Friday, February 27, 2015

These Girls


Hi Friends,

This is the time of year 
In the desert South-West
When we play outside as much as possible

We don't get much in the way of winter
But summer is so terribly HOT that 
We can't play outside at all

Since I had the two smallest K's on Thursday
We took a field trip to the park





 


These little girlies bring me so much Joy
They bless my heart every time I see them
I can not imagine my life without them
 

I found this heart shaped rock on our way home from the park
I think it went home with K-bel

At least she asked me to wash it for her
Before she held it all day

They Rock My World

On a side note:
My brother may need emergency surgery tonight
I'm waiting for a phone call

Please, if you have time,
Say a little prayer for Ken
Thank you

Blessings to all for a Fabulous Weekend
We are actually supposed to get some rain :)
What about you?
What is your weather like this weekend?



Sunday, February 22, 2015

Downsizing Update Week {20}



Hi Friends,

I'm here during American Heart Month
To bring you my {20} week 
Downsizing Update

Here's what the numbers tell me today

Down - 46 pounds with 39 to go
Down - A total of 28 inches - Hard to believe
Also down a couple of dress/pant sizes

But more importantly
And the reason I agreed to add the information below
Is because my health is SO much better

I used to become short of breath often
I had heart palpitations in the evenings/at night
My cholesterol was 254
I was pre-diabetic
And, in general, I didn't feel well

In September at my regular well woman check up
Mr doctor 'gave me the what for'
And told me I needed to make changes
Or I would end up with many health issues
Related to my being obese

 Today, {20} weeks into making daily changes
I feel so much better
My cholesterol is down into the normal range
I'm not longer have any heart related symptoms
No nighttime indigestion or reflux

My BMI when from 36.9 to 30.6
Still in the obese range but certainly a lot 
Closer to overweight than before
And soon to be in the normal range

Although this is Not a paid sponsorship or advertisement
I wanted to add the following Heart Healthy Tips
From the American Recall Center

Do something Healthy for your Heart Today
 

And now,
The final sneak peek at my back yard mural
The base coats are about complete
I won't be adding anymore sneak peeks 
Until I complete the wall

Maybe....




Blessings To All

Thursday, February 19, 2015

A Few Fun Finds And...


Hi Friends,

It's always fun for me to scan the aisles of a local thrift store
I had that pleasure the other day
And found a few little treasures


First
These little princess shoes
And a sweet brand new apron
$3
 

K-Bel grabbed them as soon as she got here today
But K-Baby got to use them as well
 

These oval prints will go nicely in my Master bath
As soon as I do a little re-loving of them
Instead of the gold ring in the middle (see on the right)
I've started to add some silver/pewter  (see on the left)
It will match the new colors I'm adding in my bedroom
 

Speaking of my bedroom
I was SO happy to find a brand new pillow sham
Quilted white with small embroidered vines/flowers
The perfect shade of pewter
 

It just happens to match my new sheets perfectly
I can't believe it was only $3 
Brand new with tags :)

For just 74 cents
I found a great white piece of linen
With a nicely embroidered design
Could not pass this up

So, that's it for the finds
And...
Because it's Thursday
Here are a couple shots of my littlest K's


K-Baby thought it would be so fun
To get nice and comfy in my favorite patio chair
Look at that little twinkle in her eyes
 

K-Bel 
Just enjoying the perfect weather


To have a picnic outside
My K Days are truly the Best

What fun things have you found recently?

Thanks for stopping by and brightening my day
With your kind comments

Also,
My great Aunt Mary Jane passed yesterday
I had a pretty tearful night last night
Sure glad I was able to focus on the littles today

Blessings to All
 

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Life is Always Full


Hi Friends,

After an entire week of 
Loving and Giving
I woke up this morning with a bit of a migraine
I think I was dehydrated
But, I have so much more on my list
That I just needed to get to work

I have a project I've been wanting to work on for about 2 years
So, I decided today was the day to Start
It's going to take a Loooonggg time


It has to do with paint
Blue paint to start with
 

And these tools
 

I'm not an artist or a painter
I'm just a girl who Loves the beach
And since I have a pool
I had this crazy idea to paint a beachy mural
On the wall behind my pool
 

I wish I knew someone who has a paint sprayer 
That I could borrow
But, Alas, I don't
SO, I am painting the back wall by hand
 
 And yes!
It's a big wall

MUCH more painting to be done
I could only muster 6 hours worth today
My body is tired
And my hands, back and shoulders feel 
Like they are going to fall off

Next weekend I'll finish the base painting
I hope

And then I'll start the mural

In the mean time
Matthew has a friend coming over tomorrow
And will be staying all week
I have to work too
So, I best get my house in order
And try to get a little rest

I've got mural planning to do........

Have a super Blessed Week!

Friday, February 13, 2015

To Be A Blessing


Hi Friends,

I wanted to share a follow-up from my last post
Because Valentine's Day can be tough for a widow
I decided I needed to be pro-active
And Be A Blessing This Week

Here are a few things I did


The only thing my son every wants for V-Day
Is a box of chocolates
So, I bought him a box to start his week
Unfortunately he has been sick most of the week
But, he did eat the chocolate :)


Next, I have a friend who has been facing a really tough week
So, I slipped a gift card in mail this week
I hope she gets to enjoy a little relax time next week
 

I love getting a small gift for my 3 K's
I got them all wrapped up to give them on Thursday
My K Day
 

I had forgotten to hide the Candy Canes
So, I couldn't get them away from these two cuties
 

Even after I gave them their V-Day gifts
No Candy in the baggies
Just a few little fun play things
 

When the oldest got home from school
She got her little gift
It's always a treat to be able to bless these special girlies
 

I mentioned in my last post about taking a small gift
To your co-workers
Well, I proceeded to make a few sweet treats
 

They didn't cost much
But it was fun to put them together
With tags, ribbons, some confetti strings, etc
And chocolate of course
 

It was fun to walk into the office this morning
With a basket full of little gifts
For All of the Staff members
No, I did NOT make one for myself
 

At lunch today
I made a surprise visit to my K-Bugs' school
And had lunch with her
That was a Super Sweet Time for me

I got home from work at 5 and immediately put on my PJ's

Tomorrow morning I'll get up 
And go spend some time with my mom
I'll take her out for lunch and help her around her place
A great Valentine gift, I say!

Then, I'll rush home and get things ready
For My 3 K's to come over for the night

Their parents are going out on a date
So I get the girls for the late afternoon and night

To Be A Blessing
Yep, That is what life is about

Praying you are blessed this weekend
 

Monday, February 9, 2015

My Valentine Day Challenge for All of Us



Some people call 
Valentine's Day
"Single awareness day"
That it is a holiday for Couples and Kids


In some respects
Media and Marketers 
Have created that image

Many people become 
Sad or depressed when facing this holiday
And I think that is a shame

 
But I'm here to say that
Valentine's Day
Is For Everybody

I understand that it's hard to not have that special someone
In your life to share Valentine Day with
I 'get it'

But whether you are
Married
Engaged
In a Relationship
Dating
Courting
Single
Divorced
Widowed

You can made this Valentine Day
Very Special
And I challenge you to do so


This week I have purposefully planned
Many things to help me be a blessing to others
On Valentine Day

I can't share all that I will be doing
Because I don't want to give away any secrets
But here is a list of things that you can do
To be a blessing to someone on this Valentine Day

Don't sit at home and feel sorry for yourself 
Because you don't have that someone special

Go out and make someones day special


  • Mail a card to someone you have not communicated with for awhile - you may not realize how exciting it is to receive a personal card in the mail, not email, but real mail
  • If you have close co-workers, take in a small bag of goodies to share or get everybody a 'kids' valentine card. How fun to share cards like we did when we were kids
  • Do you know a widow/widower, invite them to lunch or coffee, it may be just the thing that person needs to lift their spirit this valentine day
  • Do you have school aged kids or grands, go to their school and have lunch with them this week. What a sweet surprise that would be
  • Go to a local senior center or nursing care facility, call ahead of time to make sure it's okay, offer to visit with elderly patients who don't get visitors, or read to a group or even play a game with some
  • Take flowers or a card to a hospital and ask someone to give them to a patient who hasn't had visitors or hasn't received flowers. You probably won't be able to just walk into a room but the staff should be very accommodating to your generosity
  • Pay it Forward at the drive thru, that has never happened to me, but I have certainly paid for others behind me and it feels so good
  • Do you live in a warmer climate where there are homeless on the corners asking for money when you drive by, carry some extra bottles of water with you, tape a few dollars to them and give them out if you happen to drive by someone in need / Use caution, stay safe, don't be foolish
  • What about the cold climate areas, do you have extra blankets/throws around your house, I know I do, keep a couple in your car, give one away if you run into (not literally) someone who could use one / Use caution, stay safe, don't be foolish
  • Offer compliments to people you pass, at the bank, store, gas station, etc 
  • These are just a few ideas of ways you can bless somebody's life this week
  • It doesn't have to cost lots of money, just something simple and inexpensive or Free to bless someone

If you have other ideas
Please share in the comments

Let's go out
Make someone's day

Please don't sit home and be sad
You will never know how Blessed you will feel
Until you Bless someone Else

Can't wait to hear your stories
 

Sunday, February 8, 2015

And The Winner Is .....


Hi Friends

Last week I asked you to 'Caption' this photo
I Loved so many of the captions
And it was a tough job to choose just one winner

Because it was Super Bowl Sunday
I was thinking of something like
"Tail Gatin"
But we got some great captions

And ... This winner is ...


Karren Reed whose Caption read

Why does she "ALWAYS" get to drive??

I actually laughed when I read it 
Because I think I may have heard those words
A time or two :)

Thank you to everybody who added their captions

Here are two runners up

My SIL wrote: 
I need to get a new driver. This isn't where I wanted to go at all.

And my friend Carol wrote: "What, out of gas already?" 

I think I may do one of these every month 
Then you all have more chances to win

Congrats to Karen
I'll send an email to get your address

Blessings to All

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

The Best Part of Super Bowl Sunday and a Find...


It is true 
That I was quite pleased to see 
New England win the Super Bowl
And there were a few good commercials
Yet, those weren't the best part of Super Bowl Sunday

Nope!
The BEST part was
Watching my 2 boys and 3 granddaughters play


Son #1 bought this Mustang for K-Bug when she was 18 months old
All three K's have loved to play and drive it
As well as numerous cousins

However
I don't think anyone has had as much fun
As those 5 kiddos had on Super Bowl Sunday
Even though they lost a rider 

They all laughed and laughed
Until the 2 boys
ran out of energy

Can you see how happy they were

Caption the above photo
I'll choose the best for a Give-Away
Just leave your caption in the comments

Stopped by the Good Will today
Found these 2 doilies and all of these cute buttons
For only $2.99

With Valentine's day only 10 days away
I definitely have ideas for these great pink, white and red buttons

Thanks for stopping by 

Make sure to leave a your caption
For a chance to win a Give-Away

Blessings

Sharing At Jann's