Finding Joy

I am finding joy in this lovely first snowfall of December.  How appropriate that it arrived as we begin the Christmas season.

Winter may not be my favorite time of the year but there is a special beauty to be found.

The appearance of each branch coated in white lends itself to a magical fairy tale waiting to be read.

It reminds me of joyful times. Snowy days spent sled riding with my brother and making snow men.    As a child I never minded the cold.  It was a part of life and the charm of being young and alive.  

 

We knew when we grew tired and wet there was a warm cup of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows waiting for us indoors.  Mom would often accompany this special beverage with a plate of fresh baked cookies.

Even though many moons have passed since those precious days of childhood...there is so much joy in remembering winter days of fun and laughter.  

How about each of you?  Are you finding joy in this season of the year?  I pray so!

Hugs!

Debbie

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy."  Phil. 1:4 (NIV) 

First of December

The first of December brought us snow.

 Several inches covered the ground

and trimmed the tree limbs  white.

In the afternoon sunshine it made a pleasant sight.

 Seeing that first bit of winter made me decide I would do a bit of my own trimming.

     Nothing like a bit of snow to spark the Christmas Spirit.   Hope you all have

                                         a blessed week.   Hugs  Debbie

"In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.  The virgin's name was Mary."  Luke 1:26-27 (NIV)

Adventure

Shelby Waiting

 

It was a perfect day for a winter adventure.

Shelby is always up for a longer walk -

Schindler up Ahead

Schindler too!

We spotted some round bales of hay hiding beneath a bit of white stuff.

The old apple orchard looks forlorn during this winter season  -

so does the berry patch.

A remnant of autumn still standing with a dollop of snow was found.

Wow this was quite a hill to climb but we managed to get to the top without a hitch.  Sometimes it is nice to turn an ordinary walk into an adventure.    Hope you enjoyed coming along.

Have a blessed week.

Hugs

Debbie, Shelby and Schindler

"Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow."   Psalm 51:7 (NIV) 

Snowed In

Being snowed in has a lovely upside.

One has time to watch the birds...

Gluten Free French Bread

Bake something tasty...

Read a good book or two...

Paint something blooming.

Or when the sun shines venture a snowy walk .

If any of you are snowed in today - would love to hear what you are doing.   To those who are in a warm place - could you send some of it my way.

"He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'  Job 37:6 a (NIV)

Hugs

Debbie

February's Arrival

With February's arrival fresh snow came.  It is a gentle reminder winter is still here.

The old apple tree bends its limbs to receive a light covering of white.

The hills in the distance have taken on winter's chill.

To chase away the season's grays I have pulled out Nita Leland's wonderful book "Confident Color".   Each page has lovely art work and different exercises to build one's confidence and knowledge about color.

It has inspired me to pull out my brushes and paint.
Isn't it true that finding inspiration can be illusive?
At times like these am so grateful for encouraging authors such as Nita Leland.

Her words are the perfect antidote to make those seasonal blues go away.




Speaking of  words I am sharing a favorite song of mine performed by Michael W Smith.  Hope you enjoy it sweet friends.

Have a lovely week - God Bless until we meet again!   Hugs

Hope - My Perfect Word

This year "Hope" became my perfect word.

In a previous post written January 13, 2013 I shared author Debbie Macomber's practice of selecting a special word for the new year.

"Kindness" was going to be mine but "Hope" kept appearing in a variety of ways and means.   Apparently this was to be my selection.


Webster's Thesaurus describes "Hope" as  anticipation, aspiration, assurance, belief, desire, expectancy, expectation, confidence, faith, optimism, prospect, trust.

Legendary positive thinker Norman Vincent Peale wrote an article in 1987 "Let Hope Light Your Way".

He pointed out that wishing and hope are not the same thing.   Wishing differs in the fact that often when one wishes for something they do not believe it will come to be.   Whereas "hope" holds that special ingredient - expectancy.  It says that the desired outcome can happen.

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 5:4 "And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us."

Friends it is my "hope" that no matter what difficult circumstances and challenges each of us may be facing - we will come through - we will emerge stronger - we will be filled with hope for a blessed 2017.

Hugs Debbie

Christmas!

Wishing a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends in blog land.

With Christmas only a week away -decided this would be my final post for 2016.    If you are like me there is still last minute things to accomplish and folks to see.

Will be stopping by to visit each of you in the coming  two weeks.

I've certainly been blessed this past year by all the wonderful posts that you have shared.

The photos, the words, and the precious visits here have kept me inspired, uplifted and feeling connected to something larger than my tiny space in this world.  Thank You.









 .
May you each find special joy this Christmas season...Emmanuel - God with Us!

Love Debbie  

Snowfall

Did this fella know

 this was coming?

A gorgeous snowfall - that covered the ground.

Each limb and branch was

coated in white.

It was a wonderful site!


.














Yes I think this fella knew what was coming.



Hope everyone is warm and safe.
Have a blessed week.

Hugs Debbie

Fresh Snow and the Birds

 Morning brought us another fresh covering of snow.

This little Sparrow didn't seem to be bothered one bit.    He patiently was waiting his turn to eat.








The backyard restaurant had a stream of patrons all afternoon.  The lines were long.  It was so busy at times I had to keep restocking the buffet.

Mr. Cardinal claimed his place before Ms. Blue Jay arrived.

 Later they had quite a discussion over the cracked corn dish.












As the day faded into evening one by one they left.

It was time to go home.  Time to get some rest.

 
Tomorrow they will be back.   Hope you will too.
Have a wonderful evening.   God Bless!