christmas tree ~2022

Here's to Bubba who I missed remembering yesterday.

He passed from us on the 29th

How I wish he was here to put the lights on my beautiful tree.

There are so many things I miss about him.

The Friday after Thanksgiving,

early in the morning,

Amanda and I were at Hester's nursery.

We had stalked them all week.

"When exactly are your trees arriving,"I asked.

"Wednesday or Friday," the nice man said.

They hadn't arrived by Wednesday evening so we knew it would be Friday.

I was the second person to buy a tree that morning.

Amanda spotted her propped up and said,

"I see it already."

Sure enough, I knew in my heart that was the one!

It was the perfect size and shape.

It was delivered that very afternoon.

The young men put her in the stand and got her standing straight and tall.

She is right in the middle of my sunroom,

just where I envisioned her from the day I moved in

That was Friday afternoon.

Today is Wednesday.

Still no lights.

That's okay.

She's beautiful just as she is.

Seriously,

I got myself sick with a bad sinus infection

and I haven't felt like tackling the lights.

But hey, It's still November.

I'll get it done!

I threw in a fresh wreath as well for my front door.

Christmas is coming!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

 

every once and a while...

...blogger decides that it doesn't want me to post.

I sat down on Friday afternoon

 after the Hollinsworths left for home 

to share our Thanksgiving pics and I was shut out.

The routine is to call my computer guy and then wait for him to get back to me.

That happened this afternoon.

I'm back up and running and he cleaned up my computer as well.

Anyway, a little late, above is our 2022 tablescape.

I went whimsical this year.

There were only the five of us.

It seemed only fitting.

The food was delicious.

Our normal turkey and dressing meal with all of our favorite sides.

I look forward to these tastes all year.

Me and Jake and Eli posing after dinner.

Notice my orange walking shoes.

I'm not sure what that is in Eli's mouth.

 It looks like one side of his upper teeth are falling out.

I 🧡 these boys!

After we rested and ate Mark's famous pumpkin pie,

we went to Isle of Hope and walked around and took some pictures.

When we came home,

we played "Gobble Bingo" for money.

It was a lovely Thanksgiving.

We did something fun every day.

I love cooking with Amanda and making everything look beautiful.

I'm so blessed and so thankful for my blessings.

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

 

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for.

Let us rejoice today and be exceedingly glad for all of our blessings.

Thank You, God,

 for Your Son Jesus Christ.

 Your Spirit,

 and Your Word.

Thank You for our Hope in Christ for eternal life in heaven with You.

Thank You that you hear and answer our prayers.

I praise You and worship You!

Thank You!

🧡

After our Thanksgiving dinner.

We were all on a high.

Then we had to take a rest.

Now we eat pie.

Will we be able to eat supper tonight?

We'll see.

 

the boys are here

All of my pristine decor has been turned topsy-turvy.

Every inch of my house has that lived-in look.

I love it!

My kitchen island has become Amanda's desk area.

The farmhouse table is Mark's office as well as where we eat and put our folded laundry.

The four-poster bed in the guest room is the perfect place to hang a coat.

It is crazy wonderful here on Hope Lane.

Lots of places to be today.

Lots of food preparation is happening.

I'm trying to bring some order to the insanity.

That's me...that's what I do.

But I love every minute of the insanity!

🧡

Me and a couple of my favorite people in the whole wide world.

Last night, eating fried shrimp at Papa's.

 

cockspur lighthouse ~ tybee island georgia

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.

His love endures forever.

I Chronicles 16:34

💙

Lit up 💡~

I cannot find the remote control to my fireplace anywhere.

That is why It's not "lit up."

😕

Happy week of Thanksgiving!

🍂🍂🍂

 

thanksgiving #1

I am so excited.

Thanksgiving has finally come.

My house is all decorated and the guests are invited.

I prepped and cooked all day yesterday.

This is the menu...

Honey Baked Ham

Hash Brown Potato Casserole

Broccoli Salad

Green Beans

Red Rice

Pineapple Bake

and

My famous Pecan Pie

Tonight will be Thanksgiving with David and Erika and the kids,

and,

 Anna and Robert are here from California.

Tomorrow after church the Clelands head north to celebrate with Erika's family.

My heart is full and overflowing.,,

Working on being thankful in all things,

Counting my blessings,

Reminding myself that true joy comes from Jesus.

🧡

I'm looking forward to the Hollingsworth arrival on Monday!

🧡🧡🧡🧡

 

He watches me

Sometimes it's just nice to wake up in the morning and be reminded of this...

God knows me.

God is watching me.

In the ups and downs of life,

 it is easy to think that we are alone.

But that is not true.

God is with us.

He will never forsake us.

He has a plan for our life and He is working His plan.

This is comfort on this chilly morning!

Thankful!

This memory popped up too.

A reminder of how blessed I am and how cute my grandkids were (and still are).

All kinds of blessings this morning!

@memories of Pinebrook and life before Bubba went to be with Jesus.

 

done!

A few weeks ago I posted a picture of these bookcases.

They were empty.

Dan the handyman had created nine holes in the back of each shelf.

This piece of furniture is my pride and joy.

Bubba bought it for me when we bought our house on Pinebrook.

My intent from the beginning was to display my lighted houses.

The houses were displayed,

 but not lighted because I couldn't bear to put holes in the wood for the cords.

This year, I bit the bullet and allowed the holes to be cut.

Today I finished making the scenes and when I turned on the lights I gasped.

How beautiful is that!

My dream for this project came true.

And I accomplished it all by myself.

The hardest part was the electrical placement.

I studied and measured and duct taped and plugged.

It was so worth all of my time and effort.

Making these scenes is an outlet for my creative juices to flow.

Doing this makes me happy.

I don't decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving,

but I get this done early because it takes such a long time to get it just right.

Church School Scene.

Wedding Shop and Wedding Chapel.

Christmas Eve.

Snoopy Manger Scene.

 

flowers for my island

Amanda was here.

Lucy called her and asked this question...

"Does Grammy have any fresh flowers on her island right now?"

Amanda answered "No."

She didn't tell me about the coming surprise.

We were meeting Ericka and the kids at Wiley's Bar-B-Que for an early dinner.

It was Wednesday and the hurricane was coming.

There was a high level of excitement brewing along with the storm.

Walter got out of the car and headed straight to me.

He was carrying a huge bouquet of flowers.

He had the sweetest smile on his face.

Lucy had bought me beautiful flowers and she let Walter present them.

How sweet and lovely was that gesture.

Lucy chose this particular bunch because of the Daisys.
She knows I love them.
They were in my bridesmaid's bouquets.
I love my grandchildren so much.
They are God's gift to me in my old age.
💛🧡

 

mother/daughter duo

Well, in spite of hurricane Nicole, 

we managed to pack a lot into a short visit.

Amanda is going through an incredibly busy time of life.

She and Mark have a home business.

They have two very active teenage boys.

They are very involved in their church.

They travel a lot.

It's not easy for her to pull away.

I am always so thankful when she can come and spend a few days.

I must admit that Nicole slowed us down a bit.

She was here for a while blowing and giving us lots of rain,

but we are never at a loss for things to do.

I like early morning talk the best.

She and I are up very early and at our best in the morning.

That's when we share our hopes and dreams and plans.

Last night I cooked us a steak dinner and we watched a favorite movie.

Perfect night!

She left at eight this morning and I just got a text that she is home.

I am always so thankful to know that God kept her safe.

I've spent the day washing clothes and sheets and dishes and watching the rain.

Yes, Nicole is still making her presence known.

The most important decision we made this time was...

where I will put my gorgeous Christmas tree in my new home.

I will reveal that nugget of information at a later time.

🎄

I get lonely a lot.

When she comes I feel better.

Daughters are a very special gift from God.

💗

 

the lunar eclipse, hurricane nicole, and Amanda

I am always amazed at things going on in the sky and in the ocean.

God's wonders on display for us to see.

Early this morning the Blood Moon was putting on a show.

The moon turned red as its name implies.

There won't be another lunar eclipse until 2025.

"The heavens declare the glory of God."

Psalm 19:1

There is another big storm churning off the coast of Florida.

Rare in the month of November but not unheard of.

Her name is Nicole and she is deciding where she will make landfall...

maybe close to where the Hollingsworth family lives.

We may get some effects from her on Thursday here on the coast of Georgia.

Actually, it is quite windy here today.

Hopefully, this storm will steer clear of all of us.

"God commands and raises the stormy wind which lifts up the waves."

Psalm 107:25

Amanda is on her way to my house as I write this post...

a short visit dedicated to having fun.

Jake just finished up his season of Cross Country which freed her up to come for a visit.

For this, I am so thankful.

 

pine straw fairy

The pine straw fairy came last week.

What a difference it makes.

A huge truck fully loaded arrived in my neighborhood

spreading good cheer all around.

Later the workers appeared and spread the straw all around my bushes and trees.

I didn't have to do a thing.

Maintenance-free yard care is the best!

For this blessing, I am extra thankful.

I have been so looking forward to having Thanksgiving at my new home.

Everything is decorated and I'm thinking about the menu...

all of the tastes we look forward to at this season of the year.

I love to cook with Amanda.

Last year all of my fall decorations were packed away in the storage house.

It has been such a pleasure this year to unpack and place them all around my house.

Quite different from Thanksgiving in my small apartment!

Giving thanks is not a once-a-year thing.

Giving thanks should be a daily occurrence for all of the ways God blesses us every day.

But having an actual day to join with family and be thankful together...

that is a real cause for celebration.

🦃

 

grandparent's day

Yesterday morning was Grandparent's Day at Veritas.

That wonderful day when we get to visit the classrooms of our grandchildren.

 We get to meet their teachers,

see them at work,

meet their friends, 

hear their songs and recitations.

In all of the scramble to get to their room, I didn't take a single picture.

About 3:30 in the afternoon we all piled in the van and headed to the beach.

I got my picture there.

These are the three that still go to Veritas Academy.

Walt ~ second grade.

Gus ~ sixth grade,

Arch ~ seventh grade.

The second grader was completely overjoyed to see his Grammy in his schoolroom.

The sixth grader was happy to see me and showed me around.

The seventh grader was polite but not overjoyed.

Middle school is different...

Grandparents in the schoolroom are a bit embarrassing.

That's okay!

I got to peek into his school day and I am thankful.

These boys flood my soul with joy and love!

💙💙💙

 

tybee light

I love the Tybee Lighthouse.

This is the mega light that guides the big ships into the mouth of the Savannah River.

A beacon on a dark night.

The Tybee Island lighthouse is so beautiful. 

I love to look at it.

In its black-and-white simplicity, it is stunning.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the light of the world.

The world system is full of darkness.

Jesus is light.

In Him, there is no darkness at all.

Where do we find the light of Jesus?

In God's Word.

God's Word leads us out of darkness because His word is truth.

We don't have to stumble around trying to find our way.

God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

Let God's Word be your lighthouse guiding you from darkness into light.