today's gifts

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

181. rockers for our new front porch...1/2 off
        at Cracker Barrel!

182. beautiful weather for watching t-ball

183. crock pot cooking

184. opportunities to give at church


185. people who are genuinely pleased with a gift

185. zyrtec...the solution to the pressure I have been
        feeling in my head...yea!

186. Kohl's...have gotten some great bargains there recently!

187. warm hugs from folks who love me

188. my fan at work...it was warm in the office today!

189. job security

190. and my security in Christ!

"...for I know the one in whom I trust and I am sure

He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him

until the day of His return."

II Tim 1:12b

take me out to the ball game

Yesterday, we were happy to get to watch our

 grandboy's first t-ball game of the season.

He was serious on the field...

waiting for an opportunity to grab

the ball!

He was serious at the plate, too.

He got set...

he swung...

and he connected!

Love this picture of the "men" walking
 together to the parking lot after the game...

Papa, Daddy, our boy, and Chief!

Me and our own little Brave!

Love him...love watching him play!!

hope springs

I think I would have to say that spring

 is my favorite season. 

Watching God's creation come back to life 

after a winter's sleep is so inspiring.

 I love to see the trees "green up" and

 the flowers and shrubs begin

to bloom. It is a beautiful picture of hope!

My mother-in-law loved amaryllis.

 She had a large bed of them. They multiply

 profusely, so she shared some with us.

 Every year we are

 blessed with their loveliness!

I talked in an earlier post about the new
 Encore azaleas we planted last spring. 
The bushes are still small, but their blooms
 have been plentiful!

We still have a few of the bushes that
 were here whenwe bought the house. 
Two of the biggest are white.

There is one in the front yard by
 our driveway and this one in the
 corner of our backyard.

About 15 years ago, we had some
 next door neighbors who decided to plant
 Yoshino cherry trees in their yard.

They lived there for several years
 and then moved away.

They never saw the trees bloom.

But, every year, we get to enjoy them!

I don't think they thought they were
 giving us a gift when they planted them...
but they did!

"Spring is God's way of saying

'One more time!' "

Robert Orban

swing away!

I've  always wanted a porch big enough to have rocking chairs. When we were planning our addition, I asked our contractor if I could have a porch..."Sure!" he said! So, he built us one. We are still looking for the rockers, but Hubby found this pretty swing at a local building supply place. Last week, he sanded it, we primed and painted it, and Friday, we hung it! I love the way it looks and the way it swings. It's a nice place to have my morning coffee on these spring mornings. It's also a sweet place to "swing" babies to sleep which I did Saturday when Little E needed a rest.

I expect it to get lots of use because now that we have the room we need, I am pretty sure we are here to stay! Thirty seven years and counting....

her first...

 ...BIRTHDAY!

Saturday we celebrated our Little L turning one!

She had an adorable "smash" cake and, uh...

...and that is just what she did...

...she smashed it!!

 

And invited Little E to join her!

Among her gifts were a new "ride"...

and her own bean bag chair...

(big brother got one for Christmas and she

has been insisting that he share it!)

Her guest included our dear "adopted"

parents/grandparents/great-grandparents

who have always shared in our "big" days!

Here she is with her Great-Nanny
 on her mom's sideand her Papa, her mom's dad.
 Her Nana was busy taking pictures
 somewhere!

Her uncle, aunt and her two cousins

  from Tenn came for the big event.

Little E brought her mom and dad, too,

but somehow, oops!, they missed being in a picture!  

Little L is a precious gift to our family.

 We (and many others) prayed her here

 and we are so grateful that she is 
healthy and happy!

 It was a joy to have all our family

 and our DIL's family here to celebrate!

Happy Birthday, Little L!

We love you very much

and look forward to watching you grow!

pleasing

Do you like Taco Salad?

It's a family favorite around here.

We have it on every camping trip,
 every beach vacation,

many family gatherings and some birthdays.

It works for me because it is easy
 and everyone likes it...

even the little ones.

And it is good any time of the year.

I actually took these photos
 Super Bowl Sunday 

when we had some friends over for
 dinner and the game.

Not sure how the meat and chips miss out

on being in the picture!

Anyway, I am grateful that my family
 is easy to please

because I certainly enjoy pleasing them!

the right notes

google image

In our church, we have a ministry to the homebound... those in our church (and their families) who aren't able to get out much. There are people who visit, others who make phone calls, and folks like me who write notes expressing care and encouragement. I received the names of a husband and wife, the mom and step dad of a church member. I don't know them so I thought I would talk to the daughter to learn about them. If I knew what they enjoyed or were interested in, it might make it easier to write notes that would be meaningful and more personal to them.

So, Sunday, I did just that. Much to my surprise and, I must say, disappointment, she wasn't much help. She didn't know what they liked or enjoyed and wasn't even sure how old they were. Not knowing anything about the situation, I certainly cannot judge anyone. I know that relationships can be hard and people can be difficult (I speak from experience!) so there may be lots of issues in this family. But it did make me sad.

Having lost my mother when I was only 28, I know how precious it is to have time with your parents. And I know how much I value the time I spend with my children and grandchildren.  When I first started blogging, Anneliese posted about living "intentionally". She talked about being purposeful in making plans to spend time with friends and family...not waiting for others to make the first move. When we do that, time slips away as does opportunities to build relationships and to make memories.  That truth really spoke to me. Since then, I have tried to be more intentional...asking for the grands instead of waiting to be asked and initiating get togethers instead of waiting for others to do it. I will forever be grateful for Anneliese sharing that insight!

So... to get back to the notes I will be writing. I will be depending on the Lord for insight. I know that He knows what will be a blessing to them! I look forward to seeing what He has to say!