Invitation of friendship

As a married couple, finding other couples to hang out with is not easy. Its gotta to be that right combination and the four of you need to Click. We have that! and what a Joy. Our good friends invited us to hang out today. We spent hrs at the bookstore laughing, sharing and connecting . Our time spilled into the evening and we continued with an invitation to dinner. We laughed more, shared more and grew closer. True friends just invite you to bare your soul, the good and bad ... and they still like you. As we left with a feeling of peace and contentment, I realized they make us want to be better people. We are so fortunate to have friends who really bring out the best in us. May God bless you all with special friendships.

A good friend is a connecter to life, - a tie to the past, a road to the future and the key to sanity in a totally insane world.- Lois Wyse

Journey

These old beat up suitcases reminded me of the journey we are all on. Remember that every path you cross has its purpose, learn from it, grow from it. Know you are blessed for those friends you meet along the way, they were placed there, special delivery. Be that Friend to others on your path, you never know how a kind word or gesture can help a fellow traveler on his way. Treasure your family. They will be with you till the end. Share your wisdom with those who are just starting on a similar path you've already traveled. Don't get caught up on the small things, its all part of the journey to becoming who we were intended to be and will give you true character. The more nic's on your heart and scars on your knee's from where you have fallen make you more real and genuine as the years go by. Find joy along the way. Laugh,laugh till you cry and cry until you can laugh again. But most of all -Love...Love with abandonment. Love with all of your heart.

Keep It Fresh

Sometimes life starts to get so routine. You dont have to let life pull you by the ear, keeping you in the mundane. "Keep it fresh." Break out of your routine, eat lunch at the park, take a new route to work. catch up with an old friend. Take your dog to a new park. Leave the TV off and play cards or a game after dinner. Entertain guest this weekend. Plan a progressive dinner. Go have dessert at the tower of America's. Have a night picnic in your back yard with lots of candles and junk food. Be creative. There's a whole world of fun just waiting to be opened. Think outside of the box.

Purpose

What on EARTH am I here FOR?

The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfilment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. Its far greater than your family, your career or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose, and for his purpose.

It is only in God that we discover our orgin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance and our destiny.

- Rick warren (from the book - The Purpose Driven Life)

Thy Word

Thy Word Is A Lamp Unto My Feet And A Light Unto My Path

As I seek guidance in the midst of my dilemma, I am reminded of what true peace reading God's word gives me. God's word is a lamp unto my feet. He guides me. wheather or not you are a believer, we all need guidance in the midst of our storms. We go to a counselor, seek wisdom from a friend. But nothing will give that peace and comfort to know that God is right beside you, through your storm. And nothing else compares to lighting your path like God's word.

Dance

This morning I was reminded that in the midst of our struggle, in the depths of our dilemma, he is there. So look up, let the light of God shine upon your face right into your soul. Lay those burdens down at his feet and dance because you know he is there and has everything under control. May your heart be light as you journey through this life.

A New Day

"A New Day and a Spinach Cheese Souffle."

The sun came out this morning. Not like the past gloomy mornings we have been having. The rising of the sun reminds me that today is A New Day, and the possibilities are numerous for what the day has to hold for us. This is the day that the lord has made Let us rejoice and be Glad in it.

Happy Day, have a blessed one.

Your Own Cozy Nest

Along with my post on nesting, thought Id show this beautiful picture I took of a storefront window at Pottery Barn. It reminds me of All things home. Its so cozy, clean and orderly. And beautamis. I love it. I walked in and immediately saw these pillows I fell in love with. It read $39.00 and $24.00. So I assumed they meant it was on sale for 24.00. Yippee I thought. So I asked. Was I wrong! It was $39.00 for the cover only and 24.00 for the insert. Oh My. Well They wont be in my house, on my couch, but I can provide a clean,cozy, orderly home at no cost but my hard work. You don't need fancy to have a nice warm, welcoming home. Just love, peace and little elbow grease. Create your own cozy unique nest :)

Nesting

NEST :

A cozy snug place in which to live or rest : a place of retreat.

To Nest - to create a place where one feels secure and comfortable.

Is your home a place of retreat? Can you come home and find rest from the world. Our home should be the place where we find retreat from the rest of the world, from the demands of our jobs, traffic, the busyness and craziness. We should look forward to going home, hugging on our loved ones and feeling safe. It should be a safe harbor in which we find peace. Though some households are brimming with cooking dinner, kids, homework and bathes, take some time out for rest for yourself. Create a calm, loving safe harbor for your family. Cherish your time at home. Make it cozy, warm and welcoming.

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,

A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest. - Robert Montgomery

Generosity

GENEROSITY - giving out of the abundance of you heart.

There is wellspring of love inside of us and so many people out there in need of it. What you have to offer is so imperative to a hurting world. There are people out there waiting for what you have to offer. So what are you waiting for? Look for opportunities to serve others out of the abundance of your blessings. Your time, your talents, your resources, your love. Share God's love with others... Your love can make a difference.

A Cup Of Tea

A cup of tea between friends is such a warm thing to share. A sweet friend and her mom ( Suzy and Barbara Gibson) turned me on to a pot of tea. It was so quaint and personal. We'd share a pot of tea in a cute tea pot at the kitchen table. We'd talk and laugh. They bought me my first tea pot. It has always stuck with me and brings me such a cozy feeling on a cold rainy day.

Once when I was living in Los Angeles with my sister, my brother came by. I was making a pot of tea. I invited him to join me. He said sure. He sat down to my sweet tea pot and dainty tea cups. I had made some biscuits and jam. As he sipped his tea and ate his biscuit. He looked at the spread and made an assessment, then said, "Wow... I feel like...I feel like a dolly." I laughed so hard. (So I guess it doesn't work for a man!) Invite your female Friends over, share a pot of tea or just enjoy a cup of tea for yourself. It will warm your heart.

Captivating

Isn't this lovely? I was drawn to it, captivated by the fun, frolicy feel of the dress. So light and playful- like whipped frosting! While searching for a quote to match, I came across this in a book called Captivating.

A women in the presence of a man, a real man, loves being a women. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real women loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man, it draws out his strength... she inspires him to be a hero.

May your feminine heart always flourish and may you inspire the man in your life to become the hero he was meant to be.

Fresh Laundry

We have never ending washing in our house. But I love it. I love the smell of clean clothes. It is one chore I really enjoy. I wish they had detergent inserts for my nose so I could smell the aroma all day. I once carried around a sample dryer sheet they gave me at the grocery store, in a baggie and every time I began to feel stressed Id reach into my purse take out the baggie and gave it a long wiff. Mmm Mmm good.

Find joy in small things today :)

Simple Things

SIMPLE THINGS

that bring me JOY

The rising of the sun on a new day

Jumping into clean sheets on my bed

Sipping a cup a hot tea on a cool day

Snuggle-buggling with my Bella-Boo(my doggie)

Spending quality time with my sweet family

White twinkle light's on my patio

Laughter and Friends

Quite times with God

Creating something beautiful

Bringing Joy to another persons life

Blogging for Bliss

Encouraging others on their journey

Live life Simply in all its fullness!

Shared Lives

As we left our friends from our small group at a restaurant this morning I was overwhelmed with such utter contentment in life. We are so blessed to be part of a body of people who journey along side us. Though we each journey on our own unique path, we find encouragement, comfort, enjoyment, love and acceptance. We share our troubles and we share our triumphs. Life is meant to be shared, to be enjoyed . We are part of something bigger than ourselves. A body of like-minded people that make up the body of the church. What a joy and what a difference it has made in our lives! Life is beautiful. Share it, open up and reach out. Stop being a spectator in life looking out ... join in. You will be blessed.

Train tracks

Are you on the right track? Has your train derailed? Is this the path you chose for yourself?We all get off track at times. We wake up one day and find we are way off course and wonder how we got so off the path. There are consequences for all of our choices we make. You know deep in your heart when you are on the wrong train, heading in the wrong direction . Get off the train if you need to, take time and reassess the direction you need to go. When you are on the right train, you will know it, peace will flood your soul. Make good choices for your life. You've only got one chance to live it.

Family

Jakob, my nephew left yesterday. (He is a love-bug!) Sadness filled us. We love him so much. He was such a joy to have this christmas. He Loves Loves grandpa and grandma and wishes he could see them all the time. But... He lives in Los Angeles. So we cherish the 1-2 times we get to see him per year. Im hoping this pic will guilt my sister and brother -n- law (whom are great parents) into wanting to move back to San Antonio. We are family. Shouldn't we all be together???

A Day Of Peace

Today I felt the need to get things back in order. Took my christmas tree down and all the trimmings. Put away all the holiday decorations and stored them in their place. Swept the floors and cleaned the rooms. Such order brought back calmness and peace into my home. I went over our finances. Went to the grocery store, put food in the pantry, and made a great meal. All is well. I feel ready for the New year.

When we are present in each moment, the past gently rolls up behind us and the future slowly unravels before us. - Rev. Richard Ley

P.S. This is not my home.(I wish) I got this picture from a magazine. Isn't it peaceful? :)

Marvelous Monday

Back to work, back to school, back to routine. Well Tomorrow is Monday and the holidays are officially over. Children go back to school along with teachers and people go back to work. Cant help but feel a little slump in the month and the new year, but look up. Its a new Year! Take a fresh perspective into your monday with a hop in your step and smile on your face. Routine somehow brings us security and brings order back into life. The craziness of the holidays are fun, but lets gets seriuos about 2010 and What we will bring into it. Have a Marvelous Monday!

Blessed New Year

A New Year. Today is the start of a fresh beginning. Find your direction and Go. May God bless and keep you. May you be grateful and appreciative. May you use your days to glorify God. May you be loving and kind everyday. May you become who you were born to be. May you make a difference in your world. Have a blessed new year. Dont waste one minute!

A Seasons End

As the Holiday season is coming to an end, find closure. One more day to reflect on the year. Hold onto the cherished moments and let go of the hurt and unforgiveness. Make a plan, set goals and find order to take into a new year. Take what you have learned in this year and use that knowledge in the year to come. Start a new chapter, a fresh perspective and a new vision. Aren't you excited? Rewrite your story. Choose to love... choose to forgive... choose to live.

For last years words belong to last years language

And next years words await another voice.

And to make and end is to make a beginning.

- T.S. Eliot

Have a safe and blessed New Years Eve!

New Endeavours

As the year is coming to an end and 2010 is upon us, we think of the changes we'd like to make for the new year. Most people make new years resolutions, in hopes of improving the quality of their lives. Some stick to it for weeks, maybe even months, but routines sets in and we are back in our ruts. Lets challenge ourselves this year. Let us set some "Goals." Some that are attainable and specific. Like, I will walk more or introduce a new sport into my routine rather then the vast resolution of "I will lose weight." Try some slight changes that though might seem small - will redirect our course.

Here are some of my past goals for a new year:

Throw a party, take a class, Plant a garden, volunteer at a shelter, mentor a child, try a new recipe 1x a month, start a new bible study, learn a new skill, try a new restaurant 1x a month, join a gym, organize a closet, create something beautiful, look for opportunities to help others, eat more veggies, start a joy journal, encourage someone 1x a week, Make a new Friend ..ect...

All these are examples of goals that are fun attainable and can be marked off through out the year, or made into a habit. They can lead you to new endeavours and into uncharted sea's. Life can be fun and New! Be thinking of some goals for the new year.

To Change ones life: start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. no exceptions. - William James

Together in our hearts

The Christmas season always brings such a peace and unlocks memories of Christmas's past. The family, the moments spent together growing up. The togetherness. The JOY and laughter we shared. The love for each other. Though we are not all together this year, we are together in our hearts. May God bless you my sweet family as the new year is approaching. May God grant you safe travels back to your homes. May he bless each family member and their personal endeavours. May we always keep our eyes focused on God as we share his love with others.

Love Always, Lisa Loraine

Christmas Morning

My nephew, Jakob is with us this Christmas. Santa arrived to leave us gifts so we had to rise early this morning! Have a blessed christmas weekend with your family.

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessings"

All Decked out

A happy home all decked out. Have a blessed Christmas.

A Women of True Beauty

A women of beauty is a women who is not striving to become beautiful or worthy or enough. She knows in her quiet center where God dwells, that he finds her beautiful, has deemed her worthy, and in him, she is enough.

A women of true beauty is a women who in the depths of her soul is at rest, trusting God, because she has come to know him worthy of her trust. She excludes a sense of calm, a sense of rest, and invites those around her to rest as well. She speaks comfort; she knows that we live in a world of war, that we have a vicious enemy, and our journey is through a broken world. But she also knows that because of God all is well, that all will be well.

-John and Stasi Eldredge from the book- Captivating

Beauty

I did not ask for love, I did not ask for security, I did not ask for things. I asked for beauty.

I once was in a place where the beauty around me captured my heart, enveloped my senses and brought tears to my eyes. It was as if I was given an unexpected gift. I remember asking God that day if there was something I could have my entire life. I asked that he might bestow beauty before my eyes - All the days of my life. I am visual person and beauty fills my senses, brings me joy and inspires me.

Find beauty in the simple things, daily. It is all around us.

Peaceful Rain

Friday was a rainy nippy day. My husband was off work , so we did our favorite rainy day activity. We went to the bookstore. There is something peaceful about watching the rain from inside a cozy bookstore. Though we want to out of it and dry inside, I cant help longing to be near a window watching it, sipping something hot and reading something interesting. Such a relaxing peaceful day. As the rain comes softly pouring in on life, try to find peace in the center of it. Sit inside of your soul and look out peacefully. The storms will pass, the rainbow will beam across the sky and the sun will soon be out again. Learn to appreciate the rainy days and use them as times of reflection.

Rain showers my spirit and waters my soul - Emily Logan Decans

Live Out Loud

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.

At times we are at a point in our lives when we are holding on so tight to something, it becomes painful. Not as it should be. Remaining the same, the way we know, the way have learned to be comfortable in has taken its toll... has worn its welcome. You need to make a change but fear the unknown. But you cant blossom unless you let go. Go ahead,take the risk... Blossom.

Live out loud.

Celebrate Cozy

We have hard wood floors in our home with no insulation. The house is always drafty, even when the heater is on. My hearts desire for this month have been for "slippers." Ever since the cold chilly days set in. Sweat shirts, hot chocolate and slippers, ah so cozy. However, a desire is NOT a necessity. So I had to wait. My flip flops had to do the job for the meanwhile. But today. Today... I got slippers! I set out for Walmart, of course. I was going for the practical slide on's, Except I couldn't get the soft furry type due to our dog, Bella boo. whom claims ownership of "every furry thing," assuming they are her stuffed toys. Carrying them around in and nahhing on them. So I as going for the sturdy rubber sole. Then I saw THESE. One try and I was Sold! Walking on clouds. Ooww... Aahh. Comfy, warm and downright cute. They met all my criteria.

Was going to save them for a Christmas present to "me" and put them under the tree, but my husband insisted I use them now. So how could I resist?

Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Being Alive is the special occasion. - Unknown

Celebrate cozy!

Sweet Peace

Don't you wish we all had this peace in our lives. I think God desires us to live among each other in peace. Today as I hurried around running errands, shopping, getting christmas cards done, I noticed something. In the season where we are supposed to be spreading christmas cheer and extending kindess to all, this is the time people are the most uptight, rude and impatient. I saw people taking another's parking spot, being rude to the employees and displaying obvious impatience as they had to wait their turn. Good..ness. Let's challenge ourselves to be the light in the busy season. Display peace and calmness in the madness. Smile, dont scowl when the lines are long and be kind to the employees. They are slammed with people needing their attention and are doing their best. Then as you lay your head on your pillow know you can sleep in sweet peace. May God bless you in this blessed busy season.

BLISS

This is BLISS, my rental spot in Homestead Handcraft's. (Address is on my blog.) Thought Id give you a peek of my latest christmas decorations. It turned out quiet peaceful. Creating brings me such pleasure and excitement. Its like a display of my soul. There is Bliss in everyday. You will soon discover you can create your own bliss.

Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. - Veronica A. shoffstall

A Melody

Many People die with their Music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out. - Oliver Wendell Homes

Stop preparing to live. Live now. Dont wait till the end to start singing your song. Sing now with joy. Make sure the world has heard your sweet melody.

Daily Courage

Living takes courage. To go through all the trials life has to offer with grace takes a strength of heart. Be encouraged. Its only for a season. Whatever life issues may be tugging on your heart right now, know you are not alone. Its all part of the journey. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and know, when you step out, the sun will be shining upon your beautiful face... and you will be Smiling. Much love and Prayers to all who going through "a season of challenges" out there. Hang in there. Hold onto hope, There is always hope.

Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier. - unknown