Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. I look forward to spending this time with you!
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, July 4, 2024
4th of July Celebration
Happy Independence Day from Lily Grace and Bailey and friends!
Since Mommie and Daddy have been sick all week, Mommie said I could write the post for today! I know some of you may not even know who I am, so you can read more about me HERE.
And since we can't have a family party here today, Mommie said it would be okay if I had my own picnic with my friends. Bailey (my doggy) and I went outside to take these pictures, but we soon found out it was just too hot to have a picnic outside...
so we went back inside where it is nice and cool and had an indoor picnic with my special friends.
Below are Rebecca, Valerie, me, Margie, and Anne of Green Gables. We had a really nice time on our little picnic, and finished up with a delicious cake that Rebecca brought over and we had pretend home made ice cream, since Mommie couldn't make any real homemade ice cream this year like in years' past. Here's a link to one such gathering many years ago with some very special people.
Oh, and my little friends over at Pamela's Victorian Cottage had their own picnic outside too! I don't think it's as hot over where they live...(actually they are standing in one of John Sloane's special Country Seasons calendar paintings from July of 2020...it made the perfect place for their 4th of July picnic)
So that's what we've been doing here today. What about you? Are you having a special picnic wherever you are? Are you celebrating the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave"? What good food are you eating? Hamburgers? Hot dogs? Chicken? BBQ? Homemade ice-cream? We are missing all of that today, but Mommie says maybe we'll have to have a special picnic later this summer when everyone is well and also when everyone is back home again, since my big brother Benton and Auntie Rose are away on a vacation right now.
What else has been going on? Well, Mommie said there has been some activity on the empty lot next door this past week. One day she heard a big dump truck over there, and looked outside to see lots of piles of dirt on the lot!
It started out with just a couple of piles, and then over the next two days more and more pile of dirt showed up! There were two big dump trucks that just kept bringing more and more dirt!
Mommie says they must be getting ready to spread them out and build a foundation for the new house!
That must mean that there's going to be a lot of activity going on over there in the next few weeks!
Mommie said it's a good thing she's not a little kid anymore, or she'd be over there building roads and tunnels in the dirt with her trucks and cars! I said, "Mommie, did you ever do that when you were a little girl?" And she said, "Oh yes!" She said that she and her big sister (my Aunt Doris) used to play in a big pile of dirt that was on their property one time, and they had so much fun building roads and tunnels for their little cars and trucks to drive through. She said they would get all dirty and full of sand and have to get hosed down with the garden hose to get all that dirt off of them before they could go back in the house, but because it was so hot, it felt good to get hosed down! I didn't know Mommie and Aunt Doris used to have fun playing like that when they were little girls! That sounds like something a boy would do! But Mommie said they had lots of fun playing outside and in the woods when they were little. They didn't always just stay indoors and play with dolls!
Now I wish I could go over there and play in those big piles of dirt! I wonder where I could find some cars and trucks to play with?
OOOOHHHHH! I just went inside my brother Scotty's room, and looky what I found!!!!
He has LOTS of cars!!! Do you think he would mind if I play with them in the dirt????
Uh, yes, my Mommie said he would mind very much and I am not to go near those cars, and especially I am not allowed to take them outside and play with them in the dirt! I guess I'd better not think about that idea again. I don't want to make my brother Scotty unhappy with me. But he doesn't live here anymore...just his cars live here...but still, I'd better obey Mommie and not go near those cars. Besides, he's supposed to come home sometime this weekend, and I could ask him, but I know he won't let me do that. Besides, Mommie says we can't mess up the piles of dirt and they are not on our property so we cannot play in them. She said she was just thinking about how much fun it was when she was a little girl, but she said it wouldn't be that much fun anymore because the dirt would stick all over us in this hot and humid weather, and we'd be such a mess! So, I guess Mommie knows best, but it sure sounded like a fun idea. What do you think???
Well, I guess I'd better close this little story and go back and play with my friends.
Meanwhile, here's a few pictures Mommie took when she was outside...the first two are of the island (she calls it "Goose Island") and the pretty white puffy clouds in the skies.
Mommie says we should celebrate all the beauties around us on this Independence Day.
And this is one of those big old Red Shouldered Hawks that live over there, and he was making lots of noise, so Mommie took his picture so he'd quit squawking at her. LOL.
Mommie said we can only see his silhouette because the sun was so bright behind him.
But he was sure big! Here he turned his back on us:
Mommie said these are just some pretty little wild marsh pink flowers alongside Still Waters Pond. They are really pretty down there in the weeds, so she wanted to take a picture of them.
Mommie said we should close this special 4th of July post with a very special song, "The Star Spangled Banner", and it is being sung by a very amazing singer, Sandi Patty. I wish I could sing like she does, but she is pretty unique and wonderful. So please listen as she sings our National Anthem.
Happy Independence Day everyone!!
John 8:36 NKJV
"Therefore if the Son makes you free,
you shall be free indeed."
I hope you enjoyed this Independence Day post from me. It's been nice visiting with you again.
When I was ten years old, living in Southern California, my parents bought a brand-new house. The front yard had grass but before the back yard was dealt with, Sister and I were responsible to go out there to pull weeds. Boring as that was, we soon figured out that with the hoe and rake, we could make a town much like what the Flintstones lived in, creating little houses with rocks and leftover pieces of concrete. The rake made the farm fields, of course, and the hoe created the streets. Even the weeds served as trees and bushes!
So yes, I can relate to your story of playing in the dirt as a child. It was great fun!
Hello Lily Grace!! It was fun seeing you here today and nice of you to take over posting while your mommie is getting better!! I am excited to see the kind of house they will be building on that lot with all the dirt piled up!! Do please keep us posted!! Love and hugs and Happy Independence Day!
It is always so nice to see you, Lily Grace! Maybe you can come over and meet Ms. Lily Belle one day, smiles. I hope your mom and dad are feeling better. smiles
It will be interesting to see what type or style of home will be going in next door. If I was a kid again I would totally be playing in that dirt. It's just too tempting ... 😂😂💙
Yes I enjoyed your post, and sorry I missed it yesterday. Must have posted in the evening and I only read post in the morning.. Patty's voice was made to sing the anthem! wow. I really love your dress for the picnic, Lily Grace and all you siblings too. Sorry for the noise of the next few weeks and i know the hawk will not be happy with it. hope it doesn't last to long.
What a joy to hear from you, Lily Grace, and to know that you had so much fun on Independence Day with your friends and the indoor picnic. It's hot where we live, too, so staying indoors is sometimes the best idea, especially when we get older like Mommie and me. Isn't it funny that the heat didn't bother me in the least when I was your age? Tell Mommie thanks for all the wonderful photos and updates on how everyone is feeling. Be a good girl always!
It's so good to see you again, Lily Grace! That's so nice of you to take over today. Don't tell your mommie, but I'd be tempted to go play on those dirt mountains, too. Maybe if you ask your brother Scotty, he'll bring you a special truck of your own to play with. Doesn't Sandi Patty have an amazing voice? This performance gave me chills. Lifting my prayers that your momma and daddy are feeling back in the pink real soon!
Happy July 4th to Annie Grace and Bailey! So cute! in answer to your question on my blog, the top set of eyes in the "4 eyes" photo is Caleb. He's the daddy. I think his eyes are the most vivid blue. Have a great weekend!
The dolls are so much fun to dress and decorate with. I put a prairie dress on one of mine this week! I still love my dolls, I just don't play with them as much now. Happy weekend!
Hi Pamela So glad to hear that Lily Grace had a nice 4th of July. Hope her mommie did too! You will have to keep us updated on what is happening in the lot next door. If a new house goes in, I hope you get some wonderful neighbors! Have a good weekend. See you again soon!
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.
When I was ten years old, living in Southern California, my parents bought a brand-new house. The front yard had grass but before the back yard was dealt with, Sister and I were responsible to go out there to pull weeds. Boring as that was, we soon figured out that with the hoe and rake, we could make a town much like what the Flintstones lived in, creating little houses with rocks and leftover pieces of concrete. The rake made the farm fields, of course, and the hoe created the streets. Even the weeds served as trees and bushes!
ReplyDeleteSo yes, I can relate to your story of playing in the dirt as a child. It was great fun!
Happy 4th of July!
ReplyDeleteHello Lily Grace!! It was fun seeing you here today and nice of you to take over posting while your mommie is getting better!! I am excited to see the kind of house they will be building on that lot with all the dirt piled up!! Do please keep us posted!! Love and hugs and Happy Independence Day!
ReplyDeleteIt is always so nice to see you, Lily Grace! Maybe you can come over and meet Ms. Lily Belle one day, smiles. I hope your mom and dad are feeling better. smiles
ReplyDeleteIt will be interesting to see what type or style of home will be going in next door. If I was a kid again I would totally be playing in that dirt. It's just too tempting ... 😂😂💙
ReplyDeleteYes I enjoyed your post, and sorry I missed it yesterday. Must have posted in the evening and I only read post in the morning.. Patty's voice was made to sing the anthem! wow. I really love your dress for the picnic, Lily Grace and all you siblings too. Sorry for the noise of the next few weeks and i know the hawk will not be happy with it. hope it doesn't last to long.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to hear from you, Lily Grace, and to know that you had so much fun on Independence Day with your friends and the indoor picnic. It's hot where we live, too, so staying indoors is sometimes the best idea, especially when we get older like Mommie and me. Isn't it funny that the heat didn't bother me in the least when I was your age?
ReplyDeleteTell Mommie thanks for all the wonderful photos and updates on how everyone is feeling. Be a good girl always!
It's so good to see you again, Lily Grace! That's so nice of you to take over today.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell your mommie, but I'd be tempted to go play on those dirt mountains, too. Maybe if you ask your brother Scotty, he'll bring you a special truck of your own to play with.
Doesn't Sandi Patty have an amazing voice? This performance gave me chills.
Lifting my prayers that your momma and daddy are feeling back in the pink real soon!
Happy July 4th to Annie Grace and Bailey! So cute! in answer to your question on my blog, the top set of eyes in the "4 eyes" photo is Caleb. He's the daddy. I think his eyes are the most vivid blue. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThe dolls are so much fun to dress and decorate with. I put a prairie dress on one of mine this week! I still love my dolls, I just don't play with them as much now. Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteHi Pamela So glad to hear that Lily Grace had a nice 4th of July. Hope her mommie did too! You will have to keep us updated on what is happening in the lot next door. If a new house goes in, I hope you get some wonderful neighbors! Have a good weekend. See you again soon!
ReplyDelete