Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Monday

I Love My Family - Coffee & Conversation







There was a big event!

Yes there was a special event for our family and at that event there were many pictures taken but one of the ones I love the best was a selfie which got photobombed.

Yeah in the middle of a very special event 3 of our kids were cramming close together taking a selfie when the fourth one photobombed it and it came out great.







Well that's my family

 Our daughter Linda on the left,
 our son Daniel in the middle
 with his new wife Suzie on the right.

It was actually taken at the reception on their wedding day.

Oh yes the one who photobombed it is our son Jonathan.


It simply could not have turned out better if it had been planned.


When I got my hands on the picture I got it on the iPad and could not resist framing it in an app.






This is the picture of Daniel the boy in our family who at one stage did everything he could to make sure he was not in a photo during some of his teenage years but here he is centre stage.

This is the picture of Linda who when she was very young won a child photo competition and was known for several years as the poser in the family because every time we wanted to take a photo she really posed - she did go on to study Drama at University but then decided to go into Creative Writing.

This is the picture of Jonathan who is like me and so often blinked at just the wrong moment for our photos that we would have to retake them yet now he takes selfies all the time and makes videos of himself teaching church doctrine on You Tube.

And this is the picture of Suzie who had come in to our family in the few years before this event and just fits right in there.


Why did it turn out so well?


I think it was because we were all so happy that day that we all had constant smiles on our faces, natural smiles, so even though they were taking a selfie which means that you are conscious of getting each other in the frame they were just so happy it came over in the picture.

I think it is amazing how Jonathan managed to get in at just the right time and in just the right position when it all happened so quick that they hardly knew what had actually taken place.


I believe that God gives us little special things that can mean more than the big things we think we want.


I look at this picture and I see 4 happy young people who love each other and love God 
and they love Fred & I too - at least that's what they say in the cards they send us 
and on the phone calls and the facetimes.


And of course all of that makes Fred & I very happy too every day 
and not just at that very special event.




I believe that God has given us the ultimate special thing that means more than any of the things we think we want.


I look at this picture above and I see 2 happy older people who love each other and love God 
and what could be more important in life than to know the true love that God has for us that He sent His only Son to make the way for us to come to Him and experience new life eternal and love eternal.


I believe that God has given us family love and is willing to bring us all into the greatest family there could ever be in Heaven if we put our trust and hope in His Son the Lord Jesus. 








Thanks for joining me for one of my "I Love" chats in Coffee & Conversation at Sandra's Ark & please drop by again for other posts.  











10 Little Things I am Thankful for at Home - Coffee & Conversation




The weather may be something we tend to talk about a lot in Northern Ireland because it can be so changeable but we shouldn't let that have any sway on our feelings.

We should be happy and contented inside or outside, fair weather or wet weather.  

Those types of things may have some bearing on our actions but should not have any control of our feelings.  

We can be determined to find things to enjoy no matter where we are or how much we can manage to do.

So today I'm thinking about some of the small things indoors that make me happy, that put a smile on my face.






10 little Things that I am thankful for  -  not big things  -  but little things that should not always go unnoticed or unappreciated.


Maybe these will remind you to be thankful for the little things too.




1.  These coasters sit on my desk and always bring a smile to my face no matter what I'm working at.






You see I practically always have a mug of coffee with me as I work at the computer and because my desk is white wood I need to be careful not to stain it hence the need for a coaster.





2.  I love to hear Fred enjoying himself on the keyboard or guitar making up some tunes or playing some songs we know, it is very relaxing for both of us.


Pity you don't get the sounds as well.




Fred playing another of his musical "toys" a Cajon.




Thankful for his musical abilities and the joy they bring him.

Thankful for the input these abilities have been in our worship life both at home and in church



3.  These negatives are just an example of the many we have of old photos which may not be in great condition these days.
But we can still enjoy and be thankful for the memories they bring back.





Having old photos and especially the negatives of them today mean that we can get them transferred to digital and store with the more recent ones too.

Now I just have to get enough time to actually do that!




4. This little plaque that is very old ( from sometime before we got married ) still makes me smile. 





Still thanking God for giving him to me.




5.  This picture reminds me of the ordinary everyday laugh out loud fun I can have with family.





Thankful for all the silly, giggling moments with Fred, our kids, grandkids and friends.




6.  If I didn't include my coffee break with one of my various mugs many people would be surprised.

Nowadays most of my coffee breaks are enjoyed along with Fred as he is home more often since he took early retirement. Only thing is he's a tea drinker!

Oh the happiness of anticipating a lovely coffee in this mug I got on our first trip to South Korea and sometimes I even get to enjoy some Korean Coffee when my daughter can bring it over for me from her friend's Cafe.



Oh you thought I was going to forget the mug!



and maybe
A little treat too









7.  Every month I get a notification about this pic I have on Pinterest from a previous post on this blog.  They say it is one of my best performing pins.

  

Really?  

It was such a simple pic to make and is rather a personal pic so why would it be of any interest to others?

But it does make me happy to have this little reminder of the good marriage I am blessed with.







8.  This little gif from last Christmas is always a little reminder for me to be thankful for my family and the happiness and faith we all share.





Thankful for a loving marriage (not taking it for granted)
Thankful for our grown-up children (and spouses) and their love for us and each other
Thankful for our grandchildren and the love shared between them and all of the rest of us.

So I am thankful to be a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother.



9.  A lot of things I do or think about seem to feature my husband in some way. Of course with us living on our own and him having taken early retirement then I suppose a lot of the things that make me happy will involve him.


There are little things like:

 He is not normally one for going to the shop just because I want something but he is the one that mostly goes to the shop because I hate supermarkets and prefer to do online grocery shopping.

 He is wide awake once he gets up but he knows that I am the opposite and like to enjoy my coffee quietly before I'm ready for the decisions of the day.

etc. etc. etc.

So 

It is great that we can be happy together after all these years even in the little things and we are thankful that we have a 43 year marriage. 









10.  How lovely to look out from our home to this view of the sunset over our town.







Here is something to remind me of the assurance we have that the sun will rise and set each new day.


Thankful that we know our God is in control of everything.
















The 5 Best Board Games - Need Help!


Everyone loves at least one Board Game.






When we have some people round to our house for a meal we often get out a Board Game.


Several years ago I tried to get our kids (when they were all here visiting at the same time) to decide which games should go and which could stay expecting our second son to tell us he wasn't interested in any of them because he hadn't wanted to play any games for a few years, but instead he decided the very first one I presented was too good to go and we ended up playing it and not even looking at any others.


Then the following year that same son and his wife had a Board Game Theme for the table decor at their wedding reception.


Now again I am thinking of what things can go as I am once again Decluttering & Organising Our Home.  So thinking about the Board Games I decided that at least the top 5 could definitely stay.


Basing this on what we all might play together and the ones we have been playing with others in the past year or so here are my Top 5 Board Games.


Just click on the name or the picture to find out more about these games.



CLUEDO  or  CLUE (US)









Being a Murder Mystery Fan I have always enjoyed the puzzle that this game brings but unfortunately even though I'm good at solving puzzles and have a very mathematical & logical mind;  I am always beaten by our first son or my husband.   But I'm a gracious loser.





RISK








Now to be honest I have only played this once but got hooked for that game and didn't want to stop it until all the world was conquered but others of us wanted to go to bed.  This is however the favourite of our first son and all his friends.  They started playing at university and had many games lasting all through the night until breakfast time and they still like to play it when they meet up at each others homes now 15 years later.




UPWORDS








I know most people would play Scrabble  and on my iPad I play Scrabble but I do prefer the Board Game UpWords  because it gives so many choices for creating more words.

I have one of my Pastor's from a previous church to thank for introducing me to this one.
Plus this is the game I do better in than my husband.





JENGA









I never thought I would enjoy this one but I was wrong.
Our son & daughter-in-law also use a large block version of this for guests to write comments at their wedding instead of a guest book.
Sometimes we have a couple of younger lads from our church for a meal and one of them is so good at this game and has great fun in beating the rest of us.





PICTIONARY  or   TABOO






I just could not decide between these two.


I suppose I just love the first one when I feel more like having a fun laugh a lot at crazy pictures kind of mood and the second when I am more ready to concentrate on linking words. If Fred & I are playing in a team together then I go for Taboo as we can use all our 45 years together and know words which will remind us of places we have been or events that have happened to help each other guess the correct word.







Now I know this is not really a board game or at least I would never have thought of it as one but I have to share this game too because this is the one that our son said could not be thrown out, the one that he decided he liked so much that we played it and played it and played it and didn't get around to throwing out any of the Board Games.



BINGO