Update and more of the same

I am sure that my friend bloggers have given up all hope on me.  I am trying to get my ducks in a row, literally, to start doing some day to day blogging.  I don't know how people do it.  I enjoy reading blogs so much, that I fall behind in blogging with my reading.  On Tues. I had almost 500 to catch up and today I did catch up.  Plus, I just don't have all of the lovely table accessories that you all have. I have gotten rid of so much since we gave up our own home almost 4 years ago.  I gave a teapot collection to our oldest daughter along with various other dishes, and a service of 12 crystal to our son.  Daily, I try to come up with new ideas to do some things.  At 73, my crafting days are somewhat limited.  I do so enjoy what you young ones are doing but, I just don't have the creative desire anymore.

Aren't my knockout roses beautiful!!  Even before the grass is green.

I finally got the table and chairs painted.  It took something like 8 cans of paint.  We did invest in a new umbrella.

This is our pink knockout rose that we planted last year.  You can see the blackberry bush in the background which is loaded with blooms now.  There are lots of berries, just hope the birds don't get them so we can have a cobbler or two.

These are two old rusty plant stands that were my Mother's.  My daughter ended up with them somehow and I didn't know they were here until last weekend.  She drug them out, put them together and I gave them a new paint job.  I'll take some photos this weekend and show you how they look now.

I love how my roses look in these pictures.  As you know, Oklahoma has been hit with tornadoes, rain and hail for the past week.  We really dodged it on Monday afternoon when the tornado sirens went off and things got pretty scary.  Once again, we dodged the bullet, things were torn up south of us in Norman where the OU campus is located and northeast of us where lives were lost and many homes and subdivisions destroyed.  My rose bushes are now pretty much bare and what did hang on are pretty sad looking.  I am not complaining as this is certainly nothing compared to  others who lost so much.  We are supposed to have 80% chance of rain and storms thru the weekend.  God willing keep us all safe.

Graduation

1. Please share one memory of your high school graduation. Pics would be great!
At my high school we wore white formals and carried a dozen red roses, you could never do that today.
2. What is one "emergency use" item you keep in your vehicle at all times?
Hmmm...a spare tire and a jack and hopefully my cell phone if I didn't forget it!
3. In your region, do you celebrate graduation open houses?
Oh gosh, we didn't have open houses per se, but we did have teas, al fresco parties, this was the deep south, what would you expect?
4. Tell me one truth you believe about motherhood.
It just gets better every year!
5. What was the last thing you broke?
I'm not too bad about breaking things, probably something in the garbage disposal like a spoon.
6. On average, how many pieces of junk mail do you receive daily?
3
7. Do you like to shop by catalog?
Yes, anything and everything!
8. Is lawn maintenance at your house a "his job," a "her job" or "his/her job" or "that's why we have teenagers" job?
Definitely a "his job" with a boy in training.
9. Which room would you like to redecorate in your home?
great room, kitchen, conjoined.
10. Do you read a newspaper regularly, or do you read most of your news on line?
We are pretty obsessed with the newspaper.
11. Do you believe everything happens for a reason?
Absolutely. There is a plan and we aren't privy to it.
12. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
I don't quite think these are much different!  One should do the right things the right way.

Relapse

Sorry I have not been blogging, however, we have had a relapse of all of our allergy problems. Coughing again at night and generally feeling lousy during the day.

We made it through the storms last night. It is always scary when the tornado sirens go off. We dodged the bullet again. We had hail, some winds and rain, but otherwise, made it okay. So many didn't. Houses torn asounder and many lost keepsakes, however, that is a small price to pay with lives at stake. So sorry for all of you who lost so much.

I had a nice Mothers Day. Out to eat with all the kids here, and phone calls from the two in Shreveport. Flowers, books, knitted sweater, Billie Joel/Elton John concert, what more could a Mama want.

Hope you all have a good week, and Kansas stays intact!!

Two weeks til beach time in Florida with the whole family, can't wait! We plan on going even if the beaches are ruined with oil.

Out and About

Our plants are growing by leaps and bounds.  The roses probably have twice this many blooms on them today.

Here are some new pictures in the front.  We got the impatiens in this past weekend.  They love this area so I'll give you another look in a couple of weeks.

This is a sweet potato vine, can't wait until it starts to grow.

The above is a Hot Chocolate Rose that I planted a few weeks ago.  Can't wait to see a bloom.

This is the fern we bought in Shreveport.  It is getting huge.  Guess it likes it here.

I warned you that we were football fans.  Isn't our little OU gnome just the cutest!!!!

Have a great evening!

Paint Projects

It was absolutely gorgeous her last week, so I took advantage and did my paint projects.  This old wicker chair and table were the remains of a set we bought 8 or 10 years ago.  We had thought we would just trash them, however, I decided to try an overhaul paint job and maybe, just maybe, we could get another year of so out of them.  You can see they were pretty grungy, embarrassing in fact.

 Here is the finished product and with new red and gold cushions, it looks pretty good.

You do have a horse on your patio don't you?  Or is that only "us folks" that live with a three year old cowboy.

Here is Winston outside again harrassing the birds.  He is such a coward he would take off for the door if they got near him.

More projects to follow.  Have a great day!

Centerpiece

This is a new centerpiece, of course, still haven't finished it.  I need to get placemats and candles, but I do love that sweet little bird in the cloche.

Cookbooks

In 1979  I started buying Southern Living Annual Recipes Cookbooks.  I now have all of them.  I didn't know it was going to turn into a collection but I guess it has.  I love cookbooks, and love to read them.  I have all of Paula's, Ina's which are my favorites, and a few of Rachel Ray's along with so many others. 

These are the SL's as you can see.

These are just a few scattered around the kitchen.  I have them in baskets in the kitchen and on shelves in the garage.

Have had a busy last few days with painting projects outside enjoying the balmy breezes. 

More later, have a good evening!