hurricane damage

We had a wild and crazy hurricane party last evening.

It was supposed to be a "get grammy's house secured before the hurricane hits" event.

Thankfully, it turned into a celebration.

 Ian was staying well east of Savannah ~ out to sea.

 Although the wind has been blowing for many hours now, and a little rain has fallen, 

The storm has spared us.

 Thank You, God, for hearing our prayers!

Anyway,

back to the party.

David brought in Papa John's pizza and a delicious salad.

I threw out paper plates,

a pumpkin roll,

and made a pot of decalf.

It is always so much fun to be gathered around the table talking and laughing!

After dinner,

the kids went outside to ride scooters in the storm

and the adults sat in the sunroom,

 watching the storm blow the trees and the construction trash all around my house.

At some point, the boys came in to report that the stop sign had blown off of its post.

Of course, we all ran outside to see the damage.

The boy's reporting was accurate.

There it lay in the street in all its glory.

We eewed and awed and were reminded of how very blessed we were.

Many are suffering,

some lost everything they owned

some lost their homes,

some lost their lives, 

their family members, 

their pets.

Their world has been turned upside down.

May God have mercy,

send help quickly,

and comfort and console those that are devastated.

Storms make no sense, but they happen.

They are random and unpredictable.

Those of us who live on the coast are always vulnerable.

You can lose everything in a matter of hours.

We learn when to stay and when to go,

when to panic and when to remain calm,

always cautious,

watchful, 

waiting for the storm to run its course.

Thank You, God, that You are even sovereign over the storms.

Your power on display in a dramatic way.

 

hey bubba,

Yes, you will always be a part of me.

Even though I can't see you,

I know for sure you are there.

Death is not the end.

For believers,

 it is the beginning of our eternal life with Christ in heaven.

You went before me two years and seven months ago.

Isn't that so like something you would do!

You've been with Jesus for a while now.

I can only imagine, and even that is not enough.

I long for heaven.

I long to see you again.

Thank you for this time without you.

I'm being made fit for heaven.

God knew what I needed.

It's been hard but I'm learning to face the storms alone,

to not be afraid,

to stay in the Word of God because it's all that I need.

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.

Thank You for giving me the faith to believe and hope in Christ.

You will see me through until I see You and until I see Bubba again.

💙

Cathy

 

and so we wait

I only follow Enki Research for all my Hurricane information.

He tells it straight and true without all of the hype and hysteria of the other weather sites.

Hence I love his early morning update...

You're not doomed but you will be inconvenienced.

Waiting on a hurricane is hard work.

Hurricanes are slow, erratic, and not precise.

It's all you can think about.

Right now...

very cloudy, no rain, a little wind.

mostly breezy.

but, "Baby It's Cold Outside."

That was unexpected!

Very untropical.

I'm off to fill up the "Tank."

I don't know why,

I'm not going anywhere.

There are no evacuations called for.

But David said I should, so I will.

I will pick up a few food items.

My first hurricane in my new house.

I've always been excited by approaching storms.

I'll be decorating for Fall.

We will have a hurricane party tomorrow night...

(Maybe)

Pizza and a good salad and a pumpkin roll for dessert.

Lord have mercy on the souls of the people down in Florida in the path of Ian.

For them, this will probably be a bad one...

lots of destruction and pain.

I'm thankful for our prediction.

Inconvenienced is so much better than devastated.

WOW!

Just look at that storm!

 

things i cherish

Walter wrote this short essay for me during the sermon today.

He has always been obsessed with his Granddaddy's van.

He can't believe that it is mine now.

It is very important to him.

Two things stand out...

1.  He thinks I have nice driving skills

and

2. The van has a can-opener.

I had no idea it came equipped with a can opener.

I have no idea where the can opener is located

I need to find out soon in case I need to open a can of pork and beans on our next road trip.

I think he made a good effort spelling the word garage.

Oh, and, it doesn't have leather seats.

I miss my leather seats every time I drive!

I will never get over the wonderfulness of reading an essay written by a second grader.

Maybe when he can drive I will gift him with the van.

 

hello pumpkin...

...I found you at the commissary yesterday.

There were several contenders but I chose you because I thought,

"This particular pumpkin is as perfect as a pumpkin can get."

I loaded you  into my "buggy."

You were a bright addition to all of the groceries I had to buy.

(I'm cooking a huge meal tomorrow)

I checked out,

pushed the "buggy" to the "tank," 

 and loaded my pumpkin in the back.

When I got home,

I wrangled you out and took you into the garage for a good washing.

After I rested and fixed my supper,

I proudly set you in front of my house where you are now,

conveying to everyone who passes by that it is Fall.

This makes me very happy...

my pumpkin,

 and the delightful weather that came with it. 😊

🍁

🍂

 

first day of fall ~

I'm struggling to find my words right now...

 have a lot on my mind.

I find as I live life and grow old that most of the time it is better to guard my words.

"I have found nothing better for men and women than to remain silent."

D. Edmond Hiebert

James

Just wanted to say I hung my new Fall wreath.

I think it is beautiful.

🍁🍂

We are studying the book of James at Hope Bible Church. 

These words of God are very convicting.

They cut right through to my heart.

Speaking of remaining silent...

"My brothers, take note of this: 

Everyone should be quick to listen,

slow to speak, 

and slow to become angry,

 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

Therefore, 

get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent, 

and humbly accept the word planted in you,

 which can save you.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.

Do what it says."

James 1 19-22

"Listening is the art of closing one's mouth and opening one's ears and heart."

D. Edmond Hiebert

James

 

a small quiet place in your heart

There are certain people 

that will inhabit a small,

quiet place in your 

heart despite any 

circumstance, happening, or situation. 

They left a piece of themselves

when your souls collided upon impact

and there they will always subtly remain. 

Victoria Erickson

 

happy birthday harry ~ # 15.

Six months ago Harry informed his Gram what he wanted me to fix for his birthday dinner...

Chicken pot pie and a lemon bundt cake from 

Nothing Bundt Cakes.

I panicked.

In all of my 74 years, I had never made a Chicken pot pie.

I went online and found a recipe.

I read it and thought...

"I can do that."

Thankfully Lucy offered to come over and help me make it.

She stopped by Chick Fil A and brought us lunch.

We ate and fellowshipped before we got to work.

There were a few hiccups like do we put a pie crust on the bottom of the pie.

We did, and it turned out beautiful and so good.

Best of all Harry loved it.

Lucy suggested that we put a design on top made out of the fresh thyme

we chopped to go in with the chicken filling.

Here is the delicious cake.

It was so good, light and lemony.

15 looks good on you Harry!

Just before opening presents... always the most exciting part of the party.

There is always one crazy in the crowd...

Walter is seven.

He is wearing the cow sheriff mask that came with my Chick Fil A kid's meal.

I cut up all of these fresh veggies as an appetizer and side for our meal.

I thought it was beautiful!

Happy Birthday, Harry.

Your Gram loves you so much.

You used that same plate last evening for your birthday dinner.

Looks like Granddaddy had made his delicious mashed potatoes for you.

I gave Harry one of Bubba's name patches that he wore on his uniform.

We all still miss him so much!

 

morning glories ~ glorious morning

The hill outside my bedroom window has survived.

As I glanced that way this morning I saw them,

Morning Glories growing there.

I grabbed my camera and ran outside.

Much to my delight,

it was a glorious morning.

Not one bit of that heavy, hot humidity was around.

The sky was blue,

the sun was just peeking over the top of my roof,

and the air was unbelievably cool and pleasant.

I threw up my hands and said thank you!

Fall is trying to break through.

We still have hot days ahead, but it won't be long.

Most Morning Glory flowers unfurl into full bloom in the morning

 and usually start to fade a few hours before nightfall.

That describes me as well.

I thrive in the early morning and start to fade about the time the sun sets.

Thank You, God, for seasons, flowers, and hills outside my window,

for glorious mornings and nights when I reach for my blanket.

For wild things growing and doing their thing.

In the midst of this evil world, You are steadfast and faithful.

I'm lost, always, in the wonder of You.

⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘⚘

 

cathy, what did you do?

This is one of my absolute favorites.

Three large, glass-front bookcases with storage underneath assembled as one.

When Bubba and I moved into our home on Pinebrook Court in 2013,

 we had a huge, empty wall that desperately needed a large piece of furniture.

This filled the bill!

I wanted a place to display my beautiful lighted Christmas houses.

I never could light them, though, 

because there was no way to get the electrical cords through the back of the cabinets.

So, every year I displayed the houses without lighting them up.

We talked about making holes,

but I could never make up my mind to saw holes in this lovely piece.

It seemed a travesty.

Move ahead to 2022.

Nine years later I was ready...

I thought.

I hired "Dan the Handyman," that is really his name.

He came yesterday.

He sawed one hole and asked me,

"What do you think?"

I actually cringed and asked myself,

"Cathy, what have you done?"

I could have stopped with one but I didn't.

There are now nine holes in my beautiful bookcases.

How do I feel the day after?

I'm excited now to see the Christmas houses lit up for the first time.

I have a huge project ahead of me.

I am hopeful I can get all the cords and wires plugged in

and that I don't blow a fuse when I turn them on.

There will be more to come on this.

I'm okay...really!

*I hung pink ribbons from the light fixture so that I wouldn't bonk my head.

 

lucy's bouquet...

...for her Grammy.

Lucy had been to the Farmer's Market at Forsyth Park.

She and her friends took a picnic.

It was a lovely, late summer afternoon.

She bought some flowers.

She made this beautiful arrangement and brought it to me.

I love my granddaughter so much.

She is always looking out for me,

offering help,

checking to make sure I have milkshakes,

bringing me goodies she baked.

She even comes to the nursery after Sunday School

to take a crying baby from my arms

so that I will have time to go to the lady's room before church.

I am so thankful and grateful for her.

I 💓 her so much.

 

it's been a while...

... since I bought myself roses.

These are my favorites...

Rustic Pink.

Pink of course for my love of all things feminine.

After 24 hours of constant rain and dark gray skies, I broke down,

brought them home,

and put them in my grandmother's vase.

The dreaded fear came back this week.

The sad thing is that I don't know what I'm afraid of.

I know it's Satan trying to steal my joy in Jesus.

I think I noted this in my last blog.

Fear is my constant fight.

I can't give in to it.

It will go away.

I wait.

This picture...

The Queen with Martin Lloyd-Jones.

Bubba loved him and got me started loving him as well.

He was one of the greatest theologians of our time.

He has written a plethora of books. 

I have read many of them.

He has been a teacher of mine in my journey to understand the truth of God's word.

I imagine that the Queen heard him preach and loved him too.

Queen Elizabeth.

I wonder if she was ever afraid after her prince left her last year.

I'm pretty sure she had struggles like me.

After all, we're all sinful humans making our way home to Jesus...

to heaven where there will be no more fear!

"Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly."

 

her hope was in Christ Jesus

 

this one I have to fight for

There is nothing in this world that brings lasting joy.

We lose our spouses.

We lose our health.

Evil takes over our country.

People disappoint.

Our eyes grow dim with age.

This list could actually be pages long. 

This world brings no lasting joy.

Everything here is temporary.

In my old age,

 I'm learning where true joy is.

"The joy of the Lord is my strength."

Nehemiah 8:10

As I age I realize my strength in so many ways is diminishing.

But at the same time, 

my spiritual strength is getting stronger.

The more I read and study God's word the stronger I become.

God reveals Himself in His word to believers.

He knows us and we can know Him.

His book to us is full of hope and promises.

He will never leave us or forsake us.

In Jesus Christ, 

we can have real joy,

lasting joy,

joy that never goes away.

Cultivate joy in your life!

Fight for it!

Don't let Satan steal your joy...resist him!

Take time every day to find reasons to have joy in your Bible.

Pray unceasingly.

Rejoice always in all circumstances.

💗

 

another of David's famous selfies

On the monorail.

After a long day at  Aquatica,

 we went back to the hotel and rested.

Then we ate dinner at Shake Shack.

Delicious french fries!

Clearly tired, but not yet ready to give up the fun day,

we decided to take the back roads over to Disney.

David is good at back roads.

We parked at the Polynesian resort.

It was raining.

Afternoon thundershowers are common there.

We went for only one reason...

to get Dole Whips.

Dole Whips are this heavenly concoction of pineapple and vanilla soft serve ice cream

 blended together and served up in a cup with a spoon.

We decided to walk to the beach,

sit in comfy chairs, and enjoy our delights.

But it was still raining

 which required a course change.

⛆

We found ourselves heading to the boat dock for shelter.

A boat was arriving

so we decided to take a boat ride.

 🛥

It was there that we finished our treats while enjoying the views from the water.

We docked at the Magic Kingdom,

disembarked from the boat,

and found our way to the monorail which we rode back to the Polynesian.

Walter was not so sure he liked the monorail.

You can tell by the look on his face.

He kept thinking it was going to fall off the rail.

All in all a very fun and busy and exhausting day.

We slept well that night and left for home the next morning.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

Traveling with your family is priceless.

❤

a great big bucket of water

Waiting for the bucket of water to drop.

Just starting to "tump" over.

Here it comes!

Whoa!

We just got back from Aquatica down in Orlando, Florida.

I had given the whole family season passes to Sea World and Aquatica

for Christmas last year.

They are good for a whole year.

We have enjoyed going down on short jaunts for fun times.

I love this sequence of water falling from the big bucket down on 

David and Gus and Lucy and Archie.

I made four trips down the lazy river on an inner tube

with Lucy keeping a watch over me.

So much fun!

The best times are when we are all together laughing and having fun.

My blessings overflow on me like that bucket of water.

Thank you, God!