True friends are to me...
T - totally honest with you
R - reminders of God's blessings
U - united against opposition
E - energizing when you're just feeling blue
F - fun and exciting when you need to be
R - relaxing to be around when you're just hanging out
I - interested in how things are going
E - encouraging in all aspects of your life
N - never old or boring
D - definitely a must in life
S - silly and loud when you reach that totally exhausted point where everything is hilarious
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Necessity vs. Luxury
I have a short list of blogs I read on a daily basis, and one of them posted this question recently: In this economic climate, what would be the very last discretionary (i.e. – not strictly necessary) expense you would give up?
Well, that one really made me think. What would be the very last “luxury” I would give up if my budget was super tight? Now those of you who know me, you’re all thinking, “Yeah, we know what it would be. It would be all that yarn and wool stuff she messes with all the time.” Hmmm, not so much, actually. Shocked? Me, too, at first.
In actuality I have enough yarn to keep me knitting well into 2012. I really don’t need to buy any more, but it’s hard to resist a new color combination, and of course I have to get the specific fiber combo for that special request… (See 2009 Goals for explanation and solution.) And I have plenty of knitting mags and pattern books, as well as all the notions needed for a project – so I’m set there.
I actually had to think hard about what would pretty difficult to give up. And get this – it was tea! Yep, I would find it pretty hard to give up my new-found love and respect for loose-leaf teas (thanks, Amanda!) I would have to drink (oh, the horror) Lipton™! (Not to rag on Lipton, just after you’ve had the best…) It not just the caffeine, though that would be near impossible to let go, but the richness and flavor, and even the ritual of making it every morning would be hard to let go.
Then I near smacked myself in the forehead. Why am I even thinking along these lines? “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Amazing, no? He also provides for all our needs (that’s needs, not wants – hard lesson to learn, I can tell you) and if He brings me to that point, well all I can do is lean fully on Him.
But as an academic question – what would you be hard pressed to give up? I think the answer might surprise you.
Well, that one really made me think. What would be the very last “luxury” I would give up if my budget was super tight? Now those of you who know me, you’re all thinking, “Yeah, we know what it would be. It would be all that yarn and wool stuff she messes with all the time.” Hmmm, not so much, actually. Shocked? Me, too, at first.
In actuality I have enough yarn to keep me knitting well into 2012. I really don’t need to buy any more, but it’s hard to resist a new color combination, and of course I have to get the specific fiber combo for that special request… (See 2009 Goals for explanation and solution.) And I have plenty of knitting mags and pattern books, as well as all the notions needed for a project – so I’m set there.
I actually had to think hard about what would pretty difficult to give up. And get this – it was tea! Yep, I would find it pretty hard to give up my new-found love and respect for loose-leaf teas (thanks, Amanda!) I would have to drink (oh, the horror) Lipton™! (Not to rag on Lipton, just after you’ve had the best…) It not just the caffeine, though that would be near impossible to let go, but the richness and flavor, and even the ritual of making it every morning would be hard to let go.
Then I near smacked myself in the forehead. Why am I even thinking along these lines? “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Amazing, no? He also provides for all our needs (that’s needs, not wants – hard lesson to learn, I can tell you) and if He brings me to that point, well all I can do is lean fully on Him.
But as an academic question – what would you be hard pressed to give up? I think the answer might surprise you.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
A couple of memes
I also posted these on Facebook. I got tagged for a couple of memes and thought I would post them here for those who aren't on FB. Hopefully you'll at least ... , ah, understand me a little better! :-)
One Word Share
I was tagged for this one too - but I don't think I'll tag any one else.
Where is your cell phone? purse
Your hair? short
Your father? Dan
Your favorite thing? fiber
Your dream last night? random
Your favorite drink? tea
Your dream goal? publish
The room you are in? office
Your fear? pain
Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
Muffins? pumpkin
One of wish list items? yarn
Where did you grow up? Susanville
The last thing you did? work
What you are wearing? turtleneck
Your t.v.?disconnected
Your pets? kitties
Your computer? used
Your life? awesome
Your mood? joyful
Missing someone? maybe
Your car? Honda
Favorite store? yarn
Your favorite color? purple
When is the last time you laughed? now
Last time you cried? week
Favorite Show? Stargate
In love? always
Favorite Restaurant? sushi
25 Random Things
I’ve been tagged for this meme so much in the last couple of weeks that I figured I’d better at least get these out there. And this way you get to know so much more about me than before! (Uh, not!) LOL – yeah, most of you already know this stuff about me. :-)
1.The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of my salvation. As the final Passover Lamb, He died on that cross once for all – for past, present, and future sin – and one day (hopefully soon) I will be with Him in heaven. My hope is that all of you will be there with me, too!
2.I love to knit.
3.I love to spin.
4.I thought about putting those last two in the rest of this list – but then that wouldn’t tell you much more about me!
5.I love knitting things for friends and family. I think it is part of my love language.
6.I’m not a big traveler. It’s either the planning thing or the being away from home for longer than a day thing.
7.When I do travel – I far prefer going with other people, preferably friends.
8.I am a writer.
9.Going along with #8 – I actually have a manuscript all ready to go. Just need to actually send it out there. Yeah, I’ll get right on that! ;-)
10.I like to write science fiction. That’s probably because I also like to read and watch SciFi. It’s a whole genre thing.
11.Now please don’t laugh (because this is going to be so high school) – I have actually authored a couple of fan fiction pieces – most of them over 10K words.
12.I bet you did not know #11 about me!
13.I have been to Vancouver, BC and I want to go back.
14.I have also been to Mexico – twice.
15.I have worked in the automotive industry for 9 years now.
16.I have also worked at a yarn shop. I spent more than I made. Go figure.
17.I love to teach knitting – especially to friends.
18.I ♥ Stargate! Total fan, here!
19.I don’t have cable or an antenna for my T.V.
20.I own not one but two Ipods. Itunes is my friend.
21.I know how to play the piano – not very well, but with practice…
22.I played the clarinet and oboe in school – and still play the oboe. As Danny Kaye once said, “The oboe is an ill wind nobody plays good.” And I say, “Hey, I resemble that remark!” :-)
23.I come from a family of musicians. My mom is a music teacher, plays piano and sings tenor/alto; my dad sings bass and leads worship; my brother Andrew sings baritone/bass and plays saxaphone, trumpet, accordian, and bass; and my other brother David also sings and plays the bass.
24.Classical music is my happy place. Listening to Mozart and knitting – it’s the new yoga.
25.I am a groupless discussion leader at the Reno Women’s Night BSF (Bible Study Fellowship.) Definitely next year though! God has really used me in a substitute capacity, and this year has been a great opportunity to be fully prepared for next.
Hopefully this is random enough, however reading back over it there does seem to be some clumping going on. Eh, oh well. Hope you learned something you didn’t know about me, and I truly hope it didn’t scare you! :-)
One Word Share
I was tagged for this one too - but I don't think I'll tag any one else.
Where is your cell phone? purse
Your hair? short
Your father? Dan
Your favorite thing? fiber
Your dream last night? random
Your favorite drink? tea
Your dream goal? publish
The room you are in? office
Your fear? pain
Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
Muffins? pumpkin
One of wish list items? yarn
Where did you grow up? Susanville
The last thing you did? work
What you are wearing? turtleneck
Your t.v.?disconnected
Your pets? kitties
Your computer? used
Your life? awesome
Your mood? joyful
Missing someone? maybe
Your car? Honda
Favorite store? yarn
Your favorite color? purple
When is the last time you laughed? now
Last time you cried? week
Favorite Show? Stargate
In love? always
Favorite Restaurant? sushi
25 Random Things
I’ve been tagged for this meme so much in the last couple of weeks that I figured I’d better at least get these out there. And this way you get to know so much more about me than before! (Uh, not!) LOL – yeah, most of you already know this stuff about me. :-)
1.The Lord Jesus Christ is the author of my salvation. As the final Passover Lamb, He died on that cross once for all – for past, present, and future sin – and one day (hopefully soon) I will be with Him in heaven. My hope is that all of you will be there with me, too!
2.I love to knit.
3.I love to spin.
4.I thought about putting those last two in the rest of this list – but then that wouldn’t tell you much more about me!
5.I love knitting things for friends and family. I think it is part of my love language.
6.I’m not a big traveler. It’s either the planning thing or the being away from home for longer than a day thing.
7.When I do travel – I far prefer going with other people, preferably friends.
8.I am a writer.
9.Going along with #8 – I actually have a manuscript all ready to go. Just need to actually send it out there. Yeah, I’ll get right on that! ;-)
10.I like to write science fiction. That’s probably because I also like to read and watch SciFi. It’s a whole genre thing.
11.Now please don’t laugh (because this is going to be so high school) – I have actually authored a couple of fan fiction pieces – most of them over 10K words.
12.I bet you did not know #11 about me!
13.I have been to Vancouver, BC and I want to go back.
14.I have also been to Mexico – twice.
15.I have worked in the automotive industry for 9 years now.
16.I have also worked at a yarn shop. I spent more than I made. Go figure.
17.I love to teach knitting – especially to friends.
18.I ♥ Stargate! Total fan, here!
19.I don’t have cable or an antenna for my T.V.
20.I own not one but two Ipods. Itunes is my friend.
21.I know how to play the piano – not very well, but with practice…
22.I played the clarinet and oboe in school – and still play the oboe. As Danny Kaye once said, “The oboe is an ill wind nobody plays good.” And I say, “Hey, I resemble that remark!” :-)
23.I come from a family of musicians. My mom is a music teacher, plays piano and sings tenor/alto; my dad sings bass and leads worship; my brother Andrew sings baritone/bass and plays saxaphone, trumpet, accordian, and bass; and my other brother David also sings and plays the bass.
24.Classical music is my happy place. Listening to Mozart and knitting – it’s the new yoga.
25.I am a groupless discussion leader at the Reno Women’s Night BSF (Bible Study Fellowship.) Definitely next year though! God has really used me in a substitute capacity, and this year has been a great opportunity to be fully prepared for next.
Hopefully this is random enough, however reading back over it there does seem to be some clumping going on. Eh, oh well. Hope you learned something you didn’t know about me, and I truly hope it didn’t scare you! :-)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thoughts on Peace, Happiness, ...and the Tabernacle?
As part of my writing creatively goal, I will be trying to post on my blog (and as a note on Facebook) on a fairly regular basis, like once a week. Now, just as a note, I tried to do this before and it ended up being more like once a month…but we’ll see. As far as subjects go…
…well, the sky’s the limit as they say. So that means you could be getting anything from my thoughts on the current lesson in BSF to a sci-fi short story. Just a warning – there will probably be some fiber and knitting related content, too. Some? Hahaha, yeah right. There’ll be lots of that!
Anyway, the last week has brought some very interesting conclusions into my awareness. The first is that there are lots and lots of people trying to achieve peace and happiness this year – though worldly means. And the second is that, “Good gracious, the tabernacle was unbelievably awe-inspiring in every aspect.” (See, thoughts on current BSF lesson.)
For the first…
I came across an article on Yahoo the other day about achieving happiness. My first thought was, “Well, no-one can do that without God,” and my second was, “Hmm, wonder what they are telling people to do now?” (You know, the ubiquitous “they.”) So I clicked on it. There were 5 sections – one was, “If you’re feeling stressed, relax!” Another was “Are you feeling despair? Find hope.” After reading the article I thought, “How can anyone do any of this without God? It just isn’t humanly possible.”
I can’t imagine going through life without the hope and joy and peace of knowing God, and that walking with Him provides. I can’t imagine the constant worry and despair and darkness that would pervade your life. And yet I see people trying to reach those goals all by themselves. I happened across a blog post about peace – both world peace and inner peace. Nowhere did it even mention a divine help or higher power, let alone God’s help, to that goal, but specified that we are each responsible for achieving that peace within and around us. I was completely blown away. Violence and sin and worry and darkness (anti-peace) will continue in a downward spiral until we bring the Father back into the equation. Only He provides the hope of lasting peace on earth and in our hearts.
Now for the second part of my …er, dissertation.
Last weeks lesson in BSF was all about the people of Israel making the articles for the tabernacle and putting it together. Now, I’ve read Exodus before, but never really picked up on just how detailed everything was. And the detail is recorded a couple of times – both when God is giving the information to Moses on the mountain, and also when Moses is passing it along to the people. It is so detailed I can picture it almost entirely in my head – the soft light coming through the linen curtain surrounding the Ark, the gold gleaming softly, adding it’s own luminescence to the space. And outside in the courtyard – the curtains with their colorful embroidery, the bronze, silver and gold reflecting the light of the sun during the day and the light of the pillar of fire at night. One person, either a leader or group member, said something to the effect that through this detail we can get a glimpse of what heaven might be like. How right she is, even if it is the merest, teeniest glimpse!
And the great things is – we can see God and glimpses of heaven in everything - from the peaceful calm of a winter sunset to the graceful landing of a flock of geese. (I’ve been walking around Virginia Lake in the evenings.) I know some people find it hard living here in Reno because of the barrenness of the desert climate, and seeming dullness of the colors. I don’t at all, in fact I love it here! Each changing season is continuously new, with unplumbed depths to see and hear and experience. Every day brings a different light or a new angle of seeing something of His creation that He created specially for Reno, NV. Sometimes when a view or a panorama takes my breath away – I like to think He made it just for me.
Sorry – got a little off track there. Anyway, back to the construction of the Tabernacle. Not only was its appearance spectacular (a place fit for a king – or simply fit for the King of Kings,) but the work that went into it blows my mind. Especially the amount of spinning and weaving that went into the curtains around both the innermost space, but encircling the whole thing. (Aha, you knew I had to bring fiber into this somehow!) I was telling the group in Leaders Meeting how hard it is to spin goat hair, and that you truly had to have the skill and be willing to do it (Ex 35:26) – to do many, many hours of it.
Then they had to weave all the yarn that had been spun – wool, linen, goat. There had to be a precise gauge that had to be met so all the curtains would be the same dimensions. I also noticed that the robe of the ephod for the priests was woven in one piece. That is a weaving skill rarely evidenced in such a nomadic culture, that early in history. Only God could have given them the insight and skill needed to do that. It also takes some heavy-duty equipment.
And don’t forget any dying that had to be done. Only a few people could’ve done that as they needed to match colors fairly consistently. Not to mention the processing of the dyes to begin with – cochineal (red) from a certain kind of bug, purple from a certain kind of shellfish, and blue from indigo and lye.
All in all – a lot of work. Work which I’m sure we as a culture or even as the Church might not be willing to do. Of course we have machines and tehnology to help us today. But that should make the work and end result that much grander, that much beautiful, that much…regal and befitting a Lord of All. And the service that much easier, and our hearts that much more willing. Shouldn’t it?
…well, the sky’s the limit as they say. So that means you could be getting anything from my thoughts on the current lesson in BSF to a sci-fi short story. Just a warning – there will probably be some fiber and knitting related content, too. Some? Hahaha, yeah right. There’ll be lots of that!
Anyway, the last week has brought some very interesting conclusions into my awareness. The first is that there are lots and lots of people trying to achieve peace and happiness this year – though worldly means. And the second is that, “Good gracious, the tabernacle was unbelievably awe-inspiring in every aspect.” (See, thoughts on current BSF lesson.)
For the first…
I came across an article on Yahoo the other day about achieving happiness. My first thought was, “Well, no-one can do that without God,” and my second was, “Hmm, wonder what they are telling people to do now?” (You know, the ubiquitous “they.”) So I clicked on it. There were 5 sections – one was, “If you’re feeling stressed, relax!” Another was “Are you feeling despair? Find hope.” After reading the article I thought, “How can anyone do any of this without God? It just isn’t humanly possible.”
I can’t imagine going through life without the hope and joy and peace of knowing God, and that walking with Him provides. I can’t imagine the constant worry and despair and darkness that would pervade your life. And yet I see people trying to reach those goals all by themselves. I happened across a blog post about peace – both world peace and inner peace. Nowhere did it even mention a divine help or higher power, let alone God’s help, to that goal, but specified that we are each responsible for achieving that peace within and around us. I was completely blown away. Violence and sin and worry and darkness (anti-peace) will continue in a downward spiral until we bring the Father back into the equation. Only He provides the hope of lasting peace on earth and in our hearts.
Now for the second part of my …er, dissertation.
Last weeks lesson in BSF was all about the people of Israel making the articles for the tabernacle and putting it together. Now, I’ve read Exodus before, but never really picked up on just how detailed everything was. And the detail is recorded a couple of times – both when God is giving the information to Moses on the mountain, and also when Moses is passing it along to the people. It is so detailed I can picture it almost entirely in my head – the soft light coming through the linen curtain surrounding the Ark, the gold gleaming softly, adding it’s own luminescence to the space. And outside in the courtyard – the curtains with their colorful embroidery, the bronze, silver and gold reflecting the light of the sun during the day and the light of the pillar of fire at night. One person, either a leader or group member, said something to the effect that through this detail we can get a glimpse of what heaven might be like. How right she is, even if it is the merest, teeniest glimpse!
And the great things is – we can see God and glimpses of heaven in everything - from the peaceful calm of a winter sunset to the graceful landing of a flock of geese. (I’ve been walking around Virginia Lake in the evenings.) I know some people find it hard living here in Reno because of the barrenness of the desert climate, and seeming dullness of the colors. I don’t at all, in fact I love it here! Each changing season is continuously new, with unplumbed depths to see and hear and experience. Every day brings a different light or a new angle of seeing something of His creation that He created specially for Reno, NV. Sometimes when a view or a panorama takes my breath away – I like to think He made it just for me.
Sorry – got a little off track there. Anyway, back to the construction of the Tabernacle. Not only was its appearance spectacular (a place fit for a king – or simply fit for the King of Kings,) but the work that went into it blows my mind. Especially the amount of spinning and weaving that went into the curtains around both the innermost space, but encircling the whole thing. (Aha, you knew I had to bring fiber into this somehow!) I was telling the group in Leaders Meeting how hard it is to spin goat hair, and that you truly had to have the skill and be willing to do it (Ex 35:26) – to do many, many hours of it.
Then they had to weave all the yarn that had been spun – wool, linen, goat. There had to be a precise gauge that had to be met so all the curtains would be the same dimensions. I also noticed that the robe of the ephod for the priests was woven in one piece. That is a weaving skill rarely evidenced in such a nomadic culture, that early in history. Only God could have given them the insight and skill needed to do that. It also takes some heavy-duty equipment.
And don’t forget any dying that had to be done. Only a few people could’ve done that as they needed to match colors fairly consistently. Not to mention the processing of the dyes to begin with – cochineal (red) from a certain kind of bug, purple from a certain kind of shellfish, and blue from indigo and lye.
All in all – a lot of work. Work which I’m sure we as a culture or even as the Church might not be willing to do. Of course we have machines and tehnology to help us today. But that should make the work and end result that much grander, that much beautiful, that much…regal and befitting a Lord of All. And the service that much easier, and our hearts that much more willing. Shouldn’t it?
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year - One Day at a Time in '09
This post is also going as a note on Facebook - so this is for those that aren't on FB (and why aren't you?) :-)
At the beginning of every year for the last few I’ve set goals for myself instead of resolutions. It has definitely increased the percentage of those goals being kept rather than letting the resolution slide the week after New Year’s, or totally forgetting I even had that resolution on Jan 2nd!
In the past two years I’ve met at least 70% of my total goals, 90% of that has been financial and spiritual! This is definitely something that is helping me – especially when I have it posted someplace where I’ll see it on a regular basis. The last couple of years, it’s been my blog (handmadebyhannah.blogspot.com) but I haven’t been keeping that up regularly, so I need to find another place.
One thing I’ve been doing also is recapping the previous year, and then laying out the goals for myself for the new year. It has been on my blog previously, but this year all y’all get to hear about it too, and can help keep me accountable. :-)
So here goes:
Well, it was an awesome year. Went by fast, but hey – time does that as you get older (as I hear it, anyway!) To recap, it started out with God nudging me toward checking out BSF (Bible Study Fellowship for those not in the know.) My friend Leah was in it and highly recommended coming even though they were already halfway though the study of Matthew.
Let me tell you – even studying half of Matthew (especially the later half) was powerful stuff. It kick started my quiet time in the mornings (which truth to tell wasn’t much in the way of organized or consistent.) God also drew me closer to Him through study of His Son, and through more consistent time with Him. Leah and I also became closer friends and sisters-in-Christ as a result.
In February I took an actual vacation and went to visit some family. That was a lot of fun. That was also when I found out I was going to be an Auntie!! I cannot tell you how excited I was. I even picked up some yarn on my trip to knit the first thing. (Funny – that cardigan actually became Ilse’s Christmas present.) I was able to make time to stop at Stitches West (which if you’re not a Knitter/Fiber enthusiast I really can’t describe except as a convention for yarnies.)
The middle part of the year was somewhat unremarkable – except that I really enjoyed BSF, was singing in choir at church (the Easter cantata was great as was an a cappella piece,) and playing on the Worship Team. June and July are always fun – with hiking and biking and a couple of camping trips thrown in for good measure.
Then August rolled around – and that’s when God really went to work on me!
First it was the Mentoring program at church. I don’t know why I needed to go to the Orientation Coffee – I just knew I needed to be there. Okay, I thought, maybe I need some guidance from a more mature woman of God, or maybe God was going to be using me in someone else’s life. It turned out that He was going to use me in another’s life – someone with experiences and years more than me, even. God has been so gracious – when I call on Him for strength and wisdom and clarity of speech, He is there. And I’ve learned so much over the past few months – especially about the true power of prayer, and more effective use of prayer. I have been so privileged to be witness to His wondrous answers to those prayers.
But God didn’t call me to just that. Oh no, He had a lot more in store for me!
Back in June, the teaching leader of BSF had called me – asking me to pray about becoming a discussion leader. I had thought and prayed about it previously (when my friend was asked) and said I wasn’t ready to commit to that quite just yet. I let it go, didn’t think much about it until the end of August when Leah happened to mention that Kim was still looking/praying for a couple more discussion leaders. And of course, that’s when God started poking me saying “Hey, I think you can give up your Saturday mornings to be with Me!”
So, after a couple weeks of constantly thinking and praying about it (and being nudged unsubtly by a couple of other friends), asking God to just let me be - I finally called Kim and told her what had happened. We met, and talked, and two weeks later I was at my first leaders meeting.
The last few months have been awesome. Walking through Exodus along with Moses and learning about this great man of God has opened my eyes to a whole host of things. About a month into BSF, I became somewhat discouraged because I didn’t have a group yet, and it didn’t look like I would anytime soon. However, God nudged me again and showed me that I was a blessing and learning more as a sub than having a group of my own. Working with all of the women in BSF, including all the leaders, as well as the blessings showered on me through the mentoring program has shown me that God has given me a gift for encouragement, leading of all things to work in women’s ministries – a place I never would have seen myself going!
But wait - the year’s not over yet!
At the very beginning of October, I became “Auntie Hannah” for real! Ilse Christine Merritt was born on 10-1 and our whole family loves her to pieces. I’ve only seen pictures, but I have the privilege of seeing her hopefully in March. She, of course, has been showered with a multiplicity of knitted items. :-) All washable and cotton. My brother is a changed man since becoming a father, and we’ve all seen it. God is certainly working in that family, and my prayer for them is that God will give both my brother and SIL the wisdom and strength to be the best parents they can be.
November and December were interesting months. With the holidays fast approaching, God was showing me I needed to let something in my busy schedule go. I was unwilling at first, as I love everything I was doing. However, though a mini-crisis, I saw that the Worship Team had to be let go for a short time. The worship pastor was very understanding, and a weight was instantly lifted from my shoulders. I am also excited to be returning next week! God is very gracious!!
Now, during this break of sorts I had hopes to look into possible lessons for either voice or oboe – to master one or the other. Well, what do I do but go and learn a completely new instrument. For those of you who don’t know, I am currently taking cello lessons, and I love every minute of it. Well, maybe not the extremely frustrating minutes, but you get the idea. And God totally provided. The lady who’s teaching me is charging a very minimal amount, AND she’s letting me borrow her old cello until I can get one of my own! The sound is so mellow and warm, and has such a broad range. Not sure where this is leading, but I have a ways to go before playing in front of anyone, anyway.
I feel very blessed and extremely thankful for all my wonderful friends at Sierra Bible Church. I have gotten to know some wonderful ladies this year such as Kaysi H., Amanda B., Katie I., Heather H., and Valerie H. I hope to get to know you all much better this coming year. I also drew nearer to my best friends – Leah, Amy, Kelly, and Mandy. I thank God nearly everyday that you are in my life – challenging, blessing, encouraging – and most especially - praying!!!
Christmas was at my house this year for the very first time. I had a wonderful time planning and preparing and decorating. The tree is still green and lush. (But it will be going bye-bye very soon.) The cats loved the dangling ornaments – fortunately I only lost one small one. Now that the holidays as almost over, its time to focus on the New Year coming in!
But wait – what about how I did on 2008’s goals?
2008 Goals
Spiritual
1. Be in the Word and pray more
2. Read at least a couple of books by Christian authors (namely C.S. Lewis and Elizabeth George.)
This one was so easy with God’s help. I was definitely in the Word more as well as prayed more. Kind of had to – what with being a D.L. and all. :-) I did read a couple of books – “Beautiful in God’s Eyes” by Elizabeth George, and “Outrageous Joy” by the Women of Faith leaders.
Financial
1. Pay off remaining 2 cards to be debt free by Dec 08.
Now – this one wasn’t quite accomplished. I do have one card left, but that’s because I decided to get a jump on 09’s goal of saving. So it wasn’t a complete bust! :-)
Physical
1. Lose weight with exercise.
2. Eat healthier - less bread products.
Hehehe – like the year before I did great during the summer, but any weight I lost definitely is back on. *shrug* Eh, I tried. And I will try again. And again.
Personal
1. Knit from my stash (exceptions being February and for gifts.)
2. Write more - a lot more.
Now – these ones I accomplished. Big time!! I did knit from my stash (except for the exceptions.) I did fall off the wagon once – and that was only because the yarn was less than $2 a ball. Definitely couldn’t pass that one up. ;-) I am going to do this again this year – with the only exception being for gifts.
As for the writing – did that too. Earlier in the year. Kind of lost it about June, but if you are really interested (and I mean really) you can ask me about it in person. Lets just say that the stuff I wrote would only appeal to a very small demographic. I did enjoy it, and most of what I wrote was received pretty well. I am going to try it again this year. Hopefully, I’ll get some inspiration soon!
Now, hopefully you’ve stuck with me this long! ‘Cause here comes 2009:
2009 Goals – “Take one day at a time in ‘09”
Spiritual
1. Spend more time with God in the mornings.
2. Use prayer as a more effective part of communion with God and pray with specific goals in mind.
3. Tithe (I couldn’t decide whether to put this in spiritual or financial as it is both.)
Financial
1. Put a lot of $$ into savings.
2. Look into buying a house.
Physical
1. Walk! Exercise! Walk! Ride Bike! Hike! (Eh, you get the idea.)
Personal
1. Knit from my stash (except for gifts.)
2. Do some designing.
3. Write creatively about various subjects.
Now, what do you think?? Seriously, I’d like to know your thoughts. Especially, since if you didn’t know me all that well before – now, you do!!
Please make it a great, safe, and productive year!
At the beginning of every year for the last few I’ve set goals for myself instead of resolutions. It has definitely increased the percentage of those goals being kept rather than letting the resolution slide the week after New Year’s, or totally forgetting I even had that resolution on Jan 2nd!
In the past two years I’ve met at least 70% of my total goals, 90% of that has been financial and spiritual! This is definitely something that is helping me – especially when I have it posted someplace where I’ll see it on a regular basis. The last couple of years, it’s been my blog (handmadebyhannah.blogspot.com) but I haven’t been keeping that up regularly, so I need to find another place.
One thing I’ve been doing also is recapping the previous year, and then laying out the goals for myself for the new year. It has been on my blog previously, but this year all y’all get to hear about it too, and can help keep me accountable. :-)
So here goes:
Well, it was an awesome year. Went by fast, but hey – time does that as you get older (as I hear it, anyway!) To recap, it started out with God nudging me toward checking out BSF (Bible Study Fellowship for those not in the know.) My friend Leah was in it and highly recommended coming even though they were already halfway though the study of Matthew.
Let me tell you – even studying half of Matthew (especially the later half) was powerful stuff. It kick started my quiet time in the mornings (which truth to tell wasn’t much in the way of organized or consistent.) God also drew me closer to Him through study of His Son, and through more consistent time with Him. Leah and I also became closer friends and sisters-in-Christ as a result.
In February I took an actual vacation and went to visit some family. That was a lot of fun. That was also when I found out I was going to be an Auntie!! I cannot tell you how excited I was. I even picked up some yarn on my trip to knit the first thing. (Funny – that cardigan actually became Ilse’s Christmas present.) I was able to make time to stop at Stitches West (which if you’re not a Knitter/Fiber enthusiast I really can’t describe except as a convention for yarnies.)
The middle part of the year was somewhat unremarkable – except that I really enjoyed BSF, was singing in choir at church (the Easter cantata was great as was an a cappella piece,) and playing on the Worship Team. June and July are always fun – with hiking and biking and a couple of camping trips thrown in for good measure.
Then August rolled around – and that’s when God really went to work on me!
First it was the Mentoring program at church. I don’t know why I needed to go to the Orientation Coffee – I just knew I needed to be there. Okay, I thought, maybe I need some guidance from a more mature woman of God, or maybe God was going to be using me in someone else’s life. It turned out that He was going to use me in another’s life – someone with experiences and years more than me, even. God has been so gracious – when I call on Him for strength and wisdom and clarity of speech, He is there. And I’ve learned so much over the past few months – especially about the true power of prayer, and more effective use of prayer. I have been so privileged to be witness to His wondrous answers to those prayers.
But God didn’t call me to just that. Oh no, He had a lot more in store for me!
Back in June, the teaching leader of BSF had called me – asking me to pray about becoming a discussion leader. I had thought and prayed about it previously (when my friend was asked) and said I wasn’t ready to commit to that quite just yet. I let it go, didn’t think much about it until the end of August when Leah happened to mention that Kim was still looking/praying for a couple more discussion leaders. And of course, that’s when God started poking me saying “Hey, I think you can give up your Saturday mornings to be with Me!”
So, after a couple weeks of constantly thinking and praying about it (and being nudged unsubtly by a couple of other friends), asking God to just let me be - I finally called Kim and told her what had happened. We met, and talked, and two weeks later I was at my first leaders meeting.
The last few months have been awesome. Walking through Exodus along with Moses and learning about this great man of God has opened my eyes to a whole host of things. About a month into BSF, I became somewhat discouraged because I didn’t have a group yet, and it didn’t look like I would anytime soon. However, God nudged me again and showed me that I was a blessing and learning more as a sub than having a group of my own. Working with all of the women in BSF, including all the leaders, as well as the blessings showered on me through the mentoring program has shown me that God has given me a gift for encouragement, leading of all things to work in women’s ministries – a place I never would have seen myself going!
But wait - the year’s not over yet!
At the very beginning of October, I became “Auntie Hannah” for real! Ilse Christine Merritt was born on 10-1 and our whole family loves her to pieces. I’ve only seen pictures, but I have the privilege of seeing her hopefully in March. She, of course, has been showered with a multiplicity of knitted items. :-) All washable and cotton. My brother is a changed man since becoming a father, and we’ve all seen it. God is certainly working in that family, and my prayer for them is that God will give both my brother and SIL the wisdom and strength to be the best parents they can be.
November and December were interesting months. With the holidays fast approaching, God was showing me I needed to let something in my busy schedule go. I was unwilling at first, as I love everything I was doing. However, though a mini-crisis, I saw that the Worship Team had to be let go for a short time. The worship pastor was very understanding, and a weight was instantly lifted from my shoulders. I am also excited to be returning next week! God is very gracious!!
Now, during this break of sorts I had hopes to look into possible lessons for either voice or oboe – to master one or the other. Well, what do I do but go and learn a completely new instrument. For those of you who don’t know, I am currently taking cello lessons, and I love every minute of it. Well, maybe not the extremely frustrating minutes, but you get the idea. And God totally provided. The lady who’s teaching me is charging a very minimal amount, AND she’s letting me borrow her old cello until I can get one of my own! The sound is so mellow and warm, and has such a broad range. Not sure where this is leading, but I have a ways to go before playing in front of anyone, anyway.
I feel very blessed and extremely thankful for all my wonderful friends at Sierra Bible Church. I have gotten to know some wonderful ladies this year such as Kaysi H., Amanda B., Katie I., Heather H., and Valerie H. I hope to get to know you all much better this coming year. I also drew nearer to my best friends – Leah, Amy, Kelly, and Mandy. I thank God nearly everyday that you are in my life – challenging, blessing, encouraging – and most especially - praying!!!
Christmas was at my house this year for the very first time. I had a wonderful time planning and preparing and decorating. The tree is still green and lush. (But it will be going bye-bye very soon.) The cats loved the dangling ornaments – fortunately I only lost one small one. Now that the holidays as almost over, its time to focus on the New Year coming in!
But wait – what about how I did on 2008’s goals?
2008 Goals
Spiritual
1. Be in the Word and pray more
2. Read at least a couple of books by Christian authors (namely C.S. Lewis and Elizabeth George.)
This one was so easy with God’s help. I was definitely in the Word more as well as prayed more. Kind of had to – what with being a D.L. and all. :-) I did read a couple of books – “Beautiful in God’s Eyes” by Elizabeth George, and “Outrageous Joy” by the Women of Faith leaders.
Financial
1. Pay off remaining 2 cards to be debt free by Dec 08.
Now – this one wasn’t quite accomplished. I do have one card left, but that’s because I decided to get a jump on 09’s goal of saving. So it wasn’t a complete bust! :-)
Physical
1. Lose weight with exercise.
2. Eat healthier - less bread products.
Hehehe – like the year before I did great during the summer, but any weight I lost definitely is back on. *shrug* Eh, I tried. And I will try again. And again.
Personal
1. Knit from my stash (exceptions being February and for gifts.)
2. Write more - a lot more.
Now – these ones I accomplished. Big time!! I did knit from my stash (except for the exceptions.) I did fall off the wagon once – and that was only because the yarn was less than $2 a ball. Definitely couldn’t pass that one up. ;-) I am going to do this again this year – with the only exception being for gifts.
As for the writing – did that too. Earlier in the year. Kind of lost it about June, but if you are really interested (and I mean really) you can ask me about it in person. Lets just say that the stuff I wrote would only appeal to a very small demographic. I did enjoy it, and most of what I wrote was received pretty well. I am going to try it again this year. Hopefully, I’ll get some inspiration soon!
Now, hopefully you’ve stuck with me this long! ‘Cause here comes 2009:
2009 Goals – “Take one day at a time in ‘09”
Spiritual
1. Spend more time with God in the mornings.
2. Use prayer as a more effective part of communion with God and pray with specific goals in mind.
3. Tithe (I couldn’t decide whether to put this in spiritual or financial as it is both.)
Financial
1. Put a lot of $$ into savings.
2. Look into buying a house.
Physical
1. Walk! Exercise! Walk! Ride Bike! Hike! (Eh, you get the idea.)
Personal
1. Knit from my stash (except for gifts.)
2. Do some designing.
3. Write creatively about various subjects.
Now, what do you think?? Seriously, I’d like to know your thoughts. Especially, since if you didn’t know me all that well before – now, you do!!
Please make it a great, safe, and productive year!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
On Hold
Look at that - another month's gone by. Anyway, fall is shaping up to be as busy (if not more so) as my summer has been. So this blog's going on hold. I haven't felt the urge to for a while (haven't even been doing any other writing) so until my life calms down - this will remain un-updated. See you when I see you!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Busy Summer
Sorry about so long between posts - I hadn't realized until last week that it's almost been two months since my last one. But the time in between has been filled to the brim with losts of exciting and fun stuff. This has been a very busy summer for me, and I'm having a great time.
There was hiking:
This was in July - see the white patch on the other side of the lake? Yeah, that's snow! :-)
There was birthdays:
...with awesome food and friends.
Great times hanging out with the girls in Sacramento:
..and even some cute animals:
...red panda's (I want one for a pet!) and young tigers.
And there was lots and lots of knitting!
Socks for presents:
Socks for me (with help from Kitty):
Wedding presents:
Baby gifts:
And knitting up some of that handspun, handdyed stuff I have just lying around:
There was hiking:
This was in July - see the white patch on the other side of the lake? Yeah, that's snow! :-)
There was birthdays:
...with awesome food and friends.
Great times hanging out with the girls in Sacramento:
..and even some cute animals:
...red panda's (I want one for a pet!) and young tigers.
And there was lots and lots of knitting!
Socks for presents:
Socks for me (with help from Kitty):
Wedding presents:
Baby gifts:
And knitting up some of that handspun, handdyed stuff I have just lying around:
I dyed these separately - the orange in my first foray into dying, and the brown/darker orange I dyded earlier this year. Both are Blue-Faced Liecester I spun after dying. I really enjoyed knitting on my handspun - especially the brown. That turned out great.
The baby clothes went with my brother to Phoenix when he went to visit our other brother. My niece is due in the middle of September and her name is Ilse (pronounced Il-sa.) There are a few more things I've been working on, which I'll try to get to them before she's born.
I'm visiting my parents for a couple of days, and yesterday I helped my mom pull out some of my old baby clothes and blankets - most of which my grandmother made. It was really neat to remember (or have my mom remember) what I looked like in them. Most of the littler pieces will go to my niece as they are still in great shape, with the understanading that they are to be passed to the next little girl in the family.
Hopefully, I won't be as busy in August so there will be more frequent updates. And of course lots more knitting. You know, Christmas is coming up! ;-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
