Special Announcement and Tuesday 4: Friendship.

 Greetings from my desk to yours...This will be brief...our WiFi modem is dying and seems to keep dropping in and out. We have contacted our internet provider, and they cannot come to replace it until Thursday.   Right now at this moment it is working, but by the time I finish typing this, it may be back off again, so you may or may not ever see this message.  I didn't have time to do the Tuesday 4 meme today as I had other things planned and had hoped to get it done tonight.  But I don't want to chance it and will just say that most likely you won't be seeing much of me for the next couple of days.  

Of course without the internet, we also cannot watch TV...and I cannot access the WiFi items on my cell phone either, so things could get pretty quiet around here.  I told hubby we need to just take tomorrow off and go someplace, like the beach or some other interesting place rather than sit here staring at the four walls.  It's sad that we've become so dependent on the internet for our communication as well as entertainment, bill paying, GPS, all of the above and more.  We've forgotten how to "live" without it.  I've been reading a lot of Amish fiction lately, and they seem to get along just fine without it or any other modern convenience. We may need to get back to the basics again and try to spend a little more time focused on real life, right here in front of us without any technological interference. Sounds good to me. 

Well, right now we seem to have two green lights on the modem, so I'll keep typing. LOL.  

I don't really have anything much to share anyway...but the other morning I was in a "vintage mood" and decided to eat my breakfast on this vintage china that belonged to my hubby's grandmother. It was a very common pattern back in the day, seems like everyone had some kind of dishes similar to this. I love it and wish I had a whole set of it!

It was perfect for my two fried eggs and two blueberry bran muffins.

Later that day, after we had gone to the store, I had bought some very good fresh Bing Cherries. It made me think about Mary Englebreit's "Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies", instead of the saying "Life is just a bowl of cherries."  So Lily Grace got in on the act and sat in the chair with a Mary Englebreit placemat and had a bowl of cherries.   I had shared more about this particular placemat HERE sometime last year, when I first got it and thought it was so cute.  It's still cute, don't you agree? And it goes so well with the bowl of cherries and Lily Grace  wanted to say hello again!

Still in the "vintage mood", this was the bowl that I used for the cherries...Isn't it a beauty?

Here's the pattern name if you are interested:   It's the only one I have of it. Found it at a yard sale sometime ago.

Well, the internet seems to be holding up while I type, so I might as well try to do the Tuesday 4 meme for today.  Hopefully I will get it posted before it goes down again.

Here goes nothing... LOL.

Friendship

".,,there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Psalms 18

It's time once again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.



Let's talk about friendship.


1. Do you have or have you had a special or best friend or do you consider all your friends the same? 

I was blessed all during my school years to have several really special friends. We grew up together, 1st grade through 12th grade, and so we shared many experiences together during all of our stages of growth...early childhood through adolescence and almost adults...Many of us have stayed in touch through the years, and especially now through Facebook.  I don't want to single out any one of them because I love them all.  HERE is a link to a post I wrote about my old school friends, complete with pictures, if you are interested in going down memory lane with me.  I was blessed to grow up when and where I did, and I treasure every friend.

2. Many in the past had close relationships and fell in love through letters. What do you think of online friendships.. are they real ? Are there friends who last a lifetime?

I think our online friendships are very real.  I consider every one of you a special friend, and I treasure your friendship very much.  I have been privileged to meet a few of you in person, and I wish we could ALL meet in person sometime.  Yes,  there are definitely friends who last a lifetime.  See my #1 answer above.  

3. Are there stories, movies or TV programs that you enjoyed because of the friendship or relationship portrayed in it?

I'm trying to think...Anne of Green Gables comes to mind...Here is one of several posts I've written about that particular character.

4. What does friendship mean to you?

All of a sudden I remembered that I had received the book "Friendship", by Ralph Waldo Emerson, as a graduation gift from a lady in my church. So I just went in search of it and found it on a bookshelf...goodness, I've had that book for 55 years!!  I will give one quote from this little book:

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.  

Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth Himself so to me in His gifts?"...

"My friends have come to me unsought.  The great God gave them to me."

That is an excellent way to describe how I feel about my friends...they are gifts from God to me...to bless my life with their presence and kindness and sincerity.  I am indeed very thankful for all of my friends, old and new, near and far...

Here are some other little quotes that are hanging on the walls around my home that will also give an insight to how I feel about friendship:

Each of these special little plaques were actual gifts from dear friends.

Friendship is a very special gift that I truly cherish. 

Thank you for being my friend.

Well, I guess I made it all the way through this post without the internet going down! Maybe it has healed itself...or maybe God touched it with His special grace so that I could share this post with you.

Either way, I am happy I was able to spend this time with you.

Now let's go see what our other friends are writing about over at

Tuesday 4 ~ Friendship  

Thank you, Annie, for making this possible.

I will try to get around to visit you all, but if I don't it will probably be because the internet went back down. So bear with me please, friends!

💕

Flea Markets and God Appointments

 

Had an experience like this today at our local flea market. It was one of those "God appointments"...the lady really needed someone to just be kind to her, and I am SO thankful God nudged me to keep talking to her. She said that she thought God must have sent me right then. I'm not saying this to pat myself on the back...but as a reminder to myself and to others...be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is nudging you to do or say...don't just walk away and say I wish I'd said something. If God is speaking to you, then say what He puts in your mouth to say. We never know when it might be just the lifeline that person needed at that. very. moment.

And then I proceeded to buy a couple of things from her, whether or not I needed them is not really the question...again...I was supposed to be there for that appointment. So here is what I bought:

This vintage aluminum colander...why? Because it is just like the one my mother had, and I've looked for one like it ever since we let hers get away. I love this style of colander, because the spaghetti noodles won't slip through the holes like they do with my plastic one.

And it makes a great helmet when you need one. I tried it on like this at the flea market, and had several people offer to buy it from me after I had already bought it.  I guess they liked my "style".  One person said he wanted to make a lampshade out of it. Another said he'd been looking everywhere for one of these. Sorry guys! I got there first! And for a $1.00 you just can't beat the deal I got!

How do you like it?

Ain't life good?

This was my other great deal for $5.00...a  vintage Franciscan Ware Apple  teapot, made in California, USA.  In pretty much mint condition.  It reminded me of my grandmother's everyday china, but I think she had the Desert Rose pattern instead of the apple...or did she have this one? Can any of my relatives remember? Cousin Becky? Sister Doris?

I looked it up to see the value, and discovered that these were handpainted, which makes them more valuable, BUT, apparently they have a high lead content...so...I don't know...my grandparents used this brand of dishes everyday and they lived way up into their 80's.  So I don't know that  that really is a problem. I will probably just keep this for my teapot collection anyway.

While at the flea market I saw some other interesting stuff:

I've seen this tinker's truck around other flea markets before, but this was the first time I was able to walk all around it and take some pictures. Kind of unique and interesting, wouldn't you agree?

Can you see a cute little face looking out the window? He was patiently waiting for his master to return.

It's not every day you see something like this, is it? I thought you'd enjoy it.

Now for those of you who read Lily Grace's adventure early this morning, you will note that she said we would be making some chicken pot pie this afternoon to take to a friend who just got home from the hospital this week.   Lily promised to help me, so I thought I should share her picture with the finished product:

There you have it! Yes there are two casseroles of chicken pot pie. One for our friends, and one for us for supper. 

Lily also helped me cut up some watermelon.

She said it sure was delicious! No she didn't eat all of that...but we did sample quite a bit while cutting it up.  (Oh, that is something else we bought at the flea market today).

And guess what! When we took the food over to our friend's house, her little granddaughter was there helping her.  So Lily was so happy to make a new little friend. Her name is Milee. Isn't she sweet? She loved Lily too. I think they could be very good friends. They kind of look like each other, don't they?

Then we came back home and ate our own chicken pot pie. Lily wanted to taste it since she helped make it.  If she keeps eating all this good food, she's going to bust her britches and we'll have to find  her some new ones!

Well, I think I will close this post with a verse found in the little devotional book given to Lily Grace by our friend "Auntie Opal".

Yes, Amen.

Have a blessed weekend my friends.

and remember to 
"Love each other" just as Jesus loves us!

And if you think to, please say a little prayer for my flea market "friend" that I met today. 

I know she would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Saturday Wanderings

Hello! It's Saturday and I've been wandering around a little...how about you?

Yes, that moose is walking on Still Waters Pond, with the dove of peace flying overhead. So can you beat that? Have you seen or done anything more interesting than that today? LOL. (Yes, it is a moose on a windchime, hanging from our porch...just a little trick photography to make life more interesting).

To start the day off I used my best homemaking skills to bake some wonderful cinnamon rolls in an iron skillet in the oven.  Yes, I really worked very hard to pop open that can of poppin' fresh rolls and fit them just so in the skillet.

They did turn out quite well, and I used my new potholders that were birthday gifts from my very thoughtful daughter in love last month. I thought I should take a picture of them before they get stained and dirty when I really start baking again! LOL.

Cinnamon rolls deserve to be treated like something special, so I ate mine on the porch overlooking Still Waters Pond. Actually, this was my "after breakfast" roll. I had already eaten one with my scrambled eggs and sausage and tea earlier, but thought they deserved a little better attention so out to the porch we went. My Dollar Tree "Grateful" plate has been getting a workout during these autumn days...and I am very grateful to have these lovely days to enjoy.

So, on Saturday mornings we like to take a little ride somewhere and do something different. We kind of got off to a late start this morning, what with me doing all that "baking" and enjoying an extra cinnamon roll on the porch.  LOL.

"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 NKJV

Therefore, since we didn't want to take too long of a trip, we decided to go visit our church's Thrift Store and see what interesting things we could find there. Plus, we like to visit with the shopkeeper, a sweet man who is a member of our church and who also has a ministry in his home to former prisoners who have been released and need a place to stay until they can get back on their feet.  He's a tremendous person with a big heart, and we enjoy visiting with him. So while he and hubby chatted, I browsed.

(This photo is copied from the internet, so it isn't as clear as I'd like, but it is better than nothing. Next time I go there I will take some better pictures of this cute little old vintage house that sits next to the church and houses our Thrift Store. I love the sign out front that has II Chronicles 7:14 quoted...

"If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land."

Such an appropriate verse for our country these days...

Anyway, I found some beautiful vintage dishes today that I just couldn't resist. I know I don't need any more dishes, but I love vintage plates and have decided I am going to use these kinds of plates for our everyday use rather than the old "made in China" plates that I've been using. I'm tired of using anything that is "made in China"...and besides these are much prettier. I only found these two dinner plates, but I have some others that are similar that I am going to mix and match with these. 

Also got the lovely bowl and a couple of dessert plates. Too bad they didn't have any teacups and saucers to match, but I found some in my cupboard that are close enough.

Even though it was a bit too warm this afternoon to consider eating on the porch, it was fun to dress up the table and pretend I was having a party for two long enough to take these pictures.

Maybe later this week it is supposed to cool down some and then we can actually have dinner on the porch. 

"Be very careful, then, how you live~~not as unwise but as wise, 

making the most of every opportunity."

Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV

Aren't they beautiful?  (The teapot and sugar bowl are something I already had).

All this loveliness for a donation to our church Thrift Store, which supports several worthy ministries in our church and community. I'd say it was money well spent. Want to come and have lunch on the porch with me some day when it is cooler? I wish you could!

It would be so lovely to have you here!

"You shall say, 'Have a long life, peace be to you, 

and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.'"

I Samuel 25:6 NAS

 

Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

The Secret Garden Chronicles ~It's a Good Day for Soup!!

I know that many of you who read my blogs live much further north than I...and perhaps you are having some very cold, wintry, snowy weather today.  We live way down south in Florida, and we are having a cloudy, cool, rainy kind of day, with some cooler weather expected in the next few days here as well.  It's too wet to go out into the Secret Garden, so I am enjoying some quiet time here in the house today.

This morning my hubby said he would sure like to have some soup for lunch! This is quite a change from his usual favorite diet of a bologna and cheese sandwich, so I gladly said "Yes!"  Then he asked if I could make Broccoli and Cheese soup!  Again, I gladly said, "Yes!"  It just so happened that we had broccoli for supper last night and I had quite a bit left over...so this would be a great way to use it up!  I also had a few small redskin potatoes left over, which would add some extra "bulk" to the soup.

So I got busy and first chopped some onion and celery and pre-cooked it in the microwave in a pyrex cup with a couple of tablespoons of water.
(Since I was not making a huge pot of soup, I only used about 1/3 cup of chopped onion, and 1/2 cup chopped celery...but this would be adjusted according to how much soup you plan to make)

While that was cooking I chopped up the already cooked potatoes and the broccoli. (about 1 & 1/2 cup chopped broccoli).  When the onion and celery was tender, I put it in a medium sized kettle on the stove and added about  2 cups of water, some butter, and seasonings to taste. (Garlic powder, salt and pepper).  Normally I would use a can of chicken broth, but I was out of that, so just used the water.

After that had simmered for a few minutes, I added the cut up already cooked potatoes and let it cook a little longer, then added a can of evaporated milk and about a cup of regular milk.  I let that simmer for a while until it started to thicken...(I added a little flour and water mixture to help thicken it), and then I added about a cup of shredded cheddar/jack cheese mixed with a couple of cut up slices of american cheese.  Next I stirred in the already cooked and chopped broccoli, and let it all simmer until thick and ready to serve.  It was really delicious!

This was a good excuse to use my vintage Homer Laughlin soup bowls that I purchased at a yard sale from some friends. They had belonged to my friend's mother in law, and I just fell in love with the delicate floral pattern on these bowls.   The embroidered tea towel on the left that says "china" on it came from my husband's grandmother's home.  I assume his grandmother had done the embroidery.  It is so old that it is in danger of falling apart, so I don't use it...but this seemed a wonderful opportunity to add it to the picture with the vintage bowls!

The pretty aqua tea towel behind the bowls was a gift from my sister a few years ago...

and it says:

"Enjoy Life's Simple Pleasures"

(Here's a close up where it normally hangs on the Hoosier Cupboard)

So, that's what's cooking at my house today!  My hubby loved the soup...and I appreciated being able to use up some leftover vegetables before they went to waste. (Not big fans of reheated broccoli here)

And I also enjoyed some of "life's simple pleasures"

on a rainy day.

What do you like to do on a chilly/rainy/snowy day?

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV)

31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Thank you, Lord, for this rainy day.  You know how much we needed the rain to replenish the earth and help our crops, flowers, grass and trees to grow...and our water levels to return to normal.

I pray for our friends who are anticipating blizzard conditions tonight and tomorrow. Please keep them safe and warm inside.

Amen!