Karla's Korner

Give Thanks... a Sneak Preview!

Are you ready? My new book, "Give Thanks", is on its way! And...
my publisher and I are working on some great ways to celebrate its arrival too!
I know you're going to LOVE it!!

Someone asked me recently what some of my favorite 2 page spreads
 in the book were and I wanted to share one of them with you today.

From an art perspective, I love the whimsy of this girl
 but even more... I love her expression of praise and thanksgiving.
She truly seems to be blessing the Lord with all that is within her!

But it's the devotional that I know will speak to your heart...
 as it does mine... it says:

We all talk to ourselves, don't we?
I know I do, and so did David, the psalmist.

One of my favorite psalms is 103,
where, in essence, David does a little self-talk
to help him refocus on the things that matter.

He basically says to himself,
"Now listen to me, my soul.
Despite what's going on in the world,
stop right now and bless the Lord.
Don't forget all He's done for you, soul.
Think about those things and give Him glory!"

David goes on to count his blessings,
naming them one by one.

So next time your soul is downcast, try this:
Tell your soul to take a break from the pain,
to consider the good that is in your life,
and to bless the Lord!



Heavenly Father... prompt us today to listen in to what we're telling ourselves... what we're saying to our souls... and Lord, if it's not good or true... stir our hearts to take time out and focus on You. Deliver our souls from downcastness, despair and depression. Set us free to be women who bless You Lord with all that is within us... and give You thanks! Thank You Lord Jesus... Amen.

Young in Age... Big at Heart!

We've made the decision to sell Grace Acres... our beloved home... again!

But this time we're serious... whatever it takes.
We know it's God timing, so please please pray for the sale of it...
and for the family that God has already chosen to love living here...
that they would be in the right place at the right time
to find the answer to their prayers for the perfect place to call home.

So... most of my energy has been spent cleaning up and cleaning out...
that's why I've been so quiet!
And... what a blessing it was to have the girls come over and share some
of their heart... sweat... and youthful energy with me a couple of days ago.
(Michael was still in Canada so it was great to have the company... and help!)

This was Lex's muscle man look... gotta love it!


And Jess manned the hose and cleaned the outdoor furniture for me!
They love their grandma... and their grandma loves them!

Well... gotta say...
I am SO excited about taking you along with us on this new God Adventure.
We're not sure where we're going for sure but we've been DREAMING a lot!
I will say that our dream includes a CAMPER, a truck and a map of the USA!
I just know we feel a bit like Abraham when the Lord told him to just leave
the country he was living in and head out... IN FAITH.
That would be us... so stay tuned!

We live by faith and not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Heavenly Father... I am so thankful to know that even though I don't know
what our future holds... I know You hold our future in the palm of Your hand.
I am so excited that You... the God of all creation... have invited us...
all of us... to be a part of Your Adventure in the land.
May we all learn to trust You more and learn to live by faith
and not by sight.... in Your love and for Your glory. Amen.

Love you guys... and thank you for your prayers!
xoxoxo

And the Beach Blessing Winners are...

Really... the winner is me!
To have such lovely friends who leave sweet comments is a treasure. 
Honestly... I figure you could just say one or two words but no...
not you dear ones... you are full of blessing that spills onto me.
I want you to know I read every comment and was blessed
even though I did not have time to personally respond!
And a special thanks to those who visited for the first time...
I do hope you'll come again!
And thank you to those who posted the giveaway on your blog..
you bless my heart!

Okay... have I peaked your curiosity?
Do you wanna know who wins the Beach Blessing Giveaway?
I'm tickled to say that random picker chose Trish from Harmony Hill!! Yippee!

Trish said,

"Hi Karla!
Please count me in ~ These are beautiful items! You are so thoughtful :-)
And yes, I am going to post a link back to this post from my blog.
Blessings to you, my friend...
~Trish

Oh yes... I had two sets of these beachy blessings, didn't I?!?!?!
Yes mam... and the second collection will be given away to... Betty!

Betty said...
Hi, Karla:
I've not posted a comment before, but here goes...
I met you in Washington last October and so enjoyed your talk on "What Happened to the Turkey?"  Since then I've checked in at Karla's Korner from time to time, and always enjoy your comments, your photos, and sharing from your part of the country.  Lately I've been checking in quite frequently, for a refreshing touch.  Thanks so much for sharing your life.  I loved the before and after acccount of your studio, and getting to tour your beautiful garden, with the lavender, daisies and photos of the Queen Anne's Lace.  Today it was a "trip" to the seashore.  Thanks for putting scenes so beautifully into words and pointing out God's many blessings. It makes me feel as though I've been there with you.
Betty from southern California

Like I said... I'm the winner to have friends like you!!!

Okay girls... Betty and Trish... email me with your addresses
and I'll send your Beach Blessings off to you!

Love you all... you're all winners in my book... and definitely in God's Book!

xoxoxo

Thankful for...

I am so thankful for all of you who have left such encouraging comments
on the Blessings of the Beach Giveaway post so far... you bless my heart!

But also...as I've been reading in 2 Corinthians this week,
my heart has been stirred to give thanks to God
for some things that... are foundational to our faith and to who I am...
things I can so easily take for granted...
and/or things I can forget God has given or done for me to enable me to live
 here on earth while waiting to go home to be with Him

So just a few things from the first chapter alone that I am thankful for...

1. My God... who is a the Father of all compassion

1. That He comforts me in my troubles... big and small

2. For the opportunities He gives me to comfort and encourage others... to be His hands and heart and voice in this world who desperately needs His comfort

3. For the troubles and suffering in my life that have led me to know that I cannot rely on myself but only on God

4. To be reminded that if God can raise the dead, He can surely handle whatever concerns me today

5. That all God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ and they are sure

6. It is God who gives me... and you...  the ability to stand firm in Christ

7. He has anointed me... and you

8. He has set His seal of ownership on me... and you... we belong to Him

9. He put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit as a guarantee of what's to come

10. What's to come... heaven... Home Sweet Home!

Now that's a lot to thankful for!  Amen!

Blessings of the Beach Giveaway!

Yes... I did think of you while I was at the beach...
and I thought... since you couldn't be at the beach with me,
I would just send a bit of the beach to one of you... or maybe two!


God has fashioned us with five delightful senses
to be able to experience the world we live in, right?
So the Blessings of Beach Giveaway includes a little something for you
to taste, smell, hear, touch, and see!


A treat for the TASTEBUDS... a colorful culinary collection of salt water taffy!
There's golden pear, dreamsicle, cotton candy, mango and espresso...
just to name a few.
The bag is tied with a sweet snippet of ribbon and your own tiny bottle filled
with Oregon coast sand, the most quintessential TEXTURE of any beach!
I collected it myself... just for you... and added a little charm to remind
you to "LIVE" life... because it's a gift from God!


If you listen quietly, you can HEAR the ocean whispering
 the mystery of the Maker from the inner chamber of this seashell.


Your sense of SMELL will be delighted with this fragrant Seaspray Sachet.

And I you can have your very own sea star!
 (I just learned they are no longer called starfish)
There's just something about SEEING their shape that makes the little
girl in me smile... and the artist in me delights in the intricately design.


If you'd like a chance to win and experience the Blessings of the Beach,
without getting sand between your toes...
just leave a comment on this post... it's as simple as that.
I'll announce the winner next Monday morning!
(Let me know if you post this Giveaway on your blog and I'll count you twice!)

Until then... love and hugs...

A Weekend Away...

My hubby left Thursday night for his annual Canada fishing trip...
so Friday morning my sis-in-law/love Cindy and I headed to the beach
for a little fun, food and frivolity!

Our destination... Lincoln City.  Our first stop... lunch at Mo's!


Their famous clam chowder was a perfect way to start the fun!!

 
It was mostly cloudy with a touch of blue hovering just above the horizon...


but the cooler ocean air was a welcome break from the 100+ temps at home!


This quaint little quilt shop, one of our many shopping stops,
 was an inspirational treat for Cindy...

 
while a visit to the Pacific Artists Alliance Gallery, a co-op of 41 artisans,
 stirred my creative spirit. This fish was amazing and I could hear him
luring me to want to play with copper!


We stayed at The Coho Lodge where one of the perks was drinking french
press coffee made from freshly ground gourmet coffee... a first for me.
The even greater perk was that Cindy and I had the pool, sauna
and jacuzzi all to ourselves for a leisure afternoon spa retreat!
Nope.. sorry... no pics of us in swimsuits!!! LOL!!




On our hike around Devils Lake (no idea why they named it that)
we discovered flowers we'd never seen before and...


and houses we'd like to visit if only we knew the folks who lived there!


We ate at lunch at Tiki's in the historic Taft District on Saturday...


and the fish tacos were sooooo yummy good!


We also met Gypsy there and it was so fun to see Cindy get her talking
and hamming it up for the camera.


Saturday's beach walk included the fun of seeing a few sand sculptors
at work... isn't that amazing! I've always wanted to try that... maybe next time.

And I'm sure there will be a next time!
Cindy and I had so much fun together... just laughing and loving life!
And best of all, we spent some good time encouraging each other
 in the Lord because what a great place to be reminded that our God...

He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be numbered.
Job 9:8,10

Thank you for letting me share my little weekend adventure with you!
Oh yes... and I brought back a few keepsakes I want to share with you too
so make sure you come visit tomorrow to see what they are!

Blessings and hugs to you... xoxoxo...