Happy Belated Friday Photos and St. Patty's Day

Happy Saturday...and belated St. Patrick's Day! We were busy all day yesterday with some company from out of town, so I didn't have a chance to write anything. But I know you are all waiting with baited breath to find out about our Sand Hill Crane Family...

Well, just as I figured...the baby cranes, "Colts" both hatched yesterday on St. Patrick's Day!

First there was one making a timid appearance:

Welcome to the world, little "St. Patrick"

And the proud parents doted on him throughout the morning hours:

And then a little later in the day egg #2 hatched, and I named him (or her?) St. Valentine, because we first saw the eggs on the nest on Valentine's Day:

As the day progressed you could see them both toddling around on the nest, with Mom and Day standing close by, showing them what to do and where to eat...

It seems like they grew bigger and stronger throughout the day:

And by nightfall they were all tuckered out and went to sleep up under mother's wings for the night.  This morning they've been actively walking around and eating, but it's kind of cloudy and threatening to rain and I can't really get a good picture. But I have a feeling there will be many more photos coming in the future!  

Meanwhile, the Bluebirds have been quite busy feeding their hungry brood in the birdhouse. No sign of them fledging the nest just yet, but I think it will be soon:

Yummy juicy grasshoppers!

Amazing little baby birds can eat that whole thing!

Mama and Daddy patiently waiting for me to quit taking pictures so they can go back and check on their babies:

Meanwhile this Red Bellied Woodpecker is pecking his way up and down the trees in search of a good juicy bug...

I wonder what he found?

Always a lot of activity around here on Still Waters Pond!

Our company left this morning after a nice breakfast at our church community breakfast that we have once a month, but here's a few pictures taken yesterday while we were out and about showing them the town and surrounding area:

Of course we visited Dixie Cottage

And then we took a ride up to one of our favorite places, Lake Swan Camp, which I've written about before HERE and HERE.  We played a little miniature golf game, and we girls beat the boys, of course!

These are very dear friends that we've known for over 40 years.   We all served in the ministry in the same area and denomination for quite a few years, and spent a lot of time together at church conferences, etc.  They are the kind of friends that you can just relax and be yourself with and know that you are loved.  

Then we went to lunch at another favorite place, Hog Wild Cafe'.  I didn't get pictures of us dining, but I did take some pictures of the decor:

I don't think I'd want to run into this "hornet's nest" while out in the wild...

Or this one either:

Not even this old wringer washer could wash away the pain of those kinds of stings:

And I found this sign in the Ladie's Room:

And I think I will leave it at that for today!

So be happy!

Make them wonder what you're up to!

Today is also our son Scott's birthday, and he will be coming home a little later to celebrate. So I am baking a cake and cooking some ribs in the crock pot.  It would be a wonderful day. Our other kids will be coming over for supper as well.  So the joy continues on.

"See you later alligator!

After while crocodile!"

 

A Merry Heart is Good Medicine

"A merry heart does good, like a medicine, 

but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

 Lately I've been feeling a bit stressed by a myriad of things...so it seemed time for a diversion of sorts...

I told my hubby the other day that I wished there was a little cafe' or restaurant around here (closer than 30 miles) where we could go and have a fresh blueberry muffin and a pot of hot tea for breakfast.  When we used to visit our kids in Maine we always found places everywhere we went that served the best blueberry muffins...probably because wild blueberries are so prolific in that area.  We live in the south, and southerners just don't seem to appreciate a good blueberry muffin like they do in New England.

My Tea Cabinet...

So then I thought to myself, "Well, Pam, you DO know how to bake blueberry muffins...and you DO have some fresh blueberries in the fridge...so what are you waiting for?"  And, it's not like I don't have any teapots or teacups or boxes and boxes of different kinds of teas...


So, I just got busy and started baking my own muffins.  Mmmmm, nothing like the smell of hot blueberry muffins baking early in the morning...and I didn't even have to get dressed to go out to eat them!

Click HERE for the recipe for these  delicious Blueberry Muffins from my friend Sandi at "Rose Chintz Cottage"

The recipe I used came from one of my blogging friends, Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage. (See the link above).  Sandi lives on Prince Edward Island, a place on my bucket list of places to visit someday. If you know anything about Prince Edward Island, you should know that it is the home of L.M. Montgomery, the author of the "Anne of Green Gables" series of books. (For more about my interest in Anne of Green Gables click HERE)

 My sister Doris gave me this adorable little "Anne of Green Gables" doll for Christmas a couple of years ago, and this seemed like a good time to invite her to join my little tea party.

Since I was having so much fun with this little impromptu tea party, it seemed an appropriate time to use a very special set of dishes for the occasion.

 This lovely little set of dishes was passed down to me from my mother.  She loved antique dishes, and especially Haviland china, as that is what her mother had.  I don't know if this particular set belonged to my grandmother, but either way, it is very special to me.

 As you can see, this is "The Princess" pattern of Haviland & Co. Limoges China from France.

The adorable tea pot with the little bird on top is designed by Marjolein Bastin for Hallmark. This was a gift from my sister Doris as well.  I think I should have invited my sister to have tea with me...but she lives over an hour away and probably wouldn't have come just for breakfast...would you Doris? Maybe next time...we will definitely need to plan that!!

"A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, 

but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." 

Proverbs 15:13

"All the days of the afflicted are evil, 

but he (she!) who is of a merry heart has a continual feast." 

 Proverbs 15:15

It is my hope that this little tea party has lifted your spirits and given you a merry heart today! 

It certainly blessed my heart!

Click HERE for another post that talks about having a "Merry Heart"

The Condition of the Heart - (Updated 9/29/13)

(Originally written 2/27/10...one of my very first blog posts)

Proverbs 12:25: "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad."

Proverbs 14:30: "A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones."

Proverbs 15:13: "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 17:22: "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

Nowadays the grocery stores are full of "heart-smart" foods, and there is much emphasis on being "heart-smart"....in other words, eliminate cholesterol and fat from your diet, eat properly, exercise regularly, and take care of your heart! I recently had my cholesterol checked, and discovered that is was much higher than it ought to be. Of course, when we get over the age of fifty, nearly everything is higher than it ought to be...weight, blood pressure, body-fat composition, our unpaid bills...etc. About the only thing that isn't as high as it ought to be is our bank balance!

This is me with my oldest son, off on a morning walk to try and get back in
shape!  (9/28/2013)  The blaze orange vests are because hunting
season is starting and we don't want to be mistaken for deer. 

But back to the heart...as I read over the above Proverbs, I had to agree with the writer in every situation...the condition of my heart has a lot to do with the attitude of my heart. If we have anxiety in our hearts, we will become depressed...but when someone shares a word of encouragement with us, or we read in God's Word His encouraging words, it helps to dispel our anxieties and depression. Our fears are taken away, and our countenance changes to joy. Likewise, if we have envy or jealousy in our hearts, we become bitter and critical of others. We begin to complain about the "breaks" that others seem to get, while we suffer away, stuck in our little mundane world of mediocrity. It does become like rottenness inside of us, eating away at our hearts and making us very unpleasant people to be around. A broken spirit is not really a positive thing in this particular instance. Certainly we are not to have a haughty and proud spirit either, but what I believe is being referred to here is a spirit that is so defeated and cast down that the person just cannot or will not overcome it. We begin to literally dry up, shrivel up, if you please, and are no longer able to maintain a cheerful countenance. Our faces become permanently fixed into a frown, and it looks as if the whole face would crack if we tried to smile!

Have you truly looked at yourself in the mirror lately? What did you see? A cheerful face? A person ready to face the new day with joyous anticipation...or with dread and anxiety? Is it easy to smile at yourself in the mirror and laugh at your crows' feet that are appearing...or is there a frown that just won't go away, even with a concerted effort? Often when I am going through some difficult trials, I find that my face actually beings to hurt. The jaws become sore and painful from clenching my teeth and grinding them in my sleep. My jowls begin to droop, and my lips turn downward in a tight frown. The space between my eyebrows becomes tightly furrowed and compressed, and my eyes tend to squint and tighten. Then when I even try to smile, it actually is painful. The muscles won't cooperate because they have been forced in the other direction too long. By the sorrow of my heart, my spirit is broken. By the envy I feel for others, my bones begin to ache and rot. They actually feel like they are dry and cracking. My heart becomes heavy with depression because of my anxiety, and I no longer feel the joy of living. It's quite an ugly picture, I agree.

What can be done to bring back the joy...the merry heart, and the cheerful countenance? Must I just wait until the trial is over, or can I experience joy in the midst of sorrow? First, I must determine the source of the sorrow...is it self-induced by envy, needless anxiety, bitterness, fear? If so, I need to get to the root of the trouble. If there is unconfessed sin, confess it. If there is unforgiveness, forgive. But if the trial is brought on by the fact that you are who you are, a servant of God, then cast your care upon the Lord...know that He cares for you (I Peter 5:7) "Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy."(I Peter 4:13)

And SMILE!  :)

Let your heart become a good medicine to bring back the cheerful countenance and dispel the gloom! Remember, God is able!