Tuesday 4: Name That Show!

 Name that Show!

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. (Click here to join in the fun)

Here is a repeat of one Toni used in January of 2019....

Name 1 Or More

1. Name a TV series show or shows in which you have seen every episode at least twice:

Maine Cabin Masters, I Love Lucy, And these: Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, Night Court -only because they are some of my hubby's favorite old shows. LOL

2. Name a show or shows you can't or would not miss:

Maine Cabin Masters, Hometown.  When I was a kid it would have been so many good ones...Lassie, Sky King, My Friend Flicka, Fury, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Captain Kangaroo, I Love Lucy, Lawrence Welk (because my parents made us watch it, but I grew to like it too). We loved watching Carol Burnette, Perry Como, Dinah Shore, Andy Williams, Bonanza, Superman (the old one), Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Mickey Mouse Club, American Bandstand, I Dream of Jeannie, The Waltons, Little House on the Prairie, The Beverly Hillbillies, oh there were so many good TV shows back then. I miss them and wish they had good shows like that today.  You can see that I am "dating myself" by listing these old shows from the 50's and 60's.  

3. Name an actor or actors that would make you more inclined to watch a show:

Current actors? Hmmm, I don't know... I am way behind in the times. If it were years ago I used to love to watch Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates in Rawhide. That's when he was young. LOL.  Seems like all the good ones are gone. If it were old movies it would be Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Katharine Hepburn, and so many more. I don't watch many programs today except for things on "YouTube" with my hubby, and they don't have actors...just real people.

4. Name an actor or actors who would make you less likely to watch a show:

Jane Fonda, oh, there are probably a lot but I won't even mention their names as they are not worth the mention.

Hope you have a fun day!  It's chilly here this morning again...46 right now, which is kind of nice. Hubby is starting to feel better, praise God! We are thankful for so many blessings.  Hope your day is blessed as well!

Only one photo today...this patch of wild "Lady Lupine" found out in the woods where we take our walks!  

I love discovering these wildflowers in surprising places. Of course I always bring home some to enjoy while they last!

Okay, that's all for today folks! 

March Has Arrived!!

Yes! March has arrived, and has brought some rain showers to our land, which are greatly appreciated.

Yes, I know yesterday was the first day of March, but I had other things going on and never got around to announcing the changing of the calendars! So here we go:

Spring is coming, my dear friends! Here in the south where we live it has already pretty much begun, but I know for those of you in the northern part of our country you are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the crocuses and daffodils and Robins and other signs of spring.  I did see some Robins yesterday and I believe they said they were on their way to see you, so just try to be patient! Spring is definitely on its way!

Oh, wouldn't you just love to take a ride in a horse and buggy through the beautiful spring countryside?  This John Sloane Country Seasons calendar always makes me long for "the good old days". 

The Teapot Calendar has a lovely tea party scene for us to enjoy...those little cakes certainly look scrumptious!  So people are just so clever and talented.  What a beautiful tea set too! I really think it's about time for a nice spring tea party!  

And this lovely view is on the calendar in my bathroom. Can't you just hear those waters making their noisy and rushing escape over the rocks and into that refreshing pool?  I love how the sun is shining and welcoming a new day...

But this calendar, which is in my hubby's bathroom, has to be my favorite for this month.  This is the Thomas Kincade calendar, and the paintings are always so gorgeous. I love that each one also has a Scripture reference.  As I looked at this picture, entitled "Walk of Faith", it appears that this is a picture of Jesus walking with a man, perhaps the "Rich Young Ruler" found in Mark 10:17-22.  Although I am sure the surroundings didn't look quite like that back in Israel at that time, but it is still a wonderful picture...and to be walking with Jesus in the garden would be something I know I would truly love to do...

But sadly, the rich young ruler was not able to give up his worldly possessions and do as Jesus said in this verse...

This is a good reminder for each of us during this period of Lent leading up to Easter. Am I able to deny myself and take up His cross daily, and follow Jesus?  It's not an easy thing for any of us to do even for this short period of the 40 days of Lent...but Jesus is asking us to do this every day.  Thankfully, like in the picture above, He walks along with us and guides us and helps us if we will just heed His words and follow Him.

Speaking of walking in the garden, my new rose bush has been blooming nicely and I am enjoying it so much.

The view of the "butterfly garden", while sitting on the swing in the Secret Garden.

And this is the view this morning...if you look really closely you can see Mrs. Crane sitting out there on her nest!

I am also excited to see that this bottlebrush bush is starting to develop blossoms! We planted this last year and it didn't bloom for long then, but now it looks like it is going to have a  lot of blooms! This will attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so I am happy to see it is thriving!  Just wait a few weeks and those buds will all be red!!

Over in the "Secret/Memorial Garden" the Easter lilies are starting to sprout up. I don't think they will be blooming by Easter, however. Probably more like Mother's Day, which is fine with me.

Also I am happy to see that the "Memorial Rose Bush" that we've had for almost 10 years is finally trying to make a comeback. I pray it will survive. This was a gift from my sister and sister in law for our Memorial Garden back when Matthew passed away, and it has bloomed on special occasions ever since, until this past year.  I cut it way back and fertilized it, and hopefully it is going to survive.

The azaleas have been blooming nicely in the Secret Garden:

The are a bright and colorful spot amidst the green of the trees and woody area surrounding the garden :

These bushes are still small, but they are still growing and they are producing so nicely.  That makes me smile!

This morning we just took a walk and I discovered these flowers blooming:

These are the Lady Lupine flowers that I've written about HERE before.

I also shared some pictures of them HERE a few years ago when I had a little tea party with Buster Brown and friends.

Of course I had to bring a few back home with me.  They are sitting next to a little vase of  "fairy flowers" from our yard. I just cannot resist picking little bouquets of these sweet flowers while they last.

Something else that makes me smile is this old vintage dinner plate that I found at our church Thrift store a couple of years ago. I only have two of them, but I enjoy bringing them out occasionally to brighten our meal...

Which yesterday happened to be this:

A delicious spring supper...tiny red boiled potatoes, fresh asparagus and sweet red beets, with a baked boneless/skinless chicken thigh.  I bake them in the oven for about 30 minutes with parchment paper over top to help seal in the juices and keep them very moist and tender.  It was a delicious 'spring' supper!

 Yesterday I finally got a haircut after three months!  Yes, I definitely needed it BAD!  Why did I wait so long you ask? Well, my hairdresser had the audacity to retire the end of December, leaving us with no other options. How dare she? LOL. Yes, she was actually older than I am and certainly deserved to be able to retire, but still, some of us just don't take to change very easily!  The one other hairdresser in town is swamped and can't accept any new customers for at least a month she said when I called her in desperation.  So finally yesterday I called Walmart (in the next city over) and booked an appointment with a gal that I last saw about 5 years ago, before we moved to this town. I was actually glad she was still there, but still, I don't like the system at the Walmart salon and not to mention the price was literally double what I'd gotten used to paying our sweet gal here who retired. She had not raised her prices in YEARS, and so we were spoiled.  Anyway, it did feel good to finally get my hair cut and I think she did a good job, even if it did break the bank (and that did not include shampoo or blow dry/styling! I had to go out with a wet head!)  I decided to take a few pictures this morning so I can remember how she cut it for next time, whether I go back to her or find someone else, at least I'll know how I want it cut!

Please don't look at the wrinkles or the sprinkles of gray.  Just the style. I like the way she did the back and hope I can remember that for next time.

Now we just have to find someone to cut hubby's hair. He did not like the Walmart system after sitting for over a half hour with his name on the list and the next girl available took someone who just walked in the door and overlooked him...so he walked out, and I ended up cutting his hair, which I have done zillions of times over the past 54 years, but I just don't like all the mess and fuss and cleanup and yesterday I cut a little too close with the clippers in one spot.  Thankfully it's not terrible, but I know it's there and I'd prefer him to find a professional to do it, as when my hairdresser retired, so also did the lady barber who was in the same place, which is who was cutting hubby's hair. We found out yesterday that there is a new person renting that space now and taking customers, so we shall see how that works out.  We kind of don't want to be the first customers...want someone else to be first so they can let us know how she does...

Well, folks, I guess this is enough for the first Saturday of March.   Here's a happy thought for today:

Isaiah 35:10 NKJV

"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Amen!

Have a lovely March weekend!

Sunday Evening Spring Stroll

Good Sunday Evening, Friends! I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying a peaceful evening.

I've been enjoying some lovely evenings out by Still Waters Pond, watching the sun go down. 

Also enjoying the spring flowers that are starting to really bloom...namely, the Azaleas!

This particular azalea bush was a gift from my sister last year, but we got it planted too late for the blooming season last year.  Thankfully, it has grown and developed into a lovely bush full of blossoms this year!  It's still small, but you can see it is loaded with buds. It's making me smile for sure!

Something else that makes me smile is this patch of wild Sky Blue Lupines that is growing where we take our daily walks. I wish I could transplant it to my yard, but I'm not sure it would grow there. So hopefully it will continue to grow in this area where we walk and I can enjoy seeing it there.

And bring some home to enjoy as well:

I'm also enjoying these little wild purple "fairy flowers" (that's what I call them). They are a weed, but they are so delicate and sweet and I love to see them  growing.

In case you've missed me, I've been a little bit busy. Thank you all for your comments on my previous post, as well as those of you who have been visiting over at The Adventures of Lily Grace and left such sweet comments there. I apologize that I haven't done much answering of your comments, but I do appreciate each and every one.

Anyway, if you visited Lily Grace on Friday, then you know that I went to help out at our son and daughter in law's store on Friday, "Dixie Cottage".  They've been so busy trying to keep up with all the orders they have for painting furniture as well as custom orders, etc., and it's difficult to work on projects and keep up with the customers in the store at the same time.  So, since I was feeling a lot better I said I would love to try and spend one day a week helping them out at the store. Not sure if I will actually be able to do it every week due to other commitments, but I will do my best. The store is an hour away from where we live...in St. Augustine, and so it isn't that easy to just run in and help out for a while and go home.  It's an all day commitment.  But I do enjoy talking to people who come browsing around, and hopefully encourage them to buy something at the same time! 

Here's a few pictures I took of a few of the current items in the store:

Isn't that a lovely little desk, with all the interesting decor around it?

"Be Our Guest", won't you please?

I love the upholstery on these dining room chairs. My daughter in law selects the fabrics and does the re-upholstering of the dining chairs that they refurbish.  She does a great job!

Here's another cozy and lovely dining room setting. I wish I had a place for this:

Here's a cute little drop-leaf table and chairs, plus many other interesting items surrounding it.  They do custom painting of furnishings...you can pick your own colors.  But all that refurbishing, painting, and finding good solid used furniture to refurbish takes a lot of time and energy.  Thankfully they are young and able.  I wish I could do more to help out, but I'm afraid my painting and refinishing of furniture days are pretty well over. But I can ring up the sales! That's the fun part! Praise God!

It was a fun day...but I was glad to get back home to my own recliner (and bed!) that evening! "The old gray mare she ain't what she used to be..." LOL.

Today it was wonderful to able to be back in Sunday School and Church, after missing last Sunday due to a bout with vertigo.  If you would like to come along with me, here is the pre-recorded video of our choir singing an old favorite hymn, "Tell Me The Story of Jesus",  followed by a wonderful message from our pastor from Psalm 51, "Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God", click on this video link below.

Here are the words to this familiar song so you can sing along:

"Tell Me The Story of Jesus"

"Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell how the angels in chorus sang as they welcomed His birth

God in the highest! Peace and good tidings to earth.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert, tell of the days that are past.

How for our sins He was tempted, yet was triumphant at last.

Tell of the years of His labor; tell of the sorrow He bore.

He was despised and afflicted, homeless, rejected and poor.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell of the cross where they; nailed Him, writhing in anguish and pain.

Tell of the grave where they laid Him, tell how He liveth again.

Love in that story so tender, clearer than ever I see.

Stay, let me weep while you whisper, love paid the ransom for me.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard."

I can remember singing that hymn as a little girl, especially the chorus. I loved to hear the stories of Jesus then, and they have stayed with me all these years. I am very thankful to have been brought up in a Christian family that took us to Sunday School and church every week. But you know, it's never too late to start if you didn't get to go as a child.  Find a good Bible believing church and start going right now!  I was so excited to see that we accepted eleven new members into our little church today! That was really a blessing! 

 God is working in our midst, even in the midst of so much turmoil in our world today...perhaps even as a result of the turmoil in our world.  People's eyes are being opened to the truth that this world is not our final home, and we need to be ready for our eternal home.  Actually, today was also an amazing day in the life of one of our oldest members of the church, as she passed from this life into her eternal home at 6:00 a.m. this morning, following a brief illness. I believe she had just turned 92 in January. She was very ready to go and anxious to see Jesus face to face.  I couldn't help but think about her this morning as we were singing praises to the Lord...she was right there with Him in person, and I am sure she was rejoicing as she bowed before His presence.   

"We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body 

and to be present with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:8

Well, I guess it is time to close this for the night. I look forward to hearing from  you and also to try to get caught up with you and your events. May God bless each of you and give you peace...Amen.

 

Breakfast With Buster Brown and Teddy

 I woke up this morning with a hunger for Bran Muffins.  Anytime I go to the trouble to mix up fresh homemade muffins for breakfast, the occasion deserves a little fanfare and celebration! I'm sure some of you are saying, "She has too much time on her hands."  "The girl's gone daffy in the head, and she hasn't even had anesthesia yet!" Yes, you are probably right...but if I don't do this now, it will probably be a while before I feel up to baking anything for a while, and besides, today is a good day for a good day!

So, in honor of this great occasion, I decided to use my little "Buster Brown" Tea Set and invite my teddy bear friends for a tea party.(Click HERE for a little more history on this tea set)

This antique child's tea set originally belonged to my mother's oldest sister, my Aunt Margie. My mother remembers playing with this tea set when she was a child, and when my Aunt Margie passed away, my mother was given the set.  My mother knew of my love for having tea parties, and she promised it to me when she passed away, and so now I have it.  I have actually shared a part of the set with my sister so that we both could enjoy it. One of these days I would love for my sister to bring her little cup and saucer and whatever else she has over to my house and we will have a little tea party together like we did as children. (Perhaps when she gets around to retiring one of these days!)

Meanwhile, I will just enjoy this by myself...with the little Teddy Bear friends.

(Remember my "One Word" for 2020 is "joyful" ?  So  this is one way to be "joyful", by "enjoying the little things".)

You may wonder about this picture card that is sitting there beside the tea set. Well, I've had this card for I don't know how many years, but I fell in love with it whenever I found it.  It is called,

"Breakfast with Teddy" 

by:

Jessie Wilcox Smith

1909

I guess I loved it because I could picture myself as that little red-headed girl, enjoying her breakfast with her Teddy Bear watching.

 By the way, the flowers are another bouquet of those lovely "Lady Lupine" flowers that I found while on our walk yesterday.

Just in case you want to have your own little tea party with some fresh homemade Blueberry Bran muffins, here is the recipe:

Recipe for Blueberry Bran Muffins   Servings: 12 small muffins, or 6 large.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Bran Flakes or All-Bran Cereal
1 1/4 Cups Milk
1 egg
1/4 cup oil or 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (my choice)
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup of fresh blueberries (depends on how many blueberries you prefer)

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400℉ Grease Muffin pan for 12 muffins

1.  Combine cereal and milk in mixing bowl. Let stand 1/2 hour, until cereal is well soaked.
Then:
2.  Add egg and oil (or applesauce instead of the oil, which is my preference), mix well.
3.  Add rest of ingredients. Mix just until combined.
4.  Put into muffin pans sprayed with PAM.  (Today I used cupcake papers, but I think the greased muffin pans would have worked better as the muffins really stuck to the paper.)
5.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy the Little Things !!

Mid-Week Breath of Fresh Air

 Remember a few weeks ago when these trees looked like this? 

And the blossoms looked like this:

And then they looked like this:

Well now they look like this:

And the myriads of blossoms now look like this:

Yes, those are tiny little wild plums forming where the blossoms once were! What an amazing transformation in such a little amount of time!

The picture doesn't do it justice...but all of those wild plum trees that were once covered with so many blossoms are now covered with pretty green leaves and tiny little plums popping out all over!  If the birds and squirrels don't eat them all up first, I just may have to go pick some this summer and make some wild plum jam! We shall see how energetic I am at that time.  If it is anything like when I make wild grape jam from our wild grapevines, I may reconsider! It was fun, but a LOT of work for not much jam!

Here's a few fruitful thoughts from God's Word, The Bible:

Colossians 1:10 (NKJV)

10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

John 15:16  (NKJV)

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Galatians 5:22-23  (NKJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Matthew 7:17-20  (NKJV)

17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Switching gears for a minute here...I discovered these lovely flowers while walking in our usual walking place...and I had to find out what they were. There aren't very many of them, but those that are blooming are so beautiful:

Have you ever seen this before?

Well, after doing my research, I have discovered that this is what's commonly known as "Lady Lupine", or Lupinus Villosus  Here is a  link to a website that has a nice article about it http://www.flwildflowers.com/gallery/  (you just have to scroll down a ways to find this particular flower)  It is apparently related to the Texas Bluebonnet! I didn't know that!!

I brought some home with me and it is actually starting to bloom. But according to the articles I read, it can't be transplanted, so I guess I will just have to enjoy it while it lasts.

Matthew 6:28-34

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.

Hmmm, those verses must be for me, as I am preparing for my upcoming surgery in about a week and a half. I had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon yesterday afternoon, and went over all the details and particulars regarding the surgery and what to expect. I wouldn't be human if I didn't admit that I have a few concerns about this, but these verses remind me that our heavenly Father knows all about what I need...and that I do not need to worry. I know He has me covered and that He will take care of everything. So I am going to just keep living each day as it comes, and trust God for tomorrow.

A little levity here:  As most of you know, we celebrated my hubby's birthday this past week. If you are a Facebook friend, you may have already seen this picture of my hubby with his favorite birthday gift:

Yes, it is a new toilet seat.  But not just any toilet seat...This is a "No Slam, Never Loosens" toilet seat! Something my hubby has been asking for because, well, he doesn't like a toilet seat that slams down...when least expected.   So, this gift was much appreciated. He also received some other nice gifts, but none as exciting as this! LOL.

We also had some fun visiting with my hubby's brother and family on President's Day, when we met them at a restaurant for lunch and to continue celebrating my hubby's birthday.  Here's a few fun pictures of their family, doing what they do...just being family and having fun:

 Our niece Shannon decided it would be fun to give her Dad, my husband's brother, a new hairdo. (No, he doesn't usually wear his hair like that)


 Then she decided to give her brother Nicholaus a similar hairdo:
 While her mother watched

and laughed.  I guess we didn't think about the issues of styling hair at the table and the ramifications of that while it was happening. But thankfully we were already done with our meal and the food and plates were already gone.   "Teen-agers!" was all I could say. LOL.

Here's the budding hair stylist. (Below left) I guess she takes after her grandmother (a.k.a. "Nanny") in more than one way. Nanny was a hair stylist for over 50 years. And Shannon actually looks a lot like her grandmother at this age...Although in this picture below on the right of Nanny, she was probably 10 years older than what Shannon is today, but there is definitely a close resemblance.

(and btw, Shannon plans to be a lawyer, not a beautician. I'm sure she will do quite well no matter what she decides to do in life).

And in this picture of "Nanny", she was actually carrying my hubby: 

So that makes this photo an appropriate birthday picture for my hubby...just a little "premature look" at his beginning of life!

Okay, I guess this is a good place to end this "Mid-Week Breath of Fresh Air".  Tomorrow will be another busy and wonderful day. Having some other friends/neighbors from our old neighborhood coming to visit, and they are also bringing lunch! Wow!!! We sure are blessed with friends "old and new". I think we are having an early St. Patrick's Day meal: Corned Beef and Cabbage, and all the trimmings! Should be wonderful! 

This will most likely be my last round of company for a while. I need to settle down and get ready for March 2nd. But it sure has been fun having  family and friends get together!

"God is so good...He's so good to me."  

Oh, well, what's a few more pictures?  I may not be writing as much the rest of the week, so I might as well share these with you. All the while I was writing the above post, I kept looking out my window above my desk and couldn't help but see the changing of the skies and sunset every few minutes.  So, I kept running in and out of the house, taking pictures of the sunset as it was changing. So I apologize if this has all seemed like I was distracted while writing. I was. God paints the most amazing sunsets in His skies! They are never the same, and I just have to stand in awe and give Him Glory!!

 Even the clouds were beautiful...

And then they transformed into this:

Okay, that's the grand finale for tonight. I hope you enjoyed this magnificent sunset with me.

Good Night dear friends.

May tomorrow be sunny and bright and beautiful wherever you are.