2015--WHAT A YEAR!

Ah, here we are again...New Year's Eve.  Time keeps passing and the world keeps spinning faster and faster these days.  Or so it seems.  Oh, sorry...am thinking I just addressed the swift passage of time not too many blog posts ago.

2015 was in some ways a booger of a year around here.  Sicknesses seemed to abound.  A non-heart attack event, an intestinal obstruction, kidney stones, cervical spine surgery, and now as of yesterday, a broken finger.  Yes, my left hand's smallest digit will have to remain splinted for six weeks.  I smashed it which will be another story for another day.  It doesn't really go with this post except to show you a picture because I am certain now you are curious.   And yes, it hurt then and still hurts on occasion.  (It's the bandaged one, not the arthritic crooked one.)

I can honestly say, though, that with the list of sicknesses, the Lord has been faithful and helped.  He is forever the very best!  Praying friends help and praying friends abounded in 2015.  Still do.  And God answered prayers too numerous to count.  Here's a picture as a reminder of only one of those many answered prayers:

Prayers for salvation are the best answered prayers!

Spring 2015 saw the final seasonal visit to see the Gibbs flowers with The Mother.  Such beauty of God's creation!

I had obviously not visited the beauty hair salon as The Mother had done.

There was the big wonderful announcement for our family that The Husband and I would become The Papa and The Gramma in spring of 2016!  More prayers answered.

Then there was the announcement that The Grandchild is a girl!

There was a vacation to Alaska that will be long remembered...

Sunday School showed the promotion of one class and the new additions of younger two year olds.

Jesus still had a birthday and the little class still had a party because the reason for the season stays the same!

as does the church children and their Christmas concert!

There was strawberry pickin' in the VERY hot weather....

..resident deer in our yard...

...and growth.

Easter was special as always (hallelujah, Christ arose!) but also was an array of the color aqua blue!

And I have to mention that 2015 was the year of the big decade birthday for me and many of my friends....my old friends, that is!

2015 also had fun gifts that were sure to please...I quilted for my sister a quilt top hand sewn by our Mema.

I could write on and on and on and never relate to you how life, even through hard challenging times, is always in the palm of the hand of my very big God!  I continue daily to learn and sometimes even find it hard to grasp in faith, then the Lord sends me that comfort that "He's got this!"  And thankfully, He ALWAYS will!

Many blessings to you in 2016!

MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!  Christmas is all about HIM!  How blessed we all are to celebrate the joy of the birth of OUR Savior!  As the song says, "O come let us adore him...Christ the Lord!"  I am thankful to be able to call him MY Savior.  Rejoice!

SO THE SEASON BEGINS......

Christmas.  Peace, goodwill toward men.  Decorated trees.  Nativity scenes.  And "Joy to the World, the Lord is come" over and over and over again.  And then "Joy to the World" again.  

Yes, I'm speaking of my church's annual Christmas caroling afternoon.  It happened yesterday afternoon--a beautiful sunny day that was just the right temperature with a large number of both regular singers and non-singers.  You see, in my church you don't have to sing on key or sing beautifully to make a joyful noise--especially on Christmas caroling day!   In fact, you don't have to sing at all--the blessing can be in just watching expressions and joy on the faces.

Here's the caroling group...

Then there is another of the group with me in it.  Can you find me?

The Girl is ready to go....all set with her Cheez Its.

The list we have now is much shorter than years past.  That's a bit of bad news and good news....bad that those we love are gone, but good that others we love are still able to attend church regularly.

It was a wonderful afternoon ...

There was a bit of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with his shiny nose (like a light bulb) as sang by the children...

And a bit of "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way"...

There was sharing....

...familiar faces...

.

...and love all around.

There were even smiles all around as I posed with a couple of favorite youngsters...

The day ended with the familiar sounds of "What'll ya have?"  Most had Varsity hot dogs, fries, onion rings, and frosted orange drinks.  And the famous Varsity hats, of course.

Our caroling recipients were mostly elderly and many had memory issues.  An amazing thing I did notice that all these sweet folks seemed to remember song words...many sang "Joy to the World", "Silent Night", and "Amazing Grace" without missing a beat.  And they did it happily.

The residents excitement made me realize that I should be more that way about "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!"  That joy that lives deep in one's heart somehow always remembers the words, even if one can't remember their own name.  Amazing.  What a blessing to watch and witness!

So remember, "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!"  Tis the season.....

GIVE THANKS WITH A GRATEFUL HEART

It seems like not so long ago that I was experiencing Thanksgiving Day.  I somehow think time goes by faster and faster these days.  I wish I could catch up with it or more so slow it down a lot.  And, face it, every single day should be Thanksgiving Day.

I couldn't let this Thanksgiving Day slip by without giving a few particular thanks for blessings great and small and even those blessings in disguise.  And no, I haven't compared this list to last years...it might duplicate, it might not but either way as I like to say, "it is what it is".

I'm thankful.....

...that I'm a saved-by-grace child of a Heavenly Father and Savior who loves me in spite of me.

...for my immediate family--a husband who loves me and knows me well, a daughter who is a great joy of my world, and a son-in-law who couldn't be dearer to my heart if I had hand-picked him myself.

...for a sweet Caroline Grace that will, Lord willing, join our family circle in the spring.

...for parents who provided me a life growing up that helped me become what I am and to the point that I am now.

...for a sister, extended family of in-laws, nieces, nephews, the list goes on and on.

...for a church that still worships God, a church family who loves, and a pastor and his wife who preaches the Word and serves with love (I've had many of those in the past and the blessing continues.)

...for health, hospital stays that worked out, doctors who know how to help, and a medical team for The Girl who has knowledge.

...for comfort of a cluttered, non-squeaky clean house and the emotional comfort of a loving "home".

...for gluten free food that's on sale!

...for Christmas Hallmark movies!  (Can I get an Amen on that one?)

...for loving friends who care, friends both near and far, friends who passed through my path and made a difference.

...for times of joy to rejoice, times of emotional pain to endure, times of fear and the assurance that the Lord is there.  All the time.

...for the Lord's faithfulness and love with which "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

The list goes on and on and on and I could type all day long but on this day "in everything I give thanks"!

PERFECT?

Ah....perfect.....

The online definition of "perfect" is "having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be."

The Son-In-Law and I have an ongoing "thing" as I tease him that I am the perfect mother-in-law.  He goes along with the idea graciously, both of us knowing that it's really impossible for any one person to be perfect.  Many can come very near to perfection, but does anyone ever reach it?  I think not.  With that said, that's no reason to stop striving for such for sure.

My ideas of perfection might begin to change a bit in the next few months as The Girl and The Son-In-Law are looking forward to becoming parents in late April.  You all know what THAT means, don't you?  It means that The Husband and I will become first time grandparents!  How exciting is that?

I am sure somewhere along the way it will be evident that we are not perfect grandparents.  It's doubtful, or so I understand from other grandparents, that we will ever believe this grandchild of ours would be anything other than perfect.  Now that's only what we understand from other grandparents.  Praise God, we will get to learn this for ourselves!  First hand!  Lord willing!

The Girl and The Son-In-Law hosted a nice Thanksgiving meal today for some of the Alabama kin and some of the Georgia kin.  The real reason for the party was to reveal the gender of the child.  I will be honest here, I felt all along that it would be a boy.  When polled, the "kin" who attended today went about half and half with the boy versus girl vote.

As for me, even though I had blue on the brain, it really didn't matter which gender the child is.  This child is a gift from God and will bring honor and glory to His name.  I feel that for sure.  I have found myself very weepy lately when I consider the goodness of the Lord.  I am overwhelmed and full of gratitude for HIS blessings...tis the season, you know, to be full of gratitude.

So anyways, today between the turkey and the dessert, our sweet grandchild's gender was reveal.  And yes, it doesn't happen often but I was wrong.  She is not a boy, but a girl....a girl with a name of Caroline Grace.   Already I see perfection as the name is perfect! Sounding like a Gramma, too, aren't I?  And I'm sure if The Papa could type, he would agree with me!

I want to share a few of the pictures from today so you faithful blog readers can enjoy also.  What a wonderful, wonderful day of love, joy, and happiness along with an overwhelming gratitude to the Lord above!

Doesn't The Girl and The Son-In-Law look happy?

YAY!!!!

Yes, it was a lovely day of smiles, tears, love, and gratitude all mixed up together and a day not long forgotten by all who were there to experience the joy.  I have determined that if The Grandchild gives her parents half as much joy as her mama has given to The Husband and me, life will be full....like that scripture in one of Paul's letters in the Bible that says, "so your joy may be full." Yes, joy full to overflowing!

I. Am. Blessed.

60

60.  Sixty.  Yep, that's me.  Call me Sixty.  I have reached that new decade in age.  Now that I've arrived, it doesn't seem that very old.  I guess it's all in how you look at life.

I decided in honor of this new decade of age, I might take a short walk down memory lane.  Granted some of the memories have vanished and some are dim but others still around.

When The Girl was in high school, I remember her having to write some kind of poem titled, "Where I'm From", or something like that.  I decided to try that today.  I'll condense a bit or try to...

I'm from the age of black and white television.
I'm from playing tag and chase and "Ain't No Boogy Men Out Tonight".
I'm from playing these games outside and some at dusk.  See prior sentence.
I'm from wringer washing machines.  (I have a memory of getting my hand
    caught in one.)
I'm from going to church every time the church doors opened for worship
    service.  Still am.
I'm from only near death excuses to miss church.
I'm from Tootsie Pops.
I'm from spankings without neighbors contacting DFACS.
I'm from riding the school bus to high school all the way from the south of the
    county to the north on a road with no traffic lights and two lanes.
I'm from loving a ride in the family gray Rambler station wagon.  In the very
     back.  Without a seatbelt.
I'm from dads making homemade ice cream with a hand cranked ice cream  
     maker.
I'm from rotary dial telephones that were big, black, and sat on the table.
I'm from sleeping in hair rollers for a nice "do".
I'm from watching The Andy Griffith Show and Leave It To Beaver weekly.
     In prime time.

And the list could go on and on and on.

From my photo collection, I want to share just a few jewels for your viewing pleasure.

I call the hairdo in the picture above the "Midge" hairdo.  Some of you will remember Barbie's good friend Midge.  I like to think my hair looked a lot like hers.

As I reflect on different memories from youth, there are so many others since then that have made a difference in my life.  The greatest impact on my young life was accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  That choice makes me assured that the Lord has worked and is continuing to work in my life.

As George Bailey would say, "It's a wonderful life!"

PRAYING

Do you ever feel like you weary the Lord with repetitive prayers?  I surely do.  I find I often seem to pray the same thing over.  And over.  And over some more.   There's a big part of me that realizes the Lord is pretty smart and has a really decent memory so that He doesn't forget what I've already asked Him.  But alas, I keep asking Him still.

If I began to give you scriptures on prayer from the Bible, the pages here would not hold them.  There's that "ask and it shall be given".  Then there's the one about being careful not to ask "amiss".  And let's not forget the best one of all--"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name...."  And there are so many in between.

In a conversation with my good Methodist friend the other day, we were speaking of our prayer requests and she told me that she was going to put one of mine on her "Pray Without Ceasing" List.  Yes, "pray without ceasing" is in the good book as well.  I liked the sound of her "Pray Without Ceasing" list so I have decided to have one of my own.  My friend told me that the requests on that list are ones that get mentioned every single day.  I have no doubt that my request moves from my friend's lips to God's ears every single day.

I am so grateful for MY heavenly Father who loves me, listens to me, and while He doesn't always give me everything I want, He ALWAYS gives me EVERYTHING I need.  And who knows, maybe some of my answers need to come in the Father's own time.  After all His timing is perfect!

FALL APPLES

I. Love. Fall.

It's that simple.  Fall brings the beauty of colors (most years), the crisp cooler air, and apples!

When our church did cookbooks, there was a recipe published that belonged to a sweet sweet wonderful cook in our church.  This lady was a very petite woman who mothered numerous children and had acquired even more numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.  I remember that she was one of the kindest people I had ever met and loved so heartily everyone she met.  I never doubted one minute her love even for me.  A great portion of her wonderful personality, good qualities, and ability to cook well was inherited by her daughters.  Many from her family are some of my closest and dearest friends in the world.

My very favorite apple cake recipe of all time is the recipe of hers.  It's called Apple Dapple Cake.  I made my first one for this fall the other day.  I find that using Rome Beauty apples - preferably from the orchard and not the grocery store -- makes a huge difference but if you don't have them, make the cake anyways.   Granny Smiths from the grocery store are also pretty good.  Just look at that yummy goodness:

So, in honor of Mrs. Annie.....

Apple Dapple Cake

1 1/2 c. salad oil
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
3 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. apples, peeled and chopped
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare tube pan with either Pam spray or Crisco.  (I use Pam and it works.)  Mix oil and sugar; add eggs, flour, soda, salt and vanilla.  Beat until well blended.  Stir in apples, coconut and nuts.  Place in greased tube pan.  Bake for 1 1/2 hours.  (Have topping ready when cake comes out of oven.  My oven doesn't take the whole 1.5 hours so keep a watch after an hour of baking in case yours doesn't either.)

Topping:

1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. milk

Mix above ingredients in small saucepan.  Heat and stir until blended; boil 2 minutes.  Pour over hot cake and allow it to soak in.  Let cake cool completely before removing from pan.  (I use a knife to pull cake away from pan so topping can go down the sides.  Yum...)

COCONUT

The Husband and I have had "food functions" for the last couple of weekends....one a picnic at church, the other a family reunion.  For both of these events, I prepared the same kind of dessert -- a coconut cake.

I will freely admit that I did the same kind because it can be made several days ahead and refrigerated.  In fact, it's preferred for a moist cake.  After both events, I brought home an empty cake carrier except for a few cake crumbs and loose coconut.

Since many have asked for the recipe, I have directed them to this blog for it.  Enjoy!

SOUR CREAM COCONUT CAKE

1 box Duncan Hines butter recipe golden cake mix

1 tsp. coconut flavoring

Icing:

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. Cool Whip

1 3/4 c. sugar

18 oz. frozen coconut (reserve 6 oz for top and sides--okay so I have been putting 12 oz on top and sides lately.  If you do that, you will need 24 oz. frozen coconut.  It's a personal choice.)

Mix and bake cake mix as directed on box, adding coconut flavoring to batter.  Bake in 3 (8") pans or 2 (9") pans.  When cool, split layers in half, making 2 thin layers of each.  Beat sour cream and sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add Cool Whip and 12 ounces of coconut.  Beat well.  Stack your cake with cut side up, putting much icing between layers.  Put remaining icing on top and sides.  Sprinkle 6 ounces (or 12) of coconut on outside of cake.

Note:  Best if prepared several days ahead and stored in refrigerator.  Leave at room temperature three hours before serving.

COINCIDENCE?

Last Sunday was youth Sunday at our church.  It's every 5th Sunday of the month which comes around four or so times a year.  Usually the four adult classes join together for a joint lesson, sometimes taught by a youth and sometimes by an adult volunteer.  Last Sunday, I was the adult volunteer.  For the week I studied the topic that stayed on my heart and wouldn't go away....the subject was joy.

J-O-Y.  I enjoyed my study and learned a lot about joy.  Maybe I will do a post on it sometime but that's not where this post is going on this day.

Today I got an email from The Girl.  She had been cleaning out some of her computer files and found a devotion she had done at work back in 2009.  Yep.  Six years ago.

Lately we have been finding the Lord sending messages or as a wise woman from church calls it, "the witness of the Spirit".  Some might call it coincidence.  No, no, not me.  I know when the Lord's trying to get me on the right page.  When I read this devotion from 2009, I knew that the Lord was reinforcing in me these things.  The scriptures mentioned have been read in our services the past couple of Sundays.  Coincidence?  Nah.  Never.  GOD KNOWS WHAT WE NEED.

So here's the devotion by The Girl.  She was happy for me to share.

From May 2009 as written by The Girl:

As most of you know, I went to the beach last week and – compared to what it was like here – had good weather.  Still, it wasn’t picture perfect beach weather.  The wind blew sand on our towels and in our ears, there were clouds more often than not, and there was an afternoon of thunder and heavy rain.  But – on Friday, our last day there – the weather was textbook-perfect… robin’s egg blue sky, not a cloud to be found, a light breeze.  It seemed that I took notice of each small, perfect detail.  I found myself wondering if I would have appreciated the beauty of the day quite so much had it not been preceded by several not-so-perfect ones.  Isn’t that a lot like life?  Aren’t the mountaintop experiences that much sweeter after you’ve had to climb out of a rocky, tough valley?  

I Peter 6:7 tells us: 
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 
 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 
 8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

I love the comparison in verse 7 of the trials of our faith and the trying of gold by fire.  As gold is heated, impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off.  Steel is tempered and strengthened by heating.  Likewise, our trials, struggles, and persecutions – our cloudy, stormy days, if you will – strengthen our faith and our relationship with God, making us more useful to Him.  In my opinion, darker times or trials also help us to appreciate all of the many blessings that we have all the more.

So what does that mean for us?  James 1:2-4 tells us to

2 count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

It’s so hard sometimes to remember to be joyful, thankful, and happy when things aren’t going our way, when times are tough, when we don’t know what’s going to happen next… but we, as God’s children, are promised blessings beyond measure if we only persevere, keep the faith, and “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before… press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. “
And won’t the prize be that much sweeter – like a cheeseburger after weeks and weeks of salad! – when we hear God say “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

1)
THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY I WALKED THROUGH TODAY.
THE DARKER THE VALLEY THE MORE I LEARN TO PRAY.
I FOUND YOU WHERE THE LILIES ARE BLOOMING BY THE WAY.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY I WALKED THROUGH TODAY.

CHORUS)
THANK YOU FOR EVERY HILL I'VE CLIMBED
FOR EVERY TIME THE SUN DIDN'T SHINE.
THANK YOU FOR EVERY LONELY NIGHT
I PRAYED UNTILL I KNEW THAT EVERY THING WAS ALRIGHT.
AND I THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY I WALKED THROUGH TODAY

2)
LIFE CAN'T BE ALL SUNSHINE OR THE FLOWERS WOULD DIE.
THE RIVERS WOULD BE DESERTS, ALL BARREN AND DRY.
LIFE CAN'T BE ALL BLESSING FOR THERE'D BE NO NEED TO PRAY.
SO I THANK YOU FOR THE VALLEY I WALKED THROUGH TODAY.

And all God's people said, "Amen!"