Spring in my Garden

bluebonnet in the dew

It has been a good week.  A busy week.  

Hard to believe March is drawing to a close. 

Spring has arrived at our house 

and I went out and photographed some 

of the flowers blooming in my gardens yesterday afternoon 

and again this morning with the dew. 

 Today I have decided to look back over the 

Proverbs that I have made note of in my 

prayer journal this month.  

I hope you enjoy my flowers 

and some words of wisdom today.

The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless.  The godly give good advice, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense. -Prov.10:20-21

Missouri Primroses

The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich 

and He adds no sorrow with it. -Prov.10:22

shrub Magnolia

                                             Doing wrong is wise for a fool,

                                                         while wise conduct is a pleasure to the wise. 

                                                                       -Prov. 10:23

Wisteria

                                                   The fears of the wicked will all come true;
                                                       so will the hopes of the godly.
                                                   Disaster strikes like a cyclone,
                                                      whirling the wicked away,
                                                   but the godly have a lasting foundation.
                                                       -Prov. 10:24-25

Columbine given me by dear SIL when we moved to TX.

                                                  Lazy people are a pain to their employer.
                                  They are like smoke in the eyes or vinegar that sets the teeth on edge.
                                                                                                                                  -Prov.10:26

One of my Hybrid tea roses

                                      Upright citizens bless a city and make it prosper. -Prov. 11:11a

Autumn Sage

                              It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.

                                                                                                                     -Prov. 11:12

sulphur paintbrush

                                               Your own soul is nourished when you are kind,   

                                                         but you destroy yourself when you are cruel. 

                                                                  -Prov.11:17                                                                            

closed magnolia blossum

It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.  The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. -Prov. 11:24-25

Our bluebonnet patch continues to grow

                                           To learn you must love discipline. -Prov. 12:1a

Climbing rose in dew

                                             A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; 

                                                 a shameful wife saps his strength. -Prov. 12:4

One of my miniature roses

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Honest Reflection

It has been awhile since I have reported about how I am doing with my goals.  It is a mixed report heading in the end of three months.

Progress has been slower than I would like on my quilt projects, but I have made some progress I can share with you as I scatter photos throughout the blog today.

Baby quilt I have been designing

The slow part of this quilt has been doing the drawings for each block
It has been fun to call on some not often used talent

These last two blocks are ready for the embroidery work now

I am right on track for reading through the Bible this year.  It continues to amaze me that no matter how many times I read it there is always something new for me to see.

Blocks from the redwork quilt

I am thoroughly enjoying the Bible study I am leading.  It has been a good challenge for me to study, write, and prepare lessons each week.  I have even come to the point where I am not a bit nervous leading the group discussions, which have been such a blessing to me each week.  I just love hanging out with these wonderful women every Wednesday night.  The only problem: an hour is just not long enough.  They do keep me on my toes!

I have kept up pretty well with my prayer journal-though it was completely ignored over spring break last week.  That was okay with me, I don't want to get hung up about it when my family is around.  I could have gotten myself up earlier and taken care of it, but you know how that goes.  Even I need a week of rest from my labors now and then.  What's not okay is that I have been very lax about writing in it this week.  Pure laziness on my part.

A sweet friend handed me a new book to read yesterday- I did finish Blogger Beware last month so I think this will be my next read.  Blogger Beware was a really helpful read if you are a blog writer- check out my page on Books I am Reading if you want to learn more about it.

I had put a stop to my running awhile back as I was having some foot issues.  That has all cleared up, but I have yet to put my running shoes on again.  Time to get this body moving again.  O, motivation, where art thou?!

Nearly done- two blocks left the I can start
putting it all together with the fabric I have picked out

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

The Spirit is Willing...

"Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!" (Matthew 26:41, NLT1)  These words of Jesus to Peter that night long ago in the garden are just as true in my life today.  I wonder--even after sharing the Passover meal, even after Jesus pointedly telling them that He was going to die, that one of them would betray Him, and that this very night they would all desert Him-- did they still not get it?  As I read this morning I wondered how they could have fallen asleep when Jesus told them to stay alert and pray.  I caught myself thinking, "Not me.  I would have stayed awake and prayed.  I would have sensed the urgency that this night held."   I would have been just like Peter, "Even if everyone else deserts You, I never will."  (heavy sigh) I would have been just like Peter...which means I would have fallen asleep in the garden too.  That is a tough reflection for a Friday, but a good reflection looking forward to a new week.  Forgiven!  All the mistakes of this week are forgiven.  Tomorrow is a fresh start.  Tomorrow begins another day to practice being alert and praying; each day is a chance to grow stronger.  I love that God is a God of more than just second chances.  His love knows no limits.  No matter how many times I fall He has always been there with waiting arms to pick me up again.  I've identified some weak areas I need to pay particularly close attention to next week.  I love that God has already given me everything I need to win this spiritual battle- just read the first chapter of Ephesians if you've any doubt.  Forging ahead as a child of the King!

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Making Progress

It's January 20th already!  Just one more full week left in in the month.  As I look back on this week I can see progress in some areas and others that I have been lax in.  My quilting being one of the later.  I just got around to doing some of the redwork yesterday afternoon, briefly.

Then I noticed today that I am working on the same square I showed you back on January 6th when I wrote Friday Reflection.  Reading over the list of goals I set for myself this year I am happy to report that I am on track in most areas.  I am right where I should be in reading through the Bible, and only missed one day.  I cannot believe I let last Sunday get by me without doing my Daily Bible selection- I read the passages on Monday, but that is not the habit I want to develop- I really don't want a day to go by when I have not spent time sitting at His feet and listening to His Word.
My prayer journal goal is going well and I have written in it everyday except for Sunday.
I made my goal for my blog writing this week, and I think I have done a fair job with my posts.

As for my physical goals, the running has still been on hold this week, but I was able to get in some low-impact aerobics and this morning I am finally under the 150 mark on my scale!  That has been the weight I have just not been able to get under since about July. Five pounds gone since I weighed in last week and I really can't explain it, except maybe that the Christmas candies are finally gone.  Oh chocolate, how you love my hips!
I am being brutally honest here with an actual number.  I hit 150 for the first time many, many summers ago and I thought at the time- "no way!  It is time to do something about this weight gain!"  But it only went up from there. So I moved into a size 12, then a 14, and this past year I was going to have to move up again. Thankfully our budget was being used up by our son who was studying in Australia at the time and I really could not afford to go out and buy the next size up and that motivated me work to get back to a healthy weight.  I've lost 30 pounds since February and would like to lose another 20-25 this year.  I must brag on my beloved husband here- he has lost about 50 lbs and is looking really good.

I've done a lot of reading this week, but confess it has all been "new to me" books- Love my Kindle and the freebies that are available.  I was feeling very unqualified to lead a ladies Bible study that was set to begin on Wednesday and started scooping up everything I could get my hands on related to Ephesians.  I really started to feel convicted about it though. This verse from the New Testament kept coming to mind,  "By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.  We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence." -2 Peter 1:3, NLT
 I stopped reading all the commentaries and the other studies and just started to trust that the Lord wanted me to lead this study because of what I had to offer, not all of those other people.  He really laid on my heart and in my mind that what He wanted me to share was not about amassing knowledge of the book of Ephesians, but letting it just soak into my soul and change me from the inside out.  That is what I have always done and that is what He wants me to share with the ladies in this group.

It has been a great week!  I am praying that you will learn a similar lesson- that the Lord has given you something to do, something that you are uniquely qualified for.  And You do not need to lean on anyone else but Him to accomplish it.



Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Almost Ready for a New Semester

Ken and I took some time to ourselves this week.  We went for a drive to some of our favorite locations in the hill country of Texas.  It was beautiful, though a bit nippy for around here, and it gave us the chance to enjoy each other's undivided attention- at least when we were not wandering antiques shops.

The hobbyist birder in me enjoyed a few "first sightings" for the year and some even cooperated for a photo-op.  

Mallard at park in San Saba

Ring-necked duck near Enchanted Rock

Web image of Northern Caracara -
we spotted one near Enchanted Rock but he flew
before we could take a photo.

Web Image of Eastern Bluebird

web image here too -
 he is too hard to spot in our photo

I love the history that is found as we wandered a little further south in Texas to the area settled by German immigrants.   We traveled a new road that brought us to Trickham, Tx.  The town was originally named Muke Water but later renamed "Trick'em" for the reputation of the store propreiter who played practical jokes on the local cowboys.  The post office refused to enter the name and went with Trickham as a substitute.  I have learned a lot about Robert E Lee this past year as I picked up Jeff Shaara's God's and Generals and am slowly making my way through it.  He was stationed in this area in the years just before the civil war.  How exciting for the history buff in me to stumble upon this marker in town!

Some of the very unusual graves in what is left of the town.

We enjoyed lunch at one of our favorite parks.  San Saba has a beautiful city park with trails to walk and lots of water features to enjoy.

water spilling over dam at San Saba city park.

Water wheel in San Saba city park

I love the old stone houses in many of the towns in this area.

Window at a  home in Fredericksburg

The quilter in me seems always drawn to patterns, wherever I find them

We had such a peaceful, wonderful time together.

I started to share all of this yesterday as part of my Friday Reflections.  But life with its interruptions does not always go with my plan.  Instead it is now Saturday, tamales from a local Clyde family are warming for lunch and looking back upon this week I have made progress in some areas and not much in others.  I am still on track with reading through the Bible this year using my Daily Bible NLT.  I did not get as much writing done for the blog this week, but that is the way vacations should be.   My running was put on hold while I dealt with a bum foot, arthritis is not always my friend.  I read a bit of the book I am working on, Blogger Behave  I love some of the points Laura Booz is making about the priorities in our lives and have started to share some quotes and thoughts on my page What I am Reading.  No work done on a quilt this week but you should see my closet!  I suddenly was motivated to have Ken and I go through all the stuff in our bedroom and closet and get rid of things we do not love, things that do not fit anymore (because we are making good progress on our weight loss goals!), and just some of the stuff we have accumulated.

It has been a good week.  I love having my guy around and it will be hard to see him off to work next week.

Next week will bring some new challenges as I take on leadership for a women's Bible study.  The shy side of my nature is getting pretty nervous, but the woman who wants to become all that God wants me to is excited about the opportunity to share that which fuels my life with passion and purpose.

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

Friday Reflection

 It's Friday, and that means a day of reflection for me.  My day to look back over my Bible study notes and think about how to take action on some of those ideas I have been thinking about.  I wrote out my list of the things that I need to be rid of in my life and decided to keep it in my prayer journal on the first page of my confess section.  (Chocolate did not make the cut, though I suppose it is implied by the recognition of my need to lose another 25 pounds.)  On the back side of that page I made a note of actions I want to take this year to help in that process.  This is the list I came up with:
1. Read Bible daily, Genesis through Revelation
2. M-F have quiet time involving prayer journal (not limited to those days but a minimum I want to attain)
3. Devotional Blog writing 3 days a week minimum.
4. Couch to 5k done by April
5.  Finish 5 UFO's- a quilting weakness I have identified is falling in love with new projects before finishing the old, which then end up sitting in boxes in my quilt studio.
6.  Read 12 books- again I have many in the works but have not been finishing any.

Eight of twelve quilt blocks completed so far

 I decided in that process that Fridays would be my reflection and accountability day to share with you what I have accomplished towards those goals.  The first week of January 2012 has me off to a good start.  I am on track for reading through the Bible this year.  Had my quiet time every day this week.  Put in time on my running program with couch to 5k- though I am staying put at week 4 next week as I feel my body needs some extra time on these workouts before increasing my running time.  I finished one square and began work on another for a redwork quilt I started last year.  These squares were designed by Alex Anderson and featured in the February 2011 issue of The Quilt Life magazine.  It was my "learn something new" quilt from last year and made it to the top of the list for finishing UFO's since it is red and white and will look great on my dining room wall where I like to hang and enjoy my quilt projects for awhile.

As for my read, I am picking up my brand new Kindle (thanks to my sweet family) and reading Blogger Behave: Make your blog benefit your life, so you can love both  by Laura Booz.  I chose this book because I need to find a balance between social media and life that works for me, my family, and my ministry.  It is far too easy for me to get sucked into computer time and have the rest of my life suffer as a result- another one of the areas I identified that needs some work.

  So that's it for me.  I am feeling pretty good about this week, where the Lord has been leading me and the choices I am making towards becoming the woman God wants me to be in 2012.  What about you?  Are there some changes/goals that you want to work towards.  Friday is going to be my accountability day and I would love to have you join me and share how you are doing as we go through the year together.



Grace, Peace, and Mercy,

Deb