Happy Easter

The promise of Easter is witnessed and heard 

In each budding flower and each singing bird, 

For Easter and spring are God's loving way 

Of showing that He is still with us today. 

Helen Steiner Rice

Texas Bluebonnets

These pictures aren't from this year although I have seen a few patches of these beauties around already this year. 

We plan to visit the Hill Country sometime in April and hopefully this will be a good year for the bluebonnets once again! 

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"The best things are nearest:  

breath in your nostrils,

light in your eyes, flowers at your feet,

duties at your hand, 

the path of God just before you.

Then do not grasp at the stars,

but do life's plain common work as it comes

certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life."

Robert Louis Stevenson

Random Acts of Kindness Week

 

My sister was the recipient of a Random Act of Kindness this week that really touched her.  She has been dealing with some health issues lately and was having a really busy day running errands and at the same time talking to God about how she sure needs to have some time alone to just sit in peace with a good cup of coffee at Starbucks, which she never does.  Well, a few hours later as she was buying groceries she saw an envelope on the banana display.  It simply said "P e a c e ."  She was curious and looked closer and in the corner it said "open."  She picked it up and opened it and inside was a kind note and a $5 gift card from Starbucks!  

You never know how much a simple gift like this can make in a person's life.  Next week is Random Acts of Kindness Week, so I hope that I can come up with a few small kindness acts that may be what someone needs to make their day special. You can read more about Random Acts of Kindness Week here.

  

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~John Wooden

Flowers and Sunshine to Warm Your Day

 We finally have sunshine back in Southeast Texas today!  Thank goodness!  We have had so much rain, drizzle, fog, and gloominess in our weather the past month or two. 

 I just wanted to post a few pictures of some beautiful days we’ve had in the past year.  

San Augustine Park on Lake Sam Rayburn

 I always love a change in seasons and have enjoyed our winter but really starting to look forward to spring!

 

Our Backyard

 My house is full of plants that I've brought inside to protect from a hard freeze we had last week.  I know they need some sunshine too!  I really do need a greenhouse!!

Kansas City

The days are already getting noticeably longer which I love.  I think we should have daylight savings time year round!

Weston, MO

With the cold and rain that we've had lately, I have resorted to mall walking to get my steps in.  My new fitbit definitely encourages me to "get moving!"

Sandy Creek Retreat

The cold this winter hasn't been that bad at all, but we've just missed our sunshine!!

Lake Sam Rayburn

“Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.”
― Hans Christian Andersen

Wishing everyone some warm sunshiny days.

Jeanne

East Texas Piney Woods

 

Our weather this spring has been so nice with cooler temperatures than normal and mostly sunny skies.  I know we need the rain, but I'm sure enjoying these beautiful days!

These are pictures I took a few weeks ago at Sandy Creek, where we keep our trailer.  Wishing we were there right now! 

The trees are God's great alphabet: 

With them He writes in shining green 

Across the world His thoughts serene.  

~Leonora Speyer

Don't Give Up!

I lost several  plants to the freezes this winter and thought I had lost this one too but was very surprised yesterday to find it blooming away!!  So, don't give up on dead looking plants - there's still hope!

Where man sees but withered leaves,
God sees sweet flowers growing.
~Albert Laighton


 

¹¹ For the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. ¹² The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.^[a]

Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Living Bible (TLB)

 

Well I guess I am rushing things just a little - afterall it's still February.  I just can't help but notice signs of spring are definitely in the air!

Summer Rain

We're getting a little rain this week - lots of clouds but just a little rain!

 

For several weeks now we've had so many thunderstorms come right to us and then fizzle out, bringing us just thunder, lightening, and a cool breeze.  This time of the year we'll gladly take any breeze we can get of course, but our plants sure do need the rain!

Well, this week we've been lucky and actually received some rainfall.

We've been babysitting our "grand dogs" the last two weeks. They'll be going back home on Monday. This is D.J., a lively little Jack Russel Terrier. She's a real sweetie!

And this is Jake, who will be 18 years old in November! He doesn't hear much and his vision isn't too great but he is still quite smart and knows how to get just what he wants from Grandma, like an extra treat or chicken broth on his food! He is a beautiful West Highland Terrier.

Hope you all have a nice weekend!

 

 

¹⁶ for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.

 

Colossians 1:16-17   New Living Translation

Happy Easter!

This has always been one of my favorite songs to sing on Easter Sunday, "He Lives."

 

I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.

I know that He is living, whatever men may say.

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him He's always near.

 

Chorus:

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

 

 

Matthew 28:5-6

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.

 

 

Wishing you all a Happy Easter and wonderful weekend!!

 

 

Here Comes the Sun!!!

 

All sunshine and sovereign is God, generous in

gifts and glory.

Psalm 84:11 The Message 

So far this new year we've seen very few sunny days so today when the sun did  finally appear we were elated even if it was still cold (or at least for us southerners)!  Up north I’m sure the 40’s is not considered cold.   And we’ve just had so much rain that we’re starting to mildew!
 
Anyway, I’m hoping that we’ll soon see more pretty days and be able to get out more.  I can’t wait to try out my new camera that Johnny got me for Christmas.  It’s a Sony Alpha SLT/A33 and I think I’m going to like it a lot but there is a lot to learn.   I've always loved macro photography and so I've been practicing on some of the plants I've brought in from the cold.

 

 

 

 

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."
Helen Keller 

 

 

I hope you all have a sunny day too

even if it's only in your heart! 

wunderground photo

Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different.

Author Unknown

We all know life is not always a bouquet of roses but even when things aren't going our way or we are not feeling well, we need to be careful with the choices we make and the way we go about our day.  We must do the best we can with what we have and not make decisions that will mess up our canvas!

I hope you have a beautiful Sunday!

Google.com

  But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23

Happy June!

"It is the month of June,
The month of leaves and roses,
When pleasant sights salute the eyes
And pleasant scents the noses."
Nathaniel Parker Willis

Recipe Review

 

Well, the recipe for Colcannon that I posted on Saturday turned out to be very good! We really enjoyed it and I'm sure I will be making it again soon. The only thing I changed was the amount of salt. The original recipe called for 2 T. of salt be added to the potatoes and I didn't use nearly that much - maybe 1 tsp. This was the first time I've ever cooked with kale and since I didn't use it all in this dish I've got to think of a way to use the rest.  Any ideas out there??

"A smile happens in a flash, but its memory can last a lifetime."

End of Summer and Backyard Happenings

The mockingbirds around here love this American Beauty Berry Bush and just live in our backyard the entire time it is producing. It is one plant that survived the drought very well. Next to it I have an Angel Trumpet that hardly bloomed at all because it takes so much water and I just wasn't willing to give it all it needed this year. If the drought continues I might just have to re-place it with something more tolerant - like a blooming cactus!

My Mom lives close by and so we are able to visit each other almost every day.  I'm so lucky to be able to do that!

We have lots of doves in our backyard.  We did have Inca Doves nesting here but haven't seen them much lately.  I think we have the white winged, mourning doves, and ringneck doves mostly.  This one is sitting in the garden waiting for me to re-fill the feeder I guess.

Wildflowers and Wildlife

There are always lots of photo opportunities in Port Aransas and these are a few that my husband was able to capture on our last trip there.

Never lose an opportunity to see anything 

that is beautiful.

It is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament.

 Welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, 

 every fair flower.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is In the Air - Along with the Pollen

Well, it won't be long now and we'll be right in the middle of our spring-time.  Our white car is already covered with yellow pollen and I've even seen a few bluebonnets in the neighborhood blooming.  We've had a few warm days when we had to use our a.c. but now back to cooler temperatures with night time lows in the 40's.  Can't wait to get out in the yard to do some gardening kind of things.

The Year's at the Spring

Robert Browning

The year's at the spring

And the day's at the morn;

Morning's at seven:

The hillside's dew-pearled;

The lark's on the wing;

The snail's on the thorn:

God's in his heaven -

All's right with the world!

Ready for Some Sunshine!!

Isn't it about time for some sunny days and warmer temperatures???  We're so spoiled here in the south with our mild winters and normally I don't complain about the cold, but after this week I think I'm ready for Spring.  We were in the 20's two or three nights this week and the days were mostly in the 40's.   And now two Sundays in a row we've had COLD and RAIN.  I'm SO ready for some SUN!!!  I can't wait to see that YELLOW ball of sun shining again!

Some interesting facts about YELLOW:

 -Yellow is psychologically the happiest color in the color spectrum.

- Yellow shines with optimism, enlightenment, and happiness. Shades of golden yellow carry the promise of a positive future. Yellow will advance from surrounding colors and instill optimism and energy, as well as spark creative thoughts.

How the color yellow affects us physically:

Stimulates mental processes
Stimulates the nervous system
Activates memory
Encourages communication

"How wonderful yellow is. It stands for the sun." - Vincent Van Gogh