Salt and Light...

I am in the Thumb once again visiting my family for the rest of the week... also attending a SU class on Saturday morning... looking so forward to that... haven't been to one in awhile.

Sorry no pictures or projects to share today... although you should checkout Women to Women Sharing Jesus... I have a devotional on there this week, but don't just check it out because of that make it a regular habit.

I have a real salt “addiction”… I admit it... I could go without sweets and chocolate before I could go without salt. This morning I was reading the verse  Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” 

I know as a Christ follower I am here to be salt and light in the world, but I guess I really never gave the salt part much thought. Salt is important to life… it can preserve… it can heal… and it gives flavor. As Christians we need to preserve God’s word to a lost world… we need to share Christ’s healing love… and in order to do that we need to add “seasoning” to the world around us. I know I might possibly overdue salt sometimes, but salt is added to food to bring out the naturally good flavor… have you ever tasted a potato chip without salt??? Yuck! Use the saltiness God has given you… if you don’t share it… like the verse says, “it is good for nothing.” Heaven knows wasting salt to me is unthinkable… *Ü*… I hope I will feel the same way when it comes to sharing Christ to the lost people around me. I won’t look at salt the same way again, how about you? Oh BTW, my salt use does not affect my blood pressure… it is very low!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

very thankful...

I have a busy day ahead of me... having a "few" people over for a little get-together tonight. So I am needing straighten up the house a little... at least try to vacuum up the cat hair... hairless cats are ugly but at least they don't shed!!!

Got up early this morning to meet some friends for breakfast at Duane's in Falmouth... it is a little "mom and pop" place in a teeny tiny little town near us, but they do a great business and have great homemade food. These friends (who happen to be a couple) wanted to take Luke out for birthday breakfast and we were surprised by another couple being there too... it was so nice... we are so blessed with so many amazing friends!  The waitress even brought Luke a donut with a candle in it... good way to start the day.

It is sunny once again here today... chilly but sunny... the sun really helps my energy level... thank You Lord for the warm sunshine!

Made a little simple Valentine card the other day... my sister gave me this SU set and this is the first card I used it on... "Very Thankful" is a precious little set.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." -Philippians 4:6 

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Happy Birthday...

to my sweet, wonderful, adorable hubby!!! He is the best husband in the world! I know I shouldn't be bragging, but he is worth bragging about if anyone is... when he reads this he is gonna be so embarassed... sorry but I can't help myself. God has blessed me with having Luke in my life and I just need to share that blessing with all of you.

This picture was obviously taken in a little warmer weather... no coats... no snow... leaves on the trees, but he just looked so cute... just love him from his balding head to his graying beard... and a heart for the Lord... what more could I want???

So here is the birthday card I made for him... I have such a hard time with masculine cards... I am just a girlie girl... it is short, simple and right to the point...

Enjoy Today my Sweetie!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Keep your heart...

Happy Monday to you! I know I say this a lot... I know I probably sound like an old person... but can you believe how fast January is going???  Sorry it has been 5 days since I posted... sometimes time just gets away from me.

I have been a little distracted with a missionary friend and their adoption of their 2 Haitian boys.  It has been a rollercoaster for them for 2 years, but especially now after the earthquake.  The good news is that their baby boys finally got their visas over the weekend and now they are traveling from Chile to Florida tonight.  Their boys along with other "orphans" are to be brought to Orlando sometime tomorrow.  Please keep praying for everything to go good, for patience, for strength, for all the people of Haiti.

Wanted to share this journal and bookmark I made... maybe for a gift for some special person... cut out all of the pieces with my Cricut... just luv that machine! Stamped "From the Heart"... rhinestones, diamond stickles on the heart... not too fancy, but I think it is a nice gift.  What do you think? 

I have a thought for the day... What is one of the most important things people need, besides God??? Answer: Other people.  What is the one thing that can cause you the most angst in life??? Answer: Other people.  Do you ever find it hard to get along with other people??? I am sure we all have our moments whether being the aggravator or the aggravated.  I came across these verses today... this is the Contemporary English translation, which I liked how it said it like it is, "Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. Try your best to let God's Spirit keep your hearts united. Do this by living at peace." Ephesians 4:2-3

I like the part that says, "patiently put up with each other," some days that is about all you might feel you can do and that is okay, just remember when we let the Holy Spirit rule in our heart... it makes it so much easier to love people where they are at... just a thought.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Prayer...

Just a quick post for now... please pray... pray... pray for the people of Haiti... what a tragedy... but we know God is still in control... He is their comfort!  I have a missionary friend in Chile who is adopting 2 boys from Haiti... it has been a very long process & now they are sooooo close to the boys coming home and now this earthquake... please pray and dontate if possible... you can find more information on Stephanie's blog here.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Strange day...

I say it is a strange day, but actually it has been a "strange" week and it is only Tuesday!  We had a great Night Out for Ladies last night... it was a lot smaller group than in December, but that is always the norm... and to be honest... if every month of NOFL was as "big" as December... it would wear us all out... I know that probably doesn't sound very "Christian" of me now does it??? *Ü*

I have been battling this cold/sinus thing for over a week now... it is one of those roaming bugs... my throat... my ears... my nose... my lungs... it is an equal opportunity bug!!!  So this morning I woke up with a slight headache... I try to eat yogart at least a couple times a week, but over the holidays I got out of that habit, so this week I am trying to start that again... without going into much detail I find yogart to be beneficial to my digestive tract... anyway, this moring I had some yogart with granola in it... not realizing the yogart I had bought had aspartame (nutrasweet) in it and that gives me terrible headaches, so I started with a migraine.  I took some migraine tylenol right away and at this point I am waiting for the caffeine in it to wear off enough so I can rest a little.  If it seems like I am rambling that is probably why... since it tends to make me a little hyper and then I crash.  The good news is my headache is letting up, so I know I will be fine soon... the bad news I will be sleepy soon or maybe that is the good news cuz then I get to take a nap!!! yay!

I don't have anything of my own to post today, but I wanted to share this adorable card/calendar my sister, Renee, posted on her blog today.  She is having a SU class on January 30 and this is one of the projects we are going to do at it... I am looking so forward to being there for that... she has the best projects! So if you live near the Thumb of Michigan maybe you would like to attend the class too... checkout her blog here.                                          

Well, enough rambling for the day... hope you all have a good one.

"Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" - Ephesians 5:20

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Inner Fulness...

Finally got our Christmas tree down yesterday... it is artificial so there is never a hurry... plus I really don't like taking it down. I still have a few decorations up... like a small snowflake tree and the lighted garland on the mantel... can't do it all at once now can I???

My hubby also finally unplugged the outside lights but before he did I just had to take a picture of our front door... I thought it looked so pretty... if I do say so myself. And it is kind of "crafty"... I cut the numbers on the door out of vinyl with my Cricut. A friend of mine sent me a picture off the internet of putting numbers on the door like this, so of course I had to do it. I did cut out numbers for her door too, but I am not sure if she has even put them on her door yet.

I got some sad news yesterday... someone that was a part of my life years ago passed away... he was someone that had a great impact on me... both good and bad. Good in that what I went through with this person helped to make me the person I am... but bad because this relationship gave me a lot of baggage I had to work through... all was forgiven years ago... I live with no regrets... I am truly sorry for his family and their loss.

During our church-wide fast we are reading a chapter of Ephesians everyday and today I chose chapter 3... prayer for inner fulness and knowledge... aren't these life changing words?...

"that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen". - Ephesians 3:17=21

 
with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Snow...snow...more snow...

It has been a very snowy couple days here in northern Michigan… what’s new??? It is January! Had a good time with my family up at Boyne Mountain… really didn’t participate in any outdoor winter activities, but me and my 2 sisters and 1 niece took a bead class offered at the resort clubhouse. In this picture you can see all the fun we were having…

Here is the bracelet I made (sorry the picture is a little blurry) … it looks better in person. I gave it to my mom since she wasn’t feeling up to going to the class with us. My mom is suffering from a terrible problem with her lower back… she is in such great pain, at times she can hardly walk… if you could please remember her in your prayers.

I am feeling a little sluggish… I think it must be the holidays being over and then our little family getaway is a memory… plus I have been dealing with some sinus problem/cold that is not letting me rest at night like I need to. I know I will feel better tomorrow… I just know it!


Hope all is going good for you on this 7th day of 2010... we are off to a bang!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

And the Award Goes To...

Have some great news today... Freddae' from Coffee, God and Me gave me the Lemonade Stand Award.  The Lemonade Stand Award is awarded for being a blogger who shows great attitude and gratitude.  I am grateFUL for the this honor.

                                                                                                                            

There are just a few rules for accepting this wonderful award:

- Put the Lemonade logo on your blog or within your post.

- Nominate at least 10 blogs (there are many out there but I am only doing 6... sorry) with great attitude or gratitude.

- Link the nominees within your post.

- Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

- Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

And the prestigious Lemonade Stand Award goes to:
1.  Diane's Designs
2.  Renne's Stampin Up Ramblings
3.  enjoy the va.sunshine
4.  Th-inking of You
5.  God and I on the Railroad Tracks
6. 365 Days

I love and appreciate all of these blogs and all of the great ladies behind these blogs too!

I have had a couple lazy days... what to do with myself???  I am getting things ready to be gone for a few days again... my family (parents, sisters, BIL and one niece) are coming up to go to Boyne Mountain for a few days... we have a 3 bedroom condo at the foot of the mountain... sounds great but once you get all those people in there... hmmm... oh the closeness! No really... it is gonna be a great time... I just know it and am planning for it!!!

My Christmas decoration for today is a little guy I call "Grumpy"... I received him as a gift from a customer I had when I still had my hair salon... hopefully this is not what you look like after the holidays! 

Have a good day... and thanks for stopping!

with a grateFUL HEART, carin

Welcome to 2010...

The year "2010"... I had to giggle at my sister's post from yesterday, she said that by 2010 we all thought we would be driving space cars by 2010... kind of like George Jetson I guess.  Hope you all had a good new years eve and that your first day of the new decade has been a great one!

The holiday season is winding down by I still would like to share some special ornaments with you over the next few day:

This is kind of a crafty item... these cute little ornaments are made out of polymer clay... of course not by me though! My hubby knows the lady that makes these little critters... he bought them for me a few years ago... don't you just luv the shepherd's dangly feet!

Every year for the first 21 days of the year our church does a church-wide fast... it is not a mandatory thing but it gives you time to seek what God may want for you to do to refresh yourself for the new year ahead.  People will fast everything from liquid diets to giving up tv... and everything in between.  I really have sought out what God wanted me to do to seek Him more through this "fast"... in years past I have given up ice cream, soap operas, sweets... all good things for me but did any of those things bring me closer to God???  The word that kept coming to my mind as I prayed about this years fast was "priorities"... I always try to have a quiet time with God everyday, but has it been my 1st priority of each day?... sorry to say, no it has not.  This is something I am going to try and change through this 21 days of fasting and hopefully this will be a "habit" that will continue way past the first 3 weeks of 2010.

Our Heavenly Papa just wants to commune with us daily... when you love someone so much don't you want to talk with them and talk about them all the time?  Why do I not give that same attention and affection to God?  That is something I am hoping to change in 2010.

"For He (God) hath made Him (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." - II Corinthians 5:21

Thanks for stopping by... and once again... Happy New Year.

with a grateFUL HEART, carin