Let's Remember and Celebrate the All-American way

Just a bit of Memorial   festivity at our house...

Tasty All- American    favorites

Just  the way  we used to do it    when  we all got together.. 

tomato, basil  salad

  

Barbecued  chicken, devilled eggs, potato salad, and   barbecued  chickie..

  A simple  celebration for two..

Tablescape Thursday 

A little Bit Goes a Long Way... well sort of!

Yesterday marked   exactly  one month ago  that we  arrived home form our dream  trip....  I mention  that because I cant believe that month has gone by so quickly.  We missed spring here   so  as soon as  we    got  settled back in our routine,   we  stepped up  for Mother's day and  got a few  planting   which  are  coming along so  nicely now....

 Geraniums are so showy  and hardy.. they seem to like  our  hot summers  

 as well the blue salvia never  fails to delight  each year!

 Time to  consider what else we can do  to  enliven our   back  door entrance....  we do have some special folks coming   later this summer....   hmmm...   time to plan  and    initiate  those plans.....   get back to that one later!

Home  and Garden 

 Outdoor Wednesday

waiting....

Hydrangeas!
Hydrangeas blooming everywhere
throughout the park
At each turn another
Different yet the same.
Pale snowballs dot
one verdant bush
While another thrusts
her gaudy pink
pom-poms in my path.
A third holds blue globes aloft,
like a celestial clown
juggling earths.
Flat topped soldiers in
variegated uniforms
line one walkway
their soft blue flowers
intricate and lacy
undermining their authority,
while at the gate
spiky red giants
stand guard.source

source
  I missed spring here  on the home place   for a  great reason in deed.. I was in Ireland,   but   now I  am  awaiting  with all the hope within me   on  my  blue hydrangeas....   they   didnt bloom last year,  and the  blooms seem very slow this year... So I am   cheering them on with  posts from the past that  highlighted their   happy  presence in  our lives.

My  lovely bush from   a few years ago.. I love them no matter what color they choose to be... but  blue is my favorite!

Loaded with blooms.. begging to be picked!

  This was last year's single bloom...  

Other years the blooms were so   heavy  and  radiantly blue!




I love when  they beckon me through to window and   come play in their  shadow!

last year I resorted to silk   ones  to get through the season....   sigh

When previous years   they   were  invited guests to our  morning    soiree's on the  porch

or noontime luncheons ... they  set  such a happy mood  for us both!

It would be grand to hang them from the  doors

But last year  the silk ones  saw me through   my  teatimes

TEACUP~ Monthly Botanicals by Royal Albert       Teapot~   Purchased  at a   gift shop in  Gatlinburg  over 25 years ago....  no label
when I would sit and      think  happy plans  for   the  coming get togethers

remembering happier times when the  true  blooms   fought   for prominence with the tea  itself!




Was it the tea pot   that   spoke  loudest,,,   "don't you just love my  delicate lines!"

Or were the blooms    stealing the   entire show!


And then sometimes the   blooms surprise   me....  a lovely green

I loved them so much!

But this year...     not  much showing  even yet....  So I wait.
 Home Sweet Home

Martha’s Favorites 

Tea Time Tuesday 

 Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Friends Sharing Tea 

Share Your Cup Thursday

Dreaming Now, but Soon....

 So  the   items are on order and  now I just wait.....   but  they said  it may only be a couple of weeks  and then a couple of weeks for installing   and then, of course, Lynn will   be painting..

 the impetus is  to upgrade our kitchen and  invest in our home....  we figured it was a good way to safeguard  some   capital we  saved for a rainy day....     we figured our kitchen was   better than our mattress...    and  then  one day  when    I  can't stand  going up those stairs anymore   we might be   able to  sell this place and get  a  nice patio retirement home...   but   alas, I get ahead of myself.  

Our  1930's  English Tudor  kitchen  is pretty  much as it   has always been  in the  27 years  we've lived here...

With the exception of  the newer  floor we did a few years ago  and the  newer paint pallette  a few more years ago....  and  I can't help myself,.,. I still love both...  the    eggplant walls  and  the    border...   so  it will remain.  I mean  we should  enjoy what we like,   right? But, that hutch has got to go... to make room for  another wall of  cabinets... with built in desk  for   technology, and you can just  barely see the  foot of the pie safe at  the right... beside  the  furnace flue...  that has to go to make  way for a  floor to ceiling pantry...  YAYAYAYA!

Love this photo of Lynn packing his lunch to go to work...  but, heheh, behind him you can see  just  how small this   1930's kitchen is...   I mean really I have made do with  2 drawers in my kitchen  following  the redo  I will have  3 times as many drawers....Just this   past   new years  during the  appliance  sales  I was ready to  go start replacing  the appliances with   stainless...    and I  fell in love with the  french door   fridge!


But, alas,  the new   fridges  are  so   much bigger now,  the  hole  under  my  upper cabinets   wasnt big enough.. That would take a major overhaul,   so I  still have  the white....and   will   probably keep  them.. They a re all  new  enough and still in great  working  order.  So  yes,   we have new  cabinets on order
  
New  cabinets for   some of the kitchen..
 new doors  on the old cabinets..which Lynn  will paint  Behr,  Rolling Pebble
  sample photo
At this time,   there are  wooden  valances   on the windows on the  other side of the kitchen  with  ugly  recessed  square   lights...  very    vintage  1950...  I am spoiling myself   and replacing them with   these  great lights I keep seeing on HGTV  redo's

  sample photo

  to brighten the whole  room  I   have ordered  this   lovely granite

 which   includes my lovely   deep red  I love so much!

And I   really love my new  updated  hardware..

  and  

So , until  the  end of June, I  am in dreaming stage...  but reality  is   dawning soon.

Make it Pretty 
A Return to Loveliness@ A Delightsome Life

Home Sweet Home

Thursday Favorite Things

Happy Homemaker Monday

I have been so consumed with creating a page of posts about our Irish trip and then on the trip,,and then not feeling well, that I have been terribly negligent to post for some time previously.. it is nice to get back to business at hand.... blogging, to me, is a great motivator... it helps me get things done so that I have something to write about!

CLick here to return to   Happy Homemaker Monday.

The weather in my neck of the woods:

The past few days have been simply divine,,, except for the awful pollen count which has necessarily kept me indoors unless i simply had to get out! Today is another grand day!

Things that make me happy: 

getting done that have been on a back burner for a very long time... more about that in the coming day!

Menu for this week:

That is one organizational tool I would love to implement and not any time soon.

What's on my TV today: 

If it's not HGTV, the Food Channel, The Middle, or Tom Selleck.... IM not interested.... we did away with TCM and so I am training myself not to watch as much tv.

Looking around the house:

Without giving too much away... I have cleaned out a bookcase cabinet and put it all on the sunroom table. I need to clean out a hutch in the kitcehn and I ahve no idea where to put that stuff.. dining room table I guess.. then move a desk, and a filing cabinet and take a computer table to the goodwill. do all that to clear a spot in the kitchen..... lots to do this week,, and meanwhile, every clear surface will be piled to the ceiling..

On my To Do List:

Like I said, empty several pieces of furniture. get rid of about half the stuff accumulated in these items of furniture, to move them around from room to room to make space in our kitchen....

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Well, I have definitely been ahving withdrawals from Irish tea and scones, so I will probably figure out an easy scone recipe this week.

In the craft basket:

I am crafting ideas in my mind and on paper about a major project in the works!

Looking forward to this week:

Talking to a home improvement coordinator and freelance contractor about said project 

Tips and Tricks:

Take it from me.... just because you could, don't.... just because I could take some of my grandma's books when they were unloading stuff, I did,, just old books... they looked nice on the book case , but now I dont need or want them, but it is hard work to get them together and lug them to whereever I can get rid of them... Ok, Cousins, believe me... you dont want them either... just old agriculture books....also, just because I grew up with momma's glass serving dishes... doesnt mean I had to keep them.... I already had my own... too much stuff in cabinets now I have to decide how to dispose of a ton of this stuff....

My favorite blog post this week: 

NO time to look at any..... maybe I can do this soon.

Blog Hopping (a new discovered blog you would like to share with the readers):

Same answer

No words needed (favorite photo or picture):

Lynn and I riding the jaunting carts in Killarney!

Lesson learned the past few days:

Trust and Obey, for there's no other way.. to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey! 

On my mind:

I am so thankful that even though this past week was horrid when our little granddaughter was ill, God is faithful, and He answers our prayers unceasingly!

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Many places in Scripture extol the faithfulness of God.Lamentations 3:22–23says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” So, what is faithfulness?

The Hebrew word translated “faithfulness” means “steadfastness, firmness, fidelity.” The opposite of being faithful is to be ever-changing or wishy-washy.Psalm 119:89–90says, “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations.” Here faithfulness is equated with God’s Word. God speaks never-ending truth. If God spoke something a thousand years ago, it still stands. He is faithful to His Word, because His Word is an expression of His character. The promises He made still hold true because He does not change (Malachi 3:6). We see this illustrated from a human perspective in a couple married for eighty years. When the wife lies on her deathbed, her husband sits nearby holding her hand. He won’t leave her, even though she no longer recognizes him. He is faithful to the promises he made to her. In the same way, God remains faithful to His promises, even though we are often unfaithful to Him (2 Timothy 2:13).

Today is Pentacost

Click the image to return to Spiritual Sundays.

In church today, even though they didnt mention it, it is Pentacost Sunday... or 50 days f rom Resurrection Sunday.. the day God sent His Holy Spirit to come and be an indwelling presence .. our holy comforter, guide, and teacher.. actually living within us here on earth! This was recorded in the book of Acts chapter 2.... I think it was appropriate that we did sing"Holy Spirt" by Keith Getty.

Holy Spirit, living Breath of God,

Breathe new life into my willing soul.

Bring the presence of the risen Lord

To renew my heart and make me whole.

Cause Your Word to come alive in me;

Give me faith for what I cannot see;

Give me passion for Your purity.

Holy Spirit, breathe new life in me.

Holy Spirit, come abide within;

May Your joy be seen in all I do—

Love enough to cover ev'ry sin

In each thought and deed and attitude,

Kindness to the greatest and the least,

Gentleness that sows the path of peace.

Turn my striving into works of grace.

Breath of God, show Christ in all I do. 

Holy Spirit, from creation's birth,

Giving life to all that God has made,

Show Your power once again on earth;

Cause Your church to hunger for Your ways.

Let the fragrance of our prayers arise.

Lead us on the road of sacrifice

That in unity the face of Christ

Will be clear for all the world to see.

Holy Spirit, Living Breath of God

Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

© 2006 

And  Jentzen Franklin had this message

click here to view

Such an amazing experience being in the upper room today on Pentecost Sunday.
Posted by Jentezen Franklin on Sunday, May 24, 2015

Spring comes to Ireland

Please return to Beverly's Pink Saturday here!

Ok, I did just return for the Shades of Green Ireland trip,  but I saw a lot of pink as well!!!!

 A delicate pink floral teacup in a  tearoom in Dublin

 A rosy tone in the  Irish  House Party outside of Dublin...

 Another   rosy teacup in Kilkenney   with a  strawberry jam/scone!

 Pink blossoms  right outside the window of  Muckross House in Killarney...

 Pink shrubs   along the roadside   near the Ring of Kerry...

 pretty in pink harpist in Castle Knappogue....

 gorgeous tulips right outside the Belleek  pottery factory....

 Pink     peaking thorugh the mist in Derry.

 Dogwoods blooming  at an Anglican Church in Northern Ireland.

A freshly planted  array of     spring flowers   outside the Guild Hall near the  Peace Bridge, also in Northern Ireland.

We got to see spring come to Ireland. ... for more of my  trip check out the links  at my  page bar.