Lessons From the Seasons

I found this story a few years ago and I liked the gentle reminder that people nor life should be judged too quickly! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Lessons From the Seasons of Life

An Indian Chief had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, each in his own turn, to go to observe a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first and oldest son went in the Winter, the second son went in the Spring, the third son went in Summer, and the youngest son went in the Fall.

After all four sons had completed the journey to observe the distant pear tree the Indian chief called them together to describe what they had seen and learned.

The first and oldest son, who made the winter journey, said the tree was a bitter disappointment - ugly, bent, and twisted.

The second son, who journeyed to see the pear tree in Spring was astounded. He said the tree was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son, who traveled in the Summer, glowingly described the pear tree as laden with blossoms that smelled incredibly sweet and looked so beautiful. It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The youngest son, who saw the pear tree in the Fall, disagreed with all of them. He said the tree was the picture of fulfillment. The branches were drooping with fruit, ripe with life.

The four sons argued over who was correct in his observation of the pear tree. The chief then explained to his sons that they were all right because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.

The father told his sons that a tree, a person, or a life cannot be judged by only one season. The very essence of who a person is and the pleasure, joy, love, and success that come from that life can only be measured at the end of all the seasons.

The Indian chief’s lesson to his sons is this:
If you give up when it's Winter, you will miss the promise of Spring, the beauty of Summer, and the fulfillment of Fall.

Moral:
Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the remaining seasons of life.

Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches as better times are sure to come.

Happiness makes you content, trials make you strong, sorrows make you human, failures make you humble, success makes you hopeful.

But it is God who makes all the seasons together worthwhile.

Pink Pretties

Happy Pink Saturday everyone! Beverly at How Sweet the Sound is kind enough to arrange this fun blog-a-thon. Visit her lovely blog to see all the participants with Pink Saturday posts!

Last Christmas my husband, knowing I am a pink girl, gave me this sweet fur (faux, of course) throw and matching pillow. It is the softest, loveliest throw I've ever had. My grandbaby girls love it too!

I found this precious pink sweater for my two little pinkies in training, granddaughters Sydney and Isabelle. It's not easy to find matching clothes for a four year old and a one year old, but it is a mission that Mimi must accomplish from time to time!

Gotta keep those heels nice and smooth!

Has anyone else noticed how difficult it is to find scented bath powder? It seems that years ago almost all fragrances had a bath powder available in the same scent. I don't know of any fragrance lines that have powder now. I LOVE bath powder and so do my mom and sisters. I finally found this pink and beautifully scented bath powder so I bought enough to take some to my mother and sister when I visit them.

If you live or vacation near St. Petersburg Florida, you already know the Don CeSar, otherwise known as the Pink Palace. It is a gorgeous hotel and beach resort built in 1928 on St. Pete Beach. Inside and out, SPECTACULAR!! If you want to see more of it, go to http://www.doncesar.com/. If you're ever near St. Petersburg Florida it is well worth the time to go see the Don CeSar in person.

Fragrance

Show & Tell Friday is organized by Kelli at There's No Place Like Home. Visit her blog to see a list of all the Friday S & T posts!


I seem to be a texture/senses type of person, as evidenced by my growing assortment of paper, fabric, room fragrances, candles, and lotions! For today's Show & Tell I'd like to show you some of the loveliest fragrances I have found.

I love a nice room fragrance, as long as they are light and not overwhelming. This one is William-Sonoma, "Millefleur". It is divine. And by the way, it comes in hand soap and lotion as well. All heavenly!

Years ago my mother and I ordered gift baskets from a local woman. We always ordered Belle's Secret Garden. The items were all pink and smelled like nothing else. It, however, is very strong. I teeny tiny spritz will scent your home for hours!

This one is my all time favorite home fragrance. It is "Solace", by Greenleaf. It is a gentle floral scent.

I wish I could tell you the manufacturer of this wonderful pink grapefruit grapefruit scented room fragrance. It looks like some of the spray has dripped down over part of the label. All I can see is Sugar Ca......... Sorry about that...it's a good one, too!

Another wonderful room fragrance is Asquith & Somerset, "Lilac". If you are a lilac lover like I am you would love this one.

I love this extremely inexpensive room spray and liquid hand soap. It is highly scented and smells expensive! The label says the manufacturer is Once Upon A Rose and the scent is Hydrangea. After I bought one or two initially I raked the store for more and bought all they had. If I could find it again I would by 50 more of the hand soap! It's divine!!

Now away from home fragrances and on to personal fragrance. I have worn Cacharel "Anais Anais" for many years. Before that, from the time I was about 14 until probably 15 years ago, I wore White Shoulders. I love them both but for now I'm sticking with Anais Anais. My husband keeps me in supply.

If you have ever had Caswell-Massey scented products, you are probably already a fan. They have a broad range of scents. I adore the Lilac and the Lily of the Valley bath soaps, bath powder, and lotions. The boxes are all gorgeous and each bar is individually wrapped and boxed as well. It makes a fabulous gift! Once I was traveling from Tampa back home, just post 9/11, with a full set for my daughter's birthday. I was concerned about the packages getting damaged in my suitcase so, you guessed it, I packed it in my carry on. The limits for carry on luggage were brand new then and it just didn't occur to me that soap would be an issue. It was. The security agent, nice as he was, took them right out of my bag and dropped them into a trash can. I finally convinced him to allow me to take the items back into the terminal and mail them home to myself. I did so, with about 5 minutes to spare before boarding!

Most of you have probably enjoyed the wonderful lotions available at Victoria's Secret. My favorite is Love Spell, or as my daughter calls it, Honeymoon. She took it on her honeymoon to Hawaii and she says every time she wears it it reminds her of their wonderful trip. My mother gifted me with this tube of luxurious body lotion.

"F"

Pam, at Grey Like Snuffle is hosting "ABC's of the Word" each Thursday. Each week bloggers post a Bible verse beginning with the next letter in the alphabet! Today's letter is "F".

"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation." Luke 11:4

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, He made forgiveness the most important part of a relationship with God. All we have to do is ask for His forgiveness and it is given! When we are unable to forgive others it demonstrates that we are not fully understanding God's gift of forgiveness for us, which is freely available to every human being.

Forgiving when we've been wronged is not easy, but according to God's Word it is vital to our relationship with Him!

Wordless Wednesday - Ever Have A Day Like This?

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Off On A Rant

Some of you know that I have a blood disease which significantly reduces my ability to fight infection and causes some other less than desirable health issues. Well, I don't like to focus on it or make a big deal about it. One, because everybody has something to deal with and I am more fortunate than so many others; two, because what is just is - there's nothing I can do about it but trust God to continue taking care of each issue as it comes up, just like He always has; and three, I am so incredibly blessed and grateful that there is a treatment for my disease and it keeps me plugging along. I receive infusions every three weeks and will for the rest of my life in order to maintain some level of control over this disease. No complaining here. And I think I really do well physically and I push myself to do more than my doctors and family and friends think I ought to be doing. But you know, life is short. I don't intend to sit back and be a professional sick person! I try really hard not to allow my illness to affect everything and everyone in my life. Many people are forced to be sedentary in life because they suffer with health issues that prevent them from being more active. My heart breaks for them. As long as I can do it, I'm livin', girls! And I really do have HUGE respect and gratitude for my health providers. Really, I do. Now having said all that...


How can it be possible for an entire medical office, including the nurse and doctor to be so completely inefficient????? I realize I'm not their only patient, but COME ON PEOPLE! We are presumably talking about people with a significant amount of education and experience in dealing with things such as A BLOOD TEST! I have to have my labs done the last day before an infusion so they can see my cell trough levels, or my counts at their lowest. The nurse called last week to say he had ordered the labs. Then my internist calls and says they want me to have some too and how great, they now have a phlebotomist right in the office so I can bring the specialist's orders too and they will do it all together so as not to risk more veins just before an infusion. Which reminds me, anyone have a vein I can borrow? Finding a decent vein for infusion seems the bane of my existence! Ok, the joint offices say...no problems. Not so fast. This morning I went to the hematology office where I almost always see my specialist. But, of course, they have no idea what I'm talking about. The lady at the desk actually asked me three times if I was SURE I was a patient there! Ya, I think I am. For three years now. So next I called the doctor's second office in another city, thinking maybe he left the order there and the worst that could happen is that I would have to drive out there to get it - whaaaaaaaaaaaaat, she says? However, the good news is they remembered I am their patient. So, I'm thinking, hmmm...maybe he ordered the labs to be done at the chemo clinic tomorrow at the hospital...you guessed it. Kind and efficient as they are at the chemo clinic, no luck in finding the mysterious lab orders. So now I wait. The doctor will not be in until 1:00 today, then the nurse will have to talk to him and then call me back, then they will have to fax the order to the internist. Hopefully it will be before the phlebotomist leaves at 4:00. If it somehow doesn't happen today, I have an appointment with the specialist in a couple of weeks. I really, really hope he goes off on me about how I have to take my health more seriously and expresses just how very important it was for me to have these labs done at the right time!

I know. Not nice.

I really do know that I should be more understanding and just chill about this mix up. I know there are people dealing with situations of far greater significance. But COME ON PEOPLE! I'm sitting for ten to twelve hours AFTER three or four nurses have tried about 8 times to find a vein in a chemo clinic every three weeks for the rest of my life and a combination of two professional offices can't fax an order or put a paper in a drawer to be picked up? COME ON PEOPLE!

WHY, OH WHY, DON'T WE SIMPLETONS RULE THE WORLD?????

*POST NOTE*
I finally did get my lab work done today after missing the phlebotomist at the internist's office and having to go to another lab. God knew I had had just about all I could take and the tech actually got it on the first try! God even provided me with a pretty funny scene between a patient and an ER doctor to watch while I waited! Oh well, tomorrow is another day, plus I get a brand new fill up of the "medicide" as my son calls it! God and life is great! Have a fantastic week, everyone, and thank you for being so thoughtful to send such lovely notes and especially for your prayers.
Kathy

Tagged

CeeKay from Thinkin' of Home has tagged me to list five songs I'm embarrassed I like. Ok, my friend, you asked for it!

1. Brick House - The Commadores

2. Beat It - Michael Jackson

4. Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees

5. Wake Me Up Before You Go Go - Wham

5. Musicology - Prince

...and, C, you thought you knew me after 28 years!

I'm tagging:
Kathy@ Shocking Pink Thread
Julie@ The Princess Diaries
Sweetie@ Sweetie's World
Maryjane@ The Beehive Cottage
Susan@ Sweet Pea Sue's Cottage

The Perfect Pink!

Happy PINK Saturday Friends! Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see the list of all those posting about PINK! What could be better than pink muffins or cake?

I am a girl that just has to have a sweet treat once in a while! When I have time on Sunday mornings I like to make a batch of fresh, hot muffins for breakfast before church. Saturday mornings are good too, or maybe an evening while watching a movie...any time is ok with me!Lately I have been making these fresh strawberry muffins. The finished product is a lovely, sweet PINK delight!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped

*******************

2 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans

sugar for sprinkling on tops

Combine sugar and chopped berries in a bowl - kind of give them a little smoosh with a fork. Let the berries sit in the sugar while you mix the rest together. In a second mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk. All at once add milk, oil, eggs, vanilla, strawberry/sugar mixture, and chopped nuts. With spoon or spatula stir it all together until just mixed. Do not over mix. Prepare your muffin pans by spraying with oil or use paper cupcake liners. I usually spray those very lightly with oil too. Fill muffin cups to about 2/3 full ( I use an ice cream scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup so the muffins are uniform in size). Sprinkle the tops of each with a little sugar. Bake 25 minutes at 375 degrees. Cool slightly and enjoy!

Pink Cherry Coconut Cake

Aren't these birthday candles cute? They're shaped like stars, balloons, cakes, and party hats.

The cake is a cherry chip cake mix with coconut and finely chopped walnuts. I bake all my layer cakes in three 8 inch pans. I frosted this cake with a fluffy marshmallow frosting. The cake turns out a pretty pink and with the snow white frosting it is a really pretty cake.

Marshmallow Frosting

½ cup sugar
¼ cup white corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
2 extra large egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in small pan. Heat to rolling boil over medium heat. Allow syrup to boil for about 3 minutes. While this is boiling, beat the egg white with a mixer for about a minute, or until soft peaks form. Remove the syrup from the heat and drizzle it into the egg whites as you are continuing to beat them on high. Continue beating until stiff peaks form (about 2 minutes); add vanilla. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake.

I usually make one and a half or two recipes for a large cake.

Friendship - Not Always What You Expect

Today is Friday Show & Tell, hosted by Kelli at No Place Like Home. Go there to find a list of participants and many wonderful postings!

When I was growing up we lived in a big old house in an old neighborhood. One day when I was in 9th grade, I walked home from school passing a large brick house at the end of our block. A
tiny, wrinkled silver haired woman called out to me from an upstairs window, "Hey you, the girl with the golden hair! Come in and sit with me." I did so and it changed my life for one special year. Almost every day that school year I heard the familiar call and I was happy to spend an hour or so with my new friend. She made cookies in anticipation of my visits and we had many wonderful talks almost every day that school year. As the school year neared it's end my special friend started sending me home with gifts. One afternoon she asked me to bring my father back with a truck - she said she had a gift for me I couldn't carry home. So my father and I did as instructed. We were on our way home shortly afterward with an antique bedroom set - a four poster bed, a dresser, a desk, and a large mirror. It is the bedroom set my husband and I started our marriage with and I still have the dresser, desk, and mirror - the bed broke beyond repair within a few years - ok, you can stop laughing now!

Here is the mirror, hanging now in my art room.

Not long after the day I received the bedroom furniture my friend sent me home with a lamp, pictured below. As it turns out, it is a German Dresden lamp. I have not been able to find it listed anywhere with an exact year or value.

This is my sweet Dresden lamp.

Within weeks of the day I carried that precious gift home I approached my friend's house for my daily visit and was met by her nephew. My sweet friend had passed away while I was at school. I had never seen him before but he called me "the girl with the golden hair". It seems the wonderful hours spent with my friend were just as meaningful to her as they were to me. I remain convinced that my dear, lonely friend knew her life was nearly finished. I still feel honored that she chose me, an unfamiliar teenager, to share her last year with and to gift with treasured items of her marriage.

I guess the moral of the story here is, never discount a potential friendship not matter how ill paired you seem to be! You may find a cherished friend and incomparable memories.

Wordless Wednesday - I Kinda Feel Like This Myself Today!

http://www.funnyhub.com/

The Business of the Day

First of all, I must mention that CeeKay, at Thinkin' of Home is on an anniversary trip with her husband to exciting Las Vegas! She left behind a cute post of her top ten favorite songs. Make sure you visit her blog!

Now, the business of the day...I am simply ashamed of myself!

I participated in a fun Pay It Forward giveaway a few weeks ago. I read about it on Lorena's blog, Rose Chic Friends. I thought it sounded like fun and a nice way to meet new people and just do something nice for someone else. Well, I did send three women gifts, but first I received a lovely gift from Lorena. She hand made this darling sachet and sweet pin! Plus, she sent along a cute little post-it pad.


Aren't I the lucky girl! Thank you, Lorena, for your sweet gift. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post about it. I'm usually better at saying thank you - really, I am!

If any of you are so inclined to participate in your own Pay It Forward giveaway, you will receive a blessing as well as a gift!

MEMO

A friend recently sent this to me in the form of an e-mail. I thought it was kind of cute and a little thought provoking too! Have a restful Sunday everyone.

MEMO

TO: YOU
FROM: GOD
DATE: ANY DAY

SUBJECT: LIFE

This is God. I will be handling all of your problems for you today. I DO NOT need your help. So you can relax and have a nice day.

And remember, if life happens to present you with something you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it yourself. Kindly place it into the SFGTD (Something For God To Do) box.
I can and will take care of it, but in my time, not yours. Once the matter is placed in the box, do not worry about it and please DO NOT attempt to take it back! Instead, try spending time thinking about all the good things in your life!

Love you lots,
God

Pink

It's Pink Saturday again! Gosh, it seems like the week flew by! I have a mix of totally unrelated items to share, but they are pink things that I love!

I love this sweet pink compact

This doll cradle was my daughter Julie's when she was tiny. Now her little girls play with it!

This is my handy dandy new reading light. Pink, of course! Loves it!
Aren't these tiny floating rose bud candles precious? My friend CeeKay from Thinkin' of Home sent them to me. I can't wait to use them!

A sweet little pink and white bunny hangs on the doors of my grandmothers china cabinet.

This rose wreath sits on top of shelves in my art room. The pink simplicity just fits in the shabbiness of the room! You can see there are pink walls as well!

These dried roses were once a beautiful gift of pretty pink fresh roses from my husband. They sit in a white Lenox vase on the shelf next to the wreath.

I just love this sweet pink crocheted shawl. I believe my mother-in-law made it years ago, probably the '70's. I keep it on the back of my desk chair and wrap it around my shoulders in the evening as I blog! I love the little flowers and the scalloped edge.

A Challenge Is On!

CeeKay of Thinkin' Of Home thought my post of favorite songs was funny so she has challenged me to a fav song list duel!
Anyone want to join us for this one time challenge?
If you have memories attached to special songs in your life, just post a list of them on Tuesday, 8/19. E-mail me (Kathy) at mimisgarden@gmail.com, with your name and blog. I'll post a list of participants on Monday evening.
Feel free to copy and use this cute Music My Space graphic if you like.

Plates!

Happy Birthday Julie!

I didn't realize how many plates I had collected until I started looking around at the walls in every room. I have most of them hanging around my house. I am a dish-a-holic anyway so I guess plates on the walls seems natural to me! I have more - I just have to find a place to hang them! Visit Kelli's page to see a list of all the Friday Show & Tell posts!

I bought these plates this Spring at an antique mall just because I thought there were so pretty!

I bought these two lavender plates at an antique store with the artists name on the back, with the intention of hanging them in my newly decorated guest room. When I got them home I was stunned at how close the painted flowers are to the ones in the antique hand painted silk shades in the same room. They really look like they were painted at the same time by the same artist.

Alice in Wonderland - cute, huh?

The back of this little Victorian plate says "Hand Painted in Japan"

This plate has an interesting history. We own 160 acres and a small cottage in northern Michigan. When my husband and I were newlyweds we loved taking trips up there and spending our days walking in the woods exploring. We came upon a homestead area with remnants left behind by the pioneer homesteaders many years before. Most of the items were in poor condition and nothing we wanted. However, I found this plate lying just under the soil when my husband lifted an old bed frame. It has one small chip and of course it is covered with egg shell like cracks, but otherwise it's in good condition. I simply washed the plate, so as not to change the appearance too much, and hung it.

These pink plates and the little bird plate hang in my work/art room.

This is a collector plate from the Seattle Worlds Fair. Made in Japan.

This little Tennessee plate is actually a saucer - no cup. I found it in Michigan but Tennessee is my "home"state - I was excited when I saw it! Made in Japan.

These pink and white plates hang in my kitchen.