http://maluukkonen.blogspot.com/

I have a problem.

I love blogs.

I wake up and look at blogs.

I come home from work and look at blogs.

I love peeking into every one's home and seeing how they decorate,

plan a party, cook the ultimate meal for the family, complete a scrapbook in a day.

And a lot more.

Today I want to invite you to this blog, I love her decorating style.

Enjoy!

Climbing onto my Soap Box Again.

I live in a small town, like the ones you like to stop in while traveling.

Our down town as gone through many changes over the years. The Business Association has worked really hard to preserve the old town feeling and to keep the Mom and Pop Stores open.

But Walmart has run most of the little shops out of business.

We no longer have a fabric store

We no longer have many dress shops

We no longer have shoe stores

We no longer have sporting good stores,

a pet stores, a bakery's or a T.V shop.

WHY!

The biggest reason is that Walmart has run these small stores out of town.

And now Today,

I heard Walmart is getting rid of the fabric department.

Okay, I am not a seam tress but many are ,and I have been known to purchase a few yards.

So once again Walmart has us by our &%$#'s

Not a smooth move.

If Sam was still alive, would he be happy.

He was a business man.

But he was a good, honest business man.

I have to think that the Sam I read about would be ashamed.

Busy weekend, need a break.

( Pages from my new journal

the year I turn 50.)

____________________________________________________

This is the year of change.

So bring it on.

I have started to think about "ME" alittle more.

And I am learning to say "NO".

So I guess this is a start.

Do something for you today.

We do deserve it!

Answered Prayer

he came by the shop to warm himself.

On one of the coldest days we have

had in Alabama in a very long time.

I knew him and his wife had moved here after

their house fire to be close to a brother.

Both of them declining health and getting along in age.

It was hard, times are challenging for many.

Preparing for 4 long days of single digits

temperatures.

It was on every one's agenda for the day.

The regulator had gone out on the gas heat.

He had walked to the hardware store to see if he could get one.

No luck.

I had a electric heater in the shop, and gave him that.

I knew something else needed to be done.

I prayed, I read scripture.

I prayed more.

Hours had passed.

Nothing

I tell my grandsons that God

answers prayer, but in his time, not ours.

But I needed this to happen sooner than later.

This family needed this to happen sooner than later.

I need to pray harder.

I got down on my knees and prayed for God to

send me someone, to show me what

needed to be done.

I prayed and prayed.

And the door bell sang .

And in walked a godly man, a man I knew he had sent.

It has been a long time since I have asked for instant answers to my prayers.

I guess I just assume God hears and answers.

This family had heat with in a few hours and my faith has strengthened.

God does answer prayers.

My family

Christmas 2009

Family means alot to me.

I am blessed to have my family with us.

I get to see them everyday.

I get to see it all.

The good,

the bad

and the ugly.

It isn't easy.

But we are family,

and that is what we do.

We help each other.

We bicker, we complain

but we love each other.

The shop has been sooooo slow.

So I can read

I can scrapbook

I can rearrange

I can create

I can watch a movie

I can do just about anything.

So what is the problem?

I AM BORED SILLY!

I need interaction,

I need companionship

I need to talk to a real live person.

So I am begging

Please come to my shop,

you don't have to buy anything,

although that would be nice.

But come to visit.

Come by to talk

and if you are a creative person, all the better.

I put on the coffee.

Baby Steps
This is the year of "ME"
This is harder than I thought it would be.
We are half way into January and still nothing.
I was going to a scrapbook weekend, last weekend.
Until we had Alabama snow and ice.
The kind that closes roads.
CANCELED
So now it is time to take this year and make it mine.
Hummm, how do I do that.
Me, Me, Me!
This will take some thought.

Do you know how hard it is to get 3 boys to smile,

and

look at the camera, all at the same time.

ONE LITTLE WORD

by: Ali Edwards

http://aliedwards.typepad.com/

A single word can be a powerful thing.

It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything.

It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.

In 2007 I began a tradition of choosing one word for myself each January

- a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life.

Last year my word was something I wanted to bring into

my life in a more tangible way. My word was play.
I thought a lot about play and what it means to me.

I tried to incorporate it more into my everyday

and on my adventures out in the crazy world.

For me, it was a lot about living without fear -

about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness.

The word play found its way onto many scrapbook

pages and into many stories I told throughout the year.

My word

Last year my word was faith.

I needed to take hold of my faith.

Stand up and be a responsible christian.

I did not take the year by storm but in

the end I do believe I have become more aware

of how my faith has enriched my life.

This year, I am taking a new word. And with much thought,

I have decided to choose the word

ME

I will be turning 50 this year

And I do believe this is the year I need to change.

To think about myself.

To be more aware of me.

So here is to the next 50 years.

For the last few years I have collected anything crochet with red and white.

I love red!

When I was cleaning out my closet I found another box of these beauties.

I am starting to accumulate quite a collection.

But they are in a box, and I am not sure how to display them.

Any ideas?

Anyone?

I need your help.

Oh and we are having a snow day.

So I was in my closet looking for sweats and thermals.

No, by all means I have not got the cleaning bug.
Maybe we will have snow pictures later.

On Friday I started to notice alittle swelling around my sinus.

On Saturday I posted on facebook-

Come one Come all to Dry Creek Antiques to see the freak.

Yes, I was looking in rare form, only on the left side, my face was swelling.

But Saturday night, it swelled and I had chills, and pain.

I was in bed on Sunday, headache, swelling, chills.

I mean all day.

Monday I went to the doctor and now I have meds.

just in time to go back to work tomorrow.

Hopefully, I will be back to normal on my post, in a day or two.

Happy New Year my friends. I will be spending the day celebrating at a all day antique auction.

I love it!