april, where have you gone?

Me, taking a picture

of myself at the condo.

(I guess you would call this a selfie)

Not coordinated.

I was back in the pool today when I realized,

I cannot do two things at once.

I think it has to do with 

not knowing my right hand from the left.

So,

moving my arms and legs in different directions

while managing a set of weights,

caused me to appear

spastic,

 loose-limbed,

out of sync with the rest of the class.

But,

I will not give up.

I will keep trying to get better

Because

exercise keeps you young in body and mind.

Amanda, 

you are my inspiration!

Harry B is spending the night.

He and granddaddy have big plans for tomorrow.

Speaking of granddaddy,

he cooked all of us,

David, Erika, Lucy, Gus, Harry, Archie and me,

a scrumptious roast beef dinner

with all the fixings.

All of the children love corn on the cob!

Prettiest love song.....

"All of Me"

by John Legend.

Listen at

www.vibe.com/article/watch-john-legend-perform-all-of-me-2014 grammys

(I couldn't get it to link up, sorry)

April is over, May will be here in a couple hours.

Get ready!

Summer is almost here.

this & that just because.....

So, I wasn't going to write tonight,

but here I am at my computer...

fingers moving on the keys.

Just returned from a bike ride.

I went looking for the three deer I saw the other evening.

They were nowhere to be seen.

Yes, I did recover from my first day of water aerobics.

I was helped immensely by a 

"long winter's nap"

this afternoon.

I sat down to do a little reading at about 2:30

and the next thing I knew it was almost 4:00.

I am not a napper,

except when my body claims if for its own.

Enjoyed lunch today with Sandra at,

The Mansion on Forsyth Park.

After a divine crab cake sandwich,

we enjoyed

some ice cream from Leopolds,

made especially for them and served only there,

that was incredibly delicious....

rum raisin with cloutifa.

I will go back for that.

Sandy, the picture did not turn out.

I left the sym card at home.

:(

The above flower is my peony.

It doesn't look like the peony I know and love,

but it still takes my breath away.

Got to go.

Bedtime.

Water aerobics again tomorrow.

Will take water this time.

water aerobics

My first time.

Today!

The room was hot and humid.

The pool water seducingly warm,

inviting me to come on in,

grab some weights, 

and 

start moving.

I had heard it would be good for me......

less stress on the joints,

but my friends,

it was positively therapeutic.

I was jumping and jogging and whipping up the water

like never before.

When the instructor said

"Jump higher,"

I did.

Over and over again.

I had wings,

I felt like I could do anything,

When I got out of the pool I felt............................

like I weighed 1000 pounds,

like I was going to faint,

like I was 100.

What happened?

I drug into the locker room,

held on while trying to get dressed,

needed water, lots.

I managed to drive home

and here I am.

I feel like I have jarred loose everything in my body.

I am nuts.

I know better.

Take it slow.

Go at your own pace.

I didn't.

Will next time.

time and time again

I was struggling....

not able to see the time on the microwave,

not able to time my recipes,

flat out not able to see.

Went shopping for a clock for the kitchen

and I found this beauty.

Big,

Bold,

Easy to see,

and

it matches my colors.

I love it.

God instigated time.

I am a military wife.

I have always had to be on time.

I cannot be late if I try.

Just need a good clock in my house!

I leave you with a picture of my fire.

I have been making a pile of twigs and things since we moved in.

Today was the day to set it afire.

It was great and magnificent,

all the things that fires are.

Here it is....

Our backyard is looking beautiful.

Come and see.

aw spring

Another trip to the nursery today....

this time to buy

zinnias 

(don't laugh ~ they are deer resistant)

poppies

 another geranium

lantanna

(in honor of my dad)

and my most favorite of all.....

peonies.

I am in flower heaven.

All of my windows are open,

and I smell

lavender and rosemary

wafting in with the breezes.

God is so very creative to give us such varieties of beauty to enjoy.

To Lou....

my lifelong, beautiful friend,

this is for you.....

Our daughters are all grown up...

beautiful they are 

with families of their own.

Just look at this picture I found.

Stacey and Amanda posing on the diving board.

They couldn't be any cuter.

You know sweet girl friend, 

our dreams really did come true.

I love you!

cathy

easter tulips

I am still on an Easter hangover.

Just went to the fridge and had a bite of my

chocolate Easter bunny.

Bubba never fails to provide these

for the people he loves....

Amanda and Mark...

yours will come with us in May.

My grandmother's vase never fails to charm me,

filled with God's beautiful flowers,

things in my home that are old,

but so precious.

Early on Easter morning,

before the sun had peeped it's head over the horizon,

the Easter Bunny himself visited.

I ran to get my camera,

changed the lens

and got a picture of him.

I had never seen a rabbit visit before.

This one was rather large,

tame,

not easily scared off.

What a joy to see wildlife in your own backyard,

not withstanding the pain they are,

when they eat my flowers.

Like Sally O said,

"I am always thrilled when they come into the yard.'

Here he is....

God is so good and so worthy to be praised.

Thank You for all of the beauty

you give us to enjoy.

I can't even imagine what heaven will be like, Lord.

Here is the bunny without a flash.

I love his eyes...

our Easter loves

in Jupiter, Florida.

These two handsome guys are

all decked out in their Easter finery ~ Florida style.

We are counting the days 

(27)

until we will be together again.

Bubba and Jake have

back-to-back

birthdays

which makes for a very fun celebration.

Jake and Eli got to go to the circus on Saturday last.

Jake has loved elephants all his life.

We have read about them

and talked about whether they are

 Indian or African elephants.

Well guess what?

He and Eli got to ride an elephant!

She was Indian and she was 52 years old.

So wish I could have been there!

If I had been there,

I would have been right up there with them.

Easter memories ~ April 2014

A really fun time was had by all!!!!

Rejoice ~ His is Risen

He is Risen Indeed!

Jesus is the reason that we celebrate!

He is risen......

He is risen indeed!

"Now after the Sabbath, 

as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week,

 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 

came to look at the grave.

And behold, 

a severe earthquake had occurred,

 for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven

 and came 

and rolled away the stone 

and sat upon it.

And his appearance was like lightning, 

and his garment as white as the snow.

And the guards shook for fear of him,

and became like dead men.

And the angel answered and said to the women,

'Do not be afraid;

for I know that you are looking for Jesus

who has been crucified.

He is not here,

for he has risen just as He said.

Come see the place where He was lying.' "

Matthew 28: 1-6

Nothing speaks it like Scripture.

This is the crux of our faith as Christians.....

He is not dead!!!

Hallelujah!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

waiting for sunday

On Saturday all was quiet.

The followers were in shock,

mourning the loss of their friend and teacher, Jesus.

They had watched in dismay as their hopes and dreams

were nailed to the cross.

The One they had walked and talked with for three years,

The One who claimed to be the Son of God,

the long awaited Messiah,

had died on Friday,

and been placed in a tomb with a heavy stone to guard.

Saturday was probably quiet,

somber,

sad.

They were most assuredly,

gathered,

remembering,

thinking,

as we do after the loss of a dear one.

Sunday is coming,

and that is another story.

Today,

on Saturday,

they are devastated,

waiting,

 hoping beyond hope that His words were truth.

"And Behold, 

a man named Joseph, 

who was a member of the Counsil,

a good and righteous man, 

went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 

And he took it down

 and wrapped it in a linen cloth,

 and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, 

where no one had ever lain."

Matthew 23:50-53

*Very key point....

Jesus really died and was buried.

thursday night

This afternoon I have been 

gardening,

I got all of my flowers planted.

Hopefully,

no deer will come tonight and wipe me out.

I have also been planning our Easter meal.

While thinking about all of the fun times we have had around our big old farm table,

I began thinking about the Last Supper in scripture,

the time when our Lord Jesus

planned a final time of fellowship with his disciples

before He had to go and die.

To die was God's will for Him.

Jesus was born to die.

That was His purpose for coming to this earth.

It was a festive time in spite of what lay ahead.

I would have loved to have been in that room,

listening to their conversations,

watching their faces,

their gestures,

their eyes.

Jesus was betrayed that night.

Judas brought a band of thugs as if he needed them.

Jesus knew he was coming

and He was ready to go to the cross for us.

But isn't it lovely to know,

that the night before He died,

Jesus ate 

and fellowshipped with

and loved

His friends one more time.

He washed their feet and told them to do the same.

Then He broke the bread and poured the wine and said,

"This do in remembrance of Me."

We have communion to remember that night 

and that one day, hopefully soon,

 Jesus will return 

and we will dine with Him in heaven.

Jesus wants us to remember what He did.

This all happened on a Thursday night.

Tonight is Thursday night so many years later,

but we remember,

oh do we remember!!!

party time

This afternoon, 

we finally got to celebrate Archie's birthday.

He had a Spiderman cake

with six candles.

They have taken his cast off

but he still cannot stand.

All of that didn't diminish his happiness in any way.

He got a bike helmet,

some sunglasses,

a beach towel,

and a new swimsuit,

because sooner or later,

hopefully,

we will all get to go swimming.

After Granddaddy's delicious steak and mashed potatoes,

and corn on the cob,

He got a ride in the wagon to try out his new helmet.

Lots of fun tonight!

Precious days...

precious children.

deer dilemma

What I had envisioned for our backyard is not to be.

Some four-legged,

beautiful creations of God

that cause me to almost have

a car wreck when I see them beside the road

because I have to stop and gaze.....

these amazing animals of the wild,

love the same flowers I do.

Sadly,

as I mentioned last night,

they devoured the geraniums the very first night they were planted.

The only reason they didn't eat the 

beautiful blue hydrangeas

was because we kept them in the garage.

So, Harry B and I went over to the nursery

and asked for help....

"What flowers do you have that are detestable to the deer?"

Vinca,

Echinacea,

and

Lavender.

I will interject here what a great helper

is my Harry B.

He loaded the wagon full of flowers,

he pulled us up to pay,

and he loaded up the back of my van for me.

He even unloaded the flowers when we returned home.

So....vinca in the pot above,

and below you will see my lavender and echinacea.

So far, so good.

Not one little leaf has been bitten.

Cold again tonight.

40 with a wind chill of 28.

Can't shake winter.

Hope my flowers survive!

we have a cast

Archie broke his foot last week

and now

he has a cast.

Poor little guy....he is really brave.

More than likely there will be lots of casts for him in the future.

The doctors want to make his foot and leg straight

so that he can lead a normal life.

Erika says that this is a trial run.

He is so good to sit and watch the others play.

He never complains.

Please keep Archie in your prayers.

We love him so much.

Anyone getting up at 3:00 am to watch the

blood moon tonight?

Maybe me if I happen to wake up.

Thanking God tonight for another child to love.

Love never runs out.

It is like a bubbling fountain,

continuously flowing upward and outward.

Smile!

the new rug

For our 44th wedding anniversary,

we got a rug for the dining room of our new home.

I searched far and wide for

the right colors....

the palette being soft and neutral. 

The one I chose was,

amazingly,

perfect.

I love the way this room turned out.

I did some research on the computer.

My subject...

"Do deer eat geraniums?"

The computer said,

"No, deer do not eat geraniums."

So...

We go to the nursery and buy several

of my favorite flowers.

We set them out in various pots

and they looked so beautiful.

The next morning,

they were all gone......

eaten down to the dirt.

I say all of that to say this...

"The computer is not infallible."

God's word is infallible, 

but not the computer and its knowledge.

The lady at the flower nursery here in Savannah said.....

"If the deer are hungry enough,

they will eat anything."

I concur!!

Matching runner...

front entrance,

#6.

forty-four years ago....

Bubba and I were married

in a church full of family & friends.

These are the ones that stood with us and honored us

on this our wedding day.

Bubba was telling someone last week

how long we had been married,

and she replied....

"People don't do that anymore, congratulations."

Oh yes they do!

Didn't quite make into the getaway car 

after the wedding.

Had to go to the emergency room

and have some asphalt

dug out of my knee.

That's me on our honeymoon.

Thank you Lord for marriage.

You ordained it,

told us in Your word how to do it,

and You bless those who honor their vows.

"Love never fails."

I Corinthians 13: 8a

happy birthday to archie

Archie turns six today!

He is celebrating in North Carolina 

with the Bookman family.

Archie is an amazing little boy.

He came to us from China back in December.

His transition has gone well.

He is picking up our language very quickly.

He jumps right in....

whatever is happening,

he is involved.

Archie is very competitive,

a little obsessive,

a lot loud.

He doesn't know a thing about pronouns,

so every time he speaks, he calls everyone by name.

He is very brave.

He has endured some very difficult procedures

without a single flinch or cry,

but got very angry

when the doctor made a mark on his leg.

He likes rice,

 but he also likes good old

Southern 

home-cooked meals.

Archie,

we are glad you came to Georgia. to live.

You are smart 

and have so much potential.

You will be raised in a Christian home,

given every opportunity to excel.

We are glad you call us grammy and granddaddy.

What a privilege to know and love

a little guy from China!

top dog of the week

Jake...

Our grandson,

was top dog of the week

 in his second grade classroom.

He achieved this great honor by....

"always being enthusiastic!"

I wonder where he got that from?

His mother,

my daughter Amanda,

is a superb fitness instructor

teaching up to fifteen classes a week.

I hear that her enthusiasm in those classes is

contagious.

 I am so proud of Jake,

(and Amanda too.)

Thing 1 is Jake!

Thing 2 is Eli!

Thankful tonight for

the good, long rain we had,

shrimp for supper,

a clean house,

(cleaned by me)

a great book to read,

and

that these two little boys call me grammy.

"You'll be on my mind ~ always......" 

three crosses

There were three crosses on the hill that day...

one of them contained the

Son of God.

Jesus had been born to die...

the perfect sacrifice 

for those loved of God, and elected to eternal life.

Many don't understand the death of Jesus.

If you believe the Bible is true,

if you have read and studied its holy pages,

then you know...

the Holy Spirit has opened your heart and mind to know the truth.

Without the Holy Spirit,

one cannot understand God's word.

Man (all of us) was born in sin.

No one escaped that sad estate.

The Bible says that we are sinners

 one and all.

God is holy,

He cannot look upon sin or abide with sin.

Right away...

from the beginning of time,

He planned to send His Son Jesus,

to take our place.

He placed our sins on Him.

God accepted His death on our behalf

and declared us righteous

because of what Jesus did.

In God's eyes we are no longer sinners.

In Christ we do our best not to sin.

His Spirit gives us the power to live holy lives.

What do we do?

Believe,

trust,

bear fruit,

live holy lives,

read,

study,

tell others,

pray,

wait expectantly for Jesus' return.

We live this life abundantly in the power and grace

that has been given to us.

To God be the glory,

great things He has done!

you have to go to know

There is a place on Tybee that I love.....

The Crab Shack.

The food is very good,

but it is the atmoshpere that makes the place.

You sit out on a dock overlooking a small creek.

Everything comes from a steamer pot.

Lu and I get shrimp and crab legs.

There is a hole in the middle of the table...

inviting you to throw shells etc. right in.

There are cats ambling around,

beach music playing,

sun setting down.

No frills, 

just a big roll of paper towels

and some sauces on the table.

The servers are laid back and they don't bug you...

just sit and soak it all in.

It is down south,

beach fun,

happy go lucky time at its best.

I could stay forever!

The have alligators and exotic birds as well,

which makes everything even better! 

Love spring...

sitting outside,

long days,

crab legs,

and my baby girl granddaughter Lu!

portrait of gus

These are the kinds of things that make my life so wonderful.

Lucy drew this portrait of Gus.

When she showed it to me,

I was overwhelmed.

The hair....

I love it.

The eyes, the mouth.

It will go with my treasures 

after it hangs on the fridge for a while.

I am finally watching Downton Abbey.

David & Erika gave me the first season for my birthday.

I am now on season two,

thoroughly hooked,

and loving every minute.

Such an entertaining and well done show.

Trying not to let this series watching

affect my night time blog writing.

One more piece of exciting news.....

Harry lost his first tooth.

we are all so proud of him....

So,

for now,

good night,

sleep tight,

and don't let the bedbugs bite.

cathyc