Sunshine, finally....thank you very much.

We have some "sunshine" and "low humidity" going on right now which is awesome! Because soon..it will be sweltering here. In fact...it already has been and our temps were in the low 90's before that crazy cold front came over last week and brought storms.

The flowers are doing good though...notice though how the birds that live in our patio awning are stripping out the moss from my "hanging moss basket" and building their nests with it. Ughhhh!!
Don't notice however, that we have to powerwash our house.....like very soon. It's "mold" my friends...welcome to Lousiana. Gross I know.
We are used to it.
I just put my "fake" flowers in the French Flower Cart for summer.....I don't really like fake ones. Although I think they do look pretty good in that thing if I might say so....nothing else will live under the carport area because it's soooo shady.
My new "rose tree" that my husband bought me for Mother's Day and I LOVE it...it was blooming so wonderfully before the wretched storms came blowing through. I had to cut the blooms all off today because they were so messed up.
These things are blooming great in this old "crock" I inherited of my Great Aunt Hazel's when she passed away several years ago in Missouri. I loved the crock but didn't know WHAT in the world to do with it.....so I had my husband drill some holes in the bottom of it and have been planting flowers in it ever since then.
My dear husband mowing his brains out. Usually our younger son does this but the grass was WILD because of the bad weather so Don had to come to the rescue since Luke's been working so much this weekend.

I was telling my Aunt Pat the other day in Missouri that we mow every week here. She couldn't believe it. In the summer time....we usually mow twice a week. We mow all winter here in Louisiana. Unless it's very cold....fat chance. HA!
We may only mow once a month in the winter..which is like...maybe December/January....but it gets straggly and nasty if you don't keep it up.
Miss Priss studying...last night. Her Italian "tutor" and homework helper...was exhausted after working 9 hours at his job yesterday.

Miss Priss is CRAMMING big time because she is having final exams tomorrow. And we have Graduation tomorrow night and she can't check out of school early because the important test is 7th hour. Igh. I don't know how we are going to time this all but it will work out. I'm SO glad school is out this week for her. She is wearing me out.

My crazy life.
It's all good though....and I thank God for it.
I've never liked being bored.

Sunday "Sabbath"

"Sab·bath"
Pronunciation: \sa-bəth\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English sabat, from Anglo-French & Old English, from Latin sabbatum, from Greek sabbaton, from Hebrew shabbāth, literally, rest.

Date: before 12th century

1 a: the seventh day of the week observed from Friday evening to Saturday evening as a day of rest and worship by Jews and some Christians
b: Sunday observed among Christians as a day of rest and worship.

2: a time of rest.

Hummm......I'm hoping that at some point today....after church we can have a bit of a "Sabbath REST".....but I am sort of doubting it. Blah!
I may be able to catch a small nap during the course of the day. Hopefully......

I have to go look for modest "bathing suits" with and for
"Miss Priss" after church.....summer's in our lap and it's time to swim now.
I KNOW this shopping event will be a nightmare.

I am all about some rest though. It's another busy week starting tomorrow which is "Cinco de Mayo" I might add.
Yummm.......

Bathroom Re-do

Finally....here are some photos of the infamous "Bathroom Re-do" that we just completed here in our home.

Sorry it's taken me so long but we've had a lot of "Drama" here in our household....so it's not exactly been up there on the top my list of things to do to take these photos. HA!

These are ESPECIALLY for my sister Jennifer who has NEVER been to my home.....hummm.
HA! HA!!I told her I was going to write that! She needs to bring her family down here for a VISIT. We always go North to see them.

~~~~~Here we go~~~~~

These are some "BEFORE SHOTS".......ugh
Don't you love that old funky early 1970's WALLPAPER that we found behind the mirror that was over the vanity??

As you can see.....my husband took the old walls down to the "studs" by gutting the entire bathroom.
Getting the new counter top and vanity in now....

Now there is a new tub and shower in white.....the old one was a "marbleized GREEN." I didn't take a photo of inside the tub because I didn't want you to see what kind of shampoo my kids use. HA!
Actually to me....a tub is a tub and it looks very nice, so lets move on to the GOOOOOD stuff.


A new paint color which is a very nice shade of "green"....new ceramic tiled floors which are a "antique green/brown shade" and we stained the grout with "TEA" to get it to the color we wanted. Great brainstorm that I had...the grout was too light and we had to do something. It worked perfect and then we sealed it and it looks fabulous.

New sink......new tan and white and black fleck granite counter top....a new
"taller" vanity which is an "antique white with a chocolate glaze over it"....new toilet....new mirror above the vanity.
A new print on the wall, yes it's that "Eiffel Tower".....new shower curtain, hung with "Fluer Des Leis" hooks, new accessories everywhere.

Everything is fresh and new and clean. YAHOOO!!!

We have to put the towel rack up yet and I will put one more print or piece of artwork on the wall.....I've looked and looked in a bi-zillion antique stores and regular stores and just about everywhere....and nothing that was "resonably priced" has hit me! HA!
So I will WAIT until that happens.



I am so glad this project is over and now...it's on to the wretched kitchen. We already have the cabinets purchased and they have been "waiting in the wings"...so this will be happening fairly soon. Maybe. HA! It depends on how life goes around here.

We have graduation for our youngest son in a couple weeks so I think we will wait until that is over at least.
Oh then we are taking Miss Priss to go look at a college over in Texas.

SO.....

Then we will be into "hurricane season" and I always dread that...."just incase."
Been there and done that a few times now. Blah!

There you have it......we are THANKFUL this is done and I am especially thankful and grateful to have such a talented husband.
He's the BEST!!!
I'm not kidding....this man can do anything.
I am SO BLESSED!

Tea and a Movie

When I arrived at my friend Diane's house on Friday......she had "Tea" waiting for me.

I was thrilled when I saw how she had prepped the little table that we were going to eat at while we watched the movie she had wanted me to see so badly. I had never hear of the movie but it was very good and I absolutely enjoyed it.

It was called......"Ladies in Lavender" staring "Maggie Smith and Judi Dench."
I had never even heard of it before.
It was a VERY interesting story line and great ending.....it had one cuss word in it so I want to warn you because of course...it was the
"F-BOMB." Why they had to have that one word in it don't ask me....ugh!

This was such a special treat of a day. Even though I was SO tired that morning and would have liked to stayed home. I enjoyed myself so much.We had home made "Chicken Salad" over lettuce.....and a very good "Lemon Honey Tea" by the Republic of Tea, then for dessert....."Mini Cheesecakes" that Diane had made.

We even had a "Special guest".....look closely.....it's a little Brown Bone China Duck. I had bought Diane a box of "Red Rose Tea" one day and this was the "surprise" inside of the Tea. I looked high and low for this tea because I had heard of the "Bone china figurines" they had inside of it. And low and behold.....I found us both some boxes of it at a "Winn Dixie" near my home.

The day went great and we had a great time....

I have to tell you though....on my way home.....I was sitting in my truck stuck in traffic on a highly congested road not maybe 8 minutes from our house and was "rear-ended" by a car.
I couldn't believe it.

Long story short....ugh......I had damage to the bumper and the jar of the impact threw my lower back out and when I got home I immediately laid down on the couch and iced my back and went to sleep for a while.

All in all.....life is still GRAND and I am not going to complain because we have always been "over comers." And this will pass..
Even though it does get a bit wearisome at times!

The next few days are very busy for me....my younger son has to do some special "Dyslexia" testing for college....and I have to meet with my R.A. Specialist and the Research Group that wants to possibly have me participate in a new "Drug Study." I am praying for wisdom on that thing.

Miss Priss has to go to Alabama on a school Field Trip this week too....and she is still in a lot of pain and achey....I am a tad concerned about this so hopefully she will be okay. She just took a huge ice pack to bed with her. Ugh. Italian Boy's knee is still hurting him greatly so he has a Dr.'s appointment to see about that tomorrow.

Hopefully all will be well around here soooooon. We need a break! HA!

I will be back as soon as I am able to. I wish you all well.
Cheers!!
Joyce

Wednesday Morning...

Flowers arrived yesterday for Miss Priss from "Big Brother and The British Girlfriend".....
That was so sweet and unexpected of them....but it was a very nice "pick me up" for little sister who loves and misses her Big Brother dearly.
We all do. :~(

I have to say....my kids know how to "rally" around us all in a crisis. They always have. I don't care if it's a hurricane...or whatever. They are there and they are on it doing whatever they can to help.

When their Daddy and Luke were hit by the other DRUNK DRIVER, our two older boys were on the scene before me and Miss Priss and had unhitched their Daddy's work trailer from the truck that was wrecked and were pulling it out of the mess to bring home. The trailer had been damaged as well....but was able to be moved to our house.

The boys couldn't reach me immediately because I had gone to bed very early and so had Miss Priss because we both were really sick with colds, and she had Strep Throat. Long story longer....my oldest son finally got me on the phone and told me what had happened and that he and middle brother were already there and what was going on and to just "GET to the hospital."

I had to pass the wreck on the way. The State Troopers were still with there on the site with their lights flashing, so I stopped and SAW first hand what my older boys were doing..and that made me fall apart. Partly to see what had just happened to my husband and youngest son....and partly to see how my older boys had taken command of the situation without any asking or help.
They came up to the hospital to be with Miss Priss and myself while we were in the E.R. with Don and Luke once they got finished doing all that.

WHAT a blessing it is in a crisis to have kids like this.
Or anytime for that matter.

Luke and his dog....Danny O'Shea.

Saturday night.....once Miss Priss had called us....and we were leaving the restaurant that we had gone to. I called our boys immediatly.
I called Caleb first.....who as soon as I got the words out of my mouth yelled to someone..."GET IN THE TRUCK".....I had no clue who he was talking to but he and a friend beat us to the accident scene.

Luke.....tried to come...but couldn't get anyone to bring him. He was already involved in his Prom festivities...and was at dinner with a group. He didn't drive so he couldn't leave. He checked in with us several times though.

Big Brother is in Connecticut of course so he couldn't be there.....but believe me. We called him from the scene and he talked to little sister right then and there.

Miss Priss and the "Italian Boy"

Mom, Miss Priss, and Dad. Yes I am looking fat and like "get me out of here" UGH~! The humidity had made my hair already fall FLAT from just a few minutes prior taking photos with Luke at our house...this is Louisiana my friends. Crazy!

A sadder Miss Priss (and very CRABBY...ugh!) who still likes the comfort of her stuffed animals.


I let Miss Priss try to go back to school yesterday. But it was too soon.
She had a very hard day.
So I'm MAKING her stay home today. Tomorrow I am taking her to the Chiropractor to see if they can bring her some relief.

Yesterday was my husband's birthday too....

We didn't have much of a party because this whole week has been messed up and I didn't have much time to get done what I had wanted to do. So the boys and I decided that we will deal with this event better on Sunday.

However we did grill steaks and chicken breasts last night and had a nice family dinner minus Luke who had to work.

Italian Boy was here too. I have to get him from his school since he's out a car now since his Mama has to use his from work now that she's out her vehicle and I can help her in that way for now.

By the way......"Miss Priss and Italian Boy" will get ANOTHER SHOT at Prom.
He attends a private school.....and they will be going to his Prom at the end of the month.
I told them they can't get on the Interstate and can only do something like maybe the local area "Taco Bell drive thru."

This now makes a total of THREE ACCIDENTS caused by drunk drivers for our family. We were ALL hit by a drunk driver on a family vacation in Colorado years ago when our kids were little..... yet, we have still been fortunate enough to walk away with our lives.
But not without some pain and suffering and not always our vehicles and other expenses though.

Do you think I am sick of DRUNK DRIVERS?
You know I am.
Sorry to rant but I must.

Sunday

Busy day today. I'm exhausted. I want to watch some Christmas movies, but I think I will just go to bed instead. Which is wise and best.
I will have plenty of time in the next few days to do so.

We haven't any family here in the area so "Christmas" is just US.

Which is good and well but sometimes, it's also a bit lonely.
Especially with Gabe gone this year.
He will be having "Christmas in Connecticut."
HA! I had to say that at least ONCE!!

Friday night I made 2 batches of the "White Chocolate Fudge" from the recipe that I posted on here a while back. It turned out great.
The cranberries and orange peel along with the pecans make it fabulous and very colorful.

Yesterday before church I made 1 batch of "Peanut Butter Fudge"...ummmm. I just had a couple pieces with a cup of tea.
For some reason....I LOVE having a cup of tea with a piece of fudge.

That is some real......"Comfort and Joy"...not just the tea by that name nor the song either.

Don who tonight has been watching of all things..."Shreik" is having a bit of fudge himself right now. I just took him a little saucer full of both kinds of it. He especially likes the Peanut Butter one.

This all the "Holiday baking" I will be doing.
I'm SO not into it this year.

Miss Priss made only one batch of cookies and that was all. They didn't last long. She's been so busy herself that she hasn't had time to do more. The cookie dough will stay in the freezer I guess.

If you would like a piece of either kind of fudge, please come on over and have a chat and we will be honored to serve you some fudge along with a cup of tea.
Cheers!