Just catching up!

Spring is quickly coming here in middle Tennessee! I know a lot of people don't see it yet, but we've got daffodils that are at least 3-4 inches tall already, crocuses that are poking up, and the anticipation of the COLOR that surrounds me in spring is enticing me to forget the beautiful snow we've had here this winter! :D Kenn and I have seen more snow this winter than ever before in our marriage - that's 14 years this September! Wherever we move, the snow moves FROM. :D I guess we've been here long enough now.... :D

ANYWAY. Life doesn't stand still for us - and I know it doesn't for you, either! So, here's just a peek into what we're doing and facing! Laugh where you want, pray where you feel led - and share with me, too!

Photography business: Lots of seeds have been planted, and it LOOKS like they're going to bear fruit, but it seems to be taking its sweet time. God keeps on giving us our DAILY needs. I'd kinda like to get a new Easter dress. LOL! Kenn's working really hard, taking some FANTASTIC shots, and making lots of connections. We're teaching a photography class at a local Christian school on Friday mornings, and praying hard about if we're supposed to continue after this semester. If you feel led to pray for us in this area, praying for the seeds to ripen and be ready to harvest would be awesome! We've also got our website up for Heavenly Perspective Photography. It's pretty basic, and I need to work on the grammar, etc., of the galleries Kenn's got up, but it will get you to our photos! :D

Stampin' Up!: People have still been purchasing; I think it's because, with the economy, the ability to craft something for someone and reuse the non-consumable supplies time and again is very appealing. Class attendance is down - but that also has a lot to do with the weather lately. :) I LOVE what I do, and love sharing it with other people - I'd just like to be able to afford my habit a bit more. :D If you feel led to pray for us in this area, please pray that God would use my business (both of them, actually!) to bless others in any way He sees fit! I want to be used of Him. I have a blog, Lori's Stamping Spot, which I know several of you follow. Thank you. :D

Health: Sugars are still out of whack. There are lots of little things going on, and I'm sure things I don't even want to know about - but I know Who holds my future. I'm trying to cooperate with Him a little more, and am working hard at keeping those numbers in check. If you feel led to pray for me in this area, please pray that I do what I know I should, that the other little things I'm dealing with will be taken care of in some way. I don't want to be more specific than that - God knows, and He's a lot bigger than what I'm going through!

Everything else: Church is still AWESOME. We are so incredibly blessed with our church family and leadership - it blows me away! Kenn's been sick a lot again this winter; with his asthma, anything that gets into his lungs means it's a struggle just to get enough air to survive. He's doing better right now! He, too, is knocked to his knees with how good God was in leading us to Smyrna Assembly. :D

I'm doing two Bible studies currently - although the weather has cancelled my LOCAL one three weeks in a row! LOL! That one's the one I mentioned with the song, Priscilla Shirer. I can't wait to get back to it! :D The second is the one at church, Beth Moore's A HEART LIKE HIS: A Study of David. It's AWESOME. I'm also attempting to read through the Bible again this year; Amy gave me the WHOLE Message Bible for Christmas, and it's DEFINITELY helped me get through the beginning of the Old Testament. :D

Mom and Dad are doing pretty well. Mom's work is VERY stressful, and she's got a really bad cold right now that's been around for a little too long. Dad's back surgery seems to have been pretty much an incredible success; he's even lugging his heavy suitcase downstairs when no one's watching! :D

The house is 12 years old, and things are starting to need some help. We had the washer leak at the beginning of December, and there's now a hole in the kitchen ceiling where their bathtub leaked through. :D

Overall, we all just keep living the life, walking the path, and trusting God. Kenn and I really don't want to walk where we're not supposed to be; one of the themes at church this year has been that we do NOT want to take one step until the Spirit of God has moved ahead of us. That's DEFINITELY my prayer! If you feel led to pray for us in this area, please pray for unity of thought, discernment, and wisdom!

THANK YOU for walking by me. Thank you for not abandoning my blog, even when it seemed like I had. :D I look forward to hearing what YOU are up to! What can we pray for you? If you want to keep it private, just between you and me, then it's best to email me at pooh0612@aol.com. If it's OK for your fellow readers to know and to pray and praise with you, just leave it in the comments section! :D

YOU ARE LOVED! You are a daughter of the Most High, blessed and favored. You are the apple of His eye. As Priscilla Shirer asks, "Do you think the that God of the Universe cared enough for you to send His Son to die for you, but not enough to want to speak to you?" He LOVES you, dear one. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you! That's what I'm praying for you, right now: may you grow deeper in your knowledge of His Word and His character - and His love for YOU.

BE BLESSED!

How much MORE!

I really hope you'll click on the picture today, and really soak in both the picture and the Scripture. Go ahead. I'll wait for you!

::::::::: watching dogwood sway and listening to windchimes:::::::::::

Isn't this an awesome thing? Let me give you another illustration for what God's saying here!

I LOVE tulips. I love almost any flower, but there's just something about the shape and incredible multitude of olors that tulips come in that I just love. They're one of the first flowers of spring, too, and I love watching them grow and POP UP! :) It's amazing - there can be nothing there one day, and the next they're in full bloom!

ANYWAY. :) Last time Dad was out of town, I wrote him a note to tell him how much I appreciated his planting so many. We have over 400 bulbs out there! I know it's because I love them so much. I know he doesn't get a chance to appreciate them too much when he travels - Kenn sends pictures, but it's just not the same as being able to watch them wave in the breeze!

You know what my dad wrote back? "I hope they help you know how much you're loved."

Wow. My dad plants tulips JUST BECAUSE HE LOVES ME.

Dear one, God does the same thing - He CREATED those tulips because He loves me. And if He'll give me beautiful tulips in the spring when Dad plants them, just THINK what other good things He wants to give me!

This passage says He'll give me as much of the Holy Spirit as I'll ask for. We all-too-often forget the Holy Spirit when we talk about God. He's IN me now - but how often do I allow Him to guide? Do I LISTEN to what He's trying to tell me? Do I follow His tug to do this or that?

I'm learning. I'm a living sacrifice, after all - and that means I tend to crawl off the altar when I'm not focusing. But I want to get my SELF out of the way, and let GOD shine through my life. I want HIM to get all the glory. As I follow His leading, it gets easier. But I can still get unfocused - my prayer is that I continue to lift my eyes to Him, and not look at things around me that distract me. The more I fill my vision with Him, the less I get distracted.

How's YOUR vision, dear one? Are you looking to Him for your sustenance? Is He your Guide, or just your emergency rope?

Karna Tagged Me!

Go visit Karna! :)

Here's how it works: The instruction is to go into my photo collection, take the fourth folder and the fourth picture in that folder and explain it. Then tag four more bloggers to do the same.



So, here's my picture!

This is my currently-youngest neice, Michaela, over a year ago - the last time the family came to visit. She's sitting in a patch of sunlight coming in from the sun porch between my studio and the kitchen. She's just eaten breakfast, as you can see. :D She's SUCH a sweet girl!

OK. I can't think of four people to tag, but I'll tag Becky - and if you play along, let me know! :)

Here I am!

WHEW, what a month it's been already! :) Kenn and I did a whirlwind trip to visit some of his relatives while his brother and sister-in-law were there, and I'm glad we went, but I'm SO glad to be home!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was tired of SITTING. LOL!

The picture above was taken at a hat store in Wichita. Cute, huh. :D

I wanted to let you know I'm alive, and working on some posts to bring you. I'll be back soon with more!!

BE BLESSED, beloved. I'm SO grateful for you, for the fact that you haven't given up on me completely, and the fact that God sometimes uses this blog to bless you. YOU ARE A BLESSING, TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace on earth, good will toward men....

Happy December, my friends! Thank you for those of you who have checked in; things have been rough for me the last few weeks - but I KNOW my God is in control, so I continue to struggle back to rest in Him. :) I KNOW you know how it goes. What's that saying? :Life is what happens to you while you're making plans"? :D

ANYWAY. This picture is my little tree in the stamping area. I love this tree; it's silver, but it's a 4-footer. Maybe that makes it easier to love? :D The stamping area is done in blue, white, and sliver; it's VERY peaceful. I can sit in here and work just by Christmas lights. RUDOLPH is on the TV behind me, Kenn's upstairs working, and I am sitting here counting my blessings again. I'm HOME. I have some of my loved ones here with me during this special time of the year. God send His only Son to live a humble life - to live and be tempted by things we're all tempted by, to know pain and joy. I am so blessed. I live in a beautiful home. I am loved.

So are you. :) I hope you find a quiet moment to sit and count your blessings this week, too. It helps keeping Christ the middle of your season! :)

TOMORROW WILL BE A BLOG CANDY DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you're interested in reading our Christmas newsletter this year, you can find it HERE.

Be blessed, my dear friend!

What a beautiful morning!

Good morning, girls. I'm sorry I've been so absent lately; I call this my busiest month of the year, and it's definitely living up to that so far. :)

Did you go take the personality test in yesterday's post??? I'd love to know what you came out as. :D

It's THANKFUL NOVEMBER; I challenged you to post, SOMEWHERE, one thing you were thankful for each day of this month. I KNOW at least one of you is having an awful month, having to make life-or-death decisions with a loved one. While I know that doing this exercise won't make those decisions - or this period in your life - easy, I DO know it will help your heart to remember what God has done for you.

SO! Are you doing it? You should have six things on your list so far, since it's the sixth of November. :) Here are mine:

1. I'm thankful for my hostess club stampers, who help me keep in business!
2. I'm thankful for our new church, new pastor, and new lessons.
3. I'm thankful for new friends!
4. I'm thankful for a beautiful home and loving parents who grace us with it.
5. I'm thankful the election is OVER!
6. I'm thankful for my husband running errands so I don't have to!

You can use the comments section to list, everyone, or you can just use it to tell me you're listing. :) I promise you that this will make you feel even more grateful, and lift your heart. Remember the old song!

Count your blessings!

Name them one by one!

Count your many blessings -

See what GOD has done!

Remember my talking about making posters available?

Well, we've found a way to do this! :) We'll be adding more, but all the flower shots with verses that I have done are uploaded on this site. If there's a picture you'd like a specific verse on, or anything like that, please let us know! :) We're excited about getting to share our work with you!

http://heavenlyperspective.shutterbugstorefront.com/

Enjoy browsing! :)

Good Wednesday Morning!

Quick post today - I'm SO FRIGGIN' BUSY!!! - but I wanted to poke my head in and ask you:

HOW IS YOUR WEEK GOING???????????????????

:)

I've started a new blog! :D

If you like my photography, I'm starting a new blog called Heavenbound With A Lens. It's just for photos - and if I feel like putting a quote with it, I will. :D
Let me know what you think!

Creative Photography :)

Good morning! Roger is hosting a Creative Photography contest, so here's my entry for this week! I hope you enjoy it! :)

Hey! Didn't know, but the last time I entered, I won an award! Not FIRST place, but I got a reserve winner! :D Here's my award!

Creative Photography

Well, Kimmie - see side Mr. Blinky for her blog! - just linked me to a new contest! I imagine Kenn will be playing, too - and he's VERY creative. SO, for my first entry into Roger's contest, Creative Photography, I'm going to enter this photo. :) It's the one I started my blog with.

I hope you enjoy it! I've got LOTS to play with, so I think this is going to be lots of fun.... :)

God of the Second Chances

Today's photo taken by Kenn!

Poor Hosea. Called to share God's grief and woe over his love being unfaithful. God's nation had turned her back on Him yet again - and Hosea's wife did the same. God's nation had fallen in with loving other gods - Hosea's wife "loved" other men. They both felt anger, grief, and shame for their loved ones.

But they BOTH were willing to give their loved ones a second chance. A chance to return, and love and be loved as purely, as passionately, as boundlessly as the first time they were loved.

Two things jumped out at me from this verse selection today. First, how GREAT our God is, to continue to love us and want us to be His, even when we chase after all the carnal pleasures we think we want. It's absolutely amazing to me!

Second, how desperately WE need to be able to love this way. We're so afraid of being rejected, of not getting what WE need out of a relationship, of LOTS of things. God's put this example out there for us: second chances are NOT just FOR us, but are to be FROM us. Not the kind where we hold back, just because we've been hurt. The kind where we love as God loves us - and BECAUSE He loves us the way He does, we're able to love each other. Just the way it was when we first loved!

Please note: if you liked today's post, and would like to receive things like this in your emailbox every couple of days or so, please email me at pooh0612@aol.com. If you get tired of it, you can always remove yourself super-easily. :)

It's Thursday...

and I don't have much to report - but I want to say hello, anyway. :) Things continue to perk away here; Stampin' Up! is rolling right along - some days REALLY exciting, others, well.... :D I need to pray that God will help me be content wherever I am in business, as well as personal life!!!!!





I realized I didn't post too many photos from when we were in Paducah; I took a lot, but I now don't find too many of them exciting - except for the ones I took of Kenn, and I'm not sure how many of him YOU want to see! :D But THIS photo IS NOT KENN. ROFL!!!!

Some of you may know that there's an elk & buffalo preserve in the Land Between the Lakes area in Kentucky; we drove through, and saw many buffalo - no elk, though....

Anyway. It's a face only a mother could love, and I saw enough of them while we were there to last me a while. LOL!! There WERE a few calves, but they were lying in the grass - it was VERY hot the day we were there. So, no CUTE ones to show you.... :D

Well, I'm procrastinating; I need to be working, cleaning my stampin' area for my party tonight, and doing other non-fun things. :D

One more thing: I'm thinking of starting something like Kelli's Show & Tell (see previous posts!), but doing it on another day, and more about what you CHERISH - people, animals, things, whatever you have that you want to share. If you have a suggestion for a name, please leave it in a comment - and, if I pick your name for my sharing day, I'll send you a prize!!! :D

OK, I'm off to find something else to procrastinate with.... :D Have a wonderful, BLESSED day!!!!!!!!

Good morning! :)

Peonies!

How are you doing today? WHAT are you doing today? :D I just got done planning for my class tonight - nothing like procrastinating, is there. :D I had a hard time getting motivated yesterday; I've been sneezing my head off, and been tired a lot lately. So, I didn't do EVERYTHING I should have yesterday - and am paying for it today. :D

Well, things are growing quickly outside now! It's a beautiful day here in middle TN again, and the next wave of flowers is here. :) I thought I'd share some of God's beauty with you; I don't have much to say today, except to remind you to take a moment to notice what God has put into your day to bless you with. Maybe a flower? Or a person you don't say thank-you to often enough? Take a moment to count your blessings, praise God for them, and bless someone else! :) Enjoy, dear friends!!! YOU ARE LOVED, BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED!

These are going to be gold lillies SOON!

These are mini carnations. :)

It's MONDAY!!!!!! :D

Good morning, dear ones!!!!!! The show is OVER. I have to admit, I did get a BIT emotional yesterday - but it's all Trey's fault. :) He's a young man we've worked with before, and he's a joy to be around - very polite, and his mom is simply WONDERFUL, too. :) ANYWAY. He had his mom bring me flowers - and she said it was ALL his idea! :) Such a sweet, THOUGHTFUL thing for a boy to do. They were the only flowers I received!

ANYWAY. I guess you could put that into the "what I learned yesterday" category! :D Thoughtfulness in children ISN'T dead! :D

Kenn & I only went to Sunday school yesterday; we needed to gather things to use for the strike, and we were VERY tired!!! Poor Kenn's been working a LOT, and just hasn't been able to get rested - and he's fighting ANOTHER cold. We are talking about Joseph - as in the Technicolor Dreamcoat :D - for the next few weeks. We talked a lot about communication in families, and how things can affect us for life. We had a great discussion - besides just regular discussion, we have a therapist in our classroom, plus MY specialty is interpersonal communications. :D

Anyway. It is a GLORIOUS day here - and yesterday was, too!! The tulips are simply GORGEOUS. I'm going to leave you with THIS thought today - God is SO good, my friend. HE LOVES YOU. Thank Him for all He IS today!!!

Happy Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! Oh, I said that already, didn't I. :D Well, I meant it! LOL!

This picture was featured in Monday's devotional that Kenn & I send out, so I apologize if it's a repeat for you - but I REALLY liked this shot. :)

Have you heard about the WOMEN OF JOY conference? Well, I'm BLESSED - I get to go to the one in Branson, MO this month!!! Here's the link, if you're interested in finding out a bit more:

http://www.mywomensevents.com/

If you're going to be there, please drop me a note! I'd LOVE to meet up with you!

So, what's everyone up to today? It's the beginning of allergy season here, and I'm starting to pay for it. I've got a wicked sore throat, so I'm taking it easy today - because I have four more days of show, and Sunday's going to be DIFFICULT, with strike and church and show.

Please talk to me! :) I may take a little long to get back to you, but I promise, I will eventually! :) There are a lot of you hurting right now; thank you for trusting me enough to tell me about it. I am praying for you, dear one. God knows your heart! He loves you, and knows the plans He has for you. He knows the desires of your heart - and they're His desires! You've sought after Him, and He loves you, SO MUCH. Rest in Him today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BE BLESSED. You ARE blessed, and highly favored! Now, go BE BLESSED!!!!

It's MONDAY again! :)

Good Monday afternoon!

Life has NOT slowed down one BIT, girls. I'm sooooooooo wiped out!!!! But it's OK; the show is in its final week, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. :)

I have to admit, I was SO busy yesterday, even at church, that I didn't have a lot of time to LISTEN. It was Baby Dedication Day at church, and Kenn & I were asked to do the photography. :)

Kenn shot the baptisms, then headed back to set up for the formal photos at the luncheon. I took shots inside the service, but the lighting was AWFUL, so I ended up throwing away a BUNCH of photos because they were too blurry.

But this, dear friends, is Bella. Her mommy and daddy are wonderful young people whose wedding we photographed, as well - and they're moving to Texas in three weeks. I am SO sad to see them go, but pray God's blessings on their family and life!

So, what did YOU learn yesterday?? Did you enjoy a peaceful day? Or did you spend it like we did, rushing from one responsibility to another? :)

I'm praying for EVERYONE who put in a prayer request last week; I hope you'll report back on what's going on, ladies - and that each person will go back and check comments for prayer requests. PLEASE feel free to leave one WHENEVER you need/want!!!!!!! It's an HONOR and PRIVILEGE to bring requests before our Father! :)

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, dear one. You don't have to look too far at all - start from the moment you opened your eyes! KNOW YOU ARE BLESSED, AND HIGHLY FAVORED, BELOVED!

It's Tuesday - and we have a WINNER!!!

It's GOAL DAY here on Wannabe!! :) That means we ALL check in with how we're doing on our goals - and if someone doesn't check in, I pull out my folder to check up on you. BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!! Accountability works, darn it. :D

But before I do that, we had a giveaway on this blog last week; all anyone had to do was leave a comment. Kenn drew a random number, and the winner is....

Kelli, from THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

Congratulations, Kelli! i've already been to Kelli's blog, to ask for her address. :) She has 5 photo cards and 15 handcrafted cards coming to her, as a thank-you for commenting, and reading. But THANK YOU to all of you - you're the reason I'm here! I LOVE YOU!

SO. On to today's business!!!!

My goals: office hours still aren't happening, and I'm becoming a little more OK with that. Our schedule, because of the nature of our businesses, doesn't loan itself to that. So, I do the best I can - and that will be sufficient, because God is. :D

Activity-wise, I'm still not being able to hit water aerobics like I want to - this play thing is starting to hit high gear, so I'm even busier with things! - but I am increasing my daily activities like walking, stair-climbing, etc. According to the experts, every little bit helps! :)

Bible-reading, I've at least started again! I'm still off my schedule, but I am going to catch up eventually. The important thing is that I haven't totally abandoned it - thanks, Damien. :)

SO, ladies! How are YOU doing? Nancy? What's this week's project to work on? Becky, how are things going at your house? I know a lot of your goals and priorities have changed since the beginning of the year.... Rhonda, how is your budget going? I'm VERY proud of you! :) Sheri? Deby? Are you still checking in? Judy? You here? Karen, dear one? I know the emotions have been tough lately. Are you OK?

OK, dear ones. I have a question for you: would it hurt terribly if we changed goal-setting day until another day of the week? Since no one seems to want to be introduced anymore ;), we have Wed., Thurs., and Saturday we could move it to - and that way, I could share pictures from the weekend before I forgot about them. ROFL!!!!

Have a wonderful, blessed, beautiful day. You know, I don't think it's up to me to be blessed, myself; it's up to me to be a BLESSING!!!!!!!!! Bless someone today, dear sister, and be amazed at how God turns it into a blessing for you!

It's MONDAY! :)

Good morning, dear friend!! How was your weekend? Did you enjoy yourself? Did you do something fun, or mostly task-oriented?

What did you do to grow spiritually yesterday? We went to Sunday School, but I've been fighting "female problems" the last week, so Kenn decided we were going to come home after Sunday School - which was fine with me, since dishrags have trouble concentrating. :D

Sunday School was about asking God for guidance, and then following through on the guidance you receive. We talked about the ways that God shows you guidance; one of the best studies I've EVER done was by Priscilla Shirer, DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD. It's an incredible Bible study, and I encourage all women's ministries to do it!

In Sunday School, we're also memorizing Scripture together. It's been really fun - when I've not been sick, anyway. :D We memorized all of Psalm 1, then Proverbs 3:5-6, then Hebrews 11:1. This week is Hebrews 11:6.

So, it's your turn to share! :) What did you learn? Tell me anything you want me to know about your weekend, too - I care!!!! :)

Oh, I forgot! Since I didn't get in to remind you, I'll give you until the end of today to comment and win my blog giveaway - a mixture of handmade and photography greeting cards. :) Just leave a comment before MIDNIGHT CENTRAL TIME TONIGHT!

Off to work - I have a class tonight, and need to finish the samples. :D Have a wonderful, BLESSED day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Normally, I'd be introducing someone...

but everyone I've asked is too busy to write an intro and send it to me. If you would like to be my guest, email your bio and pic to me at pooh0612@aol.com. :) I'd love to have us get to know each other better!

Last night, a thin but vicious line of thunderstorms rolled through here. It was quite fierce for a while, during my teaching an advanced stamping techniques class. :) Thankfully, we were safe and warm in here - but I can't say the same for my mom's gazing ball. :( It had a crack in it to begin with, but the wind trying to play basketball with it didn't help. I did get her a new gazing ball last year, so I hope she's still got it in the box!

Today is absolutely beautiful; it's sunny, and clear, and the squirrels are playing in the back yard. I love watching them; my mom thinks they're gross. LOL! I just see some of God's creatures, put out there for me to enjoy!

It IS cold, though; look at poor little Willie, trying to get a drink! The heater IS in the water, but I think it's heating enough of the water to not stop the pump - the water's running back down BEHIND the ice on the pedestal! :) I wish I could have gotten the sunlight's reflection off the ice like I can see it from my desk; it's so pretty. I love ice in the sun!

Since y'all seem to like my pictures :D, I wanted to share another pic of our Christmas cactus. This is the offspring of Kenn's dad's cactus, which was too big to move back with us. Kenn's best friend, Lee, and his wife are "babysitting" it for us. :D

ANYWAY. This cactus started blooming just at Christmas, and is still going strong - so is my mom's darker pink one. They both have brand-new buds on them. If you click on the pictures, you can enjoy them all much bigger. :)

So. Today is a catch-up day for me. My desk is FILLED, and I need to clear it off. It hasn't stayed clean for longer than a day for the past three months. Kenn's cough is coming back, and giving him asthma attacks today. I'm looking forward to going back to choir tonight; I've not been able to sing since Christmas!

My heart is overflowing with gratitude to my Savior and Creator today. Such a beautiful world I get to enjoy! He loves me SO mcuh, He put the squirrels and the birds in my back yard, so I can sit here and share with you how much pleasure they give me. :) I'm resting securely in His love today.

What are YOU doing today? Are you super-busy? Tell you what. I'm praying today that god will open your eyes today - no matter where you are, or what you're doing - and He'll show you some little thing that He knows you love and enjoy that He's put into your world for you this day. Take the moment to FEEL His love, dear one! I can't WAIT to hear what He showed you!

Health Update: The retinal specialist was very happy with me yesterday. He was actually the most chatty and pleasant of ANY of my visits, even before he looked at me! :) He had his assistant take some photos of my eyes, so they have a baseline of how I'm doing. I don't have to go back until the end of May! :) I DID have a LONG wait - the visit and commute took more than three hours - but I survived. :D