A Blissful Weekend

Hello friends! It's hard to believe it's already Wednesday! Two days until the weekend and only 6 1/2 days of work left for me! To say I'm ready for summer break is an understatement! I told you in my last post I would be back to share some happenings from my 4-day weekend so here goes.

Friday, my friend and co-worker, Kaycee came over so we could do some planning for next year while everything was fresh on our minds. We got together to plan a few times last summer and plan to do the same this year. We are very like-minded in our teaching style and have a few things we are changing for next year. I fixed us a yummy lunch and we got a lot done! That evening, I went to watch my nephew Nathan play his spring football game. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. The temperatures dropped to the low 70's which was unusual!

When I got home I had a package waiting for me!!!

I love getting happy mail, even when it is something I ordered. I have always loved getting fun stuff in the mail. Back when I was a substitute mail carrier for my mom, Christmas was such fun. Lots of folks would leave cards, packages, or homemade goodies in their box for us. It was such fun opening the box to find a surprise waiting inside. Anywho, back to my weekend. I use these Papermate Flair pens in my classroom and love them so I ordered a set to use here at home. They are such fun colors! Speaking of fun, check out the fabric I ordered...it's covered in tiny little cameras. Isn't it cute? I have plans for it and will share when my project is complete. The other picture is of a book I got in the mail. I thought the pages were so cool edged in navy blue,

It's the book in the middle. It's a devotion book with recipes too. I also recently received the latest Charles Martin book as well. He's my favorite author. And, I always like to read at least one teaching book over the summer. It helps me refocus and plan for the next year.

Saturday morning, I got up early to go pick peas and corn with Mama, my sister, and my aunt. Here's our haul!

My sister and I rode home on the tailgate like when we were kids. Don't look at my dirty feet...lol! I should have worn sneakers to pick peas in!

We saw this cute little fella on the way home. He's a gopher tortoise for those of you who don't know. They are protected where we live so we did not bother it. 

Isn't it adorable? This one is a baby....they get pretty large, probably 12-15 inches long full grown. I put a water bottle beside it so you could see how tiny it is. They are the cutest little things!

Later that afternoon after I got home from grocery shopping, I blanched my corn, cut it off the cob and creamed it to go in the freezer. It is so delicious! I ended up with about 7 pints. I plan to pick some more soon.

I picked enough peas for a "mess" which is what we call a pot full here in the south. We went to the you-pick field up the road. You pay on the honor system. I got 35 ears of corn and  the peas for $6. Can't beat that!

I had a couple low calorie tomato pies and a little of that creamed corn for supper. It was so delicious!

The next night, I cooked the peas and they were just as tasty!

I picked up some flowers at the grocery store  and made a few arrangements to place around the house. I love fresh flowers in my house! They make me super happy...:)

Sunday, the hubby and I had a date day and went to see a movie. We saw The Age of Adaline. It was really good. Afterwards, we went to JoAnn's so I could look for a particular piece of fabric. Sadly, they didn't have what I was looking for, but I did pick up a couple things. One was this pretty wreath which I am currently using on my dining room table. I like the simplicity of this table.

After we left JoAnns, we met some friends for a late lunch and then headed home. It was a lovely day. Monday was spent piddling around the house and then heading to an evening cookout with Joey's mom which I mentioned in my last post. It was a wonderful evening and the view couldn't have been any better!

The Gulf of Mexico.

It was a wonderful weekend with a nice balance of relaxation, fun, and productivity. I love a weekend like that. And, now I am back at work and looking forward to a summer that I hope is as wonderful as the 4-day weekend was! Hope you are doing well and as always thanks for stopping by!

Until next time.....

Restoring My Soul

This evening was a beautiful end to a wonderful long weekend. I am feeling refreshed and ready to tackle these last few days of school before my summer vacation begins. There is something about being near water that restores peace to my soul. The hubby and I spent a lovely evening with his mom and her boyfriend, as well as some of his other family members and their friends. It was a beautiful evening filled with gorgeous weather and views, good conversation, and delicious foods. I am so thankful for all of the men and women who have laid down their lives to allow me the freedom to have such an evening. I pray your day was blessed.

I will be back soon to share some more of my weekend with you. 

Until next time.....

Blessings and Burdens

Sunday afternoon has arrived once again. Today it brought with it a terrible migraine for me. I always forget how bad headaches are until I have another one. Fortunately I don't have them a lot! The weekend has been lovely though. Not a lot going on,...a trip to buy groceries and eat a Mexican supper on Friday night with the hubby and a lazy Saturday with the exception of going to Gainesville with my sister to help my nieces get settled in their new apartment. 

Today has been a different kind of day though...it started with that terrible headache that stayed for hours and hours. Not too long after I got up this morning, my sister called to tell me that a local teen was killed in a car accident early this morning. Last night was our prom. This boy was a senior. He would have been graduating in two weeks. I know the family and am absolutely heartbroken for them. His mom had cancer of the larynx a year or two ago and had to have her voice box removed. She is still battling cancer. I am sad beyond words for this family. I cannot imagine the pain and anguish they must be feeling. All I can do is pray for them and I have been all throughout the day. If you are a praying person, I know your prayers would be appreciated too. 

After my headache subsided for the most part, I decided to drive down to my Aunt Loretta's house to pick up a piece of fabric from her. Mama rode with me. My aunt wasn't home, so I took Mama back home and got out to pick some cucumbers. I snapped a few photos of her veggies to share. I love seeing veggies and fruit on the vines and bushes. They are so pretty to me.

Check out this gorgeous magnolia bloom Mama had in a mason jar in her kitchen. She picked it from my uncle's tree yesterday. I love these blooms. 

They are huge and have the freshest lemony scent. Look how pretty the leaves are...they look waxed but they're not.

I got a sprig of basil for a recipe I am making later while I was there. It smells so good and is so pretty. I decided to stick it in a vase for a bit.

Here are my cucumbers....yummy! I know what I'll be taking for lunch this week. I love cucumbers and tomatoes together. I bought a pack of my favorite Campari tomatoes at Publix Friday night. These are so good! I've been trying to eat low carb, so those almonds are a tasty snack when I want something to munch on.

I also picked some fresh gardenias while I was visiting with my mom. I have two bouquets and they are giving the house a heavenly sweet smell. 

Yesterday, my sister sent me a text with photos of my Sadie rolling in the grass at her house next door. I couldn't resist sharing one. I love this big fur baby! She's so stinkin' sweet.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend my friends. I am busily closing out this school year. I am taking off this Friday and am off Monday for Memorial Day so I have a 4-day weekend to look forward to. So, that means I only have 12 student contact days left and a short day left after that to close up my classroom and attend the district luncheon to kick off summer. My last day of work just happens to be my birthday too! The summer off is a great gift isn't it? I have lots of plans for the summer as usual and hope to accomplish the majority of them. I am in need of this time off to refresh and renew. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Until next time.....

One Thing Leads To Another

 I don't know what's going on but I have been super productive and really energetic this week, both at home and school, so I couldn't resist writing a third post this week. :)

We have been needing rain for days and I was thrilled when it rained on me on my way home from work today. I was praying it would be raining at home too and was happy to see this view while I was riding down Willie Mae Lane.

It wasn't raining but definitely looking like rain!

And rain it did...or I should say it poured! It rained hard for about half and hour giving us 3 inches of rain! Such a blessing. My plants thought so too! After it finished raining, Mama and I went for a walk. When I got home, I took a few photos of my plants. I love my angel wing begonia. It is such a pretty color.

My hydrangea has it's first blue bloom of the year. It looks lavender here but it is the prettiest shade of blue.

Here's another one just starting to bud out. I love the green color when they first start blooming.

My sago palm is getting new fronds. They grow so fast. These were only about half this size a week ago.

These flowers reminded me of the flowers I got last week for teacher appreciation week from a few students. I have three little boys who have the sweetest moms. They have been so generous for every holiday. My little Aiden picked out the plant (an impatien) and the little plaque himself. 

My Sawyer has a Pinterest mom...she makes the neatest things. She usually makes me something out of wood, but this time, she gave me a personalized tub full of goodies. The cup is so cute...it has a chevron apple with Mrs. Vicky in the middle. I love it!

The little white box in the photo above is so sweet. It is ceramic and I love that it has the word grow on it. I guess I do help these little kinders grow in many ways over the course of the school year.

My Jacob bought me the sweetest miniature rose bush.

I love the tiny blooms and the color is so pretty.

Speaking of tiny blooms...check these out. Two of my little sweeties picked these for me on their way back to the classroom after their speech class. :)

And while we're talking flowers....check out he spectacular artwork  my kiddos painted a couple weeks ago. I gave them some simple directions and let them have at it. They love to paint! I love to watch them paint. 

And since I mentioned art...look at these adorable piggies! They did these in art class with oil pastels. 

I love the colors!

And that my friends, is all. I promise! Kind of reminded myself of the If You Give A...series by Laura Numeroff (which, by the way, I love!). I love children's literature. So many excellent books out there! Speaking of children's literature, if you have a young child or grandchild, there is the coolest book out called, The Book With No Pictures. My kinders absolutely love it! I borrowed it from a teammate, but I am ordering it from Amazon for next year. Check it out...:)

Ikea Finds and a Vignette

Hello! I can't believe I am blogging two days in a row! Life has just been so busy lately and I feel like I have had to put blogging on the back burner, so I am excited to share a post again today. If you read about my mother/daughter weekend, then you know I went to Ikea and I promised to share what I bought. So, here I am to do just that. 

I recently made a couple pillow covers for the pillows on my sofa. I wasn't happy with one of them because it was too small. I love black and white and found two pillow covers that I love at a very reasonable price, so I bought them home. 

I like them on the sofa. 

I especially love this one.

Here they are together with the floral one I made. I don't like everything to be too matchy, matchy! You've probably already figured that out though...lol! See the little plant on the coffee table?

It came from Ikea too. I already had the milk glass vase.

This plant and the basket planter also came home with me. I love fresh greenery, but that isn't always possible. I really love these from Ikea because they are plastic and washable. I bought a couple last year and loved them, so I bought the other two varieties this trip.

Not too exciting, but I bought this set of funnels for the kitchen. I needed a new one and this set of two was super cheap at just $0.99!

I liked this sweet lace edged metal dish too. It was only a couple dollars so I had to have it.

Here is where it is currently.

Again, not too exciting, but these cork trivets were inexpensive and I needed them for sitting hot pots and pans on my counters.

I think these may be my favorite purchase. I fell in love with the beautiful color of these little juice glasses. I am sure they will be displayed on the open shelving in my kitchen soon.

My last purchase was a pair of lace curtains for the dining room. I could not believe how ridiculously low priced these panels were....$9.99 for the pair! How I wish I had found these before I paid way too much for some sheers I recently ordered!

This is just one panel. I am only using one on each window. After the window trim is painted, I will be pulling it to one side and tying it back. I'll share a photo when I get that done. I have to wait until we get our new central AC and heater hooked up so I can take the window unit out of the other window and paint the trim. Soon!

I really like the scalloped edges.

That's it for the Ikea finds. I do want to share a couple photos of my dining table centerpiece though. You know I love my strawberry dishes and linens. I didn't set a full table because we are still working on a few things and use the table a lot. I don't want to risk things being broken or have to move them every time we need to use the table. 

I am using my new thrifted runner and sweet dish I won in Pam's giveaway.

Simple and sweet...:) 

The flowers are fresh gardenias off  my bush and they smell heavenly!

I do hope you're having a lovely week so far. I am! Life is good and I am blessed. Thanks so much for all your sweet comments. I am trying to reply to each of them as well as comment on your blogs, but sometimes I run out of time. I do hope you understand. Love and prayers.
Until next time.....