Monday Mishmash....

A good weekend always goes too fast.

Saturday was a sleep-in day.  We went to church (4:00 Vigil Mass) and then to Wendy's for dinner before some shopping at Beall's department store.  They had a HUGE sale going on and we had coupons to use on top of the already reduced prices.  I never pay full price for clothing.  Got two nice pairs of slacks.

Sunday, we got up early (for us on a Sunday) and drove over to St. Pete Beach for the Sunday Brunch Buffet at Jackie's Bistro.  It was WONDERFUL!  I didn't take pictures inside because it didn't seem appropriate, but the buffet had...

Eggs Benedict
Grouper Eggs Benedict
Sausage & Bacon
Shrimp & Grits
Stuffed French Toast
Waffles
Bagels (and a pile of lox)
A table full of pastries
Custom made Omelettes
Cheese blintzes
Potatoes
Gravy & biscuits
Fried Chicken Breasts
Good golly there was even more....
Nearly everything on the buffet was gluten-free, too

Plus coffee, juices, and at 11:00 bottomless mimosas (we left before 11:00)

I really couldn't do it justice, since I've cut down on carbs.  Had it been a few months ago, I would have gone back three times.  Yesterday I went back for seconds and couldn't finish what I put on my plate.  That's a good thing.  Also a good thing was the price.  I was expecting $35 each and it was $19 each! Amazing for all there was, prepared by an amazing and award-winning chef.

We had a call from grandson Tristan yesterday!  He just wanted to say hello and let us know his first week went well, that he got a great roommate (from India studying engineering), and he is fine. It was good to talk with him.

Joe and I have been watching three seasons of a Canadian show called "Orphan Black" on Amazon.  We are just into season 2 and it is edge-of-the-seat good.

Another busy week at work.  Hard to believe tomorrow is September 1.  Make it a good one!  Peace & hugs.

Sunday Stealing: Well, I'll Be.....

Thanks to Kwizgiver for a very interesting Sunday Stealing!  Things I've never thought of before are in this 'kwiz'.  Very fun this week!

Well, I'll Be...

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme. 
Cheers to all of us thieves!!! 

Well, I'll Be... Meme

Stolen from: Vulgar Darling

If I were a month, I’d be:  October
If I were a day of the week, I’d be:  Saturday
If I were a planet, I’d be:  Earth
If I were a god or goddess, I’d be:  Eirene
If I were a sea animal, I’d be:  a dolphin
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be: chaise lounge
If I were a gemstone, I’d be: emerald
If I were a flower, I’d be a: daisy
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be: 76° sunny with a light breeze
If I were a color, I’d be:  green
If I were an emotion, I’d be: compassion
If I were a fruit, I’d be a: grapefruit
If I were a sound, I’d be: bell ringing
If I were an element, I’d be:  texture (an element of art)
If I were a place, I’d be: a mountain brook

If I were a taste, I’d be: sweet
If I were a scent, I’d be:  lemon fresh
If I were an object, I’d be a: a treasured vase
If I were a body part, I’d be: eyes
If I were a song, I’d be: Amazing Grace
If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be:  comfortable

Well, this is a very different Sunday Stealing!  I didn't give these answers much thought, but rather typed my first thought.  I'm not going back to change anything.  I did look up my answer for the god or goddess question, but my first thought was goddess of peace and that is who Eirene was.

Joe and I are off to Jackie's this morning, for his early birthday brunch at St. Pete Beach. I'll be reporting on our experience tomorrow!!

We are happy that Hurricane Erika has now been downgraded to "expect a lot of rain"....

Thanks for your visit today!!  Peace & hugs!

Saturday:9 Time....

Viva la Vida

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Viva la Vida (2008)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The song refers to the singing of choirs. Have you ever been in a choir or a vocal group?  Yes, high school chorus.  Second alto and/or first tenor. 

2) Chris Martin sings of when he "ruled the world." If you were in charge and had infinite power, what would you change right away?  There isn't enough space here to even make a short list, but bringing God back to the forefront would be the starting point.  We don't have a problem with guns or diversity.  We have a problem with evil overtaking good.  Souls are being lost.

3) Chris used to be married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow. USA Today, The Washington Post and The Daily Telegraph have all run articles about how Gwyneth seems to annoy so very many people. What celebrity gets on your nerves?  Most all of them.  I used to really like Oprah.  Can't stand her now.

4) Coldplay's first big hit was, "Yellow." What color are you wearing right now?  A very bright peachy-orange top with white jeans.

5) Sam remembers when she used to hear this song everywhere and can't believe that was 7 years ago! When is the last time you had a similar "my, how time flies!" moment?  Oh my, I have those moments several times a week.  Seriously.

6) In 2008, when "Viva la Vida" was popular, John Grisham's latest legal thriller, The Appeal, was jumping off bookshelves. What have you read this summer?   I have been reading the Penn Cage mysteries by Greg Iles.  They are very long (800+pages). I'm a quarter into the 4th book.  They take place in Natchez and along the Mississippi River.  Lots of history, prejudice, murder, dirty politics, the KKK, prostitution, kidnapping, did I mention murder?...these books have it all, including a love story and Penn's sweet little girl.

7) Thinking of books: Let's say a biographer has taken the task of writing your biography. What would you title your life story?  Read This So You Can Go To Sleep....

8) 2008 is also the year Paul Newman died of cancer. Name a Newman movie.   Well, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was my first thought, but Road to Perdition was an excellent movie.

9) Random question: Do you like garlic?  I LOVE garlic. Yes.
 

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks to Crazy Sam for another fun Saturday:9!!  

Thanks to you for stopping by!  Peace & hugs. Wishes for a good weekend!

Friday Prayers & Praise....

I found this wonderful explanation of prayer as worship HERE.  I had to share it today as we ask for prayer and offer praise for prayers answered.  Thank you, everyone.  We count on our Prayer Warriors!!

Another form of worship is prayer

What is prayer? Prayer is communicating with the Godhead; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Prayer is having a loving relationship with the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Prayer is talking to God. It’s as simple as that.

Some people believe that prayer is complicated. How do I pray? What should I say? Prayer is not difficult. Think of prayer as if you’re speaking with your best friend. God wants us to communicate with Him. He loves interacting with us. He loves for us to include Him in every part of our lives.

It’s not enough to know about God, to know that He exists. Having a deep and personal relationship with Him makes all the difference in your life. When you are a child of God, He hears your prayers.

You can pray in church, in a group, or by yourself. You can pray anywhere and at anytime. You can pray silently or out loud. Pray in faith and hope. Pray without doubting. Pray with the right motives.

The most important thing is having that special time with the Creator. It’s the time you acknowledge His magnificence, confess your sins, give thanks for all His blessings upon your life, and the time to express your love for Him. It’s the time you share your concerns, your desires, and your needs in your everyday life.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (Philippians 4:6 NLT)

Prayer should not be done for show. When alone, go to a private place where there are no distractions and spend quality time with your heavenly Father. Having that one on one time with God is crucial in our daily lives. You can hear His voice through His Word, or through His still small voice.

My prayer requests this week:

• please remember my brother-in-law Bruce and sister Tammy in your prayers as he is still healing from his stroke and the latest complications
• please remember my dear BFF Karen and her husband Lee in your prayers as Karen is  recovering from complications of chemo and radiation and still faces cancer surgery in the near future.
• my friend, Heather, is headed to England to be with her sick mother, who is 84 and not doing well; please pray for safe travel and a peaceful visit
• the wife and daughter of our veterinarian, Dr. Bell, were in a terrible car accident earlier this week and his wife is probably not going to survive; his daughter will make it; please pray for the family
• thankful and praising God and the eye surgeon who worked on Bruce's eye yesterday, successfully; his implanted lens had become cloudy and was the cause of most of his sight problems!!

Please share any prayer requests in the comments below. The Prayer Warriors here (including me) pray for these intentions daily. We also love to hear about answered prayers and any praise you want to share with us. Thanks for stopping in. Peace, hugs and prayers!

Throwback Thursday in the Hollis Gardens.....

I live in such a beautiful city.  Lakeland has a lovely park around every corner (almost, anyway).  We are very proud of our formal garden, called Hollis Gardens.  The late Mark Hollis and his wife, Lynn, donated money to the city to build the garden and then endowed it.  Back in 2007, I took some photos while touring it with my very first blogging friend, Genny O.

Joe and I met Genny, her sister and her parents when we were in Italy, back in 2007.  It is such a small world.  They are from the Philadelphia area and know some of the same people Joe knew and of course they were all familiar with many of the same places there too.  Genny is a great photographer and she had a really good camera. It was fun to watch her 'working'.

When we got back to the USA, Genny had told me about blogging on Yahoo360 and suggested we could stay in touch that way, which we did.  She is the one who got me started blogging.  When Yahoo closed, we moved to Multiply.  When Multiply went down, I moved to Blogger and Genny lost interest (I think).  We are still in touch now and then by email and on Facebook.  She is the director of a homeless shelter in the Philly area and I know recently lost her dad and is helping with her ailing mother.

Joe and I visited with them in Philly, and Genny came down here for a week a few years ago. It was so great to make such a good friend while on tour in another country. Never would have expected it. While Genny was here, I was able to arrange a visit for her in one of our homeless shelters. She was impressed with the community support.  We also spent one day at Busch Gardens, and toured around Lakeland.

Dinner with our tour group, in Venice. Joe is sitting next to Genny's sister and her dad is next.  I'm sitting next to Genny and then her mom.

Genny photographing the Bridge of Sighs.

Genny photographing in the Hollis Gardens.  The next photos are mine, in the Gardens.

We have a wonderful Albert Paley sculpture in our Gardens.  It is a tribute to volunteerism.

More wonderful sculptures in the Gardens, these by J. Seward Johnson.

Here are a lot of professional photos of Hollis Garden, from the internet.
It is so pretty.  A lovely wedding spot.
HOLLIS GARDEN

That is my throwback post from 2007.  Not so long ago, but Italy feels like a lifetime has gone by since we were there.  Thanks for your visit today!  Peace & hugs.

A Fitting-END-to-August Hodgepodge....

Hodgepodge Questions-Volume 233 Joyce, From This Side of the Pond, is our Hodgepodge Hostess.  She gives us the questions to this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer the questions on your own blog, then hop back over there tomorrow to add your link and join the party!  1. It's hard to believe, but next week's Hodgepodge will find us in the month of September. What's one thing you want, need, or hope to do still before summer officially ends?  I only had two things on my list and got them done (30th Anniversary trip to New Orleans and our beach reunion vacation).  Of course, it is like summer here 10 of the 12 months in a year.  We will still be swimming in October. 2. When were you last at 'your wit's end'?  You know, I really don't get that stressed out anymore.  It's just not worth it and does nothing to make things better.  Go with the flow and keep your cool.  My motto! 3. Describe a time you were figuratively thrown into 'the deep end'?  I'm a good swimmer (wink) so can't really remember a time when I felt tossed overboard without a life jacket.  4. Does the end always, ever, or never justify the means? Explain.  I think if you set out to do something, the end always should justify whatever it took to accomplish the task.  I'm sure there are exceptions when too much effort was expended for an end that didn't satisfy, but for the most part, I am usually happy with end results.  Hard work usually pays off in the end. 5. What makes your hair stand on end?  Cruelty.  To animals, the elderly, children or anyone.  Cruel people should have to suffer the same thing that they dish out.  And I really mean that.  It could get bloody. 6. I read an article on the website Eat This! Health, that listed 11 foods we can eat to help end bad moods. Basically it's a feed your brain so you're less anxious, grouchy and lethargic. The foods are-mussels, swiss chard, blue potatoes, grass fed beef, dark chocolate, greek yogurt, asparagus, honey, cherry tomatoes, eggs, and coconut. Which of those do you think would most help end your own bad mood?  Dark chocolate is my first choice.  Which do you fear, if forced to eat, would put you into a bad mood?   I can't eat mussels (clams on the half-shell, oysters, escargo...blecht!). 7. What project around your home, office, or life in general feels like there is 'no end in sight'?  Cleaning out closets and cupboards.  Let's don't even mention the garage. 8.  Insert your own random thought here.  I have mentioned before that I am not "a drinker".  I will have a glass of wine now and then, or a cocktail when out for a special dinner or at a party, but one or two is all I want  and I have never acquired a taste for beer.  I've never been drunk and don't intend to ever be.  I've seen too many people make fools of themselves.  BUT, I am looking forward to our brunch at Jackie's this Sunday because they have 'infused martinis' and their limoncello martini is DELICIOUS.  I will definitely have one, and it very well may be before the noon hour strikes!  Ha!  Happy early birthday to Joe!  LOL  See- I'm already thinking about it and planning on it!  Maybe this wasn't really a random thought after all. I wanted to share a link with you.  Many of you have been praying for my BFF Karen, who just got out of the hospital from blood clotting problems and is still headed for cancer surgery.  She posted on her blog yesterday and I was so excited to see her back on-line.  Please pay her a visit:  http://www.flamingoks.com/ Thanks for stopping by my Hodgepodge today!  Love, hugs & prayers for all.

Tuesday Tidbits.....

From my BFF Elaine, by email yesterday.  Thanks, Elaine!

We were able to find the YouTube video on the SMU Convocation and got to see Tristan walking in with the 1,700 new freshmen.  Glad we could catch it!

Thanks for peeking in on this Tuesday!  Peace & hugs!

Monday Monday!

I didn't get a post written last night and scheduled, so am late getting this posted today (later than my usual).

• It was a quiet weekend, which was great!  We spoke on the phone with our son, Jeff and my grandmother.  Good catching up with them.

• I haven't heard from my sister yet, about her father-in-law's funeral.  Visitation (calling hours) was yesterday and the funeral is today.  Tom was well respected and loved by many. I'm sure they are overwhelmed by everyone coming by to show respect.

• We had a live broadcast link to watch the Convocation at SMU last night.  We missed the beginning, and then as we were listening to the speeches, Jeff called, so I muted the computer so we could talk with him.  We caught up at the end of the SMU President's speech and heard the choir sing the alma mater as they left the auditorium.  Kathy said they actually saw Tristan at the very beginning, so I hope the YouTube link will be up today so we can catch the beginning that we missed.  He will be in classes today!!

• Speaking of classes, today is the first day of school for public school students here in Florida.  The private schools started a week ago.  I expected extra traffic and school buses as I left for work this morning.  Pleasantly surprised that I only saw one bus and it was headed in the opposite direction from my route!  Tomorrow may be a different story as the drivers settle into their new routes.  We'll see.

• Next Sunday, I made reservations for us to celebrate Joe's birthday a week early at Jackie's Bistro, over at St. Pete Beach.  It is the little restaurant we found and loved so much.  She does a Sunday brunch buffet that sounds SO good.  That's what Joe said he wanted for his birthday, so that is where we are headed next Sunday morning.  The reservation is for 10:30.

That's all my news for today.  Thanks for stopping by!  Peace & hugs.

Sunday Stealing....

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing which originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we try to credit the blog that we stole it from. We also provide a link to the victim's meme in our "Previous Victims" widget. (It's our way of saying "Thanks!") Sometimes we edit the original meme, to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, to select the best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from this new meme or recently asked questions from a previously featured meme. 

Cheers to all of us thieves!!! 

Birds Are Chirping Meme

Stolen from: Angel's Survey Blog

1. Name a product you buy mostly because it has a cool package.  Can't think of even one.
2. What flavor cake do you like for your birthday?  Red Velvet!!
3. Have you ever been in love with someone much older or younger than you?  Joe! He is 14 years older than me.
4. Have you ever had a job you loved?  The one I have right now...18 years and counting.
5.  Have you ever been in a building that was on fire?  No, thank goodness!
6. Are you in an argument with anyone right now?   No.
7. Would you change your hair color to something outrageous if you would get paid to?  Sure.
8. Have you ever written a poem for someone?   No.
9. What is a place you’ve vacationed at and would like to go back to?  Italy. No secret there!
10. Do you eat samples at the grocery store?  Rarely.
11. What do you absolutely have to have to make your birthday feel special?   Loved ones close!
12. What’s the last tourist area you visited?  St. Augustine, FL (but I live in a tourist area, too).
13. Where do you go out to eat for a special occasion?  Bonefish Grill.
14. When was the last time you went to a post office?  A long, long time. Joe usually goes.
15.  Is there an item you are saving up to buy right now?  No.
16. Are you psychic in any way?  No.
17. Do you prefer a laptop or desktop? Which are you on now?   Laptop answers both.
18. Have you ever received a gift and truly did not know what it was?  I don't think so!  
19. What’s your homepage?  Windows 10.
20. Is there a thing you enjoy doing, but quit because you are not good at it?  Playing piano.

Thanks to Kwizgiver for posting the Sunday Stealing questions! Always fun, if not a little weird!

We spent a rather lazy Saturday, though I did clean out part of my closet and have two bags of stuff to take to the Salvation Army donation center. Went to our usual Vigil Mass, stopped at the Pet Supermarket and also Walmart for a few things. Today is laundry day, and I need to scan some receipts with my new mini-scanner!

Thanks for peeking in today!  Wishing you a good Sunday!  Peace & hugs.

Saturday:9 Hello Dolly!

From our Saturday:9 hostess, Crazy Sam. Thanks for this weekly Meme!!

Hello, Dolly!

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Saturday 9: Hello, Dolly (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) This song is about a woman returning to the town where she was happiest. How many towns have you lived in?  Eight.  Washington Court House, Ohio; Millersport, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Huron, Ohio; Germantown, MD; Annandale, VA; Alexandria, VA; Lakeland, FL.

2) Crazy Sam played Ernestina in her high school production of Hello, Dolly! and still remembers one of her lines: "Hey, you with the big ears! What are you doing after the show?" Tell us something that you memorized for school that is still rattling around in your brain.  Is this a dagger I see before me, handle toward my hand.....

3) This week's featured artist, Louis Armstrong, got his start entertaining diners on riverboat dinner cruises. Have you ever taken a dinner cruise?  Yes, a couple of times and the best was in New Orleans!

4) Armstrong took his nickname, "Satchmo," from "Satchel Mouth" -- a slang term for someone with a wide mouth, which Louis believed was his most distinguishing feature. What do you think people notice first about you?  My height (I'm 6 feet tall) and/or my curly hair.

5) In 1936, Louis became the first African American to get featured billing in a Hollywood movie. Have you seen any of this summer's big movies?  We saw "Spy" with Melissa McCarthy.  Loved it.

6) When "Hello, Dolly" composer Jerry was growing up, he was close to an aunt named Belle who encouraged his love of music. Tell us about one of your aunts or uncles.  My great-aunt Dorothy was my favorite aunt. She was fun and funny.  She didn't need to carry a purse because she kept all she needed in her bra.  She could pull anything out of her cleavage!  Seriously.  What a hoot.

Terrible picture, but that is Aunt Dorothy. She has been gone a few years, but certainly not forgotten.

7) Though famous for composing the scores of Hello, Dolly!, Mameand La Cage Aux Folles, Jerry Herman can't read music. Can you?  Yes, I can.  Played trumpet for 8 years and also took piano and organ lessons.

8) Now retired, Mr. Herman lives in Miami. This is Miami's "wet season," which lasts into October. When did it last rain where you are?  I'm four hours north of Miami, but central Florida has the same rainy season. It has been raining every day for a few weeks now.

9) Random question: Have you suffered a sunburn this summer?  Just a little one. I use sunscreen religiously.  Fair skin.  I do burn quickly.
 

Thanks so much for joining us again at Saturday: 9. As always, feel free to come back, see who has participated and comment on their posts. In fact sometimes, if you want to read & comment on everyone's responses, you might want to check back again tomorrow. But it is not a rule. We haven’t any rules here. Join us on next Saturday for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your weekend!

I had a good lunch with my girlfriends yesterday.  We went to Olive Garden and spent 2 1/2 hours talking and catching up.  Melody came down so we could celebrate her birthday with her.  She lives nearly 3 hours north now.  She reminded us it has been 6 years!  Gosh, time flies.  She is lots of fun, and is a quilter and experienced seamstress.  She has one of those embroidery machines that runs on a computer.  Too complicated for me, but she does make some beautiful things with it.  Here we are....

 Me, Melody, Cindee, and Shirley.

Thanks for coming by today!  Wishing you a good weekend!  Peace & hugs.

Prayer Request Friday....

I ask you all to join me on Fridays with prayer requests and prayers.  I will do this every Friday, but please know that prayers will be offered for all intentions every day of the week.  This will just be a place to congregate and share our needs and our good news. 

Matthew 18:20  For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them."

I believe in the power of prayer and many of you have also expressed the same.  Your prayer requests are welcome in the comments below.  I hope everyone will join me in praying for each other and the requests expressed here.  Please also share the good news of prayers answered!

O Lord, we call upon You in our times of sorrow, That You give us the strength and will to bear our heavy burdens, until we can again feel the warmth and love of Your divine compassion. Be mindful of us and have mercy on us while we struggle to comprehend life's hardships.

Keep us ever in Your watch, til we can walk again with light hearts and renewed spirits. 

How blessed is everyone that trusts in You – to You and You alone be all blessing and honor, glory, might, majesty and power - for Your loving-kindness is better than life itself.

Lord, hear our prayers.  Amen.

My requests:

• My sister's father-in-law died last night.  Please keep Greg and Patti and the McDermott family in your prayers.  
• B-I-L Bruce will be released to go home today and Tammy is (of course) thrilled. He will go back to the hospital in a month for another look at that mass, hoping that the blood from the brain bleed/stroke will be absorbed and they can get a clearer look at it.  Please continue to pray for his healing!
• My dear friend, Karen, was released to go home also and she is recovering from some pretty serious blood clots. She still needs surgery for the cancer, and that will be scheduled later when she is stronger. Continued prayers needed for Karen, too.

Thank you for looking in today, and for sharing prayer requests and also praise for answered prayers.  The power of prayer can't be denied.  God bless!