Going through some pictures....

I was cleaning some files on my computer last night and came across some pictures I wanted to share today. The first one is of my snowball bush in my old place. When I moved last May, I knew I would miss it this spring. I need to get me one.

I'm going to miss my roses as well. But the funny thing was that the rose bushes were there when we moved it. We lived there five or six years before I moved. They never did anything. Zilch. Zero. Zip, despite how much we tried to work with them. One week before I moved, while I was packing I happened to look off that end of the porch and they had bloomed like crazy.

If you don't believe me when I say I was a country girl, check out our hillside where I grew up. There is Daddy's building and yes, slightly to the left of his work building is our outhouse. We got a real bathroom when I was four or five so this picture is about 55 years old. That's my Mamaw Eden at the table.

I stumbled across a picture of the last two layer chocolate cake I made. I remember it was delicious. I get in the habit of 9 x 13 pans that I forget how much I love a layer cake.

You just gotta love going through your pictures. You never know what you are going to find to remember that you had forgotten about.

He called me sweetheart....

From as far back as I can remember, my hubby always called me sweetheart. Whenever he would say Brenda, it would take a minute to realize he was talking to me because he forever and always called me sweetheart. I loved it. Valentine's Day was his favorite day. He love surprising me with little presents, or a box of my favorite candy. 

It has always been a very special day to us. On February 14th, 1981 he bought me a beautiful planter because he knows I love house plants way more than real flowers. The little felt heart below was on my planter. He wanted to take me to the movies. I wanted to see 9-5 with Dolly Parton so that's where we went for our first Valentine's Day date. I thought that night was a special Valentine because it was our first one together. But it was even more special than I realized, because after the movie, he asked me to become his wife.

Flash forward to 2015, our last Valentine's Day together. He bought me a key with little rhinestone chips that I wanted desperately. When he gave it to me, he told me I would always hold the key to his heart and I would always be his sweetheart. 

Such wonderful memories. I hate when people call me a widow or say I'm single. I still wear my wedding band most of the time because it just feels right. I will never love another and he will always be my true love, my soul mate. So in my mind, in my heart and in the very depths of my soul I am still and will forever be a wife to this wonderful man who loved me so much.

I love you Allen Dale and I will always remain, your.........

Creations by Lily

There is a young lady, Lily, that I work with that loves to crochet. I love to watch her work because her fingers fly through her projects with ease. She recently started a Facebook page to display her work with the potential of taking orders for customized items. Here are some of the things she has made recently. You can follow her page on Facebook by visiting Creations by Lily.

I can't even begin to comprehend how someone could do a pattern like this. 

I love the little blue and white hat.

She just sits and stitches away while she talks. It just amazes me.

It must have taken a ton of hours to make all these little squares.

I love the swirls in this pattern.

This is very pretty.

I would like to learn this stitch because I love the openess of it. Of course, I need to learn the single stitch first. 

This was made from random yarn she had in her backstock and used a multitude of different stitch patterns. It was beautiful.

This is one of my favorites of the items she has done.

But this one is my absolute favorite of them all. I just love this.

Be sure and stop by and visit Creations by Lily on Facebook. 

Sunday Songs

The Windows of Gold

Friday Foto Friends

I was driving to the store last night and in the distance I could see Bluff Mountain. But what caught my eye was one solitary light. It was shining brightly near the top of the mountain right before dusk. I found a place to pull over and get the pic. The light had dimmed by then but you can see the little light up near the top of the hill. It reminded me of one of my favorite poems that I have loved since I first read it. 

It's The Window of Gold by Helen Steiner Rice. Here it is. Enjoy. 

There is a legend that has often been told
Of the boy who searched for the Windows of Gold.
The beautiful windows he saw far away
When he looked in the valley at sunrise each day.
And he yearned to go down to the valley below
But lived on a mountain that was covered with snow.
And he knew it would be a difficult trek,
But that was a journey he wanted to make.

So he planned by day and he dreamed by night
Of how he could reach The Great Shining Light.
And one golden morning when dawn broke through
And the valley sparkled with diamonds of dew,
He started to climb down the mountainside
with the Windows of Gold as his goal and his guide.

He traveled all day and, weary and worn,
With bleeding feet and clothes that were torn,
He entered the peaceful valley town,
Just as the golden sun went down.
But he seemed to have lost his "Guiding Light,"
The windows were dark that had once been bright.

And hungry and tired and lonely and cold
He cried, "Won't You Show Me the Windows of Gold?"
And a kind hand touched him and said, "Behold!
High On The Mountain Are The Windows of Gold."
For the sun going down in a great golden ball
Had burnished the windows of his cabin so small.

And the Kingdom of God with its Great Shining Light,
Like the Golden Windows that shone so bright
Is not a far distant place, somewhere,
It's as close to you as a silent prayer.
And your search for God will end and begin
When you look for Him and find Him within.
　
by Helen Steiner Rice

Heaven gained an angel...

I wanted to share with you that my daughter-in-laws daddy went home to be with the Lord this week. These next few days are going to take a toll on his family as they say their final goodbye.

James was a very loving husband and father. He was always there for his family and nothing pleased him more than having them all gather together for holidays and family gatherings.

I have known this man about 19 years and I will forever be grateful to him for giving his daughter to my son in marriage. My daughter-in-law was so close to her daddy that I know this is going to be very hard. My son respected and cared so much for his father-in-law. 

I share three beautiful grandchildren with James and his wife Eugenia. He has a bond with those grandchildren that has them knitted to his heart forever. My heart simply breaks when I think of what it is going to be like for them to not get to see him every day. 

Please continue to pray for my son and daughter-in-law and the whole family as they go through the days and months ahead. His loss is going to be felt deeply and my heart is breaking for all of them. 

Words for Wednesday

I saw this picture on Facebook this morning. And it is so true.

It reminded me of a blog I did about 6 years ago on dandelions. I thought it would be an uplifting blog for today. Here is the repost from March 2011.....

I was looking out my window yesterday and noticed one single dandelion popped up in the yard next door. Its brilliant yellow a deep contrast to the crisp green grass. What made it even more amazing is he had just mowed earlier that day and the grass was neat and trim. But there, standing alone, was that one small dandelion. 

It got me to thinking about the life of a dandelion. They have a short lifespan and can turn from the pretty yellow to the white "blowing" ones overnight. They regenerate themselves by changing to the white and letting their seeds be redistributed. They have a very deep taproot that is hard to remove and lawn fanatics lament about the invasive dandelions and invest small fortunes to keep their yards free. 

So to sum up what I found out about the dandelion. It is not very well received. While some plot and plan to do away with it, it's seeds still live on and it grows stronger and more powerful with time. 

Is that not like our Lord? Though Jesus had earthly friends, He basically walked alone. While some despised Him and plotted against Him, they were not able to completely destroy him. Though they pierced His side and crucified Him. He arose. Isaiah 11:1 says And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots.

God has planted the seeds with the crucifixion of His beloved Son. Evil cannot destroy it. Hatred cannot wipe it out. It is like the dandelion that continues to see rebirth over and over again. The love of God is a deep root that replenishes each of us with the seeds of His love, mercy and grace.

Have a blessed day!