Fall Flowers and Gods Work

Since we are in Kansas to enjoy seeing Nick run in his first college XC meet I am limited as to what I am putting up. But earlier when we made a quick stop at Walmart for a few items I saw their fall mums  and decided to find some other fall flowers to share. Stop by Beverly's and express your thanks for her hard work each week getting us into the Pink Saturday mode! Then visit other pinkies and enjoy all the pinks!

I love decorating in the autumn or fall! The colors are so rich and vibrate. This centerpiece is perfect.

A field of flowers. Always glorious in a spectacular array of colors!

The cooper containers add such a festive touch to the fall flower selection!

Look at these colors. The coleus is a very diverse plant. Plus the fall colors really pop!


October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Before I close here is a beautiful sunrise we saw while traveling through Limon, Colorado this early A.M.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
  18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
  19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Genesis 1: 17-19

"Oh Lord, how many are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your possessions. " Psalm 104:24

John 1:3 Through Him all things were made.; without Him nothing was made that has been made." 

I just had to share all the photos I took because I like the way the sun is rising over the horizon! It is such a splendid example of God's goodness.

I hope you will join Charlotte and the Spiritual Sunday participates too. I thought these photos would fit into the theme of God's love .

"O" is for Ordinary

 

I love ordinary! People! Places! These are a few of the ordinary things I enjoy! I love knowing people with a history! My mother was pretty ordinary if you meet her on the street! But she was an amazing lady! An outstanding cook! A very strong willed and kind hearted person! She cared for her phamily and had a true love for the Lord! I miss talking with her on ordinary days! She always knew exactly what to say!

I like simple places! They may seem ordinary and mundane but I know their secrets!

 On the road to Gunnison, Colorado. It is a small community with an out of the box feel! Beautiful and filled with people moving at a slower pace.

My mother (in the middle) with her siblings. I often look at this photo and wonder what they were thinking. Their father was a miner and ultimately died in a mining accident with my mothers oldest brother (Tony on your left). They had so little and yet they had everything that was important, faith and  phamily.

A blue moon. Perhaps not so ordinary but coming to you on August 31, 2012. I think we often take the moon for granted yet there it is shining each and every night. Lighting the sky for some and surrounding others in darkness.

Some time trees annoy me! Their roots can get into your plumbing! Their leaves litter the lawn in the fall and birds use them for free housing! Yet trees are so marvelous and all of them have a special quality! They have beautiful blossoms in the spring and some have pine cones we use for holiday decorating! Some produce fruit and others just stand stately and majestic  reaching for the heavens.

Not very ordinary. Just stunning and incredibly peaceful.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon. Breathtaking and beautiful!

Now head over to Ms. Jenny's and enjoy the other outrageous, outstanding and one of a kind posts from all the participates!

FAITH, PHAMILY, PINKNESS,LOVE IS....BLUE

Oh My Goodness! This weekend has nearly disappeared into a new work week! I don't like to gripe on my blog, but I have to pray to have a strong mind and faith as I prepare for the work week. I have just accepted the fact that God is keeping me there for a reason, and that reason has to do with faith. I talk to God a lot! He knows my strong will. He knows I share my opinion too vigorously sometimes and I struggle with what comes out of my mouth at times! But for whatever reason, he is keeping me where I am! So I surround myself with His word and I go about my day!

Some pinkness for my pinkies! I so love being part of Beverly's weekly fun! She is a wonderful lady with a beautiful heart, who leads us into pinkness each weekend! Thank you Beverly and all the wonderful pinkies who participate. I will be visiting you between today and the rest of this week!

This is my photo! One day I am going to learn how to use my cool Canon Rebel camera and write my Phamily Blog on my photos! This is Kansas. How about that blue sky? As we headed out there earlier this month to set Nick up at school I shot this.  Sweets and I love windmills. Not bad for a girl in a coffee coma traveling in the darkness with her Sweets and youngest son! Sigh! Come Friday morning my Sweets and I will steal out into the darkness and back to Kansas. The Lord already told me I can not sell my soul to go to all of Nick's XC meets so we are going to this one and if my Princess House sales are high enough, we will head out for one in October and the final in November. We were sad because we like the hotel we stayed in at Ark City but all the rooms are filled this weekend so we are staying in a vintage place in Winfield. Reminds me of my early childhood. In the 1950s!

As long as our room is clean and the staff pleasant we will be fine! The rate was really low! It also had some high marks on the review page! I do love those blue skies!

Wondering where I have been instead of posting Pink Saturday and Love is... Oh heavens! Our garage! Gee, how the heck can a phamily of 7 have so much stuff?! The kids say it is all mine. But that is not true! Lots of things, memories, dolls, Princess House, you name it, we have it! We should open a business in our garage! Good stuff, low prices! I love that big blue tube in the background!

So far Rebekah and my Sweets and I have sorted through a total of twelve Princess House boxes. Three belong to the kids, three are mine and the rest on the selling block! We have so many beautiful things! If you know anyone looking for something from Princess House, call me first! I see blue here too!

See my pretty blue decorative pillow? I love that pillow!We already donated three car loads of stuff to the A.R.C. and Goodwill! My Sweets will stop me cold if I try to buy it back! Laugh Out Loud! We found a box of Nick's toddler clothing. After I cried into that box Sweets took it away and headed over to the Goodwill with it! I texted Nick! He was getting ready for a run but he laughed, "Glad I'm here!" He is like his mother, he will keep little things from his childhood and I am searching for his first bible. He was a toddler at the Mt. Zion Lutheran PreSchool and Ms Coon, his teacher purchased a beautiful leather like bound bible for each child and they highlighted passages they learned! I found a second hand bible at the thrift store for Nick to take to college with him. We always encourage all our kids to read their bible! Many times we have written these words inside the bibles "This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book."

I have an NIVWomen of Faith  bible one of my dear bloggy buddies gave me! She likes to be secretive but I know who she is and I love her dearly! The Holy Bible encased in blue!

As I was reading my bible this morning and doing my daily study I was reading about Anna Cetas who said when she was 12 her dad retired from the paper mill and was given a Holy Bible inside a cedar chest. She assumed since it said "Holy Bible" it was off limits. So one day she took a peek! As she opened that bible the page fell open to the verse John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but  have eternal life." She said a clear red page fell over the page and a photo of Christ hanging on the cross. As a child she said the red film made it appear that He bled and died. She said when she had the chance she looked at that picture and wonder if that verse were true or if He too was off limits. It reminded me of my own childhood. Not because I was not raised in a Chrsitian home but because my folks had a beautiful leather bound bible that appeared to be crisp and clean and rarely uses. It also contained many of those photos but my father kept his own bible at his bedside. He often quoted the Book of James and as a child in Catholic school I was never encouraged to read the bible for myself. I always heard the words from a priest. It was like it was off limits. But I must have inherited my fathers curiosity because I thumbed through his personal bible many times. I have always felt a very strong connection with my own dad because of his bible. I wish I could have inherited it after his death. But  my darling Sweets who asked me why I didn't read the bible for myself?  When we were dating he gave me my first bible. Today it is a battered old New American Standard bible that is literally falling apart. But I read and re read it and highlighted the heck out of it! I have purchased many bibles since that time but that one is still with me because it means so much to me.

It has been a while since I participated with Charlotte and the gang over at Spiritual Sunday. It is a wonderful inspirational and encouraging group and so today I am sharing my post with all of them too. Charlotte is a gracious hostess and she loves the Lord with a passion I love seeing! I like her blue button!

"No longer do I call you servants , for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. "John 15:15 (NKJV).

I hope those of you who follow Spiritual Sunday will take this to heart. I cherish each one of you and all you share with me. I have missed being part of this group. I love butterflies and this little Hallmark verse says it all. I love giving and receiving cards! Oh my, blue skies and some pretty butterflies!

Do you ever wear your rose colored glasses so everything looks better? As I grow older I realize my time on this earth is slowing catching up with me! So I cherish more, I get emotional very easily and understand all those things the nuns pounded (sometime literally) into my head! I learned way back in the kindergarten that everything good does indeed come from God. I understand why we are born with the ability to choose right from wrong. I have very few regrets and  I value my Christian upbringing. I try to steer myself away from the ways of this world and people who think political correctness is the way to be! God loves each and everyone of us and it is ultimately up to each one of us to decide where we want to be in the next life! I never try to influence anyone with my way of thinking but I am caution around people because each day I am surrounded by people living wrong, being dishonest and hungry for money and pride and power! I pray for them because there is nothing else I can do. I am kind and very well organized in my job. I always smile and listen patiently when a patient has something to say. I respect everyone. I wish everyone respected me. I hope you will join Marydon and everyone sharing their Love is...each Sunday/Monday! When I dated  my Sweets many years ago the newspaper printed these cute little Love is....seven days a week. I cut them out and pasted them onto construction paper and made a booklet for my Sweets. We still have that and I still feel very loved after all these years of marriage! Come and join our Love is...

I fee like Cathy from the comics on Monday morning! I think I love wearing blue dresses the most!  Not a bow in my hair kinda gal though! Even though Cathy's is blue! As soon as my key opens the door those silly phones sound off! It is as if I have set off an alarm! Now I want you to visit Sally. She hosts Blue Monday each week and I hope you scan and read my post today, although it is very long, and find how many blues I shared with you! Sally rocks and she is the coolest Blue of them all!

NUTS TO YOU!

I was going nutty trying to think of a creative N post for Alphabe Thursday! So I decided to share a favorite snack here : N U T S ! I know some folks are allergic to them! But there are so many varieties and I like to eat a handful of pistachio nuts or almonds! Those are two of my favorites! I also like to have a snack with some crunchy peanut butter! When my oldest sister was a young bride and her husband was overseas in Korea she would send him care packages. One of the favorite things she sent him was canisters filled with  cashews! I think they are too rich for my blood!
My favorite pistachios are native to Asia Minor! This is a picture of them above. Those delicious little nutty pods grow on trees! The pistachio nut is a member of the cashew family! Laugh Out Loud!  Lots of recipes can be made using various nuts.

Walnuts are nice. I like to chop them finely and mix them into the batter of banana nut bread! If you don't like nuts you can always add chocolate chips! Yummy!  Walnuts are a good snack choice too. They are heart healthy! My mother use to bake the best dessert bread! It is a Slovenian speciality called "potica". You have to use lots of ground walnuts. Here is a photo:

Sometime, perhaps at Easter, I will share the story of Easter food with you. It is a tradition from my culture and the potica represents the "Crown of Christ". As a kid I loved Easter and all the stories and traditions

I love pecans! Did you know this fun fact, President George Washington loved snacking on these and often carried them in his pocket? Neat huh?

I had to share a pecan pie with you! I have a recipe from when I was a teen that I found in the newspaper column "Dear Abby". It is the easiest and very best pecan pie! It is a Thanksgiving favorite.

Need a zero cholesterol treat? Cashews! There are lots of health benefits here too. It is an energizing food that promotes good gum and teeth health! Did you know that cashew promotes good sleep  patterns in menopausal women?

Take me out to the ball game! Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks! I know you have to hear this song inside your head! Laugh Out Loud! You rarely hear someone says " I really love  peanuts.   Even airlines are downsizing and not serving peanuts anymore.  Jimmy Carter, our thirty ninth president of the USA was a peanut farmer! Peanuts contain more antioxidants then broccoli! It is a favorite food of starving college students (not my son Nick though!) Laugh Out Loud! You don't need very much to feel full!

Almonds and filberts are also nutty nuts! You can even use some of these nuts to create your own facial masks! Check it out!

I know I am going to miss someones favorite nut here but these are branches from a Macadamia tree. Jim Nabors who played Gomer Plyle and has a voice like an angel lives on a Macadamia  nut ranch in Hawaii! Some kind of life huh? Macadamia nuts are used in sauces and crusts and it is a flavor you can not substitute.

I know I got carried away about my nutty post but I hope you enjoyed it and will visit Ms. Jenny and all the other participates of Alphabe Thursday! It is nicely played out each week. Just don't eat too many nuts! You will get nauseous and your diet will think you were being very naughty!

Blue Monday

How about a pretty blue bouquet! I love seeing flowers in brilliant color and blue is perfect for a rose!

Rock candy! It is so much fun! I like it on the swizzle sticks and you can dip them in your tea for colorful fun!

What flavor do you suppose these jelly beans are? Blue raspberry? Blueberry? Cotton Candy? They are fun! Do you remember which U.S. president loved jelly belly's?

Writing I love you across a beautiful blue sky! What fun!

Do you have blue eyes? I do! Only my oldest daughter Noelle has blue eyes and my youngest son, Nick. Both of my grandmothers were blue eyed too!

A blue whale! They love warm waters! Did you know that the blue whale has thousands of tiny teeth? It allows the to catch smaller fish for food and the teeth releases the water from their mouth without their catch escaping? There hearts are the size of a small car! Amazing.

 Hope you enjoyed my take on blue today! Stop by Sally's and visit her and all the other participates! Have a gorgeous blue Monday!

Life :Looking At It Through My Eyes

I spend too much time thinking! Then I put all these thoughts together and here they are! Excuse my randomness but I just have to fill this blog with thoughts today. I also have lots of random images to share. Sometime things really touch a persons heart. I hope you will enjoy it!

I will not share my political views. I think sometime people get carried away. I will say this about politics, there is no one running for US president that will save America. Trust God, never believe a politician. People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. How did they get so mixed up? We love things. We tolerate people. People are used. Things are coveted. Life is sad.

How many politicians in office currently have served their country? Don't tell me if I don't stand up for our military I should stand in front of them!  I honor our military. God Bless each and every one of them who served us in this country. You are braver than most of us ever could be.

This may be hard to read! It says "There are two kinds of people in the world, you and everyone else!" My oldest daughter gave this card to me one year! But the birthday verse said she was one of a kind! She is! It is true! That would be her hanging upside down from the ballet bar!

I can not forget their faces. I will always pray for their families. Please remember their families and pray for the survivors too They have a long road to travel with their recovery. Do you see the young man, second row, fourth photo? A.J. Boik was the same age as Nick. I can not sleep at night until I pray for his mother. For his family, for all those he loved so dearly. Why was his life cut short? Only God knows. My grandmother use to say, we should not question God. One day He will reveal it all to us as our former life on earth unfolds under His heavenly realm.

Are these two birds sweethearts? Their heart shaped stance makes me wonder! The owner of this photo took a one in a million shot! This is love if you look really close.

...And you thought I did not support our military!

Do you like to kiss? Are you a good kisser?

Hmmm....looks like someone needs to work on their kissing skills! Laugh Out Loud!

Always be yourself.  You are an original. You are not a copy. You were created by a Master craftsman. He made a masterpiece!

Do you  know someone who is constantly blowing their own horn? It is difficult to be around someone like that. I found some quotes about humility that I really love. They received  no response on Face Book! Tell me what you think. I changed the quotes here:

"What kills a skunk is the publicity it gives itself." Abraham Lincoln

"People that put themselves above others will fall long and hard." Gina Lindley

HaHaHa! I  know I have done this a time or two! I like to do laundry! It is a good time for reflection. I talk with God. I pray. I enjoy washing clothes and making them smell fresh and clean again. But when I married I came into my marriage with a "NO Ironing" Policy! Laugh Out Loud! My Sweets irons occasionally although I have done it a time or two through the years!

I am going to paint you a verbal picture! This morning my hubby and I were getting a bagel. The line was long and as we were waiting a man was trying to wrestle his child, a small boy, in his arms who was screaming at the top of his lungs "I want  mommy! He took it up another octave until dad got him out the door! I said "Sure kid, you say that now. Then you go off to college and forget all about your mommy!" Been there, done that! No other comment required!

...And this quote  rounds it all out!

Instead of my honey this is me thinking about Nick! It feels like he is so far away!

Head over to Marydon's and join us for Love is.. I think we can post these each week and not come up with the same one. There are so many of these sweet little reminders of what is really important in life.