What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Friday, January 5, 2018

Friday Foto Friends:Daily Renewal

"Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.  
And in Your book they all were written, 
the days fashioned for me, 
when as yet there were none of them."  
Psalm 139:16

What have you been doing this week? Did you ever stop to think that God already knew what your days would be, long before you ever were born?  According to this passage, He had already written about you and me in His book, and He was preparing a place for us to be before we were even a twinkle in our parents' eyes!  This is a thought that is perhaps too big for any of us to fathom.  But it should cause us to treasure our days here and realize that we are precious in God's eyes...and that every day has a purpose.  

With all of that in mind, here are some pictures from my past week...some not so exciting, and some just random events...but apparently important enough that God has already written about them in His book...that is mind boggling...would He really care about all of this?  I often think that God has quite the sense of humor if He really wrote about all my days...

For instance:  We celebrated our new flannel sheets last night when the temperatures dipped down to the 20's here in our neck of the woods in Florida...



Aren't these little owls the cutest?  They make me smile...

We also received a very nice Christmas gift of this new bear bedspread ensemble.  I believe it was intended for our master bedroom, but our guest bedroom was already designated as the "Bear Crossing B&B", so it just seemed to fit here much better.  I hope the gift giver won't mind...

 This inspired me to get busy and clean out the closet in this guest room (long overdue), and I discovered this brown furry/and buffalo plaid  flannel lined blanket that my mother had actually made for our youngest son many years ago...and it truly completed this bed perfectly. Now it is really ready for company!  I wish my mother was here to see this. I'm missing her this week especially as her birthday is coming up on Saturday, January 6th.  She would have been 101 years old!!  Maybe she is smiling from heaven...


Another Christmas gift was the sign below "Christmas At The Cabin...where memories are made"
Our son (Ben's Wood Signs) made this for us to replace the original one that he had made and sold! 


I like to display the sign under the little log cabin replica that he made. (Click Here for the original story about that)


Our home isn't really a cabin, but I like to pretend that it is sometimes...

Another great Christmas gift was this jigsaw puzzle, entitled "Time Away"  (looks like my dream cabin...)

 And here I am puzzling over this puzzle...a great chilly, rainy day activity...

This morning we woke up to frost everywhere... (outside my kitchen window)
 Yes, that is frost on the ground...

And we braved the cold to take a walk to the neighborhood pond just in time to see that Blue Heron fly away...
 And to see all those little ducks (some kind of wild water ducks) land on the pond way over there on the other side...can you see them?

I took down the Christmas tree, but just can't quite put away the Nativity Scene just yet...after all Epiphany isn't until January 6th, when we celebrate the day the Wise Men came...


Here is another new Christmas sign from my son:





































This is just a sampling of the week...there was much, much more...interaction with special people, visitors here, visits to others, a trip to the library, a haircut...
(oops, you caught me in my pj's!)

Yes,  God has also been busy at my daily renewal...(that will continue to be a work in progress...not just this year, but all the rest of my days that God has already written about...)

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
and see if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting."
Psalm 139:23-24
Amen.

So, I still wonder how all of you have been this week?  Let's skip over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been doing.  I pray you have a blessed and wonderful weekend...and just think about how God has already written about your days...kind of makes you want to do something special, huh?  

Here is the new image for Friday Foto Friends from Deb!  Isn't it cute?  We love Owlies!!!


P.S.  Here is a link to some info on "Epiphany", in response to one of my reader's comments:https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/epiphany

I should probably not have inferred that I celebrate Epiphany...it is more of a recognition of this event.  Many churches, mostly the more liturgical churches do recognize Epiphany, or "Twelfth Night".  In my home growing up we never took down our Christmas tree until Jan. 6th, which was also my mother's birthday.  I always assumed it was because that was her birthday, and that is what they did in her home as she was growing up.  It wasn't until later years that I understood that Jan. 6th was "Epiphany", and many traditional churches recognize the visit of the Magi (The Wise Men) on that day. That doesn't necessarily mean that was the date they actually visited the baby Jesus. There are many discussions on that, mostly that it was anywhere from several months up to a year or more before the Wise Men actually arrived to present their gifts.  We just know that it wasn't on Christmas day.  They had followed the Star from their lands starting on the day Christ was born, and it led them to the Christ Child (read Matthew chapter 2).  So whether or not you or your particular church recognize Epiphany as an actual event is not the most important aspect of this.  It's just another beautiful way to close out the Christmas/Advent season and recognize the significance of the gifts of the Magi...Gifts that actually may have helped the "Holy Family" to make their escape to Egypt when King Herod ordered all the baby boys two years old and younger to be slaughtered...just some things to ponder as you put away your Christmas things and your Nativity Scene...

30 comments:

  1. All are such nice Christmas gifts, I know you will enjoy them. We all have had some unusual cold weather and it's still cold...17 degrees this morning.

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    1. 17 in GA? Wow!! I know that's cold!! I pray you stay warm and cozy!! Thank you for visiting. I am trying to get caught up with everyone...going to go visit you next!!

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  2. So many awesome things in this post. I love that 🐻 bedding... perfect for your guest room since you're blessed with bears around your home. So much talent in your son and you get to reap the benefits of his talent. Your new haircut looks so pretty... and I'm still sitting here in my Pj's because I'm freezing... 14 degrees right now... but it's winter! Hope you have a great weekend!

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    1. Oh 14 degrees! I know so many are really, truly freezing right now. We really can't complain, except that we are spoiled by not having that kind of weather here very often. I am living in my sweat pants and sweat shirt and fuzzy socks these days. Sometimes more layers than that... Hope you and yours have a blessed and warmer weekend. Thank you for visiting my "guest room". If I knew you were coming, I'd put the owlie flannel sheets on the guest bed just for you!!

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  3. "...after all Epiphany isn't until January 6th, when we celebrate the day the Wise Men came..."

    I have never heard of this! Which denomination does that? I have the feeling I should have heard of this... Orthodox Christmas is around then, January 7th. Is there a connection?

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    1. Sandi, I just updated my blog post with some information about "Epiphany"...I hope that helps.

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    2. "Gifts that actually may have helped the "Holy Family" to make their escape to Egypt when King Herod ordered all the baby boys two years old and younger to be slaughtered..."

      I find it comforting prepared them with gifts before they had to flee...

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    3. Interesting. Somehow God got cut out of my comment! God prepared them... :-)

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    4. Thanks for the info about the Epiphany!

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    5. God always prepares the way...one way or the other...He always prepares the way for His children. All of us...not just His Son...but all of us who are called by His Name.

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  4. I love those signs...each one of them. Your haircut looks really nice too. The sheets and bear bedset are really nice. What a pretty guest room.

    Stay warm and have a blessed weekend.

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    1. Thank you Cathy. I am glad you like the signs. They are very special to me, especially since my son made them! I am wanting to go sleep in the guest room now too...LOL. And my hair was getting too long and hard to deal with, so this is better for now. Thank you! I hope you and yours are warm and that you are having a blessed weekend as well.

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  5. The bear bedding is so appropriate for your cabin and looks very good in your guest room. I think it's a great idea to leave the nativity up all year, it would be a great reminder that He came, He died, He lives ~ just for us!

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    1. Oh, what a wonderful idea! I was thinking about that song "Redeeming Love" that the Gaithers sang. "From God's heaven to a manger, from great riches to the poor, came the Son of God to seek and save...From the Azure halls of heaven, to a rough and rugged cross,Jesus came, and there His life for all He gave...

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  6. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Jan as Christmas from the old calendar. So we can celebrate twice!!
    Your 'cabin' looks cozy and warm and the bear B&B room is so adorable.
    It is 17F here this afternoon and beginning to snow again though the sun is brilliantly shining. If there had not been sun this morning it would be a lot colder. It is windy as can be and wind chill is below zero.
    Hope you don't get too cold down there. :)

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    1. 17F is pretty cold!! I loved your snow pictures...from here in my warm, cozy home in Florida. I am glad that you have sunshine...that helps a lot. The wind can be brutal, whether it is sunny or not! Take care and stay warm. Thank you for your thoughts and comments.

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  7. Your son is quite talented (Scott too!). I love the signs. The bear bed set is adorable! Deb's new icon for FFF is so cute!

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    1. Thank you...I am thankful for my boys...(men!). They are very talented in their own special ways. Glad you like the bear bedroom. Next time come prepared to stay!! Yes, I love Deb's owlie icon. So cute!!

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  8. Love your bear-tiful Christmas gifts, Pamela, and the new signs Benton made. He is so talented!
    I'm so amazed by the number of responses to my blog about Epiphany, and Sandi's here, from folks who had never heard of the holiday or celebrated it in their church. I guess we've both been an educational conduit in this arena! :)
    Blessings and stay warm!

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    1. Many more "evangelical" churches do not always follow the liturgical calendar, so many people are not aware of these special days. I grew up in a Methodist Church, with parents who were previously Lutheran, so we knew about these days. However, most of my adult life has been in churches that are not quite as liturgical, so even having an Advent Wreath was unusual. I think that sometimes churches "throw out the baby with the bath water" when they try to be totally informal and contemporary. They miss much of the beauty and deeper meaning of the old traditional forms of worship. I prefer a blending of the traditional with the new...but use every opportunity to teach more about Jesus and His life and purpose. Advent especially, and Lent are both wonderful times to do this in a very meaningful way.

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  9. Love your guest room ... very cabin-feeling! Our nativity scene is one that was given to us by a retired pastor friend. It is now on a table outside in front of our mobile home (we live in an over-55 mobile home community) 365 days a year ... a great witness tool. Our temps for the past couple of days have been highs of 76° and lows in the 40's (we live in Phoenix, AZ). God bless you!

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    1. I don't know why I was thinking you lived in Florida, but AZ is certainly a nice warm place to be right now! I love that you can keep your Nativity scene out all year long. What a wonderful way to share the Gospel with those around you. Thank you for stopping by for a "visit" to my guest room! Y'all come! :)

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  10. Oh, I love all your photos today ... those owl sheets and bear comforter would definitely make me smile. Your haircut looks very nice and I can see that you have extra waves and curls in your hair. Very similar to my sister and me. :-) your home just speaks warmth to me. Is frost a very rare occurrence for you there? Now I never grew up knowing about epiphany, but I did have some catholic friends who told me. I hated putting away my Christmas things, but it had to be. Happy birthday to your mom. Our pastor's birthday is tomorrow, too and we are having a little party for him after church.

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    1. Thank you Nonnie,for stopping by for a visit! yes, the bear comforter in the guest room makes me smile...I think I want to be a "guest" in there. But I am loving my owl flannel sheets this week...they really have felt good. Frost is something we usually only see a couple of times each year...maybe more during the winter months than that, but we don't get sub freezing temps that often. This week it has been below freezing several nights in a row. My hair currently has the tail end of a perm that I got back in October. Little by little it is growing out. I do have some natural wave/body, but it seems to have gotten very limp/wimpy in my "old age", and now I find that a perm every 6 months or so seems to help. I just get a body perm, but even that is a bit curly. It makes my hair more carefree, which I appreciate. I think I finally got everything Christmassy put away...except for a little tree in my dining room that I enjoy lighting up in the darkness each evening and early morning. It brightens the room and makes me smile, so I'm not quite ready to put it away. Thank you for your visit. Please come again soon!!

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  11. I love the bear bedding! It's perfect, and I do remember that blanket that Mom made! Stay warm!!

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    1. Come and spend the night and you can sleep in the Bear Crossing B&B room!!I'll even let you snuggle up in that cozy "bear blanket" that Mom made!! I washed it and it is soft and warm and perfect for that bed. So, you and Art just need to take off and come on up and enjoy our "cabin" home!! I am serious, Sis!!

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  12. Our son's birthday is tomorrow, Jan.7. I am sorry to say, all I have been doing is the basics, reading, praying, washing dishes. Basically, I am a slug. I did spend time today trying to get information ready for tax time. I really need to refine my math skills, if it's not too late.

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    1. Happy Birthday to your son today!! Will you be together to celebrate? You say "all i have been doing is the basics, reading, praying, washing dishes. Basically I am a slug"...Hey, that's not a nice thing to say about my friend Cecelia!! READING, PRAYING, and washing dishes are all important things! We may not like to wash dishes...but the reading and praying are what I call communication with the Almighty...and that is pretty doggone important! Oh, and getting ready for tax time? Now that is a chore. Thankfully, since we retired, we don't have enough income to worry too much about our taxes anymore. Last year we even got money back that I had no clue we would get...it was a real blessing...and I didn't have to do any fancy math to get it! Praying your tax time will be smooth and fruitful. BTW: I use Turbotax...they take care of the "math skills" for me. Have a blessed day. I hope your son will have a wonderful birthday.

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  13. Your sheets are very cute. I live in Tampa Bay area and have been freezing all week.

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    1. I totally understand about the freezing all week. Dummy me thought it was going to be warmer last night...wrong!!! It's still freezing!! I bought the flannel sheets at KMart...in case you want to get some! LOL. I think Walmart had them too, but different designs. The flannel does make a difference!! Have a warmer day today...at least warmer inside and in the heart!! Blessings.

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Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.