Friday, July 31, 2015

Life is Good

Early morning snuggles, quiet daydreams, a welcome home the way only a precious little dog can give.

I love coming home to our sweet little min-pin.  He loves me unconditionally and can hardly contain his excitement when he sees me.  He immediately starts climbing up my torso and almost wraps his little arms around my neck!  

Soon we are going to get my darling daughter from her summer intensive.  We will get to see a short performance of what they have worked on this week.  I can't wait!

So much to be thankful for on this beautiful, hot, but beautiful day. 

Thursday, July 30, 2015

A day full of living

Early morning walks, puppies chasing cars, scrabbled eggs and avocado, strolling through an art museum, fountains in the garden and afternoon naps. That was my day.  Sounds almost perfect.  That's my gratitude list for today.  Share yours below!

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Happiness is...

Is there anything better than hearing happiness from your kids?  That's one of my most absolute favorite things in the world.

Gratitude #8
~ Hearing from DD that she is having a great time at her summer dance intensive.  She is growing up too fast!  Before I know it she will be going away to college.  I don't think I'm ready yet, but I am so proud of her.  She has been working on stepping out of her comfort zone for a couple of years now and this summer she really did!  It's not an easy thing to do, but she is doing great and it's totally paying off for her.

~ I don't hear a lot from my dear son but I do hear pretty often from sweet fiance.  She is North Carolina with her family this summer while DS is off doing army stuff.  We keep in touch pretty well, she lets me know how he's doing from time to time and it's nice.  I think sometimes she reminds him he should call home too.  I remember those days well.  lol  This week she has been wedding dress shopping so I've been getting lots of texts about that.  I feel so fortunate that she and I are close and friends.   I just love her and, well, I think she loves me too.  lol  Exciting times are coming in our family!  I hope I'm ready!  

~ My little family is so blessed.  Blessed with comfort and means.  We met a man on the street today in need and it made me remember what all I have that I take for granted.  We all need to be reminded of things like that everyday.

Thank you, God, for all that you have given my little family.  May we always have plenty to share with others.  Amen.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

My Mood Enhancer ~ Gratitude (#7)

Well, I haven't done a gratitude post lately.  I best get on it.  That gratitude is a great mood enhancer.  So here it goes...

~ Time, time with my dear husband.  We are having time for just the two of us this week.  It's been forever since that happened!  DD is busy at a summer dance intensive and DS is doing army stuff so it's just us all week.  Ahhh....

~ Air conditioning!  In this heat, I couldn't live without it!  I don't know how people ever lived without it and well, yes, I am very spoiled.

~  Morning walks with my DH and sweet puppy.  We have walked about 2 miles the last two mornings and I've so enjoyed it.  I hope we keep it up!  We have been walking across an overpass and the dog has no idea what is happening!  He's so cute as he runs trying to get by the cars underneath us but then stops for me to catch up.  He is enjoying it so much.  It's making us all happy!

~ Texts from my sweet girl.  I know she is so busy but she has been taking time to text me the last two days to let me know how she is doing.

I love these posts, they put life in perspective. They are good for me, good for my mood, which is really good for my family!  HA!

So what are you grateful for today?     

Monday, July 27, 2015

Journaling the disciplines

Yesterday, I preached on Love, being rooted and grounded in Love to be exact.  I talked about how sometimes we are very disciplined and we are reading our Bible and praying daily, we are attending church regularly and we notice that things in our life are good, not perfect, but good.  But then one day out of nowhere we begin to notice that things are not going as smoothly, we become a little discouraged and so we sit down to pray about it and that's when it hits us, we've let some of those disciplines go or at least we aren't as disciplined about them.  Now, I'm not saying that this is the cause of things not going smoothly but I am saying that these disciplines can help us to deal with life, with the stresses of life a little better.

So, what do you do keep your disciplines going?  How do you make certain that you are reading your Bible daily?  That seems to be the hard one for me.  I pray when I'm waking up and when going to sleep and usually a lot in between but I could use more discipline there which is why I try to keep a prayer journal as I mentioned here.  That seems to help me.  Maybe I need to keep a Bible journal, I'm always looking for good excuse to buy a pretty journal.  My cousin shared a photo of a journal of her's.  I'm not sure what she writes in it but the photo she shared had some scriptures and her thoughts on them written.  I like the idea.  

So, please share, what do you do to keep your disciplines going?  Leave a comment for me!  I'm always looking for new ideas. 

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Lots of Gratitude (#6)

We have been on a wonderful, too short, trip to Colorado for a family reunion.  It was wonderful but too short and so, I wasn't able to blog or even really write in my journals much.  I missed it.  I didn't write everyday in my gratitude journal, though I spent time each day thinking about the things for which I was grateful.  I didn't write in prayer journal everyday either, but I did pray everyday, but I have to tell you that there is just something magical about writing.  There's something magical about pen and paper.  When you physically write things out they become more than just thoughts.  They become real and tangible.  So, here's a gratitude list for you.

~  Pen and Paper, oh I missed you!

~  Family, I loved spending time with my little family and my big family and my even bigger family!  I just don't get to see all my family enough and it was nice to sit and visit and to get reacquainted.  

~  My sweet husband who drove me 12 and 1/2 hours one way for me to get to do this.  He didn't even ask me to help drive!  AND!!  (this is a really BIG AND) He stopped a few times both ways so that I could take lots of photos!  I'll be sharing lots of them here!!

~  My lovely home to come back too even though it is waaayyy too hot here and I'm ready for another trip to the mountains of Colorado! Maybe we should just move there!

~  Just as we were pulling into our neighborhood last night, I received a text from a dear friend who has been going through chemo treatments saying that her blood test came back normal and so no more chemo!!  YAY!!  I am definitely grateful for that.

There is so much for which to be grateful everyday.  I'm trying to not just write the same thing over and over but to really find something different, to really spend time looking for the small things AND the big things, to really notice what is out there for us to enjoy and to be grateful.


Thursday, July 16, 2015

Gratitude #5

There is always so much for which to be grateful and yet when I go to write it down, I always have a hard time. Why is that?  Why is it so hard for me? Maybe it's because I want to be eloquent or creative. I don't know, I think I just need to be grateful and not worry about the rest.

~ Time in the pool with my sweet daughter. These moments are always filled with lots of stories and laughter. 

~ Air drums. 😃 I love watching my husband play them! Lol he is so gifted and talented and always makes me smile.

~ The beauty that is all around me if only I open my eyes to see it.

That reminds me of the hymn "For The Beauty of the Earth."

For the beauty of the beauty of the earth, 
for the glory of the skies, 
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies; 
Lord of all to thee we raise 
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale, and tree and flower,
Sun and moon, stars of light;
Lord of all to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.



Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Gratitude #4

Well, I didn't make my gratitude post yesterday.  I was busy in my life, but I did write it in my journal.  

Today's gratitude mixed with a little from yesterday.  :)

~ Washing machines!   Washing clothes by hand would not be my forte.  

~ Spending two hours alone with my darling husband last night. We walked around a cute little downtown area for an hour of it. We visited a precious toy store and played.  We've decided we want to open a toy store!  LOL  Then when the heat started getting the best of us we went into a Starbucks for iced tea and enjoyed some time there visiting and people watching. 

~ This may sound weird but I'm grateful for gratitude!  Being aware is amazing and can really add much to a life.  

I've really been paying attention to what I'm focusing on and how that focus affects me and well, those moments when I'm focused on the blessings instead of the hardships, the difficulties and the negatives well, my life is much more joyful.  I've always known this was the case but seeing it, feeling it and really making myself notice the differences in my every day, really makes me want to continue it!  

I look for the smiles, mine or other peoples, I look for the beauty, the fun.  I look for what I can do for others to bring to them joy which in turn adds to my joy. 

I think this is our purpose, to be thankful in all things...

1 Thessalonians 5:18 
"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is will of God in Christ Jesus for you."


Monday, July 13, 2015

Motivation

Whew!  It's been a busy day at my house today.   Fun, but busy. (In fact, I started this post about 3 hours ago but had several interruptions but good interruptions.)  I love spending time with my family and friends.  My darling daughter and I grocery went shopping this morning and then met my husband for a surprise lunch.  That was refreshing!  Then DD started baking and I went down the street to visit a friend.  I always love going and visiting her.  So it's been a great day.

I love days like this.  They make me feel productive!  Sometimes I have such a hard time with motivation.  I need to be motivated in so many ways sometimes: 

~ to eat better
~ to exercise
~ to do housework
~ to not procrastinate about everything


I've been doing better with my eating, but the rest?  Yeah, not so much.  I really don't enjoy exercise.  I've been trying to walk often but with my allergies, it's been hard to go outside and now today, it's TOO HOT!  I've done a little better on the housework than usual but still not what it should be.  I'd rather crochet!  =)

This need for motivation in so many areas of my life, not just the ones listed, has got me thinking and looking in different places for motivation.  I often look towards my family, my daughter and son are strong and healthy do what it takes to stay that way and I try to watch them to get motivated but it doesn't really help.  I try to look to my husband.   I want the house to look nice for him when he comes home so that he can feel comfortable and loved but... no, this doesn't work either.

So I decided to see what the Bible has to say on the subject. To see if it might offer me some...


1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Colossians 3:23

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Romans 12:11

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Matthew 19:26

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Hmm... well, I can see a lot of motivation here.  For eating right and exercise, for housework, and study.  Honestly, for most everything.  If I look at tasks as something to do for God, to honor him, then, well, WOW, that's some motivation!  Plus, the last one from Matthew?  Well, even someone as unmotivated as I am sometimes, should remember that with God, all things are possible.  Yep, I need to let God be my motivation.  

Where do you find your motivation?

Gratitude #3

Hello my dear friends!  I hope you are having an amazing day.  I am! 

I have to tell you, since I started writing in my gratitude journal again, my world has been much happier!  Hahaha  I told my husband this morning that I had a great weekend and I feel so happy.  It's just the best feeling and I really think that this whole gratitude thing is making a difference for me.

That being said, here is my gratitude so far for today, it's the simple things.

~Avocado on my toast for breakfast with scrambled eggs.  It has become my favorite breakfast!  I'm not sure there is anything better, which is funny because a few years ago, I wouldn't even try avocado!  

~Time with my favorite girl, grocery shopping and then a meeting my sweet hubby for lunch.  

~Yummy cookies made by my favorite girl!!  YUM!!



Sunday, July 12, 2015

Sunday Musings

Spending a wonderful day with the family again. It's just been a pretty great weekend. 

Yesterday was the farmer's market with my sweet daughter, made 3 recipes of homemade biscuits to freeze for later, talked to my sweet son who is away for the summer and watched my darling husband smoke some pork shoulders for later. YUM! Then crocheting and hanging out with the family. 

Friday night was movie night and more crocheting! 

As I was thinking on this I glanced over at this beautiful photo of my sweet girl and I can't help but feel... well, I just can't seem to put it into words. She is an amazing young lady, both of my children are. I guess I feel lucky or blessed to get to be their mom. 

I hope you are having a great weekend too.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Gratitude 2

I'm enjoying being grateful so I'm going to continue on with the gratitude posts!

~The view from my front window this morning.   I loved the way the sun was trying to break through the clouds.  So pretty.

~Family time last night!  I love spending time with my little family.  There isn't much I love more!  Plus I got to crochet as we watched movies and I love doing that too!

~Oh, and the wind.  I love the wind.  I love the way it feels, well, when it's not cold and biting.  I love to watch it blow through the trees.  I love hear it whistling.  I love the wind.

~The joy I woke up with this morning.  I have to wonderful if this gratitude thing isn't partly where it's coming from for me.  Regardless, the joy feels wonderful and I am definitely grateful for it.

What about you?  What are grateful for today?

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his steadfast love endures forever."  Psalm 136:1

Be prepared for a confession...

Good Morning, dear friends!  I hope your morning is off to a good start.  In keeping with the time travel theme or the going back in time, I found another
journal recently that I had set aside for some reason. (Have I mentioned that I love pretty paper and books?) It's a prayer journal!  I used to write in it almost everyday, sometimes twice a day!  I would open it first thing in the morning and write out my prayers and then again right before bed.  Sometimes I did both sometimes just one or the other, but I wrote in it often.  I have no idea why I stopped.  I actually really enjoyed it!

Several years ago I read a book called "Confessions of a Prayer Slacker" (It's free for the Kindle or Kindle App right now) and it really got me into this discipline of writing my prayers, because well, here's a confession for you, often when I'm praying my mind begins to wonder and I almost forget that I was praying!  Or if it's at night, I fall asleep in the middle of it!  So I've found that writing them down keeps me focused and therefore my prayers are much more meaningful and well, just plain full.  Basically, I make it to the end!  Plus being able to see it reminds me of people and situations for which to pray.

Our prayer life is so important.  It keeps us grounded and connected to God.  It strengthens our relationship with him!  I'm always in need of that. Aren't you?  Anyway, I'm picking that journal back up and starting right where I left off and getting back to writing my prayers.  I mean, I need to fill those beautiful empty pages!!  What could be better to fill them with than prayers!


Friday, July 10, 2015

God Sightings

I added a page to share God sightings. I would for you to join me there! You can get there by clicking on the God Sightings tab above or by clicking on this link. http://simplysherriwilliams.blogspot.com/p/daily-god-sightings.html. Please come by and share your God Sighting. 

Gratitude

I'm kind of going back in time a bit lately.  I've been running across things I used to do and have realized that I miss them!  When I go back to my old blog from time to time I realize how much I enjoyed writing it.  It was written in a conversational style and I loved that.  In fact I often talked about my blog being my front porch and I invited readers to join me there for a chat.  It was like chatting with an old friend and I do miss that.  I'm thinking of going back to that style of writing some.  

Anyway, I digress, another something I used to do that I've slacked off on is my gratitude journal and I think it is so important to remember to be thankful everyday.  I've picked that journal back up and am trying to write in it most days again and I thought it might be nice to share some of my gratitude here, so, here it goes.

Today I'm grateful for a beautiful morning!  The sun is out and the temperature is cool so I just may go out for a short walk so that I can enjoy it properly.  I've been enjoying it from my chair in front our large (HUGE) picture window this morning.  I'm thankful for the lovely wildflower garden DH and I planted this spring, that looks so beautiful from the window.

I'm thankful for the referral to the allergy doctor so that hopefully soon, I can be out sitting on the patio again on mornings like this one without feeling like I'm dying.  That appointment can't come soon enough.

I'm thankful as always for breakfasts with my sweet little family.  I love that we sit down together at the start of our day and share a meal together. 

So, what are you grateful for today?

"This is the day the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it" ~ Psalm 118:24


Finding me

A little over a year ago I started this 'new' blog as a way of becoming me.  You can read about it here.  

My original blog was about my family and our journey together but my kids are getting older and I'm finding that I have more time to be me.  I thought I was really getting there but lately I've been feeling like I need to keep looking, keep searching.  I've actually even been thinking of going back to the old blog because I really liked me then and I enjoyed my writing then too!  Anyway, all this to say, I'm on a journey again.  Be patient with me as I figure it out, as I find my way.