Don't let the difficulties of the present moments overshadow the reality of God's promises. God's promises still stand. And God's promises are stronger than our failures.

Friday, January 6, 2012

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Do you ever get a song in your head?  A song that just plays over and over and over and drives you crazy because it won't quit?  You know that Julie Andrews song favorite things...kittens and rainbows, etc.?  That's the one.  I can't even remember the words but parts of it just keep playing in my head.  Trying to ignore it made me think of my favorite things so I thought I'd share.  Maybe I'll share the song too - you'll start hearing it in your head and it will leave mine!

I have a morning ritual.  I guess everyone does.  Part of it I won't share - you wouldn't want that much information.  :)  But this one I will.  I love this little devotional book!  Sarah Young is the author...she has written others I know because I have two more but this one is my favorite.  And the bookmark?  That's a gift from a fellow blogger (Thanks Lori!)

And after I've read the short devotion I turn to this calendar.  I use it as a prayer journal.  Sometimes I just write a list of people I want to pray for.  Sometimes I write a prayer.  It's a type of journaling I suppose.  It's not so big a page that I'm overwhelmed by the space - I tend to think if there's a blank page I should fill it up.  :)  I love the verse that's on the front of this year's version.


Here's something I can't do without!  It stays on my bedside table and it travels with me.  My eyes get really dry in the middle of the night.  Why is that?  I have no idea but every time I wake up I grab this and put a few drops in.  It feels wonderful!


This is a new favorite.  I don't use it on my lips.  Nope, nothing ordinary for me.  It stays on my bedside table too and just before I turn off the light I spread it on my cuticles  I have this dry thing going on all over my body and my cuticles can get really bad.  This not only softens, but also heals!  

 This is my favorite Sunday-go-to-meeting purse.  It was made for me by another blog friend (thanks, Dawn!) a couple of years ago and I still carry it almost every Sunday.  The yarn has gotten all soft and fuzzy and I just love it.

This is my favorite every day purse.  Every. Day.  I've  made myself several other purses and I've bought several other purses.  I have two big tubbies of purses in my closet.  And I try to change purses occasionally.  It never works.  I always come back to this one that I bought at Wal Mart three years ago.  I remember the day because I was babysitting for my newborn grandson and it was our first outing together.  I'm pretty sure if it ever wears out I'll cry like a baby.  But it just might last longer than me.  After all, it's denim so I could just patch it, right?  Tell me I'm right.  Please.

This clock hung in my mother's house for so many years I can't remember how long.  It was there so long that after a while I never even noticed it.  Does that make sense?  After she died when I was taking it off the wall I found two things hanging on it.  One was the tassel from my high school graduation that I had no idea she'd kept.  The other was a third place ribbon for a quilt of hers that I'd entered (without her knowledge) in a county fair.  She was such a shy person that she would never have dreamed of entering anything she'd made.  Maybe not shy, but more that she had little self confidence.  She was totally amazed to have won anything at all.  Now it hangs on the wall in my bedroom, where I make sure I notice it often.


Last year when we were in Israel I picked up this rock on the shore of the Dead Sea.  It's a funny little thing and has several small rocks fused to it's side, or maybe it just somehow got carved out that way, but it's not your ordinary rock.  When we got to The River Jordan and I stood in the water to renew my  baptismal vows I carried this rock with me.  Now it lives on my desk so I see it all the time and am reminded of what I promised.


And the last thing I'll show you today is this - the view outside my bedroom window.  When I was very young and we were camping on a river in north Arkansas my mother-in-law kept telling me I should get up for the sunrise over the river.  I was young, with three children, and I just wanted to sleep.  But now that I'm older and I wake up early anyway, the first thing I do is open the blinds so I can see the sun rise.  The mist on the water makes shadows that dance and bob and the light makes it all sparkle like diamonds.  God does mighty good work.

I loved showing you these things....just a few of my favorite things.  I'd love to see your favorites too.  Anybody else want to use this idea for a blog post?

25 comments:

Michelle said...

Good morning, Marlene! I'm sorry about the song in your head. I hope by now that it is gone. =-) I enjoyed seeing your favorite things.Have a wonderful day!

paulette said...

Hi Marlene! I loved reading about your favourite things and the stories behind each! Very special!
P

Josie McRazie said...

It is not odd that you use carmex in this way! I worked at Bath and Body and we sold a cuticle stick and let me just tell you it was the same darn thing as chap stick!! I often use my chap stick on my fingers in the winter! Even between my fingers when they get dry! call me wierd, too! LOL

Cheryl said...

Good Morning Marlene! you have now put that song in my head lol but its a wonderful song, a happy song and it took me back to my childhood thanks for the memory. I love all of your favorite things. I am going to try and find the cream you use I suffer with very dry cuticles also this just started happening recently on both my hands and feet. Also I would love to get a copy of the book. Thank you Marlene for being such a great friend
Peace and Blessings
Cheryl....Snatch JOY~!

Val said...

Oh I loved this post! I love seeing favorite things. And I might just need to do a post on that too. I will work on that. Great idea. Talking about the song...at least you have a song in your head or heart. I know so many that do not have a song to sing. Keep singing!

Lori said...

I noticed the bookmark right away. :) What an enjoyable post and how beautiful of a morning view you have. Thanks for sharing!

Needled Mom said...

I think this sort of post would make such a wonderful Linky party. I just loved reading about each of your favorite things. I think I would be up for the sunrise everyday too.

Carrie P. said...

those are some really great "favorite things".
thanks for sharing.
I love the river photo.

Helen said...

Thanks so much for sharing one of your rituals in the morning. I just downloaded the app for Jesus Calling. And due to my search also got Live Loved from Max Lucado. Keep those posts coming.

Friendship Crossing said...

What a sweet post~i enjoyed your favorite things immensely! I may have to use it on a future post, but sure hope I don't get that song stuck in my head~LOL Just kidding~I remember singing it many yrs. ago in jr. high choir.

Hugs,
Tanya

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Thank you for sharing your personal things, what a wonderful post. I greet the morning with viewing the sunrise - and enjoy watching the sunset - each happening on opposite sides of the house, like a welcome and goodbye.

Peggy Lee said...

Wonderful post. Thanks for sharing!

Barb said...

I like your favorite things, love the rock...

Pat said...

Living near a river is a dream of mine! Thanks for sharing your world. God Bless, Pat

Tracy P. said...

I love the sunny window you found for taking these pictures. I will have to do a post like this one of these day. I'm doing Jesus Calling this year. I am not good at daily devotionals. You could write me in one of those prayer squares about that. ;-)

kutiequilter said...

Love "Jesus Calling"! Started using it last year when I found it in Kmart! Now both my daughters use it too! Loving seeing some of your favorite things!

Linda - Behind My Red Door said...

What a lovely post and I am commenting on the last photo first because it is so beautiful - what a blessing to have that view every morning. Now that would get me up earlier too!! I just took a picture of the sun setting today as I was leaving my son's neighborhood because I was just in awe of the beauty the Lord laid out in front of me! I had to turn down a side street and take the photo through my windshiled with my iPhone it was so amazing to see the vibrant blues, pinks, reds and purples! So pretty against the starkness of the bare tree branches.

I am going to find myself some Carmex for my cuticles. They are very dry too. Thanks for that hint.

I'd love to know where to find your Amazing Grace calendar. It's cover is beautiful and I would love something like that to leave by my reading chair here in my office. What a great idea for where to keep track of who you are praying for.

And that song is from my all time favorite movie. I can sing it from start to finish, but you really don't want to hear that!!

I just may do my own favorite things post sometime as well!

Have a wonderful weekend! hugs!

Vivian said...

I'm with you. My eyes get so very dry during the night. I have systane in my purse, I need to get another to put by my bedside. Love the carmex tip also. But do you ever rub your eyes while you sleep and get it in them?

Denise :) said...

Haha! Now it's the song in my head; I'm so susceptible to song suggestions! I like the idea as a blog post, too ... I think it will be my Sunday (or Monday) theme! :)

Cindy said...

Thank you for sharing your favorite things. I too suffer from dry eyes and use the same eyedrops you do, however I've gone to using the ointment at night. I also love watching the sunrise. Since the sun comes up over the mountains I look forward to our "2nd" sunrise when it appears over the top. And I love looking at the sun setting over the Great Salt Lake..always a beautiful site.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I hadn't thought to use carmex for cuticles - thanks for the idea.
Karen

Gmama Jane said...

Great Post! If I can figure out how to upload my pictures from my new "card reader" thinga mabob I'll be happy to share your post idea. I too LOVE love Systane eye drops. I used to use refresh until a friend loaned me her Systane one day during a "dry eye" emergency. Good stuff. If I had pretty nails I would worry about my cuticles but since I don't I just use lotion. Your morning view is breath-taking. I would love to live on the water.
I'll have to look for those books.
Blessings
Jane

Marie Rayner said...

Marlene, I love your favourite things. Now I am thinking about mine . . . xxoo

Adrienne said...

Love your favorites! I'm enjoying 'Jesus Calling', too.
~Adrienne~

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful post..Thanks for sharing your favorite things and the carmex tip is greatly appreciated..I am sure I can find one around here somewhere..Have a great weekend..