Week of January 19th

CUP of uh oh

So while the Olsby kids were here - I still had to get some work done in my office so I'm sitting at my computer working away on some designs (with my back turned to the room) and Noelle came up to my office to play up here with me. Well I was obviously distracted - I turned my chair around and this what I found :) Good thing at Auntie's house anything goes!!

Accident CUP

So we had some unexpected dinner guests tonight...our church had a flag football game this afternoon and Jodi's brother was playing in it and well he broke his collar bone so as Kari was taking him to the emergency room, Jodi brought their 3 kiddos to our house. They were full of energy as always - they chose our house instead of Grandma and Grandpas cuz "they wanted junk food and pancakes for dinner (a standard kids dinner at my house).

Keith just took vicodin before he got to our house - looks like he's gonna have to find a clever way to use his mouse or learn to be left handed :)

Compliment CUP

My nephew is turning 4 yrs old on Feb 15th - I can't believe how time is flying. His "girlfriend" Lauren turns 4 on the same day so they're having a joint party and I was blessed to be asked by my sis and Lauren's mom to make the invites (she better not ask anyone else!!) :). Well my nephew paid me the biggest compliment ever so I must be really good at what I do :).......

I'll admit I need a little affirmation about my designs (I think this is true of most creative beings). I emailed my sis the digital version to proof and approve and when we talked that night she said "I printed out the proof and showed it to Marcus and he asked if he could take it to bed with him and sleep with it cuz he loved it"....ahh that made my day!!! Biggest compliment ever.....I love that little guy!!

Cheers!!

January 12th weekly CUP

My first week of 365 and I'm lovin' it! I hope to get in a groove soon with it so it's not just "another added thing"! I'm excited that Tracie and Brenda are going to do it now - YEAH!! Can't wait to see your weeks in progress! Cheers!!

CUP of Clouds

I have an amazing love for sunsets...I have for as long as I can remember. I can honestly say that in my life here on earth it is probably my most favorite thing that God gives us as a gift every single day. I think about them everyday, what they are going to look like, will I be somewhere that I can see today's, etc. They are always a precious "moment away from the world around me" where I can sit and soak in The Lord. The world can take away so much but one thing in my day that will always be - there will always be a sunset every single day. I can tell you each afternoon if it's going to be worth the watch just by how the sky looks that day - are there clouds, clear skies.....whenever there are lots of patchy clouds I long for that time to watch the sun set - this is why I love where I live! Somedays they are memorable - others days not so much. I had never really thought past the simple fact that somedays they stop you dead in your tracks and others it's "oh that's pretty". The days where the sunset is amazing is because of CLOUDS!! We give clouds a bad name, we don't tend to seek out clouds.....yet what are sunsets without them??!!

Well the other day my friend Nicole sent me a daily encouragement that was a huge blessing to my heart. I never thought of sunsets and clouds like this before nor could I put it into words the way Van Walton did. Van is referring to her love for sunrises, much like my love for sunsets but what we crave and desire from each of them is the same:

"Have you ever risen early in the morning with one purpose “ to watch the sun rise? I especially like to take time for sunrises, so I purposefully chose to rise early each day during my vacation. One morning I found myself sitting on the dock facing east, looking for the sun to rise up over the lake. Another morning I sat on the long veranda of a century-old hotel gazing at the Ohio River, waiting for the golden glow that would announce the sun's arrival. Days later, toward the end of my trip, I wrapped myself in a heavy blanket and curled up in the glider on the front porch of the cabin where I had spent the night. Peering over the Utah landscape, once again I searched the horizon. Soon a bright orange blaze appeared, forcing me to close my eyes because of its brilliance. In a few seconds, with wide-opened eyes, I continued my search for the morning's drama, only to see a half globe sitting on top of the mountains. I kept watching, not wanting to miss the spectacular sight. Then, in another blink of an eye, the sun lifted itself from the peaks, and hung there in the sky - a perfect golden circle.

That was it. It went so quick. The sun had come up, creeping into the day, and now it simply dangled “ a yellow ball in the air, surrounded by blue, looking like a child's simple drawing. For a few minutes I pondered my disenchantment with this particular sunrise. Is there such a thing as an incomplete, imperfect sunrise? At that moment I believed there was. I had just experienced it. And, I remembered others like it, somewhat lackluster.

Why had the sunrise not impressed me this day? Where was all the drama I had expected? Then I realized there is no drama in a sunrise without clouds. Clouds - they've been given a bum rap, but all along, these predictors of bad weather, these symbols of negativity, sadness, blues, and gloom really serve to expand light, reflect color, cast dazzling rays, and paint incredible scenes in the sky. A sunrise without clouds is like a life without trials and hardships. I do all I can to avoid challenges and difficulties, but the fact is the so called "clouds" in my life can cast me in a certain aura of God's splendor. A life free of complications and struggles can resemble a bland sunrise … little contrast, seemingly dull artistry, and little context in which I can reflect the Son. "

Soooo beautifully put!!

Today I am thanking God for the clouds - some days I have more than my share, other days I have none but the clouds bring out my character and show the richness of the journey I call my life! I'm so thankful for my loved ones that walk with me through my stormy and my sunny days!

Cheers to the Clouds!!!

The 365 CUP

So I'm going to do this 365 journal project - I debated back and forth since I'm not a photographer but I'm a daily journaler (who has a camera :))...so I decided to do it (thanks Emily!). Although for me it's really the 353 project since I missed the first 12 days of January but who's counting.....stay tuned!! I'm praying for lots of wonderful things this year so I can't wait to look back and see the journey I will have walked in 2009! It should be fun and a very different kind of journaling for me. I'll use my camera and my iphone since that's real life for me so the pics will be mixed! Happy pix-ing!

Cheers!

Birthday CUP

Wishing my beautiful Niece Kamisha a very Happy Birthday!! Miss you and I hope to see you soon! hugs xoxo

and my dear friend Shannon's brithday is today too! Your friendship means the world to me and I'm so blessed to have your family in my life. Here's to many more years of our friendship and growing even closer!! See you tonight for chocolate!!! xoxo

Birthday Cheers!!!!

WWW.CUP.2009

So the Lord has already been teaching me so much this year and it's only Jan 8th!! Amen!! He's really impressed on my heart WWW and no it's not the world wide web but Worship, Waiting and Work. Worship - He wants my best, my first - it's all His anyway. Waiting - I'm definitley definitely in a tough season of waiting on Him for much direction, peace, wisdom, discernment in many areas of my life right now. And Work - we are called to work hard - we were never promised an easy life (thank you for Shannon for reminding me of this fact a couple months ago - it has still really hit home with me). To quote my buddy Oswald Chambers again - "we often hop around like spiritual frogs from worship to waiting and from waiting to work when in reality, we should be doing them all at the same time". This hit me hard this week.

Those of you that know me well know that when I'm going through something and waiting on the Lord, I tend to really take to heart "be still". In fact, many times I end up freezing in place - I become so deeply connected with what's going on that I cannot move, move forward or be emotionally available to anyone or anything, much less apply myself to what's in front of me and work hard. This was a big exhortation to me that while things are going around me that may be hard or that I'm working through, I still need to worship and give God my best and I still need to work (not just my job but work at life). I can still carry on with my daily life while waiting on him instead of doing one or the other. This is a struggle for me but one I know I need to put in practice this year.

Here's to the WWW - Cheers!

New CUP

Sorry I couldn't look at that owl one more time.......here's to new and new and new!! January - means 2 things for me: No eating out and Garage month!

1) So I'm day 3 into my "not eating out in the month of January at all" even if someone wants to treat :). (Sandy maybe we can get together the first of Feb :). This is for a myriad of reasons but the Lord really laid it on my heart to go without for a month - for budget, diet and just so I can learn to say no to things I soooo easily take for granted. On day 3 it already feels good to be sticking to a commitment. I do have one freebie and that is Starbucks - I'm not crazy woman and I can't give up everything plus I have over $100 in gift cards so I'm only allowed to use those no cash!

2) Garage month - well this year is all about FlyAA for me (similar to dear old FlyLady). I am completely attacking one room of my house each month this year - top to bottom! How does this single girl accumulate so much junk! So the garage has to be first - my goal is to park my black roller skate in the garage by the end of the month - if I used to park my Sequoia in it surely my roller skate can too!

Cheers to New Year's resolutions (this is only 2 of mine of course)!!

New Year's Eve CUP

I spent New Year's Eve with the crew at Tracie and Jason's house. We were all done with cooking after the holidays so we ordered StoneFire and just relaxed. It was a mellow night with lots of laughs and Karaoke....never thought I'd say I did it but I did. Someone has a pic to prove it - I think Brenda so I'll have to get the picture and post it......or not :). But can someone explain why Karaoke is pronounced Kar-e-o-kie? I'm puzzled......

Tracie clearly takes the prize for the best singer - she even does an intro before her song and gets the crowd into it :) She's either singing YMCA or Fame

Ryan honestly thought he was Lynyrd Skynyrd singing Sweet Home Alabama (P.S. the only vowel in his name is a Y????)

Randy would not take his turn on the mic so Ryan had to come to him......these 3 three boys crack me up!!!

Brenda's face......perhaps the singing was bad????

Happy New Year Friends!!! Cheers!!!

CUP of Laughs

This new background I designed for the New Year in honor of all my friends who love to tease me about my love (aka fear) of animals and especially OWLS! They tend to show up in very random places - both live (like when we were camping, leaving a friends house, etc). I do not like owls and of course they are a trendy item right now so I seem to be haunted by them wherever I turn :). I even inherited 3 little brass ones from Grandpa O that showed up on my memory table at my 40th birthday party!!??

Some friends came over before Christmas.....you know who you are..and left this ornament on my tree. It didn't take me long that night once I sat down to say "where did that owl ornament come from...?"

So to all my owl loving friends.......Happy New Year!!! xoxoxo

Cheers!!!