Mama's Got A New Bag!

Lookie what I got! My sweet, sweet sissy and my dashing, darling nephew bought this mama a new bag! My nephew knows my love of Minnie Mouse and he thought this bag looked like her so he (with a little help from his mama) bought it for me! It is my most favorite color.....PINK! I just love it! My sister and I are heading out of town, well actually the state, the end of this week. We are going on a sister get away and we can not wait! So, this little beauty will be coming with me. It will be filled with my makeup, lotions and what ever else I can fit inside her. Thanks again sweet, loving, giving, caring, thoughtful nephew of mine. You know your Auntie too well. XOXOXOX

How do you take yours?

I am a HUGE coffee lover. I have my friend Darla to blame for that. At first I started drinking it when I was around her only. Then I started drinking it when I was alone. Now, I drink it two times a day....morning and 3:00 sharp. :) I take mine with half and half (just a splash) and a small scoop of raw sugar. You know, the brown stuff made in Hawaii. Yum! I used to make my coffee rather weak...but now it will put hair on your chest. Seriously. I can not take it black. Still not tough enough for that. I also love it in my pink mug (my favorite color) I got from Starbucks this spring. Notice the little sugar bowl? It is one of my many Mary Engelbreit items I own. My husband dropped the little lid one day and it broke in two! I quickly super-glued it back together. It looks a little worn...but it is still one of my favorite things. :)

The other photo is my front porch. If you were here with me, I would make you a cup of joe and we would sit out here and visit. My friends and neighbors have sat out here with me many, many times and done just that. Drink a cup of warm, sugary, brown happiness and rock together while solving all the problems of the world together. Or so it seems.....

Simplicity

Ahh..the simple life. I live in a small town. We are close to an Amish community. My mother and I went there today to visit some of their shops. We stopped at a fabric store. I could not believe all the fabric they had! I need to come up with more projects so I can go back! We stopped at the salvage store and got some really good deals on produce and other things. We stopped at a fruit barn and bought fresh gala apples, fresh sweet peaches, candy onions (how can an onion taste like candy I ask?) and a fresh zucchini. Yum! There is just something about buying fresh fruits and vegetables that makes a mama and wife feel good. You know? :) Next we stopped at a bulk foods store/bakery and bought some homemade yummies. My daughter is having five friends over tomorrow for her 13th birthday party and we are going to make chocolate fondue so I got the goodies to dunk in the chocolate there. Like homemade angel food cake. Oh my!

The weather here is changing. I could actually feel fall today. Fall is my favorite season and I am so ready. I got married in the fall and had a baby in the fall. It was spitting rain today while we were out and the corn is changing to brown. All signs that this season is passing and another one is coming. Wonder what it will bring for me and you?

My Handsome Boy

Meet Simon Peter. He is my baby boy. This is the first cat I have ever had as an adult. My parents had cats when we were growing up but I don't remember having much to do with them. I guess they were probably more my sisters pets than mine. I have had a dog (Shih Tzu's) since I was 16 years old. We have one now. I always thought I was a dog person. That was until Simon came into my life.

My daughter has always loved "kitties." She started asking for one when she was two years old. My boss had a Seal Point Himalayan. Their family called their cat "the old man." When my daughter saw their cat, she wanted one just like theirs. When Santa came to the mall, my two year old baby daughter climbed up on his lap. When Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas...you guessed it....she asked Santa for An Old Man! I about died!!! Santa looked at me very odd...as you can imagine. I had to quickly tell Santa that she meant a cat. I am not sure if he believed me or not. Oh well....

So, the following May, Simon came into our lives and he changed my heart about cats. He has serious attitude, as you can see in the pictures. He wants loved when he wants loved. He wants to be left alone when he wants to be left alone. He loves to have his bum scratched. He has O.C.D. with the water faucet. He loves to stand on my chest at 4:30 ish in the morning to tell me hello and to get up. He likes to get into my husbands linen closet in his bathroom and hide. He likes to lick photographs (that one is weird!) He is an amazing creature! I can not imagine my house without a kitty in it ever again. I have crossed over to the other side.....I am a cat person.....and I love it! :)

Merry Mary Bargins

My sister and I went shopping last Saturday. We rarely get to do it. She is a very busy mama and I am too. She works full time and I work part time...most of the time. When her little man is at his daddy's house for the weekend, sometimes we get to hang out together. Saturday was one of those lovely days. We went to the closest "big city" around us. We went to Hobby Lobby and Michaels (since we are both crafters.) I LOVE MARY ENGELBREIT with a passion! Her work just makes me so darn happy! I actually have her artwork, in some way, in every room of my house and I mean every room in my house. She used to have a store in St. Louis but it has closed. I seriously cried when I heard that. Seriously. Now in her cute store with the black and white checkered floor, I am sorry to report, is another sports store with hats and jerseys in it's place. Now the cute checkered floor looks like a Nascar flag. UGH!!!!!

Around here, I can still get some of my "Mary stuff" at Michaels. Saturday, we saw the cute flag of hers there. It has a cute bunny and a white picket fence and tomato plants just like my yard. I loved it! It was marked $10.99. We asked the cashier where they were. She said they were in the clearance isle for 90% off! I merrily skipped over to that section and there were none to be found! The cashier said she would get the display down for me and I paid the all time low low price of $1.09 for this little bit of Mary loveliness! SCORE!! I had to remind my sister all the way home about how good of a deal I got on it. She just laughed at me. :)

The other picture is the cute jars and stickers I bought. The kitchen stickers are just like me...pink and turquoise...vintage cuteness...baking stuff so I just HAD to have them. My sister showed me the cute glass jars and so we are going to do something fun with them. I can not wait. I am sure my husband will love more pink coming into the house. Poor fella. :)

Friends...

My friends are wonderful. I don't know how to live my life without them. They lift me up, they make me laugh until I almost pee my pants, they listen to me, they support me in my trials...they are lovely. I am very blessed to have several good friends in my life. Each one is unique. One friend has been with me for a looooong time. She and I were best buds in high school. We did some things that we have sworn NEVER to tell each others kids. :) Another friend is VERY special because she introduced me to Jesus. My life has never been the same. Another friend is 13 years older than me. She is like my older sister I don't have. She has been in my life since I was a small child. Isn't that funny? :) Another friend I met in a parking lot at the dental complex where we both worked for different doctors. She had a round belly with her daughter in it and I also had a round belly with my daughter in mine. We started talking and the rest is history. That was 13 years ago. Oh how thankful I am for these women.

Several years ago I was hearing from each of them that their husbands just did not "get it" when it came to birthday's, anniversaries and Christmas. They were never made to feel special on their special days. I knew that I could do something about their birthday's. So, the Birthday Club was born. Each year, we get together (usually at my place because I LOVE to do it) and we celebrate each friends special day. Yesterday was my friend Lori's birthday. The pictures show what I did for her. We had Creamy Rosemary Penne with Chicken, Herb Green Beans, Taffy Apple Salad, Homemade Rolls (my baby sissy brought because she is in the club too!) and a yummy spinach salad with homemade dressing my sister also brought. Another friend brought the pie and let me tell you....it was sooo rich! Sugar Coma's for everyone!!! HA! Millionaire Pie she called it. We had iced tea to drink with lunch and coffee with the pie. The pictures show how I decorated the table. It turned out pretty. Do you see the little dresses? I made those for each of the gals along with a little chocolate for their party favors. Some said they were going to use them as ornaments on their Christmas trees. They were made out of felt. Very vintage looking, I think. (See, I am trying to sew and get those sewing genes going!)

It was an afternoon of friends, fun, talking, laughing, talking, laughing, eating, laughing....you get the picture. Us ladies need that, don't we? Anyway, I am so blessed and thankful for my friends. I pray that I am a blessing to them just as each of them have blessed my life so richly.