Friday Favorites

It's been a few weeks since I participated in Friday Favorites and I've missed it. So, today thought I'd share some of my favorites and they may end up being some of yours as well.

Bernie Mevs, where the name came from, I have not a clue. ~guess I could Google and likely find out~ But, they are the most comfortable shoes.  I'm not particularly fond of their looks but it's generally  hard to find a really sharp looking pair of shoes that's 
comfortable as well.  But, there are days that these are the perfect shoes and they come in several styles.  They are referred to as "the 12 hour shoes."  So, sounds like they might be the perfect shoe for someone that has to be on their feet a lot during the day.  I like this style because it has some height to it and a strap across the top.  I have such a narrow foot that I probably could not even keep them on if it weren't for those straps. 

If you are ever in need of ready to use white chicken meat then you will love the Tyson Grilled and Ready.  I wanted to make Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti the other day but I did NOT want to take the time to boil chicken breasts for the meat to go in it.  So, I just knew that I could find something that was already cooked and here's what I found.  It worked like a charm and it's less than $3 a bag.  Of course, there are many ways you could use it and they come in 2-3 different seasonings.  I'll be making sure that I have this on hand from now on.  And, I used it a couple of days ago for Chicken Noodle Soup and it worked beautifully for that as well.  I'm not sure how long this has been out and I may be way behind times on it, but I'm so glad I now know about it.

Okay, are any of you out there Essential Oil users?  I have been researching Essential Oils for a while and am awaiting my first supply right now.  In my research I was most impressed with DoTerra and decided to go with them.  I know folks that have such great testimonials about Essential Oils and just decided I would give them a try.  I'll let you know my opinion after I get "into" them.  I also ordered the DoTerra Essential Oil Guide to serve as my reference.  After researching the various companies DoTerra was definitely my favorite and I'm hopeful it will stay a favorite once I start using them.  DoTerra is made from all natural ingredients and many of the others are made from synthetic.  Time will tell if I am a testimonial along with some other folks I know. Stay tuned........

Ladies, does this not look like a little piece of heaven that could be perched in your back yard?  It is called a She Shed. I had never heard of such until last week and then I went to the internet to check them out and feel in love.  They are the women's version of a Man Cave.  They can be build anyway you might like but they are all very tiny and cozy.  Now, even though it appeals to me, I will not be having one built I can assure you.  Hubby would tell me that this new house is the closest thing to a She Shed that I will ever have. ~and I'm good with that~ But, they are so, so neat and talk about getting away from it all...........there's no doubt it would be a favorite if I had one. ~wink~

Have yourself a great weekend and don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour Saturday evening. ~not a favorite of mine~

Wednesday Hodgepodge

I don't need to tell you again, you already know, it's the day that Joyce thinks up these thought provoking questions for us and we answer them.  Then we visit around to compare our answers to others. It's the way we bloggers roll!

1. Are you comfortable with silence? If you're home alone, do you like silence or do you need regular background noise? Do you seek out times and places to be silent? What's your favorite place to find silence/be silent?
I am very comfortable with silence and I do not have to have any background noise if I am home alone.  A lot of the time I have music playing but it's because I enjoy it, not because I want some kind of noise.  I don't really have to seek out times or places to be silent because I generally have a goodly portion of silence and home is probably my favorite place to enjoy it.  I think people that have to have some type of noise all the time are missing out.  Silence really is golden!

2. October 28th is National Chocolate Day. Can't let that go by without a mention now, can we? Will you celebrate? How? Let's say you can have one of the following right this very minute... a cup of hot chocolate, a strawberry dipped in chocolate, a bowl of plain chocolate ice cream, or a slice of chocolate pie...what's your pleasure?
I am not a huge lover of chocolate. ~I know, something must be wrong with me~  But, since I do have a container with some of the Hersey's milk chocolate nuggets with almonds, I'll be sure and eat one or two to celebrate today.  I would take a very small piece of chocolate pie and would remove the meringue. ~it gags me~

3. How do you feel about blue jeans? Favorite thing in the world to wear or nope, don't own a single pair? How often do you wear blue jeans in a typical week? Do you own a blue jean jacket?
I will begin wearing jeans a whole lot more now that the weather is cooler.  I have skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, boot cut jeans and raggedy jeans (Hubby is not a fan of those).  Jeans are so comfortable now days and I have fallen in love with the KUT brand.  Yes, I own a couple of bluejean jackets, one plain and one with a lot of bling. ~smile~
  
4. Are you superstitious? If so, in what way?
I am not superstitious at all.

5. If you had to come up with a costume using only things you have on hand right now, what could you come up with?
Well, I have a flapper dress with fringe and the whole nine yards from many years back.  I could add some long beads, fishnet hose and heels and I could go to town. ~probably couldn't do the Charleston though~

6. What scares you a little? What do you do when you feel scared?
Eighteen wheelers behind me on the highway scare me a little and if they get real close behind me they scare me a lot.  I stay very conscious of who is behind me and try to drive very defensively.

7. Perhaps today will be the day I will start croqueting on the afgan that I started when our daughter was pregnant with our first grandchild.  That was 7 years ago and I had every intention of giving it to her before his birth.  But, something obviously distracted me and I have about 1/3 of it done.  It's been in a bag for years.  I saw it just a couple of days ago and it's so pretty and I really should finish it.
 
8.  Insert your own random thought here.
You all should have been at our house this past Sunday afternoon. There was a whole of excitement!! I had ordered some drapery rods and rather than bring them in the house I opened them and then just left them in the boxes in the garage.  Sunday afternoon I decided I would bring them in and undo all the packing and get them ready for my decorator.  I put them on the small kitchen island and went to work.  I did one box and then started on the 2nd box.  I put my hand down in the box to pull out all the packing and a mouse ran out, across my hand and then scurried across the floor where Hubby was sitting.  I screamed bloody murder, nearly scared Hubby too death.  The mouse went into one of my storage rooms that has about a zillion places he could get.  Suffice it to say that my Hubby is the best "varmit getter" in the whole world.  He found that sucker, chased him down and disposed of him.~there was a lot to the ordeal but I'll spare you the details~  All the while I only stopped screaming long enough to take a breath.  I was worn completely out after that escapade. I will not be leaving open boxes in the garage ever again.  Since we live with a pond practically in our back yard and a vacant lot next door, that may not be the last one we see.  But, as long as it is outside that is just fine.  But, we never, ever had a mouse in our last house and we lived there 34 years and I don't expect another one to get into this house! 
 

Monday's Musings

I have always loved Mondays.  It's a fresh start to a new week and I generally use it to get things in order for the rest of the week.  If my Mondays go well then the rest of my week seems to go well.  But, it sure is hard for me to believe that we are already at the end of Oct. Christmas is only two months away and for the first time in many, many years I have barely even started my Christmas shopping. But, for now, here's what's been going on in my life.......

I flew to spend a few days with our daughter this past week and these two little sweeties.  It was her last week off before returning to work.  

Coleman is absolutely precious and still very much a newborn even though he is 8 weeks old today.  But, he should only be two weeks old.  He is still like a little rag doll and just wads up in your arms.  But, he's thriving and up to 8 1/2 pounds.  Bridget has worked very hard to get him on a manageable schedule these past couple of weeks and they are all benefiting from it.  I pray it will be a great first week back to work for her and that Coleman will do very well with his sitter.

 To help Bridget with dinner time the next couple of months we spent one day in the kitchen preparing meals.  And, once again, Pinterest comes to the rescue!!!  We gathered all the raw ingredients, meat, seasonings, veggies, etc. and put them in gallon freezer ziploc bags.  Labeled the bags and then laid them flat in the freezer.  Most of the recipes we got from the Crockpot Ladies website but there are a host of other websites with even more recipes. We fixed 13 meals for $93. ~a good deal I'd say~  All they will need is possibly a side dish and bread.  Bridget can lay out which ever one she chooses the night before so it will thaw and then pour it out of the ziploc into the crockpot the next morning and viola, she'll have a ready dinner when she gets in from work.  Easy peasy!!!  We did not spend more than 2 1/2 hours in total preparation so it is not a labor intensive endeavor. We sampled the one pictured above for dinner that evening and gave it a 4 star rating.  I'm thinking I may have to do a few of these for myself.

I was "suppose" to fly out around 10:45 Friday morning and be back home by 2:45 Friday afternoon.  A very quick trip!  Well, such was not to be the case.  Bridget dropped me off at the airport around 8:45AM and after encountering obstacles in every direction I finally landed at home around 12:30AM Saturday morning.  Can I just say it was a VERY long, long day and I know the Oklahoma City and Houston airports like the back of my hand.  Oh, the joys of flying!  But, I just kept trying to remember the sweet memories I had made in the previous days.

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

I was playing with a photo app on my Ipad the other day and the above picture of myself was the result.  I know, so, so silly!  But, I thought it was a bit "Hallowenish" looking and knew that all of you would enjoy it. ~big laugh~

Have yourselves a great new week.  We have been enjoying rain here and it's our first rain since moving into our new house 11 weeks ago tomorrow.  I think the last actual rain was around July 4th, so we are thrilled to see the dust settled.

Monday's Musings

It's back to the regularly scheduled programming today. ~smile~ But, there will be more "house updates" in the next few weeks but I'm still waiting on a few finishing touches.  So, until then, here's what's been going on otherwise.

Last weekend the Princess had her 6th birthday party. ~growing up way too fast~  It was a fairy theme and they  painted little fairy houses and then made fairy gardens.Tinkerbell even made a surprise visit.  It was a beautiful day and the girls enjoyed it so much.  I'm not sure what these Moms would do without Pinterest inspiration. ~just too cute~

 Our SIL graduated from Oklahoma State and his blood literally runs orange and black.  And, it looks like Clancy's is falling right in behind his Daddy.  Clint took him to meet the OSU football team this past week and Clancy was a happy boy as he stepped out on to the football field.  ~little boys just want to have fun~

This past Friday was Bosses Day and Hubby's staff sort of thinks as me as their #2 boss.  So, they gave Hubby a Yeti coozie, and me a Yeti cup.  I could not have been more thrilled.  I have heard of them and wanted one but just had not gotten around to getting myself one.  Well, let me tell you, if you don't already know, they are "all that and a bag of chips."  I have no idea how they keep drinks either hot or cold for up to 12 hours.  It's like magic to me.  I fill mine with ice and water every morning around 9:00 and I still have about a 1/2 inch of ice at 9:00PM.  I do have to refill it with water but it is an amazing concept for sure.  So, if you are looking for Christmas ideas, you might want to consider one.  And, you can put your monogram on them and that really dresses them up.
  

Our little Sweetheart was 8 months old last week and she is one more busy, busy little girl.  I predict that she will be walking by Thanksgiving.  She can get anywhere she wants to go and in record time.  She wears the biggest smile all the time and is like a little magnet with people. ~just too cute~

On the left is our itty bitty 4lb. 4 oz. little Coleman and on the right is our chunky 8 lb. Coleman and all that has taken place in a mere 7 weeks.  He Face Timed me Saturday morning and was just jabbering up a storm.  I'm flying out to see this sweet one in the morning.  This is his Mom's last week off and I thought it would be fun to go and spend some time with her.  We really don't get very much "mother/daughter" time anymore, so we are both looking forward to it.  

I'll check in with you when I return home.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Wednesday equals the Hodgepodge and Hodgepodge equals brain exercise for me.  Hope you enjoy!

1. What's something that has recently 'tried your patience'?
Oh, that's so easy...........The assisted living facility my Dad lives in was sold in February.  The new owners had a joint meeting with the residents and their families at that time to announce their new ownership.  They told us of all the changes that would be forth coming and assured us that the resident was their top priority.  Well, it has been the biggest "hullabooloo" ever since and it has caused a lot of us to lose confidence and that's not a good thing when it comes to the care of a loved one.  I met with the District Manager yesterday and it appears that they are realizing that they have got to get it together.  It has more than tried my patience for sure! 

2. Do you think patience comes to us naturally or is it something you have to learn as you grow? On a scale of 1-10 generally how patient are you? (1=I blow up at the drop of a hat and 10=I've got all the time in the world).
I think a lot of our patience is learned by example.  I had the most patience Mother in the world and my Daddy would be somewhere in the middle.  I have gotten more patient with age and I would say I am about a 6-7 on the scale.

3. Share about a time when you felt like you could fly. Or a time you wished you could fly. Or a time you felt like you were flying.
I don't know if I've ever felt like I could fly but I have often wished that I could for sure.  

4. Your favorite song with the word fly in the title or lyrics, or your favorite song that relates to flying in some way?
I immediately thought of the old gospel song, "I'll Fly Away."  I grew up singing that song and it conjures up all kinds of memories for me.  AND, I really hate that the kids of today will have no memory of the old gospel hymns. ~just nothing like them~

5. What's in your fall picnic basket and where are we picnicking in your neck of the woods this time of year?
I do not have a picnic basket and have no plans for a picnic anytime in the foreseeable future.  But, Chemi-a haut State Park is less than 10 miles from us. Perhaps I should get us a picnic basket and make some plans.
 
6.  Carpentry, electrical, plumbing, landscaping...which skill would you most like to possess and how would you put that skill to use today?
How about all of the above.  We have had several little aggravating carpentry, electrical and plumbing issues since moving in our new house and I have not enjoyed waiting for someone to get here to fix the issue.  I just want it fixed and now! ~here we go with the whole patience thing~  Thankfully all of the issues have been resolved now.  Well, not quite, we still need landscaping but it is definitely in the planning stage and Hubby will be the overseer of it.

7. What's something you think is too expensive to justify buying lately?
Funny you would ask...........I was just browsing through one of the many catalogs that came in our mail today.  I saw some absolutely gorgeous beaded holiday place mats that were "only" $97 each and I would only want 10-12 of them.  Good gracious, how insane!!!
 
8. Insert your own random thought here.

This time next week I will be enjoying these two precious boys.  I am going to spend a few days with Bridget before she returns to work the following week.  I can hardly wait to get my hands on Coleman since he's gained almost 4 pounds since we were there last month.  It's so nice that they finally live where it is easy to fly to see them.  

Happy mid-week!

Our house is becoming a home - Part 3

I'm telling you, moving and getting settled is quite a process and especially if it has been 34 years since you have moved.  Have mercy!  But, everyday our new house feels more and more like home and we are about to "get in the groove."

One thing I always want is a warm and welcoming front porch and I think we got that this past week.  I love everything about this look and I think the pots are just perfect.  I watched the gal that designed these for me and she made it look effortlessly.  But, I can assure you that it would be more than effort for me. ~smile~  I plan to leave the topiaries throughout the year and merely change out the bow and embellishments.  I told her I did NOT want anything that required any maintenance and she honored my wishes.

 These benches were on our former front porch but they look entirely different here.  I think they seem to say, "come in and sit a spell."  

 Randi worked her magic on the top of the entertainment center this past week and I am beyond thrilled with the look.  We had this entertainment center in our former house as well but with the 10' ceiling it looks entirely different too.

The Guest Suite is set up and we are so glad that we did this.  It was not in the original plans but we decided as we got into the building that it would be a good idea.  We were fortunate that it was easy to get plumbing to that area. It would have never worked otherwise since it is not a part of the main house. ~when you gotta go you gotta go~ We have a set of twin beds and a king bed  so it will work perfectly for our daughter and her family, and for others.  It has a small area for watching TV, a microwave, refrigerator and coffee pot and a nice vanity area. 

I had this wall decal done to go at the top of the stairs going into the Guest Suite.  ~love it~

 And, finally, I've been able to add a few seasonal touches and that makes me happy, happy!  

It's been such fun to share this process with each of you that have followed along and your sweet comments have meant so much.  We are so enjoying ourselves now and glad to have the worst behind us. Stay tuned...........

Have yourself a great new week!

Friday Favorites

It's Friday Favorites and always such fun to share some of my favorites with you, especially when it's my family.~big smile~

 I have 2-3 favorites all wrapped up in this one collage of pictures.  One is my son who celebrated his 39th birthday last week, one is my Princess who celebrated her 6th birthday this week and the other favorite thing is our family celebrating together.  Would love if all our family could be together but there are many miles between all of us so we just have to make the best of it. ~boo-hoo~

 And, a favorite anytime is when my Dad gets to participate in our family events.  He had so much fun with us and was feeling great.  If only, if only, he could see! ~never take your sight for granted~

And, is this not the most precious picture? It's what you call,"sleeping like a baby."  This was little Coleman's first time in his big bed, which was just a few days ago.  This little fella is up to 7lb. 3oz and I can hardly wait to get my hands on him in about 10 days. ~leaving on a jet plane~

  

 In August, 2008, Hubby and I and a group of our "running buddies" went on an Alaskan Cruise with Celebrity Cruise Lines.  It is one of our most favorite memories and I think we would both like to go back.  We had never cruised before so we had no idea what to expect, but it was top notch and we saw some of the most gorgeous country in the world. It was a special time shared with special friends and I don't think it could have been any better. And, this photo of Hubby is one of my all time favorites. Need I say that he was in his element here.

 

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday and that means the Hodgepodge with Joyce.  I'm not even sure what I'd find to blog about on Wednesday if it weren't for Joyce so hope she keeps those questions coming. ~big smile~

1. It's October so let's get this out there first thing...have you jumped on the all-things-pumpkin bandwagon? How so?
Well, as a matter of fact, I have.  I added some pumpkins and fall decor to the inside of the house last week and then had the front porch decked out the past two days.  I love a welcoming front porch and am so glad that we have a porch on this house as we had a porch on our former home and I love their presence. As to cooking with pumpkin, that will not likely happen until on into November.

2.  "We have more power than will; and it is often by way of excuse to ourselves that we fancy things are impossible." Francois Duc De la Rochefoucauld

What's something you once thought impossible, but in hindsight see as more a matter of lack of will?
Several years ago I bought a 35mm camera and very shortly afterwards decided it was just not for me.  Way too much trouble and big.  I don't know that I thought it was impossible but I certainly lacked the will to "hang in there." 

3. The rose is America's National Flower, but every state also has its own (click here to see the list). Are you happy with yours? If you were in charge what would you declare your state's flower? If you're outside the U.S. what bloom would you like to see labeled as your country's national flower?
Indeed I am. It is the Magnolia and I think most folks associate the Magnolia with the South.  I am having an arrangement done right now that is going to have some beautiful silk magnolia's in it.
 
4. What have you lost interest in recently?
The Presidential race  and our state Governor's race.  Gracious, enough is enough and the Presidential election is still over a year away.  And, I'm sure I should not be losing interest but should be really paying attention, but right now, not so much.

5. In your opinion, who's the best living musician?
Not so sure who I would label the best, I have a lot of favorites and Kenny Gee was one of the first who popped into my thoughts. I love instrumental music and guess that's why he came to mind.  But, as I said, I have so many favorites from all musical genres.
6. S'mores-love 'em or no? Ever make them indoors? Last time you sat around an outdoor fire? Are making s'mores and sitting round a fire pit on your autumn bucket list? Do you have an autumn bucket list?
I am embarrassed to say that I have never had a S'more but there is no doubt in my mind that I would absolutely love them.  Thinking it is time for me to remedy that and make some.  There is no autumn bucket list here.  Guess that doesn't sound very exciting but we are still in the "recovery mode" from our move. ~smile~
 
7. Your favorite small town? Why?
The one we live in because it has been home to us for 41 years and my husband has built a successful business here .  We have dear, dear friends  and while a lot of tough changes have taken place here in recent years, it is home and we love it. 
 
8. Insert your own random thought here. 

Taken on her 1st birthday

Today is our little Princess' 6th birthday.  She has brought so much joy to our lives and we are so thankful for her.  She said to me the other day, "CiCi, I love you more than Jesus loves me."  Now, if you don't think that didn't melt my heart, then think again.  I thought that was a very profound statement coming from a nearly 6 year old.  Hanna Beth, we are celebrating the blessing of you today!

Our house is becoming a home - Part 2

This past week just about finished off the decorating of the inside of the house.  We are now beginning to feel like we are at home.  There are still pictures to find for certain areas and we're waiting on the top treatments for the windows across the back, but we are "almost" there.

This is our Master Bedroom. I'm so pleased with the way it came together with the various fabrics.  It has a very warm and comfortable feeling.

This is the Master Bath.  There is a big shower to the right of the tub and that's what I've used thus far.  The spa tub has only been used once by Hubby.  I may indulge myself one of these days, but so far, just haven't taken the time to do so. I may be afraid that once I indulge it may become a habit. ~smile~

This is the Hall Bath and as you can see, the decor is centered around birds.  I had bird decor in our old house and my decorator thought it would be nice to incorporate it into this bath.  I'm very pleased and while I'm not sure a bathroom needs to be "warm and welcoming,"  I think this one is. ~big grin~

 This is my home office and where I spend many happy hours.  It also houses my treadmill.  People are amazed that everything fits so perfectly in it's place.  But, I went to great lengths to make sure that everything would fit with room to move around and my planning paid off.  It works!

Let me introduce you to Randi, the designer that has assisted us from the very beginning of the house building.  I knew from the day we first met that she was "my kind of gal."  She is not pushy in any way, has been full of fabulous ideas and suggestions and Hubby and I have enjoyed her immensely. It has been such fun to watch her "work her magic" on the placement of the inside decor.  If you live in the area and need a decorator,  I would highly recommend Randi to you.  She's not only a top notch designer/decorator, but a lovely young woman.

Stay tuned............and have a great new week!

Friday Favorites

It's the first Friday of October and it's a full first week for our family.  We have 3 immediate family members birthdays, so we do a lot of celebrating this first week and it all starts this evening.

And, of course, these 3 are at the very top of my favorites list.  Brandon will be 39 tomorrow and since I'm only 40, I'm not sure how all that happened. ~yea, right!~  Clancy is 7 today and Hanna Beth will be 6 on the 7th.  Now, it gets to be a lot to keep it all straight at times.  Thankfully Andi Kate and Coleman have birth months all by themselves. 

~~~~~

 There is a young lady that grew up in our church that has become quite the "cooking making queen."  She started her business within the past year and she does the most amazing job.  I ordered some from her last week for a function and everyone not only raved about how pretty they were but also how good they tasted.  I think I would probably pull my hair out if I thought I had to decorate like this but I sure do enjoy being the recipient of them.  A favorite for sure! She has aspirations of  having a storefront for her business one day and I'm sure hoping that will all work out for her.

~~~~~~

Hanna Beth was the leader of her class last week.  As the leader she got to have a VIP come for a visit one day and she asked me to be hers.  Well, I was so honored and had such a great time with her class.  They give you about 30 minutes to read, tell a story or talk to them about whatever you want.  Since I went on the first day of fall I talked to them about fall and then read them a Halloween story.  I fixed them up some little "happies" from items I had picked up at the $$$ Tree.  It was a special time and they made me feel like a VIP. Hoping this will one day be a favorite memory for my little Princess.

Tomorrow is the BIG day at our former house.  It will be a time of us letting go of some of our favorite treasures to let them become the treasures of someone else.  There are so many lovely, lovely items but we just have no place for them or they simply do not fit in our new home.  Folks have asked me if it's hard for me to let go of these things and it is not at all.  Stuff can so easily become the master of our existence and at our phase in life, it's time to let go of some of it.  Now, don't get me wrong, we still have way more than our share. ~don't we all~  But, if you live in the area, you should go by and check out the EXTREMELY good deals! And, the best part of all of it is that all Hubby and I have done is provide the stuff, Marla has done everything else and done an outstanding job. 

Have yourself a great weekend!