Today I.....

1. Did my morning devotions
2. Made my bed
3. Put a roast in the crock pot for dinner
4. Walked 2.1 miles
5. Showered and dressed
6. Cleaned both bathrooms
7. Washed 2 loads of bathroom rugs
8. Went to weight watchers (down 13 1/2 pounds, yea!)
9. Washed 2 loads of clothes
10. Went to the doctor for my annual checkup
11. Took books to the library
12. Made 4 dozen cookies
13. Washed the dishes
14. Talked to a friend on the phone
15. Talked to one of my daughters on the phone


When you list all you do in a day it sounds like a lot doesn't it? Some days the time flies by and I wonder what I did, but if I sit down and list it then I don't feel so bad. :)

Tomorrow I must:
1. Make pimento cheese, tuna salad, a blackberry cobbler and a bread pudding
2. Vacuum
3. Vacuum the camper
4. Clean the storm doors and the patio doors
5. Walk
6. Change the sheets
7. Write a note/card to a couple of my grandchildren who are going on a trip
8. Check the bathroom for things needed by guests
9. Bring in paper plates, napkins, cups
10. Put drinks into an ice chest

Can you tell I'm having company this weekend? Lots and lots and lots of family coming - my sister and all her children and all their children (there's 11 in that family in all), my son and his family (5 of them), and I think both my daughters and various members of their families will be here at some point for dinner. They will all be here, in and out, Friday and then on Saturday we'll add my oldest brother and his sons and daughter with their families plus part of my youngest brother's family for dinner that night. And my aunt and cousin are coming too. Whew! The weather man is not cooperating - he's promising rain and I'm praying for sunshine.

I can hardly wait to see everyone! Every bed will be full, plus the camper, plus both my daughter's homes, plus some motel rooms - and there will be children everywhere. I hope I have enough food. What a blessings this weekend will be for us all.

Spring Fever

A Mini Journal:

I have been so excited that it's finally spring - I think I have what my Mama used to call "spring fever." I'm thrilled to be outside even though I can hardly breathe for the pollen. I'm terribly allergic to mold, which hides on the leaves and branches of everything in the yard, but I planted herbs anyway. I know, I know...we won't be home this summer to enjoy them, but the house sitters will. I love the fragrance when the breeze blows, and there's nearly always a breeze off the lake. I've got lots of Rosemary because my yard seems to be perfect for it. I use it in the flower beds and the window boxes and in the herb garden. One of the Lavender bushes, which is truly pitiful looking, has a hundred blooms on it! The Lemon Balm and the Chives always come back up and the Lamb's Ears do too (didn't know that was an herb, did you?). And the Parsley, which is really not supposed to, has spread even outside the herb bed. I've added two kinds of Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Marjarom, and more Thyme (I had one kind that isn't doing well but is still there). I also planted one Rhubarb plant (not an herb but I wanted to try it) and it already has a new leaf! I'm not finished with the humus I'm spreading on top of the bed to fill in the dips and holes and to make it look a little neater but I will be soon - early next week.

One day this week my small sewing group took a "road trip" to a couple of quilt shops that are about 100 miles away. It was a gorgeous day and we loved the drive! I had called ahead to let both shop owners know there would be 6 of us coming so they wouldn't be surprised and both of them fixed lunch for us! Now that's hospitality. :) Of course, it's also good business because we lingered both places talking about their upcoming classes and we all spent a goodly amount of money. The word will spread among our guild members too which will be good for the economy!

I've tried to walk every day just to be out in the beautiful weather. My goal is 2 miles/45 minutes and yesterday I made it all the way. Today, on my third round (each round is .7 mile) the pit bulls were out so I had to come back home. Not sure what I'm going to do about those dogs but something definitely needs to happen for the safety of all of us who walk the neighborhood.

We're only two lessons away from finishing year four of Disciple, a four year Methodist Bible study class. I'm feeling nostalgic because I will miss all those who have journeyed with us this year and also for all of the four years. But I'm excited to be finishing this goal I set several years back. We're studying Revelations now and I've learned several things about myself...number one being I don't really care what happens in the end times except that God wins. And I have no intention of worrying about when it might happen or what my place will be in that event will be because I know whatever happens I'll be on the right side.

I've done a little sewing, but not a lot. I made this Book Keeper for my Kindle (the pattern is from Moda Bake Shop) out of antique feed sacks.

And this is the Lazy Star quilt top I made for a wedding present but haven't finished.

The 12 pounds I'd lost a couple of weeks ago is still gone but I seem to have reached a stalemate right now. That could be because in the middle of a terribly stressful day this week I ate like a million sugar wafer cookies. :( And I've got a couple of weekend events coming up that will likely derail me as well. There's no avoiding overeating (at least for me) when you're away from home for a couple of days at a time.

Last weekend I spent a couple of days with some high school girlfriends. Sigh. I miss them already. There's just something about old friends that is restful for the soul. I'm lucky that several of us still get together. We've been meeting at my house in the fall for a couple of years and now we've added spring to the schedule. This year we met in Little Rock and next year is Lynchburg, Virginia.

If you've read this far and I haven't bored you to death - I'm glad you're here. I'm not blogging as much lately as I once was and not commenting as much either, but I am reading everyone I promise. Time slips away from me as I try to finish up things in preparation for our mission trip. But I promise to be better and to carry you all with me when I go. Six more weeks till departure for south Louisiana - heat, humidity and hurricanes!

A Call For Recipes!

I don't know if I've told ya'll or not but I've been on Weight Watchers for 6 weeks now. I'm doing pretty well but the "regular food" recipes are relatively easy to cook even for family who aren't participating (despite the fact that they need to lose weight more than me...are you reading DH?) I mean really any casserole tastes good if you add enough onions, celery and mushrooms to it...right? But here's the thing. None of the dessert recipes I've tried have been good. Oh they aren't horrible, but they aren't what I'd serve to guests either.

So here's your assignment, should you choose to accept it. I want tried and true Weight Watcher dessert recipes. I know that there are lots of you out there who've done this program like me, on again/off again. Did you find anything you love?

Do You See What I See?

This past weekend my neighbor, Connie, was working in her garden. Sigh. I can't have a garden this year because we'll be gone all summer on a mission trip so I'm envious. Anyway, as Connie was putting her tools away she caught a glimpse of something strange out of the corner of her eye. On a concrete slab in her yard there were two snakes, wrapped around each other and rolling over and over. Naturally she ran screaming for her husband who declared them to be King Snakes and harmless; in fact, they are more than harmless...they are actually good to have in your yard because they eat poisonous snakes as well as mice. The two snakes were apparently making babies. I am glad I did not see this. Very glad. Extremely glad. But it did made me think about other things I'd rather not see. And in no particular order this is what I decided I'd just as soon not see:

1. Mothers in grocery stores grabbing their kids arms and screaming at them. Kids misbehave. But public humiliation isn't the answer. Take them to the car and tan their behinds if you need to but not in the grocery store.
2. Women in WalMart with little to no clothing on (especially the ones my age who decline to wear undergarments). Not pretty.
3. Anyone talking on a cell phone and adjusting the radio in their car while driving 65 down the highway. Take yourself out if you must but leave the rest of us alone.
4. Three pit bulls running towards me and barking when I'm trying to walk for my cardiac health. They're gonna' cause me to have a heart attack!
5. Anyone smelling of suntan lotion sporting a great tan in May - they've obviously been in the tanning bed prior to running errands when I see them. My husband had Melanoma cancer - skin cancer from being in the sun too much. I want to shake them and say, "Do you know what that's doing to you?"
6. Water running out from under the freezer. Uh Oh.
7. My neighbor two blocks down walking around outside in her nylon nightgown...and nothing else. Yep, she does.
8. Cat prints on my car hood. I don't have a cat.
9. Telemarketers names on my caller ID.
10. Blood on any of my children or grandchildren. Even one drop.
11. A notice that any episode of NCIS is cancelled for a Presidential State of the Union Address. I know what the state of the union is and I don't need him to tell me. I didn't get a cost of living raise on my Social Security because, according to him, my cost of living didn't rise. Except my insurance went up...a lot. Go figure.
12. A "Huge Sale" sign on the window of the local quilt shop....but it ended yesterday. I'm hoping God decides to let me take my quilt stuff with me when He calls me home...any chance you think?

This was actually kind of fun...I might have to have a Part 2 to this post. :) I bet you could think of lots of things you'd just as soon not see too! If you do and you decide to post your own list be sure and let me know...that I do want to see.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

A cliche but true...home is where the heart is and where my body likes it best. I've been away all this week (sorry I forgot to tell you I was going!) to a very fun place....QuiltMania, better known as a quilter's retreat held by my guild. My very best quilting friends are there, we sew from early till late, our meals are prepared for us, and when we're too tired to sew any more a bed is nearby. On top of that our local quilt shop has a table or two of goodies there that tempt us all week.

In my last post I told you how I hate to shop. And I do. Except in quilt shops. Or on quilt websites. Or on a couple of tables provided by the local quilt shop. The feel of fabric, the smell of a new book, the uniqueness of a special tool - they call my name. Oh I don't need a thing. I could easily sew for a couple of decades on what I have in my sewing room. Or I could do what my grandmother did and use scraps of worn out garments. I actually do buy wool skirts and pants and jackets at the thrift shops for use in my wool projects. That bin is overflowing (though if you have any pastel wool all would welcome since I can't seem to find any of that!). I think it's a sickness...this love of stitching stuff. That would mean it's not my fault, right?

Back to the home is where my body likes it best thing. I love my bed. No one in my family likes it but me, but since I'm the one sleeping there it works out best that they don't like it because when they come to visit I don't have to give it up. I like my bathroom. It's so tiny I can hardly turn sideways, there's not nearly enough storage, and I don't like the lights that I picked out, bought and had my husband install. But it's mine and I know where everything is and how everything works. I don't have to eat at 7:30 a.m., 12 noon and 6:00 p.m. I can eat breakfast at 9:30 if I want to wait that long. I can skip lunch and have supper at 4:30. I'm in control!

And here's a scary thing about being away from home for several days and eating out all the time - no matter if I cut everything on my plate in half and eat only one half, I still gain weight. During the day my rings get tighter and tighter and I drink water like crazy so that during the night I'm up and down to go to the bathroom. That must mean their prepared food in the cafeteria is loaded with salt, don't you think? That's scary. Oh, by the way the food where we go is really tasty and the portions are so large that you and me and two others could make a nice meal off what they serve. It's hard to resist but I don't think I did too bad. I'll weigh in the morning but I'm hoping none of that 8 1/2 pounds I lost last month on Weight Watchers has slipped back on.

My blog reader has a number so high on it that I know I won't get to read all your posts so please forgive me if I've missed something really important - and e-mail me to tell me! You know I hate to miss anything you've done...I'm far too nosy for that. :)

I'm not a shopper. I don't like it. I think that's probably unAmerican or unwomanly or unsomething but I just don't like it. Because I don't like it I tend to buy in bulk...if I find a blouse I like I buy it in every color and don't have to buy another blouse for a long time. :) Twice a year I shop for shoes. Or maybe once...depends on how decrepit my favorite shoes get. Today was shoe day.

I desperately needed tennis shoes for walking. The last two times I bought walking shoes I got New Balance at the wonderful shoe store where they measure your feet and watch you walk and recommend this insert or that whatever. Both times the shoes felt wonderful in the store, but once I got home and actually walked on them for a while they hurt my feet. In their defense I have had some weird thing that I can't spell that causes the bottoms of my feet to hurt, especially the heels. For a year I only wore Birkenstocks which "cured" the problem. But I'm very careful about what shoes I wear now. One criteria is that they must have a great arch support. I have extremely high arches which seem to be falling..thus the unspellable problem. Today I decided to try the new Sketchers that I keep seeing advertised on television. They sort of "rock" when you walk. The motion is similar to walking in sand and is supposed to tone your legs while you walk. I was at the mall (hate that place) at 10:00 this morning and I wore the Sketchers out. I wore them until 8:00 tonight - I ran errands, watched my grandchildren perform in a school program, visited a friend. They were wonderful. All day long. I can hardly wait to put them back on!

Now lest you think I bought these in bulk...I only bought the one pair. Of those shoes. I also needed some comfortable every day shoes to wear with capris and slacks. At the mission where we will be working this summer open toed shoes are not allowed. That means no sandals!!! What's a girl to do? Three pair. Not counting the Sketchers. That should do for the summer don't you think?

He Is Risen!

His is a love so amazing that I can scarcely take it in. I'm wishing you a joyful day of celebrating that love.

Life On The Lake

It's been almost 7 years since we bought this house on the lake. We hadn't really thought we would ever be able to afford a "lake house" because typically property on the lake is really expensive. So when we happened on this one that was a moderate price we were thrilled. It's not a new house...it was built in 1975 and added on to in 1992 and while it was "move in ready" it needed a lot of care. Some of it we've done and some of it we haven't. Time and money are definitely factors with money being the key. It is smaller than I really wanted and has little storage space. Over time it's done what all houses do in this part of the country - it has settled. That means that there are small gaps in windows and doors; they're too small to see but in the winter you can feel them. The carpet needs to be replaced and minor flaws need to be "beautified." Now after saying all that I want to add that we love this house. :) It has a large open living space, it's on the back side of a square so there's not a lot of traffic, there are lots and lots of big old trees that shade the whole yard, and it's on the lake.

One of my favorite features of the house is the fact that the kitchen has a very large window that looks out on the lake, and two of the bedrooms have three very tall windows that also face the lake. There's a sense of peace here that makes you take a deep breath and relax. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is to open the blinds so I can see the water, watch the sun come up and hear the birds. It's an incredible way to start the day. I get my drink, settle back in bed and do my morning devotions as I drink in the peace.

However, there is a downside to living on a lake too. It's a small one but definitely annoying. Thankfully we have a deep back yard so it's a good way down to the water and to our dock. I say thankfully because fishermen/women believe that any part of a lake is free for them to fish...and my husband tells me this is true. That includes all down our sea wall as well as under and around our dock. Frequently I look out to see these folks looking back in! It's pretty far out and I'm fairly certain that they can't really see me, or at least not the details. Which is a good thing because if I'm getting dressed or exiting the bathroom after a shower I can tell you they don't really want to see the details. When it happens I stomp around and fuss out loud because I think it's rude to go right up to someone's dock and fish under it. I suppose it's human nature to be curious so I'm not surprised that sometimes they aren't watching their fishing pole but are perusing the house. But it makes me uncomfortable.

I'm very careful to have the blinds closed when night approaches because I know you can see into a home that's lit. But in the daytime, how would you feel if you looked up to see someone on the sidewalk outside looking in? Short of keeping my blinds closed all the time I don't see a solution and I sure don't plan to leave the lake any time soon. What do you think?