Handbags 1955

These ladies look so glamorous. I would love to have one of their handbags today! The classics never really go out of style do they?

Make Do Monday - Technology

My Family is what you might call "technology challenged". It's not that we don't like technology, we just don't have whatever is the latest "new thing".

My laptop was a freebie from my oldest son. All I had to pay for was a new power cord. Notice the cute electrical tape. That's to keep the cord from falling out of the back. The plug-in part is messed up so we are making sure it can't go anywhere although it still jiggles and turns off unexpectedly sometimes. :)

We don't have a flat panel TV, our TVs don't get a digital signal, and we don't even have Tivo.


Now, don't get me wrong I wouldn't turn down a new fancy TV (although I would much rather have a dishwasher), but we are getting along fine without one. No matter what you might be persuaded to think from watching commercials, you can still have a great life and even watch TV, check email and blog without that newest gadget. :)

Join Ann Kroeker and see how others are making do.

I Hate Swimsuits!

Ladies on Beach, Florida
We are going swimming with my two best friends and their families and I do not have a decent swimsuit! I have two choices. One swimsuit is a pair of swim shorts that are faded by years of chlorine with a top that is two sizes too big. The other has a skirt with a scoop neck top and is done in an oh so attractive old-lady print. Which to choose...ugly or uglier? That's what I get for putting off shopping for a swimsuit for at least the past 2 years.

I'll just have to wear my adorable "patio dress" until the last moment right as I jump in the pool and hope that I can get under the water before anyone has a chance to catch a glimpse.

We're going to have so much fun catching up and chatting! I can't wait!

Make Do Monday - Iced Coffee

I looooove iced coffee in the summertime. I like the Starbucks version and the McDonald's version, but my budget doesn't like either. I only get to drink it occasionally as a splurge.

It finally hit me yesterday that I could make iced coffee at home (I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer am I?). Mike made me my usual cup of coffee and I just stuck it in the freezer while I took my shower. After it was nice and chilled I poured it into a tall glass, added milk, a couple of Splenda packets, and some ice. It was delicious! Even though that's probably not how iced coffee is really made, I like it so I'm going to keep it up. Why didn't I think of this a long time ago?

I'm linking this post to Ann Kroeker's Make Do Monday, but I don't know that it's really making do. After all, now I can have iced coffee anytime I want!

Checking The List

1951
I'm checking things off the list for getting the house ready for a cookout this Saturday and company coming Sunday night. I've made lots of progress which is why I haven't even had time to check email much less blog.

I now have two lovely sparkling clean refrigerators! Even the "overflow" fridge in the laundry room is clean which I have to tell you is a small miracle. Cleaning the fridge is my least favorite chore and that one hardly ever gets cleaned. Out of site, out of mind. :) I also have clean ceiling fans and clean blinds (at least in the guest room). I've even been moving furniture to vacuum underneath, dusting baseboards and going through the girls' dresser and closet.

Tomorrow the guest bathroom gets a thorough going over and the kitchen floor will be clean enough to eat off of.

Spray Paint

Yesterday started my week of home improvement. :) I got my barstools touched up with spray paint. My kids are hard on them and we use them every day so they were looking a little worse for wear. They look so much better now!


If you're going to use spray paint for more than about 5 seconds, be sure and get one of these handy sprayer trigger thingys. They're cheap and worth it to save your hands.

And by the way, did I mention that in addition to preparing for guests, we are hosting a cookout for 16 people this Saturday? I'm off to Sam's.

I've hardly made a dent in my list of projects for the week. I'll be sure and keep you updated on how everything is going.

Preparing For Guests

Breeze Blowing Bedroom Curtains
We have company coming next week! Peter is finally back from Iraq and he is coming home on leave and also bringing his girlfriend. If you knew Peter you would know what a big deal this is. He never really dated and was more likely to spend time with a group of friends (that might include a girl or two). Now he is bringing his girlfriend J all the way to Texas! This is not just a passing thing.

I am so nervous, my husband can't stand me. :) I want J to feel at home here. She was raised in a very different environment than how we live. She grew up with a life of privilege, housekeepers, and world travel. We are just country people who might go camping or to a theme park every now and then for vacation and live in your average suburban ranch style house. I don't even have a working dishwasher for heaven's sake!

Peter is going to bunk in with Bobby and I am going to get the guest room fixed up for J. It usually serves as a room for Greg or Peter when they are home and it's full of a lot of their "junk" and leftover bits of furniture that don't fit anywhere else in the house. So please bear with me for what is sure to be a week of rambling nonsensical posts as I try to tear down my house and totally rebuild it for $23. ;)

By the way, I am so hoping Peter hasn't told J about this blog. If she is reading this I think I'll crawl in a hole and die! I don't want to embarrass Peter even further! ;)