I've Been Awarded!

My sweet daughter Julia, awarded me this Kreativ Blogger Award. Thank You!!

I am awarding this to:
Kimba at A Soft Place to Land
Cindy at An Army for the Lord
Michelle at She Looketh Well
Gina at Chats With An Old Lady

There are many more creative blogs out there but these are just a few that I follow. You are each creative in your own way. You also bless me in your own way. Thank you!!

Blessings,

Gloria

Winter Wonderland Vacation

We are home from a great time in Michigan, visiting family and seeing the snow! We had such a wonderful time! We stayed with my sister and brother-in-law, where we had the best hospitality and fellowship. My children, being born in southern Florida and now living in Georgia, had never played in snow or even seen the ground covered in snow. Well, Michigan cooperated and gave us a phenomenal winter experience. The snow was deep and it was bitterly cold. Often the temperature was below zero. My children had so much fun playing in the snow and sledding. I couldn't get the video to work so please go check out Julia's blog and see the great pictures and videos. A special time for me was showing my children where I grew up and taking them to see Lake Michigan and the lighthouse at Grand Haven. I have lots of fond memories of this area and it was nice to visit here. This is a picture of the pier. It was so cold we couldn't walk down any closer to the water's edge.

We also visited with family that we haven't seen in many years. My children met some of their cousins for the first time and enjoyed playing in the snow and hanging out with them. We had the chance to see my parents and the home my dad is building. So good to see them again.

Maybe we will make this an annual event!

Gloria

Julia is having a Jewelry Giveaway!

My sweet daughter Julia is having a giveaway! She makes beautiful jewelry and would like to share it with some friends. So hop on over to her blog and enter! You will be glad you did! You can find her here or on my blog list.

Blessings,

Gloria

Frugal Friday: Freecycle

My frugal tip for this Friday is the Freecycle. Have you heard of it? I just recently found out about it. It is a website that sponsored by local citizens in the effort to recycle by sharing things with others for FREE! Yes, I said, FREE! There seems to be one in every city. I live in a very rural area with a small town and we have one. Just Google "Freecycle" and see if there is one near you.

I shared some clothes we had outgrown and the recipients were so grateful. I felt I had done a good deed for someone, instead of just dropping them off at a thrift shop.

Have fun sharing!

Gloria
Check out the other lovely ladies at Biblical Womanhood for their frugal tips!

Are You Lonely? Need Some Good Socialization?

Then you should check out The Homeschool Lounge!

I started my blog to reach out and make some new friends. I guess I was lonely and needing some good socialization. I am a true homebody but it is nice to connect with other women once in a while. While I was crusing through cyber-space, I came across The Homeschool Lounge. I finally got up the courage and joined. Oh, I'm glad I did. I was welcomed by several very nice ladies. They have all kinds of groups that you can get involved in. You can be as involved as you want, a little or a lot. The best part is that it is only for homeschool MOMS. No men, no anti-Bible or anti-homeschooling, just a safe place for women to connect. So check it out!

Have fun,
Gloria

New Look and Thankfulness

First, my creative daughter Julia helped me get a new look on my blog. It is so much fun to change things around for a fresh look. She created the header on Scrapblog. Good job, Sweetie!

Second, I am so thankful for some little things today.

• I am thankful for my big, strong, teenage children that can help me move things around the house, like chairs and boxes of stuff.
• I am thankful for a cozy, strong house. The weather is very unsettled here today. Cloudy and rainy one minute and then sunny and VERY windy the next.
• I am thankful for my comfortable bed. When I laid down in bed last night, it felt so good. It reminded me to be thankful even for a bed!
• I am thankful for a new friend. Her name is Cindy and I met her in blog world. She's very sweet!

Those are just what I can think of at this moment. It feels good to be thankful. Kinda hard to feel down when I'm thinking thankful thoughts!

So, thanks Lord! You are good to me!

Gloria

Goals for the New Year

I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions or really even sit down in January and chart new goals. I probably should because I have heard it said, "If you don't know where you are going any train will take you there." I think that was Doug Phillips.
I guess I have a running list in my head of things I'd like to do or do better. But this year I want to write them down so that I can look back to see if I have accomplished my goals.

1. Spend more time with God in prayer and reading the Bible. "More" is an abstact quantity but I do want to be in His presence um...more! :-)

2. Be grateful for little things.

3. Take time to smell the flowers. Do what it takes to enjoy my family and my life in a fuller way.

4. Make new friends.

5. Make a quilt.

6. Learn how to write and publish books.

7. Increase our home business.

8. Establish a regular date night with my dear husband.

9. Have fun!

10. Help my children each learn a new skill.

Well, that about does it. I am looking forward to a great year.
Hope your year is great, too!

Gloria

Check out Biblical Womanhood with Crystal Paine. Lots of other lovely ladies have posted their goals, too.

True Religion

Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

I was inspired this morning by a post by Miss Jocelyn. The Weekly included this verse. Yes, yes, this is the essence of the Christian life.

Doing a little study in the Strong's concordance shows me that the word "require" (H1875) is defined as: properly to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication to seek or ask; specifically to worship.

"Do" (H6213) means do or make. "Justly" means (H4941)From H8199; properly a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (particularly) divine law, individual or collectively), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly justice, including a particular right, or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style.

"Love" (H157) means have affection for. "Mercy" (H2617) means kindness.

So what does God want us to frequently seek and do? Do justice, make a verdict or have a style of right. Have an affection for kindness. And walk in humility with my God.

Wow! That seems simple but is really a mouthful. Is my life characterized by right decisions and actions? Do I choose the easy road or follow the straight and narrow way that leads to righteousness? OK. I usually do that.

Do I have an affection for kindness? Is my life oozing kindness or do I easily judge someone who is not just like me? I don't mean condone sin, I mean am I kind? Would my children name kindness as one of my character traits? If you can't say Amen, say ouch.

Do I walk humbly before my family and others? Is my way the right way? Could I be more gracious and put away pride? OK, Lord, I'm convicted here. Help me to be what you want me to be.

When poeple hear you speak, would they know you are a Christian? Is God foremost in your life? How does God change your life for the good? Does He help you through troubled times and answer your prayers? These are some questions I have been pondering lately. I so want God to shine through me to others. Lord, work through me today.

What about you?

Gloria

What a Nice Day

The day was so nice. I have been fighting a sore throat for about 10 days now. No energy for fun or work. Yesterday was foggy and rainy. You could barely see about 50 feet. I think our little mountain had a cloud sitting on top of it.

But today, today was nice! The sun came out and it warmed up to about 72 degrees. (F) Right after lunch we headed out to the park. Nearby we have a state park with a lovely river that flows through it. We set up our chairs and stretched out in the sun. The bright rays warmed my face and a gentle breeze ruffled my hair. Oh, it was nice. It was so relaxing. The children puttered around the riverbank, skipping stones and finding interesting pieces of wood. They said the water was cold. I took their word for it!

After a restful hour, we headed home. The children were peaceful after burning off some steam and we parents were content and relaxed.

We need the rain and are grateful when we get it, but it was wonderful to be in the sun today.

Gloria

Awesome Soup Recipe

I love to cook and I am constantly looking for really good, tasty recipes.

We had leftover ham with a bone and I thought I'd try some ham soup. I don't have a favorite recipe for that so I went looking, I found a great recipe for Ham and Potato Soup. Wow! Was it ever good!! You could even make it without the ham and it would still be great. I found it here. I simmered the ham bone in water for several hours and used that broth instead of the water that is called for in the soup. I didn't add the bouillon. I also doubled the recipe and I'm sure glad I did. It went fast! You could even use the base for other soups that are creamy. Check it out. But don't just take my word for it, almost 2000 other people liked it too! :-)

Good eating,
Gloria