No shortcuts

No shortcuts - you've got to work for it!
29 Dec 2008
'Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.' Proverbs 10:4
When questioned about his incredible success, Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, offered these ten insights to anyone starting out. They are worth considering: 1) Life isn't fair - get used to it 2) The world doesn't care about your self-esteem; it expects you to accomplish something before feeling good about yourself 3) You won't make $60K a year right out of school, or be a vice president with a cell phone. You have to earn it 4) Do you think your teacher is tough? Wait till you have a boss - he's not tenured 5) Flipping burgers isn't beneath you; your grandparents called it opportunity 6) Your parents weren't always boring; it came from feeding you, cleaning your clothes and paying your bills. So before you rush out to save the rain forest from the 'parasites' of your parents' generation, try delousing your own closet 7) Some schools may have abolished winners and losers, but life hasn't. They may have eradicated 'failing grades' and given you as long as you want to get the right answer. This bears no resemblance to reality 8) Life isn't divided into semesters. You don't get summers off. Employers aren't interested in helping you 'find yourself;' you do that on your own time 9) Unlike television, real people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to work 10) Be nice to nerds; chances are, you'll end up working for one someday! The Bible says: 'Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.' 'The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied' (Proverbs 13:4 NIV). No shortcuts; you've got to work for it!

Encourage one another daily

Have you ever sat at an intersection, when the traffic lights aren't working, watching the policeman directing traffic every which way?Have you sat and watched an orchestra, or bandleader, waving the baton directing the different sections when to play their piece?If I'm lost while driving my car, I can get direction from an employee at a gas station. Maps give us direction. A compass points us in a direction. There are signs along roads, giving us direction.I've seen signs indicating crossroads, one way only, a steep hill,icy conditions, a winding road, and many others.I sit in amazement, though, at how the police officer or bandleader can organize, lead and direct so many people at the same time, and have everything flow together nicely. They are totally in control.Everyone is dependent on them.Do we read the Highway Code for life -- the Bible -- to recognize the signs? It has so much to tell us. God offers direction to each and every one of us.At some points in our lives we come to crossroads. With faith and trust we can ask for direction about which way to go.Sometimes, our lives feel like we're travelling up a steep hill, but again through prayer and trust we know that we will be all right, and the road will level out at some point.Like those playing the instruments in the band, we need to listen and to be told when and how to play our parts. We all need direction; we can't do it alone! If everyone pays attention to our Conductor, then life will be harmonious, with everyone in tune together. Asking for direction is not enough. We have to obey Him.The people asked the prophet Jeremiah to pray to the Lord for them "that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do." (Jeremiah 42:3 NKJV)When the lights have gone out, we need not simply sit still. If we follow the loving arms waving us forward and if we listen to where we're being directed, we'll never regret the direction in which the Lord leads!Prayer:Heavenly Father, we ask that You Direct us every day Along the path that we should follow To listen to what You say.Direct us all to play our part In Your orchestra of life --To be in tune with only You So there'd be no more strife.Direct, O Lord, which way to turn When upon crossroads we stumble.If only we would listen more And be forever humble.We need Your direction, Lord;In You we place our trust.You are the arrow on our compass --Follow it, we must.You are our Shepherd, we are Your sheep,Direct us into the fold.As we graze on Your Word each day Your hand we need to hold.Sometimes our way seems all uphill;We slip and slide on ice.Through faith and trust in You Leaning feels very nice.So, O Lord, we know for sure Your direction we all need For without it, we are lost.Help us to take heed.Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully,In Jesus Loving Name I Pray, Amen."Have a Blessed Monday and God Bless you.In His Service,Daily Dose Devotionals Team"Encourage one another daily" (Hebrews 3:13)

Happy Christmas

Red clover asked me what was a mince pie? Its a pastry pie filled with mince meat. I try to make my pastry really short, hard to roll out but its worth the effort if its light and crumbly. The mince meat is sweet and consists of, sugar, apples,raisins, sultanas, currents, citrus peel, black treacle, rice flour, mixed spice, orange and lemon peel and veg oil. I don't make mine as if you buy a good make you can't really beat it. I make different tops and sprinkle with icing sugar, Robert loves them I have hidden some to save for Christmas week. I do have intentions every year to make them throughout the year but usually forget.

This is one of the Christmas cakes that I make, we have half eaten one I save this one for Christmas. The mixture is for one very large cake but I make two. I mix the fruit together several days before I bake it so the alcohol can soak into the fruit, its funny Robert has such a steady hand but when I ask him to pour the alcohol on his hand always slips and to much goes in funny that!

Last year to go with my rusty tree i got these rusty advent buckets. We put three dog treats in each one and when we go to bed the dogs get one. As soon as we put them out this year tom knew and stood barking at them.

This is my wreath on the door.

This is the arrangement on the coffee table

You can't really see the lights at there best but Robert arranged them for me they light up the path

Things are really busy at the shop, so if I don't get to blog again before Christmas I will wish you all a happy Christmas and may we all have time in our busy lives to remember why we are celebrating at this time. Best wishes for 2009.

Perfect Sunday

What a perfect Sunday. Woke up to a lovely frosty morning listening to Sunday with Aled Jones. Took scampi and tom for a walk before going to church. Had a great service with good fellowship. After a small lunch made my wreath for the door and garland for the fire place listening to Handel's The Messiah. Then as I wrapped some of the Christmas presents songs of praise come on the TV new and old carols. After tea I went to iron in the bed room (usually do this Monday but have no day off now we to busy) and tuned the radio to classic FM and it was the history of carols

I made the garland out of three different types of eucalyptus, binding sprigs onto a silver wire. I wrapped the clear lights round. The moose's and tree are made from tree bark and the stars and baubles were new this year The snow flakes are a few years old I usually have them hanging in the window. There are some angel wings dotted about the arrangement.

This rusty tree and wreath are not to everybody liking but I like it, its different and very rustic.

I have a real Christmas tree, we sell them at work so I got one given to me for free. We have lots of things on the tree collected over the years. Many we have collected when we have been on holiday or a special day out.
I don't like labels so every body has their own paper so long as remember who's paper is who's.

My Christmas shop

When we came home from our holiday a plant in the garden had finally come into flower. The label had gone and I can't remember what its called. It looks like a thistle but I think the flower is lovely we had even had a frost when I took this photo.

Things are really busy at work, no sooner have I made a fresh wreath and it gets sold, W have the moss based wreaths but the wreaths in the wet foam are very classy and loo good on the door. I use Cinnamon sticks, poppy heads, lotus seed pods, sliced oranges and apples, berries, nuts, hessian ribbon dry hydrangea and a lovely selection of winter foliage.

One of our most popular things I make for Christmas is a ball of foliage with pine cones ballbals ribbon flowers the photo dose not show it at its best. People like to hang them outside on the redundant summer hanging bracket.

The Christmas pudding made from carnations is another favourite.

The arrangements below has a new product, artificial snow. Its comes in a powder form and when mixed with water turns into snow feels like snow and if it goes off a drop of water added livens it back up, lasts for weeks.

Last Sunday we opened the shop at 6o'clock in the evening, served warm minced pies, mulled wine played carols and had fake snow on the floor. Its most popular and there was a real rush at 6o'clock, everyone was happy and was a good night.

I also make garlands for fireplaces, this one has artificial flowers, bows, lights and pine cones but the most popular are the natural ones with oranges, cinnamon sticks etc.

Inveraray

The pier at Inveraray

Most days on our holiday we passed through Inveraray. Its a sea loch, lochawe but its usually still. The tower to the top of the photo houses the second largest bells in the world so they say. In 1784 all the inhabitants were asked to pay £8 to build a pier which in 1877 was extended for the large steam ships bringing the vast amount of visitors. There is also a ship there the Arctic penguin its a visitor museum. Today the visitors come in their cars. There is a jail there which has two large fiberglass guards statues dressed in red. When we used to go when Fallon was a small girl she was petrified of them and it was years before we managed to get her to go inside walking passed them. There is also a castle belonging to the Campbell family but it closes in November and we have never go to go inside.

On one of our days out we went to Oban, after a few hours there looking at the shops we went south to the Island of Seil. It famous for the little bridge over the Atlantic. we had our picnic on the shore line trying to keep Tom out of the sea. For a while we watched the little ferry carry people over to the Island of Easdale. It was once a hive of industry for slate, shipping it to all parts of the world. We stayed there for a while until it got dark. It was November the 5th bonfire night and some of the children were getting the wood for the bonfire. The little pub opened so we decided to use the money mum and dad gave us for our anniversary to have a meal, Robert have his usual fish and chips. We didn't see many fire works but could hear them. another lovely day.

looking over to the island of mull

looking over to the island of Easdale watching the ferry

Weird sky's at lock Tay

Each morning I took Tom for a walk and let Robert have a well deserved lay in. It was so fresh and crisp, this larch tree looked so good against the blue sky. The little brook ran under a little bridge but as all little bridges a new one had been built next to it to take the traffic. I had a job to stop Tom from going in the water.

We took a drive to Killin its main feature is its big fast flowing river. It was a popular place for the Victorians to visit but then when the railway closed and the visitors stopped and became much quieter, it is popular once again with tourists.

The river was put to good use in days gone by with a water wheel, not in use anymore but restored for us to enjoy.

After doing some window shopping in the few shops there were we headed off to one of my favourite locks lock Tay. We took our picnic down to the water no hesitation from Tom, stick ,water splashing. Scotland is known for its midges and we would never go in the height of summer, but no sooner had we got our sandwiches the midges found us. Or should I say me they never get Robert. It was lovely and warm I think they thought it was summer again. Tom never tired of fetching the sticks in the water and as we sat watching him the sky to the east of the lock made some weird patterns. I have taken a couple of photo's but never really captured the full beauty it was amazing. They look very dark but the sun was in the east, Robert took some photo's of Tom down the lock to the west and its sunny and doesn't look like its the same day. We headed east back home watching the sky till it got to dark. It was like many ripples or water or lines following the shapes of the mountains.

Great day on the beach

We had never been to Campbeltown as it is a long way from where we have stayed before but as we were nearer we decided to make the trip. As it was lunch time and we were driving along the coast we decided to park up and have a walk on the beach. It was absolutely fabulous. Robert went back to the car to get the picnic whilst I found us some good rocks to sit on. Tom thought all his birthdays had come at once. He went straight for the sea and stayed there for three and half hours with Robert and me throwing sticks (when I say Robert I mean mainly me). It was really warm better than the weather Robert had in the summer. We didn't want to leave and had a job to get Tom to come out of the sea. We played with him for all that time and he still would have gone on longer. But leave we did and were disappointed when we reached Campbeltown the most interesting thing was piles of logs waiting on the Que side to be shipped out.

The variety of colours in the rocks was amazing made all the much better because of the good weather blue sky and sun shine. I tried to capture these colour's but the photo's don't do them justice

There was a bit of the usual debris on the beach, so i made two boats using a plank of drift wood and an empty plastic bottle tying them together with strands of fishing nets. After launching them it was a race to see how far they would go out and who's would win, (yes we are adults and no there wasn't any kids with us). They went in and out for hours then Roberts got a break, it was very exciting. When Roberts went out of sight he walked out on the rocks to see where it had gone. Mine finally ran aground on the rocks. Roberts won.

We went for a walk along the beach before we left taking these two last photo's.