the best gift

I suppose I will be pondering the miracle of my salvation well into eternity.

It is truly amazing that God would save someone like me.

Christmas is when God sent His Son into this world 

to die for our sins.

That's why we celebrate.

Jesus is the best gift that was ever bestowed.

Believe!

"For God so loved that world

 that He gave His only begotten Son 

so that whosoever believes in Him 

should not perish 

but have eternal life."

John 3:16

💗

 

hooray, i have a Christmas tree

My new tree arrived yesterday (Sunday) afternoon.

I found it on the front porch right after I got up from rest time.

Erika and Walter came over and got right to work.

We were very excited that it got here with 10 days to spare.

This one had four sections.

The first one had six.

I knew when I saw it start to grow that it was the right size.

The hardest part of the setup is fluffing the branches.

They sent special gloves for that job.

It was leaning a slight bit to the left.

After Erika fixed the lean,

she laid down on the floor and slid it in place.

Perfection!

She is now the right size for the sunroom. (7 feet, 5 inches)

Wide, with great places to put the ornaments.

She has just the right amount of lights which look like the old incandescents which I loved.

No hassle!

So thankful.

I may not get her decorated, but at least I have a tree.

Thank you for all the hard work, Erika and Walt.

Y'all make everything more fun!

🎄

 

back to Lucy's birthday

Before we get to Lu's 20th birthday, I must share about her 19th.

🎂

I was just starting to decorate for Christmas.

Then, the birthday decor went up.

On our family birthdays, we always play games with monetary prizes.

There is a high level of excitement and lots of competition.

"Spoons" is a fast-moving card game.

Cards are passed to the left very quickly.

You have to be fast to grab a spoon when you get a set of four matching cards.

The last one to grab a spoon wins.

I'm always the first one out... 

Not quite quick enough anymore. 

Gus won both games.

He's saving for his 8th-grade trip to Washington, DC.

👏

Celebrating in front of the fireplace,

Summer decor is still up in December.

It goes beautifully with my fall decor but must come down for Christmas decor.

The picture of Lu's first birthday is on the mantel.

David grilled steaks.

We had a baked potato bar.

For dessert, we had an ice cream sundae bar.

Everybody loves it when I do this.

They all go a little bonkers afterwards from all the sugar.

Lastly.

I couldn't resist this one...

Harry with all of his glorious, curly hair.

He makes me laugh,

every time.

 

after all the Christmas tree disasters...

... I've decided on this one.

It is a lovely potted cedar wrapped in red foil,

adorned with a 10-light strand of LED battery-powered lights.

It has 6 red and gold ornaments fastened to the branches with the tiniest little hooks I've ever seen.

It is easy to manage,

easy to decorate,

easy to water.

It doesn't take up much space.

I can seat more people.

And think of the dollars I'll save on electricity.

Finally, I've let my obsession with my yearly Christmas tree go.

At least this little tree is a "real tree."

🎄

The LED white lights that look blue will be hard to take,

Maybe they will grow on me, 

but I doubt it seriously.

 

another tree saga

Why do I always encounter problems with my Christmas tree?

My new fake tree came on Friday.

Erika came by on Saturday afternoon to open those big boxes that were left on the porch.

We were beyond excited!

The first thing we noticed as the bottom layer of the tree unfurled was 

the beauty of the branches

how well made it was,

how real it looked.

You can tell from the picture above.

The lights were perfect even though they were LED.

Then we noticed how massive it was...

At this point in the assembling, we looked at each other skeptically...

At this point, it dawned on us that I had made a huge mistake.

The top branches where I place my star were bent over.

Verdict...

Too tall. 

I didn't measure; just ordered a nine-foot tree.

It was a foot more than it needed to be.

After our pizza party, we all worked together to take her apart,

fit her neatly back in the boxes,

and arrange for her to be shipped back to where she came from.

She's back on the front porch now, awaiting her pick-up.

Sad for me, sad for her.

So, another Christmas season,

another tree saga.

And now I don't even have a tree to decorate.

But,

I'm thinking about what I can do.

More later.

🎄

 

Christmas tree

My new, fake Christmas tree was delivered yesterday.

Each box weighed in at 55 pounds.

I heaved and hoed and got them inside.

They are right on the other side of the door as I write.

I'm sorry I didn't write about Lucy's party yet.

I'm working on at least 5 different projects.

Most are Christmas decorating related.

I get to create at my leisure, and I love it!

It takes over my life.

I have about 5 blog posts swirling in my brain as well.

Since I have no time to write, they will have to stay there until I do.

Walter is coming at two. 

I am going to teach him how to create a lighted Christmas village.

This will either go really well or really poorly,

He has been begging me to let him help.

I chose today.

We'll see.

There will be a pizza supper afterward.

I'll write about that party too.

Until then...

I'll be in decorating heaven.

 

Lucy turned 19 today.

We wore our birthday crowns to celebrate.

👑

I will share about her party tomorrow.

It was a good one.

💗

 

and it's Christmas

 I'm changing seasons in my house.

Fall is going back upstairs.

Christmas is coming down.

A brigade of grandsons is coming at 4:00 this afternoon

 to bring boxes of  Christmas decorations down from the attic.

I don't have much time this year to create my magic.

My new tree hasn't arrived yet.

I'm excited.

I hope I love it and that it will be easy to assemble.

Of course, I'll have a grandboy or two to help me.

🎄

*Erika brought Walter and Gus.

Harry ran over from his house.

It took them less than 30 minutes to carry the Christmas boxes down from the attic, whereas it would have taken me days.

Thank You, Lord, for my family!

💗

Oh well,

 I forgot to post a picture of the huge number of boxes and bins in my garage.

Good shot of my new freezer!

 

Thanksgiving 2024 afterglow

Afterglow...

The time after an extraordinarily wonderful Thanksgiving.

The excitement is over.

The memories have been made,

My mind is busy processing everything.

I am alone again.

The house is empty and very quiet.

This is early Thanksgiving morning.

I caught Jake in the sunroom, checking his phone.

We had Thanksgiving dinner out this year.

Nobody really felt like cooking.

I just wanted to have fun with my family,

go do all of our favorite things,

eat out a lot,

just sit and talk with my teenage grandsons, 

who keep me in stitches most of the time

 and occasionally challenge me to a deep philosophical conversation...

teenage style.

Amethyst...

my February birthstone.

I don't really like the color purple, but that was when I was born,

and there was nothing I could do to change that.

If you have never been to the Plant Riverside district in Savannah,

you should plan to go.

We enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner.

The food was plentiful and so delicious.

It is located on the Savannah River on the site of the old Savannah electrical plant.

In construction, they kept many of the old working parts.

Fascinating to just walk around and look at everything.

Our table.

Beautiful fresh flowers and name tag.

Very festive and comfortable.

Easy to get around.

Fun servers and a piano player.

(The nametag excluded the Hollingsworths, but no one was offended)

Wall art!

Moody skies.

Very windy.

That didn't stop the fun, though.

The Talmadge bridge was right outside.

Eli found his place.

He does podcasts.

Thanksgiving 2024

A huge hit.

🦃🧡

 

Happy Thanksgiving part 2

It was just the five of us this year.

We decided not to cook. 

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at Plant Riverside

in beautiful downtown Savannah.

What an amazing day we had...

filled with the blessings of our Lord.

💗

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Love, Cathy

🧡

 

two things...oops three

I wrote this note to myself on Saturday morning,

The things I wanted to accomplish before the Hollingsworths arrived..

I had been agonizing over my tree decision for weeks now.

I've always loved my live Christmas trees,

the smell,

 the color, 

the shape,

the feel.

But... 

last year gave me pause.

The lighting disasters,

how quickly it started to die and droop,

the fact that for the last few years,

 I always got my one and only sinus infection when I brought the live tree into the house

the disposal of dead tree.

I decided Saturday morning that I needed to make my decision.

I quickly added #3 to my list.

By Saturday afternoon,

 I had bought an artificial pre-lit 9 ft tree, and it was on its way to my front door.

We'll see when it gets here,

but I think I made a wise choice.

Here is a picture of her.

Bubba was my tree facilitator.

The time has come for me to make it easier on myself.

So thankful for all the Christmas' we did have together.

Some of my best & sweetest memories.

I miss you, Bubba.

Holidays are hard.

Grief never ends.

I just don't cry anymore.

💗

*More on this post and the rest of the crazy note I left myself.

 

so thankful for these verses

It's God's promises that keep me going.

To wake up and remember this precious truth is so powerful.

God's love never ceases.

God's mercies never come to an end.

His love and mercy to us is new every morning.

He is faithful in all things.

God keeps All of His promises.

Thankful today and always! 

I made this flower arrangement to sit on my bathroom vanity.

It is huge and covers me completely up.

I like to have a little touch of Fall in all of the rooms in my house.

One week until Thanksgiving.

I cannot wait.

🦃

 

life is short

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

I still 💗 shoes. 
Instead of cute sandals,

 I wear tennis shoes and Birkenstocks.

I always eat dessert.

Every day.

It's a treat I can't resist.

🍨

I'm fully decorated for the Fall holidays.

Starting on my Christmas houses this weekend.

Amanda calls it a labor of 💗.

She's right!

I'm gonna get some help from my grandboys.

My bookcases await my magic touch.

They will come alive very soon.

Bookcase # 1 is having a lighting issue.

All of the cords, electrical strips, and wires are hidden behind.

I have to wait for help before the decorating can begin.

I tried to pull them out by myself but I sensed a catastrophe in the making.

The younger me would have tackled the problem alone.

Can't do that anymore.

😉

 

grandparents day 2024

Veritas upperclassmen are required to wear long-sleeved shirts and a tie to school.

Here is Arch modeling his professional style.

I think it looks good on him.

Last Friday I got to visit Walter's classroom.

He is in fourth grade this year.

I met his teacher and he showed me everything his class is studying.

They even had refreshments for us.

Then we gathered in the worship center to hear songs, verses, and poetry.

It is so refreshing to hear the students praise God and their love for our country.

In the beginning, our veterans are honored.

The grandparents are recognized and given a chance to win one of three prizes.

I've done Grandparents Day for 10 years and each time remained prizeless...

much to my relief.

That ended last Friday.

When I realized they had called my number I froze and said a quick "Oh No."

I had to stand up and wave for the mascot to run down the aisle with my gift.

There was much clapping and shouting.

My grandsons couldn't believe I had won and received all of that attention.

I was mortified.

Afterward, everyone congratulated me.

Sunday, the whole church had found out the good news.

At Chick-fil-A for lunch.

We met up with Harry who had just gotten off of work.

Still celebrating the gift I won.

Gus stayed at the school to help serve the chili lunch.

It was a fundraiser for the middle school trip to DC in the Spring.

We ducked out in favor of chicken sandwiches and milkshakes.

😉

 

climbing rose

I was greeted with this beauty yesterday morning.

Only God can make a flower.

The feel, 

the color,

 the smell,

the waxy green leaves,

the thorns.

Flowers are part of the wonder of God's creation.

Lucy gave me a climbing rose bush for Mother's Day in May.

Look at how much she has grown.

We planted a little heart-shaped bush.

She has grown taller than the trellis.

I'm hoping she survives the winter and covers the fence with roses.

What a perfect gift that keeps on giving.

Last week was Wow!

My prayers for months about the election were two simple requests...

1. That God would have mercy on our country.

2. That His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

As far as I'm concerned, 

He answered my prayers perfectly.

I am so thankful!

Thankful also for all of the people who voted.

We made the map of the United States almost completely red.

Also, we had a really serious flash flood,

And Grandparents Day was on Friday.

I won one of the door prizes

and I took all four of my grandsons to Chick-fil-A for a celebratory lunch.

Hugely exciting week!

I'm so glad the election is over!

It needed to be!!!

 

thank you Jesus!

 

first time voter

Our grandson Jake is a first-time voter.

I am so proud of him.

Today is Election Day in the USA.

Please go out and vote if you haven't already.

It is extremely important.

 

finding good in the dark

 When the long days of summer are finally over,

When darkness comes before supper,

When sleep patterns are rearranged,

When hunger comes at odd times...

It must be Daylight Savings time again.

When God says "Be anxious for nothing,"

When we are commanded to "Take every thought captive,"

When God declared "Nighttime good,"

When I pray and ask Him to help me "Rejoice in all things."

I tuck in and try to find good in darkness.

Here goes...

I eat supper a little earlier to get through before it gets pitch dark.

I close all my window coverings and pretend it's still light outside.

I clean the kitchen and tidy the house.

I go through my nightly get-ready-for-bed routine.

I settle in my chair with a good book

I might watch a movie or look at a house renovation show.

Then I get in bed and read until I fall asleep.

I go to bed early with no guilt and sleep most of the darkness away.

When I wake up it's starting to get light again.

God, thank You, for the moon and stars that light up the winter sky.

You made the night for relaxation and rest.

You watch over us during the night.

You never slumber or sleep.

We earth dwellers will acclimate to the time-change.

We'll be fine in a couple of days.

🌃

 

every leaf is a flower

Loving this Fall.🍂

God is so good all the time.

He holds us in the palm of His hand.

He will never leave us or forsake us.

He is sovereign over all things.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And do not lean on your own understanding."

 

first place

Our Harry placed first at his cross-country meet in Macon on Saturday.

His time of 15:51 was his personal best.

We are so proud of his achievement this year.

He came to Grammy's house for dinner after he got home from the race.

I made his favorite broccoli-chicken casserole,

a big, steaming pot of my green onion-infused rice,

and I served up apple pie a-la-mode.

We celebrated with him over dinner.

I gave him one of my favorite bottles of IBC Root Beer.

He drank it with his dinner.

This boy lives and breathes running.

He subscribes to several running magazines and he loves running shoes.

He works hard at Chick-fil-A so that he can update quite frequently.

I love these teenage grandkids.

They are all so interesting,

💗

 

pray and vote

Yesterday was a busy errand day.

Grocery store,

Pharmacy,

Panera, 

Gas station.

On top of all that, I decided to go vote.

It was painless.

I walked right in.

registered,

was escorted to a voting station.

Got my ballot secured and tucked away,

and was gone in 10 minutes.

I was so glad I stopped by and got it done.

I've prayed all day that my vote went to the right people.

It is such a privilege to live in a free country.

What a blessing that "We the People" get to choose who governs us.

My prayer every day for our country is that God will be merciful to us,

and that His Will will be done in this land where we live.

God knows what's going on,

He is working out His plan.

He is sovereign.

We can trust Him.

These verses...

"First of all, then, 

I urge that entreaties and prayers,

 petitions and thanksgivings,

be made on behalf of all men. 

For kings and all who are in authority, 

in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life

 in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

who desires all men to come to the knowledge of the truth."

1 Timothy 2:1-4