new life

This is that little tiny rose bush that Lucy gave me for Mother's Day two years ago.

It has taken over the fence just outside the sunroom in my house.

It didn't thrive during this year's deep winter freeze.

I was contemplating cutting it all the way back.

As soon as the days started getting longer and warmer,  it decided to put on a show.

The miracle of Spring.

New Life!

Needless to say, it is thriving.

Sunday evening, I sent a text to Lucy along with this picture.

She loves to hear how our rosebush is doing.

This is what I told her...

"It's like you send me roses every day, sweet girl."

🌹

 

the last of my cruise pictures

Letting the wind dry my hair on a windy day.

It didn't take long!

Warm sun and a strong wind did the job in a flash.

Leaving the port of Nassau.

I always love seeing this little abandoned lighthouse standing guard.

David and Gus sunning on the top of the ship.

Our big, beautiful ship.

God paints pictures in the sky in the morning and at sunset.

Another picture, just before the sun popped up.

Our cabanna on the top of the ship.

When the sun got too hot, it was a lovely place to retreat.

Amanda and I at the front og the ship leaving Port Canaveral.

God never paints the same picture twice!

All praise and glory to our Most High God.

The Giver of all good gifts!

💗

Happy Birthday Archie!

Archie turned 18 years old last week.

We celebrated on Saturday evening.

Lisa, his cousin, was visiting Savannah and joined us for his party.

It was a rip-roaring good time, as are all of our parties.

These were his menu choices ~

Grammy's famous broccoli-chicken casserole, pictured above,

A huge pot of white rice with onions sauteed in butter,

And a new favorite,

Red Lobster garlic cheese biscuits,

and for dessert,

Root Beer Floats!

This meal is well-loved and always requested.

💗

Archie is a junior in High School.

He has become a very proficient driver.

He loves cars and is saving every penny to buy his dream vehicle.

He has a great personality.

He loves to help others in any way he can.

He can fix most anything.

He loves his people.

  Most importantly,

 he loves Jesus.

Happy Birthday, Archie!

I'm a very proud Grammy!

Oh, by the way, he won the Lawn Darts game.

 

 

Easter dinner with friends

We had a huge feast to celebrate our risen Lord Jesus.

We were blessed to share it with friends from Fayetteville.

Justine and David were at seminary together in California,

I made my traditional Easter feast .

It was delicious, according to all who ate.

Honey Baked Ham,

Red Rice,

Green Beans,

Hash Brown Potato Casserole (David made these),

Broccoli Salad,

Pineapple Bake,

Yeast Rolls,

Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream,

and

 Lemon ~ Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting. (made by Lucy)

Also had a big pot of steaming hot coffee with dessert

Even though it rained, we had our Easter Egg Hunt.

The large Golden Egg was found by Walter,

The small Golden Egg was found by Brook, Justine's wife,

And Gus won a prize for finding the most eggs.

I didn't take a single picture,

But we got the lovely people above, and that was most important.

I'm spending this week reading about what Our Lord did after His resurrection.

All four gospel writers included an account of his steps before He ascended back to heaven.

Fascinating.

We are so blessed to have these eyewitness accounts of how Jesus spent His final days on earth.

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

"And there are also many other things that Jesus did,

which, if they were written one by one,

I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written."

Amen!

💗

John 21:25

 

He is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

💗

Rejoice always!

Pray without ceasing!

Be Thankful in all things!

This is the will of God for you!

Happy Easter!

Celebrate big today!

He is Risen!

💗

 

It is a good Good Friday

"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,

'It is Finished!'

And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."

John 19:30

💗

 

God's love to us in Christ Jesus His son

Has your world been changed?

Does this week have any meaning in your life?

Do you realize what God has done for you?

We, humans, were born sinners.

Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden

 spoiled our relationship with God, who made us.

God is holy.

He cannot look upon sin.

Many years later, Jesus came to this earth as a man,

yet without sin.

God, His Father, sent Him to earth to become sin for us.

When Jesus died on the cross, He took our sin upon Himself.

Jesus died on the cross.

He was buried in a tomb, and a heavy stone was rolled across the entrance.

He stayed in the tomb for 3 days.

On the third day, He arose and left the tomb.

Jesus Lives!

He appeared to many.

After 40 days, He ascended back to heaven 

and is seated at the right hand of God, His Father.

Jesus is there preparing a place for us.

He is coming back to get us, and we will be forever with Him.

Want to know more?

Read God's Word every day.

Start with the gospel of John in the New Testament.

Pray and ask Him to give you understanding of the truth He has written to us.

Seek Him diligently, and He will reveal Himself to you.

One very important verse in the book of John...

"For God so loved the world,

 that He gave His only begotten Son,

  that whosoever believeth in Him

 should not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

💗

Hosanna!

"Hosanna!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,

even the King of Israel."

John 12:13b

💗

 

cruising #3

This was the last stop on our cruise.

Carnival's private island,

Celebration Key.

I thought when we docked, the rest of the island looked decimated.

Does anybody remember Hurricane Dorian in 2019?

I found this book in one of the gift shops on the island.

You know how much I love to read about weather disasters.

I picked it up, but didn't buy it.

Later, David and Lucy made a trip back and purchased it for me.

"The Water Has Come"

is a detailed timeline of the events that transpired in 2019, Hurricane Dorian...

the most powerful storm in modern history.

So interesting!

Early morning balcony shot of David and Amanda.

Sunning on Loft 19.

The Blood moon ~ 

early in the morning!

My room steward left the cutest little towel, animal sculptures on my bed 

every morning after he cleaned my room.

Sulan was the best ever.

He took such good care of me!

💗

 

beautiful

Yesterday afternoon, I found a big box of gorgeous flowers on my front door step.

I eagerly brought them into my kitchen.

I opened the box and could find no card indicating who they were from.

I thought,

"Yay, I have a secret admirer."

Silly thought that was!

I immediately went to our family chat to inquire.

Did any of you send me flowers today?

It was Amanda.

She wanted to thank me for the cruise.

I was overwhelmed.

Getting fresh flowers is one of my favorite things.

You are welcome, sweet daughter of mine.

It was absolutely my pleasure.

I'm already saving for our next adventure.

💗

 

cruising #2

The Bahamas.

The color of that water.

Dress up night.

After dinner.

Steak and lobster.

Of all the grandchildren, 

Jake and Eli were the only ones who brought dress-up clothes.

Lucy cross-stitched a picture of our cruise.

I love the interlocking hearts with me in the middle.

She is such a dear, sweet granddaughter.

She really looks out for me.

I had it on display in my cabin all week.

💗

Our cabanna on Loft 19.

#8

Amanda reading and sunbathing.

The views from the loft were amazing.

We spent so much time up there.

She was recuperating from a medical event that almost kept us all home.

I was more than happy to stay with her.

Getting off at the ports is not the main reason I love cruising.

Being on the boat and looking at the ocean as we sail is.

What a delightful place to rest and relax.

Breakfast with the family.

Jake, Eli, Gus, and Walter chose the buffet.

These times around the big round table, looking out at the ocean, were some of the best.

Conversation flowed!

Laughter abounded.

Being with all my family was such a blessing from God.

💗

I left this cruise with a full heart of love and thanksgiving!

 

cruising #1

Love this welcome aboard greeting.

First thing I saw when I walked into my cabin.

First sunrise.

The faithful witness in the sky that God never changes.

It's one of my most favorite sights on a cruise.

Early morning coffee delivery to my room.

To sit on the balcony, sipping coffee and watching the day arrive, is a dream.

We ordered coffee for one, but they always brought two cups.

A little sad touch.

Loft 19 at the very top of the ship.

A private hideaway...far from the maddening crowd.

This was the lap of luxury that Mark, our fabulous travel agent, gifted to us.

There was a steward always walking around asking us if we needed anything.

Fruit and water were available to us at no cost all day.

Everyone should read this book.

It is brilliant and lovely, heart-wrenching and uplifting.

It was a gift for my birthday from David and Erika, and I highly recommend it.

It was my book for relaxing in my lounge chair every day.

I 💗cruising!

 

family cruise ~ 2026

Just got home from paradise.

More pictures to come.

💗

 

bubba, dad, granddaddy ~ he left us way too soon

Bubba has been gone from us for six years this week.

He passed from this earth on February 29, 2020 ~ Leap Year.

Here are some special memories I found to keep him fresh in my mind.

We were a happy family blessed by God.

Our first backyard pool. 

He finally got me a cement one, but that took a while.

Bubba and I, before we got married.

I had been in my friend's wedding.

We were looking forward to ours.

Bubba and I, two weeks before he left us to go to heaven.

Little did we know what was coming.

I still haven't recovered completely from the shock.

Probably never will.

😢

Our whole family together,

 two weeks before he went to be with Jesus.

He loved to run in the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia.

We traveled all the time.

When David and Amanda were children, they went with us.

Sometimes we went just the two of us.

This was a Pink Jeep Tour out in Arizona.

Our Wedding Day,

April 11, 1970.

Those smiles.

His hand, holding back my veil.

Bubba with tiny baby David.

Saturday morning, sleeping in.

Bubba's hair is a hoot.

That hint of a mustache.

Bubba on our honeymoon.

The Hawaiian Inn,

Daytona Beach, Florida.

We had gotten all dressed up for the luau.

Amanda came along.

Bubba is getting promoted to Colonel in the Georgia Air National Guard.

He was the Property and Fiscal Officer for the state of Georgia.

He loved his job.

He never wanted to retire.

After the wedding. "Going Away" outfits.

This was just before he took off with me halfway out of the car.

My right knee scraped across the asphalt.

We spent a lot of our honeymoon night in the emergency room.

Tent camping before the babies came.

The night Bubba graduated from college.

I was just pregnant with David.

We loved to go to Disney.

We took David and Amanda when they were growing up.

We took our grandkids a lot, too.

He loved airplanes.

He never flew one, but he was all about the Air Force.

I always loved his "apple cheeks."

🍎

And lastly,

Because this project has taken me a long time, and I need to eat soon,

some kind of birthday antics at my Mom and Dad's house.

That cake looks delicious.

Moma made the best sour cream pound cakes.

Our life together was the best.

He loved us all so well, and he was totally selfless.

I can't wait to see you again!

I'm doing well.

I think you would be proud of me.

💗