A Meme about Books

 Willow from Willow’s Cottage tagged me for a meme about Books. I had to think a while on this one and I’m sure my answers might change as time goes on or as my memory clears here and there…

The Bible would fill the bill for many of these answers for me but I’m going to answer with books written by human beings…

1. A book that has changed your life.

I loved Willow’s answer about Dick and Jane. I too remember how thrilled I was to be able to read those books, hold them in my hand. I even remember the smell, putting in the book mark, not wanting my reading time to ever end but I’m going to come up with something different…

I’m going to say that being able to read and enjoying reading and reading a variety of books through my life has changed my life for the better. From Dick and Jane, to the Little House on the Prairie Series, The Freddy the Pig Series, some classics, some good Christian non-fiction, George MacDonald, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Stephen Lawhead, R.C. Sproul. That might be cheating but I really can’t point to one book except the Bible that has changed my life all by itself.

2. A book you read more than once

Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit both by Tolkien, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead, The Harry Potter Series

(and of course all those childrens books that I read over and over and over to my kids)

3. A book you would take to a desert island.

Before I answer I was wondering… What is a desert Island? A deserted Island? An Island that doesn’t get rainfall? Anyway it for sure doesn’t sound like somewhere I’d want to be so maybe I would take a book I can escape into and be inspired by like,

The Lord of the Rings

4. A book that made you laugh.

Lots of them have but right now I am reading Anne of Green Gables and it has made me laugh a lot.

5. A book that made you cry

The last time I read the Lord of the Rings and got to the last page I closed the book and wept and thanked God that He gave someone such a talent to write like that. I also cried at the end of the last Harry Potter Book…

6. A book you wish you had written

Something classified as being a classic. But honestly I don’t know if I’d be comfortable living with such brilliance. So maybe a beloved children’s book like The Pokey Little Puppy.

7. A book you wish had not been written.

I’m drawing a blank here. There is a lot of trash out there in the form of books.

8. Two books you are at present reading.

Right now besides the book of Hebrews (I’m on a quest to try to read every book of the Bible 20x before moving on to the next) I am reading Anne of Green Gables.

9. Two books you are going to read.

I’m on a reading children’s classics kick. I’m going to read The Wind in the Willows. Then I just got an Elizabeth Goudge book called The Child From the Sea that I’ll be reading too.

10. A book you read and never figured out.

Oh this is an easy one for me. I so enjoy George MacDonald but one of his books just bewildered me. It’s called Lilith. It’s one of his fantasy books. If anyone has read it and wants to explain it to me, I’m all ears. I really think I get along better with his regular fiction not his fantasy…

So there you have it. If anyone would like to join in on this meme please do and let me know when you do…

Come, O Creator Spirit Blest ~ Hymn

 Come, O Creator Spirit Blest

Come, O Creator Spirit blest,
And in our souls take up Thy rest;
Come, with Thy grace and heavenly aid,
To fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

Great Comforter, to Thee we cry;
O highest gift of God most high,
O Fount of life, O Fire of love,
And sweet anointing from above!

The sacred sevenfold grace is Thine,
Dread finger of the hand divine;
The promise of the Father Thou,
Who dost the tongue with power endow.

Kindle our senses from above,
And make our hearts o’erflow with love;
With patience firm, and virtue high,
The weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread,
And grant us Thy true peace instead;
So shall we not, with Thee for guide,
Turn from the path of life aside.

O may Thy grace on us bestow
The Father and the Son to know,
And evermore to hold confessed
Thyself of each the Spirit blest

ht: cyberhymnal

Lovella’s Walking Club Tally ~ 11,083 Steps

Time again for our early morning Saturday walk at Emma Wood. We took a new trail this week and took a closer look at the Flora and Fauna along the way.

 

Sitting already.  The waves were crashing and giving off wonderful spray again today.

 

I found this wonderful book at the Friends of The Library in Camarillo for $3.00 and it shows among other areas the flowering plants of the coastel region. Here’s some of what we found today.

 

Sea Fig and Hottentot Fig

 

We’re still working on identifying these two.

 

We saw this pod on a Eucalyptus tree and then this bloom that we guess comes from it.

 

After our walk we walked some more along Main Street in Ventura. We went to some used bookstores and some thrift stores and I’ll show you our “finds” at the end of the post. But first we decided to refresh ourselves at Anacapa Brewing Co.

Good ole Queen Victoria said “Give my People plenty of Beer, good beer and cheap beer, and you will have no Revolution among them”

 

We decided on the brewed on premises IPA and lo and behold we aren’t joining any revolutions today!

We split a pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw and some North Jetty Fries (fries with fresh garlic, rosemary, and Parmesan cheese) We’ll be tasting garlic and rosemary for the rest of the day!

 

After lunch we walked uphill to see the Statue of Father Junipero Serra at the Ventura City Hall. He founded 9 missions in California, including his last and most cherished, Mission San Buenaventura in 1782. He died in 1784. One of these days we’ll take a side trip to the Mission down the street.

The first elementary school that Josh and Dan (our sons) went to was Junipero Serra in Ventura.

Now to the bargains we found today. I bought this cute cake plate at the Mission Thrift Store for $4.95.

The hardbound Jane Eyre for $2 at a Span thrift store and my most exciting find the Elizabeth Goudge book The Child From The Sea for $3.25 at Abednego Bookstore.

We also bought this breakfast in bed or computer in a chair table for $2.95. It folds up flat and the tray also tilts up to set a book on at a reading angle. I like the magazine or book holders on the side.

 

So with all of our walking today my average steps went up nicely to 11,083.  Woohoo! Look what was in the mailbox when we got home, my new pedometer. Now I hope to get more accurate step counts.

Have a wonderful President’s Day Weekend for those of you in the states and a lovely regular weekend elsewhere.

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 Reunions ~

 On Valentine’s Day night we met our dear friends from Washington State at a Mexican Restaurant in Venice (California) for dinner. They were visiting Disneyland with their daughter Deena, her husband Jeremy and their grandkids Talia and Martin. We decided to meet at La Cabana which was about halfway for both of us to drive.

They still make their own tortillas at this restaurant.

Jan and Bob…Jan is one of my walking buddies in the Seattle area. Bob was our former pastor and is our good friend. We have been on several adventures with Bob and Jan and our other good buddies Dave and Jody. Bicycle trips in the wine country, bicycle trips in the San Juan’s, bicycle trips in Victoria, B.C., and Leavenworth. Our most recent wonderful adventure was a walking trip in Great Britain. I for one am happy to have retired my bicycle after quite a nose dive and “knock out” experience in Leavenworth.

Dear and me.

What’s wonderful about good friends is that you can catch up in 3 seconds and feel as if you haven’t been apart.

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.

Wildflowers in Winter ~ Week 5

Week 5 – February 13 – 19. Stitching up wildflowers – creations made with textiles (fabric, yarn, thread etc.) and featuring wildflowers in some form, made by you or someone else.

I didn’t realize how many embroidered or stitched items I had to share in this category! After ironing and taking photos and making collages, I’m finally ready with my post for this week.

The first collages I’m going to share are very special to me because they are of 2 Tablecloths and a set of napkins that my dear little Babushka Vera embroidered for me. My little grandma (we called her little because she was only about 4’11” tall) embroidered this first one as a wedding gift for us.

 

I went shopping with her and picked out the size of tablecloth and the napkins. Then we chose the embroidery threads together, too. Sweet memories. Did I mention that my Babushka only had one hand. One of her arms was amputated from the elbow down when she was a young girl. That never slowed her down. The flowers on this cloth look similar to this Aster.

 

This cloth that my Babushka also embroidered was given to me probably when I graduated from High school. These two Tablecloths are my favorite of all my stitched items because of the love and time it took for my dear Babushka to make them for me.

This photograph of our Babushka was taken in 1969 at my sister Vera’s wedding. Isn’t she the cutest little thing?! She’s looking up at my sister Vera here. She went home to be with her Lord in March of 1980.

To see more stitched Wildflower goodies click on over to Elizabeth Joy’s at Wilflower Morning.

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.

Sky Watch Friday ~

I’m trying out a couple new photography blogging carnivals. This one is hosted by Dot in Georgia. Welcome to Sky Watch Friday!

How to participate in Sky Watch
1. Post your sky picture on your blog. You do not have to use a picture with only the sky in it and the picture can be taken whenever and not just on Friday.
2. Come to Strolling Through Georgia and sign in on Mr. Linky
3. Enjoy the beautiful sky pictures of the other bloggers

So here’s my 1st Sky Watch Friday entry…

 

This was taken in the morning in Oxnard, California…

For more photos head over to Dot’s.

Show & Tell ~ White Serveware

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.

 Welcome to Show and Tell Friday.

I love to use white platters and bowls when entertaining and for everyday. Most of these pieces I picked up at Goodwill. The top right bowl was a gift from my brother (he gave me 2) and the bottom right hand corner platter was a gift from my son and his wife. The second row one on the left is a strawberry collander. I find that I can use these with any set of dishes and for any occassion. If they break I can replace them easily.

For more Show and Tell visit Kelli at There’s No Place Like Home.

Happy Valentine’s Day & Happy Birthday Beth!

A very Happy Valentine’s Day to all my bloggy friends.

And a very Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Beth, in the State of Washington. I’m so happy our boys became such good friends so we could in turn become friends. God’s richest blessings on you this year!

I John 3:1 ~ “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God.”

Psalm 36:5-7 ~ “Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your love!”

And now after reading these verses in Psalm I’m singing this song by Third Day..

“Your Love Oh Lord”Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean’s tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings

Have a marvelous day basking in the “love”

ABC Wednesday ~ D is for…

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.

My first ABC Wednesday and the letter is D today.

So many choices, I think I’ll share daffodils, dogwood and doors.

 

This photo was taken in England in April 2004.

 

This Dogwood tree is in a garden on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington, just uphill from Kerry Park. The photo was taken in July of 2007.

 

The photos in this collage were taken in Oxford~England, York, Edinburgh ~ Scotland, South Kensington and the bottom middle one if taken at Ste Michelle Winery in Woodinville, Washington.

To view more ABC Wednesday participants click here.

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.