Monday's Musings

Whee! what a fun, fun Mother's Day weekend it was around here.  If we had had any more fun, I'm not sure Poppa and I would have survived. ~grin~  It all began on Thursday evening when my nephew and his girlfriend arrived. Aren't they just the cutest!

Warren just finished his junior year of college and will be doing an internship in Chicago this summer.  Amanda graduated from college this past Dec. and is now serving as a tour guide for 2 of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses in Chicago.  They are both so, so talented and love the theater and even shared a bit of their talent with us this weekend.

Warren is my Dad's youngest grandchild and he and Amanda shared some very special moments with Daddy this weekend. He thoroughly enjoyed being with them.

They had a great time doing things, such as riding the 4-wheeler, that they never have a chance to do.  They got to see what life in rural America is all about. ~grin~ And, might I add, they are both so thoughtful and respectful and renewed our hope in the young adults of today.

They had a blast fishing and took our little boat out, cruised the pond and caught a couple of fish in the process.

Tommy had a great time giving Amanda all the tips of fishing and teaching her to drive the boat. And, yes that is a Disney fishing pole she has in her hand that our Grans use.  But, it is a great pole and she caught her share of fish on it.

On Saturday evening our son and his family joined in on the fun and my Daddy even got in on the action.  I'm not sure we ever realized what fun this pond would be.

It was fun to see the cousins enjoy each other as well.  They've always lived many miles apart so their time together has been very limited.  

This was probably the best Mother's Day I have had since my Mom died 8 years ago.  It is always so sad for me and we had so much going on around here that I didn't have time to be sad.  Bridget sent me that gorgeous bouquet of flowers and Brandon and family gave me one of the new inverted umbrellas and an insulated monogramed water bottle for our upcoming Disney trip.  

These two pictures came to me as both our daughter and DIL were headed out the door to church with their sweet families yesterday.  I am so proud of both of them and the wonderful Mothers they are to our Grans.

It was indeed a most special family weekend!

Lea's Favorites

It's been a couple of weeks since I shared any of my favorites with you but I have some good ones for you today.  

These Perfect Portions bags are great if you, like myself, often buy bigger packages of meat and then divide them out into smaller portions.  I use them for chicken, pork chops and hamburger patties.  I can put each individual portion in one of these and then put them all in a Ziploc freezer bag and remove just what I need, one at a time.  You can find them where all the Ziploc products are found.

I have a couple of different bottled waters to share with you.  The first one I just found a couple of weeks ago.  I drink a lot of water and sometimes I tire of plain water.  I've used the flavorings and have tired of them as well.  So, I started looking for flavored waters and I found this by OceanSpray.  It is a cranberry infused water and it is soooo good.  I order it from Amazon but I'm sure that a lot of grocery stores carry it, just not in our fair city. ~shucks~ And, something else I like about this  is the plastic bottle is very thick and not flimsy.

This is my other favorite flavored water.   Nestle makes 3 flavors, Mandarin Orange, Acai Berry and Mixed Berry.  They are all very good and they are not too strong, just the right amount of flavor.  The one thing I do not like is that the Nestle bottles are very, very flimsy.  You have to be very careful just taking the top off of the bottle or you will get water all over you. ~ugh~ But, once you get the hang of it, it's not a big deal.

Okay folks, if you have never owned a steam mop then you are missing out on a great cleaning tool for your floors.  I just recently bought one of these.  I have owned a steam mop in the past but bought the Swiffer brand this time. I only use a steam mop on my wood floors about 2 times a year and on my ceramic anytime I want to.  Steam cleans better than any cleaner on the market and it leaves your floors squeaky clean.  And, I love the sizzle of the steam when using the mop. ~big grin~

You gals may have been using this for a long time but I just found it a few months ago.  And, I have no idea if it's a rather new product or been around for ages.  Like I said, I just found it and the word "gel" is what attracted me to it.  I like cleaners with bleach but you have to be so, so careful if they splash.  One drop on a bathmat can ruin it, so I love the fact that this cleaner is not "splashy."  I sometimes stand on the cleaning aisle at the store and study the various cleaners.  In fact, that's exactly how I came across this.  The choices are endless and it causes me to wonder just how many different ingredients can there be for cleaners.  It's sort of like facial skincare.  I mean, I think the names are just changed and minor alterations made to the ingredients and a price attached and their often pretty much the same. ~just my thoughts~

And, last but certainly not least, is this extra big and loud timer!  I have always used a timer even though my stove and washer and dryer have always had buzzers and timers on them.  My kids would be quick to tell you that timers going off at our house use to nearly drive them crazy.  They saw no need for it. ~smile~  But, I prefer this timer to any other.  And, since moving in our new house I have used it more than ever and turn it up as loud as it will go.  I couldn't hear the buzzers on our appliances if I had to. (and I think I still have good hearing)  They have a very polite sound and one could only hear it if they were in the room.  And, my washer and dryer are a long ways away from the living area.  And, yes, I do use the timer on my Iphone a lot but sometimes it is just easier to grab and set this.  It can be bought directly from the ThermoWorks website, believe it or not, it is NOT on Amazon! 

Okay, there you have it for this edition of favorites.  Hoping one of them becomes one of yours as well.  I'm off to enjoy another weekend with family!  Moms out there, have yourself a wonderful day on Sunday.

Lea's Favorites

It's been a couple of weeks since I shared any of my favorites with you but I have some good ones for you today.  

These Perfect Portions bags are great if you, like myself, often buy bigger packages of meat and then divide them out into smaller portions.  I use them for chicken, pork chops and hamburger patties.  I can put each individual portion in one of these and then put them all in a Ziploc freezer bag and remove just what I need, one at a time.  You can find them where all the Ziploc products are found.

I have a couple of different bottled waters to share with you.  The first one I just found a couple of weeks ago.  I drink a lot of water and sometimes I tire of plain water.  I've used the flavorings and have tired of them as well.  So, I started looking for flavored waters and I found this by OceanSpray.  It is a cranberry infused water and it is soooo good.  I order it from Amazon but I'm sure that a lot of grocery stores carry it, just not in our fair city. ~shucks~ And, something else I like about this  is the plastic bottle is very thick and not flimsy.

This is my other favorite flavored water.   Nestle makes 3 flavors, Mandarin Orange, Acai Berry and Mixed Berry.  They are all very good and they are not too strong, just the right amount of flavor.  The one thing I do not like is that the Nestle bottles are very, very flimsy.  You have to be very careful just taking the top off of the bottle or you will get water all over you. ~ugh~ But, once you get the hang of it, it's not a big deal.

Okay folks, if you have never owned a steam mop then you are missing out on a great cleaning tool for your floors.  I just recently bought one of these.  I have owned a steam mop in the past but bought the Swiffer brand this time. I only use a steam mop on my wood floors about 2 times a year and on my ceramic anytime I want to.  Steam cleans better than any cleaner on the market and it leaves your floors squeaky clean.  And, I love the sizzle of the steam when using the mop. ~big grin~

You gals may have been using this for a long time but I just found it a few months ago.  And, I have no idea if it's a rather new product or been around for ages.  Like I said, I just found it and the word "gel" is what attracted me to it.  I like cleaners with bleach but you have to be so, so careful if they splash.  One drop on a bathmat can ruin it, so I love the fact that this cleaner is not "splashy."  I sometimes stand on the cleaning aisle at the store and study the various cleaners.  In fact, that's exactly how I came across this.  The choices are endless and it causes me to wonder just how many different ingredients can there be for cleaners.  It's sort of like facial skincare.  I mean, I think the names are just changed and minor alterations made to the ingredients and a price attached and their often pretty much the same. ~just my thoughts~

And, last but certainly not least, is this extra big and loud timer!  I have always used a timer even though my stove and washer and dryer have always had buzzers and timers on them.  My kids would be quick to tell you that timers going off at our house use to nearly drive them crazy.  They saw no need for it. ~smile~  But, I prefer this timer to any other.  And, since moving in our new house I have used it more than ever and turn it up as loud as it will go.  I couldn't hear the buzzers on our appliances if I had to. (and I think I still have good hearing)  They have a very polite sound and one could only hear it if they were in the room.  And, my washer and dryer are a long ways away from the living area.  And, yes, I do use the timer on my Iphone a lot but sometimes it is just easier to grab and set this.  It can be bought directly from the ThermoWorks website, believe it or not, it is NOT on Amazon! 

Okay, there you have it for this edition of favorites.  Hoping one of them becomes one of yours as well.  I'm off to enjoy another weekend with family!  Moms out there, have yourself a wonderful day on Sunday.

A Mother's Day Hodgepodge

It's the Hodgepodge and Joyce has made a few changes that hopefully will help her conserve some time and us as well.  She is so faithful to conjure up these questions week in and week out and that in itself can definitely take a lot of time.  Hopefully this new format will help us all in the time arena.

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother. If you're a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.

My Mom was one of the most meek and mild women I have ever known, in fact, she was almost too much so.  She would withhold her own preferences in situations to make sure everyone else's preferences took priority over hers.  She would often take second place too and since my Dad was in the ministry this happened often.  She took her position as the pastor's wife very seriously and felt very honored to hold that position.  I've often thought how she should have taught a class on how to be the "perfect" pastor's wife.  'Just thinking about the woman she was brings a smile to my heart.

I'm not even sure how to answer the last part of this question but one big difference would be all of the modern conveniences that I enjoy that were not available when my Mom had children at home. 

2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.
Well, our family has not one, but two teachers.  Our daughter teaches elementary and our DIL teaches special ed at a middle school.  I love that both of them take their jobs very seriously and truly want to make a difference in the lives of the students they teach.  There are definitely days that they feel like throwing in the towel but they pick themselves up and continue on doing their usual great job.  I'm so proud of both of them.

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich?

I'll take chicken salad on just about any kind of bread and I also enjoy it on a bed of lettuce with some crackers.  I prefer not to have grapes, apples or any other kind of fruit in my chicken salad. ~I know, I know, strange~ 

4. Do you have a desk? Is it organized? If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? Where do you normally sit to blog?

Oh, yes, I have two desks, one for my desktop computer and another where I take care of business and paperwork.  Both are very organized, a place for everything and everything in it's place.  I sit at my desktop or in my recliner with my laptop to blog.  Both are very comfortable.

5. When I was nine years old....

my Daddy entered the ministry and we made our first move from Ft. Smith, Arkansas to Alma, Arkansas where he pastored a small rural church.  It was the beginning of a different life for our family and one that I enjoyed very much as we moved from here to there.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Taken during their performance of Last Train to Nibroc in Feb.

I'm preparing for Round 3 of company this weekend.  This cute nephew of mine and his adorable girlfriend will be gracing us with their presence this weekend.  We look forward to their visit and showing them a little bit of rural life.  Warren is from DesMoines and Amanda from Chicago so our little town will be like rural America to them.  We might even talk them into doing some acting for us, you never know.  Whatever we do, it's sure to be fun with these two.

Monday's Musings

We've had such a fun past few days around here.

Tommy's sister and her husband from Atlanta came for a visit.  Susan had her 50th class reunion Saturday evening and that was part of the reason for their visit.  I think they were probably one of the best looking couples at the event. ~and I'm not biased~ wink!

 On Friday evening we enjoyed some family time with the kids.  The fish were biting and the girls had such fun reeling their catches in.  Tommy and Steve got in the little boat and puttered around and didn't catch a thing but enjoyed watching the girls and hearing their squeals.  It's so neat how the clouds are reflected in the pond.  Susan and I took it all in from the patio.

On Saturday we left early to attend the May Madness Festival on our downtown square.  It has been many many years since our city has hosted an event such as this.  The downtown merchants and other interested folks began planning it over a year ago.

 There was something for everyone, vintage items, home decor, live plants and homemade dolls.

There was an old car show, metal work of all kinds, and 

signs of all descriptions.  I had to laugh when I read both of these.

A local gal had one of the neatest booths there.  She will take clothing from a person's deceased loved one and make them either a memory bear or a pillow.  I think it is such a cleaver idea and her work is perfection.

It has been a fun filled last 4 days and the weather could not have been more picture perfect.  It made for a great family visit and we are thankful for these fun times together.  Of course, it would have been even better if our daughter and her family could have joined in the fun.  But...........

Have yourself a great new week!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's Wednesday............it's the Hodgepodge!!!!

1. Can you tell I'm embracing a Cinco de Mayo theme here this week? Do you like Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? How about on the side-black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, rice? What about heat-mild, medium, hot? Will you celebrate with Mexican food and drink on May 5th aka Cinco de Mayo?
Yes, I do like Mexican food and we do happen to have a really good Mexican restaurant here in our fair city.  I love  chips and salsa,  I like cheese quesadillas with salsa and sour cream and chicken enchiladas.  A side of refried beans is good and you can make all of it HOT, the hotter, the better.  No, we will be enjoying a family dinner here but it will not be Mexican. 😊

2. Ever been to Mexico? For work or holiday? Love it or no? If you haven't been is this a place you'd like to visit? Can you speak Spanish?
Hubby has won 2 trips to Acapulco over the years through his work.  We stayed at the Princess resort both times and it was amazing.  But, when we  went outside the resort it was a totally different story and pretty sad to see the life style of the locals.  No, I cannot speak Spanish.

3. What's one thing you may accomplish this month?
I'm pretty sure by the end of this month that I will have earned the designation of being "the hostess with the mostess."  We have one of Hubby's sister's and her husband arriving today, my nephew and his girlfriend  will be here to spend next weekend with us and then Hubby's other sister and her husband will arrive the following weekend.  So, our door will be doing a whole lot of swinging and I'll be wearing my chef hat more than normal for sure.  We look forward to this time.  Family is where it's at!

4. If you were mayor of your village, city, or town, what's one thing you'd like to see changed, done away with, revamped, or accomplished? Is serving in public office something you've ever seriously considered?
How funny, we just had our city's mayor race this past Saturday.  If I were mayor of our city I would do all in my power to bring some type of business/industry to boost our economy.  About 7 years ago International Paper closed their mill located here and it has had devastating effects on our town.  Life has gone on but it's definitely not the same. ~the strong survive~

NO, I would never want to serve in any public service!

5. What's something that may be popular, but that you just don't get?
There's a whole lot of things but one is the strange colored hi-lites that girls/ladies are having put in their hair.  It seems that a lot like the mahogany color and without elaborating I'll just say, "I don't get it at all."

6. Can't let this week slip by without mentioning Thursday May 4th is Star Wars Day. As in 'May the 4th be with you' ahem. Are you a fan of the Star Wars series? Exactly how much of a fan are you? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being 'I've seen every film, own the action figures, might have dressed as Darth Vader for Halloween one year', and 1 being, 'what's a Vader?' -where do you land?
Well, believe it or not, I've had to say, "what's a Vader."  I've never seen the first Star Wars movie nor am I the least bit interested in seeing them. 

7. Scroll back through your blog posts and in three sentences or less tell us the general theme of your fourth blog post. Does it still ring true today? Is it a topic you re-visit on your blog from time to time?
My 4th post was on March 25, 2009 and it was called Wednesday Snippets.  I chuckled as I reread it and think it is safe to say, I've come a long way in blogging since then. There was nothing wrong with the post, it was just a bit about what was currently going on in my life (my Mom has just died 4 months prior).  I had no photos included in the post and it just seemed a little boring.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
I have some good news to share...........Bridget saw the shoulder specialist yesterday morning and the news was much better than we were expecting.  He said it was the best AC Separation (a grade 1 out of 3, with 3 being the worst) if there is such.  He took her out of the immobilizer sling and told her to use her arm as she could without over doing it.  Of course, it is so, so painful for her to move it but he told her that the more she moves it the better it will be.  He also said that she will not be fully healed by our Disney trip but she will be well into her recovery.  So, she was thrilled with that report and was so, so glad to get out of the sling.
 ~the power of prayer~

Monday's Musings

It's May 1st, how on earth did that happen?  It seems it should be Feb. 1st but time just keeps marching right on by.  I do think it's true that the older one gets the faster time goes. ~hummm~

Speaking of time flying by............. these two precious little girls are getting so big.  Hanna Beth has almost finished the 1st grade and has had a great year.  Andi Kate talks as good as a 5 year old and she's 2 years and 3 months old.  Her vocabulary constantly amazes me and she is so animated.  They hold a piece of my heart for sure!

Our daughter had a very bad fall last Wednesday evening that has left her and her family in a pretty big MESS.  She was walking across her bedroom with some clothes in her arms and got tangled up with a sandal (that Coleman had dropped in the floor after he got it out of her closet).  She said she started falling and she fell and fell and fell and finally hit a table in their bedroom.  She hit it with her left shoulder and she said the pain was excruciating.  She and Coleman were home by themselves and the fall, plus her crying nearly scared little Coleman too death.  She tried to comfort him with her good arm while wanting to scream in pain.  She called Clint and he and Clancy headed towards home and took her to an Urgent Care Clinic.  After x-rays and exam it was determined that she has an AC separation.  That is where the shoulder separates from the clavical.  She has been in a immobilizer sling and will see a shoulder specialist tomorrow morning.  It will likely take 6-8 weeks for it to heal and then she will have to have physical therapy to regain the use of her arm and shoulder.  Not exactly what any working Momma needs.  But, she has had a good attitude and they are managing. Please join me in praying for her speedy and complete recovery.

The first of Feb. our family began plans for all of us to go to Disney World in June.  Hubby has wanted us to do this for some time and while Andi Kate (2 1/2)  and Coleman (22 mos) are still very young, Hanna Beth (7) and Clancy (8) are at the absolute perfect age to go. We've all had such fun gathering our tee shirts and Disney apparel for our time there.  We will arrive on a Sunday and stay until the following Friday.  I have had a Disney planner plan our entire trip and it's been the easiest thing in the world.  She has taken care of absolutely every detail.  Our family has been to Disney plenty of times but our SIL and DIL have only been once and the Grans have never been so it will be an especially special time for them.  We are in countdown mode now to join the other bazillion folks in the land of magic. ~we'll all take a double dose of happy pills~ big chuckle~

Have a happy new week!!!!