IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR!

Well we've come the end of another year (thank God the Mayans were wrong)!

My husband and I have been through the wringer this year. He became ill in April and it turned life as we knew it upside down. We had just weathered the storm from me being ill most of 2011. I'm reminded of a song we used to sing at church:

The Rough Side of the Mountain

"Oh Lord I'm strivin'

tryin' to make it through this barren land,

but as I go from day to day

I can hear my Savior say

'trust me child,

come on and hold my hand'

I'm comin' up on the rough side of the mountain

I must hold to God, His powerful hand

I'm comin' up on the rough side of the mountain

I'm doin' my best to make it in"

I've visited the rough side of the mountain more times then I'd care to count these last few years but 2013 will be, has to be a better year for my family. It's the year my daughter in California will land a major role in a movie. My daughter in Georgia will land her dream job. My oldest son in Indiana will stay safe from all hurt, harm and danger doing his job as a policeman. My youngest son will find everything he's looking for. Everyone in my life will be truly blessed.

I know I haven't blogged the way I had planned to when I started this journey and what I did write deviated from my original subject matter: green. But 2013 will be the year I will blog more, finish the two books I'm working on, lose weight, join a gym, buy a new wardrobe and all of those things we resolve to do at the end of the year. 

Thanks to those of you who took the time to read my blog, such as it is. And if you took time to leave a comment, I truly appreciate you. As we come to the end of 2012, I want to take the time to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2013 is going to be a great year!

Rosa

NEWTOWN, CONNECTICUT

My thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the families who's loved ones were taken away so tragically. There is a song I remember hearing years ago that said "earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal" I pray God will touch Newtown, its' residents and all of us with His healing hands.

MY BIRTHDAY

As I approach my 60th birthday it occurred to me I've had one birthday party in my life; yes 1. Well 2 if you count the one when I was about 3 years old. I remember my 16th birthday when my parents tried to surprise me with a party and I was so shy I stayed away for the first hour or so. That was the year my parents gave me permission to get my ears pierced and my cousin Connie bought me a pair of gold knot earrings. I still remember those earrings! But I also remember I never liked surprises. However, I'm going to be 60 next year...so what do I do? But first let me just say I'm God allowed me to get to this age.

I've been looking at trips for my husband and I to take but do I really want to do that? Dinner and a movie....nah! I was thinking about making a bucket list of the things I want to do before I die but I'd have to give that some thought. Again I ask what do I do? Perhaps I'll buy myself 60 lottery tickets and take my chances at becoming a millionaire...there's an idea! Please, please, please if you have any ideas let me know.

What did you do for your 60th birthday or what do you plan to do?

HELLO

It's been quite some time since I've blogged but I wanted to stop by to say I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

ACTUALLY HEARING GOD SPEAK

One of the things my husband and I used to do was to buy a lottery ticket on Saturday while we were out riding and talk about what we'd do when we won. And of course, we just knew we would win...one day. Our list always started with pay our tithes, pay off everything, help the kids, help certain family members, build my cousin a new church, find some property we could use for rental property, etc. At the end of our ride the last question we would ask each other is where we would live when we won. Certainly we wouldn't stay where we are. Both of us want to be closer to family members but can't really see ourselves living in the places where most of them live; some of those places have too much snow, the cost of living is too high in others, one of the places we just don't want to live. But all the while we talked about where we would like to live we were disrespecting God for giving us the house we live in now and the city where we live.

Early in our marriage we visited Memphis, loved it and prayed to move there. The Lord answered our prayers and provided my husband with a job that moved us within 3 months after visiting. We learned when God works He works fast! We lived in Memphis in the early 90's until both of us decided to quit our jobs and move to Florida. We wanted to live near the water or so we thought. We explained our moving away by telling ourselves "God told us to move." Neither one of us had actually heard God tell us that. After a couple unexpected hurricanes came so far inland to Orlando, we packed up and moved to Georgia. Things were so expensive there we were miserable. Jobs weren't as plentiful as we thought they would be. While living in Georgia, my husband got a call from a good friend about a great job that brought us back to the Memphis area to live. Right back where God allowed us to move earlier.

The second time we moved to Tennessee we must have looked at 1000 houses. We even put offers on 3 or 4 which were pulled off of the market before the deal could be consummated. One house we found, we loved but it was far from my husband's job and the back yard wasn't great. Then I did hear from God...I kept hearing Lyon's Gate. I had seen something about Lyon's Gate but the only thing I could think of was the movie production company. One Sunday morning while watching HGTV and what people could do with their homes, I jumped up and said let's go for a ride and find Lyon's Gate. We had on nightclothes under our coats determined just to ride and find something..anything that said Lyon's Gate. My husband was driving so fast I couldn't look from side to side fast enough but suddenly I saw a sign...LYON'S GATE! "Turn around! Turn around!" I cried out. We found Lyon's Gate. And it was a subdivision owned by the same people who owned the property we liked with the ugly back yard! And when my husband went in to the model home (yes, he went in with nightclothes on under his coat!) the same agent was sitting there! She showed us the house and we put in an offer that day!

So do we move when we get some big money? Not unless the Lord says the same. In fact since we came to the realization that we were being blasphemous against God and what He had in store for us we even quit playing the lottery. For surely if could give us the house we wanted out of all of the houses we looked at then He will take care of the rest of our needs.

MORE GREEN

It's been quite some time since I've posted pictures of my favorite green pieces for the season. But with autumn in full swing it's time to take a look at what I want in my closet. (all pictures provided by net-a-porter) What's in your closet?

J. Crew satin skirt

J. Crew Cafe animal jacquard capri pants

J. Brand denim

Malene Birger

WE WILL MISS YOU MR. HILL

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything. Lots of projects going on: just launched the second chapter of the Green Slipper Society in Muncie, Indiana. Still working on my novel MIRRORED MIRAGE (at least that's the working title for now). I'm still writing the third book in the LOVED TO DEATH trilogy. My husband and I are still dealing with the effects of his recent illness..like everyone else, I just have a lot going on. It all reminds me of something my mother used to say..."always so busy doing nothing" Actually she would say it to describe a lazy person and while I used to be lazy life has a way of kicking your butt into a gear you didn't know you could get to.

While in Muncie this past weekend we had the opportunity to stay with a dear friend and her husband. (Fortunately they would always let us stay with them when we were in Muncie! Thank God!) The husband had been dealing with cancer for a few years. And although we knew he was sick we always had a great time being together. He loved food around the house and his wife loved to cook....we loved to eat! What's not to love? He loved chocolate, she couldn't eat it but loved buying it for him. My husband doesn't eat chocolate but somehow he loved eating the candy at their house. Their garage looked like a big box store with all of the soft drinks, water, teas, wines and beers. You never ran out of toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, paper cups etc. We absolutely loved visiting them. Sadly however, we will head back to Indiana this week to help our dear friend bury her husband. Yes, a couple days after we got home the husband passed away.

Things may be different when we go there to visit again. The wife may move away and start somewhere anew. She may no longer buy the chocolate he loved to eat. She may not cook like she used to. She may stop buying in bulk like she did when he was alive. But she will still be our dear friend and he of course, will always be remembered. R.I.P. Mr. Hill