Valentine's day thoughts

Husband set up my tea tray for when I woke up. The tea pot we bought when we lived in Okinawa, and the tea cup is one he got from the Notre Dame hotel in Jerusalem.

 Hello Ladies,

There was a time when exchanging a Valentine's was a sign of the desire to court you. The young man would find some way to leave you a little note and it would be a big deal.  Later, men would bring flowers and candy or small gifts. Sometimes the ladies would choose to do the same as a sort of "you are my love" sign.

I woke this morning to my favorites, carnations, in various jars my husband found and he placed them at each place where I sit or work through the day.  

Here is what I did with the buds that broke off or fell off when he was working with them. 

Watching some of my favorite You Tube videos for my Monday House Blessing inspiration, I ran across Denise at This and That with Denise. She talked today about the 50's housewife and what "she would do" when her husband came home. What I loved, was that Denise says she picks out a few and does these for her husband on Valentine's day or on special days of the year. NOT daily (smiling here). 

I hope you can click on it to read it. Some of it's fun and thoughtful.

I plan on doing a couple of them just to let him know today is different. 

It is my hope that each of us is able to take some time today to reflect on the Love that God has for you. The cross. And maybe take a few minutes to read something from The Greatest Love Story Ever Told (the Bible).

Have a lovely day,

Dee

Nurturing our whole being

image from: graphic fairy

Do you ever find your days or your months have melted together and you wonder where your time went?

Do you ever ponder about developing your intellectual or social side and that's about as far as it goes?

Today I want to present an idea that I have put together from past homemaking journals of many years ago.   Taking notice of these same things from movies such as Pride & Prejudice.

Things like making a plan to develop our whole being. We often hear about our physical goals, or maybe our social goals. But what about our spiritual, intellectual, emotional, mental, social, & physical?

Each of these make up our whole.

I recall scenes from many of Jane Austin's movies that they "take a turn around the room" or garden for physical movement. There are also many times the ladies are practicing their sewing, painting, piano etc. 

These all help us to be more rounded and balanced. I read one time that if we are missing even 1 or 2, we are missing part of who we were made to be.

Now, I tend to focus on my spiritual and physical. I try to work in social, though I am an introvert and I like my quiet time.  So those areas I am weak in, there is great virtue in practicing them as well as make you more interesting in conversations.

The intellectual is one that intrigues me. This can be visiting a museum and listening to talks, such as "the Last Lecture" talks. Or taking a book of great value and make lesson plans for yourself, and even just reading and taking notes so you recall - one of the classics. Lydia from Homeliving has spoken of this many times. 

Notice I do not speak of the latest news or even the latest Instagram or Facebook happenings. There is much controversy regarding those, but some scientist and dr.'s are starting to show our use of these, and excessive internet use, actually lessons our intellectual abilities. We start relying on the internet to do what our brains are capable of, but we want an easy way out.

As you go through and plan your month, then weeks, I encourage you to look at each of these. Which one could you work on this month? 

Let us pray and ask for guidance which one is for you to develop this month

Mine is social. 

Wish you God's peace,

Dee