Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

Psalm 16:7-8

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

M 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."

Beautiful skies over Still Waters Pond tonight. Sadly, there is not enough water in the pond to reflect the lovely colors of the sunset. Our pond needs to be refreshed with God's heavenly rain, and then it will be able to reflect God's amazing beauty again. Praying for rain...but still enjoying the beauty He has given us to enjoy.

While I was enjoying the sunset Blackie and then Sunshine came down to join me...

Blackie decided to roll in the dirt...

They do make life interesting!

On the home front, I finally got around to putting out a few more fall decorations...

I incorporated hubby's new coffee mug into the display below..."Meet Me at the Pumpkin Patch"

But that was for a photo op only. I had to give it back to him in time for his morning coffee!  LOL.

Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel are ready for some autumn acorns and pumpkins too...

Lily Grace and her friends are all ready for autumn days...and yes, they are back to school already...

Here's last year's post when Lily and her friends went back to school. That was quite an adventure.

The other day Rose had the day off and the "kids" were busy working on their kitchen remodeling (still a work in progress), and so we invited them over for supper so they wouldn't have to stop and cook supper in the midst of their mess. I decided to make White Chicken Enchiladas. I forgot to take a picture of them, but they were so good. We also had refried beans, a tossed salad, and a Cheesy Mexican rice mixture from a box. I cooked it in my rice cooker, and it was really good!

Internet photo

White Chicken Enchilada Recipe:

Ingredients

For the enchiladas:

8 medium flour tortillas

2–3 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Seasonings of choice (e.g., adobo, cumin, garlic powder)

For the creamy white sauce:

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup sour cream

1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles (do not drain)

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, for topping

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Make the filling: 

In a medium bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 1 cup of shredded cheese, and your choice of seasonings. Mix thoroughly.

Assemble the enchiladas: Spoon the chicken and cheese mixture evenly into the tortillas. Roll them up tightly and place them seam-side down in the prepared baking dish.

Prepare the sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute to form a roux, stirring constantly.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking until the mixture is smooth. Cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken and bubble.

Finish the sauce: Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream and canned green chiles. Make sure the sauce is off the heat before adding the sour cream to prevent it from curdling.

Bake: Pour the creamy white sauce evenly over the rolled enchiladas. Top with the remaining shredded Monterey Jack cheese.

Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. For extra browning, place the dish under a broiler for the last few minutes.

Let the enchiladas cool slightly before serving.

This was so good! I don't know why I don't think to make it more often! LOL.  Probably because it really isn't on my diet now, but once in a while won't hurt.

This morning hubby and I both had appointments for haircuts at our Walmart Smart Style salon. We've liked a particular stylist there and have been going back to her for several months now. We were surprised to discover when we arrived there this morning that she was no longer working there, (as of yesterday). Whatever happened happened after we had scheduled our appointments with her. So another lady who has worked there a long time took care of our hair cuts and did a good job. We later discovered where "our stylist"  has gone, to a different shop not far away from there.  She was literally standing inside the Walmart store passing out her cards to people to let them know where she was going this morning. So now we have a decision to make...do we follow her over there, or stick  with the lady at the Walmart? Our haircuts were okay, although mine is a bit shorter than I really wanted it. I don't know. I guess I will wait until I need another haircut and decide what to do then.  It seems like getting a consistent hairstylist that really does a good job is so hard to find anymore. Meanwhile, our DIL, who also went to this same stylist, has made an appointment with her at the new place for next week. I guess we'll wait and see what she thinks after her appointment before we make a decision about whether or not to follow her or stay where we are.  I'm getting too old for these changes all the time. LOL. 

On another note, I just learned that one of our church members' mother has passed away. She was 105 years old! Can you imagine that? She has been living with her son and his wife for quite a few years, and really hasn't been in bad health,  all things considered.  I guess Jesus finally got her "mansion" ready in heaven and said "it's time to come on home".  Wow! I think I would probably be saying to Jesus, "It's about time!"  Not trying to be disrespectful here, but honestly, I don't think I want to live in this old body for 105 years. It's starting to feel kind of worn out now, and by the way, this body of mine will be 75 years old later this month! Three Quarters of a Century! I can hardly believe that! But to live a whole Century and then another five years! Wow! Frankly, I'm hoping the Lord will return before then and take us all on home! 

This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through...

Lyrics

This world is not my home
I'm just a-passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

I have a loving mother
Just up in Gloryland
And I don't expect to stop
Until I shake her hand
She's waiting now for me
In heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

Just over in Gloryland
We'll live eternally
The saints on every hand
Are shouting victory
Their songs of sweetest praise
Drift back from heaven's shore
And I can't feel at home
In this world anymore

Oh Lord, you know
I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home
Then Lord, what will I do?
The angels beckon me
From heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home In this world any more

And with that I think I will close for tonight. It's getting past my bedtime and this old gal is getting tired. I am very thankful tonight for my health and for the almost 75 years that God has given me...and I will be thankful for however many more He wants to bless me with, whether it be 80, 90, or even a 105...God knows what is best...and I will trust Him no matter what.

Have a blessed night my friends!  

Happy September/Labor Day!Updated

UPDATE at 3:45 p.m.: Blackie is HOME!!

He didn't give us any explanation as to where he'd been all day, but he came home for supper and he's hungry! He looks fine...so I guess he just needed a day out on the "town" or something...who knows? But we are very happy he's home, and as you can see, Sunshine is happy too.  So thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our wayward kitty!    

I love a happy ending, don't you?   

Happy September 1st, 2025! Happy Labor Day!  Hooray for the "ber" months to finally arrive! My favorite time of year!  And in keeping with celebrating the beginning of the "ber" months (SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER), let's start out with the calendar roll call!

I kind of love this one...do you see the rainbow across the lake? This is the kind of scene that I love...and even though our Still Waters Pond has never had quite this much water in it, this picture reminds me of our beautiful pond and the lovely sunsets we have enjoyed here.

Some of you have already seen these photos on Facebook last week, but this is how our Still Waters Pond looked a few mornings ago...pretty much encased in fog, and you can see how desperately dry the pond is right now...we definitely need those rainstorms to come our way instead of circumventing our area every day and giving us false hope!

Okay, let's get back on track...back to the September Calendars!  Oh, I DO love this John Sloane Country Seasons calendar...and this picture is picture perfect!  Entitled "Ladies in Waiting"...the young lady is waiting for some customers at her vegetable wagon, and the hens are waiting for ??? A Rooster??? LOL.   And I'm waiting for the apples to ripen...nothing like fresh apples in the fall. I am excited that next month we plan to go to the North Georgia Mountains for a few days with our kids, and the highlight is always to go get some fresh apples at the apple orchards!   So I guess I am a "lady in waiting" too!

I'm still waiting to do our fall decorating when hubby and I can get out to the shed and bring in all the containers of decor. (Or until a strong son comes and does it for us...we'll see which comes first!)  But meanwhile I changed out a few things here and there with items that I already have in the house, and we went to the Dollar General this morning and saw these two new fall mugs and decided they needed to come home with us. 

Guess which one is going to be hubby's, and which one is going to be mine?

Believe it or not, hubby picked the Pumpkin Patch one, but only after I said I would buy two of the same "grateful, thankful, blessed" mugs so we could each have the same thing...he said "No, I want the Pumpkin Patch mug and you can have the other one." I asked if he was sure, and he said yes, he was sure, so there you go! Did you guess that?

And speaking still about waiting...Here is Sunshine, up on top of the grill on the back porch and looking inside my window while I sit here and work. This was actually a little earlier this morning. Normally the grill is Blackie's favorite spot, but for some reason Blackie has not shown up yet this morning, which is VERY strange.   When I went out to feed them at 7:00 Sunshine was the only one here. I called and called for Blackie, but he never showed up to eat.  A little while later is when Sunshine decided to jump up on Blackie's favorite perch and he sat there for a long time, watching me through the window and also watching for Blackie to arrive.  It is now after 10:30 a.m., and still no sign of Blackie.  We drove around the neighborhood a while ago to make sure he wasn't laying on the road somewhere, and praying that he wasn't...and no sign of him.  I go out and call every so often and even rattled the treat container so he could hear it, but still no response.  This is unusual for Blackie, so I am praying that he's not hurt somewhere.  If he doesn't show up soon I will put a notice on our community "word of mouth" on Facebook to see if anyone has seen him. Of course, there are many black cats around and they all pretty much look alike, but Blackie has that clipped ear which should distinguish him.  So, if you don't mind, please say a little prayer for his safe return. Thank you. I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, I'm  keeping busy.  Here's the Susan Branch calendar for September. I love the little poem by Louisa May Alcott:

I used to be like that child, always doodling on my pages. I once was very artistic, but not so much anymore. It's one of those talents that if you don't use it, you lose it. Maybe if I really tried it would come back...but I just don't seem to have the drive for it anymore.

Oh, and this is on that calendar too: "Be Your Own Best Friend".  Well, yes, we need to take care of ourselves and be kind to ourselves, but we need good friends too. I appreciate having YOU as dear friends! Thank you.

This is a little sign of fall...that huge sycamore tree that we pass by on our walk is starting to turn golden. They are one of the first trees to lose their leaves here, and the leaves are HUGE!  We had four of these huge trees at our last house, and raking up those leaves was a bit of a pain!  I enjoyed the shade in the summer, but wasn't crazy about them in the fall! 

Back to the calendars:  Here's the Thomas  Kinkade one for September:

I love that scene, don't you?

And this is one of my favorite verses, which was on this particular calendar as well:

I love the little Chinese looking teapot on the Teapot Calendar for September.  Very colorful!

Below is a little teapot that I have that I like to set out in the fall because of it's colors. Although it says it was made in Austria, to me it has the look of a Chinese design. What do you think?

This is the back side of the design:

Here's a fun little quote from Rudyard Kipling:

Yes, if I didn't have any tea for a week it would feel like the "bottom is out of the Universe" to me as well! LOL.

Yesterday our church had a 5th Sunday Potluck dinner after church. Hubby took this picture of me with my mouth full!  Hello!

I took his picture and at least I had the decency to make sure his mouth wasn't full! LOL.  I was just so happy that he actually wanted to stay for the dinner. It's been a while since he felt like doing things at church, especially after church, when he'd like to be home taking a nap! So this is a good sign that he is truly getting better.  We still don't know for sure what was wrong, but we are very thankful that whatever it was seems to be going away. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers over the past few months!  I believe they have been answered.  And I am feeling much better too, so that is also a big answer to prayer.

As a matter of fact, I felt well enough last night to make myself a chocolate soda! I probably shouldn't have, but I just wanted one. Besides, the ice-cream we used had no sugar added and only 1/2 the fat, and it still tasted good!  The club soda used to make the soda has no sugar or calories at all, so the only real sugar was in the tablespoon of Hershey's chocolate syrup, which couldn't have been too much, right?  Oh, and one squirt of whipped cream! It was good, and sometimes we just need to treat ourselves.

Well, it is now 2:16 p.m.  I've been working on this post throughout the day as I have had time. I just went back outside a little while ago and walked around calling Blackie. I did also put a post on our community "Word of Mouth" Facebook page to see if anyone has seen him. I called my neighbor who used to feed the kitties before she got sick to see if she has heard or seen him over there. By the way, she is feeling much better now and is at home, but is not able to take care of the cats due to very decreased mobility. Anyway, no, she hasn't heard any strange noises under her house (where the cats used to go).  I went over and walked around there and called him and looked under there, but no sight or sound of him.  So we will wait and see if he shows up for supper around 4:00, and if not, maybe we'll take a ride a little further out in our neighborhood.   Sunshine has stayed close to the house all day and seems rather clingy.  I've asked him if he knows where Blackie could be, but he's not like the dog Lassie and hasn't tried to get me to follow him anywhere.  So we will just have to wait and pray.  Y'all knew I'd get attached to these cats, didn't you?  Yeah...I am. I am praying for the best outcome, but preparing myself for the possibility that Blackie may not come home.  Time will tell. Cats can be strange and they like to wander sometimes. We'll see...

Blackie and Sunshine last week. They sure love each other.

On that note, I will close this, but I will update it later if there is any good news. Meanwhile, this was on the Susan Branch calendar, and I love it:

Amen!

Happy Labor Day. (picture taken on that foggy morning.)

 

Tuesday 4~Fall Traditions and Memories

I'm late with the Tuesday 4, but you know the old saying, "better late than never". 

 

Fall Traditions & Memories


Welcome to another Tuesday 4 a fun meme started by Toni Taddeo.


It is Halloween , all Hallows Eve and tomorrow is All Saint's Day. Originally these days were to remember the deaths of Christian martyrs but things have certainly changed and the dark, the scary and remnant of Samhain (So-Win) have been introduced.

I waited until tonight on Halloween to write this post, so I would have some new pictures to share from this evening's fun.  

1. What is your opinion of Halloween?  I wrote about this in my post yesterday, and this is basically what I said:

"On Halloween, we look forward to the children coming to our neighborhood for Trick or Treat. It is one way we can be friendly and neighborly and let the children (and their parents) know that we care about their kids.  I love to see their cute costumes and their happy faces as they come to the door for the candy. Our world is getting so sad and scary and there just aren't very many safe and happy ways to do things in our communities anymore. I'm glad that there are churches who also provide a happy time for the kids with a "Trunk or Treat" event in a safe environment.  I think if we can capitalize on the fun aspect of this "holiday" rather than just dismiss it as something bad, we can use this opportunity for a positive way to reach out to the children of our communities. That's my thoughts on it, for what it's worth.

Happy Halloween from our house to yours:

Rose with Sugar and Spice, me with the candy bowl, and hubby John on the porch with Lily Grace...

And here's a close up of Lily Grace and her dog Bailey.  She wanted to be a "Rock Star" for Halloween...

I've had this ceramic jack o' lantern for many years. It was a gift from my Aunt Marion...(cousin Becky's mother).  Miraculously it has survived many moves and still looks great!

The scarecrow didn't scare anyone away. We had quite a few trick or treaters, but they mostly came when it was already getting dark and I didn't get any pictures of them this year.

But we enjoyed these two little trick or treaters...Sugar and Spice and every thing nice!

Back inside after the action is over...

2. Memories are important. Some of them are seasonal good times. What fall memories and traditions can you share with us?

Seems like I've talked about this before... If you really want to know...click on THIS LINK for lots and lots of fall memories.

3. Stews, soups and chili dishes warm the tummy on chilly fall days. Have you a good recipe to share for a good fall dish?  No special recipe that I haven't already shared, but one thing we do enjoy occasionally is a good old bowl of Campbell's Tomato Soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. This was just the other day...Sorry I already took a couple of bites out of the sandwich before I thought to take a picture. But it was so good and I couldn't wait!

Another tradition we love in the fall is homemade applesauce with biscuits for breakfast. I finished up the last of our Georgia apples with this dish of applesauce...

And served it hot over biscuits.   HERE is a post I devoted to this tradition from many years ago.

Another fall recipe we love is Hobo Stew. HERE is a post with the recipe.

4. Fall is football season. Are you a fan of any teams? Do you watch games>

This picture was taken on Saturday, while hubby was watching the Florida Gators vs. the Georgia Bulldogs. This is always a big event in our state. The University of Florida is quite close to where we live, so of course there are many Gator fans here.  However, unfortunately, the Bulldogs beat the Gators in this year's game.    My hubby watches all kinds of football...college and NFL.  I personally don't get all that excited about it and usually find something else to do during the games. Living in a home where I was outnumbered 4 to one (3 sons and 1 husband), I gave up long ago trying to watch anything else on the weekends.  But that's okay. They always had a good time watching the games together, and I had plenty of other stuff to keep me busy. I loved hearing them cheering for their favorite teams and making all the noise that guys make while watching football. Thankfully, our son Benton came over and watched a game with hubby on Sunday afternoon. It made my heart happy to hear them together. Even if their team didn't win. 

I hope you've had a blessed and wonderful day today. Hard to believe tomorrow will be November already, and the beginning of another busy and happy month of giving thanks to God!

Here's some good closing thoughts for the day:

Oh, here's a bouquet of wildflowers I picked on our walk this afternoon...our first walk since hubby had his surgery almost a month ago!  It felt sooooo good to get out and take a nice walk in the woods! 

Praise God!

Good night everyone!

Let's go see what others are writing about today at Tuesday 4!