Category: Making a better Me

Saturday

Happy Saturday friends. What a great day it has been. The sun is shining and it has been about 85 degrees F most of the day with sun sun and more sun.

I started the day frying bacon. We don’t eat it a lot but sometimes when Mark and I are off on the same days I will cook up a bit. I love frying bacon in my flat cast iron skillet it is just the best.

After breakfast we had a lot of plans for the day. I wanted to clean our little office that we use and move some things to the basement. I know how quickly a day off can go sideways with not a lot of things done. That is o.k sometimes but I want the office back in use. Remember when we were buying all the tables and desks and T.V. stands a few months ago? well if you don’t remember, and you want to, you can catch up here So during this time we added a couple of tables for the office. One of the tables has remained in the middle of the office and we have to move our file cabinet out before we can place it. So for about two months the table has been in the middle of the room very much in the way. It is totally messing with my Feng shui.

I decided today was the day we were going to get that organized. And guess what We DID!!!! I also scrubbed the deck and the stairs on the deck they were covered with pollen. The pollen this year has been worse than I ever seen it. The lake a couple of mornings ago looked totally yellow.

Look at this pollen can you believe it???

After we got the file cabinet moved to the basement, where it took an unbelievable amount of time trying to decide where to put it because there was no space, I realized just how badly I had failed on my clearing the clutter project. I started off great in the early spring. I was taking at least one bag or box of items to the Goodwill every week and at least that much to the landfill. I don’t know what happened but I just stopped. But seeing that clutter in the basement today made me want to get back to it even more. We started today by loading the truck with several items that needed to be hauled to the landfill on Monday. Wow, I feel lighter already.

We walked the babies and I did a little crocheting and reading. It was just a great day overall. Very busy but productive and happy.

I don’t crochet a lot but I am working on a special project right now. I always forget how much I enjoy crocheting.
This book is the best!!! The movie based on this book is called 5 Flights Up and stars Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton. It is about an older couple who live in Brooklyn in a 5 story walk up. They are trying to decide on selling their condo and moving somewhere with an elevator which will make it easier for them. But the only problem is they love where they live and they don’t want to move. This is a great book and a great movie. Read it watch it you won’t be disappointed.
And the honeysuckle are blooming and they smell amazing.

So just a wonderful Saturday at home spent with hubs and the fur babies and getting a lot of much needed things taken care of. But also having some fun time just enjoying the little things in life. How was your Saturday?

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Count Your Blessings

Count your blessings count them one by one. Do you remember that little song?

Last week was a week of blessings. Some were big and some were small but blessings all the same. The beginning of last week was pretty uneventful except for Molly, I’ll explain more about that in a minute. And then on Thursday we had the trip to Nashville for the hubs to get additional blood work for the kidney. I mentioned in one of my last posts, he has had some elevated blood levels and the doctors were being cautious and rechecking everything.

You know it is amazing how your mind can go wild with the what ifs. What if this happens and what if that happens. I hate to go there but my mind goes there so fast it would make your head spin. So I have spent the last month in a state of unease about this blood work. I stayed really busy doing things that I could control because this blood work was something that was so out of my control. But no matter how busy I was or how much I tried not to dwell on the upcoming tests I just couldn’t put it out of my mind. I think that is probably a normal reaction anytime you are worried about a loved one. One part of me wanted the tests over and done and then another part worried about what would happen if the outcome was not good. Jesus take the wheel!!!

So on Thursday morning we took off at 5:00 AM for the three and a half hour drive to Nashville. The labs were done fast and before we could turn around we were headed back home. We usually get the results about an hour after the labs are done.

We stopped and ate breakfast. We were both on pins and needles waiting for the results. Finally the results came in and the blood work was normal. WHAT A RELIEF!!! I messaged one of my sisters with the good news and said now I have to go and cry and puke. We felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off of us. Blessings.

Another blessing this week is about our sweet Molly. At the beginning of the week she was moving so slow I just knew she had had a stroke or something really bad. She would not eat anything for a couple of days. She is a very old girl and I know our time with her is limited. I woke her up last Monday and she would not get up. When I finally did get her on her feet I noticed she was so stiff she could barely move. I helped her down the steps into the garage. I scrambled her some eggs and put in her bowl and she still wouldn’t eat. I went to work and when I came home she was still moving slow. I worried all night and went into her room the next morning preparing myself for the worse. But she jumped right up and trotted outside and even went on the walk with me and Scruffy. Thank you Lord. We were so happy she was back to her old self even if it is for who knows how long. Blessings.

Sometimes we just don’t realize that to be able to go about your day in a way that you may have thought boring at one time is really a blessing in itself. Normalcy can be one of the biggest and greatest blessings of all. Blessings.

I had lunch with the Sisters last week and my good friend Lorie. I also got to visit in person with my Mama in law, and go to an estate sale and do my job and live my life and love my people and appreciate it a million times over. Blessings.

Blessings are all around us, count them, use them, love them, and never forget to be thankful for them.

And always remember

Love your day your way!!!!!

Do The Next Right Thing

Hello friends how are you? Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there who is a mother or mother figure to loved ones or fur babies. I know I have been rather quiet over here the last couple of weeks. I always want to keep it real here on my blog without invading any of my loved ones privacy. Recently my husband has had to have his blood work repeated several times. It has been a bit scary. We are not sure what, if anything, is going on at this point. He has had some elevated levels that the doctors are being very careful with and keeping a watchful eye on. We are praying that his body works through this and all levels will return to normal very soon. We should know more in the next week or so.

I guess with any extra anxiety I have always been one to draw within myself and not want to do anything. I am trying to fight that by staying busy and optimistic but anxiety does seem to creep in when I least expect it and sometimes in the most unusual ways. I have missed being here and sharing with you my day to day which in many ways is probably the best outlet I could possibly hope to have. A good friend once gave me some wonderful advice. She said when you are worried or anxious and you feel that there is nothing you can do to control your situation, just do the next right thing. It could be anything from taking out the garbage to making a phone call, paying bills, taking a walk or just something that is “right” for you to do at that moment. So with all of that said I will dive in and tell you about my days. Writing this post is my next right thing to do.

It is Blackberry Winter here in East Tennessee. The blackberries are blooming like crazy. That is not to say we will have blackberries anytime soon. This is only the blooming process and the actual yummy blackberries will not be ready for a month or so. As soon as the blackberries start blooming the temperatures drop and reminds us that cooler temps will linger a little longer. This is usually around the second week of May and falls just in time for Mother’s Day. It was 46 degrees F at my house several mornings this past week.

Blackberries are blooming everywhere!!!!

The cool weather hasn’t stopped the yellow coating of pollen blanketing everything. I have never been one to suffer from allergies at this time of year although my poor husband does. But this year I have had a bit of allergy issues. It must be age or something I’m not sure. The lake at our house has had a permanent film of yellow on it for a couple of weeks now.

Last Sunday I finished knitting a pair of socks and immediately started another pair. I got my ball winder out and rolled four balls of yarn. I will probably use two of the balls for socks and one for a scarf and I’m not sure what I will use the other one for.

I visited the Mennonite Farm Market near my house yesterday. They had some beautiful vegetables. And of course they always have those fresh baked cinnamon rolls. I have to buy one every time I go. Yesterday was no exception. The drive to the market is almost as good as the things I find to buy. It is especially beautiful this time of year.

Lots of luscious vegetables and fruit at the market. I wanted everything.
I may have mentioned that the market also has these wonderful, delicious HUGE cinnamon rolls. I always get one when I am there.
A beautiful sunrise Friday morning.

So if you are ever overwhelmed, anxious, scared, nervous etc etc. and don’t know exactly how to manage the next moment just do the next right thing whatever that may be.

And always remember

Love your day your way!!!!

Weekend Happenings

Hi friends and happy Sunday. How was your weekend? Why do weekends zoom by so fast? it seems like about fifteen minutes ago I was pulling my car into the garage and it was Friday evening and I had two glorious days ahead of me. Oh well. I’m happy to be here and to have a job and I am very happy and grateful for you if you are reading right now.

Saturday morning I was able to visit with my mother in law for a couple of hours. We still have to call the Assisted Living Village and set up a time and go to the front and have our temps taken etc etc. But things are getting better and at least I am able to visit face to face in her room with her. I took her some supplies and we had a great visit.

I was supposed to have lunch with a friend and she woke up not feeling too well so we postponed and I had a couple of hours to kill before picking up my groceries. I had been hearing about a new bakery on a farm in Sweetwater. Grain Bin Commodities. I figured this would be the perfect time to go and check it out. I had also seen on their FaceBook page that the gift shop they had there had everything 20% off.

The bakery is a little ways out of town on a farm. I hadn’t been in that area in years. It is such a beautiful farm. Cattle and fields of green with yellow wild flowers as far as the eye could see. The bakery itself is in a small house with the actual baking being done just behind the counter and cases full of the most delicious treats you have ever seen, smell or tasted. There are a few decor items for sale in this building but a large barn next door had lots of other items for sale. There are tables and chairs set up inside the bakery and on a patio connected to it as well. You can enjoy your treats and relax with this amazing view.

Lots of home decor and even Ice Cream and milk, chocolate and strawberry. People were coming in to buy the ice cream, they just started selling it a few weeks ago. It is made at a Mennonite community not far away and delivered to the bakery. I didn’t try the ice cream this time. I knew I had several stops before going home and it would melt. I will get some next time.

The family who owns and works the bakery are just about the nicest people you could ever meet. They love giving you samples of the goodies and telling you all about the food.

I bought a few of the cookies and cake pops. They were delicious. And of course I bought a few other things.

Look at this metal pail. I think I may put yarn in it.
You know how I love old spools. This one came with the jute and the scissors. I use this often to tie my bags of bread and treats that I make. I put this on the windowsill in the kitchen it will be so handy.
I just had to have this precious apron. It is very sturdy not just for cooking but for any project you might want to use it for. It has a pocket and it can be washed and dried easily.
I kept going back to this sign I just felt like I needed it in my kitchen. I do bake a lot of pies, all of my family loves pies. I bought it.
Just look at these beautiful fields.
I love this old truck and the scenery behind it.
The cows seem content.

After picking up my groceries I came home and put all the groceries away. I took the babies for a long walk and waited for hubs to come home. This was his weekend to work.

The Azaleas are blooming and they are beautiful!!! We have both pink and white blooming but for some reason the pink ones are really blooming more than the white. It’s that way here anyway.

The Irises are also blooming. These are really old. My mama had these planted at our house where I grew up. When she passed away I dug up several of them and moved them to my house. I have also given lots of them to my nieces so that they may have some of her flowers as well. They are very special. I transplanted them from the first place I planted them when I first moved to this house twenty years ago to a more sunny area in the backyard. Now they are thriving.

A huge Azalea bush on our driveway. This thing needs to be cut back but you really can’t tell it until it blooms and then it is so hard to cut it. I will wait until fall.

Sunday was a quiet day. I did some knitting, replanted a tomato plant I have on my deck, did laundry, read a good book, walked outside with the fur babies and took a ton of pictures. A good weekend overall. Now to gear up for the coming week. It’s my Birthday week and I will take an extra day off on Friday to celebrate with my husband. My actual Birthday is Wednesday but we both have to work those days. Did I ever tell you I got married on my Birthday? I did!!! So we have double celebrating to do.

How has your weekend been? Do you have a big week planned? I do have a big work week planned but I will tell you more about that at the end of the week and will have pictures and maybe a video.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!!