Monday Monday!!

 

Sunrise, September 22, 2025, the first day of Autumn!

Happy Monday! I hope this finds you all enjoying this first official day of Autumn! We've been "pretending" it was autumn here already for a few weeks, not so much in temperature, although it has been a rather mild September for Florida, but in decorations and wishful thinking!  But September is special for me in a more significant way, as it is also my birthmonth!  And this particular birthday, which is coming up actually on the 25th, marks my 3/4 century mark, so it really is significant to me! I can't believe I'm really this old! LOL.  

So we started out celebrating early this past weekend, since that is when the "kids" could all be here at the same time.  Originally we had hoped that my sister and her family could come up and join us as well, but they live a couple of hours away and sometimes it's just not that easy to get everyone together with work schedules and other concerns, so we decided that we'll get together with them another time.  Like I told my sister on the phone, "I'll be 75 for a whole year, so we can celebrate anytime!"  

Anyway, on Saturday Scott came down and joined Benton and Rose and hubby and me at the Sonny's BBQ in Palatka for lunch.  (If you're a Facebook friend, you've probably already seen most of these photos, so just bear with me, and thank you already for your sweet comments there!)

Sorry this picture shows my food already partially eaten, but I wanted to show you that I had a half rack of Baby Back ribs, some other sliced smoked pork, a sweet potato and coleslaw! I can't believe I ate the whole thing! It was SO good!! (I gave my garlic toast to the kids, so I didn't eat any bread! That's good, right?)  

Then we went home and sweet DIL Rose had baked an apple pie for my birthday "cake", which is what I prefer. My mother had always baked an apple pie for me, and then when she passed away my sister Doris took over that little job, but since she couldn't come, Rose took care of it! She's a keeper!

Everyone is singing Happy Birthday to me...

And then comes the best part...the "big blow"....

It took every breath I had to blow out all those 75 candles! LOL.

But I did it! So now I hope all my wishes will come true!

Here I am with sweet hubby and son Scott...

And here's my sweet Benton and precious Rose...  I am SO thankful for our wonderful family. God has been so good to us.

Next came the gifts...son Scott is a man of many talents. One of his specialties is turning trash into treasure...in the past you may have seen some of his creations using Dove Candy wrappers to create special characters...(although I can't find these in my old blogs, but I know I shared them on Facebook years ago)

He created these "Ninja Warriors" to symbolize warriors fighting against cancer, after our son Matthew fought a valiant battle for four years before God called him home. They are created with Dove Candy wrappers and aluminum foil. The details are amazing. I think this was a kind of therapy for him in dealing with the loss of his brother at the time.

These are some other characters he created as gifts over the years, just a small example of the many more he has given away to friends and family. We usually gift him with bags of Dove candy for Easter, birthdays, and Christmas, so he has more "supplies" for his craft, but lately he's kind of quit doing this in favor of some other new creations...

Like painting! Years ago when he was a teenager he wanted a Bob Ross painting kit, and so he got one for Christmas, but at that time he never really did anything with it.  Now, many years later he has renewed his interest in painting and so this is what he gave me for my birthday:

I think it's beautiful!!  But there's more to the story.

In keeping with his tradition of creating treasures from trash, he paints things on the back of cardboard boxes from food items like Hostess Twinkies and in this case, tea bags!  He wanted me to have this particular one and framed it so you can see the tea bag design on the back, because he knows how much I love tea!  Isn't that amazing?  It's definitely a treasure to me!!!

Also, in a previous post I had mentioned that I hoped I could get one of my strong sons to dig a hole and plant this Rose of Sharon bush for me...and so here's Scott doing just that!

Thank you, sweet Scott! Now may it grow and prosper!

But Scott isn't the only one with artistic/creative talent in the family...son Benton built these wooden planters for me to put my mums in. I had already bought the mums, but didn't want to dig holes in the ground, so he built these to hold them, and they are just perfect! What a wonderful gift!

And sweet Rose not only baked the apple pie, but she gave me these cookbooks because she knew that I was wanting to try some different diet plans, and also she got some for herself too so we can all start trying to eat healthier, after we finished the pie, of course!  

I also received a fun package in the mail from one of my dearest blogging friends, who shall remain nameless but she knows who she is and how very dear she is to my heart.  Oh, Lily Grace helped open up this package because this person is very dear to her as well...

There were all kinds of fun and interesting things in the package, including these beautiful china handled tea spoons, each with a different floral pattern...so beautiful!

And this lovely pillow case, which fits perfectly on a little pillow that I have:

And also this lovely acrylic stained glass window hanger with such beautiful birds on it!

And she never forgets her "niece Lily Grace", so there was a fun little blue pony with a comb to comb her long tail and mane...

I don't know how she packed so many fun things in one little box, but there was also this wonderful fall potholder mitt that matches some dishes I already have...

And also this beautiful "Grateful" hand towel, which also matches some dishes that I have!

And yes, I am extremely Thankful and Grateful for this dear friend, as well as for my family and all of my wonderful friends out here in Blogland!

It truly was a wonderful early birthday celebration.  We don't really have any special plans for my actual day, but we will see what develops.  The "kids" are getting ready to go on a trip to Minnesota to see Rose's father and her other siblings up there, so that is one reason we needed plan the celebration a little early. Maybe hubby and I will do something together on the actual day...we shall see.

Meanwhile, yesterday at church was a special day also.  One of our dear members is moving away, and she is someone who has done so much for our church and community over the years...just a very committed Christian woman, and we are all going to miss her so much.  In honor of our friend, it was decided that everyone who could would wear a hat on Sunday, since "Norma" always wears a hat to church.  She was really surprised to see us all there wearing hats and was very touched by our love.

Here's a few pictures that were taken to put on our church Facebook page:

This is Norma...and she was actually making an announcement about something coming up even though she is leaving.  Then we surprised her with a nice gift card from the church and the congregation and choir sang the song "Friends", which brought a few tears to all our eyes.

This is our Pastor and wife. Someone said he looked like "The Godfather". LOL.

He did take his hat off to preach the sermon. He said he didn't want to look like a gangster while he was preaching. LOL.  

This is our choir

Here's the song "Friends are Friends Forever" by Michael W. Smith along with Amy Grant.  

It was a kind of bittersweet day.  

But we are thankful for Norma and pray for her in her new adventures. We know God will use her wherever she goes.

John took this picture of me before we left home for church. That floppy hat was in my eyes all morning, but it was fun.

Let's see what else is going on? Well, some have asked if our kids have ever finished their kitchen remodeling project...and actually they are just about finished. They sent me these pictures last night:

They still have to finish the backsplash and some other trim work and then they will take off the blue plastic covering on the new dishwasher. That came on it from the store, and they left it on to protect it while painting.

They are also still working on the area behind Rose below. That is their utility area and also a little "breakfast nook", but they use it as a work area for their Etsy business.

Everything looks so bright and clean and fresh!!

They painted over the paneling with a white paint,  and painted the wood cabinets with that kind of a coastal greenish bluish color...I think it's called Quietude, or something like that. And then they put on new butcher block countertops.  

These are some "before photos":

It's been quite a project, and I know they are happy to finally be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

Let me just close by saying how very thankful I am to be alive and well and celebrating my 75th year of life! I give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His love and mercy endures forever!!

Psalm 16:5-8

5 O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Amen.

Friday Foto Friends~ Odds and Ends

Happy Friday everyone! It's been such a beautiful week here in north central Florida...we've had nice cooler mornings, starting out in the low 60's, and only getting up into the mid 80's for most of the week, with lower humidity.  It's been delightful, even though we still need rain so badly!  As I look ahead on my weather app on my phone, it appears that next week we might start seeing a change in the weather patterns, with some rain predicted each day,  (Oops! That just changed! No rain in sight until at least next Thursday or Friday! Bah Humbug!) and the temperatures starting to rise back up a little bit to more normal levels, low 70's to high 80's.  But if it brings us rain anytime, I will be thankful!

I've recently noticed a plant growing in my butterfly garden area that suddenly had quite a growth spurt, which totally surprised me.  But the biggest surprise was all of a sudden I saw this flower blooming on it! What?  A flower?  I had no idea that plant was going to get a flower on it when I purchased a very small, scrawny stick of a plant early this past late spring at the farmer's market.  It looked interesting and different, so I bought it without really knowing what I was getting! (Probably not a good idea, but in this case, it turned out okay!)

 

So I had to use the Google Lens app on my iPhone to find out what it is, and here's the scoop via Wikipedia:  It is called Roselle  "Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a species of flowering plant in the genus Hibiscus that is native to Africa, most likely West Africa. In the 16th and early 17th centuries it was spread to Asia and the West Indies, where it has since become naturalized in many places.[1] The stems are used for the production of bast fibre and the dried cranberry-tasting calyces are commonly steeped to make a popular infusion known by many names, including carcade."

Here's a picture from a distance, taken from my porch this morning, so you can see what a strange looking plant it is:

The flowers bloom in the morning, 

but then they fold back up in the afternoon sun. 

Here's another link for some more information.

https://www.gardenia.net/plant/hibiscus-sabdariffa-roselle-grow-care-guide

I had no idea when I bought this plant that is could be used for tea, medicinal purposes, and even some jams and sauces.  I'm wondering if anyone else knows anything about this plant, or if you know how to use it?  I'm not much into using natural things like this for tea or other things, so I don't know if I will try it or not...we'll see...but I can still just enjoy the beauty of the flowers while they last.

Here's another flower that finally decided to bloom! I bought this Rose of Sharon bush this past summer also, and I've been waiting patiently for someone to come dig a hole for me so I can plant it in the ground. It has become so rootbound in the pot that I have to water it constantly to keep it alive...and I really was afraid I was going to lose it,  when all of a sudden it decided to bloom! 

Hooray!  Now maybe this weekend I can actually talk one of my strong sons into getting it planted in the ground for me!  I wanted this particular plant because I had one before in the original Memorial Garden for our son Matthew that we created back at our previous home. When we moved here to this house 6 years ago I brought the Rose of Sharon plant with us, along with that beautiful Don Juan Rose bush that blooms every so often.  The Rose of Sharon did fine for a few years, but finally died.  So when I saw this plant at the farmer's market I decided to get it and try again.  

The other day we were taking a little ride in the evening, and we saw this young deer on the side of the road, eating his supper I guess!

Upon closer look, we realized there were actually two deer!

I love seeing them, don't you?  As long as they aren't eating my flowers, they are just fine! (Yes, they do that!

Now here's a bit of an oddity!  I pulled this apple out of the bag of Gala Apples that I bought recently from Walmart.  I don't think I've ever seen an apple with such a line of division of color on it before, have you?

It was literally divided in half by the brighter, bolder red color on one half, and the more yellowed mixed with red color on the other half!

What a phenomenon!  

It tasted the same all the way through, however!  Makes me think this apple was a product of some genetic engineering...what do you think? Yeah, I guess I probably don't really want to know the answer to that! I wish I could grow our own apples, but that just doesn't happen here in Florida. I tried once, but the apples never got beyond the little green apple stage and the trees eventually died.  I'm glad we are going to go to the mountains of North Georgia next month and get some fresh apples straight from the orchard...

Okay, here's another odd sighting this week...yes, that big red spot is hives..actually on my upper thigh. It is about the size of a 50 cent piece.  

Here's the strange story...I had to be placed on some antibiotics this week for an infection, which I won't name.  I had forgotten that this particular antibiotic had caused this strange itchy spot to appear in times past. (several times, actually, before I realized what it was! I thought it was a bug bite at first). It's been a few years since I've been prescribed this medication, and probably because I had mentioned to the doctor before when this happened, but apparently it didn't make it into my records and there's a new doctor and he wasn't even looking at my files when he asked about what antibiotics I could take, and frankly I had forgotten about this one. But the next morning when this spot started itching on my thigh and I looked at it I remembered it right away...and called the doctor's office and told them. Of course they said not to take anymore doses, which I knew that much already. They prescribed something else, but it was also another variety of antibiotic that I cannot take, so I had to call them back and tell them that so they could prescribe something else!  They finally got it right, and I am doing fine now, but think what could've happened if I ignored the symptoms?  I also told the doctor's office that they need to start paying better attention to my records!!  This was on Tuesday, and the spot is still slightly visible on my thigh, but thankfully it stopped itching when I put some cream on it and took an antihistamine. What's weird is that there were no other spots, but I did feel some itchiness in other parts of my body.  I am thankful that I am feeling better now, and that nothing really bad happened.

I guess you could say I'm cleaning out my photo files on my phone today! Here's something else I found that I took pictures of recently, but haven't shared yet.  Have you ever made your own "Maple Syrup"?  No, I don't mean the kind that you get from Maple tree sap. That's the REAL maple syrup, and there's quite a process to making it. First, you have to have the right kind of sugar maple trees, which are primarily up in the northern part of the country. Then you have to know when to "tap" them to gather the sap, usually in the spring. Next you have to boil the sap down to get the syrup, and I believe the formula is that it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of Maple Syrup. Those of you who have done this may correct me if I am wrong.  

Pure Maple Syrup is the very best, but it is also rather expensive. When we lived up in New England we used to get some from friends who had their own Maple Syrup business.  However, throughout the majority of my life, I have mostly used Log Cabin Maple Syrup, which is not the real deal, but at least it doesn't contain High Fructose Corn syrup, so I prefer that one above most other commercial brands.

But there have been times when I couldn't really afford to even buy that, or I would run out of it, and then I would make my own "Maple Syrup". Here is the recipe that I've used for many years:

It's pretty simple, and tastes good too. Our kids never knew the difference!

I found this little bottle of Maple Flavoring in my cupboard the other day, and it was almost completely empty. However, there was at least 1/4 teaspoon left, (which probably had become mostly just the alcohol with a little flavor left, it was so old!) Rather than waste that last drop, I decided to make a batch of syrup since hubby was hankering for some French Toast.

I've had this glass syrup pitcher for years. I think it came with Log Cabin Syrup in it one time for an anniversary or something, but I can't find any information on that to prove it, so maybe it was from a different syrup company.  If anyone else knows for sure, please let me know. It has an old sailing ship embossed in the glass.  I've always used this pitcher to hold and serve my homemade syrup!

I used Italian bread from the Walmart bakery to make our French Toast. They have been selling these loaves of bread for just $1.00 for this past year, but only recently increased the price to $1.47 or something like that. Either way, it's still a great deal, and makes great French Toast!

Oh, here it is with the syrup poured over it.

Yum...however, I really can't eat this very often. Too much "sugar" for me, but hubby sure loves it.

Well, I've been working on this post all day, in between running errands, fixing lunch, taking a nap, and all the other stuff we do every day.  It's time to get it finished so I can move on to something else! 

I went outside for a minute, and this is what happened:

The kitties came running over to me, and after I petted them both they started loving on each other too. They are so sweet...they always make me smile.

Awwww...

Yes, I am thankful...

1 Samuel 2:1-2 NKJV

Hannah’s Prayer

1 And Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

My horn is exalted in the Lord.

I smile at my enemies,

Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 “No one is holy like the Lord,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

Amen.

Monday Monday and the Tuesday 4~Let's Blog!

Psalm 113:4-8

The Lord is high above all nations,

His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,

Who dwells on high,

6 Who humbles Himself to behold

The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

7 He raises the poor out of the dust,

And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,

8 That He may seat him with princes—

With the princes of His people.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly 

I know, it's Monday. I haven't written much since last week..just haven't had the heart or desire.  But I decided it's time to get back with the program. Even when difficult things happen to zap our energy,  life goes on, and we need to seek God's strength to persevere and keep moving forward.  

The weather has been glorious and so we've taken a few little walks.  It's so good to get outside in the fresh air (and away from the TV and Internet) and just breathe in God's beauty around us.  I've seen a few things that have caught my attention and made me smile, like that butterfly above.

And then look at this Beauty Berry bush...some bug must've eaten all those holes in the leaves, making them look so delicate and lacy! 

I think they look really pretty, even if it is a kind of destruction...sometimes beauty comes out of things that were not intended for good.  

It reminds me of this story in Genesis chapter 50, after Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers, and then many years later he is in a position to provide food for them while they have been suffering through a famine in their land.  They were afraid that Joseph would not treat them well after what they'd done to him, but look at what happened instead: 

 

"19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, 

in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

Morning Glory growing wild in the weeds

Isaiah 61:3 

"...To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

I love it when God gives us pictures of His love and grace and comfort even in nature. After all, He created it, and it's here for our benefit...to behold His beauty in creation, and to be reminded that He is close to the broken hearted and those who mourn.  Not only that, but what man intended for evil, God turns into good.  As the result of the very sad death of one of His servants last week, Charlie Kirk, who was a strong believer and witness for Christ, there has been a revival going across the world of people who are now more and more committed to continuing that work throughout the world and becoming the hands and feet of Christ on earth. May they stay true to that purpose and not lose sight of WHO it is for, Jesus Christ... and not just a movement in memory of or allegiance to a man that they admired and loved, but for the actual furtherance of The Kingdom of God.  That's my prayer...that God will use this moment in time to draw many to Christ for salvation before His return.   

So now that brings us to the Tuesday 4.  I hope you don't mind that I am combining these two today.  The questions have made me think about the real reason that I enjoy blogging...so let's proceed...

Let's Blog!

Welcome once again friends to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and how about talking about blogging this week since it's something we all do anyway.
Get yourself a cuppa, come sit down at your computer and let's think about blogging for a bit....

Blog is short for Weblog, a log or diary on the World Wide Web or internet. Your journal or diary can hold personal stories, ideas, opinions of all kinds and can be private or public as you wish. It is an excellant way to document your life or interests.


1. Why did you begin blogging?

Click Here for a link to a post I wrote a few years ago about why I love to blog

To sum it up, I blog to because I love having a place to share my heart with others...and to share the beauty that I see around me here in God's beautiful creation.   My initial beginning was because I was discouraged from writing a book due to many reasons...the cost, the lack of "audience",  and all the other little details that go into publishing a book that maybe only a few people will read.  I went to a Christian Writers Conference, and the only thing I learned there that was helpful to me at that time was someone was giving a class about blogging. I had NO idea what a blog was, or how to do it, or what impact it could have...but I came home and looked it up on my computer and found this blogging program, and well, the rest is history. In my mind, this has become my "book", and it is free to publish, and free to you, my readers!  And every "chapter" is something fresh and new, whatever God leads me to for that day. It has opened a whole new world to me, and I am very thankful that God led me to it!


2. What benefits does blogging offer you?

Well, see question #3 below...yes, I have made some very good friends, both in person and through cyberspace. I consider that a great benefit!  Blogging also gives me a way to communicate with people all over the world, people I would never have had any opportunity to know in any other way, and you have all enriched my life with your stories and encouragement.  I also believe that blogging is a great way to stimulate mental acuity. As we age, finding words becomes more and more difficult, and blogging has helped me to keep thinking and striving to improve in my writing skills while I still have my mental faculties!   I hope I can keep it up for a long time!

3. Have you made friends from blogging?

See question #2 above. Yes, I have met in person several wonderful people, and I think that has been the best surprise of blogging of all!  But even for those I have not met in person, I still think of you all as friends...we share so many personal stories and look into the hearts of one another through good times and bad, in sickness and sorrows...and we lift each other up and encourage each other with words of hope and wisdom and joy.  I seriously wish we could all meet in person someday. I would just love to hug every single one!!  Maybe in heaven there will be a special place just for bloggers! LOL.


4. Where do you get ideas for things you blog about? Do other bloggers influence you?

Well, this weekly Tuesday 4, thanks to Toni Taddeo's influence and our current hostess Annie, have been great about giving us ideas to write about each week. This is really the only weekly meme that I participate in, but I enjoy reading what everyone writes in whatever format you choose.  And yes, your thoughts and questions and ideas do influence me in a very positive way. I've learned so much since becoming a blogger. You've opened up a whole new world for me, and I love it.  

Now, for a great big thank you...for quite some time most of you know that I've been praying for some good new neighbors to move into the house next door to us.  As I mentioned a week or so ago, the new neighbors did finally move in and I met them in passing on the road. Well, today the man and his father actually came over to our door and introduced themselves to us! The daughter is working as a caregiver for an elderly woman, so she stays there during the week.  But here's the good news!  They are a fine Christian family, and I do believe that God has answered our prayers by bringing us some really good neighbors!  Praise God for this answer to prayer!  Now I pray that we will be good neighbors to them as well!  Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers for this situation over the past few months!  I knew you'd want to know how it all turned out!! God is so good!!!

In closing, I will share this little quote from a devotional calendar that I have. I thought it was some good food for thought today in particular:

Wherever we are, God has placed us there for a purpose.  We are to use these gifts, whether it be our home, our blog, or whatever talents we may have, for God's glory and honor and to be His ambassador of hope to others along life's way.  And that is why I love to blog in a nutshell.

Now let's go see what others are writing about this week here at https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/