Friday Foto Friends...Fridays are better with friends

 Greetings to all my wonderful Friday Foto Friends...and all friends everywhere! Hope you have had a marvelous week...and hope you took pictures to prove it!  That is what Friday Foto Friends is all about...sharing our favorite pictures from the week of whatever we did, wherever we went, and whoever we were with.  You are always welcome to join us. You can link up with the group every Friday over at Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace". Click on that link to take you there.

Meanwhile this week I got inspired by a photo on Facebook that was on the "Tea for Thought" page:

Internet Photo from "Tea for Thought" Facebook Page
"Share it with someone you love"

 Some of the rest of you also enjoyed this and we kind of started talking about having a "Teddy Bear Picnic/Tea Party".   One of my friends asked me if I knew this little song, "Teddy Bears Picnic", and so I looked it up, and here it is, sung by Anne Murray.  Since listening to this, my hubby and I have both had this cute little song going around in our heads and we find ourselves singing it as we ride along on a country ride or even when we were taking a walk. It is a catchy tune and once you listen, you'll be singing it too:

 And one thing led to another.  I noticed that one of our blogging friends, Mary at "Visits with Mary" had a cute picture of a teddy bear on her header that was all dressed up with pearls and lace. (I hope she still has that header up when you go look. If not, Mary, could you post a picture again so they can see?) 

Anyway, that inspired me to dress up one of my teddybears:

 Then I noticed that another of my friends (Annie from "Cottage by the Sea") had also posted a picture of her teddy bears ready for a picnic on her Facebook page (sorry, no link for that picture, so Annie, if you want to share it on your blog they can all see it!),  and again, that inspired me to get a few of my TeddyBear friends together for a tea party:

These cute little teddies are always ready for a tea party:

 And this cute little Kitty says that "Life is One Big Tea Party"

Oh, my dollies didn't want to be left out.  Here they came with their teddy bears and picnic baskets, ready for the party!  One even brought a cake! Now they can all enjoy the party!

So that was fun.  Maybe you will want to have a little tea party with your teddies or dollies or maybe even with some real people friends. Whatever you do, have fun, and "Share it with someone you love".

Matthew 18:2-4 (NKJV)

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Now on to other pictures from the week.

Today we took a little ride (as we hummed "Teddy Bear Picnic") and discovered this little creek in the woods alongside the road.  This is known as "Gum Creek", and it runs through the woods in one of the areas where we are looking for a new house whenever we ever sell our present home.

 You will notice that the water seems to look rusty red. This is caused by "tannins" in the water, which are caused by the breaking down of organic material like bark, leaves, and roots, and are a part of the natural process.  The water in the soil becomes rich with tannins and seeps into the ground water. It is a natural phenomenon that is found in many parts of the world.

 Here is another interesting phenomenon...this vine, (which is a weed vine), is growing on our fence.  The vine is sending out shoots of roots, looking for something to grasp onto.  I think these scroll-looking curl-e-ques are kind of pretty...

 I don't really want this vine on my fence, because it will tangle and choke out the vines I do want, like my wisteria and confederate jasmine vines, but right now it is interesting and pretty, so I will leave it for a little while...

Speaking of interesting and pretty, this beautiful red amaryllis flower just opened right up, without even sending up a tall stem like it normally does. I received this plant/bulb for Christmas from my son and his wife, and planted it right away.  I was surprised to see it blooming before it really got very tall. But I love it!

It looks right at home among my African Violet plants on the window sill in the sun porch.  So wonderful to see such lovely color in the drabness of winter.

Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed this little picnic/tea party/ride through the woods and back home again.  As many of you are aware, we are trying to sell our home and move to a community about 30 miles away, near our son and daughter in law and the church that we attend. We've had some disappointing prospective buyers who didn't show up or others that came and went and never came back. We've seen a few houses we'd like to buy, but can't do anything without selling our house first. And so we wait, and we pray, and we take rides and dream and sing little songs and visit with friends and stay busy while we wait.  We know that when God is ready to move us, it will all fall into place.  We are trying to be patient...

Reading in the book "The Way of Abundance" by Ann Voskamp, here's a few thoughts about "Abundance", (my One Word for 2019)

"Sure, life and people will try to tell you loudly that you need to be like a rock, that you'll need to harden up to live in a harsh world, be impenetrable, unmoved.  But no one can really live the abundant life that way.  Rocks don't breathe. Because they're dead."  (Ann Voskamp, pg. 33)

"Questions for Reflection" (page 34)

• "Where might God be working to soften your heart today in the midst of your work?
• Where might there be hardness in your heart that is hindering your growth into the abundant life?"

Hmm, I stop and think about this.  This week had some "hard places", and I had a difficult time staying pleasant in the face of frustration and downright rudeness.  I had to stop and check myself for wrong attitudes.  Instead of getting angry and frustrated, I had to realize that God was working on my behalf...He has this situation all timed out perfectly, and when the time is right, everything will fall into place. I need to be thankful even when there are bumps in the road and disappointments along the way because it is all apart of His protection and provision for me. There is a bigger picture here that I can't see right now, and I need to trust God enough that even this is a part of His plan for my "growth into the abundant life."  

Okay, friends...let's go enjoy this Friday with friends. God bless you all abundantly above all you could ask or think!

Hold the presses! Just as I was about to hit "publish" for this post, I looked outside and saw this beautiful sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and ran down the road to the neighborhood pond to capture some pictures before it became covered with the clouds:

I knew you wouldn't want to miss it!  Praise God in the mornings...Praise Him in the evenings! Praise Him ALL day long!!!  Okay...go have a marvelous day my friends! Yes, Fridays are better with friends!

One Word for 2019: This is still a work in progress...sort of...

Dear Friends...
I am still working on my new One Word for 2019. You know, that "one word" that should help me grow,  bring about positive changes in my life, and define what this new year is all about.

Here's the list of my previous "One Word" choices for the past seven years...(you can click on the links to see that post)

One Word 2012: Hope

One Word 2013: Presence

One Word 2014: Strengthen

One Word 2015: Focus

One Word 2016: Grace

One Word 2017: Rest


One Word 2018: Renew




This past year my word was "Renew", and I do believe that God was definitely all about renewing my life in the past year...Not so much in the physical sense...I'm still the same person physically as I was a year ago...just a year older...and feeling a few more effects of the aging process taking place in my body...no doubt about that.  But I would say God was all about renewing my life in the spiritual sense most assuredly.  And that is still a work in progress...He led us to a new church, and that has been a very positive experience for me personally...a kind of "homecoming" of the heart in many ways...and that has also led to us wanting to sell our house and move closer to that church so we can become more involved in the activities and ministries of the church in that community. Right now, due to the distance, we are somewhat limited in how much we can participate.

However, currently things are "moving" very slowly in that department...a few people have looked at our house, and they get our hopes up that they are really interested...and then we never hear another word...and so we wait.  We continue to look for a suitable home in that area so that when it does happen we will have a place to go to...but even that seems to have come to a halt...there just isn't anything available right now that we could live in, at least that we can afford.  So...we wait on God...and trust that He is still working on this.

And now here I am, trying to understand what "One Word"  is God whispering in my heart that will help me understand His plan and purpose for my life in this new year...

I talked a little about this the other day HERE.   This book..."The Way of Abundance" by Ann Voskamp.   This is a 60-day journey into a deeply meaningful life...

And who doesn't want a "deeply meaningful life"?  

Here's a question from the book: "What would abundance look like in your life today?"  ...

I am not thinking about "abundance" in the material sense of the word...but in a transforming way of living...an "abundance" of spirit...an "abundance" of joy...an "abundance" of love...an "abundance" of hope, an "abundance" of faith...an "abundance" of strength...an "abundance" of God's Presence in my life...an "abundance" of His Grace...an "abundance" of rest in Christ...an "abundance" of renewal of soul...an "abundance" of being focused on God's purpose for my life...

Yes, I believe I see it now...God's "One Word" for my life for 2019 will be "Abundance", and I can't wait to see how He is going to use this to bring about a wonderful difference in my life.

Sometimes I forget what my "One Word" is throughout the year...I get side-tracked on other issues, problems, dilemmas, projects...and I tend to lose sight of the trail.  So I pray right now that God will help me stay on track...stay close to His heart...and stay under His wing as we fly into the New Year...where I will safely abide until He leads me home.

I will try to keep you posted as we journey through this land of "abundance"... It could prove to be an exciting year!!

And by the way, a personal note to my friends here in blogland...I apologize that I am very much behind in reading your posts...I've been "abundantly" busy and rather exhausted over the past couple of weeks...just really a bit overwhelmed with some "issues", etc., but hoping to get back into a normal routine here now that the holidays are over. I know many of you are in the same boat.  So please bear with me.  I miss you and hope to get caught up with you all soon.  God bless you all, and praying that your New Year is abundantly blessed!!

Friday Foto Friends-After Christmas Winding Down and Gearing Up for 2019

Hello My Friday Foto Friends.  Is anyone else feeling the "in between Christmas and New Year's slump"...?  Kind of like in a fog and trying to figure out what day it is and what should I be doing now that Christmas is over? I know I am kind of in "la la land"...from lack of sleep, adrenaline rush let down...whatever you want to call it...it's real. I saw others mentioning similar feelings on Facebook. (so it must be true! )

Internet photo

But we had a great Christmas...and we are expecting another big gathering this weekend, when my sister and her family come, along with some other special friends, and we have a pot-luck-finger food lunch and our annual "White Elephant Gift Exchange" party.  Always a good time full of laughter and fun.  I'd better get my act together before they arrive!  Meanwhile, here are some random photos from the week:

We took a ride and saw a huge  bear alongside the road, and I just had to take its picture:

Got a partial selfie in the process...do you see the bear? He's a quite a giant teddy bear, don't you think?  Actually he's made out of round hay bales...and I thought this was pretty clever!!

Also, I watched someone taking a bath this morning and thought you'd enjoy peeping along with me:

This is a Brown Thrasher, and he was enjoying his morning bath in the old frying pan of water that  we keep outside the kitchen window on the ground for the local critters to get a drink or a bath, whatever is needed.  Some birds prefer to stay low to the ground, like this Thrasher.  They rarely ever visit the other bird baths that are on a pedestal, so this is a good alternative for him after he "thrashes" about in the sand.

 He is definitely "thrashing about" in the water here...

 He looks up to see if anyone noticed...

Then he fans out his tail feathers to get them good and clean.  That was a refreshing little break from the monotony, wasn't it?

Did you have any particular favorite or fun gift that you received for Christmas?  I received several wonderful things, but just wanted to share one or two with you for now:

I love pretty calendars, and this year I treated myself to this gift: (actually, the whole family will enjoy this all year long...so it wasn't just for me)

My dream has always been to have a cabin someday on a little lake...and as we continue to dream and look for our next home (if and whenever our current house ever sells) it would be my fondest desire to have a place like that. I doubt that it will be a "cabin" as there really aren't many such houses here in this area of Florida, but there are plenty of little lakes...if you can find a place that is affordable that isn't already over-crowded by all the other dreamers of living on a little lake some day. So, this calendar with pictures of "Cabin View" living may be as close as I get...but a girl can dream, can't she?

It's interesting that one of the month's pictures above in the calendar was of a group of swans. My hubby surprised me with these two beautiful cut glass swans. I think they are so lovely, don't you? He gave them to me, he said, for two reasons: One, The swans mate for life and this was significant for him to give to me, which was definitely not unappreciated by me...and the other was that the swan is a part of his mother's family crest. Her maiden name is Martin, and apparently there is a swan in the Martin family crest.  This was something that was very significant to her, and this year being the year that she has left earth for heaven, it was a special way to remember her.

Here are a couple of other special gifts.  Our youngest son loves to make things out of foil candy wrappers.  Every year (and every occasion) he creates things for people...and this year was no exception.  This is an "angel" that he made for me, but he apologized for the face.  The red hearts were on the wrappers, but he says he's not happy for the way the face turned out. But the angel is special to me.

 It goes along with the pink and gold angel he made for me a couple of years ago that is up on the shelf above.  I've learned one thing in life...when your child, no matter what age they are, (he's an adult) makes you a gift...you treasure it. This particular son has kept his guardian angel very busy throughout his life (and even this very week, but that's another story)...and to me these little treasures are very significant.

This creation was made for my hubby...and it is a Detroit Redwings Hockey Player from the past, Steve Yzerman, who was one of my hubby's favorite players:

 Again, our son created him using foil candy wrappers...and he captured every detail right down to the skates...

Now, switching gears,  this is another "gift"...again, something that I purchased with the intention of sharing it with someone else, but I am going to read it first...(I know, I should have bought TWO! but I'm cheap...or broke...)

Here is a quote from Ann Voskamp's introduction as she is explaining to her children about how stars are created from "explosions and collisions of elements. Stars are made from a breaking at their center..."  Ann goes on to think about this further:

"Breaking--then blazing.

This is the abundant way of the universe.

Brokenness multiplies into abundance...This seems impossible...unlikely.

And this is the unfailing way of God.  Multiplication happens out of brokenness.

And the sum is abundant life..."

"Weak is the real strong.

Brokenness is the real abundance.

Breaking--then blazing.

Dying...then rising.

Trust the abundant ways of the universe, the ways of Almighty God."

(Ann Voskamp, The Way of Abundance..A 60-Day Journey Into a Deeply Meaningful Life)

This may be a new theme for me for 2019.  I am thinking about my "One Word" for the new year...and haven't really settled on anything yet...however this is speaking to me and may develop into something...but we will have to wait and see in the New Year when I make my final decision.  This usually comes after much prayer and soul-searching to see where the Lord leads me.  This past year my word was "renew", and that has taken me on quite a path to spiritual renewal and revival in my heart...and preparation for a new life in a new place hopefully in the new year.  It will be interesting to see how the Lord leads again in this search for His Word for me in 2019.

Okay, friends.  I think this is whetting my whistle for some great new adventures in the New Year...how about you? What are your hopes and dreams and goals for 2019?  Maybe we will all be sharing those adventures with one another throughout the year here in our Friday Foto Friends!  I look forward to going along with you on your adventures!!  Have a blessed weekend and a Happy New Year!!!

Let us journey over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and visit with each other!!  I know I am behind in reading what you all have been doing this past week.  Hopefully we can get caught up eventually!!