WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE

1. What's your worst food memory?  How about one of your best?
WORST:

McDonald's surprised me with broken light bulb in my "two all beef patties special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onion s, on a sesame seed bun"...thankfully it didn't cut my mouth...my parents were NOT happy.  

BEST:

What fun it was on a date with my first boyfriend and his family at a 'swanky' restaurant her in town...ordered escargot for the 1st time...blown away by it's wonderful garlic butter, panko crumbs and cute little 'plucking' fork...what a GREAT night that was for me at the age of 16...one of the first times feeling 'big'.

 2. Do you appreciate people telling it like it is, or would you rather a speaker temper his/her words and maybe beat around the bush a little?  How about when you're the one communicating...which type are you?
My appreciating speakers varies sometimes according to my time limitations...sometimes my ears are needing to move on to other things; however, truth and common sense play into it also for me.  Blowing smoke and deception turn me quickly. 

Over the years I've had to become more of a 'driving' speaker to my husband, because he doesn't want to hear a lot of fluff, hahah!  I can be wonderfully flowery with my gal pals though!


 3. What's your favorite place to hang out?

My blue leather recliner fits my body very nicely...and there's a sweet spot on the loveseat in our parlor at church. 
 4. When do you most feel like you're a slave to time?
Having dinner on the table between 6:00 and 7:00...sometimes bittersweet now that collegegirl is out on her own; always have someone missing from the table now.
5. What was the last concert you attended?  Who'd you go with? Was it any good?
July 4th our chancel choir at church performed their "Independence Day" celebration with full orchestra and Biblical readings/vignettes.
 6. Reality TV...harmful or harmless?  What's your guilty pleasure when it comes to reality TV?
There is no such things as reality tv; they've convince so many people that tv is real...believe me, it is not. 

I entertain the silliness of DUCK DYNASTY and their continuing in witness as they visit churches and give their testimonies.

7. What's something you think is overrated?
Being on reality tv is overrated...look deep at the many who have done it...certainly doesn't seem their lives are better because of it

kind of like politics and its ability to ruin someone's decision making.

8.  My RANDOM THOUGHT:  our MIRACLE!

MY GREAT NIECE, KATIE, WAS DISCHARGED FROM THE HOSPITAL

8 DAYS AFTER RECEIVING A NEW HEART!  

THIS IS HER HEART SURGEON...

Thank you, Dr. Kogon











FIRST OUTING in the sun, 8 days post heart transplant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Charles and I are so proud of you FOR: 

keeping the doctors and nurses on their toes

and loving on them like you love on US! 

 

I'm so eager to see you but I have a cold and don't want to share the germs with you. 

 

You keep loving on MoMo until I can see you for REALZ, okay? 

 

(I love You, Lord, and I lift my voice. To worship You, oh, my soul rejoice! Take joy, my King, in what you hear! May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear!)



 

FAREWELL FRIDAY...saying 'see you later' to my Uncle

Dear Lord,

Please hear our prayers for your wrapping around our family as we grieve.  Words don't seem appropriate enough to express our hearts.

Welcome my Uncle Jerry with open arms and I especially ask your tender care for my Aunt Barbra as she is engulfed with her husband's loss.

His smile was wide, his love for his twin brother and the other five siblings was evident. In order from left to right, my Uncle Terry, Jerry's twin brother...then Uncle James, my Mother Betty, Aunt Jackie and Uncle Willis.

Thank you for his showing us 'I can' throughout his many paraplegic years...

he still fished, bowled, and greatly enjoyed retirement from 30-years of repairing watches and jewelry sales...

he taught me about enjoying life with an affliction; especially when he gave me a ride in his lap or hanging off the back of his chair!

I will always love you, Uncle Jerry.

Blessings,

Jer. 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

THRONE TRIP TUESDAY...

During the last Spring Break I experienced with our church, I caught a moment in time that was so precious...that will ALWAYS be so precious.  They were there for each other...to share their friendship and to say good bye to their high school beach trips.  A time in the sand with their Father, at His seashore...I wrote this soon after our trip to gather my thoughts about His presence in all three places at once, the before, the during and the after, from the right-hand seat of God..

HIS Sure Seashore...

Walking his shoreline

Capturing THAT moment--

a BRIEF moment of BEING

enjoying Spring Break, TOGETHER...

180 participants ELSEWHERE.

KNOWING a blessing...

yes, knowing the BLESSING,

SHARING:  one loving one at HIS tide...

His NEVER-SLEEPING tide.

Coming in and going out before MAN'S CREATION...

coming in and going out, HOLDING HANDS in the NOW...

coming in, going out after MANKIND'S CONCLUSION...

His TIDE is like HIM... 

NEVER sleeping...NEVER ending

NEVER forgetting HE spoke it into being...

His ABSOLUTE.

Blessings,

SIMPLE PLEASURES: HE'S OUR TREE

ENJOYING 'SIMPLE PLEASURES'

Thank you to our hostess, Dayle: A Collection of This and That...thinking of people, things, times making us SMILE in big ways.

A past Disciple class honored me (at the end of the year) for facilitating their class. They planted trees for me in Israel...in this Yasir Forest; which is helping rebuild Israel's land ecology...Come....look at His forest:

It makes me smile to think of 'my' trees being on land where Jesus grew, taught, and promised to return there.

Did you smile?

FLASHBACK FRIDAY...sibling stuff

click the button to see who all joined us today...

MY SIBLING BLESSING FROM GOD: an older, awesomely sweet sister! We shared a double bed in our tiny bedroom...saying our prayers nightly, ending with: 'GOOD NIGHT', 'SLEEP TIGHT', 'PLEASANT DREAMS', 'SAME TO YOU!'.

LATER--watching her graduate; attend local college...each caught m attention, helping me see goals as reachable. I wanted to successfully get through school and make my family proud.

NOT LONG AFTER COLLEGE GRADUATION, I cried myself to sleep every night after she married and moved to Charleston, which was 8 hours away from our hometown.

"What was she thinking?!" I mean, he was cute, and sweet, and in the Navy; but, HEY, He wasn't me!" WHAT WAS UP WITH THAT?! HAHAHAHA!

"OUR ROOM" then became 'my' room and it never seemed right (even after Mother let me be bold and redecorate in smiley faces with orange background).

SHE WAS, IS, QUIETER AND MORE STUDIOUS THAN ME. She studied hard, read a lot (She was a 3-year Latin student) and enjoyed basketball in front of the double oak trees with my Daddy in our back yard.

MY EARLY YEARS were spent hangin on monkey bars, ballerina dancing through the house, and flipping handsprings, walkovers and cartwheels, too many to count. She probably wondered "Where in the world did Mother get HER from?" I wasn't loud necessarily but I, for sure, didn't sit still for very long.

MANY DAYS I REMEMBER her busily helping Mother in the house with chores, cooking, and baby sitting for other families. She did all the cooking and housework when Mother had major back surgery that confined her to the bed for months. I remember my sister never complaining about having to pitch in with all of that work. I was so young and didn't have a clue...looking back on it, I feel guilty for not helping more (or at least I don't remember helping).

FIGHTING WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN TOLERATED BY OUR PARENTS...but, I must say, we never wanted to fight. (I'm sure she probably wanted to lock me in a closet whenever I flitted through the house, especially when her boyfriend was there.) But fight?? Nope.

REALLY.

AS AN ADULT LOOKING BACK, I'm sure this had more to do with my sister being an extremely patient person. She was busy giving in to me without my even knowing it. We had a wonderfully peaceful time together.

EVEN WHILE DATING, she and 'cuteness' were often including me on dates and playing games of the day: Operation, Scrabble, and Yahtzee! Remember those fun times still makes me smile.

ONE VERY VIVID MEMORY came after their honeymoon--jumping in the white camaro and "putt putting" until the sun went down on our little town. Surely she would have much preferred staying home and talking 'grown-up' talk with Mother, but my recollection was she wanted to be with me! ;)

BEING A YOUNGER SIBLING gave me a want to "be in on things" so I always wanted to get involved in many groups throughout HIGH SCHOOL. Each class or extra curricular activity challenged me to step up in different ways. Leaving all my friends after graduation caused a big hole in my life for a while...they had temporarily been replacing my 'SIBLING NEED' .

TODAY WE'RE ENJOYING SPENDING TIME TOGETHER WHEN WE CAN. We are especially loving her grand daughter, KATIE, who is growing up with a congenital heart defect. My sister is her primary care giver while my nephew and his wife work to handle their daughter's situation. We are so thankful for today's miracle-working doctors.

...LOOK HOW MUCH SHE'S GROWN!I AM SO GRATEFUL GOD BLESSED ME with 'the best' sister.

YA'LL lost out NOT having her ...nanner nanner...:P HAHAHAHAHA!

1ST SENTENCE REMEMBRANCES...¡hasta la vista! 2009

2009

MONTHLY ‘1^ST SENTENCE’ REMEMBRANCES…& FAV PHOTOS…

DECEMBER Thankfully...we're having a 'Charlie Brown' Christmas at our house this year...

NOVEMBER We absolutely LOVE sweet potatoes in our house and these are delicious when you have the time to make them from scratch with whole sweet potatoes...a great addition to Thanksgiving :)

OCTOBER This last week brought new challenges with our weather...miles and miles around Atlanta we were FLOODING.

(My ARGENTINA package!!!)

SEPTEMBER Recently my blogging words have been very hard to come by...I'm going through a "desert time".

(Prayers, Erin beating Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant)

AUGUST Katie--good weekend--started sitting up in her stroller

(Lawrenceville Assistance Program)

JULY MY LAST-EVER PHOTO WITH MY DADDY...HE PASSED SIX MONTHS AFTER OUR WEDDING

JUNE OMGOODNESS...WHAT MAY BROUGHT...flowers, Showers…lots & lots of new memories being made...year-end banquet...final chorus shows...graduates who we will miss our last "together-hoorays"!

MAY It's been a long time since there was color in my yard...and my backyard azalea has reached new heights this year.

(Relay for Life, 10 years cancer-free celebration for me!)

APRIL HOW WAS "WEEK ONE" OF THE 30 x 5 CHALLENGE?? Yes, it really has been only 1 week...Liddie challenged us to answer a few things and post about it.

(LIDDIE'S CHALLENGE BUTTON)

MARCH Usually our snows come in from the northwest...and they usually hit our mountains in the north-end of the state first.

FEBRUARY Are there things you just don't like to do...other than your regular "have to's" like going to work, washing dishes?

JANUARY Yes, we'll be capturing special, silly, spontaneous snippets of our days throughout the entire year (PROJECT 365).

(Prayer sisters)

THANKS TO ALL MY BLOGGING BUDDIES, EVEN THOSE WHO DON'T LEAVE COMMENTS...I WISH YOU WOULD, BY THE WAY.

WE'VE HAD A BLESSED 2009 AND I PRAY YOUR 2010 IS MORE GOD-BLESSED THAN YOU'VE EVER DREAMED!!

LAUGHS FROM DOWNUNDER

Would you like to visit New Zealand and laugh today?

It's so much fun "finding" friends around the world...(can't get much further around the world than New Zealand...physically on the other end of the sphere from us.)

One day I want to visit New Zealand, Christchurch, specifically. My boss of 16 years at BellSouth often stated "in all his world travels, Christ's Church was the most gorgeous place on earth".

When I stumbled across ScrappySue's blog from Wellingtontown I was excited to see glimpses of "her world" from "down under"...Do they call us "up above" when referring to North America...it is the opposite term, right??!!

Yesterday's vow promised to encourage ...
so, I encourage you to click on ScrappySue's video...it's definitely worth the 3 SECONDS!!

I'm still laughing--Years ago I almost did the very same thing at my desk in my shorthand class back in high school. (Many may not even understand "why" this is so funny...aaaaahhhh, today's youth..."returns" are only at stores, right??! : )
Watch it and then leave a message describing what comes to mind.

Any memories of technology gone bye-bye?
Or funny incidents in gone-by days?
You might even remember an office "gag" someone played on you...would enjoy hearing your remembrances.

Psalm 13:3

Take a good look at me, God, my God;I want to look life in the eye,

So no enemy can get the best of meor laugh when I fall on my face.

VINEGAR?? REALLY??

IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO EASTER, AND I WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN A BLOG CARNIVAL...

Easter Frills and Thrills Blog Carnival on "Becoming Me".
http://becomingmethruhim.blogspot.com/2009/03/wondrous-cross-easter-frills-and.html

Side note: I didn't make them on Easter Eve because we go to early church, and I didn't want to do this at 6:30am...but if you attend later services, you might wan to make these on Easter Eve, right before bedtime for the kiddies.

EMPTY TOMB COOKIES
Preheat the oven to 300--this is VERY important! Read the corresponding Bible passage while adding the necessary ingredients. SERVES 12

1 cup whole pecans, in plastic baggie
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1 cup sugar
cooking mallet
kitchen mixer
masking tape
Bible

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees--you MUST do it now.
2. Read John 19:1-3 ~ Jesus was beaten for our sins; beat the nuts with a cooking mallet; set aside.
3. Read John 19:28-30 - Jesus drank something like vinegar (gall), sniff the fragrance, dip finger in and taste, too; place the vinegar in a mixing bowl.
4. Read John 10:10-11 - Egg whites symbolize Jesus' holy, innocent life; add whites to the bowl with the vinegar.
5. Read Luke 23:27 - the bitter tears of the women; taste a few grains, remember your own sins; add the salt to the bowl.
6. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16 - Sweet salvation! Taste and see; add to the bowl.
7. Crank up the mixer and let it go while you read from Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3; let the mixer go for about 12-15 MINUTES; this needs to be VERY stiff!
8. Read Matthew 27:57-60 - Fold the nuts into the egg-sugar mixture; this symbolizes the rocks in the garden.
9. Using a scoop or knife & spoon, drop by spoon into mounds (to resemble a rocky tomb); put into the oven and turn it OFF!
10. Read Matthew 27:65-66 – the tomb is sealed; use two pieces of tape
(5-6 inches each). Seal the door edges with the tape.
11. Read John 16:20 & 22 - Consider these passages, then go to bed!
12. NEXT MORNING: Read Matthew 28:1-9 - Jesus is risen! Behold--the empty tomb! Unseal the oven door, take out the cookies, break or bite one in half -- it should be hollow inside---empty---just like the Tomb!
13. He is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Hope you have as fun a time making them as we did...it's a great way to share Jesus and his journey with your child. Leave me a message with your thoughts and/or your encounters with "the tomb".

Mark 16:6
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

TAGGED...I'm IT!

Thanks to "Livin"...she tagged me in her post...for "6 random things".
Hhhhhhhhmmmmm, what have I not referenced in these memes before today's request??

• When I was a little girl I would "ballet" around the house literally up on the knuckles of my toes, spinning, posing in front of the full-length mirror on the back of our bedroom door.
  
  


• My sister and I shared a bedroom our "entire" lives at home...she was a better big sister than I would have been...she was 8 years older, and she didn't mind if I tried on her clothes, held her stuffed animals, and even tagged along on her dates. I cried for many nights after she married at the age of 21 and I was suddenly alone.

• I loved writing and drawing on the sliding glass door when it was get "steamed up" in the winter...my Mother didn't like it so much, but some of my best art was born on those cold winter mornings and evenings. You know, smiley faces, hearts, special messages sometimes.
  
  


• My Daddy was playing baseball with my sister one time in the backyard...I was too small and was told to stay clear of the bat...but I was never a "fully obeying" child because I ALWAYS wanted to be in on the fun...I snuck behind my Daddy to catch the ball as my sister threw it to him just as he drew back to hit the ball and clipped me instead!
  
• My senior prom was at the Peachtree Plaza...Ya'll, this was a BIG deal (at that time it was the tallest hotel in the world) in 1977 and I remember my Mother being so scared about our going there and being "up that high". (One of the girls from our school caught her dress in one of the escalators going up to our ballroom....poor thing lost her dress and her evening was over).
  
  
  
• I love to fly airplanes--yes, FLY the plane--I discovered I had this LOVE from a dear friend/ pilot who had flown f-14's in "'NAM"...I would accompany him in flying single-engine planes out of the "Naval Air Club" at Dobbins, where we would do all of our own system and security checks before taking off. The sunsets were gorgeous, once we got out of the congestion around the Atlanta area. After I was married DH surprised me with a flying lesson at our local airport...(that made 5 times for being in control of an aircraft)...yes, me in control of a large vehicle more than 500 feet above the earth...it is exhilarating each time I do it.

• Now it is my turn to pass the fun to another blogger...How about it?

TAG, your turn, to the following six bloggers...if you've already posted today, wait and post your turn tomorrow...I know how hard it is to get two in one day.

• Be Still
• Technonana
• Simple Things in a Complex World
• Life's Short
• mezzo
• Just a Southern Girl

So eager to read your "randoms"!

Sometimes Hidden (ugly mug)

So, today's the big day at 2nd Cup of Coffee...yes, U2 can show off your ugly mug...

http://2nd-cup-of-coffee.blogspot.com/2009/01/1000-posts-vote-today-for-ugliest-mug.html

...but, please come vote for me and my mug...

Once upon a time, long ago (let's say ten years)...
there was a cotton-headed, blue-eyed, six-year-old princess in the land of crepe myrtles.
Daily this budding princess was escorted by the King (he likes this title) to her court for audience (care for the day was in order, you see).


Here in her "Prim-Rosey" court were many other budding princes and princesses...all seeking to learn courtly manners, proper protocol in those times of greeting your audience at your throne (although Queen Mommy said this should be in private...)


Throughout her vigorous day of learning, there was time for napping when one's eyes grew weary and "oh, so overdone" (out came the mats and down went the shades) But once sweet dreams of dancing jesters and masterful puppeteers had subsided, each royal-to-be would rise out of their slumber (running to the throne, quite often)

One day, the jester of court told the "royals" a plan for celebrating the Queen (I just "love" that part)
You, see, the jester wanted to instill a soft, understanding heart in the "royals" she was guiding, for she knew one day they would be ruling, scepter in hand and deciding her fate possibly (this is kinda scary)

Other jesters joined in and gathered up each and every one of the little loyalists, counting every head, and securing each in their own seat of the the larger-than-life coach waiting outside the front gate (how do you make a daycare bus sound romantic??)

Off to the land of "many shops and artisans" to make a special remembrance for the Queen on her day (did I mention I just "love" that part??)


Each jester helped guide the little lads and lassies as they busily painted their favorite colors onto plates and goblets, imagining the surprised faces of each Queen as she opened her "treasure" ('cause no matter how it looks, the treasure IS hidden under the love with which it was MADE)


Time had to pass as the relics had to be "fired" and cleaned...each one was delivered back to the "Prim-rosey Court" in precious boxes each heir could decorate with family seals...bold, royal colors to celebrate the Queen's day (are you beginning to enjoy this as much as I do??!!)

Each little royal proudly prepared their bounty and readied it for placement on the royal pillow for delivery to said Queen ... the days went quickly by, as they had many other lordly and lady-like things to learn (one can't have a ruler that can't spell, can one??)


Finally, one beautifully bright day in early May arrived and the courts were aflutter with activity, dressing for the occasion, and entertaining discussions with the King about where the momentous presentation would take place...oh, the royal recliner has received the nod for the event. The princess danced with excitement once the decision was made...she could envision the Queen's face! (Here's the good part...)


The trumpets sounded and the court came to attention throughout the kingdom (isn't that good?!; one day, maybe it will happen!)

Her gold and diamond-encrusted gown "swooshed" and swayed as it flowed over her "freshly mopped" foyer floor en route to her awaiting cushioned throne (extra pillows needed after the day of washing that foyer, you see!)

As the little princess knelt at her feet, she often would bounce up from the floor, finally helping with the "unwrapping" of the gift...just what had those jesters taught these queens-to-be?

As the box opened, the sunlight danced on the surface of the most beautiful, most treasured, most delicate, cup to behold...painted with the little princess's favorite colors, over and around, forming a collage of color, the likes the queen had never seen...


Here in the momentous magic of love between little and big, tear began to drop on the cup, knowing little hands had held and caressed it while preparing it for this day.

Hugs all around, hooray for the princess, she is growing to be such a lady...just look what she's done for the Queen (I still love that part!)


Later, in the calm of her chamber, the Queen knew there was a message on the cup...a message so dear, so private, it was masked under the beautiful, bright colors...but how could she find it?

She summoned her memory to call forward, "what would my mother have done?"...you see, she was a Queen of great knowledge and understanding, and she worked with her hands creating many things during her reign.

Yes, a memory sprang up...etchings, rubbings, we used to take charcoal and rub over unknowns to find "the answers" hiding underneath the color...
Quickly the Queen retrieved a sheet of paper from her writing table (off the kitchen counter)...
positioning it oh so carefully over the most colorful spot of the cup, she rubbed over the cup with her royal red pencil...back and forth, soon it will be here!!


And there it was...
hiding...
yet always there...
just like their love between one another...
sometimes hidden under the tears...
sometimes hidden under the scoldings...
sometimes kissed on the forehead while falling off to sleep...
























Go NOW, whether you're a pauper, a prince, or a grand dame and cast your vote for the love shown in my "cherished" mug for:

UGLY is in the eye of the beholder!
Undeniably Given Love, Ya'll

WHERE IS IT

DO YOU HAVE A 'MOST' EMBARRASSING MOMENT FROM HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE (OF COURSE, CLEAN AND CAN BE SHARED)?

picture this:

military uniformed drum majorette, white-heeled boots, tall furry hat, 4-foot mace, performed a straight-legged strut to the 50-yard line...
stretches into a back bend to call "attention"...
as she's bending back, realizes she didn't put the whistle in her mouth...
patting herself on the chest, she realizes the whistle has flown behind her neck as she was strutting and is now caught in her hair!...
now she's looking at her band, upside down, and can't remember the verbal call for attention.

What is it they say you do...you always revert to whatever you've practiced??!!
Well, when I was in practice and not always wanting to blow my whistle I would sometimes quickly replace the long-short-short whistle with the words, TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEET, TWEET, TWEET....

Well you guessed it..that's all she could remember....
so as soon as she yelled it, the band realized she had screwed up and began rolling with laughter from her faux paux...

especially the drummers, who were always giving her a hard time anyway! ...really some of her best buds. At this point,Thomas Dreck at FSU, her drum major teacher, would have been counting to see how long it took her to correct her mistake and take control of the situation...and her band director, Mr. C., was in the press box wondering what in the world was going on...and why weren't they on the field yet?...

Finally, she remembered the proper verbal command, TEN HUT TEN HUT...
and they returned to their correct positions... she glowed a bright crimson while marching to the far sideline to her ladder to lead the rest of the songs!
There you have it...
Do you think her cheeks were getting red again even as she posted this??!! :)

CHRISTMAS FAVES...

Here's my Friday Favorite 5 for this week:

While eating lunch today I was startled as something whammed up against my front door, the doorbell rang and I found this year's Christmas presents from North Carolina...we'll unwrap them later and spread out under the tree. Thank goodness they made it to the door this year...a few years back, they were delivered to the garage door without a doorbell ...this was before they made rear-end sensors...there was a "crunch" as the SUV backed up, we jumped out to find one box under the truck and one box lodged up against a tire...only one thing was broken and a large picture was a little bent but we were able to straighten it back out.




Decorating the tree is one of those sweet & sour, ying & yang, good & bad kinda things...we have to use a fake tree due to allergies so needless to say we have to wear gloves when positioning all the branches and tips into the right positions (after they've been squished all year under the cover) . It really hurts as the needles of the tree poke and scratch. The good of seeing the childhood ornaments and remembering the people associated with them outweighs the pain. This little white dove is very special (he was on a bouquet of flowers at my Daddy's funeral in 1990. Each year he's positioned in the tree, it's like having part of my Daddy with me (and it gives me another opportunity to talk with my daughter about my Daddy 'cause she never got to meet him. ) One of my fave memories...we gave him a folding workbench...he was playing around and sat down inside the legs of the bench and got STUCK! It made a great picture --he laughed so much his false teeth almost fell out!


This is my newest snowman in my kitchen Christmas collection...he's guarding my nuts right now, but soon he will be holding fresh, homemade goodies for the holiday. Since we don't get a lot of snow here, this helps me get in the Winter-feel.

Hubby collects nativities and I found this one for him at an "angel" shop in North Carolina several years ago...it includes the entire nativity as it hangs on the wall...(I figure as we get older and may not be able to put up a tree one day, this will proudly hang above the mantle where ever we are and be our entire Christmas decoration...it never hurts to plan ahead for the retirement home)...especially since I heard my 16yo say last year while her church choir was entering an elderly home to sing, "Oh, this is a nice place; I'll have to remember it for my mother when she gets old".

When dear daughter was 3, she had this Christmas picture made at her daycare...can you tell she was excited. I have multiple Christmas pictures I hang throughout the house during the holidays. (She still reminds me how much she hated her hair in this picture as we bring it out)...In reality, she loved her hair short because she could brush it...and Lord knows she wouldn't let me brush her hair 'cause I made it hurt....have I ever mentioned how much we loved "NO MORE TANGLES" spray?! God bless whoever invented that stuff, it even works with bubblegum! I love remembering back on the innocent, excited "Santa" years...what fun!

Join us in posting your favorite five from this week...go here for MR LINKY: http://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2008/12/fridays-fave-five-17.html

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY...

I wanted to go "flea marketing" today...but, it didn't work out that way. So, I've saved some money by not picking up anything new and I'll show you what I already have in my dining room.

Differently bordered "service plates" from Salem Co. were passed to me from my grandmother. My grandparents owned a small, country diner/Pure gas station. Naturally, they would order large quantities of flour, 'cause Granny made LOTS of biscuits and fed the local farmers before their hard day's work. My mother remembered the plates were given to retailers as thanks for purchasing larger quantities. They came in multiple colors with women, men, and children featured on each plate.

The name, service plates, is very appropriate for the remembrance of my grandparents running their business. Mother said they often fed those who didn't have the money to pay...Granny was not going to turn anyone away from "perfectly good food" she could share with her neighbors. PaPa would write "tabs" for anyone who couldn't quite make the full payment on their gas purchase...they could pay it back next week...and they never ran anything through a credit card reader or telephone line...he wrote it on a little white pad he kept in his pocket.

Papa always smelled like cigarettes and gasoline; Granny smelled of baby powder and biscuits.

I remember running through the creaky screened door into the diner/store to get a "Coke" out of the old drink cooler...the big RED abyss of a Coca Cola refrigerator I'd almost fall over into as I reached for my drink (in the glass bottle) and feel the cold air hit my face (it was the only cold thing around back in the days of NO AIR CONDITIONING). I miss those days.

ILOVE HOW DELICATELY detailed the faces on each plate seem to be. I'm currently looking for some of the same type plates; however, I want the "matching" men plates to go with my "Little Women", ha ha. I keep looking on EBay but so far have not come across what I want to complete my set. Maybe it's meant for me to just cherish the two I have and the memories they hold.

For more SHOW and TELL things:
http://kellishouse.blogspot.com/2008/10/little-womenshow-and-tell-friday.html

2 Corinthians 9:12

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people

but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

MOM, CAN I PLEASE HAVE SOME...

Having just enjoyed answering 2nd cup of coffee's question about my favorite 60's vintage commercial...(which was the "slinky" commercial...everyone loves a slinky)

My mind was going back to the days accompanying my Mother to the "Big Apple" every two weeks to load up our cart. This was a big deal--getting to go to the store...today it's not such an event, but back then it was to me (obviously I was a very sheltered child). Hey, I even wore a dress and my church shoes to the grocery store and my mom often wore her heels...go figure. You have to understand that was still in the day of wearing a pillbox hat and white gloves to church every Sunday morning.

Any way, every new aisle brought my quick eyes to seek out the neatest "kid" thing...a cereal I hadn't tasted, that I just HAD to have, 'cause Linda's mommy bought 'em! "Too much sugar", she'd say...and I'd cross my arms...then she'd grab the plain Cheerios. Turning the corner, we came to the freezer section, and I remember frozen dinners being the "new thing"...yum, Salisbury steak in brown jelly (supposed to be gravy), peas tasted like dirt and the fried chicken was more like fried fat with some chicken...wow, something you could put in the oven without having to fully cook it yourself!

I wasn't too into the baking aisle at that point in my life other than being intrigued by the latest kitchen gadgets and always wanting a set of measuring spoons of my own...don't ask me what that was about?!!

On the snack aisle I would always beg for "Jiffy Pop" in the little aluminum foil pan with the wire handle...we loved watching the circular aluminum cover expand with the heat on the stove as you rubbed it furiously on top of the eye so the kernels didn't burn for 5 or so minutes...no ease of a 3-minute cycle in the microwave back then. Most of the time Mom wouldn't let us buy the Jiffy Pop since we already had a big jar of loose popcorn for us to cook the "old fashioned way,... in a pot with a tablespoon of Crisco".

It was fun checking out the pet food aisle seeing what toys were on the market for my doggie...he was part German shepherd and loved to chase anything I threw. I especially loved the little plastic, squeaky hamburgers...they were easy to find in the yard and didn't roll if I overshot my target. I also remember we didn't have dry dog food then...it was the nasty, wet, slimy canned food like corned beef hash that slid out of the can after you opened it with the "manual" can opener...eeeeeewwww, I can still smell the pungent beef stench!

Naturally, being a Georgia girl, we would budget so we could have Cokes in the house...we got one a week...we thought they were horribly expensive when they made it to $.50 a bottle...what was the world coming to? Every once in a while we'd get RC Cola, my granddaddy sold those in his gas station store along with moon pies, one of my favorites. You see there weren't any store derivatives then and some times my Mom would buy Dr. Pepper. Another eeeewwww,I've never been able to swallow and enjoy Dr. P...it reminds me of cough syrup.

Being a child who never sat still, I always wanted to push the cart...which meant I often ran into the back of my Mom's heels...even when I had been forewarned before I even got into the store (Could I help it that whatever was intriguing me on the aisle would cause me to look away, and she was the one who stopped!) How many times did I promise not to do it again?! Then I would inevitably get into trouble for running with the cart and jumping onto the back foot bar as I wheeled down through the toilet paper aisle...at least it was cushioned when I hit it! Jeez, it could have been the Coke aisle, and there was no plastic then.

But, bar none, my favorite part of the grocery store was the checkout lane...where ALL the good stuff was...Juicy Fruit gum, ChickStix, Animal Crackers and CRACKER JACKS (my favorite). I was always big on getting a treat in the box, the fun of working your way to the bottom or just dumping it out in a bowl as soon as I got home so I could "see what I got"! About the only thing I never liked about Cracker Jacks was when you'd get a stray kernel and about break your molars...I can still hear their commercial playing...if you've never heard or seen it, look below my post...I pulled it off YOUTUBE.com.

What mundane things did you do with your parents that you enjoy thinking back on now? What are some of your special memories about those times?

Cracker Jack, anybody?

Proverbs 10:7The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

ANTICIPATION...it's keeping me wa-a-a-a-a-itin!

My yard is in the final throws of "last colors of summer"...the next season is soon to be dawning into yellows, oranges and reds of Fall. I'm anticipating this season for its wonderfulness of smells ranging from fading leaves, new pine straw, pumpkin spice coffee, and baking apples with cinnamon and butter.


Next to my garage, my yellow chrysanthemum is on the verge of blooming, reminding me of my Daddy...
there were lots of mums at his funeral in 1990, so it always reminds me of how much he loved the Fall, going to high school football games and yelling at the Falcons on the TV...he was not always timid.
(This is a micro shot...in reality it is about the same size as the end of your little pinky finger) [Family: Asteraceae (ass-ter-AY-see-ee) Genus: chrysanthemum Height:18-24 in.]


Out in the front island are two angel trumpets...more than 5 blooms
on this one...only one pod on the plant in the front of the island. [Angel's Trumpet Brugmansia;Height:6-8 ft.attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birdsFlowers are fragrant]

Soon they will pop out to satisfy my eagerness..why am I eager?...because they are the "babies" in my floral array this summer...small as the array is, I appreciate every awakening of color as it bursts out to meet its new home.

Each time I will be looking on these two plants I will think of my dear accountability sister who kindly shared the plants with me...so, their names are Dorothy.




Just behind the trumpet and next to the sitting bench my moments are always smoothed when I take in a whiff of my miniature gardenia...
this is the prettiest bloom I've ever seen on it!

Can you believe I was able to capture it in a portrait so I can return and enjoy it again and again throughout the upcoming winter!
[Gardenia jasminoides...or miniature Gardenia or Cape Jasmine; an evergreen shrub; height & spread, 2 to 6 feet.]

I recently propogated a few branches of this bush for my Mother--she so enjoyed its crisply-sweet smell this past summer when she visited.
The blossom itself reminds me of the STAR of DAVID (5 points; such a sweet smell in the center)...just like Jesus is the SWEETEST SMELL of the line of DAVID! So, I think I'll name this one JESSEE...the line of Jessee!

Thank you, Lord:

for giving me such a beautiful covering of your creation to see,

to smell, to enjoy, to share with my blogging friends and neighbors.

Again, our prayers ask you to especially cover the Texas coast

as they are enduring Hurricane Ike...

put a hedge of protection around them.

Amen