I Need Help

Nothing much happening here except a little rain, hmmm like 5 inches in last 15 hours or so; making a total of 20 inches or more just for the month of May and we have another week to go.  No, nothing at all.  So we are setting here on our computers almost bored; me looking at Pinterest getting inspired.  

I looked up over my readers and the hubby asked "What?".  "Oh nothing, I was just decorating in my mind."  "Good place to start", he replied and put his head back into his computer.  So that is exactly what I am doing, decorating in my mind using all the cool Pinterest pins.  The problem is I don't have any decorating sense.  I need help.


I love bright southwestern inspired rugs.  I love Asian rugs.  I love simple designs.  I love prints.  I hate prints.  I love the cabin look.  I love French country style.  I love vintage 50s furniture.  I love modern sofas.  I love traditional soft deeply-cushioned sofas.  I love 70s furniture.  I love wicker.  I love the comfort of recliners.  I hate the look of recliners.  I love traditional style.  I love red.  I love, love, love turquoise.  I am afraid of the color turquoise.  I love wood floors.  I don't have any wood floors. 


The list of my lack of style could go on and on for I have no style.  I see a picture of a traditional room and I want that.  I see a picture of a sleek vintage room styled on the 60s and I want that.  I see a rustic cabin and I want that.  I see a Greek inspired room with billowing sheers over the windows and I want that (especially if my house overlooked the Mediterranean Sea--some place I would like to see).


So come on over this rainy day and help me decorate.  Help me find my decorating style.  Maybe there's an app for that.  Come to think of it, there probably is.  Help me find my decorating style.  I need help.


I love you.

Honeysuckle

Good morning everybody.   Here it is Memorial Day weekend, and, of course, it is raining in Oklahoma once again.  I doubt many people on the lakes this weekend.  

These pictures were taken a couple weeks ago so my honeysuckle is now almost gone, but if you step outside you can still smell it.  It would be hard for me to cut a bouquet now because almost all of those white blooms have turned yellow and are falling off the vine.  It is most fragrant when there is lots of white still on the vine.  Honeysuckle always reminds me of Grandma Dawkins and I cannot think of a more pleasant memory than of her.   

Hope you enjoy the pictures, and I hope you have pleasant memories of someone special in your life this Memorial Day.  I have lots of memories of special people in my life. 

I love you.

Give Me the Keys

Just a quick little howdy this morning.  I stepped outside to get the paper early this morning and the air was so crisp and clean, I almost thought I was in Red River.  This crisp air is exactly what the folks at Red River, NM, experience every summer morning.  Can you imagine such a life?  Cool, crisp, fresh mountain air......all summer long.   


Give me the keys, I think I will head to Red River.


I love you.

Don’t Know Whether I’m Coming or Going

Good Morning Everybody.  There are days I don’t know whether I am coming or going.  Take yesterday for instance.  Here’s my funny tale or is it tragic?  I’ll let you decide and I know your answer will depend on where you are on your life’s timeline.

After a full fun day of shopping/looking at storm shelters, I headed off to bed.  As I was undressing I noticed a grease stain at the neckline of the red knit top I had been wearing all day long.  Well now, do I want to put some spot remover tonight or wait till morning?  Inspecting a little closer, I could see the imprint of a label.

What the heck????  Did I put this on backwards this morning???  Oh, heck yeah, I DID!!  I wore it that way all day long, all day long, and all the while, I thought I looked good in my red knit top.  Stylin’ as the kids say.

Oh, oh, oh, OH!  No, no NO!  It dawned on me.   This is the same top I found in my closet this morning, the one I had forgotten about and surely not that holey red top that I had been wearing around the house all spring simply because it was comfortable.  No, I had inspected that top before and after I put it on and declared it must be one from last year—no holes.   NO HOLES!  I must say I was thrilled that I had two red tops and this one I could actually wear out in public.  I was cool, I was stylin’.  The hubby even told me I looked good in THAT top.  So off we go…….  Me with my 29 holes on my backside and definitely showing because I had my white jeans on.  Yes, I counted them—all in a 2 inch square area.  I am not exaggerating.  Red top over white jeans and 29 holes, right in the middle of my backside.  I am sure people thought “Oh the poor thing.  She just turned her top around so she wouldn’t have to see the holes.” 

Now here is where your timeline comes in.  If you are a certain age you will find this somewhat humorous.  If you are of the younger generation, you are going to find this tragic……….the old woman has finally lost it.  So being of my generation, I am going to look at this humorously because……..well…….it is a little funny……..and I sure don’t want to look at it the other way.

Bottom line:  I wore my top backwards.  I wore my holey top (29 holes).  I don’t have two red tops.  I need another red top.

The hubby wished me a good night’s rest and said “Hope you find out whether you’re coming or going.”  And we had a good little laugh.

I love you.   

In case you are wondering about the holes, I have a problem with almost all my knit tops and holes.  I have finally decided it must be from my too tight jeans and the flap.  So I have to inspect everything I wear out in public to make sure there are no holes.  I thought I knew front from back, but looks like that will also be an inspection point….if I remember.   Love you guys.  Keep smiling!

Just a Trip to Arby's

Last night we took the little convertible out for a spin--just to keep the battery charged.  We reminisced while driving through our old neighborhoods, driving by my old duplex, then the duplex which my husband owned and our first home together, then our first house.  We bought that first little house for $8500--I kid you not.


Then we made a stop at Arby's; probably my favorite fast food if any fast food could be called my favorite.  As soon as I started unwrapping that paper, the aroma instantly carried me back to my very first visit to Arby's way back in the early 70s.  I thought that sandwich was just about the best thing I had ever eaten.  That restaurant was located on 29th Street just across the street west from its current Del City location. 


While I was describing my first Arby's sandwich, my hubby looked up at me and said "Aren't we lucky that we were so inexperienced and naïve that a roast beef sandwich was an experience."  That really resonated with me.  Our discussion then led to remembering our first taste of pizza; knowing exactly where it was and the people we were with.  My first taste of Mexican food (other than tamales out of a can) was downtown OKC at El Charito's.  I was at the Future Homemakers of America convention at the Civic Center, a yearly convention and the highlight of each my high school years.  A day in the big city............and I knew that's where I was going to eventually live.


Our children and especially our grandchildren are certainly not naïve regarding food.  Pizza on every block so much so that even they get tired of it.  Mexican food is just about as prevalent for them and certainly not the treat to them as it was to me in 1964.  Is there anything for children these days to be naïve about?  Everything is quite literally at their finger tips.


Yes, I am glad I lived during a time when certain things were new.  Maybe it is our age showing, but we are grateful for such small things as a memory of a gooey, cheesy pizza.  Will our children be as grateful?


So we were just a little naïve.  Just a trip to Arby's...............


I love you.     
One year I remember we went to Shepherd Mall, probably the first year it opened.....talk about taking the country out of the girl.........whew..........what an experience.

Hello Summer!

Well hello there summer!  I’ve been waiting on you and it looks like today, finally, you have arrived.  Yes, and you brought your humid cousin.  I was hoping she’d go further south. 
Hi Friends,
I made a trip to Target last week and just knew summer was around the corner.  I wanted to hurry it along so I bought this cute mat for my back patio.  All I need is a pool.  The flip flops, or thongs as we used to call them back in the day, came from Walmart.  If you haven’t looked, Walmart has some cute flip flops this year and the kind I like….the ones with fabric between the toes.  Yeah, Walmart is NOT my favorite place to shop either.
Who could resist that beach towel?  Not that I am going near water, but the towel reminded me of the good old days of summer, (those days of summer and pretzels and beer thanks Nat for a great song).  I think every beach towel that I have ever purchased for myself has been in those colors.  Reminds me of being knee deep in the water somewhere.  A little shout out to my good friend, Zac Brown, and his best feel good song ever!  Old Zac might even be right up there with Jimmy Buffet…….oh wait, Jimmy is singing with Zac on this song.  No wonder I like this song so much.    Check this out.  With any luck at all, that link will take you  to one of my all time favorite songs .  After a cup of coffee, I turn that song on.  Girls, I  am telling you…….I clean my kitchen in record time.  
I digress, but isn’t that towel great.  36 X 72 inches.  Now I need a pool.  Got my flip flops, got my mat, got my towel, got my song.
So HELLO SUMMER.  Glad you are here. Knee deep in the water somewhere…………..
I love you.

Welcome to My Saturday Morning

I just thought I would share Saturday morning at my house.  Welcome.  As  I walked around my house this morning, my senses were just overwhelmed.  Everywhere I looked, I could see beauty.  You know sometimes I look around and see nothing but a lot of work to be done and then I get kind of down in the mouth, as Mom would say.  But not this morning.  I wish you could have been with me so you could have seen the sight, smelled the fragrance, touched the roses, and cut some honeysuckle.
Take a look at my pictures.  Enjoy a little slice of my morning.  Aren’t my flowers pretty despite all the rain, hail, and winds?  (Speaking of which, I need to put them in a safe place tonight since we are expecting tornadoes in OKC in less than an hour.  In fact, I can hear thunder so I need to get busy.) 

I look back at these pictures I took this morning  and realize how truly God has blessed me.  We have a beautiful view, a safe, sound house, and live in a free nation.  I hope you have enjoyed my pictures. 
Welcome to My Saturday Morning.
I love you.

The Omelets Have It

The omelet's have it!  Omelets have been on my mind since Sunday when I had one at the Embassy Suites hotel.  I couldn't wait to tell you about my omelet experience from the weekend, but when Rachel Ray had a guest chef making "baggie" omelets today, I got right on it.  So here I am.  Good morning everyone!!!!


Truth time -- I am not a huge fan of omelets.  I have tried some in restaurants and they were either tough or undercooked, i.e. eggs runny (and like my mother, that gags me).  I have tried to make them at home without success.  After a overnight visit to the Embassy Suites this weekend, I decided that I might give them another chance.  So this post is really just for me.........to help me remember.


By watching the chef at the Embassy Suites, I now may attempt omelets again.  Here's basically how she did it.  First of all, she had all her ingredients in prep bowls in front of her (that's probably a no brainer for most of you guys).  She also had a bowl of beaten eggs with cream or it could have been milk...probably was just milk.  Her omelet pans were hot, but not scorching hot.  She ladled a bit of melted butter which might have had a little olive oil in it (that's probably the mixture I will use).  After the butter was sizzling just a tad, she added the chopped meat of choice.  After 15 seconds or so the chopped vegetables were added and cooked over a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes just until the veggies were tender-crisp.  No eggs up till this point.  Then she added a couple of ladles of the egg mixture to the meat/veggies.  Do not stir.  That cooked for 30-45 seconds and she gently lifted up one side so that the uncooked eggs could run beneath the already cooked eggs.  After another 30 or so seconds she flipped the entire mixture over in one flip just to make sure the eggs were thoroughly cooked.  She sprinkled cheese over the cooked eggs and gently slid the eggs onto the plate while at the same time folding it in half.  I had requested vegetables only; spinach, onions, tomatoes, pickled jalapenos (which really imparted a lot of flavor).  It was a beautiful presentation and I admit, I ate the entire thing.


Things I learned:  1) have your ingredients prepped and ready, 2) cook your vegetables and meat before adding the egg mixture, 3) watch the heat; the chef adjusted the heat throughout the process, and 4) don't fold your omelet until I you plate it from pan.  And add those jalapenos for me!!!!


Thanks Embassy Suite Chef.


So that is my post today; the omelets have it!


I love you.


A guest chef on Rachel Ray loaded all the uncooked ingredients in a baggie, squished it around, and put the bag in a pot of boiling water and cooked it for 15 minutes.  I am sure this is good; however, the one on TV wasn't all that eye-appealing.     


   

Be Kind

Recently, the hubby and I were in Canton, TX, for their huge First Monday Trade Day and in a matter of a couple of minutes, I heard two different women talk very ugly to their husbands; very condescending.   We both looked at each other and I whispered to my hubby to not ever let me talk to him the way those two wives did.  With a laugh he told me not to worry because he wouldn’t.

Yesterday, I shared a video of an elderly couple (my age) in quite a funny predicament with a seatbelt.  You could tell the gentleman was getting upset and his wife was trying to help him, frustrating him even more.  But  did you notice how much they respected one another?  Of yes, she was laughing which made him laugh.  Then he got a little loud and she reminded him that he was getting upset.  Did you notice him calming down?   My thought was he respected her….she respected him.  Maybe I am the only one that caught that.

One thing I have to say about my hubby and me.  We respect each other and we are kind.  It makes life, especially these retirement years, a lot more fun.  I hope you are with someone who is kind to you. 

I love you.  Be kind! 
That’s all I got tonight.

This Nana is Going to Win

Well........the time has come to talk of many things.........  (anybody know that quote?  A quote my hubby repeated to me many times.)


My oldest grandson is now the proud owner of an Iphone, albeit a hand-me-down.  On the one hand, I am glad he has a phone for emergency purposes and for his nana to get a hold of him.  Oh the other hand, I am so sad.  I fear that he will become like all the millions of other smart phone users; head down, one-finger typing, clueless to the world around them. 


Has my grandson entered that age?  You other more experienced grandparents know what I am talking about......the age where grandparents are now NOT the entertainment center of their grandchildren's lives.  When my younger grandson asked me yesterday what we were going to do this summer when they come for visits, I was kind of stymied.  What will we do?  How can I compete with texting friends? 


So the gauntlet is thrown!  Me against the cell phone!!!  It is on!!!  Now to search the internet {wink wink} to find cool summer activities for a soon to be eleven year old and an eight year old. 


I promise THIS nana is going to WIN!


I love you.


P.S.  I may not have all the activities lined out, but I am stocking up on the treats.  I got a case of root beer and a case of cream sodas yesterday.  I am ready to spend a few nights on the floor of the sunroom--almost like a tent--my boys' favorite thing to do at Nana's and Grandpa's.  Ready for summer!!!