While My Guitar Gently Weeps(ukulele)

I found this and wanted to share it with you. AMAZING!!!!

(you will have to pause my playlist so both are not going at the same time.)

Cleaning up

Can you see between the trees? (If you click on the picture you can make it bigger.) That is our neighborhood street sweeper. It has daisy's on it! I do declare......that is the cutest little street sweeper I ever did see.

Houston....We Have A Problem

There is a serious problem with my new job. I work in the afternoons. For you see, that is coffee time for me. (I just made a rhyme!) My system is used to that dark, hot, creamy, sweet cup of loveliness most afternoons at 2:00 sharp. It is like my poor body is going through withdraws. Heck, it probably is. HA! Anybody out there who understands my plight?

Firsts for this mama....

As a mother of a teenage daughter, I did two things today for the first time. First, I made an appointment with a "stylist" to have my daughters hair done for her 8th Grade formal dance this Saturday night. She would like to have an up-do.



Second, I enrolled my daughter in driving school!!!!!!! She will start taking her lessons in July. It just seems like yesterday we were driving cars like these in Disney and soon she will be driving the same vehicle that I do. Strange I tell you.....just strange.

Sparkly Smile

Today was the big day. The one I knew was coming. The one my daughter was looking forward to. The one my husband did not want to come since they are soooooo expensive. :)

Braces Day!! This is her before......





And here is her afters. How pretty! :) She went with pink and orange. She already has her colors picked out for the next time. Now that is being organized if I have ever seen it.



So far so good. She is still pleased with them and happy she got them. She is brushing her teeth after every bite she puts in her mouth. (Wonder how long that will last.) She has only taken Tylenol one time. Yeah for her! :)

For Good.....

My friends and sis came up this weekend for a visit. We were supposed to have one more but her son broke his nose playing baseball and she had to stay home. We were all sorry that she could not join us. We missed her!

I thought it might be fun to go see Lake Michigan and go to a sweet little beach town to shop in some of their little stores and drink coffee and just visit and laugh and enjoy each other. The rain held off until our drive home. Yeah!! :)

We saw a sweet little sign about friends that was cute....

We went to a greenhouse in my little town that took our breath away when we walked in! There was color color color everywhere our eyes could see. It was amazing! We talked about how God could come up with all those different colors for our enjoyment.

We stopped on the beach to see the water and the lighthouse. The sand looked so inviting. We told it we would come back to play another day when the impending rain was not hovering over our heads and the weather was a bit warmer....say 30 degrees or so. :)

As usual, our time together goes by so quickly. I am thankful that these dear gals drove the four hours up to see me. I miss them. Someone asked me if I missed my home town. The answer I gave them, rather quickly, was "No, I don't." Now, if you ask me do I miss some of the people in my home town my answer would be completely different. God had revealed something to me these past few months. Some people have come into my life for a reason. If only to bring me joy and laughter and compassion and strength when I am so very weak. This group of ladies have brought all these things to me. For however long they are in my life, I am so very thankful. I found this song and I thought it was perfect for my friends. All of them.

(you will have to pause my playlist on the side to listen)

The Big Reveal

Well, I am finally done enough with the kitchen to show you what we have been up to. Still a few things to complete. The new pendant lights for above the sink have not showed up yet and the kitchen sink had a little issue...but soon it will be put in with the new faucet. Let's take a quick look back to where we started....

Here is the before. Dark dark dark! Builders cabinets. No handles. Nice...but not me. This is me!

TA DA!!!!












Here is the kitchen sink and faucet....still in their boxes. Soon they will be in. I was going with a farmhouse look. Because that is me. White, bead board, milk glass lights, big kitchen sink, tin backs plash and wide window sill for sitting pies to cool when they come out of the oven. Or, maybe for my furry kitty to sit upon and gaze outside.

Thanks for visiting my kitchen. I would make you a cup of coffee if you came by and chances are you could have a soft warm cookie to go with it. :)

Sophie The Treat Thief

We have been doing some remodeling to our kitchen. I will show you that very soon. Our cabinet doors are off at the moment for their "new do." I keep the dog treats under the kitchen sink. For awhile, I was wondering where all the treats were going since I bought a new box recently and they are almost all gone. Hummmmmm.....lookie what we discovered.






For an old girl of 12...she is one smart cookie.

God Loves You!

This afternoon I took advantage of the beautiful warm sunny day and went outside to do my bible study lesson. The sun was so warm. If I would of closed my eyes, I could of fallen fast asleep in the warmth. But, I pressed on and finished my lesson. And I am so thankful I did. Today's lesson was on God's unfailing love for us. Here is a quote from the lesson I wanted to share with you...."Love is not only something God does, love is something God is. God would have to stop being to stop loving. No one has ever done more to show you that you were unloved than God has done to show you that you ARE loved." Amazing.......

New Journey

Getting ready to embark on a new journey in my life.....kind of the same.....but all together different. It is amazing where God can lead you sometimes. I am still sitting here shaking my head. Another life lesson....never ever say that you would never do something in your life. You just might be eating those words someday. ;)

Joy

In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends.
Kozuko Okakura

Sweetness

A few weeks ago our Sams Club was selling Krispy Cream doughnuts. I bought some. I had to find some self control not to eat the entire box alone. It was tough. I thought that if I put some in the freezer, that would help with some self control. Nope. They still call to me from the freezer. Did you know if you popped one in the microwave frozen for 20 seconds they are all soft and yummy right from the freezer? The glaze melts into a sugary blanket on top. OH MY LAND!! Feel free to use this little tip any time. Don't say I did not warn you. ;)

What's That Song?

The windows were open today since it was so pretty out. Thank you Lord for the sunshine! And I kept hearing music playing in the distance. Could not figure out what it was or where it was but I kept hearing it. Finally, it got louder and louder and I went to the door to see what on earth it was. And this is what I saw.....

The ice cream truck!! How lovely!! I have a feeling we may get to know the fellow who drives this truck-of-joy around our neighborhood quite well this summer. And the little tune he was playing was Pop Goes The Weasel. Now it is stuck in my head!! UGHHH!! :)

Much Better

Home Depot had some pretty things out yesterday. I tried really hard to ignore them...I really did. But, the top ones are called English Daisy's. I mean, daisy's are my favorite flower and pink is my most favorite color....so what's a girl to do?



And pansies are nice to! Purple and yellow and burgundy colors on my deck. So much better than the white stuff I showed you the other day. Right? :)

Ah Spring.....I can not wait for your arrival. Flowers and flowers and flowers! Please hurry!

Snow in April

Aw Shucks!!

Easter Sunday

Easter was a fun day for us this year. Most importantly, we celebrated as a family what Easter really is for Christians. We believe that Jesus lives!! We believe that He rose from the dead!! How amazing is that???? I can not think of a better thing than that. Not even a BIG chocolate bunny can compare to that. Two of the kiddos woke up early to see what was in their baskets. The other one grunted from her bed when she was told to get up by her younger sister. She was not that excited to awake and see what she got. I guess when you are 14...that happens.

My sissy brought up a bunch of eggs that we filled with coins and candy. My hubby hid them all over the downstairs for them to find when they got up. He did a fantastic job at hiding them to!

My kitty looks wild with his red eyes....but he was part of the celebration as well.


Nana and Papa left sugarless bubble gum wrapped in money for the kids. They were thrilled with that!! And, I was excited that something they got today was sugarless for their teeth!!


My sissy had to have a little treat from the Easter Bunny as well. I found this adorable chick for her and a yummy chocolate bunny. I put it on her bed so she could find it when she went back into her room. She loved it.

We made the kids wait at the top of the stairs until all us adults were seated and had cameras ready and our hot steaming coffee in our hands. Then we let them come down and the candy frenzy began!!


She was the first one to have peanut butter eggs stuffed into her mouth. This girl loves her chocolate.

Taylor cleaning out her eggs and counting her coins.

My sweet nephew was also here to celebrate with us. It was fun to see a boys basket. He got a movie and a cool muscle shirt and candy and a ball that bounces 75 feet in the air. He also got a Nerf gun that was really cool as well.

Easter is over. Our house was filled with loved ones. We made more memories to store up in our hearts until the next time we can all be together. Happy Easter!!

Spring Break

Spring break. Kids home. Lots to do. Mama is ready for kids to go back to school for a bit. Phew. It was a long week. We packed in a lot while we went home to Illinois. First on the list was getting our teeth cleaned. Our youngest daughter is getting ready for some orthodontic work to begin. We needed clean choppers for that to start. There are dentists in Michigan, I am sure. But none as good as the one I know back home. My old co-workers would say that I was trying to get brownie points with my old boss by saying that....but I am no longer his employee now. :) I am saying it because I really really mean it.

I am happy to report that both girls were cavity free. The only one who got a beautiful white new filling was me! Ugh. The problem with getting fillings is that I know to much about them. I knew what was coming every step of the way. That can be fantastic if you are a dental assistant and the doctor is waiting on you to hand him what he needs. But, when you are the victim patient it is bad because you know what they are up to. :)

After our teeth cleaning, it was time for the beauty shop. My mom has retired from doing hair. But, she still will cut ours occasionally. Her arms are not working like they should so it is hard for her to lift them. So, we improvised. She sat on a stool up high and my daughter sat on a cooler from the garage where she was down low.

My mother said this was a first for her. She had never ever cut hair on a cooler before. :)

We also watched some of the basketball playoffs while we were home. We just had to root for Michigan State. They won the game while we were home...but lost last night.

My daddy would have coffee made for my mama and I each morning while we were home. He is just the best. My mama is very lucky to have him.

Do you know what this little tuff of fluff is??? Here comes Peter Cottontail. This time of year is always fun at my parents house. Can you keep a secret? My dad is the Easter Bunny. Yes, really he is! I am not really sure how long he has been our towns Easter Bunny. My children have never known another bunny but their beloved Papa.

Here he is! Isn't he just the cutest thing? :) He was going out to the local nursing homes to visit the residents and to take them some treats. Some of the residents can not have candy, so he takes them bananas instead. They LOVE it when he comes to see them. Only once has he been chased out of someones room with a cane. I still crack up at that story every single times he tells it.

We also played some games while we were at Nana and Papa's house.

And, my sister and I went to our little antique shop and I found this little refrigerator while we were out. She is a bit weathered, but I have big plans for her none the less.

Let's peek inside. Isn't that just the cutest thing.

And lastly, I got to have a cup of coffee at my sweet friends house while we were home. Any time I get to share with her is honey to my soul. Can you see that sweet secretary that is behind us? I love that piece of furniture. Is it wrong to scheme and plot to take your dearest friends antique secretary while she is not looking? Just wondering. :)

And, that is it. I got to see a whole bunch of people that I love and miss on our little trip home. Got to spend some quality time with my parents and sister. Got to get my teeth all pretty (thanks Debbie!) and my chipped tooth fixed (thanks Dorenda and George!) and got to spend time with my dear friend Lori. Life is good! :)