Monday Monday!!

 

Sunrise, September 22, 2025, the first day of Autumn!

Happy Monday! I hope this finds you all enjoying this first official day of Autumn! We've been "pretending" it was autumn here already for a few weeks, not so much in temperature, although it has been a rather mild September for Florida, but in decorations and wishful thinking!  But September is special for me in a more significant way, as it is also my birthmonth!  And this particular birthday, which is coming up actually on the 25th, marks my 3/4 century mark, so it really is significant to me! I can't believe I'm really this old! LOL.  

So we started out celebrating early this past weekend, since that is when the "kids" could all be here at the same time.  Originally we had hoped that my sister and her family could come up and join us as well, but they live a couple of hours away and sometimes it's just not that easy to get everyone together with work schedules and other concerns, so we decided that we'll get together with them another time.  Like I told my sister on the phone, "I'll be 75 for a whole year, so we can celebrate anytime!"  

Anyway, on Saturday Scott came down and joined Benton and Rose and hubby and me at the Sonny's BBQ in Palatka for lunch.  (If you're a Facebook friend, you've probably already seen most of these photos, so just bear with me, and thank you already for your sweet comments there!)

Sorry this picture shows my food already partially eaten, but I wanted to show you that I had a half rack of Baby Back ribs, some other sliced smoked pork, a sweet potato and coleslaw! I can't believe I ate the whole thing! It was SO good!! (I gave my garlic toast to the kids, so I didn't eat any bread! That's good, right?)  

Then we went home and sweet DIL Rose had baked an apple pie for my birthday "cake", which is what I prefer. My mother had always baked an apple pie for me, and then when she passed away my sister Doris took over that little job, but since she couldn't come, Rose took care of it! She's a keeper!

Everyone is singing Happy Birthday to me...

And then comes the best part...the "big blow"....

It took every breath I had to blow out all those 75 candles! LOL.

But I did it! So now I hope all my wishes will come true!

Here I am with sweet hubby and son Scott...

And here's my sweet Benton and precious Rose...  I am SO thankful for our wonderful family. God has been so good to us.

Next came the gifts...son Scott is a man of many talents. One of his specialties is turning trash into treasure...in the past you may have seen some of his creations using Dove Candy wrappers to create special characters...(although I can't find these in my old blogs, but I know I shared them on Facebook years ago)

He created these "Ninja Warriors" to symbolize warriors fighting against cancer, after our son Matthew fought a valiant battle for four years before God called him home. They are created with Dove Candy wrappers and aluminum foil. The details are amazing. I think this was a kind of therapy for him in dealing with the loss of his brother at the time.

These are some other characters he created as gifts over the years, just a small example of the many more he has given away to friends and family. We usually gift him with bags of Dove candy for Easter, birthdays, and Christmas, so he has more "supplies" for his craft, but lately he's kind of quit doing this in favor of some other new creations...

Like painting! Years ago when he was a teenager he wanted a Bob Ross painting kit, and so he got one for Christmas, but at that time he never really did anything with it.  Now, many years later he has renewed his interest in painting and so this is what he gave me for my birthday:

I think it's beautiful!!  But there's more to the story.

In keeping with his tradition of creating treasures from trash, he paints things on the back of cardboard boxes from food items like Hostess Twinkies and in this case, tea bags!  He wanted me to have this particular one and framed it so you can see the tea bag design on the back, because he knows how much I love tea!  Isn't that amazing?  It's definitely a treasure to me!!!

Also, in a previous post I had mentioned that I hoped I could get one of my strong sons to dig a hole and plant this Rose of Sharon bush for me...and so here's Scott doing just that!

Thank you, sweet Scott! Now may it grow and prosper!

But Scott isn't the only one with artistic/creative talent in the family...son Benton built these wooden planters for me to put my mums in. I had already bought the mums, but didn't want to dig holes in the ground, so he built these to hold them, and they are just perfect! What a wonderful gift!

And sweet Rose not only baked the apple pie, but she gave me these cookbooks because she knew that I was wanting to try some different diet plans, and also she got some for herself too so we can all start trying to eat healthier, after we finished the pie, of course!  

I also received a fun package in the mail from one of my dearest blogging friends, who shall remain nameless but she knows who she is and how very dear she is to my heart.  Oh, Lily Grace helped open up this package because this person is very dear to her as well...

There were all kinds of fun and interesting things in the package, including these beautiful china handled tea spoons, each with a different floral pattern...so beautiful!

And this lovely pillow case, which fits perfectly on a little pillow that I have:

And also this lovely acrylic stained glass window hanger with such beautiful birds on it!

And she never forgets her "niece Lily Grace", so there was a fun little blue pony with a comb to comb her long tail and mane...

I don't know how she packed so many fun things in one little box, but there was also this wonderful fall potholder mitt that matches some dishes I already have...

And also this beautiful "Grateful" hand towel, which also matches some dishes that I have!

And yes, I am extremely Thankful and Grateful for this dear friend, as well as for my family and all of my wonderful friends out here in Blogland!

It truly was a wonderful early birthday celebration.  We don't really have any special plans for my actual day, but we will see what develops.  The "kids" are getting ready to go on a trip to Minnesota to see Rose's father and her other siblings up there, so that is one reason we needed plan the celebration a little early. Maybe hubby and I will do something together on the actual day...we shall see.

Meanwhile, yesterday at church was a special day also.  One of our dear members is moving away, and she is someone who has done so much for our church and community over the years...just a very committed Christian woman, and we are all going to miss her so much.  In honor of our friend, it was decided that everyone who could would wear a hat on Sunday, since "Norma" always wears a hat to church.  She was really surprised to see us all there wearing hats and was very touched by our love.

Here's a few pictures that were taken to put on our church Facebook page:

This is Norma...and she was actually making an announcement about something coming up even though she is leaving.  Then we surprised her with a nice gift card from the church and the congregation and choir sang the song "Friends", which brought a few tears to all our eyes.

This is our Pastor and wife. Someone said he looked like "The Godfather". LOL.

He did take his hat off to preach the sermon. He said he didn't want to look like a gangster while he was preaching. LOL.  

This is our choir

Here's the song "Friends are Friends Forever" by Michael W. Smith along with Amy Grant.  

It was a kind of bittersweet day.  

But we are thankful for Norma and pray for her in her new adventures. We know God will use her wherever she goes.

John took this picture of me before we left home for church. That floppy hat was in my eyes all morning, but it was fun.

Let's see what else is going on? Well, some have asked if our kids have ever finished their kitchen remodeling project...and actually they are just about finished. They sent me these pictures last night:

They still have to finish the backsplash and some other trim work and then they will take off the blue plastic covering on the new dishwasher. That came on it from the store, and they left it on to protect it while painting.

They are also still working on the area behind Rose below. That is their utility area and also a little "breakfast nook", but they use it as a work area for their Etsy business.

Everything looks so bright and clean and fresh!!

They painted over the paneling with a white paint,  and painted the wood cabinets with that kind of a coastal greenish bluish color...I think it's called Quietude, or something like that. And then they put on new butcher block countertops.  

These are some "before photos":

It's been quite a project, and I know they are happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Let me just close by saying how very thankful I am to be alive and well and celebrating my 75th year of life! I give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love and mercy endures forever!!

Psalm 16:5-8

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Amen.

Special Announcement and Tuesday 4: Friendship.

 Greetings from my desk to yours...This will be brief...our WiFi modem is dying and seems to keep dropping in and out. We have contacted our internet provider, and they cannot come to replace it until Thursday.   Right now at this moment it is working, but by the time I finish typing this, it may be back off again, so you may or may not ever see this message.  I didn't have time to do the Tuesday 4 meme today as I had other things planned and had hoped to get it done tonight.  But I don't want to chance it and will just say that most likely you won't be seeing much of me for the next couple of days.  

Of course without the internet, we also cannot watch TV...and I cannot access the WiFi items on my cell phone either, so things could get pretty quiet around here.  I told hubby we need to just take tomorrow off and go someplace, like the beach or some other interesting place rather than sit here staring at the four walls.  It's sad that we've become so dependent on the internet for our communication as well as entertainment, bill paying, GPS, all of the above and more.  We've forgotten how to "live" without it.  I've been reading a lot of Amish fiction lately, and they seem to get along just fine without it or any other modern convenience. We may need to get back to the basics again and try to spend a little more time focused on real life, right here in front of us without any technological interference. Sounds good to me. 

Well, right now we seem to have two green lights on the modem, so I'll keep typing. LOL.  

I don't really have anything much to share anyway...but the other morning I was in a "vintage mood" and decided to eat my breakfast on this vintage china that belonged to my hubby's grandmother. It was a very common pattern back in the day, seems like everyone had some kind of dishes similar to this. I love it and wish I had a whole set of it!

It was perfect for my two fried eggs and two blueberry bran muffins.

Later that day, after we had gone to the store, I had bought some very good fresh Bing Cherries. It made me think about Mary Englebreit's "Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies", instead of the saying "Life is just a bowl of cherries."  So Lily Grace got in on the act and sat in the chair with a Mary Englebreit placemat and had a bowl of cherries.   I had shared more about this particular placemat HERE sometime last year, when I first got it and thought it was so cute.  It's still cute, don't you agree? And it goes so well with the bowl of cherries and Lily Grace  wanted to say hello again!

Still in the "vintage mood", this was the bowl that I used for the cherries...Isn't it a beauty?

Here's the pattern name if you are interested:   It's the only one I have of it. Found it at a yard sale sometime ago.

Well, the internet seems to be holding up while I type, so I might as well try to do the Tuesday 4 meme for today.  Hopefully I will get it posted before it goes down again.

Here goes nothing... LOL.

Friendship

".,,there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Psalms 18

It's time once again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.



Let's talk about friendship.


1. Do you have or have you had a special or best friend or do you consider all your friends the same? 

I was blessed all during my school years to have several really special friends. We grew up together, 1st grade through 12th grade, and so we shared many experiences together during all of our stages of growth...early childhood through adolescence and almost adults...Many of us have stayed in touch through the years, and especially now through Facebook.  I don't want to single out any one of them because I love them all.  HERE is a link to a post I wrote about my old school friends, complete with pictures, if you are interested in going down memory lane with me.  I was blessed to grow up when and where I did, and I treasure every friend.

2. Many in the past had close relationships and fell in love through letters. What do you think of online friendships.. are they real ? Are there friends who last a lifetime?

I think our online friendships are very real.  I consider every one of you a special friend, and I treasure your friendship very much.  I have been privileged to meet a few of you in person, and I wish we could ALL meet in person sometime.  Yes,  there are definitely friends who last a lifetime.  See my #1 answer above.  

3. Are there stories, movies or TV programs that you enjoyed because of the friendship or relationship portrayed in it?

I'm trying to think...Anne of Green Gables comes to mind...Here is one of several posts I've written about that particular character.

4. What does friendship mean to you?

All of a sudden I remembered that I had received the book "Friendship", by Ralph Waldo Emerson, as a graduation gift from a lady in my church. So I just went in search of it and found it on a bookshelf...goodness, I've had that book for 55 years!!  I will give one quote from this little book:

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.  

Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth Himself so to me in His gifts?"...

"My friends have come to me unsought.  The great God gave them to me."

That is an excellent way to describe how I feel about my friends...they are gifts from God to me...to bless my life with their presence and kindness and sincerity.  I am indeed very thankful for all of my friends, old and new, near and far...

Here are some other little quotes that are hanging on the walls around my home that will also give an insight to how I feel about friendship:

Each of these special little plaques were actual gifts from dear friends.

Friendship is a very special gift that I truly cherish. 

Thank you for being my friend.

Well, I guess I made it all the way through this post without the internet going down! Maybe it has healed itself...or maybe God touched it with His special grace so that I could share this post with you.

Either way, I am happy I was able to spend this time with you.

Now let's go see what our other friends are writing about over at

Tuesday 4 ~ Friendship  

Thank you, Annie, for making this possible.

I will try to get around to visit you all, but if I don't it will probably be because the internet went back down. So bear with me please, friends!

💕

Thursday Thankfulness

You know, when people go the extra mile to send you some cheer when you've been feeling bad, I call that God's amazing grace shining through His people. One of our dear blogging sisters, who shall remain unnamed but she knows who she is, blessed my heart with a lovely card in the mail today. Thank you, dear friend! It made my day. It also made me wish I could be more like her...sometimes I think about doing that extra special nice thing, and then I get side tracked and forget until it's too late. I pray that God will help me to be more thoughtful...and I thank God for those who already are. What a blessing!

And I thank the Lord that I am starting to feel much better, both with my shoulder/arm, (thanks to the steroid shots and also the Lord's kindness) and also the laryngitis and sinusitis/coughing is gradually returning to normal. I still can't sing, but I am praying that I will have some kind of voice by Sunday morning so I can sing God's praises! If not, I'll mouth the words and He'll know my heart anyway.

Also, I will be starting physical therapy on Monday for my shoulder, so I pray that will help my arm to get stronger and heal the tears inside. One step at a time.

So often I show you the beautiful sunsets that we enjoy here on Still Waters Pond, but I rarely share the cloudy skies.  This is how it looks out there right now...and I am thankful for the cloudy skies, because there is a hope and promise of some much needed rain inside those clouds:

It has been so very dry and dusty and the air is full of pollen and often smoky as well. That contributes to much of our sinus issues here at this time of the year, and so we are very thankful when God sends the showers to cleanse the air and give us fresh air to breathe again. The weather forecast says it's coming, so I am waiting and praying.

This afternoon when I went out to get the mail I stopped to smell the flowers along the way (yes, I know that will also trigger a big sneeze, but they were so pretty!)  Actually I just took their picture.

This is the Carolina Jessamine that grows wild in the trees and along the fence at this time of year.

It is a beautiful herald of spring.

Another herald of spring is the azalea bush, though not wild...this is one that I planted a couple of years ago, but it is blooming now as well.

Back inside the house I have managed to put out a few decorations for Valentine's Day. Nothing too elaborate, just a little bit of hearts and color...

Lily Grace and her friends are ready for a Valentine's Tea Party...

Lily Grace sends her love to you all.  

I just saw this picture on Facebook...my sister had shared it.  I guess it kind of fits me perfectly! Or at least I hope it always does !!!

I kind of like this very rustic rocking horse at Dixie Cottage, although it may be a little too rustic to let a little grandchild play on...I think it's meant more for "decor" than actual rocking rambunctious children.

Here's just a few pretty and interesting things that caught my eye this week at Dixie Cottage:

I think this refinished French Provincial style dresser is very lovely.

And I think this antique vanity/dresser would make some young lady very happy...(or maybe some more mature lady as well!)

Now this is something I wanted for a long time at our last house where I was doing a lot more with my back yard "decor"...This garden potting bench is really cool...

I just think that would be so much fun to have...

Now, here's a wonderful vintage chest of drawers with a lovely design...I think it would be perfect for my guest room...but I can't take home everything I see...I may just have to paint the one I have...

Now here is something very unique! Can you guess what they are made from?

I would have never guessed...now, they can be used either as a flower pot or a bird feeder...and they are made from...

Old vinyl records!!  Amazing! This vendor paints the record and then somehow melts it in the oven in a bowl...I don't know exactly, but that's how it turned out!  Very clever indeed!! (please look up specific instructions before trying this at home!)

Well, I am thankful for so many things...my family, my friends, my health...even with the little issues I have I know it could always be worse, so I am VERY thankful to God and do not take my health for granted.  

Oh...also I managed to get our taxes done this week! Hooray! and even bigger hooray, we are getting some $$ back!! Yay! Yay! Yay!  I am thankful for Turbo Tax, which makes doing our own taxes online very simple...and because ours are so uncomplicated with very little input, we can do it for free! That's even better!  I have used this method for several years and I even do our son's taxes on it, and I am very thankful for this method.  

I guess that's all for tonight.

Here's a verse to ponder:

Exodus 15:2

"The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

He is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will exalt Him."

When my own voice cannot vocalize and sing God's praises, I can still praise Him with my words written here and with my whole heart.

Amen.