ENCOURAGEMENT

Lisa-Jo Baker challenges us every Friday to write. Just write.  No editing, no over-thinking, no backtracking (that's the hardest one for me - no backtracking!  Yeah, I see the error.).  For five minutes - and no more - with her prompt.

Today's prompt is "ENCOURAGEMENT".  I will be linking this post over there. Come join the challenge!

Timer's set.

Go.

She always says I’m pretty.  That I look so amazing that day.  She tell me that I glow.  She says I look so good in my outfit.

She makes me want to be her friend.  She makes me want to stay close. 

I smile when I see her coming my way.  She brightens up my day.

Now, I don’t always think all those things, but when she says them, I want to believe them.  It makes me stand a little taller.  She makes me want to smile back.  To say wonderful things to others. 

Her brightening my day makes me want to brighten someone else’s day.  To pay it forward.

You see, the compliments don’t flow off my tongue.  Not that I don’t think things; it just sometimes feels awkward to say them.  But, she makes me feel brave.  She makes me want to be her when I grow up.

She gives me strength that I can pass on to others.  She builds me up and often doesn't know how very much I need that building up. 

She encourages me.  To live up to who I am.  Or who I am supposed to be.  To whose I am.

Thank you, friend.  You are my hero.

STOP.  Time's up.

SEE

Lisa-Jo Baker challenges us every Friday to write. Just write.  No editing, no over-thinking, no backtracking (that's the hardest one for me - no backtracking!).  For five minutes - and no more - with her prompt.  Today's prompt is "SEE".  I will be linking this post over there.

“Prepare your shields, both large and small,
    and march out for battle!
Harness the horses,
    mount the steeds!
Take your positions
    with helmets on!
Polish your spears,
    put on your armor!
What do I see?
    They are terrified,
they are retreating,
    their warriors are defeated.
They flee in haste
    without looking back,
    and there is terror on every side,”
declares the Lord.

             Jeremiah 46:3-5

Go.

This has been a favorite Scripture passage since a man in our church years ago put it to music.  A fight song.

It speaks to me of the importance of preparation -- of both the large and small things.  When one is prepared, he can be a fearsome adversary.  And he may not even have to fight!  The enemy sees him and is terrified!

I see this even in the every day tasks and chores.  The big and small ones.

When we prepare ourselves, the "enemies" -- you know, those things that seem to get in our way and trip us up -- even them -- see us, and retreat!  They know that we can beat them.  That those tasks, chores, and whatnot will disappear when faced with our preparedness.

Ah, but that preparedness takes work, too. Polishing, harnessing, dressing.

Stop.

My Signature Style

About two and a half weeks ago, I took one of those fun online quizzes regarding one's decorating style.  (You can find it on the Home Goods website.)  You pick five pictures that "speak to you" and it will tell you your decorating style. Well, my style turned out to be "Farmhouse Glam" -- such as hanging chandeliers above picnic tables!  I hadn't had a name for it, but felt, yes, this is so me!  I took it again today, not remembering what images I picked last time. Guess what?  I got the same results.  So, yeah, I think it's probably safe to say this my style.

Last January, Darlene over at Fieldstone Hill Design challenged her readers to make a Signature Style Board.  I saw it yesterday on Pinterest (which I love) and since I just started playing around with PicMonkey, I figured this would be a good project for me.  This is what I came up with:

It was really hard to pick only nine pictures.  I chose these from my Pinterest boards and I've really pinned a whole bunch in the past couple of years (I joined Pinterest back when you had to be approved!)  I love these pictures, but feel really bad for all the pics that weren't chosen; I really like them, too! So, if you want to see everything else I've pinned, come follow me by clicking here.

What do you think?  Have I found my signature style?

ONE WORD

So, it has been almost two years since I've written here. Time flies when you're procrastinating, doesn't it?

The first day of the New Year is always so promising.  We look forward with such bright hopes and dreams.  I love it.

I love a brand new calendar, new blank notepads for all those lists I love to write, and this year, a gorgeous new planner!

It's so pretty, it's almost hard to write in it!

Resolutions, I'm not so good at.  But I love picking one word as the theme and goal for the year.  

2010 was YES.

2011 was FREEDOM.

2012 was RELEASE.

2013 was DREAM.

2014 is HEALTH!

I definitely need to get my physical health back, but I know this word encompasses so much more than just that (as important as that is right now).

Luke 2:52 tells us that Jesus grew intellectually, physically, spiritually and socially.

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

This year, 2014, I'm planning on increasing in the same manner! 

One thing I think is important to this increase is meeting you (if there's still anyone out there) right here on a more regular basis.  So...

HAPPY NEW YEAR and a toast to HEALTH!  See you soon!

(and maybe we'll catch up a bit, too!)

The Provision Room

I am so excited about a brand new blog called The Provision Room, named in honor of Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.  (You can get a free Kindle copy of the book here.)  My daughter and her friend have a vision for their homes and lives that can help all of us out, too!  


The mission for their blog in their words:

To prepare our homes—kitchens, pantries, and gardens—to be ready in case of emergencies or unexpected life changes. To do so we will not increase our food budgets nor cause our family to subsist on bread and water. We will strive for the following ideals:

~Real Food
We will not recommend you go out and buy food-like substances, just because they have a shelf life. We will learn to make Real Food last.

~Organic, local and sustainable whenever possible
This is not always possible, but is a lot more possible than people think. We’ll try to show you how we feed our families while being true to our values.

~Frugality
We will search out things that are genuinely good deals and not just short term solutions. We will strive to be good stewards of the family finances.

~Environmentally friendly
We will try to find ways to store our food and stock our pantries without resorting to a bunch of disposables that overfill already overfull landfills.

~Transparency
We will not act like we have all the answers and will show you our mistakes and learn to laugh at them!


They are also on Facebook charming us all!  You can also read more about them on the Prosperous and Successful blog were they are being featured this week.


This week they are having an pretty fantastic giveaway to celebrate their grand opening with all kinds of chances to win.  They are giving away a $50 gift card to Azure Standard, an autographed book entitled Year of Plenty that I can't wait to read, and a case of Venice Premium Biscotti.  How fun is that?!  The giveaway ends tomorrow (Wednesday) night, so hurry on over the party!

River Arvin

River Arvin Gombojav was dedicated to the Lord by his parents on Friday, February 3.  His four-month birthday.


As is my custom, I celebrated by giving him a little reception after.  So fun.

An almost finished table:

Taffy bouquet, milk was served in the little milk bottles

with blue-striped paper straw flags with River's name,

cupcake fondue with fun sprinkles and toppings, and a cafe latte punch.

And zigzag streamers.

His mother blogged all about it over at in other words....  Go on over and be blessed by the goodness of God.

Baggage

For the past couple of Wednesdays, a sweet, timid, middle-aged woman has been showing up at church.  She comes in with a large backpack and about four or five more bags filled with who knows what.  She tucks them all around her on the floor.  She doesn't want any help bringing them in from her car or through the door.  If someone touches her or them, she gets a bit frantic.  From what she says and does, I realize that she is coping with mental illness.


As I watched her, I realized that she wasn't the only one who had brought extra baggage to church that night. Oh, some of us hid it better than she did, but we still came in juggling bags and then tucked them nice and tight around us.  They do help insulate us.  And help build a protective wall.


How do I know there were others with baggage?  Well, some have let me peek into some of their bags.  So I know some of what they're carrying.  But, basically I know because I brought in all kinds of baggage with me that night.  Some helped insulate me.  Some just made it hard to juggle the rest.


Jesus asks us to lay all of our stuff at His feet. (1 Peter 5:7)  If we seem to get a bit frantic at that thought, He doesn't grab or snatch the stuff out of our hands.  Can you imagine the searing pain of that? No, instead He comes along side of us, puts His loving arms around us, asks us to open just one bag, and then lovingly helps us unpack.

The One About Name Changing

Humor alert:  You'll only "get" this if either you know my family or if you've seen pictures of my family.  If you haven't, you might want to look around first.

I was cuddling on the couch last night with my four-year-old grandson.  Here's how our conversation went:

Me:  What's your name again?

Deonte:  Deonte!

Me:  Deonte what?

Deonte:  Deonte Correa!

Me:  What's my name?

Deonte:  Nana!

Me:  What's my real name?

Deonte:  (blank look)

Me:  What do other people call me?

Deonte:  Dorothy.

Me:  Dorothy what?

Deonte:  (blank look)

Me:  What's my last name?

Deonte:  I don't know.

Me:  Abdelaziz.

Deonte:  Abdelaziz.  Is that Papa's name, too?

Me:  Yes.

Deonte:  Is that Grandma's name, too?

Me:  No, her name is Jones.  You know, you call her Grandma Jones.

Deonte:  Oh, yeah. How come her name is different?

Me:  Okay, so Grandma's my mommy, right?  When I was born, my name was Dorothy Jones.  When I married Papa, my name was changed to his.  So now my name is Dorothy Abdelaziz.  

Deonte:  (paying close attention)

Me:  I'm your mommy's mommy, right?  When your mommy was born, she was Sarah Abdelaziz.  When she married Daddy, her named was changed to....

Deonte:  Correa!

Me:  Right!

Deonte:  When daddies get married, do they change their names?

Me:  No, just mommies.

Deonte:  So, what do daddies change?  Their color?

2012

Whew.  It's over.  2011, that is.

I'm emotionally drained.  But, I am slowly recovering and hope to be in ship-shape in not too long!

In all the sadness, in and amongst all the stress, there were two miracles.  Two little baby boys were added to our family.  Caleb Journey was born to Josh and Serena on July 27 (remember I was in Colorado in July?)

and River Arvin was born to Gana and Daja on October 3.

Oh, we do love babies around here!  Those two brand new ones redeemed 2011 for me.  Without them, I'd be hard-pressed to find the good.

Well, the "big" good, anyway.  God is always good and gives us so many every day wonders, that there is always good.  Always a gift from Him.  Always a smile to find.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.  Lamentations 3:22-24

And now it's 2012.

New Years Day landed on a Sunday this year.  What a wonderfully clean slate it represented.  A new day, a new week, a new month, and a new year!

Today my husband and I sat down to map out our goals and dreams for 2012.  No resolutions, just regrouping.  We'll do it again at the beginning of February.  Either to pat ourselves on the back or to kick ourselves back into action!

For the past few years, I've been choosing a word for the year.  Naming it, if you will.  I named 2011 FREEDOM.  2010 was the year of YES.  Do I sometimes forget what year it is as the months roll by?  Well, yeah.  But, it usually doesn't take too long before the year's name comes calling me back.

2012 is being named "RELEASE".  Not the most common of names, but a very personal one.  This is our year to release pain and illness, to release negative financial concerns, and to release excess possessions.  We are also opening our hearts, hands, and bodies to receive freedom and health.

Hey, 2012 is looking pretty good sitting there all clean and new!

Della May Abdelaziz (5.22.1932 - 9.19.2011)

I am standing on the sea shore,

A ship sails in the morning breeze

and starts for the ocean.
She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her
Till at last she fades on the horizon

and someone at my side says:
“She is gone.”

Gone! Where?
Gone from my sight – that is all.
She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars

as she was when I saw her
And just as able to bear her load of living freight

to its destination.
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me,
not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
“She is gone”,
There are others who are watching her coming,

and other voices take up a glad shout:
“There she comes”
– and that is dying.

Bishop Brent
1862 – 1926

Shallah

There was a little girl,

Who had a little curl,

Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good,

She was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was...

Still  as cute as cute can be.

(Sorry, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it just didn't work the way you wrote it.)

Surprise! Papa's here!

About 2:15 Wednesday morning, Papa came to visit!  Total surprise to me!  I had absolutely no inkling that I would walk downstairs to see his luggage in the living room and then have him pop around the corner!

He came because he missed me, of course, but he was really hoping to see his new grandbaby while he was here.  But, I guess the baby didn't realize that, so Papa had to go back home without meeting him/her.

On Friday, the day before he left, we went up to Estes Park for a family outing and to walk Serena.  Grammie (Serena's mom), Papa, and I explored the town with the grandchildren while Josh and Serena went "hiking". 

As you can see, we have an extra couple of kids.

I brought Meg along and Emily brought her other grandson.

The more, the merrier!

Before we all set out, though, we had a picnic.  We found this lovely little spot next to a church.  It even had a little creek.

Shallah and Papa sharing cookies.

Shallah and Papa have a special thing going.  Before he came, she acted like she loved me.  But one day, I went to get her out of her crib and she hugged her arms around her and said, "I want Papa."  Oh, well.  He's gone now.

Cousins

I am in Colorado awaiting the birth of my sixteenth grandchild, Josh and Serena's sixth child.  I have made it for every birth so far; I certainly hope I timed it well for this one!

I brought my oldest grandchild with me.  It just seemed like fun for the two of us to go on an little adventure.  But, another very compelling reason was so that my two oldest could spend some quality time together.  They are both the first born with several brothers born after each of them.  They need girl time!

 Meg (l) and Jael (r) rolling cookies.

Ready for Dance Camp

Did you notice they like to dress alike?

Summer 2011 Manifesto

Well......Spring didn't go exactly as I had planned.  I'm not sure I have any expectations that summer will, either.  *sigh* 

So, I think I'm going to go nice and simple here.  I hope having this posted in front of me will help keep me focused.  Odd that I've come to a point where I have to focus on having fun.  *another sigh*  So, without further ado, here's to my summer - with a little commentary by Winnie-the-Pooh.

I will get sunshine

and go barefoot on the grass.

“Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.”

I will “just do the next thing”

without anxiety.
“Rivers know this: there is no hurry.
We shall get there some day.”

I will take each day slowly --

no matter how fast the season scurries.

“Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear,

and not bothering.”

I will have fun.

“When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably

just a little eleven o'clockish.”

 

Daddy's 84th Birthday

Today Daddy would have celebrated 84 years. Since he is no longer with us, we figured we'd celebrate anyway. Sarah invited us over for a full-blown dinner for lunch, complete with birthday cake. The kids insisted we sing and blow out a candle. They sang real loud so Grandpa could hear them in heaven.

In honor of this day, I thought I would share what my son, Josh, wrote for his grandfather's funeral:

Remembering Grandpa

The past week has seemed a bit surreal. Grandpa Jones is the first person close to me that I can remember to have passed away. It seems very odd knowing that his physical presence will not be around anymore. It is sad that he is no longer here. But, I am glad that he is no longer suffering and enduring life with a body that was failing him. Instead, he now is in the presence of His King and Lord. As I thought about him that Friday afternoon, I started singing the old hymn, "What a Day That Will Be."


Whenever I think back about being around Grandpa Jones, I am never saddened by the memories. I would like to share some of the things about Grandpa that were unique to him; things that he did before his body began to fail. I want to remember him the way my memories do; I want to remember the things that made Grandpa Grandpa...


I remember, when they lived up in Paradise, how he would always be up on the roof sweeping off the pine needles. There could not have been very many up there but, still, he went up and made sure that they never built up.


I remember many times taking vacations with him and Grandma in the old brownish orange Westfalia. We would drive for hours and he wouldn’t say a whole lot...he just drove. He got us to where we were going.

I remember how he always needed more oil...oil for the cars, for the lawn mower, or just to have some extra. Whenever Grandpa went to the store and he would disappear, you could bet that he would find us soon with a case of oil. That is just who he was.

I remember many nights as a child sleeping on the floor in his house when he would come home from work. His heavy footsteps notified all of us kids that Grandpa was home.


I remember how he always took care to maintain his responsibilities. Whether it was continually checking the oil in the cars, washing his vehicles, sweeping the pine needles, or going in to work everyday. He always made sure the paper goods were burned in a timely manner. Grandpa was a man...plain and simple.


You never had to prime Grandpa for the altar call, to come up for prayer. He was usually the first one to come up. And after he couldn’t get there anymore without difficulty his hand was the first one up. To those that didn’t know him, you may have thought that he must have major problems to always be coming up for prayer. He may have had things he dealt with but he knew that bringing them to Jesus would make the easier to bear.


It was his financial sowing into my life that made it possible for me to play the piano and, as a result, lead the church in worship. Without those many years of continued work I would not be gifted with the abilities I have today.


However, my best memories of Grandpa didn’t involve his chores or his quirky habits. You would often find him with his Bible or a book by Billy Graham. Never one of many words for men, he always had words for his God. I remember so many times walking by his room and seeing him knelt down in prayer. You could never make out the words but every so often he would cry out, “OH, JESUS!!” I can only imagine what he was praying about. The state of the world? Maybe. His grandkids? I am sure he brought our names before the King. And I would imagine that he prayed for Grandma and their marriage. But, I know, without a doubt, that most of the time he was praying for his own 4 children. His heart was always thinking about them. He wanted only the best that God had for each of them. And I have to believe that “the prayers of a righteous man avail much.”

What a Day That Will Be

There is coming a day when no heartaches shall come

No more clouds in the sky, no more tears to dim the eye

All is peace forevermore on that happy golden shore,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

Chorus:

What a day that will be

When my Jesus I shall see,

And I look upon His face,

The One who saved me by His grace;

When He takes me by the hand

And leads me through the Promised Land,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

There'll be no sorrow there, no more burdens to bear,

No more sickness, no pain, no more parting over there;

And forever I will be with the One who died for me,

What a day, glorious day that will be.

And now, Grandpa, you get to be with your Master. No one could ever doubt that you loved your Jesus. You have received the reward for your faithfulness. You no longer have to fight with your natural body that afflicted you for so long. You are now, finally, made perfect in Him.


Grandpa, thank you for all you did for this family. Thank you for always working, for always giving to God first, for always praying for us, and for establishing a firm foundation in Jesus. You have left a legacy that cannot be taken away from you. What you did in quiet service to Jesus will be amplified through the lives you leave behind. I love you, Grandpa...see you soon.


Josh, Serena, and the kids
----------------------------------------------------------

Daddy

Daddy went to live with Jesus last Friday. We celebrated his life here on earth on Wednesday. I believe it was just as he would have wanted it.



We sang, we heard God's Word read and the Gospel preached. As one man summed it up well, it was an honest service for an honest man. It was not pretentious, because he wasn't. It was not somber. It was honestly real. We cried. We laughed. We worshipped.


Gabe officiated and summed it up well by expounding on four things my father loved:

1.  He loved his God. More often than not, you could find him reading his Bible or praying on his knees.


2.  He loved his wife. Even in his sleep, he could be heard saying (or sometimes singing), "I love my wife, I love my wife, I have a wonderful wife, I love my Martha."


3.  He loved his children. He prayed extensively for the salvation of his children.


4.  He loved his church. And he loved going to church.

Daja wrote and read his eulogy.  You can read it here.

Sarah-Kate put together a beautiful tribute in the form of this video montage.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

  I love you, Daddy. 
 

National Wear Your Apron Day

Today was National Wear Your Apron Day.

Five Minute Friday: If I Knew I Could, I Would...

It's Friday!  Time for Five Minute Friday hosted by The Gypsy Mama.  The rules are simple:  Throw caution (editing, revising, and worrying) to the winds and just write for five minutes flat. Without wondering if it’s just right or not.  Here we go.  Today's prompt:  If I Knew I Could, I Would . . .

GO.

If I knew I could, I would . . .


Save the world.

Heal the heartache.

Gather the brokenhearted and just give them a hug.

Spend all the money that’s needed to make sure no one is going to bed hungry.

Protect all the unborn babies from the selfishness of their mothers.

Bring back my father’s mind and soul.

Give my mother true joy and peace….and a good night’s sleep.

Guarantee my children and grandchildren a life without the pain that goes on forever.

Express the love I truly feel inside.

Convince every soul that Jesus gave up everything just for them.

Be the person I envision myself to be.

Be fully awake spending every bit of life I have for Him.

STOP.

Deonte's 4th!

We traveled over an hour so that Deonte could have his fourth birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese -- his first time there.  He enjoyed it immensely and being the center of attention for a whole day and evening suited him just fine, too!  He played hard and ate hard!  Whew!  Can that boy put away some pizza and cupcakes!

 He so enjoyed opening presents with Daddy, though reading every card thoroughly did try his patience a little!

He can definitely sport his new sunglasses! 

Now, remember that first picture of him riding on the horse?  Well, the adults couldn't let him steal the show, even on his birthday!   

Papa 

Mr. Kevin

Happy Birthday, Deonte!  Nana loves  you!

What My Marriage Really Looks Like

We like to take pictures on Easter of how pretty we look in our new clothes.  Sometimes not everything is so new.  Sometimes we don't look so pretty.  But, when things come together and we do take a good picture that we both like, we are happy.  Didn't happen this year.  Nope.  I did like ONE picture, but he didn't like it.  So, no new Facebook profile pics.  At least of us together.

BUT, what we did end up with were a couple of pictures that illustrate our life together.  Enjoy laughing at with us!