Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Happy Resurrection Day.

Happy Easter! I hope everyone is having a great day. It is a day to be happy about. I hope all who read this know the true meaning of Easter. 

A lot of people have spent this weekend shopping for new Spring outfits and Easter basket fillers. I was out there, I know. I bet many were so busy and wrapped up in getting things ready for Easter that they did not even notice how the weekend unfolded in light of the resurrection.

Good Friday it was dark and rainy- I couldn’t help but imagine this must of been what is was like on the day they hung Jesus on the cross to die for our sins.
Saturday- It continued to rain. It was cold and gloomy. I think this is how it must of been the day after. 
Then came Sunday- The rain was gone, the birds were singing and the sun came out. It was new day. HE IS RISEN. 

My daughter spent the weekend at home and we did some shopping, and went out to lunch. We also dyed eggs.

NEVERMIND- GOOGLE HAS LOST MY PHOTO. This has happened on several of my post lately. I Cant”t seem to find a reason or a backup



Sunday, we got up early for Sunrise service at church. Afterwards, we enjoyed a big southern breakfast that my mom and dad prepared for the church. 
Afterwards we came home and my daughter had an Easter basket waiting on her. My husband says shes to old for an Easter basket but this mom won’t give it up. Shes 31. It was filled with everything to top ice cream, along with ice creams spoons, cones, candy,  a scoop and a bowl. It was a cute theme and she enjoyed it. 
After a few hours, we headed back out to church for service. 

Later this afternoon, we will go to my mom and dads for Easter dinner that my Sister in law has prepared. She does this every year and we look forward to it. 

What are some of your Easter traditions?
Do you have a favor dish you make at Easter?
Do you do any special activities?











Mothers Day Corsage


To all past, present and future Mothers! I hope you have a happy Mothers Day. May your day be filled with love, happy thoughts and memories.


(Your not having deja vu, some of this is a repost but I wanted to share it again)


I remember when I was little, Mom would carefully lay out corsages for me and my sister and boutonniere's for my brothers that My Grandmother made. One by one, mom would pin our corsage to our Sunday outfit and to church we went. I hated it. I despised having to wear that big scratchy corsage that smelled like grandmaws basement! I was too young at the time to realize the reason of her making sure we all had a corsage to wear on Mother’s Day. 

The Mother’s Day corsage started in the 1800’s. Everyone wore one on Mother’s day. The corsage did not indicate that your were a mother, but rather that you are wearing something to honor your own mother. The flowers were usually made with an orchid, carnation or rose. The type of flower was not as important as the color. If your mom is living, you wore a red or pink flower. If your mom is deceased, you wore a white one. 

Sadly the tradition of the Mothers Day corsage has stopped. You will rarely see anyone wearing them anymore. I admit, I have not worn one in years. 



So, this Mothers Day, I have decided to make my own corsage to proudly wear over my heart in honor of my Mother.

I am who I am today because of her. She worked hard making sure all four of her children had everything we need. She showed us unconditional love but would also show us what a hickory stick was when we did wrong. She made sure we were in church every Sunday and raised us with Christian values that we still hold on too today. My mom is very pretty, smart, strong and always smells good. 
I made my mom laugh and cry. I have rebelled and hurt her feelings many times. I will always hold that guilt but I know she prayed and loved me through it all. That's what moms do. 

As a mom myself, I find and l learn new obstacles with my own daughter that make me think about the challenges and sacrifices my mom went through. Everyday, I am more thankful for the lessons she taught me and how much she has inspired me. Next to God, she is my foundation. 


My daughter is home this weekend to spend Mothers Day with me. Nick has to work so we plan to spend some Mother Daughter time together. We may do lunch somewhere and maybe try the new Açaí Bowl place uptown.
In the afternoon, the whole family will meet for dinner with our mom. It's going to be a mommy kind of day!!!!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Well it’s now three days after Christmas and I am just getting around to blogging. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. My favorite time was Christmas morning when I could slow down a couple hours and enjoy a cup of coffee and homemade sausage balls. 

After a couple hours of quiet time, my twenty nine year old daughter came running into the living room to see what Santa had brought. He indeed stopped by. She got almost everything she asked for. She also surprised me and Nick with a few gifts. She got me some little things she knew I had been wanting. 

Here are a few of my favorite things.

Turkish beach towel. These towels are thin and soft. They are absorbent and light. Turkish towels can also be used for a light blanket or scarf.  
I have also been wanting some silicone cupcake liners. I got both.


There was a sweater I seen on the internet that I had my eye on and she managed to get the exact sweater I wanted.

 

She also got me some slippers, make up brushes and make up. I was happy but all I really wanted and needed was her just being here at home with me.

Her boyfriend got me this nice oil defuser. I love it and it is so relaxing. 


Something else I got for Christmas was a future new Sister in Law. My brother in law preposed to his girlfriend on Christmas Morning. I have only met her a couple of times when I visited the beach this past Summer. She is a sweet girl and I wish them the best. 

Later my Mom and Dad stopped in for a visit and then we headed off to Nicks other brothers house for Christmas Dinner and watched some of the little ones play and open gifts. 

I even snuggled my Nephews bearded dragon. I think it liked me and I’m showing some guts here. I’d much rather be snuggling a puppy. 


I slept late on Sunday and that was nice except I missed church. Then my daughter left to go back to her place and I spent the rest of the day taking down Christmas decorations and cleaning the house. 

This coming weekend will be busy again. I will be doing my traditional New years dinner. Boy I’m tired!

What are some of the special moments you had this Christmas? 



Giving Thanks

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is here again already? I love Thanksgiving. I love the smell of food on the stove and in the oven. Me and Nick both have managed to get the day off after thinking we were going to have to work. Now I get to spend all day with my husband, daughter and family.

Thanksgiving is busy for us. I have my side of the family that cooks a meal, and then I have my husbands side of the family that cooks. Me and my husband cook a dish or two to share at each place. We always have to work around our schedule to enjoy the company of both sides. It can be stressful and filling! I get stuffed! Everyone has such wonderful food its hard to turn it away. 


I  hope everyone has a place to enjoy time with the people they love, to share stories with, to laugh with and just be thankful for what the Lord has given you and not worry about the things you do not have.

I hope every family can find a place around the table instead of scattered throughout the house watching TV.  I hope talks are full of laughter and not talks of politics, work, or of hard times.

Time with family is precious and does not need to be taken for granted. If you do not have a family, I hope you realize that you ARE the family and there are friends, churches and shelters that are full of people that will be thankful you come around to share time with.

I'm Thankful for..........

The stress of deciding where to have dinner first.
Because, this means I have family that wants to be together.

The cleaning and dusting, the lawn that needs mowed, and the things that need fixing.
Because, this means I have a home.

The clothes that are too tight.
Because, this means I have enough to eat.

All the complaining I hear about the government.
Because, this means we have freedom of speech.

The huge heating bill.
Because, this means I am warm.

The piles of laundry
Because, this means I have clothes to wear.

The birds outside singing.
Because, this means I can hear.

For the parking space I have to take at the far end of the parking lot.
Because, this means I am capable of walking.

For the alarm that goes off in the morning.
Because this means I have a job or church to go to.

For the sunshine.
Because this means God has given me another day.

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Sweet Stuff

My daughter came to stay with us this past weekend. Though she has her own little uptown studio apartment, she still likes to come home and sleep in “her room”. It was Fathers Day weekend too. When she came to the door, she was holding a cake in one hand and a pastry box in the other. 

It was Fathers Day weekend so she wanted to surprise her dad with a home made pound cake. 


This was her first time making a pound cake. She did a great job and it turned out delicious.

She could resist bringing me a little treat too. I have been wanting to try a “Cruffin” from a place near her apartment. Cruffins are croissants baked in a muffin tin and rolled in cinnamon and sugar.


This Cruffin is strawberry cheesecake flavored. It had a cream cheese and strawberry filling and topped with a strawberry. 
These things are out of this world. I may have to search how to make my own. Ya think?

We had a great Fathers Day. After my daughter spoiled her dad with cake and gifts, we headed off to church. My dad received the “Oldest Father” award this year. He had a good time accepting this award and made a couple funny comments. 

Later that afternoon we headed down to Belmont to Dad and Moms house. My brothers and sister were there and we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. We each brought something to make this dinner complete so Mom would not have to cook. Needless to say, she did end up making a blueberry dump cake and peach pie. Gotta love the sweet stuff. 


Over 50

I can officially say “I am now over 50”. I had my 51st birthday yesterday. It does not matter how many stay in orders, epidemics, and virus scares the world has throws at us, It still happened. We are all guaranteed a birthday every year as long as we live.

(Excuse the hair. I had just finished up a 3 miles walk.)

We normally go to the beach for my birthday, but under other the circumstances, we decided to wait. 
My daughter came home with a handful of goodies. Gifts in one hand and a Cannoli cake in the other. She also wanted it to be fun and brought birthday banners, and balloons. Later my daughter’s boyfriend came over and brought flowers and gave me a Hobby Lobby gift card. Isn’t that sweet?


My state still has a stay in order. Our Governor refuses to let things open up right now even though we have very low numbers of Covid19. 
Well, we didn’t let that ruin anymore plans. We piled in the car and drove about 6 miles into South Carolina where they are now allowing restaurants to have indoor seating at 50% capacity. 

We headed down to a little BBQ place out in the country called Courtney's and enjoyed a meal at the table. I will admit, it was a little weird walking in while cars were wrapped around the building for pick up orders. Once we were inside, there were only a few families there. We had to order at the register then find a seat. We sprayed our table down with hand sanitizer for extra precaution (per the boyfriend) and waited on our food. 



Things were a little different such as ketchup was in individual containers and drinks were in styrofoam cups. I like it that way though. I have always been skeptical to eating condiments that set on the tables for everyone to use from.

Afterwards, we came back to the house and had cake and ice cream while sitting outside. It was a nice evening and we sat there until dark. It was a nice birthday and I felt loved. 

Sometime before this month ends, my mom will be doing a big birthday dinner for my sister, brother, daddy and me. 
We all have a birthday in May......Good bye Diet.

Mothers Day #28

I have had 28 Mothers Days. My Mom has had 55 (before you do the math, I have an older brother).
Every year just seems to get sweeter and sweeter. I’m not sure if life gets better or the older I get the more sensitive I get. 

My daughter came to spend the weekend. I always look forward to that. She will come home again next weekend to celebrate my birthday. We got Mexican take out on Saturday night and then went for a walk in the neighborhood. On the way back from our walk, I stopped by an abandon house that was grown up with weeds. The yard was trimmed in knockout roses. I stole a few cuts to add to my table. I also had little Mothers Day pot holders for the moms in the family just for fun.


It was a good Sunday. We have been having drive through church services since the stay home order, but this Sunday we were back inside as usual. 
I am not sure if this was actually allowed in this phase of the pandemic but everyone kept their distance and plenty of hand sanitizer was available.
It was a good Sunday service as we celebrated the Moms.


Since we could not take mom out for Mothers Day, I decided to cook instead. I have been up since 7:00 this morning. I had 10 pounds of potatoes to peel and 38 chicken legs to skin for dinner (Chicken legs are about all we could find as the stores were low on meat). We also had macaroni and cheese and green beens. It was nice to see all of us together again and I think that made mom the most happy. 


My Mothers Day gift from my daughter was a gift certificate for a candle making class and a new shirt.
I love being a Mom and think I have the best daughter ever!

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! 

A Different Easter Sunday

This Easter Sunday was definitely different due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the meaning of this special day stayed the same.

We are still practicing social distancing and stay in orders, but my daughter wanted to come home for the weekend. Of course she can. I am a mother. She is my only child. I have Mom-ed through the flu, many strep throats, infections, viruses, scarlet fever, and chicken pops. I refuse to let covid-19 stop me now.

So she came home and we had a great time together as usual as we exercised, baked goodies and dyed eggs. 


My daughter woke up Easter morning to an Easter basket full of goodies, puzzles and little things she needed (shes 28 but when shes home, she 12 again). She also had us a little Easter basket full of snacks. 

After breakfast we got dressed and headed to church for Sunday service. 
It was not an ordinary service. It was a drive in service. Definitely different.


Everyone sat in their cars as the singers sang a few songs and the pastor preached a great service from the porch of a little house on the church grounds.


You could hear horns honk in place of the Amens you normally hear in the sanctuary on a normal Sunday. It was rather nice but sad that it has come to this alternative. I talked to my daddy and saw momma sitting in their vehicle.

This is me and my sister sitting beside each other. 


It looked like it was going to rain but the rain held off until the service ended. As soon as he dismissed everyone, the rain came down. . 

When we came home after church, we had a small Easter dinner complete with ham, potato salad and broccoli casserole.

Hope you all had a great Easter despite of the changes taken place and social distancing. 

Handling Social Distancing

I never thought I would live in a world where we would have to keep a 6 foot distance from people. But actually, I’m ok with that. I’m not real fond of people walking on my heels or breathing down my neck anyway. If I can hear you breathe or smell your cologne, then it’s to close for comfort for me. However, I never usually turn down a hug, no matter who it is.

Businesses are closing, so I feel so sorry for the employees. 
I know the feeling of panic setting in when there is no income. 
I know what it’s like to all of a sudden not to get up and go to a job you did for many years.
At least most people out of work can enjoy some time off, because they know they still have a job waiting for them when this crises ends. I on the other hand have lost hope in finding a job while this pandemic is going on. 

Restaurants are closed and only allowing curbside service or takeouts. We ended up with takeout Saturday night. This is still safe to do! Covid-19 is not found in foods. It attacks the respiratory system through contact with an infected person through cough, sneezes or droplets then touched on your face or in the air. 

If you get take out, make sure to tip them. It’s not the waitresses or cooks decision to close and they are all in this with us. 

Schools are closed leaving it up to the parents to home school their children. Some children are not safe at home. Some schools are closed for the rest of the year which interferes with sports and graduations. Keep the kids in mind. They are struggling and stressed like everyone else. As far as I know, teachers will continue to get paid. 

Churches are closing. I had to listen to my pastor give his sermon through facebook live. 


It was nice, but not the same. If your church is closed, remember churches still need tithes to keep the bills paid. We have drop off times at our church for those that wish to give or mail it in. 

We went to the grocery store today for our weekly shopping. There was no one hardly shopping and the shelves were bare. No bread, eggs, or milk.
Toilet paper was still gone but luckily we have enough to get us by a few weeks or so. As I turned the corner and saw more bare and broken shelves, I almost lost it and my eye filled with tears. It was so sad how life can change so quickly. There was not even any dry beans left, and what is Lentils?


We got enough foods to get us through a week or so. Hopefully we can go down to the beach soon, so we do not need to stock up too much. 
It’s not really all that bad around here, It’s just different. 

The good thing about this social distancing thing is that families might now eat together around the table. Parents can teach their children new things around the house like cooking, creating, cleaning and yard work. Dads can show their kids how to change the oil in a car or change a tire. 
Makes me think of the olden days. We are just back to the simple life for now and that’s not such a bad thing.

Hope everyone reading this is doing ok and you all are in my prayers!

My Christmas Run Down

Wow, I am just now settling down to catch a breath after a busy Christmas. My daughter came in on Monday and left today. We did a lot of cooking and baking.

A few weeks ago I found this little cookie cutter at a thrift store. It was still in the box and had a sugar cookie recipe attached.

Since I was looking for a good sugar cookie recipe, I was tickled to find this little charm. Face it, we all need cookie cutters in the house. Could you imagine how happy the world would be if everyone baked cookies at the same time? Think about that.

We wanted to make colorful Christmas cookies like you see in pictures. I have never been good at making homemade icing, much less, cookie icing. 
After searching around on Pinterest, we found the perfect cookie icing and began mixing. After a couple hours, we had a batch of cookies. We boxed them up and handed them out to neighbors. Don’t worry, we kept a small batch. 


The cookies were easy to make and the icing was easy to make. Applying the icing to the cookies was another story. I do not think I want to ever frost a cookie again in my life. We had a bigger mess than a kindergarten class on craft day.

We also made sausage balls for breakfast. I made them this time using pimiento cheese instead of the usual sharp shredded cheese. They were delicious. 

Christmas Eve we headed to my Mom and Dads for family time, food and more sweets. Mom always makes a fruit cake. It is a favorite and we all make sure to take a piece home when we leave. I mean, just look at all that fruit and nut goodness.


My daughter and I wore matching pajamas to mom and dads Christmas eve and made everyone laugh. 


It was fun and it just sorta gave us that childhood feeling again. 

Christmas morning, we enjoyed watching our girl open her gifts. It’s just like when she was little. She will run down the hall and into the living room to see what Santa brought. He was able to get everything on her list this year. I will miss Christmas mornings like this when she gets married one day and starts her own family and traditions. Until them, I will suck up ever moment. Did I mention shes 28? 

Now It’s the day after Christmas. Our daughter has already left to go back to her uptown apartment and we spent the evening taking down the Christmas tree and all the decorations.We are quick to do this so we can get the house back in order in time for our New Years feast we prepare each year for all the family.

Do you take your Christmas decorations down early or leave them up until January?




Belated Thanksgiving

I just realized I didn’t make a Thanksgiving post. Heck, I’m behind on any kind of post actually.  It’s just been a little crazy around here.

So with that being said, “I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving.

My daughter came in to spend the whole weekend with us. She loves going to bed and waking up in “her room” on holidays. Thanksgiving morning is usually filled with the aroma of a hot breakfast waiting for her. Not this time.
She wanted to do a 5K Turkey run at 8:00 in the morning in Belmont. I decided last minute to join in. Since we have never ran a 5k together, I figured this would be the perfect mother/daughter work out.

Proceeds went to the “Catherine's house”. Catherine's House serves women and children facing homelessness due to a variety of circumstances such as: domestic violence, un/underemployment, the shortage of affordable housing, unexpected tragedies, and the lack of a support network. 


I ate a Nutrisystem Cinnamon Roll. She ate a banana. Then we threw on our running gear and headed out the door. We ended up with a good parking spot and made it to the registration tent ahead of time. There I ran into a couple friends and we all were hyped up to run. 
Well, they were. I was not prepared to run 3 miles but I pushed through and finished. Unfortunately, I did not finish in my record time. I was behind by two minutes. I can’t run the whole time, so I walk some and run some. If I had only ran for three more minutes, I would have beat my time. My daughter on the other hand beat her goal time and was 10 minutes ahead of me. It was fun and its always a proud feeling when you cross that finish line. 

Lucky for me, I didn’t have to cook anything for Thanksgiving dinner. I made a cranberry salad to take to Moms. She always has a big Thanksgiving feast and everyone brings a dish on top of that. We had plenty and lots of left overs. 
Later that evening, we had dinner number two at my brother in laws.

Here are two brothers working in the kitchen. 


I over ate that day and stayed in a Turkey coma all weekend. 

Now its time to start a fresh week.



Birthday Girl

Today my Daughter turned 28 years old. Oh my! Just how did this happen? Feels like just yesterday when I was carrying home a 7 lbs bundle of joy dressed in blue lace and ribbons.

We are very proud of how she has matured into a beautiful and smart lady.
She has always been a good child. We have had our yelling spats and made each other cry but all and all she was an easy one to raise. I always wanted a little boy but I'm glad God chose me to have a little girl instead. She is a lot like me and we are best friends. She has never been that teenager that didn't want to be around her mom and dad. At times she would rather sit around the table with us for dinner or go shopping rather than go out with her friends. She went on every vacation with us until just a couple years ago. But she still somehow shows up and that's ok.

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She always made good grades, went to church and finished college. Shes a country girl living on her own in the city as a successful business woman. She still drives the little car her dad got for her and made her pay it off. She is proud of that and so are we. She seems to be conservative like us. She doesn't spend her money on expensive things but she does spend a lot on her hair and shoes. But hey, that's just a girl thing. 


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So later today, we will be meeting up with friends and family for dinner. She picked a place in Belmont called Nellie's. The Jonas Brothers started this place with the inspiration of their grandmother. I heard they have some good Southern Cooking. We have never been there but I'm sure we will all enjoy it especially if there is cake.






Somewhere on the beach

"Somewhere on the beach" was my slogan last week while on vacation.

I think this was one of the best weeks we had at the beach in a long time. When we first arrived, we met up with some friends on the sand. It was suppose to be a couple we met last year and could hardly wait to see them again this year. Sadly there was only one. He and his wife split up, but we got to sit with him for a while and had some good laughs with him and his best friend. I really wanted to see my other new friend though. Maybe I will run into her some other time.

Nick has a brother that lives on a campground a mile from our campsite and we always take a walk down to see him when we are there. Nick has another brother that brought his family of five plus two friends down the same week. They were staying at a hotel between the two campgrounds. We all met up to play with the kids on the beach and had fun in the sun. Later that evening me and Nick walked up to the tikki bar to hear some music and relax under the sunset.

Toward the end of the week my daughter and her boyfriend came down to spend the day on the beach with us. They were staying near Wilmington and I was so excited to see them. After spending some time on the beach, we all cleaned up and met the rest of the family for dinner.

The arrows point out the brothers. They are all handsome but I think I ended up with the best looking one (yellow shirt). Dontcha think?


We tried a new spot about thirty minutes away in Little River called Crab Catchers. It was a small but mighty place that sits on the waterfront. I ate two pounds of crab legs. I hate I failed to get a photo but there was so much going on that I forgot. Me and Nick liked this place so much that we plan to go back again sometime.

It was a great week. It was nice getting to spend a day or so with family and friends. We never are all together like this except at Christmas. I’m thnking his parents were probably smiling down from heaven.

Weekend Celebrations

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. I have trouble saying “Happy” Memorial Day because I feel it’s a sad day, but a day worth remembering and respecting. So many lives were sacrificed for our freedom. I can’t help but think of how young most of these soldiers were and the pain of the Mothers that had to let go of them.

My weekend had lots of celebrations. Four birthdays were celebrated. Mom invited us all over for steaks on the grill. My dad, brother, sister and me all have a birthday in May just days apart. Mom makes us our own cake. I requested a pound cake. It was delicious. I just can never seem to get a good photo of the food at Moms because everyone starts digging in as soon as the blessing ends. No one in my family understands why I want to take photos of food and when I say the word blog, I get funny looks. They have no idea what a blog is. My mom is the only one that reads my blog. All the others could care less. 

Just look at these two cute gifts from my sister. A hat and a bucket list bucket. Haha.

 

I had to work on Memorial Day but the boss let me slip out early. Me and Nick spent the rest of the day walking the strip malls and then to the grocery store. We were gonna put some fish steaks on the grill but we both agreed to settle for a good ole fashion hot dog instead. He threw some wieners on the grill while I made homemade slaw and tossed some french fries in the air fryer. Afterward, we enjoyed a nice walk around the neighborhood and settled in with a slice of cheese cakes later. 

Now it’s back the regular work days and routine afternoons. 
What did you do special for Memorial Day?

Virtual Assistant

I have dived into the world of virtual assistants. I rarely use Suri on my iPhone unless I'm too lazy to look something up and I will just ask her for the answer.

Now I have a new assistant in the house. She is adopted.


Two Christmases ago, I got my gadget loving daddy an Echo Dot virtual assistant named Alexa.
This past Christmas he wanted me to take it back. He lived with fear of this thing all year. He read a lot of nonsense news saying this gadget can spy on you in your home. He wasn't going for that no matter how much we convinced him that it's not how it works. He didn't care. He wanted it gone.
So, I adopted her back.

We have had a lot of fun with this thing. I have had it for two weeks now. I loaded the Alexa app on my phone and set up my account. It repeats a lot from my icloud account such as my music, calendar events and reminders. It also has it's own built in features such as games, news, and trivia.

So far,
  • When we ask...Alexa tells us the weather, temperature low and highs of the day and what to expect in precipitation. We do this every morning. It's more fun than looking at our phone and no more walking outside in our jammies.
  • Alexa  helped me in the kitchen this past New Years Day during my cooking. I would ask her to remind me when to put in the roast, start the crock pot and set timers. I normally jot this stuff down on a piece of paper but it was nice to have a voice command. 
  • We would also ask Alexa to turn on music and she would play any kind of music genre we asked. If it was a certain radio station we wanted to listen to, she would play that too. 
  • She has timed my workouts each day and will even make phone calls at my command. 
We are still learning new features with the Eco Dot. The latest feature I learned was enabling Q&A's in "Skills". This is also found in the app. You can add up to 40 of your own custom questions and how you want Alexa to answer. 

This feature was fun when Daddy was at the house for dinner the other day. I had set up a custom question and answer before he arrived and this is how it went...........

We were sitting around the living room and I simply asked Alexa if she would talk to us. She answered, "Tell Sidney I miss watching him" .
We all had a good laugh when daddy said "See!!!! I told you, it was watching me!!" 

I explained to him later how it did that. But I still don't think hes buying it.


As a kid I always wanted a robot.
I guess this is the closest thing I'm going to get to "Twiki". (Buck Rogers robot from the 70's).


Weekend Review

We finally saw some sunshine this weekend and got outside a bit. We headed to Charlotte and met up with our daughter for lunch at a place called  Tupelo Honey Cafe. It was a nice little place in the South End of Charlotte. 

They started us off with a plate of warm biscuts and jelly. Then I started off with my first ever Mimosa

I’m not real sure what all is in a Mimosa except champagne and orange juice, but I have always wanted to try one.

For the meal, I ordered one of my Southern favorites. Fried Green Tomatoes with basil, goat cheese grits, and roasted red pepper coulis.


Our daughter had the Slow-Roasted Pork Grilled Cheese white cheddar, smoked jalapeno bbq sauce, on pumpernickel brea(not pictured). And Nick chose the veggie burger with a side of Beer City Chicken Chili. 


I loved the rustic atmomphere that gives you a warm cozy feel. They also have a large outdoor sitting area to enjoy on a warm day under a covered porch. The food was delicious and the staff worked hard to make sure we had everything we needed. 

Afterwards we took a walk around the area. The temperature was in the 60’s and the streets were packed with people wanting to get out and enjoy the pretty day. 

What is the weather like in your area? Is it unseasonably warm like it is here in the Carolinas? 
But hey, I’m not complaining. I could live where it stays warm year-round. I love it.

New Year New Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hope everyone is doing great and recovering from the mid night activities. My husband and I went out for a nice dinner then back home to start the preparation for my annual family New Years Dinner. We are not fans of late night partying. We like to stay in and stay sober.

I started my morning off using this little New Years coaster I whipped up for fun.


Crochet pattern HERE.

I love having a coaster under my coffee mug so it doesn't clank on the table.

Later, we will be enjoying a feast of meat, black eye peas, collard greens, potatoes, macaroni n cheese, bread and dessert. When everyone comes, I can have a crowd of about 13 people. However, now that the nephews are all grown up, they can't be forced to come over and eat greens.


Do you make resolutions for the new year?
I don't make what I call resolutions but I do make goals for myself. Here are my top five.
I will always be adding new goals throughout the year.

1. I have lost the weight, now I want to get healthier.
My goal is to be able to run a mile without stopping, be able to do 50 sit ups by my 50th birthday, and loose another 10 lbs by Summer. I will also be taking more vitamins and collagen to help with my skin and muscles.

2. My car will be paid off in July.
My goal is to purchase a new one by Fall. I like to keep a new car so I never have to worry about putting money into always fixing an old one. I like warranty protection and new car smells.

3. I want to get more involved in blogging.
My goal is to get more involved as an influencer while still keeping my blog personal. 
I want to build my blog followers and reach out more.

4. Keeping up- I can never keep a planner going. I always fall short. I find it easier to just jot things down to remember other than adding them to a certain date on a calendar.
My goal is to start a bullet style journal using my new "Rocketbook" for keeping blog ideas, to do list, social media activities, and goals. I will keep using my Google calendar on my phone and iPad for appointments and events. This also keeps "Alexa" in the loop. haha.

5. Call me crazy, but I want to start a small Loofah garden.  I think it will be something different to try and fun results at the end.
My goal is to be able to actually get it to produce.

....Not sure about number five. Nick is over there shaking his head. Well, see. I have already bought the seeds.

Do you have any new plans for the new year? 



Family Photo Not Happening

I have to admit, I get a little jealous when I log on to social media pages such as Facebook or Instagram and see all the families together smiling for that perfect family photo. Especially around the holidays when that seems to be the perfect time with everyone there. Some even take it a step further and wear matching outfits.

I can not get my family to do one photo. In fact, It's hard to even get them in the same room together at the same time to even discuss it. It makes everyone uncomfortable when I want a picture taken of them.


This past Christmas, while at mom and dads house, I told everyone that I would like us all to gather close for a family photo. They looked at me like I was out of my mind. Then everyone started disappearing to other rooms. I was heartbroken and just let it go. My nephews and cousins are growing up and mom and dad are getting old.

I think it's selfish. I know there are people that really do not like to have their photos taken. I get it. but on the other hand it's selfish to loved ones. One of these days, a picture will be all we have left of someone. Even if it's just one picture of a parent, family member or friend, smiling or showing happiness while doing something they enjoy. You know those happy or memorable moments.
Do you know that I do not have a photo of my grandmothers? 

However, I finally got a family photo with Nicks side of the family. It was not my idea this time. It was the idea of my niece. It happened, but not without some grumbling and complaining. The kids were screaming because they were tired of being held down while we waited on everyone to come into view. The photo turned out ok but I sure would love to have one with my side of the family as well.

It's not gonna happen.


Christmas Goodies

This is the only time of year I will spend hours in the kitchen baking cookies, cakes, candy and fudge.

This is the first year I have made sugar cookies. For some reason I have always felt it was a hard task. (or maybe I thought I might like it). I have put it off long enough. I usually always make pecan butter cookies or Biscotti. Not this year. I tried all new recipes that I have never attempted.

Sorry no photo of the sugar cookies yet because technically it’s only 8:00 in the morning and I haven't made them yet. I wanted to get my post out before I start with all of my Christmas Eve festivities. 

I made a batch of Italian Canestrelli cookies. They turned out delicious! The slight taste of lemon and powder sugar, set these cookies away from the typical butter cookie.
Since I have an Italian husband, It's always fun to throw in a special Italian recipe in the mix.


I'll never be able to compete with my mom or the little Italian grandmother that once held this green handled rolling pin. But its always fun to take a shot at it.


I have been wanting to try out my extra large muffin pan so I made a dozen apple muffins. I did not have any large muffin cup liners so I made my own using parchment paper. They looked like they were right out of the bakery. Dontcha think? I ended up eating one and giving the rest away. I may make some more of these later. My dad has requested some. I can't say no to daddy.


I also made some shortbread cookies. These were the easiest ever! With just three ingredients they turned out great. Perfect with morning coffee. 
Did I say "only three ingredients"?


Then there was the Fudge. I have an easy fudge recipe, but when I saw the award winning peanut butter fudge recipe over at Andrea's blog, I had to give that one a try. I love peanut butter fudge and when she mentioned it could be made in the microwave, I was sold! Mine did not turn out as pretty as hers but it was still delicious! Thanks Andrea.


Today we will make a trip to a few neighbors and hand out boxes of homemade goodies. Later we will head over to mom and dads for some family time with dinner pickups and gifts for the kids. 

Before I close, I want to show you this darling Christmas ball that my favorite friend made me. The movie “Die Hard” is one of my favorite Christmas movies....Ok not really, but it is the most exciting Christmas movie....Ok maybe technically I should call it a Holiday Movie....
Anyway, she made me a Christmas ball that represents one of the main phrases in the movie. You have to see the movie to understand. 



I love it. Thank you Anne!!!


Yall please remember the true meaning of Christmas. 
Jesus is the best gift of all.

I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!