I'm blessed! I'm blessed! I'm blessed!

Our daughter and two grandchildren are coming tomorrow! I still haven't given the house a once-over or even bought many of my groceries. I've much to do and not a lot of time to do it in.

We won't have our Thanksgiving dinner until Friday afternoon. The other kids have to honor their wives by having dinner with their families so we put it off a day. No big deal - actually gives me more time.

I've made my menu already. We are having
Turkey
Dressing
Ham
Cranberry sauce
Sweet Potatoes
Layered Salad
Rolls/butter
Chocolate sheet cake
Pumpkin Pie
Cranberry Trifle
Cheesecake
Banana/blueberry bread
Tea/coffee

That should definitely fill everyone up! I've got to make my cornbread tomorrow, cook my cranberries, make my pumpkin pies, and my breads.
The turkey is thawing in the fridge, the sweet potatoes will be made on Thursday and the other desserts. We'll put the turkey in the oven early on Friday morning when I put out the rolls to rise. The dressing I make in my large crockpot and it takes about 5 hours so I'll turn it on early Friday morning also.

My house is all decorated and the table is set. I expect about 13 people in all. All the kids will be here except one. I'm looking forward to good food and lots of fun conversation! We always sit around and talk about good times together while we laugh and watch the kids play. Can't wait! My husband will get us all around the table holding hands while we say grace and thank our Heavenly Father for all our many blessings.

Thanksgiving is the only holiday that isn't comercialized to death! They aren't trying to sell you things. It's just a good day to remember our many blessings and be thankful. We should have more than one of these a year! I hope everyone will have a good meal to eat that day and be with someone to celebrate. If I knew a soldier that didn't have any family, I'd invite them.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! God's blessings on all of you!

I'm still here!

All is well with me. Just been really busy! I promise to post real soon. I have lots of things to write about. Just need to find the time.

Sharing our courtyard with you....

I am sharing pictures of our beautiful courtyard with you because I am feeling a little bit nostalgic tonight! This was in a house that we previously lived in for 16 years! I don't believe that I have ever loved a house more than this one! Before we started on this makeover, the courtyard was covered in ground cover for years! We couldn't even use it, just walk past it every single day. From the day we moved in, I had plans to do this. Have you ever put off doing a project for years because of finances? We did for 13 years!

This picture is of the waterfall next to the front deck. It ran under the deck and you had to walk across it. The 'leaning flowerpots' are made with a rod that runs through the hole in the bottom of the pots. I picked it up in Canton, Texas.

This pic is of the side of the courtyard. There were three gates that went into it. My Mother bought me that sundial at Sam's Club for my birthday. It was exactly what I wanted. Over the years it had turned sort of verdegris patina. I love it!

This is a shot farther back showing one of our side entrances. It used to have a narrow deck going up to the door. I like it so much better now!

This is the right side of the pond and deck leading up to the front door. My copper flamingo came from Target.

My wrought iron plantstand came from Target. Several people commented that they would have bought it if they had seen it first! The concrete planter came from Wal-Mart. I fell in love with it so my husband bought it for me for Mother's Day.

I had been collecting furniture and things for years. I had this future courtyard in mind everytime I would buy something.

This waterfall gave off the most lovely sounds! It was almost like music listening to it! The little fisherman, my husband bought off the side of the road one day coming home from the First Monday in Canton, Texas! I gave him the hat and fishing pole. I used to put an American flag in his hands during the patriotic holidays.

A view of some of our goldfish. They would come right up to us to feed~

Well, every now and then I like to look back and appreciate what we had and what we worked so hard for. I still have all that furniture and accessories but I can never make it look that good again!

I posted this on Rate My Space tonight also. I guess I just wanted to share it with others. I was so proud of it! It gave us many happy memories.

Rhoda, at Southern Hospitality, is having a Garden Party so I joined in it today. Go over there to see some awesome gardens and flowers!

I've become a Blogaholic!!!

I'm not kidding!! I LOVE BLOGS!!! I honestly think I'm a better person because of reading blogs. In fact, I read them so often that I forget to post! I'm also a copykat. I copy things that I see all the time from other blogs. The first thing I ever made was this ragamuffin garland for my grandbabies room. I hung some of her little shoes on it. Lots of comments from people when they see it! I copied this idea from Nesting Place.




I made this picture frame and a silhouette also after seeing it posted on another blog. I also bought the frame from Dollar Tree, used my scrapbook paper and a cheap pearl necklace that I found. See, I'm also learning to be frugal!

Another time, I also fell in love with a sign I saw. It just spoke to me so I decided to make my own. It sits on my mantle and I get lots of comments on it.


Forgive me if I don't give credit from where I copied these ideas. I read so many blogs that I can't possibly remember where I saw it. If you notice one of your ideas on here, let me know and I'll be glad to give you credit. Imitation is the nicest form of flattery, you know!


The picture below is when I was making it. I'll have to take another pic of it on the mantle.

I got really enthused when I spotted this chalkboard plate. I made one that very day! It turned out fabulous and I use it daily. I love it!!! This idea came from Blogeritaville.

I'm telling ya, you blogging girls are special! You are so smart! I love reading about how other people live, about their lives, how they decorate, their families, how they cook, about their crafts. I have learned so much! I have copied so many pictures that my computer picture file is about to explode! I have bought things for so many new projects. Right now, I have projects to make a tassel, paper flowers, drop cloth curtains, paint a room with a decorative treatment on it, do a monogram, etc. I'll eventually get around to all of it because I am really pumped! I love doing these things! I have learned to shop more frugally. I have discovered the Goodwill and that we have three thrift stores right here in my town! I have made so many new recipes that my husband is in heaven!

I can't sing the praises of bloggers enough. I wish I had discovered this when I was a lot younger. I'm too old now to ever catch up with everything. Everyday it's like a new treat, getting online and reading new blogs. There are several I read daily but I always discover some new ones. I have hundreds saved in my favorites places. I'm hooked, pure and simple.

Just want to say thank you to everyone out there who blogs. When I am down, you lift me up. When I am bored, you give me something to do. When I am hungry, there's always a new recipe to try. In fact, my Christmas dinner was a complete hit because of all the recipes I tried. I got rave reviews! I am like an addict! I can't read enough! I am trying to wean myself however because my husband likes to get on the computer too! I usually spend a couple of hours a night on it when everyone is in bed. Round about midnight, I look at the clock and regretfully drag myself away from the computer. But, you can rest assured that I'll be back early the next morning. Like I said I'm an addict and a died in the wool Blogaholic!

I joined the party!

I am so excited! I just joined the party at Five Minutes for Mom! I am a really new blogger and this way I can meet lots of new people. I lurk now more than I blog. I am just amazed at how many blogs there are! I can't keep up with all of them! So many about cooking, children, decorating, etc. It's amazing!

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, new great-grandmother and now raising a baby again! I'm loving it, though. It keeps me young! I love to craft, decorate, cook, scrapbook, read, garden, watch hgtv, food network, etc. There's not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. I love to shop and decorate my home. I wish it were bigger so I could put everything I want to in it!

I'm hoping to meet lots of new people and explore new blogs. This is so exciting! I encourage everyone to go to Five Minutes for Mom and join.

If I win, my number one gift would be #89 a $100 gift certificate to Homegoods. #2, a $50 giftcard from Target, #21 a $50 giftcard from Target and anything else would be fine with me!

Accessorizing my master bedroom

You just wouldn't believe how busy my life has been here lately - with taking care of a one-year old and helping my Mother, who just turned 89, I've hardly had time to lurk, much less blog. I wanted to share with you pictures of the accessories in my master bedroom. I have just redone them and I think they turned out nice looking! I don't have pics of the befores - forgot to take them. I shopped my home and used what I had already bought!

This is my chest in my master bedroom. I put the mirrors on the floor beside it because I didn't want to store them in the garage with all my husbands things. I was afraid they wouldn't get the tlc that I would give them. Can anyone relate?

This iron basket with white hydrangea hangs over my bed. After I took the pic I discovered that one of the flowers was hanging down and needed fixing! Funny I didn't notice it before!

Two lovely pics that I paid more than I should have. I think I bought them at Ross but they were still pricey! I love the sepia tones in them.

This is my little vignette on top of my chest. We recently moved and I found myself with tons of mirrors so I just stacked them together and displayed them!

I bought this flower pot several years ago from Target. I went to Wal-Mart and found these white roses and just made a little arrangement in it. I thought it tuned out sort of "Martha-ish"!

This is a flower arrangement that I couldn't find anywhere else to put except in here. It really does look pretty reflected in these large floor mirrors.

Found these creamware (look alikes) from Marshalls. I thought they looked pretty all grouped together. I put pheasant feathers in the vase to match the color of my mirror.







I also have other things in there that I am still working on. I have the room done in beige and brown tones now but I'm hoping to change all that to beige and pale blue with white accessories. I'm looking for sheets, a dust ruffle, pillows, etc. now. I'll share more when I find them. I also have a large rug stored in the garage that I'd like to put under the bed but can't talk hubby into taking the bed apart yet to do that.







Well, that's what I've been up to. Suggestions would be welcome. I wish y'all could see all the beautiful pear trees blooming and the daffodills coming up. Spring is right around the corner and I'm already planning on which plants I want to purchase. Things are getting so high, I just hope I have enough money to get them all!

Learning to deal when life throws you curves!

This is McKayla, my sweet little great-grandaughter.




She and her Mother before they put the helmet on.




McKayla and the doctor during the fitting.





She was so in awe of what they were doing. She's never been this still!






Playing in her playpen yesterday.

I haven't blogged in awhile. Been busy with my great-grandaughter. We are her guardians right now and have had some health issues with her.

A few months ago, during a routine doctors visit, our great-grandaughter, McKayla was told that her head was deformed and would have to go visit a cranial doctor to see about care. They say that it is a result of the way she sleeps and she was also born with some of it. We were so upset! After several visits, they finally decided to put her in a helmet to help reshape her head. She will wear it from 4-6 months before it does it's job.

It's a booger to get on and take off because she's a little wiggle-worm and doesn't want to sit still. It's made of some sort of heavy-duty styrofoam and must be stretched to get on. She must be still or it will hurt her when we put it on. I can't do it without help from my husband. Someone must hold her while it gets put on.

She's such a little trooper! She hardly notices that she's wearing it. It is sort of light-weight. We haven't taken her out in public wearing it yet but I imagine that at church in the morning, we'll be surrounded by people wanting to know ' why and what for'. She only had it on for a few minutes when she reached up and unlached it from her head. The doctor had to attach a long strap to it so she couldn't release it. She's pretty smart! She'll have her first birthday in Feb. I imagine we'll be taking it off for pictures on that day.

Right now, we're on a "break-in" schedule. First day, she wears it for 1/2 hour on and one hour off, second day 1 hour on and 1 off, third day 2 hours on and one off. It doubles everyday tills he is wearing it for 23 hours daily! She even has to nap and sleep in it. It only comes off for baths! It is pretty tight on her head. I'd probably be complaining all over the place if I had to wear one but she's doing really well so far. I'm proud of her.

Being an old softie, I have cried when I see her wearing it. It hides most of her face. I miss patting that little head and rubbing noses with her! I miss her head on my pillow and brushing her hair. I know it could be so much worse but this is a lot to deal with here too!

The doctor warned us that she could damage us while wearing it! If she slams it into our heads, or 'head-butts' us, we could get hurt so we have to learn to carry her below our head line. She also loves to sit and rock hard while in our lap. He said she could damage our chest bones if she hits us hard so now we have to hold her sideways. It's a lot to learn and all but I'm sure we'll get used to it all.

Love on your kids and grandkids and enjoy them. There are so many who have sicknessses. Thank the Lord if you don't have any. She's truly the joy of our life. She has brought us so many blessings. I thank the Lord daily for bringing her into our lives.