are you this kind of person?

I'm always looking for someone who gets excited over the stars.

⭐

There is nothing like looking up into the sky and seeing God's handiwork.

"God counts the number of the stars;

He calls them all by name."

☆⭐☆

one of our favorite places

This is an old picture as you can see by the date.

It was taken at the Magic Kingdom.

I had never shared it because it was really dark.

So, I set to work on my favorite editing site on my computer 

and came up with this version.

I use Picassa and I love it.

I really should have gone into film editing,

but I became a teacher instead.

At least now in my older age I can enjoy bringing bad photos back to life.

Sadly, this was taken by a certified photographer at the park and we paid $14.95 for it.

I was so proud of how it turned out that I decided to post.

We have loved Disney since it opened right after we got married back in the seventies.

We took David and Amanda.

Now they take their children ~ the circle of life.

 We also love to enjoy the various parks with our grandchildren.

We like some of the new rides but we go back for the old, faithful ones.

It's the place where we can act like kids again.

It's Magic!

tybee...

...my favorite little island in the world.

This is another unique view taken from a drone.

You are looking north from the south end of the beach.

Our little beach hideaway is on the north end.

You can see the famous pier jutting out into the ocean.

Love to walk from the pier all the way around to the Back River.

You can see Butler Avenue slicing right down the center of the island.

I can faintly see the Tybee Lighthouse way up to the north.

Also, from the north end you can plainly see Hilton Head Island.

The amazing view from our condo is famous for watching the big ships go by.

Also, you can most always watch the dolphins close up playing in the water.

These two pleasures are what everybody writes about in our guestbook.

We are having continued hot, hot weather.

My flowers are not pleased with the drought like conditions.

Our little respite last week didn't last nearly long enough.

Here in Savannah we are breaking all kinds of records for the hottest days of the year.

Hoping for rain and cooler weather soon.

Maybe this will hasten the arrival of fall...

Today I am putting away my summer decor,

clearing the way for pumpkins and beautifully hued leaves.

Can't wait to use my orange plates and my new brown place mats.

@finding joy in the smallest delights

There you go!

That's what I'm talking about!  个

"there's this lymph node"

I had an appointment yesterday with my oncologist.

Routine.

The pet scan back in June was clear.

The best news I could get over a year after my cancer ordeal.

I've been feeling good about myself.

Getting stronger every day.

Everything was normal at the office. 

A minimal wait.

Friendly, helpful people being very kind.

I was reading my latest book to pass the time.

After a few pleasantries my doctor said,

"There's this lymph node on your scan that I'm a little concerned about."

My countenance fell and my heart started beating fast.

I could feel heat course through my body.

He noticed my distress.

He said,

  "It's in your chest close to your esophagus. 

It's probably fine,

 but I'm going to go back to my office and compare it with your scan from a year ago."

Oh my word the thoughts that came crashing into my mind.

I will most likely have to start treatment all over again.

He was gone for about fifteen minutes.

I started praying that God would quiet my mind and still my quaking body.

I began to tell myself the truth...

God is absolutely sovereign over my life.

He loves me.

He has provided everything I need now and into eternity

in the person and work of my Lord Jesus Christ His Son and my Savior.

Right now in this tiny examining room He wants me to trust Him.

Soon the door opened and the doctor was back.

This is the one that planned all of my radiation treatments

 and kept a diligent watch over me.

Yes, the one that looks exactly like my twelve year old grandson Harry.

"I got one of the other doctor's to look at it and he thinks it is fine but...

I want the main radiologist to check it to be sure.

I'll let you know what he says."

Okay, bye.

Only God knows how long I will have to wait to hear back from him on this.

I came home and told Bubba.

He encouraged me to stay strong and keep telling myself the truth.

I got to work finishing up with the Monday laundry.

At about 6:30 last night my phone rang.

It was the doctor.

He said,

"All is clear on the lymph node on your scan.

The radiologist said there was nothing to worry about."

I couldn't thank him enough for that call.

He is a good, good doctor.

I don't have to go back to him for six months.

The longest I have gone without being checked.

By the time the doctor called I was calm, cool, and mostly collected.

God had heard my prayer in the examining room.

He helped me through the anxiety and brought me to perfect peace.

       

dinner party...

Yesterday evening...

We entertained these fine folks last night here at the house.

Bubba and I are so thankful that we can still throw a pretty exciting gathering.

The guy in the middle is Harry's birth father Johny.

He came from Mexico for a short visit.

Such a dear man and sweet Christian.

The guy standing by me is Matt.

He is a pastor at our church.

He is accompanied by his wife Sonya and two little girls Olive and Rosie.

They are adopting a precious little boy from Korea who will join them in early winter.

We fixed a Jalapeno Popper with Tortillas to start.

Bubba grilled some steaks.

We had a Romaine salad with David's famous salad dressing.

For sides we had baked potatoes with fixings and corn on the cob.

Bubba made his wonderful mashed potatoes for the kids.

After dinner we all retired to the back yard,

(beautiful weather continues here)

and played lawn darts.

 The kids ran around playing with balloons and beach balls and rackets and having fun.

After that....

someone plugged in the coffee and we all came in for dessert.

I made...

wait for it...

two pies.

Atlantic Beach Pie made with fresh squeezed limes and

my Aunt Clyde's delicious pecan pie.

Everyone left full and happy (I hope).

It was a nice time,

a great party to end our wonderful summer.

Now it's time to decorate for fall.

I love it.

finally

The heat and humidity finally broke today.

Stepping outside was pure joy.

There is nothing like a touch of fall in the air after the intense heat of a Savannah summer.

I was sitting in my car this morning talking to Amanda.

(In Georgia you cannot hold your cell phone and drive at the same time)

Of course I would never give up a chance to talk to my daughter,

so I pulled to a stop and put the windows down.

Pure heaven...

two of my favorite things.

Talking to my daughter about life as we know it

and enjoying the cool breeze blowing my hair all around.

Thank you Lord for this sweet blessing.

Bubba and I are getting ready to host a dinner party Saturday evening.

Harry's birth father is coming all the way from Mexico.

We will be entertaining him and some other friends from our church.

Lots to get ready for but I am so excited.

The weather will facilitate outside activities for sure.

Other than grilling some yummy steaks we may even play,

what else?

Lawn darts!

One more thing,

Our one solid week beach vacation is inching closer and closer.

I am beside myself.

Went to Barnes and Noble this morning to stock up on beach reads.

Be still my heart!

I cannot wait!

🙂

and harry turns twelve

This boy loves his birthday!

He chose this pose for his "before the presents are opened" shot.

Everyone knows that feeling of euphoria!

Seems as if his face was bathed in a pool of sunlight.

That's alright!

He had on a huge smile.

So, guess who won the light saber fight?

We, the audience, were amazed and awed by the skills and moves these boys possess.

They had practiced to perfection.

Dancing all over the yard...

they managed to avoid a hit for the longest time.

They were all winners!

But...

...the winner was...

Harry!

He planned this jousting event and he won.

So proud of all of them.

Lots of cheering from the audience.

He got some really cool sun glasses and put them right on.

I love all of these poses he strikes.

This boy is growing up fast...too fast.

Happy Birthday Harry, 

💙

6th grade.

Loves to eat.

Runs like the wind.

Legos are his passion.

Sits on the front row in church with his friends.

Fishes off the dock before church services starts with a new birthday fishing pole.

Is doing drama this year...can't wait for the first show,

Still gives Gram his best hugs.

I love you Harry!!

a great view of tybee

So thankful today that another potential storm turned out to sea rather than coming for a visit.

Our barrier islands are so vulnerable to the wind and the rain.

Would be a blessing for all of these tempests to miss us this year.

We love our little quirky island.

So many memories, 

so much fun!

This is an interesting shot taken from above.

(@tybeeaerials)

Today is a cooking day for me.

Tomorrow is Harry's birthday and he has given me his requested menu...

Broccoli chicken casserole served with herbed rice,

Corn on the cob,

Yeast rolls,

and for desert, Chocolate Surprise!

Yes the boy loves to eat and He is turning twelve so that is very normal.

We will party after church about 4:30.

I have games too with prizes, and gifts to open.

I hear there is even going to be a light saber fight to the death.

Must have most all of the prep done today.

🎂

Bubba is watching the Dawgs while I work.

He is living his best life when they are playing.

He loves college football more than he love college basketball,

but not by much.

🏈

This is my new game...

The Inchworm Game.

These colorful worms will be moved along by blowing on them with a straw.

Could be wild.

I'll let you know who wins.

Oh by the way...

these pink nesting mixing bowls from Williams Sonoma

 make me very happy when I'm cooking.

Just thought I would throw these in.

If you want to be a happy cook,

get some soon!

😉

so hot

I can't believe I'm saying this but,

I'm longing for this intense heat to notch itself down a bit.

I love summer!

I really, really do...

wouldn't wish it away for anything.

But, I'm ready for the low eighties with a bit of a breeze.

I want to walk outside without having a solid wall of humidity wrap it's arms around my body.

I want to be able to turn off the air conditioner and open the windows.

I hear you say, "It will be cold and dark soon enough!"

But you know what I mean.

Asking for just a little break in the heat.

🌞

Just wanted you see see my niece Grace's newest post on her blog.

I am so very proud of her.

She has accomplished so much in spite of suffering a traumatic brain injury almost three years ago.

God does amazing things in amazing ways.

I can't wait to read her first book.

Click on my post below to get to the link for Grace's blog. 

 ↓

eklogomal.blogspot.com

take time to be thankful

I'm doing this so much more often than I used to.

Getting older has a way of balancing your life... 

of making you stop to smell the flowers,

to look at the birds,

to stop and make time to be thankful.

Having a serious illness has these benefits as well.

I've always been a bit of a frenzied soul.

Working hard to make everybody else happy at the expense of my own well-being.

Honestly,

God didn't create us to take care of the masses.

He made us to find our rest in Him.

To sit at His feet, to worship Him.

He designed us to seek Him and let Him direct our thoughts and our motives.

He sends souls our way and nourishes them through us

when we take time to learn His ways,

Only then can He use us to be a blessing to another.

He wrote a book for us and He expects us to read and study and imbibe His words.

From it we derive strength and power to do life His way.

There is nothing more important.

He wants us to live in a constant state of thankfulness.

What He gives is what we need and nothing more is required.

It is all His.

What He bestows on us is given because of His great generosity.

God is a giver.

"He has given us everything we need for life and godliness."

So, often now, I sit and recall His blessings.

A long life, 

an amazing journey,

Heaven ahead with all of it's joys.

Time and my ink cartridge 

won't permit me to name all of His benefits that He has lavished upon me.

❤️Take time to sit at His feet and learn His ways.

quote & picture ~ Elisabeth Elliot

a galaxy far, far away

Our family evacuated to Disney world this past week.

Here they are posing in front of the Millennium Falcon.

It was everybody's favorite ride.

They were able to enjoy milder weather and less crowded conditions at the parks.

Just finished having dinner with David and his crew.

We got to hear about all of the fun they had.

Really wish we had been there.

❤️

dorian is gone ~ we survived

Just returned from the beach.

We had gotten word that there may be water in our condo again.

Hurricane Matthew devastated out tiny place at the beach a couple of years ago.

It was a somber drive.

We didn't know what we would find.

There was water in front of the slider, but it was wind-driven.

No problems with the roof.

No inundation of rain inside of the unit.

No hole in the ceiling dripping onto the floor.

No leaking in the unit below ours.

We were able to wipe it up in a jiffy.

It is still blowing a gale down there and there is no power,

but we consider ourselves blessed indeed.

Dorian was nothing like Matthew.

He stayed well out into the ocean with his worst stuff.

They put the pool furniture into the water so it wouldn't blow away.

The debris you see all over everything is the insulation from under the complex.

The wind got under there and blew it out.

The whole place was covered.

Lots of cleaning up to do!

Notice the wind-surfer in the sky.

Crazy people do wild and crazy things.

The ocean was still angry as of this afternoon.

The tail end of Dorian was battering the coast.

Huge wind gusts.

But, we thank God for His favor to our city.

This was nature's fury at it's worse as exhibited by what happened in the Bahamas.

SO VERY THANKFUL!

let's get this hurricane over with

Ha, Ha!

It sure is!

As of this afternoon it looks like we will barely be touched by

Hurricane Dorian.

Thank you Lord for this answer to prayer.

So much hype for nothing.

This whole town has emptied out and here we sit,

holding down our fort. 

Our kids "escaped" to Orlando

with visions of Disney World in their heads.

They invited us but we opted out.

Just about everything in Savannah is closed.

So many have fled.

Bubba went to the beach this morning to baton down the beach condo.

Just another beautiful, sunny day down there.

It seems as if we have been waiting for Dorian for months.

Here is the latest forecast from the

National Hurricane Center.

So...

We'll be watching and waiting for the passing of Dorian in the coming days.

I have lots of projects to work on here at the house.

And,

I have a stash of books to read in my chair by the window watching it rain.

These hurricane days are perfect for the hermit in me.

😉 📚 💙

 And here is this...

Oh by the way...

there's another hurricane lurking out in the Atlantic by the name of 

Fernand.

😟

here we blow again

The river was overflowing it's banks this morning at church.

The tide was much higher than normal.

The wind was whipping around.

It felt really tropical.

We live on the coast.

We are very familiar with hurricanes.

One is surely heading our way.

His name is Dorian.

As I write the Bahamas are taking a beating.

180 mph winds will wreck havoc.

Those islands and their people are suffering.

It will be a long time before they will be able to recover.

Let's remember to pray for them!

The rest of us are praying that this storm will turn out to sea.

We remain glued to the weather updates to see if and when that turn will take place.

Of course, this storm's ebbs and flows are all in the hands of God.

Yes, He is even sovereign over the wind and rain....

"God has made the earth by His power;

He has established the world by His wisdom,

And stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

When He utters His voice ~

there is a multitude of waters in the heavens;

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth;

He makes lightnings for the rain;

He brings the wind out of His treasuries."

Jeremiah 51: 15&16

Wherever Dorian meanders will be by His design.

All the same, we can hope and pray for that eastern turn...

This is a little out of date but I love the message.

Turn baby, turn out to sea.

Now this late breaking news report...

We have just gotten word that the first tree limb in Georgia has fallen.

The owners of the house where this limb fell

have reported that there were no injuries 

and no apparent damage to the structure of the house.

Be on guard!

Prune your trees before disaster strikes.

You can't be too prepared.

🌝