yep, it's me,

standing on my favorite place in the world,

the beach.

Another month has passed in the book of my life.

Bye, bye 11/11.

Next Tuesday,

Bubba

will be past the half-way point with his radiation treatments.

He is doing well.....

better than we both expected.

Thank you

for all of the prayers on his behalf.

What are we going to do when he is all finished?

We are going to Disney World!

Taking the whole family down for a week

to celebrate life.

I love God's Word!

Was struck by this quote today....

"There is nothing more important

in the Christian life

than the way in which we approach the Bible,

and the way in which we read it. 

It is our textbook,

it is our only source,

it is our only authority." 

(MLJ ~ The Sermon on the Mount.)

The only living God,

the Maker and Creator of the universe,

the Giver and Sustainer of life

provided

a book of instructions for us.

Amazing!!!

What do you do with your Bible?

let's go fly a kite....

You run with it

until it catches a loft of air and

soars 

up into the sky. 

There's something about flying a kite........

As you gaze upwards

you notice

the huge expanse of blue sky.

You control the strings that fly the kite

and you wish

you could be up there in the sky flying too.

One of the children asked me this question,

"Grammy, what would you do if you could do anything you wanted to?"

I said off the top of my head...

"I would go hang gliding out over the ocean."

(They were hugely impressed)

That's flying in a way....

kinda like being a kite in the big blue sky going wherever it wants to go.

Maybe next summer..

what do you think?

cathy

the neigborhood hawk

The first time I noticed him

I was sitting in the

rocking chair

on the front porch

of our house at Hilton Head, 

basking

in the warmth of the

sun. 

He swooped low and made a huge,

fleeting shadow.

After he passed by, I said ,

"Wow."

The next time I saw him

he made a

swift gliding landing

on a rather low branch of a tree.

What intrigued me was his docile nature.

It was almost as if he was trying to get me to notice him.

The hawk stayed perched on the limb for quite a long time.

We all had been bicycling together

and Mark and Amanda

came upon me gazing intently up in the tree.

The hawk let me and then Mark

take picture after picture

before he tired of our antics

 and flew silently and gracefully away.

A miracle

is the flight of a bird.

God feeds them you know and takes care of them. 

Not one falls to the ground

without His knowledge. 

We also saw a black snake 

slithering away on the path to the beach,

 two small alligators,

one swimming,

 one laying on the bank in the sun,

 and a family of rather large

turtles

resting happily together by the side of the lagoon.

All of God's creatures are so amazing!

Raining right now.

Hear it falling on the world outside.

Everything about God's creation is good and wonderful.

cathy

jumping for pure joy

Every now and then

there are periods in my life that are

 pure joy. 

This last week at

Hilton Head

was one of those times.

Kissed by the sun

barefoot on the beach

sitting in the sand

watching my grand babies play and have fun.

The joy of the Lord is in my heart.

It is Him that brings me

contentment.

He has blessed beyond measure,

and it is not because of anything I have done to please Him.

God's love is unmerited,

His favor is upon whom He chooses.

To know God's love is the greatest gift on this earth.

I pray

you will seek Him and know this same joy.

Amanda caught this picture of Jake jumping in the surf.

Seeing it all again

through the eyes of these children

is precious.

I praise and thank my God tonight for these

treasures,

these memories

that I get to store up in my heart.

To God be the glory great things He has done.

a most amazing thanksgiving

It couldn't have been better.

I would not change a thing if I could.

Hilton Head Island,

the beach,

a dream house,

 wonderful weather,

 good food,

but most of all the

love of family.

A very special time indeed.

Thank you God for all of this.

You alone are the giver of all good gifts.

A very special thanks to

Frankie, Sally, and Lindsey

for coming over

and spending Wednesday night

 to help us cook

and pull it off without a hitch.

Could not have done it without you.

More tomorrow!

For some reason I am very tired tonight.

cathy

happy thanksgiving everybody

from beautiful, sunny

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

cathy

she lost it

The big question tonight is this.....

Does the

 tooth fairy

 know where to come

when you lose your first tooth

on vacation at Hilton Head?

That's right,

Granddaddy

 pulled Lucy's tooth right after supper.

He used his handkerchief to yank that little fella out by it's roots.

There was a little whimpering

and a little blood,

but all in all Lucy was a very brave girl.

We all piled into the van to go to

Harbor Town

 to get a commemorative ice cream treat,

but the ice cream shop was closed.  :(

Never fear....Grammie had Blue Bell in the freezer

and we came home and fixed sundaes with chocolate shell and cherries. 

At this time the little tooth is under

Lucy's pillow.

We are all hoping the fairy will find Lucy sleeping in this house at the beach.

Can't wait till morning's light.

God speaking of the ocean.....

And I placed boundaries on it,

and I set a bolt and doors,

and I said,

"This far you shall come but no farther,

 and here shall your proud waves stop!"

Job 38: 10 & 11

Just got the internet working here at the beach house.

Really no big deal to me though.

Who wants to sit at a computer when there is a beach just a few steps away?

Got to check in super early yesterday,

so we have already had two fulls days in this beautiful place.

Been sitting in the sand in a chair by the ocean....

reading,

getting drowsy,

soaking up the sun,

musing about this & that,

writing in the sand.

Gorgeous weather.....very springlike,

an answer to prayer.

Have spent some time in those rocking chairs too.

They are on the second story of our home.

You can see the ocean shinig like

a million diamonds.

God set a bolt and doors to hold the ocean back.

I am glad I can trust that promise when I'm

sitting on the beach.

cathy

this....

is my dream bedroom.

I am not kidding....

This bedroom

belongs to the person

who is buried under all of the layers of

conformity.

When I first saw it, it took my breath away.

I would totally sleep and dream here if I could.

The only thing that

confuses

me a little bit is the

 chandelier.

I might have to move it a mite higher.

Tomorrow is the day.

We will live at the beach in a big old house for a week.

Bikes are in the van

along with lots of food,

 toys for the children,

my fine china,

two pumpkins,

three french hens,

lots of candles,

my percolators,

a deck of uno cards,

four strictly for pleasure books,

my bose cd player,

two big bottles of bubble bath,

and my comfy shoes and clothes.

Dad is doing well...

I had him at the doctor early this morning for a follow-up.

Hopefully that situation will remain stable.

I plan to leave all of the cares of my world on this side of the big bridge.

So,

I'll leave you with this tonight....

"Pleasant words are like a

honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul

and health to the bones."

Proverbs 16:24 

this blows me away....

God speaking about those who trust Him.....

"Because he has loved Me, 

therefore I will deliver him; 

I will set him securely on high,

because he has known My name. 

He will call upon Me and I will answer him; 

 I will be with him in trouble; 

 I will rescue him and honor him. 

With a long life I will satisfy him,

and let him behold my salvation." 

Psalm 91: 14~ 16

God begins by saying,

"Because he (you and I) have loved Him,

because he (you and I) have known His name."

God has taken note of that.....

He knows the ones down here on this earth who love Him....

who call out to the name of God.

Then He makes these promises....

"I will set him securely on high."

"I will answer his prayer when he calls upon me."

"I will be with him in trouble."

"I will rescue him."

"I will honor him.

Next look at what God promises because we love Him......

He will satisfy us with a long life,

He will let us see His salvation.

Praise God for these three verses.

God's love and care for us is unfathomable.

This is all I need to know.

My Dad fell again last night.

No broken bones,

but lots of cuts and bruises.

God was very merciful to him.

Our holiday trip starts on Saturday...

I hope.

cathy

remember your feather.....

...Indian hat from kindergarten?

That's Eli modeling his.

Thanksgiving

is a week away and I can hardly wait.

I love Thanksgiving.....

fixing the big feast,

decorating with all of my

beautiful fall things,

but most of all family....

being together with loved ones,

counting blessings

one by one.

For...

life,

now and forever.

Kowing God....

His word.

For my husband,

our children and their spouses,

our grandchildren.

Family & friends to love and care for,

a new church to attend.

The rising and setting of the sun,

music,

books to read.

A coming up week at the beach with my people all around.

cooking,

serving,

playing together.

The stars in the heavens,

the gentle breeze blowing in my open window.

This computer

that opens up new worlds to me every day.

Baby Gus just learning to walk.

This blog,

that you care to read what I write.

A bouquet of flowers,

a crisp red apple,

riding my bike.

Good health.

Knowing that I am loved.

"....giving thanks always

for all things

to God the Father

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 5:20

a poohism

I love

Winnie the Pooh.

Before David was born

I painted his nursery yellow

and decorated it with all things Pooh bear.

For some reason

Pooh causes me tear up.

There is a certain song on a certain DVD

that Lucy knows is my favorite. 

She calls me

and I watch and listen

and feel sad.

Think I must emphasize with his

melancholy personality. 

Pooh

is just a stuffed little bear,

but he evokes

strong emotions in me.

Life

is difficult sometimes,

but it is always worth living. 

Even in times of

suffering

we soldier on

because we don't want to miss a minute of it...

easy or hard, good or bad.

I know....

  it is when the trials are the hardest that

 God's mercy & compassion

are felt most intensely.

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!

God's beautiful creation....

......pointing to the heavens.

Praising God

who made this world

and all that there is therein.

The first service of the

Cornerstone Church of Savannah

is over.

God was honored.

We worshipped Him with music,

the proclamation of His word,

and the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

Simple, pure worship.

Thank you Lord for hearing our prayers,

for bringing the people that You desired to be in attendance today.

This is God's church....

"....I write

so that you may know how

you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God,

which is the

church of the living God,

 the pillar

 and ground of the truth,"

I Timothy 3:15

The above verse 

contains the apostle Paul's words

to the young pastor Timothy.

We will study

the complete book of I Timothy 

in the series

"The Household of God"

in the coming weeks.

Please come join us

as we learn

about God's church,

the body of believers on this earth.

it starts today

Cornerstone Church of Savannah

will hold its inaugural service

  Sunday,

November 13, 2011,

at 10:00

in the morning.

We will meet

at the YMCA

on Mercy Boulevard

just across from the

St. Joseph's Hospital.

Website

http://www.cornerstonesavannah.org/

"And let us consider one another

in order to stir up love and good works,

not forsaking

the assembling of ourselves together,

as is the manner of some,

but exhorting one another,

 and so much more

 as you see the day of the Lord approaching." 

Hebrews 10:24&25

Please come!

We would love to have you!

(maybe one day we will have a place to meet like the picture above.)

this is the kitchen.....

....we'll be cooking in 

over at Hilton Head this

Thanksgiving.

I don't know why I am so excited

(but then again maybe I do.)

I have already started collecting

my recipes

and needed items for the big day.

Wednesday

has been designated cooking day.

Intermittenly,

all day long,

wonderful smells will be wafting

to the far reaches of the big old house.

Everything will be

made from scratch this year,

even down to the desserts and the bread.

Mark,

my wonderful son-in-law,

even wrote me on facebook the other night

and asked if he could make a

pumpkin pie.

Bubba

He is doing fine.

No change in him at all.

Four down

Thirty-five treatments to go.

Time moved up to 1:30 tomorrow.

Good, good!

Flu Shot

I got myself over to the doctor's office

this afternoon

for the rest of that flu shot.....

no need to be hogtied after all. 

So far I feel fine. 

I didn't want to have it,

and I put it off an extra day

but, hey, I'm protected now.

Hooray!

"For You, O Lord,

are good,

and ready to forgive,

and abundant in mercy

to all

who call upon You."

Psalm 86:5

"the faithful witness in the sky"

Been hanging out in

Psalm 89.

God's words to His servant David....

Nevertheless,

My lovingkindness

I will not utterly take from him,

nor allow my faithfulness to fail. 

 My covenant I will not break,

nor alter the word that has gone out from my lips. 

Once I have sworn by my holiness

 I will not lie to David: 

His seed shall endure forever,

and his throne as the sun before Me; 

It shall be established forever like the

moon,

even like the faithful witness in the sky"

Psalm 89: 33~37

Tonight the moon is full,

visible,

a reminder

of the faithfulness of our God.

What a beautiful

analogy...

The faithfulness of God

is like the moon...

our "faithful witness in the sky."

Always,

for eternity,

 being faithful to rise and set

and do the work God ordained it to do.

Like the moon,

God's

faithfulness

is always on display.

Look back,

you should see 

His faithfulness 

in every aspect of your life if you are a believer.

 God is always faithful to us.

Are we faithful to Him?

(picture by Arinahabich/08

moon over the denver airport)

my pot of geraniums.....

.....is still in full bloom

and it is the 8th of November.

I wore my sandals today

and had the air on in my van.

The window

is open here by my computer

and I only need a sheet for cover at night.

No sign of the

"first frost."

Hurray!

Maybe winter won't happen this year.

Erika made supper for us tonight.

Nice treat...

good fellowship,

much

excitement.

The new church starts up this Sunday

and we were all

abuzz

about the final plans for opening day.

Hopefully,

by the end of this week,

I will be able to share the website with you.

"And daily in the temple,

and in every house

they did not

cease

teaching and preaching

Jesus as the Christ."

Acts 5:42

knowing God

I snuck out of bed very early this morning.
Not sure what time it was
because I stay confused for a few days
after the time changes.

It was still very dark outside
and Bubba was sleeping soundly.
Closing the bedroom door quietly
and sneaking down the stairs,
I plugged in the percolator
and waited for my coffee.
I had over an hour in God's word
before Bubba got up.
That is the best,
the absolute best.

"As Christians
we desire blessings
of various types
and pray to God for them,
but in doing so
we may sometimes be insulting God in a sense,
because we imply
that we are not interested in Him,
but in the fact that He is able to give us these blessings. 
We desire the blessing
and we do not stop
to enjoy the blessed person Himself."

The greatest of all blessings
is just to know God
and be in His presence."
Martyn Lloyd Jones ~ Faith Tried and Triumphant

Quiet house
dark outside
Bible
a book to take notes in
a cup of coffee....
precious time alone with God.
Nothing compares.

When Bubba
walked in the door just now
after his first treatment he said,
"one down ~ 38 to go."

resting in the arms of Him who knows best...
cathy

oh no....plunged into darkness

My saddest day of the year.
I took this picture at 6:00 pm.....
already dark as you can see.
Antidote...
lots of candles
and soft light from lamps.
also....
stay busy.
I don't watch TV....
so hopefully I can get lots of items on ebay to sell
and go through my recipes,
maybe even finally get them all on my computer.
Reading, of course,
and
bedding down early.

My motto...
"sleep when it is dark,
get up at dawn,
and work while it is light."

I will be looking forward to December 21st
when the days start getting longer again.

Radiation treatments for Bubba start tomorrw afternoon at 5:00.
I know,
terrible time,
but he should get moved up to a better slot soon.
He is doing well and our trust is in Christ.

We drove over to the island today...
St. Simon's Island that is.
Enjoyed lunch
and the little village by the ocean.
Kind of windy, but always beautiful.

"Let all that you do be done with love."
I Corinthians 16:14

gus is one or pretty close

Party Hardy....

that's what Gus did.

He had the time of his life

tonight

at his very first birthday party. 

Eat Cake....

He did that with gusto!

A very large hunk,

enjoyed down to the last bite.

Gifts...

balls & books

clothes and shoes....

ews and ahs

"Isn't he cute"

First Tooth

It's coming in.

We were beginning to wonder.

That is our biggest clue that he is probably

One

or getting close.

Anyway....

November 5, 2010

is officially

August David Cleland's

birthday.

and boy did we have fun tonight.

all of my tomorrows rest in Him

Many of the leaves

that have fallen 

 this season 

were swirling and dancing across the road just now.....

having a merry time in spite of the traffic.

  Gray clouds were hanging low

and there was a definite chill in the air. 

Winter is coming...

I feel it in my bones, 

 I recognize it from years gone by. 

 It never fails to creep back in even though I will it to stay away.

Back in the summer

when we found out that Bubba 

 was going to have to start radiation treatments,

 we decided to spend

Thanksgiving at Hilton Head...

 Most of all family,

a time to be together,

to enjoy the beauty of the island in the fall.

On Monday

his treatments begin.

39 treatments....

He should be done by January one.

Fifteen days...

in fifteen days we will pack up and go

to the lovely house by the ocean.

If the bedroom door is open,

we will be able to hear the waves pounding on the shore.

Maybe there will be a storm or two...

there will be lots of long bike rides all over the island,

walks on the beach

and good food scents coming from the big oven in the kitchen.

But most of all

family...

 time spent together

loving & being thankful

for the bountiful way that 

God

has dealt with us.

"In all things give thanks

for this is the will of God for you." 

brothers & sisters

My brother....

Growing up he stole french fries off of my plate.

Now,

he has all the best toys,

he can still make me laugh.

He's seen me through some really tough times,

and he always calls to check 

when he hears of trouble.

 I am very thankful for him

and his golf cart

and for taking us all 

trick or treating on

Halloween.

Flu Shot

I don't take a flu shot because it makes me sick every time.

Bubba says that is a bunch of malarky.

My doctor

offered to give me the shot in two separate

administrations.

So,

yesterday,

I had the first half.

That was at 2:00 pm.

By 5:00 I was sick in bed

with flu-like symptoms

sleeping it off.

I told Bubba

that I am not taking

the other half

of that flu shot next week.

He says I'll take it

even if he has to

hogtie me

and haul me in to get it himself.

We'll see.

cc

.

what we have to see

Just to get to my e-mail 

I have to see

 a myriad of things

that I don't want to see. 

The AOL homepage

is a tabloid sheet in and of itself. 

In this world

we are constantly barraged

with the

vain

and the vulgar

of life.

God addresses this is His Word so beautifully....

"Finally brethren,

whatever things are noble,

whatever things are just,

whatever things are pure,

whatever things are lovely,

whatever things are of good report,

if there is any virtue,

and if there is anything praiseworthy,

meditate,

think,

look upon these things."

Philippians 4:8

One day,

when Jesus comes back,

this world

and its ways

will pass away.

We will never have to look upon the ugly and profane again.

Even so,

Lord, Jesus,

Come quickly!