Marriage

I have seen much about marriage lately and here is more ...

 

The Empty Jar



"May you spend your lifetime filling your jar with all of the sweet things of your life together."
 

Read the complete message here

 



We are Architects!

 

Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny.

— David O. McKay



image here

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Here is a recent similar great message

We Are the Architects of Our Own Happiness

from Gérald J. Caussé

 

"My dear brothers and sisters, my message for you today is that there is a different path than ones of fear and doubt or self-indulgence—a path that brings peace, confidence, and serenity in life. You can’t control all of the circumstances of your life. Things both good and challenging will happen to you that you never expected. However, I declare that you have control of your own happiness. You are the architects of it."

 

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“Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

 

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See Thoughts in The Guide to the Scriptures for a list of great scriptures on thoughts, such as;

 

As he thinketh in his heart, so is he:Prov. 23:7;

and

Whatsoever things are true, honest, pure, or lovely, think on these things:Philip. 4:8;

Don't forget your history nor your destiny. Bob Marley
Read more at http://www.wow4u.com/destiny-quotes/index.html#UL25uXXMphysteej.99

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
― William Durant


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“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character; Sow a character, and you reap a destiny”

- Charles Reade

 

 

Sow an act and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

Charles Reade

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlesrea181220.html#ZGSJKfQEhTG3wG5O.99

A Blue Piano and Bird Cages and a Lacey Backdrop

This piano looks awesome in blue

 

 

 

I saw this blue piano at Kara's

 

and there was more fun to look at too ...

 

 

 

Isn't it a lovely look!

What lovely combination of high chair, lace, birdcages, and color.

 

 

 

 

Marriage

You might notice that I have been posting a bit about marriage.  I don't know if it's really coincidence or if it is more than that, but there is a bit of a buzz about it lately just because of the laws and government of late.

I have an acquaintance that sends me occasional emails with quotes and short stories. Here is one that she recently sent. 

 

It was a busy morning when an elderly gentleman arrived to have stitches removed from this thumb.

He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment in thirty minutes. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him.

I saw him looking at this watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient. I would evaluate his wound.

It was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors and gathered the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of this thumb, I asked him why he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health.

He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimers disease. As we talked I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was and had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised and asked him, And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.

I had to hold back tears as he left, and I thought That's the kind of love I want in my life.

True love is neither physical nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

Mac Anderson

Sometimes one wonders "what's in it for me?"  What we put into it is what is in it for us!  Our attitude and perception of it. It is up to us!  I can't say this is a true story, but the moral behind it certainly is.


This friend that sends the emails often, if not always, ends with

Have a great day . . . Unless you've made other plans.

Monsters under the bed...

Just a little something to bring a smile ...



“The thing under my bed waiting to grab my ankle isn't real.

I know that, and I also know that if I'm careful to keep my foot under the covers, it will never be able to grab my ankle.”

― Stephen King, Night Shift

I love that!    That's so me!

It reminds me - I'm not afraid of the dark, just don't like what might be in the dark that I cannot see. 

Quilts

I love the quilting on this quilt.  The colors are wonderful.  The pattern is not necessarily my favorite, but the white could be playing a big part in making this Finished Scrappy Rainbow Quilt look so colorful and bright. From Diary of a Quilter

The back is really bright too.

And the edges look lovely with different patterns.  She didn't plan it that way, but ran out of the first pattern and used the small piece of a stripe.  I think it could have had a few different patterned sections throughout.

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Here is a quilt from Moda Bake Shop that has some white in it, framing each color.

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The white in this lovely quilt from Lucy & Norman is in the background.



One of my favorite things about this quilt is the strip of pieces in the back side.  What a sweet addition to create color and character.

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 This quilt from One Shabby Chic uses the same technique as the quilt above (I might have found it from a link on that site above).



Just take another shot.

Perfect -

"Life is like a Camera.  Just focus on what's important and capture the good times, develop from the negatives and if things don't turn out  Just take another shot."



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"When our son Nathan turned two and a half, we began using occasional time-outs as a consequence for breaking family rules. I became concerned, however, by the negative feelings my son displayed when a time-out concluded. He often seemed sad and discouraged. As I prayed for a way to make the experience more positive, I felt impressed to say the phrase “Let’s try again.”

After the next time-out, I took my son’s hand and said with enthusiasm, “Let’s try again!” Suddenly the focus shifted away from his negative behavior and centered instead on the opportunity he had to start over. I was amazed at the difference this approach made. Instead of coming out of time-out feeling punished, he was eager to make better choices."

Complete message - Let's Try Again, by Marianne Monson-Burton

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"Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord." 

Lamentations 3:40

Old Testament

Scrap Quilt

 

Throwing out fabric scraps can sometimes be hard, but hanging on to them can sometimes be harder.

 

Here is a way to use some of those fabric scraps, as seen at Sew Mama Sew

 

 

Scrap Buster Project ~ Tiny Ticker Tape Quilt Tutorial from Amanda Jean

 

 

Another way to use fabric scraps -
Scrap Buster Gift Tags From A Spoonful of Sugar


 

 



Marriage is 100-100, not 50-50

"Marriage is not 50-50; divorce is 50-50.

Marriage has to be 100-100.

It isn't dividing everything in half, but giving everything you've got!"

A Great Article on Marriage

This is only a paragraph of the article:

"As we face this and other issues of our time, we encourage all to bear in mind our Heavenly Father’s purposes in creating the earth and providing for our mortal birth and experience here as His children. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:27–28). “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-being of society. Strong families, guided by a loving mother and father, serve as the fundamental institution for nurturing children, instilling faith, and transmitting to future generations the moral strengths and values that are important to civilization and crucial to eternal salvation."


"Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife."

To read the complete article click HERE - it will be worth it!

Lovely Wedding Looks

Here is a great wedding look at Green Wedding Shoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out their complete photo collection for this Romantic California Barn Wedding.

 

 

Be A Good One!

image is the back of a recipe card I made for my girls

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"An old proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.”

There is something wonderful and hopeful about the word now. There is something empowering about the fact that if we choose to decide now, we can move forward at this very moment.

Now is the best time to start becoming the person we eventually want to be—not only 20 years from now but also for all eternity."

 

Complete message - The Best Time to Plant a Tree, by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

brick wall +

I couldn't seem to pin this, but I like this wall and look I found at Karla's Closet

 

 

I like the brick, the sidewalk, the bench, the doors, the railing, the windows and doors in the upper level behind the railing.

 

 

It's all lovely!

Smile, Giggle, Sleep

I was sitting at my computer one morning and just searching a few places.  I grabbed a leftover Christmas Dove chocolate and found this saying on the wrapper -

 

 

 

That brought a smile to my heart and face.  Maybe because I didn't have a very restful night the night previous to that, though I don't think it was because I didn't smile before bed.  ;)

 

 

Anyway, I continued searching blogs and found this from The Hunted Interior.

 

Isn't that sweet! 

 

 

It probably intrigued me a bit more than usual because I had just been thinking about my smile and happiness posts as you might have read in my most recent One Word post.

 

 

Is it all coincidental or is there really something to it?

 

 

 

"Smile before bed.  You'll sleep better."

 

 

 

 

 

One Word

 

Do you know what Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year for 2013 is?

 

It's selfie.

 

(Go ahead and click on the link above to read about it if you wish.)

 

Personally, I am not a fan of selfies and have never taken one. Many seem to represent immoral or selfish all about me images ..., at least that is how they appeared to me when I first began to see them a few years ago.  I do admit however, that I have seen some that were not either of those things, and have actually been cute and even family oriented. I appreciate those.

 

 

Tim Challies (a blogger, author and book reviewer) seems to like selfies. Among other things, he says

"The selfie is the inevitable result of a world of customization, a world of self, a world of carefully crafting an online identity in which we are sovereign, in which we are our own gatekeepers."   He goes on to say that the selfie is a "snapshot of your heart".

 

 

Merriam-Webster's word of the year is science.  "Merriam-Webster selected its top ten words of the year by looking at the most-searched-for words on its online dictionary, along with the words that show the biggest increase in look-ups compared with years past."

  

 

I've heard about individuals who choose a word of their own for the year and focus on it to help them become a better person. 

 

My One Word suggests that 

 

 "This process provides clarity by taking all your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single focus. Just one word that centers on your character and creates a vision for your future."

 

 

Much good can be done by choosing one word and making that your focus for the year.

 

"As the year takes shape, so does your one word. Your word begins to reach into areas of your life that you may not have expected when you picked it. This is one of the surprising by-products of using your word as lens."  (Assessing Impact)

 

 

Christine Kane suggests that you

"Get quiet over the next few days. And pick a word for the year.

Just one word. That’s all.

Then, hold that word in your mind throughout the year, and let your word guide you to take action."

 

She shares a few ideas of words that might be helpful in your life.

 

 

From One Word 365 we read that

"Choosing a word for your year is no small thing. It requires all of you every day. Choosing a word is meant to be life changing for you. The hope is that in 365 days, you will look back and be able to say, “I am different.”

 

 

It seems like a good idea and I am intrigued -

 

pick a word and live by it!

 

Tip Junkie shows a necklace with that one word - an excellent way to help you remember what you are focusing on.

It can also be found on Lisa Leonard Blog.

 

And then there is Ali Edwards

 

 

 

 What would my word for this year be?

 

Though I have not really chosen and word to work on each year I have tried to focus on something to help me be a bit better person.  The posts about happiness and smile would be some proof of that, and the posts about A Grateful Heart would be another.

 

I have felt a change in myself as I have tried to focus on these things more often, but I know I still have a long way to go.  There are many ways I can improve, so 

 

I'll be Contemplating!

 

 

It is a Thoughtful process!

 

 

Do you have a word for the year?

 

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 (added later - Oh My Word!)

 

You are not your past ... Shape your future

 

 

 



image here

 

(“We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here now with the power to shape your day and your future.”)

― Steve Maraboli

 

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From a Columbia Basin Development League Newsletter

 

 

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“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”

― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

I got this in my email from http://www.dailyupliftingquotes.com/index.php 

 

 

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image here

  ("When you finally let go of the past, something better comes along")

 

 



Surrounded by Color

  

I really enjoy seeing the color tags added to pictures of the scenes that surround us.  They aren't necessarily things we see daily, but they are usually things of nature that are so lovely and I am so grateful for our God who gave us this wonderfully beautiful world in which we live and where we find these scenes that surround us.

I found color palette generator and used a photo I took earlier to see what I could come up with.  This is a scene we saw in November on our walk to the transplant clinic.  It was a beautiful thing to see each day and I decided to snap a photo of it so I could keep that look available to view as I wished.

I used that photo to come up with this

Generator

#665555 #888877 #dd6688 #ccdddd #bbccaa dull

 #665555 #999977 #ff3377 #ccccdd #aacc99 vibrant

I like that sight - it's quite easy to use and the dull and vibrant color choices are lovely.  However, I do think the green they chose was a different green than I see in the photo.

Color Hunter is another site I found and they give a similar color scheme.  Again, the green is a bit different than what my eyes see, but is more true to what the computer is seeing as we compare the two sites.

One more site I have used before is Chip It! by Sherwin Williams.  I think the greens match best here, so this would be my favorite.  The first thing it shows is the first column of colors. It has a tab under that column that says Edit Colors, and when I clicked that tab it showed the second column of colors. 

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 Image Color Picker allows you to click on the photo and find colors of each area of your photo.

I found a few other sites to check out, but haven't really taken the time to do so yet.  They are about color, but each offers something a bit different: 

Color Scheme Designer,

Adobe Kuler Color Wheel,

and Sherman Williams Color Visualizer,

and to see how you can use paint chips check out Colour Lovers

If you have used any of these and have any comments about them please leave a comment here or send me an email to share your thoughts.

Thanks!

and

Happy Color-ing! 

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Organizing after Christmas

I purchased a few new things for Christmas this year, but I'm not home to put them away yet.  They are stuffed in a closet until we can get them home. 

At home I've got shelves full of Christmas décor and barely an inch or two of room left to squeeze anything else in, so when I get home it's going to take some organizing and re-organizing to put all the new with the old. 

Luckily we were in a small apartment for Christmas 2013 so we don't have a lot of new décor to add, but any little bit is more than the room I have at home.  
  

My hankies and elves will not take much room.  
This snowman is a bit larger, but he is skinny so maybe he can slide in somewhere. 

And the wreath could be a tricky fit. 
I have a few other things and will probably stuff them somewhere until Christmas 2014 so I don't have to go through all the boxes to find the proper place and fit.

Ill have to remember to be prepared with extra boxes and things to use when I do put them exactly where I want them.  

I use a lot of Rubbermaid or similar type boxes. Those from Costco are great.  I love the clear containers so that I can see through them and I don't label much if I can already see what's inside.

It takes up extra space to put small boxes inside of large boxes, so I don't do a lot of that.  I usually just stick all the small boxes on the shelf unless they are really small boxes.  

I don't have to climb to an attic so packing in and out is not too hard.  If I keep gathering things I might have to start preparing a place in the attic.  No, I will just have to find another space because I'll never be able to climb up and down from our attic with large boxes full of delicate and fragile items.
 

Maybe I will go through and organize everything in my house and maybe I'll be able to get rid of things easier since I haven't seen or used them in what will be about 5 or so months. And maybe that will then give me more room.

Those are big maybes!  

It's always hard for me to get rid of things, so it will not be easy, but I'll give it my best shot. Some people say to Purge Until It Fits, but that is truly a difficult, if not impossible, task for me.  I don't purge like items so the space I free up doesn't always allow the new item to be put where the old item came from. My bad!

I'm an Organizing Junkie has a post about organizing through the year - Popular Monthly Organizing Posts of 2013.  Her goal is to keep the posts coming for this new year - Creating Peaceful Organized Homes in 2014.

I Heart Organizing has a few great ideas too, including one for my wreath (except I don't have a door I can do that with - mine are French doors).

And more: 52 Weeks of Organizing, HGTV Organizing, and of course you can click on the Organizing label in the labels list to the right and find a few more ideas and looks, and even a fun quote or two about organizing. 

Now, all this talk about organizing could make one think I was making a new year resolution.  Nope, I try that on occasion but I just can't seem to make them work for me.  It's not my thing.  
So, when I saw this

(here)


I smiled!