Monday, a Bloggy Mood and All That Goodness. What's on my Mind...

Hi Di Ho Everybody! Yep, it's Monday. Monday - Monday... : )

I've done my flylady things and I'm treating myself to some blogging time. Just some creative heart release time with my typing fingers to friends and the Father. I've got a soup going in the kitchen so that's set. I smell onions and garlic I just sauteed...Becs is doing a photo shoot with Li Li, props everywhere...Those are good things.

What's on my mind? Oh that song by Sara Groves, 'What I thought I Wanted' yep, that's a playin' these days on the turntable of my mind. It's been an intense time in the Italiana home. A time of praying for our girls on the other side of the world and a time of seeing someone who said they cared deeply for one of our girls...Seeing that very person quickly melt into the world especially in the ways of other girls... at a drop of a hat. I have no idea why. We saw glimpses but prayed for the best, I wanted to believe the best. I did know in my heart that if something like this were to happen it would probably happen during this time of our daughter being away.

I just knew this was a possibility... I'm the same person who could tell at the age of six that my first grade teacher was expecting by the way she said the spelling word, baby.

It's a hard thing for a mom to see. We love people, we care for people we so want the best for them...so much we did. Oh sooooo much! So much potential. God only knows. But sometimes people go for the cheap, ugly, temporal, losing sight of what is real and what is true what is beautiful in the Lord. We should never apologize for holiness or sweetness by the way.

I crawl into bed much like a little girl one night after seeing some tell-tale things on the pc. Li Li had told me... Mom you should just get off now, it's upsetting you too much. I was clearly broken hearted for more than the second time in a week over some rather overly friendly exchanges with said person and other girls. I said to Lea ..How can he do this to her? Why?

I tell hubby:

Hurt my feelings? Insult me in the worst possible way? Show me disrespect? It stings, it makes me cry. Sometimes it makes me cry hard, I lose my appetite. It makes me walk around like a zombie. But mess with my girls? I can't let that happen. That's the ultimate.

Hubby tells me...

Don't worry because I'm not going to let anyone mess with them.

I so want to love people, I want to love them to Christ and then they do this stuff.


It's okay, this is the one thing I know. God is the Revealer and like Li Li said the other day trying to quote some famous person...in the kitchen, the place where all problems of the world are solved...

If we knew what God knew we would go right along with Him.

That sure sums it up.



Sometimes I think these things happen to us so we won't be prideful. If all courtships went so perfectly? Like the front of those homeschool magazines from the 90s? We would be the most prideful people ever. There is no easy formula 1,2, 3. No, with the Lord it just isn't that way. He is the formula. Period.

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The other day Hubs took me out to eat at one of our favorite little places in smalltown...I love that place. This neat mexican restaurant is situated in an old airplane hanger. We've eaten at this place for 20 years. It's so wonderful, so very very wonderful to be a part of smalltown USA.

On the way out? Remember our piano teacher? From Midtown? The one who had moved to smalltown with her coach husband? The beauty who looked like Greer Garson in her younger years? My precious friend who has gone to be with the Lord? As I'm sliding out of my booth I hear two separate tables talking about her little home. They were talking of her home like a landmark. I turned to get a good look at them and I thought to go join them...I wanted to tell them...

Yes, I knew mrs. blount, she was my friend. She was my dear friend. She was lovely and content in smalltown even though she had the best music teachers in Midtown. She would so get me in this season of life, she had cried with me before. I know she would cry with me again or at least give me words of wisdom. You see my family has been turned every which way with all of this. Up and down.

How about some pleasant pics now???? : )

Here's some pics of that evening:

Tis I. I have my hair pulled back, and yes I know my shirt is hanging in the shower. Who cares. This is a very real blog, so who cares. : ) Maybe others will get the hint too to get real on these things we call blogs. I'm thinking...I had better hurry and get going!


Okay out the door! An unfinished walkway...


Look up at the trees, the evening sun shines and reflects. Here we are having cooler than normal weather. I actually had to put the bathroom heater on one night, can you imagine?


Bye, Bye, house! See ya in a bit! : )


On the way down the beautiful road to smalltown...A message? I think so. It always is.

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Yesterday? A Happy Sunday for the mostpart. : )


With just two of our girls, Hubby & I figured going to the old downtown church would be best. We felt it in our hearts. It started getting so overcast and dark!



I look down. Hubby's hand and my hand. This says multitudes. Trust. Care. Companionship of 32 years. A care and love for each other that improves over years, that's the way the Lord intended.


Okay, we're here! Not bad, we made it pretty quick! There goes the LightRail...









Watch out for the LightRails! They aren't too light if you get hit by one!


The service at the big beautiful majestic church was so good. There was a beautiful testimony of a middle aged man born in the 50s, he grew up being taught little boys weren't men if they didn't drink beer and drive trucks. Poor little guy. He ended up at Star of Hope mission and found Jesus. He now is studying in social science to be a counselor to help people. This testimony made me cry, it was such a neat thing. Now days you don't hear many testimonies at many churches. When they played the doxology I put my head on hubby's shoulder and closed my eyes as I sang. I opened up my eyes and the camera man was turned around smiling sweetly at us amused. He amused me that he was amused. : )

A beautiful service.

Afterwards in the bathroom I heard women talking and I was able to converse with one, she looked very down to earth and was very talkative talking about coffee in Sunday school and it's effects. ; ) I told her coffee was a vegetable because it was a bean! She liked that. I saw a Joyce Meyer books under the stall. A Sunday school lesson book. Sure enough I later heard ladies speaking of lessons from a Joyce Meyers book. I think that's pretty good, I'm not one hundred percent Joyce but I think she helps people. The pastor also spoke of a Jeanette Clift George book about feeling as if God is on the other side of Heaven. My dad went to college with Jeanette Clift George, my dad enjoyed drama. I sure would like to get that book.

After church? It was getting darker and darker, I am a people watcher and I notice people from all walks of life. Older men in ties and bow ties. Women, some in hats. Some people look middle class and some perhaps from a mission. Some old money? Who knows. It's interesting to watch though. They also have a Stephen ministry that I thought sounded wonderful for people.


Let's stand and hear the church bells?



Dh? Could you record the church bells? That would be so great!


Thunder?


Let's hurry and get in the car!



Yes, stormy weather. Neat.



We drive by this downtown coffee shop...loved the cozy lighting...love the effect here...


Me and Becs! We are happy, we're heading to the Mediterranean grocery to eat at their restaurant. A treat indeed.


We're HERE! Love the name of this salad...This place is HUGE. It has garage parking and contains two stories of neatness.



A very small portion of the goodies and bakery.


Outstanding made to order sandwiches? I'm not sure if they are really called sandwiches. In the front are pizzas. My "sandwich" was made with Zataar bread. So good!


You pick what ya want... nifty Zataar thingies. Fresh veggies! Yummo!


One little cubby hole, and one entrance to the neat restaurant part where we bring our sandwich thingies. (Around the corner is gelato...If I could have sugar I would order the pistachio orange blossom).



The other entrance around the other side...Becs and I march down to a table as we approach a darkened dimly lit stage at the end...A bass player, a piano and later a female vocalist with polka-dot heels singing like Ella Fitzgerald. Luverly on a rainy afternoon.



I've looked at life from both sides now...

Me from Becs view,


Becs, from my view through the glasses and aftermath of our delightful little lunch.


How could we go home without this shot? Ha! : D

That's the wrap...A long blog. Lots of pics. Hope you enjoyed your weekend with us!

Please pray for our two girls away at this time serving and teaching in China.

Something sooo cute a little child in China, a student, wrote to our daughter:

You are more beautiful than any actress and your eyes are big. : )

Something I like to hear:

My 82 year old mom calling on a Saturday eve as I bathe our doglets:

Amelia, Lawrence Welch is on t.v. it's a black and white one.

She says it like welch's grape juice. funny. I'm so glad that is what was needed. Yes, I'll be glad to turn Lawrence welch on!

I did and we enjoyed it. One of the very first ones. Our family enjoys those old shows.

God is good.

We can trust Him, He knows all about it.

We can run to Him and sit on His lap!

Love to All, Prayers are coveted friends, Mommies? Please pray over that situation above. It's icky. Could be painful. So much to write, but I will show restraint and wisdom and shutteth uppeth at this point.

~Amelia
P.S. One last thing...Why not? : )

Source: youtube.com via Amelia on Pinterest

Joan Chandler and John Garfield in "Humoresque" (1946) She is so sweet & he becomes so deceived by the love of the world. Real life lessons here for sure.