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!

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Saturday Night This n That

Good Evening Friends!  Nothing too exciting going on here in our neck of the woods. I've just been trying to get caught up on things around the house since we were gone for four days.  You know, 4 days doesn't sound like much, but when you get back home and have things waiting for you to do, and then you are tired and a bit "sluggish" physically from too much good food and sitting long spells of traveling, well, you know, you just have to take it easy and let your body catch up. I hated to miss our UMW gathering and choir practice this week, but just didn't have the energy, etc., to get up and go. Plus I missed our Bible Study on Monday when we were still away. And church on Sunday too.  Wow...seems like we were gone a month! Looking forward to getting back to church tomorrow and seeing everyone again. It's great to get away, but it's great to get back home and back into a routine again too!

So hubby and I are trying to take our normal daily walks, morning and evening.
The dew was heavy this morning, but as the sun came out it was shining through the dew drops on this little pine tree and looked like diamonds sparkling on the tree. Kind of made me want to start decorating for Christmas...but no! That will have to wait until after Thanksgiving! I am a one holiday at a time person and believe in giving each holiday its full attention. There will be plenty of time for Christmas after Thanksgiving is over.


Speaking of Thanksgiving, I did a little rearranging of the fall decorations and brought out the Pilgrims and turkeys and changed things over to Thanksgiving instead of Halloween.


I know our friend Barbara over at Sweet Tea and Sandals will recognize this couple. She happens to have their twins living over at her house, and I believe she has also brought her couple out of hiding for the season as well.  Speaking of Barbara....in case you weren't already aware, her sweet "Beloved" hubby has been in the hospital in ICU for the past week +, being treated for Covid 19. It's been a difficult time for both of them, but thankfully he is finally starting to improve and hopefully will be able to come home soon. Prayers are much appreciated.


Also, our friend Mary Jane at Visits With Mary has finally gone home from the hospital/rehab following her bout with Covid 19. We are very thankful for that answer to prayer.

Debby Ray from My Favorite Things has been battling cancer and frequent infections making it difficult for her to have the necessary treatments. She definitely needs our prayers. I know that some of her family members have also been diagnosed with Covid 19, and that is an added concern for her well-being.

Our friend Cecelia at Following My King will be having some major surgery next week and also is in need of our prayers.

I know there are others in our blogging community in need of our prayers...and I am so glad that we can come together here in agreement for one another as needed.  This is a great little community of friends, and when I count my blessings, you are part of those blessings I am thankful for.

Thank You, Lord, for friends who care. Amen.

Now about some other things that aren't nearly so important.
Several weeks ago in one of our "Tuesday 4" memes the question was asked about a "wish list", or "things you need to buy".  I already told you about our refrigerator and how we needed to replace that, and we already found one that has met our needs.  The other thing I had mentioned was that we needed to replace our very old acrylic blanket. Well, that need has also been met by a very unique way.
You may ask what this watch has to do with a blanket? 
 
Well, that is a picture of an LLBean watch that I had for many years. Actually, it was the 2nd one that I had, because the first one died and it had a life time warranty and so it was replaced.  Well, this one also died, so I sent it back to LLBean for either repair or replacement, and they said they could no longer replace it because they no longer make that particular watch, and this one was irreparable.  But because I had that life time warranty (which they no longer offer either, but they still had to honor mine), they gave me a gift card for the amount of the watch. Now mind you, LLBean watches are not cheap. The only reason I had this watch was because it had been a gift many years ago from a dear friend when we lived in the New England area. I could never have afforded that watch.  But I loved it. It suited me just fine. I have other less expensive but fancier watches that I wear to church or for dress up, but this was my every day watch that I loved.
So I very reluctantly agreed to accept the gift card to LLBean in lieu of replacing my watch. And I was thankful that they were willing to do even that.


So...I needed a new blanket. After researching the kind of blanket that I really wanted, I found that it was no longer available at any reasonable price. I don't know why an acrylic blanket with a satin binding should be so expensive. They used to be cheap. But for some reason they are now very hard to find and very expensive when you do find them. So I gave up on that. But I decided to see what LLBean had for blankets.  They didn't have an acrylic blanket either, but they did have this very nice organic cotton blanket, which after reading the comments I determined it just might fill the bill for our blanket needs. And no, it wasn't very "cheap" either, but that gift card was exactly the amount I needed to buy it! And so I went ahead and ordered the blanket, praying that it would be comfortable and keep us warm enough but not too hot...just right (like Goldilocks and the 3 bears). It took several weeks to arrive as it was coming from Portugal apparently. I know. LL Bean is in Freeport, Maine. I've been there several times. But apparently this particular blanket was imported from Portugal, not Maine. (The ones from Maine were even more expensive and didn't have the size I needed in stock anyway)


So the blanket finally arrived, and I put it on our bed and waited to see what my hubby would say...(that's not him...that's my "bear bear" that hubby gave me when I had surgery last spring. Now he also sleeps beside me every night. LOL)


Hubby and I both agreed that the blanket is very comfortable. It doesn't have a satin binding, and it did shrink a little when I washed it, but it still fits and I think it is going to be just fine.
And then we decided to go to Walmart and buy me an inexpensive watch to replace the one I had.
It works just fine and will meet my needs very well. 
Does anyone else still wear a watch? I know many don't because they have cell phones. But old habits are hard to break. When I walk out of the house I need to have a watch on my wrist. When I come back home the watch comes off. That's just how it is. I feel naked without it when I go out.
Now, you wouldn't want me to go around feeling naked, would you? LOL.


And so thus ends another day. When I looked out the back door to the pond this evening I noticed this beautiful sunset. Then we realized it was getting late and we'd better hurry and go take our walk before it gets dark. I can't get used to this time change. We have to adjust our walking schedule in the evening to go earlier than we used to go.

So we jumped in the car and drove the 3 miles to the place where we walk, and this was the sunset as we were driving down the road:

It just got prettier and prettier.

Thankfully we still had enough daylight to take our walk and make it back home before dark. And here I am writing to you.

I hope that you are also counting your blessings as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Thanksgiving in just about a week and a half. We finally have made plans with our family for who is coming and what they are bringing. It won't be a huge crowd like we've had in the past, just immediate family and my sister and her immediate family. We pray that all will be safe and healthy and that we will be able to enjoy this time together without fear of any virus. I am hoping the weather will be nice enough to eat on the back porch.

Tomorrow is Sunday. I hope you will be able to attend the church of your choice, and if not, perhaps you can watch one online. I will post our church service sometime tomorrow.


Psalm 113

1. "Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!
3. From the rising of the sun to its going down
the Lord's name is to be praised."
Amen!

Goodnight everyone!! Please take care!!















 

33 comments:

  1. I love the dewdrops sparkling in the trees. Yes, I do wear a watch. I always said I wasn’t interested in an Apple Watch, but got one from my son and granddaughter a few years ago. Now I wouldn’t want to be without it. I’ll be back watching church online, as my province has been labeled on Code Red, which means not getting together with anyone outside of the household. I know it is necessary, as the COVID numbers are climbing.

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    1. What all can you do with your Apple watch? I somehow can't imagine how that would work. But I am happy you love it. I am sorry to hear that your part of the world is back to "Code Red". Please stay safe and healthy. Praying you and your family will be okay. Hope it will be better by Christmas.

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    2. My favorite part of the Apple Watch is that it alerts me to incoming texts and emails. Yes, I hope this all settles down by Christmas, but I’m not counting on it.

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  2. I'm glad you had a few days away and that you are starting to settle back into a routine. I know that going away for a short time is not much different than going away for weeks. We still need to rest and catch up to household things when we get back. I am blessed by your story about the cotton blanket. It seems that God provided you with just the money you needed and so I think he intended for you to have the cotton blanket. It was interesting that it came from Portugal as that is where my Matelassé coverlets were made though they are meant to mimic a style of quilt originating in France. As for watches, it is very difficult for me to find one because I'm highly sensitive to the metals in the body of the watch. The last one I purchased was from Sears many years ago and of course they went out of business here many years ago already. I haven't looked for a new one though I do like to wear one. You gave me an idea to check the stock at Walmart if they have the non allergic kind.

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    1. Yes, I agree, that God worked that out so that I could get a blanket without it costing anything. And we are actually liking it now that we have it. It doesn't feel too overly hot and I like the weight of it. Hubby seems to like it too, so that is a plus. He tends to be more particular about blankets than even I am. I wonder what kind of watch you are not allergic to? My LLBean watch was stainless steel, which was very nice. I am not sure that this new one is, plus it has a vinyl strap whereas the LLbean watch had a leather strap. But it is what it is, and it was very inexpensive so if it doesn't last I won't feel so terrible about it. Walmart does have many different brands of watches to choose from. They had some nice Timex ones but they were a little more expensive and I didn't want to spend that much. If I were still working and having to wear it all day long I'd probably get a better one.

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    2. I'm so pleased to hear the blanket is working out for both you and your husband. I googled Walmart watches on line last night and didn't find one for me. Next time I go to their brick and mortar store I will ask.

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  3. P.S. I love your sky photos and the update on your friends who have Covid. I read about Debby on another blog today and have said some prayers for her.

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    1. Today I heard from Debby's son that she is back in the hospital and not doing very well at all, and he was requesting more prayer for her mental as well as physical state. She has been battling a lot of infections and they are not sure if that is causing the mental anxiety or the cancer. So please pray for her.

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    2. Thank you for the update. I will pray.xx

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  4. Will be praying for Debby and Cecelia, Pamela, as well as Barbara and her hubby. Relieved to hear that Mary is doing so much better! Any word on young Jimmy?
    Your photos are wonderful, as always, and I love that blanket you got from Bean's. Yes, they do carry the nicest things, but they are certainly not cheap!
    Have a blessed Sunday!

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    1. Thank you, Martha. thank you for asking about Jimmy. I haven't heard anything from my friend (his grandmother) lately, so I just sent her a text. I will let you know when I hear something. I am praying that "no news is good news". I hope you are having a blessed Sunday as well.

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  5. Keeping all in prayer. What a lovely post, my friend and thank you for your kind comments at my blog, smiles.

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    1. Thank you, Linda, and you are welcome. I think about you whenever I hear any news about NY and pray that you can hang in there until God moves you elsewhere. Just take good care of yourself! You and your family are what really matter most.

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  6. Such nice Thanksgiving decorations! Beautiful sky shots too. I'm glad your blanket and new watch worked out for you and really happy to hear all those with Covid are doing ok!

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    1. Thank you, Martha. I am also thankful everything worked out for the best. Now looking forward to Thanksgiving and then I'll be ready for Christmas! Praying this Covid thing dies down and goes far far away for good.

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  7. I've never had anything from LL Bean -- but I'm mighty impressed at the customer service they exhibited to you! Nope, even when it was fashionable, I never was really into wearing a watch and had to be reminded. Glad you found a blanket to fill-the-bill, as my daddy would say. Finally it's growing cool enough here to bring out a favorite all-wool blanket we bought when I was 12 y/o while in Canada.
    Thank you for sharing updates on our fellow Bloggers. Believing in the Power of Prayer!

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    1. Do you live in the more mountainous part of Alabama, or nearer the coast? I have a couple of very old wool blankets that were actually my grandparents'. We used them a lot up north, but haven't needed them here in Florida. I don't really know what to do with them because no one here needs wool blankets. LLBean used to have really good quality stuff, and I guess they still do, but I think it is over-priced. When we lived in NH and Maine it was the place to shop because there was an outlet store where we could get some very good bargains. But now I am not sure how they compete. Some people buy just for the name. I did love my little watch and feel badly that it is to be no more, but that was then and this is now and I am thankful for how God worked all of that out for the best! Yes, keep praying for our friends. Thank you!!

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    2. Thanks for asking, Pam! I suppose we're smack dab in the middle of the state, just outside Montgomery. I just Googled (my) 'striped, steamer blanket' and nearly had a stroke when LL Bean featured the identical one for $445. (They call it a Frontier Blanket). Terri mentioned she and Joe had one when they lived up north, but wound up giving it to her sister because it was far too warm.

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    3. Wow, that "Steamer Blanket" is a valuable piece of furniture! LOL. Better hang on to that one! I think the one I have from my grandparents is a Hudson Bay blanket, and they are also quite expensive now, so I guess I'll hang on to it, or maybe I could trade it for a new car! LOL. It has to be over 70 years old...I'd better go check it for moths... Sounds like you live in a pretty nice part of the state. Do you get snow?

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    4. Oh, I WISH! The last time it snowed here (Jan2018) was two months prior to our move from Arizona. I keep hoping!

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    5. Well, the way things have been going this year, anything is possible, so keep that blanket handy! LOL.

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    6. OMG, Pam. I just Googled Hudson Bay blanket and the image they returned was my/our blankets! Woot!
      https://www.amazon.com/discover/Hudsons-Bay-Company-100-Inch-Blanket/salp/B00MNJG2Z8/ref=asc_df_B00MNJG2Z8/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309812326046&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15067522308312215360&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012774&hvtargid=pla-571331230958&psc=1

      OK, I'll quit hijacking your blog now. :)

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    7. Actually mine is a deep red with black stripe on it, but it is also quite expensive. Yes, you better insure that baby!!!

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  8. I can always count on such beautiful photos when I open your blog, Pam! I love your new watch and am glad to know that L.L. Bean stood by their life-time warranty on your watch! We usually invite several folks for holidays but are keeping our Thanksgiving small. My sister declined our invite to come down from Georgia this year. There will only be four or five of us. I bought a 15 pound turkey last week. I usually get 18-20 pounds. We will still thank our Lord for so many blessings, even in this crazy 2020. Have a good week ahead! Prayers are lifted for all you mentioned!

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    1. Yes, I am happy that LLBean stood by their warranty not once, but twice! I guess they discontinued the watch because it was costing them money! But it lasted me 10 years the first time, and 10 years the 2nd time, so that's not bad. LOL. We will have 12 here for Thanksgiving, unless someone changes their minds, but for now that is the plan, but always subject to change during these trying times. We will roast two smaller turkeys so that we have double the dark meat and double the white meat. Rose will take care of them and I will cook other stuff and everyone brings something. Praying for a good day!

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  9. First of all, my Pilgrim people send you their greetings, especially the ones that are TWINS with yours!

    Second, thank you so much for continued prayer for Beloved and me. I am fine and he is making progress.

    I'm glad you got a good blanket out of the watch deal. As to who wears watches any more, I seldom do but when we travel over time zones, I like to have one on my wrist set to the time zone of my home because my phone will switch on its own to the current time zone I travel to and that gets me all mixed up!!

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    1. Hello Pilgrim People!! Mine are waving at yours! As for watches, I guess I don't wear one all that much anymore except when we go shopping or to church. When I worked I wore one all the time. But I just like the feel of it on my wrist when I am out, and then I can't wait to take it off as soon as I get home! Crazy. Praying for Beloved and you each day. Please take good care of yourself! You will have a lot to keep you busy when he gets home! (Making him lots of hamburgers! LOL).

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  10. Pam: I couldn't attend church today because of being "quarantined" after my COVID test. We had homemade tacos for supper last night. Roger got here around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. We have just lazed around today. Tonight, I have some steps to get ready for tomorrow. God is in control.

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    1. Hey, we had homemade tacos last night for supper also! I had some of the leftovers as a taco salad this evening for supper. I am so glad your son could come to be with you and your husband. I will be praying for you tomorrow. I hope you will be able to sleep well tonight. Yes, God IS in control! He's already gone before you and will be there all the way through. (((hugs))) and prayers.

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  11. The on the branches of the tree is stunning. There's such beauty all around us if we would just open our eyes. The prices of things, such as blankets, is ridiculous and the quality seems to be lower too.

    Yes, I still wear a watch; I prefer it over a cell phone for some reason.

    Love and blessings!

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    1. I am glad you enjoyed the diamonds on the tree....that is what I thought they looked like. God's jewels! And yes, you are right about the quality of blankets and other items and the price being ridiculous. And I agree, I still like to look at my watch before my cell phone. Looking at my cell phone always slows me down, because then I have to check whatever messages are popping up, etc., and I forget about the time!! LOL

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  12. I enjoyed reading your watch story. I have the same acrylic blanket and will have to take better care of it. I hate it when they quit making one of my favorite things. But how neat that you were able to get the money to buy a nice blanket AND get a watch locally too. I wear my watch from the time I get up until I go to bed at night. (I can answer my phone and talk on it...etc! lol) I wear an Apple watch and I love it. Enjoy your pretty views of your pond and the birds you see! Your home looks beautiful for the holiday ahead! Hugs, Diane

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    1. I've wondered about the Apple watch and if it would be worth it to have one. Sounds like you make good use of it, and I guess with that on your wrist you don't have to worry about losing your phone or carrying it around when you walk. I can see where that would be a good thing for you! Yes, with these cooler nights I am adjusting to my new cotton blanket. It is fine for normal nights, but definitely need an extra layer on these chilly "winter" nights we are currently having! At least we don't have to worry about snow, right? Have a blessed day and go take a hike! LOL>

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