Letters from Lea.........

It has been a long, long time since I wrote some letters and it's past time to write a few.  So, here goes..........

Dear President Trump - I can't help but wonder if you wished you had never had the idea of running for President.  I mean, is it  worth all the media nonsense and crazy folks spouting off to you and your family?  I have to believe that you truly desire to "make America great again" or you would have never run because you had a most comfortable life before and not near so many folks "up in your business."  But, thanks for hanging in there and not backing down.  You are definitely "one of a kind."  I do have just one suggestion, quit tweeting and don't feel you always have to have the last word. ~just my thoughts~

Dear Hillary -  You LOST, plain and simple!

Dear Designers and Clothing Manufactures - there is no such thing as "One Size Fits All."  It should read, "One Size Fits No One" instead.  You need to remove this size from your production line, isn't Small, Medium and Large, etc. good enough?

Dear Sarah - hats off to you as the President's Press Secretary.  You have been treated so unkindly and you have risen above it.  Never forget that what goes around comes around.  Keep up the good job!

Dear Airlines - I have never understood why you do not allow the folks making a tight connection to disembark the plane before those that have longer lay overs.  It has bewildered me forever.  It just couldn't be that hard.  If you happen to get a seat that is over half way back it can take a good 15 minutes to get off the plane and that can be 15 precious minutes if you have a long trek to your next connection.  You have certainly orchestrated a whole lot of other changes in recent years, why don't you change this as well?

Dear Wal-Mart - I suppose you are pushing your customers to do their shopping online or either check their items out at the self checkout.  First, there are still folks in this country that do not own a computer and folks that have no idea about on line shopping.  And, there are plenty of folks that have a great deal of difficulty using your self checkout.  Come on, have a heart and get on the customer service bandwagon.  Note: I have personally become quite proficient with your self checkout out of sheer necessity. 

Dear Readers - have you ever heard of the app, Moment?  Well, it is an app that tracks the time we spent on our phone/tablet.  Statistics prove that most people spend an average of 4 hours a day on their phone/tablet.  That's right, 4 hours a day!!!  Folks that is 28 hours a week, which is more than 1 day a week.  Glory be, when I heard this I was shocked!  I have put the app on my phone in hopes that it will make me more mindful of how many times I pick up/use my phone/tablet.  Now, I wonder what a difference it would make in our lives and the world if we read our Bibles and prayed 4 hours a day.  Certainly something to ponder..............

Blessings abundant for a great new week!!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

  

I've missed the last couple of weeks of The Hodgepodge but am so glad to be back with it this week. 

1. Summer is upon us this week in the Northern hemisphere. Tell us three things on your summer bucket list.
1 - Enjoy some special time with our daughter when she and the Grandsons come to visit in two weeks.
2 - Bridget and I are going to Pawhuska, Ok, home of Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman, for my birthday the end of July.  We will be staying at The Lodge and doing all things Pioneer Woman. Bridget and family only live about 2 hours from Pawhuska, so we'll head there and leave the guys at home while we go have a little Mother/daughter fun.
3 - Hubby and I will head to Virginia the first of September where I will visit with my only surviving aunt and several of my cousins on my Mom's side of the family.  I'm very excited!

2. Something fun you used to do as a kid in the summertime?
For most of my growing up years I lived close to 1000 miles away from either my maternal Grandmother or my paternal Grandparents.  So, we would load up and head to see them and I would get so excited I could hardly stand it.  I not only had Grandparents I got to see but several cousins to have a good time with.  I have the fondest of memories of times such as this.

3. Rooftop or backyard? Why?
Well, not sure I've ever been on a rooftop, but I've spent many an hour in a backyard, so I'm going with what's familiar, the backyard. 

4. Do you read food labels? Place importance on them? Make an effort to find out/care about where your food comes from?
Yes, I pretty much read every food label because I am very calorie conscious and I will often not buy something if I feel the calorie count is "over the top."  But, there are times that it just doesn't matter and I'll use a lot of self control and only eat a bite or two of something that is high in calories.  I don't worry about where my food comes from except for seafood and that has to say USA.  And, guess, truth be told,  I really prefer that all of the food I eat come from the USA

5. A song you'll have on repeat this summer?
I do not have a song on repeat thus far, and not sure that I will.  The song that came to my mind as soon as I read this question was "Summertime and The Living is Easy."  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Like most of you, I am soooooo sick of all the political ranting and raving!  I rarely even watch the news anymore.  I will watch our local news and that's about it.  I've never seen such ugliness, filth and lack of respect and it makes me very sad.  And, I do often find myself singing, "What a day that will be when my Savior I shall see, when I look into His face and He takes me by the hand."  Yes, what a day that will be!  No more ranting, raving, or disrespect but sweet, sweet peace. 

Kicking off Summer

We are still about 10 days away from the "official" start of summer but, most of us base the beginning of summer with the ending of the school year.  And, even though it has been a long, long time since I had children in school, I still refer to summer when the school year ends.  And, part of that reason is likely because our daughter and daughter in law are both school teachers and their summer begins when their school year ends.  

Our son and his family started their summer with a trip to Pigeon Forge.  They had so much fun and saw some gorgeous countryside and snapped these pictures as they were driving through the mountains.  I think they would both make a beautiful postcard. 

Our little Oklahoma sheep showing cowboy has taken an interest in golf.  Tommy (Poppa) introduced him to golf last summer and he has hit more golf balls in their horse pastures than the law allows.  They live less than 10 miles from a very nice golf course and Clancy is going to start taking golf lessons there this next week.  So, he'll be ready to go with his Poppa and play when they come for a visit in July.  It's a great past time for him when sheep showing season is over.  I think he gets his sheep for the next season in August.

And, this little monkey, Coleman, grabbed his toboggan the other day when they were headed out.  It was only 100 degrees outside and needless to say, his Momma made him leave it behind.  I'm pretty sure, by the look on his rosey cheeked face that he knew exactly what he was doing. ~silly boy~

Tommy and I celebrated #47 this past Wednesday and went to our favorite restaurant for dinner.  They always serve up a delicious piece of cheesecake embellished for the occasion.  But, it really bothered me that the pie was upside down, or at least in my opinion, it was.  I wanted the pie and the numbers going the same direction. Regardless, it was the perfect ending to a lovely meal marking our special day.

We are headed to the Atlanta area on Tuesday to visit Tommy's two sisters and their husbands,  who now live in the same area.  It will make visiting them both so much easier, and  we are  looking  forward to a fun time.  

And, that's what we are doing to "kick off our summer."

I'll likely be "laying low" in blog land while we are gone but I'll have lots to share when we return.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Hodgepodge time!

1.Describe your 30's in one sentence. If you're not yet 30 tell us one thing you hope to accomplish once you hit that particular decade.
"Knee deep and rising" in child rearing. ~a wonderful time of my life~

2. Is it harder for you to exercise or eat healthy?
Well, I exercise 5 out of 7 days but it is not some grueling workout by any means.  I walked on the treadmill for probably 30 years and then a couple of years ago I switched over to the elliptical and I just hope that this form of exercise has and will continue to do me some good.  As to healthy eating, well, I think I do pretty good in that area but I'm sure I really do not if judged by "the authorities."

3. June 7th is National VCR Day. Huh? Anyway this reminded me of something I saw on Facebook listing household items we no longer have and the VCR was on it. I couldn't put my hands on that list, but found another list here of 21 items we all had ten years ago, but which are now obsolete-

bookshelves (WHAT!!???), drip coffee makers, alarm clocks, file cabinets, desktop computers, printers, printed phone books, answering machines, fax machines, paper shredders, a Rolodex, CD racks, CD burners, china cabinets, home phones, entertainment consoles, DVD players, calculators, takeout menus, incandescent light bulbs, and cable TV

Your thoughts? How many on the list do you still have? Still use?
Well, my goodness, I still have quite a few things listed above .....I still have a desktop computer but I have had the "all in one" for the past several years, no more ugly towers for me. And, we have a home phone, an answering machine, a fax machine, a paper shredder, a calculator and cable TV.  I mean, I had no idea that these items are obsolete and I have a feeling that there are a whole lot of others folks that still own these as well.

4. What's something you see disappearing in the next ten years?
Well, since I had no idea about the above items being obsolete right now, then I likely have no idea what will be obsolete in the next 10 years.  I'm pretty sure that a lot of businesses as we know them now will be totally internet businesses.  And, who knows what else!

5. How did you celebrate your birthday this past year? Is that typical?
My birthday is July 29th so that was almost a year ago and I'm not even sure what I did to celebrate my 65th.  I don't think it was a big celebration but I'm quite sure I enjoyed the day.  I'm just glad for every birthday I am blessed to have at this point.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Hubby and I are celebrating 47 years of marriage today.  I was a mere 18 year old and thankfully, he was 24 years old.  If he had not been, we might not have survived.  He moved me 1000 miles away from my parents and brothers and there was no such thing as cell phones or email and we were poor as church mice.  That meant I got to talk to my parents about 15 minutes every 2 weeks and I wrote a whole lot of snail mail letters. ~those were the days~  But, the Lord has blessed beyond our wildest imagination,  two awesome children, 4 precious Grans, a successful business that Tommy built from the ground up, and family and friends  that we've made a boatload of awesome memories with. It's been an exciting ride for sure and hopefully that ride will continue on for many more years. 

NOTE: I continue to be sooooo aggravated with Blogger over their new "rules and regulations" and it has taken so much fun out of blogging.  I miss not getting my comments via my email and find it so very difficult to go back to my blog to see comments and then responding to comments is even more difficult.  And, being a "no reply blogger" stinks and I'm just not happy.  Okay, just had to get that rant out of my system!

Summer Lovin' - TBB Asks

 

It's time for another TBB question and answer session.  It's all about summer.

TBB ASKS JUNE SUMMER LOVIN’

1. Walk or Bike Ride? Oh, think I'd just as soon walk at this point.  A bike wreck could cause me all kinds of misery at this stage of life.  Guess I'd rather stay safe than sorry.

2. Favorite Picnic Food? It has been so long since I've been on a picnic but as a child it was a regular occurrence for our family.  I remember Mom's homemade sandwiches being so good and of course, a side of potato salad is good as well. ~that is as long as it has been kept safe in refrigeration~

3. Pool or Lake? Definitely a pool.  Generally there are no any unwanted critters in a pool and in a lake it could be very scary.  Can you see a pattern here about safety. ~chuckle~

4. Favorite Flavor of ice cream? Well, guess this is crazy but plain ole vanilla is hard to beat in my book. A spoonful of slivered almonds is a nice topping for me.

5. Ice Cream Cone or in a Dish? I do enjoy a good sugar cone but prefer eating from a bowl and letting it sit a little while until it's real creamy. Yummy!

6. Flip Flops or Slides? Flip flops for sure as I have a narrow foot and I have never found a slide that would stay on my feet.  I can manage flip flops just fine.

7. Jean Shorts or Jean Capris?  Capris I suppose but a longer length short is just fine with me too and they make such cute and stylish ones now days.

8. Favorite summer Fruit? I love good cantaloupe and Hubby recently got one of the best at our local Farmer's Market.  I was so sweet and good. 

9. Corn on the Cob or Cut Off the Cob? I love, love corn but just cannot stand eating it off the cob.

10. Favorite summertime song? George Gershwin's version of "Summertime and the Living Is Easy."

11. Favorite summertime activity? Easy living, just like the song says. ~ chuckle~

12. Favorite Berry? Strawberry, Blueberry, Raspberry or Blackberry? I'm not a fan of any berry by themselves but in recipes or fruit mixtures, I'd take any of these listed.

13. Bikini’s, tankini’s or one pieces? Oh, my goodness, hands down, a one piece and thankfully, it's a rarity for me to have any need for a swim suit at this point in my life. ~wink~

14. Dresses or Skirts? I do enjoy dresses in the summer, they are more comfortable to me than skirts and I'd really enjoy them even more if I had lovely tanned legs.

15. One Word to describe Summer? HOT!!!!! Yes, it has already reached 100 degrees here in NE Louisiana and that was before June 1st.  Ugh!  Looks like we are in for as hot of a summer as we were a cold winter.

Have yourself a great new week!

Tales of the Traveling Totes - Miss Scarlett's Travels

And, it's time for another edition of the Traveling Totes.  Miss Scarlett had a lot more excitement in her life this go around than the last.  Her first real adventure was to Oklahoma in March to visit our daughter and her family.

Miss Scarlett was nestled between the two back seats holding our snacks for the 8 1/2 hour drive ahead.  She did her job well.

 

Once we arrived at our hotel, Miss Scarlett rode very proudly on the luggage rack to our room.  She was more than ready to get out from between the back seats. Poor girl!

Soon after arriving Bridget and I took Miss Scarlett out for a little shopping.

We took her to brunch at the cutest tea room one morning and she definitely fit right in. Scarlett's first trip to Oklahoma was a winner for sure!
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Scarlett's next trip was Des Moines, Iowa and, bless her heart, she was stuffed in my suitcase for this trip.  I was afraid she was too big to go under the seat and I  do not put things in the over head bin, just sort of goes against my grain.  So, I didn't want her to miss the trip, thus she had to go in my suitcase.  Poor baby!

But, the next morning the two of us were raring to "go and do" with my sister in law.

We met up with my niece and she was introduced to Miss Scarlett  and we stopped by a cute, cute shop called, The Funky Zebras.  Where folks come up with names such as this is beyond me but it sure catches your attention.  And, that's likely the intention. ~smile~

Later that afternoon we met up with my precious blogging friend, Erin.  We enjoyed coffee and dessert and became acquainted with each other.  It's always such a special treat to meet a blogging friend in "real" life.  And, of course, she got to meet Miss Scarlett too. ~a double treat~

On Saturday, my brother, SIL, niece and myself loaded up and drove to Orange City to see my nephew in a play there at the university he attended. (he graduated a couple of weeks ago) And, as you can see, there was still mounds and mounds of snow on the ground.  Thankfully, the temps were cool but not "bone chillin'" as they had been the previous week.  
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Scarlett's next trip was to New York City.  And, once again, she went in my suitcase as she's pretty big when she's full and too heavy to have to worry with as I trot through the airport and too big to go under the seat.  Bless her heart, she's deprived but hopefully she'll forgive me. I did take out to eat one night and she loved getting out and about.  And, everyone thought she was so cute!

I hate to report but Scarlett didn't get out much at all during our stay in NYC, because, once again, we were walking, walking and walking and it was rainy, rainy.  I knew she would be too big and bulky to carry all day and way to big for the subways and Ubers.  I had visions of toting her all around The Big Apple but, that did not happen.

I really wanted her to go with me to the flagship McKenzie-Childs store.  I mean, that was where she might have once resided.  I loved everything in the store and did buy a cute little miniature enamel compote in the black and white check.  I absolutely love all the black and white checked items but have absolutely no where in my house to really use any of it.  What fun it would be to have a kitchen done in all of it.  The dishes are just gorgeous! Everything in the store had all of us oooing and ahhing, the lamps, the furniture, the pillows, the linens.  I think most of  us left with something in our  cute MC bags.

If you would like to read more Traveling Totes adventures, you can click on the links below to do so.  And, above all, do stop by Katie's over at The Preppy Empty Nester and register to win the Flower Market Vase pictured below.  

Come along and travel with:

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

Ricki Jill and Countess De Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Lea and Miss Scarlett @ Cici's Corner

Lea's Favorites

I'm pretty sure I've never done one of my favorites post except on Friday's.  And, not sure why, but I'm breaking that habit this week and bringing one your way today.  But, first, let me say a word to all my blogging friends............I am so confused by all the changes taking place with Blogger and I imagine you are as well.  I am most upset about "the no reply blogger" and not being able to receive my comments through email.  Surely, surely, this is NOT permanent.  Guess we'll all deal with it but it sure is aggravating! Okay, now with that out of the way, let me share a few of my latest favorites with you.

I cannot believe that I have not shared this before now as this has been a favorite of mine for the last several years.  I have made Monkey Bread from scratch and I promise you, this is every bit as good and it's so quick and easy.  Just pop in the microwave straight from the freezer and in a matter of minutes you have ooey, gooey, cinnamon goodness.  I usually serve it with some kind of egg casserole when we have company.  The only thing it is lacking is pecans but that's very easy to fix.  Just sprinkle some chopped pecans on top once you turn it out on a plate after it is warmed.   I get mine in the freezer section at Wal-Mart where frozen rolls are located.

I really don't use cookbooks much anymore due to the ease of finding recipes on the internet.  But, every once in a while a cookbook comes out that I feel I just must have.  That was the case of this one, Magnolia Table by JoAnna Gaines of the famed "Fixer Upper" duo. It is so fun to browse through and her famous biscuit recipe is in here.  I think it would make a lovely gift as well.

I've been hearing about the riced veggies and decided to give these a whirl a couple of weeks ago.  I definitely give these my stamp of approval.  AND, this entire bag ONLY has 100 calories and I could only eat about 2/3 of the bag along with some crackers for lunch.  It needed salt and pepper for my seasoning taste but it will become a regular on my lunch menu for sure. 

One of the gals that was on our NYC trip shared this "jewel" with us (her eye doctor had told her about them) and I think all of us went right out and bought them.  Dry eyes seem to be an epidemic and I've had them for about 10 years and was prescribed  terribly expensive drops, I mean EXPENSIVE!!!! Well, I have been using this moist heat compress on my eyes for a week and have not used any drops whatsoever and my eyes are totally comfortable.  I am just shocked that all eye care professionals do not tell patients about these.  I mean, really!!!!  These are $7.99 at our local Walgreens and $9.99 on Amazon.  Makes one wonder about the kickbacks that doctors likely get when they prescribe certain drugs. It's all I can figure out as to why they would not all be pushing this.  I have what the doctor has called severe dry eye and so far this has kept it under control without the use of Retasis.  So, all you dry eye folks, run out and get yourself some of these!  And, I forgot to mention how good this feels, sort of like a spa treatment.

And, I found out about these while on my NYC trip as well.  Our "guides" daughter that lives there in NYC wore Rothy's almost everyday we were there.  I thought they were so cute and commented and she began telling us how they are made from recycled plastic water bottles.  Yes, can you believe that? They are then transformed in a very comfortable knitted shoe.  I am not a big fan of flat shoes but these are just soooo cute so I bought myself the Flat pictured above.  Click on the link and go check out all the cute colors and patterns they come in.  They are a bit on the expensive side, range from $125 - $165. But, they are made with low-waste, low-impact materials, so guess that must be worth a lot. ~chuckle~

So, there you have it, the latest edition of "Lea's Favorites" on a Wednesday!