Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Autumn Blessings

About this time every year I am amazed at how quickly summer goes by. The change of seasons from summer to autumn always brings mixed emotions for me. That's because summer is my favorite time of the year. Not that autumn doesn't have its own set of wonderful things to enjoy, but I guess it's just a reminder to me that winter will soon follow, as our autumn season is usually very short-lived here in Indiana. 
But, it does look like summer is officially on it's way out, as autumn winds blow, the leaves are turning, and pumpkins are popping up everywhere. I decided, instead of mulling (just like cider) over the thought that summer is gone, I'm gonna try to think about all of the blessings of autumn. As I was reading different posts and pictures on my Facebook wall, I noticed some pretty awesome photos. They reminded me of all the true blessings we do receive this time year. So, I'm sharing some of my favorite pics from friends and family.
Hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Linking over at "Multitudes on Mondays", as I  Dare to Share the blessings of the Lord!
1,803 - God's creativity in giving us so much color in our world to enjoy!
 (Brightly colored leaves)
1,804 - Going to the pumpkin farm to pick out the perfect pumpkin!!
(Shopping for a pumpkin)

1,805 - New life in Christ!!
 (Beauty in every life!)
1,806 - Fun times with friends, that make sweet memories.
 (More pumpkins and family fun!)
1,807 - Childhood memories of autumn activities and games we played.
(Playing in piles of leaves!)
 1,808 - We did this just this past weekend...I do love sitting by a warm fire in the fall, especially.
(Toasty campfires on cool evenings)

1,809 - Just starting to get my decor out...yes, I'm a bit behind. I do love fall colors and themes.
(Decorating in fall colors)
https://www.facebook.com/grandinroad?fref=nf
1,810 - Our mums are just starting to really bloom. (I do wish the flowers lasted longer!)
(Mums in bright colors)


1,811 - So many unique shapes, colors, and sizes. I love decorating with gourds!
(Piles of gourds and pumpkins)

1,812 - Fall sunsets are about the most beautiful ones there are!!
(These are pictures I took of a fall sunset, just a few days ago.)



What do you love about the fall season?

at 10 comments:

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

His Mercies Are New Every Morning


The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” 

Lamentations 3:22-24



As I contemplate another week of my life, I am so thankful for all of God's mercies, which are truly new every morning!! I also look over my past week and know that, even though it was a rough start, as I got back into the routine of daily life (following our vacation), I can see all the blessings He has bestowed upon my life. Sharing those blessings, once again.

Linking over at "Multitudes on Mondays", as I  Dare to Share the blessings of the Lord!

1,796 - Cooler fall weather (even though I'm not ready for summer to end, yet.)

1,797 - Getting some cute nautical decor for my house. (I plan on sharing them soon on my other blog, "Cairn Cottage).

1,798 - Getting back out on the water (boating and fishing). It has been several weeks, since we were out.

1,799 - An eerie, dark sky - then came the rains.

1,800 - Seeing my good friend, Marg. It had been a few weeks. (Even though my "Bless Our Schools" meeting wasn't too successful, yet I know some of my Facebook friends were praying.)

1,801 - Meeting some other Christian moms at a "Moms In Prayer' meeting.

1,803 - Beautiful sunrise mornings

1,804 - Remembering that His mercies are truly new every morning! Thank You, Jesus!!

1,802 - Getting tickets to see Building 429 in concert, here in my hometown on October 23rd!

Have a blessed week!







at 3 comments:

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Honey for the Heart: You Answer Me!!

"How sweet are your words to my taste, 
sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Psalm 119:103

 Welcome to...
...where I share different verses from the Psalms!
 May you find truths about God, yourselves, and living life in the images and word pictures shared here! 

 Today, I'm sharing some very encouraging words from the Psalms. I'm SO thankful that we can go to the Lord in prayer! Hope this encourages you this weekend!!

at 4 comments:
Labels:

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Vacation Isn't Reality

Have you ever noticed that vacations are awesome, but ultimately they aren't reality?  Especially when they are over a week long. My hubby and I just returned from 2 weeks visiting the coast of Maine and it was INCREDIBLE!! Unfortunately, tomorrow, life goes back to how it was. Not that I don't love and appreciate my life, but after spending 2 weeks relaxing and taking in God's beautiful creation, I realize it is so much more attractive to me than being here! 

 Guess that's why they call it vacation....you actually vacate yourself from reality. The ups and downs of daily life. Already, I'm feeling the sting of reality. My son, making promises, then letting me down. The thought of having to plan some outpatient surgery in the next couple of weeks. Facing daily tasks...already I've done 3 loads of laundry from the trip and now am looking at a sink-ful of dishes that need to be done....these things were not on my list of activities, while on vacation. (We did do laundry once, out of a need for clean clothes). My hubby and I both agree with each other that we both just want to get in the car and head back to Maine! We did come home a few days to recupe. before Monday morning, but I'm not sure how much it has prepared us for it.

 This evening, I listened to a song by Building 429, called "Press On". It's in times like this that I'm reminded that I need to just press on for Him. Times are tough, things get us down, but God will always give us the strength to do what we must do.

Thankfully, I took LOTS of pictures and videos of our time in Maine. I've reviewed most of them and am planning on making a short video for Youtube, once I get some time to edit them. Until then, here are some of my favorites. As I share them, I am reminded how blessed I truly am. God is so good!!!

Linking over at "Multitudes on Mondays", as I  Dare to Share the blessings of the Lord!

 1,781 - Even though it may not be reality, a restful and fun vacation!
1,782 - The beauty, inspiration, and symbolism in lighthouses. God even speaks about this in the Bible.
1,783 - Proverbs 18:10 - The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
and
          - John 12:46 - I am Light that has come into the world so that all who believe in me won’t have to stay any longer in the dark.
1,784 - Getting to watch the sunrise in the first place it is seen in the U.S. (on my birthday, to boot!)


1,785 - Getting blue skies and beautiful weather, for all but 1 day of our trip.

1,786 - Getting back to the basics by camping in a cabin. We had no t.v., my laptop stopped working, and for a few days, we had no cell phone service available.
1,787 - Getting to sail on a real Schooner ship! (and even getting to help hoist the sails!)
1,788 - Being with the love of my life on some fun and romantic stops along the way...like during the sunset on the schooner ship or at the top of Cadillac Mountain.

1,789 - The different landscapes of land and water at Acadia National Park. 
1,790 - Enjoying a carriage ride around Acadia National Park. The sound of horses trotting, as they pulled us along.
1,791 - Yummy seafood!
1,792 - Good eyes that are able to see all of the great beauty of God's creation!

1,793 - Good health and a strong body to hike the cliffs and shores! (And for God's protection from any serious injury. I fell a couple of times, but only ended up with skinned knees and elbows.)
1,794 - Finally, fitting in a stop at Niagara Falls...not planned for our trip beforehand. (Love these little unexpected surprises!) Notice the rainbow to the right of us.

1,795 - My big news!!
As  I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things, I realized that I had missed something very big while I was gone.

 I had mentioned (before going on vacation) that I would have a surprise to share. Well, it's a bit late(as I had internet issues while on vacation), but I still wanted to share it. I was a contributor, (not once, but twice) for the blog site "Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood" Jen Ferguson, writer for the site, asked if she could repost my post from August 12th, called "Straight From My Heart: Hurt, Heartbreak, Disappointment." (Posted on Sept. 10) I also had written a second part to this series on the subject of "Expectations" (posted on Sept 12). You can find them both at Jen's website. Please, stop on over and check them out!!
You can find those posts by clicking below:
Part 1
Part 2

Have a blessed week!


at 7 comments:

Sunday, August 31, 2014

From My Favorite Posts - "How I Met Your Father"

Since I will be away from my computer more than usual the next couple of weeks, I thought I would post some of my favorite "old posts" from the past few years of blogging. My hubby, Ken and I met close to 30 years ago. We've been married 27 1/2 years today!! (January 31, 1987) I love telling our love story, as it is a bit unique. I also am thinking how thankful I am to have him in my life. In 5 days (September 5) he will turn 58 years young!! We are actually taking a long-needed 2nd honeymoon/vacation, just the two of us!(no kids) Yes, this is one of my favorite posts. If you happened to read it the first time, I hope you don't get too burnt out by reading it again!

 from Sunday, January 27, 2013

How I Met Your Father....

No, this post isn't about the T.V. show. 
That actually is called, "How I Met Your Mother." 
But you might say it is the story of how my hubby and I met.(I never have written our story out before, so I decided this is a great time to do it, with Valentines Day around the corner. Plus our 26th wedding anniversary is Jan. 31st. Maybe our son or daughter will keep this story to tell their kids someday.

I think our story is a little bit unconventional, at least for someone like me. Today, it's a little bit less exciting, with the internet and how technology has come so far. But for the 80's, it was unique. I also believe there were some events that made it obvious that God had His hand in bringing us together. 


 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

It was my last semester of senior year of college.(Around March of 1984, I think.) My little sister, who at the time was working in our hometown, was living at home, as was I, to save money. We shared a lot with each other about our relationships. A few times she had helped me find a date at the last minute or even helped me to get bold enough to ask a guy I liked out. (I was a little shy back then. But she definitely wasn't.) 

There was a free newspaper (called "The Paper". Very original, huh!) The Paper had a section that advertised singles wanting to meet other singles. I guess you could say it was what people did before internet dating sites became popular, let alone computers. I don't even think the internet was discovered yet. (Yikes, I'm getting old!) My sister would write into the singles ads to meet guys, as well as answer ads guys posted. One day, we were just looking through the ads for her to see if there was any that looked interesting, when I came across one that caught my eye. I wasn't looking for someone to date, but for some reason, his ad struck me. My sister said, "Why not just write to him and see if he is interested." I was like, "No way!" That just wasn't my style. But my sister was pretty persistent and eventually she talked me into it, but only if she would help me write the letter. How the service worked was that a person would respond to an ad (which had a specific number) and send it into the paper, who then sent the letter to the corresponding person who wrote the ad. Then that person had the option of responding or not responding. I really didn't expect to hear from him and put it behind me. But about a week later, I got a phone call from a guy named "Ken".  I was so shocked that I almost didn't know what to say, but I must have somehow impressed him over the phone, because we decided to meet the following week. I was so flustered that I forgot to even get his phone number. After thinking about our plan to meet in a parking lot in his home town 30 miles away, at night, alone, I started to panic. I didn't even know what he looked like (so it was a blind date.). And I couldn't call him to cancel, since I didn't get his number. My sister, once again, came to my rescue. She had been going out with a guy, also from the singles ads, and said they would just come along and if this guy didn't like it, we would just leave.  I was quite impressed, for some reason, when "Ken" told me to look for a blue Camero. (Oooh, a sportscar!)

The evening finally arrived. My sister, her date, and I headed for Warsaw to get to the meeting place. We got there a little early and kept our eyes pealed for a shiny blue Camero. All of a sudden, a rusty old, loud Camero pulled into the lot. Oh, boy! That wasn't what I expected. He got out of the car and we did introductions. Obviously, he was a little set back to see two other people with me, but later said he understood my cautiousness. I thought right off, this guy is very cute! Tall, with dark, curly hair! He worked out regularly and was pretty buff, too! We had dinner at the Pizza Hut across the street. The conversation between us all went really well, so we decided to go bowling, after having eaten. The bowling alley was down the street a little, so Ken offered to drive us all over in his car. I didn't realize it at the time, but my poor hubby-to-be wasn't the richest guy on the block. The whole floorboard of the back seat had holes in it and we got what I would describe as free air conditioning. Bowling was fun, too. In fact, I got the best score ever and haven't been able to top it since.(149, if you must know. I'm not that great a bowler.) By the end of the date, I'd decided I really liked this guy and would enjoy seeing him again.

The following week, Ken called me. We talked for awhile. The conversation seemed to go well. Then, right before saying goodbye, he said that he had something to tell me. Oh, no! What could it be? "Well," he kind of mumbled, "I just felt I should tell you that I'm divorced." Oh! I  swallowed, O.K. "And something else. I have two kids." I was so flabbergasted that no words came out. "Is that O.K. with you? If not, I understand." He failed to mention this in his single's ad. (This was God intervention #1, for I know I would have never responded to the ad if I had known he was divorced, with kids). Well, he was so nice, I just couldn't  bring myself to tell him that I didn't date divorcees with kids! So, I said, "No, that's fine." We decided to go out again, and the relationship began.

About 5 months later, I was a college graduate, deciding what I wanted to do with my life. Our church(denomination) had a short-term(up to 1 year) volunteer mission program for young people in the U.S. I had considered missions and wanted to try it. There was a need for teacher's aids working with deaf and hearing impaired kids in Ohio. Since I had taken some sign language classes in college, I felt this was a perfect match for me. My relationship with Ken had kind of come to a stand-still. He wasn't really ready to marry again yet and I wanted to go on the missions in Ohio. So we parted ways as friends. In reality we didn't even stay in touch with each other after I left for Ohio. 

Fast forward to 1 1/2 years later. I moved back home, after completing my time in missions and spending some extra time working in Ohio. A week after my move home, Ken called me just to see how I was doing. Again, I was floored! "How did you know that I just moved back here?" He replied, "I didn't. I just happened to think about you and thought I would see what you were up to." (To me, this was God Intervention #2. He brought us back together just at the right time.) We started dating again...well, it took a little work at first. I was recovering still from a broken relationship with a guy I dated while in Ohio. I actually almost ruined our chance to get together again, when I kind of was rude and abrupt on our first time meeting again. But, thankfully, Ken was willing to give me another chance to see if I was just having a rough night. I made sure I was a lot nicer after that. I also had to get over the shock that he really didn't have naturally curly hair. The first time we dated, he had a permanent (Definitely an 80s thing). When we met the second time, no curls were on his head! 

A year later we were married and the rest is history!

Last year, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows on a beach in South Carolina!
So many wonderful memories! So many amazing times with the man I love!






Linking over at these blog parties:
at 2 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Everything is Blooming!!

Well, if it wasn't evident in my last post, it’s definitely very evident this time around!! Spring has sprung!!! We’ve been keeping so ...