Ramblings

For some reason I have just stopped taking pictures.  Until lately I would stick a camera in your face every time you turned around.  I don't think it is because I had to stop carrying my Cannon in my purse all the time ( first thing Dr said when he treated my shoulder), because I love using my IPhone to snap pictures.  
I see perfect opportunities to take lovely pictures but I am kinda in the "just enjoying it myself" mood.
Yesterday I spent the morning with my sister Louise.  Her youngest grandkids came over for a visit and when that happens she always calls me so I can share time with them. (she a sweet sister isn't she).
My 4 year old great niece and I had a wonderful time painting birdhouses.  My sister is going to put them along her fence in the back yard.  When she gets them put up I will take a picture of them.  My sister has the prettiest most interesting yard.  I think she got all the creativity genes in our family.  I have always thought that was a little unfair, she gets the creativity and my younger sister gets the skinny gene, what do I get?  The I LOVE TO EAT gene.
It is so very, very, very HOT here, we should be 101 today. It's not just the heat, it's the humidity. You step out the door and you can't breath. 
So I am going over to my sis's again this morning and we are going to organize her craft room. That is another gene I got organizational skills, I LOVE to organize, my stuff, your stuff, anybody's stuff.
Stay cool.

Nice Weekend

While it wasn't exactly like the picture below, we had two lovely family gatherings this weekend and I am pooped.

Nothing I like better than spending time with my extended family and I was really blessed to get a lot of that this weekend. 

On Saturday we celebrated a great niece's birthday,  she is such a sweet little thing and I love to spend as much time with her as I can.  But oh my Lord, it was hot and humid.  It was an outside party and it was warm!

Sunday, a cousin and her husband came down from Chicago where they had flown in for the weekend, so we gathered everyone together again.

This was inside, ah, much better.  It was fun to talk about old times and family stories. 

It was even more fun to spend time with all my nieces and nephews, which is something I don't get to do very often.

They are all growing up so fast, I wish they would stop doing that! 

My standing joke with my baby brother is to ask him " how old are you, fifty right?".  And he laughs and give his correct age, which right now is 56. And then I moan and groan and yell, you can't be 56 cause that makes me 62, I can't be 62, are you sure you aren't 50? 

How dare he get older, doesn't he know he is pushing me  right along with him and I am way older than him, ungrateful little punk, the least he could stay is stay 50 a few more years.

This little conversation gets a laugh out of him every time.

Nice day today a little cooler.Have a good one.

Continued Heat Wave = Boredom

It has been so hot and humid lately, you don't dare step outside.

So what do you do when it's too hot and humid to do anything, do you play around with your IPHONE and download some photo editing app's and have fun.

Stay Cool!

Sunday Praise

My gift to you this beautiful Sunday morning.

Praise the Lord - Hair Appointment Today

Isn't it strange how you can just go bopping along in life, everything going well, then you wake up one morning and YIKES!!! What happened to my hair.  

Yesterday I had a cute little cut, such a pretty natural color with all the lovely highlights and then I wake up today and have a rat's nest with icky gray roots out to here!!

It always amazes me how that happens.   I need to win the lottery and then I could afford to have it done every three weeks and I would never have to have to experience that scary moment again.

I think I am going to go shorter today. I am thinking of this cut.

I would normally have many discussions with Judy before I would commit to this type of decision but what the heck, I'm just going to do it.  That's the one good thing about hair, it grows back.
We have a very busy weekend, a family party each day.  I love weekends like this.  I love my family and I love spending time with them.
My sister started her radiation treatment for her brain tumor, so far so good.  I hope it takes a long time before her brain starts to swell and she has problems. 
Stay cool.
If the hair turns out I will share with you, if not I may be shopping for a wig.

It's Done

Everyday last week I said those words to Jay "It's Done" and every day I decided I needed to add just one more plant or one more pretty.

But now it really is done, in a few years when the plants spread out it will be so pretty. 

Because we are gone so much I have to have perennials and they have to be drought hardy because I am not always here to water them in the summer. 

So last year I started by putting in plants all around the fence line. 

And then this year I decided to put in a perennial border around the patio.

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The last little touch I wanted to add was this stacked pot design my sister had done at her house.

(you should see her yard, it is so gorgeous)

It is really simple, just put a piece of rebar in the ground and thread the pots through the hole in the bottoms.

I used a new miracle grow product that is supposed to retain more water.  It is crazy stuff, when you water it swells up and out. Don't think I like it.

So I am now really done. 

Or am I.

Remember we put a pad in for the coach in the back yard. Well J is going to put a patio in  by the door with a paved path to our big patio.

I thing that patio and path might need some flowers too, what do you think?

Too Darn Hot and Humid!

It isn't even 9 am and the air is on.  It is so hot and humid here it's crazy.
It is only the middle of June, what the heck is going on. Yesterday it 93 and today it will climb higher, at least 95 and yet higher still Wednesday.  The humidity is devastating. I hate humidity, hate, hate, hate.  Sorry lost control there a moment. 
Yesterday,  I stayed inside and cleaned all day.  The house was long over due, so it was time to "get 'er done". 
Then watched my #2 guy in NASCAR, Dale Jr., win the race, with my #1 guy come in second.

We have a family get together on Sunday for about 20 - 25 of us and no menu planned.  I think I am going to make Cowboy Caviar.  We had it in AZ last winter and it was really tasty. Problem is I have two recipes and I don't remember which one he had.  Maybe I will just go iny meny miny moe.

Think I might take a little nap before I do anything.  I was up looking at Pinterest at 2:30 am, having a little insomnia problem lately.
Stay Cool!!

Sunday Praise

Making Memories

Going garage selling with my big sister tomorrow. For years and years when I was working, I couldn't wait  'till I was done with it and she and I could just bum around. 
We don't need nothing, probably won't buy nothing, but we sure will have fun looking. 
She is looking for old china plates to make a border for her garden.  Her yard is so pretty.  When she gets this part with the plates done I will take a picture and show you guys.
She made a tilted pot arrangement kinda like this

and I got the stuff to make one too.  She put a piece of rebar through the holes in the pots. I will post a picture of it too when we get mine done.
This is how I dreamed it would be when I stopped working.  Now the only thing that would make it perfect would be for our baby sister to retire. 
She promises she will do just that first quarter of next year and I'm holding her to it.
Making memories, that's what it is all about!!

With a little help from my friends....

My older sister has a non malignant  brain tumor. She has had it for a little over six years.  It has just sat there not growing, not causing any problems.  This year the pesky little thing started growing. And now because it is getting a little to close to the spinal column and her cochlear nerve something has to be done about it.

So, starting Monday for the next six weeks, Monday thru Friday she will go in for radiation. I know she is going to sail right through this and we will get back to enjoying our summer.  But because this is radiation to her brain, there might be some swelling, which will cause some nauseous  and vomiting  as the brain swells in reaction.

So my friends, my blogging buddies, I am asking you to lift my sister up these next six weeks.   She is scheduled to go on an annual mission trip the first weekend in August.  It's going to be close, but she dearly loves to do this mission trip.  She goes to east St. Louis to take school supplies and back packs and school uniforms that have been purchased with donations to the children of that area.  She always prepares a craft for the women involved, it is her specialty and I want her to be there to do it.

Please lift my sister up to our heavenly father, so that she will be able to serve him on the mission trip to St. Louis this year. 

Thanks guys

Izzie and Weezie

It's Done

I have been planning out this perennial garden with a bottle tree for what seems like forever.

I researched my plants, making sure they were hardy and drought resistant. We always take off for two or three weeks in the middle of the summer and I don't want to have to ask someone to come over and water.   

I am still a few bottles short, but I have a few people keeping a look out for me.

The pictures make the plantings look a little sparse, but each of them are supposed to spread quickly.

I ordered some rhubarb yesterday, haven't decide where I am going to put it, but J absolutely loves strawberry rhubarb pie and rhubarb is hard to find around here. 

I think the only thing I am missing is a fountain of some type and a kiva!

Good thing J doesn't usually look at the blog, that last sentence would send him right over the edge.

I promised him I was through.

Gratitude

1. Such a beautiful day.
2. My sweet puppy dog companion Izzie
3. Doctors who can figure things out and sometimes fix them.
4. 401K's that help pay those Doctors.
5. Pintrest, my new pastime.
6.My sisters
7. Blue sky, cooler tempatures.
8. Hardwood floors, so easy to clean.
9. A husband with the patience of Job
10. Moody Bible Radio, my other new favorite pastime.
11. Old friends who make an effort to stay in my life.
12. My new bottle tree/in my new garden.
13. That even if it is limited life is enough.
14. Saturday morning breakfast with my brother and sisters.
15. Music, all music, any music, it soothes my soul.

Sunday Praise

Celebrate

Last night the old folks went to out to dinner at Truth to celebrate anniversaries.

Jay and I were married 42 years on June 6

My sister and her husband were married 47 years on June 5

And somebody got a pretty in one of those lovely blue boxes.  Told you he was a good guy.

I love this Man

42 years ago today I married this guy. It just amazes me that we have been married this long. Lot's of people when they first meet J think he is a rough, grumpy old man.  But those who get to know him learn that inside he is a sweet, loving, caring dude. I hope we are lucky enough to have another 42 years (we would only both be 104, hey it could happen).
 He is so very good to me, he spoils me with gifts, he takes care of me without smothering me, he is a wonderful provider, sometimes he drives me crazy ( ok, he drives me crazy a lot) and I thank God every day for giving him to me.

The J a lot of people don't know...

I can talk him into doing the craziest things for me

The boy loves Arizona

He wuvs his Izzie

There are many times I don't want to let him in my house, but he can fix almost anything

Avid fisherman

Loves to travel

Shares his cookies with his friends 

He is a pilot

Happy Anniversary Sweetie, wuv you!!!