A Saturday 9 Tribute to Debbie Reynolds....

Thanks to Samantha for this week's Saturday 9.  I love Debbie Reynolds in the Tammy movies.

Tammy

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: Tammy (1957)
In celebration of Debbie Reynolds

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

1. In this song, Tammy sings of being able to hear "the breeze from the bayou." What sounds can you hear as you answer these questions?  The TV is on HGTV House Hunters. A breeze from the bayou would sure be better! 

2. This week's song was the theme of a popular movie about a girl who grew up on a houseboat in Mississippi. Looking back on 2016, did you spend much time on or around water?  Around water...yes. I live in LAKEland, Florida.  There is a lake every few miles in whichever direction you drive.  We also have a pool (for a couple more months, anyway!).

3. In addition to being an Oscar-nominated actress, this week's artist, Debbie Reynolds, was a big movie fan. She amassed an amazing cache of movie memorabilia. Do you collect anything?  Not so much anymore. Too much stuff!!

4. Though she never won a competitive Oscar for acting, Debbie Reynolds was awarded the Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award earlier this year for 60 years of charity work. While she supported many causes throughout her life, one she was closest to was The Girl Scouts. She was not only a Scout herself, she was a leader when daughter Carrie was young and a fundraiser throughout her life. Were you ever in Boy or Girl Scouts?  I was in Camp Fire Girls, but my sisters were Girl Scouts and my mom was a leader.

Thanks for playing Sat 9 in 2016

6. The New Year's Eve fireworks celebrations in both Disney World in Florida and Sydney, Australia coordinate pyrotechnics and music. Are you expecting either fireworks or live music on your New Year's Eve celebration?  Only the ones we might see on TV.  Our neighbors usually shoot off fireworks out in front of our houses at midnight but we don't go out to watch.

7. According to the National Insurance Bureau, more cars are stolen on New Year's Eve than any other single day.  Are you confident your vehicle(s) will be  safe and sound this Saturday night?  Mine is in the garage. Joe's is in the driveway and it would be fine if someone wanted to steal an 11-year old Kia Spectra!  LOL

8. Do you have any New Year's Resolutions for 2017?  I never make resolutions.

9. Looking back on 2016, what surprised you?  Nothing really surprised me.

 
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 for peeking in today!  Happy New Year!! Peace & hugs!

2016 Final Friday Foto Friends....

Whew!  Here we are at the last Friday in 2016. This year has really flown, but I can't say I am sad to see it go.  We are looking forward to a bright new 2017 with many possibilities!!

On to the Friday Foto Friends link-up with Debbie, from Breathing In Grace.  Join us HERE!

I don't have much but did conjure up a few new photos to share....

This is Vinny saying goodbye to the Christmas tree.  Silly cat.

Grandson Tristan asked Grandpa for any photos or memorabilia from his time in the Army, so Joe dug out a few things and sent them to Tristan, who thought this picture was just THE BEST!  LOL

Joe, accepting this award from General Wooten.

Trainee of the week, during his basic training at Ft. Dix. 

I know many of you here and on Facebook always choose a word to guide you through the new year. Last night I did one of those 'things' on FB that chooses your word and this is what came up for me....

.....and that is perfect for be because.....(drum roll)

We accepted the offer on our house and signed the contract this morning. We have until February 28th to find a new place to live and get this place emptied out.  WOW!!!  This is happening!  They gave us full price, no dickering, and two months to make it all happen. They really like our home. I think it will be in good hands.  Oh my gosh. We're moving in 2017!  We're moving in two months!

I know several of you have prayed about this for us and I know that your prayers added to mine have made this happen.  Thank you!  Now, please pray that we will find the place we are supposed to move to for this next phase of our lives together!  Thank you!

Thanks for your visit today!  Happy new year, y'all!!  Peace & hugs. On to some BIG changes!

Thankful Thursday.....

Linking up with Rebecca Jo, over at Knit by God's Hand, for Thankful Thursday!!

The folks who looked at our house last week are coming again today with their Realtor.  Wish us luck!  Joe is just sure they are going to come in with a really low offer, but the joke will be on them because we don't have to sell right now and we weren't going to go on the market until later in January.  We'll see!  Thankful for the opportunity to consider their offer, anyway!! (And maybe it will be on target!)

I was SO thankful for our son's help with getting the Christmas decorations lugged over to our new storage unit. We took most of the boxes (plastic tubs) in his truck with some other stuff in my SUV, so it only took one trip. Feeling good about getting that done! The attic space above the garage is now empty so we don't have to give it another thought.

I got thank-you notes written yesterday and in the mail today. So thankful for family and close friends who were so thoughtful and generous!  The love and friendships we are blessed with mean so much more than any gift, however!

We watched the old (original) movie Ben Hur on Tuesday night, with our son Joe.  Over three hours and with the original Overture and Intermission breaks!  Does anyone else remember when we had intermissions at the movies?  I do!  LOL  What a great movie and we can call it a Christmas movie OR an Easter movie since it begins with the birth of Jesus and ends with His crucifixion and resurrection. Lots of action in between! Thankful to share the evening with our son, Joe.

Thankful that Jeff and Kali got home safely on Tuesday night. I had a text message from Jeff when they boarded the plane and again when they arrived at Dulles Airport, then again to their apartment. Blessed that he knows I needed to know they were okay!!

Not a thankful thought, but I was so sad to learn of Debbie Reynolds' death just the day after her daughter's death. What a heartbreaking time for her son to have to plan two funerals. RIP, Debbie and Carrie.

Thanks for stopping by!!  The countdown to January is getting shorter!  Peace & hugs.

A Hodgepodgeless Wednesday....

Just a quick update for this Wednesday. I'm enjoying having the week off from work!

Let's see, yesterday we got a new garbage disposal installed. Took the plumber less than 30 minutes.  If Joe had done it, it would have taken two days! LOL  Worth paying for the expert.  I also did laundry. Kept thinking it was Sunday, which is (as my readers know) my usual laundry day.  I also put Christmas gifts away.

Joe and Joey ran some errands and one of them was to rent a storage unit so when I get the Christmas decorations put away today, the boxes can go to the storage unit instead of back in the attic. They will be easier to move from there and we can also start de-cluttering and moving some things out to get the house ready to go "on the market". We haven't heard back yet, from the folks who said they want the house, so we aren't counting on them.  We need to keep moving forward. I am taking down the decorations earlier than usual because Joey is here to help with the toting of boxes!

Joe is taking my car in for an oil change this morning, then he has to visit a client. Joey is going to tag along (he is also a CPA, by the way). Not sure what else we'll get into. Time will tell!

Thanks for checking in today!!  The new year is fast approaching!  Peace & hugs!

Tuesday Tidbits.....

We had a full day yesterday and are looking forward to a slower pace these next few days.

Jeff's girlfriend's parents live in Clermont, which is about an hour north of Lakeland.  They invited us for brunch yesterday.  We were to deliver Jeff to them and they will get the "kids" to the Orlando airport today, for their trip back to Virginia.  We had never met the parents before, or Kali's sister, so we were a little anxious about it.  Not to worry. They were gracious hosts and Maureen had prepared a delicious lunch for us!  Shrimp quiche, ham quiche, a potato casserole, banana bread, pumpkin bread and smoked salmon bruschetta (delicious!). There was also mimosas and coffee. Kali's family are from Jamaica, but her folks are US citizens and her dad is a retired colonel from the air force. Her mom is a retired elementary school teacher.  Her sister, Leslie, is working on her Ph.D. in art, so we had a lot to talk about. They were all delightful and we were made to feel like family.

 Jeff and Kali

Jeff, Stuart, Joe, me, Kali, Maureen and Leslie

We left their company after almost three hours because Joe and Darlene were on their way.  After we headed home, Joey texted that Darlene hurt her knee really bad and they decided she should stay home and stay off of it and possibly get to the doctor, but Joey came by himself. We will enjoy our time with him and hope that Darlene will be okay. Her son is there with her - she isn't home alone with a bad knee!  Anyway, we ran to Sam's Club and Publix for a few things to supplement the leftover ham from Christmas dinner. Joey arrived safely and we have already spoken with Darlene on the phone...and the grand-puppies.

Oh, our garbage disposal quit working on Christmas day, so the plumber is coming this morning. Just what we needed to happen. A new disposal for new owners (someday soon we hope). Merry Christmas!  LOL

We'll see what the next few days bring. Joyce is taking this week off from the Hodgepodge, so I may not have much of a post for tomorrow.  I appreciate your visit today!!  Peace & hugs!!

Weekend Recap on Monday....

Our weekend started on Friday and we went over to Disney Springs to meet up with our nephew and his family for lunch at the House of Blues.  It was great seeing them. Lunch was delicious.

Mary, Anthony nephew Jim, Joe, and Emily.

This was taken in front of Disney Quest.

Saturday (Christmas Eve) we got to sleep in a bit.  I got Jeff's room ready for him and we put together a Christmas Eve spread to have when we got back from the airport with him.

Before that, though we went to Christmas Eve Mass.  Our church was so crowded that people were parking across the street in the Baptist Church parking lot.  We didn't even try to find a place to park because it would have been standing room only inside.  Instead, we took off for the next town south and went to St. John Neumann Catholic instead. We got a parking spot and a place to sit!  Worked out fine, even if we didn't know anyone.

Having Jeff with us for Christmas was the best gift we could have gotten!

His plane arrived 18 minutes early, but we were there at the gate and ready!!

This is the LATE Christmas Even spread we had when we got home.

After we ate, we opened gifts. The cats got treats and toys but had more fun with the paper and gift bags than they did with the toys.  This is Lucy and Jeff.

This is Lilly....

....and this is Vinny who tore that paper to shreds!

Jeff!

We went to bed after midnight, so wished each other a Merry Christmas before turning in.

Christmas morning I was up and in the kitchen.  Our Christmas dinner menu included ham, corn casserole, Au gratin potatoes, mixed vegetables, pickle plate and rolls. Cheryl brought a fruit salad and Helen brought lemon meringue pie, pecan pie and cherry pie.  We did not leave the table hungry!

When they left, we took Jeff around and showed him some of the 55+ communities we were looking at as possibilities for us to move to. When we got home, our friend Sheila dropped by.  She stayed an hour or so and it was good catching up with her.  She hadn't seen Jeff in a long time.

There were lots of texts and several phone calls in between all of this, with family and friends far away. It would be great if we could all be together for holidays like we used to do years ago. Sigh.

We will be picking at leftovers for a few days, which isn't a bad thing.  We will take Jeff to his girlfriend's folks today and they will fly back to Virginia tomorrow.  Joey and Darlene are coming down for a few days this week. We'll either get them tonight or tomorrow.  So, a busy week ahead!  I might be here hit & miss but will catch up with you.  I'm looking forward to your Christmas posts!

Thanks for your visit!  Peace & hugs!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Wishing our Savior a happy birthday, first and foremost, 

AND my brother-in-law, Greg also a very happy birthday!

Saturday 9 on Christmas Eve....

Welcome to this week's Saturday 9, which is also Christmas Eve!!  Thanks to Samantha for posting the questions early (and that sweet Santa photo) for us!  Join in HERE!

Happy Holidays!

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: Happy Holidays! (from the archives)

1. As you can see, Sam loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. Yet some children are reluctant to climb into Jolly Old St. Nick's lap. Did you enjoy the tradition or were you shy?  Never sat on Santa's lap.  Or did you by-pass it all together -- either because you wrote him a letter or because your family didn't celebrate Christmas?  I don't remember ever going to "see" Santa or sitting on his lap. My grandpa played Santa at a couple of my early birthday parties. I've seen pictures of that, but going for a picture with Santa just wasn't on my folks' radar back in the early 50s.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list?  I'm always on the nice list.  How did you get there?  I'm just sure I've NEVER been on anyone's naughty list. Come on!  Does Samantha really think we are going to admit being on the naughty list?  :)

3. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year?  We always do.  If so, which one traveled the farthest?  It used to be New Jersey, but now we only send to family in Ohio and Georgia, so Ohio is the farthest.

4. Did you buy yourself a gift this year?  No, but I make some pretty heavy hints....

5. What's your favorite holiday-themed movie?  There are too many to pick just one. We love them all.  The Holiday is one of my more current favorites.

6. Thinking of movies, Christmas is lucrative for Hollywood. Have you ever gone to a movie theater on Christmas Day?  We actually usually go to a movie on Christmas day.

7. Have you ever suffered an embarrassing moment at the company Christmas party?  Nope.  No embarrassing moments at any company Christmas party I've attended.

8. What's your favorite beverage in cold weather?  Hot chocolate.

9. Share a memory from last Christmas.  Last Christmas we spent the holiday in Naples with Kathy, Jim and the grandkids. Walking through the hustle and bustle and beautiful decorations in Old Naples on Christmas Eve was really nice.

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 next week for another version of Saturday: 9, "Just A Silly Meme on a Saturday!" Enjoy your holidays!

Thanks for your visit!!  I am posting this on Thursday but sure do wish everyone a lovely holiday and a blessed Christmas to those who celebrate the birth of Jesus on this sacred day!

Peace & hugs!

Christmas Friday Foto Friends....

It's Friday and that means it's time to link up with Debbie, over at Breathing In Grace, for Friday Foto Friends!

First up are more photos of our beautiful Lake Morton and all the white pelicans that grace her shores this time of year!  Please click on the photo to make it bigger.

There was also a flock of ibis being fed by some folks. Feeding the birds is a fun thing to do, especially with youngsters.

My co-worker, Gregory, has the sweetest Shih Tzu named Paisley.  He brings her into the office once in awhile and she RUNS to my office to see me.  We cuddle and I tell her how pretty she is. She always wants to get on my desk, and I let her....

Shifting to Christmas, this is one of my favorite Nativity scenes and I leave it out all year. I bought it about three years ago from the Religious Articles store in our church.

A co-worker gave these napkins to me before she left on her Christmas vacation. We don't "do" gifts, but she said she saw these and had to get them for me. I don't want to use them, they are so cute!

Joe loves bread, especially Italian bread and that includes Panettone.  This is the THIRD one he has purchased this season. He allows me to have a taste now and then...just a taste! Ha!

We are meeting our nephew and his family for lunch today, at The House of Blues which is in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney). I'll have some photos to share next week!  When we get home from there, I need to finish wrapping gifts and get a couple of things baked. Oh, and Jeff's bed made!!  Good grief!! Time is getting away from me!!

Emily (freshman in college) Nephew Jim, his wife Mary and Anthony (senior in college).

I mentioned that some people were coming over to look at our house.  They loved it and asked us to not sell it to anyone else - they will get back to us with their realtor and an offer within a few days. WOW!!  I'm not sure I'm ready for this!  Guess I'd better get ready!  If they make a good offer, we will be moving sooner than we anticipated!  They are very nice people, retired, and the man is from my old stomping grounds in Ohio. He knew my old boss when I worked at the Catholic high school here in town....lots of 'coincidences' and I could feel God's hand in this.  The offer has to be what we need to be able to move, though....

Thanks for your visit today!  I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  Happy Hannukah to my Jewish friends!!  That is a silly avatar, but my wish for a blessed holiday is anything but silly.

God bless!  Be safe! Be happy!

Peace & hugs!

Thankful Thursday.....

The time is getting away from me!  Yesterday, I wasn't feeling anxious at all, but woke up today for some reason with a little stress going on.  Perhaps it's because a friend of a friend would like to see our house (for sale) and all of a sudden it isn't Christmas anymore....it's time to move. Whew!

Showing the house is a good thing.  Sometimes you have to turn it over to God and let what happens happen.  I've been praying about this so it's time to let go and let God.

Tomorrow (I have the day off) we are meeting our nephew and his family over at Disney where they have been all week. We will be having lunch with them before they head back to Maryland. They have been doing this every two years since the kids were little.  Their oldest is in college now.  I'll have to look for some of the old photos and post them soon.  We always get over there for lunch or dinner with them one of the days they are there. Good times and good memories!

I am thankful for family, friends and for your visit today!  Peace & hugs.