{ Friday Foto Friends #149}

It's been such a rainy and gloomy week, not very good weather for taking fotos, 
so this is the only one I have to share with Y'all today. 
Isn't it just so perfect though?
I'd just add..... 
"Oh, yes He is!" 

(this church is near us and the Pastor's Mom is a special friend - 

she and I used to go to the same church and I loved to hear her sing)

Another thing that's added to the gloom this week was our kiddos being on vacation. It's been over a week since I've seen them which meant no hugs and kisses, but that changes today. All four are spending the night with us and tomorrow we celebrate their Momma's birthday!

Life is good, Y'all!

HOPE your weekend is wonderfully blessed!

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{ Tuesday Tidbits }

Edited:

Most of the fotos didn't show up yesterday, 

so HOPEfully Y'all can see them now!

If we're Facebook friends, you probably saw this already, my view out our back door at the gorgeous sunrise yesterday morning. I've always wished we lived where we had a clear view of the sunrise and sunset, but God still allows me a glimpse every now and then!

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Update on the She Shed:
Pappy's giving her a coat of paint on the inside to brighten her up.

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I've always said that crochet is my therapy.....

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 I don't promote it or talk about it a lot, but I'm a true believer in the use of essential oils for health because after all, WHO made those plants that the oil comes from? I consider them our "balm of Gilead".  My sweet friend hugged me at church SONday morning and told me she smelled joy! Did you know that joy had a smell? 😊 It's one of my favorite oils.  This diffuser sits on the table next to "my chair" in the living room.

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Can I get an AMEN?

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In light of my post yesterday.....

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Don't tell anybody I showed you this, but.....

It'll be over a week since I've seen these kiddos when I finally get to hug and kiss those sweet faces. 
This Nannie is in need of a "fix" big time!
Aren't they gorgeous?
Yes, they are and they're 4 of our greatest blessings!
I'm so ready for that littlest one to curl up on my lap.....
 and all of them to tell me they're about to starve and thirst to death - 😉
💙💙💜💙

God has been so good to us, Y'all!

Sharing just a few things on my heart and running thru my head this morning.....

HOPE your day is terrific, sweet Friends!

{ Monday Motivation }

"You're not alone!"

Those are the words I felt being whispered to me this morning as I was having a bit of a pity party.  I had just sat down at the desktop computer to send a PM to a friend asking them if they could give me a good solid explanation about something and as soon as I sat down that precious thought entered my mind and held me back from sending the message.  Instead, it made me DWELL (my 2018 word) on that sentence for a while.

Several years ago I signed up to attend a Ladies Retreat at a former church and at the last minute had to cancel because a family member had surgery and needed me to help them out. I was able to let a young Mom who probably needed it much more than I did go in my place. I was asked about a year ago to attend a Ladies Retreat this past weekend and was so excited to get to go and turn it into a vacation, too, something that I feel I truly need right about now, but because of another family member's health, I wasn't able to attend and when the other lady I was going with left this past Wednesday and I saw her go down the road heading to the airport as I was fixing to mow my Mom's yard, I couldn't help but tear up and yes, feel sorry for myself.  Another Ladies Retreat is coming up and again because of family obligations, I can't attend. 

"You're not alone!"

I believe those words were whispered to my heart for two reasons.  I know that I'm not the only one with struggles and battles and obligations, but sometimes it does feel that way when we start to feel sorry for ourselves and asking "why me?" (it should be "why not me?")  The most important reason is that God sees my hurt feelings and tears and fears and He's ALWAYS there as my "retreat"!

Ain't God good?

Oh, yes He is!

{ Friday Foto Friends #148 }

We spent the biggest part of yesterday pressure washing. It had been a couple of years since we had cleaned the sidewalks and deck and I had almost forgotten how dirty and tiring it can be. Pappy thought it would be a great foto to share with Y'all of the before and after of the deck, but I didn't get a pic before we started.  I think I might have been too ashamed to show it anyway because it was so dirty, but now it looks absolutely brand new! We're planning on getting some kind of stain for it.....

in gray, of course, my new favorite color!

My fotos aren't too clear, but.....

Morning sky.....

Evening sky.....

Can you believe tomorrow is the first day of fall?
Speaking of, do you say fall or autumn?


Happy Fall, Y'All!

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{ Who Wants to Cry? }

Let's talk a little about prayer.

Prayer is such a wonderful blessing and privilege that so many of us don't take full advantage of.  I've always felt like I have a good prayer life but I want to be perfectly honest with you about something. There are times that I pray little short prayers instead of getting into a really deep conversation with the Lord because.....

I know that I'm going to wind up in tears.

I don't mean just a few tears in the corners of my eyes.  I'm talking about boohooing and pouring my heart out to Him and asking forgiveness of sins (yes, I'm a sinner - we're ALL sinners) and praying for others and just sharing my heart with Him. It's during those prayers that I find it difficult to stop, although I'm crying because that's when I feel the closest to Him. It's like He's right there wrapping His arms around me to comfort and console and let me know that I'm truly His.  

This was one of those mornings and I felt like maybe I needed to share this with Y'all just for the sole purpose of telling you to NOT  be like me. Don't hesitate to pray because you know it's going to end up being a cry fest and you don't want to walk away from where ever your "war room" is looking like a total wreck because of the tears.  It's okay! The tears will dry up (He tells us He wipes away our tears) and the swelling will go down in the eyes and you'll feel like a burden has been lifted and will have peace in your heart to face the day!

{ Friday Foto Friends #147

Today's fotos are gonna be a mish-mash of "stuff" I ♥!

I can never seem to get asparagus tender when I try to fix it.  

My brother told me about these steamable bags and I'm hooked and addicted!

(and, only 50 calories for this entire bag from Aldi)

Remember the wreath I did a review on a few weeks ago? I really liked it, but.....

it was a little too "blah", so I spruced it up by hot gluing fall leaves and mums. 

I crave a bit of color in my life, Y'all!

Yep, that's ragweed!
Some folks think it triggers allergies, but I heard recently that the ragweed happens to be in bloom when people suffer from seasonal allergies and the ragweed gets the blame.  I have no idea if that's true, but I do know that the flower is gorgeous. This grows along the side of one of the roads I walk.

For those of you who aren't from around these parts, Jefferson City is a small town about 20 minutes from where we live. It's my favorite little town to go shopping because it has a Wal-Mart, Big Lots, CVS and Walgreens, and my favorite ever thrift shop - you know all the essential places - oh, and a Bojangles (I love their grilled chicken sandwiches) - and the traffic isn't bad and Y'all know how I feel about driving in traffic in my "golden years"!  

Buildings in the old part of town.....




And, finally a foto of my Momma's and my hands. When I took this picture she said,
"My hands are old but I'm glad I'm still able to use them"!

Be still my heart!

Continued prayers for those in the path of Hurricane Florence's devastation.

HOPE everybody has a great weekend!

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{ Monday Motivation }

Seek joy in the simple things.....

(a nest found trimming trees in the yard and acorns in the road from my morning walk)

{ Friday Foto Friends #146 }

Sharing a few fotos I took this week on my walk around the neighborhood, even though they're not the best quality. I have to get out early, or it won't happen at all, due to the heat.  I'm beginning to wonder if it'll ever cool down!

The tulip poplars seem to be the first trees to put out their leaves in the spring and the first ones to start falling in autumn. We've had afternoon thunderstorms this week with some wind and our yard is already filled with leaves.

It's hard to see in this pic, but I love how the light streams through the trees.

A little blurry because it's difficult to focus heading into the sun....

I told Pappy that I feel like sometimes I talk more than I walk because I run into several folks who are also out walking and one gentleman who sits on his porch in the early mornings who I stop and chat with.   Years ago when I walked that would have bugged me, having to slow down or stop - had to keep that heart rate up, you know. Not so much anymore!

HOPE your Friday is fantastic and you have a wonderful weekend!

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{ Wednesday's Words - Rinse, Repeat }

rinse, repeat

 

1. used to indicate the continual repetition of an action or sequence of event

Our three older grand kiddos have chores they're responsible for every day and one of them has to be told repeatedly to do theirs.  This is a source of frustration for our daughter and for the child, to have to be told over and over to do something.  I thought about this situation when my daily devotion this morning led me to Deuteronomy 31:8 where Moses is speaking to the children of Israel and he tells them.....

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, 

for the Lord will personally go ahead of you.

He will be with you.

He will neither fail nor abandon you."

As I turned in my Bible to read this verse I noticed right above it I had highlighted verse 6.....

"So be strong and courageous!

Do not be afraid and do not panic before them.

For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you.

He will neither fail you nor abandon you."

Moses repeated himself to the Israelites to get his point across that no matter what they were facing God wasn't going to just leave them helpless. He would be right there with them in the midst of whatever they were facing, in the good times and in the bad. He knew there would be times they would get discouraged and that hasn't changed for us today.  

Obviously, God has to "rinse, repeat" His promises to me over and over again, too. He led me to the above verses today and yesterday this is the one He put on my heart.....

 He's ALWAYS there, even in those times that it might not feel like it. If that happens with me, it's definitely not HIM, but Deb who's getting in the way. There are lessons to be learned and faith needs to be nurtured and grown so that when the NEXT issue pops up.....

because there will certainly be another one.....

we'll be better equipped to handle it and can look back on what He's already walked us through!

Ain't God good?

Oh, yes He is!

HOPE your Wednesday is wonderfully blessed!

{ Tuesday Tidbits }

I was reminded recently how to get motivated to clean your house.....

invite people over!

Don't be like me and sometimes allow the weeds to choke out the flowers!

Speaking of "weeds"......

I've had something on my mind lately that troubles me and then I got a foto on my TimeHop that was about the very same thing and after that, a friend posted something on Facebook that was along the same thoughts about an emotion that is difficult to get over.....rejection.   I think social media has made the matter even worse since it doesn't go unnoticed when folks pick and choose the friends and family they'll even give a like or comment to.  It's just so sad.

I'm still walking, Y'all.....

for exercise, I mean!

Who was it who had no confidence in me to keep it up and thought it would have fizzled out after the first day?

Oh, yeah, that was me!

We had a cookout yesterday to celebrate Labor Day and had such a great time, even if all of us were sweating bullets in the heat. It was a blessing to have my family and my back door neighbor who has become such a good friend to join us under the shed for a time of food and laughing and fellowship! And, of course, our grandbabies were here and that ALWAYS makes Nannie's heart happy!

Guess what I did last Friday?

I put out my fall decorations.....

oh, yes I did!

Too early, you say.....

maybe, but it's done and I'm glad because the colors are my favorite.  And, they'll stay out till I decorate for CHRISTmas since I don't celebrate Halloween and what I put out are for THANKSgiving, too!

 Update on the she-shed:

I've got nothing!

It just makes me happy to have her home. 

Oh, I almost forgot, we did buy paint for the inside walls.

Am I the only one who'll be truly glad when mowing season is over? 

I've always loved to mow, but this year it's wearing me out. 

Maybe it's the heat. 

Maybe it's because there are two yards to mow now.

Maybe it's because I'm getting old.

So, that's that about that, Y'all!

HOPE your Tuesday is Terrific, especially if you're returning to work after a day off yesterday!

{ Monday Motivation }

So, there you go!

We'll be spending time with our grand kiddos today, 

so I'm pretty sure there'll be something to laugh about.....

especially out of Grandboy #3!

Happy Labor Day!

HOPE your Monday is Marvelous!

{ SONday Morning Song - New Wine }

I absolutely love the lyrics to this song!

" 'Cause where there is new wine
There is new power
There is new freedom
And the kingdom is here
I lay down my old flames
To carry Your new fire today

So make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to  be
God, I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me "

HOPE your SONday is full of blessings!