What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!
Showing posts with label Psalm 128. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 128. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Wednesday's Treasures: Autumn Days at Pamela's Victorian Cottage

It's been quite a while since we visited at "Pamela's Victorian Cottage". 
I thought perhaps today would be a good time to call on them for my weekly "Wednesday Treasures".
(which I did not do last week, sorry!) 


Like the rest of us, our little family has been pretty much staying at home.

Home schooling, social distancing, working at home, 
playing with their toys, and going about life as best as possible under the circumstances.


Now that Autumn is here, Mama has been busy working in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and preserving their harvest for the long winter months ahead. She's trying to decide whether or not to cut up that pumpkin and bake pumpkin pies, or let the children have it for a Jack o' Lantern for Halloween.
But since that is still over a month away, she opted for the pies, because she heard company was coming.


The little children from the farm down the road came by to play. It's been a long time since the children have been able to play together, due to the "pandemic".  


Looks like they brought some of their little woodland friends with them.


Even found a sweet little fairy out in the woods who was looking for some friends to play with.


Mr. and Mrs. Owl and Friendly Fox came along too...


Mama decided this would be a good time to pick some apples, while they have some extra helpers.

(Please note these paintings are from the John Sloan "Country Seasons" calendars that I collect each year)

In case you are wondering where the Daddy in this family is...he's pretty much always outside working on the farm, especially now that it is harvest time.  He sees that big old harvest moon up there in the sky and knows that he'd better work a little faster or it will soon be dark.


After the harvest, He takes the wagon loaded with produce into town to the farmer's market to earn a little extra money to help support all those  lovely children.


Each week one of the children is chosen to go along for the day to help out and also perhaps do a little bit of shopping in town. That is always an exciting time!

The rest of the family waves as they leave and watches them go, each one looking forward to the day that he or she is the one chosen to go to town with Papa.


I hope you enjoyed this special visit with our little family at 
Pamela's Victorian Cottage.
Until next time, 
Enjoy your loved ones and friends, and be blessed!

Psalm 128
1.  "Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2.  When you eat the labor of your hands,
you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
3.  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the very heart of your house,
Your children like olive plants all around your table.
4.  Behold, thus shall the man be blessed 
Who fears the Lord.
5.  The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6.  Yes, may you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!"

In light of this week's historic "Abraham Accord" Peace Agreement signed between the State of Israel and the United Arab Emirates, we pray that this blessing will be true, 
"Peace be upon Israel!" We know that in the Middle East peace has always been a dream and yet one that has been difficult to come by. Our thanks to our President and those who have worked so hard to help bring this agreement about. 
And our prayers go out that this will truly bring about Peace.
And now if we could also have peace within our own country.
We truly have much to pray about these days.

"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways."

May we seek to always walk in His ways,
and then maybe there will be peace.
Amen.

Update on my friend Rhonda's grandson Jimmy:  As of earlier this week he was breathing on his own, opening his eyes but not seeming to see anything yet, and he is on a feeding tube. But he is making progress and is a long way from being "brain dead", as originally thought. So we praise the Lord for this good news and continue to pray as he still has a long ways to go. Thank you so much for praying.

 

Saturday, August 26, 2017

My Kind of Day

Don't you just love Saturdays when you don't have anything particular planned, and it kind of plans itself while you sit back and enjoy the ride?  That's how this day has been.  Now, first, let me say right off the top...I know our friends in Texas have not had a good day...and they are in for a rough ride for a while...so by all means we must continue to pray for our dear friends along the Texas/LA. coast line and surrounding areas.  Been praying for a couple of days for them...and will keep on.  We have some sweet blogging friends there...and so far they seem to be okay...but let's keep them in our prayers, okay?

Now, back to my day here in "sunny Florida"...well, not so sunny here today either . Woke up this morning and it was already raining softly...making it sort of difficult to wake up and get out of that bed, let me tell you!! But eventually we climbed out and had our cups of coffee and tea

and checked our messages on facebook/email/blogs...you know the routine...just takin' it easy...

And then our sweet new daughter-in-law-to-be showed up on our doorstep bright and early! She and our son had big plans for the day to celebrate his birthday. (which is Monday). We had an impromptu family gathered around the table big breakfast of waffles, eggs, and sausage, and then they were headed over to the coast (Atlantic side) to take a little River Cruise and lunch on a beautiful paddle wheel boat.  Being the typical "mother", I was afraid they would get rained out, but they were determined to go anyway...and I'm so glad they did! The sun came out and they had a beautiful day.


While they were gone hubby and I took a slow ride to the "dump", the hardware store, the local small grocery store and back home again.  I was having withdrawal because I had loaned my camera to the "kids" for their excursion today (See my camera in Rose's hands above...taking their "selfie" in a mirror on the boat)...and it is very difficult for me to go anywhere without my camera. I don't have a fancy cell phone with a decent camera...it wouldn't work around here in the woods anyway. So I hoped I wouldn't see any exciting things happening like a bear or a deer or an eagle and not have a camera in hand.  It finally got so bad that I dug out a spare camera that hadn't been used for a while because the last time I used it it didn't work so well...but I dusted it off, put in new batteries and a blank memory card, and guess what? It worked!

By this time I had decided to bake a couple of pumpkin pies! Why? Because hubby had mentioned how much he wished I would...and I had all the right ingredients...and didn't have any other plans...so why not?  The spare camera came in handy to take a picture just as they came out of the oven:


I wish our computers had a "scratch and sniff" app so you could smell just how delicious these pies smelled, with their cinnamon, ginger and clove spices mingling with the aroma of the pumpkin and baked pastry...are you drooling yet?  Who says you have to wait until Thanksgiving for pumpkin pie???? I say a rainy Saturday afternoon with nothing special to do is as good a time as any...especially when it makes so many people happy as these pies did! You can imagine how much the "kids" enjoyed these when they got back from their cruise...too full from their lunch for any supper...but just the right appetite for a piece of pie with whipped cream! A perfect ending to a perfect day!

Now it is raining again...my tummy is full and happy from eating that pie...hubby has been singing my praises for baking it...the "kids" (I call them kids, but they are both in their 40's and hardly can be called "kids"...but you know what I mean...your kids are always your kids no matter how old they get...) have been enjoying talking about their little excursion and also happily making plans for their upcoming wedding in a couple of months...and future plans to fix up their house and begin their lives together....

Yes, this has been "my kind of day"... family time...peaceful moments...joyful expectations...the kind of stuff that makes for a happy home and life...even saw this deer meander through our front yard this evening, just before the rain started to really come down again:


Kind of blurry because it was getting dark...but such a neat way to end the day...

Before the "kids" left for their little trip this morning we shared our morning devotions with them...and the Psalm that was read was Psalm 128:

"Blessed is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
When you eat the labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the very heart of your house.
Your children like olive plants all around your table.
Behold, thus shall the man be blessed 
who fears the Lord.
The Lord bless you out of Zion,
and may you see the good of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
Yes, may you see your children's children.
Peace by upon Israel!"

What a beautiful blessing to be read with a sweet couple about to be married...and even for us, the parents, who feel very blessed to have our children all around our table...We don't know what the future holds for us or for our "kids"...but we pray their home will be filled with peace, joy, and love...and who knows what further blessings the Lord may have in store for them? We'll just leave that up to God, Who knows all things and what is best always.

Yes, this was "my kind of day!!"
Praise the Lord!