Guy Night

Our Grands live far away so we don't get to see them as often as we would like but thanks to technology we can still spend time with them.

My husband got a Video game player for his birthday, not coincidently it's the same game player my son and grandson have. We found out which games my son and grandson like to play and we got 2 of their favorite gamers. Now my husband and Grandson (or his Dad) can have a Game Night over the internet. I loved hearing my husband whooping and hollering while he was playing video baseball together (they have mikes, so can actually talk to each other)

Thankful for the opportunities God provides for interaction with family even though they are far

Winter Beauties

Given the current weather conditions we have been experiencing the last week or so, I thought it might be nice to remember what it WAS looking and feeling like around here

We have escaped the snow that a lot of of family is experiencing, but the temperatures have been cold enough to nip these little beauties.

 The first couple of nights the temperatures dipped to below freezing, my husband and I went around the yard and covered plants and shrubs that were starting to bud and flower. We did it for three nights, thinking that this was just a temporary thing. We gave up last night, what will be will be, there is more freezing temperatures in the forecast.

We are keeping our eyes on the Cherry Blossoms in DC, will there be blossoms or not? Still too early to tell says the Parks Service. It been an unusual spring to be sure.

We got spoiled, February was so warm, we thought for sure it was going to be an early spring, winter was over. Obviously that thinking was premature, winter still has a firm grip. Guess I won't pack away those winter clothes just yet, Keep warm y'all.

February Moments

Another month has flown by, I'm convinced time goes by more quickly the older we get. Once again it's time for me to put together my "moments" from the month before.

February is always a crazy busy month for us, mainly because it's our birthday month. We generally celebrate our birthdays together and this month it seemed like the celebrating went on for over a week.  (not complaining)

We took a little excursion to Richmond, believe it or not we had never been, and we couldn't have had a nicer time. We had planned on doing some museum touring, but honestly, the weather was so gorgeous, we didn't want to be inside. We found some outside activities, put the top down on a car we had use of, and went with Plan B. 

Weather here has been crazy, spring is about three weeks early for the plants and trees, Last weekend we had a couple of nights below freezing so we tried to protect by covering some of the more sensitive plants with plastic, not sure how successful we were.  This weekend is promising to be much the same. I guess it's not time to put the winter clothes away just yet. One day 80 degrees the next day 40 degrees, crazy!

February was a good month for us, family made us feel very loved and blessed.Lots of cards and adorable letters written by each grandchild. I loved it and will keep them forever. We been doing a lot of talking these last couple of weeks about the future, birthdays will do that and have had some discussions on the future and what it may or may not be. None of use really know do we? We are not promised tomorrow, how does this effect our livest and choices today

Coincidentally (not) I was reading Psalm 90 the other day, it echoed many of the things my husband and I had been talking about. There are so many verses in this Psalm that are resonating with me right now but I will leave you with the one that is directing my thoughts right now

Teach us to number our  days  that we may gain a heart of wisdom  Psalm 90:12

Without further ado, this was our month

Changing Seasons

It's not spring yet but you wouldn't know it from the way the gardens are looking around here. Several days of 70 degree weather has brought all the daffodils out. I am not complaining at all!

With the warmer temperatures we spent the afternoon walking the Garden's and snapping some photos. There was yellow everywhere you looked, it was a beautiful sight.

Just a s the seasons seem to be changing from winter to spring, our "life" season continues to change. I've been   debating on whether or not to continue with my blog, I wondered whether the time for it ended?  I have not been able to devote as much time to it as once did, but there are still things I want to remember, and photos that I don't want buried on my phone.

I asked for some feedback and the response was a surprising, yes, please continue, so I am.
The blog may look different going forward, there may just be a memory of the day, or a photo, or a scripture. It will still be a reflection on what is happening in our lives, how the Lord is working, but sometimes it may just be something I saw and want to remember. Something beautiful or ordinary that makes up the stuff of life.

The photo below is a clue as to what has been taking up all my time. Our room over the garage has gone from being a playroom for my grandchildren to an office/storeroom, I never saw this one coming!

January Moments

Well January is over, doesn't it seem to have flown by? I continue to be behind on my blogging but if nothing else I will try to continue to post photos as I am able.

One of my goals for this year was to participate in a 365 photo challenge, I didn't even make it a week. There are different seasons for different activities and this doesn't seem to be the right time for me to do this so I've abandoned this project for now. I am however going to try to take more photos with my regular camera and rely less on my phone camera. Taking photos is easier with the phone, I don't have to lug the big camera around, but I just don't think the photos are as good of quality, so thats something I will continue to work on.

January was the month I saw my oncologist, all continues well, Very thankful to the Lord for his continue grace on or life, and my continued good health. We had some snow that closed the city down for about three days and we had several days that saw temperatures in the 60s and 70s. My poor plants don't know what to think. We started on a business venture, the pocket watch is our logo. That is another blog post all in itself and we made a trip to Williamsburg for the day just to get away.

Our grandsons also sent us a "traveling" journal that we had fun taking around town for a day, we took it to Cape Henry Lighthouse and First Landing

January was a time for my husband and I to reconnect a bit after the busy holiday and to explore some new interests. One is going to the driving range on the Fridays he has off, the other is going to estate sales. It was a busy month but in a good way. Here is a sample of what our January looked like. What was yours like?

Thankful Thursday

It seems like forever since I have done a Thankful Thursday and since I was inspired last night by a friend to focus more on being grateful, I thought it was time to do one again.

I have struggled the last several weeks for a variety of reasons and have found myself focusing more on what is not than what is, and the many things I have to be grateful for. I want to see the blessings each day and to praise God for them.

So this week I am thankful for

1. The ladies in our small group. our group hasn't meet in several weeks because of the holidays then the weather. I was encouraged last night by these women as they pointed to various scriptures and truths. We need fellow believers in our lives to help point us to God's truths. I am thankful for these ladies.

2. For the visit we had with our youngest son during the holidays. We were able to see a movie together and play some Top Golf, plus I had a chauffeur whenever we had to go anywhere during the day

3 Safe travels for my son. He left for his home right before the storm

4.The gifts we got from our children for Christmas. One gave us a gift card for Airbnb because as my daughter in law stated "We know how much you like staying in other peoples houses" I think she was trying to be humorous but we are going to use it and I love how they got us something that was personal for us. My other son took some of the old movies from my in laws and made it into a DVD. My husband was surprised and very touched, we enjoyed watching my husband as a boy and his sister chasing chickens. I am thankful for my sons and my daughter in love.

5. Health and strength to do what we need to do each day. I don't think about it much until someone I know is struggling with an illness or we are having problems, but it is something I want to be more thankful for.

6.Sweet Lady's continued health and how happy she is where she lives. She loves to sit in the Lobby/Living Room area and when anyone comes in for a tour she will be one of the first ones to ask if they are looking to live there and if they say yes she will "talk up" the place. Hearing that makes our heart happy.

So that's some of what I am thankful for today and I hope have a change of focus as time goes on. How about you, what can you be thankful for?

Oh, did I mention the snow is all gone, it was close to 70 today...I can be thankful for that!

Snow Bound

We don't have snow often but when we do it shuts the city down. The weather people had been hinting at snow all week, but we tend to take all predictions of snow with a grain of salt, most of the time the warnings of impending frozen white precipitation never materialize, this however; wasn't the case last Saturday. Friday night it sleeted for about two hours, before it started snowing and then snowed all day Saturday. The temperatures then dropped and have stayed below freezing since. We have a few snow plows in the city but not enough to plow all the roads, mostly the snow melts on the streets when the weather warms up, so it could take days to clear things up. We are a Beach Town, not a Ski Resort, so we don't do snow well. (and we had a lot of snow)

Schools have been off, church was cancelled, our BSF was cancelled and many businesses were closed yesterday (husband did not have to go into work) Things are beginning to look up today, the temps will be above freezing, lots of places will be open at noon but conditions are still bad and if you don't HAVE to go out you need to stay home. (husband did go to work today, but late)

The "forced" home confinement has been good, I've tackled tasks that needed to be done around the house. I am still in the downsizing mind set, which means I need to clean out closets and drawers. We have been debating for about eighteen months on whether to move from our home or remodel to suit our needs as we age. We are leaning very heavily on the move option at this time, which means cleaning things out. Something that needs to be done regardless.

I'm getting a little "Cabin Fever" at this point, today will be day four at home. You don't realize how much running around you do until you can't. I am out doing things that need to be done several times a week.

The truth is, I need these "breaks", I think we all do. We are all so busy, with lists of things to do and places to be. God's plan can get lost in midst of all of it, at least in my life.

I am tending to household tasks during this time but I am also using this time physically and spiritually recharge. Trying to look at this time as a gift, sovereignly orchestrated by the Lord for me.

End of Year Thoughts

Well it was an unintended absence, I didn't plan on being away from my blog for so long, it just happened. I knew I didn't want to stop blogging but out of necessity it had to be put on the back burner.
Life has now quieted down a bit and it's time to reflect and look ahead. It's been a difficult year for us because of my husbands step mother's passing. There have been lots of things that needed attending to, and that process is still not completed. What has caught me by surprise the most has been all the emotional upheaval that the whole process has unearthed. We are both still in the midst all of that and with the anniversary date coming up, we will probably continue with that process.

We have spent the last couple of months loving on those we care about. There was a trip to see our Grands, as you can see, they are not so little anymore. The trip was enjoyable and the weather was perfect. We now have compatible phones so we can face time more frequently which is helpful because we still miss them a ton.

We also made a trip to see my family for the holidays. This is the third year we have done this so it's kind of become a tradition. We got another family photo and the young ladies in the group wanted us all to assume the same pose with each person staying in the same position as they were the year before. Time passes so quickly. I tell moms of 'littles" enjoy them because before you know it they will be grown. Hard to hear when your in the midst of raising your young ones but it's true.

Looking ahead I know some of the things I would like to do. I would like to once again do a 365 photo challenge, I will start on January 1. I found my photography also took a back seat last year and the challenge of taking a photo a day was a good exercise for me and would like to start blogging again on a more regular basis, we shall see what happens.

Here are some of my favorite moments from this past year, there were many good memories in the midst of all the busyness. Moments that went by too fast. 

Looking ahead, next year could again be very busy. We have a graduation and a recital in the spring, more plans to see our Grands and who knows what else the Lord may have in store for us. I have found myself looking ahead with apprehension at times, I think it is the season of life we in, so many changes. 

Despite all the change in our life, God has remained faithful, I can't even begin to list all the ways he has protected us this year, met us in our need and directed our steps. When I get discouraged  I need to remember this or when things seem to be going terribly wrong or not according to my plan. He is still in control and this is part of HIS plan

So looking ahead for next year, I hope to find the joy again that only comes Him

Being Thankful

A question was asked of us the other day about thankfulness. Here's the question, if you woke up tomorrow and only had what you were thankful for today what would your life look like?

I take so much for granted without even a thought of how blessed I am. Thankfulness should be as natural as breathing to us, but for me it's not. I was freshly convicted last night and reminded of how much the Lord has given me each and every day. Simple things like water when I turn on the tap, lights when I flip on the switch, food in my pantry and fridge.

I have a loving husband and family, friends and a church. God has control over my life, my eternal future, is secure,  I have so much to be thankful for and yet I find it so easy to complain, this should not be. Looking to be more thankful in the days ahead.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you  1Thessalonians 5 :18

Being Light

I was listening to some teaching the other day and heard something that stuck with me and has given  a new way of looking at things. Perhaps you will find something you can take away from it as well.

Family can be hard to share your faith with, they know you, they know what you believe, they don't want to hear it. I've heard the comment "Quit trying to save me" So I pray, Lord send another Christian into their Life to share their faith with them, share the Gospel with them.

What I never thought about though, is that there may be a family member of someone I have regular contact with in my day to day life that is praying the same prayer  for their loved one. We may be that person someone is praying for that will bring light into their family members life. Gave me a new perspective on being light in the lives of those I have regular contact with, maybe this will resonate with you as well.

Caught Off Guard

When you live on the coast your ears perk up anytime there is mention of a Hurricane or Tropical Storm off the coast. You tend to listen to the weather report a little more often, maybe tune into the local news to see the latest track of Hurricane whoever. It's pretty typical for storms this time of year, that's what happens when you live on the coast.

Last week we were watching Matthew as it was making it's way in the Atlantic. in the beginning of the week it looked as if we could be a target, so we began our customary preps. We took our patio umbrellas down, removed most of the hanging plants and started tidying up a bit. The forecast didn't show anything happening till the weekend, so we figured we had a few days to finish our preparations.

Our local weather guys announced Wednesday that a cold front was moving through and would push the storm away from us. Matthew wasn't going to effect us after all, we were in the clear.

Since the storm was no longer a threat, we went about our normal day to day business, we would finish our preps later, there was no longer any urgency we had a couple of weekends yet to get the summer stuff put away. I really didn't pay any attention to the news anymore, everything seemed good.

Fast forward to Saturday, my husband and i had separate things going on, he was helping a friend with some home repair and I went to an Estate Sale, going about our normal business.

What no one was expecting was the cold front and the tropical storm kind of collided and turned into a Northeaster and it was a doozy. The 1-2 inches of rain that had been forecasted turned into 12 inches and the wind was twice as bad as they thought it would be. Add the factor that we had tow high tides during the storm. Our city had flooding everywhere.

We both got home before the flooding was bad and we didn't have any damage. We had left our car out in the street and it took on some water but it started and will just need some time to dry out. Why didn't we put it in the driveway, because we never expected our street to flood. We lost power for about 12 hours as well and like the car we didn't prepare for that either, all our little devices, like my phone were just about dead when the power went out because I had neglected to charge them. I didn't expect that we would lose power.

I was thinking about this whole event yesterday and how it can have a Spiritual analogy. How often do we get so caught up in the business of today that we forget or neglect the things of the Spirit. Are we living each day as if the Lord could come at anytime or that we could be called home at any moment? Are we preparing for the return of the bridegroom? Are we in prayer for those that may not be Saved (especially those we love) with the urgency that he has called us to have. Are we preparing our hearts daily, are we keeping our focus on Him, looking for his return?

I am guilty of getting caught up in the day to day, of being complacent. Feeling thankful today that he continues to remind me, even with a storm, where my focus needs to be.

Closure

Last week we made a trip to the Mountain House, that's five trips this year. It's hard for me to believe we have made that trip so many times in such a short span, but we did. Our trip last week will probably be our final one and one of the purposes was for Closure. Does "Closure" really even exist?

My husband wanted to pick up the split black walnut logs that were stored in the basement of his parents home. His grandfather and my husband had split those logs years ago back on the farm when he was growing up. The wood represents a memory for my husband of his grandfather and of times they spent together on the farm.

The house is empty now, the household goods sold months ago. The outside has been kept up and mowed regularly but the flower beds that they were so proud of, are weed filled and overgrown and the fountain they loved so much, hasn't been used in almost eighteen months. Everything is a shell of what it once was.

There has been so much the Lord has shown us through this process. The biggest thing is how fleeting life is. Everything you strive to obtain in this life will be picked over by perfect strangers and sold to the highest bidder or donated to wherever or just tossed in the trash. Think about that please! How much better it would be to invest in the eternal instead of the temporal. 

We were able to take some things that held memories. Things that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else or have any value to anyone but us, that have been a blessing and a comfort to my husband. Many of those things were from his grandparents farm and stored in an attic.

The Lord has used this and continues to use this event to shown me how desperately I need a Savior. Feelings and hurts that had long been buried came to the surface with each visit. Wounds that only Jesus could heal, sin exposed that Jesus stands waiting to forgive. It is a work in progress but our Lord is so faithful in our need for Him.

It's and end of an era of sorts. My husband has had family living in that little town for over a hundred years, they are now all gone. Nothing last forever except eternity.

The house will be on the market soon, as will the small farm with the falling down buildings my husbands grandparents owned. We were able to rescue a clump of daffodils from the farm last spring, I'm hoping to see them bloom next year, it will help remind my husband and Sweet Lady of their grandmother. I'm told that little piece of property looks nothing like it did years ago.

The one thing I want to emphasis is how FAITHFUL God has been through all of this.  There were so many "but God" moments. Things that happened that shouldn't have happen, grace upon grace upon grace was given to us. So even though it is sad to see this chapter close we know God is and has been directing this and will continue to do so, this we can be sure.

August Moments

Can you believe that it's September already, summer has flown by for us and it's time again to put together a monthly memories post.

August was a kind of settling month for us, after our youngest son left in the middle of the month, we started to find our routine again. The house was quiet, it was just my husband and I.

My oldest son and wife continue to send photos of our grandchildren on their family outings,we love getting updates from them. Have you guessed that their favorite Baseball Team are the Orioles. Shortly after they got back home from visiting us,they went to another baseball game closer to their home. I heard they had a lot of fun. My son went with his two oldest children, all three ended up getting all ball, which excited my granddaughter most of all.

My husband and I took a little get away in August to the mountains of North Carolina and once back home we tried to enjoy the many little free outdoor events available in our city.

This past August marks the two year mark since our oldest son and his family moved across the country. The children have grown up so fast, they are now all in school full time. I still ask the Lord why they have to be so far away but I am much more at peace with it. There are times when I wonder what's next, but because we have been so busy, those moments don't last long.What I know to be true is that the Lord is faithful in all things, he has been in the past and he will be in our future.

Our life will continue to change, there will be disappointments, grief, joy, successes and failure( a fact I'm really aware of the older we get) but I'm trusting God (who never changes) to see us through and direct our paths along the way. Aren't you thankful we don't have to do this on our own strength.

Summer Memories

In case you think by the look of this post my family is still visiting, they are not. My son and his family left almost a month ago, I'm just that late getting this post up.

My oldest son enjoys baseball and doesn't mind traveling to see a game. Shortly after we heard his family was coming for a visit, he called to tell me that he wanted to get tickets to an Oriole Game. His family was going, did we want to go too? Did any of my siblings want to go? He also wanted to visit his grandparents as part of the trip.

We didn't want to miss spending the day with them so we agreed to make the drive. I wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea because it meant a really long drive, we would leave at daybreak and wouldn't be home till close to midnight.

I'm glad that I went because it ended being a lot of fun. My brother planned a cookout, several of us met there visited with my parents, got a bite to eat then continued on to the game. When I think of the logistics of this event I amazed at how well it went. My brother remarked that we should make this a tradition, it could be our "Christmas in July" (We are generally only able to get together at Christmas time because we are all spread out around the country) Who knows it might happen.

After the game (which our team won with a Home Run in the bottom of the ninth inning) we gathered together for a group photo before we all went our separate ways once again. Love the memories we had the opportunity to make this summer.

Grand Visit

 This was a long awaited visit. We hadn't seen our Grandchildren since the fall and we weren't too sure we were going to see them this summer until I received a text back in March asking us if we could have a crew come pick them up at the airport in July. We were thrilled to say the least.

We stayed busy the entire time they were here and before we were ready, it was time for them to leave. We had all decided early on that we would let them set the schedules, after all it was their vacation and we would do or go wherever they wanted to go. We have a beach, they do not, so you can guess where they wanted to go the most.

I'll have to admit, I'm not really a beach person and by that I mean, I like the beach, I just don't like lugging all the stuff you need for a day in the surf and sun, and although I like the water, it's usually too cold for me and I don't like the "jellies" or whatever other critter might be sharing the water with me. In my imagination everything I step on is a crab ready to bite my toes. All that to say our beach days were wonderful, warm warm, no "jellies" and the only other critters we saw were dolphins swimming about 15 feet further out. I spent a lot of time in the water and enjoyed every minute of it. And because we had so many hands, I really didn't have to carry much at all.

Other things we did were pool, zoo, Top Golf and as a treat from my son and daughter in law a Bushel of Blue Crabs. Oh and there were ballgames, two of them in one weekend.

It was a week full of memories, and as always, a chance to reconnect and love on my grandchildren. There were a couple of memorable events, the details of which I will omit, but I will never read Ten Little Monkey's again without thinking of Little Red.

Our Biggest Need

It seems we are being separated into groups, like Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives, Black and White, Young and Old etc, etc etc. more and more these days

But something our Pastor said the other day has changed the way I view things

Basically he said There are only two groups of people in the world Those who need Jesus and know it and those who need Jesus and don't know it, pretty simple isn't it.

It  has changed the way I look at situations, gives me compassion for people and it reminds me to pray more, criticize less.

We all need Jesus, lets prays for others with that in mind.

July Moments

 I didn't do much posting in July because our days were busy. Our house was full of some of my favorite people. Here's a little preview of our July memories.

There was an unexpected visit from my siblings and an unexpected opportunity to watch my youngest son perform. There was lots of beach time with all of our visitors, trips to ballgames and lots of good food, including some Blue Crabs, a treat from my oldest son and my daughter in law.

Our CSA was going strong, with tomatoes, corn, squash, melons, berries and most recently eggplant. I'd love to hear your ideas on cooking with eggplant, so far we have mastered Baba Gnoush.

My flower garden has about peaked and we are now getting ready for the August heat. Lantana and Black Eyed Susan's are blooming now, with the last of the Day Lilly's done.

We did a lot of running around while family was here and the time went by way too fast. I loved every minute of it though and will treasure the memories made. How about you,

what was your July like?