What A Hoot

photo source

In the early morning hours, I awoke to a strange sound. It was rhythmic in nature and I had a hard time identifying it. After rubbing the sand out of my eyes, I laid in bed and strained my ears to try and figure it out. I could hear the wind blowing through the trees, then this sound. Our dog sleeps in our room and at first I guessed it may have been our dog. But decided that no, it couldn't be it. Then I thought perhaps something fell in front of our cold air return and that was what was making the sound as the furnace was running. But no. That couldn't be it either. So I decided to investigate.

I tiptoed out of our room and checked on our son, thinking that maybe he could be crying. It sounded rather mournful. Like a sob or a sniffle at first. But he was fine, thankfully. Then the further I walked away from my bedroom the softer it got. My dog decided he wanted to be let out for a bathroom break. As soon as I opened the back door, I knew immediately what it was. Of course the dog wanted to let this nocturnal bird know "Whoo" was boss. (Sorry. Couldn't resist. lol!) The owl was perched in the oak tree next to our bedroom window. 

We do not get these visitors very often. So it seemed fitting that in the wee hours after Halloween night that we should have an owl pay us a visit. After about 10 more minutes of it's call, it decided to go to a different location. And no, it did not deliver a letter or parcel from Hogwarts. ;-)

So do not be alarmed by things that go bump in the night. Most of the time it is something that is quite unexpected. And with that I leave you with this little ditty:

A wise old owl sat in an oak

The more he saw the less he spoke

The less he spoke the more he heard

Why aren't we like the wise old bird.

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

Sunday Inspiration

How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.

John Burroughs

10-11-12

Ha! Love this post title. Today is 10-11-12. I didn't even think about it until the receptionist at the doctor's office mentioned the date to us as we were checking out. A routine checkup, so nothing to worry about. :-)

Today was a gorgeous fall day. Brilliant sunshine. Bright colors. Temperature just cool enough for a light jacket this afternoon. It has been breezy, however. My poor dog has been begging for a walk and the wind needs to die down just a bit before I take him out. I'm weird in that it seems I always wind up with a sinus headache if I'm in a lot of wind. What's up with that? I can't even have a ceiling fan running in my bedroom while I sleep. :-/

I love fall! I love the colors, sights, smells and tastes of fall. I'm looking forward to making these tasty muffins. Don't they look good?

We had our friends the buzzards spiraling overhead in their journey south. We rarely see them except in the spring and again in the fall. Last year, we had a large flock spiraling for hours over our house. It was hypnotic to watch. But at the same time I was a bit creeped out by it. I never recalled seeing them before, so I was hoping it wasn't an omen. lol!

The hardy flowers of fall are in full bloom. The mums and the sedum. My hydrangeas, while gorgeous this summer, are also beautiful in the fall as the blooms dry out.

I'm looking forward to going hunting for the perfect pumpkin to set out on our front porch for Halloween and seeing what costume Ryan chooses this year. Cider and doughnuts. Drives out in the country to see the colors. Noshing on candy corn. Hearing the crunch of fallen leaves under your feet. The smell of bonfires. *sigh* I love fall!

I am going to leave you with this quote and wishes for a warm hug to envelope you and good food to feed you and a prayer to keep you safe and in good health and happiness. :-)

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. "

Elizabeth Lawrence

Sunday Inspiration

Sunday Inspiration

Inspirational Video- How Great I Am

Sunday Inspiration

Sunday Inspiration

Blue Moon

   In honor of the blue moon, I present to you....Blue Moon.

                                           

Mojo

My Mojo cannot decide if it wants to stay or go. It will come and sit for a spell, hanging out. But then it gets bored and will pack a bag and go. Sometimes it will just decide to spend a day or two away. Or it gets wanderlust and travels to places far away. Muse will go along for the ride sometimes to keep Mojo company.

So there I sit, waiting and wondering where they could have gone. They could have at least left me a text, letting me know that they were alive and well.

On a scrapbook forum that I visit from time to time for inspiration, a fellow scrapbooker posted that her mojo was gone. I sympathized. Another poster suggested that our mojos were probably out on the town getting tattoos and going to bars. lol!

Today I thought I spotted my Mojo. It was off in the distance. I'm sure when it finally does return (and it will) it will have ink and smell of stale cigarette smoke. But I will freshen it up and put it to work, tattoos and all.

And the next time it decides to have a night on the town, I'm going along.

Sunday Inspiration

COLOR RUN!

Yesterday morning my friend Lynnette and I participated in the funnest 5K on the planet. The Color Run. :-)

Actually I walked, but my friend ran. We were a couple of the 15,000 participants that took part in this party that was disguised as a 5K. lol!

Here we are before:

My friend is the tall, skinny, healthy, tanned beauty. I'm the short, chubby and pale one. lol! (I can't get a tan on my legs if my life depended on it. :-/).

We saw people there from every walk of life and of all ages. When I say it was a party, I'm not kidding.

There were people dressed in costume, including these cute tutu's.

And there was dancing in the streets.

Here are the crazy runners getting ready for the countdown to begin the 5K.

At every kilometer, there was a color "zone". As you ran past the volunteers, you were pummeled with color. By the end of the race everyone was a rainbow. The race ended at a park where there was a "Color Festival". There was music, booths and refreshments. In our race packet, was a color packet. It was a packet of color that at the countdown, everyone threw it up in the air and we were drenched in a rain of color. Everyone then danced and got crazy.

We were a couple of hot, crazy messes. lol!

This is an event that my friend and I decided was going to be an annual event for our families. It was so much fun to come together to not only have crazy fun, but to also know you are doing something for a good cause. :-)

So whether you are an avid runner, or just enjoy an occasional stroll in your neighborhood, I highly recommend that you find a Color Run near you and sign up!

May all your days be filled with fun, laughter and color!

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

The Big House, Mac-n-Cheese and Romance

Most of you are reading the title of this post and asking yourself, "What is The Big House? What does mac-n-cheese have to do with romance? Do I really want to know if mac-n-cheese has anything to do with romance? And do I really care what The Big House is?". These are the kind of questions of the universe that I will strive to answer. ;-)

Yesterday evening, my sister and I took a road trip to the university town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Home of the Wolverines. And home of The Big House.

The Big House is the University of Michigan stadium where you will find well over 100,000 fans gathered there to cheer their beloved Wolverine football team to victory on most Saturdays in the Fall.

From there, we headed to Zingerman's Deli for a bite to eat. Downtown Ann Arbor was quite busy and we got turned around. Then we remembered that Zingerman's opened a restaurant quite near our ultimate destination. So to Zingerman's Roadhouse we went. At this funky restaurant situated near the freeway, in front of a strip mall, you will find the most delicious macaroni-and-cheese in the universe! Along with the-most-delicious-macaroni-and-cheese-in-the-universe, you will find a farmers market and some fun artwork.

My sister and I had already placed our orders when the waiter came with a small saucer of mac-n-cheese. With a twinkle in his eye and a sultry tone in his voice, he told us to sample the tempting pasta dish and let him know what we thought. Just one taste and I was ready to lick the plate clean! I gave in to temptation and ordered a side. We devoured the mac-n-cheese, along with the rest of our meal and we were in a carb-loaded state. Our waiter then tried to tempt us with a Doughnut Sundae. Sorry! As tempting as it sounded, we just couldn't do it. But we will be back! :-)

After dinner, we walked across the parking lot and arrived at our ultimate destination, Nicola's Books. And at this bookstore we were there to attend a book signing by one of our favorite authors of the Romance genre, Susan Elizabeth Phillips. She just released a new book, "The Great Escape" and was there to meet her fans and sign her book. I love her humor and her characters have depth. I love her books. :-)

Here is my sister and I posing with the one and only Susan Elizabeth Phillips. What fun!

Since we were feeling guilty about the contents of our dinner, we decided to shop at the local Whole Foods and stock up on some clean and healthy food. Well, not really. ;-) But we did look around and bought a couple of items and were thinking about all the things we would love to buy if we did not already blow our budget on stick-to-your-ribs dinners and books. Then we vowed to each other that we were going to stick to nothing but raw vegetables and fruits for the next couple of days to hopefully melt off some fat. Well that lasted till noon. lol! But we have good intentions. :-)

So if you are still with me and were wondering what in the world these things had to do with each other, here you go. 

Now I'm off to munch on some carrot sticks.

While I've Been Recuperating...

I have...

completed an embroidery project. The first time I have embroidered in years.

Made thank you cards.

Caught up on some reading.

Did some scrapbooking.

And spent way too much time on my computer. ;-)

Now it's back to reality. I go for a check-up tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be cleared to proceed with normal activity. (Whatever normal is. lol!) I am looking forward to starting back on an exercise routine. (Miss my walks/runs). I can't wait to get my hands dirty in my flower beds.  And I never thought I would say this in a million years, but I can't wait to go back to cleaning/organizing my house.

These are the few things that I have been up to the last few weeks and what I am looking forward to doing.

With that I leave you with this quote:

When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.

G.K. Chesterton

Thanks for looking in!

Happy Fourth!

Sunday Inspiration

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Happy Canada Day to my Canadian neighbors!

Stand off

One day recently, while sitting on my deck, I witnessed yet another show down between my dog and the squirrel that takes pleasure in tormenting him. Here is a typical occurrence in my backyard...

It begins by my dog staring overhead at a branch high in the tree...

I am imagining this squirrel looking down and going, "Nah! Nah! NahNah! Nah!" and blowing raspberries.

The squirrel gets brave and moves down the tree and conceals himself behind some leaves.

My dog changes position and stealthily moves behind the rail.

The squirrel gets brave and makes his way to the ground...

and takes off!

And here is my dog in hot pursuit!

This is pretty much a daily activity and we have yet to tire of watching this game of cat and mouse. Or dog and squirrel. lol!

Thanks for looking in!

No More Period. Period.

I've been MIA from my blog for a couple of weeks and the reason being is because I had surgery. Nothing serious. My blog title pretty much sums it up. ;-)

I am actually feeling pretty good, considering. In fact, I have to remind myself not to overdo it. If I do, my body reminds me later. We have had wonderful family and friends pray for me and my family. Offers of help and some fabulous meals delivered. We are very humbled by the outpouring of love and support from those near and far.

On my Facebook status, I put out there, "You know you've had surgery when...". I put down that the night nurse is a high school classmate and she checks (name body part) and you don't  give a rip. lol! (So true!). Some of the replies were as follows. "You have 15 doctors ask you the same question so they can all bill your insurance company.""You think you have your strength back, so you walk into the kitchen and have to rest to go back to bed.""You fall in love with your favorite P.J.'s again.".  Honestly, I remember that first day after surgery, I ate lunch and HAD to take a nap. Was not expecting it to take that much out of you. :-/

My hubby and son have really stepped up to the plate and will not let me do any thing. Which is driving me crazy at times. But at other times, I'm wondering if I'll be able to get away with this kind of pampering 10 months from now. lol!

So I've been biding my time reading, browsing the internet, starting an embroidery project. Thinking about the Color Run, which for me, will be the Color Walk. ;-) I'm really, really hoping that I will feel more energized once I am recovered. So looking forward to doing the things again that I took for granted before the surgery.

I will close this post with leaving you all wishes of good health, happiness and close, loving relationships to fill your days.

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

Why art you cast down, O my soul, 

and why are you in turmoil within me?

Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,

my salvation and my God.

Psalm 42:11

Birthday Boy

Last week, my son turned the big 1-6. Wow! Where has the time gone? I say this every single year.  This is the year he will become an official driver. Yikes! We will not even go there. Not yet anyway....

On his actual birthday, we had a small celebration with just the four of us. (That would include the dog.) I prepared a dinner that he chose (grilled pork chops, cheesy potatoes, corn) and a cookie cake. He opened gifts, including this one:

This is an idea I "pinned" on Pinterest. (I call that site internet crack. lol!) Ryan took one look at it and said, "Did you see this on Pinterest?" Okay, smartypants! He knows me too well! ;-)

Here is a pic of him with his favorite canine:

Isn't that sweet? Our dog is so spoiled! So spoiled that we were almost inclined to give him some cookie. I mean, how difficult is it to say no to a face like this?

My son's birthday celebration stretched into the weekend with extended family. On my hubby's side, there are many birthdays in May. Ryan was able to celebrate with his cousin at a local restaurant. There were around 25 of us, so it was a fun time!

We have some handsome boys in our family! :-)

We then celebrated at mamaw's house on Memorial Day. We had yet another cookie cake and he opened more gifts.

We had a fun weekend celebrating with the most amazing 16 year-old on the planet! We love you more than words can say! xoxo's

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

Thank You, God,

For pretending not to notice that one of

Your angels is missing and for guiding her to me.

You must have known how much I 

would need her, so

You turned Your head for a minute

and allowed her to slip away to me.

Sometimes I wonder what special name

You had for her.

I call her "Mother."

Bernice Maddux

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

We love you!

xoxoxo's

Springtime Chores

Whew! This weekend was a busy one! For whatever reason I was thinking that this weekend was going to be an easy one. A time to kick back and enjoy the springtime breezes and blooms. Yeah, right...

I found out that Saturday morning was the time that our county was collecting hazardous household waste. My mom had a slew of old, old cleaning products and some cans of paint and I told her that I would take it to the collection site. No problem. I was running some errands anyway. I get to the collection site and I think everyone in the entire county decided to get there at the same time. :-P Actually, it was very organized and went pretty quickly, considering.

After running errands, since it was a nice afternoon, we decided to empty our shed and take out the deck furniture. Ryan power washed the deck and back of the house and I cleaned the furniture. This took longer than I thought it would take and by the time we finished, I had to get ready for church as I was serving that evening. It was a great service (our praise band rocks!) and came home in time to have a late dinner. Did some laundry and by the time 9PM rolled around I was ready for bed. (This is where old age gets you. lol!)

Got up early Sunday morning and was scheduled to serve at church again. (How did that happen? Not that I mind.) Came home, had lunch, took the dog for a long walk. Since rain was in the forecast for Monday, we decided to get some yard work done. After working in the yard for the better part of the afternoon, time for dinner. Chilled out a bit and hit the sack at 9:30 p.m. I have such an exciting life. lol!

So today it is raining and I hopefully will be able to do some things that have been on hold while I attended to springtime chores. Things like some scrapbooking and working on my son's quilt (a work in progress).

Here is hoping that your work will be light and you can take the time to unwind and smell the roses.

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-the moon and the stars you set in place

Psalm 8:3

I Did It!

Run in a 5K race.


Another one crossed off my "Bucket List". :-) After training for about 2 months, I participated in my first 5K race yesterday morning. Actually, crossing this off my things-to-do-before-I-kick-the-bucket list would be but a dream if it wasn't for my good friend Lynn. She too was training to run in a 5K and told me about this race and challenged me to sign up for this race. I thought it was too soon. I had not planned on running in a 5K until late May/early June at the soonest. But nothing ventured/nothing gained, right? So I signed up and did not look back.

After a crummy day Saturday, weather wise, the day dawned bright and pretty. Although it was freezing! (My friends hubby checked the temperature as we started our race and said it was 29 degrees. Brrrrr!). But I was not thinking of the temperature. I was thinking about finishing this race without going into cardiac arrest. lol!

Here are some pictures.

My friend Lynn and I. She is the tall, skinny one. ;-)

Here we are "crossing" the Finish Line. lol! We needed to have a picture for posterity.

And here we are with the nicest, most inspirational 84-year-young woman. She is a nun and said she did not start running until she was in her 50's and ran ten full marathons in ten years! You go girl! We started out together at the starting line and almost finished at the same time at the finish line. We sat and talked for a while. She won in her age category, hence the medal. She said that at her age, she usually wins before she starts. lol! She was very charming!

Even though I struggled with side stitches and my legs felt like lead, especially during the last mile, it was so worth the effort. I have already signed up for another 5K race and have a couple of more in my sights. In another words, I think I've found a new passion.

So, in closing, I challenge each of you to find your passion and go for it!

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

A New Ride

When it comes to wheels, you have your Mercedes Benz E350. Or you have your Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. Then there is the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4. Well, these car companies have nothing on my brother's Fuze T50.

My brother Larry has been patiently waiting for his new ride. His old wheelchair had definitely seen it's better days. It was tired and worn. When the call came that his new wheelchair was ready for delivery, I don't know who was more excited. Larry or his family.

When the delivery van pulled up on the curb, we all waited with baited breath. The wheelchair was brought into the house and everything was put in place for the transfer from the old chair to the new. When my brother was placed in his new chair, it fit him like a glove. The technician went over all the details of the chair, but my brother was having none of it. He wanted to ride his new ride. :-)

Doesn't he look handsome? Here he is ready to break speed records and see the world. And check out that cup holder. I want one of those! :-) He says, "That cup holder is a life saver!". Do not mess with his cup holder. lol!

He spent the weekend getting used to it. As with most new models, there are bugs to get out. But it's all good. :-)

Here is hoping that wherever life takes you, you can get there on a smooth ride.

Thanks for looking in!

Sunday Inspiration

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

Thoreau

DIY-Body Scrub

The other day, I was in the mood to treat myself to a nice, warm bath and soak for an hour or seven. ;-) (Don't we all?) Actually, it was after I worked out on my treadmill for 45 minutes and was drenched in sweat and was sore. (Sorry TMI) :-/ I looked around in my bathroom vanity and linen closet thinking that I had a body scrub. I usually have dozens of tubes/tubs of various lotions/potions but couldn't find any. So  finding that I had ingredients to make my own, I set to work. 

Without googling to find an actual recipe, I took what I thought would make a decent scrub and did some mixing up. I took epsom salts and baby oil and mixed them in a container with a water tight lid. How easy is that? The epsom salts I used were laced with lavender essential oil, but you could use an oil of your choosing. 

Easy Peasy! Now with these ingredients you can scrub away dry skin or rub some on your feet/legs and let the epsom salts work it's magic and take away muscle soreness from hard work or working out. :-) 

**** Just a word of caution.  When using in a bath/shower, be sure to use a bath mat and clean the tub thoroughly when done. ****

A little factoid:  Did you know that your body absorbs magnesium more effectively through the skin than with a supplement? Source

Thought I would pass on this little DIY project along.

Thanks for looking in!

I Knew I Should Have Bought A Mega-Milllions Lottery Ticket

LOL! Not to brag, but I've been on a winning streak lately. In the last couple of weeks, I've been the lucky winner of not one, but TWO blog give-aways. :-) I love blog give-aways. However, the ones that require you to pat-your-head-while-rubbing-your-tummy (or is that rub-your-head-while-patting-your-tummy?) while reciting the Constitution, well, I pass those by. I'm being sarcastic in that last statement. Sorta. ;-) In all seriousness though, I do not like the give-aways that I see where you have to join them on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest/Skype etc. Takes too much time and energy in my opinion. Okay, I'm lazy. The only thing these two bloggers asked for was to leave a comment by such-and-such a day and they would pick one. These I love. Because I love leaving comments anyway and if I may win a prize in the process-Bonus! :-)

The first blogger is one that I visit on a regular basis. She is funny, creative and has some awesome recipes. She is Marilyn from Constant Growing Amazement. She also has a cooking blog that she started to keep a journal of her favorite recipes to pass on to her children/grandchildren. Her give-away were a few of her favorite things from her pantry. :-) Here is a pic:

In this package, I have some exotic spices/cooking mix and some handy cooking utensils. Aren't these measuring spoons the cutest?

Almost too cute to use! And they go perfect in my kitchen as a have a "rooster" theme going on in there. :-) 

One item I will admit that I was a little stumped when I opened my package. It was citric acid. I thought, "Hmmm, she must assume that I can tomatoes." Which I did when I had a little garden. Now I do not have a garden spot (so wish I did). In her note congratulating me on winning the giveaway she mentioned that she sprinkles the citric acid in flavored water to add some zing. I like adding a little fruit juice to my water and when I first tried it, she was right! It does add some "zing"!

The second giveaway was from Jessica at Running To Be Skinny. This blogger is a young mom who is chronicling her journey to health and fitness. In my opinion, she has reached her destination. :-) She gives tips on running/working out and diet. She also shares her love of books. For this giveaway, she was sending to the lucky winner the book, Heaven Is Here by Stephanie Nielsen. This book tells the story of young wife/mom Stephanie Nielsen and her experience of going through a terrible ordeal/recovery from a plane crash. It's an inspirational story and I can't wait to dig in to this book!

I ask that you visit these blogs to check out for yourself the talent that is out there. And thanks again for the bloggers that offer their readers the chance to win some fun, useful items!

Thanks for looking in!