Worry ~

Yesterday was an exceptional day of rewarding inspirational moments.  Wednesday's Bible study focused on "worry" and who doesn't worry, some definitely more than others.  Sometimes we worry so much that whatever we are worrying about almost becomes bigger than life.  I loved the illustration that was given in our study book concerning how worry grows and how we should keep a realistic perspective on our thoughts.  Visualize a fog, a fog so thick that you can barely see the hand in front of you.  Fogs are common in London and can stop everything dead in their tracks.  A fog bank a hundred feet deep and covering seven city blocks is composed of less than one glass of water.  Divided into billions of droplets, it hasn't much substance.  Yet it has the power to bring an entire city to a standstill.  Now think about your worries, are they as small as a mere glass of water or do we let them grow so large that they can bring an entire city to a standstill.  There is a wise saying that says, "worry is a down payment on a debt you may never have to pay."

• Worry is often unfounded
• Is generalized (can spread to many things)
• You become obsessed with the problem
• It can create more problems (ie health, stress)
• We look to ourselves or others for answers instead of looking to God for our concerns.

These are the things we worry about:

• 40% are things that will never happen
• 30% are about the past - which can't be changed
• 12% are about criticism by others, mostly untrue
• 10% are about health, which gets worse with stress
• 8% are about real problems than CAN be solved

Three concise and practical steps to claim victory over worry

1. Be anxious about nothing.
2. Be prayerful about everything.
3. Be thankful for all things.

If we can adapt these practical steps we can at least reduce the size of our worries into a 1/2 of a glass of water which would reduce the size of the fog to three and a half city blocks.

As we discussed worry I found that most of the younger women are far more worrisome than us "more mature" generation.  I think it is because we have lived through our children growing up and out of the house, we have experienced so much more in life as 60 + year old women vs. mid 30's women, some of us have gone through great loss and heartache and managed to live through it and continue to lead full and meaningful lives.  My worries have diminished over time, and when I do have a worry or concern I seek the help of God through prayer.

"Oh what peace we often forfeit, oh what needless pain we bear.  All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer."  ~  Colossians 4:2

Linking to Deb's This or That Thursdays and Nancy's Rural Thursday and Leanne's Flower Art Friday.....

Until next time....

What Is Not To Love About Fall!!

OK, love that greeting with my Texas heritage...!!!  And fyi that font is called Channel it's FREE and you can find it here.  Found this, along with several other great fonts on PINTEREST.   You do PIN don't you?  So many ideas, so many great recipes, so many fyi's and dyi's for us adults and young'uns too.  If you are not pinning, I definitely encourage you to get on board and delight in the fun.  It is truly a feast for your senses.  WARNING, it can become addictive, so don't login if you are leaving in 5 minutes, or dinner is on the stove, or you might just miss your appointment or dinner might not be eatable.  Just sayin...

And the lovely texture is from the lovely & ever so generous Kim Klassen who I will shortly have the pleasure to meet in person and thank her personally for her generosity.  Yes, I am one of the lucky ones going to Palm Springs, CA and joining many friends for a 4 day Camp Oasis with Tracey Clark and the Shutter Sisters.  I am leaving on the 16th for Phoenix and then joining 4 other ladies on a road-trip to Palm Springs on Sunday morning, Oct 21st, where we will meet with all the others (about 78) for 4 glorious days of inspiration, learning, friendship and fun.  Can you tell the excitement is beginning to build??

Adding a couple of more snaps from Red Bud Farm on Sunday...such a delight!!

I came home from the farm with a couple of little goodies....the little wheelbarrow that currently sits on my kitchen windowsill filled with teeny tiny scented pumpkins and a bunch of bittersweet that I have added to my outdoor planting on the porch.

And from the early morning trip to the Arboretum...

And one more of Kim's textures, my favorite lately entitled "dreamin"... I love this little piece of grass with it's beautiful purple stems and it's hanging seed pods...have no idea what it is or if it is a weed or a grass, but it was standing tall in a field.

And finally, my Toby, enjoying the cool weather that has arrived.  What is not to love about Fall!!

Joining Kim for Texture Tuesday....

"I am so glad I live in a world that has October."  ~  Unknown

Until next time....

Sights to Behold

My sense of sight has been on overload the last couple of days.  Fall has arrived here and all the splendor that comes with its arrival.  The colors, the sights, the sounds, the smells oh my, but mostly the sights.  The last two days I have reveled in the colors of Fall.  Yesterday, my friend, Catherine and I took off for a new spot that another friend of ours told us about last week at Bible Study, Red Bud Creek Farm in Sheridan, IL population 2,411.  What a delightful place to visit, probably any time of the year, but it was especially beautiful yesterday when the sun was shining brightly, all you could see in the sky was blue, and the temps were in the upper 60's, perfect.  Red Bud Creek Farm is not exactly a farm, but a nursery with beautiful perennials, annuals, trees and bushes along with a delightful gift shop and interesting garden decor scattered throughout the property.  We visited with the owner for awhile and discovered he and his wife started the business 14 years ago and have built it into a beautiful site.  Their home is in Naperville (small world) and make the trip to Sheridan 7 days a week from April thru December approximately 41 miles.  Dedication and hard work has turned this property into a beautiful site to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Ofcourse going to and from, we HAD to stop and shoot images of the barns along the way.....

Driving toward home we spotted this field with cows grazing.    The light was almost perfect, illuminating the gold of the trees and the blue of the sky.

After taking another bazillion or so pics of cows, walking back to the car, double bonus, a wren, not sure exactly what kind since I really don't see too many of these in my yard.  But he paused long enough for us to snap a few shots.  The only way that he managed to get me to stop shooting his pic was for him to fly away.  Cows don't move that fast, thus the bazillion pics.  Just found out that this is a red-breasted nuthatch thanks to EG Camera Girl.

Since Catherine is leaving next week for a vacation and since the colors are really popping right now, we decided to get up early, early and be at the Arboretum at 7:00 AM this morning when the gates opened to grab a pic or two of the sunrise.  Since I tend not to get up and out of the house this early in morn, I have very few shots of a sunrise.  I really did like the way the grasses were illuminated by the early sun.

There was mist on the ground when we first arrived, but it didn't last too long....but I think this looks very Halloween(ie).

OK I need to stop now.  I will post more from our Sunday outing and the Arboretum later.  Linking to Madge at

And Tricia at Barn Charm

"The leaves fall, the winds blow and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools."  ~  Henry Beston

Until next time.....