It was a very good week

And here's why:

I'm working as an aide for Migrant Summer School.  MSS is for children of the parents who work seasonally on the farms surrounding our town.

7 hours of being with our kiddos-all 30 of them.

They were so great, seemed eager to be there.

Most of them speak English, but several have only been here 6 months and so the very-able teacher translates her directions constantly.  I look forward to lots of opportunities to practice my Spanish.

When I got home yesterday, I did what I always do.

I went outside to my happy place under the fir trees, sat on my Adirondack chair, 

and drank a cup of coffee just to process the week.

Me and Boomer, snuggling in my happy place a few years ago.

As I sat there, the Lord reminded me Who had orchestrated it and that I hadn't spent time with Him for a couple days.

I read a devotion about how He shows me my purpose, citing this passage:

This is what the LORD says-

I am the LORD your God,

who teaches you what is best for you,

who directs you in the way you should go.

Isaiah 48:17

It's so good to realize that I am where I should be, right smack dab in the middle of His plans for me in this season.

And this is how I know:  I feel peace and joy and fulfillment as I interact with each of those 30 little lambs.  I get to be His hands and feet and mouthpiece all day long to them.

I get to teach them what is best for them and thus, touch their lives for eternity during these four weeks.

Are you living God's purpose for you?
How did He reveal that to you?
What is your attitude about His portion for this season of your life?

• "I'm so excited that I leap out of bed in the morning."  
• "I'm going forward screaming and kicking."
• "I vacillate between the two."

How could your willing obedience and joyful acceptance of His plans affect others for eternity?

May you realize the peace, joy, and fulfillment of your purpose in God's plans this week,
dear ones!
Love,

Thanks, Ginger and Charlotte, for hosting Spiritual Sundays!

Happy Last Day of 2010!

 Tuesday, our family woke up to this kind of weather:

At the beach near my Mom's home in California, 

people were wearing shorts and flip flops,

 playing in the sand, and walking along the boardwalk.

Others were catching tiny halibut from the pier.

Word nerd alert:

Is "halibut" the correct way to write the plural of "halibut"? 

Help me!

Help me, Rhonda!

Seriously, Rhonda and I want to know the plural of "halibut."

I love the opening line of that song:

Well, since you put me down,

there's been owls pukin' in my bed.

No, that isn't the real opening line,

just the one found in

Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs.

When I read that, it made so much sense

'cuz I could never figure out what the lyrics really are.

Can you?

About 15 years ago, our family used to read Dave's column 

in the Sunday newspaper.

It was something we could laugh about together.

We had 3 hormonal teenagers, 

one menopausal Mom (me), 

and one worried-about-getting-3-kids-through-college Dad (my DH)

living in the same home and sometimes 

laughing together wasn't on the agenda.

But we sure looked forward 

to those fun moments 

on Sundays after church,

sitting on the couch together,

laughing.

Thank You, Jesus,

for the grace of those times! 

Major digression there.

But what happy memories those are!

We got home to the Beautiful Pacific Northwest yesterday.

There's no place like home!

This morning we woke up to this:

Let's see...

Warm, sunny, bike-riding weather...

My Little Brother is checking out the surrey with the fringe on the top.
Couldn't resist the reference to "Oklahoma."

 Or frost covering the landscape? 

The candy tufts-blooming in winter for the first time-have cozied up to the foxgloves.

I know many would choose the warm weather,

but 

there's no place like home.

After all,

I'm looking forward to the crocuses

[croci???]

coming up and blooming very soon!

What's it like in your little corner of the world?

Would you choose to live somewhere else?

Why or why not?

Linking up with Java at Never Growing Old
for Follow Friday 40 and over.

and
Kailani at An Island Life for
Aloha Friday.

and
Mama To 4 Blessings & Homegrown Families for their

Blessings to you 

on this, 

our last day of 2010!

Love, 

                                          

Taking A Breath

Good morning, dear friends. 

 I've been perusing some of your blog posts and 

enjoying the eye candy of your  lovely tablescapes 

both for Thanksgiving and your amazing Christmas decorations.

But me?

I'm with Jane at Blondie's Journals, 

I need to take a breath and let "normal" reign in my home

for a few days 

before I start the Christmas decorating blitz.

But that's just me.

Except Marty's idea for a front door decoration

is now ensconced in my brain

and I can't wait to copy it!

The fact that she got some of the pieces from 

Dollar Tree is encouraging to me

because that's what my budget calls for this year.

I'll post my take on it later.

These are some items on my agenda for today:

1. Help Mom in California get a replacement for her stolen Social Security card.  She left her purse in a cart at Target yesterday.  Bless my little Bro, who lives close to her, for canceling her credit cards checking accounts, and is taking her to the DMV for a new driver's license!
2. Return several pairs of shoes to Zappo's.  Oh, how I wanted those RED satin flats and animal print flats to fit my bunion-infested footies!  Not a chance, fancy pants.
3. Meet the DH at the bank to settle some business there at 12:30.
4. Get the porkchops out for supper.  Even though I'd planned to make this last Wednesday night, it didn't happen.  I'd spent the entire day prepping for Thanksgiving and was too tired to cook.  Hurray for the teriyaki place near our home!
5. I get to have my hair cut by the talented woman who's been my hairdresser for five years.  It's the one luxury I just haven't been able to give up in our season of season of financial concerns.
6. Wash, fold, and put away several loads of laundry.

Rain-washed Zen garden on my front porch

What are you up to today?  

Diving into decorating your home?

Puttin' up the tree?

Running errands?

Taking a breath?

For me, part of taking a breath from holiday prep is 

calling to mind the precious moments that happened in our family over Thanksgiving.  

Storing them in my heart like the treasures they are.   

I'm asking God to guide me through my list with a 

thoughtful, thankful, gentle, and quiet attitude.

But Mary treasured up all these things 

and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:19

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment...

Instead, it should be that of your inner self,

 the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, 

which is of great worth in God's sight.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Welcome To Making Friends Monday Blog Hop 11/29 hosted by Living on Love and Cents,  The Thrifty Things,  Reviewed By Mom , and  Coupons are Great.
The rules are super simple but VERY important! 

1. Follow the Making Friends Monday  Hosts (Listed as # 1-4) They WILL follow you Back! You MUST LEAVE A COMMENT so we can follow you back!

2. Grab our Making Friends Monday button and include it in a post on your blog.

3. Link up to THAT post.

4. Start hopping and remember following back is appreciated!

Help spread the word and get more followers:
-Put the same linky list code on your blog and you'll have the exact same list!
- Your blog visitors can add their blog to your list and it will show up on all lists!
**Don't forget to follow the rules so you have a chance to be the "Spotlight Blog of the Week"!

If you have any giveaways ending THIS WEEK go link up HERE. Take a minute to enter some too!

  It will be fun getting acquainted with this crowd!
Don't forget that you are wonderful!

Love, Karen

My Weight Loss Journey-Day #9 of Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for the people and tools

the Lord

has given me to help me on

My Weight Loss Journey.

Believe me, folks,

I've spent/waisted/lost plenty of time

beating myself up for being over-weight. 

Do you recognize this conversation I keep having in my brain?

It's like an earworm.

You know, a song that you hear on the radio,

and for the rest of the day

you CAN'T get it out of your head!

One of the worst earworms I ever got

-apart from the one below-

was at Disneyland when we took the kids on the

"It's A Small World" ride.

Got off on an earworm rabbit trail. 

Hey! 

Rabbit trails lead NO WHERE

and that's where this earworm has gotten me:

Me:  "I need to lose weight 'cuz

I'm not proud of the way I look;

my clothes don't fit;

I've never weighed this much, not even 9 months pregnant;

my cholesterol is sky-high (335!);

I'm at risk for heart disease and diabetes;

I look and feel older than I am;

I feel achy and sluggish..."

You get the picture.

Ever have that conversation?

This fall, when it came time to renew my health insurance for my job,

I learned about a new benefit:

I could join a

Weight Watchers at Work group meeting

FOR FREE!

I know this program works for me.

I achieved Lifetime Member status 5 years ago.

I looked and felt great!

But I didn't maintain the lifestyle.

And the earworm/rabbit trail conversations began.

I'd considered joining again,

but due to our financial state

I didn't feel I could spend the money.

So over the summer, I actually had enough

self-discipline to

NOT BAKE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

every time the thought came in my head.

That helped.

[Go figure!] 

Lost 5 pounds.

Well, thank You, Jesus!

You provided a way for me join with co-workers

for support, accountability, and fellowship on

My Weight Loss Journey!

Part of the benefit includes use of

Weight Watchers' etools on their website.

I joined 2 weeks ago and have lost 1.4# !

I love my leader and my group.

I feel empowered, confident, and hopeful.

Another tool the Lord has given me eyes to see is

on-line supporters such as

Jennifer at Living A Changed Life,

Donna at The Year of Living Healthfully,

Julie at The Going To Be New Me,
(especially the idea for the weight-loss ticker)

and Angie's Healty Living Blog.

Thank you, ladies, for posting your ups and downs

on your weight loss and maintenance journeys!

You inspire me to set goals and share them

with the wide world (as Forest Gump says).

Lord, I lift up all of us who are struggling with this issue.

Please turn our eyes and hearts to You, first,

for approval, strength, and guidance.

When we fail,

Lord, let us find our solace and shelter in You.

When we are successful,

Lord, let us rejoice in You,

our always-available Strength

and everlasting Lover.

God's abundant blessings on your day, friends!

Love, Karen

Today I'm inviting you to a blog hop with Java and friends over at
Never Growing Old

Personally, I plan to NEVER be old. 
Which is different than:  I never plan to be old.
How 'bout you?

They actually pay me to do this!-Day #5 of Thanksgiving

I love my job!
I've been doing it nearly 11 years and-most days-I can't believe they actually PAY me to do it!

I don't dread any day of my work week like some folks dread Mondays, for instance.

I get to work with some of the most interesting people I've ever known.

I get to smile, almost non-stop, all day.

Within certain parameters, I get to decide what I will do with my cookies & buddies.

I get to play roll & move games, bingo, and card games.

I get to read aloud to and with audiences that appreciate it and whose lives are enriched.

I get to hear personal stories, happy and sad.

I get to celebrate birthdays and holidays.
I get to enjoy the passing of time while watching people grow in knowledge and maturity.
I get to grow in knowledge and maturity.

I get to see their eyes light up when they "get it."

That's what gets me up in the morning!  

In case you haven't guessed yet, I am a teacher. 

I work as a Speech Language Pathologist Assistant in several local elementary schools.
I teach children how to say their sounds and use language to express themselves.

I don't have all of the "letters" behind my name,

so I'm supervised by Speech Language Pathologists.

Through the years, they've been great mentors,

always willing to help me learn new skills.

I believe God made this job just for me.

He knew I needed to learn better people skills

as evidenced in yesterday's post.

He wanted to bless me with a challenging, fun job

in which I can bless others

by being the hands, feet, and mouthpiece of Jesus.

He brings friendly, inspiring children and adults across my path every day.

He knew this season, with its financial challenges, was coming,

so He made sure I'm paid well and have health insurance.

God gave me the desire of my heart

and I didn't even know it when I accepted the job.

He gave me a new purpose, a new way to serve Him, when my kids left home.

I never dreamed I would love it.

Thank You, Lord, for providing my job!

By Your grace I will continue to work at it with all my heart!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, 

as working for the Lord, not men, 

since you know that you will receive an inheritance 

from the Lord as a reward.  

It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

Are not 5 sparrows sold for 2 pennies?  

Yet not 1 of them is forgotten by God.

Indeed the very hairs on your head are all numbered.

Don't be afraid; 

you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6-7

For we are God's fellow workers; 

you are God's field, God's building.

1 Corinthians 3:9

Delight yourself in the Lord 

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:4

Do you feel like your job has meaning and purpose?

Do you feel like you're serving God each day?

If not, ask Him to give you the desire of your heart.

If you do, thank Him!

Grace to you, dear ones!

Love, Karen

Me and 3 of my "buddies"

May God give you the desires of your heart!

Love, Karen

Linking up with Cooperating4Boys' blog hop.

Join us and meet some new friends!

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My Little Bro-Day #3 of Thanksgiving

 This crazy-haired, mustachioed guy is my baby brother.  He won't ever let me get a decent picture of him.  Soon as he sees my camera aimed at him,

he makes a goofy face.

Like he did here.

[little stinker]

From my sisterly perspective,

 and having a lifetime of personal observations to back me up,

the truth is,

he is a BIG STINKER!

That's what all big sisters think about little brothers.

RIGHT?

But all his

STINKINESS aside,

I am so thankful that he's my brother!

You see,

the truth is,

 my little bro has some wonderful qualities.

A biggie in my book is that he comes to visit us.

For at least 10 of the last 15 years, he has come from SoCal

to the Beautiful Pacific Northwest to celebrate Christmas.

And this summer,

he brought Mom from SoCal in June just 'cuz he knew I been

a-hankerin'

to make him a birthday cake.

He needed to show the nieces and nephews a thing or 2 

about ladder golf, too.

And then, in August, he came again

just 'cuz he knew we'd put him up at

B&K's B&B.

[AKA our guest bedroom]

Yup, that bed was mighty comfy after he rode his motorcycle

all over God's green earth

[the lovely countryside near our home]

all day, every day for 2 weeks.

'Course it didn't hurt that we kept a cold one in the fridge

and enjoyed homemade suppers-almost-every night.

Well, also, he made sure my car got fixed up and painted good and proper

after a little old lady backed into me.

And someone had to visit the local winery for a picnic with us.

Might as well be him!

Then there was the day he helped my dear husband fix the broken window panes in the garage door,

And took a field trip to the nursery with me to get some

organic "get rid of the aphids" type stuff.

Then he took it upon himself to kill said aphids with said stuff.

My little bro and I have been

the keepers of one another's secrets over the years, too.

TRUST

is part of our relationship.

And I'm so grateful for that!

So, little bro, please come back soon!

I love your visits and your cheerful, helpful way.

Actually, you're not such a big stinker.

Truth is,

I love you!

A friend loves at all times and

a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17

If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to your brother;

then come and offer your gift.

Matthew 5:23-24

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;

and to godliness, brotherly kindness;

and to brotherly kindness, love.

2 Peter 1:5-7

Grace, mercy, and peace to you friends!

Love, Karen

Putting the garden to bed-Day #2 of Thanksgiving

Today I'm thankful for having the means and health to garden this summer. 

Gardening is an activity that fuels my passion for life.  

I feel refreshed and energized every time I get to do it.

But in fall there comes a time when I must put the garden to bed,
i.e., pull out the annuals, trim down the perennials, and clean the beds before frost makes it's seasonal appearance.

However, on a recent morning, I glanced out through my kitchen sliding door and saw fall sunlight kissing the last of the zinnias and lobelias on the deck...
 

...and I made up my mind: 

I'm not putting my garden to bed just yet.

With a certifiable procrastinator's rationale, 

I said to myself,  
"Look how bravely those flowers are reaching for the bright fall sun!

Probably a posse from my garden club will show up toute suite and bury me in a worm bin for the winter

if I r-r-rip up those lovelies and toss 'em in the yard debris bin

today!"

All I could do was grab my camera and capture the last of summer's glory around my home. 

It's so great to be a procrastinator have an artist's spontaneity!

Here, out in the bed by the street are more zinnias...

and more...

And this little beauty!  She's so vain.

She prob'ly thinks this post is about her.
(Name that song from the 70's.) 

Wearing a tutu and a crown

like she's a bloomin'  extra in

the Nutcracker.

And just look at those aster groupies behind her.

Look at this show-off. 

She's nearly as big as my hand. 

And that color just makes me swoon!

Cast an eye on these ruby orbs.

If I figured how much it cost me to grow them,

they're probably worth 7 bucks a pound.

All summer we gardeners have been whining about

the cool summer days and nights.

"Do you have tomatoes yet?"

"Me neither."

And then I waited too long to harvest some that ripened!

But these are destined for greatness!

I made a killer sauce with 'em, sans the lemon cucumber.

See you next summer, Miss Alyssum.

It was nice to know you, Mr. Nasturtium.

And here's the last of my clematis for this year.

She's grown at the corner of our home for 15 years.

Fall light strreaming through the dogwood.



Better grab these lemon cukes before the frost gets 'em

Come to mama.


I'd never had this color of cosmos.  Planted them from seed.

 I planted sweet peas for the first time the May before my first child was born, 30 years ago.  I thought my baby would love to smell them, so I planted them under her window.  On her wedding day 7 years ago, my girlfriend went to Pike Place Market in Seattle, bought her a whole bouquet of them, and gave them to her just before she put on her wedding dress. 

You can't buy memories like that. 

You can plant them, though. 

What a brave soul this gladiola is.  I don't think the fall sun reaches her any more, but she fulfilled her desiny by blooming anyway.

You do not see the chain link fence.  It is a figment of your imagination.

It's hard to beat perennial fuschias.  They bloom profusely for about 4 months.

And the groupie asters?  They make excellent cut flowers.  A few of them came inside to delight us for nearly 10 days!  

The pumpkin is another gift from the friend who bought our daughter

sweet peas on her wedding day.

This is what the words say:

As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15

Thank You, God, for making flowers and veggies!

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation:  seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds."

And it was so...

And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:11, 12

Grace to you, my friend.

Love, Karen