Undefeated!

I went to Lillie's last softball game of the season last night.

She was lucky enough to play with a great bunch of little girls this summer.

They played with intensity but they had lots of fun, too.

The coaches were positive, supportive, and firm teachers.

I never heard anybody from her team or from her team's fans say something untoward.

They were always upbeat and affirming.

I think each girl learned a lot about the sport, about being on a team, and had fun at the same time.

(I love how you can see the ball at about knee height, headed toward 1st base!)

I saw Lillie grow and become more responsible for taking care of herself and her stuff.

 I saw her skills and drive improve.

 I saw her attention to instruction and application of knowledge improve.

 I saw her sense of responsibility to the team grow.

 She became more determined.

 She accepted coaching and tried to apply it.

 She worked hard and played hard.

 She had fun and showed good sportsmanship.

 For team photos they all struck a goofy face.

 There was also the number 1 pose as an undefeated team.

The best photos were just showing the girls' smiles and relaxed attitude.

Fun summer memories were made that will be cherished for a lifetime.

Morning Sunshine

Blooms from my Mother's Day Hydrangea highlighted by the morning sunshine.

Deal! Deal!

I love getting a bargain!

Who doesn't?

The other day it seemed like $10 was my lucky deal price.

I noticed these great cushions for my Granny-lounge-chair were offered up on the local FaceBook Want Ads page for $10 each.  Even though I wasn't crazy about the color, I posted that I'd like one and I wound up getting both for $10.

Deal!  Deal!

They probably will stay this color for the summer because I kind of like the look, coordinates well with my other porch things, and they are in excellent condition.  I can always cover them next year if they fade and have an entirely different new look.

My other $10 deal was found the same way and it wound up making Mike's heart flutter...a great wheel-barrow.  For only $10!  Ours isn't this clean and shiny but it is in great shape and the calves won't care how shiny it is, I'm sure!

Deal!  Deal!

I hope I never have to shop retail again!

Random Ramblings

Spent some time cleaning out my email box during the morning hours and catching up on things I had avoided letting take up my time - like my computer here at home.  When you work with a computer, just like when you work with people, after you get home, you want some solitude.  Anyway... I thought I'd share some of my random ramblings discovered.

Things like...

I love how Anita at Far Above Rubies has used my go-to shades of pink flowers to coordinate with her black furniture on the porch.  I also love that every member of the family has his/her own spot for sitting on the porch.  I cannot believe she got a photo of it empty!

I found 17 Clever Ways to Use Mason Jars.  I especially like the chandelier and the solar lights.  Maybe that's because I've got a light project in the works for my back porch.

I also saw some cute ideas for Dressing Your Door with American Spirit.  How easy would that initial or denim banner be to create?  I really like the straws and stripes and the bandana wreath, too.  They could both be cute for other celebrations like cowboy/cowgirl birthday parties or wishing on a star get-togethers.

I've been wanting to work on our walkway to the back porch, too.  So, I guess that is why this DIY Backyard Path selection caught my eye.  I really liked the pallet walkway but it got the axe from the hubs because he fears we would trip over loose boards.  So, I'm still cruising for ideas, I guess.

I was glad to know that I'm not the only one who has had hydrangea blooms wilt and, more importantly, a way to perk them up!

I want to rush to the grocery store to get an angel food cake so I can make this No-Cook-Strawberry-Tunnel-Cake.  Looks yummy!

Instead, I guess I will sign off and do a bit of floor-sweeping, dog-nose-smudge window washing, and flower watering.

Hope you have a happy random rambling kind of day!

Summer-izing

Today is my first real day of summer break.  After many years in the education business, it seemed a long time coming.  Moving into an 11-month position from the usual 10-month teaching job seemed like there would be very little difference back in July when I went in to work.  Now, I see mid-July looming ahead like a freight train with little time for freedom!  Change is good, though.

I have been doing a bit of summer-izing each afternoon and on the weekends lately.

You know, just a little bit of lightening things up.

I've covered the dark, jewel-tone, lumbar pillows that I have in the den wing-back chairs.

I've changed out the covers on the sofa pillows to be lighter and more airy.

I've swapped out the quilt on our bed in the master bedroom to lighten up the room a bit.

I've been planting some flowers and sweeping away some grunge.

I'm strongly considering changing out the drapes in the den as well.

I still love the Merlot silk drapes with soutache trim that I bought for the last house's dining room and love how they bring a deep rich color into our neutral den.

However, I'm thinking of giving them a bit of a rest and lightening up the den to give us a summer home like The Nester.

What I'm considering doing is making some smocked drop-cloth curtains like Anita at Cedar Hill Farmhouse did.  What do you think?  Should I go to that much trouble or should I just sew a rod pocket in my drop cloths and slip them on the rod and be done with it?

An All-Day Project

I slept late this morning.

It is my second day of summer break and I needed to sleep late.

It was great!

When I finally wandered into the kitchen at around 9:15, I fired up the stove and started cooking some bacon for breakfast.

Well, after I started the coffee.

First things first.

I decided I'd cook up a little extra bacon for a project.

You see, I usually just ask my Mama to make some dishes because I know she is a FAR better cook than me.

This time, I thought I would give one of her recipes a try.

There were six corn muffins left from last night's take-out dinner from Nana's Diner.  Just enough for a good cornbread salad.

So, after breakfast, I crumbled up the muffins into a dish and set that aside.

Then, I started gathering the other ingredients.

I had some left-over October beans from dinner a couple of nights ago...check.

Then, the phone rang...Mike had started to cut hay and the hay cutter had gotten bogged down in the think undergrowth.  So, I slipped on some shoes and trekked out to give him a hand.

Two hours later, sweat dripping off me, grease all over my hands, and itchy from helping Mike work on the hay cutter, I tromped back into the house.

So, I did a good scrub on my hands, sprayed off the rest of my gritty body, changed clothes, and headed back to the kitchen.

Chopped bell peppers...check.

Sour cream, mayo, Ranch Dressing Mix...check, check, check.

Green onions...nope, but there are some growing out in Mike's little garden.

So, I trekked out there to pull up a few...and climbed up on the tractor to put the power-take-off in gear and help Mike for another half-hour.

Then, back to the house to scrub up my arms and change my sweaty shirt again.

Chopped green onions...check.

Grated Cheese...check.

Whole-kernel corn...nope.  Well, I don't really like that anyway.

Tomatoes...nope.  Well, Mike doesn't really like them in a salad anyway.

Then, I crumbled up the extra bacon I'd fried up this morning, covered the dish, and put it in the fridge to chill.

Wow!  A side dish to go along with the steak Mike plans to grill and it only took me all day!

I'm so glad I made this instead of asking Mama to do it.

(You can find the particulars of the recipe HERE.)

Other folks getting a dose of the blues...

It seems the blues are rather popular!

Kim over at Savvy Southern Style has cooled down with blue and white.

Marian at Miss Mustard Seed recently had a feature on blue and white, too.

And oh, how I would love to have some pieces of transfer-ware with the scene on the featured cup and saucer!

Years ago when I was still a teenager, I stumbled across a bowl and pitcher for a wash stand that had this scene on it.  It was priced WAY out of my budget at $50.  So, I didn't get it.  Every time I see something with this pattern, I think of that beautiful bowl and pitcher and wish I could stumble across it again...and for that price!