RJD Day 12 Prompt - Literary Love

Sharing Day 12 of Random Journal Day's "21 Days of Journaling in January"; check Dawn's blog here and join the fun!

I have come to LOVE C. S. Lewis!

Thanks to my daughter, I at least knew who he was; and actually saw the movie, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

But...

I had never read any of his books, including The Lion...but loved the movie enough to buy the video!

I can now say - "I have almost finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia - all seven books of the series; I only have a few more pages to read!"

My daughter attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL - not very far from Chicago!  On one of my visits, we went to The Wade Center located on campus...

one of the permanent pieces on display in the museum is a wardrobe that was owned by C. S. Lewis!  When I read the book "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe", I was taken back to that museum!

Photo courtesy of

http://www.wheaton.edu/wadecenter/Welcome/Museum/Museum-Artifacts

Inside the wardrobe, just for fun, is a sign that reads: "Warning!  Enter at your own risk.  The Wade Center assumes no responsibility for persons who disappear or are lost in the wardrobe."  But it is too fragile for any visitors to actually step inside!

Check out more information on the Wade Center here.

C. S. Lewis has written many other books; and I hope to read more of them - and read more about him.  But, for now, I'll just share a few quotes:

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairytales again."

"A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest."

I can certainly agree with both of those statements!  Enjoyed reading The Chronicles of Narnia - a fairytale, for sure...

and reading them encouraged me to write my own fairytale for Random Journal Days' "21 Days of Journaling in January"; check it out here.

So, I will leave you with this last quote:

"Child, to say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that's the whole art and joy of words."

And what are words for than to share them with others in our blogs!!  Thanks for reading!

Simple Woman's Daybook - January 19, 2015

FOR TODAY

January 19, 2015

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW - The sun is shining; a light breeze and just under 50 degrees.  A beautiful Florida day in January!

I AM THANKFUL - For time spent with my two daughters and sons-in-love; and with my growing grandsons and granddaughter.  I am thankful for my son and daughter-in-love and granddaughter, but wish we lived closer so we could see them more than just once or twice a year!

IN THE KITCHEN - Dishes to be washed; dishes to be put away!  A pot of potato soup in the fridge for dinner later this evening.

I AM WEARING - Crocs, jeans and a long-sleeve flowered shirt; my comfy attire for doing chores today - later, after I post this!!

I AM CREATING - Pages for a page swap in two weeks; the same ones I wrote about last week - but they are not DONE yet...I tend to do things as they need to be done!  The football themed pages were needed for this past Saturday; so now I can work exclusively on the Spring pages!

I AM GOING - As tends to be my usual for Mondays, I am going no where today so I can get some computer work done: treasurer's report for a meeting on Saturday; information for taxes; writing blog posts I am behind on...

I AM WONDERING - Is writing this Simple Woman's Daybook every week becoming boring?  Am I repeating the same things each time I post one?  If you have an opinion, please post in a comment!  I really am wondering this since I seem to be doing the same things over and over - that is my life though!!

I AM READING - "The Last Battle", Book #7 in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  I should be into another book by next Monday; not sure what I will read next!

I AM HOPING - For a relaxing week...

I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO - A scrapbooking retreat in two weeks!!  Although it is in town and I don't stay over-night at the hotel, I stay late cropping (crafting) with my friends and then go home to sleep (I live about 5 minutes away from the hotel!).

I AM LEARNING - To use my hand-written journaling as a place to put my thoughts and ideas for my poetry and blog posts; where I can go to "vent" when feeling down or depressed or frustrated; and where I can also "doodle" or draw a picture or two (I am not an artist) to express my thoughts!  Thank you, Dawn, for a great post about journaling!  Want to read it?  Go here and read "Journal Keeping, Writer's Block and Perfectionism".

I AM HEARING - Absolutely nothing but the buzzing of the ceiling fan and the occasional horn honking at the car dealership behind our apartment!

AROUND THE HOUSE - My scrapbooking stuff in the living room where my hubby put it when he brought it up from the car (after my crafting time on Saturday)!  A few things still on the dining room table that need to be put away.  My "coloring" supplies on the small chair beside the couch (I use them to "wind down" in the evenings, especially if I am tired and don't want to fall asleep while watching TV).

I AM PONDERING - The words of our pastor's sermon yesterday titled "Are you Hearing or Fearing the Call?"

A FAVE QUOTE FOR TODAY - "When things go wrong, you'll find they usually go on getting worse for some time; but when things once start going right, they often go on getting better and better."  From "The Magician's Nephew", book #6 of the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.

ONE OF MY FAVE THINGS - My cat!  A cat is a thing; a noun...and as my 6 year old grandson told me the other day, "a noun is a person, place or thing", so I can say my cat is my fave thing!!

How can you run this sweet thing off your bed in the mornings??  Midnight is spoiled but cuddly and loving!  Wouldn't give her up for nothing!!

A FEW THINGS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK - 

Monday - laundry, writing, preparing reports for a meeting, crafting

Tuesday - grocery shopping and filling cars with gas (it's payday!)

Wednesday - shoe shopping, hair cut

Thursday - help prepare and clean up for a reception at our church

Friday - work on my Spring pages for the page swap

Saturday - Christian Women's Fellowship board and general meeting; crafting after to complete what I don't finish on the other days!

Sunday - Church, Lunch with friends - and the start of another week!

And a picture of Friendship Fountain on the south bank of the river downtown Jacksonville where I live.  I worked in the tall building that is now the "Modis" building for 10 years; it has changed names several times since I worked there, and is now actually something else (can't remember what!?).

And that is all for this week!  I'll mull over whether or not I'll post one every week or not...but knowing myself, I will be back next week for:

Linking up with Melanie at

Simple Woman's Daybook

RJD Day 10 Prompt - Our Last Goodbye

Sharing Day 10 of Random Journal Day's 21 "Days of Journaling in January"; I am a bit behind in posting, but still plan to get all of them done!  Check Dawn's blog here and join the fun!

The prompt for Day 10 is "One Day Visit" and allows us to write about having the opportunity to visit a loved one who has passed for one day; what we would ask that loved one?  What would we do while we were together?

It was a Sunday afternoon - I know that because Sundays were our days.  I would stop by after church and we would visit.

Sometimes I would pick up a hamburger and some fries to eat while you ate your lunch.  Or I would plan ahead and order a lunch so I could eat whatever was on the menu that day (the "chef" was really great!!).

I don't remember that Sunday very well...

All I know - NOW - is that it was our last day together...

Our Last Goodbye!

I didn't know it would be our last goodbye!

Had I known, perhaps I would have stayed longer; I would have brought your favorite, a strawberry milkshake; or a sausage biscuit.  I would have played a game of Scrabble or helped you put together the puzzle you were working on.

These are things we did together - on Sundays after church.

There were also the Saturdays that I brought your grandchildren and great grandchildren to visit.  We all enjoyed playing Bingo, especially your oldest grandson.  Sometimes one of your sons would be in town and we would bring bar-b-que and have lunch together in the private dining room - 

I think you really enjoyed those times we spent together, no matter who all came to visit!

BUT...

If I had just one more day to spend with you, I would make sure I told you how much I appreciated everything you have done to help me to be the person I am today.

I would tell you how proud I am to be your Daughter; to have such a loving, kind, understanding, supporting, God loving woman for my mother!

I would talk with you about your childhood days: growing up without a mother; growing up as a twin.  I would talk to you about school and meeting the "man of your dreams", your "sweetheart" - my father!  I know the story - most of it...but I long to know more; to hear you talk about how much in love you two were!

I would ask about your family: your father, aunts, uncles, your older sister, and other people who helped to raise you and my uncle, your brother.

I would take all the pictures of people I was trying to identify; I know you would be able to tell us who they were so we could treasure them in our albums!

I would tell you how much I love you!

We wouldn't even have to do anything; or go anywhere...just be together for that one last day...

Because I never really said goodbye...

And I long for that last goodbye; I long to be able to linger just a bit longer - and tell you goodbye, for one last time.

And maybe I can bring a strawberry shake or sausage biscuit, and we'll play a game of Scrabble, or finish the puzzle...

I know we will be together again, one day, when we meet at Heaven's Gate - 

Because I know we really will meet again!  And I will join you and my Dad and all the others who will be welcoming me into God's Kingdom where we will be together - forever...

And there will be no more goodbyes -

We already said Our Last Goodbye!

Are We There Yet? Sweet Pete's

...located in Jacksonville, FL, Sweet Pete's was discovered by my youngest daughter when she moved into the neighborhood called Springfield.  Established in 1869, The Springfield Historic District is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and contains examples of 19th and early 20th century architecture.  Many of the old homes are being renovated back to their original beautiful conditions.

Sweet Pete's was originally in an old but updated Victorian house in Springfield, within walking distance from my daughter's apartment.  The store is always decorated for the different seasons and holidays - Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas - which gives the appearance of a "Candyland" or "Willy Wonka" sort of place!

Decorated for Spring and Easter

 The owner of Sweet Pete's has been looking for a larger place for quite some time; and they finally moved into a 3-story building in the middle of downtown Jacksonville in December 2014 where they almost tripled their space!

We visited the new location for the first time during the Christmas holidays...

When I first saw their sign - Sweet Pete's - I was a little disappointed!  I was looking for the VERY DECORATED place we were used to visiting.

Son-in-law and Grandson

crossing to Sweet Pete's

Downtown

Then...

we crossed the street and stepped onto the veranda of the new building, and spotted the beautiful chairs!  Of course, we had to test them for comfort...

Relaxing on the Veranda

That was just the beginning!  The inside was even better!!

From TOP...

Lighting in Different Sections of the Store

to BOTTOM...

The Ice Cream Parlor

Sweet Pete's is definitely "The Sweetest Destination..."

The Grandsons Agree!

Loved it in the old house; 

love it even more with the added space!

Reaching for the Big Lollipop

There will definitely be more visits to "The Sweetest Destination on Earth"!

Find more information about Sweet Pete's at:

http://www.sweetpetescandy.com/ or
https://www.facebook.com/sweetpetes


Are we there yet is a new (to me) link up with Amanda at http://livinginafrica.net/.
Enjoy your journey!

GRIEF

Today I am joining other bloggers for the link up with Karen Beth for Tuesday @ Ten where we have a full week to write on the word prompt.

This week's word is:

GRIEF...

As if we really needed to go to the dictionary for this one.  Yet I wondered what kind of definition the Webster's Student Dictionary gave for it; so I looked it up and found:

"Grief (noun) deep sorrow";
"Grief-stricken (adj) very sad;
"Grieve (verb) to feel sad (for); to mourn...

These words don't even begin to describe the feeling of grief a person experiences at the loss of a loved one!

Grief can also be experienced in other losses, such as the loss of a relationship, a job, a family pet...

Everybody has their own way of dealing with grief...

...and their own time period for grief to fade into sorrow and into remembering and whatever other form it may take.

I remember sitting in the middle of the shower and crying uncontrollably after my father died; maybe it was days, or maybe it was weeks.  But, he has been gone almost 25 years and there are still times I miss him so much I can't hold back the tears - especially when I hear the hymn The Old Rugged Cross!

My mother had been in a nursing home for almost six years.  She was not deathly ill; yet she had issues with breathing - COPD, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes.  She died unexpectedly; while taking a breathing treatment, she just stopped breathing.

We knew she was sick; we did not expect her death so suddenly!  I was devastated when I received the call and just sat on the floor by the phone crying uncontrollably.

My mother has been gone for almost 3 years; and I still miss her greatly.  She was my best friend and we did many things together as mother/daughter - friends!  There are days I just sit and think about her and our relationship over the years.

I still cannot believe she is gone!  I still find myself - for no apparent reason - crying uncontrollably as I did when I first heard the news.

Nobody can tell a person how long they should take to grieve for a loved one.  Just as everybody grieves differently, they also take a different amount of time to process everything and continue their lives.

Perhaps these quotes may help:

Found on Pinterest

at www.facebook.com/missinglovedone

Found on Pinterest

There is comfort in God's Word:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
(Matthew 5:4)

God will comfort those who mourn; those who are grieving a loved one.

And, there is comfort in music and the words of hymns:

"What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer."

Yes, take all the time you need to grieve, knowing that God will comfort you and you can carry your cares and woes and griefs to Him in prayer.

My prayer for anyone reading this post is that you may be comforted by God in whatever grief you may be experiencing.

Take your time...

and know He is there for you.

Five Minute Friday: Send

Once again it is Thursday night, and I will be linking up with Kate and all the other FMFers!  It's exciting to read what other bloggers write on the very same word; and see how so many others are thinking and writing in the same direction as first comes to my mind!  Join us for the FMF Party!

Tonight's word is: SEND

Ready, Set...GO!


This word - send - speaks to me in a couple of ways;

The first thought was how much I love to send cards to people for special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries.  I also send "thinking of you" and "get well" cards...

that's a true statement - but a false one!  Because I love to send them...

but sometimes I let the thought go away too quickly and forget to get the card ready to mail in time, or at all!

Confession time!  I really do want to be on top of things and send cards when needed...

The other thought on the word send is that God sends us to do His work - as He sent so many that we read about in the Bible.  As He has sent so many missionaries and preachers and teachers.

And we are not all called to be missionaries or preachers or teachers; we may just be - well, a mother or grandmother or wife or daughter or aunt or friend - that has heard His call to be sent!

I love the hymn "Here I am, Lord" written by Daniel L. Schutte.  It is found in the Chalice Hymnal that we use in our church.  The refrain, especially, is clearly speaking to our being sent by God!

"Here I am, Lord.
Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord,
if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart."

I love that song; it brings tears to my eyes each time I sing it - 

and I wonder, where would He send me?  Would He send me?  Would I really go?

And I am also thinking maybe my call may be to send those cards and letters - letting people know I care, I am here for them, and I am praying for them.

Maybe there is some other place, or for some other purpose, that God will send me...

I can only pray that when I hear that call, I will be ready to get up and go to where He will send me...

and if I can "steal" from another's blog...

perhaps it is to be where I am now!


(Well, I didnt' check the clock; and I know it's been more than five minutes)!

RJD Day 9 Prompt - My Form of "Art"

Sharing Day 9 of Random Journal Day's 21 "Days of Journaling in January" - Check it out here and join the fun!

I would have never considered myself "artistic"; but that was thinking of drawing or painting or sculpting and those kinds of "art".

But...

when I look at some of the "art" that I have created, such as scrapbooking layouts and cards; decorated books or notebooks; collaged wooden boxes or books; even a "button" Christmas tree...

Mosaic Beach Layout

Decorated Mini Notebook

Collaged Wooden Box

(Outside)

Collaged Wooden Box

(Inside)

Button Christmas Tree

Well, my "art" may not be the drawn picture or a painting;

but, perhaps I am more "artistic" than I once thought!