Friday's Fave Fve

Welcome to FFF!  Hosted by Susanne!

 Good evening..  It is Thursday  afternoon,  and it  has been a very hot  week.  The kids  have been  with   Josh's family in the next county this week..    but this morning they boarded  the  Amtrak for  home. We had such a marvelous  time with  them last week and  we look forward to  time with them

over the  holidays!

This photo  was sent to us yesterday...  when they  visited their university nearby by ...  This photo was taken in the chapel where  they were married over a decade ago! The girls really enjoyed  revisiting    the     history of  their  precious  family!

Sunday,  we  really enjoyed church, as  we always do.  We are very fortunate to belong to such fabulous Bible believing and teaching  body!

We  then enjoyed  a wonderful Chinese  lunch with our  buddies, Gerri and David!  Gerri and I  have to be careful where we dine  because  we are both  doing Weight Watchers.   I think I have had a pretty  good week this week.  I look forward to  weighing in tomorrow!!

This week has been pretty low key.   No where to go  , and since it has been so hot   we enjoyed staying home..  getting a few chores accomplished!I always  just  love  sitting in the garden room  watching the birds at the feeders. 

This purple finch has been a lovely companion all day!

 I keep awaiting the rain that is always forecast  but, alas,  it never  appears.  This evening I must water the garden .We  enjoy  listening to the  Fair fireworks each night around    bedtime..  honestly they re much later  than usual this  year!. 

Wednesday, we  went as usual to our  Bible Study class.  We  are  doing a n amazing study of Ephesians,  and  are  studying the  elements of our warfare!   We learned this  in conjunction with the  section in Luke  regarding the temptations of Christ.  This added a great dynamic to  what  we  already knew about the  weapons  at our disposal.   The Word of God is so powerful and   when your teacher is a scholar of Greek and latin  so much is  added to what the actual  reading provides!    I  love our  Study !!!

Last night Lynn went to the Fair  with  a group from our church to pass out tracts and speak to anyone interested in growing  their faith.    He teamed up with a good friend, Ernie,   and    it was a great  first time  for Lynn  to put himself out there.  Actually, the church , I think , has been  pretty lax in   sharing the gospel   and  it is something  we all need to do more!!!

So tomorrow, Friday,  I look forward to  checking in at Weight Watchers and  then I look forward   to  actually starting my Nature Journal.  I have been  practicing   some drawings and  I have been   writing my prose statement  in the forward of my journal.   I  am really excited about  this  project.   I  am hopeful taht it will  be a real blessing to continue  with the nature journal throughout the whole  year!!!   My inspiration is  Edith Holden's  1905 Journal.

"Edith Blackwell Holden (September 26, 1871 – March 16, 1920) was born at Kings Norton, Worcester, in 1871, one of seven children of a Midlands paint manufacturer. The family lived in the small village of Olton in Warwickshire and it was there that she wrote and illustrated her book, The Country Diary of An Edwardian Lady. After attending art school, she worked as an illustrator, with her drawings (often of animals) being published in several books.

She later moved to London, and in 1911 met and married Ernest Smith, a sculptor; they lived in Chelsea, and had no children. On March 16th 1920, in her 49th year, Edith died tragically by drowning in the Thames at Kew, while gathering buds from chestnut trees."

Online source

My  edition  is the 1989  version  still rather  old,  so I do need to take care  reading it,     I purchased my copy from Amazon  last winter,   and I do love  perusing it cover to cover..   her work is so exquisite, the drawings and the  text. So very inspirational!  

Friday's Fave Five

                                               
                                           Joining with  Susanne   today   on  this fun  meme! 
                                                   


1. Today we received the  best Thanksgiving card  we ever got in the mail.... Now  our precious   baby girl   prob 28 years ago  made us a card and   gave it to us.....   but today we  got  this precious care from our  2 year old granddaughter  in the  post.....here is  was last night  when  we did face time and she was  donning her   gobbler crown she made with her daddy!  Bless her heart,,, we love her so!

2.  Hubby ordered  my Christmas present today  from Ireland...  He actually spoke to  a guy in Cork  who said he actually lived along the Ring of Kerry. Im pretty  excited about this!!!!  We were just in Cork  7 months ago!  

3.  I love Christmas, and it is so much fun to    start  decorating and   as I said   previously  it truly is an evolution of  discovery what  I like best.... Like today  I wasnt happy with the lights I put around the  hutch,  so  I went out and could only purchase 1 set  that  was long enough since they dont  string together....  so tomorrow I have to take the Christmas tree down and  restring those lights  to   match  them up  .. oh.. it's a long story...   but Im glad it isnt  the big tree!  
4.   Today hubby actually waited on me to stop in at my favorite consignment shop....
I stopped in to get the lights... but.....

when I saw this   Syracuse   platter  I fell in love... looks so sweet with my  red and white transfer ware... then I saw this   plate from Bunratty Castle,   in Ireland....  had to get it at  $4.98 less 20%...  I mean.. really??   

But then as I  was  shopping   a booth   run by a sweet friend  from  my church I looked down and this caught my eye.. it looked  so familiar... 

 on closer look,  I saw it...  my mama's  signature... she had painted it and sold it probably  20 years ago at the Craft  Guild Christmas show!

My mom  signed  "Jean's Things".... dad  cut out  and put things together,  and mom  did the decorative painting....  I didn't really need another of her trays...   I probably have  4..  for every season...   but I couldn't not get it..  it blessed my heart!

5.  Lots of   folks  Christmas lights  went up around  the neighborhood....  folks are really into the  spirit  this year....  the  sales people were  so jolly today, and the  waitress at  Ruby Tuesday wa s  so sweet....  It  just seems to stand out more to me  this year   than ever before...