Quotes

The more you are grateful for what you have, the more you will have to be grateful for.
-Zig Ziglar

poem ~ I can do somthing

I can do something
I am but one,
But I am one,
I cannot do everything,
But I can do something.
What I can do
I ought to do.
And what I ought to do,
With God's help,
I will do.
  -Anonymous

Quotes

Life is 10% of what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.
-John C Maxwell

my life has been changed...

As you are aware, it has been a week since I lost my job last Friday, August 20th.  Though this was a complete shock to me and left me amazed that no matter how good of a service you do for someone, they will cut you loose with no warning.  It was sad that I did not have a chance to tell my coworkers goodbye and wish them well, but I know they know that I am rooting for them even if we are no longer a team.  I have faith and know that God has a plan for my life.  It wasn't in "my plan" to be jobless, but I believe that all things work together for good, when you love and seek God. 

So many of you have been such a support to me!  There is no way I could post all the comments and encouragement, but I don't want to forget some of them and thought I would share some of them with you:

I've had you on my mind lately...Praying!  Heather

Praying for peace for you...Sheila

Love u.  Behind u.  Judy

Just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you.  You are a winner and you will land on your feet. Not even worried about you.  Bev

Girl you will be fine!! You are so smart and talented!!  Some things in life we just don't understand but just keep your chin up and move forward.  We still love ya!!  Kelly

Taking each step by faith is sometimes hard, but He will be there for you each step along that path, leading and guiding you.  I know you know that!  Stacy

Praying for you.  Romans 8:28  Dustin

A conscious clean before God, and an earnest desire to follow His leading will give you peace.  Truly Misty, I pray that you will soon find another door open to you with a job that will be a more emotionally healthy environment for you.  Barbara

Consider yourself hugged!!!  Uncle Gib

You are a trooper and a survivor...I know this is a shock.  Will keep you in our prayers!  The trials of life are hard and one day they will be over!!  You are smart and resourceful so I know that you will find something, but most importantly stay in tune with the Lord and listen for His direction in your life.   Diane

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  Plans for good and not for evil, to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11  Just wanted you to know I'm keeping you in my prayers. I love you so much and I know God has something great planned for you! ((HUGS))   Rose



On another note...always pursue all options, you never know what will come from a request! What do I mean by this?  I called my Internet provider, explained that I had been a customer for 2 years and always paid on time, could they lower my rate?  When they said that they didn't have any promotions going on currently for existing customers, I explained that I had lost my job and I would not be able to afford the monthly service rate and would be forced to consider other Internet options.  So what did they do?  Transfer me to the Retention Department who yes, worked with me!  I was presented with two options:  $10.00 off or a full 12month or 50% off for 6months (both w/the very same options).  I opted for the 2nd option because that was still $15.00 a more in bottom line savings.  I then researched my cell phone providers plans online and got the same plan and options at $30.00 less a month.  So what am I trying to tell you?  Don't sit back and wait for the discounts to come to you...be proactive, ask, all they can say is no and remember being jobless has benefits...SWEET!


What is my plan from here???  To pray daily for Gods guidance in leading me on my journey!  In the meantime, I will live as this song says: have faith.  believe.  through hard times and good.  have faith.  he will work it out.  he'll work all things for good.  have faith.

Quotes

When things are going well, people want to do what’s working and more of it. It’s only in difficult times that people are open to creative alternatives.
-Kenneth Cole, designer

Quotes

Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity. 
–Stephen Covey

verse to reflect on...

if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.
James 1:5

Quotes

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
— John Lubbock

Quotes

Look at life through the windshield, not the rear-view mirror.
― Byrd Baggett

song ~ have faith

Have Faith
Music & Lyrics by Elizabeth South


If we have faith
in God we can move mountains.
If we believe and do not doubt.
If we will seek
His will
and find what pleases Him,
then our hearts will conform to His
and we can be confident.

Have Faith
Believe
Through hard times and good.
Have Faith
He will work it out,
He'll work all things for good.
Have Faith


If we cast our cares
on Him He will sustain us.
If we'll be still
and wait for Him.
If we will trust
His word
and not in our own strength,
then He'll carry us through the storm
and we can be confident.

Have Faith
Believe
Through hard times and good.
Have Faith
He will work it out,
He'll work all things for good.
Have Faith
Believe
Through hard times and good.
Have Faith
He will work it out,
He'll work all things for good.


If we will reach out to Him
He'll hear our cry.
And though things may not be so good
He'll work it out.
And though we may fall
He'll lift us high.

Have Faith
Believe
Through hard times and good.
Have Faith
He will work it out,
He'll work all things for good.
Have Faith
Believe
Through hard times and good.
Have Faith
He will work it out,
He'll work all things for good.
Have Faith

Have Faith


Copyright ©2009 Elizabeth South Music/ASCAP

your plan for me...

One of my friends had this posted on Facebook...it fits my situation right now.  I don't know what God's plan is for my life at the moment.  Wouldn't it be great if we knew the plan God had for us, but then, if we had that in writing, would we walk by faith? Probably not!

Quotes

Wealth is what you accumulate, not what you spend.
-Thomas J Stanley

Old Chair - idea from PB

Pottery Barn Bed & Bath
early Fall 2010

If you are following my project, you know that this has been a long process and I have been seeking your opinion and am still trying to decide on some of the aspects of it. 

I got an email from a friend last Saturday that had just received her Pottery Barn catalogue and she saw several things that looked like me...either things I have recently in the last year done around my house (voile dust ruffle on my bed last spring and two weeks ago pleated smocked voile curtains in my bedroom) or am in the process of doing (my chair).  Well, I got my copy of the Pottery Barn catalogue this week on Tuesday and I brought it to work to review over my lunch break the next day.  This chair inspired me, just as it did my friend, as some of its style is similar to what I am working on in my redo process of my Old Chair. 

What do you think of this compared to my last post in relationship to the wood stain color and the fabric?  Should I change from the stain I was going to use or proceed?  The wood on my chair is a hardwood, so it won't soak up the color as much as a soft wood wood.  I also wanted a bit of a contrast between the fabric and the stain, so that is one reason I picked a darker color.  I may make a trip to go look at fabric again and see if something else jumps out at me...but if I am still drawn to the same things, then I plan to go with my original stain purchase and hopefully will get that this weekend.  Maybe once that is done I will know what color fabric I want of the 4 top choices I have in the running right now. 

As always...give me your thoughts! 

Quotes

If you don’t value your time, don’t expect others to.
-Glenn Shepard

song ~ journey of faith

Journey of Faith
by Joel Cotten

I'm on a journey
walkin' with my Lord
it's no aways easy
sometimes the way is hard
Sometimes I stumble
walk in my own strength
but he's there to help me
when I walk in faith

And while on this journey
the destinations clear
the path at times is dark
the light is always near
His word will guide me
if I call and say
Savior please help me
On my journey of faith


As we walk together
along lifes highway
Satan wants to defeat us
he's standing in our way
with all hosts of demons
he tries to seperate
the walk of believers
On this path of faith

And while on this journey
the destinations clear
the path at times is dark
the light is always near
his word will guide us
if we call and say
Savior please help us
On a journey of faith


We can have the victory
over Satan's schemes
if we head Gods word
and on Him we lean
we should listen to council
and not walk alone
then we won't loose heart
before the journeys done

And while on his journey
the destinations clear
the path at times is dark
the light is always near
His word will guide us
if we call and say
Savior please help us
On a journey of faith


Savior please guide us
On a journey faith
Savior please help me
On my journey of faith

Quotes

With Life comes change, but with change comes the reassuring appreciation of heavens preeminence.
-Max Lucado

verse to reflect on...

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Proverbs 13:7

Quotes

What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
— John Lubbock

Quotes

This is the first of five days of opportunity! (referring to Mondays)
-Cheri Bartz

company for lunch!!!

Today was my scheduled day for company...I made plans a week ago to have Eric & Suzanna and Kelly & Erica and families over, along with Terry.

Menu:
Manicotti
French Style Green Beans
Glazed Carrots
Rosemary Bread w/olive oil & garlic for dipping
Green Salad
Blackberry Sage Iced Tea
Apple Crisp w/Vanilla Ice Cream (if desired)


We all chatted and the kids swam after lunch.  Terry & Eric had a nice little visit.  Once again, it was fun to entertain and have time with everyone at my own place!

The Strangest Secret...by Earl Nightingale

Why does a person become the person he becomes?  Why do you grow up to become who you become? 

Estimates are that we use 5% of our potential of our entire day.  Most people desire to succeed, but what is success?  Success is nothing more than a progressive realization of a worthy ideal.  Any person working towards a goal is a success...because he knows what he is doing and why.  If you don't know what you are working towards, you are unsuccessful. 95% of people are not successful.  If everyone is doing it, you probably won't make a mistake by not.  Check your references, are the people you following going where you want to go?  You are thinking, acting, talking like people around you, and assuming they know where they are going.  Even without trying to or actually thinking about it, you are trying to be someone else. 

You need a checklist: 
1. A Goal - a man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder
2. Attitude - our attitude toward our world toward all the people in it that will determine the worlds attitude and all the peoples attitude towards us.  People will react to us according to our attitude.
3. Think - Think deliberately and with a purpose.
4. The Law of Laws (by Emerson, Cause and Effects) - our rewards in life will be in exact proportion to our contribution and service.
5. Truth - if it's not based on truth we are building on sand and you can't stand
6. Research & Development- your future depends on this; something to make you better, love a little more, hate a little less, do a little better job than a year ago...what are you pumping back into yourself and your future?
7. The Strangest Secret - your genetic pool and environment have influence on you, but you become what you think about most of the time.  This is why thinking is so vital and a goal is so important.  You will become that.  You have to establish goals to achieve them. 

A man's environment will change as he changes.  You must never conform to the big group, be an individual.  Be choosey in whose steps you follow.  Remember to think...imagination is everything.  Put your heart into your work and you will get the supreme joy out of life.

Part 1 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajIRxdeCRZM only 6:35 minutes long
Part 2 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es7UjzlSRcU&feature=related only 8:34 minutes long
Part 3 of 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuPdzHd8idk&feature=related only 6:24minutes long

Quotes

Live like no one else...so later you can live like no one else.
-Dave Ramsey

your birth year

Ever wonder:  What happened in my birth year?  Chck it out!http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com

day spent hanging with my girlfriend...

Monday, I scheduled a day off with my boss for today as I made plans to spend it with my girlfriend, Jennifer, doing whatever we pleased.  Her husband had plans to be out of town on business and she would be able to do something with me. 

As things turned out, she texted last night to say he was going to be intown, but to go ahead and sleep in and come over whenever I wanted.  When I arrived mid-morning, she was kicked back on the couch not feeling very well, experiencing an awful spell of dizziness.  We ended up just being couch potatoes all day...chatting and catching up on sooooooo many things.  I did some research on her lovely Mac computer as to treatment for her dizziness and vertigo in all liklihood due to ear rocks being misplaced.  She has had this happen once before and it took weeks to recover.  I ordered sushi to go for lunch and went and picked it up.  We enjoyed the Scallop Dynamite roll, Mt Axiom roll, Spicy Yellowtale roll and the Louisanna roll.  So yum!!!  Blair played with my hair and put it in curls on the back of me head.  It was very cute!  I ended up skipping meeting because we were still chatting. Once I left, I had to go deliver work to one of my employees and then went home to crawl in bed.  All in all, it was a fun day of doing nothing! 

Seriously...must I go back to work tomorrow?

Old Chair - still in process

yes, in process...it is a LONG process, largely since I work so many hours and have little "me" time.  I am still working on my Old Chair that I am in process of doing a complete redo on (check the link above for the original post if you missed it)...

I sanded for hours and hours this last Saturday, working on those hard areas that the stripper didn't get to or do a very good job on...you know, the corners, underside of the arms, the arm posts, etc...yah...lots of hard effort and it was hot!  I must tell you what I did to manage the heat though...I spent some time in the pool and decided to stay in my swimsuit while I worked on my chair in the garage with the garage door up just a portion to create air flow.  I periodically would go cool off in the pool and then come back dripping in my wet swimsuit and work some more.  It felt so good!!!!!!!  It kept me working probably much longer than I otherwise would have in one setting.  Boy was I exhausted after the day was done! 

I am getting much closer to moving to the next phase, so now I need votes and oppinions from you...which of the 4 swatches below to you like???  The colorings are close, not exact, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what I am contemplating right now. 

Clockwise -  #1 linen;  #2 dark tweed;  #3 cream & tan check;  #4 light tweed

I have 2 that I am leaning towards of the above 4...can you guess which 2???  Please tell me which one you are drawn to!  Help me decide...

To help you invision my chair with the fabric, here is what I bought this past Saturday, "Jacobean" Minwax stain...it was on sale 30% off! oh yah, perfect timing!  I think it looks a bit more brown here then the sample in the store, but who knows for sure how accurate it is!

Give me your vote!

Real Simple Daily Thought

It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
~J.K. Rowling

Quotes

We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.
― Bill Watterson

thoughts on development in relationships

I am currently facing some struggles with relationships. 

I find that when you try to give things a perspective in a different light, something away from the current scenerio, many times it provides answers to the actual issue so that you can have a new, better, revised, alternate game plan. 

What I mean is this:  I have tried to imagine what it would be like if I were a parent and how I would relate to my child...how I would coach, train, encourage, discipline, instruct, what my expectations would be & why - and MORE!  I think that some of what I am experiencing would be similar and probably much like that of a parent in relating with their child.  I am sure there are times when you are...

• excited when things are going well & progress is made
• frustrated when things are not good & you seem to be taking steps backward
• not sure what to say to get something thru their thick head, especially when you have said it over and over and over - what more is it going to take?
• when to be firm, unbending with the risk of being harsh
• when to be gracious, knowing you had learning curves & growing spurts too
• when to be understanding and just be a bit more patient
• when to say enough is enough
• how not to be perturbed when you have tried everything and things are still not working and you have no more ideas
• when to let go
• when to sit down and talk things out
• when to give space
• when to demand a response and when to let the person think, hoping that they are
• etc

All of this is a learning experience for me...and I want to allow God (who knows all about me and all about this person) to work in me and thru me so that I can help those that need help and we both may be pruned and grow. 

Do you ever think of things in a different perspective?  What would you add to this list?  What strategy do you use in relationships?

verse to reflect on...

A heart at peace gives life to the body...
Proverbs 14:30

Real Simple Daily Thought

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.
―Eleanor Roosevelt

Quotes

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.   - Mark Twain

drive to Houston...

Today, I drove to Houston with Jackie for her weekly visit.  We had a good time as usual visiting, sharing ideas on how to spend less on groceries and other expenses, discussing aspects of current trials we both are working thru, areas we are blessed and plans for the upcoming week.  I always enjoy my trip with her!

I hung out at Panera Bread and did some banking stuff and worked on one of my clients accounting also.  I didn't get to my audio book or some other paperwork that I brought with me, but I can't complain, a good amount of work was accomplished in the meantime.  We stopped at a Taqueria on the way back for dinner and now I am off to the cushy pillow for some zzzzzzzzzzz's.

thanks for the help Lord...

Yesterday - I decided to do something I haven't done in awhile...head to Goodwill to try to gather a few things to replinish what has been ruined in the last few weeks either by holes, rips, stains or age.  It isn't that I didn't like to go Goodwill shopping, but I have gotten out of this pursuit because of work/time constraints and the fact that when you are in NEED n.o.w. (aka not tomorrow or a day next week or when it will be on sale at the end of the season) for something and come away with finding nothing in your size, the color you want, or that looks good on you...you get really depressed and it is easier to just go new shopping to achieve that than hunt for a long time just to save a little money...and still end up empty handed.  Well in my revived old quest to be thrifty in all aspects, I am determined to do everything for less!  I didn't come away with the same colors of things that got ruined, but I got 2 pairs of shoes & 4 tops that will mix and match with things I already have so that is a HUGE start.  Thank you Lord for being with me today and giving me the things I needed at such a bargain!  Along with a Goodwill coupon to save $5 for a $20 purchase, I had the deal of the day and just had to share that with you.  Want to go shopping with me next time? Come on!  Let's go...