Mystery Solved

This is my Toyota Camry LE that I purchased in 2009.  I never really knew what the color of the car was called. When I purchased it, the key tag was labeled "silver."  Well, it didn't look like any silver that I knew of so I just kind of blew that off.  When I looked at my registration card it said "green."  Again, it didn't look very green to me and one of my friends said, "That car is the color of mud!"  I had to say I agreed with her...sadly, I just put that into my mind and thought of it as a muddy "brown."

Well, lo and behold, I have discovered its real color.  I had noticed a few scratches along the door and some of them are down to the metal and I knew I needed to do something quick or rust would be my enemy for sure.
So yesterday I went to my friendly NAPA Auto Parts store and asked if I could order some touch-up paint to, well, touch up those pre-rust scratches.
I did not know that the paint color code was on the inside of the driver's side door on a sticker with a lot of printing (very small printing, may I
add) on it.  Well, the nice young man who assisted me (his name is CJ) found the color code and said, it's called "Antique Sage Pearl."  Which translates to "pale green." Who knew?  First that I could have solved the puzzle long ago and, second, that the name of the color was riding right alongside me all that time!

 I am happy that I now have a name for the color of my car and can say with pride, it is Antique Sage Pearl.  What color do you see?

Garden Road - TheTree

The trees were just leafing out - that apple color green of early spring.  The tree was a most beautiful tree and I had wanted to climb it for some time.   With bright sunshine and skies of blue the day seemed perfect - just the background for this adventure.

This tree pictured is on the grounds of the golf course where I sometimes play.

 

The tree stood apart from the woods in the field at the far back of the twelve acre property.  It was a perfect tree to climb as it grew out of a low bank and the lower branches were easy to access.  It was probably 30 or 40 feet tall but I wasn't thinking of that at the time.  Of course, my two sisters and Jude had accompanied me to see if I really would climb all the way to the top.

As I started up the tree, it was easy going and I climbed pretty fast.  Up and up I went and the kids on the ground were yelling at me to stop and come down before I hurt myself.  I looked down and Margie, Gayle and Jude's faces looked very small from where I stood on those slender branches.  The view, though, was just as I thought it would be - s p e c t a c u l a r!  It seemed as though I could see for miles and I wanted to take it all in. I stood there enjoying the view for a few minutes when I heard,  "You'd better come down now," from Margie in all her 8 year old wisdom.  "Okay, I'm coming," I said.

Looking down was not half as fun as looking up and out and I was having second thoughts now about how I was going to get down.  It seemed as though the branches I had just climbed up were shrinking and now were looking so fragile I was certain they would never hold my weight.  I leaned against the now very slender trunk and looked down again and the more I looked down the more fearful I became.  The kids were now hollering up to me to come down.  "I can't!" I said, for now I was holding on for dear life as the treetop was swaying with my every move.  "Come on, you can do it!" they all yelled encouragingly.  What was I going to do?  I tried to put one foot on the now, seemingly very teeny, very skinny branch just beneath the one I was standing on and I felt it give slightly and I quickly lifted my foot.  I was back to where I had been - frozen with fright and now saying, "I can't get down,"  which was not the thing to say to my little sisters!  "You have to go get Dad," I yelled, "he can get me down."  Just how he was supposed to do this, I didn't know but I was positive he would find a way.

Soon, Dad was standing below me.  "Come on,"  he said calmly, "put one foot on the branch just below you and you can begin to climb down.  "No," I wailed, "I can't - it'll break - it's too small to hold me!"  Dad just smiled and said again, very reassuringly, "yes you can.  You got up there on those same branches, didn't you?"  "Yes," came my  quavering reply.  "Well then, just back down the same way you climbed up."  He sounded to sure of himself and he WAS my DAD after all so I knew I could trust his judgement.  Slowly I put my foot and then my full weight on that very same fragile-looking branch and sure enough it held!  By this time, I was wiping away the tears and slowly backing down that tree.

I'm glad I climbed it even if it did almost get the better of me.  However, with my Dad ready to catch me if I fell, I knew everything was going to be all right with me and my world down that Garden Road.

Valentine Present for Gramma

I had the pleasure of my four year old granddaughter's company over the weekend and we celebrated Valentine's Day by making "Valentine Pops."

 

 

It was a fun time for both of us as this was the first time Bebe spent time alone with "Gramma at the Beach" as I am known in the family!

We played games, watched "Cat in the Hat" and did some creative artwork plus made the Valentine Pops.

Here is the recipe - you will need:
Marshmallows
white chocolate
Lollypop sticks
sprinkles or as some call them jimmies
ribbbon (optional)

Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler - Bebe put the sticks into the marshmallows and I had a bowl of sprinkles ready for her to dip into.  I took the marshmallows on the stick and put into the hot and melted white chocolate and coated the tops and partial sides of the marshmallows and then handed them off to her to be coated with the sprinkles.

 We think they turned out beautiful and by then, my sleepy princess was ready for a story and bedtime.

God grants us a special and deep love for our grandchildren and bonding with our grandchildren is one of the greatest joys of Grandmotherhood.     

P.S.
Sorry it has been so long since my last post - I hope to be back and seeing more of my blogland friends very soon.  Healthwise I am doing very well - God is SO good!
                 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

I am so grateful to be sharing Thanksgiving with my Pennsylvania and

Virginia families today.

 

 

Happy children and the sound of laughter make me grateful to be part of this joy. 

Tomorrow will be a fun filled day as we go to a Christmas tree farm and visit an ice cream musuem!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogger friends!

"Our favorite attitude should be grattitude."

(Found on a local church sign)

Surf, Sea and Sand. . .

I decided to take a short ride to the beach the Monday after Hurricane Leslie rode up the Atlantic past the New Jersey shoreline.  What a spectacular day to take pictures!  The sun was low in the sky and there were patchy clouds floating above and the sand below making a most lovely frame for my photos.  The waves were really making a show as they rolled onto the shore.

Here I wrote the word BLESSINGS into the sand.

 The rough surf brought out the surfers and here is one just going out to meet up with his buddies already in the water.

All in all it was a wonderful day to visit the beach.  September is a special time here as the beaches are pretty much deserted with visitors going back to work and school. 
I haven't done much blogging in the past few months so I thought I'd share some pretty pictures with you today.  Also to let you know that I'm doing really well and all my tests are coming back with good results. PTL!

Praise the Lord!

 

A little corner of my garden

Rejoice

Each day, upon my daily round,
I find myself on holy ground --
The morning-glories on my fence
Inspire quiet reverence.
Just one small, tender seedling grew,
And now, the miracle in blue.
A robin in the apple tree
Sings out his glad doxology.
I hear the pure, unsullied joy
Of laughter from a little boy;
I bow before the firm belief
And faith of one who lives with grief;
I watch a jet plane skim the skies
and marvel at man's enterprise;
I look upon a field of wheat
And thank God for the bread we eat;
I watch the benedictive rain
On low-bowed heads of flower and grain.
A friend drops in, a neighbor calls,
The lamps are lit, night gently falls;
Contentment settles with the sun
In labors of the day well done.
So many little alters there,
So many simple calls to prayer;
So many reasons for thanksgiving--
The sacraments of daily living.
-Helen Lowrie Marshall

Night sky - photo by Jean

I know it has been quite a while since I've posted - it has been a very busy time here.  We were hit with a Derecho storm on June 30th and were without power. Some for as long as 8 days in the stifling heat of the longest heat wave so far this summer.  During that time, I had the chance to visit with my Virginia family...they had the same storm but were somewhat back to normal by the time I arrived on July 3rd. I have been doing really well...had several doctor visits with the accompanying tests to monitor me and, so far, by the grace of God everything is good news and good results.  We serve an awesome God and I praise and thank Him!

Special Places in the Heart

I was at one of my favorite places, a Christian retreat at America's Keswick in Whiting, NJ from June 4-8.

A soothing sight first thing in the morning as I leave my room:

Here we are at breakfast - table under light fixture) and I am waiting with Carol and Babe to go into breakfast. (above)

On my way to the Raw's Auditorium for the morning session with Rev. Ron  Schmidt.  He was  interesting, entertaining and very knowledgeable.  This was his first time with the "Young at Heart" conference and I don't think it will be his last!