In the Storm

52lists | week 15

I've heard of many people who have pages and pages of favorite quotes. I realized in putting a list of favorites together that many of my most favorite quotes, though not listed here, come straight out of the Word of God. I'm not a fan of crude and rude quotes but more so those that are uplifting, words to live by. Many are how and what I believe down to the core of my being.

And it truly is a day wasted if I haven't laughed. Even in the most sorrowful of times, such as when my dad passed away - I laughed. My family and I laughed, sharing those funny stories about Dad. And even if I'm in a fog, or a mood of discontent, or frustration invariably one of my sons does something that will make me laugh.

And many are gentle reminders.

I've seen, recently, a photographer/scrapbooker is putting together her favorite quotes, decoratively, in a scrapbook. In so many ways, ones favorite quotes say alot about a person. I think a scrapbook would be a really good idea.

 

Join me and Moorea-Seal and her 52 Lists Project.

52lists | week 14

When I was a kid I wrote short stories, usually about high school kids and football players and cheerleaders, and love, battling back from pain to success, with gripping stories and shed tears. They were childish short stories from a niave girl.

And I wrote poems that I thought were publish-worthy but were - are - horribly plain and void of gift. But, oh, I wanted the gift! I still do, in some ways, want the abilities to speak my heart through words.

And then I wanted to be a cop. More specifically, a Florida Highway Patrol Officer. I glamorized the job and only saw it superficially through the eyes of CHiPs. But, it led me to college majoring in Criminal Justice.

Now, my dream job would be to run a weather station. But, also be a lead weather forecaster, man the Doppler radar, and brief pilots in station and via PMSV. My real-life job in the military, towards the end of my career had me doing just that but after retirement many different roads have been taken. Maybe one day the road will lead back to weather.

I can only dream.

For now I'm content being a homeschool mom. A homeschool co-op high school Meteorology teacher, a blogger (not-for-pay), a celebrity chef of my own home, and a Bible study teacher in my church.

52lists | week 13

I made some progress yesterday with my studio organizing, purging and cleaning. I emptied 4 various-sized bins and began a box to donate to homeschool co-op or give away, or sell - not sure which yet.

The Farmer's Market in Richmond Hill is opened on Tuesday's so I might visit that today - and not wait another week. The boys are itchin' to use our baskets and bring home fresh baked bread, while I'm lookin' for vegetables and maybe some local honey.

I have so many projects I want to tackle but the state of my studio is still limiting what I can do. I need to be more pro-active about it all and just purge - get serious.

These 52lists are still amazing. I've printed them, put them in a document protector, and have included them in my Project Life.

52lists | week 12

Such a wonderfully good project brought to us my Moorea-Seal. I am enjoying immensely this exercise in musing, in reflecting, in my worth, in my life, in my heart, in my mind, what is dear to me, what I speak, what my heart speaks, what I see and hear and own.

Home.

It is where I am at right now.

So all those things in my world right now are home to me. I see my thoughts have me at the beach as the temperatures have begun to sore and the memories of cooler waters, hot sand, and walking hand in hand before enjoying watching Jeff and the boys make sand castles - every single time we go to the beach. It's a home tradition.

My challenge for the week will not be difficult as I'm battling intense back and neck pains: put on some pajamas, pour myself some cups of coffee and read a good book. We've been reading aloud White Fang.

52lists | week 11

I have to be honest and say I was tripped up by the word essential in this week's list. I want to preface this list with I trust God to provide for my needs. This 'essentials' list is my needs and wants, but not necessarily those needs God has promised to provide. I felt the dilemma. I struggled with not wanting to usurp God in any way.

Then I remembered or decided that my God is a really big God and he knows my heart and that he knows I'm not leaving him out I'm just expressing this human's essentials. Confused yet?

In other words - my heart is in the right place with God and this list.

There is a couple things I realized in writing this list:

1) I realized that I really do like affirmations - both giving and receiving. I like affirming my husband and receiving affirmations from him; I 'feel' the affirmations deep down.

2) I would have put hugs on my list of essentials but I realized I just don't receive many hugs even though I know in my heart I treasure everyone. Before Jeff and I even began dating it was his hugs that really drew me to him. They were only 'brotherly love' type hugs from one Christian to another but I loved them so much. They were good hugs. Hugs are so rare now. I know when I give and get hugs from dear friends they mean so much and touch so deep.

3) I could never live in a place where there are few clouds. Please Lord don't ever send me to Arizona!!!

 

If you're interested in joining in 52 Lists join Moorea-Seal's 52 List Project.

52lists | week 10

Week 10 of my 52 Lists project led by Moorea-Seal and I still love this so. It is an amazing exercise into my world, into me - who I am.

Spring is on its way. With some bumps of winter still holding on for dear life, I guess I am looking forward to spring - all but the heat that comes with the season. But, the 'throwing open the windows' and enjoying the cool breeze kind of days are my kind of spring. And the colors that begin to turn from dingy gray to bright yellows and oranges and reads. Unfortunately, we'll lose the blue, blue skies that winter shares after a cold front passes through and dries out the skies. Instead, thunderstorms with color the skies. Ok. you got me there. I'll take the thunderstorms that bring the spring rains and nourish the drying earth back to life along with newly planted gardens.

So I joined in to celebrate spring with a much-needed cleansing, to welcome spring. And to meet a challenge which won't be easy - the cleaning my scraproom part.

52lists | week 09

GO.

That was the new challenge from Moorea-Seal with her 52 Lists Project.

And I took the challenge. I stayed away from the dramatic and 'just not going to happen' and those place that I could have put down just to put more down but instead kept it real.

Real me.

Real places I want to GO. I guess it is like a Bucket List of sorts of GO places. Some may happen this year. Some may happen within a few weeks. Some we just don't have the money for. A few have been on my list of things I'd like to do for so many years it isn't even funny, though not yet sad.

GO white water rafting

GO camping with my family

GO visit Nova Scotia

GO see my daughter in Alaska

GO on a cruise with my husband and sons

GO on a Spiritual Retreat with some girlfriends

GO on an International mission trip

GO serve at Equipping the Saints

GO to Italy

GO to Washington D.C.

GO to a drive-in movie

GO to the Framers Market regularly

GO camping with our Small Group

GO to the Savannah Tea Room

GO to all the restaurants in Savannah we’ve never been to but want to

GO to a day spa

GO Swimming

GO to the beach and watch the sunrise and stay to watch the sunset

GO to thrift stores and search for vintage treasures

GO see a Broadway show

GO on a hot air balloon ride

GO to the Holy Land

GO on a week-long Disney vacation

GO on at least two-date nights a month with my husband (we’ve been doing this for over a year and it is fantastic!!!)

GO on more photo walks

52lists | week 08

moorea-seal

Over the years I have had a varied acceptance of music. While on the one hand I love it and on the other I can do without it. Presently, I love Christian music, Christian albums but won't spend the money on something that I listen to in the car and I'm ok with that. I do however, on occasion bring up a song that gets in my head, find it on YouTube or somewhere over the world wide web that allows listening and will proceed to play it over and over. But over the years, I have had such an eclectic mix of favorite album offerings. These have been for different seasons in life.

When I was in high school I began listening to Barry Manilow on good ole' record albums. Barry Manilow you say? Really? Yep, really. I loved his voice and the kind of music he sang. I probably had most of his albums then. It didn't matter, when I left home, joined the military, and found out that Barry Manilow was not an 'in' musician. I even saw him in concert in the early 80's. I had to buy a friends ticket to get him to go with me because he just didn't like Barry Manilow. I Write the Songs is probably, still, one of my all-time favorites.

Then there was that time in Weather Observing school when I went to the movies and saw An Officer and a Gentlemen, bought the soundtrack and listened to the cassette (yes, cassettes were all the rage) over and over. I remember studying in my dorm room to the music, or playing it in the morning when I was getting into my uniform, cleaning my room for inspection, and turning it off just before heading out to formation.

I went through a country faze, actually two fazes and two different times; one old school country and one more modern: Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Alabama (oh my! really?) Yep! Waylon Jennings, George Strait, Toby Keith, and of course, Faith Hill.

I enjoyed the offerings of Reo Speedwagon, Journey, the Bee Gees, Andy Gibb, and Genesis; Fleetwood Mac and Taylor Dayne for a season.

For the last 10 -15 years it has been mostly Christian music with some country thrown in that has captured my attention and heart. But, even Christian music has had it's seasons. When I first became a Christian (or around the time I was seeking the Lord) I actually asked some friends to lead me to some good Christian music and who should I listen to. I was led to Amy Grants, Age to Age, Sandy Patty, Twila Paris, and Ray Boltz. When I spent some time in Korea I hung out with a bunch of Christian's and one of the guys I befriended was a guitarist, played at the Hospitality House for worship and introduced me to some of my all time favorites: Benny Hester, Keith Green, and Michael Card. I moved into some Kathy Troccoli and Cindy Morgan for their voices: husky and soulful.

Somewhere along the way I found 4Him, which is today probably my most favorite group of all time, with Avalon a close second. I can listen to their albums again and again - and especially if I'm walking I will do just that. They are my go-to albums with an amazing message. I haven't bought an album in years but if I were to I'd probably get albums by Natalie Grant, Casting Crowns, Mark Shultz, Matt Redmond, Matthew West, Phillips, Craig, & Dean, Aaron Shust, Francesca Battiselli, Mercy Me, and definitely Third Day.

In a day or two I'll probably be reminded of an album that I know I've loved but my connection with music right now is songs mostly. The latest songs that arrive onto the radio.

And without further ado - my list:

4Him – The Basics of Life

4Him – Face the Nation

Avalon – The Very Best

Avalon – The Greatest

Kathy Troccoli – Sounds of Heaven

Journey – Escape

Reo Speedwagon –  Hi Infidelity

Fleetwood Mac – Rumors

Pat Benatar – In the Heat of the Night

Soundtrack – Officer and a Gentleman

Soundtrack – Top Gun

Simon and Garfunkel – Greatest Hits

Trisha Yearwood – Songbook

Garth Brooks – No Fences

Casting Crowns – Casting Crowns

Benny Hester – Personal Best

Michael Martin Murphy – Blue Sky Night Thunder

Amy Grant – Age to Age, Lead Me On

Soundtrack – Grease

Alabama – Greatest Hits

Ray Boltz – The Altar, No Greater Sacrifice, Watch the Lamb

Michael Card – The Life, The Final Word

Keith Green – The Ministry Years, Vol. 1 & 2

Twila Paris – Sanctuary

Cindy Morgan – The Loving Kind

Bee Gees – Saturday Night Fever

Andy Gibb – Shadow Dancing

Barry Manilow – Greatest Hits, Live, Even Now, If I Should Love Again, One Voice,

Barry Manilow – This One’s For You, Barry

Michael Jackson – Off the Wall

Third Day – Offerings- A Worship, Wherever You Are

Genesis – Invisible Touch

Taylor Dayne – Can’t Fight Fate, Tell it to My Heart

Mark Shultz – Stories and Songs, Mark Shultz

 

And another amazing exercise into my past, and my present. I can see a bit of my future there too. Maybe, I need to set some of my focus on music. It does speak to my heart. It sets my heart moving closer to God when I listen to the words of the songs. Wasn't it Ten Thousand Reasons, by Matt Redmond, that moved me to write, to journal, my very own Ten Thousand Reasons to bless His Name?  

52 lists | week 07

                                                                               brought to us by moorea-seal

I knew without a doubt that there would come a weekly prompt that would challenge my mind, body, and soul. But, mostly my heart. I know where I stand body-wise regarding health. I am overweight, obese and I don't like it. But there are without any doubt a few things that change my way of thinking and make my body feel healthy. With my plaguing knee and leg pains I feel I am not in the right frame of mind to find that place of seeing more things that make my body feel healthy.

Many on my list, then, reflect those things that make my mind and my soul feel healthy. And a few that serve to make my mind, my body, and my soul feel healthy. It is an interesting exercise, albeit difficult.

Just as my other lists will, I will include this list into my Project Life album - Week 7.

52 lists | week 06

                                       brought to you by moorea-seal

this was not a difficult prompt but one i needed to think about carefully. because it isn't about just writing down a few words to meet the prompt question or phrase. but - what am i gonna' do about it? how is it going to move me to action? or - will it just sit on a piece of paper, tucked away in project life with no fruit to be had. not sure if moorea-seal realizes that love is an action word. it's a verb. i imagine she does from her own responses to her own prompt.

love is an action word.

here is 52 lists | week 06

i realize i do some, if not many, of these on the list. i realized i speak love through action in many ways. but i know there are other ways in which i am not. this was a wonderful prompt and an even more wonderful challenge to myself.