Tornado Weather~ Phillipians 4:7

What do Grammas everywhere  do when such destructive storms are pending?

Pray people - they pray..and accept the peace that is offered us in scripture, that peace that 'passes all understanding.'  [ Phillipians 4:7 ]

Gramma's Bible~ circa 1983

 The oldest personal Bible I have is the dainty white Bride's Bible I carried with me down the isle when I was married June 21,1959 in Mershon Baptist Church-in south Georgia.  It was a gift from our church's Girl's Auxiliary organization. It cost $4.95. I know because the tag was accidentally left inside.

I used it regularly for the first few years then graduated to a larger edition with larger print I am sure. I seldom read from it now and never use it to study but it is a proudly/humbly displayed treasure in our living room placed next to our Wedding Picture..the only one we have.

Over the years I had several Bibles, some received as gifts and used regularly some remained in new condition because I was not comfortable using it..the edition of THE LIVING BIBLE was a beautiful book and gift from someone who loved me but I was never comfortable with it.  The black KJV above was a gift from Ted, Steve and Deanna on my birthday 1983. This was the most used Bible of my life.

From 1983 until 2011 this Bible with all it's notes, highlighting and marking tells a story of God's Word used in a person's life. When I left it to be restored earlier this year it was very difficult to use..one might easily say it was ragged.  Some pages were even unattached. One of our children remarked a few years ago as he saw me carry this "falling apart" Book "Mom, are you trying to shame us all?"  After a minute I realized what he meant.  He was referring to the 'testimony' of a well used Bible [I think].

This is the restored precious Bible we picked up from the Lifeway store today after paying them $175.49.  I am sure that is several times the amount paid for the original one given me in 1983.  That's okay..I would have paid twice that if necessary.  It has been suggested that perhaps I will take better care of it this time. No, my heart's desire is to wear it out again with use.

What a sweet thing to open the returned old worn out cover and find so many little treasures that had been between the pages. There were love notes from "my girls" I taught in southeast Texas, Book marks from the Grand children, one from Turner, another from "Amie Simmons", a little love note from "Holly", another from Lindsey and one from Dylan,  All these priceless little treasures from loved ones.  I had overlooked these and am so thankful they were salvaged and returned to me.

[ ~post script: I am thinking about buying a brand new one to wear out  and if God allows enough years perhaps another one so there will be one for each of our children to have when I am gone.]

YES!!

HE IS RISEN~He is risen indeed!

Share Jesus Without Fear

Share Jesus Without Fear

Simple Things~

Such simple things as a bunch  OF FRESH RADISHES from our little patch in the back yard -makes my day. 

Did you ever learn to appreciate those small radishes thinnly sliced and slipped into a biscuit..even a cold one? If you are under fifty..maybe not :^)

And the fresh green onions are just as celebrated-am waiting a few days to begin raiding the Romaine Lettuce but it's looking good!

3-29-41 Remembered~

They know I love colorful. They know  how much I appreciate flowers and candles.

I appreciate the fact that they knew how to find and use a small package of candles using  less than the entire eight.  Somebody likely did a little visualization and knew they didn't want to make a cake large enough to accomodate that many candles-of course Gramma wouldn't have been able to blow them all out without starting a fire.

WEDDING BELLS~ Joy,Joy!



Steve & Carol
December 2010 at "the Hanging of the Green" at Eastern Hills
Baptist Church, Montgomery,Al.



They came down Saturday afternoon to share the news with us and
we had dinner together at Ruby Tuesdays

[Right now I am so overwhelmed and joyful I am almost at a loss for
words..as soon as I "find words" again, I will elaborate on this wonderful
news and all that is filling my heart. additional pictures to follow ]

A Personal Invitation!

 

Pour yourself a Cup of your Fav Tea, turn the TV off, Pull up a Chair and soak in all the Pretties I have scattered about the house for you - join the conversation-Leave Me a comment, feedback you want to share. If I did not like tea I would drink it anyway just to have an excuse for collecting pretty tea cups and teapots.

I look forward to your input~ Jonell

When a Thank You is Not Enough~



The Restoration Project
A Labor of Love

 There are some things so unselfish in the doing and giving that THANK YOU is not adequate. In fact just the words THANK YOU are almost pathetic. I am thinking of the act of making SALVATION available to us ~it's just not enough to say 'thank you'~ to put that into my pitiful everyday perspective..has a loved one done something for you that was so totally beyond SELF..So completely about YOU THE RECIPIENT and you start to express appreciation and it's hard to say thank you..IT'S SO WIMPY..whaddaya do? What I did was just express to that person what I just said..that I realize THANK YOU just doesn't cover it. mmm something to mull over and see what God reveals to me there.

March Winds~~

 

Here it comes right on schedule [ today is the last day of February]

..the March Winds!  And there they go~~~~ the blooms on the fruit trees! 

Soaking Up Sun-Vitamin D

Sooooooooo nice~my first nap on the deck in the FEBRUARY SUN this afternoon.  That, my dear friends to the north is reason enough to COME ON DOWN  South.

After announcing that I  am okay with "sunning" again-a friend replied that "we're going one way or another-might as well go with a tan".

My stated rationale is that I will die before any skin cancer would kill me but I like my friend's thought process..God will recognize me either way, right?

{have avoided excess sun for many years b/c I turn dark practically overnight}

Our next seasonal milestone will be COFFEE ON THE FRONT PORCH early mornings! The only problem is Spring seems to be coming fast and I don't have all the black rockers and wicker repainted yet....Oh well I usually work better under pressure with deadlines!

Close Out 2010

Christmas in Brundidge 2010

Thanksgiving in Montgomery 2010

Sweet Rememberings~

Thinking about how times, relationships and expectations of loved ones have  changed:

Remembering Grandma Mobley- She never cooked my favorite food.  In fact I don't recall having a favorite food.  It was just good to have food. 

She didn't have a basket or box with toys set aside or bought for me and I don't even recall having a writing tablet or a special book she had for me or the other grandchildren to use at her house.

As a child I don't remember getting a letter or a love note from Grandma.  She never asked me what I wanted "Santa" to bring me and never went to a school function or special program I was in as a child.  I can't recall her ever giving me money  or sending me a birthday card.

So how is it that I have nothing but loving fond memories of my Grandma Mobley?

We never had a list of things she had to do in order to measure up as my grandma? She was who she was and we loved her ...just as she loved and accepted us, each one treasured  in her heart...none more than another.  She was my Grandma in a time when people accepted each other without trying to reshape and remake to suit us. She [or Grandpa] didn't have to do anything to be loved and treasured by me and all my cousins.

They didn't "measure up"...They didn't have to.  What a treasure!

Have a Berry Merry~and a Wonderful 2011

Yes, I am jumping past Christmastime quickly but a realistic assesment of the next week or so tells me to put aside blogging for a few weeks.

This is the time  I had intended to pause and have this past two years of my two blogs  compiled into a book for sharing with loved ones..I hope it will have some meaning and value for them perhaps they  will treasure it in some small way.

Christmastime is a mixed bag~it's a time of Joy and Giving, of sharing and Loving, and also a time of sadness~ remembering those loved ones not with us now and others so far away at Christmastime; however  I am reminded of how often & how long I have asked My Lord to "keep my heart tender" ~so there!!

[To be continued in 2011]

Over the River and Through the Woods~

Leaving Troy, Alabama the early morning sunrise in the rear view mirror was amazing.  It was exciting getting on the road. [ Yeah, I know-it doesn't take much to excite us.] I love the skyline as we drive through or past the larger cities and the  southern landscape which shows more evergreen and some color changes to the bare dark,dark silhouette of the trees as we move northward..no color, no leaves but it has it's own distinctive wintry beauty.  I always remember this from our years in western Kentucky in the 1970's.  God made all kinds of beauty didn't He?

We knew to expect almost any kind of change in the weather and we got it..the changes! We had one whole day of non stop snowing, drove to church with snow and ice  and I think I was the only person  saying "It's so beautiful, it's all so beautiful anyway.". It was. For the first time in quite a while I had not only my heaviest [NOT] coat, scarves but two or three pairs of GLOVES..most winters I cannot even find my gloves.

One night the temperature got down to 5 degrees.Yes!  The next morning the neighbors dogs were the only ones with the sense to get out there and run and romp and play in all that wonderful white stuff.  Yes they were..I stood watching out the window while no one was yet awake..the dogs were like little children lightheartedly running about. 

When you are in western Kentucky..it's worth the effort to locate and spend a little time in Grand Rivers/look for Pattie's 1880's Settlement..Omy, the lights, the shops the restaurants are festive enough even in July but in December it's like a miniature Disney setting..

After a bit more real winter and heading home [south] I couldn't resist the ooooooohs and ahhhhhs as we went past the rock walls in Tennessee and North Alabama with remnants of the ice  left hanging..don't laugh at me.  You must remember I am a girl who grew up in the deep south [ South Georgia ] we saw one day of 4 inches of snow in 1957 or was it 1958!

The ice on our windshield, outside mirrors and radio antenna didn't hang on too long and by the time we got home to Brundidge, Alabama [ an hour south of Montgomery] there was still time for MY plumber to repair the frozen and broken water line in the back yard before bedtime.  It was not a surprise because a neighbor had called while we were still hours away to give us a 'heads up' concerning the discovery.

Today it's another world-cool yes- but now the "plumber" has turned "carpenter" and is finishing the shed next to the shop-the roof will get done today.  How blessed I am to have the plumber, the carpenter, and many other professionals living under the same roof. What a man!!

Time Out~

~Time Out for an overnight trip with a group of lovely lovely ladies from church as we attend a Beth Moore Conference [Deeper Still ] in Birmingham..Friday and Saturday.

After two days of wonderful thinking, teaching, talking, laughing,sharing and amazing Worship with Music surely I will be inspired to leave a few thoughts to share with you.

mmm perhaps a few pictures too~we shall see!

The Days~The Season

God is so Good! Loving the excitement in the air...typical November in the deep south weather-sunny, a cool crisp fall feel and just enough breeze now and then.

 God really knows how to MAKE DAYS, doesn't he?

The old folks climbed into the attic this morning~hauled down the containers filled with strings of lights and other decorations for inside and outdoors.  The chore we mastered with the greatest amount of pride was  getting the [boxed] 9ft. tall Christmas tree down the attic stairs.  Actually it was easy all because of the way my helper had ingenuously wrapped,knotted and tied the box with a rope.  He held the free end while the long heavy box just slid down to the kitchen floor.  That knot tying course in the Navy comes in quite handy at times. 

While we aren't aiming to get the indoor project done until mid week we will be fairly organized now..the tree is together out on the screened in side porch..waiting for me to do the magic shaping and as my friend "Shirley" says FLUFFING up the branches. I have to be careful not to get ahead of myself..

This is the plan:  The outdoor lights and displays comes first..then the HOUSE CLEANING and finally the indoor decorations..sounds like a good plan.  I will let us know how it plays out. [to be continued]

Dancing Around -

All those ideas, the plans! It's that time again! Ahhhhhhh, Christmas!

mmm ..what am I planning..1st open house at Themarketplace-CLEANING at the  Harrison House,Thanksgiving at Johnny  & Loretta's, the stuff FROM THE ATTIC comes down -is fluffed , untangled, strung in place & put together..in the right space....I know it's way too much - I  do SO ENJOY IT WHEN IT'S DONE! We both look forward to the  first night [just before dark] when Ted and I light all those candles in the bags/w sand.
We enjoy having OTHERS ENJOY our efforts..
Ahhhhh Christmas!!

Yes, I know, I know..Thanksgiving is not here yet but we do have to think ahead, right?
I am not going to totally skip The Season of Giving Thanks~ You do know we celebrate that all year long..I am made thankful daily as I observe life, Creation and people around me.

So..that's sounding like we'll be flipping the pages from Turkey Day to Jesus' Birth  for several weeks..by all means~Let's celebrate!

[to be continued..]

Thankful Thursday-November 2010

Of course I am Thankful..that's a gift God gave me ~a Thankful Heart-even during dificult times.

I am so thankful for a husband to laugh with, who can still change  at 73 years old and who still treats me like a lady.  I don't even think I present as "a ladylike" person but my husband makes me feel special  like "a lady". 

Just this week as we ran back and forth to doctors' appointments I decided as we drove down the highway that I just really needed a cold drink.  No, he didn't want one but pulled off at the first opportunity.  I reached for the door handle and some money and he said: "I'll get it." And there I sat "like some special person" while he took care of my petty little wishes...returning with just the right drink..in a cup,not a can and on ice not in a bottle.

Now, how could I possible be anything but THANKFUL with a sweetheart like that?

Again..it never gets old: I am so thankful for our three sons, and daughter.  Three of them are married and this year I get to say I am also humbly thankful for our oldest son's [never married] sweetheart who is becoming a wonderful part of our family already.  No, we don't know what the future holds there  but we sure are pleased with the way things look now. Everybody need's someone...especially men. God knew what He was doing when He planned this Family Thing,didn't He?

That Thankful expression wouldn't be complete without including our two daughters in law and our favorite son in law..Praise the Lord for  wonderful loving mates for our children. Quite honestly when I refer to "our children" that includes their spouses too..they are all 'ours', Our Family!

Did I mention the weather..Fall has been unusually beautiful in the deep south this year.

A Little Table for Tablescape Thursday~

A little early to mid century kitchen table [drop leaf formica top] is set to avoid having it used as a catch all where we toss our keys, mail, handbag,etc. The table is actually 'on loan' from a generous daughter in law. The little tea napkins to the left side are handmade and I love any excuse to use them. The fall candle  http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/  just discovered from some of my bargain finds last year..it's atop a very old large wooden SPOOL. This candle was the finishing touch for the Little Tablescape. I plan to participate in Tablescape Thursday at
http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

A little depression glass [pink plate] a little vintage Silverplate, a little vintage hand embroidery, a little fiestaware [Yellow] A small part of a chair is visible to the right . These chairs are part of a set [2] that came with a cast iron base,marble top ice cream shop set-from an old fashioned drug store in Palestine, Texas.

The teeny tiny salt and pepper are from a set w a sugar bowl-found it still in the box from the manufacturer..perhaps never used/in an estate sale. I wanted to show you the information on the base of the the cup..will spell it out for you. The saucer in my hand has this on the bottom: TAYLOR SMITH TAYLOR U.S.A.w number 8  37  2

[have had no luck locating replacement pieces, any suggestions ? ]

I like to mix in modern or new pieces like the little beveled mirror square and my wonderful Rooster found at half price in January last year~The sugar bowl lid has been broken..don't you hate that! I will continue to search for replacements on Ebay.[click on the picture to see a better picture of the silver pattern/dresden rose-reed & barton SP]

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

I wish the Reed & Barton Silver Plate/Dresden Rose [1953 ] showed up better..such a dainty girly pattern..I chose it 'last minute' when I was getting married but never worked on completing the set..after four children and  almost fifty years ended up with one dinner fork,period.  In 2006 I began searching Ebay and now have almost as much as anyone  would ever want..even some extras like Baby fork & spoon. There's enough to share with my Grand Daughters Dylan and Samantha. I hope they will want it.

The tablecloth is not really a table cloth..nor is it a table runner.  It's a vintage piece of hand embroidery that works just so perfectly for this little tablescape.

*oops I forgot to mention those precious little COFFEE SPOONS alongside the cups~am I the only one who thinks they are just "over the top?"