Wednesday, July 28, 2021

The Wednesday Hodgepodge




And, once again, Joyce has provided the questions and we get to provide the answers.........


1. Four words that tell us something about your July?


1- family
2 - hot
3 - humid
4 - baking

Our daughter and 2 of her boys came to visit a couple of weeks ago and we enjoyed them and shortly afterwards we went into "real" Louisiana weather with high temps and lots of humidity.  Ugh!  And, thanks to air conditioning, I just keep right on baking. ~smile~  It's been a good July! 

Friday, July 23, 2021

Friday Favorites



It has been many months since I joined up with the gals for Friday favorites.  Hope you enjoy today's favorites.



I love wall vases and these are two that I have recently found on Etsy.  Of course, the arrangements did not come in them but my local floral designer created those for me.  I have one hanging on the foyer wall and one is hanging on the guest bedroom hall wall.  And, I'm sure you notice that both of these have a bird of them.  That makes them even more of a favorite for me.

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

A Hawaiian Hodgepodge




Yea, for me, this is my second week in a row to join in with the Hodgepodgers.

1. July 5th is National Hawaii Day...have you ever been to Hawaii? Any desire to visit or make a return trip? Pineapple, mango, or guava...what's your pleasure? 

I have been to Hawaii twice and our first visit was in 1984. I just happened to find the above photo from that trip.  Goodness, they were 4 and 7 years old. ~teary eyed~ 
I do not imagine we'll ever return, we certainly do not have any plans to but we sure enjoyed the two times we were there.
I'll take either pineapple or mango and they do serve the most delicious drinks in Hawaii.

2. Last time you were 'thrown in at the deep end'? Explain. 

The first thing to come to my mind was 11 years ago this past June when my Daddy was diagnosed with Guillian Barre Syndrome.  It hit him out the blue and he was pretty much completely disabled over night.  I knew I had to sink or swim and I put on my "big girl panties" and did what I had to do.  It was a long and difficult journey, long, long hospital stay, then transitioning to a nursing facility.  But, God had other plans for him and Daddy made a complete recovery over the course of a year, moved into an assisted living facility where he remains today at the age of 91.  It was truly a miracle and we came out on top of the "deep end".  I really won't mind if I never have another "thrown in at the deep end" experience. 

3. Sun, sea, sand, salt...your favorite when it comes to summer? 

It has been years and years since we've been to the beach and I often think I would like to go.  I'm not a fan of the sun or the sand but there are ways to limit the sun and I can endure the sand if I have to.  I love the sounds and sights of the sea, especially in the early morning and late evenings. 

4. Bury your head in the sand, the sands of time, draw a line in the sand, pound sand, shifting sands...pick one and tell us how the phrase currently relates to your life in some way.

I'd have to say shifting sands.  I'm about to be 69 and Hubby is 74 and we're witnessing some of the tough things of aging.  We've been blessed thus far but we're seeing friends decline in health and even lost some very dear to us through death.  We see our Grans getting older and their interests shifting.  All of this is a part of life but some of these shifting sands can be mighty tough.

5. On a scale of 1-10 (1 = make your own rules and 10=like a warden), how strict were your parents? If you're a parent where on the scale do you land? 

Oh, wow! I'd say my parents were about an 8.  I pretty much just compiled with the "rules of our house" and have fond memories of growing up but I'm quite sure my parents would have been defined as "strict."  Remember, my Daddy was a minister and that might have well played a role in what was expected of us. ~smile~

I think Tommy and I were probably about a 5.  We definitely had rules and thankfully our two played by those rules for the most part.  It would be interesting to see how they would rate us.  I think I'll ask them. ~chuckle~

6. Insert your own random thought here.  


You may remember 3-4 months back that I mentioned our dear friend Charles and asked for your prayers for his healing.  Well, Charles received that complete healing on June 25th when he entered heaven's gates.  Our hearts were and still are so sad but we rejoice that he is now made whole and no longer in the weak and frail state that the past 7 months of illness had caused.  His celebration of life service was so uplifting and such a tribute to a great and Godly man.  He leaves behind a wonderful legacy.  Gerri, his wife, is finding her way and navigating waters she's never traveled before.  It is definitely a time of "shifting sands" for her.  He would have been 78 tomorrow.


Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Prime Purchases





I sure did miss this last month but we were with our kiddos and Grans celebrating our 50th.  So, you are getting a "double dose" with this post.  Aren't you excited? ~chuckle~  Hope you find something that you "need" too.


EXTRA  LARGE  COOKIE  SHEET



Oh, my goodness, this is the "granddaddy" of all cookie sheets my friends.  It is 15" X 21" and holds lots and lots of cookies.  Most of my cookie recipes fill two of these and sometimes a little more.  I love the extra size as it has reduced  the cookie sheets I use by half.  And, Chicago Metallic is so heavy and such a great pan.  I just love it when I find something that enhances my cookie baking even more.



MICROFIBER  HAIR  TOWEL


I have used these turban towels for my hair for years and years but I needed to replace the ones I had.  They had seen better days for sure.  These are so nice and I love the stripes.  They are so, so soft and absorb super good.




COLORFUL  JUTE  TWINE


I love twine and use it a lot in packaging my baked goods.  I had never seen it in so many colors until I ran across this package of 15 different colors.  I even like to use 2-3 colors together.  So cute!




GIFT  TREAT  BOXES



These boxes are great for all kinds of things.  I use them some when giving cookies to someone and I've used them to put a gift in.  They come in two sizes and are so, so cute.  The larger size will also hold the mini-bundt cakes.  They come flat which is a huge space saver and they are "easy peasy" to turn into the box shape. 



LOUNGING  PAJAMAS


If you are looking for a cute pair of lounging pajama's for summer then you might like these. They are so soft and have the cute trim and are my "go to" for evenings while at home.  They come in 4 colors.



5 X 7 SELF  SEAL  ENVELOPES




I decided that I was going to be "one step ahead" with my Christmas cards this year.  Christmas cards are SUCH a process and a self seal envelope is a MUST for me.  And, I don't believe I've ever seen a colored envelope offered with any of the photo cards. I'm all about colored envelopes and these fit the bill.  They are colored and self seal!  They come in several other colors as well.  I like colored envelopes because they stand out in someone's mail.  And, I did cute recipient labels and already have those on these pretty red envelopes.   I will have everything done except for ordering the card, stuffing it in the envelope and sealing it.  I think I'm going to be real glad that I did this early on when Christmas card "sending time" rolls around. 




HIGH  SHINE  SHEA  BUTTER  LIP  GLOSS

I use a whole lot of clear lip gloss and this is one of the best I've ever used.  AND, it's a mere $3.40 a tube.  I wear the long lasting lip color and all of it requires a gloss over it.  I don't always like the gloss that comes with the lip color so I found this that is high gloss and NOT sticky.  I can.not.stand.sticky.lip.gloss!!!




LOUNGE  DRESS



Amazon calls this a lounge dress or sleep dress.  Oh, my goodness, surely no one would sleep in this but whatever............. I use mine for lounge wear.  As I have stated before, if we are going to be at home in the evenings I am in my lounging clothes shortly after we eat dinner.  This comes in several pretty colors and wonderful rayon fabric.  It makes me feel "queenly." ~big chuckle~




CORDLESS  MINI  MIXER



This is the neatest little gadget.  I like the Nutrition Teas that seem to be on every corner these days.  I often buy them "dry" and then put them together here at home and this little "doozy" works great in blending them before adding the ice.  They are definitely not made for anything thick but for liquids they work great. It sure beats getting my hand blender out.



10 X 13 ZIP PLASTIC BAGS



I love zip top bags and Amazon has them in sooooo many sizes.  Ziploc is great but they have limited sizes and sometimes I need a size that Ziploc doesn't make.  I am often finding a use for these.  I also have them in the 9 x 12 size.  So handy to have!



ERASABLE  PRECISION PEN


Call me old fashioned  if you want to but I still have my trusty wall calendar where we keep all our appointments and activities written.  These pens are so great for using on it because if anything changes once I've written it there, I can erase it.  Sure beats using "white out." ~chuckle~



DENIM  JACKET



Denim jackets are just the greatest and go with EVERYTHING.  I have 3-4 but did not have a black one.  I love this one.  It's a shorter cut and I like that and the fit is average, definitely not slim cut. I am really happy with this find and they have several colors.



Okay, that's it for this post.  I'll see you back the first Tuesday of August for more Amazon Prime!

Have a terrific Tuesday!