I Feel So Celebrated!

Yesterday was my 58th birthday, yes that's right, 58 years!  And, my family and friends outdid themselves in making me feel very celebrated.

This gorgeous bouquet arrived from a dear friend about 8:30

A.M.

  A few days ago another dear friend from Arkansas sent me a "Party in a Box."  It was 2 boxes filled with all kinds of goodies and I had the best time opening them and pulling out all the cute and cleaver items.

Clancy had a good time helping his CiCi open the boxes

There was a brightly colored Birthday Plate

Candles for a cake

Plates, napkins, and banner for the party

As you can see, she didn't forget a thing! When my daughter saw all of the items she informed me that she would like to have all of the items to use for my "birthday dinner" last night. So, I was glad for her to put them to good use and knew that my friend would be equally thrilled.

The birthday banner was hung and the cake was made to match all the other items.

 My daughter and daughter in law put together a "meal fit for a Queen." We had grilled pork, stuffed baked potatoes and salad and of course, birthday cake for dessert.  The event was held at our daughter's home and she did outdid herself in her preparation and invited my Dad and step Mom to share in the celebration. It could not have been better!!

Me with my sweet Dad

CiCi blowing out her candles, thank goodness, it was only 2 and not 58!

Hubby topped off the day by bringing in this beautiful arrangement

One of the cutest birthday cakes I've ever seen

Yes, I felt "celebrated" and very blessed all day long!

Be sure and check out Home Sanctuary for more good "Company Girl Coffee." 

Miscellany Monday

I'm so excited, I was #1 on Carissa's "linking up" list this morning! Guess that's one of the perks for getting up so early to leave on our trip.  Happy Monday and I'll look forward to visiting around a bit later in the day.

1. while you are reading this, hubby and i are on our way to point clear, alabama for an outing with his business. we have never been before, but we'll be staying at the grand hotel and we hear we are in for a treat. i'll let you know.

2. before i say this, let me assure you that i do love my cellphone and really cannot imagine life without them, but..........i do think we have taken it "over the top" with them and are just plain rude with them. when you are conversing with me and stop to take a call, it makes me feel very unimportant. when i am dining out and you take a call and hold a long conversation, using your outside voice, it bothers the "bajebbers" out of me. when i am in a business and you are sitting over there talking on your cell phone, it also bothers the "daylites" out of me. and, if it goes off in a church service, well, that's just unforgiveable. ~wink~  i think you get my message! i am sure that i have been guilty of some bad phone manners myself, but my phone is completely muted when i go inside businesses, restaurants and drs. offices. often it is just left inside my vehicle. i made it almost 40 years without one and surely i can make it a few minutes or a few hours without it. if someone needs me that badly, they can just come looking for me. ~chuckle~

3. i was in a business the other day and saw these adorable sock monkeys. it caused a rush of memories for me.

when i was a little girl, the sock monkey pictured below is the one i had and absolutely loved.  and, if i remember correctly, my grandmother made the monkey for me. wow! i think it's just too cool that they've made a more "girly" one now. i think both are on my Christmas list for the "grans."

 4. i "thought" that i wanted music added to my blog, so i had some "custom" instrumental music created. well, i've just about decided that it bothers me and think i'm about to remove it. my 31 year old daughter says it drives her crazy, that really scared me.~chuckle~ so if it's gone next time you stop by, you'll know why.

5. speaking of my daughter......she has entered the blogging world and i promised her that i would put in a good word for her (in spite of the fact that she doesn't like my blog music). in case you are interested, her blog is "The Broome Bunch" and you can click here to find it.

6. my hair is longer than it has been in years and years and  I'm trying to decide if I should keep growing it a bit longer. i have always "heard" that as we age we should keep our hair shorter, well, how short? i mean, two ladies that i think are just as classy as they come and are in my "age range" are beth moore and anne graham lotz and they have longer hair. perhaps that statement was in regards to hair hanging down your back. oh, well, i'll try to use good judgement and when someone says to me with a funny look, "oh, i see you are letting your hair grow," i'll come home and look in the mirror and rethink it.~giggle~

7. i have a very special relationship with the young vietnamese lady that does my nails. She and her family are just absolutely precious and i call myself their "american mom." they are the hardest working individuals i've ever known and have the deepest appreciation of being american. they have both been american citizens for many years and their children (14 &10) were both born here. i have such a special place in my heart for them and truly feel that the Lord placed them in my path for a profound reason. today, the mom and daughter attended church with me.  my 80 year old dad was going to be preaching and i invited them to come and they very willingly agreed. he preached such a stirring message and there's no doubt their hearts were touched and they were blessed. what an honor it is for me to know them and share in their lives and i pray that i can be used to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

as always, i've so enjoyed sharing my miscellaneous thoughts with you today. carissa is just "the bomb" and if you haven't checked out other miscellany monday's, then click here and enjoy!

It's Friday Again

Yes, it is Friday again and that means time for the Company Girls.  What a great group of women! I have so enjoyed meeting so many of you and  looking forward to meeting others of you.  Rachel Anne really is a great host and our thanks to her for this time each week.  

Monday I went over to my daughter's to watch her make Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.  I'm always amazed at the amount of time that some recipes take and this one looked very time consuming to me.  I cannot tell you what all took place before she got it to this stage. 

 Just getting the  dough rolled into a rectangle before rolling it up was quite an impressive feat.  Of course, I was pretty proud as I sat on a nearby stool watching her. I mean, surely, she inherited  these baking skills from me! ~smile~ 

She very pain stakingly cut each roll about 1 1/2" thick and carefully placed them in a buttered pan. She allowed them time to rise and then placed them in the oven and this is what came out about 18 minutes later.  

 And, yes, they were just as delicious as they look.  The maple flavored glaze truly was "the icing on the top."  I was a proud Momma!

Wednesday, "The Formidible Women" (our birthday group) went for a birthday outing, celebrating two of our birthdays, one of which happens to be mine. (my birthday is not until next week and Rhonda's has already come and gone, but it was still our celebration) ~wink~  Rhonda and I chose to go

to lunch at a lovely country club, Squire Creek, about 60 miles from here.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch of Veggie Quiche with fruit and Pecan Pie for dessert.  And, as you can 

see the food presentation was "out of this world."  We enjoyed ourselves immensely and then headed out for a little "retail therapy" at a quaint little shop in "downtown" Choudrant (population might be 500)

The name of this little shop is "Lusiana Traditions" and it is located in the same building as a mechanics shop.  The husband runs one side and his wife has her little gift shop on the other side. It's like something out of "Mayberry."  We found several items we could not live without before we headed towards home.  You gotta love these little Southern towns.

I'm just "plum" excited that Michelle over at 50 Chubby Toes
(isn't that the cutest name) nominated me for the blogging "Sunshine Award." Aweeeee! And, what an inspiration Michelle is to me. She is the mother of 5 precious children and her husband is away serving our country. She is so inspiring as she writes her blog to him keeping him aware of all that is going on with her and the children while he away. You really need to check out her blog. 


And, I do hope my blog really does bring a little sunshine into your lives! ~smile~

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For one reason or the other, it has been about 3 weeks since I last participated in SWD.  Summer  sometimes has a way of interfering with our regular routines.~smile~

Outside my window.....the sun is setting and night is falling.

I am thinking.....that Fall cannot get here quick enough. It has really been hot and humid here in NE Louisiana and it feels like a steam sauna when you step outside.  I'm tired of that and ready to move on to Fall. Heat and humidity play havoc with makeup and hair. ~wink~

I am thankful for......the opportunity that I have to serve as Assistant Coordinator of our Women's Ministry at our church this coming church year. The Coordinator and I have met several times and have some great ladies to serve on the council and have plans for a productive year.  I like to serve in some capacity and I felt this is where the Lord wanted to use me at this time.

From the kitchen.....well, today I went to our daughter's and watched her make and bake Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls. I know it's not from my kitchen, but after all, she is my "flesh and blood" so that should count. ~chuckle~  Let me tell you, I was so impressed and I know that Ree would be too if she saw what a good job my daughter did in making these, oh, so difficult, time consuming, calorie laden, cinnamon rolls. If you do not have Ree's cookbook then I recommend that you order yourself one.  It will be a wonderful addition to your kitchen.

I am wearing.....my usual evening "comfy clothes."

I am going......with our "birthday club" out to lunch on Wed. to celebrate mine and another member of the groups birthday. It's about two months late for hers and about a week early for mine, but we'll still enjoy the celebration.  We have about 3 outings a year to celebrate the birthdays of the 7 of us. It's always fun "girl time."

I am reading.....Take One by Karen Kingbury. I really almost didn't read this book because it is the first of a series of 4. I have read other series of Karen's and they get me so wrapped up that I forget that they are fictional characters and I find myself fretting over them like they are family. 

I am hearing.....the roar of a baseball game as Hubby watches it on TV.

Around the house........we are replacing a couple of light fixtures in our house and having a new commode put in our Master Bath.  Now, doesn't that sound exciting?  Well, our present one is 29 years old and has seen its' "better day." 

One of my favorite things.....is having my two grandchildren reach out their arms for me to take them. Aweeeeeeeee!

A few plans for the rest of the week........on Thursday my two Grandchildren, their Mommies and myself will be taking them to see "The Wonder Pets" and "The Backyardigans." These are two of the cutest childrens' shows on NickJr. and while my Grandchildren are only 9 months and 21 months, I think they will be spellbound at the performance.  Regardless, their Mommies and me will have a good time.

Tuck, Lennie and Ming Ming

For more Simple Woman's Daybook reading click here.

 

Miscelleny Monday

one. i find myself looking forward to "miscellany monday." it is such a fun meme and carissa is such a "hip" young lady! thanks carissa for hosting this most fun time. i don't know how you do all that you do and do it so well.

two. i've found myself fretting over things completely out of my control in recent weeks. how silly for a "child of the king" to do such. HIS promises are sure, HE has it all under control and does not need our assistance. i have enough things under my control to spend my time on and think that  i've been lax in my time in the word and that's when things such as fretting begin showing up in my life.

 three. i love that my husband and son enjoy golfing together. hubby is an avid hunter and golfer. our son (now 33 years old) never developed a love of hunting but fell in love with golfing at a very young age and is quite the golfer. he and hubby have spent many enjoyable hours on the golf course over the past 25 years. i think it's so neat that golfing is a sport that one can enjoy for most of their life, unlike a lot of other sports.

four.  i read an article this week where the author said that he wished that we had a "life check" like our computer programs have a "spell check."  it could point out the areas of our lives that needed correcting, assuming it would be done rooted in Godly values. he went on to say that we do indeed have such a "life check," it is the bible and the more we expose ourselves to it and conform to its teachings the better off we are and the more likely we are to have the problem areas corrected. i liked that!

five. we took our 20 month old grandson out for his first boat ride on saturday. while out, we pulled up to a sand bar and he had his first experience with sand. need i say, he liked both very much. what precious "memory making" times.

six. my brother in law's retina detached this past wednesday while he was on a fishing trip in canada. he lives in the atlanta area, so this just complicated things even more. he managed to get home on thursday and had surgery on friday. it remains to be seen, and will for quite some time, if he will regain any vision as a result of the reattachment. it is truly scary how quickly our lives can take a downward turn and especially when it comes to our health. thank goodness for a god who gives us peace and comfort during these times.

seven.  this is my 133rd blog entry since I began blogging in march of 2009. what a fun adventure this has been! what wonderful friends i have made, and what encouragement i have received. it has become one of my most enjoyable hobbies. not everyone understands bloggers, but that's okay, we understand each other and that's all that matters. right?

eight. i'm praying for both our daughter and daughter in law and the upcoming school year. our  daughter and family have just moved here and she will be in a new school system. she will be the gifted specialist at the magnet school here. she was so grateful that she was able to get a job. our daughter in law is in the special education department at our local high school. a new principal is on board and that likely means change, and, that's good, as long as it is for the better. i'm proud of both of them and the difference they are making in the lives of the kids they teach each day. 

 nine. i have just ordered "don't waste your life" and "finally alive" by john piper and "crazy love" by francis chen. i've heard such "rave reviews" about all three of these and can hardly wait for them to arrive. i'm so grateful for men such as these that use God's inspired word as they write books.

a most blessed week to all of you!


 

Family Time

Good Morning Girls!  Thanks for stopping by and since it is such a hot morning here, I'll offer you a bottle of water rather than coffee.  It's just the best summertime drink and I'm working on it becoming my best "all time" drink. And, just in case you didn't notice, I'm #1 on the list this morning. Awe! so good to be #1 once in a while. ~smile~

At the entrance to Silver Dollar City

Last Wednesday Hubby, my Dad and Step Mom and myself met my baby brother and his family in Branson. We stayed in a 4 bedroom, 4 bath condo on TableRock Lake. It was a beautiful place.

My brother and me

My brother has a 19 year old daughter and a 14 year old son. They were such troopers and it seemed as though they did not mind a bit being with all us "old folks."  They are some great kids.  It's always been fun to have a brother 13 years younger than myself!

My sweet niece and nephew

We enjoyed seeing some shows, checking out the outlet shopping, going to Silver Dollar City, game playing in the evening and just being together.

Grandpa with his Grandson

The Ladies

My brother after a 16 1/2 mile early morning run

My brother is preparing for a partial climb up Mt. Everest next March and began preparing for this about 3 months ago.  He's always been very committed to exercise and being fit, but he is on an unbelievable schedule for this endeavor.  And, he is hoping to qualify for the Boston Marathon in October 2011 and I have little doubt that he will qualify.  Last Saturday morning while the rest of the family was snoozing away he was gone on a 16 1/2 mile run and didn't look all that weary upon his return to the condo.  Amazing!

Hubby looking at the map of Silver Dollar City

Getting ready to ride the Segways

One of the hi-lites of the trip was riding the Segways.  I almost backed out but decided that I really didn't want to miss out on this fun and I wanted my niece and nephew to think they had a very "hip" Aunt. ~chuckle~  Putting on the crazy helmets was the worse part, but riding them was such fun.  I've decided I wouldn't mind having one to run about the neighborhood on. ~smile~

About to take off

Daddy relaxing

I'm so grateful for the opportunity that our family had to be together for this special time.  I feel so blessed to call them "mine."  Since we're separated by many miles, we look forward to the times we are together and try to make a lot of memories in the process.  Last week was one of those times. 

For more great "blog hopping" head on over to Rachel Anne's.  It's a lot of fun and addicting! ~giggle~

A place of retreat...........

Good Morning Girls, grab yourself your favorite drink and sit down and visit a "spell." (as my Grandmother would say)

I imagine most of us have a place within our homes where we go to retreat.  It is likely a place/spot where we can escape and feel very comfortable.  I personally have a big blue leather club chair in our upstairs area that I retreat to for my devotional and prayer time.  Our home office would be my "other" retreat.  I spend enjoyable hours in there on the computer blogging, being creative, emailing, Facebooking and playing with photos. Until recently, I had never 

My Dad

heard the term, "Man Cave."  Believe it or not, it was my 80 year old Dad that introduced me to the term and later created one for himself.  And, after seeing it, I think it could also be called "A Retreat."  But, there's little doubt, that men like the term "cave.

Sign on door of Dad's "Man Cave"

When my Dad remarried last November, he moved into the home that his new wife lived in.  It was at that time that he decided he wanted to create himself a "Man Cave" in one of the extra bedrooms of the house.  My Dad is a retired minister and has always had an office at the church's he pastored and most often, also had one at home.  So, he had always been use to a place to "retreat" to.

My Dad is a man who puts much thought into things when he does them.  He is not a "fly by the seat of your pants" sort of guy. Thus, he began deciding  just how and what all he wanted his "Man Cave" to entail. It houses his favorite recliner, some of his favorite art and wall hangings and what cave would be complete without some guns?  His computer finds its' home there, shelves with books and of course, a TV.   He has memorabilia  from his 50+ years in the ministry.  It has lots of light and is truly a room with his name written all over it.

 Since Dad created his "Man Cave" I have seen shows on HGTV about them.  So, apparently they are the "up and coming" trend and men all over are creating "their" space and calling it a "Man Cave."  


As I said, I think we all desire and likely need a place to retreat to, so women, we have got to come up with a cute and cleaver name to call our "retreat."  A "Woman Cave" just does not have much of a "ring" to it.  So, what's it going to be?


For more Company Girls, visit Rachel Anne's Home Sanctuary.