The Wednesday Hodgepodge

This is my 3rd blog post in 3 days.  That's a first for me in 8 1/2 years of blogging.  Yea! me!  Meanwhile, let me get busy answering the questions Joyce has for us today.

1.  What's something blogging has taught you about yourself?
That I really enjoy writing.  I'm definitely not one of the best writers, but as folks have said to me, I write just like I talk.  And, I would think that is likely true of most folks.  It's been a run ride!

2.  Leftovers...are you in the 'reheat and eat' camp or the 'put them in the fridge until they spoil and then toss them' camp? 
Yes, we do leftovers, especially Hubby.  He loves for us to have them in the frig so if he comes in for lunch he can quickly grab something and warm it up.
What's your favorite thing to have leftover?
Soups, chili and the such, not much else for me.
 What can you not abide as a leftover?
I am not a fan at all of a left over hamburger.  I want it fresh off the grill but Hubby loves to have them leftover.

3. 'Me time'...your thoughts?
Love, love, love me time and I generally get enough of it.  I think everyone should enjoy some "me" time just to get to know themselves better and think a little straighter.

4. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?
Well, it really depends on who it is, but often it is helping to organize something or do some kind of computer design work.  I enjoy doing both and am glad to help if I can.

5. If your childhood had a smell what would it be? Tell us why.
Linen - My parents raised me and my 2 brothers in love, with the highest of standards and disciplined us accordingly.  Our family was cool, clean and crisp just like the smell of linen. ~grin~

6. Insert your own random thought here.

This picture was taken last week at The Oklahoma Children's Museum.  Coleman just went right to Santa and I do believe this is one of the best "real live" Santa's I've ever seen.  I think it is just a perfect picture. ~and I'm not biased~

Want, Need, Wear, Read

I'm linking up with Andrea over at Momfessionals for her monthly "Want, Need, Wear, Read" link up.  It's a first for me but I've seen several participating in it and decided to join in today.

WANT - I think outside accent lighting on a home is so, so pretty, such as shown above.  Hubby and I did not do it when we built but we have talked about how much we both like it since then.  So, I'm thinking it might a good idea to mention it to Santa. 

Now, don't you agree that accent lighting would be "the icing on the cake?"

NEED - Well, what I really, really need is to find a "good fairy" to wrap my Christmas presents.  I'm staring at a pile of Christmas cards to prepare for mailing and my schedule is, otherwise, quite full up until the 17th when our daughter and Grandsons arrive.  So, just not sure when the gifts will be wrapped.  But, it will likely get done.

WEAR - Now, if I were like some of these young bloggers that do such a great job posting pictures of themselves, I would post some of myself.  I just have not quite gotten the hang of how they take all these cute pictures.  I'm saying that to say that I'd post some of the things I'm wearing right now.  But, for now, I'll just tell you.  I'm wearing a lot of booties, lots of jeggings with tunic sweaters or tops and always enjoy "dressing up" on Sundays.  And, I will be wearing a good bit of red in the days ahead and just maybe I'll snap a picture or two and post them.  We shall see.

READ - I recently ordered this devotional book to use during the Advent season this year.  I'm very fond of Max Lucado and I'm sure these devotional readings will be a real blessing to me as I prepare this Christmas season.  It's so easy to allow the hustle and bustle of the season to cast a shadow over the "real reason" that we celebrate.  I want to do all that I can to prevent that.  I will start this on Friday and I'm so looking forward to it.  

And, until next time, Happy Everything!!!

The Latest......

I don't know about you but during the holidays I have a hard time keeping up with what day it is.  Thanksgiving day seemed like a Saturday, so I've been confused ever since.  But, today is Monday, the start of a new week and I'm back on track, well, at least for now I am.

I went with a friend to see Wonder on Thanksgiving afternoon.  It is such a good movie with such a powerful message.  And, as always, Julie Roberts did a great job, in fact, all the cast did an awesome job in their roles.  It's about as wholesome a movie as you could possibly see.  I highly recommend it.
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Week before last Bridget and one of her friends went to a book signing for Ree Drummond's newest cookbook, better known as Pioneer Woman.  Bridget has been a big fan of Ree's  for a long time and loves all of her cookbooks.  And, Bridget and her family probably do not live 100 miles from where she lives on the Drummond Ranch.  Bridget said she was so very nice and an extra perk was that she brought her husband, Ladd, along.~a real cowboy~  And, he was more than glad to pose for a picture too.  Needless to say, they had a great time!
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Our DIL and the girls headed out to Oklahoma last Monday to spend a few days with Bridget and her family for their Thanksgiving break.

Hanna Beth and Andi Kate immediately feel in love with the Corgi puppies.  They played and played with them and likely wanted to bring a couple home with them. ~smile~ These have all been sold and were picked up by their new owners yesterday.  So, Hanna Beth and Andi Kate provided them a big send off for sure.

The girls likely thought they were at a zoo and enjoyed petting the sheep and horses,and climbing on the tractor.  They enjoyed "life in the country!"

Coleman showed them how to wear a cowboy hat while playing with his Aunt Rue Rue (Windy).

Windy looks like she knows what she's doing and makes a very attractive cowgirl don't you think? Hanna Beth preferred to stay on the other side of the corral. ~smart girl~

Andi Kate loves "mothering" Coleman.  She is only 6 months older but she's so "growny acting."

And, these kids silly Moms decided that they had to get in on the Black Friday madness.  They decided to go in Target in the afternoon and they lived to tell about it.  I can't imagine going shopping with 4 children, much less on Black Friday.  But, I would likely have done it at their age and stage in life. ~that seems like a lifetime ago~

I am so glad that they had this special time together, made this Momma's heart smile really BIG!
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The countdown is on here.  We will be celebrating our family Christmas on the 19th.  Our Oklahoma family will be here at that time and then will return home to celebrate their family Christmas.  So, I'm in high gear thinking about food and getting as much of that done ahead of time as I possibly can.  This weekend I made a dinner casserole, a french toast dish and a sausage/bacon egg casserole and they are all in the freezer ready to go.  I have a couple more dishes to make and then I should have a good head start on the meal prep.  Now, if I can just get the gifts wrapped. ~smile~

Lea's Favorites

Well, I imagine some of you are at the Black Friday sales or have been to them.  I have never done the whole BF deal.  But, Hubby and I did join our son at Wal-Mart last evening to assist him in grabbing a few items.  We got there around 5:15 and the sale, was supposedly to start at 6:00.  We were each by a different item and they let us start grabbing at 5:45.  We got everything we went in for and were checked out and on our way home by 6:10.  Not bad and I have now had "the experience." Brandon and our DIL usually do this together but since she and the girls are in Oklahoma with our daughter we decided we would go and assist him. ~I think he was really glad~

 Now, for a few of my favorites...........

In the winter when I make stews, chili, soups and gumbo, I make a whole lot of cornbread.  Now, if you have been hanging around here for very long, you know I love "quick, easy and good" food.  Well, this cornbread mix qualifies.  It says just add water, but I add an egg and milk and I don't think you can't tell the difference in it and made from scratch.

For some reason I'm thinking I may have already shared this with you but if so, it bears repeating.  I LOVE pepperoni and I promise you, this turkey version is every bit as good as the real deal.  I'm not kidding!  I often eat a stack of pepperoni's, a couple slices of cheddar cheese and some crackers for lunch.  And, I also put a slice of cheddar cheese on a piece of bread and place pepperoni's on top, run it under the broiler and chow down.  And, this is so much better for you with a lot less calories.  So, if you haven't tried it and you like pepperoni, then give it a try.

If you have not heard about the Rodan and Fields Lash Boost then let me tell you, it's AMAZING! I have always had average lashes and they look fairly good by the time I get them coated up with mascara.  But, I've always wanted them to be longer.  I started using this in May and by July I couldn't believe the results.  I have the longest lashes and they are thicker as well.  By the time I get mascara on them they are pretty impressive looking and I've had several folks ask me if they are extensions.  It is fairly expensive but I'm still using the same tube I bought in May and I imagine there's still enough in it to last another month or more.  

Okay ladies, if you do not know about SOMA pajama's and lounge wear then you are missing out.  I think what I wear is called pajama's but I use it as lounge wear. They are so comfortable, and wash like a dream and last and last and last.  And, today it's buy one, get one 50% off, so if you are needing a nice gift for a woman in your life, I highly recommend these.

I have had the WAZE app on my IPhone and IPad for quite some time but had never really used it until our recent trip to Memphis.  Several folks had highly recommended it and now I'm one of those folks.  We had always used MAPS and it has gotten so "squirrely" in recent months that it wasn't even dependable. So, we were using Google Maps and it is good too but WAZE is so cool.  It gives  far more information that just navigation.  It alerts you to police, road construction and even stranded cars on the side of the road.  It's sort of scary that it knows so much but it's very handy and a great navigation system.  If you have never tried it, you should.

Okay, that's my favorites for today.  Wishing you and yours a wonderful last weekend of Nov.  I'm off to begin my Christmas decorating.

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

For one reason or another I have not participated in the HP in about a month.  So, it's good this Thanksgiving Eve to join in the question answering.

1. Tradition...how tightly do you cling to tradition when it comes to holiday gatherings and celebrations? For instance do you always do the cooking, never eat at home, always go to grandma's, never miss the parade, always watch football, never change the menu, always eat at 2 PM, etc.? Have you ever celebrated Christmas or Thanksgiving away from hearth, home, and family? How did that feel?
We do not really have any "real" Thanksgiving tradition.  I have cooked, and we have gone to the country club buffet (it's awesome).  Thanksgiving took on a huge change when my Mom and MIL no longer hosted it.  It was time for me to step up to the plate and I can assure you that I have not done near as well as either of them.
At Christmas we do have a "set" tradition.  We always have our family Christmas on Christmas Eve unless we celebrate it a bit earlier when our daughter and her family can be here.  When family lives away you often have to adjust your tradition.
For many years we lived 1000 miles away from my parents and there were Chritmases that we went to celebrate with them and, while I always preferred to be home, it was very special to share a Christmas with them.

2. Help...is it easy for you to ask for help or are you a do-it-yourselfer? How is that a good/bad thing?
I'd have to say that I'm a do-it-yourselfer.  I have asked for help and am certainly not above it but, as I said, I prefer to do most things, especially when it comes to meal preparation, by myself.  I will allow some help in the clean up process, but again, I just prefer they sit at the bar and keep me company while I work away.  I guess it can be bad in that I probably wear myself out quicker than if I allowed folks to help me.

3. Abundance...what is there an abundance of in your kitchen?
Gadgets and dishes.  I absolutely love dishes and have several sets.  And, I also love kitchen gadgets.  I so enjoy browsing kitchen stores to see if there is some gadget I don't have or even know about.

4. Name...the smallest thing you're thankful for? the biggest?
Well, this may sound so very silly but the smallest thing would be makeup.  My goodness, I cannot imagine my life without it. ~chuckle~

The biggest, without a doubt whatsoever, is my salvation and the assurance of knowing that I have an eternal home with my Lord and Savior.  Nothing else can compare to this!

5. Key...What do you think is the key to living a more grateful life?
Cultivate the habit of always being thankful , realize that bumps in the road are a part of life and always, always have an attitude of gratefulness. 

6. State your own random thought here.

This little guy called me yesterday morning and told me that he had come up with an original joke and he wanted to tell it to me.  Let me preface this by telling you, for those that do not know, Clancy's last name is Broome.  Okay, here's the joke:

Why were the Broome's late for school?
They overswept.

I was pretty impressed and of course I laughed.  I mean, Clancy is only 9 years old and he came up with this all by himself.

May you and yours have a memory making Thanksgiving!

Let's Chat

Let me see, now where did I last leave off?  It seems my blogging has been "hit or miss" the past couple of weeks but hopefully it will be a bit more regular now.  It is a busy time of year, so we shall see how it goes.  But, hang in there with me.............

This past Wednesday I had my eye appointment with a retina specialist at The Hamiliton Eye Institute in Memphis, TN.  The HEI is located downtown and it is as big as many hospitals.  We were told by one of the nurses that the first two floors are all related to the eye and the 3rd floor is dermatology.  They have specialists for absolutely every part of the eye.

My visit went very well.  I saw a Dr. Caladez and he said that the laser retina surgery I had in July looked good and it was done correctly.  I was thrilled with that news.  He did say that I have some retina issues that indicate I will likely have further retina tears and/or detachment.  I hated to hear that but he also told me that they could be repaired if taken care of promptly.  That was good to hear.  I ask him how I could not have known that I had retinal tears before I went in for my check up.  He said that can happen at times but generally you will know through flashing bright lights or other visual impairments.  I will be most in tune with any visual changes and will be seeing a specialist every 6 months.  

The day before we left to go to Memphis I woke  up with hoarseness and a somewhat sore throat.  It wasn't bad so I didn't do anything about it.  On Tuesday I woke up with no voice and the beginnings of a bad cold.  I knew I could not head out like that so I ran in to see our family Dr.  He gave me a couple of prescriptions and a shot and off we went.  I am still dealing with the remains and likely will for a few more days.  It is just so aggravating!

Our Thanksgiving will be very low key.  Hubby, our son and I will join our friends at our country club's wonderful Thanksgiving buffet.  Our DIL and the gran girls will be in Oklahoma with our daughter and her family.  We'll be eating at 11:00 and then I plan to come home and begin the process of decorating for Christmas.

I actually decorated the dining table and sideboard this weekend.  The decor that I do will be pretty but it will be kept to a minimum.  I've had my years of  decorating every inch of the house and that is just not my "gig" anymore.  The problem with decorations is that they have to be taken down.  Ugh,  That is no fun to me!  But, once I get my decor out I'll show it to you.

I have most of my Christmas shopping done but have got to get it all wrapped.  I have made a little fudge (for the chosen few). ~big chuckle~ I have my Christmas cards done, but they need to be addressed, stuffed, stamped with return address and stamp and then, finally, sealed.  Yep, there's a lot to preparing and sending Christmas cards, not to mention just getting appropriate pictures for them. I kept saying this will be my last year, but I just keep on sending them. 

I plan to get some cooking done ahead of time and put in the freezer.  Our daughter and the Grandsons will come the week before Christmas to celebrate with us and I want to do some advance preparation. I need to get started on that.

In spite of all that is going on in our country, the unrest, the hatred, the disrespect, the evil, there is still so much for us to be thankful for as we celebrate this week.  May these be the things that you are most mindful of as you celebrate.

Lea

Monday's Musings

Just in case you didn't realize it, 7 weeks from today is Christmas.  I know it's said frequently, but time really does fly by.  I've pretty much finished my Christmas shopping except for the gift cards that I will be giving.  Now, to get the gifts wrapped.  Ugh!  just not something I do not get excited about or enjoy. But, never fear, I will get it done!

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Our landscaper and yard maintenance crew came last week to change out some plants, refresh the bark in the beds, add pine straw to some of the beds and plant pansies.

Our original landscape was done almost 2 years ago but we have, along with our landscaper, decided that we needed to replace some of the plants with some more fitting for the area they were in.  We are very thrilled with the change.  And, when the pansies get full grown they should put on quite the show.

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Last Thursday was my Dad's 88th birthday.  I had a little birthday gathering for him over at the assisted living facility where he lives.

I had this jester hat and decided it would be fun for him to put on.  He was such a good sport about it and we all had a good laugh when he put it on.

I took some photo props and the residents enjoyed playing along with me while I snapped their pictures.

A few folks dropped by to join in on the festivities as well.  We so appreciated their effort.

One of my brother's send Dad 4 pints of ice cream.  They arrived right in the middle of his party so he got to stop and open the box.  Daddy absolutely LOVES ice cream, so it was the perfect gift. Apparently you can order anything on the internet. ~chuckle~

When I asked Daddy about doing a birthday party he didn't think it was necessary.  I told him that it wasn't every day that someone gets to celebrate 88 years of life and I thought it was necessary!  He enjoyed the celebration so much and was so glad that I went ahead with it, even though he didn't think it was necessary. ~smile~ It's the stuff memories are made of!

NOTE: We'll be off to Memphis tomorrow for my eye appointment Wednesday morning at The Hamilton Eye Institute.  After this trip we are going to "stay put" until the first of the year.  

The Teacup/Mug Exchange Reveal

This is my 2nd teacup/mug exchange to participate in with the lovely Stephanie over at The Enchanting Rose.  Stephanie spends a whole lot of time preparing for this exchange.  We fill out a form that she provides if we want to participate.  She then pairs us up with two others (most are bloggers but some are not).  One we receive from and one we send to and then we end up with two new friends.  There were 211 women who participated this time and they were from all over the world  Isn't that neat?  Teacups and mugs bringing women together across the globe.

I have a lot of fun preparing my box to send and of course, it's just so much fun opening the box from "my person."  Now, let me share my box with you.

I received my box from Debbie over at She Graces Her Home in God's Beauty. And, she just happens to be Stephanie's Mom.  Debbie is a jewel with a heart of gold and I'm excited to share with you the awesome box that she sent my way.

Note: my pictures are less than stellar and I'm not even sure why ~made me sick~  but, on with the story.........

Even the outside of my package was fancy and as you can tell, I was dead serious about getting into it.  And, in case you are wondering where I was, I was at my "little room" at my husband's office.

I just kept pulling things out, I felt like a kid at Christmas!  So, so much fun!

The biggie was this gorgeous cup and saucer.  We could exchange a cup and saucer or a mug.  I chose a cup and saucer because there's just something a little more special about a pretty cup and saucer.  And, that being said,  I always drink my coffee out of one of the new insulated mugs.  This cup and saucer is a lovely ivory china with a lovely gold design.  Very, very pretty and one I would have picked out for myself.

My extra's were awesome.  I love the Caramel Vanilla Cream coffee pods and she tucked in the box  to enjoy with my scones and raspberry jam, grown by Debbie and her husband.  An inspiring devotional book with a wooden bookmark and some magnets were also enclosed. 

And, to add to the loveliness of the package were these tiny little envelopes, hand made by Debbie.  Tucked away inside these envelopes were Southern sayings.  I such fun opening and reading each one of them.  Such a labor of thoughtfulness.

Debbie went "over the top" in selecting the items for me and I have and am enjoying all of them.  If you haven't met Debbie, you need to click on the link above and go pay her a visit.  You will be so glad you did.

My package went to Linda from Oregon.  Her blog is Lady Linda.  If you care to see the box I sent to her, click on the link and check it out.  I thoroughly enjoyed picking it all out and hopefully Linda is enjoying it just as much.