TOO COMPLICATED!

Does anyone remember the simplicity of the sixties?

Do you sometimes think our lives are just becoming

too complicated?

It's exasperating!!

Wishing you an uncomplicated week!


S: )

VERTIGO!

Blogging has been minimal lately, as the old VERTIGO bug has bitten me again!
If you've never experienced an episode of vertigo, I hope you NEVER do!
It's been two years since my last one. The following three pictures kinda give you an idea of how much fun it is! First, you're just standing still; your life is moving at a normal pace.

Then, all of a sudden, the room starts to spin, and you have to hold on to something to brace yourself.

Sitting down sometimes helps a little, but lying down doesn't!!. In fact, it gets worse if you close your eyes.

Please don't look at this graphic for more than a glance, but can you imagine staring at it for hours? That's kind of how my brain feels.


The good news, is that vertigo usually goes away as mysteriously as it began. Today seems a little better than yesterday, so I'm hoping it's clearing up!

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

Ads you'll never see today.......

If you were putting together an ad for Wrigley's Spearmint gum, what are the chances you'd say, "I've got a great idea!

Let's feature a meatloaf shaped like a football'!"....?

Not exactly Levi's finest hour!

Well, if there's one thing that really whets my appetite, it's the thought of pancake batter spreading over a puddle of

bacon grease!

Gag!

Does this say beer?
Oh dear, oh dear!

At least this one was honest!

No matter what your size or color preference,
here's a telephone receiver for you!

No comment.

Oops!

With apologies to Alphonse Mucha!!

'Ah' inspiring?
(NOT!)

Oh, look! BeeGees in a box!

Mothers, hide the kids!

This one's not for prime time!

SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

At 11:50 pm, Thursday, July 29th, Clayton Glenn French slipped peacefully into the waiting arms of Jesus, after a thirteen month battle with cancer of the brain stem.

I have been so privileged to pray for him for the past year. The unwaivering faith of his family (especially his mom) have been a beautiful testimony to all!

Please keep this family in your prayers as they face the days ahead without

Clayton.

*****

I will leave the link for 'Clayton's Journal' on the sidebar for awhile, and encourage you to read his mom's touching account of his brief life and homegoing!

*****
Safe in the arms of Jesus
safe on his gentle breast;
There by his love o'ershaded
sweetly my soul shall rest.

Hark 'tis the voice of angels
born in a song to me
Over the fields of glory
over the jasper sea.

Safe in the arms of Jesus...

Jesus my heart's dear refuge
Jesus has died for me.
Firm on the Rock of Ages
ever my trust shall be.

Here let me wait with patience
wait till the night is over;
Wait till I see the morning
break on the golden shore.

Safe in the arms of Jesus...

CLEVER IDEA!

I couldn't decide whether to title this post 'PRESENTATION, PRESENTATION!, PRESENTATION',
or 'MUSIC HATH CHARMS....'.

Maybe you have a better title.............

Anyway, someone had such a clever idea, so be sure to mute Playlist and enjoy this little 2-min. video sent to me by my daughter, Lisa.

BUSY, BUSY...

It’s easy to get so busy doing things for God that we don’t have time to cultivate intimacy with Him ourselves. In the Song of Solomon, the Shulamite woman says,

“They made me keeper of the vineyards,

but my own vineyard I have not kept!”

Would you stop and evaluate your schedule? If you’re not spending time with Him in prayer and the Word, maybe it’s time to make some changes.
--from Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

*****

If you feel a finger pointing at you with this post, believe me, three fingers are pointing back to me! The following verses from Psalm 119 offer some very good advice for the priorities of our daily lives:

I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your Word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider Your ways.
I delight in Your decrees;
I will not neglect Your Word.
--Psalm 119:10-16.

SURVEY SAID!

No, this is not a SURVEY!

I'm just having game show withdrawals after spending a few days at my mother's. (just kidding!)


My mother is 92, and we have a great time visiting. While I'm there, I try not to disrupt her usual routine too much, so we watch alot of shows on the Game Show channel. Family Feud is one of her favorites.

Most days, her TV (game shows) and radio are her main entertainment. That is, unless her great-grandchildren, Caylie & Chase come over to see her. They always brighten her day!

Here are the two little munchkins enjoying an afternoon 'swim' in their pool.
Aren't they cute?
I took a few other pictures, but they were a little blurred, as too much splashing was going on!

Well, now we're back home, and the laundry is all caught up, so we're ready for the weekend! Hope you are, too!

SUMMER DAYS

This has been a very busy summer, so far. We've had a month of grandkids...with each one taking their turn separately.
First, Alan (& Amber);
then Amanda (& Matt), &,
for the past two weeks, Justin.

It has been alot of fun!

While Justin was here, he & my husband, Bill, took a lapidary class & learned how to cut gems. Here are a couple of pictures of Justin at work..............




Well, make that one picture of Justin at work, and one showing that Justin's learned so much, he doesn't even have to watch what he's doing! (LOL)

And here is the finished product...

a beautiful blue quartz stone.....

Now, it's time to take Justin back home, because he has a camp to attend next week.

While in Florida, I plan to stay a few days visiting my mother & sister (& family).
There's no computer at my mother's, so I won't be able to post or stop by your blog until we return.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!

WALK WITH ME

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn,

shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

Proverbs 4:18

*****

Walk with me Oh Lord, I pray.

Give me strength

throughout the day.

Take my problems

big and small.

Lift me when I tend to fall.

Walk with me Oh Lord, I pray.

Prompt me what to

do and say.

Let me feel you

always there.

Lift me when I feel despair.

ELEVEN REASONS...

Everyone's talking about November! "Just wait until November!", we hear over & over.
Well, this should help you have clarity about your vote!!
S: )
(Please mute Playlist first).


Are you convinced?

HAPPY FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND!

“Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower



Have a Safe and Happy

Fourth of July weekend!!

*****

SCRIPTURE for SUNDAY

I lift up my eyes to the hills--
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip--
he who watches over you will not slumber;
Indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you--
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm--
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

--Psalm 121:1-8

SUMMER IS HERE!

Summer is NOT my favorite time of year, but have to admit it's much more tolerable here in the mountains than it was in Florida! Less heat, & less thunderstorms!
Even in the summertime, there's much to be thankful for.
This little poem paints a pretty good picture of life here in 'God's country'.

GOD'S COUNTRY

Give me green rolling hills,

Give me pies cooling

on windowsills...

Give me birds chatting

on telephone poles,

And corn growing midsummer

in patterned rows.

Give me crickets chirping

on warm summer nights,

And children and picnics

and firefly lights...

Give me cows grazing

and sleeping all day,

And children barefooted

and tanned at play.

Give me church socials

and watermelons, please,

And general stores

and swimming holes

and fresh garden peas.

Give me all this,

round the hillside I roam,

And I'll gladly share it all with you

in my country home.

--Barbara Jean Kissel

FISHING 101

When we lived in Florida, we had a boat, and loved to go fishing miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. What fun!

I was quite a novice, & wouldn't even bait my own hook, (ee-ooh!) but definitely enjoyed catching & reeling in those fish!

Well, if you've never tried it, here's a video you've just GOT to watch!
Nothing like learning from a real expert!!

THOUGHT for TUESDAY

All that is good,

all that is true,

all that is beautiful,

all that is beneficient,

be it great or small,

be it perfect or fragmentary,

natural as well as supernatural,

moral as well as material,

comes from God.

-John Henry Newman

Nympheas (Water-Lilies)

Claude Monet, 1908

TRIP PICTURES

My daughter, Jami, and husband, Bill, recently returned from a two-week trip to Hungary & Slovakia. It was her 2nd trip, and his 4th.
Here are some pictures from their trip:

View of Budapest:



Here are Jami & Julika in the courtyard. This is where they stayed while in Budapest. Julika is the mother of Jami's Hungarian teacher. She doesn't speak English, so Jami's 2+ years of studying the Hungarian language really came in handy!

This was taken inside a downtown Budapest cathedral:

The rest of the pictures were taken in Slovakia, where they visited relatives.

A street festival was going on one evening in Velke Kapusany:

Monika (a cousin), had her picture taken with some of the festival musicians.


This is Jami with two of the festival participants:

Milan and Bill making Kolbasi. This is a staple food that you'll find included in some way at almost all Hungarian meals....yes, even breakfast!

Bill was really wishing he could've brought some home with him. This is enough to last at least a week, or two.......

Jami with two other cousins, Kaitlin and Adela.

What's for dinner?

Cabbage soup (a favorite!) is in the pot on the left; the front pot is potatoes boiling, and frying in the skillet is chicken breast (pounded, and fixed similar to chicken cordon bleu).

Here's a closeup of the cabbage soup....

Dinnertime at Adela's. L to R: Elizabeth, Kaitlin, Jani, Jami, Matthew and Milan.

Bill and Jami, and the red (Russian) car that Matthew chauffeured them around in.

Most of the people live in huge apartments with no yard, so they rent garden space if they want to grow vegetables, etc. This is Bill showing off one of these spaces outside Velke Kapusany, Slovakia....

They had a wonderful time. Jami got in alot of practice acting as interpreter, because only one of the family members speaks any English. I think they were so impressed that she cared enough to learn their language.

Thank you to all of our family members in Slovakia, & to Julika in Hungary, for your kind hospitality. Jami & Bill said you really treated them like royalty!

God bless!

WHO IS SHE?

Please be careful!

This person has found her way
into my house
and could also get into yours.

A very weird thing has happened.
A strange old lady
has moved into my house.

I have no idea who she is,
where she came from,
or how she got in.

I certainly did not invite her.
All I know is that
one day she wasn't there,
and the next day she was.

She is a clever old lady
and manages to keep out of sight
for the most part,
but whenever I pass a mirror
I catch a glimpse of her.

And, whenever I look in the mirror
to check my appearance,
there she is hogging the whole thing,
completely obliterating
my gorgeous face and body.
This is very rude!

I have tried screaming at her,
but she just screams back.
The least she could do is
offer to pay rent,
but, no!

Every once in a while,
I find a dollar bill

stuck in a coat pocket,
or some loose change

under a sofa cushion,
but it is not nearly enough.

I don't want to jump to conclusions,
but I think she is stealing money from me.
I go to the ATM and withdraw $100,
and a few days later,
it's all gone!

I certainly don't spend money THAT fast,
so I can only conclude
the old lady is pilfering from me.
You'd think she would
spend some of that money
to buy wrinkle cream.

And money isn't the only thing
I think she is stealing.
Food seems to disappear

at an alarming rate-
especially the good stuff like
ice cream, cookies and candy.

She must have a real sweet tooth,
but she'd better watch it,
because she is really packing on the pounds.
I suspect she realizes this,
and to make herself feel better,
she is tampering with my scale
to make me think I am

putting on weight too.

For an old lady, she is quite childish.
She likes to play nasty games,
like going into my closets

when I'm not home
and altering my clothes

so they don't fit.

And she messes with files and papers
so I can't find anything.
This is particularly annoying
since I am extremely
neat and organized.

She has found other imaginative ways
to annoy me.
She gets into my mail,
newspapers and magazines before I do
and blurs the print so I can't read it.

And she has done something really sinister
to the volume controls on my TV,
radio and telephone.
Now, all I hear are

mumbles and whispers.

She has done other things -
like make my stairs steeper,
my vacuum heavier
and all the knobs and faucets

harder to turn.

She even made my bed higher
so that getting into and out of it
is a real challenge.

Lately, she has been fooling with my

groceries before I put them away,
applying glue to the lids,
making it almost impossible
for me to open the jars.

She has taken the fun out of
shopping for clothes.
When I try something on,
she stands in front of the

dressing room mirror
and monopolizes it.

She looks totally ridiculous

in some of those outfits,
plus she keeps me from seeing
how great they look on me.

Just when I thought
she couldn't get any meaner,
she proved me wrong.
She came along when I went to
get my picture taken for my driver's license
and just as the camera shutter clicked,
she jumped in front of me.

I hope she never finds out where YOU live!

I really do!