" For God himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything." Acts 17:25

About Me

About Me

About Me

Welcome...I'm delighted that you chose to visit! I started this blog in March 2010 and I am so happy that I did. It has made me more aware of the many ways that God is blessing my life. I have made some special friends who bless,teach,encourage,and entertain me! My desire is to be an encouragement to you. I hope you will tarry for a while and that you will come back to visit often.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

having patience with patients

We have had some interesting interactions with patients this week. Most of our patients are very nice, but we have a few who can be very difficult. This week, the "ornery" ones were coming out of the woodwork!
They wanted to be the exception......be seen without an appointment, not have to pay at check out, get a prescription refilled even though they haven't had an appointment in 3 years, be taken care of during lunch when everyone is at lunch, and most importantly, not have to wait to be seen (like that is ever going to happen!). Anyway, our doctor expects us to be gracious, patient, and kind in our response and I can truthfully say, that we are nearly all of the time. When we feel like we may be losing our cool, we excuse ourselves and step around the corner or out of the room or put them on hold.....count to 10, 20 or.... 50 (whatever it takes!) and then try again or asked for help from someone else.
Today when I finished a conversation with a lady who had wasted a lot of my time and the doctor's time with questions that she completely disregarded the answers to........I was AGGRAVATED! I complained and a co-worker was being empathetic. As soon, as I stood up to file her chart, the Lord reminded me of something a former pastor once said, "You will know if you have a servant's heart by the way you respond when others treat you like a servant." Ouch!
I apologized to the Lord, told my co-worker what He had reminded me of, and then thanked my Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve Him by serving others......even (or maybe especially!) the "ornery" ones! :-)

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord......it is the Lord you are serving." Col, 3:23a, 24b

Monday, September 27, 2010

fall finally fell.....inside anyway!


Sunday afternoon I determined to get the fall stuff out of the closet and the attic and decorate the house. My things are simple but colorful. It is a nice change for a few weeks before it is time to decorate for Christmas....yikes! I can't believe I just wrote that! :-) Anyway, here is a little tour...
This is a built in room divider that separates my living room from my kitchen and dining room. My sofa sits in front of this.


A drug rep brought this to the office one year filled with candy. No one else wanted it. So, it came home with me and found a home on our wood burning stove....as long as there is no fire in it!


I use the pitcher all year on my dining room table ( except Christmas)... I just change the flowers.


The piano.......you wouldn't believe how wonderful this hazelenut candle smells!


The entertainment center.......



One end table.......



The other end table....


Inside the back door.....


And outside the front door!

Okay, now all we need is some fall temperatures and some REAL red and yellow leaves on the trees! :-) Happy Fall, ya'll!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

i do, i will......let's celebrate!

It's hard to believe that the wedding was a week ago! The honeymooners are due back from Jamaica today. We received one email telling us they were safe and having a wonderful time. I was so glad to hear that!
My camera was being used to take pictures of guests as they signed the bride's book, so I am so grateful that my friends were taking pictures. When we get the "real" photos, you'll get to see more, but that may be a month from now. I didn't want to wait that long to share the happy day with you.
This is the happy couple dancing their "first dance" . It was so sweet.....of course I cried. It was wonderful to see them so very happy....finally husband and wife!!


This counter was against one wall. It was a nice space for people to stand and talk with a place to put their plate and cup. We used ivy from my back yard, some small calla lilies, votive candles (thanks Heather), and framed photos to decorate it.


The favor table....bubbles and CANDY!!! Guests scooped up their own mix of candy in cellophane bags. This was a hit....everyone was talking about it....even my 83 year old step-mom!
The bride had a great idea!


The centerpieces on each of the round tables for seating.


A view looking toward the serving tables. Notice the windows. They went all around the room.


Our centerpiece for the serving tables. We loved the simplicity.


This was taken before the reception started, so all the food was not in place, but it gives you an idea about how things looked. The blue fabric really "popped" against the white cloths.


The groom's table. The frame is holding a lovely presentation of the wedding invitation. More of those beautiful roses.


He loves caramel cake... the old fashioned kind with lots of icing! According to his mom, he has always been a planner. When he decided what he wanted, he would make a list of what he had to do to get it. Well, marrying my girl was no exception! His mom thought that was the appropriate thing to put on his cake. Click on it and you can read his most important "to do" list!


The bride's table...yes the cake is chocolate. My girl loves her chocolate and she saw this cake on the cover of a magazine 4 years ago and knew that was the cake she wanted. She kept the magazine and never once considered anything else. The lace skirt on the table was made my mother for my wedding. She attached the lace to satin ribbon by hand. It made me happy to think that she was a part of this very special day.


A close-up of the cake. After the wedding, when I called the baker/cake artist to tell her how beautiful and delicious it was, she told me it took her (and her daughter) 8 hours to decorate it... all those little dots had to be very precise. She probably didn't charge us enough!


Our older son with his older daughter, the flower girl! She did a perfect job.


His younger daughter......curls and blue eyes! Her favorite food was the watermelon....she ate two plates full and hen she was ready to DANCE!


Our younger son......his jacket came off as soon as the last picture was taken after the ceremony. He is not a suit and tie kind of guy....but he loves his sister, so .......


Our grandson. He belongs to our younger son...can you tell? He really did have a good time as you will see later.



And then there was dancing.......the bride and her dad. He cried, she cried, I cried! A very special moment.



Cousins danced....see I told you he had fun! :-) Notice that he is stepping on her foot!


Another daddy/daughter dance.... so cute!


Mom and Dad danced...... and I cried some more!


The beautiful bride and her proud mom. Two tired but very happy and grateful women. A day we will always remember. I believe it was everything she wanted it to be.

My prayer is that she and her groom will be blessed with many years together. I look forward to seeing the future God has planned for them. I am most grateful that they are too!

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

first.... you must rehearse!

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this, but the location for the wedding was a store front church in the downtown area of a nearby city. This is the church my sweet girl and her fiance attend. It's mission is to reach the unchurched and to help revitalize downtown by (among other things) ministering to the homeless and sponsoring art and music events in their building. So, as my girl said when describing it to her co-workers,"It is not a church. It is a building where a church meets. Don't look for a steeple." So, we had a different and interesting place to decorate for a wedding. It is rather rough and unfinished looking, so it was a bit of a challenge. You'll see how it turned out later in pictures by the photographer, but you'll get a little preview in the pictures below.

Here are the bride and groom rehearsing ...look how intently he is listening to the pastor's instructions. He really wanted to get it right! :-)



The dinner was a "Fiesta"! The groom's family did a wonderful job of decorating and a local Mexican restaurant catered. It was beautiful and tasty!


Aren't the colors vibrant and happy!




There was a single long stemmed red rose at every seat. The groom's mom buys them at a farmer's market close to their home at a great price.



They were so creative. It was obvious that much thought had gone into planning this special meal.



Here is a picture of the stage. We started with a rough brick wall as a back drop. It is cool to look at and gives the room character....perfect for a store front church. The challenge was to make it look pretty for a wedding. The arch, tulle, ivy, peace lilies, candles and soft lighting made a big difference. I had my doubts, but I was actually pleased with the way it turned out. We got lots of compliments....folks liked the exposed brick. I'm anxious to see the pictures...especially the ones with the wedding party in place.


Our musician/vocalists.....the two young women were at the hospital the day the bride was born. Our families have been very close. They are like big sisters to her. She was a bridesmaid in both of their weddings.(Remember the daisy bridesmaid luncheon post? That was the for the one on the left.) The young man is a friend from college and is one of the praise and worship leaders at the church.


The attendants. From the left..... two sisters-in- law, two college friends, one life long friend and a niece! :-)


Our grandson trying his hand at playing the keyboard and singing! He shouldn't have been doing it, but it was so cute. My son was saying, "Mom,tell him to get down." I was taking a picture! ha! ha!


The flower girl modeling a sombrero!


Two more "mexicans"!! The kids had a great time!



The two mothers looking pretty happy!



The bride and groom looking even HAPPIER!


Reception pictures coming soon! Thanks for sharing in this special time with me!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

she married the man!

This is the song she chose to have sung as she walked down the aisle to her beloved. They wanted their ceremony to honor God and it did.......in every aspect. More later when I have had some time to rest and compose my thoughts.


Wednesday, September 15, 2010

impatiens and impatience

Most of my impatiens are looking a little "leggy" They are still blooming, but I probably should have pinched them back so they would be fuller. But this one, by our fish pond, is full and healthy looking. It is a pleasant sight when I walk out my back door.
Been thinking about the other "impatience" this morning. With the wedding in a few days and the inevitable "uh ohs" and changes in schedules, it would be easy to get impatient. Everyone is a little tired and a little anxious and whole lot excited...... so our human nature wants to get bothered when things don't go necessarily to plan. Praise God, we have a new nature... one that is patient and kind, loving and forgiving, generous and grateful. What a wonderful gift the Holy Spirit is........bringing to fruition God's good work in us! I am trusting Him for peaceful and happy days from now until Saturday when our girl walks down that aisle into a new life!

"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and Godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through this, He has given us His great and precious promises, so that through them we might participate in His divine nature....."II Peter 1:3-4

Sunday, September 12, 2010

love that clearance rack!

J, the hubby, hit the jackpot at Kmart this afternoon. They have most of their summer garden stuff clearance priced. The two wooden planters were marked down from $20 to $2. The wooden hummingbird feeder with a tin roof was $1 and the metal one was $2. The plant snippers and the citronella candles were $1 ea.
If you read an earlier blog about J, you know he is a giver. He likes to give money to meet needs, so the more he saves when he shops, for small or big things, the more he has to give away. God honors his giving heart by directing him to bargains. It brings him great joy and that makes me glad!
"Every man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." II Cor. 9:7

Friday, September 10, 2010

Creation Calls -- are you listening?

We have sung this at church before and I loved it. I received this as an email this week. It made me want to shout "Halleujah...how great and mighty is our God!" I hope it stirs you to worship our Creator,too!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

wedding sneak peek!

These signs will point the way to the reception. The road winds for a bit before reaching several buildings. We want our guests to know which one is housing the reception. We ordered these from Oriental Trading Co. I am very pleased with them.
I saw these punch cup candle holders at Judy's place over at Just A Little Something For You. She said she got the idea from another blogger. I thought they would be so pretty on the food serving tables. The punch cups were my grandmother's. I found the tiny calla lilies at Hobby Lobby. I love the way they turned out.


We are using the blue fabric on the serving tables, the wedding cake table, and the tables where people will be sitting. It will be "swished" on top of the white tablecloths. There will be candles on all the tables. Below is the bird cage that will be on the gift table. Anyone who brings a card for the bride and groom can slip it through the spaces and into the cage. I just realized I turned it with the bow in the back for the picture. Oh well, you get the idea.


Here are he pew bows. I found these bows at the Dollar Tree and the blue flowers at H. Lobby for half price. Can anyone say ...hot glue gun!


This is the throw-away bouquet. We are going to use it on the cake table until it is time to toss it! Another H.Lobby 1/2 price find!


My hubby spray painted this basket that I already had. It is the perfect size for the bottles of bubbles on the favor table. 240 bottles.... that's a lot of little bows!


Our other favor is "bag your own" bag of candy. I found these blue bowls at Walmart for $1.50. the candy at Sam's and the scoops at "Party City". I made the tags with paper and card stock. The font is "Party". Looked like a party, I thought. I had to make tags because my girl likes everything m&m, so we will have three varieties.



There is much more, but you'll see the rest in the wedding photos. I just wanted to share a little of what I've been doing these last few months. It has been fun getting it all together. I have three friends who are going to do the decorating while we are having the rehearsal and dinner. It is wonderful to have gifted friends who are happy to help and who are trustworthy. I know it is going to look just as beautiful as I am imagining! ELEVEN DAYS!!!!