Love is..../Blue Monday

When you are visiting blogs please stop by Marydon's and Sally's because these two ladies invited me to join their weekly memes and I so love having them to visit each week! Marydon hosts Love is...and I really want all of you to come see what fun we have! Lots of my original Love is...cartoon clips are packed away but I have others and so far we never duplicate each other. Sherry joins Love is...too and we all share our thoughts from the heart.

Sally is a joy with the Blue Monday crowd. She always finds the best blues to give us a Monday morning lift! It is a nice reminder that many folks are here to support us in all we do. The camaraderie is grand! We learn to enjoy and appreciate each other. The various talents and treasures we share. The helpful hand we lend. It is good for the soul.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said , people will forget what you did but they will never forget how you made them feel." This is a favorite quote of mine. It is often attributed to Maya Angelou but also has been said it belongs to others. Whoever first said it, they knew it was true. That is a fact of life, no one will ever forget how you made them feel!

Nick is going to head off to Kansas and college life by this weeks end. It is hard for a mother to let her baby go. But it will be a wonderful experience for him. We will get him moved in during the weekend and then return home until he flies back on the 14th of August. He did find out that his room mate will be new to the college as well and he is from Ireland!

"If you would have your son to walk honorably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over them - not insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone." ~ Anne Bronte

I am  praying that I will be strong and get through the initial shock of him leaving. Here is a little photo gallery from his high school years running track and cross country and enjoying his siblings. (I still need to transfer all my photos from the other laptop to this one). Sigh!

 Olympian Bernard Laget with Nick, Arizona 2011

Nick and Miss Susie, Mapleton Pre School 1994

Sis Hannah and Nick 2010

Nick and Taylor 2012

Big sister Rebekah 2011 

2010

Nick and cousin Sarah 2009

Proud Parents 2010

Nick and Mrs. Hammer 2010 State Cross Country Competition Fort Collins , Colorado

All this blue is for my friends at Blue Monday.

"J" is for Joyful Heart

"A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit  dries up the bones." Proverbs 17:22

I have spent lots of hours in prayer. Praying for our world, for the sadness that seems to fall over us at the most innocent times. Like watching a movie and having your life turned inside out. Losing a loved one. Feeling as though you are trying to run away in a bad dream. Through all of it the Lord never falters. He never leaves our side. He will never abandon us.

I felt that writing about a joyful heart during my  Alphabe Thursday post would help my healing.  I was terribly saddened by the shooting last week in Aurora, Colorado. My goodness, I live with 20-30 minutes from there, depending on the traffic flow! I started watching the T.V. reports.  I started to see the faces of young people, gunned down by a well planned, methodical man who's name I will never speak of . I get upset when the T.V. and internet blast his image and that of his attorney for me to see! I feel as though I am staring into the soul of Satan himself. So when his face appears I shut my eyes and I pray that God will remove his face from my mind.

I was feeling so sad and unable to concentrate for the first few days. I prayed for answers and I realized it hit me like a ton of bricks because my own phamily. So many of the victims were young, beautiful, vibrate people like my own children. Then my oldest son said he knew one of the victims. Jesse Childress, an Air Force reservist who worked at Buckley A.F. Base in Aurora. It just really struck me hard. Then the Lord gave me the verse I posted here. I am not making light of the shooting but there are many joys that have risen from it already!

Baby Hugo Jackson Medley born July 24th. His father Caleb was shot protecting  his pregnant wife Katie during the shooting.   Caleb took a bullet in his eye and is in critical condition at the University Hospital. When Hugo was born and Katie took him to see his dad the family said Caleb's blood pressure became stable when he heard his sons cries! Caleb is in a drug induced coma.

Christian Bale and his wife visited with the victims at local hospitals and were photographed at the memorial site. They looked like regular folks although his sad expression made me respect him for taking his time to make this journey.  He came here privately, on his own without a lot of studio hoopla. Just a concerned citizen. It made lots of people smile especially many of the victims at the hospital recovering.

Petra Anderson was shot several times. You may have read her story. The 22 year old musician was shot in the head but when the bullet passed through her brain it missed all significant areas of the brain!  Her pastor blogged about it at Celtic Straits! A small joy in a huge tragedy!

Jessica Ghawa's family have started a scholarship fund. They are hopeful another young woman will want to enter the world of sportscasting. They said they would not let Jessica die in vain!

`Pierce O'Farrill a survivor who was released from the hospital hopes to meet the shooter one day in prison. He would like to tell him he has forgiven him and will ask if he can pray for him.

Brenda Kay Pourciau has a long road ahead of her filled with lots of surgery and therapy. She lost part of her knee in the shooting. She just graduated high school in Baton Rouge, Louisana and was on a road trip with a friend. They had left Seattle and decided to stop in Denver. A movie sounded good! She and her friend were in the back of the theater when she was hit. She said a great peace came over her and they crawled out of there. Once inside the lobby she could not crawl anymore. Along came Chris Lakota, just out of the Spiderman movie. He carried her into the arms of a waiting patrol car. That officer rushed her and another victim to the hospital. Without their fast thinking Brenda would have lost her leg!

My joyful heart does not take away from those who lost their lives so violently. It just lets the world know that good can come from evil and we should never lose faith in our fellow man. In the days to come these families will grieve. They will be angry. They will be sad. But they will never forget the loved ones they lost and will always have their joyful memories with them.

Love is.../Blue Monday

A silly little comic to lighten the day! This is definitely me! Ha!Ha! Waking up with one eye opened,  looking over at my Sweets. He has a birthday tomorrow. It will be a busy work day and then we can have a quiet evening. It is so hot here, we have no energy to do anything!


Come visit and join the fun.

Marydon

Our garage shadowed by one of three pine trees towering to the sky! It is so hot here, over one hundred several days this week but the sky remains clear and blue!

Another tree near the house. These trees are beautiful but the cones they drop are so nuisances. They are not traditional pine cones you can decorate with! Come visit Sally and enjoy more blues!

One last sweet share. This mothering elephant hugging her young one! The compassion they show each other is so wonderful. I am seeing many people sharing their compassion this week and probably in the next few weeks to come.

Please pray for the victims and their families of the Aurora Movie Theater tragedy! Our oldest son J knew Jesse Childress and played flag football with him. J went to see the movie today with three friends. Jesse was 29 and lived in Thornton, Colorado.  He was single, an Air Force reservist. He worked at Buckley Air Force Base as a cyber system operator.

A blogger that I know here was at the movie Thursday night with her two daughters. They were lucky to run for their lives and are safe. I put her post on my Face Book page. You should read her Christian testimony. 

"You can not do a kindness too soon,  for you never know how soon it will be too late. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mind ,I will repay says the Lord" Romans 12:19

Pink Perfection

I love my dolls! I thought since I am weary from a hard taxing week I would give you some sweet dolly pinks! These are courtesy of the google images:

I own many dolls of days gone by. These sweet ladies look especially pretty in pink!

A pink doll house. Would you enjoy decorating this dreamy place?

A Troll doll! I still love these silly dolls! I had many as a child and my favorite auntie made them the sweetest clothes! Oh how I wish I still had them! I dig that pink hair!

Who doesn't love Barbie? The girl has a wardrobe to rival a super model! Plus she sure looks good for her age! Fifty plus!

I hope you join Beverly and all our sweet pinkies to share your favorite pinks.

Please read my previous post. I am going to write a little tribute about each victim of the Aurora massacre this past week as families allow us to know their loved ones.  I would appreciate you following me. Later I will tell you a story behind my passion for so many victims of these senseless tragedies.

Happy Birthday to Beverly!

My week has been filled with  many phamily plans. and obligations. We celebrated my Sweets birthday on the 23rd! Now he is the exact same age as me and has to lay off telling everyone he is married to an "older" woman.Ha! Getting ready to send Nick off to college. The trip will be a good time for reflection. I will talk about my sweet baby boy later.

I am excited today that we are celebrating with Beverly. She is our Pink Saturday go to gal! She does an excellent job pulling us together each week and sharing her pinks with us!

So happy birthday Beverly! A pink and yellow cake to share with each pinkie today!

 

Pink and yellow daisies. A sure sign of summer and friendship! I picked one for each of you!

"It's your birthday and I can't be there.
But I'll send you a special birthday wish and a little prayer.
Have a happy birthday.
I hope all your birthday wishes come true.
May you have a great time today
and find happiness in everything you do.

Author: Unknown

"I" am....

Had I put up my post Wednesday I would have made a happy post! I was going to highlight the letter "I" and tell you how I love people! I love living. I love being around my loved ones. I love my blog world pals. I love being here.

Wednesday I was a few short miles from where the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado happened last night. I was having my toe nail surgery Wednesday afternoon. I was unhappy, miserable and grumpy afterwards. The numbing drugs and shots I had were wearing off and I could barely cope. We nearly drove past the apartment building where this gunman lived. I refuse to mention him or his name. I want to share some of the victims who lost their lives in a senseless tragedy. I want to honor those who are still fighting for their lives. Those that are injured and recovering. Those that simply survived. The police and medical personnel. Anyone and everyone who jumped into the middle of a heinous crime to do whatever they could to comfort those in the midst of chaos.

I truly love people. I have that silly Anne Frank notion that there is "good" in many folks. I am unsure if "all" are good but for the most part when a tragedy occurs lots of good from the communities surrounding it happens. This is such an incomprehensible act of violence.

I saw an interview with a couple in their early 20s. He is from North Carolina, she is from Colorado. They were at the premier of the "Batman" movie at midnight  Thursday. During the chaos of escaping he lost sight of her and went back into the theater! That is love, that gentleman is a keeper. It is amazing what people do during chaos. When tragedy struck  they fought back!

Alex Sullivan turned 27 years old today. He did not make it out of the theater. His family said he was fun loving and always smiling.  They ask that everyone respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Jessica Ghawi  24 wanted to be a sports writer. She came to Denver to hone her skills. Last month in Toronto, Canada she narrowly escaped a shooting in a mall food court.  At the movie premier Thursday night Jessica was one of the victims who did not survive. She had written on her blog , regarding the Ontario shooting that she realized how fragile life was. Please remember her family during this unsettling time.

Lots of compelling stories are coming out. It is difficult to step away from the television. My hat is off to the no frills, tell it like it is Chief of Police Dan Oates. He is handling this investigation differently then other law enforcement handled the  Columbine tragedy thirteen years ago. His officers were on the scene in response to the first 9-11 call in less then 90 seconds! Regular patrol cops, no riot gear, no protection from the gunman! They forged their way into that movie complex and simply did what they had to do!

 Prayers are being said for these victims and their families and all those involved in this horrible act of violence. Twelve lives cut short. Twelve families hurting. Eighty injured. Pray, than pray harder.

Alphabe Thursday

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.." John 26:33 

My middle daughter would like the newspaper articles from different cities regarding the tragedy in Colorado. Please contact me if you can help by sending them her way. God Bless You!

Love is... and Blue Monday

Ah.....this is picture perfect for my Sweets and me. I hope you visit Marydon and share your favorite Love is today.

Here is Rose getting cozy in the sunshine! She loves the window at the head of our bed and likes to look through the sheer new curtains I put up for the Spring and Summer. I like the new comforter and window covers we got. They are a pretty shade of turquoise and they have a brown design swirling in the fabric.  I thought they would fit into the Blue Monday theme. I need to get a cool day to share the rest of the bedroom with you. It is so hot that I find it hard to concentrate on anything except staying cool.

This is one of the two coordinating pillows to complete our bedroom look.

A daytime view of the sheer curtains.

This is the matching sheet set that I bought with my comforter set and a darker turquoise blue pillow case to add more color!

I hope you will visit Sally and share your blues today.

Home Sweet Home

I had planned to share my Home Sweet Home stitched picture with you here but in the midst of switching laptops  I need to still load all my files on this newer laptop! So I am relying on images from the internet to share. I am sharing today with Ms. Jenny and my very late letter "H" today as well as Beverly at Pink Saturday.

How about a pretty pink cottage to share tea with a special friend?

Strawberry Madeleines
Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 tablespoons strawberry balsamic or lavender jam (doesn’t have to be thick)
• Pinch Pink Himalayan Salt
• 1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons local salted butter (melted and cooled slightly)

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375F.
• Melt butter and set aside to cool.
• Butter and flour mini-madeleine pans well. I used extra melted butter and a tea caddy to add flour to each mold evenly.This left me with a light but very even coating.
• With a hand whisk, beat the egg and sugar in a large until they are well-blended.
• Beat in vanilla, jam, and salt.
• Add flour and beat until just blended.
• Gradually add cooled melted butter to mixture, beating until just blended.
• Spoon one teaspoon of batter into each cake shell. The batter may thicken as it cools but don’t overfill or try to press the batter into the mold, they batter will spread and fill the mold.
• Bake until puffed and edges are lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes. Do not brown. The time may vary depending on your baking sheet. You may use the mini madeleine coated pan from Williams-Sonoma. Makes about 20-24 depending on how full you fill the molds.
• Cool in pan for 3-5 minutes, then remove from the pan gently with a silicon spatula and finishing cooling on a wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Dust with confectioners sugar just before serving
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 A pretty pink teacup to share during your relaxing tea time. Don't you think this is a perfect setting for a Home Sweet Home affair?

Once Nick leaves for college I will need to console myself so I have grand plans to take my three daughters to a special tea house near our lovely Colorado mountains. It will be a nice relaxing day and we can share some "girls only" time. My middle took me to see the movie "Magic Mike". Yikes! Lots of bare bottoms in that movie and not a man in the movie house! LOL!

The Good Book and Love Is...

"When you carry a bible, the devil gets a headache.

  When you open it, he collapses!

   When he sees you reading it, he faints.

   When he sees you living it, he flees!"

I saw this on my youngest sons Face Book. It is one of those e mails that you copy and paste but I decided I would post it here with the main theme! I know many times I open my bible the devil comes up and tried to discourage me! He likes to distract us with worldly things so we concentrate on him rather than the Lord! We always have to be on guard against his evil plan against us.  I was happy to know my son keeps up with his reading and he is studying his bible. I think it will help him on his new journey to college in a new place. The fact that he is going out of state is making me sad but knowing he is part of God's army makes me smile!

 Not really having a bad day, a good one with the phamily! But the cold rainy weather made for nice snuggling earlier today! We had breakfast with our youngest daughter Hannah at the Buff in Boulder .
My lemon pecan griddle cakes were yummy! I shared a plate of chili cheese fries with my Sweets! You have not lived until you eat Chubby's chili cheese fries! After a plate of those your sinus/allergy problems are history! I normally don't like hot green chili but poured over fries with melted cheese and the combination mellows! Yummy!

So please stop by Marydon's and join us for Love is...

Then give  Charlotte a great big thank you for hosting Spiritual Sunday!  I have not been participating lately but think of all the lovely folks I have meet there. I am trying to be better and will work on getting my posts up earlier.

A Pretty Pink Twenty First Birthday !

Our youngest daughter Hannah celebrated twenty one years of living July 3rd. She had spent a few days in Oklahoma City with her beau Markus who is working in oil and gas this summer. Hannah wanted a special birthday cake and my local Albertsons designed this one for her, two layers, one chocolate and one white filled with chocolate fudge. The cake decorators at my store made this picture perfect cake!

Hannah and Markus, Oklahoma City water fun 2012.

Pink roses for a pretty lady!

Come visit Beverly and thank her for hosting our weekly Pink Saturday's!