







Always remember
Love your day your way!!!









Always remember
Love your day your way!!!

Hello and happy Monday how was your weekend? It rained all weekend and most of today. But at the end of the day the clouds suddenly parted and the sun came out. It was a nice surprise.
Over the weekend I decided to bake a pound cake in my bundt pan. I have had this pan for years. It weighs a ton. I got it from my husband’s grandmother. I haven’t used it for a long time. I got the pan out, it is cast iron, greased it really well and made my cake. I decided for extra moistness I would add an additional egg, some extra butter, and a little extra water to the mix.



At first all looked well. The cake rose beautifully, even though my oven is somewhat on its last legs, and that may be what I am getting for Valentine’s Day. I know, so romantic. But when I took the cake out it seemed to deflate. It sunk down to about half the height that it was. But it tasted great anyway. I think adding all the extras was probably a little too much. In the past I have added a couple of things but it was probably a little too much at one time.
On Saturday I visited a couple of thrift stores in search of some bottles for my bottle tree. I didn’t have any luck. I had ordered a few extra from Amazon and I put those on the tree. Even though I didn’t find any bottles I did find a few other things that I just couldn’t seem to pass up.
I still have several stems for bottles. I will continue my search. I think that will be half the fun.

First, this purse. I just love it. The tag had spring purse on the label. I found it at a local antique mall. The booth was a new one with a lot of great stuff. The purse is brand new. I don’t think it would hold a lot of things but it will be perfect for spring and summer. It’s also quite large. It may make a good knitting bag.

Next, A few weeks ago I bought these green glass bottles and this week I found the little glass flowers. I think they go great together.

I bought this book by Beverly Cleary. I had so many of her books growing up. I still have a lot of them. This is one I didn’t have so I was so happy to get it.

Next, I love this little yellow McCoy bowl. I will probably save it to give as a Birthday gift to someone. I actually bought it with them in mind.

And finally look at these stickers. I don’t know about where you are from but stickers are big now. We sell a lot of them in our gift shop at work. I work with a lot of young people. They will love these. All of these stickers came in a small pack for $1.00. There are ten different stickers in each pack!!! I bought three packs because I didn’t really know if they were stickers. They are, and I plan to give them out to our team members. I will go back and get more of these.

Look at the lake at our house. Because of all the rain over the weekend the lake rose quickly and it is really muddy.

I leave you with a picture of my little Izzy. She is so adventurous and a scaredy cat at the same time. She is mama cat’s favorite of the outside kitties. But you didn’t hear that from me.

Have a wonderful week!!!!!
Always remember
Love your day your way!!!!

Happy Sunday!! Come in and share a nice hot cup of coffee or maybe some hot tea or a cup of hot chocolate. It is a rainy cool day here.
If we were having coffee today I am sure we would talk about the weather. It has been rainy all weekend. We do need rain in our area so that is not a bad thing. The temps have actually been quite nice. I would also offer you a piece of pound cake that I made yesterday. It rose nicely and looked so pretty when I took it out of the oven. But then it just sort of sank. That’s ok it still tastes delicious.

If we were having coffee today I would tell you that I visited a couple of thrift shops yesterday. Even in the driving rain it was still a nice adventure. I would show you this lovely yellow McCoy bowl that I bought. I just love yellow. I also bought an old book by Beverly Cleary. I read all of her books when I was a kid and still have several.


If we were having coffee I would tell you that my big boy Gus is feeling much better. He was not feeling well earlier in the week. If you missed that post you can check it out here. It makes me so happy that he is back to his old self.
If we were having coffee I would look around and point out that my orchids are mostly dormant right now. This is a trying stage for any orchid mom. It makes you wonder if they will ever bloom again. I know they will, I just have to be patient. I am recording everything in my orchid journal so that when this happens I will know it is just temporary.
If we were having coffee we would probably discuss the fact that spring will be here soon. What new plants will you buy? Will you have a garden? We usually have just a few tomato plants. I am excited to see green trees and flowering plants. I hope to add several things to my yard this year.
If we were having coffee I would show you the book I am currently reading. The Shell Seekers. It is a big book, over 600 pages. It will take me a while to read this one. It is a classic and I have had it for a long time and am just getting to it.

If we were having coffee we would discuss the upcoming week. Valentine’s Day is Wednesday. Will you do anything special? I am going to the assisted living center where my mother in law lives. They are having a special Valentine’s Day luncheon and family members are invited. My husband works almost an hour away and cannot get there for lunch. I told her I was coming and she seemed happy. She may have forgotten all about it when I show up Wednesday but that is ok. She is 90. I will take her some chocolates and a Valentine.
It has been wonderful chatting and sharing coffee and cake with you. If we were having coffee what would you share with me?
Always remember
Love your day your way!!!

I am linking up with Natalie The Explorer over at Weekend Coffee Share you can check out hers and some other posts here #Weekend Coffee Share
Happy Wednesday friends. This week feels like it has gone on forever and it’s only Wednesday. My big boy Gus has been under the weather and not feeling good.
It started last week when it seemed as though Gus was having trouble using the bathroom. He would go into the kitty box and scratch and scratch and come out and visibly strain to use the bathroom usually on the rug outside the door. I am going to spare you any other details than that.
He seemed to be feeling better one day and then not himself the next. I called the vet on Tuesday and got him in that same afternoon. They did an X-ray to determine if he had any kind of blockage other than a hairball or poop. Luckily he didn’t. They gave him medicine to help get him on track and he is back to his old self. He is romping and playing with Kitty Kitty again. It makes my heart so happy. I hate to see him moping around and not being himself.

Over the weekend my husband and I cut the tree that had fallen across the road a couple of weeks ago. We had cut it off of the road and just moved it to the side of the road. It still looked pretty bad. We cut all of it and carried it away from the road. It was a beautiful day to be outside.
We also put my bottle tree in the yard. This is was a Christmas present from two years ago!!!!! It has been in our garage all this time. I tried to put the tree up one day by myself but it is metal and heavy and I couldn’t even lift it. I finally talked my husband into getting his auger and drilling a hole for it. It took all of ten minutes. I guess we both thought it was going to be more of a job than it was. But it is up and I love it. I only had six bottles to put on it. I ordered a few more but I really want to collect bottles that I find in thrift stores or get at garage sales. I think this will be fun and they will be unique.

I made beef stew on Sunday. I put it in my crockpot and let it slow cook. I had some leftover sourdough bread that we had with it and it was delicious.

My sister had a doctor’s appointment in Knoxville on Friday. I went with her and we did a little shopping afterwards. Look at these bunnies and Easter decorations at T.J Maxx.



I had hoped to find some cute things for Valentine’s Day but they had nothing. Of course they did put their Valentines decorations out before Christmas so I guess they sold out.
A fellow blogger mentioned a poem by Ted Kooser. I loved the poem so I ordered one of his books and I am so loving these poems. While I was at the Vet with Gus I had to wait almost two hours for everything they were doing. I sat in my car and read almost this entire book. It so helped calm this kitty mama’s nerves and take my mind off of worrying about my big Gus.

This is my favorite poem in this book, so far. I haven’t quite finished the book.

So yes it feels like a long week. Knowing my Gus is feeling better is wonderful. But still a bit of a crazy week. I think I need some down time to reflect and just chill. I think that may have to come from within me though. One of the things I most enjoyed this week was watching a man with his three dogs. I was parked at the vet clinic. A man at a house next door opened his front door. Out bounded three of the most beautiful big dogs I have ever seen. They almost looked like popcorn popping up and down and all over each other. They were so happy. He had a fenced yard and they ran and ran and played until they flopped down beside each other. I could see their tongues lolling out. They were just precious. You never know when you are going to catch a glimpse of something that will stick with you always.
How is your week going?
Always remember
Love your day your way!!!!

Life in Kana-text (er... CONtext)
A Journey of Travels, Teachings, and Truths Told Plainly
Life in the mountains
Global Guide to Wellness, Lifestyle & Mindset for Healthy Living & Emotional Balance
A little bit about a lot of things
Redefining life after the fledglings have flown
The Writing Life
Rediscovering Singapore
Finding the beautiful in the everyday
Showcasing Our Rich Culture
What Makes You Curious?
This is perhaps the least specific blog you will find. A variety of DIY projects, book reviews, health tips, yoga poses, fashion ideas, recipes or something altogether different depending on my current mood. I've never been pigeon-holed into one category so neither is my blog. Strap in and enjoy the ride!
A lifestyle, travel, and fashion blog by Elaine DeBock.
Inspired by Gardens, Crafts, Cooking, and just being at home.
I take pictures | I cook | I quilt | I knit | I create
the joy of creativity