Friday, June 17, 2022

A Random Catch-Up



It's wayyyy past time for a regular blog post.  I won't even try to give excuses, but, just wanted to catch you up on some of the latest happenings. 


I feel like a front porch says so much about a house and I always want ours to convey a "warm and welcoming" feeling to those passing or stopping by.  I decided to go with lemon yellow buffalo check pillows and ribbon for the spring and summer.  I always enjoy getting the porch ready for each season.


We have both wanted up lighting on our house for quite some time.  Hubby decided a few weeks ago to  have it installed and we could not be more pleased.  It gives such a pretty glow at night.  Of course, we'll enjoy it more in the winter when it gets dark earlier.  We had it installed in the back as well so that we could enjoy it from inside the house thru the back windows. 


We had bunches and bunches of periwinkles planted about 2 weeks ago.  They should be bursting forth soon and add some pretty color to the yard.  And, you can hardly see the pretty trailing petunia baskets hanging on the pergola entrance.  Hubby loves petunias and saw these at a local nursery and couldn't resist getting them.  He's done a good job of caring for them and they are thriving.  They require a whole lot of watering in this hot, hot weather that we are experiencing.


I saw this pelican at a local shop that sells all kinds of concrete statuaries.  He came in just plain concrete but the business has someone who will paint any statuary if you so desire. I had seen one painted and it had so much more personality than the unpainted ones.  He found the perfect spot on our patio and and a friend suggested we name him, Mr. Bellvedere. So, Mr. Bellvedere it is!


Bridget and the boys came last week for a few days and it was all hands on deck around here.  As you can tell from the pics, fishing was enjoyed by all.  We made such a good decision when we decided to build on the pond side of our neighborhood.  It is almost in our backdoor and has brought hours of pleasure for sure.


  Bridget and my DIL decided to have an early 70th birthday celebration for me since Bridget won't be here on my actual birthday, July 29th.  They cooked an absolutely delicious meal, crowned me the "birthday queen" and had this, not only gorgeous, but also very delicious birthday cake made.  It was a great celebration and I think I'll just keep on celebrating until July 29th.  I mean, 70 really is a BIG birthday and I think deserves to be celebrated a LONG time. ~chuckle!


And, as you know, this Sunday is Father's Day.  I am blessed to still have my Dad and at 92, he is still in reasonably good health.  Bridget and Clancy went over to visit with him while they were here.  Daddy enjoyed their visit, especially talking to Clancy.  I thought the above picture was so sweet.

Sunday will not be much of a different day for Daddy and doubtful he'll even remember it is Father's Day.  But, I will go visit him,  give him a big ole hug and remind him of the blessing he continues to be in my life.


And, that's what's been going on around here in recent weeks.  Otherwise, we are trying to stay cool as it is already extremely hot and humid here in NE Louisiana.  



I pray this is true for the state of our country.  God bless America!




Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Wednesday Hodgepodge


Well, don't faint and fall out but this is my second post in two days.  I mean, really!!! It's so good to join Joyce and the Hodgepodge today.  I guess my only excuse is lack of desire and life getting in the way.  But, I'm going to try to do better because I truly love blogging.  For now, I'll get on with today's HP questions.

1. "A daughter's a daughter all her life, but a son's a son til he takes a wife." What say you? Elaborate.

Our son

Our daughter

Well, for us, I'd have to say our son is still our son even though he has now been married almost 17 years.  His first devotion is to his family and that is as it should be but we have never felt that we lost our son when he married.  We gained a daughter in love. And, thankfully I have a great relationship with our DIL 

2. Something you've seen recently that was 'cuter than a June bug'

Our Andi Kate (youngest granddaughter)  just ended her second year of softball.  She played in the 8-9 year old league but is only 7.  She is quite the player and we had more fun watching her play and her CiCi laughed and cheered more than the law allows.  And, this little red haired girl was definitely "cuter than a June bug" in her uniform with her braided red hair.  BTW, she made the winning run for her team to win FIRST place in the league.

3. 'You can't buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream and that's pretty much the same thing.' Agree or disagree? Last time you had a serving of happiness ice cream?  Dish-cone-milkshake-sundae...which one do you choose? 


Well, not exactly.  I do like ice cream but I don't equate it to happiness but, on the rare occasion that I do eat it, I suppose it does make me happy. ~did that make any sense?~We have some of the best ice cream about 2 miles from our house at a little place called, "The Country Creamery."  I took one of the Gran girls over there the other night and we got cups of ice cream for all of us.  I've probably only been over there for ice cream a couple of times in the almost 7 years that we have lived here.  

4. What is one way/area in which you're currently 'swimming against the tide'? 


It appears I am definitely swimming against the tide politically.  I'll just leave it right there.

5. Three things you're looking forward to this summer?

Bridget and the boys will be arriving tomorrow for a few days visit.  So, that's the first thing on my list.

We have no big plans otherwise, but I have a really BIG birthday coming up the end of July and I haven't quite decided if I'm looking forward to it or not. ~big laugh~ There will be more about this later. ~hold tight~

6. Insert your own random thought here. 


Bridget finished up her 20th year in the classroom this last school year.  She taught for the first 18 and was a Math Specialist the last 2.  About 2 1/2 years ago she decided that she wanted to get her doctorate in Math Education.~ like she needed one more thing to do~  They live very near Oklahoma State University so that is where she is pursing her Doctorate.  And, an opening came up for a Math Instructor in the Education Department for this coming school year and Bridget applied for it and got the job.  She is so excited and we are so excited for her.  This will make getting her doctorate a bit easier as far as being there on the campus. Right now she is projected to be Dr. Bridget Broome in 2025.  Needless to say, she is very passionate about Math and about teaching.

Today would have been my Mom's 92nd birthday.  It's hard for me to believe she left for her heavenly home 14 years ago.  This was one of her favorite Bible verses..........




Tuesday, June 7, 2022

May Prime Purchases



Folks, here it is, the first Tuesday of June!  Wow!  we are almost half way thru 2022 and what a year it has been and continues to be.  And, do I even have to mention the high costs of pretty much everything? If things continue, there may be no more Prime posts as all money will be going for gas and food. ~I'm not joking~

BREAD  BOX or  LOAF  CAKE KEEPER




I love a loaf cake because they cut so beautifully.  But, I also like to have a way to keep it fresh.  I have never been able to find a container that would fit my extra long loaf pan.  That is until now.  I haven't looked for one for quite some time and decided to check a few weeks ago and ran across this. My long loaf pan is right at 14" long and it fits perfectly in this keeper.  It is certainly not the most attractive keeper but it works.  I have looked and searched for a glass keeper that would fit this large loaf pan, or even a regular size loaf pan, and I just don't think there is such a "beast."  But, I'm thrilled as can be to have found this to keep my pound cakes FRESH when I bake them in a long loaf pan.



LAVENDER  ESSENTIAL  OIL



I diffuse lavender essential oil every night!  I have been doing this 3-4 years and I truly do believe it enhances my sleep.  I found this brand several months ago and is so much more affordable than other brands I had bought.  I buy the 4 ounce bottle and it lasts me quite a while.  I also rub it on the bottoms of my feet and inside my wrists.  I have never had any serious sleep issues but at times I will wake up between 1:00 - 2:00 AM and have difficulty going back to sleep.  I do believe this helps.  This brand also has lots of other oils, so if you prefer another oil, you'll probably find it here.



APPLIANCE  SLIDING  TRAY


Folks, this is the greatest kitchen gadget!  My sister in law had their coffee pot on this and it makes sliding the pot in and out from under the cabinets "smooth as silk.".  It has a locking mechanism that keeps it in place while you are filling it or making your coffee.  It comes in two sizes and is good for any other appliance that you may want to place on it.  I got the smaller of the two for my coffee pot.





CUISINART  COFFEE  CENTER


And, this my friends, is my new coffee maker that sits on the above slider.  I must admit, I love coffee makers and when a new model comes out I can hardly resist getting it.  I love Cuisinart and feel like their products are of such high quality.  I've been using the pot side of this one since getting it but the pod option is right there whenever I might want to just brew a single cup.  I love the option of programing it to brew automatically and I wake up to my freshly brewed coffee and it gets my day started off just perfectly. 



ANNE  KLEIN  EMBELLISHED  SNEAKERS


I do love embellished comfy shoes and these are both sparkly and comfy. I found they run about a half size small.  I returned my first pair and ordered a larger size.  And, because I have narrow feet I had to put an extra insole in them to take up the slack.  It is often hard to find shoes that even come in narrow widths.  But, where there's a will, there's a way and I can usually make it work.





BOHEMIA  SPARKLE  BEADED BRACELETS



These are the cutest bracelets!  They come in lots of colors, are stretchy and you can wear all of them, half of them or one of them.  Buy a couple of them and mix and match them.  They come in a lovely box and would make a great gift. 



LIGHTWEIGHT  POM POM  THROW


We have used the same throws ever since we moved in this house almost 7 years ago.  I decided that I wanted some different ones.  These are so nice and soft and the added ball fringe makes for such a nice look.  They come in several colors and are a tad bit larger than most throws.  I use a throw year around when I sit in my recliner.  I want something over my legs regardless of the temperature.



GAZING  BALL



You may remember that I love gazing balls and have 3 of them in various flower beds.  They do fade out over time and I had one that just wasn't very attractive anymore so I replaced it with this one.  It is so, so pretty and especially when the sunlight hits it.  Amazon also carries all types of gazing ball stands.



CAPRI  LEGGINGS



These are the cutest capri leggings and come in a whole lot of other prints.  They have the wonderful phone pocket and are so comfortable.  Now, I cannot stand anything skin tight so I got these in a Large and they fit wonderfully.  I wear a size 8 and their chart said I would need a medium but for me, the large is perfect!


Okie dokie gals, that's it for this go around.  I do hope you saw something to put in your cart. Wishing you a great rest of the week.  Our daughter and the grandsons will be arriving on Thursday for a few days, so it will be "all hands on deck" around here. 

 I'm going to try and put forth the effort to start blogging weekly.  We'll see how that works out.  Blessings abundant!!!