The Simple Woman Daybook

Many thanks to The Simple Woman for giving us this opportunity to share in this journal. For more daybooks or to join in visit Peggy.

For Today

Outside my Window...My neighbor is mowing his lawn, certainly trying to get it done before the extreme heat of today. The weather reports it will be 95.

I am thinking...about my dear daughter and sil's move this week from their old apartment near campus to a beautiful new townhome nearby. I am going up with Josh's mom today to help do some packing.

I am thankful for....God really provided this beautiful home for the kids after some time whereby he was teaching them to trust and rely on Him. He taught them patience as He had them wait until he was ready to put on His God Show, which is more wonderful than anything we can ever want or imagine.

From the kitchen...I am also thankful I made a huge pot of spaghetti sauce over the weekend. Amanda's mil, Jan, and I are going up to help Amanda and Joshua prepare for the move tomorrow. So my sweet husband can come home tonight and fix a great dinner and have it ready when I get home!


I am creating...no plans for creating this week!


I am going...to be driving up to Blacksburg several times this week as we help the kids move in to their wonderful townhome.

I am wearing... white slacks, red and white tee and barefooted right now!

I am reading...Simply Magic, by Mary Balogh. I'm enjoying it!

I am hoping...it doesnt rain tomorrow until we get all the furniture moved.

I am hearing... only the air conditioner whirring away!

Around the house...we are so focused on Amanda's move we have things on hold around here.

One of my favorite things...is my camera. I find I am taking it everywhere I go. Amanda was really worried today when I was taking pictures of her new place. "But Mom, wait until I fix it all up. Don't you dare blog this."

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week... doing what we can to help the kids.

Bluebird Monitoring

I have been busily keeping the birdbaths and feeders going this week. I hung a bluebird suet feeder from the Peterson house. I have seen much more activity around the yard today. There was a lot of interest in the bird bath just a few minutes ago. I saw a male and female cardinal, a huge dominant male robin, a couple of wrens, and drumroll, please, a male and female bluebird there all within a matter of five minutes. Everything was wonderful until a gaggle of black birds scared everyone away. What a thrill, though. I wish these were bettr pictures but each one shows a male on one side and a female on the other side of the statue bird in the center of the bath. This next photo was done by my friend, Dottie who took the picture at her Peterson house on the FR trail. This is what I am aiming for. This is my vision!!

My New Look

I am so excited to find this site tht offers free backgrounds,http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/. When I saw this one, which is my tartan, Lindsay, I went ballistically excited! So I had to use my favorite photo op site in Scotland, Eilean Donan, which was actually used as a setting for the movie, Made of Honor this spring. http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/madeofhonor/index.html

Dad is 89

We were able to enjoy a very special occasion last evening. I just love it when Mom and Dad come over to our home, for as the sands of time continue to filter through the hourglass, their abilities to come diminish. But last night, everyone was shining bright and doing very well. Dad looked quite dapper in his birthday party clothes!. Lynn grilled the most amazing rib eyes and strip steaks for us and the corn was delicious, too. We used to enjoy this same meal so much in the bygone days of our familylife together. Dad loved to grill out and Mom's corn from the garden was everyone's favorite. Last night the corn was a reasonable facsimile.
I thought for a minute dad was going to eat the whole thing!
He was pleased to receive a hefty gift card for the local grocer. I mean it is difficult go come up with a good gift for a man who has EVErything! Of course, Amanda always know exactly what to give. A beautifully framed montage of pictures taken of her with her Pop Pop all these years. Wonderful!

Pink Saturday

Beverly is hosting Pink Saturday. What fun it is to visit all the sites Beverly has posted who are joining in to liven up the weekend with pink!

Today I want to honor my wonderful friends, Vyto and Veronica whom we have known for nearly fifty years. She was born in Worms, Germany and she met Vyto there when he was in the service. They married and moved to the states in 1960 where she worked with my mother and they quickly became our good friends. I was 10, and she was probably 25 or less and we really enjoyed getting to know them so much. But around 10 years later they moved back to Germany to care for Veronica's mother.
Then in 1973, I was living right outside of Worms in Neuschloss, as my husband was stationed in Mannheim, and we renewed our friendship. It was wonderful to have s friend from home while we were over seas during that year- our first year of marriage. Then, in about 1978 Veronica's mom died and she closed up the home and moved back here and actually moved right down the street from where we used to live and we were neighbors.
Veronica loves beautiful things and her collections run the gambit of all the beautiful collectibles, Germany has to offer---clocks, music boxes, Hummels, as well as many, many other figurines I cannot begin to name. But she has 3 huge curios full of treasures. When she came back in 1978 she brought a treasure to me! This beautiful Dresden lady! . She is so delicate. I sort of pride myself for keeping her safe all these years! I will always remember dear Veronica and Vyto, everytime I glance the Pink Lady's way! Just as precious as the PL is and always will be so, too, are our dear dear, friends of fifty years!!

Summer Swap

How exciting to get to share today what we received in the Summer Swap. First of all, I want to thank Peggy so much for her wonderful idea to have this swap. I had such a fun time thinking about, shopping for, and preparing for my items! It was one of my favorite pastimes this summer, really! I was so excited when I went to the mail this past Tuesday and found a mailer from another state addressed to me with the sweet words that have come to mean so much to… Summer Swap! I left it propped up on the counter in the sun room for the first day, just wondering what it might contain! The suspense became maddening…. and so then I opened it up!

My excitement continued to build as I unwrapped the three tissue- paper wrapped treasures!





I want to continue to build the suspense, because, I just love these kind of surprises, and I don’t want it to be over so quickly!

Drumroll, please …or how about a rock and roll band?




Ta-Dah!



1) The notepad is really beautiful. It contains one of my favorite and most powerful scriptures! Which, also, goes along with my main themes in life: The armor of God! The verse, “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in Your Word!”
2) The bar of soap is adorable. Mary Engelbrett really does things up nicely! Life is a chair of bowlies!

3) My favorite: A beautiful gift book entitled Sweet Rose of Friendship..
So shall a friendship
Fill each heart
With perfume
Sweet as roses are,
That even though
We be apart,
We’ll scent the
Fragrance from afar.
Georgia McCoy
My heart felt rosy thanks to Peggy, my swap partner, for these sweet jewels of friendship as well as hosting this fine summer swap!I'm looking forward to the autumn swap. now!!

Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to “Wings of Eagles” as I join in with Kelli's Show and Tell Friday.
Another week has come and gone and I cant believe it but July is flying by! And not only that, but if the date has an 8 it has to be someone's birthday, I am on July 8th, Amanda is July 28, but today is .....(drum roll, please) my dad's birthday. He is 89 today! He is getting along so well. Still plays a mean game of canasta, and can mc a reunion!He makes an amazing dinner companion with his stories and fatherly advice, and Amanda could tell you a thing or two about what a great Pop Pop he has always been. Mama jean will attest to what a sweetheart and lover he is! This evening we will be getting together to celebrate with a steak fry and coconut cake, I need to go bake real fast, and it is just such a great joy to be able to celebrate such an amazing day, Dad's' 89th birthday together!
Happy Birthday, DAD