Ordinary Miracles

A Little House Work

2012-02-01T12:16:00.001-06:00

We have been having some beautiful weather ~ like nearly 80 on the last day of January!

So, I decided to do a little housework. On the "little" house. And because, frankly, I just wanted to be outside, and I didn't really want to work on the "big" house. I don't know where to start in there!

This is just the right size.

I put up a few Valentine's decorations. Love that heart window. I also left on the Christmas lights. They are red and white so they will be perfect now, and they will be great for all of the patriotic holidays too. So I don't think they will be coming down until they don't work anymore.

I have given up on real flowers in the window boxes. I did it the first few seasons but I just don't go out and water them every day and they always looked so terrible.

Inside I whipped up a new tablecloth with my trusty glue gun.

I swept out all of the leaves that got tracked in and washed the floor and cupboard.

I tidied up the pantry and put all of the food back in the cupboard. I have a lot of wooden food ~ lots of little pieces ~ and it is a favorite activity to dump it all in a bowl and leave it for Grandma to sort and put back in the containers. {because I am a little OCD :-) }

Whew, that's a big job done. If only the rest of my house was that easy!

Joining Sherry for her Open House Party.

Disney Trip

2012-01-30T10:02:00.002-06:00

I'm going to post a "few" more pictures from our Disney trip ~ be thankful I didn't take very many pictures this year at all:-)

As I mentioned before, we spent Saturday and Sunday at Magic Kingdom and headed to Hollywood Studios on Monday morning. We were hoping to get there when it opened to race to the Toy Story ride for fast passes, but we had a little later start and didn't get there at opening.

Still we raced to Toy Story and it was broken and fast passes were already for evening hours. We were so disappointed. The ride did open later in the day and the wait was 90 minutes. No thank you. We ended up coming back on our last day, Wednesday, to be with Buzz and Woody. The grands like the Buzz ride at MK better, but the adults all prefer this one.

Since we couldn't ride we looked for some characters and the kids were excited to meet Jake. He's a new guy since our last visit.

We had time to watch the parade and had a great spot to sit and watch. It was not crowded at all, nothing like watching a parade at MK.

This is a horrible picture of the kids, but a cute one of their shirts:-) and shows us waiting for the monorail. An every day occurrence.

This was Tuesday morning and we were on our way to breakfast with Chef Mickey.

LOVE this picture of Jackson with his very favorite person. I think he sleeps with at least 4 Mickeys in his crib.

We spent our last full day back at Magic Kingdom riding all of our favorites and catching the fireworks that evening.

Jackson and Jessica were behind Cooper and me on the race track. It would have been a great picture to see Grandma getting out of that car at the end of the race. HA

Our third and final character dining.

As we were waiting to leave on our last day I snapped this picture of Elizabeth by Mary Poppins. She loved that the umbrella and bag were real.

This is our last day back at HS on the Toy Story ride. It has the cutest queue ever. You are inside Andy's toy box and it is darling. {especially when it is not filled with people so you can really see everything}

The soldier is trying to get Jackson to salute.

Hmmm ~ didn't quite get it:-)

Here are tired, but very happy Grandma and Grandpa with 4 tired, but happy grands. We had a great trip and can't wait to do it again!!

2013 anyone?

And We Are Off!

2012-01-25T12:04:00.000-06:00

We left bright and early on a Saturday morning for our adventure to Disney World. Elizabeth and Ben hadn't flown in awhile so they were excited for the ride. Just for the record and so we don't forget ~ we all got up around 3:00 for our 6:00 flight. Note to self ~ don't start a trip with small children with a lack of sleep! They all did really well, but I know well rested would have been better.

Aren't they so cute in their ears?

Jackson is all set too.

And we are there! I really didn't take many pictures this trip. I was busy pushing a stroller and just enjoying the kids. But this was our first ride, and Jackson's first teacup ride. You can see Laura and the kids behind us in the "fast" teacup.

And here they are at the end of the boys favorite ride. Buzz Lightyear. I should have kept track of how many times we rode this ride. Bob was always running to get us fast passes.

That first evening after dinner, Bob and Jessica took the boys back to the room for bed and Elizabeth, mom and grandma headed to her special appointment in the castle.

Getting her princess sash. And can you believe I didn't get a picture of the finished product? Hopefully Laura will post one. It was crazy busy in the salon!

This is the next day ~ we had breakfast in the castle ~ didn't take one picture! {that's why she's wearing her dress. The boys were adorable in their knight capes ~ hope the girls have some pics!}

Meeting their hero. Love Jackson's face.

Here we are in line at Buzz ~ as I've said ~ we spend a lot of time here! The kids other favorite ride ~ Thunder Mountain ~ was closed. That was disappointing. And we could only peek at the addition to Fantasy Land. It looks like it's going to be great. We will have to come back!

I love this picture.

This is how they ate breakfast almost every morning. This little area was right outside our room and they are all staring intently at the TV. They were in heaven.

We spent Saturday and Sunday in Magic Kingdom with the crowds, and headed to Hollywood Studio on Monday. We really wanted to go on the Toy Story ride and rushed right over ~ but it was broken and all of the fast passes were gone.

I'll post a few pictures from there next time.

So Excited!

2012-01-19T21:05:00.001-06:00

We had so much fun on our first trip to Walt Disney World with our grandchildren last January that we thought we would do it again.

We gave them the trip last year as a Christmas present. I was going to do that again this year when I realized that I was setting myself up for a new tradition. And one that probably wasn't always going to be...

So, we decided to give them the trip for their birthdays instead.

We left on a very early flight on Saturday.

We didn't tell the kids until Friday night.

We thought this time that Bob and I would just take the 3 big grands by ourselves and only go to Magic Kingdom for a few days. A mini trip if you will.

But, I quickly realized we couldn't leave Jackson (2 1/2) home, so that meant Jessica would have to come too. Well, then Laura wanted to come also.

So the 8 of us would go for a few days and just do Magic Kingdom.

The kids came over after school and loved the table and wondered what it was for. I told them it was a surprise birthday party and that led to speculation about whose? Well, our Ben's birthday is in a few days so they were convinced it was for him.

A few things to fill their treat bags for the airplane.

To say they were excited was an understatement. I think, at first, when I told them, they thought I was kidding.

Of course, Jackson doesn't know what's going on, but he loves Mickey!

After eating some Mickey chicken nuggets and other goodies, they went home, very excited, to go to bed early and be ready for our 6:00 AM flight.

More to come.

A Great Start To The New Year

2012-01-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

For the fourth January in a row, we were fortunate to go on a 5 day/ 4 night getaway for Bob's work. Twice have been in Florida and this year was our second trip to California.

This year we stayed on Coronado Island in San Diego.

Love.

More love.

And even though we stayed in the "new" part of the hotel, this was the view from our balcony and the sunset on our first evening.

In the morning I was greeted by dolphins frolicking in the waves. Can you see the little specs in the following pictures? It's hard to watch and try to take pictures at the same time.

On Saturday Bob was able to go on an outing with me. We decided to go to Temecula, to see the shops and a few wineries.

We stopped for lunch here to see what all the fuss is about. 2 of these recently opened in our metro area and the people went crazy. It was good ~ but I wouldn't wait in line for it.

I used my IPad to locate both the town we were going to and this restaurant. That little toy is so much fun for traveling! Weather, roads, restaurants, all at your finger tips. It's wonderful.

The town has an old town lined with shops and eateries. It was a beautiful day and pretty crowded.

The first few wineries we stopped at were crowded too. There were bus tours which means lots of people.

A sweet woman at the first winery told us about this place ~ Oak Mountain. We loved it.

First, no crowds. They had live music and a fabulous view. I had some brie on the grill ~ yum ~ and a great glass of wine.

And you can see it was a beautiful day.

Bob was chatting with a guy who had a London cab and was starting a limo service to the wineries. Not a bad way to see the sights.

A lovely trip, but now back to reality. Thank goodness we got the trees down before we left and a great deal of the stuff, but I still have a bin or 2 downstairs and I haven't touched the grandchildren's bedrooms.

It'll get done ~ by Valentine's Day for sure!

No Regrets

2012-01-08T22:51:00.001-06:00

It is very popular at the beginning of a new year to become reflective, to think about what is working in your life, and more importantly, what is not. I have been reading lots of blog posts about that very thing.

And I am no different. I am not a real "deep thinker" {anyone remember that from SNL?} but I do like to give some thought to what is working and what is not a couple of times a year.

One thing I know for sure, as you get older, or more "mature", you place less and less value on things and more and more on relationships. Now, don't get me wrong, I still love a nice home, and don't want to drive a wreck, but for the first time in forever I didn't go shopping the day after Christmas and I think that signals a change somewhere down deep.

I have a lot of stuff. I spend a lot of time taking care of that stuff. And I am tired of doing that.

I am not giving away all of my stuff tomorrow, I am not going totally off the deep end, BUT, I think, by my lack of after Christmas shopping and by not one visit to TJM*XX during the holiday "decorating" season that a fundamental shift might be starting to take place. That's a good thing!

The old organizing rules are true, if you haven't used it in a year, you probably won't. I have stuff I haven't used in YEARS and it is making its way to a new home. {Although, I was a big girl and got rid of all of my videos and guess what ~ the thrift store doesn't want them! Guess I kept them a little too long! :-)}

We are going to make a few changes to our home this year. I am not totally going to stop spending. We are making some improvements that won't increase the value of our house, but they will increase the value of our home. We have decided that is important. We make a lot of memories here.

My husband is quickly approaching retirement {early} and that has caused us to think about all aspects of our lives. We made the decision in 2007 to move to Texas, where both of our children live, but where our life "wasn't". We didn't have friends in Texas, and I actually had a job in Kansas that I loved and was a perfect fit for me. We loved our church, and our small group. We had a few really good friends. It's hard to start over when you are kind of OLD! But, our family comes first, and when those grandchildren started coming, we knew we wanted to be a part of their lives. I want them to have memories and more memories of grandma and grandpa really being a part of their lives. So we uprooted ours to be a part of theirs.

Now I know we are fortunate that both of our children live in the same general area. But it wouldn't matter. If they lived across the country from each other, we would live by ONE of them. { We would pick the one in the best location, read warmest, for us} For now, it is Texas. And that's okay. And that, to get to my point, in the longest way possible, is the reason my post is called No Regrets.

I regret that my kitchen counter cannot stay cleared off.
I regret that I cannot seem to discipline myself to lose weight.
I regret that my treadmill days are hit and miss. {SEE #2}
I regret the bunch of junk in my garage.

But, in reality, I have no regrets, I have chosen to be close to my family and the rest will take care of itself. I read a post by Kat at Just a BeachKat and she blogs about the very same thing. People are what's important, and making memories with them.

God has been good to me, and I am thankful, for :

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23

2011 was a great year for our family. Here's to another year of making memories! {and maybe keeping my counter clear:-)}

Good Tidings of Great Joy

2011-12-25T00:01:00.001-06:00

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:11-14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. John 1:14a

Amen.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20b

Reposted from Christmas 2010

More Christmas Activities

2011-12-18T19:42:00.000-06:00

Laura and Jessica's church kicks off the Christmas season with a wonderful carnival for the kids. Each year it has added attractions and we love going each year.

This was the new and STAR attraction this year. A snow hill!! These poor Texas grandchildren of mine barely know what snow is, and this was so fun for them.

We were at the fair early and were some of the first to try it out. Elizabeth and Ben are climbing to try their first ride.

I only have shots of Elizabeth. I took them of Ben and Cooper but they are too far away or blurry. But trust me, they loved it.

Side view of their church and some of the stands. They had hot chocolate, popcorn, and cotton candy. They also had several bounce things, a petting zoo, several arcade type games, a train ride, pony rides, and a living nativity. All of this is free of charge.

Giant slide.

Look at this cutie. He kept the hat on all night.

Waiting in line for a ride.

Now our group is ready for the nativity. We get our hot chocolate and get good seats.

The view from our seats. They have a little amphitheater near a little pond.

The kids just love the show and always get to go down to see baby Jesus when it's over. Elizabeth points out that it's a girl because she can see some pink!

Another tradition is to go to a Christmas show. Last year Elizabeth went to the Nutcracker for the first time. The boys really wanted to go, so we thought we would try it this year. I found a cute centerpiece for our lunch table. We had some pizza at home before we left for our 2:00 show.

Last year I bought Elizabeth a nutcracker to commemorate her first show. {I suspect that had something to do with the boys desire to see the show.} Grandma didn't disappoint ~ I picked up some nutcrackers at T*rget. That's a much less expensive proposition than picking them up at the theater!

Checking out the table.

They all did a great job at the show. They were all very attentive and frankly surprised us. I was wise this year and brought small water bottles and a cookie for intermission which was helpful. The ballet is at our beautiful theater, and it came complete with snow falling right before intermission.

Magical.

It was a cold day, but we walked to the downtown Christmas tree for a quick picture. We are on the backside, because the front has Santa, and there was a long line!

We met Grandpa and the dads and Jackson at Cheesec*ke Factory for dinner. It was a long day, but so fun.

You can see we cram a lot into our December, and this is just the stuff I am included in ~ they do many things with friends too.

Some Christmas Fun

2011-12-14T11:21:00.001-06:00

We have been having a ton of Christmas fun so far this month. I have about half of the fun on camera unfortunately.

Our annual St. Nicholas tea party was this past weekend and I did not get 1 picture of the kids!! There were 10 of them this year and I think a good time was had by all.

I did get a few of the table decorations before the kids arrived. It was a very simple menu this year. Elizabeth made a punch from lime sherbet and 7-Up and we had cupcakes that Jessica and I attempted to make look like Santa hats. They went on the sled in the middle of the table.

Fresh fruit went in the bowl with the Christmas pics. Something healthy to combat all of that sugar.

Some cute new little elves.

Parting gifts for our guests. The girls got bracelets and lip gloss and a few other little things. The boys got a car from Cars 2, a slinky, and the same few other little things. These are always handed out as they leave with instructions to open in the car.

The next pictures are from our annual trip to see the decorations at the Gaylord. This year we went during Thanksgiving when my sister and her family were in town.

My 3 boys.

I was edged out by the moms taking pictures so I could never get all 6 of them in view. Here Ben and Cooper aren't really in the shot.

Now I have Cooper but still no Ben.

We love the giant Gingerbread house.

And the best one I could find of the group. It makes me laugh every time I look at it. It is impossible to get all 6 looking good, but at least we can see all 6 in this one!

So there you have 2 of our recent events. It really is a wonderful time of the year!

Merry Christmas!

More Christmas

2011-12-12T22:28:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to get things finished up ~ I don't know why it always takes me so long! But I see the light at the end of the tunnel, so that makes me happy.

Coming down the hall from our living room are 3 rooms, library, guest room and guest bath. I did change things up a little this year in the library.

I added a small tree to this small room. The living room tree gets my collection of blown glass ornaments and is very sparkly. This is our family tree. 35 Christmases are represented on this tree. No ribbon or theme, every ornament is different and most have a story to tell. I have been sitting in my library a lot lately, it's very cozy, so I am happy to have this tree in here.

Santa sits on top because this is the Night Before Christmas room.

The fireplace makes winter reading so much fun.

New pillow this year ~ LOVE.

My very favorite smell is the whole wide world ~ The Smell of Christmas ~ with the addition of a clove orange that I made. Do you make clove oranges?

I was so disappointed at first that my Byer's Choice Santas were a tad too tall for the shelves on my new bookcase. My mother gave me one a year for several years for Christmas and I just had no where to put them in this house. But I pulled the pins on 3 shelves and just removed them. That was so much easier than moving all the shelves around.

Santa sits on top of my basket of Night Before Christmas books. It's time to start parting with some, so I'm giving each grand one this year. {doesn't make a dent in the collection:-) }

Cutie pie grandchildren.

I've had this Fitz and Floyd forever. I'm glad to finally have a place for it.

Sorry my pictures are blurry. I'd ask Santa for a new camera if only I knew which one to get. I'd like a great point and shoot ~ any suggestions?

A quick shot of our guest bath, because I wanted to show you my tree made of jewelry from the 50's made by my aunt. I saw a similar one in West Virginia, about twice as big, for over $2,000. WOW

Guest room tree is all gold and white.

This all white nativity sits on the bedside table.

I have a tree in our family room and one in the master, but no pictures yet. This year had been active ~ to say the least. I have my cards to do this week and a little shopping. We celebrate this weekend as Jessica and her family are leaving for Kansas to spend Christmas with her in laws.

Merry Christmas!

I am sharing this at Kristen's Share Your Creation Party.

GIngerbread Fun

2011-12-07T00:01:00.001-06:00

I wanted to share some of our Christmas traditions with my niece and nephew while they visited for Thanksgiving.

I planned a sleepover for them, and our sickness prevented that ~ but I still gave them their matching gingerbread pajamas and they wore them for our gingerbread breakfast the next morning and they were all adorable.

The 2 E's

Emma and Elizabeth

The table was set with brown craft paper ~ easy clean up ~ and a house for each family to decorate. I had aprons for the kids to wear {no pictures:-( }.

Our menu was simple, pancakes and fruit. I found the pancake syrup at World Market and that set the menu. And at Grandma's pancakes come with whip cream and sprinkles, so of course I knew they'd all eat that.

Cute little bottles for water while they were decorating.

I made each child a placemat, and they got a fun headband to wear too. I had gingerbread stickers to decorate the placemats but they were quickly covered with sticky frosting, so I will save those for another morning at Grandma's.

Darling ready made house I found at our local grocery store. Yeah ~ I didn't like the idea of trying to put together my own.

And how cute is this little ornament? I got an ad in the mail with a picture of this and knew it would perfectly represent our gingerbread breakfast. I gave one to each mom and one for me!

We read this book to begin our decorating. If you are familiar with the story, you remember that the little boy's gingerbread baby has escaped and no one can catch him, until the clever little boy makes a gingerbread house for his gingerbread baby. It was the perfect intro for us to make our very own houses for the gingerbread baby.

My little grandson Ben was looking proudly at his house when it was finished and said "I know he would want to live in here!" I was so glad that he had payed such careful attention to the story. With all of the chaos of 6 littles decorating you're never quite sure just what sticks!!

We are a little Minnie Pearl around here ~ note the price tag on Elizabeth's apron. Whoops!!

It was so much fun, I think a new tradition has begun!

Merry Christmas!

Open House

2011-12-05T00:01:00.002-06:00

Come on in to our Christmas house. If you were here last year, very little has changed. But I do move around the doodads, hoping to find the best look. Once I really love something, it usually stays that way for years!

This picture is taken standing in the front door ~ we don't really have an entry, but this works.

To the right is the dining room.

I put my red tin toile dishes in front of the regular ones. I love those tin Christmas dishes.

My nativity sits in the dining room. It's about 20 years old, but the manger is really old, from my grandparents house ~ maybe even older than me!! It's musical and plays Silent Night.

The living room is opposite the dining room.

This nativity sits under the tree for the grandchildren to play with. I love its bright colors.

I got some new pillows from Dear Lillie ~ love them!

I love this little Italian nativity that sits on this little table. I could only afford to get one new piece each year, and it was retired before I could get that last king. My blog friend Debbie only has 2 also and as she reminded us it is not biblical that there are 3 ~ so I am going with that. I don't feel incomplete any more!!

Thanks Debbie!

The Nutcrackers are a fairly new addition.

I will get busy and post a few more rooms, I figure I might be ready by the 25th!

I am joining Marty for Tabletop Tuesday.

{and I apologize for the wonky picture arrangement ~ I don't know why they aren't all centered, and that kind of thing really bothers my OCD:-) }

Mantels

2011-12-03T16:15:00.002-06:00

I am getting pretty close to finishing my decorating and am ready to join in my first blog party. And by finished I mean ready to be done. There are so many good ideas on Pinterest and on different blogs that it is very easy to be unsatisfied with what you have done and feel the need to keep tweaking or make one more trip to H*bby Lobby! So, I decided to love what I have done, and BE done. It's a wonderful feeling. I will admire everyone's decor without feeling the need to "fix" mine.

Pamela at From My Front Porch to Yours is hosting a mantel party, and as I have 4 mantels I wanted to join in the fun.

This is my see through fireplace. I get 2 mantels with just one fireplace! This is the living room, and on the other side is the

library.

I have decorated it this way since we moved into this house, for 5 Christmases. I love the simplicity and the focus on the Holy Family. Last year I added some beads for bling, but I like it this way the best. It looks lovely at night.

Here's the library side. It is hard to get a photo in this tiny room. I was having some issues with this mantel and trying a few different looks.

Here's my first try.

This is the final. I took off the Santas and I like it so much better in this simpler look. I have had the lanterns forever.

This is the fireplace in our family room/kitchen. Again, I went for a simple look. While my sister was visiting we played around with a few of my collections but I decided I like this look the best. 2 snowball candles on one side and my Santa on the other.

A basket of our Christmas books on the hearth. These are some of my "non" Night Before Christmas books. I have a collection of those and they get their own basket in the library.

Today is a rainy, gloomy day, but I ran outside anyway and snapped a couple of the outdoor fireplace.

Mason jars and epsom salt ~ simple. I get the fresh greens at Home Depot in their freebie bin.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek at the decorations. I'll get busy and get some pictures of the rest.

Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Party

2011-12-01T00:01:00.004-06:00

Ho Ho Ho

It's that time again!

Time for the boys' annual Peppermint Party.

{I am a terrible proofreader. I know the apostrophe is missing.}

The peppermint trees are holding up well. I think I made them 2 years ago ~ I just put them in a baggie and store in the cupboard above my cooktop. The cupboard I can't reach without a tall stool.

We are so "fancy" for our party! I use wrapping paper to cover the table, and plastic chargers and paper plates. This year for some reason, the table made me a little dizzy to look at ~ lots of stripes going on!

I found the cute headbands in the dollar bin at Target.

Each child got a little peppermint bag with a peppermint sucker, a candy cane ornament, and a snow globe.

Dessert was peppermint ice cream and "snowballs."

Sweet Elizabeth.

Evan didn't want to wear his headband.

Cooper and Ben having fun.

Our baby Jackson. { I could just eat him up!}

Cutie pie Emma.

Another favor ~ peppermint play doh made by Laura. It had glitter and smelled wonderful!

The kids all had a blast, and it was really a very easy party. We began by watching Rudolph and eating peppermint popcorn. Then, lunch was ready and they ate and opened their treat bags. That's always their favorite part I think. After lunch while the girls cleaned up, I played Christmas bingo with the kids. We play that at all of our Christmas parties and use mini marshmallows as markers. We also have a stuffed Rudolph that acts like a "hot potato". He plays music that gets progressively faster as we pass him around the circle. He's always a fun activity too.

I think the main thing is just to keep it simple, and I keep to my theme with all red and white decor, and a few peppermint foods. They seem to love it.

I know I do, and I am hoping that these are memories of love and fun at Grandma's that will stay with them always.

Merry Christmas!

I'm joining in the 12 Days of Christmas Party at Keeping the Christmas Spirit Alive, 365

Thank you

2011-11-30T12:47:00.001-06:00

What a delightful surprise to find our outdoor kitchen featured at the lovely blog 2805. Thanks, Honey, for the honor!! I apologize for the very late thanks, I have been a very absent blogger in November. {Where did the month go??}

I have good intentions for December so we'll see how that goes. I am in the midst of decorating as I'm sure so many of you are. The result is always worth it, but the process isn't as much fun as it used to be, sad to say.

But, I've got my IPod going with all of my Christmas music and that really gets me in the mood ~ a little snowfall would help too, but as it's about 60 today I'll give that up. Tonight we go to our daughters' church for their Christmas festival and that is always fun. They do a live nativity and we just love it.

Thanksgiving Blessings

2011-11-28T12:28:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week full of family and fun!

My sister, her husband, their 2 small children, and my brother made the long drive from Minnesota to Texas to spend the week. They came on the Sunday before Thanksgiving and left on the Saturday after. When you add our 2 girls and their families it made for a lively group of 15, with 6 being children 6 and under.

Fun times.

Memory making times.

Sad to say I didn't get a lot of pictures. But, I did get a few and I will share those in the coming days.

Along with them in their car from Minnesota came a little bug. It made Emma sick on the way down, it hit Evan first thing Monday morning, and then went to Jim {sister's husband}, then me, to Bob and my brother. The only one in the house that survived was my sister. We stayed away from Laura and Jessica's families until Wednesday hoping to spare them.

Everyone was well on Thanksgiving {so we were extra thankful!} and preparations were kept very simple! I used my everyday dishes and paper napkins but I think the table was pretty in a very simple way.

My girls really did the bulk of the cooking so it was very easy for me. I think the only thing I made was the gravy!

I love having adult daughters:-)

The glimpse below is of the children's table ~ brown paper covered their table.

We had a wonderful time together.

I am so thankful for my family!

An Award

2011-11-15T22:05:00.002-06:00

I was honored and surprised to receive this award from Suzy who blogs at Worthing Court. Thank you Suzy!

The recipient of this award is asked to thank the blogger who bestowed this award upon them and to include a link back to their blog. Then to pass the award onto fifteen other bloggers, include a link to each of their blogs and to reveal seven things about yourself that others may not

know.

Hmmm, 7 things about me.

1. I married my high school sweetheart, we were voted cutest couple of our senior class.

2. We have lived in 6 states in our almost 35 year marriage.

3. We have twin daughters and the 4 cutest grandchildren on earth!!

4. My mother had twins too, and my twins were born on the same day ~ 13 years later.

5. I hate to exercise ~

6. I have my Christmas shopping almost done, and everything is wrapped. I feel panicky if it's not wrapped by Halloween.

7. I love to organize. Although my garage currently looks like it is auditioning for Hoarders.

That was difficult. I have new found admiration for those of you with the list of 100 things ~ 7 was tough for me.

I could not single out 15 blogs, so please consider yourself awarded if you are reading this. I so appreciate each and
everyone of you that stops by!!

Greenbrier

2011-10-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Bob and I met some friends in Richmond, and after a quick tour of town, and a stay overnight, we headed out bright and early for our real destination ~ The Greenbrier.

I was pretty excited when I saw these gates.

Oh my.

It truly is a grand hotel.

I really knew nothing about it, I wasn't even sure what state it was in ~ {West Virginia} ~ but I had heard that it was one of those old grand hotels, and I really do love those for some reason.

{who wouldn't?!}

The view from the door looking through the arches. We might have missed the peak of leaf color by a few days, but it was still just stunning.

The Greenbrier is located in White Sulphur Springs, WV, and the hotel had several locations where the springs once bubbled up and people came from far and near to "take the waters". This is one of the spring houses. Now the spring water is piped into the spa.

This row of cottage had been transformed into artists' shops. Robin and I each bought a glass Christmas ornament at the glass blowers shop.

This is the north entrance ~ you head out this way to the golf courses and outdoor pool and walking trails. Robin and I enjoyed the rocking chairs on the porch just soaking in the view.

Inside, the hotel decor was done by Dorothy Draper and it is just stunning. I love color, and it was so fun to see room after room of vibrant colors.

This was Robin and Jim's room.

We had a sitting room in between our bedrooms and it was WILD!

This was our room and I loved it.

And these double doors were the doors to our suite, I am standing in the sitting room taking the picture.

We ate dinner one night at the golf course, at Sam Snead's. Love the decor!

This was part of the main dining room ~ chandeliers everywhere.

The ballroom.

A cozy bar ~ and right off this room was the writing room, and after reading the history of Dorothy Draper, I see that the writing room is one of her most photographed rooms. And I didn't get a picture!! I guess I need to do some homework BEFORE I go, so I know to get the good shots!

And, lastly, on the morning of our departure, Robin and I took a carriage ride around the grounds.

On our way back to our hotel, look who we ran into! They had the best time playing golf there.

And that is it for the Greenbrier. It was a wonderful, special time with good friends.

An Afternoon and Evening In Richmond

2011-10-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

Bob and I just returned from a little fall getaway with some good friends. We flew into Richmond, Virginia and began our vacation there. Bob and I had never been to Richmond so we were excited to explore a little bit.

Jim found our lunch spot on the TV show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I confess that I have never seen the show, but we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at this popular college hangout. {Although we felt very old!}

Next up was the Confederate White House and Museum. We took the tour of the house and just wandered about the museum.

We did a drive by of the capitol ~ it was closing time. But what a pretty capitol! It was stunning against the blue sky.

I apologize for the blurry picture, taken from the street! And I'm sorry you have to look at the giant dumpster sitting in front of the restaurant. This place was recommended to us by my neighbor and it was delicious! It was in a charming area of brick streets, and lots of restaurants. We loved it.

That ended our very brief visit to Richmond. We were up bright and early to go to West Virginia to stay at the Greenbrier!

I know we didn't see very much, but we saw enough to know that we would like to come back some day ~ perhaps a trip to Williamsburg?

A Little Fall Decorating

2011-10-21T18:18:00.005-05:00

I did most of my decorating for fall outside, and just a tiny little bit inside. I am sharing today, mostly for my memory. I love to look back each year to see what I did.

I thought I would try something new this year with the fun color scheme of purple, orange, and lime. This is where I started...and finished. I filled 2 canisters with candy, and then didn't know what to put in the large one. On a trip to HL I saw these Christmas ornaments and thought they would be perfect.

Then, I opened my fall bins and saw that I had nothing else in these colors and didn't really feel like buying anything. So, these cute little canisters have been the centerpiece on my table, then moved to the island because I really don't know what to do with them when all I really have is fall stuff, or a few Halloween things in orange and black. They don't really match anything!!

But, they are cute!

A little scarecrow on the front door.

I love her little bell that rings when you open the door.

My entry table is simple. I just changed out my red books and put some brown ones out, and got this free printable from the blog Dear Lillie.

Love it.

The guest bath got some fall picks {to hide the cord} and some soap and a candle. It doesn't get much easier that that.

And just for fun, a little pumpkin shampoo and soap in the shower!

My front door decor is hanging in there. I have had this for years, and did a little spruce up last year.

The sofa table gets several black frames filled with pictures of my favorite trick or treaters.

I made this fun centerpiece for our Halloween lunch next week. I am trying to do some of the cute things I pinned on Pinterest.

And, lastly I put out my rooster plates and cream and brown pumpkins for the kitchen hutch. My kitchen has a lot of red in it and it is hard to add the colors of fall. I think my next project will be to make the color scheme in my kitchen a little more neutral ~

A perfect little project for the winter!

Joining Liz for her Autumn Arrives Party

and Marty for her Fall Cloche Party

Gasp!! A Craft {sort of}

2011-10-15T00:00:00.005-05:00

I am constantly amazed at the talent and creativity in blogland! There are women with power tools out there and everything in between and I am impressed!

Well, I would not be one of them.

But I have figured out how to join Pinterest and have started to save some of the things that I might actually be able to do.

Case in point...

Cute Crayons

I bought this ice cube tray at HL and had to break some perfectly good crayons to put in here. {Gone are the days when I had buckets of broken crayons:-) }

Pretty easy ~ I thought I would use red, yellow and green to make the leaf crayons. I know, sooo creative!!

Just bake at around 250 for about 10 minutes, or until the crayons are liquified. After they are cool, pop them out.

So easy.

I popped them in a bag and tied with a green ribbon to mimic the stem. Do you see it?

I know, my girls didn't either.

Paired with a coloring book, it makes a cute little activity for busy people.

Makes me wish I had stocked up on those 15 cent crayons!!

Spooky Sleepover and Boo Breakfast

2011-10-13T00:00:00.001-05:00

This was a big day for our 4 grands! And for Grandma and Grandpa!

{warning~gazillions of pictures}

We have not had all 4 sleepover before. But now that Jackson is 2, we really couldn't leave him out anymore. The kids were intrigued by the invitation and wondered what the spooky would be. I wondered too, as I don't really do "spooky."

The big day was jam packed with activity. We all began the day at Cooper's T Ball game.

Then the girls and I headed to the store to buy the matching Christmas outfits and pajamas. I still have to search for a few sizes, but it feels good to have that done. I always buy jammies to hand out at Thanksgiving, and their matching outfits for Christmas.

Then it was home to get things ready for the evening. I downloaded a children's halloween cd so I could have some "spooky" sounds. I liked it because it had all the usual songs, ie Thriller, Monster Mash, and all were sung by kids.

Little treat bags are ready. I didn't take a pic of the goodies, but they contained 2 books, a little Halloween toy, candy necklace, and our favorite, silly string.

The table. At the last minute I gathered up some candles for the centerpiece so we could have some atmosphere. Their favorite part was putting out the candles with the little cat snuffer. That belonged to Bob's mom, and I think it is pretty old. I have always loved it.

First we did some spooky cooking.

Can you see the witch hat cookie in their hands?

I think Jackson's is going in his mouth.

Yup, they didn't last long.

Good thing we made extras!

Next up was pumpkin painting.

...and a little baby painting...

After that we did some silly string, and I was heavily involved in the action so no pictures of that fun. We had pizza for dinner and then settled in to watch the very scary FrankenPooh!!

Bob slept upstairs with Jackson and I had the 3 big kids in our room in sleeping bags on the floor. They fell asleep fairly quickly and little Ben was talking to me at 4:30am!! Needless to say we were all up early.

And hungry for our BOO breakfast.

I made scary Boocakes. I got the pancake molds at Williams Sonoma. Love them.

A special treat.

And I have to give credit to Bob for our Boo juice. I had the 3 triangles on for the eyes and nose, and asked him to cut out a few triangles for the mouth ~ well he got very creative. I didn't know he could do this! LOL

After the kids were sufficiently sugared up we got them ready for church. I'm sure their Sunday School teachers loved that. We had to get a laugh out of the way Laura and Jessica were dressed for church ~ they haven't dressed like this since they were 10.

And final shots of our darlings as they rushed out the door to church posing with their pumpkins.

A good time was had by all, and I'm sure a new tradition was born.

Outdoor Fall Decor

2011-10-11T00:00:00.006-05:00

I finally got the fall decor in the outdoor kitchen. This was a big job, because we first had to empty the kitchen and hose it all down. Then, wash the furniture, vacuum rug, and do the fall switcheroo. The dining table goes back near the house and the living room set goes back here.

Now we are set to roast marshmallows and watch movies outdoors.

When I look at pictures I realize my fireplace needs a wreath. I hate to put a nail in that pretty stone, but I guess we will have to do it. I found a pretty wreath at a local store, and if they get more in, they will call. No nail till then.

Behind the sitting area you can see a glimpse of the playhouse.

We decided not to move this little table back up to the balcony. It will be a great spot for the grands to have lunch, or play a game. We really never used it on the balcony.

There you have it ~ we can enjoy it for a few weeks and then it will be time to think about CHRISTMAS!!

Joining Kim for Wow Us Wednesdays

and Sherry for her Open House Party

and with Liz for her Autumn Arrives Party

and Honey for her Potpourri Friday Party

Lunch and Love

2011-10-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

When your sweet granddaughter calls you and invites you to come to Lunch with Loved Ones, who cares that it is a clever way to lure you into the school book fair, where you then proceed to buy several so so books because she wants them?? I don't care ~ I go!!

This time, instead of the plastic bag from Subway, I wanted to make it a little special. So I packed our lunch in this, and just added the subway!

The bag contained these goodies.

I put 2 of everything, one for Elizabeth and one for her friend. At her school, when you have a visitor for lunch, you sit at a special table and they are allowed to choose a friend to join them. These cute placemats have pictures on the back that you can color. Perfect for restaurants.

I stickered up some cups.

I vowed that since I joined pinterest, I would not just PIN, I would actually do some of the pins. Here is my first ~ s'mores. I think they turned out cute!

We had a lovely lunch, and picked several treats in the book fair. It was a special fun time with my first grader. I wonder what age this will stop? But, you know, for now I am just going to enjoy it.

Little Cottage In The Woods

2011-10-07T08:31:00.000-05:00

Fall has arrived in blog land and I am so behind! And that is funny considering I don't really decorate all that much.

So I started with the easiest area ~ the grandchildren's playhouse. It needed a good scrubbing!

This chandy hangs over their little patio set. Elizabeth so wants to have the candles lit, but we are so seldom out here in the dark. I took the glass holders out and am washing them in hopes that we may get to light them up this weekend.

I use faux greenery all the time, so I am not opposed to it, but I always have liked the real thing outside. Last year I planted johnny jump ups in the little window boxes, but I just don't want to commit the time and the precious water to keeping them up. So I filled them with some fake leaves and pumpkins and called it good.

The inside is very small so it is a snap to decorate.

We've even got some fall treats!

So now the house is ready for my little treats to come to Grandma's on Saturday night.

It's our first sleepover for all 4 grands. Wish me luck!

Here It Is

2011-10-05T18:55:00.005-05:00

The pictures in my previous post were taken on a business trip in Minneapolis. {Well, business for Bob, all fun for me:-) }

I loved the MTM show back in the 70's and we were so proud that the show was set in the Twin Cities. {That's home for us} I didn't know that they had the statue of Mary downtown and just had to snap a shot. The other place is inside the IDS building, a restaurant that you will see Mary and I think Rhoda {just looked at the video and I don't think that's Rhoda!} eating at in the video clip.

So while Bob worked I did a little shopping, mostly window, and visited with some friends and family.

I spent some time at my sister's. Here is our cute Emma holding the little kitty bag of treats I brought.

Evan couldn't wait to dig into his treats. He has a sweet tooth like his aunt.

I went shopping with a friend for some vintage treasures. I didn't find much, but I bought this cute child's dish set for the cabin. Anything with bears ends up at the 3 Bears Cabin! Sorry this picture is so blurry, but it's the only one I took.

And speaking of the 3 bears, I found these old books. So cute.

After we finished "working" in Minneapolis we headed to the cabin. It was not the best week to be there, cool and rainy. But frankly, after our long, hot, dry summer it was nice to be chilly and see some rain. It just made going out in the boat difficult and that is hard on my fishing husband.

I only took 1 photo of the interior of the cabin this visit. I put the little children's dishes in the cupboard over the table.

One of my favorite things about going to the cabin in the fall is right here. The leaves were just turning and we drove around a few times just to look. We have no fall color in Texas, and so this feeds my fall starved soul! Nobody can decorate like the LORD!

And, lastly I took this picture of a cranberry bog. I had never seen them harvest cranberries before and didn't realize that they flood the field and the berries rise to the top. A little town near the cabin has a cranberry festival and this bog is on the tour. I guess they get 30,000 people on their 1 day festival. Can you imagine? Once Bob is retired and we can spend some time up there, we will have to go!

That's all the pictures I took ~ pitiful. But I really didn't do much, lots of reading so not many reasons to get out the camera. And, my friends like the camera about as much as I do.

But, I'm back and we are enjoying cooler temps in Texas. High 80's now, and that's fall like for us!

Joining Sherry for her Open House Party.
And joining Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspirations.

Can You Guess?

2011-10-02T16:37:00.000-05:00

I have been away sooo long ~ it's hard to get back in the swing of my routine! I had my IPad with me on my adventures, but I haven't figured out how to post on there yet. But at least I was able to visit some blogs while I was away.

I don't really have time for a post, but I thought I'd share a couple of pictures from our first destination and see if you can guess where I was. {No guessing from my sister or girls!!}

I am busy putting out a few touches of fall, I'll share soon!

I Remember

2011-09-11T14:24:00.000-05:00

In memory of all of those that lost their lives and their loved ones on that terrible day, and remembering those that are still fighting for our freedoms.

We are forever changed.

It's Back!

2011-09-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure that everyone who loves pumpkin spice lattes already knows that they are back ~ YUM

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I didn't have much on my calendar and that is always the first sign of a good day for me. Home is my favorite place to be. I thought I would drive through SB and see if one of my favorite coffee drinks was out yet, and you can see it was! As a double bonus they also had pumpkin scones, which is my favorite combo. I brought it home and settled in to finish the last 250 pages of my September Book Club book.

We had our first meeting of the new year and enjoyed discussing Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese. It is a very good book, set in Ethiopia. The narrator is Marion Stone, a twin, and he tells his story from birth {literally the womb} to age 50. Marion is a surgeon, his parents are physicians, and he lives in a hospital setting in Ethiopia and in the US.

The book is beautifully written, taking you to Africa and giving us a feel for life there at the end of the 20th century. I wish I could give you a better review, but that is not a gift I have. I love to read, and read a lot, and I can tell you if I like a book or not, but I usually can not tell you why. I recognize good writing, {usually;-) } but for the life of me I can't tell you what is good about it. {plot, setting, character development, it's all there}

I guess I'll end this the way I ended my book reports in elementary school ~ you'll have to read the book!!

Our Summer Draws To A Sweet Close

2011-08-31T11:50:00.002-05:00

For me, the last day of August is the last day of summer. Never mind the temperature, when I flip that calendar over and see the month September it signals fall ~ back to school ~ soups and chili ~ apples ~ pumpkins ~ you get the picture. It doesn't matter that I live in Texas and it is still 100 degrees, or that our kids have been in school for a whole week, or that there isn't an apple orchard any where near here ~ tomorrow the fall bins get opened and I turn my head and heart back to the inside and my little "nest."

So before I say goodbye to summer I thought I would share a few things we have been doing during these last few weeks.

One day after a long time in the pool Elizabeth really wanted to have a tea party. And, this coincided with the first day of our new sunscreen sticks for the face ~ and as you can see they are COLORFUL and fun. That stuff does not come off, which is great for sun protection, but not so great for Grandma's upholstery. Hence, the outdoor party on a beach towel ~ no points for presentation, but they loved it.

Next up was Elizabeth's Back To School lunch and outing with Grandma and Grandpa. We went to ~~grandma and little girl heaven~~ the American Girl Store for lunch and shopping.

Somebody's excited.

Grandpa and his girl.

Yummy fruit and muffin starter. And do you see that little polka dot box? That is filled with conversation starters that our little first grader read to us as we waited for our meal.

The yummy lunch was called the Bitty Picnic and came with a little hamburger and little hot dog.

I think this was one of Elizabeth's favorite things ~ they always bring the dolls a little cup and saucer, but this time they filled the tiny cups with lemonade. She LOVED it.

I am sad that I didn't get any more pictures, my battery died at this point, so no picture of her dessert sampler or her purchase of the day. She picked the school supplies for her Kit doll ~ appropriate choice!

When we left the American Girl store our fun was not over, because we had Jackson's 2nd birthday party to attend.

Big brother Cooper and his cute party hat. {Jessica made the hats with the kids' initials} {{and just as I snapped the picture Cooper pulled his hat right in front of Ben's face ~ sorry Benny!}}

The party was so cute and Jackson just loved it!

Blowing out the candles ~ he had a cute Mickey shirt on ~ but it was removed in anticipation of that red frosting.

I can't believe our baby Jackson is 2! I know I say it all the time, but it is really true ~ time flies!

We had a wonderful summer, and I am sad that it has come to an end ~ but we have company coming for Labor Day and we are hosting a large family BBQ on Monday so I guess it's not over yet!

Yeah!!

Good Friends, Good Times

2011-08-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

Our good friends, Robin and Jim, came down from Kansas to visit us a few weeks ago. The guys played golf one day in our awful heat, while Robin and I floated in the pool, but the other full day of their visit we decided to go to a local vineyard for their grape stomp and harvest.

{I wonder if they planned to wear blue together ~ looks great!}

Jim was the only one of us brave enough to stick his feet in the grapes ~ ewww.

Makes me wonder if I really want to drink the wine after seeing this?!?

That little dishpan doesn't look like it will do the job to clean his feet ~ but luckily there was a BIG hose nearby.

Look what the Texas drought and heat has done to the grapes. Turned them into raisins right on the vine!!

This little patch must have been near the sprinkler!

We had so much fun visiting with our old friends, although Robin and I did the gabbing, and the guys did this!

Dueling laptops!!

We had such a good visit ~ planning a weekend getaway in October to the Greenbrier ~ and beginning plans for a cruise to celebrate our joint 35th wedding anniversaries in 2012.

Fun times ahead!!

Back to School Dinner

2011-08-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

What to do on your millionth day over 100?

Have a party OUTSIDE!!

We have a first grader and 2 preschoolers this year and school begins in just 2 weeks. I have to get my celebration in early, because I know their moms will do something fun and we have Jackson's birthday to celebrate, and that means do it when you can get an open spot on the calendar!!

{the reason the bullletin board is empty is because I had this gaping hole on the mantel and no great ideas of something to put there ~ and this morning I thought of this BB and thought I'd have the kids create something cute for it ~ good idea ~ didn't happen}

Class is in session.

The table is set with the red and green plastic ware. I really love this color combo ~ and dug through a Christmas tub to find the napkin rings.

{the table is clean ~ just old and kind of grubby, but I just soaped and hosed it off so I know it's clean:-) }

There are presents for my back to schoolers. I didn't take a picture of the contents, but there are several books, some fun school supplies, a journal for their upcoming school year and a fun toy ~ for FUN!

The kids' table had a fun snack/activity.

Elizabeth found her name, and a few other words.

The boys are hard at work. I did see Ben spell his name, I think he had eaten it by this time:-)

Some yummy treats. {some really bad light in my kitchen. I want a new camera!!}

I pray these beautiful children will have a successful year, filled with friends, fun, and lots of learning.

Joining Kim for Wow Us Wednesday.

Cabin Fun

2011-08-01T10:07:00.001-05:00

Our July disappeared in to memory yesterday. I heard on the news that we were 100 degrees or over everyday in July and I know that explains the lack of energy ~ or lack of ANYTHING accomplished in July!!

But in between the pool time, I did take a picture or two and thought I would take a minute to remember.

This is a picture of sweet Jackson at the airport in the Admirals Club waiting for our flight to the cabin. Jessica and her boys traveled with us and they were so good.

Here's Grandpa - caught working on vacation.

We are finally at the cabin ~ Laura and her two met us in Minnesota and traveled with us to the cabin.

Ben and Cooper ready for fun. You can see the long deck behind the boys, this made for many races up and down all week. They loved it. {sorry I cut Jackson out of the pic}

Ben and Cooper on the boat.

They love to drive and our lake is small with usually no other boats on the water so they get lots of opportunities to do just that. Don't you love Jackson's Barbie life vest? I'll have to get a new one next year, I don't think I can get away with that on an almost 3 year old.

My sister and her family came up one day, and I was thankful that the kids could eat outside:-)

Look who thinks he is so big! No more booster for Jackson at the cabin. He wanted to sit just like the big kids. So cute!!

I think this was the best shot I could get of all 6. Now that I have enlarged this picture I see I should go back and crop out my messy kitchen. But - that would probably delay this post another month at the rate I am going so instead you get a glimpse of reality!

Another day Laura and Jessica's long time friend Nikki came to visit with 2 of her 3 children.

These 3 have been best friends since they were 1. It is so wonderful to watch this friendship continue with the next generation. {Even though Nikki lives in Minnesota and my girls are in Texas} Bob and I are also good friends with Nikki's parents. They were our neighbors long ago and now have a place about an hour from our cabin. Kate and I spent many hours watching our 4 play, and this trip we got to watch our grandchildren play! What a blessing that is!!

Our sweet granddaughters at the little tea table.

And, as always, at the end of the cabin visit we always take a picture by the "big fish".

It's tradition.

Another fun summer at the cabin. We treasure these memories and the time we get to spend with our family and friends.

Special Day

2011-07-22T09:02:00.000-05:00

I have been MIA from my blog for quite some time ~ we have been doing a few things, but I just have not had the energy to post. We had a wonderful time at our cabin at the end of June and into July. I took a few pictures and need to get a post together about our time there.

But, since our return to Texas it has been HOT. {Could be the reason for the no energy:-) } Although, I think I am preaching to the choir as it is hot everywhere!! This is where you will find me, nearly every day. I am getting nothing checked off on my to do list, but the stack of books to read is getting smaller!

I had to post though, because I wanted to share this special day! Our 6 year old granddaughter has been wanting to get her ears pierced for a while. I think many of her friends have them, and the lure of the sparkly earrings may have had something to do with it too.

But, she was nervous! But, she really wanted them! I think it was a big topic of conversation with her mom. She had asked me about the pain, but, I think I may be the only 50+ something woman in the country without pierced ears. {For sure in TX! }

I got a phone call the other day and Laura said they were at the shopping center and she was ready to do it and I would have to hustle down there if I wanted to be there for the big event. I wasn't exactly "public ready" but I jumped in the car so I wouldn't miss this sweet little girl's big day.

She's ready and waiting, but nervous!

I got a little smile out of her.

Getting the dots just right.

Ready!

Holding on to mom for dear life, and trying to be brave. She wanted too, but she didn't cry!

It's over!! Big hug!!

The first glimpse of the sparkly April birthstones.

Yeah Elizabeth!!

They look great and we are proud of you.

And I am proud of you ~ not because you look so pretty with your earrings, I thought you were already pretty outside and inside {where it really counts}. But I am proud of you for facing a fear and being brave and conquering it.

Now, I wonder what she will be getting in her little back to school package from grandma????

4th of July

2011-07-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that you will keep the United States in your holy protection; that you will incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow-citizens of the United States at large. And, finally, that you would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of that Divine Author of our blessed religion and without which we can never be a happy nation. Grant our supplications, we beseech you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

George Washington

Summer Table

2011-06-22T14:52:00.004-05:00

Whew, I don't know how most of you do it, 3 posts in a week just about did me in!! And some people post daily ~ I am in awe!

This is a table from last summer, I just got the new tablecloth and placemats and knew they would go great with the napkin rings I had stashed away.

This table was for a real family dinner and I never got around to making a post. It came in handy when I wanted to join in the summer entertaining party at Sherry's.

We were going to eat outside but it was over 100 and I thought we'd melt.

It was just a fun, summery, colorful table.

We had jelly bean martinis.

I used wicker chargers and my white tin plates.

I use the bamboo flatware a lot in the summer. It came from Ross a few summers ago.

I found the fun pop at Central Market. They had all 6 colors!!

The napkin rings have all 6 colors in them too.

The grandchildren loved it. No way their moms would let them eat all those jelly beans. But they had some!

Summer Fun

Love the light in this shot.

Thanks for stopping by.

I am joining Sherry for the Block Party.

And Susan for Tablescape Thursday.

Come join us.

Summer Patio

2011-06-21T19:14:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the Summer Porch Party!

We are blessed with 3 outdoor areas, and I have a little of 2 to share. Our house has a balcony, which creates a covered area below. From Labor Day to Memorial Day, I keep a little bistro table and 4 chairs on the balcony. We seldom use it, but I have had a tea party or 2 out there. {Just kind of a pain to haul all of the things up, and then back down, but if it's requested...}

But, the memories are worth it. Just look at that face. How can she go to 1st grade this year?

Anyway, I digress ~ here is the lower, covered patio, ready for summer. This furniture sits in the outdoor kitchen from Labor Day to Memorial Day, but we get out the power washer and clean everything up, and move it all around for the summer.

Just love to sit here with a book in the evening and look at the pool and fountain. It's so relaxing.

The door on the right goes into the family room and the door on the left into a little hall that goes to our bedroom. We don't really use that door.

I keep a basket of flip flops by the back door ~ that pavement gets hot!!

That is not a blank white block, it say "there are fairies at the bottom of our garden" and for some reason is doesn't show up in the pictures.

A basket of necessities, goggles and sunblock.

More necessities, pool hats and toys.

Here is a great spot to blog or watch the action.

Close up of the fountain and flowers.

Here is our 3rd outdoor area ~ignore the pumpkins as I forgot to retake a picture:-)

For summer we move the dining table and little bistro table in here so we can dine in the shade. Our family is often here for lunch and swimming and it is blazing hot everywhere but here.

With the 2 tables and 4 barstools {we've added one} I can seat 14. It comes in handy when the whole family is here, or when the girls have friends over to swim.

Much better to eat in the shade, plus we are close to the grill!

Joining Kim for the Summer Porch Party.

And Terri at A Creative Princess.

It's A Party!

2011-06-19T19:10:00.007-05:00

I wanted to join in the fun at Debbie's paint party so I ran around and took a few new photos and looked for a few oldies to share.

I have a favorite spray paint from Lowe's ~ it's Valspar Pistachio. Bob has looked for it twice this year and says they don't make it anymore. I don't think he asked, so after vacation I will have to make a trip in there to find out for myself.

I was going to refresh everything outside that has this color, but for now you will have to settle for some old pictures and a little faded paint.

This is a chandelier that hangs in front of the playhouse. Looks so sweet at night ~

Here it is over a little patio set that I bought at Hobby Lobby and painted green. Perfect for tea parties.

This little picnic table was red ~ not any more!

I have this old faded tea cart, and gave it new life with black spray paint. I used glossy, hopefully it will be able to withstand some moisture.

It now lives by the pool with laundry baskets of pool toys.

And for my last project, I bought this cute little planter and was actually going to put a plant in it, but it is doing a great job as a sunglass holder!

Please join Debbie and visit lots of other fun summer projects!

I am linking to Terri at A Creative Princess for her party.

Flag Day

2011-06-14T18:53:00.005-05:00

When I was at the cabin a few weeks ago, I bought this fun patriotic tablecloth. While Bob was mowing and chopping wood, and being very productive, I hauled the few things I had out to the deck and played with the dishes.

I bought this cute couple while shopping with my sister.

I don't have fancy dishes at the cabin ~ but what I do have is red and white. I brought our old set of everyday white dishes up and then bought these plastic red dishes. I don't use paper plates much.

This little box has a surprise inside.

I love this wagon I found a few years ago ~ perfect for the deck. I hope my flowers are still alive when we go back in a week or so!

~ A peaceful setting ~

Joining Kim for Wow Us Wednesday.

And Susan for Tablescape Thursday.

And Sherry for the Block Party.

Sweet Endings

2011-06-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

My 2 sweet boys on the last day of zoo school. They went one day a week, learned about different animals, and took a walk through the zoo each week. It was extra special that they could be in the same class. Although I'm sure the teacher had her hands full!

These boys are best buddies, born 5 weeks apart, to my twin daughters. They are the closest we will get to twin grandchildren ~ lol.

And here is sweet Jackson, I hope he gets to go to zoo school, but it's about an hour away from his house so I'm not so sure he'll get the chance.

Jackson and I spent some time with the meerkats ~ so cute.

Then, on to Kindergarten graduation. Elizabeth was so excited.

Ben and Grandpa are ready.

Part of her fan club.

And, here is a blurry picture of our girl. She was so nervous to be up front of all of the people. She did such a good job. We are very proud of her.

{I tried to blur out the friends faces.} {Laura and her friend made all of the graduation caps!}

More milestones for the grands, I am so glad I was able to be a part of them. Nothing takes the place of being a part of their daily lives. It was hard to leave our lives in Kansas, and all of our friends, but it has been worth it to be with these children. They are my very heart.

Now we are all ready for some summer fun!!