My Little Artist!!!

I put the banner up of Avery when she was 3 at our local art school. She loves taking art classes and this was the beginning of her classes. She has grown so much in the past 5 years and she is my little sweetie! I couldn't figure out how to shrink the banner so this is the way it looks. If anyone knows how to shrink it please let me know. I pray everyone has a great weekend and has lots of fun!

I Believe There are Angels

I have always loved pictures of Angels. The Bible mentions them many times and as a little girl I was fascinated by the thoughts of angels being around me. My mommy would pray that the angels would surround me and that the Lord would watch over me. I loved that. To me angels are so comforting. I believe they are in a different realm from our earthly home, but I truly believe they are here.

I always love the angels in the Christmas pageants. Pretty wings and sweet innocent expressions. That's how I see the female and children angels. I imagine male angels as strong and confident. The Lord would send them to relay messages to mortals and nearly always they must have frightened because they(the angels) would say, "Do not be afraid."

There's much we don't know about angels, but I believe someday we will understand so much more. So many things will be revealed to us. I sometimes think that so many of these things I wonder about and want to ask about when I get to heaven will probably fade away when I get to see Jesus. May we always commit everything to Him and be able to have a peace that passes all understanding.

Do you believe there are angels in 2008?

Moving Into A New Season

I got this picture from allposters.com and I just loved it. As it gets colder I am reminded of getting back into my crocheting. I love sitting with a comfy quilt and having my yarn and needle. I can only do it for a while because of my 'arthur' in my fingers. I love to have something I can say I made. I've never learned the special stitches, but I do enjoy making scarves. I would love to learn how to knit. If anyone has any special books that help someone to learn that is somewhat challenged please let me know.

It was in the 30's this morning and windy. I loved it. I had chili for lunch and it was fun looking out the window of my office. It was neat seeing people from our building scurry over to Whole Foods. When it first opened we went there a lot for lunch, but now we just call it 'Whole Paycheck' as it is pricey. When I walk in there the smell reminds me of when I lived in Germany. The stores had the same smell and I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. If anyone knows please share.

I need to visit you guys and see what's happening. I have been so tired the last few nights I had to go to bed earlier than normal. Happy Happy.

I've Been Resting and Reading

Irises by Van Gogh(allposters.com)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday! This was a busy, busy day, but at least I do feel better. The cough is lingering, but I'm getting my strength back. I just wanted to let you know that I have read 3 books in the past week, along with my Bible.

First I read, "Unbeatable(the whole story)" by Laurie Frey. She was diagnosed with breast cancer right in the middle of a hectic job with David Copperfield, building a new house, and finding out her son is autistic. She was close to the Lord, but this brought her to the point of completely surrendering to His will, not her control. My friend, Brenna, shared this with me. She has a great blog at Expressions of Grace and she inspired me to start a blog. She has such a sweet spirit and I know you will love her. It's a brand new book and I highly recommend it.

Second, I read "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly. He's ten days older than me and reading about his life growing up in the 50's was fun and it helps you realize how he got to where he is today. If you enjoy him on his program, you will enjoy this book. It puts it altogether and I can see why it's a bestseller.

Lastly, I read, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. This is a book of letters and tells the story about a group of interesting characters at the end of WWII. It's a touching story and the main character, Juliet, is a writer.

This book gives a fresh look at what individuals went through during uncertain times. The writers draw you in it was a memorable read for me. It would be a great movie.

I had a busy weekend with lots of laundry. Mark's birthday and the ever fun house cleaning. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm getting ready to start, "Blessed Child" by Ted Dekker that Strider recommended. It looks like a great read and I'll let you know how I like it. Have a super week!!!

Nana Trish was up at O Dark Thirty this morning going to my stress test. I had the kind where you have nuclear IV injections and due to my asthma and arthritis I can't do the treadmill so they gave me a specific drug to raise my heartbeat. Not much fun. Strange feeling. Then I got set up with my heart monitor and I will have it on for a month. As I walked out the door of the cardiologist right before my eyes was a wonderful set up of knock-off purses and jewelry. I felt like it might be a sign for me. I got me a cute little purse and headed for the parking deck. I want to thank all of you that have been praying for me. The Lord helped me through it and I believe He will watch over me as we go forward.

NANA TRISH just chillin'

A Call For Prayer

First, I want to thank all of my friends that have prayed for me during my sickness. Please continue to pray. I also wanted to share with you about a site that is asking for Christians to pray for our country. We are going to have a very important election in two weeks and as the Bible tells us to pray for those in authority over us, I believe the Lord wants us to pray about the election of our leaders also.

I will be putting the symbol on my sidebar and you can click it to go to the site explaining the symbol.

No pressure, I just want to share with you that I believe we should be in prayer!

Just Chillin'

I'm back. I feel somewhat better, but not great. This is a nasty bug and it really knocked me down. I'm not having the chills and hurting like I was. Thank you guys so much for all the prayers and sweet comments. It was sweet of you guys to drop over. If you'd been here in real life you would have seen a mess. Books and tissues all over the bed. A big ol' Nana with hair going everywhere, no makeup and eyes watering all over the place. I am better today and I ate some fruit and yogurt and I believe I'm going to live. Trust me, Friday it was questionable. I won't be running in any marathons today, but thank the Lord I'm so much better!!!

Out of Commission for Today

I will be curled up today and I will have to miss work. I feel like a truck ran over me and then backed up and ran over me again. Snot city, headache, chills, coughing, sneezing...you've got the picture. I have picked up some very bad germs and will be drinking some hot tea and going to la la land. Later.

Tagged

I was tagged by Cynthia at Muse-Swings and Theresa as Devoted. I couldn't figure it out until Cyn explained it. You go to the 4th picture of your 4th folder and post it. This is mine. It's an ultrasound of my girlfriend, Jennifer's baby. He's now 17 months old and she showed us an adorable video of him going down a slide at the park. We thought the ultrasounds of Avery looked like an alien.

For this interesting tag I want to tag Lavinia, Willow,Pat in NYC, Maree, and Indian Papa. Now please go for it!!!

Interview with Aunt Ruth

Aunt Ruth

I have some dear friends in Tennessee, Sandy and Bob. Bob's aunt is Aunt Ruth. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. I first met her several years ago out in Texas at her home. She wanted to go to the steakhouse and we had a wonderful dinner with her and her daughter. Yesterday afternoon, my friend Mika and I headed up to Tennessee to visit with Aunt Ruth. We had a wonderful meal. Bob cooked salmon on the grill and he always does a great job with it. They also had baked potatoes and cole slaw. Sandy makes the best slaw in the world. Another friend, Kathy, brought over a homemade peanut butter pie. Everything was so delicious and we felt so welcome. After the meal I asked Aunt Ruth if I could interview her. She agreed and we went to the den for her questions. Aunt Ruth turned 94 years young in June and she's still living the dream. Here's our interview:

NanaTrish: What's your favorite scripture?
Aunt Ruth: Psalms 23
NT: Who influenced you most in your life?
AR: I would have to say my mother.
NT: What is your very best memory?
AR: When I met my husband, Hubert, and we were married 50 years. He passed away in 1996.
NT: I understand you recently had to give up your Sunday School class. Tell me about it.
AR: I taught Sunday School for 54 years. I taught a ladies class and I love those girls. (Those girls are in their 70's).
NT: Who are your favorite people of the Bible?
AR: For the Old Testament it would be Joshua. He taught us to not be fearful. For the New Testament it would be Jesus. He taught us how to live.
NT: What's some good memories you have growing up?
AR: I memorized all the books of the Bible when I was eleven. People don't seem to memorize them anymore. I remember sitting in church with my mother and I would swing my legs from the pew. She'd always say, "Don't swing your feet!"
My husband used to say that the best time of the day is when the day is cracking. The time between the dawn and daylight.

Aunt Ruth is such a jewel and I am so fortunate that she's my friend. I just wanted to share her with my blogging friends. May God continue to bless her and watch over her.

Avery Playing Pool

Saturday evening I took Avery to Hannah's birthday party. The kids played laser tag and of course, ate birthday cake. All the other little girls played on the arcade games. Avery played pool with one of the mothers. She has been playing it on the computer and couldn't believe how much harder it was than on-line.

She is growing up so fast and it's hard for me to believe she will be nine in a matter of months. My little sweet baby is a big girl now and I'm so thankful for her. God has been so good to me!!!

MY B-I-B-L-E-S

I have always loved the song, "The B-I-B-L-E", yes, that's the book for me. I stand upon the Word of God the B-I-B-L-E!

I thought I would share about my bibles. I read the One Year Bible, New Living Translation, Large Print. I read it daily and find that it helps me to be more disciplined with my reading. I had read the New Testament many times over the years. I had read a lot of the Old Testament, but I would get bogged down and move on. With the One Year Bible it is broken down on a daily basis with Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs. That way you have a variety of what you are reading. Last year I completed it and this year I have only 3 months to go and I'll have read it through twice.

I don't want to give the impression that I didn't read the Old Testament before. I just had my favorites like, Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Isaiah, Daniel, Esther, and several other books, but I would go back to my old faithfuls.

I also love my NIV, Ultra Thin Large Print Reference Bible. I read it and don't feel like I'm on a schedule. I enjoy studying with it. I highlight and underline. Also, I love for my devotions, "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. He was such a gifted writer that had so much insight.

Now I pray that you guys don't think I 'm trying to be preachy or anything, but I just felt like I would share about my main reading materials. Maybe someone might be interested. I just know I am thankful for the Word of God and blessed that I am able to read it and His Word is a lifeline. Although I read lots of books, I must tell you my favorite is the Word of The LORD.

What's your favorite?

SKYWATCH OVER ATLANTA

Here was the sky over Atlanta this evening. I had to run into Publix to grab some Cheerios and milk. Since I read Cynthia's blog over at Muse Swings the other day and she was talking about having cereal after her mama passed away, I got to craving cereal. They got lots of different cereals for her brothers and sisters and it was comfort food. Well, I kept thinking about how sweet it must have been to all be sitting around and sharing and eating cereal. All I need is a little suggestion of food and then I think about it over and over. Then before you know it I feel the urge to run to the store.

I looked up at the sky when I walked out to the car and thought about how full the sky was. Chocked full of clouds from our rain all day. It was pretty to me over the city lights. I just thought I would share. Cynthia shared such a sweet memory in her post and it made me realize how much my blogger friends mean to me.

Thank you so much for this award, Cynthia, at Muse Swings. Cyn is such a sweetheart and is so creative and witty. I love her posts. They are clever and very entertaining. She gave me this neat award a few weeks ago, but I have been waiting for just the right time. I love artsy fartsy things and this makes me so happy and appreciative.

I would like to pass this award along to 3 of my blogging buddies. Julie at Julie King Art is my first to name. Julie has such a gift for such happy art. She even explains to us how she does some of her creations. Modern and happy and posts I always look forward to.

Next will be Sandy at birds,bees,bugs, and blossoms. She has fabulous photography, original art, and she is truly gifted. She has lots of outdoors art and so much is sweet pictures of God's creatures. I'm always thankful for her talent and her gift for sharing it.

Bebe at Bebe's Peaches and Dreams is a fellow Georgian that has her own little artsy business. She always has creative items and wonderful photography. She's one of my newest blog friends and I always enjoy stopping by to see her fun stuff.

So Happy for Today

Don't you just love October? This picture is so peaceful looking to me and I just love the changing of the seasons. I have lately been making more of an effort to be thankful for things and trying not to complain about challenges and problems. As the weather cools down and it becomes more fall-like I look forward to so many things I enjoy. I love a fire in the fireplace. Hot coffee or hot tea. A big fluffy quilt and a great book. Fall festivals. Boiled peanuts. One of my cats or dogs snuggling up next to me. We're into the fourth quarter of 2008 and I thank the Lord for His blessings.

My 100th Post and I Won A Gorgeous Prize!!!

NANA TRISH PRESENTS HER 100th POST

Here's my exquisite door prize from the Cyber Ball at Willow Manor.
Look what happened over at Willow Manor! The beautiful Willow drew my name for the door prize. This is so exciting! Plus this is my 100th post and I must say this has been the most wonderful experience. I love reading your blogs and I hope once in a while I can put a smile on your face or help you to stop and think of something.


I look forward to the Halloween party that Willow mentioned today. I thank Willow and also I thank you for dropping by and know that I think the world of you.

Broken and Blessed

This week the chapter truly hit home. It's about being humble and trying to avoid pain. The author brings so many examples of her past experiences and it helps the reader understand her points. We are all familiar with the proverb, "Pride cometh before a fall." My mother used that as a mantra. She worked for many people cleaning their homes and taking care of the sick and she had a humble way about her. She studied her bible and would have loved this book about having the Mary spirit.

Joanna Weaver talks about,"Me, me, me" as our self-centered repertoire. She has a two page Pride Test that shows how the self-centered vs God centered woman looks at life's challenges. If we put ourselves in the center of our universe we may unknowingly push the Lord out in the process.

The book pointed out that the bible mentions Pride over one hundred times and it is always something the Father hates. To be brought up that many times the Lord realized we needed to learn about it over and over.

Charles Stanley wrote in The Blessing of Brokenness.,"Because of our natural instinct for self-preservation, we fight hard to stay intact. Brokenness usually involves pain, and we will do almost anything to avoid that." This especially hits me because in the last few days I have been made aware that one of the ways I tried to avoid physical pain has put me in a difficult place. I have three types of arthritis and in the last few years I had so much pain that I have tried so many ways to alleviate it. Finally, the beginning of the year my doctor put me on chemo. I have had side effects that were frustrating (hair loss, bruising), but now I have had an abnormal EKG and I had to have an echo yesterday to see if my heart has been damaged. Dr. Stanley's statement jumped out at me. I truly wanted to avoid the pain and now I see that I would have been better off suffering through it. I stopped the chemo 3 weeks ago before I knew about this latest issue and I pray I won't have permanent damage to my heart. God breaks us so we will turn to Him.

I am blessed and I have not brought this out about my health to say that I am pitiful. I ask for your prayers, but more than that I ask that you look within yourself to see what pain you are trying to avoid and need to turn over to the Lord.

THE DIVINE CYBER DANCE AT WILLOW MANOR

Please come along and join us at Willow's special Cyber Dance. She has such a fabulous affair with so many interesting folks. Don't miss it at http://willowmanor.blogspot.com/. It will be going long into the night and she will be such a gracious host. I have heard it is the top social event of the year.

I have had such a difficult time deciding on my date for the evening. Rudy and I have been an item for so long and he was going to tag along, but had business in Europe. I decided on another beau. I thought you'd be interested in seeing one of my favorite pictures of him.

He's such a hunk. He's always been tagged 'sultry' and I have to admit he is a head-turner.

My darling Rudolph Valentino.

Rudy and Trish aka Nana Trish, we had first started dating. But I must tell you I needed a change and my darling, Hugh will be escorting me.


Hugh Laurie aka Dr. House



I just love Hugh and he's a fabulous dancer. Give me a Brit any day!

This was Hugh deciding what to wear. May I say cutie patootie?

Here's my dress for the evening. You will notice I lost quite a bit of weight for the event.

Here's my most comfortable shoes for the night.

Hugh had wanted to take the motorcycle for a stunning entrance. I told him it would really be over the top and of course, he admitted it would not be good for me in my gown.

Guess what!!!!! He had kept it a surprise...a ride home in his hot air balloon. He's such a romantic. I just knew that he always had that 'bad boy' deal going on, but as we left Willow's and flew over the Manor I felt so dizzy with glee. All the wonderful dancing and food. Thank you, Willow, it was just the greatest!