Life is the Details

I gotta see this

2009-11-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

how ‘bout you?

I just know it is going to be one of those feel good movies. Sandra Bullock looks awesome in this movie. Love her! Release date is 11/20.

Now here is chick flick…gotta see this one too.

Release date is 12/04. I love anything that Meg Ryan is in.

Happy Viewing,

Christmas time is coming…..

2009-11-13T10:39:00.001-05:00

To our house this weekend, and I am so excited.

I am really in the mood to get started on decorating for the holidays. I don’t have as much time this year with all the family and traveling that we are doing, so I am going to break my own tradition of decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I hope to get lots of pictures to post to share with you, but until then I will share some that I got inspiration from, and I hope they inspire you to. Courtesy from Country Living. (you will note the country flair) I always do a primitive tree at Christmas.

This picture (below) is my favorite, something about the glow of the tree and the stocking hung….Love it!! Just the simplicity of it.

Aren’t these packages fun. They look to good to open. This is something I do every year on my front porch.

What are some of your decorating styles, tips, etc. I would love to hear them.

Don’t forget to jump over to my Country Christmas blog and follow me there this season.

Love and hugs,

A million different directions

2009-11-12T12:13:00.001-05:00

is what is going on with me today. I feel torn in all kinds of directions. Do you ever feel this way? Today I have a multitude of task that I really should take care of. I have started my ongoing list for all my holiday preparations and I am so glad. Let me share with you a wonderful blog for organization that I have run across, it is one of the best I have seen in a long time. Jill is so creative and she has such wonderful ideas to help you. Check her out at Controlling my Chaos. Since I am a advocate of list, she has the ultimate ideas of organizing Christmas, recipes, and blogs. Who knew? Check her out and I think you will love her ideas. Oh yeah, check out her recipes cards for download. To cute, and something on my to do list now.

I spent some time last night adding some new recipes to my cooking blog , most have the main ingredient PUMPKIN. For some good and yummy recipes to bring in Thanksgiving, check them out. Just click here.

This morning I have been puttering around in my house, moving things around….ever so often I get the itch to change things up a bit. But in all honesty, I really am ready to put the Fall decorations away and bring out the Christmas, which I may actually do this weekend. Bring on the holiday movies and Christmas movies. Speaking of holiday movies, I also posted over at Country Christmas a listing of all the holiday movies coming up soon. Care to take a look? Mosey on over here.

Guess I really should get back to work….just didn’t want the day to get by me without saying hi and sharing some neat places with you. Enjoy!

Hugs and Blessings,

Happy Veterans Day

2009-11-11T21:15:00.001-05:00

I almost missed it, didn’t I? It’s been a rather crazy day here for me, so I am just getting a chance to post to my blog.

Did you know that … This holiday became a U.S. national holiday in 1938 and in 1954 was renamed Veterans Day to honor all veterans. I am so proud of all those that have served past and present. For keeping our country free. Thank you and your families for the sacrifice you make everyday. I am proud of our American Troops.

Not sure how this post will come together because I am sitting here watching the CMA’s at the same time. I really enjoy watching Brad and Carrie together. They have a great chemistry together. Anyhow, so far the show has been okay…hoping for some upsets tonight.

Yesterday was my birthday and it was a wonderful day, it was spent being lazy. It was my day to do nothing. Wow, I never know where the year goes, it feels like I just had a birthday….my hubby surprised me over the weekend (Saturday) with a great dinner party with my kids and some friends. It was such a shock, and I felt truly spoiled. I didn’t have to lift a finger for anything. How sweet is that?

Today, we got another call from our realtors, they wanted to show the house again. So this was the third time in two weeks… I am really getting tired of having to keep the house in “show ready” status. I feel like I can’t really live in my house, I’m scared to get into projects for fear I will be in the middle of something when they want to show it.

Guess I should scoot, got a few other things to do before calling it a night.

Hugs!

Cindy

Wow what a wonderful weekend

2009-11-09T10:09:00.001-05:00

I had a great weekend. Family, great food, and great friends, who could ask for more than that, right? My stepson and dil came into town late on Friday evening and it was great to see them. We got to catch up with all that is going on with them. They are the cutest little couple. Unfortunately because of the distance we don’t get to see Michael’s children as often as we would like, so when we do, it is such a blessing and treat.

On Saturday, they had things they needed to do. They actually came up here to buy a car. So they had to scoot off to the dealership and hubby had to finish up some work at the office, so I headed into town to get my nails done and run a few errands, it was a nice morning, the sun was shining and it was picture perfect. Once I finished with all my errands, I headed back home to rest before everyone got back home. Little did I know that my hubby had planned a surprise birthday dinner for me. (My birthday is Tuesday) So needless to say I was shocked when everyone started rolling in. Glad I got that nap in. :) We had a Mexican fiesta, everything he made was scrumptious. Everyone loved the food and had a great time.

Sunday was a day of relaxing for me…I watched some football with my son for a bit and took another nap. Spent some time reading and just hanging out with them. The weather here was awesome, and so hubby worked in the yard. Thinking that today, I should get out there and do some weeding in the flower beds and pots.

I have been reading my blogroll this morning and I am so inspired to get to work on some projects, but think I had better make out a list if I want to get anything accomplished. But it looks like today is going to be busy, busy, busy…so guess if I want to get anything done, I need to head off here and get at it.

Have a Blessed Monday all,

Cindy

Funny Friday

2009-11-06T10:54:00.001-05:00

Today I thought I would share a wonderful video of a wonderful speaker,she is hilarious. I love listening to Jeanne Robertson. She is adorable. Love that southern drawl she has.

Can you relate to this? I know I can!

Hope you have a blessed Friday.

Cindy

My day has been busy

2009-11-05T21:39:00.001-05:00

and I am just now getting a chance to get to my blog today. As you can see, one thing I did today was updated my theme. I have been wanting to do this for awhile now. But while I was in the mist of updating all my files, I decided to do this now, and get it done. Now I just need to do a couple of the others. One thing that I really had wanted to do today was start with updates on my Christmas site, but didn’t get around to it. Maybe tomorrow. Although I have a feeling I will have some errands to run because we are having family in town this weekend. I might just make a another list to work on next week and work on it then. And take tomorrow to get everything ready for guest. This has been one computer packed week for me. And quite frankly I am getting tired of it. :)

My day started out with me picking up the house and putting things away. I also needed to change the sheets on the bed and wash them. So the bed still awaits me upstairs to be put back together. (want to get hubby to help me flip the mattress). After starting the laundry, I got some dusting done, and actually brought out a few more fall decorations. Took down some of the halloween goodies. Once the housework was behind me I started working on the files on the computers. I am almost finished with all the transferring. WooHoo!!

Tomorrow I have a few things to do to get ready for the kids arrival.. The only thing that I really have to do in the house is clean their bathroom. I also need to run out and get some groceries, and possibly get some baking done.

So as you can see I have alot going on, but will try to get back tomorrow. So what do you think about the new look….What do you think it needs?

Gotta scoot, it is 9:30 PM and I need to find something to eat, plus going to watch the San Antonio Spurs with the hubby.

Hope you had a blessed night.

Hugs,

Cindy

One More Day

2009-11-04T09:23:00.001-05:00

It’s already the middle of the week. Can you believe that this week is half over? I’m moving right along on organizing and updated my blogs. Since getting my new laptop I hadn’t taken the time to update all the software that I normally use, so I have been doing that. What a job. I also have been rearranging and updating content. I hope that by the end of the week I will be done with this. This is a huge job, especially when you have several blogs to work on. I really want to get my Christmas site updated, and thinking now I just might. I can see the light at the end of this tunnel. Thank Goodness for Lifetime Movie Network. I have been watching alot of movies while working on this project. My goal is to finish all this computer work by the end of this week.

We found out that my husband’s son and daughter-in-law will be here this weekend. They are arriving on Friday and will be here until Monday. It will be nice to see them again. With all his children living so far away, we enjoy every opportunity to visit with them.

Well since I have been spending all week working on my computer, I decided I wanted to share with you today a way to organize your browsers and favorites. I bookmarked this awhile ago and would like to credit where I found it, but for the life of me I can’t find it.

How to organize your browser bookmarks and favorites

How many bookmarks and favorites are on your computer? I have more than 1,000 in Firefox and Del.icio.us, and even though they're neatly organized in folders and tagged, I can't remember what I liked about most of them.

How many bookmarks is too many? Are all those sites still live? Are you really ever going back there?

Happily, there's lots of free software for PC and Mac that will help you organize your bookmarks.

For the PC
• Bookmark Buddy
This bookmark manager offers four different ways to retrieve bookmarks, site login management, privacy functions and bookmark checking.

• AM-Deadlink works with Firefox and Internet Explorer.

For the Mac
• WebNote Happy does web site tagging and annotating for Mac OS X that helps you organize, bookmark, and make notes about the web pages that matter to you.

• Bookdog lets you Click 'Analyze' to find duplicates and then fix them.

Ok…guess I should get started on my day. Hope you have a blessed Wednesday!

Cindy

Another great site, check it out!

2009-11-03T11:31:00.001-05:00

What a great blog, full of inspiration and free goodies. A place a girl could spend some time. I'll be back with my cup of coffee.

in reference to: Just Something I Made (view on Google Sidewiki)

Tuesday

2009-11-03T09:57:00.001-05:00

Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
Emily Bronte

Food for thought:

Do you ever feel like this woman? I know I do…today is one of those days. I feel like I have lots that I should be doing outside the home…but all I really want to do is get myself together. I am feeling like I am in a rut lately, and have to find something that I can do to get out of it. Any ideas? Suggestions appreciated.

My head is swimming with all kinds of thoughts today. I sometimes wonder when I feel this way if I will get anything accomplished. That is when it is essential that I stick to my list. Let’s see how well I do today.

BTW, the baked apples I made last night were so good. I think I would have preferred if I had of added a bit more sugar because the apples I used where a bit tart. But they were awesome. You can find the recipe here. Definitely will be making these again. They were so easy.

Last night, I didn’t do much, Michael got home from work and we watched a little TV. Afterwards he had some things to do, so I sat and listened to College Basketball via the computer. Last night was my favorite teams first game and even though it was a expedition game it was good to hear. But really made me homesick, would have loved to have been there real time. Go Cats!!

One of things I think I am going to start doing on my blog is scheduling certain days to do certain things. For instance, Monday’s I will share my weekend, Tuesday are for sharing a new site, I think you might enjoy. And so on….So since today is Tuesday, it is a site for inspiration. I love Melissa’s blog at 320*Sycamore. She always shares great home designing inspiration. If you haven’t visited with her before, please do. I am sure you will fall in love with her blog too.

Now I need to get to work on that list….

Have a blessed day!

Cindy

Welcome Back……And its Fall

2009-11-02T11:57:00.001-05:00

Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.
William Cullen Bryant

I hate to start this post by saying WOW where has the time gone, but that is exactly how I feel...time has just been zooming by. So much has been going on, but nothing really earth shattering. Just everyday life. But over the last several days/weeks I have been thinking alot about my blogs and thinking I need to get back into the groove. Not sure why I always go through this about this time of year, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is my favorite time of the year and there is so much to do and things going on that I like to share about. This is one of those areas where my appetite is bigger than what I can actually handle. But I am once again going to try to get myself on some kind of a schedule.

So I have making notes and jotting ideas down for my blog...as well as all my other ones. They desperately need to be updated too. Lately things have been changing around here, between work and family so think it is time to start changing things around here.

Today happens to be a great Fall day…the sun is shining so brightly outside and the temps are great. I keep asking myself my am I sitting in the house doing this when I should be outside enjoying the last of our pretty days I am sure. Will try to get outside for a little bit today though.

Got up this morning and decided to put some apples in the Crockpot to make some baked apples. So easy and so yummy. I used Stayman Winesap apples, they are my favorite. Since I am only making a few I am using my small Crockpot.

Baked Apples in the Crockpot

3-4 apples
1/2 cup of water
1T. cinnamon
2 T raisins (Ididn’t use these today)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pad of butter on each apple

Optional…sprinkle with walnuts towards the end of cooking

Peel and core apples, and place in Crockpot with water. Mix together remaining ingredients and fill the center of the apple, sprinkle with cinnamon and add butter. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. About the last hour I Wadd nuts. So easy and so tasty.

It’s time to get to work on my dinner plans now…

Have a blessed Day!

Hugs,

Cindy

Wow, how time flies

2009-09-05T08:49:00.001-04:00

My question is wow where does the time go? I can't believe it has been over 1 1/2 months since I wrote anything on my blog. Life has really been busy for me over the last month or so...it naturally is but for some reason this year it has been particularly busy.

As you see from the last post, we got our house on the market, and that is a experience all in itself. As any of you that have done this knows, it is alot of work to keep your home "show ready". So that has taken up some of my time, not to mention having to leave the house each time someone wants to come and look at it. Oh well, that is part of the process I guess. Everyone keeps asking....nothing has happened yet with the house, but we have had a abundance of second and third time lookers. Guess people are being cautious about spending that kind of money so they want to get the biggest bang for their buck. Can't say I blame them. So if and when it sells, you will be one of the first to know.

I also have started back to work full time and that has taken a adjustment...the early hours and early nights....so therefore my evenings are more structured and blogging doesn't always fit into the plan.

This is the first weekend we have been home in a month. Three weekends we had a unexpected trip to Missouri for my dil's mothers funeral. It was such a shock and sad time. She was only 52. I think our dil was glad we came down, just wish there had been more we could have done for her. She is such a sweetie and glad to have her as a part of our family.

The next two weekends were spent in Williamsport Pa, for the Little League World Series. It just so happened that both my hometown team, Russellville, Ky....the Logan County team made it as well as hubby's team from San Antonio...so of course we had to go and root our boys on. We had a great time, seeing old friends and making new ones. Although neither of our teams won the title we were so proud of them and the way they represented us. Our hats off to the parents and coach's of these young men. What a wonderful experience for them to carry into adulthood.

Our weather here has turn almost fall like, and I welcome it. It is by far my favorite season. It has my mind reeling with all kinds of things I want to cook and bake....I love the days spent out going to craft fairs, fall festivals, apple picking, hayrides, shopping for the perfect pumpkin. Is there anything about the fall NOT to like. God blesses us with wonderful warm and cozy colors to set the perfect backdrop for this time of year. Simply gorgeous!

I have also been reading like a mad woman...I have read some wonderful books written about the Amish...my favorite...and have a list of about 6 more to buy...both Beverly Lewis and Wanda Brunstetter have new ones out. Woo Hoo! So might try to hit a bookstore over the weekend to pick them up, if not...here I come Amazon.

Well that is a brief snippet of what has been going on with me...with alot of little mundane sprinkled in there...but overall just real busy and feeling real blessed. God is so good!

Heading out this morning to get me a manicure which is in great need as lately typing has become a major chore....so going to take care of that before much else gets done.

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Happy Labor Day, spent with those you love and capturing sweet moments that will linger as wonderful memories with your family and friends.

Till next time,

Hugs to all!

You asked for it

2009-07-14T10:37:00.001-04:00

So thought I should deliver. As most of you already know my hubby and I have been remodeling in our home over the last little bit. Seems like forever, and even though we aren't completely done with the decluttering in the garage and basement, the two main floors are completely finished. We put the house on the market a few weeks ago and have had several showings. But this weekend, is our first and I hope only OPEN HOUSE!

Although the house has been redone top to bottom, and looks great, in alot of ways it doesn't feel like home. All my little country touches are boxed away, as well as all my kids belongings. They have been moved out of the house. It makes me a little sad that my stuff isn't out, but I have to remember that this house is someone else's future home and no longer mine. I know whenever I get to unpack those boxes and see my goodies again, it will be like Christmas . So if you want to take a look at what we have done please feel free to visit our webpage at www.407taney.com and you can take a little tour.

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think....

Hugs!

She comes today

2009-07-02T09:38:00.001-04:00

the realtor that is. She is suppose to be here around 2 or 2:30 today so I have a ton of stuff I should be doing. We had her by on Sunday and she gave us all the preliminaries and so now that that stuff is out of the way, she will be coming by today to take some prelim- pictures and measurements of the rooms. It's finally feeling real. She will have a professional photographer come by next week to make the pictures that will go on the website. I'm very excited but have to be honest and say that nerves are starting to kick in. We still have a few things left to do that Michael will work on over the fourth and while I am away in Branson for my dad's surprise birthday gathering.

My boys will be over tonight after work to help Michael move more boxes to storage from the basement. That was her only suggestion for us with the house, is continue to empty out that space. (She said we could continue to work on it while the house was on the market) We have been using it as a storage area since starting all the renovations and we just want to show it as usable/livable space. BTW, it is a great space, but during all this process you have to have a dumping ground so to speak. So for the last several months, that is what it has been. Although it is pretty organized now, it still has LOTS of boxes down there. I still want to mop the floors today and get my suitcase packed. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning on a jet plane to Nashville to meet up with my sister and nephew Caleb. Then we will drive from there to Branson. I am looking forward to this getaway, just wish Michael was going. We always have such a great time when we travel.

As I mentioned the other day in my last post, I was suppose to start work on Wednesday...well that didn't happen. Still more paperwork hangups...so hopefully when I get back I will be able to get back into the groove.

Well other than house and work stuff there isn't alot else going on. But guess I should scoot...got to grab a shower, find a book to take on my trip and pack up my suitcase and get that out of the way before she arrives. If you think about it, please keep us in prayer over this house, and me for safe travels. Thanks!

Not sure I will get back to this before the big holiday weekend, so if not...

Hugs!
Cindy

The time has come

2009-06-30T08:40:00.001-04:00

for me to go back to work...starting tomorrow I will be back in the rat race. Starting a new job and a little anxious about it. I have really enjoyed my time at home over the last several weeks awaiting all the paperwork to be completed. During this time off I have gotten alot accomplished at home. We finally had a realtor come to the house on Sunday and we should have the house on the market by the end of the week. Woo Hoo!

Today will be full of running errands and taking care of a few last minute things. Got to try to get myself back on my schedule of going to bed early and getting up early. UGH! I have really liked staying up late and getting up a bit later.

Gonna grab some lunch with my best bud, Donna. We have such a good time together. And we don't get the opportunity to "do" lunch when I am working so going to take this opportunity before our schedules change again to do just that.

Wanted to share a few pictures that were made at Tori's graduation cookout. Better late than never huh?

Tori and I

Me and my girl

Michael,Tori, and Me

Derek, Tori, and Wesley

Don, Tori, and Stepmom Colleen

Me, Tori and Don

Tori's cake and cap

Well now I need to scoot..hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Hugs to all!

Let the weekend begin

2009-06-19T17:55:00.002-04:00

well here it is Friday and the start of another weekend. I love weekends. This week has been filled with a little of this and that, but didn't get nearly all done that I wanted to do. Two days this week I suffered from horrible headaches and it really slowed me down. Hoping that I can make up for some lost time over the weekend.
I did a little shopping this morning. All because I needed to go to wal-mart. I've had a little running list and had to pick up a few things, most importantly a rod and some curtains for my sliding glass doors. Granted I am not thrilled with what I got, but think I can make it work. Michael plans to build me a box to put over my door, and I am going to insert a tension rod with some curtains that I can pull to the side during the days. He doesn't want to put holes in the walls for rods since he just incased them all with molding. So it has left me with a bit of a dilemma of how to "dress them". Hopefully my plan will work.
Whilst I was out and about, I stopped by the local goodwill store and found me some goodies. I found me a set of 4 little white plates ($3.00) that will be adorable with ribbons weaved through them. Kinda like these. I am looking for some cake stands like these too. (Photo images from Layla G rayce) The thrill of a hunt. Let's see what else did I pick up. I got bunches of decorative lemons that I added to my glass jar. But when I was looking for some inspiration I found this great shot and didn't realize you could do so much with lemons. (Photo image from No Fuss Fabulous) Wow is there some neat things at this site.
After a quick stop in the GW store, I ran to Marshall's. I found the greatest little read there. What I have read so far is fabulous. I think it is one of those books I will want to have a few of to pass out to friends. It's called

" nesting it's a Chick Thing"

. Can't wait to read it tips, hints, and stories. As I was searching for this book on Amazon, I noticed they have another one that I am definitely going to put on my "wish list". It's a Chick Thing: Celebrating the Wild Side of Women's Friendship. Looks like some good reading.
Guess I need to scoot, hubby just got home and now this little chick is going to get him to take her to dinner.
Hope everyone has a awesome "Father's Day Weekend".
Hugs,
Cindy

Whirlwind of activity

2009-06-16T11:32:00.001-04:00

Hey ladies, Were do I start. Over the last several weeks so much has been going on, and I have just been to tired to post. Mainly because I couldn't put two sentences together to make any sense. Not sure if this one will either but I just wanted to let you know what has been going on and what I been up too.

Things are coming along quite nicely on the house. I just wish it was finished. We are down to the little things now, but that seems to be taking forever, mainly because we are tired and just don't want to spend anymore time doing it. We finally got our new doors hung, and I love the front door. It is so pretty, and it lets in so much light into a area that really has no light. This is not a actual picture, but it is this style. I need to paint the door and we have to paint all the trim on the inside and out. We used a Ventician bronze hardware on the door and I am very pleased with it. I can't wait until it is finished. We also replaced our sliding doors in the family room. Nothing fancy, just a typical slider.

We also had our carpet laid upstairs and on the stairs. Wow what a difference that made. Ours was so bad, it was almost embarrassing. That took alot of work to get it ready for the carpet layers. We moved all the furniture and also took up the old carpet. Then of course, had to make loads of trips to the storage unit.

My daughter also graduated from high school and Carroll County Community College with her certification in cosmetology as a stylist,(the picture to the right is of Tori on the right, with her best friend Chelsea after graduation at CCCC) and we had family from out of town here for her graduation so I hosted a graduation cookout at the house. It was alot of fun, and it gave us a chance to show off some of our hard work.

Tori also had her prom, I don't have any great pictures of her...but here are a few that were made.

Tori and her dad Tori and I, me acting silly

Another shot, but not very good of me. So between the house and activities going on with Tori, we have been busy.

This past weekend was the first weekend that we got away from the house and spent the day antiquing. We had a blast. I got several goodies. We traveled over to Hagerstown Md. this weekend and scouted out "Crossroads Antique Mall". Boy did we have fun. This is a huge place even though the picture doesn't look that large. There is also two other stores, one being a mall next door...but I had already been there. Anyhow, a few things I picked up were...

Jade-ite Fire King Pitcher-5 dollars, I also got a nice little saucer for 1.00 that matches this.

Vintage wooden checkers for 5dollars. I have a collection of old toys, and these were awesome. In great shape.

I also have a extensive collection of Wexford Crystal and I found 4 of these wine goblets for 5.50. Woo Hoo!

Well those are just a few of the goodies I got. I also picked up some books, one was a Gooseberry Patch cookbook for 4.00. And you know how I love cookbooks.

Well this post is long enough but wanted to show you what I have been up too, other than just renovating.

Plan to post a few no so recent pictures on my Home blog shortly but they will give you a idea of the changes.

Happy Tuesday!

Moving right along

2009-06-01T10:50:00.001-04:00

with each new day. Ladies, I am so tired, but can't stop now. Since my last post, so much has been happening. My house is nearing completion and I am so happy about that. Although this is going to be a very hectic and busy week. In the last week we have gotten alot done.

I had a little problem with the outdoor spiket on Wednesday and so we had to have the plumbers here on Thursday. When I was leaving to go to Tori's graduation for the tech center on Wednesday afternoon, my tire got tangled in our garden house, and my car pulled it down the driveway causing the spiket to pull away from the house. I had a gusher flooding my garage. Now picture me, in dress slacks and heels running down to the neighbors house to find someone to help me. I was beside myself. My house was flooding and I was going to be late to my daughters graduation. I wasn't real happy. Needless to say, a gentleman from down the street came to my rescue, my hubby flew home from work and all was taken care of. We had no water Wednesday afternoon/evening, but we weren't going to be here for the main part, so the plumbers came first thing on Thursday morning and replaced the damage I did and showers were had by all in time for Michael to go to work. ;)

My dear daughter graduated from Career Technologies on Wednesday evening. She has been taking cosmetology classes for the last 18 months and working in a salon part time. She took her board certification test a week before and last Monday we found out she passed. So now she is a certified stylist. She was thrilled beyond words. This next Saturday night she graduates from HS. I know this will be a sad day for me, my last child graduating from High School. Seems like only yesterday she was starting school. Anyhow, my folks are coming up from Kentucky on Thursday to share the joy with us. I am hosting a celebration cook out on Saturday before graduation for some family and friends. Should be fun. Although I think I must be a bit crazy since my house still isn't finished yet.

On Thursday and Friday my new doors were hung. I purchased a new front door and a new slider for the family room. Boy what a difference that make. Now I have to decide what kind of window treatment to put on the slider. I just don't know what to do? Please if you have any ideas I would love to hear them. I need help and fast with this one.

This morning I had a man from Lowe's out taking measurements of all our rooms for the new carpet. As it stands now they are coming out on Wednesday to install it. Woo Hoo...after that, with the exception of a few little touch up projects that house will be finished. It'll be time to put it on the market.

Over the weekend, we finished up some more yard work and powerwashing we wanted to do, plus my daughter had 4 softball games, one of which was a ALL STAR game which she played in and they won. Just another busy week and weekend. But this week I have to kick it into high gear.

This morning I spent time in the workshop and garage sorting and organizing some of Michael's tools and such. When you are remodeling you don't seem to have time between jobs to organize your mess, and before you know it, YOU CAN'T FIND ANYTHING! So you go buy doubles and triples.

Tonight looks like a night that we will try to get some things back on our walls and tomorrow we will moving everything around upstairs to get ready for the carpet folks on Wednesday. Believe me when I say I will be glad when this time next week rolls around.

Need to scoot, got lots to do today...so need to get started. :)

Hope your having a blessed day!

Hugs!

I'm totally beat

2009-05-24T11:32:00.001-04:00

And I mean that with every sense of the word. I haven't had any computer time since Thursday afternoon, so haven't gotten to post. I have been working like a mad woman on a mission in this house. Thursday night when I got home from work, I started gathering and boxing miscellaneous ideas in Tori's room and worked on this most of the evening. On Friday, Wesley came over to help his momma out. He and I gathered all the things for goodwill into the back of his truck and headed out. Either they are loving me or hating at Goodwill. I don't have any idea how much "junk" I have taken there. After dropping all that off, we swung by our local senior center. I have a piano that I have been trying to get rid of, no one plays it here, takes lots of room, and it just too heavy to move again. So anyway, I stopped in to see if they might be interested. Unfortunately they didn't need it but one of the seniors there was a piano teacher and she said maybe one of her students could use one. Also the director of the center wanted my phone number and name and said she might know of some people, within a few hours, she called me and said she wanted it. SCORE! So she is suppose to call on Tuesday to set up a pick up time. WOO HOO!

Once we got back home from that little errand, Wesley and I loaded up our vehicles with all the things from Tori's room and headed to her dads. It felt good getting that stuff out of the house. Let me tell you. This took the better part of the day. By the end of the day I was famish and sore. So Michael and I headed out to dinner and done some grocery shopping. I wanted to pick up some things, because the kids are coming over on Monday for a BBQ.

Yesterday morning Michael and I got out EARLY in the yard and were there all day. I really got nothing done in the house except for washing the linens off Tori's bed, and ours. We spent the day working on planting flower beds. After that, we had 3 yds. of mulch delivered and we got that all out too. Do you know how much 3 yds of mulch is? Let me tell you it's ALOT! 2 yards wouldn't have been enough and 3 was too much, but we decided to put the extra in our veg. garden to keep the weeds down. So needless to say my flower beds look great. I mowed the back yard while Michael was working on other yard work. Finally at 8 last night we called it a night. We ordered dinner to be delivered and then we vegged in front of the TV for a couple hours, and it was all I could do to stay awake. So hit the hay, just to get up and start all over today.

We have LOTS of little piddly jobs that that have to be done upstairs and we have divided those up to conquer them. So while Michael is taking a break from inside work, by going outside...I decided to post to my blog, and update ya. He is power washing the front of the house,porch, driveway and the one sides of our house. He has already done the back when he redid the deck. Anyway, we want the front to look nice before the guys bring in my doors. My new front door and slider is going to be installed on Thursday and I can hardly wait. We also plan to call the carpet guys either tomorrow or Tuesday, and get that oredered and installed. So as you can see there hasn't been alot of time for the weary here. Just pushing forward. I can see the light!!!

Gotta scoot...really do have things I should be doing...feeling guilty sitting here when I know he is hard at work.

Busy as a bee

2009-05-20T17:49:00.002-04:00

Hey blogging friends, today is going to be a busy day. I have bunches of things that I want to get done today. Plus the weather is suppose to be in the 80's. Which makes me a very happy girl. It just gives me that extra boost of energy that I need to accomplish some things.
I didn't get alot done last night after I got home because frankly, I was tired and took a nap instead, then had to head out to a meeting so by the time I got home, I just wanted to watch AI and go to bed. Not without getting my votes in for Kris though. Those phone lines were busy for the longest time. I think both guys deserve to be in the finals, but I am just drawn to Kris. His ability all around. Is there a instrument he can't play? To me, Adam is so predictable and guess I lost luster with him some time back. But after tonight I guess we will now who the new idol is. Is anyone watching the new Bachlorlette show? I recorded it, but haven't watched it yet. I really like Jillian and it will be interesting to see her pick in guys. I already have a favorite guy for her from the little bit I did see, but not going to divulge that right now. Let's face it, I got to watch the show to see if he even stuck around for the next show.
Anyhow, yesterday while I was out at lunch I picked up a few things to complete some projects that have been running through my head. I picked up some of those liquid chalk markers that Auntie Ruth has been telling us about. Can't wait to try my hand at putting some pretty messages on my chalkboard for the kitchen. Plus I picked up a roll of black and white toile wrapping paper that I plan to line the back of my hutch with. I am anxiously awaiting my new dinnerware from Longaberger and thought the toile paper would be a pretty and formal backdrop for me new dinnerware. I also picked up some new valences for my son's room, so need to change those out too.
Our door guy comes today and we have also contacted a plumber to install a new shower fixture in our shower. Michael did all the other installations but this one is going to be a bit tricky and wants to get a professional to do it. We also picked up some carpet swatches so we can make a decision about that. Man is things rolling right along.
With the weather being so pretty today, I hope we can get the rest of our flowers out.
So tell me what is on your agenda for today?
Gotta scoot for now, check back for some pictures soon.
Hugs!

Can you say random?

2009-05-19T17:17:00.001-04:00

Hi friends, Just wanted to say hello and wish you all a great day. It is a sunny pretty day here in Maryland. Albeit a bit breezy for my taste, but sunny and pretty all the same. Looking forward to June because maybe the temps will be more consistent. Last night it got down to freezing here. can you believe that? Fortunately I don't think any of the flowers or veggies we put over the weekend suffered.

We don't usually do a big garden but we do put a few things out each year. Several different type of tomatoes. We both love them. I like the little cherry ones for my salads, and the beef steak ones, I use mainly for burgers and such, plus I like to use fresh ones for my pico de gallo. Boy do we love that stuff. We also put out several types of peppers. We like sweet peppers, but Michael has to have his hot peppers, so I always do some jalapeno's for him. I also like to put out cucumbers, because that is something I just like to snack on or use in salads too. My mom use to make pickles, but I never have tried that...but one of these years I am going to try it. I also put out two kinds of squash, I love fried squash and Michael makes them great. Mine aren't usually all that good, I think I cook them to fast, but his are always perfect. Usually I put out zucchini but couldn't find any...that is until today on my lunch hour. I ran out and found a couple of slips so I am sure they will be in the ground later today. :) Squash is such a favorite for us. We like to cook it in foil on the grill and add some peppers, onions and some seasonings...mmmmmmmmm yummy. I am ready for garden produce to start coming in, and cooking out on the grill. Nothing says summer to me like a big cookout.

So tell me, what are some things that you put in your garden?
Other than typical stuff there is really nothing going on with me. Mainly house projects but hopefully that is going to be over soon. Tomorrow afternoon, we have a guy coming over to show us samples of doors, and we are hoping we will be able to order them and get them installed next week. That is one of our major jobs still left to do. Of course our other major job is replacing the carpet on the stairs and upstairs. Hoping to do that in the next week or so. I will be so happy when those things are done. It will feel like such a huge accomplishment.

This weekend ( I have a three day weekend) I plan to go through my kitchen with a fine tooth comb, and clean out the cupboards. That will be a chore. But again, it will be a nice feeling knowing it is all behind us. It isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my Memorial Day, but hopefully I can get out at some point and do something fun.
Yesterday I went to the salon and got my hair cut and highlighted. Let me tell you girls, it is BLONDE! It is taking getting used too. But now I feel ready for summer. Well almost, I could of/should of tried to lose a couple of pounds but that didn't happen. Oh well, I'm hopeful I will drop of little weigh with the hot months upon us.

I will try to get Michael to get a picture of me in the next few days and post my hair. Be prepared to be shocked.
Well ladies, I need to scoot...got things to do.
Have a blessed Tuesday.
Hugs,
Cindy

Semi busy weekend

2009-05-18T17:00:00.001-04:00

Hi ya'll...wow here we are at the start of another week. Where does the time go? This weekend was a wet and cold one and so I didn't get nearly as much done as I had planned. Although I did get my plants bought for the yard on Friday night which was a big project for us. Then we went and met friends for dinner. It was a fun and relaxing time. But Saturday morning hubby and I were really lazy and didn't get a early start on the yard as we had planned. But we did get a little bit of work done outside before we had to head off to take pictures for all the proms. It was a busy day. (I do have some pictures of Tori in her dress, but will have to get them off my camera)

We reworked the flowerbed border in our front yard and moved some plantings around, actually thinned out some of our flowers and moved some to different areas in the yard. Plus added some new ones for that splash of color. But we still have 2 flats of flowers to still get in pots and in the yard. Our plan was to do that on Sunday, but it was just cold and windy and looked like rain all day. So we worked in the house. Which needed it. While Michael put another coat of paint on our foyer (until he ran out of paint that is) I piddled around the house, trying to make it more cozy and warm. My house looks so sterile, and I am just not use to THAT look. I like it, but I know it isn't there yet, because I don't have that sense of satisfaction yet. But I am getting there. I am finding that the older I am getting my style and taste are changing? Does this happen to any of you? I still need to pick up a few new things to complete the look that I am striving for.

I also got everything on my to do list done last week in my bedroom. Now comes the fun part...NOT, of getting the boxes and extra furniture pieces out of there and into storage. If you look around my house, you will find boxes for goodwill, storage, and toss. We really need to focus on getting Tori's room complete and then we will be able to call in the carpet folks. I know once the carpet is laid, the house will look so different. I know that will be a big change. And I can't wait. We called the man about the new doors, and we are waiting to set up a time with him to make a decision and get them ordered so we can have them installed. Woo Hoo! So things are slowly moving along. I noticed this weekend, that Michael and I are both so tired. The gusto we started out with is waning and it's hard to get the momento back when you have to start and stop all the time. I think if he had several days off, he could probably finish up most of the stuff.

Ok....so what do you all think of my new header for this site? That is a actually picture of my front door during the summer months. I wish I had gotten some more of it when all the flowers were in full bloom...but will have to remember that for another time. I think I am going to be working on a new look and header for my home site as well. Hopefully soon I will work on it.
Need to scoot, I have new list to make, hope you all have a blessed Monday.
Hugs!

Safegaurding your marriage

2009-05-15T10:44:00.003-04:00

Howdy friends, it's finally here...the weekend that is. I am beside myself, because it has been a LONG week with work and more work at home. Originally our forecast called for a wonderful weekend, but that has all changed and now it is all about rain. I know I shouldn't complain because later this summer we will be needing it. So I am trying to be optimistic and just work between showers. That is if there is "between time". I still would like to get out in the yard and get some flowers in the ground. Will see if it happens or not.

Right now I am in the midst of reading about three books and last night I ran across a book that I had forgotten that I had until I went to packing away books last night. I ran across a book by Kay Arthur on a biblical marriage. So now it resides on my bedside table. I read about two chapters of it last night before calling it a night. I am excited to read this book. It really looks good. This is the book description:

"A Marriage Without Regrets": No matter where you are or where you've been, you can have

This book isn’t about how to have a perfect marriage, or to change our spouses,” says Kay. “It’s about having the kind of marriage where you can stand before God and say, ‘Lord, I was all that You intended me to be.’ Only when we make that kind of commitment can we truly have a marriage without regrets!”

Speaking candidly about her first marriage, her conversion to Christianity, and her longtime marriage to Jack, Kay offers practical advice on effective communication, security and significance, difficult relationships, parenting, and God’s guidelines for divorce and remarriage.

Readers will discover what the Bible says about.

resolving conflict

understanding each partner’s role

improving the sexual relationship
becoming financially wise

respecting and keeping marriage vows

This rerelease with a fresh new cover (more than 110,000 copies sold) contains the marriage–building and life–changing material Kay has presented to enthusiastic audiences worldwide—helping thousands of people in many countries experience supportive, Christ–centered marriages.

No matter how great we think our marriage is, it could always be better. I know after the dimise of my first marriage (which I thought was a great marriage) if you don't stay connected to God, the creator of marriage then when things start falling apart, your marriage will too.

I often look back at the mistakes that was made in that marriage and my part in them and remind myself, I don't want to make the same mistakes twice. I hope I have learned from that experience, no matter how good it is and how much you love someone else, you have to be practical. I loved my husband and was more than forgiving on many issues that others couldn't believe I could forgive. But my marriage was important to me, as I had made a covenant with God. I honestly believe I was married to this man for a lifetime. However, one thing I learned during the process, that one can't do it alone. I didn't want the divorce but he did and you can't make someone else stay if they don't want it. I believe I wanted the marriage for all the right reasons, and I asked/pleaded with God to save this marriage. However, my ex told me he didn't love me anymore. I felt so hurt and rejected, and I knew that I had never known anyone other than my family that loved me so unconditionally as he did. So what happened!!! I believe what happened is that God wasn't the center for both of us. I believe my ex couldn't or wouldn't deal with the past mistakes he had made, even though I was willing to forgive the past so we could move on to the kind of marriage that God ordains.

Marriages aren't safeproof unless you put GOD first. I have known for a while that was a major problem in the first marriage. So many hurt feelings, and no abilitly to forgive ourselves. You later, sit and ask yourself what happened? I know I did. I know that me and my ex both played a part in the demise of our once happy home.And I know we will answer to God for that one day. But by God's grace, we can move on and be happy once again. Believe me, I never thought that would happen for me.

I guess that is why this book has intrigued me. You see, know matter how strong you think your marriage is, Satan has a way of moving in. And he will, unless you both stand firm and arm yourself with the appropriate armour. Be ready to go to battle for your marriage. This book tells us the biblical truths about marriage and how God designed it for us so that we could have a marriage with no regrets. I had one with LOTS of regrets but I NEVER want to have another one that way. God is/will be the center of this marriage.

Didn't mean to get off on a tangent but I feel so convicted that I have to share with you, that you MUST have God in your marriage. It is the most vital part of your marriage. As the bible says, " What God has put together".....you know the rest. Please safeguard your marriage by knowing what the bible says about it. Don't be a victim of divorce as I have been.

It took me a long time and lots of prayer before I could move forth in another relationship. But I have been blessed to find a man who loves ALL of me. I have been blessed to have that twice in my lifetime. (yes, I say twice, because I know my first husband did too, but ....) I want to glorify God in this new marriage. I thank God everyday for my husband and continue to pray that he will be the head of the household as that is God wants. I have been learning to trust again, and that has been hard when you have felt so violated and rejected. But God has a way of healing those wounds. Praise God!

As I did deeper in this book and also in th WORD, I will be made aware of where/how/why my first marriage when wrong, so that I don't repeat the same mistakes.

I hope I have given you something to think about.

Feel free to drop me a note if you feel you have something to share. Would love to hear from you.

Blessed,

Cindy

Movin right along!!!

2009-05-14T15:40:00.002-04:00

How ya'll doin? Can you believe that this month is half way over? I'm not sure where the time is going but it is moving, I think the older we get the faster time travels. Before long, instead of getting ahead, I am going to be falling way behind.
So glad Michael got the yard work done last night, because the rain set in this morning. It rained all the way into work on me. Word has it, it isn't suppose to rain all day. We will see. Right now the clouds look grab and drab. Poo! But that makes it a good day to work in the house..huh? So back to my list.
Last night I finally got my main floor cleaned completely up with the exception of a few boxes that we need to move to the garage for storage. They are just to heavy for me to lift alone...but other than that..I finally feel like I can breathe again. I hate when my house is in a state of chaos'. My plans for today are to start on my room upstairs. I have a antique cabinet in there that has all my collection of books (that I want to keep), so I need to box all them up. So we can remove the cabinet from the room. I also have a chest at the foot of my bed that houses bunches of my handbags, so I need to box them up as well. Need to get that chest out of my room. I'm trying to create space as well as have things out of the way for the carpet layers. Basically my room is going to get a good clean.
I think Michael is going to start painting in the foyer. We have a tall foyer (20 ft.) so he is going to freshen that up with a coat a paint and bring it on up the stairs into the hall area. After that...ALL the painting will be done in the house. Woo Hoo! So guess that means we will both be busy tonight.
Any fans of AI? Did you see the show last night? I hated to see Danny go, but was thrilled Kris got to stay. I love him. I know alot of you are big fans of Adam, but I really am tired of him and his attitude. To me, he acts as if he has already won this competition. Did you see the look of the judges faces when Kris name was announced? Unbelievable outcome last night. Guess I will have to make sure that Kris gets my votes again next week.
Need to scoot...my bedroom is calling me. Hope you all have a wonderful evening.
Blessings,
Cindy

A treat from a special friend

2009-05-13T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hi ya'll! Today is yard day! Yeppers! The yard has to be mown again before the rains come again tomorrow. One good thing about doing it today is maybe we will not have to do it again this weekend...but depending on the rain, we just might. Seems like the lawn has been getting cut twice a week. Michael and I are both particular about the lawn. I just think it sets the tone of the home at first glance. If you have a yard that is unkept and overgrown, then you can't help speculate at what the inside must look like. Or is that just me? If a yard is well manicured then usually the inside of the house has been taken care of too. The weather is in the 70's here today so that makes it nice weather to do it. This weekend I hope to get to get out and get some annuals for a splash of color for the yard. All my perennials are doing great and look wonderful. But I haven't had the time or opportunity to get anything for my flower pots.

Last night when I opened my mail, I had a sweet little treat waiting for me from my friend Judy. I am so honored that she enjoys visiting with me. She presented me with this lovely little award.

The rules for this award are:

Put the logo on your blog or post.
Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great attitude and/or gratitude!
Be sure to link your nominees within your post.
Let them know that they have received this award.
Remember to link the person from whom you received the award.

Ladies, since all my friends already seem to have this award, I am not passing along.

Again Judy thank you!

Well, need to get outside and get at it....

Sending hugs!