Wonderful Easter Surprise!

I cannot even begin to tell  you what a blessing and joyous surprise it was to get a call from our grandson (our ONLY grandchild) Noah this morning, telling us that he and his fiance' Dawn were here in Florida all the way from Maine, and that they were headed our way!!

To say I was surprised would be a great understatement! We haven't seen Noah since his graduation from high school about 5 years ago. And we had never officially met Dawn, except for a fleeting moment back at his graduation party, before she was his beloved fiance'.  The fact that they live in Maine and we live in Florida has made it difficult to plan any get togethers, and I was beginning to lament that we may never get to go up there again to see them...and I believe God heard my heart and decided to give us a very special blessing, totally unexpected. Wow! I can't begin to tell you just how thankful I am...and what an answer to prayer this is. Literally.

Anyway, of course we had to get together with Benton and Rose...especially since Noah was Benton's Best Man at their wedding almost 6 years ago.  That was a very special time indeed, as Noah was a senior in high school and had no experience in being a Best Man, and he did such a great job, giving a toast that sounded like a professional "toastmaster". This was very special especially because Noah was actually standing in for his father, our son Matthew, who had passed away in 2014 after a 4 year battle with cancer. 

Of course, in true Steiner man fashion, "Uncle Benton" couldn't let his young nephew stand so much taller than him, so here he's trying to measure up to Noah's 6'4".  Benton is about 6'1".  

We are especially so pleased to have this opportunity to get to know our future "grand-daughter in law" Dawn.  Our first impression is that God has chosen wisely the lovely young woman who is to become the newest Mrs. Steiner.  May God bless their union with His love and grace and peace.  No exact wedding date has been set yet, but I am told that it might be this summer...in Maine...so...we will be preparing for that possibility and looking forward to that wonderful occasion whenever it may be.

And so dear blogging friends, this is where I will be this weekend, enjoying our dear 'grandkids' and praising God for His unexpected blessings.  I am still pinching myself to be sure it's not a dream!

"17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

On those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children’s children,

18 To such as keep His covenant,

And to those who remember His commandments to do them."

Psalm 103:17-18

Happy Easter everyone!

 

Thursday Thankfulness...Psalm 91 at work

 I hadn't really planned on writing again today, but then I received something special via text late last night and I wanted to share it with you, as it is again, another "sign" of God's protection and care for our loved ones.

I've mentioned before that our grandson is on a cross country camping adventure.  Occasionally he texts us some pictures of where they are as they continue their journey across country, and are currently still in the southwest.  Last night, just as we were getting ready for bed I heard my phone make the familiar texting jingle, and my first thought was, "Oh No! Who's sending texts this late? I hope there isn't a problem!"  So I quickly went to my phone and checked, and here was the message I found from our grandson:

"Made it to the Grand Canyon. Got stuck in it for a night but I was able to hike out.

It was very hard. It was a 4 mile hike out up 4500 feet. My legs are super sore. 

Hope all is going well with y'all. 

Much Love."

Well, you can imagine my joy in hearing from him, but like any grandmother, you can also imagine the feelings and thoughts running rampant about what he must have endured being "stuck in it (the Grand Canyon) for a night but was able to hike out..."   To my knowledge, until this particular cross-country trip, our grandson has not had much experience in hiking and climbing or even camping, for that matter. Yes, he is 22 years old, and he isn't really alone. There's three other people with him, two girls and another guy. Again, I am not aware that any of them had any great experience in hiking/climbing, etc.  But they do have youth and resilience on their side, and hopefully they are learning important survival skills along the way.  Nevertheless, my first thought was, "Thank God they are out safely!"  Here's a few pictures he sent today to show where they have been:

Yikes! That's not my grandson, but one of their group. Making my palms sweaty, that's for sure!

And since he's taking these pictures, well, yeah...I am a bit nervous...

Pretty amazing, huh???

We had not heard from him for a couple of weeks and I was beginning to get concerned because he had been trying to communicate at least once a week. My husband and I have consistently prayed for them every single night, especially praying for their safety as they travel, camp in deserted places, and try to support themselves financially by doing whatever odd jobs they can find along the way.  This past week in particular I felt very strongly to pray for their safety even more deliberately. And now I understand why.  Being "stuck" in the Grand Canyon for a night sounds rather frightful to me. But they were never alone. God was always with them, and I praise God that He helped them get back out again with nothing worse than sore legs!  

Today he said that he will have to call when he can because they are "in the Navajo Nation and service has been spotty ever since the canyon."  I had to look up the Navajo Nation to see exactly what that was.

HERE is a link to their website.  I guess I didn't realize they had their own government, etc.  Very interesting stuff to read there!  

This led me to thinking about something I remembered that our grandson's father (our son Matthew) had done when he was a young boy in about 4th grade.  Like most young boys at that time he seemed to have an interest in "Cowboys and Indians".  He was taking art lessons and painted this picture of this Native American warrior:

It now hangs in our guest room.  I believe he entered it in the county fair back then and may have won a ribbon, but for some reason I do not have the ribbon. Anyway, it's a blue ribbon prize winner in my mind for sure!

And then his 4th grade teacher taught them how to make "Fry Bread", which is also known as Navajo Fry Bread.  Here is the recipe he had, written in his own hand:

HERE is a link to an online recipe for Navajo Fry Bread, in case you want to try it.  I see it calls for warm milk instead of warm water, so I don't know how different it would taste.  I do remember Matthew making this at home for us after he learned about it in school. Precious memories from days long gone by.  I wonder if there's "Navajo Fry Bread" in heaven?  If so, Matthew is probably enjoying some.

Okay, that's what I got for today... I am VERY thankful for God's protection over our grandson and his friends while they travel and explore God's beautiful country. 

Psalm 91 pretty well describes the prayer and comfort that I have for our grandson:

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

"1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

My God, in Him I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler

And from the perilous pestilence.

4 He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,

Nor of the arrow that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

And ten thousand at your right hand;

But it shall not come near you.

8 Only with your eyes shall you look,

And see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

10 No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

12 In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because he has known My name.

15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.”

Amen.

Wednesday Treasures From My Grandparents

So, here it is Wednesday again, and a time to share with you some of my special "treasures"...things that I've saved from childhood, or other collections of particular items of interest. And after last night's debate (did you stay up and watch it to the "bitter end"? I did....wow, what a brawl!) I thought we might need something pleasant and sweet to look at this morning to take our minds off of the craziness.

 I wasn't sure what it would be for this week, until I thought of something that I hadn't seen in a while and wanted to pull it out of it's box in the closet and enjoy it for a little while.

Yes, that is a set of bunk beds, doll bunk beds to be specific, made especially for me by my Grandpa Mursch when I was a little girl. (My paternal grandpa).

He was a skilled craftsman, and built other nice toys and things for his other grandchildren too. I believe my sister had a lovely high-chair for her dollies. I'm not sure if she still has it, as when our family moved to Florida from Pennsylvania back in the 1950's, we had to leave some things behind in storage at my uncle's farm, and I'm not sure we ever got everything back from there that we had left behind.

But somehow I managed to keep my doll bunk beds. And I've managed to keep them well over 60 years, through many moves in my own adulthood.  I never had a little girl to play with them, so that is probably why they are still in such great shape.  

(P.S. After getting ready to post this, I realized that those bookshelves behind the doll bed were also built by my grandpa!! They hold my collection of favorite old antique books. Another treasure!)

My grandfather doesn't get all the credit for this lovely set.

My grandmother also had a part in making it so nice and comfy for my dollies.

She made the lovely mattresses for the beds:

This is a closeup of the sweet little rosebud pattern on the mattresses:

This the underside, where she stitched them together with pink yarn:

Now doesn't my little "Sandra" doll look comfy and cozy? You met Sandra HERE last week. She was lovingly created for me by my maternal grandma Tedlie. Maybe my grandmas got together and collaborated on these special gifts...I really don't know, but I am happy I still have them!

The cover on the mattress above is an old embroidered pillowcase, made by my husband's grandma, 

"Nanny Martin".  I thought it was cute to use as a sheet over the mattress.  So it seems I've gotten all the grandmas in the act here today! LOL.

But I actually wanted to focus on the things that came from my paternal grandparents.

Here they are in a more casual moment. I loved seeing this photo of them. I'd never really seen them this "playful" together before . Kind of gave me a new insight into their relationship.

Here is another treasure from my grandma.

She loved tea and teacups just like me. Or maybe I liked them just like her...probably that is the way it was...anyway, she gave me this delicate rosebud teacup and saucer one year for either my birthday or Christmas.  Isn't it lovely?  The pattern is "June Bouquet", by Duchess Bone China, made in England. My grandma must have also loved roses and rosebuds, since that is the pattern on the little doll bed mattresses as well as on this teacup!

And here is another special little treasure from my grandparents:

This is a Madame Alexander doll, "Wendy",  and she is so lovely in her pretty gold taffeta gown and brown velvet jacket. She used to have a little white fur muff and hat to go with the outfit, but they are long gone. She is a bit worse for the wear. This is the kind of Madame Alexander doll that could bend her legs at the knees. However, her little legs came apart and are no longer connected. I'm sure they could be restored with proper rubber bands and someone who knows what they are doing. But for now she must stay seated in the pretty glass bowl in the china cabinet. You will notice that she has red hair. That was because I also had red hair. I've probably had her since I was about seven or eight years old.

(I just noticed that there is a photo bomber in this picture! Ha ha. That was unplanned! The china closet has a mirrored back)

And this is another special little doll, "Ginger". I'm sure many of you remember the Ginny dolls.

She is also well loved and rather worn, but at least she still has her legs! LOL. Again, another special gift from my grandparents when I was a young girl.

One year for my birthday I received a lovely Cinderella Watch. (The watch is long gone). This pretty little china doll came with the watch. She has had her shares of calamities as well. I had to glue her head back on when she fell and broke her neck. Actually her arms were also broken when she fell, and it appears she had to be glued back together at her waist. Poor Cinderella! I do hope her Prince will come and love her just the way she is! She has had a very difficult life. But look! She's still smiling! Perhaps that young man with the bagpipes standing next to her is making her happy.

He must be a true Prince!

One last special treasure for this day:

This sweet little white teapot and teacup and saucer belonged to my Grandma. I didn't receive it until after she had passed away.  I'm not sure if my sister and I used this little set when we visited our Grandma as little girls. I do remember having a tea party on her front porch many, many years ago when we all still lived in Pennsylvania. Maybe my sister remembers better than I do. My memories from that far back are very fuzzy since I was still such a little girl.

The picture of the little girl having her breakfast with her Teddy Bear is a card that I found one time many years ago and loved it so much that I bought it and have kept it. I guess I like to pretend that was me once upon a time.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk back through my childhood memories. I hope to be sharing more about this particular Grandma in the next few months. She is the one I am focusing my genealogical research on since she was adopted as an infant. Her 125th birthday is coming up in December, and I am hoping to have a more complete story to tell about her by then. So stay tuned!

Here are some words of wisdom for those of us who are grandparents:

Deuteronomy 4:7-9

7.  "For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, 

as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?

8.  And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?

9.  Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.

And teach them to your children and your grandchildren."

Also from Psalm 103:17-18

17.  "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting

on those who fear Him,

And His righteousness to children's children,

18.  To such as keep his covenant,

and to those who remember His commandments to do them."

The most important gift we can give our grandchildren is to teach them about the God Who loves them...about Jesus our Savior Who gave His life for them so that they can have eternal life and life more abundant.  My grandparents were devout Christian people who lived their lives as good stewards of the gifts He had given them. They were always active in their church, actually were founding members of their church when they moved to Florida and there was no church nearby where they lived. They were not showy or demonstrative people, but lived a peaceful, thoughtful life and set a good example for their children and their grandchildren. I appreciate that "gift" of living humbly and honestly before God most of all.

So Thankful

Every Parent's  (& Grandparent's) Nightmare:

Facebook message from my daughter in law...

"The phone rings and wakes you from a deep sleep. You groggily answer and hear your teenager, panicked and upset, telling you they’ve been in an accident. Every parents nightmare. That was mine last night. Thankfully Noah is fine; just sore with some scrapes and bruises. Always wear your seat belt and be safe."  

This is a picture of our precious grandson Noah and his Mama, when they were here for our son's wedding last fall:

When I got this message about Noah being in an accident, and thankfully that he was okay...all I could do was praise God and give Him thanks for His protection and watch-care over our only grandson.  This was obviously a very scary situation...but God was there...

"Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, 

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

For He shall give His angels charge over you,

to keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone...

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Because he has set his love upon Me,

therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high, because 

he has known My name.

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble'

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

and show him My salvation."

Psalm 91:9-16

Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your angels charge over our grandson. May You always keep him in all his ways. May You be there to deliver him, hear his cries, answer him when he is in any trouble. I pray that you will deliver him and honor him, and satisfy him with long life, and show him Your salvation. Amen.

I know that our grandson already knows the Lord...but he is about to embark upon a new journey in life as he graduates from high school in a few weeks.  We are looking forward to being there (in Maine) to celebrate this special moment with him, and to represent his father, (our son) who will be proudly watching from heaven.  I have a feeling that our son was watching the action of those angels the other night, and giving glory to God for their swift and accurate response to Noah's cries for help.  I wonder just what that moment must have looked like from heaven's perspective? Someday we will see that bigger picture as he is seeing it now...but until then, we will continue to pray for our grandson's safety and protection, and pray that he will keep the Lord always first in his heart and soul and mind. May this experience draw him closer to the Lord. Amen.

Friday Foto Friends: October Musings

Today is Friday Foto Friends Day (I am writing on Thursday night so I won't forget like I did last week!).  This has been a very difficult week in several ways. The horrific tragedy last Sunday night has affected all of us with feelings of deep sorrow and consternation, I am certain.  No, I am not going to write about that because I believe we have all been going through that all week...and we need something to cheer our hearts and give us renewed hope and comfort.

So for Friday Foto Friends I will just post a few pictures of October Musings from this week and perhaps also from the past.  I haven't really been anywhere special this week...and thank you for praying for me regarding all the things I needed to do.  Our "Lovely Ladies of the Lord" fellowship was cancelled due to some having conflicts, so hopefully we will meet next week. In some ways, that was a blessing for me, because I wasn't feeling too great yesterday and today (Thursday) I had to go shopping to prepare for the Bridal Shower here on Saturday.  Also...I had my follow up doctor appointment, and my labs all look good except for my cholesterol...so back on the Simvastatin.  I was hoping to not have to do that again...but...it's in my genes...(and probably my jeans too! LOL)  Very thankful to the Lord for an otherwise great report.

So let's move on to the beauty of this week...

Here's a sweet picture of a Gulf Fritillary butterfly enjoying it's afternoon snack...

 And this little brown cuban anole lizard is relaxing  in the sunshine on this tree fungus shelf...

Mum's the word!  I picked up a few pots of chrysanthemums for the front porch! (I really like spelling that big word!)  That means fall has officially arrived to my house!

Last weekend we started on another front yard project...the flower bed along the front of the house needed new wood borders (as well as a lot of other things...like some good soil, mulch and flowers...but first things first)  This is the BEFORE pic:

And here are our sons putting down the new border posts...

 So proud of their finished work...and we are so blessed to have them help us!

And then hubby and I put the mulch in the next day...so now all we need are some more flowers...but that may have to wait.  Everything costs money these days...have you noticed that, or is it just me?

And here's our first two bear visitors for October...don't you just love the way they are smiling as they come to get a drink of water?  Not sure what they are smiling about...maybe they can see their reflection in the water....maybe they know the camera is taking their picture and they want to smile...who knows? I just think they are cute...as long as they stay outside and don't do any damage...

Friday, Oct. 6th  is our grandson Noah's 18th birthday!  I wish we could be together, but he lives in Maine and we aren't able to make that trip this year. However, he and his mama will be here in November for our son's wedding...so that is almost as good as getting to celebrate his birthday with him!  Here's a few birthday pictures from the past when we did get to celebrate together:

 This is my favorite picture ever...Noah's 3rd birthday, when he asked his mama to make him a

"Super Larry Boy with the Super Sonic Ears" costume for his birthday.  (from Veggie Tales)

You can tell he was extremely pleased (understatement!)

Here we are with him for his 10th birthday...somewhere along the road between Maine and NH.  Our favorite place to take a picture!

I believe this next one was when he was 11...and it kind of speaks for itself...Yep, that's our "Noah Monster!!"

And here we are in October 2013 when he was turning 14...this was the last time we were all together there in Maine for Noah's birthday before his Daddy, our precious son Matthew, passed away in May of 2014 after his 4 yr. battle with cancer....I love that we were able to get this last picture together at our favorite overlook site...

Noah came down here to visit us 

in 2015 for his 16th birthday...here he is with his Great-Grand Nanny...my sweet MIL "Nanny Steiner"

And here is Noah,  (age 17) this past spring when he came to visit us for his grandpa's birthday!

We are truly looking forward to seeing him again soon! In the meantime, Happy 18th Birthday, Noah!
We love you, and are very proud of the fine young man you are becoming!!!!  May God continue to richly bless you and keep you all the days of your life. Amen.

Here's a few verses from Ecclesiastes chapter 3 to sum up this October Musing...

"1.  To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

2.  A time to be born,

and a time to die;

A time to plant,

and a time to pluck what is planted;

3.  A time to kill,

and a time to heal;

A time to break down,

and a time to build up;

4.  A time to weep,

and a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

and a time to dance;

5.  A time to cast away stones,

and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace,

and a time to refrain from embracing;

6.  A time to gain,

and a time to lose;

A time to keep,

and a time to throw away;

7.  A time to tear,

and a time to sew;

A time to keep silence,

and a time to speak;

8.  A time to love,

and a time to hate;

A time of war,

and a time of peace.

11.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. 

Also He has put eternity in their hearts,

except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

12.  I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice,

and to do good in their lives,

13.  and also that every man should eat and drink

and enjoy the good of all his labor--

it is the gift of God."

I hope that you will all have a wonderfully blessed day, weekend and month!  Enjoy all that you have...as "it is the gift of God."

Now, let's hop over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and see what our other fine Friday Foto Friends have been up to!! See you next time!           

Thankful Thursday-The Secret Garden Chronicles -I'm So Out Of Touch!

Dear Friends out here in Blogland...I apologize for being so OUT OF TOUCH lately...

but most of you know that we were enjoying entertaining our grandson here from Maine this past week...or should I say, "we were enjoying our grandson entertaining US?"  Probably that would be more to the point!  What a delightful, wonderful visit we had...and yes! He was very entertaining!

And so, for my Thankful Thursday, I'd like to thank the Lord for sending our grandson to us...he is God's gift to us from our son Matthew, who departed this world much too soon almost three years ago.  Here are a few pictures from our visit...needless to say...he kept us happily busy...and nearly  ate us out of house and home as only a 17 year old "growing young man" can do!  If you are on my facebook, you may have already seen most of these pictures...so bear with me as I relive our happy times together.

Here he is...straight off the plane and right to the restaurant for some FOOD!
When I asked him if he was hungry, he replied, "Yes, Grandma, I am always hungry".
Truer words were never spoken! LOL

When we got home, our grandson and "the uncles" started building a bonfire so we could have s'mores and hot dogs...this, after a full meal at Cracker Barrel...

Of course I was right there in the middle of that!!

Next day he helped his uncle sell signs at the flea market, a.k.a. "Ben's Wood Signs" (seen on this link at his ETSY shop, "Rustic Forest Studio"  When told that he would have to get up at 6:30 a.m. to go to the flea market, at first he demurred on the idea...until I mentioned that there is a breakfast buffet at the restaurant where this flea market is held..., and then he said,
"Okay, I'm in!!"

Then we had a birthday party for my hubby, with lots of food, friends, and fun!

We took a family hike on one of the many hiking trails in our part of the woods...

Yes, that's me on the end..."pack horse pammy"

Two tall handsome young men, our grandson on the left, and our youngest son on the right

Here's the guys at one of their many outdoor games...Bocce Ball

Then we went out to eat at one of our favorite places on the St. John's River...had to keep him fed... LOL

The guys played a lot of chess...

And then played a lot of corn hole

Even I got in on the act, with my grandson watching and making faces in the background.

The photo bomber is stealing the show...

and again...

and again...while I am totally oblivious...

Next day we went to the beach...but had to stop at Larry's Giant Subs
for lunch first..."The home of the Big One"

And then we watched him swim in the 62 degree ocean water...which was no problem for him
"cause I'm from Maine, Grandma!"

One last chess game before he had to leave to catch the plane...after a big "brunch" (1/2 way between breakfast and lunch) to tide him over...and then a stop at McDonald's on the way to the airport for a "Grand Mac" to seal the deal...

In thinking about this week, one verse came to mind:

"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."  Matthew 5:4

That pretty well sums it up...interestingly that verse comes from the book of Matthew...our son's name who is in heaven...and this is his son who came to comfort us...and to bless us with his presence.  

So, on this "Thankful Thursday", I am thankful that God does not leave us comfortless...and that He provides plenty of food to feed the "hungry".  Amen.