patio charm

Don't you just love this three-tier metal stand? The base is cast iron so it's real solid. Thanks Doris, I love it!
You see, word is getting out that I love cast-offs, rejects, leftovers. So my friends Doris and Shannon bring their Goodwill-bound discards to work and I sorta have first dibs... much to my husband's chagrin.
Then Saturday I hit a few yard sales and find an unopened package of paper lanterns that you insert over twinkle lights. (for 25 cents) So I put them all together and displayed them here. How sweet are these!
I also had Randy hang another chandelier light that I picked up several years ago for a couple dollars. I was relieved when he hooked it up and it actually worked. Whew.
I was then anxious to find six shades to give the patio that romantic, dreamy effect. So I literally uncovered six different shades that I had thrifted over the years (for no more than a quarter each) and was actually quite pleased with the look.
Very eclectic. Very charming.
Very me. Very happy.

books & links

Hey everyone! With all that has gone on the past couple months I have neglected to tell you about a couple books I won through the blog community.

I was thrilled to win this book that Sandy and her husband wrote- Married but not Engaged. Randy & I are so excited to read it and apply these truths to the marriage retreats we teach at.
And I also won a book that my dear friend Nancy offered on her blog- Experiencing the Resurrection by Henry Blackaby. Thanks Nancy!
Be sure to check out these delightful, informative blogs. They are both on my side bar.

And I finally put a link to my granddaughter Emolyn's blog on my side bar. Her Mommy Nicole will keep you posted about the 'coming and goings' of little Emolyn. Mmm, not so much 'goings' right now (just Dr. visits)... but she is 'coming' along like the little champ that she is and you will enjoy seeing pics of her amazing progress. She's our miracle baby all right!

And the SUNS won, avoiding a sweep by the SPURS! YEAH!
Ok, so no team has ever come back to take a series after being down 0-3... but it could happen. So I'm in for the long haul... one game at a time. GO SUNS!

I will leave you with Daddy and daughter pics. Emolyn just had her 2 month shots, so she is sporting a hot pink bandage under her 'daisy duke' shorts. (as her Mommy calls them) Cute or what!

random thoughts

The SUNS are down 0-2. They HAVE to win tonight! GO SUNS!
Randy has seen the London Bridge as a little boy when it was located in London and then a few years ago on a trip to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Read more about it here.
I am up every morning by 5:30 am... in bed by 9 pm... sleeping by 10.
My Mom & Dad had 5 kids in 7 1/2 years and then the 6th one was born 11 years later... in fact, 39 years ago today! Happy Birthday Kevin!
My secret fantasy is to work up a dance routine with a professional dancer, like on "Dancing with the Stars"... just for fun.
I haven't turned and flipped my mattress in years. Does anyone remember to do that routinely?
Randy & I are itching to hit the road and drive for days and days. No destination. Just to clear our thoughts and process life together.
I still haven't put one song on my aqua Nano since I got it for my birthday in Dec. How sad is that.
My favorite bathrobe that I recently put away till next winter, was a Christmas present when I was 19 years old. That was 32 years ago. It still looks brand-new. And I still love it. I really do!
I have never put on a pair of pierced earrings without first applying alcohol... ever... in 36 years. (umm, that would be rubbing alcohol!)
I washed my face with Lava soap all through high school. I now use Arbonne RE9.
And last but not least, my grandbaby Emolyn weighed in at 5 lbs. 4 oz today!!! So happy!!
So that's it for now folks. Have a great weekend!

remembering...

We have spent the past week reminiscing, remembering, reflecting. We have gathered as family to love and support each other and tell each other truth.
But it's hard because we were never created to experience death. We were created for life. So we take our sadness to the One that gives peace and hope and love. And we cling to that hope that we will spend eternity with each other. And we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. And we rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

showered with love

Emolyn Kate is 2 months old and yesterday was her baby shower. Shawn and Nicole were showered with love and support and gifts galore! What a special day! Thanks to our dear friend Amy, the whole day was captured on film. (ok, on digital) Thanks Amy!
Shawn put together a DVD of sweet images from the first 2 months of Emolyn's life. We were once again reminded that we are witnessing a miracle. Emolyn is sooo healthy! She was not at the shower but cared for by Nicole's friend Jessica who is a nurse. It is still not safe for her to be in public yet but her first big outing will most likely be Mother's Day when she is dedicated at our church!
But man oh man will she be styling in the months and years to come! Such darling clothes! And yes, I did the cupcakes. I used this recipe here. So yummy!

GO SUNS!

My lovely Larkspur ironically are always blooming at the start of the NBA playoffs. But not this year. Oh, they're blooming and yes, the SUNS are in the playoffs, but the Larkspur are not in this flower bed. You see yesterday Randy transplanted most of the Larkspur and then ripped up the brick flower bed and layed pavers for a cute little patio area. We have been wanting to do this for some time.
When Randy has a lot on his mind, he likes to work through his thoughts by doing some serious manual labor. I think it proved very therapeutic for him as he will be conducting the service for his Dad on Friday. He had a lot of time to think through what he wants to share about his beloved Dad.

We are very pleased with the results. Randy did a great job!
We look forward to spending many evenings sitting out front. I found the beveled glass hanging light at a yard sale for $5.00. We have had it stored in our closet for years. Randy hooked it up on a timer so it automatically turns on every evening. We were like little kids last night waiting to see how it looked when it got dark. It looked great!


Oh, and about the chairs... years ago I was leaving my grocery store when I noticed that the Starbucks dumpster was filled with all these iron chairs. I had Randy go back with me to see if any of them were fixable. Three of them needed minor welding so we hired our neighbor to fix the chairs and we have enjoyed them for many years!

Randy's Dad is home...

Randy's Dad went home to be with the Lord this morning and we are filled with such peace and the knowledge that he is forever resting with the Lord Jesus Christ. We are sad for those left behind... especially his loving bride Emolyn of 65 years. They raised four wonderful sons and a precious daughter while serving a career in the Air Force for 26 years. I was blessed to witness him as the loving father, father-in-law, papaw and husband that he was.
This is my very favorite picture of Dad taken this past Christmas. He was a fun-loving dear man and he will be forever missed.

Shout to the Lord!

Hey everyone!
Please check out this link here!
Lallee's Cottage is one of my favorite blogs and she recently posted about the American Idol contestants singing one of my favorite worship songs "Shout to the Lord" the other night. She posted the You Tube link too, for those of you that missed it.
I missed the very end of the show Wednesday night when they first sang it, so I was hoping to see a recap the next night... but never dreamed they'd sing it all over again!!! Oh my gosh, I cry every time I watch it on You Tube!! So powerful! And then to find out on Lallee's blog that it was the most downloaded song from Wednesday night! Waaay, way cool!

Emolyn's sweet visit

Yesterday was a very special day for Emolyn. She met her great-grandparents for the first time. Emolyn is named after Randy's Mom Emolyn. Isn't this the sweetest picture of the two of them!
Randy's Dad is in a Hospice Care facility and will be going home to see Jesus and his two children very soon. (Randy's sister Patty died when she was 18 years old and his brother Barry died a few years ago)
We are so grateful that Papaw was aware that little Emolyn was there.

Randy & I could see how Emolyn filled the room with such joy and hope... reminding us that Randy's Dad will be spending eternity with God and that his 85 years on earth has affected us all deeply. I have the kindest, most hard working, loving man for a husband... and I know that his Dad had a huge part in shaping him that way. And now there is a new little one that will carry on that legacy.
It's just so sad for those of us left behind... especially his wife of 65 years, whom he dearly loves.
These are the hands of his dear, loving wife... a Godly woman who will soon be saying goodbye to her husband, helpmate, campanion and friend. May she always remember the blessings, the memories and the stories that will live on forever.

the ultimate princess party

What little girl wouldn't want to attend a Princess Party. Especially a Princess party where they hear the truth of who they are in Christ... how God sees them... how they are adored and accepted just as they are. Saturday our church sponsored a Princess Party for all the little girls ages 3-8. 48 little girls attended dressed in their finest princess gowns. They heard the ultimate Princess story where instead of "Once upon a time...", they heard "In the beginning...". They heard how Jesus was the hero who came to save them from their sin and enable them to love themselves and others because He first loved us.
Can I just tell you, I wish I had heard this when I was their age. I suffered years of doubting my value, worth and significance. Never thinking I was enough. Always striving for approval. Comparing myself to others. Wanting to be like everyone else. So many of us Moms at the party had tears rolling down our cheeks as these little girls heard these powerful truths.


And of course my Princess Miranda was presented at the party. Oh my gosh, the little girls were all over her! She was quite the hit! My daughter was in her glory, the closest thing to actually being a Princess at Disneyland! She knelt down to each and every little girl to tell them how precious they are to Jesus.
She took my breath away.


I am sure you all want to know about her gown. Well, I found this elegant silver colored gown with all the original tags ($130.00) at my little thrift store for ... $4.99!!! YES! Five dollars! And it fit to perfection! The perfect princess gown with layers and layers of tulle.
Miranda asked if I could bling it up a tad. SO I found strands of rhinestones that I had saved for several years from an estate sale and hand stitched the strands on to the gown. Took me a couple hours, but well worth it wouldn't you say!


I loved watching the little girls slowly eating the cupcakes I made for the event. I chose to make miniture cupcakes with small dollops of frosting, to avoid sticky fingers on their lovely gowns. I made well over 100 cupcakes so they each had 2 or 3.



Oh, and lest you think I was all princessed out for one day... well, you're wrong. I had one more princess I had to see. The Littliest Princess.
Princess Emolyn.

orange limes

A dear, elderly man from our church gave us a bag of limes a few weeks ago. Orange limes. (I'm not Foolin ya!) I thought they seemed rather unusual so I googled and found this-
"A lime that grows in Arizona, called the Rangpur lime, has a reddish-orange peel and orange flesh. It is believed to be a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange.
Lowell True, a retired agricultural agent, said a possible explanation is that suckers from the rootstock your lime tree is budded onto have come up, producing their own fruit."
You can read more about the Rangpur lime here. Rather interesting.

Anyway, the fruit flies had taken over my kitchen, so it was time to get out the old electric juicer. I love LOTS of pulp in my glass of juice... you know, where you have to sorta chew your juice. Hey, you know what I'm talkin about, all you pulp lovers out there. So, fresh-squeezed pulpy orange juice sure hits the spot this time of year.


Oh, and about all those cans of ARIZONA peach ice tea... ya, on clearance for a buck. Each collectors can makes up 12 quarts of peach tea... for only a buck a can! I'd say I'm set for quite awhile.


And the treasure I uncovered while thrift saling the other day... this 24 inch folded ruler. You know how much I love these! I found this in a box full of sewing supplies. (see, another box!) The whole box was a dollar! And this little treasure was buried at the bottom!


Made me a little latte in my new springy coffee mug (on clearance for 2 dollars) along with a mini choco-chip biscotti from Trader Joe's. That sure hit the spot too.

Princess Emolyn

What precious little fingers! So dainty, soft and fragile. So grateful to be home with her Mommy & Daddy!


I sat and held Emolyn for two hours on Saturday, watching her every expression.
Randy and I created Babyland when the kids were born. It's a place where babies go while they are sleeping. We would talk for our kids and they would tell us all about their adventures in Babyland. While watching Emolyn's various expressions, we were pretty convinced she was chasing either puppies or bunny rabbits. And at one point she smiled SO big (huge dimples and all!) that we knew it was then that she was being crowned the new Princess of Babyland. We couldn't be more proud! But from what I hear, she is quite the little drama queen in Babyland! That's my Grandbaby!



Randy was quite the proud Pop-pop holding his little Emy, swaddled in the yellow blanky that he was swaddled in 54 years ago. All three (below) were swaddled in the very same yellow blanket. Oh my, Grammy's getting a little teary-eyed here.
In case you're wondering, Pop-pop is what the kids want him to be called... and he really likes it too. In fact, Miranda started calling him that a few years ago and now the grandkids will... mmm, Grammy & Pop-pop... pretty cute.

bits of this & that

I love Fridays. Fridays are my day off.
So today I plan to jot down random thoughts. A little bit of this and that. Back and forth from my keyboard to my laundry, dishes, cleaning and groceries.

The day started out with a nice surprise. My son Shawn, Emolyn's Daddy, is back to blogging again. He sent me a comment on my last post to let me know. Really, he is the funniest person I know. Check him out here.

First off, I gotta be honest with you. I miss putzing. Meaning... I miss "engaging in inconsequential or unproductive activities". Ya, I miss doing unproductive activities! Ever since I went back to work last summer, I don't do those mindless activities that I so loved doing.
Such as...
- digging through drawers and closets
- digging in the dirt
- uncovering hidden treasures in my garage
- flipping through magazines (I still have tons of magazines in their plastic bags! Shame on me!)
- rearranging my Pyrex collection
- reading old journals
- color-coding cans of 'oops' paint (I'm just being funny... well, sorta)
- checking the expiration dates on canned goods (ya, had to throw out a huge garbage bag full)
- weeding out, purging, down-sizing, etc. (never ending)

Oooh, another sweet surprise. Emolyn's Mommy just called to give me the latest on our little Miss Emolyn. Oh, we sure love that little girl! I can't wait to see her tomorrow. We're bringing them dinner. And taking lots of pics.

Gotta head out to get groceries. Maybe do a little 'drive-by thrifting'. See, if something doesn't catch my eye as I drive by, then I just drive by. Here's an exception to the rule. If alot of things at a yard sale are still in boxes, I will for sure stop. Why? you ask. Because most people don't take the time to go through boxes. And my favorite finds are always buried in boxes. You have to read this post... one of my favorite thrift stories that I blogged about, back when I first started blogging. About bowls. My lovely McCoy bowls.

Hey, I'll be back if I uncovered a treasure I couldn't live without.

Emolyn's First Easter

Here she is! Our little lamb. Emolyn Kate on Easter morning. Isn't she a doll! And guess what? She's coming home tomorrow and her Mommy & Daddy can hardly wait! We are all so thrilled and grateful that she is so healthy and ready to come home! (oh and she is only 3 lbs. 9 ounces! Yikes!)
Take a look at her designer Easter dress! Yup, special thanks to Lynette for sewing Emolyn the sweetest little preemie dress ever! Wouldn't it be so cool to have it preserved in a shadow box along with other sweet mementoes from her first month of life. Mmm...
And now, I just have to thank you all for praying for little Emolyn Kate. I am humbled by your love and concern. Thank you so very much!

weekend highlights

Saturday night we went to Peter Piper Pizza for Tyler's 19th birthday celebration. What a fun place! We played lots of games, ate lots of pizza and snapped lots of pics! Randy and I had more fun watching our kids gettin all wild and crazy like little kids. They never had birthday parties at places like this when they were growing up, so I believe they were making up for lost time!

Miranda and Nicole competing in a friendly game of Skee Ball.


Shawn cheering on Zac and Tyler!








Tyler hit several Jack Pots in a row so needless to say, gathering up all his tickets became quite the group effort.






Tyler holding his coveted prize with his best friend Zac. Tyler and Zac have been best friends since birth! We love him and his dear family like family!

Earlier in the day I hosted a Pampered Chef party, with my daughter Miranda as the consultant. She was awesome! She made these delicious baked won ton cups with yummy yogart & cool whip mixed together, with fruit and a dusting of powdered sugar on top.
After the pizza party we came back to the house to devour these beauties and watch the SUNS beat the Rockets! GO SUNS!

Easter was wonderful as always. My husband and Miranda sang at all three services and I worked in the nursery and helped back stage with the baptisms. We were so exhausted the rest of the day.
But then, we watched "Enchanted". Let me tell you, THE. BEST. MOVIE. Seriously, I loved it sooo much... so romantic, so magical, so brilliantly done... the way they honor and highlight all my favorite Disney animated movies in this movie. Oh my gosh, I was a mess! Ok, you remember how you felt watching that ballroom scene in "Beauty and the Beast" (I cried and cried)... well, the ballroom scene in "Enchanted"... I sobbed!
Made me want to watch all those Disney movies again... like this week... and then watch "Enchanted" again. Like seriously.