beloved MaMa™: Today's a New Day and I'm Back!

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This is it! This is the amazing answer to prayer I recently referred to using such discretion. Please check in and say hi if you've not seen belovedmama's site. If you love her and wonder where she's been...well, I think she's been praying for most of the whole world and the Lord is blessing her with moving her back to Southern California where she'll be close enough to visit Sunny once every blue moon or so.

Please forgive the suspense; I needed to respect my darling friend's wishes. I trust you understand. That's just what friends do...

Summertime

Is everyone having a great summer? It seems things are slowing down in Blogland for a season. That's ok with me, I just hope nobody feels I've forgotten them. Life seems to be zooming along and good things are ahead!

JJ & Honey are still looking for work. I've got my projects here and there with lots of laughter in-between them all. We've started playing badminton each evening and Max is our birdie-boy. He's becoming quite skilled at getting the birdies we've hit far too far.

The bunnies around here are too cute for words. Max runs after them, but is quite nice if he catches one. I would not be happy if he was, well, looking for a snack, you know.

All in all, life is good in Sunny. Wish you could join us for some Sweet Tea tonight. We'd have so much fun!

Notes From the Tilt-A-Whirl

I've been on a crazy ride with Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl by N.D. Wilson! It's a delightful look at the world through the author's eyes. He poses questions a mile a minute and bounces around the scenery in a way that makes the title completely appropriate. Some of the questions he raises have often kept me awake at night. Tending to keep those thoughts to myself, it was an amazing adventure on this tilt-a-whirl feeling I was sitting with a good friend. Sensing a bit of motion sickness at times, I'd have to put the book down for a few minutes to let some of the content soak in. He brings it all together in the last few chapters. I enjoyed the ride and the spins were fabulous!

A Good Day

Some days are just filled with roses, sunshine and hummingbirds. Every lovely thing you can imagine. Today is one of those days.

No, I don't actually have the roses and hummingbirds, but we do have more than our fair share of sunshine. Our heavenly Father has answered a prayer request today that we have been bringing to Him for a few years. So it's time for a happy dance. Go on ~ put on your wiggly slacks and tennies and join in. The exercise will feel good and you'll breathe a bit deeper and sleep a bit sounder tonight.

When I have clearance from Intelligence Central Up North, I'll let you know the particulars. I really do hate to keep you guessing, but it's just that good. I had to let you know we are all going to finish off a large pitcher of Sweet Tea tonight! Come on ~ raise your glass too!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

Sunny Times

We share so much fun via long distance, twitter and facebook...but there's just something extra special about being together.

We played with water guns, had a great barbecue, laughed with our families until our sides hurt, viewed the wedding video ~ much to Honey's delight, and encouraged each other with hope. It was a fabulous evening having our friends here. You may know her ~ she's belovedmama in bloggyland. And my amazing friend.

When an absolutely wonderful afternoon or evening of fun happens, I often wonder if it's just a wee taste of Heaven. I think we're going to share some great times around fire pits or barbecues or ice cream trucks there. We may perhaps even engage in some water gun fun. I think joy is definitely in the works...

Yes, She Is

Beloved Mama, hostess of the amazing belovedmama blogspot is coming over to play at my house tonight! I promise to post photos tomorrow! and she better get back at her blogging soon, eh!

We'll raise our Sweet Tea to y'all for sure!

Celebrations

We had a quiet July 4th around here. JJ & Honey were away with her family celebrating her sister Lovely's birthday, as well as the birth of our nation. Lovely wants to go into government work, so a patriotic birthday is most appropriate for her.

We watched the Capitol Fourth on PBS and I must confess, televised fireworks just simply are not the same. The music was wonderful and Aretha was earth-shakingly delightful. I had hoped to see the famous hat again, but she chose a yellow ensemble instead. The gray hat would not have worked well.

We've been working on a puzzle of the American flag. We may finish it by labor day. DJ put together three sections of firework blasts last night. That is most admirable in the jigsaw puzzle hall-of-fame.

Sunday morning we were privileged to attend two patriotic services. It's always nice to see friends in the band, choir and/or orchestra at these events. There was even a horse involved with one of them. And yes, he left a special gift near the stage. It filled the auditorium with a true sense of 'being there.' Lots of kids involved in the drama, and it's great to see teenagers wanting to serve in church. Next time you see one at your church, let 'em know you love 'em. The size of that tattoo doesn't matter nearly as much as how much you love 'em. Right?!?

Seeing the bright spots in America certainly helps these days. Its about time we began focusing more on our bright spots overall, eh. (Just had to throw in a little Canadian there. Just because.)

Here's to You, America!

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July! Go find a good parade, listen to some great music, eat some corn-on-the-cob...use sunscreen, but most of all, say a prayer for our troops, our president and our country.

And have an amazing day with family or friends that feel like family!

I'm Going to my New Home

The time has come. Most of the puppy angels are on their way to their new forever families. Little Sam here is not quite sure what that means, but he's hoping it will be wonderful. His mama, Roxy, has done an excellent job of raising him so far and he's ready to face the world.

He'll run, chase, sit, shake, roll over, stay, and most importantly of all, take very good care of his new Big People. We're sure of that!

It is puppy season now. Please, o please, if you want a new pet, find a reputable breeder or a good shelter for your selection. As much as I love puppies, the thought of supporting a puppy mill in any manner brings tears to my eyes quite quickly.

And please, keep your lil' ones inside this weekend! I'm sure Max will be hiding out under his favorite chair. He's still a bit nervous over hearing a firecracker back in May...

I Feel Like Travelin' On

I've been humming that tune this morning for awhile. If you grew up listening to Hillsong, Mark Schultz or even Evie, you might not recognize it. But in my childhood, there was nothing quite like a good Southern Gospel quartet singing "I Feel Like Traveling On." I can almost smell the fried chicken, too.

It's been a month of highs, a few lows here and there and bunnies scampering about in-between. Max is pouting due to a new sack of food, which he seems to be less-than-thrilled with. Hopefully, he'll try it soon. We bought it at the Big Box Store, so we've got a few days worth of bowls to fill.

JJ & Honey are doing well. Marriage seems to be bringing out the best in them. Honey is making a lot of Sweet Tea.

I knew I liked her.