Tag Archive | spring cleaning

The Days that Time Worked in my Favor

Jun18

At the beginning of any extended vacation time  from work, there is a spring in my step, an unrealistic to-do list of Pinterest projects to try, and a feeling that the world is at my feet because time is on my side. I can easily organize the responsibilities of laundry, cooking, and cleaning with a lighthearted attitude.  I am so sorry  for those that  have not been able to feel that luxury of ‘time’ every once in a while because the opportunity to refresh is so important for one’s health.FullSizeRender (3)

This weekend, my husband surprised me with a road-trip for my birthday and our anniversary. Our definition of road-trip is: get in the car and drive to some undetermined destination.

FullSizeRender (1)

We spent two days driving to small towns, roaming around, talking, and laughing. Letting go is good and we both know that we have got to take these mini-vacations more often. We have decided however, that Siri will always travel with us in case we need assistance with gas station locations, hotel choices, and restaurant recommendations (that is a whole other story and one that we will laugh about together for years to come).

FullSizeRender (2)

With Love,

Penny

 

 

On the First Day of Vacation, My True Love Said to Me….

Jun14

“I really need you to come down and help me with a food drive that we are having at work from 10:00-2:00” Grrr! Those were the words that  my husband said to me on the morning of my first official vacation day. He is such a romantic….literally, my heart just fluttered at his request. So…. in 97 degree heat, we trudged downtown, bagged canned goods, loaded them into vehicles, and delivered them to the local food pantry.

Honestly, it was a great experience, and I enjoyed working alongside with the people that he works with day in and day out. They all gave up their Saturday to participate in this gift of service, which says a lot about their sense of community and loyalty to their employer. I was especially impressed by two high school students that were working at the food pantry . They brought shopping carts out to us and helped us load and unload all of our bagged items. Both of them were so willing to help and truly shared their sense of service with us. In a world where the media portrays the negatives of our society as ‘the norm’, it was so refreshing to see ‘norm’al teenagers working for a cause.

With Love,

sunflower

 

 

Graduations, and Showers, and Birthdays, OH MY!

May11

My memory just doesn’t serve me well from year to year as I always forget how stressful the month of May can be! I am starting to think that I am going to just have to pencil in the word ‘sleep’ on my calendar in order for me to even take a break.

What’s on the agenda for this upcoming weekend? My oldest son, Corey,  will graduate from Texas A&M this Saturday. Whoop!!!!! All of you Aggies will know that expression!  We are certainly proud of him, as he has finished up his degree in Construction Science – and – stay tuned for the really exciting part, HE ALREADY HAS A JOB!!!! I don’t know about you, but I have been alarmed to hear about the number of college graduates that can’t find employment. Yikes!

 

Taylor and Kori's Wedding Pictures 021(These are our two boys with their great-grandmother.)

Along with graduation on Saturday, there is a memorial service for my father-in-law who passed away just two weeks ago.  He was a Vietnam Veteran so we did have the military service earlier and I was able to attend that, but due to the conflict in scheduling, my husband will go to the memorial service and I will go to the graduation ceremony. By the way – if you have never attended a military internment, it is a very moving experience. It is a service filled with tradition, honor, and respect……absolutely perfect for those that have served in our armed forces!DSC_0054(Above is my father-in-law at our son’s wedding a year ago)

Next on the agenda……Sunday is Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to all of you.  How many of you will attempt to go out to eat with your families after church? I have a feeling that this year, we will just celebrate with a nice, quiet meal at home. The crowds at restaurants on Mother’s Day are just too much for me to handle! Sadly, my poor mother has the misfortune of following up this busy, busy weekend with her birthday. It is like deja vu! Just last year, we did Graduation, Mother’s Day, and her birthday all in the same week, too!

Jeff, Mom, and Grandma

(Happy Birthday, Mom!)

Next weekend, a friend and I are hosting a bridal shower for a very dear friend’s daughter! Currently, I am searching Pinterest for table decorating ideas, creative food recipes, and fun games to play. Below is a copy of the invitation I created using Smilebox.

001 invite (1)

Celebrations are certainly a lot of work, yet they are an essential part of our lives…….None are completely free of complications; sometimes, there may even be open awkwardness or discomfort. However, they are always a sign of moving forward and hope! That is what the human spirit is all about!

Happy Mother’s Day….Graduation Day….. Birthday…..Wedding Day…..Anniversary….or Celebration of a life that has passed!

Taylor and Kori's Wedding Pictures 056

With Love,

sunflower

P.S. I began writing this post before graduation day so I am sharing a picture of what happens after sitting through at least four hours of commencement ceremonies!

IMG_0838

(Corey and his room-mate Patrick……..photobomb by Sophie the dog, who has put up with a lot during her college years with these two as room-mates.)

Life’s Ladders

Apr5

Why do I rush to “get it all done”

When much of the process is most of the fun!

IMG_0753

I DREAM of the weekend, each day of the week.

Those two days for me, when I’m at my peak!

  IMG_0759

But what of the multiple days in between…….

When unscheduled challenges take on the lead.

IMG_0763

Upon setting a goal, I know that each time

I must start at once, with the end in my mind.

“End“, for me, is a powerful word,

Yet rushing to get there is totally absurd.

IMG_0757

My journey through life makes me who I am!

The good times and hard times are ALL part of God’s plan.

IMG_0756-001

Have I grown to learn – or just learned to grow?

This mystery, it seems, is all part of life’s show….

.IMG_0753-001

What a week its been! As a result, I have done a great deal of reflecting this morning. My husband has really found it quite humorous that I have taken to painting and decorating ladders. Not to mention, I have been using them in unconventional ways! Hmmmm, the things that I have to do to keep him laughing!

My analogy for the post today: Ladders consist of steps/rungs (as does life)! Now,  I am going to go and try to ‘enjoy’ the process of cleaning my house!

With Love,

sunflower

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Day!

Mar29

Yesterday’s storm has passed, but it certainly managed to leave its mark! Amazingly, today the weather was absolutely beautiful. Fortunately, it was Saturday because it would have unbearable to work inside all day.  When I went outside to assess any damage, this is what I found!
IMG_0738

 

My Iris are Blooming!

Spring is finally here! I did spend the day mowing, raking, and trimming some hedges. Despite feeling sore from using muscles that have been hibernating since last summer, it feels so good to be able to look across a freshly manicured front yard. I love watching the new growth on the trees that have been dormant for what seems like forever!

I would like to share another new project with you. My husband brought home two, old dressers. They are unusually small and narrow; so initially, I wasn’t really sure what I was going to do with them.

IMG_0741 IMG_0740 

See what I mean – they are short, narrow……oh, and I forgot to mention, FILTHY!

After a bit of planning, I scrubbed them down and painted them with the leftover black onyx paint that I had…..I just love that color! It is like the little, black dress that you can accessorize with ANY COLOR YOU WANT!

IMG_0746

Ooh, Lah, Lah!

 

I love the way that they turned out! I got the new drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby at 50% off. So the total cost of this project was $20.00! How cool is that? Plus, the drawers are not spacious, but they do provide a bit of extra storage space and one can never have enough storage space!

There you go – a beautiful Saturday and a money saving project all in one!

 

 

With Love,

sunflower