Lest We Forget

REMEMBERING those who died on September 11,2001.....God be with their families and friends and with us all as Americans who are still grieving over this unbelievable tragedy.

GOD BLESS AMERICA!! "That your FAITH should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the POWER of God. I Cor. 2:5

Well, it has been since May that I have posted on my BLOG! I guess I have been too busy with Facebook and Twitter! I have had a busy summer too and ,boy ,has it flown by! Did it fly by to you too?? I used to hear my mother talk about time flying by and I don't think I understood that concept until I was older. The photo above is me enjoying some time of relaxation at my sister's new lakehouse. It is so lovely and peaceful there. We had a sister get-together there to celebrate my eldest sister's 70th birthday. We had so much fun ...laughed alot, ate alot and shopped alot! What more can you ask for! I am so blessed to have these 4 beautiful gals in my life and believe me I thank God for them daily!

I hope all of you had a wonderful summer and have a lovely fall too. Before you know it, we will be counting the days 'til Christmas! God Bless and I will soon be back posting my silliness again on Fleur-de-lee!

ADOPTION

Elizabeth with Matthew

McCartney with Alexis.

McCartney in the nursery with Alexis.

Elizabeth with Matthew in the nursery. Beaming I might add!

My lovely granddaughters, McCartney and Elizabeth, just spent 5 days with us while Mommy and Daddy took a much needed vacation. I wanted their stay with Mimi and Mackey to be a memorable one, but had no real idea about what we would do to make it that way! But, I really prayed about it and asked the Lord to be with us every step of the way. One day , we ventured to the downtown area to visit a shop that had children's clothes. That really didn't interest them though. Then I remembered that we had a DOLL SHOP and I asked if they would like to visit and see the dolls. They exclaimed , YES!!!......So off we went to "Little Faces Doll Shop." We were greeted by Terry Jennings, long time owner and operator of this charming shop. In the very back of the store is the "Nursery" where precious Lee Middleton babies are waiting for adoption. We were mesmerized by these life-like infants and immediately fell in love with them. Long story short, my two granddaughters became MOMMIES that day and could not have been prouder!! McCartney the eldest one, adopted a blue eyed baby girl and named her "Alexis Sophia" and Lizzie adopted a boy that has blue eyes like mommy's, and named him "Matthew Baker". And I became a Great Grandmother!! How about that??? What wonderful memories were made that day! Hopefully, these girls will keep them and treasure them in their hearts and tell their children one day about the day they became MOMMIES for the first time!

SUNSET and ART......

Found this painting at a thrift store for a whopping 7 bucks! Lucky me!

This darling original work by FIFI FLOWERS is all mine! I won it on one of her auctions......lucky me! The notecards FIFI gave me as a little surprise....aren't they cute???

Took this picture at sunset recently out my front window. Spectacular!! I am so blessed to have a RINGSIDE seat too! I love it!

Have a TERRIFIC TUESDAY all..............God Bless ya real good!!!!!!!!!!!!

For EVERYTHING there is a SEASON.......

As I looked at these gorgeous pansies that I planted last fall, I was sad because I knew they would not be around much longer. Isn't it amazing that these delicate blooms survived the harsh winter to look so beautiful?? Now that warmer temperatures and sunny skies are on the way, they will soon shrivel up and die. In Ecclesiastes it says "For everything there is a season....." So it is with these pansies.......and so it is with us as we journey through this life that God has ordained. And we should welcome each SEASON of our lives as a gift and enjoy it while it lasts. And then we should graciously move on to the next season with anticipation and joy looking always to our Lord and giving HIM praise for His blessings.
So long my sweet pansies......will see you next year!

One of THOSE KODAK MOMENTS....

While shopping the mall last Saturday with my two precious granddaughters, I spotted this very attractive young woman at the bookstore who was dressed EXACTLY like me. I strolled over to her and tapped her on the shoulder and when she turned around she almost screamed! We both had a good LAUGH and then I summoned my granddaughter , McCartney, to take our picture. Talk about a KODAK MOMENT!! My "twin" told me how cute I looked, and I said, "well, so do you!"........It was one of those fun moments that you will remember always with a good laugh.

Arthur Stace.....Mr. Eternity

Arthur Stace was a loser, a no-hoper, an alcoholic and completely illiterate. He lived in the streets of Sydney, regarded by many who saw him as a lost cause.
One Sunday night in 1932 he entered St Barnabas' Anglican Church on Broadway, Sydney, and heard the Reverend T. C. Hammond preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Banner of Truth has published a paperback biography of T. C. Hammond. Arthur was convicted by the Spirit of God. He left the church, crossed the road, and sat under a tree in Victoria Park where he committed his life to Jesus Christ. He had become a new creation.
Later that year he was at the Burton Street Baptist Tabernacle on the corner of Palmer Street, Darlinghurst when he heard the evangelist John G Ridley preaching.
In his urgent, commanding voice, John Ridley cried, "Eternity! Eternity! Oh, that this word could be emblazoned across the streets of Sydney!"
Arthur Stace the little man who still could not read or write left that church, took some yellow chalk, bent down and wrote one word on the footpath. And throughout the night for the next 40 years, while Sydney slept, Arthur would take his chalk and write in immaculate copperplate handwriting the word "eternity" on footpaths, entrances to the train station, and anywhere else he thought it would catch people's attention.
Sydneysiders would alight from their commuter trains of a morning and see this word as they walked to work.
In Sydney today, you can still see the word in three places...
1) On his gravestone in Waverley Cemetery, commemorating the life of Arthur Stace who had become known as 'Mr Eternity'.
2) Inside the huge bell in the GPO clock tower which had been dismantled during the second world war. When the clock tower was rebuilt in the 1960s, the bell was brought out of storage and as the workmen were installing the bell they noticed, inside, the word "eternity" in Arthur Stace's chalk. (No one ever found out how Stace had been able to get to the bell, which had been sealed up, to add this mysterious entry to Sydney's folklore.)
3) In Town Hall Square, between St Andrew's Cathedral and the Sydney Town Hall. When the area was redeveloped in the 1970s, a solid brass replica of the word in Stace's original copperplate handwriting was embedded in the footpath near a fountain as an eternal memorial to Arthur Stace.
As the year 2000 was welcomed, the word "eternity" in Stace's handwriting, was emblazoned NOT across the streets of Sydney as John Ridley had wished, but across the face of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and, thanks to modern technology, was seen around the world.
Of all the words that have been spoken during the first two millennia, the one chosen by otherwise-godless people to be featured on the Harbour Bridge at the dawn of the year 2000, is the one that was used to remind so many busy Sydneysiders of their impending appointment with their Creator.
Because Sydney's fireworks display was the first of the international celebrations to be telecast around the globe, people in every continent witnessed the miracle that God performed when he touched the life of one little, 'insignificant' man - Arthur Stace - a man who heard the voice of God and responded by committing his life to 'preaching' his one-word sermon.
Heaven only knows how God will continue to speak to the hearts of so many people around the globe, using the work He started back in the 1930s through Arthur Stace and his piece of yellow chalk.
Ron BevisMaroubra Baptist Church Sydney

THE Moral of this story is..........it doesn't take MUCH to effect ETERNAL Results!....Amazing man, amazing story!

The MIRACLE on the HUDSON>>>>>

I love this artist's rendering of the Miracle on the Hudson because I truly believe it was God who saved those passengers and that He guided that wonderful pilot as he safely landed on the water...............Today on a couple of the morning shows some of the passengers and the crew members were reunited and it thrilled my heart to see how totally thankful they were to still be alive. What a miracle and all GLORY goes to God and his Miracle on the Hudson!! <><

"Hold up my goings in Thy path, that my footsteps SLIP NOT." Ps. 17:5

If Only..................

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I Love thee .....Let me count the ways...............When Elizabeth Barrett married Robert Browning her father disowned her. For ten years, Elizabeth wrote love letters to him seeking RECONCILIATION, but with no reply. Then one day a large box arrived in the mail from him. Excitedly, she opened it, only to find all of her letters to him UNOPENED and UNREAD!

Today we recognize Elizabeth's love letters as some of the most beautiful in all of classical English literature. The relationship with her father was never restored as far as we know even though Elizabeth diligently tried with all her HEART.

Elizabeth and Robert Browning had a long loving marriage in spite of her father's opposition and they bore one son, Pen,who never had any children of his own so that ended the BROWNING family tree.

Restoring relationships is NOT easy and requires DEATH TO ONESELF, obedience to GOD and love of others. It takes CHRISTLIKENESS.

If only Mr. Barrett had found in his heart to restore his relationship with his daughter , his life would have taken on a new dimension of JOYFULNESS instead of BITTERNESS.

How do I love thee? LET US ALL count the ways and be FORGIVING and less judgemental........................<><

For the LOVE OF FLOWERS......

I adore FLOWERS and I love seeing them arranged into a work of art.........God was so creative and good to give us FLOWERS and I cannot imagine LIFE with them, can you??? The bad thing about FLOWERS is that they eventually wilt and die.....:( ! I have chosen some pictures of flower arrangements that I find so lovely and wanted to share them with you......

This is a must have book by Mark Held and Richard David of "Mark's Garden"...these talented men do their majic with flowers for the rich and famous and have really made a name for themselves.

A "Mark's Garden" party setting.....how plush and beautiful!

Are these not to die for??? FABULOUS!

AND THESE have to be my favorites!!!

A simple but elegant bouquet by the ever so talented, Eddie Ross!

This arrangement sends me into such delight I can't stand it!

It is hard to beat white roses with greenery..................

"The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of God will stand FOREVER." Isaiah 40:8

Mount Vernon

I am a member of a wonderful organization , The Antiquarian Society, which I have found to be invaluable because of the knowledge I have gained in not only antiques but history. Today was our January luncheon meeting and what a treat it was because our speaker was Mr. George Terrell, a local historian and fabulous communicator. His topic today (of which he is gifted with many that he could have expounded on) was Mount Vernon. I thought I knew pretty much about this wonderful estate of our first President, George Washington, but obviously I didn't know much at all! This is the bedchamber where George died. This bed had to be specially made for him because of his 6'2" statue. His height was unusual in his day as most men were much shorter. This master suite was quite unusual in its day also because it featured "his and her walk-in closets"... Before his death, George, made it clear that he wanted to "lie in state" for at least 3 days to make sure he was actually DEAD and not just in a coma! That happened quite frequently back then and he had a horror of being BURIED ALIVE! He also wanted his "wrists cut" before he was laid in his final resting place JUST TO BE SURE again that he was DEAD!

If it had not been for The Ladies of Mt. Vernon in the late 19th Century, we may not have had Mount Vernon as it is today. These ladies formed their group to SAVE Mount Vernon because it seemed no one else cared about it's demise. So together they bought Mt. Vernon for $200,000!! That was mega bucks back then and was quite unbelievable that they were able do this! Thank you Ladies for your audacious foresight in preserving Mount Vernon!!

This is the back of Mount Vernon with it beautiful view of the Potomac.

Mount Vernon as it is today. Of course, George renovated it and added on two wings and the Palladian window on the end which was an unusual feature of the day.

The Library at Mount Vernon.......

George Washington was a wealthy man but a very humble man too............I am so proud that he was the "Father of our Country" ....our foundation is strong because of his leadership and his love of the United States of America. Thanks George!!

I WISH........

Wish I may, I wish I might......As a little girl I did alot of daydreaming and often I would close me eyes really tight and make a WISH for a white pony. I always wanted the wishbone when Mother would fry chicken so I could make a WISH for my white PONY. I would pray at night for that WHITE PONY to be tied to a tree when I awoke in the morning. Sure enough , I would hop out of bed and run to the window to see if the PONY was there! Needless to say, I never got that WHITE PONY. But I learned a valuable lesson that I can see now as an adult. If I had gotten that greatly desired PONY there would have come with it, lots and lots of responsibilities. Of course as a child I did not take that into consideration. The old adage that says, "Be Careful what you WISH for!" is so true, isn't it?? Well, I have assembled a little WISH LIST below just for fun and I am wondering, WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?....................

I wish........


I were by this pool sipping a drink!

I were back in Scotland for a visit!

I could sleep this soundly.

I had this view every morning!

I had these BLUE eyes.

I had this minimalistic lovely livingroom!

I had her GOLF SWING (and handicap)!

I had the talent to paint the SKY like this!

I had this trumeau or one similar.

I had more of this vintage crewel fabric.





THIS wish list,of course, is all in fun, because I am so very thankful for ALL I have and I certainly don't NEED one thing more. God has blessed me over and above all that I have ever expected or dreamed. He has blessed me with a wonderful family and friends and a great community where I have lived my entire life. My real WISH list would be that there would be PEACE in the hearts and lives of all mankind and HOPE and JOY and all the LOVE possible here on earth. And I know that that can only come from HIM who created us. Have a BLESSED day, my friends!!

A Child's Face......Samuel's That Is!

When I look at this picture of my precious grandson, Samuel Joshua, I have to wonder why there is so much HATE in this world. The old song that says "What the world needs now, is LOVE sweet LOVE" is so TRUE! The world needs LOVE allright, but not the kind of LOVE that Hollywood so often portrays. It needs AGAPE LOVE and it needs it NOW!!! Agape love is God's love which is a totally UNSELFISH love and most of ALL it is a SACRIFICIAL love. My question to you is.....Is this kind of LOVE in our WORLD attainable??? Of course it is!! And it starts with ME!! And it starts with YOU! TOGETHER we can DO IT!! Most of all, it is GOD's desire that we LOVE ONE ANOTHER and Bear one another's BURDENS. So that for me is REASON enough to perpetuate LOVE and CARING for OTHERS. What about YOU?

HIDE AND SEEK by FIFI FLOWERS!

Here it is!! The most- talented and so very sweet, Fifi has completed the painting of my granddaughter and I couldn't be happier with it! I think FIFI captured the playfulness and innocence of childhood in her painting of this little girl who is so very special to me. Don't you just love it??? This has brought me great JOY today and I cannot THANK Fifi enough for her generosity and kindness. I cannot wait to get this in a frame so I can enjoy it EVERYDAY! God Bless, Fifi, and THANK you again for making my DAY!!

DEO VOLENTE!

DEO VOLENTE!! Translated this phrase means, GOD WILLING! This is my new motto for 2009 and I plan not to make any PLANS on my own but to WALK BY FAITH and ask HIM to direct my paths! What a comfort to know that HE HAS A PLAN and we are not to WORRY or FRET because HIS plan is PERFECT for us.

This morning in my daily devotional I read this which was written over 100 years ago: "I will ENJOY all things in GOD and God in ALL things and NOTHING in itself. So shall my JOYS neither CHANGE or PERISH. For, however the THINGS in themselves alter or FADE, yet He, in whom they are MINE, is ever like HIMSELF; CONSTANT AND EVERLASTING!" Bishop Hall. How AWESOME is that!

DEO VOLENTE!! Forever and ever, AMEN!! BLESSINGS to you all in 2009!