All's Well in Pleasant Valley

We are getting back to "normal" on this beautiful spring day God has blessed us with.

My freshly washed laundry is hanging outside in the wonderful sunshine.

Our electricity and water have been restored.

We are counting our blessings.

Note: My own Pleasant Valley was hit by the 100+ mph winds on Wednesday morning.  Huge trees were uprooted the entire length of our little country road, but no one was injured and only minor damage was done to any homes here. We had no damage to our home at all.  We watched out our kitchen door as trees were being uprooted and broken in two across the road, but my hanging baskets were not even blown off my front porch.  God is good.

Later, that same day, a community less than five miles from us was hit with a tornado.  Homes, a little country store, and a church were blown away, and there were many injuries and a few deaths. But, there are also many, many, reports of miracles that occurred. You may not hear the reports on tv of the man (a fellow high school classmate of mine) that was standing on his front porch when the tornado hit.  He and his porch were picked up and moved to safety before his house was taken.  My sister-in-law's niece and her child took shelter in a room in their home, the only part of their house that was left after the storm was that room.  

Many miracles have occurred and neighbors and community ~ near and far~  are helping each other with a compassion you might not see on your tv screen.  There is much good among the bad.  

I want to thank everyone for your prayers,comments, and emails for your Alabama friend.

You make me feel so loved!

Sweet Blessings

Sweet blessings call out to me, even when I forget to slow down and enjoy them.  In the midst of a couple of very trying weeks, God has just flooded our home with His show of love.

My sweet hubby stopped and picked me a bouquet of honeysuckles on our evening walk yesterday.  I added a few carnations from my backyard garden, put them on my breakfast room table and walked in to the sweetest smelling kitchen in the world this morning.  So that's what love smells like! 

We had rocks put around the foundation of our home a couple of weeks ago, but I was so wrapped up in life's little trials (not so little to me at the time), that I didn't really stop to enjoy the rock wrapping process of our home.  After all, we've lived here 26 years, it's just home.

But there was an unexpected, and unplanned message left for me in those rocks. Do you see it?  It was even a surprise to the rock layer when he stepped back to examine his work. 

What's even more wonderful to me is that the cross is in the section of foundation directly under our door.  It just confirms what I already knew but needed to be reminded of.  God watches over our goings and comings. He cares.  He loves me.  He's right there in the middle of my biggest trials, so I don't need to worry.

Luke 6: 47, 48

I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.  He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock.  When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

                                                                                                                                       ~ Jesus

Getting My Ducks in a Row

We've had quite a few gray rainy days lately. 

But today broke that trend.  The sun is smiling its happy rays out through a perfectly blue sky.

And I want to enjoy every minute of it!

I got up before the beautiful sun this morning so that I could get my ducks all in a row and then go outside and play!

• Laundry is washed and hanging on the line
• Cookies are baked (Peanut Butter!) for our church's Flashlight Easter Egg hunt tonight
• Lasagna ingredients are set out and ready to be put into the Crock pot for tonight's supper
• The pepper plants are planted
• I took my daily walk (It's a perfect day for that!)
• My Children's Church lesson has been chosen for Sunday

Now I'm going outside to enjoy a little play time!

I hope you have day that is as weatherly perfect as mine.



Celebrating a Rainy Day

We woke up to another rainy, windy, stormy day in Alabama. But that's OK! I've got lots of things to do right here at home to keep me happy, busy, and contented.

It's 7:30 a.m. and I've breakfasted with my sweet hubby and seen him off to work.  Then I moved on to my routine chores, taking joy in the order they bring our home.  The floors are now mopped.  A load of laundry is washed and thumping happily along in the dryer.  No clothesline work for me on this rainy day. 

After the clothes are dry, I'll pull out my iron and lavender water and get my ironing all done up.  No rush.  I enjoy smoothing out what wrinkles in life that I can.

Supper is all planned out in my head. I find such peace on a rainy stay-at-home day.  There's no push to go outside and work in my gardens.  I got the last of my plants in the ground yesterday.  The weatherman had warned me we would have storms again today, so I planted the little flowers' roots a little deeper and snugged the rich brown earth up around their chins.  They're going to enjoy this rainy day...

...and so am I!

 

You never know what a week will bring...

Last week was a week of blessings.

Our family shared several meals around our little breakfast room table with some special visitors. A few lunches were shared with our older son's co-worker.  Our youngest son brought home some of his college friends one evening to meet his family and share a meal with us.  Out-of-town family dropped by and stayed over the weekend. 

The most wonderful part of it all was that they were all unexpected visitors!

That meant that I hadn't fretted before they came.  I didn't have a bit of time to worry about cooking a huge meal.  I didn't have time to worry if the house was perfect.  We just warmed up left-overs and enjoyed special time together.  And we were all happily fed; body and soul.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for knowing just what we need.

I have an excused absence...

...for my lack of posts.  I've been outside playing in the dirt!

Way back in the winter, while we were still having snow and frigid temps, I was making little newspaper cups for my seed starting.  Thoughts of my spring garden helped keep me warm on those cold days.

I lined the little pots all up, filled them with homemade potting soil and dropped in the seeds,

and I was rewarded with many, many little plants for my yard and garden.

The Morning Glorys were especially happy in their little pots.

I hope they're as beautiful as the ones that brightened my mornings last summer.

So now, my little Square Foot garden is all planted and I'll just enjoy the sunshine (and the rain) while patiently waiting on the bounty!

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.

Psalm 67:1

I'm Taking Your Advice

I have read and re-read every comment that was left on my last post.  You have all touched me with your heart-felt advice and encouragement.  Thank you for each word you wrote to me.

Thank you to my real-life friends that follow my blog, even though you know what a simple soul I am in real life.  You're all treasures to me.

Thank you, my precious daughter, Heather.  The sweet words you took the time to send me from "way up north" brought tears to my eyes. I love you!

And thank you, to all my blog friends that came out of hiding long enough to leave me your much appreciated comments when I asked for your help.  You'll never know how much your kind words mean to me.

And yes, the Happy Valentine will joyfully continue!  I don't plan to ever stop blogging.  I was just having thoughts of making it a private blog just for me.  But if my simple words and pictures can bring a little joy to others, I'm more than happy to share it.  I'll take everyone's advice and just ignore the changing numbers of followers...well I'll try my best.

Thank you friends, for all your kind words.

And, true to my word, I was sewing while waiting on, and reading all your comments!  I finished putting my little table cover together and have got it all layered up, basted together, and stretched out into my quilting frame.  I look forward to many happy-quilty spring evenings.  Who knows?  It may even keep my sleepy eyes open when sweet hubby and I settle down in front of the tv to watch a little Andy Griffith. ;)

Thoughts of Ending it! Help!

My blog that is. :)

Now that I have your attention, I really do need your help.  I'm in a quandry over what to do with my blog.  I know that I have quite a few folks signed up as followers, the number goes up and then it goes down, but I don't know if there are many that truly follow.  It really doesn't show by the number of comments. And if I see that Follower number go down, I start wondering why.  Did I offend someone?  Did they decide my blog wasn't worth following?  I try to tell myself they were just trying to simplfy their life by eliminating distractions. But I'm still full of doubts and questions.

I make maintaining my blog such a hassle for myself because I'm such a perfectionist.  My husband has another title for me; OCD.  I admit, I can obsess over even the little things.  Especially the little things!  Thus, I sometimes will spend 2-3 hours making one post.  Then other times, I make a post in less than ten minutes. And usually the ten minute post is more me.  I often feel guilty if I go a while between posts.  Or maybe I'm more scared if I have a long break.  Scared I'll lose a Follower. Again, I'm thinking of those followers. I keep trying to remind myself that I started the blog for me, not so that I would have followers. 

Because of all of the above, I'm rethinking my blog and asking myself questions while trying to sort it out.

Should I:

• Hide my blog from the world and keep it privately just for me?
• Take away the Followers option so that I won't even see the number?
• End the blog completely?

Here's where your help comes in.  I would love to hear what you think about my blog.  If you come by regularly, may I say, "Thank you!" and ask what keeps you coming back?  If this is your first visit, I would love to hear your opinion too.  How did you find me, and do you think you'll come back?

Here's my plan right now based on feedback from all of you:

• Plan A:  If a few faithful readers want me to keep it up, I will do so, but with a few minor changes (for me :).
• Plan B:  If no one is really reading my blog, or cares if it disappears, I will just keep it as my own private online journal.

While making my final decision, I will keep in mind these words of the late, wise Mr Fred Rogers:

You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you have to make choices.  And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are.

Thanks for your help!
~Sherry~


Oh, Joyous Monday!

My floors are vacuumed.  The laundry is all washed and out on the line enjoying the fresh breezes and the shy little glimpses of the sun.

I finished my Happy Apron...

...all the way down to the zig-zaggiest details.

The quilt blocks for my new table cover are stacking up, one happy square at a time.

What a joyous beginning to a new week!

The dreams dearest to my heart are right here. 

 ~ Anne Shirley of Green Gables ~

Happiness in My Sewing Corner

It's been a dark, bone-chilling cold, rainy week.  And today is no different. But it's bright and cheery in my corner of the world!

I got my fabric for my reward apron! I spreaded it out on my breakfast room table and it cheered up the room so much that I left it there for a day.

In fact, it gave me the idea of making a bright and cheery table cover. So I'm in my little corner of Paradise (my sewing corner) this morning, working on a project that I just know will bring sunshine into my cloudy days.

This post is linked to:  Show and Tell Friday, Pink Saturday