winter night

Raining.

cold outside...

fire going,

candles burning,

and a vase full of tulips 

sitting on the island.

Home is my happy place.

Creating beauty is my love and inspiration.

Interacting with children has always been my strong suit.

Living peacefully with my husband in this place is my greatest gift.

I am thankful this night for all of these things.

But above and beyond all of the above

I am thankful

that God chose me to be His 

before the foundation of the world.

He provided His Son Jesus Christ to be my Savior.

He wrote a book

 ~ the Bible ~ 

and preserved it for me

so that I can read it and know Him.

And because His Spirit gave me 

faith to believe

that Jesus paid the price of His blood for my sin,

I am acceptable to God

and will spend eternity with Him.

Do you have faith?

Even if it is as small as a mustard seed,

Jesus said that is enough.

Read His word for yourself and ask for understanding.

He is faithful

and He answers all who call upon His name.

The truth of God is so beautiful!

grace & anna then and now

I will start with now.

Grace got married after Christmas last month.

This is a picture of Grace with her sister Anna before the wedding.

I think both of them are stunning.

This is Grace and Anna thirteen years ago

at Amanda's wedding.

Anna was her flower girl .

Grace was her junior bridesmaid.

Time moves on.

Little girls grow up.

Somewhere along the way

God fashions them into beauties.

Love these girls!

shattered pieces

This was the season of brokenness.

First of all my body...

not broken, but badly bruised and shaken....

twice.

Bubba...once.

Then, other things started breaking.

At Thanksgiving

I broke one of my beautiful Vietre goblets.

This favorite winter platter along with a matching mug

 fell from my hutch

during my fall from the ladder

when I was trying to fix the lights on top of the hutch.

It was too badly shattered to be fixed.

This is a salad plate to our fine china that

Bubba and I got when we were married forty-five years ago.

Not a piece had been broken until Christmas night.

Remember Moonspun?

That was all I talked about.

All in all,

that is a pretty good record.....

one piece out of a ten piece serving in 45 years.

I also dropped and completely destroyed one of my

Department 56 Snow Village houses.

It was a favorite.

and then....

...this snowman lamp

that we had made last year out of a milk jug.

My pride and joy...

gone quickly from my hands,

broken beyond repair.

Probably though....

....this was the worst.

One of my real silver spoons

went down the drain,

while the disposal was running.

They were just things,

much loved,

but not life changing.

Some can maybe be replaced,

but some not.

Hold everything loosely, you know.

We can't take any of it with us when we die...

wouldn't even want too.

happy birthday to david

On this cold, blustery Saturday

we celebrated David's 42 birthday.

We had a fire in the fireplace,

candles on the cake,

an extraordinary meal,

and one of Grammy's homemade cakes.

The big surprise gift was...

all of the kids pitched in their money

and bought him a

Millennial Falcon Lego set.

David has given notice that once it gets put together,

it will not be taken apart.

It will go on display in his office.

Thanking God tonight for this wonderful man,

for his family,

for his ministry,

for his love.

Some one got into the icing...

I wonder who?

on this rainy winter day...

.....I give you this to dream on.

A cozy beach cottage

nestled right on

the wide expanse of the ocean.

I would rather be right there than anyplace else

in the world.

To my love....

"You cook the steaks on that charcoal grill.

I'll make a salad 

and crack some crab legs.

We can listen to the waves crash on the rocks,

while we eat on the porch.

It doesn't matter that its cloudy,

the lights glowing in the house make it even more special.

After we eat, we will sit in the rocking chairs

and watch 

the day turn into night,

the ocean turn from gray to black.

When the night has fully come,

we will sit on

 and listen to the music the ocean makes,

holding hands,

knowing each others hearts as one,"

Every now and then 

the poet

 and the dreamer in me 

has to get out.

Love always and forever,

cathy

homework time

I picked Harry and Lucy up from school this afternoon.

We had Chick Fil A

and then it was home to do homework.

This is how I found Harry....

on top of my table

working diligently on his assignment.

Whatever it takes to get it done!!

Just wish I could still assume that position!

always remember....

This is our God...

nothing is too difficult for Him.

saturday afternoon bike ride

Off we go...

Lu & I,

all around the neighborhood

on this beautiful,

springlike,

Saturday afternoon in the South.

True joy abounds when Lucy is around.

she is funny and smart,

she keeps me on my toes.

We had a long game of monopoly,

went to see a movie,

Made pancakes at the Funky Brunch,

and just had an all around good time.

Notice the helmet...

I decided to cave in and wear one

so that If I did fall,

at least my head would be protected.

I suppose they are very much the rage with the athletic types,

and of course I fit right in.

Thankful tonight for the

delicious meal that Bubba cooked for us,

the lovely weather,

time with family,

a comfy bed to get into soon,

and

a good book to read until I fall asleep.

"All good and perfect gifts come from our Father in heaven."

a good movie.....

I was killing some time in Barnes & Noble....

love to have time to browse there.

I saw this book

Brooklyn...

it caught my eye.

After reading the reviews,

I made a purchase,

brought it home,

read it,

loved it.

I saw that it was

"Soon to be a motion picture."

It was only playing in one theater in Savannah.

what a bust I thought...

only one theater??

I decided to go see it this afternoon.

It did not disappoint.

In fact,

I loved it!

And.

Lo & behold,

it was nominated for Best Picture last night

at the Academy Awards.

Probably a chick flick,

but so beautiful and so well done.

I still know how to pick em!!!!

that thing about january

Doesn't everyone just love January?

I know I do,

The frenzy of the holidays are finally over.

The days and evenings slow way down.

There is time to watch a movie,

take a little nap,

spend more time in God's word,

take a walk with my hubby,

go to bed earlier and sleep a little later.

January refreshes me!!

Most of all I love to clean and organize.

Over the holidays,

everything stays in a mild to extreme state of chaos.

Food,

present wrappings,

and people fill the house,

and isn't it all so wonderful.

But after the holidays

it feels so good to bring order out of the chaos.

To clean out a closet or the pantry,

to get every one of the pine needles from the tree

 out of the carpet,

to wash up all of the Christmas linens,

press them,

and place them back where they belong.

January fills me with energy

and the desire to do new things.

I love January!!!

Forty two years ago we were waiting for David to be born....

our firstborn son,

who took his own good time getting here.

January will always be special because of him.

Three years ago today my Dad died.

Bubba woke me up early in the morning 

to tell me that news.

Sobering to be without your 

mother and your father.

Cold days and freezing nights have finally gotten to us.

How good it feels to pile on the covers

and snuggle in the bed.

But the greatest thing is the hope.

By the end of the month we will have about 30 minutes more daylight.

And in just a few weeks it will be spring,

and then summer again.

Can't wait!!!!

today at tybee

Went down to the condo today to do some updates.

A lot is happening...

getting a whole remodel on the pool area

and a new walkway to the beach.

This is one of those little gems at the beach.

Tucked away on the quiet north end,

it is well run and well cared for.

We love the girl who runs the place.

She is on top of everything

and runs a tight ship.

I am always amazed at what our guests write in the guestbook....

Just a sampling of some very recent inserts.

Condo on Tybee Beach...

Best investment we ever made!

gathered round....

There is nothing I like better than to have our family

gathered around the big old farm table

in our kitchen.

It is one of those blessings that come from God.

Bubba and I usually cook in tandem.

He does this and I do that

and somehow 

it all comes together delicious.

But its the fellowship I like the most.

The following along with each others lives,

the jokes

the laughter,

the children telling about their day.

News,

astonishing or mundane...

everything makes for an interesting time.

I like to make pies and cakes!

Now, thanks to my family,

I have one of these....

So excited!!

Who knows what my culinary future holds.

And look at that beautiful color,

it matches my house.

One thing I know for sure...

If we cook,

they will come!

in january...

...the snowmen come out.

They hide in the attic during Christmas,

Then every year about this time they start to appear.

I call them my winter decorations.

Along with 

snowflakes and candles,

the house becomes

 magic again.

If I could just decorate all the time,

I would be most blissfully happy!

It was the perfect night for crab stew.

Bubba made the most delicious I have ever tasted.

We couldn't believe how good it was.

I love it when this man

takes to the kitchen!

So the first week after the holidays has been successful.

All of my decorations are packed and ready

to be put back into the attic.

My therapy is going well.

I think my leg may heal after all.

My printer works again,

always glad for that!!!

Praying for a great 2016 for everyone!

growing up star wars

We raised our kids in the Star Wars generation.

David 

was always playing with his Star Wars figures.

I saw all of the movies.

We lived and breathed everything Star Wars.

In the storage house,

in lots of boxes,

it is all there...

all of the toys...

the things that helped shape the man that our son became.

There was a great expectancy this December.

No, it wasn't the coming of Christmas.

A new Star Wars movie was being released,

The Force Awakens,

Everybody was beside themselves with excitement

for the 17th to arrive,

the day the movie opened.

All of our grandchildren went, some several times.

Star Wars was all the buzz.

Many Star Wars Christmas gifts were given.

The movie is even mentioned in our church quite often.

(David and our pastor are the same age)

Both are huge fans!!!

I began to feel left out of the excitement,

so I called Lucy aside and asked,

"Lucy, will you go to see Star Wars with me?

Her answer was a big smile and  a definite affirmative!

We went last Saturday afternoon.

She has this T-shirt,

and I did her hair in Princess Leia style.

I couldn't wait to see Han and Chewie again,

and the Princess and Luke and R2D2.

I really needed to see this movie so that

I could talk sensibly and intelligently with my grandchildren.

It was great!

Lu had told me that one of our favorite characters was going to die,

so we made a plan.

She would give me a signal

and we would both close our eyes during that scene.

She ended up leaving me alone and completely leaving the theater.

So much for her comfort....

she just couldn't take it!!!

So glad I went.

Now I know who BB-8 is,

and,

I can have long, involved conversations with my loves.

I tell you,

you gotta meet them where they are.

Baby.....

It's (finally) cold outside.

happy new year!

Oh dear friends,

as 2015 ends and 2016 begins,

let us think about how 

the years of our lives roll by

quicker and quicker with each passing day. 

The Bible tells us this....

"Remember that my life is but breath...."

Job 7:7

We are getting closer to eternity

with each ticking second.

Always,

on New Year's Day,

we are faced with a challenge...

What will we do with the rest of our life?

Now is the day of salvation!

After we die and are buried there are no second chances.

God offers us

 "New Life" 

and the chance to spend eternity with Him!!!

I would be remiss to not remind you of this precious truth.

Heed the call of the gospel,

Repent and

 Believe the Good News

because God's Kingdom is upon us!

The day of His mercy 

is still available.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.

Immerse yourself in His word.

When everything in your life is falling apart,

the Bible makes sense of it.

His word is the truth that will set you free.

May God be with all of us in this coming year....