Monday, April 16, 2012

Feeling somewhat introspective today....
(Honey/Hubs, if you're ready this I know your frustration with big words.  Dictionary.com defines introspective:  to practice introspection; consider one's own internal state or feelings; to look into or examine one's own feelings) ... love ya... mean it!!  I realize this is possibly foreign to someone of the male persuasion.  So, bear with me.

You ever feel a little knocked down, defeated and beat up?  These last 3 months have left me a little "beat-up", if you will.  In February I watched my grandpa take his last breath here on earth.  I can't even tell you the role this man played in me and my family's life.  He is irreplaceable and I miss him daily.  It breaks my heart to watch my grandma grieve for the man she spent 65 years loving.

In March I had an unexpected surgery.  In two days I will have a major surgery to correct the complications from a previous procedure.  Whewwww!

Remember Lord that my daughters getting married in 4 1/2 months???  This gal needs a little break!!!!!

May is absolutely my FAVORITE time of the year.  Not only because it is "Birthday Month" but my biggest excitement is the Kentucky Derby!!!!  (For those of you who live under a rock, the Derby is a horse race)  I have been watching it since I was ... ummm....  I believe 9. Thats a loooong time!!  I love to make Mint Juleps and watch every little detail of the horses to run, the owners, the trainers and the jockeys.  I love to see the pomp and circumstance fill the stands.  I love to watch the ladies in their fancy, schmancy hats.  I just love EVERYTHING about it.
Untitled #11
This is what I'm wearing to the Derby this year.... my Virtual Derby Attendance.

Good day, friends!

Friday, March 30, 2012

For The Easter Parade

Friday, January 20, 2012

Wedding Planner/Organizer... Every Bride Needs One.

I know EVERY single one of you are sitting on the edge of you virtual seats with anticipation of how the wedding plans are proceeding.  I hafta say it is crazy fun!!!!  I absolutely LOVE to plan something that requires so much creativity AND opportunity to decorate!!!  My love language:  Decorate!

When the daughter's boyfriend made the telephone call to my husband asking to meet with us my husband knew right away what he wanted.  Me, on the other hand, thought he wanted to buy our old pick-up truck we were going to be selling.  I had no idea...

From that second on, I have been "pinning" ideas on Pinterest and endlessly searching online, and anywhere else I can, to gather wedding ideas.  I am careful to just "suggest" ideas and not be too insistent.  (So far, I'm doing ok with that plan)

I put together this planner to present to my daughter at the engagement party.  It was so much fun to make! I'm not a scrapbooker.  I really despise that kinda thing.  But, I had a lot of fun with this project.


I purchased this three-ring binder at my local Target.  I girlied-it-up with some blingy stickers from the scrapbook department at Hobby Lobby and Archivers.
I DO... (now what...??  lol)
I downloaded a free planning guide from pashweddings.com.  I included page protectors for each sheet, dividers with pockets for business cards, receipts etc.  I "blinged-up" each divider with stick on rhinestones etc.  

Here are a few other pix of the party table:


The large white tub was used to hold sodas. 

I can't wait to share more details with you all!  I know....!!!!  You're biting your nails with excitement ;)  

It's January in the Midwest!!!  What else do I have to do?!?!  It's like 12 degrees here and all I want to do is hibernate until the temperatures reach 65 degrees and the sun is shining.  (This could be hazardous to my health, I'm quite certain)  This routine of eating, sleeping and movie watching is sure to impact my waistline.  Probably not a good idea since I have already purchased my Mother-of-the-Bride dress.  Which, by the way, I did in less than 5 minutes thanks to Nordstroms and the girlfriend.  Praise be to God!!!

Until it gets warm... I'm re-doing something.  I just don't know what that is yet.  

Hunker down, my friends.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Good Ole Days??

Another Christmas for the books.  2011 has been a year of changes in our household.  Some happy, some sad.

It was soo good to have my family under one roof this Christmas.  I will cherish those times, Lord.  I promise!!

I was feeling a bit nostalgic when I ran across this in my local Target parking lot:

You may be wondering why....???
Well, in probably 1979, my family drove across the US in a car JUST LIKE this... a brand new, burnt orange Thunderbird.   My mom, dad, brother, 70 yr. old grandpa and myself saddled up our "horses" and drove out to the Wild West.  Can you even imagine doing that today!!!????  I can't!!!  Three adults, an eleven year old and an eight year old!!  What the heck were my parents smokin'??
Ok, grant it, this car is the size of an army tank but not so roomy on the inside.
I can't even believe I survived this trip.  The only thing I remember is that my mom kept me heavily sedated on dramamine.  And for that, I thank her.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Wedding Planning and Caramel Making

Well, hellllooo!  I dropped off of the face of the earth for about 6 weeks but I have found my way back to my computer and have a LOT of "randomness" to spill.  Betcha glad, huh? *wink, wink*

First off, my daughter got engaged on November 18!!!!
I'm certainly, positively, without-a-doubt NOT succumbing to the pressure of a two-piece-accordion-pleated-sequin-laden-mother-of-the-bride-suit!!!  That being said, I can't tell you how excited I am to have a new career as a wedding planner for the next 8 months.  Now THAT fits me perfectly!!!
I will try to chronicle the planning so I can be reminded in about, say, July....that this was suppose to be FUN!!!
So far, so good!!
Church.  Check.  Reception venue.  Check.  Hair appointments booked.  Check.  (priorities!!)  Guest list refined and limited to only the people we like.  Check.  Save the Dates designed and printed.  Check.  Realized budget was needed.  Check(s).  Bridal party chosen.  Check.  Mother-of-the-bride dress ordered, received, tried-on and returned.  Check. Check and Check.
Yeah, that's about all this girl can handle and still have Christmas gifts for my family.  Check back for updates.  We are going to do this "thang" with all the penny-pinching one can muster up.
Here is my first tip for saving money:  Etsy has beee-U-tiful, graphic-designed invitations, as well as "save the dates",  that you can download and print off yourself.  Who knew!!!

I know better than to do what I am doing right now but, I am doing it anyway.....
I made caramels this week and they are soooo yummy I can't resist.  Give them a try!!!
They do literally take 6 minutes, therefore, the name.

Six Minute Caramels
Five ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Combine all ingredients
Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes
Stir and pour into lightly greased dish
Let Cool
Cut, wrap in wax paper.

Give them a try!!!  Super easy!!!

Hope you all enjoy this time with your family and have a blessed new year.