Friday Fragments

It's Friday and that means its time to post some Fragments. That is about all that's in my head right now. Just snippets floating around. How about you? Do you have some things floating around in your mind that you'd like to post about, but its not enough for a whole post. This would be the time. Just click the button above and you can join in with Mrs4444's as I have. Come on, you know you want to.

Smart Phone - I got the iPhone 5s back in February.  People always told me if I ever got a smart phone I would love it.  Guess what!  They were right.  I love my phone.  I love having all that information at my fingertips.  I just have to be careful not to keep my nose buried in it all the time.  I never want to give up living real life for a virtual life in the social media stuff.

Trip Decisions - Hubby and I decided to save the Disney trip for this fall.  We're going down to Kelli's graduation and a little relaxation.  Do you know how hard it is for us to be that close and not stay at Disney.  haha  I'm sure we'll visit at least Downtown Disney. 

Pictures - speaking of the smart phone, I asked my girls to send me a pic so I could add it to my contact info in my phone for them.  Here's what I got.  Aren't they beautiful girls?  I love them both so much. 

Kelli - soon to be college graduate

Kerri - soon to be high school graduate

 Weather - Is it ever going to settle down?  I'm beginning to wonder.  We've had semi-warm, cold, snow, rain, sunshine.  It's just been all over the place this weekend.  Here's a picture I took before leaving the house today.  It was raining earlier and it's supposed to rain again, but here's a little bright spot in the middle.

 

Hope you have some bright spots in your day!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

It's true.  I am getting old.  I forgot all about the Hodgepodge.  Well, better late than never, I guess.

1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far...'throw caution to the wind', 'three sheets to the wind', 'run like the wind', or 'see which way the wind blows'?
See which way the wind blows...I pretty much just try to go with the flow as much as possible.

2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food?
Iceburg Lettuce....a big tossed salad is the way I like it best.

3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell!
Yes, I've been locked out of my car and my office.  Fortunately, there are 2 other people at work who have keys to my office, so that has never been a problem.  I've had 2 call the police (and not the ones I work with) to unlock my car before.  Rather embarrassing.  Hope not to do that again.

4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)...of the green characters listed, which one's your favorite and why?
Mike Wasowski.  Because he's a Disney character, of course.  And Billy Crystal does his voice and I love this song.


5. "The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive."~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not?
I agree.  Without hope, you've already lost, in my opinion.

6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in it's title.
Softly and Tenderly, sung here by The Martins
 

7. What's a road trip you'd like to take?
I'd like to talk about a month long trip driving from here to California and back.  Taking the northern route out and then the southern route on the way back along with some little out-of-the-way excursions all along the way.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I just found out Beth Moore has a brand new Bible Study coming out in May.  At least now I know what our Bible Study will be this fall.  It's called "Children of the Day" and it's on 1 & 2 Thessalonians.  

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a nice weekend. Saturday we got up early and went to an early bird showing of "God's Not Dead". Absolutely excellent movie.  If you haven't heard of this movie, here's the trailer.



I would recommend everyone to see this. It is very thought provoking. So much so that we ended up discussing this in my Sunday School Class. I teach 10th grade boys right now and it was interesting to talk to them about this and hear what they thought. Of course, 10th grade boys don't always talk a lot, but I could tell they were at least thinking about it and I hope we'll be able to talk some more this next week about it. I just want them to be so grounded in the faith, that if they face situations like this, they'll really know what they believe and why.

After seeing the movie, we went to lunch at Don Pablo's.  I absolutely love this place.  Then we ran some errands and went home.  While we were out I bought the movie, "Saving Mr. Banks."  I seldom buy movies, but I had to have this one.  Oh, and I have to have "Frozen" too, but they were sold out at the store we were out, so I'll have to get it later.

I worked on some Bible Study lessons and the we went to my parents and visited with the family.  My brother and sister who have both been so ill, were both there.  They are doing better and I'm praying God will continue to be with them.  It was so fun being there and laughing and talking all together.  Everyone was there, except my baby brother and his wife.  We missed them, but had a good time anyway.

After that, Tracy and I went home and we watched "Saving Mr. Banks."  I loved it probably even more this time than in the theater.  Hubby seemed to like it too.  Here's the trailer for it.



Sunday was church and out to lunch with hubby's family.  A good time was had by all. :)

And that was my weekend.  What did you all do?

Friday Fragments

It's time for those Friday Fragments.  Click the button to play along with Mrs4444's at Half Past Kissin' Time.

*Gifts - Last week I entered a FaceBook Contest from a local store called Heritage House Gifts.  Guess what...I won.  I got this absolutely wonderful candle.  It's a Hot Maple Toddy from The Candleberry Co. and it smells awesome.  If you ever see these candles in a store, do yourself a favor and buy this one.  I have never had a candle that smells this great.  I took it home and burned it for a couple hours and then put it out and I swear, you could still smell it when we went to bed.  Also, you can just take the lid off and it smells good without even burning.  Here's a link to their site:  Candleberry.  I was not asked for this endorsement.  It really is just that good.

*Toddler and Puppy Love - If you don't like puppies and toddlers, you might want to skip this next fragment.  There is a bit of puppy and toddler overload here.  lol  Carina and her mommy visited last night and Lucy and Carina had a blast.

This was early in the evening and they were kind of at a stand-off from each other.  I'm not sure, but Lucy may have been daring her to go after her toy!  lol

Little budding pianist

Tug-of-war going on

Tug-of-war still happening.  They took turns winning.  Pretty funny!

Best buds now!  They were both tired after playing all evening.  Lucy laid down on her blanket and Carina climbed up with her.  They are so cute together.

I just love this one!

 I have to say when we all went to bed last night, I don't think Lucy moved a muscle all night.  She was totally worn out.  Made for a good night's sleep in our household.  Hoping Carina slept good for her mommy too.

Have a great day everyone.  Supposed to get in the 70's here today.  It's beautiful so far!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Yay!  It's Wednesday and time for the Hodgepodge.  I hope you will choose to play along this week.  There are so many nice people to meet and get to know.  Click the button and you can meet the first one, Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.


1. Thursday marks the first day of spring...to celebrate would you rather plant a garden or go for a walk in the woods? Would either of those activities be possible on Thursday where you live?
I would really rather walk in the woods.  While I love fresh veggies from the garden, gardening is something I really have never enjoyed.  Not even planting flowers. But a walk in the woods or a park  is a good thing.  Especially if I can throw in a little geocaching along the way. 

2. When did someone last spring something on you? (or when did you last spring something on someone?)
I can't think of anything right now.

3. We often think of spring as a time for new beginnings. What's something you'd like to start doing this spring?
I would like to get serious about walking again.  I used to walk 6-10 miles a week and I've really slacked off.  I feel so much better when I'm walking.  I know it would be very good for me and I think it would be good for the puppy too.

4. Where do you like to sit in a movie theatre? When did you last sit there, and what were you watching?
I'll sit anywhere as long as I can sit by hubby.  The last time was in South Carolina and we went to see "Ender's Game."  If he's not there then I prefer to sit about midway up and towards the center of the screen.  But I'm really not that picky.  I'll really sit anywhere that I don't have someone blocking my view.  The last movie I saw was "Saving Mr. Banks" and it just came out in the stores today along with Frozen.  I plan to buy both of them soon.

5. When you meet someone for the very first time, what do you want them to think about you?
That I'm friendly and that I'm someone they'd like to get to know.

6. March is frozen food month (yes, really!). Besides ice cream (gotta make you think a little) what's your most often purchased frozen food item?
Frozen lunches for work.  They may be Weight Watchers, Marie Callender's, etc.  Just something to grab on the way out the door when I have no other lunch plans.

7. What's something you avoid?
Hateful people or people who are always negative.  I prefer to be around positive people.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
It was a pretty drive into work Tuesday.  Here are a couple of pictures.  No, I wasn't driving, hubby was. 

This is across the street from the entrance of our subdivision.  Lots of times there are horses running in this field.

This little cemetery is only about a mile from our subdivision.  It's a pretty little place.

The sky was really pretty, but my pics don't really do it justice.

  Hope you all have a great day!  Remember to visit Joyce when you leave here.

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's Monday again.  Can you believe it?  Wow!  The weekends just seem to fly by.

Saturday hubby and I went to Plain City, Ohio and had lunch at an Amish Restaurant called Der Dutchman.  It was delicious.  The also have a bakery and large gift shop attached.  Somehow, I was able to resist buy anything from either of those.  But let me tell you, it sure wasn't easy.  :)

This salad was so good.  Their homemade salad dressing is awesome.

We left there and went to Yutzy's Farm Market.  This was a fun place.  Lots of homemade baked goods and also, fresh cheeses and meats.  I can't wait to go back sometime this summer when they have fresh produce.  Oh and I didn't resist here.  I bought sunflower seeds (as you can see from the salad picture, I rather like sunflower seeds) and just 2 cookies.  So at least I didn't do too bad.  :)

They were very busy.  I can only imagine what it will be like when they have fresh garden items.

It was about an hour and half to two hour drive to Plain City.  We chose to travel on a State Route as opposed to going up the interstate. Totally enjoyed the relaxed drive and seeing all the farms and small towns on the way.  We also did a little geocaching while we were out.  If you don't know what that is, you can go here to find out.  We searched for seven different caches and found four of them.  I'm not real good at it yet, but I'm learning.  I just got a new app for Geocaching and it makes it so much easier than before.  It is a great way to get out and explore places you would probably never stop at any other time.  In fact, there was one on the Yutzy's property and that's how we ended up going to the Farm Market.

We came home Saturday evening and we did 3 loads of laundry and I trimmed hubby's hair and beard and then relaxed and watched some TV.   You can tell from the picture below, who is most important.  Miss Lucy as tiny as she is, manages to take up most of the space on the chaise and mommy hangs off the edge.  haha

Crazy little dog!

On Sunday we had 2 great services and a very nice day, except it got really cold again.  At least we didn't get the snow they predicted.

Hope you had a great weekend too.

Friday Fragments

**It's time for Friday Fragments. Why not click the button and join in with Mrs4444's for all the fun.

**I'm sitting here listening to Disney music while working. I love listening to Disney music. It just makes me happy.

**Hubby and I are trying to decide what to do about going to Florida this spring for Kelli's graduation. I mean, we are going. We just haven't decided if we want to connect it with a vacation now, or just go for a few days and then do vacation this fall, like last year. That's what I'm leaning towards. We definitely want to go to Walt Disney World this year for vacation. That has been our plan for quite awhile. It's hard to be that close this spring (Kelli's college is less than an hour away) and not go. But I really want to see WDW decorated for Christmas. I've seen so many pictures and it looks so beautiful. Plus it wouldn't be near as hot.

**We're also waiting for our daughter to make up her mind about whether she will be coming home or if she is staying in Florida. That makes a difference of whether we can drive our car or if we're going to have to buy a new van. We plan to buy a new van either way, but are hoping we can wait until the fall. More time to save money for a bigger down payment. lol

Decisions, decisions. Life is full of them.

Have a great weekend Everyone!

God Moments

Even in a dark, cloud sky and rather cold and dreary morning, God gives us some beauty in the bits of pink shining through.  I love that about God.

He's like that in our lives too.  When we mess up and/or terrible things are happening in our lives, we can know that He is still there and still loves us and gives us His mercy.  Lamentations 3:21-23 says it well. 

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Do you have an interest in learning about your family's heritage? Why or why not? If you know a little bit about your roots, share an interesting piece of trivia or a fun fact about someone who goes way back on your family tree.

I do find it very interesting.  Probably about 10 years ago I really got into researching my dad's family.  But it was so big, it got rather overwhelming.  At the same time there was a man from the other side of the family that was also researching.  He had a lot more information than I did.  But his was on his side of the family and mine was on mine of course.  Come to find out, the family is huge.  I finally got to meet him, but he has since passed away.  It was pretty cool, to find out about that other half of the family.  The story goes that 2 brothers stowed away on a ship from Germany to the United States.  They settled in 2 different areas and thus the 2 halves.  My dad's great-grandpa was one of those men.  

2. Branch Rickey, the baseball exec credited with signing Jackie Robinson, is quoted as saying-

"Luck is the residue of design."
Agree or disagree? Why?

Truthfully, I don't believe in luck.  I think everything is by design.

3. In the town where you currently reside, what's your favorite green space?
Actually, it's been awhile since I've been in the parks.  But one of the prettiest places is a newer park by the library.  It's very small, but its very pretty.

4. Who is your favorite comedian?
Really, just one?  I don't think so.   Mark Lowry, Chonda Pierce, Ken Davis & Anita Renfroe

5. March is National Nutrition Month, and almost everyone needs to improve their diet in some way. What about you? How can you improve your nutrition on a daily basis? Will you try?
We are trying...hubby and I are back to doing low carb for awhile.  Not because its National Nutrition Month, but just because we need too.

6. Which of these green expressions have you 'experienced' in recent weeks -green with envy, green thumb, green around the gills, or give the green light? Explain.
Maybe green around the gills, a few weeks ago when I was sick.  There was some nausea involved in that.

7. Where is one place you don't mind waiting?
Walt Disney World.  You do a lot of waiting there, but I don't really mind too much most of the time.  I just spend lots of time people watching.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
Yesterday was gorgeous.  Beautiful blue skies with white clouds and temperatures in the 70's.  Yay!

 

 Last evening before Bible Study started someone found this pretty little nest in a tree and of course, I had to get a picture. 

Why don't you click the Hodgepodge button above and join in the fun.

Friday Fragments

It's time for the Friday Fragments again.  You know, those thoughts you have that aren't enough for a whole post, but you'd still like to put them on your blog.  Besides, even if your really don't have much of anything its still fun to join in and see what everyone else is fragging about.  So after reading mine, click the button on the left and join in.  Thanks Mrs 4444's for hosting Friday Fragments.

*We started our Spring Ladies' Bible Study on Tuesday night.  We're doing Beth Moore's "Stepping Up, A Journey Through the Psalms of Ascent."  I think it's going to be really good.  Of course, they always are.  We have a wonderful group of ladies that just keeps growing and growing.  I love them.  They are of all ages.  We had a mommy who is 22 with her 20 month old and then we go all the way up to age 85.  I love the mix.  We have all kinds of experience in that room.  It's so fun watching the older ones pour themselves into the younger ones and the younger ones teaching us all some new things.  We all learn together and its such a wonderful experience.

*I finally got to watch the 2nd week of Survivor last night.  It was pretty good.  I think this may turn out to be a pretty good season.  I especially like to watch the challenges.

*Hubby and I are still watching the old JAG show.  I think we'll be awhile yet.  haha  Don't know what we'll start when that is over.

Well, I really don't have anything else and its time I get out of here and get to work.  So be sure to join in with Mrs. 4444's at Half Past Kissin' Time and play along, after you've commented here, of course.  Have a great day! 

Are You Sure That's My Dog?

Have you ever taken your dog to the groomers and then when you've gone to pick her up, you're really not sure they have given you the same dog back?  That's exactly how it was yesterday.  She does not look at all like my Lucy, but she sure does act like her.  haha

I mean really.  You tell me.  Is this the same dog?

 Here she is coming home from the vet about 3-4 weeks ago.

 And here she is coming home from the groomers yesterday.

I think she is absolutely adorable either way. But I have to say, I was just a little shocked when I saw her.  I guess I just didn't expect her hair to be quite that short.  I know in a couple of weeks it'll be better when it grows out just a bit more.  The other shocking thing is that almost all of her black hair is gone.  She's almost totally gray now.  The groomer told me that actually that is a Yorkie trait.  They get lighter and lighter throughout their lives.

 Just look at that face

 One thing for sure, she gets colder now.  She laid in this comforter last night at her daddy's feet, right in front of the heater.  She has never done that before.  Maybe I need to get her a sweater.  No actually, I kinda like that she wants to be so close to us now.  So I think I'll just hold her up close as much as possible.

I hope you aren't getting bored with all my puppy posts.  But frankly, with both my girls gone and with the weather the way it's been, there's not much else for me to take pictures of.  haha 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Click the button to the left to join in and play along.


1. The expression 'mad as a March hare' originated with a fictional character who is distracted and frantic. When were you last 'mad as a March hare' and what was it that made you that way?
I kinda felt that way tonight at Bible Study and I'm the facilitator.  Didn't get much sleep last night and the last 2 days at work have been pretty busy and it seemed to come to a head tonight.  I felt very distracted.  Fortunately our ladies are very sweet and forgiving. Praying God will help me to get it together before next week. 

2. Mardi Gras this year falls on Tuesday, March 4th. Have you ever been to Mardi Gras, and if so what did you think? If not, do you have any interest in going? Purple, green, and gold are the colors of Mardi Gras. Which one is most prevalent in your wardrobe? How about in your home?
I have never been to Mardi Gras and I have no desire to go.  I have been New Orleans and I would like to go back there some day.  I probably have more purple in wardrobe, and green is more prevalent in my home.


3. Are you old fashioned?
In some ways yes, and in some ways no.  And that's all I'm saying.

4. Do you carefully plan your vacations, or do you prefer the days to be more spontaneous?
I like to have some general ideas of some of the things we want to accomplish but be spontaneous about when and how we do them.

5. March is National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce, and what do you most often top with this sauce?
How about hot fudge?  Does that count as a sauce.  I like it on ice cream, of course.

6. What's something that easily brings a tear to your eye?
 Child abuse

7. If you could own any sports team, which one would it be and why?
Cincinnati Reds...only because they are our local team.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I got nothing right now.  I can't think of a single thing.  I think I'm just too tired.  I would like to say thank you Joyce for all the work you do in this Hodgepodge.  I know I appreciate it and I'm sure everyone else does too.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hubby and I had a nice quiet relaxed weekend.  We had to cancel church services on Sunday due to the weather.  So we had a full day at home then.  This is the kind of weekend we like.

I bought a new pair of house shoes on Saturday.  Lucy has decided she loves them and keeps stealing them.  She is so funny!  She must like pink with bling.  haha

Lucy outside on Saturday.  Such a nice day outside.

Another picture of her playing outside on Saturday.  As you can see I've been playing with Instacollage and Instagram.  Loving these apps.

She was worn out after playing outside, and also at her grandma's house.

Sunday playing in the snow.

I saw this on FB and just had to post it.  I think its hysterical and probably a little true too.  lol