it's over........

that would be my birthday month,
and a grand month it has been.

It seems as if winter has "flown the coop"
as some would say.

I always see my birthday month
as the beginning of spring.
The days get longer,
the trees and flowers start blooming,
and the temperatures start rising.
It is the hope of new life
after the long, dark, and cold winter.
This progression is definitely a gift!

Actually every day of life is a celebration.
There is always something to be thankful for....

a bird in flight,
the sunrise,
the smell of the marsh,
the daffodils,
a roast in the oven,
a child's face,
knowing that someone loves you,
a friend to talk with,
music that moves the soul,
doing for others,
praying with a friend today,
the waves of the ocean
peace and quiet rest in my home.

Yes,
I make a big deal of my birthday....
thank you for indulging me,
for being a part of my life.

i love you,
cathy

falling apart in church

So many things about this picture make me happy.
Lucy is the best granddaughter in the world.
(just reminiscing a little)

This morning I laid out a Benedryl and two Tylenol
to take after church and before
my infusion this afternoon.
I NEVER take Benedryl...
but the nurse said that it may help
with the allergic reaction that sometimes takes place,
so I decided to try it today.
Right before leaving, for some reason,
I decided to go ahead and take the two Tylenol.

Off we go to church...
and I begin to feel very strange.
Once there it becomes
a major effort just to sit upright.
That I felt like a zombie is an understatement.

After an extended time helping Lucy
retrieve her offering quarter from the bowels of the pew,
I realized that I could no longer lift my arms.
About this time Bubba notices
that Lucy has the other quarter in her mouth.
We get that out before she flys out to children's church.

For the rest of the service I sat
trying to hold my head up
and keep my eyes from fluttering shut.

I told Bubba on the way home......
"something terrible is happening to me."

When I got home I realized
that I had taken the Benedryl thinking it was Tylenol.

I slept it off...three hours this afternoon.
I feel much better now.
cathy

doctor luke

I've started writing the book of Luke in the Bible.
Every morning or sometimes in the afternoon or evening,
I write a Psalm and another book in God's word.
I have been doing this for years.
One day I hope to have written the whole Bible,
but I may die first.
When I finish all 150 of the Psalms
I start over at Psalm 1.
This is the way I get to know God.
Also, writing helps me remember what I read.
You may want to start doing this too.

Anyway, back to Luke.
Luke was a doctor and a close friend of the apostle Paul.
He wrote to the Gentiles...(us).
Besides the book of Luke, he also wrote Acts.
I like his style and his close attention to details.

Here in Luke 1: 1~4 he tells us why he wrote....

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken
to compile a narrative of the things
that have been accomplished among us,

just as those who from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and ministers
of the word have handed them down to us,

it seemed good to me also,
having investigated everything
carefully from the beginning,
to write it out for you in consecutive order,
most excellent Theophilus,

that you might know the exact truth
concerning the things you have been taught."

Luke wanted Theophilus (to whom he dedicated the book)
and all of us to have certainty about this
God~Man, the Messiah, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you Luke
for undertaking this task
and letting the Holy Spirit guide you
so that we may know for certain the truth about Him.

grace

This is my beautiful niece Grace.
She is, as I write this,
in upstate New York
auditioning
at the Eastman School of Music.
Grace has played the violin
since she was a very little girl.

Tonight I pray the best for her
and that would be God's perfect will for her life.

"And this I pray,
that your love may abound still more and more
in real knowledge and all discernment,
so that you may approve the things that are excellent,
in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
having been filled with the fruit of righteousness
which comes through Jesus Christ,
to the glory and praise of God."
Philippians 1: 9~11

first bloomers

I had so much fun taking pictures all over the city today.
We are just bursting into bloom everywhere.
I may blog later if I get home early enough.
We are taking Lucy and Harry out for a night on the town.

Beautiful!!!
cathy

roller~coaster

It is "twitter~light" in Savannah, Georgia.....
another beautiful, but cooler,
day here in the deep south.

About God......
".....His splendor covers the heavens,
and the earth is full of His praise.
His radiance is like the sunlight...." Habakkuk 3:3

For tonight....
a truth I'm working on.
We cannot live by our feelings.
So many people are caught
on an emotional roller coaster.
Their days are spent riding
the ups and downs
of the circumstances of life.

When things are going good,
our feelings are high.
When we don't get our way,
we go way down into the "slough of despond."
People around us suffer.

As Christians,
our "feelings" should be grounded in the truth of God's word.
God has told us that this life is short
and filled with "toil and trouble."
He tells us to expect various trials
and to prepare for them
by being in His word continually learning to trust Him.

He tells us that He will never "leave or forsake us,"
and that He will one day bring us to heaven
to be with Him where there will be no more sorrow.

Our hope and our joy is in Him and only Him.
It is our supreme responsibility
to remember these truths and
to live our lives while on this earth accordingly.

See the little blurb I wrote earlier today....
cathy

i changed it

Oh everybody..it was so simple,
so profoundly simple to change the misspelled blog title.
I just went to my settings on the blog manager
and spelled it correctly.....it took two seconds
then I saved the setting.
Now I feel exceedingly stupid.
Oh my....

i love this verse!

"Many , O Lord my God,
are the wonders which Thou hast done,
and Thy thoughts toward us;
there is none to compare with Thee;
If I were to declare and speak of them,
they would be too numerous to count." Psalm 40:5

Amanda wrote an e-mail to me this morning.
She thought that because I didn't blog last night
that I was never going to blog again
because of the revelation that my blog title is misspelled.
Come to find out, both David and Amanda
have known for a long while and didn't choose to tell me.
They let me go on oblivious to the shame.

Now this is the girl that never fails to let me know
of even the smallest piece of lettuce stuck in my teeth,
and this is my boy~child who is so sweet
he wouldn't want to hurt me with such news.

Now what do I do?
I don't know.
I think to change it I will have to start a whole new blog
and I don't want to do that.

If anyone has any suggestions,
let me know.

And please everybody,
if my slip is showing.....
tell me.
cathy

sweet fellowship

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship.
As Christians we should look forward to
spending time with other believers.

To me there is nothing like the pleasure
of talking to another person
about the deep and precious things of the Lord.

Koinonia is the sweetest of fellowship.
It is very rare and much to be desired
and then cherished when found.

This afternoon
we had a church get together
over at David and Erika's house.
It was fun....
more than sixty men, women, and children
came to partake of good food
and to get to know each other better.

I always like to think about what it will be in heaven when we all get together without the hindrances of sin. That will be true koinonia...worshiping God and praising Him forever with all the saints of the Lord.

Just so you know
that I know,
my blog title is misspelled.
To change it would be to start a whole new blog and that is more than I can handle.
So it stands as a testimony to my many imperfections.
Nobody has ever mentioned that mistake to me....
I wonder why?

Have you ever heard the song "Fireflies" by Faith Hill?
I love to listen because it reminds me of how I thought about things as a child and also of my "firefly catching" days. Oh those long, delightful, summer nights outside until it got dark.










"Thy words were found and I ate them. (I took them in)
And Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart.
For I have been called by
thy name,
O Lord God of hosts."
Jeremiah 15:16

i see stars

"Two men looked out through prison bars...

the one saw mud, the other stars."

~

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

It is not the world that matters,

it is the way we look at it.

~

It involves being able to look at the world

as the Lord Jesus looked at it,

and that is the whole meaning of being born again.

~

We look at things from the Godward angle

rather than from the human & carnal & sinful one.

(MLJ~Life in Christ)

~

I see stars...

what do you see?

cathy

euphoria

Ever since I arose from sleep this morning,
I have been in a state of euphoria.
This state has a lot to do with the fact that
I can actually go into the kitchen
and get something to eat when I am hungry.

This euphoric state also has to do with the fact
that I got a good report yesterday from my doctor.
(whom I taught in the third grade by the way)

Over the past year I have lost over twenty pounds
without trying at all.
I really thought there was something
seriously wrong with my stomach.
So I am relieved,
but I still don't know why I am losing weight.
Maybe its just because I don't eat very much anymore.

Anyway, I am so thankful that the dreaded test is over.
The effect of the anesthesia is not over....
I can't remember things so well,
but they said that would happen.
The nurses specifically told me not to make
any important decisions for a couple of days.

The weather here is our wonderful winter~spring.
Beautiful and warm...it teases us for a while
until the cold stuff is gone for good.
I'm sitting by the open window writing
and smelling the warm salt marsh.

"All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you."
just heard that oldie playing in the restaurant.
c

hungry~sleepy~dopey.....

but I am home.

Everything went well.
No problems found.
I will get back to blogging tomorrow.
Not making good sense tonight.
Thanks for everything.
cathy

all I can think about is food

Amanda just told me

that once starvation sets in

I won't feel the hunger anymore.

How does she know that?

~

Also, while we were talking,

she started rattling off everything she had eaten today.

What could she have been thinking?

~

I am doing well.....

ready to get this over with.

Craving all food right now.

Will have to go to bed hungry tonight.

cathy

If......

I can just make it until Thursday afternoon at 1:00
I will be alright. (hopefully)

I have to try again to have a certain procedure done.
Last time, two years ago,
I went through all of the preparations,
got on the table and was put into lala land all to no avail.
My heart rate dropped dangerously low
and they pulled me out without doing the test.

It's taken me this long to get up the courage to try again.
I have a new doctor and I am starting over from scratch.

This time I have to go to the hospital
and be put under general anesthesia.

I can' t eat anything again until Thursday after the test.

Tomorrow I plan to stay very busy cleaning house,
and doing laundry,
and cleaning out my sock drawer.

But I may run out of steam and just lay around and read all day.
Please say a little prayer for me to not be afraid.
c

*send lots of e-mails tomorrow

Valentine Day 2011

Bible Study (psalm23)

Dancing School (with Lucy)

Taco Soup (with candlelight and roses)

A lovely Valentine Day for me.

~

"For God so loved the world,

that He gave His only Son,

that whosoever believes in Him

should not perish,

but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

~

"Love is patient and kind,

love does not envy or boast,

it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,

but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never ends."

I Corinthians 13: 4~7

~

"So now faith, hope, and love abide,

these three;

but the greatest of these is love."

I Corinthians 13: 13

they sang their little hearts out

As I close this out, let me say thank you all.
It has truly been an incredible week.

Yesterday afternoon my phone rang
and it was two little boys singing
a duet of "Happy Birthday."
They had practiced before they called
and it was perfect.

Facebook yesterday
was filled with well-wishers
all day and into the night.

Bubba hung in there all week.
He took me on three day trips
and countless dinners and lunches out.
My heart is filled with thanksgiving.
I feel very loved!

"Give thanks to the Lord of hosts,
for the Lord is good,
for His steadfast love endures forever!"
Jeremiah 33:11

the tailless donkey

Lucy organized and planned
out the game for my party,
our favorite....."Pin the tail on the donkey."

For some reason we all crack up when we play....
probably because there are several large,
blindfolded,
disoriented adults
spinning and
stumbling forward
with a donkey tail in their hands.
Just as a side note, I won the game!

the birthday cake

I like birthday cake....
the old fashioned kind that I grew up with.

My mother was an expert cake maker.
Everyone she knew got
a homemade cake on their birthday.
I have with my treasures the plate
on which my birthday cakes were presented.

I chose this picture because there is a lot
happening. David could only find one candle.
I told him that would do just fine.

What I love is the wonder
on the faces of Lucy and Harry.
simplicity....it doesn't take much.
God's rich full blessings......
treasures every one.

two great minds

Sometimes I wonder...
Do they really read my blog?

Well, I guess they do.
Remember when I wrote about
my saga with the hungry VCR?

Bubba and David,
unbeknownst to each other,
both went out and replaced two
of my favorite tapes with
brand new DVD's for my birthday.

I sat right down last night and watched "While You Were Sleeping,"
all the way through.
I marvel at what people do for me :o)

my son the chef

David cooked steaks for my birthday.
He & Erika made my favorite salad.
David continued to experiment
with his famous bread spread.
(It keeps getting better each time)
Erika made the best sweet tea that I've tasted in a while.
She even cut up a meyer lemon.
Lucy raised the level of
birthday party excitement to a whole new plateau.
Harry helped as much as Lucy would let him.

My gifts were perfect.
As you can already see, I got lots of flowers.
How in the world do you think they knew?
I will tell of one particular gift in the next blog.

remembering

Let me just say......
the most important thing about my birthday is hearing from you...the people I love. Nothing means more to me than that!

I will be posting throughout this beautiful Sunday some memories of my special day(s).....but first church and lunch with my family.

"Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth."

a surprise on the porch

Today when I got home from an absolutely wonderful lunch with my friend Sandy, these flowers were sitting out on our front stoop.
I think they are so beautiful. Daisys always make me happy and look at those amazing roses.

Thank you Amanda & Mark and Jake & Eli for remembering my birthday and sending me flowers. Sending love and thanks back to you all. Really miss you guys at special times like this........mom & grammie

bare trees.....

It is winter....you probably already knew that.
One of the things I like about winter
is getting to see the trees completely undressed.
I love the silhouette of a bare tree
against the white gray of the winter sky.
What is most exciting
is to see a bird's nest in full view.
For all the work mama bird did in the spring
to hide her lowly home away,
in winter it is on full display up high
in the naked branches for all to see.

bare thoughts......
Did you notice in an earlier blog
that I called myself an old girl?
When I look at my age
I realize that I have been around for a long time.
My goodness, I've gotten to celebrate sixty~two Christmases.
But in my heart I still feel like a girl.
I like that.

a quote ....
"Dance like no one is looking....
Sing like no one can hear you....
Love like you can't be hurt."
cathy

on the rocks~on the roof

Tonight

just a couple of pictures

that were taken on our trip to

St. Simons Island today.

cathy

this old girl

It wasn't any accident
that we studied the 90th Psalm on Monday.
I turn 63 on Saturday
and this verse came out and grabbed
the attention of this birthday girl.
See if you don't agree with me.....

"The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone,
and we fly away."
Psalm 90:10

Well there you have it.
God gets pretty specific in His Word
about the fact that our years on this earth
are very brief and full of toil and trouble.

So what did I glean from this verse and the chapter?
Get wisdom!

This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.....
These verses are beautiful and amazing.....

"If you receive My words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;
from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk in integrity."
Proverbs 2: 1~7

Please read these verses.....
They tell you how to get wisdom.

I am well (in case you were wondering)
and the sun shone all day today.
cathy

dilemma

I have quite a vast and enviable collection
of favorite movies on video tape,

but alas.....I have nothing to play them on.

Saturday night I decided to watch "While You Were Sleeping"

which may be my all time favorite.

While relaxing

and laughing out loud at a scene,

the video player (which is built into the television set)

gobbled up the tape.

After a long stint

of digging the tape out of the player with two fondue forks,

I shook myself out of denial and came to grips with the truth.

I may never be able to watch any of my movies ever again.

~

Do they still make and sell video players?

~

If anyone has any ideas that may help me, please let me know.

In the meantime,

I will go back to not watching movies

which I hadn't done in about a year until Saturday night.

~

Now on to more pressing matters...

I feel like I am getting sick.

On my own I stopped taking an intricate part of my allergy routine.

Bad timing as the trees are just starting to pollenate.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

I started the med back just now.

I will have to live with the side effect until after spring gets over.

~

So, Lucy is learning how to be a ballerina.

She is doing really well and I am so proud of her.

Some of you know how I feel about the "boy ballerinas" in her class.

Well, today she was dancing with one of them

and they looked so cute together.

Sigh....

~

One more thing in this blog of this and that....

I am seriously thinking of taking a dance class that incorporates Pilates.

I think it would be fun.

~

Finally....it has not stopped raining all day.

I did not have the luxury of staying home to enjoy it.

Being out all day in cold rain is not the most desirable,

but I am ever thankful for God's provision to water His earth.....

any time He wants.

~

Whew....

i think i got it all out...

cathy

because inquiring minds have asked....

the white ceramic elephant is a hook on which to hang a towel.
I have never seen anything quite like this before....
he just kind of caught my eye and struck my fancy.
I haven't decided his mounting place yet,
but when you come for a visit,
most likely,
the ceramic white elephant will be somewhere to greet you.

Monday is Bible study day for me......
I would rather it not be on Monday,
but who am I to complain?
We are studying the Psalms.....
couldn't be any more perfect.
Again, this is a study by Nancy Lee DeMoss.

Mondays have always been my stay at home day.
Laundry, bathrooms, floors, and the like
all used to get dealt with on Monday.
All that has been moved to Saturday now.
I guess it really doesn't matter
which day you clean house
as long as it gets done.

"So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90 12

"get a heart of wisdom"
How do we do that?
Read His word....

he took her away.......

to a special place
that made a smile come upon her face.

He bought her something sparkling to wear in her hair....
a white ceramic elephant
to hang a pretty towel there.......
a cute little tee of robin's egg blue
to wear one day soon when spring breaks through.

Thank you for making my birthday wishes come true......
a week early.
cathy

sorry....

I am almost positive that I have a bad case of brain fog tonight.
I have come to this computer
several times to write and drawn a blank.
This happens every now and then.
It is raining and I am tired and I think
I just need to go to bed and read until I drift off.

"He who keeps you will neither slumber nor sleep."
Psalm 121:4

he nailed it

This guy is Punxsutawney Phil.
He is a groundhog.
This morning he came out of his burrow
and did not see his shadow
thereby saying
to all of the country
that spring would come early this year.

Boy did he get that right!!
This afternoon it was 74 degrees in Savannah......
windows and doors open....
bright sunshine and lovely blue sky.
And that smell....spring!
I can't describe it, but I know it by heart.
I don't know how you knew but...
thank you Punxsutawney!!!

Of course we really know who controls such things:

"God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things that we cannot comprehend.

For to the snow He says,
Fall on the earth,
likewise to the downpour,
His mighty downpour.

From its chamber comes the whirlwind,
and cold from the scattering winds.

By the breath of God ice is given,
and the broad waters are frozen fast.

He loads the thick clouds with moisture;
the clouds scatter His lightning.

"They turn around and around by His guidance,
to accomplish all that He commands them."
Job 37: 5&6 9~12

I leave you tonight
with this absolutely beautiful passage
which speaks about God's sovereign control over nature.

It is beautiful...
it is poetry of the finest literature.

I stand in amazement tonight.
cathy

yea!...it's my birthday month

It is my all time favorite piece of furniture....
this hutch.
It is stage one for all of my seasonal decorations.
Today the hearts came out for valentine.
Had chili for dinner tonight.
It was very "heart..y."

Cupcakes from Just Desserts of Savannah.
Red velvet, triple strawberry, and pumpkin spice.
We definitely "deliciated."

My birthday begins today and goes all the way
to the end of this short but very sweet month.
Even tonight plans were being made for the big day.
Life is to be celebrated....I think/I know!!!

"I have often said, and I often feel,
that if I had no other reason
for believing that the Bible is the Word of God,
this would be sufficient for me:
the stark honesty
and truthfulness
of the Bible
which tells the truth about man;
it is the only book that does it."
(Life in Christ MLJ quote)

It is, you know...
truth that hasn't changed
and has endured for all the ages.

God's Word....
read it,
pant for it as a deer pants for water.
Nothing else satisfies...I know from experience.

happy,
cathy