Happy Birthday Little Sis!

I want to wish my little sis a Very Happy Birthday!  I can't believe we're both in our 50's.  Where did the days go?  It seems only yesterday that we were little girls playing Barbies, Checkers, and pretending to be members of the Starship Enterprise! 

We fought, as sisters will do,

but what I remember is that we loved each other...

defended each other... and we still do.

I hope this is a year of wishes and dreams

coming true for you!

I pray for your home to be filled

with happiness, peace, and love.

May God not only bless you,

but may He light the path before you...

so that each step of your journey

is a step toward the best life holds for you.

Love you so much!

Have a Happy Birthday!

 

Brenda Photo Challenge

Take a moment today to visit the Brenda Photo Challenge and see the variety of wonderful photos representing the Best of 2009! 

I had to rely on a couple of old photos this time.  Between my computer problems and not getting out of the house much, I didn't have any photo's that were current.  I plan to change that for the next challenge!  I know you will enjoy taking a look at the other entries!  


Oh... I know this is confusing... my photos for the Challenge are at NitaJos Photos  (click on the name to go there)

When you click on my name on the Brenda Photo Challenge comments, it takes you directly there.  If you click on my name in your own comment section, it brings you here.  Sorry for the confusion...

Christ Is All, All Is Good...

Hello Friends, before I get to my update I have a prayer request.  Those of you who know Pam Warden at Pam Warden Art and Faith Folk Cafe will be familiar with her husband John's situation with his lung transplant, and the ongoing struggles of her children, Toby and Jessie who both have MS (multiple sclerosis).  Tuesday Pam posted the following on her Facebook page:

John is in the hospital, I'm at a hotel in Madison. They will be doing a bronch in the morning to see what is going on. He is the very sick. Thank you for praying. Also for Jessie and Toby ♥

And yesterday...

Bronchoscopy this a.m. for biopsy's on John's lung. Can they find and stop what ever is causing this? We pray. This was sent to me today...so simple so absolute "Christ is all, all is good."

Pam's faith in God is amazing!  She has so much going on in her family, but she takes time to reach out to others.  She has been such a support for me.  Please pray for her and her family.  Pray prayers for healing, strength, and peace.

As for me...
It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post.  For those who contacted me expressing concern, Thank You!  There have been some health issues for Lucky 13 and for myself.  I won't go into lengthy details... I'll just say more of the same.  I haven't driven since sometime in late November, so I've been here at home.

I've had some old friends get in touch with me, and through that I regained contact with more friends I hadn't heard from in years.  That has been so much fun. 

The past three days I've been having a nightmarish time with my Facebook account.  Each time I go to sign in, I find my account suspended again!  I have spent hours trying to fix this.  It keeps telling me that I've been hacked, but no matter what I try I cannot clear it up.  As soon as I leave the page it locks me out again!  *sigh*

I have been catching up with some of my blogger friends, going through the posts I didn't get around to reading during the holidays.  What a busy, interesting bunch of people you all are!  It is so much fun to leave my little world for a while and see what is going on "out there".

I've been listening to some "new to me" artists on YouTube.  I love music of all kinds, so this has been a lot of fun.

I participated in a "Daniel Fast" with my church.  My Pastor mailed me the materials so I would know what was being done.  I chose to do a partial fast of eliminating a couple of my favorites that it would be hard doing without... for me that was 21 days of no fast food and no chocolate.  That was extremely hard for me.  I also increased my intake of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.  Even without doing the strict version of the fast, I found I got a lot out of it. I've tried a new variety of leafy greens.  I regained my love of salads! 

I spent more time in prayer and meditation.  I cut back on my TV time, also very hard for me.  I tend to put in Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart, Frasier, etc. or tune in to HGTV as background noise when I'm doing other stuff.  I hadn't realized how many hours the TV is actually going.  It helps drown out the constant traffic noise from the street and the persistant barking of my neighbors dog.  It also drowns out the sound of bird songs, squirrel chatter, wind, rain... all sounds I love.  I'd almost forgotten the joy of the simple sounds of life.

The past few weeks, I found myself taking another look at my life.  My thoughts, my deepest beliefs, my dreams.  It's good to "shake the dust off" what and who we believe ourselves to be; to re-examine our goals, our strengths, and our weaknesses.  To search deeper into our spiritual lives.  It's been a great way to begin this new year.  For me, it is a beginning full of hope and anticipation.  Great things are coming.  I really believe it. 

Off to a Great Start...

My week has been so busy, I just noticed how long it's been since I posted.  My "new year" is off to a great start!  Lucky 13 has been doing very well with the online school.  His health has improved some since my last update!  I'm feeling better today than I have in quite a while.  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!

I've tackled a small portion of my reorganizing job, but I found that I am out of filing space.  Now I need to purge a lot of old files, before I will be able to file anything current.  I don't want to purchase a new file cabinet... that would just add to my huge inventory of paperwork, receipts, and ephemera. 

The main goal is still to simplify.  I know my creativity is hampered by too much stuff!  I've been visiting a few blogs and checking out photos of their work spaces.  Many of you have shared such great organizing ideas.  I just need to put time and thought into what will work best for me.

THOUGHTS ON...

TIME:

"Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost a part of your life."    ~ Michael Leboeuf

CREATIVITY:

"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless."    ~ Thomas Edision

"Ideas can be life-changing.  Sometimes all you need to open the door is just one more good idea."    ~ Jim Rohn

TAKING A CHANCE:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."    ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Crying In The Rain...

This is my niece singing a cover, "Crying In The Rain"...  Be sure to pause my music selections above before hitting play.  I hope you love it as much as I do...