I haven't posted since Oct 29th...wow.

Some people are "born bloggers"...apparently I am not.  I have a lot to say, really I do, but it's mostly stuff that only a Mother would love to hear...or a hubby, or a best friend,.... or my dog. :)

But for the sake of throwing something out there in case I don't come back until next year, I thought I'd "blog" today.

Life has been interesting lately.  Some lessons have been learned, sadly they were the kind you always knew about but never really wanted to KNOW about.  BUT, God is good.  He is on His throne, and He's totally in control....I love that.  It makes everything worth while.  He has a plan...that's a good thing.

So, here it is December 9th.  We finally got the best friends all moved into their new house...nice house!  I do not envy them upacking the gazillion boxes...where was all that stuff in their old house????  I have no clue.  I do not envy them moving so close to Christmas, but what a fantastic Christmas gift for the whole family! :) 

We finally got our Christmas lights up, got a tree...a real one... Mmmmm, love that smell, and feel, :).  Hubby usually tries to talk me into getting a fake one, but this year HE suggested we go out and get a tree before I even hinted at "it's tree time".  I love him.  I bet he doesn't really want a fake one....ever. :)

Stormie prefers real trees too...

Someday I'm going to photograph my hubby putting up lights outside.  It's a little scary.  We have a tall palm tree that he decorates oh so pretty.  He has to use our RV as a "platform"...yup the neighbors know when we're putting up lights, lol.  THEN he has to stand on a very tall ladder to complete the connections.  This is when I start to sweat and my heart starts thumping...it's scary.  I don't care how sure footed and strong he is...it's just scary to see him up there.

Usually we have a full house for Christmas dinner, last year there were 14 of us!  This year however, we have dwindled.  My best friends parents won't be here, my in-laws won't be here, and *sigh*...my son won't be here. :( 

He's still in Afghanistan, livin' in a tent.  I sent him some garland and cookies.  I love him.  I miss him.  I can't WAIT till February!!!!!  I get him for a week.  That sure doesn't seem like enough time after 6 months in another country.  Oh why do kids have to grow up and get lives of their own?  I want to fill that week with so much stuff that we are worn out at the end of it!!!

So, we've had so much swirling around in our brains lately that I have not done ANY Christmas shopping (except for Cris' garland).  It doesn't seem to bother me much except I really love giving presents.  So I MUST get something.  I love the way my tree looks with gifts underneath....maybe I'll just wrap boxes.  I do have something for my bestest girlfriend (I got it a while back)...but she's WAY too easy to shop for.  Everytime I go anywhere I see something that I could get her for Christmas....I could fill a moving truck full of things she'd like.  Hubby, however, wants nothing.  He is the most happy and content man I know. 

I've been baking cookies...for the neighbors...I had to taste them of course...they are yummy. :)

The festivities of Christmas certainly feel "different" this year...but the fact is that if Christmas is really about celebrating the birth of Jesus, the "feeling" never changes.  It is always the same, a beautiful reminder and time of reflection on the humble way that our Savior, our Lord, came to this earth.  He came to live a life here, to show us how much he can relate to our pains, our trials and our joys.  Thank You Jesus!!!!  I love You.

Merry Christmas friends!

This n' That Thursday...

Hmmm...what to say.  :)  My heart and mind have been on overload for a while now.  I sit down and think of posting, but just can't seem to put words to "paper".  So, I'll do a this n' that...they're easy enough, right? :)

Please pray for my husband today (specifically this evening)...no details needed, God knows what it's for....thank you!

A couple of weeks ago, we had a nice 2 day getaway...much needed and very fun.

Daytona Beach...

Trusty Starbucks!! :)

Lighthouse at Ponce Inlet...

 

Good words... 

This is the only way leaves change in central Florida in the "Fall"...

usually we have to wait until January. :)

Special thanks for Kim for coming over and playing "cookie decorating" with me. :)

This was scrumptious...

Pioneer Woman's Chicken Cacciatore (my way, lol)

...with the delectible sauce! Oh yum!!!

So was this...

Pasta Fagioli - I made so much I shared 4 jars with 2 neighbors!  :) 

You can find this on my cooking blog...  :)

I'm trying to craft, though I've been out of sorts with creativity today...I did manage to make a really cute "thing" for my best friend...and even one for me... :)  Can't show pictures yet, because I haven't given it to her!  But, wow, they are really adorable!!!

 

I've been soaking in God's Word and it feels so wonderful...thank you Lord for blessing us with your Word, that we can go to it for wisdom, guidance, comfort, strength and hope.

 

I miss this boy...

 

Things have taken a strange turn with our sweet elder friend Mary.  Please pray for her, and for us in finding out how to best be there for her.


I've been craving Pumpkin "stuff" lately...it's the Fall thing...even though it's hot and humid and I can't decorate my front porch with pretty pumpkins because they'll rot in 3 days...sigh...I do love Florida though.  Wanna know why?

Because it's the end of October, ..

and guess what we did last weekend?  :)

(how about that "boat hair"??)

Gliding down the river....glassy water at sunset...beautiful!

Yup...it's Florida...gotta love that!

I'll finish with this...

Can you say S P O I L E D??????

What a Ruff Life! :)

Terribly!

Wordful Wednesday...

"O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

For the Lord is a great God

And a great King above all gods,

In whose hand are the depths of the earth,

The peaks of the mountains are His also.

The sea is His, for it was He who made it,

And His hands formed the dry land.

Come, let us worship and bow down,

Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

For he is our God,

And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.

Psalm 95:1-7a

She is Fall....

Every now and again, I get a little creative with words.  :)  Last year, we took a Fall vacation and the beauty I saw inspired this poem...

She bathes herself in shades of scarlet, ruby and crimson.

She stands tall, wearing them as if she were royalty.

Though she is strong, there is also a sweet gentleness and comfort in her countenance.

She is grand, commanding attention ~ she gets it.

She dances; swirling scarves of rich burnt orange, rust and kumquat.

They twist and turn as she sways to the music that is her own.

She offers them as a gift to the passing breezes,

Then quickly pulls them back again.

She is charming and flirtatious ~ she dances with the wind.

Laughing with the sun as it dances across her,

She shows off her jewels of golden pineapple, lemon and melon.

One by one she drops them.

They spiral and sparkle as they float to the ground.

They are out of her grasp.

Oblivious of her loss ~ she continues to laugh and flirt.

Shades of green are her undergarments.

Cool moss, bright lime and deep forest.

She shows them off, but will hold on to them for a time.

She is secretive ~ full of life and beautiful ~ she is Fall.

 Written by ~ Kathy Charest

I may not be a published poet...but please remember that this poem is my creation, so if you share it, be sure to give me credit!  :)   Thank you.

Friday Funnies ~ Stormies Fall Vacation...

(For more laughs, please pop over to Kim's blog for her Friday Funnies meme)

Last year we went on a Fall Vacation...we couldn't take our precious little punkin', Stormie with us.  Sooooo, we brought her "alternate personality" along...  Ok, I did say "we" but truly, my husband had no part in this....he was just a pawn in my odd little photography scheme, lol.

You might think this is funny....OR you might think we are strange (which wouldn't be too off base). 

"PLEEEEAASE can I have a cookie?"...

 "Dad, why are you workin' on vacation?  Can we go out and play?"

"Hey Dad!  Wake up!  Wake up!  Wake up!"

"Wow...I love this sunroof thingie!"

"I am the master climber!  I have conquered Tallulah Gorge!"

"Thanks for the chip Dad"

"Wow...hiking makes me hungry!"

"Whew, I'm worn out.  Think I'll snuggle up with Dad on the couch"

"Can we go outside?"

"Yea!  I love playing in the leaves...this is way cool Mom!"

"Thanks for letting me read your Bible...I forgot mine"

"Do I look cute?  Or is that waterfall sticking out of the top of my head?"

"Man!  That's a long trail...and all uphill...can you carry me?"

"What?  No seatbelt?  I'm calling PETA!!!"

"This is so cool...it's like playing a video game"

"Wow, Mom.  Is that the 'Big City'?"

"No dogs allowed?  Um, you coulda sat outside.  I hope you bring me a chicken sandwich"

Home Early...Return of the Cookie Sheet...AND Barbara Manatee....

We are back.... a day early, but it was a nice 2 day getaway.  Our minds are basically overcome with all that is "Mary" at this time and we got a phone call while we were away that just added to the mixing pot.


Dementia is an ugly thing, and Mary's mental state is deteriorating steadily day by day.


Although we still can't see the whole puzzle, we are trying to figure out what piece we play, what our role is in Mary's life.  If it wasn't to bring her here (as originally intended) and care for her during her last years of life, what is it???




Perhaps our job is to protect her from those who are more than willing to take what she will give them, (even when she doesn't realize she needs that protection).  We didn't get into this to fight a battle, just to love someone in need.  But perhaps that's exactly what we are supposed to do.  It's really hard to tell at this point.  Doors open, doors close, paths look clear, then cloudy...




I'll admit that we are both overwhelmed, we aren't sure who to trust, what family members, what "old friends", what employees at the nursing home, who is honest, who is out to get for themselves?  We'll keep on keeping on, and see how it goes.  God knows what He's doing...that I am certain of.




On to something a bit brighter, because I canNOT let my entire day be absorbed by these thoughts or I'll go nutty.  :)


Have you ever been to a natural spring in Florida?  There are over 700 natural springs in Florida.  Did you know this means Florida has one of the largest concentration of springs on the earth??  Of these springs, 18 are Florida State parks, and a few days ago we visited one of them...Blue Spring State Park.

There wasn't a LOT to do at the park itself, but since it was a short getaway for us, it worked out nicely.  We got there on Sunday afternoon and decided to park the RV near the spring and take a dip in the water.  We changed into our suits and headed down the boardwalk. 


Right off, I knew the place was TOO crowded for our tastes.  There were a lot of people, loud music, etc...  We continued down the boardwalk to the last "entrance" before the spring head, walked down the steps and stuck our toes in the water.


Then we stopped.  It was COLD!!!!  I got in to my waist and it was COLDDDDDDD!!!!  Mike toe dipped, lol.  We then decided that we would come back the next day at high noon when the sun would help out, lol...late afternoon in 72 degree water was not workin' for this girl.


We found our campsite and set up camp.  That evening we took a bike ride around the campground, most of the "day visitors" had gone home by now and it was serene and calm....just our style. 

Have you ever seen a Luv Bug?  yuck.  We have one Luv Bug season...apparently Blue Spring's area has TWO...cause they were EVERYWHERE!

Hmmm, a BBQ sounds appetizing... ?

There were a lot of large old Oaks...they were beautiful with the moss hanging down.  This is Mikey looking out over the St. Johns river....we didn't see any, but that place is known to be teaming with gators...ewwwww

Canoes...

Pretty...

Cool reflection on calm waters...just so you know, this is NOT the part where you swim...unless you want to get eaten...

If you want to take a boat ride, you can pay $22 bucks and go for a tour...we didn't.

We just relaxed for the rest of the evening and had a nice dinner of chicken Ceaser Lasagne and Spring Green Salad... yum.

Monday we slept in,...nice. :)  Then we suited up and rode our bikes to the spring area. 


Guess who we saw there?  Barbara!

You know...

Barbara Manatee, manatee, manatee...

You are the one for me, one for me, one for me...

Sent from up above, up above, up above...

You are the one I love, one I love, one I love...

(Yes, I watched WAY too many Veggie Tales at one time)

No Moleste! 

You are not to touch or feed manatees, but there is nothing you can do if they swim right up to you and sit there...neat.

That's my honey!  Look how beautifully clear the water is.

This is the spring head...tons of water pours out from the earth every day through this hole in the ground...how cool.  If you are a scuba diver, you can go down there (with a buddy).  Sounds scary to me...

Mikey posing above the "cave"...

Awe!  :)  That's me and my honey bunches... :)

There I am...gator bait!  :)  Kidding...I don't think gators come near the cold spring head...at least not often...yikes.

There were a lot of fish in the shallower waters...

The "jumping" platform...

...and for your viewing pleasure...this is what I look like to a fish while I'm snorkelling... :)

Here is Barbara from above the water..isn't she cute?

She was a little overly friendly, just joining in the fun...

What a lovely view...

The trees are majestic and the water so clear...

Monday afternoon we recieved the phone call (mentioned above) and decided that we would leave the next day instead of staying 3 nights. 


So we decided to have a picnic lunch...

This is the original house of the Thursby family who lived right next to the spring...that would have been so fun...

The spring way back when...

The house way back when...

Mrs. Thursby's kitchen...looks big and pretty, but it looks like a lot of work ahead of her just to make dinner!

Not sure what these were, maybe boysenberries???  They were really pretty though.

We just hung out at the campsite and enjoyed homemade pizza for dinner (yeah, we don't eat like campers, lol).


Hey, do you remember my "lost" cookie sheet????  Well, guess what?????  I found it!!! Yea!

As I was preparing to make pizza, I stood in my little RV kitchen...

Opened the cabinet below the stove to get my pizza pan...

And what did I find??? 

I guess I must have put it in there to take on our camping trip to the Keys a couple months ago...you remember that "attempt" at a vacation, right?  :)  Well, there it was, I can rest knowing it is safe, lol.


Today I am going to my best girlfriend Kim's house and we are gonna do girly stuff...'cause that's what we do.  We are going to do a sewing project together...I love that!  Can't wait! :)
We shall show you soon what we made! :)