New Facebook Page

Well, I have an announcement to make. I have finally started a Facebook page for The Home Maker's Corner and Cotton Apron. If you are interested in liking and/or following me there, please go here and click the appropriate buttons. :-) I will be so happy to have you join us.

I will be posting links there to the posts here on the blog and to new articles at The Home Maker's Corner. I'll also post things on the Facebook page that I don't post here or that only get limited posting here - music, verses, links to articles of interest on other sites, useful videos, art and crafts stuff, etc. I have plenty of some types of material for sharing with my readers, but there's only limited time and space to post everything on the blog or web page. Using Facebook will hopefully help me get some of the information, helps, and encouragement out there where it can be used.

Please come and join us if your are interested. :-)

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. 

Mug Exchange Reveal Spring 2018

In April I participated in the Tea Cup and Mug Exchange at The Enchanting Rose, an event Stephanie hosts twice a year to encourage making new friends.This year my gifts came from Cheryl who lives in Michigan. This was a happy "coincidence" because Michigan happens to be my home state. :-) She does not have a blog or web page for me to link to - which is fine!

These are the things she sent me (from left to right).
Back row: Tea Lover's Devotional book, The Twelve Teas of Inspiration book (both books contain recipes too), and a lovely card. (Pink is my favorite color and I always like sparkles on a card.)
Second row: magnet, zip pouch, mug, mint tea, and a fancy little note pad.
Front: tea bag holder and a ceramic tea spoon that matches the mug.

I have used the mug so far for vegetable broth and for cold cereal. (Yes, I eat cold cereal out of a mug sometimes. :-)  )

Strange to say, the little tan pouch actually became the star of the collection quite unexpectedly. It dawned on me at some point that it might possibly fit my travel sized paints. I went and collected the pouch from where it was and half hopefully tried it. It is a perfect fit - as if it were made for it! I could even tuck a paper towel into the inside pocket. With a water brush (which contains water in its special chamber), and a watercolor journal or pad of some sort, I can now easily carry along this paint either for plein air painting (a fancy French term for painting outside), or for traveling. I am really delighted with this! :-)  [In case you can't read it, the pouch says "Faith" on the metal tag and the ribbon on the zipper handle.]

Thank you so much, Cheryl, for you thoughtfulness, and for the gifts that you sent.

Previously, due to my shopping constraints, I have sent packages for the exchange through Amazon.com  This time I actually put the package together myself but, sorry to say, I completely forgot about taking a photo of the things I sent. The lady whose name I received was Roseann at "This Autoimmune Life."  She has posted pictures of the things I sent HERE. It was fun that she also lives in Texas, and another happy "coincidence" is that she has another friend named Mary Stephens! :-)

Thanks again to Stephanie for hosting this fun exchange. Visit her post to see what the various ladies received and sent.

Due to the fact that the Teacup and Mug Exchange has grown so much, and that there have been difficulties out of her control that have bothered some people, Stephanie is dropping the exchange at this time. I am sorry to hear it, but I understand. I have marveled at her dedication to make this all work. I hadn't really thought about the problematic aspects, aside from ladies not sending packages they promised to send, but I realize that there are probably a lot of things that can go wrong and so spoil things for some people and make Stephanie sad or unhappy as well. So, I just want to thank Stephanie again and tell her that her efforts are really appreciated by many of us, and I, for one, completely support her decision. It's been a great run. :-)

Random Acts of Blogging - What Was the Last...?

This was the last photo I took on my cell phone -

the Dutch iris that was blooming in front of my parents' house.

Just for fun and a change, let's do this tonight. If you want to copy the list of questions and put in your own answers on your own blog or in the comments, please join in! :-) These are not my original idea. I gleaned them from other sites, and edited them and maybe added a few.


What was the last furry thing you touched?
Java Kitty, our black cat.

What was the last thing you said?
Something about Java. He is such a nice and friendly cat.

What was the last song you listened to?
Something playing in the background of some video I guess, and there's a good chance I turned the volume down so I couldn't hear it. I don't listen to music a whole lot.

Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?
My mom.

What was the last movie/video you watched?
A video about a new medical device for removing blood clots from veins.

What was the last thing you did before this?
Let Java out to the breezeway. His food and litter box are in the garage.

What was the last song you sang?
The chorus of "Blessed Homeland" by Fanny Crosby.

What was the last thing you ate and drank?
Chocolate and water.

What was the last store you were in?
Whole Foods 365 over a week ago. We went in to explore it on a date afternoon. :-)

Where was the last place you went to away from home?
The chiropractor this afternoon.

What was the last chapter of scripture you read?
Proverbs 30.

What was the last book you were reading?
I think it was Dorothy Dixon Solves the Conway Case - a vintage girls' adventure story. It is rather lame. (add eye roll here)

What was the last thing you bought?
A natural allergy remedy specifically for Texas allergens.

Who was the last person you spoke to in person?
My husband.

What was the last spontaneous thing you did?
Watercolor painting. I painted a couple cards earlier today, and after dinner I just decided to do another one because I could. :-)

Who was the last person you went out to eat with and where?
My husband and I ate at CR Surf'n'Turf.

Who was the last person you texted?
My Texas sister-in-law.

Tea Cup and Mug Exchange at The Enchanting Rose

My blogging friend, Stephanie, is again hosting a tea cup and mug exchange at her blog, a twice-yearly event. If you are interested in participating, here is the link:

12th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange Sign-up

I have participated twice now. You can see my posts about it here:

Mug Exchange Reveal - Nov. 2016

Mug Exchange Reveal - April 2017

Writing Challenge # 11

"Mrs. Duffee Seated On A Striped Sofa Reading" by Mary Casset

This month the writing challenge will be easy. I've seen quotes to the effect that if you wish to write well, you need to read good books. So...

----------------------------

The challenge is to read a good book this month. If you're up for it, read several. :-)

----------------------------

You can read something that is written well and is in a style of writing that you would like to influence your own writing, whether it's for adults, children, teens, or a specific group. Sometimes the blogging world can get a little too free and easy with writing styles - by this I mean the decay of English. Reading books that lift our minds and thoughts and that will have an improving effect on our writing is a good investment of time.

Or, if you need a rest for your mind and something pleasant for a distraction this month, read something that is light recreation reading for you. These are things that RE-create - things that refresh your mind or your spirit or both, and that don't make you feel pressured to perform or achieve.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 

Image created at AZQuotes.com

Writing Challenge #10

Psalms 45:1  My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

November is NaNoWrMo - National Novel Writing Month. This is the challenge to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. You can read more about it at the link, but suffice to say that it has grown into a rather large yearly writing event.

Now, I do not plan to participate in that, although I have been toying with writing a novel. I don't think I'd do well trying to meet a specific deadline of 50,000 words in one month on one specific project, and also I don't want to submit my writings to a web site which may or may not keep a copy of my work for their own purposes. (Yes, I'm a suspicious person when it comes to certain areas of human nature. Not without cause, as thousands of years of human history have shown.)

But, as I was thinking about that challenge, it occurred to me that a more possible challenge for November, from my perspective, would be to strive to write every day. I know. Someone may be surprised to learn that I don't do that anyway. I do write a lot, but I tend to write in "spurts." Although I've wanted to make the effort to write at least something daily, I have not done so yet to date. I made some progress this year for sure, but definitely didn't get there and I would like to be a more "ready writer." So...

------------------------------

This month's challenge is write something at least 100 words long every day.

------------------------------

It doesn't have to be a lot or well planned, in fact it can be a very rough draft. It can be in your journal, on you blog, a letter or email to someone, a poem, a love note to your spouse or family member, or a larger project on which you want to make progress. It doesn't have to be a complete post, letter, chapter, etc. as long as it's progress toward a goal. It can be a short outline of something you want to write more completely at a later date. I am possibly being too easy on us, except that I know how hard it is to form a daily habit of writing and I want to address that myself. :-)

We also won't count the first day since I'm posting this so late. :-) It's already November 2nd in a lot of places!

Updates on other challenges and a question:

I did write a new nature themed poem for the September challenge, but I didn't get it done until early October. It was an autumn themed poem, but I am not happy with the results, so it needs more work and won't be published until later.

I don't know if anyone else is participating in any of these challenges, but I have quite enjoyed them so far and so I'm continuing on with it for now. If you are interested and/or participating I would really like to know either in the comments or in email. As we approach the end of the year I would like to know if it is worth while to continue to share these challenges, or if I should do them for my own private enjoyment only. Would you, the reader, rather see something more like the old challenges that I did before? Or would you like to see both types - the writing challenges, and something for a wider audience to do as well? Please let me know your thoughts. :-)

See the other writing challenges here.

-------
Photo in title: unknown source
Bottom graphic created at AZQuotes.com

Writing Challenge # 9

Are you ready for a new writing challenge?

This month it will be a little different. Instead of actually writing, we're going to share information.

--------------------

Share (on your blog or in the comments here) some of your favorite online resources for writing helps.

--------------------

This could be a fairly wide variety of resources - anything from online classes you recommend to dictionaries and things like that.

Here is a list of some of mine:

These are actually on my tool bar at the top of my browser for easy access.

Thesaurus.com - This is helpful when you want to say a certain thing but you're looking for a better word or a word that you haven't already used but means the same thing.

A Dictionary of the English Language by Samuel Johnson - This dictionary compiled by Johnson in the 1700s is a tool that I have used in an abridged form (in print) for years. I was happy to learn that they are putting it online, and I have used it here as well.

KJV Dictionary - This is helpful for those of us who use the KJV. It gives the definitions of over 11,000 words found in the King James Version of the Bible as taken from Webster's 1828 dictionary of English.

---

Of course, Google is always helpful for doing research. I use it often for simple definitions of words and concepts - whether to check my usage or to provide my readers with a more concise explanation of the meaning. Type in the search box the word or phrase you are looking up with "definition" after it. Example: "persecution complex definition"
I also use it a lot for random research purposes on many varied subjects. For writing it can be very valuable. User discretion required. :-)

Wikipedia can be useful for some research, but on more sensitive subjects or things that have controversial aspects, it is not always completely reliable since the content can be biased by the contributors. Keep this in mind as you use it.

Another source for information can be Facebook if it is used wisely. If you want to know what the people of a specific group think, searching for their Facebook pages that are public can give you a lot of insight as to how they actually are thinking and arguing their own position. It is important to remember when using this source that the main perspective is that of the individual(s) who moderate the page, so don't assume that it is what all _________ think on a given subject. You will definitely find the opinions of the "common man and woman" in abundance!

---

These sites are useful for working on poetry.

Rhymezone.com - This tool offers help with rhyming words and phrases, but it also gives a lot of other helps in the drop down box on the right. Click the little down arrow for a long list of ways to use this tool.

Rhymer.com - This page has some interesting technical options, along with an explanation on how to use it.

---

One of the quote sites that I have liked and used the most is AZQuotes.com. They even have a way to make your own memes with many of the quotes offered there. Also there are many by known Christians, which is useful.

I strongly encourage discretion in using quotes. There are many people who have said interesting or even true things who are of dubious reputation, and some should not be used at all in most instances. It always bothers me to see someone quote a person who was known for their godless life on subjects where we should be sticking strictly to those who are had in honor for wisdom and godliness.

---

So, there you are. I hope someone finds something useful here. :-)

See the other Writing Challenges.

----------------------
Photo in title - unknown source. This probably came from an advertisement since it was said to be a Smith-Corona that the lady is typing on. I learned to type a later model, portable Smith-Corona, so I liked this picture for that reason as well as the historical content and the way it was setup by the photographer. :-)

The Autumn Tea Cup and Mug Exchange

Photo property of Stephanie Dunsdon at The Enchanting Rose.

The September Tea Cup and Mug Exchange starts today over at Stephanie's web site, The Enchanting Rose. If you want to sign up, go on over and look over the rules and sign up. It is a very enjoyable exchange to participate in. I will be sitting this one out because of some extra busy-ness this Fall, but I would normally have enjoyed it. I hope some of you will if you can.

Please know that it is not for the U.S. only, so you can participate if you live in another country. Also, it is not necessary to have a blog in order to participate.

Click Here to Sign Up.

Colossians 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Writing Challenge #8

Well, as you no doubt know if you've been around here any length of time, I love poetry. So, it would hardly be acceptable for me not to include some challenges relating to poetry. Since I consider nature one of the easier subjects to address, we'll start here.

-------------------------

Write a poem about something in nature.

-------------------------

It can be anything in nature.

It can be as short as you like.

It doesn't have to rhyme.

Personally I prefer rhyming poetry for the most part, but it is up to you in this case since it is your poem and this isn't school. :-)

Here is an example of a poem I wrote on something in nature: The Reflecting Tree.

I will try to do this challenge this month also, but I wanted to include this example now. Please don't assume this will be easy for me. I tend to only write poetry when the right mood hits me, so it's uncertain if I'll be able to work myself into that mood for this challenge or not. haha

--------

Painting in logo: Faraway Thoughts by Langley Walters

Writing Challenge #7

Some of you may possibly have noticed that I haven't done a writing challenge for awhile. I took July off intentionally, but August has just gotten away from me. Due to the fact that the month is half over at this point, I'm going to give what will hopefully be an easier challenge. It was for me, at any rate.

--------------------------

Find something you wrote three or more years ago and edit it or rewrite it.

--------------------------

It's always interesting to me how many mistakes I find in things I've written when I go back to read them. I also usually notice ways I could improve them, and sometimes I even have more information to add that will be helpful or important to the subject. Sometimes it's just a pleasure to clean up and tighten the wording or thoughts.

This doesn't have to be something you wrote online. It could be an old journal entry or a poem you wrote. Whatever you like, and however private you want it to be. :-)

My effort is the article I posted Sunday, although I have been working on other things along this line as well in recent months, this one is actually completed and reposted in its improved form.
Jacob - Family Troubles.

[Photo by Rudolf Duhrkoop, 1909.]

Writing Challenge #6

Ecclesiastes 12:12  And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

It's time for another writing challenge! I haven't even gotten the May challenge done yet (ack!), but I'm hoping to soon.

This month I thought it would be interesting to think about something we enjoyed reading.

-------------------------------

Write about a book that you especially like.

-------------------------------

This is not a "book report" in the strict sense. Discuss the feeling, emotions, lessons, etc., but if the book has a plot, try not to give spoilers that may ruin it for others. If you do write about the plot or give away "surprises" give a spoiler alert to warn your readers. :-)

For those among us who do book reviews often, this won't be a challenge, but for those of us who do not, this should stretch us a little. But that is the beauty of these challenges, some will fit our style more closely, but others will stretch us; and what stretches one person will not necessarily do so for another.

Enjoy!

Mug Exchange Reveal

This week is the big "reveal" of the mug and tea cup exchange gifts over at The Enchanting Rose. Stephanie did a fantastic job of hosting this blogland event in March and now we're supposed to share the gifts we received either on our blogs or at her page. You can see the other mug and tea cup reveals here: 10th Tea Cup and Mug Exchange Reveal.

So, here is the gift I received from Angela, the lady who received my name - and very nice gift it is too!

I received a mug with a pretty cardinal on it - my favorite bird. Also there was a journal, two kinds of herb tea, two crocheted hot pads with a matching thing to hang them on, some honey spoons, a rolling pin shaped recipe card holder, and a lovely apron! It was a very nice surprise to have the apron in addition to the mug! So appropriate and thoughtful. :-) There was also a cute card with a letter, which was nice as well.

I would have to say that cardinals are probably my favorite bird. I love their brilliant color, but they also have a number of fond memories connected with various people I knew in the past and know now, including my own dear husband. This mug is pretty large, which is another plus. Great for hot cocoa. I have used it several times already. :-)

The beautiful white apron has both embroidery and Battenberg style lace on it. I doubt that I will use it for cooking, it's too pretty to spoil that way. But, it would look very nice in our dining room on the pantry door where I already have a small collection of special aprons. It also matches the valances in the dining room nicely.

Altogether it was a very nice package. :-) I appreciate Angela's efforts.

Even the cat got something enjoyable out of it! hehe

Here is what I sent to the lady whose name I received (copied from Stephanie's page.)

Writing Challenge #4

It's time for another writing challenge. I don't seem to have many people following along with this as compared with the other challenges that I posted for two years, but I have found the writing challenges to be really beneficial for my own writing, so I intend to keep on with it. Maybe more will join in eventually. I hope that some home school moms might realize that the challenges could be used for writing assignments to help improve their students' skills. They are also useful for adding content to a blog - so far. :-)

-------------------

Get a phrase from the Random Phrase Generator and write about it.

-------------------

I really do like this generator of ideas because it can make us take on topics that we might otherwise never think to write about.

Enjoy!

============

Here is my attempt at this: Words Mean Things - Son of A Gun

Writing Challenge #3

Hooray! It is time for another writing challenge.

-------------------------------

Write a story from your family history. Strive to make it interesting while staying as close to the facts as possible.

-------------------------------

This can be anything you want - sad, happy, funny, heart-breaking, recent, long ago, etc. It did not have to happen to you personally. The choice is up to you. One way to stretch your abilities here would be to interview some family members about their memories of the event: how they felt, what they remember about it, etc.

My effort will be posted later this month. :-)  And here it is: Mom Prays in the Night.

Enjoy!

Card Making - Word Art Project - 1 Corinthians 13:13 - Printable

I decided to try participating (at least some) in the Word Art Wednesday projects this year. I'm not sure how often I'll be doing this, but their free scripture verse art and my own enjoyment of card making and offering my reader free graphics seemed like a good combination, so I'm going to give it a go, Lord willing.

Here is my first effort. As usual, these are free and you can click on them to download them in their original size. I will be posting my cards in 5"x7" and 4"x6" sizes. I hope someone will enjoy using them to create their own cards. :-)

The files are rather large because I saved them in 300 dpi in order to keep the text at a good quality for printing. You may need to select the correct size on your printer in order to get them to print in the proper sizes. You should be able to size them down if you want a smaller size, just know the text could become unreadable if you make them too small. You can add color or embellishments to your heart's content. :-)  The lower graphics might look nice printed on colored paper - probably a lighter color.

Enjoy!

Click here to download the 5x7 size of this graphic.
Click the download button in the lower right corner to download.

Click here to download the 4x6 size of this grphic.

Click the download button in the lower right corner to download.

Click here to download the 5x7 size.
The download button is in the lower right corner.

Click here to download the 4x6 size.

The download button is in the lower right corner.

The pretty wreath part of the two lower graphics originally came from The Old Design Shop.

Writing Challenge #2

2 Corinthians 3:12  Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:

February is a shorter month so I thought we'd do one of the shorter challenges on my list. However, this one may prove more intense that it first appears.

----------------------------------

Write five sentences on a subject you are passionate about. Only five - or less, if you like.

The point of this is to write succinctly and with exactness to convey passion and meaning in just five sentences, or less.

----------------------------------

Here is my effort -

Sadly, she was raised in a church and home where purity was idolized, but where innocence was taught and maintained more through ignorance than through knowledge of life. She never learned to recognize the behavior of a man who is full of lust-driven, evil intentions. Certain situations did make her uncomfortable and cautious, but she was doomed to suffer greatly from the terrible lack of knowledge forced upon her by those who valued "emotional purity" more than her personal safety. Tragedy and fear taught her where her church and parents failed.

Writing Challenge - Introduction and Challenge #1

Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

As 2016 was winding down I was struggling with the "Monthly Challenges". We did them for two years, but I was not keeping up with them like I should, and I was running out of fresh ideas. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to do any kind of challenges this year, or just let it go entirely. However, I've been thinking a lot about improving my own writing skills and in order to do that I need to stretch myself. It occurred to me that at least some of my readers might like to participate. Perhaps some new readers will join us along the way.

Obviously writers, especially those with blogs, might enjoy the challenges the most. Homeschoolers might like to add some of them to their children's learning plan. Some who journal or just write for their own enjoyment might also find some of them interesting as well.

"Rules"

The "rules", for lack of a better word, will be fairly loose.

1. My own original writing and ideas are my intellectual property and may not be copied or printed, except for personal use, without my written permission. (This is the most threatening rule and I state it because I don't know if I may someday wish to publish my ideas myself. It gets better, keep reading.)

2. You can post your participation projects on your blog or in the comments here - or not. You choose.

3. It would helpful if you use a challenge idea for a blog or web site post if you would link back to the challenge, but that is completely voluntary.

4. If you are an educator, while I am delighted to have you use my challenges, I would much appreciate credit for any challenges you choose to use with your students. (See Rule 1.)

5. You are not obligated to leave "encouraging comments" on other blogs or in the comments below in order to participate. (NOTE: Rude comments left here will more than likely not see the light of day on this blog.) ;-)

6. You do not have to connect to me through social media, and you are not required to follow my blog in order to participate.

7. You do not have to participate at all. :-)

8. You may participate in complete obscurity or anonymity (because I know that putting yourself in print online can be intimidating).

9. If you post your efforts in the comment section here, you accept the fact that I have the right to decide if I wish to publish it or not. All comments are moderated. This is my blog. You want to make sure it's seen - start you own blog. :-)  This blog is run by a Christian, so keep comments posted here family friendly, profanity free, and God fearing.

If You Wonder...

There will be no link-up parties for these challenges in the foreseeable future because I don't want all the extra work. I just want to write more, not manage. ;-)

While I want to improve my own grammar skills and such, I am not a teacher nor part of the "grammar police", so there will be no "correcting" or instructing of individuals along those lines. If you're looking for that type of thing I'm sure you can find something online to help you. I may post opinions in my own posts upon occasion, but I'm not here to help you correct your own mistakes. I just thought some others might enjoy coming along for this adventure, so I'm essentially inviting you to participate if you wish, nothing more.

Lastly, since we live in the best and worst of times, to reference Dickens, and very strange things seem to be common these days, if for any reason an ugly situation develops in relation to these challenges, I will discontinue them without warning or reference to the participants' opinions. Sad to have to say that, but as my Grandpa was wont to say, "People are stranger than anyone."

I think that about covers it. I haven't yet determined how often I will publish the challenges. Some will be easier than others. Some will relate to specific types of writing projects. Some may have either/or options.

Kick Off Challenge

Since January is already waning, we'll kick things off with something I've already been doing and am hoping others might enjoy.

CHALLENGE: Get a word from the Random Word Generator and write something about that subject. It can be as short or long as you wish.

Personally, I don't care how many times you hit the button to get a word you want to write about, but it's more challenging if you hold yourself to one to three clicks. :-)

I already did one of these this month.

----------
For those who are interested in participating: How often would you like to see the challenges go up? I'm just looking for some ideas on time frame.

Monthly Challenge - December 2016

The Quiltmaker by Tozer

James 1:27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

As my long time readers know, I have a burden for those who are lonely, sad, and suffering during "the holiday season". I have also been thinking lately about some of our friends whom we have not had contact with for a long while. This month's challenge will touch on both of those things.

-----------------------

Visit or do something for a "shut in".

And/Or

Phone someone you haven't talked to for a long time.

-----------------------

In 2014 I did a Christmas Challenge post on Seeing with Compassion. One way to do that is to reach out to "shut ins" - those who cannot get out during the holiday season. Whether we celebrate or not, this is something that we can do that is in keeping with the example of Jesus Christ. He repeatedly reached out to the suffering and lonely (think of the Samaritan woman at the well and Zacchaeus the tax collector). Nursing homes may be an obvious place to look, but don't overlook all those people who are stuck at home for various reasons during the winter (or at any time).

As for the phone calls, think about someone whose friendship you enjoyed who has just drifted out of you life for some reason. Sometimes it was lack of effort on one or both sides, sometimes it was just the cares of life. If you have a phone number, give them a ring and have a chat. If it doesn't go anywhere, at least you tried. If it brings you back into contact, then you have gotten back a friend.

Proverbs 27:10  Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not...

Monthly Challenge - November 2016

Isaiah 35:1-2  The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.

I am coming to the end of my list of ideas for challenges. Consequently, I am seriously thinking of dropping them next year. I know some readers like them, but I think I need a break or else to morph this into something different. We'll see what happens. In the mean time, let's make the most of the last two. :-)

------------------

Play a game or sing with family or friends.

And/Or

Buy or pick fresh flowers for you house or apartment.

------------------

It is easy to get preoccupied with the things going on in the world, social media, the internet, and life in general and forget to spend time just doing something fun with the people we love. Making time to play a game or sing together is important because it gives us a chance to make good memories and to build our relationships.

Fresh flowers are good for cheering us up, but they do a lot more than that. Researchers have found that fresh flowers actually make some significant differences in a variety of areas of life.

A Rutgers University study found that the link between flowers and your satisfaction with life is far more important than previously thought. Having flowers in your home increased happiness, reduces depression and anxiety and actually can increase emotional contact with friends and family. A separate study by Harvard University found the same results – increased compassion, feeling less negative, and more energy at work. In a trifecta of flower research, Texas A & M University found that flowers and plants in the workplace improve problem solving skills and increase creativity." [Source. Disclaimer on some content.]

You can also pick a few branches with colorful fall leaves on them if you still have them in your area. Just be sure to put them in water as you would flowers if you want them to stay fresh and bright.

Enjoy!

Mug Exchange Reveal

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

This autumn I decided to participate in the tea cup and mug exchange hosted by Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose. Since I don't use tea cups or collect them, I opted for a mug since we do use those regularly. Today was the day Stephanie selected for the big reveal of what we received. A warm "Thanks!" to Stephanie for going to all the work of putting these exchanges together. I *think* she does two a year, but there is at least one. :-)

The lady I was to send a mug to was Cheryl at Homespun Devotions. I don't have a photo of my gift to her because I sent it through Amazon, but here is a link to her post. We have enjoyed getting to know each other. :-)

The lady from whom I received a mug was Anne at Phamily Blog.  She sent me the items pictured here.

There was this neat mug, more in a minute on that, plus the mint tea blend. She also enclosed the tea pot shaped white tea bag holder (or spoon rest if you prefer), some silicone tea holders for steeping loose teas, some honey sticks, a two year planner, a grocery tote bag that fits into a strawberry shaped pocket, and a nice letter. :-) It was nice getting to know her too.

This mug is special because it not only has a lid to keep your drink hot, but there is also a strainer inside which you can use for loose teas and herbs. Once the tea is brewed you remove the strainer with the tea leaves or herbs to leave clear tea. Or, if you are using a tea bag, you can just remove it and use the mug without the strainer. Pretty clever, huh?

Anyway, I appreciate Anne's gift and the thought she put into it. :-)  Thanks, Anne!

-------------------

Some of my readers may be wondering where the monthly challenge is for November.  I'll try to post that on Friday if possible.  I am sick right now and I don't know what it is so I'm not sure how long it might take to recover or if I'm coming down with a cold on top of whatever else is going on.  Is that confusing? My brain is muddled tonight so I wouldn't be surprised if it was.