Saturday ~ Holiday Revue

Happy Saturday of the long Independence Day Holiday weekend!  I wonder how many of you are still celebrating the 4th of July holiday with family and friends...or are you just relaxing and recovering from a busy day yesterday?  That's kind of what we are doing...unwinding and catching up on our "naps", since we didn't get any yesterday! LOL.

I'm still enjoying smelling those beautiful roses and admiring the zinnias...and look at those luscious little tomatoes my sweet dil Rose brought us yesterday from their very own garden!

There is nothing better than home grown tomatoes, no matter what size they are!  These were so sweet and good, I've kept them on the countertop where I can just grab one and eat it whenever I want!

I did have some yesterday with my salad, along with our bbq chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans and rolls...it was all very delicious.  My thanks to our son Scott for grilling the chicken for us again. He's the expert!

As I had mentioned in my previous post HERE, I wasn't  sure what I was going to make for dessert the night before...but I finally decided upon one of our old family favorites, actually, it is my sister Doris' recipe, and she has often made it to bring to family dinners, but since they couldn't come to this one, I made it instead...this is an "Oatmeal Cake". (or what's left of it! LOL)

Here's the recipe in case you are interested. However, please change that 11 x 13" pan to a 9 x 13" pan. Not sure where that other came from and I'm not even sure a pan that size exists! LOL.

It is a very moist and delicious cake, and can be eaten alone or with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you so desire. (or a cup of tea or coffee!)   Just don't bring it to a gathering where my sister Doris will be, or we might have two cakes! LOL.

As promised, Benton and Rose brought a watermelon, so here he is cutting it up...it was so nice and red and ripe and juicy, but no seeds for a seed spitting contest this time! LOL.

Here we are enjoying our watermelon...while hubby was taking our picture...

And here he is...can you tell he seems to be feeling better?  He mostly is, but still seems to stay very tired. Hopefully some tests this next week will help us zero in on what is going on.

He definitely appreciates everyone's prayers, and so do I. Thank you!

I wasn't going to share both of these pictures, but I couldn't decide which one to use so I just went ahead and included both.  I hope you don't mind.

Now, this is a funny picture of Blackie. Why? Well, because we had gone to a lot of trouble to hang up that sheet over the bottom half of our glass doors so  that when the grandpuppies come over they wouldn't be able to see the kitties out on the back porch. They get so excited and just keep barking at the cats, and it becomes a real "issue".  Just before the family got here, we looked out and saw Blackie there staring back at us with those big green eyes as if to say, "Ha Ha, I fooled you! You can't keep me from looking in! I like to see the doggies too! LOL".   Well, we knew that would not work, so we had to do some more work on our curtain before the doggies got here.

It worked just fine, but sadly Sugar (below) and Spice (not pictured), were terribly disappointed to not be able to see the kitties and do their usual greeting of bark, bark, bark, squeal, squeal, jump, jump, etc. (if you have doggies, you know what I mean!)  So Sugar and Spice mostly just laid around acting very bored to be at Grandma and Grandpa's house, like a kid who says "I'm bored, I have nothing to play with", while surrounded by a room full of toys:    

Isn't she just pitiful? LOL.   We love our grandpuppies. They are so sweet.  But we also love peace and quiet while trying to visit with the family, so some sacrifices had to be made.  I'm sure they'll forgive us.

Oh, back to the 4th of July, I noticed that a lot of you were doing a "Saturday 9-Lady Liberty" theme for your posts yesterday or today.  I don't usually participate in that particular weekly format, but I wanted to add a special picture of "Lady Liberty" and "Uncle Sam" in honor of the occasion! This picture was taken yesterday (not taken by me, but it was on Facebook) during the annual Independence Day Parade in our historical downtown, and these are some very dear people to us.  "Lady Liberty" and her husband "Uncle Sam" are members of our church, and the lady, Kim, is especially special. She has been battling cancer for the past two years, and I want to tell you she is such a strong person and a real fighter! God has definitely been with her, and she is such a testimony to all of us of faith and perseverence in the face of a strong foe. I continue to pray for her every day, that God will help her to win this battle, and that one day soon she will definitely be "Lady Liberty", FREE from all cancer! 

This was our flag yesterday morning at sunrise. It was a bit foggy, but I couldn't help but think of and sing our Star Spangled Banner as I put out the flag.

O say can you see, by the dawn's early light, 

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, 

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight, 

O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming? 

And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, 

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there; 

O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave 

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave? 

I know the reason we have fireworks on the 4th of July is to remember the "rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air..." and we  usually go see some fireworks in our little town. But to be honest, last night we were both just so worn out that we didn't feel like leaving the house. We could hear the "bombs bursting in air" from here, and if we had gotten up to look out the windows, I know we could've seen the "rocket's red glare" all around us, as many people in the area love to do their own fireworks show. But us old folks just decided to stay home and relax and get to bed early.  I've seen lots of pictures online from everywhere, so that satisfied me.  And we said our prayers of thanksgiving for our freedom, and for the privilege of living in this great country, where even with all of her flaws, this is still the greatest country in the world, and we are extremely grateful to God to be able to call this place our home. We pray that God will continue to "shed His grace on thee".

Here's another favorite anthem, not our "national anthem", but one that we sing with fervor and as a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.  

"America the Beautiful"

"O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!"

Amen.

I hope you and yours have had a safe and happy holiday. Let us remember to pray for those families in Texas who have been devastated by the horrific flash floods that swept away homes and precious children. My heart is breaking for the families of those dear little girls at that camp. May God give them comfort as only He can. Makes you want to hold your own loved ones a little closer and whisper words of thanksgiving to God for their safety, doesn't it?   Yes, may God be very near and dear to those families right now. Amen.

Monday Monday

Happy Monday Morning! (Well, at least it was morning when I started writing this post, but it is late afternoon now when I'm finally getting around to finishing it!) We welcomed the morning with a beautiful sunrise and a chilly 45 degrees! That's fine with me! I love these cooler mornings and beautiful days that warm up just enough to be very pleasant! I wish we could keep it that way!  

Yesterday was a very special day. Our kids all showed up after church for lunch, which was a simple meal of either barbeque pork loin sandwiches or hot dogs (or both), baked beans, cole slaw, and/or tossed salad.  I had cooked the pork loin roast the night before and sliced the meat very thin for delicious sandwiches.  It was all good.  

Then after lunch we headed outside to plant the new hibiscus bush that we had purchased on our son Matthew's birthday earlier in the week, to be planted in his memory. Benton and Scott got right to work digging the hole and planting and watering it thoroughly in the butterfly garden where it will get plenty of sunshine and also attract butterflies and hopefully some hummingbirds. It's about time for the hummingbirds to arrive here in our area for the summer, so we need to get some bright flowers out there to attract them. I also need to get my feeder ready as well.

Here's some pictures of the fun:

After that task was done, we shifted to another project we've been wanting to do for a while.

Since I forgot to take a picture of how it looked before we dug up these two little trees, I just took a picture of how it looks now out there beside the fence where we dug them up and out of the fence to transplant them:    (The blue circles are where they were growing, which obviously was too close to the fence!)

The first one we transplanted was this young Magnolia tree. Here Scott is digging the hole for it (after he dug it up from the fence)

Now it's Scott vs. tree to get it into the ground:

Next he tied a stake next to it to give it some stability until it takes root:

Looks pretty good to me!

The tree and Scott! Both look pretty good! LOL.  He's a sweetheart and a great tree-handler!  He does work in landscaping at a golf course for a living, so I guess he has some experience!

I do hope it will thrive and grow here!

Next came this little cedar tree that was literally growing through the chain link fence:

I should have taken pictures of Scott literally pulling it out of the dirt and through the fence! That was a job, but again, Scott won that battle too, and now we hope this little cedar tree will also grow and thrive!

Benton and Rose were also helping out with these projects, and also finding a few of their own. There were more small magnolia trees growing out there along the fence, so they dug them up and are taking them home to plant in their own yard! Yay!!

Oh, one more thing they fixed for us: this hose caddy was a birthday gift to hubby from the kids, and we had not been able to get it set up on our own because of a stubborn hose connection to the faucet that we couldn't get unstuck. So the strong young men tackled it and got it loose and were able to get the hose attached to the new caddy!  Now hopefully the hose won't keep getting all kinked up and also tripping us in the yard! 

To reward them all for their hard labors I had baked an Oatmeal  Cake  the night before, and it was ready and waiting to be consumed by a hungry group!  

If you've never had an Oatmeal Cake before, you've missed out! It is very moist and delicious and easy to make from scratch. This recipe is actually from my sister Doris, and has always been a family favorite for family gatherings and pot luck dinners:

*Note, I use real butter instead of margarine in this recipe, and I also use a 9"x13" pan, not an 11 x 13.

I know once you've had this cake you will add it to your favorite recipes!

So that was our day yesterday...oh, one more thing...

You might enjoy listening to our choir singing this song from yesterday's church service, and the Pastor's Sermon on the Transfiguation was really good too:

Down By the Riverside and It's Me, It's Me, Oh Lord, Standing in the Need of Prayer

And that will be all for today...I hope you enjoyed this special day with us!  

Hebrews 13:20-21 NKJV

20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, 

that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, 

working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, 

to whom be glory forever and ever. 

Amen.

It's February!

Yes, It's February! I love February! It seems to signal a transitional time between winter and spring...and with all the happy and fun events of the month it just seems to be a month of hope and joy and love!

Yes, Valentine's Day is coming...

And today I searched and searched in vain for the container holding my little Valentine decorations from last year...I have NO CLUE where I put them! Usually they are stored in the big container that holds other springtime decorations, like St. Patrick's Day and Easter.  But I looked in there and there was no sign of them...so now I've got to keep thinking and searching. I refuse to go buy more stuff when I know I have all those things hidden around here somewhere!

Oh well...hopefully I will discover them before February 14th!

Meanwhile...Today was Groundhog Day! (maybe the groundhog took them and hid them in his burrow).

Did any of you tune in to watch Punxsutawney Phil make his annual prediction of whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter or an early spring?

Well, if you were watching, you already know that he saw his shadow and predicted that there will be six more weeks of winter! And I guess Old Man Winter is already marching across the country again as we speak.  I hope you all stay safe and warm, wherever you are.

Thankfully it has been warm here these last couple of days, and we've enjoyed plenty of sunshine for a change!

I spent some time sitting out by Still Waters Pond yesterday afternoon, soaking up some free natural 

Vitamin D. That sure felt good. Just what the doctor ordered...

I enjoyed a cup of tea while I listened to the birdies singing in the trees...

I think they were singing this song:

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth."

Psalm 96:1

My little friend Lily Grace and her doggy Bailey came along with me and enjoyed singing along too.

Just a little girl and her dog...  (and a BIG girl and her doll...oh well, what can I say?)

While I was sitting out there I heard a car pull up out front and our friends from church brought us another bag full of grapefruit from their tree. He had picked as much as he could before we had that big freeze the other morning!

Let me tell you...it doesn't get much better than this! Fresh Florida grapefruit right off the tree!!! Free natural Vitamin C! Again, just what the doctor ordered!

Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!!  If you were here I'd gladly share some with you!

Now here's something you might enjoy also...

This is an "Oatmeal Cake", from my sister Doris' special recipe.  My hubby was craving cake yesterday...he seems to have gotten his appetite back since our bout with that nasty virus. Last week it was Gingerbread...this week he wanted Oatmeal cake!

I don't know if I've ever shared this recipe before...

Here it is. I don't think my sister will mind my sharing it with you. Just so long as you don't bring it to the same dinner party that she's coming to! LOL.  It's a very moist and delicious cake. Always a favorite everywhere it goes!

CORRECTION!  That should read 9 x 13 " pan, not 11 x 13. Not sure where that came from!!! Sorry.

Okay, here's another February-mid winter delight...flannel sheets!

Do you use flannel sheets?  On those chilly nights they sure do feel good. I was washing/changing our sheets the other day and when I put this sheet back on I was smiling. Don't you just love these little owls drinking their hot cocoa/coffee/tea, sitting in the tree?

We'll probably enjoy these until it starts to warm up and stays warm...but until then, they sure make me happy.

Can you tell we must be feeling better? Praise God! Today hubby and I actually went outside and raked some leaves and small branches from under the big oak trees in the front yard.  I love the shade those trees give, but they sure do make a mess this time of year with all their little brown leaves, acorns and dead branches that fall out of the tree when the wind blows. I know I will be feeling it tomorrow, especially in my arm with the frozen shoulder...

(this is an older picture of the trees, but you get the idea)

Speaking of the arm with the frozen shoulder...tomorrow I meet with the Orthopedic surgeon for an evaluation. I am hoping he will just give me a shot in the arm that will help it to not hurt so much and then I can work on the physical therapy a bit more. I had to quit going to PT while I was sick, so now I basically need to start over.  The one thing I do NOT want is surgery!!

What are you looking forward to this month?  Oh, my hubby's birthday is in a couple of weeks. We usually try to have some kind of family/friends get together around his birthday, but the way things have been lately I don't know just what we'll be able to do. I am hoping we can do something special. That's usually the highlight of the month!

Okay, I guess I've rambled on enough. I want to thank the Lord for His healing touch on our bodies. We are so very very thankful. And thankful for you all, who have been very supportive and kind and encouraging!  I hope your February is full of only good things!!  

Here's some food for thought:

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

Proverbs 16:3

Sounds good to me!