Plastic Flowers

She walked down the median between the six lane road. One hand proudly carried a plastic flower and the other held a grocery bag over her shoulder like a purse. Clothes hung loosely on her body. She didn't cross at the light, but kept walking down the median.

The woman might have been around 50-something, it was hard to tell. But as I stopped at the light in the turn lane next to her, she smiled and nodded. All the way down she was smiling and her lips moved to some unheard song.

It gave me an unpleasant feeling, as if something was terribly wrong. Or was it?

Was she crazy? Was it some kind of experiment? Why did a smiling stranger seem strange? Could it be she was happy with her world and with herself?

"Walk while you have the light." John 12:35

When people look at me, do they see me walking in the joy of my soul? Do my lips move to the words of my God? Am I happy with the world God has given me?

Oh my, what lessons learned from a stranger who loved her plastic flower.

Photo: Bing

Tummy Full of Lizards

Yep, you read the title right. No, not me, yuk! But this animal. Can you tell what it is?

Wait I'll zoom in and give you a better look. It's a heron on a light post in my front yard.

I'm not on waterfront property. In fact my back yard backs up to a four lane street with a Middle School on the other side. But here's this heron. He likes this corner.

Herons eat fish, lizards and stuff, and sometimes snakes! Yeah! (for those of you who read my older post.) Anyway, it still amazes me that these birds continue to roam the city instead of the beach. I suspect we have taken away most of their habitat, except by the beaches. Still, they still settle in certain spots, look for food and hang out.

You can always tell when they've eaten. (For ya'll not familiar with herons--You can see the bulge in their long neck and they shake their head to get it down. ) I like to watch them hunt. They stand perfectly still like a stick with the neck extended; when they spot something, the neck and head wave like a grass in the wind. Then it's all over.

Once satisfied, they perch and enjoy the scenery, like this one.

"For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good." Psalm 107: 9

Life has problems. Things intrude in my "habitat" and bring uncertainty, fear or sadness. But like this bird, I must adapt, and turn to the "One" I know, who can satisfy my deepest needs. Then I can sit at the end of the day and be filled with good things from God.

But hey, I'm not eating any lizards.

P.S. Check out my last "extra" post to put things in perspective.

Hallelujah Post!

Extra post!

My friend Kathy is now home with her twins from Haiti!! They are safe and sound.

Just HAD to share and rejoice with her!

Luv Ya Kathy

Please go and see her kids!

Driving home the other day after work and errands, I was tired. My hubbie was out of town and I still needed to walk the dog, supper and all that kind'a stuff.




My soul sighed, not depressed, just blah.




Then as I turned and headed west toward home, my eyes glanced from the road and upward.








And this is what I saw! My camera doesn't do justice to the bright and dark contrast, but my heart and soul did. I hurried on home to get this picture before the sun went down. And because my dog needed to walk, you should've seen me. Ha. Dog straining on his leash and this crazy woman holding a camera to the sky.

"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1

It looked as if God scooped up a handful of bright popcorn clouds and threw them across the western sky. My sighing soul sang with pleasure. Joy, right in front of me, or rather, above me. Oh, my soul, remember to look upward.

Thank you Lord, for Your amazing creation.


Is it too much to think God did that just for me?

The Joy of Coloring

My grandson just found out how much fun coloring is.

And that it's even more fun to color with someone, like your big sister.

And the finished project. His first coloring of Big Bird. I think it's a masterpiece for sure. His big sister helped. Isn't that just wonderful? Aren't they the cutest?

I am delighted to share my grandkids achievements with you. :) Kind'a like home movies, huh? But it brings me much joy.

"These things have I spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." John 15:11

Many things exist for me to enjoy and color in the life that God gives. I imagine He smiles and laughs with joy when I find Big Bird sitting on the table all along, but I just wasn't ready for the colors yet.

In this time of turmoil in Haiti and the world, may we find joy, His joy in the everyday things around us, as we prayerfully remember them.

Remember to share your colors, it's more fun!

You Are Officially Rad-ified!

This new award, created by my son David, is breaking into cyberspace today for two special bloggers.


When I worked with the youth at church, the word "rad" was in. Hey, I'm bringing it back.


I gladly bestow this award to,...drum roll please, (remember National Lampoon's Christmas?) and I tear open the envelope...


Laura , whose blog gives advice from life experiences for moms with children of all ages. She should know, she had four boys!! AND her book, I'm Outnumbered will be coming out this year. Whoo Hoo!


Second one is.....


Melinda, who shares lessons about her children with a spiritual and many times comical way that we all can relate.


Now, the drum roll has not stopped. If you, or anyone you follow has dedicated their blog to children/teenagers, please feel free to take the button and bestow gratitude to them, as I do to you. Now I can't close without a verse to back this up. :)


"But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work." 2 Chronicles 15:7


Ah, the reward. Way to go Mom's! Blessings!

From Grody to Gorgeous

Our old carpet was really grody. Yes, I'm sure that's a word and I'm gonn'a use it. The carpet had to be at least 15 years old. Between the first owners and us, that it had seen cats, numerous dogs, kids, food, drinks.... Okay, you get the picture, and no, I didn't even want a picture of it.




We decided to rip it up, not knowing what was underneath, but knew it was better than the "c." This picture shows some of the repair work needed before anything could be done.

Here you can see a couple of cracks. My dog just looked at it, not used to the different texture and smell.

We decided on tile, since most of family has allergies. Here a tile cracked and had to be replaced.

This is the finished project. No longer grody! It made the whole house feel brand new.

"Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away and behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

Christ came to me as I was, all grody and yucky. I agreed with Him it was time to change my life, my heart and my mind. He ripped up all my old life and wrapped it around Him on the cross. My soul's condition was bare. The cracks, the holes, the chips. Jesus' sacrifice makes me new. He continues to repair the broken places I make. He covers them with tiles of His choosing. My soul will be totally gorgeous and complete when one day I see Him face to face.

I am grateful for my new floor and forever grateful for my new life in Christ.

Thank you for all the suggestions about my widget. I'm still looking into things. I like some the the templates on "the cutest blog on the block," so beware, no telling what I will come up with! :0

A Widget is Stuck on my Gadget!

Arrgh! I've tried to get a widget to act right on my gadget, it won't. Waaaah.

If you look at Hilary's blog, along the side bar she has this lovely widget from photobucket that rotates her blog awards. Not only is this neat-looking, but saves so much space. I wanted one.

But my side bar is too little, it cuts the pics in half. Hilary said her blog generates a lot of bandwith and she had to do extra stuff to get that little ole widget.

This morning, after working on it half the morning, I had a half widget on my gadget and it made my dashboard screen pop up on top of my layout screen and wouldn't let me cancel the half widget and then I got mad and made faces like my grandson, and.......

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling....blessed is he who trusts in the Lord." Proverbs 16:18, 20


Yep, you know where I'm going with this. You noticed I wanted what I couldn't have. At least with my present situation. Even though I spent energy and time, my current site is too small. The time is still in the future.


May I take with grace and patience the Lord's timing for all things in my life. I don't want to be a cry-baby.


Photo: by Melissa Evans, grandson didn't like the horse ride.

There's a What in the Bushes?

Okay, let me set the scenario. I was walking my dog in my backyard. Major loves to sniff out and chase the rabbits. He was on leash this particular day, as I needed him to hurry to do his business.


But that was a mistake for me! We headed to my beautiful gardenia bushes which are about 6 feet tall. He smelled something under the bush and pulled me with him.


Gasp, scream, jerk and pull, stumble--all at the same time! I was staring into the face of that black snake. My life flashed before my eyes. (well not really, but almost) He had crawled up to my eye level and was sunning. Yuk! Scared me to death. I'm kind'a used to them on the ground, but eye level? No way, no how.


I grabbed a big stick and tried to hit him, but that was a stupid idea. He coiled and my dog and I ran inside. (Now I know he's just a black racer, non-poisonous, but give me a break, in was in my bush!!) The gardenia bush backs up to my lanai (patio) in the back. I knew my hubbie would not really believe me, so I ran inside and took this picture safely from inside my lanai.


"For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, indeed my feet from stumbling, so that I may walk before God in the light of the living." Psalms 56:13


How often do I forge ahead of God and find myself staring into black pitted eyes, or the darkness of my scared heart? I run not thinking of the consequences. Yet, I cannot count the times God has rescued me from myself or physical danger. I love the Lord as He continues to allow me to walk with Him in this life.


Do I look before getting close to the bushes, now? You betcha! That's one lesson learned.

Squirreling with Truth

Molly: by David Evans

It's cold here in Florida and the squirrels in my back yard yesterday were acting crazy! I have three oak trees, and they ran up and down, dug holes, dug up holes, chased each other, jumped from tree to tree and ran among my ferns.

As I watched two in particular, they had something going on. One ran down the tree, dug up an acorn, turned, looked up the tree at the other squirrel, as if to say, I have an acorn and you don't. The squirrel in the tree ran down and chased her (I'm assuming it was a "her") away from her spot.

She ran up the tree and sat on a knot in the tree about 3 feet up and ate her acorn. Then she gathered her tail in her little front feet as if to clean. But I know better. She looked at him (the other squirrel) then, she did this flirty thing with her tail and cleaned her stomach with her little feet. Yep, you guessed it. He, (had to be a he) came running up the tree after her.

Of course she played this game of come and see what I have, then no, you can't have it game for a few minutes, then up the tree and out of sight they both went.

"God is a spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24

Now, really, we know what those squirrels were after. But how do I portray my belief in God to others?

Do I speak the truth, then don't act like it? Do I say I trust and don't? Do others watching me see nothing more than flirting with my witness? When I say, come follow me, I know the Person who can help, do I run away when they start to come? I must make up my mind to do what I say I believe.

Live the Truth.