KIDS

 

If you want to see what happiness truly looks like, well, here it is! This boy does not see me as much as I would love to see him, but this is how he reacts to me! Melts my heart, makes my heart flutter and gives me the biggest smile to my very soul! wouldn't the world be terrific if we had the "Logan" attitude? Someone who you can't imagine spent three months in the NICU cause he was born too soon, three months too soon. His attitude never shows that he has a long, rough road to travel during those first months of his life. 

What a wonderful world it is filled with boys! My life is full with all the handsome, beautiful boys I have in my life. God is good, He is very good. My mother always told me and I am sure glad I listened to her.

 I think Jesus enjoys humor. 

Tuesday With Tea

Tea is fantastic anytime or place. But Since I participate in Happy Tuesday and use to participate Tuesday and Show and Tails when Angela hosted, I thought Tuesday with Tea would give me a chance to share of my own tea cups and favorite teas.
Stephanie use to host the most wonderful tea cup and tea mug exchanges. I loved to participate in both the tea cup and mug exchange and the final year she hosted I received this mug:

The young lady who sent me this mug said it was so very hard to part with it and that made me smile because I realized she wanted it for herself and she gave it to me. Talk about a sacrifice. It is funny when you get involved with people from all walks of life in blog world you make such nice friendships.

The ladies here rosesandteacups.com sell some terrific products and many of them are from small business owners here in the USA. They have helped me on many occasions to find the right tea cup .As I get closer to my 11th year of blogging November 1, 2020 I am thinking of having a giveaway and a teacup or mug or even coffee items may be included.  I still plan to do a postcard exchange but I have that in the works as well. Once we get our solar approved by the city we can rest easy.

republicoftea.com has some yummy tea and I Have a been a customer there for quite some time. I love the tins the round tea bags come in. You can reorder and save on just the tea bags once you have your individual tins. They keep your tea nice and fresh.

If you prefer loose tea you need a strainer This little one has helped me through many times concocting the perfect cup of tea.

Nick was sick a few years back with a miserable flu like virus and cold. I bought this Celestial Seasoning mug for him. It is the original Sleepy Time bear who sits on the packaging. You can buy the tea in regular and mint. Avery and I drink it most every night before bedtime. Nevermind those thin Oreo mint cookies hahaha.....

I always give a shout out to Mo Siegel's company Celestial Seasoning in Boulder, Colorado. When people we arguing over the Gay rights amendment in California years ago Barbra Streisand attacked Mo and said boycott Colorado. He responded that more gays were employed by his company then she probably knew. Fact check Barbie, fact check!! Jack Nicholson had this to say, I have a place in Colorado and I like that people leave me alone there. So much for that boycott although today, with so many moving here, I wish they would boycott us instead. Go away.  We have too many people and do not need anymore.

My sweet friend Debbie from the Colorado mountains sent me the sweetest care package when we lost Alastor Avery last summer. It included this tea. Hmmm......my secret is out, everyone knows my Wild Child side I guess! tiestatea,com has many great tea flavors. 

Always enjoy a few minutes of quietude. Life is fast, slow down. 

Shakespeare was a smart guy.

TBT

-

It is not Thursday but I am doing the Throw Back Thursday with TBT. This is what happens when you cut your own bangs.  Boy was my mother mad! But to be fair to myself, her friend Zallee who cut our hair always gave us those "at your hairline bangs.:  I guess I was imitating her. HaHaHa! No wonder my sister became a hairdresser.

Humor: this is not my sister and this is not me. The bangs weren't my best work but still!
HAve a great weekend!

Loves the Only House

[Verse 1]
I was standing in the grocery store line
The one they marked express
When this woman came through with about 25 things
And I said don't you know that more is less
She said this world is moving so fast
I just get more behind with every day
And every morning when I make my coffee
I can't believe my life's turned out this way
All I could say was

[Chorus]
Love's the only house
Big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house
Big enough for all the pain

[Verse 2]
He was walking by the other day and I said
Hey baby, how you've been
Yeah I got me a little girl now and she's 4 years old
And she's got her daddy's little grin
And you only wanted what you can't have
And baby you can't have me now
I gave my heart to another
Yeah I'm a mother and he's a father and we're a family and we got each other
And I found out the hard way that

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
You drive three miles from all this prosperity
Down across the river and you see a ghetto there
And we got children walking around with guns
And they got knives and drugs and pain to spare
And here I am in my clean white shirt
With a little money in my pocket and a nice warm home
And we got teenagers walking around in a culture of darkness
Living together alone, all I can say is

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
And I can't explain it and I can't understand
But I'll come down and get my hands dirty
And together we'll make a stand

[Verse 4]
Somewhere 'cross the parking lot some bands playing out of tune
City streets are going burn if we don't do something soon
And señorita can't quit crying
Baby's due now any day
Don Juan left got sick of trying
No one there to show him the way
She came down to the grocery store
And she said I want to buy a little carton of milk
But I don't have any money
I said hey I'll cover you honey
Because the pain's got to go somewhere
Yeah the pain's got to go someplace
So come on down to my house
Don't you know that

This song, Love's the Only House by Martina McBride is one of my most favorite songs. I am glad LOVE still exists.  

Fun With Kids and Thankfulness

 

This boy spent some time with me last Thursday. We played Rescue Heroes. We took all the farm animals, the Ark animals and the dinosaurs and we put them all around the yard. Then we had a command station and rescue heroes who we sent out to save this critters. Thankful for this child. He is a blessing to me. 

These are some of our rescues. We even rescued Noah from the Ark! Harrison put grass out for the dino's and other animals.  It was a fun game. I was thankful for the fun I had with Harrison. 

This guy came over Saturday with his brother. Brody is my gardener! Then Harrison came over too. They play so nicely together. Brody does not like my cat, he is fearful of him. Harrison is too sweet, he said, Brody, you need to come to my house . I have kittens. They are so soft and you can pet them so you won't be scared anymore. This guy is my official gardener. Harrison is our kindness ambassador along with Brody. They are incredibly kind children. Thankful for them. 

When I woke up this morning,t his is what I saw. It is still cold but the temps will rise. 56 tomorrow, 70 on Saturday and 80 on SONday. I am hoping this storm helped calm  the fires . Thankful for snow, even this early. 

Saturday morning the sun looked like a fireball. The air was thick and the skies hazy. Grateful we had some snow to wash away the smoke. Thankful we received some moisture. 

Our tomatoes did not fair well this summer. Two of our larger tomato plants were attacked by some bugs who destroyed them. We created a tent and cover for the others so we will check them tomorrow. My Uncle Louie worked for the railroad and he always said cardboard and newspaper will keep anything, including you warm. Thankful for the tomatoes and zucchini and squash we did grow. 

I am not sure who this image is credited to but it sure says a lot. I remember my big sis Pat telling us about a storm that ravaged a town in the South. Sitting on a small end table was the family bible, unscathed. That my friends, is a message from the Good Lord. Thankful when I hear stories of those saved from harms way. 

Enjoy a Thankful Thursday I am thankful for humor too. I like laughter. I guess that is why I Hang out with little ones. 

As I was putting final touches on my post here I received an email from a friend. Karl who lives in PA. lost his mom on Tuesday evening. He said he was with her when she passed. It has been rough for Karl and his brother. They lost their dad in 2016. His father served in the US Army as a Captain and the military did not give his mom a flag after his passing. But the guys were determined to get the US flag to their mom. Karl wrote to the local VFW and they sent them a flag. He purchased the display case for it and his brother and Karl learned how to fold the flag correctly. Through the years knowing Karl at his blog : Iggy was great. His blog name was great and he became good friends with many of us. He wrote beautifully and shared so many wonderful stories. You can go there and read some of those stories too. Karl had some health issues too and was gone from blogging. I know how hard the loss of parents can be. We lost my dad in 1985 and mom in 2001. But as far as the blog goes, I like to blog and use it as a journal too. I hope you will pray for Karl and his phamily and visit his blog too. I sent out some emails to folks who knew him to send cards and also to Pam at our encouragement group so she could add him there too. I enjoy sending cards when I can and I love to encourage others.  Thankful for blogging and good blog world friends too .

Praying for Karl and his phamily during this difficult time.

Please visit Brian at his blog: brianshomeblog.com and stop by my other blog too My Tata's Cottage. This new blogger business is stinky.

HAPPY LABOR DAY and MORE

 

Hoping you have had an enjoyable weekend and had thoughtful moments of what Labor Day truly means. 

My sister celebrates her birthday every year with this lady in mind. Today Grandma Moses would be 160 years old.  Many years ago my sister wrote a letter to her and told her how they shared September 7th as their birthdate. She wrote a letter back to my sister and it has been a very special rememerance for her since that time. 

Some of her artwork. She began painting at age 78 and painted American folk art. Her pieces are cheery and make me smile when I see then. This rainbow is particularly lovely.

She was a plain spoken lady with a talented hand. Happy Birthday to this American icon. 

Mother's Day 1979 with my sis Mary and first born Noelle. My sis was a hair stylist so she experimented on me many times.  Happy Birthday to my sister. 

We are just two different flowers in the garden of life and phamilies. 

Philippians 1:3 reminds me of my own sisters, one we lost in 2001 (Pat) and my birthday girl sister Mary. 

I have to be the one with glasses. But since my only sister Mary lives about two hours away from me, I would call her to come help me.  My sister Pat probably is sharing some laughter

 in heaven as she had the best laughter we knew.

For there is no friend like a sister,
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands.
~Christina Rossetti, "Goblin Market," 1862

You can stop by my original blog too: annesphamily.blogspot.com

RANDOM THOUGHTS

I was visiting Big Boy (see the badge for BB on my sidebar).  He is not well but he has good parents and he is loved and cared for . I was thinking about my Remembrance Rainbow Bridge and the heartaches we all feel losing those fur babies we love so much. I watch Leo, as he gets older and because he is a large animal, I worry for him and am stern if he does not come inside. I just do not think the hard concrete is where he should be resting.  He likes to ignore me, but everybody knows that your mother knows best so suck it up buddy and come inside with me.

This was Leo on May 10, 2015 when he came to live with us. Leo and I butt heads often. I am strong willed. He is strong willed, it is an endless battle. But he is phamily so I care about him and love him. He was extra obnoxious today and naughty. I ignored him and he finally gave up and came inside. The weather is turning a tad cooler and I have to make sure he is safe and not lying on the concrete. It is not good for his big frame.

Leo met Lulu on 04/28/2018. She was so tiny, he was so big. But he is extra careful around the pups. He is the dad they don't have here.  Leo is a gentle giant. Sometime he will have a row with another dog, usually the larger ones but he just makes a low grunt when the pups overwhelm him.

May 21, 2019 - lounging by the backdoor. What? Why can't I lay here? Because I will break my head if I fall down the stairs and then you will have to wait for the kids to be off work so they can feed and care for you.

I think of all the captures I caught this one will always be my favorite. It was a time, long ago it seems, when a small boy called me "Ma" and enjoyed my company. It was a time when Leo enjoyed Harrison having finished his meals, it meant he could step in and lick his face clean! I miss those days. But boys grow up to be 4 and they have other things on their minds beside "Grandmother's". Leo is content these days as he has the puppies to occupy his time. But I hold these memories close to my heart.

I suppose the worn grassy areas are better to lay down on then the concrete driveway and walkways. July 14, 2020, a resting boy dreaming about the good life he found when he found us.

The world would indeed be better if people acting as faithful and kind as dogs act. Their unconditionally love is something most people lack.

I have a few neighbors that have slick dogs who escape their yards. I am the neighbor who does not like narcing. I simply say hey your dog is loose, you better help me catch 'em!

Common Core Math, I am not even sure if 2020 is the tip of the iceberg for the USA!

HaHaHa! This was too cute not to share.

We finally have our solar panels! Now we have to wait on the city and Excel Energy to come out and approve their work. We had a wonderful experience when Connor approached me outside in the front yard one evening. Then we met Andrew. The dogs approved of Andrew and even Thor who usually sits back, observes and growls and bark was trotting next to Andrew like "Hey buddy, be my friend ok?" LOL! There were some miscommunications but Andrew was cool and gave us some cash because my hubby took off the day we were suppose to get installed and it fell through. The company paid him a day's wages! The guys came out Thursday morning and I had the pleasure of meeting Marcus and Colton who worked on the roof installing the panels. Warren was the electrician and we had some good conversations throughout the day. They worked a 9 to 5 day here and we were pleased with the work, the panels and their CS ! Now the wait begins for Excel and the City. Neighbors who have panels already told us their energy bills are about $25-30 monthly. Try that times ten for a regular monthly bill for us. It will be nice to see the big difference.  We even met the co owner of the company, Fluent Solar. He told us the panels are the very newest and everyday day they improve them to be more efficient. We are quite happy.

Into the Fall we begin....enjoy the evening and the rest of this beautiful week.