Wednesday Treasures and the Photo Challenge a day late

 

I am a day late, and most always always a dollar short! LOL.  I started writing this yesterday, and then we made a trip to Walmart, came home, had lunch, took a brief power nap, took hubby to the PCP for his pre-op appointment for the upcoming cataract surgery. We were blessed to be able to get in on such short notice, because the pre-op needs to be done no later than one week prior to the surgery, and his surgery is set for August 6th, which we only found out about on Tuesday! So, with a quick call to our PCP Tuesday afternoon, they had him in on Wednesday afternoon! One of the "perks" of small town living and having a doctor's office that always tries to take care of its patients in a timely manner.

So now it is Thursday morning, and I am in a bit of a rush this morning as well. We are having someone come over for lunch today, and I've been cleaning house and making preparations for that. I will share more about this special day in a later post, because it is something special that I hinted at last week.  So stay tuned!

Meanwhile, yesterday's Photo-a-day challenge was a "TREE".  So here is my favorite tree at the Kenwood Boat Ramp where we like to go take walks...

Psalm 1:1-3

"1 Blessed is the man

Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,

Nor stands in the path of sinners,

Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a tree

Planted by the rivers of water,

That brings forth its fruit in its season,

Whose leaf also shall not wither;

And whatever he does shall prosper."

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NKJV

7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,

And whose hope is the Lord.

8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,

Which spreads out its roots by the river,

And will not fear when heat comes;

But its leaf will be green

And will not be anxious in the year of drought,

Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

These are the trees around our "Still Waters Pond".  Even though the pond is still very dry, the trees continue to grow and flourish.  They have not "been anxious in the year of drought", and their leaves are still green.

Matthew 7:17-18: "So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit." 

This is the bottlebrush bush/tree that I planted several years ago, and it has grown beautifully this year in spite of the drought. The birds and bees and hummingbirds all love to come and delight in the nectar of the beautiful red flowers that have bloomed better this year than ever!

Here's a picture of that bush during one of the few rainstorms we had this past week:

Well, duty calls. I have a lot to get done before noon today, so I will leave this for now. I don't have a picture to share, but Blackie either brought in or one came in with him this morning, a little salamander type lizard. He chased it around the house for a few minutes until finally the lizard had to give up.  I shooed both Blackie and the poor lifeless lizard out the door, and that's where Blackie is staying for now. LOL. 

So with that I will bid your adieu.  Perhaps that picture could be my "Ordinary Moment" for today's photo challenge.  Although Blackie is anything but "ordinary"! LOL.  Have a blessed day everyone. 

Tuesday 4~Toiletries and Cosmetics, and The Photo A Day Challenge

 

Happy Tuesday!  Before we get into the subjects of the day, I wanted to share this picture from our ride up to the Eye Surgeon's appointments this morning. Hubby and I both had appointments to discuss whether or not we were ready for cataract surgery.  As it turns out, thankfully my doctor said I could still wait awhile and he doesn't need to see me again for a year, unless I develop more symptoms.  However, hubby is scheduled to have his right eye done the first week in August. He's already had the left eye done.  So we will be making that hour's trip again in August.   That picture is of where the Black Creek comes across from the St. John's River, and I always love to take a picture when we pass by there. As you can see, it was a beautiful morning, and we are thankful for a safe ride up and back. Also, we had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's after our appointment.  I especially wanted to go there to have their honey glazed salmon on a salad.  And since hubby had his eyes dilated and couldn't drive, I got to choose where to go! LOL.  It was so good!

Okay, let's get on with the program for today!

Toiletries and Cosmetics

Welcome to Tuesday 4 which was started by Toni Taddeo and kept up in memory and honor of her.
How about talking about cosmetics and toiletries this week?

Let's jump right in, shall we?

1. What brand of shampoo do you think works best for you and what does it do for you?

2. Do you use cosmetics and if so what do you use?

Here's my stash of cosmetics...Covergirl Clean Makeup, Avon Tawny Eyebrow pencil, Avon black wash off/waterproof mascara (although I rarely use it anymore), "Believe" Eye Shadow,  (bought at Dollar General), Avon Glimmer Lipstick, and Avon Glimmer Blush Stick. 

Oh, and Aveeno Fragrance Free Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion for my face and hands and anywhere else that needs it.

I also use some Beef Tallow Balm/Cream...These are locally created. I love the "Fat Mama's Tallow" Lavender Balm, but "Fat Mama" has stopped making it as they are not processing as much beef tallow as they once were. So I have just discovered this "Hippie Dippie Florida Beef Tallow Whipped Frankincense Cream" at the Deep Creek Trading Post.  I use these products primarily on my heels and toes and elbows, or other rough dry patches on my skin.   I would like to ask the Hippie Dippie people if they could make some with the Lavender scent instead of the Frankinsense, because I love lavender fragrance so much better. We shall see what develops.

3. Do you use a washcloth on your face?

Yes, I believe using a washcloth is very healthy for your skin, to help fully cleanse, exfoliate, open your pores and give your face a healthy glow. At least that's what my mama taught me, so that is what I do!

4. Do you have an all time favorite perfume or scent that you wear? If you don't wear perfumes, is there a scent that you love in general?  

I do NOT wear any kind of perfume as perfumes are just too strong for me and they give me a serious sick headache. I honestly don't know how people can stand to wear that stuff all the time! LOL.   But if they do, I much prefer that they don't give me any hugs because it literally makes me ill. I love hugs...just can't tolerate the strong scents, even in the same room. Sorry. Same with candles and air fresheners, and especially Bath and Body Works soaps, etc. They are WAY too strong for me!

However, I do love the lavender essential oil fragrance in my soap and lotions, as long as it isn't too strong. The bar of soap below is a Lavender scented Goats Milk Soap, and it is locally made. We used to sell this at our family owned Dixie Cottage store. The lady who makes it lives in Salt Springs, and she doesn't make it much anymore, but she will make up a batch for Rose and me and we buy a few month's supply at a time. She makes some other fragrances also, but lavender is my favorite. The Goats Milk Soap is so good for our skin. 

Now, let's move on to the July Photo a Day Challenge for today, shall we?  

Today's challenge (21), is "RED".  Well, I had to think about that because I don't have a lot of red in my house, but I remembered something special that I had tucked away for MANY years in a dresser drawer (about 58 years to be exact).

Yes, ladies, this is MY Letterman's Jacket from high school!  Our school colors were Red and White, and I lettered in Cheerleading:

Oh, this picture could have been for the day 19th Black and White photo challenge:

Yes, that's "me", from my senior yearbook. The cheerleading uniform is also red and white. We had to wear sweaters, which, as you can imagine, here in Florida could be quite 'warm" to say the least! Although we may have had a few chilly fall nights during our football season, after spending a couple of hours at a football game jumping up and down and cheering and doing our little cheer routines (NO GYMNASTICS back when I was a cheerleader, thank goodness! I would never have qualified for that! LOL) the sweaters could get quite hot and miserable! Especially in this very humid climate. But somehow we survived and we were very proud to wear our uniforms.  And I was very honored to be inducted into the "sacred" Letterman's Club, which was primarily made up of football, basketball, and baseball players, with the exception of the cheerleaders! I honestly don't remember that we ever did anything all that special, except for have a banquet at the end of the school year to hand out the awards to all of the athletes. But it was a fun time.  I sure couldn't do any of that cheerleading stuff today!!  My body just doesn't have the strength anymore for that kind of activity.

However, this is the kind of strength I do have..."The Joy of the Lord is My Strength"...Nehemiah 8:10

When we walk with the Lord, He gives us the strength to accomplish everything we need to do...and gives us the joy that the world can't take away!  

Praise the Lord!

Okay, That's All folks!

Have a blessed rest of your day!

Monday Monday and the July Photo Challenge

Happy Monday morning! Actually, this picture of the sunrise was taken yesterday morning, but I thought it would be a beautiful and colorful way to start this day!

Today's (20th) photo challenge is colorful. 

 How about these very colorful dishcloths? Yes, that is what they are...they are "Swedish Dishcloths", and they are made of cellulose and cotton, and are meant to be replacements for paper towels or cloth dishcloths.  

They are actually a lot like a flat thin sponge, and they are super absorbent. I love these things. I use them for months...they say to wash them in the top rack of your dishwasher, but I don't have a dishwasher. I either wash them with the regular laundry, or I wash them in a little bit of bleach water to keep them from getting too stained or smelly, and just hang to dry. 

The color is quite resilient and doesn't bleach out (unless you pour pure bleach on them, which I don't. I always dilute it and just let them soak a little while as the bleach water also cleans my white sinks).

I ordered these on Amazon.com,  and there are many other patterns and designs.  To me, they are well worth the money because they really do last a long time.

Here's another colorful way to start my day...Blackie is enjoying laying on the little bench next to me as I work, while he guards the very colorful Pamela's Victorian Cottage and the little farm house scene. This is one of his many places he likes to lay in the house. He has pretty well tried them all, and takes turns on different days deciding which place he likes best for that day. One thing's for sure, once he has settled into a favorite spot, it's very difficult to get him to move. That becomes "his territory" and he guards it well. Yes, "King Blackie" is in control! LOL.

Now, I missed the photo a day prompt for yesterday (19th), which was "Black and White".  Sundays are always busy days for us and I don't often get around to reading or writing, but I did actually take some pictures to share with you today.  (I apologize for posting so many pictures for these prompts. I just can't seem to ever do JUST ONE of anything! LOL)

I walked around the house looking for things that were black and white...and here's what I found:

A gifted jar of homemade jam with a black and white checkered cover, a "swee-tea" teabag holder that was also a gift, and this white teacup and saucer with a "Constant Comment" tea bag...which added a splash of color for today's prompt!

In the guest room I found this beautiful hand made lap quilt, which was created by a dear friend of mine who originally gave it to my mother in law, but when we cleaned out my mother in law's house I found this, and I asked my friend if she would like to have it back, but she told me to keep it, and so I gladly did. It's so beautiful, and each square is different:

If you don't mind seeing more photos, I will add these close ups of the different quilt squares so you can see the details better:

This shows what is on the back of the quilt:

For those of you who are quilters, I am sure you will appreciate all the work that went into this design:

I am always amazed at the intricate designs that go into making these quilts, regardless of how big the quilt is! That was a LOT of work!! I am blessed to have this! The Lord knows I will never be able to make a quilt, so I appreciate all you who do this kind of work! And I thank my friend for this lovely gift. I don't know that she reads my blog, but just in case she does, I want her to know how much I appreciate all the hard work and love she put into it, originally for my mother in law, as they were also very good friends, but also that she cared enough for me to let me keep it. (Actually, I have another quilt made especially for me by this friend, but that's another story for another time.)

In closing, here are some words of wisdom and encouragement from God's Word for today:

Colossians 3:12-17
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Amen.

Have a blessed and beautiful day and rest of your week!

 

Saturday Photo A Day Challenge and More

Happy Saturday Everyone! I hope this day finds you relaxing and enjoying a beautiful day wherever you are.  It's already getting hot and steamy here, but it is July in Florida, so what can you expect? We are thankful not to have any severe weather or smoke here, like they are having up north from those horrific fires in Canada. We pray for our neighbors to the north, and pray that the fires will soon be quenched.

So, we are a little more than half way through the month of July, and also through this photo challenge. The challenge for today (18th) is animal or insect.  I took this photo at the boat ramp the other day...do you see the green dragonfly on the green leaves?  Yeah, he was hard to see for me too! I'm glad the camera had better eyes than I did!

Here's the July list if you want to join in...it's still not too late!  

I took a little walk about the yard this morning, and I also saw this little orange grasshopper on one of my dying zinnia plants.  I'm not sure what kind it is, but perhaps it is a Schistocerca rubinginosa Grasshopper.  All I know is the bluebirds love to catch grasshoppers to feed their babies, so I hope they find this one, because actually there were two of them, but I only got a picture of this one.  

Then I discovered this immature Argiope Aurantia Garden Spider on the Rose of Sharon bush.  Look at that zigzag web! Isn't that amazing? Spider webs are so interesting, aren't they? I just don't like to walk into them!  

Then when I walked around to the front yard, I saw these two immature White Ibis looking for food alongside the road.

It's unusual to see them here, so that was interesting!! Ater yesterday's rain, I am sure they are finding something good to eat in the grassy area there.

Sadly, a few minutes later I saw this fire truck and ambulance parked in front of the house across the street.  There is an elderly man living there who has some chronic health problems, and this is the 2nd time in a couple of months that he has had to go to the hospital via ambulance. We really don't know him very well as he keeps to himself and normally there is someone from the family who comes and checks on him every day.  We prayed for him as they took him away.  I'm wondering if he'll be able to continue living at home alone.   He's blessed that he does have family living nearby, but still it is difficult to stay home alone when you get to a certain stage in life.  We are praying for his family as well, that they will have wisdom to know what is best for him.

Sadly, we have another Celebration of Life to attend today. A former member of our church passed away recently after a battle with cancer.  She and her husband still lived in our area, but they started going to a different and smaller church in a nearby community a couple of years ago to help them out. But then she got cancer, and well, she fought hard, but it was time for her to be called home to heaven.  This is the seventh woman from our church community that has passed away in this year, and they weren't all that old. Only two of them were older than me.  It's really sad, but yet again, we know they are all with Jesus and they are not suffering anymore.  What's hard is that all but one of them left behind a husband, so our little church has a rather unusually large group of widowers who are struggling to find their way.   

I honestly think it's harder for men to get along on their own than it is for women.  You know, the Bible talks a lot about taking care of widows and orphans, but it really doesn't say anything about taking care of widowers.  But God promises to take care of those who mourn, and also we as Christians and friends and family should do our part to encourage and help those who are grieving as much as is practical and possible.

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Psalm 34:18

He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 

4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

A little later...

Well, I am sorry to end on a sad note, but this is the reality of life...and it helps us to remember that our time on earth is very short...so we need to live our lives in such a way that is meaningful and that in some way we make a positive difference in the world around us.  A copy of this poem was included in the bulletin for the service today:

The Dash

by Linda Ellis

"I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,
the cars…the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read,
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent YOUR dash?"

Copyright ©::

Linda Ellis

Something to think about!  Now, let's go fill in our "dash" with the very best life we can...and remember this...(another saying I heard a long time ago):

According to AI:
"That powerful quote is the refrain of the famous poem "Only One Life" written by British missionary C.T. Studd. After giving away his wealth and serving in China, India, and Africa, he penned these enduring words to encourage believers to live with an eternal perspective. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here are a few stanzas from the original poem: [1]

"Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in 'that day' my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last. [1, 2]

Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
Living for self or in His will;
Only one life, 'twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last. "[1, 2]

Amen!!

 

Friday Foto Friends and "Photo-a-Day" Challenge

 Well, one thing's for certain, you can expect a LOT of photos on this post. I never was very good at posting just ONE photo ever! LOL.  Happy Friday everyone! While I am writing this I hear thunder rumbling outside, and we are supposed to get some much needed rain any minute now. To answer some questions, no, our pond is still not filled up, nor does it even look like it's trying to be. It is like a giant sponge that keeps soaking in whatever rain we get, but there just hasn't been enough yet to make any difference.  Hopefully with these afternoon thunderstorms we've been getting, one of these days I will see a puddle on top of the "sponge". I will be sure to let you know when that happens! 

Here's how it looks right now:   It just started to rain!

Here's basically that same view, taken in February of 2025:

What a difference!  Now you see why we need a lot more rain!

It's raining outside pretty good now (but it's too dark to take a picture), so if it keeps raining like this for many more days, we may get back to that beautiful pond once again. Praying it doesn't take a hurricane to do it, however.  We can live without those!

Life does continue on out there along the "shore" of Still Waters Pond anyway.  Here's Mrs. Bluebird, sticking her head out of the birdhouse, and Mr. Chickadee is on top of the house saying hello:

Mr. Bluebird is up above, keeping an eye on things, and making sure Mr. Chickadee doesn't  try to move in on his territory!

Apparently Mrs. Bluebird is still taking care of babies in there. I thought they were farther along than that, but either she's still sitting on the nest, or she's feeding babies. Time will tell.

Mr. Hummingbird says he doesn't care what they do, just please keep my bird feeder cleaned and filled with fresh sugar water so it doesn't ferment in this high heat.  I try to change it about every 2-3 days. The hummingbirds have been quite active this summer in spite of the heat.

This morning we took a ride down to the Kenwood Boat Ramp and came upon this family of wild turkeys out for a morning stroll:

They were doing the "Turkey Trot" across the road in front of us:

You just never know what kind of slow moving traffic you will run into around here!  LOL.  

 

So now we come to the Photo-a-Day Challenge for July, and today is July 17th, which means I have to look for something that is "on the shelf".  Well, if you came to my house, you would see that I have way too many shelves to look at, so I tried to narrow it down to just some here in my "RoomWith A View"

I'll start with this bookshelf (which is something my son Benton built for me quite a few years ago).

This sits beside my desk, and I keep a lot of different kinds of things on it...a lot of special books about tea, devotional books, Bible Study books, a few cookbooks, and other various gift type books that I've been given over the years.  The top shelf has some special treasures that remind me of my "boys", but I won't go into all of that today.  The photograph hanging above the shelf is of "My Three Sons", taken way back when our boys were still just "our boys", before they all went their separate ways in life. It's pretty special to me.

This shelf has some special gifts from my sister Doris...she gave me that sweet teapot with the little bird on top of the lid, and the little book that says "Sisters!", and the other things in the background...

This little framed picture that says "Sisters Are Forever!, and one is a redhead and the other a brunette, which would be just the way we were when we were younger.

And also this greeting card, that has a story.  You see, my sister liked this card so much, she gave me the same identical card three years in a row (not realizing she'd already given me the same one the year before).  I still have two of them, but the third one I sent back to her to see if she would recognize it! LOL.  We both agreed that Hallmark needed to change up their cards each year so that wouldn't keep happening to us! LOL.

I am very thankful for my dear sister.  Yes, we do "belong to each other", and yes, we are Sisters Forever!

Further down on another shelf on this bookcase is this little "teapot for one" with the attached tea cup. This was a special gift from a dear friend of mine named Sharon, who gave this to me just prior to her moving away to go back home to be near family in Minnesota as she lived out her last days after a valiant battle with cancer. There is the last sweet note she wrote to me before going away enclosed in the teapot.  I keep it there to remember this precious friend and what a courageous woman she was.

This verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9 would be representative of the way she lived even until God called her home. Her faith in God never wavered, even though it meant leaving behind a young son who had just graduated high school, whom she had adopted when he was about two years old. He also moved back to Minnesota, and we keep in touch with him. He has a good job and a year ago he became a father to a precious little girl. Little "Ellie" is adorable and I pray for her and keep up with her via Facebook. I know my friend Sharon would be so proud of her son and this precious little granddaughter that she can only see from heaven's windows.  But I can assure you, if our loved ones who have gone on before can have any positive influence in the lives of their dear ones still on earth, Sharon is definitely keeping a close watch over little Ellie and cheering her on as she grows up and hopefully learns how much Jesus loves her.  I don't know if that's possible or not, but I can't help but think that Sharon is well aware of this dear little girl.

Across the room is another set of shelves, another cabinet built by our son Benton! (Yes, I've been blessed!)

Yes, there's a LOT of stuff on those shelves, but I am just going to zero in on another special item from another special friend, who also happens to be named Sharon!

When we lived in New Hampshire there was a very dear friend in our church named Sharon.  She was such a precious soul, and I loved her dearly.  She gave me this sweet doll, and I named her "Rose of Sharon".  (Little did I know at that time that one day I would also have a sweet daughter in law named Rose!)

When we moved away from there, she gave me this plaque, which reads:

"God in His wisdom and His love very often sends His angels down to walk with us.

We know them best as "friends."'

I can only tell you that the only "angel" in this case would've been this dear friend Sharon. She was a woman of a very special kind of wisdom...someone who would appear to be kind of humble and simple in some ways, and yet when she spoke it was with such wisdom and faith. I truly treasured our friendship. Sadly, again, another dear friend who was called home to heaven  much too soon.  All I know is I've got two very special friends named Sharon waiting for me in heaven some day. They both came from different places and in different times in my life, but they were both God's gift to me for that time.

Well, friends, the rain has stopped, and as you can see, even after a couple of hours of rain, there is still no sign of water on the pond...but every drop counts, and one day we will all be surprised!

Oh, btw, we stopped by to see our son where he was working at the Trading Post at Deep Creek on our way home from the boat ramp this morning, and I noticed this sign on the inside of their gate...and I thought I should add it to the 'signs' from the photo challenge from the other day...I liked this...

And with that, I will close this post with a Psalm of Praise to our Awesome God!!

Psalm 66:1-5

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.

"1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth!

2 Sing the glory of his name;

make his praise glorious.

3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!

So great is your power

that your enemies cringe before you.

4 All the earth bows down to you;

they sing praise to you,

they sing the praises of your name.”

5 Come and see what God has done,

His awesome deeds for mankind!"

Amen!