Sunday morning silence.....



Sunday's to me are so special. The early morning when no one in the house is up yet and you get to sit and just enjoy the silence and tranquility that only a Sunday morning can bring. A day of rest, a little bit of peace in an overactive life.

I just put a pan of cinnamon rolls in the oven. I'm going to sit down and relax with a couple of hot cinnamon rolls and a glass of ice cold 100% whole milk. My reward for all the week well done. I'm getting ready to start the next book in the Nora Roberts Calhoun Series. What a pleasant way to start a Sunday.

Then it's off to church this morning with a side trip out to lunch with hubby after church and a stop at Lowe's and Walmart. It promises to be a great day.

Enjoy your Sunday today!

Christmas already...Seriously?



Have you noticed that Christmas decor gets earlier and earlier every year. I went to Walmart one day last week and went into the Lawn and Garden area to look for an indoor flower pot for an ivy plant. Low and behold, there was one tiny little section with a few pots. The rest of the entire lawn and garden (except for grills on sale) was filled with Christmas paraphernalia.

When you walk in to Walmart, they have a big add about Christmas layaway for toys and electronics starting on October 17th. Which, by the way, I am all for.

A few days ago, Black Friday posted their first Black Friday ad and received their annual cease and desist letter to NOT post the Walmart ad until Walmart releases it to them "officially."

Now, I am a huge fan of Christmas and I get very excited at this time of year. I start planning on Christmas crafts and Christmas gifts. I start thinking ahead, but I really, really would like to at least get through Halloween first. But on the flip side, I do like my Black Friday ad sneak peaks.

If you like Black Friday and like to get an advance notice of what's going to be happening, here are some things you may want to check out.

First, the BEST and most accurate site is www.BFads.net . It post the individual ads as a PDF you can view or a list by category per store. Many of the items on the list have a camera you can click to view the item. I also like this one because you can create a free account with your email address and ad items to your shopping list. Then all you have to do on Thanksgiving is print out the shopping list to know what to look for on Black Friday. They usually also have sneak peak items that you can purchase online at great prices.

I also did a "Like" on their Facebook page so I can get notices when they post new ads. Here is a link to their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BFAds

If you have an Android phone, go to the market place and search for Black Friday. There is a free one called Black Friday App (by deal news apps). The ads are shadowed and when they show up in full color that means they are posted and you can click on them and view the ad.

Leave it to me to know the best places to find the Black Friday ads! Even though I still think it's a little early for Christmas.

What a waste

Just a quick update. I'll be missing in action today.

The final packing is taking place for our move and as much as I like my phone, its just to small to post from. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow or Sunday.

Have a great weekend!

What a Wild Wednesday....

After waiting for two weeks and setting among boxes and packing supplies for 10 days of that time, we got the call yesterday that the new place was available. We cleaned all day and checked out all those minute details we didn't notice when it was still being occupied. They were coming last night to shampoo the carpet.

Did you ever notice that you may THINK you are an observant person, but then you realize you are not? Well, I've always KNOWN I'm not the most observant person in the world.....but how in THE WORLD did I miss the fact that the master bath has not 1 BUT 2 sinks in it. It's a His & Her's sink. And the neat thing is they are  not side by side. The master bath is an L shape with a corner tub and a sink on each side of the L. Each sink has it's nice roomy cabinet, a long countertop and mirror with lights. It also has a stand up shower. So, of course, I laid claim to the side of the bathroom with the corner tub and sink and hubby gets his big shower and own sink. He's happy. I'm happy. What's not to love about that?

The other thing I failed to notice were these

Well, actually, I did notice the cabinets themselves, I'm not THAT unobservant. But what I failed to notice was I now have some space on top of cabinets to display any antique bowls or collectibles of kitchenware. I have longed for that for many years. I'm so excited to finally have the opportunity to be a "cabinet top collector" even if it's just on one set of the cabinets. We are going from having just a total of 9 cabinets to have a total of 13 cabinets and TWO full size pantry cabinets. I am loving it.

All in all, it was a great day yesterday. The cable man is coming today and tomorrow the official move begins.



Cute Halloween Critters



Happy "It's My Party" day

Today I'm riding on the Tuesday Train over at The House on the Corner.

According to a wacky holiday website, today is "It's My Party Day". Let's have a party and celebrate. Here are my top 10 reasons to have a party.

1. Obviously birthdays. I love birthday parties. The cake, the presents, the ice cream, the presents, the good times. Oh, and did I mention the presents. And before you condemn me, I don't just mean my birthday or receiving presents. I have a ball selecting birthday presents and matching up the recipient with the perfect gift. As my children have gotten older, they prefer gift cards. And I honor that, but I sure do miss buying presents for them.

2. Christmas parties come in next. I love Christmas get-togethers. I love all the food and the decorations. I love the holiday atmosphere and the chance to unwind and visit with family or friends. I love family Christmas parties and watching the grandkids open their presents. It makes up a little for not having kids at home on Christmas morning.

3. New Year's Eve party...actually just our New Year's Eve party. It is always my hubby and myself (now that the kids are grown) and we fix snack foods; cheeses, crackers, fruit, etc. And play a nice, friendly game of Monopoly, which I always lose. Then we watch Rockin' New Years Eve to bring in the New Year at 12:00. By 12:05, we are partied out and heading to bed.

4. Baby showers - Is there anything that brings smiles to our faces as easy as shopping for baby gifts does. I love going to baby showers and oohing and ahhing over all the tiny little clothes, the soft blankets and the adorable new products that we all look at and say "Oh, I wish we had that when my kids were babies."

5. Wedding showers - How delightful to be a part of helping a happy couple launch their new life together. Again, it is so much fun to shop and find the perfect gift...even when they are registered somewhere. I like to buy something that I get as much joy giving as they will get when they receive it.

6. Halloween Parties - When my kids were in kindergarten, they were in separate classes, even though they are twins. I wanted them each to experience everything on their own. We had just moved into a 14 room Civil War era house. We had not remodeled the upstairs yet and the front room was HUGE and opened into a kitchen (it had been apartments at one time.) I thought it would be great to let them have a Halloween party so I invited both classes (over 40 kids) figuring a few would probably show up. Oh my gosh! What was I thinking? The big night arrived and 27 five years olds arrived! Plus my two. We had a wonderful time and the costumes were adorable. But now, my Halloween party days is Trunk-or-Treat at my church. I love it.

7. House warming parties - I love when decides to initiate their home by having a house warming party. Getting to help them celebrate and seeing what they "have done with the place" is always a wonderful time.

8. Pampered Chef parties - Well, that kind of goes without saying. I love Pampered Chef and love going to parties. I love trying all the different recipes the consultants showcase. I also love having Pampered Chef parties. I try to have one every year in May because they have items and specials that help support breast cancer and again in November when they have specials to raise money for the local Food Bank. They are both worthy causes and it's a wonderful way to help support them.

9. Thirty-One parties - I know you were waiting for that to hit the list. Anyone who reads my blogs, sees me at church or reads my Facebook KNOWS I'm addicted to Thirty-One Gifts. Again, I have to hold two parties a year. One when they launch their new spring/summer line and one when they launch the new fall/winter line. I like to be one of the first to actually see and explore the new merchandise. I love it.

10. Scentsy party - This was a new one for me. I have never had one, but I went to one a couple of weeks ago. I love candles and warmers and such for the house. This was the first time I had seen their merchandise and fell in love with it. I'm expecting my first order any day. I don't remember the name of my fragrance I ordered, but it was chocolate and orange. It smelled just like my milk chocolate orange creams I buy in Gatlinburg.

What I found at the 9 mile yard sale.....



Saturday we went to the 9 mile yard sale. My daughter picked up several bargains. She even found Shelby a Barbie riding toy for only $2.00. But I didn't fare as well as I had hoped. I found curtains I loved....but wrong size. I found baskets like I wanted but they were more expensive than brand new ones. Saw some cute glassware, but nothing that screamed "buy me". I was getting discouraged.

And then, in the middle of a long wooden table, sitting all alone I found my bargain of the day.

This beautiful teapot...

I love anything that has flowers and butterflies on it. Always have; always will. I especially loved the butterfly on the lid. She is so exquisite and detailed.

 

Add to that, the colors match my living room furniture so well.

It's like it was made especially for me. I gently picked it up and examined every little detail. No nicks, no scratches, no chips, no color fading, nothing. It was in pristeen condition. It looked 100% brand new. I looked at the lady and asked how much. I held my breath. I would have paid as much as $15.00. I loved it that much and I knew that brand new teapots in this condition start at $29.00. So she opened her mouth to speak and I know mine dropped open when she said "$3.00". Oh my gosh! You have got to be kidding me." I don't think I have ever whipped out my money so fast in my life. I grabbed this baby up right then.

She didn't have any bags (who has a yard sale with no bags???). Anyway, I didn't want the butterfly to get broke so I borrowed one of my granddaughters pull-ups and wrapped the lid in it and put it in her stroller basket. We made it home with no mishaps. I can't quit looking at it. I'm so excited. It always makes my weekend when I get a great find like this.