A great big chunk of my childhood has left me.

Goodbye sweet sister....

Last week I talked about

the process I used to let my hair go natural...

This week I want to share a bit about my grey hair philosophy [ha], 

how it's felt, reactions from others, etc.

 First of all, I think grey / silver hair looks best if it has a good cut and is kept styled and neat. And for the first time in YEARS I now go to see Kristie every six weeks to keep it all shaped up. I love this cut, inverted bob, stacked bob, whatever it's called.

 

Stacked in the backand a little longer in the front...

I like that it's long enough to pull back out of my face at times, 

but looks full when it's not... 

It's perfect for my hair - 

I only wash it every few days [ewww, it's true] and I rarely have to do more than brush it out in the following mornings after it's been 'styled' once.

 I've also noticed that what I wear makes a HUGE difference in how my hair looks.  

I had 'my colors done' years ago [who remembers that?!] and was told I was a 'spring' and thought that was just ridiculous because I knew I was an 'autumn' - I LOVE all the autumn colors and am drawn to them in all sorts of ways...

Well. 

Turns out, I think I just might be 'spring' after all. 

The brighter pinks, greens, blues, and yes, yellows 

make a dramatic difference in how bright this ole natural hair looks. ha

I've also picked up reds, greys, and whites 

that I always thought made me look washed out before...

These days the fall colors make my hair and face look dull, dull, dull.

I've found it a little humorous that many people will compliment me on my hair and then as we talk a bit and I begin to say why I did it [no more color, etc.] I can actually SEE their defenses go up as they say things to defend their decision to put color on their hair. 

So let me be CLEAR:  

Going natural is a personal choice. 

I found my first grey hair when I was 21 years old, 

looking in a mirror in Ft. Walton Beach.

[Hows' THAT for a MOMENT - ha] 

And I put color on from then until I was in my 50s. 

Nothing wrong with that.

I just got tired of it.

And I really do LOVE not seeing the line of growth every few weeks...

Another thing I've noticed is that It seems like I'm treated with a bit more respect 

[we teach youngins to respect your elders and all that down here in the south, you know] 

and I'm [surprisingly] kind of embracing that...

I also tend to feel much more comfortable doling out a bit of 

[my own] 

thoughts - wisdom - instructions 

here and there - 

But that could just be AGE - lol. 

I remind myself of my mama over and over...

It's not a bad place to be in life...

[And that photo up there? two days after a wash - 

styled with a curling iron on the day it was taken.]

So my best advice?

Go find a REALLY GOOD stylist and get the cut that's best for your hair!

Happy Mail

I'm crazy busy at work these days and
just generally feeling kind of blah once I get home -
- but not today!
First, I got a call before I left work that a book I had ordered for our next study over at FBP-Classes was in at B & N - I could have ordered off Amazon, but for the same money - [if I include shipping] I can support a local store - and they had it for me within three days - not bad. [But more on THAT later. I'm thinking the gals in the group are going to love THIS study and you're welcome to come on over and join us too!]

So I picked that up on the way home and then walked in to find my package from Women of Faith - the bright green polka-dot bag I'd ordered from them last week [like I need another bag!] But it has a quote about JOY [my word for the year, remember?] on it and since it was in my favorite color I just couldn't resist it.
FUN MAIL.

So I settled on the back patio with my glass of sweet [fake] tea and started reading my new book [I'm seriously looking forward to seeing the direction this will take -] and I hear the door bell - I come inside to see THE BIG BROWN TRUCK at the bottom of the hill and since Craig is the King of Ebay I'm thinking it's a package for him... and almost didn't even look to see who it was addressed to ,
but hmmm it was nicely square [think 12x12]
so I took a peek - and [[YIPPEEE!]]
It's the prize I won from American Crafts over on the
Paper Crafter's Corner Blog.
WOW. Seriously -
I've been a long-time fan of American Crafts and I loved this Dear Lizzy line when I saw photos of of it from CHA - but up close and personal - it's just too cute to describe. Here's what was in my package: 6 pages of adhesive backed fabric paper; 17 papers from the spring line [printed front and back,] 6 sets of alphabet stickers [thickers: 3 each puffy and chipboard,] 2 sets of chipboard stickers, 3 sets of 'flair' buttons, 2 sets of rub-ons, 3 sets of 'remarks' stickers, 1 set each of: 3-d stickers, ribbon, and felt stickers. Whew. I'm heading over to give some great big THANK YOUS to the Paper Crafter's Corner, American Crafts, and Dear Lizzy.
[You should visit them too!]

And then I'm going to go enjoy some scrappy fun...

Happy Valentine's Day

You know you’re in love when you don’t want to fall asleep
because reality is finally better than your dreams.
Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel – writer, cartoonist

So thankful I can wake up to my dream every day!

[negative scan of photo of a photo - our wedding 1983]

JOY – My ‘One Little Word’ for 2010

I know, I know, I’m late with announcing it to the world – but there it is: JOY.
In the ‘scrapbooking world’ there’s a designer [Ali Edwards] who started this trend a few years ago – choosing a word to focus on throughout the year – kind of a mantra to live by and guide us through the coming days. Some believers do a similar thing by choosing a verse of scripture to meditate on throughout the year, so, thus, my verse:

^“But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with JOY about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress”. Psalm 59:16 (New Living Translation)

Last year was the first year I participated – and my word was CHOICE – a good word that helped remind me that in all things God has given us a free-will to make a choice of how we react, what we do - or don’t do, etc. But even with that there were many times I found myself with such anxiety over the ‘what ifs’ in life that I failed to see the JOY in life, So that’s my word – JOY – it’s a choice too, you see. And this year I’m making a conscious effort to see [and experience] JOY as I go through life – and I’m not just talking finding JOY in big things here, I’m talking about finding JOY the little, everyday, things. I’m talking about choosing to not go through life’s day in and out regularness without really seeing and finding the JOY that is all around us, if we only look. For example – Having JOY in loading and unloading that dishwasher for instance – so blessed am I that I even have a dish washer and a wonderful family that helps me keep those dirty dishes coming…

Here’s a little craftiness I did a few weeks ago to hang over my desk to remind me to look for JOY in life. You can see that it’s an ornament I picked up at Cracker Barrel after Christmas and ‘altered’ a bit to bring me JOY throughout the year. [craft paint + flowers and netting from my kit from The Girls’ Loft] I’m also trying to focus on JOY, as I start the year reading ‘Choosing Gratitude: Your journey to JOY’ [Nancy Leigh DeMoss] and participate in the Faith Based Pages Classes Yahoo Group [link on the left] as we study this book and interpret it on our scrapbook pages together. Come on over and join us! There’s JOY in sharing together!

Haiti

Two places to go and see how you might help -

Rebecca Sower's recent trip to Haiti and the Haiti by Hand Etsy shop -

How do you measure your worth?

I’ve pondered this question for several days now… does your worth depend on the house you live in, or the car you drive, or the gifts that are given to you? Do you think others think you’re worth more if you eat in fancy restaurants, wear expensive clothes, or go to expensive shows? Do you feel you’re worth more if you look and dress like a model and have all the latest, trendy clothes?

Is self-worth the same as self-esteem?

I know my family is not perfect [whose is?] but my parents [and extended family] surely must have done something right – because while there may be times when I don’t have the self-confidence to do something, there’s never been a time when I felt I was of no worth. This past week has been filled with gatherings of friends, family, and friends with their families – such a joyful time that I often forgot to take photos [can you even believe THAT?!? – I’m hoping I can grab some from others who were there.] And we’ve loved Every. Moment. Of. It.

Still, my heart is sad because I’ve watched others and I have seen how they define the measurement of self-worth. And, it’s so very different from mine. - Not that I see success or enjoyment of the finer things in life as wrong or bad, I just have never measured my self-worth, or the worth of others, with those things. [Those who know me, know that I enjoy life.] Character and integrity cannot be measured by the car a person drives or the clothes they wear…

Never, in my entire 50 years [I’m embracing this, can’t you see?] have I thought that my self-worth depended on what others gifted to me, or what kind of car I drive [that’s pretty obvious to most, don’tcha think?] or whether or not I am model thin [no comments on my weight issues…] And so I wonder – since I have always felt loved, do I take for granted this feeling of being loved and accepted? The love from my family has never depended on what I do [whether it’s chores around the house, making good grades in school, or making wise life decisions]. Instead, my family has always shown an unconditional kind of love – and loved me because I’m here, a part of their lives – not because of things I might do for them. I was raised to believe we should live with integrity and that our character is what defines us. And as I’ve pondered these thoughts this past week I’ve come to realize that THIS really is a gift that I’ve taken for granted.

Let me step aside a moment and say – thank you family, both nuclear and extended – thank you, for letting this chubby freckled faced kid grow up in an atmosphere of love and acceptance of who I am. Thank you for showing me – through words and actions- what character and integrity really means. Thank you –

While I know that there are families who don’t know how to love [I’m a social worker in protective services, afterall] I’ve made the mistake of assuming [once again] that those with similar backgrounds might have identical backgrounds [and morals and values and love] – And yet, I know without a doubt that only the people who live in a house know what really goes in on in that home, so I’m perplexed that I’m so surprised by this. And still it saddens me to know that there are people in my life [no matter how extended they might be] who feel such little self-worth that the decisions they make are based on what others might think of them. And, oh, how I hope my boys know that They. Are. Loved. Unconditionally – regardless of decisions and choices they make – they are loved.

I’m thinking: buy the car, eat in the fancy restaurant, give good gifts, get healthy, wear nice clothes, whatever – because it’s WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF LIFE – not to impress others. And I wonder, how have I lived my entire life with no thoughts of impressing others? Especially when, apparently, there are so many, many other people around me who live their life [and make choices] based on that very reason. And yet, I feel loved.

In my ponderings of the week – I’ve come back to one question over and over again – where does this unconditional love come from? And so many of you know the answer already – it comes from God – and our Lord and Savior who came to earth to live as a man and to die [so willingly] on the cross to save us from our sins. I became a Christian at the young age of seven – made the decision to proclaim my belief that Jesus was the Son of God and that belief in Him was the one and only way to return to God after our life here on earth. And because of this, I believe, that even through the bad times of my life, I KNEW that my God loved me – with a love that we, as humans, can only begin to fathom. So I guess THAT LOVE is really what has made me the person I am today – His approval is all that matters to me. And that approval doesn’t depend on cars, or gifts, or clothes, or looks – we’re all beautiful to the One who made us.

What did my family do right? They led me to see that God loves me and wants me to follow Him and accept the love He has to give. They helped me to see that striving to be like Jesus helps me live a life of character. And so, my prayer for you, my friends and family, as we go into this New Year, is that you will seek out love [and approval] from the One who loves. I hope you will go to Him and feel the joy of sitting in His presence. The joy of complete [and unconditional] acceptance. He will never force us to Him. But He’s there waiting…

Happy New Year –

Scroll down to get the link if you want to watch --

Today's the day! But, it's a rainy one...

Happy st. nick's Day!

[an edited repeat from past years...]

How do you feel about Santa Claus?

Pere Noel, Christkindle, Father Christmas, Kriss Kringle, Sinterklas,

St. Nicholas

I was first introduced to St. Nicholas as a freshman in college when my dear friend Grace [whose grandparents on both sides of her family came to the US from the Netherlands] put a wooden shoe, filled with candy, outside my door on December 6^th. [Still have that shoe, btw.]

I’ve loved the idea of St. Nicholas ever since!

There’s a lot of fact and folklore about him today, but most believe he was a real person and that the idea of Santa Claus came from the acts of goodwill that he did.

Here’s a link that tells his story briefly.
I’ve always wanted to have “Santa Claus” visit our boys on December 6^th and keep Christmas sacred [or, practically --at least spread out the gift-receiving a little for them], but differed to C’s wishes. So instead, for the last 22 years, our boys have always received a chocolate Santa on December 6^th. [Granted there were some years when I was out at 5 a.m. to get these Santas because of our crazy schedule! – but it was done!] This year we mailed two giant one pound versions off to college to hopefully sustain their energy through exams

So, again, Happy St. Nicholas Day to you!

At our house Santa has always been pretend.

Our boys were never taught he was real, but more just a character of the secular celebration of Christmas [kind of like Mickey Mouse – celebration of magical place] who left gifts for them on Christmas morning. They’ve always known that Mom and Day were “Santa.” We’ve had a few Santa photos through the years [we have those Mickey ones too!] and we’ve had fun with it, but have always, always tried to help our boys see that
Jesus truly is the reason we have anything at all to celebrate in this life.
We hope that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season you can take the time to see a tiny baby lying in a manger who died so we might live eternally.
What a hope we have because of Him!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so many things to be thankful for - this year and always. I'll post photos from the day later on... until then, take a look back to last year's faith based pages layout using a favorite photo of mine - some of my cousins gathered around the table with my aunt - so sweet!

This year we had my family here at our house [last weekend] and cooked FISH - don't you think the Pilgrims had their fair share of fish at the first Thanksgiving? It was yummy since Craig always does such an excellent job frying it up! And we'll be with Craig's family on Saturday so we had our own little family here today.

I prepared everything last night while the kids had friends over to play cards and games - and then just baked and heated it all up this morning. We had turkey, Aunt Betty's Dressing [recipe follows], green bean casserole, veg-all casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce [of course!], rolls, and pumpkin roll for dessert.
It was nice to gather around the table to share... so here are some photos:

goofing off while I set-up the camera-
Ready to dig in -

gathered 'round the table

And the last photo is of my absolute LAST HARVEST - yes! I met my goal and picked a ripe tomato on Thanksgiving Day! Yay! After lunch I went out and cleaned the garden out... now I'm pondering the possibility of planting turnip greens ...
Hope you all had a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving Day as well!

And now to Aunt Betty's Dressing

Prepare ahead of time:
3 boiled eggs
1 pan of cornbread
-------------------------------

Cook: 1 lb. sausage [mild] - crumble as it cooks
Add: 1 large onion, chopped
a couple of stalks celery, chopped [or a couple of teaspoons celery seed
Cook until all is tender and remove from heat -
Add: 1 quart chicken broth
1 package chicken flavored stove top stuffing
crumbled cornbread
chopped boiled eggs
Add more chicken broth if needed to make moist dressing.
Put into rectangle pan and bake at 350* until warm.
Enjoy!
Note: boiled chicken can be added before baking...

Gratitude

What am I thankful for? This man –

he makes my life feel so complete – without him

I’d be floundering around on my own.

Oh, I could say so – so much more –

but I hope he knows how much I love him

and how very thankful I am that he is the love of my life…
Happy Birthday Sweetie-pie!

So happy to have you here!

Today's focus is on friendship and I am so blessed to have many God-given friends in my life.
I hope you do too!
I remember going on a mission trip [way out West] when we were young and without children... we were the youngest on this trip and the "older" women
[probably younger than I am now - ha!]
were talking about having good [women] friends in our lives.
I admitted I didn't have any close friends in the city where we lived
[we'd moved for my husband to attend college.]
And they immediately prayed for me - [I can feel the Spirit as I write this]
and asked the Lord to give me some good close women friends.
And He blessed me with that request.
Since that day, I haven't been afraid to make that same request over and over again
as we moved from place to place.
And God blesses.
Right now I'm praying for those who read this and asking our Lord to bless you with good, strong, trustworthy friends like these pictured in my layout - good friends for over twenty years - friends we can share our hearts and hurts with;
friends who pick each other up when we fall.
Here's the next link on the blog hop

Penny Smith

www.artfullyembellished.blogspot.com
Need a Challenge?
www.thestorymatters.blogspot.com

I apologize for the late post on this i didn't get the link until Saturday evening since I was out of town Friday evening and all day Saturday -
For a complete list of blogs participating go h ere
http://www.ilovepapercrafting.blogspot.com

Just wanted to share a little picnik action...

Understand, therefore,
that the Lord your God is indeed God.
He is the faithful God
who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations
and lavishes his unfailing love
on those who love him and obey his commands.

- Deuteronomy 7:9

Blessed

We've been looking for a new table for the past three years and finally gave up and painted our old one [bought in 1987] black to match the chairs we’d bought earlier. But I just wasn’t loving all the black in the area we’re using as a ‘dining room’ so I’ve had my eye out for just the right piece – and I’m happy to report that we found it last weekend. Love it – and am blessed that we could just scoop it up right then. It's a great brown stain with black in the grooved areas so it goes perfectly with our black chairs and the rest of the wood furniture in the room. There are times when I feel like an ‘impulse-shopper’ but the truth is, for most of our larger purchases we spend a great deal of time looking, and pricing, and comparing, and looking, and pricing, so when we see “IT” we know it and grab it up. I’m blessed that I can share many home-cooked meals and soup nights with friends and family around this table – and as an extra bonus, those sitting on the side won’t have to straddle a table-leg any longer!

A beautiful wedding...

A fun week

topped off with our kiddos here for the weekend...

Did my two miles

so now I can be a slug...and yes, that's me, and it WAS this foggy at nine a.m. ----

Ahh Fall

There's a particular evergreen [I have NO IDEA which one] that when I smell it --
always takes me back to the fall of 1977 when I was walking into my college dorm
for the first time ever -
were they growing right outside the steps?
My college years -- What a wonderful opportunity to grow,
and stretch my wings, and feel God's hand on my life.
He provides. And guides. And prepares. Just a couple of photos from my Once Upon a Time album -
showing great friends from college of all faiths.
Again, it was a little sad to see my the area where our dorms were wiped clean -
but on the other hand it was wonderful to see The Y still growing and
changing with the times and
yet still hold true to the values they hold dear.