K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sister!

January 2, 2011 3:38 AM 11

Good Evening Friends…
Today is almost over.  It’s been a good day with family and friends. Yes, being the Georgia girl that I am, I’ve had my collard greens and black-eyed peas twice today…both at lunch and then again at supper! And guess what? I grew the collard greens myself in my backyard garden.  What a simple pleasure!

Since this is the first day of a new year and the first day of a new decade as well (with a marvelous number pattern…1-1-11), I wanted to post a quick note.  I am getting older, thank you Jesus. I am loving this season of my life.  I’ve learned to pick my battles – to know the difference between the energy expended on events that amount to no more than an ant bite or serious enough to be considered a snake bite!  Wisdom comes with age and experience and it is oh so sweet. Tough, but sweet.

I’m not one to set unrealistic goals or make “new year’s resolutions.”  I’ve been there before and failed miserably and dealt with the self-imposed guilt that most always follows.  However, I do dearly love a fresh start and thank God for His mercies new every morning and His sweet amazing grace; so I am going to attempt to “KISS” this year which stands for Keep It Simple Sister! With the Good Lord’s help and in keeping His will for my life, I am going to filter requests for my time through my family’s needs and the women’s ministry I so dearly love.  Did you know that “no” is a complete sentence? I am going to slow down a bit and take better care of myself…so that I may take better care of my family.  This will mean regular exercise and smarter food choices.  I want to enjoy every single minute of my grandchildren and be able to keep up with them! (Zeke is not happy that he had to share his Gran Jan with the babies…)

Thank you for your love and support and for stopping by to visit my blog. One more very important thing…I’m going to do something wonderful for my soul this year, and that is to participate in Beth Moore’s Scripture Memory Team again.  What a JOY and DELIGHT!  If you haven’t heard about this, visit her web site here for instructions.  It is not too late to get involved and you will be blessed beyond measure for hiding God’s Word in your heart.

Remember, KISS 2011 by “Keeping It Simple Sister.”

*Gran Jan*

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January 2, 2011 3:38 AM 11

Christmas 2010 Family Photos

December 20, 2010 10:11 PM 13
Merry Christmas
from the Mortons!
 
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

*Gran Jan*

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December 20, 2010 10:11 PM 13

HIDDEN IN MY HEART

November 6, 2010 3:04 AM 3

Oh.my.word. I have found some of the most blessed and peaceful music I’ve heard in a long time. Breakway Music is a record company devoted to producing quality Christian music for children.  They say on their website that their “goal and passion is for kids to have a relationship with Jesus.”

If you need a gift for a wee one in your life, or if you just want a blessing for your own quiet moments, order this CD, Scripture Lullabies, Hidden In My Heart, a beautiful lullaby journey through scripture.  You can even get a free download here.  (About the time I have decided on a favorite, the next song begins.)

I bought one for each of my two precious grandbabies (Master Jackson and Miss Madie Ruth), who will both be celebrating their very first Christmases this year! I will be placing a CD in each of their stockings.

Your word
have I hidden
in my heart,
That I might not sin
against You.
(Psalm 119:11)

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November 6, 2010 3:04 AM 3

Happy Birthday Jonathan!

October 22, 2010 4:02 AM 5
Twenty-six years ago today, God blessed our family with a gracious gift!  Today, October 22, we celebrate the birthday of our youngest son Jonathan.  I asked myself “where did the years go?”, so I began sorting through family photos and selected a few to celebrate Jonathan’s journey!  This momma’s heart was sure blessed as I reminisced the memory of each picture. God did graciously bless us with Jonathan, which is of Hebrew origin and means “God’s gracious gift.” 

Dear Jonathan…

Here we are getting ready to leave the hospital in Athens, Georgia…ready to go HOME!
 I’ve told you dozens of times before, but it was a “record hot day” that day…88 degrees.
I should have realized we were headed for fun times…the picture below was taken
literally minutes after we brought you home.  Check out the dart gun in Jeremy’s hand!
You were a beautiful baby and a good baby!  Although you had your
days and nights “crossed up” for the first 2 weeks, once you got your schedule
straightened out, you were a dream…easygoing and laidback.
You were about 8 weeks old in this picture.
You loved your big brother so much, and I’m thankful you still do!
This picture was made while we were at Jeremy’s soccer practice.  I love it because
you are wearing a “G.I. Joe” shirt – and those were your favorite toys for many years. 
This was your 5th birthday picture, and may well be my favorite of all times. 
The Olan Mills folks thought so too, because it was on display for a long while!
Your Dad and I loved all the years of T-ball, baseball, soccer,
basketball, track, and football! 
 You’ve always loved animals, and Beulah the bassett hound was one of your favorite pets.
 Fun times on a deep-sea fishing trip with your friend, Jackie Bell.
You were always taller than all your friends, and
stood 6 feet tall in the 7th grade. 
This is one of the last pictures made of you and your brother when you
both still lived at home before Jeremy went to college and seminary.
Raising you and your brother have been my life’s greatest joy.
You always have been a handsome young man. Knowing that you
are also a man of ingegrity means more than anything to me.
 I loved watching you catch the football and RUN like the wind!
Although you’ve never LOVED school, thank you for being diligent!
This is from your Senior pictures and I’ve always loved it so much.
 God led you to a fine young woman to marry. 
I love this picture of you and Erin Lee.
I
 06-07-08 – handsome groom on your wedding day.
 The Morton Four – how blessed I am.
We loved every moment of your wedding day.
I’m so glad you love the family farm and look forward to you and your
brother having fun times here with your children.  
We are so thankful for the heritage we have.
 
I added this baby picture of you here at the end…
because the one below this one is your son Jackson at the same age.
You have cloned yourself.
 Jackson Evan Morton
You are such a good daddy and there is no greater joy than
watching you be a daddy.
Your precious family.
Jonathan, Erin, Jackson…God is so good!
I love you son! Happy birthday and thank you for being a joy to my heart. Your life is a gift straight from God to our family. Your dad and I are so blessed to have been chosen by God to raise you…you have brought us so much JOY!  And Jackson will be the same JOY for you and Erin as you raise him up in the Lord!  I can’t wait! 
Love, Mom
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October 22, 2010 4:02 AM 5

Summer County Living

July 18, 2010 11:10 PM 13

Good afternoon friends! This post is what bloggers sometimes refer to as “random.”  Random is really not me. I typically have a theme…or at least a point.  But today, I just wanted to share some summertime pictures on Gran Jan’s Joy. And since Gran Jan’s Joy is really a blog about the JOYS of my life, let me begin with my three grandblessings…

Here is my oldest grandchild, Zeke, who will be 2 next month. He is wearing a tee-shirt I gave him that says, “Got Biscuits?”  Couldn’t you just squeeze him? He has beautiful long eyelashes and has begun praying out loud for us at mealtimes. Melts my heart every time.
Next is his baby sister, Madie Ruth, who is almost 10 weeks old. She is absolutely precious, a very sweet and laid-back baby. She was ready for a pool outing in this picture. She is beautiful and sleeps like a dream…

Below is my youngest grandchild, Jackson, who will be 2 months old the end of this week and is the cousin to the above two grandbabies. He has so much hair, and nary a bit of it is coming out!  He is a beautiful baby and he and I were decked out in our red, white, and blue in this July 4th picture!
More random…One day last week my husband and I went to a Farmers Market about an hour “down the road.” It was a really fun day, and these are some pictures from going the back roads.
This is a huge truck/trailer load of watermelons fresh from the field.  They were coming in by the droves. The town is Cordele, Georgia, known as “The Watermelon Capitol of the World.”  Truly. I have never seen so many watermelons in my life, and we bought a HUGE seedless one for only $2.00! 
This is a huge fig bush/tree. Have you ever tasted old-fashioned fig preserves on a homemade buttered biscuit? My, my, my. Truly a Southern delicacy and so good!  This huge bush was behind Calhoun Produce, where we bought some butter beans and crowder peas to put in our freezer. Nothing like fresh vegetables in the middle of the winter.
This is my sweet husband coming out of Calhoun Produce with the goods. He will also be willing to enjoy them when I cook them this fall and winter! He helped me with putting them in the freezer too. We had a wonderful day together.  It is so nice when the agenda is light and easy. Good times for sure.
In case you’ve never seen a house with a silo in the front yard, here it is. Maybe this is an old family farm and they just couldn’t bear to take it down, I don’t know. But it was worthy of a picture.
Well, this is a good old Georgia red-clay dirt road.  I love a dirt road on a summer day, especially when it is DRY and has not been raining.  Georgia red clay is something that even extra-action Tide has a hard time getting out of your clothes. (Especially if you are a little boy that likes to slide into home on a field of same said Georgia red clay.  “Momma, don’t wash it out, it shows I was “in the game!'”)
I would have LOVED to go inside this beautiful old country home. Isn’t it amazing? It reminds me of that big old home in Little House on the Prairie. This one is a great example of Victorian (Queen Anne) architecture (1840-1890) and was in a little town called Unadilla. I even like the way that sounds…it is pronounced you-nah-dill-lah, emphasis on the third syllable. There you go! 
This cotton field is directly across the street from my home and is part of a huge farm.  I will take pictures and post them when the cotton blooms and is harvested. You will want to go watch “Gone With the Wind.”
This close-up of a cotton bloom shows how the bloom fades to this gorgeous rose color after it opens out so white. The field will be so beautiful when it is snowy white and full of cotton bolls as far as the eye can see.
This is a half-bushel box of the sweetest Georgia peaches from right down the road in Peach County, Georgia. (Isn’t that sweet, peaches from Peach County?) These came from Lane Packing.  It is a delightful place and if you are ever heading south on I-75 you should stop for lunch and a tour. I ended up with about 17 quart size bags in my freezer for peach cobbler. Click here for my peach cobbler recipe.

This is a picture of some squash pickles I made.  They are sweet like old-fashioned bread and butter pickles.  They turned out really well and look so colorful.

Well, that is about all the random I have for now.  Hope you’ve enjoyed this “summer country living” post on Gran Jan’s Joy.  The simple things in life are the most special to my heart.  My family, the smiles of my grandblessings, the joy of God’s creation and the bounty of summer gardens. As my work week closes in and the pace quickens too much for my soul, I may just have to come back and enjoy these photos again. I hope you will too…
Abiding in Him,
 
John 15:5
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July 18, 2010 11:10 PM 13

1977: A Bit of Heaven ~ 2010: We’re Still IN!

June 12, 2010 1:14 AM 23
Thirty-three years ago today
I took your hand in mine,
and promised before God and friends
to love you for all time…
About to depart and begin a new life
happily married…now husband and wife.
A baby-blue Pinto whisked us away
so happy and blessed on our June wedding day.
The years have been full of God’s blessings and love
serving our Lord with a call from above.
Two sons now grown who are the joy of our lives,
each of them blessed with a beautiful wife.
Three grandblessings whose lives have only begun…
sweet Zeke, Miss Madie Ruth and little Jackson.
Now older and wiser, and sprinkled with gray…
Still counting our blessings each and every day.
I love you so much, you sweet man of mine.

Thirty-three more will suit me just fine!

Happy Anniversary
All my love always,
Your bride, Jan
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June 12, 2010 1:14 AM 23

Meet Our Grandson, Jackson Evan Morton

May 28, 2010 12:42 AM 17
May 2010 has certainly been an amazing month of double blessings for our family! We celebrate and rejoice in the birth of little Jackson Morton just this past Monday on May 24th. He weighed 8 lbs. 10 ozs., and was 20.5 inches long – a beautiful big baby boy! His mommy, my daughter-in-law had a wonderful delivery – short and sweet, thank You Jesus. 
This is Jackson just a few hours after he was born…
What a beautiful family…the brunettes 🙂
Hmmmmmmm…Gran Jan is also a brunette.
Perhaps Jackson got that dark hair from her too?
This is “Pop,” my sweet husband with Jackson:
These are Jackson’s maternal grandparents,
my son’s wonderful in-laws.
 Jackson is their first grandchild
and they are so very excited!
My baby boy watching his baby boy in the nursery…
This is a blanket I made for Jackson that my
daughter-in-law brought to the hospital with her.
She also wore a necklace while she was in labor
that I had just given to her for Mother’s Day.
It was the very same necklace that my husband
had given to me when our son was born.
When I saw her wearing it, I was so very touched…
When we first learned about the double grandblessings back in September and that we would have back-to-back grandbabies in May 2010, I really had no idea how it would be – I was just so thankful and VERY excited. The boys and their wives were even so thoughtful that they paid to have early sonograms so they could announce the genders to us on Christmas Eve. They gave us these stockings wrapped up as gifts and surprised us…this kind of thoughtfulness blesses us every day with these four wonderful children.  
The long-awaited month of May is almost over.  The double portion blessings are HERE and the joy begins.  I want to testify that I am committed to being the best Gran Jan ever. I will love and pray for my grands and I will be there for them – in every way possible. As long as the good Lord gives me breath, I will be there for my family.
Counting my blessings, naming them one by one…Zeke, Madie Ruth, Jackson…
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May 28, 2010 12:42 AM 17
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