Thankful Be!

(A little cabin we spotted in Missouri)

I had to come back today to give praise to God for a beautiful day on Thursday.  Every day should be Thanksgiving but often we get caught up in our own little world and forget to give praise.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday too.   I love seeing the family and loved ones gather around the table and fill their plates with traditional favorite dishes and one by one share what they are thankful for.  

This was the year we passed on the baton to the next generation as far as hosting and cooking our dinner.  We gathered at our youngest daughter's home here in Arizona.  There were 13 of us around the table.  It was wonderful!

At the end of the day I praised God for special blessings He alone had done in my life this particular Thanksgiving Day and I was reminded of the verse in 2 Corinthians 9:8 that says 

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

In the Message it says, "God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything, more than just ready to do what needs to be done."

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. 

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. 

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

— Melody Beattie

Love and Hugs,
Mèmére

Wordless Wednesday

Love and Hugs,
Mèmére

Friday Funnies

Yesterday I was sitting in my rocking chair on the patio.  It was a beautiful day in Kentucky and I was deep in thought as I read an article on the internet.

All of a sudden I felt a bump at the back of my chair.  My first thought, "That is more than the breeze."  I turned to the side and my second thought, "That's the biggest healthiest cat I have ever seen!"  It was just a split second because I quickly realized it was not a cat.  

The video is big time shaky because I was jumping up on my chair and up on the table.

The rest of the event won't be shared because it did not have a happy ending and this is Friday Funnies.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Thankful Thursday

Stop, Look and Listen!

Please stop and take less than a minute to let me share my blessing!  The days are just beautiful in Kentucky right now.  The colors are changing in the trees daily.  The sounds you hear when you listen are simply amazing.  An orchestra would be hard pressed to attempt to duplicate the sound of the birds.

Take less than a moment and share my blessing and then take time, make time if need be to get into God's Word and be truly blessed.  Stop, look and listen to what God has to say to you today.

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

Psalm 46:10

Love and Hugs,
Mèmére

Wordless Wednesday

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Trip To The Pumpkin Patch

Big brother came home from college for the weekend so we all went to the pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkins today.  I think I would caption this photo, "How about this one?"

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Photo Friday

 The campground where we are parked in Shelbyville, KY

Morning Glories along the roadside.  Precious Husband must have drove around the block (so to say) 6 times for me to be able to jump out and get my picture.  There's a lot of traffic on this country road.

The trees are simply becoming gorgeous!

I guess the farm girl comes out in me quite often because I can never resist snapping a picture of cows.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Monday Memo: Let's Do It!

Love and Hugs,
Mèmére

National Homemade Cookies Day

Of course I would want to share a cookie recipe today because it is 

National Homemade Cookies Day!

When a new recipe is tried and tested with positive results we call it "a keeper".  Almond Joy Cookies   are definitely a keeper!  My niece, Jennifer just shared the recipe on FaceBook and of course I had to give them a try.  Yummy for sure.  Give them a go and see what you think.  Be sure to make some cookies today in celebration of National Homemade Cookies Day.  Of course who needs a special day to make cookies?  Not me for sure!

Almond Joy Cookies

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups chocolate chips
2 cups sweetened coconut
2 cups chopped almonds

Pre-heat oven to 375°F Lightly grease cookie sheets.

Combine dry ingredients, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, stir in the vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients until well mixed then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and almonds. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*When I made these I only had 3 cups of chocolate chips so I made up the difference with white chocolate chips and they were excellent.  I also toasted the almonds before adding them.

Love and Hugs,

Memére

Wordless Wednesday!

(Shelbyville, Kentucky)

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Easy Peasy and Good

Not sure if I have shared this easy peasy peanut butter cookie recipe before but when I saw this youtube thought I would go for it.  This truly is one good peanut butter cookie and really does take only 3 everyday in your cupboard ingredients.   Sometimes I add mini chocolate chips or even regular size chips depending on the size cookie I make.  I love the recipe to make when the grandchildren show up unexpectantly and we want to make cookies.  Give them a try and see what you think.  The chef in the video sure likes them :-) and he is most entertaining.






Love and Hugs,
Mèmére

Black or White?

My preference is definitely black.

Unless it is a picket fence - then it should be white for sure.  

This one most certainly needs a coat of paint.

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

It's Your Choice

Not easy by any means but our attitude is 

a choice.

Today I will choose 

But let all who take refuge in you be glad;

let them ever sing for joy

Spread your protection over them

that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

Psalm 5:11

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

Wordless Wednesday

Photo Friday

Shepshewana, Indiana

Don't you love that name? So fun to say! Shepshewana.

The Amish in their horse and buggy.

Took this picture in a restaurant in Shipshewana where they have squeeze bottles of peanut butter on each table.  Peanut butter?  Must be an Amish thing?

On one of my walks in Decatur, Indiana

Our view at Whispering Hills RV park in Georgetown, Kentucky

The houses in Georgetown are so picturesque!  I always wonder about who is inside.  What is the story this house tells?

Wonder how old this rock fence is?

These horses are pasturing right up the road from us.

And don't these cattle look content.

Out on my walk in search of the camel farm.

I was carrying flowers in my hand and these little guys came running.  "No fellas they aren't carrots, just flowers, sorry."

Kentucky is a beautiful state and makes for gorgeous pictures!

Seen On Today's Walk!

I have enjoyed my walks here in Georgetown, Kentucky.  Today I shared with a neighbor in the RV park about walking in the area.  You can imagine my surprise when she asked if I had seen the camel farm up the road.

It rained this morning, yes more rain but after lunch I decided to hit the road in search of the camel farm cause it is not every day you can see a camel farm, right?

I took my usual route and searched the horizon as I walked to make sure I hadn't missed the camels on my prior walks.  No camels.  So I walked and I walked and I walked.

I found them!  I think I walked about an hour, when sure enough I came upon the camels.  First I saw two and then on the other side of the barn I saw about 6 more.  The first two came right up to the fence and said "hello."

If you walk far enough you will find the camel farm!  What have you seen on your walks lately?  Can you beat seeing camels? 

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére

My New Hobby

Is this not the cutest bag?  I found it at one of my favorite thrift stores in Arizona - Gracies.  I have had it for a while, it added graphic color to my office wall where it hung.

This week when I decided to bring out the embroidery "stuff" and try my hand at a new craft the butterfly bag seemed the ideal place to stow all my threads and hoops.

I have had the tools I needed for this craft for a while and I packed them in the motorhome because it is a perfect craft.  You don't need a lot of room for the tools and you can start and stop a project at any  time or place.  Perfect.

The first thing I had to do was go online and find out how to embroider.  There are lots of links and you tubes to choose from.  I actually keep my laptop open to my instruction site as I take my stitches. Works perfectly for me.  You can do lots of embroidery with mainly 3 stitches and that's a good thing at this point in my life.  I need easy.   I need simple.

When I look at the back of my work it reminds me of two things.  

First Ava taught me to sew in 4-H when I was about 11 years old.  The one thing she said that stuck with me was, "It doesn't matter what it looks like on the inside, it is what it looks like on the outside that matters."  Ava is over 100 years old now and last year I shared my sewing memory with her.  She did not remember teaching us that or maybe she just didn't want to admit to telling us that.  I don't think it is good sewing advice but it does make me smile when I think of it.

The second thing the back of my embroidery work reminds me of is the tapestry of our lives, how that God can see the beauty of the tapestry from the top while we see only the knots and threads of the underside.

My stitches are not precise.  They are not perfect.  You know what?  It is ok.  I happen to be a first born defeated perfectionist.  Is that personality or a character trait?  Interesting.  I need to look further into this because I am not sure which it is.

I have ripped out a few stitches and redone them.  This tea towel will not win a blue ribbon by any means but I like it.  I felt good when I finished it.  I love the red and yellow together.  It reminds me of my kitchen in Arizona.  This towel definitely shows some sloppy stitches but as I looked at the over all affect, I really like it.  It is casual, it is relaxed.  It is me.  Just needs to washed and have the wrinkles pressed out.

The most positive thing about my new craft is that it is very relaxing.  I need this!

Love and Hugs,

Mèmére