the surprise

You all know how I feel about my Lucy.

First and only grandgirl,

special bond from the beginning,

heart of my heart.

Well, next Monday she turns eleven.

Hard to believe that adorable baby girl is 

closing in on her teen years.

Tonight we gave her a very special gift....

Disney park hoppers for three days admission to

Disney World.

So many times we almost let the surprise slip.

She was completely surprised

and extremely excited to say the least.

So, sometime in the near future,

Lucy and her mom and dad will be off on this

wonderful adventure.

Thankful tonight for this precious gift from God,

this little girl,

who shares my old age, 

makes me feel young at heart,

 and blesses me with her love.

and the silly one......

It would't be Thanksgiving without a silly picture.

Been home all day 

eating leftovers

and packing up the fall decorations.

Thank you to Amanda,

my lovely daughter,

who came and made the work load easier for me.

I have to say that her dressing

is better than mine.

This year was the best I've ever tasted,

and she made it!

These little boys were so good.

They played outside all afternoon.

They joined with our neighbors in their yard for a while,

and they played with Lucy the dog as well.

The children make the holidays so special!

Last but not least,

Amanda is ALWAYS the star of the show.

Bye, bye Thanksgiving 2016.

I love thanksgiving day

Amanda & her Dad making the dressing!

Beautiful table...

silver and fine china.

Roses and candlelight.

 Chef Bubba dropping his turkey into the hot grease.

Two cuties....

Amanda and Lindsey never stopped talking!

Frankie preparing the sausage to fry.

Charlotte Bell and her pig tails in her high chair.

Elizabeth made turkey brownies.

The food island...

crazy amount!!

All delicious!

some of the guests...

Ivan and Grace did not get to come.

Their flight was cancelled.

We were sad.

No cell phones allowed at the table.

After dinner nap..,

Uncle Frank.

Orange roses!

Charlotte up in the sky!

Group shot....very warm day!

Being silly!

Just the girls.

So thankful for God's blessings on our day.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

To be truly thankful in the midst of great adversity

is an amazing blessing.

May your Thanksgiving Day be filled with the love of those you hold most dear.

cathy

at the beach just now

Sunset at Tybee.

I caught this big container ship 

 rounding the bend out into the ocean.

The sun was setting off to the west.

The colors have been so beautiful this fall.

Saw this cute little tug boat heading out as well.

Not many words tonight.

Just some pictures of the beauty and Majesty of God's creation.

We have so much to be thankful for.

his new van

....and yes,

it looks like every other van we have ever owned.

The man is so thankful to put this particular piece of the last few months in order.

If you didn't know,

He was rear-ended on the Tybee road while stopped for construction work.

They were repairing the part of the causeway that had eroded away

during Hurricane Matthew.

And,

just so you know,

the insurance company 

gives no special treatment 

to people who are hit from behind

through no fault of their own.

We are still working on the beach condo.

Very slow progress,

but it will be stunning when done.

I am always up for a redo.

So thankful for my husband today.

Even though we just had a little tiff over where to place a recliner,

I know how blessed I am.

Getting ready for the big week!

Lots to clean,

do,think about,cook.

So many little details to cover.

Was just out on the patio cleaning the last oven grate.

Most important item for next week is a clean, functioning oven.

I feel like I'm getting ready for one of those big house parties 

that the rich English people have. 

One more thing...

it is going to be cold tonight.

Brrrr.

but it looks like 74 for Thanksgiving Day/

thanksgiving napkins

I love Thanksgiving!

I found these napkins today and thought...

"How lovely they will look on our Thanksgiving table."

Starting to get really excited.

The first out of town guests will start arriving on Monday night.

I spent most of yesterday cleaning the Viking.

The oven self-cleaned.

all of the grates were scoured and put through the dishwasher 

along with all knobs and other accessories.

The top is clean enough to eat on.

I was going to ask Bubba if we could not use it until TG, 

but we have to eat 

which means that we have to use the stove.

Having salmon tonight.

Healthy!

All bedrooms will be in use!

Full house!

Clean, soft, cozy linens!

All rooms dusted from top to bottom and all windows shining bright.

I've been working on the windows for a while.

Outside, 

on a ladder,

with the hose,

 hot soapy water,

 and a big brush.

They are so clean they shine and sparkle.

So thankful.

God is so good.

Thanksgiving is actually every day,

but its nice having one day totally devoted to it.

Big feast,

fellowship,

"In everything, give thanks."

my back porch

After three days of clouds,

the sun came out this afternoon 

Lighting up the house and the backyard 

with brilliant color.

I love it!!

We are leaving soon to go to the beach to watch the moon rise.

It happens at 5:58pm.

I hope to get some pictures.

Very excited!

Later....

I got this shot of the Super Moon and the one below

from the long walkway out over the beach.

It was simply stunning,

huge,

brilliant!

Seeing it come up over the ocean was amazing.

Man has nothing to do with this moon.

Our God made it and hung it there in the heavens.

All glory goes to Him for this

light show in the sky.

a nap and some corn bread

I must have needed the nap.

After church and a quick lunch

I grabbed my soft and warm "heide han," 

(What David called his blanket)

snuggled up with my book,

 and was out for over two hours. 

It was cold and cloudy and it just felt right.

It was one of those naps that is very hard to wake up from.

I only have those deep sleeps on Sunday afternoon very occasionally.

There was a dream.

Mark was with us....not Amanda or the boys.

He was helping Bubba with some restoration projects,

but not anywhere that I was familiar with.

I was puzzled because my beautiful curtains had snaps on them.

Crazy dream....but it went on and on.

When I finally got up

I looked at Facebook and found the most amazing cornbread recipe.

I had to have it right away so...

I made it!

It was so delicious!!

Corn bread and Chili...

the perfect ending to a great weekend.

*We are involved in a complete gut job at our condo on Tybee Island.

That's probably where the dream instigated.

Seeing the cornbread just made my mouth water and I had to have some.

*What about that moon tomorrow night?

I think we'll go get some Wileys BBQ and then on down to the beach to see it rise. 

A once in a lifetime vista.

I love God's creation.

He hung that moon you know!

things i love....

The color of pumpkins.

Eating chili for supper on a cool Saturday evening.

Fire in the fireplace.

The bright, incredibly blue skies of Autumn.

Our peaceful home.

New pine straw in the flower beds.

Early bedtime under a warm blanket.

Reading a good book.

The smokey smell of leaves burning.

A great big harvest moon.

A text from Amanda saying "We're home."

Shining clean windows,

Anticipating Thanksgiving.

God is so good.

His grace is such a mystery.

Why He would choose me to be His is unfathomable to me.

I am so thankful to Him!

charlotte bell

We met for lunch at Macaroni Grill to plan for Thanksgiving,

which, believe it or not, happens two weeks from today.

Sally, Liz, Charlotte, and myself

enjoyed lunch and a lot of laughter and fun.

This little girl is growing and becoming her own little person.

I so enjoyed being with all of them.

We did a lot of talking about how glad we are that Trump won the election,

how much we are looking forward to all of the delicious

food items that we will prepare for the feast,

and how much we enjoy 

eating the leftovers.

Take out containers are planned for in advance.

(thanks to Sally)

This year we are honored to welcome

our niece Grace and her new husband Ivan to our home.

These plans have been made since last January.

Can't believe it is almost time to celebrate with them

at my most favorite holiday,

Thanksgiving.

I just love getting in the kitchen with Bubba and Amanda on the day before,

preparing dish after dish,

setting the tables,

decorating,

with the children in and out,

and just having so much fun being together.

Mark even joins in to make his famous pumpkin pie.

Thankful today for the hope that I feel for our country,

and for the beautiful weather.

I am especially thankful for God's word

which enriches my life every day.

So many blessings in my life.

Cannot ever forget!!

my much loved tybee island

[Photo: @dillonpatel93 via instagram]

I love this picture.

Vantage point is south end.

Tide is low.

You can see the pier jutting out into the ocean.

Tybee Island is a small island...

not quite three miles long.

It is mostly residential.

Lots of quaint and colorful cottages

line the narrow streets.

Bicycles abound.

Palm trees and hibiscus are everywhere.

Of course you have your honky tonks, which I avoid at all costs.

There are a few really good restaurants.

Some of our favorites have come and gone.

There is a library and a post office where we still get our mail.

Can't forget the Sugar Shack for ice cream on the way home.

Memories on this island go way back.

It was great growing up so near the ocean.

From the childhood joys of playing in the sand and testing the surf,

to my teenage years of baking in the sun,

to my older age, owning a "place on the beach,"

Tybee has always been magical.

Now I love to walk on the beach and search for treasures

with my grandkids.

I like to watch the sun go down,

I like the drive there and back,

on the causeway through the marsh.

I love when the weather cools off and the tourists go home

and I have the beach all to myself.

I love the smell of the puff mud and the salt air.

I love the feel of the sand between my toes.

I love to take pictures of all of the beauty.

I love to hunt for sea glass and shark teeth.

I was born to be a "Beach Girl."

Have loved it all my life.

Thank you God that you allow me to live so close.

looooong nights ~ short daze

My Fall kitchen!

Hopefully this "daze" that I feel today will not last long.

When the time changes and we fall back,

I struggle.

Nothing seems quite right.

Up early,

hungry all day,

out of sorts

(whatever they are,)

Nothing seems quite right.

Bubba made his wonderful fresh crab stew,

(we'll eat early)

I've already turned on some little lamps,

I think I'll watch a favorite movie.....

stay up a little later,

Be ready to function tomorrow.

But until then,

I will allow myself to be a little off.

I will try not to complain about the early darkness,

I will 

"Rejoice in the day that the Lord has made,"

because that is pleasing to Him.

Change is good!

Right?

the magnificent grandparents

Yesterday was Grandparents Day at Veritas Academy.

This day is that once a year chance that we

get to go into the classroom and watch the kids in action.

Lucy,

our sixth grader,

was in rare form standing at the white board 

translating a Latin sentence into English.

I was so impressed with her ability.

Archie is in first grade.

He was standing by the door greeting everyone when I got there.

His exuberance was contagious.

He is always happy and excited.

He showed me everything in the room in one minute flat.

He had made us a pretty picture.

Harry is that dreamy charmer I always talk about.

He had written a paragraph about us.

He read it in front of the class.

His words, above, brought tears to my eyes.

He was able to write everything that we do together

in such a sweet way.

Being called "Magnificent Grandparents" was the best.

Gus is in Kindergarten.

He was sick and didn't get to take part.

Being Grammy is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me!!

lucy and the piano

My new, all-time favorite photo of Lucy.

This picture speaks volumes...

no need for any words.

*almost eleven

Halloween 2016

These are my South Florida grandsons...

Jake is Spiderman,

(not surprising)

Eli is Dead Pool.

We had fun shopping for all of Dead Pool's swords etc

when these guys came to visit a few days ago.

They left their candy on the porch

while trick or treating in their neighborhood.

One house was giving out money.

The first 100 kids got a bright, shiny, silver dollar.

I love how neat Amanda left their goodies.

The boys made it back in time to give some treats out too.

Bubba and I got to join these amazing characters

on their trek around the neighborhood.

Trick or Treating started out slow,

bu they all soon got the hang of it and came home with buckets full of candy.

Harry as Harry Potter.

(He read the first book and we watched the first movie together)

He earned the right to be HP.

Lucy as an adorable black kitty.

(she is a really good purrer)

Arch went as a Cubs baseball player.

He got rave reviews.

Gus is Batman...

always.

Halloween is such a good, fun time for the kids.

Lots of people out...

everybody was well behaved and thankful.

Thank you Lord for these grandkids!

That I can be involved in their lives is such a huge blessing.