"MAGIC"

The Husband and I returned a couple of days ago from a week long trip to the "happiest place on earth".  Now most of you will know that is Disney World and that is one of their "slogans".  To me, the happiest place on earth is here in my own "world"; however, the week at Disney was a very close second and memories were made to last a lifetime.  The Son-In-Law had planned the trip for his parents, us, The Girl, and The Grandbaby over a year ago and we had anticipated it for a long, long time.  I will admit I was a bit concerned about The Husband and I keeping up with the youngsters as we are much slower than we used to be, but I did realize it's me that's slower.  The Husband still can walk pretty fast, even faster than many of us others that were along.  It was a WONDERFUL time.  I was able to have the camera around my neck most of the daylight hours and some nighttime hours.  I had not done that in a long time and reaffirmed my love of photography, especially when it's photos of those I love so.  Maybe I took 800-1000 pictures?  And no, I won't bore you with all those, but I will give you a good long sampling here.  So sit back, get your computer and cup of coffee ready and enjoy!

We began the trip at the Magic Kingdom.  On Main Street, we had a photo session showing the beauty of our shirts made by The Girl.  You all know that I am not vain, but that Florida heat was not a friend to my hair.

After the pictures, we headed to the Crystal Palace for a breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and his friends.  It was absolutely delicious and meeting the Winnie and friends a treat.

After the breakfast, our group waited in line to meet The Mouse.  During the whole time we anticipated the trip, The Grandbaby called it "going to Mickey's house".  It was important for her to see him first.  Now at Disney, you wait in line to have a couple of minutes to meet, greet, and take a picture.  We got lucky.   Of the three groups we entered the area with, our family was the third and last of that group and we were the last before The Mouse took a break.  When he met The Grandbaby, they had a great time.  He must have spent 5-6 minutes with her and the photographer was just snapping and snapping pictures as well as the Disney worker in that are snapping with The Girl's cell phone.  Hence, with my snapping, we have a "world" of pictures with The Mouse.  He danced with her, hugged her, talked to her without words as they do and gave an atmosphere of beauty.  There were many "oohs" and "ahhs" from our group and the Disney folks.  One of the other workers out with the people waiting actually came to check on The Mouse's status and he had not even gone to break yet.  Oops.  It was a truly magical experience for us and for The Grandbaby.  Here's a big sampling of that mouse session.

She waits with her autograph book....

The Grandbaby shakes all over when she is excited.  She was excited meeting every character.

The Disney folks said he only twirls Minnie but he twirled The Grandbaby.  Would Minnie be jealous?  Nah.

Mickey also liked her sparkly shoes.

Rides were enjoyed on the trip, especially those that whirled and twirled.  The popular question was "ride again"?

The Grandbaby related most to the characters and the princesses.  Her autograph book was full and seeing them "live" was a treat she enjoyed most.  I will begin with her favorite, Ariel Mermaid as she calls her....

Ariel taught her the art of the pinky promise.

and the others......Cinderella...

 Sleeping Beauty...

Anna....

Elsa...

 Rapunzel...

Belle...

Elena of Avalor....

Snow White...

Tiana...

Jasmine.

The Grandbaby marched in "parades"...restaurant parades, that is.

And of course, there were autographs of many others....

 One of my most favorites pictures of the trip...

We saw a mega gingerbread house...

and a visit with Ho Ho...

and another family photo session at MGM Studios.  (Yes, a couple of days were VERY cold.)

The Grandbaby had a fun time with The Granddaddy and The Poppa and their hats.  They were very tolerant.

Happy times...fun memories...

There were some stubborn moments.  Uh huh.

 "Yook"!  It's Mickey!

The "Belle" show...meeting Belle.  Note the "soldier" in the background.  Recognize her?

An unforgettable treat at Epcot was the reading of the Christmas story and music.  The celebrity reader was Robby Benson and the choir was made up of many talented singers and musicians.  A real treat...

So for this trip as Bob Hope would say, "Thanks for the memories!"

THANKS FROM A GRATEFUL HEART

Thanksgiving, one of my favorite times of the year, rolls around yet again--faster and faster with each passing year.  As the speed each year gets faster and faster, my list of blessings grows longer and longer.

Many blessings are common sense things such as food and clothing.  Some are activity related such as church and a job.  There are blessings that are "seen" and others that are "unseen" but whichever they are, each is equally important in my life.

So with that said, without comparing to any lists of past Thanksgivings, I'll try for a "blog" list of blessings THIS year.....

I am grateful for  a loving and faithful husband, a sweet strong daughter, a caring son-in-law, a precious albeit stubborn granddaughter, parents, and extended family.  I am undeserving of all.

I am grateful for jobs for my family, Social Security still in place, Medicare (I'm only two years away now), and a quality of life that is not rich but sufficient.

I am thankful for friends, both longtime and short time, who make a difference in my life.

I am grateful for a church where I am free to worship the Lord and Savior I love with folks who are like family to me and, in the world of the spiritual, we all are brothers and sisters in Christ.  They care.

I am also grateful for a comfortable church building that God provided us the means to build.  God also provided the people to fill it and for that I am grateful.  I am filled with thankfulness that my little grand baby will have a comfortable place to worship physically and spiritually.

I am thankful for a surgeon who successfully operates on adhesions, a primary care doctor who really does care, an endocrinologist who is smart and treats The Girl like she matters because she does, a pediatrician who knows about kids, an optometrist who doesn't hesitate to send one to a retina specialist when he sees something amiss, and a retina doctor who is willing to watch but also willing to laser should the need arise.   Along with these, I'm grateful The Greatest of Physicians who can heal with just a word.

I am thankful for egg whites, turkey bacon, and corn tortillas--my usual breakfast food.

I am thankful for Hallmark movies that can be watched by a family without hearing or seeing nasty junk.

I am also thankful for game shows like Jeopardy that make me realize that I'm not as smart as I think I am.

I am thankful for pajamas, recliners, and peace to fall asleep in both--even in the daylight.

I am thankful for online shopping, my newest thing.  I guess I need to be thankful for the technology that makes that happen even though I am not really smart in that kind of technology.

I am thankful that I find delight in taking photos.

I am thankful for prayer and it's power in my life.   I am thankful for those who love me who pray without ceasing.  I am thankful that there is always answered prayer--maybe not always the answer I want but the answer just in time to lead in the right direction.

Of course, most of all, I am thankful for the salvation I received when I believed on the Lord Jesus Christ 54 years ago.  I am thankful that He's is my rock, my shield, my refuge, and my dearest friend. I am thankful He loves me even though I don't deserve it and I am thankful for HIS mercy and grace.


As the lyrics to our choir's longtime Thanksgiving medley says:

"Thanks, thanks, I give you thanks for all you've done
I am so blessed, my soul is at rest, Oh Lord, I give you thanks".....

...In all things we give you thanks, we give you praise and thanksgiving.
At all times, in everything, we give you thanks, we give you thanks......

...thank you Lord.  I just want to thank you, I just want to thank you.
Thank you, Lord.  I just want to thank you, I just want to thank you, Lord....

...Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to the Holy One, give thanks because he's given Jesus Christ, His son....Give thanks....give thanks....give thanks."


I will end this Thanksgiving post with what has become one of my most treasured of the scriptures.  It comes from the writings of the Apostle Paul, who in himself is an amazement and encouragement to me and is found in Philippians 4:6,7.  It says:

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Consider........

SEWING THERAPY RESULTS

Well, for all of you who read my blog regularly, I talked about my sewing and how it is such wonderful therapy to me.  (See post, "Life Slays Me Some Days", from October 27, 2018.)  In that post, I was in the process of sewing two new dresses for The Grandbaby.  I remarked that if The Grandbaby's dress was acceptable to wear, I would post a picture.  It was acceptable, she wore it, and  here's the photo results.....

She hasn't worn this one yet but really seems to like it as well.  It's more important to wear pumpkins in this season than pom poms.  

That's all for today........

DISTRACTED

Yes!  That's me!  Mr. Webster describes me perfectly with the definition of "distracted".  He says "having one's thoughts or attention drawn away; unable to concentrate or give attention to something".  My picture should be in Mr. Webster's dictionary totally by that definition.  It's me.  

I heard someone say once that they got nothing done of value.  Most days that seems to be also.  For instance, I might go into a room to  tidy up, see trash that needs emptying, take it to empty which reminds me that all the trash needs emptying.  As that's done maybe the mail has come so that necessitates a walk to the mailbox.  I have to sit and read the mail which causes sleep so I nap.  Then I wake up and where has the time gone?  Nothing is cleaned except the trash.  Sound familiar to anyone?  Distracted.  

With my distraction often comes loss.  In the case I'm relating, it was the loss of car keys.  Significant loss.  This happened many months ago.  Many months ago.  And these keys were not old as I had not had the car but a few months.   I remembered laying them somewhere and them dropping from that place when I was dealing with The Grandbaby and getting her out of the carseat.  So my thoughts were that they dropped on the carport.  Now keep in mind--these aren't just car keys.  There's several significant keys along with a nice little mini flashlight and a large clip on clip so they clip in my purse.  Uh huh, so they won't get lost.  

Time passed.  Places were searched and got cleaned a bit in the search so all was not lost....just the keys. I even looked in the nasty trash.   Finally after a couple of months of looking and being afraid I would lose the remaining set of car keys (and this car has no code I can get in without a key), I decided to just take my Christmas money from last year to the dealership and have a new set done.  No, I couldn't do that at my local hardware and discount stores.  I tried.   After waiting over an hour--patiently--after all this whole thing was my doing, I got two new car keys.  Now the old ones won't work.  Technology allows that. Technology doesn't want a person to have more than two sets of car keys.  Even when that person is easily distracted.  I went, had my other mega keys made, bought colored things to put on them, bought a new clip for the purse, and I was set.   I've been using these keys now for months.

This morning has been one of "those" mornings.  First thing I did at 4:45 a.m. was get out the oil to make The Husband some breakfast potatoes.  The oil's lid was not attached well and half the oil spilled on the kitchen floor.  Yes, some of you know that kind of mess.  Gets you on your knees to wipe the floor good but still has the capacity to make one slip.  No, I did not slip which in itself is a miracle with my track record already today.   Bet you thought I did and wonder where I'm going with this story.  

After The Husband left for work, I began to put together a spaghetti sauce.  No, sadly, I don't open the jar and heat but I am one of those that makes it from scratch.  The recipe calls for vinegar which I keep on the shelf on the carport because I buy it by the gallon.  (There are multiple uses for vinegar but that's another post for another day.  Maybe.)  Of course when I reached in the corner shelf for the vinegar, it also dropped with the lid first down toward the floor.  I'm thinking "Please don't spill.  Please don't spill."  I finally was able to pull the vinegar up to get a grip and was so pleased to see that it had not spilled.  What a mess that would have been!    I lifted it up and something on the floor caught my eye......

Just look at that!   And I wasn't even upset that I found them now that I have new ones that cost all my Christmas money.   I just immediately had the best feeling that the things that had been lost were now found.  Months later.  In an area where I thought all along they were.  Joy that they were found!  I knew all along they would be, just didn't know when.  One of them is now useless but the others will still open the locks that they are intended to unlock.

There's a sermon somewhere in this ridiculously long seemingly unimportant post.

Consider........

LIFE SLAYS ME SOME DAYS......

You know what I'm talking about...I know you do.  This week, life has kicked me a bit....a week that could have been worse, but also could have been better.  I got sick with these faulty intestines again last Sunday--not even three months post surgery.  I won't go into it but it merited keeping the doctor updated daily and a long face to face visit a couple of days ago.  I am thankful that I am improved this day.  Not where I would like to be, but improved.  I'll take it.

I have felt like doing very little all week and struggled with that.  I want to keep going and going and as I age, the going is slower.  When I have a sick week, the going is practically non-existent.

I have been trying in the busyness of life to make time for sewing.  Sewing in my sewing room somehow just calms me.  Does anyone know what I'm talking about?  Maybe in your case, not sewing, but something that calms your mind and your life and somehow strengthens you.  Yes, as a Christian I would say a morning devotion should do that and often it does for me, but life slaying me as it has this week, I needed to sew.

"Sew" (pun intended),  I have done that today.  I've repaired an Anna costume, hemmed an Elsa costume, did a slight alteration on a dress, finished a pillow, and am now in the midst of making a navy blue jumper with an orange gingham pumpkin on the front for The Grandbaby.  (I will make another post with a picture when it's done if I'm proud enough of it.  If it's sloppy and not what I imagined, forget the picture and the post.)

As much as I love the threads, the fabrics, the sound of the sewing machine, and even the mess in the room (The Husband rolls his eyes at the mess, but I can find everything.), it is not what calms my soul and spirit when I go in there to sew.  As my music was playing and I was sewing happily today, I realized when my eyes got all watery and tears began to fall that the appeal is the fact that I can calm myself and let stresses and struggles fall away as I open my heart to the voice of my Heavenly Father.  THAT'S the REAL difference.  I LISTEN to the voice of my Heavenly Father and allow HIS spirit to touch me and "heal" the slain life of the day or week.  I NEED THAT.  It's my own fault I don't find that more often.

Today it was the music of "Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place", "He is here, hallelujah, He is here, Amen", and "To God be the Glory, great things HE hath done" that touched me.  I wasn't hearing it on my music player,  but my heart was singing "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow....because He lives all fear is gone....Life is worth the living just because HE lives".  Calm for the soul.  Peace for the heart.  Joy for the journey.

When I taught toddlers in Sunday School, I would often use the word "glory", especially this time of year.  I thought and thought of how to explain to little ones what "glory" meant.  It finally came to me and I used the definition of "YAY, God"!  They understood that, and so now I say it often....YAY, GOD!

I need to adapt the "sewing" spirit in all the hours of my day, whether I am sewing or not.  Or maybe I should remember that every hour of the day I am "sowing" something to everyone I come in contact with....

Consider....

POLITICS

Here we are beginning the week.  It's one of the rare occasions where I decided to talk politics.  This pre-election season wearies me to no end.  I just long for the media ads, the phone calls, and all the signage to go away to return no more.

As an American, I do exercise my right to vote.  My voting precinct is about a mile from my house so it's convenient.  The last few elections I have not been sold on any candidate.  I think the whole lot of them probably need to find a new job and let us start over.  I wonder if there is any politician who really wants good for our country.  I mean really wants good.  No hidden agenda, no favorite groups, no power/control struggles....

I decided this morning that the country would be better off if we had no Democrat or Republican party, but had one called Honest.  Yes, the Honest party.   You know what I have always been taught--Honesty is the BEST policy.

Well, that political post of mine was deep, wasn't it?  :)

Consider....

IT'S FALL, Y'ALL!

Or at least, it's SUPPOSED to be.  Too bad the temperatures don't reflect the season.  If you blog readers don't know by now, I'm very much a non-hot weather person so I'm ready for cool.

This weekend, however, the heat did not deter fall fun.  I thought you all might like a break from the regular commentary and enjoy some photos.  Also, you can see how The Grandbaby has grown!

Of course, the fall weekend begins with football!  The Grandbaby and crew supported a young friend in a high school homecoming event.  While he didn't "win" the title of Homecoming King, he garnered the loudest cheers from his band and ROTC friends!

The Husband took a Saturday fishing trip.  He only caught one fish.  Duh.

While The Husband was fishing, I joined The Girl, The Son-In-Law, and The Grandbaby for a festival.  I didn't stay very long because I became sick, but I did get to see the fun of a first pony ride.  Maybe The Grandbaby will become a cowgirl?

There was pumpkin painting....

...and a petting zoo.  Yes, she loved those animals also.

After the festival, there was another festival involving tractors.  Maybe The Grandbaby will become a cowgirl who drives a tractor?

The next day brought the annual church picnic....this year at Vogel State Park.  What a wonderful day!  Only a hint of fall in the air, but not too hot.  There were friends.....

...food....

...a playground....

...water breaks....

...and creek wading.  Barefoot.  On the rocks.  She does not get toughness of feet from her Neema.

The Adults enjoyed a boat ride....

and there was some posing.

Now, bring on some cool weather!