CELEBRATE!

I know I didn't get all my Photo A Day posted here for December, but I wanted to share this final picture of 2014 with you all!

CELEBRATE!

2014 has been a great year... very trying at times... but oh so good! I wouldn't have missed a moment for anything! Happy New Year! Bring on 2015!

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:18-19

Infinitely More...

December 6 ~ Photo A Day...

Sparkly is today's subject. This picture may not be what most people would call, "sparkly" but it definitely makes me sparkly inside! Last year at this time my husband & I were living in temporary housing, all of our household items & Christmas decorations were in storage. So today when I was able to put up our Nativity, it warmed my heart & put a sparkle in my eye. I am so thankful!

BTW... it was a year ago today that we signed a purchase agreement for the home we now live in!

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power He can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine." Ephesians 3:20

Shout Noel...

December 5 ~ Photo A Day #5...

NOEL ~ a shout of joy... seems appropriate for the birth of our Savior!

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given… And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Glory in the Highest...

December 4th... Photo A Day... Silver...

I thought I would share a project I was working on today... I have admired other peoples' ornament wreaths, but I had never attempted one for myself... until today! I had little knowledge of what I was doing, but I think it turned out pretty! Plus, all the silver balls works into my Photo A Day!

Sorry for the glare, but it is hanging on a mirror in our dining room.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14

SHINE!

Lighting a candle or 5 just for you! December 3... Photo A Day! Let your light SHINE!

Tasty Treat...

December 2... I had a few errands to run today! Yes, I actually got out of the house in the cold snap! The last thing I did today, while out & about, was the subject for my Photo A Day:

I made a few (81) chocolate mustaches... this one happens to be peppermint/white chocolate! Yum! This is the best kind of mustache... it requires no shaving or waxing! *Ü*

"Serve the Lord with gladness; some before His presence with singing." ~ Psalms 100:2

Red & White...

It's DECEMBER! Yay! So I've decided to do December Photo A Day from The Idea Room. At least I will attempt it! So day #1 is "Red & White"

This is an Origami star I learned to make last week, which you can find here & the candy cane is my Red & White.

I was thinking about the Legend of the Candy Cane... The story tells of a candy maker in Indiana who wanted to make a candy that would help us remember Who Christmas is really about. So he made a Christmas candy cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, & death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy... white to symbolize the virgin birth & sinless nature of Jesus. Hard candy to show the solid rock, the foundation of the Church, & firmness of God's promises. He made the candy in the form of a "J" for the name of Jesus. It also represented the staff of the Good Shepherd. The candy maker then included red stripes, three small stripes & a large red stripe to represent Christ's suffering at the end of His life.

I love to read about the appearance of the angel to Mary in Luke 1... my favorite verse is verse 37...

"For with God nothing will be impossible." ~ Luke 1:37

I have my 2 Christmas trees up, but they only have lights... no decorations on them yet! However, I am working on that this week!

Jingle All the Way...

I was able to go over the weekend & spend some creative time with some great Christian ladies! Lots of laughs, good food, sharing our stories, some craftiness, & of course a few tears! So here is the project my friend Ruth had for us to make...

I just love it! Thanks Ruth! Can't wait to start decorating for Christmas!

Just a few days until Thanksgiving... and I woke up this morning kind of in a not so great mood! It has been days since we have seen the sun... I know that really affects me, but I really have no reason to be grumpy! So I went to the place I know to find the medicine to cure what ails me.

First Peter 1:6-7 says, " You are extremely happy about these things, even though you have to suffer different kinds of trouble for a little while now. The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise, glory, and honor to God. This will happen when Jesus appears again."

So after reading this I was reminded that it is time to trade my grumpiness for thankfulness! Speaking words of thankfulness can really turn your mood around! It gives me the chance to focus my thoughts on God's goodness & off of any circumstances that might disturb me! Try it! See how it works for you!

BE grateFUL...

It has been over 3 months since I have written on this blog! I have done some writing on Coffee Cup Corner, but not too much there either! Life happens! The busyness eats up time & then when I am not busy, I get so lazy... not wanting to do anything!

I've been thinking a lot lately about where I was a year ago... our house was sold, we were living in temporary housing, not knowing where our next move would be, but believing God did & He was faithful to complete what He had started!

As I sit here in our home, watching the birds eat on the feeder outside the window, overlooking the snow covered 10 acres of woods, snow gently falling... my HEART is so full of grateFULness!

I did get a little creative project done over the weekend...

I found these banner kits at Merchandise Outlet. They came with 5 chip board pieces for $1... I added my own letters, DSP, & embellishments!

A year ago was one of the hardest times of my life, but I am so thankful for it, because it brought us to where we are now... God has done abundantly, greater than we could have imagined! And He still is! I am overwhelmed by the doors He has opened & the people He has brought into our life! I know I still limit Him in my life so much, but each day I am growing & learning... and His mercies are new every day! (Lamentations 3:23)

"Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power He can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine." ~ Ephesians 3:20

From Devastated to Dumbfounded...

It has been so long since I wrote a word or two on this blog... I have missed it! My life has taken some BIG turns with lots of twists to boot! The last time I posted on here we were living at a friend's house with our "house" stuff in storage, waiting on God to open the right door for us! He sold our house in Lake City, which moved very quickly once the right buyers came along (that is a whole other blessing!). And the house of our "dreams" we were to close on in early December fell through 2 days before closing! I was so devastated by this, but God was faithful! He had a major miracle up His sleeve, so to speak!

As I play the tape back in my memory it seems so unreal... but that is God... He takes our impossible & makes all things possible! Are you willing to trust Him?

Two days after the closing that never happened, we got back on the proverbial horse & started looking at houses again! It was so hard! Every house that even came close to meeting our needs was... well, to put it bluntly, trash! It felt kind of like the first date after the break-up of a long-term relationship... my heart was just not into it! After looking at the 2nd house that day, this is what I told my dear hubby, "I am done! We have seen everything that comes close to what we are looking for! We just need to take a break! God would have to drop a house from the sky at this point!" Then there was a beep on his phone, he had a voice mail. So as we were sitting at a stop sign he listened to his message. It all still brings me to joyful tears when I think about it! The message was from a builder who was in the process of building a 5 bedroom home just outside of Ludington. Luke, aka DH, had seen the listing online the day before & inquired about it... the day Luke saw it was the first day this man had listed it, which was the day after our failed closing! God is good!

We were near the building site so we decided to stop & take a look. There was snow piled up "sky-high", but we were able to get onto the front porch & peek in the windows. Within 2 seconds I said, "call the man back... we need to see it now!" And 10 minutes later the builder was there to show us this house, which we now call, "HOME."

As we walked away from the house that day the only word I can use is dumbfounded! Luke & I were both in awe & disbelief at how God had laid this house out just the way He knew would fit our needs & then some! Plus, it is on a 10 acre parcel of beautiful, wooded land!

When faced with disappointment, the words of encouragement are, "God has got something better for you! Just wait!"  I have said it myself many times, even to myself... trying to convince myself! Believe it! We cannot see the whole picture, but we can trust the One that created the picture! Don't lose hope! Those dark moments in your life will always be illuminated by the brightness of God's faithfulness! Just hold on! Hold onto Him! His timing is perfect... it is never as quickly as we would like sometimes, but His ways are so much higher than ours!

"Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, & My thoughts are higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

I look forward to sharing more of this incredible journey with you in the days to come! Hang in there with me as I get back to blogging with a grateFUL HEART!