Serendipity Cottage

"Changes"

2012-02-02T20:57:00.002-06:00

We've been having some beautiful weather here.

Makes you wanna go outside, clean the yard, rake the leaves, fix the boardwalk where it needs to be rapaired, come back in the house for a snack and take a nap.

I'm ready for spring and garage sales, aren't you.

Our winter has been really mild, but little changes are coming in tonite and tomorrow.

Bummer!!

Rain and maybe some snow. We need anything that has moisture in it. amen!

On another note...

My Doc has referred me to OU Medical Center for Clinical Trials.

I'm really anxious and scared about this change.

If I do this, I won't get the shot that has saved my life anymore.

NO surgery involved unless this little dragon tries to obstruct my colon.

I have to go see my regular doctor in a month, I think I will ask her if..

I can just stay on the current plan... and it goes where it goes.

I'm too chicken to do a Clinical Study that may make me deathly sick...

as I am very sensitive to new medications.

What would you do???

Any suggestions?

Glenda

"Just a little bend in the road of life."

2012-02-01T10:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't know how to write about my feelings today.

There's a new bend in the road ahead for me, and I don't know where it will lead.

According to my doctor, my options are narrowing, and to tell you the truth,

I am bothered by the thought of what cancer can do to you.

I was diagnosed with Carcinoid Syndrome in 1997.

This is in my colon, and I have been having changes lately.

Changes that make me think things are about to come just around the bend.

My oncologist told me surgery was not an option..

This is years after they told me they would remove it when it started acting up.

Lies, all lies. I am hurt and angry at the news.

So I am on the search for a surgeon to tell me I can be helped.

If they think I will just lay down and roll over, they are sadly mistaken.

I've gotten this far by being my own advocate.

You have to be, you know!

I believe in the power of prayer, and I believe in healing.

I've been researching all day at the different hospitals that deal with this.

Doc wants to send me to MD Anderson in Houston.

I may have to go.

Thanks for listening, I appreciate my online friends so much.

I'll try not to talk about this too much, cause nobody likes to hear complaining

all the time.

all the best,

glenda

"Angels Among Us"

2012-01-31T10:25:00.002-06:00

Hello again...

It seems like forever since I posted anything.

I had an interesting day yesterday I thought I would share with you.

We were in town getting groceries, it's the end of the month, and things are always a litttle tight on the old budget. Trying to get by on Social Security is not easy these days with everything so expensive, I always look at the end of the month to see what God hath wrought.

I don't know how everything gets paid, but they do..

BUT

Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next!

We stopped at the drug store to pick up some things we were out of, most of my medicines are paid for by our Medicare Part D after I get the shot I have to take every month. It's terrible expensive.

None of them were covered since it's January and we have to meet our deductible.

I told the clerk I couldn't get it, and I would come back on the third, and she told me to put it on a ticket and not to worry about it...I told her that I already had a ticket there and didn't want to make another one...She insisted, so I relented and said ok.

I went to the car and was looking at all the medicines to make sure they were ours, discovered we had one in there that didn't belong to us. Out of the car to show it to the pharmacist, and he took it out and made sure all was well with the right meds.

OKIE DOKIE

I go to the cashier again for her to rewrite the ticket, she takes me by the hand...and with tears in her eyes, she says.."Glenda, your bill is paid in full." What? I say...I don't understand..

WELL, she says,

Remember the man that was standing over there...

I saw him, but did'nt really pay any attention other than to think he was probably getting frustrated by how long it was taking for me to get the medicines straightened out..

"He told me he wanted to pay for your medicine."

He wanted to pay the other ticket, too.

Who was he, I asked, I want to write him a thank you note.

She said he wanted to remain anonymous..." I just like to help people." he said.

And now I know for sure....there are angels among us.

Whoever you are Mister, thank you so very much.

Your reward is waiting in Heaven!!!!

"Remembering....

2012-01-24T20:37:00.000-06:00

Today I spent the day chasing scheduled doctor visits and tying up loose ends...Ugh.

The last few weeks have been a nightmare...
First we lost hubby's oldest brother...a sweet and gentle man we will all miss.
Eleven days later his wife died of pneumonia and went to that other place to join him. She was a lovely spirit too. Together 65 years!!!

"I wonder.... what are they doing in heaven today?"
Her memorial is tomorrow..
Enough!!
Our hearts are so heavy with all this sorrow.
Their daughters are distraught beyond comprehension. It's gonna be bad tomorrow.

Today wasn't a cake walk..I had to have a CT scan...yuk, and when I got home the little tummy was hurting, and just to make it a little worse, I think my gall bladder felt sorry for it and started hurting too.
I've been having symtoms in my colon right where the carcinoid is in my gut...
A little pain and discomfort at times, and the feeling something is trying to obstruct..

"Don't you just hate it when your poop goes flat." Sorry...that's pretty gross, I know.

I wonder how much Dr Oz would pay for that line...he's so funny.
Am I worried and scared..
Yes!!!
I think beyond here there may be dragons...

Anyhoo..I was in the same place that hubby had the MRI that the surgeon wants to see this
friday...so I asked them if they would put it on disc while I was doing my test. Ugh.
They gave me some paperwork he had to sign, and of course..
He was in the car, so I give the paper work and the alarm back...trekked back out to the
car to get his signature and his drivers license..the wind was growing colder and bolder
out there in the prairie of a driveway like they have these days..sheesh!!!

Back in the building again, staring out the window and the alarm goes off, vibrating on
the table beside me and there's a buzzer to boot..I jumped so hard it made some of the
people around me giggle..while I gave them a raised eyebrow and a sheepish grin.

Never mind, they all have the same fate..

soon enuf they will get to jump to the ringing of the thing, too.

he/he

And now the waiting until Thursday to see my oncologist for the results.

Margarets memorial tomorrow fell right in the middle of everything this week.

Two more Doctors to see this week..Thursday for me...Friday for De...
Munchy Manuey...I'm ready for next week.

and that's the way it is...

at our house tonight.

Later,

please say a prayer...

things have got to get better soon!

"Desiderata"

2012-01-22T22:17:00.000-06:00

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste..

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender...

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy. ^[1]

2012-01-12T23:12:00.001-06:00

Life is very hard for us right now...

The winds of change are blowing thru the family, finding all the nooks and crannies;

seeping in the hidden places in our hearts, and we fight back tears at times
And at times we break down and sob it all out, at least for the moment....

As we mourn for Uncle Herman' and all he went thru.

He gave all he had to take care of his wife...I know he was tired...

She is in the hospital fighting pneumonia...doing better now, it was touch and go at first.

He was the patriarch of the family, and everyone loved him so much.

The next few days will be very taxing on their daughters..

as they face all the choices they have to make...

I hope January 2012 is finding you well...

all the best.

"The Legend of Maudie Lee"

2012-01-09T14:24:00.000-06:00

Last year I read a book called "The Help" ( have u read it yet?)

I was intrigued by a person in the book..."Aunt Rose Comfort" and I loved that name.

It felt so good to my spirit, that name warmed me every time I read it.

It made me think of my little granny for some reason.

At one of my times of melancholy writing moods, I picked up on that and started writing.

Granny crossed the prairie in a covered wagon and lived to see man walk on the moon.

Don't you find that amazing???? I do.

Such a short time for knowledge to increase that much.

So I wrote that first part of the story and hit Post...

The response was way more than I expected...and ya know what?

It scared me...scared me in such a way that I went directly to that story and deleted it.

What's that about...

So many times in my life what I did for fun turned into a job, and that changes things.

All of a sudden I choked on my words and it was harder to write.

Sweet friends wanted to see more and they would comment about Aunt Rose,

I began to feel that old stress creeping in...that performance thing.

Oh, my stinkin' heck!

I kept trying to bring her back in but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't.do.it.

I love the quote under my new header.

I think I'm finally finding my voice, finding myself in the silence...

trusting myself again...feeling more confident in who I am.

Her name was Maudie Lee..and she knew who she was.

And you better not call her Maud unless you wanted to hear about it.

And I just edited my signature out of the post...

Oh well,

glenda

2012-01-07T19:34:00.000-06:00

a red door stands open welcoming family and friend and 2012...

we are just home from a family meeting in a nursing home...

two sweet girls asked us to come and help them reconcile their decision..

wanting their daddy's brothers and sisters to settle their minds and get on the same page...

their daddy's fate lies in their hands, and they reach out for us to help..

this is the patriarch of the family, the oldest brother

a good and honest and hard working man is diminished to a shell of a man..

lying motionless

in a too short for his body bed with a plastic cover on it. What a shame!!!

and we all weep with the finality of it.all.. Seeing him there is almost more than we can take.

in this constantly changing thing we call family...

children are born in the spring, old ones go home to be with the Lord in winter.

He's been so good to me, him and his wife of 66 years...he's my brother in law..

according to the law of the church of old...he's my brother.

it's gonna be a hard settling up for all of us..

when he leaves this place for a much better one.

i guess that's life.

"Green in the kitchen"

2012-01-05T00:40:00.001-06:00

*Enough
have you seen the movie by that name starring JLo...
I could watch that movie every night for a week....it's true, i really could.
There's just something about some creep getting what's coming to him...
that does me good. Ok..call me mean..
Maybe you haven't seen violence in your growing up years like i have.
And that's a great thing.
Enough...you have a God given right to protect to protect yourself and your offspring.
The girl that had to shoot a man made me want to take some classes to protect myself.
i never expected to want a handgun..i do now.

it seems like everything in my life is spinning out of control right now.
it will be so good when things settle down a bit..
it would be better if they settled down a lot.

But....ya know what.
it's all good.
God will take everything and make something good of it.
The hard part is letting go..let Him take control.
Relax and take time to hear the music of your life, it's there..
out on the perimeters...quietly playing...just for you.

What this has to do with the pictures I chose to show on this post...I have no idea.
i just can't do a post without pictures.
This old green stuff is just so relaxing to look at...I need to take some more pictures.

and that's the way it is...
at our little house tonight.

"Deadly Home Invasion in our little town."

2012-01-02T17:30:00.000-06:00

Can you imagine going thru this???? This was very close to our home...Yikes!!!
I feel so sorry for this girl..
I may be a pistol packing Mama this year. I never thought it would come to this.
We live in the country, for goodness sake!

Oklahoma -- A young mother shot and killed an intruder at her home Saturday. Eighteen-year old Sarah McKinley said the suspects terrorized her for more than 20 minutes as they tried to break into the house.

McKinley said she was on the phone with a 911 dispatcher who told her she could fire her shotgun if the man entered the house.

When 24-year old Justin Shane Martin broke through the front door with a hunting knife in his hand, McKinley pulled the trigger, striking him in the upper torso. Martin was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities found him slumped over a couch McKinley had used to barricade her front door.

12/31/2011 Related Story: Mother Shoots, Kills Suspect In Home Invasion

"You have a choice, you or him," explained McKinley. "I chose my son over him."
McKinley recalled the 21 minutes, which she said seemed like hours as Martin went around the house trying to find a way in.

"He was from door to door trying to bust in," said McKinley. "I don't know what he had in his hand besides the knife. I believe he actually had a hammer in his hand at some point because he was hitting that back door with it."

"It's one of those things you never think is going to happen to you. That's something you hear about. It can't really happen, but I guess it can," McKinley said.

A second suspect, 29-year old Dustin Louis Stewart, ran away from the scene. Police said he then called his parents who took him in to the Police station. Authorities said Sunday that Stewart was in jail awaiting an arraignment on Monday.
Police said this incident did not look like a random crime.

"Obviously a home invasion is not something you would just do on a spur of the moment," explained Detective Dan Huff with the Police Department. "I would assume that there was some type of forethought into it."

McKinley has gone through a lot recently. Her husband passed away on Christmas Day. A week later she hoped for a fresh start.

"Maybe a new start. Maybe something a little better than last year," McKinley said.

Still in shock on Sunday, McKinley said she used everything she had to pay for her husband's funeral, which was on Thursday. She made money breeding German Shepherds, but recently lost her adult dogs. Local police are looking at those deaths as well, as they could be related to this incident.

Police also said their investigation up to this point showed McKinley did everything right.

"Christmas Past"

2011-12-23T08:12:00.001-06:00

Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Let your hearts be gay....

From now on our troubles will be far away,

So Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas today.

'Cause that's what we're doing today,

here at the little house on rt.3

"Bittersweet Christmas"

2011-12-20T00:18:00.010-06:00

Something has happened in our family...a life changing event..
for two sweet people.
It's a bittersweet Christmas this year...

Last week hubby's oldest brother took a fall off a kitchen chair,
standing in a kitchen chair...
changing a light bulb, for pete's sake!!!

He didn't break any bones, just a knot on the head...

It had to be God...that he didn't suffer a broken hip or worse.

His wife is on dialysis and she spends her days in a wheelchair....nearly all the time.

He laid on the floor all night and most of the next day...with her there with him...
They estimate he laid there for 20 hours...she never called anyone.

The police had to break open the door to get in there...it's just so sad.

I'm sure he was telling her not to call anybody..."I'll get up in a minute"

That's what I hear him saying.

They were married 65 years in April. So completely devoted to each other.
He's been taking care of her all the time without complaint.

He spent a few days in the hospital and then to a nursing home.

They put them together in the same room.

I'm still praying things will work out for them.
They're so cute with each other.

Sure takes some of the joy out of Christmas, though.

They only want to go home.

See ya tomorrow..

"Only in my dreams"

2011-12-19T07:40:00.001-06:00

I'll be home for Christmas...

you can count on me..

Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the tree..

Christmas Eve will find me...where the love light gleams.

I'll be home for Christmas....

If only in my dreams......

~Ho Ho Ho~

~*~

"I want a few friends"

2011-12-09T23:08:00.002-06:00

Lord. Thou knowest I am growing older....

and soon enough I will be old.

Keep me from becoming talkative and
possessed from the idea that I must
express myself on every subject.

Release me from the craving to straighten
out everyone's affairs.

Keep me from the recital of endless detail.
Give me wings to get to the point.

Seal my lips when I am inclined
to tell of my aches and pains.

They are increasing with the years and
my love to speak of them grows sweeter
as time goes by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that
occasionally I may be wrong.

Make me thoughtful but not nosy,
helpful but not bossy.

With my vast store of wisdom and experience
it does seem a pity not to use it all.

But Thou knowest, Lord, that I
want a few friends at the end.

amen

glenda

" Ginger snaps"

2011-12-06T16:10:00.001-06:00

Don't you love the little things at Christmas?

Do you love to see small surprises in every little corner...

I fell in love with these gingerbread boys

At our bingo game we played on Christmas Eve last year.

And our youngest daughter brought them, made sure that I got them.

Maybe it was the squeals I emmitted when I saw them.

Maybe it was the tears (cause I never did get to say Bingo!)

When everyone was tired of playing,

started breaking up to go home.

She brought them to me with a smile and a hug.

Merry Christmas, Mama, I love you

she whispered in my ear.

Love*

It wins every time.

"Once upon a time"

2011-11-25T12:56:00.001-06:00

In reality, it was just the other day

I posted on facebook about the use of swear words...

Once upon a time folks didn't talk that way.

Of course, some of the men did...on the job, sitting around outside.

But they didn't bring it in the house...

Once upon a time.

Not so long ago...

Women were highly revered as the keeper of homes.

We taught our children manners and respect for others & their property..

We kept a higher standard for the family..

Once upon a time!

I asked people in general..

to check their vocabulary, there's no need to swear about anything.

Kids today are bombarded with all the swearing words..

It's on tv...at school...the computer.

People have forgotten how to express themselves without swearing.

When I was a kid, we would'nt even whisper that word

for fear we would be struck by lightning...

or Grandma!!!!

I'm hoping it will make them choose a more concise way of speaking.

A man would remind another man if he started swearing...or tell a dirty joke.

Excuse me, he would say...there's a lady present.

Then they would apologize...

At least that's the way it was...

Once upon a time.

"Autumn leaves"

2011-11-19T22:51:00.000-06:00

Oh my, I just spent quite a bit of time on my story about Rose. I went thru my Grandmothers calender for the months of January to March for my story and added notes. So now I'm all caught up in thinking about her. The wonderful words she would say, her laughter and her joy.
She taught me so much.
I love and miss her so much, maybe especially this time of year...She was a sap for Christmas.
Like me....

later,

2011-11-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

I want to thank you for all of your prayers and concern...

Hubby is doing much better, his heart was ok, now it's up to the neurologist to see what he can do.

My daughter got good news, praise the Lord. They got it all out, and it was totally benign.

Baby gr-grandson wants to make a pie.

COCONUT CREAM PIE

1 cup sugar

3 T. cornstarch

dash salt

2 T. butter

1/4 cup sugar (for egg-whites)

2 eggs, separated

1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 baked pie shell

Mix and cook over low heat;

Sugar, beaten egg yolks, cornstarch, salt, mild, and coconut until thick. Pour into crust. Beat egg whites until stiff, add 1/4 cup sugar and beat til sugar isn't grainy. Pile on top of pie filling and sprinkle coconut on top. Bake in 350 degree oven until egg whites are golden brown.

We love this pie around here.

happy holidays,

"More Vintage Bird Ornies"

2011-11-14T19:49:00.002-06:00

Hey, I forgot to show you the bird ornaments I found at my favorite junkstore..

These were all stuffed into a single plastic bag, and I've never seen any like them.

One or two still have the made in japan sticker on the back of their heads.

At any rate, I was tickled red to find them. 20 large ones and about 14 or so little ones.( i forget)

Most of them are red, but I think maybe there's a couple of green and 1 turquoise one.

I think they're so pretty..

they do present a challenge trying to display..

A sackful of them waiting for e-bay or etsy

most likely e-bay

the turquoise one is especially prissy..

don't you think?

I know I'm gonna hate myself in the morning if I sell them...

What to do...what to do......

And what about the candles...I had seen them at wala-world...12 bucks for the set..

not now, i tell me...

and I find a new set for 3 bucks at a sale.

good things come to those that wait.

Just have to copy an idea i saw at cozy little cottage.

I do love her and her blog.

kinda beginning to get in the holiday spirit goin' on around here.

Oh no, I did'nt, I did not forget the pie recipe today.

IMPOSSIBLE PIE

4 eggs
1/4 c. butter
2 cups cold milk
1 t. vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
dash of salt
1/2 t. all purpose flour
1/2 c. coconut

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Turn on high speed and count to 10 slowly. Turn blender off and pour mixture into a well-greased pie plate. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees. After it is baked, you will have a definite crust, a custard filling, and a rich butter coconut topping.

How's that for easy ?????
have a great evening...and may the shopping gods be with ya!

"I love my red bathtub"

2011-11-08T21:04:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of Rednesday...I wanted to do a close-up of my red claw foot tub.

I've been meaning to put strawberries in it for the gr-grandies to find and eat..think they'd like that.

I do so love me some strawberries, and I really do love my tub.

Here's the pie for Wednesday...I'm probably too late.

to see you on Rednesday at Sue Loves Cherries..

FROSTED ICE CREAM PIE

People of all ages are enchanted with this gala 3 layer frozen pie.

9" Chocolate pie crust

1 1/2 pints vanilla or peppermint stick ice cream

Chocolate Frosting

Fill the chilled crust with ice cream, softened at room temperature just enough to spread. Freeze!

Now it calls for a complicated chocolate frosting..

Forget about that.

Run to the corner store and buy a couple of cans of the chocolate frosting.

put it in a bowl and dispose of the evidence ( the cans)

Mix it all up to make it fluffy....I knew you could do it...

Spread it all over the pie and freeze until time to serve.

Why not chop up a candy cane and sprinkle on the top.

Lordy, does this sound like a goody...

Thanks for stopping in, see ya next time....

till then,

Rose Belle Shepherd

2011-11-07T01:50:00.018-06:00

This is my Granny and she could really make a pie and a pie crust.
Isn't she just a doll...i cropped her picture and left out part of her corsage, she'd whup me if she ever saw that...LoL
And this is her calendar I inherited cause I wanted something she had written on. I'm making a scrapbook out of it. I wonder sometimes if I'll have enough days to finish all the things I wanna do... anyhow, if you want to know a little more about her...
Click on the Granny Rose tab....I'm going to be doing a lot more writing this winter...I promise.

"Great Day in the Morning"

2011-11-06T01:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I should have known something would happen...right!!!

I tried the pie crust recipe today.

Tonite we had a 5.6 megawhatever earthquake...I live in Oklahoma..for pete's sake.

This is the second earthquake I've felt in a 24 hour period.

Everything was shake, rattle, and rolling...I don't like it...nope..not at all.

I haven't felt the ground shake under my feet like that since hubby first kissed me.

Oh, about the piecrust.

I promise I followed the recipe to the letter!

Why didn't someone tell me the pie crust would stick to the waxed paper.

It was a comedy of errors to say the least...what a disaster.

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Just as I was getting things all put away and cleaned up..all disappointed and sad.

We have to have a flipping earthquake when hubby was in one part of the house, and I was in the other.

Someone on FB said it lasted about 45 seconds...mercy!!

I don't know about you, but when something like that happens, I run for the hubby.

He's my security blanket for storms and unexpected calls and ...well, you know.

Tomorrow's another day, if we make it..

Don't want the earth to move tonite, I don't know if I can take it.

and that's the way it happened..

tonite at the little house on Rt.3

"Pink Saturday for Christmas."

2011-11-05T00:12:00.003-05:00

I've posted this before, but I thought it was pretty.
Pretty Pink Christmas Tree ornaments, there are three.
These are big vintage bulbs, about as big as a softball.
I'm going to send them to a lucky person..
at the end of the month.
One of my followers will be very happy.
Are you a follower yet?????

Joyfully following Miss Beverly today at The Little Red House
it's *pink saturday at her house and all across the land.

"Old fashioned Oatmeal Pie"

2011-11-04T23:38:00.000-05:00

Tonite I'm a little bit shaken...Hubby's heart doctor says he needs to have an angiogram, they think he had a blockage in one of the veins in his heart. Maybe it will be the key to some of his problems.

I certainly hope so...we go in on Wednesday am.

I really do hate to see him have to start down this road...

It may be a little bit rocky along with his vertigo. It'll be ok.

Anyway, we promised to do a pie a day..

here we go...this one sounded pretty good to me. Old fashioned Oatmeal Pie.

Many who eat this think it's pecan pie, it's so rich and luscious.

Unbaked 9" pie shell

1/4 c.butter or margarine

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp.cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. dark corn syrup

3 eggs

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats

* Cream together butter and sugar.

*Add cinnamon, cloves and salt

* Stir in syrup.

*Add eggs. pme at a time, stirring after each addition until blended.

stir in rolled oats.

* Pour into pie shell and bake in moderate oven ( 350 degrees F)

about an hour, or until knife inserted in center of pie comes out clean.

Note; During baking, the oatmeal forms a chewy, nutty crust on top.

Pie is rich, delicately spiced.

Have a super weekend..

glenda

"It's the season for Thanksgiving, let's make a pie"

2011-10-31T21:31:00.001-05:00

I've never been able to make pie crust...trust me.
The worst ones in the grocery store's freezer is better than mine.
BUT
I found a cookbook the other day somewhere, Ok..I don't remember...
FARM JOURNAL'S COMPLETE PIE COOKBOOK
Sounds good to me...it tells the amazing history of the pie.
So interesting to read how the pioneer ladies made their pies.
So here we go..at least I hope you go with me to learn the history of piemaking.
All the month of November I'm talking about it.
Please come with me.
While you're here, please leave a comment.
At the end of November I'm having a giveaway...
You'll have to be a follower to win.
I have a few pink ornaments that need a pink home to live in.

You may want to follow me so you don't miss anything.
These ornaments are pretty sweet, hmmmm???

Happy Halloween again...
cause that's how it is...
in the little cottage on Briar Creek...

see ya later...
me*

"Trick or Treat...."

2011-10-29T12:41:00.000-05:00

I guess it's here...the weekend for little ghost and goblins to appear on our porches.
All decked out in their halloween best...
Ghostly shadows make them squeal with delight if someone hollers Boo!!!!
I remember the fun times I had dressing my own kids as scarecrows and ghosts..
Just using what we had around the house, we scrambled for flannel shirts and overalls,
And great big grocery sacks we saved to gather their treats in.

Sometimes it was too cold to go without coats, but even that didn't dampen their spirits.
Some years we had pretty weather so they could really strut their costumes.
Porch lites of friends and neighbors shining in the clear dark night.

And the elderly folks we would find...handing out cookies and popcorn balls..
made with tender loving hands...
Memories of All Hallows Eve with my own kids...
We sure did have a lot of fun and laughter..
"Trick or Treat"
And then home to see what we have in the dark depths of the sack.
Their daddy would hover over them looking for...
his favorite kind of candy as they emptied their sacks.

"Mama...Daddy...Look what I got."
"Goodies"

2011-10-27T19:32:00.001-05:00

Hello again..

I thought I would bring you up to speed on Kim...

One of the cysts on her right side isn't round like the other ones...

It had another bump growing out of it that they were suspicious of.

The biopsy showed some pre-cancerous cells...

"It's not cancer yet, but it's going there...plus it would be a very aggresive kind"

Yikes!!!

She sees a surgeon Monday to schedule an appointment for surgery.

They think she will be just fine.

I've claimed it by faith that she will be, too.

These are the times that try women's souls...these are the times that women rise up

To defend their children. If satan thinks he's gonna win this fight???

Well, all I can say is "he better bring a lunch"

Cause God is bigger!!!

We are praying without ceasing..

here at the little house on Rt.3

xoxo

"Autumn glory"

2011-10-26T17:46:00.001-05:00

Dark clouds are moving in..promising rain for tomorrow..
We had a rain/ hailstorm the other night.. the biggest hail I had ever seen.
Pounding on the house and trees, it took a lot of leaves and tiny acorns to the ground with it.
I was glad when it was over...some folks had golfball size. Boo!!
I didn't like it.

Breathtaking colors are everywhere you look.

It looks like God has made a new path for us...hidden roots and barbs in the way.
I should name this blog Briarcreek Cottage.

A new and treacherous way...
I have heard it said..."Nothing can ever be right with you...if anything is wrong with your kids."
Oh boy, how true is that.
So now we move on, and work to find our way to clear the path.
Trusting God to show us the way...always!

and that's how it is...
at the little cottage on Briar Creek.

glenda

"Soft light and Sunday morning"

2011-10-16T13:53:00.000-05:00

Seems like lately I can't put two words together that make any sense...
I just want my old life back...and that can never be.
Nostalgia constantly woo's me...
back to the good old days.
~*~

~*~

Time marches on...
Where does time go....
Perhaps it comes back to us as sweet memories.
Memories of Mom & Dad...and Granny...the kids when they were little.

The old days are gone now...somebody once said..
"If we only think of the days we have left...we'll never live them."
Pretty wise thinking.

I'm trying to hold it all together...see the beauty of each day...
and find a way to make it something special
for him.

Life is a beautiful thing, sometimes just an afternoon nap in a comfy old chair is beautiful.
An hour or two when I don't have to think..

I'm so glad we have Jesus, the light of the world...
to lean on.
Cast your cares on the Lord...and He will sustain you.

blessings,
glenda

"Fading"

2011-10-14T14:34:00.002-05:00

Did you know you could breathe and do laundry and cook and wash dishes...
...when your heart is slowly breaking....
What can we do when our lives are slowly fading away to that other world...
Once bright and beautiful lives were full of laughter and fun...
Everything was lovely when we wore the summer time leaves on our heads like garlands...
Our steps were swift and lively, anything and everything was possible then.
~*~

Sitting here in my chair, I can hear my love softly sleeping on the couch.
I think the doctors don't know what to do with him now...
Too many things happening in his body...
So you sit and wait for them to call...and order more tests...tests...tests.!

Hope
~*~
yes....absolutely yes.

"Trick or Treat again"

2011-09-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

I'm really
Enjoying the fall weather, it's gorgeous and fun to be outside again.
I am having so much trouble writing my blog right now...
The cursor won't stay where I want it to...
jumping all over town!!!
Any of you computer gurus help me figure it out?????

glenda

"My Hero"

2011-08-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

hello dear friends...
i thought i'd tell you why I haven't stayed in touch lately.
i've been taking my hubby to do all kinds of tests the past few weeks.
We are both exhausted...but things are finall getting resolved.
I hope.
lol
I've lost my focus on everything but him, taking care of my love.
been taking all my time up. but he is so worth it.
He told me the other day he was sorry so much is being put on me...
"In sickness and in health"
was all that came to mind.

I hope you are all doing well.
The heat is letting up a little here, but we are still bone dry...
here on the creek with all these trees. scary!!!
we're still leaning on Jesus...praying for some answers..
thinking of all of you, my online friends..
stay cool..if ya can.
glenda

"Big changes"

2011-07-28T23:50:00.002-05:00

We have the doctors diagnosis that hubby has peripheral neuropathy & myopathy in his legs and his feet...that just means his nerves have gone haywire in his legs and they are not doing their job. His legs won't hold him up anymore for very long, and he may have to be in a wheelchair when we go anywhere.
In fact, we are using wheelchairs now if he has to walk very far. We have an appointment with a new Neurologist hoping he will know something to help him regain his strength. The biggest problem is that his vertigo makes him very ill when he lays on his left side or his back....Ack!!! He is able to be on his back now for a little while. That will let them get an MRI done.He has to sleep on his right side all the time he is sleeping, and I can't imagine how he gets any sleep at all...can you imagine??

He loves his bible, and he studies it a lot. Sometimes we get together and do a bible study with some of the kids....this is his great-grandaughter in his lap, Emily Ann. Doing a bible study with Papa.

This is him with our only grandson, Jarred...well, shall we say several years ago.

Hubby seems to be having a great time...Jarred is not so sure...
The nutty kid behind me in the lowest picture is Jarred, he has a beautiful little wife and 2 kids now.
Whooooeee....where do the years go...?

He bought another (smaller) boat to work on. And he is about ready to take it out on the water.It won't be till it cools off a little bit...Oh my word!!! I don't like water and I don't like boats, but I love my man. So I guess I will have to get out there with him and do a little fishing.this fall.
It fairly breaks my heart to see him not able to do what he wants to do
Never,ever thought we would have to do this...just goes to show...ya never know.

But you know what...I forgot about God, and I forgot He can heal with one mighty touch. I am asking God to give him favor and to bless him, as we thank God for hearing us when we pray. amen!

The blessing comes before the miracle..

Remember the loaves and the fishes...there's a miracle in this somewhere, and I am claiming it.

Because we love the Lord....here at our house.

glenda

"Facing Cancer"

2011-07-17T16:07:00.000-05:00

I sense a need to get it all out there...I've been living with cancer for at least 14 years now.
A monthly shot of a very expensive medicine keeps it somewhat at bay.
I just have to tell it because I'm tired of it jumping into my head.
tormenting me..

It's not pretty, but maybe I can make someone get that mammogram.
This is the truth of cancer and the pain it plants in your life.
First the carcinoid they found in my right breast...
they took it out, but it wasn't a real & true breast cancer.
that came a few years later...a true breast cancer in my left breast
Oh yeah, intraductal, non-invasive...surgery again..
She calls me back, wants me to come back into her office.
Radiologist said the margin was'nt big enough,
We need to take a little more around what we took..
We can do it in the office...
So I lay on the table in her office..holding my left breast up with my left hand,
while she cut a quarter side flesh around the original wound,
holding the hand of my darling with my right hand.
Scary, Yeah!!!
Three months later it showed it had gone invasive, she had to take my breast.

Can you take them both while you're at it.
We'll find out, she said...you did have a type of cancer in it. So they did.
They did a bi-lateral mastectomy...took them both, and sent me home with two bulbs
at the end of tubes, so we could drain the fluid off my body.

After so many days, I'm allowed to take the bandages off and shower..that's when you see what has happened, and hubby and I were both crying, I'm screaming and taking on about being a freak...

He was crying and reassuring me that I was'nt...But I felt so completely violated, the pain of looking like that for the rest of my life was almost too much for me to bear.

A year later...a full hysterectomy because carcinoids had filled my ovaries and my uterus.

My doctor told me she looked at every inch of my colon for cancer, she found the only one that was already there, and evidently she left that kink in it, right under the sternum, and I woke up feeling pretty good, but I hurt right here...right under my ribs, in the middle, and I rubbed on it all the time...My daughter told me I came out of surgery rubbing that spot...

Stayed in the hospital for five days...they would ask me to assess the pain where I had surgery, NONE. I said, but I hurts right here...it fell on deaf ears...all week I could'nt eat, everything stopped right there...

No BM...no shower..I did'nt even feel like a human anymore. I finally got a shower when the doctor released me...I went home rubbing that spot...it hurt, It really hurt.

Came home on friday...went back to the ER on Sunday...they took an ex-ray, and the doctor said

"Well, honey, you have a kink in your colon, has anything like this ever happened to you before? "NO"

I wanted to hit somebody, God how I wanted to throw a fit...then I had to swallow that tube that would hopefully drain anything out, and maybe it would fix my kinked colon...OMG...help me. I am surrounded by incompetent fools. I'm gagging on the tube and he's just saying "swallow...swallow...swollow..

Right now I still wanta hit somebody..Maybe I'll hit old hubby...he won't care. He wanted to hit somebody, too. I spent another week in that place, getting an x ray every morning at dawn to see if it had unkinked.

When that doctor came in I asked her what she had done...I looked like a pretty decent human being when I came in here, look at me now...what did you do to me...she just smiled...Lord, I wanted to smack her in the mouth, hurt her like she had hurt me. Finally the x ray showed it had worked, the kink was out, and the tube could come out. That afternoon I went home crying, scared to death to eat..
Oh whatever...that's enuf for you to have to hear. Maybe that's why I can't stand any doctor anymore.
Excuse me for the rant...but that all really happened...Maybe that's why I'm so angry all the time.

"Produced by glenda"

2011-07-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the whole Oprah thing about the people who produce her shows.

( I'm also watching" Finding Sarah")

Awhile ago I was really thinking about producing...had an aha* moment.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a producer ... have you ever considered the thought?

You are the producer of your blog.

You choose the content...you choose the words you will use...and you make sure it happens.

You see, I never saw that in me. Never saw that I had within me..a Producer in that light.

WooHoo...It brings me great joy within to finally recognize that...

I once produced a great little company. I designed the product..I chose the colors we used.

I produced it, and it came from my mind.

~***~

Now- we can move on...

to what I produced yesterday...

I produced two raisin pies..

I chose the kind of pies I would make us.

Old Fashioned Raisin Pies like mama & granny used to make.

~*~

I chose to put butter and sugar on top..the way my granny taught me. and my mama.
~*~

Then I chose to put them in a 350 degree oven and let them do their thing.
~*~

And this is what they do, they may stay perfect, and they may crack open here & there.
And that is good...We can't control everything, can we?
My co-producer baked it, and had no control over that.
~*~

And we beheld it, and tasted it, we then decided it was very good.

And then it was a wrap.

I hope you see that, because...

' By Cracky...

You're a producer

and the winner is..all of us!

Congratulations...

glenda

"My Big Girl Bloomers"

2011-06-28T22:57:00.000-05:00

Ha, I gotcha, didn't I....tch/tch
I put on my big girl bloomers last weekend and went to a few sales. So not worth it!!!
I guess there are folks out there that don't have any bgb's...Too darn hot.
~*~

Just red, just gotta have it if'n it's red...are you with me here..
Can I get an amen?

What can I say???? Just sayin..

And there ya have it..
Linking up to Sue for Rednesday, hooray!
She's not far from here, just a click away...
Drop in to see all the red goodness at Sue Loves Cherries.
fyi:don't you just hate it when somebody writes the price on the beautiful box...Ack!

glenda

"Remembering Char, a sweet and gentle soul"

2011-06-22T17:07:00.001-05:00

All of Char's pictures and writing on her blog were under copyright.

This was titled "charsbridge"

I don't think she would care that I borrowed it to honor her.

That sweet and gentle spirit has crossed the bridge to the other side when we were'nt looking.

~*~

I'm really going to miss that gal, she was full of encouragement,

and she always knew how to make me fell better, in her own wise way.

I don't have a picture of her, nothing pretentious about my little friend.

I'm so sorry to hear that she is gone, gone to that other place, to a place of light and beauty.

Like her, full of bright, gentle things...

Gods Speed, Char.

I'll miss you!

glenda

"My siblings and I"

2011-06-21T18:44:00.002-05:00

~*~

Just a picture of a little girl and her baby brother.
Their faces don't reflect the chaos and neglect they had in their home. They're just on a family picnic, and Granny Mills was taking pictures like she always did.
We grew up in what they now call a dysfunctional house.It was more than that, sometimes we had little groceries because of Dad's drinking problem. Never at peace in your own home.
I called it a scary place, and I was gone as much as I could, always picking out a girl whose family situation was worse than mine...so I could say "I did'nt have it so bad" Baloney!!!
We had it bad...never any friends over for the night cause we couldn't trust our daddy, didn't know if he would be falling down, passing out drunk when he arrived at home.
Scared to death if he did, cause a fight usually started, and it wasn't
pretty. I'd take the kids outside...out of harms way till the storm in the house was over.

Just a little picture of kids with no security, scared and alone most of the time...my siblings looked to me as a mother. Most of the time I was..Just keeping it real..these are the things that shape us.

"The Things of Summer"

2011-06-19T22:50:00.001-05:00

Summertime...and the living is easy.
Joining with Mosaic Monday at The Little Red House.
Be sure and take a look at all the lovely mosaics.
Happy Monday...

"Old dishes for White Wednesday"

2011-05-25T20:52:00.000-05:00

Some beautiful old rose dishes...

inherited from my Granny long ago...

and an old white pitcher and bowl..

~*~

a picture taken thru the window of an old store.

tools of the trade

in the good old days...

a good display for white wednesday..

2011-05-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

Our grand-daughters hubby took this picture from their apartment yesterday. It moved across to destroy property in their town of Chickasha...20 miles from us to the west. We were in the cellar listening to the roar of it and escaped without damage.
It roared for a long time as it skipped around the countryside tearing up everything in it's path. A 3 year old boy is still missing..can you imagine??? This family lost their home, the mother is pregnant and has numerous broken bones. One little boy only 15 months old was killed...
In the midst of all of this, we have to say goodbye to my hubbys cousin this week. He passed away Monday with a heart attack, we really loved him, and we're going to miss him greatly...Say a prayer for his family if you will...
Our hearts are heavy with grief today for all of the families suffering loss in Oklahoma today.
glenda

" my chandelier"

2011-05-19T19:47:00.003-05:00

How do you cover a bad place in your kitchen ceiling with the least amount of labor and sweat,
money and time?
First you find a gorgeous chandelier at a yard sale in your very own area, sheepishly ask the lady in charge of the sale...
"How much are you asking for the lamp in the box on the trailer." See, I was playin it cool..
"Oh, the chandelier", she says, I answer her yes, figuring it was gonna be a whoe lot of money for me. How about $5.00?
Ummm,yes, I'll take it, I had that money out before she could blink...and hubby carried it to the car for me while I looked around a little bit and found a...
crock butter churn off in a corner for another $5.00 bill....

And an old door that you found on the curb and made everyone in the car wait till I dug it out of the pile...

Then handy hubby and a couple of other folks held the door up while we used out trusty little battery powered screwdriver to secure it...but before we did that we found the center, drilled a hole to move the old lightbox over to it...covered it up and hung up the light (um...chandelier).

Voila!!!

I entirely and completely love it.

I'm linking it up to the nice lady that hosts A Rosy Note...come on over and see all the pretties...

"Remembering Mama on Mothers Day"

2011-05-07T15:48:00.001-05:00

My mother lost her first girl child the day after she was born, unable to leave the hospital for the funeral. Daddy had to bury his first child by himself. This wounded them both for life. The doctor told her she would never have another baby, but she did, and the next year I was born, all 10 1/2 pounds of me...yikes!!!
She was very big on taking pictures and she had this made and sent it to the doctor that told her that hooey about her not having another child...she was like that..stand up, look em' in the eye, and tell em' how it is.

I wonder where she got that hat!!!

~*~

Mom and me on my Wedding Day.

I don't know where the money came from for the dresses we wore, but she made it happen.

Corsages and all. We were all so happy that day.

Talking about Mama, I remember here making the best cinnamon rolls you ever put in your mouth,

and she made banana pudding the only way you should make it.

She used the cooked Jello pudding and when it was done, she put pecans in it and stacked in the bowl.

Vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, vanilla wafers, pudding, bananas, vanilla pudding.

Then she let us eat it while it was still warm.

"Warm, like Mama"

I miss you mama, I loved you then, I love you still.

See ya at the house!

"Wicker finds for Mosaic Monday"

2011-04-17T23:09:00.002-05:00

~*~

I love white wicker tables and baskets and such.

Love them!

Mosaic Monday rocks!

Come over and see for yourself....Thanks Mary!!!

"Sweet little Shelf"

2011-04-10T14:53:00.001-05:00

Don't you just love little shelves, I do, I have them everywhere.

If there are drawers in it, I'm really in love with it.

~*~

already adaquatelly distressed...yay

So like any crafter worth her ink...I gotta stamp on it a lil bit...

I stamped 1 and 2 and 3 on the drawers...cute??yes, thank you!!!

And then i prompty covered the once upon a time with two bluebird scarves...

That is what we're supposed to do, isn't it.

Make something cute, then cover it up..LoL

ps. I have something to say about the detergent I made...

My laundry has never been softer or whiter...I'm in love!!!

Also...ta da...I went to a couponing class this week.

More about my experience on that tomorrow.

be safe and healthy

glenda

"Memories for Sale"

2011-03-21T17:17:00.003-05:00

~*~
I had a lovely dream last night, I dreamt I went back home again.
Home to see Mama & Daddy one more time, I guess my subconscious heard me whisper....
" I'd trade a year of now for one day of then." and I still mean it.
"Home for Christmas" meant a lot more back then. Mama's front door faced the east, and they would be on the front porch waiting...till we got out of the car...Babies running into the arms of their grandparents...our kids were the only grandkids they had. Lots of hugs and smiles and just the feeling of being there made me want to cry with happiness..And lots of times I did.
That old door welcomed morning sunshine and lots of friends.There was plenty of coffee and conversation at that old kitchen table. And Mom & Dad, be it good or bad...opened their home to anyone that needed something to eat ...or a place to crash for a few days...anyone was welcome to stay there.

~*~

My precious Uncle Jack would call on Friday night and welcome us and ask to speak to Kim. She's our baby girl,five years old, she was!! and he would ask her if she could come out and play.

They had so much fun with each other...Uncle Jack and Aunt Reta would come over, then she was on Unc's lap for the rest of the evening, spinning yarns and tall tales till they had to go home. If it wasn't a holiday, Mom and Me and the girls would go find some garage sales while Hubby and my Daddy would go fix something or other. Out chasing down a job trimming trees and tearing down buildings for the lumber.
That was Dad's part time job.
Daddy left us behind to wonder what we were gonna do without him in 1979, the year our firstborn graduated from high school and got married.
The last words he said to me were these " I don't know if we'll be here for the graduation, but we'll be here for that wedding."
He didn't make it to either one.

We got that call that you never want to get.

Daddy's gone!!!

~*~

~*~
Daddy built the fence around the yard with the tiles he had salvaged somewhere, I love it.

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was to go home again for the last time.
We brought Mama home with us and we had to clear out her house.
Those were the hardest days, she was ill and I had to decide...
What we would bring home and what had to stay there.
~*~
I saw it all again last night, they were all there waiting for me...
Mom & Dad...my brother and my sister Jeanne....Uncle Jack and Aunt Reta. Oh My!!!!
And the homely little house...dying now of loneliness...and the door that faces east still looked the same...
and Daddy's fence he was so proud of.
Standing guard in a lonely silent stance that seems to say..
" See, someone used to love me." Somebody still does!!!!

~*~

Mama's house has a for sale sign on it.
How do you sell memories??? Will someone tear down daddy's fence.....

"Saving America"

2011-03-11T11:53:00.001-06:00

I've been watching in horror the images of the earthquake in Japan. It's hard to imagine those pictures are real. It seems surreal when you watch it, spellbound with the images of ships tearing down houses, I pray for God's mercy on the people...hoping that this nightmare is over for them.
I have seen that we are sending help. And that's ok! I totally get that..they need help, lots of help.
And helping is something Americans are good at.
******

******
While I was watching TV this morning.
There seems to be a Grass Roots Movement underway to buy American Made Goods.
I so love that idea, if we are going to make a country for our descendants, we must.
One thing they said really struck me...NO TV's are made in our land any more.
We lost a small business that employed 16 people to imports.
I know that's a small thing compared to lots of other things.
But it's a fact...and it makes me sad.
Where do I sign up to join the movement "Buy American"
One thing I am doing is buying local instead of going to big chains.
I buy our groceries in the local grocery store. We get our prescriptions here, also.
Trying to keep our small town alive takes a lot of doing.
What's your feeling on this???
I'd love to hear from you...

and that's how it is..
at our little house on Rt3...
~*~

"Already March"

2011-03-09T08:48:00.002-06:00

Already March and another birthday to put away...

To tuck it away in a dark spot in my mind, and forget about it.

There's no way I'm as old as the years say I am...I completely don't get it....

sixty seven years

and I'm just getting started..

So many things I wanted to do with my life, now I must make a bucket list.

I don't want to leave anything out, so many of my friends and loved ones didn't get to see this many years..Sometimes I think I need to live for them, do the things they didn't get to.

Not waste a minute, live my life to the fullest, and think of them often.

amen

So be it!

" Monday with Mary at Little Red House"

2011-03-06T20:18:00.000-06:00

We got one baby delivered safe & sound, and we will have another any day now.

I think it's the best part of living, to have new life all around us..sweet smelling little boys for a change...

we have had mostly girls in our family. I don't even know how to shop for little boys,

I keep picking up pink. Silly!!

I'm ready for a new season, too.

Craving green grass and bright flowers and the desire to start taking pictures again.

My camera and I have been lazy all winter...

I need to get outside and prowl around, see what's happening.

Also I need to charge all of my batteries, the camera's and mine.

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House is a perfect way to start a new week...

Mercy, she shore takes lots of beautiful pictures...drop by and see what I mean...

Enjoy your week...

"Daydream Believer"

2011-03-04T01:50:00.001-06:00

Sometimes when I sleep long enough at one time...I dream that I have a big house, a house with 2 stories even...I dream of houses like the old houses you could order from Sears & Roebuck and they shipped all the material and a blueprint to build it by train...a house with big rooms and tall ceilings...

A house with lots of walls and built in bookcases so I could put all my books in beautiful rows instead of them being all over the place. I could hang lots of pretty pictures and all my kids and my ancestors pictures down the wide halls...Oh, it would be a grand house I would dream of...not just any old house.

I have dreamed in three dimension of a house with a wide covered porch all around it for my great grandbabies to play on. and a porch swing, of course and and maybe a couple of rockers.
Oh, I could go to every flea market and garage sale and decorate it and just go crazy painting everything white and glazing it with dark brown. Me and Pa could sit out on the porch swing and count our blessings.

The picture here is our old house and we had plenty of room for everyone, and I miss it, and sometimes daydream about living there again.And sometimes I dream about the way it was then, with a host of family and babies all around us...oh, it was good, very, very good.....

And then I wake up and think of all the work it is living in a big house, all the cleaning and dusting.
And the stairs at our age...I nearly get the vapors just thinking about all those stairs...what was I dreaming?
Now I'm in a cold sweat just thinking about it...and I like where we are now just fine.
Small and compact works for me...just fine...

But...a girl can dream.....right?
good night, all...

2011-03-03T08:58:00.001-06:00

And he is finally here*

Cameron and Mama

Cameron Dale Lewis

8 lbs. 13 oz.

Isn't he quite handsome!!!

"Family & Mosaic Monday"

2011-02-28T00:07:00.001-06:00

Another Mosaic Monday at the Little Red House is already here.
Drop by and see all the beautiful mosaics there.
This week will be a blessed one, as hubby's sister and her hubby are flying in from California for a couple of weeks...they arrive Tuesday...Our gr-grandson will be born (we hope) on Wednesday..
Much room for celebrating, love and laughter.
Good family times as we sit around a big table and talk about old times, old friends, old places.
Eventually we will start reminising about Grandpa & Grandma.
Lots to be said and laughed about when it comes round to them...they were deeply loved and they are deeply missed. No smoking now around the family reunion table, used to be everyone smoked.

I look around and see that everyone is looking a little older, a little grayer, wonder if I look that different...
Sometime while they're here, there'll be some rousing domino games.
I always watch, i feel sorry for the one that gets me as a partner...lol
Well, I'm just rambling on..I need to get my beauty sleep.
I wish you a long enjoyable week...and I'll be back again with some pictures of the new lil boy child.

till next time then,
bye/bye

''Spring at Pink Saturday"

2011-02-25T20:37:00.001-06:00

Pink Saturday Beauty

I love the idea that spring in all it's beauty is coming to see us very soon.

Then I stop and wonder....why can't we enjoy winter.
winter seems to have a dirty name..
Can't we enjoy it just as much as spring, isn't it the same?

We need the winter in our yards and our trees and our Hearts
sometimes.

To prepare us for the flowers of life...don't we need a little snow and rain.
It seems like i'm wishing my life away.
Oh Great Heavenly Father...
make me aware of the seasons and enjoy each in their own time.
amen

"Just a little bend in the River of Life"

2011-02-23T11:35:00.002-06:00

gonna hold on tight...everything's gonna be all right...

I had some big plans for the house today, catch up on the laundry and really dig in to the kitchen. Now I find myself not feeling like a plug nickel. So I'm in my lazygirl chair with my laptop on my lap-top.
I had to go cold turkey off of anything white or sweet, and my body is strenuously objecting.
I want my sugar fix...NOW!!! my brain is screaming...well, too bad, bossy brainiac, you've had your way long enuf. That makes it hard for a few days, going off of sugar, don't it. But I've got it to do.
It looks and feels rainy like today...and we need the moisture...

And speaking of moisture, being the bohemian I am...I did'nt figure the cost of sending the glad rags.
Nearly 2$ a package to mail them...so I had to up my price a little to cover that. Sorry!!!
I hope they still sell, I'm working on some kind of packaging and labeling for them.
They keep me busy, but beware, I am crocheting my weight off and right into those rags...lol
you might want to wash them before you use them, takes the starch right out of em'.
how many times can you use the word them in one sentence...grin!
Keeping my hands busy...
When I'm not tormenting you, that is.

Todays Tip
If you have a pan or a skillet with stubborn stuck on ~~gunk~~ food on it.
Put some hot water in it, and a bounce dryer sheet in with it for a while...
Loosens it right up.
promise!

"Abandoned"

2011-02-02T13:07:00.005-06:00

It must have been in the spring or summer of 1962 when we moved out of that tiny apartment we brought our baby home to. The same people owned the duplexes we moved into...there was a fence about 5 feet tall that seperated them, so when I looked out I did'nt really see all of the courtyard of the little apartments. There was a gate in the fence about 6 feet north of our house, so we could pass through to get to the street.
I noticed one Sunday that someone was moving in the little place we had vacated, just heard voices and cars and a commotion. I was young and shy, so I did'nt go over and welcome them.

Later that evening there was a knock on the door, and I opened it to find a youngish woman with two little kids..." I just moved in over there",she told me, I invited them in and we visited for a bit. De had left for maneuvers earlier, and I liked her, and the kids and my baby liked each other..I was looking forward to having a neighbor I could visit with sometimes.
She told me she had to find a job, and she had an appointment early the next morning. " I was wondering, she said, if you would mind watching my kids tomorrow, really, it would help me a lot if they could stay here tonight, cause I have to leave so early." Sure, I guess so, they can stay tonite, will they cry for you at bedtime? "Nah, she says, they won''t be any trouble, they're good kids."
"Here's the key to the apartment if you need anything," "Bye kids, see you tomorrow night, she told them. "
"Bye Mama", they answered, they were busy playing with the baby and she was loving all the attention.

Baths all around, and off to bed they went, wearing one of MyGuys t-shirts. They slept good and we got up and had some breakfast, then they played all day,
The next night came, but the lady did'nt.
I was worried, wondering if something had happened to her, so I gathered the kids up and we went to get them some clean clothes and to see if she had left them anything I could feed them...we entered and I went into shock...there was nothing there...nada What????
Now these kids were young, the boy was about 5 yrs. old and the little girl maybe three yrs. So they weren't much help with the "Where's your Mama" thing...I took them home with me..Now what???

That was Tuesday night, Wednesday night came, still no Mama...but hubby did come in and was quite surprised to see his new family. But the kids weren't too sure about him, they avoided him as best they could. They had to get used to him before they would trust him. "What am I gonna do, honey?" I asked him.

"Well, I guess you need to call the police and tell them she abandoned them here with you, we can't just keep them." If they have family somewhere, they'll find them.
Ok, so Thursday morning I went with my little troop, to the landlady's house to call the police.
They came right on out, asked me for my information and any description or information about the lady, then they start to take them..

Oh, that little boy was scared to death, and I was bawling right with him, they carried them out to the car, the little boy is screaming, asking if they could stay here,and the little girl was reaching for me, we're all crying and yelling "it's ok, it's ok" Don't take on like that.We'll find your mama." Why can't she be out mama, they boy was hollering thru his sobs." He looked at me..."I don't wanna go with them, why can't we stay here."Oh my goodness...get them outta here, I was saying.Their hearts were breaking, my heart was breaking...Baby was crying cause everyone else was.

I'll never forget that sweet little boy reaching for me, screaming. Never!
And it's been nearly fifty years since that day.
I never saw the woman again, and I have wondered at times ...
"What happened to those children."

glenda

"Christmas"

2010-12-22T18:59:00.000-06:00

~*~
My world is changing
(I'm rearranging)
Does that mean Christmas changes too...

No, it doesn't change, we do.
Life has a way of making us humble,
Jesus as a humble babe in a manger.
to save us from our sin..

We got the news today that another
great-grandbaby is on the way...
Wonderful, awesome number 10 on the way.
We got sad news also..
~~*~~
Another little baby is in peril, this baby's mother is in trouble..
her kidneys have failed...they'll take the little one at 27 weeks and then
do a kidney transplant for the mother.
They are in need of prayer.
~*~

"Merry Christmas from Oklahoma"

~*~

"Pink Trees for Pink Saturday"

2010-12-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

While surfing blogs the other day I happened upon a lady that collects ceramic Christmas trees.
I was taken with the beauty of them...I don't know how many I may have made back in the day.
how 'bout plenty...grin~~ and I didn't even have one myself.
Sold them all..

But wait, what's that peeking out in the picture on the left.
Hmmmmm!!!!

Well, knot my knickers, it's a little Ceramic Tree, all right.
And it's a pink one..
how about that..
the
first
place I
stopped at
I saw it and made a
beeline for it...5.oo and
all of the bulbs were still there.
yay
I love it.
~*~

Happy Pink Saturday...it's happening at Beverly's "How Sweet the Sound"
Come on over for more beautiful things..
and
Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

" Happy Rednesday"

2010-12-14T16:15:00.001-06:00

~*~

I used to have a Coca-Cola tree...I had lighted strands of coke bottles...
and dozens of Santa Ornaments on it.
~*~

I lost them all plus all of my other decorations and trees to a fire.
Boo!!!

A sweet friend at work heard me and she saw these at Sears..
and bought them for me...and I love them.
Happy Rednesday to all of you..

"Santa Mosaic Monday"

2010-12-12T20:34:00.001-06:00

I always look forward to Mosaic Monday...
at The Little Red House hosted by Mary.
I can remember that one most of the time cause I do my post on Sunday Evening.
This week I found a stocking at one of my favorite haunts..
~*~

Kinda surprised me that it was Santa/Coke one.
~*~

We made this Santa and Reindeer when we were making crafts for a living.

I hope that you are having

blessed season!!!

" I'm dreaming of a White Christmas Tree"

2010-12-10T10:18:00.000-06:00

This year I wanted some sort of skinny tree to use in the kitchen...went shopping with no luck.
Then I found this white one at a thrift store, and settled for it.
I came home to find out my kid next door had the perfect one I could use. If I had my way, we would
have a tree in every room of the house..
~*~

Found a couple of old ornies at the Salvation Army...
they're from Disney...I love the old Minnie & Mickey.

A snow man I made one year out of felt. I embroidered Peace across the bottom...
I made a ton of them one year to put on the top of my gifts.
Gonna do more crafting next year, I hope.
Hoping you're enjoying your Christmas.
big hugs going your way...

"Santa joins in on the fun"

2010-12-09T09:22:00.000-06:00

"Jenna the Dancer"

2010-12-07T17:40:00.003-06:00

Great-grandbaby Jenna started taking ballet and tap-dancing lessons sometime last summer.
She will soon be 9 years old..(already)
and she is already a showstopper dancer.
~*~

She was quite graceful and well, extraordinarily beautiful.
If you read this Jenna,
I want to tell you how much we love you and so proud of you, too.
Love you so much..
Granma and Granpa Ryans
Bravo!!

ps. I did like Nikon Sniper said and put my camera on fast fire, so I got a few good ones.
Thanks Stephen!!!

"For Mom and Dad"

2010-12-07T00:03:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my parents anniversary.
December 6, 1941
They woke up the next morning to the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The day that will live in infamy...December 7,1941
Scary times, America going to war.
Dad was handsome and Mama was always so pretty.
I just wanted to acknowledge it and tell them I love and miss them in my life.
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad
~*~

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"

2010-12-06T00:53:00.000-06:00

~*~
I went to my oldest great-grandbabies Christmas Dance Recital on Saturday.
It was her first time to perform since she started in August.
She was so beautiful, and she did such a good job.
I was struck by the thought
"It has not been that long since I watched my grandkids perform..
and not so long since I watched my own girls in their Christmas plays."
~*~

~*~
Life really does go by in a flash, doesn't it.
Are you going to the programs and ceremonies, too?
The memories we make will be precious to us and to them.
Celebrate!!!
Laugh, love, and make those memories!!!
~*~
Oh, and I bought a white tree for my kitchen patio door.
Pictures soon.
Come on over and see all the gorgeous collages at
Mary's Little Red House
see ya later..

"Everythings coming up Roses"

2010-12-03T19:52:00.000-06:00

~Hello Pink Saturday Friends~
I hope everythings good at your house...
All is well at ours...
Enjoying the wonderful weather...
~*~

Found this eucalyptus wreath last year and added some pink flowers and bulbs...
Of course it all came from garage sales, is there anyplace else for a girl to shop.
hee/hee
~*~

The cream colored ornament says Merry Christmas...
~*~

That's a pretty pink bird with her hat on..
but she's shy and won't show us her face.

Happy Pink Saturday
at
Beverly's place..
How Sweet The Sound ~

"A Christmas Tree"

2010-12-02T10:55:00.000-06:00

I hope your Christmas plans are going well...
~*~

I'm not doing much.... at our house.

I never, ever thought I would not put up a big tree, never...
But since we don't have anyone over for Christmas anymore...
We decided to just use the little one this year.
~*~

I love this little white tree...with vintage little red ornaments.
~*~

And the little train is a special treasure.
~*~
It's a symbol of a special time in my life.

ps. my hand is much better....thank you for asking. =0)

"It's Mosaic Monday at "The Little Red House"

2010-11-28T22:49:00.003-06:00

~*~

We have had a blessed week with our families...Three daughters that made Thanksgiving dinners for their families and invited us to each one. Every one was delicious...you know...

There's a few perks to getting older...

This is the old looking shelf with drawers I found last summer, we finally got it on the wall.
Do you see the little Madonna on the end there...she is a red
"Made in Japan"
I just think she's so pretty...love the colors. And those are the old jars that I showed you before all cleaned up and filled with all kinds of things old. And the vase on the end has some Christmas stuff.
Mercury glass decorations and old aluminum looking flowers.
You know...just junky old stuff.
hee-hee
~*~

I hung this little old timey picture under it...I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.
The old well and the window and the colors, then the hint of a woman in the door.
Mary at "Little Red House"
hosts this party every Monday for us..
Come by please, and look at all the beautiful mosaics.

Gosh, I hope you had a swell Thanksgiving, and we can look forward now to Christmas..
And all the joys that it brings to us. The Birth of Christ and the Hope that it brought the world will
sustain us...and love in all of it's forms is the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
~*~

"Pink Ornaments for Pink Saturday"

2010-11-26T19:18:00.001-06:00

*****************
Decorations of pink...
On a White Christmas Tree..
Old bulbs from the 50's...
Look nostalgic and very pretty...
gussied up just a little bit by me..
just for
Pink Saturday!
~*~
Thanks to Beverly at
"How Sweet the Sound"
I hope you can stop by and spend your time with your coffee or tea...
Looking at all the Pink Pretties.

"I lub Snowmen"

2010-11-16T19:25:00.001-06:00

~*~
I love snowmen...I love to look at all their little faces....
I don't know about you, but the faces get me,
if I don't like the faces,
I
don't
care
how
cute
they are otherwise.
It's the faces that really get to me.
~lol~
What sells you on the things you buy for your home?
What are you particular about?

Linking up this week to Rednesday...
cuz red is my siggy color.

And to White Wednesday, too.
I haven't been able to.cuz somethings wrong,
and it's been sending the wrong post for a long time, so we'll see.
how we do?
xoxo

"Mama's Birthday"

2010-11-14T10:25:00.000-06:00

Today would be Mama's birthday.. She was born in 1923. Sometimes I try to imagine what those days would have been like. I know they did'nt have many earthly possessions. I don't even know what her Papa did for a living. She was funny and cute, and everyone loved her. She made the best cinnamon rolls I ever ate in my life, and her smile would light up a room. I just wanted to take a minute to honor her.. She always loved to be fussed over on her birthday. I love you, Mama, and I'll always miss you.
Happy Birthday.

"Prayer Changes Things"

2010-11-10T08:50:00.000-06:00

Another checkup is done and behind me. Since the last one in August I've had a CT scan and a bone density test..everything was really good...
I found out I don't have osteoporosis, and the spots in my liver are not growing.
Why am I writing about this? I don't want to write about this! I don't want to give the C word a back glance. Most of the time I don't even think about it, but when it's time for the tests I get antsy.
I don't have to go back till next year. And I'm making great progress with my de-cluttering..Yay!
I was beginning to wonder if I ever would. Piles of old magazines are going in the dumpster today.
Out with the old and in with the new.

NOW
It's
time to
think about
beautiful things..
Crafting ornaments & I'm
gonna put up my little white tree.
And carve out a place for the big tree.
I'm doing it early cause I need it.
The lights and the glitter.
cheer me.
and you?

"Old Griffin Hotel Table"

2010-11-08T09:38:00.003-06:00

Some of you may remember my little table...but I thought I would show it in use.
This was in the first hotel built in Chickasha, Oklahoma...when we became a state in 1907.
We're a very young state compared to most of you back east, especially.
And being Indian Territory, folks were barely scraping by,
so this must have been considered quite a beauty.
It was part of the kitchen of the old hotel, the gal I bought it from said she had more pieces that were built at the same time...would'nt I like to have those...YES, I would...lol
I love the paint that's nearly gone, and the color and patina it has.
Linking up with Mary at Little Red House, try to make it over and see all she's got.
Have a wonderful day, and come back anytime to see us.
It's good to see you here..

Piggy...Piggy..

2010-11-07T12:13:00.004-06:00

Miss Ree over at Pioneer Woman is doing a picture challenge on four legged animals..and I thought of this precious picture of two of our kids with their piggy babies...they were feeding them with doll bottles...
I just love the joy on their faces...I added it to the contest...either way they are winners to me...
Y'all come back now...

"Hang Ups"

2010-10-26T08:26:00.034-05:00

~*~
Do you have a lot of old pictures????( or new ones)
Pictures you'd like to display, but alas, we're out of room...
What to do...What to do
~*~
I saw this wonderful idea on one of the blogs in Blogland, and I fell in love with it!!!!!
And I don't even know who's original idea it was, but my hat's off to ya..grin!
I had so much fun doing this... Well, except the step up footstool part...that was a pain yesterday... and a bigger pain today. OUCH!! my poor feet & knees are begging for Aspercreme this am.

I have lots of old doilies and pot holders layin' round here, so I started digging them out.
I put a swag up across my curtains, just using some old jute twine.
And then started draping and layering the doilies over it. fun!
~*~

Those pix on the left are of honeyheart and me when we were in the first grade...ain't we sweet?
He has on new overalls and his shirt is buttoned to the top...hair combed and slicked down...
He was terrified of his teacher, says she was mean...LoL
I expect she had to be, with all those ornery boys to ride herd on.
********

Well, that got some clutter out of the drawers and out where I can see them.
Now I'm off to see what I can get into today.
you all have a good one.

ps. went to doc yesterday...and my A1C (my blood sugar) was down to 6.2 from 7.3 two months ago.
Yippee!!!!
Now if I'll leave the cookies alone...grin!!!
I'll be pretty safe if I don't buy any milk...cause cookies and milk are my huckleberry!!!!
I don't wanna grow up, I'm a milk and cookies kid.
I'm leaving now...I really am!
Love to all.
me

" The ToughTest Life Lessons"

2010-10-24T23:53:00.003-05:00

I expect the hardest life lesson I ever endured was the death of my cousin, Faye. She had diabetes and she died from complications of that. After having a heart attack at age55 and having open heart surgery, she told me she wouldn't live to be sixty. And she didn't. Sometimes we can self-prophesy our selves right into the very things we don't want to happen...... and she was a beautiful person, we were sidekicks in every way. always together or on the phone. We went everywhere together and crafted...we did craft shows together, and I am just lost without her.I I'd beg her "don't talk like you're going away." We don't know when things will happen. But I guess she knew her little body was playing out....She wouldn't hear me.

Then this sweet little girl on my right was my baby sister...her name was Jeannie. And she died when she was only 41years...old. Massive heart attack..undiagnosed diabetes, she just would'nt take care of herself.

So my life lesson is this....

You gotta dance when you're happy, make someone laugh when you're happy!

dance like nobodys lookin... Life's what you make...take life on the chin...you can take it.
I am running out of friends and buddies at an alarming rate... and still my life is in jeopardy from the colon cancer I am fighting. I live and laugh 'cause they didn't get to very long.
I dance 'cause I loved them so much. I cry cause I miss them.
I'm so blessed cause I knew them, and they all taught me so much about courage and love and compassion.

This was contributed as a writing challenge from Char at ramblin's...One of my many hero's on blogger.

"Sweet little Shoes"

2010-10-17T19:46:00.003-05:00

I love to dig in the boxes..under tables and tucked here and there.

I don't know a woman who doesn't, do you??

It's like a treasure hunt, and sometimes the Good Lord smiles on ya...

and you find little bits of vintage, things that make a grandma smile.

God is sweet like that...don't ya think?

~*~

Just a dear little box made of tin..it was red..

It once held marshmallows, it said.

with some thread and some trinkets inside.

~*~

Oh, and right beside it was these...

Sweet Little Shoes

~*~

I always imagine who wore them, was she brunette or fair, was her hair soft and curly, did she like her oatmeal at morning.

Did she play in the yard on a quilt neath a tree. Did she sing little songs to her dollies...

~*~

And I wonder who made them for her?

I like to think it was Grandma..

She embroidered I love you in her heart...

Sweet!

~*~

I think I may have embarrassed Miss Annie..

but I just had to peek...

giggle

have a great day...as you play

at Little Red House today.

Thanks to Mary!

"New Found Shelf"

2010-10-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I are just plain crazy about finds like these. We just can't pass them up????
Our little cottage is just wall to wall with furniture, but we just can't pass them up????
~*~

I can't tell for sure how old it might be...
but I'm guessing the 40's, maybe earlier.
The detail is so beautiful...seems to have an oriental flair.
~*~

The painting on these flowers is slightly raised...so pretty.

~*~
And I'm in love with the scene on the back...
I haven't cleaned it good yet. As you can see..
Have you ever seen anything like this???
Can you help me...date it..?

"Blue Moon"

2010-10-10T21:11:00.001-05:00

Some things never change, do they...

the man in the moon is still there..

Keeping Watch

~*~

and fairies may play in the twilight of day...

scattering stardust everywhere

and theres always a light on for ya!

~*~

And I found an old copy of the book

"To Kill a Mockingbird"

to read this month

Boo Radley

(shiver)

Happy Thoughts for you as you visit "Mosaic Monday" at Little Red House..

to see all the beautiful mosaics she shares. Thank you, Mary!

and that's the way it is...

it's softly raining here...

and loudly thundering...

here at the old homeplace.

a yummy evening all round.

"Memories"

2010-10-04T22:07:00.001-05:00

And all the days and the hours and the minutes of our lives crowd into the mists and shadows and the corners of our minds to leap out to suprise us at the strangest sort of times...
They dance and twirl and tease us and they say "We're Memories" and we're here to remind you of the way things used to be. The merest little consequence of thought or shadow or smell can bring a glimpse of a life that we remember very well...

The smell of Vicks, for instance brings the thought of hours spent on dark and rainy nights...of worried hours and weary heads bent over a fevered brow. Then sunlit days when all was well, the fever gone and spent.

Glad memories of three blondes and precious heads fresh from sunlight and play...how good they smelled when hugs and kisses given, how right to bury your face in their golden sunlit hair and smell the sunshine and fresh country air. And then to look into their eyes and see all heaven there.

So long ago and yet just yesterday...I used to love to sit and watch my little girls at play.

Then I sat at window in discontent wondering how their days and hours went...

all gone to school...precious days and hours and minutes all spent away from me.

Finally the bus would come, when the driver threw open the door and spilled them out..hair windblown and laughing as they bid their friends goodbye..and ran on sturdy legs up on the porch to me.

Hi Mama...we're hungry, can we please have a snack?

Oh, those days were sweet, and I'd love to call them back...

and hold my girls and breathe them in...

and hold them close and safe from harm...the way I did back then~

"Thank God I'm a Country Girl"

2010-09-28T22:15:00.006-05:00

We lived in this old farmhouse when our oldest kid started to school...
She was so excited to ride the bus, of course we had talked it up all summer.
Nuthin would do her then but to ride that big old hot..bouncy yellow bus with a bunch of strangers...
What have we done to our baby???
But she ran out there and climbed on that big yellow school bus like a little trooper,
with her mama and her sisters in hot pursuit.
We spent all that time telling her how much fun it was, and all the little friends she'd make.
Lies, all lies...I want her back...just bring her back..please!!!
ahem!!!
Just give me a minute to compose myself here...work with me, people.

I walked thru weeds in my pedal pushers and sandals to take pictures of everything in sight.
Itchy, scratchy legs...ack!!!

I thought of all the little dresses I made that summer, 100% cotton fabrics ( 36 inches wide..) fun fabrics like they made in the 60's for little girls, one had little yellow buses and blackboards on it..everyone sewed then.
Cotton dresses with rick rack and buttons down the back..
( I still hate making buttonholes). yep
Big wide bow ties in the back...Law, I can still see her. Precious!
And she had a pair of white tennis shoes that I washed everyday, and hung on that old clothesline, putting salt in the creases across the top where the red clay was to bleach them out. My baby...in school???
Poor...Nah, not in everything that mattered.
We were so happy in the land of no phones or tel.e.vision.
It's beautiful there!!!
~*~

We loved this old place because we had just moved here from California, and they had room to grow and play, and we had chickens for them to chase, and a barn for them to explore...

I did NOT like this old cistern, tho. Oh nooe. you kids stay away from that old cistern.
Honey, could you make them get off that old cist.... hated it.
If you don't know...back in those days they caught rainwater in them...and then they drank it...ack!!

I think it may be haunted now, I didn't hang out too much longer after this surprised me when the wind caught it..scared the living daylights outta me...Scary, huh???
~*~
I thought I had seen scary that day, between the cistern and the fallen in cellar and the ghost.
But this was the scariest thing of all...Yikes...
ROWS & ROWS OF
????? COTTON ??????
Run, glenda, Run...
the only good thing to come out of one of these was ~~Hoss~~...i mean hubby..
~*~

-
More on this later...
I finally got over my anxiety attack when hubs hugged me and promised me I didn't ever have to pull any more cotton, or hoe any...just get me outta here. My hero!!!
ack...
I got so brave I even pulled a stalk to bring home for a keepsake...
Next door neighbor son-in-law had a hard chill when he saw it...giggle.
I am de-sensitizing myself.
I think!

You can read more about Hoss and the stories I hope to share in the notes under the header...
this cotton picture has me so shook up I can't remember what it's called...
Love to all...

"When Tom & Dustin came by"

2010-09-28T00:28:00.000-05:00

i haven't been here for a while
how ya been, old friends?
my, it's been a long old time
since we took a little drive...to the old country store down the road

and the gas pumps were still standing sentry
though their hoses were stolen away
and they hadn't seen a soul of late.

and the whistlers bench was empty
and no-one seemed to care
that it was falling...breaking..slowly giving way

and the price on the pump said 48.9 cents a gallon
as it stood there in the sun...rusty and old and beautiful.
seems the grass is always greener down the road

Oh, but it had it's fifteen minutes in the sun
when tom & dustin came by.

"A Day at the Lake"

2010-09-22T12:08:00.004-05:00

Last week my sweetie had his 74th. Birthday.
His only request was for all the kids that could meet him at the lake and take his boat out.
He had a blast. I reckon we all did...it was fun being with all the kids for the day.

Our daughters made all the arrangements.
They are all crazy about their Daddy, as well they should be...
He's a good old Dad and hubby.

He is however, a little ornery...LOL

I'm nuts about him, and I pray for many, many more days like this together.
I even rode in his boat that he lovingly restored, which thrilled him immensely..
'cause Mama don't like boats. grin!

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

and that's the way life rolls...
at our house today.

"Something for Mosaic Monday"

2010-08-29T15:46:00.000-05:00

Just a note to wish you all a happy week...we have had a busy weekend here.
I was taking a break, and remembered Mosaic Monday at Little Red House..
so I dropped in to say hi.
~*~
Hi...
I is too bushed to boogie.
We had new kitchen carpet put down on Friday, which meant everything in that there kitchen had to be moved someplace else, and I'm sure you all know how much fun that is...
~gotta keep your eyes on the prize, huh!!!
What a job that turned out to be...Law!

It'll be ok when it's finished...it'll be ok???

And that was only the beginning of the fun...
~*~

While everything was moved, shifted, outta the cotton-picking way..
~ guess WHO decided it was time to repaper and rearrange the kitchen???
As usual that would be me!!!

Woot woot..it sure is looking purty.

~BUT~

it's killing me...lol
SOFTLY*

I'll have a lovely new kitchen to show you later this week...aren't you thrilled..grin!!!
I got some of the wallpaper that looks like wallboard, and I love it so completely...
~our new kitchen will have a lot...a lot of white in it.

                                                                               for now!!!
                                                                                    giggle*
                                                                                         glenda

"Piddling Around"

2010-08-23T09:51:00.001-05:00

Ohhh, last week I saw the cutest little coffee/tea center on one of the blogs, I don't remember where, I always mean to keep track of where I see things I love, but then I don't...ack!!!

Someone had taken a little cabinet and made a place for coffee and tea and sweetener and all...and I started jonesing for one for our kitchen...(I have a lot of cabinets, but too many dishes...sigh~)

~*~
I thunk to myself...do I have anything that would work????? hmmm, I don't think I have anything with any drawers in the bottom. I don't think I do...gonna go dig thru my junk room and have a look,
I am always buying little cabinets, cause I love em...so.
Well, lo and behold, I had this one, but it was too tall.
Called on my hero to measure it and see if it would work with this crib thing cut off the top,
and it would fit with some work.
So he got to work and fixed it, then he turned it over to the painter in the house.

That's me!

~****~
Grin!!!

Out came the Krylon white satin spray paint...
and a few coats later I took the sander to it, roughed it up a little.
Slid it uner the cabinet, and voila...a new hidey hole cabinet for coffee and tea for me.

Cute!!!

~****~

Now then, I want to decorate it a bit, and I don't know what to do..
Decals, lettering, decoupaged something or other...plain???

~*~

My next door neighbor daughter always helps me with this stuff,
but she is busy being a new grandma right now..

that baby is so cute....and she's a snuggler...sweet!!!!!

~****~

Any ideas, anybody????

2010-08-18T15:53:00.001-05:00

Little Miss Lexi has her daddy's black hair and her mama's big blue almond shaped eyes.

She looks like she is happy to be here, doesn't she...

Sweet little baby toes...

Grandma steals a few kisses from the baby girl...

~born of her baby girl...

~*~

Mother and Child

Anything more beautiful

~*~

A new family is formed...sweeet!!!

And everyone is so glad that baby is here...

Dad even survived, and was last seen changing diapers like a pro.

Mother and child are doing well.

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on~*

~*~ Isn't she something ~*~

2010-08-17T10:09:00.001-05:00

Alexia Grace {Lexi} was born at 1:22 this morning...

weight 7 lbs. 9 oz.

length 20 inches

Lots of black hair.

Mom and baby doing fine after an emergency C-Section to deliver her.

I don't have any pictures yet.

I'll post some later.

Thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

LOL

I was up all night worrying about her, so I need a cuppa and a nap before we go see her.

blessings,

"Come along, Fall"

2010-08-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

Good morning..good morning...
we've slept the whole night thru...
Good morning...good morning to you!!!

Well, it's Monday again,
how in the world are ya?
~*~
We have had a little break in the weather here this morning..can you tell by my chippy attitude?
LoL
~*~
My roses look a little sad now...
but they're giving life their best shot, anyway.
They were up early putting their rouge on...
getting all dressed up in case they were gonna get their picture taken today.

Won't be long till they retire for the year, I guess.
**************************
~*~

I am very very ready for pumpkins and bright fall colors again. The coming season is my favorite.

Come along cool breezes and leaves blowing down the street...
likewise a little color changing in the trees
And pumpkins and scarecrows and haystacks are such a treat
Come along Fall in all your glory.
~*~
I hope your week is easy and sweet..

"It's just an old song"

2010-08-11T11:48:00.003-05:00

There's an old song been running around in my head for days...
kinda makes me wonder if God is trying to tell me something. LoL
It's an old Johnny Mercer song..... from the 50's, I think???
Anyway, the words still hold true.

"You've got to accentuate the positive...
Eliminate the negative.

Latch on to the affirmative...
and don't mess with Mr. In-Between."
~*~

Accentuate the positive...
Do you know you are beautiful?? That someone lives to see your smile, someone waits to hear an encouraging word from you, someone loves the way you speak, or the look in your eyes,
maybe that spark of anger, even.
My hubby loves to aggravate me, and sometimes he will till he sees that spark, tickles him to death.

You need to know that you are loved and embrace & accept it.

You are beautiful!!!

Eliminate the negative...

Do you hate your body shape or your face or your hair???
Here's a challenge for you!!!
Grab your camera and take pictures of yourself from every angle...
keep it up till you have some snapshots that you can look at and start to accept yourself...

Keep working at it till you have one you would post on your blog.
Then post it on your sidebar..
A nice big picture of you...yeah!!

Let me tell ya, I struggled with this for all my life, hated to have my picture taken...
I had really crooked teeth, and I would'nt smile. I don't have one picture from school where I smiled.
Doing the pictures was the most liberating thing I have ever done for myself.
Eliminate the negative!!!!!
Negative thoughts...emotions....speaking!!!

Latch on to the affirmative...
You're stronger than you think you are...you're stronger than you think you are...

"I think I can" becomes " I know I can" when we speak it and believe it.
Affirming thoughts and speech is a beautiful way to build self-belief and acceptance.

And don't mess with Mr. In Between.

I reckon that means don't be wishy washy or double minded.
Live. Laugh. Love
~*~

Dream Big!!!
It don't cost any more!
~*~

See ya later...
glenda

"On The Road Again"

2010-07-31T00:05:00.000-05:00

Moving forward...Looking back

A Surprise Picture again...trying to catch the clouds on a rainy day caught me in the mirror with camera in hand, as usual. don't you love unposed pictures...
i love the way this shot captures the mood of our old pickup still trucking down the road.
That's the way I feel this evening, ready to move on, but always I am consumed by the past...that's where the nostalgic yesterday lives...and I like it there. Love to gaze at old photographs of my family...our girls when they were little..our grandkids when they were around my knee..our great grandbabies now.

Then I go farther back in time to my parents and beyond and do the geneology and find the graves and tombstones...stand there at their graves and wonder what they were like..what were their dreams and hopes and desires. I have a letter from one old ancestor on my Mom's side of the family that tells of her spinning and weaving and sewing her own dresses. Can I even imagine living that kind of life? And so the past fascinates me in a way that I can't describe, really.

And you see, I have not been true to myself with my blog. If it's going to mean anything at all...I must be true to me. I have been trying to have a blog that satisfied every need that people have...eye candy is not so much my style. I do like lots of color...but I'm not a frilly person at heart...I'm homespun and gingham...iron skillets and granite ware. I'm plain and my life is plain. Simple.

So I'm gonna stop fighting it, stop being envious of the beautiful blogs I see out there. I can't be everything, much as I would love to. I'd like to have bunches of followers...( I have a lot, and I am blessed) I'd love to be able to do tutorials for you, but I don't make anything anymore but trouble, so that's out. LoL
I'd love to get tons of comments, but I'm ok...what I'd really like is for more of my family to join in on the blog. they will when they get ready to join in on the fun. Maybe they don't want to be loco...like me. ahem!!! could be.... I hope you have a fantabulous weekend..
do something fun.
peace, glenda

2010-07-15T19:16:00.002-05:00

~*~
Better days at Easter...we were all goofing off, taking silly pictures like we like to do..this be my oldest girl, and I have always grabbed her and pinched those cute dimples given the chance...disregard the tacky fingers she has stuck up behind my head...she's a stinker. I heard from my new doctor today...now I am sposed to take two new medicines. I say it's ridiculous, and it's just piling more stress on my fat little body putting all these meds in it. That's what I say, hubby say different...So here we go again. He also gave me an anti-depressant yesterday, and I'm sure everyone around me agrees with that decision....lol Now one of my grandkids said we should'nt say we are lol'ing if we are not actually laughing...online! so I may say gol (grinning on Line) or fol (frowning online) or col (crying online) in the future... I'm just saying...so you will know the code...gol (see...there..you got it already) I guess Pa and I are in pretty good shape for the shape we're in...and I really got no call to feel sorry for myself...we found a little church close by that we really love...

And I am going to start taking guitar lessons in August at the Vo-tech...something I have always wanted to TRY!!! Wish me luck. I like to sing, and I would love to learn to accompany myself on the guitar...
hugs, glenda xoxox

"Rednesday" YaY...

2010-07-06T19:51:00.005-05:00

So don't ya just love red....of course you do...if you're here, you like or love red or you are just curious about all the gals who love redder...bedder than any color on earth.
I have so much red in my life...red dishes, red tablecloths, red napkins...a red plate that I use for special occasions that declares " You are special today".
Americana and Coke collectibles and signs are big at our house. Coke trays...clocks...dishes...plastic coke bottles that are radios and flashlights...tiny little coke bottles in tiny little carriers, well, ya get the idea... I love red blouses, tees, shoes, purses, pj's and I buy all of the same when given the chance.
My radar is always on for the red zone!
My girls say I am too predictable...
I say "I don't care what color you get me, as long as it's red." Sigh..ning up for Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World today and hope you come by for a visit...
I have decided to link up with Ruby Tuesday as well.
Are you Reddddddddy for some Red-nowwww?

hee/hee
glenda

"The Blues on Mosaic Monday"

2010-07-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

It's only a picture, a mailbox with bluebirds and flowers and a wagon wheel.
But this serendipity woman, I think it's so sweet...so I took many angles of it just for fun.
Have you found that you can find so many little details in a painting or a photo when you put your focus on it or crop it down to an area.
I have a lot of fun doing that for a pastime...it fascinates me to find the detail the artist put in something. Shadows or the smallest nuance in the rendering give it depth, make it pop, if you will. The Artist!
Be it man or God.
~*~

Notice all the details you can, if you wish, in this painting.
I am thinking of lines from old songs as I gaze at all this blue.
READY? ok, here we go...
~*~
1.Blue skies smilin' at me..nothin but blue skies do I see...
bluebirds singin' a song...nothin but bluebirds all day long.
2. rainy days and mondays always get me down.
3. blue moon, you left me cryin alone.
4.blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining.
5. there's a blue moon over my shoulder...
and an old love in my heart.
6. blue eyes cryin' in the rain.
7. am I blue, am I blue, ain't these tears in my eyes tellin' you.
8. tag....your turn.

Can you think of more????
Linking up to Mosaic Monday at Mary's Little Red House today.
Along with Friday~Finding Beauty at Claudia's Dipity Road and all the beautiful things to be found there.
I hope you get a chance to drop by and look around.

glenda

"The Birthday Party"

2010-06-27T20:34:00.004-05:00

A very special sweetie pie of an angel baby girl had her first birthday last month...and her aged gramma is just now getting her pictures posted. She was the best little old thing you ever saw, and she went right after the cake her mama made her with mucho gusto.
Happy Birthday Ems.
We Love You!!!
me & gramps
~*~

Going over to Mosaic Monday at Mary's Little Red House to spend some time. I hope you enjoy our birthday girl mosaic....have a wonderful week, everyone...hugs, glenda

"Aprons"

2010-06-24T22:20:00.000-05:00

Do you remember aprons?

Notice that a "MEDIUM" is a 14-16...
Remember making an apron in Home Ec? If so... Read below:
The History of 'APRONS'

I don't think our kids know what an apron is. Oh they probably know what they are, but they don't know the stories they could tell, and the memories they bring back when you think about them tied around the waist of someone you loved....sweet!!!!
The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids..smiles here...

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, a sweet little mama wearing them... bent over a hot wood stove cooking for 10 kids & their pappy. (that's why they call them pioneers..they don't use aprons like that anymore, and they don't make women like that any more...)
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. Daddy's Aunt Hester is the one I remember the most as far as wearing aprons go...everytime she came in the back door in the summer, she had garden produce in it, squash and okra and what ever was ready to be cooked. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls. In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds. LoL ( I reckon I could use one of them aprons.)
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.
REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw. They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.
I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

"A Shabby Chic Kitchen"

2010-06-13T21:26:00.005-05:00

Some of you wanted to see...the combination of...the door~ the light~ the bakers table.

The odd combination I put together.

~*~

Alas..our kitchen is small...the love we share...around the table.... is not.

Life is good to us.

Pleased to join the other gals at Mary's Little Red House for Mosaic Monday again this week.
Have you been over there to check out the Mosaics ...
Come see...come see....grin!

"The Many Faces of Pink"

2010-06-11T16:55:00.004-05:00

I went thru my house today looking for pink things to take pictures of...
I don't have a lot of pastel colors in my home, tho I love pink dishes and I think they are beautiful.
~*~

I love roses, however, in any color, so that was my focus today in my search.
I have a lot of dishes with pink roses on them, but they have been featured here already...
when I was on a roses dishes posting frenzy.
So here we go with Pink Saturday...does it come around as often for you as it does for me?
Boy, time is flying right on by.

~*~

I am joining Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for her sweet Pink Saturday.
She has been doing this for two amazing years now,
...and she loves her followers and the ones who take the time to do Pink Saturdays.
Come on over and see what it's all about...
~*~

and that's the way it is...
at our house today.