“Beachy” mantel…

We have had an unusually mild spring… until this week.  The mountains east of our city received heavy snows, while here in the valley we had buckets of rain and wild gusts of wind.

So as I took down and put away the Easter decor  and was thinking about what to put on the mantel, all I could think of was my longing for warm summer days and my ever present longing for the sea. If you know me personally or have followed my blog for any length of time, you surely know that I LOVE the sea and all things beach

cottage-y. And so with that in mind, I decided to bring the promise of summer, and memories of happy times by the sea,  into my living room.

A Dollar Tree frame with the “cheesy” plastic anchor pulled off and a real sand dollar hot glued on, and some clear glass bottles used as candleholders.

Over the span of several months I found the huge apothecary jar at T.J. Maxx for $10, the small one at Ross for 99 cents, and the large blown glass looking vase at Ross for $5.

   

All of the shells in the jars were collected with love on happy outings at the sea.

Longing for the sun and sea,

Elizabeth 

linking today to The Nester!

and Shabby Chic Cottage! 

Sweeter than honey…

^{Psalm 19:
7}The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
⁸The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes.
⁹The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.
¹¹Moreover, by them is Your servant warned (reminded, illuminated, and instructed); and in keeping them there is great reward.
¹²Who can discern his lapses and errors? Clear me from hidden [and unconscious] faults.
¹³Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then shall I be blameless, and I shall be innocent and clear of great transgression.
¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer.
Sustained by His life-giving Word,
Elizabeth

A gray day…

The day after Easter should have blue skies and sunshine, don’t you think?

But instead it was gray and rainy and windy…

and I for a while, I forgot that it was spring, and my mood felt like the weather…gray and stormy.

Ever felt like that?

And so I had to take myself by the nap of the neck and say, “Self, enough of you and your feelings!” and give myself a good, healthy dose of Truth to get my mind back on the right track.

“Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.

And God’s peace (shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace) which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

For the rest brethren, whatever is true,

whatever is worthy of reverence, and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable,

whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things, (fix your minds on them.) Philippians 4:7-8 (Amplified Bible)

Fixin’ my mind,

Elizabeth

linking to chatting at the sky today

Our special girl…

 She’s a miracle, this oldest granddaughter of mine.  The first time we saw her it was said, “There’s something special about her.” And there was, there is. Her journey into our heart happened right away when she came into our lives at only a few weeks old; her journey into our family took a lot longer…it was a journey of tears and prayer and miracles, and huge amounts of God’s grace. Yesterday, Easter Sunday, she chose to make a public profession of her faith in Jesus Christ by being water baptized. Marked by God as His own from the beginning, rescued by His great hand, adopted not just into our family, but His family.  Thank you Jesus!

Truelife Church rents a middle school for our Sunday service.

No baptismal tank so a trough filled with water will do! 

Pastor, (my hubby), and Pastor Brian, (my son in law), have those being baptized make a public confession of their faith.

When possible the parents come up and pray over their child who is being baptized.

“Upon your confession of faith I now baptize you

in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

my continuing gratitude list…

#335-340

-wonderful fellowship with our church family

-insurance snafu rectified, finally…(precipitated by a cracked tooth! God does work all things together for good! Insurance and tooth problem solved!)

-safe trip to Great Grandma’s for hubby, daughter and grandbabies 

-reading the events of Jesus’ death chronologically and then sharing communion together at our Bible study

-Easter Sunday-we celebrate a reality-the risen Christ!

-water baptisms!

CHRIST IS RISEN! CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!

1 Peter 1:3(Amplified Bible)
Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)! By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
Have a Blessed, Joyous Easter!
Elizabeth

I simply remember my favorite things…Friday favs…”I’m lovin’ Easter…”

I love everything about Easter.

I love the reality of what we are celebrating.

I love waking up Easter morning and greeting my family with

“Christ is risen!” and hear them respond, “Christ is risen indeed!”

I love going to church and celebrating His resurrection.

I love seeing the little girls in their Easter dresses

and the little boys in their spring colored shirts.

(my grandbabies Easter ‘09)

I love cooking and planning for family and friends to gather after church for dinner.

(This year we are having a pork roast marinated in a sesame ginger marinade, potato salad, baked beans, spinach salad with candied walnuts, fruit salad, grilled asparagus, homemade yeast rolls, and a birthday cake for my son in law who happens to be celebrating his birthday on Easter Sunday. Yumm…)

(I’m NOT lovin’ that youngest daughter won’t be with us for the celebration, since she now lives in Missouri.)

I’m lovin’ the spring/Easter decorations scattered around the house.

the fireplace mantle…

 




 
and other things here and there…

  

Happy Easter…

Christ is risen!

Elizabeth
Also linking to:
the inspired room
and
a soft place to land
and reluctant entertainer 

Dayspring Journal Winners!

In my highly scientific and impartial way of putting your names in a cup and drawing two, I have the winners of the Dayspring journals!
They are…
Teresa@Grammy Girlfriend
and
Loretta
Let me know where to send the journals and I will pop them in the mail!