{ Friday Foto Friends #126 ]

Today is my Daddy's 90th birthday and he's celebrating with Jesus!  And, how appropriate that his 90th birthday would fall on Friday the 13th since he was also born on a Friday. I was totally a Daddy's girl and although he's been gone for going on twenty-four years, I still miss him so very much. I told our oldest grandboys just yesterday that he would have adored them and they would have loved him so much.  He loved to hunt and fish and was totally an outdoorsman until he got sick with COPD and was hooked up to oxygen for the last 5 years of his life.  I have the blessed assurance that I'll get to see him again someday and he'll be the first one I want to hug when I get to heaven.....

well, after Jesus, of course!

Daddy and me - 1955

Daddy and Jess - 1979

Thanks to everybody who is faithful to join in our Friday Foto Friends link-up each week. 

I appreciate Y'all so much.

Happy Weekend!

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{ Friday Foto Friends #98 }

First of all, I want to apologize for not visiting much this week, but I've been busy trying to get some much needed painting done. Maybe taking a break might be something I need to do more often, although it wasn't intentional. Marking things off a to-do list feels so good!!!

Here are my fotos for today.....

We don't have a good view of sunrises and sunsets at our house, but I managed to catch this one evening.....

The girls at our daughter's house....

Giant cannas and a fading knock-out rose at our daughter's house.....

Dusty miller just fascinates me.....

how can leaves be white?

I just loved the look of coming out of the shadows into the light on this back road we took to our daughter's house.....

This is my accidental shadow pic.  I have no idea what/how/why, it just mysteriously showed up in the gallery on my phone and for some reason I like it!

And, last but absolutely not least, I want to wish our sweet girl a very happy birthday. She's truly one of my greatest blessings!

HOPE everybody has a wonderful weekend!

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{ Monday, Monday }

Last week was a whirlwind of activity and this week is going to be full, too.  Whoever said that retirement was when you can slow down was terribly wrong.  It seems I have more on my plate now than ever and know that if I were still working a full-time job I couldn't get it all done.....

not that I do now!

Anyway....

just wanted to share a few pics of things that caught my eye, made me laugh, or remind me of one of the most important things in my life.....

family!

 Last Monday was my Momma's birthday and we celebrated with a girl's day out.

Three generations.....

me, our girl, and my Mom.

(and if you follow me on Facebook, you'll remember that she DOES NOT color her hair.

I DID NOT inherit that gene from her, obviously!)

This is something I need to print off and hang on my fridge!!!

I'll take four of these shirts, please!!!

Oh, my, but this is so me!

I've put back on several pounds from the weight I lost a couple of years ago.

Stress eating and the fact that every tooth in my head is a sweet tooth is getting me into trouble.

It's Monday again....

time to start afresh.....

so glad for God's mercies on me!!

Oh, yes it does.

Even on the coldest of  days, give me some SONshine and I'm a happy girl!

Speaking of happy girl....

that pretty girl on the right is one of my greatest blessings!  This was taken at our Ladies Night Out yesterday at church.

And, I've spent way too much time watching April trying to birth her baby.  I finally watched a giraffe live birth on YouTube so I could get on with my life....

😊

HOPE your Monday is Marvelous!

{ Wednesday's Words - Love One Another }

 Our retreat over the weekend was all about the book of I John so our daughter painted and hand wrote this beautiful sign for the ladies and said I could offer it to you all, too.  Click on it to enlarge and print or save to your computer and print later.

Isn't she awesomely talented?

HOPE everybody has a wonderful Wednesday!

{ Wednesday's Word - Daughter }

Tomorrow is our girl's birthday, 
so I thought "daughter" would be the perfect word for today.
















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My pregnancy was before the days of ultrasounds, unless the doctor deemed something wrong. I was healthy and happy and full of energy during most of those 9 months.  God totally ordained that our baby arrive on a Saturday morning because Pappy wouldn't have made it from his job almost 2 hours away in time since my labor only lasted a few hours. We were blessed with a healthy 8 pound 8 ounce baby girl.  She was beautiful and still is to this day.  But, her beauty isn't just on the outside.  Our girl has a huge heart full of love for everybody, especially the four grandchildren she and her hubby have blessed us with.  Only God could also ordain that the parents of one child would give them four grand-kiddos to love and adore and yes, spoil!  The day she was born, my brother came to the hospital later in the day and at the age of only 18, he said something  very profound to me that I haven't forgotten for these past 37 years.
"I believe God gave you a daughter so you could raise her different than Mom raised you."

And, totally by His grace and mercy and guidance, I did my best to do just that!

Jess is one of my greatest blessings.
I truly can call her my best friend.

Happy Birthday, Jess.
Your Momma sure does love you!

{ Hello, September }

I'm welcoming September with open arms,

looking forward to cooler temps, jackets and sweaters, boots, pumpkin spice, a visit to Cades Cove and Carver's Apple Orchard, HOPEfully an end to the summer heat.....

and good-bye to the mosquitoes!

What about you?

Do you have any plans for September?

Is fall your favorite time of year, too?

HOPE your first day of September is happy and blessed!

Join us tomorrow for our Friday Foto Friends link-up!

{ Friday Foto Friends #40 }

Morning, Glory!

I took a little stroll into the back field behind my Mom's house yesterday morning and spotted these morning glories in bloom.  Look at those pretty purple centers.

I'd be honored if you'd join in our Friday link-up of your favorite photo(s)!

HOPE everybody has a great weekend.....
we're supposed to get much-needed rain.

{ Friday Foto Friends #39 }

This picture was taken by our daughter last evening and she posted it on Instagram with this description.....

"Are you ever literally awestruck at how God works things out? I was told some terrible news at the doctor's office two weeks ago tomorrow. The doctor literally told me it was possibly lymphoma and I had to go for a biopsy "stat." Those were his words. I walked out of his office and sat in my car and cried and cried....and cried the whole way home. But, I couldn't get the song lyrics, "I will praise you in this storm" out of my head. I was uncertain about what my future held. I even began pinning head scarf patterns in a private board on Pinterest. This morning, I got up and was at such peace either way. He ordains it. He is good. BUT this morning, after I went for a needle biopsy, that could possibly turn into outpatient surgery (again, doctor's words), the surgeon said it was just a mass of fat! Lol. I have lost about 25 pounds, and since then, is when this mass appeared. Typing this makes me laugh out loud! I can't praise him enough for a mass of fat and I literally can't quit smiling. And they didn't even have to do a biopsy!!!! Oh how I love my Jesus! I so hope you know Him. He is the only one who can bring perfect peace in a storm. And, Brant left some of his Trail Life stuff here, so I just ran to the church to take him his stuff and this beautiful sky greeted me as I walked out the door!!! Soli Deo gloria!!!!!!!!!"

Only God could end her day with such an awesome example of His promise to His children!

HOPE everybody has an awesomely blessed weekend.

{ Praise Ye The Lord, Hallelujah }

When you opened up Facebook today did you hear shouting from this Momma's heart?  Here's what I posted.....

I've just gotta praise the Lord. I asked for prayer for a family member having a biopsy today. The family member is our daughter, Jess. She was told it was probably lymphoma and needless to say I was one scared Momma. Guess what? Through the power of prayer, the surgeon told her it's absolutely nothing to worry about....and didn't even need to do a biopsy......like her Daddy has, it's just a fatty tumor. Heading up their driveway this morning to keep the kiddos a cardinal landed right in front of the truck.....I knew in my heart God was sending His sign to me that He was gonna take good care of our girl.

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for those who prayed for our girl, even though most of you didn't know it was her you were praying God's protection and peace over.  My precious friend and mentor, Ms. Thelma, let me know that she had prayed the exact prayer, that there wouldn't even be a need for a biopsy (I had been praying for just a needle biopsy and NO CANCER)!  Ms. Thelma said we need to......

VISUALIZE, PRAYERALIZE, REALIZE to HIS Glory!!!

Isn't that awesome?



Oh, and I'm back among the living as far as the vertigo and tummy virus.....

God is good!

See y'all tomorrow for FFF!

{ Happy Mother's Day }

My Mom

My Mother-in-law

My sweet girl and me acting silly at Wally World

(several years ago)

HOPE everybody has an awesomely blessed Mother's Day.

{ Friday Foto Friends #11 }

I've got something special for y'all today!

Our daughter is so talented when it comes to drawing and lettering.  
Here's an example of her Bible journaling.....



She did the artwork below for a friend and offered it as a giveaway on my blog.  I wanted all of you to have an opportunity to share in her talent, so just click on the picture to enlarge and print it off on card stock.

Isn't she talented?

Like I told her and a blogging friend,

I cannot draw.....

if I tried to journal, it would be only stick figures.....

LOL!

  On a side note, Pappy and I will be attending a Prayer Retreat at our church tomorrow.  Please be in prayer for open hearts and minds and wisdom and discernment as we pray ourselves into a brand new year serving the Lord!

HOPE everybody has an awesome weekend.....

and don't forget to link-up your picture below.

(HOPEfully it's working now)

{ Friday Foto }

Just thought I'd share a pic I recently came across of me and my girl acting goofy a few years ago in Wally World. 

Oh, how I love this sweet girl of mine.  

She knows me better than anybody in the world.....can read my every mood.....and prays for her Momma.

She's one of my greatest blessings.

Happy Friday.....happy weekend.

Have fun.....

stay safe.....

enjoy life!!!!

Breathing in Grace,