Rambling Friday: Preparing for Spring

I love flowers.

I love beauty.

I love when things I've wanted forever is finally ready to be done! 

Thankfully, I have a husband--who is always busy--who works with my wants as best as he can. 

That statement leads me to this:  We have a steep bank, cause we live on a mountain top--just kidding, but it is a nice-sized hill. The picture depicts some of the hill and some of the plans I have for it. Fall transplanting and fall bulb planting will, hopefully, produce a beautiful display of plants throughout next summer. 

It's only the beginning, but it's a start. Wish us luck! 

Rambling Friday: Okay, Here's My Excuse...

Where have I been? 

I've been down with...

Covid. 

Yeah. 

After all the precautions hubby and I've taken to be soooooo very careful, 

we both came down with it the same time. 

But...

I ended up in the hospital with very low oxygen, blood clots, and pneumonia. 

Fortunately, I had good care providers, lots of support, and plenty of prayers. 

I'm home now, doing great with only a few remaining post-covid problems,

and back to work on my writing and other things I need to catch up on. 

I'm so very thankful!!

Rambling Friday: Happy Anniversary to Us!

Happy Anniversary to us! 

 

Many years,

many mistakes but lots of fun and laughter

quite a few adventures

including:

Two sons

Three grandsons

one daughter in law

Too many animals to count

Visits and Work in lots of states

ministry

writing for both of us

hard work

love

exhaustion

sickness

health

flowers, cards and notes

gaining, and losing, friends

Scary times

laughing times

happy times

and hopefully...

many more years of

togetherness.

LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Sunday Morning Sunshine: Memories...

 Walking the ocean shore at the crack of dawn...

Holding hands with the man I love...

Loving the flowers hubby gives me, tame or wild! 

Watching our grandboys work...

Enjoying fruit...

Loving my Flag! 

Good memories...

And so much more.

Friday Ramblings: Happy Anniversary to US!

Happy Anniversary to Us! 

We look so young, and we were!

We were so in love, and still are!

He's my favorite person in the whole wide world, 

and always will be.

He brings me flowers,

writes me love notes,

tries to make me happy,

tells me I look pretty,

holds my hand,

opens the car door for me.

He's an example to me.

He's my hero,

my lover,

my best friend,

my sons' father who consider him their best friend,

We all look up to him.

And I still love him so much! 

Happy Anniversary, Hubby!

Rambling Friday: Anniversary!

To my hubby,

my hero.

my lover,

my guide,

companion,

best friend,

and the one man I admire the most.

Our anniversary will always be

a special day for me

because that's the day

we joined our lives together.

And though I may not put it

into words nearly enough,

I love you...

and I always will...

forever!

You are my everything! 

Rambling Fridays: What of Life?

Yesterday was my birthday, and I don't know whether I should be happy and satisfied that I achieved another year or be sad because I'm another year older.

Right about now, I tried to make a list of the pros and cons, and other than the usual life's problems, I couldn't think of much to add on the "con" side, so I'm going to share some of my joys of having birthdays.

• I get flowers almost every year from my sweet hubby. I totally love plants and flowers. They cheer me, they're esthetically nice to gaze upon. They make me feel loved. They boost my emotions. 

• I have a ton of wonderful memories to enjoy and reflect upon.  One of our favorite things to do while traveling is remembering. And all the pictures I've taken through the years makes the past come alive!! We could have missed out on this blessing, but we didn't. That is something to be thankful for.

• Sometimes, but not always, I get ice cream cakes! Oh, the anticipation of getting one. Will it be this year? Has my husband forgotten I love them? And the delicious first, cold bite...

• The presents and cards from my son and his dear friend...and my close friends. What fun! Knowing that I have a wonderful son who cares about me. Knowing I have friends who love me. God's blessings for sure. It might be a beautiful card or a simply signed card by an elderly hand, but knowing I have those who care enough to remember...I am blest!

• Knowing that I've been given another year from God is a miracle of love! Thank you, God, for loving me and giving me so many wonderful blessings. 

Life is good.

Rambling Fridays: My Favorite Worker

I've watched him for years.

My husband, of course. For this post, I want to praise him on his work ethics.

He's in the ministry, but he's also a carpenter--and, as I call him, a jack-of-all-trades. There's not much that he can not do. Let me list a few ways he's shown to be a good worker:

1. Trustworthy. Time after time, people hire him because they can trust him in and at their home. Whether they are at home or at work, left alone on his own (and/or with his helpers), he can be trusted to do what he's contracted to do, not steal what is not his, and not be nosy. 
2. Hard worker. At certain hourly jobs, other workers have tried to encourage him to slow down to make the job last longer. But he keeps at his steady pace. He makes sure to give one hundred percent to whatever job he tackles. He sets the goals needed to complete the job and follows through.
3. Motivated. He doesn't need someone over him to make sure the job gets done in a timely manner. He knows what needs doing and keeps at it till it is achieved.
4. Good attitude. He doesn't grumble and complain about the work he's doing. 
5. Good communicator. He makes sure that everyone involved knows what their job is and does it. He holds accountability, not only to himself, but those working for him, and the employer--that all understands.
6. Flexible. He is able to adapt if plans need to be changed. 

What do you consider a good worker?

Thank you, hubby, 

for being such a good example and provider. 

Happy Labor Day weekend!

The Sweetest Thing, Five Things I love, CONTEST

The Sweetest Thing!

Isn't this the sweetest thing?

Be My Valentine

"Be My Valentine" it said,

Upon the arrowed heart of red,

 With its frill of paper lace,

Offered her with awkward grace.

He longed with tender words to show

He'd like to be her steady beau,

But all that he could do he found,

Was voice a muttered, stuttering sound.

Tubbed and scrubbed and polished neat,

From his cowlick to his feet,

He stood before her, heart in hand,

Trying to make her understand.

No words of love had she to say

Before she laughed and walked away.

For she was only half past four

And he was only one year more.

--Alice B. Johnson

*********

Five Things I Love:

1.  hubby with a passion

2. Sons, and their wife and girlfriend: always and forever

3.  Grandsons: forever grateful to God for giving them to us!

4.  The life we've lived, the memories we've made

5.  God and his blessings on us. Even thru the tough tmes he's seen us thru.

*********

Don't forget February's Contest!

CONTEST QUESTION TIME

(You must comment on every contest question I have this month--

February, 2018,

 and I will label them as such. 

One per week for the whole month.)

Contest Question:

Name one thing you positively love
(person, item, place, whatever...)

VOTING TIME...

Oh, yeah, you want to know what you get?

This:

and a kindle copy of 

Knight in Shining Apron

Book 2

of the Appleton, WV Romantic Mystery series

How's that for a beautiful, romantic gift?

Happy Reading!

The Man

The Man

How can one man be so...
down-to-earth and simple, yet complex,
humble, yet to proud to bend under the wrong pressure,
hard working with a Type A personality,
yet be so laid back in certain circumstances?
How can he be so perceptive and wise on one hand,
yet so dumb when it comes to the hidden, not-in-your-face
wishes of this woman?

This man...
has shed his boots to give to someone else.
this man...
has given his last dollar for a cause.
this man...
has shed tears over people who mean the world to him.


He's still my hero, my lover, my friend,
my confidant, my adviser, my helper
he calms me when I'm overwhelmed,
soothes me when I'm worried,
places me solidly on the ground when I'm wrong,
and loves me forever.

Love you, hubby.
Happy birthday!

My Sunshine Maker

The last of my roses. Hubby brought them in to me the other day so they wouldn't get frost bitten. I think there was another reason too. Smile. Aren't they lovely?

Ah, true love!

Quote:

Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. --James Matthew Barrie

Blessings!