A Lesson in PATIENCE... but Worth the Wait!

In Mid-July we planted some MOONFLOWERS (on a whim)... and ANXIOUSLY waited for them to bloom... well... we waited... and waited.... and WAITED ... we noticed some buds forming... and then the "pods" formed... to say that we were excited would be an understatement!


And FINALLY 2 nights ago... SURPRISE!!! Our VERY FIRST MOONFLOWER BLOOMED!!!





We thought it would NEVER HAPPEN (or the FROST would arrive before we even got to see one of the blooms open!)... but it did... how PRETTY the MOONFLOWER was! Almost GLOWING... and the fragrance was WONDERFUL!!! We didn't realize how BIG the blooms are (it measured almost 4" across!!!) and couldn't decide which "side" of the flower was/is prettier... the FRONT... or the BACK...

We excitedly counted the other buds and pods... and are HOPING that our first FROST holds off so we can enjoy ALL the MOONFLOWERS that we can!!!

We will DEFINITELY be planting these next year (before mid-July!)...

We were HONORED to Attend...

And we will NEVER FORGET...

"CAT" itude...

YES... I'm listening....





UH HUH... REEEEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY????...

Are you STILL TALKING???...

He's Such a POSER...

A PERFECT Summer Day...

Spent at the County Fair... PERFECT WEATHER... PERFECT COMPANY... YUMMY FOOD!!!

SUMMER READING in 2.0...

TAMED!!!... A HEADBAND SOLUTION...

Lilley-Kate has "pretty much" said "good-bye" to her collection of bows... (although SOMETIMES I can coherce her into wearing one to accent a pony tail... hey... I'm holding onto those bows with BOTH HANDS... LOL)... we are QUICKLY acquiring quite a collection of HEADBANDS... and finding a STORAGE SOLUTION has been challenging at best...


Lilley-Kate had been keeping some of the headbands around her lamp on her dresser... the headbands were "wrangled"... easy to see and grab when getting dressed... and it WORKED... for a time (as the headband collection has grown... this method of storage has become more irritating than practical.. think HOT TANGLED HEADBAND MESS...LOL)... but we needed a more permanent and practical SOLUTION....





After looking around "blogland" (and eBay)... I decided to MAKE a HEADBAND HOLDER similar to a "classic" BOWHOLDER... easy peasy (lemon squeezie)... This isn't "my" original design... gotta give credit where credit is due!... I used what I had already here at the house (1 1/2" wide grosgrain ribbon)... and "whipped" up THIS headband holder in about 10 minutes!!!







Headbands corralled!!! Easy to SEE and GRAB when getting dressed... and NEATLY stored!!! I'll be making a couple more of these!!!... BUT I'm STILL holding onto those BOWS!!!

Up Up and Away...

DOUBLE "D" LICIOUS!!!...

If you are LUCKY enough to be SOUTHERN... you know EXACTLY what I mean!!!

It's That Time Again...

I was back and forth on having our "Annual GARAGE/YARD Sale" this year... but by Tuesday noticed all the signs already up for the other sales this weekend... so decided to push forward and quickly get mine ready for this Saturday...


We had quite a lively chat at dinner last night on the differences between GARAGE SALES, YARD SALES, TAG SALES, PORCH SALES, RUMMAGE SALES, SIDEWALK SALES, BASEMENT SALES, and any other type of SALE we could come up with... although when I went to buy signs at the DOLLAR TREE all they had was GARAGE SALE signs... and I have never seen pre-made signs that say anything but GARAGE SALE... so that's what we're going with I guess... a GARAGE/YARD sale...


IF you happen to be around the neighborhood... and see the signs... stop on by!!!

Advice from Nancy...

As a young girl I LOOOOOOOOOOVED reading the NANCY DREW MYSTERIES... So when I came across this at our local "BARGAIN BARN" I KNEW I HAD to pick it up... FILLED with fun little "NANCY FACTIODS"... and kitchie "NANCY WISDOM" it's a DELIGHT of any NANCY FAN (and just a really cute book to read/paruse)...


Some of the FUN things in this book...


FRIEND or FOE: How Do You Know? Checklist
Nancy's FASHIONISTA Evolution
Match the VILLIAN to the CRIME (based on the NANCY DREW Mysteries)
NANCY'S RESUME


And some of NANCY'S Wisdom...


Do be a pretty sight for sore eyes... from the Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion

When traveling, sample the local menu fare!... The Secret of the Golden Pavilion

Red lipstick makes a great window SOS when you've been kidnapped and stolen away on a plane!... from The Mystery of the Fire Dragon


I have been reading some beloved series from my (much) younger years... I am planning to "revisit" Nancy Drew and her many adventures this Summer with Lilley-Kate!!!

ALWAYS REMEMBER...

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed...

And nothing concealed that will not be known... or brought out into the open


Luke 8:17


I always think it's interesting when you "stumble" across something that seems to just SMACK YOU IN THE FACE...

8th Wonder of the World...

DUCT TAPE... but not just ANY DUCT TAPE... HELLO KITTY DUCT TAPE!!!

9 Tids and Bits

We took a "trip" to BIKINI BOTTOM recently... Everyone had a fun time... warm weather... good company... and a SPECIAL CELEBRATION!

We recently replaced our 1979 WASHER AND DRYER with a 2011 WASHER AND DRYER

BEST TEXT I EVER GOT... 'I wish I had a BRITISH ACCENT' (although 'Nobody likes a stale cracker' ran a close SECOND)

3 DAYS of POURING RAIN... on the 4th DAY... woke up to 5" of what has been called "HEART ATTACK SNOW"

I was ONCE likened to LUKE SKYWALKER... and I was FLATTERED

A VERY SPECIAL SOMEONE is coming to visit... I'm HOPING they'll give me a HAND UP outta this hole I've been in...

I always wonder when someone ASKS for an OPINION... do they want an OPINION... or YOUR OPINION?

I think CURTIS STONE is just YUMMY... YUM YUM YUMMY

Spring HAS to come... right... it like a RULE or something isn't it???

***DON'T FORGET TO "SPRING AHEAD" tonight!!!***

ONE... but not the OTHER...

ONE is a "LOVER"... but not the OTHER... I can appreciate that...

ONE follows the "rules" of the house... but not the OTHER... that bugs me... RULES are RULES!

ONE is a RASCAL... but not the OTHER... BOYS will be BOYS so they say...

ONE is a HUGGER... but not the OTHER... It's a PERSONAL SPACE thing I'm thinking...

ONE likes to sit in the window and watch the world go by... but not the OTHER... Do YOU crave ANONIMITY too?

ONE likes to play "fetch"... but not the OTHER... Maybe you could learn the JUMP/HOW HIGH game?

ONE likes to be a neckwarmer... but not the OTHER... Isn't it ALL about WARM TOES?

ONE is the LEADER.. but not the OTHER... we can't ALL be LEADERS... right?

ONE is the FOLLOWER... but not the OTHER... If everyone else jumped off the BRIDGE... would YOU... would you REALLY?"

ONE is the TEACHER... but not the OTHER... Wax on... Wax off...

ONE is the STUDENT... but NOT the OTHER... our own "in-house GRASSHOPPER"...

ONE is cautious and careful... but not the OTHER... REMEMBER the story of the tortiose and the hare?

ONE craves a HIDING PLACE that cannot be found by the OTHER...

ONE wishes the OTHER would stop hiding...

Have Not... Have...

I HAVE NOT cleaned out and organized the closets...

I HAVE NOT picked out the paint color for the upstairs bathroom...

I HAVE NOT mopped the kitchen floor... seriously... it's like polishing a TURD...

I HAVE NOT decorated for Valentine's Day... I've bought some cheesy items to decorate WITH... but they are sitting in a bag in the pantry...

I HAVE NOT dusted... for a LONG TIME...

I HAVE NOT kept up with correspondence... I'm kinda feeling "important" with that double digit number in my "INBOX"...

I HAVE NOT picked out the paint color for the kitchen...

I HAVE NOT been exercising...

I HAVE NOT organized photographs... BUT I KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS!!!

I HAVE NOT thinned out the videos/DVDs...

I HAVE NOT found a pair of BOOTS that I even half LIKE... let alone LOVE... although I DO LOVE my UGGS... they are "COLD WEATHER" CUTE... not DIRTY SLUSHY ICEY SNOW CUTE...

I HAVE NOT gotten a MUCH NEEDED haircut...

I HAVE NOT colored my hair... (which is also MUCH NEEDED)

BUT...

I HAVE gotten up every morning, SHOWERED and gotten dressed... in CLOTHES... and gotten Lilley-Kate to school ON TIME...

I HAVE packed Lilley-Kate LUNCH every day...

I HAVE become a FAN of ALL THINGS "JERSEY"...

I HAVE spent ALL DAY (most)somedays... on the COUCH... watching ALL THINGS "JERSEY"...

I HAVE walked around the house AIMLESSLY... looking at ALL THE THINGS I haven't DONE...

I HAVE formed a VERY SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP with MULTI-GRAIN PRINGLES and PEANUT BUTTER M&Ms...

I HAVE figured out the PERFECT BLANKET LAYERING NUMBER to be cozy on the COUCH...

I HAVE vacummed every evening...

I HAVE made beds every day...

I HAVE THOUGHT about making a couple of new "HEAT BAGS"... since the SMELL OF BURNT RICE is getting pretty unbearable...

I HAVE been SHORT TEMPERED...

I HAVE been IMPATIENT...

I HAVE been WEEPY... WHO KNEW ALL THINGS "JERSEY" (and JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE) could make someone CRY???


OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD... Will it EVER STOP SNOWING???

Practically PERFECT and Some Tids & Bits...

We headed into the city over the weekend to take Lilley-Kate to see MARY POPPINS... it was PRACTICALLY PERFECT in EVERY WAY... HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT if it is in your area!... except for the GRANDFATHER sitting behind us who stood up 20 minutes into the first act and proclaimed quite loudly "This is boring me to death... I gave up FOOTBALL for THIS???" and proceeded to leave Grandma and three granddaughters to remain sitting behind us... BAD GRANDPA!!!





We counted 17 JERSEYS in the SOLD OUT crowd at the theater... WHO wears a JERSEY to the THEATER? I'm guessing the SAME PEOPLE who wear their FLEECE PAJAMA PANTS to the grocery store... or JEANS to CHURCH... but just guessing...





I have been adding COURSE BLACK PEPPER to just about EVERYTHING I have been eating lately... weird huh?





I LOVE chicken noodle soup with crushed up saltines mixed in (of course with the ABOVE mentioned spice liberally added)...





NEW and IMPROVED you say??? Well... what if I liked it just the way it was???...





SHRINKAGE DOES MATTER... this is in reference to the manufacturers who THINK I ( and everyone else) don't NOTICE how you "redesign" the packaging... but SHRINK the volume content... and the PRICE stays the SAME... OOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRR... *GASP*... goes UP!!!





BEST MUSIC DECADE EVER????...... THE 80s... HANDS DOWN!!!!!





NOTHING turns me off more... or causes me to TUNE OUT quicker than NAME DROPPING... OR PRICE DROPPING ...

Meet My "New Guy"...

After we got BUTTONS back in July I wrestled with the thought of another kitty... and wrestled and wrestled... FINALLY deciding BUTTONS needed a friend...


Meet my "new guy"... POMPOM... we decided to keep the "vote count" fair and went with a male cat... not wanting the guys to be "outnumbered" in the house... LOL

It didn't take BUTTONS (or the rest of the family) long at all to fall in LOVE with her "little brother"... they have become INSEPERABLE...

Please SUPPORT your local/county ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY!!!

Sorry WENDY'S... I'm back to BK

REALLY... I AM sorry... but your "new" fries just AREN'T "cutting it" for me (even though they ARE NATURAL CUT)... I TRIED... REEEEEEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY TRIED to like them... and the FIRST time I did... PIPING HOT... REALLY HOT... like JUST OUT OF THE FRYER STILL SIZZLING IN THE FRY BOX HOT... and they WERE GOOD (not GREAT... not HORRIBLE... but GOOD... HEALTHIER)... but then I tried them AGAIN... ordering them at the DRIVE THRU... not so good that time... NOT PIPING HOT... or REALLY HOT... kinda "LUKEWARM"... and I started to miss the OLD FRIES... but decided to try ONE MORE TIME... yea... THIRD TIME wasn't a charm... and I started to think of my "old love"... the one I left for YOU WENDY'S... the one whose FRIES taste better...


So... I am back to BK... it's NOT that I don't like you anymore WENDY'S... you're CLOSER... and CLEANER... but... I LOVE ME SOME GOOD FRIES... and you don't have them anymore...


I will MISS YOU!!! But NOT the FRIES...

Tids... Bits... and a HOLIDAY FUNNY

Can you BELIEVE this time NEXT FRIDAY The Jolly FatMan will be visiting???...


I tried REALLY REEEEEEAAAALLLY HARD to watch the FAREWELL to LARRY KING LIVE tonight... but after about 10 minutes I wanted to hang myself... so I switched over to REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS... (wonder if BILL MAHR will catch any slack over his "little" slip-up???? And you SHOULDN'T be able to TELL YOU ARE READING A TELEPROMPTER "Mr. President")...


Our last snow melted pretty quickly (after a TROPICAL 40* weekend)... just in time... we got ANOTHER 9" earlier this week!...


When you go to the PO at NOON... You should KNOW there will be a LONG LINE... WHY were you surprised???


I have to wonder if I scavanged for some SWAG to REVIEW... could/would I get all my Christmas Shopping done???...


DON is HOTTER than LANE... but NOT HOTTER than ROGER...


I buy my own Christmas Gifts... give them to my husband... he wraps them... and I am TOTALLY HAPPY on Christmas morning...


Why is it that SOME PEOPLE look TOTALLY CUTE bundled up... and OTHERS... well... just look like the STAYPUFF guy off GHOSTBUSTERS???...


I get REALLY ANNOYED when Michael wears SHORTSLEEVES in the winter... I'm COLD!...


We think the CHRISTMAS LIGHTS outside look MAGICAL with SNOW covering them...


We can't hear the song DYNOMITE without wanting to SPIN THE DREIDL!!!...


MY BESTIE (who I miss SO MUCH!) is a FABULOUS card picker outer!!!! (see below)

8 MORE DAYS! HOPEFULLY the WEATHER will cooperate with me until then... I STILL have shopping to do!!! (UNLESS of course SOMEONE... ANYONE... wants to send ME some SWAG???)