Friday Fotos

I remember in the past linking with someone for Friday Fotos, but if I remember correctly, it was discontinued. Anyway, I am posting photos today of the house that I moved into back in September. There have been many events happen between then and now, and I still haven't finished doing the things I should be doing, but life is happening and who really cares if I get all the pictures hung? Right? But Pamela asked me to share some photos of my house so this morning I went through quickly and took pics. I don't know how those photographers who style homes for sale get such amazing pictures ... it certainly isn't possible with an iPhone!

I posted a couple of pictures last week of my living room. When you first enter my house, the dining room is to the left.

The doorway you see in the pic above leads to my little kitchen and breakfast area.

It also leads to my library/office. 

This is the downstairs guest bedroom.

and guest bath

This is the upstairs guest bedroom.

It also has a full size bath, but I didn't take a pic of it.

It's very nice, though.

This is a large walk-in attic from the 

upstairs bedroom. The other walk-in attic has

the AC unit and hot water heater, insulation,

ducts, etc. all that necessary stuff.

This is my bedroom.

The entertainment center in the bedroom is housing

my printer and supplies are in the drawers.

My large and somewhat messy closet.

The guest bedroom also has a closet like this.

My brother says he has "closet envy."

This hallway leads from my bedroom to the guest room and back

to the living room. The door on the left is a half bath

and to the right of the picture at the end is the closet

under the staircase.

This is the patio room looking out at the back deck.

Large garage which also has a storm cellar below.

Front of the house.

I didn't include pics of the stairs, hall and laundry room. Pamela, I hope you enjoyed seeing where Annie and I live now. We really like it here, have wonderful neighbors and it's convenient to just about everything we need ... that is, except Texas.

Where the Living is Easy

Today I thought I would be linking with a new friend, Lisa, for All Around the House. But I came too late for the party. I'm posting anyway! Lisa, I hope you see this.

Do you love this space in your house?

This is my living room. Yes, I do love this space because it’s just the right size for me, it has lots of light and it opens up to my kitchen, dining room and another small living area. The situation of the windows makes it possible for me to keep an eye on the front and back views outside.

2) If you could change one thing in this room, what would it be?

I’m happy with the room, but I am changing out the windows to be rid of the grids that are in the windows now.

3) What is your favorite item in this room?

My recliner back in the corner.

4) Tell us about your favorite event that happens in this room – is it movie night? Is it game night? Is it simply lying around and watching TV?

Since my husband passed away, I downsized to this house which is perfect for me. So this room is where I go first thing each morning for coffee and reading my Bible. When I’m home, I spend a good deal of time here with my dog Annie on my lap. I read, do my Bible studies, eat my dinner, and watch too much TV. Britbox is my favorite.

That's all. Maybe next round I will make it on time.

Spring: A Welcome Time of Year

1. It's like my mama always said, "_________________".

My Mama said it many times. “Pretty is as pretty does. She was right. She said many things that were right.

2. May 11th is National Eat What You Want Day. What will you be having by way of celebration? 

I wish I had known, because I would’ve made something special for my dinner. Since I was going to BSF Tuesday evening, I just had a quick burger. Otherwise, I think it would have been nice to have some fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, rolls, and brownies with ice cream. 

This past Saturday our Sunday School class had a little going away cookout for one of the couples in our class. There was so much deliciousness there with grilled burgers and chicken, macaroni salad, pea salad, and potatoes au gratin. Since my sister-in-law cannot eat what she wants due to celiac, I made a flourless chocolate cake and served it with fresh strawberries and ice cream. It makes an 8 inch cake, but is very rich and everybody enjoyed it.

 3. Describe your idea of a perfect spring day. 

Perfect spring day to me is sunny, light breeze, just a feeling of well being, the day feels like a warm caress. There are trees in bloom, a variety of color from all the flowers blossoming, and maybe enjoying a meal outdoors with friends. Oh wait! We did that Saturday afternoon at our SS party!

 4. Success, fulfillment, growth, achievement...pick one and tell us how it relates to your life in some way, either currently or in days gone by. 

Maybe achievement. This past year has been a lot of work to make possible my move to another state, taking care of the business attendant thereto, and bringing up to date a lot of my affairs in order in case of any emergency. In general, my moving on in life.

 5. I saw this going around on various social media sites and thought it would be fun to answer here. The last thing you bought on Amazon is your weapon in battle. How will you wield it?  (if you're not an Amazon shopper, then the last thing you bought online anywhere) 

That would be an athletic workout shirt to wear with my yoga pants on Tuesday and Thursday when I attend what is known as Move 1 and Move 2, exercise programs at my church. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if wearing that top would enable me to wield extraordinary feats in my exercise routine? It truly would because of my current limitations with my right arm still healing from the broken wrist.

 6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m going to go here with your “what’s happening on Tuesday” blog. A little bit of catch-up. I had a nice Mother’s Day in spite of the fact that I was not with the kids or grandkids. However, I served in children’s church, and my brother and sister-in-law and I had a nice dinner after church. After dinner, I had a nap and then pulled out a couple of my old blog books to look at the photos and what I had written in the past about the kids; kind of a sentimental journey.   Jason and Amy sent beautiful roses for Mother’s Day, and I received many cards and phone calls for my birthday and Mother’s Day.

This one is my favorite!

I’ve begun volunteering on Mondays at a thrift shop which raises money for children at a local hospital and so Monday was filled with working with a group of wonderful ladies. We take a 30 minute morning break, which is nice as I’m getting to know all the other volunteers.

Tuesday was another kind of perfect spring day in which it was cloudy and cool with thunderstorms which I really enjoy, especially when I don’t have to get out in it. It was nice of the rain to stop before I had to go to BSF.  

You can't tell by this pic, but t's very wet out there.

The snow storms this past February ruined many of the shrubs in my yard (and everybody else's). That was all right with me, because I was already planning to get rid of some of the landscaping here. One of the problems is that this misfortune happened to many people and so landscape companies are overwhelmed with work backlogs. One of my old high school classmates offered the use of a couple of the guys who do work for him and a lady from my church who is a “master gardener” offered her help. What blessings these offers of help are turning out to be. This job will get done! Today I will be shopping at the nursery for more shrubs and flowers for my front yard.

Thursday our ukulele group will meet for practice. It is possible that this Sunday we may get to play and sing before an audience. And this Friday I will be meeting with my Texas book club group on Zoom. Last Wednesday three friends from my past life here in Tulsa came over after lunch for snacks and a little girl talk … they stayed until 8:00 pm! I promise you, during that entire time, there was never a lull in the conversation. We all had a lot of catching up to do. 

A little funny here: On Sunday in children's church, one of the little boys had a watch which he fiddled with the entire time. It was never on his wrist. At one point, he had it dangling from his mouth between his teeth and the lead teacher asked him to take it out of his mouth as that is not where we wear a watch. It struck me funny as I told the teacher it was a picture of a verse we all need to pay attention to:

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.”

 

 

Scents of Spring

Let's see if I can remember how to join the Hodgepodge with Joyce. Spring questions this week, so join the fun here.

1. What are some memories you associate with spring?

My birthday, Easter clothes, mom letting us go barefoot outside, trips to the nursery to buy flowers to plant, thoughts of vacation and trips to the Dallas Arboretum with my friends to simply enjoy all the blooms: Azaleas, tulips, just everything you could think of.

From the long ago past

These dresses were pale blue organdy, with blue net aprons and the ruffled sleeves 

and little silk flowers at the neck.

These dresses were dotted swiss, white with pink dots and, of course,

ruffles. I guess I was a little impatient wanting to get on with the Easter Egg hunt.

Sweet memories with friends

2. April showers bring May flowers...was that saying proven true where you live? Snapdragons, anemones, carnations, lilacs, sweet peas, tulips, lily of the valley, orchids, roses, gardenias...which one on that list is your favorite May bloom?

Roses! My other favorite is not listed. Peony. I love peonies and watching them come up out of the ground, bushing out, and big blossoms that turned into the sweetest smell. ❤️ I’m going to find a place to plant some in my yard. Mother always had carnations and roses.

Flowers I left behind

3. What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them?

• Phone
• my brain thinking about what needs to be done next
• the dog.

• I try to slap my hands or hide the phone, but that really doesn't work (I'm fibbing here, the phone is always with me. I do ignore some phone calls when necessary and I don't allow notifications from Facebook, etc.).
• Make a list and prioritize
• Just let her sit on my lap or talk to her as she follows me around, or just give in and take her for a walk.

4. Do you eat beef? Yes.

In the course of a week, how often is beef on the menu? Maybe a couple of times, meat sauce for spaghetti, a small meatloaf, that kind of thing. 

A hamburger, steak, prime rib, or a roast beef dinner...which beef entree would you choose and yes you have to choose. Unless you're a vegan, and then you may pass.

I love a good roast beef dinner, but the cheeseburger is a close second. A good steak is enjoyed when one of the guys are grilling.

5. In what way were you creative during the month of April? 

Nothing comes to mind right now, but I am going to share our son's creativity. He built this chicken coop for Amy's chickens. He didn't have a pattern, he just built it and put wheels on it so it can be easily moved around the yard.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I’m trying to get back into the swing of blogging again. Not too much to write home about, but I’m enjoying every day. I am trying to get some landscaping done and windows replaced in my house. Also, I’m looking forward to doing some front porch sitting with my neighbors and contemplating a trip to Mackinac island this summer.

It's Been a While ...

but that doesn’t mean I’m just been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. I’ve been a busy bee since moving in September.

I’ve been back to Texas three times, celebrated Thanksgiving in Kansas, Christmas has come and gone, I’ve recovered from two falls, a broken wrist, and other mishaps trying to deal with many details such as getting my new drivers license, getting the title changed to one of the cars, selling two cars, buying a new car. Lots of things to do when settling in a new place: doctors, pharmacy, dentist, dog groomer, hair stylist, etc. 

I found a wonderful church that is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that my brother and sister-in-law left their church of over 40 years to join with me. This may be the friendliest church I have ever been part of with ministries to just about everything and everyone you can think of. It’s been a very exciting time. I’ve been involved with Bible study fellowship, made new friends, found old friends, and have just simply enjoyed my life since I’ve been here. I’m still missing my DH, but I am surrounded with love from family and friends and, of course, Annie is happy to be wherever I am. Our neighborhood is populated with some very friendly folk, so we enjoy taking our walks almost every day. And I love my house! It is perfect for me!

I’ve had visitors from Texas and looking forward to more. I’ve seen fall colors, tons of snow, ice, now Spring, and more freezing weather. But I think things are just about to turn as we head into storm season. Just to catch up I’m going to post a few photos of some of the things that have happened over the past few months.                 

Annie's a happy camper

Sunset behind my house

Some of the fall colors from across the street

Seeing this girl again brought tears of joy

And these two!

Thanksgiving in Kansas

Christmas color in the dining room

The first snow

They are all quite brave to stand on those pools.

The really big freeze in Texas

Finally got the headstone for DH's grave

Spring brought a big surprise!

I love these and can't wait to fill in blank spots here with more color!

Got to go back home for Jack's 10th

I should have kept up, but way too many things to recount. Suffice it to say that, in spite of the difficulties in taking care of business during these "unprecedented times", life has been good. God has been faithful to keep me and bring me this far and so He ever will be.

Moving In, Moving On

 As I look over my last blog post, it’s been less than a month, but so many changes have taken place since then. Some really strange happenings, hours of labor, and now already feeling nostalgic as I see pictures of the dear family and friends I left behind. But, moving forward, the deed has now been done and Annie and I are finally settled in our new home.

The week before I was to move, we had a big storm come through. Thunder woke me up that morning and I got up to open the curtains so I could watch the storm. Silly me! No sooner did I get back in my bed, than lightning struck so big right in front of my window, I could not believe it. I was sure my house had been hit and was concerned that it might catch fire. Fortunately it did not, however, I discovered that my air conditioner, my security system, and my Internet were all affected by the strike. So I had to quickly take care of all those things so they would be repaired before the closing. A lot of dollars after, and a lot of stress, but I continued to pack to be ready to move. Everybody told me I was a little bit nuts for doing all that packing (because I had paid for the movers to do that), so far I had 100 boxes packed, but it paid off in the long run. 

The movers were supposed to show up on 8 September, and on that day they called to let me know they wouldn’t be able to have a truck there until September 11, which was after the closing! After a few rounds with those clowns, I called my realtor in a panic, to see what could be done about changing the closing date. I think I already knew the answer: it could not be changed. However, my realtor being the wonderful person that she is, helped me locate a new mover who said they could be there the next day to load up and take all my stuff to my new home. Although that  was a big relief, at the back my mind was the large amount of money I had paid to the original movers. But, moving on, we went ahead to close and left for Oklahoma. On Friday morning, the movers arrived and we were shocked to see the men who had been sent were two scrawny looking fellows no bigger than me. My dear friends Alice and Fred, our daughter Sara, my brother Phil and his wife Susan all pitched in with me to help unload the truck. Susan brought me enough food to last a week and gorgeous mums to hang at the front porch. Phil grilled steaks and chicken for all of us! At the end of the day, the movers who unloaded everything said they have never had any customers do what we had done. (Needless to say it’s been quite an adventure, but happy to report I was able to get my money back from the original movers.)

Whew! I will never be able to thank enough all the people who helped get me here, encouraged, and took care of me through one of the most stressful times. I am so thankful I listened to God‘s wisdom and didn’t try to make a move while Jay was alive. It would’ve been a huge mistake and wrong thing to do to disrupt his peace in what were to be his last few years. I’m so thankful we were able to enjoy our life together to the end without all that would have been involved.

Now I’m starting over, but thanks to my family here, I am settling in. Some friends from back in Texas will be here tomorrow for a women’s conference and I will meet them for dinner. Yesterday, I met with the ukulele band to practice the songs they will be singing for the nursing home residents. Annie and I have taken two and three walks a day around the neighborhood, which is so pretty. I really like it here. 

I have seen so many Canadian geese fly over and many of them are stopping in the field behind me for a snack. They’re  beautiful. I am looking forward to seeing fall colors here. The plan to play pickle ball has been thwarted for now in light of the fact that my back is out of whack from all the lifting and moving I’ve done for the past few months. On top of that, I fell so now I am experiencing a lot of pain and having to take it easy for a while. Hopefully, a visit to the chiropractor tomorrow will resolve the problem. 

My new house. Alice relaxing with Annie after a hard days' work.

The geese feeding. It was raining or I would have tried to get closer for a better pic.

Misty morning behind the house.

Everybody worked so hard to get my house fixed up!

Before I left, I had several get-togethers with friends and family to say good-bye. This one though by a few of the people from my messianic congregation is funny because I had to photoshop myself in. Just as we were getting ready for the brunch, I received a call from the Geek Squad and I had to leave to meet with him. So I missed my little party. I was sad, but they did have a good time.

Come September Hodgepodge

1. The Hodgepodge lands on the second day of a brand new month. Tell us one thing you're looking forward to in September.

Getting this move over with. Next week will find me in another city, a different state, and a new (to me) home. I have been pack, pack, packing away the past couple of weeks, and decluttering my house for more than a year. I’m starting over, folks! My house sold the first day and I found “my house” four days later! I am so thankful for the many ways I have been blessed in this process. 

2. Do you enjoy browsing second-hand shops? Yes. Last thing you bought or 'inherited' second hand? My sister-in-law Susan has been anxious for me to play pickleball with her and friends after I settle in my new home. So my friend Connie came over just yesterday to give a last hug and say good-bye. She brought to me as a parting gift her pickle ball paddle and ball in a nice bag. So sweet of her to pass this on to me.

3. Something you had second thoughts about after committing to, purchasing, or posting/commenting  online? When I have second thoughts about posts, I usually go back and delete. And I always have second thoughts about political posts. 

4. What's a product or service you use that you'd rate as second to none? My Norwex window cleaner cloths.  And also see my random thought.

5. Something you do so often or that comes so naturally to you it's second nature ? The drive from church comes so naturally, that even when I tell myself I’m going to take a different way, I find myself on auto pilot and shaking my head that I made it home safely. 

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I have to give credit here to my dear friends Alice and Fred, especially Fred who has stood by me in his labors and helping me with everything that had to be done around this house to get things ready for me to move. (Alice lends much needed emotional support!) Fred is a handyman and a jack of all trades. I guess I would have to write him as second to none in answer to number four, even though he’s not a product or service, but his services have been done without ever complaining and always with good ideas. When there needed to be a deck renovation at the cost of about $18,000, he looked at it and said just take the stairs down and fill up the gap on the deck. He did it, we painted it, it opened up things and made the view here even better. When the storm winds blew my storm door off kilter and crushed a hole in the wall of the house, he fixed the door and the wall. Countless jobs have been done, strong arms lifting and cleaning and removing just about everything you can think of. He painted my motorcycle trailer, helped me sell it, helped me sell the motorcycle, helped me clean out and get rid of two sheds, clean out three garages and three attics, get a generator out of the garage to sell, move a giant tv, and on and on and on. He refused to take a cent. Oh yeah! Did I happen to mention he is 78? And both Alice and Fred will be going with me to my new destination to help! So grateful for their friendship.

I couldn’t have made this move without all my friends who have loved and supported me throughout. 

Last evening was farewell to some of the BSF Leadership group. I will miss this group of mentors so much! They will always have a special place in my heart.

There is no way to post photos of  all the friends I have here in Texas. Each and every one is so precious to me. The above are only a few. Thank You, God for the heart friends You've bless me with.