Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday and that means question answering with Joyce.

1. Do you find yourself influencing your world, or is it more the other way around? 
I would hope that I am influencing my world, for the better, might I add. I'm sure giving it my best shot.  I'm certain it can reverse on me at the drop of a hat but I sure try to stay on top of it.  

2. July 14th is National Tape Measure Day...the device was patented on this date in 1868. When did you last use a tape measure? Do you always know where to find one in your house? Tell us one way in which you feel blessed 'beyond measure'. 
I think it was this past weekend when I was measuring the height of a cabinet.  I ALWAYS have a tape measure within reach.  I have one in my purse, by my computer (so if I'm internet shopping and need to check out the measurement of an item, then I can pull out my trusty tape measure), and one in the kitchen.  I nearly wore all of them out when we were building this house. 

Oh, my, I feel blessed beyond measure in so many ways but the first way that came to my mind was, good health.  Hardly a day goes by that I do not hear of someone else with a life threatening diagnosis or illness and I never want to take my health for granted.

3.The Plaza Hotel (Eloise), The Land of Oz (The Wizard of Oz), Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia), The Hundred Acre Wood (Winnie the Pooh), Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), or Never Never Land (Peter Pan)...which storybook land (on this list!) would you most like to visit and why? 
Wonderland.......Alice in Wonderland was one of my all time favorite stories when I was a child and I use to dream of being in wonderland. 

4. Where and when do you get your best ideas? 
Hummm.......There's so, so many places to get ideas these days that it really requires very little thought.  But, I would say I get my best ideas from magazines, Pinterest, store displays and other people.

5.  So what have you been watching on TV this summer? Anything good?
I think the 'pickin's are slim' this summer.  Hubby and I watch a lot of Fox News and sometimes I will just watch a movie on my Ipad.  I haven't found anything all that good on TV.  Hallmark starts a new series, Chesapeake Shores, on August 14th. Hopefully it will be good and they will carry it through to completion, unlike the way they did Cedar Cove.  I so enjoyed Cedar Cove and this summer was to be its 3rd or 4th season and they cancelled it.  So, so aggravating!!!!

6. 'Don't swim for an hour after you eat', 'Dog days of summer', 'Knee high by the Fourth of July'...choose a summer saying from the list or share one of your own, then tell us what image or memory comes to mind when you hear it spoken.
'Dog days of summer' - it is exactly what we are in right now here in NE Louisiana.  My goodness, it is so hot and humid that I can hardly stand to be outside for any length of time.  And, since we have zero shade, we have intense sun pretty much all day long.  Hopefully some of our landscape trees will grow quickly and provide a little bit of shade for us. ~hope, hope~

7. In a single sentence, sum up one life lesson you've learned. 

God's timing is always perfect and mine is not!~swallow big~

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of random.......I was behind a truck yesterday afternoon and a sticker across the back window said, "Dirty truck, Lonely women, Happy dog."  Okay, I had to chuckle because I had no idea what in the world that was supposed to mean.  Perhaps it doesn't mean a blessed thing but I've sure pondered it for a while and wondered if I was supposed to "get it."  ~ only in the South~

The Landscape Reveal

Are you ready?  I mean it seems that I've been talking about and showing bits and pieces of our impending landscape for long enough.  It is now done and ready to be revealed.  And, you can scroll through these at your own pace as there are quite a few pictures with a small description underneath.  You can view as few or as many as your little heart desires. ~you have my permission~

Front view and as you will see there is plenty of room for growth in all of the beds, so they may not look full enough to you right now.  But, each one was placed with future growth in mind so there will be plenty of room for all the little guys to grow and flourish and not run over the plant next to them.

Each side of the front steps is flanked with Colorado rock

The left hand side of the front

These are both of the right hand, garage end, of house.  We used oak mulch in the beds instead of pine straw.

This is the back view of the house.

This is one of the beds to the left of the porch and patio.  It's also a bed that we can enjoy through the big windows in our living area.

This is our rose bed that adjoins the patio

This bed is outside our Master Bedroom window.  The Redbud tree will hopefully provide some shade for those windows in the next 2-3 years.

Hubby even had the area around his fish feeder landscaped with rock and grass.

This bed is just to the left of the back porch and has one of the flagstone and rock walkways.

The patio view

 These walk ways go down to the pond and around to the garage

 Hubby had this area of the pond done with tiny gravel, edged in flagstone and then the Colorado rock beyond it.  A great area to fish.

The landscaper did this neat water scape with huge rocks and flagstone.  Those are Louisiana Iris' planted in the pond that will make quite a showing next year.

And, there you have it.  We are so glad to have this project behind us and now to sit back and enjoy it's beauty.  As I said before, it's like icing on the cake!

A Sunday Surprise Post

 
I have probably only posted an entry on a Sunday a couple of times since I have been blogging.  But, I had a few things to share that would have been my Monday's Musings but the great "landscape reveal" will be here tomorrow instead of my regular Monday post. 

We have a few sunflower fields in our area and what better photo backdrop than sunflowers.  Our son and DIL took the girlies out to one of the fields a couple of evenings ago and snapped away.  They did nearly have a heat stroke in the process but the girls co-operated in spite of it.  I imagine they knew the quicker they co-operated the sooner they would get back in the air conditioned vehicle. ~grin~  They took some 70+ pictures and there are a lot of "keepers" for sure.

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 This past Thursday I had these lovely young ladies over for lunch.  I have known all of them since they were itty bitty and 3 of the 4 were in a young mom's Bible study that I had 25+ years ago at our church.  They hold a very special place in my heart and I so enjoy being with them and catching up with all the happenings in their lives.

I sat a fun table with bright summer colors.  These are some very inexpensive Melamine dishes that I found at Wal-Mart this past spring.  They make a table so happy looking and we all enjoyed our time together.  I served them Chicken Salad Pie, a chopped salad, rolls and  Pink Lemonade Pie for dessert.

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Andi Kate and her Mom have been involved in Operation Potty Training the past few days.  Aren't those the cutest little training panties she has on and those chunky thighs.  Oh, my!  She is quite young but they are giving it a whirl to see if she catches on and if not, well, they will wait a little longer.  She's caught on to so much so early that she may well figure this out as well.  We shall see.

This little rosey cheeked fella had a fun time playing in the pool yesterday.  His other Grandparents have a pool and he certainly seems to be enjoying it.  It's hard to believe that he is getting close to his first birthday.

May this Lord's Day find you worshiping the one true God that can bring peace to this troubled land.

4th of July Musings

And, we welcome July by celebrating our nation's freedom today.  In spite of the trying times, we still live in the greatest nation in the world.

 AND, who might this be???? Why, it's our little Princess zip lining last week at Pine Cove Christian Camp in Tyler, Texas.   Surely she is not big enough to be doing this.  But, if you look really close you can see that she does have a smile on her face.  What a big girl!!  For the past 4 years our son and family have gone to family camp there.  Our children went to this same camp every year for several years and then both worked there after they graduated from high school. It holds a special place in our hearts. 
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My Dad gave me this gazing ball stand for my birthday a few years ago and our landscaper found the perfect spot for it in our new yard.  I love where he placed it and I can see it out our back windows.  The landscaper anchored it in the ground and used silicone to hold the ball in place.  Hopefully that will hold it firmly when the strong winds blow here on the hill.  We shall see..........
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We had a gathering of friends for dinner this past Friday night and had such an enjoyable evening.  I browsed Pinterest for some table scape ideas and, oh, my goodness, there was a plenty.  I went with simple and cute and thought they both turned out most fitting for the occasion.  Anytime we gather with friends, it's a fun time for sure.  We'll be celebrating with our family this afternoon with more good food and good times.
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And, here's a "before landscape" picture, looks a little naked doesn't it?

And, here's an "after landscape picture, with clothes on. ~smile~  And, the before picture was taken by a professional photographer and the bottom one was taken by yours truly.  Quite a difference isn't there, in both the pictures and the landscape. ~chuckle~  The landscape will be wrapped up this week as all they lack are the stone walkways in the back.  After that I'll show you more details of the landscape.

Lea's Favorites

 A few of my favorites this 1st day of July............

Hubby's staff gave me this Pandora bracelet for my 60th birthday and that will be 4 years ago the 29th of this month. Yikes!  I have so enjoyed collecting the charms for this bracelet.  I have charms that are a bit about my life, a boy and a girl, a camera, a coffee cup, a cross, etc.  I recently filled it up and am thinking about starting another one.  I mean if one is good then two would be better.  No, I'm teasing, but I may get another one and that would give my kids something to get me. ~wink~  I think I would fill another one with all things "blingy."  We shall see.
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These are so good and especially with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.  My DIL introduced these to me while we were all in Branson and they can now be found in my pantry.  I love all things almond!
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If you are looking for an easy meal, then you should try this.  All you need is 3 lbs. of pork and a few ingredients to mix with this package, a crock pot and in a few hours, you will have a pot full of deliciousness.  You can use it for sandwiches and merely add some chips or you can serve it with some potato salad, baked beans and french bread and have a full fledged meal.  I am going to serve it for our 4th of July meal.  Using a crock pot is sort of like having a good fairy cook for you.  A real favorite of mine.
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I have mentioned on here that I started using essential oils this past Oct.  My first use was to aid in sleeping.  I have slept good all of my life until about 2 years ago and then I started waking up about 1:30 and having a very difficult time ever going back to sleep.  I saw on Facebook that someone had used a blend of the above oils very successfully to aid with her sleep.  So, I decided to give it a try.  I use 3 drops of the Vetiver and 2 drops each of the Cardamon and Juniper Berry.  I keep them blended in a dropper bottle and I use 3-4 drops in my diffuser and then I rub it on my big toes, and up the center of my feet. I then add a few drops to a non-fragranced lotion and rub it all over my hands and arms.  It seems to be the magic potion.  I sleep good all night long 90% of the time.  Now, I know if you have never used EO then you may think it a bit weird as many others do.  But, don't knock it until you try it.  I researched and pondered essential oil for a long time before I jumped in but now, I am definitely a believer.  These are 3 of my favorite oils but I have many others. And, unlike drugs, there are no side effects with essential oils.
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And, this little guy was 10 months old yesterday and he had a good time with this playmate in the mirror last week.  Bridget said he was totally mesmerized with it.  He would clap his hands and the baby in the mirror would clap his.  Babies are just too cute as they figure things out.

Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July!!

Lea 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 This is my 2nd HP entry this week.  I was almost finished with my 1st one and I must have accidently hit some key that deleted the entire post.  Grrrrrr........I was not happy at all.  I have had that issue several times since I got this HP Pavillion laptop.  I cannot stand it and will never buy another one.  The keyboard is overly sensitive and drives me bonkers.  Now on to the Hodgepodge.

1. It's officially summer (in the northern hemisphere anyway). Which summer month is best and why?
 I will go with my birthday month, July. In fact, one month from today is my special day.   My Mom told me that in her last days of pregnancy with me that she would get so hot that she would go and stick her head in the freezer of their refrigerator to cool off. ~bless her heart~

2. Can you swim? How did you learn? June 27th is National Sunglasses Day. How many pair do you own?
There was a time in my life that I could swim but I would certainly hate to have to swim today.  I took lessons as a child but it's been at least 35 years since I last swam.  I own two pair of prescription sunglasses, a bronze/brown pair and a dark grey pair.

3. What characteristic do you judge most harshly in yourself? How about in others?
I thrive on neatness and orderliness and it  can be my worse enemy or my best friend.  I would have to say that it has been my best friend for the most part.

I get aggravated when folks think their time is more valuable than any other persons.  And, when they are late or make others wait then they are in essence saying they value no one's time but their own. 
~not good~ And, there are always exceptions but I'm talking about habitual.

4. Robert Frost wrote the now well known poem entitled The Road Not Taken. What's a road (literal or figurative) you've always wanted to travel, and where do you hope it takes you? 
I am drawing a blank on this one.............sorry!

5. Popsicles-yay or nay? If you answered yay, what's your favorite flavor? 

I am not a big fan of popsicles, unless I am not feeling well.  In that case I'll take a cherry flavor.  I can't remember the last time I even had one.

6. Brexit-on a scale of 1-10 how knowledgeable are you on what's involved here? (1=very knowledgeable and 10=what's Brexit) Is this news you'll follow or is it something you think won't impact your life in any way shape or form?
 I'm at about an 8 and I will not be following it.  I wouldn't go so far as  to say that it will not impact my life but there's so much in the news right now that is or will impact my life negatively that it gets me in a funk if I let it.  My brother told me yesterday that he had gone on a news fast and I'm thinking that might be a  good idea. 
 
7. Share a favorite song on your summer play list.
Good Good Father by Chris Tomlin and indeed He is a good, good Father!

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Recently I went to my Orthopedic Dr.  When I signed in the receptionist handed me a clip board with about 4 sheets of paper and asked me to fill them out.  Well, I have been to this Dr. many times and nothing, except my address, had changed since my last visit.  No new medications, no new health issues, same as their current info.  I told her this and she said, "well, we're required to get this."  I just took it, sat down and began the process of answering the 1000 questions.  When I got home I was telling Hubby about it and he said I should have asked her who was requiring it. And, if they say, the Doctor, then I may well just tell them that I will let him know that nothing has changed and see what her response is.   I don't want to be an "old goat" but the medical forms we have to fill out these days are enough to make one crazy and when it isn't necessary and they make you do it anyway, it makes one double crazy.  And, I have to fill them out not only for myself but also for my Dad. I totally get it when seeing a new Dr. and I totally see them asking if there have been any changes since your last visit, but to start over from the beginning, well, I don't get that.
 Okay, rant over!

Happy mid-week! 
 

Monday's Musings

Do I even need to say that it is the LAST Monday in June?  Probably not, time is just whizzing by and we all need to be making every day count.  2016 is half over. Wow, that's all I can say.  Now on to the subject at hand..............

The landscaping continues, I know, it seems like it has been a forever project and it has.  But, I do believe that this week may wrap it up for the most part. ~Hope! Hope~  This is week 7 and that is plenty long enough as far as I'm concerned.

We are using a fountain in the front of and middle of the garage.  That seemed to be the perfect spot for one, so Hubby and I went "on the hunt" for one this past week.  We have a place about 25 miles from here that has any and everything you could possibly desire when it comes to yard accents.  We went early in the day but still almost had a heat stroke as we browsed all the choices.

We finally decided on the one above and we couldn't be more pleased.  But, can I tell you that the guys that delivered it and set it up probably felt like they had wrestled a bull by the time they finished.  Not really, they do this day in and day out but it is NOT easy and our fountain weighs about 800 pounds.  It is in 5 pieces and they were so meticulous about getting it level and done perfectly.  We gave them 5 stars for sure!  The base will be surrounded in a circular pattern of Colorado rock (that will cover the concrete platform) and that will give the base a finished look.  Yes, I'll show some more pictures when that is done. ~smile~

Now for a sneak peek at the rest of the landscape...........

 We had stone and rock pathways done to all the outside faucets.  That way should I need to use one of the faucets, I won't have to worry about wet ground or some yard critter hiding in the grass. ~giggle~

 All the beds that come up to concrete are edged in Colorado rock.  That pretty much guarantees the concrete will stay clean.

This is one of the back beds filled with red Knock Out Roses.  In a short time those bushes will be touching each other and it will truly make a big RED statement.

This is another back bed and the Camellia's will soon camouflage the fence around Hubby's outside stuff and the garbage bins.    And, the Crepe Myrtle  will provide us a small amount of shade that we desperately need.

 This is the right side of the house and the fountain is in this general area.

We are more than pleased and so enjoy looking out and seeing the outside come together.  I will share the finished landscape when it is finally done.

And, I leave you with this sweet picture...........

The girlies stayed the night with us one night last week and enjoyed an early morning swing with Poppa. This is the stuff that memories are made of for sure.


Blessings to you for a wonderful last week of June!