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.

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!

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.

Prayer Shawls

I love to crochet.  I don't do it as much as I'd like because well, yarn can be very expensive but I love it!  I've been enjoying crocheting for others and am finding God in the midst of it all.  I have a dear friend undergoing cancer treatments right now.  A couple of years ago, I made her a prayer shawl for a surgery she had gone through so I didn't make her another one this time.  I had been worrying over what I could make for her to help comfort her through this time and then one day she gave she me some yarn.  She said she wasn't going to be able to make the shawl she had planned so she wanted me to do it for her.

Oh, it was a beautiful blue yarn that was so very soft.  I couldn't wait to make something of it but I couldn't get her specifically off my mind and the need to make something for her.  She had started noticing her hair falling out so I decided to make her hat.  I hadn't ever made a hat before but I just knew she needed one so I set out to find the right pattern for her and for me.  I had so much fun!  I finished it in a day and couldn't wait to take it to her.  I didn't know if she would like it or not, but it was made with love and prayers.  

She scolded me a bit because I was supposed to make a prayer shawl with it so I set straight to work on that.  I couldn't find the pattern I had used before so I had to search for a new one that was easy and still beautiful.  I think I found a good one.  I thought it turned out lovely and again, it was loving and prayerfully made.  I took it to our church that week to put in our prayer shawl box to be delivered to just the right person at just the right time.

Well, at this point I was hooked!  DD and I went to the store and bought up a ton of yarn!  I immediately started a new shawl and shared a photo of the work in progress to Facebook and soon after received a private message asking if I could make a prayer shawl for someone in need of comfort.  Oh, how I prayed over that shawl as I worked it.  There is something very satisfying about make a prayer shawl or really anything for someone else.  It's moving and well... spiritual.  I'm finding God in the art of crocheting and I'm loving it.