More Than A Song

I finished reading a book recently that was by an author that’s new to me……Wish You Well by David Baldacci. I think the book isn’t new, it’s been out a while and I’m probably the last person around to have read it. I believe he normally writes thrillers or legal thrillers so I may not read many of his other books. This one was more of a southern story set in the Virginia mountains where his mother grew up. It was a little bit different than the usual light, predictable stories I read and I have to say that I enjoyed it very much! The time is 1940, Louisa and Oz lose their father and their mother is unable to care for them. So they’re sent to live with their great-grandmother in the Virginia mountains and must learn to adapt to the hard work and rugged way of life. Told through the eyes of Lou, a precocious 12 year old girl, it’s sort of a coming of age story. I loved the characters, and the descriptions of mountain life and the time era really drew me in. It was a book I sort of savored and hated to see end. If it’s not one you’ve read before, you might enjoy it!

Stacy bought something because I told her I was craving something sweet! These are SO good, I think I must have eaten about 22 of them last night although Stacy said there were only 20 in the box. We went to see our dad today and when we got back we realized that the cookies were about gone, tragedy! We remedied that by going to Kroger to get another box. Stacy posted a picture on her photo blog too. I might have to look around and find a recipe for these…..butterfinger cookies.

I’m not gonna look at the nutritional info!
Back to regular blogging and blog visiting tomorrow I hope……I miss seeing what’s going on with you.

Yesterday I had a sewing class, well maybe more of a software class, to learn about a new update I got for my machine. Then I spent a lot of time afterwards trying to practice using it so I can use the monograms and lettering more. I did learn a few new things…..one being that I needed to come home and calibrate my computer screen so when I’ve finished arranging my design it will show me the correct size on the screen. Oh and let me say right now, I don’t like math or numbers. I got the instructions pulled up and figured out what needed to be done…..I had to measure a dialog box on the screen and enter the info and then the program would calibrate it. I chose inches and English measurements because, well because that’s the way I learned and I’m not very good at metric stuff; I don’t like numbers, did I say that?! 😉 Then I noticed in the example on the screen that it needed to be entered in decimals, ugh and I hate to say it but I didn’t know how to change my 4 7/16 inches into decimals! It’s a wonder I ever took advanced math in high school! And I graduated college too, but math/numbers are not my thing at all in case I haven’t told you. I called Stacy but she wasn’t sure what I was talking, I didn’t do a good job explaining it to her and she doesn’t sew. But I did get my smart hubby on the phone and he figured it for me right away, he works with numbers and conversion things every day…..he can be VERY handy! (If I remember correctly off the top of my head, ha, I think it came to something like 4.4375) I don’t like numbers in little boxes, did I say that already? There’s a reason I’m not something like a bookkeeper and I certainly didn’t want my machine embroidery to involve numbers. But I finally got my screen calibrated and did a monogram for the first little burp cloth I did. I’m very happy with the way this one turned out because I’ve not been able to do these diamond shaped monograms before.

I know that doesn’t seem like much but this was a big deal for me that I sorta got this stuff figured out and got it all stitched out. Now I’ve got to work on some cute boy designs for the other burps I’m wanting to make before the new baby comes!
I shopped briefly with Stacy this afternoon, we’re going to visit with our dad so it’ll be later before I get back to the computer to come visit.
Hope all of you are having a fun week in what you’re doing!

Oooh I have a treat for you today! Ok, well I think it’s more of a treat for me than you but you still might think it’s kinda cute. My daughter and her hubby that live in North Carolina sent me some video of their little one about a week or 2 ago, actually 4 short videos. J was entertaining her one day and they were on the computer so he made some video while they were sitting there with K watching herself on the monitor. I get a giggle out of this one, don’t think I should say how many times I’ve watched it! She just started doing this recently and I think they were entertained by it too. She’s pretty darn cute……I know, I’m prejudiced! Enjoy…..(it’s only about 30 seconds)

I’m feeling very uninspired this week and for some reason I really don’t feel like planning or cooking anything! It will actually be a short week for me so maybe that’s a good thing, I’ll get a bit of a break. I have just a couple of things in mind to fix……….

Crockpot cranberry chicken, mashed potatoes, peas…..Sunday dinner
Seasoned tilapia, roasted brussel sprouts
Creamy salmon chowder
One night will probably be church supper and if I need something else to fix I might do a quiche along with fruit and veggies maybe.

I need to visit the other participants this week myself to get some new ideas or inspiration! You can find them all at Organizing Junkie, thanks for hosting Laura.

“Room to make her big mistakes”

Blog friend Robin posted a picture of her sewing area, her creative space. And asked for others to post theirs too……although mine isn’t nearly as neat, organized and all pretty like hers. But just for fun, this is where I sew……
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Last week Robin awarded me this nice reflection award at her place, found toward the end of this post. She is very sweet to do this and said some nice things! I really should be the one to give her this instead because she’s someone who inspires me……she’s very creative in her sewing and I always enjoy reading about that, she’s a minister’s wife, is very encouraging and I’m glad to have found her blog.
I think I’m supposed to pass it along to more people than I’m going to today, I’ve seen this one floating around for a bit and have no idea who’s received it before!

I had the very great privilege of meeting Jenny recently as I passed through her town. She is just as sweet or sweeter in person as she is on her blog! She homeschools her children, loves the Bulldogs, basketball and coaching her teams. She is serving God in that way and looks for what the Lord is teaching her through all that.
If you don’t know Annie be sure to pop by and read her blog and you’ll receive a blessing! She started her blog to help share her experiences as she went through a near drowning accident with her youngest daughter Izzy. She’s found a commnuity of Christian sisters but blesses us all with her faith and honesty in sharing her life.
Another fairly new to me blogger is Becky, another minister’s wife and she lives in Florida. She also sews and I love to see what she’s been up to with that. She lives with all men/boys and rolls right along with them and whatever they’re doing! I’m not sure I could live in an all male household! She just retired from teaching and I’m glad she has more time for blogging now, she’s very sweet to email me if I have questions or share her ideas, advice and recipes.

I think that for today……..
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A couple of weeks ago I was talking on the phone with my DIL while she was packing for them to go on a short vacation to Galveston; they had time for a quick trip before school started. She put Grayson on the phone, he started telling me he was going on vacation. Then he asked me, “are you going to miss me?” I told him YES that I would miss him but that I miss him everyday! He told me, “you can come to my house to see me then…..but don’t come this week because I’m on vacation!” I’ve had such fun talking about that conversation…..I thought it was so cute that he thought I’d miss him because he was gone but don’t think he’s figured out that I miss him all the time because we live so far away!
I think they did have fun………this is Grayson and Ava Clair on an excursion one day during the vacation

Then he called me again just a little over a week ago…….
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Well not me, but both of us did! I made a plate of nachos over the weekend for us to eat while we watched movies. Don ate most of it really and if you knew him you’d know that’s something he can do, eat like a bottomless pit and not gain weight. (There is no justice)
Stacy has seen him, she’ll tell you that he eats heartily!
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If you’re celebrating Labor Day today, I hope you’re having a fun time! It’s kind of quiet around here but I’m trying to get my week organized and planning some meals. Thanks Laura for hosting this for us each week and helping us stick with it!

Monday…….Grilled sausage, peppers & onions, sliced tomatoes
Tuesday…….Pecan crusted salmon, couscous, veggie
Wednesday…church supper
Thursday……Spaghetti and meatballs, broccoli
Friday……..Enchiladas? unless I change my mind and I can do that, right!

Happy Monday!

Last year I needed new sandals and found these Yellow Box ones that I loved! I needed brown and black so decided to buy them both because I’m silly like that. See what they looked like new……SO cute huh!

I thought they were pretty cute and I loved wearing them. I wore those brown ones a lot for about 2 months and then one day while leaving a store, the strap broke! 🙁
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If you haven’t seen the contest going on over at Nan’s place, be sure to pop by there and check it out. She’s having a Summer Soap celebration and the prizes are some divine looking homemade soaps. There are some really neat sites to check out and pick out your favorites; then you can leave a comment and be entered! How fun is that! I believe you have until midnight Friday night to enter these so don’t wait too long to visit. You’ll love seeing these, I promise. I would love to win but if you do be sure to let me know so I can celebrate with you!

I was shopping in Walmart this week browsing around on the clearance aisles. Thought I saw some sort of organizer……I’ve actually been on the lookout for some sort of new planner, haven’t had one in a while and thought maybe it might help me get things together a little bit. When I started looking at this one closer, I almost laughed out loud! Instead I whipped out my camera because really I rarely go anywhere without it. Even if this is on the clearance aisle, tell me why on earth would anyone want to buy this! Am I missing out on some way that this could be useful?

I don’t think last year’s organizer is going to help me much. And for some strange reason, there were quite a few of these on the clearance aisle……
They should really clean off their shelves more often!

I was tagged by Lynne for this meme, a No Name Meme! I’m probably going to leave a few of them out; my blog and I guess/hope I can do that. 😀
Started feeling sick on Monday afternoon, cold or sinus stuff…..so all I’ve felt like doing the last couple of days is nap, drink hot raspberry tea, nap, read, nap! I hope I feel better in a day or so and get around to everyone that I haven’t visited yet.
I hope y’all’s week is going good.

ACCENT: What! I live in Mississippi, we don’t have an accent y’all! 😉

I DON’T DRINK: Soda or alcohol, and try to stay away from caffeine

CHORE I HATE: If you call it a chore, I pretty much don’t like it! Dusting, ironing, cleaning bathrooms are up there.

PETS: Our black lab Caleb has been gone for a few years now, the best dog in the world and he was technically son’s dog but he went with hubby everywhere. Our daughter left her cats here and now one of them is gone, so we’re left with one cat that’s technically hers…….why don’t they take their pets with them?

ESSENTIAL ELECTRONICS: Aren’t all electronics an essential! Computer, cell phone, digital camera

GOLD OR SILVER: Both! My rings are gold because I’ve had them a while….silver has been popular for quite a few years now and most of my other stuff is silver.

JOB TITLE: Wife, mom, chauffeur extraordinaire!

KIDS: Four! 2 sons, 2 daughters……1 daughter in law, 1 son in law and 3 of the cutest grandkids, Evah!

RELIGION: I’m a christian and have attended a Baptist church for most of my life!

SIBLINGS: 2 sisters

TIME I WAKE UP: 6-6:30, but it varies. I should be up early walking every day but hate to do it by myself.

VEGETABLE: I like most but can’t stand turnip greens and usually won’t eat cooked spinach.

WORST HABIT: Lots, I’m sure my family would tell you.

MY FAVORITE MEAL: I rarely meet a meal I don’t particularly like! Shrimp are nice because I don’t cook them often, once in a blue moon I love a good steak. Sweets are my downfall.

I’m not tagging anyone specifically today but would love to see you play along! Be sure to tell me so I can come see your answers. If you want to see the full meme and do it with all the questions, look here.
Grab it and do it!

This past weekend we had a big community wide function at our church, a back to school rally or blast. It lasted most of Friday afternoon/evening and all day Saturday; we got through around 8ish that night. We fed the kids & youth several times, had games & activities along with worship times too. I think they had a great time and it was neat to see them sensitive to the Lord’s leading. Lots of us grownups were worn out by Sunday morning. D and I planned, along with 2 of our couple friends, to go have lunch at the country club after church Sunday. No discussion about anything else. Deb & I saw each other the first time Sunday morning about 3 minutes before the service started……………
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