A Time to Weep...

Last week our family lost a dear friend to cancer.

Mr. Davidson was such a kind, and sweet Christian man who loved the Lord.

Now, he sits at His Master's feet.

We mourn his loss, especially since he was a mentor to our Brad.

I saw this poem and thought it appropriate:

MISS ME - BUT LET ME GO

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little--but not too long

And not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me--but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone. It's all a part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart

Go to the friends we know

And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.

Miss Me - But Let me Go!

Author Unknown

Goodbye Friend...

Until we meet again

In Every Thing...

I'm having "one of those" seasons of life...

so, I'm writing a post to myself! LOL

Right now...

we lost a dear friend of the family to cancer...

our van is making a weird noise...

Brad's truck broke down and is having issues...

our upstairs (main) shower has issues...

our mowers have issues...

and we cannot open our pool this year because the motor died!

And so, I am reminded of the verse above and am quoting it repeatedly!

So, I am here to say,

THANK YOU

Thank you

thank you!

And please help me to keep my eyes, and my thoughts on You LORD!

"Surround yourself with beauty today

 And remind yourself of the gifts of each hour.

Sing out long~~~even if the sound makes you laugh...

Love those around you deeply,

and give of yourself to them,

Then you will find that beauty

Not only surrounds you

 but fills you."

Anonymous

I saw the above quote on another blog and it made me think of these flowers that I cut this morning

from our yard and brought in...

Take advantage of this abundant season!

Cut flowers from your yard and bring them in!

Even fruit and vegetables are lovely when displayed in a bowl

Take time to spend with your children doing something fun...

make the best of family time!

Life is short.

Every day is a blessing from the Lord.

Enjoy it!

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Ps. 118:24

Strawberry season commences!

Bri and I did our annual Strawberry picking day this week...

It took us less than an hour to fill our flats...they were plentiful!

We froze some by putting them on a cookie sheet and freezing initially, then placing them in freezer bags

I made this strawberry cake w/strawberry icing...but, the icing was too thin and ran

-I ran out of powdered sugar and couldn't thicken it!

AND, the picture is blurry--sorry!

We cut some up and ate them--they were delicious!

And we made some into homemade ice cream too!

I hope you're enjoying this season too!

Freshening Up for Spring..celebrating...and other happenings...

I always say...you have to tear up...to fix up!

And, our living room...is living proof!

It was in dire need of fresh paint!

See!?

Bri was helping me-big time-with the walls, but Brad didn't get any pics of her :(

Phil cut the whole ceiling in when he got home..no pics of him either

We have 8 doorways to cut around, and a window (and tape around too)

Plus, we had to tape the wallpaper border, and the baseboard--almost 3 rolls of tape!

But we're so happy now! And, we found this beautiful print at a yard sale for $5!

And, I found this great valance on ebay for $12 to fit my BIG window!

Now, we're praying for a new couch--ours has had it...we've been watching Craigslist for one

Remember my cherry tree died? Well, it's gone now....

Brad & Phil worked really, really hard to get the stump out and plant the new one
Thanks guys!

Here's a picture of the newly planted tree...alongside my lovely hanging basket from church!

Brad came up with and diligently carried out the plan for this landscaping next to our patio...came out great! Thanks Brad!

He and I found the landscape lights at a yardsale ($3) for all of them!

Friday evening we had a terrible hail storm! (No damage thankfully!)

My Mom's Birthday was May 1st, and her friends held a surprise tea in her honor this past Saturday...Bri and I went and had a lovely time!

My mom had a wonderful time, got some lovely gifts and cards...
and was very blessed!
I love my Mom!

Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee

Taking The Day Off...

We've been going at a pretty steady pace around here...with school still going, Brad mowing grass,

painting projects...gardening...soooo we headed for a day at the beach! :)

It was a little impromptu-but, we heard that the weather was going to be gorgeous (and it was!)

We even had the added blessing of having two dear friends join us--but had such a lovely time of fellowship that we forgot to get a picture of them! Sorry guys! But we really were so happy you came!

Brad got right to work doing his usual sandcastle type stuff

Bri was looking for interesting shells and other finds

Having fun

Not a lot of shells, but some pretty stones though!

This poor horseshoe crab was having a tough time

So Brad lent him a hand

He had all these mussels on his back...hitching a ride!

The beach and boardwalk had taken a hit from the Nor'easters

You can see the newly planted grass on the dunes

We practically had the beach to ourselves

It was a lovely day!

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:10

Bri's Flower Photos

Hi, I"m borrowing my mom's blog to post my pics for the photo contest over at

An Old-Fashioned Girl

These are my five entries for the flower photo contest.

Hop on over and check it out--hurry though, it ends the 15th!

Everything's Comin' Up Roses...

My rose bush is cranking out blooms....

Bri cut some and put them in a blue canning jar--stunning!

I thought this made a pretty picture as I set my Bible down after our

family devotions tonight....

Weeping...for my Cherry Tree

Remember my fav Weeping Cherry tree?

Well...it's GONE!

Something bored into it and killed it! Here is Brad taking it down. :(

Phil bought me a new one for Mother's Day...but we haven't planted it yet.

It's really tiny compared to this one.

The poor birds don't know what to think with it gone--and my feeders are gone too!

Muffy is full of concern for them!

Well, I guess the wood will keep us warm come next winter

The branches about filled up Brad's trailer

He hauled the small stuff away to the recycling center

The front of the house seems so empty and bare without it!

Trees

I THINK that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest

Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;

A tree that looks at God all day,

And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

A tree that may in summer wear

A nest of robins in her hair;

 

Upon whose bosom snow has lain;

Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.

by Kilmer

I'm a little like Anne of Green Gables...she loved trees so much...she liked to name them!...

"I named that cherry-tree outside my bedroom window this morning. I called it Snow Queen because it was so white. Of course, it won't always be in blossom, but one can imagine that it is, can't one?"

~Anne

I'll miss my tree!