January 27, 2015 TRUST

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.

Albert Einstein

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These past three and a half months have been a roller coaster ride. This past few weeks have been a crash because of lost trust in someone we care about. The sad thing is it was a blatant act with a complete disregard of our request and wishes. It cost us financially and emotionally. The only bright side to this is that someone in need was helped but it was at our expense. Stress has been high and seldom felt anger was high as well. I do not like the feel of anger or the loss of trust. Forgiveness must be a part of the healing but the trust is another story. Trust must be earned. Once lost it may never be recovered. The individual involved never admits to being wrong or making a mistake, never says I am sorry and tends to blame everyone else for things that they caused to happen. There is the temper factor as well. Difficult to handle? Yes at times but overall a pleasant individual. That is why it hurt. We have come to the place of forgiveness and have not thrown the individual away. It will be a long time before trust enters again. It is better to care about someones redeeming qualities than to discard them completely over the negative qualities. Our Lord did not come to save the righteous but the lost. You and I would not have a chance if it were any other way. As for the trust, our God said "trust in ME alone for I am the truth and the light of your salvation." He is the only one whose truth and honesty are perfect. NONE of us are perfect. Judgment is not ours but HIS alone. Do not let first impressions govern what a person is like or has said or written. Carefully consider everything before you react. Be careful not to judge lest you be judged. Who is guilty if not all of us? Something tells me we are all going to be judged. 

If you love those who love you, what credit can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get money back, what credit can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.
The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Lk 6:32–35). New York: Doubleday.

As promised, I would like to highlight a few of those whom I follow and who also follow me. I would like to take a moment to say that I do not go looking for followers nor ask to be followed. This is why those that have chosen to follow my blog are so special to me. Just because I follow them I do not ask to be followed.

Majsan  at scrapmarianne.blogspot.com is a card crafter from Sweden. She is incredibly talented. Her cards are beautifully done and imaginative. Turn on your translator though. Her blog is in Swedish. A visit to her blog is well worth the trip. Be sure to say hi and leave a comment.

Kelly at sandcastlestamper.blogspot.com is a Christian wife and mom with a very upbeat and talented card creating ability. She is very personable and loves the south Florida weather and going to the beach. Stop by and say Hi and maybe, if you like what you see, follow her blog. 

Cathy at http://1cardcreator.blogspot.com does amazing card creation work. She has not been posting as much since December of last year so if you visit be sure to scroll down and view the fantastic cards she creates. She has a new grandchild so is probably busy there. Leave a comment and I am sure you will be acknowledged. 

I have no craft to share this time around but I would like to share some photos of another of the Dupont estates with you. The estate at Nemour's out side of Wilmington, Delaware is fascinating. It is very hard to get to see and usually requires a year in advance reservation. The owners of the Inn we were staying at pulled some strings and got us in on a day or two notice. Amazing and very  much appreciated. Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy the tour. This was back in 2008 after Namour's underwent a multi million dollar restoration. It had just opened for the new tourist season.

The front entrance gate with its gold gilded adornments.

The Gold gilded weather vane.

The view from the driveway in front of the mansion.

 A side gate with the dates 1729 - 1796 and topped with a crown with C11 under it, gilded in what else, Gold.

Each tour guest was greeted at the mansion door and given a carnation.

The next several images are pictures taken from a balcony of the rear gardens and back garden patio.

The grounds were beautiful too.

The next two pictures are of the bell tower /pump house and a fountain in front of it.

Next are three images of some the grounds.

 

This one blew us away. A large fountain statue gilded in gold. Talk about your excess but absolutely Beautiful.

There were a few old buggies in the carriage house as well. I am not sure of the make or model of some of them.

I think this is a Cadillac

This might be a Packard.

The above two are without a doubt Rolls Royce.

I am not sure of this one at all.

I hope I didn't bore you too much. I should have a card or something better to share the next time around. I am honored to have you stop by and visit. I will not be sharing the painting again until it is finished. We are down to the nitty-gritty tiny detail now.

I am going cross eyed at times but it is getting there. YAY!!!!!!

Our snow storm did not live up to expectations, Thank the Lord.

We only got a few inches of the pesky white stuff. 

I will be visiting those of you who comment for sure and any others that I find time for as you post your wonderful creations. I have been trying to get to those that I have not visited for awhile so be patient, I will get to you. That you for understanding. Until then, remember to LOVE THE DETAILS.

January 7, 2015 Change

            There is little in this life that is guaranteed. Change is one of them. Much has happened in the roughly three months that I was absent from blog land. The world has gone on. It has moved on as it always has. Each of you has had your experiences in life that marks what change is all about whether unnoticed or traumatic. Change is always present.

            It is difficult to tell of the changes that have happened in three short months. There has been a sense of greater bonding in my marriage. There is greater awareness of life and how important it is to cherish every moment. Most of all, there is a sense of the presence of our Lord. Spending an hour or more in reading the word and praying and spending even a few moments of quiet time to listen or just be in His presence several times a day has profound effects on us. These things change us not only inwardly but outwardly as well. I used to take a one day pilgrimage to an overlook on a mountain south of Gettysburg, Pa at least once a year. It was known as Indian lookout point. It was a magical place that had a long beautiful view and a huge rock where you could sit and meditate and just be with the Lord. It is no longer accessible and I miss it. Change is inevitable but it need not be a bad thing. All things are given that we may become stronger and wiser in His ways. Always be glad for what you are living and thank Him for all things.

From my book of poetry and prose: (copyrighted)

       I often see others become envious or even depressed when someone close to them experiences a powerful "revelation" or "touch" from God. It isn't the earth shattering religious experience that keeps us or makes us whole but the realization that every moment we live is an incomprehensible touch from God. Life continues but sudden experiences fade and become diluted with time. Life, on the other hand, renews itself constantly and is a constant, living, flowing revelation.

          

Today I would like to share a card that was sent to me by Kimberly Wiener. Kimberly is a bubbly and very talented card artist. The card she sent was one she posted on her blog. It is very elegant and simple but extraordinary. I apologize for the poor image. It does not due proper justice to this gorgeous card. Her image was much better than this. Thank you Kimberly.

 I have not done much for shout outs of those of you who have chosen to follow my blog and in other ways support me in my humble efforts to share what little talent I have. All of you have much more talent than I and I will pick several of you each post and give you a shout out. Thank you.

First is My dear wife Jill. Her blog is Ribbon Challenged. Without her influence I would not be posting this at all. She is very talented and has shown me much in the way of crafting cards. I could say lots of nice things about this extraordinary lady but you might think that was because I am prejudiced. YOU WOULD BE TOTALLY CORRECT. LOL.

Next is Shirley from Boxes of Dogs. She actually does have boxes of dogs. Read the very top of her blog and you will understand. Her card making talents are not to be missed either. Be sure to scroll down and take in some of her work.

The final for today is Lynn whose moniker is Jimlynn of Creative Crafts by Lynn. Lynn is one of the first to follow my blog and is a sweet heart and a talented card maker. It is obvious she enjoys making her cards and sharing them with us. Be sure to check out more than just the most recent post. You won't be disappointed.

I have been too busy to do more on the painting but I do have some photos to share from our recent visit to Longwood Gardens. Longwood is the estate of Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1954). It is one of the premier botanical gardens in the US and is located Near Kennet Square in southeastern Pennsylvania. It consists of over 1077 acres (1.68 square miles) of woodlands, gardens and meadows. The pictures are mainly of the summer gardens, conservatory and Christmas lights of last year. This will take awhile so grab a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, sit back and enjoy! 

The summer of 2014:

  
 This is a very small sample of the grounds. Next is the Christmas out door display. A large portion of the grounds were closed for a renovation. 

 The tree consists of lighted spheres.

The final area is the conservatory which is always spectacular. Again, this is only touching on the spectacular displays.

 The entrance

 The pink rose is for my DW. She loves pink.

This final picture is in the childrens garden.

That is it for this post. I would apologize for the length of it but if you are reading this you must have liked it. LOL. As Darnell says, life is short. Stop and enjoy the beauty all around you. Until the next post, LOVE THE DETAILS. The cahnge will surprise you.