The One Thing That Makes Everything Worse

"Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door."   ... James 5:9

"Complain and remain, praise and be raised."   ... Joyce Meyer


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So this week where I live, it's been The Ice Age.

Awaking to dark, frozen mornings.
Minus 4 degrees F. Winds bringing chills to -28 degrees.
A 21-car pile up. A 10 car jumble, too. (No one killed in those, though. Whew.)
A man found dead beside a still-running snow blower. Another beside a silent snow shovel. 
A well-known (and loved) homeless man found frozen on a bench.
Driving bans (illegal to drive) and over 1,100 businesses, closed.
Three additional deaths. People slipping, taken to hospitals. 

Some heavy-duty stuff there, but you know? I can handle those calmly, with an inner peace, comfort, from God, Himself.

But what gets ol' Debra's eyes rolling, her head spinning and her brain questioning what has this world become?

This--

Our trash pick-up got pushed back 2 days, then last night it was announced that, unfortunately, we all must wait until next week to have our trash whisked away.

And then people whined. Like crazy. All at the helpful local Facebook volunteer news page which has been an information godsend to us all week------


" I guess it will stay at the curb!! Wish I had the information yesterday."

"Everybody in my neighborhood had their totes out today . We all must have missed that news announcement ."

"Not movin' mine."

"They better be prepared to take more than the two cans.. We're already full."

"Oh lovely...so I’m waiting til next week with no recycling bin too cause y’all dropped the bin in the truck🤔 huh...let it all fill in my kitchen then I’m assuming."

"So, does the city get a rebate for non provided services? Some families need their trash picked up every week with the small can you are limited to. I doubt they will suddenly take extra trash that doesn’t fit in the can!"


"Wow, it's just a matter of time we gotta drag them to the nearest corner and retrieve them ourselves come warmer weather. Look at the gas and manpower they could save huh?"




Oh. My. Goodness. Seriously, People?


Now, thankfully, the majority of my fellow Western New Yorkers are not such big whiners, but really? Reading these this morning reminded me that many people today (everywhere) are--



Lazy not likely to do what's 'extra'. Not into excellence of character.
Without wisdom. Not planning ahead.
Unprepared for emergencies.
Not considering others' hardships (i.e. the trash collectors working in -28 degree windchills)
Relying on the government and others to do things for them.
Living in a dream world which doesn't exist--and then complaining all the time when the real world disappoints them.


Let's all, as Christians, be different, ok? Let's sling away that 'luxury' of complaining, for, after all, a huge God lives inside us. A God who is --

Strong.
Wise.
Smart.
Non-complaining.
Patient.
Compassionate.
Full of mercy toward others.
Understanding.


And a God who expects more from us because He's given us more.


And the good news? He's made a way to make us more like Him--if--with all our hearts, we seek to know Him better.

And to be a bright, gleaming light in this dark, cold world, one which need not become dimmer by that weak, sorry spirit of complaining--

--if we'll seek His ways, first. 

"Do not grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer."   ... 1 Corinthians 10:10  (Debra here-- there is more than one way to be destroyed, you know. Becoming weaker, bitter, less-than-what-we-could-have-been are examples.)


And if we'd remember this--

---maybe we'd stop hating people (which God majorly frowns upon) and begin praying powerful prayers which actually accomplish what He desires for this Earth.




(Not sure if hating people is a big deal? Go here.)



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Yes, I love original retro decor, but these Decorating Trends for 2019 are pretty cool!


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Another very favorite Christmas gift? Concerning Casey.  (Read about it here.)  

Written in 1958, it's not your typical 'malt shoppe' book, but rather, a great reminder that Today's world isn't the only one where otherwise-nice folks behave badly regarding politics.

Sometimes we forget that some people, throughout History, have chosen the low road when they wanted something political with all their heart.

(In other words, it didn't just start in the 2000's.)

Great news! You can read Concerning Casey free at Open Library. 

(Don't you just love that place? Last week I read a vintage book there which Amazon had just one copy, selling for $145!)

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"To whom much was given, of him much will be required..."  ... Luke 12:48


"I’m praying for a generation that’s just as willing to tangibly sacrifice for others, as they are ready to speak up."---BJ Thompson


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Where She Delves Into The Deepest Recesses of Her House

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks... She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
...And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works," ... Proverbs 31:17,27, Hebrews 10:24


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Sometimes sweet ol' Debra can still go all baby-grumpy about her petite, it's-already-decorated-so-what-do-I-do-now? house.

There. I said it. (And I'm blushing, trust me.)

But then, oh! Often God (because He's good) will swoop in, with Grace, and cheer me up.

Like last week. See, our tv cable was out (long, dull story) so I sat upon the red couch and thought, "Hmm. There's always YouTube. I'll go there." And that day, Thursday, I discovered Kathryn at Do It On A Dime.

Wow. Have you met her yet? She's the cutest thing since puppies and her cheerfulness could lighten any old Scrooge's heart. She loves --


--organizing her home
--cleaning her spaces
--shopping at Dollar Tree 
--finding terrific deals online (like at new-to-me Hollar)
--decorating beautifully, inexpensively
--and being a mom to 2 of the happiest little boys, ever. (Try not giggling when her tiniest guy does. I dare you.)

She's young and reminds this older mom of all that's wonderful about that era in ones life--and that we needn't lose that joy later on.

Anyway.

Thanks to Kathryn--for now--I've set aside my big decorating dreams and schemes, like, wallpapering, painting, rearranging, changing-out counter tops or lighting or---- and am venturing deeper. As in, into the dark, cluttered recesses of my cabinets, drawers, shelves, cupboards.

And now I'm all excited about better-organizing this small house of ours. Like, cutting down more boxes to corral things and also buying those cute plastic storage options you can place anywhere (for instance).

After all, just because ones stuff resides, hidden, behind a cupboard door doesn't mean it's then ok to heap it all in a chaotic muddle.

Oh, of course, through the years I've done some clever organizing, but somewhere along the way I stopped. Picked up a case of Sour Who Cares? and quit trying to improve not just how my cupboards looked, but how they functioned for Tom and me. 

Let's just say I got kinda comfortable with searching and yanking and re-stacking and pushing things just to find, like, a can of olives.

It's easy to stop mid-way, tired, and settle, discouraged, right? But there's no reward in that. No later joy.

(And I'm not just talking home organization here, either. You know that.)

Well, already, with cut-down boxes, I've re-organized two kitchen drawers--one always annoyed us, but no more. Then in a hutch cupboard there's no longer a jumbled tiny pantry--nope. Now I can--gasp!--find things.

Also I'm looking at the aforementioned Hollar (and elsewhere) for some cute plastic storage boxes and caddies and --. Well, you get it.

Oh, how much better to be a proactive lady rather than a pro-complaining one.

And you may quote me.  ツ

The woman who makes a sweet, beautiful home, filling it with love and prayer and purity, is doing something better than anything else her hands could find to do beneath the skies.

---J.R. Miller

Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love brought together under one roof.

---Nate Berkus



Always remember to enjoy the learning, the doing, the entire journey. Those take up far greater portions of our lives than just crossing the finish line.

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Speaking of homemaking, this looks pretty perfect (I'll be ordering it soon) ---

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Sunday was Naomi's birthday. She and Justin braved the cold and came over and we had such a lovely visit with them.

Next year she'll turn the big 4-0, and I'll tell ya--ol' Debra is gonna feel that one!   😲

                                            My new favorite photo of those two.





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                                    Bought your Valentines yet?



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Oh! And if this doesn't make your day, I don't know what will. 

Love it. All of it. My, my, my. (Always remember lovely things still happen during these troublesome days of ours!)


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It's All Good. An Update.

"Keep doing the right thing even when the right thing isn't happening to you."   ---Joyce Meyer

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."   ... 2 Corinthians 5:7


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I've schlepped along on our new treadmill every single day for 2 whole weeks so you'd think I'd be all trim and gorgeous by now, right?

Ha! 

Of course, in our fast Internet, fast food, fast delivery world we (admit it) believe getting healthy/in-shape should happen just as quick.

But of course, it doesn't. The roly-poly body we created in 5 years will not become Venus-like in 17 days. 

I think now, 2 weeks in, is when tons of folks get all, "Oh forget it! This is too hard. Who cares?"-ish. 

But I've found an awesome secret. Want to hear it?

Since Treadmill Day One, I've kept a log in an online draft folder. I write the date, the time spent on the treadmill and the speed I used. If I also walked to the coffee shop that day, I note that and whether I did stretching exercises or shoveled snow.

That's my huge secret.

Huh?

See, no place on my list am I recording any losses/gains of weight or inches. (Nor am I measuring anything or staring into mirrors.) Nope. I'm listing only my faithfulness and leaving the results to God.

Chuckle if you wish, but I'm loving this idea.


Didn't lose a pound or an inch? Who cares? 
This week I used the treadmill daily. 
Walked to the coffee shop twice. 
Shoveled snow 3 times. 
Did stretches on the floor, twice. 

Whew! That's a lot. For me. That's way more than I did last January and that means improvement, moving forward and something to celebrate--the faithfulness, the grace from God to do this.

Always, faithfulness pays. 

If not immediately, then eventually. But every time, in any area, God rewards our faithfulness.

So hooray! I'll take it. I'll take listing, meditating upon what's gone right instead of what's going wrong or hasn't yet changed. 

Not basing my happiness on up-and-down results, but leaving the results with God to do with what He wishes? I'll take that, also.

"A faithful (wo)man will abound with blessings..."   ...Proverbs 28:20


I cannot control (or always improve upon) the results of anything, just my faithfulness to do what God asks.


This is pretty much my blogging philosophy, as well. "Just write and leave the results of that writing to God." (Or, "Don't get all loopy if no one comments." heh.)




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Gee I love my new window heart light thing --

You should see at night when it casts a warm red glow upon the table.




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Oh! I've not even ever read an Agatha Christie book (!), but I really enjoyed this documentary about her at Amazon. Free with Prime.


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         (A special thanks to my friend, Ann, for sharing these at Facebook.)


Have some extra time today? 

Here's a fun slideshow of living rooms from the 1960's, ones taken from peoples' personal photos.

Seeing those may help you understand better why Tom and I so enjoy estate sales. We've seen tons of rooms like these, ones not redecorated since the 60's--and they, woosh! Immediately whisk us back to the old days of our retro childhoods.

Happy sigh.


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"Walk ... with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love." ... Ephesians 4:2