front row seat

I love absolutely everything about house building.

This is going on right across the street

Yes, it is a mess and noisy.

Sometimes my driveway is blocked.

Sometimes I miss the privacy I had before they started raising this one.

Honestly, though, I love all of the activity.

Yesterday they had a big crane lifting up the roof trusses.

I couldn't stop running to the window to watch.

Home cooking!

I 💗 to cook!

I 💗 to prepare good food and serve it up to my family.

Nothing better than to be gathered around my farm table with everybody.

Lots of talking and eating and, "Would you please pass the salt?"

                                                     Bacon-wrapped pork tenderloins.              

                                                I make my own marinade the day before.                                                                                                  Then into the fridge to soak it up for 24 hours.

                                                                         Big, big hit!

So far I've found four pieces of clothing to get rid of out of my closet.

I always bought my clothes with much thought and care

 and I still 💗 most all of them.

This one is from my Sunday morning photo shoot collection.

You've seen others in recent posts.

I'm always on the lookout for beautiful things.

This is where I read and sleep.

It feels cozy and soft and plush.

 It makes me happy to end my day right here with a book in my hands.

Sleep comes quickly.

This is my bookmark.

A kinda long post.

I was using some pictures that had gotten overlooked.

Don't miss the song I posted below.

So beautiful.

* I cannot even imagine what happened to my words under the tenderloin picture.

Neither would blogger let me fix them.

Oh well, they're still readable!

 

Ethan Hodges - 'Slipping Through My Fingers' (Audio Video)

Just beautiful.

Dreamy.

I 💗!

hey bubba ~ two years and 6 months

I have found this to be true...

many people think it best not to mention Bubba's name in my presence.

Maybe they think it will make me sad.

Maybe they think it will make me burst out crying.

Most people don't know how to handle the grief of another person.

Here is the truth...

I love to hear his name spoken out loud.

I and my kids and my grandkids speak of him all the time,

remembering things that happened while he was with us.

I like to laugh with others at the crazy things we shared together.

Most of our grandkids were old enough when he went to heaven to know him quite well.

I am always amazed at what they recall and how respectfully they speak of him.

He had such a positive impact on all of us.

Speaking of him makes me happy.

I want to keep his memory alive.

Widowhood is hard, but life goes on.

You get accustomed to life without your loved one.

I still have sharp pangs of grief when I least expect them.

These times are deeply personal and I do not share.

Grief will always be with me.

I lost a treasure.

There is a place in my heart that will never heal.

I want to remember him, 

talk about him with people who knew him well.

I want to love the gift of Bubba that was given to me by God.

 💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

 

consider it pure joy

Hope Bible Church.

David is preaching through the book of James.

Hard lessons.

Life-changing truth.

Rejoicing always in our trials.

Come join us!

💗

"Whenever trials come our way, 

James calls upon his readers to 'consider it pure joy.' 

To have joy 

 does not mean that we will be hilarious and laughing about the trials we are experiencing.

It does mean that we will have a deep-seated confidence

 that God knows what He is doing

 and that the results will be for His glory and for our good."

"James is calling for a positive Christian attitude towards trials 

that he views as opportunities, 

under God's grace,

 for growth and development in the Christian life. 

Christian faith must learn

 that beneficial results are to be derived from such experiences 

and so accept them as occasions for rejoicing."

D. Edmond Hiebert

James

 

and yesterday evening...

...we watched Gus carry the football for his flag football team,

Veritas Academy,

in the drizzling rain,

(it never stopped)

not for a minute.

What brings us parents and grandparents out for these events,

even in inclement weather?

Nothing but love!

🏈

Sorry about the fuzzy picture but it was raining and they were moving fast.

 

look what happened

The landscapers dug up the half-dead tree and planted a new one.

I never saw the work being done.

Such a surprise.

I didn't think I would win that battle.

It is nice and tall but my neighbor's tree has a better shape.

I am going to hit it with some of Bubba's 10/10/10 fertilizer and see what happens.

Hopefully, this is a good ending to my "tree saga."

🌳

What a mess across the street.

The building of the house has commenced.

They just dumped the wood in the street.

By this afternoon a lot of this has been used.

On the first day, the hammering went on all day and well into the evening.

That was bad enough!

But with the loud Mexican music playing incessantly,

the situation became obnoxious.

📻

There has been no more music since the first day.

I think a neighbor complained.

It wasn't me.

I kind of enjoy the show.

(But not the loud Mexican music)

Crazy!

I wish I could build and design another one.

I 💗ed the whole process.

 

the love of God

"Our vision is so limited 

that we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering...

The love of God 

did not protect His own Son...

He will not necessarily protect us ~ 

not from anything it takes to make us like His Son.

 A lot of HAMMERING, CHISELING and PURIFYING BY FIRE

will have to go into the process."

Elisabeth Elliot

 

afternoon delight

My sweet niece Lisa invited me to spend an afternoon at the beach last Friday.

It was good to spend time with family.

The picture is of Harry riding on his relatively new surfboard.

The waves weren't super big but they were good enough.

See that smile on His face? 

I know he loves it!

David and Lisa chat at the ocean's edge.

Walter balancing on his boogie board in the pool.

Caladiums

Throwing a beach ball high in the sky.

Harry...posing.

No matter what cares I carry inside,

 a trip to the ocean makes them all subside.

When my toes hit the sand, 

when the salty breeze touches my face,

all sorrow is gone, 

replaced with sweet peace.

cc

Thank you, Lord,

 so much,

 for this unexpected blessing You sent my way.

🏖

 

lost in the wonder of it all

This is my grandmother's dresser.

She always insisted that I call her "Grandmother."

She let David name her "Gagi."

Right after I moved into my new home, I sent it off to be painted "Oyster Bay,"

the same color as my sunroom.

It was finally delivered this morning.

I waited a long time!

It is in the guest room for all who like to stay there.

I love it!

This is going on outside my bedroom window right now.

They are pouring concert for the foundation of the home that is being built.

Busy morning.

Never a dull moment when you live in the midst of a construction zone.

How true is this quote!

I give all glory to God for this "Rising."

Without Him, I would be stuck in the depths of despair.

Because of Him, I soar,

lost in the wonder of it all.

💗

 

a special place

 

"There is nothing to be ashamed of,

nothing wrong in,

 loving one place more than another,

 and choosing one place more than another,

 for communion with our God.

Even our blessed Lord Jesus had one special place, 

near Jerusalem,

more than any other place to which he often resorted...

The Garden of Gethsemane."

JC Ryle

The Gospel of John

Page 215

What a lovely thought!

My special place is pictured above.

I love it.

It is just right!

Hey,

for all of you that read my "tree saga" post yesterday,

I think I'm going to get a new tree.

More on that later if it actually happens.

🌳

my tree saga

Everyone in Herb River Bluff receives a tree as part of their landscaping package.

One tree for each side of the duplex...they are all alike...

...except for my tree.

My tree was half dead and half alive.

As soon as I moved in and caught my breath and realized that I would have to fight for what I need,

I started asking the HOA people for two things...

1. That they would fix my irrigation system,

2. That they would replace my half-dead tree with a whole living tree.

They said that the tree was not dead,

that they would not replace it.

They did fix the irrigation system,

 but in their own sweet time.

They let my newly planted grass die before they took action.

No one ever even spoke to me about the tree.

This past Saturday someone came to my house and lopped the dead part of the tree off.

No one came to my door and clued me in to the plan.

I discovered it later while walking to the mailbox.

The non-dead part that I'm left with is clearly not thriving.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of my tree and my neighbor's tree.

I'm holding out for a tree that is completely alive from top to bottom.

I probably won't get it but I will keep trying.

I am not a fighter but I'm learning to be.

Stay tuned.

This may take a while.

 

fire at my favorite restaurant

Saturday morning at 12:17 AM my favorite restaurant in Savannah caught fire.

It started in the kitchen and quickly spread.

Even though Pearls is a stone's throw from my new house,

even though every firetruck in town responded,

I didn't hear a thing.

David texted me early to let me know.

This was our go-to place,

where we celebrated important things or just went to enjoy a delicious meal.

I am so sad.

So was everybody at church this morning.

Who knows this early if they will rebuild.

It was literally built over the water which made it hard to put the fire out.

One firefighter was injured and had to be taken to the hospital.

No need to ask why.

These things happen a lot.

But let me just say,

Why did it have to be Pearls?

😢

 

Glorify God

I was in awe after reading this.

What do you think?

The expression "glorify God" is particularly interesting

 because it teaches that a Christian may bring glory to God 

by his death as well as by his life.

He does so when he bears it patiently,

does not murmur,

exhibits sensible peace,

enjoys evident hope of a better world,

testifies to others of the truth and consolation of the Gospel,

and leaves broad evidences of the reality of his faith behind him.

He that so ends glorifies God.

💗

May we all strive to leave this world glorifying God.

JC Ryle

Expository Thoughts of the Gospels

Volume Four

The Gospel of John

 

tybee island

The pier ~ south beach.

Probably taken in the winter.

Not many people.

I 💙 this quaint little island.

My condo has the best view in town.

Dolphin and big container ships, 

the Savannah River,

the beautiful ocean,

 Hilton Head in the distance.

And Oh, the marvelous sunsets!

The beach condo is my amazing jewel.

Bubba's gift to me.

He was so wise with his investments.

He left me a legacy of joy.

I am so, so thankful!

 

And...as an aside because I just noticed this,

looks like this big guy

 is getting ready to tear into my much-loved little hill

 outside of my bedroom window.

Sad!

And...I got my new crown put on today.

Some of you know what this means.

No pain ~ no pain meds.

I am brave.

And... the bug man is coming tomorrow.

I'm seeing some little friends occasionally inside my domain.

There is no man here to deal with the little critters.

I have to do it.

How did they find me so quickly?

And... I started organizing my books in the attic today.

I am very excited about this project.

It will take me a while because the attic is hot right now.

I can't work but for a short time.

But there are books that I need to be able to locate.

Books are in my blood.

I need them to live.

 

happy birthday erika

It was Saturday morning.

I was preparing to make a delicious pecan pie for Erika's birthday.

We were having her party at noon rather than in the evening because Lu had to get to work.

All of a sudden the sky darkened and the heavens opened up.

There was lots of lightning and thunder.

Buckets of rain started to fall.

I adore a good storm!

There are days when life just seems blissful

Yesterday was one of those days.

My family was coming over.

I had decorated my house,

made the table pretty,

prepared a meal,

wrapped gifts.

💗

We are a rag-tag group.

Harry had fallen off of his scooter and hurt his shoulder.

Walter had a gift ribbon tied around his neck.

I love all of them so much...

just like they are.

We played the "Spoon Game."

It was a wonderful day,

a wonderful party.

God is so good.

💗

 

catch-up blog

Jake and Eli at Lake Mayer.

Granddaddy had told them he used to run at Lake Mayer.

Jake wanted to honor him by running there too.

He is wearing the new running shoes I had bought him the day before.

He started cross country this week.

The team that he runs for is "The Heat."

I thought the shoes were very appropriate for that name.

Eli is along to keep everything "cool."

The cousins helping Amanda put a puzzle together.

She bought it at Goodwill earlier.

She needed to see if it contained all 300 pieces.

It did!

Can't sell a puzzle with missing pieces.

Puzzles make me completely crazy in the head.

I see no sense in them.

Erika helped me label some of my spaces.

The laundry is labeled twice.

I shouldn't have any trouble finding it when I need to wash clothes.

Where the food is kept.

Where the kids and grandkids go when looking for a snack.

Where I go and just stand because I forgot what I went in there for.

This dress!

The color pink!

I bought it when I was down in South Florida.

When I first saw it I knew it was going home with me.

My happy dress.

💟

One more thing.

I am almost to the five-year cancer-free point in my saga with this scary disease.

I went to my doctor yesterday and received the good news.

I am left with some really hard consequences,

but that is what it is.

I am just so thankful every time I go and get good news.

 

no words for this...

...I just know that it's true.

c