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I Asked God to Break my Heart for Whatever Breaks His… Well, He Did!

Feb11

God is so good!  Today has been an amazing day filled with business planning with Linda Jo, Steve and me!  There are so many opportunities which amazingly fill up our time, that we know can only be from God.  Our business is growing so fast, we can hardly keep up with it — thank you Lord!


Yesterday when I posted on my blog, I was talking about the many people who are on our prayer list and how our prayer list had just grown so very much… Well, today, I want to tell you just how our prayer list has grown!


From yesterday's post:  "About two days ago, it grew unbelievably as God touched my life…but I'll tell you about that in my next post!"   Well, this is my next post, and here is what God has done that affects our personal as well as our business lives.


I posted this on Facebook on Wednesday and I think it will inspire the followers of my blog.  Truthfully, it overwhelms me…it scares me…it is a lot of responsibility, but God is in control, so I know that I can give him those feelings and let Him lead!



 

Several weeks ago, our Pastor, Perry Noble, from New Spring Church told the congregation to pray a very specific prayer, saying if we prayed it – to be prepared for the answer – a very powerful answer.


Ever since then, I've been praying this prayer:

"Lord, please break my heart for whatever breaks Your heart?"


  

WELL, HE DID!!! 


He broke my heart yesterday  (I mean TRULY broke my heart!)  as I went through hundreds of emails I have received from my customers.

They have various health problems such as the Fibromyalgia that attacked me at 28 years old.

They need SUPPORT & COMFORT knowing someone cares & believes they are REALLY sick.

They need DOCTORS like the ones God has led me to. 

They need JOY, HOPE and HAPPINESS. 

They need a REASON to get out of bed every day. 

They need a HOBBY which makes them feel productive!


I'm so overwhelmed…they want and need me to help them.

To help them become successful in their lives as they believe I have become in mine. 


(But this is not from me, Lord; it is from You and Your Divine Intervention!)


So many…oh, so many… have been sick from a very young age… just like me.

Thank you Lord, that I am almost cured from Fibromyalgia! 


"Now, Please Lord, PLEASE…I am not worthy,
but give me the strength to help them!"



Prayers in the Dark

Feb10

 

"Prayers in the Dark?" By, Nancy Alexander

I am Praying for Steve as he Drives off in the Dark…

My life is FULL!  But, I am NOT complaining!  I am grateful!  Some days I can hardly believe it is lunch time when my sweet husband calls around 12:30 to remind me to eat!  I know… I know… that's pretty bad, isn't it?  I just get soooo busy!  🙂


I get up at 5 am every morning (Monday through Thursday) with my husband.  I take a shower, fix my hair which consists of running my fingers through it and kind of shaking it out, and put on my makeup.


In the kitchen we pack a breakfast and a lunch for Steve while preparing a hot cup of coffee for him to drink on his 45 minute commute in the dark.


Then comes the very best part of our day; we sit facing each other in our office as we open our couple's devotional book.  These devotionals were started two years ago when extremely painful circumstances in our lives led us to make major changes if "we" were going to survive as "one".  Without these changes, we would never have been given the opportunity to Live, Love, and Cherish each other in life and marriage as is God's plan.


We read a couple's devotional every single morning.  And in the last two years, have gone through several really good devotional books.  When we finish, they are put aside as we know we will go back to each one again someday.


We recently started a new book.  This one gives us such encouragement as we start our early day in the dark of night!  It is "The One Year DEVOTIONS for Couples" by David & Teresa Ferguson.  The daily scripture and encouraging words about keeping a marriage alive have turned out to be a beautiful way for us to begin each day. 


Before Steve leaves…still sitting facing each other…we hold hands and pray together praising God for our blessings as we lift up each other along with our children, grandchildren, and family.  And, we also pray for so many people we know who are facing illness and disaster in their lives right now – on a daily basis.  Our prayer list just seems to grow and grow.  About two days ago, it grew unbelievably as God touched my life…but I'll tell you about that in my next post!  This morning we were truly blessed to be able to go to God in prayer – together – as we do every single day! 


Then, Steve drives out of our driveway a little after 6 am each morning.  I stand at our office window waving goodbye as I pray for God's protection over him as he drives to work on long, and winding, dark roads.  When the two or three alarm clocks (actually sounds like six!)  go off so early in the morning, Steve encourages me to stay in bed a while longer and get a little more sleep.  Ohhhh, but I cannot!  These early morning hours of devotional and "praying in the dark", are the most special moments of my day!


Now, don't get the wrong idea here… we are not "the perfect couple" with no problems.  It does seem as though I have painted this "unreal" picture depicting the life of a happily married "perfect" couple with no problems. 



But, remember in the beginning of this post, I said there were circumstances which brought us to this point, and there were.  We just happen to be among the few truly blessed couples who have been able to weather the storm by turning to God for His help.  We are very much in love and trust in God enough to follow Him as He shows us "His" way — which we didn't always see or understand. 


We are both now 60 years old.  We have been through a lot of pain, hurts and tears to get to the point where we are now.  We had to learn the hard way that God's grace IS Sufficient and Faithful to Forgive, Redeem, and Love us no matter what!


After Steve is off to work, then my work day begins!  And…NO…I don't go back to bed!  I filmed two how-to videos last week and while they are being edited, I am working on the covers for my videos with a young man, Hrvoje Livnjak from Zagreb, Croatia. 


I am also writing my newest EBook entitled "My Yard Sale Treasures", and with the help of Linda Joseph, my dear friend and assistant, we are putting the finishing touches on my new Membership Site!  I'll talk more about this in another post also!


Gotta get busy…It's 2 pm, and I just ate lunch!  (Sorry Steve!) 

Have a blessed day as you follow your heart and God's Leading!

I did it! I Threw a Surprise Birthday Party!

Jan23

"I Did It…" By, Nancy Alexander

I Really Did Surprise My Husband for His Birthday!…

Yes, I did it!  I am not good a keeping secrets, and I am certainly not good at the necessary, "little white lies" which surround a surprise birthday party!  On my hubby's 60th birthday, there were many things going on that kept me from throwing him the surprise birthday party I had always wanted to have for him.  But, I made up for it, and took advantage of it!  We called it a 60th Birthday Party (plus 1) LOL!!

 

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 And guess what?  It worked!  Wow the details just about killed me.  I pulled out everything from the past; pictures, articles, family stuff as soon as Steve would leave for work every day, and then have everything hidden somewhere at home when he arrived back at the end of the day!  I think that was the hardest part!  Oh, and deciding who to invite….there could have been many, many more!  We were having it in a restaurant where the seating was somewhat limited, and in addition to my somewhat limited funds, I had to work very hard on the list.


If you like, you can look at the pictures in the "Smilebox" above to see pictures from our party.  My husband LOVED it — it made him feel VERY special, and really let him know how many friends who knew and loved him which was the reason for this most important event!


 

I’m Decorating For Christmas

Nov29

As I begin to decorate for Christmas, I thought it might be nice to share some decorating ideas!  We take pictures of the house every year after we have decorated.  Each year is different — like the year we went all out getting ready for a tour of homes, and the year we decorated just for our grandchildren, and the year I didn't decorate much at all… or even the year we put lights EVERYWHERE! 

As I said, each year is certainly different.  I have so many decorations!  I'm sure you can imagine being the owner of a business that, for 15 years, was totally transformed into a "Christmas Wonderland" shop from June to December!  There were so many special things I ordered hoping that at season's end maybe one or two wouldn't sell, so that I could "bring my work home with me."  Well, I am happy (or maybe unhappy – I don't really know which) to say that happened quite a bit.  It was good in the sense that I brought home some very beautiful and special Christmas decorations.  It was also bad that I had them left over to bring home instead of selling them! 

With so many "Christmas Treasures" we really never get around to using all of them.  So we begin this "ordeal" each and every year bringing every box down from the attic… deciding which will stay down to be used, and which will be taken back up the steps waiting for yet another Christmas to sparkle and shine!


We love the front of our home at Christmas!  A large, sparkling wreath hangs from our custom glass front doors with garlands encircling it.  Behind the door you can always see our large Christmas tree so filled with lights…we have no clue how many there are (we have had several strands burn out through the years, but it is hardly noticeable because there are so many left!  Our neighbors across the street give us a hard time each year when we "undecorate"… saying that we should leave them up all the time.  They really enjoy the lights and the view from their home!


I have to show you two views of our large back porch at Christmas!  It is very comfortable and "homey" — one of my favorite places to relax!  Now that I think about it, there is nothing "new" on our porch.  There are many pieces of furniture which were family pieces, and to those I have added many "distressed" yard sale finds, which mean much more to me than anything new.  If you look closely enough, you'll see our sweet dog, Sebastian, who is no longer with us – but will live in our hearts forever!  

 

Yes, we have double glass doors in the back also…I guess you can tell I like plenty of light.  It brightens my life and my spirits!  We enjoy spending a lot of time out there, reading, or just sitting and talking with friends and neighbors.  We have at least one Christmas tree on the porch – sometimes more, and of course double wreaths for the double back doors – also with garlands wrapped around them. 



When talking about our home at Christmas, I just cannot leave out our Pergola.  We spend a lot of time out there roasting marshmellows over the fire pit right in the center — especially at Christmastime.  The Pergola is now covered with wisteria and Lady Banks rose bushes, so it is kind of like a totally enclosed porch.  As you can see in the picture, we have three slim trees clustered all together; there is a five foot, a seven foot, and a nine foot tree.  I put all natural leaves berries, twigs, birds and nests in them.  They get all the weather but that is okay… I don't mind if they fade a little.

This morning, I just sent out a newsletter for Ladybug Wreaths.  If you would like to see more pictures of decorating from our home, click on the following link:  http://nancysramblings.com/?page_id=463

I do hope each of you have a blessed Christmas!  It is nice to have a home we enjoy decorating for Christmas, and it is nice to have parties and enjoy it with our friends, but that isn't the true meaning of Christmas for us.  It is Jesus…His Grace…His Love…and His Wondrous Miracles and Blessings in our lives!! 

Enjoy your family and friends this Holiday Season…because they are among our Greatest Blessings from God!

Friends From Country Sampler Magazine

Sep19

"Welcome Friends" By, Nancy Alexander

Welcome to Our Friends From Country Sampler Magazine…

WOW!  What do I say?  How do I start this post?  This has really been a whirlwind of a week!  First of all I turned 60 years old.  And no…I didn't flip out because I did that a week ago.  I thought I would get it over and done with so I could enjoy my birthday! AND I DID!  Steve took me to Charlotte for a couple of days and we had a wonderful time. 

 

I started getting calls yesterday and receiving emails for wreath orders.  This is when I realized that the new issue of Country Sampler magazine was being put online.  I have an ad in this wonderful magazine under Ladybug Wreaths.  You can CLICK HERE to see it.  That isn't all, though, because my wreath and my videos will be in a room scene when the magazine comes out.  It is being mailed to subscribers right now, and will be in the news-stands Oct. 1st.

Welcome COUNTRY SAMPLER Subscribers!
It is GREAT to Have You Visiting With Me!

 

Here is a close-up picture of me with the wreath which is featured in Country Sampler.  They also are featuring all twelve of my instructional, how-to videos!  Exciting, huh?  Well, it really is for me.  I literally spend hours on this wreath.  I wanted to feature one that has our "Wild & Woodsy" look for which Ladybug Wreaths has become known!  And this one is HUGE!  It is really filled with flowers, berries, greens, a bird house, red birds, blossoms and more!  You can go to my website if you want to take a closer look at it:  http://www.ladybugwreaths.net/wreaths-2/

My newsletter is being emailed out as I am writing this post, so make sure you are signed up on my newsletter list to get your copy on a six (6) session series about Decorating Small Spaces!  Oh, and if you would like to see a copy of this week's newsletter (or any older ones) and were not on my mailing list, you can find them here: http://ladybugwreaths.net/news/

I featured a special section in this weeks newsletter about displaying pictures – you know – the ones we keep in boxes and want to display them, but just don't have room for frames everywhere!!??

Here are a couple of pictures of an idea I had to display some of my photos.  I just LOVE it!  Tell me what you think??  I used double sided tape and taped these wonderful black and white photos to one of my old windows.  Yes, I do stop along the side of the road and pick up any old windows I can find…. LOL…. Also, I purchase any I can at yard sales.  There are always wonderful uses for them, just as I used this one.  I have it propped into a corner of a small niche in our home is perfect for displaying some favorite photos!


 I really do want to thank all of my friends and customers for your emails congratulating me for coming back – yes…. I am BACK!!!  And for all of the congratulations about my health and overcoming fibromyalgia!  It is working!  I am feeling so much better!  God is so good and faithful!


I had a wonderful birthday and a very busy work week.  Steve (my hubby) and I have been still working frantically to finish my new eBook.  I can hardly believe that it is close to 200 pages long.  I know what everyone must be thinking…how can you fill up that many pages without adding lots of fluff?? Well, we absolutely did fill that many pages with so much valuable information that my customers will be swept off their feet.  I only have a few more pictures to add before we turn things over to our GREAT copywriter…so stay tuned!