Something New for My Friday Foto Friends

 

This morning I was reading one of my blogging friend's posts, Tales of the TCKK Family, HERE, and she (Cathy) was doing a  new photo challenge that I thought was interesting.  She links up with Kym over at A Fresh Cup of Coffee~ Everyday Images #53 to do this "personal photo challenge".  I guess there is one every two weeks, with several prompts for things to look for and take photos of and share.  So since I didn't have anything new to share today, I thought I would try to do this and link up with Kym and Cathy and others who are doing the personal photo challenge.  The prompts for this week are: 

calendar

doorway (quarterly)

letters

chill

hidden

plans

So let's see what I can come up with!  Of course, you know the calendar photo for me is already a regular event each month. Maybe I can find something new to share in the way of a calendar that you haven't already seen:

Not too fancy. That's our church calendar, one with the birthdays and anniversaries for the month,  and the other with the activities for the month.

Below is the box of cards that I use to send out birthday and anniversary and get well cards to members of the church each month.  That is a little ministry that I do for the church that keeps me on my toes, especially lately with the number of people needing get well cards! 

Doorway

I just switched our door wreath from Christmas to a Valentine decoration, which will probably stay up through February.

And when we think about doorways, of course the title of my blog is "Closed Doors, Open Windows", so things having to do with doors are things that I tend to gravitate towards...like this collection of doorknobs:

Letters

I am assuming you mean letters, as in "letters of the alphabet" ?  This made me think of a little bag full of blocks that I've had for years and had stashed them away in a cabinet. So this was a good opportunity to bring them out:

Each side of the block has a different letter on it, and if you arrange them correctly, you will find four different messages!

Sometimes it's challenging to rearrange them and get them in the right order.  Finally I got smart and penciled in a very small number in the corner of each block so that if you put them in that order, all of the messages will be in the correct order for each side.

Chill

Still Waters Pond early in the morning, when it was 39 degrees outside.  That's a way to get "chilled" if you step outside to take a picture!

Hidden

There's something hiding behind that photograph of my great-nephew's graduation picture on the bookshelf in our living room:

Oh, it's this beautiful handmade music box, created with love by my father many years ago:

And hiding on the back is his little note: "Handmade by Bill Mursch,12/90"

It was a Christmas gift to me that year. I think he made one for each of his children.  The little upside down sticker says "These Foolish Things", which is the song that it plays when you wind it up. 

Plans

When I started to write this post this morning I had no special plans for the day. Just figuring out what pictures to take and share was my only plan...and hubby had another plan...He wanted pancakes for breakfast...so here you go:

This used up the last of the frozen blueberries that we got from the Blueberry Farm here in town last summer. So I guess my next plan will be to buy some at the grocery store until we can get the good fresh ones again from the farm when they are ripe!

Regarding "Plans", here's some words of Wisdom from God's Word:

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Proverbs 19:21 NIV

21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 16:9 NKJV

9 A man’s heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.

Just as I was about to close this post, I got a call from my niece, telling me that her father, my sister's hubby, was out running errands, and was stepping out of a store and someone on a bike or e-bike or something ran into him and knocked him down and he hit his head.  Thankfully he didn't lose consciousness, but he's at the hospital getting checked out to make sure there are no internal injuries, especially in his head since hit it so hard.  Apparently whoever knocked him down did not stop.  And my sister now has pneumonia and can't go to the hospital to get him, so thankfully his son is available to go get him.  So please say a little prayer for my brother in law Art and my sister Doris. Thank you so much.  Sometimes the "plans" we have for the day just don't work the way we planned. Praying that God will speed healing to them both.  Amen.

Thank you, Kym, from "A Fresh Cup of Coffee", for these photo prompts for today. I enjoyed finding the pictures and I hope you will all enjoy them too.

Neighborhood Blessings...Updated with Recipe

One of the joys of living in this neighborhood has been getting to know some of our special neighbors throughout the years.  We've been blessed to have good neighbors...something that doesn't always happen in a lot of neighborhoods throughout the land. So I consider them a blessing from the Lord.  I'm sorry that some of our neighbors are only here for part of the year, being "snowbirds" from up north...and I'm also sorry that we really didn't get acquainted until the last three years or so, mainly since I retired and have more time to get out and meet people.

So tonight we had a neighborhood get together here...Lasagna night!!! I made the lasagna, and the neighbors brought the salad, dessert, and garlic bread.  Works for me!! It was all so good...

Here's our friends Joy and Dee, and Joy is showing off her delicious "pizza pie dessert", with fruit and a cream cheese filling on top of a sugar cookie "pizza".  She said this was in keeping with the Italian food theme for the evening...

Here I am with Joy, still admiring that "pizza pie dessert" before we dared to cut it up and serve it...It was almost too pretty to eat!

It sure was good...and a refreshing dessert after a heavy main course...

Speaking of  which...Here's the second pan of lasagna...the first pan was empty...I'm surprised there was any left at all...but everyone was being "polite" and saving room for dessert...

And this salad was delicious too...complete with radishes, pecans, craisins, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and seems like something else...sunflower seeds I think...It was scrumptious! Oh, and homemade ranch dressing!!

Here's the guys, waiting for their dessert while we were busy taking pictures of it...

It was great to sit around the table and swap "fish stories"...(some of these guys are fishermen) and other interesting tales from our lives.  Always a blessing to have good food and fellowship with great people.

My centerpiece was pretty simple...just put a few little pots of "violas" (miniature pansies) on the table, and then our neighbor who likes to surprise us with little gifts from wherever he keeps finding things brought these gorgeous crystal candlesticks. He says he found them at the dump...someone had left them there....They are absolutely stunning!

 Don't you agree?  I never know what this sweet neighbor will come up with next...we already have bunnies in the garden, a little bear with a fish behind his back, a few other fun things...always a surprise to discover.

I know when and IF we ever sell this house and move away we will miss these dear ones...and I pray that God will send someone here to our house who will enjoy and appreciate the blessing of these wonderful people.  I also pray for whoever our new neighbors will be in our new neighborhood. May the Lord already be working on that ahead of time...maybe that's why it is taking so long...They need a lot of preparation to have US move into their neighborhood! LOL

Here are a few proverbs that stand out to me tonight:

"Through wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

By knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches."

Proverbs 24:3-4

"Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend,

nor go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity;

Better is a neighbor nearby

than a brother far away..."

Proverbs 27:10

"In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,

And His children will have a place of refuge.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

to turn one away from the snares of death."

Proverbs 14:26-27

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

"A man's heart plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps."

Proverbs 16:3,9

That's all folks!! 

Have a blessed weekend!!

P.S. Here is the recipe for the Fruit Pizza:

Here is the recipe for the cream cheese filling:

1 8oz. pkg. of cream cheese, softened.

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup sugar or Splenda

Mix with mixer until smooth and creamy. (She also added a dollop of cool whip to the mixture because she didn't think it looked creamy enough. It was good!)

Spread the cream cheese mixture on the completely cooled cookie crust.  (The cookie crust was made with a tube of sugar cookie dough, baked on the pizza pan).

Place the sliced pieces of fruit on...(she used strawberries, kiwi, and red grapes. You could add blueberries, bananas or other fruit if so desired)

Heat 1/2 cup of clear apple jelly...let it cool just a little, and then brush it over all the fruit for a glaze.   Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.  

It was really good, and a light dessert after a heavy dish like lasagna..

Yum!

The Secret Garden Chronicles- Some Proverbs and Blessed Quietness

Such a lovely afternoon in the garden...very chilly, but the sun was shining and it was so peaceful.  Hardly a sound to be heard anywhere...even the birds were rather hushed.  Our temperatures are supposed to go down to freezing tonight (here in Florida, where it shouldn't be doing that this late in the "winter"), and perhaps the birds are already getting settled into their nests for the evening to keep their eggs/babies warm.  I didn't even see the chickadees flying about as usual.  Perhaps they are already in the birdhouse where I can't see them.

This morning I took a walk about the neighborhood in the freezing cold...wearing my hoodie with a jacket over that and my sweat pants and gloves...it was very cold and windy...but it felt so good to be out and about in the stillness of the early morning.  I took a few pictures...had to take my gloves off to do so and my fingers about froze!  I know you folks up north think I'm a wimp....and I am sure you wish you could be out taking pictures of flowers instead of being trapped inside behind snowdrifts.  We are thinking about you here and praying for you as you wait for the snow to melt so you can get back to your normal routines.

Here are some of the pictures I took this morning.  I share these with you to encourage you that Spring IS coming soon:

 Beautiful dogwood tree blooming

 This is a "wild coffee tree"...with these lovely red berries! Also known as:

http://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/wild-coffee.html

 More dogwood and a few azaleas blooming alongside the neighborhood pond

 Lots of lily pads on the pond.  The water is up a bit since we had some good rain this week finally! Praise God!

My wisteria vines in my yard are now blooming!  I love this beautiful flower! Isn't it gorgeous?

Okay, enough of this. I do hope you enjoyed this little tour around my neighborhood.  Perhaps it gave you some joy seeing God's beauty...and some HOPE in the promise of spring!

As I sat in the garden this afternoon my attention was drawn to the Book of Proverbs.  I thought I would share a few of my favorite Proverbs...but not all of my favorites....that would take a long time! These are just a few highlights.  Not including Proverbs 31, as that is my most favorite and deserves a more in depth look at another time.

So here we go.  These are some words of wisdom from God's Word to us.  I hope you will think about each one and how it applies in your own life:

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established."

Proverbs 16:9

"A man's heart plans his way,

but the Lord directs his steps."

Proverbs 16:20

"He who heeds the word wisely will find good,

And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he!"

Proverbs 16:24

"Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

"A merry heart does good like a medicine.

But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 24:3-4

"Through wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established.

By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious 

and pleasant riches."

After reading the Proverbs in the peaceful garden I started to sing this old hymn:

"Blessed Quietness" 

(Click Here to listen to this song) 

by Manie P. Ferguson

Joys are flowing like a river,
Since the Comforter has come;
He abides with us forever,
Makes the trusting heart His home.

Refrain:
Blessèd quietness, holy quietness,
What assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, He speaks peace to me,
How the billows cease to roll!

Bringing life and health and gladness,
All around this heavenly Guest,
Banished unbelief and sadness,
Changed our weariness to rest.

Refrain

Like the rain that falls from Heaven,
Like the sunlight from the sky,
So the Holy Ghost is given,
Coming on us from on high.

Refrain

See, a fruitful field is growing,
Blessed fruit of righteousness;
And the streams of life are flowing
In the lonely wilderness.

Refrain

What a wonderful salvation,
Where we always see His face!
What perfect habitation,
What a quiet resting place!

Refrain

I hope you can find some of this "Blessed Quietness" in your soul today!

Blessèd quietness, holy quietness,
What assurance in my soul!
On the stormy sea, He speaks peace to me,
How the billows cease to roll!

Be blessed my friends!!

Who's Directing YOUR Steps?

I've been talking a lot lately about "life changing moments", things that happen unexpectedly, whether good or bad, that change the direction of "our plans".  Most of us have some kind of plans for our lives...goals that we hope to reach by a certain age, places that we'd like to visit, degrees we'd like to attain, the way in which we would hope to spend our retirement years.  There is nothing wrong with having these types of plans and goals...they are actually good for us and keep us motivated to continued growth and mental development.

But what happens when those unexpected life changing moments occur, and our dreams and plans have to be scrapped?  Again, these are not always bad things...just perhaps different than what we had anticipated. For whatever reason, our "Plan A" gets shelved, and we have to come up with a "Plan B".  I love the resilience of our human spirit...we get back to the "drawing board" and develop a new idea. We regroup, take stock of our situation and our resources, examine the possibilities of new ideas, set new goals, forge ahead.  We may, at times, feel like quitting, want to give up, wallow in our misery, lick our wounds...but usually, after a time of reflection, we get back up and start all over again.

When we allow God to be the author of our dreams and schemes, we need not fear what the future may hold. 

Psalms 37:23-24 says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand."

I know I've shared this verse before, but it is worth repeating again:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Our future is always secure when we place our plans in the hands of God.  He will direct our steps, and He (God) will delight in our way. Also, when we: "Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness, delight (ourselves) also in the Lord...He shall give (us) the desires of our heart." (Psalm 37:3-4)

So, again I ask, "Who's directing your steps today?"  I am asking myself the same question...

Lord, please help me to always allow YOU to direct my steps...and keep me on the right path. Amen.

Proverbs 16:9 "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."
Psalms 119:133 "Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me."
I Peter 2:21 "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps."