GOD SPEAKING -

I have written before, here and here, about God speaking to me in very every day common ways.

It happened to me again yesterday with the plants below.

I had a beautiful huge Giant Leaf Philodendron plant. It was actually given to me way back in 1985 by one of my sweet Forever Friends, Bev. Since Bev passed away in 1986 it is a special treasure of mine. Two years ago someone who knew a lot about plants, we do not!!, told us we should, and could split it into several plants. Last summer we decided to give it a try and actually split it into 3 huge plants and 1 small plant, plus the original!!! We gave two of the large plants to our two daughters and that still left us with 2 large plants and the small one.

During the summer we have them placed out under our large flag pole, by the walk. When winter came we had to bring them into our house.

Since we have a rather small home we placed one large one in the guest bedroom and left the other large one and the small one in the entry way. They looked lovely there and we were very pleased that we had made room for them.

Yesterday, as I was cleaning, I noticed the two in the entry way were beginning to die. The one in the guest room is flourishing!!! This morning Mickey pulled both of them out of the entry hall and we cut and trimmed the damaged foliage and placed the large one in the living room and the smaller one also in the guest room.

You can see, in this picture, the various stages of death in the parts we cut off.

They are alive, but they were beginning to die. The problem was that our entry way does not have a window and so therefore they were getting no sun light. As we were working with these two plants this morning the Lord seemed to be speaking to me and saying: This is what happens when a Christian gets out of the SON light. In other words, when we start pulling away from Jesus parts of us begin to show the damage. It takes awhile....we had moved these plants indoors 3 months ago. The plants were still alive but parts of them, to varying degrees were starting to die.

When we begin pulling away from God; in our Bible study time, in our pray time, in our Church attendance, in our giving, etc. various parts of us begin to die. I don't want one little leaf in my life not to be vibrant, alive and well for my Jesus. How about you? Maybe it's time for you to move back into the full SON light.

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Just thought I'd share our breakfast this morning with you because it was so good. I made Belgium waffles and topped them from some strawberries I had frozen last summer and powdered sugar. Truly yummy!!!

I used the strawberry juice that was left as part of the liquid in some strawberry jello for supper tonight. Yes, we are Southerners and call it supper!!!!! Unless, it is a fancy meal and then it is called dinner!!! Go figure.

SHOW & TELL '08 #3 - Dial Telephone

Welcome to “Show and Tell Friday!” Do you have something special to share with us? It could be a trinket from grade school, a piece of jewelry, or a treasured collection. Look around your home for something to share; dig through those boxes in your closet if you have to! Share photos and the story that goes with your special item.



These are Kelli's instructions for Show & Tell. If you have something show it and then go here to post your name to Mr. Linky. Then read and view all the lovely items that are being shown.

My Show & Tell for today is this Dial Telephone.

It now sits on the night stand in our bedroom. I purchased this telephone in 1976 when we had moved into our newly purchased home in Tulsa. It was offered by the local telephone company for $100. I ordered one and paid it out, on our telephone bill, $25 each month. In 1976 $100 was a lot of money!!!

The interesting part of my post today is more about the "Tell" than the "Show".

In 2004 we had just returned to our current home in Coweta, from our RV traveling for 4 years. My then 9 year old granddaughter, Oksana, was spending the night with us. She was only 5 when we had left and this telephone had been packed away so she was "seeing" it for the first time.

You know, we take things so for granted and we see them with our familiar eyes and we forget to look at things through younger eyes. Oksana "saw" the telephone on my night stand and wanted to know what it was!!!!!! Yes, the child had never seen a dial telephone. I explained it was a phone, and that instead of pushing buttons to make a phone call you put your finger in the number on the dial and rotated the dial. Then went to the next number, etc. She was absolutely fascinated and intrigued by that.

Later on that evening she was going to call her mother. I asked her if she would like to make the call on the old dial phone. She was delighted, as her eyes lite up and she exclaimed, "Can I?!" It was just one of those delightful moments in this grandmother and granddaughters life.

I have to add this.......We have several modern dial telephone in our home, in addition to this older treasure. BUT, when the power went out during the recent ice storm that we had.........guess which was the only operable telephone in the house. You guessed it......this one!!!! Newer isn't always better

MAKING A MARK

I read the neatest thing this morning:

"Anytime you try to make your mark, you'll attract erasers."

Isn't that wonderful? It really got me to thinking because it is so true.

When we make our mark for Jesus; with our living style, with our words, with our actions, and even with what we type on the pages of our blogs, we will attract the erasers. Seems like since they've erased Him from their lives they want to try and erase Him from ours.

I for one, and I know I am not alone, am determined to use the indelible mark of the precious blood of my Lord and Savior to leave the marks I can. It has nothing to do with me......it is his blood that makes them indelible and they cannot be erased. I am so thankful that it is all about HIM and not about me. I am thankful He gives me the choice, and free will, to make my marks for Him. I will continue to do so.

Just my thoughts for today.

FRIENDS - THANK YOU - AWARD

Some of our dearest friends, Jack & Mary (below) celebrate their birthdays the same day, January 15th.

Last night 41 of their friends gathered with them, at a fancy Italian Restaurant, to celebrate this occasion

Here are the happy birthday couple.

Here is another shot of "Handsome Jack".


This is one shot of the group. The man in the white and woman next to him are two of our dear friends, Ron & Doty. Next to Doty is Mickey's empty chair (he was the photographer!) and in the shadows is another dear, close friend Jim. You'll see his wife in the next picture sitting across from Jim.

Here are our good friends of 33 years, who you've heard me talk about often and who traveled some with us in our RV days, Don & Barbara, then yours truly, and next to me, Karen, Jim's wife.

This is a shot of another wing of the table. We have met most of these people but they are not close, intimate friends.

Here is another shot of Don & Barbara.

It was a wonderful evening of honoring and celebrating the life of two marvelous Christian friends. Jack & Mary walk their talk and the fact that 41 people turned out to share this occasion with them speaks volumes. They are living examples of the Love and Kindness of their Lord and Savior, Jesus!!!

Mary is the one who gave Aric Mr. Ted T. Bear. You can read about it here.

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Well, my de-lurker post did not bring you forth like I had hoped but I want to thank the 31 of you who left me such nice, encouraging comments. You know the feelings are mutual!!! We are truly a community here.

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On Sunday I received this lovely You Make My Day Award from Cathy at Hazel Ruthes. Thank you so much Cathy. This means a lot to me because I wasn't even aware you read me that often!

I pass this YOU MAKE MY DAY AWARD to ALL 31,

Mel, Myrna, Barbara, Cathy, KC, Deby, Cookie, Susie, Dawn, Michelle, Jeanette, Maalie, Chris, Larissa, Tammy, Alisun, Linds, Ruth, Groovy, Nadine, Ginger, Kathleen Marie, Susan, Jennifer, Lori, Tina, Rita, Carin, Sarah, and Pam,

who left me comments on my last blog about the de-lurkers........because YOU truly did make my day with your sweet comments.

Now lets ALL go out and Make Someone's Day a little brighter by showing we truly care.

CALLING ALL LURKERS

I just saw this over at Pea's and had to join in. Today is the last day, so I almost missed this!!!

I’ve just learned that January 7 - 13, 2008 is National Delurking Week. I looked up what “delurking” means. Apparently, “lurking” is the practice of reading blogs and comment threads without commenting yourself, or making it known that you’re a reader. So “delurking” is making your presence known through comments, etc. Come out, come out, wherever you are! Let me know that you're here reading this:-)Feel free to take any of these captions and use them on your blog to promote National Delurking Week!!

I would be so honored and pleased if you, who are reading my blog and have never left a comment, would join in and delurk!!! I know from my site-reader there are many of you. I would love to know and "meet" you so please who-ever-you-are.......come out, come out!!!

THANKS!!!!

SHOW & TELL '08 #2 - Gift from Germany

I find it hard to believe this is the second Friday of 2008 already!!


So, it's time for all of us to do Show & Tell hosted by Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home. Go here to find out all about it, do your post, sign up on Mr. Linky and then have fun reading and see all the wonderful Show & Tell's that everyone posts. By the way, Kelli, I love the new Show & Tell graphic that your hubby did for you, and us!!!

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." II Corinthians 9:15

I know this verse speaks of Jesus and the unspeakable gift HE is to us from God. I also know that because I have the unspeakable gift of Jesus in my life I am also the beneficiary of many unspeakable gifts because of Him. My Show & Tell today is just such a gift.

(sorry it is a blur! but you can enlarge it)

The top left is a bag of Blue Sweet Peas

The lower left is the name tag on the gift

The lower right is a blank Christmas card in German.

The inside reads: "Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family, dearest Susan! Best wishes from Germany, Anita."

Wednesday the post man brought me these lovely items from Anita, of My Country Garden, from Germany!!!!!

This adorable Victorian Boot. It is so precious. Anita, the detail, the perfect stitches, the ribbon, the rosettes, the tiny pearls. Everything just so perfect. I am displaying this in my guest room, the one with the pink & white embroidered quilt I showed last week on Show & Tell. How perfect!!!!!

I have also hung the gift tag on the peg next to the Boot and I have the Christmas card now sitting on the shelf. Just didn't get the second picture after I placed these items. The seeds are waiting on my computer desk with the Lupine seeds :o)

Anita and I became good friends after I was blessed to win a drawing she had on her blog in July that I won. I, along with two others, won some of her lovely Lupine seeds. I was so delighted that she added the Blue Sweet Pea seeds to go along with the Blue Lupine seeds we will be planting this spring.

One year ago, January 9, 2007, I didn't even have a blog. If you had told me that day I would be receiving a gift from a FRIEND (I didn't even know) from Germany one year later I would have not believed it.

I am sure I speak for each and everyone of us in Blogland of what a joy and blessing our blogs have been to our lives. Best of ALL, the WONDERFUL friends we have been privileged to make.

Thank you Anita, from the bottom of my heart, for your thoughtfulness.

YOU are a found treasure!!!!

FLYING SUZY BLUE PART 7 - Bank Commercial

I can hardly believe it's been over 3 months since I did a blog on Suzy Blue. The last one was here. Others were posted on 7/9, 7/21, 7/28, 9/3 and 9/4.

(click to enlarge)

In September, 1982 Mickey and Suzy Blue were hired by Bank of Tulsa do a TV commercial for them. When he accepted we truly had no idea what an adventure this would turn out to be. I'll endeavor to tell the story step by step with the pictures and narrative.

They dress Mickey up as a Limo Driver. The first scene is his driving up in this black limo.

The next scene shows him exiting the limo.

He goes to the waiting balloon basket.

This is the young man who was in the limo. I failed to get a picture of Mickey opening the back door of the limo, and this young man getting out with his briefcase in hand and walking to the balloon.

Suzy Blue has been inflated and they are flying off to go to the bank.

In actuality they fly only a short way and land, but you don't see this part.

This is what is now taking place. Mickey is laying out the balloon for a second flight. Notice the two parachute jumpers to the left. One of these is actually the young man in the business suit before. The other is a photographer.

By now Mickey has taken off the limo jacket and cap and is firing the hot air burner for another flight.

One of the jumpers is now in the balloon with the other about to get in.

Here Mickey and both jumpers are getting ready and positioned. Our 13 year old son, Marc, is holding down the basket

They are now beginning to lift off. Notice the one jumper is sitting on the edge of the balloon rim facing the inside of the basket. This jumper is actually the photographer.

Here is Suzy Blue as she is up-up and away.

Here I am, with one of our crew members, watching as they float away and we are getting ready for the chase. Notice the fan has been picked up off the ground and placed in the pickup bed.

The story, at this point, must be told by narrative only because we do not have pictures. The balloon flew away out of the city area where these snapshots were taken. When they were out far enough and high enough it was time for the next step of the commercial. The photographer who was sitting on the edge of the balloon as pictured in the previous picture now stands, still facing with his back to the ground. The second jumper, the young man who had been in the business suit, climbs up on the rim straddling the photographer and facing him. The photographer has the camera on his helmet. When they are positioned properly and ready the photographer goes first, falling out backward and then the second jumper following shortly thereafter. The photographer is filming the 2nd jumper all the way down.

With the basket loosing the weight of two men it has shot up very high and very fast and Mickey must maintain control of the balloon at this point. He does so and begins to fly away. In a "normal" balloon flight the chase crew (me and others) would be following the balloon, as we have been to this point, and watching for it to land and be there to help with the landing and packing up of the balloon. In this "abnormal" flight the crew is having to locate and pick up the two jumpers who are now stranded in a field. In the meantime the balloon is flying away.

Here is one of the jumpers as we arrive to pick him and his gear up. In the meantime the balloon is flying further away. The crew cannot be in two places at one time. By the time we have located and picked up both jumpers the balloon is out of our sight and no where to be seen!!! We finally had to contact the local sheriff to help us locate and pick up the balloon and pilot. This is only one of two times that I ever "lost" Suzy Blue.

Now for the rest of the story. Since a hot air balloon cannot be flown on a designated route, but only by the wind direction, this commercial is taken in several different segments and then spliced together for the TV commercial.

The "customer" jumper is placed in a helicopter and jumps out and lands in the bank parking lot. The helicopter is never "shown" and the illusion is he is being dropped out of the balloon. The young man, once again dressed in the suit and carrying the briefcase walks into the bank to make his deposit.

This is the last shot with Mickey returning to his limo after dropping off his customer.

This commercial ran on all three TV channels 2-6-8 at various times, from October 1 through 31, 1982.

This was truly an interesting and exciting adventure and learning process for all of us with Suzy Blue that were involved. The moral of the story, as if we didn't all already know this, don't believe everything you see on TV!!!! Multiple filming and a lot of splicing can do a lot.