Friday Foto Friends and Thankful Thoughts

 

(My front doormat)

It's Friday already! Wow!  And I realize I haven't had much to say this week, however, I want to thank each of  you who left kind comments on my previous post.  They are each one appreciated. There were, however, a couple of comments that I had to delete! One left a very negative political comment that was inappropiate no matter which side of the aisle one is on.  Name calling and ugly slurs will not be tolerated. Sorry. This one was another anonymous commenter, thankfully. I'd prefer not to know who it was.   

The other comment actually had a name attached, but it is a commenter I don't really know and who often leaves comments that usually have nothing to do with my post, and hence it appears to be a spammer.  But this time this "person" made the comment with words that stated that my post was pretty much worthless and therefore why do I even blog? (paraphrasing...I deleted it so I don't remember the exact words).  But it made me stop and think.  Why DO I blog?  Sometimes I do feel like my posts are not all that great, and I often question myself about it's worth.  I'm not asking for commendations here...I'm basically talking to myself.  The thing about social media is that people can take pot shots at you and disappear back into the woodwork without realizing the hurt or harm they may have done. Or maybe that was their intent.   Whatever the reason, it made me question myself and if I weren't a fairly strong person I would be tempted to run away and hide. But I've taken stock and thought about it and realized that yes, there's always room for improvement, and I will endeavor to do better in the future, but I will be careful to check my own responses and comments to be sure that they cause no harm but only encourage and lift up the person.  Certainly we can all use some constructive criticism from time to time, but it needs to be done with love and respect for each other.  Enough said on that subject.

I mentioned the other day that I was looking forward to reading the newest Jan Karon book, "My Beloved", as soon as I could find it. Well, I found it at our public library and I think I was the first person to check it out!  I can't wait to start reading it!  This is her latest book in the Mitford series, which we all thought she was finished with, but she just couldn't let it all end.  I hope to start reading tonight, right after I finish this post!

This has been a pleasant week, without too much going on. We've taken a few walks, and I was surprised to see this Great White Egret along our walking pathway. Normally we see them in or near water, but the water was across the highway you see in the distance. I guess he just wanted to come take a little walk in the woods. He was a lovely sight to see.

This past  Monday was our grandson Noah's 26th birthday. We did finally get to talk to him and had a wonderful conversation, which was a real blessing to us. He sounds good and we are always thankful to hear from him. He lives in Maine, so we don't get to see each other very often.  Every call is priceless to us.

Noah, last year on a trip out west

I've been enjoying this pot of Penta growing on my front porch.  The light pink bunch is a separate flower pot that I put in the middle of the others, which were already there. The pink ones were a birthday gift from my neighbor (and her daughter) across the street...the same lady that I got  our "porch kitties" Sunshine and Blackie from. She is doing better, but is housebound and needs some caregivers to come and help out from time to time.  She's a dear lady and I am thankful to have her as my neighbor.

Speaking of Sunshine and Blackie...here's where Sunshine spent the whole day today, sleeping on the glass table on the back porch:

He's feeling kind of blue, I think, because his buddy Blackie has been MIA again. He was here yesterday morning for breakfast, but he'd been gone the day before and then all day yesterday after breakfast, and all day today.  I don't know where he goes or what he's doing, but he has been doing this almost every week...taking off for at least a day or two and then he shows back up as if nothing was unusual.  Sunshine stays right here close to home and watches for him to show up.  

I feel sad for him because they are such good buddies  and I know he's lonely.  Hopefully Blackie will show back up soon.

(Older picture)

Speaking of neighbors, our new neighbors in the new house next door to us have agreed to come over and feed the kitties every day while we are on our little mountain vacation next week. I am so thankful for them being willing to do that! That's a real answer to prayer. 

I don't remember if I've shared with you our new Ladies'  Bible Study for this fall/winter:

 The back description says: "You're not the only one who...struggles to trust God's plan for your life; wants to maintain control in the midst of the chaos; prays for a well-marked map from Jesus--but rarely gets one."

I think we all need to have a better understanding in our lives about how to trust God's plan for our lives, even when we can't understand what on earth He's doing.  We want to be the one in control, but life just goes so much better when we let go of our own will and let God be in charge.  It's not easy for us to do that, but there is so much more peace when we do.

I am thankful for this weekly time spent with other ladies, studying God's Word and sharing our own life experiences about letting God be in control.  

I am also thankful that today has been a rainy day, pretty much all day long.  Little by little our Still Waters Pond is getting "revived and refreshed" with new water. What a blessing!  

This makes me think about this song, "Fill My Cup, Lord".  When I was a counselor at the Methodist Youth Camp the summer after I graduated from high school, (many moons ago), that song was our theme song. We would go to area churches in between camps and our team would sing this song. So it became a very meaningful and favorite song for me.  It is based on the story from John chapter 4, where Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well.   Here is the song:

1

Like the woman at the well, I was seeking

For things that could not satisfy.

And then I heard my Savior speaking—

“Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

Chorus:

Fill my cup, Lord;

I lift it up Lord;

Come and quench this thirsting of my soul.

Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more.

Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole.

2

There are millions in this world who are seeking

For pleasures earthly goods afford.

But none can match the wondrous treasure

That I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

Chorus

3

So my brother if the things that this world gives you

Leave hungers that won’t pass away,

My blessed Lord will come and save you

If you kneel to Him and humbly pray—

Chorus

Songwriters: Richard Blanchard

John 4:13-14

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Yes, fill MY cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord...

Amen.

Good Night dear friends. Until we meet again.

May God be with you.

 

Friday Foto Friends Better Late than Never...

 Here it is the Friday before Christmas, (which is on Sunday this year, just for future reference), and people are scurrying everywhere doing their last minute shopping for food, gifts, and also in preparation for the very cold frigid weather we are going to be getting, starting tonight and lasting for several days. I know many of you are already experiencing blizzard conditions and sub zero wind chills. I am sure many may have had to change their travel plans for Christmas due to the weather. The most important thing is to stay safe and warm. Praying for those without power already. May God watch over our friends and loved ones and keep them safe in this winter storm. 

We are all cozy and cuddly and ready for winter here...(as long as the power doesn't go out!)

And here's the extent of my baking so far:

My favorite Blueberry Bran muffins for breakfast this morning...(Recipe can be found on this post HERE)

I am really not planning to do a lot of baking for Christmas. My DIL is baking an apple pie, and we have one guest coming to join us on Christmas day (a single friend from our church), and she is bringing a Chocolate Cream Pie and maybe a Cherry Cheesecake pie, and if our son Scott gets here on time tomorrow he may bake some cookies, and some people have given us some gifts of peanut butter fudge and a few cookies already, so why do I need to bake???? I mean, how many sweets can one eat? However, we never turn any away if they arrive on our doorstep or table. LOL. 

But if I do decide to do any extra baking or cooking, this little cookbook that I just got has lots of great ideas for Christmas yummies:

I first learned about this cookbook on Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen Blog, when she did a book review of this particular cookbook.  Mrs. T. loves the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks and refers to them often in this blog and also on her other blog Across My Kitchen Table. It looked interesting to me so I ordered it online through a used book site since it was printed in 2013. It has lots of great recipes and ideas for fun family times especially for the holidays. I am looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the near future.

Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts regarding my shopping woes, etc.  I am happy to say my shopping is done, and everything will be wrapped in time for Christmas...I did have a little scare the other day while shopping that I am only sharing because I want to give thanks to God for His protection over me, and also as a bit of a warning to others to always be aware when shopping or out alone.  

While I was loading my purchases into the back of my vehicle in the Walmart parking lot, I was suddenly startled to see a young Hispanic man standing very close to me when I turned around from my shopping cart to put a bag in the car. I never heard him approach and was really caught off guard. His appearance was rather strange as he had some kind of  red and peeling blotches of skin all over his face.  He spoke very broken English and held up his cell phone and asked if I could charge his phone for him because he needed to make a phone call to someone in Atlanta, or something like that. I couldn't quite figure out the whole gist of what he was asking except that he wanted me to charge his phone.  All the while I am thinking of what to do and realizing that my purse was sitting out in the cart, very accessible, and that also I was parked quite a ways out from the store due to the large crowds of shoppers that day. I tried to be very kind but I told him that I could not charge his phone as that would take too long and I really had to be getting back home. (not to mention the fact that in order to charge his phone the engine would have to be running)  He then backed away from me and asked, "You cannot help me?" And I said that I was sorry I could not, but I suggested that perhaps someone in the store would be able to help him. My mind was racing and my eyes were searching around me to make sure there weren't others with him who might be coming up from behind.  I was quite relieved when he then turned and just walked away and I hurried up and got inside my car and locked it and left as quickly as I could. I then called my husband and told him what had happened and the realization hit me of how close I might have been to something really terrible happening...but God was with me and protected me.  I don't know if that young man meant to do me any harm, but something about the way he backed away from me made me think there was an Angel standing between us at that very moment, and if he had intended any harm, his plans were changed. I actually prayed for the young man, that God would take care of his request if he were truly in need, but I also thanked and praised God for His protection over me.  I actually cried  and prayed and rejoiced all the way home. 

Lesson learned...always be aware of your surroundings when in a parking lot. Never leave your purse unattended in your shopping cart...and pray for wisdom quickly in any such situation. God is always ready to help us...and I do believe He sends His angels to guard and protect us.

Moving right along...since I really didn't have any interesting new pictures to share today, I took a few photos this morning of the different Christmas books I have sitting on the coffee table and in the kitchen and other places...Thought you'd enjoy seeing them. Maybe you have some of these or others that are special Christmas books that you like...

Who doesn't love Thomas Kinkade paintings? So lovey and nostalgic!

Remember the Christmas Ideals (and other Ideals books?)  And Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol", and Max Lucado , "In the Manger",

Some special Christmas tea books...

And another special book with pictures to go along with the words to "O Holy Night".

I know some of you are fans of Jan Karon's Mitford series...I did have the whole series but have shared them with others...I still have these two little Christmas books that are special...

That snowman above actually goes along with the Mitford Snowmen story.

And the other one, "Esther's Gift", tells about the Mitford character Esther Bolick, who always made her famous and scrumptious orange marmalade cakes for every special occasion in Mitford.  Over the years she had given away hundreds of these very rich and sweet cakes to many dear people.

But this year she thought she should figure out just how much money it took to bake these cakes, and when her hubby helped her tally up the cost of everything that went into the cakes, including her time for baking it, the cakes were worth over $40.00 a piece...and here she was going to give away at least 6 or 7 cakes to different people in town for Christmas.  Well, she started thinking she couldn't afford to do that anymore and kind of lost her Christmas spirit of giving when she realized how much money she was spending.

But then she heard some Christmas music playing and started thinking about the smiles on the faces of the different ones to whom she had planned to give the cakes, and how happy it would make them, and suddenly she had a change of heart and went ahead and baked the cakes and cheerfully delivered them to the special people in town who really appreciated the gift so much.

Re-reading this little story today kind of also changed my spirit about giving gifts... I know I grumble about shopping and wrapping and all of that, but when it comes right down to it...to see the joy on people's faces, to hear the laughter and/or the sincere thankfulness upon opening a special gift...well, that makes it worth it all. It also makes me want to try a little harder next year to plan a bit better and further ahead.  You can see below how happy all the friends and family in Pamela's Victorian Cottage are when their lovely "Auntie" from the city comes to visit for Christmas and always brings such special gifts for them.   (you can click on that link for another story about this!)

I kind of feel like I've had a "Scrooge" experience, with the scare in the Walmart parking lot, and then reading this little story, and my heart is overflowing with thankfulness to God for His mercy and grace and so much love...and to think, He sent Jesus, His ONLY begotten Son down to earth, for me!! (and for YOU).  

That's a pretty amazing gift.

I am in awe.

Thank You, God!

Amen.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!