home again!

It was a wonderful week filled with

fun, good food, laughter,

sunshine and a little rain.

I have much to talk about, but for today, 

I will just share our new family vacation photo...

More next time!! :-)

time to go!

Everything is blooming...

 

and it's hot as it can be!

 

If I listen closely...

I can hear the beach calling me.

 

One more day and we'll be on our way...

Hallelujah, sing for joy, hip, hip hooray!!

 

Jekyll Island, here we come!!

See you all in a week!!

the " veggie patch "

Because we don't have a sunny yard, Hubby only has

a little "patch" of ground to cultivate.

But he makes the most of it!

The squash plants are huge and we have harvested

a few with more coming.

 

The tomato plants grow tall looking for sun!

 

But the fruit is there...just waiting to ripen!

 

And his pepper plants...there are 5 of them.

They started blooming after I took this,

so I believe there are cayennes in his future.

I hope so because he loves them!

 

We've been getting plenty of rain and the days have been

warm....perfect for growing things!

He enjoys tending it and I enjoy the fruit of his labor!

We make a great team! :-)

open your eyes....surprise!!

I got an email on Friday which read,

"A driver will arrive at your house at 5:45 on Sat, June 15

to take you to an undisclosed destination

You may be asked to wear a blindfold.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated."

Well, that is exactly what happened!

Our daughter picked us up, blindfolded us, drove us

around enough so that we had no idea where we were

and then stopped at our destination.

When we were allowed to lower our blindfolds,

we were greeted by applause and a yard full of friends and family!

You see, it was a surprise celebration of our

40th Wedding Anniversary!

 They decorated with a beach theme...

commemorating our family trip every year

to Jekyll Island.

Our older son and his wife made the sign.

 This was taken before the guests arrive, but you can 

see what a lovely setting it was The trees afforded

wonderful shade.

There were friends from all our years here.

This dear friend, Ginny, was one of the first people I met

when we moved here in 1976.

We went to church with her family for several years

and have been friends for 37 years.

This is my sweet friend (and former office manager 

at work) who opened her home and yard for

the gathering.

The centerpieces were creative and very "beachy"!

 

Our table featured this beautiful bouquet

and candles.

 

I was too excited to eat much, but Little E helped me out!

 

The food tables were gorgeous...with wonderful decorations

and beautiful food...all prepared by our children.

 

Even the rolls were homemade ...by our daughter.

 

There was Low Country Boil, Grilled Terriyaki Chicken,

Rice, Grilled Veggie Skewers, Homemade rolls,

and Homemade Ice Cream...Peach and Strawberry!

 

This little table held a treasure chest for notes and cards, 

our family picture from last year's Jekyll trip, and

antique postcards from our hometowns and Jekyll.

 With so much going on, I didn't get many pics of our

sweet and thoughtful friends who attended...

but I made sure we got one of these!

We missed our Tenn grandgirlies who were in Florida.

Wish they could have been with us, too,

but it was a wonderful night, a sweet surprise,

and an amazing gift from our family!

We are truly blessed!

Thank you God, for showering us with your

love and grace and for the precious gifts

of family and friends!

happy news!

Little E is gonna be a big sister!!

Our daughter and her hubby are expecting baby #2

in December. We've known for a few weeks, but they

wanted to wait to make the announcement.

We are thrilled and can't wait to meet

this newest member of our family!

It truly is grand being a Gran!

t-i-m-b-e-r !!

When we bought our house in 1976, there was a small magnolia tree in the back yard. After
several years, when we could see it wasn't growing, we moved to the front yard next to our house.
In retrospect...probably not the wisest decision! Although it did grow and flourish, it's roots have broken up our driveway and the leaves...oh my! what a mess they make! I love the blossoms, but they were always so high in the tree, you could barely see them. And the only way to pick one was to climb on the roof...not an option for this girl! Here's a picture...it's a tall one!

So, after much consideration, the decision was made to cut it down. I was surprised
when I pulled in after work today to find that the Hubby had done just that!

 He kept the big wood to burn in our stove and this is the trailer full of branches

 that will be hauled to the landfill.

We will miss the shade and the beauty of the tree, but we will have a sunny spot in 

our yard (a rare thing!) to plant something. Also, when Hubby resurfaces the driveway 

soon, it should stay smooth and flat!

Glad to have a Hubby who can do these things...saves us lots of money! He told me he used my 

Daddy's chainsaw (one of the tools he inherited when my dad died a few years ago)

for part of the job. That made me happy. I know it would have made Daddy happy, too!

A nice thought for this week before Father's Day! 

pretty tasty!

I've seen the commercial from Hellman's mayo promoting 

this recipe for chicken.

And I've seen Parmesan Crusted Pork Loin on menus. 

So, when the Hubby found a bargain

on thick cut boneless pork chops, I decided to see if

the recipe worked with pork.

Well, I am happy to say... it was pretty tasty!!

And more importantly, the Hubby really liked it

and it was EASY!!

So, for your dining pleasure, here is the recipe!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken or Pork Chops

4 boneless/skinless chicken breasts or boneless pork chops

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 c grated or shredded parmesan cheese

4 tsp Italian bread crumbs

Mix mayo and cheese. Spread on meat.

Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 mins.

Yum!! :-)

ramblings

Our group served dinner at the Ronald McDonald House again Sat night. The menu this time was Mexican and churns of home made chocolate and strawberry ice creams. We only had one couple to eat. My first thought was to be disappointed, but then I thought..."if that means there aren't many children in the hospital, then that is a good, no a wonderful thing!"

I am a person who likes detail. Over the weekend, I watched a movie...not one I would recommend, but it starred Jessica Tandy and I have liked her since seeing Driving Miss Daisy. Anyway, these two women started out on a trip and decided to take a car ferry across the river. Their car, with everything except the two of them and their purses, rolled off the ferry and into the river. In the next scene, they have their luggage. How did that happen? The car is not recovered until much later in the movie. Movie makers don't think we are very smart, do they? ha! ha!

I saw a sign at our local building supply store today, "Don't just replace your old swing...paint it!"
It is true that we are a "throw away" society. I must say I am happy that we have been able to re-use
some of our old furniture pieces and we have a few other possibilities that I am still thinking about...
waiting for inspiration!!

Had fun shopping at Kohl's this afternoon after work. Everything was on sale and I had a 30% off coupon. I bought a swimsuit, two belts, a pair of shoes, and a piece of jewelry for less than the original price for the swimsuit! I left with a smile on my face!

We are getting lots of rain here...probably 5-6 inches in the last week. Our grass, plants and flowers
are very happy. Everything looks lush and green and it has kept temperatures mild.  I think we are going to be seeing the sun tomorrow and summer time temps. That's okay...this is the longest spring we have had in "many a year"!!

Starting to get things together for our annual beach trip in two weeks. Making lists and checking them twice...for shopping and packing. Not much shopping on our island of choice, so it's important to "take it with you" if you can!

We harvested two yellow squash from our garden Friday...woohoo!! It's been good sliced up in salad.
Hopefully, the next crop will be big enough to stew with onions...the way the Hubby likes it!

If you endured to the end of these ramblings...you are very kind! Aesop said "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." So, be assured, your kindness is never wasted on me! Thanks for visiting today! :-)

a "love-ly" sonnet

google image

The leading lady in a movie I watched last night quoted a line from Shakespeare's Sonnet 17. 

I replayed the scene several times to hear her say it and think about it's meaning. The man she loved came home from WWI with a badly burned face and missing one arm. When he asked her if she could love him with his disfigurement, she said..."Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds..." I looked it up and the sonnet continues..."or bends with the remover to remove; oh no! it is an ever fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken..."

I read Shakespeare when I was in college because it was required. I didn't enjoy it or understand much of it. But this sonnet is lovely and speaks the truth about love. True love should be constant, never failing, unconditional. God's love is like that. And if we love God, ours should be, too!

look alikes

 For many years...almost as long as I can remember...
people have been

 telling me that I remind them of someone else.

Fo

I've had folks say," You look just like my

sister's mother-in-law",

"my high school science teacher",

 "my husband's aunt". A nurse told me I looked like

an actress she once saw in a movie!

Regularly, strangers will say, 

"Where do I know you from?"

A few weeks ago, the woman who came to train us 

in electronic record keeping asking me if I had

eaten lunch at Moe's. When I said no, she said,

"Well, your twin did!"

Last week when I went through the drive thru at 

Taco Bell, the cashier said,

"You just came through a few minutes ago, didn't you?"

When I said no, she said,

"Well, someone with yo' face did!"

That cracked me up!! Just once I would like to

see one of these people and see for myself

if I think they look like me!! :-)

baby girl antics

These two sure keep us laughing!
Grandchildren...one of God's best ideas! :-)

feeding the hungry

 A few weeks ago, Hubby and I had the privilege of attending a banquet to thank some very

 special volunteers. Seventeen years ago, the Southern Baptist Churches in our middle

 Georgia area decided to combine their resources and sponsor a food bank.They named

 it Christian Social Ministries (CSM) and asked folks from those same churches to

 serve there. So, every Tues and Thurs volunteers work to provide food and

 counseling to hungry families in our community and surrounding counties.

The decorations were pretty and pink and the food was tasty. 

A local quartet provede the musical entertainment.

But the best part was seeing old friends...folks we went to church with for many years.

Now, we are scattered to other places of worship, but our hearts are forever knit together.

There are two groups of volunteers at the food bank...counselors, who share the gospel and pray with each person who comes in, and the "kitchen crew", those who pack the sacks of canned goods, meats, bread, etc. In the seventeen years, 1.1 million families have been helped and 4.4 million pounds of food have been distributed. The amount of food available and the number of families that come in changes from day to day, but, they have never run out of food. It's been close a few times, but they have always been able to give each family their allotted amount before closing the doors for the day.

About 15 years ago, before I was working, our daughter and I volunteered there during the summers.

We loved it! Now that Hubby is "mostly" retired, he serves two Thursdays a month and understands why we enjoyed it so much! The ministry is certainly a testimony to the fact that God provides for

His work done His way... and to what can be accomplished when like-minded people work together

to make a difference in this world...and for eternity!

mystery and history

I've been watching a British series, Foyle's War, on Netflix over the last few weeks. I finished the last few episodes today while peeling potatoes (russets for tonight's dinner and sweets for tomorrow's lunch) and sorting through clothes...deciding what to keep, what to store and what to give away! Anyway, the TV show is about detective Christopher Foyle's police work during WWII. I guess I inherited the love of a good mystery from my mother. She was a huge Agatha Christie and Erle Stanley Gardner fan and Perry Mason and Columbo  were probably her all time favorite television shows. I don't care so much for reading mysteries but I do enjoy watching detectives figure out the crime.

I really like the Foyle character. He is serious about his work, but has a dry wit that often catches people by surprise. He values life and treats everyone with respect. Though he is not very demonstrative, he cares about people and is loyal to his friends. And, most importantly, he always gets his man!! 

What made Foyle's War even more interesting were the history lessons in each episode....seeing the war from the British perspective. They sacrificed much and suffered great loss during the long years of the conflict. But they demonstrated great resolve and determination. As one of the characters said, "Every morning, after a night of bombing by the Germans, the people of London get up and go to work."

I think there is a lesson there for all of us!