In everything give thanks....

Giving thanks...I don't seem to run out of things to be thankful for...that is a blessing in itself. This week I am grateful for so many things:

• Finding my "lost" sunglasses! That is, SA found them when he cleaned out our car a week or so ago. I thought I had lost them on our trip north, and what a blessing to have them back again!
• Enjoying chocolate mint cappachino...with mini marshmallows.
• Being reminded that God is indeed my refuge. What a blessing it is to hide in Him, and be safe from the storms that swirl around and try to rob us of peace.
• Enjoying hubby's latest meal...wonderful bean soup cooked in the crock pot. It smelled so good when I got home from work yesterday! And, it tasted great as well!
• Shopping with hubby-twice this week.
• My work...and only having to work 2 days this week. What a blessing after the marathon of the week before!
• Knowing that God loves me.
• Reading blogs of friends.
• Enjoying my laptop from the comfort of my recliner.
• Christmas tea light holders.
• Christmas cards.
• Making cookies.
  

97

Today my mother turns 97. She is one amazing lady, and I want to honor her today.

• She is an example of cheerfulness in the face of adversity.
• She loves to share. Having goodies around to share to those who come in to visit, or to care for her is a delight to her.
• She loves people.
• She has always wanted me to do what the Lord wanted me to do, even if wasn't easy for her.

• She taught me to love handwork-making things with plastic canvas, knitting, crocheting etc.
• She taught me to love Jesus, and read countless Bible stories to us when we were growing up.
• She has a wonderful sense of humor.
  

Happy Birthday Mama

Giving Thanks

And, once again I come full of thanks. It has been a good week, and I have been busy. Isn't it nice to be busy!!! My thanks for the week include:

• Wearing my Christmas sweater when I did Christmas shopping, even if I had to have the a/c on in the car so I wouldn't be too warm.
• On Wednesday finishing up my stretch of working 7 days out of the previous 8. And, the one day off was Thanksgiving! Over 55 hours....PTL for His Grace and help through the process.
• My sister. Today she is celebrating a milestone birthday. I will not tell you which one it is out of deference to her, but you can probably figure it out. I appreciate her, enjoy her, and am very grateful for all the memories, and what an awesome sister and friend she has been and is. Love you Marge.
• Decorating our home for Christmas. What fun!
• Finding out that one of the perks of working evenings during the holiday season is enjoying the Christmas lights on the drive home. We have some neat displays in the neighborhood.
• Still enjoying the fact that somebody complained to my manager at work that her staff is too happy.
• Going out to dinner with hubby.
• Having books to read.
  

Too Happy...........

Yesterday was a typical busy morning at work. Let me amend that...a busier day than usual. Phones ringing, people standing in line at the counter waiting to be paid attention to, a man there training us on the "new" software update on the main computer program we use ( it was installed in August), and to top of this excitement, there were 3 men wandering in and out of the office testing the fire alarm system. The system main board is right above the copier that gets used constantly which resulted in a certain amount of having to sharing space that was at a premium. And, every few minutes the strobe lights would go off, the alarm sound etc, as they tested each and every alarm station in the building. (This testing went on for well over an hour.)

Anyway, we were dealing with all of this stress in our usual way, which often involves humor, cheerfulness, and a general upbeat attitude. That was when our manager cheerfully informed us that somebody had actually written to her complaining that her staff was too happy.

What????? Too happy????

I think that I am very thankful that I work in a place where somebody observes that we are happy. Says a lot about the group that I am working with. Again, I rejoice in the Lord's wisdom in placing me in that position.

Another Sabbath

Well, here it is another week. And, I am grateful for another Sabbath. Even though this will be a very different one for me. Working in the medical field means having to work occasional Saturdays. Injuries and illness do not take a day of rest.

Meanwhile my heart is still thankful for many things, some of which I will include here:

• Warm weather on Thanksgiving - we had windows open, ate crackers and cheese outside on the patio, and some of us tossed a football around for awhile, while the rest of us watched.
• Family and friends to enjoy Thanksgiving with.
• Our new Vacuum.
• Warm sunshine- such a blessing this time of year.
• The promise of Jesus return. What a glorious day that will be.
• The knowledge that He loves me, and cares for me.
  

Happy Thanksgiving

My heart is indeed full of thanks today. We have so many blessings, and reasons to be grateful. I have a long list which I will not post here, but I do want to go on record that I am indeed thankful.

Some of my list:

1. My family. I am rich. PTL for my wonderful hubby, my daughter and her hubby, and my son and his wife.
   
2. My salvation.
   
3. The aliveness of the Bible, His precious Word to me.
4. The joy of picking fresh pansies on Thanksgiving morning.
5. A Pampered Chef chopper...if you have one, you know what I mean. If you don't, you need one.
6. My mother.
   
7. My job. It is not what I would have picked out for myself, but the Lord knows better than I do what I needed, and he did indeed put me in just the place He wants me. And I am so grateful for my co-workers.
8. Chances to travel this year...to Florida...to New England.
9. The companionship of a friendly cat.
10. All of our needs met for another year. PTL
    

Vacuum Cleaner Update

For those of you anxiously wondering about the status of our unvacuumed floors, I am pleased to announce that the new vac arrived on schedule today, and our carpets have been duly vacuumed. We did have a scare when on Sunday...yes, that is correct, Sunday...I got an e-mail stating that there was going to be a delay, and it might not be coming until December 5th.

But, the delay didn't materialize, and now we have clean floors again. One of the many things on my Thanksgiving List!

Thanksgiving

Another week of Thankfuls. And, with Thanksgiving approaching I am indeed full of so much to be thankful for. God is Good! My thankfuls include:

• a cat that thinks the spray bottle is a game. To deter scratching of furniture we have a bottle that has water, vinegar, and hot sauce. This seemed to deter him for awhile. Now, when we sit in our chairs, he comes, looks at us, and if we don't spray, he will start scratching. We spray, he runs off, licks the liquid off, and returns for another dose.
  
• prospects of a new vacuum cleaner.
• making it through a very busy 10 1/4 hour work day on Thursday. "Dinner" consisted of a granola bar eaten on the fly, and a couple of cheese sandwich crackers.
  
• enjoying making Christmas cards.
  
• knowing that we can trust the Lord to meet our needs, both big and little. And, that He knows our needs better than we do, and that His timing is perfect in meeting those needs.
  
• time (and energy) to reorganize my pantry this week. And thankful that I have a pantry to reorganize.
  
• enjoying fall in the south.
• browsing the grocery store with hubby.
  

Of Vacuum Cleaners......

Vacuum Cleaners do not last forever. This fact is something I am sure I have been aware of in the past. It did come as quite a shock to me though last week when ours stopped working. Hubby had been merrily vacuuming away, and started to realize that nothing seemed to be happening- the dirt just stayed on the carpet and was not being sucked in as it should be. Sure enough, our faithful vac had suffered a fatal illness.

Sigh, we had "just bought" this new not that long ago...whoops- translate-over 15 years ago!!!! It has served us well for many years, and has been a great source of thankfulness. We had struggled with old, rebuilt, canister types, and being able to buy a new, dependable upright was a source of great delight and pleasure. It was purchased at the California State Fair in Sacramento, from a vendor whom I believe must have been delighted to convince us to part with our money. What he didn't know was that we were in the market for one, and had every intention of buying one that day. But, he did do a good sales job, and it lived up to the hype.

So now we were faced with finding a suitable replacement. Great fun. After doing some research on line, having my daughter do some research on line, looking at many local stores for their offerings, we have finally ordered a new one on line. With free shipping, no tax, and a $25 discount as well, it was much cheaper than buying locally. It will be arriving the day before Thanksgiving, if all goes as planned.

Now I am wondering that if it does not show up when it is scheduled, if my Thanksgiving guests will figure out that our carpets have not been cleaned in two weeks???? Just don't tell them, and maybe they won't notice.

Praises

It does not seem possible that another week has gone by...time sure flies by. My heart is full of praises for His goodness. I am so glad we can trust Him, even when things happen that we don't understand, or that don't make sense. He is in control.

I am thankful for:

• Stuffed French toast, with blueberry topping. This delight was enjoyed while eating breakfast at a local eatery, with our son and daughter-in-law, a treat in itself.
  
• Making plans for a family Thanksgiving...with lots of pies!
• Taking time this week to catch up on making cards. What a joy to have that outlet that satisfies my creative juices. And, that I have such a convenient space to work.
• My hubby, who fixed dinner for us on Monday. He does make very good "breakfast" burritoes, that are yummy for dinner.
• Working for over 16 hours this week. PTL that He does indeed supply our needs.
• Having temperatures in the 70's yesterday.
  
• Enjoying a nice time and good food during our monthly fellowship luncheon at church last Sunday. We have some good cooks!!!
• Knowing that God loves me.

Voting

Hmm....a first for me....voting electronically...long lines..large room...not knowing anybody...(except a friendly face who also works in our library..) Very interesting.

Not quite like the small town/paper ballot/everyone knows you/friendly atmosphere we have been used to!

But, the deed is done, my vote is on record.

Have you voted today?????

Yes, I am still thankful for yet another week.

Well, another week has come and gone. And, yes, I can still find lots to be thankful for. Sometimes it is too easy to concentrate on the hard things, and be all taken up with our own needs and concerns and the needs and concerns of those around us, and all that is happening in the world. But, there is such peace and refreshment that comes from taking time to think of His many blessings. So, here is my latest list of thankfuls.

• Hubby and I spending time over coffee one morning this week with a dear friend.
• Working over 25 hours this week...PTL
• Discovering that it is possible to work 10 hour days and survive.
• The beauty of a white rose, that has touches of pink on the leaves.
• The antics of our resident cat...
• Protection driving home from work after dark, in the rain.
• Knowing that my heavenly Father loves me, and that He does things just right. Even if I don't understand.
• Spending a rainy morning curled up with a book, a cat on the back of my chair, and a lovely candle burning.
• Hubby doing the vacuuming for me.
• The fun of shopping with my daughter, playing games with her and enjoying hot drinks together.

Praises for another week

It is a lovely sunny morning, I have a scented candle burning, and my heart is full of praise for my Lord, Who He is, and all He continues to do. I have so much to be thankful for:

• Shopping with my daughter this week and finding long sleeved polo shirts that I need for work. (starting in November we will be wearing "uniforms"- blue polo shirts and khaki skirts/slacks)
• Successfully making it through my 90 day probation period, and getting a good review.
• Picking pansies and enjoy the delicate beauty - what an awesome Creator we have.
• Going out to lunch with hubby.
• Having a cat that loves to curl up and sleep in laps.
• Knowing that God loves me, and wants me close to Him.
• Being able to have phone conversations with my mother. There was time last summer when this was not possible, so I am grateful that she is able to use the phone so that I can keep connected with her nearly every day.
• Friends.
• Fresh delights from His Word.
  

A First For Me

Today I did something I have never done before.

I ate Fried Green Tomatoes.

They were good.

Our Breakfast View

This was what we were looking at
as we ate breakfast yesterday morning.

What a glorious sunrise!

Happy Anniversary to us.

A year ago today we moved into our new home. Happy Anniversary to us.

Thankfuls for this week:

• I only worked 11 1/2 hours this week.
• We got a chance to meet Stan- B & C's newest addition- an 8 week old grey tiger kitten.
• Shopping with my daughter.
  
• Planting some flowers outside to enjoy through the winter.
• Enjoying phone conversations with my mother.
• The blessings of having a ladies Bible Study in my home- what a treasure to have lady friends and to be able to share riches from His Word.
• Finally figuring out how to get the old water filter out of the fridge, finding a new one, and now enjoying better tasting water again. (Thanks to the expertise of hubby)
• Still delighting in hearing trains go by- especially in the night. I am so glad I enjoy that sound!
• The pleasure of scented candles.
  
• Having books to read- and time to read them.
• Enjoying fall in Georgia.
  

To God Be The Glory

One year ago this coming week was a very interesting week for us.

• We arrived in Georgia.
• We signed the papers for our new home.
• We moved into our new home.

It was a very full, fun, challenging, interesting week for us- including traveling many miles with a cat in the car! I have been thinking back with a grateful heart, remembering all the incredible answers to prayer, and the way the Lord opened doors for us and made the week special for us. Including eating the first meal in our home. (Subway Sandwiches, in an empty house, but with our children here to enjoy it with us)
And, I am very thankful for all the incredible answers to prayer there have been in the past year since we moved in. He has provided for our every need, and blessed us.
Indeed---To God Be The Glory.

More Things to be Thankful For

Since I didn't have easy internet access last weekend, this list will cover two weeks of thankfuls. And, if I included everything, this would be a VERY long post. So, what you will get is just the highlights.

• The joy of spending time with my mother, some of it spent just sitting and crocheting, and not really doing much other than enjoying each other's company.
• Taking lunch in for her one day and watching her savor every bite!
• Finding lower gas prices, so that the cost of the gas was way less than we had figured.
• Visiting with friends- and the joy of having friends to visit with.
• Only working one day this week, and finding out that working until 10 in the evening is very interesting- easier than I thought it would be.
  
• My work schedule for the foreseeable future is part time- what a blessing that is.
• Meeting our daughter's new puppy- she is very cute.
• DSL
  
• Having a digital camera to use so I could take lots of pictures while we were away.
• Getting refreshed spiritually-having my soul fed and encouraged.
• Being able to do grocery shopping yesterday morning, and not having to do it in the evening after a full day of work.
• Dunkin Donuts latte's.
• Keeping in touch with family via cell phone.
• Max being very glad to have us back home again.
• Warm sunshine.
  
• My faithful Shepherd, and the continuing green pastures and still waters.

Fall Color

Pictures do not really do justice to the beautiful
colors of the leaves we saw on our trip, but I will at least post a couple. This picture on the right is just one sample of some of the yellows we saw in New Hampshre.















This picture on the left is some of the reds we saw as we drove down part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We enjoyed traveling down around 120 miles of the parkway- slow, scenic, and very restful. Was a lovely change of pace from the busy highways! Sometime it would be fun to travel the whole length but we are very grateful that we got to ride a portion of the way.

Safely Home Again

We are safely home after a trip of over 2577 miles. I will write more later, but for now, just thought I would post a picture of the price of gas that we found yesterday in North Carolina. In case you can't read the sign very well, we paid $1.79 a gallon! That was fun!

We are very thankful for the Lord's blessing and protection - more details will follow.