Challenge-17: Post the 12th

"Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."
~Daniel 2:20 - 22~ 



Ah, Tuesday was such a smiling day! =)

Friend-walks are evah welcome. <3
Heidz and I created some gluten-free pizza for dinner, last eve - teehee, the process is quite a bonding one. ;]
The whole crew made complete sillies of ourselves, on Face Time last night; all in the name of receiving smiles from the 1 year old nephew! +D
And d'you know?
Our Smile Bank is pretty booming . . . ;]

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge-17: Post the 11th

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of  lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
~James 1:17~



I had happiness wrapping some gifts, yesterday. =)
{*laugh* I finally googled how to curl gift-wrapping ribbon! It came out semi-decent...I fink it still needs some more practice =}

Then, in the evening, we had a lovely time of tea and fresh hot-air pop-ped corn, with some of the staff girls. <3
Such sweet fellowship!

Pip-pip,
Phia

Post Scriptum -  *gasp* It was NATIONAL OATMEAL DAY, on the 29th, and I missed blogging about it! =O
Ah vell, ah vell ... =o
I hope you all enjoyed some oatmeal comfy-ness (as I'm sure I did ;). <3

Challenge-17: Post the 10th

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
~Psalm 133:1~



Hoi, so this photo was not captured on Sunday; but, since I was not thinking photographically that day, I ended up with no phots. =/

And so! I borrowed one from roughly a month ago. ;}

In which we see, Olls and me as Siamese twins, brought to you by Erik's Creativity (since I'm ever being called 'Olivia', we decided it would be less complicated this way! ;P)! =)
*Laugh*

It is, indeed, good and pleasant for brethren (and "sistren" ;) to dwell together in unity. <3
{I love my siblings}

Pip-pip,
Phia

Post Scriptum - We added Heidi, later on! ;D

Challenge-17: Post the 9th

"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."
~Galatians 6:9~



The weather was  muy perfecto yesterday!
Cool, but not quite frigid . . . I do believe  deliciously crisp would be an apt description. =]

The two youngers and myself, spent the morning with Dad, "out on the town" so to speak. ;)
We went from place to place, smiling and shopping. <3
All together happy!

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge-17: Post the 8th

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."
~Matthew 17:20~


{Love that verse}
I'm not certain if you'll be able to espy all the happinesses in this photo; in the event that you haven't, I shall list them for you. =]

- Union Jack
- Nutmeg and Spice Candle
- English Fox Hunting Tea Mug
- and just a hint of Mustard ;)

These past eight days have been absolutely lovely, and yesterday was no exception.
Spent the day-light hours in the happy pursuit of cleaning and sorting, making home made granola, practicing piano, and being in the out of doors with my Adelaide. =D

Into the evening, it was even happier, having the childcare of three Cutenesses. =)

<3-C-<3
Baby Dear

~R~
Girlish Charm

- L -
Playfully Mischievous ;)

This trio was a barrel of merriment and I superly enjoyed the time spent with them! =]

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge-17: Post the 7th

"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
~Job 1:21b


The children's Bible Study, I babysit for, had the account of Job this Thursday {tis late =(}; portrayed in the photo above, is the line up of my little performers!
In order, LR, we have the characters of: Job, Mrs. Job, an adorable woolly representative of Job's flock, and one of Job's children. =]
They do a fantastic job each week, and do we ever have jolly good fun!

Creativity and Cuteness Abound in this Class. =]

[and, also, sometimes Challenges; but, He is grace and strength, and we childcare workers are always able to learn from it! =]

These two have some of the most adorable 6 and 4yr. old lisps ... *heart melts*

It is somewhat energy depleting at times, but I absolutely love watching these kiddli-winks. ;)
Oh the numerous opportunities He blesses us with each day! 
I get so excited. =}

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge-17: Post the 6th

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
~John 8:12~



So, I have a complete fascination with light. =]
Yesterday, Heidi and I were enjoying some sister q-time* outside: raking and hauling, not leaves, but 8-incher seed pods (an annual Autumn favor, given by our messy, messy tree! ;), and jumping on the trampoline for a bit. =)
I took the above picture, looked at it, and realized just how much I love light. =]
You can't perfectly see all the details in this photo; but, you can see beaut-E-ful sunbeams!
It got me thinking how, in our Christ-following walk, it doesn't matter if others see us (point of fact, it would be better if they didn't! Self is so wicked and not at all a pretty sight for the eyes...).
May they see the Light. <3

Pip-pip,
Phia

*Quality Time ;)

Challenge-17: Post the 5th

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
~John 15:4-5~


{glorious color}

Upon thinking to myself, it makes more sense if I blog about the day after it has occurred. =]
So, here we have it, from yesterday . . .

Had the privilege of spending the morning with my new friend, typing more receipts and addresses for her (in complete honesty, I highly enjoy typewriters! =).

In her surrounding neighborhood . . .
Entirely too quaint to pass without taking a photo!

The farthest building in the photograph is the place of my typing.

*sigh*
It was a chummy dook*-day out - I'm grateful to live in a place that has a four-season disposition. <3

Pip-pip,
Phia

*duck - certain dialects of British pronounce 'duck', 'dook' (sounds like book, with a 'd'). =D

Challenge-17: Post the 4th

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
~Romans 8:28~


{this location is explained below =}

So, due to some jolly and spontaneous plans, I was able to spend some glorious quality time with dear friends the other day! =D
It was entirely epic.

{SIDE STORY #1}
Now, scheduled for the same day, was one of my weekly child-care jobs, which commenced around the same time that we friends were planning to meet up . . . I was in a strait, betwixt two: wanting to fulfill my prior commitment to the children, and not wanting to return to the old homestead past pumpkin-hour (if I were to do both, it most certainly would have landed me as said squash). =/
What solution was reached?
Well, as I've already made mention of, I have a positively peachy chum of a younger brother! He, most graciously, took my place with the young ones, and I was thus, able to be with friends, and conclude the evening mcuh ealier than it would have been, without cutting it short! =D
And, peachy chum of an older brother, was enormously helpful as well!
Love my brothers, zwei. <3

{SIDE STORY #2}
Right, well, this morning, the dawning realization of the Giving Season's swift advancement, in our calendar, hit me like a "16 lb hunk of beef" (not so very unpleasant, at all -merely a large pressure meeting with another...erm, somewhat suddenly ;).
Being fourth-born of six; sister-in-law; Aunt; daughter; cousin; friend, etc. it is somewhat of a helpfulness and  boon to have a couple 'cabbage leaves in the garden', so to speak (to be sure, a good lot of you have even more blessings to gift-hunt for!). =}

And, d'you know what?
*By the grace, goodness, and faithfulness of God*
My first thinkings were not of anxiety or concern, brain-wrackingly scrambling for idears to 'raise support'. ;]
Wondering, "Will this work out? Will God provide?" - much to my surprise (and great peace-of-mind!), those interrogatives didn't receive Admission Tickets in the swirl of thoughts that were filling-in.
The question is asked - Why?
The answer is given - It is most undeniably not from anything found in Sophia! Oh no, not at all{.}
Sophia's been there, believe.you.me. - not only is she awful with directions in the physical world, but she also has a remarkable knack for taking the loooooongest most round-about, end-up-nowhere sort o' train tracks in the spiritual realm. It is only thanks and praise to her Loving Heavenly Father, Who has given her The Map, and Who has carefully placed accurate Sign-posts and Traffic Police at tricky intersections and dead-ends! - It's as a result of meditating on and claiming the promises that come from the Scriptures. They are ripe for each one of His children; but, we have to 'digest' them for ourselves - God is a caring Parent, and He's not going to force-feed us.  <3
It's because of so many promises like the one below, that He rules as Peace in my heart!
"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." ~Psalm 34:8
Time and time again He has proved Himself to me - telling me, "Sophia, I will take care of you. Look to me and confidently expect it!"
"And being fully pursuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform."~Romans 4:21
Through some way, person, occurrence, means, etc. what is needed, will be provided for. <3

All that as background, the office was not super busy today. I walked in, said "Hullo!" to my awesome co-workers, had a spiffing-surprise visit with a family that had stopped in, then said "G'bye!" to my (still) awesome co-workers ;), and headed home to be productive for the afternoon.
Several minutes following my arrival to the home-front, me Mum salutes self with a prospective temporary typing-job for a dear lady's business, whom, having broken her wrist, was unable to keep up with orders and mailings.
Well, there must have been a purpose for my not being needed in the office, and here was a need already!
Pictured above and below, are photos of the lobby, in this lady's apartment building. =) Abso-bally-lutely transported me, quite, when I beheld the interior of previously stated structure. =O/ =D
And so, I spent a delightful afternoon typing (not on a comp-y, but a typewriter! =), in the cheerful society of a new friend. <3
Dear reader, that is yet another story of how He worked all things together for good!

Hoi, that was a tome. ;P
You're a chum for reading. 

{what a load o' literature!! =}

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge-17: Post the 3rd

{Eesh! Yes, yes, I am a day behind; however, I wasn't really home long enough, yesterday, to actually sit down and collect my thoughts into a pile, to post. ;P So, you get two today! =}

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
~Proverbs 27:17~



Oh praise the Lord for the fellowship of His saints!
Yesterday was an absolutely overwhelming-joy-filled day. . .
My church met together as a whole, for the first time, since our congregation divided last October.* +D

[*It was a "good split" - we were growing too great in number for our facility.
So, it was greatly bittersweet. . . wanting to stay together (in complete honesty, I've not seen a fellowship that enjoys being with each other, as much as ours! =); yet, wanting to still be able to welcome others into our midst! Oh, we still contrive ways to meet =], and now many new brothers and sisters have joined us. =)]

Our speaker shared a host of insights - and how my spirit was exceedingly blessed!
One of them was the distinction between fellowship and socializing.
Socializing: sharing common interests.
Fellowship: sharing Christ.

Not that there is anything wrong with socializing; however, fellowship, is what I was "sharpened" with yesterday. =]

I hugely enjoy word-study, and yesterday's sermon was positively ripe with that! =]
A heart-felt Thank You! to,
{Dr. Jerry Benjamin}

May you be blessed with countenance-sharpening friends, dear readers! =D

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challene 17: Post the 2nd

"She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."
~Proverbs 31:12



Oh Happy Things were done this day! =D
Mum, Olls, Heidi-kinz, and I had the joyful privilege of attending a dear friend's bridal shower. Where, we participated in some enormously fun activities. . .

*ahem* T-P wedding dress making, being amongst the lot! ;]
Our chummy team, and lovely bride!

It was such a lovely shower - 5 hurrahs and 12 hip-hips for the coordinators! =D

I'm afraid I did become rather emotional. =}
You see, Joanna has been moved away for ... well, d'you know, I can't remember just how many years now ;) ... but, it has been several, and spending time with her again just brought back a monsoon of magnificent memories. =']
Many hugs, prayers, and wishes of happiness to you, sweet Joanna!!

*hoi*
Wha'a day . . . =)

Pip-pip,
Phia

Challenge 17: Post the 1st

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" 

{my daily walk <3}

*excitement*
'Ello, 'ello, 'ello! =]

I am going to be experimenting with a self-designed challenge, on Simple Delights!
For how long, we ask?
 Ohhh, probably for the next month, or so . . . and am I ever  experiencing some excitement as a result! +D

My desire, for Challenge 17, is to intentionally practice the act of embracing the blessings of each day, as they are sent.

Now, understand, there is NO way {mortally speaking} that I could possibly list all the daily smiles and hugs He sends me; howevah, I will endeavor to post at least one blessing, at the minimum. =]

October the 19th: 
My dear brother, Erik, lovingly built me a masterful fire to "blog by". ;]

Not only that, but he also humored me by cheerfully acquiescing to form the other 1/2 of the duet, at the piano. <3
He's a dear boy, a sharp lad, and pleasant fellow - how grateful I am for his enthusiastic and caring life!

How were you blessed today?

Pip-pip,
Phia

When We Were Very Young

So, I seem to recall saying something about posting Erik's baby picture, at some point?

Here it is, chums. =}


{October 1996}

While I was at it, I felt it would be fun to post everyone else's be-be photographs, too! ;)

My father as a baby ...

Dad and Aunt Mary - awe!

~Evy~

-Olive-

And-roo =)

?

How has your October-month been? =)

Mine has been filled with delicious Autumn weather and comfy pumpkin tasties . . . *sigh of bliss*
It's consisted of refreshing rambles in the out-of-doors and sippings of steaming beverages.
Reading next to cozy fires, walking on colorfully crispy leaves, and having chilly-front-porch-evenings made bearable by zebra-striped fleece blankets. <3
And of course the lightings of many candles bright. =]

I hope your October has been even chummier!

Pip-pip,
Phia