I found a cool article with the same inspiration I've had recently!

So instead of me writing about it... I took her story of it all... There's a trackback at the end if oyou want to read more similar...

It's about Composition book journals... or more... making something special just for ourselves:) A neat idea... an artistic outlet and an enmotional one as well. It doesn't break the bank, and serves as an inspiration with a catharctic element to get you in touch with deep down things... and maybe draw some out... thereby , possibly helping you to know you better... thus helping to connect with others and to God, and allowing Him to connect more readliy with you--or us(depending in which person you're reading this in... as I haven't decided which person to write it in ;P... and it's getting too late to think on it too much ... but for the main point-- and that's that getting/drawing closer is His goal. drawing closer and healing...
when healing happens... that(healing and going deeper) brings Him closer.. as we are the more open to Him while looking inside (and the two kind of go togther... right?)
anyway... I liked this idea and I'm planning on making some to share...
I googled for some references or how-to's and see that others have the same idea :) so here's a one ... and a couple links to others (below)

The gal writes--

I write 2-3 pages in a journal just about every morning. They're my "morning pages," and I started writing them earlier this year when I read The Artist's Way.

The first few months, I just wrote my morning pages in a standard plastic-covered spiral notebook. Then it dawned on me that I should decorate my journal. So I tossed together my first covered composition book at a stamp club meeting. It wasn't anything fancy, but I was happy with the way it turned out.

I was really surprised, though, at how nice it felt to make something just for me. Writing in my own specially-made journal made me feel more positive. Even just catching a glimpse of the journal as I walked through the room made me feel proud. Giving myself that gift reassured me that I'm worth spending my own time and energy on. I think a lot of us could stand to send ourselves that message more often.

The holidays can be filled with doing things for everybody else. Buy or make gifts for the family. Send cards to friends. Bake goodies for co-workers. Clean the house for company. And while all those things are great and can be very rewarding... it's also important to do some nice things for you. Maybe that means making yourself a journal (if so, stay tuned for info on how I made mine). Or maybe it's making yourself some jewelry you just love. Or even just taking a nap!

Whatever it is, I hope you'll take some time to really enjoy yourself this holiday season!


Posted in: Currently Working On...
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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Making Something... for ME!:

» How to Make a Composition Book Journal from CraftyGoat's Notes
Want to give someone (or yourself!) a nice journal this Christmas? Covering or “altering” composition notebooks is an easy way to make an attractive journal. Covering a Composition Book - The Basics... [Read More]
more inspiration & instruction for comp book journal

http://www.artistsjournals.com/instruction/composition.htm

http://scrapbooking.com/article/39057

http://gomakesomething.com/ht/gluebooks/cover-comp-books/

Should I Share?

My Son's new Family-To-Be :) (and prayer requests)

These are pics that my son's fiance sent to me... :)
me= ((One happy Mamma)) :)

~The first is the youngest kiddo in his beautiful new family. Please pray for them all... as they too struggle with various and sundry issues .. like most of us, but are having more than there share now it seems. Please hold them also in prayer for salvation and security in Him and all of the peace, Purpose and Passion in life that comes with a walk with Him! I so wish this for them... and all else who would come to Him!
This is Jimmy :)
super cute, big heart, helpful and talented. He has an artist's haert (and skill :) This sweet gal is Kayla, she is a modest young lady who has a good heart and a solid head on her shoulders. Her mom shares that she has a servant's heart by way of aspiring to be a nurse and is in a nursing program while finishing HS now. Please pray for her as well in this venture if you think of her.This is Joshuah, (my son) and the woman who captured his hard to win heart.
Chrissy is an open woman with a good level of maturity, a sweet spirit and is a valient sojourner on this hard trek through life. She is overcoming obstacles, and has overcome nany significant ones in the past. Pray for strngth and revelation for her... and for Josh--that his heart might continue to soften and heal as he is drawn back to place of beginning to know Christ that it once was discovering.. He too is a survivor and a loyal and giving man. He loves and cares deeply.
I know God has a plan for all of this as well.another pic of the kids.. the older son is William and the youngest daughter here is Kathy...Kathy is a philosppher at heart and has quite a bit of faith :) a lot of it on her walls... in inspritional quotes... as her mom shared. William is a good hearted kid... (and I can see this just looking at his pic ;) though I heaven't met any of them yet... I like each one of them already and cannot wait to get to know them all better. William is a guy after my own heart , as he is big time into art--sketching... as well as adventure sports like skateboarding and biking... like me too.. as a youngster.. I always LOVED to "go fast! :P This sweet smiling gal, Chrissy is an inspiration... as with so much on her plate and at such a young age, she holds tight to a vision of being the best mom she can be and to have a solid and steady home full of comforting and equipping for life as they live!
I can hear it in her words and attitudes and what I have heard of her ;) I am blessed she is partnering with my son...
She, as well, is blessed to have one of the bravest, and softest hearted men around. He is a wounded warrior.. and I respect him to the utmost. He is my heart.

~again, I humbly ask for intercession for this family unspoken requests mostly, but the Father knows our and their) needs even before we ask.

Thank you, all who lift them before the Throne of Grace.

Many Blessings Throughout the Christams Holiday Season for you all!

I pray it is one of great Revelation and of Miracles!

Jesus be Praised and His will be done.

a few misc.pics from over the last few months ;)

Noelle and Ava with Phoebe (on her first day at our house)

a furtive Ava look... sweetheart <3 style="text-align: center; margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 400px; display: block; height: 205px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413125672895524594" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbTrF7LbdmMygDe39x7HAVQxKWajyL07JNGkgCboEKNB_cgYJUc8WSSieSf66fUACpuknyClHVSBR6JUvrupEiIkOR1egnvlmewi3Zw8gMm7WFhlr03ouFiyY_QiwLectzAXJQju1_Tbu/s400/IMG_6114.JPG" border="0">There's a foot of snow outside and we're expecting
another in the next couple of days... but it's always warm inside...

Tom & 'lil Ava at the big lake, summer 09
a Northwoods sea gull...
Hobbes hanging loose... he's getting to be quite the couch... er (recliner) potatoe

Noelle & Ava at the end of a long day

Noelle and Ava take care of baby Randall.... they both love babies,

(Ava doesn''t think she is one...)

sweet, sleeping Ava (baby) :)

a couple more...

Hobbes for the ride ( Hobbes is always for the ride!)

Noelle ready for ski season... (actually she is modeling for me for a photo shoot a couple of yrs ago....)

a few more....

...Phoebe...running from?

Salutations :D

Noelle (summer 09)

end of summer fleurs

Tom, me & Tom and a new addition...

Make Your Own Probiotic Supplements

Make Your Own Probiotic Supplements

~Many Faces of Jocelyn Nicole ~

~Introducing Joce~
Precious & Precocious...
Sassy & Sweet,
Girly-Girl & Go-Getter...
Sugar, Spice and Everything Nice with Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails!
You-go-girl...
I miss you, Grandsweetie...
With Love,
XoXXoooXOo
~ from your Nana,

Phoebe Grace (small news) and a New Home Fellowship Announcement (BIG News!) :)

This is our newest addition to our pet-loving family... Phoebe Storm. She was meant to be Phoebe Grace and hopefully "will be"... but for now, she is definitely "tempstuous!"

not afraid, just really attitudinal :P

More to come on my blog... Hope you all check back soon as we will be announcing plans for home fellowship (now in the forming and prayer stage)

There is more to all that , than what it might appear upon first hearing... So please, check back -and share feed-back :)!

Thanks all, Suzanna & Family

From a Momma's Heart...

...he's not my child, but he is close to our family, and he is being bullied. There doesn't seem to be anybody doing anything tangible about it, and I feel helpless to know what to do in this situation, as it's been really hard to get past his parents' walls. I'm sharing this book in case it might help another. I also wanted to ask for prayer for this child and his parents, and maybe for us to know if and what we could do to help. (I'm not affiliated with CBD, but found this book there while seeking something that might help me understand what to do in this situation. Many times when we are trying to uphold values that honor God, the solution might look different than what the rest of the world would see. I've never experienced this with my own kids (thankful for that), but I know this is so prevalent out there and it hurts my heart, so I can only imagine how these kids feel.
So, thanks for reading, and in honor of R., I'll close, trusting the Lord is at work and there are prayers going up for him now. God bless you all, and have a wonderful upcoming Holiday season.

* * * * *
Product Description
If someone is intimidating and threatening your child, you can stand in the gap and offer protection with this resource to help recognize the signs of bullying, how to deal with bullies, how to help a child who is hurting and much more. Encourage your child and bring the fun back into school with this practical, balanced advice to gird against bullies.
Product Information
Format: Paperback
Number of Pages: 96
Vendor: Focus on the Family Resources
Publication Date: 2006
Dimensions: 6.88 X 4.19 (inches)

HELP! My Child is Being Bullied
By: Dr. Bill Maier
More in Help! Series
Focus on the Family Resources / 2006 / Paperback

Retail Price: $5.99
CBD Price: $4.99
You Save $1.00 (17%)

Availability: In Stock

CBD Stock Number: WW971760

(Photo credit: JupiterImages.com)

Faces of Cozy

A Sobering Poem to Contemplate

She asked to be made like her Saviour,

And He took her at her word,
And sent her a heart-crushing burden
Till the depths of her soul were stirred.
She asked for a faith strong, yet simple.
He permitted the dark clouds to come;
She staggered by faith through the darkness,
As the storms did her soul overwhelm.


She prayed to be filled with a passion
Of love for lost souls and for God,
And again, in response to her longing,
She sank 'neath the chastening rod.
She wanted a place in His vineyard;
He took her away from her home,
And placed her among hardened sinners
Where she humanly stood all alone.


She gave up all wordly ambitions,
Those "castles in air" of her years,
And she knelt in deep consecration,
And whispered, "Amen," through her tears.
She wanted a meek, lowly spirit -
The work He gave answered that cry;
And those who had been her companions
With pitying smile passed her by.


She asked to lean hard on her Saviour;
He took human props quite away,
Till no earthly friend could help her,
And she could do nothing but pray.
I saw her go out to the vineyard
To harvest the golden grain;
Her eyes were still moistened with weeping,
Her heart was still throbbing with pain.


But many a heart that was broken,
And many a wrecked, blighted life
Was made to thank God for her coming,
And rejoiced in the midst of the strife.
She had prayed to be made like her Saviour,
And the burden He gave her to bear
Had been but the great Sculptor's training:
Thus answering her most earnest prayer.

Why All Things That Glitter Are Usually NOT Gold

I certainly thought I had the world wrapped up in a nice shiny package for myself at this age. (actually,at 24, it would be less than a year before The Lord showed me a dramtically different reality)
... I thought, I certainly did, But He had a few things to say to me and about my life.

Below is a piece I wrote a few years back, and it pretty much sums up he way I find myself feeling about the futility of the status quo...
I didn't wan't it then and I don't want it as a believer now... I want the Lord in all of His fullness and a radical Chriistian Life that goes all out, every day, in every way! I am trying (praying) to recpature this zeal... I have some, but nothing like what I had when I met my first love... and nothing compared to where I desire to be again...
Are you happy where you are?
Do you sense something, maybe even something big, missing?
I pray we will meet up on our quest :) Blessings all, till then,


Why are all things that glitter, usually not gold?

The way is narrow and few will find it
What is esteemed among men is usually an abomination to God..
Why?
Mans heats are wicked.. The Lord knew only few would seek Him and be satisfied
He knew that only a few would sell out for Him and not fool themselves into believing that what they wanted must be one in the same..
He knew that to seek out own life.. (fame, power, position, influence, luxuries… we would lose.. it
But to lose it (forsake all our efforts and our own ambition and be satisfied with what he sees fir) THEN we will find it!

True life, authentic life, HIS life!
Eve bought the lie… “there is more, your gonna miss it! Is that ”really” what God said (or meant)
When Eve sinned in the garden… it was then that she then knew! Her eyes were opened to her “self life” and she wanted to know more…. To seek to find life (herself, and her way)
Her eyes were opened to the difference between light and darkness, good and evil.
She then had a dark heart when it had been full of light.
Misery loves company! So she pulled Adam in on it all!

He joined her there.

What does this have to do with the world or the church at large (the majority of it) …
Everything…
Today’s watered down Christianity has swallowed the easy to digest pablum
They want nothing too hard to swallow…
Again, narrow is the way, and few will go that way….
What seems right to man in THIS state is really tragic with the lies and heresy’s it perpetuates by default and probably at times , wittingly.
Mans ways are not God’s ways… We want to know more, we want to self to be exalted, we want things to be a little easier, more convenient.. “ambition”.. for things to go OUR way! (like it was with them .. in the beginning.. Nothing has changed, things have just taken a different shape … a different face… same agenda, different means…
For example…
If it is popular to the sell out crowd, it is most probably not God’s pure heart on a subject… He tells us this, Life examples and the signs of the times tell us this and today’s comfort driven , liberal minded compromising Christianity tells us this.. (If WE have ears to hear… In fact some people hear it screaming this!

If your ears are attuned to the frequency, you will hear it screaming!

A few end-of-summer pics

My sweet deer at our apple tree Ricky the neighborhood hood ;P
on his scooter-bike. No, seriously, he is a good kid ;) ~A cozy pair in the slight chill of the morning
Everyone loves to cuddle with Boo...Fall must be on the way, as she is getting really nestle-oriented :)

The Story Of Crabs (a spiritual allegorical paradox)

~ a note of thanks to Noelle to model an example of spiritual angst via a pic, possibly (I tried) depicting apathy...

disclaimer-- this is anything but my daughter's stance and outlook toward her life and walk...

The Story:

Suppose it would be worthwhile to put into practice the Nee note on a daily basis, based on the Story of Crabs? Pretty serious implications for your life and mine! Passivity or "comfort" or "conflict avoidance" are totally debilitating choices for a true Christian. Jesus certainly didn't try to avoid conflict or pain; we share in HIS Glory only when we share in His purpose and ways and His death.....

"A spiritual life is one of spiritual usefulness because it is lived to mount assault upon assault against God's spiritual enemy. We ought to be zealous for God, relentlessly attacking that enemy and never allowing this spirit of ours to sink into passivity."

- Ní Tuòshēng

I recently read a biologist's study on crabs, creatures that live in a rough, dangerous environment among jagged rocks. Crabs are dashed
about daily by waves and attacked on every side by creatures from
deeper waters. They battle continually to protect themselves, and
over time they develop a strong shell and powerful instincts for survival.

Amazingly, some in the crab family give up the struggle for life.
Searching for a safe haven, they take up residence in the cast-off
shells of other ocean creatures. These crabs are known as hermit
crabs. Settling for safety, they retreat from the battle and escape
into secondhand houses that are ready-made.

But hermit crabs' "safe houses" prove to be costly and ruinous.
Through their lack of struggle, crucial parts of their bodies deteriorate.
Even their organs wither due to lack of use. Over time the hermit
crab loses all power of motion, as well as vital parts needed for
escape. These limbs simply fall off, leaving the crab out of danger
but useless to do anything except exist.

Meanwhile, crabs that continued the struggle grow and flourish.
Their five pairs of legs become meaty and strong from resisting the
powerful tides. And they learn to hide from their predators by skillfully
scuttling under rock formations.
dw

Hmmmm.

For more really cool and challenging reading go to :

www.allathisfeet.org

More Life in The Northwoods this Summer... scroll down for lots! :)