Walter's Surgery

Walter had hiatal hernia surgery February 15, 2019. He is resting a lot. Soon he will be able to add more activity to his days as long as he does not lift more than 10 pounds.

Alijah's Kindergarten Graduation

Alijah's kindergarten graduation.

He knew all the words to all the songs.

My Great Birthday

I started the day with filling 67 food bags for the Rutherford County Atlas program.  These bags are discreetly placed in students book bags on Friday afternoons for them to consume on Saturday and Sunday.  The thought is these children might not have adequate food resources again until Monday when the school lunch program begins for them.

Our church took this program on and every month food is collected and packed for these children in need.

Phyllis, JoAnn and me with some of the food donations

After the bags were filled we still had many food items that will be given to the school administrator of the Atlas program or to the Smyrna/LaVergne Food Bank.  There is so much need in our community.  I was happy to work alongside these great ladies.

I then met my daughter, son-in-law and husband for lunch at a favorite restaurant of ours.  I love having food cooked before me and not washing dishes afterward.

Of course I had to wear the goofy hat!

God is good!

Summer of Tending

From April until the end of July, Walter and I kept two of our grandsons while their mother was away.

They each had a bedroom in our house and shared a bathroom.  There was plenty of room for them.  Colin is 12 and Alijah is 5.  They played together well even though the age difference sometimes was challenging when finding things they both would enjoy together.

Towards the end of their stay with us we decided to take them to Florida to see the ocean and play on the beautiful white sand beaches.  So we took a road trip to Alabama and then on to Miramar which adjoins Destin.  They had a good time playing word games in the car.

The ocean and beach completely overtook them with joy.

Alijah Shows Excitement

This picture, out of all the ones we took, shows the most elation.  Alijah had a great time both in the water and on the beach. He doesn't swim yet.

Colin Plays with a Sand Tool

Colin swims very well.  He was able to go out further in the water. He had a good time touching fish and following them under the water.

Sand Castle

Grandpoppie brought along some buckets and tools that Alijah used to create a sand castle.  The sand is so clean and white in Destin!

The Family Gather for a Group Shot

Towards the end of the day, I had already covered up my bathing suit.  I don't do well in direct sun or indirect rays bounced off the water. I burn easily.  The guys all seemed to enjoy the day.

Colin Found a Sand Dollar

We collected many shells and even a live sand dollar.  Some of the shells had their critters stil in them. When we opened the car trunk later at home - well - I will leave the smell up to your imagination.  But I can tell you it was awful.

Walter's Burned Back

We were tired so we grabbed a pizza and went back to the hotel.  No more activity until breakfast the following morning.

We spent the entire morning in the hotel swimming pool.  Alijah got to enjoy more of the water that way.  Colin got to dive and swim with abandon.  The Blue Angels were practicing maneuvers and they flew over us once!

Regrettable Sun Burn for Me

Although we used sun block, we still managed to get too much sun.  Due to this we passed over more beach time and drove through the town for awhile instead.  We ate at Bubba Gump's Restaurant. The guys were happy with their sea food meals.

We took a nap afterwards and then took in the movie Finding Dory.  We ate ice cream outside of the little shop in the mall.  The boys rode a train around the mall.  We had a great vacation!

We only had a couple of days with the grandsons after we returned from Florida. We hope they had a trip to remember for a long time. God is good.

Teddy Bear Tea

I always wanted to learn how to brew and pour tea.  As a child I thought this was one of the most fancy things anyone could do.  If you were invited to a tea, you were certainly part of some social circle.

Therefore when a historic site in our neighborhood, the Sam Davis Home, opened their property to local little girls and their mothers or grandmothers for a tea, I jumped at the chance to attend.

Nola and I Dressed Up And So Did Her Teddy Bear

I invited Nola and told her she could bring her favorite teddy bear with her.  We would put on dresses and practice our best table manners.  Nola decided to dress her bear in fancy clothes too!

This Bear Wears A Tutu Well

The room filled up fast.  There were five tables.  The ladies told us about the treats and the craft each girl was going to make-a masquerade mask!  They were popular in the time that the Sam Davis Home was an operating household.

Our Craft Was A Mask Similar To The Centerpiece

We had several finger foods and tasty savories as well as many small sweet treats.  The offering included several different teas and pink lemonade for those less interested in the tea selections.

My Second Cup Of Tea Seeps

Nola Wears A Somewhat Confident Smile

Nola had fun picking out the feathers, gems and glitter glue for her mask.

Glitter Glue Being Applied To Her Mask

Lots of decisions were made that day on the craft.  I thought she made a very nice mask.  She shared the decorations with the other girls who were at our table.

Working Neatly On Her Mask

After the craft making and the tea and it's treats were consumed, we went to the museum for a story time.  One of the ladies read to us a book called "Ant and Honey Bee: What A Pair!".  All the girls listened intently to the cute story about dressing up for a party.  This fit in nicely with the theme of our day.

Then we toured the Sam Davis Home.  They enjoyed seeing the bedrooms of the girls and boys of the household.  There were captivated with the idea of no air conditioning which explained the many ladybugs that were inhabiting the house that day.

The Girls Assembled On The Porch With Their Teddy Bears

The four ladies hosting our group were dressed in period attire.  I found out they make their own costumes.  They are volunteers who learn a volume about the life and times of this historic landmark.

Nola Asked For This Picture With  One Of Our Hostesses

Nola enjoyed her day.  The weather was crisp and clear for us.  Touring the grounds was easy and fun.  When we were driving away Nola said "When can we go again?".  I love her!!  Did she fall in love with the idea of a sophisticated afternoon tea too?  Only time will tell.

Snowed-In Entertaining

As we endured another day snowed in on our hill, we decided to entertain as best we could.  The forces of cabin fever were setting in after only two days confined to our icy neighborhood!  So we called our friendly neighbors from across the street to come over for a late lunch and a time of card playing.

I cooked corned beef and cabbage to which I added carrots and potatoes.  It was yum, yum.  It filled the house with all those wonderful aromas too.  Our neighbors added a fresh apple pie to the menu.   We were off to a great start.

Neighbors Crossing Our Yard-Apple Pie In Tow

For setting the table on this spontaneous afternoon I choose the freshest of color schemes for a wintertime feel.  I chose my Blue Willow plates and paired them with some snowflake glasses.  My napkin rings had snowflakes on them also.  They were a birthday gift from my daughter this year and this was the second time I had used them.

Snowflake Napkin Rings and Glasses

The napkins were found at a yard sale at our Senior Citizens Center earlier in the spring.

Blue Willow Place Setting

Crisp Blue and White for Our Wintertime Theme

View From Our Backyard Deck

We had a lot of snow!  Walter measured it on the deck.  It was 4 1/2 inches.  Now that is big for where we live.  We have no snowplows or salt trucks to come into any residential areas.  So we will have to continue to wait for the temperatures to rise and the sun to come out to melt the snow and clear the roads.  Add to that our hill and we are pretty much stranded for some time.

Snow Across the Road and Through the Window Screen

After we decided to entertain, our neighbor started shoveling the snow from his front door to the road.  Walter started doing the same with a regular shovel which was not as effective and much harder ro manage.  Eventually he borrowed the snow shovel and continued the trail into our garage since the steps were too ice covered to be safe.  It was fun watching these two men shovel towards each other knowing that soon we would be eating together and playing card games.

We played Skip-Bo into the evening.  There was much laughter and gaiety around the table that afternoon and evening.  We were giddy from the cabin fever and being surrounded by friends.  We turned a snowed-in day into a fun fellowship!

God is good!

Early Christmas Trip

We decided to get away for a few days of rest earlier this month.  We booked a five day cruise to Haiti and Jamaica on board the Independence of the Seas cruise liner which is owned by the Royal Caribbean cruise line.

The trip was a great way to relax and be pampered as only a good cruise line can do.  The ship was decorated for the holidays. On the fifth deck was a Christmas tree that was approximately four floors high.  Like many other passengers we had our picture made in front of it.

It turned out to be one of my favorite photos of our entire trip.

Formal Night Attire

In fact I included it in a few of my Christmas cards that I sent to family this year.

Now we are back home and fully immersed in trimming our kitchen tree, sending cards, planning the Christmas meal for the family, buying online gifts, attending parties and practicing words and music for our church musical presentation which will have a three-night run.

Now I know we took our rest at the correct time. We needed the time to refuel prior to all the activity awaiting us!

God is good.