Category: Lifestyle

One of my high school friends, Betsy, is always making something. A bench, a table, cute signs, shelves….you name it! Several weeks ago I sent her a text telling her we should make this snowman sign I’d found. She agreed that it looked like a fun project. I also requested a tray. I gave her the dimensions, the color and told her I wanted an “F” on it. She finished it this week. Isn’t it cute? It’s exactly what I imagined for the living room to set on the sectional to sit my coffee on in the mornings. We are still working on Frosty’s finishing touches but we’re both super happy with how he’s turning out. My gift to myself yesterday……playing over at Betsy’s house. I love a good craft day! Activity 40 minute strength training. She’s really switching up the workouts for me and I like that! Breakfast 1 […]

My gift to myself yesterday? A Winter Workshop making a pot for the front porch. This was such a fun afternoon. The weather here was sunny and unseasonably warm and the greenhouse we were at was beautiful! I believe you can do spring pots in a class there as well. I’ll go back next year to do this class again for sure. I may have to go back this week and get everything to make a second pot for the front porch! This is my friend Carly, and whether it’s a concert, a candle light yoga class or a winter workshop, she’s always coming up with fun things for us to do! We had a great time at Colonial Gardens in Blue Springs, Missouri. The fee of the class included a container full of compost and a bundle of fun things to arrange in your pot. It felt like you […]

Well, we did it. I’m exhausted but happy. One oven, dinner for 30 at noon on Thanksgiving Day. Turkey, ham, dressing and rolls baked in the oven and served warm. Thank goodness for crockpots to keep the potatoes warm. Tess worked out a timeline for me on Wednesday that included me getting up to put the turkey in the oven at 4:00 am and set the frozen rolls out to rise at 5:30, so I did. I never did go back to bed. Coffee. Although I bought a turkey and had a meat shop smoke it to simplify things, it still needed to be warmed in the oven for three hours, then carved, then kept warm. Then the ham needed over an hour in the oven to warm, glaze, slice, keep warm. I’ve always admired my mother in law and how she can fill up her home with all of […]

A few weeks ago I had decided that it would be fun to have Effie here for Thanksgiving. Kate and Shelby and their kids have camped with us and I’ve had a few of the grandkids over to play in her in my dads backyard, but there are still several family members that haven’t been blessed with her fabulousness. My dad and stepmom won’t be able to be here on Thanksgiving Day, so going to their house to get Effie was a great opportunity to also get in a visit with Tess and Manuel. We had a good chat and Dad always has fun showing off some of his toys. Remember Francis the piano? That piano belonged to my dads mom. In 2007 Dad bought a player piano and needed a place for the other piano (now named Francis) and I was eager to have her. Yesterday we enjoyed the […]

Tess brought me coffee in bed and we hadn’t sat in bed together having coffee in forever. It was a great way to start my day. My Gift to Myself? After coffee, I went for a two hour massage that included hot stones, a facial massage and a peppermint foot scrub. I walked out feeling relaxed and happy. Activity Tess and Manuel ran a few errands for me while I got my workout in which was a 40 minute lower body workout that left this 55 year old feeling strong! We then spent the afternoon making arrangements for the tables for Thanksgiving. I requested a steak dinner at home. Manuel has spent a lot of time mastering the art of grilling and I knew he’d grill us the perfect steak, and he did. While he did the steaks, Tess prepared Brussels Sprouts. Mike and I sat at the bar and […]

Hello 55. I hope you’re kind to me. It was a busy day here yesterday wrapping up “things to do” around the house. Mike had Malik, the oldest grandson, over to help rake up all of those beautiful leaves that have fallen. Except of course for this oak tree, which now drops acorns like no other! Manuel vacuumed the basement for me and then he went over to Jake’s new house a block away and mowed the yard while Jake continues to work on a few inside projects! Our kids have picked the best spouses! Seriously though, it is so nice to have them here. My mom came over for a bit and had a cup of coffee with Tess and I. We then filled up the house yesterday afternoon to see how the new furniture is going to work out. Oh…….and we have a rug!! Our daughter Anne and […]

Tess and Manuel spent the day on the road and arrived yesterday around 5:00. I’ll start with my gift to myself yesterday. A little time spent out here visiting with Tess while Mike and Manuel got caught up inside. I love this space so much. We finished it March 1, 2020. Then the country closed up and we didn’t really get to share it with anyone. Enjoying the deck with a fire going is one of my favorite things to do, and being able to share this with Tess last night made it even better! I hope the weather allows us to do this several times over the next week. Being able to use this space on Thanksgiving would be SO helpful! Tess and Manuel will be here for a week and we’ve got some catching up to do. Mike and I spent last Thanksgiving alone as I know many […]

My gift to myself yesterday? Not this mug, but I guess kinda. I think it’s pretty darn cute. I found it at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Don’t mind the chipped nails and white paint. My gift to myself yesterday was being home alone, tunes cranked, paintbrush in hand and a beer. You know the saying….Dance like nobody’s watching? It’s that kind of a moment for me when I’m home alone and crank the tunes. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid when I was home alone after school. Music makes me happy. I’d choose it over TV any day. Sometimes with the music playing, I’m singing and cooking. Maybe I’m singing and organizing a cabinet or drawer. Yesterday I was singing and painting bar stools and jamming out to Joss Stone. In between paint strokes, I danced. It was late in the afternoon and this was one of those […]

Hi Friends! I’ve got my coffee and my pen and paper (old school here) getting ready to make a grocery list. Today I’ve got groceries to buy for Thanksgiving, a house to clean and a fireplace to paint. Our timing for this living room update is impeccable! Sheeesh!! But no pressure. Honestly last night I was thinking about all of the things I’d like to have done by the time we host dinner next week, and I realized that I wasn’t stressed about any of it. Tess and I were talking on the phone late last night and as we were making plans for grocery shopping and a few things that need to be done, I realized I wasn’t feeling anxious about any of it. We agreed that we are so excited about the fact that we get to celebrate together this year after cancelling last year, that it was […]

Yesterday was just an all around great day. Except for food. My food choices yesterday left little to be desired in nutritional or aesthetic value. I’m still sharing because this daily blogging and accountability thing I’ve got going is feeling good and it’s working both physically and mentally. The Piano Man had to cancel so Mike decided we could move it with some help from our friend Ryan. I don’t think Ryan realized what he was in for when Mike reached out to “move something”. Moving a 500 lb piano on new wood floors is NO JOKE. After a few tips on the phone from the Piano Man, Mike and Ryan lifted one side while I was on the ground pushing a comforter underneath, followed with a caster. Then the other side. With the blanket in place and four casters under the wheels, they slid it into place while I […]