Too much to ask for ?

                                     



via Maria Castilla



        The Thanksgiving festivities have been winding down and I am getting the house back in order and trying to do away with a lot of clutter . It will soon be time to bring out more stuff and overpower the house with a month of "stuff" everywhere . I don't know what phase I am going through right now , blame it on hormones , I just want to get rid of extra . I want to live plainly and simply ........ I want to have places for the eye to rest in my house . Is this too much to ask for in an age of more , more , more . The more the merrier , you deserve all this and more ..... blah blah blah . I know I stand out like a sore thumb when I tell people  , I don't need anything , all I have is all I need , things don't bring true happiness . It's all so true , I want real relationships , I want pansy faces blooming in my winter yard , I want a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly morning , I want the little voices of my sweet sunday school children blessing their snack time ....... I want , I want , I want quiet time with God's word and hugs for people who are going thru cancer treatments ......... yes , I want all God has to offer me here on this earth and so much more , I want to rest under His wing and know that I am loved . God bless your week and and  much , much more ! xxxooo , Suz

Life is a roller coaster

           It has been awhile since I have posted . Life has been busy , some wonderful things and some awful things have been   happening, but I'm still here and hanging on by my toenails ! According to King Solomon , who was granted wisdom from God , life is like that ..... up .... and then down ..... up and down again . So what do we do when we are these mud puddles of life ? Do we sit in the corner and cry ? That is what I want to do , but I know that my trust is in Christ and I can do all things with him . It's hard sometimes to have hope in bad times , but that is exactly what is good for us . Knowing that this too shall pass and that we are never alone, especially during these tough times . So here's to knowing that we are part of God's plan and there is hope for the future ! God bless your week , Suz

It's Fall , Ya'll !!!

            It has been a gorgeous week-end and boy , did I need to see and smell and feel all the beauty of Fall. It has been a very busy month this October and am looking forward to this week . It's my birthday on Tuesday and my Mr. and I are taking a little day trip . My daughter and her hubbie are coming to stay with us for a few weeks on that same day . I have the bug to do some baking , some painting and maybe some sewing . Back to fall , its my favorite time of the year . There is an electricity in the air , some excitement that is so delicious ! I want a sleeping porch like the one my grandmother had growing up, so I can breathe in all that wonderful cool , crispy air all night long and wake up to coffee perking and bacon on the stove . I want to hear the crunch ccrunch of walking thru the leaves and fallen acorns . I crave sweet potatos and roasted veggies and soup.... lots of soup ! Though I don't really care for Halloween , it has turned into such a commercial thing , I do love watching the faces of the small children as they don their costumes and learn how to trick or treat . These are the faces of my Fall , what are yours ? I pray you have a Christ - filled , beautiful week this week ! xxxooo Suz

Little lambs of God

          

                       I hope you had a wonderful week-end . The weather here was perfect , and I got to relax and laugh a little , play a little , and of course enjoyed teaching my little Sunday School class today . The children range from 1 1/2 years to 4 years and I love every single one of those precious lambs ! They are getting in the routine of class again and I am always stunned when they sit down to their snack I have laid out and automatically bow their heads and fold their chubby little hands . I am blown away that these little ones know what to do , thank their Creator for what they are about to recieve . We should all learn from them this simple thing ....... being grateful for what is set before us ....... and then digging in to the wonderfulness of it all ! God bless your week , xxxooo Suz



pic via marina castilla

 20. gathering with friends for a meal
21. the beauty of fall
22. buttermilk cornbread
23. an elderly friend's recovery
24. a good night's sleep
25. a brother's birthday
26. a peek at twin sisters , newborn
27. a good tired , after too much fun today !

Finding Friends

                         We have new friends .... and they are our cousins ! I had no idea that we had family in town and we were so blessed to discover them a few weeks ago . Janna and Logan are newly married and an adorable couple that we met up with for supper at their nest .A wonderful meal was served , thank you Janna , and a ball game for FSU was lost , sorry Logan ,but it was good to find family so close. Thanks again guys !
                           I am so glad for a day to myself , Sunday School was taught , worship and praise was had and now I am enjoying a quiet , rainy day at home . I may not make it off the couch ! What do you like to do on days like this , I'd love to know . Thank you all for the sweet comments on my last posting , it was a hard week for me , but God is good and I am in his hands . So ...... have a great week and keep your eyes lifted upwards . xxxooo Suz

10. a wonderful breeze
11. another cup of coffee
12. to see my sweet brother Allen
13. a day off
14. little children
15. Jesus on the cross , for us
16. the color pink

this is my continueing list of gratitude while I am reading " One Thousand Gifts "

Happy Birthday Danielson

                 Today is a bittersweet day for me , and I guess it will always be .  It is my  youngest brother Daniel's birthday , he would have been 47 years old .  He passed away two and a half years ago by suicide and I still can't believe he is gone  .This is a picture of my Aunt Jane and Dan in Picadilly Square in London in the early 70's . Unbeknownst to us ,on this same trip , Dan decided that he wanted to ride the underground by himself and when he couldn't remember which was his stop , he just kept on going ! Mama thought he was with Dad , and Dad thought he was with her ........ well , it was an adventure for all of us . Dan always had such a sense of adventure and he never knew a stranger , I loved that about him . After our Dad passed away in '98 , Dan always wanted to visit his grave on this day , so he and I would pack a fried chicken lunch , stop and get flowers and spend 6 hours driving to and from the site . We would talk and catch up , smoke cigarettes and just be an older sister and her little brother together . So , this was  Dan .... a marine , a lover of country music , a wicked sense of humor , a sweet shy smile , maker of a mean pot of boiled peanuts , loved his family ,  and we loved him . I pray his sweet soul is at rest and he is safely in the arms of Jesus . xxxooo , Suzanne

Order in the court !

       Ok , I need this . I love having resources right there at my finger tips . In real life , I am searching 3 drawers for a certain item , a junk drawer ( hey it could be considered junk ) , my desk ( thats probably where it needs to live ) , or the kitchen junk drawer ( no excuses there ) . I think I have too much stuff . In my quest for simple abundance I am becoming more aware of what all I have ..... and all I have is more than I need . So the next couple of weeks I'll be cleaning out even more things , maybe eliminating a few junk drawers and achieving some peace of mind in the process . Now ,where did I put my car keys ? xxoo , Suz

5. laughter shared with friends
6. a childs hug
7. praying with a sick friend
8. a little nip in the air