no roosters in the bedroom

A friend called this morning and told me about a lamp she had spotted.....
wrought iron ~ check
black ~ check
a rooster at the base ~ no
I have weaned myself off of all rooster decor....
especially in the bedroom.

What matters, though, is that you all are out there looking for the perfect lamp for my ruffled lampshade. Thanks ~

No good news on my eye today.
The laser treatment done last month offered no improvement.
It is no worse and for that I am thankful.

My doctor offered a new treatment that may work...
he would put a pellet in my eye.
Maybe in a hundred years I will try that but....
the horror of going blind from that shot is still fresh on my mind.

"Take six more weeks to decide", he said.
I will take that and more, thank you.

moonshine

Just in case you didn't know,
there is the most dazzaling golden full moon
just peeping it's head above the horizon.

Also, there is a little touch of winter in the air.
Moonshine and fresh air coming in through the open window.......
makes for
slumber of the most sublime kind.

May God bless you as you sleep.....

something to put this on

This is the lampshade that I bought
to sit upon a lamp
to sit upon the desk that is pictured below.

The trouble is
I can't find a base for this lampshade.

The ruffles remind me of the ocean.
The darkest gray is the color of the walls in my bedroom.

I want a black wrought iron lamp for this lampshade,
preferably old,
ideally with a little owl sitting at the base, (I have seen one like this but it is too expensive)
but so far I can't find what I am looking for.
If any of you see anything appropriate,
please let me know.

from....cathy the decorator girl

my new writing desk

It is six feet long and almost two feet wide.
It sits in front of the three big windows in my bedroom looking out over the marsh.
It is big enough to hold my books while I write with room left over.
I am so excited.

This new desk is not to take the place of my computer desk......
there is just no room to write on that one.

Listen as Habakkuk rejoices in the Lord....

"though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on it's vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord:
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God the Lord is my strength:
He makes my feet like the deer's;
He makes me tread on my high places."
Habakkuk 3: 17~19

another day in paradise

Monday ~
I was getting the laundry done early this morning.
It was going really well.

Sheets done and another load in before eight o'clock......
moving right along.

Bubba always has a black ink pen in the pocket of his uniform....
shorts and a tee shirt.
He always removes the pen but this time he didn't.
I missed it too.

Most everything in that load was ruined.
The tub was covered in slimy black ink which
got under my fingernails while I was cleaning.
What a mess!

I tell that story to say this.....
Instances like what happened this morning are the stuff of life.
Little things that set you on edge and can easily ruin your day.

The truth is.....it's not worth it.
I laughed and
thanked the Lord
that my new gray capri jeans
didn't even get a spot on them.

"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."
Proverbs 16:32

getting lost and finding the way

Last weekend God revealed a new truth to me.
Not that I had not heard it before but,
this time it hit me in the place where it made a difference....my heart.

satisfaction ~ contentment ~ true joy have always been elusive to me.
I have always looked for them in the wrong places.

These treasures are heavenly....
they are priceless,
they are spiritual.

For a Christian, Satan is our adversary.
He does not want us to know God's truth.
Why?
Because he wants us to be miserable so that our witness to the world is destroyed.

So........because of this new found truth that had potentially life changing hope for me,
Satan attacked my mind with all of his foolish tricks so that by the end of the week I could hardly remember what had made me so happy a few days earlier. I had to think hard
to even remember the great truth that God had revealed to me.

Last night I told Bubba about my predicament and he said, "You know what you have to do, Cathy, get in your Bible, pray, and reread the chapters in the book."

Today I am back on track.....
Listen to what I read this afternoon in another book...

"Joy and contentment describe the deep inner satisfaction that Christians feel for what God has done for them. This inner satisfaction enables them to remain happy, and not start complaining about God, even when things seem to be against them."

from "Learning to be Happy" by Jeremiah Burroughs (1599 - 1646)

This is how I learn a new truth....
One step forward and one hundred steps backward.
But...I have this promise,

"He (God) who is in me is stronger than he (Satan) who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

Praise God!

thanks to my friend

for a wonderful day.

There is nothing like a special friend on a day long getaway to shop and eat.
Here is something I just found while I was reading.
It's the truth I was trying to convey.

"Though the world may be rocking around about and beneath your feet,
and though hell may be assailing you from every direction,
in the quiet confidence that you are a child of God, you will have a peace of which
nothing can rob you." (MLJ Life in Christ)

I pray for this kind of peace for you tonight.
I love you for sweet fellowship.

your friend,
cathy

lunch with Lucy

She was ready when I arrived this morning......
just bathed and in a brand new sundress.

Just a few thoughts....
Our first stop to was visit Papa....her great-grandfather.
She has a caring heart and is faithful to visit her "people."
She had also made a beautiful card to be taken to Aunt Dottie.

Next stop was the cemetery to water the beautiful geranium on my mom's grave.
The concept of the whole cemetery thing was over her head...no questions were asked.
She happily helped me with the task and we drove away.

Lunch was next and we decided on Johnny Harris.
She asked two questions:

Can we get some bread and cheese spread and
"Where is Glendora?"
She is our much loved waitress.

We ordered the chicken salad which comes with tons of fruit and yummy things.
She ate almost the whole loaf and took a piece to the car to finish with her lemonade.

Last stop was Target to buy pillows for the condo.
On the way there I honked at someone and she said, Grammie, Why did you honk?'
I didn't have a good answer.
Why do they have to call you on everything?

We were getting in the car to come home when it happened.
She was walking on the curbing while I was loading the car and down she went.
Both knees hit the pavement with a thud.
She started wailing at the top on her lungs.
I tried to comfort but all she wanted was band aides.

In case you didn't know, band aides heal everything.
She stopped crying immediately.

Oh, I forgot the best part of the day.
While we were coloring and waiting for our lunch she looked at me and said,
"Grammie I love you."

nothing else compares.

Off to eat crablegs with Bubba at a place called Charleys at the beach.
We are celebrating our anniversary about two weeks late.

lovely evening to you....
cathy

a piddling day

"this new day....it is a gift to you...
the world is spinning in it's place because You made it to."
Fernanado, I love your songs.

Actually I am chillin' to James Taylor as I clean the house.
His songs are so mellow and relaxing.
It is a huge blessing for me to spend a day here in my home alone, piddling.

Piddling is an art form.
This is how it works out for me;
I start a task ~
see something else that needs doing ~
start doing that ~
decide to check my e-mail ~
jot down a quick blog since I'm at the computer anyway ~
go get a mid-morning snack ~
talk to a friend on the phone ~
and then realize.....
I have gotten absolutely nothing done.

Hooray for my "piddling days."
They make me extremely happy.

Now I HAVE to get back to work!!!!

"Up on the Roof" is playing now...
James says "everything is gonna be alright."
I hope so.
c

and so my decision is....

the blog will continue to be written.

I have struggled in the last few days about what to do.
I've been writing for a long time.
I do get on my soap box every now and then on things that are extremely important to me.
Sometimes I have writer's block and think I don't have anything left to say.
Some readers have even gotten mad at me and left.

I told Bubba this past weekend that I was thinking about giving it up....
he got furious at me. "People love your post and look forward to it every day," he said.
You share the truth in a way that people can understand...it is your gift."

Okay....he feels very strongly that I should continue.
And....when my source is the Bible I would never run out of things to write about.
Plus....I absolutely love to come up here in the evenings and write my heart out.
Sometimes I get inspired to write in the morning as well.

I had not made my decision as of this morning.
Early on I received a comment on this morning's post that made my decision for me.
God used what I wrote to touch the heart of a young girl and I knew without a doubt....
I will keep writing. It was the answer I needed.

If I have offended you....I am sorry......
but I will continue to
write and
share my thoughts and
my pictures and
God's word
as long as He allows.

In my blog I share my heart and in that way I share my love with you as well.
And I pray for you all also.....everybody that reads my blog. (Ephesians 1: 16&17)

Thank you Lord for revealing Your will to me this morning.
Cathy

be satisfied

If you find yourself struggling this morning as I do I say
"run to Him."

I am always amazed at the random ways that my God shows me things.
Bubba was reading a book by ML Jones....."Life in Christ" on our trip.
He read a short passage to me and it sparked my interest.
While he was out Monday morning I picked it up and started to read.
Before I knew it I was into the third chapter.

I will share what He said to me.....

"to have full and lasting joy our

intellect
emotions ~ all three of these must be satisfied together at the same time.
desires

My intellect, my emotions, and my mind must be SATISFIED together by Jesus.

Desires......There are things that I can do that will satisfy my desires, but my mind and my conscience condemn me; there is pleasure for the time being, but there is no joy."

The only way to have true and lasting joy is in and through Jesus Christ.

We cannot attain to this kind of joy in our humanity.
God, through His spirit, does this work in our intellect, emotions, desires,
as we spend time in His word and in prayer......
abiding in Him, trusting Him, loving Him with all of our heart.

Praise God for this teaching at this time.

cathy

mountain grass ~ cashiers nc

It's trying to rain......but so far not much.

The pollen is so thick that each breath I take makes my throat hurt.

The whole town is hoping that we get relief tonight.

~

Sad things keep happening in my life but....

God continues to prove Himself faithful.

I am most richly blessed with the knowledge of Him who sustains me.

cathy

those of you.....

who follow my blog, know what a miracle of grace this picture is.
Thank you all for the prayers that have brought me to this day.

With all kinds of love and gratitude,
cathy

this weekend

we are in Greenville, SC.

We are here to take part in the reunion of Dad's friends from WW II.
Gathering with this group has been a destination for us for about 30 years...
The first being in Vail, Colorado in the late seventies.

The group keeps getting smaller as the veterans and their wives pass away.
Many who attend now are the children and grandchildren of those who fought in Italy.

Bubba and I along with Frank and my Dad will be here until Sunday morning.

Amanda and the boys left at eight this morning and we got away at nine.
We were able to leave without a knock~down drag~out as some of you will be glad to hear.
(We do have those from time to time :)

My house was left in a complete mess.
If I die while on this trip do not hold it against me.
Enjoyed last week with my family and didn't much worry about housecleaning.

"Weeping may endure for a night.....
but joy comes in the morning." Psalm (Ican't remember the chapter and verse)

A person very dear to me once sent this verse when I was in the deepest despair.
I have held it close all these years.
c

our lucy

is the epitome of a true free spirit.
She is the embodiment of what I am ~ bottled up inside.....

chasing the wind down a pier over the ocean with complete abandonment......
being a fearless leader.....the first to the top of the hill.......
giving love freely without having to hold back......
charming everyone with her smile.....
always believing the absolute best about everything.
A good nurse~a rising good cook...
happiest with her head buried in a book.....
lots of style but nothing fussy.
comfortable~fun to be with~effervescent.

that's our Lucy.

making happy memories

Lucy and Harry blowing out the candles on our coconut Easter cake.

"The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and
abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and His mercy is over all that He has made."
Psalm 145: 8&9

I love God's word.
Even though I am slow to learn His ways.......
He is patient with me.
When I am hardheaded and stubborn and rebellious......
He is slow to anger.
I do not deserve His love and forgiveness,
but His mercy and grace is extended to me in spite of my lowly self.

Thank You dear Lord.
cathy

"make someone happy......

make just one someone happy.....and...
you will be happy too." (the cure for misery)

Jake and Eli are all about Thomas the Train.
This morning they made some awesome blue tracks on our freshly painted wall.
I was sad while they were receiving their swift and just punishment.
I am thankful for magic erasers.
I am more thankful that these little boys love it here.

Amanda and I got our "first of spring"pedicure today.
It was a very relaxing experience and....
our toes are ready for sandals now.

heres to.....
warm spring evenings
gentle breezes
sleeping with the windows open
reading 8 books to two little boys just now
deep sweet sleep in just a little while............. and
another day to look forward to tomorrow.

on the steps out front

Trying to hold it all together.....
sometimes it is very hard.
If I commenced to tell you all of the juggling balls that I have to keep in the air....
you wouldn't believe me.

God continues to test and try me as I ask Him to increase my faith.
That is a very hard prayer to pray.
I fail so often that sometimes I think I must be useless to Him.

I sustain myself in His word every day.....
cannot do without it now.
In earlier days His word was regarded lightly...
now it is truly the bread of my life.

Amanda is doing well.
We are quietly enjoying this beautiful spring weather....
we are relishing in being like-minded in the things of God as we talk about loss and new beginnings.
What a precious gift she is to me.
What a diversion the boys are as we burst out laughing sometimes in the midst of tears.

To know God is our greatest and highest blessing.
Nothing else compares.

cathy

forty years later

40 years ago today

we got married.

from estelle and irvin's backyard

gorgeous cherry blossoms

mary banks rose

wisteria hanging over the fence

a rare pink dogwood

We enjoyed our visit...... Jake and Eli ran miles in the yard.

Amanda and I loved, loved, loved The Last Song.

What a wonderful day!

frolicking

in the sunshine with Amanda and boys.

Dad's first night home went so well.
The only problem was the temporary loss of his walking cane.
He found it closed up in the pantry...
left there when he went to get his grits for breakfast.
He wanted to be independent again......thank you Lord for allowing this.

One of my favorite verses and a frequent prayer for all of you....

"that God would grant you,
according to the riches of His glory,
to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man;"
Ephesians 3:16

This is what I need more than anything right now.

Have a delightful Saturday,
cathy

poppies popping up

Savannah is so beautiful right now.
A drive anywhere in this town takes my breath away.
I don't remember a season in my recent memory when everything is blooming at once.
God made all of this beauty for us to enjoy.

I often think about flowers and how no man can make them.
The best that he can do is use silk or delicate paper....
but, no provocative scent and no delicate feel.
And no one can match the colors with which God tints each delicate blossom.

Flowers and trees are examples of God's great love for us.
They will be in heaven more glorius than here on earth.

"Consider the lillies......" Matthew 6:28

I was with Lindsey this afternoon.
Bryan is showing improvement.
Praise God.
Continue to pray.

I love you my friends,
cathy

barefoot buddies

The pictures that I'm posting this week were done by Erika.
One can always tell the difference.

I stayed home today to try and get some work done.
Sadly the electricity went off and rendered me useless.
No vacuuming, no washing machine, no dryer....
the power outage stopped me in my tracks.

So what did I do?
I read and nibbled on my chocolate easter bunny.
ecstasy!!!

In just a little while Bub and I are going to peek in on Aunt Dottie.
She seems very comfortable and much at peace in these her last days.
For that we are thankful.

Aunt Jackie I want to thank you for the beautiful orchid.
I have never had one before.
I seriously hope I don't put it to death.
Estelle thank you for the gerber daisy....my favorite.
I hope you enjoyed the last of the red rice.

have a lovely evening.
cathy

ring around

the rosie
pocket full of posies,
ashes,
ashes,
we all fall down.

My heart is sad tonight as I thank God for these children.
All is well....but,
I'm sad.

Daddy is going home on Friday.
I am afraid that I won't be able to meet the demands of caring for him.
Right now I am doing too much worrying and not enough praying.
Please pray for me.
Cathy

a few good egg hunters

Could there be an egg in the flowerpot?

Harry declared that his plate filled with coconut icing was a hat.

Very pleased with their findings

Rita verifying the count

What is in this one?

This looks like a good hiding place.

A great old time was had by all....

family~friends~fun

Our Easter celebration was marvelous.
This is the only picture that I can get on tonight because I need to go to sleep.
Many more tomorrow.
Be sure not to miss the picture of the sunrise I posted this morning.
Everyone thinks it is quite amazing.

cathyc

"was it a morning like this?"

"But on the first day of the week,
at early dawn,
they went to the tomb......
And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
but when they went in
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus." Luke 24: 1~3

Hallelujah!! He is Risen!!

This is where the joy in my heart comes from.

Off to a delicious breakfast at the church and the proclamation of God's word.

Tune in later for pics of our Easter celebration right here in our new home.

God's grace......

is His unmerited favor to us.

There is nothing we could ever do to earn God's favor.
He chose out of His unlimited love and mercy to provide a way for us sinners to be reconciled back to Him.

Thanks be to Jesus, God's Son, for taking upon Himself our sins so that we could live eternally with God.

Happy Easter!

the day He died for us

So they took Jesus,
and He went out,
brearing His own cross,
to the place called the place of a skull,
which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

There they crucified Him.....

John 19: 17 & 18

an update on bryan

I talked with Sally this afternoon.
Bryan received his stem cell transplant late Tueday evening.
(I was in error to call it bone marrow transplant surgery.)
It was administered in the form of a blood transfusion.
He tolerated it well and will stay at Emory until he is stable.
He will be in Atlanta for some time while this is progressing.
Please keep this young couple in your prayers.
This is the hard stuff of life that they are going through in their young lives and marriage.

the oldest...

Jake, has a choke hold of love on Eli and Lucy.
Notice how far around the necks his hands go and the looks on their faces.
This picture made me laugh.

do this in rememberance

And when the hour had come, He (Jesus) reclined at the table and the apostles with Him.

And He said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;
for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."

And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes."

And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."

And in the same way he took the cup after they had eaten saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood."

Thursday is the night when our Lord Jesus celebrated the Lord's Supper with His disciples before His death on the cross on Friday morning. He asked that we "do this in remembrance of Him."

We celebrate the Lord's Supper so that we will always remember what He did for us.