way back when

This week, I wanted to make spaghetti for dinner one night (Mark doesn't even like spaghetti but I do!).  I was going to make it simple - Healthy Harvest 100% whole wheat noodles and Laura's Lean ground beef and Prego.  While I was getting ready for work, I put the hamburger in the sink WITH FULL INTENTIONS of putting it back in the fridge BEORE I left for work . . . BUT I forgot.  I texted Mark during the day and he said, "the house is cool.  it will be fine."  I got home and the plastic on top of the meat was kind of puffed up but I thought to myself, "maybe it is ok."  I peeled that plastic film back and immediately threw the meat away - it smelled horrible!  I can't believe I forgot to put it up!!

This hamburger event started me thinking about things we USED to do that we can't do anymore.   When I was young - even when I was a teenager and a young adult - we thawed our meat in the kitchen sink all the time . . .and cooked it when we got home . . .and ate it . . . and I don't think we got sick (I would remember that because remember I have that issue with throw up!)  I can't imagine we would have cooked it if it smelled bad . . .so what has changed?  Is meat different now?  Maybe there is more E Coli (we probably had never heard of E Coli back then!!)

So what else could I do then, that I can't do now?  I had a bike much like the one below and I rode all around a 3 block radius without a helmet.  We rode our bikes all day long!  (I also had a cat named Missy who loved to ride around town in the basket!!)

I've always loved being outside in the sun and I'm sure my skin shows that misuse.  My parents were actually ahead of the times because they covered us in coppertone and we went to the beach in the morning and later in the afternoon -- never in the middle of the day.  There was no sunscreen back then - only sunTAN lotion.  The bottle looked like this one (without a 4!)  I still love the smell of coppertone and it is my sunSCREEN of choice.

Most families didn't use any lotion. Our family was blessed with skin that would tan but I remember all three girls who lived across the street from us getting actual blisters.  When I was a teenager we mixed baby oil and iodine together and used it to get an even better tan.  That actually freaks me out now!!

This freaks me out even more . . .we had a "candy man."  NO KIDDING!  There was a man who had a disability and he had a tricked out golf cart.  The back was fitted out with wooden bin type things and he had boxes of candy - candy bars of all kinds; peanut butter candy; sweet tarts; and I can't remember what else.

He drove through the neighborhoods ringing a little bell and all the kids ran out to his vehicle and bought nickel and dime and quarter candy . . .and he put it in a little paper sack.  Isn't that wild?  I can't believe our parents weren't freaked out by this guy.  I wonder if he was someone's relative.  I don't remember my parents acting like they knew him.  I don't remember ever being afraid but there were always a bunch of us -- there were 17 kids on our one block at one time.  We played kickball and baseball (with a tennis ball) and roamed from house to house during the summer.  (that was a huge swing thought - from peanut butter candy to kickball!)

I grew up in a small town - a mostly blue collar neighborhood - my dad was an engineer (the driver) of a train for a railroad.  We walked to school most of the time (a mile to the middle school!), we walked to the library, we walked to the drugstore for a coca cola (sprite, coke, whatever).  I rarely feel old but thinking about all those things seems like a million years ago.

What do you remember from your childhood that is totally different today?

random post #2 - Christmas 2016

We hosted the young adult Christmas party on the Tuesday before Christmas - we sure love these folks!!

Kelly and April look so cute and Sean and Kate are surely posing in the background!!

The WHOLE gang -- what fun!

On Christmas morning, I was the first one to awaken and I grabbed a diet pepsi and turned on the lights and just enjoyed some silence - it was really nice!

Have I ever shared that each person has their own paper?  I wrapped all of Glenn's presents in plaid - because he wears lots of flannel shirts.  Mark, Laura, and Lauren all had their own paper, too.

This tiny tiger showed up for Christmas morning in her Christmas pj's and an elf hat - I am just so in love!!

Pops was showing her one of her new toys.  Gran failed miserably this year - we had multiple things that needed batteries and I forgot to buy a single battery.  Can you believe it?  F.A.I.L.

Isn't that a fun foot stool beside Emma?  That is now in Laura's living room.  Emma immediately reached for the phone on her new toy!

Our Christmas morning was rather quiet this year - hurried but quiet.  It was good.  We enjoyed each other!

Love both of these girls - one of my original babies and my grandbaby!  So very blessed!

Fresh Starts in 2017

Jump on over to "From This Side of the Pond" and answer the questions and link up.

1. Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday.
Just one?  hmmmm . . .I had a lot of favorite moments this year.  This is ONE of those moments:

Emma, who is hidden behind the book gave a book on Bourbon cocktails to Mark.  Emma is in Mark's lap with some of her new toys and Mark is "reading" the book . . .just a funny juxtaposition!

2. What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?

Wow!  These are hard questions.  Once again, we ate so much food over the holidays!  Almost everything was homemade.  Mark, Laura, and I prepared a Blue Apron meal on Christmas Eve after church and it was really good - chicken and mashed potatoes and carrots.  The one thing I missed this year was turkey and dressing.  That is one of my favorite meals and due to church falling on Christmas day, etc. Mark's mother decided to serve roast beef which was delicious . . .it was just not turkey and dressing.  As I'm typing those words I'm thinking "first world problem!"  We had lots of delicious food!

3. What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?

I LOVE our Christmas Eve services at church.  I love how the preachers and ushers start lighting the candles at the front of the room and everyone passes that flame around and before long, the whole sanctuary is glimmering in candle light.  Gives me shivers just thinking about it!  I also LOVED seeing our sweet grandbaby is all of her cute Christmas clothes (from one extremely spiritual moment to a silly grandmother moment!!)

4. What does fresh start mean to you?

I'm a girl who loves new school books, new crayons, new clean notebooks!  What does fresh start mean to me - NEW BEGINNINGS -- NO BAGGAGE!!  I know that life is not that easy but I love the thought of a fresh start.  I love knowing that I worship a God who always gives second chances.  The beginning of a new year should give us all a moment of pause - what would I change? what could I do better in the new year?  How can God use me in the coming year?

5. On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain. 

I think 2016 was a good year for me personally.  I'm in good health; I travelled to Israel; I became a grandmother; I learned even more about the inner workings of ministry and how I might better help the senior minister.  I don't have any GRAND personal achievements - I didn't win any awards; I wasn't recognized for some wonderful thing BUT in 2016 I continued to grow in my faith; I tried to let God use me (and he sometimes used me AGAINST my will - hee hee!).  Even amidst all the death and heartbreak that we see daily in the church, I began this year with a sense of hope and a sense of peace that could only come from God.

6. Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they'd like to see banished from the Queen's English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen or, if you're like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it's used. There were quite a few on this year's list I'd never heard before.

Here's the 2017 list of banished words-

You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption

Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

The words I want to remove are some of those weird words like SQUISH.  I hate the thought of that word!.  I must admit that I use the word guesstimate and I've used the phrase "get your dander up" so . . .interesting!

7. Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year. 

I didn't make any resolutions this year but I have been trying to ride my recumbent stationary bike every day.  I would like to be healthier by the end of 2017.  That goal sounds kind of "wide open" and I guess it is.  I guess I need to put some more concrete thoughts down about riding the bike, etc.  I've already been thinking that I want to increase my time by five minutes next week.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Speaking of fresh starts, I cleaned out my craft room; I organized a couple of closets; I made lots of labels on my labelmaker (so many that I had to get more batteries and more labels); I cleaned out three drawers in the kitchen; I planned out the menus for Tuesday nights for the next four weeks . . . I took the whole week off between Christmas and New Year's and it was much needed.  I was by myself during the days and accomplished lots.  I rested.  I read a LOT of mysteries!!  I rode the bike!  I began the New Year with a feeling of peace and a little bit of order.

Last but not least - isn't she cute?  She's been sticking that tongue out!!  And . . . if I want a fresh start today, I had better go jump in the shower and get my butt to work!!

good bye 2016 - HELLO 2017

So . . .2016 was an odd year in many ways.  There were a lot of good things - a trip to Israel (amazing!), a grandbaby (even more amazing) but there were lots of strange things in 2017 --  too many deaths - both in our church and in the world, very divided political opinions, the list could go on and on.

For many years, we hosted a Gumbo and Goodies party on the Friday before Christmas.  We moved it to New Year's Eve a few years back . . .and then we didn't have it last year . . .and decided not to start the tradition back this year.  We didn't want to sit home alone and we wanted to usher out the old year and welcome in the new year with family/friends so we hosted a tiny group of friends/family - just enough to fit around the table.

I love decorating for a party and as soon as the Christmas decorations came down . . . the New Year's decorations went up.

I made the cheers banner.  I was in Hobby Lobby on Thursday and they had marked the Christmas merchandise down 80%.  I found three of the gold and white tassle banners (I made that name up - I have no idea what they are really called!!).  Y'all - those banners were originally $24.99 and I would never have paid that because I would have convinced myself that I could make them cheaper!  They were marked down to $5 - score!!

I was able to reuse the garland on the mantle - quick switch out of Christmasy things to New Year's Eve hats, 2017 glasses, etc.

I've written before about my box that Brian made.  I did a quick change out to gold pine cones and other New Year's Eve novelties.

BUT . . . right in the middle of all my prep . . .actually, it was early Friday morning, I had a tiny problem.  Mark left our house while it was still dark to pick up his sister and take her to the airport.  While he was gone, I decided to have a kitchen accident.  Oh my goodness . . .I have a VERY S.H.A.R.P. grater and . . .without being too graphic, let's just say that I injured myself.  I was here by myself and couldn't get the bleeding to stop.  I paced the floor with my thumb held high . . .wrapped in bandaids and paper towels (with pressure).  Mark got home from the airport and hadn't had any coffee yet and did not really want to deal with this (we had words . . .and I cried when he said I had to go to the Emergency Room -- too many germs people!!!)  Unbeknownst  to me, Mark was texting with one of our very favorite doctors about something totally non thumb related!  His office was closed that day but he said we could come over and he would take care of me.  Y'all - I am so grateful for our people - our friends - the body of Christ.

I am steri stripped back together.  What hand?  My right one, of course.  I am one of those people whose left hand is useless . . .USELESS!  Over the last couple of days, I have learned that my left hand will do all sorts of things when necessary!  I have also learned that disposable plastic gloves are a girl's best friend!

Back to New Year's . . .I made a giant pot of gumbo.  Thank goodness, I had already chopped the Conecuh sausage (remember Conecuh? - I wrote about it recently).  I had already chopped everything for the gumbo before the thumb incident.  (Mark grated the cheese FYI that I was working on)

For Christmas, Emma (yes, she is only 9 months old!) gave a book to Mark . . .all about making bourbon cocktails.  Mark set up a bar.  He made a simple syrup and had all the ingredients ready to go.  It was quite entertaining!

See how pretty the centerpiece looked that night.  I took this before lighting the tapers.  I was a little worried that the pine cones would catch on fire but I kept a close watch on them!

This was another entertaining portion of New Year's Eve.  George gave this "tool belt" to Mark for Christmas.  I had no idea that it was actually a beer belt so I was just as surprised as our guests when Mark came in from the garage!  I'm laughing as I type about it because it was so funny.  (He was not drinking all of those - he was offering the selection to our guests!)

We were still sitting around the dining room table when someone realized that it was almost 11 Central time . . . which meant it was almost midnight on the East Coast.  We ran in and popped open the champagne and poured everyone a glass and counted down with the folks on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve . . .along with the crazy feather coat/jumpsuit wearing/lip syncing star.  We laughed at the fact that everyone hung around long enough so that when they arrived home, it would be midnight and they could go to bed!  We are getting old!

Mark and I stayed up until about 1:00 - cleaning up the kitchen and watching TV/reading.  I guess we were still wound up from the evening.  Thank goodness, we didn't have to be at church until 11:00 today.  I got up and emptied the dishwasher and reloaded it and ran another load this morning before we left for church.

On Christmas, Grandmother (my mother-in-law) always makes a coconut cake and custard (Mark calls it cake gravy).  She made it and took it to the big family party on Christmas day night.(pictures of that to come soon).  Mark complained about not getting enough (I didn't either!!).  She made a small one for us to have at lunch today.  It was delicious.  We were taking pictures and sending the pictures to our nephew, Thomas, to make him jealous.

ONE of the very best parts of this year, was the arrival of this sweet baby girl.  She has on her fancy New Year's  Day dress!  She was looking at Laura and  had her nose all scrunched up!!

She was so cute today!!

Did you have a good 2016?  Are you looking forward to 2017?  All day, I've been thinking about the sermon from this morning.  One thing really stood out to me - resolutions are all about us - what can I do?  what can I change?  Repentance is all about God - what can he do?  What is he doing in our lives?  The focus shifts from "I" to "God" - big difference, isn't it?

It is a new year.  I haven't made any resolutions this year.  I have thought about making some - maybe about the fact that I would like to be healthier, lose some weight, be a better friend, be a better wife and mother.  Instead, I think I'll just ask God to forgive me for what I've done and to forgive me for what I've left undone . . . and ask him to guide me each and every day to do what HE wants me to do.  A friend says that we should pray "so order my day, Lord."  Maybe that is how I'll pray at the beginning of each day in 2017!!

Christmas 2016 is in the books . . .random post #1

Once again, if you are reading this - thanks for stopping by.  This post is one of those "I want to remember a few things" post so feel free to stay and read or to glide through the pictures - but come back and read again!!

I know that I posted this picture last week but she is so cute that I couldn't help posting again!!

Miss Tiny Tiger wore the cutest red shoes throughout the holidays.  I want some in my size.  Glenn and Lauren kept her with them for the Christmas Eve Eve service, the Christmas Eve service, and the Christmas day service.  I know that I am biased but she was really good - of course, it helped that we outnumbered her and passed her up and down the pew/row.

Our weather is always strange in Alabama but this year it has been REALLY strange.  A couple of weeks ago it was almost 80 degrees and today the temp never rose out of the 40's.  When it was 78, our cat was in heaven.  He loves the screen porch.  Look at his sweet little paws crossed over each other.

Here are a few of our decorations.  Wesley, one of our young adults gave us this Pottery Barn pillow last year.  It has red jingle bells on the corners and I love the pop of "cheery" that it brings.

We had the saddest little Christmas tree ever this year but when you put on lots of lights and ornaments, even the saddest tree become quite beautiful.

I loved our mantle this year.  Since "gold" has been making a comeback . . . and I love gold . . .guess what color I chose?  GOLD!  I'm so thankful that I kept my old gold decorations in a red and green tub in the attic.

We stopped hanging our stockings on the mantle a few years ago (when they fell and pulled down the garland, etc.!)  I think it is fun to hang them on the stair rail.  At the bottom right, you can see how I keep our Christmas cards - my daughter-in-love taught me this trick.  You use on "o" ring and punch a hole in each card as it arrives.  I put one of our cards on top.  I now have rings for 7 or 8 years.

I bought these little trees a long time ago - at Walmart, of all places!  They are one of our most loved decorations.  Yes, those are real antlers.

I also love our nativity.  It is Fontini and my mother-in-love started it for us. 

Last year, a day or two after Christmas, I was in (once again) Walmart!  They had marked all the Christmas merchandise down to 75% off (or more!) and I bought 5 little trees with burlap tied around the "root ball."  I bought them to use in the box that Brian made for me a couple of years ago.  I love changing up the stuff in the box for each season!  See . . .I told you I love gold -gold tablecloth; gold berries; gold ornaments; gold candles!!

On the Tuesday night before Christmas, we hosted our young adult group for a Christmas party.  I ordered the food from Taziki's and the group LOVES the Friday Special (pasta and chicken with an incredible balsamic dressing over lettuce).  We played Dirty Santa and had fun!

On Christmas Eve, Mark, Glenn, Laura, Lauren, Emma and I went to the 5:00 service.  It was packed and it was a beautiful service.  We needed a new tradition this year, so Mark, Laura, and I cooked a Blue Apron meal when we got home from church.  We were later than normal eating but that was ok because . . .Santa came through our neighborhood and we were able to go outside and wait.  Everyone dresses really nicely in our neighborhood and everyone was outside in their best clothes (or pajamas if young).  Mark was mortified because I was outside in blue knit shorts, flip flops, and a sweat shirt.  It had been so hot all day!  Laura had on pajama pants and a t-shirt.  We fit right in!

You would have thought we were both little kids by our waiting and waving . . .along with the kids in the neighborhood.  It was fun.  What can I say?  We are who we are.  I felt a little bit like Buddy, the Elf.  I KNOW him!!

I'll post more about our holiday fun later!  Today is New Year's Eve and I'm going to go celebrate!

Projects!

We've been in our house for 2 1/2 years and I've desperately wanted to organize my craft room but there has never been enough time.  I knew it was going to be a multi-day project and I haven't had "multi-days" in my house alone since we moved here!  I'm not totally finished with the organizing - I want to sort pictures.  We finally found all my commentaries (they were in a box in storage!) and I'm going to add those to a shelf that I was able to clean off.  I also want to clean out and organize the closet that is in this room.  There are some craft supplies inside the closet and I want to organize better.  It is a fairly large walk in closet and we store the vacuum cleaner in there and I store all of the seasonal door decorations on hangers.

Just FYI - I filled two garbage bags with trash.  It doesn't "look" that messy but I had no idea where I had stored anything. I had opened boxes and crammed supplies in every nook and cranny.  (the arrangement of sticks on the desk on the right will go back on the mantle after Christmas - it is just hanging out for now in the room).

See the little bookshelf below - I've sorted the items in the baskets and put away in drawers.  This is where my commentaries will live.

All of the red bins in the big piece of furniture on the right contain photos - they still need to be sorted and I need to figure out what is hiding behind door number one and door number 2 in the bottom of the cabinet.  There is also a small bookcase behind the door with some DVD's and books - it will remain hidden behind the door.

I realize that the room has too much furniture.  For now, it is going to remain that way.  I don't want to use the big wooden desk but it won't fit in the attic and it is very old . . .

As with any project, you have to make even more mess in order to organize.  Say it ain't so!  It is!  Mark helped me and we moved the antique desk over to the right of the room.  While I was home alone, I removed all the paper from the cabinets and moved some toward the window (I have ordered three more and I have one in the garage).  I will have two stacks of four cubes on each side of the desk.  I moved the stacks on the right about 12 inches to the right.  I have to leave enough space to slide big tubs in and out of the attic.  Walk in attic is accessed through that walk in closet.  I would prefer for everything to be perfectly centered on that back wall but it would mess us access to that closet and we use our attic space.

I sorted paper into several categories - 8 1/2 by 11 - patterned and solid and 12 X 12 - patterned and solid.  The pile of paper below is a separate category . . .it is glitter.  I had no idea that I had so many sheets of glitter paper.  That is the problem when something is terribly unorganized.  You go to get something to work on and you can't find the correct supplies so you go to Michael's or Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's and buy more suppliesl

I finished late last night.  By moving the red desk to the back wall and the antique desk to the right wall, it somehow made the room feel bigger because there is a tiny sliver of wall without furniture now!  Please disregard items on top of bins on right side.  The red baskets and buckets are empty ready to be used somewhere else in the house for organization and the big tall thing will go back on the mantle.

Just that little bit of clean floor space and wall space over on the left makes the room feel less cluttered and bigger.  My paper is organized by color.  Until this moment, I thought I had used ROY G. Biv . . .but I used ROY B. Giv (sort of!)  The patterned 12 X 12 papers are sorted by checks and plaids; stripes; florals; black and white; holidays and specific events.  I couldn't decide the best way to organize those printed papers - whether by color, etc. so I thought I would try this method.

I organized and labeled all of my drawers so that I can FIND things!!!  If anyone borrows my stuff, they can hopefully put it back in the correct location!!!  Yes, if you read the labels closely, I have googly eyes!

As a new year approaches, I always feel a need to organize something - evidently along with the masses because in Home Depot this morning, they had storage bins and accessories stacked up at the front door!

Besides the other stuff in the craft room, I also want to clean and organize this closet - I assume it is supposed to be a coat closet because it is near the back door.  I have extra linens and some wrapping paper and tissue paper flowers stored in there along with some coats and jackets! 

I did buy one of these at home depot to store those rolls of wrapping paper.

Do you feel the need to clean out and organize at the end of one year before beginning a new year?  I would love to see some other projects by other folks!!

One thing I did realize when I was doing all this work . . .I haven't crafted a scrapbook page in at least 5 years. . . I've blogged.  I've made banners and invitations and other craft projects requiring paper and glue . . and I've blogged!  Does anyone still make paper scrapbooks?  I really enjoyed making them . . .I may have to do some of Emma's life!!