Tuesday 4 - Hello January

 

Hello January

 

All in purple is from Annie and mine is black.  Welcome to the New Year friends and to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

Toni liked to talk about each new month and it's meanings. 

January was named for Janus the two faced god who looked behind and ahead.  Its the warmest month in the southern hemisphere and the coldest in the north.

Garnet is it's gem stone.  Garnets come in all colors but the rarest is the Tzavorite.   

January 7 is Eastern Orthodox Christmas because some eastern churches use the original Julian calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar.   

January become the first month of the year in 450BC for the Roman world .

Let's talk about two faced January.

1. Looking back, what do you hope continues or does not change in your life?  I hope we stay at least as well as we are and that hubby gets a lot of improvement in his health.

Carnations & Snow Drops

 2. What good came to you from the previous year?  Well, we survived.  We still love the Lord and more importantly, He still loves us.

3.  Are there things you hope to accomplish in the new year? Yes, I would like to get some updates done on our house and I would also like to get a new vehicle, as both of ours seem to be spending more time with the mechanic than with us.

4.  January's flowers are the carnation and the snow drop. Do you sometimes buy flowers for your home? What kinds of flowers to you like best? I like morning glories.  Sometimes I'll buy some flowers for in the house.  I do have a couple of artificial flower bouquets and green plants.  I really love those, because I can't kill them.  

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great day.

Cathy

Bits of This and That

 

Good Morning:

It's a beautiful day here in SW Ohio.  Well, that is, if you like snow.  I call it beautiful because I don't have to go anywhere today and I'm so thankful for that.  I just went out and measured a spot and we have just shy of 7 inches and it's still coming down.  It's so deep that I had to dig out an area for Lucy to do her business.  Trust me her legs are not 7 inches long, which tells you where her tushy is if I didn't shovel her an area.  lol

Lucy in her spot

Photo pointing across the street.

These footsteps are across the front of our garage before I shoveled her a spot.  See here tiny prints at the bottom of the photo..  The snow is not as deep here, but it's still to much for her to go.  So I had to walk across and pick her up and bring her back again.  That's when I went back out and made her a place to go.  

We're hoping a kid from the neighborhood will come around asking to shovel for us.  Hubby is worried about me shoveling and he is not able to.  So we'll see what happens.  We've had kids come before.  It will probably be tomorrow though, as we're supposed to have snow all day.

We had a good service yesterday morning but by the time we left, there was already a covering of snow and it really hasn't stopped since.  But anyway, here's a copy of the pre-recorded sermon if you're interested.  He's started a new series in the book of James, which is one of my favorites.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you all have a really great day.  If you're in the snow area, be careful!!

Cathy

Photographs

Good morning:  It's Friday morning and we had snow overnight.  Not much, but more is supposed to be coming on Sunday and Monday and it sounds like it's going to be a lot.  Anyway,  I decided for today's post to show a few of the photographs I've taken this week.  I'm trying to get back to taking more pictures this year, because for some reason, I've not been doing that much lately.  We'll see how it goes.  

Lucy enjoying watching out the window.

My new planner.  I used one like it last year and really liked it,
so I got it in a new color for this year.

I got this blanket back out to finish it up.  I had put it aside to make a baby blanket for our nephew and his wife and new baby girl.

Lucy laying on some throws.  Scruffy puppy needs a grooming.

My new wall calendar for the office at church

Miss Lucy out in the snow this morning

That's all for now.  Hoping your beginning of 2025 is going well.  We're spending a lot of time at home and I, for one, am really enjoying it.  Take care and have a great day.

Cathy

Thankful Thursday

 Things I am thankful for in no particular order:

* The beginning of a new year which seems like a good time for a fresh start.  I know God's mercies are new every morning and we can always start fresh any time, but the new year just seems like a perfect time to make sure all is good between me and the Lord and to remind myself how much He loves me and all that He does for me.  

Lamentations 3:22-23 NLT

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.  Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

*   Bible reading for 2025 - My plan is to read the complete Bible in chronological order.  I think it's been about 2-3 years since I've read the whole Bible through.  I really want to do that this year and I love to read it chronologically.  So we'll see how it goes.  How are you reading the Bible this year?

*  Hubby preached a really good sermon Sunday he entitled, "A Place Called Wit's End."  Here's a pre-recorded version of that sermon. I am so thankful for the truth He teaches us each week.

*  Cousins.  I love my family and I hope us cousins in this picture and the others we have in this area will be able to get together a little more often in 2025.

I plan on being intentionally thankful and to continue with these Thankful Thursday posts for 2025.  I want to always remember to be thankful for all the Lord has done for me like the song below says,

Count Your Many Blessings

1. When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

(Refrain)

2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, ev'ry doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

(Refrain)

3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings, money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

(Refrain)

4. So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.

(Refrain)

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God hath done;

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.

That's all I'll list for today. So what are you thankful for? I would love to know.

Cathy

Wednesday Hodgepodge - The First of 2025

 

Click above to link up with Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Oxford's Word of the year for 2024 is 'brain rot'. Are you familiar with this term? Do you suffer from the condition? Ha! This is a term used to 'capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media'. If you were choosing a word to capture 2024 (for the nation/world, not your own life personally) what word would you choose? 

I am not familiar with the term "brain rot."  I don't think I suffer from the condition, at least not on most days anyway. lol  For 2024, I would choose "Turmoil" as the word of the year.

2. It's National Polar Bear Plunge Day (January 1)...will you be participating in one of these events (or even your own)? How will you spend the first day of this brand new year? Do you have a traditional New Year's Day menu? 

No, I will not be participating in a polar bear plunge.  I do not have plans yet, but just whatever floats our boat.  No, we do not have a traditional menu.  Again, just whatever sounds good at the moment!

3. What's something that brings you joy and how will you do more of it in this new year? 

Being with family and I hope we'll make a greater effort to do that.

4. Do you struggle with the January blues? What's one thing you can/will do to keep them at bay? 

I don't think so.  I would be more likely to have that in about March when the weather has been too wintery for too long.  I think staying busy helps keep the blues away.  It may be working, or reading, or crocheting, or working puzzles, or whatever.

5. Will you choose your own personal word of the year for 2025? What about a goal, resolution, or maybe even a bucket list? Elaborate as much or as little as you like. 

I don't really plan to choose a word for 2025.  But if I did, joy is what seems to come to mind a lot lately.  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

In our Sunday evening Bible Study, hubby talked about being still and knowing that He is God. Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. And he also used Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these I delight" says the Lord."  While he was commenting about these scriptures, he said the following phrase that I think would be a very good goal for 2025.   

"Find peace instead of going to pieces."  

This is what I hope to get better at in 2025.

Thanks Joyce, for another Wednesday Hodgepodge.  If you'd like to join Joyce for the Hodgepodge, click here.

Cathy