goodbye 2023

I love you Bubba, I always will.

I miss you and wish you were here with me.

Things are very ugly and hard in this world right now,

but "In Christ" things are wonderful.

 I rest assured that you know that.

"In Christ" is grace and mercy,

peace and enduring love.

It's where I am while I'm waiting to come to where you are.

"Grief is proof that love is still there."

💗

"Even so, Jesus come quickly!

3~10~ 2/29/2020

 

Anna's shower

My niece Anna is expecting her first baby in late February.

It just happened that her family from California decided to come to Savannah for Christmas.

Sally O'Quinn offered to host a shower at her beautiful home at the Landings.

She and I put on a small, intimate family gathering.

It was the best!

We served chicken salad,

croissants.

spinach salad,

quiche,

lots of fruit and veggies and cheese,

a delicious bowl of punch,

and a very large pot of coffee. 

To end well we served a delicious cake.

Amid the beautiful table settings, we sat and talked.

We got all caught up with what we miss by living so far apart.

We oohed and awwed over the adorable baby gifts.

It was just such a special day.

These are all of the ladies left in the O'Quinn family.

From left to right...

Lucy Cleland

Erika Cleland 

Lindsey Saltourides

Summer Ruth (Lindsey's daughter,)

Sally O'Quinn

Teri Crosby

Me

Grace Utomo

Sally Vaughn (Keith's sister)

Anna Stewart (the honoree)

Amanda Hollingsworth

Ava Saltourides (Lindsey's adopted daughter) 

Charlotte O'Quinn

Elizabeth O'Quinn

I am so thankful for these women and young girls.

Gifts from God every one.

And the promise of new life...

what joy!

The baby is a girl.

Her name will be Sadie Josephine Stewart.

💗

 

 

tree light miracle

On Christmas Eve,

 Erika and Archie went straight to my Christmas tree...

you remember,

 the one that went dark.

It took a few minutes with a flashlight

but Erika managed to find the culprit strand,

chase it several times around the fully decorated tree,

remove the dead strand,

and pull it off.

Only one ornament broke,

It was a favorite,

but that's okay.

When we pressed the on button the tree lit up again in all of its glory.

It was our Christmas Eve miracle.

Here we are...

me and my tree.

A prayer was answered.

All glory to God who makes all things beautiful again.

💚💗

 

Merry Christmas 2023

"And He became flesh and dwelt among us,

And we have seen His glory, 

glory as of the only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth."

Johne 1:14

💙

 

It's Christmas Eve...

...and my tree has gone dark again.

There is one strand at the bottom that still lights up.

There is no time to find the problem.

Food and party preparations are in full swing.

Guests will arrive shortly for our family Christmas Eve Party.

I am very sad but here is the best news of all...

Jesus is the light of the world,

and in Him is no darkness at all.

💗

We will celebrate His birth and be thankful in all things.

God is so, so good all of the time.

To God be the glory for all He has done.

Our worship service was full of wonder this morning. 

I'm gonna try to share David's sermon here soon.

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Love, Cathy

💗💚

 

Jesus

Believe!

💗

 

before and shortly after ~ memories

 

Before...

 Happy, family Christmas Eve picture lots of years ago.

Look at those smiles.

Look at Bubba's cheeks, so round and rosy.

Lucy and Harry have big, gorgeous, Hollywood smiles.

Jake is a little bit pensive.

He's kinda neutral.

It's like he is saying,

"I really want this picture-taking thing to be over soon."

On the other hand,

Eli,

in his Granddaddy's lap, 

is starting to break.

 You can see it in his eyes.

"I'm done with this!"

After...

Bubba and I are pretending we are loving this Hissy Fit by Eli.

Lucy and Harry are still having the time of their life.

Jake is looking away from the camera.

He has covered his mouth in shame. 

He is planning his escape.

Eli has let loose with his frustration. 

He wants everyone to know that he is done with this photo session.

It's way past time to take that boy home.

😭

I 💗 Christmas memories.

 

 

"and we beheld His glory"

The Word is Jesus!

💗

 

back to the tree disasters

After a long day with Archie getting the lights on the 🎄,

after taking him home,

after tidying up and eating dinner,

I turned it on.

After all of the hard work,

I just wanted to sit down and relax with a book and enjoy the glow.

Five minutes later the 🎄 went totally dark.

I tried a few things.

Nothing worked!

I texted David. 

He and Erika came over immediately.

(I think they detected a bit of frustration and a functional panic attack happening)

They quickly got to work

 removing several of the strands of lights that had just been placed on the 🎄.

(They were all working when we put them on the branches earlier.)

After removing several strands and replacing them,

they got it lit up again.

Interestingly, the exact same thing happened to my 🎄 last year.

When the 🎄 was once again shining brightly,

we noticed that the lights on the top half of the 🎄 were much dimmer 

than the lights on the bottom half of the 🎄.

The bottom half was a mass of brightness and light.

The top half was normal.

What should I do with this second disaster?

Start over with all new LED lights which I dislike?

Start over with all brand-new incandescent lights?

Leave it be?

I chose in the best interest of time and money to love it as it is.

It is my first ever mismatched lighting Christmas tree.

I just took the picture below.

I love it!

I finally finished decorating it yesterday.

It's not perfect,

but when my whole family is gathered around loving on each other next weekend,

it will be the most beautiful 🎄 in the world.

🎄 

 

when they were littles

I won't get a chance to write about the tree disaster this afternoon.

I have to run down to the beach for a bit. 

Thought I would share these picture ornaments from when our grandkids were little.

I love them so much.

Baby faces.

Archie was five when we got him ten years ago.

That's why he looks older.

He was a scared, overwhelmed little guy when he arrived from the orphanage in China.

Not anymore. 

He is flourishing!

They always hunt for these pictures the first time they see my tree every year.

They are the joy of Christmas!

 

tree disaster 2023 (repeat of the disaster in 2022)

The tree sat empty for almost a week,

Last week was crazy busy with birthdays, Christmas concerts, and lots of other things.

I fed it, put Miracle Grow Christmas tree in it, and let the branches fall out.

It was very lovely and comforting unadorned.

This year I decided to get help.

I enlisted Archie to work for me on Saturday.

We started with the lights.

He did a really good job even though he had never put lights on a tree before.

We worked together as a team.

It took about two hours of steady work.

Then it was off to the pizza parlor for lunch.

He loves root beer.

He got it.

(I 💗 root beer too)

Soon we were back at it.

We finished at the bottom and he went way up high to place my lighted star.

After he vacuumed the whole sunroom and brought down some boxes from the attic,

I paid him and took him home.

My heart was so happy.

I would sit by my lighted tree tonight and read,

even if none of my beautiful ornaments graced its branches yet.

I'm going to leave you readers with a mystery.

Look at the tree and see if you can guess what happened.

(Actually, there were two disasters.)

😞

Hopefully,

I'll have time to write again tomorrow with the rest of the story.

🎄

 

if you find yourself loving anything more

"If you find

 yourself

 loving any pleasure

 more than your prayers,

any book better than your Bible,

any house

 better than

 the house of the Lord,

any table

 better than the Lord's

 table,

any persons, 

better than Christ,

or any indulgence

 better than 

the hope of heaven ~

be alarmed."

💗

Thomas Guthrie

 

happy birthday to Lucy ~ #18

 

Lu turned 18 this week.

How in the world is her childhood already in the past?

What a wonderful 18 years this has been having her in my life.

She is sweet and very dear to me.

She brings me flowers and edible treats that I love.

Somehow, I feel that she reads my heart and knows when I need comfort.

There has been a special bond between us from the first time I laid my eyes on her sweet face.

As evidenced in this picture.

Lucy with her brothers minus Archie.

He was sick and didn't make it to her party.

I served steaks for dinner.

She made tzatziki dip with pita chips for our appetizer.

She requested my delicious chocolate surprise for her dessert.

She had lots of presents to open.

We played the "Spoon" game for cash prizes.

It was such a fun and special time for everyone.

Lu Blu and her Grammy.

Note the birthday crowns and the big smiles.

I 💗 Lucy!

she's here

My Christmas tree arrived just a little while ago in a truck 

driven by two of the nicest young men.

They put her in her stand,

made sure that she was straight,

and bore with me while I had them maneuver her to the perfect center.

They were amazed at how beautiful she is.

She's got to fall out a bit until I decorate her.

Now I need to water her and wait.

We have a family text chat.

I sent this picture to everyone.

I offered $50.00 to someone who would come and help me put the lights on later in the week.

So far I have two takers.

Lucy has offered to help and not get paid.

She is such a dear girl.

I won't divulge who the other offer came from.

I appreciate all the offers for sure.

I am loving decorating my home 

and preparing for Lucy's 18th birthday tomorrow evening.

I should have been a decorator and a cook.

We're having steaks to celebrate the big day.

Hopefully, I can take some pictures while throwing the party.

Oh, I should have taken up photography too, and writing.

I do all of these things but just for fun.

God knew that was better for me,

Anyway, I wanted everybody to see my tree.

I 💗 it!

🎄

 

aww sunday

There is no better day of the week.

Hope Bible Church 

has been my joy in the sorrow of losing Bubba 3 and 1/2 years ago.

It is the day I most look forward to.

Hope Bible Church

 has nurtured me through the hardest days of my life.

When there I am filled with joy and gratitude.

I see now why Jesus established the church,

what its purpose is,

why we as believers are compelled to be there.

The church is a grace gift from God to His people

a place where we can join with others who are like-minded,

where we can hear His word proclaimed with power,

where we can worship and sing praises to our Saviour.

Thank you, God, for giving us this gift

so that we can participate together in the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord,

so that we can be equipped and encouraged to navigate the rest of the week.

Where we can share our needs and be prayed for,

where we can give and receive love.

where we can support others who are in need.

You knew we would need this, didn't You?

Christmas flowers were a gift from my Lu.

I had my infusion last week and she wanted to bless me.

Thank you, sweet girl!

💗

 

at the christmas tree lot

Yesterday afternoon we went to pick out my Christmas tree for 2023.

It is a nine-foot-tall Frazier Fir grown in North Carolina.

It will spend its last days shining in a blaze of glory in my sunroom.

I think this will be my 75th real Christmas tree in my long life.

Growing up we always went to the tree lot to pick out the best that they had.

It used to take me hours to decide which one to choose.

Then, I always regretted that there was some flaw we missed before we brought it home.

Not this year.

It is straight as an arrow all the way to the top where the star will shine brightly.

It is rich and green,

 with no shedding,

and no open spots at the bottom.

I'm very sure it is the best one ever.

🎄

I had very good help. 

Archie has an eye for perfection,

Walt and Daisy spent their time running through the open spaces in the trees,

And Erika?

Well, she just instinctively knows what to look for.

I was so thankful for their help.

This magnificent tree will be delivered and set up for me on Monday.

Who knows how long it will take me to get the lights on.

I keep remembering the disaster I had last year.

I got all the lights on the tree and then all of the top half went dark.

I had to remove all of them and start over.

I got angry and when that did no good I cried.

Bubba and my Dad ALWAYS put the lights on our trees.

😢

This was one more thankfulness quote that I had for November.

I'm sharing it now because it is profound.

Remember,

Be thankful ALWAYS, 

not just in the month of November,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

💗

 

3 ~ 9 ~ 2/29/2020

 

After Thanksgiving we rest ~ part 2

They say it's the turkey that causes you to be sleepy.

At my age, it doesn't take a turkey to make me want to rest in the afternoon.

On Thanksgiving Day,

when the guests have left for home and the leftovers have been placed in the fridge,

everyone heads to their little corner of my home to recline.

We used to always go down to the beach,

but by the time we did all of the above the sun was heading down.

Isle of Hope is close by and beautiful,

 so we went there again this year.

I must admit I am jealous of those antebellum houses sitting on the bluff

and the people sitting on the porches getting to have their Thanksgiving there,

overlooking the site you see above.

Pure, peaceful, idyllic!

It's such a blessing to watch my grandchildren grow up.

They are funny and actually quite interesting to talk to.

I am very fond of these two.

I also really like the beautiful house behind us in the picture.

All of the houses have docks that jut out into the river.

Also, lots of oak trees with low-hanging branches and Spanish moss.

The Hollingsworth family.

Many of the houses and lawns and hedges were already lit up for Christmas.

Just me playing with the filters on my camera.

I was looking straight up into the branches of an oak tree,

Amazing beauty!

Amanda and I relaxing in some Adirondack chairs looking at the lovely view.

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful,

filled with love, joy, and peace which are fruits of God's Spirit in our hearts.

Thank you, God!

You are so generous to "daily load us up with benefits."

I never feel like I have good enough words to express my thanks for all You do.

🦃🧡

 

Thanksgiving Day ~ part 1

My tablescape 

The first thing I did early on Thanksgiving morning was make myself a cup of coffee.

The second thing I did was knock it over on the rug in my great room.

Not how you want to start out your favorite holiday of the year.

Mark set about scrubbing with Resolve and a brush.

Most of it came out.

After the initial shock, I made myself another cup of coffee and tried to calm down.

It took a minute.

The second thing that caused me to panic was...

The power went off in the house about halfway through the cooking cycle.

Everything came to a standstill.

We looked at each other with shocked faces asking,

"What shall we do?"

Thankfully,

 that situation resolved itself quickly and the food cooked beautifully.

Even though the other Clelands celebrated Thanksgiving in North Carolina,

Lucy made sure I had Fall flowers to grace my island.

These flowers were very unique.

Eli in all of his glory.

Jake being Jake.

Amanda and Mark

Amanda and me.

It was a glorious day filled with laughter and fun,

good food,

lots of "catching up," and a few tense moments

(the coffee spill and the power outage panic).

the bad things made the good times even better.

God's blessings abounded.

House full of love.

🧡

 

Yesterday, after thanksgiving dinner

It was one of the best!

The food was delicious,

the fellowship was outstanding,

the weather was refreshingly cool and sunny.

My grandboys are young men now, 

my niece Anna is expecting her first baby in February,

I managed with a lot of help to pull off another Thanksgiving extravaganza.

I have always loved Thanksgiving.

It is a lovely time to just love on your family.

Anna and Robert smoked our turkey.

It was super moist and had lots of flavor.

When I saw it I gasped with surprise.

It was in the shape of a heart.

Always seeing hearts, everywhere.

🧡🤎

 

we gather to give thanks

Love,

Cathy

🧡

 

the day before Thanksgiving

There is lots of cooking going on at my house on Hope Lane today.

This is traditionally the day to prepare the feast.

I was up early washing and cooking sweet potatoes.

Amanda cut up the green beans.

I made the cranberry congealed salad.

She made the Asparagus Casserole.

Robert and Anna are smoking the turkey and preparing the cornbread dressing.

There is still lots left to do,

Mark will be making his traditional pumpkin pie tonight 

that makes the house smell wonderful.

I need to figure out the tablescape for this year and get that done.

Also some last-minute cleaning.

So thankful today for family, fun, and fellowship.

We'll go get seafood tonight and just relish being together,

laughing at all of the old stories,

sharing the memories of the one we lost too soon.

Thank You, God, for everything!

🦃 🧡