Wednesday Treasures

Some words of wisdom from God's Word for this Wednesday:

Proverbs 8:34-36 NKJV

34 "Blessed is the man who listens to me,

Watching daily at my gates,

Waiting at the posts of my doors.

35 For whoever finds me finds life,

And obtains favor from the Lord;

36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;

All those who hate me love death.”

Happy Wednesday!   This picture of "Sunshine" makes me think about that first verse above..."Blessed is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors...",  And although the writer of the Proverb was speaking about man listening to God,  it made me think about how our kitties are doing in this transition of moving over to our house from our neighbor's house for meals...  Sunshine has been listening for my call, watching daily for me not far from the porch, and then running right up the steps and waiting at the back door for me to bring out the food:

She is a pretty kitty, don't you agree?  

Whearas Blackie, on the other hand, has not been listening, nor has he been showing up on time for meals, and I'm afraid Sunshine has been gobbling down his and her food at the same time.  I have stopped putting out both bowls at the same time, and I wait for Sunshine to finish hers and leave for her daily hunt in the woods before I put out the other dish now, but still I'm not seeing Blackie show up since Monday.  Somehow the food does get eaten, and I don't know if it was Blackie, or if Sunshine came back and helped herself to some more (most likely, because I caught her at it once).

This picture was taken on Monday when they were both here, and although it looks like Sunshine is about to confront Blackie, she actually came over and rubbed cheeks with Blackie and they had a very sweet moment. But since then I don't know what Blackie is doing for meals, and I can't go searching for him. He knows where the food is, and hopefully when he gets hungry enough he will come. The neighbor's daughter, who is still here taking care of things at her mother's house, said she saw him the other night so we know he's still alive, but maybe he's found another place to eat. Who knows? Outdoor "wild" cats like to do their own thing, although Blackie is quite tame and has been well fed for quite a while. So I will give him a little more time to figure it out...there is a full moon, and I've noticed a lot of cat activity in the neighborhood with other "wild" cats...so that could explain everything...

I will keep you posted. I sometimes think one needs a degree in cat psychology to figure these things out. LOL.

I went to check on the Gnome House in the yard this morning because hubby was going to mow the grass and I wanted to make sure they were safely out of the way.  Click HERE for when this little house was first created.

When I arrived I was shocked to discover everything in great disarray and it looked like a war zone...

What on earth happened here?

 Help!

Oh No! What a disaster!!

Everything was blown to bits and the Gnome family was almost buried in the rubble.

The green Toad "toad" me the story of the huge monster that flew in and just started pecking away at their home, knocking off all the bark from the outside and boring big holes in the wood in search of bugs! He didn't care at all about the Gnome family or their belongings. It was just awful!

So I gathered everyone up out of the rubble and took them to the "hospital" and washed off their wounds, and then began the search for a new home for them, someplace much safer away from the giant woodpecker (most likely a Pileated Woodpecker! )

I decided to put them in the Holly trees in the Secret Memorial Garden, where they should be much safer since the holly tree is a healthy tree and no woodpeckers should be knocking on their doors!

The Gnome family has plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and build their little homes...

So hopefully they will be much safer here and live happily ever after:

Mr. Toad said, "I could've toad you so if you had just listened!"

Yes, sometimes it pays to listen to the little toads who may be much wiser than we are about things having to do with nature!

Oh, finally the beautiful old fashioned azalea bush in the secret garden area is blooming! 

This is the kind of azalea bush that seems to live forever and you will often see beautiful bushes of them blooming in old deserted house lots long after the houses are gone...

Here is a small example...the place where we walk used to have several old homes that had to be removed or torn down when the highway was widened, but it's interesting to see what little flowers are still trying to bloom there...

Those are azaleas at the foot of that old tree, small lasting remnants left behind from what was once a beautiful old home.  

Makes me think about what kinds of things will I leave behind when I am gone on to heaven? I hope it will be a lasting legacy of love and hope and joy and especially the love of the Lord...a fragrant offering of sacrifice to God...

One last thing...the other evening we had a most unusual golden sunset and rainbow after a very stormy day:

I thought those trees looked a lot like the burning bush!

This was looking across the street...do you see the rainbow in the clouds?

It really was gorgeous.  Sadly there had been a tornado earlier in the day at a city a couple of hourse south of us, close to where my sister and her family lives, but thankfully none of them were hurt or had any damage. We give thanks to God for that. My niece said the tornado was about 3-4 miles from where she lives. That's too close for comfort, if you ask me!  Thank You, Lord, for your protection over our loved ones!

Romans 15:13

"13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Amen.

P.S.  Great News, just after I posted this, I tried one more time to call Blackie home for supper.  He was across the street at the neighbor's house, and he saw me and ran pell mell all the way here so fast you'd think he had wings on his feet!

And true to form, just eating from his own dish wasn't good enough...he wanted to share Sunshine's dish of food too.  They are very compatible and fun to watch, and I am much happier now that I know Blackie is safe and sound, although I was a bit nervous as he ran across the street without looking...Thank the Lord nothing was coming!!  I think he knew that...I've noticed that they are both very aware of the traffic on the street and normally they stop and don't cross until the cars are passed.  Shew! I'm glad this story has a happy ending!

Praise God!

Thursday Thankfulness

You know, when people go the extra mile to send you some cheer when you've been feeling bad, I call that God's amazing grace shining through His people. One of our dear blogging sisters, who shall remain unnamed but she knows who she is, blessed my heart with a lovely card in the mail today. Thank you, dear friend! It made my day. It also made me wish I could be more like her...sometimes I think about doing that extra special nice thing, and then I get side tracked and forget until it's too late. I pray that God will help me to be more thoughtful...and I thank God for those who already are. What a blessing!

And I thank the Lord that I am starting to feel much better, both with my shoulder/arm, (thanks to the steroid shots and also the Lord's kindness) and also the laryngitis and sinusitis/coughing is gradually returning to normal. I still can't sing, but I am praying that I will have some kind of voice by Sunday morning so I can sing God's praises! If not, I'll mouth the words and He'll know my heart anyway.

Also, I will be starting physical therapy on Monday for my shoulder, so I pray that will help my arm to get stronger and heal the tears inside. One step at a time.

So often I show you the beautiful sunsets that we enjoy here on Still Waters Pond, but I rarely share the cloudy skies.  This is how it looks out there right now...and I am thankful for the cloudy skies, because there is a hope and promise of some much needed rain inside those clouds:

It has been so very dry and dusty and the air is full of pollen and often smoky as well. That contributes to much of our sinus issues here at this time of the year, and so we are very thankful when God sends the showers to cleanse the air and give us fresh air to breathe again. The weather forecast says it's coming, so I am waiting and praying.

This afternoon when I went out to get the mail I stopped to smell the flowers along the way (yes, I know that will also trigger a big sneeze, but they were so pretty!)  Actually I just took their picture.

This is the Carolina Jessamine that grows wild in the trees and along the fence at this time of year.

It is a beautiful herald of spring.

Another herald of spring is the azalea bush, though not wild...this is one that I planted a couple of years ago, but it is blooming now as well.

Back inside the house I have managed to put out a few decorations for Valentine's Day. Nothing too elaborate, just a little bit of hearts and color...

Lily Grace and her friends are ready for a Valentine's Tea Party...

Lily Grace sends her love to you all.  

I just saw this picture on Facebook...my sister had shared it.  I guess it kind of fits me perfectly! Or at least I hope it always does !!!

I kind of like this very rustic rocking horse at Dixie Cottage, although it may be a little too rustic to let a little grandchild play on...I think it's meant more for "decor" than actual rocking rambunctious children.

Here's just a few pretty and interesting things that caught my eye this week at Dixie Cottage:

I think this refinished French Provincial style dresser is very lovely.

And I think this antique vanity/dresser would make some young lady very happy...(or maybe some more mature lady as well!)

Now this is something I wanted for a long time at our last house where I was doing a lot more with my back yard "decor"...This garden potting bench is really cool...

I just think that would be so much fun to have...

Now, here's a wonderful vintage chest of drawers with a lovely design...I think it would be perfect for my guest room...but I can't take home everything I see...I may just have to paint the one I have...

Now here is something very unique! Can you guess what they are made from?

I would have never guessed...now, they can be used either as a flower pot or a bird feeder...and they are made from...

Old vinyl records!!  Amazing! This vendor paints the record and then somehow melts it in the oven in a bowl...I don't know exactly, but that's how it turned out!  Very clever indeed!! (please look up specific instructions before trying this at home!)

Well, I am thankful for so many things...my family, my friends, my health...even with the little issues I have I know it could always be worse, so I am VERY thankful to God and do not take my health for granted.  

Oh...also I managed to get our taxes done this week! Hooray! and even bigger hooray, we are getting some $$ back!! Yay! Yay! Yay!  I am thankful for Turbo Tax, which makes doing our own taxes online very simple...and because ours are so uncomplicated with very little input, we can do it for free! That's even better!  I have used this method for several years and I even do our son's taxes on it, and I am very thankful for this method.  

I guess that's all for tonight.

Here's a verse to ponder:

Exodus 15:2

"The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

He is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will exalt Him."

When my own voice cannot vocalize and sing God's praises, I can still praise Him with my words written here and with my whole heart.

Amen.

 

Sunday Evening Spring Stroll

Good Sunday Evening, Friends! I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying a peaceful evening.

I've been enjoying some lovely evenings out by Still Waters Pond, watching the sun go down. 

Also enjoying the spring flowers that are starting to really bloom...namely, the Azaleas!

This particular azalea bush was a gift from my sister last year, but we got it planted too late for the blooming season last year.  Thankfully, it has grown and developed into a lovely bush full of blossoms this year!  It's still small, but you can see it is loaded with buds. It's making me smile for sure!

Something else that makes me smile is this patch of wild Sky Blue Lupines that is growing where we take our daily walks. I wish I could transplant it to my yard, but I'm not sure it would grow there. So hopefully it will continue to grow in this area where we walk and I can enjoy seeing it there.

And bring some home to enjoy as well:

I'm also enjoying these little wild purple "fairy flowers" (that's what I call them). They are a weed, but they are so delicate and sweet and I love to see them  growing.

In case you've missed me, I've been a little bit busy. Thank you all for your comments on my previous post, as well as those of you who have been visiting over at The Adventures of Lily Grace and left such sweet comments there. I apologize that I haven't done much answering of your comments, but I do appreciate each and every one.

Anyway, if you visited Lily Grace on Friday, then you know that I went to help out at our son and daughter in law's store on Friday, "Dixie Cottage".  They've been so busy trying to keep up with all the orders they have for painting furniture as well as custom orders, etc., and it's difficult to work on projects and keep up with the customers in the store at the same time.  So, since I was feeling a lot better I said I would love to try and spend one day a week helping them out at the store. Not sure if I will actually be able to do it every week due to other commitments, but I will do my best. The store is an hour away from where we live...in St. Augustine, and so it isn't that easy to just run in and help out for a while and go home.  It's an all day commitment.  But I do enjoy talking to people who come browsing around, and hopefully encourage them to buy something at the same time! 

Here's a few pictures I took of a few of the current items in the store:

Isn't that a lovely little desk, with all the interesting decor around it?

"Be Our Guest", won't you please?

I love the upholstery on these dining room chairs. My daughter in law selects the fabrics and does the re-upholstering of the dining chairs that they refurbish.  She does a great job!

Here's another cozy and lovely dining room setting. I wish I had a place for this:

Here's a cute little drop-leaf table and chairs, plus many other interesting items surrounding it.  They do custom painting of furnishings...you can pick your own colors.  But all that refurbishing, painting, and finding good solid used furniture to refurbish takes a lot of time and energy.  Thankfully they are young and able.  I wish I could do more to help out, but I'm afraid my painting and refinishing of furniture days are pretty well over. But I can ring up the sales! That's the fun part! Praise God!

It was a fun day...but I was glad to get back home to my own recliner (and bed!) that evening! "The old gray mare she ain't what she used to be..." LOL.

Today it was wonderful to able to be back in Sunday School and Church, after missing last Sunday due to a bout with vertigo.  If you would like to come along with me, here is the pre-recorded video of our choir singing an old favorite hymn, "Tell Me The Story of Jesus",  followed by a wonderful message from our pastor from Psalm 51, "Create In Me A Clean Heart, O God", click on this video link below.

Here are the words to this familiar song so you can sing along:

"Tell Me The Story of Jesus"

"Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell how the angels in chorus sang as they welcomed His birth

God in the highest! Peace and good tidings to earth.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert, tell of the days that are past.

How for our sins He was tempted, yet was triumphant at last.

Tell of the years of His labor; tell of the sorrow He bore.

He was despised and afflicted, homeless, rejected and poor.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.

Tell of the cross where they; nailed Him, writhing in anguish and pain.

Tell of the grave where they laid Him, tell how He liveth again.

Love in that story so tender, clearer than ever I see.

Stay, let me weep while you whisper, love paid the ransom for me.

Chorus:

Tell me the story of Jesus; write on my heart every word.

Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard."

I can remember singing that hymn as a little girl, especially the chorus. I loved to hear the stories of Jesus then, and they have stayed with me all these years. I am very thankful to have been brought up in a Christian family that took us to Sunday School and church every week. But you know, it's never too late to start if you didn't get to go as a child.  Find a good Bible believing church and start going right now!  I was so excited to see that we accepted eleven new members into our little church today! That was really a blessing! 

 God is working in our midst, even in the midst of so much turmoil in our world today...perhaps even as a result of the turmoil in our world.  People's eyes are being opened to the truth that this world is not our final home, and we need to be ready for our eternal home.  Actually, today was also an amazing day in the life of one of our oldest members of the church, as she passed from this life into her eternal home at 6:00 a.m. this morning, following a brief illness. I believe she had just turned 92 in January. She was very ready to go and anxious to see Jesus face to face.  I couldn't help but think about her this morning as we were singing praises to the Lord...she was right there with Him in person, and I am sure she was rejoicing as she bowed before His presence.   

"We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body 

and to be present with the Lord."

2 Corinthians 5:8

Well, I guess it is time to close this for the night. I look forward to hearing from  you and also to try to get caught up with you and your events. May God bless each of you and give you peace...Amen.