How to Have Answered Prayers

I learned about this new feature, Spiritual Sundays, from one of the sponsors, Charlotte of At Home in Scottsdale. Spiritual Sundays is a place to share our inspirational thoughts and quotations.

When it comes to our prayers of requests to God, we are assured that they will be answered.
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Luke 11:9

The following text implied that receiving an answer comes when we line up our wants with God’s plans:
"Delight thyself also in the LORD;
and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
Ps. 37:4

This prayer beautifully expresses the importance of aligning our wishes with divine principles:
"Grant me, O Lord,
to know what I ought to know,
to love what I ought to love,
to praise what delights you most,
to value what is precious in your sight,
to what what is offensive to you.
Do not allow me to judge according to the sight of my eyes,
Not to pass sentence according to the hearing of the ears of ignorant men;
But to discern with a true judgment between things visible and spiritual,
And above all things, always to inquire what is the good pleasure of your will."
--Thomas A’ Kempis

Visit Spiritual Sundays for more inspirational posts and to join in with your own post.

Have a wonderful week!

Friday Show and Tell – Ice Cream Bowls

Show and Tell Friday is hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home


This Tuesday I went grocery shopping and bought some Friendly’s Ice Cream which was on sale, buy one- get one free. One is Strawberry and the other Vanilla Bean. So far this week my mother and I have had ice cream three times. Each time I’ve served our portions in special small bowls.
This is how they look.

Back in December 1941 my parents received a set of these bowls as a wedding present. As children my brothers and sisters and I looked forward to Saturday nights when our Dad would make homemade ice cream, using one of those ice cream makers with the hand crank. We always had our serving in one of the little red bowls.

The bowls are 4 1/4" in diameter (or 5 3/4" from handle to handle), and are in the Royal Ruby color in the "Coronation" pattern by Hocking Glass Company. The design of the glass is banded with ribbing. These are called berry bowls and could be used to hold summer berries, fruit or other treats. I read that this pattern was made from 1936-1940. I suppose this makes them a variety of depression glass.

We still had these berry bowls when we moved to New York in 1959 and used them over the years. However, when their marriage ended in the early 1970’s, my mother sought to get rid of all that reminded her of Dad – a lovely French Provincial bedroom, etc. etc. including wedding presents.

But as the years went on nostalgia caused me to seek out these bowls. I bought 10 of the berry bowls and one larger 8" diameter (or 9 ¾" from handle to handle) serving bowl. It was fun serving ice cream to my small nephews and telling them that we had eaten our ice cream out of bowls like these when we were kids back home.

To see more interesting personal memorabilia, visit Kelli for a list of participating posts.

Vintage Thingies Thursday - Cross Stitch Tablecloth

This post is part of Vintage Thingies Thursday, sponsored by Lisa, the Apron Queen.

In a visit to a local consignment shop in March I bought a few lovely vintage linens, including a couple embroidered tablecloths. Here is one of them, a white tablecloth with blue cross stitching.

This one was just for me, of course, because I enjoy nice linens, embroidery and blue and white.

To see more vintage things, please visit Lisa at the Apron Queen for a list of participating posts.

Thankful Thursday - Assurance

As I read this text this morning, I am thankful for the many, many assurances in scripture which, if we keep them in mind, will take away the recurring fears which daily problems bring our way. Here is a wonderful example:

Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition,
with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God,
which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil. 4:6-7

This past week as I was needing to secure funds pay a particular bill by month’s end, I received a phone call from a relative promising to send a check which covered my financial need. It brings to mind another awesome assurance…

And it shall come to pass, that before they call,
I will answer;
and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Isa. 65:24

Praise the Lord!

Read more expressions of gratitude for God’s blessings in the lives of His children at Iris’s blog.

Angelic Assurance

As indicated in a previous post, I enjoy seeing the squirrels, robins and other birds in the yard. On my deck railing is this little statue of an angel admiring a small bird. It reminds me of the following promises in the Bible:

"Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?
And not one of them falls to the ground
apart from your Father's will."

Matt. 10:29 NKJV

"So do not be afraid,

you are worth more than many sparrows."

Matt. 10:31 NIV

"For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways."

Ps. 91:11 NKJV

Have a great day!

Brilliante Weblog Award…Thanks Anita!

Just when I thought I’d never qualify for another award, Anita of Prairie Dreams has given me ‘Brillante Weblog’ award! Thank you Anita. As I recently commented to Anita, her blogs are full of information on interesting current topics and concerns. She also offers links to various web sites of interest. Besides her ‘main’ blog, she also has others, such as Prairie Visions which presents her photography.

On Prairie Dreams she provides a personal account of the tornado which struck Greensburg, Kansas in May 2007. It has been decided that the rebuilt Greensburg should be a green town. Anita works on the web site, Greensburg GreenTown, at http://www.greensburggreentown.org/

Here are the award rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you
3. Nominate 7 other bloggers for this award
4. Add links to the recipients
5. Leave a comment for the recipients or email them to let them know they have an award.

Many bloggers came to mind as I thought who to nominate. Each one brings a touch of brilliance to the posts on their blog. I tried to do some research to verify who had already been nominated for this award, and having done so, I would like to pass the Brilliante Weblog award to:

Kelli - There’s No Place Like Home
Jenn - The Thrift Shop Romantic
Karla - Ramblin’ Roads
Irene - The Green Greek
Lisa - An Apron a Day
Miss Sandy - Quill Cottage
Susan - Black Eyed Susan’s Kitchen

My research revealed that some bloggers do not list all or even any of their awards. If you have already received this award, perhaps you might want to pass it on to one other blogger.

Friday Show and Tell - Critters on the Deck

Show and tell Friday is hosted by Kelli at There is No Place Like Home.

I really enjoy looking at the industrious birds and squirrels as they go about their daily activities in the trees. On my deck I have a few garden ornaments which relate to my enjoyment of the creatures in the yard.

Here on the railing is a squirrel which is actually a lawn sprinkler. I have never used it as such, but keep it to accessorize the deck. He is very busy having a tasty morsel.

A small cement bunny rests on a wire table along with a potted fern and terracotta accents.


A tin hen and her four chicks look at home near the potted ‘hens and chicks’ or sempervivum.


To see other Show and Tell posts, please go to Kelli’s. Thank you for coming by. Please leave a comment and do come again soon.

Vintage Thingies Thursday – Gingerbread and Cadillac

This post is part of Vintage Thingies Thursday. On her blog Lisa, the Apron Queen, gives a comprehensive list of the sorts of vintage items which qualify: Briefly, they include vintage linens and textiles, vintage kitchen items, and vintage sewing.

Here is a photo taken in 1960's of the garage at our house in Queens, NY. Notice the large old-fashion siding tiles, which were also on the house.


Notice also the decoration on the gable. This gingerbread trim was made by my father, who was a carpenter and construction worker. He loved to design and make furniture items and a variety of decorative things like picture frames. He also added various structural and decorative changes to the house such as built-in bookcases and pass-throughs.


The car in the garage was a 1959 Cadillac De Ville. Note the showy tail fins. I can remember how long the car was. It was our family car for several years -– my dad drove his pickup to work. Our family would pile in to go to church each week. As children, we nicknamed the car, “Caddy Cathy.”

Well, these are my vintage thingies for this week. Do visit Lisa at the Apron Queen for more posts.

Thankful Thursday - Strength

I am thankful this week …

For strength and presence of mind to help my mother in taking her various medications correctly. Also, keeping track of various appointments for doctor’s visits and laborotory tests. Along with my brother and sisters I am praying that we do not receive any serious news from a procedure scheduled in the next two weeks.

For imagination to create tasty and nutritious meals day after day.

For an ample collection of dishes, glassware, and other table setting wares to make attractive settings to keep mealtimes pleasant. My Mother really enjoys nice place settings.

For stamina and patience needed to repeat and explain things over and over.

For the promise in this Scripture text:

And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
1 Cor. 12:9

For more Thankful Thursday posts, visit Iris here.

The Grammar of Life

Today I would like to share a poem that I have had for many years in my collection of inspirational writings. The poem deals with the subject of attitude or perspective. How much it improves our life when we have a perspective that is hopeful and positive.

The Grammar of Life

"Said a Professor of English:
‘Live in the active voice,
not the passive.

Thank more about what you make happen
than what happens to you.

Live in the indicative mood,
rather than the subjunctive.

Be concerned with things as they are
rather than as they might be.

Live in the present tense,
facing the duty at hand
Without regret for the past
or worry for the future.

Live in the first person,
criticizing yourself
rather than finding fault with others

Live in the singular number,
Caring more for the approval
of your own conscience
than for the applause of the crowd.

And if you want a verb to conjugate,
You cannot do better than to take
The verb ‘to love’."
-- Author Unknown

This poem reminds me of the adage, "Bloom where you are planted." Make the most of your present circumstances. So I illustrate this post with closeups of flowers from my garden.

Thank you for stopping at my blog. My wish for you is that each day you may cultivate a positive and helpful perspective.