HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIMI!!!

Mindy Rose!

My wild Irish Rose.

Oh!  How my dad would 

have loved you.

You look so much like

his side of the family.

You were born 10/12/77

just a few minutes after midnight.

You dad kept urging me to 

HURRY UP AND HAVE THE BABY

so that you could be born on

your Uncle Paul's birthday.

I was NOT good at being

told what to do then.

I'm still not very good at it-shhhh.

We weren't much at picture taking back then.

We had a Polaroid camera~

everyone did and

we were no exception.

It took quick pictures

but they were BAD.

And film was expensive

and we were oh-so-poor

when you were tiny.

Your sister, TPot, thought you

were her own personal pet.

And you were so good-natured

that you let her feed you

whenever she felt like it.

Sometimes she fed you 

Hershey's cocoa right out of the can.

You were her best audience..

Always a step behind her

because you were only

a year younger.

If she sat in the leaves

you sat in the leaves~

You loved your birthday parties

at Happy Joe's Pizza Place

and rode the carousel whether

it was turning or not.

You would stay on

until we pried your fingers

from the horse.

And Oh! How you loved

being a bride.

I lost count of how many Halloweens

that you dressed as a bride.

YOU were ALWAYS a bride

and your brother was ALWAYS

a rabbit.

And, then, one day I turned around

and you were a young woman.

A young woman 

with a passion for singing

and a passion for the Lord.

You made a missions trip to China..

and saw a different side of life..

You came home

older and wiser.

You were beautiful when

you were in high school-

And your hair...Oh! Your hair..

Complete strangers would come up to

you and ask you where you got

your perm..

Your answer was always the same.

~From God~

And, finally, you didn't need to

dress as a bride for Halloween anymore.

No indeedy!

You would dress as a bride 

for your wedding

which was held outdoors.

Your Dad performed

the ceremony and.

it was a dream wedding

to a man that loves you.

Three years later you had BigBoyE

And when Big BoyE was 2-1/2 

his brother, Charles-In-Charge

joined him.

And -then you were blessed with

our sweet little

Baby Bright Eyes.

Now you have moved 

to another state-but close

enough where we can get

there in a day's travel.

Happy, Happy Birthday

Mindy Rose!

I won't be celebrating with you this year,

as you know,

but I will be there in spirit.

I will celebrate with you just a 

few days late this year.

Love you to the moon and back!

SEE you soon!;>)

PLEASE PRAY FOR TOM AND GERT (and Rusty, too)

I have been following Gert since I started blogging.

Her blog is:

Gert, Tom & Rusty, too.

I have no idea how we found each other-

but we did.

My very first prayer request was for her.

She was quite ill.

She has MS and has pain.

Sometimes the pain in her hips is horrible

but she never complains.

Today, however,

it is her hubby that needs prayers.

Her husband Tom is in the hospital.

They have been unable to get his heart medications

regulated and it has caused them both 

a lot of anxiety and unrest.

Gert is trying to bolster Tom's spirits 

while dealing with her own health issues.

Isn't she just the sweetest looking lady?

Here she is all gussied up for her

Red Hat meeting.

I stole this and the other picture off her blog.

So, please, please take just a moment to 

send up a prayer 

-or best wishes if you are not a pray-er-

for both of them.

Gert asked that you pray for strength for Tom

and that she can stay strong and support him.

She also has one little extra request...

IF you believe you can pray for animals

(and I have to say-I do)

please pray for their little Rusty.

He is beside himself 

with everything that is gong on.

Doesn't this picture break your heart?

You know he is watching 

for his Dad to come home.

I thank you and I know that Gert thanks you, too.

Let's pray them both well!

Please leave them a little comment to let them

know that you are thinking about them.

AND

You still have time to sign up for my giveaway.

Looks like Tuesday is the drawing day

if I can get the SweetCheeks here to do it.

Sign up by clicking  HERE!

Thank you!

Hope everyone has a wonderful, blessed Sunday!

FINISH IT UP- FIVE ON FRIDAY----IT'S ALL BABY BRIGHT EYES TODAY!

You know what I got done yesterday?

Nothing-

Absolutely Nothing!

I take that back-

I did get something done.

I had two sick little girls here

for the day which means I 

didn't go far from the family room

and I loved and took care of them.

However,

while they were watching movies,

I did sort through some pictures 

on my computer.

I found several that show

THE MANY FACES OF

BABY BRIGHT EYES

Ever wonder what your 

grandchildren will grow up

to do someday?

I DO!

Maybe we can figure out what 

Baby Bright Eyes

will do someday

 by studying these pictures.

Hmmm...Do I see a librarian in our future--

or a professor?

She's got a good start on her reading!

OR..

Maybe she will be a zoologist?

Or-ride an elephant in the circus with one of those 

spangly outfits on?

As you can see -she is mulling that over!

We already know she is a

DADDY'S GIRL

But-being a daddy's girl is not a profession-

Is it?

Well, then,

maybe she will be a closet organizer.

She was emptying the closet 

in her brothers' bedroom

while Mom was cleaning in there-

making beds and straightening.

Surprise!

Gotta love a helper like that!

However,

NONE of those quite seem to fit her.

Nope!

I am pretty sure she is slated to be a 

MOVIE STAR!

Or maybe she will be a 

WANNA BE MOVIE STAR

kind of like this guy

spotted in WALMART---where else?

See?

And to think-

YOU thought Elvis was dead!

He's not DEAD-

He's been hiding out in Walmart!

You all have a good Friday.

If I don't get my 

FALL DECORATING

done today I will get on my broom

and fly off.

So---I MAY or MAY NOT

be here tomorrow with some

FALL FUN

for you!

WHAT IS---WHAT WAS---WHAT'S COMING!

Short & Sweet Today...

kinda like me--

OH WAIT-

I am neither 

SHORT nor SWEET

I must be confusing myself with someone else.

Anyway-

I have to be at my son's house at 6am

to get his little guy off for his little school.

So-here it is-

What is...what was...what's coming!

WHAT IS!

THE SKY IS ON FIRE!

Here is what we saw the other night.

Wisconsin has some of the most beautiful sunsets

I have ever seen.

This is totally untouched.

Taken directly from my iPhone.

Still bonfires to burn this fall.

We won't mention the idiot's name 

who burned my little table.

You can see it sparkling merrily 

as the fire kisses its legs.

WHAT WAS

Flowers in my yard---gone!

The Outside Tub

Closed for Bathing Business

The babies that hold up traffic on a 

MAIN ROAD for 20 minutes at at time..

Grown and headed South!

WHAT'S COMING!

Don't despair 

Good things are a'coming!

Maybe tomorrow if I can get 

my butt myself in gear

I will have some fall to share with you.

So..

wish me luck getting CJK off to school.

He is good at "sick" 

if he thinks he can spend the day 

at Nana's house.

He has, at three years old, 

learned that you can't

FAKE A FEVER!

So now he gets a stomach ache.

Try to nail that one down!

However, I can tell when he really IS sick!

He gets red cheeks and grabs his monkey

and looks pathetic.

Okay, peeps!

That's all I got for the day.

Well, except for one more thing.

You remember about the 

LABELING?

That people that LABEL should 

KNOW HOW TO READ AND SPELL.

Yeah...

Well, guess what I am NOT having for breakfast this morning!

Glad they didn't use a U instead of an A!

They mighta had a run on those babies!

DO YOU LOVE SILVER LIKE I LOVE SILVER?

I was lucky enough to be entrusted

to care for the silver that belonged

to one side of my husband's family.

I had two sick little girls here yesterday

watching movies which left me

free to do something-

but not so much that I would be

out of sight.

So.....

being the dutiful little wife I am

only my true friends know what a joke THAT is

I decided to polish the pieces that had been

sadly neglected since late spring.

Now, I know a lot of you like tarnished silver

but I feel guilty if I let this get tarnished.

Here she is-

BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL!

Notice how wonky the top of the candle holder is?

That is from years and years and years of

REAL USE.

Real silver is actually pretty malleable-

not hard at all.

Don't ya love it?

The tops do snap down tight and 

I should have done that for

the pictures..

but - I keep them slightly ajar 

so they don't get yucky inside.  

I am always afraid that I will seal some moisture in.

The coffee & tea service sits on the 

bombe chest in my dining room.

The drawers store linens and stuff.

The picture above the chest was a landmark in

Green Bay, WI.

Kaap's Restaurant was famous for its

ice cream treats and chocolates.

It is the first place my husband ever took me when

I came to visit his family before we got married.

Sadly, so sadly, progress has destroyed that street

and all the wonderful shops and stores that were there.

So---the silver looked like this when I started...

Pretty sad and kind of embarrassing!

 I used my special secret tools for cleaning...

Maas (and the other if I run out) 

and old diapers to polish with.

If you use these make sure the diapers are clean---just sayin'......

I won't bother to tell you I could only find two RIGHT HAND GLOVES.

Did you ever try to use a rubber glove 

wearing it on the wrong hand?

Can't turn these inside out because they are lined...lol

Yeah- You look  as stupid as you feel doing that.

Well, maybe YOU don't - but I do!

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use TARNEX

on good silver...

I won't even go into all the reasons why...just DON'T!

A few more pics to show you how I worked my fingers to the bone...

Oh---and this is MY SECRET!

See the candlestick below?

It is sitting on one of  Grandmother Clara's coasters.

TA-DA!!!

I am so flipping clever that I can't even believe it myself sometimes.

Look!  It is...

A hiding place for a few nails and screws 

cuz you just 

never know when you are gonna have to nail something to the wall.

I have SECRET TOOLS, too.

They look like a shoe (hammer) 

and a butter knife (screwdriver)

Please keep these secrets to yourself.

MyHero gets all worked up 

when I use stuff like that

for little household jobs.

He is SUCH a spoil sport.

I love these special things.

It is my husband's 

sterling silver Christening cup and 

my youngest son's Christening cup.

Both are engraved with their names and birth dates.

The little fork and spoon were used by all the kids.

SweetCheeks did NOT want to give it up.

I think she used it until she was almost five.

Well, that was my big adventure yesterday.

I am off to make myself a cuppa coffee...

Which reminds me-

I came across the most 

delightful poem the other day.

It just speaks to my heart and I am sure it will

TOUCH SOME OF YOUR HEARTS, TOO!

J.Dewitt

Y'all  have a nice day now, ya hear?

oh..and if you didn't sign up 

for my give away yesterday for

Somerset Life

you can still do that by clicking here

GIVE AWAY--GIVE AWAY---You will LOVE this one!

A couple of weeks ago I was in 

Barnes & Noble

killing a little time.

I always pull out the Somerset Magazines 

because you never know what you will 

find in them.

Well, 

THIS TIME

I found that my sweet friend, Kris,

Junk Chic Cottage,

has a full feature in there about

HER BLOG!

You'll see some of these pictures-

I stole these right off her blog---shhhhh----

Sadly, her home doesn't look like this anymore.

Their house is up for sale and she 

has "un-chic'ed" it.

So sad!

If you visit her blog you can see how it looks now.

&

&

Can you believe it?

AND

She is so flipping humble 

I can hardly stand it.

Anyway,

I asked her if I could do a post about it

and give away a copy of the magazine.

She said-yes-
We are true girlfriends
although we have never met in person..
BUT we are going to.
Yes, we are---
hopefully yet this fall.

 I love her hubby,Terry, too. 
He is just THAT GUY...always
helping someone out in some way.

I am gonna lay a big ol' hug on that 
big lug when I meet him...shhh...
It's a surprise for MyHero
AND Terry.  snicker

So my friends...

All you have to do is 

tell me you want to be in the drawing-

along with your mother's maiden name,

your social security number,

your husband's blood type and

two hundred dollars sent to my PO box

(so it can't be traced)

That's it!

Just leave me a comment.

I will pick a winner next Sunday,

October 11th.

That gives everyone a chance to

sign up that doesn't get here on a 

daily basis.

AND..

if you DON'T KNOW Kris

Junk Chic Cottage-

you are missing one of the best and 

biggest-hearted bloggers in 

BLOGGYDOM.

I  think I made the word Bloggydom up-

feel free to use it--

you're welcome.

So...what are you waiting for?

Stop dawdling!

Leave me a comment..

and if you don't have an email address

attached to your name let me know

how I can reach you...

Good luck.

See you tomorrow!

SUNDAY SASS

Well, I am NOT going to church this morning!

Nope!

I am going to a volleyball tournament

with our sweet Ria.

She is our dancer-

-but also a volleyball player.

She might be little but she is a

FORMIDABLE PLAYER!
She made the POWER team yesterday!

She spent last night with us just hanging out.

I will take

her to her game today!  

You know I said I was missing church-

Never fear about that!

We will be praying at the 

GOLDEN ARCHES

this morning..

Not sure if that will get me through the

PEARLY GATES 

though!

Which begs the question....

I wonder if Colonel Sanders is there?

PLEASE!

No offense meant to 

ANY RELIGION 

so don't be sending me hate notes!

Thank you

and have a great Sunday!

ps. Think of this post when you eat your
CHICKEN DINNER
today!

FINISH IT UP-FIVE ON FRIDAY

You know I've been gone awhile

and while I am usually a picture-taking fool

I didn't take many pictures this summer.

However, lucky for you,

(that part was a joke)

I have lots of photos to 

show you that I have 
hoarded over the past few months.

First and foremost!

I LOVE FALL.

I love decorating for Fall 

almost as much as I like decorating for Christmas.

Here is something you MIGHT see at my house.

For some reason I always set this up in the same little cubby hole. 

I painted the little slate about 30 years ago.

Geez- Am I getting old, or what!

The little turkeys are paper mache  and held candy.

They are almost as old as I am ...

that is OLD, folks!

What is NOT old around here?

This NEVER gets old!

Three cousins on a swing....

Now WHY is the 

MONKEY IN THE MIDDLE

the only one looking at the camera?

Love that SweetCheeks 

still wears bows in her hair!

I might have spent a little tine in another state.

A special present for you 

if you can figure out what city 

we are in.

okay- I mighta lied about the present

That, folks-is blurry because it is 

what I like to call an 

ACTION SHOT.

It has nothing to do with the camera's user.

(I mighta lied about that, too)

After INDY I came home to Mr.Excitement!

Yeah- sometimes he's a little shy.

Did you notice that he has a GIANT left hand?

One day, I am going to get paid back 

for all of this you know....

but not today!

Why?  Because TODAY he wants me to
COOK FOR HIM!

Yesterday we started a WHOLE 30 food program.

It means lots of cooking.

I didn't think this was going to be easy--

nothing worthwhile ever is, is it?

This is how I feel about the whole thing!

AMEN!!!!!

Hope you all have a great Friday.

Bear with me as I get around to

visiting your blogs and playing catch up.

HAPPY OCTOBER FIRST- I am BACK!!!!!

I did not want to come back until

life had leveled out and I knew that

I could be here on a regular basis.

Thought you were rid of me, didn't you?

You were wrong!

BECAUSE-

The old broad is back!

I sure have missed you guys

and have
LOTS TO SHARE

with you.

I will fill you in on more details

of our 

Summer Of Angst

as time goes on.

Let's just say 

I am glad that this 

SEASON IN MY LIFE
is over (for today).

Lest you think I was sitting on my 

big ugly butt all summer doing nothing-

I did several projects.

But, I am going to share just 

ONE PROJECT

with you today.

I have had this old piece for about

100 75 30 years.

It was made by 

WHITE FURNITURE.

They made fine hand-crafted pieces in

 North Carolina for many years.

This has a 

HEAVY SLATE INSET TOP.

The wood was in bad shape and not

worth restoring/refinishing.

Here she is all gussied up with 

White Dove paint.

Yes-yes- now I see it - the black cord hanging down.

AND- in case you are wondering why the picture looks a 

LITTLE SQUIGGLY--

I might have had a BLOND MOMENT 

and had my

camera set on SLO-MO....

yeah...

Surprise!  Surprise!

as Gomer Pyle used to say.

Here's what that ugly puppy looked like before-

And, just for fun,

I painted the inside blue!

Fun is different things for different people, you know.

Well, I won't bore you with more today-

I want to get around to 

VISIT YOU!

And, just so you don't think 

I have lost my sense of humor

I will leave you with this-

Being as this is now

Halloween Month....

(I am the one that is smiling kindly)

    I am sure I can get an 

AMEN from my kids on that one!