FMF: Look

This week's Five Minute Fridays word is Look.

For me and anyone else who needs the reminders.......
Look up.
Look down.
Look left.
Look right.
Look all around.
Keep your eyes open and really look.
Experience life to the fullest and don't shut your eyes.
Because you will miss so much if you do.
Children grow up.
Husbands, friends, family do too.
And so do you.
So, don't close your eyes, don't look away.
Look up to God, and follow His lead.
Look around to see what needs you are the answer for.
Look at the faces of the people who love you.
Really look.
Look to the past just enough to learn from it.
Look to the future just enough to dream.
Look at the present and be grateful.
Look to God and trust Him.
Look up.
Look down.
Look left.
Look right.
Look all around.

Thought I'd do my Five Minute Friday a little differently this week. If you want to have a peek at what my fellow FMF'ers wrote about Look, you'll find the links here.

painting, my birthday and a walk in the woods

Last week we had quite a bit of fun...
The kids and I did some painting projects.....they painted wooden initial letters (and themselves) and I painted the frame of a cork board. When I finally finish the board, I will show you what I am doing with it.

On my birthday we had a picnic at the beach. We played, walked along the beach, watched the sunset over Whidbey Island. It was a good birthday.

And then last saturday, we went to a park we've never been to before in Snohomish. It's 11 miles of trails. There was so much to see, leaves to crunch under our feet and good times of togetherness. We will be going back.

FMF: Welcome

I am a little late.....but I have been before, and I'd rather write the post late than not at all.
Oh, and I will probably give myself an extra minute this week as I am writing this on my desk top computer, and the keyboard I have for it is sticky and weird......so a little grace is needed.....
So, with 6 minutes on the clock, let's talk about the word Welcome.

The word Welcome brings to mind a cozy house filled with wonderful smells, comfy furniture, yummy treats and good friends.
While my current dwelling makes it difficult to achieve the welcoming home I envision, I still try to make it comfortable for my guests....even if it means hiding all the messiness behind the closed door of my bed room.
Someday I hope to have the organizing and cleaning thing down well enough that I don't have to hide any messes behind any closed doors, but I'm not quite there yet.
I get a lot of inspiration, encouragement and just the tiniest bit of intimidation from groups like Home Matters, and organizing blogs, Pinterest, and home decor catalogs.
I get discouraged with how tiny my home is, how I can't decorate like I would like to because of apartment rules and financial restraints, but I also get challenged (in a good way) with figuring out how to decorate and organize with what I have and can do. How to use what I have to make an inviting place for my friends and family to come to.
I often fail, mostly because I get so worked up with the outward appearance of hospitality and welcome and am too stressed to give the welcome that really matters....the one from my heart. I want a pretty, welcoming home but I need to remember that the welcome from me is the welcome that really warms others hearts.

Five Minute Friday is brought to us by Lisa Jo. Find her Five Minute Friday and others' too here.