Pictures for my family

Bottling up a scent

Tomorrow I am taking off early from work and going to pick up my sister and nephew and head up home to spend the evening and Saturday with our family. We 5 grandkids are getting together at our grandparents home to go through all of their stuff and see if we would like anything.

Hubby and I drove up there this past Sunday to pick up one item and while my dad and hubby were golfing I went through some of the items my mom had already brought home. I sat on their dining room floor and just wanted to bottle up the smell. My grandparents and their home had a smell...I can't describe it...but I told my mom I wish I could bottle it up....if I could I would and take stock in it. It's a comforting scent....like they are still here with me.

I just finished reading my sister's blog...and she hit it right on the nose as to what I was thinking and feeling. Hmmmm...maybe we are related. heehee!

I am really looking forward to this trip. I want to take in as many memories as I can and store them away. I want to enjoy reminiscing and visiting with my cousins and aunt. My grandparents will be right there with us and smiling down at us as they loved when we all got together. The chatter of us grandkids always brought such a happy glow to grandma's face. I know that we will all be smiling on Saturday.

Ready for Fall

Yesterday after work I ran by Hobby Lobby (uh…..one of my favorite stores). They had Christmas décor up and all their fall décor was on sale! Oh it was SO HARD to resist buying any of the items! I was so tempted….but think I will wait a bit longer…..such CUTE stuff though! I just could stay in that store forever!

It has been such a mild summer here….it is hard to believe that fall is just around the corner…but I must say….I am now getting excited. I love FALL!!! Do you all have a favorite season? Let me give you my bullet points on why I love fall so much!

-Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Creamy Caramel hand soap and candles from BBW
-The colors of the leaves on the trees and all the décor for fall- I love fall colors!
-FOOTBALL
-Cool days and evenings….Sweatshirt weather
-Homemade chili brewing….YUM!
-Pumpkin pie and caramel apples
-Thanksgiving
-The anticipation of Christmas
Just a few of my favorites!

Yesterday I also bought a new CD…which I rarely do as most of the time I just buy the music and download on my computer….but this one I just had to have. To some of you I am sure the name will not be familiar…but for those of you who are into Christian music artists, Selah’s new CD came out yesterday. Oh my goodness…let me tell you…I am moved…it is the best! Todd Smith is one of the members of the group and his wife, Angie, has a blog and I enjoy reading it. Their story is amazing and this CD is truly inspirational. I was needing a bit of a pick me up yesterday as feeling under the weather can tend to do that….and when I got home…I just plugged the CD into our Bose System…and blasted it through the house….their voices are amazing….I can’t even put into words how I feel about this CD. I am now ready to go see them in concert…that is how much I love it!

If there is one thing about me you may not know is that I love listening to music…but especially Christian artists. I don’t know how I ever got hooked…I think it is probably due to my Dad and Mom. Music was always in our life growing up. I took piano lessons when I was younger and I also played the clarinet. Did you know that?? My Dad was the choir director at the church for many years and I can remember him listening to tapes of music for cantatas and my Mom plays the piano at church. Maybe that had something to do with it..not sure…but there is rarely a time that I go without having music playing at work, in the car and at home.
In fact…I am off to listen to some great tunes now. Enjoy your day!

Battling the pantry

If any of you follow my sister's blog, you have read then that when she gets in her cleaning mode....there is no stopping her till she is done.

I too can get like this....and this past Saturday was one of those times. I have had my eye on our pantry...for quite awhile now....it was driving me CRAZY! Hubby came home from the gym Saturday morning and said he was going to go "shooting" with his buddies....so I thought it was a perfect time to tear into the pantry!

One of my goals was to remove some of the clutter that was on my kitchen counters...there is no reason I should have things sitting out as I have enough room between our pantry and cabinet space. So...here are a few before and afters of the pantry...I can tell a difference...can you?

Before.....I took everything out and started over.
Look at all this crap! How did I find anything???

AHHH....and after.....look...I even have space!

Looks so much better...and each time I go in....it calms me....now the next goal is our bathroom drawers!

On another note, I am beginning to think that my sinus problems have not been my allergies...I think I have been knocked down by a cold. It has gotten the best of me....and there are three other people around me at work with the same symptoms. What a bummer. The good part is that I have been sleeping good at night....and I am showing signs of improvement today. Thank goodness! I am ready to feel like my old self again....it's no fun blowing my nose every 2 seconds.

Hubby and I are anxiously awaiting Labor Day weekend as our plans have changed...yet again. "Y" will be arriving on that Friday evening and spending 9 days with us. We are excited to have him in our home and look forward to golfing, watching some baseball, and just hanging out as a family.

I hope to update more recipes tonight....I have been trying all kinds of chicken recipes! Hubby is on a chicken and fish kick...so coming up with different ideas of cooking it has been interesting. Some of the recipes have been absolutely delicious!

Handbags are also going well...I have sold a handful....thanks to those of you who have made a purchase! I hope you enjoy them!

Until later...

Allergies

I have been trying to survive a major attack of allergies today.....it actually started on Friday...and has come and gone since then...but this evening it is hitting me hard. I am all drugged up...and can't stop sneezing or blowing my nose. If I step outside I am a complete mess....Hubby arrived home this evening and his nose is raw. Oh we are both quite the pair this evening.

I had hoped to update more on here tonight...but really can't with tissues in hand.....off to blow my nose again.

Hoping your evenings are going better than ours.

Repeat after me

I tried downloading the longer version....but it is tooo long...so we'll see if this will work.

Hanging out

Last night I got to hang out with somebody special.....it was our turn to just hang out and have some fun. Boy! Did we ever! While mommy and daddy hosted bible study, we hung out in the basement watching Jonah (veggie tales' version). We sang and danced....and just had a grand ole' time. I also got a great video of him....but it seems to be taking forever to post here at work...so will have to try and add it tonight.

I did get my share of pics in though....my little "I" is growing so fast.

Framing

Well...if you have kept up with my Anna Phyllis blog you will see that things have not gone as planned this weekend.

The main thing today that I took up time was...2 trips to Lowe's and making some lunch/dinner for hubby's friend who was at our house all day helping frame our new bathroom in the basement.

Hubby wanted help framing the bathroom and then he is going to frame the rest of the basement on his own...so far...so good! Wanted to share some photos with you of what has occupied my day.

Below is the look from coming down the stairs.

Check out the new bathroom......
And the storage room that will be hidden behind the bathroom! I can't believe I fit everything into that area!

The bathroom is going to be a great size...plenty of room for a tub and shower, sink, toilet and room for storage! The view from the corner by the bathroom....this is going to be one huge "man" room. A large movie room with bar in the back corner.

That's all I have to share tonight....I am a bit frustrated that my "planned" weekend didn't go quite as planned....but it's okay....tomorrow is another day!

I did it!

I now have handbags for sale on etsy! To be quite honest....I am exhausted...this day has not gone as planned and if I had the energy I would write more about it.

However, I am living on about 3 hours of sleep.....and am ready to get some good sleep.

I will be adding more of the handbags to etsy tomorrow. The plan is to be home all day. YEA! I should be able to get all caught up then.

Until tomorrow..

Signature

So....noticed anything new to the site? I added my own "Auntie D" signature. Pretty cool, huh! One of the blogs I read is www.kevinandamanda.com. I love all the great tips she has and all of the recipes she has are wonderful! If you have a blog and want to know how to add your own signature be sure and check it out! Amanda is so creative!

I am exhausted. It has been a very busy week at work and home.....I am working hard on my handbags and am excited to share with you all my creations.

What I am most excited about is that Hubby and I have a spa afternoon scheduled this Saturday! I CAN'T WAIT! We had planned on going right after our birthdays and had to cancel and try and reschedule....well the time has finally come and I am really looking forward to it! I am getting a facial and he is actually getting a couple of things. I plan on doing a little shopping while he is finishing up....of course! I will explain more about that later.

We have also planned a short trip over Labor Day Weekend to get away...just the two of us. I am so looking forward to that!

A thousand things are going through my mind right now...I had better get off the computer...I am behind on my emails and trying to keep everything up to date....and I need some sleep....my bed is calling my name.

Sleep tight!

I think I got it

Just the way I want it to look...(for now anyways) LOL! I hope you all can see it...the real test will be when I get to work tomorrow to see if it appears!

I have been busy with handbags all weekend and just made some yummy chocolate chip banana muffins (recipe is on my recipe blog). SO YUMMY! I am making extra as we love having them in the freezer for a quick snack!

It is SO HOT out there today...but I think that Bella and I are going to try and take a walk in about an hour....we'll see how long we last.

It's been a really nice and relaxing day.....and I want it to last as long as possible!

Out to the heat~

AGAIN

As you can see....I am trying to change my blog look AGAIN. It was driving me crazy that when I am at work I cannot see the design because of the outdated Internet Explorer my company has...so I am trying to find something that works for EVERYONE. So yes....I will be working on this blog as well as my others to see what I can come up with this weekend.

Hubby is on his way home from the gym and I am not sure what else we have planned for the weekend. Who am I kidding? I am going to be SEWING! LOL! I am not sure what he has planned.

I ran to starbucks this morning to grab me some yummy java and homemade sausage breakfast burritos are waiting to be gobbled up. There is a model home in the area that is selling all of the furniture and accessories in the home...so I made head there in a bit to see what they have left.

Other than that...we will probably just try and stay cool. Sounds like it will be a hot one today! My stash that I had frozen of extra banana bread and chocolate chip pumpkin muffins have run out...and hubby was wanting to know if I could make more...so sounds like I will be doing some baking as well.

I have been wanting to try and make homemade cinnamon rolls...as I have never tried them before...I have a recipe of my great aunt's that I would love to try. We'll see how busy our schedule gets.

Off to get ready for Saturday!

As promised

Please pardon the crazy hair I have! Hey...it was my day off....so I was not looking too hot! But loved my Little "I" fix I got yesterday!

Feeding his horse....very important!

Mental Health Day

Today I took a day off....you could call it....a Mental Health Day...everyone should take one every now and then!

I just wanted to get some stuff done around the house, spend some quiet time, work on handbags, have lunch with my sissie and nephew, organize our storage area in the basement, make a little money (sold my Coach handbag to a lady who was interested in it!) and take a walk. Well...I have done just about all of that! I am still working on handbags...but everything else I have accomplished! Plus, I am making some yummy shrimp casserole for dinner! (on the recipe blog if you want to know more about it)

It's been a good day......I feel like I can make it throught tomorrow at work and then be ready for the weekend! Yea!

Kid, Little "I" and I had lunch at First Watch! SO GOOD! We ran to Target and got to just hang out for a while....always good to see them both. Little "I" is quite amazing...I must say....such a little boy....no more baby in him....and it amazes me to watch him discover everything! I still get my kisses from him though....which is just....(sigh) PRECIOUS.

I took a couple of photos...but have yet to download them to my computer...will try and put them on later.....time for some dinner!

Enjoy your evenings!

It's a start

When I began this blog I wanted it to be similar to a daily journal of what is going on in my life. My Grandma B always kept a journal and I look forward to reading them and remember all that happened years back. I know that nowadays you can get your blog printed out and put in a binder of some sort....perhaps that is what I will do one day.

Obviously, a lot has been going on in my life and I thought I would share a bit. I am trying to begin my own business and be successful at it and I am really excited about it, but bummed that I just can't find enough time in the day with working a full time job. Perhaps, one day it can be my full time job! Either way, it just helps me relax and makes me happy so that is a good thing!

I have found a church that I have really enjoyed going to. It is a smaller congregation than I am use to, but it feels like home. I am excited to become more active and involved! I hope to volunteer in some aspect, but am undecided at this point what direction I want to go. This is such an answer to prayer!

For those of you who have been keeping up on my blog....you know the topic of having a child of my own is a tough subject. (for reasons I have explained before). However, I have something to share that is in the beginning stages....but would like to ask all of our family and friends near and far to be in prayer about for us.

After many long talks with hubby over the past month, we are in the beginning stages of looking into adoption. I don't know where God will lead us with this, but we are both interested in adopting a young child between the ages of 3-5. I am not sure even where to begin, but I do have a couple of people I am planning on contacting who have gone through this process. You might ask why not try and have a child of our own? To be honest, I am not sure that I can and I have not been to the doctor to find out. However, I am not willing to take any kinds of medicine to try and help the process. And Hubby and I both feel that there are so many children out there who need a home and family to love them that we would like to offer that to a child. So...it's a start for us...we both agree....we'll see what happens.

So there you have it...what is going on with me.

Off to post some recipes! Check out the Anna Phyllis blog too! I have done some updating there as well!

Enjoy your day!

Broken cord

Yes. That is my excuse for not blogging. My laptop adapter cord has been broken and I couldn't charge my laptop and was to busy to sit down upstairs in the craftroom to blog. One of the reasons we got the laptop is to that I could sit around with Hubby and work on the computer while he watches his shows. Without a laptop, I spent time doing other things this weekend.

I ran to Best Buy tonight and bought a new cord...so I am back in business. Boy was it pricey!

This weekend was busy. Friday evening I prepared for the garage sale on Saturday. Saturday morning the garage sale was a success. We got rid of Hubby's two recliners and several other items. I have a pile of stuff to go to Goodwill and feel good that it is over.

My parents came down Saturday evening and we went out to dinner at my favorite place....The Corner Cafe. Oh it was so GOOD. I just can't say enough about that place...I have yet to have anything horrible there. It was great to spend some time with my parents. I miss them and feel like we don't get to see each other enough...it was relaxing and I enjoyed every minute!

Sunday, Hubby and I spent the day around the house doing yardwork, laundry, and cleaning. Never a dull moment!

Now it's back to work this week.

I have been busy cutting fabric and putting new styles of bags together....I am a little behind in posting updates....but promise I will get it all done this week!!

Have a good night!