I am getting hungry...

I have been looking on Pinterest at food ideas. I haven't had a Mississippi mud cake since I was about 16 years old and mom made one. It was delicious I may have to try to make one.

I also want to make some homemade meatballs and brown gravy. Allen used to make it a lot and I helped them so this is something I do know how to make. I just haven't gotten around to making any and long time. And I want it with mashed potatoes but this picture has carrots. I would have an ear of corn on the cob if it was me.

And I would love to eat it at this table that I saw on Pinterest. Isn't that

neat.

 L

Hump day!

Just a few things to update you from my week so far...

It is hard not to smile when your friend beside you in Sunday School has finished her bagel and decides she wants to rearrange her fruit on her plate. She nudged me and I looked over and I just had to get a picture. Yes, they feed us in Sunday School and me and Debbie were enjoying our breakfast before class started.

Monday, it was a busy day at work. With all the college kids going back to school and some other shift changes, my schedule is changing some. I do believe I better pay better attention to it because I was late for work the other day. But they understood. I got there in time to do what I needed to get done for the day so all was well in the end. I just hated it because I am never late for work.

I was off Tuesday. I went with a friend to a couple of shops and while we were at Walmart, I picked up some mums to put in a flower box on my front porch. Just .97 cents each. I love mums.

Then I just messed around the house the rest of the day. After supper, I just laid on the couch and read my book. It was a great day off.

Too cute...

If this doesn't put a smile on your face, I don't know what will. I stopped at Shoney's Saturday to have breakfast on my way to work. This was parked beside me when I came back out to my car. Shear genius at work on whoever designed the layout of the headlights on this vehicle. For some reason it just struck My Funny Bone. I just couldn't decide if it looks like Lightning McQueen from Cars or a deranged a bull. Either way it is just the cutest thing I have seen in a long time. I could ride a motorcycle if it looked like this.

I choose JOY

I have come to a conclusion. You can live your life by letting your attitude be affected by others, or you can choose to rise above the situation and make your life better rather than letting their anger become yours. I dealt with a few situations yesterday that left me drained. Not emotionally, but actually physically drained. Too many trips up and down steps. Too many times being pulled in too many directions. Rushing to get too much done in too little time. As a result, I ache all over today. My feet hurt. My ankles hurt. My legs, hips and back hurt. Even the side of my foot hurts. It took me a little while and a lot of peppermint lotion, but I'm up and about and ready to face the day.

I was whining and moaning in my head about wondering if it was a full moon since people everywhere I went yesterday were just downright acting out. Then it hit me. With God's help, I made it through every situation with flying colors. I didn't get mad. I didn't get upset. I didn't get down. I got THROUGH it. I put on my happy face and my big girl panties and I made it through the day.

My daughter-in-law has said it in many ways over the years, but to sum it up she always points out that some people react rather than take action. Well, my day was so full and packed that I didn't have time to react. I had to keep taking action. So thinking about all that this morning, I realize that yesterday was not about everybody being in a mood or having a bad day or bad moment. Yesterday was about me being totally AWESOME in the way I handled it all.  LOL. Well, at least that is what I'm telling myself to keep me sane and get me through another day.

Have a happy, blessed Sunday.

A day late....

I missed my hook-up with Friday Foto Friends yesterday, so posting it today. Better late than never. 

My fave photos of my week came the evening of the eclipse on Monday. I was driving  home from work and was heading west when I saw the most beautiful and unique result of a sunset. The sky was full of  wide stripes of sun shining through wide stripes of clouds. It was so cool.

At first I thought the bright light was from one of those spot lights that they use to highlight an event going on.

But those always move around and change and this was steady just like the clouds and sky.

It was so calm and beautiful. I just had to get pictures. And no, I wasn't driving. I was fortunate enough to hit three stop lights and be the first car at the light. So I got them all while I was sitting still.

Check these out...

I am slowly weeding out my plastic containers that are the toss-away kind. I'm trying to get a bigger collection of Pyrex Simply Store containers. I love the 4 cup size. It is perfect for storage and for leftovers. The patterns are awesome, especially the ones they have for holidays. I have quite a few, but I discovered these on their website and plan on visiting my local Corningware Outlet to see what they might have. Here are some I love...

A little cat humor....

And my personal favorite.....

Hope you had a good laugh!

Just thinking....

I have a quilt rack my Daddy made me but now that I have moved around in the bedroom, I have nowhere in there to put it. I'm looking for ideas. Thinking about trying to find room in my sewing room, but not sure I can. I went to Pinterest and saw this idea. 

But mine has large dowel rods not slanted boards so this wouldn't work. So I thought, well I would have a place in the kitchen but what would I hang on it. Then I remembered the kitchen towels my mother made that my sister brought to me a couple of weeks ago. I had stashed them away in my storage until I could figure out how to hang them. So I thought why not try them on the quilt rack in the kitchen. I am loving it. Don't really care if other like it or not, but it is something my Mommy made that is displayed on something my Daddy made and I couldn't be more pleased!

On another note, as I am changing decor in several areas at one time, I am still focusing on my sewing/craft room getting turned into a vintage style sewing room. I'm trying to figure out what to use to replace the pink and black Thirty-One containers that I store supplies and fabric and stuff in. Well, my cousin Patty shared with me what she has done for storage in her craft room and I am so excited. There is a particular item I see at antique stores that I wanted to purchase every time I see one, but I think of anything I could use them for. You better believe I'm going hunting for some now! It's vintage picnic baskets. I am so excited about this. 

One last idea to share about something I want for my craft room. Instead of dry erase or chalk boards, I'd like to make something like this. I am thinking a pretty piece of weather wood for the back, a wood paper towel hold that I will paint probably brick red and two painted paint stirrers for the guide. I am definitely going to do this. 

Weekend wrap up....

Not a lot of weekend wrap up when you end up working both days unexpectedly, but it did end with a great time. My grandson, Garret, leaves for college this week and we had a family gathering for both sides of the family. It was a wonderful evening and I even got a picture of me with the grandkids. 

(L-R: Garret, Colby, Alexis, Shelby, Caleb)

I even got to snuggle with the newest addition to my daughter-in-law's family. This is her great-nephew, Boone. He is absolutely precious and was so much fun to snuggle with. 

I even ate something I had never eaten before. I love cake and I love ice cream. But I have never had an ice cream cake in my life. Don't know why. Just haven't. We had Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard Ice Cream Cake for Garret's party and just let me say OH MY GOODNESS. That was delicious. 

It was a wonderful, relaxing evening and something I really needed. Have a happy Monday and enjoy the eclipse. 

Sunday's Song

This and that...

I wanted to give an update on Stephanie. This was posted yesterday around 6:30:  "How could you not believe in God and miracles after seeing this. Double lung transplant not even 24 hours and off ventilator. We have an awesome God"

Then I wake up at 7:00 this morning and find this post: "They got her out of bed this morning and sitting in a chair. Next step will be walking." This is amazing. They told her mom that it is almost unheard of to be off a ventilator within 24 hours of surgery and yet she was off hers about 12 hours after the surgery was finished. She has so much faith and when you add that to her will to do this, it's an amazing combination.

On to other news.....I got to meet Dolly Parton and get my picture made with her yesterday. We did them in groups of four. I can't wait to get them. It will be about a week or so before we get the pictures back but the photo shoot was fun.

Well, I have to head out to work and I'm so tired I can't even think ahead to what I'm supposed to work on today. This is going to be how to make it through the day today.

What a difference a day makes....

Thursday at shortly after noon, we go the church call. My friend, Stephanie Goodall, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis received the call she has been waiting on. Vanderbilt University Medical Center contacted Stephanie. They had her a set of lungs. She headed right out for Nashville for her double lung transplant.

First was the wait in admissions while she got checked in to get her room. She arrived before the lungs. Hubby and his Dad sitting patiently. 

She finally got in her room and the lungs had arrived. Now began the wait for the doctors to check them out to give the final okay. There was still that chance that for one reason or not they would not be accepted by the doctors. But she is a lady of remarkable faith and felt 100% sure they would be just right. 

A little later, they got the word that they were perfect and it was time to prep for the surgery.

Once she got hooked up, they came to get her. Surgery was started around 10:30 CST last night. She has shown no fear through the entire process. You can see the thumbs up and wide, infectious smile in every picture.

Time for a Mommy-Daughter kiss before heading out for the big moment.

Stephanie's Mom, my dear friend Charlene, kept us posted throughout the night.

The biggest fear from the doctors were the removal of the old lungs. Cystic Fibrosis can damage them to the point that they are hard to remove and many things are happening during the process that can cause complications. Here were the updates throughout the night....  

 A little after 1:00 a.m. - Just got a call from Operating Room. Surgery hasn't started yet still checking out lungs to make sure they are good and will work.

A little after 2:00 a.m. - Just got the call from surgery. Lungs good; it's a go.

A little after 3:00 a.m. - Old right lung out, just starting to put new one in.

Around 5:30 a.m. - New right lung is in, inflated, pink and functioning. Praise God

Around 7:30 a.m. - They are done. Both lungs are in and looking good. She is on a ventilator hopefully for only a short time. Should be a couple of hours then back to her room. They are going to do a bronch before bringing her back. Less than 24 hours since getting the call and she has her new lungs!!

Stephanie was put on the transplant list on the 14th of July. She was warned it could take months or even a year or more. But she and her unshakable faith kept telling us God wouldn't make her wait that long because He knew how bad she needed them. Here we are 5 weeks later to the day and she has her new lungs. Her fundraisers have all been under the name of New Breath for Steph. Her friends and family are now declaring August 18th as Happy Breath Day for Stephanie.

She will have a long way to go yet and there will be some bumps and curves for sure. But for today, it is total celebration because now she has something that we take for granted. The ability to just breathe. No struggle, no focusing on making her lungs work, no oxygen tanks everywhere she goes. Just breathing in and out like we all do. And she also has HOPE. She will continue to cling to one of her favorite bible versus.

She still has to live in Nashville for a few months to make sure there is no rejecting or complications. Continue to keep her in your prayers. If you would like to donate to her medical expenses, please visit her Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/q4-stephanie-goodall-lung-transplant

Some things I'm thinking about today...

It's going to be a crazy day. I do like the quilt I am trying out so I stopped at Walmart last night and bought a set of the pillow shams. They only had one set and I didn't even think to look at the size. Ended up with King size when I actually needed Standard. So a trip to Walmart is in my future sometime today to look for the Standard size.

How many of you have memories of the old Hoosier cabinets? I have long wanted one of these but can't find one in good enough shape at a price I can afford. But I continue to look. If I ever get one, I want to fill it up with Pyrex, FireKing, Glasbake and Federal bowls and bakeware.

I am on the hunt for a set of vintage Raggedy Ann and Andy. I like the soft cream fabric instead of the bright white. I should look for the really primitive ones, but some of them are scary looking. This is the style I like .... although this particular set is on sale for $1500 on the internet. Yep, not gonna get this pair.

Heading to McKay's today to change out some books. There are two books I need to complete a series. Surely in a store this size, I can find those two books. 

Tonight I get to go to Smoky Mountain Adventures. This is Dolly Parton's new dinner show in Pigeon Forge. As an employee of Dixie Stampede, we market this show as well so they are giving us all a free ticket so we are able to tell our guests about it. I am going with Sue & Mary from work and expect it will be a very fun time.

Time to get ready to head to McKay's. Have a great day.