Thursday 13: Little Girl Friendships

I am joining a group of bloggers for Thursday 13 where we make a list of 13 things on any topic we choose.

So welcome to my first Thursday edition.

Because I am spending time with my youngest granddaughter for a couple days, she is definitely on my mind.

Topic:  Granddaughter Friendships

When Ava Grace was only a preschooler she buddy'd up with two other little girls at church.  Of course it didn't hurt that the mothers and daddies were also best friends.

Ava Grace, Ella and Greta shared everything.  These are just a few of my favorite pictures of them as little girls.

Dance babies

Their first dance recital

Ella and Ava Grace share their 5th birthday party together.

Second dance recital

A shared 6th Birthday party.

Party Cowgirls

Their 1st soccer game

Pre-K Christmas dolls

Pre-K Queen Day

Personality bursting out all over

Happy little Pre-K Graduates

One of the last things they did together was to reunite at summer camp. Shortly before this, Greta's family had moved to NYC where her dad is Music Minister at Brooklyn Tabernacle Church.

It didn't take long before another special friend made this a three-some again.

Chandler became the glue and added a whole new dimension to the group.

The three of them still celebrate birthdays together

Enjoy outings with their families together

Still dress up

Attend church and school together

And party together as Besties with their Bestie mothers.

 And yes, I can count!

For today, it must be Thursday 19!

Linking up with:

Coleen @ Loose Leaf Notes

Country Dew

Wednesday Medley: Cookie Day

This is one National Day I could celebrate every day!  However, I no longer allow myself one single Oreo cookie because I can never eat just one.  So, it's better to just not be tempted to eat the whole bag in one sitting.

Come join Terri at Your Friend From Florida for info on how to celebrate this Cookie Day and some info I bet you didn't know.

NATIONAL OREO COOKIE DAY – March 6

1.  Are you able to pass by a plate of cookies and not take one or are you a bit of a 'Cookie Monster'?

Yes, I am pretty well disciplined where food is concerned and especially sweets.  I do still crave a bite of something sweet but I try not to indulge.

2.  Tell us about your favorite cookie. Have your tastes changed since you were a kid?

The thin Oreo cookie would be my favorite.  I don't care for the new thick ones at all.

3.  Inquiring minds want to know if you are a dunker and, if so, do you dunk in milk, coffee, or tea?

I loved to dunk them in milk or even hot chocolate for a double dose of chocolate goodness.  See why I have to "SAY NO!"?

4.  It is that time of year and they are selling them on every corner and in front of every store!  Do you buy Girl Scout cookies and if you do, which is your favorite?

I haven't bought Girl Scout cookies since the twins next door grew up and stopped selling them.  My favorites though were the mint.

5.  Raw cookie dough.  Yay or Nay?

NAY!

6.  Please tell us something random about your week!!

Monday morning I attended a Women's Missionary Union brunch at church where our speaker gave some really interesting information on Annie Armstrong.  In the Southern Baptist Church we have a missions offering that is named for her - Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for Home Missions - and this is our Week of Prayer.

One of the interesting things I learned about her is that she was known by her male contemporaries as "indefatigable" and "indomitable."  These traits would have served her well on the Western frontier in the late 1800's.

Another interesting fact is that this is the only picture ever taken of Annie Armstrong.  She refused to have her picture taken lest it be in the hands of a man and taken into a saloon or brothel.  Her indomitable spirit and love for Jesus Christ made a huge impact on the mission field.  One year alone, she hand wrote 18,000 letters seeking support for missionaries.

To date over $1 billion dollars have been given to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering to support missionaries in the US and Canada.

TODAY

I will be driving to Dallas to my daughter's for a couple nights.  On Thursday morning I will attend "World Impact Day" which is a commissioning service for students and teachers who will be going on mission trips during spring break from our granddaughter's school, Prestonwood Christian Academy.

Afterward, I will attend a Grandparent's Prayer Coffee where we will pray for the school, leaders and students.  I look forward to being part of this joint prayer group asking for God's protection and guidance over our grandchildren.  We can't do enough of this.

I also hope to get some time with my daughter and granddaughters while there.  That's the real reason for going of course.

Spring In Words and Song

Early Signs of Spring

Now that the winter's gone, the earth has lost

Her snow-white robes; and now no more the frost

Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream

Upon the silver lake or crystal stream

Thomas Carew

A light exists in spring
Not present in the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

Emily Dickinson

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows' wintry grey.

Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents.

Tendernesses, hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Spring, the sweet Spring, is the year's pleasant king;

Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring.

Thomas Nashe

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with thee;

There is a garden in her face

Where roses and white lilies grow;

When morning gilds the skies,

My heart awaking cries;

May Jesus Christ be praised. 

When you begin the day,

O never fail to say,

May Jesus Christ be praised!

Every day He comes to me with new assurance,

More and more I understand His words of love;

But I'll never know just why He came to save me

Till some day I see His blessed face above. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Linking to:
Amaze Me Monday

Saturday 9: Come Saturday Morning

It's Saturday and time to join Samantha for some Saturday questions based on a song and its vocalists.

I remember this song and The Sandpipers quiet well and fondly.  I really did like their sound and most of their songs, especially Try to Remember, Today, Beyond the Sea and Guantanamera.  And what teenager or young adult female didn't cry a few tears while listening to Softly As I Leave You or Never Say Goodbye.  Click on these links to take you back to the 60's.  There are so many others you will remember as well and if you aren't familiar with them, you will want to be.  Trust me!

Come Saturday Morning

Saturday 9: Come Saturday Morning (1969)
 
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) What are your plans for this Saturday morning?

I really don't have plans for this Saturday morning other than to do the regular routine.

2) In this song, a man sings of going away for the day with a friend. Where did you go on your last day trip?

It was actually a 3-day road trip.  I went to spend the night with my sister near Baton Rouge, then to Lafayette to be at the hospital while my sister-in-law had surgery.  Afterward, I drove further south to New Iberia where I spent the night and visited with a long-time friend.

By the way, New Iberia is the home of Avery Island where Tabasco Sauce is made and where we lived for the first 11 months of our marriage.

3) The lyrics say, "we will remember long after Saturday's gone." What's something you've done recently that you predict you'll remember for a long time to come?

I will remember the trip mentioned above and having three long-time lady friends over for lunch this past Tuesday.  Why am I likely to remember these events a long time?  Because I enjoyed them so much and I spent time with people I love and with whom I share beloved memories and experiences.

4) This song was the Oscar-nominated theme from the movie The Sterile Cuckoo. What's the first movie song that pops into your head?

I can't think of a single one right now.

5) In the movie, Liza Minnelli played Mary Ann Adams, an eccentric girl everyone called "Pookie." Have you ever been known by a memorable nickname? Who gave it to you?

My forever nickname is Libby and that's the only one I've ever had - short for Elizabeth - given to me by my parents.

My sisters may have had other names for me behind my back, but we won't go there.

My grandmother name is Bibby and given to me by my first nephew, who had trouble with his "L's" thus Aunt Bibby.  It stuck with all the other nephews and I thought my grands should use it too.  All babies can say "B" sounds before "L", so it was perfect.

6) Today's group began their career as The Grads. Recording artist/producer Herb Alpert liked their sound but hated their name. Alpert picked "sandpiper" at random out of the dictionary. Do you still have and use a bound dictionary? Or do you rely on the internet for word searches and spelling?

Totally the internet!

7) The biggest news story of 1969, the year this song was popular, was one of the biggest news stories of all time. On July 20, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. Other than the moon landing, what's the most consequential event that you've seen in your lifetime. How do you feel it changed America, and the world?

This was not a consequential, America altering event necessarily although the world has been a better place because of it.

One month and two days after the moon landing, August 22, 1969 I gave birth to the most beautiful little boy named John Marcus who literally rocked our world and made us better people.

8)1969 was a big year for music festivals, with Atlanta, Toronto and Woodstock all holding famous fests. Have you visited Georgia, Ontario or New York (state)? 

Yes to all three!

9) Random question -- According to some plant enthusiasts, house plants do better when they're spoken to. Do you talk to your plants?

No, I don't.

Wednesday Medley - Sweetness

Joining Terri for this week's

Wednesday Medley

NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY – February 27

NATIONAL STRAWBERRY DAY

We continue with February’s heart-shaped and red theme by observing National Strawberry Day on February 27. These juicy, sweet berries can brighten up any dish and are delicious all on their own.

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1.  Given all that information on this 🍓National Strawberry Day🍓, do you have a favorite recipe for strawberries?  Would you share it with us?

I wish I did have a favorite recipe, but I don't.  I don't cook a lot of deserts and rarely if ever cook with strawberries.  We much prefer them fresh.

However, if you want a good strawberry pie, Strawns Eat Shop is the place to go.  Strawns opened in 1944 and now has three locations. Southern Living Magazine featured their famous ice box pies in 1994, 2003 and 2009.

2.  Some people think the smaller, northern varieties are sweeter than the larger berries that grow in the south and in California.  What are your thoughts on that?

All I know about are the large southern variety and find them very hard to beat.

3.  There is a Strawberry Festival right here in Plant City, Florida (next town over from Lakeland) and it is a huge event that lasts 11 days with headliner acts each day.  Have you ever been to a Strawberry Festival?

I have not ever been to the Strawberry Festival in my state but have heard good things about it.  It is April 12-14 in Ponchatoula, near Hammond, LA.

4.  Strawberries are grown in every US state.  Have you ever grown them in your garden?

We tried once many years ago but were either not successful or it was too much work.  I tend to lean to the latter.

5.  Strawberry is the only fruit that has seeds on the outside, and technically it is not a berry but rather a fruit, and would you be surprised to learn that strawberries belong to the rose family?  Do you have any strawberry trivia to share with us?

DID YOU KNOW?

The Strawberry was designated the Louisiana official state fruit in 1980?

Strawberries are on the menu of the official state meal of North Louisiana? Who knew we had an official state meal?  Interesting!

6.  Tell us something random about your week!!

Yesterday I had three of my long-time friends over for lunch.  We have known each other since 1969, when members of the same church in another town, before each of us moved to Shreveport and Ruston at different times through the years.  It was so good to be with these dear ladies and friends.

In 2009 we had several friends over from our old town who had moved to this area.  Unfortunately two precious friends in this group are no longer with us, but this picture brings back memories of times with our long-time friends.  This was the last time the four of us gals were together although I have seen them each individually.

On Thursday, our only grandson will have a birthday.  He is such a dear and we could not be more proud of this strong, healthy, intelligent, personable, lovable young man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON!