Tuesday 4: Books, TV, Movies and more...

 This week the Tuesday 4 meme was all about Books, TV,  Movies.  I didn't participate in the meme yesterday because I just couldn't come up with any interesting answers. But I enjoyed reading everyone else's thoughts on the topic.  You can check them out at the link above.  But the first question was...well, what the heck. I might as well play along. Better late than never...

"Hello Friends.. welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. Just 4 questions each week. So glad you are joining in and the more the merrier!"

Books.. TV.. Movies are the topic of the week.

1 A movie theme song will play every time you walk in the room.. what is it? (consider asking family or friends)  I finally came up with a song as I was looking out my window at the little Bluebird house in our yard...

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

My, oh, my, what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!

Mister Bluebird's on my shoulder

It's the truth, it's "actch'll"

Everything is "satisfactch'll"

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay

Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

Yes, sir

2. What movie, book or TV program could you live in?

Anne of Green Gables....

Most of you have heard that I was named after Anne of Green Gables...my middle name is Anne, spelled with an "e", because I was a redhead and my mother loved this story, and when she saw me for the first time she knew she had to give me that name...

3. Is there a book/movie/TV quote you often think about or that effects you in some way?

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music

4. OK friend, its your turn to organize our Blogger Movie Night where we get together as a group for snacks and movies! What movies have you planned for us tonight and what snacks are we going to have?

Well, based on all of the above answers, I guess we will watch those three movies:  The Song of the South (zippity doo dah!), Anne of Green Gables, and The Sound of Music.  Snacks...We will have fruit cake and cherry preserves and raspberry cordial, in honor of the famous tea party that didn't turn out so well that Anne of Green Gables had with her best bosom friend Diana...well, maybe we won't have that exactly, but we will have popcorn for sure because I think we should always eat popcorn while watching movies. And maybe a delicious homemade pizza.  Drinks? Well, probably sodas and/or iced tea or coffee if you prefer. OR how about a Root Beer Float??? Haven't had one of those in ages!!

Okay, I did it. Sorry I was so late. I just needed some inspiration from the rest of you.

Speaking of bluebirds, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird have been quite busy lately...apparently the babies have arrived and the parents are coming back and forth with juicy bugs for them all day long.  It's hard to get a good picture because they are in and out so quickly, but here's the latest today of Mrs. Bluebird:

Maybe she is singing "Zippity doo dah!"

On another note, I started my physical therapy yesterday for my neck.  I will be going 3x a week for three weeks, and then we will re-evaluate my progress. I am also scheduled for the epidural in my neck later this month. Praying that will help.   Yesterday at the PT appointment I was being asked to think about all the things I can no longer do because of this pain and discomfort in my neck.  I guess I hadn't really thought about it that way. But when faced with the question the reality hit me...there are things that I have not been doing or find difficult to do because of decreased strength in my arms, which is caused by the pressure on the nerves in my neck.  One thing I've noticed is that it is very painful/difficult for me to lift a full pitcher of iced tea and to put it back in the refrigerator:

Lifting a gallon of bleach or milk or anything that size is also very difficult:

Even lifting this teapot full of hot water to make a pot of tea is difficult because I can't use two hands on it when it is hot:

The therapist also asked me about reading..."Can you sit and read a book?"  I hadn't thought about it like that. I just knew that I have not been doing much reading at all in quite a while, and when I do try to hold up a book I have to hold it up in front of me at eye level so I don't bend my neck down to read, and that is why I am finding it difficult to sit and read anymore for any length of time.  

It is also why I sit at a desktop computer rather than try to use a laptop. Thankfully that is what I have and what I prefer anyway.  I've tried to use my hubby's laptop, and I find it very difficult.

But the thing I thought about the most that made me kind of sad was realizing that I no longer feel like inviting people over for gatherings at our house, which is something I've always loved to do. Our house has always been the gathering place for family holidays, etc., and now, with the exception of our immediate family here for a meal now and then, I just don't feel like going through all of the work it takes to clean/cook/ and clean up after for larger groups.  That actually makes me sad. But in reality, since last year's pandemic, no one really wants to travel and come anyway so I guess it doesn't matter. If we get together we have to find a place half way where we can meet at a restaurant or something. Or someone else has to do the cooking and cleaning...which is a nice idea, don't you think?

So, my goals in getting better is not to focus on what I can't do, but what I can do.  I don't want to be a person who just says I can't do this or that anymore. I want to be a person who CAN do.  Even though with something like degenerative disc disease my neck and spine will probably not really ever get better, but with proper exercise and PT the goal is to hopefully strengthen the muscles that support those areas and fight this thing and not let it define what I can and cannot do or who I am or will become. That is my hope and prayer.  

Remember this song?  Maybe this should be my theme song:

"I'm only human I'm just a woman

Help me to believe in what I could be and all that I am

Show me the stairway that I have to climb

Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

Do you remember when you walked among men

Well Jesus you know if you're looking below it's worse now than then

Pushing and shoving crowding my mind

So for my sake teach me to take one day at a time

One day at a time sweet Jesus that's all I'm asking from you

Give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do

Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine

Yes just for my sake teach me to take one day at a time"

Thanks for sticking with me here friends.    Oh, one more thing.  Our dear blogging friend Martha Jane Orlando from "Meditations of My Heart" lost her dear mother this week after a prolonged illness. Please remember her in your thoughts and prayers.  

Also, another dear blogging friend, Mildred from Laurel Wood is having some health concerns and I know she would appreciate your prayers as well.   Thank you dear friends. You're the best!

"Living Life" and Happy Memories

Last week on our way to my doctor's appointment in Gainesville, which is almost an hour's drive,  we stopped half way for an early lunch at a little cafe', "PJ's", where we've often stopped enroute to and from appointments.  It's a small town cafe', with friendly people and good food. A great place to collect our thoughts and discuss the "what if's" on the way and the "so now what?" thoughts on the way home. I've taken pictures of their interesting signs on the walls before, but never this one. We sat in a different spot than usual and this poster was above our table on the wall.  

(By Bonnie Mohr)

I hope you can read it okay. If not, click on the picture to enlarge. I like what it says.

I thought it to be a  sobering and inspirational message for anyone, anytime. I'm not sure which phrase is my favorite...maybe this one:

"Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental~search for your purpose and do it as best you can."  And then the other one, "Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know."

Wow! How many are there? So many I can't count them all...but if I took the time to really think about it, I could probably write a book.  However, to be honest, I'd like to say that YOU are each special people that I've been blessed to know! You each contribute something unique and interesting and inspiring just by being you and sharing yourself with us. Thank you for being you. Perhaps you can share which of the phrases above speaks to you...just a thought.

Meanwhile, this life that is not a race keeps moving forward, one day at a time. Since I last wrote, what have we been doing? Let me think...Oh, on Saturday our church had an indoor "picnic" at our church parsonage. It was meant to be our 4th of July celebration, but really it was just a gathering of people who wanted to be together, sharing food and fellowship and enjoying the day.  We actually call this our monthly "Agape Dinner". 

Agape (Ancient Greek ἀγάπη, agapē) is a Greco-Christian term referring to unconditional love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God".

Once a month we gather on a Saturday for a pot luck lunch, with no special agenda except to just be together. We weren't able to do this during last year's pandemic, so now people are more eager than ever to make up for lost time. Our little group that used to be just about 10 or 12 faithful folk has more than doubled  in size, and probably will continue to grow. We may have to move to a larger space, but for now we are happy breaking bread together and giving thanks to God for bringing us through a long difficult year. I am sorry I forgot to take some pictures...I had planned to, but totally forgot because I was busy eating and talking.  Oh well, you get the picture! 

Speaking about love reminds me that I wanted to show you these pictures. My sister posted these on Facebook the other day, after she took a little ride to our hometown and drove by our old family home:

(Just added this photo...my Dad put the mailbox on this old plow many years ago. )

It still looks pretty much the same as when we closed the door on that house to our family memories for the last time, about exactly 10 years ago, after my father had passed away and we finally settled the estate and sold the house to a lovely older neighbor lady who knew my parents and wanted to keep this house for her own family to come to for visits.  We were all happy that it was going to someone who would love it and take care of it the way our parents had done for the 54 years that our family had lived there.  My Dad built the house in 1957 when we moved to Florida from Pennsylvania.  His Dad also helped him with some of the construction.  It became the family gathering place for most of the holiday dinners  and gatherings throughout all those years. Talk about "if these walls could talk"...what a wonderful story they would tell.

The only real difference in the appearance is that green paint on the eaves and gable. It used to be a rustic brown, like the shutters on that window above and the trim around the other windows. I'm not crazy about the green, but it isn't my home anymore, so I have no vote.

I personally have not been back by my old family home except maybe once. It's just too painful for me.

This is the carriage house/garage/workshop that my dad built out behind the house.  Looks like it is becoming a bit overgrown with trees, but it looks like a fresh coat of paint, so I am sure it's fine...

Below was our first Christmas in that house.  No carpet on the bare concrete floors, the brick walls had not been painted yet...there wasn't even a screen on the fireplace, which was our main source of heat at that time.  And that tree! Oh my!  Something cut out of the woods...Florida scrub pine...not exactly picture perfect, but I think you can tell we were still happy and having a great Christmas. Me with my Doctor kit that I wanted more than anything! LOL.

This might have been the next year, because the house looks a little more finished. We are all admiring the turkey as it came out of the oven.  The kitchen cabinets were all built by my dad, who was a master cabinet maker.  The kitchen was state of the art for the time...a built in wall oven: turquoise!  It lasted for many years before it was replaced with an almond colored oven.

That's me holding my baby doll and admiring the turkey. I haven't changed much.

Just added this photo...my sister Doris and I washing the dishes. The "state of the art" kitchen did NOT have a dishwasher except for us, and also the house did not have air conditioning until years later.

Fast forward to about the year 2000...and here is my Dad, "Grandpa Choo-Choo", showing my first (and only) grandson Noah and my son Matthew his toy train collection. Yes, my Dad was really into trains, and his collection was something people came to see from all over...but the grandkids and great grandkids loved it the most, and he loved showing it to them and running the trains and making them do all their special things...Choo-choooooooo, chugga chugga choo choo....

(doesn't Noah look impressed? As impressed as any 4 month old baby could be!)

That same year: four generations, My parents, me, my son Matthew, and his son Noah...now they are all in heaven except for Noah and me. Noah will be 22 years old this October. Wow, time sure flies.

Easter 2005, my parents and my siblings.

Russell, (RIP), me, Clifford, Doris

Dorothea and Bill Mursch

And the majority of their grandchildren and great grandchildren, Easter 2005. There were a few missing from this picture.

(You can see the corner of the Carriage House in the background)

Yes, if those wall could talk...they would hear the love and laughter bouncing off the walls of that house...and most of all the "sweet nothings" that my parents whispered to each other every day and night that they spent together in that home.

I'll just put this picture here again to think about...

 

Friday Foto Friends-Framed Beauty and other thoughts

The morning after Hurricane Elsa flew through our land, dumping buckets and buckets of water on our lovely state and refilling our own Still Waters Pond, this was my view in the frame of the pine trees on our little island...The Great Blue Heron came for a visit...

He stood there regally posing for his portrait, a little demure and shy it would appear from this frame:

And he must still have that little itch that's trying to tell him something, right under his chinny-chin-chin:

Ah, that's more like it! A very striking pose, wouldn't you agree?

Soon he flew down to begin his search for his breakfast in the swollen waters of the pond:

And after stalking about for a few minutes

He up and flew away to try his luck in another pond...but he'll be back!

Meanwhile, I spent the bulk of my day (Thursday) traveling to and from my Dr. appointment at the neurosurgery department at UF Shands Hospital.  I met with the doctor of anesthesiology/pain management to review my MRI and discuss methods of pain management.  A neurosurgeon had already reviewed my results and this was his recommendation at this time...to begin a series of physical therapy and also prescribed epidural steroid injections to reduce the inflammation and help alleviate the pain/spasms.  After much discussion and questions being answered, I agreed to this plan of therapy and hope to get started on it very soon. If these methods do not help to reduce the inflammation, then surgery would be considered as a last resort. They don't like to do cervical spine surgery on a person my age or older unless there is no other option.  That's fine with me. And thankfully, my prayers were answered. I will not be taking any kind of muscle relaxers or pain meds. So all in all I am relieved and very thankful for this plan. God is in control, and I know He is working it all together for my good. Thank you for your prayers!

Now, just for the fun of it, one of our blogging friends, Martha at Seaside Simplicity posted these questions today for us to answer, so here are the questions and my responses. You might want to answer these as well:

1. Morning or Night -Morning. I love to hear the morning birds and see the sunrise.

2. Coffee or Tea - Tea...hot with a spoon full of sugar or honey or iced unsweetened with lemon and plenty of ice

3. Text or Call – Texting is okay for a quick message, but I love to talk to real people and hear their voices. *

4. Small town or Big city – I am a small town girl. Always have been, always will be. That's just who I am.

5. Beer or Wine - neither

6. Messy or Tidy – Tidy, but not to the extreme. I tend to have a bit of clutter about, but I try to keep it "tidy", if that is possible. LOL.

7. Introvert or Extrovert - extrovert who still likes some peace and quiet and solitude now and then

8. Cats or Dogs - love both, but don't have either.

9. English or Math - English. Never liked or was very good at math, but I was a bookkeeper for the majority of my working days. Go figure.

10. Sweet or Savory - Savory, but I won't pass up a piece of homemade pie...

11. Beach or Mountains - Probably more of a lake girl with a mountain view...and beach within a close enough drive to get there at least once or twice a year.

12. Predictability or Excitement – I love excitement and spontaneity, but it's good to have a routine as well. 

13. Time machine or Magic wand – Magic Wand ~ "Presto-Change-o".  Wouldn't that be fun???  Probably not a good idea...

Okay, *Back to number 3.  I wanted to expound on that response for a minute.  Just yesterday one of my dear friends called to find out what was going on with me, and we ended up talking for over an hour. She lives in Ohio and we try to connect at least every few months.  Even though we could do Facebook and stay in touch that way, there is just something about the human voice and real back and forth conversations that is so much nicer.   And then today, another friend called whom I hadn't talked to in several months, and it was so good to hear from her, even though she was calling to tell me that one of our mutual friends' mother had just died after a lengthy illness of dementia.  Again, it was good to be able to share back and forth about our lives and what's been going on...real conversation...there is just no substitute for it.

Our blogging friend Myra at Respice, Prospice, had also posted thoughts about whether or not to call some old friends to catch up with them, and worried that she might be too late.  The title of her post was "Just Do it!", and I totally agree. As a matter of fact, in my comment back to her I told her a personal story about this very thought. Here's what I said:

"I enjoyed this post so much. When my dad was in his early 90's I usually spent Sundays with him to give the caregivers a day off. One of the things he loved to do was call people on the phone and talk to them...old friends (those that were still living were getting fewer and fewer), distant relatives, cousins...anyone he could think of that he wanted to keep up with. He'd have me place the call and we'd put it on speaker so I could help him as he had Parkinson's disease and sometimes it was hard for him to get his words out, but I usually knew what he was trying to say so I would fill in the blanks. Plus some of his friends were hard of hearing, and I'd speak louder for them and then try to decipher what they were saying because sometimes it was hard to understand them too. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and I learned so much about my dad and his love for his friends and family. I need to keep up that tradition with my own friends before it is too late. Thank you for this wonderful reminder. Don't wait too long, and if you miss the person you intended, have a talk with whomever is there who knew them and loved them too. It's worth the effort."

When my mother was still living and I was living quite a distance away, we'd call each other every Saturday morning without fail. That was the highlight of our Saturday! I couldn't wait to sit down and visit with my mother and tell her all about what our kids were doing and hearing about what she and daddy were doing, and just enjoying that time of sharing mother/daughter  stories.  Oh, I have missed those conversations so much! So often on a Saturday morning I find myself wishing I could pick up the phone and talk to my mother again.  How many times have I thought to myself, "I wish there were phones in heaven. I sure would love to talk to my mother again."  I've added some others to that list as well, sadly.    

So, yes, like Myra said, "Just do it!"  Make that call! Hear those sweet voices while you can. Texting is nice in a hurry, but it is NO substitute for the human voice. Trust me. I know.

Now...who do you want to call?

Have a blessed and wonderful Friday and weekend. And yes, we thank the Lord for bringing us safely through this week and driving Elsa away from us without harm.  Amen. Good Night!

Tuesday 4: All About Blogging!

 

All About Blogging



Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept up in her memory.


This week the questions were supplied by Pamela Steiner...(Hey! that's ME!)   Here we go, let's talk about Blogging!

1. Tell us about your blog. When did you start blogging?  My very first blog post was on February 24, 2010.  It was something totally new to me. I had no clue what I was doing, or even how to begin, but I was sitting at home, out of work, frustrated that I couldn't find a job, and also frustrated about being a writer. Somehow I saw something about blogging on the computer and thought I would check it out. 

2. What prompted you to begin blogging? I really wanted to write a book, but I had been to a Christian Writer's Conference and got totally discouraged about trying to write a book. I was a nobody. I wasn't even sure I had anything worthwhile to say.  Everything I had thought about writing seemed out of date and unimportant at that time. But one of the sessions I attended at that conference was about blogging. That perked my ears up. I thought, "Well, if I can't write a book, I can at least write a blog and maybe that will someday lead to a book, or at least it will help me work on my writing skills and make some connections."  Here is something I wrote at that time:https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2010/02/psalm-2714-wait-on-lord-be-of-good.html

3. What was your first blog about and why did you choose that subject/title?  This blog right here, "Closed Doors, Open Windows", is my first blog.  I chose that title because of what I was going through at that time...lots of "Closed Doors" as I was searching for a job, and then as God encouraged me in different directions, I saw the "Open Windows" of opportunity He brought my way.  I also hoped that my blog would be a place where others would find encouragement in their lives as they faced Closed Doors.   Another link Back to the Beginning... that better explains this...

I have dabbled in other side blogs, like one for my son's business several years ago: https://benscountrywoodshop.blogspot.com/, which was all about his woodworking/sign business. But then he got married and he and his wife have a totally new business and they really didn't need me to keep writing that blog. The original posts are still there...it just hasn't been updated in a long time.

And now I also have a new side blog, "The Adventures of Lily Grace", which, if you've been following along, you probably have already met Lily Grace and know all about her. She's the product of the consequences of making friends here in blogland with dear people who want to bless me with special gifts..."Lily Grace" is an unexpected blessing, hence the name "Grace"... and I believe she has become a blessing to others in the process.

4. How has your blog changed over time, and has it done for you what you hoped it would do in the first place?

In these past eleven years of blogging so much has changed in my life.  There have been many more "Closed Doors", but also many new "Open Windows".  My blog has kind of become a photo journal of life's adventures as well as a place of prayer, meditation, sharing my joys and sorrows.  This blog has given me an outlet for sharing my faith and also a place where I hope others have found hope and encouragement. I've met so many wonderful people along the way that I never dreamed I could meet. Some have come and gone over the years...some have even entered heaven's gates...but my life is so much richer for having had this opportunity to meet them and share in their own life's struggles and joys.  

I don't have a huge following, and I don't follow a long list of others, but I've kind of narrowed it down to those with whom there is a kindred spirit, a kind of bond that transcends time and space.  It's a place where God has enriched my life by knowing you, my friends and "followers"...you've become an integral part of my life here in "blogland", and it goes way beyond.  We pray for one another and we laugh together and we cry together. It is a place of mutual love and respect for each other...we may not always agree on everything, but we have learned to look beyond the superficial to what is really going on under the surface.  I dare say blogging has changed my life, and definitely for the better.

If you've ever read my "profile", you will see the "question" at the end of the page that asks, "What do YOU see outside your open window today?"  That's kind of been my theme throughout the years...looking outside our windows to see what God has for us to see. Not just the physical things outside your window, but the opportunities He has for us, just waiting to be explored.  However, today, as I looked outside my open window, this is what I saw:

Mrs. Bluebird looking outside HER open window!! I asked her what she could see outside her open window, and I think I heard her say, "A whole new world for my babies to explore! And I can't wait to show it to them!"  Bless her sweet heart...she is a wonderful example to us of never giving up hope.  Her first clutch of eggs of the season was destroyed by a predator. We don't know exactly what, but something dragged out the tiny babies and destroyed them before they had a chance to even totally develop. So we moved the birdhouse away from that tree to make it safer, and the next batch of babies came along a couple of months later. We had the great joy of watching the parents coax the fully grown beautiful babies out of the nest and letting them fly away to their new life in the treetops.  Not long after, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird came back and started building another new nest, and here she is, faithfully sitting on her nest and waiting for her third brood of babies to develop for this year!  She is amazing! Such patience and love and trust in Her Creator, fulfilling her purpose in life with the utmost faith and devotion.  She could have given up hope after the first batch was destroyed...but she didn't let that "closed door" stop her from pursuing another "open window"...and she has been blessed as a result.

I, too, have been blessed by not allowing closed doors to hold me back from following God's plan and purpose in my life. I am so thankful for this wonderful open window of opportunity to meet you here. Thank you for being a part of my world outside my open window.

Good Night.

(the current view outside my open window)

Click HERE for a previous post about why I blog.

And HERE is ANOTHER: https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2012/06/to-my-blogging-friends-what-drives-you.html

I hope you will go and visit with our other dear friends over at http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2021/07/blogging.html.   Thank you, Annie, for setting this up for us each week.    Happy Blogging!

Friday Foto Friends~Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Happy 4th of July! Whatever you may call it, let's celebrate our freedom and independence from tyranny! 

 And let us pray that our country never slips back into allowing another foreign power to reign and rule over us. But we must be vigilant and strong, because our enemies are watching and licking their chops as they see the weakness in our leaders and the breaks in our walls of defense allowing evil forces to sneak in and infiltrate our ranks. We must stand united and strong against the trickery of sleek politicians who disguise themselves as sheep when they are in reality wolves, just waiting and watching for their opportunity to take off their masks and reveal their real purpose of destruction and control over all that we hold dear.

Sorry to sound so negative and bleak on this beautiful Friday morning before the holiday weekend, but I feel very strongly that we need to heed this warning and we cannot let our guard down.

I Peter 5:8

 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, 

seeking whom he may devour."

Matthew 24:43

"But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into."

Now on to more pleasant thoughts this lovely Friday morning and to lighten things up a bit!

Look at this gorgeous "Crinum Stars and Stripes" lily that is finally blooming in my yard, just in time for the 4th of July!

Sadly, the rains have knocked the bloom stem down and I had to hold it up so you could see how pretty it is.  My sister Doris had given me a couple of these bulbs not long after we moved to this house, and I let them sit for a long time before planting them in the ground.  So I wasn't sure if it would even live, let alone ever blossom.  I was amazed to see it finally send up that long stem and develop these lovely red and white striped lilies right now at this perfect time!

Here is the 2nd bulb/plant, that looked totally dead when I planted it, and for a long time I didn't think anything would develop at all. But now even it has some green leaves and it looks like it is starting to develop a possible stem in the middle. So we shall see what happens! This would definitely be an example of the resurrection from the dead!  God is so good! He knows what we need to brighten our days!

Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to express kind words and prayers for my neck situation.  I am so thankful for all of you, and you have encouraged my heart!  Here's the good news:  I do have an appointment scheduled next Thursday, July 8th, at the University of Florida Shands Neurosurgery Department! That was a huge answer to prayer! So I have cancelled the other appointment that wasn't going to be until September 1st!   This appointment is scheduled with a doctor of anesthesiology in the neurosurgery department of pain management. Here's my prayer and concern: I don't want to just be put on drugs to control this issue in my neck, but on the other hand, I don't necessarily want surgery, which can be very risky as well as no guarantees that it will fix the problem of pain. I know I can't stay on this medicine I am currently on, which is helping with the spasms and pain, but it is a muscle and nerve relaxer and I can feel weakness developing in my limbs and body muscles.  And I just feel so blah.  So, my prayer request is that they can help me without the cure being worse than the problem. Does that make sense?  I know God knows what I mean, and I am trusting Him to handle me with love and care.  Thank you for your continued prayers.

Okay, when am I going to get to the "more pleasant thoughts" you ask?  LOL.  

Yesterday my hubby had some lab work early in the morning, and then, as is our custom after such tests, we went to the CP Deli for breakfast. While we dined I enjoyed taking a few pictures of the pictures on the wall next to us:

I don't know who the artist is, but these are drawings, and very good!

Sorry, this menu picture is kind of blurry. It was actually an accidental snap of the camera!

My cup of tea and hubby's coffee. I don't know why I forgot to take a picture of my french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon! That would have been a wonderful picture on this fine Friday morning when we haven't eaten anything yet!

And to finish up this post on a funny note, here's some bathroom humor from the ladies' room. I just couldn't resist taking these pictures:

And meaning no disrespect to Jesus...yes He IS everywhere...but He's much greater than all those germs! But still, wash your hands and say your prayers!!!

Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!!