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!

Monday, May 10, 2021

Blessings and Praises!


Mother's Day Lilies in the Secret Garden

I trust that you all had a blessed and beautiful Mother's Day yesterday!  I realize for some that Mother's Day can be a difficult day.  I totally understand that as I have had my own share of sorrows regarding motherhood, but without lingering there, I am thankful to have learned to enjoy the day because of what God has done for me...for the blessings I do have, and not dwell on the sorrows of that which I do not have. I am very thankful that He has helped me greatly in that regard.  And so now I would like to share with you some of the blessings and praises of the past 24 hours!

Our family had decided to have a cookout here at our house in the evening since our daughter in love had to work all day and by the time she got off we knew finding a decent restaurant would be difficult on Mother's Day.  So our son Scott grilled the chicken, and I kept it simple by boiling corn on the cob and making a salad and some red potatoes and deviled eggs.   Around 4:00 p.m. we noticed that the house was suddenly feeling very warm.  It was 90 degrees  and very humid outside and rising to 85 degrees inside very rapidly.  The central air unit was definitely malfunctioning. Of course, on a Sunday there is no one to call.  So we just had to turn off the AC and turn on every fan we could find.  Wouldn't help to open the windows, that's for sure!  But we didn't want to cancel our dinner, so we just all sweated together and kept the fans blowing!

First thing this morning we called AC repairman. He said he'd be over around 1:00 p.m., and to their credit, they were here right on time!  After checking things out, he determined it was NOT the AC unit itself, but the thermostat!  Praise God! A new AC unit would have cost $5,000.00!  The thermostat was only $225.00, labor included! So here is the new one...just installed, and the temperature is going down, down, down as we speak....81 is much better than 88, where it was earlier! What a blessing and answer to prayer!



You would have to live in Florida to fully appreciate what a miracle and blessing this is!!

So, let's see, what other good things happened?  Well, if you are a Facebook friend you've most likely already seen my pictures that I posted last night.  Some of them may need more clarification as to their significance.  Like this video:

And these pictures:




I thought I had written about the fact that when we moved here in August of 2019, I could not find these pillowcases anywhere. But I can't find any post about that, so it must have been on Facebook that I talked about it.  I thought I had packed them with the other bed linens that I took off the bed in the guest room before we moved. I really thought I had taken the cases off of the pillows, and put them either in a dresser drawer, or in a bag with the other linens.  But after much careful (more like obsessive) searching and re-searching, taking out dresser drawers, emptying their contents, going through boxes and bags and anything remotely possible, they were nowhere to be found. My worst fear was that somehow they had gotten left in a bag that went out with the trash.


I had asked our son if they could've been mixed in with any of his things in his room or closet, but he hadn't seen them. I asked our other son and his wife if they were mixed in with some things I had given them for yard sales back when we were moving, but they had not seen them.  So after racking my brain over this issue for almost two years, I had finally given up hope of ever seeing these lovely vintage pillow cases ever again!  Until yesterday, when my son Scott presented me with a large TV box saying he got me a new TV. I knew that couldn't be true, but what on earth could be in that box?  So, if you watched the video and my reaction to finding these pillows and pillowcases in that box, which had been "buried" in his closet in a black trash bag that he thought had some old clothes or something else in it and had not looked inside all this time, you will maybe understand why I was so thrilled almost to tears to finally have this mystery solved!

And now they are back where they belong in the guest room:

(In case you missed it the other day, Lily Grace had a fun post from the guest room HERE.
Just wondering, does anyone else ever get obsessed over not being able to find something that was special?  These may not seem all that valuable to you, but to me they were a link to our family's past and they had brought a smile to our faces when we saw them...and that made them valuable.

Kind of reminds me of this story in the Bible:

Luke 15:8-10
The Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

In addition to the hilarity of finding the lost pillowcases, I did get some other nice things from the rest of the family:

The best gift was just being together...

Benton and Rose gave me these sweet gifts...


This beautiful pitcher and bowl is something that came from their store, Dixie Cottage. (Sorry, one of a kind...there aren't any more of them!)

Now the guest room really is ready!  If the bathroom is in use, you can always "bathe" in your room!


And this wonderful framed plaque from my sweet daughter in love Rose really touched my heart:

Since Rose's own dear mother passed away not too long after Benton and Rose were married, I have felt quite honored and blessed to be her "other mother". 

After supper and before it got dark, Scott got up on the roof to clean out the gutters, as they were full of the oak leaves from the big live oaks in our front yard.   


He disrupted this poor frog from his sleeping quarters! I believe this is the same frog I accidentally grabbed onto when I was opening the porch umbrella one morning. I don't know who jumped higher or screamed louder...me or this frog!  I'm glad to see he is still jumping around! 


So all's well that ends well. We are finally cooled down to a lovely 76 degrees and we should be able to sleep cool and peacefully tonight!

I know that I am truly blessed, and I give thanks and praise to the Lord for all His blessings.
Oh, in case you missed a good Mother's Day message yesterday, here is our pastor's message on Proverbs 31...and a song by the choir entitled
"My Mother's Bible".

Have a wonderful week my friends!







32 comments:

  1. What a lovely Mother's day, and being together is definitely the best part of all! I'm sorry about your AC scare and having to suffer in the heat (you know I can certainly relate). I'm so glad it wasn't the unit! Have a great week Pamela. :)

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    1. Yes, we are so very thankful that our AC was just a thermostat and not the whole thing! And also thankful to wake up in a cool house this morning! Now my brain can think about better things! I hope you have a blessed and wonderful week.

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  2. I fully understand your gratefulness that the AC is working. That heat will wear you down after a while. Happy it was a thermostat and not the unit itself. They are indeed pricey. I am happy Scott found your pillowcases. It is so frustrating when that happens. Just being with my kiddos is present enough too!

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    1. Thank you, Sandy! I know you understand what the heat and humidity can do to a body here in Florida! And to think, most of us grew up w/o AC, and somehow we survived it. But once you are used to having it, it is very hard to go back to the way it used to be! We are VERY thankful. And yes...being with family is the best gift of all!!!

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  3. What a lovely Mother's Day and beautiful gifts! I am so glad your pillow cases turned up after all this time. And yes, I can be obsessive if a family treasure is missing. I love your attitude about focusing on the blessings. It's taken me a while to learn that lesson, but I am thankful I have. I just read a devotion on that today...about how if you are focused on the negatives you will completely miss the blessings when they come because you're looking in the wrong place. I don't want to miss anything God sends my way!

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    1. Oh, Amen, Stacy, about focusing on the negatives and missing the blessings! I so agree! One thing I've learned in life, God's blessings far outweigh our problems. Although we don't ignore our problems or other issues, we focus on what other good things God is doing, and our problems seem to get smaller and our perspective is so much better. And God takes care of the rest in His time, and gives us joy for the journey. Praying your "journey" will be most joyful this week!

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  4. Beautiful gifts and so happy the pillowcases have been found! Such a blessing that only the thermostat had to be replaced,

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    1. Thank you, Mildred. I am happy that you understand my joy at such things! And yes, the thermostat is a true miracle!! We are so thankful to wake up in a cool house this morning! God is so good!!

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  5. God has caused a minor miracle in that thermostat being the culprit and not the compressor unit. You saved afortune! I had to laugh about not opening the windows! Right, because that would have poured even more humidity in! I see you are playing a fun game with the frog, "Frog Catcher." ha ha. I love froggies. Your post is so chock-full of goodness that I am forgetting to comment on some things, but I did want to say how wonderful to find those pillowcases. They aren't just pillowcases; they are a treasured link to a beloved time and person!

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    1. You are exactly right about all of what you said! I am glad you understand my emotions about the pillowcases! I know some people think I'm a bit crazy to get so worked up over them...and I probably am a bit touched in the head...but I am also touched in my heart and these things were meaningful because they showed the handiwork of one who loved her family and wanted them to have these pretty things. She (my hubby's grandmother) didn't have much of this world's goods, but what she had she treasured and used for the glory of God as a loving mother, wife, and Christian woman. To me, those things are valuable. Oh, and we are enjoying waking up in a cool house this morning! Praise God!

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  6. Your delight upon seeing those pillows and cases tells a wonderful story.

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    1. Thank you, Ruth. You are very kind. I am sure some people think I'm a bit loony, but that's okay! Life is just too short to be too "normal". LOL. Thank you for understanding the story. (((hugs)))

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  7. Your Mother's Day couldn't have been any more fantastic, Pamela. What a joy to "find" those precious pillow cases! And I do love the other gifts you were given, too - so thoughtful.
    Blessings to you and yours!

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    1. Thank you Martha! It truly was a fantastic weekend/Mother's Day. God is good! I hope you had a blessed and wonderful day as well.

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  8. It's getting really hot here too. We need rain badly!
    I have my mother's pillowcases, somewhere. I "inherited" them and a few other trinkets when she passed in 1966.
    Blessings. xx

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    1. Oh Sparky! I hope you can find your mother's pillowcases! I have decided that these kinds of things are meant to be enjoyed, rather than hidden away. Even if they just sit on a bed in a guest room that rarely gets used, they are there to look at and touch and connect in a little way with the person who once either created them or loved them herself. Perhaps a connection to her happier days in her life. I am so sorry your mother passed on so early in your life. I have picked up on your comments that life was not so pleasant for you afterwards, and I am truly sorry. But maybe these "trinkets" and pillowcases could be a reminder of those better times...and that is what she would have wanted for you. (((hugs))) to you my friend. and yes, we do need rain here too. The sky is getting dark, and I am hopeful it will rain this afternoon. I hope you have a beautiful week.

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  9. Oh, that Scott! 😁
    I so loved the video you shared and getting to hear your voices. Gosh, I remember the hollow, horrific feeling 3 years ago when I thought the moving company lost my father's Navy trunk. (2 months later it was discovered under a pile of boxes in the storage shed.)
    In her sermon, Pastor Janet allowed how Mother's Day is difficult for many. Men and women alike - for many reasons. Even my pastor in Clearwater once remarked how some people stay away from church on Mothers and Fathers Day because it's too painful.

    Thank goodness your A/C was restored without having to sell an organ on the black market! Other than that, your Mother's Day sounds delightful!

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    1. I love your sense of humor!! Thankfully, all my remaining organs are still intact! LOL. And we are cool as cucumbers here in our house again!! Oh I am glad to know that other people lose things and find them under piles of stuff later. That makes me feel much better. Of course, I blame Scott for waiting two years to clean out his closet enough to find them! He could have saved me so much angst if he had just cleaned it out sooner. I should say, he rearranged the stuff in his closet...I don't detect any real "cleaning" going on in there. But it is "no-Mom's land" for me. I just shut the door to his room and wonder where I went wrong. Oh well, that's another subject for another day. LOL. Gotta love him! He can cook, he works a full time job, he cleans gutters on the roof, and finds lost pillowcases and surprises his mom on mother's day with a non-TV. LOL. I am truly blessed.

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    2. Pam: I know exactly how you felt finding those pillow cases. For me, it was a china clock that my grandmother gave me. It had been in her home when she was a child. I actually was looking for a ring, I had lost. When I found the clock, I cried like a baby. Peace and blessings.

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    3. Oh, Cecelia! I can well imagine the joy you felt when finding that clock! Yes, I totally understand that! And, did you ever find the ring you were looking for? I hope so! Thank you for your sweet comments.

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  10. THANK GOODNESS it was just the thermostat!!---so glad to hear that and that they have you up and running again and your house is nice and cool. It GETS SO HOT AND HUMID down here in the South, we surely need our air. I don't know HOW THEY did it back in the old days, w/out air!!! Love your Mothers day pictures, everyone looks so happy. I love your new pitcher and bowl set!!---so so pretty!! I have a couple of those too, my folks gifted us wth a big white set years and years ago, for an anniversary I believe. I am so HAPPY YOU FOUND the pillowcases!!!! I am just like you.....I search and search until I find something I've misplaced. I love old embroidered pillowcases like those, I wish I had some. Years ago, I would happen upon them at yard sales and thrift stores, I've pretty much given up on that anymore. Once in while I'll happen upon a lacey crocheted doily or something, then I pounce on it. ha ha. LOL! I'm always looking for pretty vintage old embroidered tablecloths and dresser scarves, I love things like that in our home. So glad you had a happy Mothers Day and I think your lilies are so pretty, wow, they are big blooms!---perfect in your garden. Hugs!

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    1. Thank you so much Debbi! I hope you had a wonderful MOther's Day too. We are so thankful our AC is fixed, and that it was just a thermostat. That was a close one! Yes, I remember growing up in Florida without AC. We somehow survived, but we had lots of windows to open and lots of fans, at home and at school and church. I remember our church had those little cardboard fans with pictures of Jesus on them that we used to fan ourselves. Life was much simpler then. And yet we dressed up more, in dresses with petticoats and stockings and gloves and sometimes hats. Those were the days. Oh, yes, you understand how I feel about those pillowcases and other beautiful vintage linens, etc. They are so special, and a dying art...that's why I love them so much. Many of the ones I have are stained or torn beyond repair, but I hate to just throw them away. Someone actually sat and sewed them by hand! Most are from my husband's grandmother, and I can just imagine her sitting and sewing on them in the evenings after the supper dishes were done. They didn't have TV back then. She didn't have time to read books or play games. She had dresses and quilts to make for our four daughters. It was another world. Thank you for writing. I do hope you had a pleasant Mother's Day. Please take care. We love you. Pam and Lily Grace

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  11. I am late getting around today! Loved the video and so happy your pillow cases were found! Glad the AC problem was just the thermostat! Praise God. I am sure Rose feels as blessed by you as you do by her! xo

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    1. Thank you, Terri! Yes, we are truly blessed to have Rose in our family. God knew I needed a daughter near by, and He provided me with a very special one indeed. I am very thankful. I hope you had a good day yesterday...I was praying for you.

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  12. Praise the Lord for AC! So glad that it was only the thermostat. We finally had no choice by to buy a whole new last last Spring. But, the one we had was the one that put in when we built the house back in the early 90's. They don't make things like they used too these days. So happy God smiles and your air was fixed. Loved the pictures. Nothing like celebrating with family. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. I know that new AC unit hurt to have to do, but like you said, "they don't make things like they used to..." Especially appliances! But we are thankful for a reprieve this time. That was a huge blessing. And being with family is always the best way to spend any day! Thank you, and take care my friend.

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  13. Your attitude is so beautiful, if more people could understand that gratitude is so important in their lives would be so much better if they could learn to be grateful. I’m really happy for you about the air conditioner and the thermostat,. I’ve been to Florida a few times and the humidity is awful. I’m glad you were able to get it fixed. Beautiful pictures today is posted. I love it that the pillowcases were found.

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    1. Thank you so much, Connie. (Nonnie!) I am so happy you visited! And yes, you are so right about gratitude. I believe that is the key to unlocking the door for more blessings to flow. The more thankful we are, the more we see God in our everyday lives, and that gives us reasons to praise Him, as well as giving us more hope and encouragement when we are feeling a bit down...just "count your many blessings, see what God hath done!" I love having you back in our blogging community again!

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  14. It just goes to show us that though we may think we lost something or put it in the wrong place or did the wrong thing, God knows where the pillowcases are!

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    1. Yes, He knows it all. Not sure why it took almost two years to find them, but I will appreciate them all the more now, and I am thankful they were found for sure!!!

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  15. Love all of the pictures Pam. That one of you and your sister is wonderful to me! So thankful AC working properly. GIRL...gonna need it this summer. My temp. has been so whack since I was so sick in Feb. I can't explain it. I know the difference in a hot flash because I had them for years. But it seems since I was so sick I can get the coldest the quickest! So unlike me! And look at those lovely pillowcases! WOW! What a a treasure. Happy Memorial Day to you dear Pam. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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    1. Thank you, Cindy. I do hope your body temp will get back to normal soon. You've been through a lot and it may take a while to get totally back to normal. Just so thankful you came through it safely. And yes, we are very thankful for our AC. It went out again Saturday, and the repairman came on Sunday afternoon to figure it out. They diagnosed the problem, and were able to get it running temporarily, but a part needs to be replaced to fix it permanently. So hopefully that will get here next week. Meanwhile, it is running and we are very thankful that it still isn't anything too expensive. God is so good. We are so thankful.

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