More Thankfuls

Well, another week. And, of course more Thankfuls.

I am so grateful for and thankful for:

• The safe arrival of precious Aiden.
• Seeing my son a Daddy.
• Seeing hubby a Grandpa.
• Enjoying Christmas with family...twice.
• Being able to give gifts.
• Receiving thoughtful gifts.
• Being wonderfully surprised by hubby's special gift this year.
• Having lots of wonderful rain, and enjoying hearing it come down.
• Rose scented Yankee Candle.
• Holding Aiden and watching him sleep and make cute faces while sleeping, and listening to his little noises.
• The incredible love of my Savior.

Aiden

We got to meet Aiden today. What a cutie. A very adorable Christmas gift...even if he did come Christmas eve! We are grateful for this precious bundle from the Lord.

God is Good.

And being a Grandma is fun.

Merry Christmas Everyone

I am rejoicing in the joy of the birth of our Saviour.

I am also rejoicing in the joy of the birth of Aiden Charles Murray Pass, born 12/24/07 at 11:59. It is fun to be a Grandma!

Merry Christmas everyone, as we celebrate the birth of the King.

Of computers, turning 98 and other things...

I have decided that I am really very spoiled. We are a two computer family, which is a huge blessing that I am very grateful for. However, this week, my trusty laptop decided to go on strike. Sigh. My capable son - in -law is working on it, trying to convince it not to be on strike, but meanwhile, hubby and I have to SHARE! Thankfully, he is willing to let me use his some, so I am not totally lost. But, it is not quite like sitting in my comfy recliner with my own computer, set up the way I am used to!

In other things, I am thankful for:

• My mother. She turned 98 this week, and I was able to contact her by phone 3 times on various days, which was a huge blessing to me, as she often does not hear her phone, or is away from it, sitting in her wheelchair.
• My neice- who went to see her Grandma twice this week. What a blessing that was for Great Sweet Grandma to enjoy her great grandchildren.
• Two days of work this week. I am very thankful for my work, even though it is high stress at times. And, I am very thankful that I am back to my normal schedule now of only one day of work a week!
• Enjoying Christmas lights. A bonus of driving home after 10 at night- seeing all the lights still on! One place we pass by has a huge display of white lights that is breathtaking.
• Having nearly all of my shopping for Christmas done. Always such an answer to prayer, having the funds, and having the ideas of what to do for who. Now, I must get busy and wrap.
• Enjoying Christmas music. And being reminded over and over the real Reason we celebrate this season.

Of decorating, cookies, robberies and such...

This week I enjoyed decorating some for Christmas. This season is such a joy, celebrating the birth of my Saviour, and it is delight to me to be able to do things around my house to remind me of that first Christmas. Our olive wood nativity scene came from Jerusalem- thanks to Penny!
Other Thankfuls:

• Baking Christmas cookies yesterday in anticipation of our annual Cookie Swap this afternoon.
• Successfully finishing extra long hours at work this week.
• Safety for us when the bank next to where I work was robbed on Thursday.
  
• Rejoicing in the joy of my niece who is now officially courting! (And looking forward to her visit in a few weeks!)
• Shopping with hubby.
• Enjoying the breakfast burritos hubby made for dinner last evening.
• Knowing that I can trust the Lord for wisdom. He promised to guide and instruct me, and I am so thankful. I need His direction daily, and am so thankful I can rely on Him. He is faithful.
• Enjoying the progress of the house being built in back of us.
• Pine scented candles.
• Rain! Lovely, wonderful, rain.
  
• Jalapeño flavored Pringles.
  

Still Thankful.....

Well, the day is officially over, but of course, I am still thankful. Here is a picture of our table all ready for our guests. We had 12 all together, plus a 2 and 1/2 month old baby with us (hubby's great nephew). And, all 12 of us fit around our table that is made to sit 8! And, I do thank the Lord for a wonderful day with family.
Other thanks from the week:

• Putting in many extra hours of work this week. I usually only work one day a week. This week, I am working 5 days, close to 48 hours! Yesterday was the longest day, at 12 hours! I will be grateful when today is done and I am finished with my long week, and thankful that I am only working 8 hours today.
  
• Having time to visit with hubby's niece, her husband, and precious little son.
• Having hubby spend time vacuuming and cleaning the carpet. Three cheers for hubby.
• Having rain one day this past week, with more rain in the forecast. God is good.
• Listening to Christmas music, and rejoicing in the birth of my Saviour.
• Enjoying a bonfire at my son's home the other night.
• Coming up with over 100 things on my Thankful list for this past year. God is good.
• Only working 2 days this next week.
  

Anticipating Pleasures to come...

The mouthwatering aromas of blueberry pie and pumpkin pie wafted through our abode today.

We are joyfully anticipating the devouring of these
two pies, plus several more (ie 6 more) which will make
their way to our home in 2 days. Lots of Pies!

Drop in for a piece!

Thanksgiving

Heading into the week of Thanksgiving finds me thankful for many things. As I reflect back to the first of the year, remembering the needs that I was then crying out to God to provide answers for, I am amazed at the ways He has answered. Some of the answers I have not enjoyed, some are not the answers I was looking for. Some of the answers go way beyond what I even had in mind when I was making the request. But the one constant thread weaving through the year, is the indisputable fact that my Heavenly Father is Good, He is in Control, and that He does everything just right.
My "list" for this Thanksgiving is now up to 50 things, and I am trusting to make it to 100 before Thursday. It really does help to right down specifics!
Thankfuls from this past week:

• Being able to grill chicken outside in November...in bare feet...yes, I love Georgia in the fall!
• Once again being grateful for my job, and that it is usually only one day a week, and that the occasional extra days help with extra things...like Christmas gifts! And things for grandsons... And pictures on the walls....
  
• Looking forward to working 5 days this next week.
• Anticipating a wonderful family Thanksgiving at our home.
• Grocery shopping with hubby.
  
• Enjoying shopping for Christmas gifts. Yes, it is early, but if I don't start early I won't get it done!
  
• Finally having pictures on our walls! What an incredible blessing that is! And, what fun to look at pictures of places where we have been and enjoying the memories...Boothbay Harbor in Maine, Mount Rushmore, San Fransisco, Tybee Island...
  

Of fall colors and pictures and meadowlarks and things....

Yes, we do have fall colors here in Georgia. We have gotten much blessing from enjoying the trees here in our neighborhood this year. I love the color of this leaf....


And, I love the color of our front yard tree.

And, as usual at the end of another week, my heart is filled with thankfuls for so many blessings that He has brought into this week. PTL for:

• Meadowlarks in our yard again. It has been several weeks since we have seem them, and what a delight it was on Thursday to look out and see several in the back yard, enjoying the bugs or whatever it was that they were finding to eat. They are such beautiful birds.
• Having new pictures on our walls. Around 25 years ago hubby took quite a few slides, some of which he has always had a dream of printing and framing. Well, this week that dream has become a reality. We have 14 of his pictures printed/enlarged, and are in the process of getting them into frames and onto our walls. Yeah! For those of you who have seen our long bare living room/dining room wall, you will rejoice with us that we are actually getting some pictures up.
• A much less stressful day at work this past Thursday. We actually left at 10 that night! What a good answer to prayer, as the last several weeks we have been extra busy, so it was a blessing to have a quieter evening.
• Eclairs. Creme filled, chocolate frosted ones. Yummy.
• Enjoying the baby shower for my daughter in law last Sunday night. My daughter did a lovely job organizing it and great fun was had by all.
  
• Enjoying the time change party we had at hubby's cousins home last weekend. Great fun, yummy food and good fellowship.
  

Of Trains and work and things

Another week has gone by and I am very thankful for all the blessings of the week.
PTL for:

• A new purse with a nice long shoulder strap. I got tired of my old purse constantly slipping off my shoulder while I was wending my way around all the aisles of stores.
• Two days of work this week. Long ones....Wednesday 7-5:15, and Thursday noon until 11:15 PM. (plus Thursday doing some extra training for awhile before I even went to work. And, yes, I was tired that night!) And, I do meet some very "interesting" people. Hippa laws forbid me going into all the details. Sigh.
• The lovely sound of trains going by. We can't see them go by from our home, but it is so delightful to listen to them. I do like hearing them! Makes me want to take another train ride.
• Going out to breakfast with hubby yesterday morning.
  
• Enjoying the Psalms.
  

Of new tables and rain and things.

We are enjoying this new table in our living room. PTL for new furniture.... and all the adventures involved in procuring it! And, yes, I know, we need a picture on the wall, but that will come eventually. Other thankfuls for the week include:

• Ladies fellowship time at our Wednesday evening Bible Study.
  
• Enjoying Baklava. So yummy.
• Answers to some specific prayers.
• Scented candles.
• A successful, less busy day at work this week.
• Some wonderful rain...several days of wonderful rain. What a blessing!
• A nice sunny Sabbath day today.
• Having fun shopping with hubby.
• Enjoying hubby's breakfast burritos that he made for dinner one evening this week.
• Having waffles with wonderful toppings at our fellowship lunch at church last Sunday.
  
• Knowing that my loving Heavenly Father is in control.
  

Of roses and rain and things

Here is one more rose picture. And, again, it was taken the morning of the day we headed North. I am so thankful the Lord gave us roses to enjoy!

Other thankfuls of the week:

• Rain! I do enjoy sunshine, but going without much rain for months and months, one does tend to enjoy the sight and sound of rain.
• Going out to breakfast with hubby yesterday.
• Having hubby cook meatloaf for dinner last evening. (which means yours truly did not have to do any meals yesterday. Yes!)
  
• Surviving a VERY busy 11 hour work day on Thursday.
  
• Marveling in the incredible grace and love of my Savior, Redeemer and Friend.
• The house next to us is no longer in the empty state it has been for the last year. New neighbors moved in yesterday.
• Getting ideas for Christmas gifts, and actually starting to buy some. Yes, it is early, I know, but I do not like to wait until the last minute!

Rejoicing in this day that He has made for me.

"This is the day the Lord has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it."- this is one of my favorite verses from Psalms, and I certainly choose to be rejoicing in this day that the Lord has given to me. I have so much to be thankful for, and reasons to rejoice. These roses are a couple of the things I am so thankful for! What a joy and delight it is to pick fresh roses, to enjoy having them in vases around the house. These pictures were taken early one morning while the dew was still on them.
Other reasons for joy:

• Sunshine.
• Sitting outside yesterday while I ate my lunch.
• Time at the library yesterday.
  
• Shopping with my daughter this week. We explored two new stores that opened in town and that was great fun.
• Listening to music on my iPod while I clean, or play computer games, etc. What an blessing good music is.
• Having some nice fall scented candles to burn.
  
• Knowing that my heavenly Father is holding my hand, and I have no need to fear. What peace comes from trusting in Him.
• Chocolate flavored coffee beans, and chocolate creamer. Mmmmm.....
• Having hubby fix his yummy burritos last evening for dinner.
  

Home from our latest adventures...

Well, here we are back home again. I have a huge list of thankfuls. God is so good. My thankfuls include the following:

• Safety in traveling over 3000 miles.
• Enjoying the scenery in New England once again.
• Watching Max as he shows his appreciation for having us home. He stays very close!
• Making it through my day of work yesterday, the day after we got home. They seemed thankful to have me back!
• Continued healing for my elbow. It came into contact with the pavement of the parking lot at the Wal-Mart in Keene last Monday. The color it is showing is still very interesting, but, I can at least still keep functioning in spite of some limitations due to discomfort.
• Some much needed rain this week. Due to the drought here we can no longer do any outside watering, so I am thankful that the Lord is watering our roses for us.
• Enjoying being in our comfy home again, and glad to be settling into our routine again. Nice to be home!
  

Of fall foliage, trips and things

We are heading back south after a marvelous few days in New Hampshire, with a day to Maine thrown in. This picture shows a little of the color we saw. Doesn't seem as vibrant as other years, but we did enjoy what we saw.

I am late with my thankfuls this week...no good wireless access!

So, my thankfuls include but are not limited to the following:

• A generous gift from Brenda on Sunday. ;-)
• Spending time with my mother, and at lunch one day watching her enjoy every bite of her lobster roll.
• Finding out that the reason my car wouldn't start last Thursday was just a loose wire, not something serious.
• The quick response from AAA.
• Spending time with the children of my niece Jill, on Saturday evening.
• Protection traveling.
• Time with our precious Aunt Glady, and celebrating the life of Uncle Al.
• Visiting with friends, and lots of hugs.
• Appreciating all the work that went into preparing meals for us while attending the convention.
• Seeing all the improvements at Fairwood!
  

More Thankfuls.....

I am thankful that....

• I have started packing in anticipation of our trip North.
• I do not have to go to work again until October 5th.
• I have an abundance of fresh roses in vases around my house. Thank you Father, for this beauty.
• I will be able to spend some time with my mother soon.
• the Lord created hummingbirds. They are a constant source of pleasure.
• we are enjoying some cooler weather.
• we had chocolate flavored coffee this morning.
• my Heavenly Father loves me.

Of bugs and things.....

I noticed this spider on the rose bushes...he seems to be enjoying his lunch.

Of rain drops and roses....

This week we had a couple of days of lovely rain. Yesterday morning I spent some time enjoying the rain drops on the roses. The Lord is so good to give us beautiful things. And, in the middle of my busy work days it was a delight to take some time taking pictures. Thought I might share some of them.

You Know.....

You know that it is time to replace the plug in usable telephone/ answering machine(unusable) that resides on the night stand right by your bed, (hence right by your ear), when at midnight it very loudly, clearly and for no apparent earthly reason, announces the time, day and date.

This is not a good way to wake up. Trust me.

Two Milestones

This week our family experienced two events.
On Monday hubby's beloved Uncle Al went to be with Jesus. He has been in ill health for several years, so we are grateful that he has been set free from his earthly tent, and that he is now in heaven with his Lord. But, we will miss him.
I have been doing a great deal of reminiscing this week. Looking at pictures and remembering all the good times. Uncle Al made delicious waffles! And, he loved to work in the yard. We so enjoyed his oranges, his grapes, his roses, his hot peppers..at least I enjoyed the hot peppers!
I am thankful for all the holidays, vacations, visits, and wonderful family times that we were able to spend with him and Aunt Glady. Trips to Ice House, Loon Lake, going out on his boat, picnics...and the list could go on. So many good memories.
And, when hubby and his father went to visit Uncle Al in July, they called me, and with a little prompting I was able to hear Uncle Al say to me one more time "Hi Ellie".
We will miss you Uncle, but so thankful that you have successfully completed your mission on earth.
Then on Tuesday hubby's only niece and her husband welcomed the arrival of their firstborn son, Matthew. What a joy to welcome a new life to our family. And it is a joy to know he will be taught to know and love Jesus. Welcome Matthew!
Two events...beginnings and endings...the seasons of life continue.

Sure signs of approaching fall

Yes, fall is approaching. Sure signs of that upcoming reality:

• Outside temps are finally falling. Yes, it has cooled down to the 80's now.
  
• Fall decorations are now seen in the stores.
• Christmas things are in the stores. What??? Yes, indeed. Sigh. That is too early, even for me, the person that would start decorating mid-November except for hubby's rule...no Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving.

And, thanks be to the Lord for His blessings of the past week:

• Rain! Lots of wonderful rain. I love the sound of rain falling on the roof our home.
• Going on a "date" with hubby.
• Having hubby feeling back to normal after his tooth removal of a week ago.
• Taking myself out one day and enjoying an orange mocha frappachino. I enjoyed every drop of that delicious beverage.
• Roses. Yes, I know, I say that a lot. But, the fact is, I really am so glad my heavenly Father created roses.
  
• The care and support and prayers of my co-workers as they inquired about my mother and how she is doing.
  
• The willingness of friends to spend some time with my mother and let us know how she is doing every day.
• Music ....and my handy dandy little portable "thing" that lets me listen as I wander around the house or out to the mailbox or out working on the roses etc.
  

Hummingbirds

Okay, I tried again DJ, and here are the results from this mornings attempts, with screen in place. There were three of them doing acrobatic maneuvers all over the yard and occasionally one would stop for refreshment.

Of Rain, Dentists and Stuff

Well, another week has gone by, I am enjoying the blessings of a Sabbath, and His many blessings of this past week. I am thankful for:

• The lovely rain we had last night. I love the sound of rain.
• Hubby finally got to a dentist this week. He and his troublesome tooth parted ways yesterday, so today he is basically horizontal as he recovers from the process. He is taking nourishment in the form of yogurt, and scrambled eggs and the like.
• The course I needed to take for work on Thursday that I thought was going to take 2 hours only took 1/2 an hour - what a nice surprise. And, an added bonus, we were able to visit with my favorite son and his wife before it was time for hubby to drop me off at work.
• The joy of ladies fellowship. We had our monthly women's Bible Study this week, and enjoyed the benefits of digging into His word, and spending time together.
• The convenience of being able to renew books on line that we have checked out from the library.
• Enjoying our roses.
• Having an unexpected gift of a box of chocolates. Yum.
• Knowing that the Lord has my mother in His Hands. And very thankful that Bob and Joy were able to spend some good time with her this week.
• The joy of watching hummingbirds. I never get tired of watching those wonderful little birds fly around, drink from the feeder, try to get nectar from the roses, etc.
  

Baby clothes, Power outages and Other stuff.

Things that have made me happy and thankful this week:

• Shopping for baby clothes for little boys. It was such a delight to find out this week that my little grandbaby is a boy...I had to run out to the local outlet mall, and do the typical Grandma thing. Great fun. And the fact that some of the clearance clothes were marked down even more made it all that more fun.
• We had a "short" power outage this week of over an hour and a half. Made me so thankful for electricity, and the benefits of A/C. And, it also made me realize that my heavenly Father can still take care of me, even if for some reason there is a much longer power outage.
• Having a date night with hubby last evening...and having the leftovers for breakfast this morning. Yum.
• Only having to work one day this week. What a blessing. Course with an upcoming trip north next month I can use some extra hours, but they no doubt will crop up between now and then.
• Meditating on parts of Psalm 16.
• Becoming a night owl. Being the morning person that I am it sure seems strange to be wide awake and alert at midnight.
  
• Having assurance from the Lord that He does not leave us alone, but is with us. And, that He is indeed with my mother at this stage of her life and will carry her safely through all her days.
  

Thankfuls for This Week

I am thankful for:

• Hubby arriving home safely from his 7000 mile journey.
• Watching 3 hummingbirds enjoying the feeder this morning. Well, actually one was feeding, the other 2 wanted to, but the first one didn't want to share.
• Not working yesterday but still getting paid for 2 1/4 hours of work. Thanks to a staff meeting, an interview, and doing an online course at home. Nice.
• Discovering Facebook.
• Air Conditioning.
• Drinking coffee from a mug from Penny's Diner, in Alpine, Texas.
• Having hubby home to talk with. Talking with Max for 4 weeks made for very one-sided conversations.
• Fresh roses to enjoy.
• Having Stampin' Up supplies to enjoy.
• Fresh insights from God's Word. I am so thankful for the treasures to be found. Especially enjoying the Psalms right now.

Yes, it is hot today.

Yes, it is officially hot today. This temp is in the shade, on the north side of the house a few minutes ago, at 3:55 PM
The humidity is what is inside. I am not sure what it is outside, but I do know it is way over 48%.
PTL for A/C.

I am Happy because....

Things that are making me happy today:

• Knowing that hubby will be home in a couple of days.
• Enjoying a bouquet of roses from our back yard.
• Seeing hummingbirds flying around and enjoying the feeder right outside my kitchen window.
• Only having to work one day this past week.
• Air Conditioning.
• Knowing that my loving Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers-in His own perfect timing and way.
• My Bible and the riches there are to be found.
  
• Having cell phones and being able to talk with hubby several times a day, even while he is off having his adventure.
  
  

Of houses and birds and things

Things I am thankful for this week:

• Watching the progress of the house being built on the empty lot in back of us. Not much to see at the moment, but it is fun to look out and see what they are doing each day.
• The variety of birds at our feeders. I am so grateful for the variety of birds and their beauty. Cardinals and Chipping Sparrows and Hummingbirds and House Finches and Mourning Doves etc. God is so good.
• Continued safety for hubby and his father on their western adventure. They are still in California but expect to be heading east in a couple of days.
• Cell phones...so I can keep in touch with the adventurers.
• Having an extra 5 hours of work added to my already full week of work. Sigh. At least I wasn't bored this week.
• Delighting in Psalm 119 with a precious group of ladies at our monthly Women's Bible Study.
• Enjoying Chinese food while hubby is away!
• My son. Happy Birthday Brad.
  

A surprise visitor

I was very delighted this morning to have a surprise visitor at our bird feeder... a beautiful male Cardinal.

We have seen them since moving south, but so far none had found our feeder, which is not a big surprise as there are not many trees around, and places for them to hide.

I got great encouragement from this gift that the Lord sent to me. What a special way to start my day! It brought a much needed boost to my spirits.

Thank the Lord for His encouraging gifts.

Of Adventures, Albums, and Activities

I am thankful for:

1. The current adventures of hubby and his father. They are in the middle of a several week long trek across the country and back so that his father can visit with friends and relatives in California. The Lord is blessing the trip, arranging things for them, and keeping them safe. They are currently in Oakley, California!
   
2. Peace for me while number 1 is happening.
3. The joy of scrapbooking. My current album project is focusing on the 10 day trip my mother, hubby and I took to Washington State in 1999 for the wedding of my niece Jill to her Evan. What fun it is to see the pictures again, remembering all that we packed into those 10 days. I am thankful for pictures.
4. Being able to enjoy the fun of having weird meals at weird times. Corn dogs make a good brunch.
5. Learning to appreciate quiet times of talking with the Lord.
6. Lovely heavy rain yesterday What a delight to watch it come down.
7. Some really strange conversations with our cat. ( Very one sided conversations I will admit, but I do need to talk with somebody occasionally!)
   

Milestones

This week I am passing an important milestone...one year at my job. I am so thankful for the Lord's help through these past 12 months. It is very evident that this job was His choice for me. I would never have chosen it for myself! It has stretched me, challenged me, taught me. And, I am thankful for the flexibility of the hours. It has been just what I needed, and He knew that ahead of time.
I have a steady one day a week time slot which I really enjoy. And, since I fill in for 5 ladies I never know when I will get called in to do extra hours. Between vacations, sick days, and family emergencies I have put in some extra days in the last couple of months, and that has been a blessing.
And, it helps that my review on Thursday went well, and I get a raise! Raises are good.
God is Good, and He is Faithful.
And, on a side note....I am going to be a Grandma. That is another important milestone! Wow! The Lord is indeed Good.

PTL for His Blessings

Once again my heart is full of thankfulness for blessings:

• A lovely time of fellowship and feasting on the Fourth with friends and family.
  
• Telephone calls with my mother. She does not always hear the phone, and does not always hear me when I call, so I am grateful for the times I do get through and actually talk with her.
• 33 years ago tomorrow I met a wonderful person. Our daughter Penny. Happy Birthday a day early. You are a special lady and a good friend.
  
• Shopping with hubby.
• Really enjoying Psalm 119.
• Only having to work one day this week. Wonderful! And it was a nice quiet day which is an added bonus.
  
• Good music.
• Hubby being able to spend time with his father.
• Rain. We had two really good storms last weekend. What a delight to see all that rain.
  

You know....

You know you are in a Severe Thunder Storm when some of the pictures on your walls fall to the floor.

Things that make me happy today...

• Ceiling fans.
• Finding out that one of my favorite magazines is making a comeback!
• More work hours this week. I ended up working three days instead of one.
• Enjoying the sight and sounds all the bees in the Crepe Myrtle this morning.
  
• Spending time studying Psalm 119.
• Trying out a new restaurant with hubby.
• A lovely new fake ivy plant for our mantel. Not enough light for a real one, but the fake one is fine with me.
• Having hubby do the vacuuming. That is a blessing!
• Flavored coffee beans...Caramel Creme this week.
• Going "the extra mile" for someone at work yesterday, and having them express appreciation.
• My blue and white flowered china mug. And the memories of when I found it in Victoria, BC.
  
• Enjoying our women's monthly Bible Study and fellowship time this week.
  
• Seeing the unexpected ways the Lord uses to meet all of our needs.
• The pleasure of hearing the sounds of trains going by in the distance.
  

Things I am Thankful For Today

Pink Crepe Myrtle.
Fresh picked roses.
Pastries from the local grocery store.
Time with Hubby.
Bringing needs to my Heavenly Father and
Knowing
that He hears, cares, and meets those needs.
Books that make me laugh.
Figuring out, with my daughter's help, how to
download ringtones to my cell phone.

Thankful

Another week of blessings from my Heavenly Father. He is indeed Good. I am grateful for:

• A new CD player for our car. What a blessing to be able to listen to relaxing music on the way home from work after 10 at night.
• Sensing the Lord's special help at work yesterday. Very long, hard, busy day, yet I was so conscious of His help, peace and joy in difficult circumstances.
• Only having to work 3 days this week. And, very grateful that I usually only work one. I can put up with some extra days, knowing it is not permanent.
• Going out to breakfast with hubby.
• A special verse from the Lord that has carried me through this week. What a blessing that the Lord knows ahead of time what we need, and prepares our hearts for it.
  
• Roses.
  
• Hot, humid days. I like the south.
• Being able to upgrade my cell phone- I now have the flip phone style which is a great blessing. No more finding out that I forgot to lock my phone which resulted in the phone doing things I did not want it to do. Which usually involved spending some money. I can even take pictures of my roses and use them for the wallpaper. Fun.
• My mother's delight in a visit from her little great- grandson Jack. He sure made her day. Course he brought is mother with him, which also helped.
  

Happy Anniversary to us.

34 years ago today hubby and I got married. Wow. Where has the time gone. I am so grateful for all the seasons of life we have traveled together, and for the Lord's help through the storms, and for the many blessings He has brought into our lives. And, for bringing us together in the first place.
And, my heart is full of praise for blessings from this past week:

• Once again having the painting team of Katie and Penny and their able assistants work their magic in our home. Now our living and dining room are a lovely pale green. Such a delight! They did a great job. And, it was a huge job to tackle. Thank you!
• Having the Lord's help at work. I realized that out of the last 10 days, I have worked 8, for a total of 60 hours. And, four of those days I only worked 5 hours. Made for some long days.
• Going out to eat at a new place last night...hubby got chicken, I got salmon, and it was wonderful. I even got dessert. Fried cheesecake-cubes of cheesecake, dipped in crushed granola, flash fried, and served in a goblet with strawberry sauce and whipped cream. That was so good.
• Enjoying several rain storms this week. We had a severe thunderstorm one evening that was so incredibly beautiful to watch. Lots of sheet lightning, heavy winds etc. I was thankful I was safe inside my house and didn't have to be out in it.
• Once again the Lord has protected my mother. She fell again yesterday afternoon, but only sprained her ankle. Could have been much worse. She did end up going to the hospital for x-rays, but they found no broken bones so I am very grateful.

Life with God is indeed good.

Of Hawks, Swallows, and 12 hour work days...

I am thankful that I don't work 12 hour days very often. I did yesterday. I was filling in for a co-worker who had a family emergency, and was glad to help her out. Even so, I prayed that the day would be an easy one. I am very thankful that it was a quiet, basically uneventful day. Except for the one hour when we had a little excitement. Suffice it to say that there was an ambulance and 2 police cars outside our building for awhile.
Other thankfuls:

• Being outside at just the right moment one evening last week so that I could watch a flock of swallows dive bomb a hawk. This poor, defenseless big hawk was huddled on a fence trying to protect himself from an attacking army of tiny birds. He finally flew away trying to escape but the whole flock followed continuing the attack. Was interesting to watch!
  
• Enjoying our roses.
• Warm weather...um, maybe hot would be a better word to describe it.
• Being one of the Redeemed. I am so grateful for the Lord's mercy and love and forgiveness.
  
• A wonderful series at Church about the faithful work of the dear Holy Spirit. What a blessing and encouragement these lessons have been.
  
• A few rain showers this week.
  
• Protection driving home after 10 at night. Not something I enjoy doing, and I did it twice last week.

A Thankful Heart

Once again, at the end of another week, I am thankful for many things.

• The beauty of our Double Delight rose. I am enjoying the one I picked a couple of days ago.
• The aliveness of God's Word. I am so thankful for the Bible. I started reading another version this week for a change of pace, and it is refreshing to read from a page not all marked up, and to find new insights and blessings from the Lord. (and this new Bible has black text, and Purple notes/headers/etc.-very pleasing to the eye.)
• Being treated to lunch at the office where I filled in Wednesday morning.
• A new floor lamp in our living room.
• Having an overcast day today so that I have an excuse to burn candles. (Not that I need an excuse)
• My craft area where I can leave my current Scrapbooking project out and ready to work on when I have the time/inclination.
• White Chocolate Raspberry Creamer for my coffee.
• Having enough birds at our feeder so that I have to refill it every day.
  
• Having waffles for dinner thanks to hubby.

Sitemeter

Those of my faithful readers who are very observant will have noticed that for the last week or so, my blog has not had sitemeter up and running. When I made some changes on my blog last week, I somehow lost my trusty little counter. Checking out this device lets me know that people do actually read my blog, even if they don't comment.
Well, I really wanted to have it back on my blog, but had no idea how to do that. I thought I would have to ask the advice of my brilliant son.
But, lo and behold, with lots of going back and forth between blogger and sitemeter, (drum roll please) I actually figured out how to do it all by myself! (insert applause here.) Course I had to start a new counter, but that is OK. Now I will know how many people have visited since I set up the new sitemeter.
So satisfying to figure out something new!
You can rejoice with those who rejoice.

Sunny days, grilled chicken and comfy shoes...

My heart is full of things I am thankful for:

• Lovely warm sunny days. Yes, we really need rain, and I trust it will come soon, but meanwhile I am enjoying the sun.
• I like grilling chicken! I like eating grilled chicken. I really enjoyed being outside last evening, using my grill, and having us enjoy the results for dinner. And, grilling extra so we can have grilled chicken quesadilla's for dinner tonight. Yum.
• I realized yesterday that I had not noticed sore feet at all on Thursday, my long work day. How thankful I am that the Lord prompted me to get new shoes for work, and had me go to a shoe store I would not normally go to. Those shoes are such a blessing.
• Hubby's delicious meal that he cooked this week. His version of chili...hot dog chili! Very unique and one meal I hope he does again.
• Good laughter at work this week. I am so thankful for the co-workers that the Lord has given to me.
• Enjoying playing "tag", and learning all sorts of random facts about my friends.
• Delighting in the antics of our mocking bird family.
• Treasuring the beauty of hummingbirds. What a joy it is to see those tiny creatures. I am thankful that the Lord gave us hummingbirds.
• Knowing that I can trust God...He is so faithful and trustworthy.
• Enjoying ladies fellowship this week at our monthly women's Bible Study.

Thank you Father for your many blessings.

Tagged

Thanks to the kindness of my daughter, I have been tagged. Here are the rules. I am to share seven random things/facts about myself and tag seven other people, listing them on my blog, and leaving comments on their blogs to let them know they have been tagged.

1. I worked 4 hours this morning, all tucked away quietly in a nice private office. Lovely.

2. I just bought a new plant today, planted it in a fresh pot, and it is now residing on my mantel.

3. I have been 1n 48 states.

4. I learned to spell Massachusetts when I was in 6th grade.

5. My grandmother was blind.

6. My father was born in Jerusalem.

7. I love the color purple.

I now tag Kimberly, Kim K, Mary A, Elaine, Fritha, Brandon, and Rachel A

And, I echo Penny's disclaimer...if you really don't like to do these things that is OK...I will still like you.

Thankful for ....

I am so thankful that the Lord gives us the ability to enjoy things...especially His incredible creation. I have been getting such joy watching birds this week. Those tiny little hummers...this morning one was just sitting on the feeder for the longest time and I got so much blessing just taking time to watch him.
And, our little mockingbird family...we found out there are actually 3 babies, not 2. I feel quite honored that the mama feels safe enough in our back yard that she is bringing her family to enjoy it. She is acting like a typical frazzled overworked mother as she tries to watch them, feed them suet, catch worms for them, and in general training them in the way they should go.
And then there are the house finches, the gold finches, the meadowlarks, the red-winged blackbirds...what joy there is in seeing these all these birds. He is indeed Good.
Other thankfuls:

• Successfully doing nearly 30 hours of work this week, in 3 days. The Lord really helped and answered prayer as Wednesday looked big to me. I worked until 10 PM both Monday and Tuesday, and then needed to be at work by 8:30 AM on Wednesday. I prayed, He heard and answered, and really blessed the day for me so that it went much better than it could have.
  
• Finding some neat candlesticks for our mantel, painting them, and now enjoying the look, and enjoying the candles burning for awhile this morning.
• Lovely weather...not too hot or humid this past week. Perfect weather for being outside.
• Using my new grass clippers. It was actually fun to get out and do some trimming that needed to be done.
  
• Enjoying our healthy looking rose bushes. I am thankful the Lord created roses! We are still learning how to take care of them in a different climate but it is sure a fun project to be working on. Worth all the effort.
• Finding chocolate creme horns on sale at the store this week. I didn't even know they had the chocolate ones!
  
• Continually being reminded that I can indeed trust my Heavenly Father. I don't have to understand, or like what is going on, but I can trust Him. I am safe in the shelter of His wings, and He is lovingly watching out for - and meeting - my every need.
  

Things that make me happy...

l. Watching hummingbirds at our feeder. And finding out that this feeder is by far the easiest one to clean that I have ever had.

2. Watching a Mama Mockingbird and her two half grown children enjoying life right outside our kitchen window. And having the fun of seeing her feeding them suet. This is one of the children.

3. Spending time today shopping with hubby.

4. Living where we can hear trains, and see them fairly often.

5. "Warm Spiced Apple" scented candles.

Things to be Thankful for...

• Enjoying an inner chuckle when someone asked me this week if New Hampshire was up there near Maryland.
• Three days of work this week.
• Being tired. That means I had things to do, and was busy, and now it is OK to be tired and to have a lovely chance to rest.
• Getting new shoes for work. I figured that coming home from work with very sore feet, and having them ache for a good part of the night afterwards was just the way things were. Then, I got new shoes. Expensive new shoes. Comfortable new shoes. My goodness. What a difference. Thank you Lord for Merrill shoes.
• Coming home from work on Wednesday to discover that hubby and Penny had hung my new mirror over the fireplace. I will have to confess it took me awhile to notice it, but what a fun surprise.
• Agreeing to work for a few hours at another facility for the company I work for. I do not do well in new circumstances, but this place is between receptionists, and the manager was feeling overwhelmed. So, as a favor to my boss I agreed to do it. And, I ended up doing computer work in a nice quiet office by myself, and it was wonderful. Thank you Lord for helping me to step out and do something out of my comfort zone. (Again)
• Having hubby pick me up at work the last two nights and being willing to wait as we closed late both nights. And the nice conversations we had on the way home sharing our days experiences.
• Hubby fixing dinner for me on Wednesday....by taking me out to eat.
• Knowing that the Lord hears our cries and that He answers. I am so grateful for the answers He has brought this past week.
  

Of Pelican's and Gardenia's

We met this interesting resident during our recent visit to Tybee Island. Pelican's are sure interesting creatures.
Thankfuls for this week:

• A multitude of blossoms on my gardenia plant. What fun to live where I can have one in my yard.
• Working four days this week. Three days I only worked 9-2, and found I loved working those hours. Five hours a day somehow seems easier than 10. Hmmm.... But, the Lord gives energy for the 10 hour days as well.
  
• The joy of picking fresh roses to put around the house.
• Shopping with hubby two days this week.
• Really enjoying our purple kitchen. I catch myself giggling when I walk into that room now. Having color on walls is so much fun.
  
• My daughter's willingness to offer to paint rooms for us. Thanks again Penny.
• Appreciating the many ways the Lord shows His love and care.
  
• Rain.
• Chocolate Velvet flavored coffee.
• Warm sunshine.
  

Roses Again

Our roses are now blooming, and this gives you a little idea of what they look like now. It is such a delight to go pick fresh roses when I want to and to have vases of roses all around the house.

And, again, the picture does not do them justice...so, you must come to see them in person. Come on over, enjoy the roses with us.

From front to back, you are seeing Double Delight, Veteran's Honor, Gemini, Peace, Aromatherapy, and Blue Moon.

Of Purple Paint

Our kitchen is now two shades of purple. For my birthday my incredible, wonderful, talented daughter offered to paint some rooms in our home. This is the result of her efforts yesterday, along with the very capable assistance of Katie. What fun to actually have some color on our walls, and not plain generic white or off white. They did the kitchen and back hall, plus a little in the Master Bath. Thank you Penny and Katie!
And, for your info, the pictures do not do the colors justice. You really need to come and see it in person! So, come on and see it for yourself.

Savannah and Yard Sales

This past week hubby and I enjoyed a visit to Savannah. We stayed a couple of days,
and one of the spots we liked was this swing. We sat here for quite awhile, and relaxed as we looked out at the ocean. What a restful, peaceful spot.
So, number one on my Thankful List would be Savannah, and Tybee Island.

• What a blessing to have 3 days to relax, sit by the water, read, enjoy watching pelicans and sea gulls, and cormorants and enjoying the ocean.
• Enjoying yard sales yesterday, and finding a mirror for over our fireplace. That was an extra bonus from the Lord. It will be nice to have that bare spot finally filled.
• Having an abundance of fresh roses to pick, and more coming. What fun. At the moment I have a white one, a red one and a purple one in vases around the house.
• Enjoying Women's Bible Study Wednesday evening and being reminded that we serve a loving Father who is responsive to our heart cries. He does hear us when we call to Him.
• Enjoying another birthday and feeling loved, appreciated, and cared for. The Lord brought many extra blessings into the day for me and I am grateful.
  
• Getting an unexpected extra day of work on Wednesday and the neat way that the Lord arranged to take care of all the things I had planned to get done that day.
• Constant reminders that God Is Good, that He loves me, and that He cares for me.
  

Of roses and things

My thankfuls for this past week include this lovely rose. I missed seeing our first rose of the season bloom as I was up in the snowy, flooding north, but this was waiting for me when I got home. So lovely.
Other thankfuls for the last week or two:

• Learning that it is wise to listen when the Lord prompts you to weigh your suitcase before heading to the airport. That saves the embarrassment of having them tell you your suitcase is 5 pounds overweight after you get to the airport. (I ended up having to carry that extra 5 pounds around in my carry on stuff. Ugh)
• Enjoying warmer temps now that I am home.
• Grateful for the Lord's protection in the snow and flooding while I was north.
• Enjoying the CD player in my rental car last weekend. Kristi's first CD was a big blessing from the airport to Fairwood, and her second CD from Fairwood to the airport. The joy of music. (And "traveling with Kristi". Thanks Kristi for being such a good travel companion.)
  
• Having hubby go grocery shopping with me this week.
• Enjoying looking at all the pictures that I took last weekend. What a special group of ladies.
  
• Enjoying a lovely view from the plane of Washington DC. Was so neat to see the White House, the Washington monument, the museums, the capitol, and of course the train station.
• Knowing that my friend Dorothy is safely home with her Lord Jesus.
• Learning in more specific ways that I can indeed fully trust my Heavenly Father.
  

Home Again

I just spent a few days in lovely New England, visiting with my mother and attending a wonderful Women's Retreat. You will notice from the picture that I was able to have the pleasure of "enjoying" snow. Yes, this is what it looked like outside on Sunday afternoon.

Course by Monday morning it was all melted, and I just had to deal with rain...lots of rain....and more rain...which made for flooded roads. For awhile I wondered if I might be stuck for days at the nursing home where my mother lives. But, the Lord is faithful, and I did manage to find that the roads were passable, even if I did have to drive through water a couple of times and make a detour along the way. Made for something interesting to talk about anyway.

And, I am thankful that I can still trust the Lord...even when the weather is not perfect. He sent grace and peace and help so that I was able to accomplish all that I needed to while I was north. I was able to spend some good long hours with my mother, and to get refreshed and encouraged with all the good fellowship and meetings at the Retreat. So, the Lord's timing was perfect for the trip, even with the weather. I made it safely there, and safely home again. God is good.

Hummingbirds

Last year was our first summer here and for various reasons I did not put up a humming bird feeder. This year figured I would give it a try. So, for several weeks I have been faithfully putting fresh sugar water in my new feeder every few days and keeping it clean. I have enjoyed seeing it hang there outside the window...but so far no sightings.....until tonight.

We had just sat down to eat dinner and hubby announced "hummingbird". Sure enough! There he was, that wonderful tiny bundle of beauty gratefully drinking sweet water from his new found supply. Wow. My response was, "Thank You Father".

Then, as we continued to eat our dinner, we enjoyed some mocking birds, a pair of mourning doves (have you ever really looked at the incredible colors on those birds???), and of course a meadowlark. All right outside our window.

God is good...and I am so thankful that I can enjoy His incredible creation. And for the variety of birds he brings to our window.

Happy Easter

A glorious Easter to everyone. What a joy to celebrate His Resurrection...He is alive.

Once again Penny, Claire and I did eggs. For another picture, check out this.

We enjoyed a BBQ for dinner...yes, it is cold here in Georgia. I actually had to wear a sweater when I was out grilling. Sigh.

And, again, what joy comes from serving a risen Savior, Lord and Redeemer. Thank you Jesus.

He is Alive, and other blessings.

Thank you Father for the following blessings:

• I serve a risen Lord. He is alive. The tomb is empty. What joy to my soul.
• He hears and answers my heart cries to Him.
• He brings peace to my heart.
• A pair of mocking birds that are enjoying our feeder.
• Our lawn got mowed this week. Thanks Stephen....
• Hubby's meal last night of hamburg, corn and bean burritos. Come on over for dinner and he will fix them for you. They are yummy.
• An extra 5 hours of work this week.
• Things at work much quieter this week...I even got a lunch break part way through my 10 hour day on Thursday. Wow.
• Anticipating time with my mother next weekend.
• Having our needs met for another week. What a blessing that is.
• Having friends from the north pop in for visits last Sunday.
• Enjoying semi-retirement with hubby.
• Indulging in Krispy Kreme creme filled chocolate frosted donuts. Something I don't dare do too often. And, no, they are not fresh off the line, but it is amazing what 10 seconds in the microwave will do.
  

More Thankfuls....

Once again as I look back on my week, my heart is filled with "Thankfuls". My list includes:

• This tree that I saw at church last Sunday. I took several pics, and this one has been my wallpaper for the week. Such a joy to delight in His beautiful creation.
• Our Blue Moon rose bush has at least 29 buds on it. This is the second year for this bush, and I am waiting for them to burst open with color.. a lovely purple.
  
• Participating in Liane's photo week.
• Grilling chicken on Tuesday and having it come out so moist and tender. What fun.
• Enjoying hubby's dinner last night: chocolate chip, raisin, pecan, cinnamon pancakes. Yummy.
• Making it through an 11 and 1/2 hour work day on Thursday. It was my only day this week, but it sure was a long one. I had to go in early, and of course we had to stay late. Usually we leave at 10, and the last hour or two is nice and quiet. Not that night. I clocked out at 10:38. Sigh. But, the Lord is good, I am thankful for the job, and that He gives grace and energy to these "mature" bones.
• Making reservations to fly north in a couple of weeks to see my mother, and also fit in time at the Women's Retreat.
• Knowing that my Heavenly Father loves me, and hears my every heart cry.
  
• Finding out that the geranium I planted in my "Jan Garden" last spring did not die from the frost this winter as I had originally thought. I found some new leaves poking up out of the pine straw when I was watering on Wednesday. What a bright spot in my day.
  

Portrait of a Stranger

OK, here is my "stranger"...little Marq Alexzander Aldrich, born March 21. He was a week old in this picture when I met him for the first time. Bryan and Sarah are enjoying this newest member of their family.
I will admit it took a certain amount of creativity to come up with this challange for photo week..I had decided early on I was not even going to try, but then I met Marq!
And, many kudo's to Liane for instigating this whole thing...it has been so much fun to participate, and to see contributions from others. Thanks Liane.

Inside Looking Out

Max and I were both inside looking out yesterday, enjoying the view. I was delighted to see the Chipping Sparrow on the feeder as it was the first I had seen since we moved. The variety of birds here is not that many yet, so it is fun to add another one to the list.
Max probably had different reasons for enjoying the birds.
And, thanks to my son who explained to me how to tweak pictures on the computer and make it possible to publish them. Now I know.

Black and White

OK, here is my "black and white" offering. My digital camera does not take black and white, and I haven't yet figured out how to change one of my color pictures to black and white using programs on the computer...so, here is a black iron, a white bear, residing on my black kitchen table.
And, FYI...this is my 100 post!!!! Exciting.

Self Portrait

Self portrait that also shows another of my favorite corners.

I wasn't at all convinced that I would post today's topic. But, I decided to be brave.