Hello Friends!
I'm taking a blogging break for a bit. I will still be checking in with all of my favorite blogging friends, so I'm not disappearing, just focusing on other things right now.
Have a wonderful weekend and hopefully I'll see you soon!
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
Good Tuesday Morning, Friends!
Last week David was off for a few days and we spent those days moving the rest of his mom's belongings out of her apartment and into our storage building. On Thursday David and I did get away for a bit, about an hour or so down the road, to a town called Kemah. We indulged ourselves in a full lunch, complete with an appetizer, salad, main dish and dessert, just so we could sit and enjoy being away for a few hours. It was really nice.
After that, it was back to work, moving, visiting with his mom, keeping Asa while Collin helped David move things and doing all the normal daily things around the house.
Saturday Collin, Morgan and Asa came back over to hang out. I mean, when your DIL calls and says they want to come hang out, you never say no to that! It's always fun conversation and built-in entertainment with Asa running around.
Happy Wednesday Friends!
How's the week been treating you so far? I've had a good combination of busy, productive, and calm, for the most part.
I've been busy signing things on the computer, pertaining to the new house. All is going well, so far. The appraisal is today and we're praying there are no major issues to deal with.
In case I forgot to mention, we made an offer on a house on our same street, just a few doors down. If this all goes well and we end up actually getting that house, I'll tell you more about it.
In the meantime, we are still packing up my MIL's apartment and will finish that up this week. She doesn't have much, in the way of furniture, but has a lot of clothes and personal items to store. I'll be glad when we get that done and can mark that off the list.
I'm not packing up our house just yet, but I have been cleaning out drawers, toys, clothing, and other items that I really don't want anymore. I don't want to go full blown into packing things in boxes until I get the final word that the house has passed all it needs to pass.
But, until then, my house is getting a good purging, which is never a bad thing.
I did a little sewing project yesterday, which is always so much fun. I really need to start sewing more. It's just so satisfying to create something out of a piece of fabric and stand back and realize you made something that you didn't have before.
I would really like to sew some cute aprons out of fun fabric. I think it's so fun to collect aprons and have them hanging in the kitchen. Whenever I see aprons at the antique stores, I will buy any that are $5 or less. I have several half aprons that are part of the girl's dress-up clothes in their playroom and I love to see them coming down the hall with one of them on.
Speaking of the girls, they are all in England this week! They left on Sunday for a two week adventure to the U.K. So Saturday we had a goodbye lunch at a local pizza place. We already miss them greatly, but I know they are having the time of their lives (minus the jet lag, which has been tough).
Emmy was emotional as we took the family photo and she really didn't want to be in the picture. So her mommy took one of just us and it was just what we needed. She is my Millie girl and such a big part of my heart.
I got to FaceTime with them their first day and she took me all around the AirBNB and showed me all the cool features. Today they are off to tour London. What a treat!
Well, it's time to get ready for the day. It's going to be another hot and muggy day of about 100 or more.
Fall, please hurry! 🍂
Have a great week and remember, today has enough worries of its own! Don't waste time fearing tomorrow. But most importantly...God has already gone before you and is working out your tomorrow. He's a good, good Father 💚
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
Hello Friends!
Happy Thursday! This week is moving right along.
Tuesday night we had our weekly family dinner and I surprised the kids with a little treat to celebrate the upcoming babies (due in December and January). Collin and Morgan are having another boy and Ted and Alex will be bringing their 4th girl into the family (they also have 1 boy) and we couldn't be more excited!
I bought them each a little outfit for their newborns-to-come and set out these blue and pink cupcakes for dessert. We are all getting excited to have two more babies in the family.
Wednesday I spent much of the morning working on new-house tasks, such as paperwork, roofing estimates and communicating with my realtor. I did a few loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and made a big pan of chicken enchiladas for lunch.
How many times do we get to use the word "delightful"? It's a word that can only be used to describe something that just makes you so happy and feels so fun, while encountering it. Such is this fun, delightful book, written by Susan Branch.
Personally, I think the work of Susan Branch is always delightful, but this little book about the English countryside especially fits the description.
In this book, Susan and her husband Joe, set off on the Queen Mary2 for a two week passage to England. Once there, they explore the countryside for two months. The book is set up as a diary, complete with drawings, paintings, and quotes, in only the style that Susan Branch can do (have you read her books?!).
I'm sharing this, not to give you a book report or even a review, but just to share with you her delightful work and tell you to put this one on your list of things to read, if you've ever wanted to go to England.
That is all.
Have a delightful Tuesday, my friends 💚
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
My fancy lunch on Sunday
David and I spent Sunday packing up his mom's apartment. We will make room in our storage building until we get the new house. It seems we have also found a home for her cat, which is an answered prayer.
Today I have items to complete on the list of things to do when buying a house. Why is buying a house so nerve wracking? So much to do, think about, pray about and then you still have to pack and move. It's kind of like having a baby...it's tough, but the end result makes it all worth it.
Happy Friday, Friends!
I hope you've had a nice, cool week (wishful thinking here in Texas). The skies have been gorgeous lately, but the heat is unbearable.
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, to say the least. We've had David's mom in and out of the hospital twice and now she's in a rehab facility to hopefully improve her health and physical strength.
We've been faced with some life-changing decisions this week; ones that have changed the direction of our very near future.
Because of a multitude of reasons, it looks like David's mom will be coming to live with us, once she's released from rehab. She really can't live alone anymore (she's 83) and she doesn't have the money to go to an assisted living, so it's up to her family to take care of her. Needless to say, this will change our day-to-day living, for sure.
The Lord has brought some things to light this week, that have turned into David and I needing to make some decisions about buying a bigger house. I think we've both been feeling this for a few months now, but sometimes life pushes you off the edge you've been teetering on.
Over the past few months, we've realized that this house is not working for our long-term future. We are about to have 7 grandkids, 4 big kids, two elderly moms still living and the tiniest house we've ever had. I remember writing about this house a few months back and saying that we would just have to make it work, but that's about when things started to shift.
Sometimes in life you can feel the Lord bringing about a shift in your life and you basically just have to hang on for the ride. Well, that's what's been happening around here and now we know why. We have also grown very uncomfortable having the lake in the back yard and 7 little babies to protect when they're here. This just isn't the place to do that.
So, in the near future, we will probably be moving and gaining a house guest for the long haul. But that's ok. Sometimes the situations that seem the hardest, turn out to be great blessings. I just have to trust in the Lord's love for me and my family and call on him daily for the grace and strength to handle whatever comes about.
As for today...
I'm going to take the day to recharge myself. No hospital visit, no rehab visit. Just me and my house, cleaning, organizing, making lists of things that need to be done in the coming weeks and hopefully sitting down now and then to a cup of coffee and a good book. It's what's needed today.
One little blessing I'll share before I go...
Since having to make this decision about my MIL living with us, we've discovered so many of our friends who have had to do the same thing, at different times. It comforts us to know we have people that have already walked where we are about to walk. Thank you, Lord 💚
"He always comes alongside us
to comfort us in every suffering so that
we can come alongside those
who are in any painful trial.
We can bring them this same comfort
that God has poured out upon us."
2 Corinthians 1:4
(TPT)
Thanks for hanging out with me for a few minutes today 💛 I'll see you soon.
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
Yesterday we stayed home from church so David could go visit his mom.
While he was doing that, I decided to bake a cake.
Seems like a random thing to do, but I guess I just needed something
normal to do and I had been wanting to try making a two layer cake
with jelly in the middle...so I did.
I had a jar of Sour Cherry Spread and I thought it might pair well with
this vanilla cake.
I didn't add too much; just enough to give you a taste of sweet and tangy,
mixed with the deliciousness of the vanilla cake.
I think it added just the right amount of something.
It was delicious! I topped it off with buttercream frosting
and it was the perfect snack for the afternoon
and my three little guests that came visiting.
We had promised Ted and Alex we would keep the girls as an anniversary gift to them.
Yesterday was their 10th anniversary!
A few fun facts about the wedding:
We forgot to tell our neighbors that we were having a wedding,
so as the ceremony was happening,
our neighbor was mowing their land behind us. 😅
Also, just as the bride and groom had their wedding kiss,
our two horses put on a show and went running by as fast as they could
(just behind this picture).
You just never know what will happen at a wedding!
Ten years later and here we are 😅
We're so proud of them and the little family they've created.
💝
So back to yesterday,
the girls wanted to sew purses out of fabric,
so that's what we spent the afternoon doing.
I have a feeling that we will be doing more sewing projects
in the future.
I've taught them how to use needle and thread,
but haven't put them on the machine yet.
They seem content right now just sewing by hand
and with all the excitement we've had around here lately,
I think we'll just stick to that!
🧵
Well, I'm off to start the day.
I'm praying for God to rain down his blessings today;
whatever that may look like.
I hope you have a wonderful Monday, with a blessed week to follow.
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
Hello Friends!
I've been missing around here this week. I haven't even had time to read any blogs until today.
The week started out like a normal week, with the exception of us waiting on some results from an MRI that David had last Friday. Monday I got the grocery pick-up, talked to a friend on the phone, cleaned and did other chores and then got the phone call from David that his results from the test were perfect, thank you, Jesus! The afternoon was spent making more phone calls to our boys and just breathing a big sigh of relief about the good news. I couldn't wait for David to get home so I could give him a big hug.
But...he barely got in the door before we got a phone call that his mom was unresponsive and we needed to get to her apartments right away. So we grabbed a few things and headed out the door. No celebrating, no relaxing, just like that, the good news was put on the back burner.
His mom ended up in the hospital for a few days due to blood pressure issues, so our week was filled with sitting at the hospital for hours, making sure she got the care she needed. She finally came home Wednesday evening and for now, is doing well.
Yesterday I spent the day paying bills, getting August set up in the budget book and taking care of David's mom's bills too. I ran an errand, read a little and cooked the best Sausage and Tortellini Soup ever. It's definitely my favorite soup. I didn't have my girls this week and no family dinner either. Sometimes the schedule has to change because, well...I'm not superwoman 😅 I'm sure I'll make up for it over the next week or two.
Also, for the past week I've been suffering through the worst haircut I've ever had in my life (with the exception of some styles my mother put me through as a child of the 70's 😂). I went in last Wednesday for a bit of layering and came out with more of a shaggy mess. I've struggled all week with what to do...should I go back and have her fix it? No. What if she does a worse job (how is that even possible?) or should I go somewhere else? What if they mess up too? Should I at least mention to the lady that she did something totally different than the picture I showed her? Do I ever plan to use her again? Is it worth it? Or, just start camouflaging my hair with headbands, let it grow out and never cut it again? That's what I've chosen, up to this point.
What have you done in this situation? Surely I'm not the only one! Give me all your good advice.
Well, today will be full of errands and possibly getting our oldest grand girl for a sleepover. We actually have plans with some friends on Saturday night, which will be a welcomed relief from the stress of the week.
I'm not usually one to wish the time away, but I think I'll be happy to get a bit down the road on this one.
Hopefully next week will resume our very routine, predictable life 😅 I'm kind of partial to it.
See you soon, my friends!
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
Hello everyone!
It's Tuesday and I'm finally sitting down for another post. I haven't been taking many pictures lately, so that affects my writing, for some reason. I need to get better about taking pictures throughout the day, but sometimes things just seem so uninteresting that I don't bother taking pictures. However, I did snap these yesterday as I was working in the kitchen.
Gingersnaps in a jar. I just about love the look of anything in a jar, don't you? There's something old fashioned about putting things in jars, in my opinion, and I love old fashioned ways.
I also made a pot of spaghetti sauce yesterday, in preparation for the lasagna I'll be fixing for dinner tonight. I try to do as much as possible on Monday, in preparation for Tuesday night dinner, so that I'm not exhausted by the time the kids get here.
This morning I have a grocery pick up and this afternoon I will put two lasagnas together, prepare the garlic bread and side dish, vacuum, wipe down both bathrooms, set the table and then hopefully get some reading done while cooking dinner.
I got 4 books from the library last week and have read one and started on another. I got side tracked reading 2 ebooks on my tablet, so that slowed me down a bit.
These are the books that sidetracked me. They are two in a series of short stories and I really enjoyed them. The third one isn't due out until February, so I will be waiting a while to read it. They were good and short, but still found a way to endear you to the characters quickly. I'm looking forward to the third book.
I will admit, I had time to read yesterday while cooking, but I had clothes to fold, so I indulged myself in some tv time while the sauce was cooking on the stove and the laundry was going. I started watching America's Sweethearts on Netflix. It's the show about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and the process of the organization and all they go through to be on the team.
David and I had recently watched the documentary on the Miss America Pageant organization and it was really eye opening, as to what these women endure just to be in the pageants. So I thought this would be similar and it is. The thing that surprised me the most (so far), was the veteran cheerleaders having to try out every year, no matter how long they've been on the team. Most of these women have full time jobs, in addition to being at practice every night for hours and hours. What a grueling schedule! Of course they showed the history of the organization and in the 70's, when they first started the team, the girls only got paid $15 per game! I found that so surprising, considering the enormity of the salaries of the NFL and how much money the football team brings in. But enough about that!