found this on the kitchen counter this morning.....

.....loving him is a wonderful way to spend a lifetime.

Thank you Lord for the beauty of another day

an early sunlit sky of yellow & orange

to light our day & warm our heart

with your gift of love & joy.

As I  stopped to gaze upon this wondrous gift

on the morn I returned to my home

with eyes wide open,

I'm filled with His love...

empty to full.

7.27.14

Surprise, Surprise!

I love a surprise! And I really love to be the one who does the surprising. It's the joy of seeing one's face or hearing their excited voice on the phone. It's just happiness that swells the heart to overflow. Both the surpriser & the surprised share the joy.

Sunday, July 20th, I made a surprise visit to my hometown of Bennettsville. Dothan knew that I was traveling. Cruising early morning down Hwy 431, almost a lone traveler, gave way to listening & praising in song. Missing my church family but loving the nature viewing & joy of singing praises to God.

The trip is a long one. Familiar sites along the way...new ones to remember. Stories unfold in the mind from these sites. Curious living among the ride. I make it in 8 & 15 mins.

Brother hears & believes I'm cruising a Hwy38N in Bama, Sister hears voice & believes "someone" needs help @ the door and mom's mouth hangs low ...SURPRISE! And I was a little surprised too with seeing my nephew Jacob at my sister's. He is spending 3 weeks in Bville attending 2 weeks at Camp Pine Hill and the other at their home.

Life goes on and the Bville calendar stays its course.

A nice visit, after mom's Monday dr appt., with cousins from Columbia who were coming for an already planned lunch with their aunts. It was so nice to get to surprise them too! We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and had a great time together.

Smyrna Church held a banquet that night to honor the "Woman of the Year 2014". As planned, Mom joined Susan & others for the festivities. I, on the other hand, visited my brother & his wife. SIL had knee surgery this morning and was home beginning her recovery.

Three of mom's good friends gather at her home every Tuesday & play bridge. They have such a good time together. My afternoon was spent just relaxing, writing & preparing some dinner for mom & me.

A scheduled trip to Florence to return some items began our Wednesday. I made several purchases for the outside flower beds & patio at a very good sale price. Our lunch was at one of mom's favorite restaurants, Lizards Thicket. With a quick trip by the new Ollie's and a peach milkshake purchase from Chick Fil A we started back home. The day was so beautiful, and Susan, mom & I had a wonderful time. 

~Just a little photo playing~

Thursday afternoon Susan & I revved up the riding mowers and set out to cut the fields. Starting at the fence by the pond, we worked our way down the side of the woods by the entrance road. Moving over to the front fields we were able to cut most of the field until the rains came down. I listen to tunes as I cut and have such a good time singing out loud.

Mom has been letting her hair grow for some time now, and I have not really liked it. (sorry mom) She has a standing appointment on Fridays with her hairdresser. I finally asked mom to consider having her hair cut like she use to wear it. Well, I really asked her to do it for my birthday.

Mom sends birthday cards to us. With my birthday right around the corner and a new beginning of a decade, I asked for a special gift...a haircut for her. She paused a moment to think about it, and then said she'd consider.Whoo-eee!...wish granted, and I think she is glad that she got her hair cut. I am too!

With a new hairdo mom & I traveled to L'burg to visit the patient. But a quick stop @ Micky D's for ice cream really made the ride even better. All's well at the G2 home, & the patient is recovering very well. Before heading home we shopped at WM for a few items. 

A little sleep-in on Saturday morning was nice before I got back out on the mower to finish the field cutting.

After lunch mom & I went to R'ham to their Ollie's & to WM. I found it! I found it! I found it at WM.

Some time ago I visited the Coke Rewards website and created my very own Coke Zero personalized label "Mel". Don't care what anyone says............this is my creation....hahaha...gotta believe y'all!

Dad's nephew & his wife along with their 2 grandchildren called mom earlier in the week to say that they would be stopping by for an overnight visit. They arrived at the house and my aunts & Susan, David & Jacob along with us went to a favorite place to eat...Stanton's. After eating we stopped by the cemetery to view the difference it made when tree limbs had been cut by someone. We then headed back to mom's house.

Susan-Bradley-David-Jacob-mom-Jessica-Mildred-Willie Edith-Barbara-Bob-Mel

Bradley & Jacob

catching up

An "ussie"

Jessica~Mel~Mildred

Willie-Bob-Jessica-Mildred

Another close to a good week's visit @ mom's house.

Empty Bowls

Our church's Women's Ministry hosted a GNO (Girl's Night Out) tonight in the barn at the church. Becky Abraham & Julie Gonzalez team together to bring mission activities, Bible studies and lots of fun activities for us.

Julie, who is Development Director of the Wiregrass Area United Way Food Bank, spoke briefly tonight on a fundraising project (Empty Bowls Dothan) that supports the food bank. Lynn Koning, a local potter, also spoke of her involvement with Empty Bowls Dothan and how the project progresses with local community help towards the final celebratory event.

Empty Bowls, started by potters in NC, aid hunger prevention. Area potters come together with local community workshops to make & donate soup bowls for a fundraiser. Along with the purchase of a bowl, comes a simple meal. Proceeds from the sale of the bowls provide needed funds for area hunger prevention agencies. This project is widely received by potters all over the world.

Approximately 35 of us sat around tables ready to work on our masterpiece. With the bowl kit in front of us we waited for our instructions on how to begin. Now let's unwrap the saran wrap, lay the base, & build the sides of the bowl.

We worked with our clay to make our very own special bowl for the project. 

There was quite a bit of creativity at this GNO workshop. I had such a good time.

I think I'd like to check out other workshops that are provided around the area and help again.

Love, love, love the mountains! I want to live there.

Hubs & I invited his sister & BIL to spend some time with us away from Dothan. Our destination was Pigeon Forge/Smoky Mountains. We enjoyed three jam-packed days.

Wednesday:  arriving @ cabin, eating @ Calhouns and grocery shopping

Thursday:  sleeping in while guy are golfing, lunch & early evening fog gazing, dinner, shopping, flat tire, Country Tonite show

the flat tire culprit

Friday:  Cades Cove with deer & bear, Abrams Falls hike & picnic lunch, dinner, game night, Supermoon gazing

Supermoon

Saturday:  zip lining, lunch, Roaring Forks Motor Trail, Grotto Falls hike (rain on the way down), my fall, dinner, Supermoon gazing

FOXFIRE MOUNTAIN ZIP LINING

   

those exposed roots you saw earlier 

hurt when you fall on them

wet rats.....we made it!

Supermoon

It was a great get-away!

HBD...

...dad!

Freedom prospers 

when religion is vibrant and 

the rule of law under God 

is acknowledged.

Ronald Reagan

Chit*Chat*Chirp

While sitting & watching the local news and having a bite to eat, I heard a rather loud "bird chatter" outside my kitchen window. I became witness to a "thrashing" given by a mockingbird to a young squirrel. The bird was perched on my tri-trellis, and the squirrel was nestled in the crook of the tree.

You can see the short distance between the trellis and tree.

Why? My squirrel loves the bird seed in the bird feeder. Yes, my squirrel. After many times of shooing him away from the bird feeder and losing the battle, I finally gave up and enjoyed his company. We now talk to each other.

Yes...I'm a little crazy but hey! Life is short...enjoy life. Even if talking to a squirrel brings you joy.