Labor Day

I had almost forgotten that this is a federal holiday. Then, when I was 'waking up the house' this morning by opening window blinds, I noticed the flag posted out at the end of the driveway. Our local high school band offers this service for a fee. We get a flag at the end of the driveway 5 times a year and they get a little income. I always like to see the flag at the road and it is nice to drive through our little small town and see all the flags posted near the roadways. 

Labor Day became an official American holiday in 1894 when President Grove Cleveland declared it a federal holiday. It is celebrated here and in our neighboring Canada on the first Monday of September each year. It began in the late 19th century during the industrial growth of America. Unions wanted a day to thank workers for their hard work. This holiday sort of marks the unofficial end of summer. (It was cooler here today, so that is a plus!)

Happy 4th of July!

Memorial Day - Remember and Honor

 

Happy Mother's Day!

I am blessed to be surrounded by a group of wonderful mothers. 

Mama  has always been the heart who made our house a wonderful and welcoming home. I am ever grateful for the examples she set for me. I hope she has a Mother's Day as wonderful as she is!

The other wonderful mothers who surround me are the mothers of our grandchildren. We see all that you do and are grateful for you every single day. Thank you for all the joy that you have brought to our lives!

Bridgette

Jessica

Bonnie

Laura

Happy Mother's Day!

Here is a sweet message.

Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted our annual Easter Egg Hunt this past Sunday. Eight of the grands came and brought along their parents. We shared a feast and lots of yakking. Then, some of the crew hid eggs and the younger grands hunted them. For the first time, I just sat in the rocker and watched. I didn't snap a ton of photos or point out overlooked plastic eggs. I just sat and enjoyed watching. 

I always love how they all are chomping at the bit to get off the porch and scoop up the brightly colored eggs that are scattered all over the yard. They run right past some to get to others. It was a wonderful afternoon that I think everybody enjoyed. The Mister had the grass manicured and everything outside waved with springiness. 

We always start off the big hunt with a photo on the front porch steps. This year, I posed with the grands instead of standing at the foot of the steps and snapping the photo. 

Some of the adults meander across the yard pointing out overlooked eggs and peeking into baskets. Other adults sit or stand on the porch and look out over the festivities. Tradition sort of requires that when somebody finds a golden egg they shout it out and hold it up in the air. Golden eggs have special prizes of money inside. The colorful eggs have candy, tiny puzzles, stuffed toys, tiny rubber duckies, compasses, dominoes, and such inside. 

After the eggs are harvested from under shrubs, beside fence posts, between the roots of trees, and nestled into the grass, everybody sits down and empties the treasures out of the plastic eggs and into their baskets, buckets, or bags. The empty eggs are stored away for use next year and the treasures are counted and examined. Then, the swapping and bargaining begins.

The photo above shows an intense swapping and bargaining session in progress. I wonder who walked away with the best end of the negotiation...

President's Day 2026

Eisenhower was President of The United States when I was born. So, posting a quote from him is a good place to start:

    "The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity." 

The first president I remember knowing anything about was Kennedy. I could share multiple impactful quotes from him. One that stands out is certainly:

    "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

In my first opportunity to vote, Carter was elected. So, an impactful quote from him is:

    "In our democracy, the only title higher and more powerful than that of president is the title of citizen. It is every citizen’s right and duty to help shape the future legacy of our nation."

On this President's Day, I think we all should look at the leaders who have made a positive impact on this country and on our world. So, I will close by sharing a couple of quotes from Eisenhower again:

    "History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid."

    "The future of this Republic is in the hands of the American voter."

I have come to feel that my opportunity as a citizen to vote is being threatened. So, I certainly have been reaching out to my legislators regarding the newest legislation proposed for voters. I hope you have as well. Your voice counts. Your vote counts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I saw this posted on Instagram a few years ago. 

I must admit, I have done this same exact thing. This is year seven for me with the same card. Every year, he puts the card and envelope in his sock drawer. The next year, I just look in there, read it to be sure. Put it on the kitchen table in front of his chair. This year I set it atop a bag of Reese's Peanut Butter hearts. He opens and reads it and comes and gives me a hug and kiss. Then, he said, "I didn't get you a card, but I love you, Valentine. I'm going to get you some breakfast. What do you want from Hardees?" He had a big grin on his face just like a little kid.

Hope you have a happy Valentine's Day!

Today is the day...

I'm feeling some better. 

I slept in the bed for a three-hour stretch last night with little coughing and no shivering.

In even better news, Mike also slept in the bed for most of the night and even slept so late this morning that I tiptoed into the bedroom where he was sleeping and checked on him. That soft snore was a wonderful sound!

Since the sleeping in the bed for three-hours has happened two nights in a row - even though on night one it was a two hour stretch and then an additional hour after sitting in the chair and sleeping for a couple of hours, I have declared that I am on the way to being almost well.

To me that means I've got to tackle a project. It is not one of those projects that I thought about for months and then figured out exactly how I was going to tackle it. This project is much simpler than that.

I am going to work on getting the Christmas decorations here inside the house put away. Yesterday, I went downstairs and dug out the tubs which hold the ornaments for the tree. I put them in the wagon and pulled that to the kitchen. Today, I plan to put ornaments into one of those tubs. If I have the stamina, I might undecorate both trees. I cannot believe I just entered that paragraph. There once was a day that I could have done all of that and more within an hour timeframe. Old age and sickness ain't for sissies!

Of course, at some point I will have to put groceries away and put something together for dinner. So, we shall see how many items off the list I have in front of me get crossed off!

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Misplaced but not Forgotten

As I have aged, I've noticed that I misplace things more frequently than I used to. I am very guilty of putting something away for later and then forgetting where I put it. I've done that a quite a lot this past few years. My thought was that I would put something out of the way and then deal with it when I retired and had more time for dealing with things around here. Well, I've been retired for a year and those put-off-till-later things have not all been addressed - yet.

What's the rush? I mean, I have for the rest of my life, right?

During this first year of retirement, I also told myself I wouldn't wait till the last minute to get things done for Christmas. Well, I did do a lot better than I have in the past. In fact, I got a pretty early start this year. I had been scrolling through blogs, or Instagram, or some such online community and noticed an adorable umbrella. I had just thrown away a broken one at the ball park a week before. Plus, I think all of my umbrellas have that one prong that is broken or the clip has been lost or something. So, the umbrella has the one spot that is not rounded and umbrella-ing. Instead, it is a bit wonky - not a total loss and works in a pinch but a bit beyond faded but still serviceable. So, I ordered the cute umbrella and got a deal because it was on sale! Ding! Ding!

The new umbrella arrived and immediately, I knew that I had to know somebody else who could use such a cute umbrella. So, I decided to order one for each of the daughters and daughters-in-law. I discovered that the cute umbrella had been marked down a dollar or two more. So, I decided to order one for each of the high school granddaughters. I clicked the place order button and sat there a moment. Then, decided I'd order one for the three younger granddaughters as well. That was early in May.

When they arrived, I stood them in the den waiting for Mike to come in and see them. After dinner, he walked in there and shouted, what are you going to do with all these birds? Imagine eleven of these staring at you when you walk into the den...

We chuckled about them and I told him they were future Christmas gifts. He snickered and told me that I would forget about them in that length of time and asked me where I would stash them so the girls didn't see them if they popped in. I confidently told him I'd put them in the back bedroom closet. 

So, I have had those in the back of my mind all this time. Then, one day this past week I was wrapping up all my gift preparations and went to the closet to get them out. I couldn't find them. I poked all around in the junk stashed in that closet and could not find them. So, I went to the other guest bedroom closet. Not there, either. On to the primary bedroom closet. No sign of them there. Downstairs I went in my search. Still no umbrellas. How could I have lost an entire flock of flamingo umbrellas? 

When I returned upstairs, the neighbors had dropped by for a visit. I walked in the door and Mike asked me if I found my flamingos. Then, of course, I had to explain to the neighbors that I had misplaced an entire flock of flamingo umbrellas. After the neighbors left, we prepared and ate dinner and were chatting and it hit me. I recalled that the box was too big and wouldn't fit in the closet. So, I slid it under the bed. Mystery solved. I went right back there and drug the box out. I took a quick snapshot and sent it to the neighbor so she could rest in peace that my flock was not lost.

I stood there and thought about how I might wrap such a gift. Then, I decided that they needed nothing to be a cute addition to the gift pile. So, here is how the gift pile looks for this Christmas.

We are looking forward to all eighteen of the children, in-laws, and grands to pile in here. We will share a meal together, tear into the gift pile, and the children will run, rip, and play, and the adults will catch up on all the news with one another. We hope you have a wonderful holiday and time of fellowship with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!

Tweaks, Adjustments, Modifications and a Change of Direction

I had planned to jump on the dehydrated orange bandwagon this year and add those into my kitchen Christmas decor. Before Thanksgiving, I ordered a garland of dried oranges, expecting them to have a brighter, fresher look than the slices I had dried a couple of years ago. They didn't look much different from my own dried efforts. So, I tucked them away for kitchen decorating later. Granddaughters, Luci and Lydia, were a godsend on the weekend after Thanksgiving and drug our big tree and tubs of ornaments upstairs for me and decorated the tree in the den beautifully. I added the stockings and a few other touches of Christmas after they left and called the den festive enough.

The next week was when I tackled the kitchen decorating. If you are guessing that I don't know where that garland is, you are absolutely correct. So, maybe dried oranges will be a thing for me next year. I always loved the smell of the oranges we sprigged with whole cloves when I was a girl and thought I could add those into the mix but after the creeping crud hit our household, DIY efforts and decorating sort of went out the window. Maybe next year.

I did add some more fresh oranges to our grocery order because Mike has been trying the added vitamin C regimen to see if it will help him move beyond the creeping crud. I have some in the fridge and I added some to the mixing bowls sitting on the left of the Granny Cabinet.

Decorated Granny Cabinet 

I just got the grocery order and this is how the Granny Cabinet surface is decorated right now:

Fighting the Creeping Crud

When I ordered the orange garland, I also ordered a couple of boxes of faux greenery, some red berry picks, and  bundle of cabinet wreaths. My plan was to add springs of the greenery to the orange garland and drape it across the mantel, the vent hood, and on the Granny Cabinet. 

I revised my plan, since I have no idea where I stashed the orange garland. I added little sprigs of the greenery and cabinet wreaths to items already decorating the kitchen and I'm really glad I did. A bowl beside the mixing bowl of oranges is sprigged with greenery and berries and brought the Granny Cabinet into the season. 

I had planned to tie the wreaths onto the backs of my new dining chairs. Then, I noticed that the back of a couple of the dining chairs always seem to have a hooded sweatshirt or a flannel shirt draped across them when Somebody is in the house and I decided that I didn't want to fight that battle. Since the wreaths are so pretty and I love them, I began looking around for other places to use them. I knew I didn't want to put one on the front of each of my kitchen cabinet doors because that would have just been way too much - about 20 upper cabinet doors. Nope. So, I hung one on the Granny cabinet and added a little of the ribbon used last year and my decorating began. I was just a little ahead of time with the plaid ribbon and a Ralph Lauren look last year, I guess. I try to use the same ribbon for a couple or three years and it works well this year, too. 

Decorated Kitchen Mantel

I swagged the preserved boxwood garland across the mantel again this year, tied with the plaid bows. Then, I added another of the cute little faux cedar wreaths in the center below it. A few sprigs of greenery and berries and the tall, slender Santas I painted years ago as a college student and greenery and berries poked into a cream pitcher and the mantel is festive!

Holiday Cheer atop the Fridge

I removed some fall sunflowers from one of the pitchers atop the fridge and added some greenery and berries there as well. When something is working for you, why make changes?

The Kitchen Storage Corner

The storage corner of our kitchen got a little glow up for the season as well. When I stored away the beautiful turkey platter I had displayed at Thanksgiving, I just replaced it with one of my favorite blue and white treasures. 

A Favorite Blue and White Platter

The high-rimmed platter was an inexpensive vintage find I stumbled across one afternoon after Mike and I married. It features a beautiful snow scene and is rimmed with fruits. I usually place it in the center of the lazy Susan on our dining table but this year I decided this was it's home. I love how the under-counter lights sort of seem to spotlight it. Again, added a few sprigs of greenery and berries.

A Crock of Rolling Pins with a Seasonal Touch

The old crock sets on the counter holding our heirloom rolling pins. A couple of them belonged to Mike's grandmothers, one of them was a gift to me by a neighbor and the other is the one my Granny gave me when I set up housekeeping as a young woman. I wanted to add a little silvery look to the area without using glitter or metalics. So, I draped a lamb's ear garland within the rolling pins, added some greenery and berries, and called it decorated. 

Hard-working Kitchen Area

Now, over to the hard-working side of the kitchen. The cooktop and sink live over there and seem to be in constant use, especially during holidays. Above is a quick cell phone snap of that corner dressed up for the season.

Vent Hood Shelf with Seasonal Decor

The dried orange garland didn't make it to the vent hood but I love the look it does have. A few sprigs of greenery and some berries peeking out of the ceramic pitcher I painted more than forty years ago is just right for this year.

A Bright Little Corner

A beautiful cake stand is a perch for some flickering candles, a couple of cabinet wreaths, and some berries. It looks great beside my gifted canisters and my Granny's vintage spice rack. For some reason, years ago I couldn't throw out the old amber vanilla extract bottle and it sets on the rack with some egg timers. Funny that I notice the bottle since this year I am experimenting with making my own vanilla extract for baking and gifting as well!

Season Decor on the China Cabinet

On the opposite side of the kitchen, I tucked away the Easter bunny salt shakers that were still smiling out from a stack of plates in the china cabinet. (Yes, the bunny and egg were still there and nobody had said a word!) The dough bowl is carved from one of the logs that served as a floor joist in my parents old home and I added a beautiful strand of red wooden beads and some greenery to the Chinoiserie balls gifted by my bonus daughter-in-law. 

Dining Table Centerpiece

I washed the scarf that was on the dining table and just returned it to the center of the lazy Susan. I also left the beautiful dish garden there and wound garlands of eucalyptus and lamb's ear around it. I tucked in a couple of hurricanes with flickering candles tied up with some ribbon as well as a couple of antler sheds that Mike found behind the barn. I added the left-over berry sprigs and I think it is naturally beautiful. 

The Kitchen Tree

The little kitchen tree holds all the ornaments collected throughout the years that hold memories of children's crafts, gifts from friends no longer with us, and ropes of red wooden beads. It is over in the corner and has had a rough life. As soon as I got it set up and decorated, I bumped the perch it is set upon while plugging in the lights and knocked it to the floor. I thought I had it stabilized, redecorated it, and gathered up the tubs and empty boxes to return them to the basement storage area. I bumped it with the wagon and it tumbled to the floor once again. With frustration multiplied by two, I stabilized again, redecorated it, and set about my business. Then, while cleaning the floor, I bumped it just this past week and knocked it over a third time. So, it is now taped, wired to the blinds and set askew. The ornaments are flung onto it willy-nilly.  I am reminded of the Christmas morning that Mama threw our cedar Christmas tree out the back door - decorations and all - after it fell on my sister and I playing with Santa's gifts. Daddy came to the house from the milk barn an hour or so later and just grinned. I think he knew better than to say a word. Mike has sort of done the same thing. He came in the back door after one of the tumbles with a big grin on his face and said, "You're not going to let it whip you are you baby?"

I know that every year I tell myself that our Christmas home looks the prettiest ever and each year I am correct. We don't really need picture-perfect or glitzy and fancy. Sometimes reused ribbon and tumbling trees are really what makes the holiday decor the best ever.  Welcome to our kitchen where love abounds, old tales are shared, and you will always find something tasty to munch on when you are hungry.

Today I noticed...Christmas decor makes me smile!

I plopped down to catch my breath after a gift wrapping marathon on a cold day this week and was pleased to see Christmas all around me.

The Christmas tree and its twinkling lights was warming up one corner of the den. The silver beaded garland and sparkling silver, blue, and white ornaments bring a high level of glam to the room. The handmade and yearly collectible ornaments add some sentimentality to the mix. 

The snow globes, ribbon, and candles on the ottoman remind me of the friends who gifted the snow globes to the children years ago. The friends have passed on but their warm hugs and love shared with us will not be forgotten. 

The Santa on the hearth was a gift from a coworker years ago. I love that he is peaking out from between a couple of giant pinecones on the hearth. One of the pinecones was transported from the west coast by my mother on a return trip from a dairy conference out there. The other one came from Mobile, Alabama where my Great Aunt Mae lived. (She was a riveter who crawled up into the nose of airplanes as a young woman.) 

The tall, slender Santa on the mantel was painted by my mother one year when I was home from college and we were crafting in ceramics. We made several of those and gifted them and kept a few. I have a couple that are similar on the mantel in the kitchen. He looks out at us amidst sprigs of greenery and red berries.

The thing that provides the wow factor each year is the mantel full of stockings. Once we have them strung across the fireplace, it seems like the Christmas season has arrived. I always loved the beauty of needlepoint stockings seen in magazines my mother and grandmother collected. So, for the first Christmas after I completed my Master's in Education degree and went to work as a teacher, I ordered one for my two children, my son-in-law, and me. Then, when Mike and I married, I added some for him and his children. Then, along came grandchildren and those were added one by one except for the year that Luci and Levi were born and we doubled up. Each one is uniquely different in design and image stitched as well as personalized with each person's name. 

There are four curved stocking holders designed to slide over the mantel board and hold a stocking. We have a sturdy metal curtain rod that slides through the curved piece and slide the loop of each stocking onto the curtain rod. I fill them full of odd treats like lip balm, hand or foot warmers, head lamps, soaps, toothbrushes, etc. as well as snack cakes and candies for little treats. It has become a ritual that we open the wrapped gifts and then take down the stockings and check out the last little treasures hidden there. Thinking about each person represented brings a warm feeling to my heart and a smile to my face. I love the look, collecting the little surprises, and love what they represent even more. Family is truly what our Christmas celebration is all about.

Just 3 Things | #11

After taking some time away from my computer, I'm back and ready to share what's been going on around here. Doesn't it seem sort of like the world is turning a bit faster right now than usual? Everybody I know has been busy, busy, busy! Tis the season, I guess.

- What I'm Reading - 

I've been reading another Mary Kay Andrews book, Irish Eyes. This follows on the heels of reading three short stories that are within the Callahan Garrity series, Killer Fudge, Fatal Fruitcake, and The Family Jewels. 

It has been sort of relaxing to go through a series like this. I haven't done so in a long, long time. I sort of feel like I visit old friends or binge watching a series on television as I'm reading. I've also been reading several blogs that fill my email box. I have enjoyed several virtual home tours, lots of shopping suggestions, and just reading what is going on n the lives of other bloggers.

- What I'm Loving -

Mike and I have enjoyed a neighbor's handywork a couple of weeks in a row. One of our new neighbors is a baker, crafting and selling sourdough breads. The first week we got a traditional sourdough boule from her. We enjoyed ham and cheese sandwiches, a hunk of bread with our stew, toast, and more. The next week we tried a sourdough loaf and a sourdough loaf with Rosemary. Both were absolutely delicious. 

First Try Farm

If you are in our area, I'd recommend her yummy bread. It is a special treat. We feel fortunate to have her as a neighbor and I look forward to trying the Jalapeno Cheddar and the Everything Bagel flavors. Of course, it is hard to beat the traditional loaf. Yum, yum.

I remember having a sourdough starter years ago when the children were young. It was always a delicious treat on bread-making day. I recall trying the dough out as rolls, sweet rolls, loaves, and all sorts of ways. Then, I noticed the pounds creeping up on the scale each day and decided that I didn't need to be a sourdough baker anymore!

- What I'm Working On - 

Since the last Friday, Just 3 Things post, I have been Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, and tracking packages. When you have eighteen folks in your immediate family - children, spouses, and grandchildren - that's a lot of gifting. I do love it, though. 

I like it best when each one gives me a list. That helps me to know their tastes, their sizes, and their interests. I have the opportunity to pick things directly from their list, especially when they send me one with links - the best way to get a list! I also have the opportunity to pick things that are not on their list but might fit in nicely with their interests. 

We try to follow the gifting 'rules' of including the following:

• Something they want
• Something they need
• Something to wear
• Something to read

I also like to include surprises as well. The grandchildren seem better at getting their lists to me than their parents. But, the grown up lists have been so helpful this year. I hope the concept has caught on and they like the system as well. I love that they give such a broad variety of items for me to choose from and price ranges to pick from as well. Even our little second grader created her own list and sent it along to me using her mother's phone. Hers was the first list I worked through and selected items from and I think she's going to love the things I picked from it and the things I added as surprises!

Ribbon Central

So, the delivery trucks have been rolling in here for the past couple of weeks like we were a main thoroughfare. Mike jokingly told somebody that the Amazon truck ran into the FedEx truck and the UPS truck got stuck trying to go around them. Of course, it hasn't been quite that busy but we have had as many as five deliveries per day sometimes. 

Boxes

All that means that I've been doing something I really don't like - wrapping. Oh, I love the look of a pretty wrapped gift. I love giving them. I love seeing them all stacked together. I love watching the recipients tear into it with excitement and the look of surprise and happiness on their faces when they discover what is inside. The wrapping, though, tends to cause back aches and is very time consuming. At this point, I am well over half done. So, the downhill slide is enjoyable and below is a quick cellphone shot.

The Stack - So Far

It has been really cold here. So, wrapping gifts has been a good thing to do on these cold, rainy, sleet-filled days. I didn't want to be outside anyway! Hope your week has been cozy and warm and dry.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here at our house, we have so many reasons for being thankful. Robert Brault once said, "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." What a statement! I hope you and yours have a day of enjoying all of those little things in your life right now.

The children and grandchildren are coming in tomorrow and we shall share a feast together. It seems that the funny thing about life is that once we begin to take note of the things we are thankful and grateful for, we begin to lose sight of all those other things.

We are ever grateful for our many blessings. 

Happy Labor Day!

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

From our house to yours.

Honoring our Veterans

 

We had a happy Halloween!

 We had some trick-or-treaters come by to treat us. They were so cute and so full of energy. We also got photos and virtual treats from others. It looked like they all had a big time.

These two are dressed as Maleficent, the witch from Sleeping Beauty, and Boo from Monsters, Inc. 

I thought Luci looked awfully pretty to be a witch. I told Bridgette that Lydia didn't look much differently than she did here: 

Lydia's response, "You know...I just have that cuteness that never wears off!" I think she's humble like her grandmother.

These little trick-or-treaters went way out of their comfort zone, I think.

Linley is a cheerleader for the Tennessee Volunteers and Harris is a baseball player for our favorite college. I'm sure their mother was excited that she didn't have to search high and low for their desired costume or spend hours making it. I wish my little spooks had been more like that years ago. Don't know that these two spooked anybody or tricked them but they certainly are cute, aren't they?

These are the three that came here to treat us. (As you can see, Mike and I settled for something outside our comfort zone, too - an old man and woman.)

That green-faced one sure did have muscles everywhere. Then, that gladiator also had some muscles bulging there, too, and had that wicked looking weapon as well.  (I remember the days when I thought Mike's physique looked like that. The sun has risen and set on that several times, though I still think he's pretty cute.) The little princess was sugar and sweetness all over until Mom was ready to make a photo. Then, things looked a little different. The way we got her to settle in and participate is we asked her to make funny faces. That worked like a charm!

I think the one below turned out to be my favorite. I just hate I didn't have mom's picture while this was all going on. It was sort of tricky.

Of the other three grands, one was feeling a little puny and the other two must be far too mature to do something so childish as dressing up and sharing a photo with their grandparents. We still love them anyway. Hope your Halloween was every bit as exciting as ours or even more so!