Life on the Edge

My Husband's Devotion Published!

2012-01-29T00:45:00.004-05:00

My husband had a devotion published this week in the Upper Room, a daily devotional by the United Methodist Church.

This is a picture of Mike while on our honeymoon. Isn't he handsome? I am so proud of him! He is a talented writer.

Here is his devotional called "God's Plans."

“ I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

— Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

When I divorced, I wondered if I had wrecked my life. Not only had I disappointed my family, but I am a pastor. I am supposed to set an example for Christian living. How could people take me seriously as a spiritual leader? How could I preach about marriage or covenant when my marriage had failed?

But Jeremiah 29:11 promises that God has good plans for us. A curious detail in that verse has caught my attention. The scripture doesn’t say “plan”; it says “plans.” The word is plural. God has more than one plan. Perhaps God has a Plan A for us; but if we mess that up, God also has a Plan B. And if Plan B doesn’t work out, God has a Plan C. And so on.

I doubt that many of us are living Plan A. And people like me may be rapidly approaching the end of the alphabet. Many people feel they have made so many mistakes that if God ever had a plan for them, it must be spoiled. But God does not give up on us. God has more than one way to give us hope and a future. Not only does God have more than one plan; God is at work to fulfill those plans.

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This week I am once again joining in on Spiritual Sundays. Please click on the link to access many other good posts.

And if you're visiting from Spiritual Sundays, please feel free to check out my last post where I shared about my wedding. Yes, I have newly become a pastor's wife!

I Now Pronounce You Husband and Wife!

2012-01-08T00:46:00.017-05:00

It is possible to dream of finding your soulmate. It is possible to find someone who loves you unconditionally. And it is also possible to find him after being single for 11 years and in ones 50's!

It is even possible that this person wants to marry you!

I am so happy to announce that Mike and I are now husband and wife!

Okay, it was way back in June, but it took me a really long time to sift through 350 pictures! Also, my life has been crazy busy since getting married as I have a very long commute to work now, had a new household to clean and decorate, and have been very busy being a pastor's wife, which I love!

Here's my wedding story in pictures. Please click on any of them to enlarge.

The night before the wedding, my daughter Tara and I stayed at a nearby hotel. In that time, I finally finished my toss bouquet and decorated my shoes. I had worn fancy satin shoes when I married my first husband, and decided that this time, I was wearing comfortable flats!

I just added little satin flowers for some bling.

The next morning, my bridesmaids and I went to the hair salon where I had my hair fancy for the first time ever! I found my headpiece and veil just 5 days before the wedding.

At the church, a memorial candle that Mike and I had made in honor of my parents was placed on the altar.

Here's my bouquet and our rings. I made the bouquet myself, and added a vintage brooch for bling.

My children, Sean, Tara,Jared and I before the wedding.

My sweet sons giving me a kiss!

My mother-in-law Nancy is also a pastor and was our officiant.

We showed a little video before the ceremony, and I thought this pic looked cool.

Time to begin!
My future husband waited for me at the alter with his son and best man Holden, and my son Jared.

First came Corinne down the aisle. She is Mike's daughter and my bridesmaid.

My daughter and Matron of Honor Tara was next.

With a big old smile on my face, I am escorted to the altar by my oldest son Sean. Read "escorted"...after all those years on my own, I surely didn't need to be "given away!"

I look more than just a little happy to be up there with Mike, about to be his wife!

We were so blessed to have all these people who care so much about us to be there to witness our happy day.

My son Sean sang "Testify to Love" by Wynona Judd.

The ceremony...

...and finally, we are husband and wife!

I call this pic "Who farted?"

Surely not Corinne...she is too pretty! I swear, she is gorgeous enough that she should model.

Happy husband and wife!

Our new blended family.

The tables were decorated for the reception.

Since I was on a very tight budget, I thought about using my gift boxes as decorations...double duty and doubly economical. They are filled with candy. It also meant less cleanup.

Here we all are at the head table. I found vases to put our bouquets in, and they also served as decoration.

Tara gave the first toast, a lovely poem she had written.

Then Holden gave his toast. Even though he is only 13 and was nervous, he did a great job!

I decided that I wanted to toast my groom. "Because you give me so much love - unconditionally, because you see the girl in me that no one else can see, because I want to give you my love fully and completely, because it all came together so very neatly...and because your butt looks good in jeans, I love you Michael Dean!"

Click on the pic to look at his face, lol. He was initially not really pleased, but later told me it was hilarious! I was plenty amused, as you can see!

This is me just sitting at the table, looking pretty pleased with my married self.

My new children: Corinne and Holden and me.

My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful watercolor painting as a wedding gift. I love it!

A quiet moment with my groom.

"I have to do WHAT for him now?"

My beautiful cake that a friend made for me at cost.

Mike gets the first bite...

...and then it's my turn. We were nice and did NOT smash cake in each others' faces. I think that is so disrespectful!

We decided to serve the cake to our guests.

Our first dance! I chose a very nontraditional song, Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters."

My girls and me, and my new nieces out there shaking our tailfeathers on the dance floor!

All too soon, it was over.

And it sure was fun!!!

Truly, this will stand as one of the very best days of my life!

Spiritual Sundays/Brides/Announcement

2011-05-28T00:28:00.006-04:00

This week, I am participating in Spritual Sundays and am sharing an eDevotion, plus making a very big announcement!

It's been a long time since I last posted, a really long time. I think the last I posted was in January or February, and here it is May already!

So very, very much has happened during that time.

My sweetie Mike and I have been dating for just over a year now.

It was a long, cold, harsh winter.

But spring finally arrived.

I even got a new (to me) car!

Mike wrote another excellent eDevotion, this one about an interesting subject. He titled it:

My Day as a Bride

"“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” Revelation 21:2

Recently a big bridal show came to town and I was there. (It’s too hard to explain why.) They had a huge room full of booths where people sold the kinds of things that brides like. You could browse dresses, flowers, jewelry, cakes, crystal. There were photographers, disk jockeys, travel agents, and hotel managers. One lady would take your ordinary folding chairs and wrap them up in satin sheets which seemed like a bad idea to me because I couldn’t see what would keep old folks from sliding out of there. Caterers had toothpicked samples of their finest grub. A harpist would sit you down and pick a little for you.

But more than anything there were lots of excited young girls. They shot from table to table with no signs of waning enthusiasm. They giggled with their friends or their mothers and tasted cakes and tried on crowns. You could tell this was not work for them. There were a few grooms there too. They didn’t look so good. Most of them had the same expressions that I see on a lot of guys in church on Mother’s Day – like they were there against their will.

Like I said, the young ladies were the highlight of the day. They were so excited about becoming brides – and why not? I am too. According to scripture the Church will be the bride of Christ, and I owe it to those girls for reminding me what a big deal that is. It’s something to squeal about.

It seems to me that lent, if you care anything about it, is a time to prepare ourselves to be the bride. Lent can seem pretty gruesome, with all its thorns and ashes and fish dinners. But this is also a time for excitement. It’s a time to get ready for the Biggest Day of Your Life – and then to live happily ever after."

Maybe some of you have already guessed the reason why he was at a bridal show. In late February, Mike asked me to be his wife!!!

His church was very excited to learn that he was going to have a wife. Rumor got out ahead of time, so our big announcement came as no surprise. They were ready for us, with signs declaring their congratulations!

This is as close as we are going to get to an official engagement portrait.

Mike was pretty happy when I told him he didn't have to buy me a ring, as it has been my heart's desire to wear the ring that belonged to my grandmother. She became a bride in 1920, I believe!

The very first thing I did was buy a wedding dress! I was hoping for a proposal, so had already been searching eBay for a dress. I was very lucky and found one that I loved for only $111, and it was brand new with tags!

I found lovely earrings on sale for $10. The aqua and lime green are going to be my colors.

I'm making my own bouquets. Mine will be somewhat similar to the one pictured. I love hydrangeas and roses! Hydrangeas grew in my grandmother's garden.

This is the style of dress my bridesmaids and I selected, except it will be a lighter blue called "pool."

My future step-daughter Corinne will be a bridesmaid, and my daughter Tara is going to be my matron-of-honor.

A young woman that I knew from church since she was a little girl is starting a cake business and offered to do the cake at cost! This is a picture that she is using for inspiration.

Hopefully, I will be posting more pictures as I prepare for my wedding day, which is rapidly approaching: June 18, 2011! And if any of you reading this are pastor's wives, I would really love some input on what I can expect in that role. In three weeks, I'll be a preacher's wife!

Celebrating November and December

2011-01-06T17:41:00.012-05:00

Well it has been almost two months since I last posted. Oops! I really think that I will be doing well if I manage to post once or twice a month. I have a very full life these days, and time spent with my honey and in going to church, along with working some overtime and spending time with my kids, has really kept me busy.

Oh! My boyfriend, Pastor Mike, has just begun his own blog Soul Nachos. Please visit him. He will be doing eDevotions and sometimes sermon snippets. He is just getting started and only has one post so far, but I love his little nuggets of wisdom. He has a very folksy, relatable way of getting his story across that I just love. It's one of the things that attracted me to him before we actually met in person. If you do visit, please leave a comment and let him know I sent you. Pretty please!

The fall season began with me finally getting around to decorating my porch for autumn. Since money is especially tight right now, I used only things that I already had.

We had a fairly warm autumn, so I was still able to sit out on my porch occasionally.

Next thing you know, it was Thanksgiving. I worked third shift the night before and went straight to work cleaning house and preparing for dinner. My table setting was not too different from last years, but in a different home.

This year the centerpiece was my wreath from outside, and a cornucopia shaped planter.

Family started to arrive!

My sweetie Mike carved the turkey.

My son Jared's girlfriend Kylie, of the pretty gray-blue eyes, was able to join us and took her place beside him at the table. My older son Sean and my brother Dave were there too.

Here are all three of my children and my little brother.

On the other side of the table were my brother Dave again, daughter Tara, and sweetie Mike. Not sure why my son-in-law Mike S. is missing from that empty chair. He was there, I swear!

Even my dummy dog Jake got in on the action, scavenging for goodies underneath the table. He didn't have to go far. I found out a couple years ago that the kids were slipping him scraps!

Soon enough, it was time to decorate the porch for Christmas! Again, I used things that I already had around the house. My poor Santa was so much worse the wear since he was always being blown over at the last couple places we lived. I had to use Gorilla Glue to put him back together. Almost good as new!

I loved how my lit tree looked through the window. The metal blinds inside the window panes made it look like lights were streaming down.

My honey, Pastor Mike, decided to do an advent series on The Christmas Carol and donned Ebenezer Scrooge-type jammies for a couple Sundays. Then he dressed as the Ghost of Christmas Future, complete with a Scrooge's headstone that he had crafted.

All three of my children and my son-in-law were here Christmas morning. I love that they are all adults now. They didn't even try to wake me until 10 in the morning. Later in the day, my brother Dave and my sweetie Mike joined us all for dinner.

I had it all set for Christmas with special plates, placemats and candles.

Here is the centerpiece that I found at Goodwill last year for only $3. I added a trio of candles that I purchased at a deep discount during post-season sales last year.

Yummy food! Candied yams, green bean casserole, and ham were among the goodies served.

Everyone looked ready to eat, including my brother Dave,my son Jared, and my sweetheart Mike.

My daughter Tara and her hubby Mike S. took their places at the table.

Dinner was good! Wow, I really love that empty box decoration in the background filled with stuff that was thrown in hastily after Christmas morning.

I had a home party in November, and got this cool beverage server. I put it in the freezer before so that it would keep the apple cider cold.

Mike's favorite gift EVER was this camera I bought him for Christmas! I'm so glad he liked it.

As you can see, he had a lot of fun with it.

So no pics of me? Okay, here is one from November on a day that Mike was visiting. He did a pretty good job as my photographer!

Hope that all of you had a great holiday season too, and a very Merry Christmas! I'll be visiting when I can.

A Li'l Luau!

2010-11-09T20:28:00.005-05:00

What fun I had this weekend! I was hostess for a home party, and it gave me a great excuse to do a tiny tablescape as the theme for the party was Hawaiian Luau. It also gave me a great reason to clean my house, and it probably won't be quite this pristine again for a while.

I had so much fun putting this together! Just a tropical green bottle with faux lilies, a pineapple, coconut, and bananas placed on a bright strip of fabric, and tied with coordinating ribbon.

The Hawaiian-looking napkins were left over from my son's birthday party over a year ago.

I even wore this tropical print shirt. It was purchased this summer at Goodwill for a luau at a camp event.

Though I had invited many people, only one person...just ONE!...was able to make it. So disheartening. This is why I never hold home parties. *sigh*

A post by my friend BJ at Sweet Nothings (she's in my sidebar) got me to thinking about tables. When I got my first apartment, my parents gave me their old drop leaf table. I loved it because when it was just my daughter and I, I would drop both ends down and it was perfect for the two of us. When I had a party or get-together, like the little party I just had, I could put the ends up and put the leaf in the center, and have enough room for 8-10 people. I loved it! Alas, during a home move, my ex dismantled it and didn't put it back together right, so nothing slid into place any more, plus my children just about ruined it during their young destructive years.

I have a table that I adore now, but sometimes I do miss that little table, especially when I lived in my last apartment which had less room for my dining room table.

Some of you may have guessed, and yep, this is a teaser post for another great CSN review! I absolutely adore the beautiful lamp I got with my gift certificate last time. I was floored with their quick shipping. Stay tuned to see what I review next, and please do click on the link above to check out some drop leaf tables.

Maybe you'll find one to love as much as I loved my table!

I'll leave you with a recipe for a dish I served at my luau. So easy to make, and really delicious, even for those who normally don't like a dessert with Jello:

Pineapple-Lime Delight

1 can crushed pineapple
1 6 oz. pkg lime Jello
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip

Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. Add enough water to the juice to measure two cups. Boil and stir in gelatin. Add to bowl and chill until thick (like molasses), but not solid. In another bowl, mix together the softened cream cheese and the fruit. Add into the thickened Jello, then fold in Cool Whip until all is mixed thoroughly. Chill.

You can also make this with sliced strawberries instead of pineapple, and strawberrry gelatin instead of lime. I like that version even better, and sent my honey home with the strawberry dessert tonight.

Stay tuned...in addition to the upcoming review, there is more excitement in the works!

Hiking at Goll Woods

2010-11-05T13:05:00.009-04:00

My sweetheart Mike, his children, and I took a walking tour of a state park last month. Our visit was to Goll Woods in Fulton County, Ohio, and a park ranger led a group of people along the trails, pointing out interesting things.

It was an unseasonably warm day, about 75 degrees, so there was a nice group of people. Right before the tour began, the ranger pointed out a little woodland critter, and here is the group getting a gander of this...

...a little frog! Not sure what kind of frog, but it was native to the woodlands.

One of the first things we learned about was the paw paw tree, which grows a fruit that tastes similar to a wild banana. There were none left for us to try though as the deer and squirrels got first dibs.

There were some very tall trees here. This is one of the very few remaining virgin forests in Ohio. Here is Holden craning his neck to look up at one while Corinne keeps her eyes close to the boggy area on the ground.

This is the largest oak in the area.

I kept taking pics of Mike because I think he is so cute! Love this pic of him.

I thought this rotting log was interesting as it was covered in moss.

The ranger was pointing to this tree and telling about how the peeling bark is often a good place for bats to nest and live. Glad I didn't see a bat!

I thought the tree stump was interesting too.

Red leaves in the trees. Unfortunately, due to the dry summer, there were not as many pretty red leaves as usual.

I liked the look of the sunny sky through the tree branches.

More pretties on the trail.

This tree looked interesting, especially the roots. I think that the roots on the right side of the second pic look a lot like a dragon's head.

The group on the move.

I couldn't resist a pic of my honey's cute butt as he hiked.

Holden in profile.

And Mike in profile.

A closeup of Corinne who has no idea of how beautiful she is!

And a pic of the three of them. No pics of me today. I was called home unexpectedly due to my son needing a ride to work, two hours earlier than he planned.

I found a pretty red leaf untrampled on the trail.

These heart berries were pretty. Bet they would be nice in a romantic centerpiece for the table.

More things that I found to be photo-worthy on the trail.

Before we left, we also toured an historic barn on the property. It is about 150 years old and was recently restored and being shown for the first time that weekend.

The view through a door in the barn. I call it "Oops, your barn door is open, but wow, I sure do love what I see!"

On the way to my car, I spotted this trail through a pine forest. It beckoned to me, so I will have to come back another time to explore.

A tree tunnel! I think these are so cool, and there are more down the road. What a unique way to leave the park!

It was a great afternoon with my sweetie and his great children. I liked that it was also totally free. You really can have fun in these trying times if you look for events like this. We all learned a little something too.

Hope you are still having wonderful autumn days!

Spiritual Sundays/Joy -- Sermon Excerpt

2010-10-31T02:19:00.003-04:00

Once again, I have been absent from Blogger for the better part of a month. For two weeks straight, I have worked 14 hours of overtime. In addition to that, I have been trying to keep my home clean (a never-ending process), trying to see my sweetie as much as possible before he goes to Kairos (prison ministry), and trying to get a decent amount of sleep despite it all (unsuccessfully).

Coming up, I have an autumn trip through a forest, and some fall prettiness on my front porch, but first...

With no further ado, I am sharing an excerpt from my sweetheart's recent sermon. I was delighted that he mentioned my dog. I have to say, he is right on the money in what he says about my little Jack Russell dog Jake. Oh, he looks so innocent here. "Berry Sweet" and "Berry Good" it says. Ha! Not quite. Anyhow, this is what Pastor Mike had to say. And I have to admit, I enjoyed every bit of it!

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"I have a friend who has a dog. I don’t want to sound bad, but this is the most useless dog I’ve ever seen in my life. This dog would have to improve a lot to be as smart as a lamp. He makes messes on the floor, he barks at the wall. He bites sometimes for no reason. But still, I have to say I kind of like this dog. I have a soft spot in my heart for this dog. Because every time I go over there this dog nearly turns himself inside out because he is so happy to see me. He has this little stub of a tail and he almost wags it right off. And he’s happy about everything – you know how dogs are. You feed the dog and the dog is happy and dancing around – oh boy, oh boy, I’m going to eat the same thing I ate yesterday and the day before and I just can’t wait! You take the dog in the car – oh boy, oh boy, I get to go in the car – this is the greatest thing ever! And I think, why can’t Christians be as smart as dogs? How’s come dogs are better at showing joy than Christians are? We have so much to be happy about – we have so much to be excited for, but you would never know it most of the time!

OK, I read this and its supposed to be true – I have my doubts though. But even if it isn’t true it’s a good story. When missionaries were in the northern part of Alaska they were trying to translate the Bibles for Eskimos, but there were some problems. Any time you go to translate the Bible in any culture, there’s a difficulty in translating some words because cultures and languages don’t always have the same words. There was no word in the Eskimo language for joy. And as they were trying to translate joy, biblically, they drew from experience. And as they watched, they saw that the happiest, the most joyful moments in those Eskimo villages were in the evening when they fed their sled dogs. They’d go out, and the dogs would yelp and wag their tails and get all excited. And so, out of that experience, they pulled the word for joy: "wagging their tails." So like, for instance, in that passage where it says, "The disciples, after the resurrection, saw Jesus and they were full of joy," in the Eskimo version it would read, "When the disciples saw Jesus, they wagged their tails." Why can’t we wag our tails?"

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I wonder why we don't show more joy. We live in an incredible world. Even on my worst days, I can look out my window and see something to be joyful about. This earth we live on is so beautiful.

Sometimes joy is a choice. We can choose to look out the window on a fall day and see all the leaves on the ground and think about all the raking we have to do, and how we dread the approaching cold winter temps and weather, or we can look out that window and instead see the beautiful colors in the trees, and we can go outside to enjoy the sound of the crunch of leaves under our feet, the smell of autumn in the air, and enjoy marshmallows roasted over a bonfire to create s'mores.

Mike used a passage from Romans 5 as inspiration, which includes the verse, "And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." He leaves His glory all around us! All we have to do is look for it and take joy.

And if we get so excited that we wag our little (or not so little) tails in joy, well then, isn't that just a testament to His awesomeness?

C'mon and shake your tailfeathers....I know you can do it!

Have a great week. And for more Spiritual Sunday goodness, head on over here.

Spiritual Sundays/eDevotion -- Blind Date

2010-10-09T23:38:00.006-04:00

It's time for Spiritual Sundays. This week, I am sharing a post about love...God's love and the love that we as humans seek from each other. The author of the eDevotion is my sweetheart, Pastor Mike. This one is called "Blind Date."

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Blind Date

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers." 2 Corinthians 11:24-26

I was sipping some kind of harsh Kenyan brew at a coffee shop in Toledo. The woman across the table from me was surprisingly lovely, and our conversation was pleasant enough. Then at some point she excused herself to go to the ladies room. She took her purse.

I got down a whole cup of that blistering hot coffee and started another before she got back, apologizing like a monk in sackcloth for taking so long.

No more than a minute went by and her cell phone rang. She said, "I’m sorry, I better get this." Hey, I understood. It was her friend – her car had broken down and she was stranded at work and her boyfriend couldn’t pick her up and could she please, please come and get her and take her home?

My date apologized again and then the evening was over.

I sat there fascinated. Never in my life have I watched a grown adult perform such an intricate act of unmitigated horse manure. Never have I seen anyone work so hard just to get away from little old me!

Now, before you feel sorry for me being dumped and all, let me say in all honesty I wasn’t that interested either. Quite frankly I would rather have the story than her any day.

Still, dating can be a real kick in the chitlins. That’s why they write country songs like, "She Ripped My Heart Out and Stomped That Sucker Flat," and "Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried All the Way to Sears."

I could be wrong, but my theory is that God created romance partly to make a point – the more real living you do the more vulnerable you become. And the more vulnerable you are the more real living you do. If you want to be warm and safe climb into a coffin. You can get them now with silk sheets and everything. But if you want love you’re going to take your turn on the whipping post. And if you’re going to live the love of Christ, call your tailor right now and have yourself measured for a cross.

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I might be veering a bit away from the spiritual here, but I thought it would be a great time to talk about how I met Mike. We have been dating 5 months as of today.

I had been alone for 10 years and 5 months as of the day I first met Mike. I jumped into the dating pool almost immediately after my marriage of 12 1/2 years split. Believe me, I felt at times like I was going through all of those things that they talked about in the above Bible verse. I estimate that I had at least one date (and some long term) with about 30 different men in that time. Some were nice sweet guys, but a pretty fair number were quite the opposite. I dated men who turned out to be liars, cheaters; one was a swindler and later went to prison for raping someone. I had been grabbed at, inappropriately kissed and groped. I remember how flat-out dirty I felt after one date who, upon my leaving, full on grabbed my breast. Yes, dating is a sometimes bumpy road. I also met men that I fell for, but apparently, they didn't return my same feelings.

Every single one of those men that I had dated since my divorce were men that I met on the internet. I had tried meeting men in other ways, but no one ever asked me out. Still, I never ever gave up, but in the last couple years had started slowing down on the dating. I figured that if I wanted a good, quality man, I had better start being a good, quality woman.

One day, I was browsing profiles on a site called OkCupid. I can't remember if he spotted me first, or if I was the first to notice his profile, but when I read Mike's profile, I liked what I read. He had a great sense of humor. Then I read that he was a pastor. What? I had an idea of what sort of men I liked, and a preacher was NOT one of those types. Still, I had a feeling that I should write to him. If nothing else, I might have a really nice friend.

We began writing. It's funny, but he lived only 6 miles from my hometown! It was easy to verify that he was exactly who he said he was. Soon we started talking on the phone, and it wasn't long at all before he asked if we could meet. I was happy to say yes, and was eager for our first date. In the past, I might not have been so excited. After a series of dates where you meet someone new and they don't meet your expectations, or you get your hopes up only to have them dashed...well, dating can be something you actually sort of dread after a while. But not in this case. I was ready to be open and vulnerable, and I was really excited about meeting Mike.
(This picture was created by an artist named Doug Hyde)
Our first date was wonderful! After a great meal at a Chinese restaurant, our conversation was flowing so well that we went to a local state park and spent more time talking.

From that point on, we have been seeing each other an average of twice per week, and sometimes even three times a week, even though my home is now about an hour away.

And this week? This wonderful, handsome, sweet man told me he loved me.

That sure makes the trials and trepidations and heartaches of the last 10 years worth it, because if not for that, maybe I wouldn't be as appreciative of a truly good man.

And I thank God for him every single day. I love you too, Mike!

Product Review for CSN stores/ New Lamp

2010-10-07T12:04:00.004-04:00

As many of you online have done, I accepted a gift certificate to CSN stores in exchange for a product review.

And just look at the gorgeous thing that was delivered last week!

I am so in love with this Fangio Country Table Lamp in red.

The gift certificate I was sent was for $40. Now, I had really been wanting a lamp for my black end table as it sits between two chairs, and I didn't have a good reading light. Well, I won't even get into my recent financial situation, but it was just not in the cards for me to be able to buy a lamp.

So when I spied this in their clearance section, my heart did a little flip-flop! This lamp was PERFECT! I was beyond excited to rip open the box and pull out my new treasure.

My kids were more excited about the bubble wrap.

Got to admit, its one of my favorite stress releasers too.

I am so pleased at how pretty this lamp looks in my home. It matches so well with all the other red that I have in my living room.

I am thrilled beyond words with this product.

It came in the mail VERY quickly after I ordered it, and shipping was free! You'll never guess what the cost for this lamp was....$34! The reason for this was because it was on clearance due to having been returned. I cannot imagine any reason that this was returned, because it was just fine. There was not a single thing wrong with it. For anyone else to buy it though, it's going to cost you $84.99, but even that is a markdown from the original price of $164.97. What an amazing bargain I got!

The only negative I could find was the packaging, but this is because someone else returned it to CSN stores, and they did not repackage it before they sent it to me. Also, the original owner's invoice was in the box, as was her address, but the invoice part, that would have been her fault, not the company's. However, the lamp was still securely packed and arrived safely, and the lamp was absolutely just like new. I wonder if the first person had even put it together and turned it on! Didn't look like it. I am very, very pleased, and will be happy to spend my own money someday to purchase from CSN stores.

Disclaimer: Though I did receive a product for free in exchange for this product review, the opinions stated here are my own. I was not influenced in any way by CSN stores as to what I should say about the product. This product review is my own honest evaluation of the product I received.

If you are one of the lucky bloggers who are emailed an offer from CSN stores, I highly encourage you to go for it. I am so happy that I did!

Day Trip to Auglaize Village

2010-10-05T19:23:00.010-04:00

The smell of autumn is definitely in the air. Leaves are just beginning to turn, and Mother Nature has turned down the thermostat. This weekend, I don't think it got above 55 degrees in my neck of the woods. Even though skies were overcast, it was a perfect day for me and my sweetie Mike to go to the Johnny Appleseed Festival at Auglaize Village, an historic museum just a few miles west of my city.

You can tell fall is here when you see all the pumpkins for sale.

One of the first things I saw was this big red barn. Treats were being sold outside and inside.

If I had need of a mailbox (I don't), I would have been sorely tempted to cart this one home with me!

This little birdbath was cute. I took a pic because I figure that one of these would actually be pretty easy to make.

Auglaize Village features rooms, office, and businesses from days gone by. I loved this door to the little dentist office.

It had the former owner's initials etched into the glass.

Now this dentist office looked pretty scary to me. I couldn't imagine some of those instruments in my mouth...no siree!

Next door was the cobbler shop. I was trying to imagine my big feet in these cruel shoes. They are cool, but Mike remarked that he thought they were children's shoes. I don't think so. People were much smaller a hundred or more years ago.

I am enchanted by windows. I always wonder what is just beyond. Ever see that commercial on HGTV where the couple are driving through a neighborhood at night and looking at the houses? Well, that could be me.

Here was a display of keepsakes from years gone by.

My grandmother had an iron like one of these. And we think we have it hard now if we have to iron something.

I was struck by some of the portrayals of old time kitchens. I know that I complain if I don't have a dishwasher. Think of all the hard work it was to wash dishes in sinks like this! If you didn't have a pump in the house, you had to tote in the water.

I do love this blue stove though.

Ugh, washing day was really a chore! Now all we have to do is put the clothes in, push a button to wash them, push another button to dry them, and then all we have to do is hang them up or fold them. Not so hard really when you consider the alternative.

I would love to have carted these home with me!

Outside, vendors were making caramel corn. Yum! There were a lot of things for sale, crafts and also flea market wares, but my camera was being persnickety and I didn't get pics of all of that.

This was the actual office for an old-time phone company in the county.

You didn't get to talk to anyone until the operator connected you!

Just look at these old phones! I grew up with a phone just like the one on the left. Things sure have changed!

I love old insulators. I like the turquoise color.

Next we went to school!

Love these old school desks! Not sure how comfortable they would have been though.

Can you imagine writing with inkwells and quills?

I must be getting old, because I remember going to school in the 60's and having blackboard like these with the alphabet above.

After that, we went by a blacksmith shop. No one was demonstrating the art, which I think would have been fun to watch. One of my great-grandfathers was a blacksmith.

This bellows was huge!

We then decided to go to church. I love old churches. One of the churches that my boyfriend pastors was built in 1875. I think it is really interesting.

I didn't get a picture of the hay-bale maze, but it seemed to be really popular with children. This display was nearby. Ah...fall!

I have always dreamed of living in a log cabin...the modern kind though! These were fun to go through.

Again, me with the windows.

The fire in the fireplace was welcoming and offered visitors a bit of warmth. We climbed the stairs to the left...

...to discover this upper room!

In a time when we all want a walk-in closet, its hard to imagine even a generously sized armoire holding the clothes for a whole family.

The bed frames were really cool, and I loved the quilts, but they really didn't look at all comfortable to sleep on.

Here is another, smaller cabin.

Yet another window.

Interesting mill stones.

I think these are traps for small game.

Not sure what they did with this wheel.

There was another visitor that remarked that "those were the good old days," when viewing the rustic, simple way of life that people used to lead.

You know, although it seems that way, Mike and I both thought of what a hard life it was back then. It seemed that you'd never ever be warm in the winter, and that you'd have to deal with all kinds of vermin coming in through the floor. Life was not easy. We didn't have modern medicine, and many people died during epidemics.

No, while it was great fun to look back into the past, I wouldn't really want to turn time that far back!

On our way out, I spied this old firetruck. My dad, a former fireman, would have loved this.

Right near the exit were these carriages. Mike thought they were too small for adults, but like I said, I think people were a lot smaller back then. We are not far from Amish country though, so it really isn't all that unusual to see people in horse drawn carriages yet today, but they are bigger.

What a fun day we had at Auglaize Village! Mike wants to take his kids there next spring when it's warmer.

Even though it was a chilly day, Mike and I were tempted by the pumpkin flavored flurries offered at the dairy bar behind my apartment. It was raining, so we sat inside his car. I love that they added a little candy pumpkin, whipped cream and cinammon to the treat!

Mike liked his too!

Hope you enjoyed sharing the day as much as we did!

So what do you think...would you trade today's conveniences and go back in time?

Spiritual Sunday/eDevotion -- Crush

2010-10-03T11:51:00.003-04:00

Yikes, I didn't get up any other posts this week! Well, this week coming up, I will be doing a product review, will post on some unexpected nature that I found in my yard, and hopefully, will get around to doing a Pink Saturday. For today, however, I'm participating in another Spiritual Sundays.

I am again sharing an eDevotion written by my boyfriend, Pastor Mike. He writes weekly (sometimes every other weekly) eDevotions that he sends out. I love these! I like his folksy way of telling a story and making me feel things on a personal level. The eDevotion that I am sharing today is called "Crush," and it is my favorite that I have read so far.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Crush

"Is not Ephraim (Israel) my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 31:20

I get a lot of prayer requests, as you might imagine. A recent favorite came from one of our Cub Scouts. He crept up to me on the sly and said, "Pastor Mike, there’s this girl that I really, really like – could you please pray that she will like me too?" I could tell by his face that he was as serious as poison oak.

Now, if I were a good pastor, no doubt I would have gently explained that that’s not the sort of thing one prays for. God doesn’t manipulate people for our benefit, so He’s probably not going to turn up some little girl’s thermostat just to warm her up for you. But I forgot to say that because, well, I just sort of felt for the little dude. He had these big droopy eyes that said, if this girl would just like me all of life would become Wonderland. If she doesn’t, well then stop the world because I want to get off.

You’re going to think I’m cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but that boy is a picture of God. I think God pines for us like an aching puppy lover. What God wants more than anything else – more than he wants us to behave ourselves, more than he wants us to feed starving kids in India – is just us. Our love, our affection, our company. The number one promise in scripture is not "I will forgive you" or "I will help you" (though those are both in there plenty), but it’s "I will be with you." Hoping, no doubt, that we will return the favor.

Pastor Mike, there are these people I’m just crazy about. We’re talking head over heels. I think about them all the time – I can’t even sleep at night. But it’s hard to tell if they even like me. They seem interested in other things. Will you pray, Pastor Mike, that they will like me back?

I’ll give it a shot.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

One of the things I loved so much about what Mike wrote here is that for me, it made our Lord so much more real. It made me feel the love that God has for us and His longing for us to be with Him. It touched me in a way that nothing else has.

When I found this picture, it seemed perfect for this post. Look how much He loves us! Look how much He craves our fellowship!

He can't wait to pull us into His embrace!

Spiritual Sundays/An eDevotion -- China

2010-09-25T22:15:00.006-04:00

I am going to venture out into something completely different for me and am going to be participating in Spiritual Sundays this week, and maybe every Sunday that I manage to get around to it.

You see, this is a really new thing dating a man of the cloth. I never, EVER pictured myself dating a minister! I mean, I haven't even been a church-goer for well over 10 years. Though I have always been a very spiritual woman, and have told people that I am a Christian, I described myself as a "disillusioned, disenchanted Christian." I have encountered a lot of weirdness in the body of Christ. Sad to say, some of the biggest hurts I have ever received in my life were at the hands of those who called themselves Christians. People have said some of the stupidest things to me, feeling that they were sharing through Christ.

It was enough to make me feel like I never wanted to go back to a mainstream church ever again. Still, I longed to be part of a church again. I have longed for that fellowship. But I just didn't know if I could do it.

One of the things I really like about my sweetheart is that he writes eDevotions. He recently even had one published in the Upper Room daily devotional! When I received the following one in my email, at first I wondered if he was purposely stepping on my toes. Read on: and by the way, these are copyright per Pastor Mike, but if you want to use it or share it, I would be thrilled to pass on a message to him so that you can get his eDevotions in your inbox too!

*~*~*~*~*~*
This one is titled "China."

"Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world." 1 Peter 2:12

I’ve never been to China, but I bet it isn’t anything like Chinese restaurants.

For one thing, eating at Chinese restaurants you’d think that a nation of a billion people had only managed to come up with three kinds of soup. Also, fortune cookies aren’t Chinese. (True story – when fortune cookies were first marketed in China they were advertised as "Authentic – just like in America!") And they probably don’t really number all their food like that over there. And anyway, most "Chinese" dishes we see have been mutated into more American-type vittles. I bet when folks from China come here to visit they go to McDonalds, where at least they’ll have some idea what the heck they’re ordering.

What I’m trying to say is, you’d be nuts to make any judgments about the country of China based on your local neighborhood noodle house.

It’s no less crazy to draw conclusions about the Kingdom of God from your experiences with some church. But people do that all the time. Because they have found some congregations to be narrow, bigoted, insensitive, judgmental (you know this list as well as I do) they deduce that they are better off without the whole shebang. They can be "spiritual but not religious." OR, equally erroneous, because some churches have rubbed them that way at a particular time and place they conclude that they all must be that way. Listen, there are many, many churches where the love command is still on the books – where people who are different are welcomed, generosity is practiced, the sick and poor are treated with dignity, and folks are encouraged to use their brains. They just don’t show that kind on TV very much.

And while we’re at it some of those eggroll joints aren’t bad either. At least they’ll get you by until you finally get to make your big trip to China.
*~*~*~*~*~*

Like I said, at first this eDevotion kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I thought, "well, I'm not going to like them all." I also wondered if he was quoting me with the "spiritual but not religious" part, since I say that a lot. Turns out that he wasn't.

It still got me to thinking. Maybe it's time I put aside some of the hurts. As a counselor, I had a whole lesson on Forgiveness. Though I thought I had forgiven all the hurts, I was still letting them affect my life today.

Time to put it all in the past. Time to move forward. Time to stop letting what stupid things other Christians have done to keep me from getting with others and worshipping and praising my Lord again in a church family.

So I am not yet going to my boyfriend's church. For him, it will be a Really Big Deal for me to hear him preach. I'm happy that he so highly values my opinion of his work, and that he wants to be impressive. I've decided to start attending my son's church in the meantime. It still feels a little awkward, and I feel like a little bit of a fake after being out of the loop for over a decade, but the people are warm and welcoming. I feel fed. I feel accepted.

And I feel pretty darn good about it. Hallelujah!

Tablescape Thursday/Everyday Tablescape

2010-09-22T20:46:00.005-04:00

Welcome to another Tablescape Thursday! I haven't participated in quite a while, but I felt it was about time that I shared my every day tablescape with you. For the last few months, this is what my table has looked like. Nothing fancy this time, just giving you a glimpse into how I like my table looking all the time...at least for now.

But before I start, how many of you have thought about the most basic element of tablescaping...the table on which your pretties all sit? I have a table that looks very similar to this table, except my chairs are different.

In fact, my chairs don't even all match, though they did when I first bought them. I found many more beautiful kitchen tables, at Dining Rooms Direct,a division of CSN. Yes, this is a teaser for an upcoming product review that I will be doing! Anyhow, please do check out that site for all the gorgeous dining sets they have there.

It's true though. The table on which you set your beautiful things is important to setting the mood in your dining room or kitchen. I LOVE my table, and have had it for years now.

My current tablescape all started with this pretty placemat. I found four of these at Walmart on sale for $1.50 each. I love the warm reds and golden yellows. It went really well with the table runner that I had purchased online a few years back on eBay.

I had purchased the goldent yellow tablecloth for $5 at Wally World last fall and used it at Thanksgiving. To this, I added my white Gibson dishes, and dark red salad plates, also from Walmart for about $1.50 each. I used my everyday eating utensils.

I have used my grandmother's milk glass glasses for many tablescapes.

I got the iron stars at a home party years ago. I don't know where I would get them any more these days. They are designed to be candle holders, but were originally architectural in purpose. I love stars, which are a big theme in my decorating.

I didn't get elaborate with the tablescape, but felt that I needed a little something extra. I added a red candle with an apple scent, and this little yellow duck that I found at Goodwill. It was originally part of a set that was sold through Home Interiors. I found it for much cheaper at GW!

He makes me feel that this tablescape is just "ducky!"

Ok, I'll stop with that for now!

Please do check out other tablescapes, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. This is such a fun weekly event!

Perhaps one day soon I'll get a little bored with this table setting and do something new. Until then, see you!

What I've Been Up to This Summer, Part 2

2010-09-20T18:12:00.010-04:00

Here I am three weeks after my last post. Since it is the last partial day of summer, I suppose I better update you on the rest of my summer activities!

Before I start though, I would like to note the absence of two of my favorite bloggers, Dot from "Picket Fences" and Heather (Rue) of "Rue's Peanut Butter and Jelly Life" who have apparently left the blogging world during the last week or two. Though I don't know if they will ever see this, I would like to tell them both that they touched my heart when they shared their lives with me and the world, and that they shall be sorely missed. I hope they both come back sometime. Since I can no longer access their blogs, I didn't get to see why they decided to stop blogging, but I want to say that I do understand if they felt that this was best for them. There is NOTHING more important out there than our families, and I feel that this is why they left.

On a happier note, my sweetheart Mike has let me post his pictures on Facebook, so I am sharing a few here now too. We have been dating for just over 4 months now. I really don't like this first picture of us, but its what I have.

Here are a couple pictures I took of him on one of our boat trips. Isn't he cute?

One of the places I got to go this summer was to Jellystone Park at Barton Lake, Indiana, near Fremont. This was a working vacation (as an aide), but so much fun! This is where I got to stay, in one of their deluxe cabins. This picture is from the website.

I took this pic of the lake.

The ceilings were so high! I love pine, so I really liked the cabin interior.

Each cabin was decorated a little differently. I would have loved to "borrow" these curtains for my own home. Of course, I didn't.

One of the camp activities was a luau, so I got some Hawaiian shirts, which I hung with my jacket in the living room.

There was a picture hanging on the wall which I loved because it reminded me of summers spent at Clear Lake nearby during my childhood. More on that in a bit!

The rest of these cabin pictures are from the campground's site, linked above. This is how the cabin where I stayed looked too.

I would love to go back there again someday, but with my own family! It was a lot of fun.

Here I am helping out at one activity.

This was a part of another activity, which was great fun! There were also three pools, and of course, I spent time in one of them!

After three days at camp, I drove home, passing Clear Lake, Indiana, where I spent every summer until after I was 12. My grandparents had owned a cottage here, which my father later inherited. Eventually, they sold the cottage, which broke my heart, but now that I have been a parent struggling to make ends meet, I understand why they did it.

Anyhow, our cottage was just 6 lots down from the public beach. Here is a view from the bluff overlooking the beach.

Then views to the left, and right.

Here is the beach...open to the public. I remember it looking bigger when I was young!

Oh, how I miss that lake and the old cottage, now long gone. My visit sure tugged at my heart and brought a few tears to my eyes.

I made another stop on the way home to visit my sweetie and his children. We decided to take a little trip to George Bible Park near Montpelier, Ohio. There is such a pretty pond there. It's so peaceful.

We took a walk around the pond. Her is Mike in the woods, looking like he is none too pleased that I have poked a camera in his face. Can't help it...he's so cute! Actually, it was about 97 degrees that day and we were sweltering.

Here is his pretty daughter in the park.

And his son standing on a log.

Another pic of his daughter while in the woods.

His son peers into the pond, maybe looking for frogs and minnows.

As Mike and I sat and rested, his son decided to pretend he was airbending/breakdancing at the edge of the pond.

I also took some scenic pics. Pretty yellow flowers!

View from the pond's edge.

A closeup of a green walnut.

Despite the heat, it was a fun day!

Toward the end of August, my sweetie Mike and I and his children took off for a day at Pokagon State Park near Angola, Indiana. This is a lovely place. They have a beach for swimming, picnic areas, and hiking trails. In the winter, they have tobogganing. In case you wonder where my boys are during all these activities, mostly at work, or declining to come along.

We decided to hike trail number three. I was really uspet that I forgot my camera because there were so many beautiful things on the way! This is picture is from this website. These are wetlands near a small lake that we passed on the trail.

Our destination was an overlook called Hell's Point. I found this picture here. It was worth the almost 2 1/2 mile hike!

Following our hike and a picnic lunch, we cooled off in beautiful Lake James and relaxed on the pretty sand beach. I found this pic here. I would love to go back next summer, even if just to spend the day on the beach. The water felt great!

I'm so glad that I had such a wonderful summer, and that for the first time in over a decade, I had a summer filled with love!

But now summer is hours from being officially over, and I am so thrilled to be moving on to autumn, my favorite season!

Until later, enjoy these (hopefully) cooler days! In this part of Ohio though, our first full day of fall is supposed to get to 88 degrees.

Pink Saturday/Pink Tea Party

2010-08-27T23:04:00.006-04:00

It's been a while, but I am once again joining Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for Pink Saturday!

This week I'd like to share a special link. Please visit Katillac Shack to see an amazing room makeover that Kat created for a cancer patient. We need more people like her to bring cheer to people in trying circumstances! She is also having several giveaways for those who leave comments. Also, Guidepost magazine will leave a donation of one dollar for each comment posted, so that others can receive this same kind of gift. It's such a worthwhile cause, and will take only a minute of your time.

Since the last time I posted for Pink Saturday, I have acquired the accoutrements for a pink tea party!

I pulled out my old pink Goodwill tablecloth, and added an old white cover.

My angel statuary takes a turn as a table decoration, with pink flowers in her hair!

I found the pink roses plate at Goodwill for only fifty-five cents, then later found the teapot at a church garage sale for $3!

Isn't that little bud rose at the top precious?

This pink rose is also a Goodwill find for three bucks.

The spoon and knife were part of a giveaway that I won a couple years ago. I've had the perfume bottle for a long time. I think it was a garage sale find.

For some reason, the color isn't quite right here. However, this really is a teacup with little pink roses. I couldn't find the matching plate, so found one that would still complement the cup. Both were fifty-five cents each at GW.

On a trip home from a short vacation, I found this beautiful cup in an antique shop. I was so touched by the "mother" reference, and decided it must come home with me!

This was another lucky find at Goodwill. I think I spent a total of just over a dollar.

I thought that a tea party was the perfect way to share my new pink finds. Won't you come over and have a cuppa?

Please visit Beverly's above-mentioned blog for a list of other Pink Saturday participants.

What I've Been Up to This Summer, Part 1...Boating!

2010-08-21T01:04:00.009-04:00

Since I had been absent from the blogging world for so long, I'm sure that some of you wondered what I have been doing with my summer. Besides work....LOTS!

One of my favorite things is to go boating, and living in a town with three rivers, this is a great place to do it! My friend Monica and her husband Jon own this boat. Just a reminder, you can click on any pic to see a larger image.

It was time for me to get a new pair of boat-worthy flip-flops and join in the fun! Yes, I know I have cankles.

We set off on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend on the Auglaize River from this boat launch, downriver from the Power Dam.

Here is a shot of the pretty river.

There was a family on board, besides my friends and myself. Their little boy was adorable!

He brought along a little friend. I was only too happy to watch Mr. Teddy while he "drove" the boat. (It was anchored at the time and the ignition was off.)

We saw some fun sights along the way. A boat was pulling a dock along in the water with this teenage boy perched on top. Not your conventional way to transport a dock!

In one part of the river near an island, there is a sandbar. Boats put down anchor there and people swim. I imagine that they also drink...quite a lot, though we didn't care to participate in that part of it.

Though Memorial Day was unseasonably warm in the high 80s, the water was still pretty chilly. I can't believe all these people went swimming!

So did some of our party!

On the way back, we had a view of the Power Dam. Electricity used to be generated here. It's now a popular fishing spot.

After we were back on land, I noticed that we were in a picturesque spot, and there were some pretty trees.

I have a passion for barns, and couldn't resist taking a picture of this red barn across the street from the boat launch.

As the day drew to a close, the sun began to set behind the trees. It was time to head home.

We went out again, this time on the Maumee River, the next day. I didn't get any more pics that weekend, but did a few weeks later...

...On July 3, I took another boat ride with Jon and Monica. This time, my sweetie and his son and daughter joined us. We launched the boat from this dock. This dock floats to accommodate the fluctuating water levels, and believe me, it can vary a lot.

I know that some of you have been wondering what my sweetheart looks like. He isn't really ready to share many pics, so I did this picture of him, myself, and his daughter in paint. You can't see them clearly, but have an idea of what they look like.

Here is the pretty river, the Maumee. We traveled almost all the way to the dam, then back near the city's downtown area.

It was a beautiful warm day, perfect for some water sports. Now I won't get in that icky muddy water, but our host Jon, and Sweetheart's son decided to go on in.

Here is his son tubing in the river. What a blast! He did a great job!

Besides boating and tubing, our next plan was to set anchor not far from the confluence of the mighty Maumee and the Auglaize Rivers, adjacent to the library grounds, the site of the former Fort Defiance. There were scores of boats lined up to watch the fireworks!

The fireworks were beautiful. It was such a treat to watch them from the river, unimpeded by trees and big crowds.

As the fireworks ended, we had a leisurely ride back to the boat dock in the dark. It was actually really nice being out on the river that late, though it was chilly. My sweetie cuddled me close, and people along the riverbank were setting off their own fireworks. I told Sweetie to kiss me, so that I could say that when he did, I saw fireworks! lol He was happy to oblige.

It was the end of a wonderful day.

Tune back in again soon to hear what my other activities have been this summer. I've been having tons of fun!

Prom 2010

2010-08-16T19:56:00.005-04:00

One of the nicest things that went on during my little blog vacation was my son Jared's prom. Here he is with his girlfriend Kylie. They've been dating since November.

They went to first her prom, then his prom. Since I was out of town during the first prom, he put on his tux for me so I'd know how handsome he was going to be!

I think he looks so GQ in these pics, especially the second one!

They posed for me out on the porch. It looks like she is checking Jared's belly for a food baby here in the first pic. Nope, flat as a board!

I also took a couple pics out in the front yard.

She said, "It looks like he is checking out my boobs in this pic."

This was my favorite of the cute couple. He's leaning in for a kiss.

They had so much fun! Hope you enjoyed seeing them in all their finery.

Chicago! Chicago!

2010-08-13T19:11:00.013-04:00

Before I start telling you about my trip to Chicago, I again apologize for not having posted sooner than this. I have been making a priority of keeping my home cleaner, and and even bigger priority of building a relationship with my sweetheart. We have been dating three months, and I can honestly say that he is the best man I have ever dated! He drives an hour one way to come see me, but still manages to make the trip an average of twice a week, and sometimes more! I've been staying busy with a lot of fun activities, and will try to share those with you soon too.

However, I'll start with a very belated account of my trip to Chicago in April of this year. I had taken the train there to attend a women's retreat called Women On Fire, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. It was enriching and the fellowship was fabulous. I was among some of the most vibrant, intelligent, and supportive women I have ever met!

I stayed at the Embassy Suites in downtown Chicago near the shoreline. These open floored hotels must be the new thing. This was the pretty dining area. It's open all the way to the roof! While this looks cool, for an acrophobic like myself (scared of heights), this presented quite the challenge. I clung to the walls on the way to my room and tried not to look out over the edge! I kept my back turned in the glass elevators!

These two story bamboo trees were pretty.

I also liked this water wall. I love fountains and the sound of water.

I had a great view of Lake Michigan from my hotel room! I couldn't wait to get down to the shore and get near the water. Navy Pier was right there and within an easy walking distance. I bundled up in my jacket as it was in the low 50s, and took a hike.

It was so exciting to approach Navy Pier! This was a place I had always heard of, but really didn't know what to expect or see.

Here is a look back at the city, from where I had just come.

One of the first things I wanted to check out was the Stained Glass Museum...and it was free! I highly recommend it. Some of these were by Tiffany!

After that, it was onward to explore the rest of the sights. Me near the Beer Garden. No, I did not drink any beer!

The famous Harry Caray's restaurant. There were a lot of people out despite the chilly weather.

And here is the famous ferris wheel. I am terrified of heights...didn't ride that!

This theater is at the very end of the pier.

After my stroll through Navy Pier, I decided that I really wanted to get out on the water, despite the chilly temps and wind. I love being on the water, and the tours were not really too expensive.

This looked like it could be a fun ride!

The pirate ship approaches from the lake.

Although this might have been a lot of fun, it was a little more pricey than I cared for.

I spotted this seagull while I pondered my decision.

There were so many to choose from!

I eventually chose the shoreline tour for $14.

I had great views of the pier.

And some of the lighthouse.

And even one of a naval ship far in the distance. Great Lakes Naval Base is not far from the city.

There were great views of the Chicago skyline.

On the return trip, I spotted these noisy seagulls. There were literally hundreds of them!

Once off of the boat, I decided to head out from the pier and take in a few last sights before heading back to the hotel. I was so intrigued of this sculpture of TV's Bob Newhart with his psychiatrist couch! That was such a funny series.

I also loved this sculpture of a sea captain.

I said my last farewell to Navy Pier.

See the smile on my face? That's because I had such a great time!

Later that day, I ran into Debbie, founder of the Women on Fire event, and my former babysitter! This was the first time I had seen her in decades. Oh how wonderful it was to see her again! Such great memories, with more to be created over the next couple days!

Even later, I met my roommate Carin, a most amazing lady! She was the coolest and we got along so well. I had never met her before that night, and was so happy that Debbie suggested we room together. We had an instant connection, and I feel like I've found a new sister!

This wouldn't be complete without a picture of me with Debbie and Stedman Graham. See, I really did meet him! This was right after I handed him my business card.

Chicago is an amazing city. I hope to be able to take the train back and visit again someday! I would also stay at the Embassy Suites again. The hotel was really nice and the breakfasts are included in the cost of the room and were delicious. The only drawback is that if you drive, it will cost you over $40 to park your car at the hotel. Since I took the train, that was not a concern.

I'll really try to make a better effort and posting and visiting! I have so much to share, including a wonderful garden tour which afforded me the opportunity to take some wonderful pictures!

I've missed you all!

Where to Begin?

2010-06-20T00:54:00.005-04:00

It seems like I haven't posted in forever. Actually it has only been since April, but that was almost two months ago. I feel terrible about going missing in action, but life has been incredibly full lately. Boy do I have a lot to tell you! The biggest news is toward the end of the post.

I do apologize to all of those who follow my blog. I have made very, very few blog visits in the last couple months. I am going to work to remedy this situation.

This pic is following a recent boat trip on a local river.

Since I last posted, I have been out on a boat twice, both times over Memorial Day weekend, which was a fantastic weekend for me! I took some pics and will post them sometime in the future.

I have also been spending much less time at the computer. Between working third shift and struggling to get enough sleep, I have also been working much harder at keeping this home clean. Although you only see a clean house in the pics on my blog, the truth is that I have often been a dreadful housekeeper. I am determined that this place is going to stay tidy and clean, and it has taken a lot of time daily to keep it the way I like it. I love this place, and want to keep it beautiful. Although you've seen pics of my little bathroom and my porch, I do have more pics of the apartment and plan to post them soon too.

As I wrote in my last post, I traveled to Chicago to attend a women's retreat in April called Women on Fire. It was one of the most enriching experiences of my life, and I feel forever changed. The purpose of the retreat was not only to bring women together to network, fellowship, and support each other, we also talked about what we are on fire about in our lives and identified our passions. One of my passions has been working with people, and I recalled how much I enjoyed my counseling jobs.

With the help of the women at the retreat, I discovered that although I cannot return to chemical dependency counseling without being under an agency, there is no reason that I cannot bring women together to form a support group, or to have classes on increasing self esteem. Some of the women at that retreat are life coaches, and perhaps I can do something in that area, though I feel I need some training in that. However, people have always come to me for advice, and they seem to think I am wise. Why not continue to use that talent in another venue? I haven't formulated a plan yet, but plan to soon.

The biggest change in my life has been the happiest change.

I'm dating!

I met him online through a dating site. The funny thing is, he lives only 6 miles from my hometown!
Oddly enough, he was divorcing about the same time that I moved to my present city, so he wasn't eligible to date while we lived close. I first wrote to him about May 1 and met him in person the second week of May, and we have been on about 10 dates so far.

He is the most considerate men I have ever gone out with. Since the day we first began e-mailing each other, I have either heard from him via email, instant message, personal visit, or phone call daily. He believes that the man always pays for dinner, he remembers little things about what I like, and we always have fun together, even if its just hanging out and talking. He's incredibly intelligent (master's degree), and has a wonderful sense of humor. We laugh together a lot. We like a lot of the same music, and even watch the same cartoons! (Yes, I watch cartoons. And I don't care if you think I'm silly for it!) Besides going out to eat, we've gone on walks together, gone on a picnic (he cooked the chicken), and we've gone to an art museum. He even likes shopping. Last weekend I met his children.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to pieces. And I am falling....Head. Over. Heels.

I so hope this works out!

Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention...when I attended the Women on Fire retreat, I heard from a couple different women about how they met their beloved. We talked about thinking outside the box, and to say Yes to dating anyone. One of the type of men I said I would never date was a pastor.

Well guess what my sweetie does. Yep, he's a preacher!

I believe that God has an incredible sense of humor, because although I am a born again Christian, I only go to church when my son asks me to watch him sing or perform, or when he asks me to go for a special occasion. I haven't attended any church on a regular basis for over 10 years. Some of my religious beliefs are not consistent with mainline Christian beliefs. I have shared this with him. And yet this man sees the spiritual in me. He likes me anyhow, even though I call myself his "little heathen."

The funny thing is, he is a preacher I could listen to even if I wasn't dating him! He writes one paragraph weekly eDevotions, and I feel like he is speaking my same thoughts in each one. I have told him that if he invites me, I will come to hear him preach, but he has to ask, because dating a pastor is a bit tricky, and its too soon to be asked a bunch of questions about my role in his life. If we get serious (and I hope we do), then that may be the time. For now, I'm just enjoying getting to know this wonderful man.

Oh yeah, and if you're one of my Facebook friends, please don't ask me questions about him on my FB wall! One of my best friends from school (also on FB) goes to his church, and for now, I need to keep this on the down-low. He is also on my Facebook, and if he DOESN'T feel the same about me, it would be pretty embarrassing for him to read how I feel before I have actually told him.

So that's my life in a nutshell! I really am going to make a better effort to keep my blog more current and make more visits. Oh, I am now moderating all my blog comments as I have been inundated with spam comments, some of them with really inappropriate links. I hope you'll understand.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!

Now I Know That I Can Do Anything!

2010-04-26T12:39:00.004-04:00

I just had the most amazing, incredible weekend in Chicago at an event called Women on Fire. It was an event designed to boost self-esteem, to help discover your passions in life and how to work toward those passions, and to build support among women. I will write more later on about the specifics as I need time to ask permission to use links and pics, but first I want to tell you about an incredible opportunity I had. It was truly a defining moment in my life.

One of the two wonderful speakers we had at this event was the fantastic Stedman Graham. Yes that Stedman, better known as Oprah’s boyfriend. However, I will never look at him as Oprah’s sweetheart again, but as Stedman, masterful speaker, real individual, and the man with a warm, wonderful spirit; the kind of man you would want as your big brother or mentor. He is just that genuine.

As you all know, I have been selling Tahitian Noni products for several months. When a young boy in my life who has been helped immeasurably by using the Noni juice and vitamins heard that Stedman was going to be at this event, he told me that I had to tell him about Noni. I told him that one does not just walk up to a celebrity and do that. He even told me that I should raise my hand, interrupt the speech, and tell him that I needed to talk to him afterward. Again, I told him that just wasn’t appropriate.

On the first day of the Women on Fire event, Stedman gave his talk, and we were all inspired. I was delighted when we were told that we could all have our photographs taken with him! Let me tell you, he is one tall fellow! As I awaited my turn, I realized that I would have the chance to hand him my business card.

A little background on myself: I have in the past been painfully shy. I still have moments of shyness and insecurity. Believe me, all of those insecurities were boiling up inside me at that moment, but when I thought about having to go back to this child and tell him I missed the opportunity to tell Stedman about Noni, it propelled me forward despite my fears. When I stepped up to be photographed, I pulled my card out from my pocket, took my spot between Stedman and my former babysitter Debbie Phillips (founder of the event), and told him, “I hope its not inappropriate, but I’d like to give you my business card.” He said, “It’s not inappropriate. I’ll take your card!” Then I told him, “This is the best stuff on earth!” (Boy, that just sounded like a popular tea commercial.) “Chauncey Billups, Terrell Owens, and Danny Glover all use it!”

Wow, I did it! Despite all my shyness, my doubts, my insecurities, and worry that I couldn’t do that, I did it!

Even though one of the biggest messages of the whole event was that we can do whatever we set out to do, this step of faith and even bigger fear of having to go back and tell this child that I failed, made it possible for me to do what I needed to do.

And now I know that I can do whatever I need to do. I can approach anybody and talk to them about Tahitian Noni or any other subject.

Because I? Handed my business card to Stedman Graham!

PS~ This post is not meant to imply that Mr. Graham uses or endorses Tahitian Noni products.

PSS~ I'm so glad I plucked my chin hairs before meeting him face to face!

New Porch and Off We Go to the Ice Cream Shop!

2010-04-11T18:10:00.005-04:00

I am just loving the new apartment! The decorating is coming together so well, and I am having so much fun taking the things that I already had and putting them together in a new way. This weekend I worked on my front porch.

There is a mailbox next to the front door, but it was actually not being used since there are mailboxes up front. At one time, a woman in her 90s lived here, and the mailman brought it straight to the door, but no longer. You have got to love small towns and how they will do little favors like this for people! Anyhow, I just had to do something with that plain mailbox, so I went to Joann Fabrics, found some silk posies at 40% off, and turned that mailbox into a pretty planter.

Next I decided to put my wicker settee out on the porch along with my round wicker table. The settee comes apart so that I could have two separate chairs. I was really craving some pretty red overstuffed lawn cushions for these chairs, but didn't have $50 a piece to spare, so I thought and thought about how I could make this porch pretty. Aha! I took some outdoor chair cushions that I already have, and used some chair covers that I bought a couple years ago and used them as slipcovers. These are from Waverly in the Norfolk Rose pattern. I had originally bought them to use at my house on Bonnie Lane, but we all know how that turned out!

For a short time, I had my red bench out here, but I couldn't crank my windows open because the bench was in the way. The bronze star was going to move inside too, but when I picked it up, there were cocoons on the back! So it will be hanging from the mailbox for now until it hatches its little moths...or whatever those cocoons may be holding.

My red star is also near the door. I found some cool hooks at Meijer that slip in under the siding so that no marks are left, and so that I don't have an angry landlord.

Here is a view of the whole porch. I just can't wait until it gets a little warmer and friends and I can sit out here with a big glass of iced tea and watch the world go by in this sleepy little town.

One of my favorite things about living here is that I look out my back patio, and here is what I find in my back yard...

...the local dairy bar! Yippee skippee!

Just look at the yummy ice cream flavors they sell here, plus the food. Oh boy! This really doesn't do much good for my diet.

It's way too easy to just go up to the windows and make your choice...

...just like my son Jared and his friend Nick did. Well, and I confess, so did I!

And look what you can walk away with! This is a Moosetracks hand dipped cone, but it is sugar free, fat free, so that does help. I love that this ice cream has minature Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in it. Yowza!

So I have to say, I really enjoyed the ice cream cone, and this pretty scene from my kitchen window --

My daughter said that she is going to come visit next Sunday, and we are going to get some ice cream from the dairy bar, then sit out on my pretty new front porch. I think I'll add a couple glasses of iced tea, and that ought to be just about the most perfect thing in the world!

Hope everyone else is enjoying their own little corner of peacefulness!

Tablescape Thursday/Pink Saturday -- Easter 2010

2010-04-08T11:52:00.010-04:00

My family and I had a wonderful Easter! My daughter and her husband were unable to join us so it was just my sons, my brother and I.

I'm a little late on Tablescape Thursday, but still wanted to participate. Here are a couple views of my Easter table setting. I wanted to make it very colorful and whimsical. Most of the things I used for this setting are from Goodwill. The only things I had bought new at some point were the white tablecloth that I also used in my Christmas and Valentine settings; the white Claremont dishes and the chick salt and pepper shakers that I got at a deep discount.

Here is a close up of the table setting. I actually did buy the paper plates new for just a couple dollars. For you Pink Saturday visitors, look and you'll spot some pink here!

Here are my salt and peppers. Are they not too cute?

An Easter tree served as a centerpiece. There is pink in some of the ornaments.

I really love this cabbage bowl that I found at Goodwill!

This sweet bunnie dish is by Avon and I found it at a garage sale. Lots of pink here!

I found this egg plate last year. I was going to put deviled eggs in it, but the eggs all fell apart while I was peeling them! I made egg salad instead. Again, you can see some pink in this dish.

This pretty pitcher is just too nice to use only at Easter!

We sure don't want to forget the reason for the season!

An adorable bunny teapot found its place on the stove.

And this sweet bunny was used as a decoration in the living room. See his pink ears and pink eyes?

To see more Tablescape Thursday posts, please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. For more Pink Saturday posts, please join Beverly on Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Sunday Scramble/Easter Ponderings, and New Bathroom

2010-04-04T19:55:00.007-04:00

Today was Easter Sunday, and what a glorious day it was! I attended church where I watched my oldest son Sean in the Easter drama, and what a proud mama I was to hear him play a guitar solo and sing a solo that gave me goosebumps! Afterward, several people came up to tell me how good they thought he did. Later, my brother joined my sons and I for an Easter dinner, but more about that on Thursday! Here is a sneak preview of something on my Easter tablescape.

Even though it's Easter, it's still Sunday Scramble, the brainchild of Justine at Stupid is as Sister Does. This is where I can present a mish-mash of a post including different subjects.

My first part of this is to show you my new bathroom. I am almost finished decorating my new place, and am happy to say that except for the jumble of boxes and stuff in my garage, the rest of my home does not look like we just moved in, but looks nice and settled in.

I've got to say, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE having a bathroom off my bedroom and all to myself! Since I share a home with two sons (even the dog is a boy), I wanted a very feminine and girly place to call my own. Everything I have in my bathroom is something I already had. I love to put things together in a different manner than I had them before! Here is the result:

Since there are doors on my shower, I didn't need a shower curtain, but the glass doors are so cold looking, so to soften it up, I hung up some lace curtains and strung silk flowers over the top. Now I know that decorators hate fake flowers, but I sure do love those little faux posies!

I decided to dress up my little pink Goodwill basket by stringing silk flowers through the handle and adding a lace doily. Seems a lot of fuss for a little basket that holds TP, but I love it.

To the side of the shower, I have a nice cubby area to hold all my potions and lotions. This bathroom is packed with storage! I am not showing it here, but I also have a linen closet in here.

Across from the "throne" hangs this picture of a beautiful porch. This is the porch of my dreams, and when I have time to "sit," I just love looking at this and pretending I am on the porch.

Below that is a wicker plant stand. I will probably put some different flowers in there eventually.

I am so happy to have a decent sized counter top. I placed a cucumber-melon candle in the corner. On top of that is what is actually a night light, but I like it on the candle. A vintage pink glass is there for water. I've had that guest towel forever.

For my hand towel, I finally put this little floral hook that I got at Goodwill a couple years ago into service.

On the other side of the counter, I have plenty of room for all my beauty products. See, I really do use all of the Tahitian Noni TePoema facial products!

That's all that I have to show you of my bathroom.

Remember this shell sculpture in my boys' bathroom? My oldest said that he really likes it because it reminds him of pooh coiled in the toilet and it serves as inspiration. Whatever! Boys!

When I first showed pics of my new place, I didn't have a good pick of my patio. I just love this space! My fire pit and chairs and grill all fit with plenty of room left over.

There are a few perennials popping up like these pretty daffodils...

...and these lovely hyacinth. I can't wait to plant some more flowers and make this beautiful!

Come back on Thursday for Tablescape Thursday!

New apartment!

2010-03-26T12:34:00.005-04:00

After spending several weeks searching for just the right apartment, I finally found it! My lease at my last place ran out, and even though I had lived there only a year and actually liked the place, I was unhappy that the landlord had never let me use the garage. This would have given me storage, and an extra bedroom or computer/music room for the boys as the garage had been divided up. Also, when my youngest gets a car this summer, there would have been no place for him to park.

I was really surprised at what I found out there while searching for the right place. The first place I looked at was my very favorite, and it would have been perfect for us, but they wouldn't let us have our dog. I found another cute duplex which was HUGE, but someone else had first dibs. There were other places I found that were terribly overpriced, and one was so icky, there would have been no way that you could have paid me to live there! Finally I found what I feel is going to be the perfect place. The boys really like it too.

Isn't it pretty?

What a cute little entrance. It's effective in keeping any draft from sweeping in when we open the door.

Here is the living room part of the great room, which also includes the kitchen. Looks so spacious!

I hated the light fixtures in my old place, but I love them here. I'm glad that there is a ceiling fan in this apartment.

I just love my new kitchen. Just look at all those cupboards! Look at all that counter space! What an awesome stove and microwave! I can even bring my own refrigerator. I had the option of using the landlord's, but wanted to get my fridge out of storage. I love the pot lights too. I have a window over the sink!

I love the light fixture too.

Somehow, I forgot to take a picture of my bedroom, but I made sure to show my closet. Not sure if it could be considered a walk-in, but it is definitely a step in! I can actually fit all my clothes in here!

I even have my own bathroom! Hoorah! After sharing a bathroom with my sons my whole life, I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this. No more picking my towel up off the floor and putting the seat down all the time. No more whiskers in my sink!

There is even a linen closet in my bathroom. I grew up with a closet this same size and that was just for my clothes.

The boys have a cool bedroom. There is a patio out back, and they have sliding glass doors leading out to it.

They have their own bathroom too off the hallway, and it will also be the bathroom for guests, so they have to keep it reasonably clean.

My oldest boy picked out the shower curtain, but I found the accessories, and the boys really like them. This shell sculpture was from Big Lots for only $10.

I found this Paris poster at Goodwill for $3, but it will cost me $14 for a frame. Still not a bad bargain at all!

I was thrilled that there was a beautiful washer and dryer here! After a year of washing clothes in an apartment size w/d, I can't even begin to express how excited I was over this!

There were some other great features too, such as windows with blinds on the INSIDE! I also have a one car HEATED garage! I had never heard of such a thing, but I think that when my daughter and her husband come to visit, I am going to get a big air mattress and throw down a rug and a lamp and table and let them use it as their bedroom. She thought that was a great idea.

We moved in on Saturday. I am still getting things out of the old place and cleaning there, but will post pics of the new place all decorated.

We are loving it here!

Sunday Scramble....Late!

2010-03-08T15:37:00.004-05:00

Looks like I'm a day late and a dollar short for the Sunday Scramble, because here it is Monday already. I have so much to tell you though!

I am most excited that I am going to be going to Chicago in April for a Women on Fire retreat! This is an event sponsored by my former babysitter Debbie Phillips, who after babysitting for my brothers and I, went on to graduate from Harvard, become a journalist, serve as a press secretary to Senator John Glenn, and now she is a life coach. Please don't interpret this as meaning that babysitting for us led to her awesomeness...but it would sure be cool to think that! lol

She was the best babysitter ever, so I bet she is the best life coach there is! I am so very blessed that someone has sponsored my attendance. I can't wait to see Debbie again for the first time in decades, and to fellowship and network with other women. It is going to be a fulfilling and enriching time.

A friend asked me to go to Cincinnati this weekend. I love Marriott hotels, and this one was so pretty! Check out the first two pics, taken from the Marriott website. This indoor gazebo is 7 stories tall. In the lower picture, that wall is made of marble, and is actually a water wall. I love water features and thought this was outstanding. The final is a view of the Ohio River and the Cincinnatti skyline from the Kentucky shore of the river.

My next big news is that I am moving again! My lease was up February 1, and I started getting the itch to move again. I am very disappointed in my landlord because I was promised the attached garage, and I was never allowed access. It would have provided me a 3rd bedroom, since it is divided into an office area, and storage. I would also have been able to lose my storage unit and it's expense, and be able to put my things in my own garage for storage.

That's just a little preview of something the previous tenant left at my new place! It is also a two bedroom, but a little bigger. I will have a small porch area in front, a really nice patio with fence in the back, a one car heated garage with some storage, a beautiful kitchen with a dishwasher, and my own master bathroom! That has always been my dream to have my own bathroom, but it has never happened. I was spoiled by having a half bath at the house on Bonnie Lane, but it wasn't off of my room, and we have all been sharing a bath in this apartment.

I am moving in just under two weeks and can't wait to show you all my new home!

In my house, there are always a few "things that make you go 'hmmm'." I came home yesterday and found the dog on my son's laptop. I hope he wasn't downloading any puppy porn!

I also found this oddity...my ceramic bird sporting lips. When did this happen? I didn't know birds had lips!

You never know what you'll find with my boys around!

To join in more Sunday Scramble, go visit Justine at Stupid is as Sister Does.

Late Valentine Tablescape/Pink Saturday

2010-03-03T11:57:00.004-05:00

Well this post is about two weeks late for Valentine's Day! I had orginally planned to post it before the event, but life got in the way. Anyhow, better late than never, and you could use this for a fun, romantic dinner too at any time and not restrict it to just Valentine's Day. This is also a post with a double purpose...Tablescape Thursday and Pink Saturday!

Here was my preview photo, a picture of a little storebought cake.

This tablescape was designed for the purpose of celebrating the love of my children on Valentine's Day. It is more fun than the romantic setting I last posted.

I couldn't afford to spend money on placemats, so decided to use Dollar Tree tissue paper, and it works out just great! I paired my white Gibson dishes with Valentine paper plates. My every day tableware is being used, and the drinking glasses are hobnail milk glasses that my mother owned.

At the rear of the table, I used lace curtains to make up the difference of my tablecloth not being long enough. My son's stuffed dog that was a present from his girlfriend add some fun and pink color, and I added pink ribbon and a little red feather boa for some fun. The cake sits atop my painted cheeseboard, and more red feather boa curls around the base. I again used the heart shaped votives.

Thought I'd give you a closer look at the stuffed doggie. I thought it was hilarious that his girlfriend bought him a pink dog. He says that its not "pink,", its "magenta." Whatever. Looks pink to me! lol

Hope you enjoyed today's tablescape, and all the pinkness of Valentine's Day. To see more Tablescape Thursday posts, please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. For more Pink Saturday posts, please join Beverly on Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.

This might be my last tablescape for a few weeks. I have a lot coming up, and can't wait to tell you all about it in this week's upcoming Sunday Scramble!

Sunday Scramble/Musings of the Week

2010-02-21T15:20:00.007-05:00

I am once again participating in Sunday Scramble, hosted by Justine of Stupid is as Sister Does. I love this because I get to be random, and try to sum up my week in one post.

I was going to post my second Valentine's Day tablescape this week for Tablescape Thursday, and also use it for Pink Saturday, but this was a crazy week and I didn't get it done. Here is a sneak peek.

I had a week of insane insomnia! I just could not sleep. No one else in the household seemed to have any trouble sleeping though. Ignore the messy house in these pics, please!

The dog slept.

My son Jared slept.

My son Sean slept...with his brand new guitar in his lap. The pic is still in his mouth. Heh!

And my son and the dog slept!

Just an aside...I hate that ugly floral couch. It was all I could afford when I moved to this town and it was only $65. It is supposed to be covered by the denim slipcover all the time, which makes it look pretty darn good. However, the boys don't really care how my couch looks. Grrr! I suppose I'll cherish these times while I can because someday I'll have the perfect looking house because I'll have an empty nest, and then I'll wish for the days of the ugly couch!

I belong to a couple dating sites. Recently, men with the nicknames "Nipplebender" and "Nude Greg" have contacted me. Greggie even had a pic from the waist up...hairy and nekkid and hefty. Needless to say, I did not reply. Though I was tempted. Just kidding, of course...but not about these men actually writing to me.

Part of the reason for my insomnia is that I have been actively apartment/house/duplex hunting. The beautiful duplex that I wanted so badly went to someone else, as they did not want me to have pets. Waaah! It was a little pricey for me though, but had some of the features I had always dreamed of. Maybe someday. Here is a picture of another favorite place: a three bedroom, two full bath townhouse in an apartment complex...at $200 cheaper! But we have to qualify as low income. I'll know if we are approved by mid-week.

I love this big kitchen. No dishwasher though, but I could get a portable one.

The second reason for my insomnia is that I signed off on my house in my old hometown. This poor house has sat vacant for three years. My children and I lived in it for 14 years. At the time I bought it, I was married. It was completely remodeled about 12 years ago, and I really loved the place. However, the contractors were not very good, and didn't finish off some things because we ran out of money, and they did a very poor job on the roof of my boys' room.

I used to really love my blue kitchen. I picked out the cupboards and designed the kitchen myself to make better use of the space. (The builders left my ex to finish up this pass through...he didn't know how to do it. Argh!)

My fridge was tucked into that nook to the right.

Please ignore the cleaning supplies on the counter in these and the following pics!

I also loved my pink bathroom, which I also designed. It was barely functional as it was before we gutted it from top to bottom.

Sadly, the builders didn't do a proper job on the roof over my boys' room (another room that had been totally gutted from the floor to the roof), and I didn't realize that water was coming in until a couple years later when it was too late to go back on the company. The idiots put the edge of the roof flush with the side of the house! Idiots. Where was Holmes on Homes when I needed him?

It makes me sick, sick, sick to see how it deteriorated over the years, lowering the value of my home significantly.(It was not like this when we still lived there.) The worst thing is that I tried to get a loan to fix these problems before I began searching for a new place to live, but because I had paid off my vehicle and my home, I wasn't building credit. No one would loan me the $12K I needed, but later I was able to borrow $100K to buy a house! Go figure.

This was the outside wall. Again, it makes me sick, and embarrasses me to show them to you.

However, I did find some beauty in this perfect tiger lily against the rustic background.

So what did I get for my three bedroom plus landing, one bath home with main floor laundry room, family room and big living room, and on a double lot?

Nothing.

I sold it for what I owed on back taxes and a lien, and closing costs, which added up to around $3800. That's one-tenth of what I put into this house, but with all of the things that were going wrong with it, a fair price in that neighborhood with the condition of the home. Heck, there were four replacement windows in that house that I paid about that same amount for!

At any rate, I am really grateful to the couple that bought it as they are going to fix it up and make it livable again and rent it to their daughter. I am very happy that it is going to be full of life again and well cared for.

I hope this next week is a little less crazy.

Sunday Scramble/Valentine's Day? Bah humbug!

2010-02-14T11:49:00.006-05:00

I am participating again this week in the Sunday Scramble originated and sponsored by Justine of Stupid is as Sister Does.

Sunday Scramble is a weekly event that gives you permission to just be very random in your posting. I like it because I just don't have as much time to post these days, and I can get a week or two worth of stuff in one post.

Then without delay, and before I get to the juicy stuff of Valentine's Day humbugginess, please let me once again invite you to visit my business blog, the Primp and Pamper Blog.

There, two friends and myself will be telling you about Tahitian Noni International products. I swear, the Noni Juice and Nature Born vitamins are changing my life! And the beauty products are far superior to any other that I've tried...and believe me, I've been a brand-loyal person, but no more since I found this great stuff.

I'm psyched because I entered a contest at my local newspaper to write a caption for this picture of Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards. Now those of you who have read my past critiques of red carpet styles no that I am am no stranger to snark, so I came up with the following caption...

"NEWS BULLETIN:Mattell recalls its famous toy after Lady Gaga becomes tragically ensared in a giant Slinky prior to the Grammy Awards show."

And guess what? The newspaper thought that I had the number 1 caption out of 23 entries. Woohoo! What do I win? Nothing! But just knowing that they thought it was the funniest is enough for me. If you want to check out the other captions, you can go to this link.

I still haven't taken down my Christmas tree.

I am looking for another place to live. My lease is almost up, and I never did get the garage that I was promised...which is attached to my apartment! It is divided in half; one part is an office space that I could use as a 3rd bedroom or as a music/office room for the boys, and the other half is for storage. We are a little too cozy here, and a lot of my possessions are across town in storage (hence the reason I haven't packed up the tree yet). This week I found the most incredible duplex apartment. Three bedrooms, two full baths, huge walk in closet, two car garage. Oh my! It made my mouth water and my heart flutter to see this place. Adding together the cost of my current rent and what I pay for storage, this place would be $90 a month more than what I pay now. They said they would get back to me on whether or not I can have my dog there. If not, then no deal. But oh! I want that place! It would be perfect.

Okay. Here it comes. I am uncharacteristically really, really pissed today. I am back to feeling very anti-Valentine's Day. If you missed last year's post, check it out at this link.

I had the potential for three dates this weekend, two that I could actually take seriously. The one that I couldn't take seriously was the man who would have been willing to fly here from Philadelphia if I would send him some deep cleavage pics so that he would know if I really had big boobs. Well he didn't get pics, so that was a no go. Then there was the artist from Toledo who has said he would like to meet me, but I didn't get back to him in time, mostly because I was finally going to actually get to meet a man I have been talking to for YEARS!

Arrangements had been made to meet halfway. We were in the middle of making plans as to where to meet, I had the car ready to go, was dressed, made up and perfumed. I was just waiting for his call to say where we should meet. We were both full of anticipation at finally getting to meet after all this time. I was waiting for him to call back....and nothing. I finally called him and he said he didn't think we should meet. WTF?

I am so beyond annoyed at the men that pull this kind of crap. Maybe I should say BOYS! These guys need to put on their big boy pants and quit being such chicken shits. If they have issues, then they need to get healthy before they get any notions about meeting up with me because I am SO OVER this stuff!

I don't think that love should be this elusive. I don't think that actually MEETING someone should be this elusive! I have looked beyond the internet. I'm not good with the idea of meeting men at church, because sadly, I have never seen that work out well. I have seen the very WORST marriages that come out of church matchmaking. Some have been child molesters! Yes! Sadly, the last church that I attended had higher divorce rates than the outside world, and an even higher rate of divorce among the church's elders and deacons.

Last week I went out to socialize with friends, but had nary a look from any men. I was dressed really nicely, but NOPE. I even got out and danced and that was a lot of fun, but it was interesting to watch the mating behavior. Case in point, I ran into a friend's niece who was at the club with her husband. She is slender and had on a V-neck sleeveless top that showed a lot of cleavage for her perky boobies. She was dancing for quite some time with another friend's adult son, but as soon as he moved away, she was absolutely mobbed by 4 different guys. She flashed her wedding ring and covered her mouth when one tried to kiss her, but they still all tried to dance all over her. Though she and I were dancing together, they didn't even look at me. Sure, I didn't let my "girls" all hang out, and I won't, but I wasn't covered up to my neck either. There was a mix of men of all ages too, so it's not like I went someplace where there were only younger men.

So anyhow...BAH HUMBUG on Valentine's Day! Maybe next year will be different.

Tablescape Thursday/Pink Saturday -- Pink Valentine's Table

2010-02-11T14:11:00.005-05:00

This post is doing double duty today as both Tablescape Thursday and Pink Saturday.

This Sunday is Valentine's Day, a day when you should spoil your special someone (if you have someone! If not, spoil yourself.) Here's a pic of my current background on my desktop.

As an avid Goodwill shopper, I am always on the lookout for the perfect plate with which to do a tablesetting. I found some sweet plates with pink roses. They are edged in silver so I added silver chargers and a silver sugar and creamer set.

The table was set with a pink tablecloth layered over a white one. The placemats are the ones I have used again and again that I found in a vintage store.

Candlelight is always romantic, so I wanted to show the table in the dark with candles aglow.

Here is a closer view of the table setting. Forgot to add that the pink goblets are from Goodwill for less than a dollar. The plates were fifty-five cents each. The chargers were marked way down at Dollar General for about sixty-six cents. The pink heart candles were only thirty-five cents each from GW. The candlestick was less than a dollar at GW. The sugar and creamer were a dollar each from GW.

Here you can see the pink rose in detail. I thought these were just the prettiest and most romantic plates! I had never thought to use pink and silver together, but they sure do fit together...just like Valentine sweethearts!

The candles were so pretty lit...in light and dark settings...

...and even unlit.

I added my painted stand and porcelain pink rose.

Here is a close up of the wine goblet. I love the pink shades. So perfect for Valentine's Day!

Of course, a romantic dinner would not be complete without a bottle of wine. This is a bottle of Strawberry Patch dessert wine from a local winery. I've drank it before and it's very yummy.

I won't be celebrating Valentine's Day with a special someone, but do plan to create another tablescape geared toward my children who are my very heart! I'll post that next week.

To see more Tablescape Thursday posts, please join Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. For more Pink Saturday posts, please join Beverly on Saturday at How Sweet the Sound.

Happy tablescaping and enjoying all things pink! May you have a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Sunday Scramble

2010-01-24T19:56:00.008-05:00

This week I am joining Justine at her blog Stupid is as Sister Does for a new weekly feature, the Sunday Scramble.

Basically, for Sunday Scramble, you just post a jumbled buch of posts on various topics of things that happened throughout the week. Here are my topics:

New Blogs!
Two friends and I have created a new blog called the Primp and Pamper Blog. It is a blog where we will be talking mostly about promoting a line of products that we sell, Tahitian Noni International health supplements and beauty products. I LOVE their products so much, that for the first time in well over 20 years, I am actually selling something. Tomorrow I will be making my introduction and telling how the products have helped me. My skin looks great, and I have more energy than I've had in years! Please check us out. For all you Facebook fans, I will also be creating a Facebook group.

I would also like to introduce my daughter Tara's new blog! She is just getting started and learning about Blogger. Please stop by and welcome her at Mrs. Shiflett's Wonderful World. She would love it!

New Food Discovery
I found something in the grocery store this week. Triscuit's Fire Roasted Tomato and Olive Oil snack crackers are the diggity bomb...da shiznett. Dang, these things are good!

I ate them with spinach dip. And despite the fact that this combination has made my stomach rumble and cause me to give off a gas so obnoxious that I cannot be in polite company (therefore I am hanging with my kids), I will buy them again. You betcha!

I've Had Dates...
I have had several dates! I met a nice gentleman in mid-December and next saw him when I spent New Year's Eve with him. We have seen each other a couple times since, and talk on the phone a couple times a week. Right now we are just friends, and for now, that is good with me. Will it end up being more? I don't know...way too soon to tell. There are some things we have in common: we have both been counselors, we both have jack russell terriers, and we both have Golden Rhapsody dishes by Kaysen's. Sounds like a match, huh? We'll see.

...and a related embarrassing story...
I feel pretty comfortable around him. So comfortable in fact that I felt okay to do a number two at his place. Now, I am someone who can almost NEVER do that except at home! But I felt cool about doing that at his place.

Except I plugged up his toilet. Oh. My. God.

And of course, he didn't have a plunger.

So nothing to do but admit my embarrassing misadventure to him. It didn't deter him from wanting to see me again, thankfully. And I don't think its because my pooh smells like roses.

...which leads to this discovery!
I thought maybe it would be fun to supply a visual of what I did, but since I am not a generally a gross person, at least not in public, I had to find something tame and non-gross. This lead me to this! A plush doo-doo shaped dog toy. That squeaks. Oh boy.

Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I had to continue looking through Baron Bob's site. And then...I found this! A bar of soap shaped to fit over and clean your man's "junior." If I had a man, I'm not sure I'd want to give him this as a present because he might spend entirely too much time in the shower. Using up all my hot water. And he might not need me any more either. Wonder if it comes in different sizes? After all, not all men are created equal! Heh.

Then I found something that the whole family could enjoy in the shower! Especially if their kind of humor is in the Beavis and Butthead genre...as is ours. Here is the piece de resistance, a shower gel dispenser. Shaped like a nose. Hot diggity dog!

Must. Have. One. Of. These! With the green gel, of course!

Hope you enjoyed Sunday Scramble! And apologies to Justine for getting this posted so late. Please consider joining in next week.

I promise a more genteel post in the future!

It's All Over, I'm DONE!

2010-01-16T16:55:00.006-05:00

I'm serious. I really am done. I haven't been able to be on blogger much at all in the last few months, and I can't make blog visits like I used to. Therefore, I am DONE...

...with periods!

That's right. The last one was on December 2008. I am officially in menopause.

I no longer have to worry about this:

No more asking my dad, hubby, or sons to go out to the store for me to buy feminine products.

No more worry about all these costly feminine hygeine products!

They may have been a little more fun if I could have found them covered in flowers like I found here,

No more having to keep an emergency basket of feminine products, though this would make a cute gift basket, don't you think? Heh.

I would just about be willing to go back to having my periods if I could find these tampons. Click on the pic to enlarge so you can read the fine print.

Wouldn't you? No? Not me either, but I think the concept is freaking hilarious!

It's too bad I missed out on this phenomenon...environmentally friendly, sustainable cotton feminine napkins! That you can re-use! Boy howdy!

You can find this kind of stuff on etsy too. Just type in the keyword "napkins." I found this out accidentally when I was searching for table napkins. Not quite the thing I would put out on my table, no matter how creative my tablescaping.

Speaking of creative, I will no longer have the supplies on hand to make such beautiful artwork and creations as I found at the Tampon Craftswebsite. I will miss not being able to make a lovely tampon flower bouquet like this:

Too bad I didn't find this tampon applicator snowflake tree topper before Christmas so that I could put this atop my tree and impress all my relatives!

Since most women in menopause are with men who are approaching some state of baldness, it is a shame that we won't have the supplies on hand to make tampon toupees for our menfolk. Gosh darn it all!

I'm very lucky though. I have not had any of the legendary bad symptoms of menopause. No night sweats, no mood swings, no real hot flashes.

So don't hate me because I'm symptomless!

Anyhow, I am determined that being menopausal is not going to slow me down one bit. I feel better than I ever have before and am determined to do all that I can to stay healthy. This is not going to define me!

For those of you yet to experience this change of life, here's smooth sailing to you! (This phrase endorsed by Capt. Blackbeard of ye Blackbeard Brand Rugged Tampons)

Tablescape Thursday/Red & White Christmas tablescape

2010-01-07T10:00:00.006-05:00

Just because its after Christmas doesn't mean I HAVE to put away my Christmas stuff! I love Christmas decorations and would leave them out until spring if my relatives wouldn't threaten to put me away. Anyhow, here is my second Christmas tablescape. If you missed the first one, please check it out here. It is very similar to this post, but with a few basics changed up.

For this tablescape, I used a red and white checked snowflake tablecloth that I bought at Goodwill for only $2. I kept the two tiered server, silver candlesticks, lace curtains,"snow" and lights, and the Gibson plates.

Instead of white, blue, and silver bulbs, I used red.

I found some darling Christmas dinner plates, salad plates, teacups and candlesticks at Goodwill also. I didn't spend any more than $10 total for the dinnerware and tablecloth! Since we were seating six for dinner, and I only had 4 each of the Christmas plates, I alternated each setting. The placemats, which are actually rimmed in green, not black like it appears, were a dollar each from the Dollar Tree.

I used the same server, but this time with read and white bulbs and Lindt Lindor truffles in a red wrapping (the blue were better!).

This cute handled server held an apple crisp cheeseball from Tastefully Simple, and it was delicious served with cinnamon graham crackers and Teddy Grahms!

These Christmas candlesticks were a perfect fit with my dinnerware.

I reused the silver candlesticks in this tablescape, and they are just as pretty!

Isn't it fun to create a whole new tablescape by changing just a few things? It keeps me creative and keeps cost low.

Well, it is snowing here in northwest Ohio with several inches predicted before tomorrow morning. Maybe we'll finally have more snow than Texas! Mother Nature can be such a moody broad.

Twas the 9th Day of Christmas

2010-01-02T19:25:00.011-05:00

Did you know that the first of the 12 days of Christmas is actually Christmas itself? Therefore, today is the 9th day of Christmas, and even though Christmas day is all done and over with and we are in a new year, I can still do a Christmas post!

Before the tree went up, my son Jared donned the traditional cow hat so that we could begin our tree putting-up and festivities. Why? Just because we can don cow hats.

Here is the tree half up. It is a pain in the butt to put all the branches on. Am thinking of getting one that is pre-lit and just folds up, but I am cheap, and this is still plenty serviceable.

We topped it with this angel.

Here it is in the dark, all sparkly and lit up.

Next to it is my end table with more things glowing in candlelight. Gives me such a cozy feeling!

Here are a few of my decorations around the house. I was so sick last Christmas that most of my decorations never even got out of the box.

Jesus is the reason for the season!

My computer cabinet top was decorated.

Up close...

This hangs on one of the doors to the computer cabinet.

Thought you might enjoy some of the ornaments I have on my tree. Most of these are new this year.

Except for this bear which is almost 30 years old. My mother gave it to me the Christmas before she passed away.

I can't decide if these next two are birdhouses or outhouses, but they are going to be birdhouses to me!

I also have a few Santas on the tree, including this nutcracker Santa...because nothing says Christmas quite like a Santa with scary, snapping teeth!

This Santa isn't on the tree, but I love him so much, I thought he'd be a great way to end this post.

We had a wonderful Christmas! I was surrounded by all my children. My daughter and her husband spent the night here Christmas Eve because she said it was her dream to wake up her Christmas morning and crawl in bed with me Christmas morning to wake me up...and she did! I don't think you're ever too old for that.

I hope that you and yours all had a wonderful Christmas too!

And Happy New Year! (I got kissed at midnight...woohoo!)

Our First Snow

2009-12-21T10:11:00.005-05:00

We finally had our first snow here in northwest Ohio! I find it ironic, and quite hilarious, that places far south such as Houston got snow before we did, and got even more snow! However, unlike Texas, this snow is sticking around.

The first snow made everything look so pretty. Even my ugly half-dead bush that the landlord refused to pull up looks better with a coating of snow!

I was so excited to find tracks in the snow. These are deer tracks, meaning that deer have been in my yard! They are prolific in this neighborhood. I see them frequently.

Here it looks like the deer stepped sideways for a bit, then decided to continue on in its original path.

Here is what blows my mind though....look how close to the front of my home the deer were! They were close enough that they could have looked in my living room windows! How cool is that?!? On the other hand, if I went out at night to get into my car to go to work, it would probably freak me out to see them so close!

I found bunny tracks in my driveway and in the yard.

And here is a dog track. Wonder who did this? It's too big to be from my dog.

Aha, here is the culprit! Neighbor dog Bean.

He is my dog Jake's buddy. They like to visit when he is out doing his business and Beanie stops by for some butt sniffing and urinating at the "pee tree."

I live just on the edge of town, right across the road from the woods. It probably looked prettier Saturday afternoon right after it snowed, but I wasn't home then. Still looks pretty.

Even today, looking first north, then south down my road, it looks snowy still. Trust me, those roads can be dangerous.

Hope you enjoyed the pics of our first snow! It really looks pretty at night when the Christmas lights are glowing. A lot of the neighbors on this road decorate. However, now that we have had some snow and will have a white Christmas...I am so OVER IT! I am ready for spring now, thank you very much. The older I get, the more I wish I lived someplace warm! I don't much care for the cold and I am really scared to drive in the snow and ice. I long for a warmer clime!

Just had to share my big coup of the day! I went to Walmart this morning after work to pic up a present for my boys, and saw a sign on the door saying that Zhu-zhu pets were for sale in the garden center! What luck! I was able to get one for $8 and it will go to a sweet 5 year old boy that I know who I am sure will be thrilled with it!

Have a very Merry Christmas if I don't post before then. Hope your's will be a blessed holiday filled with family and love.

Tablescape Thursday/Silver and blue Christmas

2009-12-17T12:45:00.006-05:00

Finally, I'm making a post again! It's been a while. Today for Tablescape Thursday, I created a Christmas themed table in blue, silver, and white. I had so much fun thinking this up!

I used a white tablecloth. Oops, it wasn't long enough, so I used lacey curtains for the rear of the table.

This is the rear of the table from a couple angles.

I used a variety of bulbs in silver, blue and white. I also have a lot of light blue glass, so I used that in my tablescape. Miniature lights in white added glow, along with candlelight.

For the center, I also used ribbon and a beaded garland.

The place setting is simple in Gibson white dishes. I added ribbon down the middle. The placemats and napkins are from the set I found in an antique shop this summer. A lovely ornament in silver and blue completes the setting.

I found this Mikasa server this summer at a garage sale for only $5. I dressed it up for this tablescape with Christmas bulbs and with Lindt candies. Miniature lights make the crystal sparkle!

Depression glass sugar and creamers in the Mayfair pattern in light blue add more color.

I've had these little glass candlesticks (set of 6) for probably 25 years, but put them in a box and forgot about them! Found them at a garage sale. I added small blue bulbs.

My client's mom gave me a set of three beautiful glass and silver candlesticks for my birthday. They were PERFECT for this table!

Last, but not least, is this ice blue candlestick. I've had this set of two for years now. Got them on eBay.

I didn't want to neglect the light above the table, so I added this ornament with silver bells to hang from the center.

I didn't really add prices this time, because very little was a bargain and I paid full price, but nothing was really pricey either. Most of the materials for this table were purchased at Meijer.

Head on over to Susan's blog, Between Naps on the Porch to find a list of other Tablescape Thursday participants.

Hopefully I'll have the chance to visit blogs this weekend! I've missed all of you so much.

Fall Holiday Fun

2009-11-30T18:31:00.006-05:00

Wow, time has sure got away from me this last month! I am so far behind in blogging and visits. I just do not have the time for it that I used to have, so please don't think I am singling you out if I haven't come for a visit lately!

Anyhow, this last Thursday, my children and I got together in my home for a Thanksgiving dinner. My brother also joined us. This is the family picture that will be going on our Christmas cards.

From left to right, oldest son Sean holding Jake the dummy dog, daughter Tara and her husband Mike, myself, and youngest son Jared.

Here is another pic without the dog.

The table was all set for dinner with lots of yummy food...

...including these yummy pies that my daughter made!

My brother Dave carved the turkey.

During dinner, Sean looks at me with suspicion as Jared chows down. I set the table with lovely dishes, but he still prefers those old plastic Tupperware plates!

Dave looks all amused here. I don't know why his face is so red.

Actually, I think this is after my daughter played some silly ring tones on her new phone. There was one song I was completely unfamiliar with, and as I listened, I said, "Why are they singing about Vag-o-cream?" This, of course, brought out gales of laughter when my daughter told me what was really being said!

Here is Tara and Mike. This is not the best picture of her.

Guess that's why she took her own pic!

Anyhow, dinner was over much too soon. What does one do after such a filling meal? Snooze of course! Mike and Jake catch a few Z's.

Prior to Thanksgiving, there was Halloween! Yes! I am actually posting this a month late, lol. I haven't participated in Halloween for a great many years. This year, however, a friend invited me to a party, and I decided to go as a vampire. I am all caught up in the Twilight craze, and now in a series of books called the House of Night novels by P.C. and Kristin Cast. The first is called Marked, and I am wearing the crescent moon tattoo that all vamps have in that book.

I am so authentic as a vampire, that if you look closely, you can see real batwings on my upper arms!

Here I am with my friend Stacy who invited me. I love her eyes in this! She went as a dark fairy, complete with pointy ears and big copper colored velvety wings.

Her sweetie Brian is a wizard.

Here is Stacy with Angel, the spider woman! Her face makeup was really cool.

I also ran into an old friend Mickie with her beau Jason. He was a G-man and she was his moll.

It was great fun, probably the most fun I've had in a long time! I'll have to do this again next year.

Two more big holidays are yet to come! I can't believe the months are flying by so quickly.

Tablescape Thursday/Thanksgiving Table

2009-11-25T19:43:00.005-05:00

The house is mostly clean, dinner is already made (by the supermarket-I just have to heat it), and the table is set. I'm all ready for Thanksgiving...except that its still Wednesday! I still have to go in to work tonight, so I can't make any blog visits, but I hope to catch up and do some visiting with all of you this weekend!

This is my table setting for Thanksgiving, and yes, we are going to eat off of it just like this.

I searched for a golden-y yellow tablecloth, and walked into Walmart, and there they had them up front for only $5! Hooray!

I couldn't afford to get place mats, although I saw many beautiful ones on sale in the local stores. I figured that I would just use the green ones that I've had for years, but when I was searching for them, I found these large napkins that I purchased last year at Goodwill! I had forgotten all about them. I mixed them with the green since I didn't have enough.

The white dishes are from Gibson, and I added paper dessert plates and paper napkins for convenience.

Here is the same setting but with the green placemats. They didn't look too bad mixed with the patterned mats.

Since it's Thanksgiving, I needed pilgrims! I had these from last year.

Here are the boy and girl ones up close. They have little pumpkin and cinammon stick candles from Yankee Candles. I bought them half price years ago, then lost them, then found them when I moved, then lost them again, but found them this year. Hooray again!

For the back of the table, I used my urn from my Halloween tablescape, but set a gourd with foliage in it. This was an arrangement I found at Joann Fabric. I purchased it new at full price, but justified it by being able to get an additional item for free! You've seen the floral spray at the bottom before in another tablescape

I hurried back to Dollar Tree to get a full set of six of these beautiful glasses. I think they are perfect for Thanksgiving because they say Family, Friends, Home, on them.

While browsing through Goodwill for things I could use for my Thanksgiving table, I found this fabric basket. It originally held napkins, which were no longer with it when I found the basket, but I figured it would be perfect for biscuits. Right now it holds a square Anchor Hocking dish in amber, but I can remove that if I need it for something else. It's a perfect match with the placemats. The basket was only $2, and the dish was $3.

I also found this amber colored pitcher for $3. Forgot to take a close up of the amber colored bowl, also $3 which is presently holding some green apples.

I got this glass pumpkin last year and filled it with pumpkin scented potpourri.

My table already looks and smells good. I can't wait to put it to good use tomorrow when I am surrounded by my children!

To check out more tablescapes on Tablescape Thursday, head on over for a visit to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch." Speaking of naps, I'm heading off to take a quick one before I go into work tonight!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love!

Tablescape Thursday...on Friday/Harvest table

2009-11-20T12:33:00.005-05:00

Yes, here it is a Friday already and I am just now posting this week's Tablescape Thursday.

I swear, working third shift gets me all messed up. I thought it was the day before, and I was going to be late posting as is. I thought about posting next week, but I want to post a Thanksgiving Tablescape then. So I don't know if my confusion is just from working third, not enough sleep, or menopause. "Pause my brain," they should call it!

So finally here is my harvest tablescape. I used a light green sheet as a tablecloth. I added autumn and harvest related items to the table.

If you're on my Facebook, you may have already seen this. I used my white Gibson dinner plate and added a pear shaped plastic dish from Dollar Tree.

Here it is up close. I thought it was so cute. I added a golden colored Dollar Tree dish towel as a placemat. The leaf on it matches the leaf napkins. This is the third time in a row I have used them in a setting. A silk flower takes a turn as a napkin ring.

I fell in love with the "family" glass that I also found at Dollar Tree. I plan to get a few more of these for my Thanksgiving table.

Since I am including birdhouses in the tablescape, I needed a little birdie! I've had her for a couple years now, purchased at a local gift shop.

I found this basket filled with autumn flowers at Goodwill for only $3. It is going to be sitting in my outside arrangement soon since the frost killed my mums. I've had the stars for a little while now, also from Goodwill at two bucks a piece.

I collect birdhouses, and found this one at a garage sale for a dollar. I added a fresh apple from the local farmer's market. After all, I had to add something that had been harvested! I loved the colors in this apple.

I also bought this red birdhouse at the same garage sale last year, also for a dollar.

Since this was an outside tablescape, I thought it would be fun to add leaves for extra color. These were from trees in the yard.

I especially love these red leaves. They came from the maple out front that was spectacular this year.

Here was the tree on Halloween...isn't it beautiful? The leaves fell last week and I was so sad to see them come down.

It's almost three weeks since Halloween, and I still haven't posted pics. I may yet do it. I was a vampiress and went to a party and had a blast.

I'm now working 40 hours per week. I also leave late every morning and factor in an hour of driving each day. I feel great, but it does take a huge toll on my spare time. I haven't even been on blogger in about a week. I have neglected Facebook as well. I just can't be on here as often as I used to, so I hope everyone understands. I will come visit as I can.

Maybe someone can help me with this...I have lately been receiving a lot of anonymous spam comments on old posts. Can anyone tell me how to delete those comments without deleting all the rest of the comments left on the post? Thanks in advance to anyone who can give me some advice.

Please go to Between Naps on the Porch for a list of other Tablescape Thursday participants. You'll be glad you did!

Tablescape Thursday/Halloween Tablescape

2009-10-29T11:11:00.005-04:00

Welcome to my latest contribution to Tablescape Thursday, a marvelous weekly event sponsored by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. To see a list of links to other participants blogs and amazing tablescapes, please visit her site.

For years, I have not done any decorating for Halloween. I am much more about Harvest Time than I am about Halloween. I am just not a big fan of scary stuff or monsters, or gore. However, this year I decided to go ahead and do a tablescape with a Halloween theme, albeit on the cute, rather than scary side.

I used my black vinyl tablecloth that I had from my Paris tablescape. I looked for some orange Halloweeny fabric, but couldn't find any locally, so decided to drape orange down the center. It was a buck and a half a yard.

I really didn't have any placemats chosen for this tablescape and was going to use just paper, but while browsing in Goodwill yesterday, I came upon these gorgeous placemats, a dollar for the set of two. I particularly loved them for the fall colors in the fabric, and there were beads on each end in black, dark orange, and purple. Perfect for Halloween! The tag said that these placemats were from Pier 1, and I don't think they had ever been used.

I got Halloween paper plates to fit inside the black plastic plates that were left over from my Paris tablescape. The napkins are the same ones I used in my Autumnscape, but I tied them with gauze suggesting a mummy was shedding just a bit.

I got the idea from a magazine to wrap unmatched black cups in gauze. If I hadn't, you would have seen advertisements printed on them. I call these my mummy cups.

For the centerpiece, I followed an idea I had found in the Schwan's catalog. I bought their Marble cake and Fudge Ripple Ice Cream cake for $8.99 and made a spider on top with frosting for the web, an Oreo cookie for the body, licorice legs, and M&M Peanuts in green for the eyes. It didn't turn out anywhere near as cute as the picture in the brochure, as alas, the cake was melting, "I'm melting," just like the wet witch in the Wizard of Oz!

The cake was on one of my little cheeseboard stands, and I put that in the center of a wreath which I had hanging around my porch light. Hope no moths got in the wreath! If they had, it would have simply added a little more Halloween spirit to the table.

Here is a closer up picture of the orange tulle and candy corn that I sprinkled on the table. There is candy corn in the design at the edge of the plates.

At the rear of the table is my black and white polka dot stand that I made, topped with a thrift store pumpkin. A witch's hat from the Dollar Tree tops an urn that I got a while ago at a thrift store for $3.

And last, but not least, I cute Goodwill fabric pumpkin sits atop another of my hand crafted stands. All the colors in the pumpkin tie in with colors in the tablescape.

Hope you have as much fun viewing this tablescape as I did creating it!

Also, please read my prior post on a fantastic recent health supplement find!

The One Good Thing

2009-10-27T20:42:00.004-04:00

I'm starting out on a whole new venture!

I am not a salesperson. I swore I would never sell anything. I don't even have home parties. I hate to be pressured to buy anything.

That being said, I have found a product that I love so much and have so much faith in, that I have begun selling a it.

I have to say, I am a skeptic, a BIG skeptic! I don't automatically believe anything I am told. I like to do my research. So just imagine what I thought when my client's mother started telling me about Tahitian Noni Juice.

When she said that this stuff had changed her life and changed the life of her son, who has a severe muscular disease, it was something that I just brushed off. She and her family each have an ounce of the Noni juice each morning. I admit that it seemed to be like a waste of money.

That being said, there more I have been around, the more I realize that this stuff really is helpful...big time! My client has a compromised immune system and reduced lung capacity. This is a kid who caught every illness, and I mean EVERY illness, at school each year. It was not unusual for him to miss 2-3 months worth of classes each year. It was also not unusual for him to have to spend time in the hospital each year.

This has been a particularly devastating year for illness in the schools. Swine flu is rampant in the area right now. School has been in session since the third week in August and it is now almost November. How much school has he missed? NONE!

This is nothing short of a miracle.

Recently I came down with a bad cough. I am prone to this once or even twice per year. I have frequently suffered fron bronchitis, so when I began coughing, I was really worried. When I am ill, I cannot work there, and I would be devastated if I got my client sick. His mother gave me a couple shots of the Noni juice, and also some Nature Born vitamins, and though my cough didn't go away, it was far less severe than it would normally have been. I didn't get coughing jags. I began to improve almost right away.

I've been drinking 1-2 ounces of the Noni juice for almost 4 weeks now. I started the vitamins a week ago.

Since that time, I have found it much easier to stay awake at night while my client sleeps. I have more energy. I just generally feel better. I have also noticed that my sinuses are clearing up and I have increased breathing through my nostrils.

So is this stuff a cure all? The FDA prohibits me from saying that Tahitian Noni juice and Nature Born vitamins have curative properties, but I can sure give you testimony on how it has helped me and others. My client's step-father used to practically limp to the door after he drove home from work due to arthritis in his knees. He has had so much improvement since using the Noni juice that he will not go without it.

Here are a few more testimonies: When my client developed a sore throat, he gargled with the Tahitian Noni Juice. His throat cleared up! When his other caretaker had a very sore tooth, she put the Noni juice on the soreness, and it cleared up! When my client's little brother got sick and was vomitting, his mother put Noni juice in his belly button and it stopped. My client's nurse has been using Tahitian Noni juice and the other products for 10 years now. She is 70 and has the vim and vigor of someone much younger. She has noticed a marked difference in her energy level and sense of well-being when she has run out of her Noni.

There are even more great products. I have started using their beauty products and facial care line. More on that on another post.

Anyhow, feel free to ask me questions. If you'd like to purchase products from me, which the company will ship directly to you, or just check out the products, my sales website is here. At checkout, when you are asked for an IPC (Independent Product Consultant) number, use my number: 2916465.

This is not going to become a sales blog, but I will occasionally be blogging about the products I am selling.

I'll be back tomorrow night for Tablescape Thursday!

UPDATED TO ADD: In response to a comment I received with a link to a site warning against Noni, I would like to add this information. I have read the above link. I read all the sites that warned people against Tahitian Noni juice. I have also read a great number of glowing testimonials from people who say that the Noni juice has really made a difference in their lives.

Nowhere does Tahitian Noni International claim that the juice is a cure for cancer, however there are people who have received relief from the symptoms associated with cancer and cancer treatment. There are studies done that have shown Tahitian Noni juice to actually boost the immune system. Click here for more info.

As with any business, there are people who do get rich selling the products. I am not in it for that. If I do make money, that's great. I hope to at least make enough to pay for the products I order. Mostly, I just want people to know that this is something that is helping me and some people that I am very close to.

Tahitian Noni Juice is also listed in the Physician's Desk Reference as having beneficial properties. It wouldn't have been in that publication without clinical trials proving such. Also, please note that it references Tahition Noni International as the ONLY noni juice, as there are plenty of what we call "phony nonis" out there, that are not of the same quality and purity, and do not have the high percentage of actual noni puree as ours.

Just sayin'. I also find it odd that the commenter chose not to identify themselves and signed on under Anonymous.

Crazy Weekend!

2009-10-18T02:00:00.003-04:00

I've had a crazy weekend! First of all, my youngest boy got sick. Poor baby!

He started feeling unwell Wednesday evening, but went to school on Thursday. He wasn't feeling well at all and went right to bed. Somehow in the latest move, I lost my thermometer, but his forehead felt pretty warm. I didn't think too much of it. As of Friday, he was still feeling under the weather and couging a lot too. He also had a sore throat, congestion, and overall body aches. I was able to get him into the doctor early afternoon.

At first, they thought it might be strep throat or mono, but he had his nose swabbed, and he tested positive for flu.

So is it the piggy flu? I don't know because unless he would get so sick that he had to go to the hospital, they won't test. He also isn't in the "cluster group" of individuals being tested for H1N1.

He was prescribed Tamiflu and is feeling a little better today, but is still not well. I am asking prayers for his full recovery! And also that my other son and I don't get infected. I cannot chance getting sick as I could expose my teen client to the flu. It is very important that he not catch any diseases involving the respiratory system as his lungs are already compromised.

Remember my house on Bonnie Lane? It went to sherrif's auction and I had to finish getting everything out. We hadn't done much of that this summer as for the majority of the summer, we were hoping for a loan modification. Also, a company had come during this time to lock down the house and winterize it.

Well, I was to meet someone there at 9 a.m. Friday morning so that we could have access to the house to get everything out. This was a great plan until I got called into work the night before. So after working 3rd shift, we had to start packing up the rest of our things. This was interrupted by the doctor visit, and returns home for bathroom breaks and to check on the sick boy. By 7:00 p.m., I couldn't take any more, so I called the realtor and asked if we could return on Saturday.

It took several more hours today, several trips to the storage unit, and many more things sorted through, packed and moved, but we get everything out.

So this is what my living room looks like now. Yikes! Why oh why am I such a packrat? Some of those boxes will also be going into storage, but it was too dark to go there after we packed the van full.

Okay, call me crazy, but I cleaned the house as well as I could using Lysol wipes, since we didn't have water there, we vacuumed, and even took all the bags of trash to the garage. I just had way to much love for that home and too much self pride to leave it a mess like so many people do after they lose their house to foreclosure.

I sure hope that a nice family loves the house on Bonnie Lane as much as I did, but tonight I said my good-byes. It's easier than it might have been because I love our new home so much.

As for me, I am heading to bed and sleeping in tomorrow! I deserve the rest.