Monday, May 31, 2010

For Today - May 31, 2010 - Monday


Outside My Window. . .The sun is shining, the birds are singing & the porch is ready for breakfast to be served!

I Am Hearing
. . .Shiloh crunching his chew bone! And birds chirping outside & an occasional car driving by.

I Am Wearing . . .pink gown & slippers

I Am Thinking . . . that we have the *perfect* name for the separate guest room/bath. Youngest grandson proclaimed "This is the smallest hotel room I've ever seen". Youngest grand daughter noticed "And the ceiling is shaped like an 'L'".

My dearest hubby & EOS said it simultaneously, & it shall now & forever be known as. . . . .

L'Hotel

I like that!

I Am Wondering . . . When the rest of the family will be getting up.

I Am Grateful. . . that EOS & some of the grandkids are here for the weekend! What joy! AND I'm glad my daughter is no longer in such intense pain!

And the men & women who helped make & keep my country, and me, free.

It is the VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN who
salutes the Flag,

It is the VETERAN
who serves under the Flag,

ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON
THEM.

From The Kitchen
. . . Lots of fruit & fruity dip. . . .and tea.

I Am Going. . . to get dressed, put on makeup & go wake up my grandkids if they're still asleep in L'Hotel!

I Am Reading . . . nada

I Am Hoping
. . .for a safe, relaxed, family-filled Memorial Day. And shrimp. :)

Around The House . . . Tell tale signs of kidlets being here: little shoes, puzzles, a doll, crayons, cards, etc. Pretty, pretty sights. . .. every one is a still-life that touches my heart. Quick! I need to grab the camera!

One Of My Favorite Things
. . .is spending time w/me family.

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I used to have thick hair. Thick and curly.

Today's Photo. . . Front porch taken in Jacson, MS, some years ago.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

For Today - May 19, 2010 - Wednesday

Outside My Window. . .The sun keeps peeking out from clouds . . . . going in and out. . . in and out. Hydrangeas are blooming!!!!!

I Am Hearing
. . .Birds chirping, clock ticking & what sounds like crickets.

I Am Wearing . . .white capris, orange t-shirt & walking shoes.

I Am Thinking . . . That I need to finish the *center hall*, *mirror room*, *green room*. Heck - I'm thinking we need to decide on a name for that room!

I Am Wondering
. . . how much longer my daughter will suffer with pain.

I Am Grateful. . . that it appears she's going to be okay.

From The Kitchen
. . . Dishes waiting to be put away; and portobello mushrooms waiting to become lunch. And pork chops waiting to become dinner!

I Am Going. . . to continue going through *stuff*. Stuff, stuff & more stuff.

I Am Reading . . . decorating blogs.

I Am Hoping
. . .mama's aching tooth doesn't result in lots of expensive work.

Around The House . . . The nature table is finished; bed is made; floors are clean. There's the air of quiet domesticity.

One Of My Favorite Things
. . .having my family healthy!

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I hve an 18 year old grandson who has successfully graduated homeschool highschool!

Today's Photo. . . JDS @ graduation

Monday, May 10, 2010

For Today - May 10, 2010 - Monday

Outside My Window. . .It is very, very humid. And breezy.

I Am Hearing
. . .Birds chirping, clock ticking & wind blowing through the trees.

I Am Wearing . . .chenille robe & pink scarf around neck.

I Am Thinking . . . I need to hurry & get dressed!

I Am Wondering
. . . If Good Samaritan will get any funding from United Way.

I Am Grateful. . . that the cheese cake turned out well. You can read about it here.

From The Kitchen
. . . Nothing. No food prep going on. No dishes to wash. Nothing. Although I should fix something for breakfast!

I Am Going. . . to make a trip into town today.

I Am Reading . . . nothing.

I Am Hoping
. . .The meeting with United Way goes well.

Around The House . . . Dog hair. Shiloh really needs a haircut.

One Of My Favorite Things
. . .A family get together!

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I can't think of anything. I'm not particulary mysterious or coy.

Today's Photo. . . 3 generations. . . Mother's Day, May 9, 2010.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

For Today - May 8, 2010 - Saturday

Outside My Window. . .Washer & dryer off the porch! Hubby making new attic door.

I Am Hearing
. . ."It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffet. And now "Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson. "Small Town Southern Man" , "She Don't Know She's Beautiful", "Pop A Top Again", "Midnight in Montgomery" - all by AJ.

And birds outside.

I Am Wearing . . .khaki cargo pants w/denim shirt & walking shoes. Oh, and an apron.

I Am Thinking . . . It's 3:25 & I need to eat lunch.

I Am Wondering
. . . If Cayla is going to have her baby tomorrow? Wouldn't that be cool? She got married on our anniversary - - - & may have her little girl tomorrow, May 9, Mother's Day. The same as my daughter. That would be so cool!

I Am Grateful. . . an oven that bakes evenly. Here's hoping the homemade cheesecake turns out! It's the first I've ever made from scratch. Amanda requested it for her birthday cake. We'll see!

From The Kitchen
. . . Homemade cheesecake in the oven & dirty dishes in the sink.

I Am Going. . . to wash those dishes!

I Am Reading . . . a photography book about exposure.

I Am Hoping
. . .The cheesecake turns out!

Around The House . . . Laundry done. Floors swept & vacuumed. Birthday gifts for tomorrow. Cards, too!

One Of My Favorite Things
. . .A sunny, cool day with the windows open. Hubby piddling outside. Me cooking inside. Going back and forth. Listening to music.

That's more than one, isn't it? No, not really - it's one perfect day!

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I don't watch Friday night TV.

Today's Photo. . . Playing around w/a favorite blouse & camera settings.

Friday, May 7, 2010

For Today - April 7, 2010 - Friday

Outside My Window. . .Warm & breezy. Kinda' balmy-feeling. The breeze is nice

I Am Hearing
. . .Birds chirping & wind blowing through the trees.

I Am Wearing . . .shorts & t-shirt

I Am Thinking . . . My friend Linda W. is one mighty strong, feisty woman.

I Am Wondering
. . . How long her husband will live. He's been sick for a very long time. The nurses are guessing he'll be gone before Father's Day. It's gotta' be tough for all of them. Especially their 17 year old son.

I Am Grateful. . . for the long, long chat with Linda. It was fun talking about the old days.

I'm also grateful that mama's flowers arrived on time. And looking good. After bad experiences with other florists, I am happy to say that the two times I've used proflowers.com have been wonderful! Beautiful flowers - just what I ordered & delivered when they said they would be delivered! Yay!

From The Kitchen
. . . All the fixins' for a homemade NY cheesecake.

DD was born on Mother's Day & her birthday falls on it again this year. Her hubby is grilling steaks & I offered to make her a birthday cake. She asked for cheesecake, so I have all the stuff in the kitchen to make one tomorrow. I hope it turns out to be all she's hoping it to be. And I hope I remember to take pix of it!

I Am Going. . . to lay down for a while. I have a light case of Poison Ivy & I want it to stay that way. I'm starting to get hot. I need to lie down & cool off.

I Am Reading . . . nada

I Am Hoping
. . .The poison ivy doesn't get any worse. I'm really sensitive to it & usually get sick: vomiting & running a fever. Here's hoping this is & will remain a very light case.

Around The House . . . Nothing special.

One Of My Favorite Things
. . .A lazy day.

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I earned my gray hair.

About Today's Photo . . (Click on photo).

Monday, May 3, 2010

For Today - May 3, 2010 - Monday

Outside My Window. . .Hydrangeas almost ready to bloom. And fragrant honeysuckle. And a mighty fine crop of poison ivy :(

I Am Hearing
. . .Baby birds chirping.

I Am Wearing . . .Cargo pants, t-shirt & walking shoes.

I Am Thinking . . . Shiloh needs to go pee more often. My cousin said that dog urine deters snakes. I guess I'll quit fussing at Shiloh for peeing in the flower beds!

I Am Wondering
. . . About this morning. I woke up at 3 & got up for a while, but then went back to bed. I don't know what time it was but it became a rather magical time. There had been a bird singing. I don't know for certain what it was, but some night-time singing bird. There was a light breeze. Just a gentle time of night.

And then n o t h i n g. I mean not a sound. No bird chirping. No coyote howling. No dogs barking. No possums walking on the porch. Nothing crunching on the leaves. No car in the distance. Not a sound. Not a breeze. Just stillness. Complete. Total. Magical. Quiet stillness.

Is there a special time between night & morning? Is there a shift change within nature? It was amazing.

I fell back to sleep & woke up later to the sound of a multitude of birds chirping, singing, calling & greeting. And it too was magical. But in the wee hours of the morning I experienced for the first time in the cabin, the magic of silence.

I Am Grateful. . . for yesterday's mini family reunion.

From The Kitchen
. . . Leftovers!

I Am Going. . . walking. I need to get back into the habit of walking.

I Am Reading . . . everything at Junk Sophisticate. What a creative lady!

I Am Hoping
. . .The snakes & I can live amicably together.

Around The House . . . Nothing special.

One Of My Favorite Things
. . . Volunteering at Good Samaritan. The other volunteers are inspiring people. They are what's best about the little town.

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I can't think of a thing!

Today's Photo
. . . Even though we are prime habitat for snakes, we didn't find any. We did, however, find this little lady hiding beneath some boards.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

For Today - May 1, 2010 - Saturday

Outside My Window. . .It is just beginning to get light. It is very muggy & has been threatening to rain for 24 hours. But still no rain. Just stillness & mugginess.

The azaleas are through blooming for now.

The honeysuckle outside the kitchen window is just beginning to bloom. Sweet honeysuckle fragrance is hanging in the warm, muggy air. Sounds like the beginnings of a novel that takes place in the South! :)

I Am Hearing . . .Woodland birds waking up. I wish I was better at identifying them by their sound. There is a very large variety greeting one another. And me.

I Am Wearing . . .Shorts, t-shirt & sox.

I Am Thinking . . .I really am going to like the porch, once it's done. 2/3 is painted. . . just waiting for Mark to come get the appliances from one end. Hopefully he can get them this weekend or next. He's the one who lost everything in a house fire & is having a hard time finding financing for a new home :(

Once the last of it is painted we can move stuff out of the guest room, storing it where the appliances are now, & get to work in the guest room! The ceiling & inside of the closet are painted, but the walls & trim have been patiently waiting.

I Am Wondering
. . . If the little dog got homesick & went back to her pack. She ate some of the canned dog food . . . then hung around for another day, staying away from the cabin. She would look happy when we went to her. Her eyes were bright, ears & tail perky, but she no longer came on the porch or around us. Mama thinks she got homesick for her family. Maybe so. . . we haven't seen her since last Tuesday.

I Am Grateful
. . . hubby had no objection to me buying a different color for the porch ceiling. Martha Stewart's "Porch Ceiling Blue" - C26 is SO much better. Perfect!

From The Kitchen
. . . Stuff for tomorrow's lunch. My cousin, the Snake Expert is coming over tomorrow, bringing his wife & daughter with him for a snake hunt! We have no desire to eradicate all snakes from the property as we appreciate & respect them for the contribution they make to all our lives. But I don't want them in the attic (although Clint says that 70% of Texas homes have/had snakes there), beneath the house, on the porch or in the house! Our landscaping plans can best be called, "State Park" style. Which means we'll remove the brush/underbrush nearest the cabin, but leave a lot of it around the perimeter. It means lots of gravel pathways, some edged w/fallen logs. It means mulching the beds with leaf mulch. It means an almost perfect habitat for snakes! I just don't want to be surprised by them.

I Am Going. . . to do some laundry, clean house & piddle in the yard & on the porch.

I Am Reading
. . . nada

I Am Hoping. . .that it rains. It's been too, too muggy.

Around The House . . . Pretty much the same as last time as I spent the time painting instead of hanging & sorting, etc.

One Of My Favorite Things . . . A family gathering & the anticipation!

Something You May Not Know About Me
. . . I got my hair cut. Short. Real short. The shortest I've ever had it. I think I like it. . . just hoping I can get it to spike the way I want it to! I like spiky hair.

Today's Photo . . . Blankets Wrap You In Warmth, Quilts Wrap You In Love Top quilt made for me from my dearest of friends Debby. Middle quilt given to me for my 50th birthday. Bottom quilt made by my maternal grandmother for my parent' wedding. they would have been married 68 years this August.