Summer Begins At Home...

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer...



I love wind chimes. I like to hang them on the deck, of course we live in a wind tunnel...so my poor wind chimes take a beating.



Summertime is much more laid back...peace and serenity is sitting on the front porch on a quiet summer evening.



My husband put our new flag up yesterday... Looking at the crisp red,white, and blue flapping in the breeze made me so happy.



This is where you will find me in the evenings. My favorite spot. I thought the red pillow just made the sitting area "pop".



Yesterday, my son pulled out a birthday present from a couple of years ago. Now we have a big yard (since we moved) and he practiced shooting off his rocket last night.



"America, America, God shed His grace on thee."



I got these windsocks on sale at Wmart. I thought they looked festive, but they also remind me of the beach. Perfect for summer.

***********

What makes your house feel like home? Do you have a favorite spot?

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Classic Films Collection

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I watched two classic movies as I wrapped gifts yesterday. I have yet to be able to just sit down and watch a movie without being "productive" with my time.  There is never enough time in a day! The first movie was The Shop Around The Corner. (Margaret Sullivan, Jimmy Stewart). I love the old, black and white movies. I really do. I don't know if it is the simple scenery, the fact that everyone is dressed so beautifully, or that a movie can be interesting without any offensive language or suggestive situations. Sigh. It was just a different time. The Shop Around The Corner pretty much took place in  the store...so there wasn't a lot of scenery, but what a great movie! (the movie You've Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks is a take off of this movie)  Speaking of scenery, I have a keen eye for all the props. The old cash registers, cigarette boxes, ladies' hats, and how store windows used to be "dressed" for the holidays.

Then I watched Christmas In Connecticut starring Barbara Stanwyck. It is sort of  a comical Good Housekeeping, circa Christmas 1945. Snow, a navy man, sleigh rides, and a farm in Connecticut. Who wouldn't fall in love?

Today I am working on my laundry. What can I watch in between loads of whites and colors? Maybe It's A Wonderful Life? (side note: google Jimmy Stewart discussing It's A Wonderful Life. It was in a 1977 interview. It will give you a new perspective about this movie. Seriously, you should check it out.) Or Miracle On 34th Street--the 1947 version, of course!

Well, I better go. I heard the dryer just buzz. Time for another load.

 

 

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Are These Gifts For Real?

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First of all I want to say a BIG, HUGE, GIGANTIC thank you to all the people that stopped by my blog yesterday. I love being "freshly pressed". Of course, if someone is not in the blogging world and I tell them that I'm excited about being freshly pressed, they get this look in their eyes that says, "God love her heart, but she's as nutty as her Christmas fruitcake." That's okay. I'm used to that, after all variety is the spice of life, right? I have several new readers, and people from all over the world told me that they like my blog. It makes me smile....so yeah, thanks again. My readers are the best.

 

ARE THESE GIFTS FOR REAL?

Have you found yourself at the department store or the mall, staring at gifts that are just down right weird? You wonder to yourself, do people really buy these for their LOVED ones? I will admit I probably stay more on the traditional side when it comes to Christmas presents. I'm all about sticking with a theme for people. I try to tailor the gifts to the person's taste. With that said, there are some gifts that are just over the top. What do you think of these? Would you put these things under your tree?

1. Sudoku Toilet Paper-- I don't know about you but, I don't spend THAT much time in the bathroom. Sudoku problems take me awhile...even then I don't have the patience to finish them. I would be in the bathroom all day. My family would have to send in a search party. On second thought that might not be such a bad idea.

2. Christmas at Ground Zero-- This is a CD by Wierd Al Yankovic .  Really? Um.....I don't think so. A weird Christmas album with the setting of Ground Zero. That is not the site that would put me in a festive spirit. How did he come up with this? I suppose he is weird for a reason. Definitely not a White Christmas moment. Cover your ears, Bing.



3.Tattoo Parlor Kids Playset -- This is for all the kids that are planning a career in the graphic arts field. One can't ever start to soon to learn the art of tattooing. You could be known in the 'hood as the kiddie tattoo parlor. Have friends over so your kids can ply their new trade. Just sayin' this could be big if you work it right.....of course, I think it might be illegal for minors. If anyone asks, deny knowing what in the world is going on.

4. LED Flashing Shoe Laces-- Who wouldn't want to glow in the dark? One could turn all the lights off in the house and amaze their family and friends with their flashy, glowing shoe laces. Plus it would totally freak out the family cat, and the kittie would attack the laces. There would be a lot of rolling around on the floor, fur flying, lace gnawing, and a few screams going on.....but, try to keep the Christmas spirit.Have your story straight for the ER doctor.

5. Napoleon Dynamite Lip Balm-- I loved the Napoleon Dynamite movie. I truly am weird that way. At least I admit it. As long as the lip balm doesn't smell like Tina the llama, from the movie, I could probably deal with it. I wonder if the lip balm would have you talking in a monotone voice with an uncontrollable urge to shoot wolves with your cross bow? Just a thought.

.....A little holiday humor to make you smile today........You may now go back to your regularly scheduled life......

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Lights! Camera! Freezing!

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The plan was to dazzle the night with our pretty icicle lights. This past Monday evening my husband said to me, "I've got some time...let's go out and start hanging the Christmas lights on the porch." (You know, before it's actually Christmas!)
1. In a snap I threw on my coat, scarf, ear flap hat with a tassel on top, and my gloves. Oh yeah, and my boots. Baby, I was ready for action.

2. Scott and I had untangled the lights as best we could.

3. Scott got on the ladder to hang the icicle lights around the bottom of the roof on our front porch. He is the man!

4. I was the "helper".

5. If he needed anything up there.

6. Um...he did most of the work and I was his moral support.

7. In this lighting endeavor.

8. It was freezing cold. Literally.

9. The wind was blowing.

10. And it was dark.

11. And we were outside in it.

12. The cold had numbed our brain cells.

13. Merry Christmas.

14. As I was losing feeling in my fingers, and Scott had no ears left.....

15. I stuck my head in the front door.

16. And yelled for my son to run and get my camera.

17. It's important to take pictures of these type of family events. For posterity's sake. Really.

18. I jumped off the porch, telling my hubby to just keep working, even as I took video footage.

19. I had to walk down the yard, to get the full effect.

20. The snow was blowing.

21. If I slipped, I might possibly not be found until the Spring thaw.

22. Found with a video camera frozen to my hand.

23. Footage of my man hanging lights.

24. How pretty they look!

25. Wow. That was hard work. I'm tired.

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SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

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(Setting)

Mom sitting at the kitchen counter with her computer. She is decked out in her leggings and her "Baby It's Cold Outside"/Snowman Pajamas. TV news is on in the background. She has a mug of coffee, as she stares out the kitchen window.  The snow is falling and blowing. The temperature is currently hovering around 30 degrees. The Christmas tree is lit and the candles are burning. The kids are quietly working on their school work. Husband is working in his office. All is well with the world.

Picturesque, right?

(Behind the scenes)

"Mom, I need my long johns to go outside to the barn!" "It's cold."

"I'm cold." " Am, I gonna be able to drive in this mess?" "So, cold!"

" I require hot chocolate on a day like this. Are you going to make some?"

"Mom, why are the clouds so gray when it's snowing?"

"Mom, I love you."

"Mom, are you in the Christmas spirit this morning?"

(Mom, is currently singing "Let It Snow" like she is on a Christmas TV special.)

I guess she needs to go get dressed.....After she takes some pictures of this year's first snow.

 

 

 

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An Attitude Of Gratitude

How many times do I gripe? Feel sorry for myself? Complain? Say, "why me"?

The truth is I have plenty to be thankful for. My human nature tends to focus on the bad or annoying and take the good for granted.

If we are honest, aren't most of us that way?

Today I have made a pact with myself. I will only look for the good today. No, I am not neglecting anything. I am not trying to be Polly Sunshine, or ignore the necessary. I'm doing nothing but making a choice.

1. I'm thankful for my vision. I saw the most beautiful sunrise this morning. Breathtaking, actually. God, as master artist, paints the morning canvas with hues that can never be duplicated with the human hand. It is a sight to behold. And for that I am thankful.

2. So thankful for my hearing. I woke to the sound of rushing wind going by my window. I cannot see the wind, but I sure can hear it. The sound reminds me of a roaring river. I hear the morning noises of my family, the coffee maker humming and sputtering, and the cat meowing. And for that I am thankful.

3. I'm thankful for food. As I was getting the coffee creamer out of the fridge this morning, I looked at the inside of my refrigerator. Really looked. It is packed to the max with food and trimmings for Thanksgiving. To be able to afford to feed my family...It humbles me. I know there are many who do not have what I have. I've been uncomfortable before, and hungry...but, never starving. When my husband went through nearly a year and a half of unemployment I knew what it was to have our family "eat cheap". It wasn't always great, but we didn't go hungry. So, to have a full refrigerator makes me feel thankful.

4. I'm thankful that my husband now has a job. One that he is really good at. One that provides for our family. When one has walked through the valley of unemployment and been faced with the scary possibilities of losing everything....to have a job, makes me thankful.

5. I'm thankful for a healthy family. Sure, we all get croupy, or deal with sniffles, or stomach aches or occasion...but, we are healthy for the most part. Nothing serious. Having known the feeling of standing over the grave of a loved one, it makes me appreciate health all the more.

The truth is all these things that I just said I was thankful for...I could lose tomorrow. I could be in an accident, I could get a scary diagnosis, my family members could be hurt, and my husband could lose his job. These things happen. I am not immuned to the problems of this world.

If that were to happen I know that I still have the greatest gift of all. That is my relationship with Jesus Christ. His love knows no end.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?.....No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height or depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:35,37-39

There is a deep peace, that passes human understanding, when those verses really sink in...and for that I am thankful.

 

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