30 days had september

I cannot believe that another month has come and gone.

I look back and think....

"What have I done with the days that God has given me?

~

"What does a man gain by all the toil

which he toils under the sun?

A generation goes, and a generation comes,

but the earth remains forever.

~

The sun rises,

and the sun goes down,

and hastens to the place where it rises.

~

The wind blows to the south,

and goes around to the north,

around and around goes the wind,

and on its circuits the wind returns.

~

All streams run to the sea,

but the sea is not full;

to the place where the streams flow,

there they flow again.

~

What has been is what will be,

and what has been done is what will be done,

and

There is nothing new under the sun."

~

Ecclesiastes 1: 3~7&9

~

You see why I think that

the Bible has

the most beautiful poetry in the world?

cathy

we tried this once before

Way back before we got married
we were down at the beach
with our friends Sandra and Robert Rushing.
I have a really old photo of Bubba and I
facing each other with the moon in between.

This one was taken last week at Disney World.
We are a bit older,
but the moon has not changed at all.

Tropical storm #16 just passed by the coast
and gave us a nice little shower.
Thankfully we have had a quiet hurricane season this year.

God made the moon and hung it in space.
God sends the storms and controls them.

"But as for me, I would seek God,
and I would place my cause before God;
Who does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number.
He gives rain on the earth,
and sends water on the fields."
Job 5:8~10

My praise is offered up to Him tonight
because He is God
and because He loves me
and has blessed me beyond measure.
cathyc

faces

Just before the sun went down it bathed the earth

in the most incredible shade of pink I have ever seen.

I didn't want that show to end.....

I wanted the sky to stay that color forever.

~

So quickly the dark descended, but I remember.

With God all things are possible.

Because of Him all things exist.

He makes everything more beautiful.

~

God made these people in the pictures above

and He put them in my life.
I can't be more blessed than that!!

cathy

more disney doings

mickey and minnie topiaries

at the new toy story ride at hollywood studios.....note lucy in 3D glasses

on the carousel

the magic kingdom all decorated for fall.

at animal kingdom.....we were very hot.

amanda and jake on a roller coaster.

~

still feeling poorly.

did Bible study this morning and dad's meds this afternoon.

came home and curled up in the bed.

wonderful rainy day......cool down this week.

think it's about time for fall to make its debut.......

"be thankful in all things."

cathy

some things we did at disney

Three "princesses" outside of Cinderella"s Castle.

Jake and Eli meeting and greeting Buzz Lightyear.

Jake and Grammy driving a race car.

Heading in to the Magic Kingdom on the first day.

Beautiful, intricate mosaic of Cindrella in her castle.

These faces tell the story of our trip.

~

I got sick last night......

spent the whole day sleeping.

Didn't get to church.

I may be better....can't tell yet.

I must have walked ten miles every day.

Loved every minute of the trip.

cathy

walt disney world twenty-ten

What is it about Walt Disney World?

Until last fall

it had been almost twenty years

since we had vacationed there.

I finally figured it out.

It's the children.

You do it for them...

to see their faces light up,

to see them experience the wonder of it all,

And to know that there is a place in all of us that never grows up,

That still believes that dreams really do come true.....

That Cinderella wore glass slippers

and really did find her Prince Charming.

That there is an bear named Winnie the Pooh

who lives in the Hundred Acre Woods

and gets honey pots stuck on his head.

That magic carpets can fly around the world.

That Peter Pan saves the day.

That you can go Soarin' over California

and you might just get your feet wet.

Lord, you have brought us home safely

and given us precious memories.

Thank you...

goodbye mickey

Our vacation is over.
Tomorrow we have to go home.
It has been so wonderful.
Sorry I haven't been writing.......
just too busy and then too tired.

I have lots of pictures and memories to share......
hopefully tomorrow afternoon
if the Lord is pleased to get us home safely.

Lisa, my sweet neice, joined us on Wednesday......
she has been a delight.

The most wonderful thing about all of this has been
being together as a family.

Thank you Lord....cathy

it was a....

beautiful, sunny, wonderful day
(and night) in the Magic Kingdom.

We just got back to our house
after closing out the day
with fireworks over Cinderella's Castle.

The children got to meet Buzz Lightyear,
from Toy Story,
face to face. (a real highlight)

We rode
Thunder Mountain Railroad
and the magic carpets.
We sailed the Nile on the Jungle Cruise and
flew through the city of London with Peter Pan.
We watched the bears sing country music and
rode the people mover.

We are blessed as a family to have these special days together.
Plenty of laughter and love to go around.
Thank you Lord for all of these blessings and more....

Epcot tomorrow...
we will be "soarin" literally.

cathyc

one thing for sure......

one never outgrows the magic of Disney World.

This "magic" cannot be explained,
it just happens
when you walk in the gate
of the "Magic Kingdom."

Everybody has arrived safely
here in Orlando
with huge amounts of excitement.

The children are all tucked away
with visons of Mickey
dancing in their heads.

The best part for me is watching
the delight on four little faces and
getting to act like a kid again.

So in the morning
at nine o'clock
you will know where to find us.

Lucy has promised to ride on Dumbo with me first thing,
so Ill be flying through the air on a pink elephant.
I can't wait.....

pin the tail on the donkey

Mark came the closest

but everybody won.......

we laughed so hard we nearly cried.

Family fun at its finest!!!!

hurray for harry

We celebrated Harry's third birthday last night.

The pictures speak for themselves.

There will be more photos in a little while.

Me?

Deciding what to take to Disney.

We leave tomorrow....

cc

beautiful butterfly bush

There are so many of them......

Butterflies everywhere fluttering and flying.........

drinking deeply of the nectar that God has provided.

It takes my breath away to see this kind of display.

No one but God could make this beauty.

This lovely sight is out at my dad's house.

~

Waiting for the arrival of Mark and Amanda, Jake and Eli.

~

"O Lord, our Lord,

How majestic is Thy name in all the earth."

harry

Happy Birthday Harry!
Three years old today!

I'm pretty sure this calls for a celebration.

Why don't we go to Disney World?

We can ride on the "Magic Carpet" together!

maybe you haven't thought of this

Praying is such a blessing.
For a believer it is a lifeline
to the one we call
"Our Father who art in heaven."

But to some, prayer is difficult.
It doesn't come easy.
Sometimes it is hard to concentrate,
or you may become easily distracted.
If this is the case,
think about praying the Psalms.

For instance, today I read early that
"God is a shield to me."
I thought about that truth
many times during the day;
every time asking God
to shield my mind from
all of those intruding thoughts.

I also read this verse,
"O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Thy name in all the earth,
who hath displayed
Thy splendor
above the heavens." psalm 8:1

Meditate on this truth for a while!

I love to look at the sky.
This verse reminds me that
everything up there was made by Him
and is on display for His glory and our enjoyment.
It reminds me that God is the creator
of all things on and around this earth.
This verse brings so much to mind that we can praise Him for!

Listen to this....

"When I consider Thy heavens,
the work of Thy fingers,
the moon and stars
which Thou hast ordained;

What is man,
that Thou dost take thought of him?
and the son of man that Thou dost care for him?

Yet Thou hast made him
a little lower than God,
and dost crown him
with glory and majesty.

Thou dost make him
to rule over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet." psalm 8: 3~6

These verses are so amazing......
What God has done for us.
Enough to thank Him for
until eternity
is right there in those few verses.

O believer, pray!!!

God's delight

If you love someone,
the greatest of joys
is to communicate with that person.

The Bible tells us that
"the prayer of the upright is God's delight." proverbs 15:8

Imagine that.....the great God of the universe,
the God who made heaven and earth,
the God who sustains us on this earth,
and causes the sun to shine by day
and the moon by night is
"delighted to hear our prayers."

How often do we converse with Him?

I like this verse....
"In the morning, O Lord,
Thou will hear my voice.
In the morning
I will order my prayer to Thee
and eagerly watch." psalm 5:3

Eagerly watch?
What for?
His wisdom, of course.

There is a continual excitement
in a true believer's life
to see what the Lord is going to do
in all of the circumstances of life.

As we order our prayers to Him
and pray according to
His will.....
we watch and wait
with the full expectation that His answer will come.

God is the giver of wisdom and all good things.
He answers our prayers
according to what He knows we need,
in His timing
with grace and mercy.

God loves us and delights in our prayers.
We should always lift up to Him
Our praise and thanksgiving
as well as our supplication.

Being assured that......

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

sitting in church

Our pastor is a man of God's word.

He doesn't just skim the surface

of the passages he preaches from.

He studies...........

and brings out all of the fascinating details

that make his messages come to life.

He preaches a night service too,

almost unheard of in the churches today.

~

Lucy, you know, our four year old grandbaby,

has started to sit in on night church.

She brings her Bible and a notepad for her "notes."

She sings with her hymnal and is a very good

participant in all of the goings on.

~

Tonight our pastor was nearing the end of his sermon

when Lucy leaned in and whispered, quite loudly, in my ear.....

"Grammie, How many more weeks until we go to Disney World?"

I whispered back that we would be going in one more week.

She got a big smile on her face and went back to her note taking.

~

The only other thing I heard out of her was a really

long, loud, and drawn out yawn

which turned some heads in front of us.

~

Sweet little girl learning to love God's word.

One of my sweetest blessings in life.

gc

travelog

I went to Charleston, SC, on Thursday with Sandra Rushing.
It was a two day getaway with an overnight stay at her son Brant's house.
Brant was away and we had the house to ourselves.....almost.
Buck, the most beautiful and gentle golden retriever
was there to keep us company.

I fell completely in love with that dog.
He spent a lot of time staring at me.
He soon pegged both Sandra and I as pushovers.....
and after that he got got everything he wanted while we were there,
including a large bowl of peach ice cream.

We ate lunch the first day at the "Cru Cafe."
Delicious, gourmet shrimp salad
in an old restored house set the pace for the day.
After lunch we strolled the old market and did a little shopping.....
Later we checked into the handsomely appointed
"Rushing Bed and Breakfast."

After taking that all important "afternoon siesta,"
we dined at the "Waters Edge" restaurant on Shem Creek.
Settling on crab cakes and prime rib,
we ate while being amused by the passing yachts and swimming dolphins.

On Friday morning, our second day as Charleston tourists,
Sandra and I took a bus tour of the historic part of the city.
We were on the bus with a couple from London, England.....
no one else, just the four of us.

It was a very interesting ninety minutes.
My favorite part was seeing all of the gorgeous old mansions
and the secret gardens.
I love to look at architecture.
Next time I want to take the walking tour
so that I can explore all of this more thoroughly.
I would also like to go inside some of the homes.

Lunch was at Joe's Pasta.
We picked this restaurant at random and were not disappointed.
The ceasar salad was fresh and outstanding
as was the parmesan~chicken pizza.
shopping on King Street and a stop at "Cupcake"
finished our day and we headed for home.

What a nice treat.
How refreshing s few hours away can be,
especially if you share them with a friend.

See the post below to find out why I have no pictures of this trip.

cathy~tourist~friend

the card

This will be short because I just got home from my trip.
The pictures that I promised are not here.
You cannot guess where I went after all.

Every digital camera has "a card."
The pictures go onto this card
and get loaded onto my computer.
I took lots of pictures
but "the card" was left here on my desk.

I have done this before at crucial intervals of my life.
Last Thanksgiving
I missed my "last" picture of Aunt Dottie
for the same reason.

Bubba suggested that I buy a spare
and keep it in my camera bag.
I think that is a very good idea.

Sandy and I went to Charleston, SC.
We had a very good time.
I will expound tomorrow.

cathy

when she bought it.........

I was with her.

I loved it.

It was my heart's desire,

but I didn't tell her.

Last week she gave it to me.

I came very near to tears.

Thank you dear friend,
It's like it was made for my room.

I feel happy every time I look at it.

I'm writing about that pillow up there on my sofa.

"good things come to those who wait."

Road trip tomorrow.

Girlfriends only.

I will take some pictures and let you guess where we went.

on labor day

my concession to labor is this..........

I am scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Scrubbing the floor

is something

that I really don't like to do

and I put it off until it can't be put off any longer.

~

Bubba and I rode down to Mayport, Florida,

this morning to eat lunch at Safe Harbour.

Delicious seafood....well worth the ride.

We did a little antiquing on the way back home.

~

The Bible has something good to say about working.

It is a verse that all should heed......
~

"All hard work brings a profit,

but mere talk leads only to poverty."

Proverbs 14:23

~

The picture is our condo at night.

inside out

In the heat of summer I very seldom wear anything but linen.
Linen is cloth made from flax that is noted for its strength, coolness, and luster.
I have accumulated quite a nice collection in basic colors.
It really does make a difference in my comfort level.

Today for church I chose a favorite beige linen dress.
I was not hurried in any way.
I chose my accessories,
fixed my hair,
put on my jewelry,
picked up my Bible,
and was out the door.

When we got home and started to change,
Bubba was looking at me curiously.
He then made this announcment;
"Cathy, you have your dress on inside out."

One time during the sermon
I looked down and thought
that the neckline looked kind of funny.
but nothing dawned on me.

Strangely Lucy, who notices everything, didn't notice.
So I sat through Sunday School and church
sporting a dress that was on backwards
and nobody said a word.

People, I need help.
If I've lost it to the point where I go to church
with my clothes on inside out,
then I've really lost it.

two tiny eggs

The first time I saw her she went flying out of the flowerpot.

The tiny little bird startled me as I was not expecting her.

I knew that something was tearing up my flowers,

but I had no idea that she had built a nest there.

~

By the time I noticed the perfect twin eggs,

I think moma bird had already abandoned them.

Sadly, they never hatched.

~

The flower pot was sitting on the glass table on my porch.

Why she chose that spot to build her nest I do not know.

I wish I could have done something to keep this from happening.

~

Jake, the firstborn grandson, swallowed a penny today.

What does one do for a child who swallows a penny?

Wait for nature to take its course I guess.

It would probably look pretty on a x-ray,

but there is really no reason to go to all of that trouble.

~

"Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty heavens!

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!

~

Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with lute and harp!

Praise Him with tamborine and dance;

Praise Him with strings and pipe!

Praise Him with sounding cymbals;

Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

~

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!"

Psalm 150

~

This is the last Psalm.

What do I do?

Go back to the first Psalm and start over again.

That's the way one gets to know God better and better.

another happy birthday party

I finally got to download my August pictures today.

~
Erika got her birthday party and gifts about three weeks late.
We are all so glad that David chose Erika to be his wife.

She is lots of fun and there is always a nonstop flow of conversation with her.

She is a very beautiful and interesting person and I love her very much!!!

~

Since I'm really into heaven right now

I have this quote from Charles Spurgeon that I love.....

~

"An old theologian once said,

Who chides a servant for taking away the first course of a feast

when the second consists of far greater delicacies?
Who then can regret that this present world passes away

when he sees that an eternal world of joy is coming?

The first course is grace,

but the second is glory,

and that is as much better as the fruit is better than the blossom."

~

I'm loving thinking about what heaven will be like!

cathy

this cute dog....

is named Jake O'Quinn.
He belongs to Lucy. (she named him)
He had to spend a few days with me recently.
Somehow he developed two rather large holes
underneath his armpits.
I am the official mender and nurse
of all stuffed animals that get injured.
I like that job alot!

I am going to post a quote
that a sweet friend from Atlanta
put on facebook this morning.
It touched my heart in a way that few things do.

"If I find myself in a desire
which no experience in this world
can satisfy,
the most probable explanation
is that I was made for another world." c.s. Lewis

O believer,
we were never meant to have our desires
fulfilled here on this earth.
This world belongs to Satan,
and the trials of life are hard and tedious.
There in heaven we will be free.....
We will be who God meant us to be,
we will soar...there will be nothing holding us down,
and all our desires will be met in Him.

"Even so come quickly Lord Jesus."
Revelation 22:20

Love you Auntie J.
Enjoyed our time together today!!

surfs up at tybee

i love it when this happens.
new post after dinner tonight.
have to go take meals on wheels to my dad.
cc

sweet september

shrimp creole.......love it!
I made it for dinner tonight and it was delicious.

sleeping beauty.......
We'll be seeing her in about eighteen days
down at Disney World.

savannah.....downtown.
went there today with erika and lucy and harry.
we got ice cream at leopolds after lunch.
it was very tasty.

silly bands.....apparently
these are the "in" thing for the young set.

shopping......we finished finding erika's
birthday presents today.
lucy purchased a set of silly bands at the cvs.

summer will be ending soon....
autumn will find us.

sad to see summer go.

storm.....be sure to see the picture
of hurricane earl i posted just a little while ago.

sand....i hope the storm doesn't blow it all away

so happy....chris is coming to replace
that part of my computer
that will allow me to download pictures again.

i love words
i love alliteration
my name is alliteration
sincerely
cathy cleland

hurricane earl from space

I'll post later......after supper......:)