Wednesday Hodgepoedge

WOW! this is Joyce's 230th HP entry!  My goodness, that equals 1840 questions.  Not sure my brain could ever think of that many questions, so hats off to Joyce who can balance a whole lot of things at one time and does a good job at all of them.  Now, for this week's questions............

1.  I recently read here about four secrets to happiness from around the world. They were-
Overcome your fears by facing them head on, allow yourself to relax and reset, work to live versus living to work, and find the good in life. Not sure if these are the actual secret to happiness, but which of the four do you struggle with most? Which one comes most easily to you?
In recent months (could be due to something called construction of a new house) I find it hard to relax and reset.  There's been a never ending list of things to get done and that makes relaxing difficult for me.  This has likely not always been easiest, but, with age I've learned to find the good in life and there really is a whole lot.

2. How would you spend a found $20 bill today?
Perhaps I would randomly pass it on to someone else.

3. Ego trip, power trip, guilt trip, round trip, trip the light fantastic, or trip over your own two feet...which 'trip' have you experienced or dealt with most recently? Explain.

I have not experienced or dealt with any of the above recently, recently being the "key" word.

4. If you could master any physical skill in the world what would it be, and how would you use that skill?
I would like to have more upper body strength, so perhaps to master weight lifting would help me accomplish that.  Now, I'm not talking about competitive weight lifting in those cute little leotards.  I'm only talking about moderate weight lifting done at the gym or in the privacy of my home.  I'm a pretty disciplined person but I've just never been disciplined enough to develop my upper body strength. ~shame on me~ 

5. As July draws to a close, let's take inventory of our summer fun. Since the official first day of (North American) summer (June 20th) have you...been swimming? enjoyed an ice cream cone? seen a summer blockbuster? camped? eaten corn on the cob? gardened? deliberately unplugged? watched a ballgame? picked fruit off the vine? taken a road trip? read a book?  Are any of these activities on your must-do-before-summer-ends list?

I've taken the Grans, swimming ~and I watched~ and took them to see Inside Out.  I've enjoyed a bowl of ice cream but I'm not much into cones. Hubby watches lots of baseball and I'm in the same room with him but I'm usually on my laptop doing something far more interesting to me. ~smile~  I'm afraid this summer has not been all that exciting as it has been all hands on deck trying to finish up our house.  I'm already looking forward to next summer!

6. The Republican Presidential candidates will debate on August 6th. What's your question?
Why in the world do you want to be President?

7. What's your most listened to song so far this summer?
I listen to The Message on Sirrus radio and in recent weeks it seems I hear Flawless by Mercy Me several times a day.  It's a great song and I never tire of hearing it.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

63 years ago today in Riverside Hospital in Newport News, Virginia I was born. But, hey, isn't 63 the new 43? ~Yea, that's what I thought~  I am so grateful for every one of those years and never take birthdays for granted at this point in my life.  There will not be any big celebration today but just having another birthday is definitely celebration enough for me.  We'll be celebrating by getting one day closer to "move in" day.
 ~that's gift enough~ 

Monday's Musings

The last Monday of July and my birthday week.  I haven't even had time to think about the fact that it is going to be my birthday on Wednesday.  But, I'm always so thankful to have another birthday and that's celebration enough for me.  No joke!  It promises to be a busy, busy week as we get closer and closer to our move in date.  For now, let me catch you up a few matters.........

Our little man had to get glasses last week.  His parents took him to the eye Dr. last year when they had suspicion that he was not seeing properly.  The Dr. told them at that time  he didn't need glasses but likely would in the next 6 months to a year and he was exactly right.  But, both his Dad and Mom and both sides of the family have vision issues, so it would have been hard for him to escape it.  But, he's real proud of his glasses right now and we'll hope it stays that way.  

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This is how our little Andi Kate rolls while her big sister is swimming.  Isn't that the cutest swim accessory!  I am continually amazed at all the neat items available to Moms of little ones today.  Certainly makes their lives to much easier.

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 This past week was a week of finishing up a lot of little things at the new house.

One of those projects was the small island in the kitchen. It has electricity and I think I'm going to just love having it when it comes time to using my mixer and my electric grill. It has 4 deep drawers on the other side.  The top is marble that co-ordinates with the granite on the counter tops.

The refrigerator was delivered and set up.  It is so amazing to me how these guys seem to manage these huge appliances so effortlessly and these guys were so very careful.  That was the last of the appliances and it couldn't be delivered until the wood floors had been installed, so everything is in place now and raring to be used. ~chuckle~

Our painters were busy painting  the outside this week, the columns and another coat on the shutters.  They started very early and quit very early.  The extreme heat is way to much for anyone to endure after about 11:30AM.

 The cleaning folks will arrive this morning and will begin their magic and the transformation will start taking place.  Then the window treatments will go in on Wed. and Thurs. and the media folks will start their work on Wed. and Thurs. as well.  It is finally all starting to come together. ~hip! hip! hooray!~

Have yourself a wonderful week!

Friday Favorites

Okay, I'm hoping that this post makes it all the way to publishing.  I had a post ready for Wednesday and it went AWOL on me.  Soooooo aggravating and I simply did not have time to redo it.  Oh, the joys of cyberspace.  Anyhoo...........on to my favorites this Friday.

I was just introduced to this gorgeous jewelry this past week by a friend.  Her arm was adorned with 3 or 4 of these bracelets and I love their simple beauty.  I had never heard of Earth Grace jewelry before but they have such an array of earrings, necklaces and bracelets, some with stones and some without.  AND, since Christmas will be here before we turn around, you might want to add a piece to your list. ~just sayin'" And, they are all handmade in Mississippi.  Yea! for Southern artisans!

 

While I am not fond  of the name of this eyeshadow palette, I love the eyeshadow.  It has every color that I wear and, as you can see, they are all neutral.  I have no idea where these cosmetic companies come up with their names, but a lot of their names leave a lot to be desired as far as I'm concerned.  But, this palette is $52 at Sephora or Ulta and I purchased it on Jane.com for $10.50.  Yes, I've talked about Jane.com before and all the great deals they offer, so if you haven't checked it out yet, then I suggest you do so.  They have everything from A - Z. 

I have used and used this Stretch Wrap since preparing for our upcoming move.  If I had known how great it was, I would have had some before.  It is so dandy to hold things together and it comes in a size smaller than this one and a size larger.  I have used this size the most but have also used the size above this.  It is very manageable and extremely easy to use.  It is not aggravating like Saran Wrap. After our move, I will have it in my utility closet.

Oh, my goodness, the move in date has been scheduled and confirmed with the movers.  And, it never even dawned on me until after I had scheduled it that it will be exactly 14 months to the day that we began construction on the house, June 11, 2014.  I've spent a lot of time this past week scheduling all the things that need to take place before the actual move.  Having it professionally cleaned, the window treatments, installation of the TV's and sound system and such.  But, it has all fallen into place and hopefully it will go smoothly as possible.

 Have yourself a happy weekend!!!

Monday's Musings

Monday, July 20th, how can that be?  I guess I'm excited because we are REAL close to preparing for our move in, but time is flying by and it's hard to believe that the end of July is upon us.  Now, to catch you up on the latest.............

Our little Sweetheart is almost 5 1/2 months old.  She is trying very hard to sit up and she is getting up on her hands and knees.  No joke!  She gets in the crawl position several times a day and we are just hoping that she doesn't figure that out any time soon.  My DIL's Mom says she walked at 10 months old but we are sure hoping that Andi Kate will not take after her in that area. 10 months is just too young to be walking. ~in my estimation~  She is eating cereal and veggies now and she hasn't turned her nose up at any of them.  Maybe she'll start getting some fat rolls for us to pinch now that she eating food. 

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Things are moving right along with the new house..........

The painters were back this past week to paint all the base boards since all the flooring is now in.

Michael is the man of the hour when it comes to his staining and finishing work and he has done such a fabulous job.  He did the mantle this week and we couldn't be more pleased.

 Todd finished up the grout work on the front porch and patio.  There's just so many steps when it comes to tile and wood flooring. Makes me tired just watching them.

My pot filler was installed this week and I can't wait to try it out.  I do so much "pot" cooking in the winter and I think I'm going to enjoy having water right there at the stove top.  The dishwasher was also installed.

And, you may or may not know what this contraption is. It is a water softening system.  We did not even know that we needed this until the house was under construction.  I ran into a gal that lives across the street from our new house when we first began construction, and she said she sure hoped we were putting in a water softening system.  Well, we had no idea that we even needed one.  She began to tell me how damaging the hard water is to the faucets and how badly it stains the commodes and tubs.  So, we immediately checked into what we needed and here it is.  Looks like something a "mad scientist" might have developed, but regardless of looks, we're sure glad that we were informed early on about the need for one of these systems. But, I had to give up some space in one of my storage rooms for it's home. ~boo! hoo!~

And, this my friends, is what it looks like in our present home.  Yes, it looks like two bombs went off!  And, for a "neat freak" like myself it is wearing very thin but the end is definitely in sight.  Well, we'll still be living among boxes at the new house but hopefully they will empty quicker than they were filled.  
We have arranged for the professional cleaners to come a week from today and their work will take about two days. Behind them will be the window treatment folks to install the Plantation Shutters and shades and then the media man will install the sound system, wifi and TV's.  THEN, it looks like that we just might be moving in sometime around the week of August 2nd or Aug. 10th.  And, as far as Hubby and I are concerned, it can't be soon enough.  Stay tuned............

Have a wonderful new week!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday and that means I'm sharing some of my favorites with you.  What a fun meme this is, as I so enjoy reading others entries on their favorite things and I also enjoy sharing mine with you. Here's to another Friday Favorites...........

My very favorite this Friday is looking at this "baby bump" picture of our daughter.  Here she is last week, at the 26 week mark and doing great!  This is her 5th pregnancy in the past 4 years and those all resulted in miscarriages from 12 weeks all the say to 19 weeks.  What a journey and what a testimony she and our SIL have been to the faithfulness of God through the dark days they have traveled.  We can hardly wait to meet this little fella sometime around the middle of Oct.

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Okay, if you are the Momma or Grandmother to a little one then you must know about this!  I saw it on Zulily some time back and knew that a little one was arriving soon and this could really be handy.  I just got it out last week to use with our Andi Kate who just turned 5 months old.  I did put her in it for about 10 minutes last week but she will enjoy it more in about another month.  But, it is so portable and has a neat bag to store it in or carry it in.  It has a place to attach toys and is made of a canvas type material.  I think they are regularly about $40 but I got mine for $29.  I'm pretty sure  it's going to be worth way more than I paid for it.  It sure beats the socks off those big walker "thingys."

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Folks, if you are a walker then you need to get yourself a pair of these Shape Ups by Skechers. I have had mine for about 3 years and I absolutely love them.  I only wear mine when I do my morning treadmill walk but I suppose they could be worn otherwise. ~they are just NOT very attractive~  They have a rocker bottom that helps you to roll your foot correctly as you walk, which, supposedly, causes more toning advantages in the legs and thighs. ~always a good thing~  I got mine strictly for the comfort and any other benefit is just icing on the cake for me.  They feel a bit funny when you first put them on because they are very elevated.

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Okay, everyone should know about these little jewels.  You may be thinking it looks like a black file folder, what could be so great about it.  Well, it comes flat and you can fill it to it's capacity with air or like me, I have about 3 puffs of air in mine. You inflate it for your comfort and a little air in mine is all I need.  I have it in my vehicle and drive with it behind my lower back and it causes your back to float.  It's unbelievably comfortable!  I had some serious lower back issues about 8 years ago and when my Chiropractor resolved my issues he suggested I get one of these to help keep my back in alignment and for comfort.  Well, I was very skeptical but soon became a walking advertisement for it. Mine is by BodyRyzm and cost about $50.  It is not only for car use, but anywhere besides upholstered furniture.  (upholstered furniture is not firm enough for the vitalizer to do any good) And, as you can see in the picture on the box you can also sit directly on it, which I understand is very helpful to someone with tailbone issues.  I'm thinking it would feel mighty good for someone that sits in an office chair all day.  So, there you have it, go get yourself one and you can thank me later. ~smile~

Have yourself a wonderful weekend!  It's hotter than hot here in NE Louisiana, but hey, after the winter we had, I'm trying not to complain.  

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's another Wednesday and another Hodgepodge.  I was busy making memories last week with my Grans but think I picked a good week to miss.  The questions would have been very taxing to my brain.  Today's are more my speed. ~chuckle~  Hats off to Joyce for her faithfulness week in and week out.

1.July 15th is National Give Something Away Day.  What can you give away? Will you?
Well, not sure I'll give anything away tomorrow but I've given more stuff away in recent months, so hopefully that will count.  As I've been packing I've taken boxes and bags of stuff to our local ministry thrift store.  They do a huge business and it is such a worthy cause and I feel good knowing that items I  can no longer use, or do not choose to use again are going to someone who can use them.
Who knows, I might actually go by there today with a bag or two.

  2. Do you have a mantra? Please share with the class if you feel comfortable doing so.
I probably have more than one but the first one that came to my mind was, "don't put it down, put it up."  I've pretty much always lived by this principal and it makes keeping a neat and tidy house so much easier.  For example, when you take your clothes off, either hang them up or put them in the dirty clothes.  Why would you do anything else with them??~just sayin'~

3. Who does the grocery shopping in your house? How many times a week do you shop? Do you make a list or pray for inspiration in the produce aisle?
That would be ME!!  And, I go way too often, probably 3-4 times a week.  And, yes, I make a list and I check the item off once I put it in the basket. ~gives me a sense of accomplishment~

4. Is there a TV show you're embarrassed to say you watch? You're going to tell us what it is, right?
I'm not much of a television person and if I do it's generally something on HGTV, or Dateline or 48 Hour Mystery and The Voice, when it's on.  

5. A recent article listed fifteen words we should eliminate from our (written) vocabulary in order to sound smarter-
that, went, honestly, absolutely, very, really, amazing, always, never, literally, just, maybe, stuff, things, and irregardless
Of the fifteen, which word is your most overused?
Oh, my goodness, no doubt about it, mine is JUST. My daughter brought it to my attention some time ago and I think I've gotten much better since that time.  At least I hope I have!

6. So apparently dying your hair gray (in your youth!) is a thing right now. It's called 'The Granny Hair' trend. Your thoughts?
Never heard of such and can't imagine a young person desiring to do so.  But, there's so much weird stuff today that I shouldn't be surprised by this. Since it's not immoral, illegal or unethical, and,if that's what they want, more power to them.

7. A while back Buzz Feed asked members to share the most beautiful sentence they've read in a piece of literature. A hard thing to narrow down, at least for me, but let's try. What's one of the most beautiful sentences you've ever read in a piece of literature?

“In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart.”
—Anne Frank, The Diary of Anne Frank
Such a great book and I just recently re-watched the movie. And, wouldn't we all like to believe this statement.
 
  8. Insert your own random thought here.

Are you a Prime Member of Amazon?  Well, if so, I suppose you know that today is Prime Day for Prime Members.  They are saying that there are more good deals than on Black Friday.  And, I understand that Wal-Mart and Target are also having some great deals today as well.  I became a Prime Member when it was first offered and between myself, my daughter and DIL, it is worth every penny of the $90 annual fee.  I am going to head straight over and see if there is a deal I can't live without.

Monday's Musings

I'm BACK!!!! And, while I missed being here on my blog last week, there was not a minute to spare, so the time away was a very good thing.  I did not need one other thing vying for my attention for sure.  But, I have lots to catch you up on..............

The weekend of July 4th our SIL and Bridget came with their horse trailer to pick up a few items that they wanted from our stash that isn't making the move to our new house.  It was also Bridget's 36th birthday so we had a really small celebration with her and then got down to business.  And, might you know, it rained cats and dogs while we were trying to load the trailer that Sat. morning. Ugh!  but, we, mostly they, got it done and headed back towards Texas so the items could be put on the moving van.

Clancy stayed the week with us so that he could be royally entertained while his Dad and Mom took care of all the "fun" moving stuff.

He and Hanna Beth had more fun than the law allows.  We went to the movie, went to the snow cone hut, swam and swam and played and played.  It was an extra special time of memory making for sure.  They likely will not see each other again until Christmas but I'm sure they will pick right up where they left off.  ~so precious~

Poppa and I were some tired folks when Bridget and Clancy left early Saturday morning but we will recover and have these memories to cherish forever.

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And, the house.............my goodness, I imagine you are like me, wondering if this will ever end.  But, I am pleased to report that we are on the home stretch.  It's just a whole lot of little things but they are done quickly, so we just might be real close by my birthday, July 29th.

 The wood floors are in and they have been cleaning and covering them for the past few days.  Did I mention that the entire process of wood flooring is very hard work!  Underneath that dust they are just beautiful.

 We now have a mailbox and a very big one at that.  But, they can never be too big but they sure can be too small.  In fact, we have both big and small, but the small one is for the paper.

The guest suite is pretty much finished.  The carpet is in, the mirror over the vanity was installed last week and the treads for the stairs were placed last week.  They still need a second coat of paint on the back of the steps.  I really hate that whoever stays there is going to have to carry luggage up those stairs but hopefully it will be worth the "pain." ~grin~ I swore I would never have a house with stairs again and there are no stairs in the main house.  But, they are the only way to get to the guest suite since we were not going to install an elevator. ~chuckle~

The glass and mirrors for the hall curio have been installed and the glass for the one cabinet in the kitchen has been installed as well.  The mirrors in the master closets were also placed.

 The tile around the fireplace was done this week and the mantel was put on.  The mantel will be stained mahogany.  I think it's going to make quite the statement once it is finished. And, we are so excited about our gas logs.

 

And,  a neat lean to has been added to the backside of Hubby's shop.  I mean, doesn't every man need a lean to?  It will house the dog kennel, lawn mower and ATV.  It will have a really nice looking top.  It cannot be seen from the front of the house. ~ thankfully, there are restrictions preventing that~

It's all hands on deck right now and I'd be lying if I said we weren't tired of the whole ordeal.  It's been a time consuming endeavor but I'm certain that once we get moved and settled that we are going to enjoy our new abode immensely.  I just wish we could blink our eyes and the move would be over.  We have professional movers to take care of the process but it will be "me and thee" to do the unpacking.  Maybe the good fairy will come and take care of that for me. ~I can always wish~ 

Have yourself a wonderful new week!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday Favorites and I've got some good ones for you today.  Some I bet you are going to want to become your favorite as well. ~big smile~

I am a big fan of Shutterfly!  I have probably done at least 20 photo books through them and have never been disappointed.  I am currently working on one that covers the construction of our new house beginning with the day we signed the papers on the lot.  Every Saturday I enter pictures from the work that has been done that particular week.  Well, as I was doing that last week I went to add pages and I had come to the end of the book (110 pages) and could not add any more pages.  I almost had a stroke!  I guess I have never realized that you cannot make a book with as many pages as you want it to have.  Well, I immediately called their Customer Service Number and got the nicest, English speaking, guy.  I told him of my predicament and he affirmed that I could not add any more pages to that book because they can only bind so many pages. ~not what I wanted to hear~  But, he said he could split the book wherever I would like and he would copy the pages I wanted in the 2nd book over for me so I wouldn't have to redo all the pages and start another book.  Well, that sounded like a good plan to me.  So,that is what he did and I now have Book 1 and Book 2 and they are both going to have about 75 pages each.  He then told me that since I was such a good customer that he was going to give me 25 pages free.  Well, yea, that's about the BEST customer service I've ever received and saved me from a stroke. ~giggle~
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Most of you are likely familiar with Avery products, labels of every description and a bunch of other neat computer items.~and I'm a label freak~  Well, are you familiar with www.avery.com?  If not, then you should be.  I stumbled across it a couple of years ago and now I wonder how I made it without it. You just enter the number of the Avery item you want to use and it will take you to so many wonderful graphics and templates that you will be amazed.  And, it's all online and you can save all your projects under your account and they will be there forever.  
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 Oh, my goodness, this is my latest sweet and salty temptation.  I was roaming through Sam's Club this week and ran across this.  I love sweet and salty and decided to give it a try.  Well, thankfully I exercise portion control very well or I could have easily eaten the whole bag.  I'm not a huge chocolate lover but mix it with something salty and I'm all in!  You may want to try and get your hands on some of this good stuff. As my Grandmother use to say, "it will make you slap your pappy."
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It has been a few years since I've read any of Francine Rivers books but she has always been such a favorite of mine.  And, this book is no exception!  She has such a way of grabbing your attention from the very first pages and it's hard to put the book down.  If you are looking for a great read then you need to get this book.  I promise you will not be disappointed!
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And, I saved my BEST favorite for last...........my #1 daughter! ~and my only daughter~  Today is her 36th birthday and what a joy and delight she has been to us.  She amazes me almost daily in her zest for life, her walk with the Lord, her ability to adjust to whatever comes her way, and how she almost always sees the glass as half full instead of half empty.  She is the BEST and I cannot imagine our lives without her.

Okie Dokie, that's my "favs" for today and just a note, I will be taking a blogging break next week. ~big sigh~  Clancy will be here with us and Bridget will join him on Wed. and I want to savor these precious hours with them before they head off to make their new home in Oklahoma City.  So, I'll be back with lots of blog fodder on the 13th.  See you then my sweet friends!