Friday Foto Friends and a Dirty Little Secret

Good Friday Morning Everyone!  I skipped yesterday as I had some business to take care of, which I will explain as we move along here today.

When I last wrote you on Tuesday HERE, I was anticipating that this week I would begin to exchange my October decorations for the November and Thanksgiving decorations of Pilgrims and turkeys and such.  But we've had a little change of plans.

You may think I am planning a Tea Party, by the looks of all those teacups and teapots stacked up on the counter.  That would certainly be lovely, but that is not what's happening.  

No, instead, we are taking care of a "dirty little secret" that has been bugging me for quite sometime. I usually make sure to crop this ugly thing out of the pictures that I share with you so you won't see it, but I can't hide it anymore! I've had enough!!!  See the photo below and I am sure you will "get the picture".

Yes, we have awful, wrinkled, terrible carpet in this house, and it is driving me crazy!

It goes throughout the great room (living & dining), the little den that is "My Room with a view", 

And even into our master bedroom, which is visible from the great room.

When we bought this house a little over 3 years ago, the carpet was new, so we opted to leave it in place even though we would have preferred hard floors, but we had so many other necessities that needed to be repaired or upgraded in the house at that time and we just didn't have the money to go ahead and change the floors then. What we didn't know was that the carpet, although new, was very cheap, and that also it was not properly installed so that in time it began to stretch and wrinkle and show wear patterns much too soon.  Of course, once the furniture is in place, it is very difficult to do anything about that.

So anyway, to make a long story short, we have been discussing this situation for some time. I was at the point of wanting to just rip up the carpet and pull it out from under the furniture and live with bare plywood floors until something could be done. The carpet was becoming hazardous to my mental health as well as my physical health, because I have a tendency to trip over the ripples in my path if I don't consciously remember to pick up my feet.  And so, my hubby finally got tired of hearing me complain about this ugly carpet and the fact that I don't even want to invite people over because of it, blah, blah blah...and he, being the frugal one, was finally convinced that sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do and find a way to make it work.

And so we called a person who advertised that he installed flooring and invited him over to discuss this subject.  After being in sticker shock over his initial quote for the labor and me proclaiming that would be impossible for us...we never dreamed it would be so much and me practically starting to break down into tears in front of this fellow...he pulled out his calculator and started reworking his figures and finally after a lot of calculations he came up with a much better figure. But then we had to also find out the cost of the flooring itself...much to my chagrin, the one I had picked out some time ago had practically doubled in price...and also this man said he didn't particularly like that product and preferred another from a different store, blah blah blah...So here we go again...Anyway, to try and make this long story short (I'm not doing a very good job of that, am I?) we ended up going to the other big box home improvement store and actually found a different product at a lower price and yes they had enough of it in stock and it could be picked up on the selected date, which happens to be this coming Monday...and this man and his crew happen to be available next week to do this...and SO, guess what I am doing?

Yes, that is why all the teapots and teacups, etc. were stacked up on the kitchen counter...we have to pack up all of the "stuff" in all these rooms so they can move the furniture around to install the new flooring beginning on Tuesday morning! 

So here we go!  This is as far as I've gotten so far...

I still have all of this...

and this...

And Pamela's Victorian Cottage and friends...

And this...

and this...

 

and this...

Not to mention all of the stuff in our bedroom on top of the dressers and vanity, etc....

Yeah, we might as well be moving! LOL. But no, thank you. That would be MUCH more!

And so, if you don't hear from me for a week, you will know why...we will be packing up all this stuff and then as they complete the flooring in one room we can begin to put things back in place, but we will be camping out in our son's old bedroom ; no change that...we will be camping out in the "Guest Room", and storing boxes of stuff in our son's old bedroom for a few days until the dust settles and we can move back into our own room. And speaking of dust settling...I am counting on there being a lot less dust in the house once that nasty carpet is out of here.  Carpet holds dust and sand and dirt that no vacuum cleaner can ever get out...and so I am hoping for a much more dust free environment once this is all said and done!

Oh, one more thing...I wanted to mention God's perfect timing in all of this.  Several weeks ago our kids had decided to take a few days off from Dixie Cottage and have a little "vacation". They have a friend who fills in for them occasionally at the store and she was willing to work for a few more days so they could get away.  We had originally talked about taking a little trip together for a few days, but then decided not to do that due to cost, etc., and so the kids are just going to do some little day trips and also celebrate their 5th anniversary, which is next week, and we don't have to work at the store since the other lady is taking care of it, and therefore we are free to take on this project next week!  The man doing the work also had a break in his other projects and next week was perfect for him...

And there you have it!

  

Romans 8:28 

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

I truly believe that when it is time to take care of something, God helps all the pieces fall into place to work it all out for our best.  He knows our needs...and even though this may seem frivolous to some, I can assure you it isn't...it needs to be done, and it is going to take a lot of work to make it happen, but I thank God for giving us the strength and the means to go ahead and get it done...even before the holidays! That was an added bonus!  I had to pack away my extra fall decorations to make room for the other things, but that doesn't mean we are packing away our gratitude and thankfulness!

We give thanks to God for all blessings that He so kindly provides.

Amen.

Hopefully the next time I write I can show you pictures of the finished product. Until then, I'll be busy packing and unpacking...and my computer will have to be disconnected at some point as well!  Have a blessed and wonderful week everyone!!!

Grand Opening Day

Dear Friends! What a wonderful day this was!  I know if you are on Facebook you may have already seen these pictures, but for those of you who aren't, I promised you a report tonight!

Here's our two happy entrepreneurs this morning as the clock struck 10:00 and the doors to the new Dixie Cottage were finally opened for business:

Signs were put out front...

And the switch was turned on for the open sign in the window:

New signs were also added to the front doors:

Refreshments were ready for our "guests"...

And gift baskets were prepared for some lucky winners at the end of the day. There was a drawing for the three baskets and a grand prize of a $50.00 Gift Card!

There was a steady stream of visitors, customers, and well-wishers.  This couple below was the biggest surprise to me...they are former school mates of mine who traveled all the way from my home town about 60+ miles away to see the store. They said that my son Ben had built a lovely bench for them a few years ago from their king sized headboard, and they loved it so much and appreciated him delivering it all the way to them, so they thought it was the least they could do to drive up here to see his new store:

I regret that I did not get a picture of another notable visitor today. Some of you may know Betty Barber, a frequent visitor to some of our blogs. She doesn't have a blog of her own, but she loves to read our posts and often comments.  She recently moved into a community about 20 minutes from where we live and we've been communicating about the opening of this store, and so today she came to see it and meet me in person. We had a lovely visit, but things were kind of busy when she arrived and I neglected to get someone to take our picture. She has promised to come back and maybe we can even have lunch sometime. That would be wonderful, so Betty, if you are reading this, please know that I appreciated your visit so much and look forward to seeing you again sometime soon!

Also, my sweet DIL Rose had special visitors today...two of her sisters who live about an hour away came to help out and show their support. Also one of the sisters' husband and daughter and two granddaughters were here for a while, but again, it got busy and I didn't get their picture! I wish I had. The two little girls especially were so sweet. The older one "Rose", was the flower girl in Benton and Rose's wedding almost 5 years ago. She is now a tall and lovely 4th grader. And the younger girl is named "Lily"!! Of course many of you know how much I love THAT name!  Anyway, here we have my DIL Rose, her sister Tina and sister May. 

As I said, it was a long and busy day, and after the past week + of moving and preparing for this day, you can imagine how exhausted Ben and Rose must have been at the end of the day:

But it was a happy kind of exhaustion, and they are so thankful for all the show of support and enthusiasm for the new store. Oh, I forgot to mention that yesterday afternoon our Pastor and his wife came by the store to pray with us and ask for God's blessings upon the new store. That was very very special.  And then today even the Mayor of the City of Interlachen stopped in to congratulate them. Again, I wish I had taken some pictures! Hindsight is always 20/20.  

And so that is the story of the Grand Opening Day at Dixie Cottage! It was a great new beginning, and we look forward to many wonderful days ahead.  And if you are ever in the area, please be sure to stop in and visit! (But be sure to let me know first so I will be there to meet you!)

“18  Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

19 Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert."

Isaiah 43:18-19

 

Tuesday 4: My Life Story!

 

Your Life


Welcome... This is Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and boy are we glad to see you!


In keeping with our theme of looking at the past, maybe we can talk about your past life and what it might have been like?

1. What was life like for you as a child of elementary school age? Friends, games, TV, music, food, interests? Tell us about it won't you?

Oh my! Elementary school was a wonderful time! We moved to the little town of Tavares, Florida, in December of first grade.  We had originally moved to Brooksville, Florida from our farm in Pennsylvania, the summer before I started school.  It was a very BIG change for our family of six to move from the freedom and beauty of our lovely big farmlands to a very small two bedroom apartment, where we would live until my Dad could build us a new home in that community. However, the job he had moved there to do wasn't working out very well, and so after six months we made the move to Tavares to a rented house until he could build us a new house there on a lot that some friends who also used to live in PA. sold him.  It was a lovely wooded lot way out in the country, and we were all quite thrilled.  But it would be about a year before the house was built and we could finally be settled into the home where I grew up and where my parents lived until they moved to their heavenly home. 

And so, from the second semester of first grade all the way through 12th grade I lived there and attended the same school for all those years.  

This was my first day of school in first grade!

And here I am with a portion of the 2nd grade class. This was our spring Easter program. I am to the right of the girl in the white cat costume. I have a flat hat on and dark sweater.  Below is a picture of the whole class of 2nd graders. There were two different classes.  I was in Mrs. Sweeney's class. The other kids had Mrs. Bass.  We had many wonderful programs and I have very happy memories of my elementary school years. I made lots of good friends, and I am still in contact with quite a few of them to this day as most of us went all the way through 12th grade together.  It was a small town, small school, and we were a very close knit group of kids.

And this might have been the same year...1957.  This was the Elementary and Junior Sunday School department at the Methodist Church where I attended all my growing up years. This was taken on Easter Sunday. I am sitting on the floor, the fifth person from the left, and again I am wearing a hat! After all, it was  Easter!

This was my 8th birthday, (below) and the only party I remember having with a lot of friends there. I had some other birthday parties with just a couple of friends, but this was the only one with boys invited, and this would have been the first party in the new house once Daddy got it built!

I am on the far right, next to the two boys on the end. I am still in contact with four of the kids in this picture, thanks to Facebook and class reunions.

Gosh, you want to know about other interests too? Games, TV, and stuff like that? Well, let's see. I always loved "I Love Lucy", especially because she was a redhead and so was I, so I thought maybe she was really my mother, since my own mother was a brunette. Ha Ha. (but my Daddy was a redhead just like me).  And I loved all the Saturday morning shows like Sky King, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, My Friend Flicka, so many others we loved to watch. But we couldn't watch ANY TV until our beds were made, we had breakfast and brushed our teeth and were dressed and had finished all our chores.  My job was to clean the bathroom and do the dusting, which was a BIG job! Maybe we did that while watching TV, otherwise I don't know when we would ever have had time to watch those shows! LOL. Oh, and of course my sister and I always had to do the dishes.  Here we are.  It was summertime, can you tell? Yes, this is Florida.  We were barefoot all summer long, and this was before AC...so it was hot and humid all summer long too, hence, we wore as little as possible to keep cool.

And I loved to play outside. Here I am on my "fort", and watch out! I am aiming my wooden rifle at you!  We lived in the country, with lots of woods around us, and I spent most of my time outside when I was home. We didn't have any close neighbors, so I didn't have many playmates who came to my house. But I did go home with friends in town quite often after school since my mother worked until 5:00 p.m., and then she would come pick me up. I often went to a different friend's house every afternoon, probably so not one mother would get tired of me being there...Ha Ha. I was quite "active". LOL!

And here was my 10th birthday party. Left to right: a girl named Kim from our neighborhood, my cousin Becky, me, my best friend Rhonda, and another friend Linda.

You will see that I received my Barbie doll for this birthday, a gift from my grandparents. I still have her today, 61 years later! (She lives in the china closet, where she is safe in her elegant townhome!)

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about how much fun my cousin Becky and I had with our Barbie dolls especially during the summer months. I would spend the night (maybe several nights) at her house and together we built houses for our Barbies  that were quite elaborate considering our 10 year old skills. I wish I had pictures of that! We spent many a happy day sprawled out on the living room floor of my Aunt Marion's house, playing with these dolls and houses...every summer for several years...I don't think we quit playing with them until we were about 13 or 14...(but probably we didn't tell our other friends as they weren't as interested in dolls as we were!) Becky and I had plenty of other fun activities that we did together. See, Becky was an only child, and just 9 months younger than I was. I was the baby of my family of 4 children, and when I was in elementary school my sister and brothers were in Jr. High and High School, so they didn't have much to do with me.  I was just the bratty little sister. LOL. So Becky and I were more like sisters than cousins, but we lived about 10 miles apart so could only be together during the holidays and summer break and some weekends. We do have some stories to tell about some of our "fun activities", but I will save that for another time.

2. Moving along to the teen years would you mind sharing some of the same things with us? What were you interested in? What did you watch on TV or listen to on the radio? Tell us all about you as a teenager.  

My teen years were filled with school, church, (M.Y.F. = Methodist Youth Fellowship), and friends.  I was a cheerleader in both Jr. High and High School, so that kept me pretty busy during the school year. I sang in the high school chorus and in my senior year we performed at the State Choral Contest and got all superior ratings! That was pretty good for a small town school. 

I went to summer MYF Camp every summer for a week, along with fall retreats. After graduation from high school, I spent the summer working as a counselor at that same camp. It was an experience that totally changed the direction of my life for the better, and I will always be grateful to the Lord for allowing me that privilege to serve there. 

This is a link to that same camp today. It's a very special place.  This is a picture of the floating cross on the lake at what is now called the Warren W. Willis youth camp.  This cross was there when I was there as a teen, and holds a special place in my heart.

As far as music goes, I loved all the music of the late 50's and 60's, and was definitely a Beatles fan. I will never forget that night they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show for the first time. Yes, I was sitting there in my living room crying and wanting to scream just like all the other girls, but my parents weren't going to permit me to do too much of any kind of  carrying on as that. I was lucky they even allowed me to watch it.  My parents were pretty strict about a lot of things, but I still had a very happy and wonderful childhood and youth, and I am very thankful they WERE strict about the things that really mattered in life.  Because of their strong Christian values I was protected from getting involved in a lot of things that could have also changed the direction of my life in the wrong way. I am very thankful to God for my home, family, and especially for the fact that we were brought up in a Christian home.

3. Would you share your college or young working years with us? Did your interests change or grow in your late teens or early 20s? Did your friends come or go? Did you live at school or home or have a place of your own? So many questions only you can answer.

Well, that's another whole chapter. There's no way to answer all these questions in one post! But I will try to summarize it by saying that my interests changed when I fully accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord in my teens. Yes, I was brought up in a Christian home and went to church from the time I was born, but I still needed to fully accept Christ for myself and not think that just because my parents were Christians and I went to church meant that I was saved from my sins.  That was a personal decision that only I could make, between me and God. When I was in high school I dated several different guys, and even though they were nice enough, I don't believe they were truly Christians.  Their values were not Christ-centered, and to be honest, at that time neither were mine. It wasn't really until I spent the summer at that youth camp as a camp counselor that I fully committed my life to Christ and knew that I wanted more out of my life than where I was headed at that time.  My plan after high school was to go to an airline school to become an airline stewardess.  I had never even been on an airplane before! LOL. Boy was I naive!  But the director of the camp sat me down and had a long talk with me about my future, and he opened my eyes to see that I really needed to reconsider those plans and pray about what God wanted me to do.  I told my parents that I had decided not to go to that school, which they had already paid a deposit for, (thankfully only $100.00, but back then that was a lot of money), and that I wanted to go away to college where some of my friends were going in another state.  They were fine with my decision to not go to the airline school, but wanted me to go to the local Junior College first and then they would see if they could find a way for me to go on to college.  They did not have a lot of money and there was no savings plan for me to go to college, so going away was out of the question at that time.  And so I agreed to go to the local Jr. College that fall, and then I met my "hubby to be" in the first semester...and well, the rest is history! We were married the following summer and he went on to complete his degree in education, and I went to work at an insurance company in the accounting department to support us until he graduated.  And several years later he was called to the ministry...and so on and so on, and that's another whole long story.

To answer the question above about did I live at home or school or have a place of my own after high school: I stayed at home. The junior college was less than 5 miles away from home.  And then I got married the following summer, and went straight to our little apartment in the big city where we lived when we got married.  So, no, I've never lived on my own, unless you can count the summer I worked at the youth camp...but I hardly consider living in an un-airconditioned rustic cabin  (in Florida!) with a different group of teenage girls to supervise every week, sleeping on squeaky bunk beds and doing all kinds of camp labor jobs as a volunteer...yes, that's right, we weren't even paid!...but we got free room and board for the summer!...if you consider that "living on your own", well...let's just say it was a great experience and I'm glad I did it, but it's not exactly "living on your own."   

4. And lately... what are the topics occupying your mind right now? How have things changed in your life in the not to distant past. Are you okay with the changes?

Well, of course we are retired now and life is very different than the way it was for the busy years of our lives.  A lot has changed in the past several years, but again, that's another whole chapter. Just go back and read my blog posts for the past ten years and you can get a pretty good idea about how things have changed. Some good, some not so good. But we are very thankful for our health,  even with its limitations, and we are also very thankful for how God has provided for us in our retirement. We didn't plan very well for retirement and wondered if we would even be able to retire.  Without going into all the details, let me just say that God has been very gracious unto us and is taking good care of us. We don't have much money, but we have enough.  We praise God every day for His goodness and grace and mercy. I really couldn't ask for anything more.

Thanks for dropping by.. come again, won't you?

Well, if you made it through reading this whole post, thank you for hanging in there with me! Now I will try to get around and read each of your stories. If any of you have written as much as I have, it may take a few days!  And thank you, Annie from Cottage By the Sea for coming up with these questions each week.  Now, let's go over to Tuesday 4 for today and visit with each other.

Thankful Thursday and Happy September!

Happy September! Better a day late than never!

This was the sunrise yesterday morning, September 1st. Not long after we had quite the rainstorm blow in and the rest of the day was quite wet and dark, and then surprisingly cool!  It actually felt like a September day!  I only wish it would have lasted a little longer than a day. Today was back to normal hot and sultry.  

But we know fall is coming!  The calendar tells us so!

So on September 22nd we will expect the temperatures to turn crisp and cool and perfect!

Well, at least a girl can dream, can't she? I know, I do live in Florida...it may be more like the end of October before it begins to feel like fall. 

September is my favorite month because it is also my birth month. I guess that's why I always have such a special feeling when September comes around!

Don't you just love this picture by John Sloane? This is his Country Seasons Calendar, and I absolutely love his paintings.  Wouldn't you just love to to be there in that old country store with that sweet old doggy and pretty kitty?  Yes, that's my kind of place!

But, then again, I also love to be in a lovely tea room, visiting with friends over a hot cup of tea...

Maybe like this quote from my Teapot & Tea calendar:

That sounds delightful, doesn't it? Oh, I wish we could all get together someday and do just that.

Lily Grace and I sat outside on the swing for a little while the other evening eating a popsicle.

Lily loves to try and guess the riddles found on the popsicle sticks.  I call them the "POPsicle Quiz"...remember when we used to have "pop quizzes" in school? Who liked them and who didn't? I guess it depended on how much you had paid attention to the lessons all week!!

Anyway, this quiz riddle says:

"Why was the farmer upset?"

 Can you guess the answer?

"His cows were MOO-DY".  Ha Ha Ha! 

 

Now for the thankful part of this post:

  

1. Praise God that our "kids" are doing SO MUCH BETTER since they had that antibody infusion! It is like a miracle how quickly and wonderfully that helped them to start getting well. Yes, they still have a ways to go to regain their strength, but they sound SO much better, and they are even feeling more like doing things around their house again.  They probably won't be able to go back to work until next week after they get a negative Covid Test, but we are all just SO thankful they are feeling so much better each day. Praise God!

2.  As most of you know, our kids own a business in St. Augustine, "Dixie Cottage", which is a coastal themed furniture and decor store.  They are the sole proprietors, and if they can't be there to work, then the store has to be closed. That is a very difficult situation for them financially, as you can imagine.  Well, they have a couple of ladies who are vendors in their store, putting items in the store on consignment.  They both volunteered to take turns keeping the store open every day this week so that our kids won't lose their income and  customers!  Praise God again!! That was a real surprise blessing!

3.  Today I had a follow up appointment with my Pain Management Dr. regarding my neck issues.  Although the appointment went well enough, she has decided to refer me back to the neurosurgeon for further testing and evaluation.  Why is this a praise item? Well, I really wanted a 2nd opinion before we went any further with more "pain management" techniques that, to me, were a bit "unnerving"....pun intended...because it involves nerve blocks, etc.   I am not sure that is the route I want to go at this point and asked for some time to think about that, and she recommended that I visit the neurosurgeon. So I already have an appointment scheduled for next week! That was quick! And yes, I consider that a praise item.  But also a prayer request that I will get some answers that will truly help me and not prolong the inevitable...God knows best and I will trust His judgment on this issue.

4.  And I am very thankful for each of you, my friends out here in Blogland. Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, and fun!  I know many of you have serious issues in your own families and lives, and it is wonderful that we can lift each other up and encourage one another here.  I apologize that I have not been quite as active here lately, but several things come into play...my physical issues mean that I must not spend so much time sitting at my computer, and also our family needs this past week were very great. I am so thankful that we were able to help our kids even if "from a distance".  I told my hubby that if we  hadn't have moved here to this house 2 years ago, we would have had to commute from 30 miles away to help them out, and that would have been difficult.  God always knows what is best for us even way in advance.  He sees the bigger picture we cannot see, and oftentimes the way we are directed now could be for some need in the future that we know nothing of.  God is in control...even in our country and world events.  It may be hard to see that right now...but in time we will better understand it all.   Until then, just keep looking up and wait on the Lord!

We read this passage in our devotional readings yesterday morning:

("Olive Tree and Lavender" by Winston Porter)

Psalm 52:8-9

8  "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

9 I will praise You forever,

Because You have done it;

And in the presence of Your saints

I will wait on Your name, for it is good."

 Amen!  Have a good night my friends.  

More Unexpected Blessings

 I am writing this on Wednesday evening, but it is intended to be posted for Thursday...we shall see...I may go ahead and post it tonight. Let's see what develops as I write...

This morning I reposted an old post from about 9 years ago entitled Unexpected Gifts.  It just seemed appropriate to share it again after so many years, and especially on a day when I think many of us were needing some encouraging thoughts.  I was listing some of the many ways God has surprised us through the years with "unexpected gifts"...blessings from "out of the blue" that were a total surprise to us.  The neat thing about most of them was the timing...in every instance it seemed as though these "gifts" were sent to us one way or the other at a time when we needed it most.  Only God could have orchestrated that because He was truly the only One Who knew what we needed and when. That is what made these events so significant in our minds.

Today (Wednesday, January 20, 2021), was another of those kind of days. This morning as we watched  our President and the First Lady bid farewell and walk up those steps into Air Force One for the last time, it was a rather emotional moment for us, and I expect for many of you as well. If not, well, then, just please just try to appreciate and respect the rest of this story because it was special for me.  

As I stood there watching them depart on Air Force One, it was a bit overwhelming in many respects. And I was at the point where I couldn't bear to watch another minute of the news broadcast as things were shifting from one story to another.  Right at that very moment my husband called my attention to the window to look out into the back yard at this sight:

Yes, Goldfinches all over the thistle seed sock that I had recently hung up in the back yard in hopes they would come.  And they chose this very moment to show up!

What a delightful and joyful time this was to watch! They were flying in and out from the trees faster than we could keep track of them.  

And then, almost as fast as they came, they were gone again...but they accomplished their mission. Not only did they help take our minds off of a very difficult moment, but they also gave us hope.

Here is what I believe God was telling me:

Do Not Worry  (Matthew 6:25-34)

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

After this we decided to turn off the TV (news) for the rest of the day, and we went and took our morning walk:

It was so peaceful there, and I could hear many little birds twittering through the trees...possibly more finches and chickadees and Tufted Titmice.  They were going about their morning routine of finding insects and things to eat and singing happily as they flew about...without a care in the world. Again...God was taking care of them...and I know He cares for me...

I took a picture of this little oak tree showing off it's beautiful red leaves as a last nod to autumn here in Florida. The sunlight was shining through the leaves giving them such a glorious scarlet hue...yes, it is just a scrubby little wild oak tree, but it was decked out in its most beautiful dress and it seemed to want to be noticed, and so here you are...another unexpected "gift"...

We came back home and I stayed busy baking banana nut bread,

(had a couple of overripe bananas calling out to me that it was time to do something with them before it was too late!) 

Oh, and I already had made some blueberry bran muffins for breakfast

 because I had some blueberries that were starting to dehydrate in the refrigerator also calling out to me to do something! 

 And then, while the banana nut bread was baking in the oven, hubby was "calling out to me" and said something about cookies...and so I whipped up a batch of coconut pecan cookies. 

 (Recipe can be found at https://southerndiscourse.com/perfect-coconut-cookies-with-pecans/ )

I guess you could say these were "unexpected gifts", because I never expected to do all of that today, but the overripe bananas and blueberries and the need for cookies for the "cookie monster" all came together at the same time to inspire me to go on a baking spree. Doesn't happen all that often anymore, so gotta get them while they last!  Kind of looks like a bakery here!  (It smelled like one too, while they were baking! Yum!)

After lunch and our "afternoon nap" (yes...after all that work I needed one!) we took another walk. As soon as we drove down the little dirt road to our usual spot to park the car, I looked up in the top of a very tall pine tree and saw this beautiful hawk sitting up there watching us.

Because of the brightness of the afternoon sun the lighting is kind of difficult to see his full colors, but I believe he is a Red Shouldered Hawk, which is typical for that area.

Just as I was getting up and out of the car to step a little closer, he flew away...but I considered him another one of those unexpected gifts for today...because I was grumbling on my way over there that I wanted to walk somewhere different for a change because we rarely ever see many birds or other interesting things on this walk...and God just had to show me that I was wrong...He had this surprise waiting for me.

To top it off for this week, in one day I received two different messages from two people that I've never met in person...both bloggers...one that I've really only read a couple of times and made some nice comments, and the other has become a special friend who has very similar interests...anyway, they each are surprising me with something special coming in the mail soon! Totally out of the blue! When these things arrive I will be sure to share them with you...but wow! In one day to receive two such special "unexpected gifts"...well...all I can say is God is so good. He knows how to bless His children and sometimes He goes above and beyond to do so.

All I can say is, Thank You, Lord. I don't deserve such grace and mercy and love.

But Jesus loves to bless His children.

So, if you are feeling a bit discouraged or sad or disappointed...or worried about the future...keep looking up...up...up! Up to Jesus...because He has promised to take care of His children.  He knows what we need even before we do...and often the "unexpected gift" is already on its way before we even realize we are in need of being blessed. It's not always material things...it may just be a lift to your spirits...a touch of healing...a comforting warmth that comes over you when you need to feel loved or remembered...a word of encouragement or an answer to a prayer. 

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." 

Proverbs 25:11

(internet photo)

Have a blessed and beautiful day today...and be sure to keep an eye out for those little "unexpected gifts" that God may be sending your way! I hope you will write them down when they happen and share them with us if you can.  Sometimes they may be too personal to share, but just the acknowledgement that something special blessed you is an encouragement to the rest of us!

Be Blessed!