the winners will be announced first thing in the morning...
Friday, September 2, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Going....going....
...you have until midnight (MST) today to enter your name in my contest and have a shot at the silver, copper and glass bla-bling ring. Take a look at my Giving it Away post for all of the details.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Give it Away...
It's been a busy summer and I have not made the time to update my little blog space. But I'll make it up to you now by having a fun little give away....well, actually it's a pretty big give away. I made this ring with sterling silver, copper and Italian glass. The glass rods were cut into little pieces, then tumbled to give them a soft-sea-tossed finish, then they were set in a sterling silver and copper ring. All hand made.
And, YES, I am giving it away! Just follow my blog, my twitter, my facebook or sign up for my distribution list by sending me an email at tajones1463@made-inthe-shade.com and your name will go into the hat. Sign up by midnight, 9/1/2011. I will hold the random drawing early the next morning and I will notify the winner on 9/3/2011. I also have a cool prize for a second winner. But wait! There's more! If you write a tweet or a facebook post referring others to my Made in the Shade business page, let me know and I will enter your name twice!
And, YES, I am giving it away! Just follow my blog, my twitter, my facebook or sign up for my distribution list by sending me an email at tajones1463@made-inthe-shade.com and your name will go into the hat. Sign up by midnight, 9/1/2011. I will hold the random drawing early the next morning and I will notify the winner on 9/3/2011. I also have a cool prize for a second winner. But wait! There's more! If you write a tweet or a facebook post referring others to my Made in the Shade business page, let me know and I will enter your name twice!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Joy
Psalm 30
Prayer: Father, please forgive me for my often shallow attitude about joy. I confess that my version of joy is often nothing more than an emotion or feeling based on current circumstances. Help me to fix my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I want to live my life against the backdrop of eternity, exchanging temporary happiness for eternal joy. I pray that You will continually teach me to choose joy in whatever lies ahead. ~ Amen
I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”
LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit, Will the dust praise You, Will it declare Your truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
O LORD my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
Now in my prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”
LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;
You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
I cried out to You, O LORD; And to the LORD I made supplication:
“What profit is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit, Will the dust praise You, Will it declare Your truth?
Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
Prayer: Father, please forgive me for my often shallow attitude about joy. I confess that my version of joy is often nothing more than an emotion or feeling based on current circumstances. Help me to fix my eyes on You, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I want to live my life against the backdrop of eternity, exchanging temporary happiness for eternal joy. I pray that You will continually teach me to choose joy in whatever lies ahead. ~ Amen
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Me, Me, Me...
Have you been wondering why I haven't posted in a while? Me too. I've wanted to write something intelligent and witty on several occasions, but the press of a busy schedule and deadlines and the feeling of "who needs to hear about my life?" have kept me away from the keyboard.
So, I guess I'll play catch up a little, since it is already June and May is gone with the wind! hmmm, will the wind is still here, but May is indeed gone none the less.
It was a fun month, one of my favorite. I love lilacs, it is one of my favorite smells...they bloom but once a year and the blooms last just a few short weeks in the month of May. I have two bushes in my yard. One is white and is about 10 years old. The other is pale purple and is about 4 years old. I have a neighbor a few houses down who has one that is deep purple--I would love to have that color in my yard! I think I have bush envy.
This May was our first annual women's retreat to Angel Fire New Mexico. My friend Kristie and I along with God planned it. There were only 5 of us who went and we had a fabulous time! We talked about Joy. I got to give the message--that was a little stressful, but also fun. We split the cost of a private cabin in the woods and the food and it was very affordable yet luxurious and cozy. We had so much fun that we are going to do it again next year. (If you want to be included, just let me know.)
After we got back, the pressure was on becuase I had the Fiber Arts Fiesta to get ready for. This was a new show for me this year and I had heard that it was a busy show. So I needed to get busy and make buttons, buttons, and more buttons. At the same time Christina started a new job and I was on full-time Gramma duty. It was a challenge to jugle the schedule, but it all worked out. The show was great. I'll do it again. It only happens every 2 years. It was very well organized and there were many beautiful fibers and quilts to see.
I have been having a blast with Amara. Her and I have been doing a schedule on the days that I watch her and she is loving it. "What's next Gramma?" She is so curious and full of joy! She really is a blast to hang out with. She started gymnastics and she really loves it! It's close to home so we don't have to drive far to go.
I could talk on and on about her--that's what Gramma's do. But I'll just tell you one more thing (it happened yesterday, the last day in May). If you know Amara, you know that she is a total tom-boy, she doesn't like girl clothes, she wants to wear boy clothes, she wants to be handsome, not cute, she wants a boy haircut. Well, yesterday her mom took her for a haircut and she now has short hair--a girl style, but short. She loves it!!!! Last night we would catch her looking at herself in the mirror and fixing her hair. She kept saying, "just gel and go." No more rats, brushing and pigtails! She's a great kid!
Now it's June and the schedule is already full. I have the New Mexico Challenge show in Santa Fe in a few weeks. Then I have the New Mexico Arts and Crafts Fair the week after that. That is a new show for me. I hope that I will do well. I only juried in for Jewelry so I won't be able to take some of my big sellers like wine stoppers and bottle openers and pens. I hope that it is a good show. I have a lot that I need to create to have enough Jewelry for that show, so my schedule is cut out for me for the next month.
We are fitting in some fun though. We are going to take the new camper to Elephant Butte Lake for a camping weekend. Our friends Bridget and Ron live there. We have been planning to go see them for the last 5 years and now we are finally making it happen. I'm so excited to see them and to go fishing and swimming and boating!
Oh, one more thing about May. Since we had the Fiber Arts Fiesta on memorial weekend, we didn't make our annual trip to Carlsbad. So we were in town for Trish's (Wayne's boss) pool opening party. Amara went with us and had so much fun. She swam and jumped in the pool for a good solid 4 hours. It was good to see her have so much fun. At the end of the day all the kids roasted marshmallows on the gas grill and made smores. She was in kid sugar heaven!
Well, as you can see, all is good here at the Jones's. I could tell you a hundred more things...but I'll let you go for now...I need to get my day started. God bless your week. ~ T
So, I guess I'll play catch up a little, since it is already June and May is gone with the wind! hmmm, will the wind is still here, but May is indeed gone none the less.
It was a fun month, one of my favorite. I love lilacs, it is one of my favorite smells...they bloom but once a year and the blooms last just a few short weeks in the month of May. I have two bushes in my yard. One is white and is about 10 years old. The other is pale purple and is about 4 years old. I have a neighbor a few houses down who has one that is deep purple--I would love to have that color in my yard! I think I have bush envy
This May was our first annual women's retreat to Angel Fire New Mexico. My friend Kristie and I along with God planned it. There were only 5 of us who went and we had a fabulous time! We talked about Joy. I got to give the message--that was a little stressful, but also fun. We split the cost of a private cabin in the woods and the food and it was very affordable yet luxurious and cozy. We had so much fun that we are going to do it again next year. (If you want to be included, just let me know.)
We are fitting in some fun though. We are going to take the new camper to Elephant Butte Lake for a camping weekend. Our friends Bridget and Ron live there. We have been planning to go see them for the last 5 years and now we are finally making it happen. I'm so excited to see them and to go fishing and swimming and boating!
Oh, one more thing about May. Since we had the Fiber Arts Fiesta on memorial weekend, we didn't make our annual trip to Carlsbad. So we were in town for Trish's (Wayne's boss) pool opening party. Amara went with us and had so much fun. She swam and jumped in the pool for a good solid 4 hours. It was good to see her have so much fun. At the end of the day all the kids roasted marshmallows on the gas grill and made smores. She was in kid sugar heaven!
Well, as you can see, all is good here at the Jones's. I could tell you a hundred more things...but I'll let you go for now...I need to get my day started. God bless your week. ~ T
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Doing what is most important...
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18, NIV).
I really do love Thursdays. Thursdays come fast but enter slow. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday fly by with all of their rewarding responsibilities and then Thursday...wide open, full of possibilities. Today's Thursday has entered with a drip, a drop, then a slow and gentle rain, no wind, just a soft and soothing cleansing...so soft, the birds are still out singing their spring song.
Was it just last week I was wondering how long? How long must we go without rain?
Have Thursdays always been this way? I don't think so. I occurs to me that this day is a gift amongst all my gifts. A gift of peace and refreshment in the midst of my responsibility and striving.
Four years ago, I set aside my Thursdays for fasting and praying for prodigals. It started with my son and my friend's children...it has grown. Now Thursdays are a gift of time spent at the feet of Jesus...letting him take my worries and comfort my worn heart.
Looking back, I know that Thursdays have not always been this way. But now, they are a sweet peace and I hear my savior call, "come, sit, let's talk." And we do, we sit, and we talk and His peace overflows me and becomes me.
I really do love Thursdays. Thursdays come fast but enter slow. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday fly by with all of their rewarding responsibilities and then Thursday...wide open, full of possibilities. Today's Thursday has entered with a drip, a drop, then a slow and gentle rain, no wind, just a soft and soothing cleansing...so soft, the birds are still out singing their spring song.
Was it just last week I was wondering how long? How long must we go without rain?
Have Thursdays always been this way? I don't think so. I occurs to me that this day is a gift amongst all my gifts. A gift of peace and refreshment in the midst of my responsibility and striving.
Four years ago, I set aside my Thursdays for fasting and praying for prodigals. It started with my son and my friend's children...it has grown. Now Thursdays are a gift of time spent at the feet of Jesus...letting him take my worries and comfort my worn heart.
Looking back, I know that Thursdays have not always been this way. But now, they are a sweet peace and I hear my savior call, "come, sit, let's talk." And we do, we sit, and we talk and His peace overflows me and becomes me.
Friday, March 25, 2011
HE speaks...
As I study God’s Word today, I’m confronted with my doubts...”He doesn’t really love me...He’s looking at all my short comings and He says, “throw this one back””...I know these are lies and I determine to ignore them...to set my face on HIM...to trust and believe despite how I feel...but I still feel and I wonder.... “does HE love me? truly? Will HE help me? really?” I want to scream at them to “shut-up!” How can I ask for forgiveness for my doubt and in the same breath-thought doubt more?
Silently...don’t even say it in Your mind...the heart mumbles, “speak to me LORD, please show me that You are there.”
And, I go about my day, check email...a new devotion from Skip...about love...about love? Yes, about how the LORD asked Peter if he loved HIM.
I hear the LORD whispering in my ear...I LOVE You...yes, you! I love you with a divine, fervent, intense, unswerving love! Okay, LORD, thanks for the reminder...was that really You speaking to me. Again with the doubt? Please forgive me LORD.
And, I go about my day, check email...a new devotion from Our Daily Bread...about Peter’s failure and the LORD’s restoration...now Father God is squeezing me tight in HIS arms and whispering, “I love you Teresa. I truly do. I truly, truly do. I hear you, I see you and I love you so much.”
God moments. How thankful I am that HE knows me, HE understands and HE walks this walk called life with me, supplying and sustaining me every minute of every day. I trust HIM more and more every day.
I hope you have God moments every day!
Silently...don’t even say it in Your mind...the heart mumbles, “speak to me LORD, please show me that You are there.”
And, I go about my day, check email...a new devotion from Skip...about love...about love? Yes, about how the LORD asked Peter if he loved HIM.
I hear the LORD whispering in my ear...I LOVE You...yes, you! I love you with a divine, fervent, intense, unswerving love! Okay, LORD, thanks for the reminder...was that really You speaking to me. Again with the doubt? Please forgive me LORD.
And, I go about my day, check email...a new devotion from Our Daily Bread...about Peter’s failure and the LORD’s restoration...now Father God is squeezing me tight in HIS arms and whispering, “I love you Teresa. I truly do. I truly, truly do. I hear you, I see you and I love you so much.”
God moments. How thankful I am that HE knows me, HE understands and HE walks this walk called life with me, supplying and sustaining me every minute of every day. I trust HIM more and more every day.
I hope you have God moments every day!
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