Bloom....please!

Hmmmm.... I wonder if God finds it humorous that I named my blog {Bloom Right Here!}? When I chose that name I was in a good spot; growing and thriving in my comfortable little world. How many times since then have I found myself withering instead of blooming?

Sometimes I think God is saying to me, "This is where I planted you. Bloom....please!" If only I were a better listener. I am trying.

In turn, I hope my bulbs grow and bloom. I have paper whites in the milk glass pedestal and the boots and an amaryllis in the other white container. Paper whites are new to me and I am not sure how quickly they usually grow. Have you ever grown an amaryllis? Especially if you have children, you really should try it. They grow so fast! It is fun to put a ruler in the soil beside it and check the height each day.

I always buy my bulbs on clearance after Christmas. Of course, these containers came from the thrift store. The itty-bitty black boots were my boys'. When I came across them recently I started to get rid of them, but decided I couldn't part with them. Do you know how many pair of these "muddy boots" my boys have had? They have been a wardrobe essential for them since they were toddlers. At 9 and 12 they are still wearing them.

Just before Christmas I received a package in the mail from Jill of Jill Ruth & Co. Inside was this beautiful piece of art. I wish I would have taken a better picture. Hand stitching. Free-form machine stitching. Old buttons. Bent wire. It is absolutely wonderful!

Jill also sent these little "word nuggets." So fun!

Thank you, Jill, for reminding me to bloom! And thank you, Lord, for sending me friends to remind of this!


{...the desert will bloom with flowers. It will be very glad and shout with joy. The glorious beauty of Lebanon will be given to it.... Everyone will see the glory of the Lord. They will see the beauty of our God. Isaiah 35:2}

Just a Little Something

Lots going on in my head and in my heart right now, but I'm not sure any of it is blog-worthy. I don't have much time today. Just thought I would show you a little project I did recently.

In the February issue of Country Living I saw this little tray. It is not exactly my style, but it still caught my eye.

I decided to use some of these little black trays I've had for a long time and make something a little more to my liking. I have 8 of these and I'm sure I paid less than $1 for them at the thrift store a few years ago. First I primed them and then painted them with my favorite red paint.

Then I used Mod Podge to adhere some old reciepts. The store-bought version is okay, but I like mine better! I think these would be good to put in the laundry room or on your dresser to catch the "pocket change." Or set it on a table next to your door so you will always have a place to drop your keys when you come in. My version is also metal, so that adds some magnetic possibilities.

See that quilt the trays are sitting on? That is one of my newest thrift store finds. I will have to blog about it soon.

I am linking up to Becky's blog again today. Just click on the button below to see some fun projects.

Saturday's Psalm

{"O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things." Psalm 98:1}

A Thought for Thursday

This is all I've got for you today....

{Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10}

I'm linking up to "$100 Ideas Under $100" over at Becky's blog.

A Look Back

Hello! I hope you haven't completely given up on me - or just plain forgot about me and my little old blog. We traveled some (and by some I mean from Arkansas to Kansas to Colorado, back to Kansas and home to Arkansas) at Christmas. Since we have been home I have been trying to come up with some great, inspiring blog post to start out the new year. I am still trying to come up with it.....

Until then I thought I would share some photos from the past year. I just went through my pictures month-by-month and picked a favorite for each month.

Well-dressed chairs for January.

February's beautiful bloom!

Hope springs eternal in March.


Sweet Girl's April Easter dress.


A latch from an old leather suitcase I sold in May.


June was canning season. {wink}

It was not I who turned 40 in July!

An August prayer.

And a September prayer.

Lovin' my clothesline on an October day!

November is family picture time.

December's simple tree decorations.

That is my quick year-in-review. I wonder what my pictures will be like a year from now? I know that God has good things in store for our family. Waiting on (and recognizing) those "good things" is sometimes difficult. My January 2010 prayer needs to be one of patience and surrender.

{Surrender your heart to God, turn to him in prayer. Job 11:13}

{We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. Romans 5:3}

Hope

I'm sorry that I have been "away" for so long. I won't go into all the reasons or excuses. You know how life is - especially this time of year. I will say this, right now the blog world is full of Christmas decor. Everywhere I turn I see beautiful photos of stockings, trees and wreaths. Don't get me wrong, I usually love to decorate. I have boxes and boxes of decorations. But this year I guess I am having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit.....

....Until this past weekend when I had a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

Many of you have likely had the privilege of watching your child perform in a Christmas Pageant. You know the excitement of seeing your child re-enact the Christmas story. Unless you are the parent of a child with "special needs." Then maybe your child has been left out. Or possibly worse, he or she has been included, only to stick out like a sore thumb. You are proud of your child but you know the hurt of them not fitting in.

Now imagine a stage filled with smiling children; all with differing abilities.

The angels are there.

And so are the shepherds and stable animals.

The wise men have brought gifts.

And of course Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus are present. And the bright star. And the innkeeper. And narrators.....

Yesterday, with tears streaming down my face, I witnessed the most beautiful portrayal of The Nativity that I have ever seen. "Labels" and "syndromes" were forgotten. Wheelchairs and walkers didn't matter. Perfection took on a new meaning as some of God's very special children shared His very precious story.

Fancy decorations don't matter. Neither do expensive toys and gifts. What does matter is this.....Over 2000 years ago a baby boy was born in a stable, bringing the gift of Hope to the world. Thanks to Hope Landing, that gift of Hope is being shared with children and parents who desperately need it.

{But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11}

Four Words

M&M's. Premiums. Mint. Chocolate. Four words that have kept me going this week. Okay, that is probably not really the truth. But seriously, have you tried them? The M&M's Premiums have been out for some time now, but I hadn't tried them. I'm too cheap to pay $3.99 for a little box of M&M's. So, imagine my surprise as I was strolling down the cosmetics/pharmacy aisle at Kroger the other day. I stopped to check out their little "clearance" section and way down on the bottom shelf were several boxes of M&M's Premiums Mint Chocolate. Right below the pantyhose. Marked down to 39 cents! Let's just say I came home with a few boxes.

We got moved in to the rental house last weekend. It has been an interesting week.

The color of the living room is "Rusty Pumpkin." I don't really know what the name of the paint color is. I just know it is going to take some getting used to. It's not nearly as pretty as the little pumpkin in the picture. See the little "straw" bundle? My nine year old created that with some dried grass or something. I just stepped out the front door and noticed it the other day.

I've spent a small fortune on critter control in this place. That's all I'm going to say about that.

Speaking of critters, the guys killed a baby copperhead snake while raking and bagging 33 bags of leaves in the front yard on Saturday.

The garage door has a mind of its own. Sometimes it just opens. Nice.

We moved from the "sticks" into town and we now have poor cell phone/internet reception. Go figure. I will be lucky to get through this post before I get "disconnected."

Here is a little peek into our master bathroom. I think this entire bathroom could fit inside the tub of our old bathroom. No towel bar? No problem. An old floor lamp will do just fine.

And teal is no longer just an accent color. I bought these thrifted cups for our toothbrushes when we moved into the other house. They are almost an exact match to the tile that covers most of this bathroom.

I haven't unpacked much more than just the necessities so far. But the other day I was needing something to make this place feel more like home. I dug my aprons out of a box and tied them to this curtain rod. I know it doesn't look great, but they do help to cheer me up.

So does this sign. Where do you suppose this was originally posted?

How is that for a random post? I probably won't have time to post again this week, so Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you have a blessed day with family and friends.

{“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”- Psalm 100:4-5}

Welcome Home

Right now I should be:

• Packing more boxes
• Making address changes
• Buying a refrigerator
• Doing laundry
• And a million other things.....

Instead, my heart just felt like making a card for the family buying our house. So many emotions this week..... We close on this house on Thursday. Since my husband hasn't found a new job yet, we are moving to a rental in town. I am struggling with that.

"Home is where the heart is." My heart isn't at that rental - I can tell you that much. I've written before about the struggles of moving here. And yes, we long to move out of this area..... Right now, though, my heart is out here in the country. Peace and quiet. Deer in the front yard. Watching the boys, fishing poles in hand, walk to the pond. Coffee on the front porch (in my pj's).

I'm sad for our family. Again, I find myself wondering what God is doing. Sorry. Then I think of the feelings of the new family. Having never owned a home before, they must be so excited. Room for the small children. Maybe a swingset in the yard. Strolls down the country road. Possibly even coffee on the front porch (in pj's)!

Anyway, that is my rambling for today. I need to get back to my list......

{"But our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven." Philippians 3:20}

Happy 9th Birthday, Mr. P!

This adorable little guy was born 9 years ago today. He has been bringing smiles and laughter into our lives ever since.

His humorous personality was evident at a very young age.

See? He just makes you laugh!

He and his brother both went through a pretty big cowboy stage.

You will just have to take my word for it - that is really him underneath that hat. He was tuckered out after helping Grandpa and Grandma with a chuckwagon dinner.

He is such a loving brother. He and Sweet Girl have quite a bond.

He is a piano player.....

.....a great student.....

.....a fisherman.....

....and a lego-maniac!

I love you, buddy!

{A wise son brings joy to his father (and mother).....Proverbs 10:1}