the last day of my birthmonth

That's the marsh.

Bubba got me a new townhouse.

We are and have been in the process of moving in.

Things are changing.

Questions?

Later.....

I can host parties again :)

Things are never dull...always adventurous. Just like i like it!

Cathy

butter tubs

I am cleaning out the cabinets in my parent's kitchen while daddy is away from home.
I know for sure that my mom saved the first empty butter tub she ever bought and every subsequent one after that.

I have carted out trash bag after trash bag filled with butter tubs and lids.
I've been wanting to do this for years and now I can.

I do believe that I am at my best when I am bringing order to a situation.....
which leads me to my file box which I am tackling TONIGHT!!
(I hope)

I have also just recently discovered that I like to eat raw peanuts. Bubba's brother gave him a bushel of them for Christmas. They taste really good and are nutritious and filling. Yesterday afternoon I was starving and grabbed a handful. The problem with raw peanuts is that they stay in your mouth for a long while after you eat them....tiny little pieces.

Soon after the snack, I stopped by an office to take care of some business and while I was talking to the man the little pieces of peanuts keep shooting out. I had to cover my mouth and garble my speech. I am sure he thought I was nuts....no pun intended.

Moral of story...Don't eat nuts and try to talk intelligently to someone.

Don't tell anyone, but that "Three" that I wrote about last week is going to Eli on his third birthday. I hope he gives it back to me when he turns four.

So far so good.....no blog hacker in 24 hours.

Life is so much fun....most of the time,
cathy

maybe this picture of Lucy....

will make summer come faster.

Good news came via text from Atlanta this midday.
Blake does not have cancer.
He has a linear fracture (rare). Most fractures are horizontal.
He will wear a cast for six weeks and return to Atlanta for further treatment.
I am so thankful for this good news.
I know you all will be celebrating around that green cast this weekend. :)

My computer had gotten a Trojan virus.
I could no longer download pictures or get to itunes (a great loss in my life).
The nasty bug was even kicking me out of facebook.
I am thankful for Chris, my computer guy, who got me up and running again.
He said that the viruses are epidemic and the security systems are hardly able to keep up.

Thanks for your help on what to do about my blog.
I did that and now we will see if the hacker goes away.
If not, I may have to shut it down and start over. (I hope not....I would lose some readers.)

Looking at the almost full moon in the beautiful winter sky.
God shows Himself amazing in His creation.

To good news (Blake), creme brulee', and my soft, warm, comfortable bed....
cathy

very tired..........

No time for naps anymore. :(
I have got to find a way to keep my eyes open later than 9:15.
Cold and windy here today, but somehow I can tell spring is coming.
cc

what a believer looks like

Speaking of Barnabus....

"Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God,
he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with
resolute heart
to remain true to the Lord;
for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith.
And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord." Acts 11: 23 & 24

Barnabus......
saw God' grace at work
rejoiced
began to encourage
with a resolute heart (determined, perserverant, bold)
that they should remain true to God

Barnabus was.....
a good man
full of the Holy Spirit
full of faith

The result.....
considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.

That's what a true believer looks like.

some things to say.....

about some things that have already been said.

We still do not have an answer on Blake. He was in Atlanta for tests and bloodwork yesterday. They will have to go back on Friday for a biopsy and final diagnosis. Please continue to pray for this family. This case has stumped the doctors and prolonged the suffering of the "not knowing" kind. I love you guys!!

I finally identified the source of the lizards in my van. I have been doing work over at my father's house of the cleaning out and throwing away variety.

Evidently all of the lizards in Savannah decided to "winter" in his garage. Up on a shelf was a manila envelope full of paper towels that I decided needed to be in my van for some strange reason.

The two giant lizards that ended up ruining the last two days of my life had taken up residence in said envelope. I can't tell you how many times I manhandled that envelope, even getting some towels out for dad to dry off the van and ourselves after we got drenched in the rainstorm going to the doctor. The "twins" were still tucked cozily inside......like I said yesterday, what you don't know can't hurt you.

This afternoon I saw a lizard having a field day in one of his flowerpots. Oh my....I must be constantly vigilant in the future.

A few days ago I posted about my prayer for all of you. What is important about that prayer is that it pertains to our spiritual needs. We all are guilty of only praying for physical needs like healing etc. Paul was an amazing, godly man and his prayer model in Ephesians 1 is for our hearts to know God.

Somebody is hacking into my blog and is leaving crazy messages. I try to keep them deleted, but it keeps happening. Offer me help if you have a solution.

Thanks,
cathy

what you don't know....

can't hurt you.

There was another one.
Today I was merrily driving my van around doing errands here and there.
I had a lot to do, places to stop, bags to take in and out of the back of my van.

Stopping at the storage house, I unloaded some boxes onto a dolly to take inside.
As I was removing them another lizard darted toward the front of the van.
This time things didn't go so well.

I thought, "I can't call Bubba again, maybe I will drive to Erika's house......
No, that won't work because I will have to get into the van."

I called Bubba........ he wasn't nearby like he was yesterday and he wasn't happy.

He took everything out of the van including the seats, the baby car seats, the bags, my cart and all of my junk and he couldn't find the lizard anywhere. This scene caused some other complications at the storage house which I will not go into.

I couldn't drive because of the hidden lizard and the possibility of him darting at me and causing a crash, so I took Bubba's van and he drove mine. Needless to say, my goose was cooked.

Bubba drove the van back to his office, completely emptied it of everything, and took it to be serviced. He told Kevin the story and departed.

Just a little while ago Kevin called. They left the van parked outside until it heated up and when they took it back to work on it, there was the lizard standing proudly in the middle of the back-back.

He said they had some fun with it and then let it go.

Bless you Kevin at Savannah Tire and Rubber. You are my hero.

a lizard in my car

It was raining cats and dogs when I picked up daddy to take him to the orthopedist this morning.
While trying to retrieve the large red and white umbrella from the back of the van, I saw what I was pretty sure was a lizard scampering to the front of the car.

Now......those who know me well understand that I have an inordinate fear of lizards stemming from an incident in my childhood which traumatized my soul. While scampering through some well kept hedges, I emerged with a whopper planted firmly on my arm. I have really never gotten over what happened that day.

Now.....it is winter, right? Lizards are dormant. I am safe.

Okay....I have my dad who has just had hip surgery in the front seat and we need to get to our appointment. I didn't have time to freak out. He couldn't help me, so.............
I steeled myself, got in the front seat and starting driving.

Ya'll....I turned to stone. I am making small talk with dad and inside myself I was freaking out. I started feeling the lizard on my legs......

We finally made it to the doctor's office. I calmly got out of the car, got the walker, and sent daddy on his way inside. I had to get back inside the car to park. By this time I am beside myself so......I called Bubba.

I said, " I know it is raining, but I have a problem." He hesitated and acted like it was my problem and not his. I pleaded, "You've got to come find this lizard and capture him or I will never drive in that car again."

He came.

In a little while he appeared in the doctor's office wearing green plastic gloves holding the biggest lizard he or I have ever seen.

Why he felt the need to show him to me I will never know.
Maybe he knew I needed real proof that he was gone.

I need to enroll in a get over your fear of lizards program

I am spent....cc

if i know you.....

and if you are a believer, this is what I will be praying for you & myself....

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give us......

a spirit of wisdom
a spirit of revelation
in the knowledge of Him.

I will be praying that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened
so that we may know

what is the hope of His calling
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe............

These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
which he brought about in Christ
when He raised Him from the dead
and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places." Ephesians 1:17~20

Taken from Bob's sermon yesterday and adopted by me to pray for those I love who join with me in the body of Christ to be edified while struggling through the trials of living on this earth.

cathy

three

coins in a fountain
candles on my birthday cake (Lucy put four) one was the kind that relights itself
years old (Eli will soon be)
the number i push on the elevator to get home
sixteen (John)
kisses (chocolate that is)
dolphins spotted in the ocean today
hours and i will be fast asleep
sugar wafers for a special bedtime treat
precious grandsons
strikes and you are out
in One ~ The Father ~ The Son ~ The Holy Spirit....The Trinity

I bought this "three sign" when I went to Florida last Saturday.
It was for half price at Anthropology.
I scooped it up because it was quite a find.

Some one will get it soon even though I don't want to give it up.
Can anyone guess who will be the happy recipient and why?

ccc

exploding food.

Again, this will not be the blog I've been thinking about....hopefully I will get to that tomorrow.

Bubba and I spent the last few hours cleaning out two pantry closets at my dad's house that were filled with some very old (exploding) cans of food. Some of it dated back to way before my mom died. He asked if I would do that for him. Not the best job ever, but we had fun and hauled away a ton.

I wanted to give an update on Blake.....

Kellie met with his pediatrician and orthopedist today and it seems as if they are not completely convinced that Blake's pain is caused by a stress factor. They will take him to Atlanta on Tuesday to meet with a doctor with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. That doc will do a MRI and bloodwork of his own and then a biopsy on Friday which is the only way to get a definitive diagnosis.

Please continue to pray for them as they go through this time of not knowing. They are cautiously optimistic as they wait...wait...wait.

Today was gorgeous with a hint of spring....
cc

some good news

I know that God was bombarded last night and today with prayers for Blake.

After a sleepness night the family met at the hospital midday to face the inevitable process that they had been told lay ahead of them.

Instead......after another very careful reading of the latest MRI, the radiologist said,
"This child does not have cancer."

This is what he found.....Blake has a stress fracture at the base of his tibia that had caused the bone marrow to swell. This diagnosis will be followed-up next week to end all doubt.

Praise God for this miracle!!!! We are overwhelmed with the goodness of the Lord.

I will write again later this evening.....or maybe not.

It is 8:10 and I am wiped out. This overwhelming tiredness doesn't happen to me often, but when it does I have to go nite~nite. I have thought of my blog and everything, but I just can't write it......
cc

It is so much harder........

when it is a child.

This is Blake Lee. He is nine years old.

Today he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma....bone marrow edema tibia.

He is the son of Kellie & Rick Lee....the grandson of my dear friends Sandra & Robert.

The nephew of Brant. Our children grew up together.

We are all devastated.

None of us can predict when the trials may come and what they may be.

You get up one morning and your world collapses around you.

That's when you really grab hold of Jesus and all of His promises.

To all of you.....Have much hope. Maybe you can't see it now, but God has many lessons and blessings in this terrible trial.

"Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124:8

Please join our prayers for Blake.

want to stay here?

First of all.......I just saw the most incredible rainbow stretched all the way across the ocean.

Secondly, I wrote this morning too.

Thirdly, from what was written in the guestbook at our tiny condo, the "romantic getaway" was a huge success.

The above pictures show some of the little touches I added to make it special. I had so much fun with this and it turned out to be a special blessing for the lovely couple who won.

I plan to do another "getaway" sometime soon probably in the fall after the summer rush.

Watching "You've Got Mail tonight....

cathy

i just read this......

"Light is sown like seed for the righteous." Psalm 97:11

We live in a dark world. Anything that is not of God is darkness.

"Again therefore Jesus spoke to them saying, "I am the light of the world: he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

Think about the process of seed sowing.......a handful of tiny seed too numerous to count is thrown out onto the ground, penetrating the dark soil soon to bring forth nourishment or beauty according to its kind.

The righteous are all who have come to God through Christ Jesus.

Light, truth, is sown like seed to us. Light is sown (thrown in abundance) into our hearts so that we can know the truth. Light and truth come only from God and His word.

I love it!
cc

He answers

I was sitting in my big chair this morning,
looking out at the calm ocean and the sunrise just beyond,
wrapped in my huge, warm, cozy, pink, morning sweater.

I was sitting there thinking about how many prayers God has answered in the last few weeks.

As I recounted in my head I was amazed.
God had been silent on a lot of issues in the last years.
I knew he was hearing my prayers and that he was working on hearts,
but His silence had become difficult for me.

All during this quiet time, though, I was learning to trust Him;
My faith was growing stronger and not weaker.
When He finally spoke, it was profound.
He left no shards of doubt in my heart that He had been near all along.

"Answer me when I call, O God of righteousness!
Thou hast relieved me in my distress;
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer." Psalm 4:1

"In the morning, O Lord, Thou wilt hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch." Psalm 5:3

"The Lord has heard my supplication,
The Lord receives my prayer." Psalm 6:9

"In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried to my God for help:
He heard my voice out of His temple,
And my cry for help before Him came into His ears." Psalm 18:6

Bubba and I don't do Valentine's Day.
Flowers and dining out are so inflated and the crowds and noise prevail.
I know that he loves me and that is all I need to know.
cathy

they took me away

Early this morning we headed to Florida to celebrate day two of my birthday.
We were looking for warmer weather and PF Changs.
David, Erika, Lucy, and Harry as well as the Bub went along for the fun.
I was able to spend the money you see above in my favorite store.......Anthropology.
I went to the candy store and got my milk chocolate orange peels.
And......I got a tiramisu with a lighted candle after my wonderful meal.
Above you can see some of my gifts.....
Thank you everyone for your part in my loveliest of days.
cathy

birthday fun

It was a good one and its not over yet.
My birthday celebration goes on and on!

passages

This is where I am at 62 years ~ Blessed and happy beyond measure......
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for my life in You.
Cathy

1 ~ 3 inches

My life is so crazy right now that I don't have time to write but......
I am so excited.

Tomorrow is my birthday and CEMA has predicted that we will get one to three inches of
SNOW!!!! What a great present!!

I've got a lot to tell....will write soon.
cc

staying busy with the ones i love

She's spending the day with me tomorrow. I'm picking her up at 9:30.
We haven't done this in a while because of my eye and my dad.

We are going to decorate the small condo for Valentine's Day.
The "romantic getaway" couple is coming this weekend and I want it to look special.
I have candles, and little sweetheart roses, and snacks, and movies.
So excited about this!!!

I'm a little worried because another gale is expected to blow in tonight and continue through the day tomorrow. The snow has disappeared from the radar for Friday night. :(

We also have some business to take care of at the assisted living place where Dad is going on Thursday. We get to see his newly painted and carpeted room and take care of some tiny little details. His new mattress will be delivered on Thursday.

Bubba took Estelle to have cataract surgery on one eye today. She seems to have come through with good results. He will take her to her doctor in the morning to check her progress. My visit with Aunt Dottie today went well. She is not wanting to talk much anymore and that makes me sad, but she is always glad to see me.

Are you reading God's word?

"So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

God's word will prevail and do it's work until Jesus comes back.

Amen and Amen

the rain

"Kathy's Song"......Simon & Garfunkel
The guitar plays......................
an amazing likeness
to the rain falling on the tin roof across the way.

I will write tonight.....If the Lord is willing.
cc

maybe.......

just maybe,
there will be snow on the night of my birthday.
cathy:)

Come.......

let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
and the sheep of His hand." Psalm 95: 6&7

Fernando sings these verses beautifully.
In fact he is singing them to me right now.

Praise Him

six-thirty pm and still light

First light this morning.....I like to watch the "early" ships heading out to parts unknown.
The days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter....that is good news.

Mark decided last night that it would be risky to plow the parking lot and have it freeze over, so for the second week in a row, Liberty Baptist Church in Lanex, VA, was closed for Sunday services.

This morning Mark sent out an e-mail saying that they would have church in their home for any who could come and they would SKYPE the message out via the internet for those who couldn't get out.

A man came over very early to get everything set up and then they lost their cable. About twenty people made it to the house for a mini service after all. Amanda did not serve Sunday dinner. I love the energy and dedication of these young ones.

Bubba made fresh oyster stew for dinner. He used real butter and real whipping cream. It was delicious....perfect night for it too.

I am reading "Night Over Water" by Ken Follett. The Pan Am Flying Clippers were the majestic flying boats that symbolized elegance, luxury and adventure not equaled since their heyday between 1931 and 1946. So good. See them at http://www.flyingclippers.com/.

Not watching the super bowl......
cathy

eyes to get lost in

Tybee Island hosted its sixteenth annual half marathon and 9K race today. It was well done and well run. Seemed like the middle of summer with so many people here to participate.

Our church hosted a woman's conference last night and this morning. It was good to be with everyone singing and hearing the word of God proclaimed in a most powerful way. The four chapters of the book of Jonah provided a time of introspection that was both compelling and sobering for me.

Amanda and Mark got another six inches of snow and are trying to decide if they need to keep the church doors closed again tomorrow. Mark and the man who plows the parking lot will meet there at nine tonight to make the decision. I'm guessing they'll plow and hope the faithful will be able to get there in the morning.

"But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea."
Jonah 1:4

It is God who hurls the storms into our lives.
It's how we deal with those storms that makes us who we are.

cc

blow the house down

Great gusts slamming against the big window.
The wind last night was actually scary......the shut bedroom door was rattling on it's hinges.

In town just now I turned on Paulson Street which is notorious for flooding and had to drive through deep water. Thankfully my brakes still worked as I emerged from the depths.

I so much wish I could be in DC tonight in our eleventh floor apartment and watch the snow fall and mound up on the deck. They say it may even break the record set way back in 1922.

Weather......I just love it.....I love a good storm here at the beach.

I'm watching the big ships head into the Savannah River basin shrouded in fog and I'm hearing the foghorns breaking the silence of the deserted beach. The ocean is agitated, a mass of gray and white frenzy.

I spent some time at the hospital today. While my friend Sandy had her surgery, I had a delightful time catching up with Kellie and Robert while we waited for her to be done. She did well and I am thankful.

A couple of things to a few of my people......

Amanda, has the snowfall started yet?

Estelle....you rock on facebook!!

Harry, you left your gingerbread man in my car yesterday.

Kellie, I love your blog books.....You have inspired me to get mine done.

Lou, I hope you are continuing to improve.

Aunt Jackie.....can you believe that Dad is going to assisted living?

Bubba, thank you for the chocolate chewies.

Anna and Tony, its almost time for you to come to the beach for the "romantic" getaway. "

I love life.....it is always such a great adventure.

cathyc

"When......

my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Thy consolations delight my soul."
Psalm 95:19

snow angel

I am bowed down and humbled before the God who hears and answers our prayers.
My Dad is going into assisted living to get the help he needs to finish getting well.

"I will sing the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Thy faithfulnes with my mouth." Psalm 89:1

crown of thorns

These succulents were given to us by our friends Sandra and Robert.
They have grown exponentially since their arrival in our care.

When we moved from Atlanta they stayed behind for a year under the care of Robbie and Mary Ann. When they finally came back home to Savannah, they had a stint in the backyard of Estelle and Irvin. They are now ensconced in Bubba's office. They are pictured above after being outside to be watered by the latest deluge of rain on Tuesday.

I say all that to say this.......Robert and Sandra, Bubba wanted you to see how they have grown.
I personally think they have nine lives to have survived all of their meanderings.

They mean the world to Bubba. He protects them as if they were a member of the family.

I thank the Lord for our pastor and his counsel to me today.
I am thankful for the people in my life who hold me accountable to do what is right.
I am thankful for the Holy Spirit who gives me the wisdom and courage to live another day.

cathy

sweet snow pink-cheeks

My mom bought this lion hat for Jake when he was a baby.
That's Eli wearing it in the picture above. These pictures make me happy!!!

I think, no....I know, that I have the best friends in the whole world.
Today I got not one but two notes in the mail to read and enjoy.
You know who you are and you are the greatest.
Blessings abound in my life and you two are definitely blessings.

Well, PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL, the groundhog, saw his shadow this morning.
That means there will be six more weeks of winter.

I've never understood this groundhog thing because according to the calendar there will be six more weeks of winter whether he sees his shadow or not.

An observation about Punxsutawney.....He is very fat and he has long whiskers and twinkly eyes.

Whatever he thinks, I vote for an early spring.
That's the nice thing about living in Savannah....
We have spring days even while it's still winter.
cathy

somehow.......

I missed out on the month of January.
I woke up this morning and it was February and in eleven days I will have my birthday.

Looking back through my blog I see that I was planning to get to work in the storage houses.
That never happened.

I was back to the eye doctor early this morning.
He said that I am slowly improving.......I could see the big E on the vision screen.
I will be tapering off of the steriods in the next weeks with more improvement. (I hope)

Today is the first time I have felt really good. I cooked a knockout meal, cleaned the whole condo, and did at least five loads of laundry after I got home from the doctor.

Thank you for loving me with your prayers.
cathy

no words are needed