Monday, November 29, 2010

Christmas mantel…

I am so glad I started decorating my house for Christmas before we flew to Missouri for Thanksgiving.  There’s nothing like the coming home feeling, (except maybe if I was coming home with my Missouri daughter and my South Carolina daughter, son in law and grandbabies tucked away in my suitcase!).  I am excited to get home and not have to put away the fall décor and get out the Christmas décor.  Everything is done except for the tree, and since we get a fresh tree we don’t get it too early.

This is my Christmas mantel so far…I say so far because I usually play around and end up making changes here and there.  I forgot to light the candles before taking the photos for this post, but as I said, I may end up changing things a bit, so I’m sure you’ll be seeing more mantel photos before long!

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Tis the season!

Elizabeth




The Lettered Cottage

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Remembering thanksgiving…

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year;

to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow. 

~Edward Sandford Martin

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my continuing gratitude list #762-#777

-safe travels for my sister who had to drive through a blizzard to get to Portland for Mama’s hip surgery

-Christian nurses in pre-op

-a Christian orthopedic surgeon who prayed with Mama and us before he operated

-a safe operation with no complications

-oldest sister staying with Mama so we could keep our Thanksgiving plans with youngest daughter in Missouri

-safe flight with no weather delays

-all the people who have prayed for my mama

-time alone with youngest daughter - dinner, shopping, and an evening relaxing in the hotel

-time in the prayer room

-our Missouri friends

-a great Thanksgiving day with old friends and new

 

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-coffee, and friends, and laughter

 

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-Christmas movies and popcorn

-safe holiday travels for oldest daughter and her family

-time alone with Jesus

-a beautiful evening walk in this little Missouri town

 

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Gratefully yours~

Elizabeth

joining the gratitude gatherers here~


holy experience

Friday, November 26, 2010

Grains of sand…

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I love this photo of my grandson taken last summer.  This scripture is also one of my favorites.  I love how this scripture speaks of God’s thoughts towards us outnumbering the grains of sand and how this passage is reflected in the photo by both the sand all over him and on the shore and also by my grandson and how innumerable God’s thoughts are about him and about us all.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth


Thursday, November 25, 2010

I simply remember my favorite things…Friday’s Favs…I’m lovin’ Christmas decorating!

I usually begin decorating the house for Christmas on the Saturday AFTER Thanksgiving.

But this year, since we weren’t spending Thanksgiving at home, I started decorating for Christmas on the Saturday BEFORE Thanksgiving.

Often, some of my favorite Christmas décor is something that I put together simply, inexpensively and spur of the moment.

  This year it started with some cute little birds  that I bought at Target for only $1 each. 

I took a piece of driftwood that I had collected months ago on a beach trip and hammered some nails into it.  I hung the birds on the nails, then rested the driftwood on two nails in the wall and that was it.

Pretty cute!

 

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Then, as also often happens, after I let it be for a day or two, I had a better idea.

I removed the nails and put clear push pins in the nail holes, securing them with hot glue.

Then I took some teeny tiny sand dollars that I had collected long ago, and hot glued them onto the ends of the push pins, hung the birds back up and now I’m lovin’ it!

 

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HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Elizabeth

 

linking up to Polly Want a Crafter

Happy Thanksgiving…

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Today we feast with family and friends.

We will eat turkey and dressing, potatoes and gravy, side dishes galore,

and pie, pie and more pie.

It is a day of lavish overabundance to celebrate and to give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am giving thanks today for the lavish overabundance of God’s blessings in my life…

and you are one of those blessings.

 

Much love to you dear friends,

Elizabeth

(We are celebrating the day with youngest daughter and our dear friends who live just outside of Kansas City, Missouri.  I like to think I am a good cook, but I must admit, I have not mastered the art of beautiful pie making.  When we arrived Wednesday, my friend was making these beautiful pies, with the help of her husband who is a crust making master!)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Thankful…

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She had no driver’s license, no job,  and had just gotten  out of the mental hospital when Daddy left her, left us.  She had gone to the hospital because she was depressed and didn’t want to live anymore.  That scared her for us kids. 

That was over forty years ago.  From the time Daddy sat us kids down and told us he was leaving, God stepped up to the plate for us kids and for our mama. She learned to drive, got a good job, and started taking us to a church that became our support system…that God used to save us kids from being statistics of a broken home, and instead, to become testimonies of His faithfulness.

When Mama, now 85 years old, fell and broke her hip on Sunday I was, of course, very upset and worried.  I was also conflicted because I knew Mama needed me, but I also knew youngest daughter was planning on the Hubs and I flying to Missouri to spend Thanksgiving with her,  and that she needed us.  She has been in a difficult season, and I knew she especially needed me, her mama.  Have you every felt torn between two people you love…both needing you, but one a half country away from the other?

Sunday afternoon, sitting in the hospital with my mama, looking so little, helpless, frail, I was feeling all sorts of emotions.  Over the years, however, I’ve learned to wade through the confusion of emotions, the swirling of confusing thoughts, and to discern what is going on in my spirit.  In my spirit, the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, I knew that He was watching faithfully over my Mama, just as He has for all of these years.  In my spirit there was Peace.  I knew that as I took each moment as they came, He would show me what to do.  In my spirit there was Strength.  I knew He would enable me to face whatever was to come.

Monday evening they wheeled Mama down to pre-op.  My two sisters were now with me from out of town.  The three of us joined hands and prayed for Mama.  To our delight, the nurses in pre-op bowed their heads and said “Amen” when we did.  As we waited for the surgeon to arrive, I noticed that the nurse was changing the cd in the pre-op room.  Soon the sound of instrumental hymns filled the room.  When the surgeon arrived, my oldest sister boldly stated that we were praying for him as he did the surgery.  He asked us, “Would you like to pray now?”, and led us in a prayer that I knew that only one who truly knows and truly believes could pray.

Mama’s surgery went flawlessly.   She had no distress during the operation.  She had no unusual bleeding in spite of being on blood thinners until she fell on Sunday.  On Tuesday, they already had Mama sitting up and doing physical therapy.

The Hubs and I are now in Missouri with youngest daughter.  My wonderful sisters are by Mama’s side.  Thank you to all of you dear friends, who have prayed and sent me words of love and concern.  As usual, I am overwhelmed at how good God is.

Love to you all,

Elizabeth

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Bless the Lord…

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It was a great, great morning at church, and Sunday afternoon was going to be great too.
The Hubs and I were going to babysit baby granddaughter.
During lunch out with friends and the little cutie pie, it started to snow.
At 21 months old she was fascinated and excited at this cold, white, fluff coming down.
After lunch, I checked my phone, and noticed a voicemail from Mama’s assisted living center.
While I was at church, my 85 year old mama had fallen in her little apartment
and shattered her hip. 
Mama is in the hospital, scheduled for surgery tomorrow.
Instead of an afternoon with baby granddaughter,
I spent the afternoon in the hospital with Mama.
You can never be certain what a day has in store.
But there are some things I am certain of…
God loves us.
He is good.
He does good.
He is in control.
I am blessed.
I have so much to be thankful for.
 
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my continuing gratitude list #752-761
 
-God’s peace and ordered steps on a busy day
 
-a clean bill of health for me
 
-baby granddaughter entertaining my mama and the others at her assisted living
 
-a free afternoon
 
-my daughter, son in law, and grandbabies safely back at their home from
 
-Friday date day with Hubs
 
-Christmas decorations
 
-Mama was in assisted living, not alone in her home when she fell
 
-Help was there in seconds with just one push of her bracelet call button
 
-When my phone was off at church, my brother was contacted so he was with Mama at the hospital the whole time
 
Gratefully yours,
Elizabeth

Join the gratitude community here~

A Holy Experience

Thursday, November 18, 2010

I simply remember my favorite things…Friday’s Favs…Christmas!

Though I live in Portland, some of my favorite places to go are in the small towns that surround our city.  Head east from Portland down to the beginning of the Columbia Gorge and you will come to the small town of Troutdale.  There you will find some of the most delightful little shops, one of which is the Troutdale General Store.   Now it is all decked out for Christmas!  The store is three stories tall and is filled with all sorts of loveliness…including an old fashioned soda fountain, a candy counter, all sorts of gift items and old fashioned toys, and holiday décor galore!
I’m lovin’ it!
Join me on a photo tour!
 
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I am definitely getting that butterflies in the tummy, excited that Christmas is coming feeling!
 
Happy Friday Everyone!
Elizabeth



Tidy Mom I'm Lovin It Fridays