Wednesday Medley

It's Wednesday Medley from Your Friend Terri from Florida. I like your questions today, Terri and hope I get a chance to read everybody's answers. I will be at the hospital all day waiting for DH procedure! 

1. This week is County Fair Week in my old stomping grounds. The Fairfield County (Ohio) Fair holds fond memories for me, especially of the marching band show on the race track, in front of the grandstand, and of 4-H sewing projects. Do you have a memory to share of a county or state fair!! 

My memories of the State Fairs in Tulsa and here in Texas are few. The first time I attended with friends, I was 15 years old and Daddy gave me $5 to spend. My mistake was trying to win a stuffed animal and losing all my money! A lesson on gambling learned early in life! A memory from the State Fair of Texas was the year DH and I had moved into our new-to-us house and we went a little wild at the fair signing up for home improvements!!!

There seems to be something magical about the fair at night with all the lights and the sounds and smells … funnel cakes, corn dogs, cotton candy, candy apples, turkey legs and fried whatever! This year's offering of fried foods include fried Oreo and fried Snickers. Here are our kids enjoying the State Fair this year.

2. If animals could talk, which would be the rudest? The black grackles!

3. What mythical creature would improve the world most if it existed?

Maybe a unicorn! Little girls are so entranced by them that maybe it would be able to win over even the grumpiest!

4. What is something that everyone looks stupid doing? Eating tacos and it doesn't all make it in your mouth? It's funny when somebody else stumbles in their own clumsiness and then turns around as if to see what caused it! I know it always makes me feel pretty stupid. Or pushing hard on a door when it plainly says PULL!

5. Is intelligence or wisdom more useful? Wisdom

6. Tell us something random about the rest of your week! The rest of my week will include meeting our Monday friends on Tuesday, seeing DH through Wednesday's surgery, BSF on Thursday and who knows what Friday will bring? Saturday we will finally see Jack play flag football and that evening we have another concert to attend. 

Friday Foto Friends

Too many things going on this week! Anniversary, Birthday, Bible Study, running here and there. Today I give to you a couple of cloud photos. I love cloud photos!

And sharing this from a friend

"Autumn is my favorite season because the chlorophyll which makes the leaves green is now moving underground into the roots to protect the tree from dying in the Winter freezing months. It reminds me to go deeper in my understanding and to know the value of my roots in Our Father's Love and His Holiness which sanctified and preserves us blameless."

"Rooted and grounded in the Love of God to comprehend with all the Saints. Love is in the bond of perfectness! Filled with the fullness of His glorious Life by the Power of God, His Spirit of Holiness." ... His light always shining on His perfection of all things. Psalms 50:2

Colossians 3:14; Ephesians 3:15-21 & Romans 1:4; 11:16; Jude 1;1&24 Always-N-Joy, Joanne

I only want to add to that in the Spring as the leaves are coming out and turning green, the Fall colors are hiding inside there, too. They already contain what it is necessary to later give them the brilliant colors in the Fall before going underground to the roots. What a wonderful cycle. Maybe that is redundant, but it's something I like thinking about. God is such a God of the miraculous. 

And here is a cool graphic from one of the BSF ladies with gleanings from our study in the Book of Joshua.

Happy Columbus Day!

A Kindness From a Friend for a Happy Anniversary!

Certainly can make you feel loved! Yesterday was DH and my wedding anniversary. We really hadn't planned on doing anything and were discussing whether I would cook dinner or we would go out when I received a text from my sweet friend Alice inviting us to come for dinner last evening at their house. How could we pass up a deal like that? It was a simple meal, she said. Spaghetti squash, salad and banana cream pie. Alice is an excellent cook so I knew it would be good (even though I am not a fan of bananas in cream or pudding!) 

On the way to their place, I decided we should stop and buy a bottle of wine, which we did, and when we arrived, discovered she had already opened a bottle of red. The table was set beautifully, candles were burning, and a floral arrangement for us. 

It was truly a wonderful evening and after having a couple of glasses of wine, I may have been a little giddy and when I went to fill up Alice's glass, I poured the wine right into her glass of water!!! And that banana cream pie was DELISH!!!

Sweet, precious friends!

Ah! The simple life!!!

Thirty-one years ago, on a beautiful October day, just such as the one this day, I went to work dressed in a new, green silk dress. After trying very hard all day to concentrate on my work, I finally was able to leave at 4:00 p.m. to meet my husband-to-be and his two children, Sara, age 10 and Jason age 7. We drove over to Cedar Hill, Texas where we would be joined together in matrimony. It was just the four of us for the simple ceremony performed by my former pastor in his study, with DH's kids to be witnesses.

Afterward, we four celebrated with a wonderful dinner at the top of Reunion Tower overlooking the bright lights of Dallas. We then went to the home of one of my very dearest friends who had prepared a wedding reception for us. It was a happy day!

Happy Anniversary to us!

It's still a happy day!

photo credit

We always laugh about this little saying!

Wednesday Medley

Wednesday Medley.

1. October 3rd is National Boyfriend Day. Ladies, who was your first boyfriend?

His name was Doyle Gene and we were 5 years old. He was my boyfriend who turned out to be rat when he threw a rock at me and hit me in the head. My first boyfriend was named Mike and I thought he was wonderful. We dated and he gave me his class ring. His mother didn't like that and insisted I give it back. So glad nothing came of it because I think he turned out to be a loser.

2. Who was your first celebrity crush?

I don't think I really ever had a crush on any celebrity. I really liked Elvis, but didn't really have a crush on him. I actually wrote him a letter once, but never mailed it because his song Crying in the Chapel touched my heart so. On second thought though, I remember little shivers of excitement watching Ricky Nelson sing on Ozzie and Harriet!!! Lol!!!

3. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Fried rattlesnake.

4. What famous artist, dead or alive, would you want to paint your portrait? William Adolph Bouguereau. I love this painting.

credit

5. What Are You Most Likely To Stay Up All Night Talking About?

I think my friends and I could stay up all night (if we could stay up, that is) sharing experiences of the things we've been through and how God saw us through them. Also throw in some political discussions, grandchildren, and health issues!

6. The new Fall season has begun on TV. Which show are you most looking forward to seeing?

Poldark and Call the Midwife.

Thank you, Terri!!

Monday Recap

It's been fairly quiet around here the past few days. The kids were with their other grandma while Jason and Amy attended a wedding of one of the men from his station. They were looking pretty good there, doncha think?!

Just wondering about that smile and "the look"!

Judging from all the pictures posted on Facebook, I think they had an outstanding time at this wedding and reception. Glad for them to have a night out!

My sister and niece came to our neck of the woods to attend the first birthday party for their great nephew and cousin, respectively. He's pretty cute.

He might be a little squirmy.

With his Mom and sisters.

After the party, Roberta and Robyn came to our house for the night and we had a nice dinner together and good visit. 

Annie and Robyn bonded very quickly!

Time just flies by and Sunday morning came very quickly and we had to say good-bye, so, of course, that means taking a few pictures together. DH realized later in the day he had his shirt on inside out! So cute! Nobody noticed, but when I looked at the pics, I do see the tag there by his arm. So what! Who cares.

Just us again!

It rained like crazy here on Saturday and I certainly have no complaints about that. This is kind of a big week for us. Tomorrow is our anniversary, Thursday is DHs birthday, and this weekend, we have a big birthday party to attend. More about that later in the week. October is one of my very favorite months of the year. The season itself is wonderful with the bright, rich colors, the temps are nice with crisp, sunny days, shopped for and purchased my very first home in October, both my marriages were in October … just happy memories of the month.

Last year

Jeb and me on June's front porch

Back a few years.

I loved this Sweet Gum tree in the Fall.

Friday Foto Friends

Friday Foto Friends!

Not anything spectacular here, but as I was driving, I noticed how these clouds seem to be resting almost on a  straight line!

Happy clouds over the back yard!

We have had such wonderful rain. Everything is green and the lake is up!

My sister and her daughter visited Branson again and these cute pics are from there.

And, oh my goodness! My nephew is now a fashion designer. Just look at this darling outfit he made for sweet Cutie Pie!!

Black and White Throwback Thursday

Scraps of More Black and White Memories:

From 1958 to 1961, we attended a pre-fab school and, except when the weather was extreme, we walked there each day crossing a creek, two fields and a railroad track. There was an adult at the RR tracks to watch for trains and make sure no child was standing on the railroad tracks! I remember walking to and from school carrying my clarinet case in the winter with my hand freezing because I couldn't put it in my pocket. Carrying that case was pretty much a waste of time since I never did much with the clarinet except to make it squeak!

At hint of a storm coming on or heaven forbid, a tornado, Daddy was super cautious and would have us all hiding in the bathroom. Our little house had one little bathroom, so believe me, it was a cozy time in there when there was a threat of tornadoes. It was most disturbing to me when we would be at school and had to hide under the desk or go in the hall as I thought about being separated from my family if a tornado really happened or, even worse, if the Russians bombed us! My teacher had put the fear in me over the bomb and the Russians. Daddy at work, us at school, Mom at home. Please God, protect us, was always my prayer!

Momma let me have a birthday party when I was 12 and her idea about it was to have a tacky party! (My sister and her little friend decided a really tacky thing to do would be to take bobby pins and scrape my only lipstick all over their faces. Consequences came for them when they tried to wash it off with some cleanser like 409!) Two of my favorite gifts that day were the book Heidi and a box of chocolate covered cherries. Being a chocoholic from a very young age, I was absolutely in heaven with a book and candy.

We always helped Momma bring in clothes off the clothesline, summer and winter. Those clothes froze up fast out there on the line. Remember how you took a cloth and cleaned the clothesline before hanging the clothes? Birds liked to rest on the lines! She did the laundry on a wringer washer in the tiny utility room attached to the house and in winter hung diapers and baby clothes on a rack over the floor furnace. That floor furnace was pretty pleasant on a cold winter morning when you would stand with your feet on either side and let the warm air flow up your nightgown! 

Many good times were had make believing we were the Boxcar Children in our back yard with my very pretty friend Cassandra who lived a few blocks away. So much pretending there that we were the orphans who lived in a boxcar with our siblings and digging up dirt, washing pretend dishes with sand, and sending our pretend brother off to earn a living for four kids under 12. Haha! We loved that book!

Sunday School, Church and the Bible have always been a major part of my life and here I am on my seventh birthday wearing a pretty pink dress my Granny gave me and holding my first real Bible. 

I was so very proud of it and over the years, I have to say my love for God's Word has never changed, nor has my love for different study Bibles. I also still have that first Bible. When we lived in the little white house and yellow house, we attended a small church a few blocks away. I can't remember whether we walked or Daddy took us, but what I do remember is it was a church that was quite strict in the way ladies dressed and wore their hair and no make-up! This made an impression on me because when we attended Vacation Bible School at another church in our neighborhood, I remember staring in wonderment at my teacher because she was … drum roll … wearing bright red lipstick!!!!! Wow! Isn't it strange how we think and what we notice as young children? And I do have a vivid memory of going with Momma to ladies prayer meetings! Those ladies were down on their knees praying their hearts out … and truly calling out loud to God!

Sunday School was a weekly delight I always looked forward to and always had prepared for it in the quarterly the church provided with lessons to read and questions to answer. That is something I still enjoy in Bible Study Fellowship. I don't remember ever not wanting to go unless you count the one year that January 1 fell on Sunday and it was frigid outside. Momma insisted that would not keep us from church that day to make sure we started our year out right! Oh dear, on the way our car broke down but fortunately, it broke down in front of a house where fellow church members lived and they took us on to church. You see, God does work in mysterious ways and He certainly provides for us!

One Sunday School teacher in particular stands out to me because of her hospitality to us young girls and she would have parties at her home with cake and ice cream … no special occasion … she just loved us! Although I really don't like this pic, I am posting it because of the special cake she had made for this party. It was a huge Bible cake and we all had to have our pictures made with it.

My hair!!!! Scary from another of Momma's perms

and maybe pin curls the night before!

What a wonderful woman Sister Murphy was and really, all my Sunday School teachers over the years I thank God for what they invested in me. It is my hope that the children I have worked with in church over the years will have appreciation for the people who taught them.

Many times were spent sitting in the yard patiently weaving together clover necklaces ... going to Cassandra's house to play and draw on her giant chalkboard and in the playhouse her Dad built for her ... Cassandra and her mom were both artists and they drew beautifully, but when it came to more important matters, such as sports and outdoor fun, they weren’t quite as interested. And in other practical matters such as being on time when weather was bad and Momma would take them to school with us, it was hard for me to understand because we were always so punctual! Visiting my friend Jackie who had a horse which bucked me off right away, Jackie said the horse knew I was afraid … my best friend Melba and I staying over at each other's house … and a thousand other little snippets of those times.

In 6th grade, I started a record club with friends and I remember the shock of seeing one of my friends dance to the song On the Wings of a Snow White Dove ... one of the older girls playing the boogie woogie on the piano … the night my sister and I stayed awake all night out of excitement over her having learned to ride her bike. We couldn't wait for the next day to come so we could ride … going to my friend Cassandra's house to watch Peter Pan in color on their TV, and seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time … we were terrified of the witch and those monkeys!

I'm guessing this period of time in my parents' lives were very busy and they worked hard to stretch a dollar because very few pictures were taken. That is sad because those were my little brother's toddler years and my little sister in first through third grades and face it! Those are some of the cutest years. 

Mine were the awkward years, being tall, having to wear glasses and also suffering with a chipped front tooth did not help with my self-esteem. Oh gee, but how did I happen to get a chipped front tooth, you may or may not ask? Twirling around on the sidewalk showing off for my little boyfriend! I fell flat on my face and broke my front tooth! Pride! Showing off! Consequences, yes.

That's all for now, folks!