Basic Breakfast Potatoes

I tried these for supper tonight.....along with scrambled eggs, bacon, deer sausage & pancakes......& oh, my were they yummy! Clay LOVED them.....which of course pleased me to no end. Will definitely be making these again!

'Slow as Christmas'

Slowing down to pay attention to little things fuels the fire of wonder--- and brings a quiet joy to our soul.

 

***********

 

Rise, happy morn, rise, holy morn,

Draw forth the cheerful day from night;

O Father, touch the East, and light

The light that shone when Hope was born.

 

~Alfred Lord Tennyson~

 

 

*taken from 'The Season of Joy' by Chip Davis

Ta-Da!!!!!

Finally, I'm totally & completely done with Alli's afghan. Washed, dried, all soft & fluffy & already upstairs on her bed. So, of course, I had to take some 'Ta-Da' photos & share a little of the specifics for those who care.

 

So bright & colorful. She chose the colors...most of the same colors she had in her smaller afghan.....with a few extras thrown in for good measure. I added in the red & orange....because it matched the stripes in the comforter on her bed.

The edging is done using Lucy's Granny Blanket Edging.
I tweaked it just a smidge....leaving out the second row.

There are 18 large squares & 68 small ones.....a grand total of 86 squares. It measures 63" x 48"

I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn in these colors: Shocking Pink, Carrot, Bright Yellow, Cherry Red, Lavender, Dark Orchid, Aruba Sea, Turqua, Med. Purple, Orchid & Spring Green.

And one last parting photo......

Yoo-Hoo.......

Fatcat.......have you recently gotten any of my comments on your blog or my email to you? My comments don't seem to be showing up & I comment ALL the time. Anyways.......if you see this, please send me your mailing address. ;-)

Little Treasures

Now, this is what I mean by Life's Little Treasures...

A little Peppermint mocha from McDs & some Christmas carols on the stereo.....



 

You are the first
You go before
You are the last
Lord, You're the encore
Your name's in lights for all to see
The starry host declare Your glory

Glory in the highest
Glory in the highest
Glory in the highest

***********

 

Sometimes it's the 'little' things that are the best!

Enjoy your day!!

Crocheted Christmas Ornaments

Just thought I'd share a few little Christmas Granny Star ornaments that I whipped up yesterday afternoon. I still need to block them today....so the points will be sharper, but you get the idea. I'm almost done with the border on Alli's afghan....will finish that today, but I just needed a little break & these Granny Stars were the perfect little project.

 

 

Will hopefully have a big 'Ta-Da' post of Alli's afghan before too long now.

Simply Flow

God said to the people of Israel: “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” (Isaiah 48:18). A river flows unhindered over rocks and boulders as it moves from one place to the next. It flows around them, over them, and past them—all the while smoothing rough edges. A river doesn’t strive to get from one place to another. It simply flows. That is the glory life of living and moving and having our being in Christ. We simply flow with a sacred inner calmness. Sometimes circumstances will be like tumultuous white-capped rapids, other times like a lazy gentle stream. But the life in union with Jesus keeps flowing. Moving forward. And in the journey, we catch glimpses of sudden glory in the scenery as we move between life’s banks.

 

**********

 

Lord, that's what I want.....to simply flow with a sacred inner calmness!

Stolen Shots

Ashley had to shoot some photos for her class this evening. They were so gorgeous, I just had to steal a few & share them here with all my bloggy-readers.

 

What a beautiful sunset.

I'm amazed at their beauty (BOTH girls).... inside & out.

Ashley has such talent as a photographer.

This one is my favorite. I need to have one to frame!

 This is another one worthy of a frame. ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

And what a gorgeous Thanksgiving Day it was! Beautiful, I tell ya....with temps in the 60s & plenty of glorious sunshine. We spent a leisurely morning watching the Macy's parade & pointing out all the places that we now recognize from NYC. Pretty cool being able to say 'Yeah, I know where that is'.....'I remember being there'. While we were watching the parade, Ashley baked us some YUMMY home-made cinnamon buns. Then, after getting their bellies full, Clay & the boys headed outside to continue digging HOLES (remember that movie?) & working on our potty/septic tank problems. You might be thinking....what a bummer to have to work on that on Thanksgiving Day.....but my kids found a way to make even THAT project fun.

I knew Jon had taken his ipod out there & hooked it up in Clay's little car so they could hear some tunes while working. But later, I heard the car horn honk & I ran out to the porch to see if something was wrong & this is what I saw. The picture does not capture the moment appropriately at all. Imagine the music blaring....Family Force 5....this itty-bitty little car literally rocking back & forth with three teen-agers inside....with sunglasses on.....head-banging & singing along to this:

I'm blessed, I must confess
My heart is pounding in my chest
Cause this love's the best
I'm just a love addict
Hold up, wait a minute, put a little love in it

They certainly know how to have fun while working! Definitely a moment in time to be thankful for!!

And while the boys were outside working.....Alli & I 'helped' Ashley with some extra credit for her Mass Communications class. She was given a list of 10 classic movies she could watch & write a page summary of for extra credit. Pretty cool assignment if you ask me. Of course, she enjoyed certain movies more than others, but still. While she was home they watched Ben Hur, To Kill a Mockingbird, Bridge Over the River Kwai & Music Man. I think, out of that list, the girls enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird the best. Michael liked Bridge Over the River Kwai.

And while we 'helped' with the extra credit, I worked on Alli's afghan. It's all put together now......this was yesterday morning early, putting in that last block....

Now begins the edging & I'll be DONE!



We didn't do any Black Friday shopping per se......I have NO desire to get out there in all the craziness just for a bargain. I bargain hunt all the time anyway. But all us girls......Maw, Sarah, Ella, me & some of our kids.....got together & had a Girly Thanksgivng celebration together at Cracker Barrel yesterday. It was really nice. Afterwards we sat outside visiting....while waiting on everyone to get done looking around, etc. Ashley sat down beside me in this adorable little kid's rocking chair & wanted me to take her picture. Speaking of bargains.....I DID find some yesterday. We ran by Good Will.....Ashley is really into the big chunky sweaters from the 80s/90s & she scored 3 sweaters yesterday. I spent $27 & got those three sweaters, two pairs of flannel pj pants for me, 8 shirts for the guys AND a book for Sarah. We didn't get home til 7pm last night. Kind of tired, but blessed by the day we shared together!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Today was Mr. Daniel's 8th birthday. How he got to be that old, well, I'm just not sure. The girls & I went this afternoon to help him celebrate.

 

He had a Star Wars/Lego theme going on. Don't you love the cute little Lego man cupcakes that Sarah made?

Singing 'Happy Birthday'.....& getting a little crazy.

Blow that candle, Daniel!

Just thought I'd snap a picture of the happy chaos.

Opening the presents.

Ok, this last photo demands an explanation. While we were there, Maw came out of the bathroom with the toilet handle in her hand. It had just broken completely off. (Cheap plastic, of course these days). We were all laughing....it was so funny.....guess you just had to be there. But anyway, after a little bit Sarah came back & said that David had fixed it & we HAD to come see what he did. He had taken an old shoe lace, tied it to the thingie in the tank & then poked it through the little hole so it hung down on the outside. 'You just might be a Red neck.........'

Make Me a Blessing!

Still reading the Joyce Myer book, 'Power Thoughts'. I just finished up chapter 5 this morning....it's entitled 'I Love People & I Enjoy Helping Them'.

 

*********

 

"I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another."

John 13:34

 

***********

Here are a few snippets from the chapter:

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness....an opportunity to express love.* Get your mind off of yourself & spend your life trying to see how much you can do for others.* Be mindful to be a blessing. * We cannot live by what we feel& ever have consistency & stability. Our ability to choose is greater than how we feel & it is that ability we must activate. * We...especially  need to bless others when times are difficult for us.....because givers are happy people! * We must always go the extra mile, always do more than we have to, always give more than enough, & always be generous.

 

*********

"Be mindful to be a blessing..."

Galatians 6:10

 

*********

 

Reading that this morning made me think about this song:

 

Make me a blessing,
Make me a blessing,
Out of my life
May Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, to some one today.

Give-Away!

Purple Pumpkin is having this awesome give-away. Check out some of the yummy goodies you could win!

Happy Monday!

Just wanted to share a few little tid-bits from this new book I'm reading. Good stuff for a Monday morning. ;-)

 

 

'You can choose your own thoughts.'

 

You CAN overcome evil with good. ---Romans 12:21

 

'We have to think about what we're thinking about!'

 

'Where the mind goes, the man follows.'

 

'Good thoughts will produces good moods.'

 

 



'I'm in a store & I'm singing........'

We had a fun adventure this afternoon. Alli & Michael especially had been begging for quite awhile to go to Richmond to the big Guitar Center there. And right in the next shopping center is another BIG music store. Heaven for them, I tell ya! After visitng BOTH music stores, we HAD to go to Bass Pro. I mean, c'mon.....you don't dare go all the way to Richmond without going to Bass Pro.

 

Can you believe that my teen-agers had to go sit on Santa's lap & get their picture taken?

I guess you can never be too old to sit on Santa's lap! They both said he was one of the best Santas they had ever seen. He does seem like a right Jolly Old Elf, doesn't he?

LU vs Stony Brook

It was the last game of the season & LU defeated Stony Brook 28-14. So glad we were able to go.....they had tickets available last Sunday after church for half price.

 

The half-time show was in honor of Veteran's Day & they saluted all the branches of our Armed Forces.

 

 

Charles Billingsly singing Lee Greenwood's 'God Bless the USA'

And they ended it all with the planting of the flag on Iwo Jima. Awesome half-time performance!

Happy Surprise

I came home from town yesterday evening & Alli promptly presented me with a small package that had come for me in the mail. A package from my friend, Kaye.

 

Inside was this adorable little Tom Turkey! Along with a sweet hand-made Thanksgiving card.

Oh, how she made my day! Isn't it awesome the sweet 'little' things that God sends our way to bless our days?! I love you, Kaye. Thanks for being such a terrific friend.



The Squares are Done.

I finished the last square this morning & then told Alli to lay them all out on the floor & arrange them how she thought they looked best.

Then I snapped a couple of pictures to use as reference & now after I grab a quick bite of lunch, I'm going to start seaming squares together.

I Sing Because I'm Happy

'Count it all joy!'

~James 1:2~

 

**************



 

why should I feel discouraged
why should the shadows come
why should my heart feel lonely
and long for heaven and home

when Jesus is my portion
a constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches over me
his eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me

I sing because i'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me



God Bless America!

My Girlie was so excited! Her first time voting.

'Merriment'

 

 

November 6, 2012
Are We Having Fun Yet?
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth
I [Jesus] came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows),” (John 10:10 Amplified Bible).

Friend to Friend
C.S. Lewis says that most Christians lack “merriment.” I like that word. “Merriment.” Just moving the words across my lips is fun. And I think Lewis is right. We lack merriment and we don’t expect it. Many Christians look like they’ve been weaned on a dill pickle. My goodness, if there is anyone who should exude merriment, it is a person who knows Jesus as Savior and Lord. We, above all people, have something to be merry about!

What God desires, not from you but for you, is life to the full (John 10:10). There’s nothing ho-hum about that. I read Jesus’ words in John 10:10 and I am famished for glory moments of life to the full. I want to see God, to experience His presence as I live and move and have my being in Him.

John wrote, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). He didn’t simply use the word given, but lavished. Webster defines lavish this way: “given or provided with great generosity and abundance, to bestow with large generosity, profusion, a downpour.” Ponder those words separately.

Lavished.
Provided with great generosity.
Abundance.
Bestow with large generosity.
Profusion.
Downpour.

Do these words reflect your expectations in your relationship with Jesus? C.S. Lewis said it well:

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”(C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (New York: HarperCollins, 1949,1976,revised 1980), 26.)

The first statement in the Shorter Catechism of Westminster Confession of 1646 states that man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Enjoy Him! To enjoy God is to glorify Him. Just as He takes delight in you, He longs for you to take delight in Him. You simply can’t separate the two.

Are you enjoying God? As you live and move and have your being in Him, is there a smile on your face and a skip in your step? Do you expect the rich adventurous faith-filled life that you read about in the Bible? Do you expect to experience God’s glory today? If not, perhaps you need to raise your expectations of what your relationship with Jesus can be.

Once we’ve tasted the sweetness of His fruit, to settle for anything less than the bountiful orchard of His blessings will always disappoint. Oh yes, there are heavy-laden branches filled with low hanging fruit just waiting to be picked. If only we would reach up high enough, raise our expectations, and pluck them from the tree.

Let’s Pray
Jesus, forgive me for acting like I’m doing You a favor for following You. I know that you came to give me life to the full. Help me to stop walking around like I have life to the half-full. Today, I’m going to laugh, to smile, to enjoy being in Your presence. I am going to keep my eyes open for moments of sudden glory as You make Your presence known to me!
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn
Today’s assignment is going to be fun. As you go through your day, look in the mirror.

Are you smiling? Are you frowning?

I want you to do this at least 10 times today. No cheating. Don’t smile and then look. Look first.

Then tell me what you experienced. Did you smile more? Were you more aware of your countenance?

Let me know at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes or my blog page at www.sharonjaynes.com. I’m going to pick 10 random comments and give away a pocket mirror that says, “See yourself as God sees you…Beautiful. 2 Corinthians 5:17.”