We Celebrate Our 50th Wedding Anniversary....

On June 19th, 1960, Father's Day Sunday, Edward and I were married after Sunday morning services. Back then, almost all weddings were on Sunday. Earlier in the week, I had been diagnosed with appendicitis. I spent several days in bed and on Sunday morning I didn't know if I would be going to the church or the hospital....I went to church (when I was 44 my appendix were removed during major surgery).

I had just graduated from high school and a few days later Edward had graduated from University of Georgia with a teaching degree.

I had $300.00 to spend on a wedding. About $150.00 went toward wedding dress material, flowers, gifts, etc. My sweet Aunt Gladys made my dress. The remaining money was spent on curtains, bedspreads, etc., things for our home.

Our first meal was Ham with Raisin Gravy and vegetables. On our way to Amelia Island, Florida we got in a National Guard Convoy....we were waved around truck after truck with lots of horn blowing and hats waving. What a way to go! We continue to vacation at Amelia Island with our daughters, their husbands and eight grandchildren. The week of July 4th finds us making many memories.......

Because Father's Day weekend is so busy, our daughters and church family hosted a reception for us on Sunday afternoon, June 13th. Many, many friends came to enjoy the afternoon with us. A basket of cards were given to us and we continue daily to receive more cards.

Our granddaughter, Ellie, played the violin superbly ...our twin granddaughters, Erin and Elisabeth sang 'I'll Be There' beautifully. Erin presented a power point slide show from our births until the present complete with music of our era and captioning. We experienced a wonderful afternoon with family and friends.

Our daughters insisted our wedding attire be displayed.

Granddaughter, Elisabeth, baked the delicious cake and sweet friend, Beth, decorated.

Thank you Mindy, Chip, Davis, Drew, Amy, Chad, Erin, Elisabeth, Wesley, Ellie, John, Alexander, Beth and the sweet ladies of our church family.

Happy 50th Anniversary to Edward.......Love and Prayers....Betty

Have You Come Across Any Blue Roses?

Here is an email someone sent to me, and I thought it was worth sharing!


Having four visiting family members, the wife was very busy, so I offered to go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags, detergent, and Clorox. So off I went.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, "Mommy, I'm over here."

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly. "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."

"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked.

"Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"

"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle.. "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles, and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in God's Garden; however, "Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?"

Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion but I sure love living in God's garden."

She reached out, squeezed my hand, and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes.

May I suggest that the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head and walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece, or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.

From an old dandelion!

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

"People will forget what you said, People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Saw these 2 on church signs:

You've "done" everything under the sun; now try doing

everything for the "SON"!

Alexander's trip to the ER.....A Tribute to Mothers....

Our sweet little four year old grandson, Alexander, collided with a table Wednesday and had to make a trip to the ER to have his forehead glued back together...he hasn't missed a beat!

I can't say the same for his Mom, Amy. We, Mama's, know when one of our chicks takes a lick, the livin' daylights are scared out of us....both are doing fine.

Real Moms ** Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it. ** Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox. ** Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids. ** Real Mothers know that dried playdough doesn't come out of shag carpets. ** Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up. ** Real Mothers sometimes ask "why me?" and get their answer when a little voice says, "because I love you best." ** Real Mothers know that a child's growth is not measured by height or years or grade... It is marked by the progression of Mama to Mommy to Mom... Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers...and those who play a mother's role in the lives of all children!

Signs of Spring around our home.....

Roses budding....this is a pink tree rose with the sweetest smelling blooms...can hardly wait....

Beautiful pot that has pansies....

Potting soil to repot many flowers.....

Hanging baskets of red geraniums......

Viburnum blooms....

George Tabor azaleas.....

New patio umbrella.....

New patio cushions.....

What are your spring time projects?

An Easter Prayer For You.....

Nails such as these did not hold the Lord Jesus to the cross on Calvary....

His love for His people held Him there....and then three days later...He arose...As the angel told the women, "He is not here, He is risen as He said He would."

HALLELUJAH! The Lord God omnipotent reigneth!

I pray that you have a blessed Easter....Betty

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow......

On Friday, we lived in a 'winter wonderland' for a few hours...I visited a cousin in the hospital, who later passed away, and then drove to visit my friend, Jackie....as she, Jerry and I sat talking, visiting, the snow began to really become heavy. As I left about an hour later everything was glistening white....absolutely breath taking.....I slowly drove home through the country taking in the beauty. As I approached home our little guest house was so pretty......

Our home......

Our neighbor, Brenda, across the road emailed this picture to us and the one of the guest house.

Our grandchildren next door thoroughly enjoyed the rare snow...their snowman, Fred, lasted almost four days....

It was an ideal situation....snow one afternoon and night and the next day it was gone...but the memories are tucked away to be remembered forever.....

I hope you enjoyed a 'Happy Valentine's Day'......

Sights and Shopping in NYC

A new experience for us was riding in a NYC taxi....three of us shared a cab and rode several blocks to Macy's...when we got there it was lunch time so we headed to the basement...everyone chose their meal and as you can imagine it was packed to the gills. There was a table with one well dressed gentleman seated...we all surrounded him, sat down and began eating. He continued reading his newspaper, never saying a word. When he finished his meal, he stood up, folded his paper and said, "ladies, have a nice day, spend lots of money in Macy's and I'll leave the paper for you to read."

Our driver was very nice, answering our questions...I'm quite certain he had never heard three ladies from the south utter, "Gosh", " yonder", and "oh, my Lord"......

My pictures are all mixed up...I have a new Notebook laptop that is totally unfamiliar to me and it is not co-operating with me...this on Top Of The Rock....very windy.

We look like we're about to fly away.

This looks quite different than the sights we see at home.

Top of the Rock....you can see many famous landmarks from the top including Central Park where we on another day had lunch at Tavern On The Green.

The Empire State Building....wonder if Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are still on the observation deck...one of my favorite movies....

As you enter Top of the Rock there is a gorgeous 14,000 Swaroski crystal chandelier...there are, according to the internet, 300 stores located in this facility.

I agree with this....especially at Christmas...

Well, as I said before, my pictures are mixed up and I couldn't get them to slide....Macy's windows and outside decorations were beautiful. Many, many people were Christmas shopping. We rode the wooden escalator up to the nineth floor and enjoyed seeing all the decorated trees and ornaments galore. I did bring a beautiful Empire State Building ornament home for our tree.

More sights next time.....