What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Friday, January 18, 2019

Friday Foto Friends...Fridays are better with friends

 Greetings to all my wonderful Friday Foto Friends...and all friends everywhere! Hope you have had a marvelous week...and hope you took pictures to prove it!  That is what Friday Foto Friends is all about...sharing our favorite pictures from the week of whatever we did, wherever we went, and whoever we were with.  You are always welcome to join us. You can link up with the group every Friday over at Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace". Click on that link to take you there.

Meanwhile this week I got inspired by a photo on Facebook that was on the "Tea for Thought" page:
Internet Photo from "Tea for Thought" Facebook Page
"Share it with someone you love"


 Some of the rest of you also enjoyed this and we kind of started talking about having a "Teddy Bear Picnic/Tea Party".   One of my friends asked me if I knew this little song, "Teddy Bears Picnic", and so I looked it up, and here it is, sung by Anne Murray.  Since listening to this, my hubby and I have both had this cute little song going around in our heads and we find ourselves singing it as we ride along on a country ride or even when we were taking a walk. It is a catchy tune and once you listen, you'll be singing it too:

 And one thing led to another.  I noticed that one of our blogging friends, Mary at "Visits with Mary" had a cute picture of a teddy bear on her header that was all dressed up with pearls and lace. (I hope she still has that header up when you go look. If not, Mary, could you post a picture again so they can see?) 

Anyway, that inspired me to dress up one of my teddybears:

 Then I noticed that another of my friends (Annie from "Cottage by the Sea") had also posted a picture of her teddy bears ready for a picnic on her Facebook page (sorry, no link for that picture, so Annie, if you want to share it on your blog they can all see it!),  and again, that inspired me to get a few of my TeddyBear friends together for a tea party:



These cute little teddies are always ready for a tea party:

 And this cute little Kitty says that "Life is One Big Tea Party"

Oh, my dollies didn't want to be left out.  Here they came with their teddy bears and picnic baskets, ready for the party!  One even brought a cake! Now they can all enjoy the party!

So that was fun.  Maybe you will want to have a little tea party with your teddies or dollies or maybe even with some real people friends. Whatever you do, have fun, and "Share it with someone you love".

Matthew 18:2-4 (NKJV)

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Now on to other pictures from the week.

Today we took a little ride (as we hummed "Teddy Bear Picnic") and discovered this little creek in the woods alongside the road.  This is known as "Gum Creek", and it runs through the woods in one of the areas where we are looking for a new house whenever we ever sell our present home.

 You will notice that the water seems to look rusty red. This is caused by "tannins" in the water, which are caused by the breaking down of organic material like bark, leaves, and roots, and are a part of the natural process.  The water in the soil becomes rich with tannins and seeps into the ground water. It is a natural phenomenon that is found in many parts of the world.


 Here is another interesting phenomenon...this vine, (which is a weed vine), is growing on our fence.  The vine is sending out shoots of roots, looking for something to grasp onto.  I think these scroll-looking curl-e-ques are kind of pretty...
 I don't really want this vine on my fence, because it will tangle and choke out the vines I do want, like my wisteria and confederate jasmine vines, but right now it is interesting and pretty, so I will leave it for a little while...

Speaking of interesting and pretty, this beautiful red amaryllis flower just opened right up, without even sending up a tall stem like it normally does. I received this plant/bulb for Christmas from my son and his wife, and planted it right away.  I was surprised to see it blooming before it really got very tall. But I love it!

It looks right at home among my African Violet plants on the window sill in the sun porch.  So wonderful to see such lovely color in the drabness of winter.

Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed this little picnic/tea party/ride through the woods and back home again.  As many of you are aware, we are trying to sell our home and move to a community about 30 miles away, near our son and daughter in law and the church that we attend. We've had some disappointing prospective buyers who didn't show up or others that came and went and never came back. We've seen a few houses we'd like to buy, but can't do anything without selling our house first. And so we wait, and we pray, and we take rides and dream and sing little songs and visit with friends and stay busy while we wait.  We know that when God is ready to move us, it will all fall into place.  We are trying to be patient...

Reading in the book "The Way of Abundance" by Ann Voskamp, here's a few thoughts about "Abundance", (my One Word for 2019)

"Sure, life and people will try to tell you loudly that you need to be like a rock, that you'll need to harden up to live in a harsh world, be impenetrable, unmoved.  But no one can really live the abundant life that way.  Rocks don't breathe. Because they're dead."  (Ann Voskamp, pg. 33)

"Questions for Reflection" (page 34)
  • "Where might God be working to soften your heart today in the midst of your work?
  • Where might there be hardness in your heart that is hindering your growth into the abundant life?"
Hmm, I stop and think about this.  This week had some "hard places", and I had a difficult time staying pleasant in the face of frustration and downright rudeness.  I had to stop and check myself for wrong attitudes.  Instead of getting angry and frustrated, I had to realize that God was working on my behalf...He has this situation all timed out perfectly, and when the time is right, everything will fall into place. I need to be thankful even when there are bumps in the road and disappointments along the way because it is all apart of His protection and provision for me. There is a bigger picture here that I can't see right now, and I need to trust God enough that even this is a part of His plan for my "growth into the abundant life."  

Okay, friends...let's go enjoy this Friday with friends. God bless you all abundantly above all you could ask or think!

Hold the presses! Just as I was about to hit "publish" for this post, I looked outside and saw this beautiful sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and ran down the road to the neighborhood pond to capture some pictures before it became covered with the clouds:


I knew you wouldn't want to miss it!  Praise God in the mornings...Praise Him in the evenings! Praise Him ALL day long!!!  Okay...go have a marvelous day my friends! Yes, Fridays are better with friends!

20 comments:

  1. All the photos are wonderful, Pamela, but these last two are amazing!!! So glad you stopped the presses to share with us today.
    Hang in there, my friend - God does have a plan for you, and I'm sure He will shower you with that abundance in the days and weeks to come.
    Blessings!

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    1. yes, I was so excited to see the sky streaked with pinks and gold and orange this morning...it was so lovely...I just had to run out and capture it on camera before I did anything else. I almost missed it. Just in time to share with you here. God is good. Yes, He does have a good plan for us, and I am trying hard to be patient and wait on Him to show us what and where and when. Until then, I pray that I will just enjoy what He has already given us abundantly to enjoy. Have a blessed and glorious weekend my friend.

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  2. Lovely photos - I'm a big fan of amaryllis and African violets.

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    1. Thank you, Carol. Yes, I love the amaryllis. My dad used to give us girls a bulb to plant every year for Christmas. After he died I tried to keep up the tradition for the ladies in our family. I forgot this year, and my son and daughter in law surprised me with this one! What a thrill! The violets are something that I am enjoying because I seem to have just the right window to grow them here. My mother always grew them on her sunporch too, and it makes me feel a little connection to her as I behold their beauty.

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  3. Love this post Pamela. I'm listening to the Teddy Bear Picnic video and I will blame you if this one sticks in my head all day. LOL! The last two photos are breathtaking. Have a blessed day ahead my friend.

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    1. Are you still singing the Teddy Bear Picnic? Isn't it fun? I am so glad you came along for the picnic! Kind of like going on one of Toni's creative adventures! Yes, I was thrilled to see the skies this morning, and so glad I was able to capture it before it disappeared. God is good. Have a blessed and safe and warm weekend.

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  4. Enjoyed the Teddy Bear picnic, Pam. I have given all of my teddy bears away now. Your African violets are just beautiful. I gave all of mine away too. Thank you for sharing the thoughts from Ann Voskamp's book.

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    1. Oh my, no teddy bears or African violets either? Yikes! But you have so many other beautiful things and real plants that produce food, etc. , so that is what really matters. And you have Jesus. That is the best ever, right? I probably wouldn't have any bears except that people keep giving them to me. LOL.

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  5. I enjoyed the song about the Teddy Bear's Picnic. I am praying for you about this desire to sell your house and move closer to your church and your son. God does have all these issues and many more under His control. Peace and blessings.

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    1. Thank you, Cecelia. I'm glad you liked the little song. It has a catchy tune and you'll probably be humming it in your head for a while! Thank you for your continued prayers. We are trying really hard to keep things in perspective and just trust the Lord to work this out HIS Way and HIS time. I know He will. I just have to learn to accept that!

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  6. Absolutely beautiful last 2 pictures!!!! I love your bears too and it makes me feel good to know I'm not the only one who still has bears in my house. Have a wonderful weekend!

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    1. Judging by what I've seen from others this week, most of us still have bears in our house. And why wouldn't we? They are cute, cuddly, and something to give us smiles and comfort when we need it most. It's quite okay to still play with teddy bears. So go ahead!!!

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  7. Pretty photos. We call it cedar water as the tannin comes from the cedar trees in the pine barrens. Remove the palmettos and its NJ.. ;)

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    1. Yes, we also have many cedar trees, but many more pines, oaks, hollies, etc. I'm afraid the palmettos are an everlasting plant here. You can't even burn them out...they always come right back!!

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  8. I love all the teddy bears, such a sweet tea party. I tried several times to get my picture to post as a comment on your facebook post but it wouldn't upload. I don't know why....anyway, my picture is still up as my header. This was fun.

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    1. I was happy to see your sweet pretty little bear was still there today! She is adorable. Thank you for the inspiration!!

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  9. I have seen that rusty red in waters around here in Florida but had no idea what that was about. Thank you for the clear explanation.

    Your Teddy Bear tea party is so sweet!

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    1. Thank you for enjoying the Teddy Bear tea party! Sometimes we just have to let ourselves be children again, don't we? I think you understand this. I am SO excited about your other message to me!! Can't wait to meet you in person!!!!!!

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  10. What a blessing to see those last two photos!! I enjoyed your FFF post today and all the photos!! The red tannin water is pretty and interesting!

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  11. I love seeing photos of everything around you! The flowers are so pretty and the sunrisess are gorgeous!

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