Friday Foto Friends

It's been cold here in East Tennessee and the wind whips right through you. But the daffodils and Bradford pears are blooming. The flu bug seems to be less invasive but now everyone is suffering from those dreaded early spring allergies brought on by the Bradford pear trees. But oh my they are so beautiful. This is at my daughter's house.

Loving my little sea turtle I picked up at Cracker Barrell. He is a salt shaker and was on .99 cents. I fell in love.

I wanted a purse with a compass on it from Thirty-One that would remind me of my word for the year FOCUS. If you stay on course it is easier to focus. I got my new purse yesterday and I could not be happier.

I also wanted a new bag for my books and coaster crafts for my relaxing at the beach. I fell in love with this one in the catalog and it is even prettier in person.

Then my daughter called and was going through some storage and found the beach bag I had bought and wasn't sure I liked it so I gave it to her and she had never carried it either. So she gave it back to me since I am in a navy and aqua kick for summer. I still had a thermal and a purse out of the same line of products from Thirty-One from several years ago. 

And the great part is that it goes with my new bag. Can you see a theme hear? Do you think I'm looking foward to going to the beach?

Now for some new flip flop and I'll be set. Have a great Friday.

Things that drive me crazy.....

As if I am not crazy enough, there are things people do that just make me nuts. 

Today's craziness is brought to you by my experience with AT & T and the new automated phone systems. I called today because I had a question on my bill.  First, the automated voice had to tell me their system had changed and I could speak my response. They confirmed my phone number and asked if that was the phone number on the account. I did what the recording said and spoke "Yes". It replied "We did not understand your response. Is this the number related to your account." Me: Yes. Auto recording "We did not recognize your response. Please say yes or no." So I said yes and got the same message.

I tried something different and hit 1. Then the voice told me "Our automated system doesn't require that you push a button. Simply speak your response." So I started saying Agent. And said it about 30 times and it said I will connect you to an agent, but first I need to know what you need to discuss to get you to the right person. So I replied "Questions on my bill. " It kindly referred me to my online phone bill. Well now. I had already looked at that and that is why I had the questions. So I very not so kindly said that into the phone. So it then started quoting me what my balance due was and connected me to the auto pay line to make a payment.

I STILL HAD A QUESTION!!!!!  So, I simply started hitting the 0 about a zillion times until I heard it ringing. I paused, listened a lady answered the phone. I was not on the phone long and got my question answered. But by then I was so aggravated that I lost all my motivation for getting a lot done.

In the Word Wednesday

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. - 1 Samuel 18:1. 

What a wonderful definition of friendship..."Knit with the soul."

Knitting conjures up many images. The cozy warmth of a soft afghan wrapped around you. The snug feeling of slipping on soft knit mittens or socks. It's a warmth. A softness. A comfort to slip into anything that has been knit.

That is how Jonathan must have felt about his friendship with David. A bonding. A warmth. A feeling of comfort. Though very different, they still shared something that was spectacular. A friendship that knew no bounds.

Like knitting, the friendship probably didn't happen immediately. It surely started with one step or one stitch in the fabric that wove their lives together daily. I am sure that the stitches added themselves one by one as  Jonathan admired David's courage and wanted to be bonded with someone he respected and admired so much. 

Do you have friends that you feel are knit from the soul? Friends who are always there for you. There are so many kinds of friends. Friends who come and go in our lives who, for a short while, provide the comfort and friendship we need at that particular moment in our lives. If they step out of your life for whatever reason, you will still remember them with fondness as a distant memory and be thankful they were there for you at that moment you needed them to be.

Then there are those forever friends. The ones who know your deepest fears, your longings, your dreams. They are the ones who understand you the most and "get you" no matter what you say or do. They are the ones that will cry with you, laugh with you, and go the distance for you. Those are the friends who are knit with your soul. Those years may slip by and you may live far apart or right down the street. You may not talk like you did in years gone by, but you KNOW that you could pick up the phone right that very second and call them and you would pick up as if you had just spoke yesterday. 

Those friends are the ones we keep. The ones we respect. The ones we love. Those are the ones we should cherish, pray for and thank God for bringing them into our lives. 

Friends who are knit with the soul.

What a hectic Monday...

Monday was so crazy hectic. Errands before work, work for 8 1/2 hours, straight from work to Women's Bible Study. After the study, met with a lady who was placing a Thirty-One order. Stopped by Family Dollar for Pepsi and Junior Mints. Went to Krystal's and picked up a couple of chili dogs. I love those things. Got home and placed the Thirty-One order after I ate. Went to bed with my book and my Junior Mints. Read awhile, watched a couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory and fell asleep listening to a light rain. It was definitely a wild and crazy day.

Today is going to be busy, but more relaxing. I need to run to Hobby Lobby and Dollar Tree (never a chore for me). Sometime this afternoon I have a committee meeting at the church for our new directory. Then a family dinner tonight to celebrate Garret's, my oldest grandson, birthday while he is home on spring break. I can't believe he will be 19. Where have the years gone. 

While I'm out and about I need to get a new vase and flowers like this. I had these for years and they had gotten so used that I need to replace them. The vase cracked and I used the eggs in a church craft. Time to replace it all. I may put it on the kitchen table since I already have Easter in the dining room. 

I need to pick up some more Easter Eggs at Dollar Tree. I have a couple of friends who want one of my egg wreaths. I have to get my out of storage for the front door. 

This popped up in my Facebook today and I remember I never did make one. I'm going to see if I can find some paper and a frame at Hobby Lobby or Dollar Tree today. 

Am I the only one who uses their blog as a shopping and to do list. If I can't remember my plans or what I am wanting to find, all I have to do is pull up my blog and run through it. Hopefully this will remind me to get in the linen cabinet and find the Easter apron Mom made for me years ago.  

This also popped up in my memories from years ago where I was really organized with my Thirty-One business. Which is funny considering I just found this bag yesterday in my stock box. Got it out to start using it for awhile. Just got to get the matching hanging file holder out and fix up my to go bag and I'll feel organized again.

I have got to put this on Facebook today to see what somebody would charge to make me one. This would be perfect for many uses. I don't crochet but to me it look kind of simple. 

Last but definitely not least, my favorite photo I've seen this week. 

Happy Sunday

Fundraiser for a school trip

As you all know, I love Thirty-One and judging by how many consultants we have, I'm not the only one. Right now, my granddaughter Alexis is doing an online party to raise funds for her 8th grade school trip. They are going to Washington, D.C., New York City and Hershey, Pennsylvania. As a Mamaw, I want to do what I can to help her raise money for her trip. 

 If you like Thirty-One and would like to help in her fundraiser, you can visit my site and place an order and have it shipped direct to your house. All orders great or small will be appreciated. Simply follow the link below. I am donating my commission on each sale to help her with her trip expenses. 

https://www.mythirtyone.com/124266/shop/Party/EventDetail/10511311

With spring coming up and summer not far behind, is it time to update your purse for the season? If you do place an order, check out our purse collection. It is the special for the month. Spend $35 and get any purse for 50% OFF! That is a great deal. Here are a few samples of our purses and patterns, but they are offered in a lot more patterns than is posted here.

I love playing around with the personalization on the website. Here's just some samples of the things you can get and customer design in patterns and personalization of your choice. Don't need anything for yourself? What about a end of the year teachers gift? A mother's day present for your mom? A bag for your little sports players? Maybe you have a hubby that loves to hunt or you are looking for something to keep your tablet in. There are so many possibilities for our products. And with each one coming in an assortment of pattern and fabric options, the skies the limit. You can contact me at

MamawsPlace @ Gmail.com if you have questions.

Thank you for taking the time to check out Thirty-One and we appreciate any orders that are placed.

Friday Foto Friends

I love the sky. Always have. Always will. I post a lot of pictures of sunshine and blue skies, unique bursts of sun coming through the clouds. Sunrises and sunsets. But last night the moon was awesome the way the clouds were around it. Didn't have my camera with me so these are from my phone but from now on, my camera is going everywhere I go. They may not be the best in the world but at least I captured it.