A New Deck and Dock

The following pictures are part of my week's happenings.

We are getting a new lower deck and dock. We got a new upper deck in April of 2015. The plan was to hold off a little longer on the lower deck. We are doing in Trex which is very expensive, so had to prepare to write that check for a couple of years. When the pilings began to have issues, well, the whole process got moved up to now. It really all needed to be done and I look forward to the finished product.

If I love it as much as the upper deck, we are in good shape.

Hopefully, it will outlast us and the kids will replace it the next time.

I probably have another week of sawing and hammering, but at least it is downstairs. Last time, I had workers right in the main rooms I hang out in all day.

I have finished the interior of my son's home with the exception of one corner between door facings that needs a special brush. Mind you, I have that special brush but, for some reason can never remember to take it. I also have a couple of places to paint when the sheetrock repairmen comes next week to replace a door and fix a hole. I will be glad to have it done. I need a break from painting. I have my painting fix for a good while.

Everyone has been so good to him. A friend of ours had their mother move into a smaller place and she just gave him this table and chairs.

Now, I have two barstools to find a home for.

I am going to help him hang a few pictures this weekend.

Oh, and check out the next picture. He planted some flowers. I know Katie, the girlfriend😊 helped him with this. There is no way he could have done this.

Mother and I have finally made it through all of her doctor appointments for the month and even got a few eliminated from the list. WE both have decided that we will move all but one to here instead of driving to Pensacola. We didn't mind that years ago, when there wasn't as much traffic, but it is a bit harder these days.

I went for a beach walk this morning. I was hoping to find lots of treasures after a storm last night, but to my surprise the tourists have arrived and the beach chairs were up everywhere and the cleaning crew had already driven along the beach. I will have to get there earlier next time, although now it is simply time to just park my own beach chair now and sit.

Picture overload, but it too good to pass up.

A few smalls for my new jar of smalls.

I actually haven't stitched much this week because I was doing a bunny and wanted to finish him before I started a new project. I ordered all my thread for it (not DMC) from 123 Stitch which I love. They have fast delivery, but they were backordered on the border color, so I had to order from somewhere else. They have very slow delivery😞 I have to wait until next week for it to get here. I guess I will read instead.

That's a wrap for now anyway.

Have a great weekend,
Sandy

President Herbert Hoover and Queen Elizabeth

A Great Evening

If you saw the movie War Room, then you saw an amazing movie about prayer. It was outstanding! Karen Abercrombie played Mrs. Clara, the older lady in the movie. That performance by her was just amazing.

A church in our area hosted her last night. Y'all, if she comes to your town, don't miss even if you haven't seen the movie. She was dressed in the character from the movie and spoke in character for an hour. I was spellbound. Such a powerful message on life. She gave a performance that started went through so many Biblical stories and the message just spelled out keys for a life following God.

Powerful! I am still trying to soak it all in this morning.

I am off to a little more relaxing day today. I have really worked hard today, so I am doing laundry and straightening my sewing room, and may even do something crafty in there today if I am lucky.

To the weekend,
Sandy

A Productive Day Makes You Feel Good

I had a very productive day yesterday. Don't you love it when you get lots done on your list? I cleaned my main level of the house, but in between it all, I just savored the beautiful day. I opened some windows on the back side and made a point when I rested to sit outside. The birds were singing, the sun shining. It was just an all around gorgeous spring day.

Speaking of cleaning, isn't it great when you get everything tidied up and shining. I think the person who coined the phrase, "cleanliness is next to godliness" had just finished cleaning their home. When you get everything in its place and have mopped floors or freshly vacuumed floors, it just feels so good. I have always been a person who felt calmer when the house was in order. It didn't work out so well in the working years. It is better these days. I actually LOVE being a homemaker. I know people don't use that term anymore, but I still like it.

My Queen Elizabeth has begun blooming. She is a bit early this year. My roses usually don't start really popping until the beginning of April. I always prune them on President's Day here, but this year I actually had to do them a little earlier with the weather being so warm in February. Mind you I am talking about my tea, floribundas, and grandifloras. Most everyone has the hybrids and shrub roses these days. I did find two new ones at Home Depot that are some kind of hybrid specifically designed for my area. They are pretty, even though I am a rose snob. I say that laughing as I write it. I want to be a rose snob, but I do not have a yard that provides the necessary ingredients for beautiful roses. Sigh!!!

I plan to go to my son's house today for more painting, so I have to be quick and get myself going today, but I am sharing his kitchen today. I took these pictures on Tuesday. I was quite surprised at how clean he had it. This is probably as good as it will ever be😆

I have a curtain to place in the window. The garbage can is sitting where a dishwasher can go, but he has to wait awhile on that. Money, money, money...

Opposite wall. It is a very small galley kitchen. There is a large closet in the dining area though.

I know that he has cooked several times, so I am shocked at how clean it is.

The cabinets were new...Home Depot sells these, not the most expensive, but cute! The counter top has been painted with some type of epoxy. It looks like concrete. So so.

Off to get busy on this gorgeous spring day.
Sandy

Update on Son's House and a Little Birthday

I am just going to start talking. My mind is full as yesterday was a full day, and today is going to be a busy one as well. Nothing bad ---just plenty to do.

I had my eye appointment yesterday. I do not need glasses. Yippie! However, I am just doing the usual aging. Sometimes that is a little hard to accept. The body fails us. My eyes are beginning to change, but not enough for glasses. He explained very well some of the things that are happening to me such as the inability to see the time in blue lighting on our new cable box. Best of all, he helped me get the best readers for stitching. I only need 1.5 for just day to day kitchen activities such as reading the labels on foods, etc. I have been using 1.5 for awhile. When I am stitching especially on 35 count which is what I am using for my latest project I can use 2.0. I stopped and purchased a pair on the way home to keep in my stitching bag. It helped a lot last night.

Speaking of stitching, I am addicted to it again. I remember loving it when I was younger before kids. I have renewed that love. I can't wait to sit down each evening and stitch while Hubby watches action shows. Yuk!

Mother's birthday is today. She is 82. We had her over for supper last night. Paul Allen made it over, but Lindsay had a cable TV problem. Over the weekend, as they were digging roots up from the tree they took down, they apparently broke the cable line. The cable guy didn't make it until 5:00, so she is coming by for lunch today with Mama.

Mother is seemingly a little better these days. I attribute some of it to she is adjusting, but much of it to prayer for both of us. She has loved working on my son's house. It gives her something to do. She can clean like no one else, so she has been a real asset.

Mother and I worked over there a bit yesterday. I painted and she worked on his wood floor. She has got both bathrooms looking pretty good. She also bought him a new couch and recliner chair. The chair won't be here until the beginning of April. She had bought Lindsay a new bedroom suit when she got married. I told her she should wait until he got married, but she didn't listen. Paul Allen was pleased as punch.

I took a few photos when we arrived. She tidied up while I painted, so it looked better for him later.

I see he has his diffuser out I gave him as well as the yard sale lamp.

I have two more bedrooms to go and then I am going to go back and touch up all the door facings. The only big repairs we have left is a sheetrock repair in one of the bedrooms and a new back door. Then he will have to work on getting the yard in shape. Whew!

Someone gave him a stand for the TV and the girlfriend brought over a bed for her dog. She helped out quite a bit last week with painting and brought her dog over. 

We are starting a new repair project around here today. We replaced the upper deck last year. It is now time for the lower deck. I can't wait for it to be done. I know it is going to be amazing. I am glad he is coming now..I thought he would be another month. Let the hammering begin.

Latest stitching project.

I am off to volunteer at church this morning, lunch with Mama and Lindsay, painting at Paul Allen's and a supper of leftovers. Hope I have the energy to stitch this evening.

Blessed,
Sandy

End of Spring Break

Hubby and I took off for the cabin on Friday and attended a baseball game at Auburn on Saturday. I took absolutely no pictures the entire trip, but that was because I really tried to unplug and enjoy the getaway. Everyone needs to do that every once and awhile. It does you so good.

Instead of weekend pictures, I will tell you about the weekend and just show pictures of my gardening goings on while I do that.

Side yard pine straw refresh. Also moved the swans out here from the porch.

We left mid morning on Friday and took our time going. We stopped off in Montgomery to shop for Hubby some shorts. He has lost 38 pounds. We both have been working hard to get ourselves shaped up. He has absolutely no shorts that fit. Even the ones I put darts in are falling off. 

We stopped at the Urban Spoon to get a to go plate. It is really tasty. It is one of those locally grown food to the table kind of places. The cilantro lime steak is quite tasty. I really should have taken a picture of it for you. We then proceeded to the cabin to settle in for a night of basketball watching and me cross stitching lazy kind of evening. 

Before we ate, we walked around the neighborhood. I showed you that they were building new homes here. They are all sold now, not quite finished, but owners. We met a few of them on our stroll. I call it a stroll, because we are NOT used to the hills at our cabin. They all have amazing views of the lake. I know ---- I know--- I should have taken pictures to share.

Saturday morning we got up and went into Auburn and did a bit of nothing much...coffee while we waited for our friends to arrive in Auburn. These friends have been long time friends. In fact, the two Jeffs went to junior high together, roomed at Auburn together, and we have raised our children side by side. A couple of years ago, they had to move to Tennessee, but have recently bought a place in Auburn for all of their boys to have a place to get together. 

My side wall that hides my other pots not in use and garbage cans, etc.

We met said friends and ate lunch and then headed to the baseball game. Auburn vs. Florida. A great SEC match-up. We won!!! In fact, Auburn won all three games for the weekend...first time since 1987 against Florida. 

It was a great game. I only pulled my phone out one time to check a text message from my mom. Back to the game. I LOVE college baseball. They have really sped up the game too this year. The pitcher has 20 seconds to pitch the ball once the ball meets his glove. This doesn't apply if their are runners on base, but it really speeds up the game. 

We then ate supper again with our friends. One of their kids came in with the grandson from Birmingham in time for supper. I loved seeing our friends with the grandkid. Can't wait until my turn at that. Although, I will say it is making me feel really old. I need to get busy living as much life in every moment as possible.

Got to get the grass going. We removed the maple because it was not getting room to grow because of the live oak coming across from drive. Live oaks dripping with Spanish moss win out over maples.

I was actually tired from the game, so not much cross stitching Saturday evening. 

We headed home after a lazy Sunday morning. I love church and miss it when I am not there, but I did enjoy my lazy morning.

We had a nice drive home. I am always amazed at how relaxed we feel after returning from the cabin. 

It takes all desire to sell it away. We only use it say 12 times a year and a few of our friends maybe 3 times a year. I get to thinking we should just sell it. It is paid for, but there is a steep HOA fee. 

A weekend away reminds me it is worth keeping it. I have never had anyone visit there and not say it was an amazing weekend. I think it might be just a blessing from God to be there.

We came home refreshed and did a little bit of yard work. The dogs did great ...well, I was worried about Lucy, but she did well. Our son loves them as much as anyone. 

Hubby has to go back to work this week. He took vacation time all week this week. I will try and finish painting the interior of his house this week and share pictures later in the week. 

I am about to check in with all my blogs that I missed this weekend.

Refreshed,

Sandy

A Little of This and That

Popping in a for a quick post.

Hubby has been on spring break this week so my so called schedule has been interrupted. We have helped out at my son's place. I will try and do a post next week on the progress with the house. He is getting some furniture tomorrow - a gift from Grandma. He is pretty excited. More on that next week.

My daughter had a tree cut down yesterday. I don't remember what kind it was, but it was an all above ground roots kind of tree. No easy walking, so they replaced it with a palm tree. The kind I can't recall. Two of the neighbors came out to help them plant it. They have been so excited to be in a neighborhood with friendly people who walk the sidewalks and just stop to chat.

Hubby helped them plant azaleas and olive trees last week. Sod is next. This is the side yard. They are kind on a curve so they have an angled lot.

My son-in-law also got some free pavers so the did the corner in the back yard.

We went to see The Shack last night. Y'all it was so good. Octavia Spencer is amazing!!! She is my new all time favorite actress. If you read the book it is a must see movie in my opinion. 

I got an email that Spartina 449 had a new line of purses out. Oh my...

I love these three.

My old self would have immediately chosen one to order. Bing Bang Done. My new self is going to think this out ---do I really need it...or what am I going to get rid in order to have a new one.

Oh well, we are going to Auburn and the cabin for the weekend. We will go to a baseball game on Saturday. I am hoping it is warm. I am so ready for the temperatures we had in February to come back. The past few days have been awful. I know my northern friends just roll their eyes at that.

I will not be back to posting until Tuesday next week. I know I will need to catch up at home as well as finish a few things at my son's house. I also am caving in and going to the eye doctor on Monday morning. I think it is time for more than readers's. Pooh!

Have a great weekend everyone,

Sandy

Weekend Wrap-up

The garden is coming along. We have planted onions and potatoes thus far. We used all of the potatoes and onions planted last year, so our amounts were pretty good on those. You can read about lessons learned last year here.

I also got a little smart this year. There is an abundance of pine straw at the farm, so I raked it up and put it in the valleys hoping to lessen the amount of weed growth. So far, so good!

Potatoes made the Dirty Dozen list for pesticide use. You can read about that here. That has become very important in my journey to health.

I also made some time this weekend to add some new straw to my front flowerbeds that have roses. I am so glad I did as the weather is supposed to be quite cold this week.

I finished my books of the Bible cross stitch piece and will take it to the frame shop this week. It is almost 22 inches high, so it is a biggie. I was pleased with it and will share it again when I get it framed.

I am sharing a few pictures of the painting at my son's fixer upper. I say fixer upper because it does have some issues, but a lot of it is cosmetic. With any purchase that is a repo, you don't know what you are getting. The plumber will be coming for the third time tomorrow. We keep finding things. I am hoping we don't have to get a new hot water heater, but it is rather old, so fingers crossed for a little more time with it. The air conditioner guy is also coming tomorrow to clean it up. It was a bit dirty. All in all he is tickled pink and working hard at himself. We went to the farm with some friends after church and he and the girlfriend knocked out quite a bit of painting. I thought they did very well.

Here are a few pictures of some of our progress.

Master Bathroom

Master Bedroom ---He was putting his clothes away so neatly. Wow!

Dining Area ---Girlfriend and her dog were visiting.

Living Room. Grandma is buying him a couch and recliner. I will share later. I found him a rug on clearance. 

Update on Lucy, the Springer...
Lucy visited the vet on Thursday. She seems to be tolerating the new medicine. She is wearing diapers. She could possibly get better with the incontinence on the new medicine IF she doesn't have Cushings. Testing for Cushings would put her under a lot of stress and can't be treated with the seizure medicine. Our decision has come down to this ---if the medicine keeps her seizure free then she has some more time with us as she is doing so much better, but if she has another seizure we will put her down. At this point, the seizures take a toll that we both consider suffering. For now, we are in wait and see mode.

It was a busy weekend and Hubby is taking spring break off, so I will probably be missing this week a good bit.

Spring breaking it,
Sandy

A Little Spring too Soon and so Forth....

I drove Mama and her friends to eat lunch yesterday. It was quite an event for her. She had decided she would take them to a restaurant on the water. She so wanted to be able to sit outside since February has been a month of days to eat outside, but yesterday was a true March day with wind that would blow you all around. All being older, it was a bit chilly for them, so they had to move twice to get just the "right seat."

I brought out some Easter bunnies --probably a little too soon.

I began to worry at that point about the little waitress and what she was in for, but she was a pro. She handled getting five 80-somethings order with grace and a smile. She even sat to take it and answered all the many questions.

My daughter even managed to pop in and eat with them, so Mama was in Heaven.

Just a little bunny to brighten up the tray that corrals the ugly stuff.

Let's see taking an order for those ladies ranged from how much spice is on blackened fish to are the fried oysters fried in the same boiler and the fried shrimp? Hmmm....five of Mama.

Are we all going to be like that when we get that age???!!!

A few eggs instead of cream.

They didn't miss a beat. Lindsay and I just sat and marveled at how many conversations were going on at the table. They were all happy...only I was a little stressed at getting all the orders right. I think I might need to learn to relax.

She took them back for cake and coffee at her house. All in all, it was a successful day and she enjoyed having them all here.

We made a trip to Pensacola to get her glasses changed and see her dermatologist yesterday. We closed on  the son's house yesterday evening, so I will be cleaning and painting over the course of the next few days. Whew! I am tired just thinking about it.

Lucy made it through the day yesterday without me as Lindsay dropped by at lunch to see about her.

I am about an hour's worth of work being done with the books of the Bible cross stitch piece. I have so many projects lined up that I can't decide what is next. I will share a stitching update soon.

Off to paint,
Sandy

Guest Bathroom Refresh

I have changed up the guest bathroom a bit. It is not my favorite room, and it is not because it isn't pretty. The bathroom is not my style which probably makes it hard for me to see the glamour. It is dated for sure. When the home was built in the early 80's it was a wow room. It contained lots of wallpaper in a very busy pattern and looked like you had walked into a Roman sauna (do they have saunas?). I quickly toned it down, but never knew quite what to do with it. Bathroom renovations are expensive. I really still don't know what to do with it.

I have taken the plants down from the columns. I decided they were definitely not my style. I changed up the art work and so forth.

It doesn't have a shower. I have lamented before about that. Our daughter had to use our shower, since this was her bathroom growing up.

Here is the tub area minus plants at the top of the columns. Not much else has changed.

Then, I replaced the art on both walls.

These are from a local store. I am not so sure about the mats yet, but I will let it settle on me for awhile.

The opposite wall got a print that I had in the closet. I shopped the house and moved the lantern in here.

I changed out the old candle vase and shells with some new pieces. I ordered the jars from Amazon. They were much cheaper than the set I saw on Pottery Barn.

99% of the shells in the house are real and from beach walks here or at Cape San Blas. The sand dollars are from Cape San Blas as well as most of the larger ones. That starfish is not though. Probably a purchased piece. 

The jar that contains just a few pieces in it is for collecting white shells only from my beach walks in 2017. Collecting has begun and I did add two white feathers.

One more room refreshed with a coastal flair.

You can see snippets of the before here.

I will be back on Wednesday with a few pictures of spring in the home. I have to take Mama to Pensacola for an eye and dermatologist appointments tomorrow. 

Lucy, the Springer is much better. We will see the vet on Thursday. She has come out of her manic state and we are going to give the new medicine a chance to work.

Mama's best friends are finally making it down from Brewton to see her new digs. She is so excited, so I am off to lunch with five 80-somethings. Should be some wisdom to be gathered.

Cleaning up after several days of craziness today,

Sandy

Adding a Little Green

I have been adding some green for the month of March.

I have this thing for bunnies and ducks. Ducks are a long time passion. Our previous home was probably a testament to that because I had duck wallpaper in both bathrooms. I toned it down with my move to our current home, but I still like them.

My first duck. He was a gift from my hubby when we were engaged. December 1983.

The bunny thing is all new. I find myself stopping to look at bunnies regardless of the season. I am trying not to over load with bunnies, but they are great for adding ribbon.

Here is my bunny that welcomes people into our home if I could get anyone to come to the front door.  He is just outside the foyer.

Speaking of my foyer, no bunnies, but some cute green ribbon added to the candles for March.

Kelly @Talk of the House inspired to love ribbon and colorful books. Of course, mine never looks as good as hers. She is quite talented.

Then, there is my bunny in the pool table room. He is just a Hobby Lobby piece I got on the clearance rack, but oh how I love him.

I haven't touched the dining room yet, but it will get some added touches soon. Bunnies and green ribbon or spring ribbon.

You see I kind of decided a few months ago, that my new purchases would be carefully thought out and that I would really really try to abstain from impulse purchases. When I was refreshing the living room, I decided to start thinking of more timeless pieces. I have been eyeing a pair of bunnies I spied several years ago on Buttercup Bliss. They are McCarty bunnies, handmade from clay in the Mississippi Delta. I finally ordered a pair. They only have one of the ones I want right now, but think they will have another like what I want in their next shipment, so I have to wait until the middle of March. I think they will be worth the wait.

Go check out Buttercup Bliss in my blogroll and give her some love. Maybe we can get her to blog again. Cutest house.

I also decided a few months ago, that other than Christmas that I would decorate only the foyer, dining room, and kitchen with seasonal decorations. I decided that I like the more calm uncluttered look of my living room, bedroom, etc. and that I would just keep it like that.

I will share my new bunnies and spring kitchen soon.
Sandy

Update on Lucy,
I had this post in the hopper, so I decided to post it because I am still a bit distressed over my sweet Lucy, the Springer. She stayed overnight with the vet because she was so manic from the seizure round that he had to sedate her. He will examine her this morning and see where we go from there.