Spook Out Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge Fun!

1. What does/did Halloween look like at your house this year? Did you decorate? Pick pumpkins? Carve pumpkins? Expect trick or treaters? Wear a costume to a party or event? Make a costume? Feel glad you didn't have to come up with a costume? Cook a Halloween themed treat? Eat all the leftover candy?

No decorations, no pumpkins, no costume, no party, probably a lot of trick or treaters, although it is supposed to rain and if it does, we will have a bunch of candy left over, which I will take to my dentist and he will send to troops. I'm glad I didn't have to come up with a costume, although I have had some good ones back in the day when one of my friends had her annual costume party! As a kid, there was only one year my sister and I actually had costumes. Mom had some yellow fabric and black rick rack. She sewed a fairy costume for my sister and decorated it with the rick rack and some cut outs and sewed a witch costume for me. Hmmmmmm. Was there some subliminal message there? I always saw myself as an angel. Haha!

2. What are you waiting for? Elaborate

After giving some thought to this, I can’t come up with anything really. I’m waiting for it to rain right now. For long term waiting, I am waiting to know when will be the right time to sell our house and move to a retirement community or just stay here.

3. Do you wish you were friendlier, braver, more creative, more athletic, or something else? Explain.

I believe I am friendly and brave enough to try new things, which I have. I am not that creative, but would like to be. I used to be very athletic. I still regret that I didn’t apply myself to the piano so I guess I wish I could play better. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. 

4. When it comes time to paint are you a do-it-yourselfer or do you hire someone?
These days it is best to hire someone. The last time I painted was for Jason and Amy’s new house when Kate was born. I was sore for many days after. 
What was the last paint job completed at your house?
We had our bedroom and hall painted a few years ago.
What room most needs painting now?
The whole interior needs to be painted, but I am waiting until the kids are a little older and they have broken the habit of hands and feet on the walls. I don’t understand why they feel the need to do that , but they seem to do it without being aware of it.
How do you feel about wallpaper?

Our last house had wallpaper in several rooms and I liked it. The foyer, dining room, kitchen and breakfast area, bathrooms and one wall in our bedroom had wall paper. I think it adds warmth to the rooms.

5. What is one specific thing you felt gratitude for in the month of October?

I felt so much gratitude that our family could get together for my husband’s birthday, have family pictures made and we got to go to the Great Wolf Lodge, which they thoroughly enjoyed.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

The Weather Channel has disappointed me so often. It is discouraging to see a forecast of 90% chance of rain, only to see a few sprinkles and then the forecast lowered to 70, then 50, etc. we need rain so badly and I always get my hopes up. It would be different if they said it was ninety percent chance of sprinkles. Then I would know I need to go ahead and water the yard. This sounds complaining, but really, we. need. rain!

Last year I used Blue Apron quite often. This evening was my first try with Hello Fresh. It was delicious and I think less steps in preparation than Blue Apron. Will see how tomorrow night's meal goes.

Weekend Recap and Fall Fests

This past weekend we went to visit the grandsons who live a few hours away from us (and their parents, too).

Their school was having a fall festival on Friday evening and the soccer teams were doing their annual spook-out tournament on Saturday. On Friday evening after the festival, we went to a sports kind of restaurant to watch the Astros win!!! What an exciting game that was!

Brady and Noah used up almost all of their tickets doing this fun activity. The inflatable log fence had a big log in the center similar to the bucking bulls you may have seen. It went around and up and down and the kids had to dodge, jump over or be hit by the thing. They thought it was great entertainment!

As always, we have to make a trip to this famous place for the best donuts ever!! Melt in your mouth donuts. On weekends (I don't know how it is on weekdays) you have to wait in very long lines to place your order whether indoors or in the to go line. The cars are lined up around the building and down the street!

First thing Saturday morning we watched Noah be goalie for his team.

On our way home we saw this yard all decorated for Halloween. Every year the decorations for Halloween are more elaborate. Since I'm not a fan of Halloween, I guess I just don't get it.

Brady's team were dressed as heroes for the spook out soccer tournament.

Brady the Hulk

Us freezing on the sidelines. Brrrrrr. It was so cold and windy!

Games were played until 10:00 Saturday night, but when the sun went down, DH and I were out of there. In between festivals, soccer, and eating, we had fun playing table tennis with the boys. They're very good players, and important note, they bought the table tennis with their own money.

I am so proud of them, they are good kids who make honor roll consistently, are good citizens, polite, well-mannered, and responsible kids who keep their rooms neat and have chores to do around the house. And on Friday, Noah learned that he had been elected as VP of Student Council for the entire school. That's quite an honor for a third grader! The only reason he didn't make President is because you must be a fifth grader.

Back at home, our little ninja and a sweet mouse!

Carving their pumpkins.

Our church had a Fall Fest Trunk or Treat event. This family is one at church who seem always to have great family fun together and each year their costumes are great. Gilligan's Island this year!

And yesterday, DH's cousin came for a visit. He sat and told stories to DH and they talked over old times and cherished memories. Mostly, Joe did the talking as DH listened.

Annie seemed to like him, too. 

Joe has led somewhat of a wild life! He was a correctional officer in a prison and champion bull rider on the side. He was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame a few years ago.

Today is Trick or Treat Day. Rain is in the forecast. I have a lot of candy to give away and if no trick or treaters come, I will give it to our dentist to give to the troops. 

Friday Foto Friends

Friday Foto Friends!

This is from an old friend who is visiting

San Francisco right now. Isn't it a great pic?

A new pic of the little cutie pie.

This was out on the patio and I thought it was a worm. But on closer inspection, I saw it is the tiniest snake I've ever seen!! It was still alive, but I think the cold weather slowed him down. 

That's all. We are visiting family this weekend. Happy weekend to all. It is a cold and blustery day today, but sunshine all around! 

A Tennessee Hodgepodge

Hodgepodge Fun!

1. What's surprised you most about your life or life in general?

This!

I thought it would be simply ages before I would reach this age! It seemed some faraway and distant place when I was in my 20's. Seriously though, life threw me a curve ball in my mid-30's when my husband died suddenly, leaving me all alone. The even bigger surprise was when DH came into my life and brought with his love two wonderful kids, and now the four precious grandchildren I have been privileged to love.

"He settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. ... 

God sets the lonely in families."

Psalm 113:9 and 68:6a NIV

2. Sweet potato fries, sweet potato casserole, a baked sweet potato, a bowl of butternut squash soup, a caramel apple or a slice of pumpkin pie...you have to order one thing on this list right now. Which one do you go for?

A baked sweet potato with a big pat of butter melting all over it.

3. What's a famous book set in your home state? Texas

Have you read it? Part of it.
On a scale of 1-5 (5 is fantastic) how many stars does it rate?
For me, it only deserves 3 stars because I got tired of reading it. I used to be able to read James Michener, but these days, I need something shorter. Lonesome Dove would be my absolute favorite and I would give it 5 stars!

4. There are 60 days until Christmas...have you started your shopping? No.
How do you stay organized for the holidays?
I ask the kids for a list from the grandkids and order from Amazon. We give money to the adults.

5. October 26th is National Tennessee Day. Have you ever lived or spent any time in Tennessee?

Our visit to Tennessee was brief. We did manage to go through the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. And thanks to the questions here, I'm reminded that we also visited Chattanooga, rode the train and visited the museum.

Is this a state you'd like to visit one day? I would like to go back someday.

The top rated tourist attractions in Tennessee are-

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park (Gatlinburg area), Elvis's Graceland (Memphis), Birth of the Music Biz (Memphis and Nashville), Dollywood (Pigeon Forge), Tennessee's Military Heritage (many battlefields), The Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's home), The Parthenon (Nashville), Oak Ridge American Museum of Science and Energy, Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad, Downtown Knoxville, Lookout Mountain, The Titanic Museum (Pigeon Forge), The Museum of Appalachia (Clinton), and The Lost Sea Adventure (Sweetwater)

How many on this list have you seen?
Only the National Park and Chattanooga. Which one on the list would you most like to see?
Maybe Lookout Mountain. From what I've heard, Cade's Cove is something you shouldn't miss in Tennessee, but it isn't on the list.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I've said it before, but this seems to be the year of fixing, updating, replacing or making big purchases. Since I am the one making the decisions, sometimes one decision seems to lead to having to do something else, which makes me wonder am I really making good decisions. I want to be a good steward of our money, but it doesn't always feel like I am. Today it's the sprinkler system. But it does seem to never end. Maybe that might be one of life's surprises here in the land of plenty. Home ownership is a blessing, but it comes with lots of maintenance. And at the end of the day, the sprinklers are fixed, but I'm informed we need two new French drains. Just thankful we can cover the costs.

On a lighter and much cuter topic, Kate got her braces on yesterday and Jack lost his first tooth!

Before

After!

These faces never fail to make me smile.

Our son took both kids camping this past weekend. He takes care of everything from teaching them to get away from those iPads and TV, cooking for them, hiking, fishing, it's all about a good time outdoors. They really prefer that anyway to the devices.

Making S'mores.

On Saturday night as they lay snug in their sleeping bags, the park ranger came by around 10 pm to advise them of storm and tornado warnings and that they probably should load up and go home. Jason did just that and I guess Kate helped him, but Jack slept through the entire process. The next morning he woke up in his bed and was quite disoriented wanting to know if they didn't get to go camping. Awwwww. That little story reminded me of how it will be as we close our eyes here on this earth and open them to see the face of Jesus in Heaven. 

Memories Recovered and Bringing it Forward

Recently, my aunt handed over to my sister an envelope filled with photo slides from at least 50 years ago and some more, just judging from the one of my graduation which would have been the most recent. I promised on solemn oath that I WOULD NOT post any of the very dorky pics of us as teens in return for my sister and brother's promise that they would NEVER post any of me nor show any to anyone. That being said, both my parents have been in Heaven for over 30 years and I am posting here what I think are very nice pictures of them.

This is my sweet mother ready for church, I am sure. She always looked nice and took pride in the fact that she had successfully lost all the weight gained from having three children (75 pounds). She religiously counted calories every day and was always the "queen" at the TOPS club meetings. (TOPS being Take Off Pounds Sensibly.) Since I always saw my Mom as Mama, and I was so young, now that I am in my late 60's, I look at this pic and think, Wow! she was only 36 when I graduated from high school. So, in this pic, she may have been anywhere from 35 to 40. I don't know, but I think she looks great.

Sweet, sweet woman.

This is my Dad. They called him Slim. No explanations needed. He always was slim, no matter what he ate and he could eat whatever he wanted. Unfortunately, he also smoked. (That big thing sitting on the grass outside my uncle's home was an old swamp cooler. Remember those?)

Now I know I promised not to post any of my brother, but this pic is just too darn cute and not dorky at all! My Dad took so much pride in his son and I noticed in all the pics there is a smile of delight over this boy.

And bringing it forward a few years, the smiles of delight continue.

My brother with his son.

And to the present ... my brother holding his beautiful granddaughter.

And his boy holding that precious daughter.

So sweet! 

Mom would love the matching outfits!

I love it! 

Friday Foto Friends

Friday Foto Friends!

From my walk this morning, even though there were somewhat gray skies, it was still pretty.

The heavens are always declaring the glory of God.

Last week Mary shared photos from around her home, so I decided to look around and see what there might be to share this morning. I solemnly promise not to post all of them.

We have so much light in our house it's difficult to get pictures without glare.

(You can see me taking the picture and other things on the opposite wall!)

The Scripture here is "we have this treasure in jars of clay."

I love this verse. The Treasure of the Holy Spirit Himself dwells

in this jar of clay.

This sits in a basket on the kitchen counter.

Another favorite passage to remind me of God's love

and how my love should be toward others.

This old picture is from my Great-Grandmother Sanders who pastored a church in Oklahoma City in the 1930's before moving to Arkansas. The church gifted it to Sister Sanders. The picture holds  sentimental reason for me because it came from a heart of love and appreciation to her from her congregation and because the prayer and cries of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem breaks my heart after His people rejected Him. 

This framed graphic sits on the bookcase directly in front of me as each new day I am reminded of His truth.

I have no greater joy than to know my children walk with the Lord.

My friend carved this verse into the strip of wood for me for Christmas one year. She and I both prayed this for our children. 

My friend also stitched this for me. "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go." -Abraham Lincoln.

"Be joyful always, pray continually."

This hangs in the foyer as you enter our home.

"And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,

and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting places."

Isaiah 32:18

I know this verse speaks of our future, but it is also true in our home. I'm thankful for a peaceful home where it is a safe refuge from the chaos of the world.

Heaven!

My absolute favorite!

The heavenly mural is from Precious Moments Chapel.

I love this print and love seeing it all though the day.

1 Thess. 5:16-17

Happy Birthday to my Sister!

She made her entrance into the world and changed my world 66 years ago. Let's see, I got to be the only child for about two years and then I was blessed with my sister.

Pretty cute, huh? She didn't have much hair, and I

remember Mom saying how many people thought she was a boy!

No way that looks like a boy.

See?

Happy Birthday party for my four year old sister and the only unhappy people in this pic were the two of us! She because her friend was holding her new birthday doll and me, because it wasn't my birthday.

She did finally grow some hair and I remember very well hearing people comment often about my sister's pretty dark curls. Her hair was long and Mom took care to fix Roberta's hair in those long curls.

Mom liked to dress us alike.

Even our little bears.

I love my sister. We share many sweet memories together and what one can't remember, the other does. Together we can pretty much piece together our history!

We don't dress alike anymore, but it's weird that 

somehow we end up with some very similar items in our closet!