~ A Secret Surprise Will Arrive ~

~ Surprise Giveaway~

A secret surprise will arrive to your cottage from mine by commenting to this post (click on comment found at the bottom) or by e-mailing me ( click on profile ). I will draw a name and the winner will be chosen and I will announce the winner in 5 days. My next post will be coming soon, so keep checking back!!

~ Saying, "I Love You" ~

Have you ever wished your husband would say, "I Love You" more often? One day I was thinking about this and I was feeling pretty sad because I felt that I wasn't hearing it enough, but later in the day the Lord brought to my mind all the things my husband does do that shows he loves his family. I began to think of how he calls my daughter and I each day from work, how he often gets us surprises, he calls before leaving work and asks if there is anything he can pick up for us at the grocery store on the way home, he prays for us, writes us letters, sits and helps wrap gifts the night before Christmas, plays fun games with our daughter, he even watches girl movies with us, always takes us fun places, likes doing things with us, tries to be funny, etc... The list went on and on in my mind and I started to feel terrible about my bad attitude. I started seeing all the ways he SHOWS he loves us and started to appreciate more the things he does do and how he shows us each and every day that he loves us. I might not hear, " I love you" as much as I'd like, but I began to be more thankful and I started to see areas in my own life that I need to work on as a wife and I began seeing that I don't always say, " I love you"to him enough. I need to start telling him more often and I need to become better at doing nice things for HIM!!

~ So Surprised ~

Sharon at www.sharonsroses.blogspot.com has nominated me for the , "Nice Matters Award" I was so surprised and want to thank her for this sweet blog award. I hope you will all go to her blog ~It is a very special blog that is full of encouragement and I know all of you will be blessed!! All of the bloggers I have met are all SO nice and sweet, so I wasn't able to pick just a few, because all of you deserve the award!!

~ Happy Diary ~

~ A Blessings Journal ~

Have you ever kept a journal? I am sure many of you have had journals over the years! Years ago I was going through some hard times and my mom suggested we start a ,"Happy Diary"~ She said that through the day each of us would look for happy things that happened that day ( blessings). I did not think this was going to work and I did not think this would help the pain I was going through, but I said I'd give it a try and we both began our journals. Each day it was one of the first things I would start to think about ~ I began looking for things throughout the day that I could write down in my journal. It was hard at first to find anything, so I started by writing things like I was happy for having clean water for showers and for meals (since so many go without). The next few weeks turned into months and my mom and I would share some of our blessings before going to bed each night. It became something that changed my life as I started to see God's blessings in each day ~Things that I would take for granted, small things, large things, and very unexpected blessings. From time to time I would flip back through the pages and it would once again make me smile. My focus soon shifted and I started seeing my blessings and the good things. This helped get me though some hard times and focus on what the Lord had done for me. I hope you will give this a try. It was so much fun to do this with my mom when I was young and it gave me something to look forward to during the day ( that we would be sharing our blessings with each other that night). Give it a try ~ I hope it encourages you like it did for me!!

~ Working As For The Lord ~

"...Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men, knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah)..." - Colossians 3: 23-24Living by this principle would make a big difference in how we perform at our jobs, or even in the menial tasks around home. Many years ago someone told me a story of a qualified builder that once built houses, ended up building bus stops when he was older. He did this joyfully. It didn’t seem to bother him – he just loved Jesus. It’s all a matter of ‘attitude’.I must admit I struggled with this when I was working. I was in a job I didn’t enjoy for just over 10 years. Each year seemed to get worse. Looking back I realized my attitude was not good towards my job, and I became bitter while I was there. It became a dread each day. No matter what we are doing, we need to remember it is really for the Lord. Even in the secular sector, we are witnesses for Him, so everything we do is for Him.We need to work as if it’s for the LordFor it’s from the Lord we receive our rewardBy M.S.Lowndes

Devotionals © Heavens Inspirations 2003-2007

I found this devotional today after giving this verse a lot of thought because of some things I have been faced with lately. My daughter and I were just talking about this scripture the other day and how when we are faced with work that is hard, we need to remember that we are really doing the work for Christ and that helps the situation. Today a friend mentioned that her daughter is having a hard time at her work and her daughter is handling this situation with such grace and I know it pleases the Lord. Again, the Lord brought this scripture to my mind and this young woman was an encouragement to me. I need to stop fretting over my hard situation and remember each and every day that when I begin this task, it is really the Lord that I am working for. This helps me so much to keep this in my mind and close to my heart. I hope this has also been a blessing to you in what you might be facing.

Amanda, thank you for all that you have done for me this summer. You have been a major help and a blessing!! Grandma and I love and appreciate you SO much!!

~ Queen Esther ~

Esther came from a Jewish background and was sent with other eligible women to the king's palace and was under the care of Hegai. There the women went through many months of beauty treatments before they were brought to King Xerxes. Esther eventually won the favor of the king and was made queen. King Xerxes was not aware that Queen Esther came from a Jewish heritage until the day came when all Jews were to be killed. It was law at that time that Queen Esther was not permitted to go before the king unless he had summoned for her, but Mordecai (her uncle) told Esther that she needed to go before the king and plead with him for her people. Queen Esther had a choice to make. She decided to do something that was very hard and very dangerous. She was risking her life, but she did what was right and went before the king. You will have to go to the book of Esther to find out what happens next. This book is full of wisdom and each time I read about Esther I am encouraged and blessed. To me, Esther is a hero and we all can learn a lot from her.