my Targus tripod

OK, this is not what you think. I'm not trying to push Randy over the edge of the cliff. I was actually keeping him from going over the edge. You see, we are big on using the timer feature on our cameras. In fact for the past 20 years we have used that feature when taking our Christmas card photos. Anyway, we used that feature quite often while visiting the Mogollon Rim on Sunday. And this was our first attempt in setting the timer and Randy precariously jumping over various size boulders to get to this huge rock hanging over this steep cliff... in 10 seconds. A very scary maneuver, to say the least. But my awesome Targus Tripod enables us to do this. I love that we can wrap my bendable tripod around anything... tree branches, fences, ledges, bushes, boulders, whatever. Perfect for these hiking and camping trips.


I set the timer for these last two pics... barely making it back up the boulder for the above pic. No problem with the last one. If you know me very well, then you know I got quite a kick out of setting the scenes and then directing Randy as to how he should look, so it seems as though someone else took the pic and we are totally oblivious to the shot. It's called acting... and well, I do have a flare for the drama... if I may say so myself. But then you would know that, if you knew me very well.

respite at the Rim

Sunday's are always crazy busy. Randy leaves the house at 6:30 am... so the worship band can rehearse before the 3 services. He gets home around 2:30 pm... exhausted. Which is probably why pastors choose Monday as their day off. So yesterday after Randy got home, we decided that we needed to get out of the heat and head to the hills... the Mogollon Rim to be exact. Our favorite destination when we need to escape our reality and clear our heads!


We gathered up a few things... flashlight, camping chairs, bedding, pillows, water bottles, window coverings, battery-operated fan (my white noise), a few snacks, my journal books and cameras. We left Tempe at 3:30 pm (112 degrees) arriving 2 hours later at the Rim (65 degrees). I know! Where in the world can you experience a 47 degree temperature drop a mere 2 hours away!


We love the Rim. Did you know that the Mogollon Rim boasts the largest stand of Ponderosa Pines in the world? It's true! So breathtaking and beautiful.


I can't even begin to tell you how rested I felt after only a few hours. I had not a care in the world... just me & my man... and God's awesome creation.



I loved watching the colors of the sky change as the sun was setting. There was a slight breeze as we sat overlooking the Rim. The perfect ambiance in which to share our hearts and hurts and then give them to God. We prayed for our children, our grandbaby, our parents, our church, our dreams, our future... all the while gazing at the millions of stars in the sky. So calming and peaceful.


We finally crawled into bed at 9:30 pm, all snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug... or in this case, all snug in my fluffy vintage sheets. Oh, and it got down in the 50's. I know!



In the morning we drove a couple miles to Woods Canyon Lake. Love this image of the early morning sun glistening over the lake.


I have not seen such exquisite thistle plants since I was a little girl in Wisconsin.



The pic below is a Century plant. They were all along the roadways as we traveled and in full bloom. Such a brilliant, vivid yellow.


We eventually made our way down to Payson so I could to get my free iced cafe mocha at McDonalds! Yes sirree, free every Monday in July. Good stuff.


We then took a little drive to Pine, AZ and bought me a jar of strawberry/ rhubarb jam and a jar of Cat Claw honey at this darling little stand in Pine.


After a late lunch at the Beeline Cafe, we were on our way home. Refreshed, restored, reenergized and well rested... all in a span of 24 hours.

Emolyn @ 17 months

Our little grandbaby princess is 17 months old. Emolyn loves lipstick, giving kisses, books, Baby Signing Time dvd and eating anything and everything. She is the happiest baby I have ever been around. People of all ages are so drawn to her. She is simply enchanting.



Emolyn is sitting in the rocking chair that her Grandpa sat in 55 years ago and that her Daddy sat in 27 years ago. What a treasured heirloom.


Emolyn loves her Fisher Price tube of lipstick at her Grammy's house. From the moment she comes through the front door she has that tube in her hand. Hey, you never know when you might need a touch-up. A girl has to be prepared.


She's quite particular about making sure her Aunt Miranda has ample touch-ups too. Quite frankly, everyone gets ample applications throughout the day.


She's very generous with her kisses too. Especially with her Uncle Tyler. And who doesn't need plenty of Emy kisses throughout the day!

this 'n that

~ Tyler's ankle was NOT broken! It's a sprain. What they thought were bone fragments on the x-rays were calcium deposits from an old trampoline injury. (I think it was a miracle!) So he's walking on a special boot for 2 weeks and that's it!! SOOO happy!! Thanks for praying.

~ We're still going shopping at Target today so he can ride the scooter. Don't tell me you haven't wanted an excuse to drive one of those around.

~ Happy Birthday to my sister and friend Ginny! Can't wait to see her in September at our niece Erica's wedding! We both LOVE to dance and plan to dance the night away at the reception. She's 5 years older than me... so she would come home and teach me all the latest dances in the 70's. I always knew the latest dance moves before anyone else. I was groovy & hip like that.

~ I am taking the rest of the summer off from work. I can't tell you how good I feel about my decision. For the first couple days I just walked around in my jammies touching everything... getting reacquainted with my stuff. Sorta like a dog marking his territory. Ok, so not quite the same. But still.

~ I'm a homemaker. Always will be a homemaker. It's what I do.

~ I cleaned & oiled my 35 year old sewing machine on Monday and she purrs like a kitten now. You seamstresses know exactly what I'm talking about. Man, she was running rough and rickety there for a while. But since the cleaning, she hums along beautifully while putting out the prettiest of stitches. I had a couple thread catcher orders to fill and I FINALLY finished them. Yeh for ME!

~ I am attending the Antiques Roadshow here in Phoenix on August 1st!! You heard that right! I am SOOO excited to be there... to people watch... to see all the interesting, eclectic, strange items that people bring! Thanks Nancy for inviting me to use your other ticket. We are allowed to bring two items for appraisal. However will I narrow it down to just two.

~ And last, but certainly not least... my Dad was put in a nursing home last week. He has Alzheimer. I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that my Dad, who at 83 years old is walking around the farm one day and the next, is confined to four walls. I hate this disease. I hate that this disease has robbed my Dad of his mind. Even though we knew the time was near... you can never fully prepare yourself for such an event. It's heartbreaking...

cottage chit chat

My cozy cottage (my craft room) welcomes a new addition to the mix. Don't you love this aqua blue shelf I found at a yard sale for $5.00! And I did not have to do a thing to it! Enlarge the pic and you'll see the shabby paint finish. Love that look. And such a nice, heavy, solid piece. The perfect spot for the aqua lamp that Shawn & Nicole got me for Mother's Day. Click HERE to see more of my cozy cottage pics.


Mrs. McGillicutty has been feeling rather slighted as of late. I suppose she wants to show off the glitz and glam look she's got going on. So I did a little photo shoot and she was in rare form so it went quite well considering her age. She's getting up in years, but always seems to carry herself with such grace and poise. Oh that we should all age with such elegance.


Click this pic and check out the "Leona & Johnny" pin that my Mom said I could have while I was digging through her jewelry box last October! I can't tell you how much I love that it was made just for my Mom & Dad around the time they were married... 59 years ago!

Tyler @ camp

Tyler broke his ankle at camp on Wednesday. Poor guy. But after a four hour ER visit down here in the Valley (thanks Bill Osier) he was back up to camp to finish out the week. He's a trooper... must be that Marine Corp pride. He'll be laid up for the next several weeks. Not fun in this heat. But it will still give him plenty of time to get back into shape before he leaves for boot camp in January.


For the past two weeks, Tyler has been the work crew boss for the high school kids from our church that are serving in various capacities at Mountain Meadows Ranch near Christopher Creek north of Payson. On Monday Randy, Miranda & I were itching to get out of the heat, so we drove up to see if Tyler had enough gas money to get home. He didn't. We brought treats and gas money... snapped a few pics and we were on our way. So worth it. Cells phones don't connect up in those parts. So we enjoyed seeing him and then dining at the Beeline Cafe on our way out of Payson. Love small town America. A little slice of heaven. Speaking of slice... the three of us ended our meal by sharing a slice of warm blackberry pie... ala mode. Seriously, the crust was darn good. And I oughta know. When you've grown up with a Mom that not only makes two pies every single week, but the best pie crust, well, you know your crust. Made with lard of course.


This is an actual picture of my Mom's delicious blueberry pie. When we were back there in October we went out to eat with my Mom & Dad for Friday Night Fish and then came back to the house for a slice of her yummy blueberry pie before taking off for the Friday Night Football game with Ron & Deb. We left the next morning for Phoenix. Could we have left with a better taste in our mouth? I think not.

dreaming in the desert

So I'm dreaming about my cozy cottage in the woods... I wake up and realize I'm living in the desert, it's 110 degrees and I could severely burn my feet if I don't wear shoes walking to the mailbox. Oh, the dangers of living in the rugged Southwest.

So anyway, a girl can dream, right? This is the log home of my dreams (below) that Randy took a picture of while they were back in Wisconsin. They were wanting to sell this very one to Randy for $7000.00! I know, if we only had land to put it on! This is a much smaller version of the one that my brother Ron had built 4 years ago. (above pic) It took about a year for the Amish to build Ron & Deb's cabin. When it's done they fold it up, load it on a flatbed truck, deliver it and set it back up in one day. It's gorgeous on the inside. The craftsmanship is impeccable. And come on, look at that porch! I want a porch to sit out on while it's raining. Is that too much to ask? And do you have any idea what it sounds like when it's raining on a metal roof? Like hail! Only without the damage. A lovely, gentle rainfall. That's what I'm aching for as I sit in my closed-up, air-conditioned home in Tempe, Arizona. Rain. A porch. A good book. Cup of coffee. And my handsome husband. End of rant.

buttons 'n apothecary jars

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know how much I love buttons and apothecary jars. So wouldn't you agree that they go quite nicely together. Well, I bought my latest jar at Hobby Lobby. And as always, 50% off. Love that about Hobby Lobby. I decided to store only my pink 'n red buttons in this jar... and this was all the buttons I could come up with. And mind you, I have jars of buttons. Well, Miranda & I went to my little thrift store this week and I came home with quite a boat load of buttons! Vintage buttons to be precise. And while I'm picking out the pink 'n red buttons today, I am reminded of how I felt as a little girl playing with my Grandma's and my Mom's basket of buttons.
What IS it about buttons...