Tuesday Nuggets

Good morning friends,  I just finished doing my lesson for the last week of Living Beyond Yourself by Beth Moore.  What a wonderful study this has been and although I'm sad to see it end, another study will begin in January and promises to be just as rich.  I wanted to share the poem below because it spoke to me and I trust it will resound in your spirit as well.

THE COMPANY I KEEP
Let me be known by the company I keep
By the One who determines each day that I greet
From the moment I wake til He rocks me to sleep
Let me be known by the company I keep!

Let me be known by the company I keep
When the valleys are low and the mountains are steep
By the One who holds fast when swift waters are deep
Let me be known by the company I keep!

Let me be known by the company I keep
By the One who implores me to sit at His feet
And quickens my soul to discern what is deep
Let me be known by the company I keep!

Let me be known by the company I keep
Eclipsed by Your presence that I may decrease
Til all You have chosen this traveler to meet
No longer see me but the Company I keep.
Beth Moore

So whose company means the most to you today? Will you join me at His feet?  Let us praise Him together.
Because He first loved us,  Noreen

Monday Morning Musings

Good Morning Ladies,  I pray your had a blessed weekend and didn't get too tired decorating and shopping!  As I mentioned, I was going to be staying overnight with my girlfriend who dog sits at her brother's place.  I've told you that the house resembles Tara in Gone With The Wind so I thought it might be fun to share what the home looks like.  The top two photos are actually of homes used in the movie and the bottom house is my friends brother's home.    He has quite a bit of land and raises Springer's; is an avid hunter as seen my the mounted trophy heads he has throughout the house.  I also mentioned he has, at this point, 15 dogs that he uses for field trials and hunting.  He is a well known figure in this field.  Taking care of 15 dogs, although they are kenneled, is quite a bit of work.  They need to be run every couple of hours and the feeding alone takes about 45 minutes.  I also tease my hubby when I return from an over-nighter that he pays my girlfriend to have me down because I come home very content with one or two smaller dogs.  It is simply chaos when we take the dogs out to run.  At night, there are at least 8-10 dogs in the house for the evening; I'm sure their owners have the same stay in their room in crates during the night but when I was there my girlfriend had 3 in her room and I was having allergies and asthma so declined any sleeping with me.  There are several dogs that I just love and would be tempted to take in the golden years but they need to be hunting on a regular basis so my home wouldn't be the best for them plus with all their hair I know I'd be bothered.  I hope to go down again this week for an over nighter but we will see.  Cyndi and I have a wonderful time together; she spoils me with fresh game for dinner and we just talk up a storm. 

We had a bit of snow last night, just a dusting, but I think it will be a good day to just stay inside.  Now that our home is totally decorated for the season, I can relax and catch up on what my friends in blogland are doing.

Hugs today,  Noreen

Friday Fun

Good morning to you.  How was your Thanksgiving? Did you have a wonderful day with lots of yummy food?
We had a delightful time at our daughter's; such wonderful nutritious food and great companionship.  We were home by 5:00 p.m. and watched a really good movie; it is older and we may have seen it before(but I don't remember)-The Notebook  What a wonderful love story and this gal did cry quite a bit at the end. 
Today we may run to two stores and then start putting up the tree. I've been decorating slowly over the last several days so it might go quicker than previous years. 
What are your plans for the weekend?
Tomorrow I  hope to visit my girlfriend who is here dog-sitting and maybe spend the night with her.  I love the girl time we have and the dog time because with 15 dogs she is caring for, there are always about 6 in the house.  What you say?  Well the house resembles "Tara" in Gone With  The Wind and is about 7,000 sf so having 6-8 dogs inside at one time is not a big deal.  Usually I try to spend several days with her each week but this year seems to be a bit busier than in previous years; just not sure how it will work out in the end.
Although there was frost on the ground this morning, the sun is shining and looks like a beautiful day.  I really need to start walking again. 
Have a fun filled, Son filled weekend!
Blessings, Noreen

Happy Monday Friends,  I hope the week has started out well for you.  Our friends arrived yesterday and we've been laughing and eating ever since.  Today we will head to a wonderful store, The Clothes Pony, in a nearby city to shop; I need to purchase a couple of birthday gifts for granddaughters and Shelley needs to look at baby clothes for their first grandchild.  After that we will probably get a bite to eat; this afternoon seeing one of our daughter's and her girls and later tonight seeing the other.  These friends raised daughters the same time we did so it is always fun to visit the adults; it brings back memories. 
I pray abundant blessings on you and yours this Thanksgiving.  Please know I am very thankful for each of you!
Warm Winter Hugs,
Noreen

Give Thanks

"Thank Me throughout this day for My Presence and My Peace.  These are gifts of supernatural proportions.  Ever since the resurrection, I have comforted My followers with these messages: Peace be with you, and I am with you always.  Listen as I offer you My Peace and Presence in full measure.  The best way to receive these glorious gifts is to thank Me for them.
It is impossible to spend too much time thanking and praising Me.  I created you first and foremost to glorify Me.  Thanksgiving and praise put you in proper relationship with Me, opening the way for My riches to flow into you.  As you thank Me for My Presence and Peace, you appropriate My richest gifts."  By Sarah Young in Jesus Calling.

Have you stopped to give thanks to the One who deserves all thanks and praise. 
Blessings and grace to you dear friends,
Noreen

Happy Saturday Friends,  I know that many of you, like me, have family and friends coming in from out of town for Thanksgiving and you might just be doing what I've done all morning-fluffing up the nest, cleaning and making everything as nice as possible.  So as I was working this morning I realized that somewhere in the last five years or so, a new chore has crept into my thinking.  As I grew up I don't remember having many overnight guests for the holidays, except one cousin.  I certainly don't remember my mother ironing the sheets for anyone so where did I get this habit that I've gotten into for the last number of years?  My sweet mother-in-law always ironed sheets before guests arrive and our dear aunt, on hubby's side, in Mississippi always irons sheets for guests. I'm sure the aunt in Tennessee wanted to but probably just hung them out to dry which made them nice and crisp.
I know with modern technology-such as dryers, if you take them out immediately they might be wrinkle free but honestly we don't have guests that often so I just pull them from the shelves.  So I have to ask do any of you find yourself doing things in preparation for guests that you never would have dreamed of? 
Have a delightful day today; I will as I'm headed to the grocery store to stock up-and yes I already cleaned the fridge.
Hugs, Noreen

Friday Fun

Greetings to you; it would seem I'm having a difficult time posting first thing in the morning-oh well.
What a great day I've had so far; a girlfriend and I went to the Christmas Open House at our local antique store and it was lots of fun.  After that hubby and I ran out to our oldest girls house to drop off a couple of things and pick up a couple of things.  Seeing the grands always makes me happy; in fact 5 out of the nine are coming over this evening to spend some time with us while mom and dad do some shopping. 
So a few weeks back I was fighting a cold and then this week was fighting a stiff neck but something else is creeping up on me-beware I might just have to share it with you.  Wondering what is it?  Well yesterday I went shopping at the new discount store and wasn't affected at all but today is a whole different story.  Give up?
Why it's the Christmas bug-yes girls I'm definitely in the mood to start decorating and we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet.  This all came about this morning and then stopping at my friends house; she has some of her decorations out already.  Even our local radio stations are already playing Christmas songs and after I finish this, I think I'm going to have to start putting Christmas songs and hymns on my playlist.  I just can't wait to bring everything out but with friends coming I will be waiting-after all want them to see our house as it normally is.
Do you find the Spirit of Christmas sneaking up on you yet?  Hang around enough of us and you might just get in the mood; at least that's what I tell my sweet man.
With guests here for several days, I'm not sure how much I'll be posting until Tuesday or Wednesday but I'll be visiting when I can.
Have a wonderful, fun filled weekend.
Noreen