Everything’s rosey…

This spring I made my first attempt at growing roses.

I started with a “Sexy Rexy” rose bought on sale at a local store’s gardening center.

She’s only about two feet tall, but she’s blooming like crazy!

After that I really wanted a David Austin English rose and I wanted a white one.

They can be kind of spendy though.

Heirloom Roses has them for a great price, but they are still “babies”. 

When I bought my David Austin Glamis Castle Rose from them it was only about 8 inches tall.

I figured it would be years before something that tiny could produce an actual flower,

but look what I found when I got home from vacation!

I feel like a proud “mama”!

Isn’t she pretty?

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Blessings on my head…

Whenever we go on vacation I consider it a time to rest, be refreshed and to reconnect.  I don’t mean just for the Hubs and I, though that is definitely part of it.  I mean for God and I.  I leave for vacation expecting to hear Him.  I’ve left behind the problems, the pressures, the distractions, the busy-ness.  With coffee cup, Bible and journal, I can wait. No appointments or to-do lists to make me hurry away.  Every vacation He’s said something specific and special, something to go back to, a spiritual landmark, and yet when He does speak to my heart it’s still always an amazing surprise.

This year, mid way through vacation on a morning no different than the other vacation mornings, He stopped me dead in my tracks at Proverbs 10:6. “Blessings are on the head of the righteous…”  Immediately, He gave me a picture in my mind to go with the verse.  The Hubs is Papa to our grandbabies.  I’ve heard it said that when God refers to Himself as Abba in the Bible, it means Papa.  The picture God gave me was of my husband cupping our granddaughter’s head in his hands and kissing the top of her head.  I know he would give her the moon if he could.  I know he would die to protect her if he had to.  When God spoke to me from that short little phrase and gave me that picture in my mind to go with it He then reminded me that He’s my Papa that He longs to and delights to pour His love and blessings on my head.  He wants to cup my face in His great hands and kiss my head with His love. He longs to be gracious to me.  He feels the same way about you my friend.  I pray that Papa God pours His great, overwhelming love over you today.

I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my little green journal.

#1277-#1293

-devotions on the veranda in the morning sun

-hummingbird posing just for me

-fresh fruit for breakfast

-water exercise class

-reading by the pool

-sweet, lazy days with the Hubs

-phone calls from the grandbabies

-texted pictures of silly baby granddaughter

-Christ’s forgiveness and His help to be forgiving

-a “V” of Canadian geese that flew so close to the veranda I could almost touch them

-how God puts blessing on my head and how the Hubs love for our grandbabies brought this truth home to me

-an especially sweet day together

-a wonderful vacation and a safe trip home

-HOME!

-baby granddaughter can’t wait to come see us

-first day home spent with her

-Jesus great love poured out over us

 

Gratefully yours,

Elizabeth

The blessing of the upright…

We’re safely home sweet home from our wonderful vacation!

On the flight home yesterday we had a three hour layover in San Francisco.

This is a picture taken shortly after take off from there.

This verse instantly came to mind.

Are we praying for, interceding for,  blessing our cities or are we cursing them?

Are we like Jonah, who wanted God to destroy Nineveh, and was angry at God when God spared the city because they came to repentance?

Do we long to see our cities, our nation, return to God?

What is coming out of our mouths, out of our hearts, about our cities, our nation?

Still following,

Elizabeth

Friday Favs…French “Beurre” Dish…

I’ve needed a covered butter dish for quite some time.

When I saw this “beurre” dish, French for butter, I knew it was the one I wanted.

French-y cuteness, really heavy and well made.

I purchased it at farmhouse wares, the same place I got my French milk bottle last winter.

I’m lovin it!

HAVE A GREAT FRIDAY EVERYONE, AND A BLESSED WEEKEND!

Elizabeth

 

It’s all about the cup…

Vacation days are almost over.

It’s been all kinds of wonderful.

I’m sad to leave our beloved little vacation condo in the desert,

(thanks to our dear friend’s use of their time share!),

but I also miss my own little nest and our loved ones at home.

The vacation condo kitchen here has the plainest, littlest coffee cups so I popped into Marshall’s and bought myself a cute, and bigger, cup.  That, and breakfast and devotions on the veranda over looking the San Jacinto mountains is this week’s simple pleasure.

 

Still following,

Elizabeth

Forgive…

It’s a hard thing He asks of us

Forgive

He more than asks us, He commands us

Forgive

How do you forgive the daddy who chooses the arms of another woman over your mama?

Forgive

How do you forgive the myriad of daily offenses that occur between husband and wife in a marriage of 35 years?

Forgive

How do you forgive the bumps and bruises and wounds to the soul that occur in a family?

Forgive

How do you forgive the hurts, the betrayals, the abandonment that happens in the church

amongst the ones who should be most like Him?

Forgive

How do you forgive all of the painful ugly that bruises your spirit in this world?

Forgive

He is so relentless about it

Forgive, or I can’t forgive you

He doesn’t give us a loophole, a way out, an excuse not to

Forgive, or I can’t forgive you

And so, when I daily come with my list of offenses committed against Him, I say

“Jesus, I receive Your forgiveness for my sins, and I receive Your help to forgive those those who sin against me”

Forgiven

Still following,

Elizabeth

Texture Tuesday…”It’s the little things”

I’m lovin’ this week’s challenge, and I’m lovin’ that I was able to capture this little guy…or should it be gal?

I used Kim’s water stained texture on multiply mode at 100% opacity,

then I erased the texture from the flower and bird.

Still following,

Elizabeth