Always

1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Ps. 100

Lord, it's all You. Your love, Your majesty, perfection, beauty.
All glory, honor, praise and worship to You!

I am most grateful to God for His omipresence and His unchanging nature.
He is ALWAYS with us. He NEVER changes - He is always steadfast and faithful, perfect, just, righteous, and loving.
Always.
Always.
Always.

And.....He is risen!

Time to join Ginger and Charlotte for Spiritual Sundays!

Rockin'!

Rocking gives me a soothing and comforting feeling. I sit in my hammock chair on warm sunny days and rock the hours away. I do have other options though.....



Here's my newest rocking chair! Picked up at a vintage shop this week. I did rock a little too enthusiatically on it and tipped over backwards....




This lovely old rocker was my great grandfather's. It was a favorite of his. It is small, and feels wonderful to sit in. My dad had it restored a few years ago. Beautiful.




This very small rocker was my grandmother's. It's in perfect condition and fits just about anywhere.




We keep this pair out on the front porch. My in laws had them for many years before we did.

Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend. It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow. Stop by and we can rock a bit!

Thanks to Debra for hosting Vintage Inspiration Friday! and Laurie for hosting Saturday Favorites and Sherry for her Home Sweet Home Party!

Carol

19 Years Old Today!

Dearest Chickie,



I love you to the moon and back.
To infinity and beyond.
Forever and forever.

Love,
Mom

YUM!

I've got 5 wonderful YUMS today! Ready, set, go!



We'll start with Yums #1 and 2. Here are this week's birthday celebrants! Mister's birthday was this past weekend. Chickie's 19th(!) birthday falls on Friday this week.
On the same topic, Happy Birthday, Mom! My mother's birthday is TODAY!




Flowers. The pansies are beautiful and I've got them in all colors! Purple, yellow, red, white. Yum #3!



Next: Yum # 4. Sun Tea. I'm making this several times a week. 'Nuff said.




Yum # 5 would be Mister's birthday cake. A blueberry gateau. His favorite. I used to use a bundle of candles and add one each year to the bundle to set on top for Mister to blow out. But at 59, it's gotten to be more of a Torch. So we forego that now.

Joining Laurie for YUM-Tof 5!

Have a wonderful day!

Carol

Wishing You a Joyous and Blessed Easter!

Easter is the most wonderful celebration on the Christian calendar.
In our family, we greet each other in this tradition:

"He is Risen!", to which the response is,
"He is Risen, indeed!"




Joy, salvation, hope. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life!




He. Is. Risen.!!

Wishing each of you a most joyous and blessed Easter!

Carol

joining Ginger and Charlotte for Spiritual Sundays!

Happy Birthday, Mister!

Today is Mister's birthday! Doesn't he look handsome??

He is getting over his bronchitis, and feeling better. He did share his illness with me, so we are staying in and doing nothing this weekend.

We will celebrate Easter next week!

Gotta tell you, Mister is one of the most favorite parts of my life! He loves me, he prays for me, he always thinks I'm terrific! He's romantic, generous and enthusiastic. Who could ask for more?

Joining Laurie today for Saturday Favorites.

Anticipation Pays Off

I was taking it easy after work this afternoon. Reading a book under my bed covers. Babying my mild cold.
Then I noticed it! It's what I have been anticipating!
The sun had come out, the temperature had risen and the neighbor's magnolia was at its peak!



I look at this tree, and the word extravagant comes to mind. Seriously, aren't these blooms extravagant?! Who but God would come up with such over-the-top beauty and countless blossoms?
I love the way His creation glorifies Him. Let us do the same!




It is remarkably romantic to look out my bedroom windows and view this beauty!
And so, my Simple Pleasure. Anticipating this wonder last week, realizing it today!

Thank you Dayle, for this blessed weekly chance to savor blessing!

Carol

A Busy Weekend, or What You Can Do with 3 Tons of Topsoil

Poor Mister. I was horrified the other day at the sound of his breathing. I made sure he went to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with bronchitis. He's been pretty sick. But that didn't stop the delivery of our topsoil.



Sure. I could call it 3 cubic yards of topsoil. But a cubic yard weighs one ton. And I moved it all singlehandedly. So I'm going with tons. Three Tons. Because when one has bronchitis, one must rest and recuperate, and not cart around nor shovel topsoil. Or top mud, as it is wont to become after a couple of inches of rain, even with tarping.




I filled in a big place by the corner of the porch to keep water from running down into the basement.




When we were required to have a curb installed last year, the company did not properly backfill before planting their mix of grass and large aggressive weeds in our tree lawn. So everything sank. It's filled in and seeded with grass seed now.




On both sides.




I used the mawl to level out this sloping garden. Then topped it all off with topsoil.




There was a huge depression in the center of the yard where I had removed a garden a couple of years ago.




I filled in the depression and seeded it with grass seed. Then placed chicken wire around it to keep the dog out.

All that was left was to scrape soil from the driveway and wash any debris away.

I also earned at least 2 days off from the gym. Maybe more.

I feel like a SuperHero.

Joining Cielo for Show off Your Cottage Monday, Susan for Met Monday!

Saved by Grace. Saved by Love!

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

Titus 3:4-7

Thanks for hosting, Ginger and Charlotte!

Old House Gardening

I finally got to pick up some pansies and pot them this week. Lovely, aren't they? I love how they speak of spring in their simple old fashioned way. Beautiful in simple old terracotta pots.




An old fashioned garden along the driveway is full of perennials.
Right now the daffodils are blooming. The naked ladies are leafed out. In the summer when the foliage is long gone, the leafless stalks with beautiful scented flowers will appear - hence the name naked ladies.




I cleared out a corner of the old garage for an old fashioned potting bench. Lots of shelves. Lots of counter space. I'm excited!




I also laid some brick! The cement slabs were lying here so I pulled them out and laid down brick that I had just taken up elsewhere.




Big slabs of cement. Tiny bricked area. Pot wrestled and dragged over to sit on brick.




My kind of exercise!




You can see the curve around this bed where I dug out the brick. I transplanted all the plants elsewhere. We are going to change the lines of this bed and build a wall around it this year. I'm favoring a stacked stone look.




Along the garage the spiderwort, daylilies, poppies are appearing.




The bricked circular garden in the middle of the yard is chock full of daylilies and naked ladies.

Wishing you all a wonderful spring weekend! Joining Laurie and Debra for their fun parties! Be sure to visit them, too!

Carol

Anticipation

Our neighbor's magnolia puts on a glorious show every year. This year promises more of the same.




It's lovely to watch through our bedroom and family room windows.
Today the weather forecast calls for mid-60's and sunshine! I think the blooms will really progress with such a wonderful day.

Have a wonderful day, yourselves! And thank you, Dayle, for hosting Simple Pleasures Thursday!

Carol

It's Official

It's official. My mouse button on my laptop is on the fritz. I can use the tapping method on the area between the buttons and the keyboard.
So if I'm not posting so often, you know why!

Hope every one of you is having a splendid and blessed week!

Carol

Peaceful Morning

I've not been online so much lately, but should be back more regularly in a few weeks.....



It's a beautiful sunny morning and I'm enjoying my coffee. It's still cold out, but we've some daffodils blooming now. My little friends are enjoying the quiet and the sun, too.




The original side of the house is filled with sunlight the first half of the day. It is a wonderful place for quiet meditation, devotionals, breakfast.




Wishing each of you a wonderful and beautiful Monday!
Joining Cielo for Show off Your Cottage Monday.....