Failure, Conversations & A Very Special Bench

Thank you Joyce for these good questions today.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What lesson has failure taught you?

Major confession here!  I do not do failure very well.  Okay, that out of the way, what I think I have learned from having failed many times in various attempts at various things for these 60-umph years, is to get up, brush it off and try again.  Easier said than done, I admit, because my first tendency is to forget it and stop trying.  Like learning to swim, or roller skate.  When at first I didn't succeed, I quit.  But, if I hadn't failed at some things first, the doors to other things might not have been opened.

2. What decision are you glad you made?
There are many such as giving my life to Christ, marrying God's man for me, but for today's discussion it will be - To retire!  Have I told you how much I love being a retired woman of leisure?

3. I've been a little bit surprised to see fully lit and decorated Christmas trees popping up for the past several weeks in friend's Instagram feeds. So tell the truth-is your tree up and decorated, and if so when did that happen? If not, when will you be decking the halls?
This is an easy one for me, because I don't deck the halls.  We spend most of the month of December, if not all in Indiana with our son and his family.  The only thing I do before leaving is remove the fall decor and put up a small lighted tree that can be seen through the front door on a timer.  I can't imagine having to come back home in January and have to take down decorations I have not enjoyed.  So, we enjoy helping our Indiana family do their decorating and leave before it has to come down.  HA!

4. Solitaire-Poker-Rummy-Hearts-Go Fish-Old Maid...which game of cards would you most like to join? 

None.  Not really a card game player, but if I had to choose I guess it would be Solitaire.

5. This question comes to you courtesy of a Facebook friend, who once upon a time had a blog...When you're feeling stressed do you snack a lot or are you more the 'can't eat' type?
I am not a snacker, so this is not a temptation; however, the left-over Halloween candy has been a bit of a addiction temptation lately.  Stress really isn't a factor, I don't think.

6.  Have you ever reviewed a product or service on line? Was your review favorable or less than favorable? 

Never done this.

7. What was the best conversation you had yesterday? 

Hubby and I had a personal conversation after leaving the gym that lasted until we got home.  We just remained in the car together to finish talking it out and come to somewhat of a decision.  It is good to be able to have heart-to-heart talks with someone who knows you better than your self and whose wisdom you trust.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

A short while after our dad's death in 1994, Mother and my sisters and I wanted to do something as a memorial to him.  Because of his support and love for an area Christian Retreat Center and former school, we decided to donate a bench to be placed along side a pond under the large cypress trees.  We hoped that children, youth and adults who visited the camp would enjoy sitting there. 

 One of my sisters had a friend who did gorgeous stained glass designs in concrete benches, so we had her do one with one of Dad's favorite flowers, the Louisiana Iris.

During a recent Sister-Get-Together, I mentioned that it might be time to retrieve the bench and give it a member of the family so that it wouldn't be lost.  One of my nephews and his wife recently bought a lovely new Acadian home with a pond and moss-covered cypress trees in their front yard.  Because Eric had a very special relationship with our dad, I suggested that he be given the bench.  He could not have been more pleased.  And my sisters and I are excited that now it will be enjoyed and honored by someone who loved Daddy and it will remain in the family.

 

Hodgepodge Turkey Talk and Other Stuff

Wow, 150 Hodgepodges!  That is amazing!  That means 1,050 questions!

You continue to surprise us and challenge us, Joyce.  Thank you for doing this 150+ times.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Describe a typical Sunday from your childhood.
Sunday always meant Sunday School and Worship in the morning and Training Union and Worship in the evening.  Since my dad was the pastor and we lived in the parsonage right by the church building, there were no options.  Afternoons would have been spent playing and exploring in the nearby woods with friends and my sister.  There would have been hours of pretending squeezed between church services.  After church at night, we would always gather at ours or someone else's home for food, fun and games.  Wonderful memories!

2. How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.
Not comfortable at all!  My personality tends to manage and control so when there is uncertainty about anything, then I tend to want to take over and make sure there is abounding certainty.  Realizing this about myself doesn't always help, but I am at least aware that every situation doesn't always need my assistance and solving.  Hubby sure appreciates it when I step back at times.  Bless his heart!

3. What have you accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in 'arts and crafts' crafty?  If crafty doesn't work for you, how about handy? Or both?

I do not consider myself crafty unless you want to consider the macrame plant hangers we all made back in the 60's.

I no longer rehab furniture, sew, make stuff, or any of the other 'arts and crafts' things that used to take up my time.  And neither do I consider myself particularly handy.  I don't have to be when I have my own personal handy man around.  But, I have started painting if that fits into the arts part of arts and crafts.  These are a couple of my paintings.

4. Have you ever worked in a 'food place'? What did you take away from the experience?
Never!

5. Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey...in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.
Perhaps "talk turkey" most applies to me recently; however, there has been very little actually solved in all the turkey talk.  Issues still abound.

6. If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?
My parents.  After all these years, I still miss them greatly and long to just spend time with them.  I miss the table conversations we enjoyed, the laughter, the loving, the wisdom shared.

7. What is one thing you must accomplish today?
I must finish my preparations to teach an older adult lady's Sunday School class on Sunday.  I must do this in order to do the other things that must be done before the weekend is over.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We had the nicest FaceTime visit with our only grandson last night.  He is a busy college freshman, and football player, but he found the time to call and spend about 30 minutes visiting with us.  Is there anything more precious than spending time with your grands and especially at their initiative.   Thank you Jackson for making your grandparents very happy people last night.

 

So Many Ways to Wear Red

How I Wear My Red

 This past week I was featured by Adrienne on

The Rich Life on a Budget

for their November topic, "How I Wear My Jeans."

The December topic will be "How I Wear My Red," so since I wore Red yesterday, I thought I'd get a jump start.

I bought this lovely Preston & York basic dress a couple years ago.  Because I never wear anything only one way, I thought it would be fun to show how this Red dress can be changed and used for various occasions.  It is an ageless style.

One of the things I like about this style dress is it can be worn year round here in the south.   Let me show you only a few ways to make it the go-to dress for all seasons and occasions.

The simple neckline makes it fun to wear a variety of necklaces and scarves.

I am wearing black pumps in the picture above, but look how sassy a pair of leopard shoes look with red.

 That's the only touch of leopard you would need.  Or with a solid color shoe add a leopard cardigan or scarf.  It's a great combination, but just don't over do it.

  For cooler weather, I add a variety of jackets such as this multicolored from Coldwater Creek.

 This is such a versatile jacket because it goes with just about anything from a simple dress to a colorful tee and jeans.

Think about adding a khaki, navy or black jacket with coordinating accessories. 

 When you want to be less casual, add a vest or cardigan and flats or boots.

 For a special night out to the symphony, concert or date with your special man, simply add something with bling.

These are only a few ways to dress up or down a basic dress.

TIP:  Never buy an item of clothing unless you have at least 3 different ways to wear it.  This is how you will have a versatile and long lasting wardrobe.

This is "How I Wear My Red!"

How do you wear your's?

Monday Mingle

A Happy Birthday Weekend Trip

When I learned that pianist and good friend, Nelda, was playing for "Saturday Night Jazz on the Creek" in Salado, Texas, I knew where I wanted to spend my 69th birthday weekend.

Friday

Best friends, Judy and Tom were happy to go along, so West we went on Friday morning.

Nelda had recommended that we might enjoy eating that night at The Shed.

"A Unique Tavern Experience!"

Think of a casual, rustic spot to enjoy whatever ball game you may want, have a good quart jar full of sweet tea, and visit with friends. Throw in an order of their gourmet Frito Pie, Burgers, or Sliders, and THAT is The Shed!

Saturday

We realized that the happening place for breakfast was without a doubt McCain's Bakery & Cafe.

We quickly learned that McCain's is the early morning meeting place for locals as well a tourists.  And we understood why.  Lynette and her staff made us feel very welcome and the food was delicious.

Across the street from McCain's was an old log cabin that we learned was discovered in 1986 inside a house that was being torn down.  It is thought that it was probably build around 1850 and could have been a stage stop, a post office, and a school before being hidden inside the residence.

The other smaller log cabin was built in 1867 of hand-hewn, square cedar logs, joined by wooden pegs.  It was restored in 1955.  There were so many interesting details on this old cabin.

Judy and I

Salado has the reputation as the "Best Art Town in Texas."
I found this bicycle bedecked fence to be interestingly creative.

Main Street is a lively marketplace with over 60 shops and artists galleries. You will find fine art, antiques, pottery, crafts, collectibles, Americana, southwest or south-of-the-border decor, handcrafted furniture, trendy or exclusive fashions, gourmet foods and wines. 

It is a great weekend get-a-way. 

This particular weekend, there was a crafts market on main street.

We enjoyed browsing through many of the small shops and found some good buys and some buys better left where they were.

 A Texas Christmas

Saturday evening we had reservations at

Alexander's Restaurant & Lounge @ Inn on the Creek

for dinner and the Saturday Night Jazz on the Creek performance by Nelda from the 3rd floor balcony.

The Inn is on the left and Alexander's on right

The mike is waiting for 9 PM and Tony.

 The dinner was delicious

and we were so excited to see our friend Nelda again.

 The outdoor concert from 9 to 11 was so much fun even though the weather turned quite chilly and moist.  Nelda asked if I had a favorite jazz piece she could play for me and I told her I really didn't but I love Malaguena.  Her reply was, "You would!"  But in spite of having frozen fingers and a wet keyboard, she surprised me with a beautiful rendition.  Now, that's a good friend.

Thank you Nelda.  You are still amazing!

Tony and Nelda

It was a great birthday weekend and I am so glad we could share it with good friends.

Thank you, my sweet Hubby!

Sisters, Burning Leaves & Peanut Butter

Answering questions posed by Joyce for

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. My sister is celebrating a birthday today. Happy Birthday little sis! What's one way you're like your siblings?  If you don't have siblings how are you like your lifelong best friend or cousin?
My two sisters and I don't have a lot in common.  We don't look alike.  Our taste in clothing is different.  Our taste in home decor is different.  Our life styles are different.  But, what we do have in common is our love for and commitment to each other.  Since the death of our parents, we are committed to spending time together.  We look forward to having a Sister Get-Together at least twice a year and any other time we can squeeze in.

2.  What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of yourself at age eighteen?
A scared college freshman, living away from home for the first time without a dime to my name.  Thank goodness there were a lot of us in the same boat, so I didn't feel so alone.

3. Sculptor-actor-painter-dancer...if you could excel in one of these arts, which would you choose and why?
Definitely a painter!  I have always wanted to paint and only recently have I acted upon that desire.  Excel?  Probably will never happen.

4. What's a scent that takes you back in time, and where does it take you?
The smell of burning leaves takes me back to my childhood in south central Louisiana.  After raking the leaves that had fallen from the huge old oak trees around our home, we would have a big burning.  Sometimes we could get close enough to roast marshmallows.  Yes, those were the days.

5. November is for Peanut Butter Lovers (National Peanut Butter Lovers Month).  Are you a lover or a hater?  What's your favorite dish/recipe that calls for peanut butter?
LOVER!  BIG LOVER!  Just give me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  It must be mixed well with grape jelly!  I even like to add sliced banana.  My most favorite flavor is Yogurt Peanut Butter made at the R&S Store in Shipshwana, Indiana.

6. What do people thank you personally for most often?
This is a hard question.  I guess lately its been thanks for featuring friends on my blog.  I have so enjoyed spotlighting some very special ladies in my life and they have expressed such heart-felt gratitude.  Every one of them has said something like, "No one has ever done anything like this for me before."  That brings me joy!

7. What event this year are you most thankful for?
Another hard one because there have been some events that I am NOT thankful for that I allow to overshadow the good ones.  But, to narrow it down to one, it would be the month we spent in Indiana with our son and his family.  There were many events taking place during that time such as soccer tournaments, orchestra concerts, granddaughter being inducted into Junior Honor Society, Regional, State & National Rugby Championships, and only grandson graduating from high school.  Not to mention just being with this precious family for a concentrated period of time.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

My daughter-in-love sent me this picture of granddaughter #4 last week, all dressed up for a Halloween party.

2013

It reminded me of a Halloween seven years earlier when she was another little kitty cat.

2007

Now I ask you, is she not the cutest little kitten you've ever seen whether age 7 or 14?