Last post of 2010

Can you believe the last hours of 2010 are upon us? Where has this year gone?? Before this year ends, allow me a moment to express my thankfulness and gratitude for each and every one of you. Without you, I don't think I would have been so encouraged and brave to have gotten through the year. It's been rather difficult to say the least and I for one can not wait for 2011!!

I am so excited to see what everyone does in this new year as I know that in this past year of getting to know you all, that you are going to do great things. Thank you so very much for sharing so much of yourself with me and the rest of blog world. Thank you for your visits, humor, and comments. I so appreciate each and every one of you.

I pray for Daddy's best upon each and everyone of you. That you will experience His love and peace in a greater way and in a deeper and newer sense in 2011. I hope that all of your dreams are realized in the year to come. 

Just to back up for a moment, we here in Middle Tennessee had a white Christmas. That is not very common for us so it was actually a very magical touch to the entire setting of Christmas. I have to admit that I rather enjoyed seeing everything covered in a soft white blanket of snow. Changed everything, ya' know what I mean? Made the ordinary look rather special.

I am very much looking forward to the new year. I am soooo ready to put behind me the "old" and get on with the new. Guess I'm like my Daddy in that way. He's always up to the new stuff of life and reminding me, at least, to get over the "old". Maybe that is partly why I'm so anxious to pack up the Christmas decorations (although I LOVE them being out). But I realllllly want to scale back and "simplify", find balance, focus on the priorities of life and just appreciate all that life has to offer.

No matter what my dearest Friends, May this new year bring much love, peace, joy and everyday be Christmas somehow for each of you. 

Happy New Year!!

xoxox,

Ellen

Last of the details...

Ready or not, here is the last hours before the most anticipate day of the year is here! Wow!

I'm not sure if we are as ready as we like to tell ourselves we are, but...

I'm finished with all the shopping, wrapping, decorating, shipping, baking... done!  I'm so done, in fact, that I'm already working on projects that I had planned for after the new year! Maybe this will be a sign of the year to come - working ahead instead of behind. I'm likin' it! So, are you done too?

xoxo,
Ellen

That's My King!

I had been thinking on a Christmas Video Card to post here to wish you all the warmest and most loving of Christmas wishes. But somehow, everything just seemed to fail to truly capture the heart of Christmas because of the Santa's and the over done commercial aspect. Don't get me wrong, I've got a lot of Santa's around here and gifts to give as well. But surely Christmas has a greater, longer lasting purpose, Right?

Maybe this is it.

I believe that the ultimate Christmas Gift is best said via this video. Have you seen it? Do you know?

This is my Christmas gift to all of you, my family and dearest of friends. The real Reason for the Season.

Merry Christmas and lots of love, hugs and blessings to you all,

Ellen

It's WHAT Day!?!

Is it really true? There are only a few days left until, until, until Christmas??!! How can this be? It's so strange how I've been looking and counting the weeks and SUDDENLY I realize that "it" is almost upon us!

Really, I do know how to count weeks and days, got to be pretty good at that in these last few decades. But seriously, how does this keep happening to me? Am I alone in this?? 

The last gift to be sent out finally fell out of the sky was delivered last night. So today I can make another trip to the post office to overwhelm those folks some more. Don't cha just love 'em!

I feel as if I need to stuff in as much Christmas stuff as possible in these last hours. I think I'll skip sleeping for the next week or so. Maybe then I can get my fill of the Christmas happenings!

Or maybe I'll do what I do every year. I'll keep all most a few Christmas decorations out until Spring. Just blended in, ya' know? And I'll not pack away the Christmas movies or CD's for, well, who am I kiddin' - I never pack those away! I watch Christmas movies and play Christmas music all year. Yeah, I'm That kind of Girl.

Now, please go over and visit our friends Courtney at the French Country Cottage and Sherry at No Minimalist Here and Gina at The Shabby Chic Cottage . They are hosting  fabulous parties that you'll not want to miss!

 Have a Merry, Merry Weekend!

xoxo,
Ellen

Merry Wednesday!

Merry Wednesday!!

xoxox,

Ellen

Christmas Past memories

Merry Monday!

Seasons Greetings my Blog land Friends! I just this weekend cruised around the blog world visiting so many amazing, creative and oh so talented blogs to see what you all have been doing by way of Christmas decorating.

It is truly my favorite time of year to go visiting blogs because the talents of people really seem to shine through more so during this season than any other. Wow!!

In my travels around the world visiting new and familiar blogs, I did notice that there are a number of people who have confessed to having a hard time getting into the Christmas Spirit of the season. I can relate. It shows in my Christmas decorating this year as well. Rather on the slim and quiet side, unlike my usual splash from the front yard, throughout the house all the way out to the back yard. I finally perfected the blended Christmas decorating, if you will, of my everyday decorating being enhanced with the complimentary Christmas decorations.  This year has not been as full and enhanced for a number of reasons. But I truly have enjoyed the lavish abundance of all of your blogs displaying your Christmas decorating! Stunning, just stunning! 

I am trying to keep my focus on the true reason for the season and am encouraged by so many of you who are as well.  Last Sunday our church service was hosted by the Children's Choir. It was nothing short than absolutely amazing!! The children really captured the focus of the reason for the season and what a delivery they had for the rest of us! It really was a soul lifter that had me rejoicing for the real meaning of the season. 

Our weather has taken an unusual turn for this time of the year. We've already had snow 3 or 4 times. Yesterday it finally stuck and turned into an icy mess! We don't usually have this kind of brutal freezing wind and snow AND ice until February! The great thing about it though, is that for the first time in many, many Christmases, hot chocolate and dessert coffee is a welcomed touch to the Christmas season- in front of a blazing fire.

So on that note, I shall leave you with warm wishes, much love and appreciation for all of you!

xoxo,

Ellen

            

Tis the Season

Warm wishes and lots of hugs for you my dear blog land friends. I hope that the Christmas season is bringing you much joy and happiness. May you be surrounded by the presence of your loved ones, relative or friend of choice, all year through.

xoxox,

Ellen

Happy Friday

Have a wonderful and warm weekend my Dear Friends! Sending you all love and hugs!

xoxox,
Ellen

Just sending love back to ya'll!

I have to apologize for my long absence here, but in all fairness, I've been less than focused and able to hold a singular thought for any length of time. Today I actually feel better and I'm trying not to over do it and set myself back. I do want to send out many, many hugs and kisses to you all for being such amazing Girls of prayer and encouragers to this weary soul!!  Your comments and emails have been such a tremendous source of encouragement and rays of positive hope during this less than shiny time. Some of you have asked what the physical illness is, truthfully the short answer is, what is right..... I have a extremely broken immune system that is reacting horribly to all of my other stresses of life and now the only way it knows how to react to such elevated stress is to have debilitating pains and reactions. I'm currently caught between doctors visits and insurance dilemmas. Recently, I had a big upset with my kidneys and pains in my lungs and heart. My hair is falling out and I have a crazy skin rash. Great, just what every Girl wants when she needs to feel better about herself, huh? ;) I'm trying to find some humor in this not so funny mess.  I'm not sharing this for "poor pitiful me" so much as I share because you cared enough to ask. I know for some of you, it's a power point for prayer and it's working! THANK YOU!! Praise Daddy, today is actually the first day I have truly felt somewhat, dare I say, normal and not so dismal  and hopeless. My skin itches like crazy and my head is still not clear, but my heart is lighter with hope and I have you to thank for that. I really, really do thank Daddy for each of you! So please forgive me for not visiting so much lately and I will do my best to very soon. I just love you all and am missing you so much!!!


xoxox,
Ellen

New plans

              "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps."
                                                 Proverbs 16:9


Just stepping back to get a running start forward into a new adventure :)
Have a peaceful Sunday my dear friends!
xoxo,
Ellen

Bye bye Booth

I went out to my booth earlier this week and gave my notice to close my sweet little booth. It was not an easy decision so much as it is simply the beginning of letting go of those deep intimate dreams that I've held for so long in my heart. I gave my notice to my dearest fellow booth owner who happened to be working that day. She has known some of the things that I've been dealing with and as she asked questions, she found out the rest of the story. She teared up and made me tear up too. However, the other side of this bittersweet story is that I've known deep down that this day was coming. In an odd way, it's a relief to have a defined date ahead rather than some dark mysterious "some day" that weighed in on my heart so heavy. I can make this confession rather easily after hearing Joyce Meyer confess the same thing about a job she had in ministry for 5 years and one day, suddenly, Daddy said it was over. That is a very similar experience for me with the booth. There is a part of me that is not only relieved and sad, but a part of me that is ready for a rest and a new adventure. While the booth was fun, these last few months have been physically difficult for me to maintain it because of increasing health issues, but it was mentally draining as the creative outlet seem to become the brook that dried up. Even though I loved the life as a booth owner, it seems that something is missing; that there is supposed to be something more. I don't know yet what it is. But I do believe that this is just one aspect of what He told me must go in order for something new to come.
Thank you so very much for your encouraging thoughts and words! I can tell the difference over here, thank you for praying for us. We are in need of all the prayers we can get. We are not nearly as bad off as some people, but our little world is still shaking and it's an all new tribulation to us.  There are still several other greater changes yet to be faced in my life. When this will be, I don't know. I just know it's coming. So again, thank you for being you and praying for us.

xoxo,
Ellen

Life's trails and trials

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.               Robert Frost

The crown of life

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.   James 1:12


It seems that there is no shortage of trouble from all sides for a growing number of people in these days and I have not escaped it either. Lately, my life has just turned upside down and my whole world is shaking. I tried to pretend even here that all was well, but the truth is, it has been anything but. I have turned inside out and had to face some very hard facts about myself, others and life overall. But because of this shaking, if you will, I am learning in a much deeper sense what our Psalmist meant in the multitude of verses regarding praising Daddy no matter what. I'm trying to, really I am. Through tears and brokenness, I really am trying. Sing praise with me, maybe that'll help. I know that the promises of Daddy are true, I've been a witness to much to not believe now. I'm having to let go of some very intimate dreams that have been in the center of my heart for a long time. I'm having to face choices that frankly I never thought I would. Trying to hear Him above the noise and confusion that pounds at my life, is difficult at best some days. 


I'm not trying to draw attention to myself or be overly dramatic. I am ,however, letting some things, a lot of things, go in my life. I'm beginning to understand better and better what all of these conversations between me and He have been leading up to. All of this has opened my eyes to some  very hard truth about lots of thing in  me and others. I am grateful for much, that list would be long if I were to write it out and you probably have the same things to be thankful for. So instead I'm going to make a wish list. Maybe you can relate to some of these: I wish I could hug and kiss away peoples hurts and problems so that pain would not be passed on to others somehow either purposely or blindly. I wish that I had a time machine to take people back to the defining moment that changed their lives for better or worse. I wish that I knew why  some peoples prayers seem to be answered and others seem to not be heard. I wish that I could give more hope to the discouraged  and broken hearted who hurt so deeply that it seems Daddy's Word must still be working through the brokenness and we have not yet seen the deliverance of wholeness. I wish that  I could turn back time to the Ozzy and Harriet life and days so families would not be torn apart by the crazy  un-reality of today. I wish that we all could remember that were just one "Jesus" away from eternal separation. I wish that we could be as wise as our elders and youthful as our children and grandchildren. I wish that truth was always spoken with the temperance of love. I wish our hearts were not so fragile but full of peace, joy and praise. 


I share this with you so that you understand my silence and absence and yes, if you think about it, I would appreciate your prayers. Pray for my family, marriage, future, health. And I shall pray for yours. 
I'm going to change the blog slightly to fast one picture posts for a while because I don't want to lose touch with ya'll nor you with me. All of you really mean so much to me. Please just "patiently endure" my testing and temptation. 


xoxox,
Ellen

Look what made my week!

Remember my recent posting that I won a fabulous prize over at Kay Ellen's blog?

Well - I was browsing through my pictures to do a post and was not too excited about what I had to choose from when the PostMan rang my bell, literally!

He had this FABULOUS box in his hand and it was for me!!

I could hardly wait to open it and when I did, here is what I found:

The Sealah "no" sew tape and in the BEA-U-TI-FUL box was this:

A gorgeous flower ring, Eiffel tower crystal magnet, letters that spell my name, tulle and flowers.

Stunning, just stunning. Made me cry, no joke. It was just the kind of picker upper I needed today-this week. So thank you again Ms. Kay Ellen, I love it!  

xoxox to all,

Ellen