Family love & Creativity

1. What are some memories you associate with spring? Easter celebrations with my family and outings to the park. Pictures from 1960's, 1990's and last week.

2. April showers bring May flowers...was that saying proven true where you live? Snapdragons, anemones, carnations, lilacs, sweet peas, tulips, lily of the valley, orchids, roses, gardenias...which one on that list is your favorite May bloom?

Roses! It will be another few weeks before my plumerias start blooming.

3. What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them? Cellphone, Television and my crafts. I go outside to read my bible and enjoy the weather. I hope to get back to the gym pretty soon.

4. Do you eat beef? In the course of a week, how often is beef on the menu? A hamburger, steak, prime rib, or a roast beef dinner...which beef entree would you choose and yes you have to choose. Unless you're a vegan, and then you may pass. I do like beef but don't eat it often because I have high cholesterol. I love it all. This past weekend we found a Mexican fast food place that had mini soft tacos with all kinds of meat including lamb which I love.

5. In what way were you creative during the month of April? I was very creative. I just completed a virtual cruise to Hawaii. We made a booklet of our travels and I was able to use many of my actual pictures of my trips to Hawaii. I am in a crafting group called Fussy Cutin Cuties. We get lots of printables each month to decorate our planners. We "visit" a different location each month. It is a good way to learn about new places. We went to Australia in January and next month we are going to South Africa. This is a page I did for a challenge. Use watercolor, printables and stamps. I also included material(towel) and added the material bow,

My April Hexie page for FCC.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I am blessed to be retired. I can enjoy my family, grandkids and my crafting. Hubby and enjoy our hobbies. Now that we are vaccinated, we are going back to church activities.

Tuesday 4

Lets discuss the times we live in.

1. What changes are you grateful for? How have things changed in your life time? I am 65 and I have seen a lot of changes good and bad but I will well on the good. I am thankful for the God given marvels of medicine. I am thankful for the positive effects of technology. Phones, computers and more. I am thankful that education has been enhanced with modern technology. During Covid, I was really blessed to see church services from various churches. Mostly happy to be able to connect to family and friends through Social technology. Glad that the grands could stay connected with school and friends with technology. I am thankful for being able to meet many women online through various groups. 

I really enjoy my Bible journaling groups and my crafting group. I recently took a virtual cruise to Hawaii with about 200 women. It was a lot of fun to experience with women from the US and other countries. But this is not knew to me. Twenty years ago I met a whole online community of country graphic lovers. We were from all over the world. We had webhomes and we visited each other. We sent gifts(graphics) to each other. We even had exchanges at Christmas and did card exchanges. We got to know each other. It is how I met Toni and Lori. So I am thankful to technology for all  that it provides and keeping us connected with others. But there has to be a balance. So I take the time I need

to get away from technology to read my Bible and work on my journaling and crafts. To go outside and enjoy nice weather. To spend time with my family. To spend time with God.

2. Did your parents have things better than you today? I think my parents made the most of what they had to work with. Mom had to cook meals without the use of a microwave while we

were kids. She worked full time so she did meal prep and taught me how to cook when I was young. 

3. What time period would you rather live in.. or are you okay with today? I am fine with living today with my family. I do miss our big family gatherings that we had prior to Covid.

4. What changes would you make for our time to make it nicer/better to live in? I am a realist. I have no control of others. I am accountable to God for my thoughts and actions. I pray for me to look past the differences and remember who I am in God.  I am far from perfect and have been through things that have opened my eyes to many things, good and bad. But I will continue to try to look to the positive and not dwell on the negative. I try to be kind. I try to follow the teachings of Jesus. If everyone read His Word and followed with true heart actions, the world would be a better place. God created all men(women) and we are created in His Image. Prayer can change things. Love wins over hate. I pray that I am a positive influence to others. God bless you!

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Hebrews 12:14   Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Happy Birthday to my daughter Renee and my grandson Elijah!

Saturday 9: Don't Rain on My Parade (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 1) Is rain expected where you are today? No, sunny and 81.

2) In this song, Barbra Streisand warns everyone to not spoil her optimistic mood. What is something you're feeling really good about today? Time with my grandkids in between "cruise" classes.

 

3) She sings that life is candy and the sun is a ball of butter. Which have you consumed more recently, candy or butter? Butter, I have it with my toast.

4) This song is from the musical Funny Girl. It's based on the true story of Fanny Brice, who starred on Broadway, in movies and on the radio between 1910 and 1951. At the beginning of her career, no one thought she would succeed because of her unconventional looks, but she forged ahead, saying, "I make things happen for me." Are you focused, like Fanny? I can be but I also deal with ADD. Now that I have tinnitus, I try to stay busy so I don't hear the ringing in my ears. It is really weird. For days I have heard it in my right ear but it switched to the left. But actually it is coming from my brain.

5) When the stage version of Funny Girl was in pre-production, the part of Fanny was offered to actress Anne Bancroft, but she felt the songs were too difficult for her. Singer Eydie Gorme dropped out when told her husband, Steve Lawrence, could not play the male lead. Carol Burnett said she'd love to do it, but also admitted she thought she was wrong for the role. Running out of time and options, producer Ray Stark decided to give lesser-known Barbra Streisand a try ... and the rest, as they say, is history. Has there ever been a time in your life when you were glad things didn't work out as you'd originally planned? I would say yes, but I can't think of anything right now.

 

6) Funny Girl was the top grossing movie of 1968. #2 was 2001: A Space Odyssey. Given the choice, would you rather watch a musical or a sci-fi flick? A musical! I love musicals. They remind me of my parents. I got to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway with them.  I have seen all the Star Wars and Star Trek movies.

7) Streisand's favorite color is burgundy because it reminds her of when, as a little girl, she received a hand-knitted sweater as a gift and wearing it made her feel special. What color is your favorite sweater?

I have several black sweaters that I like to wear. black goes with many things. I have one that is cashmere and it was my moms.

8) In 1960, she began performing in New York clubs but she had a hard time getting work because she was only 18 and most nightclubs wouldn't hire a girl not yet old enough to drink. Do you remember your first legal alcoholic beverage? What did you have? I was with my parents and it was wine. 

9) Random question: How many people know the real you? Really know me??? Two. My cousin and my sister. Funny thing is it took me years for me to accept the real me. There was freedom when I finally could be the real me instead of the girl I was expected to be. Everyone thought I was the studious perfect person. But though I enjoyed learning, I had a creative side to me that wanted to come out and play.  So now I am playing. I have been away at a virtual craft cruise. It ends on Sunday. I plan to do a page on what I did and share some of my projects. I will leave you with this page.

1. What is something you currently find 'taxing'?  The ringing in my ear. I have developed tinnitus. I think I have had it awhile, but it wasn't bad enough to get to me. I went to an ear doctor and they tested my hearing. I have lost hearing in my right ear. I am not surprised because of the infections I have had. The ringing wasn't to bad when I saw him. But yesterday it got worse. The doctor said it is common with hearing loss and they can't do anything because it is coming from the brain as it tried to compensate for the hearing loss. So I guess I will just have to accept it. I already sleep with a fan.

2. I've seen this question asked in various forms on several social media sites...you can only keep three-

coffee, jewelry, tacos, wine, books, dogs, chocolate, Netflix, make-up, leggings, cheese, cats. I would choose my jewelry, my dog and books which would include my Bibles.

3. Tell us something you know or have learned about forgiveness? Forgiving is something God wants us to do. For the most part, it can be done. But it is hard to forget the issue that caused the need for forgiveness. For instance, my ex brother in law divorcing my sister. This happened many years ago. But it really bothered me for many years. My sister lost a husband we lost a friend. I was mad at him for a long time. I have to pray for God to help me to forgive when hurt. After all, He forgives all my sins!

4. What's something you'd recommend that is often overlooked and under appreciated? My health and getting enough exercise. I wish I would have taken it more seriously. Now my body is having to deal with the lack of exercise, especially when I hit menopause. 

5. Give us a favorite word that starts with letter K and tell us why this is the one you chose. Knowledge came to my mind. I have had the opportunity to learn many things. But if I don't apply what I have learned, my knowledge goes to waste. It doesn't matter how old we are, we can always learn and make changes based on that knowledge.

6. Insert your own random thought here-I am looking forward to my virtual online cruise. It is called  Set, Sail and Stamp by Crafty Destinations. It is a crafting event. We will be "going " to Hawaii! I have been to Hawaii 4 times so I am all excited. I decorated my crafty corner with things I have collected from my visits.

Weather or Not

Weather or Not

Welcome once again to Tuesday 4 begun by Toni Taddeo and kept alive in her memory.

Let's discuss the weather...

1. Spring is here. What do you like or dislike about it weather wise? I like spring, perfect weather, birds singing and great for sitting outside. I like to see the buds on the trees. My roses are blooming and the plumerias are coming back! The only bad thing is the nasty mosquitos! 

2. How do you fare in humidity? Do you fade or come alive ? We don't get much humidity here in So. Calif.

3. Do rainy days bother you or are you happy for an occasional break from the sunshine? I enjoy rainy days. We need the rain over here and I like the smell.

4. In your opinion, what is the best thing about each season? We don't get snow here locally, just in our mountains. Fall does not arrive until the end of October. I like to see the trees turn color. I like the cooler air and decorating for the season. Our winters are pretty mild, getting down to the 50's on the average for day and 30's at night. Summers are hot. From July until October we can have many days in the high 90's and 100's One day we got up to 117 but that was a freak things. I hate the 100's and stay inside. I like to to to the beach when it is really hot, but then so does everyone else! We will see what happens this year.

The Bones (2019)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The lyrics compare a relationship to a house, saying that despite superficial problems like peeling paint or broken glass, the foundation can still be solid and strong. What home improvement project is next on your list? We want to paint our kitchen cabinets white. We are having an appraisal done on Thursday. We also want to have the outside of the house painted. I plan to paint the two grand kids rooms also.

2) Maren Morris sings that she knows she and her lover can face any storm. Are you afraid of thunder and lightening? Only if it is really close. We don't get it very often.

3) The video for this song shows Maren and her husband, singer/songwriter Ryan Hurd, on the beach in Maui. Would you rather go for a long walk along a beach or a hike in the woods? I like both. We have plans to go to Maui in late fall. Depends on what our time share has open. They are not booking to capacity at this point.

 

4) "The Bones" won Morris and her collaborators (Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz) the 2020 CMA "Song of the Year" Award. Here's your chance to pat yourself on the back. What's something you have done well lately? (Go ahead. We want to hear about it!) Doing things with my grands is the most important thing for me. Bible jouranling is one of the things I like to do with them.

5) The song was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song. For the awards show last month, Maren put a lot of work into her look, including lightening her hair and lipstick and reshaping her brows. She was surprised when saw on social media that people confused her with reality star Khloe Kardashian. How long does it take you to prepare to face the world (on an average day, not for an internationally telecast awards show)? I don't wear makeup very often . I wash my face and put on a moisturizer. I will put something under my eyes to help with the dark circles I inherited from my dad. I will put one some makeup when I go to church. I use mascara and eyeliner. I don't wear lipstick since we still wear a mask in public.

 

6) Experimenting with hair and makeup comes naturally to Maren. Her parents have owned the same hair salon for decades. She and her sister played there as children and took turns working the reception desk when they were in high school. Do you have a hair appointment scheduled? I just had hair cut a couple of weeks ago and went shorter and had my layers defined. I color my own hair about every 6 weeks.

 

7) Mom and Dad do not go out of their way to play Maren's songs in their salon. They don't want to "bombard" clients with her music, just because she's their daughter. But, if one of Maren's songs happens to come on, they are naturally very proud. Where were you the last time you had to listen to someone else's choice of music? (Bank, doctor's office, friend's car, etc.) Did you enjoy it, or did you wish you could change the station? I would say Hobby Lobby. I enjoy the music they play. I tend to take my time when I am there once again now that I have had my vaccines.

 

8) Maren says her favorite foods are tacos and tortillas. When did you most recently eat Mexican food? On Tuesday. We had chicken and steak soft tacos with beans and rice. We used the meat we made for Easter.

9) Random question: What do you call that thing in your living room? Is it a sofa, couch, or a davenport? We call it a couch and we spend too much time on it which is not good. Today's title caught my attention because my bones are not healthy. I have osteoporosis. I have also lost muscle and it is really hard to sit for long periods of time without my natural cushion. I have gained weight on purpose to have that extra cushion, but most of it has gone to my middle. I am trying to get more step in. I plan to go to the gym in the next few weeks. The place I use to go to take appointments so that they don't overbook. I need to use their stair stepper.  

 

My previous post has Easter pictures.

So thankful for my grands!  So thankful we all made it to church!

It was a very Happy Easter!

The grands played with water balloons in the backyard and Elijah changed

 into his pj's! So since the backyard was wet, they did the egg hunt in the backyard.

Our church normally has a huge egg hunt, but not this year. 

So thankful that our church did an Easter drive through light show

 for the church and community for 3 nights prior to Easter.  

All the kids got a bag of candy and a gift card to Chic Fillet.

There were also cards to pass out to others with the church service times.

I am thankful for the beautiful weather we have.

I am thankful that the grands can have fun when they come over.

Thankful to have finished my Lent study on repentance. It is easy to read the positive verses in the Bible. This study was about the things that take us away from God. It has verses on repenting and turning to God. Over and over He calls us to turn away to sin and turn to Him. This last verse. Hubby and I discussed this and we have decided to cut back on tv time. I am also spending less time on social media. 

Thankful to be starting a new devotion. This is my 4th book.

Click on the book to go to the link.

There is a devotion on one side and the other side has a place for your journaling.

Thankful for my blog and those that visit!

Have a blessed Easter!

I did this page a couple of years ago on Easter. It is done with watercolors in my journaling Bible. It reminds me that Jesus died on a cross to save us from the sin. I reminds me that he did not stay on the cross. He rose on the 3rd day to reveal God's promise.  We call Easter/Resurrection Sunday. 

I pray you have blessed Easter Sunday and remember that 

Jesus is the reason for all seasons.

To see my family Easter  Memories page, go here.