Continuing to thank Him....

71. Tex-Mex... really... my husband and I have loved Tex-Mex from day 1 and over the years as the budget was tight and eating out was not an option, I learned to cook a lot of things and one of my "specialties" is Tex-Mex.  My kids love it.. there "others" love it... it is a family favorite.  And we do it on various levels.. tonight the hub and I are having quick skillet beef tacos, some tamales we picked up at our local tamale place, queso and chips... easy not terribly healthy but oh so good!  Our menu also often includes Beef Enchiladas, Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken Tacos, homemade queso (tonight it is from a jar) and my special Mexican rice.  So good!

72. Pricking of the Spirit... you know what I mean... recently it was cool and damp and I was piled up on our couch with the pups, a quilt and a book... pure heaven!  My husband came in and asked if I would do something for him. It was a very reasonable request... not mean.. not out of line in anyway.  And he was busy at the time and needed this thing done. So I did it.. but as I was "doing", I was grumbling in my head. "I was all warm on the couch.. reading my book.. he could do this himself later..." and BAM it hit "Whatever you do whether in Word of Deed, do it as unto the Lord" (My b;ended version of Colossians 3:17 & 23) Whoa!  The Holy Spirit reminded me that I was not really doing this for my husband, but for the Lord and my grumbling spirit was aimed at him.  It was a humbling moment and it also reminded me that God is always with me and aware of what I think.. speak.. feel.. etc.

73. Spring.. yes it is March 8, but where I live Spring is in the air and doing its best to burst forth in glorious song!  We still have cool night and mornings, but from lunchtime until the sun goes down it is just the right amount of warm.. not hot.. not humid.. and the grass and bushes and plants are turning green and there are buds showing... and yes with it comes a tickly in my throat forewarning of allergy season... and there will be sneezing and watery eyes and pollen but it is sooo worth it! (I will hurt anyone who throws my words back at me when I am in the midst of an allergy attack and whining!)

74. A Husband who does Yard Work.. right now the windows of the house are open and I can hear my husband edging our yard. We have a lot to edge because we live on a rather large corner lot.. so lots of curb. And my husband is persnickety with the yard. It always looks amazing and I have no doubt I take it for granted. I don't do yard work.. that was established from day 1.  I wheeze around fresh cut grass. He did try to teach me to use the weed whacker.. he decided it was safer if I didn't!  I do weed flower beds and help pick up sticks and such.. I just don't get to play with the big toys. (And I am fine with that!) But seriously.. I appreciate all my sweetie does to keep the yard looking so nice and clean and inviting.  And now that the nest is almost empty, he is back to doing it on his own most days.  For a while he had some teenage helpers.. but they grew up.

75. Thursday Night Bible Study... I lead a group at my church on Thursday nights.. ladies from 20 something (which happens to include my daughter, which is an added blessing!)  to 60 something (I don't think anyone is older than that.. the older ladies do a daytime Bible study).  I love the ladies who come. It does vary from study to study, but there is that core group that keeps things going.  I love their hunger.. their openness.. their real-ness.. sweet ladies and a sweet sweet time together in the Word.

76. "No".. LOL!  I am so thankful for that word at times.. and the ability to say No to somethings and not always Yes. I use to say Yes to everything and I confess I still struggle at times with wanting to do that, but it is so important to say No sometimes.. even to good things. We must seek God and only say Yes to what HE wants us to do.

77. Lemon Drops.. I mentioned in the Spring comments that my throat is tickly from allergies. I drink tons and tons of water. Truthfully that is all I drink cold. Occasionally I will have fruit or some ginger ale, but I have been a water girl for a long time.. I actually love the stuff!  Water helps the tickly, but sometimes I need something more.. so I will suck on some hard candy like a peppermint (only if desperate.. not a big fan of mint alone.. not chocolate mint is a whole nother story!), Werthers (yum!) and today I found some old fashioned Lemon Drops!  Oh my... memories rush back of eating these as a kid.  And they really do help soothe that niggly tickly in the back of my throat.

78. Raw Local Honey.. I have always loved honey..and I grew up eating raw honey.  My great-uncle had a bee apiary several hours north of us and he always kept up supplied with the golden goodness.  I have been buying local honey and using it in my hot tea and recently tried it on oatmeal (didn't wow me).  I have seen a "recipe" for making honey lozenges and am thinking of trying that.  I have a friend who swears that using 2 Tbsp of raw local honey each day keeps him from ever taking allergy meds. I am hoping he is right and it works for me!  No matter.. it tastes soo good!

79. Mysteries.. I have shared before that I am a lover of books.. devour them.. never have enough time to read all I want to read... and I love mysteries. Now I use to read really detailed intense mysteries, but in the past 10 years, I have mellowed and come to view reading fiction as downtime.. entertainment.. relaxing.. so I am not looking for intense. I love a good cozy mystery with enough twists and turns to keep me intrigued that I can pretty well figure out about 2 chapters before the book ends (no sooner.. that spoils the fun!)  I also like mysteries that are in a series and center around a town or group of people... Like the Gray Whale Inn series (so good!) or The Seaside Knitters (Love it!) and many many more! Think I will curl up and read after supper... and I have the perfect furbabies to keep me warm and plenty of quilts!

80. Life.. not just life here on earth, but Eternal life and the assurance I and every Christ-follower has.  Today a man from our church went home to the Lord.. he was 51.. he had a stroke last weekend.. totally unexpected.. his health was fine.. he was fit.. life was good.. he has a lovely wife and a great teenage son.. and now he is gone.. but not really.. He knew the Lord... knew Him personally.. Jesus was and is His Savior and so today without a doubt he is with Jesus.. whole.. healed.. rejoicing. Difficult time for his family, but they have peace knowing where he is and with whom and that they will be with him again one day.  Do you have that assurance? If not, please contact me.  I would love to tell you how you can. It has absolutely nothing to do with joining a church or a specific denomination... it has everything to do with love.. grace.. relationship.

Until Next Time.. be JOYful!

Caught a peep....

Saw this in the grocery store yesterday and I knew Easter is on its way!

Colorful... fun.. and totally nasty to me!  I love a marshmallow, but a Peep? EWWW!  No thank you! But I do know that they burst forth each Spring to announce the coming of Easter.  

And while perusing the seasonal aisle I caught a glimpse of this...

I have the clearest memory of my dad bring a bag of Reese's Pieces to my daughter when she was no more than 2.  I can see him putting one out for her to try and I can see her face when the taste hits. She was hooked!  She loves pretty much anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. Shortly after that, I discovered these Reese's Pieces Carrots and they have been in her Easter basket ever since. At 25, she doesn't actually get a basket any more.. but I can assure you I will be purchasing a carrot for her. (Remember traditions are big in our family.. and they often involve food!)

There will be a few other Easter goodies bought despite the fact that we no longer do baskets.  My husband will expect to have 2 or 3 of these goodies..

Snickers Easter Eggs.

My son's tradition has changed. For many of his 20 years he received these...

But a few years ago he discovered the Easter version of Lifesaver Gummies. Evidently the flavors used are not the regular ones and can only be found at Easter, so he tends to stock up.. though they never last him that long!  LOL!

And for me.. my favorite Easter candy is one I have loved since I was a little girl. 

My mother owned a pharmacy that was more like a general store and we sold Russell Stover candy there.  I remember when the Easter Candy came in and there would be the Coconut Nests.. NOT the eggs with coconut cream filling.. these nests are milk chocolate and toasted coconut shaped like a bird nest and then topped with 3 jelly beans to look like eggs. I usually fed the jelly beans to my dog!  (I hate jelly beans) Now I give them to my husband. :-)  You can now get a Coconut Wreath at Christmas, making this treat available at other times of year. But I still look forward to it at Easter.  Takes me back to my childhood.

Awww Easter candy.. need to up the walking to get ready!  

The counting continues....

61. New Bluebird Houses (see earlier post)

62. Hearing my musician son play and sing (he will leave the nest soon and I won't have him providing the soundtrack for my days any more)

63. The weekend... it has been one of those weeks and it is nice to be home doing normal home stuff and just relaxing with my husband.

64. Hints of spring.. I see little green buds and flowers popping up here and there.. Spring will be exploding here very soon!

65. Hot tea and honey... I am nursing a bit of a scratchy sore throat.. the beginnings of a cold I fear.. and I am so thankful for hot tea with honey to soothe it.

66. Fabric... I probably have mentioned this one before... but I love being able to cut and sew and create quilts for us and others... and even tiny little scraps no one really wants can be used to create a bit of quilted love.

67. Organizations like Quilts for Kids, Project Linus, Quilts of Valor etc. that provide quilts for children and veterans in the hospital.. and provide a way for quilters to use their skills to touch someone's life.

68. Podcasts... I love that I can listen to sermons given years ago and / or miles and miles away with just a touch of a finger.  One of the wonders and blessings of technology.

69. Time with my mom... Mother is 81. She has a pacemaker check this week and afterwards we had lunch at a favorite little cafe and then went to a bookstore.  Simple things... just a bit of time... special memories.

70. Crockpots.. again, I have probably mentioned these before, but I am a huge lover of slow cookers and use them several times a week.  Earlier this week I made Rotel Dip in one for Bible study... last weekend I made Hobo Stew.. today I have a new recipe I am trying out.. Tamale Pie (thankful for a husband who is adventurous!) Crockpots are one of my favorite servants!

Repentant...

Our neighbor came over the bring us something. The gruesome twosome were not neighborly. They barked rudely and got a scolding.  Here they are afterwards.. don't they look repentant? HA! (Ignore the messy computer cabinet.. didn't get a chance to close the doors before grabbing the shot)

The Heavens Declare..

Psalm 19 tells us the Heavens declare the Glory of God. When I hear that verse I think of a night sky full of stars, a brilliant sunrise or sunset, a bright full moon... but I saw just as much glory and beauty in a pre-storm sky the other afternoon as I tooled around the backyard.

The Heavens Declare....

Ready for Residents

As is evident from earlier posts, I am a total nut when it comes to birds.. the outdoor kind. Not a fan of birds in cages.  I grew up watching and listening to sparrows, doves, cardinals, jays, mockingbirds, hummingbirds and more.  And I have carried that love.. instilled by my mother.. into adulthood and passed it on to at least one of my kids. Over the years we have watched birds build nests.. seen babies fly for the first time.. buried a few that the neighborhood cats or our dogs have gotten.. saved a hummer we were certain was dead.. and spent many hours watching with a Field Guide in our hand to id new to us birds.  So it is not surprise that our yard is geared towards birds. My sweet husband landscaped our back yard years ago and made certain we had flowering plants and plants that have berries to attract birds.. as well as bird baths, feeders and houses. And he even put my glider out in the midst of it so I could sit and take it all in. :-)  He is a good man!

We have had bluebird houses on the fence line for many years. Every February we clean them out and wait for the scouts to come exploring. We have watched the mama and papa bluebirds build the nest and even seen them going in and out to feed babies. They don't like to be watched... they are very covert.. I call them secret agent birds. Only once have I seen the babies fly.  I was outside doing laundry and heard a sound, turned around and there they were. It was one of the most precious things I have ever seen.

Several years ago some other kind of bird pecked at one of the houses and made the entrance hole larger.. which meant the bluebirds stopped using it.  Both houses were looking ratty and in need of repair or replacement. Then our neighbor decided it was time to replace the fence, so we had to remove the houses before it came down.  We decided this was a good opportunity for new ones.  Soon we learned that the carpenter where my husband works makes bluebird houses and we ordered up 2 new ones. He brought them in this week and hubs got right to hanging them up.  Here they are on the fence row..

and here is a close up...

I was sooo excited to see them there. But even more excited the next day when I saw Chickadees going in and out of one the next day!  Chickadees are one of my most favorite birds. Did some research and found that they will nest in Bluebird houses. Had no idea!!!

I have not seen them back there, but the following day I saw bluebirds checking out the new digs.

So hopefully we will see someone moving in soon. I have a small bowl full of thread scraps from sewing that I plan to toss out once I see nest building activity.  Would be fun to see bits of it in the nests around the yard.

As for the old houses, they are on a shelf in the carport.  This winter the wrens and sparrows used them to get out of the cold and rain.  We are expecting nests to be built in them this spring too. We have wrens in the carport somewhere every spring. They are too cute but sooo loud!

Hopefully I will be able to snap some photos of our winged friends... maybe even a shot of a bluebird!  That would be a coup!

3 Roses...

Valentine's Day is also our firstborn's birthday, so we have kept the Cupid fest simple over the years and celebrate our baby girl instead.  But we haven't tosses out all the hearts and candy!  Usually I get everyone one candy item.  Sometimes a card.. I love cards but the cost of them has gotten ridiculous!  Hubby gets in on the act with flowers.  Again.. keeping it simple

White Roses are very special to me. My dad planted roses when I was little and he had one bush that was a white rose.  He would tell me that was my rose.  So I grew up loving white roses.  When I was a teen I made a deal with God... the way I would know the guy was "the guy", he would send me a dozen white roses. I never told a soul. I got white roses over the years.. but never a dozen.. until my 19th birthday. I walked into the dorm and saw them and started to cry. I already knew my fella was "the guy" but that just confirmed it and sent me over the moon!  So each Valentine's Day I receive a lovely white rose...

When our Valentine girl was born, my dad gave her pink roses.  My husband decided to continue the tradition and so starting with her first birthday, he gave her a pink rose just as he did this year....

When our son (baby #2) was a wee one, he asked with a hang-dog look one year why Daddy gave flowers to the girls, but not him.  And so a third rose was added.. deep red for his little man... who is not so little any more...

We are a family who loves tradition... not locked into it or obsessed about it, but we do love it.. cherish it.. look forward to it... memory makers.