Thankful Thursday

 

Please visit Thankful Thursday

Look how carefree leaves are. The leaves fall from the trees leaving them bare in colder months. Leaves don't worry. I want to be like leaves Thankful

Thankful for a serious boy with a blue mouth, who finished his blue lollipop. He was quite concerned and had to make sure I would check in on the Bronco/Browns football game tomorrow night.  This child is so smart and selfless. How he loves his little brother and big sister. Plus if you catch him when he is on a comedy trip, he will make you laugh out loud. Very thankful he is part of the fabric in our lives. Although he excels in cleanliness he is a comic like his father. He likes cleanliness because he is his mother's son too.  Lil bro and big sis were finishing their dinner. I said to this little man, your pants are going to fall off, you do not eat enough to keep a bird well fed. He had the silliest look on his face! He is what my mother always reminded me about children, a gift from God and priceless too. My mother and grandmother were filled with wisdom about all the important things in life. I am very thankful they were mine for all the years I had them.

I love music as you may know, if you hang around here. There is a beautiful country song that shares the way I feel particularly about my grandmother as she was taken when I was in the 6th grade. A long time ago but like yesterday in my life. I highlighted words in this song that remind me of my grandmother.  I believe our reunion will be amazing. She will have crystal clear vision and we will walk together in heaven's splendor. It willbe a grand time and nothing in this world will ever be able to compare to it.

I took the words from a Brad Paisley song called "When I Get To where I'm Going" and knew this song was going to be important to me when I see my grandmother and BFF again on the other side of this earth.

I'm gonna walk with my granddaddy (in my case my grandmother)

And he'll (she'll)  match me step for step

And I'll tell him (her) how much I missed him (her)

Every minute since he left (she left)

And than I'll hug his neck (her neck)

If the highest aim of the Captain is to preserve his ship he would keep  it in it's port forever.  Thomas Aquinas

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 Wordless Wendesday

Happy Tuesday Tuesday Meme

 

Happy Tuesday

This Mollie is always up to something. She likes to steal cat food so I have to be vigilant keeping it away from her and her mom Lulu. They are so greedy for food and treats. Skinny lil things!

He is enjoying his freedom. Franklin will be here next week and they dislike each other intensely. Except Franklin gets the best of this one and he will hide on our bed and go out only to use his litter box.  I think, since Franklin was a rescue, he may have had an encounter with a bossy cat since he was chained. He is a sweet pup otherwise. He and Mollie are not pals either but the other pups think he is the greatest! Mister Kitty is terribly naughty to the pups and they fear him except for, yep, three lb. Mollie.  She will sit right next to him and he will glare like this but never make eye contact with her. He was best pals with Roxanne while she was terminally ill and I think he might feel he could not bear to lose another dear friend so he steers clear of them. Thoughts are my thoughts on it anyway.

Leo is looking forward to visiting with his brother, They try to tell me pets do not understand. Oh heck yes they do! If I say, Leo your brother Franklin is coming for a visit, he gets so happy and acts like a puppy. When Franklin is here they are the best of pals.

We have rain and it is a cool day. We have needed this rain so I can not complain. But I found this poem at google images and liked it enough to share. I collected our trash bins but still waiting on the recycle truck to stop by. It is cool and I had a wet head so I wore my hoodie when I picked up our trash days.

Oh Maxine, you come up with the best lines everyday. That poor pup. He looks so confused. Kind of like our world.

Be happy!  It is the best way to be in these times. Everyone has different opinions so I just stay in my own lane. 

 The sad news for me this week was hearing of the passing of Thelma Lou who portrayed Barney Fife's favorite gal on the Andy Griffth Show. Betty Lynn was one of the last surviving cast member. I don't think the Darling family were regulars but the gal who played Charlene Darling is still alive.  Also Elinor Donahue who portrayed the oldest daughter on Father Knows Best was also once a cast member but she and Andy did not have the on screen charisma. Betty Lynn, a/k/a Thelma Lou was 95 years young. She had entertained fans at the musuem in Mt. Airy, NC for many years.  What a loss, from a generation of happy souls.

If you follow Sean Dietrich you may know he wrote a beautiful tribute to Betty Lynn as he had the pleasure and honor of meeting this wonderful lady. Many of us remember Andy, Barney, Opie, Helen, Gomer, Goober, Howard,  Floyd the Barber and of course, Aunt Bee. Who could forget  the town drunk Otis Campbell and troublemaker Ernest T Bass. A classic show that remains in  the heart of many of us all these years later. Happy memories for a rainy Tuesday at my house.

TUESDAY MEME TUESDAY 4 in Memory of Toni Taddedo who started it all. 

1.What are your feelings about the month of October?

I love decorating and this year I am way behind. We have so much going on and everytime I think I will get into my Fall/Autumn treasures something else comes up. I think it is called life. 

Does it bring anything special to mind for you ? Do you have memories to share?

As a kid my mom made Halloween special. I attended Catholic school so we celebrated All Saints Day (November 1). My mom would help me create a costume and then for all Saints day I would go to my auntie Mary's house. She was a terrific seamstress and she had a closet filled with Saintly costumes. Lots of nuns, of different orders so always something and someone new to be. I always loved being an angel too. My husband's mom made all the traditional Halloween treats, carmel apples, carmel popcorn, sugar cookies decorated for the specific holiday.  We both had great childhoods.

2. Have you ever gone apple picking?

We had made plans last year to go to a cute orchard about any hour away but than 2020 happened. We still visited the orchard and ate fresh apple donuts, and drank apple cider and shopped their cute gift shop.

Pumpkin Picking?

When our kids were small we spent every year at a Pumpkin Patch. Now we go to the local grocer. Our middle is a great baker and she loves nothing more than baking pumpkin pies from scratch. 

Any kind of picking, including banjo picking at all?

No musical talent for me but I do love music!

Do you bake pies with those fruits?

My middle Rebekah does! But I do love all those yummy fruit pies? Especially during the cooler months. Sigh....

3. What is autumn like where you live?

Some years we have great autumn weather and colors particularly in the mountains. I just do not think it is ever long enough as Spring and Autumn are my favorite Seasons. We've been in the 70's lately but today it says 60 with rain on and off. It is really a cold day. A day for hot tea. Sigh.

How about where you grew up as a child?

I grew up as did my husband in Pueblo, 120 miles from where we live today. The leaves always changed and as you got into the high mountain country it was prettier. I feel very blessed to have lived in a beautiful state with glorious mountains. Today we are about an hour away from traveling to the mountains West of us. Growing up it was a mere 30-40 minute ride. 

4. Autumn is not the same as Fall. Fall is when the leaves are actively falling. What activities of Autumn/Fall do you enjoy? 

We love walking in the cooler weather. I noticed in my neighborhood there are gorgeous colors all around us. 

There is a rose bush and a bridal bush side by side in our yard so I snapped this photos as I was walking the recycle and trash bins to their place after pick up. My neighbor Mark built that cool shed behind us. He is in the construction business so he knows lots of great helpers. He did that by himself. He is very patient and smart.

 Do you decorate your home for the season?

Yes but I am falling behind this year.  I have all the cool velvet pumpkins, the scary Dracula candy dish that talks when it catches you snagging a mini candy bar "Trick or Treat smell my feet, give me something good to eat." HaHaHa the little ones love it. We have a couple lights resin pumpkin lights and other Autumn/Fall fare, I am a serious collector of all season decorating. Just late this year. we did add a fresh coat of paint to the front porch.

Praying for good weather so my SIL Jake can help me refurbish the bench. I want to paint the wrought iron a neutral color because eventually we will paint our trim, we do not like this green. We plan to get a concrete front porch, those bunnies are making huge messes everyday digging in the dirt to dig their way into the underground of the front porch. 

Thank you for letting me particiapte. Thanks Ann for the questions. 

Aw...Mondays/ Love is.../ Sparks/

 

Aw...Mondays

 

Connie from Iowa finds the best puns to share. I had to share it too. This was too cute. 

This Love is...should be us but here I am trying to catch up with my blogging. HaHaHa ...I will join him shortly.  Thanks to my sweet friend Marydon who hooked me into sharing these Love is... years ago when we blogged together here. We have a shoe box filled with these that I use to give to my husband before and after we married. These little gems are timeless.

 A grandmother's special calling is 

to pray and to be a fellow worker

in the battle in which her children

or her grandchildren are engaged.

          Elisabeth Eliott

A favorite Sparks even with Annie on hiatus.

BLOGLAND

 

We have been so busy around here. Our kids are downstiairs repainting their bathroom. They have been at it for several hours. Rebekah uses a non toxic spray to prep the walls and they let it dry before going on to their next step. They will be sleeping late tomorrow as they are determined to get it done.  So we are all feeling like Kermit here. Not sad just dog tired.

My dad would say, "this is my pretty Patty". She was the firstborn. What a sister she was. So kind, so caring and taken away too soon. I miss her phone calls. She was the type of person who cared about you, truly cared. People say things but rarely mean them. My big sis Pat,  my sis from another mother and father Mollye and my sweet friend Vivian . Three human beings so were true to their core. They were the three kindest people I had the honor of knowing.  They are all gone but they made such an incredible impact on my life. My sis had the best smile. She was brave too. What a jewel in my phamily dynamics.  If she could see her grand girl Racheille and her great grand girl Paisley Joe  she would think she was looking into a mirror. 

The best mother ever! I was raised by her and will never listen to anyone saying anything unflattering about her. She worked hard while dad worked hard  too at the steel mill. She took care of us and all our needs at school and everything we needed while dad worked long hours. He was an excellent father. Anything good I have learned, it was from them. 

Oh Linus, you are such a wise boy.

 

 

 

RANDOM THOUGHTS

 

My sweet mother. 1978 the year her only living brother, Uncle Louie turned 70. My mom was always serving people. She took care of everyone. She was a caregiver and she never complained. She was raised by a single mother after her father died tragically in the Portland Gold Mine cave in 1927. She lost her older brother Tony who was 17 at the time also. I often wonder what when through her mind. People  today have no idea what your loved ones went through to give you a better life. All we hear today is so much nonsense. Tiptoe around the ones who think the whole world owns them something. No one owes anyone anything.  

My parents were a team, my mother stayed at home and raised us. My father worked a difficult job and neither one ever complained. Today all we hear is complaining. 

Recently two women I know lost their fathers. Both women were estranged from them. Both went to see them before they passed away. The first women complained she tried  to reconcile and he would not budge. But I see him in her bullying  others as she always said he bullied her. Everything is  about herself,  never once does she stop to think maybe someone she is hurling insults at may be suffering as much as she says she was hurting when she could not have children. They may have a difficult job and work hard too. Maybe they have no one to talk to. It is easy to judge. My father would always say, you better be grateful that GOD is going to judge you and not people. I am grateful. I know how many people would and have judged me. It is a process, trying to escape such people. I find myself spending less time here on line. 

The second woman reconciled. She wrote a beautiful tribute on his passing. Different women, different persepectives. One still filled with anger and bitterness. The other one filled with love and forgiveness. I want to be like the second women.

It is hard in this world today. I am so grateful my parents are at peace, resting in eternity. My goal is to be there with them and it is so hard. It is so hard to be kind when others lash out at you. It is hard to be quiet when you want to yell and scream. This world is cruel, it is hard and yet once and awhile you meet a kind soul. Those are the moments and memories you treasure. 

I am so thakful for my husband. He is my rock. Logical, smart, kind, always looking for the good. Sometime he says when you share your heart and others won't listen sometime it is better to simply walk away and pray for them. 

Recently, Holly, who received a a clean bill of health on her leukemia disgnosis, said how do you like your bacon cooked!? I said I love crispy bacon. She chuckled and said, I don't like it too crispy. I said, see how different we are! It would be so boring to be exactly like everyone else. 

We are living in difficult times. There are those that want us all to be the same. Like good little soldiers or maybe robots. GOD never intened for us to all be the same. That is why He created each person from one unique mold.  Then He broke that mold. Have you ever met a set twins who were exactly the same? No, because they are their own unique person. How boring to think and act like everyone else. 

A prayer update. Amanda had the triplets. They are in the NICU and she was sent home. But her older kiddos are loving on her. Today the triplets  seemed to be better than yesterday so please pray for Nancy, Daisy and Charles. GOD is very good and He seems to be encouraging these little people to get stronger each day. 

Pray for Jeff and Simone as they transition from him being a part time pastor to a full time pastor. He has left a full time job he held for a long time and they are going to become responsible for their church full time. 

Pray for Holly as she keeps up with her doctor to make sure that leukemia stays away. She knows PRAYERS were answered for her and she is very grateful.

Keep praying for Jason dealing with the return of his cancer. 

Baby "E" is beautiful and she is growing everyday. Her big brother is loving her.

Charlotte is getting use to new brother Jackson but prefers mom to do everything for her instead of dad. 

I love praying for the little ones. They are precious little people and GOD loves them all so very much. 

There are so many needing prayer. I have a huge list of widows and widowers that I pray for each day.We can all use extra prayer. So please pray.

I think about everyone here who is so kind and caring. You are my people. I am going to get over to visit day by day. We have at least 100 things we need to take care of in the next two weeks so pray please. Tomorrow we have painting day. Oh my goodness, all the hard work somehow pays off. 

Life is hard, pray harder. Thanks mom for that one!

When nothing goes right....go left.

A tiny tot sad because her daddy left her to run an errand. She was very sad. This is a 100 percent Daddy's Girl. I can relate.....

Feline Friday Friendly Fill In's Pink Saturday

My feline pal needs a real cattitude adjustment.

Feline Friday 

I found this cat quote that purrfectly fits this very stubborn man cat. Mister Kitty has been a real pain lately.  Any ideas? He eats the very best high quality food. He is the king of his castle. He has bullied his way into taking the top of the love seat away from the pups so he can park his large self in the very spot they had loved. He also has moved into a chair that is comfy and the pups enjoy resting there. Now he sleeps on the couch downstairs while he plots stealing food from tiny Daphne cat.  He will plop down in the middle of the night in doorways and hallways just begging me to step on him so he can go into his drama act! He is a holy terror and I am not use to this. I have had feline pets before and this one is baffling. I think maybe a trip to the vet and a shot in his butt might help. I just don't know. 

He always looks like he is up to something.....

Friendly Fill In's

1. I wish I could train people to do their own research and not stop believing every single thing they are told by someone else.

2. I am planning to get healthier by walking more for myself . I know several people who are living healthier and won't share how or why. They are paying for diet plans and truthfully if something is so great that the whole world needs it. I find it insensitive and wrong that you can not share the secret to your "plan".

3. I know it is time to get comfy at home more often when the majority of people are walking around like zombies following specific people  as if they are above God Almighty.

4. I felt brave when we were raising our kids in a changing world.

Hello Pink Saturday and Hello Kitty. Thinking of Jessica Marie Baker, who left this earth at the age of 42 years in June 2021. Jessica, I know how much you loved Hello Kitty so whenever I see her, I think of you. I believe you were taken for a specific purpose. God always takes the good ones. I hope you are shining down on this world and all those you loved so tenderly. I believe you are at peace and perhaps one day we will meet on the other side.