Oh Happy Day

My favorite rendition of this song was from the movie Sister Act 2. May God bless you on this beautiful Sunday and may He always give you happy days. 

My Meandering Mind

Last night it was about 5 or 10 after midnight and I had been working on some decorations for a shower. As I walked into the living room to turn off the TV, the show that had come on caught my eye. I sat down a second to see that scene. Fast forward it is 1:00 a.m. and I have been glued to the screen. I am now officially addicted to Saving Hope. Since I rarely watch TV, I'm not sure if this show is new or 10 years old. I just know I really liked it.

By the time it went off, I was wide awake again so I went back to folding fans for the decor for a wedding shower tomorrow. The hubby-to-be will be at the shower as well and they want baseball incorporated into the decor since he is a huge fan. We are going to incorporate an old bat, ball and glove. My daughter is helping so she has some of the decor that she is gathering. Not sure how this is all going to turn out, but I know it will be fun.

Woke up to the fog laying low this morning in the trees. 

I love the fact I can watch the sunrise...if I just didn't have all the wires in the way. I don't really notice them until I take a picture.

I love enjoying a cup of hot chocolate on my porch while the sun rises. 

I'm heading out this morning for a quick run to East Knoxville. I need some material from Joann's for bathroom curtains. It's a beach theme so I am hoping to find some "beachy".

Hope you have a great weekend.

Faith Filled Friday - The Open Door

For the past 6 months, my life has been filled with old doors closing and new doors opening. Moments of deep despair and days of optimistic hope. The loss of a loved one, changing jobs, moving homes. And through it all I have found the strength to just step out of one door and enter through the next one. I wrote this blog many years ago. It is so appropriate to my life now that I had to post it again for Faith Filled Friday.

We have all heard it said that when God closes one door, another door opens. I believe this is true. I also believe that the open doors are there all along. But because of our stubborn ways and willful nature, we are unable to see the open door God is providing us. We are too interested in doing things are own way, choosing our own paths. We will walk through the wrong door...day after day, month after month. God provides us instructions and courage to take the road less traveled and head through the open door.

But sometimes, when we can't see our way to do His will, He will close a door to us so we are forced to step out on faith alone and walk through the new door He has opened. When we do, we find joy and peace unknown. Opportunities begin to come our way and the benefits of obeying His will are innumerable.

It is a sad commentary on our lives that we have become so obstinate and so self-absorbed that when we pray asking for His help, we still want to continue trying to do it our way...or worse yet, try to tell God how He should handle it.

My prayer for each of you is that you take that step of faith and walk through the door God is providing for you. Do not be afraid or dismayed. Look at it as a new journey, an uplifting opportunity and a road to rewards that are beyond our wildest dreams.

Altoids Tin

When I was at the beach, this was in a General Store and I thought it was so cute. 

Upon closer inspection, I noticed it was simply an Altoids box covered up. So last night, I decided to see what else you could make with those cute little tins. I was blown away. You could spend hours finding new ideas. Here are a few of my favorites. Perfect for tea bags. Place some of your favorite bags in the tin, get a small gift basket and add a new coffee cup, a pretty coaster and maybe a favorite book or some snack cookies and you have an amazing "anytime" gift.

Back to school kit.

What a wonderful Countdown to Christmas.  

A cute tooth fairy spot.

An emergency kit for those times you need a little repair.

This is my favorite. Look at the pics "framed" in the lid. They add little beads to make legs, covered cardboard to divide the box and a pretty clasp.

They just rolled up felt and inserted in this box to make a ring box. I am definitely doing this before I go to conference.

Aww, a cute teddy tin. But I would put something on the lid of the box. Paint or scrapbook paper. 

Tic Tac Toe fun. Great to keep in the car for kids on long trips.

Another great one for kids. They can draw with chalk on the lid, or use the notepad and crayons inside to draw that way.

I love this one. I think because my grandson Colby would probably love this. Especially when he is having to patiently way somewhere like a restaurant or something. 

I saw several ideas I may try to do. I will update with pics if I do. 

Featured Friend

Many years ago, I joined Beech Springs Baptist Church. My grandson, Caleb, was only about 4 years old and it was time for VBS. I agreed to help out in his class. The lady I worked with was Missy. Never did I dream what a bond we would have. From the start, it felt like we had been friends since birth. I can talk to her about anything, anytime, anywhere. We have shared laughter, tears, and enough secrets to fill a book. She hooked me into VBS and then into her class as a craft helper and it has just grown from there. 

For those of you who have read my blog for a long time, you may recall about four years ago my daughter and I held a shower for her best friend Anya. Well, Anya is Missy's daughter so it has worked out great for all of us that our families have intertwined so well. 

Anya is now the mother of an energetic, entertaining 2 year old that keeps his mommy and his Nana Missy on their toes. Missy also has a son who is friends with my son-in-law and is the youth pastor at our church. He is filled with joy and laughter. Everyone who knows him loves him and he is full of fun. Even though he is an adult he will be the first one to tell you he is just a big kid. We never know what great bright idea he is going to come up with next. He's one of those people who says "I have a great idea...." and you just pause and wait for the shoe to drop.

But he does have some fantastic ideas. Last year was one of them. He loves bow ties. He decided it would be good to challenge all the fathers in the church last year to wear a bow tie on Father's Day. Then it was decided if they were going to wear bow ties, they could do an all male choir that Sunday morning. He did and it was a great success. Needless to say, last Sunday he challenged them again to wear their bow ties and we had an amazing turn out. Here was our all male choir yesterday morning for the second year in a row on Father's Day. 

All the men looked fantastic and the choir sounded great. But to me, the best of the best yesterday was Missy's husband Steve and their grandson Aydin, (Anya's baby). The white shirts, bibs and bow ties just made for the cutest Pop Pop and his little buddy ever. 

Why bibs? As Steve posted on Facebook with this picture "Aydin & I wore bibbed overalls with white shirts in honor of my hard working Papaws and Uncles. Thank you for your examples of how to be a real man"

Thank you Steve and Missy for being such good friends. I love you both.

What next?

Do you ever have "one of those days" that you can't wait to fall in the bed at night and for it to just be over? Well, I have had one of those weeks.

It started on Monday. Our emails at work were not going out. Then I had several call me to say they sent us emails and they bounced back to them. Long story short, on Tuesday, after two hours with Go Daddy and one and 1/2 hours with AT & T and we thought the problem was solved. An hour later, we were back to my emails not going out but others in the office were. So I was in Technical World all day Tuesday.

Our IT guy decided that the problem was my old computer and the fact it was Windows XP with a very old version of Outlook. So on Wednesday, I got a new computer, Microsoft Office 365 and a new printer. Our IT guy thinks everyone needs two monitors so they can multi task across the screens. It was an all day job getting me set up and hooked up. Then they decided to get a new printer that could network and get rid of the ones on the desktops. So Thursday dawned bright and fair with all kinds of newness on my desk. I had to move all my files from a flash drive back onto the new computer. Get all my settings like screen saver, font size, desk top background, etc. back on the new computer. Had to now rearrange everything on my desk to accommodate TWO monitors. (Still haven't figured out why I need them.) And I was finally able to get back to work. 

By the time Thursday night rolled around, I had an extremely bad sinus headache, ten layers of frustration and a desire to go back to pen, paper and postage to communicate with my customers. So after work, I decided to go to Pickin' on the Porch at a friends country market ... Double R Farms. It was so relaxing. There was a little breeze blowing and I got a chair in the shade. Had a wonderful relaxing evening listening to bluegrass songs and southern gospel with some good old fashion fun thrown in. Got there at 6:00 and didn't get home until around 9:00. I was so relaxed and rejuvenated.

Until I walked in my door. The house was 87 degrees. Poor heat pump was working up a sweat. I can tell you that 85 degrees at 9:00 at night when you just spent 3 hours sitting outside in the summer is not pleasant. I opened some windows but that just let the stifling air from outside in. And I turned on ceilings fans and my one floor fan. By the time I went to bed the sinus headache was back and the side of my face felt swollen. The lights were bothering my left eye because of the headache. But it was too hot to go to bed. Finally at 1:00 a.m., I went to bed. I didn't sleep good, but I did sleep. Only to wake up at 5:30 a.m.

It was 84 degrees in the house but very nice outside so I opened the windows and turned the fans back on to cool it down before I left for work. I called them to come fix it. When I got home last night, the A/C guy was there putting in Freon and it was right on 90 degrees on my thermostat in the house. A friend of mine wanted me to run to K-Mart with her so I did. When I got home it was a blessed 73 degrees and my house felt wonderful. Watched some TV and went to bed. Slept like a baby. So I am looking forward to a good weekend. Then I realized we are coming up on a full moon on Monday which means the crazy is about to start. Not a good thing to realize when it is my turn to teach at Children's Church tomorrow and I will have about 27-28 kids from four years old through third grade. This should be interesting.

Have a great day.

Faith Filled Friday

Welcome to Faith Filled Friday. I used to write something every Friday about God's goodness and mercy. I want to start that back up again. I came across an article I wrote in 2008. It applies today as much as it did then if not more so. We need to find the beauty and peace around us that God provides. I hope you enjoy. 

“This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice

and be glad in it.” – Psalms 118:24

I never understood that verse as well as I did one sunny April day. The sky was clear. The temperature had climbed to a warm 80_. Being early spring, there was no humidity or heat index to cause that stifling heat of summer.

I gathered my book, sunglasses and a cold orange Crush and made my way to my favorite lounge chair on the back patio. As I sat and contemplated the world around me, I began to notice the beauty I was among. I could see God’s hand everywhere.

It was in the cool shade and dripping branches of my weeping willow tree. It was gliding across the still surface of the French Broad River. I started to notice the little things that we all take for granted. I saw the splashes of color lovingly painted with each gentle stroke of the Master’s brush. I could see His touch in the vibrant yellow’s of the dandelions and buttercups standing as soldiers among the sweet green grass of spring.

It was there in the brilliant blue of the baby bluebirds as they tested their wings and perched on the old wood fence. I watched as the multicolored butterflies flitted across the yard to the sweet, soft calls of the chickadees, cardinals and robins.        

           

I watched as a bounty of birds lazily glided across the sky, perching on one tree and then another as if they, too, were taking a moment to enjoy God’s beauty. In the complete stillness between their sweet songs, it’s as if you can hear God’s voice whisper on the wind, saying “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps.46:10). I remember that day so well. I went in the houses that night and made me this little sign and did this little arrangement. I still have it all today. I can just look at it and it brings me peace.



I'm hooking up with Friday Foto Friends at Breathing in Grace.