Taking the time

Sun peaks in and out of clouds in a mostly blue sky. A gentle breeze adds to the slight chill of a cooler summer day. Pants take the place of capris and a long-sleeved t-shirt where once was a sleeveless.  It's a wonderful, almost chilly day.

I went back to work today after a long weekend. Camera in hand I started out my weekend with a cheerful outlook and excitement that I didn't have to go to work for 3 whole days (well, 4, but I don't work on Sundays anyway, so it wasn't really a "day off" for me). I guess working 6 days a week maybe gets to you after a while, love your job or not.  Thankfully I do love my job, I am happy to be back working.  But I was so thankful for a little break.

This weekend was the first time, in a while, that I have actually taken pictures of anything really.  But it was a time to rediscover the "little things" in life. (Pictures will hopefully come later.)
 

Right now, sitting outside in the previously mentioned breeze. Listening to this song. (The one and only song that is currently on my playlist for this blog.)

A mug of hot Camomile tea, sweetened with Agave nectar. ::~

Going to read Emma, by Jane Austen.  I am totally loving this book!

My parent's camera (which I have adopted as my own) rests near by, in case of a moment of inspiration.

That long-sleeved shirt I told you about? Yeah, it makes me so very happy.

{Heart} Mama talking on the phone. {Heart} I just love my Mama's voice and the sweet, gentle way in which she speaks and forms her words.

Leah sitting near me, reading a book.  Wearing a sweater, capris, socks and ... wait for it ... flip-flops. {Smile} Yeah.

Keeping my feet warm from the breeze are my new, $3.00 shoes.  They also make me very happy.

And speaking of happy.  This pictures just fills my heart with happiness and joy! (This picture is from the weekend, not this evening, but it just melts my heart!)

:~:Another giveaway :~:

~-~ Give away ~-~

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is actually from Melissa. So I cannot take credit for it.  But I love it. It's so simple!

2 C firmly packed brown sugar

1 C unsalted butter, softened (I actually use salted butter)

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 tsp. real vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

1 heaping tsp. salt

3 C flour

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream brown sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture.  Then add chocolate chops, mix just until blended.

Drop balls of dough onto cookie sheet.  Bake 11-13 minutes.

Chapter 2

For those of you who read Chapter 1, I just wanted to let you know that I've posted Chapter 2.  It's been probably about a week, since I posted it, I just kept forgetting to link it.  Sorry. :)

Chapter 1

Check it out. I posted the first chapter of my new book on my Scribbles blog.  Click here.

Apparently I've been adopted ...

... As Mom.  :)

Check it out!

Lookie!

I'm so excited ... I started a blog for my writing!!!! I'm excited to start writing on it. Check it out! (Click on the picture to go there.)

*~Tuesday afternoon~*

*~:: ... Bible reading, journal-ing, picture taking, praying, music listening, lake viewing, bracing against the wind blowing, gently swinging, thinking. These took up an hour or two of my afternoon on Tuesday, much like this day. ... ::~*

Psalm 103:8 NET

Job 41:10-11 ESV

Give Away

The young ladies at the I Don't Date blog (IDD) have a special give away!! Go check it out!

So ...

I know what you're all thinking ... *Gasp* It's a- It's a-a-a post!!!!

Honestly, I'm kind of thinking the same thing. What has happened to the last month (over actually) since I last posted!? Do you ever have those times when you get this GREAT idea of something to post, but you're not home, or at least not around your computer, and then when you actually HAVE the time to post you think ... "Why was I going to post THAT?!" ... Yeah, that's kind of been my story the last many, many weeks. I've even taken pictures to post and then when I look at them I think, "Aww, that's kinda dumb."

But, here I am. Finally posting again on this poor abandoned blog. I've missed posting and missed hearing from all you guys. Your comments honestly brighten my days! So, leave me some. What are you all up to? But most importantly, what is God doing in your life? I do check your blogs when time permits, but I don't always have the time to sit and read a lot. But I'd love to know, and since there is a comment box ... well ... I'd shaw be grateful ta ya iffin ya used it. *wink*

Yesterday evening I rearranged my room ... well, actually it started Saturday night because Leah was feeling rearrange-y and rearrange-ied her room which inspired me to at least try my hand at this rearranging and *gasp* could I honestly mean ... Decorating! My ideas of decorating consist of pounding a nail in a wall and putting a picture on it or tacking something onto a bulletin board. Thankfully Leah's idea of decorating is something more like this. One of her great ideas that she shared with me, when I was trying to beautify said bulletin board was instead of using pins or tacks to pin pictures up, use old earrings. And instead of just having a bookshelf, light it up with a string of lights intertwined within and around the things on the shelves (actually, I just came up with that one just now, as I was sitting here typing, but it sounds like a Leah or Katie decorating thing.)

Anyway. That was just a little unnessiscary up-date for all ya wonderfully faithful readers out there. :) And just so ya know, there will be pictures ... eventually. Yes, I AM going to try to keep up on the blogging again. We'll see how that goes! Thanks for stopping by!

Mercy

Today ...
another dawn appeared. The sun in its striking fullness rose.
The songs of the cardinals broke forth heralding a reminder
of God's ordained declaration from the beginning of time --
Another Today!
To this we awoke, breathing ...
This is Mercy!

Yesterday ...
we struggled with our weaknesses, with the battle between our will and His, the warring of flesh and spirit. We struggled with our own selfishness and, maybe, we lost. A harsh word tumbled out, an old hurt or wound was unearthed, and the chill of doubt challenged our hearts. Wrong attitudes showed their ugly heads. Impatience and irritability wormed their way into our spirit and stealthily stole the joy of early dawn. A cloud of heaviness came over us, formidably unmoving and we even despaired. We battled with an aching body, a throbbing headache, the persistent pain of a chronic illness, and even a simple cold. We struggled with a loveless marriage and loneliness seemed our only companion. We labored with a fevered child, a wayward son or daughter. We wrestled with shattered dreams, the seemingly endless black hole of addiction and we thought we could not carry on.

Yet night came ...
and with it, the ancient display of majestic, twinkling splendor, and we remembered the omniscient One who flung these twinkling miracles into the heavens and called them all by name.

This morning ...
we came again and knelt, or simply stumbled from our bedroom to the kitchen, lifted up our voice and told *Him EVERYTHING. The One, the ancient "I AM" who aligned the planets and whirled the galaxies into space with pinpoint precision, the One who holds it all by the power of His word, our Redeemer, called us by name, and bent *His ear, and heard our cries!

This is Mercy!

By ~ Kate Marchiniak
Found in ~ Above Rubies ... Issue: Seventy-seven

* I capitalized these words.

New Blog!!

I have started a new blog ... with the help of Nikki. :)
Book Reviews for You

Making Potpourri

Starting the drying of rose petals.

After a day of drying ... this is going to take a lot of rose petals. :)

Also drying Peonie petals.

More rose petals to dry.

The edge of my "Junk Squad" find.

The book that started it all...

Making Potpourri

I'll try to keep you up-dated.

Check it out

My friend has just recently started a blog ... check it out! Nikki's blog.

Ta-da

I'm baaack. :) I bet you didn't even notice I was gone ... aahhh aside from the fact that I haven't been posting, commenting or answering e-mails from all you wonderful peeps ... other then that, I bet you didn't notice my absence.

Truth be told it wasn't my fault ... completely. The Internet on my laptop just decided it wasn't going to work ... I could have used Dad's desktop ... but that would involve Walking. Down. All. Twelve. Of. The. Stairs. (never mind the fact that my bedroom is in the basement (yes, down said stairs) and that in order to get my laptop I have to walk down the same stairs) and then actually HAVING something to say.

So, ta-da ... the Internet is fixed and what do I have to say that is worth posting about? .... Nothing.

That's it peeps. Nothing. In spite of the fact that is has been 10 days since my last post I still have nothing to say.

My days really aren't that exciting, as far as something new and "exciting" each day. Don't get my wrong, I love what I do, honest and truly I really do ... but I get up, go to work, come home from work, teach piano, eat supper, spend some quality time with my family in the evenings (yes, I can hear them gigging and smirking as they read that) and then go to bed. Then wake up, go to work, come home from work ... yeah. To make it a little more exciting I could say something like, my alarm goes off at 7:00am. I get out of bed (my cellphone/alarm clock is on my dresser, forcing me to emerge from the warmth of my blankets), hit the snooze button, crawl back in bed, and bring the phone to the nightstand so that next time it goes off I don't have to get out of bed, but simply stretch my arm from beneath the protective blanket mountain and stop the unwanted noise. Between 7:30 and 8:00 am (these days it's getting closer to 8:00 am each morning) I finally and LITERALLY PUSH myself from my bed as I realize that I need to be in my car no later then 8:25am. The dog also helps in the morning, attacking my head because she has to go outside. I grab my clothes and up the stairs I go. Sometimes I actually shower, but most of the time I just wash my hair over the side of the tub. Then I dry it with the dryer (Hurrah!! *Thinks back to frozen hair*) and look at my watch. If I got up around 7:30 it should be around 7:50-ish now. However, as I mentioned it's getting later and later each morning. This morning, as an example, I pushed myself from bed at 8:00 am. After washing my hair I realized it was 8:15 am. Ten minutes to do my make-up, grab some water, Kombucha tea, and vinegar water before rushing out the door. I made it this morning! Yes. Then off to work ... about a thirty-five minute drive. With the weather like it was this morning I avoid icy spots and snowdrifts as I drive (that always makes driving so much more interesting). As I drive I literally sing AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, to what ever C.D. is in the playing. Arrive at work around 9:00am. Then hold M. all morning. Then back in the car, drive (singing resumes as I drive) home and teach piano all afternoon. And well ... you know the rest. :)

This week we add in recital preparations (the one I was thinking was still weeks and weeks off, but is, in fact, this Sunday ... ahhhhh!). I have 14 kids playing 2 (some 3) songs each. I'm so excited, they are all working so hard for this recital!

Aaaaanyway. As I really, as you can plainly see, having nothing to say please, tell me how you are, what are you doing? I haven't heard from ya'll in sometime ... humm due to lack of posting on my part? ;)

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.

Tag

1. Fill in your memories of 2008.
2. Link my blog to yours. (Or my profile, at least.)
3. Tag others, and comment on their blogs so they know they've been tagged.

I was tagged by Rosebud.

~A good book I read~
A trilogy actually: "The Door Within" by Wayne Thomas Batson

~A great film/movie I watched~
Prince Caspian

~A new place I visited~
The Bad Lands, in South Dakota

~An inspiring verse or quote I read~
"...And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You." Ps, 73:25

~A new skill I acquired~
Playing new games.

~A lesson I learned~
That God's timing is always right, even when I don't think it is.

~A moment I will always remember~
A walk in the woods in the falling snow.

I tag: Leah, Katie, and Melanie.

Check it out!

My sister wrote a post that made me laugh. Check it out!

Also, this is my 300th post!!! Wahoo!!! Hurrah!!! :) Just had to tell ya peeps that.

Tagged

Rules:
* Post the six to ten things that you do on a daily basis.
*Link to the person who tagged you.
*Tag five other people.
*Leave a comment on the blog of the person that tagged you letting them know you posted this on your blog.

Melanie tagged me for this one. And I'm going to tell you right off that I'm not selecting five people to tag, I'm going to leave this one open. If you stumble across this post and want to do your own tag, please do. Maybe leave me a comment to I can see your tag. :)

Six to ten things I do each day ...

1. Wake up
2. Get dressed
3. Drive to work
4. Hold M.
5. Love my job!
6. Come home
7. Love my family and home!
   
8. Check the blog
9. Check other people's blogs
10. Teach piano

So there you go! Random, I know. But still, the rules never said anything about making any kind of sense with your ten things.