Counting Our Blessings - Linkup

Hello friends.  I hope you had a wonderful week full of blessings!

I was sent these beautiful flowers that my friend made me. They are made of paper! She is such an amazing artist and I am so blessed to have some of her gorgeous flowers. My arrangement does not do them justice but no matter how I put them in the vase, they just shine beauty! This is my very best friend who sent these to me and every time I look at them, I remember how blessed I am to have a friend like her. Thank you, Joyce, for blessing me with not only these flowers but a beautiful, soft wrap, turban and card. I love them all so much!!

This just makes me happy...

This is my planner and journal for 2020.  I love the new Wonder Woman movie and can't wait to see the new one next year. It makes me smile every time I look at these and will be cheerful as I go into the new year.

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I had my third chemo treatment last week and it has been a tough week.  I've had some side effects, some not so bad,  and others are worse or new. They gave me a shot to boost my white blood cell count the day after my treatment and it has made everything worse. I won't do that again unless my life depends on it.

Since I have the third treatment done, I will be doing a CT scan next.  It's scheduled for Monday, December 16th at 11:00 mountain time. I would so appreciate you praying that the cancer spots on my liver and lung are gone so I can have my hysterectomy. She said that if it is clear, they would do the surgery at the end of this year or the beginning of 2020. I am so hoping and praying that the chemo has done it's job and that the spots are gone! Thank you so much for praying with me on this!

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Now it's your turn to share your blessings! Please share on the linky below...


Blessings - Julie

My Quiet Time Book Stack

I thought I would share with you the books I will have in my quiet time stack this year. I may add to it as the year goes on, but this is what I have right now. (Mitzi is actually quite excited about my choices! 😉)

This is my She Reads Truth Bible and my KeyWord Bible.

The She Reads Truth is the blue leather-bound edition as I find it so much easier to hold than the hard back edition.  As I get older and my arthritis gets worse, I try to find ways to make it easier on myself as I do things.

I like this Bible because it has large margins where I can write my notes or prayers as I read through the Scriptures. I also really like the Christian Standard Bible (CSB) edition as I find it easy to read yet true to the original Greek and Hebrew.

The Key Word Study Bible is great for truly understanding what I'm reading. It explains the meanings of the Greek and Hebrew words so that I can understand the context of the Scripture. I really like this Bible because it helps me to dig deeper into the Word.

Next is my Drawing Near Everyday Devotional Bible by John MacArthur

I love this Bible because it takes part of the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs and gives me a little bit to read each day. This allows me to read the Bible through the year in one year.

My next book is a devotional journal that I received for review about a month ago. I just love it and decided to work through it each day this year. It has a wonderful devotion and a huge section for writing. It's a wonderful devotional/journal.

The Give Me Jesus journal is wonderful for keeping your thoughts on your daily Scripture reading, your prayers, a gratitude area, and more. It's a lovely book and will become a keepsake! I love how it encourages me to write down what I've learned.

The next two books go together. One is a book and one a study by Lysa Turkeurst.

I'm excited about this book and study as I know it's going to be inspiring and help me to understand why things happen in a way that we don't think it should. I've been hearing about Lysa's story this past year and I'm anxious to learn what she learned and how she stayed strong in her faith despite what was going on around her. I also have the DVD so I can do the study with all the information.

This is my gratitude journal. I've had this for a couple years and was consistent in writing down my blessings each day but then fell away from it. I'm making a commitment this year to write in it every day. It's such a great encouragement to write down the blessings of my day each day.

Finally, this is my Praying with Jane devotion. I read through this last year when I reviewed it but enjoyed it so much, I wanted to make it a part of my quiet time again. If you haven't checked this book out, be sure you do, especially if you're a Jane Austen fan. It will speak to your heart!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my book stack for my quiet time. I'm sure I'll add different things as the year goes on, but this is my beginning stack.  In case you're interested, I have added the affiliate links to all these books at the end of this post.

I have some other things I'm going to be working on as well, including my Illustrating Bible and my 100 days of grace book. I haven't done anything in them yet but, when I do, I'll share!


The Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible: NKJV Edition, Burgundy Genuine Leather (Key Word Study Bibles)

CSB She Reads Truth Bible, Navy LeatherTouch

ESV MacArthur Drawing Near Devotional Bible

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (365-Day Devotional Journals) (Lifestyle Journals)

Give Me Jesus Journal 

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way Study Guide: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered

It's Not Supposed to Be This Way Study Guide with DVD: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered

"Be Thankful" Gratitude Concealed Coil Hardcover Wirebound Journal

Praying with Jane: 31 Days through the Prayers of Jane Austen

Thanks so much for reading about my book! I hope you enjoyed it.

Blessings - Julie

Sunday Thoughts

 This is the day the Lord hath made...

The Lord, our Creator and Savior. When I think about all the Lord has done for me, how He has loved me when I'm most unlovable, my heart just can't take it. I know what a sinner I am and I know I am so very unworthy of His love, yet He loves me. Not only that, He blesses me and wants what is best for me. I always, always feel so unworthy. Let's face it - I am unworthy!

I still struggle with so much - especially unforgiveness to those who have hurt me. That is my biggest struggle. I get my feelings hurt so badly when someone rejects me that I thought wouldn't and I have a horrible time getting past it. I think about it and meditate on it when I should be meditating on the Word of God!

The Bible has everything to help us in our struggles. It has encouragement and admonishment and a step-by-step instruction manual for living. Why is it that it's so hard to open this book when we're hurting? Why is it so hard not to reflect on the hurts from others? The quiet phone or empty inbox of our emails can devastate us. The rumors that people start behind our back and we find out it was our best friend who started them. The people in church who ignore us because they already have their little circle of friends and there's no room for one more. All of this can break our hearts and it can start to define us and harden us. I know.

I can only encourage us to pray and ask God to help us to not hurt so much but to forgive over-much. It's also a really great idea to journal our feelings. Getting it out on paper can really help us to work things out in our hearts and minds. Putting our blessings on paper really helps, too, and that's why I keep a blessings journal where I list my blessings. Putting the positive stuff into our mind and getting rid of our sadness and unforgiveness is a great step for moving forward.

This all sounds so easy, doesn't it? It's not. It's much easier to wallow in our hurts and remind ourselves of how we've been hurt. We can wallow around so much in this sadness that we become rather stinky! We're hard to be around and then the problem perpetuates. We push people away because we don't want to be hurt again.

We need to ask God for help.

Dear Lord,

I pray for those who are hurting today. Especially those who have been hurt by others in the church, our friends and family.  We always expect so much from those closest to us, yet they are human, just like us. I pray that we would be able to lie our unforgiveness aside and give those who have hurt us total and absolute forgiveness. I pray, Lord, that you would comfort our hearts and bathe them in the peace and love that only You can provide.

I pray that we would know how truly loved we are by You. I pray that we would know how special we truly are and that the opinions and pain from others does not have to define us. You define us, Lord, and I pray that we would hold that close to our hearts and minds until we know it as sure as we know our name. 

Thank you for caring for us so much, Lord. I thank you for all your blessings. I pray this through your Son, Jesus...Amen.

I hope, as you spend this day with the Lord, that you will realize how truly loved you are and how there is a plan and a reason for all that we go through. We may not understand it but we must trust God and know that because He is God, He knows what we're going through and He understands it. Sometimes knowing that God understands is enough. Knowing that, in the end, things will work out and we will be redeemed is enough. Hold on to that, dear friends. I intend to.

Blessings - Julie

Big News!

I have news! I will be having my knee replacement surgery on Tuesday, January 28th! Woo-hoo!! I am having both knees replaced and I'm ready! I know it's going to be a big thing and I know I'm going to have to work hard to get my knees recovered, but I'm ready. The Lord has given me such a peace about this and His presence is so close. I'm just really calm and ready.  I may be away from home for 2 weeks and that will probably be the hardest part for me. I'm such a homebody so being away will be the hardest part, but it's necessary! Since I'm having both knees done, they will send me to a rehab hospital after the regular hospital. I'm very thankful for this, but I'm also going to really miss my home and my doggies! If you would keep me in your prayers, I would be ever so grateful!

We did something today that we very rarely do anymore. We went to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch/dinner. We went about 3:00 so the place was basically empty and that was nice, too.  We love their New York 3 cheese pepperoni pizza and that's what we ordered. We also got a few tokens and played some games. I'm probably the biggest kid out there and just love playing the games and then picking out something for my tickets! I know...I'm just a 10 year old in an old ladies body! LOL

Here's what I picked out with my tickets...

So adorable! She was the only one left with the bow and the ballet slippers. The others had a flower instead of the bow. I really liked this one because it's the original kitty.

After we ate, my sons dropped my hubby and I off at Michael's and they went off to Game Stop. I had my Christmas money and there were some things I wanted to get. One thing was to see if they had any of the journals left like the one that my son had gotten me for my birthday and they had ONE left!

It was almost 50% off, too! Yay! I love this journal and am so glad that I was able to get another one.

I also found this

This journal had been $12.99 and it was on sale for $6.99. The pens had been $6.99 and they were on sale for $1.79! I love this journal, too! You can't really see very well, but it has a pen/glue pen attached to the side and I thought this was adorable and convenient.

Then I found this in the 25 cent bin -

I like using journals like this for my prayer requests. I also bought one for my hubby so he could also use it as a prayer request book. It's just perfect for that and we don't care if the front has a Christmas design. Plus for 25 cents, how could we pass this up?

I don't know if I share this, but my word for 2014 is "BELIEVE". I am believing God for total healing of my knees, I am believing that I will be able to really get my craft designing going again, I'm believing Him for provision and protection. I am just totally believing that God is going to do great things in my life this year and move me closer to Him in the process. So, when I saw this, I knew it was something I needed to have - especially since it was the only one that said, "Believe".

Isn't it beautiful? I'm going to keep my prayer journals, my devotional journals and things like that in it. It was also on sale for 30% off, so I got it for under $5.00. Oh, how I love a bargain, especially when it's something that I really wanted anyway. I just think this box is so gorgeous and it will be a wonderful reminder to BELIEVE!

Blessings - Julie

Counting Our Blessings - Link Up!

How has your new year been? It's been a good year, so far, for me. I'm feeling better than I have felt in a long time - tired wise. Having my cpap machine has made such a difference in how I feel and how I think! No more foggy brain! I'm still dealing with pain, but I deal. Pain has become such a part of my life now, I accept it. God is in control and His grace is sufficient for me. I still pray for relief and for healing, but I also know that God's ways are not my ways.

Let's get started with our blessings!!

6.  I was so blessed by my sons who lead the way in helping me to get all our Christmas decorations packed up and put away until next Christmas. I needed that push and it blessed me so much having their help.

7.  This brings me to the next blessing - having my house back to normal. I love Christmas but it's always such a relief to put everything away and see my house back to the way it's supposed to be. I really like having the open space where the tree was and the free table tops and counters.

8.  I've been working on a Life Journal for the year. I'm doing this with a group and our first week was to have a door for the new year - a symbol of a new beginning. This was really perfect for me! I did this simplistic page...

I wrote down my broad goals for the year and will get more detailed with them farther into the book. I'm having such fun doing this and it's such a blessing to be creative and document this new year!

9.  I'm in the process of getting my cross stitch thread organized by number. I always used to be diligent about this, but the last few years, I've gotten sloppy about it and have things all mixed up. So the other day, I decided it was time to get organized. Here's all my boxes ready to be put in order!

I got through the 400's before getting tired and putting it all away again. I will finish this up this week as I want to start a new project and I want it to be easy to pull the threads I need. I use plastic bobbins for my thread and this has worked for over 25 year for me. I would love to have one cabinet where I keep all my threads, but until that happens, this has worked just fine. I will label the outside of the boxes with the numbers inside to make it even easier. It really is a blessing to get this organized!

10.  I'm almost done with my current cross stitch project. I probably would have been done if I hadn't realized that I had stitched one of the angels wings a row off! I had to take all those stitches out (why does it take so long to do this?) and then re-stitch it. I will probably finish this today and then I need to decide how I want to finish it off.

I didn't realize that you could see my quilt through the linen. I hope it's not too distracting! I just love to cross stitch and it is one of the blessings of my life!

Now it's your turn! Please share your blessings on the link up below.


Blessings - Julie

Sunday Thoughts

Happy Sunday, my friends!

It's been a cold, rainy few days here. Perfect for staying inside and reading and working about the house in preparation for Thanksgiving. It's also been perfect for me to work in my journal - working through things that I know the Lord wants me to work through. It's been really good for me and I'm finding that I love working in my journal. As I put behind me those things that should have been left behind long ago, it's growing me closer to the Lord. It's softening my heart and allowing Him to work His work in me.

The front of my journal 

As I leave behind those things that need to be left behind - the feelings of rejection, the lies I've believed - the bad feelings - God is freeing me! It's a blessing that God allows us to bring all our concerns before Him. 

Through Jesus Christ - we are free indeed!

My son and I had to go to our pain management doctor last week and, on the way home, we stopped at the library because I had something on hold to pick up. Our library has a wonderful little shop inside it where they sell books and other things that others have donated. It's a wonderful way for them to raise money for the library and I've found some great things there. I saw this and I kept looking at it and looking at it...

Isn't it adorable? How could I possibly pass it up? I used some of my birthday money and bought it. It has four books in it by Donna VanLiere plus this adorable little coffee mug

I have never seen a bag like this and it will be perfect to carry for the winter months. It reminds me of a muff I had as a child. It was white fur and had two, fur pom-poms hanging down the front of it. I loved that muff! Maybe that's why I fell in love with this bag...plus it's so girly-girly. LOL

God loves you and He cares about everything that you're going through. Give it all to Him...He can handle it!

God bless you - Julie