What Lies Ahead

Posting for the 30 days of gratitude has come to its cessation. I have spent the last month expressing thoughts and photos of things that I am thankful for. I pray my gratitude does not end here. I pray I continue to constantly be aware of how I am so blessed each and every day of my life. I look forward with anticipation and much gratitude…forward to a special birthday celebration we call Christmas; and forward to a brand new year. I also look back and try to count my many many blessings, as if it were possible. I am so thankful for each day and all that they have brought to me, whatever reason, good and bad. God is in control and He knows best!

The past, the present, the future!

I also count each of you that have read my somewhat insignificant writings, when I am counting all those blessings. Thanks for hanging with me, visiting, sharing and leaving all the sweet comments.

From the past to the present and forward we go…together. We cannot go forward without leaving the past; but we should never forget the journey that got us to the present...the present which leads our next steps into the future.  Come walk with me!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, God Bless, Sweet Dreams and Jingle all the Way!

30/30 Today I am grateful for what lies ahead and what has been.

My word for 2010~Experience

I have experienced much gratitude

Hands

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63:4 NIV

Heaping handfuls of love…

Hands that hold

Hands to help

Hands that grow old.

Hands that create

Hands that upon us lay

Hands to stir

Hands that play.

Hands that write sweet words

Hands that give and share

Hands our burdens bare

Hands that heal

And hands that feel.

Hands that are itty bitty

Hands to lend

Hands that caress

Hands that can mend.

Hands that speak

Hands that work

Hands to reach and keep.

Hands that lift and pray

Hands to fold

Hands to cover

Hands so bold.

But I prayed, "Now strengthen my hands."

Nehemiah 6:9 NIV

29/30 Today I am grateful for my hands and for the hands of others in my life.

Please visit my previous post where I had to catch up days 24-28 of my 30 days of Gratitude! 

Days of Blur

On my 23rd day of gratitude I was thankful for the busyness with my family. Boy am I tired! Now 5 days later and I am behind on my posting for each day…where does the time go…?
Day 24-27 I was busy counting my blessings and trying to shove a ton of things into a few hours. Did I fail at doing the 30 days of gratitude…?  No,  I just got caught up in life…with my family…so important too.

So to recap the last few days…it went something like this:

Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving~ we had my parents and niece over for a Low Country Shrimp Boil. For those of you who do not know what this is…It is awesome and involves some yummy shrimp! We had a sort-of Cajun Thanksgiving feast… outside on a beautiful day.

It’s a really simple shrimp boil with all the trimmings cooked in the same pot. Holly brought the shrimp fresh, straight from the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana. Cooked along with the shrimp, were potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob, mushrooms, garlic, onions, lemons, spices and we even added raw peanuts. Once done we spread this whole concoction down the center of my picnic table…no plates, no forks…just lots of napkins. Yum~YuM~YumO! Clean up is easy and no dishes to wash….well almost. We also cooked some Portobello Mushroom Fries, hush puppies, and fried okra! That we had to clean up! Psst…the mushroom fries were to die for; thanks to the Neely’s recipe.
If you would like to try a Low Country Boil, visit Skip To My Lou for the step-by-step instructions.
Now do you believe we actually had dessert after that feast…yes we did! Let’s not even go there!

Richard and Holly

Thursday Thanksgiving Day~ the big bird was prepped Wednesday night, ready for the Big Easy* Thursday morning! Other items were readied to take to Nannie’s~ my husband’s mother. Most all of Jackie’s family was there, plus a lot of food! And yet again we pigged out and were stuffed…with more desserts too! The guys went hunting after a while and Holly and I made it home later that evening for a rest before hitting the shopping! Black Friday began at 12:01 am Friday! We set out at 11:30 pm Thursday…starting with Wal-Mart and Old Navy with only one purchase. We then waited for Kohl’s to open at 3:00am. Now this is where I found some good deals plus we had an additional percentage off the total purchase coupon! Love it! After the sun managed to come up through the light rain…we ate some breakfast at IHOP and boy was it hopping! I have never had to wait for a table at IHOP! Haha…so funny! After more shopping we finally made it back home at 10:30 Friday morning…no sleep since Wednesday night! Man-O-man! Can you say nap-time!!?? I don’t remember much after that………………except a big blur………

Friday-Black Friday~ see above, as these 2 days run together. More napping, Christmas movies, Oh and the much awaited famous football game between Alabama and Auburn, our state's two rivals, with undefeated Auburn taking the win 28-27! War Eagle and Roll Tide! I support them both.

Saturday~ we rose early for a trip to Panama City Florida to take Holly and Richard to the airport for their flight to Las Vegas to have an early Christmas with his sister and their whole family. Richard’s sister is in the Air Force and is being deployed the first part of December for Afghanistan with a medical team. We left home in time for them to be at the airport a good hour before flight time…only to arrive at the airport and it was closed down…yes closed-shut completely down. It looked like a ghost town! Not a soul in sight. It was the old airport…unbeknown to us, they had built another one on the other side of Panama City Beach… Have you ever done 80 mph in a 45 zone? Not a good idea! A reckless driving ticket kept coming to mind as we maneuvered through the traffic with Holly on the phone with her FIL as he tracked us all the way to the airport…mile by mile, road by road. We literally threw them out at the terminal door with their luggage and quick hugs with only 20 minutes until flight time… We left, but we did not go far. We pulled over on the exit and waited for the phone call and watched the plane taxi down the runway and take off with our children high in the sky! They made it! But their luggage was considered checked in late and they were told they may not get it until the next day! They connected in Houston TX and flew on to Las Vegas with no problems…luggage and all! Thank you Lord for being the pilot and using angel wings.

Jackie and I went for a ride to the beach, just a short distance down the road. It was a beautiful crisp cool day. We parked and took a walk on the beach…funny; I had never worn tennis shoes on the beach before!

After our walk we rode the “strip” as it has always been referred to, recalling many memories from high schools days and trips to the beach. Oh my! The motel where we always stayed was no longer there, a victim of a hurricane. But the old Goofy Golf and its animal structures were still in tact. It was a wonderful trip down that path through our memories. We had some lunch at Sharky’s, a blackened grouper sandwich and a shark attack platter!
Then home…Nap time again while attempting to watch another Christmas movie…another blurrrr.

Sunday~Today…all is well. I now know why God rested on the seventh day from all his work. Today is a day for praising, worshipping, and also for resting! Thank you! Now I just wish my Christmas decorations and tree would jump out and put themselves up! I also have to figure out how to keep some kitties from climbing that tree…hummmmmmmmm.

So for today this 28th day of 30 days of gratitude I am thankful for rest!

I hope every one of you had a beautiful and blessed

Thanksgiving with all the trimmings including lots of love.

*A Big Easy is an oil-less cooker that roasts with inferred heat.

Mississippi Mud

Busy, Busy Busy…

But I love it. My little family, Holly and Richard, are home. They arrived yesterday with their fur babies from New Orleans. We will gather together with other family members on Wednesday and Thursday. These are the holidays I love.

Holly told me it already felt like Christmas with all the food and good treats. She had to wrap some Christmas presents early, so that also added to the Christmas spirit and the tone of this holiday season.

I have been busy in the kitchen, cooking some really great recipes. I love to cook now that I stay at home and no longer work.

Here is one recipe that I want to share with you after having some requests for it…

Southern Living's Mississippi Mud Cake.

 If you noticed my recipe card in the photos does have some changes to the frosting recipe…yes I sometimes change them around. I used a basic chocolate cream cheese frosting, because I love it. It was harder to frost the hot marshmallows, no doubt, because this frosting does NOT drizzle! It was like trying to nail jello to a tree… But if you let the marshmallows cool off you can spread this icing on with no problem. It’s all about what you like, huh? Here’s the recipe for the basic Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting if you would like to try it:

Cream together a soften 8 oz. cream cheese with ½ stick of softened butter. Add 3 cups of sifted powdered sugar, one cup at the time, mixing until smooth. Mix in ½ cup cocoa. Love it!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday week…I know I am. I’m grateful on this 23rd day of my 30 days of gratitude for being able to spend this time together with my loved ones; cooking, laughing, hunting (the guys), eating good food, playing, shopping, and of course having a nap or two! I love the busyness in my life.

Many blessings to you…

Is Looking Really Seeing?

This is the view outside my bathroom window…an ever changing scene of beauty.

Our view of the world is very important…how we see things through our very own eyes determine how we react to what is being seen. We have all heard the phrase “I came in on the tail end of the conversation”. Only receiving part of the discussion can be misleading and confusing; as with seeing a situation and coming to a wrong conclusion about what we are seeing; or worse yet, not really seeing when we are looking. Perception of our view is important…do we only see what we want to see, blocking out the true beauty, the inner beauty? Have you ever been so deep in thought…staring out into space…that you really were not seeing anything? There is so much to see in this world, so much unnoticed splendor. We do not take the time and effort to truly see what is all around us, right in front of our eyes.

As we go through this week where we become a little more aware of our blessings, let us stop and smell the roses so to speak…let us look, see, perceive, take notice, and comprehend what is right there before our very eyes.

  watch love grow

 see warmth in a heartfelt smile on a happy face

 observe tenderness in someone’s voice

 picture affection in another person’s eyes

 take notice of God’s magnificent works of art

 actually see the inner beauty of one’s soul

22/30 Today I am grateful for the views in my life.

I want to see them for what they truly are… and recognize the beauty.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holly, Richard, and their fur babies are on their way from New Orleans!! YaY! :)



Thoughts for the week...

There under the "thought for the week" in our church bulletin were some words about being thankful and giving thanks…quite appropriate for the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It went something like this…or rather this is my version:

It is not what a person has or does that makes him great…it is what he’s thankful for and how his relationship is with God. These show the nobler side of one's soul. Thanks are justly due for favors and blessings bestowed. The person who feels no compulsion to say thank you for the courtesies, blessings and considerations given to him is unworthy to receive more. If you have been blessed…give thanks to the Father above. When life is good…give thanks; or it is not…give thanks that you still have a life, which gives you another chance.

As we walk down the path that leads us through life, let us express our gratitude to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift. Count your blessings; name them one by one…for when we reach the other side of the mountain our greatest reward will be in Heaven.

21/30 Today I am grateful that I am grateful…being able to give thanks and realize where these gifts and blessings abound from.

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks;

Your name is near.

People tell of your wondrous deeds.

Psalm 75:1 NRSV

I hope you have a blessed filled week!

When life gives you lemons…

When someone makes fun of me, I laugh at their ignorance of not really knowing me.
When my plans don’t go the way I want them, I thank God for His will and His plan, after all they’re His lemons.
When my heart gets tart and bitter…I add sugar…pink sparkly sugar…it makes it pretty again.
When the cut burns, I soothe it with a sweet kiss and a band-aid.
When someone looks as if they have been crapped on…I give them a warm smile from my heart.
When life gets dull…I sharpen it with a little spicy squirt!
When my get-up-and-go gets sour, I punch it in the face.

If the ocean was sugar water, I would squeeze lemons in it.
If life were easy I would never know the need to sweeten it.

So when life throws lemons your way; squeeze, sweeten, ice, and enjoy…

Make Lemonade!

And on your second glass, top it off with a sweet cherry!

20/30 Today I am grateful for the lemons in my life and

being able to make sweet lemonade from them.

Keep life simple and sweet…Eat lemon cookies and drink pink lemonade.

The 20th day of 30 days of Gratitude!

So Sew Talented

i love photography

creative imaging
craftiness
my artistic abilities
a means of self expression
i love to sew, to piece together
paint…
to create
to repurpose
design
have a vision
use my imagination…

19/30 Today I am grateful for my creativeness and talents.

Today I am also thankful for beautiful people who give away beautiful things. Yes, I have won another give-away…lucky me! This one comes from Renee over at Sewn with Grace. She is an avid quilter, child of God, lover of pink and all things vintage! She has given away her entire stash of fabric scraps.

WOW oh wow…and they are beautiful…pinks, greens, creams, blues…all my favorite colors. I still can’t believe she parted with these as there are some pretty big pieces in this huge bag!

She also included a hand towel suited for stitchery and some of the cutest iron on transfers! Sorry you guys missed out on this prize!! I’m not really a quilter, have started a few but never finished, but I do love small projects…piecing together these lovely colors into something pretty will be fun. Can’t wait to get started! Thank you Renee. Please go over and visit with her, you will find something you like!

Enjoy your very own talent and share it with us all!

For the love of

Nothing like it!

The Printed Word

Reading, writing and arithmetic…oh the joy of young learning. I still love to read…not so fond of all the other any more; however I still like to learn new things. Reading takes me to places I have never been, it makes my dreams come true, and lets my imagination run with the wind. I become the character in the book, taking on their adventures as my own…living their life, feeling their pains and triumphs. I scale high mountains, fly above the clouds, live in a different time and place, sail the ocean blue and walk an unknown path. I earn about different cultures; rights and wrongs, about faith, love, and forgiveness.

Jump into your own adventure through a good book. Just take a few minutes at night before lights out and you’ll even sleep better too. Join me in this promise:

Start reading a book today!

18/30 Today I am grateful for the printed word.

Take a glance at my bookshelf on my sidebar for reading suggestions.

Ever Changing

As many of you know by now, I love vintage, old, antique, and retro.
I love a good junk or thrift store! Yes I do!
I love to photgraph old houses, barnes and other buildings.
Things from days-gone-by are my love.
They reflect the past; tell stories, and illustrate the ever changing times.

 As I passed this fairyland house while shopping the 502 Miles of the U.S. 11 Antique Alley Yard Sale one year, I came to a sudden stop, turned the car around quickly, stopped and jumped out…I stood mesmerized at its beauty and the story it would tell. My imagination ran with thoughts of the people it raised, gathered round in each room, working and playing. I pictured the work that had to be done to keep up this place, make it run, and support its families. God’s beautiful nature outside just adds to the scene. A small church sits to the left in the foreground next to the road making it a place I would love to live in….out in the rural country…quiet and serene. I clicked photos for a good 20-30 minutes or so…trying to capture its true splendor and glory. Oh what I would have given to go closer and even inside this home. Needless to say among my great yard sale finds of old and vintage; I found this place…a place of the past bringing beauty to the present.

17/30 Today I am grateful for the past…all things old, vintage, retro and antique!

PS: plus yard sales, thrift stores and junk!

Note: My photo has been worked with an aged, painterly look using textures, etc…

A Piece of Heaven

Here is a small piece of Heaven here on earth…Enjoy!

Heavenly Peach Dessert

Crust
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix and press into a 9x13 dish. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. Cool.
Cream Cheese Layer
1- 16 oz cool whip
2- 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
Mix softened cream cheese with sugar, then add cool whip, Layer over the cool crust.
Filling
1 large can peaches, drained and chopped into small pieces, set aside
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 ¼ cups water
4 Tbsp lemon Jell-o (powder mix)
4 Tbsp corn starch
Mix and cook in a saucepan until thick, let cool. Mix with the drained peaches. Place on top of cream cheese mixture.

Chill and enjoy a piece of Heaven!

Heaven…that place where we would all like spend eternity. Sometimes we like to think there are bits and pieces of heaven here on earth…that luxurious vacation spot we visit that is so beautiful or that dessert that just melts in our mouth making us beg for more. I believe there is that Heaven where God lives and it is beyond beautiful in my own realm of thinking or even imagining. It’s a paradise of absolute peace and everything is just perfect. Who wouldn’t want to go there? God believes that my life and yours too, is worth saving and spending time in eternity with Him in this Heaven.

My life is a journey toward Heaven, and knowing there is that blissful dreamland ahead makes this sometimes-hard-and-rough ride easier on the living.

16/30 Today I am grateful for Heaven…that place where I will spend eternity.

Thank you Jesus!

Happy Holidaze

Holidays are special times for us to be thankful, celebrate births, remember those long gone, rejoice, make merry, honor, party, and be happy. It usually involves a lot of good food and eating. Sometimes there are presents, egg hunts, candy eating, balloons, noise-makers, praising, and giving. Regardless the event it is so…least we forget.

Participating in the 30 days of gratitude makes me more aware of just what all I have to be thankful for all through the year. Thanksgiving is a time for us to reflect and be truly thankful for everything. Christmas allows us to remember the birth of Christ our Savior. We count down the end of one year and ring in the beginning of a new one. There are holidays for famous people so we can honor them and their contributions to our nation. At Easter we celebrate Christ’s resurrection from the tomb and His ascension into Heaven after He gave His life for all of us. There are memorials and labors of love and those special people who have dedicated their life to fight for our country. There’s a day to commemorate the birth of our great nation, and a time to dress silly, eat sugary treats and play fun tricks. To me the spring season is a rebirth, summer a fun frolicking time, fall a time of change and winter a time to be still and think.

It is good to have these days and seasons set aside to celebrate, observe, remember, and enjoy ourselves.


I am enjoying this season of holidays the most…from the smells, colors, and coziness right up to the birthday celebration and a new year!

15/30 Today I am grateful for the holidays.

!HaPpY HoLiDaZe!

Day 14

14/30 Today I am grateful for the freedom of worship...

and all the rewards it brings.

  

tHe gREaT pUmPkIN

Charlie this one is for you and Linus....Can you say pumpkin pie?

13/30 Today I am grateful for today.

This day that was not promised to me yesterday.

This day that is a gift~the present.

Another chance to live and enjoy life, rejoice in all its glory,

for I may not have the chance of a tomorrow.

Enjoy your day today!

The Elements At Work

I admit it…it is getting harder and harder to find something to photograph and blog about for the 30 days of Gratitude. Not that I am not thankful for everything in my life and I have been truly blessed beyond measure... it’s just hard to think of something new without repetition, and having a photo that somewhat expresses my point. I’ve scanned though my archives of photos…in hopes that something will spring forth and spur a thought of gratitude.

I came across this photo from a visit to the beach back in the spring. Its beauty is awe inspiring and the peacefulness that you find there is unexplainable. Tranquil splendor. I was drawn to the sand drifts that are piled up against the fence. The results of the elements at work…the winds, the surf, the tides, the rains, and the storms...An illustration of our lives and how the elemental trials of life affect us. Sometimes we are carried by the winds, tossed about, straggled, and left dazed. The tides pull us in and out, forcing us under, taking our air…one direction then another, leaving us spinning around wandering which way it is back to the harbor. Then all of a sudden the gentle surf floats us to the surface allowing us to breathe again and the rains wash over us, cleansing us, washing away all the gunk. As the warm sun dries our soul we begin to see the beauty again…we are able to think, to cope, to go on. There is a balance, natures balance and God’s way of balancing. He balances our lives through His blessings, giving to us unselfishly, asking nothing in return except that we love Him. Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ~ James 1:12. We should rejoice during our trials… not because of the trials themselves, but because of the end result of the trials.

12/30 Today I am grateful for the end result.

Some Gave All

How many of you have ever visited a veteran’s hospital?  It is a real eye opener…there is a sense of sadness, respect, and honor found within its walls. The people found there are the ones that allow the rest of us to sleep safe, worship at our free will, and permit us the freedoms we enjoy without thought each day. They often do without, have suffered loss, are sometimes shamed, and are sick. Did you thank them…did you offer them help…did you pray for them? Without them and the sacrifices they made and are making…we would be without the wonderful liberties our great country has to offer. Yes some of them had a choice…others did not, but that choice and that commitment is what gave us our freedom. Our thanks and appreciation is due to them with the highest regard…those who served, those gone, and those who are serving today.

I have a Daddy that served in the United States Navy, a son-in-law that is currently serving in the United Sates Coast Guard and many friends and acquaintances that have and are serving. Think about that young soldier in a land unknown to them, war all around them, living sleeplessly, dirty, and scared. Then think about how safe you are, comfortable and living in your own home. What a blessing they are to give us such a gift!!

There are only two defining forces have ever offered to die for us, Jesus Christ and an American soldier; One died for our soul, the other for our freedom.

No… freedom has never been free…they gave it all…

Please honor and pray for our soldiers.

11/30 Today I am grateful for everyone and anyone

who has served our great nation! God Bless Them and Our America!