It has been quite awhile since I have participated in this particular meme. Today seemed like a good day to get back into the game.

1. Modern Family is my favorite TV show because it takes a humorous look at life’s most serious moments and everyone is still left standing strong and together.

2. Go to page 45 of the book you’re reading (The Swiss Family Robinson); go to the 6th paragraph and make a sentence out of 7 words from it: I wonder what it would be like to gather together all the pieces of the puzzle and present them to God and see what he has to say about them as a whole. The original sentence read: “I will gather all the pieces and take them to Ernest, and tell him all these particulars; I wonder what he will say about it, and how he will like the withered nut.

3. I am extremely content as I walk along my garden paths.

4. I enjoyed the long walks Miss Sam and I used to take to get to the neighborhood playground when we lived in Texas. Miss Sam was in her stroller of course.

5. Today I am going to take some time to work on my family history .

6. My kitchen floor needs a bit a lot of scrubbing. Not getting done today either!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to dinner at the Olive Garden, tomorrow my plans include taking Miss Sam to a one day Anime convention and Sunday, I want to stay in bed all day and read!

(Find more Friday Fill-Ins here.)

Found this great meme over at Linda’s place and thought I would give it a whirl. Susanne from Living to Tell the Story states that Friday’s Fave Five is:

a place to come on Friday’s and think back over your week and just post about 5 favorite things from your week. It can be anything that tickled your fancy over the week. Favorite quotes, posts, happenings, scriptures, recipes, pictures, great internet finds, etc., etc.

So although it is Saturday….while my Korean Beef and Sticky Rice dinner is cooling off to “safe enough to eat temperature”, I thought I would write a bit about the five things that tickled my fancy over the past week.

1. Our income tax was direct deposited! Yippee!!! We hit the home improvement stores today to start working on our “Honey Do” lists!!
2. I found a fabulous daily devotional, The Daily God Book: A Year of Listening For God. As you know, one of my biggest challenges over the years has been to keep that ear tuned in to those whispers…I pretty much recognize the yells (okay..every now and then I recognize them).
3. I have been thinking about putting an inspirational quote on the board at the beginning of each class period. I thought this would be a good one to start with:        ”No one can touch others’ lives exactly as you can.”   This is from The Daily God Book.
4. I FINALLY found a brand of jeans that FIT and DON’T cost an arm and two legs. Lee Relaxed Fit Straight Leg (actually they are boot cut – I guess straight leg isn’t what it was in the 80′s). I bought two more pairs at JC Penney today…along with that other “hard to find/hate to shop for item….the dreaded B…R….A…..I saved $50.00 on my purchases!! Woot!
5. Sam and I found a great Asian Market in Gainesville this week. We bought some sweet rice (I used it tonight to make the sticky rice), seaweed (to make rice balls) and a curry sauce that Sam wants to try.

What great and exciting moments did you experience this week?

I recently read in one of my favorite books, Shelter for the Spirit by Victoria Moran:

“Preparing food and eating at home can be the most immediate way to touch home’s spiritual essence. Food nourishes the body, home nourishes the soul, and when we avail ourselves of the two in tandem, we feel content and cared for on both levels.”

With this in mind I  purchased a new cookbook by Taste of Home (all the recipes that I try from them have NEVER failed and given to the dogs as a “treat”). It is my intent with this purchase to give what Victoria writes about a try.

I am going to attempt to “avail” myself of nourishing our bodies while our home (thoroughly simplified as the new year rolled in) nourishes our souls.

Well what does this have to do with the Works for Me Wednesday Backward Edition you may very rightly ask???? Well, it means that I get to ask you a question about what works for you in the nourishment of your body and soul!

So here are my questions for Works for Me Wednesday ~ Backward Edition:

What favorite recipe nourishes your body? (Thanks to The Diaper Diaries for this idea)

What favorite activity nourishes your soul?

Inquiring minds want to know so I can head into the new year well nourished!!

Bet you didn’t even know I had a band now did you???? Okay….I don’t. But if I did this is what my Album cover would look like according to the Band Meme created by The Queen’s Meme.

Go on over and participate and post your new album cover!!

I love the day after Thanksgiving. Not because you will find me in line at Best Buy having spent the night in a tent. But because it finds me up in the attic bringing down all the Rubbermaid bins chock full of Christmas past.

I vowed that I wasn’t going to do it this year. We have been on the look out for a pre-lit/pre-decorated pink Christmas tree. However, as the weather cools and the Christmas music begins…I just can’t help but get into the merriment. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year.

As a start to the holidays I thought Kim from Ilax Studio had a great question for the day after Thanksgiving:

What do you think of those airblown holiday decorations that people put in their yards? Cute or tacky? Would you put one in your yard?

Personally, I don’t like them. I think they are very tacky – especially when all the air is out of them during the day. It’s depressing. Even when they are as cute as the Peanuts one I have featured on this post ~ I still don’t like them.

I like lawn ornaments for Christmas. Our family is one of the first ones to get in the car and tour the neighborhoods oooohhing and ahhhhing over all the festive homes. However I like them like this:

 

I’m old fashioned that way.

So how about you????? How will you be spending Black Friday and what are your thoughts about these blow up lawn ornaments?

Every morning I read from four books:

• The Life Application Study Bible
• God’s Purpose for Every Woman
• Moments with You
• The Right Words at the Right Time

There is ALWAYS something in each of these phenomenal books that makes it’s way into my heart on a daily basis and settles in. That is why when I read the quote for this week’s In Other Words, I knew my post would reflect the inspiration found in my daily readings.

At present I am reading Judges. However, I have made it a habit to read one chapter from whatever book of the bible I am on and a verse from Psalms. I read somewhere that within every Psalm is a verse that becomes a prayer of gratitude. Short, simple ways to say “Thank You Lord”. Here are some of my favorite expressions of gratitude from Psalms:

• “Blessed are all who take refuge in him”….Thank You Lord
• “You are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head. To the Lord I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill.”…Thank You Lord
• “You have filled my heart with greater joy”…Thank You Lord
• The Lord has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord accepts my prayer.”…Thank You Lord
• The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”….Thank You Lord
• The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation and stronghold.”…Thank You Lord 

I have a heart of gratitude that I have God’s promise that He will guide me along the best pathway for my life and will advise me and watch over me (paraphrase Psalm 32:8)

This morning I read “The Ministry of Interruptions” by Glynnis Whitwer in the book God’s Purpose for Every Woman. Please interrupt your reading of this blog to read the devotion…for I am so guilty of what Glynnis writes about. Truly an area that God is working with me on.

I think we can all:

• slow down for those that ask for our attention
• choose welcoming words for those that interrupt our ‘to do’ list
• consciously eliminate rushing form our lives so we won’t miss something on God’s “to do” list

I have a heart of gratitude that there are interruptions in my life and people who desire my attention. I pray that I can be the person that will listen, have a heart that will pray, be a shoulder that can be leaned on, and live a life that can be watched (paraphrase Renee Swope) without them saying “pardon the interruption”.

Barbara Rainey wrote in Moments with You for November 23rd:

“Being grateful is a choice that we readily and ritually express on Thanksgiving Day. But what do we do on other days of the year when the mood is less festive or the atmosphere is more ordinary?”

She asks that we:

“Make the choice today to take your eyes off yourself and your circumstances, gratefully acknowledging who God is and what He is doing. Deny yourself the right to complain, embracing instead the deep-seated joy of thanksgiving…in all things.”

Make a list together with your family of some things you need to be grateful for right now.

I have a heart of gratitude that I am 24/7 “deeply dependent on God for all I have or hope to have” (paraphrase John Piper).

Although I have never been a big fan of Hilary Clinton, I have enjoyed many of her writing endeavors. Recently I read an essay by her in The Right Words at the Right Time:

“In times of crisis we need to work hard to remember the gift of life and take stock of the goodness around us. I like to think of adversity as a test of our capacity for love and forgiveness.

Being grateful for what we have is often our greatest balm.”

I have a heart of gratitude knowing that I have been blessed beyond belief in terms of family. They are my “balm” in times of trying circumstances. “There is nothing more powerful on Earth than family…truly nothing compares to the strength of being tightly wrapped in the protective fiber of family. It’s who you are. It’s where you belong.” Dennis Rainey

And so….even though I have written many words regarding the essence of gratitude. It’s not that I write these words…it’s that I make a choice to live these words.

Gratitude is a choice.

Make it daily.

 Thanks to Tami of The Next Step for hosting this week’s In Other Words.

I realize Thursday is almost over….but we had soooo much fun today at the Wildlife Park that we had to come home and take a nap.

One of the things I love the most is what Miss Sam and I did today. We went to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park on a photo shoot. We FINALLY renewed our season pass!!

I am always amazed at the differences between our photos. Miss Sam has a natural talent for photography. She is able to capture the essence and the character of her subjects. Whereas me, I just capture their natural beauty and nothing more.

She will stand in a spot for hours okay…maybe a half hour…waiting to capture her subject in the “pose” she has already imagined in her head. I wish I had that talent, but I love that she has it and has the opportunity on our photo shoots to take it to the next level every time.

Here are three of my favorite shots that Miss Sam took today:

She truly has that photographer’s eye.

Thanks to The Diaper Diaries for hosting the Things I Love Thursday meme.

Samantha’s Corner:

Here is last night’s conversation as I headed off to bed:

Mom: Will you harvest my rice (on my virtual farm) before you go to bed so it won’t go to waste?

Miss Sam: As long as you blow up an empire (on her virtual galaxy) for me tomorrow.

Welcome to the 21st century.

Happy that I have the opportunity to participate in Barb’s Wednesday meme Craft It Wednesday. Here is what I did this morning with my newly cleared scheduled…I caught up on some scrapbooking.

Scrapbook layout from the Veteran’s Day Parade

11-11-2008

Okay, so I know I am a year behind in my scrapbooking…..but at least it is no longer three years.

What crafts are you working on as we head into the holidays??

I love to enjoy the quiet of an early morning to listen to the “music” that speaks to me of home:

• the dogs stretching telling me it’s time to wake up
• Sam’s fan whirring keeping her cool while she sleeps
• coffee dripping enticingly into the carafe
• the rinse cycle of the washing machine
• the birds chattering that their feeders need to be refilled

What is the music of your home???

I knew I would forget this yesterday ~ but I remembered today and that’s what counts. Miriam Pauline is hosting one of my long time favorite memes ~ In Other Words. She has inspired me to go into my archives from my other blogs and add them to my new category ~ In Other Words. Until I get around to that project I felt compelled to participate this week. This week’s quote is from Jonah:

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish.He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port.After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.”Jonah 1:3

The story of Jonah has had a tremendous impact in my life and I never tire of reflecting on the basic lesson of forgiveness that God teaches us through Jonah. I have edited a previous post on Jonah and would like to share it with you now.

Several weeks ago I was up in our attic searching for three boxes marked “memories/do not throw away”. Although there are many more up there, the three that made their way down into my home office are the ones that will provide a substantial outline for my as of yet un-named “writing project”.As I begin the task of going backwards to move forwards I find myself recalling the story of Jonah and the whale.How often, during the years of therapy, did I feel like Jonah. Running away from God when he persisted in asking me to forgive. Me being disobedient and replying that “forgiveness is not an option”. I just could not get past the hurt, the need for “emotional” revenge. Then, in recent years, once I let go and actively listened to what God was saying, I was able to work my way back to God as he guided me towards forgiveness. I began the journey of obedience with a willing spirit and sought to understand God’s mercy and patience as it applied to me. Then I began to understand judgment is not mine to make. God’s mercy and patience applies to everyone.

Therefore, relying heavily on the lessons taught through the story of Jonah and the whale I begin another journey. The journey of beginning the adventure of writing about the present through the lens of the past and the past through the lens of the present.

As I continue to move forward I must remember to be faithful to:

• be obedient to what God is asking me to do
• be diligent that what I do holds up to God’s standards.