Family

So many things to post about and so little time. I have company arriving Tues. for a week. The next two months will be busy with the holidays and one event we are looking forward to the most is a visit from our daughter and family. They are church planting in Riverside, CA. We can't wait to hug them all. Our grand daughters are growing, maturing and doing so well in school. We can't wait to hear all that the Lord is doing in their lives. Emma will be 10 in a couple of months. She went to summer camp in the desert of CA this year.

Got her wish to ride a horse.
Olivia (6) is loosing teeth left and right.

This was their first day of school. They are home schooled and do great with it. They have a regular classroom with regular school desks.

They have teachers that teach them via the hard drive.

Emma loves school and reads constantly. She always has a book in her hands. When I was visiting I found her reading the LA Times a couple of mornings. lol

They are sweet, tenderhearted girls. Always ready to pray or do a kind deed for someone.
Emma carries a little notebook and writes down people's names at prayer meeting so she can pray for them. Isn't that sweet!

Olivia is 1st grade this year and reading well and doing cursive.

They just finished their 1st year in CA and are seeing some progress and growth at the church. It is slow going and they covet the prayers of believers on their behalf.

I hope you are having a beautiful Fall weekend like we're having in SC. Enjoy God's beauty!

Precious Moments

On our trip to Branson we took a day to travel to the Precious Moments Chapel that Sam Butcher created in 1989. It was so interesting to see his work and hear how he painted this chapel in record time.

The grounds were beautifully maintained.

This is the original 21 that he created for the Enesco company. Some of the characters were created in tribute to his own children.

This is the front of the chapel. They have a museum and gift store on the grounds as well.

The doors to the chapel were carved by Sam Butcher, himself, along with a 19 year old from the Philippines. The wood was shipped from that country. They are amazing to see.

This is a hall that runs along the side of chapel. Sam's sister-in-law made all the stain glass windows. Just beautifully done.

The inside of the chapel has many paintings of his. This large one is floor to ceiling.

The paintings on the side walls were done in seven (7) days. All of them-- if you can believe it. He is a man that requires little sleep and works long hours.

He painted the ceiling on scaffolds, sometimes on his back. He only slept a few hours a night to get it done in 3 1/2 mos.

He visits the chapel a few times a year. He now lives in the Philippines working with an orphanage.

We were happy we took the day to visit it.

Thanks for your visit today! I hope you enjoyed it.

Changes

I didn't think Fall could be as busy as Summer--but I was wrong! I've had company from MI this past week and it has kept me hopping. More company is coming on the 27th and I will have a house full for 16 days. Pray for me! (smile)

It has been fun but busy. We took another trip to Boone and Bowing Rock, NC to show my sister the mountains. While shopping in a little country drug store, my hubby spotted some LARGE pumpkins on display at the pharmacy counter. They were up on a high counter and were marked for display only. My hubs said to the pharmacist, "Would you be interested in selling those pumpkins?" My sister and I hurried away before they thought we were all illiterate.

We were in another part of the store when hubs comes over and says the pharmacist is calling the owner to see if he will sell the pumpkins. I said "You're kidding." The rest is history. Long story short--we walked out of there with the LARGE pumpkins. My sister bought half and we bought half. She sent hers home by UPS. You should have seen the look on the clerks face. (smile)

Well, with no more room in the car we headed home.

This was the entertainment center pre-pumpkins.


This is the top now. What do you think? Better???


A few Fall pics and cornucopia finish off the top.

Thanks for stopping and for all your sweet comments.

Enjoy your weekend

Doors of Welcome

Karen http://somedaysarediamonds-karen.blogspot.com/ is hosting Doors of Welcome today.

Be sure to stop over and see all the beautiful homes and their Doors of Welcome.

If you are a follower of this blog you probably have already seen our home and front door. I hope you will bear with me.

This is a pic showing the entire front. We love to change the decor to fit the season. All pics should enlarge.The Fall is the longest season to have decorations up.

I painted the pumpkin face in front of the tree a few years back. He looks so jolly and friendly when you approach the house.

I love all the warm colors, pumpkins, gourds and mums.

Come on in and sit a spell.

We can sip some cider, munch on cookies and get to know each other better.

I got the metal pumpkins from Kirkland a couple of years ago.

Thanks for stopping by today. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Family Room Fall Decor

You are probably tired of looking at our Branson pictures, so I thought I'd give you a break and look at some Fall decor. Don't worry though, I have more pics to share with you. lol I'll wait a week or so before I finish the rest.


This is a pic of our family room from the cat walk above it. A wreath and pumpkins setting on the hearth of the fireplace.

Fall centerpieces, Fall picks, pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns adorn the mantle.

Sofa table behind the couch with a few Fall items.

A floral arrangement on an end table. Hubby got into the act again. lol

Another end table. This pumpkin opens up to fill with candy.

Our entertainment center has many vignettes on the shelves.

Here are some close up pics of the shelves.

This is a big gourd painted like a pumpkin. With so many different shapes of gourds, they can be painted into pumpkins, snowmen, or a Santa.

A cute little goose with a pumpkin on her head and veggies in her hands. Oops, I mean wings.

This Bombay chest sets in the foyer leading into the family room.

My Fall tree with lights, Fall picks and pumpkins.

I have enjoyed looking at so many of your Fall decorations. They are all so inspiring.

Thanks for your visit today!

I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

Andy Williams

We arrived in Branson, MO on our 2nd day of traveling. We had bought tickets on line to a few shows and received vouchers. We had to pick up our tickets upon arrival. The lines can be quite long the day of the show so we decided to pick them up ahead of time. Our last stop for the night was at the Andy Williams Theater. (You younger ones are probably saying who's that?) lol
It was dinner time and we noticed a restaurant with his name on it across the street. We thought we would try it.It was a nice, quiet place with very good food and pleasant staff.
Here's hubs and I outside.

To our surprise in walked Andy Williams himself. (Who knew) He looked right at us and waved. It was around 7 or 8 and we thought he would be doing a show at that time. The staff told us he comes in at some point everyday.

He was so pleasant and accommodating in letting us have our picture taken with him.
Our friends Jim and Regina were with us.

Hubby took a pic of his parking space. A guy thing, I guess.

These next few pics are from the next night at his show.

He still has a strong, clear voice that hits the high notes at 82.
He sang Moon River, of course.

He stays in shape by walking 45 minutes everyday. He still performs once a day. He is getting ready to go on tour for his new book, "Moon River and Me". It will be a Euopean tour.

I grew up watching his variety show. Many stars got their start on his show, like the Osmonds.

I hope you are enjoying beautiful weather this weekend!

Thanks for your visit and comments.