I Am Thankful...

The past few days have just whizzed by in a flurry of busyness and my mind has been more than a little befuddled.   Some of my blog reading and commenting has been done late at night and I've found myself dozing off and waking up wondering what I said in my comments!  Tell me I'm not the only one who has done this.  If I have said "Happy Thanksgiving" to my Canadian friends who have already had Thanksgiving, I wasn't fully conscious.  :)   Thank you for understanding! 

When my family sits down to share the Thanksgiving meal, we each tell something we are thankful for besides the obvious...faith, family and friends.  This year I will say that I'm thankful for the gift of eyesight.  I know I often take it for granted and I have been thinking how much I love to read, watch the birds and see the beauty of God's creation all around me.  I love watching beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  I love seeing smiles on the faces of those I love.  I am thankful for eyesight.

(photo of Missouri River taken on daughter's iPhone)

As we are leaving tomorrow for Branson, I will be taking a short break and will return here the first week of December.  Have a wonderful week and Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating this special holiday! 

Until next time...

Random 5 Friday

My thoughts are going in so many different directions that I think posting a Random 5 today will be a piece of cake.  Be sure to stop in at Nancy's A Rural Journal to see more randomness.

1.   Speaking of a piece of cake, I would actually rather eat pie.  I love pumpkin pie, but the only time I usually make one is at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Will you be baking a pie for Thanksgiving?  What is your favorite?  We are kind of partial to pecan pie at my house.    

2.  I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  Seriously.  Even Callie covered her eyes when I told her she had some new step-brothers or sisters.  Yes, the neighborhood cat has once again brought us 5 new kittens.  They are several weeks old and feral, so it will take be fun in this colder weather to try to get them tamed so they can be caught and we can find homes for them.  They sure are cute, but no, I'm NOT going to keep any of them.  I hope they survive living in our very cold garden shed.  The baby-making mama is going to have to go in for a bit of surgery soon even though we hate to have to pay for it.  

3.  I need to get the rest of my feeders up for the birds.  It's getting colder now.  I have the block of seed that the woodpeckers like so well, it's just a matter of finding the feeder to put it in.   I love my feathered friends and hope to see lots of them at the feeders this season.

4.  I'll be seeing these pretty lights next week.  Can you guess where it is?  Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while now will know we're heading back to Branson for Thanksgiving.  We've been going there for several years now.  This photo was taken at Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson that is so beautifully decorated during the Christmas festival with over 5 million lights.  It is an awesome sight and if you love Christmas as much as I do, you will be sure to love this place!  

5.  I need a new pair of shoes and I hate to go shopping for clothes or shoes.  Maybe I'm not your typical female, but I don't really enjoy shopping unless it is to browse in flea markets or antique shops.  With my bad ankle, I usually opt for comfortable shoes that will give a little lift to my heel, I can't wear a heel that's very high as my ankle doesn't bend much.  Do you have a favorite brand of shoe for comfort?  I'm not thinking about the Nike or Sketchers type.

Now, as Porky Pig would say....."That's all folks"!   Have a Happy Friday and weekend.

Until next time...

November Note Card Party

It's party time!  

I think my photos are self-explanatory, 

so without further ado, here are my four photos. 

Special thanks to Vee at A Haven for Vee for hosting this fun party.  Be sure to drop by to see some really wonderful note cards!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time...

Monday Tidbits

It was so windy yesterday that hairspray couldn't keep one's hair in place.  Mine stood up about like the feathers on the cardinal.  

Thankfully, we didn't have any damage at our house other than a gutter blew off our rental building next door and several small limbs blew out of the trees.  My heart and prayers go out to those affected by the tornadoes here in the midwest and, of course, to those affected by the typhoon in the Philippines.
  

I didn't think I'd get a post up today.  In between trips to the laundry downstairs and cleaning out a drawer and stopping now and then to read a blog and comment, I'm finally here.  I thought about what I could talk about today as I'm not one to have several posts already done and awaiting publishing.  How about you?  Are you a fly by the seat of your pants poster like I am or do you have posts ready and waiting for those days when you are too busy to write?

We had a good weekend.  Our son was home to go deer hunting.  Yes, I hate to see Bambi shot, but we do put the meat in the freezer.  They are really too plentiful around our area and many have caused much damage to property and cars, including my own car a few years ago.  I showed a photo of my car in one of my very first posts here.
 

The hunt was unsuccessful as the weather was too warm Saturday and so windy yesterday that he didn't go.  BG and I had fun Saturday evening at a fundraiser where there was some very good music.  I can't think of the name of the group that put it on, but they were portraying Johnny Cash, George Jones, Hank Williams and others.  Oh, and a couple of Taylor Swift songs were sung by a young girl who did a great job.  Did anyone see the CMA's where Taylor won the Pinnacle award?  I know she is highly popular, and I admit I'm just not a big fan, but I really think she should have a few more years of experience under her belt in order to receive that high an honor.  And that's just my opinion.  Do you like her music?

   

Did you see the full moon last night?    I took a quick shot out my kitchen window.  I was glad we had clear skies again.  Today has turned out to be a nice, sunny day.  Too bad I have chores to do and that I'd better get back to and it will soon be time to fix dinner.  On second thought, this might be a good night for carryout!  Hope your day has been a good one.

Until next time...

Random 5 Friday

1.  Once the leaves are gone, I'm ready to put away the fall decor and think about Christmas.  We need a new Christmas tree, but with a new kitten in the house I'm thinking we should probably make do with the one we have one more year. 

2.  The maple tree in the back yard is the last tree on our property to change color and lose it's leaves.  The tree in front is the exact same kind of tree, but it's leaves are gone.  I note that bit of strangeness every year while we are raking leaves.  Our roof isn't slanted, that was the angle of my camera as I shot out the window of the car.  :)

3.  I bought paint for our downstairs yesterday.  If only I could have also purchased some energy for painting.  I can recall saying that I was getting too old for these DIY projects, but BG says I didn't really mean it.  Oh, yeah?

4.  I have just gotten Ree Drummond's newest cookbook and have really been enjoying the pages filled with beautiful photos and yummy recipes.  I doubt there is anyone who hasn't heard of Ree by now, but in case you haven't, she has a very successful blog called The Pioneer Woman and her own cooking show on the Food Network.

5.  The beautiful colors are gone now, but I have to share something I read recently that I liked. 

"Fall colors are funny.  They're so bright

and intense and beautiful.  It's like nature is

trying to fill you up with color, to saturate

you so you can stockpile it before winter

turns everything muted and dreary."

                                                           ~Siobhan Vivian

To see more randomness, visit Nancy at A Rural Journal.

Until next time...

The Kids

I wanted to change my blog look, but chickened out, so I'll just stick to playing with collages for now.   I'm glad the furkids don't mind if I use their photos unlike some people I know!

Now it's time to meet the kids, as I call them.  Clockwise from the top left, my girl Stormy.  The oldest of the four kitties and my little buddy.  I tell her that she's in charge when I leave the house. 

Sissy has the softest fur.  It feels like mink.  She can't meow and just moves her mouth without a sound!

Callie, the youngest, just had her surgery a couple of weeks ago.  She is a sweetie, but is into everything!

Peanut is the same age as Sissy, but smaller.  She's the timid one and is very afraid of Sissy, who likes to intimidate her, and hides most of the day.  Peanut will play with Callie and Stormy.
 
I'm off to do a little flea market/antique shopping today.  My knee is much better since I stayed off it most of the day Tuesday and didn't overdo the walking on it yesterday.  So, that's enough of resting for me.  Instead of jumping back into cleaning, tossing, rearranging, tho, I've opted to have fun today.  Hope your day is fun, too, whatever you decide to do!

Until next time...

Tuesday Talk

One little chore I've been putting off was crossed off my to-do list recently.  Several of my house plants needed repotting. 

The birds nest fern is a little hard for me to keep alive as it needs more humidity than it gets in my house.  This is my third try at raising one so we'll see what happens.  

I love green plants and think they add so much to a home, but the furbabies also love them, too.   So, it's a bit of a challenge to keep them alive and well.  (The plants, not the kitties...Ha!)  What is your favorite plant?

Do you ever wonder what the real picture looks like when you've seen a photo that was likely "staged"?  Well, here ya go...this is the reality of my little photo shoot!  Callie does her best to help me with all my projects.  

See the wall behind the staging operation on the kitchen table?  That is another project on my to-do list that I hope to cross off soon.  I've had that stuff on the wall about 3 years and it's time for a change.  I thinking about some sort of wall gallery of stuff that I've accumulated.  We'll see what happens.  

We did a lot of winterizing outside over the weekend and got a few more of the to-dos crossed off the list.  I somehow managed to hurt my knee, thankfully after most of the work was done, and hobbled around all of yesterday.  It's a cold day so I'm going to rest my knee and snuggle up under a quilt with a cup of tea and a good book!  Have a nice Tuesday! 

Until next time...

Veterans Day

Thank You

to all who have served. 

This nation will remain the land of the free only 

so long as it is the home of the brave.

~Elmer Davis

(comments closed today)

Fall Colors On Parade

Today, I thought that I'd share with you some of my drive-by photos that I took last Saturday on a drive through the countryside. 

 

“How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light 

and color are their last days.” 

~John Burroughs

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
~William Cullen Bryant

 “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”
~Emily Bronte

 

“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”

~Elizabeth Lawrence

"There is something incredibly nostalgic about the annual 

cascade of autumn leaves."

~Joe L. Wheeler

Until next time...

Our Fall Branson Trip

It's a lazy day and I'm a wee bit tired from the weekend.  Did you have a good one?  

Today, I'm going to share a few photos from our trip to Branson.  I won't bore you with all the places we saw as I've shown many of them in previous posts.
We only saw a bit of fall
color in the trees here and
there on our trip around the middle of October.  

Howdy Partner!!

One of our favorite must-sees while in Branson is Silver Dollar City.  We made it in time for the Harvest Festival this year.  The park was beautifully decorated for the fall season. 

There's the Big Guy watching a craftsman making furniture.  See the pretty bookcase to the right?  You can take one home with you for only $599.00.  We didn't.  :)  

Speaking of the hubby, second from the left, our son often refers to him as The Big Guy.  I think I'll start referring to him in my posts as BG instead of Hubby.  It's quicker to type and I'm lazy that way.  BG's the shortest male at 6' 2" in his family as his dad was 6' 4" and his brother is 6' 3".   One of his uncles always called him "Shorts".  

Okay, getting back on track....

 

It's fun to watch these talented craftsmen and women all over the park.  I didn't get a photo, but the ones I most enjoy watching are the artists who paint. 

I don't remember the name of this group, but they were very good.  There is never any shortage of good music in the park.  We also stopped by the Picker's and listened to them.  They are a favorite of ours.   

Looking up, I found a little color in the trees that was  

beginning to appear in the hills of Branson and SDC.   

 
This photo sort of sums up why I love SDC so much.  I love that the park is in such a wooded area.  I also love old things.  It just makes me feel like I've stepped back in time.  And, yes, I love the music and the food, too!

Here's some of that wonderful food that is to be found around every corner in the park!  Oh, the smells wafting through the air!!  Yum, yum!

We didn't spend all of our time at SDC, there is much to see and do in Branson.  One night while we were there, we met our son at the Landing and had dinner at our favorite steak house there, Texas Land & Cattle.  He had work in Branson and in Springfield during the time we were there, so we made plans to meet up.  

We watched the fire show on the Landing while waiting for our table.  You can't tell it by this photo, but there was quite a crowd at TL&C and we had a bit of a wait.  Another day, we were back at the Landing where I left BG at the Bass Pro shop and I did a bit of shopping.  Of course, Dick's 5&10 and a flea market downtown were visited again this trip. 

We had fun and the weather was perfect for our trip.  The water tower was my last snap through the window for this trip as we eased on down 76 to our turn for home.

Until next time...

Hello Blog Friends and Hello November!

What have I been doing while on blog break?   Well, certainly not as much as I had hoped to do.  But then, do I ever?  Don't answer that!  :-)  A few of the items on my to-do list have gotten crossed off, but there is plenty left to do.  And my little brick cottage is still undergoing some fixin' here and there.  It will get done eventually.      

Since my post in September, my life has been mostly calm, relaxed and restful.  Or, in other words, mostly dull, boring and lazy.  Just the way I like it.  It means nothing much is going on in my world.  Which translates into nothing has broken down, including us, and everything is running as smoothly as possible right now.  In this uncertain world, who could ask for more?  Oh, a trip to Paris, or some new bling, or a facelift, or a brand-new wardrobe would be wonderful.  (Forget I said facelift, although it might be is needed I'd be too chicken to do it.)   But, I really don't care about any of those things.  I am content with the sweet, simple things in life.   

One of those sweet, simple things I love is watching the changing seasons from my kitchen window.  Above is a  shot I took out the window yesterday afternoon.  Even though it was a bit dark outside, aren't the fall colors just gorgeous?   It rained off and on the last 3 days, and while it is causing the pretty leaves to fall, I'm happy to see the rain.  We needed it.  Below is a shot I got of the rainbow that appeared yesterday for all of about 3 minutes.  I think the rain is over with for a few days.  Sorry the shots aren't more clear, but it really was a cloudy, rainy day.

We went to Branson last month and I only took a few photos, however I'm sure one or two will show up here soon.  We had a great time and the weather was wonderful during our trip.

I've missed keeping up with everyone and will have a lot of catching up to do.  A blog break now and then is a good thing, but I'm ready to jump back into the blog pool again.  I couldn't stay away as long as I thought I might.  Happy November to you!!   

Until next time...