TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful
Since I typed the last word and hit publish on my Write 31 Days series in October life has been a whirlwind, and I haven’t been back once to work on another blog post. Why? Number one, writing for 31 days straight was exhausting and a lot more demanding than I thought it would be. Number 2, November was a month of hosting friends and family in our home which meant a lot of local sightseeing, including trips to the beach and the mountains.
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How are you feeling this holiday season? Based upon my quiet observation of: people rolling down their windows and laying on horns to let those stopped in the middle of the intersection know just how stupid they really are, tired shoppers snapping at exhausted clerks in long lines at the shopping mall, or sobbing toddlers in a heap on the floor begging their mamas to be done already, I’d say that there is quite a bit of Grinchyness of spirit going around this year.
So I’m pulling up a post from Christmas past to share with you again. I do hope it strikes a chord with those of you who may be feeling a bit undone and lacking in Christmas cheer.
Click on the link HERE – From Grinchy to Gracious to see how you can get rid of the Grinchy Christmas spirit for good!
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
SundaysAtHome, TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends, InspireMeMonday, GodSizedDreams
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday, WriterWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
Long, long ago, and far, far away, when my mom was still living and we lived in the Pacific Northwest we used to host all of the holiday dinners in our home. It was a chore I gladly took over from my mom when my dad passed, in order to allow my children to experience being in their own home for the holidays, just as I was as a child.
In those days we had a full dining room table with the grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins (as many as could make the trip) all coming together to celebrate. Over time the children grew up, family became scattered, and things changed. The gatherings grew smaller and the grandparents older. We sometimes laughed over the amusing antics of “the old folks,” the name fondly given those whose memories were not quite as sharp and bodies not quite as strong as they once were. As the gathering diminished in size we talked, my husband and I, about the time when we would be the “old folks” ourselves. And now we are . . . NOT! As sixty somethings, we are indeed older, but we have not yet declared ourselves OLD.
Mother’s Day falls this Sunday and I no longer have a mom to shop for, nor do I have daughters who are mothers themselves, so I guess Mother’s Day is pretty much all about ME. At least for now. Since I am The Mom, I thought I’d share with you what I’d like to receive as a mom on Mother’s Day. Maybe this will help you out a bit with your own Mom’s Day shopping 😉
TOP TEN Countdown (or countup?) of Things I Want for Mother’s Day:
Note: By clicking on the pictures you will be linked to the products. I do receive a small commission for anything purchased from Amazon, although you don’t pay any more than you normally would by going to Amazon directly yourself.
10.
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2.
And now, for the big NUMBER 1!
I DO NOT receive any compensation for this recommendation but that’s okay because I’m pretty excited about Norwex and want to tell you about their products (I want them all). So far I have a window cleaning cloth, and some counter and stove top cloths and they are amazing. No cleaning products are needed with them, only water, and they not only clean to perfection but they also disinfect your surfaces!
Norwex cleaning products are SAFE for your family – no chemicals; they save TIME; they save MONEY – up to 90% of what most spend on cleaning supplies; and they are SAFE for the environment.
I just ordered the Norwex mop system which not only cleans your floors with water alone but also removes bacteria. This is especially important to me with a new puppy in the house.
Below are some Norwex gifts for mom or dad (dad’s day is coming too). If you follow this LINK you’ll be directed to my daughter’s Norwex Facebook party and can order through Mother’s Day under her name – Joy. Again, I don’t receive anything for this referral but my daughter might score some free products if she has enough orders 😉
Finally . . . keep scrolling down . . .
. . . here is a short video showing the science behind Norwex and how, when put to the test, it showed that it really delivers over and above other similar products.
That’s the Top 10 Things I Want for Mother’s Day. Maybe your mom would like something from my list too.
Note to daughters: These are not hints as to what to get me for Mother’s Day. Just call home!
Happy Mom’s Day and blessings to y’all,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStory, Making Your Home Sing Mondays, What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking, SmallWonder, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CedarHillFarmhouse, TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, I Choose Joy, Thought Provoking Thursday, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays, ThoughtfulThursday, Tune-inThursday
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus FreshMarketFriday
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
It seems like I haven’t been here to chat with y’all in forever and yet, the time has flown plumb away! Did you catch that? “Plumb away.” I’m sounding right Southern y’all.
I’m enjoying my blogging break, trying to take time to fully breathe and take in my surroundings instead of constantly rushing to the “next thing.” I find it hard . . . to be still, to rest, to wait. Mr. OTN is fond of saying, “Just do the next right thing.” Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what that is. Right now, it is continuing to write for myself. One day that writing for myself may be shared here with you. I hope so.
In the meantime, here are a few things I learned in the month of October:
I learned that patio courtyards take a long time to construct. I had no idea what all went into a project like this!
I learned that choosing colors for this house is nothing like choosing colors for my old house. We have a lot more shade here and the colors I put on these walls look totally different than in a light filled home. If you are following me in Instagram you’ll know that I’ve been painting from room-to-room. It is such a good feeling to make everything new and fresh.
I learned that though the “greige” color I previously painted in my living room was nice it wasn’t right for me. Every time I looked in this room I felt like something was missing, so I spent a lot of time moving things here and there and still . . . it was lacking something. COLOR! I learned that color makes me happy as I finally chose and painted Benjamin Moore’s Beach Glass on my living room walls. I am at peace 😉
In a trip back to Washington State I learned that staying in the guest cottage we once owned feels strange. Wonderful but strange. Knowing that we gutted and restored nearly every surface of this cottage made me feel proud and happy, but also made me wonder why we’d never spent the night here when it belonged to us. I’m thankful to our friends John and Debbie who bought our old house and let us come back again for a visit.
I learned that going through my in-laws pictures can be fun as I came across Mr. OTN’s high school graduation picture. How young he looks here. Cute too. I wonder if we would’ve dated each other if we’d met in High School. 🙂
I learned, as we’ve been taking regular day trips into the mountains this Fall, that one can find the most amazing treasures in the most out-of-the-way places. I also learned that when we are driving down the highway at high speed and I yell, “Stop!,” Mr. OTN is a very good sport, even when he has his own destination in mind and limited time to get there. He is so good to me. I do think I would have dated him in high school.
I learned that by stopping to explore these fun out-of-the-way places it is almost impossible to refrain from picking up a little something. Stay tuned for the project we are working on together.
I learned that sometimes the most amazing and colorful sights are found in complete darkness as we chanced upon and toured Linville Caverns in North Carolina.
I learned that some of the best birthday presents are those I buy for myself, a whole month early. I know, right?
I learned that sometimes contractors aren’t as quick as I’d like them to be. The patio project progresses . . .
Finally, with all of the traveling and exploring we’ve done this past month I learned that some of the greatest beauty lies right down the street from home. The colors of Fall are gorgeous here in my neighborhood!
I hope and pray that no matter what is going on in your world, you will take the time to stop and feed your soul by capturing moments of beauty around you. They are everywhere if you’ll only take the time to see.
Blessings dear ones,
I’ve been known to link up to the following great parties!!!
Sunday:
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
Monday:
IShouldBeMoppingTheFloor, TheDedicatedHouse, Dwellings, ProjectInspired, InspireMeMonday, BetweenNapsOnThePorch, CelebrateYourStoryMaking Your Home Sing Mondays, The Beauty in His Grip What Joy is Mine/Monday Musings, Darling Downs Diaries, The Art of Homemaking,SmallWonder, LifeGivingLinkup, MomentsOfHope, Glimpses, SittingAmongFriends
Tuesday:
TalkOfTheTown, HomeStoriesAtoZ, AStrollThruLife, CoastalCharm, CozyLittleHouse, CedarHillFarmhouse, KatheWithAnE,TuesdaysAtOurHome, TheWinthropChronicles, Rich Faith Rising Unite Linky, Testimony Tuesday,Cheerleaders of Faith,Tell His Story, IntentionalTuesday
Wednesday:
SavvySouthernStyle, TheBlissfulBee, Posed Perfection, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Word Filled Wednesdays, ChristianBloggerLinkup, Whole Hearted Home, Mom’s Morning Coffee, Women with Intention, Coffee for Your Heart, MessyMarriage, ThreeWordWednesday
Thursday:
ShareYourStyle, ImpartingGrace, EmbracingChange, HaveADailyCupOfMrsOlson, MyRepurposedLife, ADelightsomeLife, KatherinesCorner, PrettyPreppyParty, The Deliberate Mom/Shine Blog Hop, I Choose Joy, Live Free Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday, PartyAtMyPlace, 100HappyDays, SincerelyPaulas, ThankfulThursdays
Friday:
FrenchCountryCottage, TheCharmOfHome, RootedInThyme, TheDedicatedHouseAnythingBlueFriday, ShabbyliciousFriday, Sweet Inspiration, Faith’nFriends, Missional Women Faith Filled Fridays, Dance With Jesus
Saturday:
FunkyJunkInteriors, OneMoreTimeEvents, SaturdaySparks, TheInspirationGallery, Make My Saturday Sweet
My Dad. He was a tough man, sometimes very tough on us kids. He was a perfectionist but not perfect. Perfectionists never are and this failure to “measure up” frustrates them which often overflows in anger. This I know. That anger is rooted in fear of never being “enough.”
My dad’s own upbringing was pretty rough and he wanted better for his kids than what he’d experienced, so when we screwed up, and he blew up, it was because he was afraid that we would settle for less than the best. No matter what, we all knew that he loved us deeply.
Welcome to FREEDOM FRIDAY – A devotional, emotional, spiritual and sometimes hysterical series that I will be sharing on occasional Fridays, in addition to my regular Old Things New posts. Why? Because though once bound in chains Christ has set me free – FREE to live, to love, to dance, to sing, to be who God created me to be!
Late in life the tough dad became the soft-hearted dad. Mesothelioma, the result of years in the construction field working with asbestos, tried to claim his life. It did in fact claim the lives of every single friend and co-worker that received the same diagnosis. My dad though . . . he had a praying wife . . . and praying friends.
Surgery, chemo, loss of hair, skin and bones, we entered church that day and sat to listen to the speaker. I don’t recall what the message was about but I do remember afterwards standing in the church foyer, waiting in line with all the others to shake the hand of the guest preacher. I was probably anxious to get out of there because in my late teens church was the most boring place I could spend one of my precious weekend days.
This day. It was different. When my dad’s turn came to shake this preacher’s hand the man asked him the simple question, “Can I pray for your healing?”
Now my dad had received lots of prayers before and during surgery and chemo but this was different. I wasn’t raised in a charismatic church so it wasn’t the norm for me to see hand-laying healing prayers. My dad was ready.
The Preacher prayed. My Father received what was offered. The Heaven’s shifted. My dad walked away from church that day believing that he was completely healed of cancer.
From that time forward my dad grew stronger. He eventually returned to a healthy weight, his hair grew back black, not the gray color it had been prior to the cancer. After a couple of years he became so much stronger that he and my mom bought a mini farm where they tended a large garden and raised beef for the family. There he also took up woodworking in his little shop out back and learned to build beautiful furniture from sticks of wood.
My dad’s harsh heart became soft like a child’s after this very personal encounter with God. Jesus’ touch that healed his body also healed the wounded places of his heart and for that he was forever grateful. He had such a special relationship with his Lord in fact, that he would stand at his workbench praying and blow kisses to Jesus. I believe that in working with wood my dad identified with Jesus the carpenter and that seeing a block of wood transformed into a beautiful creation reminded him of what Jesus had done in his own life.
After that time, I never saw my dad sit through church without tears spilling from his eyes and down onto his cheeks. He was forever grateful that God had restored the wasted years of his life and Joel 2:25 became one of his favorite verses of Scripture. He lived fifteen more years and saw the birth of all of his grandchildren. He loved his family with a passion and prayed that all would understand the transforming power of Jesus in their lives. It wasn’t about following rules, or being good. It was ALL about a personal, kiss-blowing relationship with the Creator. Experiencing firsthand His healing power then loving Him because He first loved us.
My dad’s relationship with Jesus and the fullness of his life after his healing is the greatest legacy he could have bestowed upon his family. Now as I work with my hands, just like my father, making broken things beautiful, I have decided that I will take up my dad’s torch. As I see transformation taking place beneath my hands I too will lift my fingers to my mouth, stretch my hands toward the Heavens, and blow kisses of gratefulness toward the Redeemer of my soul.
Lord, thank You for the life changing transformation I was allowed to witness in my earthly Father. Thank you that his and my mom’s prayers were answered as you also redeemed, set free and delivered me. Thank you that you are at work in the hearts of all my father’s children, grands, and great grands, to bring them to a place of KNOWING you in the deepest places of their hearts.
Poppy’s Tea Cart
“Our children will serve Him; future generations will hear the story of how God rescued us.” Ps. 22:30 The Voice
“The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; Yes, I have a good inheritance.” Ps. 16:6 NKJV
Happy Father’s Day dad,
TheDIYShowoff, LifeOnLakeshoreDrive, SilverPenniesSundays, SundaysAtHome, RusticAndRefined, Spiritual Sundays, GiveMeGrace
