Daylilies

Return to A Southern  Daydreamer and  more  Outdoor Wednesday!  
  It is day lily time in our  area


  and  I love their faithful apperance!!


 Just a glance out of my  office window reveals  a  glimmer of day lilies...

   but  as I wander outside  they become much more prominent

   and at a closer look!!

and I'm not the only one who loves  them it appears!

Freedom

For more   WFW   visit here!

Let us celebrate and  adhere to our God-given freedoms in the coming week!!

Refresher on Ice

Visit Bunny Jean  for this fun  weekly party!!!!
  One of the  favorite  recipes I have  enjoyed  this summer  with  its  unyielding heat and  humidity is  something I put together  following reading  
Dr. Oz's  article in Woman's World magazine about the benefits of white and green tea ...   the antioxidants and    benefits  in  cutting the appetite  and for  digestion... really caught my attention...  Also,  the tea Pureh   is one that I am still trying to locate in my health food store... 
  Anyway  our local grocer  has  all  my  other immediate needs for creating the  most  wonderfully refrshing     iced tea....  and each  time I make it  I  try it  a bit differently.. 
     


I always begin with my glass 8 cup measure filled with water for the microwave.... then I add 2 white tea bags, 2 green tea bags,... then I start adding from my stash of teas.... for I know I need to use them up and replenish my hot teas before cold weather anyway...

so usually add a couple of roobios, and then a blackberry, or a lemon.\,  or a Winter spice, just whatever catches my fancy... . I try to have about 8-10 tea bags in... I set the microwave for 7:30 and then after it heats up I allow it to steep about 5 minutes, I add 3/4 c sweetner or 3/4 sugar depending on who my guests are.... My husband doesnt like sweetner... and I add it to my pitcher... It generally will fill the pitcher so I dont add any water.... I will add about 1/4 c lemon juice and some cut up lemons.... and refrigerate... this has been a huge hit everytime I have served it and it is so very refreshing! I love how each different type of extra tea will add just a bit of zing...but it is very encouraging to know that the green and white tea is so very good for the body!

Tabletop Tuesday

Visit a Stroll Through Life for more!!

 Even as the  temperatures heat up in summer,  here in Virginia,  my decor   wants to cool down and  lighten up!!..   Since  my decor is Olde World  it is  a difficult thing to do to lighten up!!

  One way  is  in the  floral  table dressings, and of course, the  colors...

  By  our daughter's wedding  photo,  I have chosen a daisy  arrangement... I love the airiness and  delicacy of it!!!

  In the dining room, the hutch  is accenting the  whites and  lighter shades as well!

  The angels  bless me   right now,   their messages  for me, remind me to   lighten  the load of a heavy heart and stay focused on things from above!!!!
   My sheep reminds me  that  I am   a    lamb in the flock of the Lord...  Christ is my loving, and caring Shepherd!!!

Delightsome Rest

Kathy of   The Delightsome Life  hosts this  beautiful theme each week...      today    Kathy  shared  a wonderful  listing of  scriptures that  help to bind our hearts in communion and fellowship with the living God,  especially  as w e begin a new week, and attempt   put  the previous   excitements,  disappointments, frets, and    busy-ness  behind us....  to  find our peace,  our serenity, in  the One who loves us most and best,   our Father, Abba, in heaven...  
  I love that....     and it makes me  sit back and put my  Monday into perspective!
  Lately,  our  main purpose in life has been  taking care of  my Mom and Dad  

who a re living in  Assisted living now...
 the  finances,  the  insurance,  medical concerns,    their laundry, 

 getting their home cleared out and  ready to sell...   

everyday is a new challenge...  and  this weekend it  was  regarding  their automobile...   should we  sell  or keep it...  this weekend  we thought we had a buyer  but they wanted  the  cosmetic  concerns  negotiated and we needed to have estimates....so today we  were out all day    trying to get them...   so many    obstacles...  then  so much  money  for  the little  things that needed doing....   the balancing act we were trying to achieve  was  tumbling around us....      our  minds  were   filled  way past capacity of  frets, and concerns, and  figures, and  questions.... and with  more  appointments tomorrow ... 
  we  decided to just  take a drive   through the country... 

 in the mountains with the  windows down, and the wind  blowing away the cobwebs.... 
   
   What a glorious day  the Lord provided for us.... 
  clear,    breezy,     bright,   the  air so clear and  fresh!!!



I breathed  deeply  and  began to put put  trust and faith in the one who  created it all!   Who was  still in control,  holding all things together....  who knew all things, especially,  exactly, what we were  going through and had a plan laid out for us if we would but  trust Him to pave the way....
we  arrived  home  this evening  tired    but not    disheartened...   we still had questions   but soon  the answer came!
  The answering machine  told us  the  buyers  had  rescinded their offer...  and I realized immediately  that I was thrilled...   
because I know now it isn't the time to sell,,,  and  I think I don't even want to sell...  What peace comes knowing that  God  knew all along  what we needed and even though we may jump through hoops of our own making....   in the end,,, we will have God's perspective and then  we have  His gospel rest!  I thank Kathy for her timely  post on  resting  in the Lord....  and I especially  praise the Lord  for  plying His  Truth in our lives and  always  providing  the answers and the needs  if we will  but  put our trust in Him!   Tomorrow  when  I  keep my appointments  it will be  with a fresh perspective... one that will  be  a blessing instead of a problematic  situation!

  When  we have God at the helm, of our life,  and we   purpose to  give up the reins of control,     we  do find  a delightsome  peace and  purpose  that   surpasses all understanding !
                                                   Let me ne'er forget   from now on to  begin  my day    with a spot  of tea    in a favored  cup,   
but  mainly  with  the Word of the Lord  refreshing and transforming my mind  that I may ever remain in His rest!!!
Also  posting on

 Martha's Teacup Tuesday

Blue-tification

I am  sharing on Blue Monday  with Smiling Sally!

 Hydrangea season inspires me to  blue-tify  my home....   it is  so cooling and refreshing after  the  heavier hues...

God Bless America

Pink Saturday

For more  PS   visit Beverly here!!!
Happy Pink Saturday!

God Bless America

I am    starting  today  with a tribute to our nation's  fine history and our God given  national heritage  given to us by our Founding Fathers in  celebration  for our upcoming    National  observance , the Fourth of July ... I am so    convicted  of this  because of  the  major importance  of this  fall's election...  whereby, the very   fabric of  who we are and have always been as a nation  may  be in serious  jeopardy...

  I am thinking first of  all,   of the father of  our country... George Washington....  A  man of great  conviction and    a prime example to us all in  so many areas of his life...    I love this  painting of him  walking  in the garden with his   step children...  I can imagine him  using this special time together  instilling  the  high prinicples of  living  to them....

 Perhaps he  was  telling them.  

" It is the duty of all peoples of every nation  to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits,  and humbly ask his   protection and favors"

   

George Washington at Mount Vernon With Eleanor (Nelly) and George

Ever  a man of  the   who  set the highest standards of living  for himself, even as a youth he  wrote a journal of  ettiquette and rules  for living...   he was disciplined  , yet  so gracious...and  ever the family man  even as he was a man of the people.

Washington And His Family

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1863 – 1930, American)

One might have heard him utter,

"Labour to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience."

or 

"Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company."

and most assuredly, 

"My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother." 

But above all, Im sure that his family heard him pray...

"I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristicks of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation."

Oh, we have drifted so far from these happy and powerful sentiments as nation...

I encourage all who have read this post to begin praying fervently throughout this election cycle for a return to godly principles and a spiritual revival that is so desperately needed!