HELLO Monday..............

It's a gorgeous Monday here in NE Louisiana and we've been blessed with a week of gorgeous weather and it is obvious that it has lifted the spirit of everyone.  A long cold and wet winter and a wetter than wet Spring left us in the doldrums.  Nothing like a sunny day to lift your spirits!  Here's to some HELLO'S this morning.........

HELLO beautiful rugs.........this past Thursday a friend and I went to a fantastic rug show in Lake Village, Arkansas.  It took place at Noni's Antiques and she has been having Halimi come with his rugs for over 20 years.  She has 4 shows a year and my friend had been to one of them when she was building her new home and told me that I needed to go that the choices and prices were fantastic.  Well, she was right and I picked up a couple of runners and smaller rugs and am thrilled too death with them.  My decorator and I had already chosen the bigger rugs that I will need but not any for the smaller areas.  And, Hubby says he doesn't quite understand that you put down gorgeous wood floors and then cover them up with rugs. ~grin~
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HELLO house update.....things are moving at breakneck speed.  The painters are still busy as bees and all the granite was installed this past week.  Oh, what a difference it made.

  We were able to pick from remnants for all the smaller areas and there were so many wonderful choices.  We chose some patterns that we would have never picked for larger areas, such as the Hall Bath.  It is quite shocking but so very pretty and I have very light colored linens for that bathroom and think that will calm it down just the right amount.  

And, what you see in the above picture is all the needed items to build the forms for the driveway.  Yep! it's looking like that just may happen this week.  I'm trying not to get too excited but we sure are hopeful that Mother Nature behaves and it can happen.

I happen to think that I had not taken any pics of the back of the house.  Hubby and I took his Badboy Buggy to the house this weekend and rode over to the other side of the pond and I captured the bottom right picture.  I love how the house is completely reflected in the pond.  I'm pretty sure we are going to enjoy that pond way more than we realize. ~can't wait~
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 HELLO baby boy.......And, I've saved the BEST for last!!  I've been holding this precious secret very close to my heart for a long time.  Yep, Bridget, Clint and Clancy will welcome another little boy into their family in October.  She has made it 17 weeks and her Drs. feel very good about her situation this time.  As most of you know, this will be her 5th pregnancy in the past 4 years. The last four have ended with late term miscarriages.  She has been blessed with a wonderful Obstetrician there in Mt. Pleasant and a Perintologist in Dallas.  We continue to pray God's watch care over her and this precious baby boy.  

Have a wonderful week! 

Friday Fragments

It's Friday and a good day for some fragments of this past week.  Not anything to do a whole post about but several little tid-bits to share. Thanks to Mrs. 4444 for hosting us each Friday!

On Wednesday, one of our local schools had "Senior Prank Day."  When the Seniors arrived at school they were greeted by this abundance of balloons.  I thought it was about as cute of a prank as I have ever seen.  No damage done, no one hurt, no property destroyed, just a whole lotta fun!  That's also a whole lotta hot air represented in those balloons. 
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The Princess' school had their annual Art Fest this past Sunday and they had a super creative face painter there.  Isn't that the cutest butterfly face you have ever seen? ~a real work of art~
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 Clancy, along with all the rest of us, is enjoying the beautiful weather that we have been having the past few days.  It has given him a chance to get outside and do the things he so enjoys, such as shoot his bow and arrows.  I'm thinking he may need to get some sunglasses. ~love those squint eyes~
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 This past Sunday afternoon Hubby and I went and cleaned up his parents and my Mom's grave and put new flowers on their graves.

They both looked so pretty when we finished and it made me very happy.  I do hope that my children live close enough to our grave that they can occasionally put new flowers on it and keep it clean.  Not that I will ever know, but still, it just makes me happy thinking that I will have a neat and clean grave site. ~I know, weird~
Hubby and I walked around after tidying up the graves and it was really surprising the number of gravestones already in place and the people have not even died yet.  While a bit strange, I sort of think that's a neat idea too.  You get to design or pick out your own and it saves your spouse or children from having to do it. Hubby and I have bought our grave plots and believe it or not, we will be able to look from our patio and see them in our new house.  Yep, should we still live in that house when we pass from this world, they won't have very far to carry us. ~chuckle~

Have a glorious weekend!!

HELLO Monday!!

It's time for some Monday HELLO's and today's will consume a whole of pics from my Hubby's 50th High School Reunion that was held this past weekend.  And, of course, some other "stuff."  

Happy new week!

HELLO 1965 Grads......plans have been underway for months and months and this past weekend the grand occasion took place.  It was the 50th high school reunion of Hubby's graduation class.  I think their first reunion was for their 10th year and Hubby and I have not missed one of them.  They are such a great group and a large majority of them have kept such a strong friendship.

Friday evening began the festivities with a wonderful dinner at one of the area's finest restaurants.  Then, on Saturday evening the events took place at one of our local venues with a wonderful catered meal and lots and lots of visiting and reminiscing. I'm so glad that I married into this class as many of them have become very dear to me.

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HELLO fallen trees and a lot of cleanup....this past Wednesday afternoon an awful storm hit a large portion of our area.  I'm not sure if it was classified as a tornado or not but, nonetheless, it "tore up jack" for a whole lot of folks.  Hundreds and hundreds of trees were completely uprooted and fell in all directions.  Amazingly, no one was injured and very few fell on houses.  But, roads were blocked, power was out for many and the clean up will be in process for weeks to come.  Of course, it was made all the worse because the ground is so completely saturated.  We missed everything except the torrential rain.

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HELLO new house progress....it's more of the same, still painting and still working on all the tile.  Last week the painters started on all the doors in the house and the tile guys worked on finishing up the Master Shower and bath.

 The painters also painted my laundry room ceiling.  The color is Copper Wire but it looks a little like burnt orange in this photo.  This is going to be my "fun room" where my decorator and I chose some colors and fabrics that will certainly keep the room "livened up" and fun.  We are using a beige and black zebra print fabric on the window treatment.  I can't wait to see it all come together.

Things continue to go well but we STILL need a driveway!!! It stopped raining long enough for the yard to be graded and sloped but now we need forms for the driveway and then concrete.  And, we have not had enough rain free days to dry the ground out enough to lay the forms or even think about concrete.  But, surely it will happen.  As it stands now it is looking like it could well be the first of July before we get to move. UGH!!!!!

Have a happy new week!!!!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 It's the Hodgepodge once again but next week has been proclaimed "spring break" for the HP.  So, don't despair, we'll return the following week.  For now, enjoy today's HP.

1. Have you ever had to wear a uniform? If yes, tell us more. Did you love it or hate it?
No, I have never had to wear a uniform.  I use to wish that my kids wore uniforms to school because Bridget would often change clothes 2-3 times before settling on something to wear. ~smile~ I like the idea of uniforms for businesses as they have such a professional look but then where do we really see a professional look anymore?  And, I'd be the first to say that some uniforms can be very frumpy looking and who wants to look frumpy.  I think I would have loved a uniform during my working years as long as it has a "sassy" look. ~grin~

2. April 22nd is Earth Day. What is one thing you do personally to be a good steward of planet Earth?
I would love to recycle but our city does not have provisions for that, but Hubby and I do dispose of our trash (items outside of what fits in our garbage cans) with Mother Earth in mind.

3. Brown rice, quinoa, or couscous...your healthy grain of choice? How often are one of the three on your menu at home?  Given a choice between white rice, brown rice, wild rice, and fried rice which would you go for? 

Brown rice would be my grain of choice and we probably do good to have it monthly.  I like rice anyway you can fix it so I'd be happy with any of the above choices.  Here in Louisiana we have some of the best rice dishes in the country. ~cajun style~

4. In your opinion, who has the best job ever?
Well, I have more than one but a top one is those folks dealing with Public Relations for a company.  I would thoroughly enjoy trying to maintain a favorable image between the company and the public.  And, I'm quite certain that is a tough, tough job in many instances. As I said, I have a few others too.

5. What's a situation in your life currently requiring patience? 

Well, that is easy peasy, building our house.  My goodness, we have been in this process a little over 10 months and we probably still have 2 more months before we can start talking about moving in.  It has been a really fun experience but I'm just so ready to be moved and settled.  But, I have no doubt it will be worth the wait.

6.  Do you live your life around days of the week? Explain.
I would say yes, I do.  I have certain things I do on certain days and have for years and years.  It seems to work for me and I don't have to wake up and wonder what I'm going to do.  Now, this applies to Monday thru Friday.  Saturday is left for whatever "floats my boat."  And, Sunday is for worship.

7. In a nod to the A to Z challenge happening around town this month, what 'R word' best describes your April? 

R for rapid!  Yes, it is already April 22nd and the 1st was just yesterday. ~time keeps flying by~

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Isn't this the sweetest picture?  This is Hanna Beth and her best friend, Hannah.  This was taken on Monday as they were leaving school together. They go to school and church together and their parents are good friends. They are all on the same page and that is a win win situation for these little girls.  It's such a picture of innocence and it made my heart smile.
 

The Creative Closet - Pastel Me

I'm linking up with Jana today over at Life Could Be A Dream. If you have never visited Jana's blog then I urge you to drop by.  She's a young Mom and has a lovely blog and blogs about such interesting topics.  And, each Tuesday she hosts "The Creative Closet" with different styles, colors or clothing items featured.  This week's feature is all about pastel colors.

 I love, love pastels!  I found the two tops I am wearing in the pictures today in two of my favorite pastel colors, baby blue and a salmon pink.

They are a peasant style that reminds me of dresses and tops that I wore back in the early 70's.  The biggest difference is that the dresses and tops then usually had elastic around the sleeves and today we see more of the angel wing sleeves.  And, while I think they are so lovely and very feminine, they can get in the way, especially if you are reaching for something. 

My daughter was visiting when I was doing these photos and I could tell that she thought it was pretty silly. ~laugh~ And, I suppose it is, outside, taking picture of ones self with a tripod to be used on their blog.  But, I had fun and since my blog is my hobby and something I thoroughly enjoy, then I just went with it. ~big smile~

And, at least I had a gorgeous background with our azalea's in full bloom. The photos are not near as brilliant as I would like for them to be but I took them on a icky, rain threatening, morning. ~excuses, excuses~

Tops: Croswell's, a local shop

Jewelry in top photo: Susan Shaw

Jewelry in bottom photo: Croswell's

Belts: Chicos

White jeans: Chicos 

HELLO Monday....

It's Monday and you know what that means, time for some HELLO's.  Happy week to each of you!

Hello gorgeous springtime flowers....these are the iris' that Hubby has nurtured and grown over the past several years.  They are in all their glory right now.  He says that they are going to "make the move" with us and I can't say that I blame him for wanting to take them.  Splendid beauty!

Hello fun fishing time....Clancy and his Momma came in this weekend and Poppa took he and Hanna Beth fishing.  This is the pond that is pretty much in the backyard of our new house.  As fast as they dropped the line they caught one and Poppa stayed busy just keeping the show running.  As you can see in the upper right hand picture Hanna Beth has on rubber gloves.  She loves everything about fishing except touching any worms, crickets or fish. ~she's a girly girl~  This will likely end up being one of their favorite past times when we get moved.  

Hello new house progress....and the painting continues.  This week the inside of all the closets were painted and the cabinets (that are to be painted) in the kitchen were primed.  Even though it's just prime, it gives me a good idea of how the kitchen cabinets are going to look and I'm loving the stained and painted mixture. Templets for all the granite were taken and the granite should be ready for installation later this week. ~can't wait~

  It's looking like some fairly dry weather this week so just maybe they will get at least part of the driveway poured. But, my ingenious husband devised a "make shift" drive way this past week to help cut down on all the dirt and mud being brought into the house.  He bought tarps and used tent stakes to anchor them into the ground and workers could walk on it coming and going from the house. Still a ways to go, finishing the painting, installation of plumbing fixtures, installation of lighting, and laying of wood flooring and on and on the list goes.  We've quit even saying an approximate move in date because at this point, we have no idea.  But, I guess we get  closer with each passing week. ~it can't get here quick enough~

Friday's Letters

It's a Friday and it seemed like a good morning for some letter writing.  Nothing like expressing to your heart's desire.  Here goes.........

Dear 2015....please slow down!  We are already 4 1/2 months into you and it seems like it ought to be no later than February 1st.

Dear Cancer....you are just awful, awful!  You have stricken so many precious friends of mine.  Some have beat you and some have not.  I pray daily that very, very soon there will be a cure for any and all types of you.

Dear PBS....I'm not sure how I feel about there being only one more season of Downton Abbey but I'm sure you will come out with another equally as good program in 2016.  I can't help but wonder if the last season will have as much drama as this past season.  It was over the top with drama!

Dear Weight Watchers....your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sundae is the BEST night time snack and all for only 140 calories.

Dear New House....you are taking a really l-o-n-g time to finish. But, I know you will be so worth it in the end, but if you could speed up just a tad, we'd be so happy. 

Dear Disney....you outdid yourself on the production of Cinderella.  What a great movie!  It had a great lesson, super special effects, wonderful acting, and beautiful costuming.  Yep! it received 5 stars from me.

Dear Week-end....I'm looking forward to some special time with our family.  Our daughter and grandson are coming in for a quick visit, but any time we can all be together is a special time.  This will be Bridget's first time to meet our precious Andi Kate.  She has a real treat in store!

Dear Dining Chairs....I can hardly wait to see what you look like with your newly covered seats.  I love the fabric and know you will look like brand new chairs. It's just a little facelift for the new house.

Dear ThredUp.com....I will give you a 4 star rating as an online consignment shop.  I sent you 3 bags of clothing and you paid me a very good price for them.  I love that you sent me the bags to put my clothes in and you pay for them to be mailed to you and then you pay me upfront for the items you keep.  And, with my permission, anything you do not keep you donate to charity. I will be using you again in the future.

Dear LikeTwice.com....Unlike ThredUp, I will not be using you again for consigning my clothes.  Your payout for the great clothes I sent you was embarrassingly low.   You did send cute postage paid bags to send the clothes in but I was not happy with your payout.  Sorry!

Dear Daddy....I continue to hope and pray that you are going to get some improvement in your eyesight as a result of your cataract surgery.  I know you had high hopes and as of yet, there has been no improvement and that makes me sad.  In fact, right now, you are probably seeing worse than you ever have.  Hopefully when I take you back in 3 weeks you can be fitted for glasses that will give you some improvement.

Dear Presidential Candidates....I cannot believe that you have already started campaigning for an election not to be held until Nov. 2016.  All I can say is that I pray our country has the sense to elect a person that will get us on the right track or at least put forth an effort to do so.  Meanwhile, we'll endure!

Dear Readers of my Blog....thank you for giving of your time to read my writing.  I do not take that for granted and I appreciate it so.  Your kind comments are what make each entry worth my time and effort.  You are the BEST!!!!