Counting My Blessings

What a  beautiful morning  here in the Mid-Atlantic states...  the  sky is  so clear and air  rather  crisp  but  the  sun's warmth will not fail us today!  Not too many more  truly warm days it appears on the weather calendar.  we, here in  SW Virginia  are  really hoping for some of that rain from the tropical depression heading north!Today  I am wanting to share some the blessings   I  am receiving..  One just happened  this morning!!!

1.  While I  was perusing face book  a message popped up from our daughter  asking us to  visit via face time while she and  tiny grand  have their lunch!!!

Now that  the older grand is  in pre-school  it is   very  calming to visit  with  Amanda  and her wee one.. more like the tender days when  Birdie  was  not quite two and  hadn't  developed into  a precocious  4 year old ... Now  wee one has  the opportunity to be  center stage  and  we get to  spend quality time with her...  God is  so good... we treasure these times!!!

2.  Yesterday  God came on me suddenly  with  a huge answer to my prayers... I ran across this quote today and it is so true.
"God’s suddenlies are like a tsunami. You experience it suddenly, but in God it started way back." Joseph Garlington Sr

I have been trusting God  for His best for me   all along  with this  skin cancer on my nose.  But  sometimes his best comes  in  various ways and times  along with a bit of testing to see  if  we will  accept the  row boat that comes to rescue us!!  A friend contacted me on the phone and we chatted about MOHS surgery...  her story really  moved me.. I have been experiencing a long wait  .. first 11 days to get the biopsy back..  a few days to  hear about my surgery date..  which was Nov 7,  I was fortunate to call and get it moved up to Oct 18th, but  that is just for  a

consult and  knowing the  scheduling  for the surgery is  booked up  I  have been  quite anxiously  watching  my  spot on the tip of my nose  appear to  grow...My friend shared her story about calling  Charlottesville,  near  the Medical School,  and  getting much, much  quicker  attention... She actually got her  biopsy back in one day and  within 8 days  had her surgery behind her... since we both  have  squamish,  I  quickly got on the phone and called    Charlottesville and  and so thankful to say I have my pre-op scheduled for Monday... Praise you, Lord for  working all things out according to your plan..I will confess I  have another friend I see more regularly who also gets her  dermatology done  by the same Doctor in Charlottesville,  and who  had  been  pushing me to  get an appt  even  2 weeks ago,  but  it isn't in my nature to opt  for  that...  My husband  had  a very successful  MOHS here  by  our local  doctor and  I  was content...  but  yesterday,   God's sudden  move  on me  was too compelling to  resist...  OH, Lord, I hope to always  be in Your Perfect Will!!!

3.  Even though  I haven't actually been  in the  mood to  take a road trip  to enjoy the 

beauty of  the season,  yet,    the days have been so glorious  Hubs and I have spent several afternoons just sitting in the shade   and  reveling in the color and the  backyard friends  who visit us..

 Jays

 and  finches

Chipmunks 

and bunnies!!

and the sun just    makes  things explode in  its  autumnal radiance

 

 

4.  Even at this moment  I am being  so  eternally blessed...  Dearest is washing the morning dishes  while he is listening to our fall music on dvd  so we can practice our choir music at home  and he is singing his part...  while I sit here typing... it doesn't get any better than that!!!

5.  To top off my week of blessing  I am reminded that tonight is  my favorite night of the month... Every first Friday we attend  Intercessors for America...  We meet in a friend's home...  he  was my  Bible Study teacher  at  a previous church...  He and his wife  have  done missionary work in the most    dangerous  areas of the world... eastern jungles of  India,   the Sudan,  and others... the  folks who  faithfully attend  these meetings are   probably some of the most  dedicated prayer warriors in our  community..it is  such a huge blessing to  just  being the same  room with these  precious  Children of God.  The presence of God is tangible  through  the   sweet incense of  prayer and worship  that  emanates from  their home.  I love to seek out  groups  like this here in our valley... Concerned Women for America and Ladies Aglow are  a couple of others...   don't be mistaken that we are so political...  in these groups  we  seek  beyond the  political  to the  warring in the heavenlies and  do  battle in the spiritual.  So edifying to spend an hour  on your knees with  God's people!!!

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1. Have you ever spent time on a farm? Tell us a little bit about it. 

My maternal grandparents owned a dairy farm... grandpa built it after WWI  for his bride    and  wanted  sons to help work it, but  only got 6 daughters..  My mother w as the oldest  and the girls  learned quickly to do man's work..

When I came along there were  2 aunts still living at home on the farm, although they were in college... I  was the oldest grandchild, but others came along soon there after so  as I grew older I had scads of cousin playmates. I was the city girl....I  wasn't  comfortable climbing fences and    running through  cow meadows..  but I loved gathering the eggs  and helping slop the hogs.  When the youngest aunt who was 6 years my senior was home on weekends I had to sleep with her.... She loved to tell scary stories about the old farm house and    get us all  rather scared  to  spend the night there  when she wasn't  there.  Sometimes I would have to sleep by myself downstairs in the front room.. the guest room... and I would be terrified... I didn't sleep a t all. It  was so dark in the country  and since there were no neighbors,  there were no shades.  The  rocking chairs on the porch outside the window would rock up against the  panes and  the sounds very frightening..But I did love  being there...  I have wonderful memories..  like the time we were chased by grandpa's bull and had to  sail over the fence into the  hay shed...  we were stuck there  for hours waiting to be  missed,  while the bull snorted at us through the slats... sounds  drastic, but it is a sweet memory  of being there with my cousins and I was pretty proud of my climbing prowess that  day!!! 

Have you ever grown your own pumpkin?

no

 Been on a hayride?

Yes,  at Christmas  a farmer with his tractor  pulling a long hay wagon would pick us all up..  small country church... and  we would ride through the country on Christmas Eve singing carols..
Imagine Christmas Eve in the snow    scarves, mittens and  toboggans!  And someone surely had a cocoa mustache!

 Driven a tractor?

No, not allowed

Milked a cow?

No,  grandpa didn't want us to spook the cows.. he was mechanized...  Now we helped  in the barn...  washing the  waste  into the slough and  pouring bucket loads  of feed into the  feed trough.

2. What's something younger you would like about you now? 

The innocence  of  a mind that can still thrill at the wonder  of discovery...the imagination  and love of  childish  things like fairies,  rainbows, and   clouds.

3. What are three things you'd like to do more often? 

1.I would love to be by the seas more...    We haven't planned a trip to the ocean in 11 years... we have  been to the NE coast  several times,  but not  just for the sea...I love to  oil paint and  set up easel and  paint by the sea!!

2.Get in the car and just drive and see where the road takes us.

3.  Spend more time with  daughter and grands! (12 hours drive)

Three things you'd like to do less often?

1. Experience less  days like yesterday  (Las Vegas) 

2.  Be concerned about  mine and other's  health issues

3.  Less crabby moods.... (I think it is a physical  thing!)

A lot going on right now!

4. What's on your nachos?

Everything except re-fried beans   YUCKY!

5. What's the most random thing in your purse or wallet? Does it need to stay there?

I just changed purses and it is  fairly organized.. I guess it is the rather large sheet of page  Hubs printed  for me of all the meds   and  supplements I take ... folded in my wallet.. Yes,  I need it for  appts.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Gosh, I sound my age in this post...well,  at age 67  I have seen a lot...  and  there are some things I wish my daughter could have experienced... like  visiting  my paternal granny at her house...   not as affluent as  my previous  grandparents  she was a widow.. I never knew grandpa.. He died the year before I was born...  They lived  way down in the country.  Dad was  born in a    log cabin  down in the holler...at least Granny lived  by the road,  but  she did have a kitchen sink,  but no indoor facilities.  We washed in a  huge tub in a room off the kitchen.And either used the chamber pot or made the trek out to the  the johnny!!!  I usually opted for the former!!!She had no central heating.. a wood stove in the living room,and  a wood stove with oven to cook on... but she truly was the best cook ever... She made  huge meals  for breakfast and dinner...We'd have  country ham and  homemade sausage every morning...she raised her own hogs.  For dessert we usually had my favorite  caramel cake,  and a  coconut cake.  On Sunday  she'd make fried chicken and   some type of roast...She was the most lovable    grandma anyone ever had.. I  always got to sleep with granny... she slept on 2 pillows and  under about 4 quilts   She was like a huge mountain beside me  and the  cover so heavy  it pressed me down into the feather  tick mattress.  And I loved it...  oh, how the wind howled on that ridge  where she lived.  But I was never scared.  But  early in the morning Granny would be up with the chickens  and I'd  snuggle deeper into the bed...  when called  I realized just why  my nose was an ice cube...was  dreading  kicking back the covers to make a dash for the  warm  savory smelling kitchen..  the floor was  icy and  the  house so chill,   but life  in her kitchen was heaven on earth!!

  There isn't any  way  good enough to  relate how marvelous it all was..  if you've never experienced  you'll just never know  life as it was    in those days in the deep country....

  but I cherish  the memories!!!

The Simple Woman Daybook

For Today~ October 2, 2017

The Simple Woman Day Book

Looking out my window... 

a brisk, sunny  October morning.. loving it!!!!

I am thinking...

about how horrible the news is this morning.. news out of Las Vegas and  over 50 dead  and hundreds injured...  May our prayers go out to the victims families!!

I am thankful..
for too many things to count,  but mainly that  we have a God who  is in control, and even  when bad things happen in this evil world, He is with us through it all! We must pray continually for His watch care over us and our family!

I am watching.....
I have sort of gotten hooked on  some British detective series on Netflix...I am missing Foyle's War..  it was  perfection...too many of them are  rather grim and not  to my liking...  but we did enjoy  Shetland....  loved  DI Perez!

I am  reading...
I Peter,  Thinking Differently by James MacDonald,
Proverbs

The God Calls My Name by Max Lucado

I am listening to...
the news account  on  talk radio

I am hoping... 
to be able to pick up my order today.... All three of our K Marts have  closed... and I really like  Jaclyn Smith's line of clothing...  so I found you can order them online and  pick up at Sears.  They are nice quality and  really  good prices... I ordered 4 tops...  including this one

I am learning...
to float above  so much of the "stuff"  that  we  hear about in the media..  God is  leading me through my life without  the focus on    the all  the  strife  in media....   turning off the radio and  clicking off of   those sites  on facebook help  so much!!!

In the kitchen...
Slow cooker pot roast

In my garden~

The remaining colors of summer are beginning to fade..

as

today  we are working in the garden to plant some  items  we have been holding back until  fall to plant...  basically, I bought a couple of  lovely  peonies  when they were  for sale back in May...

Hubs refuses to plant shrubs before autumn...  so  I look forward to  getting my peonies in the ground today  so next year they will look like this!!!

 

Currently, my mums are  bursting into color and  the autumn colors are  peeking...  looking forward to  when they  are peaking!!!

 Board Room

If I had a dog it would  this  one

  

But, alas, HUbs  despises  dogs.. so I dream on!!!

Shared Quote

A moment in my day:
I am so blessed.  last night I was  experiencing some unknown  pain in my  right   quadrant....     and had a  bad night...  Hubs  has been  so dear this morning...  making  coffee and  breakfast...  just really  being sweetly attentive!!!  I praise God for  him everyday!!!

Closing Notes

Have you started pressing in for more of God in your life!!!

Friday Fave Five

Welcome to  Friday Fave Five  hosted  by Susanne at Living to tell the Story.Here we intentionally look  for things from this past week  for which we are thankful!

1.  This has been a week of anticipation for me.. and not particularly in a good way..Three weeks ago I had a biopsy on the tip of my  nose.. and    it came  back  squamish cell  carcinoma.. which as you know  is  the  middle  type  of skin cancer  between basal, or one cell    which is  the least invasive, and  melanoma which is  the worst. Squamish  can  be a bit invasive so  one  wants it  taken care of  as  quickly as  possible. We have an excellent  MOHS surgeon in our fair city,  but she is extremely busy and  isn't even taking basal cell  surgeries until February..  Oh, how I prayed for an early consultation.  I was  rather    concerned about this,   but then last Thursday  I was at a Concerned Women of America prayer event  and one of the ladies  asked to lay hands on me,  so I said Id be delighted.  Everyone stood  (about 12 ladies)  and  either  touched me or  someone touching me  and  Amanda  prayed a very powerful prayer.. suddenly  a  bolt of energy  flashed through me and I  gasped and  felt  a bit shaken..everyone around me  felt  that same  fire  flow into them and there was an audible sigh...

  ever since I have  had  the most wonderful calm come over me  as I know that God  has this and  I have nothing to dread...  I know I will have to endure something,  but  He is greater than  anything I  am facing.

2.  Concerning my appointment for the  consultation,  it came  this past Wednesday and I was  a bit dismayed that the date was  November 7th.  Since I  had noticed the spot on the tip of my nose was  spreading,   I  decided to call the office and  ask to be put on the  cancellation  list.  Well, I actually got to speak to the  surgical appt.  lady  and  I told her about my situation..  She looked through the calendar and  was able to move it up  to October 18th. So my prayer  now is that  following the  consult  when they will have to coordinate   the surgeon's and plastic surgeon's  calendar  the timing can be   good and  I can get a  reasonable appt for the procedure. But  I can still see God's hand  in  all of this...  He is faithful!!!

3.  Getting this settled the rest of the week  has  also  been  so great. I  love the change of seasons and redoing the house   for fall is one of my favorite  pastimes.Wednesday Hubs had  a hair appt so we made a morning of it .He knew I wanted to go to the Country Store Garden Shop.. oh, my they have everything..

I got several mums ...one each ... a gorgeous white and a pale  orange  decorative pumpkin.. Inside the shop they have  flags and banners and  produce and  even  women's  accessories...Along the wall they had the most  beautiful  leather fall purses.... I had  gotten rid of  my  fallish  ones  when I cleaned my closet this summer.  You know,  those that  looked like  they were  hold overs for   the seventies...worn out and   just  bad!!  Hubs  said go ahead and  get one.. they were  a great price  for leather.. under $50. So  I did   and it will match my loden green  with  brown trim hunt  coat  beautifully.

It was such a sweet surprise.

4.  Also,  on Thursday,  we stopped  at  a favorite  breakfast   spot,  but this one was  on the other side of town  near the  flower shop  and  we rarely stop there..  Lo, and behold , there  sat two old friends we hadnt seen  in years  .. They were still waiting  for their food and begged us to join them...  What a wonderful visit that was.. catching up  over all this time..

God is so good...  one surprise after another...

5.My husband is  what we call the president of our Sunday School class..  He leads the  business part...  announcements,  prays,  etc.. and then at the end of class he  leads the prayer requests.  He is super organized and  takes his role very seriously...  trying  hard to keep up with everyone...  their  illnesses  and  situations   where they may need assistance..  Anyway,  yesterday  was   a class social.. a  wonderful picnic  at the lake..  one of our members  owns a lake home and in their development is the most  beautiful shelter on a knoll  in the middle of the peninsula surrounded my  gorgeous lakefront homes ....  the  landscaping,  amazing, the views,  sublime...

  

I don't think I ever saw such an awesome sunset .. 

Anyway... I was in charge of  food  assignments  and   making sure  we had  drinks and  ice and enough of the various kinds of food...  so  we cooked plenty and  bought  extra  and  wanted to make sure  it was a  great  success... Well,   everyone was  feeling,  I suppose, abundantly  blessed because everyone brought more than they signed up for  yet  we only had  13 out of  over 20  who actually were able to come.. It was   horrible that the food was so delicious and plentiful, that we all wanted to be sure we had some of everyone's,  but,    oh my,  we were so stuffed  at the end  all we wanted to do was lie down and sleep it off...  But,  it was so  great...  sorry to say we  brought home  most of the food, and the sodas  and   chips we  stopped to pick up on the way... stuff we do not need around  the place if you know what I mean...  But, the best part was the love we all felt for each other... Sometimes a smaller  group   being more intimate  is  just better..  the sharing...  the giggles,   the  openness  was  just  soul satisfying...   a grand  way to  top off our week!!!