glass capades

All of the windows and doors in my house are wide open,
the air feels like velvet,
and I am simply happy in my heart.

The above picture is our little outside eating area off of the kitchen.
Those are Bubba's legs in case you are wondering.

This morning I took my Dad on an outing.
We went to breakfast and to the bank and to buy a flower for moma's grave.
We had a good time.
I rejoice that God has restored my relationship with him.

Afterwards I decided to go down to the beach to get a few things from the condo.

I have a beautiful, heavy, wrought iron candle burning chandelier.
There are twelve glass votive holders.
It was hanging over the glass topped pineapple table that we eat on.

Mistake #1....I decided to get it down myself instead of waiting for help from the guy who owns those legs in the picture above.

Mistake #2.....I didn't go get my small ladder.

About halfway through the project it all came crashing down.
The sound of breaking glass sounded in my ears.
I thought, "I've gone and done it now."

This is the amazing part....the table glass did not break.
Nine of the twelve glass votives did break and explode all over the room.
I am so adept at creating messes that have to be cleaned up.
I am very thankful that the tabletop is still intact.
Bubba doesn't know about this yet.
I'm gonna wait and let him read it on here.

There is great joy in Christ!
I am so thankful for my salvation.
Thank you Jesus for dying on that cross.

when the water comes into the marsh

This picture was taken from my bedroom window on Sunday morning.
An extra high tide associated with the beautiful full moon was responsible.
Most of the time we just see the marsh so this was a treat.
The townhouse sits up extra high because there is a real threat of flooding.
Hope that never happens.

I love this new home.
My favorite room by far is the bedroom.
It is painted dark gray and everything else is in various shades of creme and white.
When things settle down I am going to paint the furniture white as well.
It is a true haven from the weary world.

The laser went well (so said the doc) but I hated every minute of it.
Very stressful.
Hellishly bright lights pulsating into my left eye.
I cannot see how in the world that helps the situation.
Home~bed~sleep after the procedure.
Thanks for your prayers.

I haven't heard anything about Bryan yet.

cc

our reason to rejoice

"......And they also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
God raised Him up on the third day,
and granted that He should become visible,
not to all the people,
but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God,
that is, to us,
who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

and He ordered us to preach to the people,
and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God
as Judge of the living and the dead.

Of Him all the prophets bear witness
that through His name
everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins" Acts 13: 39~43

God is Holy.
We are sinners.
We can only come to God through Jesus Christ who was punished for our sins.

"I (Jesus) am the way, and the truth, and the life;
No one comes to God but through Me." John 14:6

If you read this and don't understand, don't despair.
I have been at that same place in my life.
Just keep reading and asking God for wisdom and understanding.
He will bless that humble prayer.

cathy

not seeing clearly

Harry rocking at the casino at St. Simon's Island, GA

The last time I went to the eye doctor, my sight had gotten worse.
I didn't say anything because so much was going on.
Tomorrow I go for him to put the laser to it.
The shot works better but he can't risk what happened before.
We'll see.

Please continue to pray for Bryan Jacobs as he undergoes surgery tomorrow in Atlanta.
He and my neice Lindsey are holding up well and hoping for the best.
Frankie and Sally will travel up tomorrow to be with them.

"The Lord is in His holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold,
His eyelids test the sons of men."
Psalm 11:4

i'm looking for....

a family.....
that would otherwise not be able to take a vacation this summer.

One week in an oceanfront condo with three pools. Very relaxing and fun.

Please e-mail me telling why your family or a special family you know would be
blessed by this...........

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!!!

she's still the one

Lucy dancing on the pier at St. Simon's Island, GA

to think about this week before Easter

Therefore He (God) also says in another Psalm,
"Thou wilt not allow Thy Holy One (Jesus) to undergo decay.

For David,
after He had served the purpose of God in his own generation,
fell asleep,
and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; (he died)

but He whom God raised (Jesus) did not undergo decay. (Jesus died but did not stay dead because He did not decay which is the normal process of dying)

Therefore,
Let it be known to you brethren,
that forgiveness of sin has been proclaimed to you." Acts 13: 35~38

God is Holy ~ we are sinners
Because we are sinners we cannot come to God as we are.
The highlighted word of God above is why we celebrate.

"He made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin, to be sin on our behalf,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." II Corinthians 5:21

Amazing grace
how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!

the fab four.....

at the Casino at St. Simon's Island, GA

amanda & me

She and the boys got away at eight this morning.
Jake said, "Grammie, are you going to cry because I'm leaving?"
"Most likely dear one.....all of you leaving does make me so sad."

Godspeed little men and to my wonderful daughter too!

and please ~ one more thing

It is with great fear that I handle the word of God.

If you ever see me send out anything that is in error,
If I ever send out anything that does not glorify God.....

please hold me accountable!
I will not be offended.
I do not need to be coddled or
made to feel good when I am in error.

I welcome reproof and correction~
I welcome training in righteous. II Timothy 3:16

Please pray for Lindsey and Bryan Jacobs.
Bryan is at Emory in Atlanta and will be having bone marrow transplant surgery on Tuesday.
May God bless this time with comfort and peace as He does His work.

cathy
(Pics coming later)

in defense of God's word

If we who call ourselves Christians
don't hold the Bible in sacred regard
then who will?

"Let the word of God dwell in you richly,
teaching and admonishing each other in all wisdom...." Colossians 3:16

God's word

God is holy.
His word is holy.

The word of God is not to be
changed,
mocked,
or
laughed at.

Amen!

eli turns 3...again

We gathered tonight to celebrate Eli.

Being three is the absolute best!

That is because........

all of your cares and worries can be comforted by your mom and dad

all of your hurts can be healed with a kiss

and all of your wishes can come true in toys~r~us.

~

Bless you little boy for blessing us.

~

God has sent warmth back to our earth once again.

To be outside in the sun is glorious.

Everything is coming back to life again.

~

Praise the One who makes all of this happen.

Praise the One who holds it all together.

~

My heart is overflowing with gratitude this lovely evening.....

I hope yours is too!

cathy

grammying

This picture is Erika's work.
It was taken on the morning that Eli got sick.
You can see it in his little eyes.

Blogging is harder for me when my grand babies are here.
My whole day is spent caring for them and when I hit the computer,
I am well past spent.

We went to St. Simon's Island today on a jaunt.
We came home tired and happy to fresh shrimp from the docks prepared by granddaddy.

Praising always the name of Christ....

cathy

today

"May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in His works,
who looks on the earth and it trembles, (earthquakes)
who touches the mountains and they smoke!" (volcanoes)

waiting for Amanda to arrive.....
lc

sunday morning go to meeting

Jake asked this morning, "What are we going to do today grammie"

I replied, "Go to church."

"Why do we have to go to church," he said.

"We go to church because we love God

and we want to join with other people who love Him

to offer our praise

to worship Him

and to hear His wondrous word proclaimed.

~

After church Jake said, "I had a great time at church grammie."

Eli did too.

~

"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord."

Psalm122:1

watching....

the long awaited and much anticipated Handy Manny's Great Race.

They could hardly wait for this 20 minutes of intense action.

Several times every day they would ask...

Can we watch the new Handy Manny episode now?

You can tell by the faces above that it didn't disappoint.

~

Eli fell ill yesterday on the first day of his visit.

We had packed the car with good food and were heading to the beach for an afternoon of fun.

Not far down the road he lost his lunch and our van will never be the same.

We cleaned him up the best we could and turned around to return home.

He was a sweet little sick boy and we loved taking care of him.

He is better today, but refused granddaddy's spaghetti which says a lot about how sick he was.

I've gotten so many hugs that I would have never received if he had not gotten sick.

~

church in the morning.....

long naps tomorrow afternoon (I hope) because I have to be infused.

~

I know that I have the sweetest and most loving grandchildren in all the world.

Thank you God so much for this blessing.

cc

harbingers

When you see daffodils you know that spring is not far behind.
These lovelies had sprung up on the side of the Hollinsworth's house and I had to snap them.
They make me happy.

By the way Estelle....
in all of the craziness of the last few weeks I forgot to thank you for the geranium.
It is bursting with new blooms and loving the morning sun on my terrace.
Thank you for being such a giving sister~ in~ law and thanks for the flower.

We are home with two little boys.
Nine hours in the car yesterday.
They watched seven videos back to back and ate out of little zip lock bags filled with various treats.
I spent much time turned around in my seat fetching and fixing.
A couple of times I was standing on my head looking for lost cups and sunglasses & things.
They were very good but we were all happy to get out of the car.......
they have been playing ever since.

When we all get up from our nap we are heading to the beach.
Too pretty to stay inside.
Spanky's chicken fingers here we come!!!!

The happiness of spring has overtaken me!!!
cathyc

"America....love her or saddle up"

Falls church, VA....
One of my favorite places.
Yesterday I got to shop for a few things for our new home.
I see something and spend time thinking about how it will look a particular room.
I may set the object down and then come back to it later, or maybe the next day.
Shopping is definitely mental work for me.
I walked in shops from ten until four.

Sweetwater Tavern....
I mentioned this place before.
I think just maybe it might be my most favorite restaurant ever.
It is themed "Old~Wild West."
The title of this blog is posted on a wall there.
Their crab cakes are nothing but pure lumps of white crab meat.
The chopped salad is over the top.
I always come away with deep satisfaction.

Cake Love....
How could i forget the best cupcakes I've ever eaten.
When I reached a real low yesterday afternoon, I bought half a dozen......
and they aren't cheap.
I sat right down and ate one and it made all the difference in the world in how I felt.
These folks really know how to make cake and frosting.......
and make it all work in a most delectable way.


By 7:30 pm I couldn't get into the bed fast enough.
I slept for eleven hours.
It felt good.

I came here exhausted.
It is always very good to get away for a few days.

Thank your Lord for this little respite.
We pick up Jake & Eli tomorrow and head for home.
Life is sweet!!

cathyc

unpacking and packing

Two nights in the new house and I am packing to go on a trip.
Tomorrow morning we leave for DC and Lanexa in that order.

Two little boys will be making the return trip with us at the end of the week.
Jake and Eli are coming for a visit with grammie and granddaddy.
They never know what house we will be living in when they come to see us.
It doesn't matter to them though....as long as there is lots of love and attention.

I have the kitchen and bathroom set up.
All that is left is the decorating which I love.
Seeing my stuff again is like Christmas morning.

I am glad you liked the diamond story.
I have had lots of feedback on that.
I am still amazed that the lost one was found.

Daylight Savings Time always confounds me.
I am having to stay up till ten tonight or I would have had to go to bed at eight.
Does that make sense?
It really does mess me up at the core of my being.
I am very thankful for the extra daylight at the end of the day though.
I'll be settled in about a week.

Until then....I'll be travelin'.

cathy cleland

diamonds are forever

Bubba told me the other day that I was doing some stupid things.
I wasn't too happy with him for saying that but I knew it was true.

What with moving and working at dad's house I have been on overload........
too much on my mind~too many irons in the fire.

My diamond earrings are two of my very most favorite possessions.
Every morning after my shower and before I head out the door I put them on.

Thursday was overwhelming.....

Thursday evening while taking off my earrings I noticed that the back was still in the container where they rest at night.

My heart sank and my stomach lurched.
I had on one earring and the other ear lobe was empty.
In my hurry to leave that morning, I had stuck the diamond in my ear and not attached the back.

Needless to say.....it was not secured.

I put on my glasses and searched the carpet inch by inch with a magnifying glass.
No diamond.......
I called Bubba and told him what had happened.

He said profoundly, "Life will go on without it."

Yesterday I searched everywhere I had been the day before to no avail.
I must come to grips with the truth.....only one ear would now sport a diamond.
I prayed that God would help me find my "needle in a haystack."

Last night was my first night in our new home.
I went to bed early from exhaustion telling myself, "Cathy, you can't hold on this tightly to a worldly possession.

As I was drifting off I heard Bubba running up the stairs and bounding down the hall.
Bursting into the shut doors to the bedroom he said, "I just found your diamond."

He was barefoot in the kitchen getting a snack and he felt a pain in his foot.
It was my diamond.

Of all the places I had been that day, (I can't remember them all) it was right here in my new home in the middle of my kitchen floor.

God is in the tiny little details of our lives....

cathy (grateful and amazed)

rain at the new house

It's raining.....it's pouring...
the old man is snoring.
Not really.
He is downstairs laid out on the sofa....exhausted from bringing heavy items up two flights of stairs.

I can really hear the rain falling in this new place. I love it!
I'm thinking about the guitar rythmn of the rain in "Kathy's song" again.....

Alone? I love to be alone.
"You can have one more night at the condo and only one,".....
that's what Bubba said to me just now.
I guess he misses me a little bit.

A clingy, jealous woman I am not.
He wouldn't tolerate that one minute out of me.
Those kind ruin relationships that used to be good and fun.

Going to get a steak and talk to each other about how things are going in our life and if I'm really officially moving in tomorrow night.

change

I'm having a little trouble leaving the beach.
I was going to let this be my last morning here, but now I think I will stay another night.

Bubba went ahead and moved two nights ago leaving me here which is nice.
Sometimes I just need to be alone and this is one of those times.

more from 104

"You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;

they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.

From Your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your work."

Think about the hills and the valleys of this earth and a lovely stream flowing through the midst of them. In the trees of the valley, birds are singing among the branches.

Out of this idyllic setting God quenches the thirst of all of the wild animals.
He does this from heaven where he dwells.

The earth is SATISFIED with the fruit of God's work.
People who believe, we don't need anything apart from God and His provision for us.

Bless His holy name.

His care over His creation

"There is the sea great and broad,
in which are swarms without number,
animals both small and great.

There the ships move along,
and Leviathan, (a large sea animal)
which Thou hast formed to sport in it.

They all wait for Thee,
to give them their food in due season.

Thou dost give to them,
they gather it up;
Thou dost open Thy hand,
they are satisfied with good." psalm 104: 25~28

This is a small section of Psalm 104 which deals with God's care over His creation.
As I look out at the ocean this morning after reading this passage, I am overwhelmed with the magnitude of the greatness of our God.

First of all;

He holds it back.
The unimaginable volume of water in the ocean can come only so far onto the land according to the decrees of God.

He tells us that it is filled with swarms of life and He feeds them all.
He tells us that they wait for Him.
He gives food to them and they gather it up.
When God opens His hand they are satisfied with good.

God is in control of the sea and everything in it.
Let us all take note and apply this to our hearts.

Starting my day with Him.....cathy

moving day

For about the last ten days I have been going non-stop preparing to move and cleaning at my father's house.

I came home early this afternoon and I am unable to function.
It seems I have officially run out of steam.

I laid down to read
drifted off to sleep
couldn't wake up
got cold
Covered up with my blanket
which made it even harder to get up.

The truck came to the office early this morning to take all of our "stuff to the new home.
I had to be there at 8:00 to greet the comcast man who showed up at 11:00.

Setting up
moving furniture
establishing a functioning kitchen and workable bathrooms.
cleaning the floors (a continuing challenge)
making up the beds.

Bubba is spending the night out there, I am here at the condo where much still needs doing.

I rarely take pain meds, but I just allowed myself two Tylenol.
I think I need to get back in the bed and stay put.

Better tomorrow....I hope!
cathy

fascinating old picture

This is a picture of the King David Hotel after it was bombed in Jerusalem in 1946.
I took this picture from a blog that I follow....BiblePlaces.com.

This Hotel was bombed by Jewish Terrorists in 1946 and 92 people were killed.
It was quickly rebuilt and no signs of this event exist today.

After reading both of Herman Wouk's riveting World War II novels, my interest was sparked to study the period after the war when Israel was struggling to become a nation.

This period of time was captured in another Wouk noel, The Hope, which I am reading now.

Caught up in the throes of moving.

cathy

three today

Happy Birthday today to our precious grandson Eli.

I spoke with him yesterday and he was getting ready for his party.

Lightening McQueen was to be on his cake and there were balloons and party hats.

He and Jake both were quite excited.

~

I like your laid back style which is evident in the picture above.

The video of you singing "Jesus Loves Me" on facebook made me stop and take stock.....

This boy can really sing.

I think he got that from his beautiful mom.

~

Eli....your strength amazes me. You are a fighter to be sure.

I love to hear your voice reciting God's word too.

It is pure loveliness to my ears.

Your Grammy is richly blessed.

~

I can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks when you come to stay.

Many more Happy Birthdays sweet boy.

You are loved.

on saturday......

I like to let my hair dry naturally.
It becomes a mass of curls if you can believe that about me.

I like to load my face up with lots of moisturiser and go au natural.
I consider this ritual to be a day of rest for my skin and hair.

I like to strip my bed and wash my sheets so that they will be crisp and sweet when I climb in tonight at nine......exhausted after this busy day.

I spent the morning cleaning my own beautiful condo home.
It's a little messy because I am packing but....
when I walked in the door just now I smelled clean and I love it!

I spent the rest of today working at dad's house.
Every cupboard in the kitchen has been emptied and
everything that was in those cupboards has been sent through the dishwasher.
I have worked my fingers to the bone and I am loving every minute of it.

Just now, Bubba took me to have crab legs for dinner....my favorite.
They have these luscious little hush puppies that taste like donuts.
They come with a little pot of honey butter.
I have to severely limit myself on these because they fill me up and I can't eat my dinner.

David is preaching both services at our church tomorrow.
I always sit there in the pew in disbelief that I have a son who can preach like that.

on saturday.....
I am loved, I love life, and I love the One who makes it all possible.

cathy

just wondering

This dilapidated old building has sat for years on a vacant lot across the street from our condo here at the beach.

Last Monday they came and lifted it high into the sky on these risers.

They have graded the lot and are paving.

~

I have no idea what they are doing over there.

It looks kind of rickety to me.....not stable at all.

What do you think?

~

Maybe a new, fancy restaurant up in the stars?

Maybe a bed and breakfast with a view?

A tree house?

A fun house that sways like at the fair?

~

I don't know, but I can't wait to find out.

cc

no tottering

A few days ago I saw this news flash on AOL...
"Chile Quake Shifted Earth's Axis Shortened Day"

This is what God's word says....

"He established the earth upon its foundations,
so that it will not totter forever and ever." psalm 103:5

Thank you God for Your precious promises.
We do not have to be afraid because You have everything under control.

hair today gone tomorrow

Lucy's hair was getting super long.
She had grown a great ponytail and some wonderful pigtails.

Lucy had earned the privilege of having some sharp scissors of her own.
She had projects and other activities that required them.

Last night she lost that privilege until she turns five in December.

I haven't seen her since she sheared her locks.
She wouldn't tell me what she had done on the phone.
I will see her tomorrow for an assessment.

One thing for sure, she can't use her glue to put her pretty locks back on.

a snapshot of pure joy

After the angel departed from Peter,
he went to the home of Mary,
the mother of John who was also called Mark.

Many were gathered at her house praying for him because of his imprisonment.

When Peter knocked on the door of the gate,
a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.

When Rhoda recognized Peter's voice,
because of her joy she did not open the gate.
Instead,
she ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.

The people said to her,
"You are out of your mind."
But she kept insisting that it was so.
And they kept saying,
"It is His angel."

In the meantime, Peter is still standing outside the gate knocking on the door.
When they finally opened the door and saw him,
They were amazed.

Peter motioned to them with his hand to be silent.
He described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison.
Before he departed, he said,

"Report these things." acts 12: 12~17

That is what we as believers are supposed to do.

stairway to heaven

This is the outside of our new abode.

The gray brick in the middle is ours.

It has lots of steps.....all the better to stay in good shape!

Not so good for getting the elderly in but we will find a way.

I am going to plant lots of geraniums in that spot in front of the stairs....

simply because I haven't been able to plant anything for a long time.

~

Our moving progress has been slowed by Bubba falling ill.

He is so much better today and I haven't caught it yet.

I spent the morning scourging this place...."all germs be gone!"

~

Some have asked me, "Why would you want to leave the beach?

It is simple....I miss all of my beautiful things.

I love my furniture and I want to use my pretty dishes and linens.

I want to have room to entertain.

I want to have a place for my family and friends to spend the night comfortably.

~

A couple of things....

1. I have yet to organize my file box which I mentioned I would do the other night.

2. The blog hacker is back or most likely he never left.....don't know what to do.

cathy

he's sick

I knew he was sick before he did this morning.

It's an instinct you have when you live with someone for almost forty years.
You know the sounds and the scenarios of his life very well.

By 7:oo am Bubba was in major distress.
I did what every loving wife would do under these circumstances.....
I got dressed, put a load in the van,and left........ only just now to return.

He needed to be alone in his misery.
I did hand him a wet washcloth on the way out of the door.
He appeared to be thankful, but I really couldn't tell for sure.

No, I am not a cold, callous woman.
I just know that he wants me to go and leave him to be miserable by himself.

We only talked once, late this afternoon.
He called and said he needed more Imodium.
I was more than happy to help in this way.

He is better tonight....
just kind of sleeping it off.

I hope he does not have to write one of these about me tomorrow night.
cc

an angel encounter

Taken form Acts 12.....

Herod the king seized Peter,
put him in prison,
and assigned four soldiers to guard him.

That very night Peter was sleeping between two of the soldiers,
bound with two chains,
with sentries guarding the door.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell.
He struck Peter on the side,
woke him up, and said....
"Get up quickly."
And the chains fell off of his hands.

And the angel said to him,
"Dress yourself,
put on your sandles,
wrap your cloak around you and
follow me.'
He did.

Peter did not know that what was being done to him by the angel was real,
but thought he was seeing a vision.

When they passed the first and the second guard,
they came to the iron gate leading into the city.
It opened for them of its own accord.
They went out and along one street,
and immediately the angel left him.

There you go!
Peter was whished out of prison by an angel.
Evidently God did not want His man to be confined.

I continue to attest that the Bible is the most fascinating book ever written.
It was written by God Himself and has endured through the ages.

Praise God for His word to us!