the best tree ever

Lucy and I found it without much ado.
It was the fifth tree the kind man held up for us.
It is a Frasier fir from North Carolina.
It stands nine feet tall before being cut to fit the stand.
Lucy and I just knew it was the perfect tree.
Bubba showed up in time to pay,
and couldn't believe that I made the choice in such a short time.

Dinner was afterwards at J. Harris.
Lucy just loves the french bread and cheese spread.

One thing has changed in the last few weeks....
Lucy now reads to me.
We were just piled up in the bed devouring some books.
She let me read most of "The Cat in the Hat."
I just love to read Dr. Seuss.

I hear her in there now reading to herself.
When she falls silent I will know she is done for the day.

I look at this child in wonder as she learns and grows.
She is such a gift to us.
Praise God for allowing us to have this blessing.

he must have known true love.....

"When I saw you I fell in love......
you smiled because you knew."

William Shakespeare

borrowed eli

This picture will be my last shot of Thanksgiving.
It was taken by Mark's sister Kari at the Hollingsworth's celebration in VA.
I love the look on his face and the turkey on his shirt.
I just can't ignore such cuteness and I had to share it with all of you.

In the past few days I have found myself being "anxious."
I've been doing some "fretting" about the coming of Christmas.
I was telling myself that I would never "get it all done."
It seems that while we are still celebrating Thanksgiving,
there is a tremendous push to shop as if there is no tomorrow.

It starts with a frenzy of activity.....
stores open early or even all night.
People camping out in front of stores a week in advance.
Tales of human stampedes to be the first to reach a "hot" item.
Black Friday.....Cyber Monday....
O what have we come too?

"The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty One who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness;
He will quiet you by His love."
Zephaniah 3:17

O God, quiet me and
help me to focus on You
during the busy days ahead.
cathy

"i have no good apart from You"

Fall finally came to Savannah as evidenced by the tree above.

I stopped my car,
jumped out,
and took this picture
because the sun shining through the red leaves
made the tree look like it was glowing.
It took my breath away.

This has probably been the warmest autumn on record here.
One short cold snap and we quickly got back to balmy weather.

Speaking of the weather.........
Our much loved boat show was rained out tonight.
It hasn't rained here in Savannah for months,
but it rained tonight.

All of the boats dress up with thousands of lights
and sail up and then down the Savannah River.
Santa is always in the last boat
heralding the arrival of the Christmas holiday in our beautiful city.
Instead, we stayed home
and ate left-overs from yesterday with the other Clelands.

I spent the afternoon with my Aunt Jackie and my cousin Trish.
We found a new seafood restaurant
that has the best lump crab patty I have ever put in my mouth.
Nothing beats our city for fresh seafood.

Lastly, I found this today....

I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from You."
psalm 16:2

thanksgivng thoughts....

Lucy and Harry....just because they looked so cute today

Bubba removing the first turkey from the oil....

Frankie and Sally arriving with all of their goodies.......
The tableThe amazing chocolate cake.

~

What a lovely, beautiful day.

Thanksgiving is definitely high on my list.

Now, if we can just remember to be thankful

all day

every day

in all circumstances.

~

food for thought.......

A month from tonight Christmas will be over.

~

laughing,

cathy

and they chose mint green

This is the end result of the HGTV extreme makeover here in Savannah.
The house is located on Abercorn and 55th Street.

The crew of the show raised the 3,837 square foot house in 106 hours.

Believe me it has been the talk of the town.

~

Go to Savannahnow.com to see lots of photos of the process

and an interview with the family

who bought the house in foreclosure last December for $67,525.

~

I am worn slap out.

Lots of cooking and preparations for tomorrow's feast.

It's a good tired.

I'm thinking about crawling in bed right now

to do some reading before I drift off.

~

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love from cathy

playing with blocks

My husband, Henry,
is a retired colonel in the
United States Air Force.

His job was high-powered and involved almost constant travel.
It spanned the course of over 42 years.
Our children were practically raised in Washington, DC.....
I know that place like the back of my hand.
We even got to live the "high life" there for a brief time.
(we lived on the eleventh floor of a high rise)

All that to say this.
Bubba now has an "office."
He goes there early in the morning.
He stays until late afternoon.
He has made a really good friend
in another place of business on the same row.

I stop by often
and he is always quite busy,
usually doing something for someone else.
He's like that...you know.
Always, others first.

Anyway, when I stopped by yesterday,
I saw what you see in the picture above.
He had put together the blocks
of the names of our grandchildren
and he even included our newest granddaughter.

I was overwhelmed.

I thank God tonight for my husband
who truly is the most unselfish person I have ever known.
cathy

on a fence at tybee

"For by grace you have been saved through faith.
and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God,
not a result of works,
so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2: 8&9

Tonight I am thankful for His amazing grace.
cathy

that little face

Lucy sang with her choir in big church today.
This was her first time.
She was standing front and center.
Her granddaddy and I were grinning from ear to ear.
Blessing upon blessing I say.

"cling to what is good."
Romans 12:9

Are you filled up with sorrows?
Is life almost more than you can bear?

God never promised
that our time here on earth would be easy and carefree.
If you are a Christian,
He is fitting you for heaven.
He uses the trials of life to make us like Him.
As we go through these times He does promise that
He will never leave or forsake us.

so, "cling to what is good."
to those things in your life that make you smile...
those things that you know are blessings directly from God.

Like Lucy singing this morning....
the look on her face when she spotted us watching her.

Thank you God for filling our lives up with good things
and for walking by our side in the trials......
and for so much more.

something to do

"Thanksgiving isn't simply a day.......it's an attitude."

This isn't my quote, but I don't know who to give the credit.
I like it very much.

So often in this life here on planet earth
we find ourselves in circumstances and situations
that are less than desirable.
For some right now, life produces tears more often than smiles.

The Bible speaks quite often of being thankful,
of giving thanks "in everything."

This exercise has helped me in the past when I was going through
"the valley of the shadow of death."

Sit down and think for a minute or two.
Try to come up with a list of ten things you are thankful for.
Thank God over and over for these good gifts He has given.
Focus on Christ and all He has done.

Right thinking takes practice....
it doesn't come naturally.

Develope an attitude of Thanksgiving 365 days a year.

"So we do not lose heart.
Though our outer nature is wasting away,
our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
For this slight, momentary affliction
is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
beyond all comparison."
II corinthians 4: 16 & 17

Thank you Lord
that Your word provides everything we need for life and godliness.

rosemary ~ roses ~

and a pumpkin spice roll.

Ordinary things make our homes wonderful,
warm,
cozy,
sweet smelling,
and beautiful.

I read this today....
"After sixty, either move a lot more or eat a lot less."
I like that....
makes me glad for two flights of stairs with eighteen steps each.
Also,
"never stop learning, praying, and climbing mountains."
and....
"always look for meaningful ways to give back."

When you know God
and are indwelt by His Spirit,
there is a quiet peace and rest in your soul
that produces
the most profound joy that can be known to man.

Thankful tonight to know that joy...
cathy

the chairs are ready

I am so excited about how this project turned out

Look at how beautiful the little chairs are.

Lucy and Harry tried it out last night and it is a perfect fit.

~

Notice that there are six chairs...

we now have five grandchildren so.....

who is going to fill the sixth seat?

Maybe it will be a friend or a cousin or....

you think there may be another grandbaby?

I do know there is plenty of love to go around.

We'll just have to wait and see how the Lord wills.

~

You know how I love the sky....

the moon is beautiful tonight.

~

I read this today.....

~

"The heavens are telling

of the glory of God;

And their expanse

is declaring the work of His hands."

psalm 19:1

~

Some people say that there is no God.

Romans 1 tells us that we are without excuse.

All we have to do is look up into the heavens to know Him.

~

Thanking Him tonight

that the God who made the heavens

has revealed Himself to us.

cathy

guess who is downstairs in the freezer?

Bubba went to the store and bought our Thanksgiving turkey a little while ago.
He is safely tucked away until this time next week when he will be "dressed."
Just thought I would share this little piece of news.

These are the children's plates for the big day.

I am making chicken ~ broccoli for some very important guests who
are coming for dinner tonight.

More may be added to this blog later.
Right now I have to vacuum the whole house.
I am putting up some beautiful falls leaves
that I got in Jacksonville last Saturday.

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving.

PS.....my windows and doors are open
and a mighty, and I mean mighty, wind is blowing through.
A stack of papers just went flying
and a picture blew over scaring me to death.
Still wishing for rain but I think the sky is dry.

PSS....this has become such a hodge-podge of a blog
that I may just let this be it for the day.
we'll see.

PSSS....I've got work to do and dinner to prepare,
why am I here at this computer?
Signing off until tonight....
cathy

jada

She sat one row up from me Sunday before last.
I shook her hand and told her she was beautiful.
Jada is eight years old.
She comes without her family on Wednesdays
to the Awanna program at our church.

This Sunday morning
the trailer
that she lived in with her mom and sister
burned to the ground.
They lost everything but the clothes on their backs.

Our church will minister the love of God to this family.
May God work mightily in this situation.

Foxsports did an interview with Steven Key yesterday.
This is the family that lost their eight year old daughter
in a tragic car accident some months back.
Steven's interview was
a testimony to God's grace and love in this situation.

Go to msn.foxsports.com
click on NBA & type "tragic accident" in the search engine.

"Your gentleness has made me great." psalm 18:35

King David penned the words above that have so touched my heart.

Spurgeon...."David ascribes all his own greatness
to the condescending goodness and graciousness
of his Father in heaven.
I trust we all feel that this sentiment
is echoed in our hearts
and we also confess that
whatever of goodness or greatness
God may have put upon us,
we must cast our crowns at His feet,
and cry,

"Your gentleness has made me great."

Everything that comes to us
is from the sovereign hand of God
who makes no mistakes.

Please pray for Jada tonight.
thankful,
cathy

the children's table

It is done.
It is even more outstanding than I thought it would be.
The finish is smoother than silk.
The cherry wood flooring made a beautiful table
for the little ones to eat and color and play games.

The Sunday School chairs are at the refinisher.
We rounded up six of them.
I am thankful.
I love beautiful things!

In the morning when I first open my eyes
I look out of the window.
I see daylight appearing as the faintest glow of pink
just above the horizon.
I welcome that hint of the new day.

The planet Venus rises a little after 5:00 am.
It is shining brightly in the eastern sky
every morning,
way before the sun comes up.

about waking up in the morning......

"How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them they are more than the sand.
I awake , and I am still with you."
psalm 139:17&18

Thank you my God.
Everything comes from Your sovereign hand.
cathy

the cottages at tybee

Some of the pictures I took on my bike ride at the beach yesterday.

More and more of the historic cottages are being rescued rather than destroyed.

These above are just a few of the more colorful ones which appeal to me.

Most of these are available to rent, but are not on the beach.

~

As I've stated before, I really enjoy looking at houses.

The ones at the beach are real charmers.

~
More on "Your gentleness has made me great." psalm 18:35

~

"We are so little

that if God should manifest His greatness without condescension,

we should be trampled under His feet.

But God, who must stoop to view the skies

and bow to see what angels do,

bends His eyes yet lower,

and looks to the lowly and contrite,

and makes them great." Charles Spurgeon

~

Oh my, what deep thoughts these are that make my spirit soar!!!

thankful,

cathy

~

David just sent me an amazing video of our little baby over in Ethiopia.

God is so good, so very very good.

someone please stop me....

from writing when I've been sick.

Tuesday's blog was a disaster,
I won't tell you in how many ways.
I have removed most of it.
Wednesday's blog redeems the verse in a small way (I pray).
Thanks for reading even when I'm not worthy of it.....
cathy

tybee today

I just got home from the beach.

Rode for two hours......

long after my "bee" hind told me to stop.

I took fifty-one pictures.......

just couldn't get enough of the beauty and the fresh air.

~

To say that I love Tybee is an understatement.
I roam on my bike over every inch of the place.

What I like is that it is not your usual beach town.

~

Tybee is......

small

quaint

laid back

beautiful

interesting

historically preserved
deserted in the fall and winter

~

Tybee has.....

great food

mostly old trucks rather than fancy cars

memories of my childhood

lovely foliage

friendly people

amazing views

~

I'll be sharing some more pictures later.

Keeping Lu & Harry tonight.....

we'll see.

let me just say......

I did not do Psalm 18:35 justice last night.

6 words....
"Your gentleness has made me great."

I have in my hand a seven page single-spaced
sermon written by Charles Spurgeon.
It was delivered by him on Sunday morning, April 1, 1866,
at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington, England.
The whole sermon deals with those six words in verse 35.

If you care to look it up on the computer,
look for sermon # 6823.

Here are three examples of how His gentleness makes us great.....

"It is gentleness
which makes the all-wise One
stoop down to our ignorance and teach us by degrees."

"What gentleness our God has shown to us
in the timing and tuning of our trials!"

"His gentleness shows itself in His being afficted in our afflictions
and entering into our sorrows,
and putting Himself side by side with us in the battle of spiritual life."

Spurgeon's last sentence....
"May you realize in your lives and in your hearts the meaning of my text,
'Your gentleness has made me great.' "

I will be studying this sermon and letting the truth of it sink in.

I thank Him tonight for resources
to help in our study of God's word
cathy

gentleness

I thought of this blog yesterday morning,
but then by last night I had gotten sick.
Couldn't get out of bed, much less write.
Something I ate for lunch had its way with me.
I am better now.

This is what I read...
"And Thy gentleness makes me great."
Psalm 18:35

The whole of Psalm 18 is praise for God.
You may want to read it....
It reminds of all of the things that God
has done and continues to do.
cathy

no greater joy......

than the love of a little boy.

~

We had homecoming at church today.

Lots of good food lined up on six tables.

The whole church "family" joined together for one huge meal.

We all ate in the gym.

It was good.

~

Harry was sitting across the table.

He stopped eating, looked at me, and said,

"Gram, I love you."

Now I'm just going to tell you....

It don't get much better than that.

~

"But for you who fear My name,

the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in it's wings.

You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall."

Malachi 4:2

~

Tonight I am thankful for my church

and for my church family.

cathy

chili tonight

Had a little dinner party just now.
Bubba made chili and I made cornbread.
Desert was coffee and a carrot cake roll.
It was all good.

David explained for us how the four gospels
in God's word came to be what they are (fascinating).
There was lots of talking and playing going on
with the Alabama/LSU game playing quietly in the background.
And yes, I lit lots of candles.

It was all and all
a warm and cozy afternoon ~ evening.
I thank God for these times
to be together with loved ones sharing the bounty of His love for us.
Yes, that's what I'm thankful for tonight.

"Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord,
O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits."
Psalm 103 1~2

i like.......

my coffee light and sweet
seeing things from God's perspective
lunch with a friend or two
chocolate covered cherries
the smell of freshly cut grass
the color of pumpkins
my lavender~ olive soap
white sheets freshly washed
martyn-lloyd jones
cutter point coffee house
taking pictures
talking to my dad
writing this blog
salt air
kittens
blue bell homemade vanilla ice cream
thanksgiving
walking on the beach
being under a warm blanket in a cold room.......

just a few things
I'm thankful for tonight.

"for in Him we live, and move, and have our being." Acts 17:28

it's time to light some candles

Ever since we moved from our house in Fayetteville,
I have been without a fireplace.
The warmth and glow of a fire
has always been one of my favorite things.

On Sunday, Daylight Savings Time will be gone,
and darkness will fall an hour sooner each night.

My next best greatest effort is to light candles in the evening.
It doesn't take the place of the "place"
but it does provide a glow on a smaller scale.
my dream is to one day have a fire in my home again.

The lights above are on the roof of the little porch.
Bubba strung wire and then attached lights to shine overhead.
Another attempt to light my world.

"like a million little stars spelling out your name" "Untouchable" Taylor Swift
love this song....

I read this morning....

"For Thou dost light my lamp;
The Lord my God illumines my darkness."
Psalm 18:28

It is the light of God in my life that dispels the gloom of darkness.
Without Him we would have no sun to light our days....
there would be no way to get the light of His truth to our souls.

"God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Tonight I thank Him for the light of day
and the light of His truth that is in my heart and mind.

cathyc

"beauty will rise"

Steven Curtis Chapman writes beautiful music.
He newest CD has the title in the heading above.

Not long ago his little three year old daughter Maria
was killed in a tragic accident just outside of the family's home.
She had been adopted from China and was adored.

This morning I bought the music.

Here is a man overcome with sorrow
pouring out his soul in worship and adoration to The Lord.
Here is a like-minded believer....
one who knows that life is all of God and none of us.
Here is a man who KNOWS he will see his daughter again
because he believes the truth in God's Word.

I love this.....

"Is that you I hear,
Laughing loud and calling out to me?
Saying See...
It's everything you said that it would be,
And even better than you would believe,
And I'm counting down the days until you are here with me,
And finally, you'll see." (taken from the song "See" by SCC)

"Taste and see that the Lord is good...
that the Lord is good."

Tonight I am thankful for beautiful music
that makes my soul soar in praise and thanksgiving to God.
cathy

gobble

This guy was at the farm on Saturday past.
He reminded me that one of my most favorite holidays is very near.
Thanksgiving is the time when family and friends join together
to celebrate all of our blessings and just enjoy being together.
The food is always good and the fellowship very sweet.

I am already starting to plan ahead as we will be hosting this year.
If you have no place to go, consider joining us for the feast.
There will be plenty of food and a place at the table.
Of course, all you regulars know where to come.

After looking at our friend in the picture above,
I have serious doubts as to why we elect
to let this bird be the centerpiece of our meal.
He is scruffy and dirty and really,
what's going on with the whole head and neck thing?
When he performed
one of his gobbles right in front of me,
he scared me to death.
Frankly, after this encounter,
I think I will push to serve prime rib this year.

Thought I would post early tonight
as I am looking forward to watching
the election returns.
Some of you may not know that I am
a closet political junky.

Tonight I am thankful for my home.
It is decorated for fall and very cozy,
and I love being here.

Blessings abound everywhere I turn.
cathy

finishing up with october things

This Woody is too cute for words

Harry and the big green tire

Lucy pumping water for the duck races (notice the help she is getting from her tongue)

Lucy is heading on to being four feet tall

Buzz, Woody, and the perfect pumpkins

~

"So choose life

in order that you may live,

you and your descendents,

by loving the Lord your God,

by obeying His voice,

and by holding fast to Him;

for this is your life and the length of your days."

Deuteronomy 30: 19 & 20

~

O God, the wisdom in Your word is truly more precious than fine gold.

Thank you for the truth of it!

cathy