Wednesday Treasures

 Yesterday (Tuesday), was a great day! Why? Well because one of our fellow blogging friends, Barbara from My Journal Memories, and her hubby Gary, came to our little town to meet us for lunch at our local diner, Nanna's Country Cafe'.  Of course, this is always a joy and a blessing when two bloggers get to spend time together in person.  This is not our first in-person meeting.  We go back several years and have met in our respective homes in times past as well. It's nice when we only live about an hour apart, and we are all retired, so that makes for good opportunities for happy meetings.

However, this time we just met for lunch as they had other things of special importance on their agenda for the day,  but I will let Barbara tell you about that in her blog post!

Our hubbies also enjoyed visiting with one another, and had an interesting, pretty much non-stop conversation throughout our time of dining.  That was fine with Barbara and me, as we had our own conversation going, talking about things that two bloggers of similar interests would be able to talk about! Barbara and I both agreed that just about anything we do or see makes for good "blog fodder", (Barb's words) so we rarely run out of things to write about.

I thought this was a fun photo below...I am taking a picture of the guys over Barbara's head as she is taking their picture at the same time! LOL.

Barbara and Gary are a very handsome and happy couple, as you can tell by this photo below...

This photo is a little more sedate, but both pictures were so good, I just had to include each one...

And last, but not least, here is yours truly and my hubby...we were enjoying a beautiful breezy day with our friends.  

I am very thankful to know Barb both here in Blogland and in person. She is a very genuine, kind, and loving person, who has come through some difficult circumstances over the past several years, but God has brought her to a wonderfully blessed new place in life.  These verses come to mind when I think of Barbara...

Psalm 30:5 "...Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning."

Isaiah 61:3

"3...To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

Oh, and btw, Barb is so very thoughtful...she even brought us a little "hostess gift", even though we weren't even meeting at our house...and this little gift was kind of one of those "God-things" that happen when you least expect them.  

Those packets are mixtures to use to make dips. Well, just the other day at our church ladies' Bible Study we were talking about a special "May Fellowship" dinner that we have coming up, where our church ladies put on a luncheon and program and invite ladies from other churches to come as our guests. The lady in charge of the menu was saying that we needed some "dips" for chips and vegies, etc., because we do things like meat and cheese platters and fruit, veggies, desserts, etc.   I was thinking that I really wasn't all that good about making dips, so I would just do a dessert. And then I get this gift of three different kinds of dip mixes, and I told Barbara, "well now I guess I could do dips for our luncheon after all!"  They are unique mixtures and would be something different,  I just thought that was really amazing how God put that together! Thank you, Barb and Gary, for being so thoughtful.

Speaking of "blog fodder", today hubby and I went to our local Blueberry Farm so I could stock up on some fresh blueberries, both to eat now and to freeze for later...

No, I did not pick my own blueberries. They also have some already picked available, at a higher price per pound of course, but today was almost 90 degrees and I was not about to go pick my own, so here's what I got:

Don't they look delicious?  (they are! I ate quite a few before I put them away...just couldn't help myself! LOL)

They also have strawberries, but they are all "pick your own", none picked ahead for us, so I passed on that. I could have bought some strawberry plants, (see picture below of plants that are for sale),  but with my record of growing things (or killing plants), I figured I'd better pass on that idea too.

This climbing rose bush was gorgeous...wish I could've brought that home with me, but it wasn't for sale! LOL.  

And speaking of unexpected gifts.  One of the ladies in our church got quite ambitious and canned a lot of vegetables that she bought at the farmer's market.  She brought some jars of carrots with her to choir practice last night and told us to take some home, and so here is a beautiful jar of freshly canned carrots! Aren't they gorgeous?  She had her grandchildren help her peel and chop them so they could learn how to do this. I think that is wonderful! And I LOVE carrots!

One more Wednesday Treasure (which is what all of the above things are, btw).  Here is another of my Amaryllis flowers blooming! You can see a little hole in the flower where one of those nasty Lubber Grasshoppers was having his lunch the other day...but the flower persevered and continued to develop and blossom and is still beautiful just the same. 

Aren't we all a little bit like that flower?  We have all been through things in life that have punched holes in our dreams and maybe even our external beauty,  But sometimes it is those very trials and difficulties in life that help to create a woman of strength and true inner beauty. That is the real beauty that lasts forever.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Proverbs 31:30

And with those thoughts I will close for tonight.  I hope you enjoyed these special "treasures" today.  Good Night my friends.

Friday Foto Friends-Thank You!

I wanted to start out this post with this collage of mostly cactus blooms from our walks in the past week or so.  This is their season to "shine", and so I thought they should be recognized for their beauty while it lasts...

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

 First of all, I want to thank you for your kind comments on my "Do You Want To Be Made Well" post HERE the other day.  I am overwhelmed with your thoughtful and prayerful words...they have truly blessed me and have helped in the healing process of the past few days...just knowing there are so many sweet friends out there who took the time to comment and also pray.  And I know some of you are also dealing with your own personal health issues, and I want you to know that I am also praying for you.  I have not replied personally to each one yet as the past few days have been busy in some ways, and difficult in other ways as I have continued to deal with the headaches.  But each day is a new day, and God is helping me day by day.  

"Colt", standing way out there on the little sand bar island in Still Waters Pond, all by himself. Parents were coaxing him to swim to shore and work his way around the pond...all a part of the growing up process. Learning to take steps of faith!

To answer some of your questions and concerns, I ended up not going to the Doctor the other day as originally planned. I did call and talk with them about the fact that I have another appointment already scheduled coming up soon for lab work and then discussion of that. I thought I'd like to try and stick it out until then and see if the lab reports show anything that might have a bearing on this.  However, the headache was much worse yesterday morning, and so I called them back and requested to see the Dr. this morning to discuss other options besides taking that particular medicine. And actually, praise God! This morning my headache is mostly gone, but I still intend to keep the appointment. So, again, I thank you for your continued prayers. I will keep you posted on any new developments!

Mr. Canada Goose, honking about any new developments...

Meanwhile, after a very rough start yesterday morning, I eventually began to feel better throughout the day.  I am SO thankful for that because we had a very special engagement planned for the evening that I absolutely could not miss! I will only share a few pictures here because Lily Grace wants to share this story in her post later.  (Don't look for it just yet...it's still in process...hopefully will be done later today or tonight).

Anyway, I was SO excited to finally meet in person my dear friend Debbi, from "Debbi's Front Porch" blog.  If you don't know Debbi, you need to go over there and meet her. She writes about the very interesting city of Charleston, SC, where she comes from. She always has the most lovely pictures of the old homes and streets of downtown historic Charleston, as well as fun walks through some old plantations and parks , and very often she is walking with her sweet little friends "Tracie" and "Amybelle"... 

If you have followed my other blog, The Adventures of Lily Grace, then you will understand this picture better.  Debbi and "Tracie" are the "Auntie Debbi and Identical CousinTracie that Lily Grace has often talked about.  Yes, my friend Debbi is the very kind benefactor who sent Lily Grace to me in the first place.  We had never met before in person, and I asked her last night whatever made her decide to send Lily Grace to me, and she said that she just felt compelled to do it, as if God were prompting her. Well, I believe that... Lily Grace has become a very special little 'celebrity' in our lives and home.

So here we are,  meeting in the parking lot of Corky Bell's last night, where we met for dinner.

And yes, Lily Grace and Tracie came too, along with Amybelle, Tracie's new sister.

And Lily Grace brought Bailey her dog.

And actually our hubbies were both there as well, but preferred not to be included in the blog post, so they shall remain anonymous. (Of course, you all already know my hubby...he's hardly anonymous on here, LOL).  Perhaps something about being seen in public with two ladies and their dolls was too much for them.  Ha Ha! They are both very good sports, believe me!

Here's a few pictures of our "girls":

Lily Grace, Tracie, and Amybelle, kind of crowded into our booth at the restaurant...

And then after we finished eating they exchanged some little gifts .

After dinner we went outside on the dock and did some more visiting, but I will save the rest of the pictures for Lily to share with you later in her blog.  So be sure to be watching for that. Well, maybe a couple more pictures won't hurt:

There I am with the girls and some other lovely gifts...

And this is "Auntie Debbi", holding all three girls and Bailey the dog, and the wind was really having fun with her hair! LOL.

Needless to say we attracted some attention there among the other customers and waitstaff, but everyone seemed to enjoy our fun.  We really didn't care too much what they might be thinking...We were very happy.

Okay, I will leave it at that for now. I've got to run to the Dr. appt.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, is going to be another exciting day, meeting up with some other very special people from Blogland. Pray that my headaches will stay away and I will be able to make the trip. Personally, I think it is just what the Doctor ordered for me...

"A merry heart does good, like medicine,

But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

Wednesday Treasures: Vanity, Oh Vanity! (not what you think)-Recycled

Good Morning Friends! Today is my Wednesday Treasure day, and I thought I would go back in time to a previous post about one of my favorite treasures.  This was originally posted on November 1, 2013, for what was then a blogging group called "Random Journal Day".  I am not sure if the link to that will still lead you anywhere since many of those bloggers have moved on to different blogs and may not have the same posts still available...so just disregard that part of this recycled post and move on to the real story, which was an excerpt from one of my old journals.  I hope you will enjoy this story about another special treasure.  I may make a few edits throughout to update it to today.

Original Post 11/1/2013:

Today is "Random Journal Day", when many of us old journalers look back through the dusty volumes of our past and randomly choose something to share with the rest of the world.  You never know what you are going to get on Random Journal Day!  It could be something sweet, or something sad. It may even be profound, or words written from a struggling soul...or like mine today, just some pleasant memories that were meaningful to me and I hope will have some lasting value for you as well.  So here we go...

I thought I would look for something written around this same time of year, so I landed upon a journal entry written on October 30, 1990 at 8:21 p.m.  However, in my first paragraph of this particular journal entry I referred to a previous entry, written a couple of months earlier, but referring to this same topic..."My Vanity".  So, in order to help this little story make sense, I must go back to the previous writing and go from there...please bear with me...this may be a long post!

August 4, 1990:

My bedroom at the time of this writing, 1990.
(Remember to click on pictures to enlarge for viewing)

"Right now I'm sitting in our bedroom on our lovely country blue and white bed and comforter, enjoying the freshly finished mahogany vanity.  I have a blue candle and sconce (chimney) centered in front of the mirror, and it's so lovely to watch the reflections of the flickering candle. It gives off such a soft glow which reflects on the shine of the rich wood and the many glass bottles of perfume and jars of pot pourri on the vanity.  Such a warm, cozy feeling it gives!  It helps me to enjoy and appreciate this little corner of my room.  I also have the lovely cut glass vanity lamps lit on my Grandma Tedlie's dresser~and they add a romantic and nostalgic aura to the room.  Someday perhaps my granddaughter (?) will enjoy and appreciate these links to the past!  I hope whoever receives them will feel a kindred spirit with the author of this book!  It would be fun to watch and see!  I wonder if we'll have that privilege from heaven?  Perhaps heaven will be too full of glory to be concerned with such things.  I hope to leave more of a heritage than just old furniture. Perhaps a love for the Lord."

Move ahead to October 30, 1990:

"After re-reading page 80 about my corner of the bedroom, I see I failed to give the details of the history of my newly-refinished vanity.  So, just for the record~the lovely mahogany vanity was given to me by my Dad for my 18th birthday~my last birthday at home before I got married!  Only when Daddy gave it to me he had "antiqued" it in the popular style of the day~a sort of light avocado green antiquing.  It was lovely, he did a wonderful job of finishing it.  I was so proud of that gift~the only piece of furniture I was to take with me from my old home to my new home.  The only gift I can really remember that my Dad prepared especially for me.  I remember the day he bought it.  We were shopping at a used furniture and antique store in the little town of Eustis.  I bought a special old fashioned plaque for my Mother...to give to her on Mother's Day.  It still hangs in her bedroom (at the time of this original writing...I have it back with me now.)

Anyway, as we were browsing around through the dusty, dark storage rooms of used furniture, Daddy discovered this vanity, and called it to my attention.  It was rather worn and faded looking, somewhat forlorn among all the cast-off furnishings of days gone by.  But it had a "regal" look~a graceful beauty that beckoned to me.  I'd never owned a "real" piece of furniture before~my room at home was rather simple~2 twin beds with no headboards, a large desk Daddy had made for my sister Doris and me to share~and a built-in dresser and closet. Neat, but plain.  The vanity had curves and style~I loved it~it made me feel like a princess.  Daddy bought it.  I don't remember how we got it home, but he set to work on it right away~smoothing down the rough edges and scratches~and then the finish~it was beautiful!  What a happy birthday it was for me!  18!! I don't remember anything else about that birthday, but about 12 days later I met my husband to be...and less than one year later~we transferred that vanity in a U-Haul trailer from my old home to our new apartment~our first home together!  It really didn't match any of our other furnishings, but then, none of our other furniture matched anything else!  We set up housekeeping with odds and ends of used furniture~which is another story in itself.  My Dad again came to the rescue in seeking out "good sturdy furniture" at a low price!  But the vanity stayed with us~through some 24 moves (then...many more now)...from house to house, apartment to house, state to state and back again!

For 21 years it sat in my room and held my jewelry, scarves, perfume, knicknacks and other special memories.  The right top drawer had bits of rice that was from our wedding day...

It sustained many knicks and bumps~the antiqued finish began to chip and peel off.  The mirror frame sustained a major injury and lost one of its Queen Anne curves~but I held on to it in hopes of someday restoring it.

Finally, after realizing it had become quite an eyesore, I determined to refinish it to its natural beauty.  So I began the process of stripping off the green antiquing~under that was a white coat of base paint more stubborn to remove, and under that a coat of varnish-and finally the original mahogany veneer.  During the stripping process I accidentally splashed some stripper into my eye and had an awful time waiting for it to heal.  You can believe I wore safety goggles after that!

Then we moved again~I had only finished the vanity table...not the mirror or stool.  So once again we move it, careful not to put any new scratches on it's freshly stained and tung-oiled surface. It sat in the corner of our new bedroom about eight months without its mirror or stool.  Finally during the summer I made up my mind to get it finished once and for all.  I took the mirror and stool to a professional stripper to remove the finish.  Then I brought it home and stained and oiled it to match the rest.  I covered the cushion of the stool to match our new bedspread and drapes, and then I stood back to admire this "old" friend who had become like new again! Transformed into a thing of beauty and pleasure to behold!

The Refinished Vanity, as she looked at the time of this
original journal entry in 1990

Oh, I know an antique dealer would probably snicker at the "value" of this piece of furniture~it's really not that old, or that good, but to me it is a treasure chest of memories--an old friend who's been by my bedside now for 22 years ( add another 23  30 to that today! (10/14/2020)...a precious link to my past...and my Dad."



 Well, today, this vanity has been with me for about 45  (52) years!  (I really was only one year old when I first got it! Ha!!!!)  It has a few more scratches and bumps and lots of dust.  It has traveled quite a journey with me...and I still hope to pass it down along with my Grandma Tedlie's dresser to a granddaughter someday...if I ever get one...(I currently have one wonderful grandson, and he just may have to take it someday)  or maybe to a great-granddaughter or niece.   I hope this little story will go with it wherever it goes...and that the recipient of this inheritance will possess something even more precious than this story:

1 Peter 3:3-4- A gentle and quiet spirit

"And let not your adornment be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. "

Proverbs 31:30- Fear of the Lord

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.

This is how my vanity looks today...a bit cluttered...and
the bench disappeared sometime ago, and I think I
finally cleaned all the wedding rice out of the drawers.
I also have added an antique chamber pot...just in case...

I know that my Daddy, who is now up in heaven, would be pleased to know that I still treasure this gift and honor his memory by sharing this story.  I know my Heavenly Father, Who is also up in heaven, would be pleased to know that I treasure His gift of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ...and that I honor HIS memory by sharing His Story every chance I get!

I hope you have enjoyed this little journey back into my past.  What kind of special treasures and memories do YOU have to share?  

Here's a link to another story on restoration that you may find interesting as well: "Cracks in My Soul"

Wednesday Wanderings

Wednesday is one of those days in the middle of the week when I just feel like posting whatever I've been seeing as I wander around the yard or our walking place.  

I know we are all getting tired of "social distancing", but realize we have to keep it up until things get better.  So here are a few birds and other things that are keeping their distance:

This lovely Great Blue Heron stands alone in the pond throughout the day, fishing for his supper and generally just looking around at the lovely pond lilies while he waits for the next fish to appear.

 The Canadian Geese Couple continue to dwell here on Still Waters Pond.  This male waves off any strangers while he watches over his mate, who must be getting anxious for her babies to be born.

 Almost every day the Male escorts the Female goose up to our yard, and he watches over her while she eats bird seed under the bird feeder.

This is usually late in the afternoon, when I suppose they deem the nest is safe enough to leave for a short period of time, but at the least little noise of anything that may sound threatening to them, they take off flying back across the pond with a lot of honking and flapping of wings.

 But now, every morning and some afternoons, the male goose comes to the feeder alone and helps himself to whatever seeds are left on the ground after the squirrels have scattered them out of the feeder.  This morning I was really surprised as I went out on the deck to drink my morning glass of Metamucil (yes, that is a daily routine that I must do every day now! Doctor's orders!), and as I was standing there stirring and drinking (have to stir before every sip...) I noticed the male goose on the other side of the pond sitting where he usually spends the day in a close proximity to wherever the nest is (I suppose, because we can't see the nest from here),  and as soon as he saw me come on to the deck, he immediately flew directly across the pond and landed on our shore and started walking right up to the bird feeder, as if he knew if I was out there, there might be something good to eat. While he was still approaching the feeder, I dared to walk down the steps and go to the feeder and shake out some extra seeds on the ground, and it did not deter him one bit. I quickly went back up the steps, and he continued his walk directly to the feeder and with a look of gratitude immediately began eating the scattered bird seed on the ground.

 He did not mind my watching him at all. He even flapped his wings and fluffed his feathers for me, which must be his way of saying "Thank You."

So I reluctantly left him there alone to eat his feast as I had my own things to take care of. But it was a close encounter of a pleasant kind. He has learned to trust us, so I hope that means once the goslings are born he will bring the family over to meet us.

 Now, if any of you are my Facebook friends, (and many of you are), you've probably already seen the conversation between the two Red Shouldered Hawks that I placed on there this week. There are many more pictures than just these three, but I wanted to give you a little sample of this couple who seem to be having a bit of a disagreement during their time of "social distancing"

Hey, someone is watching us!!

 I told you to quit arguing with me...

Anyway, if you want to see more their conversation, go to my facebook page and click on the photo album "Red Shouldered Hawks practicing Social Distancing".


And from our walk one day I spied this Red Bellied Woodpecker all alone up in  a dead tree:

I've also been watching the progress of the Cactus blooms, as they are always so pretty and don't last long so you have to catch them while they are open:

Looks like this little bee is enjoying some Cactus Juice:

Isn't it amazing how something that is so prickly and unpleasant to bump into can produce such a lovely flower?   There must be a lesson in there somewhere...

How about this verse:

Proverbs 31:30 (NIV)

"30.  Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Okay, that's good!  Now I must get a move on...

someone is wanting his lunch, and he won't go out to the bird feeder 

and pick it off the ground. LOL.

Have a blessed and happy day, my friends. Look for the beauty and

the positive in what is around you today. 

We can always just see the negative in the world situations,

but we don't have to camp out there.

God is still alive and well...and He is not going to forsake His children!

Amen??

Getting Fit? What's the Motive??

Proverbs 31:30: "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Today it seems as though there is so much emphasis in the world on beauty and keeping "fit and trim" (isn't that a dog food?) that I sometimes want to rebel when I hear of women going to the "Gym" and aerobics classes. I think I've already shown my rebellion by just letting myself go...I've proven my point...all that fitness jazz just isn't for me! I once had a friend who invited me to visit her health spa with her for a morning workout. I came well prepared...jogging pants and a sweatshirt, and lots of extra weight to lose. We tried out the different exercise machines, and when she saw that I couldn't even stay on the bicycle, let alone get it up to any speed, she suggested we just walk around the jogging trail. That suited me just fine! Funny, I've never heard from that "friend" since that day! I guess she found someone more her "speed".

Well, is it really a sin to try and be beautiful and charming? I guess that depends on your motive. I think a lot of us would do well to try and be a little more beautiful, charming and fit. What woman doesn't feel better about herself and her position in life when she's just had her hair done or when she has a great new outfit that she feels good in and knows it looks good on her? Sometimes even the simplest additions to our wardrobe can make a big difference in how we view the whole wardrobe. I remember one time we were invited to a 50th anniversary party at a lovely hotel restaurant for some relatives. There were many people invited that I didn't know, and as this was my husband's side of the family, I wanted to make a good impression. I didn't have an appropriate outfit for such an occasion, and we couldn't afford to buy one either. So in looking over my existing wardrobe I decided that a black skirt with a dressy blouse and accessories would be appropriate. However, my black skirt really needed a belt to finish it off properly. So I went to a local discount department store and found two great belts for a very low price...one was black velvet, and the other a beautiful tapestry with black trim. I decided on the black velvet for the dressy evening affair, but the tapestry belt made another whole outfit for church or other special events! So there were two new outfits for the price of two inexpensive belts at a discount store!

Back to the issue at hand...what was the motive? Well maybe it was vanity...I admit it...but at least I was "frugal and intelligent" (my opinion, ha!) in solving the problem! And because I felt comfortable about the way I looked, and that my clothes were appropriate for the situation, I was more at ease and able to forget about myself for the evening and enjoy the party.

The proverb says that "a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." Perhaps what this is teaching us is that our goal in life should be to know and reverence (fear) the Lord, and not to desire to be noticed and admired by the eyes of the world. A woman who truly loves and knows the Lord will show it in all her ways. She will be charming and beautiful, but her charm will be the attractiveness of Christ glowing out from her, and her beauty will come from deep within her soul. Everything she touches will have a certain radiance of Christ. I've known sincere women of God who, although their physical features were plain, they were the most beautiful women I'd ever known. When we truly know Him in our hearts, all the other areas of our lives fall into the right perspective.

We don't have to be constantly "working out" to get fit, or filling our closets full of useless dresses to make us look beautiful. Certainly we will take proper care of our bodies, "the Temple of the Holy Spirit", because we are not our own since we were bought at a price (I Corinthians 6:19-20) and therefore we should "glorify God in [our bodies] and in our spirits], which are God's." Rather we should spend more time in getting our souls and minds "fit" for the Master's use, and He'll show us how to take care of the rest.

Lord, please help me to remember that You desire my beauty to come from knowing You, and not from a cosmetic or the latest hairstyle or fitness regime. I am reminded in Matthew 6:30-34 that if I will seek first the kingdom of God and Your righteousness, all these things shall be added unto me. You tell us in Your Word not to worry about tomorrow or about what we should eat, drink, or wear, because since you take care of the grass and lilies of the field, You will surely clothe us as well. Thank You, Lord, for this timely reminder. Amen.

Ok, friends, Please don't think that this was just a cop-out for not keeping myself in "shape". I truly desire to be in the best physical condition possible for my age and stage in life...and I do try to eat right, get enough exercise and fresh air, etc. It's all about keeping things in proper perspective and order in our lives...setting priorities and not letting any activity get out of control or placing us in an unbalanced position. The proper order should be:

1. My relationship with God: which includes: spiritual, emotional, and physical attitudes and concerns
2. My relationship with my husband and family
3. My relationship with my church, friends, neighbors, co-workers and others
4. Everything else

If I maintain this order...I should be in good shape!!!