Today I Noticed . . .

This was not a peaceful week and I NOTICE that when my mind is wrapped up and focused on work issues - I forget to pay attention.  It's easy to miss those moments.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and so I paused to reflect.   Have the weekend planned with family and so I am thankful for that and for many blessings.

Once again at work today and I notice that the day after a holiday can be very peaceful and quiet here.  Although we have a short crew - we have had a quiet day and my mind is at rest and I can remember things. 

So - Today I Noticed . . .

Finding an old text on my hubs's phone from our son - simply saying "How is mom doing after surgery?" was so sweet - He had asked me - but so much cooler that he had asked his dad also.  Weird mom thing?  Maybe so.


Homemade Pumpkin Pie - from scratch - still beats a store bought one.  Especially if the home it's made in is my mom's. :)


A house without a dog is extremely quiet and a bit lonely. 


 (catching a urine specimen from said dog requires agility and skill and patience)



Nothing stops an argument faster than when one person is too tired to argue :)  I think this is actually a famous quote by someone - but I discovered it to be so true this week.



How has your week been?   Did a moment come when you just paused and thought - aha! 
Please share and I promise to be more in tune next week!  I'm done with frustration, stress and arguments.  You heard it here first - - -



“Our culture encourages us to plan every moment and fill our schedules with one activity and obligation after the next, with no time to just be. But the human body and mind require downtime to rejuvenate. I have found my greatest moments of joy and peace just sitting in silence, and then I take that joy and peace with me out into the world.”

― Holly Mosier

Today I Noticed . . .

It's Friday and time again for "Today I Noticed . . . "     My new weekly fun post!

The idea behind this is to make me more aware and to pay attention to what is going on in my world. It is a little challenging to find something in each day that makes you just pause and "take note".

And when I say "today" well I really mean this week - - - but - - - you get the idea.

Today I Noticed  . . .

That in this day and age of nearly all communication done at the tip of your fingertips - emailing, twitter, blogging, texting, buying online, or on the go cell phones . . . it is really NICE to be invited into someone's home and asked to sit at the kitchen table and chat.  My Avon business has brought back some old memories of when I had an Avon lady back in the 1980's and when my mom used to buy from the Beauty Counselor rep who was a close friend of the family.  Sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, chatting about the latest!  Sometimes it is just nice to visit face to face.

That at the age of 54 years I can no longer work a fulltime job - 8 hour day - and go to an event in the evenings.  I cannot do it.  I have no desire.  I have nothing to give to anyone after working all day.  Through the years, I have spent many evenings at ballgames, school programs, meetings, Pampered Chef parties, Bible Studies, etc. and loved it!!   I have started new Bible studies numerous times only to drop out or let it go by the way side after a few years.  Doing the day time night time running around is really expected of women. You work either inside the home or outside the home all day and then the night time job begins!  I'm here to say - at age 54 I now declare that I am done with that phase of life.  I will go to my job and work hard at it and give it my all.  I'm even open to working some from home when it is required on weekends or nights.  And sadly this week, I decided to drop out of a weekly Bible Study that I have been in for several months.  We are at a fairly new church for us and it has been a good way to get to know a small group more intimately.  Not for me.  I find myself unable to keep up with the homework that is required and when Wednesday night comes around - I am too tired.  I feel much better after explaining and apologizing to the leader.  And I realized this week that it's okay.   So . . . you will find me happily at home each evening either cooking, exercising, playing on the computer, reading, crafting, watching TV, and occasionally selling Avon, or any other chore I choose to do!  Or hey - - - just plain resting.  

That it's exciting around the office when a winter storm is brewing.  We all huddle together and brew up some more coffee and watch the sky and get texts from our husbands on the latest weather update.  Don't ask me why - I didn't say I would explain all of my randomness!

That is for this week!  Please leave a comment and tell me what you have noticed!

Little things console us because little things afflict us.
Blaise Pascal

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/little_things.html#EzRXlzgrIURaULqM.99

Little things console us because little things afflict us.
Blaise Pascal

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/little_things.html#EzRXlzgrIURaULqM.99

Little things console us because little things afflict us.
Blaise Pascal

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/little_things.html#EzRXlzgrIURaULqM.99

To realize The value of a sister:
Ask someone Who doesn't have one.

To realize The value of ten years:
Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize The value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realize The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize The value of one month:
Ask a mother who has Given birth to a premature baby.

To realize The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize The value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize The value of one-second:Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.

To realize The value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has
Won a silver medal in the Olympics.

To realize the value of a friend
Lose one.

I'd like to teach the world to sing . . .

The Voice, County Music Awards, Blake Shelton Concerts, Manheim Steamroller at Christmas, Praise songs in worship have all made me realize that I enjoy music!   Walking on the treadmill is much easier when I have my ipod cranked up and I'm stepping with ease to the tunes!  I think I have a really beautiful voice - or at least that's what I tell myself when I am rolling down the highway with the radio cranked on high - singing along!

I would be sad in a world without music.  The new phenomenon called The Voice has taught me many things about other genres of music!  I was with my granddaughter a few weekends ago and she quickly set me up with radio station 97.5 out of Junction City - and all of the songs the entertainers on The Voice have been singing - I was hearing on this rock music station.  You know some of those songs are very very pretty!

So - here is one I will share with you today:

Matthew Schuler, who blew away the judges on The Voice last week with his impassioned version of "Hallelujah," did not disappoint again on Monday night's show, taking on the Labrinth (featuring Emeli Sandé) love ballad, "See Beneath Your Beautiful," as a song of hope for future romance, noting he was single but keeping his eyes open for a wife.

Operation Christmas Child

Time of the year to grab a shoe box and fill it up!

Samaritan's Purse is my favorite mission field.  I became more aware of it when my good friend's son and family worked for the organization in a hurricane devastated area in Louisiana.

I became hands-on with the organization when our former church began to collect shoe boxes in Sunday School and would head to Dollar General with the kids and have a shopping spree.  The idea being that the boxes would be packed with practical items like toothbrushes and toothpaste, underwear and socks, clothes, and fun items like dolls, cars, balls, games, colors and coloring books.  These boxes are then collected locally and shipped to the headquarters where hundreds of volunteers work each year going through the boxes, adding lesson material to teach the gospel message to the children in their language, and sending the boxes to many different countries throughout the world.  

Since then I have used OCC as a fun project with my family and of late, my granddaughter Elaine who is now nearly 11.  Every year in November I let her choose a boy or girl to buy for and an age range.  This year she chose a 2-4 year old girl and a must-have for each box is either a sweet little doll or a soft cuddly stuffed animal.  

Today I introduced the idea to my preschool/kindergarten Sunday School class.  It always amazes me how although they are children themselves and what child doesn't want something new, they never ask for a gift to keep.  There is something about showing them the video of where some of these kids live and telling them that these children get NO gifts that brings out the sweetest little need to give.  I always ask them, "How many Christmas gifts do you think you will get this year?"  And I usually hear the normal 5 or 6 or 20!  Then I explain that these boxes we are packing are the FIRST and ONLY gift that many of these children will get.

This year - even though we will miss this year's pick up deadline - I am taking two OCC Shoeboxes to my daughter's house for Thanksgiving and as a family I want us to shop for an older boy and an older girl.  

If you are interested in this great tradition - check it out on www.samaritanspurse.org and click on Operation Christmas Child.

This year - Operation Christmas Child has a new fan!  Duck Dynasty's Robertson Family are sponsoring OCC and even Uncle Si has a great message to share on the importance of this ministry!

Today I Noticed . . .

Welcome back to my blog family and friends . . .

A few weeks ago I was driving down the street from work and I noticed something and it caught my attention and it was just a special moment where I thought to myself - ahhh I never NOTICED that before . . . for the life of me . . . I cannot remember what it was that hit me and I said to myself - that would be a great blog idea - - - listing things that I notice!!

So here goes - and even though I can't remember the unique thing that inspired my new post idea - I have decided to call it "Today I Noticed"

And so every Friday I will be back to share with you!

Today I noticed . . .

Wearing a ring on my right hand . . . which I never do - - - feels totally awkward!  Why is that?  First of all my right hand ring finger is larger than my left side - so most rings won't fit - but this week I found a ring that became too loose on my left hand and fits rather nicely on the other.  All day it knocked against my fingers - and felt uncomfortable.  Since I am one who likes to feel "comfortable" as you remember from this post - - - I guess I just won't be a decorated two handed ring person.  Bummer.

That going into work at 6:30 a.m. is very nice and conducive to getting organized for the day before the busy-ness of it takes over.

What I learned in early grade school about the 26 letters called the alphabet and alphabetical order and the numbers 1-10 that I became aware of in first grade or before - would stay with me for life and be EVER so important for so many reasons.    Not everyone was present in class the day I learned such things, evidently.  I'll say no more.

Meeting new people and learning about a new business is very good for a 54 year old mind - - - I am having a great time with my new business of selling Avon and met some wonderful women this week at my first district meeting.

This is what I noticed this week folks . . . crazy and random I know . . .

I'd love to hear from you - - - What did YOU notice this week?

Take notice of whats in front of you cause did I mention you're about to miss a good thing...