Five Minute Friday--Morning

Start . . . 
I love mornings.  Call me crazy.  But it's that time of the day you 
first open your eyes and the sun is shining through your window. 
If you lay there and just enjoy the sunshine then you hear birds singing.  It's a beautiful time between you and God.  I thank him for a new day.  I'm still. 
It wasn't always like that.  For the last few years I was forced to get up before the sun.  I missed the sun.  I miss my Good Mornings
with God. 
But they are back. I am thankful for mornings.  I pray I can keep my mornings.  
That special time of the day when nothing or no one is trying to get your attention.  When you can just 'be' and look at the beautiful sun through the window.  
Mornings.  I do mornings.  Do you?
Stop.

Joining Kate for Five Minute Friday.

Tour begins March 1.  Write a post about your hometown and come over and link.
                                
  

Sunday Morning Fences

I've been wanting to share a few fences for awhile.  But these are hard to capture.   
So one Sunday morning on the way to church we stopped when no one was around . . . 
                                
Great fence and some cool rust . . . 
                                  
It was a bright sunny morning.  I love the shadows.

And here's why these fences were so hard to capture . . . 

                                              
Had to wait till there were no cars around!
                                
                This is a very popular place for lunch and dinner!
And on Sunday they are super busy.  We had to hurry on our way!
                                            
If your ever in the DFW area check out the little town of Roanoke 
north of Ft.  Worth.  There are some great places to eat!

                                                    
The Frontier Cooking is actually steaks, ribs, burgers,cat fish to name a few.  They serve great big 'ole glasses of iced tea . . . 

There are some great places to shop.    I'll be sharing a couple of shops in a future post.  

Linking with:
Good Fences, Home Town Tour here at My Journey, Sunlit Sunday, Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday

The Rooftop Growing Guide-Book Review

                                                        
I was excited to see this book offered for review.  I couldn't wait till I received it!
                           And, I was not disappointed. 
This is a very interesting topic to me.  I'm not planning on
a rooftop garden but the information I think can be used when planning a container garden or patio garden.

From the inside cover . . . 
If you'd like to grow your own food but don't think you have the space look up! 
. . . Annie Novak's passion shines as she draws on her experience as  a pioneering sky-high farmer to teach best practices for raising vegetables, herbs, flowers and trees.  The book includes 
interviews, expert essays and farm and garden profiles from across the country . . . 

And there are lots of pictures! 
                                 
                                                        What a gorgeous view
 I enjoyed looking at the different profiles of different gardens.  Many of the gardens featured were from restaurants.  

There are lots of charts and how to's providing information and making it simple to plant a garen.  

Here are a few comments from chefs and other authors
Praise for The Rooftop Growing Guide: “[A] blueprint to reimagine thousands of underutilized acres in urban environments.” — Will Allen, MacArthur fellow and author of The Good Food Revolution “
Annie Novak explores every imaginable detail of how to turn any community’s acres of unused rooftops into deliciously productive gardens.” — Chef Rick Bayless, chef/owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO Chicago “
[F]illed with essential information about how to grow food on the alien plains of building tops.” — Joan Gussow, professor and author of This Organic Life

For more information about the author . . . 
Authors Blog (click here), Authors Facebook (click here) 

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in vegetable gardening.  

Check out this 5 star book!

This book is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and from the publisher click here. 

This post is linked at:
The Art Of Homemaking, Make It Pretty MondayTitues 2 Tuesday,  Titus Tuesday at Time Warp Wife, The Loft The Gathering Spot, Roses of Inspiration, Share Your Cup, The Classical Homemaking Party
Idea Box

I received this book from Blogging For Books for my honest opinion.

Happy Homemaker Monday

                                               
Updated I forgot In The Craft Basket
The Weather . . .
Rain predicted.  It rained some yesterday.  The ground was wet when I took Daisy out.
According to my phone its 53 and overcast.  (I just figured out it's on my phone. Duh)

Right Now I'm . . .
Listening to birds outside.  And the washer.  I put the throws from the coach in the washer first thing.
The Cowboy has been sick since Friday.  The sheets go in next!

Thinking . . .
Figuring out my smart phone is smarter than me.  I wish I could get it to do all the things it can do.  And properly!

On My T.V.
I'm not much of a t.v. watcher. (that's why I can read so many books)  The Cowboy usually has control of remote.  We watched House Hunters last night.  It was in Belize.  I think I could live there!  I love the beach.

On The Menu This Week . . .
My menu planning is not going well.  When I am able to have a menu it seems to help in the left overs dept.
It makes it a lot easier to remember when something was made so it can be re-served or thrown out.
I'm thinking about doing a month long rotating list of items that I normally cook.  And then fill in with new fun things to try.

On My To Do List . . .
Decorate Mantle for Spring
Clean sewing off dining room table
Reorganize the sewing room closet

In The Craft Basket . . .

A little scrap quilt.  I'll name it 'Out Of My Comfort Zone'.  I can't believe I put all these colors and motifs together.  I love the black cat!  I shared the inspiration behind this quilt here.
Looking Forward To This Week . . .
Interviewing and getting job offer from Home school family.

Looking Around The House . . .
Doesn't take much it's little.  The living room just is.  The dining room table needs to be uncovered and the bedroom is rumbled.  Need to get the sheets in the washer next.

From The Camera . . .

Shared this yesterday on Sunlit Sunday.  Click here to see the post.  I took these a couple of years ago
when we took out daughter out for lunch for her birthday.  We had such a great time at the marina.
I hope we can go back this year and get more pics.  Last year the lake was closed because we had so much rain.

On My Prayer List . . .
Our sweet hostess Sandra
The Cowboy
The Home school family that needs a household manager (job I'm applying for)

Bible Verse, Devotional . . .

                                   
Linking with Sandra at Family Corner for Happy Homemaker Monday.
                                                           
                                                         
                       

Sunlit Sunday-Editing With PicMonkey

Sharing a few pics I've edited with PicMonkey. Have you tried 
Picmonkey?
                            
I added the Bokeh option to make it look like sunlit.    Its a cool 
photo editing program.  And the best part is it's free!
                                                   
I thought this was really cool.  I used the poloroid option on this shot.  

                                                      
These are a few years old but they are perfect I think for Sunlit Sunday especially after edited with PicMonkey. 

If you haven't tried PicMonkey. Check it out.  It's very used friendly.  And you can upgrade for even more options.  

Now about these pics . . . I'm super blessed to be able to be a part of our daughter and grandsons life. 
It wasn't always that way.  I smiled when I ran across these and noticed how small he looks compared to now.  

These were taken on our daughters birthday at a local lake. 
We had taken her out to lunch at the marina and then played around the beach a little.  

I'd love to be able to take them again this year and get more shots
with him grown up a little!  

Thanks for visiting.  May your week be filled with Blessings!
                                    
Linking with Sunlit Sunday , Mosaic Monday and Blue Monday  and since these this sweet
Family is so Happy and these are some of my Favorite photos I'm linking with Teresa at Eden Hills for
Friday's Hunt.  Don't they just Warm Your Heart? And Outdoor Wednesday

Five Minute Friday--Forget

Joining Five Minute Friday today.  I haven't done this one in a while.  It's a topic drivin linky party with a twist.  Write on topic 5 minutes.  Set a timer and write.  No over thinking it or worry about editing etc.
Here goes . . .
Start
There are many things a person might want to forget.  I know 
I could make a really, really long list. 
But what's more important I think are things you don't want to forget.
Things like holding your child for the first time.  Or holding your grandchild.  Things like being the day care provider for your grandson his first 18 months.  
Things like your wedding day. Your honey moon.  hmmm (clearing my throat).  Boy the stories I could tell you!  Nothing private I wouldn't share that!  But suffice it to say it was interesting.  
As a person gets older they seem to forget things sometime. 

My mother is 89 this year.  She seems to forget.  The Cowboy teasers her. He tells her things like 'We took you to Disney land last year you don't remember?'  She'll start to answer and then she'll think about what he's saying and she'll say something smart.  Or if she's close enough she'll clobber him.  Sounds mean but it tends to 
help her from being frustrated if she has forgotten something. 

Forgetting can be frustrating.  I'm constantly forgetting something. 
I'll walk into the kitchen planning to do something and have to stop and think about what I had planned. 

It's scary getting older and realizing that forget is an important word in your life all of a sudden. 

I don't want to forget Bible verses.  For some people remembering verse is difficult.  It takes lots and lots of practise.

Yes there is a long list of things I don't want to forget.    

Things link not linking a post. HeHe. 
Stop.

Linking with Kate at 5 Minute Friday.

                                Or forgetting to add the cute little slippers to your post!
                              
                                                          

How I Roll In The Sewing Room Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone

So the other day I wrote a post about a crazy inspiration to make heart shaped
Log Cabin blocks.
Here is one of the first  blocks . . .

I made 4 with just random scraps.

And then my mind did what it usually does and I had this idea to do them in all pink . . .

Love them!  I'm not completely happy with the white so I've stopped.  That is how I roll.  

                 I end up changing projects mid stream.  Or should I say mid stitch. HeHe.

But while I was working on the blocks I noticed that I had all these fabulous little teeny tiny scraps.
                 
And I couldn't part with them so.  I did this . . .
         
This isn't a great pic.  I actually had it attached in the middle of the mantle but I wanted you to see the
lights showing through so I took it down.
Here's a closer shot . . .
       
I started this on Friday.  Our dinner was on Sunday.  I didn't get it as thick as I wanted but it looked good.
Here you can see parts of the string of lights not attached.  I took the fabric off for you to see.
My lights were 3 times as long as the mantle.  So I attached to both ends and then  laid them back across the mantle until I had the entire length attached.
I had already tied about 1/4 of the length so then I just went down my shorter measured length and started tieing on more strips

I love how it turned out.  It really added to this garland I did a couple of years ago . . .
          
Here's a shot of the entire mantle . . .

           
I put the mantle together for a Valentines Day Dinner  click Here to see that post.

And now back to how I roll and what I'm doing in the sewing room because I'm not super happy with that white fabric.  I'm going to Hobby Lobby tomorrow to see what I might find.

I  saw this today at Red Pepper Quilts . . .
                          

And I was inspired to try and use up all those 5" squares I have cut.  Here are a few of the squares I'm working with . . .

I have a 3 stacks of reds and navys.  And about that many or more of pastels.
I am so totally stepping out of my comfort zone here.   Putting reds, navys, pinks, greens, yellows together.

But if my quilt looks anything like this . . .
 
                I'll be super happy.  Did you notice the mix of not only colors but the mix of theme?
                                                                 I'm steppin' out!

                                                         In my slippers that I found!

                                  I hope you have a Happy Day whatever your doing!
                                             
Linking with Roses Of Inspiration Linky Party,  Pink Saturday, A Burst Of Beautiful

Wordless Wednesday

                                                      

                     

Linking with Wordless Wednesday, Warm Heart Wednesday at Jenny's, Camera Critters, Eileen's Critters. Make My Saturday Sweet

Just Sayin' . . .

. . .  I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!
Forgive me I'm not yelling at you!
Let's all yell together at Google.  Which thinks it's really cool to change things all the time so that we bloggers loose our followers.
And now how about Shelfari and Good Reads!  They've decided it would be real cute to combine.  And so now we have to get rid of our Shelfari shelf and get a new widget with Good Reads.  Which by the way they don't tell you before you start the whole process that you have to have an email app.
SERIOUSLY yes I'm yelling again.  They can do all this fancy smansy stuff  and combine  (insert curse word) but they can't make it even a little user friendly.

I mean seriously.  Have you pinned lately.  It's so high tech it knows what your pinning and puts up the board they think your going to pin too.

Again I say SERIOUSLY.  These things are really annoying me.

I'm over here minding my own business trying to build my blog.  Make it more interesting to you.
And trying to build my readers so I can review more books and they do all this stuff.

I've had these plans to make some changes to the blog.  Changes that I think you'll like.  Nothing that requires anything from you.

And they do all this and sets me back.

It's not like I have all the time in the world.   I'm planning on getting a job soon so my time is limited to get all this done.

But the good news is.  The whole job situation is in God's hands.  And I'll get something in his timing.

Right now I'm enjoying working 2 days a week from 9-11.  And I'm making $5.00 more than I would if I was working at my previous job from 7:45 to 1:00.

So, there are things that this camper is happy about!  

And something else!  I'm going to yell again.  But it's from happiness.  I hope you don't mind!

                 I FOUND MY SLIPPERS!
                       
                 Awe... I feel so much better!

Tomorrow I won't be ranting and raving.  I promise.  I'm joining Leah at The Loft with a post about
Content.  Come by and go over and visit Leah or join in the discussion!  Click here to visit Leah.

one more thing before I go.  Do you see the grey boxes that I can't get rid of.  They got here when 
I tried to cut and paste my slippers.  I didn't realize the stuff that Good Reads wanted me to copy was still on my whatever you call it.  All the books I've posted about and a bunch of other technically stuff related to changing from my Shelfari widget to their widget.  I won't yell this time I'll only growl! Grr.

 toolbar)

Valentines Dinner Date

We have a tradition for Valentines Day at our house. 
For the last few years The Cowboy and I have hosted a special dinner for our daughter and grandson. 

We decorate the house and cook a really nice dinner.   
        


 We had a wonderful time.  It's a special evening for some very special people . . . 
             
                         I always wish I'd gotten more photos! 
In the past The Cowboy has been the waiter and I've been the chef. 
This year we teamed up in the kitchen . . . 
       
I cooked our grandsons meal of Baby Bird meatballs on an 
angel hair pasta nest.  A hotdog and green beans.  I wasn't sure he'd eat the meatballs.  He didn't Daisy enjoyed them this morning! 

The Cowboy cooked our daughters meal . . . 
       
I felt bad this one came out blurry.  She enjoyed a Salmon straight from Alaska.  The Cowboys co-worker just returned from a fishing trip.  We found crab legs on sale.  So we included a couple to make a nice presentation.  

        We enjoyed a special evening and a special dinner date!

Tomorrow I'll be sharing a few more pics of this sweet date.
And a few pics of my decorations.  
Come back for part two.

I'll be linking my post on my Dinner Date party.  I'd love you to join me and link your date posts!  Come by and join the party!

Also linking at Classical Homemaking 
linking at Roses of Inspiration Linky Party





. 
  

Blue Ribbon Trail Ride--Book Review

                                       
                                                     
This Y/A was a fun read for me. (even as an adult) I was super impressed with the authors knowledge about horses and riding disciplines.  She did an excellent job propelling the reader into the story.  
The story is about Kate and her friends Tori and Colt and their plan to host a Trail Ride to raise money for autistic children to go to a special camp just for them.  
Everything is going well until the money box disappears just before the event!  The three decide the only thing to do is try to find it kind of Hardy Boys style as suggested by Colt.
I loved the story because it reminded me of my years of reading Trixie Belden. 

I expected the other books in the series would be 'mysterish' storylines but they are not. 

What I enjoyed most about the book(s) besides the horse theme was that the author brought into the storyline some other themes/life struggles that the youngsters learned to cope and deal with. 

This book includes Autism (Kate's younger brother is autistic) as well as the struggles of the elderly.  (the neighbor is a hoarder)

Kate learns to trust God and to ask him for direction in many situations.  Sometimes only after making a few mistakes on her own. 

I loved the the additional 'A Little More' follow up at the end.
And the 'Secrets for your diary' questions. 

This was an easy read.  I would love to share these books with my grand children when they are a little older.
I think these would be excellent books to read together as a family. 

This series would be a great addition to a school library.

I highly recommend this series Horses and Friends by Miralee Ferrell 5 Blue Ribbons

Buy yours today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Christian Book(dot)com 
(click on the bold for a direct link to purchase)

I received this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for my honest review.

This post is linked at
Blue Monday, The Art of Homemaking, Titus Tuesday at Cornerstone Confessions,Titus 2sday
at Time Warp Wife

A Valentine For You

. . .
   
        
                                                                     Source 

Simple Sunday

Blessings

May your weekend be Blessed.
"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. The will take great delight in you, he will
quiet you wiht his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

Pink Saturday

I stumbled across a couple of photo's today that I couldn't help but 
play around with. 
Here's a little pink . . . 

Made these already adorable photo's even cuter at Pic Monkey.
I chose the heart since it was Valentines.  I chose Pink since she is wearing Pink!
PicMonkey is super simple to work with.  Even I can do it.  The size of the heart and the background color can be changed.
The have lots to choose from.  Check it out.
                               
                                 
                         Happy Valentines Day

Are you having a special Valentines Date?  I'm hosting a fun 
party it begins On Valentines Day.    
Write a post about a Special Date Night or Date Day and link 
up!

Linking with Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound, Camera Critters, Eileen's Critters and Good Fences , Marigold's Loft.


And before I go a little sneak peek at my Valentines Dinner Date
Decorations . . . 
       
         Lot's more to share in another post.  But I wanted to share a little sneak preview.
The darling heart at the top is my grandsons handprints from last Valentines Day.  He was 6 at the time.
I used powder temper paint I borrowed from school and mixed it with handlotion. It was much easier to wash.
The smaller hearts or glued to wooden skewers.  We made them when he was three.I just realized I haven't dated these items.  That's another tip be sure and date your art treasures!
It's a little hard to see but he stamped heart shapes onto the white paper and then I cut and we glued
ever so carefully to bigger red hearts.  He used a toilet paper roll that I bent to the shape of a heart.

Date Night Linky Party Starts Sunday

Let's celebrate our Valentine and share our special dates.  
A few years ago I ran a linky party in the Fall for Date night.
But why not celebrate during the month of Love . . .
                                   
Feel free to share any post old or new.  Tell us all about your date special date ideas.  Frugal or over the top!  
The link will be open on Valentines Day and run till the end of the month!  
Come over and join the party. 

This is a no rules party well maybe a couple . . .
Please stay on topic 
Please only include family friendly posts. 
And a little fine print.  Please be advise if your post is linked that I would like to repost including your photos or share your post for a future Date Night post.  I will either email or comment on your blog if your post is chosen.

Good Fences/Sorta

Sharing some of my Sunday friends.  Each week I see this herd 

of cows as we go to church. 

Some days they are on the road.   This is why . . . 

                        

A little fence work needs to be done.  I guess the farmer isn't too

worried this road goes straight through his property.

They are always very curious when we stop.  I'm sure they are looking for a little snack.

I don't want to meet this guy on the road. 

Occasionally they manage to get to the grass on the other side of the fence.   

And if the timing is right we see the farmer in his old battered truck with a couple of  youngins'  walking behind the truck carrying a feed bucket luring them back in. 

And btw.  It's ok. to drive down the road.  But don't pull up to the gate.  I hear he comes out with a shot gun.   

                      It is Texas after all 

Linking with Good Fences, Camera Critters, Eileens Camera Critters 

The Pirate Queen--Book Review

                                     
                                       
Treasure is found in the most unlikely places.
The envy of all her friends, wife and mother Saphora Warren is the model of southern gentility and accomplishment. She lives in a beautiful Lake Norman home, and has raised three capable adult children. Her husband is a successful plastic surgeon--and a philanderer. It is for that reason that, after hosting a garden party for Southern Living magazine, Saphora packs her bags to escape the trappings of the picturesque-but-vacant life. 

Saphora’s departure is interrupted by her husband Bender’s early arrival home, and his words that change her life forever: I’m dying. 
 
Against her desires, Saphora agrees to take care of Bender as he fights his illness. They relocate, at his insistance, to their coastal home in Oriental—the same house she had chosen for her private getaway. When her idyllic retreat is overrun by her grown children, grandchildren, townspeople, relatives, and a precocious neighbor child, Saphora’s escape to paradise is anything but the life she had imagined. As she gropes for evidence of God's presence amid the turmoil, can she discover that the richest treasures come in surprising packages?

This seemed like an interesting read to me.  A little bit of a departure from my typical choice.    I was offered this book to review and so in order broaden my horizons I accepted it.  

It was as I expected a little hard to keep up with.  For me it wasn't a fast or an easy read.  
The  Pirate Queen is a story that weaves together forgiveness and grace.  

Here are a few editorial reviews . . . 
“The Pirate Queen is a poignant, inspiring tale of finding faith, hope, and love in the midst of loss. Patricia Hickman, you owe me a box of tissues!”
—TAMARA LEIGH, author of Leaving Carolina and Nowhere, Carolina
 
“The Pirate Queen drew me in from the first page and surrounded me. Hickman breathes life into her characters as they experience some of life’s greatest joy and greatest sorrow. Through it all, Hickman reminds us the God of hope is in control.”
—RACHEL HAUCK, co-author of The Sweet By and By and author of Dining with Joy
 
“Patricia Hickman’s The Pirate Queen took me by surprise. At the start, I thought I was reading a Southern-style Danielle Steel. Then I found I was settling into a one-of-a-kind family drama. Tender, compelling, outstanding. A book you’ll want to share with your friends, your best friends.”
—LYN COTE, author of Her Abundant Joy

The book is available at Amazon.  You can read more reviews there. 
It is also available at Barnes and Noble and Family Christian Book Stores. 

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.