Mama-ism Update

It has been a while since I posted a Mama-ism. I don't know why. She comes up with gems all the time!

Today we were having devotion and prayer time together over the phone. Wait, I must pause to explain admit that any of my friends who have heard me pray know that I often end with 'bye' instead of amen. My conversations with God are personal and conversational. It isn't uncommon for me to offer the blessing at meal time and thank God for things throughout the day but forget the food. I then add a hasty, "Oh, and thank you for our meal!. Bye!"

Now back to today. Mom prayed after I did. She finished with up, and I was about to speak when I heard her call out with urgency, "Oh wait! Wait Jesus!" before adding a couple of items she had forgotten.

As if Jesus had turned to rush off at the sound of 'amen.'

Now I know where I got it.

Isn't she the most adorable mama ever?

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Sisters in St. Louis

My sister and I are celebrating our birthday month. We decided to get up early last Friday, drive to St. Louis, and go to the Gateway Arch. While Mary has been to St. Louis, I had not. It was the first time to the arch for both of us. The drive is about 5.5 hours each way. 

The first stop was at a mom and pop diner in Corning for breakfast. I have to admit that we were a little excited for a diner breakfast. We were disappointed. Everything was beige, and it tasted just as bland.

 We drove by this abandoned building, and I may or may not have made a u-turn and driven in the wrong direction to get back for this photo.

 Does anyone know what this is? There were two metal boxes on poles near the discarded building. It looks as if there may have been gas pumps between the poles at one time. Maybe the boxes held window cleaner. Any guesses?

Walking up to the arch was pretty exciting for me. The tree lined walk along the Mississippi River was delightful. The temperature was mild, and there was a slight breeze. We couldn't have asked for a better day to spend together.

 The obligatory pictures of the capital and Busch Stadium from the tiny windows at the top of the arch.

Walking away, I had to get another shot with a sunburst. 

We drove through several great neighborhoods. We were surprised to see so many abandoned and burned out buildings. I could envision many of them being renovated into fabulous flats. I could live in this beauty.

 This is a small portion of the Soulard Farmer's Market.

Remember these little boxes from THIS post? We filled more boxes and dropped them in various places on this trip too.

There was a variety of charming shops and homes in the Soulard neighborhood. We deposited a treasure box on the arm of a chair outside this adorable spot.

 The back side of The Porch shop. It's cute on all sides. The flowers on the front and side were lovely.

 The homes had so much charm and character.

We also visited Union Station mall, and the Benton Park neighborhood. Dinner was a stop in Poplar Bluff. It was an enjoyable and silly 23.5 hour trip. (I am NOT posting the video of us dancing in the car on the way home.) Also noteworthy is the fact that neither of us actually died from laughing so hard, but it was touch and go.

Now we are trying to pick a destination for our next outing. We want to stay within a 5-6 hour drive from the Little Rock area.  Any suggestions?


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10 Ways to Have a Better Vacation Than Greg

My brother-in-law Greg was on vacation last week. Unfortunately it ended with pancreatitis and a seriously messed up gall bladder. It ended with a couple of trips to the hospital and surgery.

It was not a fun week, so I decided to help him out by suggesting better ways he could have spent his time. So here are 10 ways to have a better vacation than Greg.

10.  Get a full body wax followed by an alcohol rub.

  9.  French braid a porcupine.

  8.  Take a nap on a mound of fire ants.

  7.  Tie a live chicken around your neck all week.

  6.  Swim with sharks- with a live chicken around your neck.

  5.  Mistake Super Glue for eye drops.
(click for story)

  4.  Get super glued to Wal Mart toliet.

(click for story)

(I hope you guys didn't seriously expect a picture for this one!)

3.  Be this guy on any given day.

2. Carpool with Sasquatch
(video)

1. Throw up every day until your pancreas swells until you have your gall bladder removed.
(Oh wait! That's just what Greg did!)


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Summer Iced Tea Party

My niece Caitie is part of a trio of best friends that have been together since baby-doll age. These three young women are extraordinary examples of fun-loving, Jesus girls. 

After spending over a decade together, they will be separating next month. Two will go to different universities, and one will join the military before heading to college. 

Caitie asked if we could have a tea party before everyone leaves. Of course it had to be an iced tea party, because who drinks hot tea in the summer in the South?

Our menu included sweet tea- regular and raspberry, zucchini and goat cheese tarts, and sugar cookies. We also served flower shaped cucumber and pink, cream cheese sandwiches, and mini, bite-sized apple & peach pies. 

DECORATING TIP: Add fresh flowers to a tea pot then stack on a plate and candle holder for a darling centerpiece. 

Mini pies stacked on plates and tea cups.

PARTY TIP: Print guest's initials on clear stickers and use as drink markers. You can also use a flower vase as a decanter, and don't forget adorable, paper straws.

Christmas ornaments were used to dress up a blah light fixture.

PARTY DECORATING TIP: Use four dollar store doilies and scrapbook paper to make medallions. I hung three in the kitchen for a festive look. Double the doilies if they are too thin.

DECORATING TIP: Dip dollar store silk flowers in water with food coloring. This will tone down the brightness of the flower. They still looked inexpensive, but these flowers were plopped in a tea pot behind a glass door as background dressing.

We had a "Miss Tea Party" pageant. Everyone was a contestant and had to answer a ridiculous interview question as if it were a real situation. 

PARTY TIP: Make pageant sashes by printing titles on clear, full-sheet stickers and adorn them with stick-on pearls and rhinestones. One page of jeweled accents decorated all six sashes and cost $1.00 at Michaels.

 PARTY TIP: Make a scepter out of a sturdy, cardboard tube from a large roll of aluminum foil. Glue finials to each end and spray paint the whole thing with silver, glitter spray. Once the scepter is dry, add a pink, acrylic drawer pull to finish the look.

I filled tiny jars with sugar scrub as a party favor for each guest. These adorable little jars were bought at a flea market for 25¢ each! 

(Sugar scrub recipe found HERE.)

PARTY TIP: Print monograms on clear stickers and put onto pails with matching tulle for party favor packaging. The pails held the homemade sugar scrub.

Of course we had to have chocolate. The bars were wrapped in paper that matched our color scheme.

We also gave each girl a wire-bound journal wrapped in tissue paper and tulle. 

PARTY TIP: Use a vintage quilt to cover a table for a gorgeous shabby chic accent. I covered the coffee table with this beautiful pink quilt.

Here are the gorgeous guests with their Miss Tea Party titles. Such fun!

While I'm not in the picture, I was voted "Miss Silly", but that's because we didn't have a "Miss Laugh So Hard You Pass Out" title.

We also had a "photo booth" set up in the bathroom. Sure it seemed like an odd choice, but the counter was perfect for holding all the props. The girls also liked having the large mirror to try out the props before they posed. The shower curtain was a perfectly plain backdrop for the photos. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time.

It was a perfect Sunday afternoon.


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The Mama in Stereo

Recently my mother got a hearing aid, and it has made a great impact on her quality of life. We both giggle at the discovery of "new" sounds to her. Now she can hear the click of the light switch on the wall, the smacking sound of soap when you wash your hands, and she can hear me when I have my back to her.

Sometimes Mama will sit still with a look of concentration, and I'll ask what she is listening to. She might smile and say, "I can hear the birds outside." It brings a smile to my face as well. 

Other big discoveries are that the television volume is no longer set to 64 (the loudest setting). The volume now hovers around level 30. She is also pleased to be able to hear the teapot whistle, the newspaper rustle as she reads it, and to be able to join in the discussion in her Sunday School class.

This new adventure has delighted me to no end. I am so very happy for my sweet mama. It's a joy to see her experience long lost sounds.

After she got acclimated to her first hearing aid, which was purple by the way, she went back for the second one. She chose silver for the second to make them easier to tell apart.

Mama was so excited as she waited for the second hearing aid to come in. On Monday she giggled as she said, "I get my other hearing aid tomorrow, and then I'll have surround sound!"

How cute is that?

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