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Remembering…Watching…Listening

I’ve come to look forward to the last Friday of the month because it means my mom will be writing a guest post! I’m enjoying these memories and their related biblical lessons, and I hope you are, too!

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What fun it is to recall my childhood days and share some of the treasures of my childhood with you each month. I am learning that many new and old friends share some of the same memories!

I was about four years old, young enough to enjoy getting up pretty good time in the morning to look forward to the adventures ahead for the day. I was able to dress myself and Mother encouraged me to listen to “Jolly Joe Kelly” over a Chicago radio station while I was getting dressed. Being an only child, it was fun to team up with other girls around the “world” to see if we could beat the boys in getting dressed for the day.

Our living room was the center of activity and was next to the kitchen. It had a generously proportioned Round Oak Heater off to one side of the room. Well, when Jolly Joe said the dressing contest began each morning I would get behind the heater so the radio voice coming over our Atwater Kent Radio couldn’t see me! Jolly Joe would ask for the girls to raise their hands if they were nearly done. I quickly, but cautiously, stuck my hand out around the heater to be sure I was counted and he knew that I was getting dressed as fast as I could. When time was up we were to step out so he could see our hands. It was such a delight to hear “the girls won this morning,” or a disappointment to hear that the boys had won. Of course there was always a “check up” to be sure we had everything on right side out and our shoes were on the correct feet and tied. Because I was certain that somebody was watching, believe me, things were presentable and on to stay!

Twenty five years later our four children were watching television, not listening to the radio, to team up with other youngsters to learn new things and share experiences. We limited their television to thirty minutes each day. They all had to agree on the program to be watched and it was such a joy to see them come up with the most suitable program. They knew the house rules for viewing and followed them with great care as they made their choices. They still recall many things they learned as they listened and watched—probably many things they didn’t think that much about at the time.

In the final true scenario I want to share, one of our neighbors built a new home. Three years later she was using her dust mop under the television in the living room. All of a sudden her mop went right through the floor and her better judgment, because we were living in the south, told her it had to be termites. She said she didn’t even pause; she ran to the phone and dialed a number she didn’t even know she had in her mind, and of course the termite control company took the call. She said she heard their ad many times on television but paid no attention to the number because surely she would never need it.

If what we see and what we hear, even without realizing it, makes such an indelible impression on our hearts and minds, shouldn’t we be careful about what goes into those little minds of our children as well as into our own minds? We can never be too careful because it is there to stay.

Psalm 101:3 says “I will set no wicked thing before my eyes….” There is a reason God gave us such instruction—so good things would encourage us, choosing wisely would mature us, and recognizing that whatever we see or hear is retained somewhere in our memory banks. God’s Word is so practical for every age, every day. Do we heed it as we should?

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Thank you for taking time to read “Remembering…Watching…Listening.” Please feel free to leave a comment for guest blogger, Lorraine Strohbehn.

By Petals from the Basket | October 26, 2012 | Family, Guest Posts |

All Dressed Up & Nowhere To Go!

When I lost my job eight months ago, I woke up the next morning at 4:50 a.m., like always, and I was out the door by 6 a.m.—headed to Panera for coffee and a muffin. I had my computer in hand and spent three hours at Panera looking for work and researching my options. Then I came home and spent another seven hours doing the same thing.

The next day, and the next, and the next, and many more “nexts” were filled with more of the same, minus the Panera…after all, I was unemployed so breakfast would need to be at home! 🙂 However, I still got dressed for “work”—including shoes, makeup, and freshly-styled hair. It’s been that way for the last eight months, with only two exceptions. (And of course, as we all know how life works, those were two of the days when a neighbor stopped by for something!)

I don’t say that to brag or to look down on those who work from home in their jammies. For me, treating my activities as though they are intentional—not just happenstances as I walk from room to room in my nightclothes—helps me to feel as though what I’m doing matters. And when it matters, I give it my all.

I recently read that one of the common habits shared by leaders is that they make their beds. That might sound silly at first, but after doing an informal “poll” on Facebook, with about 80 friends responding, I realized that the reasons most gave for making their beds had to do with the feeling of accomplishment, completion, or organization. By the way, I make my bed every morning! My feet hit the ground and I turn around and make my bed. Why? 1) Lorraine Strohbehn 2) I start my day by completing a task!

So for me, the next step after making my bed is to make sure that my heart is spiritually ready for the day. Then comes preparing my outward self for the day. And in my case, that means looking and feeling like I’m working and in so doing, accomplishing something that matters.

When numerous (and I do mean numerous) applications were sent to no avail, and when prayer and Bible reading kept pointing me to use my God-given skills wholeheartedly and in a way that would bring glory to God, I began the freelance work that I am continuing to do. One desire that I have, but to which I loosely hold, is that I can work from home—or anywhere—through virtual means. One main reason I desire this is so that I can work from any location, including my parents’ home in another state, as I wish to be able to visit them more frequently than has been possible the past few years. (I also have better focus at home and avoid many levels of office-environment distractions.)

For me, working from home is still working. And when I work, it helps me maintain my focus when I dress for work. To those who have the ability to work in their jammies, I say, “That’s awesome!” But I will continue to rise at 4:50 a.m., turn and make my bed, refresh my heart with time in God’s Word, dress for work, and then keep the “office hours” I have set for myself to either complete the work for which I’ve been hired that day, or to research, grow and learn on the days when no work has been received.

The overriding principle for me is found in Colossians 3:23:

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

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Do you work from home? (And yes, if you are a mom whose work is in caring for your children at home, you work!) If so, what “rituals” do you follow to help you keep in mind that you are “working” and that your work MATTERS?

 

By Petals from the Basket | October 24, 2012 | God-and-I-Time, Life Changes, Organization |

Gratitude Chart for November

As promised in a recent post, this year’s spreadsheet for the Thirty Days of Gratitude is now available! For those who have joined me on this in past years, you’ll see that there are two new items listed: a suggested set of chapters to read from the Bible each day and a list of the names/qualities of God to ponder each day. If you don’t feel that you can read all of the suggested chapters, I encourage you to just read the chapter for that day which contains the name/quality of God to ponder.

For now, just begin thinking about the people you would like to thank for each of the days listed. Also, please invite your friends and family members to join us for this special month of gratitude. During the month of November, I will post a short devotional each morning that will go along with the point of gratitude and name/quality of God to ponder for that day. Subscribers will receive these directly in their email Inbox early each morning. If you do not already subscribe, you may do so by clicking the envelope/”subscribe by email” button in the upper right corner of this blog.

I look forward to a great month together! But first, let’s continue faithfully walking by His grace throughout the month of October!

Thirty Days of Gratitude 2012 (PDF version – Recommended version – This will be visible by clicking the link and can be saved to your computer and/or printed for easy use during the month.)

Thirty Days of Gratitude 2012 (Excel version – This will appear as a “download” for your computer and may be saved to your computer and/or printed. If you have an older version of Excel, the formatting may change.)

 

By Petals from the Basket | October 20, 2012 | Bible Reading, Events, God-and-I-Time, Ideas |

Family & Friends & Awesome Sales!

Today’s post will vary from the norm quite a bit! So after enjoying some shopping today, remember to check back tomorrow for the listing of each days’ focus for our upcoming Thirty Days of Gratitude—which begins on November 1st.

Because this is a time-sensitive sale, I wanted to let you know that my brother, Ed, is having a 50% off sale in his Etsy store through tomorrow, October 20th. You might wonder what the big deal is, but I can tell you first-hand that these items are truly amazing! Ed has traveled the world, and he has collected some amazing art and unique items along the way. His shop also includes some great antique/vintage items from within the family.

After I started my Etsy shop, we were talking about it together and the next thing I knew, he had an amazing shop set up to help him minimize his collection of items! It’s called Ed’s Warehouse. Granted, a few of the items are out of most of our price range, yet all are priced fairly and are great finds! With Christmas shopping beginning in everyone’s minds, I wanted to post this today so that if you enjoy unique vintage art, collectibles, and antiques from the U.S. and around the world, you can take advantage of this seriously awesome sale. Perhaps I’m biased, but I will tell you that this is a man with an eye for great things, so you can be assured you will be getting some worthwhile finds!

The items currently range in price from $25.00 up to $10,000.00. That means you could literally save up to $5,000.00, depending on the item(s) you purchase. So now you can see why I wanted to tell you about this! Take 50% off of the listed price; postage remains the original price listed in the postage rate since the Post Office doesn’t offer sale prices. 🙂 [He didn’t ask me to do this, but hey, he’s my brother, and you are the people I like to share special things with—so, of course the two found a great mix in today’s post!]

Simply enter OCTOBER50 when you check out. Feel free to pass this along to friends and family.

(By the way, after tomorrow, you can still save 25% by entering FRIENDOFBRENDA in the discount code. Isn’t that nice?)

Here’s a little sneak preview of what you’ll find:

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/EdsWarehouse

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Do you have an Etsy shop? If so, feel free to leave your link as a comment!

By Petals from the Basket | October 19, 2012 | Events, Family, Ideas |

Get Your Gratitude Ready…

…because starting November 1, 2012, we will observe thirty days of gratitude! I wanted to give you an early “head’s up” so that you’ll have the option to join the month-long fun and plan to join us in some unique posts here and on our Petals from the Basket Facebook page.

Several years ago now, while living in Minnesota, I began using the month of November to demonstrate either verbally or in writing my gratitude to those who have touched my life in one way or another. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should be grateful every day of every month, but I think sometimes it’s important to acknowledge it in either verbal or written form—partly for the sake of the one who may be wondering at that moment if what they have done or what they have taught you REALLY mattered.

I did this little exercise in gratitude for many years and then sort of set it by the wayside until 2007. At that time, I decided to create a “gratitude spreadsheet” that others could use, and posted it publicly so that we could encourage one another in focusing our thoughts on our blessings! It has become an annual favorite for many of my friends. I would LOVE it if you would join me this year!

The brand new gratitude spreadsheet will be posted this coming Saturday, October 21st, but here’s a little more information on how it works: Every day in the month of November the spreadsheet will help you select someone who has impacted your life. This is not about giving gifts, making fancy handmade cards, or giving empty flattery—it is about demonstrating gratitude with your heartfelt words! You can email them, call them, send them a card that day, or talk to them in person. But you do it EVERY day in November—regardless of how much time you think you have. It takes mere seconds to say, “Thank you for the yummy cookies you bring me every year on Valentine’s Day. Your kindness encourages me and reminds me I am loved.” Then you hit send, lick the envelope, say good-bye or give them a hug—depending on your method of delivery!

I will add here, that as a Christ-follower, I will also take a brief moment to pray for the same person that day. If you don’t know someone in the listed category, go back and repeat a category from before— just choose a different person this time!

So be sure to come back on Saturday for a brand new gratitude list to use this November. I’m going to post it as a downloadable PDF on this site and on the Facebook page so that you can invite others to join in on the fun, print a copy to post on your refrigerator or hand them out to your book club or Bible Study group! This list is very different from the ones used in previous years, and I’m eager to share it with you on Saturday!

Enjoy every moment you’ve been gifted in October but start now to get excited for November and our “Thirty Days of Gratitude!”

By Petals from the Basket | October 15, 2012 | Events, Family, Friends, Ideas |