Snow from a week ago

Click on the picture to see the individual snowflakes.

Click on the picture to see the snowflakes.
No, I wasn't smiling for this picture, obviously, I was taking a picture of the snow in my hair.
Click to see the snowflake in this picture too, it's on the little "berry".

Funny link

Here is my sister's view of an event that happened tonight. It's so funny ... check it out ... Read it and Weep.

A little creativity with what you've already got ...

I'm admittedly a neat-freak (working on not being one) and I have a thing for things being organized! So the other day I noticed that I needed a place to sort and hold letters and bills. I'd had my eye on a letter organizer-sorter-thingy at a store for a long time, but I didn't want to spend the gas money to get over to the store and I didn't want to spend the money to buy it (I'm also a tightwad sometimes). So I went to my room and looked and looked for something else I could use ... and here's what I came up with! I stole the green basket off the top of my bookshelf (the one previously posted about) and found another one. I tied yarn around the handle of the top basket and then to a nail to hold it up. Then I tied the baskets together with yarn as well ... just goes to show that if you think about it hard enough you could probably find something to use that you already have rather then spending the money to buy something new. :)

books ... books ... books ... and not enough room ... until now

So ... I love books ... anyone who knows me knows this to be a fact. But, not only do I love books, I love getting books as well. :) So, as a bookshelf can only hold so many, I had started to stack them on top of each other and in a box, and on top of each other in the box. It was then that I decided to buy another book shelf. So we have before and after pictures.

BEFORE

Notice all the books stacked on the shelves and on other books? (click on any picture for a closer look.)

Ahh ... the box. See the duck tape? It was coming apart because of the weight ... poor faithful box.

The closet (where I put the new bookshelf) before.

AFTER

See all the stacks are gone? :) And the box is gone too! Hurrah!

The new bookshelf ... so pretty.

The new bookshelf ... again.

AFTER AFTER

Yes, even after I set it all up I acquired even more books and had to rearrange again! :) I just love how it looks and holds Every. Single. One. Of. My. Books!!

Valentine's surprise from Leah

While at work on Valentine's day I looked out the window to see my sister driving up to the house where I work ... quite unusual. As I continued to look I noticed my little brother was in the car, too. Even more unusual. One of the little kids ran out to meet them and came back inside with a rather large piece of red tissue paper wrapped around something. As she handed it to me I saw Leah driving away. I was quite confused ... why would they drive all this way to drop this red tissue paper off and then leave without even saying hi. I then noticed that there was a "card" on the tissue paper. :) It all clicked! I opened the paper and was completely surprised. Aren't they the sweetest?!

It's more then just taking your eyes off ...

... It's putting them on ... on Christ that is.

Happy Valentine's day everyone!! (Happy Single's awareness day ... as my sister and I joke).

May all you married peeps enjoy having someone to hold tight and love and give your heart to. :) May all you peeps with a special someone also enjoy being together and enjoy each other's company. May all you singles out there .... hummm ... is there really anything to enjoy on Valentine's day for singles?

Yes!! As a matter of fact there is. Sometimes it doesn't seem that there is much to be thankful for and enjoy (especially when one of your greatest desires is to be married and live in oneness with your husband) when you're alone on the holiday that makes so much of that 'special someone' and you haven't that 'special someone'. And it seems harder still when you have friends and family that have 'special someones' :) and you don't.

So, what is there to be thankful for on Valentine's day? Well, there's always the famous 'you're alive aren't you?' question. (Well, at least I'm assuming that if you're reading this then you're alive ... but I guess I could be wrong. *wink*) But sometimes, if you're like me, that doesn't bring the joy and peace that you're looking for.

Instead of spending your time, thinking of how lonely you are, think of someone else. Send a card, write a letter, bake a cake and deliver it to someone (single or married). Call up another single friend and get together for the day. When we set our loneliness and sadness aside and open our eyes and truly look at other people and ask ourselves how we can help them, we see that there is so much we can do, even if it's something little like bringing a rose to someone just because.

Well, I've been thinking a lot lately about marriage, being alone (especial with Valentine's day), taking my eyes off of things I can't have (namely a companion), looking to Christ to be my all in all, letting go of my desires and longings, looking to Christ to be my all in all, letting go of my desires and longings, looking to Christ to be my all in all, letting go of my desires and longings ... and ... ummm ... looking to Christ to be my all in all and letting go of my desires and longings. Did I miss anything? Humm. I don't think so, I think I got 'em all.

If you've been a longtime reader of my blog you know I post quite a bit about letting go of my desires and longings. How much it hurts, how I don't want to let go, how I know I need to let go. But, as I've said, I've been thinking. Maybe there's more. How so? More then just "letting go". How so? Maybe it's not so much letting go as it is grasping tighter ... to something else.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you try and try to not think of something (or someone ... we're going with someone, being Valentine's and all), but the more you try not to think of them, the more you think of them? Kind of distressing if you ask me. But, maybe instead of trying not to think of 'someone' we need to think about Christ.

Back to letting go ... instead of trying so very, very hard to let go of desires and dreams, and someones, we should grip tighter and tighter to Christ. Because when our hands are full of Christ and holding tight to Him with all we have, we soon see that we have no extra space to hold onto someone else, and no need to let go, because our hands are completely filled with Christ. Same with our thoughts. If our thoughts are saturated with Christ, verses, songs of praise, and such, there won't be any thoughts about not thinking about someone. And if our minds are filled with Christ there won't be any room for thoughts of that someone.

It's kind of like stepping into a dark room with only a single candle to light the room. Your object, with said candle, is to make the darkness flee, to make it simply light in the room. But as you chase the darkness from one corner you turn to find that it simply moved to the corner behind you. You run from place to place with your candle trying to make the darkness leave, but it only follows behind you, wherever you go. Discouraged that the darkness remains you're not as careful as you should be with your candle flame and in your hurrying about you forget to protect the flame, to nurture it and it is blown out by such fast, desperate movements. Now completely in the dark you sink to the ground ... still in the darkness, still wishing it to be gone. As tears flow your heart gets heavier and heavier. You don't know what to do, you've tried and tried to make the darkness go away, but you just can't. What if you can never make it go away, what if you are to live the rest of your life fighting the darkness with only your little flame? Fear starts to fill your heavy heart. Suddenly a strong hand closes around your shoulder. You cannot see who it is that is touching you, but the touch brings peace and you feel no reason to be afraid. Then the words, "Arise, and do not be afraid*" are spoken in a soft, comforting tone. Tears still streaming down your face you take heart, somewhat, and find you have no strength to stand, but the matter is soon solved as you are lifted by strong able arms to your feet. But once on your feet your find the strong arms do not let you go, but hold you fast, strong, close. Still the identity of this man is not revealed but as your legs will not hold your weight you cling to this man. Your fists full of his shirt, the candle you once depended on is now fallen from your hands, forgotten in the darkness. "Who are you?" your soft whisper fills the dark room. Slowly a soft glow fills the space around you. It takes you a moment to realize that the man you're clinging to tightly to is beginning to glow. Slightly afraid you know not what to do. Slowly the glow brightens and brightens. It continues to brighten until you must shut your eyes at the brightness of it. You blink, stunned by the light. Once your eyes adjust to the majesty of the light you look at the one who still holds you so close. Your eyes then behold the Savior. His face is soft, tender, caring as He holds you close to His heart. As you look into His face your fears fade away as your mind is completely taken up with studying His features. A few moments pass before you reluctantly let your eyes wander from His face and you realize that the room around you is no longer dark. In fact, there is not even a trace of darkness for all is revealed by the holy, majestic glow of the Savior. You wonder, as you rest safely in His arms, how you could have even tried to disperse the darkness with simply a single flame all on your own.

When our minds are filled with Christ, (with the light of His holy majesty) there is no room for anything else. When our eyes are so focused on Christ, learning about and studying Him, there is nothing else to look at. When our hands are so full of holding tightly to Christ, the "candle" we used to guide our way falls from our hands ... for there is no room to hold to anything but Christ.

*Matthew 17:7 (NKJV)

For further thoughts see my series from last year: Single for Valnetine's day? Parts: 1- Choose, 2- You're Being Watched, 3- Surrender, 4- Submit, and 5- The Checklist.

In which we learn the importance of DRYING one's hair ...

... before venturing out in freezing temperatures.

Up at 6:45am this morning. Jumped in the shower. Took too long in the shower and realized I had to be out the door in like ten minutes. Due to the hairdryer being kidnapped in someone's suitcase I was unable to dry my hair in the manner which I usually do. A lot of squeezing my hair with the towel proved insufficient for drying so I just left it ... as I already mentioned I was behind.


As I was throwing my coat on, I checked to make sure my siblings were waking up before I ran out the door. I didn't, however, check the temperature. I'm used to cold temperatures so I wasn't worried about it. I ran out to my car, started it, then ran over to Leah's car and started it too so it would be warm when she came out (her car sits just across the driveway from mine). In the amount of time it took me to run to my car from the house, across the driveway, then back to my car I could feel my hair starting to get hard ... almost like it was freezing. I've never actually frozen my hair so I wasn't worried.

I could feel my hair starting to form clumps of hardness, due to cold temperatures (my car said it was 9 above zero but I think it was more like 6 or 7 above, plus the wind was blowing, making it freezingly cold). As it was cold and I was tired, I wanted some coffee (but since I had to run out of the house you may have guessed that I didn't have time to make myself some). So I decided to stop at the gas station (I had around 5 before I had to be out of town). I figured since I would be seeing other people I should at least look half way decent, so I decided to brush my hair to "unclump" it.

Pulling the brush from my purse I brushed my hair and then was going to put it down (the brush, not my hair) on the seat next to me and get out of the car. But as I was setting it down (the brush peeps, not my hair) I noticed that my brush (black and dark purple) had white in the bristles. Unusual ... I don't have dandruff and it was a lot of white and all stuck together in one spot. As I lifted it to examine it more I noticed it was frost!! Like snow-y, ice-y frost-y! In my brush! It took me a second to realize that it was from my hair ... my hair had frozen and when I brushed it out it got stuck in my brush. I looked down at my seat and steering wheel and it looked like it had snowed in my car! :) It was weird!

I shook my head in wonder and got out of the car (after check myself in the mirror to make sure my hair wasn't white ... it wasn't). As I walked (actually more like ran because it was cold!) into the gas station I couldn't help but smile and nearly giggle thinking that this must be why your mother tells you not to go out in the cold with wet hair. :) Okay, okay, I know that's not why, but still ... it makes good sense.

And I thought I went shopping too much ...

In case any of you don't already know, the Superbowl was yesterday. Superbowl XLIII. Pittsburgh and Arizona battled to be Superbowl 43 champion!! In the end Pittsburgh achieved the title of Superbowl 43 champion.

Normally I'm not a football person. I watch it if someone else is already watching it, I've played it a few times, I know the general rules and such, but I'm more a baseball kinda gal. But since we went to a friend's house to have a "Superbowl party" I watched most of the game.

It was a great day!!!

But on to the post title ... what does football have to do with shopping? :) Well, let me shed some light on the issue.

I like shopping ... I mean, who doesn't enjoy a little something new once in a while. I'm not, however, a 'shop till you drop' kind of person. I'll shop if there is something I need, and once in a great while I shop with Leah just for a girl day. Sometimes when I go shopping little brother Ethan comes a long ... clearly I have warped the poor child ... for upon seeing the Superbowl number (yes, peeps, this is where it all connects, pay attention) written out in roman numerals ... looking thus: XLIII, Ethan questioned, "What are the letters for?" Our kind host explained to him that they were roman numerals (which Ethan knew, but I think it just slipped his mind ... or as I've already said ... he's been warped by shopping). Ethan nodded, obviously it clicked in his mind and all made sence. He was kind enough, however, to explain to us why it didn't click when first he saw the numbers ... "Oh, *a little half hearted giggle* I thought they were for an extra large 3." To which the oldset son of our host said, "Yeah or extra large long, long, long."

XLIII ... you'll never look at roman numerals the same again ... or maybe when you're shopping and see size tags you'll wonder if you fit in an M-1,000, an L-50, an X-10, or an XL-40?

I guessed we've learned ... it's all how you look at it ... or don't take your little brother shopping too much. :)