Friday Foto Friends: Sunset, Full Moon, Kitty Cat, and Living Life...

 Friday is almost over, and I'm just now getting around to writing anything!  Not that I've got anything all that important or exciting to share...it's mostly been a quiet couple of days, although we did go out to lunch today with our "kids" Benton and Rose.  We went to Sonny's BBQ and had some ribs. That was a nice way to finish out the week. No pictures of that however.  

Right now as I sit here at my desk in my "Room with a View", I am looking out the window at the last remaining remnants of the sunset out across our still very dry Still Waters Pond.  Here's a few pictures that I took as the sun was going down, taken from outside in the yard, and then some through the window...

Psalm 74:12-17

"12 But God is my King from long ago;

he brings salvation on the earth.

13 It was you who split open the sea by your power;

you broke the heads of the monster in the waters.

14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan

and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.

15 It was you who opened up springs and streams;

you dried up the ever-flowing rivers.

16 The day is yours, and yours also the night;

you established the sun and moon.

17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth;

you made both summer and winter."

Psalm 27:1-3, 7-8, 11, 13-14

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

"11 Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors."

"13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord."

Oh, I was so surprised to see a full moon tonight!

But it kept playing hide and seek with me...

Still, even that was beautiful!

Even in the midst of unusual winter weather, drought, and a lot of uncertainty and turmoil in our world, I repeat these verses from Psalm 27:

"13 I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord."

Amen.

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful way to begin this post!  I thought about saving it all for the end, but it was too beautiful and special to keep until then! Sometimes we have to write and share as we are being inspired at the moment!  

Now I can move onto other things...which really isn't anthing terribly significant, but still you might find some fun and interest here...at least I hope so.  

I know some of you have been really rooting for our outdoor cat Blackie to become a full time indoor cat...well, with this cold weather we've been having, he is spending a LOT more time inside than I ever expected would happen.  We bring him inside at night and he sleeps in the closed kennel all night on these cold nights.  Then I let him out of the kennel  and he has breakfast and then spends some time with us wandering around the house until daylight (or when it gets above freezing outside, whichever comes first). 

He has made himself quite at home...I think he can read those pillows..."Home Sweet Home", and "Stay Awhile".  He thinks they were made with him in mind...

Oh,  then he got brave enought to jump up on the top of the sofa and lay there for a while, the King of the Castle...  It's amazing how quickly these little creatures think that they "own the place". LOL!

I decided to wash that flannel cover and put something different on the sofa, and then thought I'd better put a towel on that for him so his dark hair doesn't shed on the light cover...(and also still trying to make sure there are no fleas getting into the furniture...)

What a cozy little picture.

And again, oftentimes he is up having his breakfast before my hubby comes out of the bedroom in the morning for his coffee...and so Mr. Blackie sits outside the bedroom door and waits patiently for him to come out.  I thought it was so cute that he is so enamored with hubby...but what he really wanted was to run inside the bedroom doors as soon as the opened so he could go hide under the bed!  He LOVES to play hide and seek.

He also loves to scratch on things, so I bought him this scratching thing at the store the other day...I didn't have to tell him what to do with it. He figured it out immediately:

Of course, it helps that it is infused with CATNIP scent. I didn't notice that when I bought it...but oh my goodness, he sure loves that thing!

 This is what it looks like:

And this is what happens when he decides to play with it:

Here's a short video to show him in action:

And here he is claiming his territory!  He says, "This is MINE! Don't you dare try to take it away from me!"

Lol!! Who'da thunk it would be such a hit? Wow.

You can tell I know very little about cats. But I'm learning fast!! I have to, because he is really fast!! Like I've said before, it's like trying to keep up with a two year old! Such amazing energy! (of course, when he's not doing this, he's sleeping all day, so I guess he's storing up that energy!)

I saw these dishes at the Dollar Tree the other day,  and it put me in the mood for spring, so I brought a couple home with me to get a jump start on spring decor.  I think I'm trying to tell Old Man Winter it's time to go!

I like what that says, "Live life in full bloom".  What exactly does that mean to you?  First thing that came to mind was "Bloom where you're planted."  

I was looking ahead in my little devotional Tea Time daily calendar, and came upon this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt:

I would say that man lived his life in "full bloom". 

Perhaps these verses from Psalm 37 also help us to understand how to "Live Life in Full Bloom":

Psalm 37:3-6

"3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday."

Yeah, I like those thoughts...when we trust in the Lord, and do good, and dwell in the land wherever we've been planted, feeding on God's faithfulness...delighting ourselves in Him, commiting our way to God, trusting in Him (again, that word Trust!),  then we will see God give us the desires of our heart and also He will bring those things that are truly good for us to pass...and He will help us to do what is good and just and right.   I'd say that's definitely living life in full bloom, with God at our center and source.  

(Yes, they also had tea towels to match...plus the one in the middle was a gift from a dear blogging friend years ago! I wonder if she will remember it! I still love it and keep it out in my kitchen all the time.

So, "You Grow Girl!"  Go live life in full bloom!

Okay, that's all for this Friday evening! Praying for everyone in the path of the big winter storm this weekend on the east coast. Please stay safe and warm, and I pray you will not lose any power. We are going to see some really cold temperatures here and maybe even a snowflake or two.  But I'm still thinking about spring!! It will come sooner or later! Hopefully sooner!

Good Night! God is with you, no matter what the weather!

Friday Foto Friends...Chia Pets, Anyone?

Who remembers these? Or maybe you have one or have had one? I never have had one...

but now...

When I went to see the Dr. the other day he told me to start eating Chia Seeds. He said they would be good for what ails me.  In moderation, of course...sprinkled on yogurt or cereal or pudding or in a smoothie.  But all I could think of was would I turn into one of these?

Or any of these?

Has anyone else had any experience with eating chia seeds?  Did you suddenly sprout green hair? Frankly, I am a bit concerned...

Maybe some of you could join me and we could become the "Golden Girls Chia Pets"

LOL.

Just a little silly humor today.  Seriously, if you have had any experience with eating Chia Seeds, I'd love to hear your ideas and thoughts and recipes.  I'm not really into this whole eating seeds kind of thing, but if it helps keep things running like clockwork, it might be worth it.

Meanwhile, before I start sprouting green hair, let's get serious. 

There's really nothing new to report. The baby bluebirds are still apparently in the birdhouse. They just aren't quite ready yet to make their debut into the big world beyond. Can't say as I blame them. There are times when we all would rather not venture out into the big world beyond our doorsteps. 

On the other hand, the Sand Hill Crane Family seems to have left the "nest" again, off wandering around the countryside. I believe "Colt" is now able to fly, so perhaps they are letting him test his wings a bit.

Here are some selected verses from Psalm 27 that are comforting when we find ourselves becoming fearful in the face of so many foes out there in the world:

Psalm 27:1-3, 11-14

"1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me

To eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes,

They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident."

"11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,

And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries;

For false witnesses have risen against me,

And such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed

That I would see the goodness of the Lord

In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Verse 14 in particular has always been a favorite of mine.  Oftentimes we get anxious and fearful of all the "what-ifs" in life. We try to fight our battles in our own strength, and we get hurt or very frustrated to say the least.  But when we "wait on the Lord", He will strengthen our hearts and give us the courage we need to face any enemy, whether real or imagined. These are good things to remember when we are up against the struggles of life.  Wait on the Lord...have courage...He WILL strengthen your heart and give you peace!! Amen.

Now, back to watching for those green hairs to start sprouting...LOL.  Have a blessed and peaceful day my friends.

Lead Me in a Smooth Path...(Updated and Recycled for a Lenten Devotional)

This post was originally written in 2013, and then shared again in 2017...I can't believe how time flies! Some of you may have already commented on this twice! But, if you are like me, every time I read the Bible or some scriptural devotionals, I learn something new.  I thought perhaps this would be a good post for my current series of devotions for Lent...some thoughts to ponder and inspire our hearts as we approach the Easter season.  

Original Post 1/20/2013:

"Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies..." 
Psalm 27:11

This is NOT a smooth path...

Have you ever felt like the pathway of your life looks like this?  Whichever way you turn, there are obstacles strewn in the way; twisted, tangled masses of thorny vines, scrubby underbrush, rotting, termite ridden logs barring your passage to greener pastures and higher ground.

No matter how hard you try to cut through the briers and brambles of discord, disappointment, fear, sorrow, and enemy ambushes,  you find yourself constantly having to negotiate detours and conduct reconnaissance missions to survey the camp of the enemy and work your way back to a "smooth path".


That is when we find ourselves crying out with the Psalmist David:

"Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

When You said, 'Seek My face,' my heart said to You, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek.'

Do not hide Your face from me;

Do not turn Your servant away in anger;

You have been my help;

do not leave me nor forsake me, 

O God of my salvation."

Psalm 27:7-9

Oftentimes there are warning signs as we begin our journey, which we choose to ignore thinking that we know a better route to take.  

We allow ourselves to get off the beaten path in search of alluring treasures, or we get sidetracked by the trappings of the world, which turn out to be dried up and useless promises, spreading fungi that trap our souls and eat away at our spiritual health, leaving us empty and barren.  

"Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;

Psalm 16:4

When we find ourselves at a dead end, wondering how we can get back home,  it is not too late to seek the Lord. When we seek His face, He will give us counsel.  He will guide us safely home.

"You will show me the path of life; In Your PRESENCE is fullness of joy;  At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11

The Psalmist then concludes with these thoughts:

"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see 

the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;  

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:13-14

"The Smooth Path"

Dear Friend,

Where do you find yourself today?  Are you lost somewhere on the crooked, twisted path of anger, frustration, sorrow, defeat, anxiety and fear?  Do you find yourself longing to find that "smooth path" again...the Way to peace and comfort and joy?  It's not too late to turn around.  Stop, right where you are and call upon His name. Wait upon the Lord...

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; 

They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 

They shall run and not be weary, 

They shall walk and not faint."  

Isaiah 40:31

Jesus beckons to us today:

"Come to Me, 

all you who labor and are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, 

and you will find rest for our souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

Come back to the smooth path.  There you will find rest for your soul.

"Til The Storm Passes By"

"The Lord is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?"

Psalm 27:1

"For in the time of trouble 

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock."

Psalm 27:5

"I would have lost heart, 

unless I had believed

that I would see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Dear Friends...As I write this on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, we are anticipating and preparing for the possibility of a Category 5 Hurricane Irma to hit the southernmost part of our state (Florida) sometime on Friday of this week.  Even though we live in the upper central part of the state, some four or five hours north of the expected impact zone, this storm is so huge and so powerful...and so unpredictable, that we must be prepared for hurricane force winds and rains to possibly head in our direction.  We live about one hour east of the Gulf coast and one hour west of the Atlantic coast, so depending upon which way Irma travels either way we could experience her fury.

Therefore we are battening down the hatches, making sure we have plenty of emergency supplies on hand preparing for the worst.  All the while, we are praying for the best. We are beseeching the Lord to redirect Irma's path away from our state and back out to sea...but based on what we see now it is looking more and more certain that many people are going to be seriously impacted by this storm. Even now as I write there are many folks down in the islands south of Florida...in Puerto Rico and possibly Cuba...who are experiencing this storm's fury right now. I pray for them now.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. We have all been watching the horrific devastation that Hurricane Harvey just unleashed on our dear friends in Texas and Louisiana last week...and that certainly has heightened our awareness of the kinds of difficulty and heartache that such a storm can cause in the lives of so many people at once. At this point all we can do is prepare...and pray...and wait! 

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

Psalm 27:13-14

I am not "afraid" in the true terror sort of way...but I am very concerned for the safety and welfare of so many in the path of this storm. But because I know that the Lord will be with us even in the midst of this storm, I will trust in Him to keep us safe..and to "hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle"...until the storm passes by.

"Til The Storm Passes By"

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more

Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore

In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I

Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Songwriters: Thomas Mosie Lister

‘Til the Storm Passes By lyrics © Music Services, Inc

Artist: Gaither Vocal Band

Album: Hymns

I pray that you and yours are also "safe" till whatever storms of your life pass by.  

We'll be kind of busy here in the next few days getting hunkered down, so if you don't hear from me regularly, don't panic.  "I'll be back!".... so please just PRAY!!!

Thankful Thursday for Friday Foto Friends...Combined!

I am writing this post on Thursday evening for Friday Foto Friends, because I don't want to wait until tomorrow and forget!  Today was such a lovely day in so many ways, I'd kind of like to make this a Thankful Thursday post, but then I wouldn't have anything for tomorrow's Friday Foto Friends!  So, I will be thankful on Thursday, but you won't know about it until Friday!  (Remember I told you I had "anesthesia brain"?  That explains my not making much sense...okay?)

To start the first of June off on a good note I took a little walk about the garden this morning to see what was blooming.  Right away I noticed this lovely magnolia blossom in the tree:

And just had to take its picture.  After that I cut it and brought it inside where I could enjoy its sweet lemony fragrance permeating our home.  So delightful!  Not too strong...just a light, pleasant scent that happens only once a year, so we might as well indulge ourselves!

And then I looked over and noticed that our crape myrtle trees are really starting to blossom in the memorial garden.  I love this shade of pink:

They are just getting started, so I look forward to their beauty all summer long once they open up.

As I wandered about the garden, I couldn't help but hear the sounds of very fast, extremely loud jets traveling rapidly overhead.

These are from the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, FL, and they often do their training flights over our area.

 They were circling around and criss-crossing above our house...I don't know if they could see me, but I felt like they were putting on a show just for me!  I saluted them and clapped my hands in joy at seeing them...and I thanked the good Lord for these dedicated men and women who stand ready to fight for our safety and security both at home and abroad!!

  Yes, "I'm proud to be an American....Where at least I know I'm free...

"Proud To Be An American"

By Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife.
I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away.

And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea,

From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA,
Well, there's pride in every American heart,
And it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land! God bless the U.S.A.

And I'm proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I'd gladly stand up... next to you and defend her still today.
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A.

After the "air show" was over we were blessed by the arrival of some very dear friends...a precious couple that we have known for over 38 years.  They were members of one of our first churches my husband pastored, and somehow they've managed to keep up with us and have blessed us with their friendship all this time.  Today was especially wonderful because they both had just celebrated their 84th birthdays in the past couple of weeks, so even though we hadn't planned it, we still sang happy birthday and they blew out the candles on the table over cups of coffee and some store-bought cookies. (This was after we went out to lunch at the local "Square Meal" downtown.)  (Remember, I just had surgery this past week, so I haven't done any baking yet...but it's the thought that counts!)

My friend Evelyn is a very talented and "crafty" lady...and she did some uniquely special things for me that I want to share with you:

If you will notice, I am wearing a very lovely beaded necklace in this picture.
Here is a close-up of that necklace.  The last time Evelyn came to visit I asked her if she could re-string this necklace for me, as it had broken, and the green beads were originally from a very old necklace that had belonged to my Grandma Tedlie (maternal).  I had never been able to wear the original necklace, because the string was so old and the clasp was not functional, so it had sat in a jewelry box ever since my grandmother died, which was when I was still a teenager.  I had it fixed once several years ago, and added the black beads to help make it longer, etc., but that "string" and clasp also broke, so again, it sat in my jewelry box until my friend said that she did this kind of work and would be so happy to try and fix it for me.  So here it is...and isn't it gorgeous?

The detail on those scrolled beads is so delicate and perfect...she said they were handmade...which makes them even more precious to me.  So this was ONE beautiful blessing for today...but alas! Not the only one!

My sweet friend also does quilting...and again, the last time she visited I had showed her a quilt that was handmade especially for us by the ladies of one of our churches, but some of the fabric was beginning to wear and tear, and I hated to see it become unusable.  Well, Evelyn said she would just take that quilt home with her and see if she could repair it...and, so she did exactly that!  I didn't take a "before" picture, but this is the finished product:

I know you can't tell what she did...and actually, she did it so perfectly, I had to really look hard to figure out what she did...but she replaced several pieces and tried to match colors and fabrics as best she could...and it turned out so beautifully no one would ever know it was damaged and repaired!!

And then, just for fun, she created these two wall hangings actually from a couple of small pillows that were originally made to go with the quilt.  She had to use some of the fabric from the original pillows to patch the quilt, so then re-created the designs for the wall-hangings and had a little fun with it:

This lovely jeweled and jazzy butterfly is for me:

And THIS handsome "camouflaged" butterfly is for my hubby!

Aren't they delightful?  I was so surprised and thrilled with all of the marvelous things she did...how do you even begin to thank such a special friend?  Well, I gave her some of my broken costume jewelry that she can use on her future projects (you should see some of the jewelry she creates reusing old junk jewelry and buttons and beads)...and some fancy dressy "old" blouses that had interesting buttons and/or stitching, beadwork, etc., that she can repurpose into other projects...things I never wear out here in the woods...and then, well, bless her heart, she took along another old quilt of mine to see if it can be salvaged and repaired...which will be a huge challenge...So this story will have to be continued sometime in the future to see what she comes up with!

As we sat and visited together with the men, of course we talked about our current world/country situation, and how we as Christians should prepare for the future.  If you look too hard at the world news and dwell too much on all of the evil in the world, it can become frightening.  But we closed our conversation with the reading of Psalm 27...which I already quoted portions of in an earlier post this week...but it bears repeating again, at least this part:

3.  "Though an army may encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident...

5.  For in the time of trouble 

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

6.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies

all around me;

therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy 

in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord."

Dear Friends, Whatever may come in the future, we have confidence in our Lord God...He IS the strength of our lives (verse 1)...and we need not fear.  He IS our light and salvation...therefore of whom shall we be afraid?  

I hope that you do know this Savior, Jesus Christ, and that you have this confidence in Him.  If not, I would be so happy to introduce you to Him.  He's just as close as the mention of His name...only a prayer away.  He tells us in the book of Jeremiah 29 the following things:

11.  "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.

12.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, 

and I will listen to you.

13.  And you will seek Me and find Me, 

when you search for Me with all your heart.

14.  I will be found by you, says the LORD, 

and I will bring you back from your captivity..."

This is the same Lord, Jesus Christ, who spoke to the Israelites when they were held in captivity...and set them free from their bondage...and He is ready to release you from your bondage to sin and fear...if you will just seek Him and call upon His name....Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..."There's just something about that name..."

Okay, that's all for tonight/today.  I pray that you are having a blessed and happy Friday!  I know I'm going to have a great day...Thank You, God...for friends, family, and for Jesus!  Amen.

Now, it is already Friday morning, and time for Friday Foto Friends to begin...so let's go see what others have been up to this week, okay?  Bye now!!