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!

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Week in Review and Into the Future!

Hello Friends!! I hope your week has gone well since we last visited. Ours has been busy and interesting to say the least, but I won't go into ALL the details...just hit some of the more pleasant highlights.  Number one, I am very thankful to finally be feeling MUCH better and getting back to wanting to do things again. It seems as though the last few weeks have been a blur of illness, hubby also having some physical issues, and both of us just praying that we will regain our strength and be able to get moving in a more positive direction in our new home and life.   Praise God we seem to be on the upswing, and looking forward to better days ahead.

That being said, I wanted to show you a few things that have been going on.  
I acquired this lovely little wicker table from my son, who found it somewhere, and he and his wife were going to just try to sell it in their business or re-purpose it somehow...but I had a plan that kept bouncing around in my head and made them an offer they couldn't refuse...so now it is mine.  
This is in our kitchen, in an area that seems to be a kind of wasted space.
(This was my first option, between two regular dining chairs)

It is kind of a long narrow area on the other side of the sink/island, with not enough space for a big table or any real wall space because of the windows for any other kinds of furniture...so I've just kind of lined  up some extra chairs there and wanted some kind of little table to break it up a bit...

My first option was here at this end, and please note the needlepoint sign on the wall, created by my paternal grandmother many years ago, which says:

"Come into my kitchen and chat with me while I prepare a pot of tea."

And then at the other end of the area there is this favorite old painting of two sweet little old ladies, sitting in their chairs and visiting. There used to be an engraved title under the picture, which is worn off now with age, but it said "The Gossips"... one of my most favorite pictures which came from my maternal grandmother's home.


 I've always loved having a rocking chair in my kitchen, so that anyone who comes to visit has a comfortable place to sit and visit with me while I am preparing our tea or supper or whatever...and actually I find myself sitting there frequently while something is cooking on the stove that I don't want to venture too far away from...so it is a good spot to sit and read or drink  a cup of tea while I wait for the "pot to boil", so to speak...therefore I moved the little wicker table down beside the rocker, so that there is actually a place to put a pot of tea and a tea cup for my guest or even myself...and even though it may feel a little crowded in that space...it is a comfortable place that hopefully will be welcoming to whomever wishes to visit a while...

 I will leave it there for now and see how that works out. But don't you agree? It really needed to come home with me.  Yes, I know I'm supposed to be downsizing...but sometimes we have to compromise with our ideas...And this was all in the spirit of being more hospitable and practicing hospitality...

Speaking of words that are similar to hospital...hubby actually made a couple of visits to our community hospital this past week...well maybe more than a couple now that I think about it. Once for some x-rays because of some severe back pain (which has now subsided, praise the Lord, but may need some further investigation and treatment in the future), and then one evening via ambulance because of what felt like a heart attack...which turned out to be nothing wrong with his heart, praise God, but apparently some kind of spasm of the esophagus that very much felt like a heart attack...and caused his BP to escalate severely.  Folks, any kind of pain in the chest is worth checking out.  I'd rather have a false alarm but be in a safe place than to ignore the pain and find out it really was something bad and it be too late to get help.  And then the third visit was to have a scheduled colonoscopy:  Which turned out fine...here he is in pre-op waiting his turn.

 One thing we have both agreed upon this past week: we are thankful that our new home is within about 11 miles from our community hospital, and it is a very easy straight ride to get there.  We hope that we don't have to visit there quite as often as this past week, but we are thankful that when we needed it, it was easy and convenient to get to.   Our previous home was at least 25 miles from the nearest hospital. 

Switching gears a bit...this morning I was rejoicing in this beautiful new day, and then even happier when hubby was able to come out on the deck and enjoy the morning with me.  We are truly blessed and very thankful that the Lord has given us this time together. This is nothing to take for granted.

Switching gears once again, we had to drive into Palatka today (our county seat), and we parked near this old Coca Cola bottling building.  I know there are many such old Coca Cola bottling buildings in many cities throughout the south. This one is no longer used by Coca Cola...but the engraved signs still remain on the iconic brick building:

 The sign in the window above says Azalea City Brewing co., and I noticed some big vats in there, so maybe a brewing company is taking it over...not sure, but I just thought it was interesting.

We went into town to pick up a lease vehicle, because we are getting ready to go on a little trip this weekend for a family reunion.  We have discovered that we are better off to lease a vehicle when we have any long-distance driving to do than to risk our thirteen year old vehicle breaking down on the road somewhere.  We were pretty amazed at this fancy hi-tech vehicle...doesn't even use a real key...I know many of you have these already...but for us it was like something out of the future...it has so many fancy buttons and screens and things that I hope we can manage to drive it without flying into outer space...
So, now I need to concentrate on packing and getting ready to leave early in the morning.  Thankfully our kids are traveling with us so we have a spare driver if we need it.  These young "whippersnappers" understand these new-fangled modern vehicles better than us old folks from out in the sticks. LOL.

With these thoughts in mind I will leave you to contemplate and consider your blessings, as I have been doing mine. This week could have turned out very differently than we'd like, and I want to go on record giving thanks to the Lord for His gracious mercy and grace toward us, His children. None of us is guaranteed tomorrow, therefore we must be prepared for the future and eternity at any time.

Here is a verse that gives encouragement and hope:

"For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, 
plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Jeremiah 29:11 

Thank You, Lord, for Your great love and promises.
Amen!

23 comments:

  1. If you are happy with your kitchen, that is what counts. Glad the health scares were only scares and all worked out nicely. The photos of the Coca Cola building are interesting. let us know what moves in.
    I hope your trip goes nicely and that you all have a great time with your family.

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    1. Thank you, Ann. We did have a wonderful weekend, but such a whirlwind of traveling. We are getting too old to make such a fast trip in such a short time. But the time spent with our loved ones made it worth the effort. So thankful we made it there and back safely...that is the main thing!

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  2. Jeremiah 29:11 is a favorite of mine! It is sure good to catch up with you here and I wish you safe travels and lots of fun this weekend!!

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    1. Thank you, Terri. I hope you had a great weekend too. I thought about you and wondered if we would pass each other on the road, but it sounds like you took "the road less traveled", which is what I wish we could have done. I do not enjoy interstate travel AT ALL. But we didn't have time to explore other options this time. We were so thankful our kids were with us to help with the driving. We are not great travelers...but so thankful for a safe trip and wonderful time. God is good.

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  3. So thankful for the good news you received, and I pray that your husband will get answers for dealing with the pain in his back. I love your sitting/tea area in the kitchen. I often sit in the kitchen while I have something in the oven. The table is a precious addition and very useful. I have seen a few of the Coca Cola buildings and they always are fun to see. I pray for you all to have safe travel and great fellowship together. xo

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    1. Thank you so much, Mildred, for your prayers and thoughts. I wish you could come and sit with me in my kitchen...or I in yours. Thinking of you and your hubby as you deal with health issues...and praying also for your sweet doggy. Blessings...

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  4. I'm so glad things are working out and you are on the upswing. It's fun to go on a trip too and the car will be nice to drive! Love your new banner and seeing your pretty kitchen. Happy weekend!

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    1. Thank you so much. We are little by little settling in and enjoying our new home. Our weekend trip was much too fast, but we were so thankful for safe journeys and a great time with loved ones. Thank you for popping in!

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  5. So glad you are feeling better, Pamela, and that John is fine, too - what a scare!!! Love your new decor, and hope you have safe travels in that fancy rental. I wouldn't know what to do with those new-fangled gadgets, either, so it's good to have Benton and Rose along for the ride.
    Blessings, my friend!

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    1. Yes, we were very thankful to have our kids along. They were such a blessing in so many ways. We were also thankful to have a safe trip up and back. It was just much too fast and we are not big interstate fans, but that was our only option for such a quick trip. Thank you for your kind thoughts...and blessings to you as well.

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  6. I love the table and the rocking chair. As for the colonscopy...well, the dr. ordered me to get one because I am over 50. I told her no thank you...and I am going to keep that firmly no. Just because I am over 50 doesn't mean you get to order me around, just saying. She said and I quote, "We will see about that." I told her, "Then your fired, again, your not ordering me around." Just keeping it real, LOLOL.

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    1. Ha ha... I am with you, Linda! :-)

      I have a friend who ran into problems that an earlier colonoscopy would have helped though...uh...so. Well. I don't want to do it, but I think of that.

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    2. Linda, I would highly recommend that you not put off the colonoscopy any longer than necessary...it really could be a life saver. It isn't a fun thing to do, but if you are a good girl, you will only have to do it every ten years. I have had to have polyps removed each time, so have to do it every 3-5 years now...but it could save my life...just saying! I wouldn't have known that if I didn't have it done. Sorry, but I'm with your dr. Oh, you are welcome to come sit in my rocking chair anytime!!

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  7. Pamela, I think I like your new home even better than your former one. It's funny...I feel like I stop in from time to time because your blog has photos and you are so inviting with what you show us. :) So I have this sense that we are neighbors. It occurs to me that I don't do that at all. No personal photos...except a few of my yard... I am a blue and green screen. Hmm. How do you open up so much?? Ha ha!

    P.S. glad all the medical things went well! Your thankfulness is a good reminder of the blessings around us.

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    1. Hi Sandi...I am happy that you feel like we are neighbors. That is exactly how I would want you to feel, and to always feel welcome here. Perhaps I do open up a bit too much here,but I try not to think about the negative aspects of that and only that I pray that God will use this space for a positive way to reach out to new friends and "neighbors", and that we can all learn from each other and encourage one another along the way. Your comments are always so positive and uplifting...I look forward to hearing back from you...and I enjoy your posts as well. they are brief and to the point, but they always make me think, and that is a good thing! I'm glad you like my new house even better than the former one. They both have good qualities, and I am learning to appreciate this one more and more all the time. It is taking some getting used to as it is smaller and I am still struggling with what to do with things, but I am trying to take my time and not stress over it too much. If I wait long enough, either I will just let go of things, or find a better way to deal with them. So...taking it slow and easy. Have a blessed day my friend, and thank you for being here.

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    2. "Perhaps I do open up a bit too much here..."

      I didn't mean to say it is too much!

      😲

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  8. It's so good to hear that you (and your hubby) are feeling better. Isn't it something how certain symptoms we can have actually have nothing to with what we think it might be? I agree...get any strange symptoms checked out immediately! LOVE that darling wicker table...you have found the perfect place for it! And that is one sharp little Toyota...hope you had a wonderful reunion! Hugs!

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    1. We did have a wonderful time...just too fast of a trip for us old folks. So glad our kids were with us to help drive. Thinking of you as you begin the new adventure of building your dream home. Praying all goes well. It's exciting to see it beginning, isn't it? So very happy for you.

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  9. Love seeing pictures of your new home. The basket table looks so good where you have it between the chairs. I love the idea of a rocking chair in the kitchen, but alas, no room in my small kitchen for anything like that. I see on facebook that your trip was enjoyed by all, I love time spent with family.

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    1. Thank you for visiting with me here! I wish you could come sit in my rocking chair and have a cup of tea (or I will fix you coffee if you prefer) while we visit. Yes, we had a great trip...but just too fast. Not a big fan of traveling especially on interstates. But it was great to be together. God is good.

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  10. Hi Pamela, Love, love your wicker table and your home is looking wonderful. You wouldn't believe you recently moved in. I too as techie as I am are amazed at the cars of today. In the near future everyone will drive "The Jetson's" type cars that can fly. I probably won't be around to see it. LOL! Many Blessings my friend.

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  11. Oh Pam, I am so glad your hubby is okay. I'm also glad to hear that you are feeling better. God is so good! I love that wicker table and yes, you are right, it is perfect where you have it.

    I also like the rocker in your kitchen. I have one in my dining room, but seldom use it. I think I'm going to need to change that. It would be the perfect place to sit while watching stuff cooking. I usually just sit at the table and that isn't near as comfortable. Wonder why I never thought to use the rocking chair. Silly me!

    My sister's car is like that with a push button starter. I can't even hardly imagine that fancy stuff. I thought we were high-tech because our van has a back-up camera. lol

    Have a great day!

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  12. Thank you for the photos and the encouraging word!

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Thank you for visiting here today. I would love for you to sign my guestbook and let me know you stopped by. I always enjoy reading your comments and words of encouragement! May you be blessed as you go on your way. Please come back and visit again soon.