Lately.........

And, here's what's been going on lately.............

I have replaced some of my fall decor with more of a Thanksgiving look.  I love these tall candlesticks and the lovely fall candle rings sitting atop.  These will serve as our Thanksgiving table scape. The candlesticks are plenty tall enough to remain in place during the meal.

I love turkey's and the one on top is one I've had a few years and the one on bottom is a new one.  I tried to talk myself out of buying him but he was just so pretty and he's really BIG.  He makes quite a statement sitting on the end of our bar.

Okay, I really stepped out of "my box" with this.  I rarely post any pictures of myself modeling/styling clothes.  It's sort of out of my comfort zone.  But, I just had to show you my camouflage jeggings.  I was shopping with my daughter when I saw these, tried them on and Bridget really liked them on me so I bought them.  For a gal that's a more classic style gal, this look was definitely out of "my box."  Andrea and Lisa, I know I should have had these pics taken outside but it was a rainy day and I ran to my husband's office and had one of the staff snap these real quick. ~just sayin'~ I'll try to do better next time. ~smile~

This past Friday was my Dad's 89th birthday. My brother and I hosted a party for him at the facility where he lives.  Several folks that have known him over the years dropped by to join in the celebration as well.  As you can see, he was really enjoying all the attention from the women.~chuckle~

My youngest brother and his wife came in from Iowa to help with the celebration and to spend the weekend with us.  Daddy had such a wonderful time and he will be recovering the remainder of the week from all the excitement of his birthday and the weekend. 

And I leave you with this...........

Saturday 9 - The Middle

Saturday 9: The Middle (2018)
I have never, ever heard this song, but I will sure do my best to answer the questions.

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about compromise. When did you recently give in a little and meet someone halfway?

2) She sings that the floors are wet. Are there any floors in your home that could use a good scrub today? If you answered "yes," will those floors get cleaned this weekend?


The floors in the areas that Hubby and I live in are mopped every week and this week they got a good steam mopping.  We have Acacia wood floors throughout our house, and I don't use steam on them very often but every once in a while I like to deep clean them.  

3) She also sings that the cabinets are bare. What's currently on your shopping list?

Candy and ice cream for my Daddy. (My Daddy was 89 years old yesterday and he can pretty much have any and all candy that his heart desires.)  I have been to the grocery every day this week so there is absolutely nothing that we need at this time.  My brother and his wife are here visiting and I always seem to buy a good bit more when company is here. 

4) You may be familiar with this song from Target's TV commercials. Do you often shop at Target?

I do not shop at Target near as much as I would like to. It's about 22 miles from where I live and not really on my "beating path" when I go to that area.  I have to make a special effort to go and when I do I thoroughly enjoy myself. 

5) The lead vocal is handled by Maren Morris, a Grammy winner for "My Church," which is all about singing with the car radio. What's the last song you sang along with?


It was one of my all time favorites, Could I Have This Dance.  I sang along with Anne Murry, also one of my all time favorite artist.

6) This past April, Maren married singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd and they have performed onstage together. Who is the last person you sang along with? 
Oh, that would have been about a year and a half  ago when my BFF and I were playing around with a Kareoke machine here at our house. 

7) This song was composed by brothers Kyle and Michael Trewartha. With their bleached hair and sunglasses, they look like a pair of surfer dudes -- which they are, having grown up in Huntington Beach, CA. Is there a body of water near your hometown?
Guess it depends on what you call near.  We're about 75 miles from the mighty Mississippi River.  But, real, real close to our house, is a beautiful pond about 60 feet from our backdoor. ~smile~

8) January 2018, when this song debuted, we had a total lunar eclipse. When things like that happen in the sky, do you go out of your way to watch?
Well, I have seen a few happenings in the sky over my life time and did watch the eclipse in January. I don't know that I really go out of my way, but things of this nature are so rare that I definitely want to see them if at all possible. 

9) Random question -- They say we're all young at heart. In what way can you be childlike?


I can get the giggles pretty easily and did just that very recently.  I started laughing and thought I'd never get myself under control.  It was over something that I read on Facebook that was one of the funniest things I've ever read.  

Wednesday Medley

It's Wednesday and Terri from Your Friend from Florida creates questions for those that want to play along each week.  

What is your claim to fame?



I think the main thing would be my gift of organization. Both my Dad and Mom were highly organized so I pretty much came into the world organized.  I think that an organized life is a productive life.  But, to each his own.  

What is something you like to do the old-fashioned way?



I still, and likely always will, keep a wall calendar with all our appointments and activities on it.  I do use my IPhone calendar as well, but only for birthdays.  I like being able to look at the entire month on my big wall calendar.  It's very satisfying to me. ~smile~

What did you think you would grow out of but haven’t?


I have never liked or eaten tomatoes, meatloaf or dark chicken.  And, that still remains.  I do not like the texture of tomatoes or meatloaf and I just don't like the look of dark meat chicken.  I've always been this way and can't see me changing at this point.

What is the dumbest thing you’ve done that actually turned out pretty well?



Well, just yesterday I was in Wal-Mart with quite a long list.  I had a dentist appointment at 11:00 and I went to Wal-Mart around 8:45 and I knew I would have plenty of time to get all the things on my list, bring them home and then get to the dentist by 11:00.  I was almost finished with my shopping and looked down at my watch and it was 10:30.  I almost fainted  and hurried over to check out.  I decided that I did not have time to bring the items home so I would just go on to the dentist and barely make it.  I loaded everything in the car and jumped in to head to the dentist.  When I looked at my dash I saw that the clock said 9:40.  Of course, I suddenly remembered that I had not reset my watch (that's what happens when you have more than one watch) with the new DST.  I ended up having plenty of time. 

If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Oh, I can't imagine changing my name but I would change the spelling of my name.  My name is Leah, but I spell it Lea.  My parents always wished they had spelled it with an H but said they were so excited when I was born that they were not thinking straight.  As a result I've often been called Lee.

What is something random you can tell us about this week?

I know, Halloween was a week ago but I didn't get these cuties posted so thought I'd do it now.  We had a sweet princess, a cute unicorn, a baseball player and a scary skelton.  They had their Halloween fun at their churches festivals and the girls got to go on a hayride. 

TBB Asks - Giving Thanks Edition

It's the first Monday of the month (can you believe it's November) and that means the Blended Blog gals have questions and I have answers.

1. Have you ever kept a Gratitude Journal? Yes or No? 
I have not and have thought about it many times, but have not acted on that thought.  I think it would do everyone good to keep one.  

2. Hosting Thanksgiving at your house? Yes or No?

Yes, I will be hosting the Thanksgiving meal here this year.  The past two years we have gone to the country club for their scrumptious buffet.  We will have our son and family and one of Hubby's sisters and her husband and my Daddy.  Not a lot but hopefully it will be very nice.  I've put a whole lot of planning into the meal and doing as much as possible in advance.  I love being "one step ahead."

3. Favorite Food from The Thanksgiving Meal?
It would be a toss up between sweet potato casserole or dressing and gravy. I rarely ever eat either one other than at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

4. What one thing in Nature are you most grateful for? 

The bayous here in Louisiana are just beautiful this time of year.  The Cypress trees are in full of color and we are blessed to have a lot of bayous in our area.  It's something that many have never or may never see.  I'm grateful I get to see them regularly. 

5. Pumpkin Pie: Yes or No?

Oh, indeed! I love pumpkin pie and again, I never eat it except during the holidays.  That makes it all the better.

6. Traditional Cookbook: Yes or No?
I do rarely use a cookbook anymore.  I just go straight to the internet for my recipes.  It's much quicker.  I still have some great cookbooks and on rare occasions I will actually use them.

7. Oven Baked or Deep-Fried Turkey?
I'll take Deep-Fried but we are having neither this year.  I have ordered a smoked turkey breast.  It's soooo much easier to serve.

8. Thanksgiving Leftovers: Yes or No? 
Yes, don't mind eating them once but no more. Enough is enough. ~grin~

9. What is one household product your most grateful for?

I love, love Viva paper towels and use them many times a day.  I love many other products too but these were the first thing to come to my mind. They are like cloth. If you use another brand, you should give Viva a try, I'm betting you'll like them too.

10. Are you most grateful for home cooked meals or restaurant meals? 

Well, I might be lying if I said home cooked because we eat out half the time.  So, guess I'll go with restaurant meals.  Generally our eating out is as much a social event as anything else and we really enjoy it. 

Saturday 9 - It Must Be Him

And, it's the Saturday 9 and I am most familiar with this week's song.  I would say that, at one time, I knew every word of the song. 

Saturday 9: It Must Be Him (1967)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a woman waiting impatiently for a phone call. Do you consider yourself patient?

It all depends on what I'm waiting on.  I can be very patient or very impatient but I do tend to like things "done now."  ~chuckle~

2) Other women (most notably Shirley Bassey and Dottie West) have recorded this song. Harry James and Doc Severinson did instrumental versions. But there's no record of a male singing "Oh dear God! It must be her! Or I shall die!" Do you think that's because waiting for the phone to ring is more "a chick thing," and men simply don't do it?

Oh, I doubt that guys get as worked up at all waiting on a phone call as gals can and often do.  But, again, it just might depend on who they are waiting to hear from. 

3) This recording enjoyed a sudden surge of popularity after 20 years when it was included on the soundtrack of Moonstruck, the 1987 film that won Cher an Oscar. Have you seen Moonstruck?

Yes, not a favorite though.

4) This week's featured artist, Vikki Carr, was born in El Paso, TX. El Paso can proudly proclaim itself one of America's safest cities. What can your hometown be proud of?

We are a big farming community.  In fact, I would say that farming is the life blood of our town.  We have some of the biggest farms in the state and are so thankful for them.  In recent years International Paper closed their plant here and it was a hard, hard economic hit to our community that we are still reeling from. That makes us even more thankful for our farmers. 

5) She was a staple on Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon, raising funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association by performing this song. Is your TV on right now? If so, what are you watching?

Yes, it is. I'm watching The Five on Fox News.  It's the first time the TV has been on today.  I'm not a huge daytime TV fan. 

6) In 1971, Vikki fulfilled a dream of hers by establishing the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation. Every year the foundation awards Hispanic American students money to use toward higher education. She says it's her way of returning "the support and encouragement she received from others" early in her career. If you could establish a charitable foundation, what cause would you like it to benefit?

It would be mission work to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ because without HIM nothing else really matters in this life and there are sooooo many that have yet to accept HIM or to even know HIM. 

7)  In 1967, when this song was popular, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first heart transplant. Today, one of the most common surgeries performed in the United States is the coronary artery bypass surgery. Have you had any surgeries?

Yes, in 1987 I had a hysterectomy and that was before laparoscopic surgery so I had the full incision followed by a full 6 week recovery.  But, I did wonderfully and never looked back.

In 2007 I had shoulder surgery for a torn tendon.  It was done through a laparoscope but it was one tough surgery and the recovery was more than tough.  But, I am pleased to say that once I went through 3 months of rehab, my shoulder was and still is good as new. 

8)  Also in 1967, the RMS Queen Mary was retired after 31 years of service. Have you ever traveled by cruise ship? 

Our first cruise was to Alaska 10 years ago.  There were several couples that went and we had such a great time.  Two years later we went on a Canadian cruise and it was also a great trip.  Neither of us really desired to ever go on a cruise but it was only because we had never been on one and we had no idea how great they could be.

9) Random question: Who is your oldest living relative?

It would be my Dad.  He will be 89 years young next Friday, November 9th.  He does quite well considering he is legally blind.  Thankfully he is still able to live in the assisted living facility where he has lived for the past 7 1/2 years.  

And, just so you know, Hubby and I will be cheering our LSU Tigers on to victory this evening as they take on Alabama.  It is a HUGE game and you may hear me hollar really loud when LSU wins. 

Lea's Favorites and Reviews

It's that time folks, time for some of my favorites and some reviews.  I always love knowing what folks think of products, clothes or food items.  I'm more prone to give something a try if it is personally recommended to me.  Here we go...........

 It is rarely that I bake anything in a loaf pan but when I do I like to have a nice container to store it in.  I found this a few months ago on Amazon.

A couple of weeks ago I made our favorite Almond Pound Cake and split the recipe between two loaf pans and this was great to store it in.  One went in the freezer for future use.  My only dislike is the way it snaps together when you put the top on.  It's not easy to do but I sort of have the hang of it now.  AND, I so wish there was a glass loaf holder with a glass top.  I love loaf cakes and I also make dessert breads that I'd love to have one for.  Surely I'm not the only person that would like to have one of these.  In the meantime I'll continue to use this plastic one that doesn't have much presentation.

Forever and ever I've used McCormick's chili seasoning and we love it.  But, a couple of weeks ago my sweet young neighbor told me about Ballow's and how much their family likes it.  So, I decided to give it a try this weekend.  It's made with 2 pounds hamburger meat and 1 pound of sausage.  I've never even thought of adding sausage to mine before but it was a nice addition.  The Ballow's is a thick chili and I really liked it.  It's highly seasoned but, for me, not too highly. ~but I love highly seasoned food~  I don't think we would like the Ballow's for chili dogs or Mexican Stackups but for just eating a bowl of chili, I'll give it 4 stars.  For local folks, Super 1 is the only place I was able to find it.

Some time ago one of my "besties" was telling me that she had gotten a carabiner to attach her purse to a cart that she might be using while shopping.

Well, I thought that was a brilliant idea.  I am always walking away from my cart to get something or look at something and it's the perfect opportunity for someone to grab my purse.  So, I purchased myself some and I got the 3" size as they are big enough for a larger handled purse.  I just leave my hanging on the handle of my purse for convenience but it's easy enough to remove and slip in the side pocket of your purse.  As my husband said, they can still take your purse but it will certainly be a much slower process for them.  And, I most always carry zip up purses so it's not easy to just reach in my purse and grab something either.  Anyway, I urge you to get yourself a carabiner too. 

Ladies, I've owned a lot of can openers over the years but there is absolutely none that can compare to the CUTCO.  It's smooth operation is unbelievable.  I got mine about  2 weeks ago and it has made opening cans a breeze. I'm sort of thinking that my kiddos may need one for Christmas. I own the CUTCO knives as well and I give them a 5 star rating as well.

I love tarts, they are just the right size dessert.  I see the shells in the freezer section of the grocery store and always think that I'll try and make some.  Well, last week I decided it was time to stop thinking about it and just buy them and give it a try.  Dutch Ann is the brand that our Wal-Mart carries so I  went with them. And, they are made in Historic Natchez, Mississippi, so they had to be good shells.

There was a recipe on the back of the package for Pecan Tarts so I  decided to give it a try.  I love Pecan Pie and I thought these would be great to have for our Thanksgiving.  8 shells come to a package and I thought they turned out wonderfully.  Now, I have not tasted of them but I'm betting they are going to be good.  I packaged them up and placed them in the freezer and I'm thinking I need to make some pumpkin tarts to go with these. I'm pretty sure these are going to be a big favorite of mine for a long time.  Tarts are just the right amount of dessert.

If you have not ever heard of the Touch Note app then you need to get it ASAP.  My precious blogging friend, Erin over at Perfectly Port talked about it on her blog a few weeks ago.  I immediately loaded it on my phone and Ipad and have already sent 3-4 cards with it.  It is the easiest way to send a card and you can use your photos or their pre-designed cards.  I used photos on the ones I have sent and I saw one that I had sent to someone and I was so very pleased.  It was high quality and and the receiver was thrilled.  They offer different monthly rates or you can just use it as needed.  I have not signed up for a monthly rate but it is much less expensive if you do.  I think the 5x7 cards I sent were about $5.00 each and that includes the postage.  It is so convenient and sure beats having to go and hunt and hunt for just the right card.  Give it a try!  It's my new favorite way to send a card.

Have you seen this book?  Well, it is so cute and of course, Reese is too!  It's a book about her growing up in the South (Alabama) and she shares some of her favorite recipes from her Grandmother.  And, there are lovely pictures too.  It makes a great gift and I've already given it to one of my dear friends for her birthday.  It's the kind of book you can just pick up and browse at your leisure.

Now, go have yourself a wonderful new week!!!