Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Let's see, where did I leave off yesterday?  Oh yes, I was telling you that it was our son's birthday! And so it was...and we had such a wonderful day.  

Thanks to a very wonderful gift card combination that we had saved, we were able to all go out to lunch at Longhorn's to celebrate.  (Yes, we are very thankful for the gift cards! This meal would not have been possible without them! So yes, gift cards to restaurants are nice gifts to give and receive...especially if it is one that is nearby where you can actually use it!  Our Longhorn's restaurant recently opened up this past year, so it is still quite a novelty for us to go there and it made a lovely place to celebrate)

Thankfully we were all available at lunch time so we could do this together!

There's hubby John looking happy!

I believe I had a mouth full, so couldn't smile. LOL. (Hey, now you know why I called myself "Mrs. Peacock" in that story on Tuesday...LOL)

Mine was the salmon salad...very good!

The food was so good...I think this was John's chopped sirloin and mushroom gravy...(and loaded baked potato)

Rose had the salmon on rice with broccoli:

Birthday boy got the ribeye with a loaded baked potato:

They also brought him a complimentary birthday ice cream dessert!

And the waitstaff all came and sang to him...which of course he just "loved". LOL.

It was nice of him to share with Rose...

And then we came home and later had more goodies...brownies and ice cream, which was his choice.

In our family it is important to have a picture of "the big blow" for every birthday! LOL.  It's a family tradition!

Oh, Sugar and Spice were there to help celebrate as well, and because the other day was National Love your Dog Day...

They each got some new chewy toys from Grandma and Grandpa.  These rubber bones taste like bacon, and they LOVED them!!

They stayed quite happy and contented all afternoon while we played Dominoes.

After the kiddos left, I was very happy to see that after a long day of work, the workers finally had the new house next door all blocked and leveled:

This was earlier in the day:

They had worked literally all day long in the bright sun and high heat to bring this house together...

And after they finally left for the day around 6:30 p.m. I was able to go over and take a couple of pictures of the "finished product":

Yes, there's still much to do, but at least it is up on the blocks and leveled and all joined together, so now they can start putting the finishing touches on it.  (Skirting, siding on the ends, steps, driveway, landscaping, etc., etc.).   But I still think it is a very pretty house in a lovely setting. And it is still for sale...any takers?

This was the view on Still Waters Pond from the back of this house last night:

It was supposed to have rained, but thankfully it held off until the workers were through for the day, and actually didn't rain at all until today.

All is calm, all is well, on Still Waters Pond.

So, let's see what else I am thankful for today...Actually there's so much...

I may have mentioned in an earlier post something about the AC in our car not working very well.  We thought we had it fixed, but then it wasn't.  So we finally bit the bullet and took it to a local repair place and prayed it wouldn't be something major.  Thankfully it wasn't...and it didn't cost us very much at all to repair! So that was a HUGE blessing. Now every time we go out for a ride we say "Thank You, Lord", for our cool car!  Here in Florida that is a necessity!!  

So very thankful for our family and the blessing they are to us.  

Very thankful that one day last week I was doing some work in the yard and I put on some gloves that had been in the shed for a long time.  All of a sudden I felt something stinging on my ring finger, and I pulled off the gloves immediately to see a little black and white fuzzy spider, who apparently didn't like me taking over his hiding place! I threw down the gloves and took off my ring because I was afraid my finger would start swelling. I ran in the house and found my ammonia anti-sting stick that I keep in my purse for wasp stings, etc., I used it up, and then ran ice water over it and then put antibiotic ointment on it and prayed that it wasn't a bad kind of spider. I was prepared to take an antihistamine if I started having any negative reactions. I looked it up online and decided it was a common little spider that wasn't venomous, but still had a powerful sting! Thankfully my finger did not swell and the stinging stopped fairly quickly, and I lived to tell you all about it!  The other thing was I was home alone when this happened, so I was really praying hard that John wouldn't come home to find me in some kind of anaphylactic shock or something like that...and praise God, nothing bad happened at all! However, from now on, I will turn all gloves inside out before I put my hands inside of them again!!! 

Oh, one more thing. I had mentioned that my brother and his wife were planning to come visit us on Saturday while they were in the area for a funeral for his wife's brother.  We were really looking forward to seeing them. However, he called yesterday and said they would not have time to come by here after all, due to needing to get back home more quickly than originally planned.  Although I understand, I am disappointed not to get to see them,  but I pray their time spent with my sister in law's family will be very special and comforting, and I also pray for their safe journey home to N.C..  

And like I told my brother when he called, "it's okay...I needed to clean my house anyway, so it's okay!" LOL. He understood fully.  Yes, I've been working on  little projects throughout the week preparing our house for their visit, but yes, it needed doing anyway and it was good to get some things done that I kept putting off.  So all's well that ends well. And we will actually be taking a trip up there in October for their grandson's wedding, so we will get to see them all pretty soon! 

Yes, October isn't far away now that September is almost here! And you know we all love those "BER" months...SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, and DecemBER.  Here in Florida those are some of the best months of the year!

Here's a verse I just read in a devotional book I am using:

Isaiah 25:4 (NASB)

4 For You have been a defense for the helpless,

A defense for the needy in his distress,

A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;

For the breath of the ruthless

Is like a rain storm against a wall.

Thank You, Lord, for your defense and refuge for your children, because yes, "the breath of the ruthless is like a rain storm against a wall."  We need God's defense and strength every day to combat the troubles and trials of this world.  Praise God, He is right there for us...a refuge from the storms of life and a shade from the heat when it is relentless.  We are blessed to be His children!  Amen?

On that note I will say good night my friends! 

 

Wednesday Treasures, a Sequel, and Celebrations

First of all, let me thank you for your kind comments on yesterday's post, "Dark Academia", seen HERE.  If you haven't read it yet, you might want to go back there and read it first before you finish reading this.  It really was a lot of fun coming up with that story, but I thought afterwards that I wish I had ended it differently.  

My new ending would be that I kept feeling someone shaking my arms and telling me to wake up.  I was astonished to open my eyes and see Miss Scarlett standing over me with a worried look, and practically in tears because she was afraid something had happened to me.  Apparently while I was reading my book I fell asleep in that cozy spot in front of the fire, and somehow I fell off the couch and bumped my head.  As I groggily came to, I looked around the room and saw Mr. Green standing next to Miss Scarlett, also looking rather concerned but more so looking rather admiringly at Miss Scarlett. Next to him was Mrs. White, and she brought a cool wet washcloth to bathe my forehead and check for any bumps and bruises.  Colonel Mustard stood next to her and kept giving her advice on what to do. Even Professor Plum was there,  looking concerned but still rather frustrated that his studies about the Egyptian Pharaoh's tomb was interrupted yet again.  

I finally sat up and looked at Miss Scarlett and shouted, "You're Alive!" And she responded, "Well, of course I am! What did you think?" Good Gracious, Mrs. Peacock! We thought YOU were dead!!  Then I realized that I must have dreamed the whole thing!  I sat up and gave Miss Scarlett a great big hug and told her how thankful I was that she was okay, and that from now on I would try to be a better friend to her and to everyone else in the house.  They all scratched their heads and looked at me rather peculiarly, but all in all they were happy that I was okay, and I was VERY happy that this story finally had a very happy and much better ending!  And we all lived happily ever after.  The End. (Maybe...who knows? There might be another sequel! LOL)

So now on to a new day and a new story!  Just kidding! No new stories today...just moving on to new things...

We went for a walk last evening and I saw these flowers blooming along the roadway where we walk in the woods.  They were so pretty I decided to pick some and bring them home.  

I looked them up on the Google Lens feature in my phone, and found that this is called 

Dogtongue Wild Buckwheat!  Have you ever heard of that before? It's a new one to me for sure. But it's very pretty and looks nice on the kitchen countertop, so I will enjoy it until they start to droop and die.

Finally some good news on the next door home front!  Some fellas came today and delivered a load of concrete blocks so they can start the blocking and leveling of the house, along with installing the tie-downs underneath the house.  They still haven't joined the two sides together, but I expect that will be happening soon or else they can't continue the blocking and leveling!

So little by little it is finally coming together.  I know the person who is building this house will be happy to see some progress being made.

And today is our #1 son's birthday!!

Here he is with his sweet wife.

I had to find his baby book and this announcement so I could remember what time he was born. All I remember was it was a VERY LONG and HARD labor, and that he was 2 and a half weeks late, in the hot summer heat here in Florida! And he was a very BIG BABY, especially for my first!

But I was sure happy to finally see who it was that had been kicking and rolling around inside of my tummy for the past 9 and a half months!  Back then we didn't have ultrasound, and so we had no way of knowing if it was a boy or a girl.  If we had of had that option I don't think I would have wanted to know anyway.  I like surprises.

And he sure was a BIG surprise!!  When my mother first saw him as they brought him out of the delivery room, she cried, "Oh, my poor Pammy!"   LOL.  

Here he is at 3 1/2 months!  Yes, he was a big boy, and still is! 

(This was taken last year on his birthday)

I am writing this early in the morning so I don't have any pictures yet of him blowing out his candles. So I may have to wait and finish this post after that!  We are taking them out to lunch and then we will come back to the house for brownies and ice-cream (his choice!).  I will wait to bake the brownies when we get back home because we all want them warm! LOL.

Ephesians 2:10  NIV

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do."

We thank the Lord for our son and also for his dear wife.  They are such a blessing to us and to all who know them. May the Lord continue to bless Benton (and Rose) and guide them and keep them going in the path that He has planned for them. Amen.

I think I will go ahead and post this now...if there are any updates they can always be added to tomorrow's post, right?   Y'all have a great day!  I'm getting ready to go out and celebrate!!

 

Tuesday 4~ Dark Academia

 

Dark Academia...


Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Toni loved to have people open their minds and think about things .. think into things. Let's try that this week okay?
A popular trend in home décor and mood background music is called *Dark Academia and it is based on novels set on old university campuses that have secrets, love affairs, mystery and the scenes and mood these novels evoke. Velvet sofas, old books, Victorian wallpaper, deep high back chairs, antique photos and paintings, candles, romantic lighting and classical music are all part of it.

*Dark Academia is a style steeped in the romanticism of literary nostalgia and the academic aesthetic of classical architecture and arts. Originating in the hall of Ivy-covered universities, this style speaks to those who yearn for an era of structured elegance and intellectual pursuit.

1. Does this picture evoke any feelings in you? If so share what they are please. What is the mood it sets for you?

This is something totally new and foreign to me. I've never heard of "Dark Academia" before so I am going to have to put on my thinking cap and vivid imagination to try and come up with some kind of sensible answer.  Perhaps the sensible thing to do would be to just pass on this one altogether because I'm just not getting any "vibes" for it. However, after thinking on it for a little while, this is what came to me:

The mood this scene sets for me is rather dark and chilly and damp. I want to wrap up in a blanket and find a nice cozy fireplace to lounge in front of on a dark red velvet sofa while I read a good book...perhaps a mystery novel...

2. Put yourself into this scene. Where are you going?

I am going into the Conservatory of this intriguing home to find a quiet place to read...

3. Do you have a companion or are you going to meet someone? Who is it?

I think I must be Mrs. Peacock (because I love the colors of the feathers on a Peacock), and I prefer to be alone, but Miss Scarlett soon comes in and interrupts my peace and quiet.

4. Using your imagination describe who and what you find inside the foreground building. Is it a restaurant, library, academic building, a home? 

Apparently it is the house from the game of Clue, and it seems to be a boarding house of some type...and all of the rooms named in the game are in this house, i.e.; the Hall, Lounge, Dining Room, Kitchen, Ball Room, Conservatory, Billiard Room, Library, and Study.  

I believe you will find the stodgy old Col. Mustard and dashing Mr. Green in the Billiard Room, and Professor Plum is in the Study.  Strictly business Mrs. White is bustling about in the Kitchen and back and forth into the Dining Room, and the beautiful young Miss Scarlett seems to wander from room to room in search of me, the retired writer of mystery novels, Mrs. Peacock.  Once she finds me in the Conservatory wrapped up in a blanket reading a good mystery book before the fireplace, she tries to talk me into going with her in search of Mrs. White. However, what she really wants to do is go play pool in the Billiard Room with the the dashing and handsome Mr. Green and the stodgy old Colonel Mustard, which is not entirely proper in this particular day and time.  However, she is not able to convince me to go with her, and so she goes off by herself in search of adventure.  

Unfortunately, Miss Scarlett is later found alone in the Ball Room, and somehow she has very suddenly died.   Mrs. White discovers her body there and runs screaming through the house to let everyone know that poor Miss Scarlett has been murdered.  Now the mystery that I've been reading seems to be coming to life and we must all gather together to try and figure out how Miss Scarlett was murdered and then  determine who did it.  

Suddenly we are all considered suspects when the police come to investigate, and therefore I am no longer able to sit wrapped up in my cozy blanket before the fireplace and read my book.  However, perhaps if I could fast forward to the end of the book I might be able to solve the mystery.  I don't know, but it's interesting to note that they found several interesting items scattered about in different places in the house...a knife with drops of blood was found in the kitchen...a candlestick showing traces of hair attached was in the dining room, there was a revolver found in the study, which seems to have been recently fired...someone discovered a lead pipe in the lounge, and a long rope was hung up on the coat rack in the hallway, and last but not least there was a wrench with greasy grimy fingerprints found in the library!  Now it is up to the police to try and figure out which item was used as a weapon, and by whom!

I think I will just stay out of the way and let them figure it out.  I could show them the book I am reading and they might figure it out sooner, but then they wouldn't earn their money by doing their job.

Soon there were many kinds of "confessions" going on as the police interrogated each of us.

I felt very sorrowful that I had not gone with Miss Scarlett when she had asked me to. Perhaps I could have saved her life. I had to confess to my feelings of indifference and judgment in not wanting to spend any time with someone who appeared to be so blatantly trying to chase after a man.  Mrs. White confessed to being a bit envious, but much too busy to care about the needs of a young beautiful woman who appeared to be quite capable of taking care of herself.  Colonel Mustard confessed that although he admired the lovely young lady from afar, his admiration for her was more like what he would think of a fine horse. He was much more interested in telling his old war stories than showing interest in a young filly.  Professor Plum confessed that he had never hardly noticed the young woman as he was so caught up in his studies about the latest archeological discoveries in the tombs of the Pharaohs in Egypt.  Then they questioned the dashing and handsome young Mr. Green. He had to confess that he admired the beautiful young woman very much, and he had hopes of getting to know her better, but he was shy and really didn't know how to approach her. Truly he was heartbroken that her lovely life was cut short so suddenly.

So,  after all the investigations were over, it was determined that poor Miss Scarlett had actually died of a broken heart.  She wasn't brutally murdered at all.  But perhaps she might have lived longer if we had all not been so selfish, judgmental, indifferent, and had we been more of a friend to her instead of brushing her off every time she approached us.

Galatians 5:13-26 is a good passage of scripture to sum up this story. Perhaps if the characters in this house had practiced the admonition found in verse 14 below, the lovely Miss Scarlett might have lived a much happier and longer life.  

"13 For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."

And thus ends this story of the mysterious death of Miss Scarlett in the house that "Clue" built.

I hope you enjoyed this foray into "Dark Academia". I must admit it took me a while to get started, but once the juices started flowing I couldn't stop. Thank you, Annie, for giving us this interesting inspiration today.  Now, let's go see what adventures others are finding in this realm of "Dark Academia" today.

Postscript:  For the "true" and updated ending of this story please go to the "sequel" on the next post found HERE.  After "sleeping" on this story, I decided that it really needed a better ending...author's prerogative! I hope you'll check it out!

Friday Afternoon Tea Time

Just needed a little extra tea break this afternoon. Won't you join me? 

Some days are just like that, you know?  Most summer days I am content with my morning hot cup of Lipton regular black tea at breakfast. (although for this afternoon tea I chose Twining's Lady Grey Tea, because this is an extra special tea time).

Just a note: the glass tray that this tea set is sitting on has one of my favorite passages of Scripture written all around the edges:

Galatians 5:22-23  NKJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

(A good reminder for us at any time)

And speaking of "fruit", 

I usually have 1/2 glass unsweetened iced tea combined with 1/2 glass of ice-cold unsweetened cranberry juice with my lunch. Very refreshing! You should try it!  Make sure it's the 100% juice, with no sugar added! It's a good source of vitamin C, and a whole cup of fruit. It's also very good for the urinary tract, which for ladies of most of our ages out there, that's crucial.

That's my PSA for this post. LOL.  When I find something that works for me, I like to pass it along, just in case you wanted to know about that!

And isn't that what tea time is supposed to be all about? Sitting down together with a friend (or friends), and sharing our hearts with one another? I look at our blogging like that.  It's a time of sitting down with dear friends and sharing whatever is on our hearts and minds, encouraging one another in our faith, lifting each other up when one is down or feeling alone. Sometimes we just talk about silly things or funny stuff that is going on around us...and then other times we pour out our hearts and let it all hang out. That's what friends are for.  To help share each other's burdens, and to be there during the good times as well.

It's also what Jesus said He is there for; He said in Matthew 11:28-30

28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 

and you will find rest for your souls. 

30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Isn't that a comforting thought? Jesus wants to carry our burdens for us. He wants us to come to Him, and find rest for our souls. He promises that His "yoke is easy, and (His) burden is light." When I picture a "Yoke", I think of this:

It is usually used to guide two oxen together, so that they will be able to walk together and not pull away each to his own way.  That is what I think about when I picture taking up the yoke of Jesus...I picture Him walking with me, helping to carry the load, as well as keeping me in line and guiding me into the best possible direction I should go.  I also picture Him carrying the heaviest part of the load on His shoulders. He does that for me, willingly and lovingly, because He knows how weak I am on my own.

And again, I thank Him for doing this for me, and also for you. And together, with Jesus, we can carry one another's burdens and not feel so alone or weighed down from the heavy loads of our lives.

You don't have to carry it alone...and neither do I! 

We've got Jesus on our team!

And now on to some other things from around the home front:

Ever since Hurricane Debby blew through here a couple of weeks ago, we haven't seen much of the neighborhood kitty, "Blackie", who up until the storm would sleep on the comfortable cushioned chairs of our covered back porch every day and/or night.  The last time I saw him he was out there that night, curled up in a black ball on some old rugs.  Come morning, he was no where to be seen.  We thought we saw him at a distance a few times, but he never came back to our porch. Not sure if something scared him that night during the storm, or what happened, but at any rate, he didn't seem to want to come back here.  And then, just the other evening I stepped out onto the front deck to bring in our flag for the night, and I looked over at my little wicker plant stand, and there he was!

Just as lazy and handsome as you please, sleeping on the shelf of the wicker plant stand!

At first he wouldn't even look at me, like either he was embarrassed to be caught out there, or maybe he was mad at me for something! 

Maybe he got wind of the fact that this OTHER black and white Tuxedo kitty cat was lounging around on our back porch while he was gone!  

I didn't invite him there...he just showed up one evening and acted like he owned the place for a while, and then he was gone again...

He does look rather comfortable, doesn't he?

He was watching either some lizard or mole or birds or something out there in the yard:

And then he saw me looking at him through the glass door:

That was the last look Mr. Tuxedo gave us before he departed for parts unknown:

Anyway, back to "Blackie", 

I don't know, but I spoke lovingly to him and told him how happy I was to see him again...

And pretty soon he turned his eyes my way and looked at me as if he was unhappy that I woken him up from his nap! LOL.

However, in a moment he stretched himself out and got down from his perch and came over to me and rubbed my legs and let me know that he still loved me and I told him that I still loved him, and then he went over to the front of the deck 

and decided to watch the neighborhood activities from that vantage point.

And that's the last I've seen of him for a few days.  Neighborhood Cats sure can be fickle! LOL.

Thankfully there is a kind neighbor who feeds him. Not sure about the Tuxedo cat. He may belong to someone.

Oh, the Sand Hill Crane family still flies in and out every so often:

This was this afternoon! They were actually putting on quite a show for us!

And I know some of you may be wondering what's happening with the new house that's going in next door?  Yeah, I've been wondering too. Not a thing has happened over there since the hurricane. I think whoever is supposed to be setting it up must have gotten behind in their schedule, and we haven't seen hide nor hair of them in about 3 weeks.  

And then today this happened:

Not just one, but two big dump truck loads of more dirt arrived.  They still haven't covered up the huge septic/drain field that was installed over a month ago.  They still haven't finished putting the two sections of the manufactured home together, but they brought more dirt!

And none too soon. You can see how black the sky was behind there...yes, about the time the truck was finished dumping his load, the skies opened up and dumped their load of heavy rain on top of it all!

And now this is what it looks like out there on Still Waters Pond:

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little tea time together this afternoon (and now it is evening).  I feel refreshed, just like you have actually been here chatting with me. Maybe it is because we are sitting here beside "Still Waters Pond"...

"He leads me beside the still waters.

 He restores my soul;"

and just maybe Jesus has been here with us, lifting our heavy burdens and giving us "rest for our souls". 

Matthew 18:20 NKJV

"For where two or three are gathered together in My name, 

I am there in the midst of them.”

 Yeah, just maybe He has...

Thank you for sharing this tea time with me. I hope you will come again soon! Have a pleasant rest of your evening and weekend ahead.