January spells C-L-E-A-N and O-R-G-A-N-I-Z-E

Yes, I know what you're thinking--where did I go to school and learn to spell?!?! ;)

But for some reason when January hits, it automatically means it's time to clean and organize. Seriously. One look at my dresser on December 30th and as it was dusted last week, it looks fine. But when I see the same dresser on January 1, it looks like it needs to be dusted from top to bottom, drawers cleaned out and contents organized.

Do two days really make that much difference?! :)

What is it that tricks my mind into thinking that? I don't know. Maybe it's the start of a new year. New beginnings. New things to unfold. New goals to achieve. New challenges to conquer.

Whatever it is, I'm seeing things that need to be cleaned and organized!!!

I could go on, you know. Most months trigger something in my mind. February spells....

What's most important this new year?

When a new year starts, I mentally start taking note of what I want to accomplish. Which usually turns into a month by month list of what I hope to accomplish. Admittedly, by the time December rolls around, some items will be completed, others totally scrapped and many new ones added.

But as I was thinking of those things I want to do this year, I was reminded last Sunday of what needs to be my first and foremost goal as 2011 starts--to glorify Christ with my words and actions. As Pastor Kirk challenged us to fight the good fight of faith, he made mention of several things which stood out to me.

--Understand who you are in Jesus Christ. God has created me in His image. He loves me. He knew me before I was ever born. Jesus Christ has offered a way of salvation and forgiven me. As I was writing these notes in church Sunday morning, Dad elbowed me and showed me his own scribblings. What did he write down? "Remember who you are." I laughed silently and smiled. How many, many times do I remember leaving home (no matter where or when, no matter how far) and Dad telling my sisters and I, "Remember who you are. You are a child of God." Ahhhh, yes. So true.

--Walk in the good works that God has for you. He created me to be a servant for His purposes. To serve others. To minister to others. My goal here on earth is to serve Christ. To be willing to follow what He would have me to do. As I glanced at Dad's notes, I knew I would find the second half of the phrase that Dad has continually told us girls, "Remember what your purpose is. It is to serve Christ." Yes, that's exactly what he had written down. :) Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

--Make disciples. Not only is God working and growing in my life, but I'm also supposed to pass that knowledge that He's teaching me onto others. Part of that is praying for opportunities and open doors and taking advantages of those situations that He puts in my path to share the Gospel, teaching His Word or be an encouragement in the lives of others.

--Glorify God in your life. Yes. In my words. In my actions. In my thoughts. In EVERYTHING I do. No matter how small or large, how simple or complex, how temporal or eternal...I'm to glorify Him. Colossians 3:17 - "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..."

--Excel still more. No matter where I am and what I'm currently doing or involved in, I should be pushing myself, setting goals to achieve to increase my knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ even more. Never staying at a plateau, but aspiring to continue in the work and ministry which He's given me the ability to do. I Thess. 4:1 - "...we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God."

--Present your life as a living sacrifice to the Lord. God has richly given to me and in return, I should render myself; all I am, all I have, all I can do to Him. Keeping in mind that I am to die to sin day after day and live to righteousness more and more. Continually. Romans 12: 1-2 - "...present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

--Deny self. So easy to say and know, but oh so hard to do! My example to follow? Jesus Christ. He willingly laid down His life for me. He willingly obeyed God the Father, even when His human nature fought it. I should have a willingness to obey His commands, serve others, do what He's called me to do, follow His ways and not the ways of the world. Not just once. Daily. Hour by hour. Luke 9:23 - "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

--Servants of Christ. I am a servant of Christ. What's the definition of a servant? One who serves. Willingly. One who exerts himself for the benefit of another. Again, who is my example? Jesus Christ. And what was Jesus Christ? A humble and willing servant. Matthew 20:28 - "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

--Must have a discerning spirit. What I see, hear and do should be aligned with God's Word. His Word is the ultimate source of Truth and the basis of what I do should be compared with His Word. God's Word is living and powerful and needs to be in my heart and mind for It is the true discernment of truth versus falsehood.

--Strive to become like Christ. Jesus Christ is my ultimate example. My eyes should be fixed on Him. Unwavering. Unmovable. Just like driving and following that white line in the road. Gluing my eyes to Him and not allowing anything to deter me from that line of sight. Nothing. Ephesians 5:1 - "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children."

What should be my most important goal for 2011? Exactly what is written above. In fact, I want to be reminded of that everyday. I want that to be my challenge week after week; all fifty-two weeks of this year. Right now this list is hanging on my mirror in my room where I see it every morning. Where as I'm getting dressed, putting on my makeup and doing my hair, God can use those words in my heart and mind to remind me what's most important in life.

Last year brought many changes into my life that weren't on my original set of goals for 2010. And this year will bring some changes I'm planning and others that I'm unaware of, but through it all my purpose must remain the same -- to glorify Christ in whatever I do, whatever situation I'm in.

Just like my Dad says, "Remember who you are. You are a child of God. Remember what your purpose is. It is to serve Christ."

August? Wasn't this month supposed to slow down?

Yeah, that's what I thought too! July--craziness! August--nothingness! What was I thinking?!?!? lol!!! Yes, perhaps not as busy as July, but plenty of things to continue to occupy my time.

It seems as though I've spent weeks catching up on email, business, orders, blogging, photos, sisters, cleaning, cooking and just plain life!! But I have to admit--I wouldn't change one thing I did in July!

Ok, so let's see.....I spent the first two weeks this month recovering from the previous events. You know, when you're physically gone for just about 4 weeks, dust tends to build up, cats tend to get lonely, and mail piles really high! ;)

Luke was here for a few days this month and we spent some time discussing wedding plans, talking, going to the rodeo, laughing, scouting out photo spots all over Dodge and just spending time together! Fun times!!! :)

This week? I'm headed to Iowa to spend a week with Joanna! I'm soooo excited! It's been a whole entire year since we've seen each other! Of course, that can't be too horrible considering the fact that we didn't even know each other the first 19 and 24 years of our lives! :)

The end of the month? Luke, Jena, Ryan and Krissa are all coming home for the weekend! All of us home at the same time--yep, it's been about a year since everyone's been home at the same time! I'm looking forward to it!

Maybe September will be normal? You think?! I'm not sure if I should plan on that or not....;)

The best birthday gift EVER!! :)

In and amongst daily life, there's another important part of my life that I haven't shared on my blog as of yet. That "important part" is a special someone who came into my life last November...well, maybe I should say August....hmmm...I guess technically it started 2 1/2 years ago in Chicago at a Bernina National Teacher's Retreat......

But that's another story for another time....

That special someone is Luke Nabeta. And he gave me the best birthday gift I could ever ask for - asking me to marry him! :) I could write a huge long blog post about him and the last few months, because I'm very excited about it and cannot believe how God has blessed in so many ways!! But for now....here's a few quick pics! :)

my beautiful ring!! :)

Life....just life.

I can't believe my last post here was a couple weeks ago. What's been happening around my house? Not much...just plain, normal, everyday life. Here's a glance at the last few days:

Saturday: Income taxes. A task I dread doing, mainly because there's so much of it I don't understand. Between my slight knowledge and Dad's help, I'm able to get there, but figuring expenses, income and making sure to get it all according to IRS rules it just....well, is just....hard. But my taxes are filed, been confirmed with the IRS and my paperwork stack is much smaller than it was last week. Ahhh....that makes me feel better!

Sunday: Have you ever had two kindergarten girls try guessing your age?! That made for a quite interesting discussion before we started Sunday School. That evening we had a movie watching event - The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, starring of all people - Don Knotts (aka Barney Fife!). I don't care what movie Don Knotts is in, the characteristics he displays in his actions and speech will forever be linked to the "nip it in the bud" deputy sheriff! A fun evening!

Monday: This week we've had 70 and 80 degree days which have been wonderful - makes flip flop wearing weather just around the corner! With the warmer weather and sun shining, I've been trying to get outside and get a slight tan. Let's just say......it's going to take a while. Although I will say my skin has turned color; it's no longer pure white, but not quite the tan I had in mind. Hopefully the "tan" will start appearing soon. :)

Tuesday: Hmmm...what did I do this day?? Oh yes, I finished up some last of the month business deadlines, stitched a couple of alterations that needed to be done and cleaned and sorted the last of my paperwork from doing my taxes over the weekend.

Wednesday: Ahhh...how I look forward to Wednesday afternoons! The kids are so sweet and it's always a treat to spend that time with Erinn and teaching and doing activities with the kids. Our Bible character this week was Thomas and how he doubted and didn't believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. For my introduction into the lesson, I had multiple objects in paper bags and asked several of the kids if they believed me if I told them that there was a green fish, $200, a quarter, a teddy bear or other various objects in each bag.

While I was hoping for a "no, I don't believe you" answer (just like Thomas didn't believe what he was told until he saw Jesus' hands), mostly what I got was a, "yes, I believe you". They continually believed me; which is slightly scary. They are watching and believing what I say and do. My prayer is that my speech and actions are reflecting Christ and bringing glory and honor to Him! What a responsibility! Whew!!

Thursday (today): I just received our VBS program, "High Seas Expedition" yesterday and am soooooo thrilled about getting started on that for this summer! Just imagine - ships, sailing, cute sailing clip art characters, fun-to-sing songs, crashing waves and spy glasses digging out truth from God's Word?!?! And yes, that's what I'm planning on spending my weekend sorting out. :)

Can I have a spring break too....please??

All the kids and teachers are thrilled to have this next week be spring break! Considering what I've managed to do the last few days, I really think I need one as well.

...sprayed sink & tub cleaner on the bathroom window to wash it. Windex works and smells much better.

...put away the milk in the cabinet instead of the fridge. Thankfully discovered that I did that only 2 minutes later.

...uncovered a pan of cinnamon twists in the freezer that I made the week before and totally forgot about.

...pulled a pan out of the oven momentarily forgetting to use a hot pad. Believe me, less than a moment later, full realization of what I did hit me.

...discovered my Google toolbar has disappeared from my Firefox browser and so far I've been unsuccessful in recovering it. Do you know how hard it is to live without that Google search box and bookmarks?!?!

...crossed something off my list only to rewrite it because I crossed it off, planned to do it that very minute and got distracted. Note to self: Don't EVER cross off my list until AFTER the fact.

...almost forgot one of my SS kid's birthday in spite of the fact that she has been reminding me for the past month. (You know what kind of tragedy that would cause?!?!)

Too bad I don't teach school and can't have that much-looked-forward-to-break. Of course, my job being the wonderful job that it is...I can take a break just about any time. And next week sounds like a perfectly good week to me. :)

From 2000 to 2010; what a difference 10 years makes!

2009 is gone and 2010 is here! As I've been thinking back on the last ten years (the last five especially).....oh, so much has happened! Our family has changed dramatically, friends have come and gone, jobs have changed and so much more!

In that year of 2000, who knew that...

...I would work at Southgate Fabriques for 7 years, starting out knowing so little and working my way to teacher, store manager and now owning my own business in that same field.

...the statement I made the summer before would be proven totally false. Yeah, I only stated so firmly to my sisters, "I enjoy sewing, but it's not something I would want to do every single day."

...my first plane flight would be to Washington D.C. for a Bernina sewing machine convention in 2001. And that was before 9/11 and all the security was of the utmost importance.

...I would buy my first sewing/embroidery machine - a Bernina 180, soon to be followed by three other machines.

...a car phone the size of a letter size sheet of paper would turn into a cell phone that could handle photos, texting, email and much more only being the size of a credit card. And that we have become so reliant on that piece of technology.

...Jena would graduate as a LPN and later as a RN (well, we did know she would eventually do that!), work at at the Women's Center in Dodge and then work at Meade Hospital, all the while loving her job!

...Krissa would decide print journalism was her field of expertise and would attend BJU.

...we would spend hours on the road taking Krissa to and from BJU and attending her graduation. I can so clearly recall Mom looking forward to that moment and then as it turned out, she wasn't here when she graduated.

...we would move in a three story house just down the road and Dad would remodel it to use as a rental house.

...Grandma and Grandpa would celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary and then Grandpa would only be with us for a few months after that.

...our family would be hit with a huge blow of discovering Mom's brain tumor and three months later watching her step into her eternal home. Only 10 months after Grandpa was gone.

...Krissa would move to Birmingham, Alabama (Mom would have loved knowing Krissa was in the same city where she lived for several years.) to intern at Southern Accents for 6 months.

...I would buy my very first laptop computer. And now to think I can't live without it. Well, not that original one.

...technology could change so much. To the point where it would be the basis of my business; from buying and selling to teaching online to students in other countries.

...watching Dad loose Mom would be the hardest thing I've ever been through. And how that loosing someone changes your entire outlook on life.

...I would unexpectedly find "someone just like me", named Joanna, in the most unusual circumstances, proving that God brings just the right person into my life when I didn't even know she was needed.

...Krissa would travel to California before settling in Lexington, KY, working for of all things - a farming magazine. She can't seem to get away from "the farm".

...Jena would move to Oklahoma City to fulfill her dream of working in a NICU at Children's OU.

...attending Camp Good News every summer would still be happening. Even though it's dwindled to only me, myself and I instead of all three of us.

...a certain person named Ryan would come into Krissa's life and our family would return to the happy number of five. (Becoming official this year!)

...and through it all God has remained faithful!

God has allowed hardships and struggles in our lives and yet in so many ways blessed us as well. As I look forward to the next year and following years after that, I can't begin to imagine what they will hold. Just as 1o years ago, who would have known the above. I'm thankful that even though I don't know and nor care to know, God does. And through the fun times and difficult moments, He continues to be the same unchanging, awesome God that He is.

No matter what happens...

...God is sovereign and fully in control of each and every little thing. I know that, but to keep trusting that fact and not worrying about things has been easier said than done the last couple of months.

Yesterday afternoon I had the all-too-familiar-situation of having my embroidery machine turn off without success of turning back on...again. And then the same all-too-familiar-situation of packing it up, loading it in the car and taking it back to be repaired...again. The last two months I've dealt with this over and over again.

Needless to say my frustration level has gone from minor worry to major panic several times because I didn't have a machine to embroider or stitch what I needed to do...all with deadlines creeping closer and closer. It seems that one area of my machine would be fixed and then something else happens. Right when I seem to need it the most.

As I walked in the store, dragging my machine behind me, one of the ladies that works there said, "Well, at least you're still smiling."

Ummm, yes, I was smiling and at the same time thinking that looks can be deceiving. Can I honestly say that's the way I felt at that particular moment or that afternoon as I watched my machine turn off again? No, not really.

But when I'm at a total loss as what to do and not particularly liking the situation I am in, I know there is Someone to whom I can turn. Someone to whom I can pour out my thoughts, feelings and frustrations when everything seems to be going wrong. Someone to whom I can trust every single day even when I'm feeling overwhelmed with everything that is happening.

Taped to my computer screen is this little saying that reads, "Don't worry about tomorrow...God is already there!" He is! He created me and loves me! He's allowing these situations in my life to cause me to lean and depend on Him more and more.


When things like this happen that I have no control over, I have no choice but to fully rely on Him. Continually praying and asking Him to help me take one day at a time and quit worrying over tomorrow, the next day or next week. How privileged I am to have a great God who is in control of everything!!

Just "nothing" and then a whole lot of something in one day!

I can't say I'm a fan of doing nothing, but it seems as though that is the only thing I've gotten accomplished this month. After the hustle and bustle of July, it seems as though my body is taking its own sweet time in recovering. My list of things to do hasn't decreased (although the first couple of weeks of August did slow down a little), but my energy level for doing it just disappeared. However, I'm optimistic - this is a new week! :)

Last Thursday I spent the day in Newton and Wichita. I met with Deb Gilmore, one of the ladies in my online quilt class to discuss fabric, quilts, etc. It was fun to get together and chat. We are planning some fun and new satin and fairy frost quilt blocks (with machine embroidery!), so I'm looking forward to inventing some new ideas.

Then I dropped by to see Sharon Regier and her family. Oh, what a time we had! Lauren, Clara, Luke and Nehemiah were so thrilled to see me; I'm not quite sure why - I just spent two weeks of camp with them in July! ;) We had a blast checking out how tall we were, riding bikes, playing games, eating lunch, planting soybeans and chatting so fast I could hardly tell what they were saying!

One of things I've laughed and laughed at is Luke! When I got there, he told me that every time he thinks about Clara going to school, he has a conniption (def: a fit of rage, hysteria, or alarm)! And any of you who've been to camp with 3 1/2 yr. old Luke would know exactly how he pronounces each word with his facial and hand expressions.

Apparently he's not too thrilled about his older sister, Clara, starting school this year. I'm not quite sure he even knows what the word means, but he sure can say it (if you listen close, you can understand what he's saying as well!) Fun times!!

Then I went on to Wichita to do some shopping and of course, I didn't have enough time to go everywhere I wanted to, but had a fun time shopping around. I did have several specific stores in mind to go to like Office Depot and Office Max looking for a letter file for my desk. Still have yet to find what I want.

I did manage to find a silver pair of dress shoes which I had been on the lookout for. And they were even on sale! Plus, I admit, I did find a pink pair as well which wasn't quite as much as a need, but....I have lots of pink clothes, so I'll put them to good use.

And then I went to Hancock Fabrics looking for several things. I started browsing the decorator fabrics looking for a gold/tan piece to blend with something I already have. And what did I immediately see? The perfect and most beautiful fabric for something that I didn't even have on my list to shop for! Of course! I did get 8 yards of it, but I haven't firmly planted in my mind what exactly I'm going to do with it, but I'm thinking about it....I know, like I need more fabric!

As far as the gold/tan piece...I found just what I needed except they did not have enough of it. So I was told to go to the west store and they would probably have the yardage I needed. Sure, I thought to myself, I can do that; it will be on my way out of town anyway. So I asked for the address and plugged that into my gps.

Uh...yeah...I spent the next hour driving around all over Wichita because that gps did not know where that store was. Really! Seriously!! It initially started taking me east, which I thought wasn't right, but trusted it. Umm...nope, that was the wrong thing to do! I never did find it, but after the three hour drive home thinking about it, I'm fairly sure I know where it is. And that was without the help of my gps. What did I buy that thing for anyway?? lol!!

The really sad part of that driving around for an hour happened on the way home. Right outside of Wichita, I stopped to get something to drink (that's the best place to stop for dt. mt. dew!) and looked at my gas tank. No problem; I knew I'd have enough gas to get home. I can always get to Wichita and back on only one tank of gas.

So I started on my journey, thinking about where that fabric store was, what I was going to use that new fabric I bought for, when I could come back since I still had things I needed, etc. I was talking to Krissa on the phone when I heard that familiar ring of an empty gas tank. Yeah, it's 10pm, I just passed the last town with a gas station, realized that I missed the turnoff for the shortcut home and just lost Krissa on the phone because my phone now said, "No Service".

Believe me, I turned everything off in my car that even might possibly use any gas - gps, radio, computer, air conditioner. Not only would I dread calling Dad to come get me for the fact that I ran out of gas, but not having the ability to do that at the touch of my fingertips, was not something I wanted to happen.

Thankfully I did make it to Dodge, filled up my car with gas and then when I called Krissa back, do you know what she did? She just laughed! All I told her was how would she like to be without gas, no cell phone, no computer, no gps, in the dark, at 10pm at night, on the side of the road? I wonder what really happens when your car runs out of gas? I'm not sure I want to know...

I made it home, unloaded my car, told Dad I still needed to go back to Wichita again, checked my email and went to bed. Next time, I think I might fill up with gas before I leave Wichita, just to be on the safe side! :)

"Normal" feels so nice!

Ahhh...what can I say? I think the return to a normal week is happening! As much as I loved everything I did in July, I must say having the beginning of a normal week is just so wonderful. Two weeks of CEF camp, one week of Vacation Bible School and then this last week of returning to work and getting caught up on classes, emails, orders, sewing, paperwork and taping made for a very full and exhausting month! But I'm not sure I would have changed one bit of it!

As I was cooking several things for one of our neighbors who passed away last Friday, I kept thinking to myself, "I am so ready for a normal week. Normal week as in my schedule of work, cooking, cleaning, laundry and such...back to normal."

And how wonderful it felt to actually be working in the kitchen again! Thankfully, as was my plan, I had plenty of food for the two weeks I was at camp, the week of vbs and my catch-up week of business work. I haven't done any cooking for a month! Well, unless you call fixing hamburger helper or baking a frozen pizza (I didn't even bake my homemade one...desperate times call for desperate measures!) or warming up leftovers "cooking".

Over the weekend I was able to fully unpack from camp and put away things from teaching at camp and vbs, which felt so wonderful! And Sunday as I was planning out my week, I thought to myself, "I think I can actually go to bed before midnight this week." How wonderful! Now...just getting my body to adjust to that! :)

Normal is wonderful! Oh...and my two cats agree with me! :)

When I can't, God can!

Circumstances happen that I have no control over and can't change, even though I try with all my ability, but God can help me to accept the fact that I just can't do it all on my own.

Areas of my life I want to change and improve are impossible to do on my own, but God can give me the strength when I continually seem to fail.

Decisions can put me at a loss of knowing what to do, but God can give me the wisdom to make the correct choice.

The important thing is that I continually rely on Him!

...even when I can't change what I want to,

...even when I repeatedly fall short of the mark,

...even when I have no clue what to do,

He does! And I just need to trust and rest in him!

photo from allposters.com

I know, it's been a little while....

....since I've written anything here and no, it's not a lack of things going on....it's the fact that there's not been enough time in the last 10 days to actually finish a single post!

For some reason everything came all at one time, even though I was planning otherwise (like that's a surprise!). Last week we moved Jena to OK City (pics to come!), followed by several things I had to have completed and ready for a Vacation Bible School meeting (oh....I've got fun pics on that too!).

Then I had to finish up some camp memory work and lessons (I know, it's not here til July, but I had to get stuff in early for the staff books). And then in and amongst those things, I was trying to finish my spring cleaning, plus I spent one day at Grandma's washing her windows. So much for getting my spring cleaning done by the 20th...it's still not complete.

After finishing several sewing projects for customers and time spent hunting down fabric for several future projects for customers, I finally was able to stitch a design on a quilt block I needed to do last night. And what do you know - I stitched it in the wrong color. Not because I threaded the wrong color, but merely because the colors were not grouped correctly.

I gave up.

I want to bed.

Today has started off to be much better.

Sometime, I think the issue is that I set unrealistic goals.

And now that Scamper has quit jumping up onto my lap and on my keyboard - btw, I already deleted her keystrokes in this post - I can finally "Publish"!

Just a few of random morning thoughts....

What's on my mind this morning? Well, I have a mound of paperwork that I'm sorting and filing that I've put off for quite a while and that's rather mindless work, so my mind has drifted to a few other random thoughts....

My blog sidebar - Yes, those of you who are faithful readers have probably noticed that my sidebar is badly in need of a tune-up! Christmas music is still up and it's April??? There are some broken images and links that need deleted/repaired and some additions to be made as well. I need to put that on my list.

Skittles, Scamper and Snickers - Those sweet little kitties of mine! I've decided to get Skittles spayed so this will be her last litter of kittens. And I need to take Scamper and Snickers in for their kitten shots. I'm also wondering *just what* the car ride into Dodge will be like??? Add that to my schedule.

Defrost the freezer - I just did this not too long ago. And that's what's so frustrating about it. I put a can of pop in there last week and left it too long (I didn't think it was THAT long, but it must have been long enough) and it left quite a frozen mess as there is frozen liquid all over the door and shelves. Work that into my schedule this month.

Digital scrapbooking - Yes, I know I mentioned that recently, but I can't get it out of my head. I'm just itching to work with some freebie themes I found online. Another of my goals this year is to learn Photo Elements and Premier Elements. I've already worked through some tutorials and swarms of ideas are rolling around in my head. Plus I'm considering doing a new theme for this blog and using some scrapbooking elements to create it.

Spring cleaning - Sometime in the next two months spring cleaning has to be done. Partly because Jen and Kris are moving out and we are doing some rearranging of rooms and furniture and what better time to clean from top to bottom than when the room is empty?! Plus I skipped it last year as we just had new windows put in and why clean new windows??? Plan and schedule spring cleaning.

Grandma - I'm headed to Grandma's house for a while this afternoon. She loves for us girls to come over. I need to remember to pack my computer to show her Krissa's apartment pics; she'll enjoy seeing those. And I need to drop by the fabric store in Montezuma to see if they might by chance have some fabric to match the bathroom towels. Oh, and that's the other thing - bathroom curtains. I still need to do that.

There's a few more thoughts rambling around in my head, but for now it's time to quit typing and start filing.....:)

photo from allposters.com

Rejoice! Again I say rejoice!

Some days just go beautifully (few and far between it seems in my life, but there are days!), with things getting done and no major issues throughout the day. And then there are days when nothing seems to go correctly, when it seems as though I can't get anything done as planned.

That's the way I've felt the last couple of days. I can't even pin-point anything or say exactly what or why, but I am out of energy, exhausted and my ambition seems to have dwindled. Such is life, but I can still rejoice!

It's those times that I feel overwhelmed, exhausted and unable to accomplish anything, that God reminds me that He's my strength. He is the source of my joy. When I come to the end of my rope, He's there to encourage and strengthen. And to remind me to rejoice!

I have so much in which I can rejoice! My Savior loves me and died to save me! I have a wonderful, loving and godly family. My daily work activities are something I love doing. I have wonderful friends and four furry friends that are a constant joy. God has blessed me beyond measure, so I can rejoice!

Rejoice! Even when I don't feel like it.

Rejoice! Even when my day doesn't go as planned.

Rejoice! Even when I'm tired and depressed.

Rejoice! God created this day and given me another day to live and serve Him.

Rejoice! Because if I'm rejoicing, my negative attitude disappears. Try it; it works! :)

graphic courtesy of www.allposters.com

Sadness, but joy

Yesterday a young man from our church, only a junior in high school was killed in a car accident. Although I did not know him that well, I have visited with his family on multiple occasions at church. It has been a sad weekend for everyone at church, including our family.

I really understand what his family is feeling right now. There are decisions to make they never thought they would be making. There are events to plan that would never have entered their minds last week.

Yesterday as I was at the church, his little four year old sister was there, smiling, laughing, almost unaware of the situation her family is in. At one point she asked why everyone was so upset. One of the ladies there said they were all sad because her brother wasn't here. And she responded with, "But he's in heaven with Jesus, so that's good."

So simple and sweet. So totally trusting. He's in heaven with Jesus, so why is everyone upset? In her mind, that's a good thing, not a sad thing. If only more of us adults could have that same sweet outlook. And that is the hope we have, the encouragement we lean on, knowing that he is free of pain and suffering in a much better place than we have here on earth. But there is still the sorrow and grief we face here on earth.

The time between now and the funeral is hard, but it really gets hard when the funeral is over and life is expected to go on as normal. And yet it isn't normal. Days go by and the shock of the news and events wears off and reality sets in. That person is not here and he's not coming back. Knowing that he is with the Lord is comforting, but missing having him right here still takes time to get through.

We faced the same thing with Mom and still almost two years later, those days before and after Mom's funeral are vivid memories. Funerals and hearing of someone's loss have whole new significance since we lost Mom. I didn't fully understand or comprehend what if feels like to loose someone close until we went through Mom's sickness and death.

And yet as I really feel for his little sister who probably won't really remember her older brother, I have to smile at her little words, "But he's in heaven with Jesus, so that's good." That has been my encouragement for this weekend!

image courtesy of allposters.com

Just WHAT did I do this week?

Have you ever been busy and then look back over the last few days and wonder what in the world you were so busy with? That was this week. I has a list of things to do on Tuesday and by the time Friday night appeared, I had Tuesday's to-do list crossed off. So much for the rest of my week's plans!

Tuesday:
laundry
answer email
email newsletter
blog posts
edit and print church photos
finish Kid's Club
fold and stuff mailers

Tuesday morning started out as usual. I was able to get my newsletter written, sent out, blog posts written and scheduled and email answered. I was making wonderful progress and felt great for having all of that done by noon and keeping right to my schedule!

Then I became aware of the fact that my header was missing from my online store. I shoved all my other activities to the side and that became my main priority. I ended up spending the entire afternoon fixing that. I diagnosed the problem in about 15 minutes, but finding the correct html file to edit turned out to be quite a chore. But thankfully it's done and all in working order. And I learned that much more about website coding! :)

Because of that issue, I didn't get photos edited for church until late that evening (I had to have those ready Wednesday morning) and therefore did not get my lesson finished for Kid's club until Wednesday afternoon. And Wednesday morning I was in Dodge for a couple of appointments.

Suddenly it was Thursday morning and as I began my morning checking email, I discovered that my desktop had no connection to the Internet. That's been happening every so often and I have been getting a slower-than-normal connection downstairs. I bought a new and faster router and wireless network card a month or so ago and just hadn't had a chance to install it yet.

I could have just fixed the connection in a few minutes to get back online, but decided that I should go ahead and install the new router and get the network card put in. What should have taken an hour at the most, ended up taking all morning and part of the afternoon. But the good part is that my connection is about twice what it was before! And that is sooooo wonderful!!!

Friday morning appears and after my morning is spent doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen, baking banana muffins, answering email and shipping orders, I finally brought out my mailing fliers. When I fill my orders, I usually include different kind of product fliers. And ahead of time I will fold, sort and pack them into plastic bags so all I have to do is grab a bag and stick it in the package.

As I started sorting which fliers I wanted to include for this last quarter of the year, I realized I did not have everything I wanted to include. So I moved that to next week's list, ordered the fliers I needed and moved on to stitching my aprons I started on Monday.

And after spending Friday afternoon stitching those (which I almost have completed and will post pics soon!) and talking on the phone for I don't know how long to a very dear friend (which was needed!), my week is over!

And my plans for working on my new quilt, starting my Christmas table set and designing some marketing mailers has now been moved to next week. And hopefully next week I will have some tangible items that I was able to accomplish! Maybe....:)

An open apartment door, a bad dream and a wrecked car - what's the combination??

Today I went to Dodge and met with several people to drop of some embroidery and sewing as well as do some church related things and run several errands. One thing I did very carefully is lock my car, hang onto tightly to my purse and tuck my keys into my purse. I always do that, but all the more so today.

But before I go into detail as to why I took more care to do that especially today, you have to understand this. Last night I had a horrible dream; actually not a dream - a nightmare since I woke up sweating hot at 4:08 in the morning. Never does a dream seem so real except when you first wake up.

But before I can explain exactly the reason for that dream, I have to tell you our conversation with Krissa last night.

Last night about 9:30 Krissa calls and wants to talk to Dad. (That usually means she's in trouble or needs advice!) She got home from work around 6:30 and found her apartment door open. Clue #1. She went in, hung around the apartment for a couple of hours, wondering where her roommate was. Clue #2. Susanna's car was there, her phone in the apartment and her door was shut. Clue #3. Krissa is concerned, so she tries Susanna's bedroom door and finds it locked; odd since she never locks it. Clue #4.

All is quiet and all kinds of horrible thoughts are running through Krissa's mind, so she goes outside to her car and calls home. She tells Dad what happened that evening and that she is afraid to go back inside and she's not sure where Susanna is since her room is all quiet and locked and she can't find her.

Dad tells her to go to a neighbors and ask someone to go back into the apartment with her to knock again on Susanna's door and see what's going on. She hangs up the phone and we are left wondering what is going on and what they will discover in the apartment.

She calls back in a little while, laughing. One of the neighbors went in with her, knocked on Susanna's door and they discovered she was sleeping. Apparently she was sleeping hard enough and had something over her head that she didn't hear Krissa before. And as to the locked bedroom door, she wasn't sure why she locked it because she never does.

So Krissa felt pretty silly after the whole incident, but at the time she called us the first time, she was scared and didn't know exactly what to do. The longer she stayed in the apartment, the more her mind conjured up all kinds of things that could have happened.

Ok, so that explains Krissa's adventure in Alabama last night.....right before bed. Now onto the dream part....

I usually am so tired at night that I never remember my dreams, if I do dream at night at all. Last night I did. I woke up at 4:08 am sweating and have to make sure I really am awake. Then I had to remember that it wasn't real. And keep in mind that dreams are always strange and weird after you are awake, but are so real while you are sleeping.

I had planned a bunch of shopping and stops to make in Dodge this morning including the library. Before I fell asleep last night, I was planning my minute by minute itinerary and what I needed to get done. I knew also I had to be sure and take my sewing and embroidery to drop off, my SS supplies and my computer.

In my dream I walked into the library, reserved my dates for my quilting classes, visited with Linda there and walked back outside. As I'm walking out the door, I see my purse lying on the cement, torn open. No dollar bills inside, no credit cards inside, no checkbook inside, no keys, no cell phone, nothing. Not even sure why it's there, but it is....

I look toward my car and discover the doors widely torn open and as I get closer, I see a huge mess of seats and metal all smashed together, but no computer, no clothes to deliver, nothing except a huge mess.

So I called Dad. (Yeah, I know this sounds familiar, but that's how dreams usually are - they tend to mirror the events of the day before.) I'm not quite sure where the phone came from since my purse was totally empty, but somehow I had my cell phone to call Dad.

My first thought and horror was my computer and then my financial information I lost in my purse. I had Dad on the phone, searching my records at home for my credit card companies to close those accounts before who knows what was charged to them. It was a mess telling Dad where they were and having him relate the info back to me.

About that time I woke up. And I told myself my computer was still on the bed, my purse was safe in the house with credit cards intact and my car was parked unharmed in the garage. But was it ever so real in my mind!

That's why I was sure to lock my car today, hang onto my purse and enclose my keys in my purse. And when I went to the library....I parked in a different spot than where I was last night.

Call me crazy...probably true, but I'm sure that all came about because of Krissa's phone call last night and the fact I had today's list of my things to do on my mind. But it did remind me of one thing I need to do.....make copies of my credit cards and driver's license.

I did that several years ago in case my purse or cards were ever stolen (that was a from mom - you must do!), but since then I have new and different cards and need to do it again and make a couple of copies to keep.

I'm not sure that was worth the scare of my dream and being on alert today, but it did remind me to do that!

What's been going on?!?!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here, but these last couple of weeks have been rather crazy. It's always a little hectic trying to get caught back up on things after being gone for two weeks at camp. And then I caught some kind of cold or flu going around which decided to stay around for a week and still hasn't left completely.

Over the last couple of weeks since posting anything, I've been catching up from camp for my business, cleaning house and catching up with things in the kitchen after being gone, typing and taping quilt lessons for August's lesson, quilting my pink MJE quilt, taking care of Skittles' kittens (she finally had them; I'll post pics soon!), embroidering shirts for an August deadline, sewing alterations and whatever else that needed attention.

In addition to that, sneezing, coughing, feeling terrible, lack of energy, taking naps and everything else that goes along with being sick. I thought colds were not supposed to be around in the summer, but I guess I found out otherwise. Thankfully Jena and Dad have not caught it for which I am truly grateful.

God is trying to teach me something, if not anything but patience. As I reflect over the last couple of weeks, which in my opinion would be one of the worst times out of the entire year to be sick and unable to do anything, I kept thinking that God knows the situation I'm in. He knows my to-do list. He knows my business and sewing deadlines. He knows how terrible I felt and impatient to be feeling better. He knows, understands, cares and allowed this to happen. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but I can see areas of my life that I need to change and sometime it takes something dramatic before I can really see those things.

So in a few short words...it's been a long, hectic and exhausting couple of weeks! But I'm on the mend (hopefully!!) and am trying to get back into a full schedule this week! I'll be catching up with some posts I had written a while back and am just now posting...

Keeping my focus on the eternal, rather than the temporary...

From the time I wake up each morning to the moment I fall asleep, my day is planned, many times to the minute. I have things to do, my own self-inflicted schedule to keep and my self-set deadlines to meet.

As I wake up on any given day of the week, my first thoughts are of what I need to get done that day and how much can I get accomplished in each hour. After I get dressed and have my morning devotions, my mind moves to my to-do list for the day.

After spending the morning answering my email and shipping orders which takes longer than the time I had allotted, I move onto illustrating the art work for my newest pattern. The noon hour sneaks up and I take a quick break to fix and eat lunch all the while my mind is on the artwork and how I can get the layout correct.

After another quick check of my email and a couple of things crossed of my to-do list, I move onto organizing some computer files and planning my next quilting class. All of a sudden a new "have-to-do-today" item crossed my mind and I scribble that down at the top of my list. Supper time has arrived and after that's done and over, I tackle more email, do some blog reading and upload some new inventory to my website.

It's now 11:00 pm, our evening family devotions are over and I'm still staring at a computer screen with a mouse in my hand, trying to finalize some pattern and quilt details. Right before I turn in for the night, I make out my list of things to do for the next day. As I'm falling asleep, my mind is dwelling on the fact that I can probably get my quilt directions written by noon tomorrow, but if I can get them done by 11:00, that would be even better.

I am probably the world's worst at scheduling things for myself to do and saying "yes" to just about every project that I encounter. And while none of those things are necessarily wrong or bad, it can turn into something that is, especially when my focus is so much on what I "have to get done" instead of those things of eternal value that really matter.

When I stand before the Lord and give account of my life here on earth, is it going to matter how many patterns I was able to get published or how many quilts I finished? No. Maybe the number of quilt classes I taught or the amount of emails I answered on time will earn some eternal significance? Nope.

As I wake up in the morning, my mind is jumping to the list of to-dos instead of praying, "Lord, what would YOU have me to be doing today?" Instead of being bombarded by with my own set schedules and deadlines, my heart and attitude should be, "Lord, how can I serve and minister to others for YOUR glory today?"

How easy it is for me to get caught up in my day-to-day activities and not really stop and consider what God has me on earth here to do. So many of my daily agendas don't really have any eternal value and in the whole scheme of things will make little difference in my life 10 years from now.

Not long ago as I was writing in frustration to my closest friend that I didn't get my Sunday School classroom decorations changed when I wanted, she emailed me in response, "And, I seriously doubt that when you face Jesus in eternity that whether or not you got your classroom decorations changed by your self-inflicted deadline is going to be important."

Very true. How easy it is for me to set a deadline and I will do just about everything, short of killing myself, to get it accomplished. At least on time, if not ahead of schedule. But is it really that important? In eternity, am I going to look back and kick myself that I was two weeks late changing from Spring to Summer decorations? I don't think so.

Lately it seems that I've been bombarded with things to do in these busy summer months and God is trying to teach me what's really important to do and what's ok to just let go. Little things keep cropping up that keep reminding me that the things of this earth are temporary and my focus and goal should be different than what it is.

The memory verse I taught to my SS class last week was Matthew 24:35 which says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." I explained the verse to my kiddos, saying that someday all we know here on earth will be gone. It's just temporary, but God's Word, the Bible, will never ever go away. It will always be here.

It wasn't until this week in Sunday School that I reviewed our verse and one of the kids voluntarily told me what it meant, that the significance of that verse really hit me. And it hit me full force. As Weston told me the Bible will always be here, but heaven and earth would someday be gone, God brought to my mind the things I had been so busily doing the previous week and how little importance they really had.

How many times do I try to teach and minister to those kids on Sunday morning and many times God uses them to convict ME in certain areas? I've had that verse memorized for years, known and taught what it means, but it wasn't until Weston repeated back to me what it meant that it made me really stop and consider those things of true importance.

As Matthew says, treasures in heaven are much more important than the temporary treasures on earth. Matthew 6:19-21 - Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

While I continually fail and am constantly surrounded by things of this world, my focus and goal should be on Jesus Christ and what His desire and will is for me to accomplish that day. I may get nothing done other than answer emails, ship orders, laundry, meals and helping someone in my family, which at the end of the day makes me think, "I just didn't get anything done I wanted to today." But perhaps I really did....that time spent emailing a friend, spending the afternoon with my Grandma or just listening to someone who needs a listening ear may be just on God's to-do list for me.

So the next day (and I know all too well, there will be many to come!) that things don't go as planned by the end of the day, I can be thankful for what God allowed me to get done that day and keep in mind that my focus should be on what truly matters and the things of eternal value.

Blogroll updated.....finally, I know!

It's been one of those things that's been on my to-do list for quite a while. Since the beginning of 2008 and it's already April! I've added blogs to Bloglines where I do all my blog reading, but haven't updated my list of favorites here. So there should be some additions to my left sidebar, although I made most of the changes a month ago, so if you've been here recently, you probably have already seen the additions.

Here's a few that might interest you:

Plugged In Online - this is a great site for movie reviews written by Focus on the Family. You can read reviews regarding all kinds of videos and dvds before you actually decide to watch something. Check it out here first!

The Raspberry Ribbon - Kim, one of my friends, started her website selling little girl's hair bows and accessories last year. She makes such cute little ribbons and bows, so be sure to take a look at what she has to offer.

My online photo album - this is where I post the majority of our family photos and videos. For some of my family we saw this past weekend, this is where you want to go and order the prints you want.

A Lily Among Thorns - Jena's new blog since her other one is "url not found".

I now have that finished and can cross that off my list!