Monday, September 30, 2013

31Days of Quotes and Scripture Index Page

Welcome to the index page for "31Days of Quotes and Scripture concerning change and renewal".  I am so happy to have you visit with me!  And just to show you how much I appreciate your visit, I plan to do a giveaway at some point along the way.  Stay tuned!

You'll find links to each day's post below... Enjoy!

INTRODUCTION

DAY 1... Revelation 21:5

DAY 2... Oswald Chambers

DAY 3... Ezekiel 36:26

DAY 4... Psalm 51:7

DAY 5... Charles L. Allen

DAY 6... 1 Corinthians 15:41

DAY 7... Psalm 51:12

DAY 8... Liz Curtis Higgs

DAY 9... Psalm 149:1

DAY 10... 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

DAY 11... Beth Moore

DAY 12... Ephesians 4:22-24

DAY 13... Isaiah 40:31

DAY 14... Francis Chan

DAY 15... Romans 6:4

DAY 16... Psalm 34:5

DAY 17... John Burroughs

DAY 18... John 16:20

DAY 19... Psalm 51:10

DAY 20... Martin Luther

DAY 21... Isaiah 1:18

DAY 22... Ezekiel 18:31a

DAY 23... Robert Schuler

DAY 24... Titus 3:4-5

DAY 25... Colossians 3:9-10

DAY 26... T.O. Chisholm

DAY 27... Romans 12:2

DAY 28... Lamentations 3:22-24

DAY 29... Stormie Omartin

DAY 30... 2 Corinthians 5:17

DAY 31... 1 John 5:1-5








Missional Women

Introducing 31 Days of Quotes and Scriptures concerning change and renewal

Ah Ha!  Fooled ya!  I told you that I wasn't going to do a 31Day series... but I am!  No, really, when I wrote that post, I had every intention of forgoing the challenge this year.  But that decision made me so sad that I decided to reconsider.  I'm allowed to change my mind, right?

I was very disappointed that my efforts to do the challenge would go unrewarded by a sense of accomplishment.  (Have I mentioned that I am famous for not completing projects?)  And I just really, really want to participate in the fun with my blogging friends!

No, I will not be doing my original plan, but I will be doing a modified plan. 

You see, with each day that I had a project to post, I was going to include a quote or scripture on a picture that I had taken to encourage us (yes, me, too!) to reflect on the changes that God makes in our lives through our fellowship with Christ and one another.

So as I was dragging around my self-pity pot, it occurred to me to use those pictures that I had already done and add to them along the way!  And that's just what I'm going to do.  Low stress, great words, fun photo ops, and a reason to use my PicMonkey account! 

All-around win!

So that's the plan and here's the button....

 
  

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Confessions of a Slacker, or The Series That Will Never Be

Hello, Readers!  I don't know how many of you follow this blog very closely but you may have noticed a lull in the number of posts recently.
 
No?  Okay.  Consider me humbled. 

I've lacked a bit of inspiration lately.  Oh, those pesky dry seasons in life.

Or am I just lazy?  A hefty dose of both, most likely.

Vicious cycles of the bipolar brain. 

So here is my confession...  I am wholly unprepared for the upcoming 31Day series hosted by another, very prolific and popular blogger. 

I started planning for it way back in February but lost steam somewhere along the way.  In order for me to do what needs to be done to be ready, I'd have little time for much else.  A few cups of coffee here and there, and an occasional potty break would be about it. It was a VERY ambitious (for me) series.

Since I started this blog breaking the rules it only seems fitting that I round out my first year of blogging in rebellion.  I'm not going to do the 31Day series.

Nope.  It just isn't going to happen.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  Well, that's not true.  I'm sure a lot of people have time for that.  Hundreds of people, actually! 

But I've got another iron in the fire that I am currently working on and it is more important to me at the moment.  And as many of you also know, I am terrible at multi-tasking!

My health.  Most of you probably know me so you already know about my ongoing struggle with weight.  And since I'm not sure I want to convert this blog into a "follow me on my weight loss journey to health" blog, I've joined another forum dedicated to health and fitness for regular people.  Like a combo of MySpace and Weight Watchers, only free.  It also has a blogging feature!

Don't worry, though!

You weren't?  Okay.  You folks are determined to keep me in line!

I still plan to post my usual stuff about the goings on around My Not-So-Empty Nest, just not in a break-neck attempt to complete the aforementioned challenge.    

Writing this blog has been very good for me and have no intention of giving it up.  So I hope all 4 of you who read will continue to do so and comment occasionally to let me know you're out there!

This was going to be the button for my series.  I want to share it with you because I think it is pretty... 


 

Thursday, September 19, 2013

August Photography Challenge


                           

It doesn't take long when reading my blogs to figure out that I am not a photographer.   I am a picture taker who hesitates to even call my pictures photography.  I'm not even sure that I enjoy taking pictures all that much but I'm convinced that is because I am not very good at it.  I'd eventually like to take photography classes but for now that is not an option so I just sort of play around with my camera. 

When I stumbled across THIS picture on Pinterest in July I decided that it would be a fun thing to do to help me by forcing me to take pictures of things that I wouldn't ordinarily think to take pictures of.   And since we were traveling for about 10 days of this time there was even more of a challenge to find my needed subjects.  Some of the pictures were taken out of order.  

Day 13 will, in part, explain why this post wasn't done on time. 

Day 1, my handwriting
Day 1... A quote from my quote journal, perhaps based on Proverbs 17:28.   Placed on a windowsill on an overcast day.


Day 2, hands
Day 2... Grandpa's watch is a favorite plaything of Levi and Liam.  Taken at sunset near a west-facing window.


Day 3, water
Day 3... The first few drops before a rainstorm on a metal table.  Taken outside on a rainy morning.



Day 4, a self-portrait
Day 4... My husband and me.  Taken with indoor lighting only.




Day 5, something I made
Day 5... An old-fashioned flour scoop that I made in the 8th grade in woodworking class.  It used to have a handle.  Taken near an east-facing window on a sunny morning.



Day 6, a favorite place
Day 6... A comfortable spot to read, study, write, watch TV, sleep, etc.  Flash was used for this.



Day 7, in my bag
Day 7...  A glimpse inside my purse.  My daughter's teddy bear in the background as we are heading out to take her for her senior year of college.  Taken in late afternoon by an east-facing window.



Day 8,  activity I love
Day 8...  Editing a picture of me playing with Levi and Liam.  I LOVE playing with them and enjoy editing pictures so this is a "two-fer"! Taken with kitchen lighting.



Day 9, transportation
Day 9... Our rental car.  Full afternoon sun.



Day 10, what I wore
Day 10... This is the top I wore when we spent the afternoon eating pizza and playing at the park with my nephew and his family.  Taken with overhead lighting in a darkened room.



Day 11, landscape
Day 11... A small stream at the aforementioned park.  Okay, I cheated and took them both on the same day.  Taken from under a shade tree in early afternoon.


Day 12, from a distance

Day 12... I certainly kept my distance from this big bull.  He appeared none too happy with me for disturbing his herd even though I was on the other side of the fence among the hedge shrubs.  Taken using a still life setting, zoomed, with flash.


Day 13, a bad habit
Day 13... One of my very worst habits is leaving projects unfinished, or completing them long after I had intended to, as this puzzle represents. Very low light, with flash.  It was difficult getting this picture because of the reflection of the flash.


Day 14, clouds
Day 14... I was snapping pictures of clouds all day long.  This is the most pleasing of them all, driving down the highway, taken through the car windshield.



Day 15, green
 Day 15... A magnolia tree at Belle Meade, Tennessee.  All natural light.


Day 16, high angle
Day 16... I'm not really sure what high angle is, so I just took a picture from a high vantage point.  Taken from inside a glass elevator.
Day 17, low angle
Day 17... Again, not sure what low angle means so I just took a picture from below.  And as an aside, can you believe that the toll for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is now $6.00?

Day 18, shoes
Day 18... Quite possibly the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn.  Good thing because I'm supposed to wear them at all times at home.  Even if I get up in the middle of the night.  Which I don't do.  But I'm supposed to.


Day 19, blue
Day 19...  The anniversary card my husband gave me.  No flash, dim lighting.


Day 20, dinner
Day 20...  Chop salad with pine nuts and feta.

Day 21, summertime
Day 21... A friend's pool.  Bright summer day, no flash needed!


Day 22, sunset
Day 22... Possibly the worst picture of a sunset ever taken.  But this is what I was given on that day, so I just went with it.  Facing east across the Nanticoke River.

Day 23, eyes
Day 23... Liam.  So very upset about having to be in his car seat.  He wouldn't even look at me.  Natural lighting.

Day 24, a mess
Day 24... I absolutely hate litter.  Seriously people, there are garbage cans EVERYWHERE! Use them! 


Day 25, dressed up
 Day 25... For our 25th wedding anniversary my husband and I got new wedding bands.  He also had an anniversary ring made for me using 4 diamonds that I already had and a new one.  I rarely wear jewelry or get manicures, so this is "dressed up" for me.  Outside natural lighting, near sunset.

Day 26, black and white
 Day 26... At the corner of my house is a spider who has spun her web.  She is in exactly this position every day, all day.  I couldn't find a black and white feature on my camera so that part was done on Picmonkey.

Day 27, fruit
 Day 27... Blueberries in antique dish.  Natural light.

Day 28, orange
 Day 28... The orange cup from my set of coffee cups.  Flash.

Day 29, pink
 Day 29...  The undersides of the more mature leaves are pink.  Bright morning sun.

Day 30, close up
 Day 30... Close up of wild berries along the Nanticoke River.  Flash at overcast sunset.

Day 31, mail
Day 31... Not the most interesting picture to end with.  When I get the mail from the mailbox, this is where it sits until Hubby takes care of it.  Flash.