The Girls

Hello!! Thanksgiving was so nice. So much to be thankful for. We ate and ate and ate some more. Then Friday I got up bright and early for Black Friday shopping. I talked to 2 very nice people while I waited in line for one hour at Wal-Mart. I know...CRAZY!! It was fun though.

Here are my girls and me on Thanksgiving. The picture had to even include the dog--she's part of the girls. My husband is way out-numbered but very well taken care of :)!! I got the house decorated today, but will take photos and share another day. I am dead!!

The best way to say Thanks is in the Giving:

"With his car stalled at the side of a quiet country road, and already late for an important meeting, a man stood gazing under the hood wondering what might be wrong in the complicated maze of hoses and wires that lay before him. This was the realm of an auto mechanic, and he had no idea where to begin.
Just then an old pickup truck appeared, coming toward him on the road. In desperation, he waved down the truck and, to his delight, met a local man with just the skill he needed. Soon the trouble was found and fixed and the car was running like new.
"Thanks so much," he said, reaching for his wallet. "Can I pay you for your trouble?"
"No, no," replied his helper. "You just do what you can to help other people, and that will be my thanks. Just give to somebody else what I've given to you."
"I'll do it," said the man, and he thought to himself as he drove away, "I'll do it."
Each of us has been helped in ways little and big throughout our lives--a bit of kindness here, a real favor there, with perhaps some life-changing assistance offered when it was most needed. Of course we are grateful for the help. We expressed our thanks and have kept good feelings for the people who rescued us from our troubles. But thanks should be more than just a feeling or a few words.
Real thanks are revealed in answering another's call for help. Sincere gratitude is expressed by doing something to pass along the kindness. Thankfulness is truly shown by reaching out to share with others the bounty we've received. As the roadside mechanic explained, in both his words and his actions, the best way to say thanks is in giving."

Have a nice weekend.
Be Nice to People,
Julie

Recognizing Beauty where it is least expected

I normally don't post anything on Sunday, but in my reading today, I ran across this thought. Enjoy.

"It was a busy workday as commuters rushed headlong toward their busy schedules. But on this day in Washington, D.C., something different happened: a 39-year-old man dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a baseball cap took out an old violin and began to play.

Few people noticed. Most kept their eyes on the ground or looked straight ahead. A few, talking on cell phones, raised their voices in order to be heard over the music. These were, after all, busy people. They had work to do and appointments to keep.

And so they did not stop. And they did not listen. And what they missed was a rare performance by one of the greatest violinists in the world playing his Stradivarius violin, worth more than three million dollars. He chose to play some of the most technically demanding, elegant music ever written for his instrument, and he played with all the passion and perfection that he had become known for throughout the world.

His metro-station concert was part of an experiment proposed by a writer for the Washington Post. The question was "How many people would recognize beauty in a place where it wasn't expected? " During the 43-minute concert, nearly 1,100 people passed by. Of those, only 7 stopped to listen even for a moment.

The writer, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his article about the unheard violinist, summarized the experience with these words: "If we can't take the time out of our lives to stay a moment and listen to one of the best musicians on Earth play some of the best music ever written; if the surge of modern life so overpowers us that we are deaf and blind to something like that--then what else are we missing?"

Indeed, the world offers us daily moments of beauty that can enrich our lives--if we open our eyes and open our hearts."
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Ah--to recognize beauty where we least expect it. That takes our energy and foresight to do so. Don't you think?

I recognized beauty today in a snowstorm. That is unexpected for me. Snow is not my favorite form of precipitation. However, today it was refreshing. You see, it was forecast for yesterday. No big deal really, other than the fact, that my daughter and 5 of her teen-age friends were driving about 5o miles away to attend a college football game. Driving... teenagers... snow...inexperience... distance-- to me, not the best combination. I prayed. I asked if the storm could just be cancelled. Then I prayed to at least have it post-poned until I knew they were all home--safe and sound. It was a sunny and dry day yesterday--YAY!! Answer to prayer--NOT unexpected. Finding beauty in the lightly falling snowflakes today landing on the grass, sidewalks, and ROADS-- very unexpected. All in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. :)

Indeed we have daily moments of beauty that can enrich our lives--if we open our eyes and open our hearts. I hope we can do that. Especially this week. I most likely will not post for a few days as I enjoy Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. If you find unexpected beauty sometime soon, I would love to hear about it. I will check in here and there to read what you have discovered.

Thanks for the unexpected friendships and inspiration that I have found from you, my blog friends. It has been a blessing to read about you, your lives, your families, your joys, your sorrows, and your aspirations. Have a safe and memorable Thanksgiving holiday.

Be Nice to People,
Julie

Yeah, that was a Nightmare

So, my hubby said that he would like to clean the garage today. Okay. How much fun is that? Not much. But we did it. By-they-way, is the garage really supposed to be for the cars? :)

Here we are taking out stuff, stuff and more stuff. It's amazing what 2 people plus then 4 more people can accumulate in 19 years. Remind to never move. (See our dog. She was baffled at the mess!)

Yea, that is a nightmare!! How did it all fit? We swept and vacuumed and threw away and took stuff to good- will.

Tah-Dah. How is that? My professional organizer friend would be so proud!! I had to shower and change clothes after. I felt like a dust mop!! Hey, we even made room for the car!! (It's a 2 car garage, but who's counting?!!)

Grateful for health and strength to clean and organize and lift and stretch and bend and.... Also grateful for our home, yard and yes, even the garage!! Have a fabulous weekend.

Be Nice to People,

Julie

13 Days for my 12 Days of Christmas...

Yes, for those of you who have read my blog for a year, this is the same quilt top I had finished last year. After the holidays, I took it off my design wall and put it in a box. It is simply unbearable to look at an unfinished Christmas project in January. :) So, I pulled it out of the box on Saturday hoping that if it hangs there, I will get the motivation or time or desire to finish it. Any suggestions...:) It just needs a back, to be quilted and to be bound. I have 13 days until December 1st---
This quilt is 12 days of Christmas--1 Santa, 2 candy canes, 3 snowmen--okay, you get it.

I have been working on a couple swaps. I don't want to show too much. This has been very fun.

Another swap!! Both are almost ready to get sent in the mail.

Let's see, today I am thankful for shoes. I have way too many pair of them, too. Think of the variety--from slippers to flip-flops to snow boots, I am so thankful to have something on my feet when I need to go somewhere.

Hope you are having a terrific Tuesday.

Be Nice to People,

Julie

P.S. I know for some of you it might be too soon for Christmas music--just turn it off!! I couldn't help myself :)

Finished!!

A few months back, my neighbor brought to me a box full of yo-yo's.( not the toy, but circular fabric ones :) Her mother had made them several years ago. She would sew them into Christmas trees and then sew them on sweatshirts. A flood in her mother's basement caused her to clean out, and she found these. She brought them over and asked if I would make something for her to give to her daughters for Christmas. I decided to do something with Christmas trees, too, but made pillows instead of sweatshirts.

She also had these doilies, so I made pin cushions.

A few extra yo-yo's, and I made a runner.

Today I am thankful for the the fact that I finished this project before the night before Christmas:). I hope she likes them. Check---a project finished. YAY!!

Be Nice to People,

Julie

God Bless...

I'm thankful today...

Be Nice to People.
Julie

Turkey with an Attitude of Gratitude

So last night we made the annual turkey with an attitude of gratitude.

We each traced our hands a few times and then wrote what we were thankful for on each finger.

Some items included: love, liberty, change of seasons, water, school, coverstick, food, holidays, electric blankets, annoying alarm clocks, employment, warm water, pillows, tender mercies, friends, family, the dog, etc.

Today I'm thankful for a family who is thankful.

Be Nice to People,

Julie