OUCHIE!!!

Yesterday, I had a not very positive run-in with a not very pleasant Yellow Jacket. For those of you who are not familiar with this lovely addition to the open spaces of the Southland let me tell you how blessed you are! In general during the spring and summer they are relatively harmless and not aggressive. As fall approaches, this changes, and they become like little monsters on crack with a high level of aggression.

Last evening as I was walking into my parent’s home and attempting to herd my children in without letting them get stung by this insidious creature I got strung!!! The little bugger popped me right in the center of my forehead. OUCHIE!!! There isn’t a lot of padding in that area and a sting right there was quite painful. DH immediately swung into action and got me Benadryl (sp) so the swelling was very little last night.

This morning my forehead feels a bit better but my left eye is puffy and swollen...a really good look for me. Needless to say, I won't be leaving the house today!

BooMama's Bloggy Home Tour, Part I

Another Blogger of note, http://boomama.blogspot.com/, has herself a bloggy home tour going on and I thought I would jump in an invite y'all into my little home.

Come on in, ya'll!

Keep scrolling down for the rest of the tour!

BooMama's Bloggy Home Tour, Part II

This is our family room where all the action takes place! The children are generally in residence along with a plethora of toys. I am struggling with the color of the family room these days (see post below) and want to have it painted something bolder!

Family Room view from kitchen

This is our formal living room where the blog happens. You can see my computer armoire on the right side (this view is from the family room). My plan for this room is go get rid of the sofa and chair and replace them with a couple of comfy leather club chairs/ottoman and some nice book shelves. The room has 4 windows and doors on the other 2 wall so large pieces don't work in there. The computer armoire is actually sitting at an angle and partially in front of a window!


Breakfast area where we eat most of our meals, do crafts, school work and lots of other activities.

Kitchen! My plans here include changing out the appliances to black...one day. Can I fix you a glass of sweet tea or cup of coffee while you are here?

This is our formal dining room. We enjoy using it even on "non-holidays".

I love houses and especially those that become homes. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time in the place God has blessed for us. This is a link about a post I did some months ago concerning my "house love" Southern Somedays: Homes

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almight."

Psalm 91:1 (NIV)

Heat, heat go away!

I will be the first to admit that although it is very hot where I live it isn't as hot as some other areas. I am also blessed to be able to exist primarily in A/C so the heat is only a mild annoyance. BUT I am really tired of the close to 100 degree days and no rain. My garden looks so very sad and it is so humid I just don't want to go outside. So, here's to cooler thoughts.....

Decorating, Redecorating, Decorating, Redecorating....

I have to preface this entry by saying my dear husband (DH) is a fantastic and amazingly patient man. He is also a superior painter...not by trade but by talent. He has patiently painted in all our homes (interior walls/trim) as I have desired without ever questioning my choices or complaining. I like to think that is because we have the same taste in decor. I also like to think he is a Saint!
We have been working/redecorating the house we currently own since we bought it 2-1/2 years ago. The family room has been painted and has new window treatments, light/fan fixtures, blinds, etc. Last spring I had some of my sofa cushion recovered. This week I have decided I don’t like the color on the walls. It just doesn’t pop, if you know what I mean. So, a couple of nights ago, at dinner (all homemade, including the bread!), I kind of sprung the idea of re-painting the family room. I expected him to turn me down flat but this amazing man just said, “OK, What color?” So, that is the million dollar question:
What color?

The next day....

Alright, I took the test. I got (drum roll please) a 92! Can you believe that???? WHAT am I supposed to do now? I was debating on just not taking it; and maybe just dropping it. Why can't this ever be easy?

I got the Math Class blues......

For those of you who don't know, I am a "non-traditional" student who is back in school again! This term has found me tackling my greatest nemesis....Math. I am enrolled in only 1 class which is sort of a combo of College Algebra, statistics with a nice dose of finance just for good measure. It was supposedly the easier of my 2 options. HA! I suppose that means I am complete numbers idiot. I have taken 1 test so far in this class and I made a humiliating 64 (class average was 59, so I guess I should be proud). This is the first test that I have made less than an 85 in since I returned to school and I am quite fond of my 3.91 GPA. I have received only one non-A since starting back a year and a half ago -- Economics, in which I got a stinking B, which dropped my GPA from a 4.0 to the lovely 3.91! I was an Art major all those years ago...this kind of thing is not my greatest strength.

Unfortunately things don't look as if they will improve with the test I am to take tomorrow. I think I really should have taken this class on campus as opposed to online...I just got all whinny about the gas prices and my kids are out of school so I didn't want to haul off to campus several times a week. I am wondering if I should drop it, but then I remember how much I paid to take it and I feel sick.

Spaceship Earth

A few nights ago, dear husband (DH) and I had a wonderful visit with some friends, Joe & Brenda Rueffert and mutual friend Eino. For DH and I this was an evening of character. Joe and Eino are both blessed with an over abundance of personality so we were kept in stitches alternating with amazement at the conversation that flowed and the wild directions it went.


Joe and Brenda have been part of my life since early childhood and have known DH and I our entire time together which is over 20 years (yikes, is that possible?). Their daughter, Sonja, was one of my best friends through out life. She is the one girlfriend that I always managed to stay in contact with no matter where in the world we lived. We literally grew up together but manage to keep the ties of friendship bound. She was taken from this world 2 and half years ago and I still miss her. Her parents have remained great friends to us and I always feel like I am going out with Sonja when I am with them. I spent so much time in their home as a child and was influenced so much by them it is more like family.

Eino, is a sculptor and friend who we met through the Ruefferts. Before going out to dinner we stopped by Eino’s (http://www.eino.org/Fea_spac.html) most recent project....His sculpture called, Spaceship Earth. Spaceship Earth is a mammoth project designed as a memorial to David Brower. It consists of 85 separate pieces of Brazilian blue quartzite woven together in an amazing feat of engineering. Each piece was cut on-site in Brazil, where Eino spent many months working and then shipped to the U.S. It is being installed on the Kennesaw State University campus in Kennesaw, GA. When completed it is estimated to weigh in at 350,000 lbs. Also included on Spaceship Earth with be a life size bronze figure of Brower. DH was instrumental in acquiring supplies/sponsorship for Spaceship Earth during his time with Saint Gobain Industries so he has watched this project from conception with great interest. We can’t wait until the official unveiling in September! Here is a link to information about Spaceship Earth’s installation, along with a link to a live web cam of the progress. It is very, very interesting.http://www.kennesaw.edu/spaceshipearth/webcam.shtml

DH checks out the David Brower bronze.
DH, Eino & Joe

Dreams change

The mountains of North Georgia are my past but still so much of my present. At times I have lived far away and in flat-land, and would long to see the mountains and the green that is only found there. It is probably no coincidence that my favorite color is green in all its many faces. The only place that I have lived that I didn’t find myself missing the North Georgia mountains was in Upstate NY, were the mountains are like a long lost twin to many areas in North Georgia (but with more snow!).

I always thought that I would have a house (really not more than a cottage) on the lake where I grew up someday, for at least a weekend place. I didn’t think I would ever live there full-time but would spend free times there with my children giving them experiences I had growing up. We would spend holidays close to family and friends. I now know that is not to be, and I have mourned my little dream in weeks of late. I even had a rough floor plan of the changes I would want to make to the house I thought we would inhabit to make it work for my family on our little holidays. I dreamed of the kinds of weekends I had seen others who vacationed there have...friends, family and just a merry holiday spirit. But, plans change and people don’t always do what was planned or what they say. You find new dreams.

A final 4th update:

Fire on the mountain above Helen, GA


















To wrap up the 4th of July we decided to head northward to Helen, GA to watch the fireworks display. Within minutes of the display beginning a spark apparently ignited a fire on the mountain that overlooks the little town. North Georgia is experiencing drought conditions and this particular mountain was also the victim of a tornado last year so dried wood and underbrush is readily available and provide the perfect "fire starter" material. So, the crowds went from seeing fireworks to watching the fire. Amazingly enough, the town continued with the fireworks display after about a 30 minute break (I guess they decided since the fire department was already on site???? or maybe they didn't think anyone was leaving anyway and the only way to clear the town was to continue???). It was surreal to watch the fire buring on the mountain behind as the fireworks went up. We left before the mountain fire was extinguished so I don't know the extent of the damage. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any homes in close proximity to this fire (at least I pray not!). Here is a link to the local news info.: http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/White-News.asp?ID=2271

It's the 4th and I am proud of MY Flag!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Fireworks over Scotia, NY 2003

Happy 4th, all! This hasn't been a traditional 4th for my family as my oldest DS has been sick all weekend. This morning is the first morning he didn't wake up with a fever. We took him to the Dr. yesterday and he has bronchitis. He has felt miserable all weekend as our plans for the long holiday weekend had to be cancelled. His sweet Daddy has told him he will take Friday as a vacation day so that we can have a "re-do" on some of our plans for the weekend. Now, that is a good Dad!

So, since we have cancelled all other 4th of July plans, the "boys" are in the backyard building a bridge. DH took both boys and started this project this morning. They are building a bridge so that the riding lawn mower will be able to access the lower area of our backyard (currently there are a couple of big rocks that are causing a limited access). We do have strange topography in our backyard. It is very steep and wooded but has 2 fairly level terraces so this bridge is supposed to help. Either way, the DS#1 and DS#2 thought it was a way cool way to spend the day. They also have a big pot of boiled peanuts over the fire for snacking later in the day! Just watching them I can tell they all pretty much feel like "it don't get no better than this". LOL

I have missed the traditional 4th festivities a bit; but a nice low key, quiet weekend isn't too bad either.

Tonight I am sure we will find somewhere to watch fireworks (because we can't miss THAT!).

Happy 4th of July and Happy Birthday, America

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream.

It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Ronald Reagan

Dark Tater

Even though this little man has never seen the movies that accompany the get up...he likes it (now that is marketing, eh?).