Fun Stuff Around The House

Our week end was very quiet as Mr D wasn't feeling well. I went to a few yard sales and the GW without buying anything spectacular. Several weeks ago, I found these shower curtain hooks at a yard sale and hung them on this de-electrified outdoor light. They make a lovely morning sparkle.

I happened to catch this in the Glory Hour light, where it looks lit from within but comes from the sun shinning in it.

 Another Glory Hour scene - this was set up for the garden tour and left for the summer.

I had a tea with a dear friend on our back porch.

Cut your roses and enjoy them in the house - it's Japanese beetle season!

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From our Sunday School Class:

What is Christian fellowship?

It's more than a pat on the back.

It's sharing our burdens and our blessings.

It's a willingness to enter into a heart that is hurting.

Often, it's time, time and more time!

Post Mother's Day Flowers Post

Every year on Mother's Day at church, flower plants are given to every mother by the children to their mother. We don't have children/grandchildren attending our church but every year a child makes sure I get a plant. This year I had THREE children offer me a plant - yes, I cried a teeny tiny bit, it was sooo precious!
I decided to pot up the plants in a pot and place it close by.

 The dahlia at the back and the purple one on the left was from church. The one on the right came from our DIL M and I added trailing dusty miller and the 'Mom's Garden' sign. Altogether, it makes a lovely combination and a lovely reminder of the love and care of others!

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I've not been posting as much - I've been busy with preparing for a garden tour here in two weeks. This brick and block walkway is a work in progress for the occasion.

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These are yard sale finds from the week end. The two on the left are interesting finds for a dollar each; the plump to-be-recovered footstool/coffee table for two bucks...

and this chair? Another dollar! I was wishing for seven more! :)

Yeppers - it was a successful hunt!

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- From The Pulpit -

"We cannot produce Spirit-filled fruit out of a law based system."

Romans 8:11

Twenty Twelve Mother's Day

Mother's Day was good! Calls from our children, being honored in church with flowers and many Happy Mother Day wishes, and best of all, having an impromptu campfire with some of our children...yes, Mother's Day was good! Having them over is the best - happy grands eating and playing together, adults chatting about life in general and keeping our feet warm at the fire!

This peony burst into bloom on Mother's Day...

as did the Zepherine rose.

Love, LOVE!

Mother/Daughter Banquet, a Wedding and a Birthday Party

That was what my post was going to be about but alas, I forgot my camera for these three occasions! The mother/daughter banquet was held at our church on Thursday evening with A Tea Party as the theme. We left Friday noon for my nephew's wedding in Virginia on Saturday. From the wedding we traveled to WV, spending the night with our son and family. Sunday afternoon we left for Ohio for our son-in-law's fortieth birthday party and came home Monday PM. Busy week end!

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The strawberries are ripening...

 and the columbine are at their showiest best!

This is Lover's Lane and takes a path to the back of the house.

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My wisteria was a washout this year. It must have been the crazy weather we had - so disappointing! But then again, there's always next year.  

Thrift and Free Finds

Our local fire company held their annual spring mud sale last week end. This year I remembered to do the 'unclaimed and for free' hunt on Friday, then went back for a door, a chair and two end tables Saturday morning. Sometimes I don't know what to do with my yen and vision for 'stuff!' {SIGH!}  The demands of a shop or even Etsy is more than I want to spend time on! :)

Anyhoo, here my finds...

The writing on the wooden mitre box was the reason this was picked up! This, the plate and the wooden frame peeking in the background are the freebies. The note and soap was a thank you gift from DIL M and the dried roses from MR D for valentines. I'll be scattering the pink lark spur on the flower bed.

I found two green-tinted jugs at our local thrift shop as well as the pussy-willow and twisted stems that was sold as a bouquet. I added the burlap (another thrift find) and buttons to this one. 

My heart goes pitter-pat when I find another piece of ironstone at a steal!

This is my spring display on the cupboard by the third wall in our kitchen.

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Have you seen what Picasa has done? Love the stuff they've added to their menu!

Run...check it out!

*happy sigh*

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- From the pulpit -

Do you want the touch of God on your life?

1. We need to admit we have a problem.

2. We must be willing to do something about it.

3. We must be willing to do whatever it takes.

4. We need to look for the unexpected. 

These points were a conclusion from the story of the healing of Naaman the leper, fround in II Kings 5.

Abbeville, South Carolina

My brother Paul and his family live in Abbeville, South Carolina. Last week he had a serious surgery, serious enough we all weren't sure if he would survive. God graciously brought him safely through. The end of the week, I traveled with two of my brothers to spend a few days with the family...three GOOD days. Twelve hours of driving gives a lot of time to talk, read and sleep! I was treated like a queen...didn't have to do any driving, had the back seat to myself and they made sure my needs were taken care of!

Ed - we tease him about his hat but secretly, I think he looks handsome in it!

 Roy - a true gentleman!

Yeah, I'm proud of my brothers and they're wonderful dependable driving companions!

Abbeville is a quaint small town with lots of southern charm. The street is brick-paved and traffic circles in a one-way around a minature park with a large fountain and benches under southern trees that invite one to sit and watch the world go by.

The Opera House is undergoing a face-lift on the outside and is still used though the summer season.

It has Olde-World charm inside...

                                  with interesting signs posted around the walls like these...

Hm-m-m - I'm thinking we could use some of this in today's world!

The architecture is beautiful!

 This charmer of days gone by for sale? H-m-m-m...wonder if the car goes with it?

There's a southern saying about two kinds of Yankees -

a Yankee who comes and leaves as a tourist,

and a damn Yankee that comes and stays...

I think I'll be a damn Yankee and move to Abbeville! :)

(and no offence to any southern folk!)

'Course, if all of our winters and springs would be as mild and early as 2012 has been, I'd be perfectly content to stay here!

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Everdaymoments is having her first giveaway - be sure to stop by, there's spring goodies in it!

Mish-Mash

On age:

I must be getting old. Several weeks ago, I went to an indoor yard sale only to discover it was the next week. Last week I wanted to attend my second Christmas open house and when I got there it's this week!

I was happy:

Finding a very shabby, leather suitcase for which I don't know where I'll use but use it I will!

New project:

This thing hasn't seen the light of day in many, many moons!

A first:

Roman shade in the dinning room. The verdict? Not sure!

Another sign:

This one is for Christmas and right now, it's a disappointment that I'm hoping to fix.

I'm sad:

There's lots of brilliant trees like this one in beautiful color but most of the other leaves are down. Autumn is giving its last hurrah! (btw...that is our home in the background)

About Christmas:

My first Christmas concert for this season. Sunday evening Mr D had other plans, so I invited several friends to go with me to this concert...

It was HEAVEN!

Week End

We spent the week end at our cabin in Clearfield County, PA with my siblings. It was two days of eating, playing games, talking, napping, eating, playing games, talking, napping...get the drift? Oh yes, late hours was in there, too! A week end of good memories!

I got the book, The Confession, at the library last week and took it along...

 I could hardly put it down! It took all of two days to read it - I was by myself for one of those days - it's written in such a way that it keeps pulling you into the next chapter.

It's GOOD! 

Because I forgot my camera for the week end (SIGH!), I'll post several pics from the back yard.

I will miss these but it really is time to clean up the flower beds for winter!

There's still time to sign up for the $25.00 Lowe's gift card giveaway, open till midnight tonite!

Autumn Feel (and a giveaway!)

After the rains rumbled through here on Friday, the winds came, ushering the sun in with it and now it feels like autumn - cooler temps, beautiful foliage, the smell and rustle of fallen leaves, puffy white clouds and blue skies. Oh, I do like autumn!

These beauties started themselves from last year's seed and have been blooming all summer long.



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This will happen in my kitchen before Christmas...

I. CANNOT. WAIT!

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Webster's definition of sacrifice:

'...the act of giving up; destroying; permitting injury to;

or foregoing something valued for the sake of something having a more pressing claim.'

How sacrifice ties in with servanthood!

 Easy? Absolutely not!

This was our Sunday School class discussion - I was blessed!

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And this again...

Thank you for your lovely comments on the headboard and a welcome to the new followers - I love meeting you all VIA blogland! The number of followers has passed the two hundred mark, so I'm having a $25.00 gift certificate from Lowe's as a giveaway. 

Here's how...

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Mosses and Mushrooms

We spent the week end with our '69 friends,' an annual gathering of twelve couples (one couple missing due to missions in Israel), celebrating fortytwo years of marriage. It poured rain on Friday but Saturday and Sunday the weather was delightful - altogether a lovely, lovely week end!

Saturday afternoon the ladies took a meandering walk.

I was fascinated by the mosses and mushrooms on our walk.

Truly, creation is awesome and beautiful!