a bloomin' miracle

 We have a very shady yard, so every year, 
I plant impatiens. 

Because they are annuals, it is an annual job. 

A few weeks ago, Hubby told me he had

 something to show me outside.

We walked into the back yard and, wonder of wonders...

 

 there were last year's impatiens...

bloomin' as big as you please!

We had a very mild winter...that is Hubby's explanation.

 I say it is a little miracle...

a happy unexpected blessing from our Heavenly Father!

eyes to see

This past Sunday in Sunday School, we were talking about the story of the Good Samaritan. It is a familiar story and it is easy to read through it without looking for deeper meaning. God likes to hide little nuggets that we have to dig for. 


We talked about why Jesus told the parable...what He intended to teach us. Someone asked, "How do we know who God wants us to help...and for how long?" 


A voice from the back of the room said, "Whether it is looking to find the full meaning in a scripture or desiring wisdom as to who God would have us minister to, the answer is relationship. The closer we are to Christ, the better our vision is. His Spirit gives us eyes to see the truth and to see the needs around us."


I believe we all knew that, but that phrase..."the closer we are to Christ, the better our vision is" really got everyone's attention. That was a good thought to hold onto as we headed into corporate worship.


This is for each of you...

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my

 prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory

may give you a spirit of wisdom and

of revelation in the knowledge of Him."

Eph.1:17

our slugger

About a week ago, we drove down

 the road about 45 mins

to watch something very important...

our grandson's t-ball game!

He looked so handsome in his uniform.

The three guys...Dad, Chief, and the

slugger waiting for our game to begin.

 

Look at that stance!

 

A good second baseman covers his base!

 

 

Everyone scrambling for the ball...

remember they are 4 and 5 years old!

After the game...dirty pants and

 red cheeks...

you can tell he played hard!

It was fun watching them play.

 There are no outs and they don't keep score.

 There are two innings and everyone gets to bat. 

The only defense is stopping

 the ball and getting it to first. 

Not very competitive, but they are learning.

And more importantly, they are having fun! :-)

girl's trip, part 4

After church on Sunday, we were

 invited to have lunch

 at the home of my son's

 "soon-to-be" in-laws.

They have a lovely home and

 they were very gracious.

 While we were waiting on the burgers

 to grill, the grandgirlies and their aunt

had fun with a couple of iPads!

The happy couple!

 After lunch, it was off to a wedding shower...

where gifts were waiting!

The hostess went "all out" to make

 things special!

The theme was birds.

Isn't the banner cute? 

And the black and white photos

backed with the pink paper were, too!

Don't they look happy?

God is so good!

Pretty and delicious cake... 

...it's not a party without m&ms... 

...more birds and their initials...
B for him, M for her. 

They had fun opening gifts...

And we had fun watching them!

 The lady in pink is the bride's mother.

They are going to use this at the wedding.

 Instead of a book, guests will sign

 their monogram! Neat idea!

The lady in red was our hostess...

very generous and kind.

I had never met her before, but I recognized

 immediately the sweet spirit in her.... 

gentle and sincere.

So grateful our son and "almost" daughter

 have friends like her! 

This is how thoughtful she was...

there were toys for the children!

And they were a hit!

It was a special time...our girl's trip.

We had fun shopping and laughing and

spending time with family.

It may be a while, but I think we will do it again! :-)

girl's trip, part 3

After a full day of shopping, we made our way

 to my son's house in Tenn.

 Our oldest granddaughter is always

 anxious to hold her 

little cousin!

 

On Saturday, while my daughter and

 my future DIL went to a lingerie shower,

 my son and I took the girls

bowling.

 

They have brand new lanes there, so everything

 was fresh and clean and colorful.

 Little E enjoyed watching the action...

as long as it did not interfere with

drinking her milk!

Bowling is fun, but it wears you out!

 

And sitting in Dad's lap makes you smile!

Back at home, there were toys to ride on...

 

 

 

and croquet to play.

This is the easy way to do it! :-)

 

 This is definitely an old set. My son borrowed it to

 use at the wedding in a couple of weeks.

The venue for the wedding is a farm, so during

 the reception, there will be yard games to play.

We tried it out early....just to make sure it worked! :-)

Next time...wedding shower!

girl's trip, part 2

 After the Container Store and lunch, we checked
 out the "World Market" store.

There were clothes and purses...

pillows in every color you can imagine...

food from around the world...

including "Happy Hippos" from Germany!

Our sweet girl discovered them when

 she spent ten weeks in Germany one summer

 for a college study abroad program.

 She hasn't had them since, so she was very

happy to find them here!

These aprons reminded me of my

 "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" blogger friends!

If you can't find a chair cushion you like here,

  you are hard to please!:-)

After a while, Little E wanted

 a closer look at things!

 Gran was happy to oblige. :-)

We found furniture, too. Notice the chairs

 mounted on the wall behind us...

an interesting way to display them.

We checked out this store, too. Lots of

 home decor at reasonable prices. 

We enjoyed looking, but didn't buy anything.

 Our daughter and her hubby are buying

 their first home and are moving in May. 

We will have to go back when we

 know what she needs. 

That's a good reason, right? :-)

Next stop...Tennessee and family!

More on that next time!

girl's trip...woohoo!

 Last Thursday, my daughter, Little E and I

 left town and headed north

 for a "girl's trip"...Little E's first! 

First stop was Atlanta where we

 "shopped" Perimeter Mall but only bought

 pretzels and coffee! :-)

  On Friday, our first destination was

 The Container Store.

 If you have never been to one, they have 

something to "contain" everything!

 

In many colors...

  

and shapes... 

and sizes!

Coolest watering can I've ever seen!

Pretty neat jewelry organizer!

Cute ice bags for not so cute "boo boos"!

 Can you guess what this lovely model

 is holding?

Yep, that's what it is! 

Bet you are surprised that I didn't buy one! :-)

Okay, I get it!

 So grateful for nice comfy strollers that

 "contain" little ones!

 She was so tolerant!

The sweetest little shopper and traveler!

More about our trip next time!

Thanks for dropping by! :-)