A few weeks ago the daughter of one of my best friends, Amy, called and asked if I would help her with her Mom’s 60th birthday party. I said that I would love to and the next question was if I could have it at the Creek House. A wonderful excuse to have our first party in our new home. So, we have been working on plans, and meeting secretly to get everything ready And, yesterday was the day! And what a day it was!
This screen was beside my front door. We cut out her initials and hung them there.

This is a view coming up my front walkway.

Myself and Tina. She was very surprised!

And this is her beautiful daughter Amy. How sweet of her to want to make her Mom’s day special.

This is the ‘Oh so elegant’ cake. Bottom layer-buttercream…middle layer-strawberry…top layer-key lime. All-yummy!!!

Mantle decorations…I covered the letters of her name with moss. I used some of my mercury glass, red roses in black vases, and white candles.

One of the table floral arrangements…I think they turned out very well…I’m not the best at flower arrangements.

These are 2 more of our friends. Jan on left, and Shirley, our bestest Moultrie buddy, on the right. Shirley drove over from Moultrie, GA. yesterday morning, and spent the night with me. Jan lives here and came over, too, to help us get ready. Jan coordinated all the food. Thank goodness that was not my job! Amy wanted balloons…lots of balloons…150 to be exact. Several of us took turns blowing them up with a helium tank. They were everywhere…but surely added to the festivities! Don and Buddy had to pop them all when the party was over! Jan and Shirley did some potting and decorating outside. They pulled together a great outside mantle display. And, Shirley helped me put some finishing touches on the house. She can do the most in the least amount of time! Thanks, Shirl and Jan!

Yes! Don’t pass out! It’s ME—COOKING! See, I can do it if I need to! 🙂 Actually, I am preparing the chocolate for the fruit fondue! Kiwi, strawberries, and marshmallows…and wonderful, rich, dark chocolate to dip them in! To die for!

Don got in on the preparations, too. There are LOTS of leaves falling around this yard! And, into the pool!!!

And, this is our lovely table! Isn’t it festive looking? Chicken salad, congealed salad, grape salad, Texas Caviar, 3 kinds of sandwiches, 7 layer salad, chips and dip, cheese and crackers, fruit, and cake…all delicious!

Fun around the outside table in the covered porch. Very cozy, even though it was raining!

And this is the Davis family…Amy, Tina, and Buddy. Wonderful people…terrific friends…a joy to know and call ‘friends’.

Buddy took Tina home after church today, and then blindfolded her, and put her in the car…telling her to ask no questions. The rest of the guests came over immediately after church.We were all gathered at the front door when Buddy brought her up the steps…still blindfolded. We all burst into a rousing version of “Happy Birthday”…and she yanked off the blindfold. Many of her dearest friends were here, and her brother, Tim, and his wife, Becky drove over from Fitzgerald, Ga. That was an extra special treat for her. Total we had 28 friends here. There were
4 other couples who were invited that could not attend due to sickness. We missed having them with us, but we partied on anyway.

Tina, Happy Birthday to you, my sweet friend! I am a better person because you are in my life. You are an inspiration to the many people who know you and call you friend. We can count on you to give sage advice, to uplift us with your kindness, and to always be there with a helping hand when needed.

Amy, your gift to your Mom is much more than this party. You have shown her the respect and devotion she deserves. You have given her the gift that counts most of all…your understanding of the role she has played in your life. You have filled her heart with joy. I’m proud of you…and I know she is as well. Way to go, girl!
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Adam was there to make photos of the event. He just added a link to all the pics at the top of my side bar. Just click on the pic and it will take you to the reswt of the pictures. Thanks Adam!

I am going to be very busy over the next 2 days doing something very important…and fun. It is going to involve some people. It is going to be somewhere. There is going to be something to eat. The people are going to be doing something. There could be laughing and/or crying. It is going to be at someone’s house. It is a surprise. So, please, don’t tell anyone anything about it.

I’ll return on Monday with details. Have a nice weekend.

Today. I am glad it is almost over. I really do thank God for every day that He gives me…but, today, was not my most favorite.

I woke up this morning about 4:00 with a killer migraine. I hate when that happens. Usually the ones that wake me up in the early morning are the worst. I took some meds, but not too much, because I needed to be at school today. I got dressed and tried to go, but, I could tell it was just not going to happen. So, I called in sick. Then I took some stronger meds, went back to bed and got up again around 10. I felt a little better. But, those meds make you feel yucky.

This afternoon we went to see the vet to discuss the plans for our sweet dog, Scooter. Boy, was that a hard thing. He told us that his cancer was well advanced and in all the lymph nodes. With chemo, he may have 6 months to a year…but probably most of that time he would be quite ill from the effects of the treatment. Without it, he may have 4-6 months. Alex, made the decision not do the chemo. And, we agreed, and the vet, that this was the best decision. He is going to treat him with steroids, which will probably shrink the lymph nodes and that will be good. He has one that is pressing on his trachea and causing him to cough a lot. This should help that. Surprisingly, other than the cough, he still acts as happy and healthy as always. He is not eating a lot, but he has gone through spells of that before, too.

Alex told the vet, through tears, that he had had Scooter almost the whole time he has been sick. This dog has been through it all with him. So, we are all sad tonight. I am sure we will learn tough lessons through this, which, hopefully, we can use to be a help to others who may go through the same thing.

Jill played this game on her blog, and offered to provide us a letter if we wanted to play along. (Of course, that was back in February…but, I just get to things when I can…you understand.) I did, and she chose the letter ‘F’. So, here 10 things I love that start with the letter ‘F’.
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1.FAMILY…there is no greater earthly blessing than a family who loves and cares for one another. I am blessed beyond measure by each member. My husband, my Mom and Pop…my sister, Joy and husband, Tommy…their daughters, Tara and Lori and husbands, Will,and in May, Ben. My boys and DIL, Suzanne. My husband’s family…his parents live with Jesus…and his sisters, Beth and June. And, of course the 4 legged member…Scooter.

2.FRIENDS…oh how blessed I am with friends. I can honestly say that there are people I know who I could call on for anything at any time for any reason. It would be taken care of…no questions asked. My friends show me unconditional love…the truest kind.

3.FUN…I do not think you ever get too old to have fun! And fun, and joy is contagious! One of my favorite quotes is: “ACT OLD LATER”.

4. FALL…one of the most beautiful times of the year. I love the colors of fall, the smell of fall, the foods of fall, the activities of fall, the clothes of fall.

5. FLOWERS…OH, MY! Is there anything as lovely as a flower growing in soil? Whether it is in a formal garden, or in an open meadow, in a huge container garden, or just a single bloom in a simple clay pot. Big or little. One bloom or many. Spectacular prize roses, elegant calla lilies. or the humble daisy. The intricacies it took to create each flower so different in looks, and in fragrance, speaks to the great art of God. Even the weeds that produce little yellow flowers almost overnight in an open area around our school…are most special when presented to the teacher by a grubby little hand. Take time to see them…and smell them…and be thankful for them.

6. FOOD…”O, taste and see that the Lord is good…” Psalms 34:8. In my opinion, though, He did some of his best work with chocolate and fruits. And, I think the world would be just as well off without turnips, beets, or asparagus. I’m just saying…

7. FASHION…Now, there have been times in my life when I have cared more about fashion than I do right at this time. I think it has something to do with the fact that my new closet has caused all my clothes to shrink.!!! But, I love to watch the fashion shows, and see the newest collections. Not that I would ever wear them, But it is interesting to see how the trends play out when they make it down to us ‘real folk’. I especially love fashion accessories…shoes, bags, jewelry, etc. Even, if your clothes have shrunk…these can give you quite a lift.

8. FABRIC…I’m not a ‘sewer’…that looks like ‘sewer’…but it is supposed to be ‘sew-er’…as in ‘one who sews’…I’m not that, nor am I a sewer..and obviously, not a very good speller. ANYWAY…
I love fabric and use it a lot. One of my favorite things to design is tablescapes. And I like to use fabric for this, as a bottom layer. I also use fabric to tie around almost everything. I use it in place of ribbon. When, I see a beautiful piece of fabric, it can start my imagination running wild. I just like to take my stash out and look at it. Actually, I do have a sewing machine. I got it several years ago. I got pretty good on those straight stitch seams. Made a whole bunch of cloth napkins…a whole bunch! But, the bobbin thing is just a nuisance…and frustrating…and hard. And the threading the little loops through the maze at the top and down to the needle just seems an unnecessary bother. If someone made a machine that just did that automatically…with very little input from me…I think I could probably be a pretty good sewer…I mean seamstress!

9. FREEDOM…I am so thankful, and so blessed to live in America. I am blessed to live where I can be what I want, say what I want, live like I want. Even with all the discontent and uneasiness in the government right now…I still believe America is the greatest country in the world. We know that with the financial situation like it is…as bad as it is…will not last forever. We are Americans! I say that with pride. I also know that freedom did not come cheap. It has been bought with blood…the blood of many young lives who also loved this country. Loved it enough to fight for it…and die for it. “God bless all our fighting forces. Give them wisdom and protection and bring them home safely. Give them rest and food and proper equipment. Clear the paths in front of them as they travel. Put your army of angels around our army to keep them safe. AMEN”. AMERICA…Home of the free…BECAUSE of the brave.

10.FOREIGN SOIL…I love to travel. And, it is wonderful to visit far away lands and different cultures. There is so much to learn from others…and so much to see that is different from what we know. We have been fortunate to do much travelling in the US…but we have spent several vacations in Mexico…and not always in the touristy spots. We have also travelled to Japan twice. What a place. Fascinating. I think they could teach us much about many things. The people were open and friendly and very helpful. But, even there, with all the history and beauty…there is still no place like home.
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This was fun. And, it really made me think. If you would like to play along…let me know and I will send you a letter, too. And, it’s just fine with me if you take a month or two to get around to playing. 🙂

The director of our school, BW, is a beautiful, godly woman. She has such a heart for our children and has amassed years of experience and wisdom is dealing with them. Not that she’s ‘old’ enough to have amassed years of wisdom or anything…she’s younger than I. But, she has worked with children for many years…and I’d better stop right there before I get myself in trouble.

On Fridays, our school has a chapel program for all the children. BW does all the teaching, and I do the music. We privately call it the B and Tonja show. 🙂 And yes, we stand in front of all the children and 20 teachers and dance and sing just like we were professionals. It’s not always pretty, but it is always fun! Then BW tells the Bible story and we sing some more and they leave to go back to their classes.

Last week, we began a series of teaching about the parables that Jesus taught. Now, you and I know that Jesus told stories to illustrate a lesson He wanted to teach. In fact, the song we teach the children about parables, states, “…a parable is a story that show God’s ways to you.” But, when you are explaining to a preschooler about parables, it must be explained very carefully. They are beginning to learn that ‘telling a story’ could mean a lie. And telling a lie is wrong. Of course, we can understand this, but to a 3 or a 4 or a 5 or a 6, it could be a different matter. Preschoolers are literal minded. They have not learned all the ways teaching takes place. BW is very aware of this and is extremely careful in all the things she says to be sure there is no misunderstanding. And, as she taught yesterday about the parable of the sower, she explained carefully that Jesus was trying to help the people understand his lesson.

After school, another teacher gathered some of us together to tell us about a conversation that took place in her room at the end of the day.

Mary: (whining)…”Teacher, Jim says he doesn’t want to marry me and have children.”

Teacher: “That’s OK, Mary, you’ll meet lots of other boys before it is time to think about things like that.”

Mary: (still whining)… “Well, Emily says he is in love with her and going to marry her. But, that’s just a lie…or a parable.” 🙂