Hodge Podge

Hi Friends,

Thursdays can be fairly crazy around here

I don't work on Thursdays

But I do spend the day with my two youngest K's

And soon, 3 more weeks, I'll have all 3 K's 

Every Thursday throughout the summer

Today we also got to have another visitor

Miss E, my nieces' daughter

She is such a joy to have around

The three girls and I spent a lot of time outside today

They played with play-doh for a couple hours

They made lots of delicious looking goodies

And then sold them from the play house

Which they turned into a 

Snack Shack for the morning

 

By 11 AM is was well over 90 degrees

So we came in and had lunch

Then the littlest took a nap

 

How is the world can she sleep like this

 

While the girls played

I got my plants planted

I'm a little late but they will be nice by Memorial Weekend

When I'll have my first pool party

And Family BBQ of the season

Just love to spend time in the yard

 

After all the kids left

I got the mail

3 Happy Thank You cards in two days

Makes my heart feel good

And just in case you think I have a boring life

Yeah, I Do

I'm watching the NFL Draft tonight :)

Oh the JOY

Sending blessings to all

For a Wonderful Weekend Ahead

Bless someone's life today

Smile!!!!

A Joy-Filled Weekend

Hi Friends,

I hope you have enjoyed a great weekend

Today I'm sharing a couple of events 

That I was able to attend

My oldest granddaughter

Was in both the 5th grade Music Fest

And the 4th/5th grade choir concert

This past Thursday evening

That's my K-Bug front and center

The two littlest K's enjoying the concert

I just loved watching her smiling face

A daddy moment

K-Bugs cousin G is in 4th grade

So they got to enjoy after school choir

Together this year

These 3 will all start kindergarten in the fall

 I'll share a post about them in a few weeks

On Saturday afternoon 

I had the pleasure of attending this beautiful  woman's wedding

Friend, Co-worker and sister widow

Found love again

After nearly 14 years of widowhood and raising her sons

She met and married a wonderful man

It was such a beautiful afternoon

A few of my great co-workers and friends

More friends and co-workers (boss) :)

The day sealed with a kiss

Such a precious day

AND...
Another co-worker
Had a gender reveal today

TWIN GIRLS - YAY YAY
Congrats!!

Thank you for allowing me to share some happy moments with you

Blessings,

Staff Appreciation Project

Hi Friends,

I just thought I'd share a fun

Project I worked on this week

For Staff Appreciation Day at work

I've been a scrapbooker for years

So I have lots of great papers, tools and such

Which I used to make some cute Tags

 

We usually give the staff flowers for this day

But I had an idea last week

To make a bouquet of Garden Stakes

All of our staff members have homes

With nice garden/lawn areas 

So this was a fun little gift

And...since today was Earth Day

It was kind of fitting

I attached a tag to each stake

Then I put each stake in a flower vase

Which made a really fun and cute bouquet

 

I also brought some 'healthy' fresh fruit

And placed it in the staff lunch area

We have such a fabulous staff

They each deserve lots of kudos

Each of the girls got to choose a garden stake

By seniority to take home

And, if you want be able to choose with the first 

half of the staff

You have to have worked in the office

For more than 8 years

Lots of Longevity!!!

 

My boss brought me these absolutely Gorgeous Roses

I did bring them home to enjoy

Love, love, love them

And Love my Job

Which you already know!

It was a Super Great

Staff Appreciation Day

I'm so Grateful!!

And

Just because 

 

Here's a photo I took the other day

I decided to add a touch of blue to my LR 

Love this little vignette

Thank you for stopping by

Blessings to you All

For a Great Rest of your Week

Carol Update and A Winner

Hi Friends,

 I have a quick update on my blog friend Carol

She received her new liver on Friday

It was a very long day for both she and her nephew

As well as for surgeons and family

As of today

Carol and Brian are both doing well

Brian has been up walking around and 

Getting ready to head home soon

Carol's recover will be a bit slower

But she has been up and is on a diet of clear liquids

Including clear booster protein drinks

She's a trooper and I'm sure she will

Bounce back soon and be healthier

Thank she has been in 14 years

Praising God

Next,

I believe I have finished the mural wall in my back yard

No peeking because my pool is filthy 

So, you'll have to wait 

Until I have time to clean it

And...I just might need to do a bit or touching up

Over the next week or so

But, I'm putting all of my paints and tools Away

It's been a fun challenge

Just Remember

When I do the reveal

I AM NOT AN ARTIST
Just a girl willing to play

Finally

I had my son pick a name from the hat

For my 700th post giveaway

The winner is:

 

Rose

From Musings, Meandering and Merriment from Rose

Congratulations!

Thank you everybody for you kind comments

For loving me through life

And for words of encouragement

They mean so much to me

Blessings for a Beautiful Week Ahead

Prayers for a Friend and The Giveaway

Hi Friends

In the early years of blogging

I met some wonderful friends

While participating in on-line Bible Studies

One of those friends is Carol

Carol is a sweet woman who lives in California

(My home state)

She's married and has a beautiful daughter

She has been waiting for a liver transplant for many years

Well, friends

The time has finally arrived

Carol is in the hospital being prepared

To receive part of her nephew's liver

Transplant is near and dear to my heart

As kidney transplant gave my hubby

An extra 7 years and 7 days of life

Will you please pray with me

As Carol and her nephew have surgery

And go through the recovery process

Updates can be found on Carol's Caringbridge site

HERE

Thank you my dear friends!!

Now, don't forget to go over to my 

700th post to enter the giveaway

Click here -----> 700 GiveAway

 

I will be drawing a name on Sunday afternoon

So, go by and enter to win!

It's a tiny way to say thank you for 

Loving me through 700 blog posts

 

Blessings for the Day

 

Delayed Easter / Giveaway

Hi Friends

Sorry to be a bit delayed in sharing a few Easter Photos

It's been a hectic week

But a good one

Here are just a few of my favs

From a wonderful Easter

And my mom's 79th Birthday celebration

My 3 K's

 

6 of my mom's 12 Great Grands

 

I think they wanted to find a few eggs

Or, maybe it was the candy :)

 

I think they found enough

 

My mom's birthday was Saturday

So we celebrated on Easter

 

Mom with 6 tired and sugared up greats

 

The REAL EASTER Message

Had 'Sunday' not happened

We would have no hope

YET

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

Praise God for HOPE!!

Don't forget to go HERE and enter to win my 

700th post giveaway!!!!

Have a Blessed Week Ahead!

 

A 700 GiveAway

Hi Friends,

I pray you all enjoyed a beautiful Easter

And are being blessed with a fabulous week

700

What is 700?

The number of posts here on the Blog

This blog has been all over the place 

In the years I have written those 700 posts

Starting off with Bible Studies and Book Reviews

You've walked me through

The ups and downs of life

You've prayed as I journeyed through grief

After losing my husband

You've read announcements of 

A child's wedding and the births of grandchildren

Read about a child's medical issues

Prayed me through my own health scares

You've read about job changes and 

Seen photos of DIY projects

Some of you are newer readers

And others have been around for many of those 700 posts

I'm so grateful for your comments

Words of encouragement

Words of wisdom

And words of Insight

YOU are the reason I continue to tweak my blog and post

Today, I'm not sure where the next phase of blogging

Will lead this girlie

But I sure do hope you come along for the ride

In honor of YOU

I am giving away a little prize package

Journal

Notepad

An assortment of greeting cards from one of my 

favorite cards makers

(Melanie Dorsey Designs on Etsy)

A few Tags

AND

Once I choose a winner

I will add 2 gifts chosen especially for the winners personality

I will only know what those two gifts will be

After I chose the winner next weekend

Thank you for hanging out with me

During my life journey to Find JOY

In the everyday things of life

YOU are JOY to me

All you have to do to enter the giveaway

Is to leave a comment down below where it says "Comments"

That's it!!

I can't wait to share another 700 JOY-filled posts with you!!

 

HE HAS RISEN ...

May your Easter Sunday

Be Blessed and Joy~Filled

May Your Heart be Thankful

For ALL He Has Done

And ALL He Has Created You To Be

I am Grateful for the Cross
BUT
I am SO Grateful 
For The Empty Tomb

Happy Easter!!

Evidence of Spring

Hi Friends,

Today I thought I'd share a few photos

I took this morning near the office where I work

Although are temps are in the 90's

We are seeing evidence of Spring and not Summer yet

 

I'm not sure you can see clearly in the above photo

But there are 3 bees happily gathering pollen off of these beauties

 

It seems all of the floral blooms I found

Were in the orange tones today

I'll check around tomorrow for some other color

 

Above are a few of the older little Easter pieces I have

That were my sons' when they were little

The little bunnies have lost an ear or two

But they still bring back sweet memories

I've kept my Easter displays rather simple this year

A few books, pillows, bunnies and eggs

Are all this new Easter runner needed

(Thank you Judy at 20 North Ora)

 

I do love these eggs I found at HobLob this year

I love the soft colors and gentle words of comfort they share

 

I pray you are enjoying a beautiful Easter Week

And that your Easter is filled with Family and Love

You are a Blessing to my Heart

Thank you for your sweet comments

And words of Encouragement

Blessings, Cindy xoxo