Just a quick hello

I know I've been absent for a while, but I have a really good reason. My sweet daughter called me one night last week and said that she was on her way to see me for a few days. I was elated, let me tell you! Her timing was absolutely perfect as I had been having withdrawals from her and her little family. Prince Charming, better known as Jackson, my four month old grandson is growing to fast and we live to far apart for me to see them as often as I would love to. It has been a couple of months since I last saw them, so I was really missing them when she called. Pure Heaven. His babble is adorable. His smiles are heart melting. His every move is well, heaven. I enjoyed every minute of their short visit. Now I am counting the days until Christmas when they will return....

It's raining coupons and sales!

It was a most excellent weekend for grocery shopping with the coupons as our local Harris Tetter had triple coupon days happening. See all that stuff to the left? After my coupons were applied, I was only out of pocket $17.20! It would have been better if I had some of the higher priced coupons, but considering that the coupons totaled $48.20 and the sale prices saved was $18.34 for a total of $66.54 saved, it's not a bad day. But it didn't stop there. I spent less than $30.00 of my total weekly grocery budget, mostly perishable items. All thanks to coupons matched to sales.  I have used coupons for years and seem to have trouble doing as well as the coupon mom who buys hundreds of dollars of stuff for pennies on the dollar. I could not figure out what was her real secret to this. Then I recently discovered a gem of a site called southern savers. Taa dah! She holds your hand in throughly explaining store coupon policies and does all the matching of coupons to sales for you. I've been using her site for three weeks now and now have an awesome surplus of stock piles unlike I've ever had. From her site I have discovered many other similar sites. It is wonderful to whack down the high cost of groceries and truly help our budget by not spending so much on the necessities of life. I wish I had pictures of all the awesome buys I've had, but forgot to take pictures until after I put everything away. Nonetheless, trust me, the bounty of such insight is a delight to behold! Now if this stuff would just make dinner by itself....

Hallelujah!! The sun is FINALLY out! WooHoo!! We have had nothing but dreary rain for days upon days. Not just the little sprinkling, noooo, but hard, cold and steady rains for days..... Welcome back Sun!

Well I did not let the yucky rain keep me from being productive, oh no! I dug around in my lumber pictured above and uncovered the window here:

 Now, perhaps you would be wondering what in the world is that mess and what about it? I'm so glad you asked! Because I made a window cabinet. Yep. I did. I told you I have the power tools and I have a table saw - and I'm not afraid to use 'em either! Check it out, not bad huh?

The cabinet is actually primer white, not sure what is reflecting to cause the top of it to appear pink because it is all white. I already have another one that I made a couple of years ago, so this one is probably going to go on craigslist to be sold. So if you live in the Nashville area, let me know if you are interested in this one of a kind work of art because it won't last long.

Now please excuse me as me and the Poocharella must go outside and play in the sun while it is here!

All Done, now breathe

Whew! It's been a whirlwind around here in the last several days. So much cleaning, organizing (at least the most visible and probable areas until I can get to it later), and shopping. All in the name of being a hospitable hostess to our out of town in-law guest due to arrive any moment actually.

Lot's of food has been bought, house is clean and the roast is coming along nicely in the crock pot, maybe now I can just focus on....well, ok, I'm not sure how to finish that sentence because I always have something going on. In fact, as I was running full steam while cleaning yesterday, amongst the several hundred other little errands I performed, I was also making yet another "to do" list for after our guest leaves.

Is there no end to these lists? I have said for years that work was an interruption to my real life as I had enough to do all on my own to keep several people busy all the time. I was not kidding then and am even more serious when I say that now. Where does the time go so quickly?! It seems that no matter how early I get up, load up on the coffee and energy food, I seem to be getting less and less accomplished these days as the time slips away faster and faster. No, it's not an age thing. It is without a doubt, a time thing. I think quiet a bit of it is when I leave the house I am slowed down tremendously by traffic, traffic, everywhere traffic. On the roads, in the parking lots and in the stores. Being able to make a very quick and simple trip within a couple of miles from home has now become the subject of debate as to whether it is really needed at that moment or can it wait.

Anyway,  one of my other on going list has been Christmas Gifts. Yeah, I know, I'm behind. However, we are planning on keeping it really simple this year. For me that means that I have to really think through the gift idea for each person and make the most of it. Something they will actually like and perhaps use and appreciate. For some people on my list it is an easy task, for others, notsomuch. Well as I always say, it always works out in the end so why worry.

The alarm is sounding family pooch is barking terribly. Our guest must be here! Take care and have a awesome day!!

Instant Gratification, why did I wait so long?

It's amazing all the things I think about when company's a'coming! For a very, very long time I have drooled over all things monogrammed. I just love that look on things such as pillows, bags, notepaper, yada, yada. Anywhoo, I was in Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago just wandering aimlessly to see what was new there and I came across the iron on stuff. Not that I was unaware of such a great new avenue, I just had not really thought about how to put this to use for my love of monogrammed stuff. I know, duhhh.  So, check out what I've done: See the "blank" hand towel over there?  Yeah, real yawnsville, right? But wait and check out what I did with that little bitty iron on initial!! I ironed it onto the "blank" hand towel. It took me all of less than a minute and viola!! Monogrammed towel!!

Wanna see it hanging in the bathroom, just waiting for our guest to arrive in a few days?  Okay, here you go! Nice, huh?! 

Now I am off to see what else I can iron for monogramming purposes. Wonder if Hubs would notice if I monogrammed this computer mouse, or maybe his tv remote, the toilet seat.....

Remembering 9-11

For so many of us who ignore the calendar for the most part during the week, this particular day, Friday is the day that wakes us up out of our routines. I did make it out today and found a couple of decent yard sale buys, but nothing really to write about at this time. Some things are just more important, such as today.

Today, more than being yard sale Friday, is a special Friday. The anniversary of 9-11. For me, it's a day to stop and just breath as I remember that day as vividly as if it was happening right now. I believe the images of watching the towers live that morning, will never leave my memory. Frankly, I hope it does not because I never want to forget the honorable lost ones, our many unsung heros who were there at Ground Zero and the many who rose from the ashes since that day. I don't want to ever forget who I am as a American and never want to lose that sense of gratitude because I am American. Our amazing country was founded for the literal call to Freedom and on that particular September 11th, we were all reminded of just that. Let Freedom Ring as we Stand United one Republic Under God.

It's a New day!

Well, Hello You Awesome You! Welcome to my blog world! I hope that you are having a great day filled with peace and joy. I'm so glad that you stopped in for a visit with me. Allow me a moment to introduce myself to you. I am a creative soul who is constantly creating in some way everyday. I love to organize and clean. Yes, you read that right - clean. There is just something about cleaning that opens the windows for my creative thoughts to flow. Go figure. I have been blessed with a home of which I am able to hone my decorating and creative skills that have been in development for many, many years. Ok, I'm not that old, however, my house is a reflection of what has been in the works for a number of years. The funny thing is, that when I was in my twenties, I spent way too much money on retail stuff that just never actually worked in my home. Over the years, I unloaded this good merchandise and defined my interest as eclectic shabby repurposed comfort. Oh yeah, I furnished this look from other peoples stuff found in yard sales, flea markets and Goodwill. I just love a great find with an even better price, don't you?! I believe that my love of 1930's - 40's black and white movies (TCM) is the backdrop to my overall vision for our home. So when I find pieces that fill the bill from that era, I get really, really excited!

Most of our furniture is something that I made. Uh hum, yep, I made it - power tools and all. That's a joke between hubs and I. He knows the grocery store aisle by aisle as I know Lowes, aisle by aisle. What "biscuit" is to him (bread on which to slather butter), "biscuit" to me is a a joiner for making furniture. I'm not a prodigy of Norm Abram by any means, but I'm not to shabby either.

Recently, I have discovered the joy of making candles and soap. This is a great new hobby for me as I need a more, uh, quiet hobby, shall we say. There is nothing like making a candle and having it fill the whole house with such a great fragrance - AND - having soap that is in the same or complimentary scent. Pure heaven. As soon as I fine tune these new hobbies, I hope to be branching out to more scents-ible products so that my home smells yummy all the time in all the rooms, minus the overpowering effect.

I love to entertain and have guests into my home. Soon, I'll have the privilege of doing just that as an in-law is due to spend a few days here with us in Nashville. I just finished sprucing up the guest room to ready for his arrival and am currently pondering the menus. I also made a few quick changes around the house to quietly bid summer "see you later" and "hello" to fall.

I have been busy with many projects lately and am about to finish some of them - woo hoo! Don't you just love when you have successfully completed a project? I sure do. Maybe that is why I keep so many of them going.

Well, I will leave you with this thought from Epictetus: "First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do."

Have a wonderful day!