Puzzled ?

Ugh!....... Don't you find it SOOOO DISAPPOINTING when  you have spent days working on a puzzle and you have finally finished it, only to discover that it is missing one piece?
Where on earth could it be? I have searched high and low for it.  The endless possibilities of what happened to it run through my head. Maybe this piece fell out of the box at the factory ...maybe my sleeve accidentally brushed it to the floor, maybe I vacuumed it up or maybe the dog ate it???
I know it's not the end of the world, and it seems so trivial... but this just does not sit right with me! It goes against my grain!
It's like baking a cake and not slathering the icing on it....or painting a beautiful picture and not putting your signature on it!
I know, I know, I know.....I really need to put this small annoyance into proper perspective.
If this is the only disappointment I have had to deal with all week long, then I have been truly blessed by the Lord!    And for that I am thankful!   :)

Hope you had a blessed week too!

Soup and Amaryllis

For wintertime entertainment, I planted an Amaryllis bulb. I really enjoy watching these beautiful bulbs grow so rapidly and then bloom. This bulb promises to have red and white flowers....so we shall see what appears over the next several weeks.

I also made HUGE pot of chicken noodle soup. I have been sick since before Christmas with a terrible cold/cough!   All over the news are reports that the flu is now rampant in our area! Thank the good Lord I got a flu shot just before Christmas!   If I had not gotten the flu shot, my cold might have been even worse....if that is at all possible! 
Or maybe, just maybe.... I got sick because I got the flu shot?  Who knows?
 Anyway, when I am sick I always crave a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup...there is something so comforting and healing about it. yummmm! 
How about you?  What comforts you when your feeling sick?

 Blessings on your day and try to stay healthy!
 Terry

Double Trouble

The boys have been visiting us for four days. They love running and playing throughout the house.  I found these two along with our dog in our shower stall playing.......btw...the water was not running!   lol!   Then a short time later I found all three of them jumping on our bed!   Our dog Brody is not allowed up on our furniture.....but he LOVES playing with Riley and Silas and I am sure that he could not resist the temptation to join in the fun on the bed!     :0)

Have a blessed day!

New Day Dawning

This morning's sunrise was gorgeous!  It's so hard to believe that tonight is New Year's Eve......this year has flown.  This has been a tough year.... a year of stretching, a year of endurance, a year of tears and joy combined, a year of spiritual growth and reflection, a year of revelation.....and I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything..... because God is Love, God  is Good, God is Faithful and there is nothing that has happened to me or my loved ones that He has not First allowed to be filtered through His hands.  He is Sovereign, He knows whats best for me and those I love and I trust Him with EVERYTHING!

2013 ~  Happy New Year to all!  

Not my will Lord...but ONLY Yours be done!

Blessings,

Love Terry

By The Light....

I took this picture two nights ago as the moon was rising in the evening sky.    It was the kind of moon that just takes your breath away when you first catch sight of it.    Beautiful!
Well, it's the beginning of Labor Day weekend.  It's so hard to believe that the summer is fading away.  When I am outside and I stop and pay attention to what's going on around me, I notice that my vegetable garden is yielding less and less,  the hummingbirds have been aggressively feasting at the feeder in preparation for their long journey south, the crickets have been chirping loudly, and it's dark outside by 8p.m.   :(
I really hate to see summer slip away!
Blessings,
Terry

Canning Some Garden Goodness

One day last week I had  a refresher lesson in canning some summertime goodies.
My girlfriend and her Dad can jalapenos and peppers every summer.
It's a precious father and daughter team that have been doing this together for years.   I was delighted to lend a helping hand and share in their memory making.  I brought over some peppers and jalapenos from my little garden, but these two baskets are from Diane's HUGE garden.  She told me that these two baskets were only about 1/3 of her peppers from the garden!  Wow!

 Here I am am stirring the syrup mixture and bringing it to a boil before it's added to the peppers.   We had to be careful when handling these peppers.   If you touch your eyes or lips it burns like crazy for hours!

                               I love the beautiful colors!

Here is Diane and Paul her father removing the jars from the boiling kettle.  Paul is removing a broken jar from the kettle.  Several jars broke over the course of the morning.   We weren't sure why this happened.......... maybe we packed them to tightly and did not leave enough room for expansion.........  who knows?
Anyway, I had a delightful time in the kitchen that morning with this dynamic duo!


Hope you have a blessed day!

A Little R & R

Ahhh.....it's our get away time again.....and there is something to be said about that first cup of Joe in the morning, especially  when your on vacation!

 

Just to sit and relax on the balcony looking at the ocean and meditating on the goodness and majesty of God.   The world is just waking up.....the seagulls are off in the distance crying out....some people are already out walking the beach ....and as for me .....well,  I am just sittin back and taking it all in!  I think I will go and grab another cup of coffee! 

 Hope you have a blessed day too!