HELLO Monday!

Another week, another Monday!  I'm linking up with Lisa Leonard today for another week of

 Hello Monday.

Hello Birthday Boy.........

Well, I'm not sure he would be qualified as "boy" any longer, but hey, what does it matter, we'll just go with it.  Hubby celebrated his birthday this past week.  Our DIL cooked dinner for him and had one of his favorites, fried deer steak. And, the Princess and her Mom made him a funfetti birthday cake, complete with a candle.  It was extra good! And, then we went out with friends to celebrate the next evening.  So, he had a "double celebration."  

Hello Bunnies and Eggs..........

A couple of weeks ago I pulled out my bunnies and did a little Easter decorating.  I love the way they have designed bunnies with the foil that look exactly like chocolate.  I have a mixture of those and the sweet ceramic bunnies.  I do love all things Easter!

Hello Cinderella......

This past Saturday evening my DIL and I took Hanna Beth to see the Cinderella Ballet.  We bought additional tickets to take her to the reception before the ballet so that she could have her picture taken with Cinderella.  She seemed to really enjoy herself and especially enjoyed the chocolate foundation where she promptly found herself a strawberry to stick under the fountain.  As you can see, she even had on her Cinderella dress.  Her Mom is "on top" of everything for sure!   

It's promising to be a busy week here.  I'm in charge of the annual Ladies Spring Event at our church this Thursday evening and it's always a nice occasion.  But, as we all know, nice occasions mean a lot of work. ~sigh~  And, thankfully, I have a hard working group of ladies that are helping me orchestrate the event.  Stay tuned for pictures and details of the evening.

Happy new week! 

Friday Letters.............

I do love writing letters and while email and all the social media has caused most of us to do little "real" letter writing anymore, I love to write these little snippet letters. Here goes, and it's strictly for your enjoyment! ~big laugh~

Dear Dollar Tree - how on earth do you have a store full of $1 items.  I never cease to be amazed!  You are one of my favorite stores and I must confess I find things that I "must have" strictly because they are "only" $1.  Hey, bet that's a part of your marketing strategy. I love making my monthly visits browsing through.

Dear Ink Pens - I think I have an obsession with  you and it's crazy.  I am now having affairs with the Orbitz Zebra, the Pilot Precise V5RT, and the Pentel Sign Pen.  I found ordering you by the box on Amazon is the best deal.  I suppose I could certainly have worse obsessions, but it truly is pretty silly. ~at least I'm admitting it~

Dear Microsoft Publisher - I'm so glad that I am finally feeling comfortable with you.  You scared me too death when I first began using you a couple of years ago, but the more I try the more comfortable I become.  You give me the program to create some pretty impressive documents.
Dear Viva Paper Towels - you are the best paper towel on the market.  One of you is like 2-3 of many other brands and I love the "select size" that enables me to easily get a half of a paper towel.  I was introduced to you at a friends house about 5 years ago and I've used you ever since.  And, yes, I know, you are more costly than others, but, I think you are one of those times that "we get what we pay for." 
Dear Yoplait - your frozen Greek yogurt bars are delish!  And, they are the best nighttime snack with only 150 calories each.

 Dear Spring - pa-leeze, pa-leeze show your face! I am soooo tired of cold weather and sweaters, long pants, and boots.  I'm ready for flip-flops, capris, short sleeves and lemonade.  Do you get the picture???

Dear Pandora - you are the BEST radio station ever and the fact that you are free doesn't hurt a bit.  It's a win win for sure!

Dear American Idol -   Sorry, but you have lost your "zip" with this gal.  The Voice has taken first place with me.  Their judges and their contestants are just sooooo much more enjoyable.  I'm sure you could care less, but just thought I'd let you know that you may be very close to losing a viewer.  ~grin~

 Dear Easter - I love you best of all holidays! Mainly, when I think of the cross and how Jesus put my needs ahead of His own, it brings tears to my eyes. And, on the secular side, I love bunnies, colored eggs, and egg hunts. 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's good to be back with the Hodgepodge this week.  I was gone last week and missed linking up but looks like Joyce has some "doozy" questions for us this week.  So, here goes nothing.........

 1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'?
Well, well, well.........a mighty deep subject for a shallow mind, but I can't say that any of these fit my March so far and there's only a few more days left in the month and doubtful that any of them will.  Goodness, that's a pitiful answer, but it's the truth.
 
2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food?
Awe, give me some broccoli any way it can be fixed and I'm a happy gal.  But, a Broccoli and Rice Casserole is one of my favorite, especially fixed with Cajun seasoning. ~yum~
 
3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell!
Well, which time do you want to know about????  It's probably only been about a year and it's happened numerous times with the car and house.  Our back door has a "crazy lock" on it and you must intentionally unlock it from the inside or it will automatically lock when you close.  So, so aggravating!  I've always been able to get someone to my rescue pretty quickly. ~thank goodness~
 
4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)...of the green characters listed, which one's your favorite and why?

 Definitely Oscar the Grouch because he is who my kids grew up loving.  They both loved Sesame Street and Oscar was their favorite. ~talk about memories~

5. "The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive."~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not? 
I definitely agree.  Without hope life can seem almost worthless at times. Individuals and businesses (large or small) all need hope and it can be challenging at times to keep it alive.  Hope gives purpose and a reason to "keep on keeping on."  
 
6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in it's title.
Since Easter is just around the corner I immediately thought of the song, "I've Just Seen Jesus."  There is no one who sings it with more emotion than Sandi Patti and Larnelle Harris.  It will raise the hair on your head and give you goose bumps.  And, if you do not believe me, sit back and take a listen.
 
 
7. What's a road trip you'd like to take?
  Well, Hubby would like for us to take a l-o-n-g road trip to Montana, Wyoming and parts unknown.  I can't say that long road trips excite me, but on a shorter note, I'm thinking a road trip to San Antonio would be fun.

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Bridget wasn't  feeling well this past Sunday so their pastor's wife came by and picked up Clancy and took him to church with them.  Our SIL is out of town with his job so there wasn't anyone to get him to church otherwise and Clancy loves church.  Heidi, the pastor's wife, told Bridget that when church was over that Clancy headed up on the podium and announced to those left in the santuary that he was about to pray.  And, he did!  As you can tell from the picture, he meant business! ~so precious~ I'm wondering if he's a "budding" cowboy "preacher man." 

HELLO Monday!

Good Monday morning!  I'm linking up with Lisa Leonard today to say hello to this new week!

Hello relaxation........

A couple of weeks ago Hubby and I went for an afternoon ride.  We rode out to a brake here that is being drained.  When we arrived this was the sight we saw and I thought, "now this is total relaxation!"  These folks were taking full advantage of a beautiful day, grabbed their poles and a bucket to sit on and were letting the cares of the world go sailing right on by.  I'm thinking we could all do a little more of this and be a whole lot better off.

Hello packing...........

I flew to Dodge City last Sunday to spend a few days with our daughter and Grandson.  I have NEVER been a "smart packer" and as you can see, I took two rather large suitcases for a mere 4 day stay.  Believe it or not, there's nothing in the smaller of the two except toiletries.    I probably should not admit that, but it's the truth.  It's bath items, face cleansing stuff, hair dryer, flat iron, brushes, makeup, and my trusty insulated coffee mug (not a toiletry but I don't leave home with it).  Now, I'm sure you even cared to know any of that, so let me move along............

  Our SIL is out of town with his job for a few days and Bridget was on Spring Break.  It was a perfect opportunity for us to enjoy a little "Mother/Daughter" time. We shared a fun day in Witchita shopping one of the days and just enjoyed being together the rest of the time.

Hello Clancy......

 The many faces of Clancy..........It's so hard for me to believe that this little fella is 5 1/2 years old.  He is all boy and puts his all into anything he does.  He plays hard but he sleeps hard as well.  He's so independent and happy as a lark!  ~ love him~

Hello animals.........

Bridget and Clint have a small zoo in their backyard.  They have two horses and then about 4 weeks ago their Corgi had puppies.  They are the cutest little creatures and they have all been sold and will be picked up at the end of this week.  The only bad thing about these precious little puppies is that they grow up to be dogs. ~ugh~

Hello silly me............

A group of us went out to eat this past Saturday evening to a place called, "The Fifties Diner."  They seated us near this dumb waiter and I just could not resist having my picture taken with the poor ole guy.  He kept a watchful eye on us all during our dinner and that's not a bad thing as we can get rather unruly at times. ~just teasin'~

It's Been Five Years................

 

It was 5 years ago today that I began blogging.  I could not let this day go by without acknowledging this anniversary. I love what the quote above says.  And, I have certainly tried to always be myself and put myself into my blog.  It's the reason I started blogging.

 

 I have never had any particular theme for my blog, it is just as stated on my header, "Glimpses into the life of a Southern Gal."  Those glimpses can be what I've been up to, things about my family, my travels, my happiness, and my heartache.  It can be inspiring, funny or both.  

 I began blogging for no one but myself and it has been a fun journey.  I've made some dear, dear blogging friends and have even met some of them and hope to meet even more.

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who read and follow my blog.  You are my inspiration.  I hope you always leave with a smile on your face! 

 

Here's to 5 more years!

 

Five on Friday

I'm joining up with Five on Friday today. If you would like to join up just click on the image above and it will take you right over.

ONE.....

Tuesday was "Tacky Tuesday" where the Princess attends Mother's Day Out.  It was all in conjunction with Dr. Seuss week  and Hanna Beth was not all that thrilled about dressing tacky but she ended up with a smile on her face.  And, you can't hardly tell from the pics but she had 8-10 tiny ponytails in her hair. So cute! Do you think she's likely a "Daddy's girl?" ~I think so~

 TWO....

The above picture is of an apron made for me by my Step-Mom out of one of my Dad's shirts.  Is it not the cutest!  She got the idea off Pinterest and added her own touch by using the cuffs of the shirt to make the pockets.  Needless to say, I was thrilled!

Three....

  What in the world will "they" come up with next?  These are "pint sized" pedicure chairs.  Yes, that's right, these are for little girls like my Princess.  When I saw these I about had a fit.  I can hardly wait to take Hanna Beth to give them a try.  And, each chair has it's own personal DVD player.

Four.....

  My precious An celebrated her 17th birthday last week.  If you have been reading my blog for very long then you know that An is my "adopted" Granddaughter.  She is the daughter of my nail technician and I have known her since she was 4 years old and she is one of the finest young ladies I know and the sky is the limit as far as her future is concerned.  And, isn't she just beautiful!

Five.......


I did get the front door and porch decked out for Spring last weekend.  And, might I add, we have had some pretty Spring weather the past few days.  Ah, I knew it would come, so exciting! 

  And, I went to the cemetery and put a fresh bouquet of spring flowers on my sweet Momma's grave.  I do not go to her grave except to change out the flowers each season but I love how happy her grave looks with the fresh flowers and I know it would make her so happy to know that I did this. ~still miss her~

Six.....

 Sorry, but had to add another...........This Sunday morning I will be boarding a plane headed to see our daughter and  precious Grandson in Dodge City.  Our SIL is away in training for his job and since Bridget will be on Spring Break next week we decided it would be a good time to have some Mother/Daughter time. So, while you are missing me ~big laugh~, I'll be having lots of fun and making some sweet memories.  See ya after I return next Thursday.

Visible Monday

I'm linking up with Patti today over at Not Dead Yet Style. ~isn't that an interesting name for a blog~  Patti feels like that as long as women are not dead that they can always have a sense of fashion and flair.  And, hey, I couldn't agree more. I had a good time preparing this post.
  

I'm going to share with you how I have taken one very simple top and given it several different looks. 
Last September I was in  downtown Grapevine, Texas browsing through shops while Hubby was in a meeting.  I came across a top that didn't have much hanger appeal at all, but the feel of the fabric and the style "spoke" to me.  I didn't want to take the time to try it on, so I just grabbed it and bought it.

 The top is by PIKO.  I know, a very strange name, but regardless, I have fallen in love with these and now own about 6 of them in different colors.  They range in price from $29 to $36, wash like a dream and give one so many options as to how they want to wear them.

Here I am  wearing one very simply.  I always wear a tank under them because they do have a big neck and a tank keeps my bra straps from showing and it adds a little interest to the neck. I am wearing it with black jeggings with my black suede cowgirl boots.  You can see that it is not a fitted top but neither is it a loose and baggy top.  It's slinky and very feminine. ~in my estimation~

I added a wide black belt for another look.

Here I've added a scarf with the belt and love this look.

I found this sweater shrug on big time sale at Chico's and thought it was the perfect topper and dressed things up a bit. And, I could have still worn the belt with this combination for another look.

It really is amazing what you can do with one piece of clothing and the many looks that you can create.  And, that's my
Visible Monday!

Note to locals: you can find the Piko tops at Bayou Gypsy and River Outfitters in Monroe. 

Friday Letters

I do love letter writing, it's very therapeutic and a whole lotta fun!

Dear Easter Season - you are upon us and I hope that we will use these coming weeks to prepare our hearts.  It is the season of Lent and some folks give up something for Lent.  I have never done that, but I do want to focus more and prepare my heart for the celebration of our Risen Lord on Easter Sunday
. 

Dear Spring - come on, I know you can do it.  Show yourself!!!  We are more than a little tired of winter.   The poor daffodils are so confused!

Dear Bridget - I am so looking forward to our special "mother/daughter" time in a few more days.  This is way over due! And, I'm praying daily that this pregnancy is going to go "picture perfect" and we'll be blessed with another precious little Gran to love come October.

Dear Mary Kay Cosmetics - can I just tell you that I'm in love with your Luminous Wear Foundation, it is the BEST!!  And, applying it with your foundation brush makes it look like it has been air-brushed on. And, to top it off, you are so, so reasonably priced, $20 for a tube that lasts me almost 5 months. And,and I've used your skincare for years and think it is tops too. 

Dear Planking - I'm not quite sure I understand this whole craze.  And, I'm pretty sure that if I tried you that I would not be able to get out of bed the next morning.  Think I'll just stick with walking on the treadmill.  It's pretty simple, doesn't require any awkward position and I've been doing it for about 25 years. ~big smile~
  
Dearest Momma - you were so smart to teach me that we are to "eat to live and not live to eat."  You were way ahead of the game back in the day and our society is definitely all about living to eat and it has caused so many issues for so many folks.

Dear OPI - how on earth do you come up with the names for your nail polish?  You must have some extra creative folks working for you.  I mean names like, You Pink Too Much, I Can Teal You Like Me, Crime Caper, Chasing Rainbows and Blushing Hour are not your normal nail polish names.  Some of your colors are wayyy to "out there" for me but others are just what I'm looking for.  I do believe you have been tested and tried and have come out a winner!

Dear Self - if I could go back and relive my life I'd do a whole lot less fretting and realize sooner that so many things really do have a way of working out if we will just give them time. And, I'd accept that I do not have to know how things are going to work out, just that they will, one way or the other and not necessarily in the way I think it should or I thought it should.  ~did that make sense~

Dear Heated Mattress Pad - on, my goodness! you are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Crawling into a warm bed is the ultimate.  Not sure why we have not gotten one of you long before now, but that's okay, we're enjoying you now.  Laying on a heated mattress is sooooo much better than laying under a heated blanket.
 ~just sayin'"

Dear Blogging Buddies - some of you are still "no reply bloggers" and you make it very, very difficult to respond to your comments if you are set up that way.  I doubt that you really want to be set up that way and you may not realize it.  But, here's the scoop on how to enable your blog with your email.
How to enable your e-mail: BLOGGER ACCOUNTS: To do this, click on your Dashboard, click on EDIT PROFILE and place a check mark next to SHOW MY EMAIL ADDRESS, and finally scroll to the bottom and click SAVE PROFILE.

 I often want to reply to your comments via email but when you have that disabled, I can't. ~boo-hoo~

Have yourself a happy weekend and dream of Spring!

It's a Mardi Gras Kind of Hodgepodge.............

Joyce outdid herself today with the questions.  I thoroughly enjoyed them and hope you enjoy reading my answers as much as I enjoyed giving them.  Hop on over to Joyce's if you would like to read more Hodgepodge answers.  It's most interesting, I assure you!
 
1. The expression 'mad as a March hare' originated with a fictional character who is distracted and frantic. When were you last 'mad as a March hare' and what was it that made you that way?
Well, that sounds pretty mad to me and I can't remember being that mad in way longer than I can remember.  I did get very, very aggravated at Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago because of their lack of checkers and all the self checkouts were out of commission.  There's just no excuse for such from an entity such as Wal-Mart.

2. Mardi Gras this year falls on Tuesday, March 4th. Have you ever been to Mardi Gras, and if so what did you think? If not, do you have any interest in going?  Purple, green, and gold are the colors of Mardi Gras. Which one is most prevalent in your wardrobe? How about in your home?
I've never been to Mardi Gras and likely am one of the few Louisianana's that hasn't.  No, I have zero interest in going.  I'm not the least bit into wild crowds and folks acting a fool. I have gold and purple in my wardrobe but generally do not wear purple unless it is an LSU football weekend.  Purple is not one of my better colors. ~sigh~  And, I have lots of muted gold in my home but not a bit of purple and green.

3. Are you old fashioned?
Webster defines old fashioned as.....
in or according to styles or types no longer current or common; not modern 
 Hummmmm.......not totally but definitely in many ways. Such as: sex outside of marriage is WRONG, woman's bodies were made to be covered and we are to dress modestly, there is a time that hose are still appropriate for a women's legs and there is still a time to dress up and I see Sunday as one of those times.  And, I think that there are still times that women need to wear a slip.  Yep, guess I'm more old-fashioned that I realized.  And, I love a man that is a gentleman and thankfully I am married to one.

4. Do you carefully plan your vacations, or do you prefer the days to be more spontaneous?

Oh, my goodness, yes, I plan vacations carefully.  It's the only way to get the most out of your time away as far as I'm concerned.  I cannot stand to fly by the seat of my pants and figure it out as we go along.  Now, some places one can definitely be more spontaneous but if there's a lot to see and do, then I'm all about planning.  

5.  March is National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce, and what do you most often top with this sauce?
Well, I'm not sure that Ranch Dressing would be classified as a sauce, but I can't think of a sauce that I'm all that crazy about.  Putting Ranch Dressing on a salad is just one of the many ways I use it.  I use it and nothing else on my baked potatoes, and dip all manner of food items in it, such as fried pickles and fried green beans.  Oh, my, sooooo good!!!

6.  What's something that easily brings a tear to your eye?
Can I just say that it does not take much to bring a tear to my eye.  I can cry at the absolute drop of a hat!  Anything concerning my family, knowing someone is going through a difficult time, watching someone struggle, certain songs and the list goes on and on.  Yes, I am definitely a "crier."

7. If you could own any sports team, which one would it be and why?
I'm not much into sports but since I live in Louisiana and we have the Saints football team, guess I'll choose them.  As you can tell, I'm not all that enthusiastic about it. ~duh!~

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

While I have never been to Mardi Gras, I do absolutely love Mardi Gras decor and I always decorate our front porch and door in true Mardi Gras fashion after Christmas.  Since yesterday was Fat Tuesday and today is Ash Wednesday, I thought it only right that I share our door with you today.  No, there's no green and purple inside my house, but there's plenty on our door and porch right now.  But, that will be down in the next few days and replaced with the colors of Spring.  Yes, Spring, it is coming isn't it????

HELLO Monday!

Linking up with Lisa at Lisa Lenard's Design today for HELLO Monday. If you have never dropped by Lisa's blog, you should.  She is such a talented gal and always has a big smile.

Hello Fun Run............

Ready, set, GO.....

The church our son, DIL and the Princess are members of had a "fun run" this past Saturday morning.  It was a fund raiser for missions.  Hanna Beth was so excited about it and she gave it her all and ran her little heart out.  Now, Dad and Mom, I'm not quite so sure. ~chuckle~  But, what fun for such a great cause.

HELLO closet...........

I spent part of this past Saturday morning straightening up my closet.  Since our house is older it doesn't have California Closets, so I had to come up with my own ideas for organization.  And, I think I did a good job. ~just sayin'~  Over the years I have done a lot of things but about 5 years ago I got the  pull out baskets, pictured above, at Lowe's and they have been "the cat's meow" as my Daddy would say.  Then I got the over the door hanger for my most used scraves and a men's tie rack for my belts.  And, I use the clear plastic shoe boxes for my shoes.  Yep, this is my version of California Closets. And, for now, it works very well.

HELLO True Spirituality.........

As I mentioned in my previous post, our church began a 6 week study of the book, True Spirituality, yesterday.  Our pastor will be preaching  on Sunday mornings on subjects from the book and on Sunday evenings we are in a small group setting.  As I read the chapters for last night's lesson my heart was so stirred, especially when it began talking about total surrender. It hit me so hard as I looked at my life and saw places that I have not surrendered in the 54 years that I have been a Christian.  One would think that after that many years, you would have it together spiritually.  But, I am still a work in progress and I praise Him that He isn't through with me yet.  If you are in need of some real "soul searching" then I cannot recommend this book enough.  You can go to Living on the Edge if you want to learn more about the book and study.

HELLO  new life........

 I had also mentioned in my last post that I had some exciting things to share with you.  Well, I have been given permission  to share with you that our daughter is pregnant "again" with their 2nd baby.  As many of you know, she has had 3 late term miscarriages the past 2 years, so this is a really BIG deal.  If you want to read all about this you can go to her blog here.  We are all cautiously excited and hopeful that this pregnancy is going to go smoothly and they will be blessed with a healthy baby around Oct. 15th.  Bridget and Clint have a peace, not that everything is going to be okay, but that the Lord will be with them each step of the way, just as He has been in the past.  But, all of our prayers are that HE will see fit to bring this to pass. I'll keep you posted!