Friday Foto Friends and Happy Thoughts

 I can't believe Friday is almost over and I haven't posted any new photos today!  I've been a bit behind in a lot of things this week, but I'm trying to get caught up.  Thankfully I do feel much better, and also hubby is feeling better too. He had a bit of a scare with his eye that just had cataract surgery two weeks ago. It was hurting a bit and he was having a lot of difficulty with bright lights, so had to wear dark glasses most of the time, even in the house. He did go see our local eye doctor to check it and make sure there wasn't anything really wrong with it, and he couldn't find anything, but assured him that sometimes it takes longer for some eyes to heal than others, and his symptoms seemed to be normal for some.  Thankfully as the week as progressed, his eye has gradually gotten better, and he's not having to wear the dark glasses in the house quite as much now. However we are keeping the blinds closed most of the day and using very minimal lighting, which tends to make me get a bit claustrophic, but thankfully this is only temporary. Whew!! And Praise God!

With that all being said, between the two of us, we haven't really ventured very far this week, except for a trip to Walmart yesterday because we were getting desperate for some things that we couldn't buy here locally. Thankfully we made it there and back (I drove) without incident.  

So what else is happening? Nothing much.  Here's what few photos I have managed to take...

The marigolds are still blooming...

And I took this picture looking out the back door at the pond, and there's Blackie in his favorite blue chair.  It's funny that this chair suddenly appeared in our front yard one day out of nowhere.  At first we left it there thinking it must've fallen off the back of someone's truck and that they'd come back looking for it, but after a couple of days no one came, so we decided it was a "gift" to us...in perfect condition, so we put it on the back porch, and immediately Blackie claimed it for his own personal chair. He doesn't like it when I sit in it either. LOL.  

Anyway, I noticed that the bottlebrush bush was really blooming again...

So I went outside this afternoon and tried to get a close up of the blossoms:

However, if you look closely, you will notice that the blossoms have a lot of honey bees on them...there were a lot more than what you see here.  I decided not to get too much closer and be happy with what I got before they decided to "get me". LOL.

By the way, I am still doing the "Happiness challenge" for August, and all these things make me happy. I'm happy I didn't get stung by the bees! LOL.  And I was happy to see this interesting cloud pattern when I put the flag out this morning.  I just love looking at clouds and sunrises and sunsets, don't you? No two are ever the same, because our Mastor Creator is always creating more and more beauties for us to enjoy. We are blessed by such an "Awesome God".  

Remember when I told you about this strange insect HERE in this post?

Anisomorpha Buprestoides...Southern Two Striped Walking Stick

Well, yesterday poor Blackie had a scary experience with this creature that was not too pleasant. If you read the information about this insect, you will note that it is "particularly well known for its very potent chemical defense spray which it deploys from a pair of glands which open at the front of its thorax."

Apparently Blackie got too curious about this creature while it was under a chair on the back porch.  When I went out to call him in for his supper, he came running into the house and was acting rather strangely, and started drooling on the floor, and then went and hid under one of the bar stools in the kitchen. He didn't want me to pet him or touch him, and he kept drooling. That's when I went back outside to see what he might have encountered (praying it wasn't a snake) and I saw this critter on the porch.  That's when I figured Blackie must've been sprayed by it.  I looked it up and it said that it could cause excessive drooling, among other unpleasant and possibly dangerous problems for cats, especially if it got in his eyes.  Blackie didn't want me to mess with him, but he finally calmed down and stopped the drooling. He wasn't interested in his water, so I put out a little bowl of milk and he lapped that up.  Then he seemed fine and went on to eat his supper and didn't show any other symptoms of trouble. Thankfully I think the spray missed his eyes and he probably didn't get too much in the mouth or face or things might have been worse. He seemed fine for the rest of the evening.  Before we let him back outside I went and took a broom to that creature and knocked him off the porch. However, I did notice a very strong chemical odor when I did that. Thankfully it didn't hit me on my face or body. SO, now we know not to mess around with these "Devil Riders", as they are also called...and from now on when I see one I will make sure it is "removed" from the premises as safely as possible.  I am happy that this story had a happy ending and that Blackie is just fine today.

I am also thankful that yesterday we had an opportunity to do something special for someone else. I am not telling you about this to bring any kind of "glory" to myself, but to share how meaningful it is to help someone else.  We have a dear man in our church who has been battling cancer for several years, and he is now nearing the end of his battle and we expect he will soon be entering heaven's gates.  Although he is under hospice care, he is at home and his daughter and wife are caring for him. Actually, his wife is not in real good health herself, and the daughter is the one trying to manage everything along with having her own husband and other family concerns to take care of.  So our church has been trying to help out by bringing meals to them this past week. And yesterday was our turn. It was such a blessing to be able to bring some comfort and share some love with this dear family. It reminded me of when our son was in his last stages of his battle with cancer, and we went up to Maine to be with him, and their friends were bringing meals every night for our family...and it was such a blessing to not have to worry about stopping to think about what to cook or if we had enough food in the house to even make anything. We were just so thankful and blessed by the gifts of others during such a difficult time.  I was happy that we were able to give back to this dear family and show them some love in Jesus' Name. 

We never realize just how much such a simple thing as a meal can mean to someone who is going through such a difficult time until we experience it for ourselves.  We can never repay those who do something special for us, but we can pay it forward and help someone else along the way. 

And so with that I will say good night. Tomorrow we travel about an hour and a half away to meet up with our extended family to celebrate the August birthdays and anniversaries together at a restaurant. It will be a fun time just being together.  

Philippians 4:12-13 NIV

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, 

whether living in plenty or in want. 

13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Odds and Ends /Wednesday Treasures

Today was one of those days that I wasn't quite "up to par", and so I stayed home and didn't do much of anything.  I did do some scrolling through my Pinterest site...I haven't been on there in ages.  There's a lot of stuff that keeps showing up there that I guess they (? Whoever they is) thinks I would like on my pages.  This was one of the pictures that showed up, why, I'm not sure, but I did like it.  I sent a copy to my blogging friend Debbi at Debbi's Front Porch because she's raising chickens nowadays, and I could just see us having a good old time like this in her hen house.   I named it "Time for Tea in the Henhouse".  These two old ladies crack me up.  

I saw this picture of this puzzle on Facebook, and I saved it to my Pinterest page because it reminds me of a place where I would LOVE to be...I've always wanted a little cabin on a lake where the family could gather for the summer...or the fall...or whenever... Actually, I wouldn't mind living there all the time, but then I guess the uniqueness of it might wear off and it would become ordinary...Nah...I don't think that would happen.  LOL.

Here's something else I pinned not too long ago. I saw this picture of this kitchen and really loved it, so I saved it. I love the big long farmhouse style table, and I especially love the high rustic ceiling and the big windows at the end over the kitchen sink.  This looks like a kitchen where I could just settle down and live. LOL.  It would also be plenty of room for ALL the family to gather for holidays and other celebrations. (as long as they all bring food and help clean up! LOL)

I love this picture of this bedroom because it is arranged a lot like our bedroom, and I would love to have a pine wood accent wall like that behind our bed:

Here is how our bedroom looks now:

I recently bought this new bedspread because our old one was getting little tears in the quilted pieces and I didn't want to ruin it any further. This one was inexpensive at our local "Roses" store...

Here's a close-up of the pillows...The one in the middle of the Butterfly came with the bedspread and two pillow shams.  The two little side accent pillows were a gift from my DIL's sister Sherrie...she made the pillow cases for me for Christmas...they have butterflies and birds on them and say "The Joy of the Lord is My Strength",   (Strength is my One-Word for this year!), and "Under His Wings You will Find Refuge".     The owl pillow I've had for a long time. It was a gift from my sister in law Peggy because she knew I loved owls.  The teddy-bear was a gift from my hubby during my last hospital stay. We call him "Bear-Bear", and he sleeps with me every night.   The "Tumbling Block Quilt" on the wall was made by my sweet Daddy one year for Christmas. It is made out of wood, and each piece of the blocks are different pieces of wood.  He was very talented.

I didn't realize until after I had bought the new bedspread that it was named "Lavender and Lilly".  Not sure why, there are no lillies on it and it isn't lavender, but I LOVE lavender scent/flowers, and of course you all know I love "Lily".  

This is the actual design on the bedspread: Butterflies and flowers.   

Back to the Pinterest pictures, I would love to have a pine accent wall in our living room too, to give it a more "cabin-feel"... so this is just an idea of a foyer/entry wall:

And here is another idea, although I prefer horizontal boards to the vertical ones.

Here is a picture of our current living room, and that is the wall I would love to do the pine accent wall, from the wainscoting up, again, to give it that "cabin feel".

Here's the corner of that wall and back wall where the glass doors are looking out to Still Waters Pond. I took this picture the other day, I think it was Saturday, because hubby was watching FOOTBALL already! My thoughts were, "Hey! It must be almost FALL, because he's watching football!"  Oh, how I wish it was cool like fall, but alas! It was 95 today with a much higher heat index. So we still have a little wait before fall gets here...

It's funny, because just yesterday in our Tuesday 4 meme, the first question asked:

1. Do you find yourself day dreaming about your situation and things you would love to do if only...?

And I answered it this way:

"Sometimes...but I try not to think about the "if only" part so much, because I've learned in life that it is best to live in the present and do the very best you can with what you have. Day dreaming about what you would do "if only" can lead to wishing you could change your situation and sometimes that can get you into trouble. I mean, it is okay to have dreams and goals that are positive and uplifting, but the best thing to do is make the best of what you have and be thankful. Sometimes we have to be careful that we might get what we wish for and find out that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, but not necessarily as wonderful as what you already have."

And now here today I seem to be contradicting what I said above.  Well, not really.  I think it is okay to have ideas and "dreams" about things you would like to do and/or change in your home if the circumstances would allow you to do so.  There's nothing wrong with self-improvement or home improvement.  It's just that if we allow ourselves to dwell on things that we can't have or wish we could have so much so that we become dissatisfied with our home or life, then that is what becomes a dangerous habit or trap to fall into.

I have found these verses to be helpful in keeping me in the right frame of mind on this subject:

Philippians 4:11-13 NIV

11 "I am not saying this because I am in need, 

for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, 

whether living in plenty or in want. 

13 I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."

As for all of the "pinterest ideas" above, that's all they are.  Ideas. Probably not anything that will ever happen, but it's fun to imagine how it would look if I could do that.  However, we can have that homey-cabin feel anytime just by being together and enjoying our family and friends and making memories. The walls don't really matter so much as what is said and done within those walls!

I've used this quote before:

And with that, I will say good night!

The last moments of sunset just now on Still Waters Pond:

 

Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends Combined again...

 Good Evening my dear friends! Thank you all for so many sweet and thoughtful comments on my previous post. I am trying to get around to either replying or visiting you on your posts...little by little I am getting caught up...well, sort of! Sometimes I think we all need to take a breather and not write for a day or two so we can get caught up on reading! But I know we all have things we want to share, and if we wait too long we'll forget what they were! LOL.  I do appreciate you each and every one!

Let's see, what's happened since I last wrote to you (yesterday!)  Well, no more UFO sightings here...so that's a good thing.  But we certainly did have a gorgeous sunset this evening:

Amazing almost like fire dancing in the skies above Still Waters Pond...

And even the sun was reflecting on the clouds in the east from our front vantage point. We were surrounded by bright and beautiful skies...an evening gift from our Creator.

While I was out walking around the yard and into the area we call the "Memorial Garden", I couldn't help but notice the red holly berries getting redder and redder...preparing for the winter season. The birds and squirrels are already enjoying them...

It was a lovely evening on Still Waters Pond

There are many of these bright yellow wildflowers blooming all around the pond. They were closing their petals for evening prayers...

So I came back inside and thought it was time to sit down and write to you and share whatever else has been happening...

It has actually been a much more peaceful week than last week. I am very thankful for that.

Little by little the fall items in Dixie Cottage are starting fade into the background, and little bits of Christmas are starting to appear here and there. These tiny little paper houses were created by one of our vendors. The detail is amazing. This particular vendor donates the majority of her profits to local charities.  She also creates beautiful stained glass pieces.

I am impressed by the abilities and patience of the people who share their talents with us...

They can take simple things like small pictures or paintings and put them in refurbished frames or add other special touches to make a lovely grouping of items and end up with beautiful accent pieces for any home...

Again, I have to control myself to keep from wanting to take these things home with me. However, I may be able to do some Christmas shopping here...

But speaking of taking something home with me...well...this happened today:

I may have mentioned HERE a couple of weeks ago that I was tempted to take this little chest of drawers (nightstand, really) home with me and put it in my guest room.   

Well, lest you think I gave in to temptation, let me explain!!

This morning my son said that he was going to just take this little chest home and probably give it away because it hadn't sold and it needed to be repainted or something else because its shabbiness wasn't too chic! Anyway, I said, "Well, if you're just going to give it away, then could I have it?"

And he said, "Sure, take it!"  I asked if he wanted me to pay for it, and he said, "No, if you want it, it's yours!"

Well, you can bet I didn't hesitate one minute longer before he changed his mind. I asked him and my hubby to please go put it in the back of our vehicle right away before someone came into the store and wanted it! LOL. 

And so here it is in the guest room, ready for the next visitor.  It is taking the place of the two little wooden night stands that my son built for our guest room in our previous home, because that room was so narrow that anything larger wouldn't fit. 

Click HERE to see a picture of the other nightstands.

In exchange for this little chest, I gave my son back the two nightstands he had built, because they really were too small for this room. He will either sell them in the store or do something else with them. 

So now you know the rest of that story!

Tonight I am very thankful for our family, and the way the Lord is blessing in so many ways.

Life does have it's challenges...there are many discouraging moments along the way, but God is always there to encourage us and give us hope and peace of mind when we need it most.

I am thankful for my health, and not taking it for granted. I have some aches and pains and "issues" that I must deal with on a regular basis, but nothing serious or life threatening, and I give God the praise and glory for His kindness and mercy and grace.

Philippians 4:11-13 sums up how I feel pretty well:

"11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Good night dear ones.

Be blessed...