Splendid Saturday

With all the rain we have had, Saturday, July 13 was a perfectly sunny day!

The Crepe Myrtles are blooming in profusion all over the area at this time.  These two pictures were taken in front of stores in outdoor mini-malls.  Don't you love it when business owners landscape the parking lot area?

 

 

Our destination was Copperhill again.  This view is "on the left"  when you are almost at our daughter's/son-in-law's home.

 

The celebration of Benjamin's birthday was the reason for the trip.  He turned ONE on Monday!!!  His parents invited quite a few people for a delicious lunch.  They know how to set out a buffet.  The menu included (homemade) barbequed/smoked pork and chicken.  Various salads - including broccoli (yum), - - fruits, and dips were also offered.  There was something for everyone and no excuse to go home hungry!  You could eat inside the air-conditioned cabin or outside under the canopy tents with the slight breeze.

My "job" for the day was to make sure Benjamin was well-rested for the party - - so I had the HUGE blessing of holding him for his nap - - with his mom's permission!  Such a precious, precious time.  While rocking and cuddling, I went down Memory Lane and also prayed for his future.

As you can see, Benjamin moved outside for his cake.  Even though his cheeks are pink, he is under a tent and not in direct sunlight.  It looks like he trying to figure out what the object on his tray is!  Obviously not real cake - -  but he guzzled the water in the cupcake cup.  He likes drinking with straws.

 

His cupcake had a Cool-Whip type icing but guess he figured it looked like an ice cream cone and this was the best plan of attack!  You may notice the white shirt was removed during chocolate indulgence!   He did not eat all that - - got satisfied with a few bites and quit.

It was a wonderful day for everyone in attendance.    I know I post more than enough pictures of Benjamin because he is our first grandchild and we are still utterly fascinated by him.  You don't ever have to go over to his mom's blog - - - but this post she did was really, really cute.  She is creative in writing and this gives her definite memories of his activity level.  (And no - - she did not let him eat the rocks and grass.)

Let me tell you what God said next. He said, "You're my son, And today is your birthday."  Psalm 2:7

Scrumptious Saturday

Yesterday afternoon, I saw a bunch of these displayed near the front entrance of the store.  Smart marketing!   If you didn't have a pair when you walked in, you were probably quite enticed to add them to your wardrobe.  You can definitely say we are not having drought conditions!

As I have mentioned, I don't get bored being stuck in the house because I have too long a list of projects to complete.  Today seemed like a good cooking day.  Here's fruit salad that will last through Friday.

Although the picture doesn't do it justice, this Spanish Rice is excellent.  It has enough chili powder seasoning to give it flavor but not make it too spicy.  It is supper for Sunday and Monday night.

Tonight we are having Taco Soup - - - and five more containers are now in the freezer for that many more meals.  I finally started an Excel Spreadsheet to show what's in the freezer.  Each line has the food name.  The horizontal cells beside it show the date it was frozen.  The entire line is filled with a color.  As I take food out, I will delete a cell.

 

And even though I don't have a picture, the below link is what we had for lunch.  It is one of our absolute favorite recipes of all times.  You will not know you are eating Weight Watchers.  The things on it I do differently is serve it over rice rather than noodles - - use two apples - - use an additional teaspoon of brown sugar - - - and just shake the salt, pepper, and cinnamon rather than measure it.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=346418

 For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God;  Hebrews 6:7

Lynda Loves Pizza

Go to this link for a very yummy Pizza-fied Chicken recipe.  I made it for our lunch today with just a couple of modifications.  I used Pizza Quick Sauce (rather than crushed tomatoes) and Italian Cheese Blend (rather than mozzarella).  It was delicious and fulfilled my pizza craving without the crust made of bread.  I only had peppers and onions but they were still enough toppings to make it very delicious!

Hungry Girl is one of my favorite shows.  She has high energy and good tips for cutting fat and calories from recipes we enjoy.



 

July 2 & 3, 2013

This is one of Bill's vacation weeks - - and on vacation, a person should do what he chooses - - right?  He and I chose to go and visit our daughter and grandson for two consecutive days - - but this doesn't look like Benjamin!

Neither does this!

 

 Here he is - - taking a break from playing peek-a-boo - - one of his very favorite games now.   This is one of the few times Bill has gotten to play with him for hours rather than just seeing him on a lunch hour.

 

Amanda's Blackeyed Susans are blooming beautifully.  They were one of my mom's favorite flowers and also one of ours.  Their golden color is like sunshine on the ground.

Do you see the swing at the far end of the porch?  If you are sitting there or standing anywhere on the porch, you have a wonderful view.

This is that view - - one that I have shown you before but I never tire of it - - - even on a cloudy day.  It is so very relaxing and peaceful at their home.

 

Today we have enjoyed being inside the air-conditioning and working on sorting and cleaning the basement a bit.  It may not be exciting to anyone else but we enjoy having time to do that!

Tonight we are watching the nation's patriotic celebration on public television.  We just saw the last thirty minutes and are now watching the beginning!  Praise God for our precious America!

And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a blessing:   Genesis 12:2 

June 30, 2013

Benjamin is happy that his church library has

a table and chairs just his size.

He gravitated to them immediately when he entered the room.

This was their library's grand opening day and I got to be there for it.

His mom is showing him a book.

We have both read to him since he was a little baby.

Both our daughters were on vacation last week - - leaving the same day, June 22 - - - traveling 1,200 miles apart from each other - - returning on the same day, June 29.  I got to feed and play with the cats once a day at the older's house - - and of course, clean cat boxes.  The younger will most likely post some of her pictures soon.

Tonight was another of my "girlfriends' night" to celebrate a friend's birthday.  This friend LOVES July 4th and the patriotic decorations.  We were asked to wear red, white, and/or blue.  The table had a centerpiece appropriate for the season.

Although we all LOVE to eat, most of us are trying to be calorie-consumption conscious.   So tonight's menu was tossed salads with assorted meat and vegetable toppings contributed by those in attendance.  It was delicious as usual.

 

Check out the dessert.  I know you wish you had a bite!

After supper and before we left, our hostess had bought LARGE fireworks sparklers

and so we 40- 60 aged women went in the back yard and twirled them!

 

Praise God for the happy times in life where we can celebrate good things with others!

It gives us a diversion from the events and "decisions" in the news last week.  The grief in my heart is miniscule to what God's heart must be experiencing.  It would be wonderful if people would actually read the truth of our country's Christian Birth and the ideals of those who were some of the first founders. 

On the flip side though is our worship service yesterday at church with the wonderful patriotic and Christian music.  Our military men were recognized - - and some saluted each other during that time.  Many of us were overcome with tears realizing what their sacrifice in the armed services has given us.  So as we celebrate this week, I am thanking God for our precious nation and praying for revival in that land.

Wilt thou not revive us again : that thy people may rejoice in thee?  Psalm 85:6

May 27, 2013

Who remembers Edith Ann from Laugh-In?

 Did you think of that when you saw the above picture?

My sister, Sandie is 5' 4" so that gives you some perspective on this chair's size.

Sandie is shown with her granddaughter, Cobii.

If you are able to read the sign on the back of the chair, you will see that it is a public art display.  It is beside our Greenway (beautiful paved sidewalk through Cleveland but away from public roads).

 

You can see the landscaped walk with a street lamp beside it.  I happened to catch it between walkers.  Most everyday, weather permitting, this a very, very busy place.

We saw this bumper sticker and thought it was funny.

 

Earlier in the day we visited Red Clay State Park.

This is the inside of the house shown above. The doors and windows are barred and locked but you are able to view the interior easily.

This is the "Blue Hole".  The water looks bright turquoise in the right light.  The water emerges beneath a limestone ledge.

It is located on the far side of this bridge.

 

Yes, this is the creek bed which has water that is at least ankle high - - and COLD!

The water really is that crystal clear.

 

Red Clay State Park is a very nice place to visit in our area.  It has walking trails and over 200 acres.  The visitors' building has historical information about the Cherokee Indians who had council meetings there.  When the weather is "nice", it's a perfect place to visit for a nice family outing.

(That is the last post for our wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.)

 

"I made it beautiful, a work of art in limbs and leaves, The envy of every tree in Eden, every last tree in God's garden."  Ezekiel 31:9

Normal Life

I visited a couple of friends this week.

Believe it or not, the black cat was purring like crazy!
He just looks fierce.

Here is the BEST visit!  I saw him at a couple of stores once each week during the last couple of weeks.  We had a lot of fun shopping and looking around.  He is big enough to walk so he alternated between the cart, walking, and my arms whenever he would let me hold him long enough.  Precious, precious boy!

I have also taken time to do a bunch of annual medical appointments.  Between doctors' and lab visits, I enjoyed a delicious lunch.  (I only ate three of the potato chips.)

 

Plus I am still really busy with projects around the house.   The summer will be over before I make too much of a dent on my "to do" list - - - but I will rejoice in what did get checked off.

And of course, we celebrated the wonderful people in our lives on Father's Day!

 

We were with Joshua's family for dinner and it was wonderful as always!

 Many of you are to be commended for being so diligent in your blogging.  I do well to keep up with reading most of them!  Generally my goal is to update once a week.  Thanks for your posts.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  Psalm 16:11