Memorial Day and Summertime

Memorial Day in my mind begins the patriotic season and summer. I do not minimize what Memorial Day means at all as I will explain later in this post. Living where I live, both the true meaning and the warm weather make this holiday important in remembering and embracing my favorite time of the year.

I have subtly decorated my home, so we will take a tour starting at the front yard and moving in the door no one enters except Gus and me, but we will get to the entry that everyone does enter in before we are done. I love patriotic decor, but I have learned I can't take too much of seasonal decor --period. I get tired of it and for some reason I have never been good at removing the regular decor to replace with seasonal decor. I tend to add in which can make clutter. 

Jeff talked about for 23 years (the number of years we have lived in this house) putting a flag up. With the stone and stucco, he just never wanted to drill through either. America 250 finally got him to bite the bullet.

He also bought the kids one and both have put theirs up too. The family is all in!

Side note to digress on...don't you love digressions?! Jeff and I had an entire conversation last Sunday afternoon while putting around on the boat on which houses looked like coastal Florida (especially northwest Florida, cuz there is a difference). Ours doesn't fit the bill. We love our home...it is strong and has extra precautions built in for hurricane and waterfront living, but Indiana sandstone would not have been our choice nor does look like any kind of Florida. 

Now, we move on with the tour. I found this lovely ribbon on Amazon and added a bow to the light post and to the swans that adorn our front porch. The swans are a nod to my mother in law. 

I added my redbirds with flag wings back to the flowerbed, because Floridians do yard art. Probably too much!

I didn't do much to the foyer ---remember I can't remove standing decor. I added a flag. I also tried out some red books under the candlesticks but decided to keep the blues.

Just inside this foyer door is a favorite spot of mine. I added a ribbon to my bunny. Just a simple touch and I only did ribbon on the bunny and not all the items I do at Christmas. More of a simple approach.

Close up view of the ribbon for which I had more of. I don't remember where I got it and have only enough to do Mr. Bunny. BTW, the print above is one of my favorite things ever. A Panhandle of Florida map. All my favorite places.

I am currently stitching something that I might add to my church pew just across from Mr. Bunny.  We will see. All of these things will get tweaked many times probably.

Moving into the dining room, I added a table runner made by one of Mama's good friends. 

Then we open the double doors in to the family room. 

I added some stitching to the built ins and of course, there are tributes to both our dads which served in the military which are full time patriotism on display.

Left side of the fireplace.

Close ups of the stitched insertions and then a stepping away look.

Oh and I added in a flag too.

 I added a stack of patriotic picture books to the coffee table. A simple but cute way to add seasonal decor.

Moving into the kitchen I added some flags to the island. The kitchen table has some blue checked napkins. I also have some red ones that I can switch out as well.

On one counter, I have added a couple of stitches. This section really is not a cooking counter so I can usually add some decor with no worries.

I actually did remove a picture to put this stitch up.

Right outside my kitchen window I have my geraniums with some flags and down on the boat dock Jeff has a flag there.

Back in the kitchen and down the hallway where EVERYONE actually enters our home is my latest stitch all framed. I know some of you saw it on Instagram. I just love it.

I removed a stitch for the summer that goes here. I may move this stitch to my sampler wall later, but for this summer it will be where it can be seen and enjoyed.

"O Happy Day" by Plum Street Samplers with changes to make it fit my liking.

Then in the guest bathroom right past the sampler, I added a ribbon and the Liberty Bell stitch.

In my sewing room, there are more patriotic things that are on display all the time.

My bunnies in their red, white and blue outfits, my shuttle stitch along with my students saying the pledge of allegiance.

*****

Jeff and I attended a reception at a local elementary school that Jeff was the principal of and then later after  him I did my last 3 years of teaching working on grant that involved the school. It has a high military presence and if you have ever driven from the west to our beaches you probably have driven by it and noticed it because it had all the looks of a military town school with red, white, and blue showing. Mary Esther Elementary Thunderbirds located right on Highway 98 (the Miracle Strip Parkway).

Every teacher came up to Jeff and told him he was their favorite principal and honestly it made my time there immeasurably easier because they loved him so much. The school is closing along with another elementary school. The south end of the county has been in a population decline or families with children decline for a decade. The cost of living is just so high... no more land to build on. To shorten this, there a lot more changes coming. Change is inevitable. The north end is growing like kudzu and they are building a new school there right now.

It was this visit to the school reception that I really thought I am going to FINALLY add a Memorial Day post. I have always steered away from it. When you live in a military community you are very aware of the sacrifices made. There are 7 military installations here in the Panhandle of Florida. 

On the evening of the school event a couple walked in that reminded me of Jeff's first year as a principal there and having the most horrific news to give a teacher. Now, this one involves life, but many I have know made the ultimate sacrifice. 

It was around 2010 and the superintendent called and said she was on her way with military officials and for him to get someone to cover Mrs. D's kindergarten class. Her husband had been blown up and was in horrible condition. That was a hard thing to deliver and watch. Later, we would learn that he had survived but lost both legs. He was there on Tuesday evening for the reception and it sent me on a tailspin of thoughts of how many people I know about in just my small world that have lost their family member.

I really don't feel it exactly appropriate to appoint myself the story teller of all these losses, but I have known personally many -from a child I taught who lost his father in the Khobar Towers back in 1996. The losses in our community for me started way back in 1991 with the first Gulf War. You just don't live here and teach and not see the loss. I have had two from church killed in action. My daughter's wedding photographer was a casualty that came later from the war from some chemical he was exposed. It is just a part of life in a military town. It is deep and personal reminder of what those families go through.

I have many members of my family who have served and fought from both our dads, numerous uncles, cousins, and 2 brother-in-laws. 

I may celebrate the coming of my favorite season - summer - but I know we are blessed to live here.

P.S. I am taking some of my small stitches to the Auburn house for the summer too.

Picture from the reception at MEE the other night. Jeff actually ended up speaking to the crowd. He did well as always. Reminded them of the rich history the school has had to the community.

Catching Up

 3 posts in 3 days! It is not a trend.

I just felt I needed to get down a few more things about April before we get half way through May.

Indulge me if you will in some weather talk which is really just noting what I see in the bayou and the neighborhood. Many things are late this year. Now mind you, it was warm in February and things started blooming, and then we got a cool snap here in north Florida that zapped some things. My dwarf bottlebrush bushes were already blooming when that cool snap occurred and it zapped the blooms. Now, I only have blooms on the lower half. Those hummingbirds if they show up are going to have to fly low.

The live oaks have everyone talking. They are late dropping their leaves and especially their little fuzzy wuzzy worms. They have not done so at the same time either. It is full blown mess out front with them right now and the ones in the back by the water haven't even dropped the worms yet. They look like autumn trees. This is all done by the 3rd week of April at the latest around here. 

CRAZY!

The day lilies are slowing blooming, but I feel like they are late as well. 

The lemon tree still has lots of blossoms which smell divine and I feel they like should already be turning into lemons. 

Oh, it all gives me something to observe. I love the spring and we have been eating out on that back porch as much as possible I just wash the pollen off the table, and then we eat.

I am so glad I downsized many of my pots of flowers. I have been left with a manageable amount that I just love to tend. I have only 3 small pots that I change out now. Good thing, because the price of those 3 pots to be redone was noticeably higher. 

On the bayou, the mallards are back and happily floating around for my pleasure and the stingrays were out one morning early. I had gone out to water the plants downstairs and looked out to see them.

Do you see them?

They are hard to see in the water that early in the morning.

The one bit of sad news is the cardinal didn't lay her eggs in the bush. She built a nest, and then didn't follow through. I don't know if she just decided it wasn't a good spot or if there was just too much activity there. There were workers out in the circle as our neighbors all seem to be updating their homes and seawalls and such. I was so sad. Cardinals, bluejays, and mockingbirds are in abundance on my street so I would have loved some sweet little ones. Oh we have bluebirds which are usually here earlier each spring. Like I said, I have had plenty to observe. 

When I was fully sure the cardinal wasn't coming back I told him he could trim the shrub and that is when I found her abandoned nest.

Jeff and I are going to join the neighbors in a few home repairs. We have done one already. This is probably something no one has noticed in any pictures, but our kitchen island had a white countertop with two rather not so pretty features to us. I am sure we noticed it far more than anyone coming in. The counters were made of Corian in 1984 and still look amazing, but on the island they had to pieced back then, and the adhesive that held them together and went down the center had yellowed. Nothing made it better. I had just lived with it. Like I said probably no one noticed unless they were standing right there. It also had a built in appliance which didn't work. It was a mixer, blender, juicer, food processor ---you name it. It lifted up and all the pieces to it were in the cabinet below it. Jeff hated it more than me. I had long since thrown all the parts away. 

We replaced the island countertop with something new. I knew I couldn't match the white, so I decided to just look at other options. I went with just being an accent but blending with everything there. 

Here is the new island top. 

Because of the appliance that was in the other top, we had power. Rather than having another hole that got dirty around the edges, we had a plug put in the cabinet. (sitting on top in the picture below is the floor tile to see how well it match)

Now, this wouldn't have been the top of thing on my list, but it was on Jeff's so I just went with it.

What is first on my list? Getting the last of the carpet out of our home in the master bedroom. I think it has finally been here long enough and with dogs to make it a very high priority.

Then we need a new railing on the second level porch on the back. 

That is the most immediate list. I think we will shoot for getting both of those done over the summer.

To close out, we celebrated Katie's birthday on a night out. We usually do birthdays as home, but we went to a local seafood restaurant last week to celebrate. This is the only picture that we have. Jeff remembered to grab a picture. What is happening with me on that end? 

You may notice that Tucker is next to Katie. I lost out to Aunt Katie. Pooh...

This little munchkin is on the move even when he is sicky.. 

That is a wrap on April. Welcome May and warmer weather and all the sunshine things.

Adding a Little Spring to the Kitchen

 The days are getting longer and I am looking forward to the time change even though we lose an hour. The sun has been shining which has made me a happier girl. I have spent a bit of time each day outside walking or puttering in my flowers. I went this past weekend to see if the Vinca / periwinkles were in, but they are not so I suppose I am rushing the season. I have scaled back with my plants outside which is making it more fun and not so much work. The beds we changed out last year are looking so much better and I will share them in late spring again so I can document the changes to the yard. 

This camellia down the street is dropping all its goodies, but behind them is coming my favorite of spring...the azaleas. 

I love camellias and honestly think it is my favorite thing about winter.

I saw part of this poem on Instagram the other day and had to go look it up. The following is still only a portion of it, but I love it..

The camellias bloom in Winter when the skies are cold and gray 
When the sun shines at it's weakest and the Spring seems far away 
Each tree an individual by the shade of flowers they bear 
An avenue of camellias of one shade of flowers more often than not rare. 

In shades of pink and creams and reds the colours one might name 
Each is an individual for no two look the same 
The beautiful camellias resplendent in their flowers 
They bloom in lawn and garden on Winter's coldest hours. 

by: Francis Duggan

I have three camellias in my yard. They are small compared to the many on my street. We planted them a few years ago. This year I finally had a good many blooms. I am down to my last three or four, but like I said the azaleas are about to pop open.'

Isn't she lovely?!

I am still wearing pants and long sleeves for the most part, but hunting my most springy colors in the closet. Speaking of fashion, I never did  let y'all know my decision on those wide legged jeans. I did send them back and deleted the picture I had taken to show y'all. That particular pair was a little heavy material for my neck of the woods and they came up really high. I am very short waisted, but I gotta tell you I am excited to see some extra fabric coming back to the pants. I may actually find myself purchasing some new clothing while they are out with this new style.

I never shared my kitchen photos that I took early last week on the cloudy days. I figure I better do that before I forget.

Here is looking in from the living room. The amaryllis bloomed once more and has now been planted outside. My official stance on them for next year is I will go back to a poinsettia and leave these gorgeous things to outside. 

Tucker was here yesterday and immediately noticed the Easter candles. That-- my friends made me so happy.

We have a new toaster oven / air fryer. I am not loving it. I want to put my old one back there. I still have it because I was going to take it to Auburn and keep forgetting. I wonder if Jeff would even notice.

I left real life out including my vitamins and Benefiber. Just saying. 

Circling around the kitchen we go.

The opening to the left above goes to the hallway to laundry and garage and just behind the cross is the formal dining room.

Then around to the kitchen sink which somehow seems to always have dishes even with two people. BY the way... if you are coming in from the garage where essentially everyone who comes to our house does, your first thing to see is the sink. I always hope people notice the water and not dishes!!!

Am I the only one who would think such a thing??

I added a little spring decor in the corner.

We finish up at the table where until this January I have been decorating with my table linens and candles for the seasons. This year I am soaking up those peaceful blues and haven't changed them out. I have used the candles and linens in the formal dining room.

That is the tour that I promised. I also like to document how things look as well. I love looking back and thinking how crazy something looked and what was I thinking occasionally.

To end this post, I have out my Easter basket on the dining room table. I don't think Tucker went in there. I  forgot to show him.

This was my Easter basket form childhood. A little treasure still.

I hope it is warming up and the sun is shining in your parts. 

Sandy

Nothing New Under the Sun

Spring is very slowly popping out in the house. Keeping Tucker slows me down on the "bring out the box and put it all out at once" I suppose is my excuse. The more likely truth is I don't enjoy bringing out the seasonal decor as much as I did a couple of years ago. There is nothing wrong with me or the decor. I am just in a phase of liking stuff to stay the same!

My foyer remains decorated the same except from October to December. It gets some fall for two months and then Christmas for one month. The remainder of the year it is the same regardless of the season.

Do you see my neighbors pretty azaleas in the mirror?

The book stack has orange in the fall and red at Christmas, but otherwise it has the blues stacked there. The day lilies and butterfly piece were from my mother-in-law and I love it so much that I literally have a hard time putting it away in fall and can't wait for January to put it out again. I have said it many times here since winter is semi mild here I just can't decorate with snowmen. IT might be more than I am just simply not a SNOW person. That is most likely the truer story there. Those of you who are---don't hate me.

My Christmas cactus did this last year as well. I got a second bloom. I think it has more to do with the lighting in the foyer and the winter season rather than anything I might be doing to it. I also added the little goose in the foyer. It was given to me by my mother-in-law way back in the 1980s. The little hanging hearts have mine and Jeff's names on them. It was tucked away in a closet and in my January clean out I decided to let it sit out again.

Inside the foyer in my front door hallway stands a bunny who is out year round. It got a pink checked bow. It gets a red bow at Christmas, but otherwise no bows. The church pew got her Spring pillow out a little early. I did NOT make the Springer Spaniel pillow.

I do enjoy decorating the kitchen table with linens and candles according to the seasons.

The flowers have a cute and sweet story with them. On Sundays, Jeff gets up earlier than me (no surprise there) and heads to church to do his serving chores. He sets up things in the parking lot, gets the golf carts out of storage for driving families right up to the door from our long parking lot. Stuff like that. 

I sleep in a bit and then get dressed. He arrives home and we attend a service along with Mom and kids. Then I stay to teach my girls (4th and 5th grade) while he usually comes on home and starts lunch for me. Yep, the man is a definite keeper!!! 

We had talked Saturday evening about upcoming meals for the week and I made a grocery list. I usually shop on Sunday evenings or Monday mornings. I had written flowers on it because with the new month I thought I would get some grocery store flowers. They have $3 bunches and I usually snip some greenery from outside and do a once a month arrangement. He told me as he was leaving church he would go ahead and get groceries. I always say yes to that as I don't particularly like to grocery shop.

I arrived home from church to my lunch and flowers on tulips on the table in a stainless steel tumbler from the glasses cabinet. He had chosen some for me:) I have since cut them down as they are not wanting to open. 

The kitchen table picture was taken this morning with another cloudy day. Florida or at least north Florida has forgotten we are known as the "Sunshine State."

And most times the cloth napkins are in one pile rather than out because real life happens at the kitchen table multiple times a day.

When the flowers have expired, I will add a bunny to the table rather than flowers for April. I have a cute bunny and some adorable bunny dessert plates. I will share again because why not?!

Almost always, I put out something seasonal on the kitchen counter. The bunny came early there.

Up close view.

I will share the dining room when I add some bunnies in there later and maybe the living room and sewing room as I add some spring with stitching there.

Speaking of STITCHING!

I have steadily working on my blue jays.

I am also working on Redbird by Heart in Hand. Bluebird is due out soon and I decided that would be a new purchase when it is released, so I needed to get the redbird done. I hope to finish both sometime this spring with a pillow finish.

We have had some very warm weather hence storms too. None bad here, but we are back to cloudy weather. I got two days of sunshine and it was GLORIOUS!

Other than that nothing new under the sun much. I kind of like that!
I rather like being home, just walking down the neighborhood street, playing with Tucker, checking on Mom, cooking supper, laundry, etc.
Looking forward to the time change this weekend,
Sandy

And...most of the time this is what is happening. Tucker!

Oh and one more thing.... It seems as if we all had a basket story. I felt better about it just telling y'all and knowing we had all been there. I came up with a solution for my failed impulse purchase. I will share it one day. Life is just full of fun lessons!

Road Trip and Cleaning Post

I have been a busy and a motivated bee over the last week. After coming back from Auburn, I watched football the rest of New Year's Day and then did some tidying up in my laundry area and sewing room (work room) while Jeff continued to watch football. I will share all of that this next week.
On Thursday, Lindsay, Tucker, Mother and I went on our little trip and had a nice little time together.

Mother and I like to take regular trips to our "home place." Mother and Daddy were born and raised in Range of Conecuh County, Alabama.  After Daddy died, we moved back there from Columbus, Georgia and I attended school at Repton Elementary. When Mother remarried, we moved to Brewton where I graduated from high school. Through my growing up years we shopped either in Brewton, Monroeville, or Pensacola. Mother was not one to stay home. *Range is about halfway between Brewton and Monroeville. She worked like crazy during the week to keep the house spotless, but come the weekend we went to one of the destinations.

*For those that are unfamiliar with those names, all are close together in very south Alabama just above the Florida panhandle.

We regaled Lindsay who has probably heard it all before with stories of shopping at the department stores in Monroeville (Katz and Bedsole's) and Brewton (Weavers's and Robbins & McGowans'). I have such sweet memories of the department stores. 
Our usual eating place on the square, The Sweet Tooth was closed for the holidays. Bummer! We had to settle for the Courthouse Cafe which was just ok, not bad, but nothing like The Sweet Tooth.

We also visited the two family cemeteries where Tucker was able to view his great great great great grandparents' burial sites.

After all was said and done, Lindsay said she thought Brewton was the prettiest place of all. I think she might be right because they do an excellent job of having flowers all through town. Literally everywhere. Someone does a phenomenal job. They are even in boxes lining the bridge going into town.

Here is a sampling of them along a side road with a wonderful mural of the railroad and timber industry that is famous for.

Closer view of the flowers lining the road.

Also no matter the age of the homes in Brewton, it is just a town where everyone keeps their yard looking nice. And that is saying something these days. That is one reason Mother doesn't think our area is too nice because it has some horrible looking yards here in Fort Walton.

She is right... I know it is hard to keep flowers but some pride would be nice in your home.

I mentioned in my last post that I thought I would be spending more time with Mother. That has proven to be very true. I will elaborate in my next post.

Then Friday and Saturday I was like a woman who has been rested and refreshed and had boundless energy. My sewing room, laundry area, and kitchen are all clean clean clean.

I will share a little of the kitchen because it might not look like this in a couple of days. No wait I am determined to keep this island clean!!!

I looked through all the cabinets and I must say the past 5 years of decluttering means there was very little to do. If I had to downsize, now that would be another matter. I would have to get rid of some things that I do use for entertaining.

I polished all of my cabinets. They are 35 years old as of December. Original counters too. I have changed the white tile floor and appliances.
I use Pledge Revive It (used to be called Revitalizing Oil). It works wonders on my cabinets which are wood. I tried other things I saw on Pinterest for getting some of the gunk off of the handle areas only to remove the finish. They had gotten pretty bad when we moved in. I just kept putting this stuff on and it cleans and shines.

Jeff has started refinishing the bad doors and drawers and they look wonderful.
You can see here one he has redone and one he needs to do. The top one has been redone, the next one needs it.

For the most part they are in fabulous shape and I love them, but you can see from up close some are in need of more after this many years.

Here is one set of doors for the dishes that is used daily that needs redoing...

And here is another that needs nothing and really most are like this...

The table always gets seasonal cloth napkins and candles. Light blue for the New Year. Pink will pop out for Valentine's in a couple of weeks.

Jeff and I also took a beach walk Friday morning.

This feather was sticking up from the sand like so ... so naturally, that one was added to my collection of feathers.

I also picked up my mockingbird and discovered that the place where I have been getting framing done is going out of business. I am sad because they were doing a good job.

I will share another picture of it later as I took this after dark.

I have been reading and stitching and finished the U in Tucker's name and worked on the family register so I will share that this next week also.

As promised here is a Lemony pic...

Also after dark and she has retired for the evening. 

The vacation is over for Hubby and Tucker comes tomorrow. Can't wait to have him to myself tomorrow. New toys and he is walking everywhere!

Oh boy,

Sandy