My Daybook

 Today I'm focusing on the simple things, the beauty of everyday life....

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is shining brightly and it is a gorgeous day. The temps are cooler right now, but it is promising to be in the high 90's a bit later. Of course, there's always humidity. Ugh!  We're in desperate need of rain.

I am thinking...of the folks in Colorado whose homes were destroyed by the wildfires and the folks in the pathway of the recent storms and it's devastation.

I am thankful...that I live in the "land of the free and the home of the brave."

In the kitchen...well, the kitchen will be closed today.  We will go with several friends to a 4th of July gathering and there will be food abundant there. Good food, good fellowship, it makes for a good time.

I am wearing...a patriotic white shirt with some bling on it with red capris 

I am wondering...how the Presidential election is going to turn out, it truly should be a concern for all of us

I am reading...You Were Made for More by Jim Cymbala ~great book~

I am looking forward to...a "mystery trip" at the end of the month to celebrate my BIG birthday.  Hubby put it on the calendar several weeks ago and I have no idea where we are headed.

I am learning....that some folks never feel the need/conviction to say,
"I'm sorry."
And, regardless, we must forgive in order to move on.

Around the house...it's fairly quiet and usually is unless one of the Grans is here or we have company.  Hubby and I are not very "noisey" folks. ~grin~

I am pondering...the things that I need/want to do differently for the rest of my life.  Easy to say, more difficult to do.

A favorite quote for today..."that which does not kill us, makes us stronger"  Nietzsche

One of my favorite things...is my first cup of morning coffee straight out of my Keurig 
~oh, so good~

A few plans for the rest of the week: tomorrow brings a luncheon meeting and a visit to the Peridontist to see how my implant procedure is healing. Friday and Saturday are open right now but I'm sure will fill up between now and then.

A peek into my day...
doing some household chores this morning and then joining friends for a fun time celebrating the 4th.

From our house to yours, Happy 4th of July!

Miscellany Monday

It's so good to be back!  I was on the road last Monday headed towards home and I missed MM and nothing about my week went right because of that. ~just a joke~  But, I am excited about joining up with lovely Carrisa today.

Pucker up........

Clancy has loved lemons since he was a baby.  I don't get it but he will sit and eat them down to the rind and never flinch.  I love the taste of lemon but the thought of eating one makes me shiver.


Beautiful handwork....

There is an old railroad depot in Dodge City that has been refurbished and is used for various events.  They were having a quilt show while we were there and I was so impressed with the workmanship of these gorgeous coverings. My favorite was the one of the jars.  I've always said I would love to learn to quilt, guess I'd better hurry up if I'm going to. ~grin~  


A night at the Gaylord Texan.....

On our way to Dodge City we spent the night at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas.  And, we all know that everything is "bigger and better" in Texas. ~smile~  Well, this is certainly true about the Gaylord.  My goodness, it is built around a gorgeous atrium and you truly have no idea that you are not outside.  It is beautiful resort and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing getaway.

Wind Mills...........

As we drove through Oklahoma and Kansas on our way to Dodge City we passed "oodles" of wind mill farms.  The construction of these farms is the lifeblood of a lot of towns right now.  I had no idea that one of these windmills can provide energy for up to 8000 homes.  I think we saw enough windmills to provide energy for thousands and thousands of homes.  Who would have ever thought????


Ipad = fun for Poppa and Clancy

When the wind was blowing too hard and we were needing to cool off, Poppa  and Clancy would find the IPad to be a fun way to pass the time.  Yea for Apple and the creation of such a neat gadget and yes, his Dad and Mom restrict the amount of time that he spends on the IPad in a days time. ~just in case you were wondering~ 

 The Best for Last........

 That's right, Bridget, our daughter will bless us with Grandchild #3 sometime around December 29th.  Everything has gone well thus far and we are hopeful that she will have no issues and give birth to a healthy baby.  She should (as long as the wee one cooperates) find out in about 3 more weeks if Clancy will have a little brother or sister.  Stay tuned.............

Have an awesome week!

Friday's Letters

It's Friday and time to write some letters.  The lovely Ashley is our host over at Adventures of Newlyweds. I have a few letters on my mind today...........

Dear Blogging Buddies  and Followers,  I have missed you so much this past week, but sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging and such has been the case.  We were gone for a week and it is sometimes difficult for me "blog on the road."  But, I'm back and I know you are so glad. ~smile~

Dear Louisiana weather, Do you not know how hot it is here?  It is just best to stay inside under the a/c. Running errands, getting in and out of the car, it makes me sweat and I CANNOT stand sweat.  If you can see fit to bring us an early fall, we'd be thrilled!

Dear Dell Computers, I need my new all in one computer NOW!  The storm from 2 weeks ago did irreversible damage to the desktop I had.  Thank goodness I had it attached to an external hard drive and I will be able to have all that info transferred over to the new computer.  I remember the last Dell computer I ordered about 6-8 years ago was here in about 3 days.  Guess I will just continue to wait patiently.  ~sigh~

Dear TJ Maxx, You were loaded to the gills yesterday and I had so much fun browsing around.  You had more handbags than I've seen in a while and I really wanted one of each. But, I resisted and didn't get one.  You had a lot of good looking home accessories too but, fact is, I need NO more home accessories.  But, I did enjoy looking at them.  I did pick up 3-4 Christmas presents and that made me very happy.  I love finding Christmas presents throughout the year and especially at very discounted prices. ~yipee~

Dear Upcoming Birthday,

I cannot believe that one month from today that I will be 60 years old!  Oh, my goodness, how did that happen???  I think the best thing for me to do is just CELEBRATE and thank the Lord for giving me life for these 60 years.  I refuse to think about this whole "aging process."  Maybe if I don't think about it, it just won't happen. ~big laugh~

HAPPY, HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

Show Us Your Life - HOME TOUR - Dining Room

I'm linking up with Kelly at Kelly's Korner again today for the Home Tour. Today Kelly is featuring dining rooms.  I think that many houses being built today do not have dining rooms.  Life is so much more casual for the younger generation and many just do not see the need for it.  And, hey, that's okay.  Whatever suits their "fancy." ~smile~

 

We have lived in our house 31 years this July and over the course of those years, this dining room has hosted more events than I can even remember.  The majority of them have been bridal affairs.  You know, as I've said many times before, here in the South we make an "event" out of any and everything we  can. Now, most of the use for this dining room  is family dinners and occasional entertaining of a few couples.  The days of "events" are rare.  But, I have fond, fond memories of the fun times that have been had in this dining room.

This antique table graces one of the corners of the room.  I found this at a shop a few years back and I just knew that I had the perfect spot for it and I did.  All of my furnishing in this room are either walnut or mahogany.

This sideboard sits on one wall and is just a beautiful piece of furniture.  Our dining furniture was the first furniture we bought when we moved in this house, so guess that means it is 31 years old. Yikes! but as you can see, it has been given a lot of TLC and still looks brand new.  This piece is great for storage as well.

 I decorate the table for the season.  For this summer I chose to use mirrors, mercury glass and clear containers with lemons and limes in them.   The decor on the sideboard pretty much stays the same year around (except at Christmas).

There is one problem with our dining room and that is it's size.  It is not nearly big enough and it needs to be open on two sides, but there is only one entrance.  That means there is only one exit.  Not good!  It's especially problematic when you have about 40 people trying to get in and out of the room to enjoy the delicious goodies that are on the table.  But, somehow it has worked, but be rest assured if I ever have another dining room, it will have a nice flow pattern for sure.  

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit and I look forward to taking some tours of your dining rooms as well if time permits.   And, just in case you have forgotten...........I'm in Dodge City enjoying time with our daughter and her family. Happy weekend to you!

Miscellany Monday

It's Monday and even though I'm busy getting ready to head out to Dodge City in a little while, I HAD to link up with sweet Carissa and be random first. ~grin~

Father's Day...........

 If anyone had told me this time last year that my Dad would be alive this time this year, I would not have believed them.  Not that I didn't believe that God could restore his health, but Daddy  just seemed so far gone that I could not imagine it.  But, apparently the Lord had other plans and we have watched him slowly but surely restore my Dad to a functioning state.  He continues to have, and likely always will, issues from the GBS but as you can see from the picture above, he has improved beyond belief and is enjoying life more each day. We attended worship services together yesterday and then he and my step Mom went out to eat with Tommy and I.  It was a special day!

Oh, so good..........(and salty)

   Can I just tell you that I have an addiction to this popcorn!  I found it a few years ago at our local $$$ store.  It is $1 a bag and I pretty much always have a stash here.  There have been a few times when they didn't get it in for several weeks and I was a very unhappy gal.  Oh, by the way, it is called BRIM'S.  Nothing special about the name, but it serves as my salty snack and has very few calories.  You should give it a try!


VBS review...........

Last week's VBS was a whole lotta fun!  As I said last week, things are so, so different now and I had to learn a whole new way of doing things.  But, that's alright, it worked and the kiddos had a great time.  I worked with the 4th and 5th graders and they were delightful.  I love that age because they pretty much just need supervising and they will still give you a hug.  ~smile~


Splash for Caffeine.........   

This is my new favorite drink!  About 3 weeks ago I quit drinking anything with caffeine (was affecting my "ticker") except for some half and half coffee in the morning.  Well, I didn't realize what a difficult task this was going to be.  If you have been reading my blog very long then you know that I LOVE Sonic tea and guess what, they do not make it decaffeinated.  Boo hoo!  Another favorite drink of mine is Diet Dr. Pepper.  Well, they do make it "caffeine free" but it tastes like ditch water to me.  So, I have been looking and looking and tasting and tasting to find something that would fulfill my beverage need and be good for me.  I know water is the best thing but I just do not like plain water and I do NOT like the little Crystal Light packets that you can add to it for flavor. Ugh!  I saw this lemon flavored Splash the other day at the store and decided to give it a try.  Oh, yes!  I fell in love and I think we're in for a long lasting relationship.  Thank you Nestle! 

Okay, think I'll go finish packing and Hubby and I will be heading out shortly for Dodge City.  Happy week! 

Show Us Your Life HOME TOURS - Bedrooms

I have never linked up with Kelly at Kelly's Korner before, but she always has something neat in "Show Us Your Life" on Fridays and I've enjoyed seeing others homes on the home tour and decided it was time for me to participate today. 

Today's tour is bedrooms.  We have a four bedroom house and since our nest is empty, it means we have 3 unused bedrooms (unless we have company).  And, I made what use to be the children's playroom a "sort of" sleeping loft.  So, we can sleep several, but since that doesn't happen, we just enjoy looking at them.  And, did I say that I'm thinking it is time to downsize.  I mean, really!

The Master Bedroom

This is where the Hubby and I reside.  And, as you can tell our nightstands are not all neat on the top.  I mean, we have our flashlights, our lotions, eye drops, TV remote and so forth within easy reach and neither of us want to hide these items in a drawer.  We like them easily accessible, so our nightstands will likely never look like something out of a magazine. ~smile~  The table in front of the window in our bedroom is where I grow my African Violets.  It has the perfect sun situation and they seem to thrive there and we get to enjoy watching them grow.  The colors of our room  are a rich brick, antique gold and a touch of dark sage green and the walls are a soft, soft golden color.

The Downstairs Guestroom

 This room has a Queen sized bed and has a brick colored matelasse bedspread and the drapes and bed cover are done in stripes and floral in shades of brick, maize and sage green.  I found this clown several years ago and little did I know that he would be the perfect addition to this room.

Upstairs Guestroom #1 (daughter's old bedroom)

 The oak dresser in this room is from my paternal Grandmother and is about 65 years old.  It is a beautiful piece and my Chatty Cathy doll (52 years old) sits on top.  Both of these are sort of heirlooms and I'm hopeful they will stay in the family for years to come.

Upstairs Guestroom #2 (son's old bedroom)

 I love, love this room!  The furnishings in this room were given to us when my MIL moved into an assisted living facility several years ago.  She had wonderful taste in furnishings and I felt honored she gave this to us.  My daughter and SIL stay in the room when they visit and they are THRILLED that it is a king sized bed.

Sleeping Loft (sort of)

 This area use to be a play area for the kids when they were growing up and I got the brilliant idea of putting twin beds in this area after they were gone.  It is so cute now and I think will one day be a fun place for our Grandchildren to stay the night. It is located right at the top of the staircase and is very open, so it is not suitable for any privacy for sure.  But, little ones aren't too concerned about privacy.  So, it should work!

That's it for my tour.  Hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better by seeing a part of my home.  I'm looking forward to visiting around and touring yours as well. Happy weekend!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Thanks Joyce for another Wednesday's Hodgepodge. Click on the above 
 button to enjoy more Hodgepodge.

1. In what way are you your own worst enemy?

By  being organized to a fault and trying to stay one step ahead of the game. 

2. Jacques Cousteau's birthday was Monday, June 11th...ever been scuba diving? Is that something you'd like to try? What's your favorite 'under the sea' creature? 

No, I have never been scuba diving nor have I ever had the desire to go.  I'm not much of a fan of under the sea creatures, but the octopus is a most interesting creature.

3. On a scale of 1-10, how comfortable are you in and around the water? (1=not at all, 10=very) Do you know how to swim and if so how and when did you learn?

I am rarely in water but  I'd probably be about an 8 in my comfort level.  Well, there was a time in my life that I definitely knew how to swim and did a good job at it, but I would hate to have to swim at this point and time.  I'd probably drown! ~how sad~

4. What's something you do to motivate yourself to tick an item off your to-do list? 
Oh, I absolutely LOVE striking items off my to-do list and I need little motivation other than knowing that "it" will come off my to-do list to get it done. ~crazy, I know~
 

5. What makes a good neighbor? Are you a good neighbor?

A good neighbor is someone that, even though you may not see them or visit with them often,  you know if you needed them they would come running.  
Yes, I think I am a good neighbor but I could be better.  A new couple moved in around the corner from us with 4 month old twin daughters about 2 weeks ago.  I have yet to go around and welcome them to the neighborhood.  I have thought about it but haven't put feet to my thoughts just yet. ~shame on me~

6. Who loads the dishwasher at your house? Is there a right way and a wrong way? 
80% of the time I load and unload the dishwasher.  And, as far as I'm concerned, there is definitely a right and wrong way to load a dishwasher.  The biggest aggravation to me is when folks load dishwashers from the front to the back.  It's always back to front for me.  I mean it just seems the logical way. ~grin~

7. You know it's summer when I step out the door and the air is so thick with humidity that I can hardly breathe. Ugh!

8. Insert your own random thought here. 

 Hubby and I will head out next Tuesday morning for Dodge City, Kansas. Home of our Grandson and his Mom and Dad.  This will be our first time to drive (we always fly) and I can't say that I'm looking forward to that part.  I'm all about the destination but I'm going to try really hard to enjoy the journey.  We'll go as far as Oklahoma City on Tuesday and then on in to Dodge City on Wed. morning.  We'll have about 5 days of making memories. ~smile~