Monday Lapghan Mishmash

For the past couple of years I’ve been keeping busy crocheting lapghans as therapy, plus it serves as a ministry. Somehow the process of crocheting seems to keep me from totally focusing on my pain. I have several patterns—some from actual patterns and some I make up as I go along—but they all have one thing in common: they are quick and easy to work up.

So here are my latest projects, displayed in a collage for your viewing enjoyment.

Oh, the pain…

This Mishmash Monday is brought to you by the pain I live with every day. There are several things I’m going through this week that will make it difficult for me to work on my blog regularly for the next couple of weeks, so I’m scheduling several inspirational image posts to remind you how much you are loved by Jesus Christ, the One who loves us so much He died for our sins.

Even though I endure pain on a daily basis, I always look to my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, for “the peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). And I absolutely “consider it all joy…when [I] encounter various trials” (James 1:2).

How is this even possible? Because I know where my true joy lies: in the knowledge that one day I will no longer be in any kind of pain as I enjoy life in my new heavenly home.

So, here’s my mishmash of images that describe (in a way) how I feel on any given day.

My term for de-conditioning is “payback”

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This is how I should look because of how I normally feel

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Migraine head

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If you have trouble viewing the Casting Crowns video above, here are the lyrics to the song, “Praise You in This Storm”:

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I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again, I say “Amen”, and it’s still raining

As the thunder rolls
I barely hear Your whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus:]
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And every tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when
I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you
And you raised me up again
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on
If I can’t find You

But as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
“I’m with you”
And as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise the God who gives
And takes away

[Chorus]

I lift my eyes unto the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord
The Maker of Heaven and Earth

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Tulip Mishmash

Since it is almost officially Spring, my mind has been on tulips, my favorite flower. And since I am a pink girl, most of these mishmash photos are of pink tulips! A couple of these images are of tulip bouquets I have enjoyed in my own home. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

Love #11-Love Mishmash

Crochet Mishmash

MISHMASH MONDAY

I haven’t been doing as much crocheting lately as I usually do, but on this Mishmash Monday thought I’d share a mishmash of crochet photos with you.

Some of these are PIPs (Projects-in-Planning) and some are finished. Others just show you a jumble of yarns—from a basketful of skeins for a current WIP (Work-in-Progress) to a snowflake pillow to a shopping basket of rainbow color skeins for an afghan I made for Kathy a year or two ago. And let’s not forget my yarn stash closet: I took 5 hanging sweater shelves and filled them with yarn, color coded (in a way).

So there it is. My crochet life in color…

Pot Shelves Mishmash

MISHMASH MONDAY

When Rick and I first moved here, I immediately loved all the pot shelves in the great room. However, I could not visualize how I could decorate them. Enter Daughter Kathy, who is blessed with artistic foresight and decorating ability far beyond my capabilities. I spread out all the items for her to see, and she came up with the greatest mishmash decorating scheme ever!

I haven’t changed a thing in the almost-8 years we’ve lived here because I can’t imagine them any other way. So here’s a peek into my kitchen.

As you can see, Rick and I love cobalt blue and have collected these pieces for years. The pedestal dish shown in the bottom left photo was Rick’s Mom’s and kind of started us on our quest for more cobalt glass. When we lived in California, we used to camp at the coast at least once a month. And on each of those trips we visited a thrift or antique store in search of even more cobalt glass items. Fun and precious times…

Yellow Flower Mishmash

This gallery contains 8 photos.

MISHMASH MONDAY

Hope Mishmash

MISHMASH MONDAY

Today’s mishmash is brought to you by the word HOPE:

• to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence
• to believe, desire, or trust: I hope that my work will be satisfactory

The God of Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. —Romans 15:13

Years ago, I learned what the term “downsizing” meant.

I was working as the coordinator between homeowners and subcontractors for a residential construction company. One day I was told that they needed to cut back their spending so they had to let me go. However, they allowed me to work for them an additional two weeks while looking for a new job. I was my sole source of support at the time so I was understandably concerned about how I would be able to support myself.

A few days later I was praying about this situation as I was driving to work. I suddenly felt the Lord telling me, Don’t worry, child. I’m going to provide you with all that you need and even more! I smiled and immediately sent up a prayer of thanks. I couldn’t wait to see what He had waiting for me.

As I walked into work and picked up my telephone messages, the receptionist had trouble making eye contact with me as she said how sorry she was that I was being let go. I smiled and told her I wasn’t worried about it at all because God had already given me a peace about the whole thing and already had a job lined up for me!

Several minutes later, I heard one of the subcontractors ask how I was doing. In reply, our receptionist excitedly told him exactly what I had related to her.

Later that morning I was driving to a meeting and one of the homeowners waved me down. He and I knew each other well because I had helped him coordinate various additions and changes to his home before he moved in. Not surprisingly he had heard my job was ending and that I was looking for new employment. I nodded at his words and the next thing he did was offer me a job with his company—right there on the spot! The salary would be exactly what I needed plus I wouldn’t have to move. To say I was amazed and excited by God’s quick timing would be stating it mildly!

When I returned to the office after my meeting, I shared my good news with the receptionist who looked shocked. I don’t remember what she said to me, but I know that she was not a believer so this little episode gave me a chance to share my hope in Christ with her.

There are many Scripture passages about hope, so I believe God thinks it is very important to us. Among the many definitions of hope, here are just a few:

1. to desire something with confident expectation of its fulfillment;

2. a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life—in other words, believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary;

3. to place trust in; to rely on.

This is all well and good, but what is this thing called hope really all about?

What Hope IS

First of all, hope is a choice! God has given us the freedom to choose to have hope or not.

That receptionist all those years ago saw the hope I had in the Lord for the good job He promised me, true. But our ultimate hope comes from and is in God:

• Psalm 33:20: “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”
• Psalm 39:7: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
• Psalm 62:5: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
• Psalm 71:5-6: “For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you.”

Jesus Christ is the actual object of our hope because it is in His second coming that the hope of glory will be fulfilled:

• Colossians 1:27: “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

No matter what is happening in our lives, we can rest assured that God is in charge and has everything under control, so:

• Psalm 71:14: “[we] will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”

There are many mornings when it is very difficult to get going. Chronic pain illness sometimes seems to rule my life, but I try to remember Isaiah 40:31: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I will admit, though, that sometimes it is difficult for me to remember to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” —Romans 12:12

What Hope is NOT

Most obviously, hope is not discouragement. The Word of God tells us that there is no hopeless situation, no hopeless illness, no hopeless marriage. As I said before, it is up to us to choose to have hope.

Hope is not unhappiness or a feeling of gloom and doom. No matter what is going on in our lives, how can we be unhappy with Jesus as our hope?

Psalm 16:9-11 says: “So I rejoice and am glad. Even my body has hope, because you will not leave me in the grave. You will not let your holy one rot. You will teach me how to live a holy life. Being with you will fill me with joy; at your right hand I will find pleasure forever.”

We as human beings will have times of pain and frustration in our earthly lives but in order not to get discouraged or lose hope, we would do well to remember Lamentations 3:21-25:

 

“But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.”

 

Beloved, as believers in the promise of everlasting life in Christ, “let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” —Hebrews 10:23

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Here are a few more words of hope for you:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. —Proverbs 13:12

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to
give you a future and a hope. —Jeremiah 29:11

 Live, then, and be happy, beloved children of my heart, and never forget, that until the day God will deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope.’ —Alexandre Dumas

 While there’s life, there’s hope. —Marcus Tullius Cicero

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow. —Orison Swett Marden

Hope springs eternal. —Alexander Pope

Hoping your day is blessed with all the sweet things of life…

Blue Mishmash

This gallery contains 10 photos.

MISHMASH MONDAY You all know what a sucker I am for anything pink. However, there are many other colors equally worthy of consideration, so on this Mishmash Monday I give you… blue!

Froggie Mishmash

This gallery contains 13 photos.

MISHMASH MONDAY It’s a FROG invasion! Not really. This is actually my hubby’s and my collection of frogs. We started collecting them several years ago because they’re so quirky and cute but also because the acronym FROG means: Fully Relying On God So on this Mishmash Monday I thought I’d share our froggie obsession with you. […]