" 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.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

a time to read

One thing about taking time off from work
to recover is that I have more time to read.
This book is on loan from my daughter.



I started reading it tonight.
I know already that
you'll be hearing about it! :-)

Sunday, February 26, 2012

in good hands

I spent two nights in the hospital last week after having a little surgery. I had not planned to write about this, but something happened while I was there that I have to share. The nurses at our hospital work twelve hour shifts..... seven to seven. At seven on the second night the nurse and the nursing assistant that would be caring for me came in to introduce themselves. The nurse's name was Deborah, the assistant's name was Gracie. My name is Deborah Grace! I laughed and told them those were my names and said, "I know I am in good hands!"

The truth is, I knew exactly who was holding me in His hands! In His loving sovereignty, He placed those two women in my room to remind me that He is always with me, He provides for my every need, and He knows my name! :-)

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

our new daughter

We are happily anticipating the May 5th wedding of this lovely young woman to our older son. For 2 1/2 years, he has done an amazing job of being a single dad. But, his hope was that,God, in his perfect timing, would bring someone very special into his life. Someone who would not only love him, but his girls, also. As always, God is faithful and delighted to answer our prayers and to give us the desires of or hearts. So, in 10 1/2 weeks, she will officially become a part of our family. As far as those two little girls are concerned....she already is! :-)

Friday, February 17, 2012

look who's talking!



Our Little E has a lot to say! Her mom has photo booth on her Mac, so she is talking to herself on the computer screen. Made me and the Chief laugh...so cute!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Gran's library

When our kids were growing up, we did lots of reading. It started with board books, then Little Golden Books. After that was Richard Scarry and Beatrix Potter. Then we graduated to chapter books which included the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved reading to my children and that is one of the my favorite things to do with the grands.

Some of the old books survived...some still live at our house, others moved out with our children! To keep my "library" fresh and interesting, I am always on the lookout for something new or old. I like looking at antique and consignment shops, because they are inexpensive (mostly!) and I find some they don't print anymore. When I went to the mountains recently, I hit the jackpot...the most expensive was $3!



This may come as a shock, but I have never really
cared much for Dr. Seuss.(Oh my, I can hear
the gasps of disbelief and see the heads shaking! )
I know he is a beloved author, but I like a story.
All the repetition and silly words
just don't do it for me.
But I can read P.D. Eastman and Theo. LeSieg,
who are continuing to add to the Seuss library.
So, these two came home with me!



When our boys were little, Scuffy the Tugboat was
a favorite. This was one that their Dad read to them.
He was very animated and he would say "Scuffy"
with lots of feeling! They loved it!
Well,I'm not sure what happened to our copy,
but while looking through a stack of five books on a
shelf in one of the shops we went in, there was
"Scuffy" smiling up at me! I couldn't believe it!
Neither could the Hubby! When I got home, I told him
to close his eyes and hold out his hands.
When he opened his eyes, he said "Scuffy" in that
same voice he used with the boys.
I told him, "Now, you have a new crop
of grands to read it to!"


And that is just what he did when our grandson
came to spend the night last Sat!


Sunday, February 12, 2012

appraising the value

Our older son is getting married in May. His fiance and her mom are planning to use milk glass to hold small bouquets of flowers at the reception. So, when I went "antiquing" last weekend, I kept my eyes open for it. She has a limit of $5 per piece. Keep in mind that we don't shop for expensive antiques, we are more in the market for "old stuff". So, I was able to get her these seven pieces priced from 2-5 dollars...and only one (the smallest one) was $5. But it was cute and unique, so I got it!


One thing I've learned from watching "Antiques Roadshow" is that an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. They can appraised it's value, but that doesn't mean much if there isn't a market for it. Now, we saw much more milk glass with much higher prices....up to $22. But, I wasn't willing to pay that much because I knew before I ever started shopping that five was my limit.

I believe there is a spiritual lesson here. Sometimes in life, situations arise that give us opportunities to decide what we are willing to pay.

....will I pay the price of losing a friend just to be right?
....will I pay the price of sacrificing time with my family just to work more hours to
make money to buy things I don't really need?
....will I pay the price of a clear conscious just to tell a lie because the truth might make me look bad? or to just to keep all the change when the cashier gives you too much?

If my heart is right with God, I will know the value of friends, family, a clear conscious, obedience... and I will have already decided (like my $5 limit for milk glass) what my response will be when I am faced with those kind of choices. In other words, there will be no choice!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

love those mountains!


As promised, here is my report on our girl's get-away weekend in the mountains! Here is the mountain top inn where we stayed.


It was very nice with a good continental breakfast and a friendly, helpful staff.We had a room with a view which was lovely. I waited until we were leaving to take pictures, and, unfortunately, it was overcast. So, you can't really appreciate how pretty it was.




There were mountains in the distance
that you can't see.

The inn looked really impressive when
approaching it from this highway....sitting up
on the mountain.I wanted to take a picture,
but the road was too busy for that.


On Friday, we had lunch at this cute little place
in Jasper...The Carriage House.



It had a warm atmosphere and cute decor
and the smell of coffee was comforting as we came in
from the chilly, breezy weather.
The locals have their own chairs with their names
on the brass plate at the top of the chair.
I sat in Nancy's!


This pretty lamp graced our table.


This was cool hanging from the ceiling!



After a lunch of BLT's and fruit, a good cup of coffee
warmed us up before we headed out
to browse and shop!


This is one of the shops we visited in Jasper.
There were others, but I failed to take pictures.


Then it was on to Ellijay to crash at the inn
for a while before heading out to dinner.
My co-worker recommended this place.
If the grandkids had been with us,
we surely would have taken pictures of them
in this huge chair out front.
Notice the ladder you have to climb to get to the seat!



It is an Italian restaurant with a funny name....


Charlie's....doesn't sound very Italian, does it! ha! ha!


On Saturday, we were off to the town square
in Ellijay where we browsed through
four more shops.




Then, it was lunch at Cantabury's....
another cute place to eat...


...with soups, sandwiches, salads and...

DESSERTS!!!!


Yes, my friend was there, but she doesn't care
to be in front of the camera.
Love the "happy" tablecloths!


Sunday morning ,after a good night's sleep and
breakfast, it was time to head home.
We had a great time, found some treasures and
made some memories!
It was time well spent! :-)

Thursday, February 2, 2012

hittin' the road

I'm headed to the mountains tomorrow morning with my friend that likes to "run away" with me! We always have a great time and the Lord always guides and protects us. We have met some very nice people on our trips and we have made some fun memories! There was the time we made more u-turns than we could count, the time we had to tie my trunk closed because we had a kitchen table sticking out the back, and the time we had to tie the sliding door back on her van because it came off it's track! We always try to eat at local restaurants so we can have a new dining experience. A co-worker has already given me some ideas about that, but hotel desk clerks and shop owners are always helpful, too.

So, our reservations are made at a hotel on a hilltop with a mountain view, the directions are printed (gonna get Hubby to program the GPS we got for Christmas, too!), the camera battery is charging, and my suitcase is packed. I'll give you a report with pictures when we return. Hope you all have a wonderfully blessed weekend!