Reflections…

This is how I spent ringing in the new year…..

Yes....the empty chair is mine!! Temps in the 70's and lots of relaxing
with some shopping, good seafood, and fireworks over the ocean!!

The warm beaches of Panama City in sunny Florida were a welcome treat as the year lingered for the last time. As one door closes new ones will open….and I look forward with anticipation..........

2011 came to a close like the slamming of a door.  It started out good….really escalated to being on the top of the world…. and then came crashing down all at once.  Life is good when we are constantly walking on the top of the mountain….however; God wants us to rely on Him in every moment.  Those moments when we are struggling deep in the valley of darkness, we are not alone.  I walked in this deep valley from August 30 until the end of the year.  I honestly do not know how people can pick themselves up and move on without the unselfish help and love of our Heavenly Father.  

He has now shut that door and I am glad to put it all behind me…not forgetting and not without learning, but moving ahead and excited about what He has in store for our family in 2012.  I have missed blogging and so appreciate those of you who “checked in” on me throughout this time.  I know without any doubt that things could have been worse and others experienced far greater tragedies than we did; so I must remember how truly blessed we are and to take this valley journey and see it as a bridge between the mountains.  While crossing this swinging dark path, I learned that there are not always answers to our questions…so we have to rely on FAITH and TRUST.  Sometimes that is easier said than done….but the sun will again rise over the hills and a new day is always there. That new door will open wide and welcome us in…..

I have busied myself with crafting and painting. Door hangers (speaking of doors)  seem to be all the craze at the moment …so I tried my hand at it, first making a couple for Holly….and then boom….everyone wanted some!! I’m not complaining, mind you, it’s good money for a hobby I love!  Here are a few I’ve done:

Aubie from Auburn University

This one is reversible!!

Not a door hanger...but still some of my work!
Gooble Gooble!!

These are all designed, cut, sanded, primed, painted,
sealed, and ready to hang.... all by me!!
Yes I use power tools....don't mess with me!! :)

So…. my reflections on the past are for making me stronger, they are for putting a few things into a new perspective, and for making me grow in the Lord and trust Him more each new day. When I look in the mirror this year and see that reflection I hope I will be smiling most of the time....and with God's help I will.

As many bloggers have done in the past by picking a "word for the year"…so shall I this year too.  My word for last year was "HOPE" and I carried it throughout each day until the year ended; but it did not end without "hope"; it was still always there….  This year my word will be

 ….too find "joy" again in everyday experiences and regain some "joy" that was lost somewhere toward the end.  So I’m looking forward to the new year with hope and joy.  I hope you too will have a joyous new year with lots to make you happy!

In The Heat of Summer

 I am back from a lengthy visit with my daughter Holly and hubby Richard.   We spent days elbow deep in paint….I’ll have pictures later of her freshly painted formal dining room.  We also did a little shopping and eating…a pregnant girl gets hungry quite often…haha…not me, Holly, who is going on 20 weeks!  My 13 year old niece made the trip with me and we all enjoyed the beach at St. Augustine and a wild water park on another day.  I’m getting too old for that kind of stuff and the sun is just out of my league now.  I actually got quite a bit of sun on the beach with 30 and 50 SPF sunscreens, while sitting under an umbrella!  Gosh what would have I looked like if I had not done that?  I fear a visit to the ER would have been in order!  And the spot on my left leg where I failed to get any sunscreen…well you can only imagine what it looked like…it stayed swelled for about a week!! No kidding! It is starting to peel today!

Holly picked the fabric for the new cover I will be making for their baby’s high chair…It is neither boy or girl related but will match her kitchen!  Aqua, white, and red!  

This willl be the ruffle trim around the cover!

These items of fabric were purchased from sewdeerlyloved Etsy shop!

 It is too cute…wish me luck in sewing this project!  I’ll let you know how it turns out!

My veggie garden is on a slowdown…just too HOT this time of year!  But we have enjoyed fresh white peas, tomatoes, plenty of okra which is still making, bell peppers, onions, English peas, cucumbers like crazy, and potatoes. We are planning to plant a fall crop *wow crop sounds BIG* of more English peas, rutabagas, and collards.  A little something all year to keep us fed!  I’m on my second batch of homemade pickles right now…it’s a week long process! I was also able to obtain some fresh figs from my SIL with which I eat a pile of and the rest I made into preserves!  Now this is a common thing here in the southern part of the south!  A homemade buttermilk biscuit, buttered while hot, with a fig preserve is divine!  Yep…wish I could share with you all!

Its review time again…yep another Gooseberry Patch cookbook review of what’s cooking!  I will be sharing at least 3 recipes I have hand-picked from one of their latest new books.  You will also get the chance to pre-order this book at a discount before it hits the store shelves.  There will also be a give-away in my review for one lucky winner!  So stay tuned and look for this review coming up soon!  I have one more recipe to make and then I will be ready!

I hope you all are enjoying your summer, hot as it is…I have missed being here and sharing with you…but as you know life has a way of taking us away from our hobbies and past time pleasures.  Life gives us more of the things we need at certain times, more challenges, more opportunities, more experiences, and more excitement. We must take those times and live, learn, laugh, and of course LOVE it, making memories all the while!

Where O Where…

…have I been? Around the world and back it seems like. After spending 9 days in New Orleans helping Holly and Richard pack up all their belongings, then back home for a few days, then meeting them in Jacksonville, FL to help them unpack for 5 days……We are tired and beat!!! And now this week is dedicated to Bible School by helping out in the craft room with LOTS of kids!! Thank the Lord I’m able!   I do feel so behind in visiting with you all and missing out on your posts. My inbox was flooded and people were beginning to wonder what was going on! Thank goodness for Facebook as I tried to keep family and friends updated when I was able to get to a computer.

Our children are so proud to leave New Orleans in their past…it’s a nice place to visit, but they did not like living there. With their backs to Louisiana they headed out with smiles on their faces and Holly’s Murano loaded down, to include their three kitties and her new puppy as she followed a huge Penske pulling a small U-Haul trailer driven by Richard and his dog. What a site!!!  They made it as far as Tallahassee FL, stopping there for the night. Old friends of Richard’s family took them out for a steak dinner that night before they headed out again the next morning for Jacksonville. We rose really early that same morning to meet them in Orange Park (outside of Jax) to help unload. There are still boxes to be unloaded as I type this because of the cleaning we had to do inside and out of the house and Holly wants all the walls painted before hanging any pictures. You can only imagine their excitement going from a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment to a BIG  house of over 2,000 sq ft.!! Talk about room to breathe!

Now for the reveal of the surprise that I painted for their new house... This initial “H” for their last name is now hanging on their front door.

Now you know the old saying "It’s a small world after all"…well it’s so true! From my postings on Facebook, a high school friend of mine had read about Holly and Richard’s move. Long story short…she lives in Orange Park also!! She came looking for the moving van on the street I had mentioned and found us! We had not seen each other in 30+ years. She welcomed the newcomers to the area by bringing us supper that night…fried chicken with all the trimmings down to dessert, sweet tea, paper plates and plastic forks!! She also provided Holly with addresses and phones of places she would frequently visit. How awesome is that? It also turns out a friend that Holly grew up with lives in the area too. They had not seen each other since Holly's wedding shower almost 4 years ago.  We all went out to dinner on Friday night and enjoyed some good steaks on Jackie’s wallet!! Awesome again!! Orange Park/Jacksonville has some wonderful friendly people living there!!

I also made this group of four 8x10 canvases for their Florida room which will have a beach theme when completed. They will hang inside of a large shabby frame over a vintage bookcase on one wall. These are decoupaged vintage photos from magazines and scrapbook papers, along with sticker letters. The paper flowers and large buttons give it some dimension and the brown ink gives it that grungy look.

 And here are Holly and Richard standing outside their new home…for the next four years anyway. Richard is stationed at Cecil Field with the US Coast Guard where he is a boat engineer. He will also be doing tactical training for helicopters pilots who will be chasing boats on water. He will be driving the boats running from the choppers! Note the yellow ribbon tied to the tree on the left. Richard’s sister is still in Afghanistan, due to leave and return home to the states mid June. Gosh it’s almost mid June now!!!!

This is Holly and her new baby…Willow... a Malti~Poo, which is a mix of a Maltese and a miniature Poodle. She is so cute and smart and Holly adores her….she treats her like a baby!! This pix was taken after a long day of working and unpacking so please excuse the looks….we were tired and Willow looks a little dirty from playing outside. She really liked the little pink plastic flamingo that I bought and put in Holly’s back flower bed near the bird bath. She thought it made an excellent teether for her baby teeth. Pink flamingo you ask? Well it’s a Florida thing…everyone has to have a least one! Haha…..

Holly and Richard live about 5 hours from us here in Alabama now, which is closer that NOLA and it’s a much easier drive, so we look forward to many visits back and forth!

Thank you for all the anniversary wishes…I hope we make 31 more years!

It's good to be home and settled down for a while.

Welcome to summer!!