When I look through my pictures, I think I could write a book about hairstyles through the decades. This style is the side-flip.

I believe I was a happy kid!!!

I'm not sure who is reading this, but let me say that football season has started! It does not matter what sport it is or what season it is; every sports team participant is connected to someone who loves them. Life is not singular; it is found in the ripples that extend from us. When we throw "rocks" (words) that are negative towards someone, the stone skims across the ripple of that person's life hurting others as it goes. Eventually, the rock that is thrown sinks, taking with it our character. Only yell encouragement! Do not be critical. Do not talk about the coaches unless it is in praise. Do not talk about the players, the trainers, the media, the cheer team, the mascot, or anyone else unless it is encouraging. Life is short. Players play. Coaches coach. Trainers train. The media records. The cheer & pom yell. The mascot performs. They will make a mistake. It is theirs, not ours to discuss. Enjoy the fun. Support the teams. Life is about upholding the Golden Rule, treat others how you like to be treated. No one likes to be criticized, talked about, or put down. We all want to win. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. We give it our best and grow from the rest. 

Remember that in everything, we leave behind something. Make it good. Make it purposeful. Make it right. Be kind.

Be careful eyes what you see. Be careful ears what you hear. Be careful mouth what you say. Be mindful that what we taste from what we do is not bitter. For the Father up above, he looks at us and loves; he deserves the best from us!!!

Have a great season as a spectator. Be a good one that the teams like to see in the stands!!! Leave something better than when you came!

We are A people of half-truths. No, we are not even that. In today's tech and media frenzy world, we are a people of nano-truths. We take a nugget of false information, and we wrap a web of misinformation around it until it hardens big in our hearts. Soon, what room we have for Truth ceases to exist. This is Satan's way.

There is Hope. There is always a small fire burning in our soul that lights our way. Have you ever noticed that in the deepest dark, when we are still, our eyes adjust and there is enough light to follow? In John 8.12, we read, Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the Light of life."

I remember my mother using the newspaper to line the drawers and the cabinet shelves. It was recycling before the world discovered the importance of recycling. I saw this newspaper recycling venture and had to share. It's a whole new view of the paper.

In decorating or display, even numbers create symmetry. Odd numbers create interest with details that are more effective at catching the eye. Odd numbers force your eyes to move around the grouping–and by doing so they continue on into the area around the focus point. That forced movement is the heart of visual interest.

Many flowers have an odd number of petals, with five being the most common.

"Omne trium perfectum" In design, there is the, everything that comes in threes is perfect, rule. It works. Basically one, three, five...etc., but three is the perfect starting place when you move away from one.

So many are not interested in the why behind pleasing others visually in decorating, but if you wonder why your home is boring to you, this may be the reason.

omne trium perfectum."

For a long time, I have noticed a particular bracelet when I have visited CC's Junque to Antiques in downtown Plainview. Every single time I have gone in the store, the bracelet has shouted, "Look at me!" I am not a fan of bracelets because they hit the surface as you work. My mother loved bracelets and wore many every day. It is not my thing, but this bracelet kept pushing.

On Saturday, Susan, Karen & I stopped into CC's to make a purchase. There was the bracelet, still lying in the same place it had been the last 6-8 times I had been in the store. It is a fantastic piece. I picked it up to show the others, and I said that I could create art with it. Susan said to hang a prism. Great idea. Karen helped me decide it really is a bird on the other end. I purchased the bracelet. I created an art piece, and I'm so glad it kept calling my name.

1953-1977, Elvis Presley was making young girls scream. I totally missed the wave. I know my classmates wonder where I lived during that time that I did not listen to his music, and I did listen to music. Since my father worked in the appliance department at Sears, and that is where the records were sold, I got music. I never picked out an Elvis album or 45. 

In my adult life, I have listened to his music. I don't have the same emotional tug as others over the beats. I'm sorry. Still love me, please! I do own a few of his albums today. This album was dropped into our vinyl collection recently.

I believe the faith music that Elvis played with, is his very best. I would like to see him in a praise group today. That would be a sweet, sweet sound. 

I am so blessed to have so many God-given friends that have allowed me to enjoy their friendships for seasons, for a lifetime. I was repositioning some art pieces, and this precious piece reminded me of a woman I have known of and been friends with for the majority of my 64 years.

Carol Kaufman gave me this in 1992. A long time ago, and we are still connected.

And it is more special because she wrote on it to remind me of our friendship!

There is something way bigger than me that runs the universe, here and beyond what my eyes can see or fathom. His blessings are new every day. Don't miss them!!!

Sleep may not be all it's cracked up to be. I mean, rest is good, don't get me wrong. I believe God has a sense of humor and a desire to be sure I follow his lead each day. Sometimes I get rest, sometimes I don't.

First, he created this fantastic person who is wired beautifully for his purpose. Oh, I fight him sometimes. It never turns out good for me, so I tend to just go with the Spirit's flow.

Sleep, I could not last night, I tried. I got up, I tried. After a couple of hours of some sort of sleep, it was 5 AM. I was wide awake. Okay, God, let's take that drive together. He never lets me down with his majestic creation.

What a sweet morning. Sleepless in plain view!

That's right, if you want to know my opinion on something, ask me, don't let anyone else tell you what I believe. I may be prepared to share, and I may not, but my timing on when I rise is mine, led by prayer and wise counsel. I shared with someone today that I'm not a fighter, I pick my battles carefully, I am an action person and go about my days serving where I feel I'm needed, but if I feel strongly about something, I will pick that battle and fight for what I know to be true. This means that I have to know what I'm talking about. I have to be witness to circumstances and be educated in my presentation. I must go in kindness, showing respect for others who may disagree. I like honesty and character to be on my side. I find when God leads me, I am free to move forward on a foundation that provides for shifting sand moments.

I am so blessed that most everyone God has placed in my life is good, really good. We don't always agree, but when we have our faith as our foundation, then we can agree to disagree and still love each other. 

I asked on Facebook today: What is a pot-stirrer? Are they necessary for positive change? The consensus was that there are both positive and negative situations where pot-stirring is involved. One person shared this thought, "One can cause something to become active, or excite us to make positive changes or provoke us to do something good. The other is an alarmist or scaremonger who delights in frightening and deliberately inflaming ideas and attitudes that are detrimental to humans being kind and working with one another."

Then, another friend shared the same thing my mother taught me, "you catch more flies with honey, more with a whisper than a shout."

Another comment is this, "Pudding and gravy have to be stirred, or they get lumpy, not all stirring is bad!" I agree that when we stir, we must understand that what we are mixing will taste useful to the majority once served; that it won't leave a sour taste, that it doesn't ruin relationships, that respect and positive attitudes are the main ingredients.

There were so many good responses that allowed us to stop and think about a phrase, pot-stirrer, and how we can effectively create change with positivity, or how we can stir and stir and the only thing we get is a burned mess.

That's right; just ask me what I think. Or don't, either way, I'm standing firm.