We have a new little "blessing". Yep, didn't think this would happen but we have acquired a new little dog. And this is a dog we have "dog-sitted" for before. We are now blessed with little "Fannie Mae"!!! Fannie belonged to my co-worker, Mindy, and Terri and I have always loved Fannie. She is so sweet and laid back, she is a great little dog. Mindy recently moved to a smaller house and Fannie has become a little escape artist out of the fenced back yard. Within 2 weeks, she has escaped from the yard 3 times. Mindy was afraid she would get hit by a car or stolen. Plus Mindy is not home much (with her new boyfriend in the picture). So, she asked us if we would like to have Fannie Mae. We thought about it and prayed about it and said YES!!
Fannie has stayed with us before and she and Tiki and Fancy get along just fine. They even all curl up together on the chair and sleep. So I don't think there will be any problems. Terri now has a little dog to go on walks with her, and I can take Fannie with me to visit Jo in the nursing home!! Fannie is a little beagle mix, 2 years old and weighs about 12 lb. So she fits right in with our "little girls"!! She is a great little dog and I know she will be a "blessing" in our life!!
You know, sometimes you just wonder where all the time goes. We have been trying to get our front yard ready for spring/summer. And we are almost there. We started off thinking we could put new rock down on our walkway with no problem - only needed about 6-7 bags of rock. I THINK NOT!! Next we bought ANOTHER 6 bags!! Still not enough. So we bought 7 MORE BAGS. And this is where we are at now. We still need about 7 more bags and that should do it. We did get some pretty flowers for the planter - some Gerber Daisies!! And we got the old stump pulled up in the yard and have planted our new "Super BIG" red dogwood tree!! It is at least 4 feet tall!!! But it will grow and it will be very pretty. We are hoping to finish the walkway next weekend. It rained most of the weekend so that put a halt to working in the yard. After that?? Who knows what the next project will be. We do have some plans for the back yard. But we will see how quickly that happens!!
"YOUR LOVE, O LORD, REACHES
TO THE HEAVENS,
YOUR FAITHFULNESS TO THE SKIES.
YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE
MIGHTY MOUNTAINS,
YOUR JUSTICE LIKE THE GREAT DEEP."
Psalm 36:5-6
Even when the storm clouds roll in, God's faithfulness and love is still with us. Today was so different from last week when the sun was shining and the flowers and trees were so beautiful. But even with the dark clouds and rain/sleet, I still saw the beauty God has given us. The dark clouds were so awesome and strong-looking and yet in the midst of all that, there was our vibrant, beautiful redbud tree. The clouds draped down over the mountains and I knew there was rain or sleet on the way (it turned out to be both!!).
I love looking around and seeing things with my eyes that I want to take pictures of. I praise and thank God for giving me that desire and also giving me the subjects to take pictures of. I see beauty in all things around me - the dark storm clouds, rainbows, flowers and trees, all His creatures - ALL HIS CREATION. I see His love in everything and I know He loves me more than I can ever imagine. I want to be able to praise Him and show my love FOR HIM in all that I do.
Thank you Father for your love, which reaches to the heavens. Thank you for your faithfulness and your righteousness which is like the mighty mountains. I love you Lord - everything I do I want to do for You!!
Believe it or not, my two "senior" Italian Greyhounds do occasionally have a burst of energy. They will actually chase each other, chew on their toys (or try to gut them) and bark at each other while one is on the floor and one on the couch. These short energy spurts don't usually last very long but they are so much fun to watch. They are silly little dogs with quite the personalities. Now that they are 13 and 11 years old, they don't play as often as they used to but when they do - they make me laugh. Tiki (the white one) and Fancy (the black & white one) (they are mother and daughter) - bring laughter and love into my life and I thank God for giving them to me.
"ENTER THROUGH THE NARROW GATE.
FOR WIDE IS THE GATE AND BROAD
IS THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO
DESTRUCTION, AND MANY ENTER
THROUGH IT. BUT SMALL IS THE
GATE AND NARROW THE ROAD
THAT LEADS TO LIFE, AND ONLY
A FEW FIND IT."
Matthew 7:13-14
Have you ever looked down a country road like the one pictured and wondered, "I wonder where it goes?" You imagine what might be at the end of the road or even around a bend in the road. Will you find a young deer eating grass or maybe a beautiful garden of wildflowers planted there by God? Do you stop and try to decide whether to venture down that road or just stay where you are and "be safe".
Our walk with God is like that. We don't know what God has in store for us "around the bend". Will it be something difficult, beautiful or enlightening? We can always "be safe" and just stay where we are at. Or we can follow God's leading and venture down that road. God wants us to obey and follow Him. And even though sometimes it may be difficult, He always is there with us and gives us what we need to get through any difficult time. I pray I will always be willing to follow Him down whatever road he leads me. And no matter what is down that road, I know it is His will and He is in control. And at the end of the road of life - what a WONDERFUL sight we will see!!!
I call this picture "Serenity". I took this picture about 6 weeks ago. It is the lake at Bays Mountain State Park. Before I took the picture I remember thinking to myself - what a peaceful, serene sight - the blue still lake and the sun reflecting off the water looking like diamonds on the lake. I was hoping I could capture that in a picture. And I think I did because when I look at this picture, that is exactly what I see in the picture - Peace and Serenity. Kind of like the peace and serenity God gives us when we come to Him in prayer. He wants us to come to Him with everything and to rely on Him and to know that He is in control. Two of my favorite Scripture verses come to mind when I see this picture.
"BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD;"
Psalm 46:10
"HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL
IN ITS TIME."
Ecclesiastes 3:11
Both of these verses fit this picture and the verses and the picture both remind me that I need to stop and be still and spend time praying and talking to God. I need to bring everything to Him in prayer and to continuously thank Him and praise Him for all He has done in my life. And then to thank Him for all the beautiful things He has given me and which surround me every day, in every little and big thing - from the smile on a friend's face to a dramatic sunrise or sunset; from the lovely song of a bird in the morning to the beautiful "peaceful and serene" lake. He truly has made everything beautiful!!!
"THE HEAVENS DECLARE THE
GLORY OF GOD;
THE SKIES PROCLAIM THE WORK
OF HIS HANDS.
Psalm 19:1
The work of God's hands are everywhere. It is brought to my attention in a big way this time of year. I love spring and I love this part of the country with all the flowering trees, bushes and all the flowers beginning to bloom. It makes me aware of how beautiful God has made this earth for us. He blesses us with beauty all around us. The green green grass, the beautiful blue sky, the white fluffy clouds and even the dark thunderstorm clouds. Then there are the birds that have started to appear. We have cardinals and robins all around our neighborhood right now and their songs are beautiful. And the way He has put all the colors together. Like the picture above - dark green leaves with a beautiful pink magnolia bloom with snowy white inside the bloom. It takes your breath away. The trees are just now starting to bud out with little green buds. Soon there will be leaves on all the trees. And I notice how everyone seems to be getting outside and doing things in their yards, their businesses, etc. Everything is awakening to spring!!! It's such a BEAUTIFUL time of year.
"Thank you Father for loving us so much that you have "painted" us a beautiful world. Only You could design the colors, the breathtaking beauty of all things in nature. I pray You will continue to bless us with this gift and I pray I will always be able to see YOU in everything around me and I give you glory and thanks for such beauty!!!
Isn't this so sweet?? What an adorable face!! This was Tiki yesterday. She had a tough day. With Terri and I busy all day working in the yard, she didn't get her usual ALL DAY NAP!!! She and Fancy followed us everywhere we went. If we went out in the backyard, they wanted out. If we came inside, they came inside. If we went out front, they stood by the door or on the chair looking out the window. They did not sleep at all. So by 4:30 pm, I sat down in the chair and Tiki jumped in my lap (as usual) and before I knew it, this is the face I saw. She just put her head on my knee and fell asleep. I could not resist taking her picture. She just makes me smile.
Today was a BEAUTIFUL day!! And a very busy and productive day for us. We started out at Home Depot where we purchased decorative rock, a hose reel, a storage chest for our porch, new patio chairs & small end table, azalea food, and the beautiful Pixie Lilies that are in the picture (we got 2 orange and 2 red for our planters in the back yard). Then after eating lunch we came home and got to work. Terri had two cakes to bake and while she was doing that I worked in the yard. The weather was perfect - about 65-70 degrees. I cleaned off the back deck and put the storage chest and new furniture out. Then I trimmed the azaleas, put azalea food around them, put the lilies in the planters, put the rock out. And that was the back yard. Then we went out front and pulled weeds, put out some more rock (we need lots more bags of rock - didn't get enough) and then Terri mowed the yard. It is a nice feeling to see the yard starting to look nice again. The tree in our front yard has beautiful white blooms on it and our magnolia bush and redbud are both blooming now. Spring in NE Tennessee can be SO PRETTY. There are so many flowering trees, bushes and the flowers are everywhere. Even some of the weeds can be pretty!! One cannot go anywhere without seeing God's Handiwork. He has made this world very beautiful and when I see all the beauty in nature surrounding me, I can't help but say - THANK YOU LORD FOR EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME AND FOR SHOWING ME IN THE BEAUTY OF NATURE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE US!!!
