Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt ~ Comfy
It's fun participating in the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt that is being hosted by tnchick. This week's photo hunt theme is: COMFY. if you would like to play along click on the link below.
B a b y N e w s F l a s h
Most of you know that just the two of us are first time Grandparents to our precious grand baby little Ben. He is absolutely adorable and when he was first born I was able to hold him 20 minutes after they cleaned him up and making him presentable. I was flabbergasted at the immense sense of profound "love", I felt sweep over my whole being, body, and soul. I love being a Gma and Gpa loves it too! I watch him on a regular basis at least once a week. He is now 9 months old and his Mommy and Daddy have done a wonderful job with him.
Now you will remember that our Son, Kevin and Dil, Renee are expecting again and are due in February. We couldn't be happier and we feel so blessed by God to be able to look forward to another little Grand baby so soon!
Well, guess what!!! We have exciting
news!
Dah dada dah da dah da dah!!!
We are so excited! Boys run big in our family and I never would have imagined they would get their little girl so fast. We are so excited and thought you all would like to share in our joy!
At the same time, if you would be so kind as to pray for Renee and her pregnancy, as she has had to have a few questionable test done regarding her health and God is Great!
I thought you would like to check out The Eight Irresistible
Principles of Fun:
http://www.eightprinciples.com
(If clicking doesn't work, simply cut and paste the link
into your Web browser.)
It would be so much more fun if you all were here!
To those of you who have e-mailed
me lately, six or seven of you,
I am awful at checking my e-mail
but appreciate your sweet words
of kindness. It's all good! I
thrive on a challenge and love to
stay busy. The chainsaw did break
on the very first cut so I ended
up cutting what I could by by
hand. I did have root canal work
done today and still watched our
little grand baby Ben, so I had a
lot of fun. Will be getting real
friendly with the old dreaded
Dentist. In the next five weeks
alone, I have four appointments. It's hard to dislike him
cause he's so darn nice!!!
So it's just the two of us romping around like two
kids on monkey bars. Just overjoyed at the exciting
news...it's a girl!!! Hoping you are having fun
with whatever is keeping you busy.
When Friends Meet...Hearts Warm
Woke up early this morning so I could get a jump start on some of the projects that I want to accomplish. The weather is a bit cooler; a welcome change with a lowing in humidity levels to 20% here in Florida. I will relish getting caught up on some much needed yard work around my house, but today I am taking the chain saw and heading over to the rental property and going to trim and weed the Court yard in front of the townhouse so that I can pressure wash Thursday. It is coming along, slowly but surely. :) Our high today is forcasted at 88 degrees. Our sunrise is set at about 7:20 am these days.
Today, I wanted to just tell you all how much your friendship means to me. This whole blogging thing has been delightfully enlightening, and extremely fulfilling! I have met some of the most wonderful, creative, inspirational, sweet and kind Christian people and could not be more touched. On the other hand, I have been moved by people who have brought me to tears with their heart wrenching stories. The kind of stories that make you break out the kleenex, that leave you in awe, that make you say "there is hope", people are still good. I have obtained some yummy delicious recipes, hints, tips and jokes that made me laugh! I have enlarged my personal icon so you can see what it says,
"When friends meet...hearts warm".
When my daughter
Chrystal started blogging, I was a bit unsure whether or not I thought this was a good idea. "You're going to journal about your everyday personal life online"??? Out there for everyone to see? Well, obviously I got a little more than interested I decided
to play too.
It is funny, before I started blogging I was teetering with the idea of wanting to play; I was reading all of the wonderful blogs, completely charmed and amazed by the wide variety of styles and personalities out there in blogland. Now that I find myself ankle deep in blogging, it tickles me to read your comments, whether they make me see things from a different perspective, help me with a problem, or just make me smile. More than often, someone will make me laugh and that is just the best too.
I've always liked to think of friendship as a chain link. Each of us representing one link in the chain; each link touching another, depending on one another, and only as strong as the weakest link. So therefore, by taking care that being the weakest, our circle will never go unbroken... We sometimes never realize the profound way we may have touched another just by a simplest act of kindness. It's nice to know when you need a friend...you've got a one! :)
So it is
just the two of us, thankful that we have met friends that have warmed our hearts!
A Shower of Activities
Feel like I've been caught up in a little white tornado...go, go, go! Made tons of progress on the rental property! Put a fresh coat of white paint on the entryway and the hallway. What a difference! The thing that I was most pleased with was taking down all the floor to ceiling wallpaper that covered three walls off of the kitchen, it was really in bad shape. Oh my word, was that a job! I was glad when the very last strip of paper was finally removed, however, so much of it took the plaster off so I speckled over it and hope it will all sand out smooth so I can paint but it looks rough...
if you have any tips ~ give me a shout out! lol
Raced home, showered and ran across the street to my neighbor Barbara's house for a bridal shower for Heather. Heather is my DIL, Renee's sister, and is getting married to our neighbors son Matt, who lived across the street while he was growing up. He spent so much time at our house that he didn't even knock when he would come over. I tease them and say, "Does this mean that we are related by marriage now".
The shower was fun! One of the games we played, we were put in groups of four women, and given two rolls of toilet paper and asked to dress one of the women as a "bride". Our bride won! We did her up in a cute little strapless number complete with a long train and a Chantilly lace bow; she even had a veil! We also played the game where you have to answer as many questions as you can about the bride. Then, we were given a index card and told to list a fond memory we have with the bride and groom to be, and on the other side they wanted us to give our best advice for the couple for after they are married. It was a lovely time, and I really enjoyed it. The wedding is in October; just a few weeks away, should be fun!!!
Just the two of us had fun watching the Buc's football game Sunday afternoon. Dennis took Cadillac Williams off his NFL fantasy roster cause he has been injured and right before the game they sa
id Williams looked fantastic and should be the NFL fantasy pick of the day! Not only did Williams score but Galloway (my pick that everybody likes to rib me about, saying he's too old) scored too! The Buc's came back from a 17 pt. deficit, due largely to three turn overs. Lost a close one in the end...26 ~ 24 by a field goal. The real heartbreaking news came later when our son Kevin phoned to say that Chris Simms, the Buc's quarterback had to be rushed to the hospital after the game for ruptured spleen surgery, in which they removed his spleen. It is about the size of a fist and is located under the left ribcage, it is used to fight off infection and just sometimes can rip. So that meant Simms had really been playing in severe pain for almost the whole game. He will be out for at least 3 months.
So Now it is
just the two of us soaking our feet and hoping your days are filled with activities that keep you going! By the way if you get a chance drop by and check out some great looking meme's that these blog friends I tagged yesturday did ~
Susie,
Larae and
Linda. They all did a great job!
Passing a "Beary" Fun Word Meme On
Sue of
Susie's Space, tagged me for this Word Meme. I’m so glad she did cause I have really been working hard on the rental property and this will be quick and easy all while giving me a little more time for the Buc’s game and Church tomorrow! he he!
Here are the words she gave me for this Meme:
Candy: Rich chocolate ~ mouth watering fudge that just melts in your mouth and screams deliciously decadent, all while transporting you to another Plateau of heavenly bliss...ooh la lah!
Beach: My favorite place in the whole world!
Season: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:1
Pet: My pet is named Shivan Ming Moon Panda Pooh. Shivan, is a Shih Tzu and is our little fluff ball baby. He just added a new trick to his already impressive ten trick regiment...drum r
oll please...dah dada dah da dah da dah... he brings me his bowl after he washes his own dishes!
I tag
Dawn of
Call me Grandma Dawn,
Linda of
Middle Years,
Larae, of
The Everyday Ramblings of a Northern Southerner, and
Susie, of
A Pink Carnation in Bloom
Passing on a "beary" fun Word Meme ~ Here are the words for your Meme:
Heart:
Trail:
Grandparent:
bear:
So it’s
just the two of us hoping you have fun with this little Meme, and anyone else that wants to play: Consider yourself tagged! Enjoy this lovely Sunday afternoon and pass it on.
Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt ~ Eyes
It's fun participating in the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt that is being hosted by tnchick. This week's photo hunt theme is: Eyes. if you would like to play along click on the link below.
Five Ingredients Friday ~ Cheesecake
Fluffy CheesecakeFor any of you who remember the old Woolworth stores, well
they served an incredible cheesecake that people just couldn't
get enough of, and these people would beg for the recipe,
just to be told it was a secret.
Well bloggy friends I am here to share the delights!
Five Ingredients:- graham cracker crust
- 1 pkg lemon Jello
- 1 8 oz pkg philadelphia cream cheese
- 1 C sugar
- 1 can Pet brand milk
Preparation:Optional ~ Make your own crust: Crush 30 graham crackers in food processor or zipped baggie; mix with melted butter and form crust in 9 x 13 pan; set aside.
Dissolve 1 package lemon Jello in 1 C hot water. Cream together cheese with 1 C sugar. Add mixture to syrupy Jello. Whip 1 large can Pet brand milk. (chill before whipping) Add to cheese and pour into prepared graham cracker crust and chill.
Sending out a big *thank you* to
Overwhelmed With Joy for letting me participate in her Five Ingredient Friday recipe exchange that she is hosting. Click on the link to get more great recipes.
Exciting News:
Overwhelmed With Joy is hosting a new ~ Holiday Recipes Blogger Style Exchange with no limit on ingredients, click on the link on my sidebar and get all the details, as it is planned for 10/02. Then you can get your own cute button that you can place it in your sidebar if you would like to join us. It is a wonderful way to meet people and obtain new holiday recipes! :)
So it's
Just the two of us hoping you tempt your taste buds with a taste of the old Five n' Dime Woolworth Harvest House Cheesecake, it's light, and fluffy and will melt in your mouth and fill your senses with joy!
If you missed my recipe for Cream Puffs
click here
Cleaning Up The Muck
Am really feeling energized. Nothing like rolling up your sleeves and just diving in feet first, of course. When it comes to cleaning, someone else's mess, it's just so funny to me that it seems so much worse than when you clean your own mess! I know it is all in my head but I felt like we were just wallowing in muck, cause it was their muck, and my mind conjures up all these icky images!
Threw away about seven bags of pure trash over at the abandoned Frog Family's rental property. They had disconnected the utilities and had thrown raw meat from the freezer into a waste can and left it there so, thankfully we had disposed of stuff like that earlier. Wouldn't that have made the place smell lovely, I think not...eeewwww!This time, it was boxed food, cooking supplies, spices, pots, pans, trash and more trash... Anything that was big, or looked valuable, we had placed out on the back enclosed patio, and in a effort to be nice, I told Head She Frog, to please come get the rest of her stuff. Even though the Frog Family did me so wrong, my heart told me this is a family that had so little and definitely was in financial trouble. Actually, they are in a lot more than just financial trouble but, who am I, they will meet their maker one day, and may God be ever so merciful on their souls.
So, here it is, two weeks later, and they didn't make a single effort to come get anything else. Hopefully, I will be able to donate many of the items, as there are several good organizations I give to, Purple Heart, League of Mercy, or Mercy Ministries.Came home and cleaned my house after making tons of progress at the rental property. Made a scrumptious meal of Italian sausage with sauteed veggies, and yummy potatoes au'grauten, and a delightful tropical fruit cup. Not good and not healthy for us but, oh well,...lol! We all indulge once in a while. hehe!Normally, we get to watch
our little grand baby Ben on Wednesdays, but our son Kevin phoned and said they all three had colds so, we all agreed to pass this week. It was kind of nice in that it freed up my evening, unexpectedly. (rubbing my hands together, more time to blog) hehe!
So, it's just the two of us, not knowing what to do with all our extra time, but can't wait til we can have fun spoiling our little grand baby the next time he gets to come and we hope you enjoy spoiling your's, as well!
Cartoon reads as follows: #1) So to become Nelson's favorite grandparent, all I have to do is stop disciplining him / No, of course not. #2) You also need to spend a lot of money on him. I recommend line of credit at toys * Us and Dizzy World. #3) But won't over indulging him like that turn him into a little monster? #4) Maybe, but that's his parents problem. Don't make it yours.
* note of interest: I love watching the Hippos swim under water at Busch Gardens! They are so huge...and yet so graceful...it is amazing! Did you know they can stay under water for a full six minutes before they come up for air???
Hopping Around
The next couple of weeks will be a busy one for me, as it seems I am finally going to get to climb up on a ladder or two, paint all the walls, and clean up after some rather awful tenants, The Froggy Family. It will be a relief to finally get things back in order, now that they have vacated the Town House early . Now I just need a disaster site sign, oh, I m
ean a remodeling sign.
It was, and I stress "was" an upscaled beautiful luxury Town House. Very pretty, and I would often think as Property Manager, it would be nice to move into ourselves, now that it is just the two of us. If only I didn't have so much stuff.
It is uniquely designed in that it is all on one level, very rare for Town Houses here in Florida. It has two bedrooms and a lovely living/diningroom combo with a white brick fireplace that has a simple but beautiful floor to cathedral ceiling mirror over it. Huge sliders, Designer vertical blinds, and a darling little kitchen. The back porch is screened in and it has to nice bathrooms. My favorite part is the surround sound ~ slash ~ intercom system. It is nestled right in the middle of a woodsy area and is right across from the community pool.
The tenants were like people I have never known. Head She Frog, had a daughter toad, and a Son-in-law toad. That I was originally told were married. (this was a lie) The background search checked out so I moved them in and it has been a nightmare ever since. I tried my best to treat them nice but I would get calls from Head She Frog all hours of the night, and never about there being a problem with the house, it was always about the !#?x*% and all the drama concerning the family. This has been going on for months and then suddenly there were signs that the situation was much worse than I had even realized. Without going into too much detail. All I can say is, "the hoops I would go through to please these people, all while following the law governing rental property".
I took possession two weeks ago, as they abandoned the property two months prior to the end of the lease agreement. So I refuse to be in the dumps, even though I will definitely be needing to bring in a big dump truck to get rid of all the junk they left! The four paneled mirrored closet was broken, est. $800. to replace/repair. Door molding torn off, carpet distroyed in every room. switch plates cracked in half. tile floor chipped, it is just amazing to me that people can live this way. That people I was patient with, brought food and toys over for their little grand frog son, would do this, and THEN beg me to remain friends with her, saying I am the only friend she has had. grrrrr!!!! I am grateful that I will be able to finally get this cute place back in shape, and that soon I will be looking back with the pride.
As I roll up my sleeves, I will put my best foot forward; I'm confident the place will look as good as new before I know it! So, even though it isn't pretty now, it is
just the two of us glad it won't be long before we won't have to tip toe along or step over the puddles around here anymore. We hope your path ahead of you is smooth and if not, that you strive to be as patient as you can, cause it will all work out in time.
It is better to be a patient man than a warrior...Proverbs 16:32
Rainy Days Keep Us Full of Anticipating...
Just the two of us had a pleasant weekend, very peaceful and stress free, after all the ups and downs of last week, we thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, I may not even have to water the plants today as it looks like it may just rain...
It was nice that all the kids took the time to call us, as they usually are pretty good about letting us know what's going on in their lives and filling us in if there is something new or exciting going on.
We are blessed that most of our children still live here in the Tampa Bay area, except our daughter Chrystal, and her new husband, Dave. They both just recently graduated from Oral Roberts University, and are renting an apartment, while they were "just married" in June. Wow, is that already 3 months ago? My goodness, how time flies when you are having fun! As you know, we love helping take care of our little grand baby, Ben. While the baby is a baby, and you keep adding a new "month" to his age, every single month of his first year of life. It is sometimes hard to keep up with it all,... yes, he is still 9 months old. Now, if you will recall, our Daughter-in-law Renee, who's birthday was this weekend, too, is already expecting in February! She told me we will find out if it is a "boy" or a "girl" at the end of this month! I can hardly wait! Either would be great with me, after all, we had two boys and then a girl, and that was wonderful! Never the less, just one more thing to look forward to and to help with in alleviating the long wait. Everyone knows, I am not the most patient person, and babies are so precious, and such a gift from God, I just can hardly contain myself, I will looking forward in sharing the news with you.
This week Chrystal and Dave threw their friend Megan a birthday party, and they had a blast my daughter blogged about it; you can read what Chrystal posted at Life's a Dance, if you do make sure a leave her a comment...that would really make her day, she works so hard and tries to post often, but doesn't have much time to visit as a newly wed!
Just the two of us, love nothing more than to go for a long car ride, especially when it rains. We love to take this opportunity to reflect back on what challenges are facing us and how we plan to strive ahead. The rain feels like God is nurturing his beautiful creations on earth, and it is a gentle reminder that while we may fret one night, there is always a new and refreshing day that awaits us. All the plants look so refreshed and clean, the birds chirp and sing in harmony and the world just gleams. It may look a bit dreary at first but then, just when you least expect it, low and behold, there's a rainbow that that radiates across the breath of the sky, reminding us how God always keeps his promises, and will never forsake
u
s. Things usually are not as dark and gloomy as they might first seem, and if we just remain steadfast and faithful... everything is bright and beautiful once again!
So it is just the two of us full of anticipating whether it will be a boy or a girl and hoping that you are able to enjoy a pleasant day, and if it should rain, we hope you delight in finding your rainbow in the sky!
Saturday Scavenger Photo Hunt ~ Lookin' Up
It's fun participating in the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt that is being hosted by
tnchick. This week's photo hunt theme is:
Lookin' Up. if you would like to play along click on the link below.
~~~~~%=*=~~~~~~~%^~~=*=~~~~~~~%^~~=*=~~~~~~~%^~~=*=%~~~~~
While Little Ben is playing...
We'd all like to sing
Happy Birthday
to his Mommy, and our sweet Daughter-in-law
Renee! 
Our Love Story ~ Part III,...Our Wedding
June 29, 1979
Pamela and her Dad
Just the two of us were so excited about our upcoming wedding. Taking premarital classes was probably one of our favorite memories of our engagement. Being as
both of us were expecting a lot of out of town guest,
his family coming from Wisconsin, and mine coming from Nebraska we had blocked 10 rooms. We had a total of 127 guest come and share in our special day!
Most of the guest started showing up a couple of days early. So many of my friends helped me with the arrangements, as my Mom lived so far away it was impossible for us to get together. (Unlike today, where we have internet, and I was able to help and plan my daughters wedding to our delight with ease!) My friends were wonderful, with helping with our wedding plans, from making the silk flowers, to getting the band half price and then when I was completely naive; the woman who owned the reception hall, called The Twilight Ballroom, realized I had no idea I was suppose to have center pieces, she ran back to the back room and pulled out the most beautiful swans, and swan candle holders, and swan candy dishes, it was so sweet. She wouldn't even let me pay her for them. She even found a feather pen to sign the guest book for us. Mom and Dad told me I should try to keep it under a certain budget and that was just a bit shy of what we really needed. So I did everything I could to cut corners. My good friend George and Lorna, who owned a steak house gave us an incredible gift of letting us use their restaurant for the reception, and then refused to let us pay more than 50% of the tab. So we were receiving blessings everytime we turned around...we were truly grateful!
Denny's Dad, and his brother's managed to get a golf game together as soon as they arrived, and we were astonished that to our amazement his brother Jerry got a whole-in-one!!! Just incredible! We were all thrilled for him!
All of the bridesmaids and I were in my apartment getting ready full of anticipation and giggles. So, off to the church we went. I road with my parents. My dress had 17 layers to it and pretty much filled out the back seat!
So, it's just about time to start the wedding! It's a double ring, candle light ceremony that starts at eight o'clock in the evening with a dance reception following at the Twilight Ballroom, with one of those big gorgeous disco balls, and accompanied by a five piece band.
Above, Pamela and her Motherbelow, Pamela's family
To the left, Denny and his Motherbelow, Denny's family
Here comes the bride, escorted by her!
father in his military mess dress uniform.
Our spunky Little flower girl and ringbearer
are my youngest Sister and Brother-in-law
A fresh new day...and it is ours,
a day of happy beginnings
when we pledge our love as one.
Marcia's beautiful voice rang out and filled the churchas she sang our wedding song "IF"
The Bride with her Bridesmaids
BelowThe Groom and his Groomsmen
You wouldn't believe how much rice fell out of my dress later! In the Boondocks Hotel
wedding suite. *smile*
The reception was delightful, we had a delicious buffet; everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously, we had the place hopping with the band playing music and lively dancing going on all about the place. We had a dollar dance, in which the guys took one dollar bills and the bride put down her dress for the honor of a quick twirl around the floor with her, Just the two of us mingled with our treasured guest both friends and family. Itwas truly perfect as we just kind of floated around the room, much of the time in a dreamy feel good daze,with our hearts filled with joy and the anticipation ofbeginning the rest of our life ahead of us.
AJ Elbert officiated at our wedding ceremony. He was a wonderful!
I pray that...Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power...Ephesians 3:16, 17
Just the two of us would like to thank you for sharing inOur Love Story that began 27 year ago! We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Our first son Kevin was born in 1981, our son Terrence 1982, and our daughter Chrystal 1983.We had many ups and downs, and
almost lost our baby to a terrible illness that kept him and myself in the hospitalfor 6 months straight, and it took all of our prayers and all of our faithand many years to recover from, but we made it,thanks be to God!We are in Love and very blessed!I look forward to spending each and everyday with myknight in shining armor!The love of my life, the man who makes me laugh, andwho brings joy to my heart!
It's fun participating in the Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt that is being hosted by tnchick. This week's photo hunt theme is: COMFY. if you would like to play along click on the link below.
