...........................................................

...........................................................
Blessed by everyday blessings

these are a few of my favorite things

~smiling faces~

~hugs and kisses from grandchildren
and hearing the name Nanny from far away places~

~mostly old sometimes new~

~quilts with love stitched through and through

~Babies and butterflys and all things created~

~To know you are loved makes life sweet with grace traces ~























recipes

Saturday, March 19, 2011

SEWING UP SOME SUNSHINE


No matter what the weather is  like outside 

if there's a quilt present there is sunshine inside
cause It's sending out all kinds of warm fuzzies!


Lads and Lassies in Love

anniversary quilt for my daughter Amy and her husband


Whenever you see pink and blue remember I LOVE YOU!

Made from old jeans and kakai pants
I think I'm in LOVE all over again.

Do you see the  hugs O and Kisses X ?

Nothing says love like a finished quilt!

Spread a little sunshine today!
Cause love isn't love until you give it away.

Blessings 
Janita


Wednesday, March 16, 2011

walk in the WORD Wednesday

What have you been thinking about today?
Do you ever stop and think about what you're thinking about?
What if someone were to encourage you to THINK DIFFERENTLY?



Today, I'm thinking about too many things frankly and that is leading to a bit of unproductivity. I'm thinking about people who have got their groove on and are so productive. I'm thinking of the person I would like to be in character but I'm not. I'm thinking about how my family would remember me if they had to say something at a memorial service. I'm thinking about Projects that would refresh me if I finished them because I love a bit of homemade, but these projects are stuck at various stages somewhere between beginning and end and are having trouble getting to the finish line. I'm thinking about how short life is because my days go by so quickly and I'm thinking about how do I give God More of my day? How do I MAXIMIZE this day.... you know the saying.... SEIZE THE DAY because I'm never going to have this day again? And has anyone seen JOY, I can't seem to find her today.



In all of this thinking, if I really STOP TO THINK I might have to ask myself; Do I have THINKING HABITS that are causing me to experience less? Less Joy ... Less abundant Life than God intended? How do I turn that in to MORE?








BABY STEPS.....
ONE STEP AT A TIME...

BY WHAT I THINK.




"I've observed that all lasting change is preceded by CHANGED THINKING. Any other type of change will be only temporary" Tom Newberry

It is Wednesday once again......... Time to grow more JOY in my life. I'm working my way through this book on Wednesdays.





I had an exceptional day last week. I went to the memorial service of the daughter of some friends, her vibrant life on this earth was overcome by brain cancer and I also went to a wedding of the son of some other friends all on the same day. One life is over in this earthly realm way before those who loved her were ready to let her go and another life on the road to all things new and for the most part just beginning.

Both of these events in one day packed a Whammy in my thinking. No matter how I look at it I only have so many days to live. And I'm already considered over the hill. Better get my game on SOON!

With the help of Tom Newberry and seeking not just more JOY in my life but seeking to be JOY- FILLED, here are

THREE THINGS THAT I am going TO THINK about THIS week.

1."Behind everything you do is a thought, and each individual thought contributes to your overall character. How well your mind works dictates how much joy you experience, how successful you feel, and how well you interact with other people. " Tom Newberry.

"No area of your life is untouched by your thoughts. Your habitual thinking patterns either encourage you toward excellence or nudge you into weakness." Tom Newberry

BABY STEP.....MY thinking ability needs to be focused and intentional with quality thoughts.

2. No Matter how many years have past, tomorrow can be a new beginning to become something new.
"....Let God Transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." Romans 12:2

BABY STEP... Believe that I can become everything that God had in mind when he created me.
In the moments that I seek that end there I will find JOY!

3. To get to this amazing place that can exceed even my wildest imagination here is the catch
......"I must learn to think like Godthinks!"..................................................
"To understand how God thinks, we must first comprehend WHO God is."
"We can learn to focus our thoughts on things that reflect and honor his character."
"To think like God you must become intentional about mirroring his image in all that you do."

" As your thoughts reflect God's thoughts, not only will you glorify God, but you will also increase your positive influence on those you love." Tom Newberry

BABY STEPS.... Think about one character trait of God this week ..... God is HOLY.


Today as I was reading my Bible I came across this scripture;
"All who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting JOY" Psalm 22:26

The scripture on which this book is based is Phillipians 4:8 witten by the apostle Paul who chose to emphasize possiblilities instead of problems.

BABY STEPS, BABY STEPS.......eventually I will learn to walk and someday run with JOY!

Seeking to be JOY- Filled
Janita

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

God is EVER PRESENT.....


Last week wednesday i was having a little R&R with my
SWEET husband.





There is Nothing like SAND between your toes













searching for SEA SHELLS






blue skys and SUNSHINE
to soothe your soul!







Our eyes were exposed to spectacular beauty




the SEA SHELL HOUSE as seen on HGTV






















and we saw sights that made your heart sink. It is hard to see people living with bare necessities.


Unfortunately life is not all beautiful. I have no camera pictures of the poverty, that picture will not leave my mind. I left Iowa an ordinary person but I came home with this thought,
I am rich.... I just didn't realize it.



"To whom much is given, much will be required."
My thoughts are here and there at the same time.
I am home
but not really home.
I am here wondering ........ THINKING......





When I leave home, my comfort zone, I leave with eyes open looking for the presence of God.



Two years ago when we went on a trip out of the country I was a bit apprehensive. I needed God to speak to me in my surroundings that he was near. I also had a sense that this was not just a vacation....there was something beyond the beach that God wanted me to be a part of.


We left on Ash Wednesday and on the plane we saw people with ashes and the sign of the cross on their forehead and a man wearing a hat saying "Jesus lives". At the resort we met a man who does not believe there is a God in heaven. Out of all the people on the beach, is it a coincidence that he became friends with us? I smile and pray for him regularly....God always has a plan. God placed this man in the company of 4 who believe.






This year God said here i am..........





AMAZING GRACE
how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.


where ever I go God is there.


Lord help me to see you, so that I may follow after you
continue to bless me with your presence
in this place that I call home.

May your day be blessed with as you discover the nearness of God today.

Until next time......look around, God has something for you :)

Janita





























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