Off to Surgery

I'm having a little surgery today. No I'm not having lipo...although if I wasn't chicken, that's the one I would have. Just a little female surgery. Will be back soon!

Behind those Eyes

I am participating in an on-line Bible Study with a group of women from all over the US and abroad each Tuesday as we work our way through the book called:  "Behind Those Eyes", by Lisa Whittle.  I will be posting my thoughts as best I can on the chapter we study that week.  My blog will be linked to Lelia who is hosting this bible study so that you can read what the other women have learned from this study as well.  

Chapter 2:  Ms. Perfection

This chapter starts out with a family getting ready for church on Sunday morning and what it takes to get ready for that perfect entrance.  That even though things have been hectic and we've been arguing with our spouse, short with the kids, that we ALL put on the face of everything is perfect even down to what we are wearing.  

We had so many of those mornings over the years and we felt bad putting on our perfect family faces and voices but it's what you do.  I know God was not pleased  most of the mornings with our actions but was pleased that we were going to worship and fellowship. 

My conviction this week was from pg 31 where Lisa writes..."Ladies, we act like a perfect wife more than we actually are one." Oh my....yes...this is a struggle for me..my hubby and I think so differently.  He is the more emotional one and I am the black and white one.  After 30 years, we are still learning to communicate.  Because of my Ms. Perfection personality traits, I didn't always let loose and have fun. What would people think???  I am now finally letting loose more...my boys have helped with that but now my husband is learning to live with the new me.  I am trying to be a better wife NOT a perfect one!

Lisa wrote on page 37 ..."I am not perfect, and I don't try to be anymore.  Trying to be perfect is so exhausting, and there never an end to it."  AMEN to that...It took me a long time and lots of stress to realize that I CANNOT do it ALL!!  I cannot compare myself to the woman who can do more than me, looks greater than me, volunteers for everything and still has it together.  I am me and I am ok with it!

Our Challenge Question:  Search your heart.  Is it more important for you to be seen as perfect in a certain area...or seen as real?  I think we need to be real to make a difference for Christ.  How can we share Christ if we are not real?  I still struggle to be real because I don't want to be hurt, or talked about or seen as weak.  I'm working on it though and letting people in to my life on a deeper level.  On that note...I go in for surgery tomorrow...please pray for my nervousness as this is my first surgery ever and for the doctor's hand to do the operation right and for quick healing. Thank you.

Thank you Lelia for hosting this study and for being real!  Love ya,  Connie

20 Little Things to Treasure in Autumn

Melissa at the Inspired Room thought it would be fun to share 20 Little Things To Treasure in Autumn. So here you go:

1. Cool weather
2. Crisp morning air
3. Our Little Church fellowship meetings
4. Sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows
5. Wearing my jeans, sweaters and boots
6. Fall decorations
7. Thanksgiving
8. My birthday is coming soon!
9. Home Tours
10. Pumpkin pie
11. Picking apples
12. Pumpkin spice candles
13. Watching football with my hubby
14. Candy corn
15. Fluffy slipper socks
16. Snuggling up with a blanket on the couch
17. Caramel apples
18. Mom's homemade chili with homemade tortilla chips
19. Baking cookies
20. Family gatherings at the holidays!

Thanks Melissa for encouraging us to take the time to be thankful. Share your list of Autumn Treasures at the Inspired Room! Have a good week!

Miss Bella

Bella and Dylan keep me busy these days!  Yesterday, we painted, made playdough jewelry, played outside, watched Dora and Backyardigans, drank pretend hot chocolate with whip cream, read books, played soccer and baseball and yes.....I was worn out at 4:30pm!  I wouldn't trade it for the world!  Off to work today! Softball playoffs tonight!

New Kitchen!

Here it is!  The kitchen has been repainted and I've moved things around on top of my cabinets. We took down the vertical blinds across the sliding glass door and hung curtains.  I like it!   I bought a new table cloth and need a center piece.   I love the new chocolate wall behind the cabinets and the low wall in front of the bar stools.  I want a new kitchen table but just haven't gone out to see what I want.  We bought that one for another home a few years ago because it fit in our small kitchen.  I was thinking about painting the legs black and see what it looks like. What do you think??  I still need a few more finishing pieces as always.  The little things are the hardest for me to figure out and then to display.  I like my new kitchen!

Where did the last few days go??

The last few days flew by so fast they are a blur!  I watched Dylan and Bella which is non-stop activity these days.  Bella has stopped taking naps.  I am trying to teach her about a quiet time.  It gives her and ME a little slowdown.  I put her up on the couch in the bonus room with her doll, a book and a couple other little things to do.  As long as she is quiet she can play or just lay and rest.  She also has a soft blanket to lay with.  Most of the time she lays there and seems to rest.  

Dylan is crawling all over the place and if he can find something to hang onto he will stand up.  He is only 6 months!!  Yikes!!  We are in trouble!!

Hubby and I drove down and had dinner with our daughter, Danielle.  Her hubby was in Canada on business all week.  I love having one-on-one time with our children even when they are grown.  They do too!  

Our son, Dustin came home for dinner on Saturday night and dropped off his car.  It's not running right AGAIN!!  It was nice to see him although he didn't stay long enough for mom's liking.

We hit church on Sunday and then I showed Dallas and Selena a few homes.  They want to buy a home soon and wanted to see what was out there.  It is always eye opening for young couples who want to buy their first home.  They want what mom and dad have and don't realize that we started out with what we could afford at the time and we worked hard for what we have now.  They stayed for dinner~nothing fancy and we had peace and quiet at 8pm.  Wow! What a weekend.  

Today, we have a funeral to attend for my SIL's sister.  We met her a few times over the years and last saw her on 4th of July.  She had a brain tumor and passed away about 5 months after her diagnosis.  My SIL will miss talking to her sister.  I think they talked quite often.  

I was busy...that's why the last few days were a blur!  

Softball Champs!

We played a double header last night and ended our summer season in first place!!! When we started out playing softball it was for fun and now we like to win a little(not really--we like to win our games!!)  I pitched both games and can feel it this morning.  I'm on Alleve right now.  It numbs the aches and pains.  Boy did I have fun though!!!

Next week is the playoffs to determine the true Champion.  We can't wait and want to come in 1st Place.  I am having to take a leave from softball after this for a little female surgery on October 1st.  My first surgery ever.  I am expecting to bounce back pretty fast.  I have to!  Afterall, more softball awaits me and so does a new grandbaby due Nov. 1st!!

Here I Come Chicago!!

There is more to Chicago than Oprah!  That's what I'm telling myself since the Oprah website says that their reservations for October have been fulfilled.  So Brenda, Candy and I are going to see Chicago without Oprah and we're looking forward to it.  If you know of anything we should definitely see or do while there...just let me know.  This is my first time to Chicago and I am excited. I need to look for a coat just in case it's cool.   Cool weather and Chicago!  Sounds great!

Oprah Tickets???

I'm trying to get Oprah tickets because I get to go to Chicago with hubby on a business trip in October.  I tried all day yesterday and I'm still calling today.  It's crazy that you have to call in all day or days to get tickets. I just want to see Oprah.  So wish me luck....I'm redialing all day if I have to.  Hopefully I will hear ringing instead of "we're sorry all circuits are busy!"  That lady's voice is getting very annoying.  Every now and then I get a busy signal. Is it wrong to ask God to assist you in getting Oprah tickets???

WE'RE HOME!

Danielle, me and my mom

It was an adventure!  We took the motorhome to Arizona for Danielle's baby shower.  We have not used the motorhome since January.  It's been a very reliable vehicle with few problems.  However, our adventure began less than an hour and a half into the trip, when a hose burst from the radiator and we lost all our coolant.  It was in the low 90's at this point.  We are in the middle of nowhere with the next town or truck stop about 40 miles away.  We stop, cool down, stop and try to see where we are losing water, add more water, finally find the leak and it's not easy to get to but we use electrical tape to tape the hose(which took 30 min. maybe), we get 10 miles and it blows again, more tape, we drive 30 miles, blows again, fill up with water, drive 6 miles, we are over heating, we have 15 miles to go, it took us 4 hours to drive 80 miles.  Dwight was so patient and a good navigator through this whole time.  He kept us all calm.  Needless to say, we get to a truck stop and the little gal in the convenience store offers to call a local mechanic who comes right over.  He is able to cut a portion of the hose and reattach it in less than an hour.  $75 later and we are finally on the road.  We stop for gas, more water, a bite to eat at Burger King(where we are attacked by little flying bugs) and buy a hose,some clamps, more tape and some coolant.  We are prepared!!!  We make it to Phoenix at 11:30pm.  12 hours after we started!!!  It should have only taken us 5 hours.  What a day!

The shower was a lot of fun and Danielle is a beautiful mom-to-be.  We got to reconnect with long-time friends; Holle, Cynthia(who named her daughter, Danielle after my Danielle), Tricia-one of my best-friends and her daughter, Kristin-Danielle's best friend in the elementary years and family; Nate's mom(she rode along with us on our great motorhome adventure)Nate's grandma, Nate's aunt Maria, cousins, Kacie and Kristin, Danielle's cousin's fiance, Tonya, my sister Dawn, my mom, my dad's wife Jean, my sister-in-law Kathleen, my nieces, Angela, Brie and Cassidy.  The highlight was a poopy diaper game!  The faces were priceless as they were smelling the diapers to determine what kind of candy bar the baby most likely ate to leave that little mess in the diaper.  The cake was so cute.  Thanks to Vanlatte Cakes.  Danielle got a lot of cute things and many needed items. 

We had a great night hanging around the house watching the USC football game and eating pizza from Nello's.  The next morning, we headed out to Nate's uncle's house in Mesa to pick up his mom who stayed out there with her mom, for some breakfast and to visit.  Again, Dwight and Nate enjoyed watching some football.  Then it was back to my brother, Tim's house to see him and the girls and my mom.  It's so sad to say goodbye.  The weekend went by so quick compared to our trip over.

We are heading home.  All is going smooth when, boom!!!  We have a flat tire about an hour and a half into our drive.  Again out in the middle of nowhere because the drive from Arizona to California on the I10 is all desert.  We were able to drive 40-45 mph and got into the next town only to find out there were NO tire repair places open.  Thank goodness for cell phones and remote coverage.  We started calling for tire repair companies and found one that answered their phone only to ask a guy if he wanted to change a tire on an RV and we hear him say in the background "NO" and we were then told that they would be open the following morning at 5am.   We were finally able to locate a tow truck company with a mechanic who would change the tire for us.  $120 for the tire change!!  We drive the additional 25 miles to save $$ for them to come to us and who knows how long that would have taken.  So 7 hours later we arrived home safe and sound!!! A memorable weekend and as Danielle said, a story to tell baby Mason one day of the Motorhome adventure to his first baby shower!

Guard Dog on Duty!!

The guard dog is on duty and we are off to Arizona for a baby shower for our daughter, Danielle.  We are expecting 20 family and friends. 

Family Room redo

BEFORE

Family room with sage green curtains and small rods

Mantle above fireplace

Isn't that paint color awful???

Lots of grandchildren's toys!!!

AFTER!!!

I need something above the fireplace.  I would love your suggestions.

I rearranged the family pictures.  My purse sits in the bare space to the right.

I need help with what to do with that wall behind my hubby's chair.  Any suggestions???

A peek into the kitchen!!!

I LOVE MY NEW ROOM!!

I LOVE MY NEW FAMILY ROOM!!!  The new paint and the new curtains and rods make it look so nice.   I need a new something for above the fireplace and a new something for behind my hubby's rocker recliner(it's a  big wall--so any suggestions would be very helpful).  I also need something kid friendly but decorative for the coffee table and a few new pillows yet for the couch.  I had two large pictures that I just bought to fill the space and I've wanted to get rid of them for a long time too.....so they are gone!  I will be getting back to the house in a few days.  We have a baby shower on Saturday for my daughter in Arizona so I'm busy tying up the loose ends of that, served jury duty today, opening an escrow tomorrow :) and writing an offer for a buyer tonight.  

Jury Duty Calls!

I have to report to Jury Duty Wednesday morning!  

New Living/Dining Room

BEFORE 

AFTER

The new living room(currently used as a pool room-you do this when you have teenage boys and they get a nice pool table given to them!) and dining room.  We painted a darker green which I love.  This room is so bright in the day time that with the new darker wall color and the new drapes it is much warmer.  We painted the wall behind the dining room going up the stairs the green too and it changes the room so much.  It was tan before.  It's like I have a whole new home!

Happy Monday!

It's a great day!  I am on jury duty this week.  I called in last night and didn't have to report to the court today.  I call in tonight to see if they need me tomorrow.  It's hard to plan your week. If I get chosen, I will gladly serve.  We are done painting for now.  I took pictures this morning of the rooms all cleaned up and I can hardly believe it's my house.  

I found a few things over the weekend at Marshall's for some fall decorating.  I am not a shopper and I keep things forever so it's nice to have a few new things for the fall.  I did save $$ though especially on that last pumpkin...I saw it at Gottchalks on Saturday for $39.99 and I got it for $12.99 at Marshalls.  

Pink Saturday

This is not an official Pink Saturday post that is sponsored by How Sweet the Sound.  I'm doing it anyway!  My photo is of a tea cup with saucer and plate that was Dwight's grandmother's.  I have a tea theme display on my buffet in the dining room.  I have always enjoyed going to tea houses with my mom, my sisters, my daughter and my friends.  Basically I will take anyone who wants to go to tea!  Have a great Saturday everyone!

Great Paint Party Day Two and Three!

We are making great progress on the painting!  The house is a mess and looking more beautiful everyday.  Hubby was in a good mood yesterday and painting went very well.  Today not such a good attitude.  He added more to the painting than what I originally intended and now is focusing on how long it's going to take us.  He wants to paint the stairway and that leads to the bonus room which leads to the upstairs hallway.  Today I went upstairs to cut in the hallway and then had to go do a little work so hubby painted all day downstairs in the family room and kitchen.  He repainted the ceiling too. Hubby hurts all over after today.  Aleve here we come!!  I fell off my small ladder today and hit my shin pretty good.  We hung the new curtains tonight and they really change the lookof the rooms.  I like it!  Here's a peek at the mess yet.  How do you like the chocolate wall in the kitchen???  The paint looked like chocolate pudding.  More pics to come soon!