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Thankful Thursday ~ Innovation

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
(Psalm 9:1 ESV)

Innovation: “something newly introduced, such as a new method or device”

I have to admit, I am a ‘pen-junkie’. As I was strolling through one of our local supermarkets, I stepped in the stationary/school supply aisle. One can never have enough notepads or pens, right? Well the supermarket had a new product on sale (50% off). I looked a little closer at the new pen by Pilot. Pilot made a pen out of recycled water bottles. How cool is that!!!

Not only are the pens made out of recycled material (86% of the pen), but they are also made here in the United States. SWEET!!! I purchased three packages; I gave two pens already to some of my co-workers. There is another cool thing about those pens: they are refillable. Yup, you can get ink cartridges for them. Someone was thinking at Pilot.

You have to understand: I am totally into recycling (my son calls me a tree-huger – lol). You see, I come from a country that does not have a lot of room for landfills. Germany is maybe the size of Texas (if even that). We have been recycling in Germany since I can remember. Yes, I also use reusable shopping bags. I really wish we could return glass bottles to the stores, but unfortunately only a couple of the states in the US offer the return; Arizona is not one of them.

So, this week I am very thankful for innovation and that some people in the industry try to use recycled items. I hope you check out the stores in your area if these pens are offered; they are called “B2P” (Bottle to Pen). If not, you can also purchase them directly on Pilot’s Website.

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today. Remember: God gave us this planet to be good stewards.

Love & peace,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Heather @ Living In the Moment
2. 4 Strategies for Memorizing Scripture
3. Tehila @ Women Abiding		 4. His Riches
5. bp
6. Unplugged – Vintage Housewife		 7. Sarah @ The Fontenot Four
8. Slenderella Jenn

Learn more about Thankful Thursday here.

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Thankful Thursday ~ New Beginnings 2012

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
(Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV (emphasis mine))

Goodness, where in the world did the year go. It seems to me as just a blur. You know what they say: “As you get older, the years are going faster!”; I sure can attest to that.

The past year has been full of learning for me; work-wise, blogging and also with my photography. To be honest, it has been a very humbling year for me.

Blogging: I stepped back from LWG in the last quarter as a contributor. I felt empty, not able to fill others’ cups. I also didn’t blog much here on “Grace Alone…”. Who wants to ready daily stuff of a 50-something woman?

Work-wise: At the beginning of the year, our company reduced its work-force. One of the reduction included my boss. I needed to adjust to new rules and management. Let me tell you: it took me awhile to adjust to the change. But today I live by the motto: “the only constant in the work-force is constant change”.

Photography: In May of this year I upgraded my camera to the semi-professional model. I really enjoy photographing with it. I have learned so much over the past 7 months. I feel very comfortable with photographing in manual mode. It is challenging, but oh-so-much-fun 🙂 …

Although I do not write out New Years resolutions (I broke all of them in the past), I do always have plans for the New Year. Here are a couple of points for 2012:

  • Grow closer to the Lord. Not so much head-knowledge, but more heart-knowledge (I think you know what I mean).
  • I love to cook (really). At the end of this year I have found a new passion for cooking. I will try more new recipes in 2012; I will combine that with my passion of photography (who knows where that leads).
  • I want to blog more (again)…especially on my personal blog. I already have some ideas that you might enjoy as well.
  • I plan on carving out some time to read more and maybe review some of the books I have read.
  • Support more the small business world, locally and across the country
  • …and maybe I finally can get my house totally organized; especially my two spare rooms are full of ‘junk’!!!

So this week, I am thankful for new beginnings. Even though our God grants us new beginnings every day, we like to start fresh with a new calendar year (not sure why that is)…

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us by leaving a link to your Thankful Thursday post below.

Thank you for stopping by today (and reading through the little longer post). Remember: God gives us a fresh start every day; make the most of each day.

Love, peace and Happy 2012,
Iris

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Laurie @ Women Taking a Stand
2. LaughingLady
3. Ms. Kathleen
4. Denise
5. Why the blues?
6. Stefanie @ UpLIFTing Words		 7. Jenny Anne@Royal Little Lambs
8. Melanie @ M&M
9. Jocelyn – His Pursuing Kindness
10. Vacation thoughts….
11. Mary
12. Heartmade Home		 13. God is Still Good!
14. Inspirations from Phather Phil – Thankful Thursday: A Shift in Vision
15. Simply God’s Girl
16. I am a flood survivor
17. bp

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Thankful Thursday ~ Change

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
~ Romans 6:4 (ESV ~ emphasis mine)

Before I share my thankfulness on change with you, I would like to alert you that next week you will see something different on this blog. Please be assured that Thankful Thursday will always have a home at Eph2810.com – or at least as long as our Lord sees it fit to bring us together every week (and you like to share your thankfulness with the world)…

Change… we sometimes don’t like change; I know I am not. I also know that even though I might not like the change, I can trust the Lord to see me through the transition…

  • Lord, thank You for always being there for me. No matter what changes are happening in my personal or ‘professional’ life, You are faithful – Your love for me will never change. When I loose the grip on my life, Your grace is sufficient for me. In my weakness, You are my Strength…

  • Lord, thank You for my beloved. You gave him a heart to love me; especially when major changes hit like a ton of bricks…

  • Lord, thank You for placing women like Laurel, Lynn, Angie, Darlene and Jamie by my side. Without their support and prayers I would have had a harder time going through the changes of the past 6 months…

  • Lord, thank You for the change at work. Although I need to still adjust to the new management team, I trust it will be for the better – knowing that You are in control of every detail in our lives…

  • Lord, I am thankful for the change in weather. Although it is still hot, the humidity went down and it is easier for me to breathe…

What are you thankful for this week? Please do share with us below in leaving your link to your blog.

Thank you for stopping by today…Remember: God is unchangeable – you can put your trust in Him. He will transform you if you are willing…

Thankful Thursday Participants

1. Laurel
2. Lynn (Spiritually Unequal Marriage)
3. Stacy
4. Angie
5. gina @ chatswithanoldlady
6. Heather@mommymonk
7. Cheryl
8. Mary
9. Pia @ My Life’s Journey
10. Twinkle Mom
11. Nancie
12. Darlene @ Everything to Me
13. Linda
14. Melanie
15. BP @ Raindrops & Rainbows
16. mama meji
17. Cheryl @ Hope
18. Lisa@blessedwithgrace
19. Laurie @ womentakingastand
20. Speaking from the Heart
21. Jennifer
22. Susan @ Forever His
23. Michele
24. Felicity
25. Trina @ Daddy’s Chick’s
26. Amy Bayliss
27. Debra
28. Paula
29. Joanne @ BLESSED…
30. Willnette
31. Devita
32. Marsha w/ Shortybear Message
33. maiylah
34. Beth@The Accidental Pharisee
35. Rocks
36. Diaper Changes		 37. Tammy W@ Munchkinheads
38. Janera
39. Peggy@AmazingGrace
40. Patricia@Typing One-Handed
41. He & Me 3
42. Serendipity Park
43. Erica
44. Zoe in England
45. Liza’s Eyeview
46. jhunnelle
47. Sandy @Jesus and Dark Chocolate
48. Nemo – Daily-dabble.com
49. Heather @ Not a DIY Life
50. Tammy
51. Tracy @ Thirsty for Him
52. Denise @ Teacups & Time
53. Jill – who am i?
54. Jennifer\’s JoyRide
55. Michelle
56. Chelsey at Joyfully Living
57. Schotzy
58. Laurie Ann
59. Kristi-Kiki’s Corner
60. Mariposa
61. Susanne
62. Mama Bear
63. Tracy@mycuprunnethover
64. Annie – It’s just my life…
65. Heather
66. Happy Mamma
67. Sherry(@myjourney)
68. Amanda Bowers
69. Jerri @ Jerri\’s Journey
70. Kat
71. Bonnie
72. Hadias		 73. Lori @ Front Porch Legacy
74. Ruth A Stiles
75. Newlyweds
76. Nancy @ Homemade Blessings
77. Tami @ The Next Step
78. Mrs. Mordecai
79. Peculiar
80. Debbie
81. Lea
82. Esthermay
83. Irene *The GreenGreek*
84. gail @ challenges and adventures
85. Angel
86. Willow @ Apron Strings
87. Leanne from Canada
88. Vicki @ Windows
89. Tessa @ Jesus-Filled Hope
90. Catherine
91. Marcia Clarke
92. Lana
93. bvoylesal@aol.com
94. To Know Him
95. Mommy’s Gems
96. Kathy
97. Rebecca
98. It’s All About Him!
99. Darlene (CWO)
100. Miss Ellie for feelin’ feminine
101. alihsee @ remember the moments
102. Kim @ Scattered Stones
103. Lisa
104. Terri Sue
105. Donetta at a life uncommon
106. Nichole @ A Call to Higher Places (My Love)

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