Gratitudes - 30 Day Challenges

30 Day challenges and longer, have taught me that it only takes one small action to make a change that can impact the rest of your life.  We all have the ability to do one thing differently today and you would be surprised where it could lead.  I am grateful that I have been involved with several challenges that have enabled me to see different perspectives and new relationships.  What will be your next challenge?

Savour - Thought for the Day - 52 Weeks of Colour

Thought for the week  

Peace is possible in your life at any given moment and starts from within, it doesn’t matter what your circumstances are riding the storm will enable you to savor the calm. As you understand the joys of the heart you will begin living in truth every day. 

Too much of a good thing is wonderful. ...Mae West

 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and

 supplication, with thanks giving, let you requests be made

 known to God; ..." Philipians 4:6

Generousity - Creating in Faith

We can think of many people we know who have a generous nature, always giving of themselves whether it’s the time they give, or that they always remember your birthday or that person who always has an encouraging word for you. We know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of someone’s generosity and it can bring much needed relief to a difficult situation, especially if the generosity was unexpected. 

How are we in turn giving of ourselves to others, we can decide what form it could take, what impact are we making to our friends, neighbours our local community, do we really listen to what others are saying when we ask them ‘how they are’? 

You could find different ways to give to charity, thinking of unique ways to raise and get your creative juices flowing. You can give without expectation that you will receive in return. The ultimate sacrifice being given by God, when he gave his only son reminds me that the very things we can hold onto and feel precious about in the bigger scheme of things have no value whatsoever.   

As we take some time this week to really re-evaluate our lives, let us think of all those areas we can work on that can bring joy to someone else’s life, if we all gave something there would be no lack in the world.  Join the ‘It Starts with Us Team’  15 minutes of your time once a week to touch hearts and change the life of someone somewhere in this world – maybe even your next door neighbour.

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice Psalm 112:5 

The generous will themselves be blessed,
    for they share their food with the poor. Proverbs 22:9

Kindle Fire

When the Kindle first came out I was convinced that it wasn’t for me. I am the sort of person who loves the feel of the book in my hands, turning the pages and smell of a new book is something you can’t replace.  

Fast forward and the Kindle Fire comes onto the market, I debate with all the extra features it might be useful, and with a hint here and a suggestion there, my son and husband got me one for 2012 Christmas.  I never thought I would say this, but I absolutely adore it. The storage is 5.5 GB and along with books it can store music and film, it has quite a good speaker, wireless so you can download apps easily and you also have access to all the other social media, such as twitter, pinterest and whatever else you can think of. Photographs can be uploaded via Amazon cloud drive, videos can also be stored and if you connect to love film you have access to movies.

My screen is 7 inches in size and it’s very handy and fits in my bag without taking up too much room. It’s a slightly heavier than the earlier kindle, at 400g. The selection of books available for the kindle has improved and many eBook stores now have a converter for you to increase access to other eBooks. You can also download documents and PDFs via cloud.

I love being able to carry a huge selection of books that I can dip into depending on my mood, and I have got though more books since I started using it.  The kindle has some good features - storing or book marking your last place read, make notes within a book or highlight specific sections and apparently you can share what you've highlighted on your social media (though I haven't done that yet.  An audio function so that the books can be read to you and in effect you have an audio book (not sure if you can change her voice and she reads in one tone), I use this function when I am in the studio working. Another great thing is being able to look at a sample of the books before you buy, and option to change your mind if you have purchased something in haste. I found quite a good selection of Mixed Media Art books, though with these books I don't think anything can take the place of their visual impact on the pages I still want to hold them in my hands.

What I like most about it is that it has so many different functions; short of making me a cup of tea or having a phone function it has so many great uses. There is of course a down side, I guess we have yet to see the impact of staring at multiple screens and our eye muscles, and remembering to take the necessary breaks.I also find the battery life not as good as it could be currently supposed to last for 9 hours (I find with continuous use I get around 6 hours at best). I was hoping that it would have been like the earlier versions of the kindle that can last for up to 8 weeks, but I find I have to charge it every day, if not twice a day depending on usage which can be a pain, as you need to carry the charger cable around with you.  I found that to preserve the battery slightly you have to shut it down after use rather than leaving it on standby. And other down side is it only comes with the lead to plug into a computer which is a very slow way of charging your kindle. You have to buy the plug separate which to me didn’t make sense considering how much you would have brought it for.  A way round depending on your phone (as many come with a plug with usb connection) and if you already have one of these you won’t need to purchase the kindle plug.

That being said, the benefits and uses of the Kindle Fire outshine the down sides and hopefully with new and improved versions these things can be addressed. I think you will definitely enjoy using the kindle fire and wonder why you didn’t get one sooner!  Blessings, for the weekend.

Gratitudes - Technology

Technology is constantly changing, being updated. I am grateful today that I was born of a generation that can appreciate how it was and the many improvements that have been made that have a positive impact on our lives.  What are you grateful for today?

A-Z Road Trip - Wednesdays Stops!

Well its the start of my road trip and I am geared up to travel all around the world as I pay a visit to all those blogs on the A-Z Challenge that I didn't get to visit.  There is a great variety of blogs, creativity and writing styles and I am looking forward to making some new acquaintances and renewing the old.  I hope you join me on the visits.  I will link to the sites I get to, show them some blog love if you are able leave a comment on their site as well.

Here are my stops for the day:

I start my first stop at Andres's blog -  All about the Words. Andres has a wonderful way with words, his writing is powerful and well thought out, you are definitely in for a treat.

Tina from Life is Good has been given a Sunshine award and in turn has to answer a series of questions.  It is always great to get to know someone better when they reveal a bit about themselves.  Here are some of the questions if you want to take part, you answer and pass on to 6 fellow bloggers who make your days sunnier.
 

What inspired you to start blogging?
How did you come up with the name of your blog?
What is your favorite blog to read?

Tell us about your dream job.

Is your glass half full or half empty?

If you could go anywhere for a week’s vacation, where would you go?

What food can you positively not eat?

Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

How much time do you spend blogging?

Do you watch t.v. and if so, what are your favorite shows?

 (check out her site for the award image)

 

Shannon from The Warrior Muse and who was also one of the hosts for the A-Z challenge has provided a list of links for writers to some very useful resources, she got a Shine On Award and for all those who are into horror, she also got a Zombie Rabbit award.

 

Livia, from Leave it to Livia has a beautiful blog image she writes film and book reviews, which comes in handy as there are a host of new films being released this year and it's always good to see what others are saying about a film. 

 

Finally I stopped off to see Laura at My Baffling Brain from sunny England - and we have had a fair bit today, though it is still a bit chilly.  Anyway Laura shared last week about a blog hop that she was taking part in a blog hop called Celebrate the little Things  hosted by Tara Tyler, who is also a fellow A-Z'er that I didn't get a chance to visit during the challenge.   I think the Blog hop is a great idea in reminding ourselves of the things that are important and need celebrating every day, in this way we really value what we have.  Blessings for now I will continue the road trip and share where I go on Saturday.

Incomplete - Creating in Faith

We are made in the image of God, yet we do not walk in the fullness of this knowledge.  We are broken, with our faults, insecurities and fears and we walk as one that is incomplete instead of nurturing our gifts and talents and stepping into our blessings.  We end up chasing down the wrong path that leads into more pain and brokenness, trying to get off the merry go round but telling ourselves that we are just not good enough.  Very often we are our own biggest critic and we have to stop listening to that voice that says 'you can’t', or 'it won’t work' and 'no one wants what you have to give', for these are the voices of Dream Destroyers.  Just stop for a moment and think about those many products today went on to fulfil a purpose when all around thought they had failed – the Post it Note comes to mind designed by Dr Spencer Silver. 

I know a God who tells me that he will never leave or forsake me, who says I can do all things, not some, a few or maybe, but ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.  I need not fear life, but I need to make sure that I live it with passion and to the best of my abilities, leaning on God for my understanding.  He is the one who always makes a way out of no way, who loved me even before I was formed and continues to show grace and shine his light over my life. 

Bookmark and holder

There is always an opportunity to learn, to refresh and make new and you have to open your mind to learning something new every day, and working towards your dream one day at a time.  You have not reached your final destination, so why should everything line up, we are all a work in progress, and if you enjoy the experience of the process you will find more satisfaction. 

I know that I may not be able to do everything but I will have strategies for those times when the chattering of the doubters get too loud and fix my eyes and heart to that which I have been called to do, for when I am weak, God makes me strong, when I fall he picks me up and when I hurt he soothes, for his grace is sufficient. 

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe ..Proverbs 18:10

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

Note: The posts for Creating in Faith are usually posted on Sundays, apologies to those who showed up and didn't see the post.

Community - Thought for the Week - 52 Weeks of Colour and Inspiration

Thought for the Week...

You have the ability to step out and soar, you are among many who are supportive and who share your vision and passion.  There is room for you to stretch your wings, to take those steps do not be afraid to be out of your comfort zone. Armed with this shared vision take a step closer to your dreams.  Who can you reach out to in your community this week, Blessings, Amanda

 

Quote

The more one gives, the more one has to give. ...Anne Morrow Lindberg 

Scripture

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28