flowers Archives - Page 3 of 9 - Grateful Prayer

a new song

By Lorraine

I waited patiently for the LORD;

And He inclined to me and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,

And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God;

Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.

How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust,

And has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done,

And Your thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with You.

If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

Psalm 40:1-5

Count Your Blessings

By Lorraine

Count Your Blessings

Lyrics:Johnson Oatman Jr. 1856-1926

Music:Edwin Othello Excell 1851-1921

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged, God is over all;

Count your many blessings, angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

By Lorraine

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Thomas Obediah Chisholm

(1866-1960)

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee;

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed thy hand hath provided;

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

path of life

By Lorraine

photo taken at Princeton University GardensContinue Reading

comfort

By Lorraine

praying for my friend and her family who are traveling the road of great loss

and

for others who need to be reminded

of the One who is able to lovingly and tenderly carry us through difficult times

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 31:8

kindness

By Lorraine

goldfinch gathering seeds from coneflowers (Echinacea)

As summer draws to a close, it is helpful to stroll through the yard, looking closely and evaluating the plants and flowers, gathering info for next season. How does your garden grow? What did well? What problems did you encounter?

Welcome September

By Lorraine

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather

And autumn’s best of cheer.

Helen Hunt Jackson

I’ve been reluctant to cut the hydrangea flowers because I love the view from the kitchen table.

But I also want to enjoy these pretty, chartreuse-colored flowers in my home through the year.

So, I cut the huge blooms and stood them in a large pitcher filled with water where they will remain for about a week, until they are dried.

This post from last summer, shows how I dry hydrangea blooms.

Here they fill a bowl for a vibrant centerpiece

And, a few more ideas for using the dried blossoms to create a wreath can be found here.

Our grandchildren will all be heading back to school this coming week and my thoughts turn to the anticipation of autumn and all its beauty. I love the month of September!

Hope its a good month for you!

Hummingbirds at Feeders

By Lorraine

I am always delighted to see the hummingbirds at the feeders. Here is a young, female Ruby-throated hummingbird preparing to land for a treat.Continue Reading

In the Garden

By Lorraine

In the Garden

Words: Charles Austin Miles (1912)

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear

The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own;

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

I’d stay in the garden with Him,

Though the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go; through the voice of woe

His voice to me is calling.

Favorite Houseplants

By Lorraine

A couple months ago, I was a guest host on Laura’s beautiful blog, Decor to Adore, to share My Favorite Five Houseplants. Here is that post.Continue Reading

Porch Planters

By Lorraine

Redoing a garage sale urn was a DIY project that resulted in a beautiful, farmhouse style porch planter for spring garden flowers with lots of curb appeal. Shade loving annual coleus does exceptionally well.

Do you have beat-up, sad looking porch planters that have seen better days? I do, or rather did. I finally got around to tackling a project that was easier than I thought making me regret my procrastination.Continue Reading

The First Rose Of Summer

By Lorraine

It excites me to see the very first rose buds appear each spring knowing they will soon bust forth into beautiful blossoms with sweet fragrance. This is a hybrid tea rose called Broadway with shades of pink, yellow and peach. It has been in our garden since 2012.

Growing alongside purple spiderwort.

Pink Knockout Roses are just beginning to bloom too.

The First Rose Of Summer

‘Tis the first rose of summer that opes to my view,

With its bright crimson bosom all bathed in the dew;

It bows to its green leaves with pride from its throne–

‘Tis the queen of the valley, and reigneth alone.

Oh! why, lovely stranger! thus early in bloom,

Art thou here to assure us that summer is come?

The primrose and harebell appear with the spring,

But tidings of summer the young roses bring.

Thou fair gift of nature (I welcome the boon),

Was ‘t the lark of the morning that ‘woke thee so soon?

Yet I weep, thou sweet floweret! for soon, from the sky,

The lark shall repose where thy leaves wither’d lie.

Oh! if beauty could save thee, thou ne’er wouldst decay,

But, alas! soon thou ‘lt perish and wither away;

And thy kindred may blossom, and blossom as fair–

Yet I ‘ll mourn, lonely rosebud! when thou art not there.

Robert Gilfillan (1798-1850 / Scotland)

forget-me-not

By Lorraine

~ dainty, blue forget-me-nots blooming in the garden this week ~

Mother’s Day Vintage Tablescape and Brunch Menu

By Lorraine

I love this quote. It brings back so many sweet memories for my husband and I as we remember our Mothers this Mother’s Day. Gathering many old rose pottery pieces and boopie glasses from our childhood, I created a vintage tablescape and a menu any mom would enjoy.