Happy Homemaker Monday

Happy Homemaker Monday  

Hosted by Sandra!

 The weather in my neck of the woods:::

Monday -88 and rain

Tuesday -84 rain

Wednesday -89 partly cloudy

Thursday - 91 sunny

Friday - 87 thunderstorms

Saturday -88 thunderstorms

And  most definitely HUMID!!!!!!!!

As I look outside my window::: It is sunny   and  steamy1

Right now I am::: I am working on this post and   feeling  pretty  glum as my  precious family is  packing up their car to  leave us and  go to  their next stop.. 

Something fun to share (a blog, a video, a tip)::: 

Thinking and pondering::

 

On my tv::: 

Hallmark mysteries,  and movies, YouTube videos on home decor

I love the British  realty shows.  Phil and Kirstie are favorites!  These

 shows  never  change  

But I also have fallen in love with the Matlock Mystery.  I  have plenty

 of old shows  to enjoy!

 

On my to do list::: Monday June 30: say  goodbye to my  loved ones..wah111

Prepare for my medical  procedure this week1   

         Tuesday    July 1  write up my paperwork  for  my procedure

         Wednesday: July 2  drive to UVA for pre procedure

         Thursday:  July 3 ablation  bright and early  spend night at 

                      hospital

         Friday :    July 4 hopefully drive home with little bad effects

                  from the procedure1

My simple pleasure:::I love to listen to Hauser on the computer... such 

gorgeous music1

Looking around the house::: Things are in good shape..the kids just left

  from their 8 day visit and our daughter cleaned up the house  

beautifully1

     

From the camera::  

Our tea party we had for our sweet cousin1

Bible verse Devotional:::

Saturday 9~ Consider Me Gone

Consider Me Gone

Welcome to Saturday: 9. Hosted by Sam.

Saturday 9: Consider Me Gone (2009)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 

1) In this song, poor Reba McEntire confronts a lover who makes her feel like she's not good enough. Let's go in a more positive direction: Who in your life makes you feel happy and secure?   My sweetheart and   hubby  of  53 years!

 

2) Reba hopes her lover will look back on her as someone who used to make him laugh. Who did you most recently laugh with?  We  have our  grand daughters age 9 and 11 here.   we are always  belly laughing around here!

 

3) She was director James Cameron's first choice to play Molly Brown in the 1997  blockbuster Titanic, but she had to turn down the role because she was committed to a concert tour. Think of the last invitation you received. Did you say yes or no? The very last  invitation I had    I had to  decline because I knew  our kids would be here and  nothing    disturbs our time together.  I just do not get to see them that much here in our home..  

4) Reba comes from a rodeo family: both her father and grandfather were champion steer ropers and her mother was a barrel racer. Have you ever been to a rodeo? Nope!

5) She loves game nights with family and friends because she says she's "a competitive person." When you play friendly board or card games, do you always play to win? Absolutely. I  am pretty competitive1  I love board games!

 

6) Reba wears tall boots all the time, even in summer, and has more than 100 pairs. Do you often wear boots?  Only in winter.. I will wear snow boots.  but I also have a comfy pair of  English  ankle boots  I like to wear with slacks!

 

7) In 2009, when this song was popular, Mark Zuckerberg tried unsuccessfully to buy Twitter. Elon Musk acquired it in 2022 and renamed it X. Do you often post to Twitter/X?  Never!

 
8) Back in 2009, DuPont announced that silver and black were the most popular vehicle colors, accounting for half the cars the world over. What color is your ride?  White trimmed in black.  An outback Subaru!

 

9) Random question: Have you ever had a job that required you to wear a hairnet?  Not thank goodness.  I think it would drive me nuts!!

 

Friday's Fave Five

Hosted by Susanne!     

                                 

Saturday-  God has blessed us thoroughly this week...On Saturday  Lynn and I eagerly awaited our precious daughter and her family to arrive for the week  from New England!  Living 7 states away we  rarely get to  see them so we had been looking so forward to their arrival...They finally  got here  around  1am Sunday morning- Ya-oooo!!

Sunday-  Hubs and I got up and attended  Connect Group at church. we had missed the previous 2 weeks due to health issues...it was  so wonderful to see our class and catch up with everyone! After  church we  met up with  our kids and  ate at our favorite Chinese restaurant...YUM!!That afternoon our quiet visit with  our family  was  golden! My two young granddaughters are such blessings!!!

Monday- My youngest granddaughter is a budding chef at the  grand'old age of 9! She loves to plan meals. She had never used an air fryer before and she made delicious batter fried chicken tenders, seasoned fries, and a gorgeous, huge salad! Wow, I wish I could keep her! Both girls are musicians and it was heavenly to hear them playing the electric piano... Aw, to have music in the house once more!!

Tuesday-One of the most wonderful things we accomplished on Tuesday was something our daughter is terrific at, and I despise...she facilitated a purging of the tons of stuff we had squirreled away in the basement.After a couple of hours we had  several bags to take to the trash...several boxes to take to the goodwill and several boxes to take nicer items to the Discovery Shop! We even found our old slides and projector.We watched half of them  and still have the bests ones to go:  our wedding, honeymoon and  year we lived in Germany! I love reminiscing.

Wednesday- we designated that the day to celebrate  my birthday...  Uh, we won't share how old I will be an about a week! Again our youngest and her mom, Amanda, did dinner... wow, we had Chicken Francese  from Ina Garten, potatoes, roasted broccoli and asparagus, and  Italian bread. Viv, our youngest made me a lemon  cake  festooned by delicious  strawberries..., OH, how I am blessed!!! Then we and the kids, played a new game... I'd say it was a thought provocative game and I wasn't  very good at all, but it was such fun!

Thursday- we are not eating like crazy today... I mean there is a hereafter! Besides, we have great eating planned for the rest of the week! One of the things we found in the basement was my mom's box of  dinnerware which looked pretty bad after 10 years of storage...  Amanda is taking it home so we plan to  polish it up and get it all  looking brand sparking new for her to take!

Friday-Saturday, we had hoped to go to a ballgame but it has been so hot and is supposed to rain all day tomorrow so we are shopping at Fresh Market for tea party supplies, and then stopping at our favorite restaurant  for  breakfast... Then we will rest up for the weekend and enjoy our time together! Saturday, a cousin we rarely get to see will  join us for a mid day tea party. We will make Madeleines,  fruit skewers, 2 types of  finger sandwiches... chicken salad and cucumber. And, of course,  brewed tea in fancy cups!

Saturday 9

Hold On 

Welcome to Saturday: 9. 
Hosted by  Sam!

Saturday 9: Hold On (1990)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 

1) This song gives encouragement to someone who is enduring heartache. Have you more recently given support, or received it?I'd have to say  I've given it to a friend who  was going through a rough patch!

 

2) "Hold On" is featured prominently in the 2011 movie Bridesmaids. It's an anthem for the friends in the film and they love to sing it together. Is there a song that reminds you of good times with a good friend? well, the rfirst thing taht came to mind is my best friend and I travel  from Virginia to Boston  regularly to see our kids.  My husband does the driving and I work the  music. we have created a playlist of all the  music we loved to listen to and sing along with  when we were dating  back in the early   70's.  We love to sing along with our Oldies and Goldies..and  surprisingly we  still know all the  words to sing. That makes  traveling fun!

 

3) The video for this song finds Wilson Phillips outdoors on a snowy mountainside and then on a sandy beach. What's the view outside your window?  The early flowers of summer..  birds coming to the feeders!

 

4) The mountain segments were filmed in California's San Gabriel Mountains. The girls were flown to the set by helicopter. Have you ever been in a helicopter?  Nope, and do not wish to!

 

5) The members of Wilson Phillips are authentic "California Girls." Wendy and Carnie Wilson's father is Brian Wilson, who wrote the Beach Boys hit. Chynna Phillips is the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, who sang "California Dreamin'." Have you been to California? If yes, where did you visit?  No,  I  have been all up and down the east coast,  but not the west..  not much interest there, either!

 

6) Another generation of the Wilson family has entered the music business. Carnie's daughter/Brian Wilson's granddaughter, Lola Bonfiglio, participated in the current season of American Idol. Has a family member followed you in your chosen profession?     Not a direct    descendant,  but I have several  cousins who followed  the teaching  field  after their parents.  I'd have to say  we come from a teaching clan. All of maternal aunts were teachers... But my grands  aren't  old enough to  be working and  our daughter  was  a cancer researcher  ..  a bit over my head!!!

 

7) In 1990, when this song was popular, satellite radio was in its infancy and streaming was unheard of. Our cars gave us a choice of AM/FM and maybe CD player/tape deck. When you're driving and a favorite song comes on, are you more likely to sing along if you're alone? Or don't you care if anyone hears you?As I said  above  my husband and I love to sing..  we started singing   our faves  when  we  were  parking out at the airport  in the late 60's  But, yes, we sang  and  smooched just a bit.  but nothing   unseemly!

 
8) Also in 1990, actor Alan Hale Jr. died. He was "the skipper" on Gilligan's Island. Without looking it up, can you name the other six castaways? (If not the actors, then their characters.)Not my favorite show.. I can see  their faces,,  but  really have no idea their names!

 

9) Random question: What superhero would you like to have as your best friend?  I suppose it would have to be  Christopher Reeve, Superman..  

 I  think everyone had a crush on him  back in the day! 

Tuesday 4

 

Home Where the Heart Is

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.   Hosted by Annie!!

This week let's talk about home or the house in which you grew up.   

1. What do you think of this picture.. the staircase. Do you like how it looks?  Does it say "home" to you?

Would you like something that looks like this?

I love the cosiness of the  lighting and colors.  Our  staircase  does not  have  that same  feeling..  but I do enjoy our  stairs!

2. Did you love growing up in your family home? 

I did love growing up  in the 50's  in our family home..  it  was rather a sweet simple  white clad  cottage  with red roses  growing up the trellis on the porch!

Here is our house   from around 1968   to see the type of home I grew up in..   my mother  was  quite a decorator..  and she loved early American  decor.  She inherited  several  antiques from the dairy farm  she grew up on  and  dad did, as well. We had  an extension  added on the back  including   a gorgeous colonial  fireplace with all the trimmings.   Our home was  very cosy and  enjoyable to live in.  Mom had a flair for gardening   and  we had  fresh cut flower arrangements in several rooms  all through the warm  seasons. 

Could you live in a house like that today?  No,   there were things about the home  that I didn't like,  like the puny locks on the doors,   no room for a dryer.. had to hang clothes on the line which was nice  but  quite a chore!  And it wasn't my style... at all!

3.  What did your bedroom look like when you were a teen?My bedroom  as a young child was  the third bedroom which was rather narrow but deep.   I slept on a twin bed and  had a desk for homework and a small chest of drawers.  I had no say in the decor or color..  it was  mostly white and a bit frilly.  Not my style.  But by the time I was ten I  got to move to the second bedroom  much larger  with a double bed.  but it was, also, the guest room.  We didn't have  that many guests   but I  wasn't allowed to add anything of mine in the room. The room was  rather  fancy ..  again  early American with  beautiful  drapes with  Dolly Madison in   sweet oval frames  amid  the Madison Plantation  printed  on  them.  The  main color  was  an avocado green  so  the  bedspread was  a beautiful avocado  damask..  not  great for a 10 year old girl. By the time I was  in the 8th grade I was really into interior design and as a school project, I moved back into the small room and was completely given permission and the funds to redo  the room    for  a teenager   but with style!  That  is one of my most favorite memories of that home!!!

4.  What kind of vibes or atmosphere do you like to foster in your home today?  Sophisticated, homey?  I like to try  to  do  a combination of both styles. A few years ago  the living room was  very different..  I was in an Olde English  mood and  I had several very  interesting decor items that fostered the look along with  deep  colors of maroon/red,  navy and   golden corn painted walls,

 

But after going to Scotland and  touring   Inverary Castle, I fell in love with some of the color pallets  there...  

Not a great   example  but  the  room in good light was a lovely fair blue!  I was charmed  and so I came back to  redo our home!

I would have to say I am somewhat of maximalist!

FFF Easter Week

Friday's Fave Five #835

 Hosted by Susanne!

                                                          Welcome to Friday's Fave Five 

This being Holy Week  we give  many thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for His   pouring out of His life on the cross to save us from our sins..   But not only that,  but His many stripes and   scourges,  we are healed of our  infirmities.

Easter Sunday was  a wonderful time of  praise,  teaching, and fellowship  at our precious  church..It  was wonderful to see   the church filled to capacity..   I wish   those  who only attend on  special  holidays  would  make the decision to  come every week..   Church attendance is so crucial to our spiritual growth and understanding!

Monday of Holy Week  was a    time of reflection and study for me.  As a member of  Community Bible Study in our area..  I  had  the week of homework to  work on for class  on Tuesday.   Our test was   Matthew  27, the death and resurrection of Jesus. Wow,  what a glorious  reminder of  what Jesus  did for  us who believe and who love Him with our whole heart!!

Tuesday of Holy Week   we met as  a group  for the next to the last time  this  season..   Wow,   this  year has flown  by.  I was  blessed with a fantastic group..   such dear ladies.. and  3 of them were  dear friends from churches  from my past.  That is what is so great about CBS.  It is non denominational and so  wonderfully deep and  so very  interesting.  Our  leader  was  amazing and  so personable,    and the  group0n of about  15 women  were  constant in their  sharing and   added so much to each session.   I highest recommend   Community Bible Study as a  great  study if  you are not  doing a study    of your own!

Wednesday  of Holy Week  I received a phone call I had been awaiting for  several week.s  I have  a heart  problem that needs addressing and  I opted to  travel  a couple of hours away to  a great University Hospital known for its  top notch  staff..and I  am in with a fabulous   doctor    who  is  amazing but quite busy.  But I  am now  going to  check in at their hospital for 4 days next week  for monitoring  and  meds  checking  to find the best  dosage for my  personal need.

Upon  getting fitted with  this  medicine  at  my personalized dosage,,  I should be able to have my knee replacement soon this summer..Following that , I will  be  able to have an ablation  that will  really help  with my situation.. From there we will  pray and see  how the Lord leads!  I may  be looking at a valve replacement  and or a workman.  It is all in God's hands!!!

Thursday of  Holy Week.We had planned to fine out for breakfast with good friends, but alas she called this morning  sick and couldn't  go,  so Lynn and I    went on  alone..   sad to say, and  did our  marketing.   Lynn has to mow  this afternoon and I will  be  doing  odds and ends to prepare for  my  time away from home next week!  One thing I want to do is choose a great book to read while I am  there!!

Friday of Holy Week,   I    have  been   working on  straightening up the house and    doing some  homework for our last  class  on Monday.  Even though I cannot  attend  I do like to have my classwork finished,  as it is for my   own benefit after all! I did find out this week that  a good  friend from our Connect Group  had a serious health issue pop up and so I  need to get a card out to him  and I do hope to write some  encouraging  words on it for him and his  family!  

What have been your favorite blessings of the week?

Tuesday 4 Spring Has Sprung

 

Spring has Sprung

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4/ Hosted by Annie!

Spring has sprung as they say and sights and sounds of winter have given way to those of springtime. With each season even the feel of the sun and wind changes and people may also have a change of attitude or a change oe heart.

1/ Many of my neighbors have chickens.  Have you ever raised them for fresh eggs or is the grocer your go to for them? Also.. would the sound of a neighbor having them bother you? Chickens bring back sweet memories of  visits to  my  grandparents on their dairy farm  in the 50's.  I loved to gather the eggs until I saw a snake in the hen house.    But I think it would be glorious to  be able to gather my own eggs .  The sounds  would  just charm me!!!

2.  How does the change in seasons affect you personally? Are you happier in some seasons , do allergies get to you, do you perk up or down due to weather?  I love spring, but I am  dreadfully  allergic to pollen.  I  have learned to just  prepare the best I can with meds and  enjoy the season!

3.   This week our youngest family member is in France.  She will see Paris, Provence, the Riviera, all very exciting for a young teen.    Most of us don't ever do anything that big...but even the smallest things can have a big effect on  us.  What experience  do you think stands out  most for you in your memory?  Well,  going to meet my husband who was serving  in the military  in Frankfurt  and living  in Germany for a year  was  quite the event for  me..  an essentially country gal! But that bit of  travel  put the yen for travel in me.  I  have  enjoyed  the Netherlands,  Ireland   and Scotland and I'd be hard pressed to name the most awesome of those three. I suppose  it is  most terrific because according  to  Ancestry.com  I hail from  all of these countries!  I suppose I am a mixed up  mess!

4.  What do you look forward to in each of the year's seasons?  I love the new birth of spring .. seeing everything come back alive and the colors are  heavenly!  Summer  is  beautiful  with the  dark green of  the shade trees and the active birds  and summer  flowers.  I love  my hydrangeas in summer. Autumn is  so glorious with the  russets and golds,  the  breezes and    cloudy skies  that  bring  winter   in  by surprise..   and I may not enjoy  the outside   in winter,  but I love the  fireside,  woolly blankets, and hot cocoa  and a really  haunting mystery book..  Every season  has its own charms!