What I've Been Up To

Well Hello Sweet Friends

I am feeling some better

My numbers are telling me I should be

I think the excessive Heat we have been enduring

Over the past few weeks

Has also added to my lack of energy

However as my energy begins to increase

I am taking care of a few 'small' projects around the house

I bought this old buoy several months ago

To put out by the pool

I finally started painting it

It still needs a bit of touch up

But I think I will like it being freshened up

This metal flag needed some color restoration as well

That's better

My dear friend Lee was in town from Louisiana

I'm so thankful for her friendship

And being able to get together for a nice lunch

As well as some much needed chat time

Now that it is summer

I have all 3 K's on Thursdays

We hit the library this past week

And of course, The Pool 

After about 8 years of dark red drapes in my LR
I have finally decided to lighten things up

Out with the Red

In with the White

Washed, Dried, Folded

Ready to stow away or Give Away

I've also been blessed to watch this large family

Of Quail Grow Up

I've seen them nearly every day for a few weeks

They are getting so big

I think they are almost ready to leave the nest

Hoping to catch up on blogs this week

And get back to regular blogging very soon

Praying that you have a

Blessed Week Ahead

The Week In Photos

Hi Sweet Friends

It's been busy this week

And I didn't have time to do any decorating

So, I thought I'd just share a few photos from the week

This is my oldest son and his middle daughter K~Bel

They went to the father/daughter dance at her school Friday night

They had a great time

They stopped by my house afterward

K~Bel's first words to me as I opened the door

With a HUGE smile on her face were:

"Nana, I had SO MUCH SUGAR"

She cracks me up!!

Well, sugar or not

She is a sweet girl

I did a little coloring this week

Very relaxing

And, I needed some relaxation

After working on my taxes this week

We were up all night on Saturday

103+ fever for Madi

Spent Sunday morning in the UC

Influenza B

Tamiflu, fluids, Ibuprofen and rest in the days ahead

Hoping to get some sleep tonight

Watching the Super Bowl this afternoon

So far, so good

We'll see

Who are YOU rooting for?

Well, that is, If you are a football fan!

See my Header photo?

Well, Yeah!

Ummm...Stress will do that to you

I'm praying you have a great week

Remember

Valentine's Day is not just for Couples

Lots of single folks find this week hard or sad

Please

Be intentional about blessing someone you know

Give an extra Hug

Hand out little pieces of Yourself this week

You will be glad you did!!!!

Blessings to ALL

A Bit Random

Hi Friends,

Wow, I cannot believe it has been a week since I blogged 
It's just been a busy season at work
And my son had friends over all week
So, I guess I have been a bit preoccupied

I don't have a lot to share tonight
But I thought it was time to check in

How is everybody doing?
I hope to get by your blogs tonight!

I was at my mom's new home today

I'm continuing to help her get settled

She's doing so well

And Loving her new place

The above photo was taken in her back yard area

I'm not sure what type of flower this is

But they are blooming so beautifully right now

It was 117 yesterday and I think about the same today

I sure don't know how these flowers survive

But it was nice to sit outside and see something so pretty

Even in the heat of the day

Because I have been so busy with other things

I haven't taken much time to pamper myself

I felt like this afternoon was a good time

So, I took 30 minutes lighten my pearly whites

And another 30 minutes or so

To darken my not so pearly greys

And, a good time was had by {me}

On the way home from my mom's this afternoon
I stopped by Green Table Gifts
To pick up a couple items I needed to make my first
Pocket Letter Pals Set
AND ...
I found this beauty that I just couldn't come home without
It doesn't look very big in this photo
But it is 33 x 17
And the perfect size to be re-loved
For a project I have been wanting to do
And, best of all, it was only $18

I praying for a quiet evening so I can come visit your blogs
Have a wonderful Sunday
May you find Joy in something simple today

Blessings ~~~


Let The Craziness Be Over ... Please!

Hi Friends,

It has been a crazy few days

And I, for one, am ready for life

To return to 'normal' - Whatever that is

Update 1

My brother will have surgery on the 19th

Fortunately it is gallbladder and they didn't have 

To remove it urgently

He's been able to prepare for surgery

Which is better than having to do it immediately

It is SO painful to have an attack though

Glad he is feeling better

And that will soon be taken care of for good

Update 2

My health

I wish I knew what was going on

But I started having terrible body aches on Monday night

I didn't sleep much but went to work Tuesday

Only to turn around and go home after 2 hours

I slept most of Tuesday and have been home 

All day today as well

My body is still achy, just not as bad

I don't have influenza

And no other symptoms

Oops...I do have a fever now

I'm hoping to feel better very soon

And be back to having a better attitude

I've been a bit grumpy :(

I had gotten up for a couple hours last night

Just to eat and get out of bed for a bit

As I was getting ready to head back to bed

I heard this::

Circling above my house

When I peeked out my front window

I saw someone in my front yard

Dressed kind of like this:

And several of these:

I immediately made sure all the doors and windows were locked

And kept looking out front

At least 6 police officers were in between my house

And the house next door

The helicopter circled for at least an hour

The police left after about 1 1/2 hours

Through phone calls and social media

I found out that a neighbor was having his motorcycle repossessed

And evidently that didn't sit to well with him

So, he allegedly threatened with a gun

Not sure of the details but...

In the end nobody was hurt

And all ended well

That is, except for those of us who lost sleep

Oh my achy body :)

And,

Because I want to end with something HAPPY

I get to see this precious woman

In Just 10 days

Sending Blessings To All

A Bit Random Today

Hi Friends!

I am just sharing a bit of randomness today

Do you remember this photo I shared from 

My trip last weekend to Rusty Saturday

I mentioned that I purchased one item in the photo

I wish I had purchased the cute little pig

However I DID purchase this fun turtle

Because I thought it would be Perfect

For my granddaughters to have outside their Cottage

 

He was definitely a Hit

Lots of smiles today while they played with and on him

 

The above photo (sorry for the poor quality)

 Is something I received in the mail after my vacation

My friend Melanie of Melanie Dorsey Designs

Gifted my one of her canvas paintings

She has talked about doing a painting with a focus on:

"She Considers It Joy"

Melanie told me that she prayed for me the entire time she painted this

And wanted me to have it

What she didn't realize was the very difficult event we were walking through

 On the days she was painting it

It was Totally a God Thing

I keep her on my desk in my home office

She reminds me to Consider All Things With Joy

And to challenge myself to try new things

Love Her

You can find Melanie's Blog Here

 

A few days ago I received this sweet gift in the mail

From another blog friend

Carol from Art and Sand 

She was making some pillows and did not care for how this one turned out

Through a series of comments and emails she graciously sent it to me

As well as the fall banner that she made

So very kind and very much appreciated

There's a little something headed to her house as well :)

 

 I won a blog contest a couple weeks ago

I received this awesome emergency kit from

Kris at Junk Chic Cottage

It is filled with the greatest assortment of goodies

That every person needs to have close by

I've already used a couple of the items

(The Tums have come in handy the past couple of nights)

Kris has a super blog and is SO creative at decorating her home

 

When I ordered cards from Melanie Dorsey Designs

I had no idea that they would come so sweetly packaged

All of her orders are wrapped in vintage hymnal pages or other special paper

 

She also tucked in a special little sachet that I LOVE

Aren't these cards just beautiful

Melanie does an original water color painting

And then prints them on note or greeting cards

You can find her on Etsy here

 

I have been blog buddies with this beautiful lady for about 1 1/2 years

We have been talking about meeting up for at least a year 

But life just gets busy

I finally had the great pleasure of meeting her in person on Wednesday

Carol from An Oasis in the Desert 

Is a true joy to visit

AND her Craft Room is to die for........

Such a talented woman, she is!

She gifted me these hand crocheted dish cloths 

That I absolutely LOVE
I finally have my first bit of blue that I have been thinking about adding to my decor

Yes, totally random stuff today

But people I wanted to thank

And women I wanted to share with you

Every one of them is SO creative

You must visit their blogs/etsy shops

Have a super Friday and weekend ahead

I hope to finish my LR wall this weekend

But I'm also going to Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market

On Saturday so we'll see

Any body going to Scottsdale this weekend?

Love to meet up with you!!!

Just a Few Things That Made me Smile This Week

Last week was extremely emotional for me

So this week

I decided to find some things that

Made Me Smile

Thank you to Kris at Junk Chic Cottage

For sending this cute air freshener

It makes me smile every day

I can not believe that my K~Bug has completed 4th grade

And will be in the 'Big' class on campus next year

I love her SO much

Cousins hanging out together

Always makes me Smile

My Great Niece 'G' 

Was is a super cute play on Wednesday evening at her church

The Agape League

LOVED!!!

And because she always makes me smile

My Niece (who was the drama director of the above mentioned play)

Decided to 'try out' her daughter's costume!

Love things that make me Smile

Especially after an Extremely Emotional Week

How about you?

So Random

A couple of weeks ago

I found these items at Sweet Salvage

Tonight I'm sharing the chair

Eventually I plan on getting a planter inset for the chair

But for tonight I just put this old pot in it

 

It doesn't fit perfectly

But it will work for now

 

I added this ornamental grass

And it is sitting in in the kids seating area on the patio

This is a quick shot of the kiddos seating area

They love to play grown up here

The plant will add to the area

And can you see that the petunia's that the girls planted

Are still growing strong

 

 You may have seen a photo like the one above

On my last post about my youngest grand's 2nd birthday

Well, after I compared my hair to her other grandma's hair

(mine is the 'white' hair)

I HAD to do This

 

 As soon as I got home from work today

I Got Busy

 Now, That's Better :)

On Saturday I found this enamelware pan with lid

For a whoppin' $1

I cannot wait to turn it into a planter

Do you have any randomness going on in your world

Do Share :)

It All Started at Glendale Glitters

It was December 2005

When Glendale Glitters got me started on a new collection

A cute little vintage shop

It's just a tiny red bowl I said

I put it back a couple of times

However, it won and came to a new home

Over the years
More little red/white bowls have joined the family

They just speak to me
Take me home too

They are always tiny little prices too
Matching their tiny statures
 

Almost always found at cute little
Boutiques or Vintage Shops

Over the years that one little red bowl
Has been joined by many more
I've only shared a few here
These are the cuties that sit on my microwave
I use them regularly
But it is amazing how one $5 purchase
Led to a collection of tiny red bowls

There are more bowls out in the garage cabinets
Red/white and other colors as well

Sure do love my little red bowls

Do you have a collection that kind of started accidentally?
Do Share!!!