Monday Monday and Tuesday 4 ~ Banana Splits

 Hello Friends in Blogland! Here it is Monday evening already, and I am just getting around to saying hello!  Mondays are usually kind of busy...a day to catch up with a few things in the morning after a busy weekend and then we have our Bible Studies at the church in the afternoon, so there isn't a lot of time for "visiting".    I am going to "split" my time here between Monday and the Tuesday 4 meme for this week, which is named "Banana Splits"!  Let's start out with that first...

Banana Splits

Amos Sewell's Banana Split

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask you just four questions weekly.
The painting is named Banana Splits and is by Amos Sewell. It tells a story but I think the story is left up to us to figure out.

My Thoughts:  First of all, I never heard of Amos Sewell before this! I would have thought this was a painting by Norman Rockwell! I was surprised to learn that Amos Sewell did many illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post.  So thank you, Annie, for pointing us to this very talented artist! I learned something new here today!

1. What do you think the man in the painting is thinking?  I don't think he quite approves or likes the idea of those kids eating those banana splits. It may be that he doesn't like the idea of banana splits, regardless of who is eating them!

2. In your story what kind of sandwich and beverage is he having?

I would imagine that he is drinking coffee as most men do not drink hot tea, at least not very many that I know of.  The sandwich looks like a grilled cheese sandwich to me.  Oh, wait a minute, I see a tea pot under his left arm...so I have to change my answer above...apparently this man IS drinking hot tea and has a little teapot filled with more tea.  

3. Do you think he is a stranger to the children or does he know them? Why do you think so?
I do not believe this man knows these children.  The way he is looking askance at them makes me think that he is not very familiar with the antics of young children, and probably is of the old school that says that "children should be seen and not heard"....and they certainly shouldn't be having banana splits at lunch time or supper time, or whenever this might be!

4. Do you keep ice cream at home? Banana splits usually have 3 or 4 scoops of ice cream. What flavor ice cream should be in your banana split?

Personally I cannot say that I have ever actually had a banana split.  The thought of mixing bananas with ice cream and all of those toppings just really doesn't sound good to me at all! I would prefer my ice cream sundae with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream and chopped walnuts on top.  You can keep the maraschino cherry too!  We used to keep ice cream at home all the time when our son Scott still lived with us, but it seems as if since he moved out that we just weren't eating it up fast enough and it would get all frosty and freezer burned, so we have stopped buying it and only get it when we are expecting company for dinner or dessert.  I normally would keep plain vanilla around, but oftentimes would buy Neapolitan, which is strawberry, chocolate and vanilla together.  Sometimes we buy Klondike bars or Eskimo pies.

Thank  you, Annie, for hosting our weekly Tuesday 4 gathering. This one was fun and a bit different! If the rest of you would like to join in with this meme each week, you can find it HERE at https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2024/02/banana-splits.html

Now, back to today, Monday...(when I am writing this)...Let's see, what's been going on here lately?

Well, I mentioned the Bible Study earlier.    This is the new study we are doing now:

Here's a little synopsis of the study:

We just started this one last week, and so far it is really good.  For those of us who find ourselves  in God's Waiting Room often, this has some wonderful insights into that bigger picture of what God may be trying to teach us in the meantime.  Our Ladies' Bible Study group has about 10-12 ladies on most weeks, and we enjoy learning from God's Word together while we share our own life experiences of waiting on God. I'm very thankful for this group of women.

Our men also have a weekly Bible Study, and my hubby is the leader/teacher.  Currently they are studying the Book of Hebrews. They also have about 10 men who attend regularly, and I know my husband enjoys that weekly time of fellowship and study from God's Word.  It's also good for him to keep his Bible teaching skills sharpened.  He also teaches our adult Sunday School class on Sunday mornings.  We are very thankful for these opportunities to serve the Lord and also to continue learning.

We also have a lot of fun with our church family. Our Pastor is a real football fan, and he makes no apology for that. Illustrations about football sometimes even manage to creep into his sermons, but they always have a very good point.  So anyway, it was no surprise that he wanted to have a "Super Bowl Party" last night. We don't normally have a Sunday night service since our church is primarily made up of older/retired folks who don't like to drive at night.  Therefore last night was a good time to have a fun time of fellowship with whoever wanted to venture out and come to the church fellowship hall and watch the game together.  Everyone brought finger foods to share, and some even brought comfy chairs and cushions so they wouldn't get too uncomfortable sitting in the ordinary folding chairs in the fellowship hall.  One fun lady even wore her bedroom slippers!  

We are all comfy and happy and having a good time...the food was great too!

Yes, that's our "kids" Rose and Benton out in front, and our Pastor and his wife sticking her head around Benton's head behind him, and another dear friend...

A good time was had by all!  Some of us "older folks" may have left after the half to go home and get ready for bed...but we found out we missed the most exciting part of the game in the 2nd half and overtime! (actually, hubby still watched most of it while I got ready for bed and basically conked out!)

Whoa! I am writing this tonight at 7:12 p.m., and we just had a huge crack of thunder and lightning! A storm is rolling in and I guess that cold front is coming across tonight.  I hope all of you are safe wherever you are. I understand some places may be having severe storms and some will get more snow. Here in Florida it will be thunderstorms and rain, but I pray nothing too severe.

I think I will just have to close out with a few sunset pictures on Still Waters Pond from the other evening and call it a night:

God's beautiful masterpieces in the skies always make me want to stand and praise Him and sing!

Sunday morning we sang the song "Have You Seen Jesus My Lord?", and the second verse says this:

"Have you ever stood at the sunset with the sky mellowing red; Seen the cloud suspended like feathers? Then I say you’ve seen Jesus my Lord.

Chorus: Have you seen Jesus my Lord? He’s here in plain view. Take a look, open your eyes, He’ll show life to you."

And when we were singing that verse, I could "see" these beautiful sunsets in my mind and I thought to myself, "yes, I do believe I've seen Jesus my Lord...He's here in plain view...take a look, open your eyes, He'll show life to you."

HERE is a link to a post I wrote a few years ago that has a YouTube video of our choir singing this song, along with a few photos that I added to go along with each verse. You might enjoy listening to it again.

And I will close with this page for today from my devotional book, "Be Still and Know"...

I love the part that says, "But the reality is that whether the sun is shining or the rain is pouring, whether your song comes easily or your tears pour freely, He continues to be faithful..."  

Yes, Our God is always faithful, and He is always there for us. We may have to wait sometimes in God's Waiting Room to get the answers we are seeking, but He is always faithful and will answer our prayers in His time, within His perfect will for us. So don't ever give up hope!

One last note:

Gonna be a busy week...Tuesday night Choir Practice

Wednesday is Valentine's Day, Our Women in Faith monthly meeting/fellowship, Ash Wednesday evening service, which is the beginning of the Lenten Season leading up to Easter...and my hubby's birthday is on Friday (and there will be some surprises for him that day, so shhh! Don't say anything!)  Saturday morning is our church community breakfast, and then we are back to Sunday again!  Whew! I need to get to bed! 

Good Night friends!