Saturday, April 30, 2011

30 Day Blog Journal - Day 1





Day 1 - a favorite song



The first song that came to my mind was Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill's version of "How Great Thou Art" that they performed together at the Academy of Counrty Music's "Girls Night Out" special last week. A truly a-m-a-z-i-n-g performance of a favorite Christian hymn. I have played it over and over all week long. So touching! Click on the video to watch.




Friday, April 29, 2011

The Royal Wedding....then and now

How can I not post about the history making event of today- the much anticipated Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton-April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey. Although, I didn't get up at 4 a.m. to watch live, I think I've seen pretty much most of it. ........the kiss....(love the little girl in this picture)
........this cake looks a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!!!


.....what a beautiful couple!

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. I was 16 at the time, and completely obsessed with all things Lady Di! I remember being so excited to watch this historic event. I still have all of the newspaper articles I cut out and kept in a scrapbook.


.............a fairytale dress




............that gorgeous cake.



............. the Princess and the Prince.

30 Day Blog Journal - the list

I'm joining the 30 Day Blog Journal fun! Follow along with me as I take the challenge of journaling every day for the next 30 days! Below is a list of topics for each day.

Day 1 - a favorite song


Day 2 - a favorite movie


Day 3 - a favorite television program


Day 4 - a favorite book


Day 5 - a favorite quote


Day 6 - list 20 of my favorite things


Day 7 - a photo that makes me happy


Day 8 - a photo that makes me sad


Day 9 - a photo I took


Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of me



Day 11 - a photo of me recently


Day 12 - 3 things on your bucket list


Day 13 - a fictional book


Day 14 - a non-fictional book


Day 15 - my dream house


Day 16 - a song that makes me cry (or nearly)


Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)


Day 18 - a vacation spot you want to visit


Day 19 - a talent of mine


Day 20 - a hobby of mine


Day 21 - a recipe


Day 22 - a website


Day 23 - a picture of your family


Day 24 - where I live


Day 25 - my day, in great detail


Day 26 - something important you have planned for the next week


Day 27 - my worst habit


Day 28 - name something on your want list

Day 29 - last concert you saw

Day 30 - plans for the next month

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Five Question Friday - Apr 29






1. If you could buy any car, money not an option, what would it be?




We currently own a Chevy Trailblazer-which I love, but I wouldn't mind a newer model, fully loaded SUV. :O)




2. What was your worst first date ever?




It's been so long since I dated (coming up on our 28th wedding anniversary in June), I really don't remember!




3. How old were you when you fell in love for the first time?
See question #2......I first fell in love at age 14. :O) Same guy!



4. When was the last time you reconciled your checkbook?
A few days ago. I use a checkbook and register, but go online every few days to bring it up to date.




5. If you were going to fashion a "Wanted" Ad for a best friend, how would you word it?




Wanted: best friend








  • Must be fun and drama free!





  • Someone who can laugh with me one minute and be a shoulder to cry on the next.






  • Must love movies and manicures.






  • Must be able to keep secrets.






  • Someone who knows just what to say and when to say nothing at all.





  • Someone who likes to talk but is also a good listener.





  • Must want to talk about the kids.





  • Someone who can look beyond my faults and see what a true friend I can be!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Top 2 Tuesday - What I Collect

I'm linking up for the Top 2 Tuesday party! This week is the top 2 things you collect.

{one} willow tree angels

I have 13 in my collection, but my two favorites are:
Happiness
Brothers

Next, I want to start collecting the Nativity set.
{two} I guess the other thing I have the biggest collection of is scrapbook supplies.
One of my favorite pastimes is scrapbooking. I can spend hours working on layouts. I love looking through all the albums I've done of the boys, family, special occasions, and all of our vacations, especially the Disney vacations!! What a great keepsake! :O)

In Full Bloom......

S-P-R-I-N-G
What a beautiful time of year!

My neighbor's Dogwood Tree - gorgeous

My Lilac Bush is in full bloom......





Home Sweet Home..... :O)

Hoo Are You???? Q's




1. Do you plant a garden or flowers, or neither?


I usually just plant flowers, but this year Peter planted 3 tomato plants! I am so anxious to see how they do- we just love those ripe, red, summer tomatoes!!






2. Does it bother you to have your blinds or curtains
open after dark so people can see in your house?


We live closeby our neighbors, so def close those blinds!!! I love having the blinds open all day though, and especially love it when you can open the windows too- love the fresh air & sunlight.






3. Do you like to go camping?


Not really, unless maybe if it's in a cabin.....no tents for me thank you!! I much prefer a nice hotel!


4. Do you have a laptop or a desk top computer?


Logan has an HP desk top w/ a huge monitor, and Nathan has a Netbook.


5. What time during the day do you have your most energy?


I'm not a morning person, but I am a night owl....I'd say I get the most done from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Usually though, I try to settle down after dinner & dishes, just in time to watch some tv or get on the computer.





Saturday, April 23, 2011

Show Us Your Life ~ How do you stay organized?






I'm linking up with http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/
and joining in on this week's Show Us Your Life ~ How do you stay organized?

In my ideal world, everything in our home is put away, in it's respective closet, basket, or bin, menus are planned for the week, the hamper is empty (and all clothes have been put away), the dishwasher has been emptied, the to-do list on the fridge has been done, and the checkbook is balanced. If only that were real life! I know I have it in me to be more organized, but whether it be lack of time management, or just my procrastination, I often fall short in the area of staying organized.
There are a few areas that I seem to have gotten control of though. I have an organized system for keeping track of paperwork.....bills, receipts, and other important papers. I have a basket with files with different categories (monthly bills, to file, bank,etc.), along with envelopes, address labels, and stamps. When it's time to pay the bills, I just pull out the basket and everything is right there.




I keep it handy, along with a photo box that stores receipts and paperwork for a few months then moves to a storage file box for the year. I also keep a binder (or a control journal as FlyLady would call it), that holds passwords for all the websites I use, my Christmas card list, you name it, it's in there. I like that it's all in one place - no searching around. The other must for keeping me organized are calendars!! I have 3 of them. I have a day planner, a regular wall calendar -Mickey Mouse this year :O), and my most used calendar- my dry erase calendar on the fridge. LOVE IT!!!

Five Question Friday Apr 22




{0ne} what is your favorite Easter tradition? I love going to church and spending time with my family on Easter Sunday. When the boys were smaller, I always enjoyed the Easter Egg Hunts and filling their Easter baskets! As they got older, I started buying them a gift (this year Nathan got a PS3 MLB game) and some of their favorite candy.








{two} are you a "shower", or a "long, hot bath" kind of person? I {heart} {heart} bubble baths!!! :O)





{three} can you parallel park, and if so, when was the last time you did it? um....probably not very well




{four} what is your favorite Easter candy? Robin Eggs (malted eggs) are my favorite store bought candy, but I really love homemade Easter egss-peanut butter, coconut cream, butter cream, or fruit & nut!!! YUMMY!!!




{five} Easter: do you go all out with the Easter bunny or focus on the religious part of it? I love the homemade Easter eggs, candy, Easter egg hunts, and all the beautiful Spring decorations, but all those things wouldn't have any meaning if that was all that Easter was about. Easter for me, is the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross, and that he rose again!(copied from the web)


I hope everyone has a blessed Easter!



Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cabinet: Before & After

Years ago (probably '85 or '86), I showed Dad some pictures of a cabinet that I just had to have. At the time, you could buy a pie safe cabinet just about anywhere, but I wanted one that was custom-made, by Dad. It wasn't long before I had a beautiful, pine cabinet, complete with punched tin door panels, for my kitchen. He did an awesome job!! I have pictures of the original cabinet, but wasn't able to get them scanned (hopefully, I can add them later). I copied a few pictures from the web to give you an idea of what it looked before the re-do.

Not my cabinet-but similar . The pattern of the punched tin was hearts.



While the punched tin hearts had their day, the cabinet was in dire need of an update! I still love it- and use it, so I thought giving it a little face lift would add a few more years to it. The top part holds my baking supplies, packaged mixes, etc. and I store my small garden flags in the drawer.

I considered several options to replace the punched tin. Chicken wire is always a popular choice, and has sort of a Tuscan look. Then I thought about adding frosted, ribbed glass, which I really love.








I bought a black cabinet from JCPenney a few years ago which has wainscoting paneled doors. I really like that look!


I decided to try to match up the two cabinets, so I bought a piece of waiscoting at Lowe's ($9) and painted it black. Dad cut the panels out and replaced the tin. I think it turned out great!! I'm still trying to decide if I want to paint the drawer and side panels black. I can always do that later though.




Love the new look!!!



Wordless Wednesday~April 21

Wordless Wednesday.........................


~Breathtaking~




Picture taken by Logan.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Getting to Know You Sunday ~ April 17


Getting To Know You Sunday



1. what's something you've eaten and liked, but didn't think you would?



During our last trip to WDW, we ate at Sci-Fi Diner in DHS. DH ordered the Reuben sandwich and I tried it....it was soooo yummy! I always wondered if it was something I would like...and yep, I do! :O)






2. plastic surgery..yay or nay? 


I'm not sure if it's for me, unless if it was necessary (if I was in an accident or something), but for anyone who wants it, then I say go for it! I just hate it when people go too far with it.



3. 2 things you love about spring are.....?


The warm weather and all the beautiful flowers and trees.






4. when's the last time you went on a picnic?


I used to take the boys on picnics all the time when they were smaller (they are 15 & 22 now),so I guess it's been several years since I've been on a real picnic! I always loved going on picnics - I really need to add this to my short term bucket list!! :O)







5. what's your favorite app?


I don't have an iphone or an itouch, but the boys do. I guess the only app I use is the itunes app.




6. who does the grocery shopping in your house?


That would be me! I LOVE to go grocery shopping! Back in the day, I used to save lots of $$$ using coupons and mailing in rebates. I would love to go back to saving money at the grocery store again. Since watching the show "Extreme Couponing", it has sparked my interest in using coupons again. We spend way too much money on groceries, I know I could do better if I planned weekly menus and clipped those coupons like I used to do!!





7. would you rather take a spin class or zumba?


Zumba looks like so much fun!



8. how often do you go out to dinner?

We don't eat out often- maybe once a month we'll either eat out or do take out.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Five Question Friday Apr 15




1. What is your favorite sign of spring?

The trees budding, the flowers blooming, and everything turning green. It is such a beautiful sight.


2. What was your best birthday ever?


I really can't pick one that stands out. I just had a birthday last month and it was pretty special. I got so many beautiful cards and nice gifts from friends and family, my Mom made me a cake (yum!!), and DH & I went away alone for a weekend- shopping, dinner, and a movie.



3. What is your favorite dessert?


PIE.....pineapple cream.....coconut custard....pecan....lemon meringue....:):):)



4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?

Never gotten a ticket, so no good excuses here!




5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?


I'd like to say I get up as soon as the alarm goes off, but I don't. DH gets up...tells me to wake up, he gets dressed....tells me to wake up....feeds the cat and brushes his teeth.....tells me to wake up.....finally, I get up:(... but I'm definitely not the morning person he is!!

My Favorite Pound Cake Recipe



Pound Cake
  • 3 blocks butter or margarine
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 2 T. lemon extract
  • 1 T. vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 t. baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine butter, sugar, eggs, lemon, & vanilla in large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed for about 20 mins (mixture should be creamy & fluffy). Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture, blend until just mixed. Add milk, beat 1 minute more. Pour into greased and floured tube pan. Bake for 1 hour or until pick comes out clean when tested. Loosen cake with a knife and turn onto a cooling rack. (This cake freezes well.)

I made this Pound Cake today - I kept half of it for us ( served w/ ice cream for dessert) and I shared the rest. I wanted to take something to a friend that recently had a death in the family so I wrapped the other half of the cake in clear plastic wrap and put it in a pink gift bag. I added a brown polka dotted grosgrain ribbon and a matching striped tag made from some scrapbook paper. For my friend who has a birthday today, I wrapped a few slices individually and put in a cute cardboard gift bag and added a package of french vanilla coffee.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Show Us Your Life ~ What are you reading?



I'm linking up with Kelly and joining in on this week's Show Us Your Life ~ What are you reading?

What I'm reading........along with the latest edition of Real Simple magazine, I've almost finished reading Thursdays at Eight by Debbie Macomber. This is the first book that I've read by her, but it will not be the last! Great book!!! Amazon.com Review Four residents of Willow Creek, California--the youngest in her twenties, the oldest in her late fifties--become acquainted during a journaling class and decide to continue their connection by meeting each Thursday morning for coffee and conversation. They come from very different backgrounds, but their need for friends and support draw them together and bind them in their struggles with life and love. Clare is angry and bitter after a devastating divorce; Elizabeth, a widow, is determined not to waste a moment of the rest of her life; twentysomething Karen is set on becoming an actress despite her family's disapproval; and Julia is approaching her fortieth birthday when an unplanned pregnancy turns her perfect life upside down. As each of the four women cope with cataclysmic upheavals in their lives, they rely more and more on the support of the members of the Thursday morning breakfast club. And as they are faced with difficult choices, each chooses the option dictated by their conscience and their personal moral compass rather than the easy way out.



Books I've read so far this year: I love the movie Julie & Julia, so of course, I had to read the story behind the movie.

Amazon.com Review Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. When we first meet Julie, she's a frustrated temp-to-perm secretary who slaves away at a thankless job, only to return to an equally demoralizing apartment in the outer boroughs of Manhattan each evening. At the urging of Eric, her devoted and slightly geeky husband, she decides to start a blog that will chronicle what she dubs the "Julie/Julia Project." What follows is a year of butter-drenched meals that will both necessitate the wearing of an unbearably uncomfortable girdle on the hottest night of the year, as well as the realization that life is what you make of it and joy is not as impossible a quest as it may seem.



The first book I read by Elin Hilderbrand was The Castaways. I couldn't put it down! The Beach Club was the next book that I chose and it is equally good, although I started it before the holidays last fall and just finished it last month. I love to read but don't always find the time to do it. From Publishers Weekly Inspired by her home island, Nantucket resident and first-time novelist Hilderbrand maps out a sprightly summer saga at the exclusive Nantucket Beach Club and Hotel, from the season's May opening through the October finale. Transplanted Iowa farmboy Mack Petersen begins his 12th summer as hotel manager, wondering if the time has come to ask for a share in the ownership of his beloved adopted home; meanwhile, his gorgeous girlfriend, Maribel Cox, is dropping strong hints about getting married. Aging owner Bill Elliott returns from winter in Aspen with several conundrums: he begins to receive mysterious, anonymous letters from someone insistently offering to buy the property; his rebellious 18-year-old daughter, Cecily, refuses to learn about managing the family business; he fears growing old and broods on the uncertain future of his hotel. Besides the usual duties of housekeeping and keeping wealthy guests happy, Mack also contends with the subtle hostility of Vance Robbins, the African-American bellman who envies Mack's position and his girl; a hurricane that threatens to destroy the hotel; and tempting job offers that promise a new life away from Nantucket. Newcomer Love O'Donnell has been hired to work the hotel's reception desk, but her real mission is to find a man to father the child she desperately wants before her biological clock runs out, while callow college graduate Jem Crandall develops a hopeless crush on Maribel. Faithful to the easy rhythm of a real-life summer resort, the novel is lively with guests new and old who bring fresh problems to the plot. Though somewhat predictable, these summer escapades have a strong emotional pull, and readers will remain absorbed until the surprising denouement. Agent, Michael Carlisle. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Menu Plan Monday: January

hello January: MENU PLAN MONDAY 🗓️ I love all the winter dishes like oysters and ducks, collard greens, soups and stews. Just give me all t...