Month: May 2009

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    Sig Tag Water Can and Sunflowers


       

    Well … how y’all doin’?!  Lol!  Yes, I’m still here … and, unfortunately, still with computer troubles, but come Monday, or sometime next week … we’re hoping all will be in proper working order again!  I’ve been told to just get a new computer and be done with it … not so easy right now!  Work for hubby is a bit slow .. soap isn’t selling much this time of year. and we’re pinchin’ those pennies … can you hear ‘em squealin?!  Lol!  Other than that we are blessed … God is good, all the time!  I’ve missed you all … so I’m working my way around now to catch up … let’s see how much I can do before Monday when we take this in!  First I wanted to let you know what was happening with me.  I hope you’ve all had a good start to your spring season.  Hubby’s been working at the church on the little ‘long island’ garden area where he laid a brick pathway that is just beautiful … I need to get photos of it, once they get flowers put in.  Home improvements here … we put on a brand new storm door … it’s interesting how much of a difference a new door can make you feel! Lol! I love it!  We were looking at a new regular back door today … those things can be expensive … especially if you want windows in it!  Seems like things are getting more and more expensive these days … someone told me to get used to it!  :/  Other than a few spats every now and then, the kitties are getting along great … little Miss Pookie is just that … ‘little’!  She hasn’t grown an inch since she came to live on my porch that fateful day in late September.  She’s grown attached to me … I’ve grown to love her, which wasn’t hard at all.  She sits on my lap often.  Mr. Mooshie has never done that all the time he’s been with us, but, wonder of wonders, he is now daily, sitting on hubby’s lap, and doesn’t want to leave him alone!  I think Lew likes the attention from his ‘buddy’! 

    We went out on another photo shoot last week.  We had fun, and I’m still working on the photos.  Don’t want to do too much until I get this fixed, though. I’ve met some other photographers in the area … more opportunity to learn from those who’ve done this awhile!  I have put some up over on my Flickr site … the link is in the left column.  It’s free, and a great place to put up your photos, and meet other photographers, too. There are all different kinds of categories … one is for cat lovers … only photos of cats can be uploaded to their site … well, that’s right up my alley, too! =)  There’s one for flowers, also black and white photos only, and portraits, sweet little babies … so much more, and I’m still exploring!  I even met an old friend who used to go to church with us … he and his wife are now photographers.  And now, my dear husband wants his own camera!  He wants to do nature photography … in the great outdoors!  He wants to head for the hills and spend a couple of days with a tripod, and a tent!  So, we’re hoping to come across someone who might be upgrading, and selling a camera for a good price.  In the meantime, he’ll borrow mine!  He does a pretty good job, too!  If the Lord blesses, and we get good enough at it, maybe we’ll have a small business someday! =)


    So, are any of you doing any gardening this year?  We haven’t started on our vegetable garden at church yet … it’s been a bit too wet here, but he may run over there this morning to get things started.  I still have to get the name of the type of gardening we’ll be doing … it’s very interesting.  I, in the meantime, will be getting ready to head to the airport!!  And, sadly, no … it’s not to pick up my dear sweet son, but I am almost as happy to be welcoming Tim (his best friend) home from Malawi, Africa, at 2:00 this afternoon!  It’s been a long six months, and we are meeting his family there to welcome him home!  I am so excited to see him!  We’re going out for a bite to eat afterwards, then they’ll be off to get him home to rest, and keep him all to themselves … for a little while anyway!  We may be getting together with them again after church on Sunday, to do more catching up. If not then, it’ll definitely be soon!  Do keep Ian in your prayers, though … he called me last night, and said things were a bit stressed for him … his Mac computer is now down, which makes work difficult, and his finances are tight … I’m sure we can all relate!  Other than that, he didn’t share too much, except that it was a time of stretching and growth for him.  I encouraged him the best I could, and told him we were praying for him … as always!  He’s just so far from home … I long to fix up one of his favorite homecooked meals … and to do what moms do best, and ‘make it all better’ for him … but for now … I’m trusting that God is taking care of him for me … He’s better at that than I could ever think of being!  You know it’s been two years now since the three of them drove out to California … Ian, Tim, and Lewis.  Some days are easier than others, but then there are THOSE days … something triggers a memory, or a feeling, and I can cry at the drop of a hat!  Today has been one of THOSE days.  I know you mom’s know what I mean … especially the ones who have children away from home.  Hopefully, he’ll be home for a visit the end of June … at least that’s the buzz I’ve been hearing, but time will tell. Finally, Sunday, will be a special day at church with a group of young men being baptized!  It’s very exciting to see how the Lord has worked in their lives!

    Well, that’s a bit of an update, and my weekend happenings … so, do you have anything planned?  It may be raining most of ours, but I do hope the sun is shining where you are!  I’ll be back in touch soon … and I’ll resume my visiting here later today.  Let me know how you’re doing!  I’ve missed talking with you all!  One final word … an inquiring mind here … if you know who Lindaintennessee is, does anyone know what has happened with her?  She’s been on my heart, and in my prayers lately, so if anyone has heard from her, do let me know … I miss her, and her fun posts … along with her cats, Benjie and Betsie.  She had many followers, and friends, so I’m hoping someone out there knows something! 

     Sunflower Growing in Grace, 
                              ~ Deborah <><

  • CATCHING YOU UP – FILLING YOU IN – HERE’S THE LATEST SCOOP!

     


    It seems like it’s been ages since I’ve been here … I know you’ve all probably thought I’d forgotten you … no, never!  How could I?!  Each one of you, has a special place in my heart!  I sure hope you haven’t forgotten me since it’s been so long!  It seems with the passing of my friend Marcia, that things are just different … it’s a period of adjustment, and a time for growth.  I’m taking one day at a time, wanting to sit at His feet, and really get to know who He is, and some days I don’t even do a very good job of that, either!  I also know I missed Mother’s Day with you all!  Well, guess what, Mother’s Day is every day, right?!  I do hope you all had a blessed one!  We had to spend part of ours at Frye’s Electronics getting the computer worked on … again!

    Well, I thought it was fixed, but, alas, it was not to be!  I spoke too soon!  I got it home this past Saturday, hooked it up, then tried installing the Norton Anti-Virus program, and it still would not work!  I took it back Sunday after church, and a different technician worked on it, and said he had it running for me. It’s home here now … and quite a few of the programs have these boxes that pop up saying to do this, or to do that, and I’m like …. what?!?!  I’m not a computer geek!! I’m so afraid I’m going to push the wrong button, and it will explode at this point! (she says with nervous laughter!!)  I also have Juno Email on here, with many files and folders … it doesn’t want to open either, because of a ‘run time error’ or some such thing as that!  And, I can’t run the disk defragmenter after I do the disk cleanup, either.  It didn’t have this many problems when I took it in!!  Only 2 that I can think of … now it has numerous problems with it!  I’m praying, and I’d so appreciate yours, that when I get it back in this week/weekend, that they will be able to get all these ‘bugs’ finally worked out!  I detest these types of ‘bugs’!!  Too bad you just can’t ‘delete’ them, but computers are a lot more complicated than we think!  All of this has been pretty discouraging for me the past couple of weeks.  It’s hard being without our files for business, and my photos … etc.!  This week, I’ve been transferring all of our bookmarks/favorites from the IE web browser, over to a great application that I’ve added on to another web browser that I really like, Mozilla Firefox … the application is called Xmarks.  It stores all of your bookmarks/favorites at a site apart from your computer, so that wherever you log on to Firefox, or, if you have a new computer, you can log in and just import them all back!  I know they’re safe … now to just get my Juno files back again!  That is something they’re going to have to do at Frye’s when I take it in!  It’s a bit more complicated!  I also can’t upload Windows Service Pack III … some thing else they’re going to have to do! I could go into more details about it … but I’m weary with it all, and I’m sure you’re not even really interested … it’s just stuff, right?!  So … let’s move on!

    Moving on … yes, we are all moving on …. we are on a journey, and God wants us to allow him to show us the way … to trust Him for direction, to rest in Him for peace in this confusing world!  I heard a teaching yesterday morning … to set aside, and commit to 15 minutes everyday for a seriously quiet time, alone, just you and God.  He said that once you do that, things will change for you, and you’ll not want to quit!  I’ve had time in the Word, but to really get quiet, and alone, shut out all the ‘noise’, and set yourself apart from all the ‘hecticity’ (a new word that just popped into my head) of our minds … that’s where the battle is!  I’m praying for my mind to get quiet so I can hear what He’s saying to me … what direction He wants me to take in certain areas in my life right now … well for starters, I need to let HIM, and quit carrying the burden of it all!  We always seem to think we’re supposed to do something, when it is God that wants to take care of it for us!  We just need to take our paws off!  He’ll do the rest!  I know … it’s worked before … it always works … for some reason this time it’s a little harder to let go and let God! 

    Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that I’ve hit a few bumps in the road, lately, but I am still here.  I do have a Facebook where I keep in real time touch with a few Xangans, my family, and my son, who is still out in California, and loving it!  So, if any of you have a Facebook and would like to stay in real time touch, message me with your name, so I can find you!  I do like it here, and I’ve missed it alot!  I’ve also heard that Xanga is changing things up here … is anyone having trouble loading pictures, or with other things changing on your sites?  I’ve heard from one person about it, so far. I think alot of it has to do with the new themes … I still have the old theme, thankfully!  I like it just the way it is! 

    And finally, just a few more things to catch you up before you’re thoroughly bored: my cats are doing fine, little Pookie is …. still little.  We, sadly, won’t be moving into that house in the country, so we have to keep looking.  Mom Betty, and O.P are doing well … we are thankful.  Tim Porter (Ian’s friend who went to CA with him, and who has been in Malawi) is finally coming home at the end of the month, and we are so excited to see him.  Our dear Miss Elizabeth, Tim’s sister, who had the bone marrow transplant for the aplastic anemia that she suffered with, got a final report recently, one that she has waited so long to hear, and it was all good, Praise the Lord!  I want to thank you for all the prayers for her!  Please do keep Marcia’s family in your prayers … it’s that difficult time for them as they grieve, since she went home to be with the Lord.  I miss her more every day.  Ian may be coming home at the end of the month to surprise Tim when he gets here … I would love that! He would only be able to stay for a few days, though, but I’ll take whatever I can get!  Hubby’s work seems to be picking up a bit …. me thinks that flooring is not a priority these days, with this shakey economy!  We are going on another photo shoot tonight at a place called Fountain Square … complete with a beautiful fountain!  I’m very happy to have this opportunity to learn more from other seasoned photogs (that’s what we are called! :o )  If you’d like to see some of the shots from the first one, and other photos I’ve recently uploaded, you can see them over on FLICKR … you can click through the photo stream over on that page.  One of my photos was featured in an online newsletter from Indy Photo Coach, I was so blessed!  If Xanga will let me, since some are having trouble uploading photos, I’ll post it below … and it did work, but the fonts are all messed up now … hope this isn’t posting too large, or too small for you!  And they also won’t allow me to put frames around the photos!  Well, I’ll stop for now before I lose all of this!  I pray you all have a wonderful and blessed day in Him

    Hugs,
             ~ Deborah <><






  • Slow Loris …. Computer Challenges!

    EDIT TO POST DOWN BELOW!

    NEWS FLASH!  Or should I say …. COMPUTER FLASH!!  I got a call yesterday … my computer is repaired and ready to come home! Now, after the past two days of getting this loaner all set up, and then trying to get used to it, I have to unplug it all, and take it back so I don’t get charged for it!!  I have 30 days to do this, but I’m ready to get mine back!  Stephen, the technician, said that he put a brand spanking new hard drive in it, and after repairing the original one, checking for and clearing out all viruses, he will leave that one in also.  He will transfer all my files, documents, etc., to the new hard drive, and basically, I’ll have two of them with the same info on each.  Well, once I get it home, and set up, I’ll clear off the original one … he could do that, but I don’t want to get charged extra for it … and then I can use it just for my photos!  The new hard drive is 70GB more then what I originally had, so I have about 320GB on the new one alone!  Wow, I could rent out computer space at this point!  Lol!!  

    Anyway, I’m blessed that it’s fixed, but please do pray that I can get everything set back up, plugged in, and the anti-virus program loaded without any glitches!  I’m going to have faith … and Stephen did say it was working great!  I want to get around here as soon as I can to each of you!  It’s been way too long, and, I don’t want to miss you on Mother’s Day!  =)  I’m hoping to get a post on by tonight, in honor of all you mothers out there, but, if by some chance things are ‘glitchy’, and I can’t get one on, I pray you all have a wonderful and blessed Sunday, and know that you’re all in my heart and prayers! 

    Tiny Tag Flower Hugs ~ Deborah <><

    P.S.  Hubby and I did go out with some friends to dinner last night … to unwind, and relax, and just forget about all the pressing matters for a few hours … it’s good to do that from time to time … we hadn’t done that in awhile, and with everything that’s gone on in our lives lately … it was good for us!

    GOD KNOWS

    When you are tired and discouraged from fruitless effort, God knows how hard you have tried.

    When you’ve cried so long your heart is in anguish, God has counted your tears.

    If you feel that your life is on hold and time has passed you by, God is waiting for you.

    When nothing makes sense and you are confused or frustrated, God has the answer.

    If suddenly your outlook is brighter and you find traces of hope, God has whispered to you.

    When things are going well and you have much to be thankful for, God has blessed you.

    When something joyful happens and you are filled with awe, God has smiled on you.

    Remember that wherever you are or whatever you are feeling, God knows.

    –Author Unknown–

    FLOWERS  sweet pea palette


    May 8, 2009  …… I hope you’re all having a good week so far … mine has been a bit stressful, with all this computer business to deal with. We also use this for business, so it’s hard being without our programs.  I’m also missing my photos, and my editing program!  I am now working off of a loaner, totally different from ours … I’m not sure how long it will be in for repairs, but I’m hoping it won’t be too long before we get it back!  This one has the Vista program on it, and I must say that I don’t like it as well as my XP!  It does have some nice applications though, but it keeps freezing up, and I have to keep rebooting it, so I’m hoping this video shows up for you, since I’ve been having trouble loading it.  Well, with all that’s been going on in my life lately, I sure needed the smile I got while watching this, and I hope you like it, too!  If anyone knows what this little thing is, do tell!  My cats would love it … and I think he’s kinda cute, myself!  =)

    We’re having storms here today, so we won’t be working in the garden at church tomorrow … it will most likely be too wet, so we’ll be going to the antique mall to restock, and I’ll be working on my labels, which all have to be handwritten today, since I don’t have a printer  :-/  … then Sunday, after church, we’re having dinner with friends, then down to see Mom Betty, and O.P..  I hope the sun is shining for you all on Mother’s Day, and I wish my son could be here, too. 

    Well, I’m keeping this short, since I might get ‘frozen’ again, but now that I finally got this loaner all set up, (it was a new computer, right out of the box), I’ll be working at visiting around here, and catching up with you soon!  Again, thank you all so much for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers!

    Tiny Tag Flower  Growing in Grace,
                              ~ Deborah <><



     
     

  • EDIT


    Carltonartgallery com norwood

    **My computer is going into the shop today!
    Please pray for wisdom that they can get this fixed, and not lose any files,
    or any of my photos!
    Pray that they will get it done as quickly as possible.
    I’ll not be around to catch up today, as I had hoped,
    unless I get a ‘loaner’, which is in the warranty.
    Have a blessed day, and I hope to see you all soon!
    And thank you so much for your prayers!
    It’s not such a good feeling being cut off from your friends and family on here!
    Blessings and hugs ~ Deborah <><


    Well, I do believe I am back!  I want to get around to each and every one of you, to thank you for your kind thoughts, and prayers, over the past few weeks … you’re all so very sweet, and I can’t thank you enough!  To quickly touch on the past couple of weeks … the memorial service for Marcia was absolutely beautiful!  Lewis, sadly, couldn’t be there since he had left town the day of, to be on a job right about the time the service was starting.  I missed him being by my side, but everyone there was so supportive of one another … we were all among many friends, friends who all loved Marcia!  The family had set up a memorial table with a few of her personal items on it … her well worn, and well marked, beloved Bible, her eye glasses, her favorite old watering pail with a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers in it … as I said before, she loved to garden, and loved flowers, and with these, Marcia would have been pleased!  They also had her gardening gloves, and her garden spade, with the dirt from her garden still visible on it.  They had also enlarged, and framed, a photo that I had taken of her this past September … one, they said, she had really liked of herself.  I was so blessed they used that.  They also had a DVD with photos of her with both friends, and family, which was being shown on the monitors.  The service itself was so very touching … not a dry eye in the house as different ones would share about how she impacted their lives.  I could have shared as well as many others there, I’m sure, but they had only asked certain ones in their family, along with a couple other close friends to speak.  I’m not too sure that I could have gotten through it anyway … those who did say a few words, broke down before they were finished sharing.  Her daughter played the guitar, and sang a beautiful song which she had written … one of Marcia’s favorites.  I could share so much more in detail, but I’ll let this be it for now … I will say that no one there wanted to leave when it was over … most stayed at the church until 10:30PM … it had begun at 5:00PM!  It was good to stay and share just how much she had touched us, and affected our lives … and what she meant to each one of us!  We will all miss this very special lady … our dear and precious friend, wife, and mother!  Thank you all, again, for your prayers for her husband, and her children, for comfort, in the days ahead.

    My mind’s been in a bit of a fog lately … so I hope I can remember everything that’s gone on since I was last here!  The rest of the week was quiet for me … a time to reflect and focus on what is truly important in my life, and put things in proper perspective again.  As I said, my husband was out of town on a job last week, until Thursday afternoon, when he came home … I was so glad to see him … he brought me some beautiful geraniums to plant, and, knowing my sweet husband, to cheer me up as well!   Saturday, Lewis worked at the church, chopping wood, then he came home and did some yard work around here, after that, he had a much deserved rest.  We had a wonderful day on Sunday … repairs and improvements at the church, since the flood this past winter, are coming along nicely … it’s so beautiful, and it won’t be long until things are finished. Lewis put the flooring in the bathrooms … and will be working in the kitchen soon, once they get the carpet in the sanctuary.  God has blessed the church in so many ways through all of this!  So many times, it takes some trials to see growth in our lives!  From trials, to triumph … in Him! 
     
    After church we headed down to my sister-in-law’s house for O.P.’s 88th birthday dinner!  Mom Betty and O.P. both seem to be doing pretty good, right now!  We are thankful for that!  We had a delicious spaghetti dinner, with salad, and, for dessert, he didn’t want the traditional ooey-gooey birthday cake … he asked for my Blueberry Dump Cake!  I was so blessed!  Have any of you had that before?  You can also use cherry … either way, it’s delicious!  I found the recipe years ago, and it’s been a hit wherever I’ve taken it, and especially with O.P.! 

    After we left there, we drove around and looked at a couple of houses … we can only rent right now, and one of them we looked at the owner does not look kindly on cats because of past renters who weren’t responsible … makes it tough on those of us who are!  We have two precious cats, and are praying that the Lord (literally) opens a door for us … leads us to just the right home!  We are still hoping for the house in the country … the one I’ve shared about in the past … it should be back up for rent in about a month … that’s my heart’s desire right now … unless, of course, the Lord has something else even better in mind!  We also looked at another house that my sister-in-law told us about … she saw a For Rent sign in the yard a couple of days before.  Well, we went there, and saw that it would be perfect, but the sign was gone!  We’re still hopeful, though!  We left a note in the door after we looked through the windows to see what we could … it had a two car detached garage (just the right size for hubby’s equipment, and van, for work), a 2 car attached garage (just the right size for our car, and extra storage), a basement, a fireplace, a beautiful yard with well kept trees, bushes, and flowers coming up, and, it, too, is in the country … just where we want to be!  We may or may not hear back on that one, since the sign was gone, but we know that God has the perfect place for us!  In the meantime, while we’re waiting, patiently, we will be content and thankful … we will paint, and declutter, and be faithful with that which He’s blessed us with here! 

    We’ll be painting the kitchen and bath soon … the livingroom and two bedrooms shortly after,  We’re working on deciding which colors to go with, and I found a great site that has a ‘Color Visualizer’ that you can play around with …

    Sherwin-Williams web site

    … so if you’re getting ready to decide on a fresh coat around your home, it’s really fun to use … just click on the visualizer!  I’m also thankful that our landlord pays for all the paint … that’s such a blessing … and, we can even pick our color of choice! 
     
    And finally, this week started out pretty quiet … not much going on right now, although, I do have to restock soap down at the antique mall, which I need to get busy labeling today.  Hubby’s work is a tad slow right now … he was offered a one day job in Omaha, Nebraska, at a Panera Bread Company, but it’s just not profitable enough to warrant that long of a drive.  Here again, we know that God will provide other work for him, instead!  Well, I think this has gone on long enough, for now!  I’ve missed everyone, and as I said, I will get around to catch up, and thank each one of you, starting today!  Have a wonderful Wednesday … we’re supposed to have some storms pass through … praying the sun is shining where you are!  

     Tiny Tag Flower Hugs,
               
    ~ Deborah <><  

    FLOWERS ART COM  Floral-Spray-I-Print-C10323197

    In all His dispensations God is at work for our good.  In prosperity He tries our gratitude; in mediocrity, our contentment; in misfortune, our submission; in darkness, our faith; under temptation, our steadfastness; and at all times, our obedience and trust in Him. 
    ~ Anonymous  


    The will of God for your life is simply that you submit yourself to Him each day and say,
    “Father, 
    Your will for today is mine.
    Your pleasure for today is mine. 
    Your work for today is mine. 
    I trust You to be God. 
    You lead me today and I will follow.”
    ~ Kay Arthur

quote and verse

Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation.
- Andrew Murray -

God often comes to us,
not in dramatic and the spectacular,
but in quiet, unexpected ways ...
In a still, small voice,
a gentle whisper,
God makes known His love.

In quietness and trust
is your strength.
Isaiah 30:15

Pleasure, possessions, power, and privilege are ultimately worthless in comparison to the indescribable
joy of knowing GOD!!

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
and He shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5,6

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go:
I will guide thee with mine eye.
Psalm 32:8

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HOW TO FIND ME … I HAVE MOVED!

I HAVE MOVED!!

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