I wish we could go here!
Tomorrow is our youngest daughter's birthday. Since she lives in Italy I am posting it today so when we go to bed tonight she will be getting up to enjoy her special day. That way she won't have to wait all day to get birthday greetings from the USA. Last year I spent hours and hours making this slide show of her life up until her 30th birthday. This year is a real piece of cake just added some pictures of the year for her to enjoy. If you would like to wish her a Happy Birthday just do so in the comment section. I'll go first~
So, Happy Birthday, Laura Lou! Oh, how I wish I could make you a cake and be with you today and I know Dad does too. You have always been such a joy to us and we love you so much. Have a wonderful day and know that people all over the world are wishing you a very happy new year and a great day of celebration today! Believe me we are having one over here. We are happy you were born and are celebrating it as much for us and your gifts of happiness to us, as we are for you. Love you forever, Mom & Dad
In the next month or so we will begin our kitchen face lift plans. I have been thinking about how to keep things cottage-like, make the redesign as financially painless as possible and still create a beautiful new look. I love white cabinetry. I think it is just so refreshing and light and fits well in our setting. So we want to keep our cabinets and just replace the doors and hardware. New paint will make them look great and I do want one of the cabinets to have glass in the doors with lights to display dishes. This will suit our needs perfectly and be way less expensive than new cabinets. We definitely need new counter tops. I am excited about that and am hoping for Silestone, Granite or Honed Marble, and am also hoping for a farm sink and a great faucet. Our current appliances will do just fine. And we are keeping our flooring. We will also be replacing windows and light fixtures, hopefully. I am thinking about a buttery yellow for the walls but still am open to ideas there. I just want it to have a fresh, clean look. The very thought of it all is so exciting.
I love this sink!
Well, now that I have your attention~how are you doing on your resolutions for the New Year? I think this is the first year in my entire life that I feel that I have set some goals that are really important to me and that I intend to keep forever. I am evolving not just resolving. Evolving includes changing behavior which requires more than desire, it involved action.
When we don't follow through with what we know is right and what we have committed to do we are cheating ourselves. We have all been cheated by others in some fashion and know how it feels. Why would we want to do that to ourselves? When I use to feel battered by the world I would go easy on myself. Well, now I am harder on myself in a constructive way. No more kid gloves around this house. Just a more realistic approach to getting what I want.
30 years ago a woman told me she had succeeded at the impossible dream she had because she didn't cheat herself anymore. I am a very slow learner in some things. But you are brilliant so I am passing it along to you in case you may see the wisdom in it as your tender young age! That way you can enjoy your successes longer!
Go After What You Really Want!
Just a little note asking for prayers for our little Hazel. She has been hospitalized for dehydration after the discovery of an intestinal infection. Hopefully a short stay this time if things get under control. Thanks for your prayers...they help!
A Bouquet for a Speedy Recovery, Littlest Angel!
Nothing can add more to the cheerfulness of the day then letting in the light. We are all affected by light and it has a tendency to raise our spirits and make the whole day seem full of possibilities. Many people are affected by the lack of sunlight and it can cause a depression and sense of malaise. (SAD, Season Affective Disorder)
Often I will go into homes and everything is so dark and dreary. Heavy drapes that are always drawn are just not conducive to productivity and over all well-being. Even if you have privacy issues there are alternatives to all the darkness during daylight hours.
If you have the two inch blinds or shutters, rasie them all the way up as seen above or just rotate the slats to an angle that people can't see in, but you can see out and still get the light. Put something light and airy over the windows and have them be something you can pull back during the day to let the light filter in to your space. You can dress a window without covering it.
Rotate on an angle tilting them up rather than down. That way you can see out! When closing them use this same angle to close. Angling them up keeps your room warmer.
In our house with this southern exposure we need lots of light in our family room. Originally we had a window about a third of this size and adding in this window made all the difference in bringing the outside in and expanding our world to include the light and foliage of the back yard. We love looking out and watching the deer graze on the ivy!
It is a beautiful day~enjoy it to the fullest with sunlight all around you!
When you live in CA this is a typical late January early February day. I was out doing errands and I just found myself drawn up toward Mt. Diablo in hopes of capturing what I saw. I think it was breathtaking! We haven't even had much rain and look at the lush beauty of the hillsides. I love that no matter what the state of the affairs of man may be, the wonders of nature are given to all; old and young, rich and poor, all colors and creeds. We all may partake freely. Now that is a Good and Gracious Father. It is one of the few things our new President doesn't have to worry about in the least and neither do we.
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I have recently started to do some writing again for Blissfully Domestic now that things are settling down again after the holidays. You are probably going...holidays? What? That is a distant memory for most of you. Well long story short, my Christmas tree is still up. Yup. That will teach me to procrastinate. When I was 35 this would have put me over the brink...but now I realize it isn't earth shattering after all.
Poor Jim hurt his back three week ago and with a herniated disc I do not want him to even lift a garbage bag. He is getting better but I'll let you know if I have to hang shamrocks on the tree. At least all the other Christmas stuff is packed up and stacked neatly in the guest room. That all has to go in the attic and so it all takes both of us to get it up there.
The moral of the story is: "Never put off until tomorrow what you should be doing today!" So anyhoo, here's my article on Guest Room Amenities (which do not include boxes of Christmas junk, incidentally.)
~Pair a Dimes~
DancingLast week one night I watched P.S. I Love You again. You have probably all seen it but if not..do! It stars Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler. The scenery of the parts filmed in Ireland are absolutely gorgeous. Kathy Bates is good in it too and then there's Harry Connick, Jr. I really enjoy this movie and this is one of the reasons why. I had never seen "him" before and what a delightful discovery!
Jeffrey Dean MorganI really had a good laugh while reading our Laura's post today! The boys just crack me up with some of the funny things they say. Especially Rossie~he is so out there with whatever is on his mind.
After that I ran into this picture and my first thought was ~Hmmm, I wonder if this is how Ross sees me, his Gramma! The little boy sure looks like him at any rate. So Laura, give it a whirl see what he says and then let me know. If it is painfully telling...lie to me...OK? The only things that will save me is I never wear aprons and I never make pies. But she does have short blondish hair, wire rimmed glasses and several chins and appears to be left-handed. Oh no, I am in big trouble! Oh and Happy Pie Day, I am not having any, thank you very much!
Kids are so little I just wonder what they actually see when they are staring straight up at you. I wonder but I am not sure I REALLY want to know.
When you think of a bride do you like to see beautiful, modest, elegance? I really do. The trend has been in the last decade or so to reveal more and more of the bride's skin while the marriage is taking place. Not everyone likes this, including many grooms, and most certainly not everyone looks good in very revealing gowns. Beautiful elegance has always had a place although often is hard to find anymore with the current trends in fashion design.
My dear friend, Faye Hunt, has created a solution after dealing with this when her three daughters married. She has designed some gorgeous gowns to fill the bill. If you or someone you know is looking for something classy and different and breathtaking, visit Alleanza Bridal for the details on how you can order a lovely, made to order bridal gown or all occasion dress of the highest quality today. If you like what you see, please spread the word. Alleanza Bridal will never let you down!
Foxgloves
Wishful Thinking!
President of These United States
If you haven't been to Lanette's Blog lately and you should stop by. For Christmas Dave gave her a little video recorder and she has been making some wonderful videos that are very inspiring if you want to be loss weight, be more fit and/or healthy. Lanette lost 65 pounds on the Weight Watcher Program two and a half year ago and turned her life around with exercise. She is a certified personal trainer and was selected as Weight Watcher Leader of the Year in our entire region in 2008.
In her blog she shares what makes her tick, what motitves her and how she has made this journey to better healthy living. She is dedicated to helping others in all things healthy. Her little video segments are short and to the point. Her enthusiasm is contagious! Don't expect a glossy Hollywood production just something that is real, relevant, and from the heart and totally inspiring. Thanks Lanette!
