Girls Night Out

I have been looking forward to Friday all week.  Last night was Girl's Night Out.  I haven't had one in a while and this week, in particular, I needed a break from the stresses of daily life and time away with friends.  It was so nice, reconnecting with old friends and getting to know new ones better.

This was a point of contention between Steve and I when we were first married, believe it or not.  I would want to go out with a friend for a coffee or a night out, no let me rephrase that, I needed to go out with friends.  Steve didn't get it.  Why did I need to go out with my friends when I had him?  Wasn't he enough?  Isn't that cute.

He just did not have that innate need to bond with other guys.  When I would get home, after a coffee or dinner out, he would pepper me with questions, "What did you talk about?", "Where  did you go?", "Did you talk about me?"  I would just smile, and say, "We have plenty of other things to talk about," as I gave him a kiss and a hug.

After some time, Steve discovered something that changed his outlook.  I would leave the house irritable, stressed and uptight and return home just a bit more relaxed and ready to face life's challenges.  There was something about that time with friends that energized and encouraged me.  Before long, he started saying, "Karen, why don't you call someone to go out for a coffee?  When was the last time you had a girl's night out?"  That Steve, he's no dummy.

It's not that I don't like spending time with guys.  I love my guys!  I spent last weekend hanging out with six of them at the cabin.  It was loud and chaotic and I enjoyed every minute of it.

But only us creatures with brains wired with estrogen can relate the same way to each other.  When we get together, we generally don't reach any great epiphanies or solve any monumental problems, we just know how to spend time sharing, laughing and hanging out.  And yes, it generally involves something delicious and indulgent if you're out for a meal with me!

So guys, if it's been a while since your lady had a coffee with a friend, encourage her to go and tell her you will be thrilled to watch the kids!  Girls,  if it's been way too long since you met a friend for a meal or a night out, do it soon.  You will be better off for it.  If you don't know who to call, I am always ready for a cup of coffee (and a Pazookie!)

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Laughter. Prayer. Coffee. Grace.

Steve and I just celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary.  Well, celebrated is a misnomer.  We wished each other a "happy anniversary", split a burger with the kids and talked about celebrating when he gets back from his trip to Dallas, but you get the point.  We have been married for 29 years so just getting here is quite a feat.

In honor of this momentous event, I thought I would write a post about what it takes to make a marriage work.  I figure that after all this time I qualify as a marriage expert.  In fact, after I write this post I'm going to write a book.  I can see it now.  My book will get published.  Gayle will read it and pass it along to Oprah.  She will have me on her show (I better get cracking.  This is her last season!)  I will become world famous and travel internationally sharing my hard-earned wisdom with the masses.

But, alas, Steve will become bitterly jealous of my new-found fame and my children will resent my constant absences.  My life will become a hollow shell and the paparazzi will hound me as I look to reinvent myself and fill the emptiness inside with a constant stream of plastic surgeries until even my children no longer recognize me.

Wow...that was scary!  I think I'll just stick to writing my blog for the sake of my family and my sanity.  I clearly can't handle fame.

If you were to pick two people who would be "Most Likely To Succeed" in the marriage department twenty-nine years ago, you would not have picked Steve and I.  To say we were headstrong, selfish, self-absorbed, immature and unprepared would be an understatement.  Steve's sister, Nadine, once commented on how much we fought when we were first married.  Everything, from the toothpaste to the finances was fodder for an all out war.

I was 19 and he was 22.  We were in love.  We were at war.

So, why are we still together, all these years later, in love without the war?

I have spent some time thinking about it and these are my essentials, the things our marriage can't survive without.

LAUGHTER.  I love to laugh.  Not just a light little chuckle, but a deep, snorting makes-my-belly-hurt, brings-tears-to-my-eyes, I-think-I'm-gonna-pee-my-pants kind of laugh.  Steve has told me that there's nothing he likes better than my smile.  There have been many years when the smiles and the laughter have been scarce but it is essential.  I'm sure you've heard it before but it is true - laughter has some serious health benefits.

It's good for our kids to see us laughing together and enjoying each other's company.  We need to be careful, however that the laughter doesn't become teasing at someone else's expense.  I have a hard time with this one.  Sometimes mama "likes to be's bad."

PRAYER.  This is the cornerstone of our marriage, our family and our life.  When there are no answers.  When words fail.  When the pain is too deep.  Pray.

I have prayed as though my life depends upon it because I know it does.  There have also been times when I could not utter a prayer and the words wouldn't come.  That was when I counted on others to pray for me.  We are not alone in the body of Christ, so when you feel you can't pray, call someone who can (you can always call me!)

"The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing."
1 Cor. 12:25:26

COFFEE.  You knew it would be in here, didn't you?  When our oldest daughter Ashley was a little girl, she was asked what her parents fought about the most (now, that's a loaded question!)  Her answer?  Coffee!  For years, Steve would make the coffee so strong only the Turkish would care to drink it - no offense to the Turkish, but I'm not too fond of the way they make their coffee!  I begged him to pleeeeeez consider the fact that there was more than one coffee-drinker in the house and could he please compromise and make the coffee a wee bit easier to digest.

Well, either I've gotten used to stronger coffee or he's making it weaker now, but we seem to have come to a very nice agreement in the coffee-making department because we haven't had that argument for quite a few years.

What is really essential to me about coffee is how it represents slowing down and spending time together.  If we don't make the time for each other we can drift apart and before you know it we are like strangers living under the same roof.  It's hard.  Our lives are busy and it takes a concerted effort to set aside that time to be alone, but it is important.  I realized just recently that I make more effort to spend time with friends than I do to spend time with Steve.  That needs to change.

GRACE.  Where would I be without grace?  God's overwhelming, unending daily grace in my life is a miracle to me.  I have been raised on the words "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me," but I am only now really beginning to understand the full impact of those words.

More and more I realize that, as God's grace has been extended to me, I must freely extend his grace to others.  Sometimes it's easier to extend that grace beyond the four walls of my home but those nearest and dearest to me are the ones that I can daily shower with the grace of God's love.  This is the most precious gift I can give to my husband and the most precious one that he extends to me.

So, those are my four essentials - they are healthy for strengthening any relationship - laughter, prayer, coffee and grace with an extra measure of grace.

Oh yeah, there is one more thing - therapy - lots and lots of therapy.  If you need it, go for it!  We've all got issues!

The Gift of Pain - Chapter 6

For chapters 1-5 of My Story - The Gift of Pain, click on the links to the right.

Following Steve’s heart attack, it became apparent that one of us needed a job that provided health insurance, since this had become a major expense for us, maintaining independent health coverage.

Steve was growing stronger every day and his film and live event production business was flourishing. I looked for a job that would be flexible with the kid’s school schedules and provide me with the needed benefits.

Our oldest daughter had previously worked for a major coffee chain. She mentioned that they had full benefits for part-time employees so I went to her old store and applied for a job.

By this time, Ashley was attending Vanguard University in Costa Mesa and we had our two youngest still at home, in elementary school. Ashley had just returned from Costa Rica where she lived for a few years, working with missionary friends of ours and studying Spanish. What a privilege to see your child dedicated to service for God and others.

Anyway, enough mom bragging - back to the story. I got the job and I loved it! The benefits were amazing and they gave me exactly the shift I needed in order to be with the kids when they were home from school.

I admit, at first it was a real challenge, learning the customer’s names and their drink of choice, memorizing the various combinations, codes and products and standing through a full shift (I’m not as young as I used to be), but I came to love the interaction with our customers and looked forward to their bright smiles and the camaraderie of the other employees. There was never a dull moment, dealing with those cursed Frappuccinos, double tall half-caf no fat lattes and the occasional cranky customer.

After I had worked there for several months I asked the manager if I could train to be a barista, making drinks for the customers, instead of standing behind the register. I was trained to work the espresso machines and make drinks and rose to the challenge of creating the ‘perfect foam’. The time flew by and I was soon able to handle our busiest shifts on my own.

Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays arrived. The lines became longer and the pace more frenetic. I noticed a nagging pain in my right hand. I didn’t realize how physical this job would be, constantly carrying and lifting. I mentioned the pain to my fellow employees and they said I would eventually adjust to the physical aspects of the job.

We flew to Canada to be with Steve’s family for Christmas and I was certain that the much-needed rest would do the trick.

We had an amazing time with family, spending our Christmas at the Circle Square Ranch in Arden where the kids played endless games of 'Manhunt' through the empty dorm rooms, romped in the snow, rode horses and enjoyed being with their cousins. It was a wonderful break!

We came back in the New Year and I returned to work rested and refreshed. However, it was only a matter of hours before the pain returned and developed in my left hand as well.

I finally told my boss that I needed a referral to Worker’s Comp to deal with the pain. The assistant manager placed the referral and I went to see a doctor.

I cannot begin to describe the web of confusion and mismanagement that is called Worker’s Comp. I won’t go into all the boring details, but for over two years I went from doctor to specialist to therapist and back around again as they basically attempted to disprove my pain.

At first, my manager was very sympathetic, trying to give me lighter shifts and accommodating me when they could. It became impossible, however, as this job requires lifting on the part of every employee. When there is a line of customers out the door, there are three people working and something heavy needs to be moved or lifted, you just do it.

I encountered countless other people who were truly suffering and in pain, as I was, struggling to deal with the Worker’s Comp mess. They delayed treatment time and again, as my health continued to decline.

I got to the point where I had pain, tingling and numbness in both of my hands, along with pain in my elbows, my neck and my feet. It was constant. I couldn’t continue to work since my condition was deteriorating so rapidly. I finally had to secure the services of a lawyer, since they refused to address my pain and treat me appropriately.

I was diagnosed, misdiagnosed and re-diagnosed with a myriad of conditions, none that seemed to fit exactly what was going on in my body. Eventually, it was determined that I had carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands, a compressed disc in my neck and ulnar neuropathy, originating in my elbows. Lovely.

After endless wrangling with my employer and Worker’s Comp, I was finally scheduled for surgery, over three years after the pain began. As things had worsened on my left side, my right hand and elbow had improved, so I was scheduled for an ulnar nerve release on my elbow and open carpal tunnel release surgery on my left hand. There were no guarantees that it would work, but the odds were in my favor and all other treatments had failed. I was relieved to finally be facing the end of this journey and knew it couldn’t possibly be any worse.

In May 2009 I went to a hospital in Long Beach where they performed the required surgeries. I was there on an outpatient basis and when I came to, Steve was standing over me smiling. We could finally begin the healing process. I didn’t know, that day, that I would experience the worst pain of my life before the healing could begin.

Today's the Day!

This is it!  The big day for Natalie and Adrian and the whole family.  We are now in panic mode.  Why isn't the iron working?  Where is my bag of makeup?  Can you run up to Marshall's and get an extra  vase?  It is unreal how much goes into planning a wedding!  But we know it will be worth it all in the end as we watch the happy couple come down the aisle.  Then we can all relax and enjoy the party. 

I started my morning with a quick trip to the store for a few essentials - hair color (don't want roots showing in pictures) and coffee (got to get my morning fix).  I had the most amazing surprise when I drove up to the window at Starbucks.  The girl at the window told me.  "The lady in the car ahead of you has paid for your order.  She wanted you to have this."

At first I didn't understand her. She repeated her words and handed me my coffee and a little card that read, "May good things happen for you!  Breeze".  The card had a picture of an adorable lab and the sentiment was handwritten.  Now, I didn't buy just a cup of coffee this morning, I bought a pound of French Roast to bring home.  Some stranger, randomly paid for my pound of coffee.  What a blessing!  She couldn't possibly know that I was strapped for cash and that coffee is my love language.

I've heard of these random acts of kindness but have never had a stranger do something so thoughtful for me.  It made me think of all the acts of love I receive every day from my family and friends.  I pray that my life reflects that kindness back to  others.  Can't wait to return the favor to some other unsuspecting person!

I must be off.  I have errands to run, hair to straighten and shirts to iron, but I will be back tomorrow with loads of pictures to share with you.

May your day be blessed and may you choose to share those blessings with others!

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32

To Do List

I have really been trying to take my own advice and make Sundays a day of rest, no blogging, no housework, no listing.  I am enjoying that one day of the week to focus on my Creator, relax with my family and recharge for the coming week.  All of this means, of course, that I have to get things in order on Saturday.

Today my list of to dos is long.  I'll check things off one at a time and what doesn't get done...well, tough!

~ Work on Natalie's wedding veil (I'm making it - here's a tiny peek)

~ Get my office and my merchandise in order - what a mess! (will not post a picture - don't want to make you cry)

~ Clean my bathroom and vacuum (recruiting family volunteers for this one)

~ Spend some time taming back my jungle of a yard

~ Finish my blog (almost done!)

~ Take more product pictures

~ Post said pictures on my site

~ Buy Rachel basketball shoes (pleeeeze, mom?!)

~ Drop off packages at the post office (Steve just left with packages in hand - thanks!)

~ Get some groceries

~ Make an attendance chart for my Sunday School class

... okay, I just looked at this list and realized, it ain't gonna happen!  I'm sure you all have a list as long, or longer.  I could keep adding to it, but I've got to focus on what's important and let the rest wait.

It's so easy to get overwhelmed with the 'to dos' of my life.  I need to make sure that somewhere in that list is what is really important

~ spend time in the Word and talking to the Lord (if not, I won't make it through the day)

~ sit down and share a coffee and a chat with a friend (motivation to complete my tasks)

~ snuggle with the kids and talk about their day

~ contact a friend who is struggling, to listen and tell her she's loved

~ finish my blog (done!)

I feel better already.  See you Monday!

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

This and That

I have been wracking my brain today.  I am completely uninspired.  I don't know if it's the summer haze or having the kids at home but today I've got nothin'!

So, I'll just chat about a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

~We had a beautiful Father's Day.  Our kids showed dad how much they love him with handmade cards and tokens of their love.

He is an incredible dad plus he's a big softy so he eats this stuff up!
Our pastor preached a great sermon about legacy, posing the question "What kind of legacy will you leave?"  It was a good challenge for all of us, not just the dads.  Whoever we are, we are influencing someone - a son, a niece, a coworker or friend.  Even strangers that we meet can be affected by how we respond to them.  What kind of legacy are you leaving?  If that question makes you uncomfortable or you are dissatisfied with the answer, ask God to help you reflect His love to those around you.

I have been blessed with the best example in a father and also in a father-in-law.  What a godly legacy they are leaving for us and our children.  They are men of faith, love and compassion.  They inspire me and I am privileged to have them in my life.

 I'm still a daddy's girl

*Check out my Father's Day post under Personal Heroes - Chapter 3.

~Being June, wedding bells are ringing and my niece is getting married in three short weeks now so things are gearing up.  We had a shower for her on Saturday and there will be another in two weeks.  Friends and family will be arriving from out of town.  What fun!  The joy that a couple shares as they begin a new life together is so beautiful to watch.  It has made me reflect back on my own wedding day almost 29 years ago - yikes!

 The bride-to-be Natalie and her beautiful mom (my sister Kathy)

Little did we know, as young as we were, the challenges that lay ahead for us.  It is truly by God's grace and with His love that we we have built a family and our lives together.  We could not have done it on our own.  He is the One we lean on when disappointments, pain and the stresses of everyday life weigh us down.

~I met with a dear friend this morning for a cup of coffee (one of my favorite things to do) and we were thinking back on the past several years.  They have been filled with loss, pain and incredible challenges, for both of us.  But it is such a comfort to know that whatever life throws our way, we are resting in the Father's hands and He cares about us.  I love this Scripture, it remains one of my favorites.  Hope it encourages your heart today.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Eat More Chocolate!

As we enjoy the weekend and head into summer, I thought I would give you some healthy tips to make life a little sweeter.

1.  Chocolate is good for you (can I hear an Amen!).

According to the Cleveland Clinic and other reputable sources, cocoa, in it's pure form, contains high levels of flavonoids, a compound that is a known antioxidant.  It is believed that Antioxidants aid the body's cells in resisting free radical damage that occurs from environmental sources and simply breathing.

"Flavanols are the main type of flavonoid found in cocoa and chocolate. In addition to having antioxidant qualities, research indicates that flavanols have other positive influences on vascular health, such as lowering blood pressure and improving blood flow to the brain and heart, making blood platelets less sticky and able to clot, and lowering cholesterol."

Be aware, however, not all chocolate has the same benefits.  The less processed cocoa has higher levels of flavonoids.  Your best option is darker chocolate with minimal added fats and sugars.

2.  Coffee is good for you (duh!).

According to the Mayo Clinic, recent studies have shown that the health benefits of coffee often outweigh the risks.  "These benefits include protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver cancer. And it has a high content of antioxidants."

Drinking it with a friend and a piece of chocolate is even better!

3.  Butter is good for you (Paula Deen was right!)

According to several reliable sources, pure, delicious butter contains many healthy properties including the following
vitamin A - necessary for healthy thyroid and adrenal glands
lecithin - a substance needed for the assimilation and metabolism of cholesterol
silenium  and vitamin E- which protect the cardiovascular system
vitamin D -  essential to the proper absorption of calcium and  necessary for proper bone growth and preventing tooth decay

4.  Sunshine is good for you.

For years, doctors did not know why, but patients suffering from TB and other diseases healed faster when placed in a sunny location.  According the the magazine Scientific American, sunshine contains levels of Vitamin D necessary for bone formation and "powerfully influencing immune system responses and cell defenses."

5. Laughter is good for you.

This is the best one of all because, unlike coffee, butter, chocolate and sunshine, this one need not be taken in moderation!

^{Proverbs 17:22} A cheerful heart is good medicine,
      but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

Laughter can
~  stimulate your organs and increase endorphins released by your brain.
~  activate and relieve your stress response, leaving you with a good, relaxed feeling
~  soothe tension and stomachaches, easing digestion and reducing some symptoms of stress
~  improve your immune system, releasing neuropeptides to help fight stress and illness
~  relieve pain by releasing the body's own natural painkillers
~  increase personal satisfaction

Don't you feel better already?

So, this summer take the time to relax in the sun, laugh with a friend, sip a cup of coffee, savor a piece of chocolate or smear some butter on that corn on the cob - doctors orders!

A Grateful Heart

Today I am choosing to be grateful.

I have found that when I choose to be consciously thankful for all of the little things and focus on the blue sky between the clouds, I am far more content with where I am.

So today, this is my grateful list, in no particular order

~ blueberries - eating them while I type!

~  summer - three more days and it officially arrives in our house

~ Ashley's new job - good to see my daughter loving what she does and getting paid for it!

~  my new computer - so much faster and a pleasure to work at

~ the fact that Steve is cooking tonight so I can work

~ my lululemon pants - they fit just right!

~  my church family - it's wonderful to feel connected

~ Peet's Coffee

~ salted chocolate caramels (with a cup of coffee)

~ Rachel playing the piano at all hours of the day

~ a hearty, snorting, makes-your-belly-hurt laugh (don't judge me, I snort!)

~ my sister - she understands me

~ God's patience with me - it is infinite!

I could go on.  There are many more things that I am grateful for, but for today, I'm especially grateful for you and the opportunity to share myself through words.  What's on your list?


^{1 Thess 5:18} Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (NLT)

Signs of Affection

 Young Love!  Ashley & Daniel

We had another nice weekend.  Our son's end-of-season Little League party on Saturday, church Sunday morning and a great visit with Ashley's friends last night.  Kind of a low-key weekend.  I could get used to this!  The weather was hot - not sexy hot, just hot! (This is a family joke.  Don't ask!)  The air is filled with the scents of everything in bloom - orange blossoms, jasmine, plumeria.  It is intoxicating and I would love to share it with you, but couldn't find a scratch and sniff app for my computer.

This morning, after everyone else had headed to work and school, Tina (our sweet overnight guest) and I got a chance to sit down and chat over, what else, a cup of coffee!  She is one of our daughter's 'bestest' friends and so easy to talk to.  We got to chatting about books (she's reading something by Eugene Peterson), families (a very interesting topic) and affection and how we all display affection differently.

Good Friends - Harrison & Sam

Some of us are action people - doing things for someone to show them that we care.  Some of us value time spent together, that one-on-one face time.  Others of us love gifts.  Big or small, these tokens mean a lot!  Then, of course, there are those who value physical affection.  This was the one I found hardest.  I used to be a bit of a prickly pear - I need my physical space.  Then I married a snuggler and, wouldn't you know it, gave birth to three more!  I learned to let down my guard from a world-class cuddler - my husband of 28 years.

When I'm sitting at my computer and my 14-year-old, 5' 11' daughter comes over and sits in my lap, I have learned to stop and snuggle.  When my oldest, an adult herself now, squeezes in close on the sofa, I have learned not to tell her to move over (much).  When my boy comes up and gives me a bone-breaking hug I zip my lip and hug back with equal gusto.  Even the pets get more scratches and hugs.

Puppy Love - Rachel & Casey

I know some of you may be thinking, "what is she complaining about?  I would kill for a bit of physical affection, just some human contact".  This is what I have realized.  Be patient with me, I'm a slow learner.  Even if we spend time, give gifts, do for others and affirm them, nothing can replace physical touch.  We must have it.  Babies won't thrive without it.  God made us as physical beings with an innate need for touch.

As we get older, we tend to become more guarded with our displays of affection.  And yes, this is a good and appropriate thing to learn!  But, we still need to remember to touch - a pat on the back, an arm around the shoulder, a hug, a kiss, a snuggle.  It can truly make someone's day, to feel that connection with another human being.  (If this is really uncomfortable for you, start with a high five or a fist bump.)

This week, reach out to someone with a little bit of that physical affection we all need, and if you see me, I'll take a hug!

 Lasting Love - Mom & Dad

 ^{1 John 4:17-18}"God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us"

Coffee First!

 

Coffee is the elixir of life.

Okay, so you get the point, I like coffee. But there is more to the 'Coffee First' mindset than just java. The phrase came from my a dear friend of my mother. She is Finnish and as a good Finn, liked her coffee. The Finns have the highest per capita coffee consumption of ANY country in the world - they are #1. The United States, by comparison is a lowly #26.

In Finnish it's "kahvi ensimmäinen" - coffee first (hope I got the right translation). My mother said her dear friend Mrs. Lindholm was fond of this phrase. I am half Finnish so I feel it is my ethnic duty! What it REALLY means is, let's stop for a minute and visit. Let's take time out of our busy day to spend time with each other. Everything else can wait.


I know that it seems unrealistic in our busy, hectic lives to say "coffee first". But I tried it today. I met some friends at Panera (sorry Nat and Adrian - Peet's is still my fav!) and came home refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the day.

Facebook is fine, texting is good, tweeting and email connect us to a degree, but nothing compares to sitting in the company of friends, laughing, sharing, eating and drinking, and sometimes even crying.




Take the time to call someone you have been meaning to meet and if you can't think of anybody to call - I'm always ready for a cup of Joe!

"But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!" 1 John 4:12 The Message

Through the Kitchen Window

Lately I've been thinking about perspective. How different things can seem when you look at them from a different angle. My kitchen window is a case in point.

When I look through my kitchen window (it seems like I spend a lot of time here!) I look past my pretty teapot, straight at the beautiful tree we planted several years ago. It has grown quite large, with a beautiful green canopy that helps shade our house in the summer. In the fall, the tree is a blaze of red and in the winter, it is a stark silhouette.

Right now, I also have clematis and jasmine vines climbing up the back wall. When the jasmine are in bloom, the smell is intoxicating and I leave the window wide open to capture the scent.



It seems like I have the perfect vantage point. However, if I lean forward slightly and glance to the left, I am faced with a completely different picture. Stacked against the wall is the bed I keep meaning to paint. The lawn is brown and weed-filled, and the flower beds are empty. All of these things are there to remind me of what I haven't done and the pain of the past few years that have kept me from maintaining my home the way I would like to.



There are so many days I allow myself to get bogged down by the pain and failures of my life that I miss the beauty that is right in front of me - my children's smiles, the love of my husband, coffee with a friend, and even the view from my kitchen window.

I am learning (slowly) what the Apostle Paul found-

"I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am." Philippians 4:12-13 The Message,

Friday Night Lights

Sigh! It's Friday, and I've survived another week. Sometimes surviving is a good thing and right now I feel like it's an accomplishment.

Still fighting with my computer (Lord, you know I need a new one - a faster one)! Still moving slow, but at least I'm moving! I'm just placing one foot in front of the other and stubbornly doing what I know to do today, because "tomorrow has worries enough of it's own".

I'm taking the time to count my blessings, and these are just a few of today's

~ Enjoyed a delicious latte at Peet's and conversation with some beautiful friends

~ Spent time with my parents, hangin' at their house

~ Heard great news from my daughter

~ Snuggled on the sofa with my hubby watching Season 2 of Friday Night Lights while the kids were out!

I am blessed, beyond measure, and choosing today to be grateful.

Insomnia

2:41 and I should be asleep. I have been fighting insomnia for days now - could it be the coffee first mentality wreaking havoc....Nah!

Thought I would post the link to my etsy store which is still under construction but I have a stack of vintage linens that I am itching to list so that is my task for tomorr....today!

For the interested, my etsy store is www.etsy.com/shop/jennyandpearl. I will be listing the best of my vintage finds there, culling them from my stash at home and from the hodgepodge in my ebay store. I have some beautiful stoneware bowls, depression glass, hankies, 1940's vintage tablecloths and too much to list. I better get back to bed and get some sleep, I have a lot of work to do!

In the meantime, I will share a beautiful pic of the flowers in my yard that our girl R took! Enjoy!