the last day of november

Do you feel the urgency of the days like I do?
It seems as if time is passing at an incomprehensible speed.
Does time speed up at the end, just before Jesus returns in His glory?
My soul longs for His coming.

November 30th was a memorable day in it's beauty.
75 degrees of warmth and sunshine......
First light was beautiful this morning.........exhilarating!
And tonight the moon has washed the beach with a glow.

O God, we don't deserve these blessings,
but you have bestowed them freely upon us.
May we take time to worship and thank You.
May we show kindness and love to all as we represent You on this earth.

I hope you like my new blog format.
It is called "Harbor."
A fitting name I think considering from "whence I write."

Tomorrow Christmas preparations will began.
Tonight, it is still November.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." (Jesus)

some more pics of the boat parade

Thanksgiving is over and I am sad.

We had a great one....

Now it's time to buy my tree.

26 days to Christmas.....

cathyc

pics from the boat parade

An early dinner at Tubby's and then off to the riverfront.

The boat parade was so much fun....I can't wait to find out which one was voted "The Best."

The night setting on my camera made all the lights a little "crazy" as I'm sure you can tell.

It was cold in a good way.

I'll be posting more this afternoon.

saturday morning

listening to my music

washing my sheets and my hair....

the ocean is sapphire blue and my babies are coming home today.

there will be snow on reynolds sqaure this afternoon

and christmas decorated boats flosting down the river tonight.

my heart is filled this morning with all good things

and I am happy and content.

blessed be the name of the Lord God Almighty from whom all blessings flow

cathy

thankful for a great...

THANKSGIVING

I've never seen so much food and so many people happy to be eating.
My only regret is that I didn't get any pictures to share with this blog.
I left my sandisk in my computer and did not replace it in my camera. :(

The lovely event was held at the beautiful and spacious home of Frankie and Sally.
The combination of Thanksgiving treasures collected over the years and candlelight made the perfect setting for our feast...

deep-fried turkey and dressing
sweet potatoes
green beans
ham
hash brown potato casserole
savannah red rice
pineapple bake
cranberry relish and sauce
bubba's famous turnip greens
macaroni and cheese and
rolls
with coffee and cake for desert made us all happy and lethargic for the remainder of the afternoon.

The fellowship was superb and lasted until well into the evening.
Joining with the hosts were...

Aunt Dottie
Aunt Jackie
Mike and Kim and Catie
Robbie
Robert and Mary Ann
Lisa
Jeff
Bubba and myself.

I was in bed with lights out at 8:20 thoroughly exhausted and letting the turkey do it's slumbering work.....but what a sweet day it was.

Thank you Lord for the blessings of this life, for the comfort of family and Your provision. You alone are the Most High God and You make all things possible. I praise Your name in thanksgiving.

cathy

getting ready for the big day....

is hard work, but soooooo worth it.
Sally and I worked this afternoon setting up and talking about our menu.

I have been tired all day and I hope I am not getting sick.
Eight infusions so far and I've only developed one infection during that time.
Thankfully that is a great improvement.

The weather has been gloomy.
I can't even remember the last time I saw the sun.
A beautiful blue sky day would serve us all well.

I am so looking forward to Saturday when the night falls.
Many of the boats owners from around here decorate their vessels and parade up and down the Savannah River. We went last year and it was so exciting and fun. David and Erika are hoping they will get back from Raleigh in time to go too.

I don't want anything to do with Christmas until after Thanksgiving Day.
Then....let the season begin.
I hope to get "the" real live tree this weekend and get it up to enjoy.

"That they may know that Thou alone, whose name is the Lord,
Art the Most High over all the earth." Psalm 83: 18

two big turkeys....

coming down.

I saw them today...two big ones lying side by side at Bubba's office ready to be dressed, marinated, and then fried on Thursday morning.

My brother Frankie and Bubba have a ritual that they go through every year.

First its the phone calls about getting the turkeys,
then it progresses to the serious matter of oil, cooking utensils and pots as well as the cooker itself to be set up in Frankie's yard.

Bubba is in charge of the turkeys until it is time to fry them. He defrosts, and cleans, and dresses, and marinates them in wine. They are his babies for about three days.

The real event takes place starting early in the morning of Thanksgiving Day.
The smaller turkey goes in first......this has become known as the "pickin" turkey.
It is taken out to cool and the larger bird is lowered into the grease.
While that turkey is cooking these two commence to "pick" the smaller turkey to the bone.
It is such a gruesome "man" thing.

Then other things start going into the grease like whole sausages on sticks.
During this time they are wildly happy like no other time in their lives.
This once yearly ritual is a fulfillment of every man's wildest dreams concerning meat.

The bird does taste so good right out of the hot grease I have to admit.
Every now and then they offer to let the women have a morsel.

cathy

i just read this....

I have to share it with you.......

Nevertheless, I am continually with Thee;
Thou hast taken hold of my right hand.
With Thy counsel Thou will guide me,
And afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And beside Thee I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart shall fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73: 23 ~ 26

Friends and loved ones.........
Do we realize these things?

more later today
cc

adendum

I forgot to mention in the Valentine's Day giveaway post yesterday that you can tell someone else's story as well. If you know of someone who could really use this getaway, let me know.

hearts to you.....cathy

valentine giveaway

We have a small rental condo here on Tybee.
It is perfect for two people.
I have decorated it in vintage style and guests have called it the perfect place for a
"Romantic Getaway."

Go to http://www.tybeevacationrentals.com/
Click on vacation rentals.....
go to properties to view.....
click on Beach and Racquet # 321

You will be able to see pictures of the unit, the deck, and the view.

I am giving away three nights the weekend of February 14th for someone who could really use a getaway. The weekend can start on Friday or Saturday night as I notice that President's Day is on the 15th which may provide an opportunity for more days off.

If you would be interested, e-mail me with your story and I will choose the winner to be announced on New Years Day.

Doing this is thrilling to me. If it goes well, I may do another weekend soon after that.

So....send those e-mails.

cathyc145@aol.com



click

remember beanies?

This turkey is named Gobbles.
I had two put away in a box that was opened while Lucy was here this morning.
Now one of them belongs to Lucy.
Gobbles went everywhere we went today and got rave reviews.

Remember those coveted "intact" tags?
In yesteryears these beanies were of no special value without their tag.
Lucy ripped the tag off as soon as we got in the car this morning.
I winced, but realized at once that these stuffed critters had not made me a millionaire.

Lucy and I ate Mexican for lunch today.
I have a love/hate relationship with Mexican food.
I knew the minute we walked into the restaurant that it was not going to be good.
There was a smell that turned me off immediately.
My favorite things are the chips and salsa and even those were not good.
We ordered cheese enchiladas....Lucy loved hers and I covered mine with a napkin.
What is wrong with me????

Much thought and preparation is starting to go into the big feast.
Does anyone out there have a recipe for old fashioned corn bread dressing?
I visited and talked with my Aunt Dottie about this today.
While she was telling me about how she and Nana made theirs I started salivating.
I remember it so well.....never been any quite like it since.
What I really need are the drippings from the turkey and we fry our turkey.

"Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone works wonders." Psalm 72:18

another shrimp lover

One nice thing about living at the beach is getting shrimp fresh off of the boat whenever you feel a desire. Bubba got these for us earlier in the day.

Lucy and I went shopping this afternoon and then she came home with me for a slumber party which consisted of watching a new "Thomas the Train" video and reading four books before the sandman came and made her start rubbing her eyes.

Much to our delight, Lucy loves shrimp. We couldn't peel them fast enough for her. That is a sure sign of a true southern shrimp eater.

Coming home this afternoon I told her to look at how the trees were finally changing into their fall colors. She said, "Grammy, the trees are not changing colors, the leaves are." Then she asked if any of the leaves turn black. I guess they do when they decompose.

I love to watch the shrimp boats dragging out in front of the condos.
What a life that must be!
There are always lots of dolphins following along hoping for some castoffs.

All is peaceful in the night....
i love you
c

repetition

A few years ago I studied the book of II Peter in the Bible for a ladies study.
It was one of the hardest things I have ever done but also one of the most rewarding.
I went through the book verse by verse laboring over several different commentaries.....searching to bring out the truth of each passage clearly.
God blessed that time in my life abundantly.

As the Apostle Peter wrote this book he was well past the impulsiveness of his early years with our Lord. After Jesus' resurrection and ascension, Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, went on to become one of the most influential voices of the early church.

His purpose in the writing of the book of II Peter was to identify and warn the people of false teachers and the coming persecution and to give a most detailed Biblical account of the end of the world. (most applicable to us today)

I was amazed at the emphasis he put on "repetition."

"Therefore I shall always be ready to remind you of these things even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present in you." II Peter 1:12

"And I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder." II Peter 1:13

"This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder." II Peter 3:1

Why?
Why do we need repetition?
Why do we need to be constantly reminded of the truth in God's word?

Because we are human...
we forget
the world crowds out the things of God
we are inclined to believe the lies of Satan
we are weak and feeble
we do not have the mind of God.

That is why we need to be in God's word every day.
That is why we need to hear God's word proclaimed

To hear the word of God over and over is life for us who are believers.

my favorite stuffed animal.....

Eli the panda bear.

I like panda bears because they are black and white.
I like their faces and the way they take care of their babies.
I have seen the pandas at the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
Eli has seen those pandas too because his family recently took him there.

I like to sit out on the deck after it gets dark and wait for the big ships to pass by.
They come out of the Savannah River all decorated with lights.
They move slowly and silently out into the ocean.
Bubba just said, "I wish we could be on that one."
Where is it going? Who knows and who really cares.
Just float me on the sea for some long and lovely days.

If you listen carefully you can't hear a thing.....I like that.
c

bubba said....

"I want a better picture of myself."

The one I took last Sunday for the "Bubba ~ Cathy blog" was not suitable.

He had just gotten out of the shower and his hair was wet.

"Looks like I'm going bald, " he said.

I had taken that picture just holding the camera out in front of us.

Since this blog will be the "book" of my life soon, we needed to be better represented.

So....here we are, ready to go to church this morning.

He is 65 and I am 61 years of age.

These pictures do prove one thing....

He likes air force blue ~ I like black and white.

before there was me there was you......what did you do?

c

can I help you grammy?

Today was a beauty.

People were swimming in the pool and in the ocean.

I had every window in the condo open wide letting the balmy ocean breezes blow through.

Lucy is my only granddaughter.

She and I have a lot in common.

We don't like roller coasters or Captain Hook.

We do like to read and cook together.

Today she helped me make some pink frosting for a little cake I made.

For a treat she got to lick the beaters.

There was only one near miss today.

She was helping me sweep off the deck and mysteriously the broom went over the rail and down three stories to the ground. It happened so quickly I couldn't tell whether it was planned or an accident. She wasn't about to let on. Poor granddaddy had to leave his game and go retrieve.

I chose to let it pass. That's what grammys do you know.

Autumn.....the years last, loveliest smile.

To children, and laughter, and beautiful days

cathy

"set your mind

on things above." Colossians 3:2

I am convinced that the only way a Christian can live in this world is to see and understand everything through the eyes of God and His word.

From first light until sleep overtakes us, our minds should be focused on Him.

As the events of the day start unfolding we should be seeking out His purposes.

Trouble....expect it, and when it happens go to Scripture to find out how to deal with it.

God is Sovereign and nothing takes place in a believer's life that is not lovingly given to us for our good. Even the bad things are given to fit us for heaven....to make us like Him

We are born with a purpose and His purpose in us will be fulfilled without fail.

My questions for tonight...

Is God always on your mind?

Do you filter everything through Him?

Is He your all and everything?

Nothing in this life is more important than our personal relationship with the God of the universe.......all wise....all knowing....all powerful God.

Thanksgiving.....

is without a doubt my favorite holiday.
I get lost and crazy in the mad rush of Christmas.
At thanksgiving you get to relish in the joy of just being together with those you love and those who love you.

There is time to sit and talk and linger over a cup of delicious coffee.
There is the heavy aroma of leaves burning and sweet potatoes simmering on the stove.
There is knowledge that magical Christmas is coming, but there is still time......
just to enjoy each other and count our many blessings one by one.

Today I want to thank Sally.
She didn't know that I needed to be encouraged yesterday.
What I've been going through for the last five years has taken a huge toll on me.
She cares.
She doesn't say, "Put it behind you.......move on with your life."
She says, "I know you can't completely because it hurts too much."

Sally, Bless you. I'm praying for you....I am glad you are getting better.

We are going to have a big, happy Thanksgiving out at Frankie and Sally's house two weeks from today.
We are going to put on quite a party.
We are going to decorate, and cook, and relish in the gathering of family and friends.

Today I am thankful for the people that God has put in my life.
You are all, each one of you, a true blessing from the Lord.

cathy

pay close attention

I always stay out of politics on my blog.
Bubba and I both keep each other informed about what's going on in that realm.
He sends e-mails many times a day for me to read and we discuss when he gets home.
It has always been a fun and interesting past time.

Things in our country have changed, though. It's not so much fun anymore.
It is deadly serious.
I implore you to pay close attention to what our lawmakers in Washington are doing behind closed doors.

Don't listen to what they are saying........ watch what they are doing.
Be informed and get to know your senators and congressmen very well.
We pay them and they work for us. Let's be sure they are representing us as they should.

Switching gears......

I love libraries. I am always in awe when I walk in. The smell of words written on paper.
Rows and rows of books to be discovered and read. The Tybee branch is right across the street from where we live.

I will always have a soft spot for this particular library.
When my mom was in the nursing home for so long I spent much time here at Tybee by myself. I would go to the library everyday to use their computer to stay in touch with family and friends and write my blog.

I took The Pillars of the Earth back this afternoon. There was no fine. This was a very excellent book which took place in the Middle Ages between 1135 and 1174 AD. It was a sweeping saga of a man who was a master builder of a cathedral and his family. I am thankful for the changes that Christianity has brought since those times.

Heard this definition at Bible study yesterday. I was stunned.....

hypocrisy ~ using spiritual means to cover up sin.
More on this later.

until the night is over....
cathy

keeping harry

To all you parents out there...
This is the type of things we grammys do when you are away.

This picture is Harry all wrapped up in my drapes playing peek-a-boo with me.
I think this is the reason for their complete love and devotion.

Today I pulled this little boy over to the playground in the big yellow wagon.
I find this along with teeter-tottering and swinging a fine way to stay in shape.

Harry went with me to my Bible study this morning.
That went fine as did our lunch of delicious mac and cheese and tomato soup at Panera.

Now the key to a good day is managing to get the baby home for his afternoon nap without him falling asleep in the car. If he falls asleep in the car the long awaited two hour afternoon nap is history. My problem today was that his designated nap place was here at the beach.

I lost him halfway home in spite of singing and dancing and every crazy antic I could think of. Sure enough there was no further nap for him.

I had even resorted to giving him my lip gloss to hold. I screwed the top on extremely tight to where I knew he could not budge it. The first time I looked back he was frantically applying that gooey stuff to his lips. What amazed me was that he knew exactly what to do with it.

Oh well.....it was a happy, fun-filled day.

Oh by the way....I will finish my book tonight and I will pay the fine tomorrow.

cathy

bubba ~ cathy

He likes numbers ~ I like words
He is a realist ~ I am a hopeless romantic
He likes air force blue ~ I like black and white and shades of gray.
He forges ahead ~ I lay back
He watches TV at night ~ I read in my comfy chair
He likes military fight songs ~ I like love songs
He wears a uniform ~ I wear linen and ruffles and silk
He sleeps on his back ~ I sleep on my stomach
He collects silver coins ~ I collect cute shoes
He likes MEAT and potatoes ~ I like POTATOES and a little bit of meat
He talks loud ~ I am soft spoken

Things we enjoy together:

Road trips
Antiquing
Grand parenting
Preparing and eating good food
Bicycling
Watching what goes on out on the ocean

What makes "Us" work?

We pray together almost every night
We enjoy communicating with each other
He rules the roost with unconditional love
We give each other PLENTY of space
I respect him immensely
He adores me

What are our greatest treasures?

Knowing God
Having a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ
Being led by the Holy Spirit
The Word of God
Each other
Our children and their spouses
Our grandchildren
Our family
Our friends

Bubba, there is no other person I know on this earth that has such a servants heart as you. In the face of the horrible persecution that we are going through, you take the time to pray for your persecutors and lead me to do the same.

Best of all, after almost 40 years of marriage he still says that
" I put the beautiful in his life. "

One more thing:

thanks for the place at the beach
my Rebel Canon camera
my diamond earrings

Your true companion, cathy

"delicious autumn.......

my very soul is wedded to it,
and if I were a bird,
I would fly about the earth......seeking the successive autumns."

I don't know who wrote this, but it speaks my heart.

A song.....listen and you will know why....."This Dance" by five for fighting.

ps....I did not finish the book. Do I turn it in now or pay the fine?
c

"i wanna hold your hand"

Don't you just hate it when you write someone a really nice e-mail and they ignore it and don't answer the questions that you ask?

All of my life I have had a fear of being rejected.
Even though I know better now that I live in Christ, it still hurts.

Here is my one and only complaint about living in this condo at the beach (and there aren't many)............
I love to entertain, to throw the big party and use all of my beautiful things.
I can't do it here. I want to decorate and fix and do for everybody and it is not to be this holiday season. To all of you out there who would be the recipient of this hospitality, I am sorry.

I checked a book out of the library that has 973 pages. It is due today. I still have 254 pages to read. It is a fascinating book that I cannot put down. I will be reading non-stop tonight to finish it........don't want to get a fine.

This is the doctrine that I live and will die by....

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ......

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him."

Ephesians 1: 3 & 4

the lesser light...........

is magnificent tonight.

I waited and watched for it from the balcony.
About an hour after nightfall it appeared on the northeastern horizon.
It appeared as a giant golden ball sitting on the face of the deep.
The picture does it no justice.

Now it is higher is the sky and has paled to a creamy glow.
There is a giant swarth of light from beneath the moon all the way up to where the waves are breaking on the shore.

I am amazed at God's creation.
God made that big globe of moon and hung it in space Himself.
He sustains it in it's place and it never fails in it's duties.

I ask this question....."How can anyone look at that beauty and not believe in God?"

"And God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night. He made the stars also." Genesis 1:16

don't make the mistake.............

of going to the Coastle Empire Fair a week after you get back from Disney World.

It was nothing like I remembered it to be.

When I was a child this fair was bigger than life.

We couldn't wait for it to arrive into town.

When you entered the gates there was an "air" of excitement........

from the sawdust and hay on the ground to the smells in the air.

They weren't even spinning the cotton candy....it was already bagged up in plastic.

The best and only excitement was the pot-bellied pig race where the big mama you see pictured above was the winner.

What happened to the freak show, the two-headed cow, and the livestock exhibit?

Bubba said, "What were you expecting, Cathy?"

"I don't know," maybe I wanted it to be the way it was when I was sixteen and everything was ahead of me.

You ready to go? Yes!

He took me to the Dairy Queen for a small dipped cone.

There wasn't even a treat at the fair that I wanted.

I think I've grown up.....

cathy

a mickey pumpkin

Scary? no.....but I don't like scary.
Neither does Lucy. She got that from her grammy.

This is one of three things that I bought at Disney.
I also bought a Mickey T-shirt and a DVD of the whole Disney experience.

The Coastal Empire Fair is here this week.
I have so many memories of that from my childhood.
I think Bubba and I are going tomorrow night just to look around.
Maybe see some prize winning animals.
I want some cotton candy.....that pink and blue swirled kind on a stick.
I will take my faithful cam and try to get some shots.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

The Bible says that Jesus saw the crowds and went up on a mountain. He sat down and his disciples came to him and he opened His mouth and taught them............

I have seen a picture of the place where it is said that the events spoken of above took place. The acoustics are such that a person can be speaking on the top of the mountain and people can hear with the human ear all over and down to the bottom. In the course of His teaching he drew a larger and larger crowd.

Remember from before the definition of the word "blessed." A man or women who is blessed gets his satisfaction from God and not from favorable circumstances.

"Poor in spirit." This means that there has been an "emptying."

One cannot be filled with thoughts of self and pride and be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the first step in becoming a believer.....an emptying and a filling.

These are those who will see the kingdom of heaven.........."the poor in spirit."

"and He opened His mouth and taught them."
We have all of His teaching....it's right there in His Word.

What do you do with it?

"and darkness was over the surface of the deep"

The picture is of the moon in a dark sky over the ocean at a little after six o'clock this afternoon.

It will take a while to adjust. I compensated by turning on all of the lights in the condo and lighting candles.

I only want it to be pitch black when I lay down to sleep.....not when I'm ready to go out and walk on the beach.

What happened to the summer and the long days full of promise?

Well.....at least it is still warm......I am running around in shorts and sandals. We had the air conditioner on earlier.

But beware that cold stuff follows close on the heels of these short days.

Another good thought is that the holidays are coming. It has to be dark for the Christmas lights to sparkle and shine.

Light is good....Jesus is the light of the world....we who are believers are living in the light of His Word.

"You are the light of the world." Jesus said to us in Matthew 5: 14

He also tells us, "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5: 16

this little light of mine

i'm gonna let it shine.............cathy