~Prayer Request~

Hello friends, no pictures today...just a request for prayer for my dear, sweet husband. It is forcasted to be a wicked storm to come our way this week, and my hubby will be on call, in charge of several hundred miles of track here in Iowa. Ice, snow, and blizzard will blast us and he will be called out in the middle of the night as he usually is during these bad storms. Please pray for his safety, and pray that he will be able to get some rest inbetween his work. So many of his fellow co-workers have scheduled vacations to spend time with their families, (and that's good), but my darling will be out there, driving from one problem area to another. So please, during this Christmas Holiday won't you remember him? Thank you so much all of you, I just know that you will. Blessings~

The Spry Chickie is Back~Let the Christmas Bells Ring!~

Merry Christmas Friends~Haven't posted in awhile, busy, busy getting ready for my mom to arrive from Texas for Christmas! Sheeeee's Heeere!! Of course first thing she did was hop up into the skid steer with her grand-dog following closely behind! I hope that I am as spry and energetic as my mom when I am her age!!(81) Heck....I hope I MAKE it to her age!! Just look at her beautiful smile!! Isn't it Grand? When she comes to visit Freeway (the dog) doesn't let her get to far away.....Those two can get into some mischief, I'm telling you!

Blessings~

~Finding Joy in a Morning Ritual~

Here's the gang from the hilltop hood greeting Freeway this morning! The Australian Shepherd's' live across the street and come by every morning and sit on the front porch waiting...and waiting...and waiting until I let Freeway out. They greet each other.......

(The bigger dog to the right of Freeway is the daddy dog, Chaz.)

Doggy Style...while keeping a fine tuned eye on the surroundings....

(The doggy by Freeway is the mom-Casey)

This is the puppy "Tracy" that was born right after we moved in.
There were 8 puppies in the litter. They kept this little girl for their youngest son. Boy is she a cutie!!


Can you tell that Casey is relaxed?? A morning nap in 2 degrees. Poor Freeway on the other hand gets cold and picks her feet up if she's out too long!


There goes Tracy after Freeway (not shown to the left of the picture) Freeway's not too sure about Tracy, as the pup always wants to kiss her face, and jump all over her. Freeway shows teeth..."Grr..get away kid, I'm busy!" And Tracy does...for a minute. Just like a puppy with an attention span of a gnat!
All of our doggy's wait patiently for the mailman, the trash man, and the UPS guy, each of which carries a big bag of cookies in their vehicles! It's pure joy when a delivery truck starts up the hill!! There is dancing in the street!! AND they follow the trucks from house to house!! It's a SMORGASBORD!!
That's why I love dogs....
Blessings~

~The Worst Storm In 10 Years!!!

Hi Hi!!! Well, I have internet service now!! It's been intermittent since the storm. Holy Moses it has been quite a few days here. Hubby was coming up the hill to our home, and got his work truck stuck on the cliff side of the road. Whew!! Thank the Lord he didn't go over! Then, he walked the rest of the way up (in a blizzard, a whiteout) and got in the skid steer to retrieve the truck, and the skid steer got stuck in the 3 feet of snow in the driveway. So we dug out the skid steer and got it going! I shoveled and Mikey plowed. Two hours later we got the driveway cleaned. My wonderful husband was able to plow the snow away from the work truck and drive it home...then he walked back for the skid steer. He ended up cleaning the whole road, just so he could get out in the morning! The highway that our road is off of, was closed, and because of the whiteout, they weren't running the snow plows. It was a mess!! Truly as mess! I've been in the Midwest now for 13 years and I've never seen anything like it!! Madness!! I took a few pictures of the front and back yards, although it is difficult to see how tall the snow is. We had 4ft. drifts in the driveway... My neighbor's doggies are running towards me, so maybe you can get the perspective. Big Snow!! Also, Here's the wreath, it's not a good picture, but since the internet was back up I thought I'd hurry and post. So quickly quickly I am taking pictures and typing!!! Gotta go before I lose it!! Hugs everyone, I'll be back to visit all of your blogs when I can get service!!!! Whoo Hoo! Get out the sled!!! Blessings~

~It's Coming........~

I thought these snow peaked rocks looked rather comforted with their blanket
Snow covered hay bales

Naturally Flocked Tree !
Well friends...it's coming! The first big snow of the year! The weather station is calling for 7" to 12" of snow...Wow! One weekend when we lived in Illinois, we had 26" of snow!! So...I'm thinking that we can handle this...We got just a skiff last night 1 or 2 inches..it's so pretty! I welcome the winter with the first snowfall...Not bad for a California girl!!!

Blessings~

~Beautiful Vintage Ornaments~Rhinestones!

Little Deer and Caroller in Rhinestone Gazebo
Deep Purple Ice

A Lovely Pair of Ice Skates!

Side View of Skates

Tea Strainer Green & Gold

Lime Green with Rhinestones

Here are a few more ornies that were made by my lovely and talented mom! What amazing detail, patience, and a keen eye for design. Just think of the time it took to perfect each one of these "pretties." Of all of the wonderful traits I inherited from mom--patience like this, is not one of them. They are, every one, a treasure!

Holiday Blessings~

~The Beast~

The Beast

My hubby and the Professor

Paul Bunyan

The might oak has fallen.



This tree was huge! (well, it was really big!)

Look at him go!!

Yesterday, my sweet partner and I chopped an old Oak tree down for our neighbor, we kiddingly call him the professor. (as in Gilligans Island??) The professor has a garage full of inventions, most of which are not Exactly in working order....nonetheless, a great idea~ It's so fun to look at his things that he has put together with old parts of something else, a little glue, and alot of FREE time! You see, the professor is retired...

Anyway he was so kind to help us sheet rock the garage, so my sweetie pie wanted to do something for him. He had this old oak tree that was rotted and half eaten by creatures, and he needed it cut down. So we did that yesterday! We worked from 7:30am to 2:30 in
the afternoon on this tree. BUT...we got it done~ He'll have lots of firewood this year. My husband was raised a mountain man and has been cutting trees for years and years. I, on the other hand am relatively new to this outdoorsy working girl life. But it's wonderful..I am blessed.

As we were laying in bed last night Hubby asked me if I thought we were getting too old for this kind of thing....I told him No..But truly, we had a really hard time to get up and out of bed this morning. Both of us were doing alot of Ohhhh's and Oowwwws!!

Blessings~

~Hugs To You Coffee Genius~!

I understand that you might think this is a LITTLE boring, (a lot materialistic) but I am just a simple girl, and I love my new coffee pot! I call it "The Unit." It slices, It dices (not really)....remember that old commercial?? There I go again.....

Back to the unit...(I am not a coffee addict...I am not a coffee addict)

Okay, I am a coffee addict. I love coffee, I love to smell it grinding and brewing, it evokes memories of walking into Dunkin' Doughnuts (another era). Ahhhhh the aroma--coffee, doughnuts, coffee, doughnuts...doughnuts...doughnuts....you get the picture.

This "made for me" coffee pot grinds the beans, steams the coffee perfectly, adjusts the strength and body of the finished product....AND it does it all as I am laying in my warm cozy bed!! Oh the genius that thought of this! I could hug her/him!!!

It doesn't take much to make me smile!!

And I can't remember the last time I had a doughnut!

And I can't remember the last time I was in a Dunkin' Doughnuts!

And I'm just a simple gal.

Blessings~

~Sweet, Thoughtful, Kind, Loving~

What Darling Man!

Stargazer Lillies are my favorite flower!

My Wonderful Sweetie surprised me with flowers! I have always loved Stargazer's, and he always remembers....

Can I hear a collective AWWWWW!!!?

Okay....no more complaining about TP Supplies!! (not really)

Bless you on this Sunday Morning~

~Honey...Put It On Your List~

I may be a little weird here....but often times I ponder the differences between men and women. Do you ever do that? Take for instance last night...I am bringing the dog in from subzero temperatures, my nose frozen and burning, and underneath my 10 lb. winter coat I'm soaking wet from a hot flash! My hubby walks around the corner sporting a, "dire look" on his face. He says very seriously, "Honey, we're out of toilet paper...put it on your list." In my present state of menopause, with the hot flashes, mood swings, memory issues and facial hair, I naturally assume that I may have forgotten the toilet paper at the store. But then I remember just this week picking up a huge package at the store. "Aahhh yes, I remember it well." So I investigated....this is what I found!

Just in Case!
Ready to Roll!
Aahhh..the supply...
I patiently explain to my ever-lovin' that there is more "toilet paper in this house than we would need in a year!" Yes yes, he knows all about that. But the SUPPLY closet is empty!! Uh yes...the supply closet.....

The good thing is that he tells me these things...the bad thing is that he tells me these things.
Just pondering..........

~Christmas Magic~

The Sparkling Artist~Sweet Mom~

I look forward each year to decorating for Christmas, and I love the holiday feel in my home. I welcome each item as it is removed from the box, where its been carefully stored over the year. Every piece holds a sweet memory of a time, a place and a person. I delight in the memories of people and places that have colored my life with the Spirit of Christmas. I have decided to share some of those memories and people in a few posts during this holiday season.

I treasure Christmas tree ornaments, and the most special and spectacular ornaments are the ones that my mom made in the 1970's & 1980's. They are each so beautiful and so unique! What a joy to see her creative spirit in every bead and bauble. Every one is a labor of love. Aren't they fabulous? The remind me of miniature Faberge eggs! My mom has an eye for beauty...and she is beautiful!

Shimmering Gold

Christmas Stocking Filled with Gifts!

Keep the Lamp on for Santa!

Wintry Jeweled Vignette

Icy Robin's Egg Blue with Leaping Deer

I will add more of her marvelous creations during the Holiday Season...You will be amazed!

Blessings Friends~

~On a Lighter Note.....~

Happy Thanksgiving All~~

~Thankful Heart~

On this day before Thanksgiving, I continued with a list that I began some time ago. A list of all of the good things for which I am grateful. Then it occurred to me, that it is easy to be thankful for the wonderful things that have happened throughout the year, but much harder to rejoice in the difficult things that have come my way. The trials that have strengthened me, situations that have lent to character building, and most importantly, compassion for others. These too, are a part of life to be thankful for, an integral piece of who I am. So...this Thankful day, I will take joy in the happy times as well as the sorrowful moments, knowing that the sorrow will lead me through the pathway of perseverance. "And We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving, I am so grateful each and everyone you. May your tummies be full, your hearts even fuller. Blessings~

HELLLOOOO~It's a Vegetable!!

First, I would like to thank everyone so much for your help with my wreath...You have given me some excellent ideas that are pulling me out of the quicksand of indecision and design-block!
And from my heart I thank you for taking your time to help! I will post the finished product soon.
Now onto breakfast...this is what I had..yes, pumpkin pie and whipped cream for breakfast! Who does this?? If I were NOT on a DIET, I would NOT be having pumpkin pie and whipped cream for breakfast!! It's a Crazy mind game I tell you! But (I told myself) it IS a VEGETABLE!! Geesh!! I think I'm losing it!!!
Blessings~

~Help!~

I have been working on this wreath, I found these marvelous flowers a few years ago in a shop in Illinois. I have been trying to make a wreath that would be as spectacular as the flowers....and I am stumped! Help me Rhonda!! You know, how you know that something"s not right? Some thing is missing, or perhaps the balance is not right...but I am just blank. Then I got the best idea! I'll ask my blogging friends, because of course you are the most talented people I have ever met. So, what does it need? A bow? Something....Hmmmmm! Thank you so much!

Blessings~

~Antiquing in Iowa!~

Welcome to Marshalltown Antiques! This is Monica, the lady who runs this enormous Store! In addition to being able to take you to exactly what you are looking for..she is a wealth of information about the history of Marshalltown and just the Sweetest Lady! (The ruby glass pitcher, and king size chenille bedspread are my treasures!) Notice the tin tiles cascading down the walls of the staircase.

This is a picture of the ceiling-notice the tin tiles! The tiles cover the ceiling and then extend about 4 feet down the sides of the walls. Beautiful! The building is 111 years old. It was a merchantile store.

Pretty hanging lamps were everywhere! This is the kind of shop that you have to look up down and sideways to take in everything...it's pretty near impossible to see it all at one single visit.

There were linens for days!! Boxes and boxes and rows upon rows, of Beautiful linens, lace and feedsacks.

This is but ONE of the many salt & pepper cabinets. Cute Cute!!

This antique store is inside of a huge building that is a block long. It has 5 Stories. Only 2 stories are antiques though...but that's enough! It would take hours to see everything!

Beautiful Cabinet-there are two of these matching! Can you see the carved angels on top? The only difference between them are the poses of the angels on top. (the other one is to the right)

I had such fun in this wonderful store...didn't even see half of it and I spent 3 hours there! Everything in the store is on consignment, down to the smallest item. I was fascinated that they could keep track of every item like that! My head was spinning like a top contemplating the paperwork involved!

Blessings~