Saturday Roundup and Blessings

Here it is Saturday evening, and I really don't have much to say.  Thought I'd go through some random pictures from the week and see if we can put it together into some kind of post!

This was the morning sunrise one fine morning this week!  I love how the contrails criss-crossing across the sky glow in the morning sunlight.  It was a beautiful way to start the day...

And then on another morning this past week the skies looked like this... a foggy mist above the pond in the early morning before the sun began to rise.  The lights are from cars passing on the road on the other side of those trees, driving through the fog to get to work on time.  We've had several foggy mornings this week.  It's that in between season time when it can't make up its mind if it's going to be cool and cloudy  or warm and humid.  Usually once the sun comes up it's still pretty hot and humid.

Now this is a picture of progress.  We've had road construction going on in our little town for as long as we've lived here.  They are four-laning the main highway through town, and on this particular day they were putting up some new traffic lights to change lanes from one side to the new  completed side so they can finish working on the other side.  Confused? You should live here. At least it's progress. 

A week or so ago I showed you some little signs of autumn here, and today I check them out again and the little cut down maple trees are doing their best to keep growing.

I hope they will get big and tall again and let their colors glow!!

Speaking of glowing...a week or so ago I told my daughter in love that we had some good rib eye steaks in the freezer but our gas grill no longer worked so I wasn't sure when or how we were going to cook them.  Well, the very next day she and our son showed up in our driveway with this in the back of their truck.

No, it wasn't brand new, but it was as good as new, except it needed a few new parts.  My sweet DIL ordered the parts and they brought them over one day this past week too.

Today our son the grill chef put all the new parts in it and got it fired up...and it worked like a charm!

 So we decided to test it with some hamburgers tonight.

I said I didn't want to ruin those good steaks on it until we were sure it was going to work good enough for steaks! LOL.

Oh, BTW, did you notice his t-shirt?  LOL.  Anyway...

The burgers turned out perfect, and so as soon as we can get together with our other kids again, (and also have enough steaks to go around for the whole family), we will be having them over for a steak dinner!

I love how resourceful our family is.  We are very blessed indeed.

Here's some food for thought regarding our children, no matter what their age:

Good Night My Friends.

May you sleep in peace.

(This is our sunset right now.  Nothing spectacular, but still beautiful in its own way. 

We are blessed with God's perfect peace.)

 

Tuesday 4: Home Is Where the Heart Is

 

Tuesday 4...."Home Is Where The Heart Is"

Welcome to Tuesday 4, Toni Taddeo's once weekly questionnaire...

This week's topic is home!

1.What makes a house a home?

I have always liked this saying:  

2. How to you keep your house neat , tidy and clean? Do you find it difficult?

The older we get, it seems to be getting more difficult to keep our house as tidy and neat as I would like it to be.  I don't have the strength and stamina I used to have, which comes with the territory of issues with the neck, back, and arms.  Plus, the past year or so, since "Covid" came into our lives to separate us from kith and kin, I have not had the opportunity to do as much entertaining in our home as we used to do. So therefore I have gotten somewhat lazy and not as particular about housekeeping as before when I knew people would be coming.  I know I have let some things go, and the longer I let them go, the harder it is to get back to them.  I am hoping to have more energy in the fall months when the weather is not so hot and humid.  That usually helps me to get back into a better routine.  We do try to take care of the routine jobs of cleaning bathrooms, sweeping up the dust and sand that gets tracked in, and dusting the most obvious places on a regular basis.  But I must admit that "out of sight, out of mind" on major dusting jobs.  Until I know company's comin'...and then I power dust! LOL. And I am thankful that my hubby does help with the vacuuming and some other jobs as needed.  

3.Are plants important in your home.. or collections.. or wall art? Is there a theme you like to create?

"Cherish your family for they are your treasure; A storehouse of riches...wealth beyond measure."

I guess the theme is family and family memories and treasures.  We have inherited a lot of family "heirlooms" over the years, and they are all very special to us because of the memory of those loved ones who once enjoyed and cherished those items in their homes. Our home is filled with love and happy memories of times spent together with our loved ones and friends. What more can I say?

Plants? No...they do not survive in our house for long. I did have some lovely African Violets at our last house because I had a perfect window for them. But I gave them to my sweet daughter in love when we moved, and she is now enjoying them in her home, where she has the perfect window for them!

(This picture below was from my former home, when the African Violets lived with me! LOL

I think they are healthier looking at my DIL's house, but no picture to share)

4.What is a typical day/evening like in your home?

Since we are retired, a typical day could be most anything, but it is normally something like this:

We get up around 6 a.m., have our morning cup of coffee (hubby), and tea (me) while we check our emails, facebook, and blogs. Then we sit down together and have our morning devotions and Bible reading. Next comes breakfast.  After breakfast we get dressed and usually head over to the place where we like to walk, weather permitting. Or, we may head to town and do some shopping. Or we may take a ride someplace different and walk there. Or we may do some yard work, when it isn't too hot. We are normally home before lunchtime, unless for some strange reason we decide to go out to lunch, but we don't do that very often during the week because we usually go out to lunch on Sunday after church with our church friends. When you are retired and on a very fixed income you have to balance things out and stick to the budget or you get into trouble.  So we tend to be pretty disciplined about what we do and where we go.  

After lunch you will most likely wake us up if you call between  12:30 and 1:30 or thereabouts, as we do like to lay down and take a nap. However, if you called, I would be so delighted to talk to you and never mind the nap. People are more important.  But the nap is very beneficial and I actually look forward to it. Then when I wake up I feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever...folding laundry, a little housekeeping here and there, or watching something good on TV with hubby. Or reading a book or checking in on our bloggy friends/facebook, etc.

  

Around 3:30 or 4:00 I start working on supper.  Our son who lives here at home usually gets home from work around 4:30 or 5:00.   He has had a long, hot day, working at a golf course in the hot sun all day, so he is ready for a shower and supper and often times heads to bed pretty early as he gets up about 4 a.m.  But he is always willing to wash the supper dishes and help with anything else we need help with  (things we can't lift or reach in the shed, like my bins of holiday decorations, etc....)  We enjoy visiting with him while we sit at the table together for supper, hearing about his day at work or other interesting topics he likes to talk about. I enjoy drying the dishes while he washes, as he is most talkative at that time and usually full of funny stuff he thinks about on his long drive home. He can be very entertaining and would make a good stand up comedian. LOL.

After supper hubby and I usually go take another walk before it gets dark.  Then we settle in for the evening to read, watch TV, or do whatever else we can think of to do.  Bedtime is normally by 9:30 p.m. We are "early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise" kind of people...but we are still waiting for that "wealthy" part of the equation. LOL.  But we are wealthy in love and happiness...and that is what really matters.

Of course, these are just our normal days. Other days we may have Dr. appointments, church activities, or something out of the ordinary pop up.  And Sunday is always reserved for Sunday School and Church and out to lunch and home to nap. LOL.  

Most of all, God is the Head of our home.

I love this Bible verse:

And I've always loved this saying:

"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."

Thank you, Annie, for making this weekly meme possible for us to do. It's always fun to see what everyone comes up with for answers!! Have a blessed week everyone!!

    "There's no place like home....there's no place like home"

(Dorothy, The Wizard of Oz)

Friday Foto Friends ~ Humbled and Blessed

Happy Friday, Friends!  Time for some "fotos" from the week, and yes, I actually have a few this week!

Can you guess where we were yesterday?  Maybe these lovely ladies serenading us on the mandolin by the light of the moon with a basket of beautiful flowers (lilacs, maybe?) will give you a clue!

Or perhaps this cute Flapper Girl, enjoying a delicious Sundae with a cherry on top will help you to figure it out...

Perhaps this handsome fella sitting on the rocking chairs on the "front porch" will give you a better clue...

Give up? Well, maybe seeing these two smiling faces from their rocking chairs on the front porch will certainly give it away! Of course! We were at Cracker Barrel! Now if you live in an area of the country where they don't have a Cracker Barrel, I am truly sorry for you! 

Anyway, yes, we were enjoying a late breakfast yesterday morning at Cracker Barrel in between my appointments at the Univ. of Florida Neuromedicine Hospital in Gainesville, FL.  We had a lot of time to kill in between appointments.  My first appt. with the neurosurgeon was at 9:30 a.m., and then he sent me for more x-rays, and after that I was blessed to actually get an appointment at 2:30 p.m. for a Nerve Conduction Velocity test, followed by and Electromyography Test (EMG). I say "blessed" because this appointment only became available due to a cancellation that morning. Otherwise, the next available appointment would not be until December!  So, even though it meant a long wait, we knew we could not pass up on that opportunity.  

Therefore, hubby and I spent the intervening time enjoying a late breakfast because they did not serve lunch until 11:00 and we got there at 10:30. After that we shopped a little in the store of the Cracker Barrel, and then went on to do a little more shopping at a couple of other stores in a nearby shopping center.  After that we went back to the hospital to just wait it out...and it turned out my 2:30 appointment did not actually happen until about 3:30, so it really was a long wait.

While we waited for my appointment we had time to just sit and observe people around us. I can tell you it was a humbling experience. My problems seem so small when I see what others have to live  and deal with in their lives. One young woman in a wheelchair, totally incapacitated and who could only make low guttural sounds to make her needs known, was being lovingly cared for by, I assume her mother, who had to be at least my age.  After watching this dear soul for a while from a distance, we both concluded that she was actually an intelligent young woman, trapped in a physical body that she had no control over. It was very heart breaking, and as I said, humbling.  Her image has not left my mind even yet this morning, and so I lift up a prayer for her and her mother, that God would somehow brighten their day and give them a sense of His presence and peace in their lives.

Regarding my own situation, I will have to wait on the neurosurgeon to get back to me with the results of the tests to determine what is next. His first thought before seeing the test results was that he does NOT think I am a candidate for surgery yet.  However, from what I was able to ascertain from the neurologist conducting the nerve tests, there is nerve damage in my arm, and so something will have to be addressed. I will wait and see just what that "something" will be.  Meanwhile, I guess I keep going to physical therapy...

So now for some more happy photos from my back yard on Still Waters Pond:

The Sand Hill Crane Family flew in again for some dessert. It was fun to watch them poking around in the grass, digging up whatever it is they like so much.

There actually were three of them, the mother, father, and grown baby, but it was hard to get all three of them together in one photo.

I always feel honored when they come to visit.

We do enjoy what God provides to bring some beauty and joy to our days.

And that would include this Rose of Sharon, that continues to blossom in the "Secret Memorial Garden".

The leaves are starting to turn yellow from the heat and sun and also because it is "fall" approaching. But even that variegated color is lovely, don't you think?

And these little red maple leaves are growing up from the stump of the tree that was cut down recently when we had some tree work done. I was not thrilled that they cut down this tree, but they were trying to open up more light into that area so the trees in the "secret garden" could get more sunshine and actually be healthier.  However, I intend to let this maple tree just grow right back up if it so pleases.  It looks like it wants to, don't you agree???

Oh look! We have a new inhabitant in the birdhouse!!! Actually, there are two interesting creatures on this picture!! I wonder who would win that battle...the lizard or the wasp?

Yes, this lizard has taken up residence in the Bluebird house. He pokes his head out throughout the day to catch some bugs and say hello!

He has claimed it as his own, but when the bluebirds come back to roost in the spring I hope he knows he will have to move out!!! This is their house, and he is just a squatter who has no proper lease!

But I guess it's okay for him to stay and take care of the place until they return. 

Even little lizards need a warm, dry place to live.

Here's some thoughts for today:

Romans 12:9-16

9.  "Let love be without hypocrisy. 

Abhor what is evil, 

cling to what is good.

10.  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love,

in honor giving preference to one another;

11.  not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

12.  Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

13.  distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

14.  Bless those who persecute you;

bless and do not curse.

15.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

16.  Be of the same mind toward one another.

Do not set your mind on high things, 

but associate with the humble. 

Do not be wise in your own opinion."

Thank You, Lord, for these thoughts and lessons today.

I am humbled and blessed.

 

Wednesday Treasures: Discovering Hidden Treasures -Updated AGAIN!

Okay! I hope you will indulge me tonight!  I made another amazing discovery today regarding this old chest of drawers, lovingly known as "Aunt Dode's Dresser".  

Today my hubby and I were watching some interesting YouTube videos from "The History Underground", in particular 

"The Home & Deathbed of an Underrated President | History Traveler Episode 116"

which is about our 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. (1833-1901)  (President from 1889-1893) This is a tour of his home in Indianapolis, IN.  

Go to  scene 17:21/24.30 "Mary's Room" to see what I want you to see.

If you look very quickly at the chest of drawers just inside the door of "Mary's Room" in this section of the video, you will see a chest of drawers remarkably like the one I have above. Specifically look at the front legs design.  You will see that it has almost the exact same curvature as "Aunt Dode's Dresser".

(sorry, our chest of drawers is missing a front wheel, so that block of wood is holding up that leg. One of those "projects" that needs to be done.)

I was so shocked to see that chest of drawers in this video, which according to the curator of the home most every piece of furniture in the home is original to the home, which dates from the 1870's.   If you continue on to read my original post about "Aunt Dode's Dresser" below, you will see that I figured this chest of drawers could be as old as the 1860's or thereabouts.  Now that I see this very similar design of chest of drawers in the President Benjamin Harrison home, I think perhaps the date could be more like in the 1870's...but still VERY OLD, don't you agree?  I just thought this little bit of new enlightenment was so interesting that I wanted to share it with you!

Previous Update, 10/21/2020:

This post was originally written back in 2011, not long after my father had passed away and we had sold our family home and taken home special things we "inherited" from my parents' estate. Today I would love to share with you the history of this beautiful chest of drawers, which now stands in our master bedroom, and as you can see, it is decorated with some of my other special treasures, some of which I have already told you about in other times and places.  So today's focus will be upon this chest of drawers and why it is so significant:

Originally written May 20, 2011

Have you ever been on a "treasure hunt"?  I remember having such fun with my classmates years and years ago searching for treasure as we discovered clues in secret places and followed the instructions written on the notes hidden therein.  Sometimes the instructions told us to walk so many paces to a certain tree and look for the next clue, or to go to the next spot and look up or down or all around and find another clue stashed some clever place.  Then there would be a mad dash to the next destination to see who would be the first one to discover the hidden treasure.  What a thrill to be the one who found it...no matter how insignificant the treasure, it became a a grand prize in the hands of the discoverer!

I loved those exciting events and enjoyed the searching for the mysterious prize almost as much as finding the treasure.  The thrill of the hunt...the challenge of the competition to get there first...and laughter and glee of all my friends running about seeking the treasure...kind of like an Easter Egg Hunt...such happy memories. 

Recently I've been on another kind of treasure hunt as my siblings and I have been seeking out the "treasures" left behind by our parents in our family home upon the departure of our father on his journey to heaven, where he joined our mother who was eagerly awaiting his arrival.  My parents' home was quite a menagerie of collections of so many interesting things that it was almost mind boggling to even know where to begin to sort it all out.  My parents' idea that all their earthly goods should be sold and the proceeds divided equally between their four children sounded good on paper, but in reality it became a complicated problem for us to fairly decipher when there were so many special memories tied up in all of their "earthly goods".  I mean, how can you just out and out sell to strangers the family heirlooms, no matter how "valuable" or lacking in monetary value but precious to our sentimental feelings...things that have our family history inscribed in the nicks, chips and scratches on dishes and furniture, and worn pages and signatures, faded pictures and scribbled notes on old letters, books, diaries...so many memories...

There was one particular piece of furniture in the house that I had always admired, and I kept thinking in my mind that I really would like to have it, but I just wasn't sure if I would have room for it, or if it's "assigned value" might make it cost prohibitive for me to add to my "list" of things I wanted to keep.  But I knew that it really shouldn't be sold out of the family because my mother had told me that it had belonged to one of her ancestors and had even perhaps been built by a family member years and years ago.  Although I wasn't certain from which ancestor this beautiful chest of drawers had originated, I knew that I just couldn't let it slip away from our family.  So I finally made the decision to take it home with me, with the blessings of my other siblings. 



Can you see the handwritten signatures which I found on the side of one of the drawers of this chest?   Written in pencil, and yet still there over 100 years later!! A little to the right and above their signatures is a note engraved by my father, stating, "Refinished by William F. Mursch, July 1968", which explains why the chest is still in such beautiful condition.

As we removed the drawers from the chest to make it easier to transport into our house, I began to search for any hidden clues that could help identify the origins of this wonderful old antique.  I knew that sometimes people used to write their names on the undersides or insides of their furnishings to identify them, so I scanned each and every surface of the dresser for an answer.  Lo and behold! There it was, written upside down on one of the sides of one of the drawers was the treasure I was seeking!  Scrawled in the old fashioned script of yesteryear, written in pencil, were the names of two significant people:  Dora Johnston and Flora B. Johnston.*  Now, I know that probably doesn't mean much to you, but those two names solved the riddle.  I originally thought that Dora and Flora were sisters,* (see below for corrections to this) born in 1860 and 1857 respectively.  I assumed that *Flora Belle Johnston married John B. Sheets, and she then became the mother of my grandmother, *Flora E. Sheets Tedlie, the mother of my Mother, Dorothea May Tedlie Mursch!

*BIG UPDATE TO THIS, 5/7/2020:     Now I have to make a huge correction to this information! I have recently been doing some genealogy research, and I have discovered that I had this all wrong!   Flora and Dora Johnston were NOT sisters, but they were mother and daughter!  Flora B. Johnston was actually Dora Johnston (Gorseline)'s mother.  This is her picture below. Her maiden name was Flora Elson.  She was born in 1826 and died on February 19, 1900.  She married Joseph Johnston on March 25, 1848.  So this would make her my Great-Great Grandmother. 

So then, who was my Great-Grandmother? That was a bit confusing to me.

I assumed my Great-Grandmother was named "Flora Belle" Johnston, but no,

her name was "Lela Belle" Johnston, and she went by the name of Belle.  She was the older sister to Dora, and was born on April 19, 1857, and died on December 28, 1911.

She married my Great Grandfather John B. Sheets on July 4, 1878.

In this picture below (taken around 1903) we see my Grandmother, Flora Sheets Tedlie, standing on the back left. 

Next to her is her Aunt Dora Johnston (Gorseline).

Seated is my Great Grandmother Belle Johnston Sheets, sitting next to my Great Grandfather, 

John Benjamin Sheets.

So this beautiful chest of drawers that I somehow just couldn't leave behind for strangers, belonged to my maternal Great Great Grandmother, and probably dates back very possibly to before 1860.   I believe the piece was actually in the home of my Great-Great Aunt Dora** Johnston Gorseline, and she left it to my Grandmother when she willed her home and all it's furnishings to her upon her death in 1932.  (**Aunt Dora was affectionately known as Aunt "Dode" to my mother and her siblings. And my mother, Dorothea, was named after her and another great aunt on her father's side, Althea, so you have Dorothea as a combination of the two names!)

(Current Update:  You may have noticed these interesting tiles (below) in Pamela's Victorian Cottage, which have become the hearth and interior of the fireplace in the living room. Well, those little tiles actually came from "Aunt Dode's house", and were literally a part of the fireplace in her home. My mother had saved them and they were found in the drawer of the dresser when I started cleaning it out to search for "treasures".  What better place to use them than in another old fashioned house!)

Although I still don't know who actually built the chest of drawers, that doesn't really matter as much as who used it and filled it with their own precious treasures, lingerie, dainty hankies, gloves, jewelry and maybe even their secret diaries.  I can imagine that both sisters Belle and Dora may have used this dresser.  Oh, if those drawers could talk, I'll bet they could tell me the dreams of first, a young bride, and then of her two young daughters who never in their wildest dreams knew that one day, some 160 years later, their great-great grand daughter, great granddaughter, and great great niece would be sitting here writing about this on a computer for all the world to see!  Wow! That even excites me and gets my imagination flowing!  Could be the start of that book I keep wanting to write...hmmm...I'll just have to think about that!

What a treasure!  Oh, by the way, when I finally got this chest of drawers set up in my guest room, (which I call "The Grandma Room"), I know I heard some giggles and sighs and hand clapping from somewhere up in heaven...and I could definitely feel my mother smiling down at me and heard her whisper, "Thank you, Pam, for carrying on the family heritage and finding the treasure hidden therein." 

You are welcome, Mama...and I'm so glad you kept nudging me on to not give up on it!
Good night!  Sleep Tight!

The Chest of Drawers as it looked in my guest room in a previous home.

The Chest of Drawers that belonged to my Great Great Grandmother Flora Elson Johnston and her daughters, Belle Johnston Sheets and  Dora Johnston Gorseline, passed down to my Grandmother Flora E. Sheets Tedlie, and then to my mother, Dorothea May Tedlie Mursch, and now to me, Pamela Anne Mursch Steiner. I wonder where it will go from here?  Time will tell...

The Buster Brown Tea Set on top of the dresser belonged to my Aunt Margaret Tedlie Moss, and my mother remembers playing with it when she was a child.  The two pictures are: Flora Sheets Tedlie, my grandmother as a little girl about 5 or 6 years old, and the other is a picture of my Great Great Grandmother, Flora E. Johnston, the mother of Dora and Lela Belle Johnston!  The doll is a doll that I gave my mother as a birthday present on her 85th birthday.  The books are from my mother's collection of old books, including a very old edition of Little Women, wrapped in plastic because it is literally falling apart and beyond restoration.  I am looking forward to placing more "treasures" in and on this chest of drawer as I discover them...!

Back to the present:  I hope you enjoyed this little walk back through history and down memory lane. This discovery today (9/8/2021) has only made the significance of "Aunt Dode's  Dresser"  even more interesting and entertaining, don't you agree?  Now I will always think of it as "Aunt Dode's President Harrison Dresser!"   LOL. 

   

I hope you are having a wonderful day wherever you are.  It is pouring down rain here right now.  Tomorrow I go see the neurosurgeon about my neck issues. I will update you when I know something worth sharing.  All thoughts and prayers are welcome!!  God bless you all!!  Good Night!

Tuesday 4: The Wild West

 

The Wild West



It's time for Tuesday 4 an invention of our late friend Toni Taddeo.


Let's talk about The Wild West!


1. Do you have a favorite TV western you enjoyed? Tell us about it.

Seems like I watched a lot of TV westerns growing up.  I remember watching The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gene Autrey, Zorro, Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp, and Bonanza.  There were more I am sure. Rin Tin Tin, Fury, Sky King. Bonanza was the first one I ever saw in color at my Aunt Margie and Uncle Ed's house in Crafton (Pittsburgh) Pa.  I thought they must be really rich to have a color TV. We didn't have one for a long time. I was probably 10 years old.  

2. Lots of western movies... which was one you enjoyed? 

Gosh, I can't think of just one. I did kind of like the Clint Eastwood movies, and the John Wayne movies, and anything with Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck, Gary Cooper.  I really can't narrow it down to just one.  I just asked my hubby for his answer to this, and he said he really liked High Noon with Gary Cooper, and Shane with Alan Ladd.  I didn't like Shane...it was sad.  But High Noon was a good one with Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.


3. John Wayne was in many westerns and had many fans. What actor is your favorite?

Well, I did enjoy John Wayne for sure.  But probably my favorite actor is Gregory Peck. I just can't think of any particular westerns he was in, but if he was in it, I liked it.  Gregory Peck reminds me of my Grandpa Tedlie. His voice is very similar, and every time I hear him in a movie, I think of my Grandpa. He was good looking like him too when he was very young. At least I think so.

My Grandpa Benton F. Tedlie

Gregory Peck

4. You are going to have to move to a western state that has cowboys! Which state will you choose and why?

I would love to check out Wyoming or Montana.  Just not sure about the winters up there! But I love the idea of living there. Are those considered "western states"?    Maybe North Western?   They have cowboys, don't they?

Wyoming

Montana

Of course, people don't realize that Florida also has cowboys.

Here is a link to tell you more about  it:  The History of the Florida Cracker Cowboys

And even though Florida isn't a "western state", it's where I live, and right now I'd rather be here than anywhere else!

Thank you, Annie, for continuing the Tuesday 4 tradition started by our friend Toni Taddeo. I know she would be pleased to see it still happening each week!!

Y'all have a nice day, you hear??

Just Walk Away...Some Thoughts for Labor Day -Revisited Again

Originally posted for Labor Day weekend, 9/1/2014! Still some great thoughts for today, four    seven years later!  I still need to do some of the same things on my little checklist below....how about you?

Hope you and yours have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!!   (9/6/2021 Note:  I am revisiting this on Labor Day evening, but this message is good for anytime!!)  

I absolutely love this jaunty little fox, trotting away after very efficiently darting into the woods, finding a tasty morsel of something to eat, rodent or reptile I do not know, finishing it off rapidly,

and continuing on his way back into the woods for the day.  This little fox has captured my imagination...and possibly a few others who have seen my post of these pictures on Facebook since yesterday. (in 2014)

Got me to thinking about the times that we need to do just like this fox...take care of the necessities of life, whatever they may be...work, food, shelter, and then just keep on going.  Don't get bogged down by things that distract us from our real purpose.

Things like:

• toxic relationships...people that drag us down, lead us astray, keep us from blossoming
• material attachments...more things...bigger, better, more expensive, prettier, or sentimental objects that weigh us down
• too many projects that really have no vital purpose and take up our time, money, and space
• social attachments that steal our time away from our loved ones...cell phones, social media, internet
• "Responsibilities"...duties we take on that perhaps aren't really our responsibilities but somehow we have allowed ourselves to become pressured into making them our own
• clutter...cluttered closets, garages, sheds, kitchen cupboards, shelves, desks, drawers, rooms, attics, basements, porches, cluttered minds...
• guilt trips...things I should have done, things I should not have done, things I want to do and can't, things I don't want to do but do anyway
• toxic memories...memories of sorrow, fear, anxieties about things that I need to forget...and perhaps forgive

I see myself in several of these...what do I need to walk away from today? How about you? Perhaps you see yourself here as well.  It's certainly easier said than done. But the first step is to identify the things that need to be eliminated from our lives.... 

1. The First Step is to PRAY.
2. Then go down the list above...make your own list and prioritize those things that need to go first.   
3. Work on one item at a time. 
4. PRAY again. Ask God for wisdom.
5. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33
6. If you need wisdom to carry out this process in your life, ask God.  "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."  James 1:5-6
7. Don't allow this process to further bind you in guilt and frustration. Take your time. Let God lead you. But DO listen to His prompting when He speaks to your heart. Don't turn away from the help He is sending your way.

I love this passage in the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 4-9:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!

Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.

Be anxious for nothing,  but in everything by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

And the PEACE OF GOD, which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true,

whatever things are noble, whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely, 

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy,

MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS.

The things which you learned and received and heard 

and saw in me, these do, and the

God of Peace will be with you."

There is really nothing else for me to say.  I've got my own list to ponder...and some things to pray about on this Labor Day. Then I need to be on my way to a life free from the burden of things...

You might also like to read another story about some little foxes in our lives... Click on the blue.

Thankful Thursday and Happy September!

Happy September! Better a day late than never!

This was the sunrise yesterday morning, September 1st. Not long after we had quite the rainstorm blow in and the rest of the day was quite wet and dark, and then surprisingly cool!  It actually felt like a September day!  I only wish it would have lasted a little longer than a day. Today was back to normal hot and sultry.  

But we know fall is coming!  The calendar tells us so!

So on September 22nd we will expect the temperatures to turn crisp and cool and perfect!

Well, at least a girl can dream, can't she? I know, I do live in Florida...it may be more like the end of October before it begins to feel like fall. 

September is my favorite month because it is also my birth month. I guess that's why I always have such a special feeling when September comes around!

Don't you just love this picture by John Sloane? This is his Country Seasons Calendar, and I absolutely love his paintings.  Wouldn't you just love to to be there in that old country store with that sweet old doggy and pretty kitty?  Yes, that's my kind of place!

But, then again, I also love to be in a lovely tea room, visiting with friends over a hot cup of tea...

Maybe like this quote from my Teapot & Tea calendar:

That sounds delightful, doesn't it? Oh, I wish we could all get together someday and do just that.

Lily Grace and I sat outside on the swing for a little while the other evening eating a popsicle.

Lily loves to try and guess the riddles found on the popsicle sticks.  I call them the "POPsicle Quiz"...remember when we used to have "pop quizzes" in school? Who liked them and who didn't? I guess it depended on how much you had paid attention to the lessons all week!!

Anyway, this quiz riddle says:

"Why was the farmer upset?"

 Can you guess the answer?

"His cows were MOO-DY".  Ha Ha Ha! 

 

Now for the thankful part of this post:

  

1. Praise God that our "kids" are doing SO MUCH BETTER since they had that antibody infusion! It is like a miracle how quickly and wonderfully that helped them to start getting well. Yes, they still have a ways to go to regain their strength, but they sound SO much better, and they are even feeling more like doing things around their house again.  They probably won't be able to go back to work until next week after they get a negative Covid Test, but we are all just SO thankful they are feeling so much better each day. Praise God!

2.  As most of you know, our kids own a business in St. Augustine, "Dixie Cottage", which is a coastal themed furniture and decor store.  They are the sole proprietors, and if they can't be there to work, then the store has to be closed. That is a very difficult situation for them financially, as you can imagine.  Well, they have a couple of ladies who are vendors in their store, putting items in the store on consignment.  They both volunteered to take turns keeping the store open every day this week so that our kids won't lose their income and  customers!  Praise God again!! That was a real surprise blessing!

3.  Today I had a follow up appointment with my Pain Management Dr. regarding my neck issues.  Although the appointment went well enough, she has decided to refer me back to the neurosurgeon for further testing and evaluation.  Why is this a praise item? Well, I really wanted a 2nd opinion before we went any further with more "pain management" techniques that, to me, were a bit "unnerving"....pun intended...because it involves nerve blocks, etc.   I am not sure that is the route I want to go at this point and asked for some time to think about that, and she recommended that I visit the neurosurgeon. So I already have an appointment scheduled for next week! That was quick! And yes, I consider that a praise item.  But also a prayer request that I will get some answers that will truly help me and not prolong the inevitable...God knows best and I will trust His judgment on this issue.

4.  And I am very thankful for each of you, my friends out here in Blogland. Thank you for your prayers, your friendship, and fun!  I know many of you have serious issues in your own families and lives, and it is wonderful that we can lift each other up and encourage one another here.  I apologize that I have not been quite as active here lately, but several things come into play...my physical issues mean that I must not spend so much time sitting at my computer, and also our family needs this past week were very great. I am so thankful that we were able to help our kids even if "from a distance".  I told my hubby that if we  hadn't have moved here to this house 2 years ago, we would have had to commute from 30 miles away to help them out, and that would have been difficult.  God always knows what is best for us even way in advance.  He sees the bigger picture we cannot see, and oftentimes the way we are directed now could be for some need in the future that we know nothing of.  God is in control...even in our country and world events.  It may be hard to see that right now...but in time we will better understand it all.   Until then, just keep looking up and wait on the Lord!

We read this passage in our devotional readings yesterday morning:

("Olive Tree and Lavender" by Winston Porter)

Psalm 52:8-9

8  "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

9 I will praise You forever,

Because You have done it;

And in the presence of Your saints

I will wait on Your name, for it is good."

 Amen!  Have a good night my friends.