New Look!

I have been wanting to do a more updated look for my blog for a while. I was ready for something a little lighter and more "summer-y!" :) So what do you think? It is a little simpler than my previous layout, but it will be faster to load.

I used the blogger template "Minima." You can get that little header border off by using Tori's tip, click here. Thanks, Tori for the info! :)

The picture is of one of the little plates that hangs in my kitchen. It is one in a set of four... I love them! :)

Blessings!

Tip Junkie

I have enjoyed this blog. She features great ideas from other people and posts the links to her blog. Each day the post is a set of links with similar purposes. Today's post featured several ideas for Father's Day. Yesterday's post was about blog ettiquette.

Melissa featured a similar blog yesterday called Today's Creative Blog.

There are a lot of really neat blogs out there. Maybe you have a favorite I don't know about? :)

Blessings!

Where we've been!

I guess some of you were wondering where I was all last week. (Some of you didn't even notice I was gone, but oh well.) :) Mark and I were on vacation! We went up to the Beavers Bend Park in Oklahoma. We rented a great little cabin and just spent a few days relaxing!

We went up on Monday. We enjoyed the drive up (although I didn't enjoy the narrow two lane road with the logging trucks crossing the yellow line!) We stopped in several county seats to take pictures of the courthouses. We would eventually like to get pictures of every courthouse in Texas.
Tuesday we took a canoe ride down the river. It was very enjoyable and so relaxing to be out on the water. Beaver's Bend isn't a high traffic resort area and we went before it got really busy. It was nice and quiet. We grilled hamburgers when we got back to the cabin and ate them on the front porch in the rocking chairs.
Wednesday we cleaned up the cabin and checked out. We stopped by a few more courthouses on the way down and spent that night at Mark's parents home.
Thursday we left after a wonderful breakfast and did a little more looking and shopping before coming home. We really enjoyed our trip! Click the album below to see pictures:

Vacation

Also Happy third Anniversary to us today! :) I can't believe it's been three years already! I have such a wonderful husband! I love you, Mark!!!!

Blessings,

Sunday Blessing

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

From: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing
by Charles Wesley

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. Some of you may have noticed my silence over the past week. We were on vacation! :) I will tell about it later this week when I have some time to post, and of course there will be pictures! I hope everyone has an enjoyable Memorial Day. Please take time to think of those who have paid the sacrifice for our freedom and remember to pray for those in the service at home and abroad.


Blessings!

ETA: The picture is of the courthouse in Red River County, Texas.

Sunday Blessing

O Thou in whose presence my soul takes delight,
On whom in affliction I call;
My comfort by day and my song in the night,
My hope, my salvation, my all.

Dear Shepherd, I hear, and will follow Thy call,
I know the sweet sound of Thy voice;
Protect and defend me, for Thou art my all,
And in Thee I will ever rejoice.

From "O Thou in Whose Presence"
by Joseph Swain

I am hoping to do a Sunday Blessing every week. My aim is to pick a few lines from a song that we sing in church that really stood out to me and share them here. There are many old hymns with beautiful words, some not so familiar to us. Maybe some of these songs will be new to you and will be an encouragement.

There is also a new post over at Time to Bloom.

Blessings!

PS~ I know my "Sunday Blessing" is a little late this week. Oh, well. :) (Time for me to go to bed!)

Recital

Angie's recital was last night. She played a beautiful song from Pride and Prejudice. (To read her take on the event, click here.)

Angie with her flowers...doesn't she look beautiful! :)

As promised...

I'm a bit of a night owl... can you tell? :) I figured I'd better go ahead and post before it is actually tomorrow! :) So what is that cute little thing I knitted?(I liked the tea cozy guesses, they went along with my last knitted gift!) :) Well... there are actually two of them!

No, not potholders or puppets...

Trying to figure out how they go on...


AH, HAH!!!


Mom's feet are so much cuter than mine!

Now if I can only get her to wear them! ARG! :) She is afraid of stretching them out! Oh, well... As you can tell, we had a lot of fun with them! (and I had fun keeping Mom guessing. I had her open one by itself, and then the other one last.) Anyway, that's the rest of our Mother's Day pictures. Hope you enjoyed the little game!




PS~ They are called Pocketbook Slippers. Very easy to make! And this is the flower I used to embellish them.

UFO!!

aka... Unidentified Finished Object!

Yes, I know what it is! :) The question is, do you?

This was part of Mom's Mother's Day gift.

Here she is trying to figure it out... note the inquisitive expression!

I kept her guessing for a while, as well! So what do you think it is? Mom had several guesses of her own. :) Tomorrow evening I will reveal the answer! :) Have fun!



PS~ Here is the album with some of our other pictures from Mother's Day. Enjoy!

Mother's Day Weekend

Twosies

Melissa nominated me for this meme! :)

The Two's
Two Names I go by:
1. Charity
2. Chari

Two Things I Am Wearing Right Now:
1. Red dress
2. Cherry apron :)

Two of My Favorite Things to do:
1. Spend time with Mark
2. Knit

Two Things I want very badly at this moment:
1. To be a mommy
2. For my laundry to be magically folded and put away! :)

Two Pets I had/have:
1. Freckles - cat
2. Scamp - dog

Two people you would like to fill this out: (if you want to)
1. Angie
2. Kristi

Two things I did last night:
1. Chilled out after work
2. Ate supper with my husband :)

Two things I have eaten today:
1. Coffee
2. Fruit Smoothie
(Neither probably counts as food... I'm hungry!)

Two people I last talked to:
1. Angie
2. Mom

Two things I am doing tomorrow:
1. Get ready for work
2. Work :)

What was my longest car ride:
1.East Texas to Idaho via California Coast
2. East Texas to Seattle, WA

Two favorite holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Easter

Two favorite beverages:
1. Barq's Root Beer
2. Fruit juice

Two things I have done today:
1. Laundry
2. Blogged

Happy Mother's Day!

...to our mothers!(Picture taken at Mark's Mother's Christmas Tea in Dec. '06)

...and to all of you mothers,
and also to those who, like me, wish they were mothers.
(Mothers in Waiting)

Here's a boquet for you!!

Also there's a new post on Time to Bloom: Overcoming the Overwhelming.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image Courtesy of: Bendigo Flowers
(No endorsement, just where I found the pict!) :)

Better in Bottles

Many of you know that my kitchen is in Coca-Cola and cherries. My dad was a Coke delivery man when I was born, and passed out coke pencils with "It's a girl!" on them. I also have a few pictures of me in his truck when I was a little girl. Anyway.....

A lot of my coke things have migrated to my family room. I am decorating in a playful theme (hopefully do some posts soon of that room), but I do have some things in my kitchen still. The funny thing is, and I really shouldn't admit it, but I really don't like Coke! (diet is o.k. but the "Real Thing" seems too sweet.) However, I have decided that I really enjoy Coca-Cola in bottles! :) It's still sweet, but so much fun to drink!and besides, what could be more fun than this?

Here is a recent purchase from Wally World, I love the vintage look! A little expensive, but so fun! :)

I saved the caps, knowing that I wanted to do something creative with them, but not knowing really what. This afternoon, while working in the kitchen, it came to me!

I need more magnets for my refrigerator! (Small ones that won't hide the pictures.) :)

How's that for a fun afternoon project? and while I had the glue gun out, I got a few other minor repairs out of the way! What "crafty" projects have you been up to recently?

Blessings!

Fun Framed

Ok, I can't resist! I am having a blast with this site! :) Here are a couple of pictures that I spent a few minutes today tweaking! :)

Then another picture of Faithie, this one from last week. I love the pink in the hat... (which actually went with Gracey's outfit, but share and share alike!)


Then me and my sis. I thought this was a cute picture, but we kinda clashed. A little filtered black and white fixed that problem! :)

Isn't it amazing what you can do?

Show and Tell: Ivy

I love ivies. I have a hard time passing them up in the store, especially the pretty healthy ones with beautiful petite leaves! :) I enjoy having them around my home, they seem to add life to the house! I enjoy training them. I've had this heart for a few years.

This one, Mark got me for Valentine's Day. I love the cheery yellow pot! You may remember it from my Easter table decor a couple of months ago.


I picked this little guy up a couple of weeks ago. He's quite small and needed a little pot. I found this mug for a dollar and put pebbles in the bottom for drainage. (He's still adjusting to his new home, thus a little discoloration/brown spots.) Can you see the green "steam" spiraling up from the cup of "coffee?" :)

and yes, that is last Friday's date... I was going to do this last week and got too busy. I liked the calendar page, so I didn't re-photograph it. :)

I also have a touch of ivy outside... These are my geraniums from last year, with the English ivy around them. They are happy it is spring! :)


And this one doesn't really qualify as ivy, but I like him too... I repotted it, and it really drooped for a while, but it is thrilled to be outside and these things are really hardy. I call it a shamrock, I guess it qualifies as such.


Happy May, everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! For other Show and Tells, visit Kelli's Blog.

Blessings!