Thursday Thoughts----Joy and Balance

Thursdays are like the feeling of Christmas Eve. You know that Friday is the next day and if you work Monday through Friday you know what I mean by saying it's a joy! ( unless you do not like to go home, which can sometimes be the case and then Monday is the feeling of joy)

How do we keep that same joy that Fridays bring every day? Well, sometimes, it's a challenge, even for those that say they are happy all the time and joyous. We are all human and there are seasons in our life that it is more difficult to express or even find joy, sadly but true.

Joy : a feeling of great pleasure or happiness

Webster puts one word differently in there.  A SOURCE of great happiness.

I think that one word makes a big difference in how our days go whether it be Sunday through Saturdays as we are almost all busy in one way or another in the doing of our lives. Because our lives are pretty much scattered in different areas of service or need, we have to make sure that we seek out the source of great happiness which may be entirely different from me to you or anyone else.

I can think of many sources of great happiness for myself:

stitching

knitting

comfort food

junkin' for a good buy

time spent with my husband

time spent alone

reading

writing

going to church and time with God

helping others when they can't help themselves

meditating and yoga

listening to music

spending time with loved ones and friends

These are just a few. Each one brings me happiness or is a source of happiness because I connect good memories with it and feel like I'm recharging my busy body and mind.

I literally sing this on somedays in the car to remind myself of the difference. Getting what we need is pretty basic and simple really (most of the time). Getting what we want is an extra and sometimes what we want IS something we need. 

It's during these times that I find that I have to choose one of the SOURCES of happiness to get myself back in the groove of this life journey. I don't know if that works for you but I hope it's some food for thought today. I also have to remind myself that balance in life is the goal. When the balance in our life is not "balanced", it really is reflected in our happiness or joy. Most of the time that's because we do not have time to find a source of joy to balance it all out. I know that has happened to me. I have to choose to say......Wait, wait just a minute.....I must, must try to find some balance here. If I don't, then I know I will be burned out and my choosing a source of joy is limited.

For women in specific, I have in practice as an NP found that (and I am guilty of this myself at times) there is a true lack of balance and not seeking out a source of joy because of being the primary caretakers of the home and just giving and giving and giving of themselves to the point of a major burnout.

This is the conversation:

me:  so what do you do for hobbies or for yourself?

them:   I don't have time for a hobby and I never have time for myself. {{{laughing}}}........that's a joke. I have too much to do.

me:  How is that working for you?

them:   Well, I just need a pill for this feeling of  unhappiness. My husband said I need to get fixed. My family can't stand me.

me:    So, do you think your family/husband could at least once a week watch the kids while you choose something you used to do for happiness?

Then they think real hard and most but not all , unfortunately, say "yes, they probably would, but...but...but...

and then it's but.   

Then we explore things that could be hobbies or ways to find some me-time. You would be surprised at how many people cannot even remember what they liked to do to chill out, so to speak. And sometimes journaling or going for a walk twice a week or music or anything that used to be a source of joy needs to be revisited.

I in no way am suggesting everyone has to choose to slice a bit of time out of their life for themselves and their source to remain balanced if you simply cannot but even if we find the most rewarding part of our life tending to our family 24-7, it's unbalanced and will eventually lead to burnout. I also am not suggesting that medication is not necessary because in some cases it certainly is a helper to many situations and cases; however, for the purpose of this posting, I am trying to express that even with medication, finding joy sources to put into our lives, helps so very much.

And as the sayin' goes.......when mama ain't happy, nobody's happy. : )

So, I hope this gives you thought for Thursday today in some way in order to maybe try to find your own sources of happiness so that you are filled with joy.

Makes a world of difference when we can't always get what we want..............yup I'm singing it.

I'm so thankful that I have stitching and knitting as a couple of those sources. I'm also thankful that while it fills my heart with joy, I can pass that joy to others in all areas of my life in my work or at home.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A New Sampler and New Beginnings for Fall 2014

These past few weeks have gone by in a flash. I'm halting one area of work and have accepted an offer full-time in a medical practice that I'm excited about. During the past few weeks I've worked extremely hard in the area of home health, revisiting my years of home health from about 20 years ago. I learned alot, sweated alot, drove with my knee alot while answering the phone and managing cases with an office in the car, and frequented McDonald's dollar menu probably more than most!  I'm switching gears again as I have an excellent opportunity again as a women's health nurse practitioner and very excited to be back in the swing of things.

Thank you to all who have still hung out and followed my blog. I literally had to take a long break as I didn't have time really for any personal hobby time. I'm hoping this new position will put back the balance I need in my life back and also serve the community at my best.

Mr. Fox and I went to a farmer's market last weekend and had so much fun, enjoying  a Peach Festival. I wish I had photos but I don't :(

Anyways, I can share with you that all the kinds of peaches that were possible, were there!  We also had some homemade Peach ice cream and hot Peach pie. Along with some Jersey sweet peaches, I also got some fresh Romaine lettuce, carrots, lemons, sweet corn on the cob, honey, a loaf of cinnamon pecan bread, and squash. I already had so many tomatoes that kind folks had given me through the past 2 weeks and we have eaten our good share of tomato sandwiches. I LOVE fresh tomato sandwiches with lot of salt and pepper, mayonnaise (not the Miracle Whip stuff......yikes) and lettuce, and thick, peppered bacon.

I definitely will be back more frequently especially with the Fall coming up very soon. I can already feel it in the air at night here in the North Georgia mountains, the coolness, but still the days are warm.

With the coming of that little bitty nip at night in the air and visiting the farmer's market, I was inspired to design this little sampler for those getting out their Fall decor, or who would like to add a pillow keep/pinkeep to their kitchen wood bowl of ornies. There's just nothing like the smell of Apple Cider and to have a warm cup of it with your sweetheart in the cool Fall Days coming up soon. Apple Cider is definitely a staple at the Fox homestead during the Fall and Winter here.

I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for respecting copyright. I so appreciate it. Nothing fancy here, just a simple sampler for Sunday. But, sometimes simple is better to me.

Apple Cider 

designed by Jennifer Ann Fox

Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2014

70 x 106~~~size

antique white or vintage linen of choice

recommendation for threads

Weeks Dye Works

Pumpkin

Hazelnut

Marigold

Gentle Art

Shaker White

  Here are a couple of photos from our yard/forest around the house with 2 beautiful deer that come around the house regularly. We have named the buck-------Buck.

We named the doe--------Buttercup.

We saw Buck when he had only a little bit of antlers a long time back and now they have grown so much and he is getting a little heavier now. He still has the velvet on his antlers. Thank you to my DH for the photos.

Buck and Buttercup

Buck's picture was not taken with a closeup lens. DH was actually out right there with him and then after a couple of pictures, he just walked off slowly. They really are quite comfortable around the house.

The cats just sit in the porch chairs and watch them, not even chasing or making anything of it. Amazing.

I'm glad to have a couple of weeks off between jobs to get some things done around the homestead and go visit my parents. 

Mr. Fox's mother had surgery this past week as well as my dad. Yup, all in the same week.

Thankfully, they are both doing well. 

If you have any questions or comments or any topics you would like to be reviewed or explored in a blog post, please notify me at jenniferann_fox@yahoo.com. I'm always loving to here from you! And I'm always loving to write about needlework and/or encouragement on this journey.

Today we watched two really good movies on Amazon Prime for free and popped some corn from the farmer's market with oil in a large pot on the stove. It was really tasty! One of the movies was The Cider House Rules..............ironically.

Till later,

Jennifer