Fun Monday ~ Quotable quotes and words that inspire

Robin at Pensieve has chosen this theme for today’s Fun Monday.

Quotable quotes and words that inspire.

Here are a couple of quotes for you. One from a Russian and one for an admired American.

“How easy it is for me to live with you, Lord!
How easy it is for me to believe in you!
When my mind is distraught and my reason fails,
When the cleverest people do not see further than this
evening what must be done tomorrow
You grant me the clear confidence
that you exist, and that you will take care
that not all the ways of goodness are stopped.
At the height of earthly fame I gaze with wonder at
that path through hopelessness-
to this point from which even I have been able
to convey to men some reflection of the Light
which comes from you.”

-Alexander Solshenitsyn

Solshenitsyn: A Pictorial Record, 1974

“All the masterpieces of art contain both light and shadow. A happy life is not one filled only with sunshine, but one which uses both light and shadow to produce beauty.”

Billy Graham

Day by Day with Billy Graham, 1976

To read more Fun Monday Quotes click over to Robin’s.

 

Fun Monday ~

 Swampy is hosting Fun Monday and this is a short version of her assignment for us.

Choose a topic/theme and make an alphabetical list of words, phrases, photos…however you want to share your topic/theme.

For Spring I assembled this flower collage with an ode to it below using the letters of the alphabet in consecutive order. Not Shakespeare by any means just my zaney attempt at being clever. Enjoy…

 

A beautiful collage delights. Every fragrance gentle, heavy, intense,  journeys kindly lingering midst new odes poetically quipped resting still tantalized under vines with Xanadu yearnings zealous and zaney!

And because yesterday was Easter here are some ABC words I associate with it…

Angel ~ Blessed ~ Christ ~ Delivered ~ Empty tomb ~ Freed ~ Grace ~ Hope ~ Infinate ~ Joy ~ King ~ Lord ~ Mercy ~ Nails ~ Omnipotent ~ Praise ~ Quench ~ Resurrected ~ Savior ~ Throne ~ Unblemished ~ Victorious ~ Wounded ~ eXalted ~ Yield ~ Zion

For more fun Monday click over to Swampy’s.

Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007-2015 hostage. I’m working on updating my blog posts very slowly.

Fun Monday ~ February 25th

This week’s Fun Monday is easy, Mariposa is hosting and asking TWO things –

First (1) Please share with us how the NAME of your BLOG was made? I can’t wait to hear interesting funny stories!

This is a photo of my brother starting my blog. He’s sitting in front of his laptop excited that so far it’s all working. Now understand that I hadn’t started blogging yet so I still had a lot to learn about taking good pictures for posting.

When my brother told me he was going to start a blog for me I was a little afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle the technology. He convinced me everything would be ok. We then started brain storming about what I should name it. We came up with a few fun names but the way I came up with my keeper is…

a. I’m generally a very happy person.

b. I’m also someone who wonders about a lot of things and have a deep need to know.

So as we were discussing point a and b my husband came up with The Happy Wonderer.

As far as the purpose of my blog I chose “to Honor and Encourage”. I’m an encourager to people around me and I wanted that reflected in the relationships I’d develop on my blog. It is very important to me to Honor Jesus Christ who I consider to be my King.  I want my words and posts to be things that will encourage people and be something that won’t reflect poorly on my King. My blog was born on March 3, 2007 so I am very close to my first bloggy birthday!

(2) Please share with us (in words or photo, though a combination of both will be a bonus!) your favorite/ most common dish!

Oh boy, I love food! I also love to enjoy people around a table with good food. So what to show? I’m going with a favorite dinner, lunch and breakfast!

 

A typical dinner is some protein with a couple veggies items. This is a easy dinner that we enjoy. Some great bbq’d Rib Eye Steaks, sauteed mushrooms with caramelized onions, and a green salad with tomatoes and cucumber. Now to go with this my hubby will make me one of my favorite drinks, a Kensington Dream. It’s a drink he copied after watching a bartender in South Kensington (England) make it for me. Update: A few of you wondererd what is in this drink. There is brandy, creme de cassis, juice of half a lemon, amaretto, shaken together and then you top it off with champagne! They don’t call it a dream for nothing, cuz you’ll soon be dreamin after you drink it 🙂

 

For lunch I am always ready for Mexican Food with lots of good salsa and cilantro! This happens to be a meal at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in town, El Tecolote.  We are having an Open Tamale, chips, salsa, and guacamole.

 

Most mornings I have my high fiber cereal with a banana and large cup of black coffee. In the summer I add more fruit that is in season.

For more Fun Monday visit Mariposa who is hosting this week.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Fun Monday ~ Feb. 18

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

 Sayre has this assignment for us…

Every day as I go to work, I see things around me that make me laugh. Usually these are in the forms of signs. So take your camera with you as you go about your business and take a picture of the things that make you laugh along the way (but it doesn’t necessarily HAVE to be a sign).

I don’t go to work everyday but when I’m out and about and when I am walking I see lots of things that make me smile. Here are a few things I saw last Wednesday.

 

I stopped at Costco and came upon this Rat who was loudly picketing the store. I think he was protesting the sale of Rat Poison.

 

Then on my walk with Willow we came upon this Bunny Topiary (that’s Willow in the blue, she tried to get away before my camera snapped). And then there’s me all shocked and scared because of this sign.

 

This kind of sign doesn’t make me feel real comfortable. But I got a tip about walking and hiking where there are rattlesnakes. Don’t walk along the edge of a path. Walk in the middle. If you are walking with two other people, let them flank you, one on either side. 🙂 Reminds me of the hiking tip for the mountains in Washington and the possibility of coming upon a bear. Make sure there is at least one person in your party who runs slower than you. You can’t out run a bear but at least you can out run the slowest person in your party.

Now I thought this post was done but I went to a different Costco on Thursday and this is what I saw on the way and while I was there…

 

I passed this Semi headed for my exit and I so wished I wasn’t driving so I could snap a photo but then he got off at my same exit so I was able to snap this not so clear photo. “Jesus Christ is Lord, not a swear word” was on each side and the back of the semi. I got a big kick out of this and it made me smile. And it’s so true.

 

Then I was in Costco making a cd of all my bloggy photos so I could empty my memory card so I could take more bloggy photos and look at these 2 sweet nuns I saw. I took this photo with my back to them so they wouldn’t know what I was doing and come over and smack me with a ruler (no I didn’t go to Catholic school, I just heard stories from my friends). I couldn’t tell you the last time I’ve seen nuns in a Habit out and about…

For more Fun Monday click here

Fun Monday ~ Music

The Crown Princess at Ohh a shiny pen is hosting Fun Monday this week.
Ok, here is the assignment.
Music plays a vital role in most of our lives. It is everywhere. I want to hear the ONE song that is you. The song that whenever it is heard, you smile. I am not looking for the soundtrack of your life, just that one song. Your friends hear it and think of you. You can post the video, the lyrics, the wav file. However you want to post it is great.
~
 I was on the phone reading the assignment to my sister Lana G! and she suggested that You’ve Got a Friend by Carole King should be the one I post.  Carole King is a favorite of mine for sure and I love this song.  My husband was listening to my conversation with Lana and he said I should post Smack Water Jack, he’s so funny, he says really it’s only because we were talking about Carole King songs that this one popped into his head, so don’t call the authorities just yet!
~
You’ve Got A Friend
   ——Carole King


When you’re down and troubled
And you need some loving care
And nothin’, nnothin’ is goin’ right
Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest night

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’ to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there
You’ve got a friend

If the sky above you
Grows dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind begins to blow
Keep your head together
And call my name out loud
Soon you’ll hear me knockin’ at your door

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come runnin’, runnin, yeah, yeah,
to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yes I will

Now ain’t it good to know
that you’ve got a friend
When people can be so cold
They’ll hurt you, yes, and desert you
And take your soul if you let them
Oh, but don’t you let them.

You just call out my name
And you know wherever I am
I’ll come runnin, runnin’, yeah, yeah, yeah
to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you have to do is call
And I’ll be there, yes I will
You’ve got a friend,
you’ve got a friend,
ain’t it good to know,
you’ve got a friend,
ain’t it good to know,
ain’t it good to know,
ain’t it good to know,
you’ve got a friend,
oh yeah now, you’ve got a friend,
yeah baby, you’ve got a friend,
oh yeah, you’ve got a friend.

You can hear a rendition of this song by clicking on the url below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6r1175w_lM

For more Fun Monday Posts click here.

Fun Monday ~ The Bucket List…

Tiggerlane, the Neophyte is hosting Fun Monday this week. Here’s her assignment.

Have you heard of The Bucket List? Well, that’s what I want from you! Make a list of things you want to do before you die. It must be at leastfive items – and you can make it as long as you desire. Photos are optional. And let’s hear about some of the wackiest, most bizarre to-do’s on your Bucket List!

These are not listed in order of importance just in order of how they came into my brain.

1. Visit Ireland. And while there I want to visit Trinity College and see the Book of Kells. I also want to tour the Guinness Brewery. A visit to the Jameson Distillery for my husband’s pleasure. I want to eat a good meal in Cork. I’d like to see the countryside. I’d love to do a Pub Crawl with some good traditional Irish music.

2. I’d love to experience grandchildren.

3. I’d like to fly first-class to Australia or New Zealand so the many hours in the plane would feel more comfortable.

4. I’d like to have a great famous cook like Ina Garten or Jamie Oliver cook a meal for me and my friends at my house with a clean up crew.

5. I’d like to walk across England from the Irish Sea to the North Sea.

6. I’d like to meet some of my bloggy friends at a spa resort.

7. I’d like to be living back in my home in the Seattle area.

I’m just not a person who desires whacky or bizarre things in my life. I’m happy with a cup of tea in a beautiful setting.

Or a lovely meal with friends. A worshipful church service where the truth is taught and the love of God is felt. Probably the most out of this world experience I think would be real cool is …

8. The Acts 2:2-4 experience…”Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

For me that would be an amazing experience.

For more Bucket lists check out Tiggerlane’s site for more links to Fun Monday posts…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Fun Monday ~ Bedside Table?

 Make sure you scroll on down to the next post for my Bloggy Giveaway which is going on all week…

Our hosts for Fun Monday this week are the Lurchers. Here’s their assignment…

So continuing in the spirit of “being interested in people”, I would like to know, or see, what’s on, in or under your bedside table! So open those draws and bare your soul to us! Is there anything special there that has a story or a memory that you can tell us about? Books that you keep there to delve into from time to time? Trinkets that you don’t know where else to put? Let’s see!

My condo here in Southern California is nice and small. I had to find a very little bedside table that would fit next to my bed and still let us open the doors to the armoire. So not much room for clutter but let’s see if there are any surprises in the drawer of the night table…

 

On top the current reads. On the bottom shelf a basket filled with additional books I want to get to soon. If I was in my home in Washington for this Fun Monday I’d have a lot more fun stuff to reveal like notes from my kids when they were little. Costume Jewelery from my mother-in-law’s stash. Old goodies that have never gotten cleaned out…

 

We’ve been in our condo for a little over a year. I haven’t had enough time here to find surprises. My tabletop has my current reads; Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goudge, My ESV Bible, Taste & See a devotional by John Piper, Ancient Christian Devotional (A year of Weekly Readings),  A notebook to write down anything noteworthy. The last thing on my table top is a coaster that we got in Ventura at Anacapa Brewing Co. for my coffee cup when my Dear brings me coffee in bed on Saturday mornings. In my drawer there are a couple pens, lip gloss, hand lotion, and sermon notes that end up in my Bible that I clean out and put in the drawer.

 

Here’s a photo showing how close the armoire door comes to the table.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my little corner of the condo. Head over to the Lurcher’s for more Fun Monday. You’ll find the participants in the sidebar…

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.