a holiday for the holiday!

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We still haven't heard from the insurance company so we haven't been able to reschedule our Alaska trip. But we (especially ME!) are tired of just waiting, so we are headed to our state's mountains for the holiday weekend. I think the change of scenery will do us good and doing something FUN will, too!!

We will be passing through some places where we camped with our kids. It's been a while since we've been there, so it will be interesting to see if things have changed. Our destination is a small town with lots of shops and good places to eat. I went there once about 15 years ago with some ladies from our church. We had a great time and I have always wanted to go back. We will also be very close to the North Carolina line, so I imagine we will cross it, discover some new places and make some new memories.

Look forward to telling you all about it next week! Until then... be safe, be joyful, be blessed! :-)

a fish tale

When I was growing up, a "fish fry" was a common event in our family. Our family enjoyed fishing and so did my dad's co-workers and the men at our church. It was a fun and easy way to feed lots of people and have fun, too! The usual side dishes were slaw, hushpuppies and french fries. When Hubby and I were dating, he told me his mom served grits with fried fish. I was sure he was
mistaken...no one eats grits with fish! Well, sometime later during a visit to see his parents, she proved him correct! I wasn't sure about it, but I (being the polite guest that I am! ha! ha!) tried it...and what do you know...I liked it! There's something about the flavors of the fish, ketchup, and the buttery grits that is pretty tasty. It became a standard in our home, too.

We have a basket of fish from Hubby's fishing trips in our freezer. So, guess what we had for dinner...
you guessed it...fish and grits! Hubby LOVES fish...catching them and eating them. So, he was a happy man tonight!

Reminds me how important it is to be open to new things. You never know what opportunities and blessings God has waiting for you....on the other side of that new adventure!

wanna leave a message?

As a part of our remodel, I got a long needed pantry. Its construction gave me a wall perfect for a message center in my kitchen. I looked on Pinterest and other sites to get some ideas. Some were too involved, others were more for houses with kids. I never found just one that I liked, so I took a little from this one and a little from that one, got some advice from my daughter and added an idea or two of my own. I am happy with the result!

So, I started with this...a plain cork board with an oak frame.

 

I sanded and Hubby spray painted the frame. I covered it with fabric, added some trim, and

embellishments and...voila! here is the finished product!

J & D...well, that's us and the basket is for bills, coupons, etc. I found a cute calendar for next year,

but until then...this year's with the top pictures cut off will have to do! Been trying to get this together  for several weeks. Glad to finally get it hung on the wall! I'd like to think we are another step closer to being organized. I'll let you know if it works! :-)

lunch date

Lunch is always better when you...

share it with your friends!! :-)

Little E visited Friday and wanted the puppies

to eat with her.

She is a good eater and likes all kinds of different foods.

Her mom and dad are training her well!

I'm glad...it makes meal time at Gran's a lot happier.

So, if she wants to invite her puppies to lunch...

it's okay by me!!

 

 

well done!

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Yesterday, our pastor talked about encouragement.  His scripture was Heb. 10:19-25. God encourages us with His Word and then He calls us to encourage others. He cited a list by Chuck Swindoll ( a well-known pastor, author, speaker) that suggests ways to do just that. Here is the list:

~observe and mention admirable traits in others
~write thank you notes to those who have been a blessing to you
~notice a job well done and say so
~cultivate a positive, reassuring attitude
~be supportive of someone hurting

We are to encourage, or "stir one another up" to love and good works. I would add ...being a responsible, trustworthy friend, employee, or volunteer. What would you add to the list?

today's gifts

Here are a few of the things I am thankful for today:

221. a hubby who stands up for me.
222. children who try to to do the right thing
223. fettucine alfredo...I don't eat it often, but I love it! It has become one of my comfort foods.
224. your kind, thoughtful and encouraging comments
225. helpful friends
226. the sound of rain on our roof
227. unexpected money in the mail!
228. a four day work week
229. good health
230. God's comfort during times of disappointment

"When we lose one blessing, another

 is often most unexpectedly given in its place .

C. S. Lewis

sometimes you just have to...

...buy your own flowers!

Last weekend, since our trip was delayed, Hubby attended the men's retreat sponsored by our church.

Friday evening, I ran some errands which included a stop at Kroger. When I passed the floral dept, these blooms called my name!! I decided I could use the cheer that fresh flowers bring. So, they made their way home with me and are still looking fresh and lovely!

It happened again! I went to our local Hancock Fabrics store today shopping for fabric to recover the cushion in my bay window. One of the employees looked at me and said..."Oh, you came back!" Uh, OK. I just smiled and thought..."I guess I must have just missed my twin again!" Sometimes you just have to pretend you know what's going on!

Had a frustrating experience at another store yesterday involving fabric, too. When I got to my quilt class and unfolded my primary fabric to start cutting, I saw it had a flaw in it...all the way across the width...sort of looked like a seam. Anyway, the teacher said I could cut what I needed for that day's class from the other end and then exchange what was left with the flaw. So, yesterday, I went to do just that and was told..."Oh, no, we can't do that. You should have brought back the whole piece." Huh? I don't think I need to explain here how ridiculous that was. After a brief exchange, I left...not happy!

When I told Hubby, he offered to go back and see what he could do. After talking to 4 people, they finally agreed to giving him a refund and then he could go to the fabric dept and get them to cut another piece. So, when he gets there, the lady says, "Oh, we sold all of that and it is discontinued and we can't get anymore."  Well, I knew I had just seen it on the table where it was when I bought it two days before.

 So, after dinner, we went back for the THIRD time. I walked over to the table, picked it up and went to the cutting table. When I started unfolding it off the bolt, there was the piece I returned (minus the flawed piece). Hmmm...interesting. Seems someone knew they still had it! The employee came and cut what we asked for and said, "I didn't think we had anymore of this." As we walked away, Hubby said."She's the one that told me there wasn't anymore." I got what I needed and for that I am thankful. Otherwise, the quilt project would have been a bust. But it was a lot harder than it should have been! Sometimes you just have to stand up for yourself!

It's raining here now and that's good. As much rain as we have had this year, we haven't had much in the last couple of weeks and the temps have been higher. It's been raining in Atlanta, too. So, that means a delay for the Braves game. So, if you want to watch baseball, sometimes you just have to wait!!

Hope your week is pleasant, your frustrations few, your joys immeasurable, and your wait times short! :-)

look who's here!

We had a surprise visit from Little L today.

She is a serious girl...

 

 until she gets silly!!

And, yes, she is walking everywhere!

That broken leg didn't keep her down long!

And we had fun...

 

swinging!!

 

She likes Gran's front porch, too!!

Love that smile... love that girl!

summer joys

Things we have been enjoying this summer:

--Tomatoes from Hubby's little garden patch. His plants have been very productive! We have had many BLTs and slices on our plate with every dinner. We've had enough to share and I've put a few quarts in the freezer. It's been a good thing!

--Watching our Braves win! They have the best record in baseball and just ended a 14 game winning streak. We are hoping this might be their year to go back to the World Series.

--Papa John's Pizzas. Every time the Braves score at least 6 runs in a game, you can get any large pizza for half price the following day. We had never had Papa John pizza before, but we have decided it might be our favorite! We don't order one every time, but we've had several and they are yummy!!

--Having the grands here. We have been happy to see them a little more this summer. Little E was here today while her mom worked a few hours. She reached up on the counter and grabbed one of Hubby's cayenne peppers. Before I knew it, she had taken a bite right out of the middle. She was chewing it and suddenly she sat down on the floor. She nodded when I asked if she wanted a drink. I grabbed her cup out of the fridge and when I handed it to her, her eyes were watering!! But she never cried or complained...she's a tough little cookie!

--All the rain and the cooler temps. We have had the mildest summer in many years...maybe ever. It has finally gotten hot...temperatures in the 90's. But I don't think we have reached 100 yet and that, my friends, is amazing!

--Our new front porch. I had always wanted a "rocking chair" front porch, so when we did our addition last year, we had them "add" that. Coffee and biscuits taste better while rocking and listening to the birds sing! And the swing...well, it's just fun! The ceiling fans have made it possible to enjoy the porch even with warmer days. Glad our contractor suggested those...I never would have thought of it.

So, in the midst of disappointment, it's always good to remember the good things that have happened.
We are blessed!

"the best laid plans...

...of mice and men often go awry.."

John Steinbeck

Well, it seems old Johnny boy knew what he was talking about...and it was proven last Monday.

As you know, we were scheduled to be in Alaska. We boarded our plane in Atlanta headed to Houston where we would catch our flight to Vancouver to meet the cruise ship. Unfortunately, our flight from Atlanta was delayed because of mechanical problems which caused us to miss our flight in Houston.The next flight would not get us to Vancouver in time to board the ship. Our first option was to take the flight, spend two nights in Vancouver and meet the ship at the first port. That meant we would miss 3 days of our 7 day cruise. Second option was to cancel (we had bought the travel insurance) and reschedule. We opted to cancel. The airline flew us home and I have been waiting to wake up from this very bad dream ever since!

I told my friends at work...this must be what it feels like to be stood up for the prom. After weeks of planing, preparing and anticipating...no one showed up to take us to the party! And we were helpless to do anything about it...completely at the mercy of others.

During the mess and since, we have reminded ourselves over and over that God is in control, that none of this took Him by surprise, that we can trust him, and that He is always working for our good. My Hubby always told our children..."when one thing doesn't work out, it means God has something better for you." I can't say I haven't been sad and disappointed...one of the reasons it has taken me this long to write about it, but I am trying to believe that. We may never know what He protected us from or how "later is better" in these circumstances, but if we say we trust Him, we have to trust Him all the time!

Hubby got all the paperwork for the insurance claim together and we faxed it on Thurs. There is another trip at the end of Aug., but I'm not going to get my hopes up. They say it usually takes three weeks to process the claim. We have ask them to expedite it, so we will see.

I am grateful that we arrived home safely from our "round trip to Houston" and, believe it or not, so did our luggage. Now, that was a miracle!!  I am also grateful for family and friends who have shared our disappointment. It is a blessing to have folks who care about us and the things we care about. More importantly, I am grateful for our God who also cares and promises this...

"... all things work together for good 

to those who love God and are

the called according to His purpose."

Rom. 8:28

headed north

 

Remember the 1960's song

"North to Alaska"

by Johnny Horton?

"Way up north, way up north.

North to Alaska, they go north

The rush is on."

Well, we are headed that way

to see what all the fuss was about!

Look forward to telling you

all about it when we return! :-)

grits and gifts

Eating at Cracker Barrel is always enjoyable.

Breakfast is my favorite meal there...

and tonight, it was Hubby's choice, too.

I like browsing through their country store...

there's so much to see.

The best thing about this visit was...

that someone else paid for it!

Some friends gave us a gift card back 

in June for our anniversary.

So, I guess you could say we are still

celebrating!!

sprechen sie deutsch?

A funny thing happened at the office today. Our office manager answered the phone. A few moments
later, she approached Lora who sits next to me and is fluent in Spanish.  Our office manager said, "The woman on the phone wants to speak to one of our PA's, but she has a Spanish accent and I can't understand her name. Can you talk to her and get her name?" This is how their exchange went:

Lora: Hola! Mi nombre es Lora.

Patient:Uh....hi?

Turns out she was German!  

We laughed and laughed! She did have a very thick accent and Lora had to ask her to spell her name

and get her birth date before she finally understood who she was. But through it all, Lora was kind and never acted impatient.

Because we have a large Air Force Base here, we have a lot of internationals...thus our nickname...The International City. Every Tuesday morning during the school year, English (as a second language) is taught at one of our local churches. I taught there for two years and had some of the sweetest students. They were the wives of airmen. One was Korean and the other two were from the Philippines. They were diligent in their studies and so grateful for the help. It was a blessing to spend that time with them. It would be interesting to know where they are today and how well they can speak English.

On thing is for sure...whether we are German, Hispanic, French, Canadian or American, we can all speak the language of love. Whether it is being patient with someone you cannot understand on the phone or taking the time to teach someone, caring for others is always a good thing!