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May 28, 2013

Sweet Appreciation Notebooks


Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. ~ Proverbs 16:24

Look at what I found at Michael's Hobby Store over in the dollar bins! As many of you know, I love Mary Engelbreit's artwork and have many of her books and collectibles. This little 7" x 5" spiral notebook with an elastic band at the bottom to keep the notebook closed would make a wonderful gratitude journal, don't you think? J  There's plenty of space inside for your list of daily or weekly gratitudes and answers to prayer.

I also thought they would make wonderful inexpensive party favors (insert a Mary Engelbreit pen under the elastic and you've got a set. Michaels has them too!) for your next tea party or gifts for your favorite people! For kids, purchase one the books listed here and add the notebook and pen and you have a great birthday gift!

 
1. Thank you,  Mary, for thinking of us late bloomers! I love the quote and notebook!
2. I'm grateful for generic medicines! For penny-pinchers like me, they are a God-send! J
3.. I'm grateful for birdsong. I like to think those birdies are singing praises to their Maker every morning.


 
What you grateful for today?

May 21, 2013

Gratitude Journal

By Dolores J. Rush

I made a little gratitude journal as a gift for each lady in our Bible Study. The blank notebooks came from the Dollar store and the poem by Helen Steiner Rice called "Thank You, God, for Little Things" I  computer-generated, cut out with decorative scissors and attached to the inside front cover (poem below). The Gratitude Journal rubber stamp is by Teresa Collins, (TC-5281) Gratitude. Follow the instructions below to make your own personal journal.  Be sure to date each entry so that you'll have a permanent record of gratitudes and answers to prayer!

Instructions:

1. Pounce journal stamp on a Memories Pine Green dye ink pad several times until the rubber stamp is shiny with ink. Carefully press stamp onto off-white piece of paper. Then take a light golden brown or butterscotch dye ink pad and a stipple brush to pounce on ink around edges of stamped image until significantly "aged" to your liking.
2. Punch out saying with a slightly larger circle punch or trim closely with scissors.
3. Attach circle to journal cover with hot glue or foam poster tape.
4. Copy, paste, and print Helen Steiner Rice's poem on computer word document. Cut out with fancy scissors and attach inside the front cover with double face tape.
5. Tie on fiber or ribbon to front cover.


Thank You, God, for Little Things


By Helen Steiner Rice
Thank You, God, for little things
That often come our way--
The things we take for granted
But don't mention when we pray--
The unexpected courtesy,
The thoughtful, kindly deed--
A hand reached out to help us
In the time of sudden need--
Oh, make us more aware, dear God,
Of little daily graces
That come to us with "sweet surprise"
From never-dreamed-of places.

My gratitude list today is:
1. I'm thankful God sent the rubber stamp and poem my way. I'd had the idea to make the journals for some time, but since I was a crafter, I wanted to find just the right words to use and I did!
2. I'm thankful that God blessed a girlfriend. She was at the right garage sale at the right time and was able to obtain some wonderful crafting supplies!
3. I'm grateful for God's grace, wisdom and mercy.
4. I'm grateful that our electricity was off Sunday evening only for a little while. Thank God for the electric company service guys who fixed our transformer! The lights came back on before we went to bed! J
5. My husband and I are celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary tomorrow! His grandma said to me about his grandpa -- "Sometimes I can't stand him, sometimes I love him to death and we've been together for 50 years. You'll find it the same." On our wedding day, my husband said with a twinkle in his eye, "Dear, you're stuck with me and we're staying together for 50 years. After that who knows!"
Let's have a praise party! And celebrate God's goodness with each other! Click "comment" and type your gratitudes into the box!

May 18, 2013

Stress Overload Messes with Minds

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
~ Proverbs 17:22

Having trouble with stress overload plus chronic physical illnesses may cause attitude problems when your bod's chemical balance gets out of whack.. I know, as I was diagnosed with clinical depression after experiencing major stress in the space of two years several years ago -- first, my husband lost his job, then our church split, then a new church, unemployment was denied because our one and only car broke down and we didn't have the money to get it fixed, a move, both my grandmothers passing away the same year, two more moves, a new church again, broken arm (son's), two new schools, an 8 year old teenager, bully issues, and diagnoses of ADD or Attention Deficit Disorder (whole family) and then on top of that, each of our appliances, like dominoes, died one after the other.
My immune system, never strong to begin with, blew a fuse, and I caught whatever bug (bacterial/viral) was going around. I played Russian roulette everytime I ventured out in public, even to church or to the grocery store, because as soon as I did, I was sure to be sick that whole week with something -- colds, pneumonia, once I had the stomach flu and the chest crud at the same time which landed me in the hospital emergency room because I couldn't breathe (I have asthma), etc. After a year of that, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired -- tired is the key word here! I didn't feel depressed in my spirit, but my body had had enough by that time and my doctor prescribed Zoloft. I was on it for four years. It helped me sleep the whole night through and slowly I began to feel rested.
My doctor also prescribed changing our light bulbs in the house to a higher wattage, getting out in the sun everyday for at least ten-fifteen minutes (I could barely move, so, at first, the thought of exercise was overwhelming. I had to push myself to do a little housework or yardwork each day), and taking vitamins -- just ordinary one-a-day vitamins.
So if you find you are tired all the time, feeling sad or blue or grumpy or crying at the drop of a hat, then it's time for a little doc check-up. At the same time, find something to be thankful for everyday -- like your veggies!
Here's my list for this week!
1. I'm thankful for my veggies (except for brussels sprouts! LOL!). And especially Veggie-Tales! In fact, when I was teaching Sunday School, our classroom was decorated in Veggie-Tales! J
2. I'm also thankful for fruit and Fruit of the Spirit -- "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." ~ Galations 5:22-23.
3. I'm thankful for Ernie & Gail, who graciously loaned us a car until we could save the money to get ours fixed!
4. I'm thankful for wise doctors like Dr. Grace Ketterman,M.D. Findagrave #229306023
5.  I'm thankful for movie night with friends!

Whatever you are grateful for, I'd love to read it. I'd appreciate it if you would share it through the comment link below!

May 07, 2013

Happy Mother's Day!

I wrote this poem sometime ago to add to our son's baby scrapbook because his conception and birth was truly miraculous! We went through several years of heartbreaking infertility, then my first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. Almost two years later, our son was born 3 weeks early by cesarean and spent the first week of his life in the hospital. Afterward an endocrinologist discovered I had poly-cystic ovary disease and was amazed I had been pregnant twice! I've been blessed with one child in heaven and one on earth! 


Bless My Little Baby Son
By Mrs. Dolores J. Rush.


Dear Lord, I love my baby son
And thank you for his life,
I ask thee to bless my little one,
Bless his little life.
Bless his wee little head
And his curly locks
As you shine upon his bed
Over his room, toys and blocks.
Remind him as he grows
Of your great and loving care,
Precious is he to you, I know,
From his sweet baby toes to his fuzzy hair.
This baby dear, so sweet and fine
I pray will grow strong and true
Into a gentleman, like Christ divine
Honorable through and through.