Monday Musings - Artists + Wire = ??

A little something to bring a smile to your face and start your week with a laugh.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. Have a fabulous week.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Job 8:21 (NKJV)  He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing.

ThreeSixFive, Week 9

The project is progressing quite differently for me than my first attempt two years ago. In 2009, my goal was just to get a picture.....any picture. Just as long as I took a photograph every day. This year, I want to be more creative and selective in what I shoot.

There are several pictures this week that did not make the cut. But they are still good. Here are three of my favorites.

If you'd like to see the pictures that did make the cut, please hop over to my photo blog, Shutter Clicks. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

1 John 3:18 (NKJV) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

Friday Confessional

Because I feel like I need to. Fess up.

I Confess: This past week or so I have been out of sorts. In a funk. Not feeling myself. Can you relate? I can't really put my finger on the cause. I wouldn't say that I'm unhappy. But I can't say that I'm happy either. With myself.

I Confess: Can I be real? Because sometimes I don't think I am. Real. With you. Oh, I'm real about my faith. And my life in general. But I'm not so real with my heart. I don't like to be real with my heart. It makes me vulnerable. Exposed. I like to feel safe. When I open up, I don't feel safe. My heart is damaged. There are gaping holes. Scars. Chunks missing.

I Confess: That I don't like what age is doing to me. To my body. It's laughable really. It's inevitable. Seriously. It's very difficult to grow old. Yet, it is an honor to grow old. 

I Confess: That I am a little more than envious of other bloggers. You women are creative. Talented. Have such a flair for words. Gorgeous blogs.

I Confess: I want more. I want to be more. I want my photography to be creative. Worthy to bring glory and honor to God.

I Confess: I want your help. I'm going to be holding a contest. Get your creative thinking caps on. I'm looking for a name. Not just any name. A name for my photography. A label. An icon.

I Confess: I already feel better.

Thank you so much for listening to my confessions. More on the contest coming soon.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Matthew 22:37-39 (NKJV) ³⁷ Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Inconvenient? Ha! It's Annoying - HodgePodge

I guess I better clarify the title. The HodgePodge is not inconvenient.... or annoying. Joyce wants to know when we were inconvenienced. Check out my answer. That's why I'm so late in posting. I have had limited computer access since Friday.

1. Did you know there is a National Day of pretty much everything in the universe? February 23 happens to be National Inconvenience Yourself Day...when was the last time you were inconvenienced? At first I wasn't sure how to answer this. But in the last couple days I have been extremely inconvenience. By what you ask? By computer problems. Friday my computer at work crashed. I don't mean I have a little problem with it. I mean it totally crashed. Our computer geek took my cpu. TOOK IT! When I got it back everything on my hard drive had been erased. ERASED!!!!! Today, I have it back. I am struggling to function. Many of my software programs are no longer on my cpu. As program needs arise, I have to go get the geek to have it installed. A total inconvenience. I'm getting a whole new computer. It can't get here fast enough.

2. When a room in your house needs painting who does the job? We share. Isn't that nice? The hubs does the "cutting in" and I roll it on.

3. Are you friends with your cousins? Most of them. Especially these two. Their mom is my aunt. She and I are five months apart. I'm the baby. ahahaha. We live too far apart. It makes me sad some days that I can't just bop over for coffee. We do spend at least one week every year together. The photo below was taken last summer on our girls day out to Charleston, SC.

4. Do you use an alarm clock? If yes-is it an actual alarm, music, or something else? Oh yes. I use an alarm clock. It's the beep, beep, beep type. It can be annoying. Especially to my husband when I don't hear it going beep, beep, beep and it wakes him up.

5. What do you put ketchup on? Burgers, Brats, French Fries (sometimes). Guess that's about it. I like to taste my food, not a bunch of sauces.

6. What smells make you nostalgic? Camp fires. I love them. The smell of burning wood brings a flood of memories. Camping in my younger days. Roasting marshmallows. Burnt hotdogs. Good times with family and friends.

7. Have you heard about the high school English teacher recently suspended as a result of some things she wrote in her personal blog? You can read the story here but in a nutshell she vented a lot of frustration onto her blog. She didn't mention individual students by name but she did make some harsh comments about kids in general and their parents.

What are your thoughts-If you're a parent is your child's teacher online and are you 'friend' or 'follower' there? If you're a teacher are you on facebook and do you accept or friend students on fb? How about their parents? If you're a student are you friends with your current or former teachers online? Do any of them have blogs you read? If you're a teacher or a parent do you ever use your blog as a place to vent your frustrations with our educational system? So much to discuss... I'm not a teacher, and my child is out of the educational system. It will be interesting to read how others answered this question.

8. Insert your own random thought here. By God's grace, there is an opening to this sold out event. Thanks to my other cousin, Lisa, I get to attend with her.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Proverbs 14:22 (NKJV) Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

You Know It's Spring When.....

......Peepers show up at the local farm store!

......Temperatures are consistently above 40 degrees and the birds are singing.

.....More people are exercising outdoors. Runners!

.....Flipflops show up in the stores.

.....NASCAR season starts with The Daytona 500.

Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500. Outstanding way to start the 2011 race season. If you missed the race, you can read about the results here. Do you follow NASCAR? Have a favorite driver? Could give a care? ahaha.

Well, it might not be quite spring, but it sure is getting close. Can I get an Amen! lol. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Have a fabulous week.

Peace and Joy,
SusanD

Matthew 10:31 (NKJV) Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Monday Musings - Honest Abe

I'm honoring President's Day. This illustrates honesty and conscience:

It's said that Abraham Lincoln once sized up the case of a prospective client as follows:


"You have a good case, technically, but in terms of justice and equity, it's got problems. So you'll have to look for another lawyer to handle the case, because the whole time I'd be up there talking to the jury, I'd be thinking, 'Lincoln, you're a liar!' and I might just forget myself and say it out loud."
 
Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Have a great day.
 
Peace and Joy,
Susan
 
2 Kings 12:15 (NIV, ©2010) They did not require an accounting from those to whom they gave the money to pay the workers, because they acted with complete honesty.

ThreeSixFive, Week 8

Side by side....well sort of. This is my pic of the week. My photography class assignment. These are both straight out of the camera (SOOC). No post processing.

NOTE: Photo #1 was taken Saturday, 2/12 at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. I was trying to utilize some of the long shadows of the afternoon. The cloud cover was acting as a natural diffuser and softening the light. Photo #2 was taken the following morning, Sunday 2/13 at 7 o'clock. The sun was just breaking over the horizon.

Photo #1

Photo #2

My choice is not the same as the one my instructor chose. Which is your preference? Photo #1 or Photo #2?

Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Please hop over to my photo blog, ShutterClicks to view the rest of this week's pictures. Have a fabulous week.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Galatians 4:10 (NKJV) You observe days and months and seasons and years.

It's a Birthday HodgePodge

This week's HodgePodge is dedicated to the birthday girl. You'll have to read all the way to the bottom to find out who it is. So....let's get started!

1. Your favorite chocolate treat? ahaha! If it's chocolate, how can it not be a favorite?

2. What more than anything else makes you feel loved? My wonderful hubby.

3. Cherries or blueberries? I'm a blueberry kind of gal.

4. What is the one trait you most want the leader of your country to possess? Faith in God.

5. Are you a saver or a spender? Spender. But this year my goal is to spend less and save more. I'll let you know how that works for me.

6. If you gave a party for all of your friends would they already know each other? Nope. I run in different circles.

7. Are you interested in antiques? Ha! I am an antique. I'm older than 20. Doesn't that make me antique?

8. Insert your own random thought here. So....where does the birthday come in? This girl has a birthday today. She is my beautiful daughter.  She turns 26 today! TWENTY SIX!!! How did that happen?

Sadly, I do not have photos on my computer of her younger years. Here is her smiling face at a local event this past fall. Her age makes me feel very, very old. Oh wait. I'm already an antique. How much older can I feel than that? She and I are spending some much needed time together. I'm treating her to dinner at the restaurant of her choice. Naturally, I'll tell the wait staff that it's her birthday so she can be totally embarrassed. It's my job, I'm the mom. ahaha. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS GIRL!

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or link up with your own.

 

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Psalm 127:3 (NIV, ©2010) Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.

Throne Trip Tuesdays - Backdoor to Success

After thirty-six years in television journalism, Ernie Bjorkman lost his $250,000 per year job as an anchorman. So he decided to do what he'd always wanted to do as a young person: work with animals. He went back to school to become a "vet-tech"--a technician working for a veterinarian at an annual salary of around $30,000.*

The title of Dr. Erwin Lutzer's book on failure--Failure: The Backdoor to Success--accurately captures what many have discovered in life: that some of life's greatest blessings and opportunities arise out of demolished hopes and dreams. Take John Mark, for example. His dream of accompanying his cousin, Barnabas, and the apostle Paul on their first missionary trip ended in failure (Acts 13:13; 15:36-41) and adamant rejection by Paul. Yet, in due time, Mark became one of Paul's most trusted young coworkers (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24).

If you have suffered a setback in recent days, look to the future. Ask God to use this event to accomplish His perfect will in your life, to open new doors of opportunity for your good and His glory.

The man who is elated by success and cast down by failure is still a carnal man.  A. W. Tozer

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

ThreeSixFive - Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day. My photo assignment this past week: Shallow depth of field. This is SOOC (straight out of the camera. no photo editing)

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. For all of this week's pictures, please stop by my photo blog, ShutterClicks. There you will find my car-of-the week, a speeding locomotive, and an apple pie.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

John 3:16 (NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Some HodgePodge Love

1. What is more important-doing what you love or loving what you do? Loving what you do. If you love what you do, you are content.

2. Do you like bleu cheese? Yes. Especially dressing.

3. What is the most difficult emotion for you to handle? Fear (False Evidence Appearing Real).

4. Fresh flowers or a box of chocolate? Ha! Easy answer. Chocolate. Remember last week's response to having marshmallows in hot cocoa? "Just hand over the chocolate and nobody gets hurt." lol

5. What's a song you love that has the word 'love' in its title? It doesn't have to be a 'love song'. It's a toss up between two Beatles songs. Which is your favorite?

In the second clip, you'll see Paul McCartney looking up at someone and chuckling. Stick around for the end of this clip. There's a guy on the upper level having a grand time. Crack.Me.Up!

6. Are you the person you wanted to be when you grew up? Hmmm. What are you really asking here, Joyce? For my vocation? Not really, but there's still time. In other ways, I'd have to say yes. I'm happy, loved, blessed beyond measure, and stand firm on my values.  

7. Any special Valentines Day plans? The hubs and I will have a special dinner over the weekend because of his work schedule. But on the actual day, I plan on taking cupcakes to the office. After work, I'll working out at the gym to keep my heart healthy and burn off a few of those cupcake calories.

8. Insert your own random thought here. This Valentine's Day, celebrate family and friends, and exercise your heart. 

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,

Susan

Philippians 4:11 (NKJV) Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

Monday Musings - Two Feet of Snow

Some of you have much more than two feet of snow over the past few weeks. Several of you have endured what many are calling the snowmageddon. Even in the south, there has been snow. Here is what two feet of snow looks like in my neck of the woods:

ahahaha! Sorry. I couldn't pass it up. Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Have a fabulous week.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 126:2 (NKJV) Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”

Project 365 Week 6

It was a crazy, busy week. More snow. Too cold. But one that yielded some great photos. Here's my pic of the week. A gorgeous sunset with a unique sunbeam.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting. For all of this week's pictures, please stop by my photo blog, ShutterClicks.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Proverbs 21:21 (NKJV) He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness, and honor.

O Glorious Day!

On my way to work this morning I was greeted by this lovely sight!

Though it may not be this:

At least it's not this!

And very, very soon, it will be this:

Thank you for stopping by and visiting today, This Day!

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Psalm 59:16 (NIV) But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.

Groundhog Day HodgePodge

That's right. It's groundhog day. Punxsutawney Phil will forecast how long the remainder of our winter will be.

There is an unofficial Groundhog Day Guide. Who knew? What to know more about Punxsutawney Phil and Groundhog Day? Go here!

Now....on to the HodgePodge:

1. Would you rather be seen as a person who did their duty or forged their own path? Duty? As in God and country? I'm definitely about all that.

2. This week's Wednesday Hodgepodge happens to fall on Groundhog's Day. In keeping with that theme, if you could have a do-over of any one day out of the last seven, which day would it be and why. If you haven't seen the movie Groundhog Day this question will make absolutely no sense but that's okay....you can answer anyway. Sunday. I would have asked to keep the grand-boy longer.

You thought my question was going to be weather related didn't you?Yep!

3. Hot cocoa...yay or nay on the marshmallows? Nope. Just hand over the chocolate and nobody gets hurt. lol

4. Do you wear makeup every day? What are the top two must haves in your daily makeup routine? I rarely go without makeup. Only two?At my age, I have FIVE must haves!!!

5. Is it more important to you in a relationship to be loved or understood? Loved.

6. Parsley sage rosemary or thyme... your favorite? Rosemary. It compliments so many foods.

7. What do you do when you feel angry? Try very, very hard to keep my big mouth shut until I cool off.

8. Insert your own random thought here. It's official!!!!! Punxsutawney Phil emerged at about dawn when his handlers announced the famed groundhog didn't see his shadow, signaling an early spring. If he had "seen" his shadow, that would have been a prediction of six more weeks of wintry weather. Want to read more? Go here.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting. Please hop on over to Joyce's to read other participants answers or link up with your own.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Throne Trip Tuesdays - The Age of Miracles

Some people say we are past the age of miracles. Others say we are in the age of miracles. I say, both groups are incorrect. We have a God of miracles today, This Day! In the past 20 days, I have watched a miracle unfold right before my eyes. A miracle of healing. A miracle of strength. A miracle of compassion. A miracle of love. Stop by and see the progress, the miracle, of God's mercy that has happened in the last 20 days for Joanne, this child of the King.

Peace and Joy,
Susan

Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV) But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.