GOT A MINUTE OR TWO

  The clouds on the way to Big Bear were outstanding!     Do you every get tired of seeing clouds?  I don't.   To see all the other skies, just click on the SWF Badge on my sidebar. 

"P" is for Peacock   Taken at a   Retreat I attended.  Lovely grounds, a good time for a silence and solitude and a beautiful peacock to boot!  Someone forgot to tell the peacock to be quiet!! HaHa But the sounds of nature were refreshing.   To see all the other participants and how they use the Letter P, just click on the ABC Badge on my sidebar.

As I came to the check out counter on vacation, the girl checking my groceries wore the name tag "JOY".  I said "Your name is my life motto".  She looked a little puzzled and I continued, "I choose Joy".  The girl bagging the groceries popped up "What about a BAD day?"  Good question.  On bad days, it's harder, but I CHOOSE JOY.  They both concluded that was cool, and I did look happy! Nehemiah tells us "The Joy of the Lord is our Strength..." (Neh. 8:10)  There are many things in life we cannot choose.  Our circumstances, the weather, health issues, family members, but we do have the choice of how we handle the things we have no control over.  It can make all the difference in the way we live our lives.  I have a little pillow with the word JOY on it in my hutch where I can see it every day.  I was diagnosed with cancer in 2009.  Cancer is a scary word, and I have a huge family history of cancer....

  With October 31st just around the corner, perhaps you can see the Ghost of Halloween flying through the clouds.  To see all the skies from around the corner and around the World just click on the SWF Badge on my sidebar.  BTW, have a great weekend too.

I'm one happy Grandma!  My dearest booked me a flight to Oregon, and I get to go love on Tristan early in November.  I haven't seen him since he was born, he'll turn 5 months while I'm there.  I'm counting the days.    What makes you happy today?

The Letter "O" is for OLD   Old Farm Wagon I'm sure this one covered many many acres in it's lifetime.   Old wagon with wooden spokes and tongue.      Absolutely love this old truck.    Here's another view of the old truck.  I loved it so much I did a watercolor of it below.   Watercolor by Wanda To see all the other participants for the Letter O, just click on the ABC Badge on my side bar and have fun surfing through all the O's. 

This morning I had to laugh when I got to my YMCA exercise class, as Pauline, one of my friends just loves to dress for every holiday.  We all get a kick out of her "different" headdresses every day.  Today she was wearing a "knife" headband, skeleton earrings, a hand coming out of her pumpkin tee shirt.  The leader of the Senior Class said "Pauline, I've been looking for my kitchen knife."  Wonder what she'll wear tomorrow. A hour workout at the YMCA, and then came home and decided to clean my kitchen from TOP to BOTTOM, which means everything has to come out in the living room.  Three hours later, I finished and put every thing back.     I love having a CLEAN kitchen.  Even the curtains came down and got a good washing.  Now I'm pooped.  Glad I put those pork ribs in the Crock Pot early this morning.  Some leftover squash and green beans and dinner will be ready without any work.   What was your...

We were in a Small Group Bible Study at our friends home in Rocklin.  The teacher shared the following and I thought it was very descriptive of our lives in view of our technical age.  This really give a good picture of the "Real" us. The Ultimate Code: You If you and I were meeting face-to-face, I still would not be able to see the real you.  I would only see the temporary residence you are occupying.  The real you, your personality ~~ call it soul, spirit, whatever ~ is not visible.  It is software, not hardware.   The codes ~ your history, your accumulated responses to the events of your life, your attitudes ~~are all simply informational, not physical.  It is software only, and software has no mass. The great insights of Dr. Einstein included the realization that time is a physical property.  Time varies with mass, acceleration, and gravity.  That which has no mass has no time, You are eternal.  That is what the Bible has...

                                                      We were able to spend a couple of days with our oldest daughter and family.  One of the treats was seeing our great grandsons, Matthew and Issac.  They are growing up so fast.  Matthew on the left is 4 and in pre-kindergarten and Issac 6 and in 1st grade. Got a shot of our grandson Michael and his two boys checking out something on the Ipad. Kids so understand the technology of the day.  Grandma trying to catch up.   The boys made me some Halloween Refrigerator Art.  I was surprised how well they draw and especially how good they print their names.  I'm not sure who Jak the Pumpkin King is, but Issac seemed to know the story. ...

Last summer when I was visiting my brother his wife Becky gave me a CD of Noah Stewart.  I had never heard of him but immediately fell in love with his rich opera voice.  Since then I see there are numerous videos of his work on line. Noah was raised in Harlem by his mother, Patricia, a single parent from New Orleans whose strong values and work ethic she installed in her son.  His mother's self-sacrifice and strong belief in the value of education led to Noah being enrolled in the world-famous LaGuardia High School where he developed his strong musical potential, singing solo with the school choir and back-up with prominent acts such as Hootie and the Blowfish and Coolio.  His mentor, the great soprano Leontyne Price, encouraged him to attend The Julliard School, where he was awarded a full scholarship.  The rest is History. To see all the other participants in Mrs Nesbitt's wonderful meme just click on the ABC Badge on my sidebar.

  Love to get pictures of Kaleb in the game.  Number 16 at Greenville College in Illinois.  They are 6 and 0 so far this season.  Go Kaleb.  Your October Box of Goodies is in the fixing right now and will be in the mail soon. And on the home front, Elijah is Varsity Goalie for Sunny Hills Water Polo Team.  So proud of both of these grandsons excelling in their own choice of Sports.  Got a Goodie Box working for Elijah too. Did you, or do you play any Sport?  I was never very good at sports, so took up my brushes and enjoy watercolors.  And of lately, knitting is my sport (can I call it a sport?)  And for many many years, the Kitchen has been my Sport ~and still is.  In fact, I need to go bake some cookies as my friend, Linda gave me a 72 oz bag of Chocolate Chips Sunday!!!

  Pulled some decorations out of the garage and put up a few things this afternoon.  Now it feels like Fall.  Last year when we were in Boise, ID I found the wood carved Pilgrims.  I just love them, and have wanted something to add to my Thanksgiving Blocks.  (The wooden candle holders I got at a Yard Sale for $1.50.  Love the looks of it with the Fall decorations. Because you can just plug it in, I don't have to worry about fire.)   I added a ring of orange beads to the bottom of the home of Freddie the Fish, along with a few of my pumpkins and candy dishes on the coffee table and my miniature pumpkins to the end table.  (I just noticed Molly in the background watching what I'm doing.)   I was very disappointed when I went to the store and not one bag of "Corn Candy".  Everything was pre-wrapped candies in big bags.  I will hunt until I find some, 'cause you can't have Fall without Corn Candy!! (Just ask Bets...

     Did you ever get a love letter?  Or send one?  My parents met and for the next year wrote letters back and forth.  What started out rather formal, over the months became beautiful love letters.  Sharing hopes and dreams and getting to really know one another.  We had heard stories of these letters, but never had seen them.  While going through Mother's things after her passing, my sister and I found the love letters.  Like in a novel, tied with a ribbon.  We read them and laughed and cried and sighed with awe at how the love bloomed in those letters.  Several month after those letters, they were engaged and married.   We all long to be loved, and wish we had someone to write us love letters.  Well we do.  I've mentioned how much I love my Maranatha Worship Bible and the prayers, quotes and songs that fill the margins.  There are also "Love Letters from Jesus"  called "My Beloved" all taken ...

  The year was 1966.  Pastor Don was a rural evangelist for Dr. Jack MacArthur and Voice of Calvary.  He would travel to rural towns and hold what we called "Hospitality Dinners".  These consisted of pots of spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert then after dinner, Pastor Don would preach.   So from small town to small town Pastor Don held these meetings, and since spaghetti is easy to make and not expensive that was the menu at each church. To make a long story short...  Me and the kids back in California kept track of Dad's travels, but forgot that he was eating spaghetti at every meeting.    He's coming home tonight and we are all so excited after not seeing him for three weeks, I plan a wonderful dinner of (you guessed it) Spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert.   Table is set ~ Dad walks in the front door, we yell, we hug we kiss and Dad says I'm starved ~ what's for dinner?  I say with the biggest smil...

  Because this scene looked like something from a story book, I added the chalk edges to give it a unique look.  I took this picture while visiting my brother near Mount Shasta.    It reminds me of a watercolor or a picture from a calendar.  I really like this shot and wanted to share it today for SWF.   To see all the other skies just click on the SWF Badge on my sidebar.  Have a wonderful weekend!

THE LETTER "M" IS FOR "MOLLY"   "My favorite place is a square of sunshine on the couch."   "My next favorite thing is sleeping with my Tiger.  I feel so safe!"     "I love these kittens, and will watch and protect them."       "However, I do not like BIG cats, so stay out of my yard!"   "They think they're going on vacation without ME.  Not a chance ~ I'm not moving!!   We were given Molly as a gift 8 years ago.  Her owner was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and wanted Molly to have a good home.  She is family as you can see from these pictures.  I'm very happy that Edith thought we'd be the perfect family for Molly.   To see a clever introduction by Denise Nesbitt and all the other participants for ABC Wednesday, just click on the ABC Badge on my sidebar.      

  On our trip home we spent a night with my cousin Danette and her hubby Mitch.  They have a wonderful garden, and made us a dinner that brought back memories of my growing up and my "Okie  Roots".  Fried okra, black eyed peas on cornbread, fresh tomatoes, add some grilled asparagus and juicy steak and I was in Okie Heaven.  Then when I thought it couldn't get any better, she pulled out a warm peach cobbler with ice cream.   What a feast...What memories of growing up with those flavors.  As we got ready to leave, they filled my ice chest with frozen okra and beans.  So the fun's not over!!  Cousins are the best!

  It's pretty special when God tells us He loves us by putting a HEART in the sky right in front of us.  I was so glad to have a new sky picture for this week. Have a great weekend and don't forget to click on the SWF Badge on my sidebar to see all the other skies from around the neighborhood and around the World.