Friday Fun

Yesterday's snow has melted and we have a bit of a break before the next rains come, so hubby and I are utilizing free days at our county dump and taking old tanbark from the yard there. Of course, that means we have to get out and pick it all up first, plus the free days are over tomorrow. So I'll be bundling up and heading outside in just a few minutes. It will feel good to get all new shredded bark for the flower beds, after we get our new perennials planted. Our dear friend keeps reminding us not to plant very much until Mother's Day because we can still have snow up until then. Do you ever get anxious about 'fluffing up your nest" when you see so many other neighbors planting? I do and it makes me want to just get out and do it; that may not be the prudent course to take though.
This weekend find joy in the little things of life!
Hugs, Noreen

Bear One Another

Good morning friends, Alas Mr. Winter has returned and we awoke to find over an inch of wet snow on the ground today. As beautiful as it is, I am just ready for the sun to stay and the flowers to bloom.
I've been reading a wonderful little book entitled "Tell Your Heart To Beat Again"by Dutch Sheets; this book has been so incredibly uplifting, so if you have a chance to read it by all means do.
Chapter 4 deals with bearing one another's burden and Dutch has some wonderful analogies that I felt were applicable to all of us.
"The word for bearing up or staking ourselves next to another, so they don't fall-much as a person would tie a stake to a tomato plant to sustain it against the weight it carries. The strength of the stake is transferred to the plant and thus "bears it up". ...In other words, we're to come alongside a brother or sister who is weighed down and say,"You're not going to fall and be broken or destroyed, because I'm staking myself to you. My strength is now yours. Go ahead, lean on me. As long as I can stand, you will too. What a wonderful picture for the Body Of Christ".
So dear ones, do you have the strength to stand beside someone and let them lean on you?
Are you someone who desperately needs another to come along side you and help you to stand?
Let me know; what a privilege it is to lift you up before the Throne of the Most High God. I will stand beside you, lean on me.
Noreen

There are so many in this world, in our lives, in our neighborhoods that are hurting both physically and spiritually; those who are in desperate need of the Master's touch. Healing comes from His hand, if we would but immerse ourselves in the waters of His life. Come take a dip with me this day. This song says so much of what this world is needing.

The River Is Here by Andy Park
Down the mountain the river flows

And it brings refreshing wherever it goes

Through the valleys and over the fields

The river is rushing and the river is here

The river of God sets our feet a-dancing

The river of God fills our hearts with cheer

The river of God fills our mouths with laughter

And we rejoice for the river is here

The river of God is teeming with life

And all who touch it can be revived

And those who linger on this rivers shore

Will come back thirsting for more of the Lord

Up to the mountain we love to go

To find the presence of the Lord

Along the banks of the river we run

We dance with laughter giving praise to the Son

Be blessed in His life today. Noreen

Tuesday Treasures

Our little Buttercup tuned one month yesterday. It is hard to believe but life tends to be like that doesn't it. She is a cutie and her sisters just adore her as well as the rest of the family, especially this nana.
This is a verse I came across this morning and it seemed so appropriate.

"I will extol Thee, my God, O King;
And I will bless Thy name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless Thee,
And I will praise Thy name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Thy works to another,
And shall declare Thy mighty acts." Psalm 145:1-4

May our lives radiate with a deep love and passion for our Lord and may we tell of Thy wondrous deeds to each generation.
Blessings, Noreen

Monday Morning Musings

Good morning friends, I am not one to advertise for commercial products but this is a commercial that airs here in Colorado and other destinations that Frontier flies into, but if you haven't seen this ad, it will bring a smile to your face. I love Gris the Bear! Every time I watch this I giggle, so I hope it will be a smile to you this morning. There are so few ads these days that are family friendly that I wanted to share a cute one.

Have a blessed day friends.

Fabulous Friday to you all~ A wet one it is here in northern Colorado, something I'm not used to seeing too much here. Reminds me of the Pacific Northwest and although I love rain in the middle of winter, I'm ready for spring weather and all that it includes-such as planting, biking, walking and just spending my days outside. But today is going to be a wonderful day; two of my blogging buddies are heading up here for lunch and a visit. I'll try to get some photos but once we all start talking they may be forgotten.
Pam of http://smilinggrammy.blogspot.com/and Marlene of http://barefootsoul.blogspot.com/ live about 40 minutes from me and although they are so much fun to spend time with, we don't have visits as much as I'd like. Maybe this summer we'll rectify that.
I hope you have a wonderful day, regardless of the weather. Learn to dance in the rain!
Hugs, Noreen

Oh Joy!

Look what came in the mail for me yesterday- a big box of birthday goodies from my dearest friend Becky at http://holidayinthesun-becky.blogspot.com/. Firstly, let me tell you that Becky is the most talented lady around; she made me cards in the green checked booklet(and they are so cute) plus she made me a bracelet that fits perfectly, a book on Joy for the Woman's Soul, a Potpourri and also a very large mug. All of these goodies reminds me of the sunshine,actually Sonshine, that permeates from Becky's life and blog. We've been friends for a good while now and I can tell you that this gal is authentic and brings joy to my life continually. I just wish she lived closer so we could hang out together! I will say that I'm planning to get myself down to Florida this year so we can spend some much needed time together. Do you ever meet those friends and feel like you've known each other your whole life and are joined at the hip-well that is how I feel about Becky. So, if you sweeties have a chance get over to Becky's place and say hi to you-you won't be sorry.
Love you Beck. Hugs and prayers-Nor

To all my other sweeties out there, may your day be filled with Joy in Him and blessings galore.

May our lives be as a fragrant scent unto our Lord.

Little Country Church on the edge of town.
Doesn't this home just say welcome. It reminds me of homes we've seen on the coast of Maine.

It's hard to believe we've been home a week already, the days go so quickly.

When I worked in banking, I had many retired customers who would tell me that they were busier after they retired than when they worked. I didn't understand it until I was in this season of life. But it is good to stay busy isn't it. We should be thankful for every season of our lives and every day. I'm ready to start planting and getting my yard looking pretty but I've got other pressing things to do today so it will have to wait.

Have a blessed day!

Hugs, Noreen

Once A Golfer

While on vacation we took a hike to the Queen's Bath; the trail in is overgrown and the day we went the path was wet and slippery. You can imagine our surprise when we got out to the lava beds overlooking the ocean and we saw this old golf cart. We think some kids must have pushed it over the side of the mountain to get it down here. Hubby and his closest golfing buddy couldn't resist taking photos in it; when you are passionate about golf, the extent you'll go to for the game is simply amazing.

Happy Monday my friends.

Happy Saturday dear friends! We have settled back into our routine and are staying busy. Yesterday a friend and I joined a small group to celebrate another friends completion of radiation therapy for breast cancer. I can tell you that I think everyone that undergoes any sort of treatment should have a party at the end of it. It was so touching! We were able to spend some time with both girls and their families yesterday as well.
This morning, in fact any minute now, our youngest daughter will be dropping off her oldest three daughters because they have a wedding to attend and will just take the baby along. Our day should be quite busy with all the activities of the under 6 set. I am hoping to get out this afternoon and walk 2-3 miles as I've been determined to make this a regular part of my day. Yesterday's weather was quite cold so I didn't get out but I may just have to bundle up and go for it.
I hope you are all enjoying good weather where you are-signs of spring are everywhere, birds are singing again...yippee!
Hugs today,
Noreen

More Of My Favorites

I love the beauty of the Islands and the majesty of my Father's creation.
The Heavens declare the glory of God.

This canyon was the sight where Jurassic Park was filmed.

I am thankful for God's people and their habitation.

Have a wonderful Thankful Thursday my friends.
Noreen

Happy Birthday Peanut

Today our precious granddaughter turns three. Mackenzie was nicknamed "Peanut" when she was a baby because of her small size but this name has stuck. She is such a delight to us and like all of our babies, has her nana and papa's heart wrapped her finger. She has grown so much in the last year-both mentally and physically. As many of you know, our Peanut has had several health issues from five months old and finally made some headway. Thankfully her parents found a doctor who practices not only traditional medicine but also alternative. Although she still has some challenges, this little girl has a strong will and determination.

Last night we celebrated both Miss S and Peanut's birthdays. Our sil is so very gifted artistically and created this cake for his girls. What a joy to have two sisters whose birthdays are so close, I pray that they will be the best of friends throughout their lives. Now, with our little Buttercup here, there will be one more birthday that is celebrated around the same time-oh the love of families.

We are settling back in~ getting mail sorted and laundry done. It seems like our area is greener this year than the past two, which makes me enjoy spring even more.

Hugs, Noreen

Our time has sadly come to an end here in beautiful Kauai and we will be heading home tomorrow. We have had a great time here and Saturday we got to explore parts of the island that we haven't seen before. We got a good hike in and then on Sunday walked three miles down the beach~hopefully I'll be in a bit better shape when we get home.

These photos are of an area called the Queen's Bath; it is a bit difficult to get to but so worth the hike.

In the coming days I'll be posting a few more photos; I can tell you that we had a fantastic time with our friends and my beloved got lots of golf in-which makes him so very happy.

On Tuesday we will be celebrating two of our granddaughters birthday and we can't wait to get home and hold our newest grandbaby.

There is a saying back home that goes something like this "it's not getting out of the storm but learning how to dance in the rain" so no matter what you have going on today take time to find some joy.

Happy Monday!
Noreen

To Alle

Psalm 5:11 (King James Version) 11But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

Sunday Blessings dear friends, What a glorious day to be alive and to worship the King of Kings. Today I am so thankful for those friendships that have been formed through our bloggy world; something I think so many of us were surprised at the depth of relationships and the bonds that form without ever seeing someone face to face. Actually, I think getting to know someone heart to heart is better still, so today's post is dedicated to one very special friend whom I've come to know and love. Her blog is http://alleluiabelle.blogspot.com/ and Alleluiabelle is an incredible woman of God with such a deep faith that inspires many including me. I'd love to say I've been reading her for years but that wouldn't be true, but in the time I've followed her I've come to see a deep faith as she walks through the fire. I feel a deep kinship with Alle and so yesterday when she wrote a comment about never having been to the ocean before, it moved my heart. She asked that I twirl in the sand with outstretched arms in worship and I truly couldn't wait to do this little thing for her. I thought that seeing a visible reminder might uplift and encourage her this day....so this is what I did. Today I plan to get out and again spend time before our King lifting holy hands to heaven but yesterday I just wanted some photos for her.

As I threw the sand in the air Alle, I prayed that each grain of sand would represent the weight on your shoulders right now, the trials you are walking though and they would just be lifted off of you. I wish you could be here with me, what fun we'd have and the time together before the Lord would be incredible; but know that many and I mean many, are lifting you and yours up today before our King.

On a side note my friends, it is still winter at home and I had no idea that my Capri's, that were so fashionable several years ago, would look so out of date this year~especially when you had a bit more fluff than you should so I won't be wearing these again. Have a blessed day dear ones. Hugs, Noreen

Often you can find the three couples together during the evening, playing cards and eating pupu's(snacks). The ladies have been great fun; Judy(middle)may just be the most adventuresome of the three of us and Peggy is just plain fun to tease. I would pick out the most outrageous jewelry and clothes for her and we would just giggle.

The beauty of the Islands is incredible and I do understand why people would relocate here to live. My sweet hubby would be one of them, if we could. However, with only one main road going from one end to the other, traffic can become an issue. Yesterday there was a minor accident that brought traffic to a standstill and we sat for about 20 minutes. I'm just thankful we are able to relax and not worry about being late for anything. Our weather has been wonderful and perfect for a being out and about. Today looks like more of the same....yippee!

This bird was is beautiful; we don't know what type it is although it resembles the Cardinals we've seen here. The colors are both muted and bright and it reminds me of a Canary with the orange. We've been blessed with Doves, Juncos, Sparrows, Minah birds, Pigeons and this little one, by far, took my breath away. The other day while walking I saw some small finch type birds that we equally beautiful with a rich copper colored body. I'm hoping to get some photos this morning.

Well friends, our time is winding down and although it will be so good to head home to all our babies, leaving this island always is a bit sad because we are never sure how soon we'll be back-so in the time left we'll make the most of it.

Have a blessed weekend.

Noreen

Happy Birthday

Today is our granddaughter's, Miss S, 5th birthday. I've taken to calling her that lately and it fits. Our girl, pictured above with her momma in the hospital after giving birth to our little Buttercup, is a wonderful child filled with such joy and such strength of character. While we were taking care of her and her two other sisters, I never had to worry about information needed to run the house because she was always right there being such a helper. In the photo I think she looks so much like her momma.

She loves babies, especially her new little sister and I know that she is being a big help to her mom and dad. We've missed her like crazy and can't wait to get back home to celebrate her birthday. My girl, I pray the Lord's richest blessings on your life. May you come to know Him deeply and walk with Him all the days of your life. May your life being a shining example that even a child can lead them.

Hugs to you my big girl.

Love, Nana and Papa

Greetings friends, Although this post is very late in the day, I just wanted to say how Thankful I am that the day has been sunny and clear here. It rained heavily during the night but today has been beautiful; in fact I've gone on two walks already~one with hubby and then he left for golf so I was able to take another long walk on the beach. I've also been able to sit, overlooking the ocean, and soak up some sun while I read.

I am so grateful that my back is almost back to normal and with warm days in the forecast I am looking forward to some leisurely hikes. We had planned a kayak trip but with the strong winds and uncertainty of my back, decided against it.

I am thankful for the fun hubby will have out golfing with his friends. His time on the course means I can read, blog, pray, etc etc.

I am thankful that our new little Buttercup has regained her birth weight and is doing well.

I am thankful for the blessings of our Father, He is so generous with us His children.

I am thankful for the ability to talk to a friend of a friend, on another island and share life in the Lord.

I am thankful for girlfriends here, they are the wives of hubby's golf buddies, and the fun we have hanging out together. These are ladies who lived near us in California but who we never socialized with and although we are three very different gals, it is fun to have another female to spend time with.

I am thankful for you!

Sweet blessings to you, Noreen

Please visit my dear friend, Lynn, for more thankful posts.

http://unequalmarriage.typepad.com/

NeNe's

In a previous post, I mentioned that several years ago we were given a book titled "Tutu Nene" which the a legend of the native bird, called Nene, here in Hawaii. Our grandchildren loved this book and our little Miss S asked me to read it every time she came over. Tutu, I believe, is the Hawaiin name for grandmother and the story revolves around an adventuresome little Nene and trouble he encounters but grandmother is there to save him. When I recently saw the sign at a resort our friends are at, indicating they had Nene's, I knew we'd have to get some photos. So my dear hubby took the camera with him on the golf course yesterday and captured these.

I love this photo because I think of little Nene's following Tutu Nene....so my little ones, come and follow me. It also makes me think of our following our Good Shepherd.

Have a wonderful day dear friends.

Hugs, Noreen (Tutu Nor)

Wishing you a day filled with many awe inspiring moments from the Lord.

May our lives be a sweet aroma to our Lord.

May His light shine through us so that we become a Beacon of Hope to those who need His Love today. Let us point the way to Jesus.

Hugs to you today.

Noreen

Fabulous Friday Fun

Aloha Friends~ I would love to tell you we are sitting in the warm sun, swimming in the blue ocean but alas we aren't as the weather has been pretty cloudy, windy and rainy. These photos were taken at the Spouting Horn, a small lava shelf where waves are pushed through a small hole in the lava which results in a blowhole. It is wonderful to see on Wednesday and as you can see the day was beautiful.

These birds are everywhere and the spots are beautiful. I'm not sure what type of bird it is but I love watching them. Some of our friends are staying at a nice resort and the other night I saw a sign that said "Don't feed the Nene's." I became so excited because my sil had given us a book, several years ago, called Tutu Nene about a legend of the Nene(native goose)here in Hawaii. I've read the book many times to our granddaughters and now may be able to get a photo of an actual Nene to show them.

Due to heavy rain all night I'm not sure what are plans are today and since I'm still babying my back it may be another relaxed day in Paradise.

So dear friends, remember not to sweat the small stuff and whenever possible live life to the fullest.

Hugs, Noreen

Aloha Friends~ I would love to tell you we are sitting in the warm sun, swimming in the blue ocean but alas we aren't as the weather has been pretty cloudy, windy and rainy.

Well it is the day when we focus on being thankful. Today I am thankful to be alive and enjoying some special time with my beloved hubby in his favorite place-Kauai.
I am thankful that the swelling in my ankles went down after our very long plane flight.
I am thankful that although I am currently battling sciatica I have suffered with this before and know the things that help ease the pain somewhat.
I am thankful that if this is the worst thing that can limit my activity level, I know it will pass.
I am thankful for our newest granddaughter and that she is settling in at home.
I am thankful that the weather here is limiting some activities which probably wouldn't be the best for me to do with my back acting up.
I am thankful for computers and that I can stay in touch with all my buddies online.
Have a blessed day dear ones.
Noreen