat Right, Move More, Stay Motivated ! M Measurable I will...

I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of my friends and family who have been so supportive.  I received many very kind words of encouragement in response to my very first ever blog post.  I do have to admit that it was fun to see those words in print knowing that they had been published to the internet!  So... now you know...  I am very easily amused , hahaha! I would like to talk to you about something God has placed on my heart today:  ENCOUR'AGEMENT , noun The act of giving courage, or confidence of success; incitement to action or to practice; incentive.   ( http://webstersdictionary1828.com/Home?word=Encourage ). Encouragement can take the form of the least little thing but it is so important to each of our lives.  A little Godly advice from a friend, a kind word from an acquaintance, or a cheerful attitude from someone we look up to helps to validate our feelings of worth, of accomplishment, and of belonging.  A smile, a to...