Beauty Without Within

Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce @ From This Side of the Pond

1. What's the best thing about growing older?
Confidence!  Along with confidence comes a degree of wisdom and contentment.
Retirement!  Have I said how much I am loving being retired?  If not, "I LOVE RETIREMENT!"

2. When did you first feel like a grown up?
When I got married.

3. Chocolate cake with white icing or white cake with chocolate icing?
Chocolate cake with chocolate icing!!!!  Can't figure out why that wasn't one of the choices:)

4. What's the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?

Sorry, nothing other than opening a door is coming to mind on this one.

5.  What's something you learned from your grandparents?
To love unconditionally.

6. Wednesday marks a sad day in the history of planet earth-9/11...what's something you do (or can do) to bring peace to your little corner of the world?
Peace with my fellowman is important to me and where there seems to be strife, I have learned to pray about it and let God work it out rather than my trying to fix the ills in my little corner of the world.  This has not been easy, because I am a fixer and a solver.  But, God is teaching me every day that He is in control and although He will use me as He chooses, He doesn't have to have my assistance to bring about peace in all situations.

7.  Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song containing the word peace.  

"When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrow like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

"Though Satan should buffet, tho trials should come, Let this blest assurance control,  That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

"My sin - oh, the bliss of this glorious tho't:  My sin not in part, but the whole Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

"It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul."

It Is Well with My Soul  Horatio G. Spafford, 1873

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

After enduring almost two months of upper ninety and 100+ degree temps, and no break in sight, Hubby and I decided that we needed to look into doing something to help with utility bills.

First, Hubby found a tent that fits over the attic opening inside our house.  I can't tell you what a difference the installation of this tent has made.  We no longer feel the oven from our attic when the staircase is opened as it seals around the opening.  And, it is easily removed when necessary.

Also, since the front of our house gets all the direct western exposure and heat, Hubby found a local company that makes solar screens.

We had these installed this past week and we can already feel a difference in those front rooms.  The AC still runs constantly, but hopefully we will see a little difference in the bill eventually.

 Although the screens are dark, we don't feel they detract from the appearance of the house from inside or out.

Surely, FALL IS right around the corner.

 

Come back tomorrow to see

"Getting Ready for Fall in the South"