New Inspiration for You

There are so many good and interesting blogs out there. I often loose hours of my day reading about the lives and thoughts of others. It's an escape. It's inspiring. Sometimes intimidating.

Here are three new blogs on my Inspiration list that you may want to check out. They are all completely different from one another, but that makes them even better in my book.

Yarnstorm is by a British woman named Jane Brocket. She's written a book called, The Gentle Art of Domesticity. She's a photographer, gardener, reader, knitter, cook, wife and mother. I found her blog through another blog I read from time to time. I was sold when she used the word haberdashery like people used it everyday. First, I couldn't get the word out of my head! And second, her observations, photography and british-ness made me smile. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Mercy Rising is by a woman who lives here in the Indy area. She spoke at our MOPs group a few weeks ago and I was really impressed by her. She is passionate about equipping people to bring justice and mercy to the world in big and small ways by incorporating these values into everyday life. Two quick examples:
1. Goodsearch.com This is a search engine similar to google or yahoo. The first time you go to this site, enter a charity of your choice. I entered International Justice Mission. Every time you search advertisers will donate $0.01 to that charity. It slowly adds up and you can even track how much has been given. The site remembers your charity, so you only have to enter that info once. It's a simple way to give.
2. FreeRice.com Instead of playing solitaire when you need a break, go to this site. Exercise your brain a bit on multiple choice vocabulary words. Each time you answer a question, rice is donated by advertisers to hungry people in the world. It's great for students as well. There are various levels and subjects.

Organized Christmas.com I discovered this site last fall. I used some of the ideas before, during and after the holidays. It's very practical and do-able. There are links to print-outs for lists to keep track of Christmas Cards, Gift budget, To Dos, etc. See if it helps you at all. It actually was my introduction to the Mayfly blog because she had a pattern for a smock that Organized Christmas suggested as a DIY gift. From that blog I discovered others and the rest is history.

Autumn Joy

No other season is as exciting to me as autumn. The colors, the smells, the temperature, the anticipation of seasons and celebrations to come. Closure on the birth and maturity of spring and summer. Harvest. Apple cider, pumpkin bread. Sweaters and quilts. Raking: I love the rhythmic sound of the rake, the crunch of the leaves under my feet. I love watching the kids play in the leaves. Each tree takes on its own voice and personality as it transforms and sheds its leaves. The shorter days remind me to make the most of every moment. The cool nights invite me to light candles and revel in the soft light under a quilt or in a cozy sweater.

What do you love about autumn? Why?

For Adam's birthday, he and I went away for the weekend to Turkey Run State Park in western Indiana. We stayed at a charming Inn. Ate fantastic burgers and ice cream at Tammy's Twist and Sizzle (pumpkin pie ice cream for me. Yum!!) We hiked and took tons of pictures. We slept in. We read and lounged on the second floor porch.

I finished a great murder mystery (The Virgin of Small Plains) and almost finished a hat.

Two thoughts from the hike: 1. I loved feeling small and noticing the colors and contours of this amazing corner of the planet we live on. I took a few minutes to pause by a small creek and listen to the water. The familiar passage from Psalm 23 came to mind: "He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." I felt restored.


2. We came past a huge tree that had been blown over in a wind storm. The effect was stunning. There happened to be a park ranger nearby. He mentioned that this tree had no tap root to anchor it. Even though it appeared to be rooted firmly, it only had surface roots. The only root that holds a tree during the tough storms is the invisible one that goes down deep into the earth. The spiritual parallels are so clear, aren't they? I can appear connected and rooted, and so can you. It's the invisible root that holds you and me firm in the hardest storms. How are you doing on that? It's given me pause lately.