Monday Monday~A New Week

Happy Monday Morning! I hope this Monday finds you all happy and ready to begin a new week full of joy, blessings, and pleasant surprises!  We never know what each day or week will bring...it's kind of like turning the page on a new chapter in an interesting mystery/adventure/romance book, and we can hardly wait to see what will happen next! My prayer for each of us is that each day will bring us only happy adventures.    

I posted these pictures on Facebook yesterday, along with this verse:

Psalm 118:24 NKJV

24 "This is the day the Lord has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it."

I also shared the words to this familiar old song, "Morning Has Broken" (written by Eleanor Farjeon back in 1931)

1 Morning has broken

like the first morning,

blackbird has spoken

like the first bird.

Praise for the singing!

Praise for the morning!

Praise for them, springing

fresh from the Word!

2 Sweet the rain’s new fall

sunlit from heaven,

like the first dewfall

on the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness

of the wet garden,

sprung in completeness

where God’s feet pass.

3 Mine is the sunlight!

Mine is the morning

born of the one light

Eden saw play!

Praise with elation,

praise every morning,

God’s recreation

of the new day!

Such a beautiful way to start our week, don't you think?   

We did go to church yesterday, and it was a wonderful morning filled with praise and worship and learning from God's Word. That's the BEST way to start out the new week!  After church our son Scott came down from Jacksonville to have lunch with us and do his laundry. No, I don't mind that at all. He works hard outside in the extreme heat all week, and his apartment doesn't have any laundry facilities, so if he wants to drive over an hour to come do his laundry here and visit with us for the afternoon, I'm quite happy with that. We always enjoy his company.  Yesterday I didn't do anything big for lunch. We actually stopped off at our local grocery store and picked up some fresh fried chicken and some stuff to make a salad, and that was it! We didn't have to cook and there wasn't a lot of dishes to wash up, so that's just fine with me.  I also did make some Rice Krispie treats after lunch so Scott could take some home with him.   

Here's all that's left now! LOL. They were good!  I make mine a little different. In place of the 3 tbsp. of Butter, I use only 1 tbsp. butter, and 2 tbsp. of creamy Peanut Butter. (melted together). Then I also add to the Rice Krispies one cup of cheerios and 1/2 cup of lightly salted peanuts. (Adjust the amount of Rice Krispies to 5 cups instead of 6).  Mix all of that into the melted 10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows and butter/peanut butter mixture, and then pat into a buttered 13" x 9" baking pan, let cool and enjoy!  It's an easy treat to make on a day that is too hot to use the oven for baking something!

Well, I'm still trying to keep up with the July Photo A Day Challenge, but I tend to do them every other day since I don't write a post every day.  So where did I leave off?

The July 11th challenge was for a fruit and/or vegetable...so here you go:

I went outside to check our garden, and we still have some tomatoes growing!  Now, are they a fruit or a vegetable?

I checked my "trusty resources on AI" (ahem!) and this is the answer I found:

"A tomato is both, depending on how you look at it. Science says it is a fruit, but the law and culinary tradition classify it as a vegetable. [1]

• Botanically, it is a fruit: Because it develops from the flower of the tomato plant and contains seeds, it meets the exact scientific definition of a fruit. [1, 2]
• Culinarily, it is a vegetable: Chefs and dietitians treat it as a vegetable because of its savory flavor profile and the way it is used in cooking. [1, 2]
• Legally, it is a vegetable: In a famous 1893 Supreme Court case (Nix v. Hedden), the U.S. government ruled the tomato was a vegetable in order to apply specific tariffs and import taxes based on how people commonly eat and buy them. [1, 2]"

So now we all know!! It can be either or. I prefer to think of it as a vegetable, and I'm sure most of you do as well. I mean, you wouldn't put a tomato in a fruit salad, would you? 

Now, this is definitely a fruit! This extra sweet cantaloupe was so juicy and sweet, it was like eating candy!  It was really good!

I cut them up like this, and then we can have a small bowl full with our meals until it's all gone. How do YOU eat your cantaloupe? My Mom and Dad always cut them up into wedges and ate them right out of the rind with a spoon, much like you'd eat a piece of watermelon. It was usually considered something to eat with breakfast.  But I prefer my method, and I can eat it anytime!

Now, for the photo challenge for July 12, something "Soft"....

Yes, Blackie is quite soft and mostly sweet. (He has his moments...) LOL. And he likes soft places to sit; mostly in one of our laps, but this morning he chose this chair with a cushion and a pillow with Scripture Verses. And no, that verse there that says "Be still and know that I am God", is NOT referring to Blackie, although there are moments that I do believe he thinks it is! LOL. 

As for today's photo challenge (13), it is a "shadow".  Right now the sun is not shining and I don't see any good shadows around, so I will have to wait on this one and see what develops later.

Meanwhile:

One last thing!Click this LINK to more exciting news from my friend Katheryn Masterson, the author! This link is from Facebook, so if you are not on Facebook it may not pop up, so let me see if I can do it another way.   Here we go:

"I'm so excited to share that The Little Ladybug is now available!

This is the second book in my We Read Together series, designed to help children build confidence while enjoying storytime with a parent, grandparent, teacher, or caregiver.

Follow one curious little ladybug as she follows a butterfly into an unexpected adventure and discovers that the greatest wonders were waiting close to home all along.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my journey as an author. Every encouraging word, comment, share, and book purchase means more than you know.

If you know a young reader who loves nature, ladybugs, or storytime, I'd be so grateful if you'd share this post.

The Little Ladybug is available now on Amazon! "

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H8C4QQ8J

I had no idea that my friend Katheryn was going to be such a prolific writer! She is truly talented and these little books are so great for young children...and for parents and grandparents to share with them! I haven't ordered this one yet, but I do intend to soon. But meanwhile, please check it out on Amazon and perhaps you can share it with others also who might be interested.  It's just so exciting to see such talented new authors out there!   I know Katheryn's grandparents would be SO proud of her! I know I am!

Okay, one last thing for sure this time: I saw this little meme on Facebook yesterday, and I thought it described me pretty well:

For those of you who know me, or have followed my posts here in blogland for a while, you will have to agree that it is describing me pretty much to a "T".  And I hope I never change.  And I give all glory to God for all these things that HE has created and done for us all to enjoy.

Isaiah 25:1 

"O Lord, You are my God.

I will exalt You,

I will praise Your name,

For You have done wonderful things;

Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

Amen.

Now, let's go have a wonderful day, shall we? Talk to you later!