Small Town Life In Big L.A.

Lunch At Neiman's

It was a beautiful day to visit the Neiman's close to home.

The view from our table was pleasant indeed.

This empty table was soon occupied by Neiman's execs having a lunch meeting. Everyone was dressed in suits.

An "amuse bouche" of chicken broth and a mini biscuit.

These homemade popovers are worth the price of admission. I had to have two.

A delicious vegetable bisque.

The lobster rolls were O.K.

This beautifully presented lobster salad looked better than it tasted.

But we got to park right in front of the store. LOL!

Goodbye Wisteria Lane

 Does this house look familiar? To those that grew up in my generation it's the house where Wally and Beaver grew up in "Leave It To Beaver". For those that are fans of the recent show "Desperate Housewives" it was part of the neighborhood on Wisteria Lane.

We never watched D.H. but enjoyed our tour of the homes of Wisteria Lane while visiting the lot at Universal Studios. It was especially fun taking the tour while they were filming. Here are the rest of the homes on the street....

 

 This is also the "Harvey" house where Jimmy Stewart starred in the movie by the same name.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 It looks like the "perfect neighborhood" doesn't it?

P.S. We had the pleasure of meeting Jerry Matthers, "Beaver", several years ago. We ran into him at Disneyland and had a nice conversation. Also ran into "Wally" on Ventura Blvd.

 

 

Tell The Righteous It Will Be Well With Them

"And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Matt. 16:17-19

 

I love the Word of God. My husband and I stand on it.

I feel led to post this today.

" _________ staggers. _________ is falling. Their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying His glorious presence.

The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.

Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done."

Thus sayeth the Lord...Isaiah 3:8-11

Welcoming A New Family To The Neighborhood

This is the home of a new family in our neighborhood. They sleep during the day but come out at night.

At dusk last night we decided to take a walk down the street and see if we could meet them.

Our neighbors were happy to let us look through their binoculars...

 

Behind me is a scene found in several movies such as "Grapes of Wrath". Right now they are filming the TV series "True Blood".

Here is a closer look at the new family's home.

And there they are the new Owl babies.

( Thanks D.B. for this great pic!)

Here is another close up. It's fun to watch them come out and fly!

Dinner In The Garden Women's Fellowship

How refreshing it was to get together at S's home for a much needed time of fellowship in the Lord. We had such fun taking this pic!

We helped ourselves to heaping bowls of pasta...

Healthy Salad...

Homemade Bread...

Freshly squeezed lemonade, minted tea, & cucumber water...

 

And headed outside to the garden.

All of the beautiful arrangements displayed the garden's finest!

 

And then it was time for more on the life of Joseph. We began this study last year and had to put it on hold as we led a Women's Retreat. It felt GOOD to get back to it!

This month we read the account in Genesis that pertained to segments 16-18 of the movie. It was thrilling to see Joseph exalted from prison to ruler over all Egypt, second only to Pharaoh!!!

Some good discussion came out of this...

1) Joseph was falsely accused and in prison over two years. He wanted to get out and began using his own resources to change things. When you know the Lord this does not work. We are to wait on Him. He knows what we need and when we need it and is well able to provide for us regardless of circumstances. Joseph's release and exultation is a wonderful example of what all believers in the Lord have to look forward to.

2) The Lord warned Pharoah of SEVEN YEARS OF FAMINE that were coming on the land. We discussed the current recession which began in 2008 and how it has affected us and those we know.

There is nothing like the Word of God. It is ALIVE and will change your life. If you want to know God and have a relationship with Him you will do so in His Word. Only He can reveal it to you so ask Him. SEEK HIM and you will find Him.

The evening ended with S's delicious Cherry Pineapple Cheesecake and enjoyable conversation. Thank you Lord for the sisters you have given us to be a good example for you and encourage us in this life.

Celebrating RESURRECTION DAY!

What a beautiful Easter morning! There is nothing that compares to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus with others who love and worship Him, especially your church family.

We praised the lord with songs like "My Redeemer Lives", "Above All", and "Because He Lives". The words are so beautiful.

Today's message was " In This Life Only" from 1 Corinthians 15. As it was preached we were serenaded by doves overhead. It was such a blessing!

Verse 19 says,

"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

We celebrate that Jesus rose from the dead and those of us who believe in Him will do the same!

After a glorious time of praise and worship we enjoyed a delicious brunch on the patio. God Bless C & M who labored for us and fed us...such a ministry of love!

I couldn't help but spot a few hidden eggs...

The children followed Mrs. T for the annual Easter Egg hunt.

This has become a recent tradition at our little church, the annual Easter Bonnet photo.

Thank you Lord for such a blessed day and family to celebrate it with!

Babette's Feast Slumber Party

I have wanted to write this blog for a long time and somehow it got lost in my sea of pics and future blog ideas. It gives me pleasure to relive this special night so I'll set the stage: The men were off to the mountains for the annual Christian Men's Retreat so L, S, and I decided to have a sleepover at my house.

We started with a sit down dinner: candlelight, roses from S's garden, wine, healthy food, good conversation, and lots of laughs. What FUN!

I enjoyed sharing my Mini Meatball Soup. There's nothing like a bowl of steaming soup on a chilly night.

After dinner L gave us a candy making lesson. S & I pulled up chairs in the kitchen to watch. Of course we won't talk about how L burnt the first batch of roasted almonds.

The finished product! A delicious break apart chocolate filled with almonds and coconut. Perfect for the movie!

Tonight's feature was "BABETTE'S FEAST". L purchased the movie to share and I am absoluetly in love with it. It's about the lives of two sister's who were raised by their Pastor father in 19th century Denmark. I don't want to give the story away but at some point Babette, a gourmet chef from France, comes to live with them. This is a fabulous movie that honors the Lord. The end to a blessed evening.

Corriganville Park

This park, rich with movie history, is right down the street from us!!! and we have only recently discovered it. Alive with massive Oak trees and surrounded by the famous Chatsworth rocks, it is an ideal place to take a hike and admire God's creation.

Yes, we live in Mountain Lion and Rattlesnake territory and it's good to be aware before you veer off the trails.

It's fascinating to me to think about all of the old movies that were filmed here. I never knew Sherwood Forest was so close!

Can't you just see Robin Hood and his merry men! This place is a feast for the senses with the pleasant sound of native birds filling the air.

Now think Tarzan...

The diving platform as described on the sign above.

Here's where the cameras filmed underwater scenes.

 

It's funny... the day before visiting this verse made an impression on me. I found myself thinking about it. 

"They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."

It's from Isaiah 61 and it describes what God does for those who are His. How awesome that He would lead us to this park at this time as it's FULL of oaks. It was like chapter 61 came to life. I hope you take the time to read it. Perhaps the Lord will speak to you through this as He did to me. Splendor indeed!

Valentine Craft Fun With The Chatsworth Lake Church Women's Fellowship

Welcome to the Valentine cottage! This festive planter welcomed us as we met for a night of food, fellowship, the Word, crafting, and fun.

Outside looking in to a warm and cozy home.

We gathered around this table to pray together and thank the Lord for His many blessings.

The older I get, the more I cherish these times. The Lord has put us together, each one of us being different. Through Him we have learned to love each other and to bear with each other. This is the fruit of doing things His way and it is marvelous to behold.

Delicious chicken salad and egg salad tea sandwiches on fresh, wholegrain bread.

Brushetta with LOTS of garlic!

Healthy berries and grapes...

Getting ready to surprise sweet Sylvia...

Happy Birthday!!!

After an inspiring message on LOVE from Proverbs we got into some serious crafting. SO FUN!!!

Here are a few of the creative Valentine cards that we all came up with...

Valentine spatulas!

Thank you to our lovely hostess who fed us, shared the Word with us, and donated all the crafting supplies for the event. What a blessing you are!!!

 

Fun at the L.A. KING'S Hockey Game

The STAPLE'S CENTER, in the heart of downtown L.A. is home to the L.A. Kings games.

We had the pleasure of being treated to this game and enjoying a private box with our friends. What a view!

Our box had 2 rows of cushy "movie" seating, a table with stools where you could eat and watch the game, and a living room area. What a treat!

Upon entering we were greeted with an array of food...cookies & brownies...

Chips, veggies, and dips....

Buffalo wings & potstickers...

And my fave, a good 'ole dog with all the fixins.

It was exciting as loud dance music filled the house when the teams came out to skate for us.

It was a fast moving game and we enjoyed the theatrics and music. It was especially fun when the Kings would make a goal and everyone got up and danced. What a good time we had!