Old And Familiar

There's nothing fancy about

Christmas

at our house, 

but it's always familiar. 

The same ornaments 

we've used 

for years,

bring joy in the

simplest

of ways.

They're time worn and loved, 
just like we are. 

  

Blessings!

Happy Friday - James 1:17

Sometimes, a picture says it all!

Autumn - Finally!

Our days are a little warm,

but

our mornings

and 

evenings 

are 

Just Right!  

What's it like where you are?

PS:  Time to go pumpkin shopping ... :)

Happy!

Happy!

Joy!

Joy!

Sharing Tomatoes and a New Recipe

We only have two tomato vines

but 

tomatoes 

are coming out our ears.

They're so delicious ...  tastes better than candy,

but then  ...  we have so many, they're spoiling right before our eyes.

Because I'm a good Wifie, 

I found 

a new recipe

that called for LOTS of tomatoes.

This recipe is from:

Chickpea and Tomato Salad

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• About 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 25 large basil leaves, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tbsp honey (10g)
• pinch of salt

Toss all ingredients together and chill for at least 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to merge.

I'm not sure if I'll make it again, 

but it served us well 

for a few

meals

and saved

these tomatoes

from the compost bin.

PS:  I knew you were wondering if we've shared tomatoes with our neighbors...Oh Yes!  

In fact, Buzz is pretty popular these days!

Butterfly Distractions

I've been pretty neglectful lately ...

I hadn't filled the 

Bird Feeders

in days.

Poor Birdies!

Photograph edited with picMonkey

When I got around to

taking care of

them today

I  was

distracted!

Awww   

Butterflies are Beautiful!

Happy Sunday Everyone 

Psalm 34:1 

PS:  It's been over two hours since I filled the bird feeders, and still no birdies.  That's what I get for being so neglectful.

Sweet September

(Photo edited w/PicMonkey)

There's Something Special About 

September. 

I've ALWAYS thought of it as Sweet!

How about you?

Sunday Morning - John 13:35

(Photograph Edited w/PicMonkey)

This kind of Love

is characterized for us in

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

~

"Love is patient and kind.

Love is not jealous,

or boastful, 

or proud, 

or rude.

It does not demand its own way.

It is not irritable, 

and keeps no record 

of being wronged.

It does not rejoice 

about injustice but 

rejoices whenever 

truth wins out.

Love never gives up, 

never loses faith,

is always hopeful, 

and endures through 

every circumstance."

Sounds good doesn't it!

You and I know it's not easy to do.

from:

 "Letters from Dana" - Dear Mr. Schultz

Just Sayin!

We all need help

when it comes to

real

LOVE!

Thankfully, we have a Friend

who is 

a Helper, a Teacher, a Guide.

(John 14:26)

Thank You, Holy Spirit!

Ephesians 4:30

Edited from a graphic found at "The Graphics Fairy"

Have you heard something or thought about someone 

that caused an offensive feeling to rise up in you?

Feelings that manifested as anger, jealousy or hate? 

That's exactly what happened to me recently and it caught me off guard.

I didn't realize I was capable of such awful thoughts.

Made me sad ... Made me mad 

but

thankfully, I didn't have to stay that way.

My 

favorite teacher 

"The Holy Spirit"

came to my rescue

and showed me

what to do.

Yes, my feelings & actions were grieving him,

but he loved me enough to help me turn around.

He showed me a better way.

Philippians 4:8 

1John 4:4

2 Corinthians 12:9

It's unsettling that I'm capable of causing Him such pain

 but he's helped me realize that my choices really matter
as he's perfecting me by his grace.

Teacher,
thank you for showing me how

 to love, the way You love 
to see, the way You see 

and to guard my choices,
so 
that the
 "Fruits of Your Spirit"
can proudly be on 
display.

Back Yard Update

Small Spaces

can be

FuN!

When Buzz and I retired and downsized almost four years ago

 we purchased this mobile home.

Looks awful doesn't it!

Somehow we were able see passed all it's 

negatives and envision

the possibilities.

We started working on the gardens almost immediately 

because 

we understood how long they would take to mature.

  

Also, 

we knew from the beginning

that

 we wanted a space 

to sit and

enjoy the gardens.

We made do with old pallets covered with plywood for a while,

but the day finally came when we decided to get serious about creating a special space

that we could use to work and relax.

We built two 8'x8' decks

one in front of the work shop

and another

just a few feet away.

They're only a few months old, but we've already enjoyed them so much!

The wisteria will be for shade 

and the herbs

will keep the mosquitos away.

Now, even the path to the rain barrels is a little more colorful.

We've furnished this deck with an old garden bench that Buzz's mom gave us

and a couple of colorful folding chairs that we've had for ages.

We like the way they look and they're actually pretty comfortable.

Can you say "Not Boring"!

Have you EVER seen so much color!!!

Most mornings/evenings

you will find us out here

watching the

birds

bunnies

and 

bees

...

and of course

pulling

weeds!

Nothing fancy by any means ... but FuN by all means!  

Blessings!

Joining

Summer Time is Busy Time

And

FuN Time

 Antiquing and Thrifting

Globes & Maps

We look for them wherever we go, but we're

picky about

color & age

The tall one is our newest find, 

Perfect Color

Perfect Age

Do you remember my DIY- Tin Can Fun?

Link

Today, one is filled 

with a bouquet of 

No 2 Pencils 

and 

the other

with

Colorful Art Pencils

We USE them every day.

:)

Another find that was the 

perfect color

and

perfect age

was this original oil painting.

It's not perfect by any measure

but we

love its charm.

There was even a note on the back from Chloe.

1923 or 22

"I watched this being painted

Gave 50¢ for it"

Thank You, Chloe!

Seriously though, 

this has been a crazy summer

and 

I can hardly 

believe

it's 

almost over.

 Our family drama was intense with the loss of a loved one.

We've been on the road a lot

but not always fun.

Perhaps

that's why our little jaunts 

to thrift stores & antique shops

WERE

so much FuN!

It was like a little 

mini 

vacation for us.

 Hope your 

Summer Days 

have been

a whole lot of lazy!

Blessings!

PS:  Buzz found a chair, table, clock & ottoman too ... I LOVE it when he goes antiquing with me.  He has an awesome eye and is always confident I'll find a spot for the treasures he finds....and, Yes, I do!  

Washer Necklaces - A Kid Friendly Craft

My Granddaughter just spent 12 days with me! 

Glorious!!!

 We spent one afternoon

making 

Washer Necklaces.

I'll admit that the 

nail polish was a little risky

but she did a Great job!

Once everything was dry, she strung them together with colorful beads

and Voilà

For our Washer Necklaces, we used:

(Made Twelve)

Two Packages of Washers (two different sizes) 

A Bag of Colorful Beads 

Elastic "Gold" Thread

Various colors of Nail Polish

1. We laid out newspaper, but also put a sheet of wax paper on top to keep the nail polish from sticking to the paper.  
2. She painted both sides of the washers with various colors of nail polish (allowing each side to dry completely).
3. She assembled the necklaces by stringing the washers and beads onto the Gold Thread.  

They made great gifts!  

By the time she went home, 

she had already given half of them away.

Sweet!

Arts and Crafts were FuN

But

Playing was even better!

Oh HaPpY DaYs!