I've Gone Country A blog about a city girl learning a whole new world

Wow, with Valentines around the corner I have seen the word LOVE everywhere.  I like that…I love lots of things…of course there are different kinds of love.  When I made a mental list of some of the things I love it was interesting how varied that list was.

It was everything from God and people in my life, to the things I enjoy doing and eating, places…etc.

I saw a list of Acronyms and thought some of them were good.

LOVE –Listen Overlook Value Encourage

LOVE- Love Overcomes Virtually Everything

LOVE-Lots Of Varied Emotions

LOVE- Love Others Very Eagerly

LOVE- Live Our Values Everyday

Most people have heard this passage of Scripture found in I Corinthians 13 …it is read at a lot at weddings.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails…..

OUCH….I sure do like to have that kind of love extended to me…but I really have to work on being able to show this kind of love to others.

Love is a wonderful thing…..

I suppose I will ponder about this just a little longer…

And because I do “LOVE” chocolate ….

Maybe I will just have a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee…..and think about all the things I love.

WHAT?    I’ll  just eat ONE …..

This is my Mama!  Her birthday was this month.  She would have been 77.  Hard to believe.

She passed away just a few weeks before turning 70. I think about her each and everyday.   In case you didn’t know by now…..I love my Mama.  I had a wonderful childhood.

I reflect on past things all the time.  I don’t find it sad, I find it heart warming.  For instance, my mother grew Jonquils at the home where we were raised.  She would let me pick some before school for my teacher.  She would wet a paper towel, carefully wrap the stems and place plastic over that to hold the moisture until the teacher could place them in water.  Mama would hand me the flowers, kiss my check, tell me she loved me and send me off to school.  We usually walked or road our bikes. It is a wonder that they ever made it all the way there in one piece.  I can’t tell you how excited I was as a child to be able to give my teacher flowers..especially from our own yard.

We have had a very mild winter so far.  The Jonquils have decided to make an appearance.  I know they are way to early, yet I have loved the fact that they came at her birthday time.  I picked the rest of them yesterday because old man winter has decided to come for a visit.

Which I find funny too.  Since it is cold she would have welcomed you into her home with a bowl of Taco soup, a pone of cornbread, and a big glass of sweet tea.

So today I couldn’t help but think about her and smile an extra smile.  I have Jonquils on the table in a mason jar, and Taco soup in the crock pot for supper.

Now that truly warms me from head to toe!

He is so funny….

Layla and Jethro.

Violet always checking on her baby.  She is such a good Mama.

Violet and Jethro enjoying the sunshine.

He is a cutie and is growing quickly.  He is so white and with his floppy ears he looks like a little lamb.

Jethro is two weeks old today.  He is taller already and for the past few days I could tell the nubs for his horns have grown.  He loves to jump around and run.  He likes to climb on things and is already taking a little nibble here and there on the grass.

Watching him is a lot of fun.  He gets all excited when he sees us come to the fence.  But then again so do I!

Here are some of the things I saw this last week.  

Wherever you live you just get used to the views around you.  I haven’t gotten used to it just yet….or maybe I should  say I haven’t grown tired of it.

I love the character that is all around.  Like this little crooked building.  I can’t see that without smiling.  Weird huh?!  I know…I’m just that way.

Makes me just want to sit and rock a while……

Especially when your looking into a beautiful green field like this.

It is no wonder why people had porches with rockers especially years ago.  Enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful view  at the end of the day.   Relaxing after dishes were done and kids were in bed.  Admiring the moonlight and the bright stars as night time was ushered in.

Amazingly enough we can still enjoy those things.  If we would just make the time too.

I just might have to start doing that, more than every now and then.

Probably the best stress reliever ever!

Layla turned 4 this week.  I cannot believe how much she has grown.

She had a birthday party where there were lots of things to play on.

She had fun with family and friends.

Mickey Mouse even came to the Party!!!!!

Layla Loves Mickey!

So does Poo-Pa….

Layla had so much fun.  I think this will be a memory she will always have.

Layla has given us a million smiles and laughs.  She is a very adventurous little girl.  If you would like to see some of my favorite pictures through the years you can click on this smilebox.  I Love you Layla!

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My niece Minnie accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior, the most important decision she will ever make in her life, and was baptized yesterday.  

We all gathered together to celebrate with her (The men were there as well…but we could never get a picture of all of them together).

These women are a support group that Minnie can always come to.   It consist of her Mom, some of her Aunts and cousins.  Women who have already prayed for her all her life.   We are so very proud of her.

These are some of Minnie’s friends.  I pray they will all grow up to be strong women in their faith.  That they will love the Lord with all their heart and minds and souls.  It is important to have friends who are like minded.  It helps hold us accountable to one another as we walk daily in our faith.

Minnie you are beautiful on the inside and out!

It seems like when I think of February, I think of it as a month of Love.  We have many family things that take place during this month besides celebrating Valentines Day.

The common thread though is love.  It is what makes these other events so special.  Sometimes things remind us of  an important time or special people in our lives.

When we moved to the country, I sorted things in the attic and closets.  I still ended up moving too much stuff, so I have been trying to go through it again.   It just isn’t easy.  You have heard that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure.  I believe that…because I love to go to thrift stores and yard sales.  Even the love of going to all my sales must be inherited if that is possible.  I remember my grandmother would take us along with her when we visited.  If you liked something she had, she would say “oh,I got that at Sally’s”.  That meant she got it at a rummage sale or something of that nature.

I do love to find treasures!  I am usually on the finding end of it.  Yet, as I clean out my attic and closets, I find that MY treasures would be someone else’s junk.

Like this:

This is a corsage and ribbon from my Mother and Fathers Wedding.  The satin ribbon is from her bouquet that included a Bible and the ribbon cascaded down.  I only know this because I remember her smiling as she told me about it.

And this:

This is a nut..a walnut (I think)…that my grandfather cut and carved into a basket complete with little artificial flowers.   The flowers looked better when he made them many years ago.  I remember hanging it on our Christmas tree when I was growing up.

And then there is:

This fork.  It brings back many memories of home cooked meals and laughter at the dinner table.  I always loved the design on the handle….reminds me of candy canes.  I do not have the whole set….just this one little fork.  But it is all I need.

It isn’t priceless silverware by the worlds standard…but it is priceless to me.

And this cute little pitcher.

It always makes me smile…why… I don’t know.  I love the colors in it….but I think I love it because it was my Nannies (my grandmother).   I was told it also belonged to my Nannies Mom.

I saw one just like it back in the summer at an  Antique store.  I was shocked…I had never seen another one.  It was priced for just a few dollars.  I laughed…because that one didn’t even have a broken and re-glued handle like this one does!  So, I am pretty sure this would not be worth anything to someone else.  But that’s alright with me.

There are many, many more small items such as these.  These are just some of the older things.  I haven’t even started with the cards my children made me and now grandbabies are too.  There are the sweet cards my mama sent me through the years.  The love letters from my husband while we were dating…and the ones he still writes me.  Like when I looked into my coupon envelope at the grocery store recently and written on a box top was a little note that said “I Love My Wife”.    Yes, I still have that one too.

I picked up several things and set them in a give away pile.  When I looked after a long time of sorting…I found my give away pile was really the newer, cuter things.  But the keep pile was what a lot of people would have taken to the curb.  It really isn’t the item.  It’s the sweet memories you get when you look at them.   The love you feel from having your loved ones in your life.  That is where the true value lies.

For now, I will just keep all my junk…I mean treasures!

I have a friend who is known as the “card lady”.  For years and years she has sent cards to people for sickness, encouragement, sympathy, birthday’s,  anniversaries and for you to know that you were being prayed for and loved.

I call her Mrs. Shirley.  I have known her for many years.  Matter of fact she was in the church where I grew up.  I didn’t know her that well as a child, just knew her when I saw her in the hallway.  In the following years I got to know her differently.

My mother would speak  of Mrs. Shirley and how she enjoyed her friendship.  It was only after my mother passed away that I realized what a neat friend Mrs. Shirley was to have.

She would call, checking on me and my family.  She sent cards in the mail, often a little cartoon would be inserted from the morning paper.  It would bring a smile to what otherwise were very sad days.  We began exchanging  prayer requests and then would be excited to share with each other the outcome.

She played the piano by ear and would go and visit people in assisted living homes and play for them several times a week.  Always hoping that in some small way she could bring a smile and let them know that they were loved.

For seven years…..Mrs. Shirley continued to call and send cards to me on a regular basis.  This past summer she developed her own health problems.  She is now in assisted living.  It happened very quickly and it is hard to watch her go through this stage of her life.  I miss her calls,  her cards, our talks and laughs and I miss my prayer partner.

When I think of Mrs. Shirley I think of others too.  Like my own mother and other women I know today that go and do as she did.  The hospital visits, the cards in the mail, the dinners that feed many people after the loss of a loved one.

Even recently I received a card from both of Mrs. Shirley’s daughters carrying on the example set by their mother.  The example she taught them from scripture.  Not just reading it…but putting it into action.

I keep in touch with Mrs. Shirley.  Our talks are not the same, but she still knows who I am.  I have been blessed to watch God continue to work in her life.  She has been in her new home for several months now….and so far….she has received at least one card everyday.  This has ministered to not only her , but to her daughters.  I know that makes her smile!

I grew up in a church family that showed me the love of Christ by example.  She is one of many that I have watched show the love of Christ.  I am reminded of this scripture found in Matthew 25:40  (NIV)     The King will reply “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”.