NEEDING SOME FLORIDA SUNSHINE!!

I need the sunshine of Florida NOW!!

Do any of you remember that TV commercial from years ago. . . a little boy sitting at the kitchen table, snow visible out the window and telling his parents. . . "I need it bad!!" Remember? The commercial was for Florida. I think the kid must have been in Michigan! It's been a long. . .cold. . . and snowy winter here.

Well, I'm flying out on Saturday, the 14th, Valentine's Day, for Florida with our youngest daughter!! We're off to visit my parents for an entire week. Up here in the north some school districts have what we call "winter break." I think it's so we can visit someplace warm. I heard Florida had a cold streak last week, but my mom called me this morning (anxious for our visit) and to tell me it's warming up!

My hubby and I are planning on celebrating Valentine's Day on Friday the 13th (did you know that this Friday is Friday the 13th for those of you who worry about such stuff LOL). His gift to me is Florida!! Yeah!! He'll be working while I'm in Florida and our oldest is in college so it's just our youngest this trip with me.

We'll have some nice mother, daughter, granddaughter bonding time. And THAW!!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Some of My "Precious" Treasures

. . . and so the love story continues.

It's the love I have of bird houses!!! I have always adored them!!

See this picture? It's a Purple Martin house that my father made my hubby and I for our 27th wedding anniversary last month. Isn't is BEAUTIFUL? What to know something? This was a pattern that I got out of a book at my elementary school library when I was in just the 4th grade!! My dad has always liked working with wood and at the time they lived in a house on a nice piece of land. My dad had said he wanted to find a plan to make a Purple Martin house. . . so on my next library day in the 4th grade. . . I found a book with a plan. My dad made a bird house just like this one for the back yard of my childhood home.

What a surprise to arrive at our cottage (Mom and Dad live 2.6 miles from our cottage) and find this most beautiful Purple Martin house for us! My dad kept those plans all these years and surprised us! My husband helped my dad lift it up and bolt it down. Dad had already dug the hole and poured the cement in around the base.

Here's a close-up of this beauty. Dad cut it out and constructed it and my mom painted it.

. . . And now, into the next generation after mine. . . our daughter made this birdhouse for me in my Dad's wood shop. It was my birthday present last year. Isn't it adorable? She's 14 and took Wood shop in the 8th grade (yeah, hubby and I thought it was a joke, or because all the boys take Wood shop - well joke was on her because she was the only girl with all younger 7th grade boys - but you know what. . . she LOVED IT!!! She enjoyed that class very much. We actually had to talk her out of taking it again in the 9th grade. We told her to try another elective which would be better applied towards getting into college. She can always make things in gramp's wood shop.)

My dad thinks there must be some genetic defect in our family because my brother loves babies and cooking. Me, I love my own children, but I don't want to watch yours. Cooking? Get it on the table and get it off. I have better things to do. . . like woodworking, refinishing furniture, sewing, decorating, etc.

Yeah, in our family my brother will probably get the china and I'll get the tools : ) ha-ha.

Blessings. . . until next time,

Oh Winston, What Have They Done to YOU????

Saturday our 13 year old (almost 14 aauugghh) had her school's first of three scheduled Competitive Cheer meets of the season. It was fun, exciting and I lost most of my voice screaming for our team. Afterwards the team celebrated by going out to lunch then going to the mall. Anyways, in a weak moment, I consented to allowing the Cheer Team (11 screaming, hyper, cartwheeling girls) to have a sleep over in our basement that night, Saturday.

Actually, it wasn't too bad. I made brownies, ordered pizza, the parents all brought a snack or pop for the girls to share. But what I didn't know was while at the mall the girls bought hair dye. It's the kind that is supposed to wash out when the hair is shampooed. They were in the bathroom cutting their bangs, dying their hair and my dog's hair. "Look" they said to me. I see my poor little Yorkshire Terrier, Winston Churchill with spiked hair pieces now dyed pink and blue. Poor Winston. I can't blame him if he bites the next cheerleader he sees now can I?

Blessings. . . until next time,

Home-Home, But Snow is on the WAY AAAUUUGGGGHHH!!!!

Well, we made it home from the cottage last night. We arrived home and were pretty thankful that we didn't have snow here at our Home-Home, like we had at our cottage.

. . . BUT, this morning we wake to find out we are now under a Winter-Storm Warning here at our Home-Home for 8 - 10" of snow by morning!! That's the joy of living in Michigan. We just can't seem to escape it. That's OK though. We had planned on staying home and taking down all the Christmas decorations anyways. . . so now we can't change our minds can we? Hubby already removed all the outside lights this afternoon in anticipation of the added snow accumulation. Kinda hard to remove outside Christmas lights when they are buried under 8 - 10" of snow, ya know!

*Edited to add. . .the weather forecast has changed. . . we can now expect up to 12" of snow. Oh hurry Spring, hurry~!!

We're just "Homers" anyways so staying home and staying in is just fine with us. The conditions are right too. Fires going in the fireplaces, kitchen stocked with food, all the family is present (including a bonus member - my niece who is spending the day and night), DVDs from Netflix ready to be watched, gas in the snow blower. . . Ahhhh, this won't be too bad after all.

Oh, yes, why is our youngest smiling in the above picture? Well, she's hoping we get so much snow that she won't have to go back to school after the New Year. (Yeah, right, FAT chance!!! There will be plenty of time to clear the roads. . .but I won't tell her that just yet. . . let her dream!)

Enjoy your New Year's Eve celebrations. But, please, if you are going to drink, spend the night, or have someone who isn't drinking drive you home. It only takes a second to change yours, or some one's life forever. Be responsible.

May the New Year bring you all good health, happiness and the love of your family and friends. Thank you all for your visits throughout this past year. I have enjoyed visiting with all of my old, new and (soon to meet) blogging buddies. It's been so much fun inspiring, supporting and just "sharing" with you all. I look forward to your visits and my visits to your blogs in 2008!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Look what I've done!!

I guess the concert we attended last week inspired our youngest!!! Looks like she's practicing performing for an audience. (If she's not climbing up on the Lumberman's Monument, she's climbing up on the counters in our kitchen)

Yesterday was her first day back to school. She was very excited to see her friends again. Tomorrow she has her sports physical and next week is "cheerleader tryouts!" Now the running starts. . . all over again. . . try-outs, practice, football games, competition practice.