July Prime Purchases

And, once again, it's time for one of my favorite posts, Prime Purchases.  What did we ever do before Amazon Prime?  It makes shopping wayyyy to easy for sure.  Now for my July purchases.

OUTDOOR  PILLOWS


I put pillows on the benches on our front porch.  I have found that Amazon has the widest variety of pillows made out of the sunbrella fabric.  I loved these for the summer as they are  bright colors and it's birds.  I love, love anything birds!  I prefer the rectangular shape for the benches.  There are soooo many to pick from so if you are in need of indoor or outdoor pillows check them out.

AMAZON




BRIGHT POLKA DOT TREAT BOXES



I love to have cute treat boxes on hand.  These are the cutest and are great for cookies, candy or even a gift.  I simply tie a pretty ribbon on the handle and they are ready to give.

AMAZON




REKUCCI  DRESS


Do you need a really classy black dress?  Well, if you do, then look no further.  This is such a good looking dress for such a reasonable price.  The sheered waist is such a good look.  I don't wear a black dress often but there are definitely times that I need/want one, so I grabbed this one after my friend, Lisa, over at Coast to Coast recommended it.  And, if you would rather have it in another color, well, they offer it in many colors.

AMAZON



BEDSIDE  STORAGE ORGANIZER


If you are like me, you have all kinds of items that you like to have within a hands reach of your bed.  Well, look no further, these little caddies are so neat and hold so much stuff.   They tuck up between the mattress and box springs and I put a stripe of duck tape across ours to reinforce the hold and they do NOT move.  And, I have my bed remote, my hand cream, my kleenex, my notepad and pen and you name it. Items that I do not want cluttering up my night stand.   And, when the bed is made, it is out of sight.  It comes in 3-4 muted colors.  Check it out!

AMAZON


Okay, that's my Prime Purchases for July.  Perhaps one of them will be a Prime Purchase for you as well.  I enjoy sharing my "finds" and also enjoy hearing what others have found.  It's called "looking out for each other." ~smile~  

Until next time................make everyday count!

NOTE:  I'll be MIA for a few days as Hubby and I head to the Atlanta area to visit his two sisters.  See you when we return.

All About Me.........

I saw these questions on Facebook the other day and the friend that posted them was asking folks to answer them on their page.  Well, I think they are some pretty interesting questions and decided to use them for a blog post.  As they say,
 "inquiring minds want to know......."

1. What was the last food you ate?
Gourmet cheese toast, that's regular cheese toast with bacon bits sprinkled on top and toasted under the oven broiler.  So, so good!

2. Do you sleep with socks on ?

NO!  Now, on a cold winter's night I've been known to go to bed with socks on but they have to come off before I go to sleep.  They bother me.

3. Worst physical pain you’ve ever felt?

Oh, without a doubt, bladder spasms.  Thankfully it has been a VERY long time since I had these and hopefully I'll never have them again.

4. Favorite place you have been? 

Well, I have several favorites but  The Keeter Center in Branson, Missouri rates right up at the top of my favorites list.

We always stay in the Loft Room (pictured above).  They only have 12 rooms so you need to book  them early.  Everything about the Keeter Center is first class and they make you feel like family.

5. How late did you stay up last night ?

I am NOT a night owl for sure.  Last night I think I turned my lamp off at 9:50 and most all nights it is by 10:15.  But, I do start my day by 5:30.  I'm a morning person.

6. If you could move somewhere else, where would it be?

Hummm........if our kids and Grans were "on board" I would probably move back to the state of my birth, Virginia.  It is such a beautiful state but I doubt very seriously I will ever live any further than 25 miles from where I currently live. ~and that's the truth~

7. Who is your favorite sports team?

I am not much into sports but I'll stay true to my state, I'll be cheering for the LSU Tigers and the New Orleans Saints. 

8. When was the last time you cried?

I'm a "crier" from way back.  I think it was 2-3 weeks ago.  Crying is very therapeutic for me and when I cry I always feel better. 

9. Who took your profile pic? 

As I said, these questions were made for Facebook but I use the same picture on my blog that I use on Facebook and my husband took my picture with my phone.

10. Two of your favorite movies?

Pretty Woman and Chariots of Fire

11. What’s your favorite season?

It would be fall with spring running a close second.

12. If you could have any career what would it be?

I have always had a love for nursing and always desired to become one.  But, I never pursued it.  In all my years of care giving I sometimes feel that I have earned the designation.  I'm pretty sure I would have been a good one and perhaps in my "next life" that's what I'll pursue. ~my next life will be walking streets of gold~

13. What was the last book you read?

An awesome book on the power of prayer, Storming the Gates of Heaven.

14. If you could talk to ANYONE right now who would it be?

Oh, it would be my precious Momma.  She died very suddenly 10 1/2 years ago and not a day has gone by since then that I don't think of her.  I think our Moms are the only people that are interested in absolutely ALL aspects of our lives, no matter how mundane. She was my biggest fan and my greatest encourager.

15. Are you a good influence on people? 

I certainly hope so and I certainly strive to be and I do feel like I am.  I love people and I enjoy reaching out to folks to encourage them or minister to them as the need arises.

16. Does pineapple belong on a pizza?

For me, NO!  But, it sure seems that there are plenty of people who feel differently.

17. You have the remote, what show is on?

 To say I love Shark Tank would be an understatement.  I so enjoy watching the participants try to sell their product, service, etc. to the Sharks.  It is so, so interesting! I would venture to say that I have seen EVERY episode more than once.

18. Have you lived in more than one state, if so, which ones?

I have lived in Virginia, Arkansas and Louisiana

19. Last Concert you attended?

We went to the GospelFest in Branson, Missouri this past March.  Guy Penrod did a concert after the GospelFest ended.  He is such a great singer but that night,he did wayyyyy too much  talking and not enough singing.

20. Favorite type of food?

I would have to say Quesadilla and I'm sure that is very weird to a lot of you.  But, I do love them, all kinds of ways, plain, veggie, with meat and always highly seasoned.

So, now you know a little bit more about me and I hope you enjoyed reading my answers as much as I enjoyed answering them.

Have a great new week!!!!

Random Stuff

And, here we are and it's already August!  My goodness, time truly is flying by and they say, the older we get, the faster it goes.  Well, I do believe that to be true. ~smile~  And, speaking of getting older............

I was blessed to celebrate another birthday this past Monday.  My 67th!  I was celebrated by family and friends and I did, indeed, feel very special.  I am so grateful that I am still enjoying good health and well being.  It seems that every day I hear of someone else that is dealing with a life threatening or life altering illness.  I never want to take my good health for granted.  I thank the Lord daily.  Look  68, here I come!

One of the gifts I received for my birthday was this "cool" fan shown above.  I have seen handheld battery operated fans but never have I seen one such as this.  It is rechargeable through a USB port and it will last 5 - 20 hours depending upon which of the 3 speeds you use.  It will stand or can be held in your hand and let me tell you, it generates quite a breeze.  So, for all you hot blooded folks out there you may just need to purchase on of these.  They are the "cat's meow" and you can find it here.  I think it is likely the most unique gift I have ever received. 

These boys have continued riding horses almost every evening since we were there two weeks ago.  I  don't think I've ever seen any little boys that more "boy" than these two.  And, I am quite sure that their "soon to be born" baby brother will fall right in behind them.  Don't you just love Coleman's riding helmet.He's riding their oldest horse that couldn't buck if she had to, she can barely walk but Coleman loves that helmet and hey, if he somehow fell off, it would definitely serve him well.  They will both be starting school soon and their evenings won't be quite as carefree as it is now. ~shucks~



Many of you know that Hubby and I bought an adjustable bed last week.  I am going to use this space to give a review to those that may be interested.  The above picture is not our particular bed but ours is just like it except that ours is inside a bed frame.  We have a sleigh bed and the bed fit absolutely perfectly inside of it.  Our adjustable bed is by Serta and our mattresses are the I-Comfort series by Serta.  We wanted dual controls so that meant we had to get 2 twin XL mattresses.  We wondered how that was going to work with a split down the middle of the bed.  We have slept on the bed 8 nights and the split has not bothered us at all. 

The adjustable frame - The longer I use it, the better I like it.  I love being able to recline and read or watch TV without propping pillows.  It took me about 3 nights to find the perfect spot.  I raised the bed to a complete sitting up position the first couple of nights and that did.not.work.for. me. at. ALL.  It was to straight up.  I then lowered the incline to about half of that and kept my pillow behind me and it is perfect and so comfortable.  The pillow merely rests between my mid-back and the mattress.  There's no slipping and sliding.  I raise the bed a couple of inches when I sleep for my acid reflux.  I have not really used the foot incline yet  but that might be a nice feature sometime.  The bed also has a massage setting.  Hubby has used it a couple of times but I have not used it.  It has 3 settings and I think if you were really tired and achy that it would probably feel really good.

The bed linens - It is most interesting when it comes to the sheets for this bed.  It requires 2 twin XL, deep pocketed sheets and of course, the top sheet and blankets are king.  There are no sheet sets (at least that I have found) so each must be bought individually.  I ordered mine from Bed,Bath and Beyond as they sell individual sheets.  Changing the sheets are a bit challenging for me at this point but I'm sure the more I change them, the easier it will become.  The challenge is getting the fitted sheet on the inside corner.  Once that is done the rest is pretty easy.  I do have a neighbor that still uses regular king size sheets on her dual adjustable bed and she says it works fine.  I may give it a try because it would sure be easier.  She said the sheets have enough "give" that the bed will still incline to the point that she likes it.  

The I-Comfort mattress - It is a type of memory foam and Hubby and I were very skeptical because we have had a memory foam mattress before that we did.not.like.  But, that was 10-12 years ago and they have made so many improvements to them.  The I-Comfort has a cooling gel that keeps it from feeling so hot.  We do not seem to cave down into this memory foam and it is plenty easy to turn over, move or get up from.   It is made to keep the body in alignment and Hubby and I both feel like it does.  

So, there you have it, my opinion.  We are very happy and I imagine the longer we have it the happier we will be.

Have yourself a wonderful weekend! 

Summer Fun !!

Now, aren't you shocked!  This is my 2nd post this week.  Yea! for me.  I was quite sure that you wanted to hear about the fun our family had last week.

It all started on Saturday, July 12th................

Tommy and I drove out to Tyler, Texas to pick Clancy up from Pine Cove Camps where he had been for a week.  We brought him back here to our house to stay for 3 days before we took him home to Oklahoma.  This was his first time to stay with us by himself and we sure did enjoy him.  He's a super kid and kept us on our toes for sure.  On Wednesday, July 17th, the three of us, plus our DIL and Grandgirls headed to Oklahoma.  I'm pretty sure the following pictures will speak for themselves of the great time enjoyed by all.

One of the first things on the agenda was to celebrate this little guy's 4th birthday.  His birthday isn't until August 31st, but since his little brother is due around that time, Bridget thought it would be good to go ahead and celebrate.  Needless to say, it didn't matter one bit to Coleman, he loved the celebration!

And, I hosted a brunch for this gal's 40th birthday.  Her birthday was on July 3rd but, again, a celebration is still fun even if it's a bit early or a bit late.

We met for brunch at the neatest tearoom in Edmond, called Inspirations.  I'm pretty sure that Bridget felt very celebrated.  It was a fun time and the food was delicious!

One morning, before it got so hot, we visited the Express Clydesdale Ranch in Yukon, OK.  What a beautiful ranch and what HUGE horses.  Most of the Clydesdales at this ranch are black and that was my first time to see a black Clydesdale.  They were so pretty!

From the ranch we headed over to Wheeler Park where we enjoyed taking pics with the huge OKC letters.  If it had not been so, so hot, we would have probably hung around and done some of the other things there.  But, the heat won and we headed towards home for naps.

One of the most fun evenings was when our son in law got a couple of their horses out, saddled them and the kids had a blast riding.  Thankfully they have two very old horses that can do nothing but walk and are very, very gentle.

Everyone, except Tommy and Bridget, rode.  I had no plans to ride but, hey, might as well join in on the fun.  I could not believe how well  Coleman and Andi Kate did and they were not one bit afraid.  They rode like they had been doing it for years.  Made this CiCi a bit nervous to see those little ones on those BIG horses. ~smile~

Hanna Beth probably enjoyed the evening more than any of the others.  She has always loved horses and has been taking riding lessons for about 8 months.  She was a happy girl for sure!

And, last, but most importantly, Windy and I assisted Bridget in finishing up the nursery.  It came together so nicely and she is now ready for "baby boy."

The four days were a lot of fun and a special time for all of us to be together.  As I've said many times, I wish that they didn't live 8 hours away.  But, we make it work and our time together is all the more special.

Wednesday Medley - Cousins, Aunts and Uncles

Well, hello!  Yes, I have been MIA for a little while and I have missed you but just have had other things going on and blogging took a backseat.  I decided a few months ago that I will not look at my blog as something I HAVE to do but something that I enjoy doing.  When I feel I HAVE to blog, it becomes work.  So, there you go!  It's good to be back!

I haven't participated in the Wednesday Medley in almost a month.  But, today's subject matter lured me in and I look forward to answering these.  National Cousins Day is today, Aunt and Uncle Day is the 26th.  Terri's questions center around these special days. And, once again, I had no idea there were such days. 

1.  What can you tell us about your cousins, please, or someone who is close like a cousin?

This is two of my cousins and I have 8 others.

Most of my cousins live in Virginia and I went to see them last September.  I have tried to stay connected with them. We always have a great time when we are together and I'm really sorry that we can't see each other more.  All but one of my cousins is on my mother's side.

2.  Do you still see your cousins and will you contact them on National Cousins Day?

As I stated above, I last saw my Virginia cousins almost a year ago.  It's rather doubtful that I will contact them today.   

3.  Terri had a favorite aunt and uncle she will tell us about.  How about you?

This is my Aunt Wanda, my Mom's oldest sister.  The above picture was taken in 2012 at her 90th birthday celebration.  She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer shortly before her birthday and lived about another year.  She was special to me all of her life.  She had 4 boys and she was always up for some girl fun whenever we were together.  She was such a lovely lady and she will always hold a special place in my heart. She continues to influence me.  

And, this lady, well, she is more fun than a barrel of monkeys and I was so thrilled to spend time with her last September.  She was married to my Mom's brother but my Mom always looked at her more as a sister than a sister in law.  I talk to Aunt Mary at least a couple of times a month and she always lifts my spirits with her wonderful humor and wisdom.  

4.  Did/does your family have reunions and can you tell us about them?

I can count on one hand the number of family reunions that my parents families have had over the years.  In fact, my Dad's family has never had a reunion.  Mom's family had 2-3 that I remember.  We always lived so far away that I only remember attending 1 of them.

5.  If you have children, are they enjoying relationships with their cousins, aunts, uncles?

Our children have 4  first cousins and they've only seen 2 of them 3-4 times in their life.  They have seen their other 2 many more times but hundreds of miles have always separated them, so it's been tough to establish a close relationship.  They have 4 aunts and uncles and do share a special bond with some of them but, again, many miles separate them now. 

Distance from family is something I have had to deal with all of my life.  I often wish it were different but it isn't likely going to ever change so we deal with it as best we can.

6.  Tell us something random about your week so far.

If you are my friend on Facebook then you probably saw that we got ourselves an adjustable bed.  We got the I-Comfort Serta mattresses to go on the adjustable frame.  We know several folks that have this exact configuration and they are all so happy with it.  I am always propping myself up in bed to either read or watch TV and now I can really be comfortable. It has dual controls, so we had to get the two twin beds set up.  But, we felt it was important for us to be able to adjust our sides to our own liking.  It also has a massage setting and Hubby will likely use that more than I will but I'm pretty sure after a few nights of adjustment, we are going to love the mattress.  There is no doubt we will both enjoy the adjustable feature. Since I  composed  this post prior to going to bed last night I cannot report on how the first night was.  But, I will give you a report later. Of course, there is no more a set of sheets for this bed.  It takes 2 twin XL fitted sheets and the rest of the linens are still king size.  Very few places sell separate sheets.  I got mine from Bed, Bath and Beyond online.  As I said, I'll give you an update after we've slept on it a few nights.  

Again, it's so good to be back in blogland!  I'll try not to stay away so long next time.

June's Prime Purchases

And, once again, it's time for one of my favorite post of each month.  It's sort of replaced my "favorites" post because so much of what I purchase through Amazon ends up being a favorite.  Hope you find something you can't live without too. ~smile~

BLUSH

AMAZON

I love blush and wear it every.single.day.of.my.life.  But, I want it to be on the softer side.  This blush by Hourglass is called Cool Pink and it is fused with Ethereal Light (whatever that is) for a moonlit luminosity.  It's a soft rosey color that I love.  I use one other Hourglass product and love it and decided to give this a try.  It is a bit pricey but, blush generally last a very long time.


CELL  PHONE  RING

AMAZON
I may have told you about these jewels before but it doesn't matter, everyone NEEDS one of these on the back of their cell phone.  It was a game changer for me and I haven't been without since my first one.  There are several different types but I really like this one with the clear acrylic back.  Your phone cover shows through the acrylic and it has amazing adhesive.  This particular one comes in a pack of 4 for a very inexpensive price.  Holding the phone has never been as easy.  I slide it over one of my fingers at times and can carry a host of other things and never have to worry about dropping my phone.  I've had more people than I can count stop and ask me about it.  Go check it out!


PATIO/PORCH  FURNITURE  CUSHIONS

AMAZON

Aren't these pretty?  This is our new porch furniture cushions and I am so pleased.  We've had the same ones since we moved in our new house almost 4 years ago and they had definitely lost their "pizazz."  

They add such a nice touch to our porch furniture. 



FAUX  OUTDOOR  CEDAR TREES
  



AMAZON

Not only had our cushions lost their "pizazz" but so had our topiaries by the front door.  We use faux outdoor plants in the big pots and these new Cedar trees are awesome.  They are 4 feet tall and make quite the statement.  There are so, so many wonderful faux plants on Amazon that it was hard to make a choice.  And, these will look great at Christmas with clear lights strung on them. 

Here's what they look like in our pots on our front porch. 




SWADDLE BLANKET


AMAZON
I ran across this swaddle blanket for our baby boy coming in September and I couldn't resist it.  I love the verse and everything about it.  There are several verses to choose from so baby boy may end up with another one of these. ~smile~


SMALL  NATURAL  WOOD  TRAYS


AMAZON

Hubby and I have matching recliners with a table between them.  The table has a lamp on it and it also has a drawer.  I have been looking for something that would hold the items we use EVERY time we are sitting in our chairs.  Yes, there is a nice drawer but neither of us want to have to open it to get our frequently used items.  Some of those items would be eye drops, pen, page tabs, reading glasses and stylus. ~in case you were wondering~  Well, I finally found the perfect tray for these items.  I have seen these natural wood trays in the larger size but not in this small size.  These are 6" by 8" at the widest point.  

See how well they work for our "stuff."  And, their at our fingertips. 

AMAZON

I don't know about you but I use quite a few stamps.  I saw this lovely hand painted stamp holder on Amazon while searching for something else.  I thought it would make such a lovely addition to my office desk so I ordered it.  And, I think it would make a great gift also.  It's usable and it's attractive.  There are 3-4 different designs to choose from.





AMAZON

If you know someone going through a tough time, this might just be a great gift for them.  It is full of such encouragement straight from the Word of God.  It's pretty enough to leave sitting out all the time too.



AMAZON

I LOVE the automatic candles and they are so realistic.  I just ordered this birch 
style and they are so attractive.  I also have some in the ivory color.  They can be set to come on automatically at the same time every night.  I especially enjoy them in the winter when it gets darker earlier.  It'gives such a warm and inviting look to a room. 

Okie Dokie, that's all for this month.  Wishing you and yours a most wonderful 4th of July!