Spring Is Here...

Glad to see that Spring is finally making it's way to our part of the country.  To celebrate, here are a few spring/summer photos I've taken in the last year.

Hope you are enjoying some warm weather wherever you are.

Until Next Time,


Jackie

{Winter Snow}

Backyard Photos During A Winter Storm on February 26, 2013

{Kindness}

How Shall I Pray?

One of my favorite books is Guerrillas of Grace by Ted Loder.  His prayers in the book on so many days get right to the heart of what I'm feeling.  Today is no different.  Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

How Shall I Pray?

How shall I pray?
Are tears prayers, Lord?
Are screams prayers,
or groans
or sighs
or curses?

Can trembling hands be lifted to you,
or clenched fists
or the cold sweat that trickles down my back
or the cramps that knot my stomach?

Will you accept my prayers, Lord,
my real prayers,
rooted in the muck and mud and rock of my life,
and not just my pretty, cut-flower, gracefully arranged
bouquet of words?
Will you accept me, Lord,
as I really am,
messed up mixture of glory and grime?

Lord, Help me!
Help me to trust that you do accept me as I am,
that I may be done with self-condemnation
and self-pity,
and accept myself.
Help me to accept you as you are, Lord:
mysterious,
hidden,
strange,
unknowable;

and yet to trust
that your madness is wiser
than my timid, self-seeking sanities,
and that nothing you've ever done
has really been possible
so I may dare to be a little mad, too.

Ted Loder

{A Run-of-the-mill Sinner}

Are you a run-of-the-mill sinner? Am I?

Reading from Luke 6:31-34 (The Message)...

"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawn-brokers does that."

I did ask myself what I want people to do for me. I came up with this...I want them to be my friend. Even if they don't think I'm worthy of their friendship...or not good enough...young enough....wealthy enough...driving the right kind of car...living in the right neighborhood...just enough.

When I turn it around I realize sometimes I'm not reaching out to people for much of the same reason that I feel that I'm not reached out to by others. Maybe they aren't who I would think of when I think of someone that I could be friends with. It doesn't seem like we would have anything in common. Yes, I'm real and not perfect...I'm laying it out here today. What happens then is that I miss out on friendships that would probably enrich my life. The same way I feel that I would probably enrich others lives when don't reach out to me.

Luke 6:35-36 (The Message)...
"I tell you, love your enemies (or people who act they are too good for you). Help and give without expecting a return. You'll never--I promise-- regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we're at our worst. Our Father is kind, you be kind".

I hope you enjoy your Sunday and spend a little timing reaching out to others this week. I'll be working on this in my own life.

**photos taken today from my back deck and taken with my iPad.

Garlic Infused Honey {A Cold & Cough Remedy}

I have always steered away from over the counter medication when I'm fighting a cold or sore throat. Most of the time I will take large amounts of vitamin C (3000-5000 mg at the first sign of a cold) and I use home-remedies, teas and natural substances as much as possible. I will resort to OTC medications and antibiotics if necessary, though. This remedy is a new one to me and I decided to try it this past weekend.

I really liked the idea of doing this since I had the garlic and the honey on hand. Garlic is supposed to be a natural immune booster and raw honey is also supposed to be very good for you. The two combined should be a winning home-remedy. I only made a small amount to begin with since my honey supply was low. I will be making a larger quantity this week. Have you made this at your house? How did it work for you?

Here is the recipe:

Garlic Infused Honey

Ingredients:
24 cloves of garlic
Raw Honey

Directions:
Place peeled garlic in a jar and pour honey over the the cloves. Store in a jar for several days until cloves are infused with the honey. Keep in your refrigerator.

At the first sign of a cold or sore throat eat a clove every hour or two for a couple of days. Aim for 6 cloves per day. You can also take the honey on it's own as a cough syrup. A teaspoon of the honey with apple cider vinegar and hot water will make a good "wellness" tea. Add a dash of cayenne pepper to help clear your sinuses.

I hope you are all staying healthy this winter and if you try this please post here on the blog your experiences with it.

Have a great Monday,

Quiet Sunday {Psalm 66:1-2}

I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday!

Are You Up For A Challenge?

Since February is usually kind of a LONG month (even though it's short) I decided to have some fun and create a photo challenge based on the theme of Gratitude.   The challenge is on the Embracing My Blessings Facebook Page and you can also find it on the sidebar of this blog.  There is a topic for each day in February (see below).  We'll be taking photos related to the topic each day and posting them on the Gratitude Photo Challenge Event Page to share with all the other attendees.  I have done a couple of these and they are so much fun and it's exciting to see the creativity of everyone involved.  I would love for you to join.  We'll be doing a Link-Up Here on the blog (more on that later) and/or you can join us on Facebook...your choice.  It's all just for fun and great way for us to get our phones and cameras out in February and take some photos of things that we might not normally take.

Stay Tuned for more information here on the blog or go ahead and JOIN us on the Facebook Event.

Here is more information from the Event Page:

Let's have some fun and join together for a Winter photo challenge for the month of February with the overall theme being GRATITUDE. There will be a topic for each day in February (see below).

This is an open event to anyone that wants to participate. You can join anytime and you don't have to do this everyday, though this is encouraged....after all, it's fun!

Rules/Suggestions:

1. Photo Challenge runs from February 1 - 28, 2013.

2. Each day look below to see the topic for the day and take a photo representing the topic. Remember, our overall theme is GRATITUDE.

3. Each day post your picture for the day to this EVENT PAGE.

4. You can add a description with your picture or not...it's up to you.

5. Each day I will choose a photo or two to feature on the Embracing My Blessings Facebook Page. (I will ask your permission before doing so.)

6. Don’t worry if you are getting a late start or if you skipped a day. Just jump in and follow along.

REMEMBER: It's all about having fun and using our cameras/phones to express our Gratitude for the month of February.

Share the event with your Facebook Friends. MORE PHOTOS = MORE FUN!

Thanks for joining and I look forward to seeing your photos!

FEB. 1: FOOD
FEB. 2: BEAUTY
FEB. 3: HAPPINESS
FEB. 4: MUSIC
FEB. 5: MORNING SKY
FEB. 6: BOOKS
FEB. 7: SOMETHING FUNNY
FEB. 8: COLOR
FEB. 9: INSPIRING PERSON
FEB. 10: NATURE
FEB. 11: SOMETHING OLD
FEB. 12: HANDS
FEB. 13: WRITTEN WORDS
FEB. 14: LOVE
FEB. 15: MOVEMENT
FEB. 16: ANIMALS
FEB. 17: MEMORIES
FEB. 18: SOMETHING NEW
FEB. 19: BEST FRIEND
FEB. 20: DAILY ROUTINE
FEB. 21: NIGHT-TIME
FEB. 22: CLOTHING
FEB. 23: LIGHT
FEB. 24: KINDNESS
FEB. 25: SELF PORTRAIT
FEB. 26: ARTWORK
FEB. 27: FAMILY
FEB. 28: GRATITUDE


Hoping you'll join us!

 

...And another day very similar to yesterday...

That's what the weatherman said on the news this morning. "Another day very similar to yesterday". Isn't that what winter feels like? It feels like they are all the same...the days. They are the same...for the most part. We work, take care of our families, run errands, do laundry, cook meals, etc. It's probably what everyone's life is like, but sometimes it feels like I'm the only one in some sort of hamster wheel. I'm reminded of my challenge this year. I'm still counting.

Today I write in my journal...

• Maisy brings much joy to us.
• Wrapping up in a warm blanket on a cold morning.
• Chunky coffee mugs.

So, what do we do with these long, winter days?  I try to embrace them.  I enjoy staying "in" and doing things like reading and craft projects that I don't have as much time for in the warmer months.  I encourage you to look outside and find something beautiful in your yard.  Even though most of the leaves are gone and the grass is dead. I am still able to find beauty in the dried plant pods, and bare branches of the trees.  How can that be beautiful, you might ask?   It's beautiful because with the faded flowers and lack of leaves I'm able to see more clearly the life in our yard.  The birds and other animals.  There is something beautiful in every season if you look.  I also know the promise of what is coming underneath those dead leaves and brown grass.  After this season of rest, everything is beautiful again in a few months.  Take a look...I think you'll see it too.  There is a Time For Everything.

I have much to be grateful for. I am Blessed. Even on these days that run right into one another.

   

Enjoy your time today, my friends!

Saturday...

I sit here this Saturday morning finding it hard to stay still.  Something or someone keeps calling for my attention. Maisy crying at the door to go out and chase birds.  Kobe hollering from downstairs for me to see a text from a friend he is having a disagreement with.  Kyler asking me to pour him some more milk.  Not unusual for a Saturday morning around here.  Saturdays are busy and usually end up being a cleaning day, shopping day, a little bit of everything day.  Finding a quiet moment can be rare.  I'm trying to find one today, though.  Taking just a moment to Count.  Counting My Blessings.  I started counting earlier this week.  I have to say, that once I get past the obvious blessings (like my boys, my home, my job, etc.) it gets a little more challenging.  I'm sure it will be very challenging on some of the not-so-great days we have around here sometimes.  However, I can already see how counting things each and every day will have an affect on my life.  When I look past the BIG blessings and start searching for the small ones I will see how full my life really is.

A few on today's list are...

• A view of the birds on my deck from my dining room table.
• The ability to read.
• Vanilla candles.

My Saturday morning at my dining room table is looking like this...

...and now a word about that Snowman tree in the background.  I'm thinking it may be in the basement before the day is done.  Most of the Christmas decorations are put away for another year.  The Snowman Tree, though, is still here.  I keep hearing that song from the 80's...."Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now"?  And now that I've typed it I'll be singing it ALL DAY!

Have you seen the February Gratitude Photo Challenge on my sidebar?  I hope you will consider joining us.  I'll be posting more about it here on the blog soon.  Click on it and check it out!

Have a great Saturday!