Wednesday Treasures

 Happy Wednesday "Hump Day"!  Hard to believe this week is already 1/2 over, and next week will be Thanksgiving already! I'm still trying to figure that out and who's coming and what am I cooking, etc., etc., but I know it will all fall into place as it always does and it will be a lovely day of Thanksgiving and blessings.  To me it is an important time to set apart from the rush of the upcoming Christmas holidays and just pause and give our thanks to the Lord for ALL HE has done for us, and not only that, but just for Who HE is! We are so blessed and thankful to be His children and to enjoy all that He has provided. Then we can fully enter into the Christmas season with hearts full of praise and joy as we anticipate God's greatest gift of all, His Son, Jesus Christ, the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, surrounded by the animals that He created,  sleeping under the light of the moon and stars that He literally hung in the heavens to give us light in the darkness...and He IS the living LIGHT in the darkness for our lives...oh wow, I could go on and on here and I haven't even gotten started...so maybe I'd better move on to what I wanted to share with you today!  (I think God had better ideas of what needed to be said than what I had planned here!)

So, having said all of that, even though I traditionally don't do anything Christmassy until after Thanksgiving, today I am breaking that rule and doing something to break open the Christmas season with some fun and joy!

The "Kids" and hubby and I are going to go see this movie!!

Sorry these pictures from the Internet are a little bit fuzzy, but you get the idea I hope!

As soon as I heard about this movie, I told the family that this was what I wanted for Christmas, to go see this movie in a theater, and to eat popcorn and have a happy time together!  So my sweet DIL Rose looked it up and found out that it was playing right now, but that TODAY would be the last day in the theaters nearest us, so we'd better hurry up and go!

And so today is the day, and we will be going to the matinee' this afternoon.

Why am I so interested in this movie, you may ask?  Well, one of my friends at church mentioned that she and her husband had gone to see it last week, and they really enjoyed it. When she told me the name of the movie, it rang a little bell somewhere deep in the recesses of my brain..."I've heard of that story before!" 

  

If memory serves me correctly, I knew that I had a copy of that book in one of the drawers of our buffet'...and it has been there for probably 38 years! (I know...I probably should clean out those drawers...), but it was a "gift" to our youngest son Scotty, when he was about 9 years old from his Sunday School teacher.  I know I probably read the story to him because he wasn't really into reading all that much...unless it was a comic book or something he was interested in...but anyway I remember thinking what a great story it was and that it would make a great play or movie or something...and so now here it is...a movie! And I want to see it. I wish "Scotty", who is much older now,  could come and go with us, but he has to work and I doubt he'd really want to see it all that much anyway...LOL. 

So anyway, to make a long story short, I went and found the book right where I thought it was...

and this morning in my zeal to make a Christmassy background for the picture of the book to show you here on this post, and since I don't have any Christmas decorations out yet, I remembered that I had just purchased some Christmas gift bags and things the other day, and I could use that as a background for the book...

and in my excitement to get around the bed in the guest bedroom where I am putting all things Christmas for now as a staging area for when I start getting things ready for Christmas, I tripped over something that was sticking out from under the bed (my fault, I had pushed something under the bed on one side, and didn't realize it had poked out from under the bed on another side), and I fell really hard on my knees and almost hit my face right into the antique sewing machine cabinet on the other side of the bed! Ouch! But thankfully I was able to get up on my own strength (maybe God's strength was lifting me up) and shake myself off and determined that nothing was broken...just a bit stoved up now in all my joints...but Praise God! I am OKAY, and the show must go on as planned.  What's that old saying they'd say to people before going on stage, "Break a leg!" *(see origins of that below)...well, thankfully I did NOT break a leg or knee or anything else, and barring unforeseen circumstances we WILL go see that movie today! LOL

*“Break a leg” is an idiom that means “good luck” and is often used to encourage performers before they go on stage. It's an example of figurative language because it's not meant to be taken literally.

Here are some possible origins of the phrase:

Stage leg line

In early theater, actors who weren't performing had to stay behind the “leg line” and wouldn't get paid. The phrase may refer to an actor breaking the “leg line” of the stage.

Superstition

Performers may have believed that saying “good luck” would bring them bad luck, so they used “break a leg” instead.

Curtain call

The phrase may allude to the practice of bowing or curtsying during a curtain call, which breaks the line of the legs.

You can use “break a leg” in other situations where you're performing, such as a job interview or speaking exam. For example, you might say “Break a leg Sam, I'm sure your performance will be great”.

(Source: AI Overview on Google)

I will be sure to tell you all about it later and give you a review of the movie from my perspective.

Now, back to other things...Thank you all for praying for hubby's eye appointment yesterday. He had a good meeting with the ophthalmologist, but it does look like he is going to have to have surgery in the new year. First he will have cataract surgery on that eye, and then once that is healed, the plan is to do  cornea surgery due to a condition he has in the eye known as "Fuch's Dystrophy".  It is apparently progressing more rapidly than before, so the eye Dr. feels that it will be in his best interest to have the surgery. I'm not sure yet if it will be the full cornea transplant or another procedure first to see if that will take care of it. We'll know more after the cataract surgery is complete. Right now it is just for one eye, but the doctor said he does have the same condition in both eyes, just not as bad in the other right now.  So thank you for your continued prayers.  Thankfully he can still see, but we don't want him to get to the point where he can't see.

I did take a few pictures yesterday on the way to the appointment as we traveled along:

At one location along the highway we pass by the St. John's River in Green Cove Springs. I was able to get these pictures as we "flew past" the inlet...

I thought the clouds were as pretty as the water was!

It was a beautiful spot, and I can see why people like to live there, especially if they like to go sailing...

These next pictures were taken at the parking lot of the Dr's office.  The last time we were there  there were Canadian Geese out in that pond (and also in the parking lot), so I was looking to see if they were still there...

It's a very pretty place, much like our own Still Waters Pond!  But there was no sign of any geese on this day.

Still, it was a beautiful place and I enjoyed looking for them!

And actually, when we got back home the geese were out in our pond! But I didn't get a picture of them as we were in a hurry to get some lunch and take a nap after our early morning excursion an hour away to the eye doctor and back.

Well, that's going to be all for today. I need to take care of some things before we take off for the afternoon movie date. The kids will pick us up after lunch, and we will travel about an hour to the theater. After the movie we plan to go get some supper before coming home.

Remember, "Jesus is the Reason for the Season!"

Tuesday 4~ Day Dreams

 

Day Dreams

Hey.. you're back! It's nice to see you again and you are so very welcome here at Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

While Miss Kitty dreams by the fireside, let's do some November Day Dreaming of our own.

1. Of all the places you have been is there any place besides where you are now that you would like to live?

Well, with the exception of having to drive over mountainous, curvy, scary roads, I wouldn't mind living in the mountains of North Georgia, especially in the spring through fall months. Not too sure about winter there...icy hilly roads can be treacherous. So actually, I think I'd prefer to stay here in Florida and just visit the mountains when I can!

2. If you could dream a place into existence, what would you be dreaming it is like for you?

Something like this would be nice. Except I would hope there would be a nice porch on the other side overlooking the lake as well!

Not sure about that fire on the porch...I'd rather it be in the yard, but you get the idea.

3. Do you daydream often? What thoughts are usually in those dreams?

Happy thoughts of family all being together at a place similar to above, where everyone is just enjoying being together, laughing, eating, playing games, taking walks, long talks, sitting around the campfire, roasting marshmallows and making s'mores...very similar to what we just did on our vacation, but with our whole family there.

I know you've seen these pictures before, but this is the kind of place I daydream about...

4. What song or kind of music is perfect for day dreaming?

Hmmm, I don't know...maybe some nice soft country dulcimer music playing in the background...

This is just an idea...

So those are my daydreams...but I am content with where I am and am thankful to have a beautiful place right here on Still Waters Pond.  If I could transport this to someplace a little cooler in the summer, it would be perfect! LOL.

I took these pictures last night at sunset. And this song, "Day is Dying in the West" came to my mind as I was watching the "day dying in the west". It was such a beautiful time...

1 Day is dying in the west;

Heav'n is touching earth with rest;

Wait and worship while the night

Sets her evening lamps alight

Through all the sky.

Refrain:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Heav'n and earth are full of Thee;

Heav'en and earth are praising Thee,

O Lord most high!

2 Lord of life, beneath the dome

Of the universe, Thy home,

Gather us who seek Thy face

To the fold of Thy embrace,

For Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

3 While the deep'ning shadows fall,

Heart of Love, enfolding all,

Through the glory and the grace

Of the stars that veil Thy face,

Our hearts ascend. [Refrain]

4 When forever from our sight

Pass the stars, the day, the night,

Lord of angels, on our eyes

Let eternal morning rise,

And shadows end. [Refrain]

Refrain:

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Heav'n and earth are full of Thee;

Heav'en and earth are praising Thee,

O Lord most high!

So there you have today's Tuesday 4.  Now we are off to an important eye doctor appointment for my hubby. He's has issues with the cornea in one eye, and it may require surgery, so prayers are appreciated.  

Have a blessed day everyone!  

A Beautiful Saturday Afternoon in November

It was such a beautiful November afternoon, with a high of 75 and no real humidity or clouds, and so I wanted to go outside and sit in my "secret garden" on the swing.  However when I stepped outside I saw that I had visitors in the yard:

Earlier I had cleaned out that bird feeder and put fresh bird seed in, and quite a bit was spilled on the ground in the process...and guess who discovered it?  Yep, the Sand Hill Crane family must have a eagle eye or sixth sense when it comes to free birdseed on the ground!

And so, since they were so busily chomping on the seeds, they hardly even noticed me up on the porch above them.

However, when I came down on the ground and started to head that direction. the Daddy Crane stood guard and I wasn't quite brave enough to try and go around him to get to my swing...

I mean, they probably would have moved away, but I didn't want to disturb their feast either...

So I changed my plans and went the opposite direction, over to my little path in the woods down to Still Waters Pond.

This is my little "secret hiding place" when I want to see what birds are in the water on that end of the pond. That is where I would watch the Canada Geese nesting on the island last winter.  I wonder if they will come back again? We haven't seen much of them lately.

It's also where I can see the back side of the new house next door

It's still available and waiting for new owners...so I still ask, "won't you be my neighbor?"

This would be part of your view if you lived there...

That's the goose island where they built their nest...

It's a very lovely, peaceful little cove...

I found some more holly trees blooming...

There are lots of holly berries in these woods and even over on the island...great natural food for the birds when they migrate through...

Back on the porch I noticed that my Christmas Cactus is starting to get buds!  Yay! I can't wait to see it bloom again!

On another note, the other day I was putting away this 2022 John Sloane Country Seasons Calendar. I had it out because I was using another picture from it for Lily Grace's "school days" pictures that I took a couple of months ago. (You can read that post HERE if you missed it!)

I turned to the November calendar for that year, and this was the picture:

I was affected by this picture in 2022 just like I was today. You can read more about that HERE

You see, it reminded me of when I was a little girl on the farm, and my mother and I used to take a walk on our "lane" down to the mailbox every day to get the mail. Our dog Laddie would walk with us. Here is a picture of our family on the farm, and Laddie is there in the middle. The "lane" we walked is behind us.  I am the "baby" in the family.  I was never that big (as in the picture above) when we lived on the farm, as we left when I was 5 going on 6. But my memories are very special about that daily walk with my mother and our dog.

And I wished I could go back there and walk with her again like we did when I was a child, but my mother has been in heaven for 18 years, my daddy for 13 years, my oldest brother Russell since 2019. Only my sister Doris and my brother Clifford and I are still living.

So I did the next best thing I could do here today...I "re-created" our walk with my little friend Lily Grace and her dog Bailey, and another doll that could stand in for my mother. Actually, I just realized that this doll's name is "Dorothy", and my mother's name is Dorothea. This particular doll is a part of my "Martin Sisters" family, which includes my husband's mother Vivian, and her three sisters, Nellie, Dorothy, and Daisy.

How'd we do? I didn't have hats, and I forgot about an apron, but you get the picture!

They are enjoying their walk on this beautiful Autumn/November day!

Oh hello!

That was fun. I hope you enjoyed it too.

Last night our real "kids" came over and brought us a real treat!  Homemade Pizza!  Rose made the pizza dough in my bread maker machine that I let her "borrow" for a while...I may just give it to her since she keeps making such good stuff in it and then shares it with us! LOL.

She brought all of the toppings and we each made our own pizzas with what we like on it.

They like an alfredo/garlic sauce on their pizza...

And we like a marinara sauce on ours...

They both turned out delicious!! And it was so much fun to do this together!

And then we celebrated their 7th anniversary, which was on November 11th.  We are so thankful to have this precious couple living near us.  They are such a joy and blessing to us!

After supper we went out to see the beautiful full moon!  And then we played a game of dominoes (instead of having "Dominos" Pizza! LOL) and later had some delicious peach dump cake that I made. (You can click on that link for the recipe from when I made it once before). I noticed that I didn't mention the cinnamon on top in that recipe.  I did sprinkle cinnamon on the top before baking,  and it added a nice flavor.

The view of the moon from our front porch.

Today we received a huge "care package" from our Medicare Advantage Plan OTC allowance.  I didn't realize that we each had a rather large amount of money that we could have been spending on OTC products throughout the year, and it needed to be used up before December. So I got busy and ordered for both of us all kinds of goodies, like bandaids, rubber gloves, all kinds of OTC medicines, a new bathroom scale for hubby, and a lumbar pillow for me to use at my desk (comfy, using it now). And I also ordered these arthritis compression gloves for me. I have been suffering with a trigger finger,  and I heard these might help. So I am trying them, but I can't type very well with them, so I took them back off. I will sleep in them tonight, because that is when the trigger finger gets "stuck in place". We shall see if it helps. 

While I was sitting here typing this, I looked out the window and noticed that the skies were turning purple. So I hurried out to see if I could get any good pictures of the sunset before it dropped down below the trees too far.

This is what I got, and it's pretty beautiful! I've heard of "Red skies at night, sailor's delight, and red skies at morning, sailors take warning", but what about purple skies?  What does that mean?

Purple skies at night, sailors take flight? LOL.   I don't know, but I think they were beautiful, and I'm so glad I saw them in time to share with you.

To close out our day with some positive thoughts from God's Word, I came upon these familiar and beloved verses:

Isaiah 54:10

Though the mountains be shaken

and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken

nor my covenant of peace be removed,”

says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Psalm 84:5-7 NIV

"5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion."

Our choir sang a song last Sunday entitled "God's Covenant of Peace", based on those verses.

You can listen to it in the video above. This was recorded at our rehearsal, which may sound a little bit "shaky", but I know the Lord was with us as we sang it on Sunday morning, and it was truly a blessing. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

Have a blessed and peaceful evening and Happy SONday tomorrow!