Spiritual Sundays

Welcome again to Spiritual Sundays, to read other inspirational blog posts visit http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.

"They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11-14

It can be easy to see God in the big things, the majesty found in nature, Niagra Falls, the Grand Canyon. We see His hand in the big moments of our lives, the birth of a child or at a wedding or funeral. We even see Him in the tragedies that befall us, we feel His presence when we get news of a terminal illness, or in the heartache of a broken relationship, He provides us with His strength.

What about the mundane everyday moments in your life? Do you see God's purpose when you 'coincidentally' run into someone who needs your encouragement? Is He present when you clean, garden or simply provide a loving meal for your family to share?

God is with us always, if we fail to see Him in these moments it is not that he isn't there, it is simply that we have failed to notice. Nothing is too insignificant in your life for God not to care. Today I encourage you to notice God in the small details of your life and then thank Him for His gifts. As you go through your day look for the small things, for when you see God in the small things your life becomes more meaningful.

Who's Happy About the New Snow???

Why my youngest son Alex is of course!

Why would he want any more of this...

so he could go here !

His Ski Club at school finally got to go night skiing

at Big Boulder in the Poconos.

He's been rather bummed out because while

we've had lots of snow this winter

every time they were scheduled for a trip

there was too much snow!

Well too much for the buses to risk driving

to the ski resort that is.

So yesterday my sweet son finally got to use his skis,

and he was very happy!

My husband and I have been skiing for quite some time

and we made it a point to get our kids to the mountains

 to learn to ski and snowboard.

This was extremely smart of us because

they became good enough that

we could send them off with the Ski Club

and not be too worried.

Now we can stay in the warmth

and comfort of home while they go out and do

their thing!

Not everyone was so happy about the weather,

this poor robin mistakenly thought spring was

arriving soon. He arrived here earlier in the week

when our temperatures rose to the mid 40's.

 He was in for a SURPRISE on thursday when the snow

started to fall. It's saturday and still snowing here.

Some of his friends like this chickadee

are waiting to hit the bird feeder,

while this cardinal

and junco

forage beneath it for any fallen seeds they might find.

While I usually don't appreciate the mess

this guy makes and how he disturbs my gardens,

I even felt sorrow for this poor squirrel!

How many weeks until spring???

If You Too Love Vintage...

then you'll definitely want to check out the author

of these wonderful books, C. Dianne Zweig,

who just happens to have her own blog!

you can visit her by opening up the link below.

http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/

Well go on now...go see for yourself!

Now Where Was I ???

I think when I was sharing some of my favorite

things to collect I left off right about here...

you remember now don't you? I have a thing for green and basketweave.

Anyway, since things that catch my eye

pretty much run the full gamut, I sometimes

cross over into other styles like

any green planters...

these just happen to be McCoy

but not all my planters are.

I have a large skylight

in my master bathroom so houseplants

of all kinds thrive there. My favorites are my

african violets.

They can be found in any supermarket

or home improvement store

for little money and they bloom all year long!

I simply pop the little plant into

my vintage planters and

I'm a very happy girl!

These are a few of my other planters.

Now while most of my houseplants sit either

around my tub or elsewhere around my home

not every place is condusive to good

plant health so when I need a touch of

green I place some artificial ivy

in a wall pocket and hang

it wherever I like!

...of course they're vintage as well !

Hope you enjoyed viewing these favorites of mine.

A Joyful Celebration!

Today I am excited to share that my very special friend

PJ

will be celebrating her One Year blogging

anniversay on March 1st...

you simply must stop by her blog today

and visit as she is having the most generous

give-away to commemerate

this joyous occassion!

simply click on the link and you'll be taken

to her door staight away.

http://thebacksofmyeyelids.blogspot.com/

(banner reprinted from PJ's blog, hope she doesn't mind)

While any giveaway is usually reason enough to visit a blog,

 I can tell you, you will be enhancing your own life

and blogging experience by getting to know

PJ and learning along the way.

I started blogging in June and was welcomed

to blogland early on by PJ. I had no idea until

today that she has only been blogging for one year.

Her gift of the written word coupled with

her amazing insight and infectious sense of humor

belie the fact that she has only been doing this

for a year. Now don't get me wrong,

as a newbie I realize what a milestone this is, I just

figured with her wealth of knowledge and her huge

 following that she had been at this for years!

PJ is a special woman and a loyal

friend to her followers, if there is any chance

you haven't met her or know of

someone else who hasn't you simply must

go and meet her and share her link.

You will not be disappointed!!!

More Baskets???

...well not really, but you see my love of baskets

carries over to my love of vintage pottery so

I am drawn to pieces that have a

basketweave pattern...

The pattern is a little hard to see on this piece

as it's a small egg cup but I love

the handpainted flowers.

This is another 'made in japan' piece,

you can see the basketweave a little better

in this photo.

...anothet 'MIJ' piece and

another.

I think it's not only the muted colors

and handpainted accents I'm drawn to

but also the textural element.

Here my love of green pottery overlaps

the love of basketweave.

The textural elements are also carried

over to this beehive pattern...

Are you starting to see how one thing leads

 to another ???

These were too cute to pass up and since

one of my favorite books is 'The Secret Life of Bees'

well I had to bring them home!

(if you've never seen these before, they are vintage

stackable measuring cups)

I started out sharing basketweave patterns

and somehow ended up with beehives...

this is precisely how I end up spending hours scouring

antique and vintage shops whenever I can.

One last basketweave piece,which also

happens to be green is this McCoy

planter, I have a few in several

different sizes.

I'll stop here for today because you just know

this is leading somewhere else...

Spiritual Sundays

'Humble yourselves in the sight

of the Lord, and He

shall lift you up.'

James 4:10

 

 When life knocks you down to your knees

Remember...

you're in the perfect position to pray.

One is never so high as when you are

on your knees!

for more inspirational thoughts and to share
some of your own be sure to visit Spiritual Sundays
at http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/

Made in the USA

Many years ago I had the wonderful oppotunity

to travel to Dresden Ohio, home of Longaberger.

If you've never been and love baskets

and handmade products it's a trip I

highly recommend!

Upon driving into town and seeing this

amazing building you know you're in for a treat.

While visiting the 'Homestead' I encourage you

to take the time to tour the factory

and watch the weavers at work.

Watching each basket be woven by skillful hands

gave me an appreciation for 'Made in the USA'

that had eluded me before. After each basket is made it

is marked with the Longaberger logo and dated

 and initialed by the weaver.

While in Dresden I visited this site...

I have my own scaled down version at home!

Over the years I came to own

many of these handmade baskets,

some were gifts others I purchased myself.

 Here are just a few others I own.

While I admire the craftmanship, these baskets

are made to be used and stand the test

of time. I have had my baskets for

over 10 years and use them

around the house for everything from

storage to serving food to guests.

If you like to read non-fiction and autobiographies

then this book is one I highly recommend.

It not only tells of the humble beginnings

of this now large American company

but also gives you some insight into

great business practices and 

how this country can and should support

'Made in the USA.'

(photo courtesy of Amazon.com)